Jeremiah 14:12 · Bible study
Jeremiah 14:12 Commentary: When God Refuses to Hear Us
Hebrew · 9 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Why does God reject fasting and sacrifices in Jeremiah 14:12? Discover the bracing truth about worship that must come from a sincere heart.
Research Summary
- Meaning: When Judah's fasting and sacrifices are offered without genuine repentance, God refuses to hear or accept them and announces devastating judgment.
- Key words: Fast (H6684), burnt offering (H5930), grain offering (H4503), hear (H8085), accept (H7521), sword/famine/pestilence (H2719/H7458/H1698).
- Main debate: Whether vv.11, 12 were originally part of the drought narrative or a later insertion (Cambridge Bible); the majority view treats them as integral.
- Theological theme: The priority of interior sincerity over external religious observance; divine judgment arises covenantally from persistent sin.
- Best use: Teaching on the nature of true worship, the danger of religious hypocrisy, and the necessity of a wholehearted response to God.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
Although they may fast, I will not listen to their cry; although they may offer burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them. Instead, I will finish them off by sword and famine and plague.”
WEB World English Bible 2000
When they fast, I will not hear their cry; and when they offer burnt offering and meal offering, I will not accept them; but I will consume them by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence.”
KJV King James Version 1769
When they fast, I will not hear their cry; and when they offer burnt offering and an oblation, I will not accept them: but I will consume them by the sword, and by the famine, and by the pestilence.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
When they fast, I will not hear their cry; and when they offer burnt-offering and meal-offering, I will not accept them; but I will consume them by the sword, and by the famine, and by the pestilence.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
When they fast, I hearken not unto their cry, And when they cause to ascend burnt-offering and present, I accept them not, For by sword, and by famine, And by pestilence, I am consuming them.
Darby Darby Bible 1890
When they fast, I will not hear their cry; and when they offer up burnt-offering and oblation, I will not accept them: for I will consume them by sword, and by famine, and by pestilence.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
When they fast I will not hear their prayers: and if they offer holocausts and victims, I will not receive them: for I will consume them by the sword, and by famine, and by the pestilence.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Cuando ayunaren, yo no oiré su clamor, y cuando ofrecieren holocausto y ofrenda, no lo aceptaré; antes los consumiré con cuchillo, y con hambre, y con pestilencia.
Quando jejuam, não ouvirei seu clamor, e quando oferecem sacrifícios de queima e ofertas de cereais, não os aceitarei; em vez disso, eu os consumirei por meio da espada, da fome, e da pestilência.
S’ ils jeûnent, je n’ écouterai pas leurs supplications;
Denn ob sie gleich fasten, so will ich doch ihr Flehen nicht hören; und ob sie Brandopfer und Speisopfer bringen, so gefallen sie mir doch nicht, sondern ich will sie mit Schwert, Hunger und Pestilenz aufreiben.
Ofschoon zij vasten, Ik zal naar hun geschrei niet horen, en ofschoon zij brandoffer en spijsoffer offeren, Ik zal aan hen geen welgevallen hebben; maar door het zwaard, en door den honger, en door de pestilentie zal Ik hen verteren.
Se digiunano, non ascolterò il loro grido; se fanno degli olocausti e delle offerte, non li gradirò; anzi io sto per consumarli con la spada, con la fame, con la peste”.
Gdy pościć będą, Ja nie wysłucham wołania ich; a gdy ofiarować będą całopalenie, i ofiarę śniedną, Ja tego nie przyjmę; ale mieczem, i głodem, i morem wytracę ich.
Если они будут поститься, Я не услышу вопля их; и если вознесут всесожжение и дар, не приму их; но мечом и голодом, и моровою язвою истреблю их.
他們禁食 的時候，我不 聽 他們的呼求； 他們獻 燔祭 和素祭，我也不 悅納；我 卻 要用刀劍、饑荒、瘟疫 滅絕 他們。」
When they go without food, I will not give ear to their cry; when they give burned offerings and meal offerings, I will not take pleasure in them: but I will put an end to them by the sword and by need of food and by disease.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Jeremiah 14:12
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators across traditions agree on the central point: God rejects the worship of people who persist in sin while performing religious duties. Calvin states that the verse targets hypocrites who "professed to be the true worshippers of God, yet by sacrifices and fastings and other external rites wished to prove themselves to be so." Gill and Matthew Henry echo this: the prayers and offerings were empty, offered without genuine repentance or faith in the coming sacrifice of Christ. Barnes notes the progression of judgment, sword, famine, pestilence, each following the other, designed to consume yet leave a remnant for purification. The Westminster annotators in the Geneva Bible simply underscore God's refusal to hear. The cross-references reinforce this unity: Proverbs 1:28 warns that God does not answer those who call insincerely; Isaiah 1:15 depicts God hiding His eyes from prayers offered with bloodstained hands. There is no disagreement among the supplied sources that the passage exposes the danger of hollow ritual.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Low
What is clear: It is uncontested across traditions that God rejects religious acts performed by unrepentant hearts.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| God's rejection of fasting and sacrifices | All supplied commentators affirm that God rejects these acts because the worshippers are unrepentant and hypocritical. | None substantive; the rejection is uniformly read as divine judgment on insincere worship. |
| Composition and redaction of vv.11, 12 | Most treat the verses as part of Jeremiah's original speech. | Cambridge Bible notes a view (Hitzig and Co.) that vv.11, 12 may be a later insertion to connect the drought passage with other woes; this is a minority view. |
| The purpose of the threefold judgment (sword, famine, pestilence) | Commentators agree these represent total divine judgment, typically following covenant curses. | Barnes sees the judgment as ultimately purifying a penitent remnant; others focus on its consuming, destructive purpose. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Jeremiah 14 unfolds during a severe drought in Judah (likely the late seventh century BC, before the final Babylonian invasion). The land is parched, the people desperate. The prophet intercedes passionately, pleading for God's mercy (vv.7, 9). But God's reply is devastating: the people have loved to wander and refused to restrain their feet, they have run after idols and persisted in injustice. Now their religious activities, even their urgently proclaimed fast (perhaps prompted by the drought itself), count for nothing.
Culturally, fasting was a serious act of penitence and petition, often accompanied by sackcloth and ashes. Burnt offerings and grain offerings (עֹלָה and מִנְחָה) were part of the covenant worship prescribed in Leviticus, the very channels God had given for approaching Him. Yet here God declares He will not hear, not accept. The reason is not that the forms are wrong, but that the worshippers are wrong. As Keil & Delitzsch explain, the people's "backsliding" (Jer 14:10) made their worship an act of pretense. Poignantly, the context includes false prophets promising "assured peace" (v.13), lulling the people into thinking they could both sin and sacrifice with impunity. The threefold sword, famine and pestilence was a familiar covenant curse (Lev 26; Deut 28; Ezek 5:12), now activated by a covenant-breaking nation.
Textual Notes
The consulted sources note no significant textual variants for Jeremiah 14:12 in the Hebrew manuscript tradition. The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges raises a literary-critical observation: some scholars (Hitzig and others) consider vv.11, 12 a later editorial insertion to connect the drought material with the sword/famine/pestilence theme. This is a compositional suggestion, not a textual variant. Most commentators treat the verses as integral to the passage.
Reception History
Jeremiah 14:12 has been read throughout church history as a warning against formalistic religion. Early church fathers like John Chrysostom drew on it to urge that prayer and fasting must be accompanied by moral transformation. During the Reformation, Calvin and other Protestant expositors used the verse to argue that outward ritual cannot earn God's favor; only faith working through genuine repentance avails. The verse also resonates in Jewish tradition, where it is linked to the concept that God desires the heart, not merely external observance. In modern preaching, it remains a powerful call to examine the sincerity of worship, often paired with Isaiah 58 on the true fast. The threefold judgment, sword, famine, pestilence, has historically been applied to reflect on national calamities as calls to national repentance.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- The problem is not God's willingness to hear, but the worshipper's hypocrisy. God has promised to hear those who call on Him in truth (Psalm 145:18). But when the worshipper's heart is distant, even the most costly offerings become an abomination (Proverbs 15:8; 21:27).
- God sees through external actions to the inner person. Fasting and offerings can become a mask. Jeremiah 14:12 strips away the mask and reveals that God evaluates the sincerity behind every ritual act.
- Judgment, not deliverance, awaits those who refuse to repent. The threefold sword, famine and pestilence represent total devastation. God's purpose in judgment, however, is not mere destruction; as Barnes notes, it purifies the remnant who will finally turn to Him.
Five-point outline
- Desperate times drive people to religious activity, the people fasted and sacrificed when the drought struck.
- But God names the root sin: "they have loved to wander" (v.10). Hearts remain unchanged.
- Therefore God declares He will not hear their cry: fasting and prayer without genuine repentance cannot move God.
- He will not accept their offerings: the very sacrifices meant to atone become evidence of guilt.
- The ultimate outcome is consumed by the threefold judgment, but also the possibility of a purified remnant.
Illustration hooks
- A person attends worship weekly, sings loudly, tithes, but harbors unrepented bitterness toward a family member. The outward acts say "I am close to God", but the heart says otherwise.
- A congregation declares a day of prayer and fasting over a building project, yet members continue in gossip and slander. The fasting becomes a religious exercise without the power of changed lives.
- Parents attend church to set a good example for their children, but never confess their own sin. The example teaches form without substance.
Questions your congregation is asking
- Does God really not hear my prayers if I am struggling with sin?
- What is the difference between a good spiritual discipline and empty religious routine?
- How can I examine my own heart to know if my worship is genuine or hypocritical?
Leading a Discussion
Before you begin, read Jeremiah 14:1, 16 as a group. Notice the drought, the prophet's intercession, and God's shocking reply. This passage forces us to ask not just "do we worship?" but "is our worship real?"
Discussion questions
- What do you think drives the people in this passage to fast and offer sacrifices? Is it genuine repentance or something else?
- Read verse 10. How does God describe the people's underlying problem? Why is that problem more serious than the drought itself?
- Verse 12 says God will not hear their cry. Does this contradict other scriptures where God promises to hear the cries of His people (e.g., Psalm 145:18)? How do you reconcile these?
- The false prophets in verses 13, 16 promised peace. What kinds of messages do people hear today that make them feel secure in their sin?
- Think of a time when you went through the motions of faith, prayed, attended church, even fasted, but your heart was distant. What brought you back to sincerity?
- How does this passage shape your understanding of true worship? What one change might it call for in your personal walk with God?
- How can a Christian community encourage one another toward heartfelt worship without falling into judgmentalism?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Proverbs 1:28 | Then they will call on me, but I will not answer. They will seek me diligently, but they will not find me, |
| Proverbs 15:8 | The sacrifice made by the wicked is an abomination to Yahweh, but the prayer of the upright is his delight. |
| Proverbs 21:27 | The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination— how much more, when he brings it with a wicked mind! |
| Proverbs 28:9 | He who turns away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer is an abomination. |
| Isaiah 1:11 | “What are the multitude of your sacrifices to me?”, says Yahweh. “I have had enough of the burnt offerings of rams and the fat of fed animals. I don’t delight in the blood of bulls, or of lambs, or of male goats. |
| Isaiah 1:15 | When you spread out your hands, I will hide my eyes from you. Yes, when you make many prayers, I will not hear. Your hands are full of blood. |
| Isaiah 58:3 | ‘Why have we fasted,’ they say, ‘and you don’t see? Why have we afflicted our soul, and you don’t notice?’ “Behold, in the day of your fast you find pleasure, and oppress all your laborers. |
| Jeremiah 6:20 | To what purpose does frankincense from Sheba come to me, and the sweet cane from a far country? Your burnt offerings are not acceptable, and your sacrifices are not pleasing to me.” |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
7 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes identifies the cry as spoken prayer and the oblation as a grain offering. He then connects sword, famine and pestilence as linked judgments from God. These judgments destroy those who harden themselves but purify the penitent, and God always preserves a remnant.
Calvin's Commentaries Reformed 1564
Calvin stresses that God rejects the worship of hypocrites no matter how many external rituals they perform. Fasting, praying, and offering sacrifices count for nothing when the heart lacks sincerity. God only hears those who call on him with genuine faith and integrity.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva note stresses that outward religious acts like fasting and offering sacrifices count for nothing when the heart is disobedient. God refuses to hear their cries or accept their gifts, answering only with sword, famine, and plague.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill stresses that Israel's fasting and offerings are worthless because they come from hypocrisy, not a pure heart or faith in Christ. God refuses to hear or accept them and instead resolves to consume the people with sword, famine, and pestilence, making further prayer pointless.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB stresses that God rejects these prayers because the worshippers are hypocritical and their hearts remain idolatrous, but He never turns away true prayer. He then notes the extreme severity of sending sword, famine, and pestilence together, when any one of them would suffice for judgment.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil-Delitzsch stresses that God rejects Jeremiah's prayer because the people "loved to wander" after other gods, a persistent idolatry that hollows out their fasting and sacrifices. The false prophets' lies do not excuse the people, since they willingly believed flattering deceptions that matched their own sinful passions.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry draws a parallel between this passage and the parable of the barren fig tree: God's justice condemns a fruitless people to judgment, while the prophet Jeremiah intercedes for mercy. But here God overrules the intercession, showing that the people's persistent love of wandering has made further pleading pointless.