Jeremiah 7:26 (DRB)

Passage

And they have not hearkened to me: nor inclined their ear: but have hardened their neck, and have done worse than their fathers.

Nearby Context

Jeremiah 7:24 But they hearkened not, nor inclined their ear: but walked in their own will, and in the perversity of their wicked heart: and went backward and not forward,

Jeremiah 7:25 From the day that their fathers came out of the land of Egypt, even to this day. And I have sent to you all my servants the prophets, from day to day, rising up early and sending.

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

Jeremiah 7:27 And thou shalt speak to them all these words, but they will not hearken to thee: and thou shalt call them, but they will not answer thee.

Jeremiah 7:28 And thou shalt say to them: This is a nation which hath not hearkened to the voice of the Lord their God, nor received instruction: faith is lost, and is taken away out of their mouth.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "hearkened", "inclined", "hardened", "neck", "done", "worse", "than", and "fathers". 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 25's "From the day that their fathers came..." into verse 27's "And thou shalt speak to them all...", 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.