Jeremiah 17:23 (DRB)

Passage

But they did not hear, nor incline their ear: but hardened their neck, that they might not hear me, and might not receive instruction.

Nearby Context

Jeremiah 17:21 Thus saith the Lord: Take heed to your souls, and carry no burdens on the sabbath day: and bring them not in by the gates of Jerusalem.

Jeremiah 17:22 And do not bring burdens out of your houses on the sabbath day, neither do ye any work: sanctify the sabbath day, as I commanded your fathers.

Jeremiah 17:23 But they did not hear, nor incline their ear: but hardened their neck, that they might not hear me, and might not receive instruction.

Jeremiah 17:24 And it shall come to pass: if you will hearken to me, saith the Lord, to bring in no burdens by the gates of this city on the sabbath day: and if you will sanctify the sabbath day, to do no work therein:

Jeremiah 17:25 Then shall there enter in by the gates of this city kings and princes, sitting upon the throne of David, and riding in chariots and on horses, they and their princes, the men of Juda, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem: and this city shall be inhabited for ever.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "hear", "incline", "hardened", "neck", "might", and "receive". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "hear" and "incline", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 22's "And do not bring burdens out of..." into verse 24's "And it shall come to pass if...", so "hear" and "incline" 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 "hear" and "incline" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.