Jeremiah 7 18

Jeremiah 7:18 kjv

The children gather wood, and the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead their dough, to make cakes to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto other gods, that they may provoke me to anger.

Jeremiah 7:18 nkjv

The children gather wood, the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead dough, to make cakes for the queen of heaven; and they pour out drink offerings to other gods, that they may provoke Me to anger.

Jeremiah 7:18 niv

The children gather wood, the fathers light the fire, and the women knead the dough and make cakes to offer to the Queen of Heaven. They pour out drink offerings to other gods to arouse my anger.

Jeremiah 7:18 esv

The children gather wood, the fathers kindle fire, and the women knead dough, to make cakes for the queen of heaven. And they pour out drink offerings to other gods, to provoke me to anger.

Jeremiah 7:18 nlt

No wonder I am so angry! Watch how the children gather wood and the fathers build sacrificial fires. See how the women knead dough and make cakes to offer to the Queen of Heaven. And they pour out liquid offerings to their other idol gods!

Jeremiah 7 verses

Jeremiah 7 18 Meaning

Jeremiah 7:18 vividly illustrates the pervasive idolatry in Judah, describing a coordinated effort across generations and family roles to worship pagan deities. Children gather wood, fathers ignite the fires, and women bake cakes, all in service to the "Queen of Heaven" and other foreign gods. This comprehensive participation by the community in syncretistic cults directly provoked the Lord God's anger, highlighting their blatant rejection of the covenant.

Jeremiah 7 18 Context

Jeremiah 7:18 is situated within the "Temple Sermon" (Jer. 7:1-15), a pivotal message delivered by Jeremiah at the gate of the Lord's house. The prophet confronts the people of Judah for their misguided belief that the physical presence of the Temple in Jerusalem would somehow protect them from divine judgment, even while they engaged in rampant idolatry and moral corruption. He calls them to genuinely reform their ways, emphasizing that reliance on mere rituals and sacred spaces without true obedience is futile. Verse 18 then provides a specific and horrifying example of the kind of systemic apostasy that characterized Judah's unfaithfulness. Historically, this period saw a resurgence of foreign religious practices, particularly after the death of the reforming King Josiah. The cult of the "Queen of Heaven" was a powerful draw, appealing across society, making the sin detailed in this verse a widespread cultural norm rather than an isolated aberration.

Jeremiah 7 18 Word analysis

• The children (hayyeladim, הַיְלָדִים): Not just adults, but even the youngest members of the community are implicated in idolatry. This highlights the generational corruption and the failure of parents to teach their children covenant faithfulness.
• gather wood (meleqtim 'etsim, מְלַקְּטִים עֵצִים): An act seemingly innocuous but here co-opted for pagan ritual, involving innocent hands in profane activities. It suggests a family working together for a common, unholy goal.
• the fathers (ha'abôt, הָאָבוֹת): The patriarchs and heads of households, who should have led their families in devotion to Yahweh (Dt 6:6-7), were instead actively involved in fostering idolatry. Their leadership was perverted.
• kindle the fire (maqdišim 'et-ha'ēš, מַקְדִּישִׁים אֶת-הָאֵשׁ - lit. "kindling the fire"): This is the sacrificial act, symbolizing active participation in the idolatrous worship.
• the women (whannāšîm, וְהַנָּשִׁים): Signifies their specific and active role in the cult, which was particularly strong among women, as seen elsewhere in Jeremiah (Jer 44:17-19).
• knead dough (lošôt batsēq, לוֹשׁוֹת בָּצֵק): A domestic chore typically associated with life-giving and sustenance, here repurposed for the preparation of idolatrous offerings, making everyday activities complicit in sin.
• to make cakes (la'asôt kawwānîm, לַעֲשׂוֹת כַּוָּנִים): These were likely special baked goods, possibly crescent or star-shaped, ritually prepared for the pagan goddess. The term kawwānîm suggests their unique purpose.
• for the Queen of Heaven (limleḵet haššāmayim, לִמְלֶכֶת הַשָּׁמַיִם): The primary recipient of their devotion. This refers to a prominent Mesopotamian fertility goddess, Ishtar (Astarte in Canaanite religion), whose cult was popular in Judah. She was believed to control fertility and destiny.
• they pour out drink offerings (wᵊnissᵉk̠îm nesāḵîm, וְנִסְכִּים נְסָכִים): Another common act of devotion in ancient Near Eastern religions, involving liquid offerings, again offered to illicit deities.
• to other gods (lē'lōhîm 'aḥērîm, לֵאלֹהִים אֲחֵרִים): This phrase broadens the scope beyond just the Queen of Heaven, indicating a comprehensive syncretism where multiple pagan deities were worshipped alongside or in place of Yahweh.
• to provoke Me to anger (lᵊhaḵ'isēnî, לְהַכְעִיסֵנִי): This highlights God's perspective. Their actions were a deliberate affront, a conscious rejection of His exclusive covenant love, directly inciting His holy wrath.

Jeremiah 7 18 Bonus section

The widespread worship of the Queen of Heaven in Judah during Jeremiah's time and even after the fall of Jerusalem (Jer. 44) underscores the deeply entrenched syncretism that characterized ancient Israelite religion. This cult likely promised fertility for crops, livestock, and women, resonating with a society heavily reliant on agricultural success and procreation. The involvement of entire families suggests that this paganism had become a cornerstone of social and domestic life, indistinguishable from their cultural identity for many. The continuity of this worship after Josiah's reforms demonstrates its profound hold on the populace, indicating that external political efforts to remove idolatry were insufficient to change hearts that clung to these false deities. The verse also implicitly contrasts this perverse family devotion to false gods with the ideal family unit that collectively serves Yahweh, teaching His statutes and decrees to future generations.

Jeremiah 7 18 Commentary

Jeremiah 7:18 exposes the depth of Judah's spiritual depravity through the lens of household idolatry. The scene depicted is one of shocking unity in sin: children gathering wood, fathers starting the fires, and women kneading dough—each age group and gender fulfilling a specific role in a collective act of rebellion against the Lord. This was not a clandestine act of a few renegades, but an open, family-wide practice. The "Queen of Heaven," identified with Ishtar/Astarte, represented the allure of foreign cults promising fertility and prosperity, appealing deeply to ancient Near Eastern sensibilities. The making of "cakes" (kawwānîm) was a specific ritualistic offering, symbolizing their devotion to this celestial deity. This pervasive family-oriented idolatry stands in direct opposition to the command for families to diligently teach their children the laws of the Lord (Dt 6). Their actions, involving both offerings of food and drink, were a comprehensive surrender to paganism, an absolute betrayal of their covenant with Yahweh. Consequently, Jeremiah emphasizes that such brazen unfaithfulness was a direct and active "provocation" of God's anger, not merely a minor deviation. This serves as a powerful warning that outward religiosity (like their confidence in the Temple) means nothing when daily life is steeped in apostasy, incurring divine judgment.