I set watchmen over you, saying, ‘Pay attention to the sound of the trumpet!’ But they said, ‘We will not pay attention.’
English Standard Version (ESV)
What's easily missed is that God actively appointed these "watchmen" (prophets) and explicitly instructed them on the message—a trumpet blast of warning. The people's defiant "We will not pay attention" isn't just ignoring advice; it's a direct rebellion against God's appointed messengers and His clear, urgent call to action.
I set watchmen over you, saying, ‘Pay attention to the sound of the trumpet!’ But they said, ‘We will not pay attention.’
English Standard Version (ESV)
God is explaining that He consistently sent prophets, like watchmen on a tower, to warn His people about impending danger and judgment by blowing a metaphorical trumpet. Despite these clear alarms and calls to pay attention, the people stubbornly refused to listen, choosing instead to ignore the warnings and continue in their destructive path.
Ever felt like you're shouting into the wind? God appointed specific people to warn His people, but the warning fell on deaf ears.
God didn't leave His people in ignorance. He actively set 'watchmen' over them – these were the prophets. Their job was like soldiers on a tower, constantly scanning for danger. When they saw trouble coming, they'd blow a trumpet, a loud, unmistakable signal. This wasn't just noise; it was a divine alert system, calling people to attention and urging them to escape impending disaster, whether from an invading army or God's judgment.
Imagine hearing a trumpet blast. It's not a casual sound – it demands immediate action. Why was this specific sound so critical for Jeremiah's audience?
The trumpet's sound was universally understood as a signal of imminent danger and a call to action. In this context, it represented the urgency of God's message delivered through the prophets. It wasn't merely advice; it was a warning of judgment, a call to repent and flee from the destruction that was rapidly approaching. The refusal to 'pay attention to the sound of the trumpet' was a profound act of rebellion, a dismissal of God's grace and a willful march towards disaster.
It's one thing to not hear a warning, but what about when you hear it loud and clear and choose to ignore it?
The stark reality of Jeremiah 6:17 is the people's deliberate and defiant refusal: 'But they said, 'We will not pay attention.'' This wasn't a passive ignorance; it was an active rejection of God's messengers and His warning. Their obstinacy demonstrated a deep-seated rebellion and a preference for their own ways over God's. This 'we will not' attitude is a chilling testament to how hardened hearts can become, choosing spiritual deafness even when the alarm is blaring.
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Understand the original words
tsaphah · Hebrew Noun
A person commissioned by God, often a prophet, to warn the people of impending danger or judgment and to call them to repentance and alertness.
shophar · Hebrew Noun
A symbolic or literal instrument used to sound a warning of impending danger, judgment, or an call to assemble for divine purpose.
Jeremiah's message about watchmen and the trumpet wasn't just about a potential military threat; it was a desperate alarm about the imminent, devastating judgment of God that had already begun with earlier exiles and would culminate in the utter destruction of Jerusalem and its Temple.
c. 722 BC
Fall of Samaria and Assyrian Exile
The Northern Kingdom of Israel falls to the Assyrian Empire, and many Israelites are exiled. This event served as a stark warning to the Southern Kingdom of Judah about the consequences of disobedience.
605 BC
First Deportation to Babylon
Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon conquers Judah, initiating the first wave of exiles, including young nobles like Daniel. This marks the beginning of Judah's vassalage to Babylon.
597 BC
Second Deportation to Babylon
Babylon crushes a Judean revolt and deports more citizens, including King Jehoiachin and the prophet Ezekiel. Judah is left with a puppet king, further tightening Babylon's grip.
586 BC— this verse
Fall of Jerusalem and Temple Destruction
After a prolonged siege and further rebellion, Nebuchadnezzar destroys Jerusalem and its glorious Temple, exiling the majority of the remaining population. This is the ultimate catastrophe Jeremiah prophesied.
c. 586 BC onwards
Exile in Babylon
The Judean people live in exile in Babylon, grappling with their identity and faith far from their homeland and the Temple. Jeremiah's prophecies continue to resonate, offering hope for a future restoration.
This passage also describes watchmen (prophets) being appointed to warn the people, highlighting the divine commission given to those who speak God's word.
Isaiah 58:1Here, God commands the prophet to 'cry aloud; spare not, lift up your voice like a trumpet,' showing how prophetic warnings were meant to be clear and urgent signals.
Amos 3:6This verse uses the trumpet metaphor to show that when disaster strikes, it's not arbitrary, but a consequence of God's warning and the people's failure to heed it.
Luke 10:10-12Jesus speaks of how his disciples will shake the dust off their feet in towns that refuse to listen, echoing the theme of a rejected warning and its consequences for the hearers.
Hebrews 12:25This passage directly warns believers not to refuse the one who is speaking from heaven, connecting the refusal to hear God's message with severe judgment.
clarkeJeremiah 6:17: "Also I set watchmen over you, saying, Hearken to the sound of the trumpet. But they said, We will not hearken."
I set watchmen - I have sent prophets to warn you.
pulpitJeremiah 6:17: "Also I set watchmen over you, saying, Hearken to the sound of the trumpet. But they said, We will not hearken."
Verse 17. - Also I set; rather, and I kept raising up (the frequentative perfect). Watchmen; i.e. prophets (Ezekiel 3:17, and part of Isaiah 52:8; Isaiah 56:10). Hearken, etc. probably the words of Jehovah. Standing on their high watch-tower (Habakkuk 2:1), the prophets scrutinize the horizon for the first appearance of danger, and give warning of it by (metaphorically…
What's easily missed is that God actively appointed these "watchmen" (prophets) and explicitly instructed them on the message—a trumpet blast of warning. The people's defiant "We will not pay attention" isn't just ignoring advice; it's a direct rebellion against God's appointed messengers and His clear, urgent call to action.
God is explaining that He consistently sent prophets, like watchmen on a tower, to warn His people about impending danger and judgment by blowing a metaphorical trumpet. Despite these clear alarms and calls to pay attention, the people stubbornly refused to listen, choosing instead to ignore the warnings and continue in their destructive path.
God is explaining that He consistently sent prophets, like watchmen on a tower, to warn His people about impending danger and judgment by blowing a metaphorical trumpet. Despite these clear alarms and calls to pay attention, the people stubbornly refused to listen, choosing instead to ignore the warnings and continue in their destructive path.
"I set watchmen over you, saying, ‘Pay attention to the sound of the trumpet!’ But they said, ‘We will not pay attention.’" — What's easily missed is that God actively appointed these "watchmen" (prophets) and explicitly instructed them on the message—a trumpet blast of warning. The people's defiant "We will not pay atten…
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Last reviewed October 2026