Jeremiah 44:20

20 Then Jeremiah said to all the people, to the men and to the women, and to all the people who answered him a word, {saying},

Jeremiah 44:20 Meaning and Commentary

Jeremiah 44:20

Then Jeremiah said unto all the people
Immediately, being influenced, directed, and assisted by the Spirit of God; though what he says, in ( Jeremiah 44:21-23 ) ; he does not declare as coming from the Lord; but what was upon his mind, and was a full refutation of all that had been said: and which he delivered to the men, and to the women, and to all the people which had given him
[that] answer;
in which they all agreed, though delivered by one; and to which he made a reply: saying;
as follows:

Jeremiah 44:20 In-Context

18 But {since} we stopped making smoke offerings to the queen of heaven and pouring out libations to her, we have lacked everything, and by the sword and by the famine we have perished.

19 And indeed, [when] we [were] making smoke offerings to the queen of heaven and {pouring out} to her libations, [was it not] {with the consent of} our husbands [that] we made for her sacrificial cakes {marked with her image}, and we poured out to her libations?"

20 Then Jeremiah said to all the people, to the men and to the women, and to all the people who answered him a word, {saying},

21 "The offering that you made, smoke offerings in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem, you, and your ancestors, your kings, and your officials, and the people of the land, [did] not Yahweh remember them, and [did] it [not] come to his {mind}?

22 And Yahweh was no longer able to bear [it], {because of} the evil of your deeds, {because of} the detestable things that you committed. Thus your land became as a site of ruins, and as a horror, and as a curse, {without} inhabitants, as [it is] this day.

Footnotes

• [a] Literally "to say"