Jeremiah 9 14

Jeremiah 9:14 kjv

But have walked after the imagination of their own heart, and after Baalim, which their fathers taught them:

Jeremiah 9:14 nkjv

but they have walked according to the dictates of their own hearts and after the Baals, which their fathers taught them,"

Jeremiah 9:14 niv

Instead, they have followed the stubbornness of their hearts; they have followed the Baals, as their ancestors taught them."

Jeremiah 9:14 esv

but have stubbornly followed their own hearts and have gone after the Baals, as their fathers taught them.

Jeremiah 9:14 nlt

Instead, they have stubbornly followed their own desires and worshiped the images of Baal, as their ancestors taught them.

Jeremiah 9 verses

Jeremiah 9 14 Meaning

Jeremiah 9:14 explains that the people of Judah chose to follow the stubbornness of their own hearts, abandoning the Law of the Lord. This stubbornness led them into idolatry, specifically the worship of the Baals, a practice they had learned and inherited from their ancestors. The verse underscores a deliberate rejection of God’s ways in favor of self-will and pagan traditions, leading to the consequences detailed in the surrounding prophetic judgment.

Jeremiah 9 14 Context

Jeremiah 9:14 is part of a larger section (chapters 7-10) where Jeremiah delivers a message of judgment against Judah and Jerusalem. This specific verse follows a strong declaration of impending divine punishment (9:12-13) for abandoning God's law. The people are accused of both forsaking God's law (torah) and stubbornly adhering to practices inherited from their ancestors that directly contradict God's commands. Historically, this period reflects the spiritual decay of Judah before the Babylonian exile, marked by widespread syncretism and outright idolatry. The nation had been repeatedly warned, but chose persistent disobedience. The original audience would have understood "Baals" as the Canaanite fertility deities whose worship often involved morally corrupt practices. This verse serves as a crucial explanation for why God's wrath is being poured out upon them: their deliberate choice of self-will and inherited paganism over faithful obedience.

Jeremiah 9 14 Word analysis

• וַיֵּֽלְכוּ (wa-yê-le-ḵū) – "And they have walked" / "and they have followed": From the root הָלַךְ (halakh), meaning "to walk, to go." Here, it conveys a consistent manner of life, a path chosen and followed. It signifies their habitual conduct and moral direction.
• אַחֲרֵי (ʾaḥărey) – "after": Indicates following in pursuit, adhering to. It denotes a path or direction chosen in conformity to something or someone else.
• שְׁרִרוּת (šərīrūṯ) – "stubbornness" / "obduracy": Derived from a root meaning "firm" or "hard." In this context, it describes a hard-hearted, obstinate resistance to God's will and truth. It suggests a strong, self-determined, and unyielding will focused on one's own desires, rather than God's guidance. This concept is distinct from simple ignorance; it implies a knowing defiance.
• לִבָּם (libbām) – "their heart": The Hebrew "heart" (לֵב, lev) refers to the totality of a person's inner being—their mind, will, intellect, and emotions. So, "stubbornness of their heart" means an internal, fundamental choice of rebellion, rooted deep within their core being. It’s not just an external act but an internal disposition.
• וְאַחֲרֵי (wə-ʾaḥărey) – "and after": Again emphasizes their persistent pursuit, adding another object of their allegiance.
• הַבְּעָלִים (hab-bəʿālîm) – "the Baals": The plural form of בַּעַל (baʿal), meaning "lord" or "master." In the religious context of ancient Israel, "the Baals" refers collectively to various local manifestations of the Canaanite storm and fertility god, Baal. This was a direct violation of the first commandment against having other gods. It represents the national idolatry that entangled Israel.
• אֲשֶׁר (ʾăšer) – "which" / "who": A relative pronoun connecting the Baals to the teaching received from ancestors.
• לִמְּדוּם (limməḏūm) – "they taught them": From the root לָמַד (lamad), "to learn, to teach." This specific verbal form (Piel, meaning to teach thoroughly) highlights the intentional, active, and comprehensive transmission of this pagan practice across generations. It suggests a sustained process of instruction in idolatry by their forefathers.
• אֲבוֹתָם (ʾăḇōṯām) – "their fathers" / "their ancestors": Refers to previous generations. This points to the inherited nature of their idolatry, passed down through family lines and societal traditions. It doesn't excuse their sin but emphasizes the long-standing problem within the national psyche.

Words-group analysis:

• וַיֵּֽלְכוּ אַחֲרֵי שְׁרִרוּת לִבָּם (And they have walked after the stubbornness of their heart): This phrase underscores radical self-determination and spiritual autonomy. Instead of walking in God's ways (Ps 81:13, Dt 5:33), they deliberately chose their own internal inclinations, which were set against God's Law. This "stubbornness" represents a deep-seated resistance to divine authority and an insistence on human autonomy.
• וְאַחֲרֵי הַבְּעָלִים אֲשֶׁר לִמְּדוּם אֲבוֹתָם (and after the Baals which their fathers taught them): This group connects internal stubbornness with external idolatry. Their stubborn hearts led them directly to worshipping Baals, a practice they assimilated through generational teaching and tradition. It shows a profound rejection of covenant fidelity, favoring a form of religion passed down by unfaithful ancestors. It is a double-edged indictment: against individual choice of sin, and against the collective historical pattern of disobedience rooted in ancestral paganism.

Jeremiah 9 14 Bonus section

The Hebrew word "sheriruth" (stubbornness) appears predominantly in Jeremiah and other prophetic books (like Deut and Ps 81), consistently denoting a rebellious and defiant heart, impervious to God's warnings or the path of righteousness. It often signals a final state of spiritual obduracy, leaving no room for repentance. This emphasizes that Judah's path was not merely a deviation but a conscious, hardened decision against God. The emphasis on "fathers teaching them" highlights the grave responsibility of parents and leaders in shaping the spiritual direction of subsequent generations. This intergenerational sin, while explaining the widespread nature of the problem, does not absolve the current generation from their own guilt in continuing the practice. In fact, knowing the Law and continuing in inherited idolatry makes their sin even greater, as they willfully perpetuate the unfaithfulness.

Jeremiah 9 14 Commentary

Jeremiah 9:14 concisely attributes Judah's impending judgment to a dual sin: first, the people's stubborn adherence to their own inner will rather than God's; and second, their embrace of Baal worship, learned from previous generations. The "stubbornness of their heart" signifies a deliberate and defiant rejection of God's revealed will, deeply ingrained in their being. This internal rebellion manifested outwardly in their national apostasy to the Baals. It was not mere ignorance, but a principled turning away from the living God, choosing self-direction and ancestral paganism over the divine covenant. The phrase "their fathers taught them" emphasizes the generational aspect of their spiritual corruption, suggesting a pattern of sin that compounded over time, though ultimately, each generation bears responsibility for its own choices to continue or break the cycle. This verse reveals the deep spiritual sickness that pervaded Judah, making judgment inevitable as a necessary consequence of their unyielding rebellion.Example: The verse speaks to how entrenched wrong patterns can become. Just as a family tradition of harmful gossip can persist, individuals may cling to a stubborn refusal to address it, perpetuating the sin from one generation to the next, often feeling justified by its long history within the family.