Jeremiah 43:4

Study note

Setting — The narrator records the immediate aftermath of Jeremiah’s prophecy, noting that Johanan son of Kareah and the military commanders rejected the divine instruction to remain in Judah. This defiance occurs after the remnant falsely accused Baruch of inciting Jeremiah to deliver them to the Chaldeans.

The words — The Hebrew verb שָׁמַע (sha.maʿ) literally means “he listened” or “he obeyed,” paired with the negative particle לֹא (loʾ) to form the phrase “did not listen.” This construction marks the commanders’ concrete refusal to heed the LORD’s directive.

The thread — The narrative echoes the earlier oath in Jeremiah 42:5, where the same leaders swore to obey God’s word, and contrasts with the warning in 2 Chronicles 25:16 against ignoring prophetic correction. The tension between dwelling in the land and fleeing abroad also mirrors the exhortation in Psalm 37:3.

Why it lands — The text demands recognition that obedience requires acting on divine instruction rather than yielding to fear or false accusations. Readers must confront the cost of rejecting explicit commands when the consequences are already clear.

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.