Jeremiah 11:8

Yet they would not obey or incline their ears, but each one followed the stubbornness of his evil heart. So I brought on them all the curses of this covenant I had commanded them to follow but they did not keep.”

Berean Standard Bible

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Study note

Setting — God speaks through Jeremiah to the people of Judah and Jerusalem, recounting His repeated warnings since the Exodus.

The words — The text highlights שָׁמְעוּ (shama'u, "they listened") and הִטּוּ אָזְנָם (hittu aznam, "they inclined their ears") to describe their refusal to hear God’s voice. It also notes וַיֵּלְכוּ (vayyelechu, "they walked") to show they actively pursued the stubborn inclinations of their own evil hearts.

The thread — This pattern of deafness and stubbornness appears in Jeremiah 7:24 and Jeremiah 7:26, where the same refusal to listen and incline the ear leads to stiffening their necks and doing more evil than their fathers.

Why it lands — The verse demands recognition that covenant disobedience is a deliberate choice to follow personal desires rather than divine commands. It requires the reader to examine whether they are listening to God’s voice or walking according to their own stubborn inclinations.

Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.

The Hebrew words

King James Version

Yet they obeyed not, nor inclined their ear, but walked every one in the imagination of their evil heart: therefore I will bring upon them all the words of this covenant, which I commanded them to do; but they did them not.

Cross-references

Jeremiah 7:24 Yet they did not listen or incline their ear, but they followed the stubborn inclinations of their own evil hearts. They went backward and not forward.
Jeremiah 7:26 Yet they would not listen to Me or incline their ear, but they stiffened their necks and did more evil than their fathers.
Jeremiah 3:17 At that time they will call Jerusalem The Throne of the LORD, and all the nations will be gathered in Jerusalem to honor the name of the LORD. They will no longer follow the stubbornness of their evil hearts.
Jeremiah 35:15 Again and again I have sent you all My servants the prophets, proclaiming: ‘Turn now, each of you, from your wicked ways, and correct your actions. Do not go after other gods to serve them. Live in the land that I have given to you and your fathers.’ But you have not inclined your ear or listened to Me.
Ezekiel 20:8 But they rebelled against Me and refused to listen. None of them cast away the abominations before their eyes, and they did not forsake the idols of Egypt. So I resolved to pour out My wrath upon them and vent My anger against them in the land of Egypt.
Leviticus 26:14 If, however, you fail to obey Me and to carry out all these commandments,
Deuteronomy 28:15 If, however, you do not obey the LORD your God by carefully following all His commandments and statutes I am giving you today, all these curses will come upon you and overtake you:
Deuteronomy 29:21 and single him out from all the tribes of Israel for disaster, according to all the curses of the covenant written in this Book of the Law.
Deuteronomy 30:17 But if your heart turns away and you do not listen, but are drawn away to bow down to other gods and worship them,
Deuteronomy 31:17 On that day My anger will burn against them, and I will abandon them and hide My face from them, so that they will be consumed, and many troubles and afflictions will befall them. On that day they will say, ‘Have not these disasters come upon us because our God is no longer with us?’