Jeremiah 2:6

6 They did not ask, ‘Where is the LORD who brought us up from the land of Egypt, who led us through the wilderness, through a land of deserts and pits, a land of drought and darkness, a land where no one travels and no one lives?’

Jeremiah 2:6 Meaning and Commentary

Jeremiah 2:6

Neither said they, where is the Lord?
&c.] They did not ask after him, nor seek his face and favour, nor worship him, nor took any notice of the blessings he bestowed upon them: that brought us up out of the land of Egypt?
by means of Moses the deliverer, with a mighty hand, and outstretched arm; for, though Moses was the instrument, God was the efficient cause of the deliverance; the favour was his, and the glory of it ought to have been given to him: that led us through the wilderness;
of "Shur", or of "Sin", the desert of Arabia, ( Exodus 15:22 ) ( 16:1 ) and a dreadful and terrible one it was: through a land of deserts and of pits, through a land of drought, and
of the shadow of death;
where were scorpions, fiery serpents, drought, and no water, and so very dangerous as well as uncomfortable travelling; and yet through all this they were led, and wonderfully supplied and preserved; through a land that no man passed through, and where no man dwelt;
there was no passenger in it, nor inhabitants on it, so that there were none to relieve them; whence it appears, that all their supply, support, and preservation, were from the Lord. The Jews ^F25 interpret this of the first man Adam, after this manner, ``all land, concerning which the first man decreed that it should be inhabited, it is inhabited; and all land, concerning which he did not decree it should be inhabited, it is not inhabited; and such they suggest was this wilderness;'' see ( Deuteronomy 8:15 ) .

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FOOTNOTES:

F25 T. Bab. Beracot, fol. 31. 1. & Sota, fol. 46. 2.

Jeremiah 2:6 In-Context

4 Hear the word of the LORD, O house of Jacob, and all you families of the house of Israel.

5 This is what the LORD says: “What fault did your fathers find in Me that they strayed so far from Me? They followed worthless idols, and became worthless themselves.

6 They did not ask, ‘Where is the LORD who brought us up from the land of Egypt, who led us through the wilderness, through a land of deserts and pits, a land of drought and darkness, a land where no one travels and no one lives?’

7 I brought you into a fertile land to eat its fruit and bounty, but you came and defiled My land and made My inheritance detestable.

8 The priests did not ask, ‘Where is the LORD?’ The experts in the law no longer knew Me, and the leaders rebelled against Me. The prophets prophesied by Baal and followed useless idols.