Jeremiah 3:20

Jeremiah 3:20 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Surely as a wife treacherously departeth from her husband, so have ye dealt treacherously with me, O house of Israel, saith the Lord.
• New International Version (NIV)But like a woman unfaithful to her husband, so you, Israel, have been unfaithful to me,” declares the Lord.
• English Standard Version (ESV)Surely, as a treacherous wife leaves her husband, so have you been treacherous to me, O house of Israel, declares the Lord.'"
• New King James Version (NKJV)Surely, as a wife treacherously departs from her husband, So have you dealt treacherously with Me, O house of Israel,” says the Lord.

Context of Jeremiah 3:20

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. 19I thought this: “I want you people of Israel to be my children. That would make me very happy. I want to give you a good land as your home. It is a more beautiful land than any other nation enjoys.” I thought that you would call me “Father”. I thought that you would always be faithful to me. But you, Israel, have gone away from me, like a woman who leaves her husband. You have not been faithful to me.’ That is what the Lord says. 21‘I can hear a noise on the tops of the hills. Israel's people are weeping. They are calling out for help. Yes, they have turned to bad ways. They have forgotten to serve the Lord their God. 22Return to me, all of you have turned away. I will help you to be faithful to me. Now you should say, “Yes, we will return to you, because you are the Lord our God.

Jeremiah 3:20 word by word

אָכֵ֛ן בָּגְדָ֥ה אִשָּׁ֖ה מֵרֵעָ֑הּ כֵּ֣ן בְּגַדְתֶּ֥ם בִּ֛י בֵּ֥ית יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל נְאֻם־יְהוָֽה׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Surelyאָכֵן'âkên · surelyH403
• a wifeאִשָּׁה'ishshâh nâshîym · woman: wifeH802
• treacherouslyבָּגַדbâgad · to act treacherouslyH898
• departeth from her husbandרֵעַrêa‛ rêya‛ · neighborH7453
• with me, O houseבַּ֫יִתbayith · house: householdH1004
• of Israelיִשְׂרָאֵלyiώrâ'êl · IsraelH3478
• saithנְאֻםne'ûm · utteranceH5002
• the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068

Cross-references for Jeremiah 3:20

• Hosea 3:1Then the Lord said to me, ‘Go back to your wife and show that you love her. Do that, even though she loves another man and is not faithful to you. The Lord loves the Israelites in the same way. They turn away from him to worship other gods. They love to offer gifts of raisins to idols. But the Lord still loves them.’
• 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 5:11The people of Israel and Judah have turned against me.
• Isaiah 48:8You have not heard about them before. You know nothing about them. From long ago you refused to listen to me. I know that you are never honest. Since you first became a nation, you have refused to obey me.
• Ezekiel 16:15But you trusted your beauty to give you what you wanted. Because you were famous, you lived like a prostitute. You had sex with any man that you liked. They all enjoyed your beautiful body.
• Hosea 5:7They have turned against the Lord. Their children do not belong to him. They enjoy the new moon feast. But that will soon destroy them and the crops in their fields.’
• Hosea 6:7Like Adam, my people did not obey the covenant that I had made with them. They did not serve me faithfully.
• Malachi 2:11Judah's people have turned against God. As a result, people have done disgusting things in Jerusalem and in all Israel. You have spoiled the holy place, the temple that the Lord loves. You have turned away from the Lord and you worship foreign gods.

Commentaries on Jeremiah 3:20

• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 20Surely as - Rather: “Just as.”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. 19-20But: this transitional word highlights the difference between what the Lord desired and the real situation. The Lord wanted to treat his people as his precious children, but he could not. The covenant marriage between God and his people was broken by the unfaithful wife. The Lord could not ignore this sin (Isaiah 48:8).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2020. Surely--rather, "But." husband--literally, "friend."Read the comment

Topics related to Jeremiah 3:20

• Backsliders
• Church

In the dictionaries

• Israel
• Israel, Israelites
• Jacob, Israel
• Adultery
• Confusion
• Marry
• Reserve
• Solomon, Song of
• Exodus, the Book of
• 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