Jeremiah 2:28

Jeremiah 2:28 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)But where are thy gods that thou hast made thee? let them arise, if they can save thee in the time of thy trouble: for according to the number of thy cities are thy gods, O Judah.
• New International Version (NIV)Where then are the gods you made for yourselves? Let them come if they can save you when you are in trouble! For you, Judah, have as many gods as you have towns.
• New King James Version (NKJV)But where are your gods that you have made for yourselves? Let them arise, If they can save you in the time of your trouble; For according to the number of your cities Are your gods, O Judah.
• New Living Translation (NLT)But why not call on these gods you have made? When trouble comes, let them save you if they can! For you have as many gods as there are towns in Judah.

Context of Jeremiah 2:28

26"As a thief is shamed when caught, so the house of Israel shall be shamed: they, their kings, their officials, their priests, and their prophets, 27who say to a tree, 'You are my father,' and to a stone, 'You gave me birth.' For they have turned their back to me, and not their face. But in the time of their trouble they say, 'Arise and save us!' But where are your gods that you made for yourself? Let them arise, if they can save you, in your time of trouble; for as many as your cities are your gods, O Judah. 29"Why do you contend with me? You have all transgressed against me, declares the Lord. 30In vain have I struck your children; they took no correction; your own sword devoured your prophets like a ravening lion.

Jeremiah 2:28 word by word

וְאַיֵּ֤ה אֱלֹהֶ֙יךָ֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר עָשִׂ֣יתָ לָּ֔ךְ יָק֕וּמוּ אִם־יוֹשִׁיע֖וּךָ בְּעֵ֣ת רָעָתֶ֑ךָ כִּ֚י מִסְפַּ֣ר עָרֶ֔יךָ הָי֥וּ אֱלֹהֶ֖יךָ יְהוּדָֽה׃ סRead the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• thy godsאֱלֹהִים'ĕlôhîym · GodH430
• that thou hast madeעָשָׂה‛âώâh · to makeH6213
• thee? let them ariseקוּםqûm · to arise: riseH6965
• if they can saveיָשַׁעyâsha‛ · to saveH3467
• thee in the timeעֵת‛êth · timeH6256
• of thy troubleרָעָהra‛ râ‛âh · distress: harmH7451
• the numberמִסְפָּרmispâr · numberH4557
• of thy citiesעִיר‛îyr ‛âr ‛âyar · cityH5892
• O Judahיְהוּדָהyehûdâh · JudahH3063

Cross-references for Jeremiah 2:28

• Deuteronomy 32:37Then he will say, 'Where are their gods, the rock in which they took refuge,
• Judges 10:14Go and cry out to the gods whom you have chosen; let them save you in the time of your distress."
• 2 Kings 3:13And Elisha said to the king of Israel, "What have I to do with you? Go to the prophets of your father and to the prophets of your mother." But the king of Israel said to him, "No; it is the Lord who has called these three kings to give them into the hand of Moab."
• Isaiah 45:20"Assemble yourselves and come; draw near together, you survivors of the nations! They have no knowledge who carry about their wooden idols, and keep on praying to a god that cannot save.
• Isaiah 46:2They stoop; they bow down together; they cannot save the burden, but themselves go into captivity.
• Jeremiah 11:13For your gods have become as many as your cities, O Judah, and as many as the streets of Jerusalem are the altars you have set up to shame, altars to make offerings to Baal.
• 2 Kings 17:30The men of Babylon made Succoth-benoth, the men of Cuth made Nergal, the men of Hamath made Ashima,
• Hosea 10:1Israel is a luxuriant vine that yields its fruit. The more his fruit increased, the more altars he built; as his country improved, he improved his pillars.

Commentaries on Jeremiah 2:28

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 28According to the number of thy cities are thy gods - Among heathen nations every city had its tutelary deity. Judah, far sunk in idolatry, had adopted this custom. The Church of Rome has refined it a little: every city has its tutelary saint, and this saint has a procession and worship peculiar to himself. So here; not much of the old idolatry is lost.Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 28A question of bitter irony. Things are made for some use. Now is the time for thy deities to prove themselves real by being useful. When every city has its special deity, surely among so many there might be found one able to help his worshippers. O Judah - Hereto the argument had been addressed to Israel: suddenly the prophet charges Judah with the habitual practice of idolatry, and points to the conclusion, that as Jerusalem has been guilty of Samaria‘s…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 20-28Verses 20-28 Notwithstanding all their advantages, Israel had become like the wild vine that bears poisonous fruit. Men are often as much under the power of their unbridled desires and their sinful lusts, as the brute beasts. But the Lord here warns them not to weary themselves in pursuits which could only bring distress and misery. As we must not despair of the mercy of God, but believe that to be sufficient for the pardon of our sins, so neither must we…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 28The Israelites unwisely worshipped many gods (Jeremiah 11:13; Deuteronomy 32:37; Judges 10:14; 2 Kings 17:30–31), who could not help them. Jeremiah spoke to the tribe of Judah, the people standing before him.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2828. But--God sends them to the gods for whom they forsook Him, to see if they can help them (De 32:37, 38; Jud 10:14). according to the number of thy cities--Besides national deities, each city had its tutelary god (Jr 11:13).Read the comment

Topics related to Jeremiah 2:28

• Church
• Idolatry
• Polytheism

In the dictionaries

• Judah
• Judah, kingdom of Judah
• Judea, Judah
• Attire
• Bitter
• Cry
• Degenerate
• Handle
• Hold
• Holiness

Commentaries on Jeremiah 2

• 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