Jeremiah 2:20
“For long ago I broke your yoke and burst your bonds; but you said, ‘I will not serve.’ Yes, on every high hill and under every green tree you bowed down like a whore.
English Standard Version (ESV)
This page isn't yet indexed by search engines.
God declared He shattered Israel's chains, yet they twisted that freedom into license, choosing not to serve Him, but instead to run wildly to every idolatrous high place and shady tree, like a harlot desperately seeking lovers. The text highlights that this wasn't just a refusal to obey, but a perverse inversion of the liberty God had granted, turning His gift into an excuse for unchecked spiritual prostitution.
God reminds Israel that He delivered them from Egyptian bondage, breaking their chains so they could serve Him freely. Instead of loyal service, they promised obedience but then ran off to worship idols on every hilltop and under every leafy tree, acting like a prostitute seeking new lovers. This verse sets up a contrast between God's redemptive action and Israel's persistent unfaithfulness, portraying their idolatry as a shameful betrayal.
Understand the original words
ol · Hebrew Noun
A yoke is a heavy wooden frame used on animals, serving as a biblical metaphor for servitude, burden, or submission. Breaking the yoke represents liberation from slavery, oppression, or sinful bondage.
abad · Hebrew Verb
In a theological context, to serve denotes the act of worship, obedience, and total allegiance given to a master or deity. It refers to the duty of the covenant people to exclusively worship and obey God.
Ask a follow-up
Ask Sola things like:
Live chat about Jeremiah 2:20 is available in the Sola app.
zanah · Hebrew Verb
The imagery of a "whore" or prostitution is frequently used in the prophetic books to symbolize spiritual adultery. It describes Israel's unfaithfulness to God through the worship of idols and reliance on foreign nations instead of Him.
This verse speaks to a pattern of behavior stretching back to Israel's very beginning. God's acts of liberation were met not with lasting faithfulness, but with a repeated turning to idolatry, a spiritual 'whoredom' practiced in specific, illicit worship locations.
c. 1446 BC
Exodus from Egypt
God dramatically delivered the Israelites from centuries of slavery under the Egyptians, breaking their 'yoke' and 'bands' of oppression. This event marked the beginning of their covenant relationship with God.
c. 1446-1406 BC
Wilderness Wanderings and Sinai Covenant
Following their liberation, the Israelites journeyed through the wilderness. At Mount Sinai, they entered into a covenant with God, promising obedience and service, but also engaging in early acts of rebellion like the golden calf incident.
c. 1406-1346 BC
Conquest of Canaan
Under Joshua's leadership, the Israelites conquered and settled in the Promised Land, a land already filled with various pagan religious practices associated with high places and groves.
c. 1375-1076 BC
Period of the Judges
Following Joshua's death, Israel experienced cycles of faithfulness and unfaithfulness, repeatedly falling into idolatry and then being oppressed by surrounding nations, only to be delivered by God through judges.
c. 1000 BC
United Monarchy Established
Kings Saul, David, and Solomon unified the tribes of Israel and established Jerusalem as the capital. Despite periods of devotion, especially under David, the seeds of syncretism and later idolatry were sown.
931 BC
Kingdom Divides
Following Solomon's death, the united kingdom split into two: the Northern Kingdom of Israel and the Southern Kingdom of Judah. Both kingdoms continued to struggle with idolatry and religious compromise.
c. 627-586 BC— this verse
Jeremiah's Ministry and Babylonian Exile
Jeremiah prophesied during a tumultuous period leading up to the destruction of Jerusalem and the Babylonian exile. This verse reflects the deep-seated pattern of Israel's spiritual unfaithfulness that began long before.
This passage describes Israel's initial covenant promise to obey God immediately after their deliverance from Egypt, mirroring the 'I will not serve' or 'I will not transgress' statement in Jeremiah, highlighting their early defection from that commitment.
Judges 2:11-13This highlights the recurring pattern of Israel turning to other gods after experiencing God's deliverance, directly illustrating the 'playing the harlot' imagery of worshipping idols on high places described in Jeremiah.
Hosea 2:2-5Hosea uses similar 'harlotry' imagery to describe Israel's unfaithfulness to God, connecting the idea of broken covenants and spiritual adultery with the specific acts of idolatry mentioned in Jeremiah.
Romans 6:16-18Paul contrasts slavery to sin with freedom in Christ, drawing a parallel to Jeremiah's theme of God breaking Israel's literal yoke only for them to willingly submit to the 'yoke' of sin and idolatry, mistaking liberty for license.
clarkeJeremiah 2:20: "For of old time I have broken thy yoke, and burst thy bands; and thou saidst, I will not transgress; when upon every high hill and under every green tree thou wanderest, playing the harlot."
Of old time I have broken thy yoke - It is thought by able critics that the verbs should be read in the second person singular, Thou hast broken thy yoke, Thou hast burst thy bonds; and thus the Septuagint, συνετριψας τον ζυγον σου, "thou hast broken thy yoke." And the Vulgate, Confregisti j…
gillJeremiah 2:20: "For of old time I have broken thy yoke, and burst thy bands; and thou saidst, I will not transgress; when upon every high hill and under every green tree thou wanderest, playing the harlot."
For of old time I have broken thy yoke, and burst thy bands,.... The yoke of the people, as the Targum expresses it, that was upon their necks, and the bands in which they were bound by them; referring to the deliverance of them of old from Egyptian bondage by the hands of Moses, and out of…
God declared He shattered Israel's chains, yet they twisted that freedom into license, choosing not to serve Him, but instead to run wildly to every idolatrous high place and shady tree, like a harlot desperately seeking lovers. The text highlights that this wasn't just a refusal to obey, but a perverse inversion of the liberty God had granted, turning His gift into an excuse for unchecked spiritual prostitution.
God reminds Israel that He delivered them from Egyptian bondage, breaking their chains so they could serve Him freely. Instead of loyal service, they promised obedience but then ran off to worship idols on every hilltop and under every leafy tree, acting like a prostitute seeking new lovers. This verse sets up a contrast between God's redemptive action and Israel's persistent unfaithfulness, portraying their idolatry as a shameful betrayal.
God reminds Israel that He delivered them from Egyptian bondage, breaking their chains so they could serve Him freely. Instead of loyal service, they promised obedience but then ran off to worship idols on every hilltop and under every leafy tree, acting like a prostitute seeking new lovers. This verse sets up a contrast between God's redemptive action and Israel's persistent unfaithfulness, portraying their idolatry as a shameful betrayal.
"“For long ago I broke your yoke and burst your bonds; but you said, ‘I will not serve.’ Yes, on every high hill and under every green tree you bowed down like a whore." — God declared He shattered Israel's chains, yet they twisted that freedom into license, choosing not to serve Him, but instead to run wildly to every idolatrous high place and shady tree, like a har…
Get the original Greek and Hebrew, verse-by-verse context, and related passages inside the app.
