The verse emphasizes that the people didn't even think to ask, "Where is the LORD?" even though their own recent history was filled with His miraculous intervention in a land so utterly desolate and dangerous that no one else would dare pass through it. This highlights their profound spiritual apathy, where even the memory of God's powerful saving acts couldn't stir them to seek Him.
They did not say, ‘Where is the LORD who brought us up from the land of Egypt, who led us in the wilderness, in a land of deserts and pits, in a land of drought and deep darkness, in a land that none passes through, where no man dwells?’
English Standard Version (ESV)
God is rebuking Israel for their unfaithfulness, reminding them of His incredible care in bringing them out of Egypt and through the harsh wilderness. He contrasts this past deliverance, which they now seem to have forgotten, with their present abandonment of Him for foreign gods. The prophet emphasizes that their current state of spiritual barrenness and corruption is a direct result of their willful amnesia regarding God’s past faithfulness and power.
The description of the wilderness in Jeremiah 2:6 is intense. It wasn't just an inconvenient detour; it was a land of deathly peril.
Jeremiah paints a stark picture of the wilderness journey. This wasn't a simple stroll through the desert; it was a place described as:
This vivid imagery highlights that survival in such a place was impossible without direct, miraculous intervention from God. The people's failure to remember this points to a deep spiritual blindness.
The verse asks a pointed question: 'Where is the LORD?' It wasn't a search for God, but an indictment of their failure to even ask.
The core of Jeremiah's message here is the astonishing ingratitude and spiritual amnesia of the people. They had experienced one of the greatest acts of divine power in history – their liberation from Egypt and guidance through the wilderness.
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Understand the original words
YHWH · Hebrew Noun
The proper name of the God of Israel, revealed to Moses, emphasizing His self-existence, covenant faithfulness, and eternal nature.
Mitsrayim · Hebrew Noun
A place of bondage and oppression from which God sovereignly delivered His people, serving as the foundational historical paradigm for God's redemptive work.
midbar · Hebrew Noun
An uncultivated, desolate place, often used in Scripture as a site of testing, provision, and intimacy with God, or conversely, as a place of judgment.
This verse highlights the profound ingratitude of the Israelites, who forgot the dramatic acts of deliverance and sustenance God provided during their wilderness journey, a stark contrast to the fertile land He later gave them.
c. 1446 BC
Exodus from Egypt
God miraculously delivers the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, a pivotal event marking the beginning of their journey to the Promised Land.
c. 1446-1406 BC— this verse
Forty Years in the Wilderness
The Israelites wander in a harsh, barren desert region after their exodus from Egypt, relying entirely on God's provision for survival.
c. 1406 BC
Conquest of Canaan Begins
Following Moses' death, Joshua leads the Israelites in conquering the Promised Land, a land of fertility and abundance.
c. 1400-609 BC
Period of the Judges and Monarchy
Generations of Israelites live in and govern the Promised Land, experiencing cycles of faithfulness and unfaithfulness to God.
586 BC
Fall of Jerusalem and Babylonian Exile
The Babylonians conquer Judah, destroy Jerusalem and the Temple, and exile many Israelites, marking a severe consequence of their prolonged apostasy.
This passage describes the immediate aftermath of the Exodus, highlighting God's deliberate choice to lead the people through the wilderness rather than the more direct route, emphasizing His power to protect them through difficult terrain.
Deuteronomy 8:2-3Moses reminds the Israelites that their wilderness journey was intended to humble them and reveal that God sustains His people not by natural means, but by His word and power, directly mirroring Jeremiah's point about forgetting God's provision.
Psalm 78:40-42This Psalm recounts the history of Israel's unfaithfulness, lamenting how often they forgot God's mighty acts, including their deliverance from Egypt and provision in the wilderness, directly paralleling the theme in Jeremiah.
Isaiah 63:9This verse echoes Jeremiah's lament, stating that in all their distress, God was distressed, and His presence saved them, underscoring the deep personal relationship and care God had for His people during their wilderness sojourn.
Nehemiah 9:11-12This prayer of confession recalls God's powerful deliverance from Egypt and His guidance through the wilderness, emphasizing the miraculous provision of food and water as proof of His faithfulness, a stark contrast to their current forgetfulness.
pulpitJeremiah 2:6: "Neither said they, Where is the LORD that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, that led us through the wilderness, through a land of deserts and of pits, through a land of drought, and of the shadow of death, through a land that no man passed through, and where no man dwelt?"
Verse 6. - Neither said they, etc.; as their children's children were forced by stress of trouble to say (Isaiah 63:11; see note). A land of desserts and of pits. The first phrase applied to the region th…
clarkeJeremiah 2:6: "Neither said they, Where is the LORD that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, that led us through the wilderness, through a land of deserts and of pits, through a land of drought, and of the shadow of death, through a land that no man passed through, and where no man dwelt?"
Through the wilderness - Egypt was the house of their bondage: the desert through which they passed after they came out of Egypt, was a place where the means of life were not to be found; where no one fam…
The verse emphasizes that the people didn't even think to ask, "Where is the LORD?" even though their own recent history was filled with His miraculous intervention in a land so utterly desolate and dangerous that no one else would dare pass through it. This highlights their profound spiritual apathy, where even the memory of God's powerful saving acts couldn't stir them to seek Him.
God is rebuking Israel for their unfaithfulness, reminding them of His incredible care in bringing them out of Egypt and through the harsh wilderness. He contrasts this past deliverance, which they now seem to have forgotten, with their present abandonment of Him for foreign gods. The prophet emphasizes that their current state of spiritual barrenness and corruption is a direct result of their willful amnesia regarding God’s past faithfulness and power.
God is rebuking Israel for their unfaithfulness, reminding them of His incredible care in bringing them out of Egypt and through the harsh wilderness. He contrasts this past deliverance, which they now seem to have forgotten, with their present abandonment of Him for foreign gods. The prophet emphasizes that their current state of spiritual barrenness and corruption is a direct result of their willful amnesia regarding God’s past faithfulness and power.
"They did not say, ‘Where is the LORD who brought us up from the land of Egypt, who led us in the wilderness, in a land of deserts and pits, in a land of drought and deep darkness, in a land that none passes…" — The verse emphasizes that the people didn't even think to ask, "Where is the LORD?" even though their own recent history was filled with His miraculous intervention in a land so utterly desolate an…
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Last reviewed October 2026
