Jeremiah 16:12

Verse

And you have done more evil than your fathers. See how each of you follows the stubbornness of his evil heart instead of obeying Me.

American Standard Version (1901)

and ye have done evil more than your fathers; for, behold, ye walk every one after the stubbornness of his evil heart, so that ye hearken not unto me:

Bible in Basic English

And you have done worse evil than your fathers; for see, every one of you is guided by the pride of his evil heart, so as not to give ear to me:

Douay-Rheims 1899

And you also have done worse than your fathers: for behold every one of you walketh after the perverseness of his evil heart, so as not to hearken to me.

Free Bible Version

You however have done even more evil than your forefathers. Look at how all of you followed your own stubborn evil thinking instead of obeying me.

Geneva Bible 1599

(And ye haue done worse then your fathers: for beholde, you walke euery one after the stubbernesse of his wicked heart, and will not heare me)

King James (Authorized) Version

And ye have done worse than your fathers; for, behold, ye walk every one after the imagination of his evil heart, that they may not hearken unto me:

Translation for Translators

But you who are living now have done more wicked things than your ancestors did! Each of you stubbornly does the evil things that he desires and refuses to pay attention to what I say.

Unlocked Literal Bible

But you yourselves have brought about more wickedness than your ancestors, for see, each person is walking by the stubbornness of his wicked heart; there is no one who listens to me.

Noah Webster Bible

And ye have done worse than your fathers; for, behold, ye walk every one after the imagination of his evil heart, that they may not hearken to me:

World English Bible

You have done evil more than your fathers, for behold, you each walk after the stubbornness of his evil heart, so that you don’t listen to me.

Young's Literal Translation

Ye also have done evil above your fathers, And lo, ye are walking each after the stubbornness of his evil heart, So as not to hearken unto Me.

Context

Disaster Predicted

¹¹Then you are to answer them: ‘It is because your fathers have forsaken Me, declares the LORD, and followed other gods, and served and worshiped them. They abandoned Me and did not keep My instruction.¹²And you have done more evil than your fathers. See how each of you follows the stubbornness of his evil heart instead of obeying Me.¹³So I will cast you out of this land into a land that neither you nor your fathers have known. There you will serve other gods day and night, for I will show you no favor.’

Summary

In Jeremiah 16:12, the prophet Jeremiah is conveying a message from the Lord about the people's disobedience and idolatry. The verse highlights how the Israelites have forsaken God and turned to worship idols, which has provoked the Lord's anger. Despite God's patience and warnings through prophets like Jeremiah, the people persist in their sinful ways, leading to the impending judgment and exile. This verse serves as a reminder of the consequences of forsaking God and the importance of remaining faithful to Him.

Commentary

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
John Gill

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

ye--emphatic: so far from avoiding your fathers' bad example, ye have done worse (Jer 7:26; Kg1 14:9). imagination--rather, "stubborn perversity." that they may not hearken--rather, connected with "ye"; "ye have walked . . . so as not to hearken to Me."

John Gill Bible Commentary

Therefore will I call you out of this land,.... By force, and against their wills, whether they would or not, and with abhorrence and contempt: it is to be understood of their captivity, which was but a just punishment for the above sins; for since they had cast off the Lord and his worship, it was but just that they should be cast off by him, and cast out of their land, which they held by their obedience to him: into a land that ye know not, neither ye nor your fathers; a foreign country, at a great distance from them; with which they had no alliance, correspondence, or commerce; and where they had no friends to converse with, or show them any respect; and whose language they understood not; all which was an aggravation of their captivity in it: and there shall ye serve other gods day and night; should have their fill of idolatry, even to loathsomeness; and what they had done willingly in their own land, following the imagination of their own evil hearts, now they should be forced to; and what they did for their own pleasure, and at certain times, when they thought fit, now they should be obliged to attend tonight and day. The Targum is, "and there shall ye serve people that worship idols day and night"; that as they had served idols, now they should serve the people, the worshippers of those idols; the former was their sin, the latter their punishment: where I will not show you favour; or, "not give you grace" (b); the favour and mercy of God serve to support persons in distress; but to be denied these is an aggravation of it, and must needs make the captivity of those people the more afflicting. Some understand this of the Lord's not suffering their enemies to show them any favour or mercy; so Kimchi, "the enemy shall have no mercy on you, but make you serve with rigour;'' and to the same purpose the Targum, connecting them with the people, the idol worshippers, and paraphrasing them thus, "who shall not be merciful to you;'' and so the Septuagint and Arabic versions, "who shall not give you mercy"; or "rest", as the Vulgate Latin. The Jews (c) interpret this of the Messiah, whose name, they say, is Chaninah, the word here used, whom the Lord would not give them where they were. (b) "non dabo vobis gratiam", Cocceius, Schmidt; "non dedero vobis gratiam", Junius & Tremellius, Piscator. (c) T. Bab Sanhedrin, fol. 98. 2. Echa Rabbati, fol. 50. 2.