Jeremiah 17:23

Good News Translation

Their ancestors did not listen to me or pay any attention. Instead, they became stubborn; they would not obey me or learn from me.

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
They wouldn’t listen or pay attention but became obstinate, not listening or accepting discipline.

Hebrew Names Version
But they didn't listen, neither turn their ear, but made their neck stiff, that they might not hear, and might not receive instruction.

King James Version
But they obeyed not, neither inclined their ear, but made their neck stiff, that they might not hear, nor receive instruction.

English Standard Version
Yet they did not listen or incline their ear, but stiffened their neck, that they might not hear and receive instruction.

New American Standard Bible
"Yet they did not listen or incline their ears, but stiffened their necks so as not to listen or accept discipline.

New Century Version
But your ancestors did not listen or pay attention to me. They were very stubborn and did not listen. I punished them, but it didn't do any good.

Amplified Bible
"Yet they would not listen and obey and control their behavior; but they were stiff-necked in order not to hear and take instruction.

World English Bible
But they didn't listen, neither turn their ear, but made their neck stiff, that they might not hear, and might not receive instruction.

Geneva Bible (1587)
But they obeied not, neither inclined their eares, but made their neckes stiffe and would not heare, nor receiue correction.

Legacy Standard Bible
Yet they did not listen or incline their ears, but stiffened their necks in order not to listen or receive discipline.

Berean Standard Bible
Yet they would not listen or incline their ear, but they stiffened their necks and would not listen or receive My discipline.

Complete Jewish Bible
but they neither listened nor paid attention; rather, they stiffened their necks, so that they wouldn't have to hear or receive instruction.

Darby Translation
but they hearkened not, neither inclined their ear, but hardened their neck, that they might not hear nor receive instruction.

Easy-to-Read Version
but they did not obey me. They did not pay attention to me. Your ancestors were very stubborn. I punished them, but it did not do any good. They did not listen to me.

George Lamsa Translation
But they did not obey, neither inclined their ear, but hardened their neck that they, might not heat nor receive instruction.

Lexham English Bible
Yet they did not listen, and they did not incline their ear, and they hardened their neck so as to not hear, nor to receive discipline.

Literal Translation
But they did not obey nor bow down their ear, but they made their neck stiff, not to hear, nor to receive instruction.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
How be it they obeyed me not, nether herkened they vnto me: but were obstinate & stubburne, ad nether obeyed me, ner receaued my correccion.

American Standard Version
But they hearkened not, neither inclined their ear, but made their neck stiff, that they might not hear, and might not receive instruction.

Bible in Basic English
But they gave no attention and would not give ear, but they made their necks stiff so that they might not give ear and might not get teaching.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
but they hearkened not, neither inclined their ear, but made their neck stiff, that they might not hear, nor receive instruction.

King James Version (1611)
But they obeyed not, neither inclined their eare, but made their necke stiffe, that they might not heare nor receiue instruction.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Howbeit they obeyed me not, neither hearkened they vnto me: but were obstinate & stubburne, and neither obeyed me, nor receaued my correction.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
But they hearkened not, and inclined not their ear, but stiffened their neck more than their fathers did, so as not to hear me, and not to receive correction.

English Revised Version
But they hearkened not, neither inclined their ear, but made their neck stiff, that they might not hear, and might not receive instruction.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And thei herden not, nether bowiden doun her eere, but thei maden hard her nol, that thei schulden not here me, and that thei schulden not take chastisyng.

Update Bible Version
But they didn't listen, neither inclined their ear, but made their neck stiff, that they might not hear, and might not receive instruction.

Webster's Bible Translation
But they obeyed not, neither inclined their ear, but made their neck stiff, that they might not hear, nor receive instruction.

New English Translation
Your ancestors, however, did not listen to me or pay any attention to me. They stubbornly refused to pay attention or to respond to any discipline.'

New King James Version
But they did not obey nor incline their ear, but made their neck stiff, that they might not hear nor receive instruction.

New Living Translation
but they did not listen or obey. They stubbornly refused to pay attention or accept my discipline.

New Life Bible
Yet they did not listen or hear, but made their necks hard and would not change their ways.

New Revised Standard
Yet they did not listen or incline their ear; they stiffened their necks and would not hear or receive instruction.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Howbeit they hearkened not, neither inclined their ear, - but stiffened their neck, that they might not hearken, neither receive correction.

Douay-Rheims Bible
But they did not hear, nor incline their ear: but hardened their neck, that they might not hear me, and might not receive instruction.

Revised Standard Version
Yet they did not listen or incline their ear, but stiffened their neck, that they might not hear and receive instruction.

Young's Literal Translation
And they have not hearkened nor inclined their ear, And they stiffen their neck not to hear, And not to receive instruction.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
"Yet they did not listen or incline their ears, but stiffened their necks in order not to listen or take correction.

Contextual Overview

¹⁹ The Lord said to me, "Jeremiah, go and announce my message at the People's Gate, through which the kings of Judah enter and leave the city; then go to all the other gates of Jerusalem. ²⁰ Tell the kings and all the people of Judah and everyone who lives in Jerusalem and enters these gates, to listen to what I say. ²¹ Tell them that if they love their lives, they must not carry any load on the Sabbath; they must not carry anything in through the gates of Jerusalem ²² or carry anything out of their houses on the Sabbath. They must not work on the Sabbath; they must observe it as a sacred day, as I commanded their ancestors. ²³ Their ancestors did not listen to me or pay any attention. Instead, they became stubborn; they would not obey me or learn from me. ²⁴ "Tell these people that they must obey all my commands. They must not carry any load in through the gates of this city on the Sabbath. They must observe the Sabbath as a sacred day and must not do any work at all. ²⁵ Then their kings and princes will enter the gates of Jerusalem and have the same royal power that David had. Together with the people of Judah and of Jerusalem, they will ride in chariots and on horses, and the city of Jerusalem will always be filled with people. ²⁶ People will come from the towns of Judah and from the villages around Jerusalem; they will come from the territory of Benjamin, from the foothills, from the mountains, and from southern Judah. They will bring to my Temple burnt offerings and sacrifices, grain offerings and incense, as well as thank offerings. ²⁷ But they must obey me and observe the Sabbath as a sacred day. They must not carry any load through the gates of Jerusalem on that day, for if they do, I will set the gates of Jerusalem on fire. Fire will burn down the palaces of Jerusalem, and no one will be able to put it out."

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

they obeyed: Jeremiah 7:24-26, Jeremiah 11:10, Jeremiah 16:11, Jeremiah 16:12, Jeremiah 19:15, Isaiah 48:4, Ezekiel 20:13, Ezekiel 20:16, Ezekiel 20:21, Zechariah 7:11, Zechariah 7:12, Acts 7:51

made: Proverbs 29:1

nor: Jeremiah 6:8, Jeremiah 32:33, Jeremiah 35:15, Psalms 50:17, Proverbs 1:3, Proverbs 1:5, Proverbs 5:12, Proverbs 8:10, Zephaniah 3:7, John 3:19-21

Reciprocal: Nehemiah 9:29 - and hardened Jeremiah 7:26 - they hearkened Jeremiah 25:4 - ye Hebrews 4:13 - is there

Cross-References

Genesis 17:2
I will make my covenant with you and give you many descendants."

Genesis 17:9
God said to Abraham, "You also must agree to keep the covenant with me, both you and your descendants in future generations.

Genesis 17:10
You and your descendants must all agree to circumcise every male among you.

Genesis 17:14
Any male who has not been circumcised will no longer be considered one of my people, because he has not kept the covenant with me."

Genesis 17:18
He asked God, "Why not let Ishmael be my heir?"

Genesis 17:19
But God said, "No. Your wife Sarah will bear you a son and you will name him Isaac. I will keep my covenant with him and with his descendants forever. It is an everlasting covenant.

Genesis 17:25
and his son Ishmael was thirteen.

Genesis 17:26
They were both circumcised on the same day,

Genesis 17:27
together with all of Abraham's slaves.

Genesis 18:19
I have chosen him in order that he may command his sons and his descendants to obey me and to do what is right and just. If they do, I will do everything for him that I have promised."

Gill's Notes on the Bible

But they obeyed not,.... Or, "heard not" c; so as to observe and do; that is, their fathers did not; this command was very early disobeyed, and more or less in all intervening times:

neither inclined their ear; or listened attentively to what was said to them; but if they heard at all, it was in a very indifferent and careless manner, as if they cared not whether they heard or not; whereas persons intent on hearing bow the head, and turn the ear; and if they have one better than another, will turn that, in order to take in what they are attentive to; but so did not the Jewish fathers:

but made their neck stiff; or "hard" d; and would not bend it, to take upon them the yoke of the commandments: a metaphor taken from untamed oxen, that will not submit the neck to the yoke, but draw back from it. The Septuagint and Arabic versions understand all this, not of the Jewish fathers of old, but of their children, even of the then present generation, rendering the words, "but hardened their neck more than their fathers"; they were more stiffnecked, refractory, and disobedient than they were; this was always the character of this people; as were the fathers, so were the children, if not worse; see Acts 7:51;

that they might not hear nor receive instruction; about the command of the sabbath, or any other: or "correction", or "discipline" e; the yoke of which they were as unwilling to bear as the yoke of the commandments, Jeremiah 31:18.

c לא שמעו "non audiverunt", Pagninus, Montanus, Schmidt. d ויקשו את ערפם "sed obturarunt cervicem suam", Junius Tremellius, Piscator "indurarunt", Pagninus, Montanus, Schmidt. e מוסר "discliplinam", V. L. Pagninus, Montanus, Schmidt.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

This prophecy on the observance of the Sabbath, is the first of a series of short predictions. arranged probably in chronological order among themselves, but in other respects independent of one another. Its tone is mild, and dissuasive rather of future neglect than condemnatory of past misconduct; and it may be assigned to the commencement of Jehoiakim’s reign. Its similarity to the prophecy contained in Jeremiah 22:1-5 makes it probable that they were contemporaneous.

Jeremiah 17:19

The gate of the children of the people - Perhaps the principal entrance of the outer court of the temple. Very probably there was traffic there, as in our Lord’s time, in doves and other requisites for sacrifice, and so the warning to keep the Sabbath was as necessary there as at the city gates.

Jeremiah 17:21

To yourselves - literally, “in your souls, i. e., in yourselves.” They were to be on their guard from the depths of their own conscience, thoroughly and on conviction.

Bear no burden on the sabbath day - Apparently the Sabbath day was kept negligently. The country people were in the habit of coming to Jerusalem on the Sabbath to attend the temple service, but mingled traffic with their devotions, bringing the produce of their fields and gardens with them for disposal. The people of Jerusalem for their part took Jeremiah 17:22 their wares to the gates, and carried on a brisk traffic there with the villagers. Both parties seem to have abstained from manual labor, but did not consider that buying and selling were prohibited by the fourth commandment.

Jeremiah 17:25

A picture of national grandeur. The prophet associates with the king the princes of the Davidic lineage, who in magnificent procession accompany the king as he goes in and out of Jerusalem.

Shall remain forever - Or, “shall be inhabited forever:” populousness is promised.

Jeremiah 17:26

The reward for keeping the Sabbath day holy consists in three things;

(1) in great national prosperity,

(2) in the lasting welfare of Jerusalem, and

(3) in the wealth and piety of the people generally, indicated by their numerous sacrifices.

Bringing sacrifices of praise - Rather, “bringing praise.” This clause covers all that precedes.

The verse is interesting as specifying the exact limits of the dominions of the Davidic kings, now confined to Judah and Benjamin. These two tribes are divided according to their physical conformation into

(1) the Shefelah, or low country lying between the mountains and the Mediterranean;

(2) the mountain which formed the central region, extending to the wilderness of Judah, on the Dead Sea; and

(3) the Negeb, or arid region, which lay to the south of Judah.

Jeremiah 17:27

Upon disobedience follows the anger of God, which will consume like a fire all the, splendor of the offending city.