Jeremiah 42:1-6 Meaning: Why Ask God When You've Already Decided?
1Then all the captains of the forces, and Johanan the son of Kareah, and Jezaniah the son of Hoshaiah, and all the people from the least even to the greatest, came near,
2and said to Jeremiah the prophet, “Please let our supplication be presented before you, and pray for us to Yahweh your God, even for all this remnant, for we are left but a few of many, as your eyes see us,
3that Yahweh your God may show us the way in which we should walk, and the things that we should do.”
4Then Jeremiah the prophet said to them, “I have heard you. Behold, I will pray to Yahweh your God according to your words; and it will happen that whatever thing Yahweh answers you, I will declare it to you. I will keep nothing back from you.”
5Then they said to Jeremiah, “May Yahweh be a true and faithful witness among us, if we don’t do according to all the word with which Yahweh your God sends you to tell us.
6Whether it is good, or whether it is bad, we will obey the voice of Yahweh our God, to whom we send you; that it may be well with us, when we obey the voice of Yahweh our God.”
1Then all the captains of the forces, and Johanan the son of Kareah, and Jezaniah the son of Hoshaiah, and all the people from the least even unto the greatest, came near,
2And said unto Jeremiah the prophet, Let, we beseech thee, our supplication be accepted before thee, and pray for us unto the Lord thy God, even for all this remnant; (for we are left but a few of many, as thine eyes do behold us:)
3That the Lord thy God may shew us the way wherein we may walk, and the thing that we may do.
4Then Jeremiah the prophet said unto them, I have heard you; behold, I will pray unto the Lord your God according to your words; and it shall come to pass, that whatsoever thing the Lord shall answer you, I will declare it unto you; I will keep nothing back from you.
5Then they said to Jeremiah, The Lord be a true and faithful witness between us, if we do not even according to all things for the which the Lord thy God shall send thee to us.
6Whether it be good, or whether it be evil, we will obey the voice of the Lord our God, to whom we send thee; that it may be well with us, when we obey the voice of the Lord our God.
1Then all the captains of the forces, and Johanan the son of Kareah, and Jezaniah the son of Hoshaiah, and all the people from the least even unto the greatest, came near,
2and said unto Jeremiah the prophet, Let, we pray thee, our supplication be presented before thee, and pray for us unto Jehovah thy God, even for all this remnant (for we are left but a few of many, as thine eyes do behold us),
3that Jehovah thy God may show us the way wherein we should walk, and the thing that we should do.
4Then Jeremiah the prophet said unto them, I have heard you; behold, I will pray unto Jehovah your God according to your words; and it shall come to pass that whatsoever thing Jehovah shall answer you, I will declare it unto you; I will keep nothing back from you.
5Then they said to Jeremiah, Jehovah be a true and faithful witness amongst us, if we do not according to all the word wherewith Jehovah thy God shall send thee to us.
6Whether it be good, or whether it be evil, we will obey the voice of Jehovah our God, to whom we send thee; that it may be well with us, when we obey the voice of Jehovah our God.
1And they come nigh--all the heads of the forces, and Johanan son of Kareah, and Jezaniah son of Hoshaiah, and all the people from the least even unto the greatest--
2and they say unto Jeremiah the prophet, `Let, we pray thee, our supplication fall before thee, and pray for us unto Jehovah thy God, for all this remnant; for we have been left a few out of many, as thine eyes do see us;
3and Jehovah thy God doth declare to us the way in which we walk, and the thing that we do.'
4And Jeremiah the prophet saith unto them, `I have heard: lo, I am praying unto Jehovah your God according to your words, and it hath come to pass, the whole word that Jehovah answereth you, I declare to you--I do not withhold from you a word.'
5And they have said to Jeremiah, `Jehovah is against us for a witness true and faithful, if--according to all the word with which Jehovah thy God doth send thee unto us--we do not so.
6Whether good or evil, to the voice of Jehovah our God, to whom we are sending thee, we do hearken; because it is good for us when we hearken to the voice of Jehovah our God.'
1And all the captains of the forces, and Johanan the son of Kareah, and Jezaniah the son of Hoshaiah, and all the people from the least even to the greatest,
2came near and said unto Jeremiah the prophet, Let, we beseech thee, our supplication come before thee, and pray for us unto Jehovah thy God, for all this remnant (for we are left a few of many, as thine eyes do behold us);
3that Jehovah thy God may shew us the way wherein we should walk, and the thing that we should do.
4And Jeremiah the prophet said unto them, I have heard; behold, I will pray unto Jehovah your God according to your words; and it shall come to pass [that] whatsoever thing Jehovah shall answer you, I will declare it unto you: I will keep nothing back from you.
5And they said to Jeremiah, Jehovah be a true and faithful witness amongst us, if we do not even according to all the word for which Jehovah thy God shall send thee to us.
6Whether it be good or whether it be evil, we will hearken unto the voice of Jehovah our God, to whom we send thee; that it may be well with us when we hearken unto the voice of Jehovah our God.
Meaning in one sentence
Why did the remnant ask Jeremiah to pray when they already planned to flee to Egypt? A look at the danger of seeking God's guidance without intending to obey.
Context
The dust was still settling. Jerusalem had fallen. The king of Babylon had appointed Gedaliah as governor, and a small remnant of Judah had gathered around him at Mizpah. Then Gedaliah was assassinated. The people were terrified of Babylonian reprisal, and their eyes turned toward Egypt as a place of safety. But before they moved, they came to Jeremiah. The prophet had been with them through the siege, his warnings proven true. Now every captain and common person approached him with a request: pray for us, ask the Lord what we should do. They swore they would obey whatever He said, whether it was pleasant or hard. But the rest of the chapter shows the trouble. God did answer, and He told them to stay in the land under Babylonian authority. They refused. The entire exchange leaves an uncomfortable question hanging in the air: did they ever intend to obey?
Key Words
The Hebrew word behind their request, te.chin.nah, means a plea for favor, a supplication from someone in a low place. They came humbly, aware they had no claim on God. And they asked Jeremiah to hitpallel for them, the verb that pictures intercession, standing between the people and God. So far, their words are beautiful.
But two other words give the scene its weight. They asked for the de.rekh they should walk, the road or manner of life. And they promised to obey whether that word was tov or ra, pleasant or unpleasant. The commentators note that ra here does not mean morally evil, but hard, costly, what we would rather avoid. They knew God might say something they did not want to hear. They said they would follow anyway.
The verb they use for obedience, shāma‘, means more than hearing. It means listening with the intention to act. They said it twice: "We will obey the voice of the Lord our God." Yet their later actions showed they heard without intending to do. Their promise was sincere in the moment, but not deep enough to hold when God's answer crossed their plans.
How Christians Read This Verse
Across traditions, readers of this passage have seen both sincerity and self-deception in the remnant's request. John Calvin, representing a Reformed perspective, writes that they "acted much more culpably by coming to the Prophet, than if they had not done so, and had gone directly to Egypt," because they used prayer as a cover for their own agenda. Methodist commentator Adam Clarke calls them "wretched hypocrites" who had no intention to comply. Matthew Henry is gentler, noting that they showed proper respect to Jeremiah, but he also sees the gravity of their oath: they called on the Lord as a witness, yet broke their word.
Anglican scholar J. R. P. S. of the Cambridge Bible points out that they made up their minds to flee to Egypt only after they had already decided. The pattern resembles that of King Ahab in 1 Kings 22, who asked a prophet for counsel but only wanted confirmation of his own plan. These readings differ in tone, but they converge on one point: words of devotion without a submitted will are a kind of spiritual contradiction that God sees clearly.
A common misunderstanding
A common misreading of this passage is that the remnant did everything right: they asked for prayer, they promised to obey, and they used reverent language. So if God later judged them, it seems unfair. In fact, the problem was not their words but their hearts. They came to God only after their plans were set, and their promise to obey was conditional on the answer matching their wishes. As the surrounding chapters show, when God told them to stay in Judah, they accused Jeremiah of lying and marched to Egypt anyway. Praying for guidance while shutting the door on obedience is not seeking God, it is using God.
Living This Out
You may have a decision before you this week. A job offer that would mean a move. A relationship that feels too hard to stay in. A medical choice with no clear path. You want God's guidance, and you mean it. But pause and check what you are actually asking. Are you coming with open palms, ready to hear an answer you would rather not receive? Or are you like the remnant, looking for a blessing on a plan already in motion?
The passage does not say we must never have a direction before we pray. It just asks us to hold that direction loosely. The remnant swore they would obey whether it was pleasant or unpleasant. That is easy to say when you assume the answer will be pleasant. The real test comes when God says stay and you wanted to leave. The invitation here is not to stop asking God for guidance, but to ask with a heart that truly means, "I will obey, whatever You say." That kind of prayer changes everything.
Main takeaway: Seeking God’s guidance is hollow when we have already decided what we want and only want His approval.
For Families
For ages 5, 8
If you ask your dad or mom for help, you should listen to what they say. The people in this story asked God for help, but then they did not do what He said. God wants us to listen and obey, not just ask.
For ages 9, 12
Have you ever asked your parents for permission to do something, but you already knew what you wanted and just hoped they would say yes? That is what the people did in this story. They asked God for direction, but they had already decided to go to Egypt. When God told them to stay, they ignored Him and went anyway. Asking God for guidance means being willing to change your plans if He says something different. That is hard, but it is what real faith looks like.
Questions People Ask
Why did the people ask Jeremiah to pray if they already planned to flee to Egypt?
Commentators suggest they wanted God's approval on a decision already made, or at least wanted to feel religious about it. They hoped God would agree with their plan. When He did not, they rejected His answer and accused Jeremiah of lying. Their inquiry was a formality, not a real submission.
Did the people in Jeremiah 42 actually obey God's answer?
No. In chapter 43, after Jeremiah delivered God's message to stay in Judah, the leaders accused him of speaking falsely and led the whole remnant into Egypt. They broke the solemn oath they made in 42:5-6. The rest of the chapter records Jeremiah's warning that their disobedience would lead to disaster.
What does 'whether it is good or bad' mean in verse 6?
The Hebrew words tov and ra here mean 'pleasant or unpleasant,' not morally good or evil. God never commands anything sinful. The people were saying they would obey even if God's command was hard, costly, or disappointing to their hopes. It was a bold promise, but they did not keep it.
Is it wrong to ask God for guidance when I already have a plan?
Not necessarily. It depends on your heart. If you are genuinely open to changing your plan if God shows you otherwise, then asking is right. The problem arises when you have already closed your mind and only want God to bless what you decided. The remnant shows us the danger of using prayer to dress up our own agenda.
What can I learn from Jeremiah 42 about seeking God's will?
Words of devotion are not enough; God sees the heart. True seeking means coming with hands open, ready to obey even a hard answer. It also means acting on what God shows you, not just hearing it. The remnant's failure reminds us that obedience is the test of whether we really wanted God's will in the first place.
For pastors & researchers
Hebrew interlinear, 8 commentaries & word study