God’s Word Translation
Jeremiah 5:7
7“Why should I forgive you? Your children abandoned me. They took godless oaths. They committed adultery, even though I satisfied their needs. They traveled in crowds to the houses of prostitutes.
Jeremiah 5:7 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)How shall I pardon thee for this? thy children have forsaken me, and sworn by them that are no gods: when I had fed them to the full, they then committed adultery, and assembled themselves by troops in the harlots’ houses.
- New International Version (NIV)“Why should I forgive you? Your children have forsaken me and sworn by gods that are not gods. I supplied all their needs, yet they committed adultery and thronged to the houses of prostitutes.
- English Standard Version (ESV)"How can I pardon you? Your children have forsaken me and have sworn by those who are no gods. When I fed them to the full, they committed adultery and trooped to the houses of whores.
- New King James Version (NKJV)“How shall I pardon you for this? Your children have forsaken Me And sworn by those that are not gods. When I had fed them to the full, Then they committed adultery And assembled themselves by troops in the harlots’ houses.
Context of Jeremiah 5:7
5Let me go to important people and speak to them. They know the way of the Lord and the justice that God demands.” But they, too, had broken off their yokes and torn off their chains. 6That is why a lion from the forest will attack them. A wolf from the wilderness will destroy them. A leopard will lie in ambush outside their cities. All who leave the cities will be torn to pieces, because they rebel so often and they become more and more unfaithful. “Why should I forgive you? Your children abandoned me. They took godless oaths. They committed adultery, even though I satisfied their needs. They traveled in crowds to the houses of prostitutes. 8They are like well-fed stallions that are wild with desire. They neigh for their neighbors’ wives. 9I will punish them for these things,” declares the Lord. “I will punish this nation.
Read all of Jeremiah 5Jeremiah 5:7 word by word
אֵ֤י לָזֹאת֙ אֶֽסְלַֽח לָ֔ךְ בָּנַ֣יִךְ עֲזָב֔וּנִי וַיִּשָּׁבְע֖וּ בְּלֹ֣א אֱלֹהִ֑ים וָאַשְׂבִּ֤עַ אוֹתָם֙ וַיִּנְאָ֔פוּ וּבֵ֥ית זוֹנָ֖ה יִתְגֹּדָֽדוּ׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Howאַי'ay · where?H335
- shall I pardonסָלַחsâlach · to forgiveH5545
- thee for thisזֹאתzô'th · thisH2063
- thy childrenבֵּןbên · son: childH1121
- have forsakenעָזַב‛âzab · to leave: forsakeH5800
- me, and swornשָׁבַעshâba‛ · to swearH7650
- noלֹאlô' lô' lôh · notH3808
- godsאֱלֹהִים'ĕlôhîym · GodH430
- they then committed adulteryנָאַףnâ'aph · to commit adulteryH5003
- and assembled themselves by troopsגָּדַדgâdad · to cutH1413
- in the harlots’זָנָהzânâh · to fornicateH2181
- housesבַּ֫יִתbayith · house: homeH1004
Cross-references for Jeremiah 5:7
- Jeremiah 3:19“I wanted to treat you like children and give you a pleasant land, the most beautiful property among the nations. I thought that you would call me Father and wouldn’t turn away from me.
- Hosea 11:8“How can I give you up, Ephraim? How can I hand you over, Israel? How can I make you like Admah? How can I treat you like Zeboim? I have changed my mind. I am deeply moved.
- Matthew 23:37“Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you kill the prophets and stone to death those sent to you! How often I wanted to gather your children together the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings! But you were not willing!
- Jeremiah 12:16Suppose they learn carefully the ways of my people. Suppose they take an oath in my name, ‘As the Lord lives …’ as they taught my people to take an oath in ⌞the name of⌟ Baal. Then they will build homes among my people.
- Joshua 23:7Don’t get mixed up with the nations left in your territory. Don’t ever mention the names of their gods or swear an oath to them. Don’t ever serve their gods or bow down to them.
- Hosea 4:15“Israel, you act like a prostitute. Don’t let Judah become guilty too. Don’t go to Gilgal. Don’t go to Beth Aven. Don’t take the oath, ‘As the Lord lives. …’
- Amos 8:14⌞How horrible it will be for⌟ those who swear by Ashimah, the idol of Samaria, and say, “I solemnly swear, Dan, as your god lives….” “I solemnly swear as long as there is a road to Beersheba….” Those who say this will fall and never get up again.
- Zephaniah 1:5I will remove those who worship all the stars in the sky on their rooftops and those who worship by swearing loyalty to the Lord while also swearing loyalty to the god Milcom.
- Jeremiah 2:11Has any nation ever exchanged gods? (Their gods aren’t really gods.) Yet, my people have exchanged their Glory for something that doesn’t help them.
- Deuteronomy 32:21They made him furious because they worshiped foreign gods and angered him because they worshiped worthless idols. So I will use those who are not my people to make them jealous and a nation of godless fools to make them angry.
- 1 Corinthians 8:4Now about eating food that was offered to false gods: We know that the false gods in this world don’t really exist and that no god exists except the one God.
- Galatians 4:8When you didn’t know God, you were slaves to things which are really not gods at all.
- Jeremiah 2:31“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?
- 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.
- Ezekiel 16:49This is what your sister Sodom has done wrong. She and her daughters were proud that they had plenty of food and had peace and security. They didn’t help the poor and the needy.
- Hosea 13:6When I fed you, you were full. When you were full, you became arrogant. That is why you forgot me.
Commentaries on Jeremiah 5:7
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 7In the harlots' houses - In places consecrated to idolatry. In the language of the prophets, adultery generally signifies idolatry. This we have often seen.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 7Rather, Why, “for what reason” should “I pardon thee?” When - Or, “though I bound them to me by oath, yet they committed adultery.” The harlots‘ houses - The harlot‘s house, i. e., the temple of an idol; the prophet had also in view (see Jeremiah 5:8) the unchastity which accompanied most forms of nature-worship.Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 7-8These verses list the evidence of sins the people committed, such as: rejecting the Lord worshiping pagan gods engaging in sexual misconduct (Jeremiah 7:9; 12:16; Numbers 25:1–3; Deuteronomy 32:21; Joshua 23:7; Zephaniah 1:5; Galatians 4:8) Idolatry and adultery were closely linked in Israel because both broke an exclusive covenant.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 77. It would not be consistent with God's holiness to let such wickedness pass unpunished. sworn by--(Jr 5:2; Jr 4:2); that is, worshipped. no gods--(De 32:21). fed ... to the full--so the Keri (Hebrew Margin) reads. God's bountifulness is contrasted with their apostasy (De 32:15). Prosperity, the gift of God, designed to lead men to Him, often produces the opposite effect. The Hebrew Chetib (text) reads: "I bound them (to Me) by oath," namely, in the…Read the comment
Topics related to Jeremiah 5:7
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Jeremiah 5
- 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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