Jeremiah 2:3

Jeremiah 2:3 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Israel was holiness unto the Lord, and the firstfruits of his increase: all that devour him shall offend; evil shall come upon them, saith the Lord.
• New International Version (NIV)Israel was holy to the Lord, the firstfruits of his harvest; all who devoured her were held guilty, and disaster overtook them,’ ” declares the Lord.
• English Standard Version (ESV)Israel was holy to the Lord, the firstfruits of his harvest. All who ate of it incurred guilt; disaster came upon them, declares the Lord."
• New King James Version (NKJV)Israel was holiness to the Lord, The firstfruits of His increase. All that devour him will offend; Disaster will come upon them,” says the Lord.’ ”

Context of Jeremiah 2:3

1The Lord spoke to me. He said: 2“Go and declare in the hearing of the people of Jerusalem: ‘This is what the Lord says: “I have fond memories of you, how devoted you were to me in your early years. I remember how you loved me like a new bride; you followed me through the wilderness, through a land that had never been planted. Israel was set apart to the Lord; they were like the first fruits of a harvest to him. All who tried to devour them were punished; disaster came upon them,” says the Lord.’” 4Now listen to what the Lord has to say, you descendants of Jacob, all you family groups from the nation of Israel. 5This is what the Lord says: “What fault could your ancestors have possibly found in me that they strayed so far from me? They paid allegiance to worthless idols, and so became worthless to me.

Jeremiah 2:3 word by word

קֹ֤דֶשׁ יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ לַיהוָ֔ה רֵאשִׁ֖ית תְּבוּאָת֑וֹ כָּל־אֹכְלָ֣יו יֶאְשָׁ֔מוּ רָעָ֛ה תָּבֹ֥א אֲלֵיהֶ֖ם נְאֻם־יְהוָֽה׃ פRead the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Israelיִשְׂרָאֵלyiώrâ'êl · IsraelH3478
• holinessקֹ֫דֶשׁqôdesh · holinessH6944
• unto the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
• the firstfruitsרֵאשִׁיתrê'shîyth · first: beginningH7225
• of his increaseתְּבוּאָהtebû'âh · produceH8393
• all that devourאָכַל'âkal · to eatH398
• him shall offendאָשַׁם'âsham 'âshêm · be guiltyH816
• evilרָעָהra‛ râ‛âh · distress: harmH7451
• shall comeבּוֹאbô' · to come (in): comeH935
• upon them, saithנְאֻםne'ûm · utteranceH5002

Cross-references for Jeremiah 2:3

• Exodus 19:5And now, if you will diligently listen to me and keep my covenant, then you will be my special possession out of all the nations, for all the earth is mine,
• Deuteronomy 7:6For you are a people holy to the Lord your God. He has chosen you to be his people, prized above all others on the face of the earth.
• Deuteronomy 14:2For you are a people holy to the Lord your God. He has chosen you to be his people, prized above all others on the face of the earth.
• Deuteronomy 26:19Then he will elevate you above all the nations he has made and you will receive praise, fame, and honor. You will be a people holy to the Lord your God, as he has said.
• Zechariah 14:20On that day the bells of the horses will bear the inscription “Holy to the Lord.” The cooking pots in the Lord’s temple will be as holy as the bowls in front of the altar.
• Ephesians 1:4For he chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world that we may be holy and unblemished in his sight in love.
• 1 Peter 2:9But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of his own, so that you may proclaim the virtues of the one who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.
• Exodus 22:29“Do not hold back offerings from your granaries or your vats. You must give me the firstborn of your sons.
• Exodus 23:16“You are also to observe the Feast of Harvest, the firstfruits of your labors that you have sown in the field, and the Feast of Ingathering at the end of the year when you have gathered in your harvest out of the field.
• Numbers 18:12“All the best of the olive oil and all the best of the wine and of the wheat, the first fruits of these things that they give to the Lord, I have given to you.
• Amos 6:1Woe to those who live in ease in Zion, to those who feel secure on Mount Samaria. They think of themselves as the elite class of the best nation. The family of Israel looks to them for leadership.
• Romans 11:16If the first portion of the dough offered is holy, then the whole batch is holy, and if the root is holy, so too are the branches.
• Romans 16:5Also greet the church in their house. Greet my dear friend Epenetus, who was the first convert to Christ in the province of Asia.
• James 1:18By his sovereign plan he gave us birth through the message of truth, that we would be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.
• Revelation 14:4These are the ones who have not defiled themselves with women, for they are virgins. These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever he goes. These were redeemed from humanity as firstfruits to God and to the Lamb,
• Jeremiah 12:14“I, the Lord, also have something to say concerning the wicked nations who surround my land and have attacked and plundered the land that I gave to my people as a permanent possession. I say: ‘I will uproot the people of those nations from their lands and I will free the people of Judah who have been taken there.

Commentaries on Jeremiah 2:3

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 3Israel was holiness unto the Lord - Fully consecrated to his service. The first fruits of his increase - They were as wholly the Lord's, as the first fruits were the property of the priests according to the law Numbers 18:13. These the priests alone had a right to devote to their own use. All that devour him shall offend - As they were betrothed to the Lord, they were considered his especial property; they therefore who injured them were considered as…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 3Render: “Israel” is an offering consecrated to Yahweh, His firstfruits of increase. The firstfruits were God‘s consecrated property, His portion of the whole harvest. Pagan, i. e., unconsecrated, nations must not meddle with Israel, because it is the nation consecrated to God. If they do, they will bring such guilt upon themselves as those incur who eat the first-fruits Leviticus 22:10, Leviticus 22:16.Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 3Israel was holy because the Lord chose her to be his special people and show his character (Exodus 19:5–6; Leviticus 19; 22:31–33). the firstfruits of His harvest: Mosaic law required people to give the first part of every harvest to the Lord (Exodus 23:16, 19; 34:22, 26; Leviticus 2:12, 14; 23:10, 17, 20; Numbers 18:12; 28:26; Deuteronomy 18:4; 26:10; Zechariah 14:20). The people who made the covenant with God at Mount Sinai promised their full…Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 33. holiness unto the Lord--that is, was consecrated to the service of Jehovah (Ex 19:5, 6). They thus answered to the motto on their high priest's breastplate, "Holiness to the Lord" (De 7:6; 14:2, 21). first-fruits of his increase--that is, of Jehovah's produce. As the first-fruits of the whole produce of the land were devoted to God (Ex 23:19; Nu 18:12, 13), so Israel was devoted to Him as the first-fruit and representative nation among all nations. So…Read the comment

Topics related to Jeremiah 2:3

• First Fruits
• Israel
• Love

In the dictionaries

• Israel
• Israel, Israelites
• Jacob, Israel
• 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