New English Translation
Jeremiah 2:13
13“Do so because my people have committed a double wrong: they have rejected me, the fountain of life-giving water, and they have dug cisterns for themselves, cracked cisterns which cannot even hold water.”
Jeremiah 2:13 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water.
- New International Version (NIV)“My people have committed two sins: They have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water.
- English Standard Version (ESV)for my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed out cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns that can hold no water.
- New King James Version (NKJV)“For My people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, And hewn themselves cisterns—broken cisterns that can hold no water.
Context of Jeremiah 2:13
11Has a nation ever changed its gods (even though they are not really gods at all)? But my people have exchanged me, their glorious God, for a god that cannot help them at all! 12Be amazed at this, O heavens! Be shocked and utterly dumbfounded,” says the Lord. “Do so because my people have committed a double wrong: they have rejected me, the fountain of life-giving water, and they have dug cisterns for themselves, cracked cisterns which cannot even hold water.” 14“Israel is not a slave, is he? He was not born into slavery, was he? If not, why then is he being carried off? 15Like lions his enemies roar victoriously over him; they raise their voices in triumph. They have laid his land waste; his cities have been burned down and deserted.
Read all of Jeremiah 2Jeremiah 2:13 word by word
כִּֽי־שְׁתַּ֥יִם רָע֖וֹת עָשָׂ֣ה עַמִּ֑י אֹתִ֨י עָזְב֜וּ מְק֣וֹר׀ מַ֣יִם חַיִּ֗ים לַחְצֹ֤ב לָהֶם֙ בֹּאר֔וֹת בֹּארֹת֙ נִשְׁבָּרִ֔ים אֲשֶׁ֥ר לֹא־יָכִ֖לוּ הַמָּֽיִם׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- For my peopleעַם‛am · peopleH5971
- have committedעָשָׂה‛âώâh · to makeH6213
- twoשְׁנַ֫יִםshenayim shettayim · twoH8147
- evilsרָעָהra‛ râ‛âh · distress: evilH7451
- they have forsakenעָזַב‛âzab · to leave: forsakeH5800
- me the fountainמָקוֹרmâqôr mâqôr · fountainH4726
- of livingחַיchay · aliveH2416
- watersמַיmayim · waterH4325
- hewed them outחָצַבchâtsab châtsêb · to hewH2672
- cisternsבֹּארbô'r · cisternH877
- brokenשָׁבַרshâbar · to breakH7665
- that can holdכּוּלkûl · to sustainH3557
Cross-references for Jeremiah 2:13
- Jeremiah 2:31You people of this generation, listen to what the Lord says. “Have I been like a wilderness to you, Israel? Have I been like a dark and dangerous land to you? Why then do you say, ‘We are free to wander. We will not come to you any more?’
- Jeremiah 4:22The Lord answered, “This will happen because my people are foolish. They do not know me. They are like children who have no sense. They have no understanding. They are skilled at doing evil. They do not know how to do good.”
- Jeremiah 5:26“Indeed, there are wicked scoundrels among my people. They lie in wait like bird catchers hiding in ambush. They set deadly traps to catch people.
- Psalms 81:11But my people did not obey me; Israel did not submit to me.
- Isaiah 1:3An ox recognizes its owner, a donkey recognizes where its owner puts its food; but Israel does not recognize me, my people do not understand.”
- Isaiah 5:13Therefore my people will be deported because of their lack of understanding. Their leaders will have nothing to eat, their masses will have nothing to drink.
- Isaiah 63:8He said, “Certainly they will be my people, children who are not disloyal.” He became their deliverer.
- Micah 2:8but you rise up as an enemy against my people. You steal a robe from a friend, from those who pass by peacefully as if returning from a war.
- Micah 6:3“My people, how have I wronged you? How have I wearied you? Answer me!
- Jeremiah 2:17You have brought all this on yourself, Israel, by deserting the Lord your God when he was leading you along the right path.
- Jeremiah 1:16In this way I will pass sentence on the people of Jerusalem and Judah because of all their wickedness. For they rejected me and offered sacrifices to other gods, worshiping what they made with their own hands.”
- Jeremiah 15:6I, the Lord, say: ‘You people have deserted me! You keep turning your back on me.’ So I have unleashed my power against you and have begun to destroy you. I have grown tired of feeling sorry for you!”
- Judges 10:13But since you abandoned me and worshiped other gods, I will not deliver you again.
- 1 Samuel 12:10Then they cried out to the Lord and admitted, ‘We have sinned, for we have forsaken the Lord and have served the Baals and the images of Ashtoreth. Now deliver us from the hand of our enemies so that we may serve you.’
- Jeremiah 17:13You are the one in whom Israel may find hope. All who leave you will suffer shame. Those who turn away from you will be consigned to the nether world. For they have rejected you, the Lord, the fountain of life.
- Jeremiah 18:14Does the snow ever completely vanish from the rocky slopes of Lebanon? Do the cool waters from those distant mountains ever cease to flow?
Commentaries on Jeremiah 2:13
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 13Two evils - First, they forsook God, the Fountain of life, light, prosperity, and happiness. Secondly, they hewed out broken cisterns; they joined themselves to idols, from whom they could receive neither temporal nor spiritual good! Their conduct was the excess of folly and blindness. What we call here broken cisterns, means more properly such vessels as were ill made, not staunch, ill put together, so that the water leaked through them.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 13The pagan are guilty of but one sin - idolatry; the covenant-people commit two - they abandon the true God; they serve idols. Fountain - Not a spring or natural fountain, but a tank or reservoir dug in the ground (see Jeremiah 6:7), and chiefly intended for storing living waters, i. e., those of springs and rivulets. The cistern was used for storing up rain-water only, and therefore the quantity it contained was limited.Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 9-13Verses 9-13 Before God punishes sinners, he pleads with them, to bring them to repentance. He pleads with us, what we should plead with ourselves. Be afraid to think of the wrath and curse which will be the portion of those who throw themselves out of God's grace and favour. Grace in Christ is compared to water from a fountain, it being cooling and refreshing, cleansing and making fruitful: to living water, because it quickens dead sinners, revives…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 13The Israelites made two unwise choices: They left the Lord, their true source of life Thet started worshipping false gods that could not help them A fountain of living (running) water that flows all year, even during droughts, is a rare treasure (Psalm 36:9; John 4:14). The cisterns the Israelites built after entering Canaan were holes in the ground lined with plaster. These simple tanks collected rainwater from roofs during wet weather and provided water…Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1313. two evils--not merely one evil, like the idolaters who know no better; besides simple idolatry, My people add the sin of forsaking the true God whom they have known; the heathen, though having the sin of idolatry, are free from the further sin of changing the true God for idols (Jr 2:11). forsaken me--The Hebrew collocation brings out the only living God into more prominent contrast with idol nonentities. "Me they have forsaken, the Fountain," &c. (Jr…Read the comment
Topics related to Jeremiah 2:13
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
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