Why hast thou prophesied in the name of the LORD, saying, This house shall be like Shiloh, and this city shall be desolate without an inhabitant? And all the people were gathered against Jeremiah in the house of the LORD.

JEREMIAH 26:9KJV
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Jeremiah 26:9 (KJV)

What does Jeremiah 26:9 mean?

Jeremiah 26:9 describes how the people confronted Jeremiah in the temple after he prophesied that the temple and Jerusalem would become deserted like Shiloh, questioning why he spoke such words in the name of the LORD. The crowd gathered against Jeremiah, upset by his message and seeing it as a threat to their sacred place.

Jeremiah had delivered a warning from God that the temple ("house") and the city would face destruction if the people did not change their ways, comparing it to Shiloh—a former religious center that had been ruined. The verse shows the people's strong reaction, as they assembled in the temple to challenge and accuse Jeremiah, feeling that his prophecy was both offensive and dangerous.

The Hebrew behind Jeremiah 26:9

  • "Prophesied" (נָבָא, nava'): This word means to speak as a prophet, usually claiming to deliver a message from God. Here, it highlights that Jeremiah’s words are not just his own opinion but are presented as a divine warning.
  • "In the name" (בְּשֵׁם, b’shem): This phrase means with the authority or on behalf of someone—in this case, the LORD (יְהוָה, YHWH). The people are upset because Jeremiah claims God’s authority for a message they find threatening.
  • "Shiloh" (שִׁלוֹ, Shiloh): Shiloh was once an important worship center that was destroyed. Mentioning it as a comparison makes Jeremiah’s warning especially serious, as it recalls a time when God allowed a holy place to be ruined.
  • "Desolate" (חָרֵב, charev): This word means laid waste or ruined. Jeremiah’s use of it stresses the total devastation he is predicting for Jerusalem and the temple if the people do not repent.

Why Jeremiah 26:9 matters

  • Jeremiah 26:9 clarifies that Jeremiah’s message was not just unpopular but seen as a direct attack on the temple and city, which the people believed God would always protect.
  • The verse shows the tension between prophetic warning and religious tradition, as the people gather in the temple itself to confront Jeremiah, highlighting their attachment to the place and their resistance to change.
  • By referencing Shiloh, Jeremiah connects his warning to Israel’s past, reminding the people that God’s presence is not guaranteed if they abandon their covenant, a theme that runs throughout the book.

Where else these words appear

“Shiloh” Hebrew H7887 · used in 30 verses

  • Joshua 18:1 And the whole congregation of the children of Israel assembled together at Shiloh, and set up the tabernacle of the congregation there. And the land was subdued before them.
  • Judges 21:12 And they found among the inhabitants of Jabeshgilead four hundred young virgins, that had known no man by lying with any male: and they brought them unto the camp to Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan.
  • 1 Samuel 4:12 And there ran a man of Benjamin out of the army, and came to Shiloh the same day with his clothes rent, and with earth upon his head.

“desolate” Hebrew H2717 · used in 36 verses

  • Genesis 8:13 And it came to pass in the six hundredth and first year, in the first month, the first day of the month, the waters were dried up from off the earth: and Noah removed the covering of the ark, and looked, and, behold, the face of the ground was dry.
  • Isaiah 34:10 It shall not be quenched night nor day; the smoke thereof shall go up for ever: from generation to generation it shall lie waste; none shall pass through it for ever and ever.
  • Jeremiah 51:36 Therefore thus saith the LORD; Behold, I will plead thy cause, and take vengeance for thee; and I will dry up her sea, and make her springs dry.

“gathered” Hebrew H6950 · used in 39 verses

  • Exodus 32:1 And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto him, Up, make us gods, which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him.
  • Numbers 20:10 And Moses and Aaron gathered the congregation together before the rock, and he said unto them, Hear now, ye rebels; must we fetch you water out of this rock?
  • 1 Chronicles 28:1 And David assembled all the princes of Israel, the princes of the tribes, and the captains of the companies that ministered to the king by course, and the captains over the thousands, and captains over the hundreds, and the stewards over all the substance and possession of the king, and of his sons, with the officers, and with the mighty men, and with all the valiant men, unto Jerusalem.

“prophesied” Hebrew H5012 · used in 102 verses

  • Numbers 11:25 And the LORD came down in a cloud, and spake unto him, and took of the spirit that was upon him, and gave it unto the seventy elders: and it came to pass, that, when the spirit rested upon them, they prophesied, and did not cease.
  • Jeremiah 20:1 Now Pashur the son of Immer the priest, who was also chief governor in the house of the LORD, heard that Jeremiah prophesied these things.
  • Ezekiel 13:16 To wit, the prophets of Israel which prophesy concerning Jerusalem, and which see visions of peace for her, and there is no peace, saith the Lord GOD.