Jeremiah 5:7-8
“How can I pardon you? Your children have forsaken me and have sworn by those who are no gods. When I fed them to the full, they committed adultery and trooped to the houses of whores. They were well-fed, lusty stallions, each neighing for his neighbor’s wife.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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The verse highlights a crucial, easily missed point: God's question, "How can I pardon you?" isn't just rhetorical; it reveals that their sin isn't just breaking rules, but actively desecrating His role as sustainer. By turning to false gods after He fed them to the full, they were not only betraying Him but also mocking His provision, making forgiveness an impossibility without first confronting this profound disrespect.
God questions how He can show mercy to His people because they’ve abandoned Him, pledging allegiance to false gods. Despite His abundant provision for them, they’ve indulged in adultery and flocked to places of sexual immorality, reflecting a deep betrayal of their covenant relationship with Him. This unfaithfulness, both spiritual and literal, sets the stage for God’s impending judgment.
Imagine God looking at you, not with anger, but with a deep, weary question: 'How can I possibly overlook this?' Jeremiah 5:7 starts with this profound challenge.
This isn't just a rhetorical question; it’s God appealing to our own sense of justice. He’s asking, 'Given the depth of your betrayal, is there any logical or righteous reason for me to simply let this slide?'
The Core of the Offense:
God’s question highlights that forgiveness isn't automatic, especially when blessings are met with rebellion. It’s a stark reminder that our response to God’s goodness matters.
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There's a disturbing pattern in Jeremiah 5:7: God’s people were fed to the full, and what happened next? They plunged into adultery and debauchery.
This verse exposes a dangerous spiritual condition where abundance breeds corruption, not devotion. It’s the opposite of what should happen.
The Corrupting Influence of Unchecked Blessing:
This teaches us that comfort and plenty can be a spiritual minefield if not handled with intentional gratitude and dependence on God.
The final image in Jeremiah 5:7 is shocking: people 'trooping' to houses of ill repute. What does this unrestrained behavior reveal?
This phrase paints a picture of brazen, unashamed sin. It wasn't hidden away; it was a public, almost organized, display of rebellion.
The Nature of Their Sin:
This calls us to examine our own lives. Are there ways we publicly or privately normalize or indulge in sin, losing the sense of sacredness that God deserves?
Understand the original words
salach · Hebrew Verb
To forgive, remit, or overlook an offense; in a covenantal context, it refers to God's act of grace in setting aside the penalty due to a sinner.
‘azab · Hebrew Verb
To abandon, leave, or desert a person, place, or commitment; in theology, it describes the act of walking away from a relationship with God or His commands.
lo’ ’elohim · Hebrew Noun phrase
Idols or false deities; the term highlights the ontological emptiness and lack of divinity in objects worshipped by humans in place of the living God.
na’aph · Hebrew Verb
A term used both physically and metaphorically for sexual unfaithfulness; spiritually, it describes the act of worshiping other gods, which violates the covenantal union between God and His people.
Jeremiah's prophecy in chapter 5 comes to fruition as the nation faces judgment. The sins described—forsaking God, idolatry, adultery (both literal and spiritual), and brazen immorality—are the direct causes for the exiles' suffering and Jerusalem's destruction.
c. 640–609 BC
Reign of Josiah and religious reforms
King Josiah institutes sweeping religious reforms, attempting to centralize worship in Jerusalem and eradicate idolatry. This period saw a renewed, though ultimately superficial, commitment to God's law for many.
605 BC
First Babylonian deportation
Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon conquers Judah and carries off many prominent citizens, including young men who would later be known as Daniel and his companions, to Babylon.
c. 597 BC
Second Babylonian deportation
Another wave of deportations to Babylon occurs, including King Jehoiachin and many skilled workers. This event further destabilizes Judah and intensifies the prophetic warnings.
c. 586 BC— this verse
Fall of Jerusalem and Third Deportation
Nebuchadnezzar utterly destroys Jerusalem and its Temple, exiling the remaining population to Babylon. This is the ultimate judgment for Judah's persistent unfaithfulness.
This passage echoes Jeremiah 5:7 by describing people who 'say to a piece of wood, ‘You are my father,’ and to a stone, ‘You are my mother,’' showing the same forsaking of God for lifeless idols.
Ezekiel 16:20-22This passage uses the metaphor of adultery to describe Israel's unfaithfulness to God, paralleling Jeremiah 5:7's depiction of spiritual unfaithfulness through the lens of sexual sin.
Hosea 2:5Hosea speaks of unfaithfulness in the context of prosperity, 'For she said, “I will go after my lovers, who give me my bread and my water, my wool and my flax, my oil, and my drink,”' mirroring Jeremiah 5:7's theme of abundance leading to sin.
Romans 1:21-23Paul describes a similar spiritual decay where people, 'though they knew God, did not honor him as God or give thanks, but became futile in their thinking... and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man,' which resonates with the idolatry and forsaking of God mentioned in Jeremiah 5:7.
Deuteronomy 32:15This passage warns against the dangers of prosperity, stating 'But Jeshurun grew fat and kicked — like a well-fed, vigorous, beefy heifer! — then he turned his back on God, his Maker, and sneered at the Rock of his salvation,' reflecting the idea in Jeremiah 5:7 that abundance can lead to rebellion against God.
pooleJeremiah 5:7: "How shall I pardon thee for this? thy children have forsaken me, and sworn by them that are no gods: when I had fed them to the full, they then committed adultery, and assembled themselves by troops in the harlots' houses."
How shall I pardon? how canst thou expect that I shall bear such affronts? I shall expose myself, and seem to lay aside my power; I shall be looked upon as one that either regard not such injuries, or cannot avenge them, as Jeremiah 5:9 . Thy children; thy inh…
pulpitJeremiah 5:7: "How shall I pardon thee for this? thy children have forsaken me, and sworn by them that are no gods: when I had fed them to the full, they then committed adultery, and assembled themselves by troops in the harlots' houses."
Verse 7. - How... for this? rather, Why should I pardon thee? Thy children; i.e. (since "the daughter of Zion" is equivalent to Zion regarded as an ideal entity) the members of the Jewish people (comp. Leviticus 19:18, "the children of thy people"). When I had…
The verse highlights a crucial, easily missed point: God's question, "How can I pardon you?" isn't just rhetorical; it reveals that their sin isn't just breaking rules, but actively desecrating His role as sustainer. By turning to false gods after He fed them to the full, they were not only betraying Him but also mocking His provision, making forgiveness an impossibility without first confronting this profound disrespect.
God questions how He can show mercy to His people because they’ve abandoned Him, pledging allegiance to false gods. Despite His abundant provision for them, they’ve indulged in adultery and flocked to places of sexual immorality, reflecting a deep betrayal of their covenant relationship with Him. This unfaithfulness, both spiritual and literal, sets the stage for God’s impending judgment.
God questions how He can show mercy to His people because they’ve abandoned Him, pledging allegiance to false gods. Despite His abundant provision for them, they’ve indulged in adultery and flocked to places of sexual immorality, reflecting a deep betrayal of their covenant relationship with Him. This unfaithfulness, both spiritual and literal, sets the stage for God’s impending judgment.
"“How can I pardon you? Your children have forsaken me and have sworn by those who are no gods. When I fed them to the full, they committed adultery and trooped to the houses of whores. They were well-fed…" — The verse highlights a crucial, easily missed point: God's question, "How can I pardon you?" isn't just rhetorical; it reveals that their sin isn't just breaking rules, but actively desecrating His r…
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