Jeremiah 3:13
Only acknowledge your guilt, that you rebelled against the LORD your God and scattered your favors among foreigners under every green tree, and that you have not obeyed my voice, declares the LORD.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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The phrase "scattered your favors among foreigners" isn't just about idolatry, but about giving away what belonged only to God – their loyalty, devotion, and love – to anyone and anything that wasn't Him. This wasn't just a scattered pursuit, but a deliberate spreading of their affections to illegitimate objects.
This verse is part of God's passionate plea for Israel to return to Him after deep spiritual adultery. Just before this, God describes Israel's unfaithfulness as a harlot who has run after many lovers (idols and foreign nations), scattering her affections everywhere. Jeremiah is calling for a radical honesty, a full confession of their sin before God can begin to heal their broken relationship.
God's message to a wayward people starts with a surprising condition. It's not a complex ritual or a massive sacrifice, but something much more personal.
Jeremiah's message begins with a powerful, yet simple, imperative: 'Only acknowledge your guilt.' This isn't just about admitting you messed up; it's about a deep, honest knowing of your iniquity.
Imagine a love that's supposed to be exclusive, but instead, it's spread thin, seeking affection everywhere. That's the picture God paints of Israel's spiritual state.
The verse vividly describes Israel's sin as 'scattered your favors among strangers under every green tree.' This is a powerful metaphor for their widespread idolatry.
Understand the original words
avon · Hebrew Noun
The recognition and admission of sin or wrongdoing against God; essential for restoration and forgiveness.
pasha · Hebrew Verb
Willful resistance to God's authority and commands, representing a breach of the divine-human relationship.
derek · Hebrew Noun
In this context, referring to illicit worship or spiritual adultery, often tied to idolatry where the heart's devotion is given to false gods.
This verse emerges from the shadow of national catastrophe – the looming or ongoing exile of God's people to Babylon. Jeremiah's urgent plea isn't just for a mere intellectual admission of wrongdoing, but a profound, soul-baring recognition of their deep spiritual adultery and disobedience. This confession, scattered 'under every green tree' where idolatrous rites were performed, is the only path away from destruction and toward God's mercy.
c. 722 BC
Fall of Samaria and Assyrian Exile
The Northern Kingdom of Israel falls to the Neo-Assyrian Empire, and its population is exiled, marking the end of their independent existence. This event shattered the Israelite nation and served as a stark warning to the Southern Kingdom of Judah.
c. 626-586 BC
Jeremiah's Prophetic Ministry
Jeremiah prophesies during a tumultuous period in Judah, warning of impending judgment due to widespread idolatry and disobedience, including during the reign of King Josiah and his successors.
c. 605 BC
First Babylonian Deportation
Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon conquers Judah and deports a portion of the elite, including figures like Daniel. This event begins the process leading to the eventual destruction of Jerusalem.
c. 597 BC
Second Babylonian Deportation
This passage beautifully echoes Jeremiah's call to 'acknowledge your guilt' by showing that confessing sins to God leads to forgiveness and restored joy.
Proverbs 28:13Just as Jeremiah insists on acknowledging iniquity, Proverbs states that whoever conceals their sins won't prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes them will find mercy, highlighting the essential link between confession and God's favor.
Romans 10:9-10This New Testament passage parallels Jeremiah's emphasis on acknowledgment, teaching that confessing with your mouth and believing in your heart leads to salvation, showing how vital an open admission of faith and sin is.
Ezekiel 16:25-26Ezekiel uses similar imagery to Jeremiah, describing Jerusalem's spiritual unfaithfulness as 'scattering her ways' and engaging in idolatry with foreign lovers, illustrating the widespread nature of their rebellion.
Deuteronomy 30:1-3This passage from Deuteronomy shows that even after great punishment, if Israel would 'return to the LORD your God' and 'obey his voice,' God would show compassion and restore them, mirroring the conditional offer of return in Jeremiah.
barnesJeremiah 3:13: "Only acknowledge thine iniquity, that thou hast transgressed against the LORD thy God, and hast scattered thy ways to the strangers under every green tree, and ye have not obeyed my voice, saith the LORD."
Acknowledge - literally, "know thy iniquity;" know that thy doings are iniquitous. Scattered thy ways - Wandered in search of those idolatries which foreign nations practice.
gillJeremiah 3:13: "Only acknowledge thine iniquity, that thou hast transgressed against the LORD thy God, and hast scattered thy ways to the strangers under every green tree, and ye have not obeyed my voice, saith the LORD."
Only acknowledge thine iniquity,.... Or, "know" (e) it; unless a man knows his sin, and is convicted of it, he will never repent of it, or turn from it; and when he is made sensible of it, and sorry for it, he ought to acknowledge and confess it before God, against whom he has…
The phrase "scattered your favors among foreigners" isn't just about idolatry, but about giving away what belonged only to God – their loyalty, devotion, and love – to anyone and anything that wasn't Him. This wasn't just a scattered pursuit, but a deliberate spreading of their affections to illegitimate objects.
This verse is part of God's passionate plea for Israel to return to Him after deep spiritual adultery. Just before this, God describes Israel's unfaithfulness as a harlot who has run after many lovers (idols and foreign nations), scattering her affections everywhere. Jeremiah is calling for a radical honesty, a full confession of their sin before God can begin to heal their broken relationship.
This verse is part of God's passionate plea for Israel to return to Him after deep spiritual adultery. Just before this, God describes Israel's unfaithfulness as a harlot who has run after many lovers (idols and foreign nations), scattering her affections everywhere. Jeremiah is calling for a radical honesty, a full confession of their sin before God can begin to heal their broken relationship.
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What happens when God speaks, but His people refuse to listen? This verse cuts to the heart of their disobedience.
The verse concludes with a stark declaration: 'and that you have not obeyed my voice, declares the LORD.' This highlights the willful ignorance and rebellion at the core of Israel's sin.
Following a revolt, Nebuchadnezzar deports more of Judah's population and leadership, including the prophet Ezekiel, to Babylon. This intensifies the crisis and the prophetic warnings.
586 BC
Destruction of Jerusalem and Temple
The Babylonians under Nebuchadnezzar destroy Jerusalem and its Temple, ending Judah's sovereignty and ushering in the Babylonian exile for the majority of the population.
c. 586 BC— this verse
Jeremiah's Call for Confession
In the context of impending or ongoing exile, Jeremiah calls the people to acknowledge their deep-seated rebellion against God and their straying after foreign gods and practices. This confession is presented as the essential first step toward repentance and potential restoration.
"Only acknowledge your guilt, that you rebelled against the LORD your God and scattered your favors among foreigners under every green tree, and that you have not obeyed my voice,…" — The phrase "scattered your favors among foreigners" isn't just about idolatry, but about giving away what belonged only to God – their loyalty, devotion, and love – to anyone and anything that wasn't…
