EasyEnglish Bible 2018
Jeremiah 3:8
8Israel was not faithful to me and she served other gods. So I sent her away, like a husband may send his wife away if she is not faithful to him. Judah saw what happened to Israel, but she was not afraid. Like a prostitute, she also went to find other gods that she could serve.
Jeremiah 3:8 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And I saw, when for all the causes whereby backsliding Israel committed adultery I had put her away, and given her a bill of divorce; yet her treacherous sister Judah feared not, but went and played the harlot also.
- New International Version (NIV)I gave faithless Israel her certificate of divorce and sent her away because of all her adulteries. Yet I saw that her unfaithful sister Judah had no fear; she also went out and committed adultery.
- English Standard Version (ESV)She saw that for all the adulteries of that faithless one, Israel, I had sent her away with a decree of divorce. Yet her treacherous sister Judah did not fear, but she too went and played the whore.
- New King James Version (NKJV)Then I saw that for all the causes for which backsliding Israel had committed adultery, I had put her away and given her a certificate of divorce; yet her treacherous sister Judah did not fear, but went and played the harlot also.
Context of Jeremiah 3:8
6The Lord spoke to me while Josiah was king of Judah. He said, ‘Look at what the Israelites have done. They have not been faithful to me. They have worshipped other gods under every big tree and on every high hill. Israel has been like a wife who is not faithful to her husband. 7I thought that one day she would come back to me. But she did not return. Israel's sister, Judah, saw what Israel did. Israel was not faithful to me and she served other gods. So I sent her away, like a husband may send his wife away if she is not faithful to him. Judah saw what happened to Israel, but she was not afraid. Like a prostitute, she also went to find other gods that she could serve. 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. 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.
Read all of Jeremiah 3Jeremiah 3:8 word by word
וָאֵ֗רֶא כִּ֤י עַל־כָּל־אֹדוֹת֙ אֲשֶׁ֤ר נִֽאֲפָה֙ מְשֻׁבָ֣ה יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל שִׁלַּחְתִּ֕יהָ וָאֶתֵּ֛ן אֶת־סֵ֥פֶר כְּרִיתֻתֶ֖יהָ אֵלֶ֑יהָ וְלֹ֨א יָֽרְאָ֜ה בֹּֽגֵדָ֤ה יְהוּדָה֙ אֲחוֹתָ֔הּ וַתֵּ֖לֶךְ וַתִּ֥זֶן גַּם־הִֽיא׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- And I sawרָאָהrâ'âh · to see: seeH7200
- when for all the causesאוֹדָה'ôdôth 'ôdôth · causeH182
- whereby backslidingמְשׁוּבָהmeshûbâh meshûbâh · faithlessnessH4878
- Israelיִשְׂרָאֵלyiώrâ'êl · IsraelH3478
- committed adulteryנָאַףnâ'aph · to commit adulteryH5003
- I had put her awayשָׁלַחshâlach · to send: divorceH7971
- and givenנָתַןnâthan · to give: giveH5414
- her a billסֵ֫פֶרsêpher siphrâh · scroll: documentH5612
- of divorceכְּרִיתוּתkerîythûth · divorceH3748
- yet her treacherousבָּגַדbâgad · to act treacherouslyH898
- sisterאָחוֹת'âchôth · sisterH269
- Judahיְהוּדָהyehûdâh · JudahH3063
- fearedיָרֵאyârê' · to fearH3372
- not, but wentיָלַךְyâlak · to walkH3212
- and played the harlotזָנָהzânâh · to fornicateH2181
Cross-references for Jeremiah 3:8
- 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.
- 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 18:9When Hezekiah had been king for four years, Shalmaneser, the king of Assyria, took his army to attack Samaria. That was when Hoshea had been king of Israel for seven years. The Assyrian army made their camp around the city of Samaria.
- Ezekiel 23:9She wanted the Assyrian men to be her lovers. Because of that I put her under their power.
- Hosea 2:2My children, warn your mother! She is no longer my wife. I am not her husband. Tell her that she must stop living like a prostitute. She must stop having sex with other men instead of me.
- Hosea 3:4In the same way, the Israelites will have to live for many days without a king or any other leader. They will not be able to make sacrifices. They will not have their pillars, their ephods or their idols to help them.
- Hosea 4:15You people of Israel are not faithful to the Lord. But do not let the people of Judah become guilty of the same sins. Do not travel to Gilgal to worship! Do not go to Beth Aven! Do not say, ‘I promise this is true, as surely as the Lord lives’.
- Hosea 9:15The Lord says, ‘They started to do evil things at Gilgal. It was there that I began to hate them. Because they do evil things, I will chase them out of my land. I will not love them any more. Their leaders have all turned against me.
- 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.
- Isaiah 50:1This is what the Lord says to his people: ‘Did I send your mother away, like a man sends away his wife? Where is the paper to say why I have sent her away? Did I sell you to pay people that I was in debt to? Where is the paper that shows the reason for my debt? Listen! I sold you because of your sins. I sent your mother away because you have not obeyed me.
- 2 Kings 17:19But even the people of Judah did not obey the commands of the Lord their God. They did the same bad things that the Israelites had done.
- Ezekiel 23:11Ohalah's sister, Oholibah, saw this, but she did even worse things than her sister. She wanted other lovers even more than her sister did.
Commentaries on Jeremiah 3:8
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 8I had put her away - Given them up into the hands of the Assyrians.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 8Rather, “And I saw” that because apostate “Israel” had “committed adultery, I had put her away, and given her” the writing of her divorcement, “yet” false “Judah her sister feared not.” The expression, “For all the causes whereby,” is probably the actual formula with which writings of divorcement commenced.Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 6-11Verses 6-11 If we mark the crimes of those who break off from a religious profession, and the consequences, we see abundant reason to shun evil ways. It is dreadful to be proved more criminal than those who have actually perished in their sins; yet it will be small comfort in everlasting punishment, for them to know that others were viler than they.Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 8divorce: See 2 Kings 17:23.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 88. I saw that, though (whereas) it was for this very reason (namely), because backsliding (apostate) Israel had committed adultery I had put her away (2Ki 17:6, 18), and given her a bill of divorce, yet Judah, &c. (Eze 23:11, &c.). bill of divorce--literally, "a writing of cuttings off." The plural implies the completeness of the severance. The use of this metaphor here, as in the former discourse (Jr 3:1), implies a close connection between the…Read the comment
Topics related to Jeremiah 3:8
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
EasyEnglish Bible 2018 — Copyright © MissionAssist 2018
Commentaries