New Living Translation
Jeremiah 3:19
19“I thought to myself, ‘I would love to treat you as my own children!’ I wanted nothing more than to give you this beautiful land— the finest possession in the world. I looked forward to your calling me ‘Father,’ and I wanted you never to turn from me.
Jeremiah 3:19 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)But I said, How shall I put thee among the children, and give thee a pleasant land, a goodly heritage of the hosts of nations? and I said, Thou shalt call me, My father; and shalt not turn away from me.
- New International Version (NIV)“I myself said, “ ‘How gladly would I treat you like my children and give you a pleasant land, the most beautiful inheritance of any nation.’ I thought you would call me ‘Father’ and not turn away from following me.
- English Standard Version (ESV)"'I said, How I would set you among my sons, and give you a pleasant land, a heritage most beautiful of all nations. And I thought you would call me, My Father, and would not turn from following me.
- New King James Version (NKJV)“But I said: ‘How can I put you among the children And give you a pleasant land, A beautiful heritage of the hosts of nations?’ “And I said: ‘You shall call Me, “My Father,” And not turn away from Me.’
Context of Jeremiah 3:19
17In that day Jerusalem will be known as ‘The Throne of the Lord.’ All nations will come there to honor the Lord. They will no longer stubbornly follow their own evil desires. 18In those days the people of Judah and Israel will return together from exile in the north. They will return to the land I gave your ancestors as an inheritance forever. “I thought to myself, ‘I would love to treat you as my own children!’ I wanted nothing more than to give you this beautiful land— the finest possession in the world. I looked forward to your calling me ‘Father,’ and I wanted you never to turn from me. 20But you have been unfaithful to me, you people of Israel! You have been like a faithless wife who leaves her husband. I, the Lord, have spoken.” 21Voices are heard high on the windswept mountains, the weeping and pleading of Israel’s people. For they have chosen crooked paths and have forgotten the Lord their God.
Read all of Jeremiah 3Jeremiah 3:19 word by word
וְאָנֹכִ֣י אָמַ֗רְתִּי אֵ֚יךְ אֲשִׁיתֵ֣ךְ בַּבָּנִ֔ים וְאֶתֶּן־לָךְ֙ אֶ֣רֶץ חֶמְדָּ֔ה נַחֲלַ֥ת צְבִ֖י צִבְא֣וֹת גּוֹיִ֑ם וָאֹמַ֗ר אָבִי֙ תִּקְרְאִי לִ֔י וּמֵאַחֲרַ֖י לֹ֥א תָשֽׁוּבִי׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- But I saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
- How shall I putשִׁיתshîyth · to set: makeH7896
- thee among the childrenבֵּןbên · son: childH1121
- and giveנָתַןnâthan · to give: giveH5414
- thee a pleasantחֶמְדָּהchemdâh · desireH2532
- landאֶ֫רֶץ'erets · land: country/planetH776
- a goodlyצְבִיtsebîy · beautyH6643
- heritageנַחֲלָהnachălâh · inheritanceH5159
- of the hostsצָבָאtsâbâ' tsebâ'âh · armyH6635
- of nationsגּוֹיgôy gôy · nationH1471
- Thou shalt callקָרָאqârâ' · to call: call byH7121
- me, My fatherאָב'âb · fatherH1
- and shalt not turn awayשׁוּבshûb · to return: turn backH7725
- from meאַחַר'achar · afterH310
Cross-references for Jeremiah 3:19
- Jeremiah 5:7“How can I pardon you? For even your children have turned from me. They have sworn by gods that are not gods at all! I fed my people until they were full. But they thanked me by committing adultery and lining up at the brothels.
- Hosea 11:8“Oh, how can I give you up, Israel? How can I let you go? How can I destroy you like Admah or demolish you like Zeboiim? My heart is torn within me, and my compassion overflows.
- Jeremiah 3:4Yet you say to me, ‘Father, you have been my guide since my youth.
- Jeremiah 31:9Tears of joy will stream down their faces, and I will lead them home with great care. They will walk beside quiet streams and on smooth paths where they will not stumble. For I am Israel’s father, and Ephraim is my oldest child.
- John 1:11He came to his own people, and even they rejected him.
- 2 Corinthians 6:17Therefore, come out from among unbelievers, and separate yourselves from them, says the Lord. Don’t touch their filthy things, and I will welcome you.
- Galatians 3:26For you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus.
- Galatians 4:5God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children.
- Ephesians 1:5God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure.
- 1 John 3:1See how very much our Father loves us, for he calls us his children, and that is what we are! But the people who belong to this world don’t recognize that we are God’s children because they don’t know him.
- Jeremiah 12:10“Many rulers have ravaged my vineyard, trampling down the vines and turning all its beauty into a barren wilderness.
- Psalms 106:24The people refused to enter the pleasant land, for they wouldn’t believe his promise to care for them.
- Ezekiel 20:6I took a solemn oath that day that I would bring them out of Egypt to a land I had discovered and explored for them—a good land, a land flowing with milk and honey, the best of all lands anywhere.
- Daniel 8:9Then from one of the prominent horns came a small horn whose power grew very great. It extended toward the south and the east and toward the glorious land of Israel.
- Daniel 11:16“The king of the north will march onward unopposed; none will be able to stop him. He will pause in the glorious land of Israel, intent on destroying it.
- Proverbs 3:35The wise inherit honor, but fools are put to shame!
Commentaries on Jeremiah 3:19
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 19How shalt I put thee among the children - As if he had said, How can ye be accounted a holy seed, who are polluted? How can ye be united to the people of God, who walk in the path of sinners? How can ye be taken to heaven, who are unholy within, and unrighteous without? And I said, Thou shalt call me, My father - This is the answer to the above question. They could not be put among the children unless they became legal members of the heavenly family: and…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 19But I - (emphatic). “And I.” The emphasis lies in the abundant goodness of God contrasted with Israel‘s waywardness. How ? - Rather, How ! i. e., How gloriously! With what honor will I place thee among the children! Goodly of the hosts - Rather, “a heritage of the chief beauty of nations.” The general sense is, that Israel “possesses the most beautiful territory of any nation.” And I said - This clause is not the answer to a difficulty, as in the…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 12-20Verses 12-20 See God's readiness to pardon sin, and the blessings reserved for gospel times. These words were proclaimed toward the north; to Israel, the ten tribes, captive in Assyria. They are directed how to return. If we confess our sins, the Lord is faithful and just to forgive them. These promises are fully to come to pass in the bringing back the Jews in after-ages. God will graciously receive those that return to him; and by his grace, he takes…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 19-20But: this transitional word highlights the difference between what the Lord desired and the real situation. The Lord wanted to treat his people as his precious children, but he could not. The covenant marriage between God and his people was broken by the unfaithful wife. The Lord could not ignore this sin (Isaiah 48:8).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1919. The good land covenanted to Abraham is to be restored to his seed. But the question arises, How shall this be done? put ... among ... children--the Greek for adoption means, literally, "putting among the sons." the children--that is, My children. "How shall I receive thee back into My family, after thou hast so long forsaken Me for idols?" The answer is, they would acknowledge Him as "Father," and no longer turn away from Him. God assumes the language…Read the comment
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In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Jeremiah 3
- 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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