New Living Translation
Jeremiah 7:18
18No wonder I am so angry! Watch how the children gather wood and the fathers build sacrificial fires. See how the women knead dough and make cakes to offer to the Queen of Heaven. And they pour out liquid offerings to their other idol gods!
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
16“Pray no more for these people, Jeremiah. Do not weep or pray for them, and don’t beg me to help them, for I will not listen to you. 17Don’t you see what they are doing throughout the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem? No wonder I am so angry! Watch how the children gather wood and the fathers build sacrificial fires. See how the women knead dough and make cakes to offer to the Queen of Heaven. And they pour out liquid offerings to their other idol gods! 19Am I the one they are hurting?” asks the Lord. “Most of all, they hurt themselves, to their own shame.” 20So this is what the Sovereign Lord says: “I will pour out my terrible fury on this place. Its people, animals, trees, and crops will be consumed by the unquenchable fire of my anger.”
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 44:17We will do whatever we want. We will burn incense and pour out liquid offerings to the Queen of Heaven just as much as we like—just as we, and our ancestors, and our kings and officials have always done in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem. For in those days we had plenty to eat, and we were well off and had no troubles!
- 1 Corinthians 10:22What? Do we dare to rouse the Lord’s jealousy? Do you think we are stronger than he is?
- Deuteronomy 4:19And when you look up into the sky and see the sun, moon, and stars—all the forces of heaven—don’t be seduced into worshiping them. The Lord your God gave them to all the peoples of the earth.
- Job 31:26“Have I looked at the sun shining in the skies, or the moon walking down its silver pathway,
- Jeremiah 19:13Yes, all the houses in Jerusalem, including the palace of Judah’s kings, will become like Topheth—all the houses where you burned incense on the rooftops to your star gods, and where liquid offerings were poured out to your idols.’”
- Jeremiah 32:29The Babylonians outside the walls will come in and set fire to the city. They will burn down all these houses where the people provoked my anger by burning incense to Baal on the rooftops and by pouring out liquid offerings to other gods.
- Deuteronomy 32:37Then he will ask, ‘Where are their gods, the rocks they fled to for refuge?
- Psalms 16:4Troubles multiply for those who chase after other gods. I will not take part in their sacrifices of blood or even speak the names of their gods.
- Isaiah 57:6Your gods are the smooth stones in the valleys. You worship them with liquid offerings and grain offerings. They, not I, are your inheritance. Do you think all this makes me happy?
- Isaiah 65:11“But because the rest of you have forsaken the Lord and have forgotten his Temple, and because you have prepared feasts to honor the god of Fate and have offered mixed wine to the god of Destiny,
- Ezekiel 20:28for when I brought them into the land I had promised them, they offered sacrifices on every high hill and under every green tree they saw! They roused my fury as they offered up sacrifices to their gods. They brought their perfumes and incense and poured out their liquid offerings to them.
- Jeremiah 25:7“But you would not listen to me,” says the Lord. “You made me furious by worshiping idols you made with your own hands, bringing on yourselves all the disasters you now suffer.
- Isaiah 3:8For Jerusalem will stumble, and Judah will fall, because they speak out against the Lord and refuse to obey him. They provoke him to his face.
- Isaiah 65:3All day long they insult me to my face by worshiping idols in their sacred gardens. They burn incense on pagan 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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