Jeremiah 16 11

Jeremiah 16:11 kjv

Then shalt thou say unto them, Because your fathers have forsaken me, saith the LORD, and have walked after other gods, and have served them, and have worshipped them, and have forsaken me, and have not kept my law;

Jeremiah 16:11 nkjv

then you shall say to them, 'Because your fathers have forsaken Me,' says the LORD; 'they have walked after other gods and have served them and worshiped them, and have forsaken Me and not kept My law.

Jeremiah 16:11 niv

then say to them, 'It is because your ancestors forsook me,' declares the LORD, 'and followed other gods and served and worshiped them. They forsook me and did not keep my law.

Jeremiah 16:11 esv

then you shall say to them: 'Because your fathers have forsaken me, declares the LORD, and have gone after other gods and have served and worshiped them, and have forsaken me and have not kept my law,

Jeremiah 16:11 nlt

"Then you will give them the LORD's reply: 'It is because your ancestors were unfaithful to me. They worshiped other gods and served them. They abandoned me and did not obey my word.

Jeremiah 16 verses

Jeremiah 16 11 Meaning

Jeremiah 16:11 explains the foundational reason for God's impending severe judgment upon Judah. The prophet is instructed to tell the people that their suffering is a direct consequence of their forefathers' profound apostasy and their own continuation of these rebellious practices. Specifically, the nation repeatedly forsook the LORD, rejecting their covenant relationship with Him, actively turned to worship foreign deities through allegiances, service, and physical acts of adoration, and, in doing so, demonstrated a blatant disregard for His divine law and instructions. The verse highlights a continuous pattern of infidelity and idolatry as the cause of their impending exile and devastation.

Jeremiah 16 11 Context

Jeremiah chapter 16 depicts the severity of the coming judgment upon Judah through prophetic symbolism and direct pronouncements. The LORD forbids Jeremiah from marrying, having children, or participating in mourning rites (vv. 1-9), illustrating that future generations will not survive, and there will be no traditional mourning due to the sheer scale of death. When the people question why this devastation is coming (v. 10), Jeremiah 16:11 provides the definitive answer, explaining the precise spiritual failures. This verse explicitly links the imminent catastrophe—death, sword, famine, and exile—to the nation's historical and persistent covenant unfaithfulness. The historical context is Judah on the brink of the Babylonian exile (late 7th-early 6th century BCE), marked by centuries of syncretistic worship, rejection of God's laws, and a continued preference for Canaanite and other foreign deities over Yahweh, the God of their covenant. This verse stands as the direct divine explanation for the catastrophic judgments detailed throughout the chapter and the book of Jeremiah.

Jeremiah 16 11 Word analysis

• Then you shall say to them,

  • "Then": Signals a response, a direct command from God to Jeremiah to convey a crucial explanation to the inquiring people (as per v. 10).
  • "you shall say": Imperative, a divine mandate, underscoring the authority and direct origin of the message from the LORD.
  • "to them": Specifies the audience – the people of Judah who are about to experience the devastating judgment.

• 'Because your fathers have forsaken Me,'

  • "Because": Establishes a causal link, directly stating the reason for the judgment.
  • "your fathers": Hebrew: ’āvotēykhem (אֲבוֹתֵיכֶם) – refers to their ancestors. This is not simply about inherited guilt but emphasizes a deeply ingrained historical pattern of rebellion that the current generation has perpetuated. The collective past contributes to the present moral decay.
  • "have forsaken Me": Hebrew: ‘āzvūnī (עָזְבֻנִי) – from ‘āzav (עָזַב), "to abandon, leave, desert." This is the core spiritual offense: a conscious and deliberate turning away from the exclusive covenant relationship with the LORD. It signifies a breach of fidelity, likened to abandoning a spouse or friend. This act precedes and enables other transgressions. "Me" (the LORD) highlights the personal nature of this betrayal against their covenant God.

• declares the LORD,

  • "declares the LORD": Hebrew: nĕ’um YHWH (נְאֻם יְהוָה) – "the oracle of YHWH." This divine formula emphatically authenticates the message as coming directly from God, rendering it irrefutable and final. YHWH, the covenant name, emphasizes that the judgment is from the God whom they betrayed.

• 'and have walked after other gods and have served them and bowed down to them;

  • "and have walked after other gods": Hebrew: vayihelekhu ’aḥarê ’ĕlohîm ’aḥērîm (וַיֵּלְכוּ אַחֲרֵי אֱלֹהִים אֲחֵרִים). "Walked after" (halakh ’aḥarê) is an idiom meaning to follow, pursue, be devoted to, or serve. It implies a transfer of allegiance and worship from the LORD to idols. "Other gods" (’ĕlohîm ’aḥērîm) explicitly denotes false, foreign, or rival deities, usually Canaanite (e.g., Baal, Asherah) or those of surrounding nations, inherently diminishing the unique sovereignty of YHWH.
  • "and have served them": Hebrew: vaya‘avdum (וַיַעַבְדוּם) – from ‘āvad (עָבַד), "to serve, work, worship." This denotes active worship, participation in their rituals, and dedicating resources or life to these false gods. It’s an act of spiritual servitude.
  • "and bowed down to them": Hebrew: vayyishtaḥavû lahem (וַיִּשְׁתַּחֲוּוּ לָהֶם) – from shāḥâh (שָׁחָה), "to prostrate oneself, do homage, worship." This describes the physical posture of adoration and submission, the ultimate outward act of worship, completing the cycle of idolatrous devotion from internal allegiance to outward reverence.

• and have forsaken Me and have not kept My law."

  • "and have forsaken Me": The repetition of this phrase from the beginning of the verse strongly re-emphasizes the primary sin. It reinforces that their active idolatry is fundamentally a rejection of God himself and highlights the ongoing nature of their rebellion, linking the present generation's actions to their ancestors' legacy.
  • "and have not kept My law": Hebrew: vĕ’et-tôrātî lo’ shāmārû (וְאֶת-תּוֹרָתִי לֹא שָׁמָרוּ). "My law" (tôrātî) refers to God's divine instruction, the Mosaic Covenant. "Kept" (shāmār) means to observe, guard, protect, heed. This highlights the practical violation of God's revealed will. Idolatry itself is a direct violation of the foundational commandments (Exod 20:3-5), demonstrating a comprehensive failure to live by the covenant's stipulations. The "not kept" underscores a pattern of disobedience across various aspects of their lives, stemming from their fundamental apostasy.

Words-group analysis

• "Because your fathers have forsaken Me...and have forsaken Me and have not kept My law": This sequence clearly illustrates a progression and repetition of sin. The initial act of "forsaking Me" (spiritual rebellion) leads to "walking after other gods" (idolatrous practices), which inevitably results in "not kept My law" (moral and ethical transgression). The repetition of "forsaken Me" underscores that their specific acts of idolatry are concrete manifestations of their fundamental abandonment of God.
• "walked after other gods and have served them and bowed down to them": This tripartite description meticulously details the process of idolatry: from an inward allegiance or orientation ("walked after") to active, continuous dedication ("served them") and finally to complete physical reverence ("bowed down to them"). It's a comprehensive depiction of idolatrous worship.

Jeremiah 16 11 Bonus section

The double mention of "forsaken Me" in this single verse is a powerful rhetorical device. It emphasizes the absolute gravity and personal offense of their actions against the LORD. It's not just a passing reference to an old mistake; it highlights an ongoing, deliberate, and pervasive act of betrayal. This reiteration serves to link the "fathers'" initial apostasy with the present generation's active idolatry, framing it as a continuous, compounding offense that solidifies the inevitability of divine judgment. The mention of "My law" ties the entire problem to the covenant God made with Israel, where the first two commandments explicitly forbade having other gods and making/bowing to idols. Their sin was therefore not just spiritual but covenantal, violating the very foundation of their relationship with YHWH.

Jeremiah 16 11 Commentary

Jeremiah 16:11 articulates the unshakeable divine principle that unfaithfulness to God, manifested primarily through idolatry and the consequent disregard for His covenant law, inevitably leads to severe judgment. The verse identifies the "fathers" as setting a trajectory of spiritual rebellion, a trajectory tragically embraced and perpetuated by the present generation. It is crucial to understand that while the fathers initiated this pattern, the judgment falls upon the current generation because they too have consciously chosen to forsake the LORD and engage in the very same idolatrous practices. Their sin is not merely inherited but actively appropriated. The sequence "forsaken Me" leading to "walked after other gods and served them and bowed down to them" culminating in "not kept My law" demonstrates that turning away from God is not a passive act, but leads directly to active, fervent devotion to false gods and a comprehensive breakdown of moral and spiritual living as prescribed by God's commandments. This comprehensive rejection of the true God in favor of empty idols makes the judgment detailed throughout Jeremiah 16 both just and unavoidable.

For practical application, consider: What do we "walk after," "serve," or "bow down to" in our lives that usurps God's rightful place? Any priority, ambition, or pleasure that consistently outweighs devotion to Christ and obedience to His Word constitutes a modern form of "other gods" that can lead to "forsaking" Him and "not keeping" His law, eventually bringing about spiritual barrenness or societal breakdown if unchecked.