Jeremiah 3 24

Jeremiah 3:24 kjv

For shame hath devoured the labour of our fathers from our youth; their flocks and their herds, their sons and their daughters.

Jeremiah 3:24 nkjv

For shame has devoured The labor of our fathers from our youth? Their flocks and their herds, Their sons and their daughters.

Jeremiah 3:24 niv

From our youth shameful gods have consumed the fruits of our ancestors' labor? their flocks and herds, their sons and daughters.

Jeremiah 3:24 esv

"But from our youth the shameful thing has devoured all for which our fathers labored, their flocks and their herds, their sons and their daughters.

Jeremiah 3:24 nlt

From childhood we have watched
as everything our ancestors worked for ?
their flocks and herds, their sons and daughters ?
was squandered on a delusion.

Jeremiah 3 verses

Jeremiah 3 24 Meaning

Jeremiah 3:24 speaks of the devastating consequences of Israel's spiritual unfaithfulness. The "shame," a veiled reference to the idol Baal and the pagan practices associated with him, is personified as having utterly consumed the fruits of their ancestral labor and their very families. It highlights that the nation's turning away from the Lord to worship false gods brought ruin, emptying their lives of blessings inherited from generations past, symbolized by livestock and children. This verse is part of Israel's confession of guilt, acknowledging that what they believed would bring prosperity (Baal worship) instead brought utter destruction and disgrace.

Jeremiah 3 24 Context

Jeremiah chapter 3 opens with God calling unfaithful Israel to return to Him, despite her spiritual adultery. The verses leading up to 3:24, particularly 3:21-23, describe Israel's desperate cry from the "bare heights" (places of idolatrous worship), recognizing the futility of their trust in idols and false prophets. They acknowledge that salvation does not come from their own efforts or from the multitude of gods on "lying hills." This verse (3:24) then encapsulates the bitter fruit of that misplaced trust, detailing the utter destruction their idolatry brought upon their well-being and future. It's a key part of their national lament and confession of sin, setting the stage for their promised repentance and God's call to return. Historically, Israel had deeply engaged in fertility cults, especially Baal worship, believing these rituals would ensure agricultural prosperity, fertile livestock, and numerous offspring. This verse starkly contradicts that belief, showing the precise opposite occurred due to their turning away from the living God.

Jeremiah 3 24 Word analysis

• But the shame (וְהַבֹּ֖שֶׁת - vəhabōsheṯ):
  • "But" (və-): Connects this verse as a consequence or further explanation of the realization expressed in the preceding verse (3:23), highlighting the sharp contrast between hoped-for gain and actual devastating loss.
  • "shame" (habōsheṯ): This is a powerful and significant euphemism. It directly refers to Baal, the Canaanite storm and fertility god, and by extension, all the pagan idols and practices that Israel embraced. Baal was often called Baʿal ("Lord" or "master"), but when identified with idolatrous worship and its emptiness, prophets like Jeremiah and Hosea would deliberately alter his name or use "shame" (bōsheṯ) to demean and ridicule him. It implies disgrace, confusion, and utter worthlessness, stripping the idol of any perceived power or dignity. This use underscores the polemic against idolatry – what they sought as glory (Baal's power) brought only shame.
• has devoured (אָֽכְלָ֣ה - ʾāḵəlâ):
  • The verb ʾāḵal means "to eat," "to consume," or "to devour." Here, it vividly portrays the destructive power of idolatry, presenting "shame" (idolatry/Baal) as an insatiable beast or fire that completely consumes and annihilates. It's not merely a partial loss but total absorption, leaving nothing behind.
• the labor (אֶת־יְגִ֞יעַ - ʾeṯ-yəḡîaʿ):
  • yəḡîaʿ refers to the produce of toil, the fruit of hard work, gains, or possessions. It represents the accumulation of wealth and resources, often agricultural, acquired through sustained effort. In a broader sense, it signifies their national prosperity and economic well-being, everything they had worked for.
• of our fathers (אֲבוֹתֵ֖ינוּ - ʾăvôtênū):
  • Refers to preceding generations, signifying the inheritance, traditions, and blessings passed down. The mention of "fathers" emphasizes the ancestral accumulation of wealth and the long-standing covenant relationship God had with Israel, making the loss due to idolatry even more poignant as it squandered generational legacy.
• from our youth (מִנְּעוּרֵ֑ינוּ - minnəʿûrenû):
  • This phrase signifies "from our earliest times," "from the beginning of our national existence," or "from antiquity." It points to a long history of unfaithfulness that spans generations, rather than a recent deviation. It highlights that the root of the problem and its devastating effects trace back to the very foundation of Israel's national identity. The consistent worship of false gods, dating back to even before their entry into Canaan, or at least from the period of the Judges, began the slow erosion of their blessings.
• —their flocks and their herds, their sons and their daughters. (אֶת־צֹאנָ֥ם וְאֶת־בְּקָרָ֖ם בְּנֵיהֶ֥ם וּבְנוֹתֵיהֶֽם׃ - ʾeṯ-ṣōnām wəʾeṯ-bəqārām bənéhem ûḇənôtêhem.):
  • "their flocks and their herds": These represent tangible agricultural wealth and a primary source of sustenance and prosperity in ancient Israel. They symbolize economic well-being and the abundance associated with God's blessings (Lev 26:3-5; Deut 28:2-5). The loss indicates economic ruin.
  • "their sons and their daughters": This is the most grievous loss. It directly speaks to the consumption of their children, a stark and chilling reality for those involved in Canaanite cults where child sacrifice to deities like Molech (which Baal worship was closely related to, or absorbed aspects of) was practiced. This highlights the horrific ultimate consequence of their spiritual unfaithfulness, showing that the idolatry demanding such sacrifices literally devoured their progeny and future. It also symbolizes the loss of generational continuity and the destruction of the family unit, which were core to the covenant.

• "But the shame has devoured the labor of our fathers from our youth": This phrase eloquently indicts the insidious nature of idolatry. What Israel turned to for "blessing" (Baal) became the very thing that consumed the accumulated prosperity and inheritance from their long history as a people, rendering their generational efforts meaningless and producing only devastation. It's a lament over a heritage destroyed by spiritual folly.
• "their flocks and their herds, their sons and their daughters": This concluding phrase lists the full extent of the ruin, from economic assets to the most precious human life. It forms a climactic parallel structure that intensifies the confession of loss, from material possessions to their very descendants, demonstrating the complete reversal of what should have been abundant life under God's blessing. It speaks to a societal breakdown that began with a spiritual defection.

Jeremiah 3 24 Bonus section

The concept of "shame" (boshet) being a substitution for "Baal" (which means "Lord" or "master") in the names of idols is a powerful prophetic literary device known as "anti-theophoric naming." It's used by prophets like Jeremiah (e.g., Jer 3:24, Jer 11:13) and Hosea (e.g., Hos 9:10) to strip the false gods of their perceived dignity and expose them as objects of shame and contempt. This renaming serves as a theological statement that whatever Israel worshipped in place of Yahweh, and called "lord" (baal), was actually nothing but a shameful emptiness that brought only destruction, utterly failing to deliver on its promises of prosperity or life. The practice of Israel giving their own children over to such idolatry underlines the utter spiritual depravity and its ultimate cost, moving beyond mere economic loss to the literal destruction of their future lineage, turning a covenant blessing into a tragic curse. This specific use of boshet thus encapsulates the ultimate theological polemic of the passage: the idol is not a Lord, but a bringer of disgrace.

Jeremiah 3 24 Commentary

Jeremiah 3:24 stands as a profound confession of Israel's historical and generational apostasy and its devastating repercussions. The "shame," acting as a biting criticism of Baal, represents the idolatry that systemically consumed the national wealth and family structure—elements integral to their well-being. Unlike what fertility cults promised, trusting in these false deities did not bring abundance but an insatiable emptiness, depicted as devouring not only the fruits of their fathers' labor but also their children. This indicates both the economic devastation brought by God's judgment and, chillingly, the horrific practice of child sacrifice which characterized many pagan cults associated with Baal. The confession acknowledges that the nation's turning away from the Lord since their early history was the direct cause of this catastrophic forfeiture of all blessings, emphasizing the principle that sin ultimately consumes and leaves nothing but ruin and disgrace. This is a bitter realization that divine judgment always reflects the nature of sin, turning hoped-for gain into undeniable loss.