Jeremiah 3:20

Faithfulness and loyalty

¹⁸ In those days the house of Judah shall walk with the house of Israel, and they shall come together out of the land of the north to the land that I have given for an inheritance unto your fathers.

¹⁹ But I said, How shall I put thee among the children, and give thee a pleasant land, a goodly heritage of the hosts of nations? and I said, Thou shalt call me, My father; and shalt not turn away from me.

Surely as a wife treacherously departeth from her husband, so have ye dealt treacherously with me, O house of Israel, saith the LORD.

²¹ 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.

²² Return, ye backsliding children, and I will heal your backslidings. Behold, we come unto thee; for thou art the LORD our God.

This was said to Israel at a particular time, so it is wise to read it together with the surrounding text. Do read the surrounding verses too, because the context often says more than a single verse.

Compare

BSB: But as a woman may betray her husband, so you have betrayed Me, O house of Israel,” declares the LORD.
KJV: Surely as a wife treacherously departeth from her husband, so have ye dealt treacherously with me, O house of Israel, saith the LORD.
WEB: “Surely as a wife treacherously departs from her husband, so you have dealt treacherously with me, house of Israel,” says the LORD.
ASV: Surely as a wife treacherously departeth from her husband, so have ye dealt treacherously with me, O house of Israel, saith Jehovah.
DARBY: Surely [as] a woman treacherously departeth from her companion, so have ye dealt treacherously with me, O house of Israel, saith Jehovah.
BLB: As surely as a wife treacherously departs from her husband, so have you⁺ dealt treacherously with Me, O house of Israel!” A declaration of YHWH.

ÅB: Men sannelig, som en kvinne er troløs mot sin venn, slik har dere vært troløse mot meg, Israels hus! sier Herren.
OTB: Men akkurat som en kvinne er utro mot sin mann, så har du, Israel, vært utro mot meg,” erklærer Herren.
B1930: Men sannelig, som en kvinne er troløs mot sin venn, således har I vært troløse mot mig, Israels hus! sier Herren.

Study notes (Tyndale)

Original text and word study

Cross references

Isaiah 48:8
Yea, thou heardest not; yea, thou knewest not; yea, from that time that thine ear was not opened: for I knew that thou wouldest deal very treacherously, and wast called a transgressor from the womb.
Read in context
Jeremiah 5:11
For the house of Israel and the house of Judah have dealt very treacherously against me, saith the LORD.
Read in context
Jeremiah 3:8–10
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.
Read in context
Malachi 2:11
Judah hath dealt treacherously, and an abomination is committed in Israel and in Jerusalem; for Judah hath profaned the holiness of the LORD which he loved, and hath married the daughter of a strange god.
Read in context
Hosea 5:7
They have dealt treacherously against the LORD: for they have begotten strange children: now shall a month devour them with their portions.
Read in context
Ezekiel 16:15–52
But thou didst trust in thine own beauty, and playedst the harlot because of thy renown, and pouredst out thy fornications on every one that passed by; his it was.
Read in context
Jeremiah 3:1–2
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.
Read in context
Hosea 6:7
But they like men have transgressed the covenant: there have they dealt treacherously against me.
Read in context