Jeremiah 44:18 (KJV)

What does Jeremiah 44:18 mean?

Jeremiah 44:18 records the people of Judah claiming that ever since they stopped burning incense and pouring out drink offerings to the "queen of heaven," they have lacked everything and have suffered from war and famine. The verse shows them blaming their troubles on abandoning their former religious practices.

In this verse, the people are speaking to Jeremiah while living in Egypt after fleeing Judah. They are defending their worship of the "queen of heaven," a foreign goddess, and arguing that their hardships began when they stopped these rituals. This statement reveals their misunderstanding of why disaster has come upon them and highlights the tension between Jeremiah’s message and the people’s beliefs.

The Hebrew behind Jeremiah 44:18

• "off" (חָדַל, chadal): This word means "to cease" or "to stop." The people are saying they "left off" or stopped their worship practices, which is central to their argument.
• "incense" (קָטַר, qatar): This verb means "to burn incense." Burning incense was a key part of ancient worship, often associated with prayers or offerings to deities.
• "queen" (מְלֶכֶת, meleket): This word means "queen," referring here to the "queen of heaven," likely a title for a goddess such as Ishtar or Astarte, showing the people’s turn to foreign religious practices.
• "heaven" (שָׁמַיִם, shamayim): This word means "heaven" or "sky," emphasizing the divine or celestial status the people gave to this goddess.
• "wanted" (חָסֵר, chaser): This verb means "to lack" or "to be without." The people claim they have been lacking all things since they stopped their rituals, showing their belief that these practices brought prosperity.
• "consumed" (תָּמַם, tamam): This verb means "to be finished" or "to be consumed." The people say they have been "consumed" by sword and famine, expressing the extent of their suffering.

Why Jeremiah 44:18 matters

• This verse clears up a common misunderstanding: the people believe their suffering is due to stopping idol worship, not because of their disobedience to God as Jeremiah has warned.
• The verse highlights the deep divide between Jeremiah’s message from God and the people's attachment to old religious customs, even in exile.
• Jeremiah 44:18 connects to the wider passage by showing the people's stubbornness and unwillingness to accept that their troubles are the result of turning away from God, not from abandoning foreign gods.