Yea, thou shalt go forth from him, and thine hands upon thine head: for the LORD hath rejected thy confidences, and thou shalt not prosper in them.

JEREMIAH 2:37KJV
Know the Bible

Jeremiah 2:37 (KJV)

What does Jeremiah 2:37 mean?

Jeremiah 2:37 warns that the people will leave in defeat and shame, with their hands on their heads, because the LORD has rejected the things they trusted in, and they will not succeed through them. The verse makes clear that relying on those false confidences will not bring prosperity or help.

In this verse, the prophet Jeremiah is speaking to the people of Judah, who have been seeking help from foreign nations instead of trusting the LORD (H3068; יְהוָה, Yahweh). The image of going forth with hands on the head is a sign of grief and humiliation. Jeremiah tells them plainly that their alliances and strategies (their "confidences") will fail because God has rejected (H3988; מָאַס, ma'as) those efforts.

The Hebrew behind Jeremiah 2:37

  • "Rejected" (מָאַס, ma'as, H3988) means to despise or refuse. Here it emphasizes that God is not just ignoring their plans but actively refusing to support what they have put their trust in.
  • "Confidences" (מִבְטַח, mivtach, H4009) refers to things or people in which one puts trust. The verse highlights that these are not just general hopes, but specific sources of security the people have chosen instead of God.
  • "Prosper" (צָלַח, tsalach, H6743) means to succeed or thrive. The verse makes it clear that without God's approval, their efforts will not bring the success they expect.

Why Jeremiah 2:37 matters

  • Jeremiah 2:37 clarifies that seeking security apart from God leads to disappointment and shame, not just a neutral outcome.
  • The verse connects to the larger message of Jeremiah 2, where the prophet rebukes Judah for abandoning their relationship with God in favor of unreliable alliances.
  • The vivid image of "hands upon thine head" helps readers understand the depth of the people's coming humiliation and the seriousness of turning away from God.

Where else these words appear

“confidences” Hebrew H4009 · used in 15 verses

  • Job 8:14 Whose hope shall be cut off, and whose trust shall be a spider's web.
  • Psalms 65:5 By terrible things in righteousness wilt thou answer us, O God of our salvation; who art the confidence of all the ends of the earth, and of them that are afar off upon the sea:
  • Proverbs 25:19 Confidence in an unfaithful man in time of trouble is like a broken tooth, and a foot out of joint.

“prosper” Hebrew H6743 · used in 64 verses

  • Genesis 24:21 And the man wondering at her held his peace, to wit whether the LORD had made his journey prosperous or not.
  • 1 Kings 22:15 So he came to the king. And the king said unto him, Micaiah, shall we go against Ramothgilead to battle, or shall we forbear? And he answered him, Go, and prosper: for the LORD shall deliver it into the hand of the king.
  • Isaiah 48:15 I, even I, have spoken; yea, I have called him: I have brought him, and he shall make his way prosperous.

“rejected” Hebrew H3988 · used in 69 verses

  • Leviticus 26:15 And if ye shall despise my statutes, or if your soul abhor my judgments, so that ye will not do all my commandments, but that ye break my covenant:
  • Job 30:1 But now they that are younger than I have me in derision, whose fathers I would have disdained to have set with the dogs of my flock.
  • Isaiah 33:15 He that walketh righteously, and speaketh uprightly; he that despiseth the gain of oppressions, that shaketh his hands from holding of bribes, that stoppeth his ears from hearing of blood, and shutteth his eyes from seeing evil;