Have you not brought this upon yourself by forsaking the LORD your God, when he led you in the way?
English Standard Version (ESV)
This verse isn't just asking if Israel is responsible for their troubles; it's hitting them with a stark truth: they procured it, meaning they actively brought it upon themselves by choosing to abandon God. The offense is even worse because they did this precisely when He was faithfully guiding them, highlighting their profound betrayal.
Have you not brought this upon yourself by forsaking the LORD your God, when he led you in the way?
English Standard Version (ESV)
The prophet Jeremiah is addressing the people of Israel, lamenting the destruction and oppression they are facing. He's challenging their assumption that they are mere victims, instead pointing out that their own actions—specifically their abandonment of God—have brought these devastating consequences upon them. This verse acts as a direct accusation, shifting the blame from external forces to their own spiritual infidelity, reminding them that God had faithfully guided them in the past.
It's easy to blame external forces when things go wrong. But what if the real culprit is closer than you think?
Jeremiah 2:17 confronts Israel directly: 'Have you not brought this upon yourself?' This isn't a gentle suggestion; it's a bold accusation.
The Weight of Self-Procured Suffering
The phrase 'procured this unto thyself' means you earned this suffering, you manufactured it. It wasn't random misfortune; it was the direct result of their own choices. God is essentially saying, 'Look in the mirror. The mess you're in? You made it.' This is a tough pill to swallow, but it's crucial for understanding accountability before God. It highlights that our actions have real, tangible consequences, especially when they involve turning away from the very Source of life and guidance.
God offers a path. When you leave it, where do you end up? And who's to blame for the detour?
The verse pinpoints the exact moment of failure: 'when he led thee by the way.' This 'way' wasn't just a physical path, like the wilderness journey. It was the right way, the way of God's guidance, His covenant, His will.
Forsaking the True Path
Israel had a divine guide. God actively led them, providing direction and protection. But they chose to leave that path. They abandoned the 'way of holiness,' as some commentators suggest.
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Think about it: God was leading them, and they forswore Him. This wasn't a passive drifting; it was an active decision to abandon the One who had their best interests at heart. The calamity wasn't because God failed; it was because they refused His leading and chose their own, ultimately self-destructive, direction.
Understand the original words
azab · Hebrew Verb
In biblical usage, forsaking God implies a deliberate turning away from covenantal loyalty, trust, and obedience to Him. It involves abandoning the source of life and truth for reliance on idols or human efforts.
YHWH · Hebrew Proper Noun
The LORD (YHWH) is the self-existent, covenant-keeping God of Israel. It is the personal name by which He revealed Himself to His people, signifying His faithfulness and sovereignty.
This verse speaks to the people of Judah right before or during the Babylonian exile. It powerfully highlights that their devastation wasn't a surprise attack from God, but the direct consequence of their own repeated rejection of God's guidance, even after experiencing His faithful provision.
c. 1446 BC
Exodus from Egypt and Wilderness Journey
God miraculously led the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt, guiding them through the Red Sea and providing for them in the wilderness for 40 years.
c. 1406 BC
Conquest and Division of Canaan
Under Joshua's leadership, the Israelites conquered the Promised Land and divided it among the twelve tribes, establishing a new era of settlement.
c. 1050-970 BC
United Monarchy: Saul, David, and Solomon
The establishment and reign of Israel's first three kings, a period of national consolidation and initial prosperity, though later marred by Solomon's apostasy.
c. 722 BC
Fall of the Northern Kingdom of Israel
The Assyrian Empire conquered the northern kingdom, deporting its people and scattering them, serving as a dire warning to Judah.
c. 605 BC
First Deportation to Babylon
Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon besieged Jerusalem and deported a portion of the nobility and skilled workers, including Daniel, to Babylon.
c. 587-586 BC— this verse
Destruction of Jerusalem and Temple
Babylonian forces destroyed Jerusalem and its magnificent Temple, exiling most of the remaining population to Babylon.
This passage describes God's careful leading of Israel, paralleling Jeremiah's point that their suffering stems from abandoning the one who guided them safely.
Judges 10:6This verse highlights Israel's repeated cycle of forsaking God in times of peace and turning to Him only when in distress, a pattern that mirrors the self-inflicted troubles Jeremiah addresses.
Psalm 106:7The Psalmist recounts how the Israelites quickly forgot God's mighty acts and rebelled at the Red Sea, showing a long-standing tendency to disregard God's guidance and thus inviting trouble, as Jeremiah points out.
Hosea 13:5-6This passage echoes Jeremiah's theme, showing how Israel's prosperity led them to forget the Lord their provider, resulting in their downfall and self-destruction, much like the people in Jeremiah's time.
Romans 2:11This New Testament passage speaks to God's impartiality and how He judges individuals based on their actions, reinforcing the principle that people ultimately face the consequences of their own choices, including forsaking God.
pooleJeremiah 2:17: "Hast thou not procured this unto thyself, in that thou hast forsaken the LORD thy God, when he led thee by the way?"
Hast thou not procured this unto thyself? here God by his prophet shows that they may thank themselves for all that is hastening upon them. See Numbers 32:23 . In that thou hast forsaken the Lord: here he shows wherein, viz. in forsaking God: not that he left them, but they him, and that without any temptation or provocation; and therefore were the more inexcusabl…
calvinJeremiah 2:14-17: "Is Israel a servant? is he a homeborn slave? why is he spoiled?"
Super eum rugient (vel, rugiunt) leones (alii vertunt, catulos leonum, et soepe significat minores leones hoc nomen sed ubi adjungitur reliquis, ubi autem solum ponitur, ego semper interpretor generaliter pro leonibus,) miserunt vocem suam; posuerunt terram ejus in vastitatem; urbes ejus exustae sunt (vel, destructae, nam, tststs tandem valet atque hoc loco) absque habitatore.
Also the children of Noph…
This verse isn't just asking if Israel is responsible for their troubles; it's hitting them with a stark truth: they procured it, meaning they actively brought it upon themselves by choosing to abandon God. The offense is even worse because they did this precisely when He was faithfully guiding them, highlighting their profound betrayal.
The prophet Jeremiah is addressing the people of Israel, lamenting the destruction and oppression they are facing. He's challenging their assumption that they are mere victims, instead pointing out that their own actions—specifically their abandonment of God—have brought these devastating consequences upon them. This verse acts as a direct accusation, shifting the blame from external forces to their own spiritual infidelity, reminding them that God had faithfully guided them in the past.
The prophet Jeremiah is addressing the people of Israel, lamenting the destruction and oppression they are facing. He's challenging their assumption that they are mere victims, instead pointing out that their own actions—specifically their abandonment of God—have brought these devastating consequences upon them. This verse acts as a direct accusation, shifting the blame from external forces to their own spiritual infidelity, reminding them that God had faithfully guided them in the past.
"Have you not brought this upon yourself by forsaking the LORD your God, when he led you in the way?" — This verse isn't just asking if Israel is responsible for their troubles; it's hitting them with a stark truth: they procured it, meaning they actively brought it upon themselves by choosing to aba…
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Last reviewed October 2026