Jeremiah 7:1

The word that came. This expression, occurring frequently in Jeremiah (chs. 11:1; 18:1; 21:1; 25:1; 30:1; 32:1; 34:1; 35:1; 40:1; 44:1), introduces one of the prophet’s most striking prophetic sermons. The substance of this sermon is recorded for the most part in chs. 7–10. The sermon was given at the gate (ch. 7:2) of the Temple, and is often called “the Temple Discourse.” It condemned the false confidence that the Jews had in their Temple and in the externals of religion. The similarity of ch. 7 to ch. 26 has led some to the conclusion that the latter is a summary of the sermon, designed to describe the results that came to Jeremiah because he delivered the message. If this be so, the sermon was given “in the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim” (ch. 26:1). It is of course possible that Jeremiah later repeated the essence of this sermon in “the cities of Judah” (ch. 11:6).