Yirmeyah 7:4

4 Trust ye not in divrei hasheker (lying words, words of falsehood), saying, This is the Heikhal Hashem, the Heikhal Hashem, the Heikhal Hashem.

Yirmeyah 7:4 Meaning and Commentary

Jeremiah 7:4

Trust ye not in lying words
In the words of the lying prophets, as the Targum; and to the same purpose is the Arabic version,

``do not trust in lying words, for the false prophets do not profit you in anything;''

the things in which they trusted, and in which the false prophets taught them to place their confidence, were their coming up to the temple at certain times for religious exercises, and their attendance on temple service and worship, offering of sacrifices, and the like. The Septuagint version is, "trust not in yourselves, in lying words"; see ( Luke 18:9 ) , in their external actions of devotion, in their ritual performances, taking them for righteousness; and adds, what is not in the Hebrew text, "for they altogether profit you not"; in the business of justification before God, and acceptance with him: saying, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of
the Lord, are these;
that is, the people that hypocritically worshipped there, as the false prophets told them; and so the Syriac version, "ye are the temple of the Lord"; though that begins the next verse, with the last clause of this, if ye amend your ways
see ( 1 Corinthians 3:16 1 Corinthians 3:17 ) or rather the temple of the Lord are those gates through which they entered, ( Jeremiah 7:2 ) or those buildings which were pointed at with the finger; or (hmh) , "these", is a clause by itself; and the sense is, these are the lying words that should not be trusted in, namely, the temple and temple services; when all manner of sin and wickedness were committed by them, which they thought to atone for by coming to the temple and worshipping there. The mention of these words three times is, as Jarchi thinks, in reference to the Jews appearing in the temple three times a year, at the feast of passover, pentecost, and tabernacles; and so the Targum,

``who say (i.e. the false prophets), before the temple of the Lord ye worship; before the temple of the Lord ye sacrifice; before the temple of the Lord ye bow; three times in a year ye appear before him.''

Kimchi's father, R. Joseph, is of opinion, that it refers to the three parts of the temple, the porch, the holy place, and the holy of holies; but Kimchi himself takes it that these words are trebled for the greater confirmation of them; and they may denote the vehemence and ardour of affection for the temple.

Yirmeyah 7:4 In-Context

2 Stand at the Sha’ar Beis Hashem, and preach there this word, and say, Hear the Devar Hashem, all ye of Yehudah, that enter in at these She’arim (Gates) l’hishta’chavot (to worship, to prostrate before) Hashem.

3 Thus saith Hashem Tzva’os, Elohei Yisroel, Amend your ways and your deeds, and I will cause you to dwell in makom hazeh (this place).

4 Trust ye not in divrei hasheker (lying words, words of falsehood), saying, This is the Heikhal Hashem, the Heikhal Hashem, the Heikhal Hashem.

5 For if ye throughly amend your ways and your deeds; if ye throughly dispense mishpat between an ish and his re’a (neighbor);

6 If ye oppress not the ger, the yatom, and the almanah, and shed not dahm naki (innocent blood) in this place, neither walk after elohim acherim to your hurt;