But thou shalt say unto them, This is a nation that obeyeth not the voice of the LORD their God, nor receiveth correction: truth is perished, and is cut off from their mouth.

JEREMIAH 7:28KJV
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Jeremiah 7:28 (KJV)

What does Jeremiah 7:28 mean?

Jeremiah 7:28 describes God’s message to Jeremiah about the people of Judah: they are a nation that refuses to listen to God’s voice, will not accept correction, and have lost all sense of truth. The verse paints a picture of a people who have become completely unresponsive to God’s guidance and have abandoned honesty.

In this verse, God tells Jeremiah what to say to the people as he stands at the temple gate. The people of Judah are being confronted for their stubbornness and unwillingness to change, even after repeated warnings. The statement that “truth is perished, and is cut off from their mouth” shows just how far they have drifted from God’s ways—deceit and denial have replaced truthfulness in their community.

The Hebrew behind Jeremiah 7:28

  • “Obeyeth” (שָׁמַע, shamaʿ): This word often means “to listen” or “to hear,” but in Hebrew thought, it also means “to obey.” The verse emphasizes that the people are not just failing to hear God, but are actively refusing to follow what He says.
  • “Correction” (מוּסָר, musar): This word refers to discipline, instruction, or correction. The people are not just ignoring advice; they are rejecting any attempt by God to guide or correct them, showing a hardened attitude.
  • “Truth” (אֱמוּנָה, emunah): This word carries the sense of faithfulness, reliability, or trustworthiness. The verse says that this quality has disappeared from their speech, highlighting a deep moral and spiritual breakdown.

Why Jeremiah 7:28 matters

  • Jeremiah 7:28 makes clear that the problem is not ignorance but willful rejection—God’s people have heard His voice and chosen not to obey or accept correction.
  • The verse connects to the larger context of Jeremiah’s “temple sermon,” where God warns that religious rituals are meaningless without genuine obedience and truthfulness.
  • By saying that “truth is perished,” the verse highlights how a community’s spiritual decline is seen not just in actions but in the loss of honesty and integrity in everyday life.

Where else these words appear

“truth” Hebrew H530 · used in 49 verses

  • Exodus 17:12 But Moses' hands were heavy; and they took a stone, and put it under him, and he sat thereon; and Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands, the one on the one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun.
  • Psalms 40:10 I have not hid thy righteousness within my heart; I have declared thy faithfulness and thy salvation: I have not concealed thy lovingkindness and thy truth from the great congregation.
  • Psalms 119:90 Thy faithfulness is unto all generations: thou hast established the earth, and it abideth.

“correction” Hebrew H4148 · used in 50 verses

  • Deuteronomy 11:2 And know ye this day: for I speak not with your children which have not known, and which have not seen the chastisement of the LORD your God, his greatness, his mighty hand, and his stretched out arm,
  • Proverbs 7:22 He goeth after her straightway, as an ox goeth to the slaughter, or as a fool to the correction of the stocks;
  • Proverbs 23:12 Apply thine heart unto instruction, and thine ears to the words of knowledge.