“Also I set watchmen over you, saying, Hearken to the sound of the trumpet. But they said, We will not hearken.”
My Notes
What Does Jeremiah 6:17 Mean?
"Also I set watchmen over you, saying, Hearken to the sound of the trumpet. But they said, We will not hearken." God placed watchmen — prophets, warning voices, alarm-sounders — over Judah and commanded them to LISTEN to the trumpet. The trumpet announces danger. The watchmen relay the warning. But Judah's response is categorical: 'We will NOT hearken.' The refusal is complete and deliberate. The warning was given. The warning was refused.
The phrase "I set watchmen over you" (haqimoti aleykhem tsophim — I established over you watchers) means the warning system was DIVINELY installed: God didn't just send occasional prophets. He ESTABLISHED a system of watchers — a permanent infrastructure of warning. The watchmen were God's design, not human initiative. The early warning system was built by God.
The "we will not hearken" (lo naqshiv — we will not attend, we will not listen) is the most devastating response: not 'we didn't hear' (ignorance), not 'we couldn't hear' (inability), but 'we WILL NOT hear' (refusal). The decision is made. The ears are deliberately closed. The warning is consciously rejected. The refusal is the sin.
Reflection Questions
- 1.What trumpet is blowing in your life right now — and are you listening or refusing?
- 2.What does God establishing the warning system (not just sending a prophet) teach about His commitment to preventing disaster?
- 3.How does 'we will NOT hearken' — deliberate refusal, not inability — describe your response to warnings?
- 4.What watchman in your life are you ignoring — and what danger are they trying to warn you about?
Devotional
God set up watchmen. God installed an alarm system. God said: listen to the trumpet. And the people said: we won't listen. The warning was divine. The system was God-designed. The refusal was human. The tragedy is complete.
The 'I set watchmen' means the warning system was God's initiative: God didn't just hope people would notice the danger. He ESTABLISHED watchers — prophets, teachers, voices of warning stationed specifically to sound the alarm. The watchmen were God's infrastructure. The trumpet was God's alarm. The system was comprehensive, intentional, and divinely designed to prevent the disaster.
The 'hearken to the sound of the trumpet' is the single requirement: listen. That's all. The trumpet is blowing. The watchmen are shouting. The danger is approaching. The only thing required of Judah is LISTENING. Not fighting. Not building. Not solving. Listening. Hearing the alarm and responding. The requirement is minimal. The refusal is total.
The 'we will not hearken' is willful deafness — the deliberate closure of ears that could hear: this isn't 'we didn't know.' It isn't 'we couldn't tell.' It's 'we WILL NOT.' The verb is volitional. The refusal is chosen. The ears that God designed to hear the trumpet are deliberately shut against it. The warning system works perfectly. The hearers refuse perfectly.
What trumpet is God's watchman blowing in your life — and are you listening or refusing?
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
Also I set watchmen over you,.... That is, prophets, as Jarchi; true prophets, as Kimchi; such an one was Ezekiel, Jer…
Watchmen - The prophets Isa 52:8. The second of the trumpet - This was the signal for flight Jer 6:1; Amo 3:6. Similarly…
The heads of this paragraph are the very same with those of the last; for precept must be upon precept and line upon…
I set " I ever raised up," Dr. See on Jer 6:6.
watchmen the prophets; so Eze 3:17; Eze 33:7.
the sound of the trumpet…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture