Jeremiah 7:16 (ASV)

Passage

Therefore pray not thou for this people, neither lift up cry nor prayer for them, neither make intercession to me; for I will not hear thee.

Nearby Context

Jeremiah 7:14 therefore will I do unto the house which is called by my name, wherein ye trust, and unto the place which I gave to you and to your fathers, as I did to Shiloh.

Jeremiah 7:15 And I will cast you out of my sight, as I have cast out all your brethren, even the whole seed of Ephraim.

Jeremiah 7:16 Therefore pray not thou for this people, neither lift up cry nor prayer for them, neither make intercession to me; for I will not hear thee.

Jeremiah 7:17 Seest thou not what they do in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem?

Jeremiah 7:18 The children gather wood, and the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead the dough, to make cakes to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink-offerings unto other gods, that they may provoke me to anger.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "intercession", "therefore", "pray", "thou", "people", "neither", "lift", and "prayer". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "intercession" and "therefore", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 15's "And I will cast you out of..." into verse 17's "Seest thou not what they do in...", so "intercession" and "therefore" belong inside that flow. In Jeremiah context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "intercession" and "therefore" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.