Jeremiah 2 35

Jeremiah 2:35 kjv

Yet thou sayest, Because I am innocent, surely his anger shall turn from me. Behold, I will plead with thee, because thou sayest, I have not sinned.

Jeremiah 2:35 nkjv

Yet you say, 'Because I am innocent, Surely His anger shall turn from me.' Behold, I will plead My case against you, Because you say, 'I have not sinned.'

Jeremiah 2:35 niv

you say, 'I am innocent; he is not angry with me.' But I will pass judgment on you because you say, 'I have not sinned.'

Jeremiah 2:35 esv

you say, 'I am innocent; surely his anger has turned from me.' Behold, I will bring you to judgment for saying, 'I have not sinned.'

Jeremiah 2:35 nlt

And yet you say,
'I have done nothing wrong.
Surely God isn't angry with me!'
But now I will punish you severely
because you claim you have not sinned.

Jeremiah 2 verses

Jeremiah 2 35 Meaning

Jeremiah 2:35 declares God's imminent legal action against Judah for their stubborn denial of sin. Despite overwhelming evidence of their apostasy and moral corruption throughout the chapter, Judah audaciously claims innocence. This verse highlights the deep spiritual blindness and self-deception that has taken root among God's people, provoking the Lord to engage in a divine lawsuit to expose their guilt and bring His righteous judgment. It underscores that God will not ignore or be appeased by false piety or a refusal to acknowledge transgression.

Jeremiah 2 35 Context

Jeremiah 2 presents a stark and passionate indictment of Judah. The chapter opens with God remembering Israel's youthful devotion and contrasts it with their shocking betrayal. God accuses His people of two great evils: forsaking Him, the fountain of living waters, and digging for themselves broken cisterns (Jer 2:13), symbolizing their reliance on idols and foreign alliances. The accusations build through the chapter, highlighting their deep idolatry (e.g., following Baal), their futile attempts to hide their sin, and their hypocrisy in religious practice. Despite having clear evidence of their transgressions, including the shedding of innocent blood (Jer 2:34), Judah maintains a defiant self-righteousness. Verse 35 is God's direct and authoritative response to this ultimate insult – their claim of being sinless, which negates His charges and the very purpose of Jeremiah's prophetic ministry. It's the culmination of God's patience reaching its limit with their brazen denial.

Jeremiah 2 35 Word analysis

• Behold (הִנֵּה - hinneh): This emphatic interjection serves to draw immediate and serious attention to the divine declaration that follows. It signals a weighty and unavoidable truth, a moment of profound revelation or judgment. It underscores the urgency and certainty of God's action.

• I will plead (אָנֹכִי נִשְׁפָּט - anokhi nishpat):

  • אָנֹכִי (anokhi): "I myself," a strong, personal pronoun emphasizing that it is God, directly and personally, who will take this action. It's not a secondary agent or a natural consequence, but a direct intervention.
  • נִשְׁפָּט (nishpat): From the root שָׁפָט (shaphat), meaning "to judge," "to administer justice," "to contend," or "to govern." In the Niphal imperfect form here, it signifies God entering into a judicial contention or lawsuit with Judah. This is a divine lawsuit, a "rib" (רִיב), where God presents His case against His covenant people for their breaches. He acts as both the prosecuting attorney and the ultimate judge, revealing their guilt through undeniable evidence.

• with you (אֹתָךְ - otakh): This feminine singular suffix refers directly to Judah, often personified as the "daughter of Zion" or the unfaithful wife/daughter in prophetic texts. It points to a direct, personal confrontation with the nation.

• because you say (עַל־אֲשֶׁר אָמַרְתְּ - al-asher amart): This phrase translates to "upon that which you said" or "on account of which you said." It pinpoints the precise and immediate cause of God's intensified action. Their very words – their spoken denial of guilt – are the precipitating factor for God to engage them in judgment. It's a statement that shows their rebellious heart is revealed by their lips.

• 'I have not sinned' (לֹא חָטָאתִי - lo khatati):

  • לֹא (lo): An absolute negation, "not," leaving no room for ambiguity.
  • חָטָאתִי (khatati): Qal perfect, 1st person singular of חָטָא (chata), meaning "to miss the mark," "to go astray," "to incur guilt," "to sin."
  • This is the audacious, self-righteous, and utterly false claim that seals their fate. Despite their widespread idolatry, covenant-breaking, and even bloodshed, they declare themselves innocent. This denial isn't merely a mistake; it's a deliberate refusal to acknowledge their spiritual and moral corruption, challenging God's own assessment and testimony. It represents a dangerous state of spiritual blindness and hardened rebellion.

Words-group by words-group analysis:

• "Behold, I will plead with you": This opening sets a confrontational, legalistic tone. It's God personally engaging Judah in a dispute, not merely an abstract judgment, but a direct, accusatory dialogue with the very intent to demonstrate their guilt. This highlights God's justice and His refusal to let their hypocrisy stand unchallenged.
• "because you say, 'I have not sinned'": This second part exposes the depth of Judah's delusion and rebellion. The cause of God's 'pleading' is not merely their sin, but their audacious denial of their sin. This denial makes them unrepentant and reveals a heart completely hardened to divine truth, pushing them beyond the point of simply needing a reminder to a point of requiring a divine verdict.

Jeremiah 2 35 Bonus section

• The prophetic tradition frequently employs the legal or "covenant lawsuit" (rib) metaphor to depict God's judgment against His unfaithful people. This structure allows God to lay out His case with specific charges, provide evidence (their history of apostasy), and render a just verdict. Jeremiah 2:35 is a key statement within this literary device.
• The sin of denial is often depicted in scripture as more egregious than the sin itself, because it blinds one to the possibility of repentance and forgiveness (cf. 1 Jn 1:8, 10). It demonstrates a complete lack of spiritual introspection and humility.
• Jeremiah's ministry during this period (late 7th-early 6th century BC) was marked by the increasing hardness of Judah's heart leading up to the Babylonian exile. This verse accurately captures the widespread spiritual condition that necessitated the severe judgment to come.

Jeremiah 2 35 Commentary

Jeremiah 2:35 encapsulates the essence of Judah's spiritual demise: defiant denial in the face of incontrovertible guilt. God, in His infinite righteousness, assumes the role of prosecutor in a divine "covenant lawsuit" (rib). He doesn't need to guess at their state; He has observed their rampant idolatry, their pursuit of foreign alliances, and even their bloodshed, as detailed throughout the chapter. Yet, Judah's response is an audacious claim of innocence. This self-righteous pronouncement is not just a lie to God but a profound act of self-deception, indicating a hardened heart utterly incapable of recognizing its own brokenness. By claiming "I have not sinned," they effectively call God a liar, challenge His omniscience, and shut the door to any possibility of repentance. Consequently, God's righteous response is to "plead" or "contend" with them – not in the hope of winning them over, but to definitively establish their guilt through the presentation of irrefutable evidence, leading to a just and inevitable judgment. This verse teaches that God finds such defiant denial of sin particularly offensive, as it directly attacks His truthfulness and prevents the very confession necessary for forgiveness and restoration. It is a potent warning that feigning innocence only escalates divine confrontation.