Jeremiah 2:10
For cross to the coasts of Cyprus and see, or send to Kedar and examine with care; see if there has been such a thing.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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Jeremiah isn't just asking Israel to look at other nations; he's commanding them to examine the entire known world, from the most "civilized" West (Chittim/Cyprus) to the most "barbarous" East (Kedar/Arabia). This sweeping geographical scope emphasizes that nowhere, not even among those who worship false gods, can a parallel be found for Israel's astonishing and profound betrayal of their covenant God.
Jeremiah is challenging Israel by pointing to the entire known world, both civilized west (like Cyprus and Greece) and the more "barbarous" East (like Kedar in Arabia). He's asking them to search far and wide, and he's certain they won't find any other nation so disloyal to its gods as Israel has been to the one true God. This sets up the next verse, where he reveals the shocking truth: no other nation would ever abandon its gods, even false ones, while Israel has forsaken their glorious Creator.
Jeremiah challenges Israel to become global investigators. What does it reveal that God calls them to search the far corners of the earth?
A Global Challenge
God instructs Jeremiah to tell Israel to 'cross to the coasts of Cyprus' (Chittim, representing the West) and 'send to Kedar' (representing the East). This isn't a literal travelogue, but a rhetorical device. It means: look everywhere!
God is saying, 'Search the most civilized nations and the most remote tribes. Go to the ends of the known world.' The point is to establish that Israel's actions are not just unusual, but unprecedented in all the earth.
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Even the most 'primitive' or 'uncivilized' nations held onto their gods. What does this reveal about human nature and the unique betrayal of Israel?
Loyalty to False Gods
The prophet's investigation yields a startling result: no nation, no matter how 'stupid' or 'barbarous,' had changed its gods. These were often gods made by human hands, or created beings, not the true God. Yet, even in their ignorance, these nations showed a remarkable consistency.
Israel didn't just switch deities; they abandoned 'their glory.' What was this glory, and why is its loss so catastrophic?
Trading the Real for the Fake
The core of Israel's sin wasn't just infidelity, but a profound rejection of God's presence and blessing. They exchanged God – their true 'glory' – for 'that which does not profit.'
This was more than a religious error; it was a fundamental misunderstanding of where true value and security lie. They traded the infinite for the insignificant, the eternal for the temporary.
Jeremiah challenges Israel by asking them to compare their disloyalty to God with the steadfastness of distant, even pagan nations, highlighting their unique and profound betrayal.
c. 1400 BC
Ancient Migrations and Settlements
Descendants of Noah's son Javan, including Kittim, settle various Mediterranean regions, establishing populations in Cyprus and potentially parts of Greece and Italy.
c. 1000 BC
Rise of Kedarites
Tribes descended from Kedar, Ishmael's son, become prominent in the Arabian Peninsula, known for their nomadic lifestyle and trade.
c. 8th century BC
Assyrian and Babylonian Influence
Major Near Eastern empires like Assyria and later Babylonia exert influence over regions including the Levant and Arabia, impacting trade routes and political dynamics.
c. 605 BC
First Deportation to Babylon
Nebuchadnezzar's forces deport skilled Judeans, including young men like Daniel, to Babylon, marking the beginning of the Babylonian exile.
c. 587-586 BC
Destruction of Jerusalem and Temple
The Babylonians under Nebuchadnezzar destroy Jerusalem and its Temple, with a further, larger deportation of the remaining population.
c. 539 BC
Persian Conquest of Babylon
Cyrus the Great conquers the Babylonian Empire, paving the way for the return of some Jewish exiles to Jerusalem.
c. 6th century BC— this verse
Jeremiah's Ministry and Prophecies
Jeremiah delivers God's messages of judgment and calls for repentance during a tumultuous period leading up to and during the Babylonian exile.
This passage echoes the same sentiment of nations seeking to find God's will, contrasting it with Israel's unique covenant relationship and betrayal.
Romans 1:21-23This New Testament passage highlights humanity's general turning away from the true God towards created things, mirroring the 'changing of gods' mentioned in Jeremiah, but from a different theological perspective.
Psalm 106:19-21This psalm recounts Israel's unfaithfulness, showing how they exchanged the glory of God for idols, directly paralleling Jeremiah's accusation.
Isaiah 40:18-20This passage challenges the futility of idol worship by contrasting it with the incomparable power and uniqueness of the true God, reinforcing Jeremiah's point about the foolishness of Israel's actions.
barnesJeremiah 2:10: "For pass over the isles of Chittim, and see; and send unto Kedar, and consider diligently, and see if there be such a thing."
Kedar signifies the whole East, and the isles of Chittim ( Isaiah 23:12 note) the West. If then you traverse all lands from west to east, it will be impossible to find any nation guilty of such apostasy as that committed by Israel.
gillJeremiah 2:10: "For pass over the isles of Chittim, and see; and send unto Kedar, and consider diligently, and see if there be such a thing."
For pass over the isles of Chittim, and see,.... Or, "to the isles of Chittim" (z); so called from Kittim the son of Javan, Genesis 10:4 who, as Josephus says (a), possessed the island of Chethima, now called Cyprus; and, from that, all islands, and most maritime places, are, by the Hebrews, called Chittim, he observes: it may regard all the islands in th…
Jeremiah isn't just asking Israel to look at other nations; he's commanding them to examine the entire known world, from the most "civilized" West (Chittim/Cyprus) to the most "barbarous" East (Kedar/Arabia). This sweeping geographical scope emphasizes that nowhere, not even among those who worship false gods, can a parallel be found for Israel's astonishing and profound betrayal of their covenant God.
Jeremiah is challenging Israel by pointing to the entire known world, both civilized west (like Cyprus and Greece) and the more "barbarous" East (like Kedar in Arabia). He's asking them to search far and wide, and he's certain they won't find any other nation so disloyal to its gods as Israel has been to the one true God. This sets up the next verse, where he reveals the shocking truth: no other nation would ever abandon its gods, even false ones, while Israel has forsaken their glorious Creator.
Jeremiah is challenging Israel by pointing to the entire known world, both civilized west (like Cyprus and Greece) and the more "barbarous" East (like Kedar in Arabia). He's asking them to search far and wide, and he's certain they won't find any other nation so disloyal to its gods as Israel has been to the one true God. This sets up the next verse, where he reveals the shocking truth: no other nation would ever abandon its gods, even false ones, while Israel has forsaken their glorious Creator.
"For cross to the coasts of Cyprus and see, or send to Kedar and examine with care; see if there has been such a thing." — Jeremiah isn't just asking Israel to look at other nations; he's commanding them to examine the entire known world, from the most "civilized" West (Chittim/Cyprus) to the most "barbarous" East (Ked…
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