TRV
Translation
King James Version
Yet they obeyed not, nor inclined their ear, but walked every one in the imagination of their evil heart: therefore I will bring upon them all the words of this covenant, which I commanded them to do; but they did them not.
KJV (with Strong's)
Yet they obeyed H8085 not, nor inclined H5186 their ear H241, but walked H3212 every one H376 in the imagination H8307 of their evil H7451 heart H3820: therefore I will bring H935 upon them all the words H1697 of this covenant H1285, which I commanded H6680 them to do H6213; but they did H6213 them not.
Complete Jewish Bible
But they have not listened or paid attention; instead, each one has lived according to the stubbornness of his own evil heart. For this reason I have brought upon them all the words of this covenant, which I ordered them to obey, but which they did not obey.'"
Berean Standard Bible
Yet they would not obey or incline their ears, but each one followed the stubbornness of his evil heart. So I brought on them all the curses of this covenant I had commanded them to follow but they did not keep.”
American Standard Version
Yet they obeyed not, nor inclined their ear, but walked every one in the stubbornness of their evil heart: therefore I brought upon them all the words of this covenant, which I commanded them to do, but they did them not.
World English Bible Messianic
Yet they didn’t obey, nor turn their ear, but walked everyone in the stubbornness of their evil heart: therefore I brought on them all the words of this covenant, which I commanded them to do, but they didn’t do them.
Geneva Bible (1599)
Neuerthelesse they would not obey, nor encline their eare: but euery one walked in the stubbernesse of his wicked heart: therefore I will bring vpon them all the wordes of this couenant, which I commanded them to do, but they did it not.
Young's Literal Translation
And they have not hearkened nor inclined their ear, And they walk each in the stubbornness of their evil heart, And I bring on them all the words of this covenant, That I commanded to do, and they did not.'
In the KJVVerse 19,235 of 31,102
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Commentary on Jeremiah 11 verses 1–10
1 ¶ The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying,
2 Hear ye the words of this covenant, and speak unto the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem;
3 And say thou unto them, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel; Cursed be the man that obeyeth not the words of this covenant,
4 Which I commanded your fathers in the day that I brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, from the iron furnace, saying, Obey my voice, and do them, according to all which I command you: so shall ye be my people, and I will be your God:
5 That I may perform the oath which I have sworn unto your fathers, to give them a land flowing with milk and honey, as it is this day. Then answered I, and said, So be it, O LORD.
6 Then the LORD said unto me, Proclaim all these words in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem, saying, Hear ye the words of this covenant, and do them.
7 For I earnestly protested unto your fathers in the day that I brought them up out of the land of Egypt, even unto this day, rising early and protesting, saying, Obey my voice.
8 Yet they obeyed not, nor inclined their ear, but walked every one in the imagination of their evil heart: therefore I will bring upon them all the words of this covenant, which I commanded them to do; but they did them not.
9 And the LORD said unto me, A conspiracy is found among the men of Judah, and among the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
10 They are turned back to the iniquities of their forefathers, which refused to hear my words; and they went after other gods to serve them: the house of Israel and the house of Judah have broken my covenant which I made with their fathers.
The prophet here, as prosecutor in God's name, draws up an indictment against the Jews for wilful disobedience to the commands of their rightful Sovereign. For the more solemn management of this charge,
I. He produces the commission he had to draw up the charge against them. He did not take pleasure in accusing the children of his people, but God commanded him to speak it to the men of Judah, Jer 11:1, Jer 11:2. In the original it is plural: Speak you this. For what he said to Jeremiah was the same that he gave in charge to all his servants the prophets. They none of them said any other than what Moses, in the law, had said; to that therefore they must refer themselves, and direct the people: "Hear the words of this covenant; turn to your Bibles, be judged by them." Jeremiah must now proclaim this in the cities of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem, that all may hear, for all are concerned. All the words of reproof and conviction which the prophets spoke were grounded upon the words of the covenant, and agreed with that; and therefore "hear these words, and understand by them upon what terms you stood with God at first; and then, by comparing yourselves with the covenant, you will soon be aware upon what terms you now stand with him."
II. He opens the charter upon which their state was founded and by which they held their privileges. They had forgotten the tenour of it, and lived as if they thought that the grant was absolute and that they might do what they pleased and yet have what God had promised, or as if they thought that the keeping up of the ceremonial observances was all that God required of them. He therefore shows them, with all possible plainness, that the thing God insisted upon was obedience, which was better than sacrifice. He said, Obey my voice, Jer 11:4 and again Jer 11:7. "Own God for your Master; give up yourselves to him as his subjects and servants; attend to all the declarations of his mind and will, and make conscience of complying with them. Do my commandments, not only in some things, but according to all which I command you; make conscience of moral duties especially, and rest not in those that are merely ritual; hear the words of the covenant, and do them." 1. This was the original contract between God and them, when he first formed them into a people. It was what he commanded their fathers when he first brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, Jer 11:4 and Jer 11:7. He never intended to take them under his guidance and protection upon any other terms. This was what he required from them in gratitude for the great things he did for them when he brought them from the iron furnace. He redeemed them out of the service of the Egyptians, which was perfect slavery, that he might take them into his own service, which is perfect freedom, Luk 1:74, Luk 1:75. 2. This was not only laid before them then, but it was with the greatest importunity imaginable pressed upon them, Jer 11:7. God not only commanded it, but earnestly protested it to their fathers, when he brought them into covenant with himself. Moses inculcated it again and again, by precept upon precept and line upon line. 3. This was made the condition of the relation between and God, which was so much their honour and privilege: "So shall you be my people and I will be your God; I will own you for mine, and you may call upon me as yours;" this intimates that, if they refused to obey, they could no longer claim the benefit of the relation. 4. It was upon these terms that the land of Canaan was given them for a possession: Obey my voice, that I may perform the oath sworn to your fathers, to give them a land flowing with milk and honey, Jer 11:5. God was ready to fulfil the promise, but then they must fulfil the condition; if not, the promise is void, and it is just with God to turn them out of possession. Being brought in upon their good behaviour, they had no wrong done them if they were turned out upon their ill behaviour. Obedience was the rent reserved by the lease, with a power to re-enter for non-payment. 5. This obedience was not only made a condition of the blessing, but was required under the penalty of a curse. This is mentioned first here (Jer 11:3), that they might, if possible, be awakened by the terrors of the Lord: Cursed be the man, though it were but a single person, that obeys not the words of this covenant, much more when it is the body of the nation that rebels. There are curses of the covenant as well as blessings: and Moses set before them not only life and good, but death and evil (Deu 30:15), so that they had fair warning given them of the fatal consequences of disobedience. 6. Lest this covenant should be forgotten, and, because out of mind, should be thought out of date, God had from time to time called to them to remember it, and by his servants the prophets had made a continual claim of this rent, so that they could not plead, in excuse of their non-payment, that it had never been demanded; from the day when he brought them out of Egypt to this day (and that was nearly 1000 years) he had been, in one way or other, at sundry times and in divers manners, protesting to them the necessity of obedience. God keeps an account how long we have enjoyed the means of grace and how powerful those means have been, how often we have been not only spoken to, but protested to, concerning our duty. 7. This covenant was consented to (Jer 11:5): Then answered I, and said, So be it, O Lord! These are the words of the prophet, expressing either, (1.) His own consent to the covenant for himself, and his desire to have the benefit of it. God promised Canaan to the obedient: "Lord," says he, "I take thee at thy word, I will be obedient; let me have my inheritance in the land of promise, of which Canaan is a type." Or, (2.) His good will, and good wish, that his people might have the benefit of it. "Amen; Lord, let them still be kept in possession of this good land, and not turned out of it; make good the promise to them." Or, (3.) His people's consent to the covenant: "Then answered I, in the name of the people, So be it." Taking it in this sense, it refers to the declared consent which the people gave to the covenant, not only to the precepts of it when they said, All that the Lord shall say unto us we will do and will be obedient, but to the penalties when they said Amen to all the curses upon Mount Ebal. The more solemnly we have engaged ourselves to God the more reason we have to hope that the engagement will be perpetual; and yet here it did not prove so.
III. He charges them with breach of covenant, such a breach as amounted to a forfeiture of their charter, Jer 11:8. God had said again and again, by his law and by his prophets, "Obey my voice, do as you are bidden, and all shall be well;" yet they obeyed not; and, because they were resolved not to submit their souls to God's commandments, they would not so much as incline their ears to them, but got as far as they could out of call: They walked every one in the imagination of their evil heart, followed their own inventions; every man did as his fancy and humour led him, right or wrong, lawful or unlawful, both in their devotions and in their conversations; see Jer 7:24. What then could they expect, but to fall under the curse of the covenant, since they would not comply with the commands and conditions of it? Therefore I will bring upon them all the words of this covenant, that is, all the threatenings contained in it, because they did not what they were commanded. Note, The words of the covenant shall not fall to the ground. If we do not by our obedience qualify ourselves for the blessings of it, we shall by our disobedience bring ourselves under the curses of it. That which aggravated their defection from God, and rebellion against him, was that it was general, and as it were by consent, Jer 11:9, Jer 11:10. Jeremiah himself saw that many lived in open disobedience to God, but the Lord told him that the matter was worse than he thought of: A conspiracy is found among them, by him whose eye is upon the hidden works of darkness. There is a combination against God and religion, a dangerous design formed to overthrow God's government and bring in the pretenders, the counterfeit deities. This intimates that they were wilful and deliberate in wickedness (they rebelled against God, not through incogitancy, but presumptuously, and with a high hand), - that they were subtle and ingenious in wickedness, and carried on their plot against religion with a great deal of art and contrivance, - that they were linked together in the design, and, as is usual among conspirators, engaged to stand by one another in it and to live and die together; they were resolved to go through with it. A cursed conspiracy! O that there were not the like in our day! Observe, 1. What the conspiracy was. They designed to overthrow divine revelation, and set that aside, and persuade people not to hear, not to heed, the words of God. They did all they could to derogate from the authority of the scriptures and to lessen the value of them; they designed to draw people after other gods to serve them, to consult them as their oracles and make court to them as their benefactors. Human reason shall be their god, a light within their god, an infallible judge their god, saints and angels their gods, the god of this or the other nation shall be theirs; thus, under several disguises, they are in the same confederacy against the Lord and against his anointed. 2. Who were in conspiracy. One would have expected find some foreigners ring-leaders in it; but no, (1.) The inhabitants of Jerusalem are in conspiracy with the men of Judah; city and country agree in this, however they may differ in other things. (2.) Those of this generation seem to be in conspiracy with those of the foregoing generation, to carry on the war from age to age against religion: They are turned back to the iniquities of their forefathers, and have risen up in their stead, a seed of evil-doers, and increase of sinful men, Num 32:14. In Josiah's time there had been a reformation, but after this death the people returned to the idolatries which then they had renounced. (3.) Judah and Israel, the kingdom of the ten tribes and that of the two, that were often at daggers - drawing one with another, were yet in a conspiracy to break the covenant God had made with their fathers, even with the heads of all the twelve tribes. The house of Israel began the revolt, but the house of Judah soon came into the conspiracy. Now what else could be expected but that god should take severe methods, both for the chastising of the conspirators and the crushing of this conspiracy; for none ever hardened his heart thus against God and prospered? He that rolls this stone will find it return upon him.
Matthew Henry (1662–1714) — Commentary on the Whole Bible. This section covers verses 1–10. Public domain.
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JeromeAD 420
Commentary on Jeremiah
(Verses 7, 8.) For I solemnly warned your fathers on the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, warning them persistently, even to this day, saying, 'Obey my voice.' Yet they did not listen or incline their ear, but everyone walked in the stubbornness of his evil heart. Therefore I brought upon them all the words of this covenant, which I commanded them to do, but they did not do.' Up to this point it is not found in the Septuagint, and what follows is inserted by them, connected with the end of the previous chapter, in which it is written: 'Hear the words of this covenant and do them,' but they did not do. But as for the morning rising, and God frequently speaking to them through the prophets, and leading them out of Egypt, and often admonishing them and saying, 'Listen to my voice'; and that they went astray after the wickedness of their own hearts, and afterwards received what they deserved, as we have already mentioned.
Theodoret of CyrusAD 458
ON JEREMIAH 3:11
When he was giving the law, he added this to the law, for he said, “Cursed is everyone who does not continue in all the things written in the book of the law, to do them,” and he also promises there and again here how he will deem worthy of all care those who keep the divine commandments. And he reminds them also of the things spoken to their ancestors and of their ancestors’ disobedience. For they turned their ear away, he says, and every one went in the direction of his own evil heart. And he says here “direction” not as meaning “uprightness” but rather the evil that arises immediately in their malice. For they have not turned from this evil but have journeyed constantly in it. “And I brought on them all the words of this covenant that I commanded them to do, and yet they did not do.” He gave them over to noteworthy punishments; sometimes they served the Ammonites, other times the Moabites and still other times other foreigners.…The phrase “a band has been found” means “they have banded themselves together and joined themselves with their ancestors and they travel down the road of their ancestors’ wickedness.” He indicates as much also through the things that are brought against them. “And behold, they go after foreign gods, in order to serve them.” They do these things in transgression of the covenant that was given to them. For this reason I will surround them with misfortunes of all kinds, and those who weep I will not deem worthy to be spared. They will not even enjoy any help from the gods who are revered by them.
Source: Quotations drawn from early Church Fathers and historical Christian theologians (AD 100–1500). Some quotes address the surrounding passage context rather than this verse alone.
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SUMMARY
Jeremiah 11:8 serves as a poignant indictment against the people of Judah, exposing their profound and willful rebellion against God's covenant. The verse starkly contrasts the divine faithfulness in providing clear commands with the nation's persistent refusal to listen or comply, choosing instead to follow the stubborn inclinations of their own wicked hearts. This deep-seated spiritual obstinacy inevitably leads to the pronouncement of divine judgment, affirming that the very curses stipulated in the covenant for disobedience will be brought upon them precisely because they failed to uphold their end of the sacred agreement.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
Jeremiah 11:8 employs several potent literary devices to convey its message with impactful clarity. The phrase "nor inclined their ear" utilizes Metonymy, where "ear" stands for the act of listening and, by extension, obeying, emphasizing their deliberate refusal to pay attention or respond to God's voice. The concept of "walked every one in the imagination of their evil heart" employs Personification and Synecdoche. The "heart" is personified as having an "imagination" and the capacity to "walk," signifying that the inner disposition and will are the driving force behind their actions. "Every one" (referring to H376 'îysh - "man as an individual") emphasizes the widespread and personal nature of this rebellion, indicating that the nation's sin was a collective manifestation of individual choices. The entire verse functions as a powerful example of Cause and Effect, where the people's persistent disobedience and stubborn hearts are presented as the direct cause, leading to the inevitable effect of God bringing the covenant curses upon them. This highlights the Legal Language and Covenant Language inherent in the passage, framing God's actions as just and predictable consequences within the established divine-human agreement.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Jeremiah 11:8 stands as a stark reminder of the gravity of human sin and the unwavering nature of God's justice within the framework of His covenant. It underscores the biblical truth that true obedience stems from the heart, and a heart stubbornly set against God's will inevitably leads to judgment. This passage reveals God's faithfulness even in judgment; He is not capricious but acts according to the terms He Himself established. The "words of this covenant" are not merely suggestions but divine decrees that carry the weight of both blessing and curse, demonstrating God's holiness and His expectation of human responsibility. This verse powerfully illustrates the principle that actions have consequences, and persistent rebellion against divine authority will ultimately incur divine wrath, not out of malice, but out of the necessity of God's righteous character to uphold His own word and preserve His own glory.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Jeremiah 11:8 serves as a timeless mirror for self-examination, urging us to consider the condition of our own hearts and our responsiveness to God's voice. The prophet's lament over Judah's spiritual deafness challenges us to actively cultivate a listening ear and a pliable heart, eager to discern and obey God's commands. In an age of abundant information and distractions, it is easy for our spiritual ears to become dull or for our hearts to grow stubborn, prioritizing our own desires over divine wisdom. This verse calls us to repentance from self-will and to a renewed commitment to walk in God's ways, recognizing that true freedom and blessing are found in humble submission to His perfect will. It reminds us that while God is rich in mercy, His justice is also sure, and persistent, unrepentant disobedience carries consequences, both temporal and eternal. Therefore, let us heed the warning, allowing God's Word to penetrate the deepest recesses of our being, transforming our "imagination" from evil to good, and our will from stubbornness to joyful obedience, lest we, too, face the just consequences of a hardened heart.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
What does "the imagination of their evil heart" truly mean in this context?
Answer: The phrase "the imagination of their evil heart" refers to a deep-seated, stubborn obstinacy and perversity of will. The Hebrew word for "imagination" (shᵉrîyrûwth) signifies a firm, unyielding resolve or an entrenched hardness of heart. It is not merely a passing thought or a lack of understanding, but a deliberate and deeply rooted inclination towards self-will and rebellion against God. This means the people of Judah were not disobedient out of ignorance or weakness, but because their hearts were firmly set on their own wicked desires, inherently resistant to God's commands and warnings. This internal corruption was the root cause of their outward idolatry and moral failures, as seen in other passages like Proverbs 4:23, which emphasizes the heart as the wellspring of life and the source from which all actions flow.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Jeremiah 11:8, with its stark portrayal of human disobedience and the resulting covenant curses, powerfully sets the stage for the necessity and glory of Christ. The "words of this covenant" that Israel failed to "do" and consequently suffered, point to the inherent inability of humanity under the Old Covenant to perfectly fulfill God's righteous demands. Jesus Christ, however, stands as the perfectly obedient One, who not only "inclined His ear" to the Father's will but perfectly "obeyed" in every aspect of His life, even to the point of death on a cross (Philippians 2:8). He did not walk in the "imagination of an evil heart," but perfectly embodied the righteous will of God, living a life of flawless obedience that humanity could not. Furthermore, Christ inaugurated a new and better covenant, not written on tablets of stone, but on the hearts of His people (Jeremiah 31:31-34; Hebrews 8:6-13). Through His atoning sacrifice, Jesus bore the full weight of the "words of this covenant"—the curses for disobedience—so that those who believe in Him might be freed from the condemnation of the law (Galatians 3:13; Romans 8:3-4). He transforms the "evil heart" of stone into a heart of flesh, enabling His followers, by the power of the Holy Spirit, to walk in His statutes and keep His rules (Ezekiel 36:26-27), thereby fulfilling the very obedience that Judah so tragically lacked. Thus, Jeremiah 11:8, while a severe warning, ultimately magnifies the redemptive work of Christ, who fulfills the covenant's demands and provides the means for true obedience and reconciliation with God.