A voice was heard upon the high places, weeping and supplications of the children of Israel: for they have perverted their way, and they have forgotten the LORD their God.

JEREMIAH 3:21KJV
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Jeremiah 3:21 (KJV)

What does Jeremiah 3:21 mean?

Jeremiah 3:21 describes a voice heard on the hills, where the people of Israel are weeping and pleading because they have gone astray and forgotten the LORD their God. The verse shows Israel’s sorrow and regret after turning away from God and realizing the consequences of their actions.

In this verse, the prophet Jeremiah is speaking to the people of Judah, describing a scene where Israel’s children cry out from the high places—locations often associated with idol worship. The verse highlights both their deep grief and their prayers for help, rooted in their recognition that they have “perverted their way” and neglected their relationship with God. This moment sets the stage for God’s call to repentance in the surrounding passage.

The Hebrew behind Jeremiah 3:21

  • “Voice” (קוֹל, qol): This word can mean a cry, shout, or sound, emphasizing the intensity and public nature of Israel’s sorrow.
  • “Weeping” (בְּכִי, bekhi): This term points to deep, heartfelt mourning, not just a casual sadness, showing the seriousness of their regret.
  • “Supplications” (תַּחֲנוּנֵי, tachanunei): This word refers to earnest pleas or prayers for mercy, highlighting that the people are not just sad but are actively seeking forgiveness and help.
  • “Perverted” (עָוַת, avath): This word means to twist or distort, stressing that Israel’s actions were not just mistakes but a deliberate turning away from the right path.

Why Jeremiah 3:21 matters

  • Jeremiah 3:21 clears up that Israel’s sorrow is not just emotional but is tied directly to their spiritual choices and their forgetting of God, not simply to bad circumstances.
  • The verse emphasizes the link between idol worship (“high places”) and the people’s broken relationship with God, showing why their weeping is happening in those locations.
  • This verse connects to the wider passage by setting up the need for repentance and return, highlighting the seriousness of turning away from God and the hope that comes when people recognize their need for Him.

Where else these words appear

“places” Hebrew H8205 · used in 10 verses

  • Numbers 23:3 And Balaam said unto Balak, Stand by thy burnt offering, and I will go: peradventure the LORD will come to meet me: and whatsoever he sheweth me I will tell thee. And he went to an high place.
  • Isaiah 49:9 That thou mayest say to the prisoners, Go forth; to them that are in darkness, Shew yourselves. They shall feed in the ways, and their pastures shall be in all high places.
  • Jeremiah 7:29 Cut off thine hair, O Jerusalem, and cast it away, and take up a lamentation on high places; for the LORD hath rejected and forsaken the generation of his wrath.

“perverted” Hebrew H5753 · used in 17 verses

  • 1 Samuel 20:30 Then Saul's anger was kindled against Jonathan, and he said unto him, Thou son of the perverse rebellious woman, do not I know that thou hast chosen the son of Jesse to thine own confusion, and unto the confusion of thy mother's nakedness?
  • 2 Chronicles 6:37 Yet if they bethink themselves in the land whither they are carried captive, and turn and pray unto thee in the land of their captivity, saying, We have sinned, we have done amiss, and have dealt wickedly;
  • Proverbs 12:8 A man shall be commended according to his wisdom: but he that is of a perverse heart shall be despised.

“supplications” Hebrew H8469 · used in 18 verses

  • 2 Chronicles 6:21 Hearken therefore unto the supplications of thy servant, and of thy people Israel, which they shall make toward this place: hear thou from thy dwelling place, even from heaven; and when thou hearest, forgive.
  • Psalms 86:6 Give ear, O LORD, unto my prayer; and attend to the voice of my supplications.
  • Jeremiah 31:9 They shall come with weeping, and with supplications will I lead them: I will cause them to walk by the rivers of waters in a straight way, wherein they shall not stumble: for I am a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my firstborn.

“weeping” Hebrew H1065 · used in 29 verses

  • Genesis 45:2 And he wept aloud: and the Egyptians and the house of Pharaoh heard.
  • Psalms 6:8 Depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity; for the LORD hath heard the voice of my weeping.
  • Isaiah 38:3 And said, Remember now, O LORD, I beseech thee, how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in thy sight. And Hezekiah wept sore.