Jeremiah 7 22

Jeremiah 7:22 kjv

For I spake not unto your fathers, nor commanded them in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, concerning burnt offerings or sacrifices:

Jeremiah 7:22 nkjv

For I did not speak to your fathers, or command them in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, concerning burnt offerings or sacrifices.

Jeremiah 7:22 niv

For when I brought your ancestors out of Egypt and spoke to them, I did not just give them commands about burnt offerings and sacrifices,

Jeremiah 7:22 esv

For in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, I did not speak to your fathers or command them concerning burnt offerings and sacrifices.

Jeremiah 7:22 nlt

When I led your ancestors out of Egypt, it was not burnt offerings and sacrifices I wanted from them.

Jeremiah 7 verses

Jeremiah 7 22 Meaning

Jeremiah 7:22 asserts that God's primary instruction and covenant with Israel, when He led them out of Egypt, did not prioritize or initially center on burnt offerings and sacrifices. Instead, the verse, within its broader context, signifies that God's foundational demand was for obedience to His ethical and moral laws. The elaborate sacrificial system was established later and intended as a response to this prior call to live righteously, and was always secondary and conditional upon a right heart, not an end in itself.

Jeremiah 7 22 Context

Jeremiah 7:22 is a pivotal statement within Jeremiah's "Temple Sermon" (Jeremiah 7:1-15), delivered at the gate of the Jerusalem Temple. The people of Judah were operating under a dangerous misconception: they believed the Temple and their ritualistic sacrifices guaranteed God's presence and protection, despite their widespread sinfulness (idolatry, theft, murder, adultery, oppression). Jeremiah, on God's behalf, shatters this false security by exposing the emptiness of their outward worship. He condemns their reliance on the forms of religion while neglecting its moral substance. The verse explicitly harks back to the Exodus generation and the covenant made at Mount Sinai (Horeb), asserting that at that foundational moment, God's primary focus was on their obedience to His voice and moral law (the Ten Commandments), not on the sacrificial system which would be detailed later in the Torah. The historical context reveals that the Mosaic Law did command sacrifices, but Jeremiah highlights God's original intent and priority in the covenant relationship, countering the people's warped understanding of their spiritual duties.

Jeremiah 7 22 Word analysis

• For (כִּ֣י, ki): A causal conjunction, meaning "because" or "for indeed." It introduces the divine reasoning for the preceding condemnation of Judah's corrupted worship (Jer 7:21).

• I did not speak (לֹא־דִבַּ֜רְתִּי, lo’-dibbarti): Strong negative ("not") combined with the verb "to speak." This is not an absolute denial that God ever commanded sacrifices (which Leviticus clearly shows). Rather, it's a denial that sacrifices were the initial, primary, or core element of the covenant established at Sinai. It emphasizes priority and the sequence of revelation. God's first concern was obedience.

• to your fathers (אֶת־אֲבֹֽותֵיכֶ֗ם, ’et-’avoteychem): Refers to the generation of Israelites who were freed from Egypt and received the Law at Mount Sinai. This specifies the original audience and time period of the initial covenant.

• or command them (וְלֹא־צִוִּיתִ֤ים, velo’-tzivvitim): "And not I commanded them." Reinforces the negative "did not speak," creating a parallelism. "To command" (צוה, tzivvah) signifies an authoritative instruction. The repetition emphasizes the absence of initial focus.

• in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt (בְּיֹום֙ הֹוצִאִ֣י אֹותָ֔ם מֵאֶ֖רֶץ מִצְרָ֑יִם, b’yom hotzi’i ‘otam me’eretz mitzrayim): This phrase pinpoints the precise historical moment: the Exodus event and the subsequent covenant at Sinai. This chronological marker is crucial; it explicitly refers to the establishment of the Mosaic covenant before the detailed sacrificial laws of Leviticus were fully instituted as part of the system.

• concerning burnt offerings or sacrifices (עַל־דְּבַר־עֹולָ֖ה וָזָֽבַח, ‘al-devar-‘olah v’zavach):

  • concerning (עַל־דְּבַר, ‘al-devar): "On the matter of," or "in respect to."
  • burnt offerings (עֹולָה, ‘olah): A specific type of offering, entirely consumed by fire, symbolizing complete devotion, atonement, and dedication. It was a foundational part of the sacrificial system.
  • sacrifices (וָזָבַֽח, v’zavach): A broader term for various types of offerings, often peace offerings where parts were consumed by the worshipper, symbolizing fellowship and communion. Together, "burnt offerings or sacrifices" represent the entire cultic sacrificial system.

• Words-group analysis:

  • "I did not speak... or command them... concerning burnt offerings or sacrifices": This direct negation highlights the non-priority of ritual. It critiques an understanding that elevates external rites above internal obedience and moral action, showing a core misalignment of values in Judah's religious practice. It's a statement about the essence of the covenant.
  • "in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt": This phrase precisely timestamps the divine priority. It anchors God's emphasis on moral obedience to the initial, formative stage of Israel's national existence and their covenant with Him, providing historical backing for Jeremiah's challenging message.

Jeremiah 7 22 Bonus section

• The rabbinic tradition often wrestled with the tension between ritual and ethics. Jeremiah's declaration aligns with other prophetic voices (Isaiah, Amos, Micah, Hosea) who consistently elevate moral righteousness, justice, and mercy over empty ritual. This prophetic tradition highlights that true worship involves both the vertical dimension (love for God) and the horizontal dimension (love for neighbor) as interdependent.
• This verse provides crucial insight into the progressive revelation of God's will. The sacrificial system served a purpose, foreshadowing the ultimate sacrifice of Christ (Hebrews 10:1-10). With Christ's perfect atonement, the Old Covenant animal sacrifices are rendered obsolete, fulfilling Jeremiah's implicit message that external forms are temporary and inferior to genuine obedience of the heart.
• The emphasis on "I did not speak... or command them" suggests a contrast between God's fundamental nature and initial revelation, and Israel's human tendency to distort or elevate aspects of the law out of proportion, transforming means into ends. It challenges any religion that values outward show more than inner truth.

Jeremiah 7 22 Commentary

Jeremiah 7:22 is a profound re-centering of divine priorities, delivered to a people whose spiritual compass was fundamentally broken. It’s not an abolition of the sacrificial system; God did later command sacrifices in the Law (e.g., Leviticus). However, Jeremiah reveals that these commands were never the starting point or the supreme objective of God's covenant with Israel. At Sinai, when Israel became God’s people, the foundational demands were ethical and moral: "Obey My voice" (Ex 19:5). The Ten Commandments, the moral core, preceded the detailed sacrificial code. The sacrifices were established later as a means to atone for sin and restore fellowship, presupposing a desire for obedience and a right heart. When sacrifices become mechanical rituals, a substitute for righteousness, or a supposed guarantee of divine favor despite ethical depravity, they become an abomination to God. Jeremiah's message exposes the dangerous hypocrisy of his generation, who clung to temple ritual as a magic charm while neglecting justice, kindness, and faithful obedience, thereby invalidating their worship. The verse serves as an eternal reminder that genuine faith demands a transformed heart that desires to obey God's will above all outward expressions.