Jeremiah 3:6 kjv
The LORD said also unto me in the days of Josiah the king, Hast thou seen that which backsliding Israel hath done? she is gone up upon every high mountain and under every green tree, and there hath played the harlot.
Jeremiah 3:6 nkjv
The LORD said also to me in the days of Josiah the king: "Have you seen what backsliding Israel has done? She has gone up on every high mountain and under every green tree, and there played the harlot.
Jeremiah 3:6 niv
During the reign of King Josiah, the LORD said to me, "Have you seen what faithless Israel has done? She has gone up on every high hill and under every spreading tree and has committed adultery there.
Jeremiah 3:6 esv
The LORD said to me in the days of King Josiah: "Have you seen what she did, that faithless one, Israel, how she went up on every high hill and under every green tree, and there played the whore?
Jeremiah 3:6 nlt
During the reign of King Josiah, the LORD said to me, "Have you seen what fickle Israel has done? Like a wife who commits adultery, Israel has worshiped other gods on every hill and under every green tree.
Jeremiah 3 6 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference Note |
|---|---|---|
| Hos 1:2 | When the LORD began to speak by Hosea, the LORD said to Hosea, "Go,... | Prophetic motif: spiritual harlotry |
| Jer 2:20 | "Long ago you broke off your yoke and tore off your bonds; you said, | Israel's prior rebellion and rejection of God |
| Deut 12:2-3 | "You must completely destroy all the places on the high mountains and | Command to destroy pagan worship sites |
| 1 Kgs 14:23 | For they also built for themselves high places, pillars, and Asherim | Israel's early adoption of high-place idolatry |
| 2 Kgs 17:10 | They set up sacred stones and Asherah poles on every high hill and | Northern Kingdom's widespread idolatry, like Jer 3:6 |
| Isa 57:7 | "On a high and lofty hill you have made your bed; there you went up | Idolatry on high places depicted as harlotry |
| Ezek 16:15-19 | "But you trusted in your beauty and played the harlot because of your | Jerusalem/Judah's harlotry/idolatry, detailed |
| Ezek 23:2-3 | "Son of man, there were two women, daughters of one mother, they played | Judah and Israel as two harlot sisters |
| Hos 4:12-13 | My people consult their wooden idols, and their divining rods give | Sacrificing on mountains, burning incense under trees |
| Jer 3:8 | "She saw that for all the adulteries of faithless Israel, I had | Consequences for Israel's faithlessness (divorce) |
| Jer 3:9 | Because she made light of her harlotry, she defiled the land and | Idolatry leading to defilement of the land |
| Jer 7:17-18 | "Do you not see what they are doing in the towns of Judah and in the | Judah's pervasive idolatry, even in streets |
| Jer 32:34-35 | They set up their detestable idols in the house that bears My Name, | Idolatry even within the temple |
| Ps 78:58 | For they provoked Him to anger with their high places, and moved Him | Ancestral idolatry with high places |
| Jdg 2:11-13 | Then the sons of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD and served | Post-Joshua idolatry, serving Baals |
| Lev 17:7 | They shall no longer offer their sacrifices to the goat demons, | Prohibition against cultic harlotry |
| Exod 34:15-16 | Do not make a treaty with the inhabitants of the land, for when they | Warning against covenant with pagan nations & idolatry |
| Num 25:1-3 | While Israel lived in Shittim, the people began to prostitute | Israel's historical harlotry with Moabite women/gods |
| 2 Chron 28:2-4 | He walked in the ways of the kings of Israel and also made cast images | Ahaz's idolatry, high places, under every tree |
| Isa 1:21 | See how the faithful city has become a harlot! She who was full of | Jerusalem/Judah described as a harlot |
| Jer 31:31-32 | "Behold, days are coming," declares the LORD, "when I will make a | Contrast: The New Covenant will prevent such betrayal |
| Matt 15:19 | For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, sexual | Source of spiritual adultery (heart) |
Jeremiah 3 verses
Jeremiah 3 6 Meaning
The Lord instructs the prophet Jeremiah to observe and comprehend the profound spiritual unfaithfulness of "Israel" (referring here to the Northern Kingdom as a historical example for Judah), who has flagrantly committed idolatry. This unfaithfulness is graphically depicted as playing the harlot, specifically on pagan worship sites such as every high hill and under every lush, spreading tree, indicating widespread and public abandonment of their covenant with God for false deities.
Jeremiah 3 6 Context
Jeremiah 3 is situated within Jeremiah's early prophecies, during the reign of King Josiah. The chapter opens with an appeal from God, drawing on Mosaic law regarding divorce (Deut 24:1-4), to highlight the irreversible nature of Israel's spiritual adultery while paradoxically offering a pathway for Judah to repent. God portrays Himself as the jilted but loving husband, lamenting Israel's persistent infidelity. Jeremiah 3:6 specifically marks a transition where the Lord directly commands Jeremiah to observe and describe the extent of Northern Israel's (referred to as "faithless Israel") idolatry, which eventually led to their exile. This historical example serves as a potent warning to the Southern Kingdom, Judah, which is engaging in similar sinful practices. The prophet is shown that Judah has observed Israel's destruction but has failed to learn from it, continuing in her own "treacherous" harlotry.
Jeremiah 3 6 Word analysis
- The Lord: Hebrew: יְהוָה (YHWH), pronounced 'Yahweh'. This is the personal, covenantal name of God, emphasizing His relationship and loyalty to His people despite their unfaithfulness. The one true God who made a covenant.
- said to me: Hebrew: אֵלַי ( 'elay) literally "to me." Highlights direct, personal prophetic revelation to Jeremiah. God initiates the conversation and directs the prophet's focus.
- Have you seen: Hebrew: הֲרָאִיתָ (hara'ita). A rhetorical question demanding a vivid, empathetic observation and recognition of the egregious nature of the sin. It's a divine call for Jeremiah to grasp the reality of the situation, often used to introduce a significant pronouncement or indictment.
- what faithless Israel: Hebrew: מְשֻׁבָה יִשְׂרָאֵל (meshuvah Yisrael).
- faithless: מְשֻׁבָה (meshuvah) - signifies "apostasy," "backsliding," or "turning away." It's a deeply spiritual term, meaning not just committing a sin but deliberately forsaking one's loyalty to God. It carries a connotation of rebellion and perversity.
- Israel: יִשְׂרָאֵל (Yisrael) - refers specifically to the Northern Kingdom, which had already been conquered and exiled by Assyria due to its idolatry. In this context, it functions as a dire historical example for Judah.
- has done?: An interrogative statement implying the action is notorious and should be self-evident to Jeremiah and any observant person.
- She has gone up: Hebrew: הָלְכָה (halekah). Implies deliberate action and effort in pursuit of their sin. It's an active departure from the covenant path.
- on every high hill: Hebrew: עַל־כָּל־גִּבְעָה גְּבֹהָה (al-kol-giv'ah gevohah).
- every high hill: "high places" (בָּמוֹת - bamot) were universally known as sites of pagan worship (Baal, Asherah, Moloch) in ancient Near Eastern religions. These were elevated spots chosen for their perceived sanctity or proximity to deities. The use of "every" emphasizes the pervasive and ubiquitous nature of their idolatry throughout the land.
- and under every spreading tree: Hebrew: וְתַחַת כָּל־עֵץ רַעֲנָן (vetachat kol-'etz ra'anan).
- spreading tree: "green tree," "lush tree." Like high hills, these were common locations for Canaanite fertility rites and worship of nature deities. They symbolized sensuality and abundance, aligning with the licentious practices of pagan cults. "Every" again denotes the full extent of this idolatrous behavior across the land.
- and there has played the harlot.: Hebrew: וַתִּזְנִי־שָׁם (vatizni-sham).
- played the harlot: From the root זָנָה (zanah), meaning "to commit prostitution" or "adultery." This is the foundational metaphor for Israel's spiritual unfaithfulness to God, who is depicted as their covenant husband. It emphasizes a profound breach of trust, loyalty, and love, not merely a theological disagreement but a personal betrayal.
- there: Indicating that the harlotry (idolatry) was specifically performed at these forbidden, pagan locations.
Jeremiah 3 6 Bonus section
The emphasis on "every" (high hill, spreading tree) in Jeremiah 3:6 is crucial, underscoring the absolute and widespread nature of Israel's apostasy. It wasn't isolated incidents but a systemic, national turning away from God, pervasive throughout the landscape. This pervasive sin defiled the very land (Jer 3:9), impacting the covenant relationship with God and the health of the physical environment. The imagery implicitly contrasts with God's command for centralized worship in Jerusalem (Deut 12), highlighting their blatant disobedience. Furthermore, the use of "harlotry" isn't merely a spiritual abstraction; in many pagan cults of the ancient Near East, religious rituals on "high places" and "under green trees" involved actual ritual prostitution and licentious behavior, adding a layer of tangible depravity to the spiritual betrayal.
Jeremiah 3 6 Commentary
Jeremiah 3:6 initiates a crucial observation and divine indictment. God directs Jeremiah to look back at the historical example of Northern Israel's pervasive idolatry, warning Judah of its imminent fate if it does not repent. The detailed imagery of "every high hill" and "every spreading tree" illustrates the extensive, systematic, and public nature of their spiritual defilement. These were common pagan worship sites where Canaanite fertility cults, often involving sexual rites and even child sacrifice, were practiced. By using the metaphor of "playing the harlot," God underscores the covenant-breaking aspect of their sin; it was a betrayal of the sacred marital bond established with YHWH, equating devotion to other gods with unfaithfulness to their divine Husband. This verse emphasizes the deep offense of Israel's actions in God's eyes and foreshadows the judgment to come.