The Meaning of Jeremiah 3:2 Explained

Jeremiah 3:2

KJV: Lift up thine eyes unto the high places, and see where thou hast not been lien with. In the ways hast thou sat for them, as the Arabian in the wilderness; and thou hast polluted the land with thy whoredoms and with thy wickedness.

YLT: Lift thine eyes to the high places, and see, Where hast thou not been lain with? On the ways thou hast sat for them, As an Arab in a wilderness, And thou defilest the land, By thy fornications, and by thy wickedness.

Darby: Lift up thine eyes unto the heights and see, where hast thou not been lain with? In the ways hast thou sat for them, as an Arab in the wilderness; and thou hast polluted the land with thy fornications and with thy wickedness.

ASV: Lift up thine eyes unto the bare heights, and see; where hast thou not been lain with? By the ways hast thou sat for them, as an Arabian in the wilderness; and thou hast polluted the land with thy whoredoms and with thy wickedness.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Lift up  thine eyes  unto the high places,  and see  where  thou hast not been lien  {08676;07901:08795} with. In the ways  hast thou sat  for them, as the Arabian  in the wilderness;  and thou hast polluted  the land  with thy whoredoms  and with thy wickedness. 

What does Jeremiah 3:2 Mean?

Verse Meaning

Continuing the figure of Judah as a harlot, the Lord urged His people to look around. There was hardly a place they could see where they had not been unfaithful to Him by worshipping idols. They had pursued this evil as avidly as roadside harlots sought lovers (cf. Genesis 38:14-23; Proverbs 7:12-15; Ezekiel 16:25). Arabs of the desert waited along the wilderness routes and eagerly offered wares for sale to anyone who passed by. They also sometimes hid in ambush to rob passing caravans. The similarly eager Israelites had polluted the land spiritually with their wicked harlotry.

Chapter Summary: Jeremiah 3

1  God's great mercy to Judah the polluted land
6  Judah is worse than Israel
12  The promises of the gospel to the penitent
20  Israel reproved, and called by God, makes a solemn confession of their sins

What do the individual words in Jeremiah 3:2 mean?

Lift up your eyes to the desolate heights and see where not - have you lain [with men] by the road you have sat for them Like an Arabian in the wilderness and you have polluted the land with your harlotries and your wickedness
שְׂאִֽי־ עֵינַ֨יִךְ עַל־ שְׁפָיִ֜ם וּרְאִ֗י אֵיפֹה֙ לֹ֣א [שגלת] (שֻׁכַּ֔בְתְּ) עַל־ דְּרָכִים֙ יָשַׁ֣בְתְּ לָהֶ֔ם כַּעֲרָבִ֖י בַּמִּדְבָּ֑ר וַתַּחֲנִ֣יפִי אֶ֔רֶץ בִּזְנוּתַ֖יִךְ וּבְרָעָתֵֽךְ

שְׂאִֽי־  Lift  up 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperative, feminine singular
Root: נָשָׂא  
Sense: to lift, bear up, carry, take.
עֵינַ֨יִךְ  your  eyes 
Parse: Noun, cdc, second person feminine singular
Root: עֹונָה 
Sense: eye.
שְׁפָיִ֜ם  the  desolate  heights 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: שְׁפִי  
Sense: bareness, smooth or bare height, bare place, high places, barren height.
וּרְאִ֗י  and  see 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Imperative, feminine singular
Root: רָאָה 
Sense: to see, look at, inspect, perceive, consider.
אֵיפֹה֙  where 
Parse: Interrogative
Root: אֵיפֹה  
Sense: where?.
[שגלת]  - 
Parse: Verb, QalPass, Perfect, second person feminine singular
(שֻׁכַּ֔בְתְּ)  have  you  lain  [with  men] 
Parse: Verb, Pual, Perfect, second person feminine singular
Root: שָׁגַל  
Sense: to violate, ravish.
דְּרָכִים֙  the  road 
Parse: Noun, common plural
Root: דֶּרֶךְ  
Sense: way, road, distance, journey, manner.
יָשַׁ֣בְתְּ  you  have  sat 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, second person feminine singular
Root: יָשַׁב 
Sense: to dwell, remain, sit, abide.
לָהֶ֔ם  for  them 
Parse: Preposition, third person masculine plural
כַּעֲרָבִ֖י  Like  an  Arabian 
Parse: Preposition-k, Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: עַרְבִי 
Sense: an inhabitant of Arabia.
בַּמִּדְבָּ֑ר  in  the  wilderness 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: מִדְבָּר 
Sense: wilderness.
וַתַּחֲנִ֣יפִי  and  you  have  polluted 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hifil, Consecutive imperfect, second person feminine singular
Root: חָנֵף  
Sense: to be profaned, be defiled, be polluted, be corrupt.
אֶ֔רֶץ  the  land 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular
Root: אֶרֶץ  
Sense: land, earth.
בִּזְנוּתַ֖יִךְ  with  your  harlotries 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, feminine plural construct, second person feminine singular
Root: זְנוּת  
Sense: fornication, harlotry.
וּבְרָעָתֵֽךְ  and  your  wickedness 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition-b, Noun, feminine singular construct, second person feminine singular
Root: רַע 
Sense: bad, evil.