Yirmeyah 11:11

11 Therefore thus saith Hashem, Look! I will bring ra’ah (evil, disaster) upon them, which they shall not be able to escape; and though they shall cry out unto Me, I will not pay heed unto them.

Yirmeyah 11:11 Meaning and Commentary

Jeremiah 11:11

Therefore thus saith the Lord, behold, I will bring evil upon
them
The evil of punishment for the evil of their sins, such as famine, the sword, captivity, which latter is the evil more especially designed; and there is no evil of this nature but what is of God; it is of his sending and bringing; see ( Amos 3:6 ) : which they shall not be able to escape;
they should not have wisdom enough to form a scheme, nor power enough to put one in execution when formed, whereby they could extricate themselves out of the difficulties they would be in; doubtless reference is had to their being besieged by the Chaldean army, the evil that should come out of the north, ( Jeremiah 1:14 ) , which should so closely surround them, that none should escape: and though they shall cry unto me, I will not hearken unto them:
because their prayers were hypocritical, and not attended with faith and true repentance; otherwise, when men cry to God, under a sense of sin, being truly sorry for it, and put their trust in him, he hears them, and delivers them; but these would be concerned only for the evil that was come upon them, and not the evil they had been guilty of; and such sinners, when they pray to him, the Lord hears not. The Targum is,

``and they shall pray before me, and I will not receive their prayers.''

Yirmeyah 11:11 In-Context

9 And Hashem said unto me, A kesher (conspiracy) is found among the Ish Yehudah, and among the inhabitants of Yerushalayim.

10 They are turned back to the avonot Avotam HaRishonim, which refused to hear My words; and they went after elohim acherim to serve them; Bais Yisroel and Bais Yehudah have broken My Brit which I cut with Avotam.

11 Therefore thus saith Hashem, Look! I will bring ra’ah (evil, disaster) upon them, which they shall not be able to escape; and though they shall cry out unto Me, I will not pay heed unto them.

12 Then shall the towns of Yehudah and inhabitants of Yerushalayim go, and cry out unto the elohim unto whom they offer ketoret; but they shall not save them at all in the time of their ra’ah (disaster).

13 For as many as the mispar (number) of thy towns were thy elohim, O Yehudah; and according to the mispar (number) of the streets of Yerushalayim have ye set up mizbechot to that boshet (shameful [idol]), even mizbechot to burn ketoret unto Ba’al.