Jeremiah 14:11-12
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This isn't just a prohibition for Jeremiah; it's a stark warning. God is telling him that the people have reached a point where their sin has made even prayers for their well-being unacceptable to Him. It highlights the terrifying gravity of persistent rebellion – it can actually close the door on seeking good for yourself.
The LORD said to me: “Do not pray for the welfare of this people. Though they fast, I will not hear their cry, and though they offer burnt offering and grain offering, I will not accept them. But I will consume them by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence.”
English Standard Version (ESV)
The prophet Jeremiah has just pleaded with God on behalf of Judah, lamenting their sin and asking for relief from drought and impending judgment. In response, God directly instructs Jeremiah to cease praying for the nation's welfare, indicating that their corruption has reached a point where further intercession for their temporal good is futile and unwelcome. This prohibition starkly contrasts with Jeremiah's compassionate heart, setting the stage for the grim pronouncements of judgment that follow, including the rejection of their sacrifices and fasting.
Have you ever felt like your prayers hit a ceiling? God sometimes issues a solemn 'stop' order, not because He doesn't hear, but because His judgment is final.
Jeremiah is commanded by God to cease praying for the people's 'good.' This wasn't a general prohibition against prayer, but a specific directive regarding the impending national exile.
A Closed Door
God's decree for judgment was set, unchangeable. This meant that prayers for immediate relief – for rain, for deliverance from enemies, for the cessation of famine – would not alter the course of this specific, determined punishment. It's a tough truth: sometimes, the consequences of sin are fixed and will be carried out.
The Purpose of the Command
God's command wasn't to crush Jeremiah's spirit or to suggest that prayer is ultimately pointless. Instead, it was to reveal the severity of the people's sin and the finality of the decreed punishment. Jeremiah could still pray for repentance or for the ultimate salvation of a remnant, but the intercession for temporal 'good' was over for the majority.
It highlights a crucial distinction: God hears all prayers, but He doesn't always grant the specific request when it conflicts with His sovereign, often corrective, will.
Fasting, sacrifices, outward shows of devotion... do they impress God when the heart is far from Him? This verse cuts through religious performance.
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God makes it clear that He would not hear their cries or accept their offerings, even when they fasted and sacrificed. This points to a profound truth: God looks beyond the ritual to the motive.
The Hypocrisy Problem
The people were engaging in religious acts – fasting and offering sacrifices – but their hearts were not truly repentant or aligned with God's will. They were going through the motions, perhaps to appease God or to maintain a facade of piety, but without genuine sincerity.
God's Focus on the Heart
God values the intention and faith behind our worship. External acts, devoid of a sincere heart, are meaningless to Him. In fact, they can be offensive. The passage emphasizes that God is 'nigh to all those who call on him in sincerity' (Psalm 145:18), contrasting with the people's false worship.
This reminds us that our relationship with God isn't about checking boxes; it's about the inner disposition. When our hearts are not right with God, even our most fervent religious activities can be met with silence.
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.
tsum · Hebrew Verb
A religious practice of abstaining from food to focus on spiritual seeking, humility, or repentance before God.
olah · Hebrew Noun
A sacrifice offered completely to God by fire, symbolizing the total dedication of the offerer or an act of atonement.
minchah · Hebrew Noun
An offering of flour and oil, often presented as a tribute or sign of thanksgiving to God, signifying dedication of the fruits of labor.
ra'ab · Hebrew Noun
A severe lack of food, often used in Scripture as a manifestation of divine judgment or a consequence of national disobedience.
deber · Hebrew Noun
A contagious disease or epidemic, frequently cited in the Bible as a form of divine discipline or judgment upon a rebellious nation.
Jeremiah is commanded not to pray for the people's relief because their judgment, including the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple, is a settled decree from God due to their persistent wickedness.
Late 8th century BC
Assyrian Deportations Begin
The Assyrian Empire begins deporting populations from conquered territories, a practice that would destabilize the region and serve as a foreshadowing of future exiles.
c. 701 BC
Sennacherib's Invasion of Judah
Assyrian King Sennacherib invades Judah, capturing many cities and besieging Jerusalem. While Jerusalem is spared, the experience instills deep fear and highlights Judah's vulnerability.
605 BC
First Babylonian Deportation
Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon conquers Judah and deports a first wave of elite citizens, including the prophet Daniel, to Babylon. This marks the beginning of Judah's subjugation to Babylon.
597 BC
Second Babylonian Deportation
Following a rebellion, Nebuchadnezzar deports King Jehoiachin and thousands more Judeans to Babylon. This event further decimates the population and leadership.
586 BC— this verse
Destruction of Jerusalem and Temple
Nebuchadnezzar destroys Jerusalem and its Temple, burning the city and exiling most of the remaining population to Babylon. This is the catastrophic climax of Judah's disobedience.
c. 586-538 BC
Babylonian Exile
The majority of the Judean people live in exile in Babylon, a period of profound national trauma and spiritual questioning, during which many prophets ministered.
This passage shows God directly instructing Moses not to intercede for the Israelites after they made the golden calf, highlighting a similar divine command to cease pleading for a disobedient people.
Jeremiah 7:16This earlier prophetic command to Jeremiah repeats the instruction not to pray for the people's well-being, underscoring the persistent nature of their sin and God's unyielding judgment.
Ezekiel 14:14Here, God states that even if Noah, Daniel, and Job were in the land, they could only save themselves through their righteousness, implying that for a truly corrupt people, intercession would be futile.
1 John 5:16This New Testament passage distinguishes between a sin leading to death and one that does not, suggesting there are indeed boundaries to intercessory prayer when facing unrepented, grave sin.
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 for Jeremiah; it's a stark warning. God is telling him that the people have reached a point where their sin has made even prayers for their well-being unacceptable to Him. It highlights the terrifying gravity of persistent rebellion – it can actually close the door on seeking good for yourself.
The prophet Jeremiah has just pleaded with God on behalf of Judah, lamenting their sin and asking for relief from drought and impending judgment. In response, God directly instructs Jeremiah to cease praying for the nation's welfare, indicating that their corruption has reached a point where further intercession for their temporal good is futile and unwelcome. This prohibition starkly contrasts with Jeremiah's compassionate heart, setting the stage for the grim pronouncements of judgment that follow, including the rejection of their sacrifices and fasting.
The prophet Jeremiah has just pleaded with God on behalf of Judah, lamenting their sin and asking for relief from drought and impending judgment. In response, God directly instructs Jeremiah to cease praying for the nation's welfare, indicating that their corruption has reached a point where further intercession for their temporal good is futile and unwelcome. This prohibition starkly contrasts with Jeremiah's compassionate heart, setting the stage for the grim pronouncements of judgment that follow, including the rejection of their sacrifices and fasting.
"The LORD said to me: “Do not pray for the welfare of this people. Though they fast, I will not hear their cry, and though they offer burnt offering and grain offering, I will not accept them. But I will consume them by the sword, by famine…" — This isn't just a prohibition for Jeremiah; it's a stark warning. God is telling him that the people have reached a point where their sin has made even prayers for their well-being unacceptable to…
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Last reviewed October 2026
