Jeremiah 2 17

Jeremiah 2:17 kjv

Hast thou not procured this unto thyself, in that thou hast forsaken the LORD thy God, when he led thee by the way?

Jeremiah 2:17 nkjv

Have you not brought this on yourself, In that you have forsaken the LORD your God When He led you in the way?

Jeremiah 2:17 niv

Have you not brought this on yourselves by forsaking the LORD your God when he led you in the way?

Jeremiah 2:17 esv

Have you not brought this upon yourself by forsaking the LORD your God, when he led you in the way?

Jeremiah 2:17 nlt

And you have brought this upon yourselves
by rebelling against the LORD your God,
even though he was leading you on the way!

Jeremiah 2 verses

Jeremiah 2 17 Meaning

Jeremiah 2:17 reveals God's lament over Judah's self-inflicted ruin. It highlights that their distress and impending judgment were not arbitrary acts of divine wrath, but the direct consequence of their own unfaithfulness. They chose to abandon the LORD, their covenant God, who had consistently and faithfully guided them and provided for them. The verse frames their forsaking of God as a wilful rejection of His lead, directly leading to their own downfall.

Jeremiah 2 17 Context

Jeremiah chapter 2 opens with God reminiscing about Israel's earlier devotion during their wilderness wanderings, likening it to a youthful love. However, this nostalgic recollection quickly transitions into a powerful indictment of Judah for their apostasy. God initiates a divine lawsuit (riv) against His people, presenting evidence of their betrayal. Jeremiah 2:17 falls within this legal confrontation, specifically after the potent image of Israel forsaking God, "the fountain of living waters," for "broken cisterns that can hold no water" (Jer 2:13). The surrounding verses speak of their embracing foreign practices and idols, abandoning their unique covenant relationship with the LORD. Historically, Judah was in a period of spiritual decline leading up to the Babylonian exile, attempting alliances with Egypt and Assyria, and adopting their idolatrous practices instead of trusting in the LORD, despite God's steadfast guidance through their history. This verse is a direct polemic, contrasting God's active, life-giving leadership with the self-destructive path Israel chose by severing their bond with Him for futile alternatives.

Jeremiah 2 17 Word analysis

• Have you not: A rhetorical question, not seeking information but emphasizing an obvious truth, a charge leveled against Judah that implies undeniable guilt.
• brought this upon yourself:
  • The Hebrew verb is śîm (שִׂים), meaning "to set, place, put, lay." When used reflexively with lak (לָךְ - for yourself), it means "you put/placed upon yourself."
  • This phrase emphasizes culpability and self-inflicted harm. The current calamity is not a random misfortune or an unprovoked divine assault but a direct outcome of their own choices. It implies active agency in their downfall.
• by forsaking:
  • From the Hebrew verb ʿāzav (עָזַב), meaning "to abandon, forsake, leave, let go."
  • This term denotes a deliberate act of desertion, a breaking of relationship. It's more than simply sinning; it's a profound rupture of the covenant. In this context, it speaks of Israel's turning away from the source of their life and blessing.
• the LORD your God:
  • LORD: Represents the divine name YHWH (often rendered "Yahweh" or "Jehovah"), indicating God's eternal, self-existent nature and His covenant faithfulness.
  • your God: The possessive "your" highlights the specific, intimate, and unique covenant relationship YHWH had with Israel. He was their God, chosen and set apart, implying deep responsibility on their part to uphold their end of the covenant.
• when He led you in the way:
  • led: From the Hebrew nāhāg (נָהַג), meaning "to drive, lead, guide." It implies God's continuous and active guidance.
  • you in the way: The Hebrew darka (דַּרְכָּהּ) refers to "her way" or "its way," in the feminine. In this specific verse, "you" is collective (feminine singular, referring to the community of Israel as a whole), indicating the path or course God set out for them. This "way" refers to their historical journey (Exodus, wilderness, conquest), their spiritual and moral path prescribed by the Law, and His providential care throughout their existence. It directly contrasts with the "ways" of foreign nations they adopted.
  • This phrase underlines God's unwavering faithfulness and beneficence, even as His people proved unfaithful. He consistently led them in paths of righteousness and prosperity, while they chose their own destructive paths.

Jeremiah 2 17 Bonus section

The rhetorical question "Have you not...?" not only highlights Judah's undeniable culpability but also serves to cut off any excuse or attempt to blame God for their predicament. It is a piercing indictment, designed to evoke introspection and acknowledgement of guilt rather than offer new information. This verse illustrates the consistent biblical theme that divine justice often manifests through allowing the natural consequences of rebellion to unfold. The choice was not merely between good and evil, but between following a faithful, proven leader (the LORD) and striking out on one's own destructive path, which, for Israel, involved pagan worship and trusting in foreign alliances. Their failure lay not in God's insufficient guidance, but in their deliberate abandonment of His way for "no way" or a way of futility.

Jeremiah 2 17 Commentary

Jeremiah 2:17 serves as a poignant theological statement on the nature of divine judgment: it is frequently a consequence rather than a mere arbitrary infliction. The verse starkly reminds Judah, and by extension any who claim covenant with God, that their calamities stem directly from their own decisions to abandon their faithful Guide. God, the "LORD their God," had meticulously "led them in the way," a reference to His historical provision and clear moral instruction from the Exodus onwards. Their sin was not simply individual transgression but a corporate act of "forsaking" the very source of their identity, security, and prosperity. This profound abandonment severed the unique relationship they had with YHWH, culminating in a tragic outcome where they themselves "brought this upon themselves." It underscores the principle of sowing and reaping, demonstrating that turning from the living God inevitably leads to self-destruction.