How shall I pardon thee for this? thy children have forsaken me, and sworn by them that are no gods: when I had fed them to the full, they then committed adultery, and assembled themselves by troops in the harlots' houses.

JEREMIAH 5:7KJV
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Jeremiah 5:7 (KJV)

What does Jeremiah 5:7 mean?

Jeremiah 5:7 describes God questioning how He could forgive the people of Judah when their children have abandoned Him, sworn loyalty to false gods, and committed adultery even after He provided for them. The verse highlights the people's unfaithfulness and their gathering in places of immorality despite God's care.

In this verse, God is speaking through the prophet Jeremiah to the people of Judah during a time of widespread spiritual decline. The verse uses strong language to show the seriousness of their betrayal: the people have not only left God but have also turned to worship idols and engaged in immoral behavior. The mention of God feeding them "to the full" emphasizes that their sins came even after receiving His blessings and provision.

The Hebrew behind Jeremiah 5:7

  • "Forsaken" (עָזַב, ʿazav): This word means to abandon or leave behind. Here, it stresses that the people have deliberately turned away from God, not just drifted accidentally.
  • "Sworn" (שָׁבַע, shavaʿ): This word means to make an oath. The verse points out that the people have made serious promises or commitments to "no gods"—false deities—showing the depth of their betrayal.
  • "No gods" (אֱלֹהִים, elohim): In this context, "elohim" is used ironically for idols, making clear that the objects of their worship have no real power or divinity.
  • "Adultery" (נָאַף, na'af): This word often refers to literal unfaithfulness in marriage, but here it also points to spiritual unfaithfulness—turning to other gods as if cheating on God.
  • "Troops" (גָּדוּד, gadud): This word suggests gathering in large groups, emphasizing that the people are not just sinning individually but are coming together in crowds to do so.

Why Jeremiah 5:7 matters

  • Jeremiah 5:7 clarifies that the people's unfaithfulness is not just a private matter but a public, collective turning away from God, even after He provided for them.
  • The verse shows that God’s question about forgiveness is not because He is unwilling, but because the people’s actions have broken the relationship so deeply.
  • This verse connects to the wider passage by showing why judgment is coming: the people’s repeated, deliberate rejection of God despite His generosity and care.

Where else these words appear

“troops” Hebrew H1413 · used in 8 verses

  • Deuteronomy 14:1 Ye are the children of the LORD your God: ye shall not cut yourselves, nor make any baldness between your eyes for the dead.
  • Psalms 94:21 They gather themselves together against the soul of the righteous, and condemn the innocent blood.
  • Jeremiah 41:5 That there came certain from Shechem, from Shiloh, and from Samaria, even fourscore men, having their beards shaven, and their clothes rent, and having cut themselves, with offerings and incense in their hand, to bring them to the house of the LORD.

“How” Hebrew H335 · used in 16 verses

  • Genesis 3:9 And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?
  • 1 Kings 13:12 And their father said unto them, What way went he? For his sons had seen what way the man of God went, which came from Judah.
  • Job 38:24 By what way is the light parted, which scattereth the east wind upon the earth?

“adultery” Hebrew H5003 · used in 26 verses

  • Exodus 20:14 Thou shalt not commit adultery.
  • Jeremiah 3:8 And I saw, when for all the causes whereby backsliding Israel committed adultery I had put her away, and given her a bill of divorce; yet her treacherous sister Judah feared not, but went and played the harlot also.
  • Ezekiel 16:38 And I will judge thee, as women that break wedlock and shed blood are judged; and I will give thee blood in fury and jealousy.

“this” Hebrew H2063 · used in 38 verses

  • Genesis 2:23 And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.
  • Leviticus 16:3 Thus shall Aaron come into the holy place: with a young bullock for a sin offering, and a ram for a burnt offering.
  • 2 Samuel 6:22 And I will yet be more vile than thus, and will be base in mine own sight: and of the maidservants which thou hast spoken of, of them shall I be had in honour.