ירמיהו, פרק מ״ב, פסוק כ״א

A prophet's message requires a willing audience, but sometimes the rejection of God's direction happens long before the message is fully delivered. Jeremiah confronts the people with their stubborn refusal to obey God, a confrontation that occurs even before he has finished speaking. This creates a puzzling situation, as he accuses them of not listening while his prophecy is still ongoing and before they have offered any official response.

However, the prophet does not need to wait for a verbal reply. By simply observing their facial expressions and behavior, Jeremiah recognizes that their minds are already firmly made up. They have no genuine interest in hearing what he has to say. Their choice to travel down to Egypt was decided in advance, completely independent of whatever prophecy he might share with them [רד״ק, חומת אנך].

This immediate rejection is not an isolated event but rather part of a deeply ingrained pattern of behavior. Just as the people ignored his guidance in the past throughout his entire mission, they are repeating the exact same behavior now [מצודת דוד]. Their continuous refusal to accept prophetic guidance and act upon it is ultimately a foolish choice, a stubborn path that will bring them absolutely no benefit [מלבי״ם].