God’s Word Translation
Jeremiah 2:31
31“Consider the Lord’s word, people of this generation. Haven’t I been a desert, a land of thick darkness, for Israel? Why do my people say that they are free to wander around and no longer come to me?
Jeremiah 2:31 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)O generation, see ye the word of the Lord. Have I been a wilderness unto Israel? a land of darkness? wherefore say my people, We are lords; we will come no more unto thee?
- New International Version (NIV)“You of this generation, consider the word of the Lord: “Have I been a desert to Israel or a land of great darkness? Why do my people say, ‘We are free to roam; we will come to you no more’?
- English Standard Version (ESV)And you, O generation, behold the word of the Lord. Have I been a wilderness to Israel, or a land of thick darkness? Why then do my people say, 'We are free, we will come no more to you'?
- New King James Version (NKJV)“O generation, see the word of the Lord! Have I been a wilderness to Israel, Or a land of darkness? Why do My people say, ‘We are lords; We will come no more to You’?
Context of Jeremiah 2:31
29“Why do you complain about me? All of you have rebelled against me,” declares the Lord. 30“I have punished your children without results. They didn’t respond to correction. You killed my prophets like a raging lion. “Consider the Lord’s word, people of this generation. Haven’t I been a desert, a land of thick darkness, for Israel? Why do my people say that they are free to wander around and no longer come to me? 32A young woman can’t forget her jewelry or a bride her veils. Yet, my people have forgotten me for countless days. 33You carefully planned ways to look for love. You taught your ways to wicked women.
Read all of Jeremiah 2Jeremiah 2:31 word by word
הַדּ֗וֹר אַתֶּם֙ רְא֣וּ דְבַר־יְהוָ֔ה הֲמִדְבָּ֤ר הָיִ֙יתִי֙ לְיִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל אִ֛ם אֶ֥רֶץ מַאְפֵּ֖לְיָ֑ה מַדּ֜וּעַ אָמְר֤וּ עַמִּי֙ רַ֔דְנוּ לֽוֹא־נָב֥וֹא ע֖וֹד אֵלֶֽיךָ׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- O generationדּוֹרdôr dôr · generationH1755
- seeרָאָהrâ'âh · to see: behold!H7200
- ye the wordדָּבָרdâbâr · wordH1697
- of the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
- Have I been a wildernessמִדְבָּרmidbâr · wildernessH4057
- unto Israelיִשְׂרָאֵלyiώrâ'êl · IsraelH3478
- a landאֶ֫רֶץ'erets · land: country/planetH776
- of darknessמַאְפֵּלְיָהma'ăphêleyâh · darknessH3991
- wherefore sayאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
- my peopleעַם‛am · peopleH5971
- We are lordsרוּדrûd · to roamH7300
- we will comeבּוֹאbô' · to come (in): comeH935
Cross-references for Jeremiah 2:31
- Amos 1:1These are the words of Amos, one of the sheep farmers from Tekoa. He saw ⌞a vision⌟ about Israel during the reigns of Judah’s King Uzziah and Israel’s King Jeroboam, son of Joash. This happened two years before the earthquake.
- Micah 6:9The voice of the Lord calls out to the city. (The fear of your name is wisdom.) “Listen, you tribe assembled in the city.
- Jeremiah 2:5This is what the Lord says: What did your ancestors find wrong with me that they went so far away from me? They followed worthless idols and became worthless themselves.
- 2 Samuel 12:7“You are the man!” Nathan told David. “This is what the Lord God of Israel says: I anointed you king over Israel and rescued you from Saul.
- 2 Chronicles 31:10The chief priest Azariah from Zadok’s family said, “Since the people started to bring the offerings to the Lord’s temple, we have had all we wanted to eat and plenty to spare. The Lord has blessed his people, and there’s a lot left over.”
- Nehemiah 9:21You provided for them in the desert for 40 years, and they had everything they needed. Their clothes didn’t wear out, and their feet didn’t swell.
- Hosea 2:7She will run after her lovers, but she won’t catch them. She will search for them, but she won’t find them. Then she will say, ‘I’ll go back to my first husband. Things were better for me than they are now.’
- Malachi 3:9So a curse is on you because the whole nation is cheating me!
- Deuteronomy 8:12You will eat all you want. You will build nice houses and live in them.
- Deuteronomy 31:20I will bring them into the land that I swore to give to their ancestors, a land flowing with milk and honey. When they have eaten all they want and have become fat, they will turn to other gods and worship them. They will despise me and reject my promise.
- Deuteronomy 32:15Jeshurun got fat and disrespectful. (You got fat! You were stuffed! You were gorged!) They abandoned the God who made them and treated the rock of their salvation like a fool.
- Psalms 10:4He turns up his nose ⌞and says⌟, “God doesn’t care.” His every thought ⌞concludes⌟, “There is no God.”
- Psalms 12:4that has said, “We will overcome with our tongues. With lips such as ours, who can be our master?”
- Proverbs 30:9or I may feel satisfied and deny you and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’ or I may become poor and steal and give the name of my God a bad reputation.
- Hosea 13:6When I fed you, you were full. When you were full, you became arrogant. That is why you forgot me.
- 1 Corinthians 4:8You already have what you want! You’ve already become rich! You’ve become kings without us! I wish you really were kings so that we could be kings with you.
Commentaries on Jeremiah 2:31
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 31Have I been a wilderness unto Israel? - Have I ever withheld from you any of the blessings necessary for your support? A land of darkness - Have you, since you passed through the wilderness, and came out of the darkness of Egypt, ever been brought into similar circumstances? You have had food and all the necessaries of life for your bodies; and my ordinances and word to enlighten and cheer your souls. I have neither been a wilderness nor a land of…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 31Or, “O generation” that ye are! An exclamation Of indignation at their hardened resistance to God. A land of darkness - This word is written in Hebrew with two accents, as being a compound, signifying not merely darkness, but the darkness of Yahweh, i. e., very great darkness. We are lords - Others render it: We rove about, wander about at our will, go where we like.Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 29-37Verses 29-37 The nation had not been wrought upon by the judgements of God, but sought to justify themselves. The world is, to those who make it their home and their portion, a wilderness and a land of darkness; but those who dwell in God, have the lines fallen to them in pleasant places. Here is the language of presumptuous sinners. The Jews had long thrown off serious thoughts of God. How many days of our lives pass without suitable remembrance of him!…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 31The Lord's anger became a plea. He asked why the Israelites saw life in obedience to him as a barren wasteland of death and lack (Numbers 21:5), filled with evil and the fear of darkness (Job 24:17; 1 John 1:5–6).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 3131. The Hebrew collocation is, "O, the generation, ye," that is, "O ye who now live." The generation needed only to be named, to call its degeneracy to view, so palpable was it. wilderness--in which all the necessaries of life are wanting. On the contrary, Jehovah was a never-failing source of supply for all Israel's wants in the wilderness, and afterwards in Canaan. darkness--literally, "darkness of Jehovah," the strongest Hebrew term for "darkness; the…Read the comment
Topics related to Jeremiah 2:31
In the dictionaries
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
God’s Word Translation — © 1995 God’s Word to the Nations Bible Society
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