Jeremiah Chapter 25 · Verse 7
Yet ye have not hearkened unto me, saith the LORD; that ye might provoke me to anger with the works of your hands to your own hurt.
Original Language Analysis
וְלֹֽא
H3808
וְלֹֽא
Strong's:
H3808
Word #:
1 of 11
not (the simple or abs. negation); by implication, no; often used with other particles
שְׁמַעְתֶּ֥ם
Yet ye have not hearkened
H8085
שְׁמַעְתֶּ֥ם
Yet ye have not hearkened
Strong's:
H8085
Word #:
2 of 11
to hear intelligently (often with implication of attention, obedience, etc.; causatively, to tell, etc.)
יְהוָ֑ה
the LORD
H3068
יְהוָ֑ה
the LORD
Strong's:
H3068
Word #:
5 of 11
(the) self-existent or eternal; jeho-vah, jewish national name of god
לְמַ֧עַן
H4616
לְמַ֧עַן
Strong's:
H4616
Word #:
6 of 11
properly, heed, i.e., purpose; used only adverbially, on account of (as a motive or an aim), teleologically, in order that
הַכְעִסוֵ֛נִי
that ye might provoke me to anger
H3707
הַכְעִסוֵ֛נִי
that ye might provoke me to anger
Strong's:
H3707
Word #:
7 of 11
to trouble; by implication, to grieve, rage, be indignant
בְּמַעֲשֵׂ֥ה
with the works
H4639
בְּמַעֲשֵׂ֥ה
with the works
Strong's:
H4639
Word #:
8 of 11
an action (good or bad); generally, a transaction; abstractly, activity; by implication, a product (specifically, a poem) or (generally) property
יְדֵיכֶ֖ם
of your hands
H3027
יְדֵיכֶ֖ם
of your hands
Strong's:
H3027
Word #:
9 of 11
a hand (the open one [indicating power, means, direction, etc.], in distinction from h3709, the closed one); used (as noun, adverb, etc.) in a great v
Cross References
2 Kings 21:15Because they have done that which was evil in my sight, and have provoked me to anger, since the day their fathers came forth out of Egypt, even unto this day.Proverbs 8:36But he that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul: all they that hate me love death.Deuteronomy 32:21They have moved me to jealousy with that which is not God; they have provoked me to anger with their vanities: and I will move them to jealousy with those which are not a people; I will provoke them to anger with a foolish nation.2 Kings 17:17And they caused their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire, and used divination and enchantments, and sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger.
Historical Context
By 605 BC, Judah had experienced multiple warnings—Assyria's destruction of the northern kingdom (722 BC), near-destruction under Sennacherib (701 BC), and prophetic warnings spanning decades. Yet each generation renewed covenant unfaithfulness. King Jehoiakim exemplified this rebellion: he burned Jeremiah's scroll (36:23), murdered the prophet Urijah (26:20-23), and led the nation in idolatry. The people followed their leaders into apostasy, choosing immediate pleasures over eternal covenant blessings.
Questions for Reflection
- How does sin function as self-inflicted harm rather than merely breaking divine rules, and what does this reveal about God's laws?
- In what ways might we persist in behaviors that provoke God while claiming to love Him, and how can we identify such inconsistencies?
- What does it mean that sin is ultimately 'to your own hurt,' and how should this reality shape our understanding of God's commands?
Analysis & Commentary
Yet ye have not hearkened unto me, saith the LORD; that ye might provoke me to anger with the works of your hands to your own hurt. The phrase lĕmaʿan haḵʿîsēnî (לְמַעַן הַכְעִסֵנִי, that you might provoke me to anger) reveals the perverse result of their rebellion. The Hebrew lĕmaʿan typically denotes purpose, suggesting their persistent idolatry functioned as if intentionally designed to anger God. The phrase lĕrāʿ lāḵem (לְרָע לָכֶם, to your own hurt) emphasizes the self-destructive nature of sin. Provoking God's anger doesn't harm God—it destroys the rebel.
This verse encapsulates the tragic irony of sin: people reject God's protective boundaries, thinking independence brings freedom, only to discover they've embraced their own destruction. Sin promises pleasure but delivers death (Romans 6:23). The idols Judah pursued couldn't save them when Babylon arrived; only the God they rejected could have delivered them. This pattern recurs throughout Scripture—the prodigal son pursuing 'freedom' in the far country (Luke 15:11-32), Israel demanding a king to be 'like other nations' only to suffer under tyranny (1 Samuel 8:10-18). We cannot sin with impunity; we reap what we sow (Galatians 6:7).