EasyEnglish Bible 2018
Jeremiah 2:23
23‘You say, “We have not made ourselves unclean. We do not worship the idols of Baal.” But remember what you have done in the valleys. You hurry to find another idol that you can worship. Like a female camel, you cannot control yourselves.
Jeremiah 2:23 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)How canst thou say, I am not polluted, I have not gone after Baalim? see thy way in the valley, know what thou hast done: thou art a swift dromedary traversing her ways;
- New International Version (NIV)“How can you say, ‘I am not defiled; I have not run after the Baals’? See how you behaved in the valley; consider what you have done. You are a swift she-camel running here and there,
- English Standard Version (ESV)How can you say, 'I am not unclean, I have not gone after the Baals'? Look at your way in the valley; know what you have done— a restless young camel running here and there,
- New King James Version (NKJV)“How can you say, ‘I am not polluted, I have not gone after the Baals’? See your way in the valley; Know what you have done: You are a swift dromedary breaking loose in her ways,
Context of Jeremiah 2:23
21I planted you in my land, like the very good seed of a vine. But see how you have changed! You have become like a wild vine. Your grapes are bad and useless. 22You may use strong soap to make yourselves clean. But I still see the dirt of your sins.’ That is what the Almighty Lord says. ‘You say, “We have not made ourselves unclean. We do not worship the idols of Baal.” But remember what you have done in the valleys. You hurry to find another idol that you can worship. Like a female camel, you cannot control yourselves. 24You are like a wild female donkey that lives in the wilderness. She lifts her nose to smell the air. She wants to find a male donkey. Nobody can control her. Male donkeys do not have to chase her. She will come to them to have sex with them. You are like that as you chase after false gods. 25Stop running after them! Your feet will hurt and you will become very thirsty. You say, “Do not try to stop us! We cannot turn back. We love foreign gods and we must serve them!”
Read all of Jeremiah 2Jeremiah 2:23 word by word
אֵ֣יךְ תֹּאמְרִ֞י לֹ֣א נִטְמֵ֗אתִי אַחֲרֵ֤י הַבְּעָלִים֙ לֹ֣א הָלַ֔כְתִּי רְאִ֤י דַרְכֵּךְ֙ בַּגַּ֔יְא דְּעִ֖י מֶ֣ה עָשִׂ֑ית בִּכְרָ֥ה קַלָּ֖ה מְשָׂרֶ֥כֶת דְּרָכֶֽיהָ׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- How canst thou sayאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
- I am not pollutedטָמֵאţâmê' · to defileH2930
- I have not goneהָלַךְhâlak · to go: followH1980
- afterאַחַר'achar · afterH310
- Baalimבַּעַלba‛al · BaalH1168
- seeרָאָהrâ'âh · to see: seeH7200
- thy wayדֶּ֫רֶךְderek · way: journeyH1870
- in the valleyגַּיְאgay' gay · valleyH1516
- knowיָדַעyâda‛ · to knowH3045
- what thou hast doneעָשָׂה‛âώâh · to make: doH6213
- a swiftקַלqal · swiftH7031
- dromedaryבִּכְרָהbikrâh · young camelH1072
- traversingשָׂרַךְώârak · to twistH8308
Cross-references for Jeremiah 2:23
- Jeremiah 2:34You have been cruel to poor people for no reason. Your clothes have their blood on them! They had not robbed you, but you still killed them. You have done all these bad things, but still you say,
- Genesis 3:12The man said, ‘It was the woman that you put here with me. She gave me some fruit from the tree. So I ate it.’
- 1 Samuel 15:13Samuel went and he found Saul. Saul said to Samuel, ‘I pray that the Lord will bless you. I have obeyed the Lord's command.’
- Psalms 36:2He is too proud to think about his sin, so he does not hate it.
- Proverbs 28:13Anyone who hides his sins will never do well. But God will forgive somebody, if he agrees that he has done wrong things, and if he turns away from his sins.
- Proverbs 30:12There are some people who think that they are perfect. But they are still dirty inside.
- Luke 10:29But the man wanted to show that he had been right to ask a question. So he asked, ‘Who are the people near to me that I must love?’
- Romans 3:19So, we know that God's Law belongs to the Jews. God told them to obey everything that his Law teaches. As a result, nobody can say: ‘God should not punish me.’ Everybody in the world must stand in front of God and he will judge them.
- 1 John 1:8If we say that we never do any wrong thing, we are deceiving ourselves. Even though we may think it is true, it is a lie.
- Revelation 3:17You say, ‘I am rich. God has helped me to have many things. I do not need anything more.’ But you do not know how very poor you are really! You are like people who cannot see. You are like people who are without clothes. Really, other people should feel very sorry for you.
- Jeremiah 3:2Look up at the tops of the hills. You have loved other gods on all of them! You sat by the side of the road, and you waited for a lover to come. Like a robber, you waited to catch men so that you could sleep with them. You have not been faithful to me, but you have looked for other gods, like a prostitute. The wicked things that you have done have made the land unclean.
- Psalms 50:21You did all these things, and I said nothing. So you thought that I was as bad as you are. But now I am warning you! I will tell you clearly what you have done wrong.
- Ezekiel 16:1The Lord gave this message to me:
- Ezekiel 23:1The Lord gave this message to me:
- Jeremiah 7:31They have built altars in Topheth, in Ben-Hinnom Valley. On those altars, they light fires to burn their sons and daughters as sacrifices. I never commanded them to do that. I never even thought about it.
- Isaiah 57:5You worship your idols among the big trees, and you have sex at the same time. You kill your children as sacrifices to your false gods. You do that beside streams and in caves among the rocks.
Commentaries on Jeremiah 2:23
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 23See thy way in the valley - The valley of Hinnom, where they offered their own children to Moloch, an idol of the Ammonites. A swift dromedary traversing her ways - Dr. Blayney translates, "A fleet dromedary that hath taken to company with her." Dr. Dahler rather paraphrases, thus: - Semblable a une dromedaire en chaleur, Qui court d'une tote a l'autre. "Like to a dromedary in her desire for the male, Which runs hither and thither." This is an energetic…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 23In their defense of themselves (compare Jeremiah 2:35), the people probably appealed to the maintenance of the daily sacrifice, and the Mosaic ritual: and even more confidently perhaps to Josiah‘s splendid restoration of the temple, and to the suppression of the open worship of Baal. All such pleas availed little as long as the rites of Moloch were still privately practiced. Thy way in the valley - i. e., of Hinnom (see 2 Kings 23:10 note). From the time…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 20-28Verses 20-28 Notwithstanding all their advantages, Israel had become like the wild vine that bears poisonous fruit. Men are often as much under the power of their unbridled desires and their sinful lusts, as the brute beasts. But the Lord here warns them not to weary themselves in pursuits which could only bring distress and misery. As we must not despair of the mercy of God, but believe that to be sufficient for the pardon of our sins, so neither must we…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 23The people denied being Baal worshipers (compare Jeremiah 2:25). Archaeologists have found small plaques depicting Asherah, a female goddess, and a male god resembling Baal. However, the inscriptions on these plaques bear the name of the Lord (Yahweh). Sometimes, Baal worship was disguised as worship of Israel's God.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2323. (Pr 30:12). Baalim--plural, to express manifold excellency: compare Elohim. see--consider. the valley--namely, of Hinnom, or Tophet, south and east of Jerusalem: rendered infamous by the human sacrifices to Moloch in it (compare Jr 19:2, 6, 13, 14; 32:35; see on Is 30:33). thou art--omit. The substantive that follows in this verse (and also that in Jr 2:24) is in apposition with the preceding "thou." dromedary--rather, a "young she-camel."…Read the comment
Topics related to Jeremiah 2:23
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Jeremiah 2
- 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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