Yet they obeyed not, nor inclined their ear, but walked every one in the imagination of their evil heart: therefore I will bring upon them all the words of this covenant, which I commanded them to do; but they did them not.

JEREMIAH 11:8KJV
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Jeremiah 11:8 (KJV)

What does Jeremiah 11:8 mean?

Jeremiah 11:8 says that the people did not listen or pay attention to God, but instead each person followed the stubborn ideas of their own evil hearts. Because of this, God would bring upon them all the consequences He had warned about in the covenant, since they had not done what He commanded.

In this verse, the prophet Jeremiah is speaking God’s words to the people of Judah, reminding them of their failure to obey the covenant God made with their ancestors. The verse highlights the people’s deliberate choice to ignore God’s instructions and warnings, choosing instead to go their own way, which leads to the consequences God had promised for disobedience.

The Hebrew behind Jeremiah 11:8

  • "Obeyed" (שָׁמַע, shamaʿ): This word often means more than just hearing—it carries the sense of listening with the intent to act. The verse stresses that the people did not just fail to hear, but refused to respond.
  • "Imagination" (שְׁרִרוּת, sherirut): This word is often understood as "stubbornness" or "hardness," not just creative thoughts. Here, it points to a willful, stubborn attitude in their hearts, not just daydreaming or ideas.
  • "Heart" (לֵב, lev): In Hebrew thought, the "heart" is the center of a person’s will and decision-making, not just emotions. The verse emphasizes that their disobedience came from deep within, not just outward actions.
  • "Covenant" (בְּרִית, berit): This word refers to the binding agreement God made with Israel. The verse shows that the consequences are tied directly to breaking this special relationship.

Why Jeremiah 11:8 matters

  • Jeremiah 11:8 clarifies that the people’s problem was not ignorance, but a stubborn refusal to listen and change, highlighting personal responsibility.
  • The verse connects the people’s actions directly to the covenant, showing that God’s response is not arbitrary but based on clear, agreed-upon terms.
  • By focusing on the "imagination of their evil heart," the verse reveals that true obedience is a matter of the heart and will, not just outward behavior.

Where else these words appear

“imagination” Hebrew H8307 · used in 10 verses

  • Deuteronomy 29:19 And it come to pass, when he heareth the words of this curse, that he bless himself in his heart, saying, I shall have peace, though I walk in the imagination of mine heart, to add drunkenness to thirst:
  • Jeremiah 7:24 But they hearkened not, nor inclined their ear, but walked in the counsels and in the imagination of their evil heart, and went backward, and not forward.
  • Jeremiah 16:12 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: