Jeremiah 7:17 (DBY)

Passage

Seest thou not what they do in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem?

Nearby Context

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

Jeremiah 7:16 And thou, pray not for this people, neither lift up cry nor prayer for them, and make not 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 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.

Jeremiah 7:19 Is it I whom they provoke to anger? saith Jehovah; is it not themselves, to the shame of their own face?

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "seest", "thou", "cities", "judah", "streets", and "jerusalem". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "seest" and "thou", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 16's "And thou pray not for this people..." into verse 18's "The children gather wood and the fathers...", so "seest" and "thou" 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 "seest" and "thou" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.