Jeremiah 44:17
But we will do everything that we have vowed, make offerings to the queen of heaven and pour out drink offerings to her, as we did, both we and our fathers, our kings and our officials, in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem. For then we had plenty of food, and prospered, and saw no disaster.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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What's easily missed here is their twisted logic: they believe their past prosperity and lack of immediate disaster prove their idolatry was approved by God. They're not just stubbornly clinging to tradition; they're misinterpreting God's patience as permission and seeing His continued blessings as validation for their rebellion.
In this passage, the Jewish refugees in Egypt, facing dire circumstances, defiantly reject Jeremiah's warnings and God's commands. They declare their unwavering commitment to their vows and the continued worship of the "queen of heaven," an idol they, their ancestors, kings, and officials had long honored. Their justification for this persistent idolatry is a distorted memory of past prosperity, believing that this worship brought them food and safety, thus proving God's approval rather than his impending judgment.
These people aren't just passively ignoring Jeremiah; they're actively doubling down on their chosen path. What does it mean when our own declarations silence God's voice?
The people declare, "But we will certainly do whatever we say!" (Jeremiah 44:17). This isn't about a casual decision; it's about the power of their vows and spoken commitments. They're prioritizing their own pledged worship over God's direct command given through Jeremiah.
This highlights a core issue: the source of authority for our actions. When we elevate our own spoken words, our vows, or even our deeply ingrained traditions above God's revealed Word, we're on dangerous ground. This willful commitment to their own path, even in the face of divine warning, is the very definition of stubbornness and the root of superstition, as Calvin notes. It’s choosing to be our own authority rather than submitting to God’s.
Superstition often begins when we allow our personal will and imagination to dictate how we worship God, rather than adhering strictly to what He has commanded.
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They clung to their worship of the 'queen of heaven,' believing it brought them prosperity. What does this tell us about the deceptive nature of idols?
The people's argument is chillingly simple: 'For then we had plenty of food, and prospered, and saw no disaster' (Jeremiah 44:17). They equate their idolatrous practices—offering incense and drink offerings to the 'queen of heaven'—with their past well-being. This is the seductive lie of idolatry: it promises tangible, earthly benefits.
The 'queen of heaven' was likely a reference to a Canaanite goddess, often associated with the moon or stars, embodying fertility and prosperity. By worshipping her, they felt secure, believing she guaranteed their food and safety.
However, the prophets consistently expose this as a dangerous delusion. This perceived prosperity wasn't a sign of divine approval for their idolatry, but rather God’s patience, allowing them to continue in their sin until judgment. The error here is mistaking God's forbearance for endorsement, or as Barnes puts it, fools attribute their seeming prosperity to God's connivance at their sin.
They cited their fathers, kings, and officials as justification for their actions. How does the weight of tradition blind people to God's truth?
The people didn't just rely on their own will; they appealed to a powerful chain of authority: 'as we did, both we and our fathers, our kings and our officials' (Jeremiah 44:17). This appeal to tradition, custom, and the examples of high-ranking individuals is a common tactic used to justify disobedience to God.
Calvin rightly points out that this is the source of many corruptions in religion – when men elevate the authority of past generations or earthly rulers above God's direct word. The 'fathers' represent established custom, while 'kings and officials' represent political and social power. Both were used to legitimize their idolatry.
This reliance on tradition can create a spiritual blindness, making people deaf to prophetic warnings and resistant to change. They assume that if it was good enough for their ancestors and leaders, it must be right. This is a dangerous fallacy, as seen throughout Scripture, where God often calls His people to break from the past and follow Him alone, even when it means defying established norms.
Understand the original words
neder · Hebrew Noun
A solemn promise, oath, or dedication made to God, often involving a commitment to perform a specific action or abstain from certain behaviors. In a negative context, as seen here, it reflects a hardened commitment to idolatry.
qitter · Hebrew Verb
A ritualized gift presented to a deity to secure favor, appease wrath, or express worship. In biblical history, such offerings were strictly reserved for the worship of YHWH, and offering them to other gods is a direct violation of the first commandment.
meleket hashamayim · Hebrew Noun Phrase
An idolatrous deity, likely associated with the Canaanite Astarte or the Babylonian Ishtar. The worship of this figure was a pervasive syncretistic threat to the pure worship of YHWH in Judah.
nesek · Hebrew Noun
A liquid sacrifice (usually wine) poured out before an altar or idol as an act of worship or propitiation, commonly associated in the Old Testament with false worship practices.
tobah · Hebrew Noun
A state of material abundance and success. In the biblical worldview, true prosperity is defined by obedience to God, whereas the people here incorrectly equate material stability with the favor of false gods.
ra'ah · Hebrew Noun
A calamitous event or severe misfortune, often interpreted in the Old Testament as divine judgment or the consequence of turning away from God's covenant.
This verse captures the defiant and self-deceived response of Jewish refugees in Egypt after the fall of Jerusalem. They clung to their idolatrous practices, particularly the worship of the 'queen of heaven,' believing it brought them prosperity, a dangerous delusion even after experiencing God's judgment through the Babylonian exile.
c. 626 BC - 586 BC
Jeremiah's Ministry in Judah
Jeremiah prophesied during a tumultuous period leading up to and following the Babylonian conquest of Jerusalem.
597 BC
First Babylonian Deportation
King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon deported King Jehoiachin and many of Judah's elite, including the prophet Ezekiel, to Babylon.
589 BC - 586 BC
Siege and Fall of Jerusalem
Babylonian forces besieged Jerusalem, leading to widespread famine and the eventual destruction of the city and its temple.
586 BC
Second Babylonian Deportation
Following Jerusalem's fall, the remaining population, except for a few poor farmers, was exiled to Babylon.
After 586 BC— this verse
Jews Flee to Egypt
A remnant of Jews, defying God's command through Jeremiah, fled to Egypt, taking the prophet with them.
This passage details God's specific commands against making alliances and adopting the religious practices of the surrounding nations, directly contrasting with the Jews' justification for their idolatry in Jeremiah 44:17.
Deuteronomy 8:11-20Here, Moses warns Israel not to forget God when they prosper, attributing their abundance to Him, not to their own efforts or pagan practices. This directly refutes the Jews' faulty logic that their prosperity was due to worshiping the 'queen of heaven'.
1 Kings 18:18Elijah confronts Israel for their spiritual 'limping between two opinions,' worshipping both Baal and Yahweh, much like the people in Jeremiah 44 who clung to their forbidden practices even while nominally in Judah.
Romans 1:21-23This passage describes humanity exchanging the truth of God for a lie and worshiping created things, paralleling the Israelites' worship of the 'queen of heaven' and the 'host of heaven' out of a foolish heart that failed to acknowledge the Creator.
Jeremiah 7:18This earlier passage from Jeremiah also condemns the worship of the 'queen of heaven,' showing that this idolatrous practice was a long-standing and deeply ingrained sin that God had already warned against.
calvinJeremiah 44:17: "But we will certainly do whatsoever thing goeth forth out of our own mouth, to burn incense unto the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto her, as we have done, we, and our fathers, our kings, and our princes, in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem: for then had we plenty of victuals, and were well, and saw no evil."
- But we will certainly do whatsoever thing goeth forth out of our own mouth, to burn incense unto the queen of heaven, and to p…
barnesJeremiah 44:17: "But we will certainly do whatsoever thing goeth forth out of our own mouth, to burn incense unto the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto her, as we have done, we, and our fathers, our kings, and our princes, in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem: for then had we plenty of victuals, and were well, and saw no evil."
Whatsoever thing ... - Or, the whole word (or thing) which hath gone forth out of our mouth; i. e., the vows we have made. They wo…
What's easily missed here is their twisted logic: they believe their past prosperity and lack of immediate disaster prove their idolatry was approved by God. They're not just stubbornly clinging to tradition; they're misinterpreting God's patience as permission and seeing His continued blessings as validation for their rebellion.
In this passage, the Jewish refugees in Egypt, facing dire circumstances, defiantly reject Jeremiah's warnings and God's commands. They declare their unwavering commitment to their vows and the continued worship of the "queen of heaven," an idol they, their ancestors, kings, and officials had long honored. Their justification for this persistent idolatry is a distorted memory of past prosperity, believing that this worship brought them food and safety, thus proving God's approval rather than his impending judgment.
In this passage, the Jewish refugees in Egypt, facing dire circumstances, defiantly reject Jeremiah's warnings and God's commands. They declare their unwavering commitment to their vows and the continued worship of the "queen of heaven," an idol they, their ancestors, kings, and officials had long honored. Their justification for this persistent idolatry is a distorted memory of past prosperity, believing that this worship brought them food and safety, thus proving God's approval rather than his impending judgment.
"But we will do everything that we have vowed, make offerings to the queen of heaven and pour out drink offerings to her, as we did, both we and our fathers, our kings and our officials, in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusale…" — What's easily missed here is their twisted logic: they believe their past prosperity and lack of immediate disaster prove their idolatry was approved by God. They're not just stubbornly clinging to…
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