Jeremiah 16:12

12 But you have behaved more wickedly than your ancestors. See how all of you are following the stubbornness of your evil hearts instead of obeying me.

Jeremiah 16:12 in Other Translations

12 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:

12 and because you have done worse than your fathers, for behold, every one of you follows his stubborn, evil will, refusing to listen to me.

12 And you are even worse than your ancestors! You stubbornly follow your own evil desires and refuse to listen to me.

12 And you're even worse! Take a good look in the mirror - each of you doing whatever you want, whenever you want, refusing to pay attention to me.

12 You did more evil than your fathers. Look, each one of you was following the stubbornness of his evil heart, not obeying Me.

Jeremiah 16:12 Meaning and Commentary

Jeremiah 16:12

And ye have done worse than your fathers
Not only committed the same sins, but greater, or, however, attended with more aggravating circumstances; they were wilfully and impudently done, and obstinately persisted in; and therefore deserving of the great evil of punishment pronounced against them. For, behold, ye walk everyone after the imagination of his evil heart;
they walked not as the word of God directs, but as their own evil heart dictated; the imagination of which was evil, and that continually, ( Genesis 6:5 ) . That they may not hearken unto me;
to the word of the Lord, and obey that; their minds being blinded, and their hearts hardened, and they obstinately bent on their own evil ways.

Jeremiah 16:12 In-Context

10 “When you tell these people all this and they ask you, ‘Why has the LORD decreed such a great disaster against us? What wrong have we done? What sin have we committed against the LORD our God?’

11 then say to them, ‘It is because your ancestors forsook me,’ declares the LORD, ‘and followed other gods and served and worshiped them. They forsook me and did not keep my law.

12 But you have behaved more wickedly than your ancestors. See how all of you are following the stubbornness of your evil hearts instead of obeying me.

13 So I will throw you out of this land into a land neither you nor your ancestors have known, and there you will serve other gods day and night, for I will show you no favor.’

14 “However, the days are coming,” declares the LORD, “when it will no longer be said, ‘As surely as the LORD lives, who brought the Israelites up out of Egypt,’

Cross References

• 1. S Exodus 32:8; S Jeremiah 7:26; Ezekiel 20:30; Amos 2:4
• 2. S Ecclesiastes 9:3; S Jeremiah 3:17; Jeremiah 13:10