Jeremiah 17:21 (LSB)

Passage

Thus says Yahweh, “Take care of yourselves, and do not carry any load on the sabbath day or bring anything in through the gates of Jerusalem.

Nearby Context

Jeremiah 17:19 Thus Yahweh said to me, “Go and stand in the public gate, through which the kings of Judah come in and go out, as well as in all the gates of Jerusalem,

Jeremiah 17:20 and say to them, ‘Listen to the word of Yahweh, kings of Judah and all Judah and all inhabitants of Jerusalem who come in through these gates:

Jeremiah 17:21 Thus says Yahweh, “Take care of yourselves, and do not carry any load on the sabbath day or bring anything in through the gates of Jerusalem.

Jeremiah 17:22 You shall not bring a load out of your houses on the sabbath day nor do any work, but keep the sabbath day holy, as I commanded your fathers.

Jeremiah 17:23 Yet they did not listen or incline their ears, but stiffened their necks in order not to listen or receive discipline.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "thus", "says", "yahweh", "take", "care", "yourselves", "carry", and "load". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "thus" and "says", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 20's "and say to them Listen to the..." into verse 22's "You shall not bring a load out...", so "thus" and "says" 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 "thus" and "says" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.