EasyEnglish Bible 2018
Jeremiah 3:2
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.
Jeremiah 3:2 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Lift up thine eyes unto the high places, and see where thou hast not been lien with. In the ways hast thou sat for them, as the Arabian in the wilderness; and thou hast polluted the land with thy whoredoms and with thy wickedness.
- New International Version (NIV)“Look up to the barren heights and see. Is there any place where you have not been ravished? By the roadside you sat waiting for lovers, sat like a nomad in the desert. You have defiled the land with your prostitution and wickedness.
- English Standard Version (ESV)Lift up your eyes to the bare heights, and see! Where have you not been ravished? By the waysides you have sat awaiting lovers like an Arab in the wilderness. You have polluted the land with your vile whoredom.
- New King James Version (NKJV)“Lift up your eyes to the desolate heights and see: Where have you not lain with men? By the road you have sat for them Like an Arabian in the wilderness; And you have polluted the land With your harlotries and your wickedness.
Context of Jeremiah 3:2
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. Look 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. 4You still call me your Father. You say, “You have always been my friend. You have loved me all my life.
Read all of Jeremiah 3Jeremiah 3:2 word by word
שְׂאִֽי־עֵינַ֨יִךְ עַל־שְׁפָיִ֜ם וּרְאִ֗י אֵיפֹה֙ לֹ֣א שֻׁכַּ֔בְתְּ עַל־דְּרָכִים֙ יָשַׁ֣בְתְּ לָהֶ֔ם כַּעֲרָבִ֖י בַּמִּדְבָּ֑ר וַתַּחֲנִ֣יפִי אֶ֔רֶץ בִּזְנוּתַ֖יִךְ וּבְרָעָתֵֽךְ׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Lift upנָשָׂאnâώâ' nâsâh · to lift: lookH5375
- thine eyesעַ֫יִן‛ayin · eyeH5869
- unto the high placesשְׁפִיshephîy · barenessH8205
- and seeרָאָהrâ'âh · to see: seeH7200
- whereאֵיפֹה'êyphôh · where?H375
- thou hast not been lienשָׁכַבshâkab · to lie down: have sexH7901
- thou hast not been lienשָׁגֵלshâgal · to ravishH7693
- with. In the waysדֶּ֫רֶךְderek · way: roadH1870
- hast thou satיָשַׁבyâshab · to dwellH3427
- for them, as the Arabianעֲרָבִי‛ărâbîy ‛arbîy · ArabH6163
- in the wildernessמִדְבָּרmidbâr · wildernessH4057
- and thou hast pollutedחָנֵףchânêph · to polluteH2610
- the landאֶ֫רֶץ'erets · land: country/planetH776
- with thy whoredomsזְנוּתzenûth · fornicationH2184
- and with thy wickednessרָעָהra‛ râ‛âh · distress: harmH7451
Cross-references for Jeremiah 3:2
- Jeremiah 2:23‘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.
- Ezekiel 8:4Then I saw that the bright glory of Israel's God was there. It was like the glory that I had seen beside the River Kebar.
- Luke 16:23He went to Hades, the place for dead people. He was in a lot of pain there. He saw Abraham far away in heaven. He also saw Lazarus at Abraham's side.
- 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 12:2You will chase out the nations who live there. Then you must destroy completely all the places where those people worship their gods. Those places are on the tops of mountains and hills, and under big green trees.
- 1 Kings 11:3Solomon had 700 royal wives. He also had 300 slave wives. His wives caused him to turn away from the Lord.
- 2 Kings 23:13King Josiah also destroyed the altars that were on the hills east of Jerusalem. Those altars were on the south side of Mount Trouble. King Solomon had built them to worship these false gods: Ashtoreth, a wicked female god that the people in Sidon worshipped. Chemosh, a wicked god that the people in Moab worshipped. Molech, the evil god that the people in Ammon worshipped.
- Ezekiel 16:16You used some of your clothes to give honour to idols. You made their altars beautiful. You had sex with those men there on your beautiful cloths. Those things should never happen!
- Ezekiel 20:28I took them to the land which I had promised to give to them. But when they were there, they continued to offer sacrifices to idols. They did this on every high hill or under every green tree that they saw! They burned sweet incense and they poured out wine as offerings in all those places. That made me very angry.
- Genesis 38:14Tamar knew that Judah's son Shelah had now become a man. But Judah had not yet let Shelah marry her. So Tamar took off her widow's clothes and she put on other clothes. She covered her head with a veil. She did not want anyone to recognize her. Then she sat at the gate of Enaim. Enaim is a town on the road that goes to Timnah.
- Proverbs 7:11This was a woman who did not respect anyone. She was not ashamed of the bad things that she did. She never stayed at her home.
- Proverbs 23:28They are like robbers who wait to attack people. They take more and more men away from their wives.
- Ezekiel 16:24In the public places of every town you built huts to worship your idols.
- 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 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.
Commentaries on Jeremiah 3:2
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 2As the Arabian in the wilderness - They were as fully intent on the practice of their idolatry as the Arab in the desert is in lying in wait to plunder the caravans. Where they have not cover to lie in ambush, they scatter themselves about, and run hither and thither, raising themselves up on their saddles to see if they can discover, by smoke, dust, or other token, the approach of any travelers.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 2These words are not the language of consolation to the conscience-stricken, but of vehement expostulation with hardened sinners. They prove, therefore, the truth of the interpretation put upon the preceding verse. As the Arabian - The freebooting propensities of the Bedouin had passed in ancient times into a proverb. As eager as the desert-tribes were for plunder, so was Israel for idolatry.Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 2As the Lord's bride (see Jeremiah 2:2), Israel was not supposed to worship other gods.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 22. high places--the scene of idolatries which were spiritual adulteries. In ... ways ... sat for them--watching for lovers like a prostitute (Ge 38:14, 21; Pr 7:12; 23:28; Eze 16:24, 25), and like an Arab who lies in wait for travellers. The Arabs of the desert, east and south of Palestine, are still notorious as robbers.Read the comment
Topics related to Jeremiah 3:2
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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