Jeremiah 14 20

Jeremiah 14:20 kjv

We acknowledge, O LORD, our wickedness, and the iniquity of our fathers: for we have sinned against thee.

Jeremiah 14:20 nkjv

We acknowledge, O LORD, our wickedness And the iniquity of our fathers, For we have sinned against You.

Jeremiah 14:20 niv

We acknowledge our wickedness, LORD, and the guilt of our ancestors; we have indeed sinned against you.

Jeremiah 14:20 esv

We acknowledge our wickedness, O LORD, and the iniquity of our fathers, for we have sinned against you.

Jeremiah 14:20 nlt

LORD, we confess our wickedness
and that of our ancestors, too.
We all have sinned against you.

Jeremiah 14 verses

Jeremiah 14 20 Meaning

Jeremiah 14:20 is a profound plea from the people of Judah to the LORD during a time of national distress, likely a severe drought, recognizing their profound culpability. It represents a corporate confession, where the nation acknowledges its own evil deeds (wickedness) and also accepts responsibility for the moral failings (iniquity) inherited or accumulated from past generations. The core of their plea lies in the stark admission: "for we have sinned against you," articulating that their transgressions are fundamentally an offense against God Himself, not merely a societal lapse. This confession highlights the deep spiritual and moral brokenness that led to their current suffering.

Jeremiah 14 20 Context

Jeremiah chapter 14 describes a period of severe drought, which serves as a potent sign of divine judgment against Judah for its persistent idolatry and moral corruption. The chapter alternates between the people's lament (expressed in part through this verse), Jeremiah's intercessions on their behalf, and God's unyielding responses indicating that His judgment is determined. Verse 20 specifically is part of the people's corporate lament, acknowledging their suffering and presenting a confession to the LORD. This confession is made in the desperate hope that God will respond with mercy and restore their fortunes. However, the subsequent verses and God's pronouncements in the larger context (e.g., Jer 14:11-12, 15:1-4) suggest that this confession, while outwardly expressed, might have lacked the depth of true, transforming repentance in the eyes of God, who discerned their continuing hardened hearts and the influence of false prophets. The historical context is the rapidly deteriorating situation of the kingdom of Judah just before the Babylonian exile, a time marked by widespread unfaithfulness to God's covenant.

Jeremiah 14 20 Word analysis

• We acknowledge (יָדַע, yadah): More than just "to know," this verb in its Hiphil stem often carries the meaning "to make known," "to declare," "to confess," or "to acknowledge." It implies a public and willing admission of truth, often associated with guilt. Here, it denotes an open, humble, and collective declaration of responsibility.

• O LORD (יְהֹוָה, Yahweh): This is the covenant name of God, emphasizing His personal relationship with Israel, His faithfulness to His promises (even in judgment), and His ultimate sovereignty. Addressing Him directly with this name signifies a plea rooted in their covenant relationship, appealing to His divine character despite their failings.

• our wickedness (רֶשַׁע, reshaʿ): Refers to active wrong, injustice, evil, and godlessness; behavior that defies righteous standards. It encompasses overt acts of rebellion and moral perversion, highlighting the active and destructive nature of their transgressions against God's law.

• and the iniquity (עָוֹן, ʿavon): This term often describes a moral distortion, a twistedness of character or action that leads to guilt and results in punishment or calamity. While reshaʿ is about the act, ʿavon can encompass both the crookedness of the deed and the resulting guilt or the punishment that follows. The linking of reshaʿ and ʿavon shows a comprehensive confession of both active evil and moral perversity.

• of our fathers: This refers to past generations of the nation. It reflects the theological understanding of corporate solidarity in ancient Israel, where the sins of one generation could have lasting consequences for future generations (Exod 20:5). It's an admission that the current generation's predicament is also connected to a legacy of disobedience, implying a generational pattern of sin and perhaps a cumulative guilt.

• for we have sinned (חָטָא, ḥaṭaʾ): Meaning "to miss the mark," "to go astray," "to err," or "to fail." It signifies a departure from God's intended path, a failure to meet His righteous standards. This simple yet profound verb identifies their actions as transgressions against a divine standard.

• against you: This prepositional phrase is critical. It underscores that sin is not merely a social misstep or an ethical failure among people, but primarily an offense directly aimed at God Himself, His character, His law, and His covenant relationship with them. This understanding elevates the seriousness of their confession.

• Words-group analysis:

  • "We acknowledge... our wickedness and the iniquity of our fathers": This phrase demonstrates a powerful collective self-indictment. It shows awareness that their current suffering is a direct consequence of both their personal (present generation's) active sin and a historical, accumulated guilt stretching back through their ancestry. This corporate acknowledgment implies that the entire nation understands itself as a responsible entity before God, accepting inherited consequences alongside their own culpability.
  • "for we have sinned against you": This serves as the foundational reason for the preceding confession. It frames their reshaʿ and ʿavon specifically as violations against the divine covenant, rather than mere misfortune. It grounds their lament in theological truth: their distress is divine judgment for direct offense against their sovereign LORD, making their confession a direct appeal to the one they offended.

Jeremiah 14 20 Bonus section

This verse reflects the theological concept of "corporate solidarity" prevalent in Old Testament thought, where the actions and covenant breaking of previous generations had repercussions for those who followed. While later theology, especially in Ezekiel 18, would emphasize individual responsibility ("the son shall not suffer for the iniquity of the father"), Jeremiah 14:20 still highlights the communal and generational consequences of a nation's ongoing spiritual trajectory. This does not mean individuals are inherently guilty of ancestral sins but rather that they inherit the social, spiritual, and sometimes physical consequences of living within a corporate entity that has persistently defied God's covenant. The suffering from drought, directly linked to this confession, illustrates the outworking of the covenant curses found in Deuteronomy 28 for disobedience.

Jeremiah 14 20 Commentary

Jeremiah 14:20 is a quintessential corporate confession within a prophet's lament. The people, driven by physical distress, finally articulate what Jeremiah has been proclaiming: their suffering stems from their unfaithfulness. They acknowledge both their current active wrongdoing (reshaʿ) and the inherited burden of their ancestors' ʿavon – a deep, moral twisting that led to cumulative guilt. The profound "against you" reveals an understanding, at least on the surface, that their transgressions were fundamentally a personal offense against Yahweh, their covenant God, rather than simply societal failures. While deeply significant, this confession in Jeremiah's narrative is often viewed as superficial by God, a product of crisis rather than a genuine, heart-deep turning from idolatry and injustice, ultimately leading to His refusal to relent from judgment. Nevertheless, it represents a biblically correct confession that lays bare their total depravity before a holy God.