Jeremiah 14:12
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God's rejection isn't just of their rituals, but of the very "cry" itself, highlighting that even their outward expressions of distress are hollow because their hearts remain estranged from Him. This demonstrates that God sees beyond the performance of worship, focusing on the sincere heart that is the true offering.
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)
God is responding to Jeremiah's plea for the people, but declares that He can no longer hear their cries or accept their sacrifices, even during a solemn fast. Their outward acts of devotion are meaningless because their hearts remain distant and unrepentant. Therefore, God will now bring total destruction upon them through the combined forces of war, famine, and plague.
They're fasting, they're sacrificing... why isn't God listening? Sometimes, our outward actions don't match our inner reality.
Jeremiah 14:12 paints a stark picture of God's rejection of Israel's religious practices. Even though they are fasting and offering sacrifices, God declares He will not hear them or accept their offerings.
It's About the Heart
The issue isn't the acts of fasting or sacrifice themselves, but the heart behind them. The commentators highlight that these rituals were performed without sincerity. They were going through the motions, perhaps hoping to appease God with external acts while their hearts remained far from Him, even clinging to sin and idolatry.
God Sees Deeper
God isn't fooled by a show. He looks beyond the outward performance to the inner disposition. As the verse states, 'Though they fast... I will not hear their cry.' This isn't a condemnation of fasting or sacrifice in general, but a powerful indictment of worship that lacks genuine repentance and a sincere connection with God.
When God refuses our offerings, the consequences can be severe. What happens when divine patience runs out?
The latter part of Jeremiah 14:12 delivers a sobering verdict: 'But I will consume them by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence.' This isn't a capricious threat; it's the inevitable outcome when a nation or individual persistently rejects God's ways and offers Him hollow worship.
The Trio of Judgment
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God lists three devastating forces – sword, famine, and pestilence. These represent the complete breakdown of a society: violence and war (sword), lack of sustenance (famine), and widespread disease (pestilence). Together, they paint a picture of utter destruction and inescapable judgment.
A Pattern of Discipline
These forms of judgment are often seen throughout Scripture as God's response to prolonged rebellion. They are not meant to be punitive for their own sake, but corrective, aiming to bring about repentance. However, when all avenues of discipline are ignored and rejected, as they were by Israel in this instance, the finality of judgment becomes the only remaining path.
Understand the original words
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.
This verse confronts a people facing the absolute consequences of their sin. Their outward religious acts—fasting, sacrifices—are rejected because they are performed without sincere hearts, a hollow ritual against a backdrop of deep-seated unfaithfulness. God declares that these empty gestures cannot avert the justly deserved judgment of sword, famine, and plague.
c. 722 BC
Fall of Samaria and the Northern Kingdom
The Assyrian Empire conquers the northern Kingdom of Israel, deporting many of its people and resettling the area with foreigners. This event serves as a stark warning to the southern Kingdom of Judah about the consequences of disobedience.
c. 626 BC
Jeremiah Begins His Ministry
Jeremiah is called by God to prophesy to Judah during a tumultuous period, warning of impending judgment due to the nation's deep-seated corruption and idolatry.
605 BC
First Babylonian Deportation to Babylon
Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, besieges Jerusalem and carries off some of the royal family and skilled individuals, including the prophet Daniel, to Babylon. This marks the beginning of Judah's decline.
597 BC
Second Babylonian Deportation
Following a revolt, Nebuchadnezzar again attacks Jerusalem, deporting King Jehoiachin and thousands more Judeans, including the prophet Ezekiel. This further weakens the kingdom.
587/586 BC— this verse
Fall of Jerusalem and Destruction of the Temple
After a prolonged siege, Nebuchadnezzar's forces breach Jerusalem's walls, destroy the city and the Temple, and carry off most of the remaining population into Babylonian exile. This is the devastating climax of God's judgment.
c. 586 BC - 538 BC
Babylonian Exile
The majority of the Jewish people live in exile in Babylon, a period of profound national trauma and spiritual reflection, where they grapple with their identity and their covenant relationship with God.
This passage echoes Jeremiah's theme, showing God refusing to hear the prayers and offerings of a people whose hearts are far from Him, even when they perform religious rituals.
Ezekiel 14:21Here, Ezekiel also lists the devastating 'four dreadful judgments' – sword, famine, pestilence, and wild beasts – as instruments of God's wrath upon a rebellious people, paralleling the severe consequences mentioned in Jeremiah.
Matthew 15:8-9Jesus quotes Isaiah, warning against those who honor God with their lips but whose hearts are far from Him, highlighting the same principle that outward religious acts without inner sincerity are unacceptable to God.
Luke 18:9-14The parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector powerfully contrasts self-righteous religious observance with humble, sincere repentance, illustrating why God hears one and not the other, a concept central to Jeremiah's message.
James 5:16While Jeremiah shows God rejecting insincere prayers, James emphasizes the power of the prayer of a righteous person, implicitly highlighting that genuine faith and righteousness are the conditions for prayer being heard, which the people in Jeremiah lacked.
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;…
barnesJeremiah 14:12: "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."
Their cry i. e - prayer offered aloud. Oblation - A meat-offering Leviticus 2:1. The sword, famine, and pestilence - The two latter ever follow upon the track of the first Ezekiel 5:12, and by these God will consume them, yet so as to leave a remnant. The chastisement, which crushe…
God's rejection isn't just of their rituals, but of the very "cry" itself, highlighting that even their outward expressions of distress are hollow because their hearts remain estranged from Him. This demonstrates that God sees beyond the performance of worship, focusing on the sincere heart that is the true offering.
God is responding to Jeremiah's plea for the people, but declares that He can no longer hear their cries or accept their sacrifices, even during a solemn fast. Their outward acts of devotion are meaningless because their hearts remain distant and unrepentant. Therefore, God will now bring total destruction upon them through the combined forces of war, famine, and plague.
God is responding to Jeremiah's plea for the people, but declares that He can no longer hear their cries or accept their sacrifices, even during a solemn fast. Their outward acts of devotion are meaningless because their hearts remain distant and unrepentant. Therefore, God will now bring total destruction upon them through the combined forces of war, famine, and plague.
"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.”" — God's rejection isn't just of their rituals, but of the very "cry" itself, highlighting that even their outward expressions of distress are hollow because their hearts remain estranged from Him. This…
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Last reviewed October 2026
