Jeremiah 5:7

7 “Why should I forgive you? Your children have forsaken me and sworn by gods that are not gods. I supplied all their needs, yet they committed adultery and thronged to the houses of prostitutes.

Jeremiah 5:7 in Other Translations

King James Version (KJV)
7 How shall I pardon thee for this? thy children have forsaken me, and sworn by them that are no gods: when I had fed them to the full, they then committed adultery, and assembled themselves by troops in the harlots' houses.
English Standard Version (ESV)
7 "How can I pardon you? Your children have forsaken me and have sworn by those who are no gods. When I fed them to the full, they committed adultery and trooped to the houses of whores.
New Living Translation (NLT)
7 “How can I pardon you? For even your children have turned from me. They have sworn by gods that are not gods at all! I fed my people until they were full. But they thanked me by committing adultery and lining up at the brothels.
The Message Bible (MSG)
7 "Why should I even bother with you any longer? Your children wander off, leaving me, Taking up with gods that aren't even gods. I satisfied their deepest needs, and then they went off with the 'sacred' whores, left me for orgies in sex shrines!
American Standard Version (ASV)
7 How can I pardon thee? thy children have forsaken me, and sworn by them that are no gods: when I had fed them to the full, they committed adultery, and assembled themselves in troops at the harlots' houses.
GOD'S WORD Translation (GW)
7 "Why should I forgive you? Your children abandoned me. They took godless oaths. They committed adultery, even though I satisfied their needs. They traveled in crowds to the houses of prostitutes.
Holman Christian Standard Bible (CSB)
7 Why should I forgive you? Your children have abandoned Me and sworn by those who are not gods. I satisfied their needs, yet they committed adultery; they gashed themselves at the prostitute's house.
New International Reader's Version (NIRV)
7 The LORD says, "Jerusalem, why should I forgive you? Your people have deserted me. They have taken their oaths in the names of gods that are not really gods at all. I supplied everything they needed. But they committed adultery. Large crowds went to the houses of prostitutes.

Jeremiah 5:7 Meaning and Commentary

Jeremiah 5:7

How shall I pardon thee for this?
&c.] Because of their manifold transgressions, and multiplied backslidings; or "wherefore, or for what, shall I pardon thee?" F18 as the Targum; can any reason be given why I should? what goodness is there in thee, or done by thee, that I should do this unto thee? The particle (ya) , according to Kimchi, is a word of exclamation; and, according to Jarchi, of admiration; and may be rendered, "oh! for this shall I pardon?" how can it be? R. Menachem; in Jarchi, takes it to be the same with (Nya) , "not"; and to be rendered, not for this will I pardon; and so is an affirmation, and fixed resolution not to pardon, and that for the following reasons: thy children have forsaken me;
my worship, as the Targum interprets it; that is, the children of Jerusalem, the inhabitants of it, the common people, as distinguished from their fathers, the civil and ecclesiastical rulers; see ( Matthew 23:37 ) , though not to the exclusion of them; for they were guilty of the same sin in forsaking the word, worship, and ordinances of God: and sworn by them that are no gods;
by the name of idols, as the Targum; or, "by those things which are not god", as Noldius F19 renders the words; who rightly observes, that there were other things besides idols that they swore by, as the heaven and earth, temple, altar with which the Arabic version agrees; when an oath ought only to be taken in the name of the living God; or, "swore without God"; without making mention of the name of the true God: when I had fed them to the full;
with the good things of life; gave them all things richly to enjoy; the best provisions, and fulness of them; so that they had all that heart could wish for. There is in the Hebrew text a beautiful play on words F20, between the word used for swearing in the former clause, and this for feeding here: they then committed adultery;
either idolatry, which is spiritual adultery; or adultery literally taken; as it seems from the following verse. This is the consequence of their being fullly fed; and that is an aggravation of this their sin against God and their neighbour; see ( Deuteronomy 32:13-16 ) : and assembled themselves by troops in the harlots' houses;
either in the temples of idols, or in the stews or brothel houses, where harlots prostituted themselves; their going thither in troops, or in great numbers, shows both how universal and how public this sin was, and how impudent and barefaced they were in the commission of it.


FOOTNOTES:

F18 (Kl xloa tazl ya) "ad quid, [vel] ob quid, [vel] quare parcam tibi?" De Dieu.
F19 Ebr. Concord. Part. p. 199. No. 911.
F20 (webvyw) "et juraverunt", (ebvaw) "cum saturarem".

Jeremiah 5:7 In-Context

5 So I will go to the leaders and speak to them; surely they know the way of the LORD, the requirements of their God.” But with one accord they too had broken off the yoke and torn off the bonds.
6 Therefore a lion from the forest will attack them, a wolf from the desert will ravage them, a leopard will lie in wait near their towns to tear to pieces any who venture out, for their rebellion is great and their backslidings many.
7 “Why should I forgive you? Your children have forsaken me and sworn by gods that are not gods. I supplied all their needs, yet they committed adultery and thronged to the houses of prostitutes.
8 They are well-fed, lusty stallions, each neighing for another man’s wife.
9 Should I not punish them for this?” declares the LORD. “Should I not avenge myself on such a nation as this?

Cross References 4

  • 1. S Joshua 23:7; Zephaniah 1:5
  • 2. Deuteronomy 32:21; Jeremiah 2:11; Jeremiah 16:20; Galatians 4:8
  • 3. S Numbers 25:1
  • 4. Jeremiah 13:27
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