Jeremiah 44 19

Jeremiah 44:19 kjv

And when we burned incense to the queen of heaven, and poured out drink offerings unto her, did we make her cakes to worship her, and pour out drink offerings unto her, without our men?

Jeremiah 44:19 nkjv

The women also said, "And when we burned incense to the queen of heaven and poured out drink offerings to her, did we make cakes for her, to worship her, and pour out drink offerings to her without our husbands' permission?"

Jeremiah 44:19 niv

The women added, "When we burned incense to the Queen of Heaven and poured out drink offerings to her, did not our husbands know that we were making cakes impressed with her image and pouring out drink offerings to her?"

Jeremiah 44:19 esv

And the women said, "When we made offerings to the queen of heaven and poured out drink offerings to her, was it without our husbands' approval that we made cakes for her bearing her image and poured out drink offerings to her?"

Jeremiah 44:19 nlt

"Besides," the women added, "do you suppose that we were burning incense and pouring out liquid offerings to the Queen of Heaven, and making cakes marked with her image, without our husbands knowing it and helping us? Of course not!"

Jeremiah 44 verses

Jeremiah 44 19 Meaning

The women in Jerusalem and the surrounding towns were convinced that their misfortune stemmed from ceasing to make offerings and pour out drink offerings to the "Queen of Heaven." They defended their idolatrous practices, attributing the kingdom's destruction to Judah's wickedness in abandoning these rituals. This verse directly counters that belief, stating that it was not due to the absence of these offerings that disaster befell them, but rather because of their past sins of idolatry, including their sacrifices and worship to the Queen of Heaven. Their continued defiance in this current crisis, refusing to listen to God's word through Jeremiah, solidified their judgment.

Jeremiah 44 19 Context

This verse is found within the larger context of Jeremiah's final confrontations with the people of Judah who had remained in Jerusalem after the initial Babylonian invasion. Despite experiencing the devastation of their city and temple, they stubbornly refused to acknowledge their sin. Instead, they rationalized their suffering, believing their current misfortunes were caused by abandoning the worship of the "Queen of Heaven," an idolatrous practice of making cakes, incense, and drink offerings. They wrongly concluded that their prosperity in the past was a result of this worship. Jeremiah was sent by God to confront this misguided belief and to deliver God's unwavering judgment against their continued disobedience and idolatry, even in the face of disaster. The people's response, as seen in preceding verses, was outright defiance, stating they would continue their practices and not listen to Jeremiah.

Jeremiah 44 19 Word analysis

• "And": Connects this verse to the preceding explanation of the women's justifications.
• "it was not": Directly negates the women's claim about the cause of their destruction.
• "because": Introduces the reason for the disaster.
• "ye left": Points to the act of abandonment.
• "offerings": Refers to the ritual sacrifices and gifts given.
• "and": Links "offerings" and "drink offerings."
• "drink offerings": Specific libations poured out as part of worship.
• "to": Indicates the recipient of these acts.
• "and": Joins "Queen of Heaven" and "other gods."
• "and": Connects the offenses.
• "for": Explains the reason for God's attention.
• "ye": Plural pronoun referring to the people of Judah.
• "did commit": Indicates the action of doing or performing.
• "wickedness": Denotes gross sinfulness and moral corruption.
• "and": Joins "wickedness" and "great."
• "great": Emphasizes the severity of the sin.
• "and": Links "great" and "for ye" (implying also).
• "for": Introduces the further cause.
• "ye": The people of Judah.
• "did": Past tense verb indicating action.
• "provoke": To anger or incite, especially to anger God.
• "me": Refers to God Himself.
• "to": Indicates the result of provocation.
• "anger": Divine wrath and displeasure.
• "with": Denotes the instrument or means.
• "the": Definite article.
• "works": The actions and deeds.
• "of": Shows possession or origin.
• "your": Possessive pronoun.
• "hands": The instruments of action and practice.

Words-group by words-group analysis

• "it was not because ye left offerings and drink offerings to the Queen of Heaven and to other gods": This phrase directly refutes the women's self-serving explanation. They believed their prosperity was tied to continuing these practices, and their current suffering was due to abandoning them. God declares the opposite: the cause of their disaster was their past engagement in these very offerings, not their cessation of them. The worship of the "Queen of Heaven" was a specific and prominent form of idolatry deeply entrenched in their society.
• "but because ye did commit wickedness, and great wickedness": This clause states the true reason for God's judgment: their sinfulness. The repetition of "and great" emphasizes the magnitude and severity of their wickedness, which included all their idolatrous activities and their outright refusal to obey God's prophets.
• "and for ye did provoke me to anger with the works of your hands": This further clarifies the source of God's anger. It was not a passive neglect but an active provocation through their sinful actions and the results of their own making ("works of your hands"). This highlights their responsibility and active participation in their downfall by defying divine command.

Jeremiah 44 19 Bonus section

The worship of the "Queen of Heaven" (Hebrew: Maleket HaShamayim) was a form of syncretic religion common in the ancient Near East, blending Canaanite and Mesopotamian astral cults. This practice involved making cakes, incense, and drink offerings, as mentioned in Jeremiah 7:18, and was often associated with fertility rites and perhaps even more debased practices. The women’s assertion that they lacked nothing when engaged in these rituals falsely attributed their temporary material comfort to pagan gods, ignoring God’s sovereignty and covenant faithfulness (which they had broken). The persistence of this idol worship, even after experiencing God's discipline, highlights a deep-seated rebellion and spiritual blindness within the remnant population. This episode demonstrates the pervasive nature of idolatry and the challenging task Jeremiah faced in turning a rebellious people back to God. The mention of "other gods" signifies a general turning away from the exclusive worship of Yahweh.

Jeremiah 44 19 Commentary

God corrects the misplaced blame of the women of Jerusalem. They erroneously attributed their national disaster to neglecting their idol worship. In truth, the disaster was a consequence of their past participation in this very idolatry, which provoked God's righteous anger. Their current refusal to repent and obey the prophet Jeremiah only compounded their sin and guaranteed further judgment. This verse underscores that genuine peace and security are found in obedience to the one true God, not in appeasing false deities or continuing in known sin. True disaster is rooted in deliberate disobedience.