God’s Word Translation
Jeremiah 3:6
6When Josiah was king, the Lord asked me, “Did you see what unfaithful Israel did? She went up every high mountain and under every large tree, and she acted like a prostitute there.
Jeremiah 3:6 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)The Lord said also unto me in the days of Josiah the king, Hast thou seen that which backsliding Israel hath done? she is gone up upon every high mountain and under every green tree, and there hath played the harlot.
- New International Version (NIV)During the reign of King Josiah, the Lord said to me, “Have you seen what faithless Israel has done? She has gone up on every high hill and under every spreading tree and has committed adultery there.
- English Standard Version (ESV)The Lord said to me in the days of King Josiah: "Have you seen what she did, that faithless one, Israel, how she went up on every high hill and under every green tree, and there played the whore?
- New King James Version (NKJV)The Lord said also to me in the days of Josiah the king: “Have you seen what backsliding Israel has done? She has gone up on every high mountain and under every green tree, and there played the harlot.
Context of Jeremiah 3:6
4But now you are calling to me. You say, ‘Father! You have been my companion ever since I was young. 5He won’t hold a grudge forever. He won’t always be angry.’ You have said and done all the evil things that you could.” When Josiah was king, the Lord asked me, “Did you see what unfaithful Israel did? She went up every high mountain and under every large tree, and she acted like a prostitute there. 7I thought that after she had done all this that she would come back to me. But she didn’t come back, and her treacherous sister Judah saw her. 8Judah saw that I sent unfaithful Israel away because of her adultery and that I gave Israel her divorce papers. But treacherous Judah, her sister, wasn’t afraid. She also acted like a prostitute.
Read all of Jeremiah 3Jeremiah 3:6 word by word
וַיֹּ֨אמֶר יְהוָ֜ה אֵלַ֗י בִּימֵי֙ יֹאשִׁיָּ֣הוּ הַמֶּ֔לֶךְ הֲֽרָאִ֔יתָ אֲשֶׁ֥ר עָשְׂתָ֖ה מְשֻׁבָ֣ה יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל הֹלְכָ֨ה הִ֜יא עַל־כָּל־הַ֣ר גָּבֹ֗הַּ וְאֶל־תַּ֛חַת כָּל־עֵ֥ץ רַעֲנָ֖ן וַתִּזְנִי־שָֽׁם׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- The Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
- saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
- also unto me in the daysיוֹםyôm · dayH3117
- of Josiahיֹאשִׁיָּ֫הוּyô'shîyâh yô'shîyâhû · JosiahH2977
- the kingמֶ֫לֶךְmelek · kingH4428
- Hast thou seenרָאָהrâ'âh · to see: seeH7200
- which backslidingמְשׁוּבָהmeshûbâh meshûbâh · faithlessnessH4878
- Israelיִשְׂרָאֵלyiώrâ'êl · IsraelH3478
- hath doneעָשָׂה‛âώâh · to make: doH6213
- she is gone upהָלַךְhâlak · to go: wentH1980
- upon every highגָּבֹהַּgâbôhha gâbôhha · highH1364
- mountainהַרhar · mountain: mountH2022
- and underתַּחַתtachath · underneath: underH8478
- every greenרַעֲנָןra‛ănân · luxuriantH7488
- treeעֵץ‛êts · treeH6086
- and there hath played the harlotזָנָהzânâh · to fornicateH2181
Cross-references for Jeremiah 3:6
- Jeremiah 3:8Judah saw that I sent unfaithful Israel away because of her adultery and that I gave Israel her divorce papers. But treacherous Judah, her sister, wasn’t afraid. She also acted like a prostitute.
- Jeremiah 2:19Your own wickedness will correct you, and your unfaithful ways will punish you. You should know and see how evil and bitter it is for you if you abandon the Lord your God and do not fear me,” declares the Almighty Lord of Armies.
- Jeremiah 7:24But they didn’t obey me or pay attention to me. They followed their own plans and their stubborn, evil ways. They went backward and not forward.
- 2 Kings 17:7The Israelites sinned against the Lord their God, who brought them out of Egypt ⌞and rescued them⌟ from the power of Pharaoh (the king of Egypt). They worshiped other gods
- Ezekiel 23:11“Even though her younger sister Oholibah saw this, Oholibah lusted after men more than her sister did. Oholibah’s prostitution became worse than her sister’s prostitution.
- Jeremiah 2:20“Long ago you broke off your yoke, tore off your chains, and said that you wouldn’t be a slave. You lay down and acted like a prostitute on every high hill and under every large tree.
- Isaiah 57:7You’ve made your bed on a high and lofty mountain. You’ve gone to offer sacrifices there.
- Ezekiel 16:24you built yourself platforms and illegal worship sites in every city square.
- Ezekiel 20:28I brought them to the land that I promised to give them. When they saw any high hill or any leafy tree, they made sacrifices and brought offerings there to make me angry. There they offered their sacrifices and poured out their wine offerings.
- 1 Kings 14:23They built worship sites for themselves and ⌞put up⌟ large stones and Asherah poles to worship on every high hill and under every large tree.
- Jeremiah 3:1A saying: If a man divorces his wife and she leaves him and marries another man, her first husband shouldn’t go back to her again. The land would become thoroughly polluted. “You have acted like a prostitute who has many lovers. And now you want to come back to me!” declares the Lord.
Commentaries on Jeremiah 3:6
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 6The Lord said also unto me in the days of Josiah the king - This is a new discourse, and is supposed to have been delivered after the eighteenth year of the reign of Josiah. Here the prophet shows the people of Judah the transgressions, idolatry, obstinacy, and punishment of their brethren, the ten tribes, whom he calls to return to the Lord, with the most gracious promises of restoration to their own country, their reunion with their brethren of Judah…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 6Backsliding Israel - The original is very strong: Hast thou seen Apostasy? i. e., Israel: as though Israel were the very personificatiom of the denial of God. She is gone up - Rather, she goes; it is her habitual practice.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. 6-10The Lord had been calling the kingdom of Judah "Israel" (Jeremiah 2:1–3:5), highlighting their identity as His people. Now, the Lord differentiates between Israel, the northern kingdom that was destroyed (2 Kings 17), and the kingdom of Judah. The people of the southern kingdom did not learn from the northern kingdom's downfall, so they were destined to face the same fate. Josiah, who reigned from 640 to 609 BC, encouraged a return to traditional faith…Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 66. Jr 3:6-6:30, is a new discourse, delivered in Josiah's reign. It consists of two parts, the former extending to Jr 4:3, in which he warns Judah from the example of Israel's doom, and yet promises Israel final restoration; the latter a threat of Babylonian invasion; as Nabopolassar founded the Babylonian empire, 625 B.C., the seventeenth of Josiah, this prophecy is perhaps not earlier than that date (Jr 4:5, &c.; Jr 5:14, &c.; Jr 6:1, &c.; Jr 22:1-30)…Read the comment
Topics related to Jeremiah 3:6
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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