Jeremiah 50 6

Jeremiah 50:6 kjv

My people hath been lost sheep: their shepherds have caused them to go astray, they have turned them away on the mountains: they have gone from mountain to hill, they have forgotten their restingplace.

Jeremiah 50:6 nkjv

"My people have been lost sheep. Their shepherds have led them astray; They have turned them away on the mountains. They have gone from mountain to hill; They have forgotten their resting place.

Jeremiah 50:6 niv

"My people have been lost sheep; their shepherds have led them astray and caused them to roam on the mountains. They wandered over mountain and hill and forgot their own resting place.

Jeremiah 50:6 esv

"My people have been lost sheep. Their shepherds have led them astray, turning them away on the mountains. From mountain to hill they have gone. They have forgotten their fold.

Jeremiah 50:6 nlt

"My people have been lost sheep.
Their shepherds have led them astray
and turned them loose in the mountains.
They have lost their way
and can't remember how to get back to the sheepfold.

Jeremiah 50 verses

Jeremiah 50 6 meaning

Jeremiah 50:6 describes the dire spiritual state of God's people, Israel/Judah, characterizing them as lost sheep due to the failures of their appointed leaders. These "shepherds"—kings, priests, and prophets—actively misguided them, causing them to stray into spiritual error and idolatry, symbolized by wandering "on the mountains" and "from mountain to hill." This errant path ultimately led them to forget their true spiritual home and source of security, which is their relationship with the Lord, their "resting place." The verse underscores their vulnerability and disorientation, attributing their lostness directly to those who were supposed to protect and guide them.

Jeremiah 50 6 Context

Jeremiah 50:6 appears within chapters 50-51, which comprise a lengthy prophecy primarily detailing the judgment of Babylon for its wickedness and its role in persecuting God's people. However, amidst the declarations against Babylon, Jeremiah frequently shifts focus back to Israel and Judah. This particular verse, along with others (like 50:4-5), serves to explain the predicament of God's people (their exile in Babylon) while also expressing God's lament and eventual intention to redeem them. It highlights their internal failure that necessitated divine discipline. The historical context is the late 7th to early 6th century BCE, a period marked by Judah's political turmoil, increasing idolatry, and eventual Babylonian exile. The nation had continually strayed from the Mosaic covenant, neglecting God's laws, despite warnings from numerous prophets. Their "shepherds" (kings like Jehoiakim, Zedekiah; corrupt priests; false prophets) largely contributed to this spiritual decay, leading the people into greater sin and national destruction, ultimately forgetting their covenant identity and secure relationship with God.

Jeremiah 50 6 Word analysis

• My people (עַמִּי, ʿammī): This possessive form signifies God's deep, personal connection and covenantal relationship with Israel. Despite their sin and disobedience, He still claims them as His own. It reflects divine lament and affection.
• have been lost sheep (צֹאן אֹבְדוֹת, tzoʾn ʾovᵉdot): "Lost sheep" is a potent metaphor throughout Scripture. Sheep are naturally helpless, prone to wandering, and vulnerable without a shepherd. "Lost" (אָבַד, ʾābad) implies perishing, straying, becoming desolate—a state of utter disorientation and danger.
• their shepherds (רֹעֵיהֶם, roʿēhem): This term refers to the leaders of the nation: kings (who were to be shepherd-kings), priests (who were to guide spiritually), and prophets (who were to declare God's truth). These are human, fallible figures who held positions of authority and responsibility for the flock.
• have led them astray (הִתְעוּם, hitʿûm): From the root תָּעָה (tāʿāh), meaning to wander, err, or cause to go astray. The Hiphil causative form emphasizes that the shepherds actively caused the people's wandering and deception. It highlights the culpable role of leadership.
• turned them away on the mountains (עַל־הֶהָרִים סוֹבְבוּם, ʿal-hehārim sovᵉvûm): "Mountains" often symbolized places of pagan worship (high places, often referred to in negative contexts in the OT, e.g., Hos 4:13) but also danger and desolation for actual sheep. "Turned them away" (סָבַב, sābab) implies being led around aimlessly or being encircled/confined in dangerous territory, contrasting with safe, flat pastures.
• They have gone from mountain to hill (מֵהַר אֶל־גִּבְעָה הָלָכוּ, mēhar ʾel-givʿāh hālakû): This describes a restless, ceaseless, and often pointless movement. Spiritually, it signifies a constant searching in wrong places, a deeper immersion into idolatry and false worship, moving from one pagan high place to another without finding true solace or direction.
• They have forgotten (שָׁכָחוּ, shākhāḥû): To forget, implying an intentional disregard or a profound neglect rather than mere loss of memory. It represents a spiritual amnesia concerning their covenant obligations, God's nature, and His faithfulness.
• their resting place (מָכוֹן מְנוּחָתָם, mākhōn mᵉnûḥātām): This refers to their true home or secure abode. Spiritually, it points to the security and peace found in a right relationship with God, living according to His covenant, dwelling in the promised land under His protection. It represents the ultimate divine provision of spiritual rest and security, tragically abandoned.

Jeremiah 50 6 Bonus section

The lament over "lost sheep" is a recurring theological motif that highlights God's role as the ultimate, caring Shepherd, a concept fulfilled in Jesus Christ (John 10). This verse establishes a theological foundation for understanding why God eventually acts to rescue and regather His people Himself, as seen in Jeremiah 23:3 and Ezekiel 34:11-16. The description of leaders as "shepherds" who actively "lead astray" (הִתְעוּם) carries a severe prophetic judgment, underscoring the immense responsibility associated with spiritual and national leadership. The failure of these leaders ultimately led to the very scattering that necessitated God's direct intervention. The phrase "resting place" (mākhōn mᵉnûḥātām) subtly anticipates the theme of divine rest and an everlasting "Sabbath rest" available to believers through faith, as expounded in Hebrews 4, contrasting the temporal and earthly "rest" with the eternal. It signifies a profound loss of spiritual rootedness.

Jeremiah 50 6 Commentary

Jeremiah 50:6 serves as a poignant explanation for Israel's suffering and exile, lamenting their condition while assigning culpability to their human leaders. The imagery of "lost sheep" is fundamental, emphasizing the people's inherent vulnerability and the dire consequences of inadequate leadership. Unlike earthly kings or mere religious officials, God alone is the true Shepherd who guides to "green pastures" and "still waters" (Psa 23:2). Here, the contrast is stark: human shepherds have actively caused dispersion and spiritual desolation. Their guidance to "mountains and hills" signifies not only physical wandering but deeply entrenched idolatry on the pagan high places, pulling the people further from divine truth. Forgetting their "resting place" points to their abandonment of God's covenant, the Temple in Jerusalem (the place of God's presence and Israel's spiritual home), and the ultimate spiritual peace and security found only in the Lord. This forgetfulness is not passive but an active turning away from their unique identity as God's chosen people, paving the way for divine judgment, even as God's heart breaks for them.

• Example: Like children misled by their guardians to a dangerous and barren wilderness, Israel was steered away from God's secure pasture (covenant and land) into the "mountains" of idolatry and foreign practices by their kings, priests, and prophets, leading them far from spiritual safety and purpose.