Bible Strands
Jeremiah 17:27
But if you do not listen to Me to keep the Sabbath day holy by not carrying a load while entering the gates of Jerusalem on the Sabbath day, then I will kindle an unquenchable fire in its gates to consume the citadels of Jerusalem.’”
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — God speaks through Jeremiah to the people of Judah and Jerusalem, immediately following a vision of restored pilgrimage from surrounding regions. The warning targets the city's inhabitants regarding their conduct at Jerusalem's gates on the Sabbath.
The words — The Hebrew לֹא תִשְׁמְעוּ (lo tishme'u) translates literally as "you will not listen," while לְקַדֵּשׁ (leqaddesh) means "to set apart as holy." These terms frame the Sabbath requirement as an act of obedient attention rather than mere ritual observance.
The thread — The threat of consuming fire at Jerusalem's gates echoes the destruction recorded in 2 Kings 25:9 and aligns with the poured-out fury described in Jeremiah 7:20. The promise of divine retribution mirrors the judicial language of Jeremiah 21:14 regarding kindled fire and deserved punishment.
Why it lands — The text demands concrete compliance with Sabbath boundaries by forbidding the transport of loads through the city gates. It presents the Sabbath not as optional piety but as a non-negotiable condition for Jerusalem's continued existence.
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
But if ye will not hearken unto me to hallow the sabbath day, and not to bear a burden, even entering in at the gates of Jerusalem on the sabbath day; then will I kindle a fire in the gates thereof, and it shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem, and it shall not be quenched.
Cross-references
- 2 Kings 25:9 He burned down the house of the LORD, the royal palace, and all the houses of Jerusalem—every significant building.
- Jeremiah 7:20 Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: Behold, My anger and My fury will be poured out on this place, on man and beast, on the trees of the field and the produce of the land, and it will burn and not be extinguished.
- Jeremiah 21:14 I will punish you as your deeds deserve, declares the LORD. I will kindle a fire in your forest that will consume everything around you.’”
- Ezekiel 22:8 You have despised My holy things and profaned My Sabbaths.
- Amos 1:14 So I will kindle a fire in the walls of Rabbah to consume its citadels amid war cries on the day of battle and a violent wind on the day of tempest.
- Amos 2:4 This is what the LORD says: “For three transgressions of Judah, even four, I will not revoke My judgment, because they reject the Law of the LORD and fail to keep His statutes; they are led astray by the lies in which their fathers walked.
- Jeremiah 52:13 He burned down the house of the LORD, the royal palace, and all the houses of Jerusalem—every significant building.
- Lamentations 4:11 The LORD has exhausted His wrath; He has poured out His fierce anger; He has kindled a fire in Zion, and it has consumed her foundations.
- Zechariah 7:11 But they refused to pay attention and turned a stubborn shoulder; they stopped up their ears from hearing.
- Isaiah 1:20 But if you resist and rebel, you will be devoured by the sword.” For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.