Bible Strands
Jeremiah 37:2
But he and his officers and the people of the land refused to obey the words that the LORD had spoken through Jeremiah the prophet.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — King Zedekiah, recently placed on the throne by Nebuchadnezzar, rules Judah while his officials and the general population reject the messages delivered by Jeremiah.
The words — The Hebrew verb שׁמַע (sha.ma) means "to listen" or "to obey," combined with לֹא (lo), "not," to form the explicit refusal to hear the LORD's communication.
The thread — This leadership pattern of ignoring prophetic warning appears in 2 Chronicles 36:12, where Zedekiah refuses to humble himself before Jeremiah, and aligns with the warning in Proverbs 29:12 that rulers who listen to falsehood corrupt their officials.
Why it lands — The text records a concrete rejection of divine speech by both ruler and populace, requiring readers to confront where they prioritize human counsel over God's direct instruction.
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 neither he, nor his servants, nor the people of the land, did hearken unto the words of the Lord, which he spake by the prophet Jeremiah.
Cross-references
- 2 Kings 24:19 And Zedekiah did evil in the sight of the LORD, just as Jehoiakim had done.
- 2 Chronicles 36:12 And he did evil in the sight of the LORD his God and did not humble himself before Jeremiah the prophet, who spoke for the LORD.
- Proverbs 29:12 If a ruler listens to lies, all his officials will be wicked.
- 1 Thessalonians 4:8 Anyone, then, who rejects this command does not reject man but God, the very One who gives you His Holy Spirit.
- Exodus 4:13 But Moses replied, “Please, Lord, send someone else.”
- Leviticus 8:36 So Aaron and his sons did everything the LORD had commanded through Moses.
- 2 Samuel 10:2 And David said, “I will show kindness to Hanun son of Nahash, just as his father showed kindness to me.” So David sent some of his servants to console Hanun concerning his father. But when they arrived in the land of the Ammonites,
- 2 Samuel 12:25 and sent word through Nathan the prophet to name him Jedidiah because the LORD loved him.
- 1 Kings 14:18 And they buried him, and all Israel mourned for him, according to the word that the LORD had spoken through His servant Ahijah the prophet.
- 1 Kings 16:7 Moreover, the word of the LORD came through the prophet Jehu son of Hanani against Baasha and his house, because of all the evil he had done in the sight of the LORD, provoking Him to anger with the work of his hands and becoming like the house of Jeroboam, and also because Baasha had struck down the house of Jeroboam.