EasyEnglish Bible 2018
Jeremiah 3:1
1The Lord says this: ‘If a man sends his wife away, she may leave him and marry another man. Then her first husband may not take her as his wife again. That would be a sin against the land where you live. But you have left me to live with other gods. You have lived like a prostitute, but you still think that you can return to me.
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
The Lord says this: ‘If a man sends his wife away, she may leave him and marry another man. Then her first husband may not take her as his wife again. That would be a sin against the land where you live. But you have left me to live with other gods. You have lived like a prostitute, but you still think that you can return to me. 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. 3That is why I have not sent any rain on your land. Even the spring rains have not come. But you still live like a proud prostitute. You refuse to be ashamed of what you have done.
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
Words taken from the KJV.
- They sayאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
- If a manאִישׁ'îysh · manH376
- put awayשָׁלַחshâlach · to send: divorceH7971
- his wifeאִשָּׁה'ishshâh nâshîym · woman: wifeH802
- and she goהָלַךְhâlak · to go: wentH1980
- from him, and become anotherאַחֵר'achêr · anotherH312
- shall he return unto her againשׁוּבshûb · to return: returnH7725
- shall not that landאֶ֫רֶץ'erets · land: country/planetH776
- be greatlyחָנֵףchânêph · to polluteH2610
- but thou hast played the harlotזָנָהzânâh · to fornicateH2181
- with manyרַבrab · manyH7227
- loversרֵעַrêa‛ rêya‛ · neighborH7453
- to me, saithנְאֻםne'ûm · utteranceH5002
- the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
Cross-references for Jeremiah 3:1
- Deuteronomy 24:1Perhaps a man will marry a woman and then he discovers something that brings shame on her. So she does not please him any more. He must write a letter to say that they are no longer married. He gives the letter to his wife. Then he can send her away from his house.
- Jeremiah 3:9She was not ashamed of what she was doing. She worshipped idols made of wood and stone. She made the land unclean because she was not faithful to me.
- Jeremiah 2:7But I, the Lord, brought you to a good land. It was a place where fruit grew on trees. You could eat all those good things, as well as the crops that you grew there. You came into the land that I had promised to give to you. But you spoiled it with your sins. You made it a disgusting place.
- Leviticus 18:24Do not do any of these things. They would make you unclean. The people who live in Canaan do these things. It made them unclean. God will send those people out of their country.
- Isaiah 24:5The people who live on the earth have caused it to become unclean. They have not obeyed God's laws. They have turned against his teaching. They have not obeyed the covenant that God made with them for ever.
- Micah 2:10Get up and go away! You cannot remain in this place because you have made it bad. It is so bad that it will completely destroy you.
- Jeremiah 2:20‘A long time ago, you stopped obeying me. You refused to accept my authority. You said, “I will not serve you!” Instead, you go up on the hills to worship other gods. You lie down under the green trees, and you live like prostitutes.
- Deuteronomy 22:21If so, the leaders must take her to the entrance of her father's house. The men of the town must throw stones at her there, until she dies. She has done a very bad thing that brings shame on Israel. She has had sex like a prostitute while she lived in her father's house. You must remove evil acts like this from among you.
- Judges 19:2But she became angry with him. She left him and she returned to her father's house in Bethlehem. After she had been there four months,
- Ezekiel 16:26You had sex with the Egyptians, who lived near to you. They were ready to have sex with you at any time. So you lived as a prostitute more and more and you made me very angry.
- Ezekiel 23:4The older sister was called Oholah. The younger one was called Oholibah. In this story, Oholah is Samaria. Oholibah is Jerusalem. They became my wives, and later they gave birth to sons and daughters for me.
- Hosea 1:2The Lord began to speak to Hosea with a message for his people. The Lord said to Hosea, ‘Go and marry a prostitute. She will give birth to children for you, as a prostitute. That will show how my people have not been faithful to me. They have turned away from me, the Lord, and they have served other gods.’
- Hosea 2:5Yes, their mother has lived as a prostitute. She became pregnant because she had sex with other men instead of with her husband. She should be ashamed. She herself said, ‘I will go and sleep with my lovers. They give me food and water. They give me wool, linen, olive oil and wine.’
- Jeremiah 3:12Go now. Shout this message to my people in the north: “You people of Israel have not been faithful to me. But now return to me,” says the Lord. “I will not always turn away from you. I am kind and I forgive people. I will not be angry with you for ever,” says the Lord.
- Jeremiah 4:1The Lord says this: ‘People of Israel, you should return to me. If you want to do that, you must throw away your idols. Remove those disgusting things and do not turn away from me again.
- Jeremiah 8:4‘Jeremiah, tell the people that this is what I, the Lord, say to them: When people fall down, they get up again. When people realize that they are on the wrong road, they turn around.
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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