Jeremiah 44 3

Jeremiah 44:3 kjv

Because of their wickedness which they have committed to provoke me to anger, in that they went to burn incense, and to serve other gods, whom they knew not, neither they, ye, nor your fathers.

Jeremiah 44:3 nkjv

because of their wickedness which they have committed to provoke Me to anger, in that they went to burn incense and to serve other gods whom they did not know, they nor you nor your fathers.

Jeremiah 44:3 niv

because of the evil they have done. They aroused my anger by burning incense to and worshiping other gods that neither they nor you nor your ancestors ever knew.

Jeremiah 44:3 esv

because of the evil that they committed, provoking me to anger, in that they went to make offerings and serve other gods that they knew not, neither they, nor you, nor your fathers.

Jeremiah 44:3 nlt

They provoked my anger with all their wickedness. They burned incense and worshiped other gods ? gods that neither they nor you nor any of your ancestors had ever even known.

Jeremiah 44 verses

Jeremiah 44 3 Meaning

The prophet Jeremiah informs the returning Judeans that the destruction of Jerusalem and its aftermath were not arbitrary acts but a direct consequence of their own persistent idolatry and disobedience to God. Their former kings and princes, along with the people, actively engaged in worshiping other gods and performing wicked deeds.

Jeremiah 44 3 Context

This verse is found in Jeremiah chapter 44, a particularly somber section of the book where Jeremiah addresses the remnant of Jews who fled to Egypt after the fall of Jerusalem to the Babylonians. They had previously been warned by Jeremiah not to flee to Egypt, but rather to submit to Babylon (Jeremiah 42-43). Now, in Egypt, they are engaging in even worse practices, specifically reverting to the idolatry they had been admonished for in Judah. They claim that Judah prospered when they served the "Queen of Heaven," attributing their current hardship to abandoning this practice, a clear perversion of God's Word and His judgments. Jeremiah's message in this chapter, starting with verse 3, is a stark rebuttal to their false theology.

Jeremiah 44 3 Word Analysis

• Kî (כִּי): "For," "because," introducing a reason or cause.

• kōh (כֹּה): "Thus," "so," indicating the manner or way something is done.

• ’āmar (אָמַר): "Said," "spoke," the prophetic utterance.

• Yĕhvâ (יהוה): "The LORD," the covenant name of God, emphasizing His personal relationship with Israel.

• ’ĕlōhîm (אֱלֹהִים): "God," a general term for deity, here combined with LORD to show God's supreme authority and power.

• Yisrâ’ĕl (יִשְׂרָאֵל): "Israel," referring to the covenant people of God, the descendants of Jacob.

• šĕmōw (שְׁמֹו): "His name," the expression of God's character and reputation.

• tôvâh (טֹוָה): "Goodness," "benefit," indicating something beneficial or right.

• rē‘â (רֵעָה): "Evil," "wickedness," a direct opposition to goodness.

• bîmĕkhâ (בִּמְכֶם): "In you," indicating the source or locus of the cause within the people themselves.

• śûm (שֻׂם): "Set," "put," "placed," referring to the placing of evil or the disposition towards it.

• yĕḵem (יֵכֶם): "You all," emphatic plural, covering every individual among them.

• ḥārôn (חָרֹון): "Wrath," "anger," God's righteous indignation.

• ’aḏ (אֶד): "To," "unto," directing the cause of God's wrath.

• ’aṯ (אֶת): Marks the direct object.

• rĕšū‘â (רְשׁוּעָה): "Wickedness," "badness," a noun form signifying corrupt action.

• ’a‘ĕśâ (עָשָׂה): "I made," "I have done," God’s action or causing.

• Group Analysis: The phrase "thus says the LORD, the God of Israel" firmly establishes the divine authority behind Jeremiah’s words. The phrase "for I have done all this wickedness among you" directly attributes their present calamitous state to their collective, inherent inclination and practice of wickedness, emphasizing God's reactive, just judgment.

Jeremiah 44 3 Bonus Section

The "Queen of Heaven" mentioned in other parts of chapter 44 likely refers to the Babylonian goddess Ishtar (known to the Aramaic-speaking peoples as Astarte or Ashtoreth), whose cult involved celestial veneration and sometimes ritual prostitution. The Jews had integrated this foreign worship into their own practices, corrupting their covenant relationship with Yahweh. This highlights a recurrent theme in the Old Testament: the allure and danger of syncretism – blending true worship with pagan practices. Jeremiah’s rebuke emphasizes that true covenantal blessings flow only from exclusive devotion to Yahweh.

Jeremiah 44 3 Commentary

Jeremiah 44:3 directly confronts the false beliefs of the Judean exiles in Egypt. They mistakenly believed their troubles arose from neglecting the worship of the "Queen of Heaven" and attributed past prosperity to this idolatry. Jeremiah counters this by stating that God's wrath isn't due to their stopping evil, but because they did evil. The "wickedness" mentioned was their persistent idolatry and disobedience throughout their history, even during periods of outward success, which ultimately provoked God's judgment and the destruction of Jerusalem. God’s judgment is a consequence of sin, not a reward for forsaking it under duress.