Jeremiah 26:7

ยถ So the priests and the prophets and all the people heard Jeremiah speaking these words in the house of the LORD.

So the priests {H3548} and the prophets {H5030} and all the people {H5971} heard {H8085} Jeremiah {H3414} speaking {H1696} these words {H1697} in the house {H1004} of the LORD {H3068}.

The cohanim, the prophets and all the people heard Yirmeyahu speaking these words in the house of ADONAI.

Now the priests and prophets and all the people heard Jeremiah speaking these words in the house of the LORD,

And the priests and the prophets and all the people heard Jeremiah speaking these words in the house of Jehovah.

Commentary

Jeremiah 26:7 describes the immediate reception of the prophet Jeremiah's bold proclamation in the Temple. It sets the stage for the dramatic confrontation that follows, highlighting the diverse and often hostile audience present for his divinely appointed message.

Context

This verse is crucial for understanding the tension surrounding Jeremiah's ministry. It immediately follows God's command to Jeremiah in Jeremiah 26:2-6, where the prophet is instructed to stand in the court of the House of the LORD (the Temple in Jerusalem) and deliver a stark warning to the people of Judah. The message was one of impending judgment if they did not repent from their wickedness and obey God's law. Jeremiah's audience, consisting of "the priests and the prophets and all the people," signifies a broad cross-section of society, including those who held religious authority and influence. This public delivery in a sacred space, during the early reign of King Jehoiakim, made the message unavoidable and its rejection a direct affront to God.

Key Themes

  • Divine Commission and Obedience: Jeremiah faithfully delivers God's unpopular word, demonstrating his unwavering obedience despite knowing the likely consequences. This act required immense courage to speak truth to power.
  • Public Proclamation: The message was not whispered in private but boldly declared in the most prominent religious center, ensuring that all who came to worship would hear the divine warning.
  • Spiritual Opposition: The presence of "the priests and the prophets" (many of whom were false prophets or those complicit in the nation's apostasy) highlights the internal opposition to God's true message within the religious establishment itself. They were often more concerned with maintaining their status and popular favor than with God's truth.
  • Accountability: By hearing Jeremiah's words directly, the people and their leaders were left without excuse regarding their knowledge of God's will and the consequences of their disobedience.

Linguistic Insights

The phrase "the house of the LORD" translates from the Hebrew Beit Yahweh (ื‘ึตึผื™ืช ื™ึฐื”ื•ึธื”), referring specifically to the Temple in Jerusalem. This location underscores the sacred context of Jeremiah's prophecy. The mention of "the priests and the prophets" indicates the religious hierarchy present. While some priests and prophets might have been faithful, the context of Jeremiah's ministry often portrays many of them as adversaries, promoting false peace and rejecting God's true messengers. This scene sets the stage for a classic confrontation between true and false prophecy, as described further in Jeremiah 26:8-11.

Practical Application

Jeremiah 26:7 reminds us of the importance of delivering and receiving God's truth, even when it is challenging or confronts popular opinion. For those who speak, it calls for courage and faithfulness to the divine message, regardless of the audience's reaction. For those who hear, it underscores the responsibility to discern truth from falsehood and to respond with repentance and obedience. This verse also serves as a cautionary tale: religious leaders and institutions are not immune to spiritual blindness or corruption, and true prophecy may often come from unexpected sources or be met with hostility from the established order. It challenges us to always measure messages against God's revealed word.

Note: If the commentary doesnโ€™t appear instantly, please allow 2โ€“5 seconds for it to load. It is generated by Gemini 2.5 Flash using a prompt focused on Biblical fidelity over bias. While the insights have been consistently reliable, we encourage prayerful discernment through the Holy Spirit.

Please note that only the commentary section is AI-generated โ€” the main Scripture and cross-references are stored on the site and are from trusted and verified sources.

Cross-References

  • Micah 3:11

    The heads thereof judge for reward, and the priests thereof teach for hire, and the prophets thereof divine for money: yet will they lean upon the LORD, and say, [Is] not the LORD among us? none evil can come upon us.

  • Jeremiah 5:31

    The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means; and my people love [to have it] so: and what will ye do in the end thereof?

  • Acts 5:17

    ยถ Then the high priest rose up, and all they that were with him, (which is the sect of the Sadducees,) and were filled with indignation,

  • Ezekiel 22:25

    [There is] a conspiracy of her prophets in the midst thereof, like a roaring lion ravening the prey; they have devoured souls; they have taken the treasure and precious things; they have made her many widows in the midst thereof.

  • Ezekiel 22:26

    Her priests have violated my law, and have profaned mine holy things: they have put no difference between the holy and profane, neither have they shewed [difference] between the unclean and the clean, and have hid their eyes from my sabbaths, and I am profaned among them.

  • Acts 4:1

    ยถ And as they spake unto the people, the priests, and the captain of the temple, and the Sadducees, came upon them,

  • Acts 4:6

    And Annas the high priest, and Caiaphas, and John, and Alexander, and as many as were of the kindred of the high priest, were gathered together at Jerusalem.
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