Jeremiah / Chapter 3

Jeremiah 3

25 verses • Westminster Leningrad Codex 2 traditions available

Translator's Introduction

What This Chapter Is About

Jeremiah 3 extends the faithless wife metaphor introduced in chapter 2, comparing Israel and Judah to adulterous women who have abandoned their husband — the LORD. God asks whether a divorced woman can return to her first husband (invoking Deuteronomy 24:1-4), yet still calls Israel to return. The chapter contrasts 'faithless Israel' with 'treacherous Judah,' declaring that Judah is worse because she witnessed her sister's punishment yet did not learn from it. The second half pivots to an extraordinary vision of future restoration: the ark of the covenant will no longer be remembered, all nations will gather to Jerusalem, and God's people will call him 'My Father' and never again turn away.

What Makes This Chapter Remarkable

The verb shuv ('return/turn') dominates this chapter — appearing in nearly every form and nuance, sometimes meaning 'turn back to God' and sometimes 'turn away from God.' The same root carries repentance and apostasy, faithfulness and betrayal. This wordplay is untranslatable in English and represents one of Jeremiah's most sophisticated rhetorical devices. The declaration in verse 16 that the ark of the covenant 'will not come to mind, nor will they remember it, nor will they miss it, nor will it be made again' is one of the most radical statements in the Hebrew Bible — the holiest object in Israel's worship is declared obsolete. We also note that verses 1-5 use second-person feminine singular (addressing Judah/Israel as a woman), while verses 12-18 shift to second-person masculine plural (addressing the people as a community), and verses 19-25 shift again to a communal confession. Each shift in address required careful rendering.

Translation Friction

The legal analogy in verse 1 invokes Deuteronomy 24:1-4, which prohibits a divorced woman from returning to her first husband if she has married another. God applies this to Israel's idolatry — she has 'been with many lovers' — yet astonishingly still calls her to return. This theological tension (law says no return; grace says return) is central to the chapter and we preserved it without resolving it. The word meshuvah ('faithlessness, apostasy, turning away') in verse 6 is built from the same root shuv as teshuvah ('repentance, return'), creating a paradox we documented. The shift between poetry (vv. 1-5, 12-13, 19-25) and prose (vv. 6-11, 14-18) required careful formatting decisions.

Connections

The divorce analogy connects to Deuteronomy 24:1-4 and Hosea 1-3 (the faithless wife motif). The call 'Return, faithless Israel' anticipates the great return oracles of chapters 30-33. The vision of the ark no longer needed (v. 16) anticipates the new covenant of 31:31-34 where the law is internalized. The phrase 'My Father' (avi, v. 4, 19) connects to Hosea 11:1 and foreshadows the new covenant intimacy of 31:9. The communal confession in verses 22-25 foreshadows the penitential liturgy of Daniel 9. The contrast between Israel and Judah echoes Ezekiel 16 and 23. **Tradition comparisons:** The Septuagint preserves a significantly different text tradition for Jeremiah. Chapter/verse numbering identical. See the [LXX Jeremiah comparison](/lxx-jeremiah/3). Targum Jonathan provides interpretive renderings: Jerusalem is not the LORD's throne directly but the throne of his glory (yeqar). The eschatological transformation of Jerusalem is mediated through glory-theology. See [Targum Jonathan on Jeremiah](/targum/jeremiah).

Jeremiah 3:1

לֵאמֹ֗ר הֵ֣ן יְשַׁלַּ֤ח אִישׁ֙ אֶת־אִשְׁתּ֔וֹ וְהָלְכָ֥ה מֵאִתּ֖וֹ וְהָיְתָ֣ה לְאִישׁ־אַחֵ֑ר הֲיָשׁ֤וּב אֵלֶ֙יהָ֙ ע֔וֹד הֲל֛וֹא חָנ֥וֹף תֶּחֱנַ֖ף הָאָ֣רֶץ הַהִ֑יא וְאַ֗תְּ זָנִ֛ית רֵעִ֥ים רַבִּ֖ים וְשׁ֥וֹב אֵלַ֖י נְאֻם־יְהוָֽה׃

If a man divorces his wife and she leaves him and becomes another man's, can he return to her again? Would not that land be utterly defiled? Yet you have prostituted yourself with many lovers — and still you would return to me? declares the LORD.

KJV They say, If a man put away his wife, and she go from him, and become another man's, shall he return unto her again? shall not that land be greatly polluted? but thou hast played the harlot with many lovers; yet return again to me, saith the LORD.

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

שׁוּב shuv
"return" — to return, to turn back, to repent, to turn away, to apostatize

The key verb of the entire book of Jeremiah. In this verse it carries both its legal sense (can the husband return to her?) and its theological sense (return to God). The same root will carry the weight of the entire chapter.

Translator Notes

  1. The verse invokes the law of Deuteronomy 24:1-4, which prohibits a man from remarrying a wife who has married another. The rhetorical question expects the answer 'no' — yet God's final statement overturns the expected conclusion. The verb zanit ('you have prostituted yourself') is graphic and deliberate, not merely 'played the harlot' as in the KJV. The phrase re'im rabbim ('many lovers') intensifies the indictment — this is not a single lapse but serial unfaithfulness.
Jeremiah 3:2

שְׂאִי־עֵינַ֙יִךְ֙ עַל־שְׁפָיִ֣ם וּרְאִ֔י אֵיפֹ֖ה לֹ֣א שֻׁגָּ֑לְתְּ עַל־דְּרָכִ֞ים יָשַׁ֣בְתְּ לָהֶ֗ם כַּעֲרָבִ֤י בַּמִּדְבָּר֙ וַתַּחֲנִ֣יפִי אֶ֔רֶץ בִּזְנוּתַ֖יִךְ וּבְרָעָתֵֽךְ׃

Lift your eyes to the barren heights and look — where have you not been violated? You sat waiting for them beside the roads like a desert nomad lying in ambush. You have defiled the land with your prostitution and your wickedness.

KJV Lift up thine eyes unto the high places, and see where thou hast not been lien with. In the ways hast thou sat for them, as the Arabian in the wilderness; and thou hast polluted the land with thy whoredoms and with thy wickedness.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The word shefayim ('barren heights, bare hills') refers to the high places where idolatrous worship — including cult prostitution — took place. The comparison to an aravi ('Arabian, desert nomad') lying in wait beside the road likens Judah to a bandit or a roadside prostitute eagerly seeking partners. The word shugalt ('you were lain with') is a strong sexual term indicating violation or debasement, not merely 'lying with.' The defilement (chanaf) of the land echoes the Deuteronomic warning that sexual sin and idolatry pollute the land itself.
Jeremiah 3:3

וַיִּמָּנְע֣וּ רְבִבִ֔ים וּמַלְק֖וֹשׁ ל֣וֹא הָיָ֑ה וּמֵ֨צַח אִשָּׁ֤ה זוֹנָה֙ הָ֣יָה לָ֔ךְ מֵאַ֖נְתְּ הִכָּלֵֽם׃

So the showers have been withheld and the spring rains have not come. Yet you have the brazen face of a prostitute — you refuse to be ashamed.

KJV Therefore the showers have been withholden, and there hath been no latter rain; and thou hadst a whore's forehead, thou refusedst to be ashamed.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The withholding of rain is covenant-curse language (Deuteronomy 28:23-24) — drought is not random weather but divine judgment. The phrase metsach ishah zonah ('forehead of a prostitute-woman') indicates shamelessness — a brazen, unembarrassed demeanor. The verb me'ant hikkelem ('you refused to be ashamed') indicates not inability but deliberate refusal to feel shame. The malkosh ('spring rain, latter rain') was the late rain critical for the grain harvest — its absence meant famine.
Jeremiah 3:4

הֲל֣וֹא מֵעַ֔תָּה קָרָ֥את לִ֖י אָבִ֑י אַלּ֥וּף נְעוּרַ֖י אָֽתָּה׃

Have you not just now called out to me, 'My Father! You are the companion of my youth'?

KJV Wilt thou not from this time cry unto me, My father, thou art the guide of my youth?

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The word avi ('my father') is an intimate address — the people appeal to God as a child to a parent, seeking tenderness. The word alluph ('companion, guide, intimate friend') comes from the same root as the word used for the 'gentle' lamb in 11:19, here meaning a trusted, familiar companion. The phrase ne'urai ('my youth') refers to the early period of the covenant relationship, the 'honeymoon' at Sinai. The question is whether this appeal is genuine repentance or manipulative language — God's response in verse 5 suggests the latter.
Jeremiah 3:5

הֲיִנְטֹ֣ר לְעוֹלָ֔ם אִם־יִשְׁמֹ֖ר לָנֶ֑צַח הִנֵּ֤ה דִבַּ֙רְתִּ֙ וַתַּעֲשִׂ֣י הָרָע֔וֹת וַתּוּכָֽלִי׃

'Will he stay angry forever? Will he hold a grudge to the end?' Look — you have spoken this way, yet you have done every evil you could.

KJV Will he reserve his anger for ever? will he keep it to the end? Behold, thou hast spoken and done evil things as thou couldest.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The people's words in the first half are self-serving — they assume God's anger must eventually pass, regardless of their behavior. The devastating reply in the second half exposes the gap between their pious words and their actions: 'you have done every evil you could' (vattukali, 'and you prevailed' — you succeeded in doing all the evil possible). The verb tukali implies mastery — they have become experts at wickedness.
Jeremiah 3:6

וַיֹּ֨אמֶר יְהוָ֜ה אֵלַ֗י בִּימֵי֙ יֹאשִׁיָּ֣הוּ הַמֶּ֔לֶךְ הֲרָאִ֗יתָ אֲשֶׁ֤ר עָשְׂתָה֙ מְשֻׁבָ֣ה יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל הֹלְכָ֣ה הִ֗יא עַל־כָּל־הַ֤ר גָּבֹ֙הַ֙ וְאֶל־תַּ֣חַת כָּל־עֵ֣ץ רַעֲנָ֔ן וַתִּזְנִי־שָֽׁם׃

The LORD said to me in the days of King Josiah: Have you seen what faithless Israel has done? She went up on every high hill and under every spreading tree, and she prostituted herself there.

KJV The LORD said also unto me in the days of Josiah the king, Hast thou seen that which backsliding Israel hath done? she is gone up upon every high mountain and under every green tree, and there hath played the harlot.

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

מְשֻׁבָה meshuvah
"faithless" — faithlessness, apostasy, backsliding, turning away

Built from the root shuv ('turn'), meshuvah denotes a settled state of having turned away from God. It is the opposite of teshuvah ('repentance, return'). The wordplay pervades this chapter.

Translator Notes

  1. The word meshuvah ('faithless, apostate, backsliding') is formed from shuv — literally 'turned-away Israel.' The phrase 'every high hill and every spreading tree' is a standard formula for Canaanite worship sites (cf. Deuteronomy 12:2, 1 Kings 14:23, 2 Kings 17:10). The historical setting in Josiah's reign (640-609 BCE) places this oracle during the reform period when the full extent of Israel's idolatry was being uncovered.

Septuagint (LXX, shorter text)minor

LXX reads ἐπὶ πᾶν ὄρος ὑψηλόν 'upon every high mountain' — same sense as MT אֶל־כָּל־עֵץ רַעֲנָן 'under every green tree' but different image (mountain vs. tree).

Jeremiah 3:7

וָאֹמַ֗ר אַחֲרֵ֨י עֲשׂוֹתָ֧הּ אֶת־כָּל־אֵ֛לֶּה אֵלַ֥י תָּשׁ֖וּב וְלֹא־שָׁ֑בָה וַתִּרְאֶ֛ה בָּגוֹדָ֥ה אֲחוֹתָ֖הּ יְהוּדָֽה׃

I thought, 'After she has done all these things, she will return to me.' But she did not return. And her treacherous sister Judah saw it.

KJV And I said after she had done all these things, Turn thou unto me. But she returned not. And her treacherous sister Judah saw it.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. God's expectation — 'she will return' (tashuv) — uses the same verb shuv yet again, now expressing divine hope met with disappointment. The word bagodah ('treacherous') describes Judah, who is about to be shown as worse than Israel. The sisterhood metaphor (Israel and Judah as sisters) appears also in Ezekiel 16 and 23, where the metaphor is developed at much greater length.
Jeremiah 3:8

וָאֵ֗רֶא כִּ֤י עַל־כָּל־אֹדוֹת֙ אֲשֶׁ֤ר נִֽאֲפָה֙ מְשֻׁבָ֣ה יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל שִׁלַּחְתִּ֕יהָ וָאֶתֵּ֛ן אֶת־סֵ֥פֶר כְּרִיתוּתֶ֖יהָ אֵלֶ֑יהָ וְלֹ֨א יָרְאָ֜ה בֹּגֵדָ֤ה יְהוּדָה֙ אֲחוֹתָ֔הּ וַתֵּ֖לֶךְ וַתִּ֥זֶן גַּם־הִֽיא׃

I saw that for all the acts of adultery that faithless Israel had committed, I sent her away and gave her a certificate of divorce. Yet her treacherous sister Judah was not afraid — she too went and prostituted herself.

KJV And I saw, when for all the causes whereby backsliding Israel committed adultery I had put her away, and given her a bill of divorce; yet her treacherous sister Judah feared not, but went and played the harlot also.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The sefer kerituteyha ('certificate of divorce') is the legal document prescribed in Deuteronomy 24:1. God is depicted as having formally divorced northern Israel — the Assyrian exile of 722 BCE is framed as marital dissolution. The devastating point is that Judah watched her sister's destruction and learned nothing from it. The word ni'afah ('committed adultery') is the technical term for marital infidelity, maintaining the marriage metaphor.
Jeremiah 3:9

וְהָיָ֗ה מִקֹּ֣ל זְנוּתָהּ֮ וַתֶּחֱנַ֣ף אֶת־הָאָרֶץ֒ וַתִּנְאַ֥ף אֶת־הָאֶ֖בֶן וְאֶת־הָעֵֽץ׃

Because she treated her prostitution so lightly, she defiled the land and committed adultery with stone and with wood.

KJV And it came to pass through the lightness of her whoredom, that she defiled the land, and committed adultery with stones and with trees.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The phrase 'stone and wood' refers to the materials of idol worship — stone pillars (matstsevot) and wooden Asherah poles, or carved stone and wooden images. The irony of 'committing adultery with stone and wood' is biting — Judah has abandoned the living God for lifeless materials. The verb chanaf ('defile, pollute') echoes verse 2 and indicates that the land itself is contaminated by idolatry.
Jeremiah 3:10

וְגַם־בְּכָל־זֹ֗את לֹא־שָׁ֨בָה אֵלַ֜י בָּגוֹדָ֧ה אֲחוֹתָ֛הּ יְהוּדָ֖ה בְּכָל־לִבָּ֑הּ כִּ֥י אִם־בְּשֶׁ֖קֶר נְאֻם־יְהוָֽה׃

And even after all this, her treacherous sister Judah did not return to me with her whole heart but only in pretense, declares the LORD.

KJV And yet for all this her treacherous sister Judah hath not turned unto me with her whole heart, but feignedly, saith the LORD.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The phrase besheqer ('in falsehood, in pretense') likely refers to Josiah's reforms — which were genuine on the king's part but superficial among the people. The outward destruction of idols did not correspond to inward transformation. The failure to return 'with her whole heart' (bekhol libbah) echoes the great Shema command of Deuteronomy 6:5. Judah's repentance was performative, not genuine.
Jeremiah 3:11

וַיֹּ֤אמֶר יְהוָה֙ אֵלַ֔י צִדְּקָ֥ה נַפְשָׁ֖הּ מְשֻׁבָ֣ה יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל מִבֹּגֵדָ֖ה יְהוּדָֽה׃

Then the LORD said to me: Faithless Israel has shown herself more righteous than treacherous Judah.

KJV And the LORD said unto me, The backsliding Israel hath justified herself more than treacherous Judah.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The verb tsiddeqah ('has justified herself, has shown herself righteous') is a stunning comparison — not that Israel was righteous, but that she is more righteous by comparison with Judah. Judah had the advantage of watching Israel's destruction and still refused to learn. The comparative judgment — the worse sin belongs to the one who had more warning — is a principle Jesus applies in Matthew 11:20-24.
Jeremiah 3:12

הָלֹ֡ךְ וְקָרָ֣אתָ אֶת־הַדְּבָרִ֣ים הָאֵ֣לֶּה צָפ֡וֹנָה וְאָמַרְתָּ֡ שׁ֣וּבָה מְשֻׁבָ֣ה יִשְׂרָאֵל֩ נְאֻם־יְהוָ֨ה לֽוֹא־אַפִּ֤יל פָּנַי֙ בָּכֶ֔ם כִּי־חָסִ֥יד אָ֖נִי נְאֻם־יְהוָ֑ה לֹ֥א אֶטּ֖וֹר לְעוֹלָֽם׃

Go and proclaim these words toward the north, and say: Return, faithless Israel — declares the LORD. I will not look on you with anger, for I am faithful in love, declares the LORD. I will not hold a grudge forever.

KJV Go and proclaim these words toward the north, and say, Return, thou backsliding Israel, saith the LORD; and I will not cause mine anger to fall upon you: for I am merciful, saith the LORD, and I will not keep anger for ever.

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

חָסִיד chasid
"faithful in love" — merciful, faithful, loyal, devoted, pious

The adjective form of chesed. When God calls himself chasid, he claims the same covenantal loyalty he expects from his people. This self-description grounds the call to return — Israel can come back because God's covenant loyalty endures.

Translator Notes

  1. The direction tsafonah ('toward the north') is toward Assyria, where the northern tribes were exiled in 722 BCE. The call shuvah meshuvah yisra'el ('return, faithless Israel') creates an untranslatable wordplay — the verb shuv ('return') is addressed to meshuvah ('turned-away') Israel, using the same root for both the command and the condition. The adjective chasid ('merciful, faithful in love') is rendered 'faithful in love' to connect it to chesed, the signature covenant term.
Jeremiah 3:13

אַ֚ךְ דְּעִ֣י עֲוֹנֵ֔ךְ כִּ֛י בַּיהוָ֥ה אֱלֹהַ֖יִךְ פָּשָׁ֑עְתְּ וַתְּפַזְּרִ֨י אֶת־דְּרָכַ֜יִךְ לַזָּרִ֗ים תַּ֚חַת כָּל־עֵ֣ץ רַעֲנָ֔ן וּבְקוֹלִ֥י לֹא־שְׁמַעְתֶּ֖ם נְאֻם־יְהוָֽה׃

Only acknowledge your guilt — that you have rebelled against the LORD your God and scattered your favors to strangers under every spreading tree, and you have not obeyed my voice, declares the LORD.

KJV Only acknowledge thine iniquity, that thou hast transgressed against the LORD thy God, and hast scattered thy ways to the strangers under every green tree, and ye have not obeyed my voice, saith the LORD.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The verb pasha't ('you have rebelled, transgressed') denotes willful rebellion, not accidental failure. The phrase 'scattered your ways to strangers' (tefarezri et derakhayikh lazzarim) is a sexual metaphor — distributing her favors indiscriminately, like a promiscuous woman. The shift from feminine singular (de'i, 'acknowledge') to masculine plural (shema'tem, 'you obeyed') in the same verse reflects the fluid movement between the personified woman and the actual community.
Jeremiah 3:14

שׁ֣וּבוּ בָנִ֤ים שׁוֹבָבִים֙ נְאֻם־יְהוָ֔ה כִּ֥י אָנֹכִ֖י בָּעַ֣לְתִּי בָכֶ֑ם וְלָקַחְתִּ֨י אֶתְכֶ֜ם אֶחָ֣ד מֵעִ֗יר וּשְׁנַ֙יִם֙ מִמִּשְׁפָּחָ֔ה וְהֵבֵאתִ֥י אֶתְכֶ֖ם צִיּֽוֹן׃

Return, unfaithful children — declares the LORD — for I am your master. I will take you, one from a city and two from a clan, and I will bring you to Zion.

KJV Turn, O backsliding children, saith the LORD; for I am married unto you: and I will take you one of a city, and two of a family, and I will bring you to Zion:

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

בָּעַלְתִּי ba'alti
"I am your master" — to be master, to marry, to own, to be husband to

The verb ba'al carries marital and ownership connotations simultaneously. Rendering as 'I am your master' preserves the authority dimension; 'I am married to you' (another valid option) preserves the intimacy dimension. Both are present in the Hebrew.

Translator Notes

  1. The phrase ba'alti vakhem is profoundly ambiguous — ba'al means both 'husband/master' and 'to marry/to own.' God simultaneously claims marital authority and ownership. The wordplay shuvu banim shovavim ('return, turning-away children') again exploits the shuv root. The numbers 'one from a city, two from a clan' indicate that restoration will begin with a small remnant, not a mass return — even individual faithful ones matter to God.
Jeremiah 3:15

וְנָתַתִּ֥י לָכֶ֛ם רֹעִ֖ים כְּלִבִּ֑י וְרָע֥וּ אֶתְכֶ֖ם דֵּעָ֥ה וְהַשְׂכֵּֽיל׃

Then I will give you shepherds after my own heart, and they will tend you with knowledge and wisdom.

KJV And I will give you pastors according to mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The word ro'im ('shepherds, pastors') refers to leaders — kings, priests, and prophets who guide the people. The phrase kellibbi ('according to my heart') echoes the description of David (1 Samuel 13:14, 'a man after God's own heart'). The future leaders will not merely rule but 'tend' (ra'u) the people — the shepherd metaphor implies care, feeding, and protection. The pairing de'ah vehaskeil ('knowledge and wisdom') indicates competent, discerning leadership.
Jeremiah 3:16

וְהָיָ֡ה כִּ֣י תִרְבּוּ֩ וּפְרִיתֶ֨ם בָּאָ֜רֶץ בַּיָּמִ֣ים הָהֵ֗מָּה נְאֻם־יְהוָ֡ה לֹא־יֹאמְר֣וּ עוֹד֩ אֲר֨וֹן בְּרִית־יְהוָ֜ה וְלֹ֨א יַעֲלֶ֤ה עַל־לֵב֙ וְלֹ֣א יִזְכְּרוּ־ב֔וֹ וְלֹ֥א יִפְקֹ֖דוּ וְלֹ֥א יֵעָשֶׂ֖ה עֽוֹד׃

When you have multiplied and increased in the land, in those days — declares the LORD — they will no longer say, 'The ark of the covenant of the LORD.' It will not come to mind, they will not remember it, they will not miss it, and it will not be made again.

KJV And it shall come to pass, when ye be multiplied and increased in the land, in those days, saith the LORD, they shall say no more, The ark of the covenant of the LORD: neither shall it come to heart, neither shall they remember it; neither shall they visit it; neither shall that be done any more.

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

אֲרוֹן בְּרִית־יְהוָה aron berit-YHWH
"the ark of the covenant of the LORD" — chest, box, ark; the sacred container of the covenant tablets

The holiest physical object in Israelite religion. Its declared obsolescence in this verse is theologically extraordinary — the old covenant's most sacred symbol will simply be forgotten, not destroyed but transcended.

Translator Notes

  1. The fourfold negation is emphatic: (1) they will not say its name, (2) it will not come to mind (lo ya'aleh al lev), (3) they will not remember it, (4) they will not miss it (lo yifqodu — 'they will not visit/attend to it'). The ark of the covenant was already lost or hidden by Jeremiah's time (its fate is unknown after the Babylonian destruction), but this oracle goes further — it declares that the ark will not even be rebuilt. The covenant relationship will transcend its physical symbols.

Septuagint (LXX, shorter text)minor

LXX is shorter, omitting 'neither shall it come to mind; neither shall they remember it; neither shall they visit it; neither shall that be done anymore.' MT has an expansive five-fold negative construction; LXX has a simpler form.

Jeremiah 3:17

בָּעֵ֣ת הַהִ֗יא יִקְרְא֤וּ לִירוּשָׁלַ֙͏ִם֙ כִּסֵּ֣א יְהוָ֔ה וְנִקְוּ֤וּ אֵלֶ֙יהָ֙ כָּל־הַגּוֹיִ֔ם לְשֵׁ֥ם יְהוָ֖ה לִירוּשָׁלָ֑͏ִם וְלֹא־יֵלְכ֣וּ ע֔וֹד אַחֲרֵ֖י שְׁרִר֥וּת לִבָּ֥ם הָרָֽע׃

At that time they will call Jerusalem 'the throne of the LORD,' and all nations will gather to it — to the name of the LORD, to Jerusalem. They will no longer walk in the stubbornness of their evil hearts.

KJV At that time they shall call Jerusalem the throne of the LORD; and all the nations shall be gathered unto it, to the name of the LORD, to Jerusalem: neither shall they walk any more after the imagination of their evil heart.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. Jerusalem replaces the ark as the locus of God's presence — the entire city becomes his 'throne' (kisse'), not just the mercy seat between the cherubim. The gathering of all nations (kol haggoyim) expands the vision beyond Israel to a universal scope. The phrase sheririut libbam hara' ('stubbornness of their evil heart') is the characteristic Jeremiah phrase for settled rebellion (cf. 7:24, 9:13, 11:8, 13:10).

Targum Jonathan (Aramaic, 1st-5th c. CE)anti-anthropomorphism

"At that time they shall call Jerusalem the throne of the glory of the LORD."

Jerusalem is not the LORD's throne directly but the throne of his glory (yeqar). The eschatological transformation of Jerusalem is mediated through glory-theology.

Jeremiah 3:18

בַּיָּמִ֣ים הָהֵ֔מָּה יֵלְכ֥וּ בֵית־יְהוּדָ֖ה עַל־בֵּ֣ית יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל וְיָבֹ֤אוּ יַחְדָּו֙ מֵאֶ֣רֶץ צָפ֔וֹן עַל־הָאָ֕רֶץ אֲשֶׁ֥ר הִנְחַ֖לְתִּי אֶת־אֲבוֹתֵיכֶֽם׃

In those days the house of Judah will walk together with the house of Israel, and they will come together from the land of the north to the land that I gave as an inheritance to your ancestors.

KJV In those days the house of Judah shall walk with the house of Israel, and they shall come together out of the land of the north to the land that I have given for an inheritance unto your fathers.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The reunification of Judah and Israel — divided since Solomon's death (1 Kings 12) — is a recurring prophetic hope (cf. Ezekiel 37:15-28, Hosea 1:11). The 'land of the north' (erets tsafon) refers to the direction of exile (both Assyria and Babylon lie northeast of Israel, but the approach route is from the north). The word hinachalti ('I gave as inheritance') uses the root nachal, indicating permanent, ancestral possession — the land is not a rental but a family inheritance.
Jeremiah 3:19

וְאָנֹכִ֣י אָמַ֗רְתִּי אֵ֚יךְ אֲשִׁיתֵ֣ךְ בַּבָּנִ֔ים וְאֶתֶּן־לָ֖ךְ אֶ֣רֶץ חֶמְדָּ֑ה נַחֲלַ֛ת צְבִ֥י צִבְא֖וֹת גּוֹיִֽם וָאֹמַ֗ר אָבִ֛י תִּקְרְאִי־לִ֖י וּמֵאַחֲרַ֥י לֹ֥א תָשֽׁוּבִי׃

I myself said, 'How gladly I would set you among my children and give you a desirable land — the most beautiful inheritance among the nations!' I said, 'You will call me "My Father" and never turn away from following me.'

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.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. God's inner deliberation is poignant — the phrase eikh ashitek ('how shall I set you') expresses the desire to include Israel among the children, but the question implies difficulty. The land is described as erets chemdah ('a desirable land') and nachalat tsevi ('an inheritance of beauty/splendor'), piling up terms of loveliness. The hope 'you will call me avi (My Father)' echoes verse 4, but here it is God's wish rather than the people's manipulative appeal. The verb tashuvi ('you will turn away') is yet another shuv occurrence — the hope that the cycle of turning away will finally end.
Jeremiah 3:20

אָכֵ֛ן בָּגְדָ֥ה אִשָּׁ֖ה מֵרֵעָ֑הּ כֵּ֧ן בְּגַדְתֶּ֣ם בִּ֗י בֵּ֥ית יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל נְאֻם־יְהוָֽה׃

But just as a wife betrays her husband, so you have betrayed me, O house of Israel, declares the LORD.

KJV Surely as a wife treacherously departeth from her husband, so have ye dealt treacherously with me, O house of Israel, saith the LORD.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The verse functions as a devastating pivot — after the tender vision of verses 14-19, God returns to the reality of betrayal. The word bagdah ('she has betrayed, dealt treacherously') is the same root used for 'treacherous Judah' (bogdah) in verses 7-11, now applied back to Israel. The comparison to a wife leaving her husband (ishah mere'ah) sustains the marriage metaphor through the chapter.
Jeremiah 3:21

ק֚וֹל עַל־שְׁפָיִ֣ם נִשְׁמָ֔ע תַּחֲנוּנֵ֖י בְּכִ֣י בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל כִּ֤י הֶעֱוּוּ֙ אֶת־דַּרְכָּ֔ם שָׁכְח֖וּ אֶת־יְהוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֵיהֶֽם׃

A voice is heard on the barren heights — the weeping and pleading of the children of Israel, for they have twisted their path; they have forgotten the LORD their God.

KJV A voice was heard upon the high places, weeping and supplications of the children of Israel: for they have perverted their way, and they have forgotten the LORD their God.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The shefayim ('barren heights') where Israel once prostituted herself (v. 2) now become the place of her weeping — the same locations associated with sin are now associated with repentance. The verb he'ewu ('they have twisted, perverted') from the root 'awah indicates their path has become crooked and distorted. The forgetting of God (shakhekhu) is not mere forgetfulness but willful abandonment of the covenant relationship.
Jeremiah 3:22

שׁ֣וּבוּ בָּנִ֣ים שׁוֹבָבִ֔ים אֶרְפָּ֖ה מְשׁוּבֹתֵיכֶ֑ם הִנְנ֤וּ אָתָ֙אנוּ֙ לָ֔ךְ כִּ֥י אַתָּ֖ה יְהוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ׃

"Return, unfaithful children — I will heal your faithlessness." "Here we are — we come to you, for you are the LORD our God.

KJV Return, ye backsliding children, and I will heal your backslidings. Behold, we come unto thee; for thou art the LORD our God.

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

מְשׁוּבֹתֵיכֶם meshuvotekhem
"faithlessness" — apostasies, turnings-away, backslidings, faithlessness

The noun form of meshuvah — the accumulated acts of turning away from God, now treated as a curable condition rather than an unforgivable crime.

Translator Notes

  1. This verse contains another concentrated shuv wordplay: shuvu ('return'), shovavim ('turning-away ones'), and meshuvotekhem ('your apostasies') are all from the same root. No English can reproduce this — the command to turn-back is addressed to those who have turned-away, promising to heal their turning-away. The response of the people begins the communal confession that runs through verse 25. The transition from divine speech to communal response happens without narrative introduction.
Jeremiah 3:23

אָכֵ֗ן לַשֶּׁ֙קֶר֙ מִגְּבָע֔וֹת הָמ֖וֹן הָרִ֑ים אָכֵן֙ בַּיהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֵ֔ינוּ תְּשׁוּעַ֖ת יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃

Truly, the hills are a delusion, the commotion on the mountains is a lie. Truly, in the LORD our God is the salvation of Israel.

KJV Truly in vain is salvation hoped for from the hills, and from the multitude of mountains: truly in the LORD our God is the salvation of Israel.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The 'hills' and 'mountains' are references to the high places where idols were worshipped — the noisy festivals (hamon, 'commotion, tumult') on the mountains produced nothing. The word lasheqer ('in vain, falsely, a lie') condemns the entire cult-worship system as deception. The contrast with the final line — teshu'at yisra'el ('the salvation of Israel') — sets the false worship against the true God who alone can save.
Jeremiah 3:24

וְהַבֹּ֗שֶׁת אָֽכְלָ֛ה אֶת־יְגִ֥יעַ אֲבוֹתֵ֖ינוּ מִנְּעוּרֵ֑ינוּ אֶת־צֹאנָם֙ וְאֶת־בְּקָרָ֔ם אֶת־בְּנֵיהֶ֖ם וְאֶת־בְּנוֹתֵיהֶֽם׃

The shameful thing has devoured the labor of our ancestors since our youth — their flocks and their herds, their sons and their daughters.

KJV For shame hath devoured the labour of our fathers from our youth; their flocks and their herds, their sons and their daughters.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The word habbosheth ('the shame, the shameful thing') is likely a dysphemism for Baal, as in 11:13 — the scribal tradition replaces the god's name with 'shame.' The verb akhelah ('has devoured, consumed') casts Baal worship as a devouring force that consumed not only livestock (sacrificed to idols) but children (possibly referencing child sacrifice, cf. 7:31, 19:5, 32:35). The confession acknowledges that idolatry has been generational — 'since our youth' (minne'ureinu).
Jeremiah 3:25

נִשְׁכְּבָ֣ה בְּבָשְׁתֵּ֗נוּ וּֽתְכַסֵּ֤נוּ כְלִמָּתֵ֙נוּ֙ כִּ֣י לַיהוָ֤ה אֱלֹהֵ֙ינוּ֙ חָטָ֔אנוּ אֲנַ֖חְנוּ וַאֲבוֹתֵ֑ינוּ מִנְּעוּרֵ֖ינוּ וְעַד־הַיּ֣וֹם הַזֶּ֑ה וְלֹ֣א שָׁמַ֔עְנוּ בְּק֖וֹל יְהוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ׃

Let us lie down in our shame; let our disgrace cover us. For we have sinned against the LORD our God — we and our ancestors, from our youth until this very day. We have not obeyed the voice of the LORD our God."

KJV We lie down in our shame, and our confusion covereth us: for we have sinned against the LORD our God, we and our fathers, from our youth even unto this day, and have not obeyed the voice of the LORD our God.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The communal confession closes with total acknowledgment — sin from youth until the present, spanning generations. The verbs nishkevah ('let us lie down') and tekhassenu ('let it cover us') depict shame as a physical weight that presses down and covers over. The word chatanu ('we have sinned') uses the general term for sin (chet, 'missing the mark'). The final clause — 'we have not obeyed the voice of the LORD our God' — directly answers the covenant demand of verse 13 and echoes the covenant formula of 11:4, 7. The confession is genuine, unlike the pretense condemned in verse 10.
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