Lift up thine eyes unto the high places, and see where thou hast not been lien with. In the ways hast thou sat for them, as the Arabian in the wilderness; and thou hast polluted the land with thy whoredoms and with thy wickedness.

JEREMIAH 3:2KJV
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Jeremiah 3:2 (KJV)

What does Jeremiah 3:2 mean?

Jeremiah 3:2 describes how the people of Judah have been unfaithful to God, comparing their actions to someone seeking out lovers everywhere, even in public places, and polluting the land with their unfaithfulness and wrongdoing. The verse uses vivid imagery to show that there is nowhere they have not gone in their pursuit of other gods, highlighting the depth and openness of their spiritual betrayal.

In this verse, the prophet Jeremiah is speaking God's message to the people of Judah during a time when they had turned away from worshiping God and were following other gods. The language paints a picture of Judah's spiritual unfaithfulness as something blatant and widespread, not hidden or accidental. The reference to sitting by the wayside "as the Arabian in the wilderness" suggests waiting or lying in ambush, further emphasizing the deliberate nature of their actions.

The Hebrew behind Jeremiah 3:2

  • "High places" (בָּמוֹת, bamot): These were elevated sites often used for idol worship in ancient Israel. Mentioning them highlights the specific locations where Judah's unfaithfulness took place.
  • "Polluted" (חָנַף, chanaf): This word means to defile or corrupt. Here, it stresses that Judah's actions have not just been personal failings but have tainted the whole land.
  • "Whoredoms" (זְנוּת, zenut): This term refers to unfaithfulness, often used in the prophets to describe spiritual adultery—turning away from God to worship other gods.
  • "Arabian" (עֲרָבִי, aravi): Refers to nomadic desert dwellers, often seen as waiting or lying in ambush along trade routes. The comparison suggests intentional, active seeking rather than passive wandering.

Why Jeremiah 3:2 matters

  • Jeremiah 3:2 clears up that Judah's unfaithfulness was not a hidden or occasional lapse but a widespread, open pursuit of other gods, making the seriousness of their actions unmistakable.
  • The verse connects Judah's spiritual choices to real effects on the land itself, showing that unfaithfulness to God is not just a private matter but has consequences for the whole community.
  • By using strong imagery and specific cultural references, Jeremiah 3:2 helps readers understand the depth of Judah's betrayal and sets the stage for the call to repentance that follows in the chapter.

Where else these words appear

“lien” Hebrew H7693 · used in 4 verses

  • Deuteronomy 28:30 Thou shalt betroth a wife, and another man shall lie with her: thou shalt build an house, and thou shalt not dwell therein: thou shalt plant a vineyard, and shalt not gather the grapes thereof.
  • Isaiah 13:16 Their children also shall be dashed to pieces before their eyes; their houses shall be spoiled, and their wives ravished.
  • Zechariah 14:2 For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city.

“Arabian” Hebrew H6163 · used in 9 verses

  • 2 Chronicles 17:11 Also some of the Philistines brought Jehoshaphat presents, and tribute silver; and the Arabians brought him flocks, seven thousand and seven hundred rams, and seven thousand and seven hundred he goats.
  • 2 Chronicles 22:1 And the inhabitants of Jerusalem made Ahaziah his youngest son king in his stead: for the band of men that came with the Arabians to the camp had slain all the eldest. So Ahaziah the son of Jehoram king of Judah reigned.
  • Nehemiah 4:7 But it came to pass, that when Sanballat, and Tobiah, and the Arabians, and the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites, heard that the walls of Jerusalem were made up, and that the breaches began to be stopped, then they were very wroth,

“polluted” Hebrew H2610 · used in 9 verses

  • Numbers 35:33 So ye shall not pollute the land wherein ye are: for blood it defileth the land: and the land cannot be cleansed of the blood that is shed therein, but by the blood of him that shed it.
  • Isaiah 24:5 The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant.
  • Jeremiah 23:11 For both prophet and priest are profane; yea, in my house have I found their wickedness, saith the LORD.

“whoredoms” Hebrew H2184 · used in 9 verses

  • Numbers 14:33 And your children shall wander in the wilderness forty years, and bear your whoredoms, until your carcases be wasted in the wilderness.
  • Jeremiah 13:27 I have seen thine adulteries, and thy neighings, the lewdness of thy whoredom, and thine abominations on the hills in the fields. Woe unto thee, O Jerusalem! wilt thou not be made clean? when shall it once be?
  • Ezekiel 43:9 Now let them put away their whoredom, and the carcases of their kings, far from me, and I will dwell in the midst of them for ever.