Darby Bible
Jeremiah 3:1
1They say, If a man put away his wife, and she go from him, and become another man's, shall he return unto her again? Would not that land be utterly polluted? But thou hast committed fornication with many lovers; yet return to me, saith Jehovah.
Jeremiah 3:1 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)They say, If a man put away his wife, and she go from him, and become another man’s, shall he return unto her again? shall not that land be greatly polluted? but thou hast played the harlot with many lovers; yet return again to me, saith the Lord.
- New International Version (NIV)“If a man divorces his wife and she leaves him and marries another man, should he return to her again? Would not the land be completely defiled? But you have lived as a prostitute with many lovers— would you now return to me?” declares the Lord.
- English Standard Version (ESV)"If a man divorces his wife and she goes from him and becomes another man's wife, will he return to her? Would not that land be greatly polluted? You have played the whore with many lovers; and would you return to me? declares the Lord.
- New King James Version (NKJV)“They say, ‘If a man divorces his wife, And she goes from him And becomes another man’s, May he return to her again?’ Would not that land be greatly polluted? But you have played the harlot with many lovers; Yet return to Me,” says the Lord.
Context of Jeremiah 3:1
They say, If a man put away his wife, and she go from him, and become another man's, shall he return unto her again? Would not that land be utterly polluted? But thou hast committed fornication with many lovers; yet return to me, saith Jehovah. 2Lift up thine eyes unto the heights and see, where hast thou not been lain with? In the ways hast thou sat for them, as an Arab in the wilderness; and thou hast polluted the land with thy fornications and with thy wickedness. 3And the showers have been withholden, and there hath been no latter rain; but thou hast a harlot's forehead, thou refusest to be ashamed.
Read all of Jeremiah 3Jeremiah 3:1 word by word
לֵאמֹ֡ר הֵ֣ן יְשַׁלַּ֣ח אִ֣ישׁ אֶת־אִשְׁתּוֹ֩ וְהָלְכָ֨ה מֵאִתּ֜וֹ וְהָיְתָ֣ה לְאִישׁ־אַחֵ֗ר הֲיָשׁ֤וּב אֵלֶ֙יהָ֙ ע֔וֹד הֲל֛וֹא חָנ֥וֹף תֶּחֱנַ֖ף הָאָ֣רֶץ הַהִ֑יא וְאַ֗תְּ זָנִית֙ רֵעִ֣ים רַבִּ֔ים וְשׁ֥וֹב אֵלַ֖י נְאֻם־יְהֹוָֽה׃Read the interlinear
- sayאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
- manאִישׁ'îysh · manH376
- awayשָׁלַחshâlach · to send: divorceH7971
- wifeאִשָּׁה'ishshâh nâshîym · woman: wifeH802
- goהָלַךְhâlak · to go: wentH1980
- becomeהָיָהhâyâh · to beH1961
- returnשׁוּבshûb · to return: returnH7725
- againעוֹד‛ôd ‛ôd · stillH5750
- landאֶ֫רֶץ'erets · land: country/planetH776
- pollutedחָנֵףchânêph · to polluteH2610
- manyרַבrab · manyH7227
Cross-references for Jeremiah 3:1
- Deuteronomy 24:1When a man taketh a wife, and marrieth her, it shall be if she find no favour in his eyes, because he hath found some unseemly thing in her, that he shall write her a letter of divorce, and give it into her hand, and send her out of his house.
- Jeremiah 3:9And it came to pass through the lightness of her fornication that she polluted the land, and committed adultery with stones and with stocks.
- Jeremiah 2:7And I brought you into a fruitful land, to eat the fruit thereof and the good thereof; and ye entered and defiled my land, and made my heritage an abomination.
- Leviticus 18:24Make not yourselves unclean in any of these things; for in all these have the nations which I am casting out before you made themselves unclean.
- Isaiah 24:5And the land is polluted under the inhabitants thereof; for they have violated the laws, changed the statute, broken the everlasting covenant.
- Micah 2:10Arise ye, and depart; for this is not the resting-place, because of defilement that bringeth destruction, even a grievous destruction.
- Jeremiah 2:20For of old thou hast broken thy yoke, [and] burst thy bands; and thou saidst, I will not serve. For upon every high hill, and under every green tree, thou bowest down, playing the harlot.
- Deuteronomy 22:21then they shall bring out the damsel unto the entrance of her father's house, and the men of her city shall stone her with stones that she die: because she hath wrought infamy in Israel, committing fornication in her father's house; and thou shalt put evil away from thy midst.
- Judges 19:2And his concubine played the whore against him, and went away from him to her father's house to Bethlehem-Judah, and was there some time, — four months.
- Ezekiel 16:26And thou didst commit fornication with the Egyptians thy neighbours, great of flesh; and didst multiply thy whoredom to provoke me to anger.
- Ezekiel 23:4And their names were Oholah the elder, and Oholibah her sister; and they were mine, and they bore sons and daughters. As for their names: Samaria is Oholah, and Jerusalem Oholibah.
- Hosea 1:2The beginning of the word of Jehovah through Hosea. And Jehovah said to Hosea, Go, take unto thee a wife of whoredoms, and children of whoredoms; for the land is entirely given up to whoredom, away from Jehovah.
- Hosea 2:5For their mother hath played the harlot; she that conceived them hath done shamefully: for she said, I will go after my lovers, that give [me] my bread and my water, my wool and my flax, mine oil and my drink.
- Jeremiah 3:12Go and proclaim these words toward the north, and say, Return, thou backsliding Israel, saith Jehovah: I will not make my face dark upon you; for I am merciful, saith Jehovah; I will not keep [anger] for ever.
- Jeremiah 4:1If thou wilt return, O Israel, saith Jehovah, return unto me; and if thou wilt put away thine abominations out of my sight, then shalt thou not be a wanderer;
- Jeremiah 8:4And thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith Jehovah: Do [men] fall, and not rise up? Doth one turn away, and not return?
Commentaries on Jeremiah 3:1
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 1If a man put away his wife - It was ever understood, by the law and practice of the country, that if a woman were divorced by her husband, and became the wife of another man, the first husband could never take her again. Now Israel had been married unto the Lord; joined in solemn covenant to him to worship and serve him only. Israel turned from following him, and became idolatrous. On this ground, considering idolatry as a spiritual whoredom, and the…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 1They say - Or, That is to say. The prophet has completed his survey of Israel‘s conduct, and draws the conclusion that as an adulterous wife could not be taken back by her husband, so Israel has forfeited her part in the covenant with God. Apparently the opening word, which literally means “to say,” only introduces the quotation in the margin. Yet return again to me - Or, “and thinkest thou to return unto me!” The whole argument is not of mercy, but is…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 1Exhortations to repentance. (Jr 3:1-5) Judah more guilty than Israel. (Jr 3:6-11) But pardon is promised. (Jr 3:12-20) The children of Israel express their sorrow and repentance. (Jr 3:21-25) Verses 1-5 In repentance, it is good to think upon the sins of which we have been guilty, and the places and companies where they have been committed. How gently the Lord had corrected them! In receiving penitents, he is God, and not man. Whatever thou hast said or…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 1The law forbade a man from remarrying a woman he had divorced if she married another man afterward (Deuteronomy 24:1–4). A woman with many lovers was even less likely to be accepted back.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1-25Contrary to all precedent in the case of adultery, Jehovah offers a return to Judah, the spiritual adulteress (Jr 3:1-5). A new portion of the book, ending with the sixth chapter. Judah worse than Israel; yet both shall be restored in the last days (Jr 3:6-25). 1. They say--rather, as Hebrew, "saying," in agreement with "the Lord"; Jr 2:37 of last chapter [Maurer]. Or, it is equivalent to, "Suppose this case." Some copyist may have omitted, "The word of…Read the comment
Topics related to Jeremiah 3:1
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Jeremiah 3
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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