Jer 7:21-23 | NETfull | STEP | The Lord said to the people of Judah, “The Lord God of Israel who rules over all says: ‘You might as well go ahead and add the meat of your burnt offerings to that of the other sacrifices and eat it, too!

Jeremiah 7:21-23

21 The Lord said to the people of Judah, ^{▼▼ The words “The Lord said to the people of Judah” are not in the text but are implicit in the shift in addressee between vv. 16–20 and vv. 21–26.} “The Lord God of Israel who rules over all ^{▼▼ Heb “Yahweh of armies, the God of Israel.”} ^{▼▼ See the study notes on 2:19 and 7:3.} says: ‘You might as well go ahead and add the meat of your burnt offerings to that of the other sacrifices and eat it, too! ^{▼▼ Heb “Add your burnt offerings to your [other] sacrifices and eat the meat!” See the following [S] for explanation. This is an example of the rhetorical use of the imperative for a sarcastic challenge. Cf. GKC 324 #110.a; cf. Amos 4:4, “Go to Bethel and sin!”} ^{▼▼ All of the burnt offering, including the meat, was to be consumed on the altar (e.g., Lev 1:6–9). The meat of the other sacrifices could be eaten by the priest who offered the sacrifice and the person who brought it (e.g., Lev 7:16–18, 32). Since, however, the people of Judah were making a mockery of the sacrificial system by offering sacrifices while disobeying the law, the Lord rejected the sacrifices (cf. 6:20). Since they were violating the moral law they might as well go ahead and violate the cultic law by eating the meat dedicated to God because he rejected it anyway.} 22 Consider this: ^{▼▼ Heb “For” but this introduces a long explanation about the relative importance of sacrifice and obedience.} When I spoke to your ancestors after I brought them out of Egypt, I did not merely give them commands about burnt offerings and sacrifices. 23 I also explicitly commanded them: ^{▼▼ Verses 22–23a read in Hebrew, “I did not speak with your ancestors and I did not command them when I brought them out of Egypt about words/matters concerning burnt offering and sacrifice, but I commanded them this word:” Some modern commentators have explained this passage as an evidence for the lateness of the Pentateuchal instruction regarding sacrifice or a denial that sacrifice was practiced during the period of the wilderness wandering. However, it is better explained as an example of what R. de Vaux calls a dialectical negative, i.e., “not so much this as that” or “not this without that” (Ancient Israel, 454–56). For other examples of this same argument see Isa 1:10–17; Hos 6:4–6; Amos 5:21–25.} “Obey me. If you do, I ^{▼▼ Heb “Obey me and I will be.” The translation is equivalent syntactically but brings out the emphasis in the command.} will be your God and you will be my people. Live exactly the way I tell you ^{▼▼ Heb “Walk in all the way that I command you.”} and things will go well with you.”