Jeremiah 11:10
This page isn't yet indexed by search engines.
The verse highlights that Israel and Judah haven't just repeated their ancestors' sins, but have actively "turned back" to them, implying a deliberate regression from any previous faithfulness and a willful rejection of God's established covenant. This wasn't just a passive relapse, but an active choice to pursue other gods, breaking the specific agreement God made with their "first fathers."
They have turned back to the iniquities of their forefathers, who refused to hear my words. They have gone after other gods to serve them. The house of Israel and the house of Judah have broken my covenant that I made with their fathers.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Jeremiah is revealing a deep conspiracy of sin and idolatry discovered among the people of Judah. This verse explains that their current unfaithfulness isn't new; they've reverted to the same sins of disobedience and idol worship that their ancestors committed. By following other gods, both the northern kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Judah have deliberately broken the solemn covenant God made with them generations ago.
Have you ever felt like you're repeating the mistakes of the past, either personally or as a community? Jeremiah's message to Judah reveals a deep-seated pattern of repeating generational sins.
Jeremiah declares that the people of his day have "turned back to the iniquities of their forefathers." This isn't just a casual slip-up; it's a deliberate return to the same old patterns of disobedience that marked their ancestors. The text highlights that these forefathers "refused to hear my words" and "went after other gods." This points to a historical cycle where Israel and Judah consistently struggled with faithlessness, often forgetting God's commands and being drawn to idolatry. Even after periods of reform, like the one under King Josiah mentioned in the commentaries, the tendency to relapse into these ancient sins remained a grave threat.
Imagine a marriage vow broken by infidelity. That's the picture Jeremiah paints when he talks about God's covenant with His people.
The core of this verse is the accusation that 'The house of Israel and the house of Judah have broken my covenant.' This covenant wasn't just a contract; it was God's solemn promise to be their God, and their promise to be His people, living under His rule. The 'iniquities' they returned to were directly linked to breaking this sacred bond. By 'going after other gods to serve them,' they were engaging in the ultimate betrayal. Idolatry, the worship of anything other than the one true God, was seen as spiritual adultery, a direct violation of the covenant that bound them exclusively to Yahweh.
Understand the original words
Ask a follow-up
avon · Hebrew Noun
An act of deliberate, wicked rebellion against God’s moral law and authority. It signifies a crooked or perverse way of living that deviates from God’s holiness.
elohim acherim · Hebrew Noun Phrase
Any object, person, or pursuit that takes the place of God as the ultimate object of worship or trust. Serving other gods is the essence of spiritual adultery and idolatry.
This verse highlights a tragic pattern in Israel's history: a relapse into idolatry after periods of faithfulness, demonstrating a deep-seated unfaithfulness to God's covenant that even Josiah's reforms couldn't permanently fix.
c. 1446 BC
Covenant at Sinai
God establishes His covenant with the newly freed Israelites, giving them the Law and promising to be their God if they obey.
c. 1406 BC - 1077 BC
Period of the Judges
Following their settlement in Canaan, the Israelites repeatedly fall into cycles of sin, oppression, and repentance, often worshipping local deities.
931 BC
Division of the Kingdom
After Solomon's death, the united kingdom splits into the Northern Kingdom (Israel) and the Southern Kingdom (Judah).
722 BC
Fall of Samaria
The Northern Kingdom of Israel is conquered by the Assyrians, its people exiled, and the land repopulated with foreigners.
640 BC - 609 BC
Josiah's Reign and Reforms
King Josiah of Judah leads a significant religious reformation, purging idolatry and centralizing worship in Jerusalem.
609 BC
Death of Josiah
Josiah is killed in battle at Megiddo, marking a turning point and the end of his reformist era.
After 609 BC— this verse
Return to Idolatry
Following Josiah's death, Judah quickly reverts to its previous idolatrous practices, worse than before, under subsequent kings and the people's influence.
This passage describes the Israelites turning to idolatry and making a golden calf shortly after God established His covenant with them, mirroring the 'turning back' to the iniquities of their forefathers mentioned in Jeremiah.
Judges 2:11-13Here, the Israelites abandon the Lord and worship Baals, demonstrating a recurring pattern of forsaking God for other gods, a direct parallel to Jeremiah 11:10.
Romans 1:18-23Paul describes humanity's wilful turning away from God, exchanging the truth for a lie and worshipping created things, which resonates with Jeremiah's message of turning to 'other gods'.
Hebrews 10:26-29This passage speaks of deliberately continuing to sin after receiving the knowledge of truth, trampling the Son of God, and treating the covenant of his blood as unholy, echoing the severe breach of covenant in Jeremiah.
Nehemiah 9:16-17This prayer recounts Israel's ancestors' pride and refusal to obey God's laws, turning back to their bondage in Egypt, a historical reminder of the stubborn disobedience that Jeremiah is rebuking.
clarkeJeremiah 11:10: "They are turned back to the iniquities of their forefathers, which refused to hear my words; and they went after other gods to serve them: the house of Israel and the house of Judah have broken my covenant which I made with their fathers."
They are turned back to the iniquities of their forefathers - A great reformation had taken place under the reign of Josiah, and the public worship of idols had been abolished, and most of the high places destroyed; but under the reign of his…
barnesJeremiah 11:10: "They are turned back to the iniquities of their forefathers, which refused to hear my words; and they went after other gods to serve them: the house of Israel and the house of Judah have broken my covenant which I made with their fathers."
Their forefathers - literally, "their fathers, the first ones:" in allusion to the idolatries committed in the wilderness, and by the generations whose history is given in the Book of Judges. And they went after - Rather, yea! they have walke…
The verse highlights that Israel and Judah haven't just repeated their ancestors' sins, but have actively "turned back" to them, implying a deliberate regression from any previous faithfulness and a willful rejection of God's established covenant. This wasn't just a passive relapse, but an active choice to pursue other gods, breaking the specific agreement God made with their "first fathers."
Jeremiah is revealing a deep conspiracy of sin and idolatry discovered among the people of Judah. This verse explains that their current unfaithfulness isn't new; they've reverted to the same sins of disobedience and idol worship that their ancestors committed. By following other gods, both the northern kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Judah have deliberately broken the solemn covenant God made with them generations ago.
Jeremiah is revealing a deep conspiracy of sin and idolatry discovered among the people of Judah. This verse explains that their current unfaithfulness isn't new; they've reverted to the same sins of disobedience and idol worship that their ancestors committed. By following other gods, both the northern kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Judah have deliberately broken the solemn covenant God made with them generations ago.
"They have turned back to the iniquities of their forefathers, who refused to hear my words. They have gone after other gods to serve them. The house of Israel and the house of Judah have broken my covenant that I made with their fathers." — The verse highlights that Israel and Judah haven't just repeated their ancestors' sins, but have actively "turned back" to them, implying a deliberate regression from any previous faithfulness and a…
Get the original Greek and Hebrew, verse-by-verse context, and related passages inside the app.
Last reviewed October 2026
