Jeremiah 7:24 · Bible study
Jeremiah 7:24 Commentary: The Stubborn Heart's Regression
Hebrew · 9 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Discover how stubbornness of heart leads to spiritual regression in Jeremiah 7:24.
Research Summary
- Meaning: The people deliberately rejected God’s voice, followed their own sinful plans, and ended up moving away from him rather than toward him.
- Key words: ‘Inclined the ear’ (active listening refused), ‘stubbornness’ (שְׁרִרוּת, hardness), ‘counsels’ (self-devised plans), ‘backward/forward’ (direction of life).
- Main debate: Whether ‘backward’ describes sin or punishment (Kimchi saw it as judgment; most others see it as the trajectory of sin itself).
- Theological theme: Obedience over ritual; the heart’s direction determines the life’s course; God’s patient warning versus human hardness.
- Best use: A diagnostic passage for self-examination: Are you really moving forward with God, or are religious habits masking a backward drift?
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
Yet they did not listen or incline their ear, but they followed the stubborn inclinations of their own evil hearts. They went backward and not forward.
WEB World English Bible 2000
But they didn’t listen or turn their ear, but walked in their own counsels and in the stubbornness of their evil heart, and went backward, and not forward.
KJV King James Version 1769
But they hearkened not, nor inclined their ear, but walked in the counsels and in the imagination of their evil heart, and went backward, and not forward.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
But they hearkened not, nor inclined their ear, but walked in their own counsels and in the stubbornness of their evil heart, and went backward, and not forward.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
And they have not hearkened, nor inclined their ear, And they walk in the counsels, In the stubbornness, of their evil heart, And are for backward, and not for forward.
Darby Darby Bible 1890
But they hearkened not, nor inclined their ear, but walked in the counsels, in the stubbornness of their evil heart, and went backward and not forward.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
But they hearkened not, nor inclined their ear: but walked in their own will, and in the perversity of their wicked heart: and went backward and not forward,
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Y no oyeron ni inclinaron su oído; antes caminaron en sus consejos, en la dureza de su corazón malvado, y fueron hacia atrás y no hacia adelante,
Mas eles não ouviram, nem inclinaram seus ouvidos; ao invés disso, caminharam em seus próprios conselhos, na teimosia de seu coração maligno, e foram para trás, e não para frente.
Et ils n’ ont point écouté, ils n’ ont point prêté l’ oreille;
Aber sie wollen nicht hören noch ihre Ohren zuneigen, sondern wandelten nach ihrem eigenen Rat und nach ihres bösen Herzens Gedünken und gingen hinter sich und nicht vor sich.
Doch zij hebben niet gehoord, noch hun oor geneigd, maar gewandeld in de raadslagen, in het goeddunken van hun boos hart; en zij zijn achterwaarts gekeerd, en niet voorwaarts.
Ma essi non ascoltarono, non prestarono orecchio, ma camminarono seguendo i consigli e la caparbietà del loro cuore malvagio, e invece di andare avanti si sono vòlti indietro.
Lecz nie posłuchali, ani nakłonili ucha swego, aby chodzili za radami i za uporem serca swego złego; i obrócili się grzbietem, a nie twarzą.
Но они не послушали и не приклонили уха своего, и жили по внушению и упорству злого сердца своего, и стали ко Мне спиною, а не лицом.
他們卻不 聽從，不 側 耳而聽，竟隨從 自己的計謀 和頑梗 的惡 心， 向後 不 向前。
But they took no note and did not give ear, but were guided by the thoughts and the pride of their evil hearts, going back and not forward.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Jeremiah 7:24
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators agree that Jeremiah 7:24 describes a deliberate, generations-long refusal to obey God. Calvin stresses that the people not only failed to listen but also ‘inclined not the ear’, an active, willful obstinacy. The Hebrew verb for ‘they walked’ (יֵּלְכוּ) is used figuratively of a life path, and the phrase ‘in the stubbornness of their evil heart’ (בִּשְׁרִרוּת לִבָּם הָרָע) recurs throughout Jeremiah (3:17; 9:14; 13:10) as shorthand for defiant self-direction. Keil and Delitzsch note that the grammar co-ordinates ‘counsels’ and ‘stubbornness’ in apposition: the people lived by the very plans that their hardened hearts devised. Matthew Henry sees this as the tragic climax of the Temple sermon: external worship means nothing when the heart refuses God’s voice. The outcome, ‘went backward, and not forward’, is universally read as the logical fruit of self-will: a life pointing away from God, not towards him.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Low
What is clear: The people consistently refused to listen to God and instead pursued their own stubborn, heart-driven schemes, resulting in a direction away from him.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Stubbornness of heart | Christians agree this refers to a willful, persistent rebellion against God's authority. | Some traditions (Reformed) see it as evidence of total depravity, while others (Arminian) emphasise human free will in resisting grace. |
| Walking in their own counsels | All agree it means rejecting God's guidance in favour of human schemes. | Whether these ‘counsels’ refer mainly to political alliances, idolatrous practices, or general self-reliance is debated among commentators. |
| Backward and not forward | Interpreted as regression, turning away from God's purposes. | Some (e.g., Kimchi via Gill) read it as a description of punishment (they suffered adversity), while others see it as a description of the sin itself (they turned their back on God). |
Historical & Cultural Context
This verse sits inside Jeremiah’s famous ‘Temple Sermon’ (chapters 7, 8), delivered at the gate of the Jerusalem temple around 609 BC. The surrounding context (Jeremiah 7:21, 28) attacks the false confidence that temple sacrifices could shield Judah from judgment. God reminds the people that, from the Exodus onward, his primary demand was not sacrifice but obedience: ‘Listen to my voice, and I will be your God, and you shall be my people’ (v. 23). Verse 24 summarises the entire history of rebellion: they walked in their own counsels rather than in God’s way.
The phrase ‘stubbornness of their evil heart’ (שְׁרִרוּת) appears multiple times in Jeremiah and earlier in Deuteronomy 29:19, where it describes a person who blesses himself while walking in his heart’s stubbornness. The word suggests a firmness or hardness, a heart set like stone. ‘Inclining the ear’ (הִטּוּ אֹזֶן) was a common Semitic idiom for attentive listening; the people refused even that minimal gesture. Their ‘counsels’ (מֹעֵצוֹת) likely included political alliances with Egypt and reliance on the temple’s supposed inviolability, human strategies that bypassed God. The tragic result, ‘backward and not forward,’ reverses the direction of blessing: instead of moving toward covenant life, they turned their backs on the Lord (Jeremiah 2:27; 32:33).
Textual Notes
The consulted sources note a minor text-critical issue. The Hebrew phrase baśrîrûṯ libbām hārā' (‘in the stubbornness of their evil heart’) is co-ordinated with bᵊmô'ēṣôṯ (‘in counsels’) as an apposition. The Septuagint (LXX) omits the second term ‘stubbornness,’ likely because the co-ordinated structure seemed redundant to the translators. Keil and Delitzsch argue for retaining the Masoretic text, as the co-ordination is grammatically defensible and the phrase ‘stubbornness of heart’ is a characteristic theme in Jeremiah. No other significant variants are reported in the supplied materials.
Reception History
Jeremiah 7:24 has been read across centuries as a warning against self-willed religion. John Calvin, in his lectures on Jeremiah, used the verse to expose the depth of human obstinacy: ‘They not only devised their own ways, but resolved to walk in them.’ The Geneva Bible’s marginal note (1599) summarised the verse as a description of those who ‘went backward and not forward,’ emphasising the tragic reversal. Matthew Henry (1710) connected it to the theme of obedience better than sacrifice, a point later echoed in many evangelical sermons on backsliding. The verse also appears in discussions of covenant unfaithfulness in the broader tradition of Reformed theology. Its stark image of a people moving away from God while claiming to serve him has made it a staple in calls to self-examination.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- The refusal to listen, The people ‘didn’t listen or turn their ear.’ This is not passive neglect but active resistance. They stopped up their hearing on purpose (cf. Psalm 81:11, 12).
- The walk of self-will, They walked ‘in their own counsels and in the stubbornness of their evil heart.’ The heart’s plans become the road they travel. The Hebrew suggests a parade of stubborn schemes.
- The direction of regression, ‘went backward, and not forward.’ Every step away from God’s voice is a step toward ruin. Regression is the natural trajectory of a life that trusts its own wisdom.
Five-point outline
- God’s call to obey (vv. 21, 23), The foundation: obedience over ritual.
- Chronic refusal, ‘They didn’t listen’, a habit hardened over generations.
- Inner motive exposed, The ‘stubbornness of their evil heart’: the engine of rebellion.
- Self-directed walk, Walking in their own counsels, not God’s commandments.
- Downward trajectory, ‘Backward and not forward’: the spiritual physics of ignoring God.
Illustration hooks
- A car stuck in reverse: you press the accelerator, but you keep moving away from your destination. Stubborn self-direction is the same, more effort only moves you backward faster.
- The GPS that you keep ignoring because you think you know a better route. Every wrong turn takes you further from where you need to be.
Questions your congregation is asking
- Is it possible to be religious but still walking away from God?
- How can I tell if I’m following my own stubborn heart instead of the Spirit?
- What does it mean to ‘go backward’ today when I have good intentions?
Leading a Discussion
Jeremiah 7:24 confronts us with a sobering truth: we can be busy with religious activity yet be walking away from God. The people of Judah trusted the temple, offered sacrifices, and still ‘went backward, not forward.’ This small-group study invites you to examine the direction of your own life, not your activity, but your trajectory.
Discussion questions
- Read Jeremiah 7:21, 24 aloud. Why does God emphasise that obedience is more important than sacrifice? What does this tell you about his priorities?
- The text says the people ‘walked in their own counsels.’ What kinds of ‘counsels’ (plans, advice, strategies) do we tend to follow instead of God’s Word?
- The Hebrew word for ‘stubbornness’ (shrirut) suggests a hardened, fixed heart. Think of a time you felt your heart hardening toward God. What caused it? How did it affect your decisions?
- Verse 24 ends with ‘went backward, and not forward.’ In what areas of life can you sense yourself moving backward spiritually, even while trying hard?
- How does the surrounding passage (vv. 25, 28) show God’s persistence despite rebellion? What does that tell you about God’s character?
- Cross-reference Psalm 81:11, 12. God ‘gave them over to the stubbornness of their hearts.’ Is that judgment or mercy? Discuss.
- If someone in your group said, ‘I feel like I’m stuck in reverse,’ what practical steps could you suggest to help them turn around?
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)
| Exodus 32:7 | Yahweh spoke to Moses, “Go, get down; for your people, whom you brought up out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves! |
| Exodus 32:8 | They have turned away quickly out of the way which I commanded them. They have made themselves a molded calf, and have worshiped it, and have sacrificed to it, and said, ‘These are your gods, Israel, which brought you up out of the land of Egypt.’” |
| Deuteronomy 29:19 | and it happen, when he hears the words of this curse, that he bless himself in his heart, saying, “I shall have peace, though I walk in the stubbornness of my heart,” to destroy the moist with the dry. |
| Nehemiah 9:16 | “But they and our fathers behaved proudly, hardened their neck, didn’t listen to your commandments, |
| Nehemiah 9:20 | You gave also your good Spirit to instruct them, and didn’t withhold your manna from their mouth, and gave them water for their thirst. |
| Nehemiah 9:29 | and testified against them, that you might bring them again to your law. Yet they were arrogant, and didn’t listen to your commandments, but sinned against your ordinances (which if a man does, he shall live in them), turned their backs, stiffened their neck, and would not hear. |
| Psalms 81:11 | But my people didn’t listen to my voice. Israel desired none of me. |
| Psalms 81:12 | So I let them go after the stubbornness of their hearts, that they might walk in their own counsels. |
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.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes draws attention to the literal Hebrew sense: "went backward" means they physically turned their back on God, and "imagination" is better read as "stubbornness" or "devices." The point is an active, deliberate rejection — not drifting away but turning away to follow their own plans.
Calvin's Commentaries Reformed 1564
Calvin stresses that the Jews' sin was not mere neglect but deliberate, willful hardening against God. They would not even incline their ear to hear him, choosing instead to follow their own stubborn counsels and the wickedness of their perverted hearts, preferring their own humor over obedience.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
in their own counsels ] lit. in counsels . The words are best omitted (with LXX). stubbornness ] Cp. Jer_3:17 .
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva Notes highlight that the people's disobedience was active and deliberate: they not only refused to listen but also followed the stubborn plans of their wicked hearts. Their movement was backward, not forward—a chosen regression away from God rather than progress toward Him.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill notes that the people rejected both God's law and His promises, choosing instead to follow whatever their evil hearts devised. He highlights that the Targum interprets their backward movement as turning away from worship, while Kimchi sees it as the punishment of adversity that followed.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB notes that the people refused God completely, not even giving him a partial hearing. He also clarifies that the word often translated as "imagination" actually means "stubbornness," highlighting their deliberate resistance and backward turning from God.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil-Delitzsch stress that the people ignored the very heart of the law, choosing instead the stubborn counsels of their own evil hearts. They read the Hebrew as coordinating two terms the Septuagint omitted, preserving a deliberate emphasis on the people's backward turning from God.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry shows that God speaks with deliberate contempt about the people's sacrifices, treating their ceremonial worship as worthless. The point is clear: external offerings mean nothing to God when the offerer continues in deliberate disobedience. Religious ritual cannot substitute for obedience.