Jeremiah 2 30

Jeremiah 2:30 kjv

In vain have I smitten your children; they received no correction: your own sword hath devoured your prophets, like a destroying lion.

Jeremiah 2:30 nkjv

"In vain I have chastened your children; They received no correction. Your sword has devoured your prophets Like a destroying lion.

Jeremiah 2:30 niv

"In vain I punished your people; they did not respond to correction. Your sword has devoured your prophets like a ravenous lion.

Jeremiah 2:30 esv

In vain have I struck your children; they took no correction; your own sword devoured your prophets like a ravening lion.

Jeremiah 2:30 nlt

"I have punished your children,
but they did not respond to my discipline.
You yourselves have killed your prophets
as a lion kills its prey.

Jeremiah 2 verses

Jeremiah 2 30 Meaning

Jeremiah 2:30 laments Israel's persistent disobedience despite God's disciplinary actions. God describes how His attempts to correct His people have been fruitless, as they refuse to learn from His discipline. Furthermore, it charges Israel with actively persecuting and eliminating God's true messengers, the prophets, as if consumed by their own violent deeds, akin to a destructive lion. This verse portrays God's grief over His people's rebellion, their stubborn rejection of truth, and their self-destructive hostility towards divine guidance.

Jeremiah 2 30 Context

Jeremiah chapter 2 marks the beginning of God's direct indictment against Judah. In this chapter, God recounts His past faithful relationship with Israel, particularly their loyalty in the wilderness period, contrasting it with their present betrayal through idolatry. He details how Judah has abandoned Him, the "fountain of living waters," for "broken cisterns." Verse 30 is situated within a broader lament where God expresses His bewilderment and grief over Judah's consistent backsliding, despite various forms of divine intervention, including judgment (smitting) and sending prophets. Historically, this period was characterized by political instability and rampant apostasy under kings like Manasseh and Jehoiakim, leading Judah closer to the Babylonian exile. The people largely ignored or actively resisted the messages of reform preached by prophets like Jeremiah, clinging instead to false security and syncretic religious practices.

Jeremiah 2 30 Word analysis

• In vain (לַשָּׁוְא - laššāwə'): From šāw’ (שׁוְא) meaning emptiness, futility, worthlessness, nothingness, falsehood. It signifies God's disciplinary actions yielded no positive result; they were utterly wasted or rendered ineffective by the people's stubbornness. It highlights God's deep disappointment.
• have I smitten (הִכֵּיתִי - hikkêtî): From the verb nāḵāh (נָכָה), meaning "to strike, smite, beat, wound, kill." In this context, it refers to God's acts of discipline, correction, or judgment, such as drought, famine, disease, or defeat by enemies. It is not arbitrary violence but purposeful affliction aimed at prompting repentance.
• your children (בְּנֵיכֶם - bənêkem): Literally "your sons" or "your offspring." In a national sense, it refers to the people of Israel/Judah, who are God's children by covenant. The use of "your" implies the parental relationship, intensifying the betrayal felt by God.
• they received (לֹא לָקְחוּ - lo lāqḥû): "Not received" or "did not take hold of." It indicates an active rejection or failure to appropriate what was given or intended for them.
• no correction (מוּסָר - mûsār): From yāsar (יָסַר) meaning "to chasten, discipline, instruct, admonish." This term denotes ethical or moral training, instruction, and correction. Despite God's efforts, His people refused to learn the lessons His discipline was meant to impart.
• your own sword (חַרְבְּכֶם - ḥarəbk̲em): "Your sword." A vivid metaphor. The "sword" represents their internal, self-inflicted destructiveness, whether through literal persecution of prophets, adherence to false prophets and their lies, or their moral corruption which led to their undoing. It emphasizes self-destruction rather than destruction by an external enemy or even direct divine retribution (though that too was a consequence).
• hath devoured (אָכְלָה - ’āḵəlâ): From ’āḵal (אָכַל), meaning "to eat, consume, devour." This powerful verb suggests complete and destructive consumption. It's a metaphor for the thorough and brutal way they silenced or eliminated their prophets.
• your prophets (נְבִיאֵיכֶם - nəḇî’êḵem): "Your prophets." These were God's true messengers sent to speak His word to the nation. The possessive "your" further emphasizes that these were specific prophets given to them for their guidance and benefit, yet they rejected them.
• like a destroying lion (כְּאַרְיֵה מַשְׁחִית - kə’aryê mašḥîṯ): A potent simile. The lion (’aryê) signifies power, ferocity, and complete devastation. "Destroying" (mašḥîṯ) from šāḥath (שָׁחַת) means "to corrupt, ruin, spoil, destroy." This compares Judah's actions against their own prophets to the predatory violence of a powerful, destructive beast, implying brutal, merciless annihilation.

• "In vain have I smitten your children; they received no correction": This phrase highlights the profound grief and frustration of God. Despite repeated disciplinary acts, such as famines, plagues, and military defeats, His people remained obstinate. This underscores their hardened hearts and their consistent failure to grasp the purpose of God's chastisement, which was always restorative, not merely punitive.
• "your own sword hath devoured your prophets, like a destroying lion": This is a damning indictment. It suggests an active, brutal, and internal destruction of the very sources of divine guidance. The "sword" can represent their hostile actions, their false ideologies, or even their preference for lies which spiritually consumed the truth spoken by legitimate prophets. The imagery of a "destroying lion" intensifies the ferocity and totality of this self-inflicted harm, implying a brutal, unrestrained consumption of truth-tellers, reminiscent of wild beasts. It emphasizes that Judah's actions were the primary cause of the removal of divine communication through prophets.

Jeremiah 2 30 Bonus section

The concept of God "smitting" or disciplining His people is a recurring biblical theme (Deut 8:5, Prov 13:24). However, in Jeremiah 2:30, the poignancy lies in the futility of this divine effort due to Judah's deep-seated rebellion. Their spiritual dullness and ethical insensitivity were so profound that even God's chastening hand failed to elicit the intended response of turning back to Him. This passage underscores that while God sovereignly brings judgment or discipline, human free will in rejecting or receiving that discipline determines the outcome. The specific charge of devouring prophets is a serious escalation from mere disobedience; it demonstrates open hostility to God's direct communication, preparing the way for greater judgment. The lion imagery also subtly shifts the typical divine use of lions for judgment (e.g., Jer 4:7) to Judah themselves acting with lion-like destructive fervor against God's representatives.

Jeremiah 2 30 Commentary

Jeremiah 2:30 is a powerful expression of God's heartbroken disillusionment with Judah. He recounts how His varied attempts to correct them through hardship were met not with repentance, but with stubborn indifference, highlighting their absolute refusal to be reformed. This verse culminates in the shocking accusation that His own people, driven by their corrupt hearts, actively silenced and consumed His messengers, the true prophets, like a wild beast devours its prey. This signifies a severe spiritual decay, where the very recipients of divine revelation turned against those who delivered it, showing their profound contempt for God's word and His continued overtures of grace. It's a vivid picture of a people choosing self-destruction over submission to divine will.