New English Translation
Jeremiah 7:18
18Children are gathering firewood, fathers are building fires with it, and women are mixing dough to bake cakes to offer to the goddess they call the Queen of Heaven. They are also pouring out drink offerings to other gods. They seem to do all this just to trouble me.
Jeremiah 7:18 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)The children gather wood, and the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead their dough, to make cakes to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto other gods, that they may provoke me to anger.
- New International Version (NIV)The children gather wood, the fathers light the fire, and the women knead the dough and make cakes to offer to the Queen of Heaven. They pour out drink offerings to other gods to arouse my anger.
- English Standard Version (ESV)The children gather wood, the fathers kindle fire, and the women knead dough, to make cakes for the queen of heaven. And they pour out drink offerings to other gods, to provoke me to anger.
- New King James Version (NKJV)The children gather wood, the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead dough, to make cakes for the queen of heaven; and they pour out drink offerings to other gods, that they may provoke Me to anger.
Context of Jeremiah 7:18
16Then the Lord said, “As for you, Jeremiah, do not pray for these people! Do not cry out to me or petition me on their behalf! Do not plead with me to save them, because I will not listen to you. 17Do you see what they are doing in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem? Children are gathering firewood, fathers are building fires with it, and women are mixing dough to bake cakes to offer to the goddess they call the Queen of Heaven. They are also pouring out drink offerings to other gods. They seem to do all this just to trouble me. 19But I am not really the one being troubled!” says the Lord. “Rather they are bringing trouble on themselves to their own shame! 20So,” the Lord God says, “my raging fury will be poured out on this land. It will be poured out on human beings and animals, on trees and crops. And it will burn like a fire which cannot be extinguished.”
Read all of Jeremiah 7Jeremiah 7:18 word by word
הַבָּנִ֞ים מְלַקְּטִ֣ים עֵצִ֗ים וְהָֽאָבוֹת֙ מְבַעֲרִ֣ים אֶת־הָאֵ֔שׁ וְהַנָּשִׁ֖ים לָשׁ֣וֹת בָּצֵ֑ק לַעֲשׂ֨וֹת כַּוָּנִ֜ים לִמְלֶ֣כֶת הַשָּׁמַ֗יִם וְהַסֵּ֤ךְ נְסָכִים֙ לֵאלֹהִ֣ים אֲחֵרִ֔ים לְמַ֖עַן הַכְעִסֵֽנִי׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- The childrenבֵּןbên · son: childH1121
- gatherלָקַטlâqaţ · to gatherH3950
- woodעֵץ‛êts · tree: woodH6086
- and the fathersאָב'âb · fatherH1
- kindleבָּעַרbâ‛ar · to burn: burnH1197
- the fireאֵשׁ'êsh · fireH784
- and the womenאִשָּׁה'ishshâh nâshîym · womanH802
- kneadלוּשׁlûsh · to kneadH3888
- doughבָּצֵקbâtsêq · doughH1217
- to makeעָשָׂה‛âώâh · to makeH6213
- cakesכַּוָּןkavvân · cakeH3561
- to the queenמְלֶ֫כֶתmeleketh · queenH4446
- of heavenשָׁמַיִםshâmayim shâmeh · heavenH8064
- and to pour outנָסַךְnâsak · to pourH5258
- drink offeringsנֶ֫סֶךְnesek nêsek · drink offeringH5262
- unto otherאַחֵר'achêr · anotherH312
- godsאֱלֹהִים'ĕlôhîym · GodH430
- that they may provoke me to angerכָּעַסka‛as · to provokeH3707
Cross-references for Jeremiah 7:18
- Jeremiah 44:17Instead we will do everything we vowed we would do. We will sacrifice and pour out drink offerings to the goddess called the Queen of Heaven just as we and our ancestors, our kings, and our leaders previously did in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem. For then we had plenty of food, were well-off, and had no troubles.
- 1 Corinthians 10:22Or are we trying to provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we really stronger than he is?
- Deuteronomy 4:19When you look up to the sky and see the sun, moon, and stars – the whole heavenly creation – you must not be seduced to worship and serve them, for the Lord your God has assigned them to all the people of the world.
- Job 31:26if I looked at the sun when it was shining, and the moon advancing as a precious thing,
- Jeremiah 19:13The houses in Jerusalem and the houses of the kings of Judah will be defiled by dead bodies just like this place, Topheth. For they offered sacrifice to the stars and poured out drink offerings to other gods on the roofs of those houses.’”
- Jeremiah 32:29The Babylonian soldiers that are attacking this city will break into it and set it on fire. They will burn it down along with the houses where people have made me angry by offering sacrifices to the god Baal and by pouring out drink offerings to other gods on their rooftops.
- Deuteronomy 32:37He will say, “Where are their gods, the rock in whom they sought security,
- Psalms 16:4their troubles multiply, they desire other gods. I will not pour out drink offerings of blood to their gods, nor will I make vows in the name of their gods.
- Isaiah 57:6Among the smooth stones of the stream are the idols you love; they, they are the object of your devotion. You pour out liquid offerings to them, you make an offering. Because of these things I will seek vengeance.
- Isaiah 65:11But as for you who abandon the Lord and forget about worshiping at my holy mountain, who prepare a feast for the god called ‘Fortune,’ and fill up wine jugs for the god called ‘Destiny’ –
- Ezekiel 20:28I brought them to the land which I swore to give them, but whenever they saw any high hill or leafy tree, they offered their sacrifices there and presented the offerings that provoke me to anger. They offered their soothing aroma there and poured out their drink offerings.
- Jeremiah 25:7So, now the Lord says, ‘You have not listened to me. But you have made me angry by the things that you have done. Thus you have brought harm on yourselves.’
- Isaiah 3:8Jerusalem certainly stumbles, Judah falls, for their words and their actions offend the Lord; they rebel against his royal authority.
- Isaiah 65:3These people continually and blatantly offend me as they sacrifice in their sacred orchards and burn incense on brick altars.
Commentaries on Jeremiah 7:18
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 18The children gather wood - Here is a description of a whole family gathered together, and acting unitedly in idolatrous worship. The children go and collect wood, and bring it to the place of sacrifice. The fathers lay it in order, and kindle a fire. The mother and her maids knead dough, make their batch, and out of it form cakes, and bake them for the honor of the queen of heaven; most probably the moon, though perhaps not exclusive of the sun and…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 18Children fathers women - All members of the family take part in this idolatry. Cakes - Probably very similar to those offered at Athens to Artemis. To the queen of heaven - A Persian and Assyrian deity, who was supposed to symbolize a quality possessed by moonlight of giving to nature its receptive power, as the sun represented its quickening power. The moon thus became generally the symbol of female productiveness, and was worshipped as such at…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 17-20Verses 17-20 The Jews took pride in showing zeal for their idols. Let us learn to be earnest in the service of our God, even from this bad example. Let us think it an honour to be employed in any work for God. Let us be as diligent ourselves, and as careful to teach our children the truths of God, as many are to teach the mysteries of iniquity. The direct tendency of this sin is malice against God, but it will hurt themselves. And they shall find there is…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 17-18Pagan worship became a family activity. Each family member contributed to the ritual. They worshipped Ashtoreth, the Queen of Heaven, the mother goddess of the Canaanites, along with her family of deities (see Jeremiah 44:17–19).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1818. children ... fathers ... women--Not merely isolated individuals practised idolatry; young and old, men and women, and whole families, contributed their joint efforts to promote it. Oh, that there were the same zeal for the worship of God as there is for error (Jr 44:17, 19; 19:13)! cakes ... queen of heaven--Cakes were made of honey, fine flour, &c., in a round flat shape to resemble the disc of the moon, to which they were offered. Others read as…Read the comment
Topics related to Jeremiah 7:18
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Jeremiah 7
- 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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