Jeremiah 7:23 (YLT)

Passage

But this thing I commanded them, saying: Hearken to My voice, And I have been to you for God, And ye--ye are to Me for a people, And have walked in all the way that I command you, So that it is well for you.

Nearby Context

Jeremiah 7:21 Thus said Jehovah of Hosts, God of Israel, Your burnt-offerings add to your sacrifices, And eat ye flesh.

Jeremiah 7:22 For I did not speak with your fathers, Nor did I command them in the day of My bringing them out of the land of Egypt, Concerning the matters of burnt-offering and sacrifice,

Jeremiah 7:23 But this thing I commanded them, saying: Hearken to My voice, And I have been to you for God, And ye--ye are to Me for a people, And have walked in all the way that I command you, So that it is well for you.

Jeremiah 7:24 And they have not hearkened, nor inclined their ear, And they walk in the counsels, In the stubbornness, of their evil heart, And are for backward, and not for forward.

Jeremiah 7:25 Even from the day when your fathers Went out of the land of Egypt till this day, I send to you all my servants the prophets, Daily rising early and sending,

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "commanded", "saying", "hearken", "voice", "been", "ye--ye", "people", and "walked". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "commanded" and "saying", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 22's "For I did not speak with your..." into verse 24's "And they have not hearkened nor inclined...", so "commanded" and "saying" 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 "commanded" and "saying" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.