King James Version

Jeremiah 6:16

"Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein."

Read Jeremiah 6 in context →

Passage study

Why does the invitation to the old paths end with a refusal?

Original notes prepared with AI assistance · 2026-10-05 · Owner approved for publication

Begin with Jeremiah 6:13–20. The notes below distinguish observations in the passage from comparisons to test.

Jeremiah 6:16 is set inside a warning, not a celebration of the past. Verses 13–15 describe greed, false dealing, and reassurance about peace when there is no peace. Against that background, the LORD calls the people to stop, ask for the good way, and walk in it. The promise of rest is followed by their answer: they will not walk there.

Verse 17 repeats the pattern: watchmen give a warning, and the people refuse to listen. Verse 19 connects the coming judgment with their rejection of the LORD’s words and law. Within this chapter, asking for the old paths is therefore a question about obedience. The age of a practice alone does not establish that it is the good way described here. Notice the verbs: standing and asking lead toward walking, not merely admiring an earlier time.

Why compare these passages?

These two selections have an explained purpose. The imported links that follow have their own source ordering.

Jeremiah 18:15–17
The same book links forgetting God and burning incense to vanity with stumbling away from ancient paths. This is a close comparison for the path imagery and the failure to remain faithful.
Keep the settings distinct: Jeremiah 18 describes the departure and its consequences; Jeremiah 6 includes an invitation that the hearers refuse.
Matthew 11:28–30
Jesus invites burdened people to come to him, take his yoke, and learn from him. Verse 29 includes rest for souls, so the link invites comparison between rest and a response to an invitation.
Keep the settings distinct: Matthew’s speaker, audience, and invitation differ from Jeremiah’s warning. Shared language about rest is useful to compare; it does not by itself prove that the two passages make the same promise in the same circumstances.

A reading to avoid

Quoting only the promise of rest leaves out the people’s refusal. Using old paths to defend any inherited custom also skips the chapter’s test: whether people listen to the LORD’s words and walk in the good way.

Try the reading yourself

How does the answer at the end of verse 16 change the way you understand its invitation?

Read Jeremiah 6:13–20. List the invitations and the responses beside them. Then compare 18:15–17 and explain why a familiar path could still be the wrong path.

Source: the linked KJV passages. These notes offer a reading, not a ruling on doctrine. How the notes are prepared · Suggest a correction

Study guide
When a Cross-Reference Seems Unclear
A method for testing a shared phrase about rest without merging two different settings.

Linked passages (10 shown)

Up to ten source links are retained per verse. Their order follows source votes, not a judgment about meaning. How the links were collected

Isaiah 30:21
"And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left."
Read in chapter →
Deuteronomy 32:7
"Remember the days of old, consider the years of many generations: ask thy father, and he will shew thee; thy elders, and they will tell thee."
Read in chapter →
Jeremiah 18:15
"Because my people hath forgotten me, they have burned incense to vanity, and they have caused them to stumble in their ways from the ancient paths, to walk in paths, in a way not cast up;"
Read in chapter →
Matthew 11:28
"Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest."
Read in chapter →
Jeremiah 7:23
"But this thing commanded I them, saying, Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and ye shall be my people: and walk ye in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well unto you."
Read in chapter →
Colossians 2:6
"As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him:"
Read in chapter →
Isaiah 2:5
"O house of Jacob, come ye, and let us walk in the light of the LORD."
Read in chapter →
Jeremiah 18:12
"And they said, There is no hope: but we will walk after our own devices, and we will every one do the imagination of his evil heart."
Read in chapter →
John 12:35
"Then Jesus said unto them, Yet a little while is the light with you. Walk while ye have the light, lest darkness come upon you: for he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth."
Read in chapter →
Jeremiah 22:21
"I spake unto thee in thy prosperity; but thou saidst, I will not hear. This hath been thy manner from thy youth, that thou obeyedst not my voice."
Read in chapter →

Keep your study moving

What would you like to do next?

Read the chapter, compare a link, and keep a short note about what you observe. Your saved and recent passages stay only in this browser.

1. Read in context →Open the full chapter 2. Compare passages →Use the Parallel Engine 3. Return to your list →Saved and recent passages 4. Open the study guide →Check a linked verse in context

Follow the 15-minute study path with Jeremiah 6:16 →Add to trail →