Jeremiah 2 10

Jeremiah 2:10 kjv

For pass over the isles of Chittim, and see; and send unto Kedar, and consider diligently, and see if there be such a thing.

Jeremiah 2:10 nkjv

For pass beyond the coasts of Cyprus and see, Send to Kedar and consider diligently, And see if there has been such a thing.

Jeremiah 2:10 niv

Cross over to the coasts of Cyprus and look, send to Kedar and observe closely; see if there has ever been anything like this:

Jeremiah 2:10 esv

For cross to the coasts of Cyprus and see, or send to Kedar and examine with care; see if there has been such a thing.

Jeremiah 2:10 nlt

"Go west and look in the land of Cyprus ;
go east and search through the land of Kedar.
Has anyone ever heard of anything
as strange as this?

Jeremiah 2 verses

Jeremiah 2 10 Meaning

Jeremiah 2:10 is a powerful rhetorical challenge issued by the Lord through His prophet, Jeremiah, to the unfaithful kingdom of Judah. It commands them to survey the entire known world, from the maritime west (Kittim) to the desert east (Kedar), and observe if any nation has ever exchanged its false gods for new ones. The implicit, damning answer is "no." This serves to highlight the unparalleled and shocking nature of Judah's apostasy: while even pagans remained steadfast to their non-existent deities, Israel, who had known and experienced the true, living God, shamefully abandoned Him for worthless idols.

Jeremiah 2 10 Context

Jeremiah Chapter 2 marks the beginning of the Lord's controversy (רִיב, riv) or legal dispute with Israel. Having spent chapter 1 detailing Jeremiah's call, chapter 2 immediately launches into the charges against Judah. The preceding verses (Jer 2:4-9) recount God's gracious leadership of Israel out of Egypt, through the wilderness, into a fruitful land, and contrast this with Israel's subsequent abandonment of Him and pursuit of worthless idols. Verse 10, therefore, serves as a damning piece of evidence, presenting a challenge to Israel to look beyond their own borders and see that even the most pagan nations were more faithful to their false gods than Israel was to their true and living God. Historically, Judah was drifting deeper into syncretism and idolatry during the reign of Josiah and his successors, leading them towards divine judgment and eventual Babylonian exile. The cultural context includes the common understanding of deities being intrinsically tied to nations or territories; exchanging them was highly uncommon.

Jeremiah 2 10 Word analysis

• For (כִּי, kî): This particle often introduces a reason or serves as an emphatic "surely" or "indeed." Here, it sets up the basis for the Lord's subsequent indictment, implying a startling revelation to follow. It connects back to the previous indictment of Israel's sin.

• pass over (עִבְרוּ, ‘ivru): An imperative verb, commanding action. It implies a journey or a crossing of boundaries. In this context, it's not a literal travel directive but a rhetorical challenge to mentally survey vast geographical distances, indicating the universal scope of the proposed investigation.

• to the coasts of Kittim (אִיֵּי כִּתִּים, 'iyyê Kittiym): Kittim primarily refers to Cyprus but extends to the islands and coastlands of the Mediterranean, symbolizing the extreme West or the maritime cultures (e.g., Greeks, Romans). It represents the extent of the known "western" world in the ancient Near East, renowned for pagan practices but also for constancy in worship of their deities.

• and see (וּרְאוּ, u-r'u): Another imperative, urging keen observation. It’s about careful scrutiny, not just a casual glance, to ascertain a fact.

• and send (וְשִׁלְחוּ, wə-shiləḥū): Yet another imperative, meaning to "send out" or "dispatch." This suggests an extensive inquiry, as if commissioning messengers to gather intelligence, reinforcing the depth of the investigation demanded.

• unto Kedar (קֵדָר, Qēḏār): Kedar was a major confederation of Arab tribes located in the desert regions to the east and south of Judah, known for their nomadic lifestyle and pagan worship. Symbolizes the extreme East, or the peoples of the Arabian deserts. Together with Kittim, it encompasses the entire habitable world known to the Israelites, West to East.

• and consider diligently (וְהִתְבֹּנְנוּ מְאֹד, wə-hitbōnnənū mə’ōḏ): This imperative phrase stresses a thorough and discerning investigation. Hitbōnnənū (from bin, "to discern" or "understand") denotes intellectual penetration, deep reflection, and comprehension. Mə’ōḏ (meaning "very," "exceedingly," "diligently") amplifies this, emphasizing the severity and precision of the required contemplation. It's a call for logical comparison and judgment.

• and see if there be such a thing (וּרְאוּ הֵן הָיְתָה כָּזֹאת, u-r'u hēn hāyətâ kāzō’ṯ): This rhetorical question demands an affirmative answer, "No, there isn't!" The phrase "such a thing" refers specifically to the act of a nation abandoning its ancestral gods for others. It implies an unnatural and unheard-of spiritual treachery in the ancient world where national deities were firmly tied to identity and survival.

• "pass over to the coasts of Kittim... and send unto Kedar": This geographical pairing signifies a global sweep, from the extreme West (Mediterranean world) to the extreme East (Arabian desert). It emphasizes that this unfaithfulness is not just locally egregious but globally unprecedented, challenging Judah to find a single comparable instance among all peoples, civilized or nomadic. It forms an emphatic merism, encompassing the whole world.

• "and see; and consider diligently, and see": The repeated commands to "see" (observe, perceive) and the intensified "consider diligently" underline the weight and sincerity of the divine challenge. It’s an invitation to an open-minded, thorough investigation to reveal the irrefutable truth of Israel's singular betrayal, inviting deep intellectual reflection on their actions. It's a legal challenge to consider the evidence.

• "if there be such a thing": This phrase frames the verse as a powerful rhetorical question designed to elicit a "no" answer, reinforcing the unprecedented nature of Israel's sin. "Such a thing" directly points to the unparalleled act of a nation discarding its own deities, a concept utterly foreign in ancient pagan polytheistic cultures. Their sin is not merely idolatry, but the specific offense of exchanging the true God for idols.

Jeremiah 2 10 Bonus section

The ancient world did not have a concept of religious "conversion" or "changing gods" in the modern sense. Deities were inherently linked to national or ethnic identity, geography, and lineage. A people might adopt foreign deities alongside their own, especially after conquest (often absorbing the gods of the defeated), but abandoning their ancestral gods for entirely new ones was virtually unheard of and would have been considered utterly disloyal and dangerous. This context makes Judah’s act of completely forsaking Yahweh for Baal and other pagan deities an act of unparalleled rebellion and spiritual prostitution, shocking even to the non-worshippers of Yahweh. The Lord, through Jeremiah, weaponizes this pagan cultural consistency against Judah, demonstrating that even those without divine revelation upheld their traditions with greater fidelity than Judah upheld the truth. The irony is poignant: pagans were more faithful to their error than Judah to the truth.

Jeremiah 2 10 Commentary

Jeremiah 2:10 powerfully confronts Judah with the unparalleled nature of their sin. Unlike any other nation, who, though serving false gods, at least remained loyal to them, Judah had committed the unfathomable act of forsaking the one true, living God—the very source of life and blessing—for worthless idols. This verse is not a literal command to travel, but a stark rhetorical challenge designed to expose the absurdity and depth of Israel’s covenant unfaithfulness. By asking them to scan the entire world for a parallel instance, God highlights that Judah’s spiritual treachery was utterly unique, unnatural, and far more egregious than the constant (though misdirected) devotion of the Gentiles to their own deities. It underscores the profound insult and ingratitude shown to a God who had faithfully brought them out of slavery and into a covenant relationship. Their unfaithfulness was scandalous, unmatched by even the blind devotion of the pagans.