“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)
God highlights how Israel twisted His gift of freedom into an excuse for rebellion. He delivered them from bondage not so they could do whatever they pleased, but so they could serve Him, yet they used that liberty to chase after idols on every high place and under every shady tree, like an unfaithful spouse seeking new lovers.
“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)
God reminds Israel that He liberated them from Egyptian bondage, breaking their chains, yet they vowed to remain independent and instead pursued idolatry on every high place and under every tree, treating their relationship with God like a cheap affair. This sets up God's argument that their rebellion wasn't a simple mistake but a deliberate rejection of His goodness, leading them into spiritual prostitution.
God liberated Israel from slavery, but they twisted that freedom into license. What does this say about our own freedom in Christ?
Jeremiah 2:20 opens with a powerful contrast. God declares, 'For long ago I broke your yoke and burst your bonds.' This refers to the monumental act of deliverance from Egyptian bondage through Moses. God didn't just free them; He redeemed them, establishing a covenant relationship.
However, the verse immediately pivots: 'but you said, ‘I will not serve.’’ This isn't just a simple refusal; it's a declaration of independence from God's authority, a rejection of the very purpose of their redemption. The scholars highlight a nuance here: the original Hebrew has a slight variation, which could be read as 'I will not transgress' or 'I will not serve.' Regardless of the precise wording, the heart of the rebellion is the same: a refusal to acknowledge God's claims over their lives after He set them free.
God's intention in breaking their bonds was for them to serve Him, not to serve themselves or idols. This is the paradox: liberation from oppression became liberation for disobedience. They mistook God's grace for permission to do as they pleased.
From the highest hills to the shady trees, Israel chased after other gods. Where do we 'wander' looking for fulfillment apart from the One True God?
The latter part of Jeremiah 2:20 paints a vivid, disturbing picture: 'Yes, on every high hill and under every green tree you bowed down like a whore.' This wasn't accidental or occasional worship; it was pervasive and deliberate.
These were the common locations for Canaanite and other pagan worship. Hills offered prominence, a sense of being closer to the heavens, while shady trees provided secluded spots for clandestine rituals. They represented accessible, yet forbidden, avenues of worship outside of God's designated sanctuary.
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Spiritual Prostitution: The imagery of 'playing the harlot' (or 'wandering like a whore') is stark. In biblical terms, spiritual adultery means giving the devotion, loyalty, and worship that rightfully belong to God to other gods or things. It implies a shameless pursuit of fleeting satisfaction, a desperate seeking of fulfillment from anything and anyone other than the faithful God who had redeemed them.
This wasn't just about ancient practices; it highlights the persistent human tendency to seek what we think we need in places and ways that ultimately lead us away from true spiritual intimacy. Whether it's power, comfort, validation, or pleasure, we can find ourselves 'wandering' to various 'high places' and 'green trees' of our modern world, seeking something more.
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.
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 powerfully highlights God's persistent faithfulness in delivering His people, contrasted with their deep-seated ingratitude and recurring idolatry, which ultimately led to their exile. The 'yoke' and 'bands' broken refer not just to the Exodus, but to numerous deliverances throughout their history, underscoring how Israel consistently chose spiritual 'whoredom' over serving their Redeemer.
c. 1446 BC
Exodus from Egypt
God delivers the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, breaking their 'yoke' and 'bands' of oppression under Pharaoh. This marks the foundational act of God's covenantal relationship with Israel.
c. 1446-1406 BC
The Covenant at Sinai
After the Exodus, God establishes His covenant with Israel at Mount Sinai, giving them the Law. The people pledge, 'All that the LORD has spoken we will do.'
c. 1406-1346 BC
Period of the Judges
Following Joshua's death, Israel experiences cycles of faithfulness and unfaithfulness, repeatedly falling into idolatry and facing oppression from surrounding nations, only to be delivered by judges.
c. 1050 BC
The United Monarchy Begins
Saul is anointed king, followed by David and Solomon, establishing a unified kingdom. Despite periods of greater stability, the seeds of division and idolatry often remain.
c. 931 BC
Division of the Kingdom
Following Solomon's death, the kingdom splits into Northern (Israel) and Southern (Judah) kingdoms. Idolatry, especially in the North, becomes rampant.
c. 722 BC
Fall of Samaria
The Assyrian Empire conquers the Northern Kingdom of Israel, exiling its people and effectively ending its existence as a distinct entity due to its persistent idolatry.
c. 586 BC— this verse
Fall of Jerusalem
The Babylonian Empire conquers the Southern Kingdom of Judah, destroys Jerusalem and the Temple, and exiles much of the population. This is the immediate context for much of Jeremiah's prophecy.
This passage shows Israel's initial promise to obey God ('All that the LORD has spoken we will do') right after their liberation from Egyptian bondage, directly paralleling the 'I will not serve' or 'I will not transgress' refusal in Jeremiah.
Deuteronomy 28:15-68This chapter lays out the consequences of disobedience, including loss of freedom and being scattered among nations, which is the ultimate outcome of the 'yoke' and 'bonds' they broke from, as described in Jeremiah.
Judges 2:11-13This describes the immediate cycle of Israel forsaking God for other gods after Joshua’s death, mirroring the 'playing the harlot' and idol worship on high places mentioned in Jeremiah.
Romans 6:16Paul draws a parallel between slavery to sin and slavery to righteousness, much like how Jeremiah contrasts God's deliverance with Israel's choice to serve idols instead of their Redeemer.
Hosea 2:2-5This passage uses the same imagery of spiritual adultery to describe Israel's unfaithfulness to God, highlighting the consistent theme of covenant betrayal throughout the Old Testament.
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 highlights how Israel twisted His gift of freedom into an excuse for rebellion. He delivered them from bondage not so they could do whatever they pleased, but so they could serve Him, yet they used that liberty to chase after idols on every high place and under every shady tree, like an unfaithful spouse seeking new lovers.
God reminds Israel that He liberated them from Egyptian bondage, breaking their chains, yet they vowed to remain independent and instead pursued idolatry on every high place and under every tree, treating their relationship with God like a cheap affair. This sets up God's argument that their rebellion wasn't a simple mistake but a deliberate rejection of His goodness, leading them into spiritual prostitution.
God reminds Israel that He liberated them from Egyptian bondage, breaking their chains, yet they vowed to remain independent and instead pursued idolatry on every high place and under every tree, treating their relationship with God like a cheap affair. This sets up God's argument that their rebellion wasn't a simple mistake but a deliberate rejection of His goodness, leading them into spiritual prostitution.
"“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 highlights how Israel twisted His gift of freedom into an excuse for rebellion. He delivered them from bondage not so they could do whatever they pleased, but so they could serve Him, yet they us…
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Last reviewed October 2026