Jeremiah 7:8 (LSB)

Passage

“Behold, you are trusting in lying words to no avail.

Nearby Context

Jeremiah 7:6 if you do not oppress the sojourner, the orphan, or the widow, and do not shed innocent blood in this place, nor walk after other gods to your own evil demise,

Jeremiah 7:7 then I will let you dwell in this place, in the land that I gave to your fathers forever and ever.

Jeremiah 7:8 “Behold, you are trusting in lying words to no avail.

Jeremiah 7:9 Will you steal, murder, and commit adultery and swear while lying, and burn incense to Baal and walk after other gods that you have not known,

Jeremiah 7:10 then come and stand before Me in this house, which is called by My name, and say, ‘We are delivered!’—that you may do all these abominations?

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "behold", "trusting", "lying", "words", and "avail". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "behold" and "trusting", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 7's "then I will let you dwell in..." into verse 9's "Will you steal murder and commit adultery...", so "behold" and "trusting" 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 "behold" and "trusting" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.