Jeremiah 5:19 kjv
And it shall come to pass, when ye shall say, Wherefore doeth the LORD our God all these things unto us? then shalt thou answer them, Like as ye have forsaken me, and served strange gods in your land, so shall ye serve strangers in a land that is not your's.
Jeremiah 5:19 nkjv
And it will be when you say, 'Why does the LORD our God do all these things to us?' then you shall answer them, 'Just as you have forsaken Me and served foreign gods in your land, so you shall serve aliens in a land that is not yours.'
Jeremiah 5:19 niv
And when the people ask, 'Why has the LORD our God done all this to us?' you will tell them, 'As you have forsaken me and served foreign gods in your own land, so now you will serve foreigners in a land not your own.'
Jeremiah 5:19 esv
And when your people say, 'Why has the LORD our God done all these things to us?' you shall say to them, 'As you have forsaken me and served foreign gods in your land, so you shall serve foreigners in a land that is not yours.'"
Jeremiah 5:19 nlt
"And when your people ask, 'Why did the LORD our God do all this to us?' you must reply, 'You rejected him and gave yourselves to foreign gods in your own land. Now you will serve foreigners in a land that is not your own.'
Jeremiah 5 19 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Deut 28:47-48 | "Because you did not serve the LORD your God... so you shall serve your enemies..." | Consequence of not serving God is serving enemies. |
| Lev 26:33 | "I will scatter you among the nations..." | Prophecy of dispersion as punishment. |
| Judg 2:14-15 | "...he gave them over to plunderers, who plundered them..." | God gives disobedient Israel to oppressors. |
| Jer 2:13 | "They have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters..." | Israel's unfaithfulness by forsaking God. |
| 2 Chron 36:15-16 | "But they kept mocking the messengers of God... until the wrath of the LORD rose..." | Judah's rejection of prophecy leads to wrath. |
| Exod 20:3-5 | "You shall have no other gods before me... worship them not..." | The First Commandment, against idolatry. |
| Deut 4:28 | "There you will serve gods of wood and stone..." | Exile involves serving idols of foreign lands. |
| Isa 1:4 | "Ah, sinful nation... They have forsaken the LORD..." | Condemnation for forsaking the Lord. |
| Jer 7:9-10 | "Will you steal, murder... and go after other gods... and then come..." | False security in the Temple despite idolatry. |
| Eze 6:6-7 | "...that your altars may be laid waste and made desolate..." | Desolation of land for idolatry. |
| Deut 32:21 | "They made me jealous with what is no god... I will make them jealous..." | God's response to their provoking Him with idols. |
| Isa 39:6-7 | "Behold, the days are coming, when all that is in your house... shall be carried to Babylon." | Prophecy of Babylonian exile. |
| Lam 1:3 | "Judah has gone into exile because of affliction..." | Confirmation of Judah's exile. |
| Ps 44:24 | "Why do you hide your face? Why do you forget our affliction?" | A lament asking "why" in distress. |
| Ps 74:1 | "O God, why have you cast us off forever?" | A national plea asking "why" during judgment. |
| Ps 119:137 | "Righteous are you, O LORD, and your judgments are upright." | Affirmation of God's righteous judgment. |
| Rom 2:6-8 | "He will render to each one according to his works..." | God's impartial judgment according to deeds. |
| Amos 3:6 | "Does disaster come to a city, unless the LORD has done it?" | God's ultimate sovereignty over calamities. |
| Jer 3:22 | "Return, O faithless children; I will heal your faithlessness." | God's persistent call for repentance. |
| Jer 31:31-34 | "I will make a new covenant... I will put my law within them..." | Promise of a new covenant of internal faithfulness. |
| Acts 3:19 | "Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out..." | Call to repentance for the blotting out of sins. |
| Col 3:5 | "...Put to death therefore what is earthly in you... covetousness, which is idolatry." | New Testament perspective: covetousness as idolatry. |
| Eph 5:5 | "For you may be sure of this, that everyone... who is greedy (which is an idolater)..." | Idolatry extends to greed and selfish desires. |
Jeremiah 5 verses
Jeremiah 5 19 Meaning
Jeremiah 5:19 explains the cause of God's impending judgment upon Judah. When the people inevitably question why they face such devastation, God's answer, delivered through Jeremiah, will be that their suffering is a direct consequence of their unfaithfulness. Just as they willingly abandoned their covenant God and served foreign deities in their own land, they will, in turn, be forced into servitude under foreign powers in an unfamiliar land, experiencing a just reversal of their actions.
Jeremiah 5 19 Context
Jeremiah 5 is a scathing indictment of the spiritual and moral corruption pervasive in Judah. Jeremiah attempts to find righteous individuals, even one, to justify sparing the city (Jer 5:1), but his search is in vain. The chapter reveals deep-seated idolatry, false security, social injustice, and a general spiritual deafness to God's warnings. The people have forgotten God, committed adultery with foreign gods, and prophets and priests speak falsely. This widespread apostasy makes divine judgment inevitable. Jeremiah 5:19 specifically addresses the future, when the judgment has begun or taken full effect, and the people will then question its origin. This verse highlights the fundamental reason for their impending destruction and exile, a consequence of covenant infidelity and serving foreign deities. Historically, this aligns with the lead-up to the Babylonian exiles, a period when Judah experienced cycles of sin, warning from prophets like Jeremiah, and then severe judgment from God.
Jeremiah 5 19 Word analysis
- And when you ask, 'Why has the LORD our God done all these things to us?'
- "When you ask" (כִּי תֹאמְרוּ - ki to'mru): Foreshadows an inevitable future question from a confused and suffering people. It highlights their present spiritual blindness.
- "Why" (מָה - mah): An expression of perplexity and grievance, suggesting the people would initially fail to link their suffering to their sins.
- "the LORD our God" (יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ - YHWH Eloheinu): YHWH is God's covenant name, signifying His personal relationship with Israel. Eloheinu ("our God") implies a privileged, exclusive relationship, yet they were disloyal to Him. This highlights the irony of their question; they appeal to the very God they forsook.
- "done all these things" (עָשָׂה אֶת-כָּל-אֵלֶּה - asah et-kol-elleh): Refers to the calamities of judgment—invasion, desolation, exile.
- 'Just as you have forsaken me and served foreign gods in your land,
- "you shall say to them" (וְאָמַרְתָּ אֲלֵיהֶם - ve'amarta alehem): Jeremiah, as God's prophet, is given the divine answer to deliver, establishing God's authority.
- "Just as" (כַּאֲשֶׁר - ka'asher): Introduces a direct correlation, an eye-for-an-eye, proportional justice (poetic justice).
- "you have forsaken me" (עֲזַבְתֶּם אוֹתִי - azavtem oti): The primary offense. Azav means to abandon, leave, or give up. It speaks of a betrayal of the covenant relationship, turning away from their spiritual husband and father.
- "and served foreign gods" (וַתַּעַבְדוּ אֱלֹהִים אֲחֵרִים - va-ta'avdu elohim acherim): The direct violation of the first two commandments. Avad (served) implies devotion, worship, and active labor. Elohim acherim (other gods) denotes deities alien to YHWH, specifically those of surrounding nations (Baal, Asherah, Molech etc.), often involving depraved practices.
- "in your land" (בְּאַרְצְכֶם - be'artzekhem): Emphasizes the sacred space granted by God. Their idolatry defiled the land YHWH gave them, violating the conditions for remaining in it.
- so you shall serve foreigners in a land that is not yours.'"
- "so" (כֵּן - ken): Continues the parallel, emphasizing the exact correspondence of punishment to crime.
- "you shall serve foreigners" (תַּעַבְדוּ זָרִים - ta'avdu zarim): A devastating poetic justice. They served (avad) foreign gods, so now they will serve (avad), implying subjugation or slavery, under zarim (foreigners, strangers), referring to their Babylonian captors. This is a severe loss of national independence and dignity.
- "in a land that is not yours" (בְּאֶרֶץ לֹא לָכֶם - be'eretz lo lakhem): The final aspect of the just recompense. They worshipped foreign gods in their own land, so they will be dispossessed and serve foreigners in a foreign land, the promised land lost because of their unfaithfulness.
Jeremiah 5 19 Bonus section
The "serving" (avad) used for foreign gods and for foreign masters is the same Hebrew root, creating a striking wordplay that emphasizes the direct connection between spiritual servitude and physical servitude. They chose their master, and the consequences of that choice dictate their fate. The concept also underscores that worship (service to God) is not merely ritual, but impacts one's entire life and destiny, particularly for a covenant people. Their rejection of divine lordship led to human bondage. This prophetic response teaches that genuine covenant relationship requires undivided allegiance, and rebellion will inevitably lead to devastating consequences orchestrated by a just and sovereign God.
Jeremiah 5 19 Commentary
Jeremiah 5:19 provides a profound explanation for the seemingly arbitrary suffering that Judah would experience. It directly confronts their anticipated self-pity and misplaced questioning by stating God's actions are not random, but perfectly just and deserved. The principle of poetic justice (measure-for-measure) is central: they abandoned the Lord of the covenant, substituting Him with foreign idols within their own cherished land, leading directly to their abandonment by God into the hands of foreign masters within an alien land. This is a stark lesson that freedom and blessing are contingent on faithfulness, and that choosing to serve false gods inevitably leads to serving oppressive masters.