Jeremiah 2:6

6 They did not say, ¹‘Where is the Lord who brought us up from the land of Egypt, who led us ²in the wilderness, in a land of deserts and pits, in a land of drought and deep darkness, in a land that none passes through, where no man dwells? ’

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 the clans of the house of Israel.

5 Thus says the Lord: “What wrong did your fathers find in me that they went far from me, and went after worthlessness, and became worthless?

6 They did not say, ‘Where is the Lord who brought us up from the land of Egypt, who led us in the wilderness, in a land of deserts and pits, in a land of drought and deep darkness, in a land that none passes through, where no man dwells? ’

7 And I brought you into a plentiful land to enjoy its fruits and its good things. But when you came in, you defiled my land and made my heritage an abomination.

8 The priests did not say, ‘Where is the Lord? ’ Those who handle the law did not know me; the shepherds transgressed against me; the prophets prophesied by Baal and went after things that do not profit.

Cross References

• 1. 2:6 [Isa. 63:11-13; Hos. 13:4, 5]
• 2. 2:6 Deut. 8:15; 32:10