God's answer here highlights a crucial, often overlooked aspect of sin: it's a direct exchange. Their worship of "foreign gods" in their own land, a land God had given them, meant they’d end up serving "foreigners" in a land that wasn't theirs, a chilling and precise mirroring of their choices.
And when your people say, ‘Why has the LORD our God done all these things to us?’ you shall say to them, ‘As you have forsaken me and served foreign gods in your land, so you shall serve foreigners in a land that is not yours.’”
English Standard Version (ESV)
The prophet Jeremiah is confronting the people of Judah about their persistent disobedience and idolatry, even though they've experienced God's faithfulness. This verse directly addresses their likely complaint and bewilderment when disaster strikes: "Why is God doing this to us?" Jeremiah is instructed to respond by explaining that their future enslavement in a foreign land is a direct consequence of their choice to abandon God and worship foreign gods within their own promised land.
When disaster strikes, it's easy to shake our fists at the heavens and ask, 'Why me, God?' But does God owe us an explanation when we haven't listened to Him?
The people of Judah were facing severe judgment, likely exile. Their immediate reaction, as relayed by Jeremiah, is a defiant question: 'Why has the LORD our God done all these things to us?' (v. 19). This isn't a sincere cry for understanding; it's a challenge, a murmur born of stubbornness and a refusal to acknowledge their own culpability. They felt wronged, as if God had no right to punish them. This response highlights a deep-seated spiritual blindness – they couldn't connect their present suffering with their past disobedience. It’s like a patient complaining about side effects without admitting they skipped their prescribed medication.
God's justice isn't arbitrary; it often mirrors our choices back to us. What does it mean for God's judgment to be a 'retribution in kind'?
Jeremiah's response lays bare the core principle of God's justice in this situation: 'As you have forsaken me and served foreign gods in your land, so you shall serve foreigners in a land that is not yours' (v. 19). This is a powerful statement of divine retribution, often called 'lex talionis' or the law of retaliation. God is essentially saying, 'You chose to serve others instead of Me in the place I gave you; therefore, you will serve others in a place that is not yours.' Their spiritual infidelity—worshipping idols in their own holy land—directly corresponds to their future physical servitude among strangers in a foreign land. God’s justice here is not about arbitrary punishment, but about the natural, inescapable consequences of turning away from Him.
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God gave the Israelites a specific land, a place of rest and blessing. What did it mean to defile it with foreign gods, and how did that impact their future?
The verse emphasizes that the Israelites served foreign gods 'in your land' and would, in turn, 'serve foreigners in a land that is not yours.' The land itself is a crucial element here. It wasn't just any territory; it was the Promised Land, a gift from God, a place where His presence was meant to dwell among His people. By bringing foreign gods into their land, they were not only betraying God but also desecrating the sacred space He had consecrated for them. This act of spiritual adultery within God's chosen inheritance made their eventual exile all the more severe. Their punishment, serving strangers in a land not their own, is a direct counterpoint to God's original gracious gift. They treated their inheritance lightly, and thus, they would lose it.
Understand the original words
azab · Hebrew Verb
To abandon, desert, or turn away from someone or something. Biblically, it refers to the spiritual act of covenant-breaking by a people who shift their allegiance from the true God to idols.
el zar · Hebrew Noun Phrase
Deities other than the Creator, which are often described as non-entities or idols. Serving them is a central act of covenant unfaithfulness (idolatry) and a violation of the first commandment.
This verse directly addresses the catastrophic fall of Jerusalem and the subsequent Babylonian exile. It highlights a principle of divine justice: just as the people of Judah turned from worshipping the LORD in their own land to serving foreign gods, they would now serve foreign masters in a foreign land, a direct consequence of their unfaithfulness.
c. 722 BC
Fall of Samaria
The Northern Kingdom of Israel is conquered by the Neo-Assyrian Empire, leading to the exile of many Israelites. This event serves as a stark warning to the Southern Kingdom of Judah about the consequences of disobedience.
605 BC
First Babylonian Deportation
Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylon conquers Judah and begins deporting segments of the population, including some of the royal family and skilled workers, to Babylon. This marks the beginning of the Babylonian threat.
597 BC
Second Babylonian Deportation
Following a revolt, Babylon deports more Judeans, including King Jehoiachin and the prophet Ezekiel, to Babylon. Jerusalem and its temple are significantly plundered.
586 BC— this verse
Fall of Jerusalem and Destruction of Temple
The Babylonians lay siege to Jerusalem, eventually breaching its walls, destroying the city and Solomon's Temple, and exiling the majority of the remaining population to Babylon. This is the context in which Jeremiah delivered his prophecies.
c. 586 BC
Prophecy Delivered
Jeremiah delivers this prophecy, explaining the reasons for Judah's catastrophic fall and exile. The people question God's justice, and Jeremiah responds with this message of divine retribution: their service to foreign gods will result in their servitude to foreign masters in a foreign land.
539 BC
Persian Conquest of Babylon
Cyrus the Great of Persia conquers the Neo-Babylonian Empire. This event eventually leads to the decree allowing the Jewish exiles to return to Jerusalem.
516 BC
Dedication of the Second Temple
A remnant of the Jewish exiles returns to Jerusalem and rebuilds the Temple. This marks a new phase for the Jewish people, though still under foreign rule.
This passage directly echoes Jeremiah's theme of retribution, stating that because Israel did not serve the Lord their God with joy and gladness of heart, they will serve their enemies in hunger, thirst, nakedness, and want of all things. It highlights the principle that forsaking God leads to servitude.
Isaiah 5:13Isaiah uses a similar 'therefore' to connect Israel's ignorance and sin with their exile and suffering, saying 'Therefore my people go into exile for lack of knowledge.' This passage reinforces the idea that a lack of understanding or willful ignorance of God's ways leads to judgment, just as Jeremiah explains their suffering stems from forsaking God.
Hosea 2:13Hosea powerfully illustrates the consequences of unfaithfulness, showing how God will 'punish her for the feast days of the Baals.' This connects to Jeremiah's verse by showing how devotion to foreign gods leads directly to divine punishment and loss of blessing.
Romans 1:21-23Paul describes how, because people 'did not honor him as God or give thanks,' they were given over to futile thinking and idolatry. This New Testament passage parallels Jeremiah's point that turning away from God to worship other things (or 'gods') results in a downward spiral and a loss of true connection.
Ezekiel 20:35-38Ezekiel prophesies that God will bring Israel out from the peoples and gather them from the lands where they were scattered, and then 'enter into judgment with you face to face.' This shows a similar prophetic pattern where God confronts His people about their sins and their eventual exile, leading to a reckoning.
pooleJeremiah 5:19: "And it shall come to pass, when ye shall say, Wherefore doeth the LORD our God all these things unto us? then shalt thou answer them, Like as ye have forsaken me, and served strange gods in your land, so shall ye serve strangers in a land that is not yours."
Wherefore doeth the Lord our God all these things unto us? this speaks either their unparalleled insolency, in a manner challenging God, as if they had not deserved such dealing at his hands, they might have expected better…
pulpitJeremiah 5:19: "And it shall come to pass, when ye shall say, Wherefore doeth the LORD our God all these things unto us? then shalt thou answer them, Like as ye have forsaken me, and served strange gods in your land, so shall ye serve strangers in a land that is not yours."
Verses 19-29. - Judah's own obstinacy and flagrant disobedience are the causes of this sore judgment. Verse 19. - Like as ye have forsaken me, etc. The law of correspondence between sin and punishment pervades Old Testament…
God's answer here highlights a crucial, often overlooked aspect of sin: it's a direct exchange. Their worship of "foreign gods" in their own land, a land God had given them, meant they’d end up serving "foreigners" in a land that wasn't theirs, a chilling and precise mirroring of their choices.
The prophet Jeremiah is confronting the people of Judah about their persistent disobedience and idolatry, even though they've experienced God's faithfulness. This verse directly addresses their likely complaint and bewilderment when disaster strikes: "Why is God doing this to us?" Jeremiah is instructed to respond by explaining that their future enslavement in a foreign land is a direct consequence of their choice to abandon God and worship foreign gods within their own promised land.
The prophet Jeremiah is confronting the people of Judah about their persistent disobedience and idolatry, even though they've experienced God's faithfulness. This verse directly addresses their likely complaint and bewilderment when disaster strikes: "Why is God doing this to us?" Jeremiah is instructed to respond by explaining that their future enslavement in a foreign land is a direct consequence of their choice to abandon God and worship foreign gods within their own promised land.
"And when your people say, ‘Why has the LORD our God done all these things to us?’ you shall say to them, ‘As you have forsaken me and served foreign gods in your land, so you shall serve foreigners in a land that is not yours.’”" — God's answer here highlights a crucial, often overlooked aspect of sin: it's a direct exchange. Their worship of "foreign gods" in their own land, a land God had given them, meant they’d end up ser…
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Last reviewed October 2026
