Yet they hearkened not unto me, nor inclined their ear, but hardened their neck: they did worse than their fathers.

JEREMIAH 7:26KJV
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Jeremiah 7:26 (KJV)

What does Jeremiah 7:26 mean?

Jeremiah 7:26 says that the people of Judah did not listen to God or pay attention to His warnings; instead, they stubbornly resisted and behaved even worse than the generations before them. The verse highlights a pattern of increasing disobedience and hardness of heart among the people.

In this verse, the prophet Jeremiah is relaying God’s message to the people of Judah, who are being warned about their persistent rebellion. God describes how, despite sending prophets and giving repeated instructions, the people have become even more stubborn ("hardened their neck") and corrupt than their ancestors. This sets the stage for the consequences Jeremiah will warn about throughout the chapter.

The Hebrew behind Jeremiah 7:26

  • "Hearkened" (שָׁמַע, shamaʿ) means to listen or obey. Here, it emphasizes that the people were not just inattentive, but willfully ignored God’s voice.
  • "Inclined" (נָטָה, natah) means to stretch out or turn. The phrase "nor inclined their ear" uses this word to show a refusal to even make the effort to listen.
  • "Hardened" (קָשָׁה, qashah) means to make stiff or stubborn. "Hardened their neck" paints a picture of someone refusing to bow or yield, showing stubborn resistance.
  • "Worse" (רָעַע, raʿaʿ) means to act more corruptly or do more evil. The verse stresses that each generation’s disobedience surpassed the last.

Why Jeremiah 7:26 matters

  • Jeremiah 7:26 clears up the idea that the people’s problem was just ignorance; the verse stresses a deliberate refusal to listen and a growing stubbornness.
  • The verse connects to the wider passage by showing why God’s warnings through the prophets have become so urgent: the people’s hearts are becoming harder, not softer, over time.
  • By comparing the current generation to their "fathers," Jeremiah 7:26 highlights a worsening spiritual condition, setting up the seriousness of the judgment that follows in the chapter.

Where else these words appear

“hardened” Hebrew H7185 · used in 28 verses

  • Genesis 35:16 And they journeyed from Bethel; and there was but a little way to come to Ephrath: and Rachel travailed, and she had hard labour.
  • 1 Samuel 5:7 And when the men of Ashdod saw that it was so, they said, The ark of the God of Israel shall not abide with us: for his hand is sore upon us, and upon Dagon our god.
  • Nehemiah 9:17 And refused to obey, neither were mindful of thy wonders that thou didst among them; but hardened their necks, and in their rebellion appointed a captain to return to their bondage: but thou art a God ready to pardon, gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and forsookest them not.

“neck” Hebrew H6203 · used in 32 verses

  • Genesis 49:8 Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise: thy hand shall be in the neck of thine enemies; thy father's children shall bow down before thee.
  • Deuteronomy 31:27 For I know thy rebellion, and thy stiff neck: behold, while I am yet alive with you this day, ye have been rebellious against the LORD; and how much more after my death?
  • Nehemiah 9:29 And testifiedst against them, that thou mightest bring them again unto thy law: yet they dealt proudly, and hearkened not unto thy commandments, but sinned against thy judgments,(which if a man do, he shall live in them;) and withdrew the shoulder, and hardened their neck, and would not hear.

“worse” Hebrew H7489 · used in 80 verses

  • Genesis 19:7 And said, I pray you, brethren, do not so wickedly.
  • 2 Kings 21:11 Because Manasseh king of Judah hath done these abominations, and hath done wickedly above all that the Amorites did, which were before him, and hath made Judah also to sin with his idols:
  • Isaiah 1:4 Ah sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of evildoers, children that are corrupters: they have forsaken the LORD, they have provoked the Holy One of Israel unto anger, they are gone away backward.