Jeremiah 25:1-7 · Bible study
Jeremiah 25:1-7 Commentary: Twenty-Three Years of Unheeded Warning
Hebrew · 10 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Jeremiah's twenty-three-year ministry of warning. Why the dating with Nebuchadnezzar matters, and what it means to refuse to listen.
Research Summary
- Meaning: God sends persistent warnings through prophets; Judah's refusal to listen brings judgment on themselves.
- Key words: 'rising early' (שִׁכֵּם, H7925), urgent, diligent effort; 'return' (שׁוּב, H7725), repentance with a promised blessing.
- Main debate: Did the dating (fourth year of Jehoiakim) conflict with Daniel 1:1's third year? Resolved by different accession-year reckonings.
- Theological theme: Divine patience and human responsibility; the cost of persistent disobedience.
- Best use: A prophetic call to examine whether we are truly listening to God's repeated appeals.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
1This is the word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the people of Judah in the fourth year of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah, which was the first year of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon.
2So the prophet Jeremiah spoke to all the people of Judah and all the residents of Jerusalem as follows:
3“From the thirteenth year of Josiah son of Amon king of Judah until this very day—twenty-three years—the word of the LORD has come to me, and I have spoken to you again and again, but you have not listened.
4And the LORD has sent all His servants the prophets to you again and again, but you have not listened or inclined your ear to hear.
5The prophets told you, ‘Turn now, each of you, from your evil ways and deeds, and you can dwell in the land that the LORD has given to you and your fathers forever and ever.
6Do not follow other gods to serve and worship them, and do not provoke Me to anger with the works of your hands. Then I will do you no harm.’
7‘But to your own harm, you have not listened to Me,’ declares the LORD, ‘so you have provoked Me to anger with the works of your hands.’
WEB World English Bible 2000
1The word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the people of Judah, in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah (this was the first year of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon),
2which Jeremiah the prophet spoke to all the people of Judah, and to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem:
3From the thirteenth year of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah, even to this day, these twenty-three years, Yahweh’s word has come to me, and I have spoken to you, rising up early and speaking; but you have not listened.
4Yahweh has sent to you all his servants the prophets, rising up early and sending them (but you have not listened or inclined your ear to hear),
5saying, “Return now everyone from his evil way, and from the evil of your doings, and dwell in the land that Yahweh has given to you and to your fathers, from of old and even forever more.
6Don’t go after other gods to serve them or worship them, and don’t provoke me to anger with the work of your hands; then I will do you no harm.”
7“Yet you have not listened to me,” says Yahweh, “that you may provoke me to anger with the work of your hands to your own hurt.”
KJV King James Version 1769
1The word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the people of Judah in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah, that was the first year of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon;
2The which Jeremiah the prophet spake unto all the people of Judah, and to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying,
3From the thirteenth year of Josiah the son of Amon king of Judah, even unto this day, that is the three and twentieth year, the word of the Lord hath come unto me, and I have spoken unto you, rising early and speaking; but ye have not hearkened.
4And the Lord hath sent unto you all his servants the prophets, rising early and sending them; but ye have not hearkened, nor inclined your ear to hear.
5They said, Turn ye again now every one from his evil way, and from the evil of your doings, and dwell in the land that the Lord hath given unto you and to your fathers for ever and ever:
6And go not after other gods to serve them, and to worship them, and provoke me not to anger with the works of your hands; and I will do you no hurt.
7Yet ye have not hearkened unto me, saith the Lord; that ye might provoke me to anger with the works of your hands to your own hurt.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
1The word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the people of Judah, in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah (the same was the first year of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon),
2which Jeremiah the prophet spake unto all the people of Judah, and to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying:
3From the thirteenth year of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah, even unto this day, these three and twenty years, the word of Jehovah hath come unto me, and I have spoken unto you, rising up early and speaking; but ye have not hearkened.
4And Jehovah hath sent unto you all his servants the prophets, rising up early and sending them, (but ye have not hearkened, nor inclined your ear to hear),
5saying, Return ye now every one from his evil way, and from the evil of your doings, and dwell in the land that Jehovah hath given unto you and to your fathers, from of old and even for evermore;
6and go not after other gods to serve them, and to worship them, and provoke me not to anger with the work of your hands; and I will do you no hurt.
7Yet ye have not hearkened unto me, saith Jehovah; that ye may provoke me to anger with the work of your hands to your own hurt.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
1The word that hath been unto Jeremiah concerning all the people of Judah, in the fourth year of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah, --it is the first year of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, --
2Which Jeremiah the prophet hath spoken concerning all the people of Judah, even unto all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying:
3`From the thirteenth year of Josiah son of Amon king of Judah, and unto this day--this three and twentieth year--hath the word of Jehovah been unto me, and I speak unto you, rising early and speaking, and ye have not hearkened;
4And Jehovah hath sent unto you all His servants, the prophets, rising early and sending, and ye have not hearkened, nor inclined your ear to hear, saying:
5`Turn back, I pray you, each from his evil way, and from the evil of your doings, and dwell on the ground that Jehovah hath given to you and to your fathers from age unto age,
6And ye do not go after other gods to serve them, and to bow yourselves to them, nor do ye provoke Me to anger with the work of your hands, and I do no evil to you;
7And ye have not hearkened unto Me--an affirmation of Jehovah--so as to provoke Me to anger with the work of your hands for evil to you.
Darby Darby Bible 1890
1The word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the people of Judah, in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, the king of Judah (that is, the first year of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon),
2which Jeremiah the prophet spoke unto all the people of Judah and to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying:
3From the thirteenth year of Josiah the son of Amon, the king of Judah, even unto this day, these three and twenty years, the word of Jehovah hath come unto me, and I have spoken unto you, rising early and speaking; but ye have not hearkened.
4And Jehovah hath sent unto you all his servants the prophets, rising early and sending; but ye have not hearkened, nor inclined your ear to hear,
5when they said, Turn again now every one from his evil way, and from the wickedness of your doings, and dwell in the land that Jehovah hath given unto you and to your fathers from of old even for ever.
6And go not after othergods, to serve them and to worship them; and provoke me not to anger with the work of your hands; and I will do you no hurt.
7But ye have not hearkened unto me, saith Jehovah; that ye might provoke me to anger with the work of your hands, to your own hurt.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
1The word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the people of Juda, in the fourth year of Joakim the son of Josias king of Juda, (the same is the first year of Nabuchodonosor king of Babylon,)
2Which Jeremiah the prophet spoke to all the people of Juda, and to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying:
3From the thirteenth year of Josias the son of Ammon king of Juda until this day: this is the three and twentieth year, the word of the Lord hath come to me, and I have spoken to you, rising before day, and speaking, and you have not hearkened.
4And the Lord hath sent to you all his servants the prophets, rising early, and sending, and you have not hearkened, nor inclined your ears to hear.
5When he said: Return ye, every one from his evil way, and from your wicked devices, and you shall dwell in the land which the Lord hath given to you, and your fathers for ever and ever.
6And go not after strange gods to serve them, and adore them: nor provoke me to wrath by the works of your hands, and I will not afflict you.
7And you have not heard me, saith the Lord, that you might provoke me to anger with the works of your hands, to your own hurt.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Jeremiah 25:1
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 that this opening passage recounts God's patient, persistent appeal through Jeremiah over twenty-three years, and Judah's stubborn refusal. Calvin notes that Jeremiah 'expostulates with the Jews, because they had not only perfidiously departed from the true worship of God… but because they had obstinately rejected all warnings.' The call to 'return now everyone from his evil way' (v. 5) is identified by Barnes as 'the great summons of God to mankind at all times,' echoing Luke 24:47 and Acts 2:38. Gill emphasizes that the repeated phrase 'rising up early and speaking' (vv. 3-4) expresses God's 'great care and concern for this people for their good.' The verb שִׁכֵּם (shikkem, Hiphil of shakam) carries the sense not merely of morning activity but of urgent, diligent effort, God does not send casually but deliberately and repeatedly. The passage's hinge is the contrast between God's relentless sending and Judah's refrain: 'but you have not listened' (vv. 3, 4, 7). Matthew Henry summarizes: 'That which is of universal concern ought to be of universal cognizance.' The consensus holds that these verses establish Judah's culpability before the judgment that follows in vv. 8-11.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Medium
Main views:
- Harmonizing chronology: Jehoiakim's and Nebuchadnezzar's regnal years overlapped differently; Jamieson-Fausset-Brown and Barnes reconcile with accession-year systems.
- Textual development: The Cambridge Bible proposes that vv. 4 and 7 (final clause) are later insertions absent from the Septuagint, altering the speaker's identity.
What is clear: God persistently sent prophets to call Judah to repentance; Judah stubbornly refused to listen, bringing harm upon themselves.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Chronology with Daniel 1:1 | Both passages refer to the same period of Nebuchadnezzar's rise to power. | Some harmonize by counting regnal years differently (accession vs non-accession year); others see a scribal variation or different source traditions. |
| The call to repentance | God's call to 'return from evil ways' is central and clear. | The relationship between corporate and individual repentance: does God address the nation or each person? Most see both. |
| Textual integrity of vv. 4 and 7 | The main message is preserved in all manuscripts. | The Cambridge Bible suggests v. 4 and parts of v. 7 are later insertions, based on LXX omissions and stylistic repetition. Others see them as original. |
| Meaning of 'work of your hands' | Refers primarily to idolatry, the making and worshipping of images. | Some expand it to all human deeds done in rebellion (e.g., social injustice, trust in political alliances), as Calvin notes the people provoked God 'by their superstitions' and also 'by adultery, theft, and plunder.' |
Historical & Cultural Context
Jeremiah dates this word precisely: the fourth year of Jehoiakim (605 BC), which he also marks as the first year of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon (v. 1). This double dating signals a tectonic shift in Near Eastern power. The battle of Carchemish had just occurred (Jeremiah 46:2), where Nebuchadnezzar defeated Pharaoh Necoh and Egypt. Barnes explains that Jeremiah delivered this prophecy 'immediately after the battle of Carchemish… and probably before Nebuchadnezzar and his victorious army appeared in Palestine.' The prophet was urging Jehoiakim to accept Babylonian suzerainty as a matter of 'religious duty', not mere politics, because the Lord was using Babylon as his instrument.
The dating creates a well-known difficulty: Daniel 1:1 places Nebuchadnezzar's siege of Jerusalem in Jehoiakim's third year. Jamieson-Fausset-Brown reconcile the discrepancy by noting that Nebuchadnezzar began his reign in January 604 BC, while Jehoiakim's regnal year likely started in the autumn. Thus Nebuchadnezzar's 'first year' partially overlapped Jehoiakim's third and fourth years, allowing the siege to occur in the latter part of Jehoiakim's third year. The Cambridge Bible adds that the double date marks a 'turning-point in history.'
Jeremiah's ministry had begun in the thirteenth year of Josiah (627 BC). By now he had prophesied for twenty-three years (v. 3). Josiah's reform had stalled, and under Jehoiakim, a king described in 2 Kings 23:36-24:7 as doing evil, Judah had slid back into idolatry and political maneuvering. Gill suggests that Jeremiah likely delivered this message 'at one of the three feasts, at which all the males appeared in Jerusalem,' giving him a national audience.
Textual Notes
The consulted sources note a significant variant: the Cambridge Bible observes that verse 4 and the final clause of verse 7 ('that you might provoke me to anger… to your own hurt') are absent in the Septuagint and may be later insertions by an editor or copyist, influenced by similar language in Jeremiah 7:25, 11:7, and Deuteronomy 31:29. The omission of verse 4 makes the speaker consistently Jeremiah rather than shifting to Yahweh mid-speech. However, these verses appear in the standard Hebrew text (MT) and are considered original by many commentators, including Calvin and Keil. The dating formula in verse 1 is stable across traditions.
Reception History
Jeremiah 25:1-7 has been read across church history as a cautionary tale of unheeded prophecy. Early Christian writers saw Jeremiah as a type of Christ, rejected by his own, and the call to 'return' as a foreshadowing of gospel repentance. In the Reformation, Calvin emphasized God's sovereign patience and human guilt: 'the whole fault was in the people.' Matthew Henry (1710) used the passage to urge public reading of scripture: 'That which is of universal concern ought to be of universal cognizance.' In modern preaching, these verses are often preached during seasons of national repentance or as a call to examine how long one has sat under the word without responding.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- God's patient persistence. Twenty-three years of speaking, 'rising early and sending', the repeated infinitive absolute הַשְׁכֵּם וְשָׁלֹחַ (hashkhem v'shaloach) emphasizes habitual, eager effort from God. Pastors can show that God never gives up easily on his people.
- Judah's persistent refusal. The refrain 'you have not listened' (vv. 3, 4, 7) is the tragic drumbeat. The people inclined neither ear nor heart.
- The irony of self-harm. Verse 7: 'you have not listened to me… that you may provoke me to anger with the work of your hands to your own hurt.' Calvin notes that the people's rebellion hurt themselves, not God. Their idolatry destroyed them.
Five-point outline
- The historical hinge: the fourth year of Jehoiakim / first year of Nebuchadnezzar (v. 1).
- The long arc of faithful ministry: twenty-three years (v. 3).
- The urgent call: 'Return now everyone from his evil way' (v. 5). The Hebrew wordplay, שׁוּבוּ (shuvu, 'return') and וּשְׁבוּ (ushvu, 'dwell'), reinforces that repentance leads to remaining in the land.
- The specific sin: worship of other gods (v. 6), 'the work of your hands,' a phrase for idols (cf. Deuteronomy 31:29).
- The tragic conclusion: listening had not happened, and harm came to themselves.
Illustration hooks
- A teacher who reminds the same lesson for months, but the student keeps ignoring, until exam day.
- Repeated texts or voicemails from a concerned friend that go unread.
- A doctor's warnings about diet and exercise repeated over many checkups, finally leading to a preventable health crisis.
Questions your congregation is asking
- How can I tell if I'm really listening to God, or just going through religious motions?
- Does God get tired of calling me back?
- How do I know when it's too late to repent?
Leading a Discussion
This passage shows both God's patient love and human stubbornness. It invites us to examine whether we, like Judah, have grown deaf to repeated calls to turn from sin. The twenty-three years remind us that God's patience is not a license to delay obedience but a gift leading to repentance.
Discussion questions
- Jeremiah dates this prophecy precisely: what does the double dating (fourth year of Jehoiakim / first year of Nebuchadnezzar) tell us about the historical moment?
- What does the repeated phrase 'rising up early and speaking' (vv. 3-4) reveal about God's character and his persistence?
- Why does Jeremiah keep saying 'but you have not listened'? What does it mean, biblically, to 'listen', is it merely hearing with the ears?
- The call in verse 5 is 'return now everyone from his evil way.' Why is repentance described in individual terms ('everyone') even though the message is to the whole nation?
- What is 'the work of your hands' (vv. 6-7)? How does the context explain what provoked God's anger?
- Verse 7 ends with 'to your own hurt.' How is it that resisting God harms us more than it affects him?
- Is there an area in your life where God has been speaking repeatedly and you have not yet listened? What would it look like to 'return' this week?
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)
| II Kings 24:1 | In his days Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up, and Jehoiakim became his servant for three years. Then he turned and rebelled against him. |
| II Kings 24:2 | Yahweh sent against him bands of the Chaldeans, bands of the Syrians, bands of the Moabites, and bands of the children of Ammon, and sent them against Judah to destroy it, according to Yahweh’s word which he spoke by his servants the prophets. |
| Jeremiah 36:1 | In the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from Yahweh, saying, |
| Jeremiah 46:2 | Of Egypt: concerning the army of Pharaoh Necoh king of Egypt, which was by the river Euphrates in Carchemish, which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon struck in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah. |
| Daniel 1:1 | In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. |
| Psalms 49:1 | For the Chief Musician. A Psalm by the sons of Korah. Hear this, all you peoples. Listen, all you inhabitants of the world, |
| Psalms 49:2 | both low and high, rich and poor together. |
| Jeremiah 18:11 | “Now therefore, speak to the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying, ‘Yahweh says: “Behold, I frame evil against you, and devise a plan against you. Everyone return from his evil way now, and amend your ways and your doings.”’ |
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
8 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke argues that this chapter belongs chronologically between chapters 35 and 36, not in its current position. He notes that the Jews dated Nebuchadnezzar's reign from his association with his father, while the Chaldeans began it later at his father's death.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes places this prophecy in the immediate aftermath of the battle of Carchemish, before Nebuchadnezzar's army arrived in Palestine. He notes that Jeremiah urged Jehoiakim to accept submission to Babylon not merely as policy but as a religious duty, a point the king rejected by burning the scroll and silencing the prophet.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The Cambridge Bible notes that several verses in this passage are later scribal additions. Verses 4 and 7 inserted words originally spoken by Jeremiah as if they came directly from God, confusing who was speaking throughout the prophecy.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill emphasizes the extraordinary patience God showed by sending prophets for twenty-three years, rising early each time to warn His people. Even after decades of stubborn refusal, the offer remained: turn from idolatry and still dwell safely in the land. The people's ruin came not from God's haste but from their own prolonged refusal to listen.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB draws attention to the Hebrew wordplay between "turn" and "remain," showing that the people's turning back to God is matched by God's allowing them to remain in the land. They also stress that each person must repent individually, and that idolatry is singled out as the representative sin hurting the sinner, not God.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil-Delitzsch highlight the unusual double date in the heading as historically precise and critical: the fourth year of Jehoiakim is also Nebuchadnezzar's first year, marking the start of the seventy-year exile. Nebuchadnezzar is called king here because he acted with full authority even before his father's death.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange treats Jeremiah 25 as the prophet's central programme, the first time he names Nebuchadnezzar and gives a precise date. He reads the chapter as a three-stage judgment: on Judah, on the surrounding nations through Babylon, and finally on Babylon itself and the whole world. The victory at Carchemish is the historical turning point that gives the prophecy its concrete definiteness.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry stresses that a message meant for everyone should be heard by everyone. Since God's word concerns all people, it must be made widely known and, as much as possible, brought to each person individually.