Jeremiah 2:21

21 Forsooth I planted thee a chosen vinery, all true seed; how therefore art thou, an alien vinery, turned to me into a shrewd thing? (Yet I planted thee like a choice vine, all of you the best seed; and so how art thou turned into such a depraved thing, yea, a strange vine, to me?)

Jeremiah 2:21 Meaning and Commentary

Jeremiah 2:21

Yet I had planted thee a noble vine, wholly a right seed
It is usual to compare the people of the Jews to a vineyard, and to vines; and their settlement in the land of Canaan to the planting of vines in a vineyard; see ( Isaiah 5:1-7 ) ( Exodus 15:17 ) ( Psalms 80:8-15 ) . Kimchi says this is spoken concerning Abraham; no doubt respect is had to the Jewish fathers, such as Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the twelve patriarchs, Moses, Joshua, and Caleb, and the like; who, having the true and right seed of grace in them, became like choice and noble vines, and brought forth much fruit, and were deserving of imitation by their posterity: how then art thou turned into the degenerate plant of a strange vine
unto me?
like a vine that grows in the woods, and brings forth wild grapes; so these, their sons, degenerating in practice from their fathers, became corrupt in themselves, and unprofitable to God. The Targum of the whole is,

``I set you before me as the plant of a choice vine, all of you doing truth; but how are you changed before me in your corrupt works? ye have declined from my worship, ye are become as a vine in which there is no profit.''

Jeremiah 2:21 In-Context

19 Thy malice shall reprove thee, and thy turning away shall blame thee; know thou and see, that it is (an) evil and bitter (thing), that thou hast forsaken thy Lord God, and that his dread is not at thee, saith the Lord God of hosts. (Thy malice shall reproach thee, and thy turning away shall rebuke thee; know thou and see, that it is an evil and a bitter thing, that thou hast deserted the Lord thy God, and that the fear of me is not in thee/and that reverence for me is not in thee, saith the Lord God of hosts.)

20 From the world thou hast broken my yoke, thou hast broken my bonds, and saidest, I shall not serve. For thou whore didest whoredom in each high little hill, and under each tree full of boughs. (Long ago thou hast broken thy yoke, and thou hast broken thy bonds, and saidest, I shall not serve thee. For thou whore didest whoredom on each high little hill, and under each tree full of branches.)

21 Forsooth I planted thee a chosen vinery, all true seed; how therefore art thou, an alien vinery, turned to me into a shrewd thing? (Yet I planted thee like a choice vine, all of you the best seed; and so how art thou turned into such a depraved thing, yea, a strange vine, to me?)

22 Though thou wash thee with fuller's clay (Even if thou shalt wash thyself with fuller's clay), and multipliest to thee the [cleansing] herb boreth, thou art (still) defouled in thy wickedness before me, saith the Lord God.

23 How sayest thou, I am not defouled, I went not after Baalim? (How sayest thou, I am not defiled, and I did not go after the Baalim?) See thy ways in the great valley, know thou what thou hast done; a swift runner ordaining his ways.