Jeremiah 3:13 kjv
Only acknowledge thine iniquity, that thou hast transgressed against the LORD thy God, and hast scattered thy ways to the strangers under every green tree, and ye have not obeyed my voice, saith the LORD.
Jeremiah 3:13 nkjv
Only acknowledge your iniquity, That you have transgressed against the LORD your God, And have scattered your charms To alien deities under every green tree, And you have not obeyed My voice,' says the LORD.
Jeremiah 3:13 niv
Only acknowledge your guilt? you have rebelled against the LORD your God, you have scattered your favors to foreign gods under every spreading tree, and have not obeyed me,'?" declares the LORD.
Jeremiah 3:13 esv
Only acknowledge your guilt, that you rebelled against the LORD your God and scattered your favors among foreigners under every green tree, and that you have not obeyed my voice, declares the LORD.
Jeremiah 3:13 nlt
Only acknowledge your guilt.
Admit that you rebelled against the LORD your God
and committed adultery against him
by worshiping idols under every green tree.
Confess that you refused to listen to my voice.
I, the LORD, have spoken!
Jeremiah 3 13 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Ps 32:5 | I acknowledged my sin unto thee... thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. | Confession leads to forgiveness. |
| Prov 28:13 | He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth... shall have mercy. | Necessity of confessing to find mercy. |
| 1 Jn 1:9 | If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us... | God's faithfulness to forgive confessed sin. |
| Lev 26:40 | If they shall confess their iniquity, and the iniquity of their fathers... | National confession of sin. |
| Neh 9:2-3 | ...and confessed their sins, and the iniquities of their fathers. | Public confession and repentance. |
| Isa 1:2-4 | Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth: for the LORD hath spoken... a sinful nation... they have forsaken the LORD... | Rebellion and forsaking God. |
| Hos 8:1 | They have transgressed my covenant, and trespassed against my law. | Breaking the covenant with God. |
| Ez 2:3 | Son of man, I send thee to the children of Israel, to a rebellious nation that hath rebelled against me... | Israel as a rebellious nation. |
| Jer 2:13 | For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters... and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns... | Forsaking God for useless idols. |
| Deut 12:2-4 | Ye shall utterly destroy all the places wherein the nations... served their gods, upon the high mountains... and under every green tree. | God's command against pagan worship sites. |
| 2 Ki 17:10-11 | And they set them up images and groves in every high hill, and under every green tree... | Israelites' actual practice of idolatry. |
| Isa 57:5 | Inflaming yourselves with idols under every green tree... slay the children in the valleys... | Pagan practices and child sacrifice. |
| Ez 6:13 | Then shall ye know that I am the LORD, when their slain men shall be among their idols round about their altars, upon every high hill, in all the tops of the mountains, and under every green tree... | Idolatry at high places leading to judgment. |
| Rom 1:21-23 | When they knew God, they glorified him not as God... changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image... | Changing the true God for idols. |
| Col 3:5 | Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness... covetousness, which is idolatry. | Covetousness as a form of idolatry. |
| Deut 28:15 | But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe to do all his commandments... all these curses shall come upon thee... | Consequences of not obeying God's voice. |
| Zech 7:11-12 | But they refused to hearken, and pulled away the shoulder, and stopped their ears, that they should not hear. | Stubborn refusal to hear God. |
| Jer 4:1-2 | If thou wilt return, O Israel, saith the LORD, return unto me... and shalt swear, The LORD liveth... in truth, in judgment, and in righteousness... | Call for sincere return and truth. |
| Joel 2:12-13 | Therefore also now, saith the LORD, turn ye even to me with all your heart... and rend your heart, and not your garments... | Heartfelt turning back to God. |
| Acts 3:19 | Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out... | Call to repent for the blotting out of sins. |
| Josh 24:15 | ...choose you this day whom ye will serve... but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD. | Choice to serve God alone. |
| Mal 3:6 | For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed. | God's unchanging faithfulness to His covenant. |
| Gen 17:7 | And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee... to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee. | God as the covenant Lord. |
Jeremiah 3 verses
Jeremiah 3 13 Meaning
Jeremiah 3:13 presents God's minimal, yet fundamental, requirement for His unfaithful people to return to Him: open and honest confession of their deep-seated rebellion. It outlines their specific offenses—covenant transgression against their divine Husband and scattering their devotion through idolatry under every pagan shrine, coupled with persistent disobedience to His divine commands. This acknowledgment is the necessary first step for repentance and restoration.
Jeremiah 3 13 Context
Jeremiah chapter 3 addresses the spiritual harlotry of Judah (and historically, Israel). God pleads with them to return, using the imagery of a divorced wife who, despite her betrayal, is invited back by her faithful husband. The chapter emphasizes Judah's continued and even worse treachery compared to Israel, yet holds out the promise of restoration if they confess their sins. Jeremiah 3:13 serves as a direct, non-negotiable prerequisite for this potential reconciliation, highlighting that the path to forgiveness begins not with outward displays, but with an honest, internal acknowledgment of guilt. This is set against a backdrop of rampant idolatry and disregard for the Mosaic Covenant, common during the declining period of the Judean monarchy before the Babylonian exile.
Jeremiah 3 13 Word analysis
- Only: This particle (raq, רַק) sets a clear, singular condition. It implies that nothing else is required except this confession, but this confession is absolutely essential and cannot be bypassed. It's the one indispensable act.
- acknowledge: The Hebrew word is yad'a (יָדַע). While often meaning "to know," in this context, especially with "iniquity," it carries the weight of a forensic confession—to admit, to declare, to own up to wrongdoing, to truly understand and confess one's guilt. It's not just intellectual assent but a genuine admission before God.
- thine iniquity: The word ‘avon (עָוֹן) denotes crookedness, perversity, moral depravity, and guilt incurred. It signifies not merely a misstep but an intentional deviation from what is right, the inherent sinfulness, and the culpability resulting from it.
- that thou hast transgressed: The verb is pasha‘ (פָּשַׁע). This is a strong term for rebellion or revolt. It implies a breaking of a solemn pact or covenant, an intentional defiance against authority, similar to a vassal state rebelling against its sovereign king. It highlights the covenantal infidelity against God, their sovereign.
- against the LORD thy God: YHWH Eloheykha (יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ). This phrase emphasizes the personal, covenantal relationship God had with Israel. Their transgression was not against a distant deity but against their specific, personal God who had chosen and redeemed them. YHWH is the covenant name, stressing His faithfulness despite their unfaithfulness, while Eloheykha (your God) underscores the intimate bond they betrayed.
- and hast scattered thy ways: The verb zarah (זָרָה) means "to scatter," "to spread abroad." "Ways" (derakhekha, דְּרָכַיִךְ) refers to their lifestyle, actions, and spiritual affections. The scattering signifies their promiscuous spiritual loyalty, spreading their devotion and seeking fulfillment in numerous false gods and foreign alliances, instead of solely clinging to YHWH.
- to the strangers: Zarim (זָרִים), refers to foreigners, strangers, but in a religious context, it signifies strange gods or idolatrous cults, or foreign nations/alliances they sought help from, implicitly denying YHWH’s sole sovereignty. These were forbidden, illegitimate lovers in their spiritual harlotry.
- under every green tree: This phrase is a common biblical idiom and a direct polemic against the prevalent Canaanite and other pagan worship practices. Green trees (often oaks or terebinths) were prominent features of high places (bamot) and groves dedicated to Baal, Asherah, and other fertility deities. These locations were synonymous with syncretism, sexual immorality, and detestable rites, signifying their pervasive and blatant idolatry.
- and ye have not obeyed my voice: The Hebrew shama‘ (שָׁמַע) implies not merely hearing, but listening intently and acting upon what is heard – thus, obeying. This reveals the core issue behind their idolatry and transgression: a fundamental unwillingness to listen to and follow God's commands and covenant instructions, demonstrating their spiritual stubbornness.
- saith the LORD: Ne'um YHWH (נְאֻם יְהוָה) is a common prophetic formula affirming the divine origin and authority of the message. It underscores that this call for confession and the subsequent warning or promise comes directly from God Himself, not Jeremiah.
Jeremiah 3 13 Bonus section
The minimal demand for confession in Jeremiah 3:13 highlights a fundamental principle of biblical repentance: truthfulness regarding one's sin is the gateway to grace. This verse emphasizes God’s justice in calling out specific transgressions, yet it simultaneously reveals His longsuffering desire for reconciliation. The "scattering of ways to strangers" isn't merely historical idolatry; it serves as a powerful metaphor for any deviation of ultimate loyalty and devotion from God to worldly pursuits, ideologies, or false securities, illustrating that the heart's attachment to anything other than the Lord constitutes a form of spiritual harlotry. This concept transcends specific pagan practices and speaks to the root of human propensity for misdirected worship.
Jeremiah 3 13 Commentary
Jeremiah 3:13 encapsulates God’s profound demand for genuine repentance. It's not about superficial acts or outward shows of remorse, but an internal, forthright confession (yad'a) of their specific guilt. God's accusation centers on their covenant unfaithfulness (pasha‘) against Him, their loving "Husband" (YHWH Eloheykha). Their "iniquity" (‘avon) is identified as a perverse departure from the divine will. The practical manifestation of this rebellion was their spiritual "harlotry," graphically described as "scattering their ways to strangers under every green tree." This imagery vividly portrays their pervasive and blatant idolatry—chasing after foreign gods and profane alliances, reminiscent of pagan fertility rites and unholy practices. The culmination of these transgressions is simple: they "have not obeyed [His] voice," illustrating a deep-seated spiritual deafness and defiant disobedience to God’s direct commands. The verse teaches that God's grace, while abundant, is conditioned on honest acknowledgment of sin, where the unfaithful turn from their perverse ways to return to their rightful covenant Lord. It is the necessary and minimal step towards restoration and the forgiveness He eagerly offers.