Major Prophets · Chapter 11 of 52
Jeremiah 11
God summons Judah to hear the words of the covenant and pronounces a curse on those who disobey it. The people have broken the covenant, returning to their fathers' idolatry, so disaster will come that they cannot escape, and God forbids Jeremiah to pray for them. Then Jeremiah learns of a plot against his life by the men of his own town, Anathoth, who want to silence him like a lamb led to slaughter.
What happens in Jeremiah 11
The word of the LORD calls Jeremiah to proclaim the terms of the covenant God made when he brought Israel out of Egypt, that iron furnace, with a curse on all who disobey. Jeremiah affirms it, but God reveals a conspiracy: the people of Judah and Jerusalem have returned to their forefathers' iniquities and broken the covenant, following other gods. Therefore God will bring inescapable disaster, and though they cry out he will not listen; their many gods cannot save them.
He again forbids Jeremiah to intercede. Then the message turns personal. God reveals that the men of Anathoth, Jeremiah's own hometown, are plotting to kill him, telling him not to prophesy or he will die by their hand. Jeremiah, who says he was like a gentle lamb led to the slaughter, unaware of their schemes, appeals to the righteous Judge who tries heart and mind, entrusting his cause to God, who pronounces judgment on Anathoth.
Jeremiah 11 in context
This chapter links Jeremiah's message to the covenant renewal associated with Josiah's reforms, when the book of the law was rediscovered, though the people's obedience proved shallow. The mention of the iron furnace of Egypt recalls the exodus foundation of the covenant.
The plot from Anathoth, Jeremiah's priestly hometown, marks the first recorded personal attack on the prophet and introduces the theme of his suffering. His appeal to God as righteous judge begins the series of passages often called Jeremiah's confessions.
Main themes of Jeremiah 11
Jeremiah 11 (KJV)
1The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying, 2Hear ye the words of this covenant, and speak unto the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem; 3And say thou unto them, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel; Cursed be the man that obeyeth not the words of this covenant, 4Which I commanded your fathers in the day that I brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, from the iron furnace, saying, Obey my voice, and do them, according to all which I command you: so shall ye be my people, and I will be your God: 5That I may perform the oath which I have sworn unto your fathers, to give them a land flowing with milk and honey, as it is this day. Then answered I, and said, So be it, O LORD. 6Then the LORD said unto me, Proclaim all these words in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem, saying, Hear ye the words of this covenant, and do them. 7For I earnestly protested unto your fathers in the day that I brought them up out of the land of Egypt, even unto this day, rising early and protesting, saying, Obey my voice. 8Yet they obeyed not, nor inclined their ear, but walked every one in the imagination of their evil heart: therefore I will bring upon them all the words of this covenant, which I commanded them to do: but they did them not. 9And the LORD said unto me, A conspiracy is found among the men of Judah, and among the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 10They are turned back to the iniquities of their forefathers, which refused to hear my words; and they went after other gods to serve them: the house of Israel and the house of Judah have broken my covenant which I made with their fathers. 11Therefore thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will bring evil upon them, which they shall not be able to escape; and though they shall cry unto me, I will not hearken unto them. 12Then shall the cities of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem go, and cry unto the gods unto whom they offer incense: but they shall not save them at all in the time of their trouble. 13For according to the number of thy cities were thy gods, O Judah; and according to the number of the streets of Jerusalem have ye set up altars to that shameful thing, even altars to burn incense unto Baal. 14Therefore pray not thou for this people, neither lift up a cry or prayer for them: for I will not hear them in the time that they cry unto me for their trouble. 15What hath my beloved to do in mine house, seeing she hath wrought lewdness with many, and the holy flesh is passed from thee? when thou doest evil, then thou rejoicest. 16The LORD called thy name, A green olive tree, fair, and of goodly fruit: with the noise of a great tumult he hath kindled fire upon it, and the branches of it are broken. 17For the LORD of hosts, that planted thee, hath pronounced evil against thee, for the evil of the house of Israel and of the house of Judah, which they have done against themselves to provoke me to anger in offering incense unto Baal. 18And the LORD hath given me knowledge of it, and I know it: then thou shewedst me their doings. 19But I was like a lamb or an ox that is brought to the slaughter; and I knew not that they had devised devices against me, saying, Let us destroy the tree with the fruit thereof, and let us cut him off from the land of the living, that his name may be no more remembered. 20But, O LORD of hosts, that judgest righteously, that triest the reins and the heart, let me see thy vengeance on them: for unto thee have I revealed my cause. 21Therefore thus saith the LORD of the men of Anathoth, that seek thy life, saying, Prophesy not in the name of the LORD, that thou die not by our hand: 22Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts, Behold, I will punish them: the young men shall die by the sword; their sons and their daughters shall die by famine: 23And there shall be no remnant of them: for I will bring evil upon the men of Anathoth, even the year of their visitation.
Verses to carry from Jeremiah 11
“They are turned back to the iniquities of their forefathers, which refused to hear my words; and they went after other gods to serve them: the house of Israel and the house of Judah have broken my covenant which I made with their fathers.”Jeremiah 11:10
“But I was like a lamb or an ox that is brought to the slaughter; and I knew not that they had devised devices against me, saying, Let us destroy the tree with the fruit thereof, and let us cut him off from the land of the living, that his name may be no more remembered.”Jeremiah 11:19
“Therefore thus saith the LORD of the men of Anathoth, that seek thy life, saying, Prophesy not in the name of the LORD, that thou die not by our hand:”Jeremiah 11:21
Christian typology
How Jeremiah 11 points to Jesus
Jeremiah's description of himself as a lamb or an ox brought to the slaughter, plotted against by his own townsmen who wanted to cut him off from the land of the living, has long been seen as a type of Christ. Jesus too was a gentle lamb led to slaughter, as Isaiah 53 and Acts 8:32 describe, plotted against by his own people, and rejected in his hometown of Nazareth, as Luke 4 records. The enemies who said, Let us destroy the tree with its fruit, that his name be no more remembered, prefigure those who sought to erase Jesus.
Yet where Jeremiah appealed for vengeance, Christ prayed forgiveness for his killers. Jeremiah is a genuine foreshadowing, an innocent prophet suffering for God's word, whose experience points forward to the Lamb of God. This is Christian typology.
Questions about Jeremiah 11
Why does God repeatedly forbid Jeremiah to pray for the people?
This command, repeated in Jeremiah 11:14, signals that judgment had become settled because the people's rebellion was entrenched and unrepentant. It does not mean prayer is generally futile but marks a solemn point where a people's persistent choices bring unavoidable consequences. It underscores the seriousness of covenant-breaking and warns that mercy, though vast, is not to be presumed upon indefinitely.
How is Jeremiah like a lamb led to slaughter a picture of Christ?
Jeremiah 11:19 shows an innocent messenger, unaware of the plot to kill him, entrusting his cause to God. Christians see in this a foreshadowing of Jesus, who was likewise innocent, betrayed, and led to death for speaking God's truth. The parallel is not exact, since Jeremiah asks for vengeance while Jesus forgave, but the pattern of the righteous sufferer, rejected by his own, points forward to the Lamb of God.
Reflection
Faithfulness can cost you the goodwill of those closest to you, as it cost Jeremiah the friendship of his own town. When you are opposed for doing right, notice where he took his pain: to the righteous Judge who tries the heart.
You are in good company, for the Lamb of God was rejected by his own. Entrust your cause to God as Jeremiah did.
A prayer from Jeremiah 11
Read the whole Bible with the family
Open it in the app, study it live with someone, and let it lead you to Christ.
Open the BibleRead it togetherSee what God is doing