Jeremiah 7:9 · Bible study
Jeremiah 7:9 Commentary: The Scandal of Hypocritical Worship
Hebrew · 9 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Jeremiah's biting question exposes the gap between religious confidence and moral corruption. A study on hypocrisy, the temple, and covenant faithfulness.
Research Summary
- Meaning: A rhetorical accusation: the people commit major sins and then seek refuge in temple worship, as if God would overlook their rebellion.
- Key words: "Steal" (gānōb), "murder" (rātsōach), "commit adultery" (nā'ōp), "swear falsely" (hiššāvēaʿ laššeqer), "burn incense to Baal" (qaṭṭēr laBBaʿal), "walk after other gods" (hālōk ʾaḥărē ʾĕlōhîm ʾăḥērîm).
- Main debate: Little substantive debate; some discuss the precise nuance of the infinitive absolute but consensus sees it as an emphatic rhetorical question.
- Theological theme: The incompatibility of hypocrisy with genuine covenant relationship; God desires obedience over religious ritual.
- Best use: Warnings against false security in religious practice; calls to examine the integrity of one's walk with God.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
Will you steal and murder, commit adultery and perjury, burn incense to Baal, and follow other gods that you have not known,
WEB World English Bible 2000
Will you steal, murder, commit adultery, swear falsely, burn incense to Baal, and walk after other gods that you have not known,
KJV King James Version 1769
Will ye steal, murder, and commit adultery, and swear falsely, and burn incense unto Baal, and walk after other gods whom ye know not;
ASV American Standard Version 1901
Will ye steal, murder, and commit adultery, and swear falsely, and burn incense unto Baal, and walk after other gods that ye have not known,
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
Stealing, murdering, and committing adultery, And swearing to falsehood, and giving perfume to Baal, And going after other gods whom ye knew not.
Darby Darby Bible 1890
What? steal, murder, and commit adultery, and swear falsely, and burn incense unto Baal, and walk after othergods whom ye know not...
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
To steal, to murder, to commit adultery, to swear falsely, to offer to Baalim, and to go after strange gods, which you know not.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
¿ Hurtando, matando, y adulterando, y jurando falso, é incensando á Baal, y andando tras dioses extraños que no conocisteis,
Por acaso furtareis, matareis, e adulterareis, e jurareis falsamente, e queimareis incenso a Baal, e andareis atrás de deuses estrangeiros, a quem não conheceis,
Quoi! Dérober, tuer, commettre des adultères,
Daneben seid ihr Diebe, Mörder, Ehebrecher und Meineidige und räuchert dem Baal und folgt fremden Göttern nach, die ihr nicht kennt.
Zult gij stelen, doodslaan en overspel bedrijven, en valselijk zweren, en Baal roken, en andere goden nawandelen, die gij niet kent?
Come! Voi rubate, uccidete, commettete adulteri, giurate il falso, offrite profumi a Baal, andate dietro ad altri dèi che prima non conoscevate,
Izali kradnąc, zabijając, i cudzołożąc, i krzywoprzysięgając, i kadząc Baalowi, a chodząc za bogami obcymi, których nie znacie,
Как! вы крадете, убиваете и прелюбодействуете, и клянетесь во лжи и кадите Ваалу, и ходите во след иных богов, которых вы не знаете,
你們偷盜，殺害，姦淫，起假 誓，向巴力 燒香，並隨從 素不 認識 的別 神，
Will you take the goods of others, put men to death, and be untrue to your wives, and take false oaths, and have perfumes burned to the Baal, and go after other gods which are strange to you;
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Jeremiah 7:9
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators agree on the thrust: the people of Judah lived in blatant violation of God's law while trusting the temple for protection. Calvin argues the rhetorical question exposes the absurdity of thinking God would 'cover their adulteries' or be 'a participator in their robberies.' Gill notes the sins cover both tables of the law, theft, murder, adultery, false swearing against the second table, and idolatry against the first. The Cambridge Bible highlights the Hebrew infinitive absolute construction, which 'presents the action itself in the strongest light.' Matthew Henry sums up that they could not think such behavior could be acceptable to God. The consensus is clear: religious observance is no substitute for covenant obedience.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Low
What is clear: The verse is a rhetorical accusation that the people's sin and their religious confidence are incompatible, and God will not be mocked by hypocritical worship.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| The rhetorical nature of the question | All commentators read it as an accusation, not a genuine request for information. | Some debate the precise effect of the infinitive absolute, but all agree it is emphatic indictment. |
| The relevance of the Decalogue | The sins mirror the Ten Commandments, showing conscious violation of the covenant. | Whether the order reflects Exodus 20 or Deuteronomy 5 is not significant; both traditions see it as deliberate citation. |
| The function of the temple | The people trusted in the temple's presence as a guarantee of safety regardless of conduct. | Some emphasize their superstition; others highlight a twisted covenantal theology that God would never abandon His house. |
| 'Gods you have not known' | These are foreign deities with whom Israel had no covenantal history. | 'Know' could mean personal experience of their power (which they lacked) or covenantal acknowledgment (which they wrongly gave). Either way the point is the foolishness of abandoning the true God. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Jeremiah delivers this oracle in the early reign of Jehoiakim (around 608 BC), not long after the revival under King Josiah. Yet the people have returned to old patterns. The prophet stands in the temple gate and warns those entering to worship not to trust in 'lying words', the slogan 'The temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD!' (Jer 7:4). They believe the building itself guarantees their safety.
The list of sins in verse 9 deliberately echoes the Ten Commandments. To 'steal, murder, commit adultery, swear falsely' mirrors commands against theft, murder, adultery, and false witness. Then the text pivots to idolatry: burning incense to Baal and walking after other gods. The phrase 'gods that you have not known' recurs in Deuteronomy 32:17, where Israel is accused of sacrificing to gods that did not exist for them. Poole comments that they had no experience of these deities, no benefit, no revelation, making their disloyalty doubly foolish. The true God had redeemed them, given them the land, and spoken through His law. To abandon Him for unfamiliar gods was not just sin; it was irrational.
The temple itself was meant to be the sign of God's presence among a holy people. By defying His commands, they turned the sanctuary into a cover for rebellion, a 'den of robbers,' as Jesus would later quote (Matt 21:13). Jeremiah's grim precedent is Shiloh, where God's tabernacle once stood and was destroyed because of Israel's wickedness (Jer 7:12). The message: no building, no ritual, no heritage can shield a people who refuse to obey.
Textual Notes
The supplied sources note no significant textual variants for this verse. The Hebrew infinitive absolute forms (gānōb, rātsōach, etc.) are well attested and consistent across manuscripts.
Reception History
Jeremiah 7:9 has been a classic text against religious hypocrisy. Early church fathers used it to admonish those who thought baptism or membership excused sin. In the Reformation, Calvin and Matthew Henry both cited it to challenge the notion of external ritual as sufficient. The verse undergirds much preaching on the need for repentance and the priority of ethical conduct over cultic observance. It also connects to Jesus' temple cleansing, reinforcing the theme that God desires mercy, not sacrifice.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- The depth of their sin: The list covers both tables of the law, vertical (idolatry) and horizontal (social). Nothing is hidden.
- The height of their hypocrisy: They commit these acts and then enter the temple as if nothing is wrong, trusting in the building rather than repenting.
- The weight of God’s response: He sees it all, and He will do to Jerusalem what He did to Shiloh, remove His presence and deliver them to judgment.
Five-point outline
- Accusation: The people are guilty of stealing, murder, adultery, perjury, and idolatry.
- Absurdity: They think they can commit these sins and still be safe because of the temple.
- Anatomy: The sins break every major category of the covenant, love for God and neighbor is absent.
- Announcement: God is not fooled. He saw what they did, and He will act.
- Appeal: The true path is not more ritual but amendment of ways and doing justice (Jer 7:5-7).
Illustration hooks
- A person who drives recklessly, cheats on taxes, and mistreats their spouse, but never misses Sunday service. They feel God must be pleased with their devotion.
- A church that celebrates its building program and historical legacy while ignoring poverty and racism in its neighborhood. The 'temple' becomes a shelter from conviction.
- A nation that proudly claims 'In God We Trust' while legalizing injustice. The disconnect between stated faith and public ethics mirrors Judah's hypocrisy.
Questions your congregation is asking
- Does regular church attendance mean I am right with God even if I struggle with secret sin?
- If God sees everything, why does He let hypocrites prosper? Why doesn't He judge immediately?
- What is real repentance, just feeling sorry, or actually changing how I treat people?
Leading a Discussion
Jeremiah confronts the gap between what we say we believe and how we live. This passage forces us to ask whether we rely on religious activity to cover for disobedience. It is a hard question, but a necessary one.
Discussion questions
- Read Jeremiah 7:1-11 as a group. What 'lying words' did the people believe? How are those words similar to things we tell ourselves?
- Which commandment violations are listed in verse 9? Why do you think Jeremiah includes both social sins and idolatry in the same breath?
- How could the people commit these serious sins and still feel safe when they entered the temple? What false assumptions were they making about God?
- In what areas of your own life do you trust in external religious practice (church attendance, giving, service) while neglecting the condition of your heart?
- Read Jeremiah 7:5-7 again. What does God actually require? How does that differ from what the people were offering?
- Why does God reference Shiloh? What does that story teach about the true source of security?
- How does Jesus' cleansing of the temple (Mark 11:15-18) echo the message of this passage? What does it tell us about what God values in worship?
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 20:3 | “You shall have no other gods before me. |
| Deuteronomy 32:17 | They sacrificed to demons, not God, to gods that they didn’t know, to new gods that came up recently, which your fathers didn’t dread. |
| Judges 5:8 | They chose new gods. Then war was in the gates. Was there a shield or spear seen among forty thousand in Israel? |
| I Kings 18:21 | Elijah came near to all the people, and said, “How long will you waver between the two sides? If Yahweh is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him.” The people didn’t say a word. |
| Psalms 50:16 | But to the wicked God says, “What right do you have to declare my statutes, that you have taken my covenant on your lips, |
| Psalms 50:21 | You have done these things, and I kept silent. You thought that I was just like you. I will rebuke you, and accuse you in front of your eyes. |
| Isaiah 59:1 | Behold, Yahweh’s hand is not shortened, that it can’t save; nor his ear dull, that it can’t hear. |
| Isaiah 59:8 | They don’t know the way of peace; and there is no justice in their ways. They have made crooked paths for themselves; whoever goes in them doesn’t know peace. |
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
9 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke stresses the sheer audacity of committing theft, murder, and other sins while pretending to worship God. He warns that God has witnessed these acts and declares such hypocrites will certainly not escape punishment.
Calvin's Commentaries Reformed 1564
Calvin argues the Jews thought they could commit any sin and then use temple rituals to force God to accept them, as if God were their accomplice. By offering sacrifices to cover their crimes, they effectively made God a partner in theft, murder, and adultery.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The Cambridge Bible points out that the Hebrew verb for "steal" is in an emphatic form, presenting the action itself in the strongest possible light and showing the prophet has the Decalogue in mind. It also clarifies that "burn incense" refers to producing sweet smoke generally, not specifically frankincense.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva note highlights the audacity of the people who commit a catalogue of flagrant sins—theft, murder, adultery, perjury, and idolatry—while still presuming to worship God. The rhetorical question exposes the absurdity of thinking that such blatant covenant-breaking can coexist with claiming the Lord's favor.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill highlights that the people committed serious sins against both neighbor and God — stealing, murder, adultery, false swearing, and idolatry — while still offering sacrifices. He calls their trust in sacrifices while persisting in these sins both foolish and ungrateful, especially since the false gods they followed had never helped them.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB highlights that the people's sin is worsened by their ignorance: they come before God after wrongdoing, yet they have no real knowledge of Him because He has plainly revealed His deity through His law, blessings, and miracles. Ignoring that clear self-disclosure makes their crime more serious.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange highlights that the people’s false trust in the temple as an unconditional guarantee of safety led them to believe they could sin freely and still be delivered. He stresses that Jeremiah refutes this by pointing to Shiloh as proof that God is not bound to any place, and by demanding genuine obedience over mere outward worship.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry points out that the people clung to the temple building as a magical charm, repeating "The temple of the Lord" while living in open sin. He stresses that such false confidence makes worship hypocritical, and God's destruction of Shiloh stands as a clear warning that empty religion will not save them.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley sees sheer absurdity in coming to God's house while clinging to sins that offend Him. He also notes the folly of serving newly made gods, ones the people had no experience with and therefore no reason to follow.