Jeremiah 16:12
And ye have done worse than your fathers; for, behold, ye walk every one after the imagination of his evil heart, that they may not hearken unto me:
Original Language Analysis
הֲרֵעֹתֶ֥ם
worse
H7489
הֲרֵעֹתֶ֥ם
worse
Strong's:
H7489
Word #:
2 of 14
properly, to spoil (literally, by breaking to pieces); figuratively, to make (or be) good for nothing, i.e., bad (physically, socially or morally)
לַעֲשׂ֖וֹת
And ye have done
H6213
לַעֲשׂ֖וֹת
And ye have done
Strong's:
H6213
Word #:
3 of 14
to do or make, in the broadest sense and widest application
מֵאֲבֽוֹתֵיכֶ֑ם
than your fathers
H1
מֵאֲבֽוֹתֵיכֶ֑ם
than your fathers
Strong's:
H1
Word #:
4 of 14
father, in a literal and immediate, or figurative and remote application
הֹלְכִ֗ים
ye walk
H1980
הֹלְכִ֗ים
ye walk
Strong's:
H1980
Word #:
6 of 14
to walk (in a great variety of applications, literally and figuratively)
אִ֚ישׁ
every one
H376
אִ֚ישׁ
every one
Strong's:
H376
Word #:
7 of 14
a man as an individual or a male person; often used as an adjunct to a more definite term (and in such cases frequently not expressed in translation)
אַֽחֲרֵי֙
after
H310
אַֽחֲרֵי֙
after
Strong's:
H310
Word #:
8 of 14
properly, the hind part; generally used as an adverb or conjunction, after (in various senses)
לִבּֽוֹ
heart
H3820
לִבּֽוֹ
heart
Strong's:
H3820
Word #:
10 of 14
the heart; also used (figuratively) very widely for the feelings, the will and even the intellect; likewise for the center of anything
לְבִלְתִּ֖י
H1115
לְבִלְתִּ֖י
Strong's:
H1115
Word #:
12 of 14
properly, a failure of, i.e., (used only as a negative particle, usually with a prepositional prefix) not, except, without, unless, besides, because n
Cross References
Jeremiah 7:26Yet they hearkened not unto me, nor inclined their ear, but hardened their neck: they did worse than their fathers.Jeremiah 13:10This evil people, which refuse to hear my words, which walk in the imagination of their heart, and walk after other gods, to serve them, and to worship them, shall even be as this girdle, which is good for nothing.Jeremiah 9:14But have walked after the imagination of their own heart, and after Baalim, which their fathers taught them:Ecclesiastes 9:3This is an evil among all things that are done under the sun, that there is one event unto all: yea, also the heart of the sons of men is full of evil, and madness is in their heart while they live, and after that they go to the dead.Jeremiah 7:24But they hearkened not, nor inclined their ear, but walked in the counsels and in the imagination of their evil heart, and went backward, and not forward.Mark 7:21For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders,1 Samuel 15:23For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from being king.Judges 2:19And it came to pass, when the judge was dead, that they returned, and corrupted themselves more than their fathers, in following other gods to serve them, and to bow down unto them; they ceased not from their own doings, nor from their stubborn way.
Historical Context
Despite Josiah's reforms and Jeremiah's decades of ministry, Judah quickly reverted to idolatry and injustice after Josiah's death, often exceeding previous generations' wickedness.
Questions for Reflection
- How does each generation that rejects truth tend to become worse than predecessors?
- What is the relationship between following evil heart-imaginations and deafness to God?
- What responsibility do we bear not to exceed our fathers' sins but to repent of them?
Related Resources
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Analysis & Commentary
The indictment continues, addressing the current generation: 'And ye have done worse than your fathers; for, behold, ye walk every one after the imagination of his evil heart, that they may not hearken unto me.' Not only have they continued ancestral sins, they've exceeded them ('worse than your fathers'). The phrase 'imagination of his evil heart' identifies the source: internal corruption producing external rebellion. The result: 'that they may not hearken unto me'—willful deafness to God. The progression from fathers' sins to worse contemporary sins illustrates how resisted light increases darkness. Each generation that rejects truth becomes harder than the previous.