Jeremiah 6:20 kjv
To what purpose cometh there to me incense from Sheba, and the sweet cane from a far country? your burnt offerings are not acceptable, nor your sacrifices sweet unto me.
Jeremiah 6:20 nkjv
For what purpose to Me Comes frankincense from Sheba, And sweet cane from a far country? Your burnt offerings are not acceptable, Nor your sacrifices sweet to Me."
Jeremiah 6:20 niv
What do I care about incense from Sheba or sweet calamus from a distant land? Your burnt offerings are not acceptable; your sacrifices do not please me."
Jeremiah 6:20 esv
What use to me is frankincense that comes from Sheba, or sweet cane from a distant land? Your burnt offerings are not acceptable, nor your sacrifices pleasing to me.
Jeremiah 6:20 nlt
There's no use offering me sweet frankincense from Sheba.
Keep your fragrant calamus imported from distant lands!
I will not accept your burnt offerings.
Your sacrifices have no pleasing aroma for me."
Jeremiah 6 20 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference Note |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Sam 15:22 | "Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices... Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice..." | God prefers obedience over ritual. |
| Isa 1:11-17 | "What to me is the multitude of your sacrifices?... Bring no more vain offerings... wash yourselves; make yourselves clean..." | Rejection of empty ritual, call for justice and righteousness. |
| Amos 5:21-24 | "I hate, I despise your feasts, and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies... But let justice roll down like waters..." | God detests worship without justice and righteousness. |
| Mic 6:6-8 | "With what shall I come before the LORD...? He has told you, O man, what is good: and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?" | True requirements for walking with God are ethical, not ritualistic. |
| Hos 6:6 | "For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings." | Emphasizes internal devotion (love/knowledge) over external rite. |
| Ps 51:16-17 | "For you will not delight in sacrifice... The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart..." | True sacrifice is inward contrition, not animal offerings. |
| Prov 15:8 | "The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD, but the prayer of the upright is acceptable to him." | God judges the worshiper, not just the offering. |
| Prov 21:3 | "To do righteousness and justice is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice." | Prioritizes moral action above ritual observance. |
| Zech 7:4-7 | God asks if their fasts were for Him, linking true worship to obedience and justice for the needy. | Critiques self-serving ritual and emphasizes social justice. |
| Mal 1:10 | "Oh that there were one among you who would shut the temple doors, that you might not kindle fire on my altar in vain!" | God wishes for cessation of hypocritical temple worship. |
| Jer 7:21-23 | God claims He did not primarily command burnt offerings when bringing them out of Egypt, but rather to obey His voice. | Obedience as the original, fundamental covenant requirement. |
| Matt 9:13 | Jesus quotes Hos 6:6: "Go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’" | Jesus prioritizes mercy over rigid ritual observance. |
| Matt 12:7 | Jesus again quotes Hos 6:6 when defending His disciples breaking Sabbath traditions for mercy. | Further clarifies that compassion supersedes ritual law. |
| Matt 23:23-28 | Jesus condemns the Pharisees for tithing meticulously while neglecting justice, mercy, and faithfulness, being outwardly religious but inwardly corrupt. | Critiques hypocrisy and empty outward displays. |
| Mark 7:6-9 | Jesus challenges those who honor God with their lips but whose hearts are far from Him, holding to human tradition over God's commands. | Emphasizes the heart's condition in worship. |
| Rom 12:1 | "I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship." | True worship is a life devoted to God. |
| Heb 10:4-10 | "For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins... 'Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired, but a body have you prepared for me...'" | Old Testament sacrifices were inadequate; Christ's sacrifice fulfilled and replaced them. |
| Phil 4:18 | Paul refers to gifts from believers as "a fragrant offering, a sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to God." | Practical generosity driven by love as a pleasing offering. |
| 1 Pet 2:5 | "you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ." | Believers are priests offering spiritual, not animal, sacrifices. |
| Jas 1:27 | "Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world." | Defines true religion in terms of compassionate action and moral purity. |
Jeremiah 6 verses
Jeremiah 6 20 Meaning
Jeremiah 6:20 proclaims God's outright rejection of the costly religious rituals performed by the people of Judah. Despite bringing expensive, foreign incense and aromatic cane, and meticulously offering burnt offerings and other sacrifices, these acts are deemed utterly worthless and even offensive to God. The divine query, "To what purpose...?" signals futility. God declares that He finds no delight or acceptance in their worship, not because of a deficiency in the rituals themselves, but because the hearts and lives of the people are filled with unrighteousness, injustice, and disobedience, a core theme throughout Jeremiah's prophetic message.
Jeremiah 6 20 Context
Jeremiah 6 is a somber chapter where God, through His prophet, sternly warns Judah of impending judgment due to their deep-seated corruption and rebellion. The chapter paints a picture of pervasive spiritual adultery, deceit, greed, and moral decay, reaching from the highest leadership down to the common people. They refuse to heed God's warnings (v. 10), deal falsely (v. 13), and offer superficial healing for severe spiritual wounds (v. 14). God warns of a fierce invader from the North as punishment. Amidst this backdrop of rampant sin and hardened hearts, Jeremiah 6:20 comes as God's exasperated rejection of their outward religious expressions. They meticulously perform temple rituals and bring lavish offerings, yet their lives are a complete contradiction to the holiness these rituals are meant to signify. Their external piety cannot cover or atone for their internal wickedness and refusal to truly repent, making their elaborate worship an abhorrent act in God's eyes.
Jeremiah 6 20 Word analysis
- To what purpose comes there to me... (לְמָה־זֶּה לִי - lᵉmāh-zeh lî): This rhetorical question signifies God's complete dismissal and exasperation. It questions the very utility and meaningfulness of their actions from His perspective. The phrase "to me" emphasizes that He, the recipient, has no desire or value for these offerings, implying their efforts are wasted and misdirected.
- ...incense... (לְבֹונָה - lᵉḇôwnāh): Specifically frankincense, a precious aromatic gum used in sacred offerings, signifying purity and a sweet fragrance rising to God (Ex 30:34-38; Lev 2:2). Here, its inherent sacredness is nullified by the offerer's unholy state.
- ...from Sheba... (מִשְּׁבָא - miššᵉḇāʾ): Refers to the ancient kingdom of Sheba, known for its wealth and luxury trade goods, especially spices, incense, and gold. The mention of Sheba emphasizes the costliness and exotic nature of the incense, highlighting the great material expense and effort Judah was investing in their external worship. This very extravagance underscores God's rejection—no amount of monetary value can compensate for a lack of true devotion.
- ...and the sweet cane... (וְקָנֶה הַטֹּוב - wᵉqāneh haṭṭôwḇ): Also known as calamus, an aromatic reed that was a vital ingredient in the holy anointing oil (Ex 30:23). "The good" or "the fine cane" signifies its quality and value. Like the incense, it represents another expensive, ritually important import.
- ...from a far country? (מֵאֶרֶץ מֶרְחָק - mēʾereṣ merḥāq): Reinforces the impression of significant effort and expense, as these precious commodities had to be sourced from distant lands, reflecting a major investment in ritual show.
- Your burnt offerings are not acceptable... (עֹולֹתֵיכֶם לֹא לְרָצֹון - ʿōlōṯêḵem lōʾ lᵉrāṣōwn): ʿōlôt were offerings entirely consumed by fire on the altar, symbolizing complete dedication to God. The phrase lōʾ lᵉrāṣōwn directly translates to "not for acceptance" or "not pleasing." God rejects not the form of the offering, but the condition of the offerers, rendering their dedication hollow and therefore unaccepted by Him.
- ...nor your sacrifices sweet unto me. (וְזִבְחֵיכֶם לֹא עָרְבוּ לִי - wᵉziḇḥêḵem lōʾ ʿārᵉḇû lî): Zᵊḇāḥîm is a broader term for various animal sacrifices. The Hebrew verb ʿārᵉḇû means "were agreeable" or "were sweet/pleasant." When negated (lōʾ ʿārᵉḇû), it indicates that their sacrifices are distinctly unpleasant, effectively smelling foul or offensive to God because they arise from impure hearts and unrighteous living. The usual pleasant aroma associated with offerings (cf. Gen 8:21; Lev 1:9) is completely absent.
Jeremiah 6 20 Bonus section
- The irony in this verse is profound: Judah goes to great lengths and expense to import materials for rituals that were meant to symbolize purity and worship, yet they utterly neglect the spiritual purity and ethical conduct that would make those rituals acceptable.
- This passage functions as a prophetic challenge against religious formalism that elevates the performance of rites above the requirements of the covenant, which fundamentally calls for faithfulness, obedience, and ethical living.
- Jeremiah, like many other prophets, highlights God's justice in rejecting worship from those who simultaneously commit injustice and defy His commands, demonstrating that God is not separate from moral principles.
Jeremiah 6 20 Commentary
Jeremiah 6:20 stands as a poignant denunciation of religious hypocrisy. Judah was offering God the best and most expensive physical elements—incense and spices from distant, wealthy lands—and diligently performing their sacrifices as prescribed by the Law. Yet, God dismisses them all. This powerful rhetorical rejection emphasizes a core principle of divine-human interaction: God looks beyond the outward appearance to the condition of the heart and the integrity of one's life. The sheer cost and meticulous execution of the rituals by Judah actually intensify God's rejection, highlighting the depth of their spiritual blindness and delusion. They believed their external piety could cover their internal moral rot, but God cannot be appeased or bribed. Their sacrifices were not a sweet aroma but a stench because they lacked righteousness, justice, and genuine repentance. This verse serves as an enduring reminder that true worship must flow from a life of obedience, sincerity, and love for God and neighbor; otherwise, even the most elaborate religious acts are meaningless.