Jeremiah 7:4 kjv
Trust ye not in lying words, saying, The temple of the LORD, The temple of the LORD, The temple of the LORD, are these.
Jeremiah 7:4 nkjv
Do not trust in these lying words, saying, 'The temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD are these.'
Jeremiah 7:4 niv
Do not trust in deceptive words and say, "This is the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD!"
Jeremiah 7:4 esv
Do not trust in these deceptive words: 'This is the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD.'
Jeremiah 7:4 nlt
But don't be fooled by those who promise you safety simply because the LORD's Temple is here. They chant, "The LORD's Temple is here! The LORD's Temple is here!"
Jeremiah 7 4 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Sam 15:22 | "Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying... | Obedience over sacrifice |
| Isa 1:11-17 | "What to me is the multitude of your sacrifices... wash yourselves; make yourselves clean... | Vain oblations; call for justice |
| Jer 7:3 | "Amend your ways and your deeds, and I will let you dwell in this place." | Call to genuine repentance prior to this verse |
| Jer 7:8 | "Behold, you trust in lying words that cannot profit." | Reinforces trust in lies |
| Jer 7:14 | "Then I will do to this house... what I did to Shiloh." | Temple's destruction foretold |
| Hos 6:6 | "For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings." | Mercy and knowledge over ritual |
| Amo 5:21-24 | "I hate, I despise your feasts... let justice roll down like waters." | Rejection of ritual without justice |
| Mic 6:6-8 | "What does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness..." | What God truly requires |
| Psa 40:6 | "In sacrifice and offering you have not delighted, but you have given me an open ear." | God desires obedience |
| Psa 51:17 | "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise." | God values heart, not ritual |
| 1 Kgs 8:27 | "But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain you..." | God is not limited to temples |
| Isa 66:1-2 | "Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool... But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble..." | God's omnipresence; values humility |
| Mt 9:13 | "Go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’" | Jesus echoes Hosea's message |
| Mt 23:23 | "Woe to you... for you tithe mint... but have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness." | Hypocrisy in external rites |
| Lk 13:3 | "No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish." | Need for genuine repentance |
| Acts 7:48-50 | "However, the Most High does not dwell in houses made by hands... as the prophet says..." | God doesn't dwell in man-made temples |
| Jn 4:23-24 | "But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth." | Worship beyond location; spirit and truth |
| 1 Cor 3:16 | "Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?" | Believers as God's temple |
| Jas 1:22 | "But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves." | Doing vs. merely hearing or believing |
| Jer 9:23-24 | "Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom... but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me..." | True boasting in knowing God |
| Prov 14:12 | "There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death." | False sense of security leads to ruin |
| 2 Tim 3:1-5 | "having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people." | Outward religiosity without power |
| Ez 33:13 | "If he trusts in his righteousness and commits iniquity, none of his righteous deeds shall be remembered." | Righteousness without present obedience invalidates |
| Mk 13:1-2 | "Not one stone will be left here upon another; all will be thrown down." | Jesus' prophecy of Temple destruction |
| Jn 2:19-21 | "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up... he was speaking about the temple of his body." | Jesus as the ultimate 'temple' |
Jeremiah 7 verses
Jeremiah 7 4 Meaning
Jeremiah 7:4 warns the people of Judah not to put their trust in "deceptive words" by repeatedly chanting, "This is the temple of the Lord!" The verse highlights a profound spiritual deception: the belief that the physical presence of God's Temple guaranteed their security and protection from judgment, irrespective of their ongoing disobedience and sin. Jeremiah confronts their empty reliance on outward religious forms while their hearts and actions were far from God. It directly challenges the notion that mere proximity to a holy site or a repetitive religious phrase could override God's demands for genuine repentance, justice, and righteousness.
Jeremiah 7 4 Context
Jeremiah 7:4 is part of a prophetic address known as the "Temple Sermon," delivered by Jeremiah at the gate of the Lord's house in Jerusalem (Jer 7:1-2). This powerful sermon confronts the prevailing, dangerous illusion among the people of Judah that the presence of God's Temple within their city guaranteed His protection and their immunity from judgment. Historically, Jerusalem was considered inviolable due to the Temple and the Davidic covenant. The people, especially during periods of rampant idolatry and social injustice, continued to practice outward religious rituals while inwardly defying God's laws. Jeremiah's message shatters this false security, warning that the Temple would not save them from the impending Babylonian invasion and exile if they did not truly repent and live righteously, mirroring God's previous destruction of the tabernacle at Shiloh (Jer 7:12).
Jeremiah 7 4 Word analysis
- Do not trust (אַל-תִּבְטְחוּ – al-tivṭəḥu): This is a strong negative imperative, literally "do not lean on" or "do not rely on." It forbids putting one's confidence, security, or hope in something. Here, it signifies a command to cease their current misguided reliance. The people were actively doing this, and Jeremiah commands them to stop.
- in deceptive words (בְּדִבְרֵי הַשָּׁקֶר – bədivrê haššāqer): "In words of falsehood" or "words of the lie." This refers to misleading messages, which could be from false prophets (who promised peace and security despite sin) or the people's own self-deception, internalizing a comforting lie. These words offer a false sense of hope that goes against God's actual will and commands.
- and say (וְאֹמְרִים – wəʾōmərîm): A participle, indicating continuous or habitual action. It shows that their saying this was not a one-time occurrence but an ongoing, perhaps ritualistic, declaration. They consistently spoke and believed this deception.
- This is the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord! (הֵיכַל יְהוָה הֵיכַל יְהוָה הֵיכַל יְהוָה הֵמָּה – hêḵal YHWH hêḵal YHWH hêḵal YHWH hêmmâ):
- Temple (הֵיכַל – hêḵal): Refers specifically to the physical palace or temple structure, the grand edifice built by Solomon where God's presence was symbolically localized.
- of the Lord (יְהוָה – YHWH): The covenant name of God, indicating His special relationship with Israel. Their invocation of this name suggests a claim on God's covenant loyalty.
- Triple Repetition: The threefold repetition ("the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord") is highly significant. It emphasizes the people's intense, almost obsessive, and incantation-like reliance on the building. It reflects a superstitious or magical belief that merely stating the Temple's existence, particularly with the divine name, could guarantee safety or ward off judgment. It becomes a chant of misplaced confidence, possibly intended to reassure themselves or silence prophetic warnings. It could also suggest an affirmation of permanence, an absolute certainty that the Temple's presence made their city inviolable.
- these are they (הֵמָּה – hēmmâ): The pronoun "these are they" points directly to the physical buildings themselves, reinforcing that their trust was in the material structure rather than the spiritual reality of God's covenant with an obedient people.
- "Do not trust in deceptive words and say": This phrase highlights the critical connection between internal deception and vocal declaration. The "deceptive words" are not only uttered by others but are also internalized and spoken by the people themselves, solidifying their false sense of security. It warns against a passive reception of lies and an active participation in their perpetuation.
- "This is the temple of the Lord... (triple repetition)": This entire declaration represents the core of their delusion. It's an affirmation of national identity, divine election, and immunity from disaster based solely on a physical symbol, devoid of the ethical and spiritual commitments required by the covenant. The repetition mocks the empty ritual and intellectual laziness of clinging to an external symbol while ignoring internal corruption.
Jeremiah 7 4 Bonus section
The "Temple Sermon" (Jeremiah 7) serves as a dramatic warning against spiritual complacency and nominal faith, themes that resonate throughout biblical history. The people's chant reflects a profound misunderstanding of God's covenant, which promised blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience, not unconditional protection based on location. The irony is that the very presence of God's sanctuary, intended to draw them closer in holy living, became a source of their rebellion through their misused confidence. This historical incident underscores a fundamental theological truth: God prioritizes a repentant heart and righteous conduct over elaborate religious buildings or rites. It foreshadows New Testament teachings where the dwelling of God shifts from a physical building to the community of believers and individual hearts, making inward purity even more paramount (e.g., 1 Cor 6:19). Jeremiah's challenge was a call to a living faith that integrated belief with behavior, a lesson perennially relevant.
Jeremiah 7 4 Commentary
Jeremiah 7:4 is a cornerstone of the "Temple Sermon," starkly exposing the danger of conflating religious ritual and symbols with true devotion and obedience to God. The people of Judah had developed a dangerous theological error: believing the mere existence of God's Temple in Jerusalem acted as an inviolable charm or insurance policy against divine judgment. This verse is a direct polemic against that false security. The triple repetition of "The Temple of the Lord" serves to highlight the hypnotic, almost superstitious, manner in which the people relied on this phrase, as if chanting it would guarantee their safety. It underscores an empty trust in a physical structure while neglecting the weightier matters of the law: justice, mercy, and faithfulness, as outlined in the preceding verses (7:3-7). God's presence was indeed in the Temple, but His presence did not negate the consequences of unrepentant sin. This principle remains timeless: outward religious adherence without inward transformation and righteous living is spiritually worthless and dangerous, leading to self-deception and ultimately to judgment.