New International Version
Jeremiah 2:13
13“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.
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.
- 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.
- New Living Translation (NLT)“For my people have done two evil things: They have abandoned me— the fountain of living water. And they have dug for themselves cracked cisterns that can hold no water at all!
Context of Jeremiah 2:13
11Has a nation ever changed its gods? (Yet they are not gods at all.) But my people have exchanged their glorious God for worthless idols. 12Be appalled at this, you heavens, and shudder with great horror,” declares the Lord. “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. 14Is Israel a servant, a slave by birth? Why then has he become plunder? 15Lions have roared; they have growled at him. They have laid waste his land; his towns are burned 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 2:31“You of this generation, consider the word of the Lord: “Have I been a desert to Israel or a land of great darkness? Why do my people say, ‘We are free to roam; we will come to you no more’?
- Jeremiah 4:22“My people are fools; they do not know me. They are senseless children; they have no understanding. They are skilled in doing evil; they know not how to do good.”
- Jeremiah 5:26“Among my people are the wicked who lie in wait like men who snare birds and like those who set traps to catch people.
- Psalms 81:11“But my people would not listen to me; Israel would not submit to me.
- Isaiah 1:3The ox knows its master, the donkey its owner’s manger, but Israel does not know, my people do not understand.”
- Isaiah 5:13Therefore my people will go into exile for lack of understanding; those of high rank will die of hunger and the common people will be parched with thirst.
- Isaiah 63:8He said, “Surely they are my people, children who will be true to me”; and so he became their Savior.
- Micah 2:8Lately my people have risen up like an enemy. You strip off the rich robe from those who pass by without a care, like men returning from battle.
- Micah 6:3“My people, what have I done to you? How have I burdened you? Answer me.
- Jeremiah 2:17Have you not brought this on yourselves by forsaking the Lord your God when he led you in the way?
- Jeremiah 1:16I will pronounce my judgments on my people because of their wickedness in forsaking me, in burning incense to other gods and in worshiping what their hands have made.
- Jeremiah 15:6You have rejected me,” declares the Lord. “You keep on backsliding. So I will reach out and destroy you; I am tired of holding back.
- Judges 10:13But you have forsaken me and served other gods, so I will no longer save you.
- 1 Samuel 12:10They cried out to the Lord and said, ‘We have sinned; we have forsaken the Lord and served the Baals and the Ashtoreths. But now deliver us from the hands of our enemies, and we will serve you.’
- Jeremiah 17:13Lord, you are the hope of Israel; all who forsake you will be put to shame. Those who turn away from you will be written in the dust because they have forsaken the Lord, the spring of living water.
- Jeremiah 18:14Does the snow of Lebanon ever vanish from its rocky slopes? Do its cool waters from distant sources ever stop flowing?
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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