Jeremiah 11:8

8 And they heard not, neither bowed down their ear, but they went forth each man in the shrewdness of his evil heart (But they would not listen, or obey, nor bowed down their ear, but they went forth each person in the depravity of their own evil heart); and I brought in on them all the words of this covenant, which I commanded that they should do, and they did not.

Jeremiah 11:8 Meaning and Commentary

Jeremiah 11:8

Yet they obeyed not, nor inclined their ear
Though they had such strong solicitations and fair warnings, and these repeated again and again; all which was an aggravation of their disobedience and stubbornness: but walked everyone in the imagination of their evil heart;
which is desperately wicked, and is evil, and that continually, even every imagination of it; wherefore walking herein must be very wide and different from walking in the law of the Lord, and obeying that; see ( Jeremiah 3:17 ) ( 7:24 ) : therefore I will bring upon them all the words of this covenant;
that is, all the curses and threatenings denounced in it against the disobedient; and so the Targum,

``and I brought upon them vengeance (or punishment) because they received not the words of this covenant:''

which I commanded them to do, but they did them not; because they did not do the commands of the law, therefore the curses of it lighted on them; for the words of the preceding clause may be rendered, "and I brought upon them" ^F8; and it is suggested that the like punishment would be inflicted on the present generation, they imitating and pursuing the iniquities of their fathers; as follows:

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FOOTNOTES:

F8 (Mhyle aybaw) "et induxi", Pagninus, Montanus, Vatablus; "ideo adduxi", Junius & Tremellius, Piscator; "et feci ut venirent", Cocceius.

Jeremiah 11:8 In-Context

6 And the Lord said to me, Cry thou [out] all these words in the cities of Judah, and without[forth] Jerusalem, and say thou, Hear ye the words of this covenant, and do ye them;

7 for I witnessing have witnessed to your fathers, in the day in which I led them out of the land of Egypt, unto this day; I rose (up) early, and witnessed, and said, Hear ye my voice.

8 And they heard not, neither bowed down their ear, but they went forth each man in the shrewdness of his evil heart (But they would not listen, or obey, nor bowed down their ear, but they went forth each person in the depravity of their own evil heart); and I brought in on them all the words of this covenant, which I commanded that they should do, and they did not.

9 And the Lord said to me, Swearing together is found in the men of Judah, and in the dwellers of Jerusalem; (And the Lord said to me, Conspiracy, or plotting together, is found among the people of Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem;)

10 they turned again to the former wickednesses of their fathers, that would not hear my words; and therefore these men went after alien gods, for to serve them; the house of Israel and the house of Judah made void my covenant, which I made with the fathers of them. (they returned to the former wickednesses of their forefathers, who would not listen to, or obey, my words; and so these people went after strange, or foreign, gods, to serve them; the house of Israel and the house of Judah made void my covenant, which I had made with their forefathers.)