Jeremiah 3:21 kjv
A voice was heard upon the high places, weeping and supplications of the children of Israel: for they have perverted their way, and they have forgotten the LORD their God.
Jeremiah 3:21 nkjv
A voice was heard on the desolate heights, Weeping and supplications of the children of Israel. For they have perverted their way; They have forgotten the LORD their God.
Jeremiah 3:21 niv
A cry is heard on the barren heights, the weeping and pleading of the people of Israel, because they have perverted their ways and have forgotten the LORD their God.
Jeremiah 3:21 esv
A voice on the bare heights is heard, the weeping and pleading of Israel's sons because they have perverted their way; they have forgotten the LORD their God.
Jeremiah 3:21 nlt
Voices are heard high on the windswept mountains,
the weeping and pleading of Israel's people.
For they have chosen crooked paths
and have forgotten the LORD their God.
Jeremiah 3 21 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Jer 3:22 | "Return, faithless Israel... for I will heal your faithlessness." | Call to return and divine promise of healing. |
| Jer 3:25 | "We lie down in our shame, and our dishonor covers us, for we have sinned" | Acknowledgment of shame due to sin. |
| Isa 1:4 | "Ah, sinful nation, a people loaded with iniquity... they have forsaken the Lord" | Forsaking the Lord leads to judgment. |
| Isa 5:7 | "He looked for justice, but behold, bloodshed; for righteousness, but behold, an outcry!" | God's disappointment in Israel's actions. |
| Ps 78:40 | "How often they rebelled against Him in the wilderness and grieved Him" | Historical pattern of rebellion and grief. |
| Deut 32:15 | "But Jeshurun grew fat, and kicked; you grew fat, stout, and sleek; then he forsook God" | Prosperity leading to forsaking God. |
| Hos 5:15 | "I will return again to My place, until they acknowledge their guilt and seek My face" | God waits for Israel's acknowledgment of guilt. |
| Zech 12:10 | "And I will pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. So they will look on Me whom they pierced" | Future weeping and repentance. |
| Ezra 9:6 | "O my God, I am too ashamed and disgraced to lift up my face to You" | A leader's lament over national sin. |
| Lam 1:16 | "For these things I weep; my eye, my eye runs down with water, because far from me is a comforter" | Weeping and lamentation for destruction. |
| Lam 2:18 | "Their heart cried out to the Lord... let tears run down like a river" | Deep, desperate cry and lament to God. |
| Joel 2:12 | "Even now, declares the Lord, return to Me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping" | God's call to return with genuine repentance. |
| Acts 2:38 | "Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins" | Call to repentance and forgiveness in NT. |
| 2 Cor 7:10 | "For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation" | The nature of true, godly repentance. |
| Heb 12:17 | "He was rejected, though he sought it diligently with tears" | Lament and repentance, possibly too late. |
| Jas 4:9 | "Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom." | Call to grieve over sin. |
| Jer 2:19 | "Your own evil will chastise you, and your apostasy will reprove you." | Consequences of apostasy are self-inflicted. |
| Jer 2:32 | "Can a virgin forget her ornaments... Yet My people have forgotten Me" | Emphasizes the unfaithfulness of forgetting God. |
| Jer 14:7 | "Though our iniquities testify against us, act, O Lord, for Your name's sake" | Plea for God's action despite their sin. |
| Luke 19:41 | "He saw the city and wept over it" | Jesus' lament over Jerusalem's unfaithfulness. |
| Matt 23:37 | "How often would I have gathered your children together... and you were not willing!" | God's persistent desire for Israel to return. |
| Rom 11:1 | "Has God rejected His people? By no means!" | God's faithfulness despite Israel's apostasy. |
Jeremiah 3 verses
Jeremiah 3 21 Meaning
Jeremiah 3:21 describes a profound lament heard on the elevated places, originating from the people of Israel. This sorrow and desperate plea for mercy arise directly from their profound spiritual departure. They recognize, or are about to recognize, that their unfaithful conduct and willful neglect of their covenant God, Yahweh, are the direct causes of their present distress and need for repentance.
Jeremiah 3 21 Context
Jeremiah 3 presents a divine indictment against Judah and Israel for their pervasive spiritual harlotry. The chapter opens with God likening Israel's unfaithfulness to a divorced wife returning to her first husband, which is unlawful (Jer 3:1). Despite Israel's extensive idolatry, Judah, though seeing this, still failed to learn and surpassed Israel in treachery (Jer 3:6-11). God continually calls them to "Return, faithless Israel!" (Jer 3:12), promising restoration. This divine call precedes verse 21, which anticipates or captures Israel's future (or dawning) realization and response. The "bare heights" mentioned in the verse were common sites for pagan worship, highlighting where their apostasy occurred. The context shifts from God's lament and accusation against Israel to an anticipated lament and supplication from Israel as they recognize their sin.
Jeremiah 3 21 Word analysis
- A voice (קול – qōl): Refers to a sound or cry. Here, it denotes an audible lament, a collective expression of sorrow or distress. The source is clearly Israel. Its nature is one of raw emotion and supplication.
- is heard (נִשְׁמָע – nišmā‘): Passive form, indicating the voice is being perceived by an external listener (implied to be God, and perhaps Jeremiah). This suggests the lament is public and widespread, not private or hidden.
- on the bare heights (עַל שְׁפָיִם – ʿal shfayim): Literally "on heights," often refers to elevated, open, and barren places. These were notorious sites where the Israelites practiced idolatry and sacrificed to false gods (e.g., Baals and Asherahs). The location signifies that their repentance occurs precisely where their sin was committed. It contrasts the scene of past apostasy with current lament.
- of Zion (צִיּוֹן – Tziyon): Though referring to Jerusalem and metaphorically the people of Judah, "children of Israel" immediately after indicates it refers to the broader covenant people. Zion is the city of God, symbolizing the center of true worship, yet its heights were defiled. The lament from this sacred, yet corrupted, place emphasizes the depth of their fall.
- the weeping (בְּכִי – bəkhī): Intense, heartfelt crying or mourning. It expresses deep sorrow, grief, and regret over a significant loss or perceived calamity, here stemming from their sin.
- and supplications (תַּחֲנוּנֵי – takhanūnēy): Earnest entreaties, pleas for grace, mercy, and favor. It indicates a humble, desperate cry to God for intervention and forgiveness.
- of the children (בְּנֵי – bənēy): "Sons" or "descendants." Emphasizes their identity as the covenanted lineage, despite their failure to uphold the covenant.
- of Israel (יִשְׂרָאֵל – Yiśrāʾēl): The collective name for God's chosen people, encompassing both the northern (Ephraim) and southern (Judah) kingdoms. This underscores that the entire nation is involved in this repentance and previous apostasy.
- because (כִּי – kī): A conjunction introducing the cause or reason for the lament. It directly links their current distress and weeping to their past actions.
- they have perverted (הֶעֱוּוּ – he‘evū): This verb means to twist, warp, corrupt, make crooked, or distort. It signifies a willful and complete departure from the straight path of God's commands, implying a deliberate choice to walk in sin. It's a strong word for moral and spiritual corruption.
- their way (דַּרְכָּם – darkām): Refers to their conduct, course of life, moral path, and spiritual choices. It encapsulates their entire lifestyle and religious practice which has deviated from God's intended design.
- they have forgotten (שָׁכְחוּ – shākhĕkhū): To neglect, ignore, or actively cease to remember. It implies not just a lapse of memory, but a willful abandonment or rejection of what they once knew and were bound to. It is an act of covenant unfaithfulness.
- the Lord (יְהוָה – YHVH): The sacred covenant name of God, revealing His personal relationship with Israel. Forgetting YHVH is a direct breach of the first commandment and the covenant itself.
- their God (אֱלֹהֵיהֶם – ʾĕlōhēyhem): Emphasizes the possessive relationship – the God who chose them, redeemed them, and entered into covenant with them. Forgetting their God is a profound betrayal.
Words-group analysis:
- A voice is heard on the bare heights of Zion: This phrase establishes a stark, evocative setting. The very places of idolatry and rebellion are now the scene of profound lament, marking a poignant turnaround from sin to sorrow. It signifies public and perhaps nationwide acknowledgment.
- the weeping and supplications of the children of Israel: This defines the specific nature of the voice – a blend of grief and humble pleading. It highlights the desperation of God's covenant people, acknowledging their dire spiritual state and turning back to Him in an act of faith and vulnerability.
- because they have perverted their way, they have forgotten the Lord their God: This is the core reason, a double indictment of Israel's unfaithfulness. "Perverted their way" points to active, deliberate sin, while "forgotten the Lord their God" indicates a profound, covenant-breaking spiritual amnesia and rejection of their unique relationship with YHVH. This dual failure is the root cause of their lament and the basis for their plea for mercy.
Jeremiah 3 21 Bonus section
The image of lament "on the bare heights" is rich with symbolism. These places were typically associated with spiritual barrenness and idolatry (e.g., Isa 41:18, Jer 3:2). To hear repentance from these specific locations highlights the transformative power of God's call to return, turning places of apostasy into altars of lament. This genuine sorrow stands in stark contrast to superficial ritualistic repentance often decried by prophets (e.g., Isa 29:13, Jer 7:9-10). The active verb "perverted" (he‘evū) suggests that their "way" was not merely misdirected but actively twisted and distorted by choice, emphasizing the severity of their sin and culpability. "Forgotten the Lord" in a covenant context refers to failing to remember God's works and words, thereby breaking the relationship. This is not passive amnesia, but active covenant disregard, a theme recurrent throughout Israel's history as seen in Ps 78, Ps 106, etc. The verse underscores that genuine repentance stems from a deep awareness of one's own role in departing from God.
Jeremiah 3 21 Commentary
Jeremiah 3:21 paints a powerful scene of Israel's anticipated repentance, illustrating a moment of deep spiritual awakening. The lament erupting from the very "bare heights"—sites formerly stained with idolatry—signifies a significant, almost cathartic, shift. It's not a superficial sadness, but a "weeping and supplications" stemming from a profound internal realization. This passage acts as a divine prediction, showcasing God's prophetic vision of His people acknowledging their profound failures: their perversion of their way through active disobedience and idolatry, and their ultimate forgetting of the Lord their God, signifying the abandonment of their covenant relationship. This forgetting is not mere forgetfulness but a willful neglect and turning away from the source of life and truth. The scene prefaces God's compassionate call for them to "Return," implying that their lamentation is a necessary precursor to true spiritual restoration and the healing God longs to provide.