for my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed out cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns that can hold no water.
English Standard Version (ESV)
This verse highlights that Israel's sin wasn't just worshipping idols, but a fundamental abandonment of God, the source of true, never-ending life and refreshment. They didn't just make poor choices for water; they actively carved out their own solutions, revealing a desperate, self-reliant effort that ultimately yielded nothing.
for my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed out cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns that can hold no water.
English Standard Version (ESV)
God is directly confronting His people, Jeremiah acting as His spokesperson, to lay out the two fundamental ways they have betrayed Him. They've turned their backs on the ever-flowing, life-giving source of God Himself, choosing instead to dig their own flawed, unreliable systems that ultimately hold no true sustenance. This declaration sets the stage for the rest of the chapter, where God will detail the specific ways they've sought these broken cisterns, from idol worship to alliances with foreign powers.
Why does the Bible compare God to a 'fountain of living waters'? What does this image tell us about His nature and His provision for us?
Jeremiah uses a powerful metaphor here: God is the 'fountain of living waters.' Think about a natural spring – it's a source of fresh, flowing, life-giving water that never runs dry. This imagery points to God's endless supply of life, spiritual vitality, refreshment, and true happiness.
What 'Living Waters' Mean:
What does it mean to 'hew out cisterns' and why are they 'broken' and unable to hold water?
The second evil described is 'hewing out cisterns, broken cisterns that can hold no water.' This vividly contrasts with the flowing fountain of God.
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The Nature of Cisterns:
What They Represent:
These 'broken cisterns' symbolize anything people turn to for satisfaction, security, or purpose instead of God. This could be:
When we rely on these things, we are like someone desperately thirsty trying to drink from cracked, empty vessels.
Jeremiah calls this 'two evils.' What's the core connection between forsaking God and seeking flawed alternatives?
The verse pinpoints two fundamental evils the people committed. It’s not just one mistake, but a compound failure:
The Cycle of Disappointment:
This pattern highlights a tragic cycle: when we turn away from the true source of fulfillment (God), we inevitably seek satisfaction elsewhere. But because these other sources are inherently flawed and temporary—'broken cisterns'—they lead only to further disappointment, emptiness, and thirst. They offer the illusion of provision but lack the substance.
The folly lies in exchanging the reliable, abundant, life-giving source for something that is ultimately useless and deceptive. It's a spiritual blindness that prefers flawed, man-made solutions over God's perfect, flowing grace.
Understand the original words
ra'ah · Hebrew Noun
A moral or spiritual failing that contradicts God's law or His character. In Scripture, evil is not just a mistake but an active rebellion against the divine order.
'azab · Hebrew Verb
To abandon, leave behind, or turn away from someone or something. In a covenantal context, it describes the act of apostasy or willful turning away from God to pursue idols.
maqor mayim hayyim · Hebrew Noun phrase
A metaphor for God as the perpetual, self-sustaining source of life, grace, and spiritual refreshment. Unlike a stagnant pool, "living water" refers to flowing, life-giving water.
bor · Hebrew Noun
Man-made receptacles intended to store rainwater. Biblically, they represent human attempts to create their own security, satisfaction, or salvation apart from God, which ultimately prove ineffective.
The imagery of forsaking a life-giving fountain for broken cisterns powerfully reflects the Judeans' choices. They turned from the Lord, their sole source of life and sustenance, to rely on flawed human alliances and empty idolatry, especially in the face of the Babylonian threat and after the devastating fall of Jerusalem.
Late 8th century BC
Assyrian Captivity of Israel
The Northern Kingdom of Israel falls to Assyria, with a significant portion of its population exiled. This event serves as a stark warning about the consequences of unfaithfulness to God and reliance on foreign powers.
605 BC
First Deportation to Babylon
King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon begins deporting Judean citizens, including members of the royal family and educated elite, to Babylon. This marks the start of the Babylonian exile.
597 BC
Second Deportation to Babylon
Another wave of exiles, including the prophet Ezekiel and King Jehoiachin, are taken to Babylon. Judah is reduced to a vassal state under Babylonian rule.
586 BC— this verse
Fall of Jerusalem and Temple Destruction
Babylonian forces conquer Jerusalem, destroy the Temple, and exile most of the remaining population. This is a catastrophic national disaster, deeply impacting the people's identity and faith.
c. 580 BC
Jeremiah Continues Prophesying
Jeremiah, who likely remained in Egypt after the fall of Jerusalem, continues to deliver God's message to a people scattered and in despair, reminding them of their covenant unfaithfulness.
This Psalm beautifully echoes the imagery, describing God as the 'fountain of life' and the source from which all true sustenance flows, directly paralleling Jeremiah's accusation of forsaking God as the source of living waters.
John 4:14Jesus Himself uses similar imagery when speaking to the Samaritan woman, offering 'living water' that springs up to eternal life. This highlights the spiritual depth and ongoing supply that only God, the true fountain, can provide, contrasting with the temporary and ultimately failing sources people often seek.
Isaiah 58:11This passage promises that those who follow God's ways will be like a 'well whose waters fail not,' directly referencing the concept of God as a constant, reliable source of nourishment and guidance, much like the 'living waters' Jeremiah speaks of.
Romans 8:5The Apostle Paul contrasts those who 'set their minds on the things of the flesh' with those who set their minds on the Spirit. This resonates with Jeremiah's point, as seeking fulfillment in the world (broken cisterns) rather than in God (living fountain) leads to spiritual emptiness.
Jeremiah 17:5-6This passage immediately following Jeremiah 2:13 further elaborates on the consequence of trusting in 'man' and turning away from God, describing such individuals as cursed and like a 'scrubby plant in the desert,' unable to flourish, which vividly illustrates the futility of 'broken cisterns.'
clarkeJeremiah 2:13: "For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water."
Two evils - First, they forsook God, the Fountain of life, light, prosperity, and happiness. Secondly, they hewed out broken cisterns; they joined themselves to idols, from whom they could receive neither temporal nor spiritual good! Their conduct was the excess of folly and blindness. What we call here broken cistern…
pulpitJeremiah 2:13: "For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water."
Verse 13. - Two evils. Israel has not merely offended, like the heathen, by idolatry, but by deserting the only God who can satisfy the needs of human nature. The fountain of living waters. So Jeremiah 17:13 (comp. Psalm 36:9). Fountain; literally, tank or reservoir. Such reservoirs were "dug in the ground (see on Jer…
This verse highlights that Israel's sin wasn't just worshipping idols, but a fundamental abandonment of God, the source of true, never-ending life and refreshment. They didn't just make poor choices for water; they actively carved out their own solutions, revealing a desperate, self-reliant effort that ultimately yielded nothing.
God is directly confronting His people, Jeremiah acting as His spokesperson, to lay out the two fundamental ways they have betrayed Him. They've turned their backs on the ever-flowing, life-giving source of God Himself, choosing instead to dig their own flawed, unreliable systems that ultimately hold no true sustenance. This declaration sets the stage for the rest of the chapter, where God will detail the specific ways they've sought these broken cisterns, from idol worship to alliances with foreign powers.
God is directly confronting His people, Jeremiah acting as His spokesperson, to lay out the two fundamental ways they have betrayed Him. They've turned their backs on the ever-flowing, life-giving source of God Himself, choosing instead to dig their own flawed, unreliable systems that ultimately hold no true sustenance. This declaration sets the stage for the rest of the chapter, where God will detail the specific ways they've sought these broken cisterns, from idol worship to alliances with foreign powers.
"for my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed out cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns that can hold no water." — This verse highlights that Israel's sin wasn't just worshipping idols, but a fundamental abandonment of God, the source of true, never-ending life and refreshment. They didn't just make poor choices…
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Last reviewed October 2026