Jeremiah 7:28-29
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The verse highlights that "truth" here doesn't just mean factual correctness, but a deeper sense of faithfulness and integrity. It's not just that they lie, but that their very moral compass and commitment to God have collapsed, leaving their words empty of genuine loyalty.
And you shall say to them, ‘This is the nation that did not obey the voice of the LORD their God, and did not accept discipline; truth has perished; it is cut off from their lips. “‘Cut off your hair and cast it away; raise a lamentation on the bare heights, for the LORD has rejected and forsaken the generation of his wrath.’
English Standard Version (ESV)
Jeremiah has just delivered a scathing message from God to the people gathered at the temple, essentially telling them their religious rituals mean nothing without obedience. This verse is the prophet's direct pronouncement of their spiritual condition, explaining why God's judgment is coming. It serves as a summary of their persistent rejection of God's commands and His warnings throughout history, leaving no doubt that truth itself has become foreign to them.
Jeremiah's message is blunt: this isn't just a group of people, but a specific, identified nation. What makes them so uniquely defined by their disobedience?
Jeremiah is tasked with delivering a harsh diagnosis of Israel. The phrase 'the nation' (instead of 'a nation') highlights their unique status and failure. God had set them apart, revealing Himself to them in ways no other people experienced.
A Chosen People's Failure
The verse makes a startling claim: 'truth has perished.' What does it mean for truth itself to be gone, and how does this connect to their lips?
The core of Israel's failure wasn't just a lack of action, but a fundamental decay of truth within them. This decay had a devastating impact on their speech and their relationship with God.
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The Death of Truth
Understand the original words
YHWH · Hebrew Noun
Yahweh, the covenant-keeping God of Israel who revealed Himself to Moses at the burning bush.
musar · Hebrew Noun
Refers to correction or instruction, often involving chastisement or training, which God provides to guide His people back to righteousness.
'emunah · Hebrew Noun
Refers to faithfulness, reliability, and integrity; in a theological sense, it is the standard of God's truth to which His people are called to conform.
qinah · Hebrew Noun
A ritual act of mourning, often signaling profound grief, repentance, or the loss of divine favor; in this context, it signifies national judgment.
ma'as · Hebrew Verb
Used in prophetic contexts to describe the divine termination of a covenant relationship or the withdrawal of God's presence from those who persistently rebel.
Jeremiah's words in this verse come during a period of escalating crisis for Judah, culminating in the destruction of Jerusalem. The prophecy highlights that this disaster is not a sudden act of God, but the direct result of a long-standing national pattern of rejecting God's voice and His truth.
c. 722 BC
Fall of the Northern Kingdom of Israel
The Assyrian Empire conquers the Northern Kingdom of Israel, exiling many of its inhabitants. This event served as a stark warning to the Southern Kingdom of Judah about the consequences of disobedience to God.
626 BC
Jeremiah Begins Prophetic Ministry
Jeremiah is called by God to prophesy to Judah. His ministry spans several decades, witnessing the final decline and fall of Jerusalem.
c. 612 BC
Fall of Nineveh
The Assyrian Empire, Judah's former oppressor, falls to the Babylonians and Medes. This shifts the geopolitical landscape, increasing Babylonian dominance.
609 BC
Josiah's Death in Battle
King Josiah, a righteous ruler, is killed fighting the Egyptians. His death plunges Judah into political instability and spiritual decline.
605 BC
First Deportation to Babylon
Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon conquers Judah and begins deporting its elite, including young men like Daniel, to Babylon. This marks the beginning of Judah's exile.
597 BC
Second Deportation to Babylon
Following a revolt, Nebuchadnezzar deports more of Judah's population and leadership, including the prophet Ezekiel and King Jehoiachin. This deepens the crisis.
587/586 BC— this verse
Destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple
Nebuchadnezzar completely destroys Jerusalem and its Temple, ending the Davidic monarchy and exiling the remaining population. This is the ultimate consequence of Judah's persistent disobedience and rejection of God's truth.
This passage echoes Jeremiah 7:28 by describing a people who have rejected God's voice and embraced falsehood, highlighting the pervasive nature of disobedience and the perishing of truth within the nation.
Hosea 4:1This verse presents a similar theme of a nation that lacks knowledge and truth, connecting directly to Jeremiah 7:28's depiction of truth perishing and a people refusing God's instruction.
Proverbs 1:29-30This proverb describes the consequences of refusing instruction and God's counsel, mirroring the 'not receiveth correction' aspect of Jeremiah 7:28 and showing the spiritual blindness that results from such rejection.
Romans 1:28Paul describes a similar state of spiritual rebellion where people reject God and are given over to a depraved mind, resonating with Jeremiah 7:28's portrayal of a nation that disobeys God and lacks truth.
2 Timothy 4:3-4This passage warns of a future time when people will not endure sound teaching but will turn away to myths, reflecting the persistent human tendency described in Jeremiah 7:28 to reject truth and discipline.
pulpitJeremiah 7:28: "But thou shalt say unto them, This is a nation that obeyeth not the voice of the LORD their God, nor receiveth correction: truth is perished, and is cut off from their mouth."
Verse 28. - But thou shalt say; rather, thou shalt therefore say. A nation; rather, the nation. "What one nation in the earth is like thy people, even like Israel, whom God went to redeem for a people to him-serf?" (2 Samuel 7:23). And yet "this is the nation that have not hearkened," etc. Truth; rather, g…
cambridgeJeremiah 7:28: "But thou shalt say unto them, This is a nation that obeyeth not the voice of the LORD their God, nor receiveth correction: truth is perished, and is cut off from their mouth."
28 . the nation ] conspicuous for their disobedience. Cp. Psalm 12:4 . truth ] mg. faithfulness . See on ch. Jeremiah 5:3 . 29–8:3 . See introd. note on the section. The verbs and pronoun are fem. in the original, shewing that E.VV. are right in giving them a collective sense, and inserting “O Jerusalem.”…
The verse highlights that "truth" here doesn't just mean factual correctness, but a deeper sense of faithfulness and integrity. It's not just that they lie, but that their very moral compass and commitment to God have collapsed, leaving their words empty of genuine loyalty.
Jeremiah has just delivered a scathing message from God to the people gathered at the temple, essentially telling them their religious rituals mean nothing without obedience. This verse is the prophet's direct pronouncement of their spiritual condition, explaining why God's judgment is coming. It serves as a summary of their persistent rejection of God's commands and His warnings throughout history, leaving no doubt that truth itself has become foreign to them.
Jeremiah has just delivered a scathing message from God to the people gathered at the temple, essentially telling them their religious rituals mean nothing without obedience. This verse is the prophet's direct pronouncement of their spiritual condition, explaining why God's judgment is coming. It serves as a summary of their persistent rejection of God's commands and His warnings throughout history, leaving no doubt that truth itself has become foreign to them.
"And you shall say to them, ‘This is the nation that did not obey the voice of the LORD their God, and did not accept discipline; truth has perished; it is cut off from their lips. “‘Cut off your hair and cast it away; raise a lamen…" — The verse highlights that "truth" here doesn't just mean factual correctness, but a deeper sense of faithfulness and integrity. It's not just that they lie, but that their very moral compass and comm…
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Last reviewed October 2026
