Jeremiah 7:1-4

Faulty Religion and Unethical Behavior Will Lead to Judgment

7:1 The Lord said to Jeremiah: ¹  7:2 “Stand in the gate of the Lord’s temple and proclaim ²  this message: ‘Listen, all you people of Judah who have passed through these gates to worship the Lord. ³  Hear what the Lord has to say. 7:3 The Lord God of Israel who rules over all ⁴  says: Change the way you have been living and do what is right. ⁵  If you do, I will allow you to continue to live in this land. ⁶  7:4 Stop putting your confidence in the false belief that says, ⁷  “We are safe! ⁸  The temple of the Lord is here! The temple of the Lord is here! The temple of the Lord is here!” ⁹ 

[7:1]  ¹ tn Heb “The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord.”

[7:2]  ² tn Heb “Proclaim there…” The adverb is unnecessary in English style.

[7:2]  ³ sn That is, all those who have passed through the gates of the outer court and are standing in the courtyard of the temple.

[7:3]  ⁴ tn Heb “Yahweh of armies, the God Israel.”

[7:3]  ⁵ tn Or “Make good your ways and your actions.” J. Bright’s translation (“Reform the whole pattern of your conduct”; Jeremiah [AB], 52) is excellent.

[7:3]  ⁶ tn Heb “place” but this might be misunderstood to refer to the temple.

[7:4]  ⁷ tn Heb “Stop trusting in lying words which say.”

[7:4]  ⁸ tn The words “We are safe!” are not in the text but are supplied in the translation for clarity.

[7:4]  ⁹ tn Heb “The temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord are these (i.e., these buildings).” Elsewhere triple repetition seems to mark a kind of emphasis (cf. Isa 6:3; Jer 22:29; Ezek 21:27 [32 HT]). The triple repetition that follows seems to be Jeremiah’s way of mocking the (false) sense of security that people had in the invincibility of Jerusalem because God dwelt in the temple. They appeared to be treating the temple as some kind of magical charm. A similar feeling had grown up around the ark in the time of the judges (cf. 1 Sam 3:3) and the temple and city of Jerusalem in Micah’s day (cf. Mic 3:11). It is reflected also in some of the Psalms (cf., e.g., Ps 46, especially v. 5).