The LORD said to me: “Do not pray for the welfare of this people.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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Jeremiah 14:11
What does Jeremiah 14:11 mean?
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Jeremiah 14:11
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This isn't just a prohibition against prayer; it's God declaring that the people have crossed a line where their deepest needs can no longer be met by temporal blessings like rain or relief from judgment. It reveals the devastating consequence of prolonged rebellion: the very "good" they desire has become unavailable because their hearts are no longer aligned with God's purposes.
The LORD said to me: “Do not pray for the welfare of this people.
English Standard Version (ESV)
God has just been told by Jeremiah that the people are suffering from drought and pleading with God, but the LORD declares that their prayers are not heard because of their deep-seated sinfulness. Now, the LORD directly instructs Jeremiah not to intercede for them, indicating that their punishment—including famine, sword, and plague—is inevitable and that even their religious rituals are unacceptable. This prohibition comes after previous instances where Jeremiah was told not to pray, signifying a hardened heart and a fixed judgment upon the majority of the people.
It sounds harsh: 'Do not pray.' But this command to Jeremiah wasn't about stopping all intercession. What makes this specific situation so grave?
The command to Jeremiah, "Do not pray for this people for their good," wasn't a blanket ban on prayer for all time. It was a specific, devastating decree for a particular moment in Israel's history.
An Immutable Decree
God had already determined that severe judgment – exile – was coming upon the majority of the people due to their unrepentant sin. Jeremiah's prayers for immediate relief, for rain during drought, or for deliverance from enemies, would not change this fixed decree. It was like trying to stop a train that was already on an unalterable track.
Intercession for the Faithful Still Allowed
This prohibition didn't mean Jeremiah couldn't pray for the spiritual well-being of individuals, or for the eventual restoration of a remnant. God's heart is always open to the prayers of the faithful, even amidst judgment. The focus here was on averting the specific, decreed temporal punishment for a people who had largely rejected God's mercy.
The people were fasting and offering sacrifices, yet God wouldn't listen. What does this tell us about their true spiritual state?
Jeremiah 14:11-12 reveals a heartbreaking reality: God's judgment was not only decreed, but the people's outward religious acts were meaningless to Him because their hearts were far from Him.
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Empty Rituals
Even though the people engaged in fasting, sacrifices, and offerings – outward signs of devotion – God declared He would not accept them. This wasn't because these acts were inherently wrong, but because they were performed without sincere repentance or a genuine connection to God.
The Heart of the Matter
God looks at the heart. When people perform religious duties with hypocrisy, merely going through the motions while their hearts remain entrenched in sin and disobedience, their worship becomes an offense. Their fasting and sacrifices were not expressions of genuine sorrow and a desire for change, but a performance that God saw right through. As the commentary notes, their fervent outward displays only served to provoke God more because of their insincerity.
Understand the original words
YHWH · Hebrew Noun
The personal, covenantal name of God in the Old Testament, revealing Him as the self-existent, faithful, and redeeming God of Israel.
palal · Hebrew Verb
In a biblical context, prayer is the act of communicating with God, involving petition, intercession, confession, and adoration, often reflecting a heart aligned with God's will.
shalom · Hebrew Noun
In this context, it refers to peace, completeness, health, safety, and general well-being, often used in relation to the state of God's people.
The command to Jeremiah not to pray for his people signifies that the judgment of exile, particularly the destruction of Jerusalem and its Temple in 586 BC, was divinely ordained and immutable due to the people's persistent unfaithfulness.
Late 8th Century BC
Assyrian Captivity
The Northern Kingdom of Israel was conquered by the Assyrian Empire, leading to the exile of its population. This event served as a stark warning to the Southern Kingdom of Judah.
605 BC
First Deportation to Babylon
Under Nebuchadnezzar II, Babylon conquered Judah and deported a portion of the population, including members of the royal family and skilled workers. This marked the beginning of the Babylonian exile.
597 BC
Second Deportation to Babylon
Babylonian forces returned and deported more of Judah's population, including the prophet Ezekiel. Jerusalem's temple was plundered, and Jehoiachin, the king, was taken captive.
586 BC— this verse
Fall of Jerusalem and Temple Destruction
Jerusalem was besieged and destroyed by the Babylonians. The city walls were torn down, the Temple was burned, and the majority of the remaining population was exiled to Babylon. This is the context for Jeremiah's pronouncements.
c. 539 BC
Cyrus the Great's Conquest of Babylon
The Persian Empire, led by Cyrus the Great, conquered Babylon. This ushered in a new era that would eventually lead to the decree allowing the Jewish exiles to return to Jerusalem.
c. 538 BC
Decree of Return
Cyrus issued a decree permitting the Jewish exiles to return to their homeland and rebuild the Temple. This marked the beginning of the return from Babylonian exile.
This passage shows God directly commanding Moses not to intercede for Israel after they made the golden calf, highlighting a divine prohibition on prayer for a people deemed unrighteous.
Jeremiah 7:16Similar to Jeremiah 14:11, God tells Jeremiah not to plead or pray for Jerusalem, indicating a pattern of divine judgment and the prophet's distress when intercession is forbidden.
Jeremiah 11:14Here, God again instructs Jeremiah not to intercede, showing that this severe command to cease praying for the people's 'good' was a repeated message of impending judgment.
Ezekiel 14:14Though Noah, Daniel, and Job are mentioned as righteous intercessors, this verse implies that even their prayers might not save a corrupt land, underscoring the gravity of widespread sin that God intends to punish.
1 John 5:16This verse distinguishes between a sin leading to death and one that does not, suggesting that there are indeed limits to intercessory prayer, particularly when dealing with persistent, unrepentant sin that God has judged.
clarkeJeremiah 14:11: "Then said the LORD unto me, Pray not for this people for their good."
Pray not for this people - They are ripe for destruction, intercede not for them. O, how dreadful is the state of that people in reference to whom the Lord says to his ministers, Pray not for them; or, what amounts nearly to a prohibition, withholds from his ministers the spirit of prayer and intercession in behalf of the people!
calvinJeremiah 14:11-12: "Then said the LORD unto me, Pray not for this people for their good."
When they fast, I will not hear their cry; and when they offer burnt offering and an oblation, I will not accept them: but I will consume them by the sword, and by the famine, and by the pestilence.
Quum jejunaverint, ego non exaudiam ad clamorem eorum, et quum obtulerint sacrificium et oblationem, ego non habebo gratum (idem est verbum, in illis non placebit mihi, non placabor, non ero propitius;…
This isn't just a prohibition against prayer; it's God declaring that the people have crossed a line where their deepest needs can no longer be met by temporal blessings like rain or relief from judgment. It reveals the devastating consequence of prolonged rebellion: the very "good" they desire has become unavailable because their hearts are no longer aligned with God's purposes.
God has just been told by Jeremiah that the people are suffering from drought and pleading with God, but the LORD declares that their prayers are not heard because of their deep-seated sinfulness. Now, the LORD directly instructs Jeremiah not to intercede for them, indicating that their punishment—including famine, sword, and plague—is inevitable and that even their religious rituals are unacceptable. This prohibition comes after previous instances where Jeremiah was told not to pray, signifying a hardened heart and a fixed judgment upon the majority of the people.
God has just been told by Jeremiah that the people are suffering from drought and pleading with God, but the LORD declares that their prayers are not heard because of their deep-seated sinfulness. Now, the LORD directly instructs Jeremiah not to intercede for them, indicating that their punishment—including famine, sword, and plague—is inevitable and that even their religious rituals are unacceptable. This prohibition comes after previous instances where Jeremiah was told not to pray, signifying a hardened heart and a fixed judgment upon the majority of the people.
"The LORD said to me: “Do not pray for the welfare of this people." — This isn't just a prohibition against prayer; it's God declaring that the people have crossed a line where their deepest needs can no longer be met by temporal blessings like rain or relief from judg…
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Last reviewed October 2026