Jeremiah 7:24 (DBY)

Passage

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.

Nearby Context

Jeremiah 7:22 For I spoke not unto your fathers, nor commanded them concerning burnt-offerings and sacrifices, in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt;

Jeremiah 7:23 but I commanded them this thing, saying, Hearken unto my voice, and I will be your God, and ye shall be my people; and walk in all the way that I command you, that it may be well with you.

Jeremiah 7:24 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.

Jeremiah 7:25 Since the day that your fathers came forth out of the land of Egypt, unto this day, have I sent unto you all my servants the prophets, daily rising up early and sending them;

Jeremiah 7:26 but they have not hearkened unto me, nor inclined their ear; and they have hardened their neck: they have done worse than their fathers.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "hearkened", "inclined", "walked", "counsels", "stubbornness", "evil", "heart", and "went". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "hearkened" and "inclined", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 23's "but I commanded them this thing saying..." into verse 25's "Since the day that your fathers came...", so "hearkened" and "inclined" 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 "hearkened" and "inclined" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.