Jeremiah 32:23 (KJV)

What does Jeremiah 32:23 mean?

Jeremiah 32:23 explains why disaster has come upon the people of Judah. Jeremiah says that their ancestors received the land God had promised, but the people failed to do what God commanded. Jeremiah presents the disaster as the consequence of that long history of disobedience.

Jeremiah is speaking to God, so “thy” refers to God. After recalling the gift of the land in verse 22, Jeremiah describes the people’s history in sweeping terms. “Walked in thy law” pictures their conduct as a path they were meant to follow.

The Hebrew behind Jeremiah 32:23

• “obeyed” — שָׁמַע (shamaʿ): This word can mean “hear” or “listen.” Here it carries the sense of listening to God’s voice by doing what he says.
• “law” — תּוֹרָה (torah): This word can mean “instruction” or “teaching.” It helps show that the phrase “walked in thy law” concerns the direction God gave for the people’s conduct.
• “evil” — רָעָה (raʿah): This word can refer to trouble or disaster as well as wrongdoing. In “all this evil,” Jeremiah is speaking about the disaster that has come upon the people.

Why Jeremiah 32:23 matters

• Jeremiah connects the people’s past with their present crisis. “All this evil” points to the siege of Jerusalem described in the following verse, when enemy forces were attacking the city.
• Jeremiah’s statement forms part of a question addressed to God. In verse 25, Jeremiah asks about God’s instruction to buy a field even though the city is being handed over to its attackers.
• The account of the field gives Jeremiah’s words a wider setting. Later in the chapter, God says that fields will again be bought in the land, even after the coming disaster (Jeremiah 32:43–44).