Jeremiah 3:6
New International Version
During the reign of King Josiah, the LORD said to me, “Have you seen what faithless Israel has done? She has gone up on every high hill and under every spreading tree and has committed adultery there.

New Living Translation
During the reign of King Josiah, the LORD said to me, “Have you seen what fickle Israel has done? Like a wife who commits adultery, Israel has worshiped other gods on every hill and under every green tree.

English Standard Version
The LORD said to me in the days of King Josiah: “Have you seen what she did, that faithless one, Israel, how she went up on every high hill and under every green tree, and there played the whore?

Berean Standard Bible
Now in the days of King Josiah, the LORD said to me, “Have you seen what faithless Israel has done? She has gone up on every high hill and under every green tree to prostitute herself there.

King James Bible
The LORD said also unto me in the days of Josiah the king, Hast thou seen that which backsliding Israel hath done? she is gone up upon every high mountain and under every green tree, and there hath played the harlot.

New King James Version
The LORD said also to me in the days of Josiah the king: “Have you seen what backsliding Israel has done? She has gone up on every high mountain and under every green tree, and there played the harlot.

New American Standard Bible
Then the LORD said to me in the days of King Josiah, “Have you seen what faithless Israel did? She went up on every high hill and under every leafy tree, and she prostituted herself there.

NASB 1995
Then the LORD said to me in the days of Josiah the king, “Have you seen what faithless Israel did? She went up on every high hill and under every green tree, and she was a harlot there.

NASB 1977
Then the LORD said to me in the days of Josiah the king, “Have you seen what faithless Israel did? She went up on every high hill and under every green tree, and she was a harlot there.

Legacy Standard Bible
Then Yahweh said to me in the days of Josiah the king, “Have you seen what faithless Israel did? She went up on every high hill and under every green tree, and she was a harlot there.

Amplified Bible
Moreover, the LORD said to me in the days of Josiah the king [of Judah], “Have you seen what that faithless Israel has done—how she went up on every high hill and under every green tree, and there she was a prostitute?

Christian Standard Bible
In the days of King Josiah the LORD asked me, “Have you seen what unfaithful Israel has done? She has ascended every high hill and gone under every green tree to prostitute herself there.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
In the days of King Josiah the LORD asked me, “Have you seen what unfaithful Israel has done? She has ascended every high hill and gone under every green tree to prostitute herself there.

American Standard Version
Moreover Jehovah said unto me in the days of Josiah the king, Hast thou seen that which backsliding Israel hath done? she is gone up upon every high mountain and under every green tree, and there hath played the harlot.

Contemporary English Version
When Josiah was king, the LORD said: Jeremiah, the kingdom of Israel was like an unfaithful wife who became a prostitute on the hilltops and in the shade of large trees.

English Revised Version
Moreover the LORD said unto me in the days of Josiah the king, Hast thou seen that which backsliding Israel hath done? she is gone up upon every high mountain and under every green tree, and there hath played the harlot.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
When Josiah was king, the LORD asked me, "Did you see what unfaithful Israel did? She went up every high mountain and under every large tree, and she acted like a prostitute there.

Good News Translation
When Josiah was king, the LORD said to me, "Have you seen what Israel, that unfaithful woman, has done? She has turned away from me, and on every high hill and under every green tree she has acted like a prostitute.

International Standard Version
In the time of King Josiah the LORD told me, "Have you seen what unfaithful Israel did? She went up on every high hill and under every green tree, and she committed fornication there.

Majority Standard Bible
Now in the days of King Josiah, the LORD said to me, ?Have you seen what faithless Israel has done? She has gone up on every high hill and under every green tree to prostitute herself there.

NET Bible
When Josiah was king of Judah, the LORD said to me, "Jeremiah, you have no doubt seen what wayward Israel has done. You have seen how she went up to every high hill and under every green tree to give herself like a prostitute to other gods.

New Heart English Bible
Moreover, the LORD said to me in the days of Josiah the king, "Have you seen that which backsliding Israel has done? She has gone up on every high mountain and under every green tree, and there has played the prostitute.

Webster's Bible Translation
The LORD said also to me in the days of Josiah the king, Hast thou seen that which backsliding Israel hath done? she hath gone up upon every high mountain, and under every green tree, and there hath played the harlot.

World English Bible
Moreover, Yahweh said to me in the days of Josiah the king, “Have you seen that which backsliding Israel has done? She has gone up on every high mountain and under every green tree, and has played the prostitute there.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
And YHWH says to me, in the days of Josiah the king, “Have you seen that which backsliding Israel has done? She is going on every high mountain, and to the place of every green tree, and commits fornication there.

Young's Literal Translation
And Jehovah saith unto me, in the days of Josiah the king, 'Hast thou seen that which backsliding Israel hath done? She is going on every high mountain, and unto the place of every green tree, and committeth fornication there.

Smith's Literal Translation
And Jehovah will say to me in the days of Josiah the king, Sawest thou what Israel turning back, did? She went up upon every high mountain and under every green tree, and she will commit fornication there.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
And the Lord said to me in the days of king Josias: Hast thou seen what rebellious Israel hast done? she hath gone out of herself upon every high mountain, and under every green tree, and hath played the harlot there.

Catholic Public Domain Version
And, in the days of king Josiah, the Lord said to me: “Have you not seen what the apostate Israel has done? She has brought herself up to every lofty mountain, and she has lain down under every leafy tree, and she has committed fornication there.

New American Bible
The LORD said to me in the days of King Josiah: Do you see what rebellious Israel has done? She has gone up every high mountain, and under every green tree she has played the prostitute.

New Revised Standard Version
The LORD said to me in the days of King Josiah: Have you seen what she did, that faithless one, Israel, how she went up on every high hill and under every green tree, and played the whore there?
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
The LORD said to me in the days of King Josiah, Have you seen the thing which she who dwells in Israel has done? She has gone up upon every high mountain and under every green tree, and there has played the harlot.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And LORD JEHOVAH said to me in the days of Yoshia the King: “I have seen the thing that the inhabitant of Israel has done. She went to every high mountain and under every thick tree and she committed prostitution there
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
And the LORD said unto me in the days of Josiah the king: 'Hast thou seen that which backsliding Israel did? she went up upon every high mountain and under every leafy tree, and there played the harlot.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And the Lord said to me in the days of Josias the king, Hast thou seen what things the house of Israel has done to me? they have gone on every high mountain, and under every shady tree, and have committed fornication there.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Judah Follows Israel's Example
6Now in the days of King Josiah, the LORD said to me, “Have you seen what faithless Israel has done? She has gone up on every high hill and under every green tree to prostitute herself there. 7I thought that after she had done all these things, she would return to Me. But she did not return, and her unfaithful sister Judah saw it.…

Cross References
Hosea 4:15
Though you prostitute yourself, O Israel, may Judah avoid such guilt! Do not journey to Gilgal, do not go up to Beth-aven, and do not swear on oath, ‘As surely as the LORD lives!’

2 Kings 17:18-20
So the LORD was very angry with Israel, and He removed them from His presence. Only the tribe of Judah remained, / and even Judah did not keep the commandments of the LORD their God, but lived according to the customs Israel had introduced. / So the LORD rejected all the descendants of Israel. He afflicted them and delivered them into the hands of plunderers, until He had banished them from His presence.

Ezekiel 23:1-49
Again the word of the LORD came to me, saying, / “Son of man, there were two women, daughters of the same mother, / and they played in Egypt, prostituting themselves from their youth. Their breasts were fondled there, and their virgin bosoms caressed. ...

Isaiah 1:21
See how the faithful city has become a harlot! She once was full of justice; righteousness resided within her, but now only murderers!

Hosea 2:2
Rebuke your mother, rebuke her, for she is not My wife, and I am not her husband. Let her remove the adultery from her face and the unfaithfulness from between her breasts.

2 Chronicles 36:15-16
Again and again the LORD, the God of their fathers, sent word to His people through His messengers because He had compassion on them and on His dwelling place. / But they mocked the messengers of God, despising His words and scoffing at His prophets, until the wrath of the LORD against His people was stirred up beyond remedy.

Isaiah 57:3-9
“But come here, you sons of a sorceress, you offspring of adulterers and prostitutes! / Whom are you mocking? At whom do you sneer and stick out your tongue? Are you not children of transgression, offspring of deceit, / who burn with lust among the oaks, under every luxuriant tree, who slaughter your children in the valleys, under the clefts of the rocks? ...

Ezekiel 16:15-34
But because of your fame, you trusted in your beauty and played the harlot. You lavished your favors on everyone who passed by, and your beauty was theirs for the asking. / You took some of your garments and made colorful high places for yourself, and on them you prostituted yourself. Such things should not have happened; never should they have occurred! / You also took the fine jewelry of gold and silver I had given you, and you made male idols with which to prostitute yourself. ...

Hosea 9:1
Do not rejoice, O Israel, with exultation like the nations, for you have played the harlot against your God; you have made love for hire on every threshing floor.

2 Kings 21:11-15
“Since Manasseh king of Judah has committed all these abominations, acting more wickedly than the Amorites who preceded him, and with his idols has caused Judah to sin, / this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘Behold, I am bringing such calamity upon Jerusalem and Judah that the news will reverberate in the ears of all who hear it. / I will stretch out over Jerusalem the measuring line used against Samaria and the plumb line used against the house of Ahab, and I will wipe out Jerusalem as one wipes out a bowl—wiping it and turning it upside down. ...

Matthew 23:37
O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those sent to her, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were unwilling!

Revelation 17:1-5
Then one of the seven angels with the seven bowls came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the punishment of the great prostitute, who sits on many waters. / The kings of the earth were immoral with her, and those who dwell on the earth were intoxicated with the wine of her immorality.” / And the angel carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness, where I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was covered with blasphemous names and had seven heads and ten horns. ...

Luke 13:34
O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those sent to her, how often I have longed to gather your children together as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were unwilling!

Romans 11:11
I ask then, did they stumble so as to fall beyond recovery? Certainly not! However, because of their trespass, salvation has come to the Gentiles to make Israel jealous.

John 4:22
You worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews.


Treasury of Scripture

The LORD said also to me in the days of Josiah the king, Have you seen that which backsliding Israel has done? she is gone up on every high mountain and under every green tree, and there has played the harlot.

A.

Jeremiah 3:8,11-14
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…

Jeremiah 2:19
Thine own wickedness shall correct thee, and thy backslidings shall reprove thee: know therefore and see that it is an evil thing and bitter, that thou hast forsaken the LORD thy God, and that my fear is not in thee, saith the Lord GOD of hosts.

Jeremiah 7:24
But they hearkened not, nor inclined their ear, but walked in the counsels and in the imagination of their evil heart, and went backward, and not forward.

she is

Jeremiah 2:20
For of old time I have broken thy yoke, and burst thy bands; and thou saidst, I will not transgress; when upon every high hill and under every green tree thou wanderest, playing the harlot.

Isaiah 57:7
Upon a lofty and high mountain hast thou set thy bed: even thither wentest thou up to offer sacrifice.

Ezekiel 16:24,25,31
That thou hast also built unto thee an eminent place, and hast made thee an high place in every street…

played

Jeremiah 3:1
They say, If a man put away his wife, and she go from him, and become another man's, shall he return unto her again? shall not that land be greatly polluted? but thou hast played the harlot with many lovers; yet return again to me, saith the LORD.

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Backsliding Faithless Green Harlot High Israel Josiah Leafy Moreover Mountain Played Prostitute Tree
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Jeremiah 3
1. God's great mercy to Judah the polluted land
6. Judah is worse than Israel
12. The promises of the gospel to the penitent
20. Israel reproved, and called by God, makes a solemn confession of their sins














In the days of King Josiah
This phrase sets the historical context for the prophecy. King Josiah was one of the few righteous kings of Judah, known for his reforms and efforts to return the nation to the worship of Yahweh. His reign is marked by a significant religious revival, as he sought to rid Judah of idolatry and restore the covenant with God. The mention of Josiah highlights a time of potential spiritual renewal, yet it also underscores the persistent unfaithfulness of the people despite the king's efforts. The Hebrew root for "days" (יָמִים, yamim) often signifies not just a period of time but an era of significant events, suggesting that this was a pivotal moment in Judah's history.

the LORD said to me
This phrase emphasizes the divine origin of the message. Jeremiah, as a prophet, serves as a mouthpiece for God, conveying His words to the people. The Hebrew term for "LORD" (יְהוָה, Yahweh) is the covenant name of God, reminding the audience of His eternal and unchanging nature. This divine communication underscores the seriousness and authority of the message that follows. It is a reminder that the words are not Jeremiah's own but are directly from God, demanding attention and obedience.

Have you seen what faithless Israel has done?
Here, God addresses Jeremiah with a rhetorical question, drawing attention to the actions of the northern kingdom, Israel. The term "faithless" (מְשׁוּבָה, meshubah) conveys a sense of apostasy and betrayal, indicating that Israel has turned away from their covenant relationship with God. Historically, Israel had been taken into captivity by Assyria due to their persistent idolatry and disobedience. This serves as a warning to Judah, illustrating the consequences of unfaithfulness. The question implies that the actions of Israel are evident and undeniable, serving as a cautionary example.

She has gone up on every high hill
This phrase describes Israel's idolatrous practices. The "high hill" refers to the locations where pagan worship often took place, as these elevated sites were thought to be closer to the gods. The Hebrew word for "gone up" (עָלָה, alah) suggests not just physical ascent but also a deliberate choice to engage in idolatry. This imagery highlights the extent of Israel's unfaithfulness, as they actively sought out places to worship false gods, abandoning their devotion to Yahweh.

and under every green tree
Similar to the high hills, "every green tree" symbolizes the sites of idol worship. Trees were often associated with fertility cults and pagan rituals. The phrase indicates the pervasive nature of Israel's idolatry, as they engaged in these practices ubiquitously. The Hebrew term for "green" (רַעֲנָן, ra'anan) conveys a sense of lushness and vitality, ironically contrasting with the spiritual barrenness of Israel's actions. This imagery serves to illustrate the depth of their spiritual adultery.

she has prostituted herself there
This metaphor of prostitution is frequently used in the Bible to describe spiritual unfaithfulness. The Hebrew root (זָנָה, zanah) implies not just infidelity but a willful and repeated betrayal of the covenant relationship with God. By engaging in idolatry, Israel is depicted as having sold herself to false gods, abandoning her true Husband, Yahweh. This language is meant to evoke a strong emotional response, highlighting the gravity of Israel's sin and the pain it causes to God, who desires a faithful and exclusive relationship with His people.

(6) The Lord said also unto me . . .--The main point of the second prophecy (we might almost call it sermon), delivered, like the former, under Josiah, is the comparison of the guilt of the two kingdoms of Israel and Judah. The latter had been looking on the former with contemptuous scorn. She is now taught--the same imagery being continued that had begun in the first discourse--that her guilt is by far the greater of the two.

Backsliding Israel.--The epithet strikes the keynote of all that follows, and is, as it were, the text of the sermon. The force of the Hebrew is stronger than that of the English, and implies actual "apostasy," being, indeed, a substantive rather than an adjective. Apostasy is, as it were, personified in Israel; she is the renegade sister.

She is gone up.--Better, she goes, i.e., is going continually.

Verse 6. - The Lord said also unto me, etc. It has been suggested (see on ver. 1) that this introductory clause belongs rather to ver. 1. Some sort of introduction, however, seems called for; Ewald supposes a shorter form, such as "And the Lord said further unto me." The view is not improbable, for although there is evidently a break between ver. 5 and ver. 6, there are points of contact enough between vers. 1-5 and the following discourse to prove that they represent the same prophetic period (comp. ver. 10 with ver. 3, vers. 8, 9 with ver. 1, ver. 12 with ver. 5, ver. 19 with ver. 4). Backsliding Israel; literally, apostasy Israel. Usually a change or modification of a name is a sign of honor; here, however, it marks the disgrace of the bearer. Israel is apostasy personified (comp. vers. 14, 22). She is gone up; rather, her wont hath been to go up.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Now in the days
בִּימֵי֙ (bî·mê)
Preposition-b | Noun - masculine plural construct
Strong's 3117: A day

of King
הַמֶּ֔לֶךְ (ham·me·leḵ)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 4428: A king

Josiah,
יֹאשִׁיָּ֣הוּ (yō·šî·yā·hū)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 2977: Josiah -- 'Yah supports', two Israelites

the LORD
יְהוָ֜ה (Yah·weh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3069: YHWH

said
וַיֹּ֨אמֶר (way·yō·mer)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 559: To utter, say

to me,
אֵלַ֗י (’ê·lay)
Preposition | first person common singular
Strong's 413: Near, with, among, to

“Have you seen
הֲ‍ֽרָאִ֔יתָ (hărā·’î·ṯā)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - second person masculine singular
Strong's 7200: To see

what
אֲשֶׁ֥ר (’ă·šer)
Pronoun - relative
Strong's 834: Who, which, what, that, when, where, how, because, in order that

faithless
מְשֻׁבָ֣ה (mə·šu·ḇāh)
Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 4878: Turning back, apostasy

Israel
יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל (yiś·rā·’êl)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3478: Israel -- 'God strives', another name of Jacob and his desc

has done?
עָשְׂתָ֖ה (‘ā·śə·ṯāh)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person feminine singular
Strong's 6213: To do, make

She
הִ֜יא (hî)
Pronoun - third person feminine singular
Strong's 1931: He, self, the same, this, that, as, are

has gone up
הֹלְכָ֨ה (hō·lə·ḵāh)
Verb - Qal - Participle - feminine singular
Strong's 1980: To go, come, walk

on
עַל־ (‘al-)
Preposition
Strong's 5921: Above, over, upon, against

every
כָּל־ (kāl-)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 3605: The whole, all, any, every

high
גָּבֹ֗הַּ (gā·ḇō·ah)
Adjective - masculine singular
Strong's 1364: Elevated, powerful, arrogant

hill
הַ֣ר (har)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 2022: Mountain, hill, hill country

and under
תַּ֛חַת (ta·ḥaṯ)
Preposition
Strong's 8478: The bottom, below, in lieu of

every
כָּל־ (kāl-)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 3605: The whole, all, any, every

green
רַעֲנָ֖ן (ra·‘ă·nān)
Adjective - masculine singular
Strong's 7488: Verdant, new, prosperous

tree
עֵ֥ץ (‘êṣ)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 6086: Tree, trees, wood

to prostitute herself
וַתִּזְנִי־ (wat·tiz·nî-)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person feminine singular
Strong's 2181: To commit adultery, to commit idolatry

there.
שָֽׁם׃ (šām)
Adverb
Strong's 8033: There, then, thither


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OT Prophets: Jeremiah 3:6 Moreover Yahweh said to me (Jer.)
Jeremiah 3:5
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