Jeremiah 7:4
in Jeremiah 7Do not trust in deceptive words, chanting: ‘This is the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD.’
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Trust ye not in lying words, saying, The temple of Jehovah, the temple of Jehovah, the temple of Jehovah, are these.
KJV
Trust ye not in lying words, saying, The temple of the Lord, The temple of the Lord, The temple of the Lord, are these.
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This verse in Jeremiah 7
Commentary
13 notes on this verseIf heaven and earth must pass away, obviously all things that are earthly must also pass away. Therefore the spots that witnessed the crucifixion and the resurrection profit those only who bear their several crosses, who day by day rise again with Christ and who thus show themselves worthy of an abode so holy. Those who say, "the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord," should give ear to the words of the apostle: "you are the temple of the Lord," and the Holy Spirit "dwells in you."
This site's exposition
Do not trust in deceptive words
on Jeremiah 7:4-7
The temple slogan is quoted three times running, “the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD”. Confidence in the building stands in for the obedience the building was built to house. The conditions that follow restate the terms Israel accepted at Sinai.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers4 voices
"Do not put your hope in deceptive words that say, 'Here is the temple of the Lord,' " that imply you are his temple. They are only trying to assure you that you will never be left by God as though God would decide to …
He instructs both the people of Judea of that time and us today, who are seen to be constituted as the church. We are not to put our faith in the splendor of its buildings. Nor are we to put faith in its golden ceilings and decorated walls of marble. We are not to say "this is the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord." For the temple of the Lord is there where the true faith dwells, in holy living and the chorus of all the virtues.
(Verse 4) Do not trust in deceitful words, saying: The temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord is here. What the Seventy added to the beginning of this chapter: "In words of falsehood, which will not benefit you at all," is not found in the Hebrew. And at that time he commanded both the people of Judah and us who seem to be established in the Church, not to place our trust in the splendor of buildings, in gilded ceilings, and in walls adorned with marble crusts. And let us not say, "The temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord." For that is the temple of the Lord, in which true faith dwells, holy conversation, and the chorus of all virtues.
And thus did He send prophets prior to the transmigration to Babylon, and after that event others again in greater number than the former, to seek the fruits, saying thus to them (the Jews): "Thus saith the Lord, Cleanse your ways and your doings, execute just judgment, and look each one with pity and compassion on his brother: oppress not the widow nor the orphan, the proselyte nor the poor, and let none of you treasure up evil against his brother in your hearts, and love not false swearing.
The Reformation1 voice
Now the object of his sermon was, to exhort them seriously to repent, if they wished God to be reconciled to them. So the Prophet shews, that God did not regard their sacrifices and external rites, and that this was not the way, as they thought, of appeasing him.
6 more voices on this verse
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
Saying - Because this was God's house, they flattered themselves that he would not suffer the Chaldeans to destroy it, therefore the prophet cautions them not to deceive themselves, trusting to the temple and its buildings, as the two courts and house, and holy of holies implied in the word these, which he doth as it were point to with his finger.
): " Trust no in lying words. You are told in what way, and upon what terms, you may be easy safe, and happy; now do not flatter yourselves with an opinion that you may be so on any other terms, or in any other way." Yet he charges them with this self-deceit arising from vanity (
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation
Trust ye not in lying words,.... In the words of the lying prophets, as the Targum; and to the same purpose is the Arabic version, "do not trust in lying words, for the false prophets do not profit you in anything;'' the things in which they trusted, and in which the false prophets taught them to place their confidence, were their coming up to the temple at certain times for religious exercises, and their attendance on temple service and worship, offering of sacrifices, and the like.
The Nineteenth Century3 voices
The temple of the Lord - In the Chaldee the passage stands thus: - “Do not trust in the words of lying prophets, which say, Before the temple of the Lord ye shall worship; Before the temple of the Lord ye shall sacrifice; Before the temple of the Lord ye shall adore; thrice in the year ye shall appear before it.” This the Targumist supposes to have been the reason why the words are here thrice repeated.
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
The Jews falsely thought that because their temple had been chosen by Jehovah as His peculiar dwelling, it could never be destroyed. Men think that ceremonial observances will supersede the need of holiness (Isa 48:2; The triple repetition of "the temple of Jehovah" expresses the intense confidence of the Jews (see Jer 22:29;
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
The temple of the Lord - Thrice repeated, to emphasize the rejection of the cry ever upon the lips of the false prophets. In their view the maintenance of the temple-service was a charm sufficient to avert all evil. These - The buildings of the temple, to which Jeremiah is supposed to point. The Jews put their trust in the material buildings.
The words behind it
14 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| אַל־ | ʾal- | may not | H408 → | 724 times |
| תִּבְטְח֣וּ | tivtechu | you trust | H982 → | 120 times |
| לָכֶ֔ם | lakhem | for <the> yourselves | ||
| אֶל־ | ʾel- | to | H413 → | 5510 times |
| דִּבְרֵ֥י | divrei | <the> words of | H1697 → | 1440 times |
| הַשֶּׁ֖קֶר | hasheker | <the> deception | H8267 → | 113 times |
| לֵאמֹ֑ר | lemor | <to> saying | H559 → | 5305 times |
| הֵיכַ֤ל | heikhal | [the] temple of | H1964 → | 80 times |
| יְהוָה֙ | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| הֵיכַ֣ל | heikhal | [the] temple of | H1964 → | 80 times |
| יְהוָ֔ה | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| הֵיכַ֥ל | heikhal | [are] [the] temple of | H1964 → | 80 times |
| יְהוָ֖ה | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| הֵֽמָּה׃ | hemah | they | H1992 → | 553 times |
אַל־may not
ʾal-H408 →724 times
תִּבְטְח֣וּyou trust
tivtechuH982 →120 times
לָכֶ֔םfor <the> yourselves
lakhem
אֶל־to
ʾel-H413 →5510 times
דִּבְרֵ֥י<the> words of
divreiH1697 →1440 times
הַשֶּׁ֖קֶר<the> deception
hashekerH8267 →113 times
לֵאמֹ֑ר<to> saying
lemorH559 →5305 times
הֵיכַ֤ל[the] temple of
heikhalH1964 →80 times
יְהוָה֙Yahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
הֵיכַ֣ל[the] temple of
heikhalH1964 →80 times
יְהוָ֔הYahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
הֵיכַ֥ל[are] [the] temple of
heikhalH1964 →80 times
יְהוָ֖הYahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
הֵֽמָּה׃they
hemahH1992 →553 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Micah 3:11Her leaders judge for a bribe, her priests teach for a price, and her prophets practice divination for money. Yet they lean upon the LORD, saying, “Is not the LORD among us? No disaster…
it leads to
- Micah 3:5
This is what the LORD says: “As for the prophets who lead My people astray, who proclaim peace while they chew with their teeth, but declare war against one who puts nothing in their…
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Jeremiah 6:13
“For from the least of them to the greatest, all are greedy for gain; from prophet to priest, all practice deceit.
- Isaiah 1:23
Your rulers are rebels, friends of thieves. They all love bribes and chasing after rewards. They do not defend the fatherless, and the plea of the widow never comes before them.
- Titus 1:11
who must be silenced. For the sake of dishonorable gain, they undermine entire households and teach things they should not.
- Acts 8:18–20
When Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money.
- Micah 3:5
Through
Zephaniah 3:11On that day you will not be put to shame for any of the deeds by which you have transgressed against Me. For then I will remove from among you those who rejoice in…
it leads to
- Isaiah 54:4
Do not be afraid, for you will not be put to shame; do not be intimidated, for you will not be humiliated. For you will forget the shame of your youth and will remember…
- Isaiah 11:9
They will neither harm nor destroy on all My holy mountain, for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the sea is full of water.
- Isaiah 54:4
Through
Ezekiel 13:19You have profaned Me among My people for handfuls of barley and scraps of bread. By lying to My people who would listen, you have killed those who should not have died and spared…
it leads to
- Proverbs 28:21
To show partiality is not good, yet a man will do wrong for a piece of bread.
- Proverbs 28:21
Where this verse is studied
About Jeremiah
This page draws on 13 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Ephrem the Syrian, COMMENTARY ON JEREMIAH 7:4; Irenaeus, AGAINST HERESIES 4:36.2; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; Jerome, LETTER 58.3; Jerome, SIX BOOKS ON JEREMIAH 2:32.2-4; Jerome, Commentary on Jeremiah; John Calvin, Commentaries; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.