Jeremiah 2:31

Jeremiah 2:31 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)O generation, see ye the word of the Lord. Have I been a wilderness unto Israel? a land of darkness? wherefore say my people, We are lords; we will come no more unto thee?
• New International Version (NIV)“You of this generation, consider the word of the Lord: “Have I been a desert to Israel or a land of great darkness? Why do my people say, ‘We are free to roam; we will come to you no more’?
• English Standard Version (ESV)And you, O generation, behold the word of the Lord. Have I been a wilderness to Israel, or a land of thick darkness? Why then do my people say, 'We are free, we will come no more to you'?
• New King James Version (NKJV)“O generation, see the word of the Lord! Have I been a wilderness to Israel, Or a land of darkness? Why do My people say, ‘We are lords; We will come no more to You’?

Context of Jeremiah 2:31

29You cannot argue against me. You have all turned against me.’ That is what the Lord says. 30‘When I punished your people, they did not change how they lived. When I sent my prophets to you, you killed them as if you were a hungry lion.’ Listen to the Lord's message, you people who are alive today: ‘People of Israel, why do you not trust me? Have I become like a desert for you? Have I become a dark and dangerous land for you to live in? No! But you say, “We are free to go where we like. We do not need to serve you any more.” 32A young woman does not forget to wear her jewels. When a woman marries, she does not forget to wear her special dress. But for many years, my people have forgotten me. 33You are very clever. You can always find someone to love. Even prostitutes could learn something from you!

Jeremiah 2:31 word by word

הַדּ֗וֹר אַתֶּם֙ רְא֣וּ דְבַר־יְהוָ֔ה הֲמִדְבָּ֤ר הָיִ֙יתִי֙ לְיִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל אִ֛ם אֶ֥רֶץ מַאְפֵּ֖לְיָ֑ה מַדּ֜וּעַ אָמְר֤וּ עַמִּי֙ רַ֔דְנוּ לֽוֹא־נָב֥וֹא ע֖וֹד אֵלֶֽיךָ׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• O generationדּוֹרdôr dôr · generationH1755
• seeרָאָהrâ'âh · to see: behold!H7200
• ye the wordדָּבָרdâbâr · wordH1697
• of the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
• Have I been a wildernessמִדְבָּרmidbâr · wildernessH4057
• unto Israelיִשְׂרָאֵלyiώrâ'êl · IsraelH3478
• a landאֶ֫רֶץ'erets · land: country/planetH776
• of darknessמַאְפֵּלְיָהma'ăphêleyâh · darknessH3991
• wherefore sayאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
• my peopleעַם‛am · peopleH5971
• We are lordsרוּדrûd · to roamH7300
• we will comeבּוֹאbô' · to come (in): comeH935

Cross-references for Jeremiah 2:31

• Amos 1:1Amos was one of the shepherds who lived in the town of Tekoa. God spoke to him. He showed Amos the things that would happen to the people of Israel. God did that two years before the earthquake came. It was during the time that Uzziah was the king of Judah, and Joash's son, Jeroboam, was the king of Israel. This book tells about the message that Amos received from God.
• Micah 6:9The Lord shouts to the people in the city of Jerusalem. So it is good for us to listen carefully to what he says. ‘Listen to me, because I have the authority to punish you,’ God says.
• Jeremiah 2:5This is the Lord's message to you: ‘I had done nothing wrong against your ancestors, but they turned away from me. Instead, they worshipped useless idols. So they themselves became useless.
• 2 Samuel 12:7Then Nathan said to David, ‘You are that man! This is what the Lord, Israel's God, says: “I chose you as king to rule over Israel. I saved you from Saul's power.
• 2 Chronicles 31:10The leader of the priests, Azariah from Zadok's clan, said, ‘The people have brought a lot of gifts to the Lord's temple. Since they started to do that, we have had enough food to eat. There has been a lot more food than we need. The Lord has blessed his people, so we still have all this extra food.’
• Nehemiah 9:21During 40 years you took care of them in the desert. Their clothes did not spoil. Their feet did not become big with pain.
• Hosea 2:7She will run after her lovers, but she will not catch them. She will look for them, but she will not find them. Then she will say, ‘Now I will return to my husband, as before. Life was better for me then than it is now.’
• Malachi 3:9Yes, all of you are robbing me. The whole nation of Israel is guilty. So you will receive the punishment of a curse.
• Deuteronomy 8:12When you are living in the land, you will have plenty of food to eat. You will build beautiful houses to live in.
• Deuteronomy 31:20I will take them into this land, where there is plenty of food and drink, enough for everyone. It is the land that I promised to give to their ancestors. When they live there, they will eat as much food as they want. They will be fat and healthy. But then they will start to worship other gods. They will turn against me. They will not obey the covenant that I made with them.
• Deuteronomy 32:15The Israelites became rich and fat. They turned against God. They were full of good food, but they turned away from God. He was the one who made them. He was the strong Rock who kept them safe. But they no longer respected him.
• Psalms 10:4Wicked people are too proud to worry about God. They think, ‘God will not give me any trouble.’
• Psalms 12:4They say: ‘Nobody can tell us what to do! We will say what we like to get what we want!’
• Proverbs 30:9If I have more than enough, I might say that I do not know you. I might say, ‘Who is the Lord?’ But if I am poor, I might rob people. That would insult my God's good name.
• Hosea 13:6I gave food to my people, so that they were not hungry. But when they had enough to eat, they became proud. As a result, they forgot about me.
• 1 Corinthians 4:8You already have everything that you need, do you? You think that you are very rich already! You are ready to rule as kings. You no longer need us to help you. I think it would be good if you had really become kings. Then we could also rule together with you!

Commentaries on Jeremiah 2:31

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 31Have I been a wilderness unto Israel? - Have I ever withheld from you any of the blessings necessary for your support? A land of darkness - Have you, since you passed through the wilderness, and came out of the darkness of Egypt, ever been brought into similar circumstances? You have had food and all the necessaries of life for your bodies; and my ordinances and word to enlighten and cheer your souls. I have neither been a wilderness nor a land of…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 31Or, “O generation” that ye are! An exclamation Of indignation at their hardened resistance to God. A land of darkness - This word is written in Hebrew with two accents, as being a compound, signifying not merely darkness, but the darkness of Yahweh, i. e., very great darkness. We are lords - Others render it: We rove about, wander about at our will, go where we like.Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 29-37Verses 29-37 The nation had not been wrought upon by the judgements of God, but sought to justify themselves. The world is, to those who make it their home and their portion, a wilderness and a land of darkness; but those who dwell in God, have the lines fallen to them in pleasant places. Here is the language of presumptuous sinners. The Jews had long thrown off serious thoughts of God. How many days of our lives pass without suitable remembrance of him!…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 31The Lord's anger became a plea. He asked why the Israelites saw life in obedience to him as a barren wasteland of death and lack (Numbers 21:5), filled with evil and the fear of darkness (Job 24:17; 1 John 1:5–6).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 3131. The Hebrew collocation is, "O, the generation, ye," that is, "O ye who now live." The generation needed only to be named, to call its degeneracy to view, so palpable was it. wilderness--in which all the necessaries of life are wanting. On the contrary, Jehovah was a never-failing source of supply for all Israel's wants in the wilderness, and afterwards in Canaan. darkness--literally, "darkness of Jehovah," the strongest Hebrew term for "darkness; the…Read the comment

Topics related to Jeremiah 2:31

• Backsliders
• Church
• Infidelity
• Ingratitude

In the dictionaries

• Israel
• Israel, Israelites
• Jacob, Israel
• Attire
• Bitter
• Cry
• Degenerate
• Handle
• Hold
• Holiness

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