Jeremiah 25 3

Jeremiah 25:3 kjv

From the thirteenth year of Josiah the son of Amon king of Judah, even unto this day, that is the three and twentieth year, the word of the LORD hath come unto me, and I have spoken unto you, rising early and speaking; but ye have not hearkened.

Jeremiah 25:3 nkjv

"From the thirteenth year of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah, even to this day, this is the twenty-third year in which the word of the LORD has come to me; and I have spoken to you, rising early and speaking, but you have not listened.

Jeremiah 25:3 niv

For twenty-three years?from the thirteenth year of Josiah son of Amon king of Judah until this very day?the word of the LORD has come to me and I have spoken to you again and again, but you have not listened.

Jeremiah 25:3 esv

"For twenty-three years, from the thirteenth year of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah, to this day, the word of the LORD has come to me, and I have spoken persistently to you, but you have not listened.

Jeremiah 25:3 nlt

"For the past twenty-three years ? from the thirteenth year of the reign of Josiah son of Amon, king of Judah, until now ? the LORD has been giving me his messages. I have faithfully passed them on to you, but you have not listened.

Jeremiah 25 verses

Jeremiah 25 3 meaning

Jeremiah 25:3 profoundly expresses God's enduring patience and steadfast warning to the people of Judah through His prophet Jeremiah, contrasting it sharply with their persistent refusal to listen. For twenty-three years, covering a significant span of their history under multiple kings, God diligently communicated His word and calls to repentance. Despite the divine message being delivered with remarkable diligence and consistency by Jeremiah, the people of Judah remained disobedient, leading to the severe judgment foretold in the verses that follow.

Jeremiah 25 3 Context

Jeremiah 25:3 initiates a pivotal chapter that sets the stage for the declaration of the seventy-year Babylonian captivity, a significant turning point in Judah's history. This verse specifically grounds Jeremiah's prophecy within a defined historical timeframe. It places the duration of Jeremiah's ministry leading up to this crucial message, emphasizing that his prophetic activity began early in Josiah's reign and continued faithfully through the tumultuous periods of his successors.

The "thirteenth year of Josiah" (c. 627/626 BC) was a time when Judah was experiencing relative peace and initial religious reforms under a devout king. However, as the geopolitical landscape shifted with the decline of Assyria and the rise of Babylon, Judah's internal spiritual state remained largely corrupt despite the reforms. The phrase "even to this day" refers to the fourth year of King Jehoiakim (c. 605/604 BC), a time immediately preceding Nebuchadnezzar's first invasion of Judah. This timeline establishes Jeremiah's long and often unpopular ministry (23 years) during a period of escalating political instability and spiritual apostasy, highlighting God's sustained efforts to call His people back to Himself before the prophesied judgment finally descended. The surrounding verses in Jeremiah 25 describe God’s sending of prophets, the people’s failure to listen, and the inevitable judgment delivered through Babylon.

Jeremiah 25 3 Word analysis

• For twenty-three years (כְּאַחַת וְעֶשְׂרִים שָׁנָה / ke-achát ve-esrim shanah):
  • Significance: This specific duration underscores the extraordinary patience and long-suffering of God. It signifies a substantial period of divine warning and opportunity for repentance, highlighting that the judgment was not arbitrary or sudden, but the culmination of persistent disregard for divine appeals.
  • This period stretches from Josiah's 13th year (627/626 BC) to Jehoiakim's 4th year (605/604 BC), during which Jeremiah diligently delivered his prophecies.
• from the thirteenth year of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah (מִשָּׁלֹשׁ עֶשְׂרֵה שָׁנָה לְיֹאשִׁיָּהוּ בֶן־אָמוֹן מֶלֶךְ יְהוּדָה / mi-shalosh esre shanah l'Yoshiyáhu ben-'Amon mélekh Yehudah):
  • Context: Provides an exact historical anchor for the commencement of Jeremiah's prophetic ministry (Jer 1:2). Josiah was a righteous king who led significant reforms, but the spiritual change was often superficial.
  • "Son of Amon": Identifies the royal lineage, placing Jeremiah's ministry squarely within the line of Judah's monarchy.
• even to this day (וְעַד הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה / ve-'ad ha-yom ha-zeh):
  • "This day": Refers to the specific moment of the prophecy given in Jer 25:1, the fourth year of Jehoiakim. It indicates the immediacy of the warning, emphasizing that the time for repentance has essentially run out and judgment is imminent.
• the word of the LORD (דְּבַר יְהוָה / dvar YHWH):
  • "Word" (davar): Implies not just speech but also action, message, and command. It carries authority and efficacy.
  • "LORD" (YHWH): The covenant name of God, indicating His personal involvement and faithfulness to His promises (both blessing and curse).
  • Significance: Establishes the divine origin and authoritative nature of Jeremiah's message, differentiating it from human opinion or political rhetoric.
• has come to me (בָּאָה אֵלַי / ba'ah elay):
  • Indicates divine inspiration and direct revelation, affirming Jeremiah's role as a true prophet, a vessel for God's message.
• and I have spoken to you (וָאֲדַבֵּר אֲלֵיכֶם / va-adabér aleikhem):
  • Demonstrates Jeremiah's obedience and faithfulness in delivering God's challenging message, often at great personal cost.
• rising early and speaking (הַשְׁכֵּם וְדַבֵּר / hashkem ve-dabér):
  • "Rising early" (hashkem): An idiom, not literally about waking at dawn, but denoting earnestness, diligence, persistence, and tireless effort. It means to act quickly and repeatedly.
  • Significance: Conveys the immense effort and constant diligence employed by both God (in repeatedly sending Jeremiah) and Jeremiah (in tirelessly delivering the message). It highlights the urgency and consistency of the divine warning.
• but you have not listened (וְלֹא שְׁמַעְתֶּם / ve-lo shema'tem):
  • "Listened" (shama'): In Hebrew context, this word implies more than just hearing sounds; it means to hear and obey, to heed and comply.
  • This is the core accusation. Their failure was not merely auditory but a deep-seated spiritual disobedience and rebellion against God's repeated instructions and calls for repentance.

Jeremiah 25 3 Bonus section

The historical period covered in Jeremiah 25:3 is critical as it spans the tail end of Assyrian dominance, the brief resurgence of Egyptian power, and the ascendance of the Neo-Babylonian Empire. Jeremiah's call in Josiah's 13th year meant he prophesied through profound shifts, including Josiah's death in battle (609 BC) and the rapid decline under Jehoiakim's oppressive rule. The mention of "rising early and speaking" isn't unique to Jeremiah; other prophets and even God's own actions are described with this idiom, emphasizing its role in depicting urgent and persistent divine effort (e.g., Jer 7:13, 7:25, 11:7; 25:4, 29:19, 32:33, 35:14-15; 44:4). This literary detail enhances the sense of tragedy that God's consistent outreach was met with such an entrenched refusal. The implication is clear: if God Himself rises early, and His prophet is diligent beyond measure, the guilt of those who reject the message is immense.

Jeremiah 25 3 Commentary

Jeremiah 25:3 stands as a somber preamble to God's impending judgment upon Judah, framing it not as a capricious act but as the inevitable consequence of a long and deliberate spiritual decline. For twenty-three years, an entire generation, Jeremiah faithfully delivered the "word of the LORD," diligently and persistently, characterized by the idiom "rising early and speaking," signifying utmost earnestness. This relentless divine communication, initiated under the reformist King Josiah and continuing through the increasingly idolatrous reigns that followed, reveals God's profound long-suffering and desire for His people's repentance. Yet, Judah's response was a steadfast refusal to "listen"—meaning, to hear and obey. This hardened posture of rejection against repeated divine warnings seals their fate, confirming that the judgment to be detailed in the subsequent verses is not a hasty punishment but the tragic outcome of consistent spiritual rebellion despite boundless divine grace. The verse underscores the weight of unheeded truth and the devastating impact of prolonged disobedience to God's patient voice.