Jeremiah 7:12-16

7:12 So, go to the place in Shiloh where I allowed myself to be worshiped ¹  in the early days. See what I did to it ²  because of the wicked things my people Israel did. 7:13 You also have done all these things, says the Lord, and I have spoken to you over and over again. ³  But you have not listened! You have refused to respond when I called you to repent! ⁴  7:14 So I will destroy this temple which I have claimed as my own, ⁵  this temple that you are trusting to protect you. I will destroy this place that I gave to you and your ancestors, ⁶  just like I destroyed Shiloh. ⁷  7:15 And I will drive you out of my sight just like I drove out your relatives, the people of Israel.’” ⁸ 

7:16 Then the Lord said, ⁹  “As for you, Jeremiah, ¹⁰  do not pray for these people! Do not cry out to me or petition me on their behalf! Do not plead with me to save them, ¹¹  because I will not listen to you.

¹ tn Heb “where I caused my name to dwell.” The translation does not adequately represent the theology of the Lord’s deliberate identification with a place where he chose to manifest his presence and desired to be worshiped (cf. Exod 20:25; Deut 16:2, 6, 11).

² sn The place in Shiloh…see what I did to it. This refers to the destruction of Shiloh by the Philistines circa 1050 b.c. (cf. Ps 78:60). The destruction of Shiloh is pertinent to the argument. The presence of the tabernacle and ark of the covenant did not prevent Shiloh from being destroyed when Israel sinned. The people of Israel used the ark as a magic charm but it did not prevent them from being defeated or the ark being captured (1 Sam 4:3, 11, 21-22).

³ tn This reflects a Hebrew idiom (e.g., 7:25; 11:7; 25:3, 4), i.e., an infinitive of a verb meaning “to do something early [or eagerly]” followed by an infinitive of another verb of action. Cf. HALOT 1384 s.v. שָׁכַם Hiph.2.

⁴ tn Heb “I called to you and you did not answer.” The words “to repent” are not in the text but are supplied in the translation for clarity.

⁵ tn Heb “over which my name is called.” For this nuance of this idiom cf. BDB 896 s.v. קָרָא Niph.2.d(4) and see the usage in 2 Sam 12:28.

⁶ tn Heb “fathers” (also in vv. 22, 25, 26).

⁷ tn Heb “I will do to this house which I…in which you put…and to this place which…as I did to Shiloh.”

⁷ tn Heb “the descendants of Ephraim.” However, Ephraim here stands (as it often does) for all the northern tribes of Israel.

⁹ tn The words “Then the Lord said” are not in the text but are supplied in the translation for clarity.

¹⁰ tn Heb “As for you.” The personal name Jeremiah is supplied in the translation for clarity.

¹¹ tn The words “to save them” are not in the text but are implicit from the context. They are supplied in the translation for clarity.