Jeremiah 3:12

Jeremiah 3:12 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Go and proclaim these words toward the north, and say, Return, thou backsliding Israel, saith the Lord; and I will not cause mine anger to fall upon you: for I am merciful, saith the Lord, and I will not keep anger for ever.
• New International Version (NIV)Go, proclaim this message toward the north: “ ‘Return, faithless Israel,’ declares the Lord, ‘I will frown on you no longer, for I am faithful,’ declares the Lord, ‘I will not be angry forever.
• English Standard Version (ESV)Go, and proclaim these words toward the north, and say, "'Return, faithless Israel, declares the Lord. I will not look on you in anger, for I am merciful, declares the Lord; I will not be angry forever.
• New King James Version (NKJV)Go and proclaim these words toward the north, and say: ‘Return, backsliding Israel,’ says the Lord; ‘I will not cause My anger to fall on you. For I am merciful,’ says the Lord; ‘I will not remain angry forever.

Context of Jeremiah 3:12

10Still Judah has not turned back to me. She wants me to think that she has, but she has not. Like her sister, Israel, she has not been faithful.’ That is what the Lord says. 11The Lord said to me, ‘It is true that Israel's people have not been faithful to me. But Judah's people are even more guilty than them. Go 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. 13“But you must agree that you are guilty of sin. You have turned against me, the Lord your God. You have loved to serve many foreign gods. You have worshipped them under every big tree. You have not obeyed my commands.” ’ That is what the Lord says. 14The Lord says, ‘Return to me, you people who have turned away. Remember that you belong to me. If you turn back to me, I will choose one of you from each town and two from each family. I will bring you safely back to Zion.

Jeremiah 3:12 word by word

הָלֹ֡ךְ וְקָֽרָאתָ֩ אֶת־הַדְּבָרִ֨ים הָאֵ֜לֶּה צָפ֗וֹנָה וְ֠אָמַרְתָּ שׁ֣וּבָה מְשֻׁבָ֤ה יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ נְאֻם־יְהוָ֔ה לֽוֹא־אַפִּ֥יל פָּנַ֖י בָּכֶ֑ם כִּֽי־חָסִ֤יד אֲנִי֙ נְאֻם־יְהוָ֔ה לֹ֥א אֶטּ֖וֹר לְעוֹלָֽם׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Goהָלַךְhâlak · to go: wentH1980
• and proclaimקָרָאqârâ' · to call: call outH7121
• these wordsדָּבָרdâbâr · wordH1697
• toward the northצָפוֹןtsâphôn tsâphôn · northH6828
• and sayאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
• Returnשׁוּבshûb · to return: returnH7725
• thou backslidingמְשׁוּבָהmeshûbâh meshûbâh · faithlessnessH4878
• Israelיִשְׂרָאֵלyiώrâ'êl · IsraelH3478
• saithנְאֻםne'ûm · utteranceH5002
• the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
• I will not cause mine angerפָּנֶהpânîym · face: angryH6440
• to fallנָפַלnâphal · to fall: angryH5307
• mercifulחָסִידchâsîyd · piousH2623
• I will not keepנָטַרnâţar · to keepH5201
• for everעוֹלָם‛ôlâm ‛ôlâm · forever: enduringH5769

Cross-references for Jeremiah 3:12

• Jeremiah 3:18At that time, the nations of Judah and Israel will join together as one kingdom. They will leave their exile in a country in the north. They will come back to this land that I gave to your ancestors to be their home for ever.
• Jeremiah 23:8Instead they will say, “I promise to do this as surely as the Lord lives, who brought the descendants of Israel safely back from the land in the north. He brought them back from all the places where he had sent them as prisoners.” At that time they will live in their own land.’
• Jeremiah 31:8See what I will do! I will bring them back from the land in the north. Wherever they are, I will bring them back. A great crowd of my people will return. Blind people will be among them, and people who cannot walk well. There will be pregnant women and some who will very soon give birth.
• 2 Kings 15:29While Pekah was the king of Israel, the king of Assyria, Tiglath-Pileser, attacked towns in Israel. He took these places for himself: Ijon, Abel Beth Maakah, Janoah, Kedesh, Hazor, Gilead, Galilee and all of Naphtali's land. He took the people that lived in those places as prisoners to Assyria.
• 2 Kings 17:6When Hoshea had been king of Israel for nine years, the king of Assyria won the war against Samaria. He took the Israelites away to Assyria as his prisoners. He caused them to live in Halah, in Gozan beside the River Habor and in towns in Media.
• 2 Kings 18:1Ahaz's son Hezekiah became the king of Judah when Elah's son Hoshea had been king of Israel for three years.
• Jeremiah 3:1The 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 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.
• Isaiah 44:22I have removed the guilt of your sins, like the wind blows away a cloud. When you turned against me, I have quickly forgiven you. Return to me now, because I have rescued you.’
• Ezekiel 33:11Tell them, “It does not make me happy to punish wicked people with death. I, the Almighty Lord, promise you this, as surely as I live. I want wicked people to stop doing wrong things so that they may continue to live. So stop doing evil things! Israel's people, you do not have to die. Turn back to me!”
• Hosea 6:1‘Listen! We should return to serve the Lord. He has torn us to pieces, but now he will make us well again. He has hurt us, but now he will make our wounds better.
• Hosea 14:1Israel's people, return to the Lord your God! Your sins have caused you to fall down.
• Jeremiah 30:11The Lord says, ‘I am with you and I will save you. I have sent you away to live in foreign lands. That was the punishment that you deserved. I will completely destroy the nations where I sent you to live. But I will not completely destroy you. I will certainly punish you, but only as much as you deserve.’
• Jeremiah 33:26In the same way, I will never change my promise to the descendants of Jacob and to my servant David. I will always choose one of David's descendants to rule over the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. I will bring them back to their own land. I will be kind to them and forgive them.’
• Ezekiel 39:25So this is what the Lord God says. ‘Now I will bring back Jacob (Israel) from the countries where his people are prisoners. I will be kind to all Israel's people. And I will make them see that I am holy.
• Hosea 11:8Israel, I cannot leave you alone. I cannot let you belong to someone else. I cannot destroy you, as I did to Admah and Zeboiim. I now realize that I love you too much. I could never destroy you completely.

Commentaries on Jeremiah 3:12

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 12Proclaim these words toward the north - The countries where the ten tribes were then in captivity, Mesopotamia, Assyria, Media, etc., see 2 Kings 17:6; these lay north of Judea. How tender and compassionate are the exhortations in this and the following verses! Could these people believe that God had sent the prophet and yet prefer the land of their bondage to the blessings of freedom in their own country, and the approbation of their God?Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 12The north - The ten tribes, settled by Salmanezer in the north of Assyria. I will not cause mine anger to fall upon you - literally, I will not cause my face “to fall upon you:” i. e., “I will not receive you with averted looks.” The “and” before this clause should be omitted, as also before the next clause, “I will not keep … ” I will not keep - All God‘s promises and threats are conditional upon man‘s conduct.Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 12-20Verses 12-20 See God's readiness to pardon sin, and the blessings reserved for gospel times. These words were proclaimed toward the north; to Israel, the ten tribes, captive in Assyria. They are directed how to return. If we confess our sins, the Lord is faithful and just to forgive them. These promises are fully to come to pass in the bringing back the Jews in after-ages. God will graciously receive those that return to him; and by his grace, he takes…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 12In this decree, the Lord invites the survivors of unfaithful Israel from a century ago to return home. God's unchanging character is merciful, and He wants to offer salvation and restoration (Jeremiah 12:15; 31:20; 33:26; 2 Kings 17:6; Psalm 86:15).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1212. Go--not actually; but turn and proclaim towards the north (Media and Assyria, where the ten tribes were located by Tiglath-pileser and Shalmaneser, 2Ki 15:29; 17:6; 18:9, 11). Return ... backsliding--Hebrew, Shubah, Meshubah, a play on sounds. In order to excite Judah to godly jealousy (Ro 11:14), Jehovah addresses the exiled ten tribes of Israel with a loving invitation. cause ... anger to fall--literally, "I will not let fall My countenance"…Read the comment

Topics related to Jeremiah 3:12

• Anger
• Backsliders
• Church
• Condescension of God
• God Continued...
• Repentance

In the dictionaries

• Israel
• Israel, Israelites
• Jacob, Israel
• Adultery
• Confusion
• Marriage
• Marry
• Reserve
• Conversion
• Habaziniah

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