Jeremiah 2 21

Jeremiah 2:21 kjv

Yet I had planted thee a noble vine, wholly a right seed: how then art thou turned into the degenerate plant of a strange vine unto me?

Jeremiah 2:21 nkjv

Yet I had planted you a noble vine, a seed of highest quality. How then have you turned before Me Into the degenerate plant of an alien vine?

Jeremiah 2:21 niv

I had planted you like a choice vine of sound and reliable stock. How then did you turn against me into a corrupt, wild vine?

Jeremiah 2:21 esv

Yet I planted you a choice vine, wholly of pure seed. How then have you turned degenerate and become a wild vine?

Jeremiah 2:21 nlt

But I was the one who planted you,
choosing a vine of the purest stock ? the very best.
How did you grow into this corrupt wild vine?

Jeremiah 2 verses

Jeremiah 2 21 Meaning

Jeremiah 2:21 expresses God's lament and accusation against His people, Israel/Judah. It metaphorically describes how God Himself carefully planted them as a choicest, purest vine—destined for excellence and bearing good fruit. However, contrary to their origin and His nurturing, they have inexplicably corrupted themselves and turned into a vile, alien plant, betraying their true nature and His divine purpose. The verse highlights their unfaithfulness and degeneracy in stark contrast to God's initial benevolent care.

Jeremiah 2 21 Context

Jeremiah chapter 2 initiates God's formal indictment or "controversy" (rib) against Judah, portraying His case as a divine lawsuit. It serves as a review of Israel's history with God, contrasting His faithful, covenant-keeping love and provision from their early days in the wilderness with their subsequent and current pervasive apostasy. The chapter speaks of Israel as God's bride who has played the harlot (vv. 2-3), forsaking Him for idols, which are "worthless things" (v. 5). Verse 21 fits within this broader lament, specifically using an agricultural metaphor to emphasize the stark contrast between God's intentional planting of a pure and excellent vine and Israel's degeneration into something vile and alien, demonstrating their self-inflicted spiritual corruption and unfaithfulness. The historical context is late 7th to early 6th century BCE Judah, prior to its destruction and exile, a period characterized by widespread idolatry, covenant disobedience, and moral decay, despite repeated prophetic warnings.

Jeremiah 2 21 Word analysis

• Yet I had planted you:

  • I: Refers to Yahweh, God Himself. It emphasizes divine agency, purpose, and personal involvement in the formation and establishment of Israel. God is the sovereign Vinedresser.
  • planted: (Hebrew: nata' - נָטַע). This word denotes an act of careful, intentional establishment. It highlights God's initiative in bringing Israel into being as a nation, choosing them, bringing them out of Egypt, and settling them in the Promised Land (Ex 15:17; Ps 44:2).
  • you: Refers to Israel/Judah, the corporate people of God.

• a noble vine:

  • noble vine: (Hebrew: soreq - שׁוֹרֵק). This is a highly specific and significant term. Soreq denotes a choice, premium quality grape vine, known for its dark-red, superior grapes, requiring rich soil and careful cultivation. It signifies excellence, purity, and great potential. The imagery emphasizes that God did not plant just any vine, but the very best, signifying His high hopes and investment in Israel. This stands in polemic contrast to local beliefs that attributed agricultural fertility to pagan deities; God was the true source and planter of their well-being.

• wholly a right seed:

  • wholly: (Hebrew: kol - כֹּל) meaning "all," "entirely." Emphasizes completeness, utter purity of origin.
  • a right seed: (Hebrew: zera' 'emet - זֶרַע אֱמֶת). Literally, "seed of truth" or "genuine seed." This signifies uncorrupted, authentic origin; true in character and pure in kind. It means Israel, from its very beginning, was constituted by God with a pure, righteous nature, endowed with His truth and purpose. It speaks of a genuine lineage and spiritual heritage, free from impurity or defect.

• how then:

  • how then: (Hebrew: 'eikh 'ap - אֵיךְ אֵפוֹא). A rhetorical interjection expressing utter dismay, surprise, disappointment, and indignation. It conveys God's profound grief and bewilderment at such an inexplicable moral degeneration. It highlights the irrationality and treachery of Israel's apostasy given their pristine origin and God's benevolent care.

• art thou turned:

  • art thou turned: (Hebrew: nehepakt - נֶהְפַּכְתְּ, from hapak - הָפַךְ). Means "to turn, to overthrow, to be transformed." It implies a radical, voluntary, and destructive reversal or perversion of one's nature. This is not accidental but an active choice to deviate from their true character. It speaks of moral transformation for the worse, becoming something utterly different from their original creation and divine purpose.

• into the degenerate plant of a strange vine unto me?

  • degenerate plant: (Hebrew: sûg - סוּג). Meaning "degenerate, corrupted, backslidden, wild." It refers to a plant that has lost its original quality, become worthless, sour, or poisonous. It vividly depicts Israel's spiritual decay and moral perversion; they are no longer fit for the purpose for which they were created.
  • strange vine: (Hebrew: nekhar - נֵכָר). Meaning "foreign, alien." It indicates that the corrupted vine now belongs to a foreign category, fundamentally different from its intended noble nature. This implicitly links Israel's degeneration to adopting foreign idolatrous practices and covenants, abandoning their unique covenant relationship with Yahweh. This also carries a polemic against the idea of syncretism – one cannot combine true worship of Yahweh with "strange" foreign deities.
  • unto me: (Hebrew: li - לִי). Emphasizes the personal affront and betrayal directed against God. Their degeneration is not just a change in their character, but a direct offense against the One who planted them and claimed them as His own.

• Words-group analysis:

  • "Yet I had planted you a noble vine, wholly a right seed": This phrase encapsulates God's benevolent act of creation and establishment. It highlights the purity of Israel's origin and the high potential God envisioned for them. It serves as the positive baseline against which their subsequent degradation is measured, accentuating the tragedy. It shows God's intention was for fruitfulness and righteousness from a pure root.
  • "how then art thou turned into the degenerate plant of a strange vine unto me?": This second part presents the shocking reversal. The rhetorical question conveys profound disappointment and highlights Israel's inexplicable rebellion. The contrasting imagery ("noble vine" vs. "degenerate plant of a strange vine") vividly portrays their fall from grace and their active embrace of apostasy, which offends God directly. This is not an external corruption but an internal choice leading to a complete transformation of character away from God's intended design.

Jeremiah 2 21 Bonus section

The metaphor of the vine (gefen) is recurrent in Scripture, representing Israel's covenant relationship with God (e.g., Ps 80, Isa 5). Jeremiah 2:21 stands out by using the specific term soreq for "noble vine," underscoring an even higher level of initial excellence and care from God. This intensifies the severity of Israel's decline. The choice of soreq implies that Israel was specifically chosen and prepared to yield the best spiritual fruit, distinguishing them from other nations. Their transformation into a "degenerate plant of a strange vine" not only highlights moral failure but also speaks to the corruption of their identity—they ceased to be distinct, pure, and consecrated, becoming instead like the idolatrous nations they were commanded to shun. This spiritual mutation made them useless to God and subject to judgment, similar to the vine branch in Ezekiel 15 which is fit only for burning if it does not bear fruit. The question "how then?" isn't seeking an answer, but rather expressing deep anguish, serving as a divine lament over a chosen people's inexplicable and heartbreaking rebellion against their Creator.

Jeremiah 2 21 Commentary

Jeremiah 2:21 is a powerful lament and rhetorical question, exposing the tragic paradox of Israel's apostasy. God vividly portrays Himself as a meticulous Vinedresser who painstakingly planted His chosen people as a premium Soreq vine—the noblest and purest variety, wholly genuine from its very root (zera' 'emet). This imagery emphasizes Israel's exceptional, divinely-ordained status and the immense potential for righteousness and fruitfulness with which they were imbued from their very inception. They were not common; they were special, separated for God's glory.

Yet, despite this perfect planting and careful nurture, Israel utterly corrupted themselves. The bewildered "how then" underscores the irrationality and heinousness of their transformation into a sug (degenerate, wild plant) and nekhar (strange, foreign vine). This transformation speaks not merely of backsliding but a fundamental alteration of character, adopting pagan ways and serving foreign gods. The degeneracy implies a loss of intrinsic worth and a production of sour, unpalatable fruit, directly contrary to God's expectations. This corruption was a personal betrayal "unto Me," the very One who initiated and sustained them. The verse encapsulates Israel's profound failure to live up to their covenant identity, graphically illustrating the consequences of forsaking their divine source for the emptiness of idolatry and rebellion. It serves as a stark reminder of the tragedy when a people abandons their sacred calling and unique relationship with God.