7:2 the gate of the house of Yahweh A high traffic area. Jeremiah’s audience would be everyone coming and going from the temple for worship or sacrifice.

7:3 Yahweh of hosts A title identifying God as leader of the heavenly armies—and also ultimately in authority over earthly armies. See note on 6:6.

Make your ways and your deeds good The Hebrew phrase here literally means “make good” or “make right.” The essence of the message is their need to change their behavior and their attitude.

let me dwell with you in this place Reflects the conditional nature of the covenant between Yahweh and the Israelites: They possessed the land as long as they kept the covenant law (see Deut 28; Lev 26).

7:4 deceitful words Popular sentiment was that Yahweh’s continued presence in the temple guaranteed the protection of Jerusalem. The city’s deliverance from Assyria in 701 bc (see 2 Kgs 18:13–19:37) likely intensified this belief in Yahweh’s special concern for His temple and Jerusalem.

The temple of Yahweh The repetition might reflect a liturgical formula, a protective incantation, or an emphatic declaration.

7:6 the alien, the orphan, and the widow Symbolic of the most vulnerable of society. Compare Deut 24:17. See note on Exod 22:21–27.

7:9 Will you steal? Will you murder? And will you commit adultery? And will you swear falsely? And will you make a smoke offering to the Baal? And will you go after other gods whom you have not known? The accusations reflect behaviors prohibited in the Ten Commandments. See Deut 5:6–21.

7:10 these detestable things The Hebrew word can refer to anything offensive but often indicates something that offends Yahweh’s sense of holiness. See note on Jer 6:15.

this house The temple.

7:11 a cave of robbers Alludes to the stealing noted in v. 9. This phrase is used in the Gospels to highlight the injustice taking place in the temple (see Matt 21:13). Jesus quotes Isa 56:7 and Jer 7:11.

7:12 Shiloh, where I caused my name to dwell Shiloh was located in the hill country of Ephraim, north of Bethel. It was the main religious center for Israel before the monarchy.

see what I did to it The religious center at Shiloh apparently was overrun after the Battle of Aphek (1 Sam 4:1–11), when the Philistines defeated Israel and captured the ark of the covenant. The disaster is portrayed as judgment against the priestly family of Eli for failing to properly carry out their responsibilities toward Yahweh (1 Sam 3:10–15).

7:15 just as I cast out all of your blood relatives Judah would experience the same fate as the northern kingdom of Israel. See 2 Kgs 17:6. Judah’s survival of the Assyrian threat after Israel had fallen may have given them a false sense of confidence in the inviolability of their city as the legitimate place of Yahweh’s dwelling.

7:16 you must not pray for this people Praying to God on behalf of others was a common part of a prophet’s ministry. See Gen 20:7; Num 21:7; 1 Sam 12:19.

7:18 The children are gathering wood Idol-worship is a family affair, as children, father, and mother are all involved. They likely practice Canaanite fertility rituals designed to invoke divine blessing on their crops to produce a good harvest.

make sacrificial cakes for the queen of heaven The Hebrew word used here, kawwanim, is borrowed from the ancient Akkadian language; it refers to a cake used in the worship of the goddess Ishtar. The term is used only by Jeremiah here and in Jer 44:19.

7:19 the shame of their faces Compare Jer 3:25; 51:51.

7:21 Add your burnt offerings to your sacrifices See 6:20 and note. The multiplication of sacrifices is pointless without an attitude of obedience. The point of sacrifices was not the mechanical manipulation of God through ritual but faithfulness to Yahweh demonstrated by obedience.

7:23 Obey my voice See Exod 15:26. Prior to Yahweh giving Israel the law in Exod 20, He had simply commanded their obedience.

7:25 all my servants the prophets Jeremiah is the latest of a long tradition of prophets whom Yahweh sent to warn Israel to turn back to Him.

7:26 they did more evil than their ancestors The history of Israel is succinctly described as one of continual decline and disobedience. Despite the occasional renewals of righteousness, the overall trajectory was continually away from Yahweh.

7:28 they have not accepted discipline Compare Jer 2:20.

7:29 Shear your hair A sign of mourning. See Job 1:20; Mic 1:16.

7:30 their abominations Manasseh had placed Canaanite idols and altars in the temple (see 2 Kgs 21:2–7). Josiah destroyed all of them during his religious reforms (see 2 Kgs 23:4–20).

house that is called by my name The temple. Compare Jer 7:10.

7:31 Valley of Ben Hinnom This site of ritual child sacrifice also is mentioned in ch. 19 and 2 Kgs 23:10. Also called “Gehenna,” the valley curved along the south and west sides of Jerusalem (see Josh 15:8 and note). In literature from the Second Temple period, including the nt, this valley represents the site of the future, final eschatological judgment on the wicked.

7:32 the Valley of the Slaughter The valley where the people of Judah massacred their children in defiance of Yahweh will be the site of their massacre in judgment.

7:33 food for the birds of the heavens Part of the curse for breaking the covenant (see Deut 28:26).