The Broken Covenant and a Public Warning
Jeremiah 11:1-17
Jer.11.1 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- הדבר: NOUN,m,sg,def
- אשר: PRON,rel
- היה: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- אל: NEG
- ירמיהו: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מאת: PREP
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- לאמר: INF,qal,infc
Parallels
- Jeremiah 1:4 (verbal): Same prophetic introductory formula: 'Now the word of the LORD came to me, saying,'—the commissioning/communication formula used at the start of Jeremiah's messages.
- Jeremiah 7:1 (verbal): Nearly identical wording—'The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying,'—showing a recurring structural opening for particular oracle-addresses in Jeremiah.
- Hosea 1:1 (verbal): Prophetic superscription: 'The word of the LORD that came to Hosea son of Beeri...'—a comparable opening that frames the ensuing prophetic oracle.
- Ezekiel 1:3 (verbal): Uses the same motif—'The word of the LORD came expressly unto Ezekiel the priest...'—indicating the standard prophetic claim of divine origin for the message.
- Amos 1:1 (structural): Prophetic superscription situating the prophet and historical setting ('The words of Amos...'), functioning like Jeremiah 11:1 to introduce a collection of oracles and frame authorial authority.
Alternative generated candidates
- The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying:
- The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying:
Jer.11.2 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- שמעו: VERB,qal,impv,2,m,pl
- את: PRT,acc
- דברי: NOUN,m,pl,abs+PRON,1,c,sg
- הברית: NOUN,f,sg,def
- הזאת: DEM,f,sg,def
- ודברתם: VERB,piel,perf,2,m,pl
- אל: NEG
- איש: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יהודה: NOUN,m,sg,prop
- ועל: CONJ+PREP
- ישבי: NOUN,m,pl,cons
- ירושלם: NOUN,f,sg,abs
Parallels
- Deuteronomy 5:1 (verbal): Both begin with an imperative to 'hear' covenantal instruction addressed to the people (the call to attend to the covenant law).
- Deuteronomy 29:10 (structural): Covenant-renewal scene in which the whole people are assembled and summoned to stand before the LORD—similar framework of addressing the community regarding the covenant.
- Jeremiah 26:2 (verbal): A parallel prophetic commission: Jeremiah is told to stand in the temple/court and 'speak to all the cities of Judah'—close verbal and situational echo of 11:2.
- Jeremiah 7:2 (structural): Another Jeremiah commission to 'stand in the gate of the LORD's house' and 'proclaim' to the people and to Jerusalem—same mode of public proclamation about covenant behaviour.
- Amos 3:1 (verbal): Uses the prophetic summons 'Hear this word that the LORD has spoken...'—the same formulaic call to listen to a divine message directed at Israel/Judah.
Alternative generated candidates
- Hear the words of this covenant and speak them to the men of Judah and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem:
- Hear the words of this covenant, and speak them to the men of Judah and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem,
Jer.11.3 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ואמרת: CONJ+VERB,qal,impf,2,m,sg
- אליהם: PREP,3,m,pl
- כה: ADV
- אמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- אלהי: NOUN,m,sg,cons
- ישראל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ארור: ADJ,m,sg,abs
- האיש: NOUN,m,sg,def
- אשר: PRON,rel
- לא: PART_NEG
- ישמע: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- דברי: NOUN,m,pl,abs+PRON,1,c,sg
- הברית: NOUN,f,sg,def
- הזאת: DEM,f,sg,def
Parallels
- Deuteronomy 27:26 (verbal): Same covenant-curse formula: 'Cursed be the one who does not confirm the words of this law' — the language and idea echoed in Jeremiah's proclamation.
- Deuteronomy 11:26-28 (thematic): Part of the Deuteronomic blessing-and-curse framework that frames obedience to the covenant; Jeremiah's warning fits this broader covenantal pattern.
- Joshua 8:34-35 (structural): Public reading of the law followed by the pronouncement of curses for disobedience — a parallel setting in which covenantal curses are declared to the people.
- Galatians 3:10 (quotation): Paul explicitly cites the Deuteronomic curse ('Cursed is everyone who does not continue in all things written in the law') — a New Testament echo of the same covenantal curse Jeremiah invokes.
Alternative generated candidates
- and say to them, Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel: Cursed is the man who does not heed the words of this covenant,
- and say to them, Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel: Cursed is the man who does not heed the words of this covenant,
Jer.11.4 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- אשר: PRON,rel
- צויתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,_,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- אבותיכם: NOUN,m,pl,abs+PRON,2,m,pl
- ביום: PREP
- הוציאי: VERB,hiphil,impv,2,f,sg
- אותם: PRON,3,m,pl,obj
- מארץ: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- מצרים: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- מכור: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- הברזל: NOUN,m,sg,def
- לאמר: INF,qal,infc
- שמעו: VERB,qal,impv,2,m,pl
- בקולי: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,1,sg
- ועשיתם: VERB,qal,perf,2,m,pl
- אותם: PRON,3,m,pl,obj
- ככל: PREP
- אשר: PRON,rel
- אצוה: VERB,hiph,impf,1,?,sg
- אתכם: PRT+PRON,2,m,pl
- והייתם: VERB,qal,perf,2,m,pl
- לי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
- לעם: PREP
- ואנכי: PRON,1,sg
- אהיה: VERB,qal,impf,1,_,sg
- לכם: PREP,2,m,pl
- לאלהים: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Jeremiah 7:22-23 (verbal): Almost identical covenant formula; Jeremiah explicitly repeats the command 'Obey my voice... I will be your God, and ye shall be my people,' echoing the same obligation cited in 11:4.
- Deuteronomy 4:20 (verbal): Contains the distinctive phrase 'brought you out of the iron furnace, out of Egypt,' directly paralleling the 'iron furnace' image and the context of God bringing Israel out of Egypt.
- Exodus 6:7 (verbal): Divine promise 'I will take you to me for a people, and I will be to you a God' closely matches Jeremiah's 'you shall be my people and I will be your God,' reflecting the Sinai/covenant language.
- Ezekiel 36:28 (verbal): Prophetic renewal formula 'ye shall be my people, and I will be your God' reprises the covenant relationship language used in Jeremiah 11:4 as a promise of restoration and identity.
Alternative generated candidates
- which I commanded your fathers on the day I brought them out of the land of Egypt, from the iron furnace, saying, Hear my voice and do according to all that I command you; then you shall be my people, and I will be your God.
- which I commanded your fathers on the day I brought them out of the land of Egypt, from the iron furnace, saying, "Hear my voice and do them; according to all that I command you you shall do them. You shall be to me a people, and I will be to you a God."
Jer.11.5 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- למען: PREP
- הקים: VERB,hiph,perf,3,m,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- השבועה: NOUN,f,sg,def
- אשר: PRON,rel
- נשבעתי: VERB,niphal,perf,1,_,sg
- לאבותיכם: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs
- לתת: VERB,qal,inf
- להם: PREP+PRON,3,m,pl
- ארץ: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- זבת: PART,qal,ptc,prs,f,sg
- חלב: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ודבש: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- כיום: ADV
- הזה: DEM,m,sg
- ואען: VERB,qal,impf,1,_,sg
- ואמר: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- אמן: INTJ
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Exodus 3:8 (verbal): Uses the exact motif of bringing Israel into “a land flowing with milk and honey” — a direct verbal parallel to the promise to give the land.
- Exodus 6:4-8 (quotation): God reiterates the oath sworn to the patriarchs and promises to bring/ give the land to Israel — closely mirrors Jeremiah’s reference to the covenant oath to the fathers.
- Deuteronomy 11:9 (thematic): Speaks of the LORD’s oath to the fathers and the possession/prolonging of life in the land — thematically parallels Jeremiah’s appeal to the sworn promise of land.
- Genesis 15:18 (allusion): The original covenantal grant of territory to Abraham’s seed — the foundational ‘oath to your fathers’ to which Jeremiah refers.
- Joshua 21:43-45 (structural): Records the fulfillment of the promise that the LORD gave Israel the land and kept his words — functions as a narrative fulfillment of the oath mentioned in Jeremiah.
Alternative generated candidates
- That I might establish the oath that I swore to your fathers, to give them a land flowing with milk and honey. And I answered and said, Amen, O LORD.
- That I might establish the oath which I swore to your fathers, to give them a land flowing with milk and honey. And I answered and said, Amen, O LORD.
Jer.11.6 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- אלי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
- קרא: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- כל: DET
- הדברים: NOUN,m,pl,def
- האלה: DEM,pl
- בערי: PREP+NOUN,f,pl,const
- יהודה: NOUN,m,sg,prop
- ובחצות: CONJ+PREP+NOUN,f,pl,abs
- ירושלם: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- לאמר: INF,qal,infc
- שמעו: VERB,qal,impv,2,m,pl
- את: PRT,acc
- דברי: NOUN,m,pl,abs+PRON,1,c,sg
- הברית: NOUN,f,sg,def
- הזאת: DEM,f,sg,def
- ועשיתם: VERB,qal,perf,2,m,pl
- אותם: PRON,3,m,pl,obj
Parallels
- Jeremiah 7:2-3 (verbal): Similar prophetic commission to stand at the temple gate and announce: 'Hear the word of the LORD' and call for obedience to covenant stipulations.
- Jeremiah 26:2 (structural): Another instance where Jeremiah is commanded to 'stand in the court of the house of the LORD' and proclaim God's word to the cities of Judah—same prophetic setting and public summons.
- Deuteronomy 31:10-13 (thematic): Moses directs a public reading of the law to all Israel in their towns so that they 'hear' the covenant and obey—parallels the public proclamation and call to obedience in Jeremiah 11:6.
- Joshua 8:34-35 (quotation): After victory Joshua reads 'all the words of the law' before all Israel in the presence of the people—an example of publicly proclaiming covenant words and urging the people to hear and do them.
Alternative generated candidates
- And the LORD said to me, Call all these words in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem, saying, Hear the words of this covenant and do them.
- And the LORD said to me, "Proclaim all these words in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem, saying, 'Hear the words of this covenant and do them.'"
Jer.11.7 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- כי: CONJ
- העד: NOUN,m,sg,def
- העדתי: VERB,hiph,perf,1,_,sg
- באבותיכם: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,const,2,mp
- ביום: PREP
- העלותי: VERB,hifil,perf,1,?,sg
- אותם: PRON,3,m,pl,obj
- מארץ: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- מצרים: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- ועד: CONJ+PREP
- היום: NOUN,m,sg,def
- הזה: DEM,m,sg
- השכם: NOUN,m,sg,def
- והעד: CONJ+VERB,qal,perf,1,?,sg
- לאמר: INF,qal,infc
- שמעו: VERB,qal,impv,2,m,pl
- בקולי: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,1,sg
Parallels
- Jeremiah 7:25 (verbal): Uses the same motif of God sending warnings 'from the day your fathers came out of Egypt' and charging the people to hear—Jeremiah 11:7 echoes this persistent prophetic witness and Israel's failure to heed.
- Deuteronomy 5:6 (thematic): Like Jeremiah 11:7, Deuteronomy grounds covenantal exhortation in Yahweh's act of bringing Israel out of Egypt ('I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt'), a frequent warrant for commands to 'hear' God's voice.
- Ezekiel 20:10-11 (thematic): Ezekiel recounts God bringing Israel out of Egypt and giving statutes and warnings in the wilderness—paralleling Jeremiah's appeal to Israel's founding deliverance as the basis for Yahweh's repeated admonitions.
- 2 Chronicles 36:15-16 (thematic): Describes how the LORD sent messengers and prophets repeatedly to warn the people but they mocked and refused to listen—echoing Jeremiah's claim that God had long testified to their fathers yet they would not hear.
Alternative generated candidates
- For I testified to your fathers on the day I brought them up out of the land of Egypt, even to this day, rising early and testifying, Hear my voice.
- For I have continually testified to your fathers, from the day I brought them up out of Egypt until this day; I rose early and testified, saying, "Hear my voice."
Jer.11.8 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ולא: CONJ
- שמעו: VERB,qal,impv,2,m,pl
- ולא: CONJ
- הטו: VERB,qal,perf,3,pl
- את: PRT,acc
- אזנם: NOUN,f,pl,abs+3,m,pl
- וילכו: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,pl
- איש: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- בשרירות: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- לבם: NOUN,m,sg,poss
- הרע: ADJ,m,sg,def
- ואביא: VERB,qal,impf,1,_,sg
- עליהם: PREP,3,m,pl
- את: PRT,acc
- כל: DET
- דברי: NOUN,m,pl,abs+PRON,1,c,sg
- הברית: NOUN,f,sg,def
- הזאת: DEM,f,sg,def
- אשר: PRON,rel
- צויתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,_,sg
- לעשות: VERB,qal,inf
- ולא: CONJ
- עשו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
Parallels
- Jeremiah 7:26 (verbal): Uses nearly identical language about not listening or inclining the ear and hardening themselves—same charge of refusing covenant instruction and persisting in evil.
- 2 Kings 17:14 (thematic): Describes Israel's refusal to heed God's commands and their choice to follow other statutes—parallels the failure to obey covenantal requirements in Jeremiah 11:8.
- Deuteronomy 31:27 (thematic): Moses predicts Israel's rebellion and stubbornness toward the covenant—anticipates the people 'not doing' the words of the covenant that Jeremiah indicts.
- Ezekiel 2:4 (verbal): Characterizes the house of Israel as 'impudent and stubborn' who will not listen to prophet's words—echoes Jeremiah's depiction of a hard‑hearted, unresponsive people.
Alternative generated candidates
- But they did not listen nor incline their ear; each walked in the stubbornness of his evil heart. Therefore I will bring upon them all the words of this covenant, which I commanded them to do, and they did not.
- Yet they did not listen nor incline their ear, but walked every one in the stubbornness of their evil heart; therefore I will bring upon them all the words of this covenant, which I commanded them to do, and they did not.
Jer.11.9 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- אלי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
- נמצא: VERB,nip,perf,3,m,sg
- קשר: VERB,qal,impv,2,m,sg
- באיש: PREP+NOUN,m,sg
- יהודה: NOUN,m,sg,prop
- ובישבי: CONJ+PREP+NOUN,m,pl,const
- ירושלם: NOUN,f,sg,abs
Parallels
- Jeremiah 18:18 (verbal): Neighbors and leaders 'devise devices' against Jeremiah—language of plotting/conspiracy against the prophet and God's word, parallel to 'a conspiracy is found' in 11:9.
- Psalm 2:1 (thematic): 'Why do the nations conspire...'—a thematic parallel of hostile plotting against God's purposes and his anointed, echoing the motif of conspiracy in Jer 11:9.
- Proverbs 1:11 (thematic): Young men urged to 'lay wait' and plot violent schemes—illustrates the ethical/social reality of clandestine plots like the 'conspiracy' found among Judah and Jerusalem.
- Psalm 64:2–3 (verbal): Prayer to be hidden from the 'counsel' or 'insurrection' of the wicked—uses near-verbal imagery of secret plotting that corresponds to the conspiracy language of Jer 11:9.
Alternative generated candidates
- And the LORD said to me, A plot is found among the men of Judah and among the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
- And the LORD said to me, "A conspiracy is found among the men of Judah and among the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
Jer.11.10 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- שבו: VERB,qal,impv,2,m,pl
- על: PREP
- עונת: NOUN,f,sg,const
- אבותם: NOUN,m,pl,abs+3mp
- הראשנים: ADJ,m,pl,def
- אשר: PRON,rel
- מאנו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- לשמוע: VERB,qal,infc
- את: PRT,acc
- דברי: NOUN,m,pl,abs+PRON,1,c,sg
- והמה: PRON,3,m,pl
- הלכו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- אחרי: PREP
- אלהים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- אחרים: ADJ,m,pl,abs
- לעבדם: VERB,qal,inf,3,m,pl
- הפרו: VERB,qal,perf,3,pl
- בית: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ישראל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ובית: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,cs
- יהודה: NOUN,m,sg,prop
- את: PRT,acc
- בריתי: NOUN,f,sg,abs,poss1,sg
- אשר: PRON,rel
- כרתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- אבותם: NOUN,m,pl,abs+3mp
Parallels
- 2 Kings 17:7-23 (structural): Narrative summary of Israel's breach of covenant: they rejected God's statutes, served other gods, and were exiled—closely parallels Jeremiah's indictment of both houses for following other gods and breaking the covenant.
- Judges 2:11-13 (thematic): Early pattern language: the people did evil, abandoned Yahweh and served Baal and other gods—echoes Jeremiah's charge that Israel and Judah turned after other gods and broke the covenant.
- Deuteronomy 29:25-28 (verbal): Covenant-law warning that a people who forsake the covenant and serve strange gods will be uprooted and punished; uses covenantal breach language similar to Jeremiah's 'broke my covenant.'
- Exodus 34:6-7 (allusion): God's description of judging 'the iniquity of the fathers to the third and fourth generation' resonates with Jeremiah's reference to 'the sins of their forefathers' as a continuing pattern of disobedience.
- Jeremiah 3:6-8 (verbal): Within Jeremiah's own book: God accuses Israel of apostasy—playing the harlot and breaking the covenant—using similar imagery and covenantal accusation as 11:10.
Alternative generated candidates
- They have turned back to the sins of their first fathers, who refused to listen to my words; they went after other gods to serve them. The house of Israel and the house of Judah have broken my covenant which I made with their fathers.
- They have turned back to the sins of their first fathers who refused to hear my words; and they went after other gods to serve them. The house of Israel and the house of Judah have broken the covenant that I made with their fathers.
Jer.11.11 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- לכן: ADV
- כה: ADV
- אמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- הנני: PRT+PRON,1,sg
- מביא: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- אליהם: PREP,3,m,pl
- רעה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- אשר: PRON,rel
- לא: PART_NEG
- יוכלו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- לצאת: VERB,qal,inf
- ממנה: PREP+PRON,3,f,sg
- וזעקו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- אלי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
- ולא: CONJ
- אשמע: VERB,qal,impf,1,_,sg
- אליהם: PREP,3,m,pl
Parallels
- Isaiah 1:15 (verbal): Same idea and similar wording: when the people pray God will refuse to listen (‘when you spread out your hands…I will not listen’), emphasizing divine rejection of prayers amid sin.
- Jeremiah 7:16 (verbal): God instructs Jeremiah not to intercede because He will not hear for this people—closely parallels the refusal to answer when they cry in Jer 11:11.
- Hosea 5:6 (thematic): Speaks of people seeking the LORD in distress but finding He has withdrawn from them—echoes the theme that judgment removes access to God and cries will not be heard.
- Proverbs 1:24-28 (verbal): Wisdom warns that if people reject the call, judgment will come and they will call but God will not answer—a parallel motif and similar language about unanswered cries.
Alternative generated candidates
- Therefore thus says the LORD: Behold, I will bring disaster upon them which they cannot escape; though they call to me, I will not listen to them.
- Therefore thus says the LORD: Behold, I will bring upon them disaster which they cannot escape; though they cry to me, I will not listen to them.
Jer.11.12 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- והלכו: CONJ+VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- ערי: NOUN,f,pl,cons
- יהודה: NOUN,m,sg,prop
- וישבי: CONJ+NOUN,m,pl,abs
- ירושלם: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- וזעקו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- אל: NEG
- האלהים: NOUN,m,sg,def
- אשר: PRON,rel
- הם: PRON,personal,3,m,pl
- מקטרים: VERB,qal,part,3,m,pl
- להם: PREP+PRON,3,m,pl
- והושע: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לא: PART_NEG
- יושיעו: VERB,hiphil,impf,3,m,pl
- להם: PREP+PRON,3,m,pl
- בעת: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- רעתם: NOUN,f,sg,suff-3mp
Parallels
- Psalm 115:4-8 (verbal): Declares that idols are the work of hands, cannot speak or save—directly echoes the idea that the gods people cry to (which they made) will not deliver them.
- Isaiah 44:9-20 (allusion): Satirizes those who carve idols and then pray to them for help ('Deliver me, for you are my god'), highlighting the futility of relying on man-made gods, a close thematic and verbal echo.
- Jeremiah 2:27 (thematic): Earlier Jeremianic rebuke: people address wood and stone as gods ('You are my father'), turning away from the Lord—repeats the prophet’s charge that reliance on made gods is both idolatrous and futile.
- 2 Kings 17:29-33 (thematic): Reports peoples making and serving foreign gods after exile and yet retaining fear of the Lord—portrays communal idolatry and the impotence of such gods, paralleling Jeremiah’s depiction of cities crying to their made gods who cannot save.
Alternative generated candidates
- Then the cities of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem will go and cry to the gods to whom they burn incense, but those gods will not save them in the time of their trouble.
- Then the cities of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem will go and cry to the gods to whom they offer incense; but they will not save them in the time of their trouble.
Jer.11.13 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- כי: CONJ
- מספר: VERB,qal,impf,1,m,sg
- עריך: NOUN,f,pl,const
- היו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- אלהיך: NOUN,m,sg,prsuf-2ms
- יהודה: NOUN,m,sg,prop
- ומספר: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- חצות: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ירושלם: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- שמתם: NOUN,m,pl,abs+3,m,pl
- מזבחות: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- לבשת: VERB,qal,perf,2,ms
- מזבחות: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- לקטר: PREP+VERB,qal,inf
- לבעל: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Jeremiah 19:4-5 (verbal): Jeremiah condemns the building of high places and altars to Baal and the related cultic practices—language and accusation echo the charge of altars set up throughout Judah and Jerusalem.
- Hosea 8:11 (verbal): “Ephraim hath made many altars to sin” parallels the motif of numerous altars across the land—both passages indict widespread, institutionalized idolatry.
- 2 Kings 21:3-5 (thematic): Account of King Manasseh erecting altars to Baal (including in the house of the LORD) provides a historical precedent for the proliferation of Baal-altars criticized in Jeremiah 11:13.
- Jeremiah 7:18 (thematic): Jeremiah rebukes Jerusalem’s cultic practices—women baking for the ‘queen of heaven’ and offerings to other gods—paralleling the charge that the city’s streets and cities host foreign altars.
Alternative generated candidates
- For as many as your cities were, your gods were, O Judah; and as many as the streets of Jerusalem, you have set up altars—altars to shame, altars to burn incense to Baal.
- For your gods, O Judah, are as many as the number of your cities and as the number of the streets of Jerusalem. You have set up altars of shame—altars to burn incense to Baal.
Jer.11.14 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ואתה: CONJ+PRON,2,m,sg
- אל: NEG
- תתפלל: VERB,hitpael,impf,2,m,sg
- בעד: PREP
- העם: NOUN,m,sg,def
- הזה: DEM,m,sg
- ואל: CONJ+PREP
- תשא: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,sg
- בעדם: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs,3,m,pl
- רנה: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- ותפלה: CONJ+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- כי: CONJ
- אינני: VERB,negexist,perf,1,sg
- שמע: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- בעת: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- קראם: NOUN,m,pl,abs+3mp
- אלי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
- בעד: PREP
- רעתם: NOUN,f,sg,suff-3mp
Parallels
- Jeremiah 7:16 (verbal): Almost identical command — God tells Jeremiah not to pray or intercede for the people because He will not hear them; direct verbal parallel within the same book.
- Jeremiah 15:1 (thematic): God declares that not even great intercessors (Moses, Samuel) could change His mind toward the people — reinforces the theme that intercession will not avert judgment.
- Isaiah 1:15 (thematic): Isaiah states that when the people multiply prayers but persist in sin, God will hide His face and not hear — a thematic statement about God’s refusal to accept prayer amid persistent wickedness.
- Exodus 32:32–33 (thematic): Moses’ plea to intercede for Israel and God’s response that He will punish the guilty (blot out the sinner) provides a contrastive background for the motif of prophetic intercession being refused in cases of entrenched sin.
- Psalm 66:18 (thematic): The psalm asserts the principle that if one harbors iniquity, the Lord will not hear — parallels the moral rationale for God’s refusal to accept intercession in Jeremiah 11:14.
Alternative generated candidates
- Therefore do not pray for this people, and do not lift up a cry or plea for them, for I will not hear when they call to me in their trouble.
- Therefore do not pray for this people, and do not lift up a cry or prayer for them; for I will not hear when they cry to me on account of their evil.
Jer.11.15 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- מה: PRON,int
- לידידי: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,1,sg
- בביתי: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs+1,sg
- עשותה: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- המזמתה: NOUN,f,sg,def+suff
- הרבים: ADJ,m,pl,abs
- ובשר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- קדש: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- יעברו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- מעליך: PREP,2,m
- כי: CONJ
- רעתכי: NOUN,f,sg,suff
- אז: ADV
- תעלזי: VERB,qal,impf,2,f,sg
Parallels
- Jeremiah 7:9-11 (thematic): Both passages condemn the people's sinful behavior in relation to the temple—their crimes and hypocrisy make the house of the Lord a den of robbers; similar charge that worship is corrupted by wickedness.
- Ezekiel 8:6-12 (allusion): Ezekiel's vision exposes elders and leaders committing abominations within the temple precincts, paralleling Jeremiah's charge that priests and the people have profaned God's house.
- Isaiah 1:11-15 (verbal): Isaiah rejects the people's sacrifices because of their wickedness—echoing Jeremiah's theme that cultic presence or offerings are unacceptable while moral corruption persists.
- Micah 3:11 (thematic): Micah accuses priests and prophets of corruption and injustice for gain, mirroring Jeremiah's indictment of religious leaders who have transgressed and led the people into sin.
Alternative generated candidates
- What has my beloved to do in my house, who has wrought many abominations? Shall the holy flesh be removed from you? Because you have made your ways evil, you shall be laid waste.
- What have I in my house with my beloved, when she wages great plots? Have the holy offerings passed from you? Because of your evil you shall be made desolate.
Jer.11.16 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- זית: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- רענן: ADJ,m,sg
- יפה: ADJ,m,sg,abs
- פרי: NOUN,m,sg,cs
- תאר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- קרא: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- שמך: NOUN,m,sg,cs,2,m,sg
- לקול: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- המולה: NOUN,f,sg,def
- גדלה: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- הצית: VERB,hif,perf,3,m,sg
- אש: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- עליה: PREP,3,f,sg
- ורעו: VERB,qal,perf,3,pl
- דליותיו: NOUN,f,pl,abs,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Psalm 52:8 (verbal): Uses the same image—'I am like a green olive tree in the house of God'—linking a flourishing olive tree with God’s presence and blessing, echoing Jeremiah’s designation of Israel as a green olive tree.
- Hosea 14:6 (verbal): Describes Israel’s beauty being like an olive tree ('his beauty shall be as the olive tree'), paralleling the portrayal of Israel as a fair, fruitful olive tree in Jeremiah 11:16.
- Isaiah 5:7 (thematic): Portrays Israel/Judah as God’s cultivated plant (the vineyard) whose failing fruit warranted judgment—parallel theme of God’s plant (olive/tree) called beautiful yet subject to judgment in Jeremiah 11:16.
- Romans 11:17-21 (structural): Paul adopts the olive-tree metaphor for Israel and explicitly speaks of branches being broken off because of unbelief—echoing Jeremiah’s image of a once-favored tree whose branches are broken.
- Jeremiah 2:21 (thematic): Earlier in Jeremiah God speaks of having planted Israel as a noble vine/tree and laments its corruption—an internal parallel in Jeremiah that frames Israel as God’s planted tree now judged, resonating with 11:16’s imagery.
Alternative generated candidates
- A fresh green olive tree, beautiful in form and fruit—thus the LORD called your name. At the sound of uproar it grew; fire has been kindled against it, and its branches have been spoiled.
- The LORD called your name, "A fresh green olive tree, fair in fruit." But there was a loud clamor; they kindled a fire against it, and its branches were broken.
Jer.11.17 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויהוה: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- צבאות: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- הנוטע: VERB,qal,ptc,3,m,sg
- אותך: PRON,2,m,sg
- דבר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- עליך: PREP+2ms
- רעה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- בגלל: PREP
- רעת: NOUN,f,sg,construct
- בית: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ישראל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ובית: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,cs
- יהודה: NOUN,m,sg,prop
- אשר: PRON,rel
- עשו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- להם: PREP+PRON,3,m,pl
- להכעסני: PREP+VERB,hif,inf,1,m,sg,obj
- לקטר: PREP+VERB,qal,inf
- לבעל: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Jeremiah 2:21 (verbal): Uses the same planting imagery—'I planted you'—to condemn Israel's degeneration; directly parallels the motif of God as planter and Israel's apostasy.
- Isaiah 5:1-7 (thematic): The 'song of the vineyard' where the LORD plants a vineyard (Israel) and it yields bad fruit; parallels God's planting imagery and judgment for social/ religious failure.
- Psalm 80:8-9 (verbal): Speaks of God bringing a vine out of Egypt and planting it in the land—planting imagery applied to Israel that echoes Jeremiah's language.
- Hosea 10:1-2 (thematic): Portrays Israel as a luxuriant vine whose prosperity leads to idolatry and altar-building; parallels the connection between blessing/planting and subsequent worship of Baal.
- Judges 2:11-15 (thematic): Describes Israel forsaking the LORD and serving Baals, provoking God's anger; matches Jeremiah's charge that offerings to Baal have provoked the LORD.
Alternative generated candidates
- The LORD of hosts, who planted you, has declared a thing against you: Because of the evil of the house of Israel and of the house of Judah, which they have done to anger me by burning incense to Baal.
- The LORD of hosts, who planted you, has declared evil against you because of the evil of the house of Israel and of the house of Judah, which they have done to provoke me—offering incense to Baal.
The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying:
Hear the words of this covenant, and proclaim them to the men of Judah and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. And say to them, Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel: Cursed is the man who does not obey the words of this covenant,
which I commanded your fathers on the day I brought them out of the land of Egypt, out of the iron furnace, saying, 'Hear my voice and do according to all that I command you, that you may be my people and I may be your God.'
To establish the oath that I swore to your fathers to give them a land flowing with milk and honey. And I answered and said, 'Amen, O LORD.'
Then the LORD said to me, 'Proclaim all these words in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem, saying, Hear the words of this covenant and do them.'
For I testified to your fathers on the day I brought them up out of the land of Egypt; I warned them early and often, saying, 'Hear my voice.' But they did not listen, nor inclined their ear; they walked each in the stubbornness of his evil heart. Therefore I will bring upon them all the words of this covenant which I commanded them to do, but they did not. And the LORD said to me, 'A conspiracy has been found among the men of Judah and among the inhabitants of Jerusalem.'
They have returned to the sins of their first fathers, who refused to hear my words; they went after other gods to serve them. The house of Israel and the house of Judah have broken the covenant that I made with their fathers.
Therefore thus says the LORD: Behold, I will bring upon them a disaster from which they cannot escape; then they will cry to me, but I will not listen to them.
The cities of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem have gone and cried to the gods to whom they burn incense; they will not save them in the time of their disaster.
For as many as your cities are, O Judah, your gods are there; and as many as the streets of Jerusalem are, you have set up altars—altars to offer shameful sacrifices, altars to burn incense to Baal.
Therefore do not pray for this people, and do not lift up a cry or prayer for them; for I will not hear them in the time that they call to me for their disaster.
What to me is my beloved in my house? You have wrought the schemes of many; the sacred portion will be removed from you—because of your evil you shall be disgraced.
A fresh olive, fair with good fruit—thus the LORD called your name. But the sound of tumult has increased; he has kindled a fire upon it, and its branches have been broken. And the LORD of hosts, who planted you, has pronounced evil against you because of the evil of the house of Israel and the house of Judah, who have made offerings to provoke me by burning incense to Baal.