The Meaning of Jeremiah 3:25 Explained

Jeremiah 3:25

KJV: We lie down in our shame, and our confusion covereth us: for we have sinned against the LORD our God, we and our fathers, from our youth even unto this day, and have not obeyed the voice of the LORD our God.

YLT: We have lain down in our shame, and cover us doth our confusion, For against Jehovah our God we have sinned, We, and our fathers, from our youth even unto this day, Nor have we hearkened to the voice of Jehovah our God!

Darby: We lie down in our shame, and our confusion covereth us; for we have sinned against Jehovah our God, we and our fathers, from our youth even unto this day, and have not hearkened to the voice of Jehovah our God.

ASV: Let us lie down in our shame, and let our confusion cover us; for we have sinned against Jehovah our God, we and our fathers, from our youth even unto this day; and we have not obeyed the voice of Jehovah our God.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

We lie down  in our shame,  and our confusion  covereth  us: for we have sinned  against the LORD  our God,  we and our fathers,  from our youth  even unto this day,  and have not obeyed  the voice  of the LORD  our God. 

What does Jeremiah 3:25 Mean?

Verse Meaning

They now (in that day) will not try to run from their shame (cf. Genesis 3:7; Genesis 3:10). Rather, they willingly let it cover them and will confess their sin against Yahweh their God, sin that had existed throughout their history as a nation. They had disobeyed the Lord"s voice; they had broken His covenant (cf. Jeremiah 3:13).

Context Summary

Jeremiah 3:11-25 - Pleading With Faithless Children
The people of the northern kingdom, to whom this appeal is especially addressed, were more excusable than Judah, because their privileges had been less. God judges us according to our opportunities. How precious the invitation and promise of Jeremiah 3:12! Confession is an essential condition that must be fulfilled by us. See 1 John 1:7. Zion shall yet be the center of a restored Israel, Jeremiah 3:14; Jeremiah 3:18. In Jeremiah 3:21-25 the voices of the people in confession and prayer mingle with Jehovah's encouraging their return. When we lie down in broken-hearted shame and penitence, we are very near to being lifted to the bosom of God. Compare Jeremiah 3:25 with Jeremiah 4:1. The return of the Chosen People to the God of their fathers will be the cause of revival and quickening throughout the earth. Compare Jeremiah 4:2 with Romans 11:12. [source]

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 3:25 mean?

We lie down in our shame and covers us our reproach for against Yahweh our God we have sinned we and our fathers from our youth and even to day this and not have obeyed the voice of Yahweh our God -
נִשְׁכְּבָ֣ה בְּבָשְׁתֵּ֗נוּ וּֽתְכַסֵּנוּ֮ כְּלִמָּתֵנוּ֒ כִּי֩ לַיהוָ֨ה אֱלֹהֵ֜ינוּ חָטָ֗אנוּ אֲנַ֙חְנוּ֙ וַאֲבוֹתֵ֔ינוּ מִנְּעוּרֵ֖ינוּ וְעַד־ הַיּ֣וֹם הַזֶּ֑ה וְלֹ֣א שָׁמַ֔עְנוּ בְּק֖וֹל יְהֹוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ ס

נִשְׁכְּבָ֣ה  We  lie  down 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect Cohortative, first person common plural
Root: שָׁכַב  
Sense: to lie down.
בְּבָשְׁתֵּ֗נוּ  in  our  shame 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, feminine singular construct, first person common plural
Root: בֹּשֶׁת  
Sense: shame.
וּֽתְכַסֵּנוּ֮  and  covers  us 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Piel, Conjunctive imperfect, third person feminine singular, first person common plural
Root: כָּסָה  
Sense: to cover, conceal, hide.
כְּלִמָּתֵנוּ֒  our  reproach 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct, first person common plural
Root: כְּלִמָּה  
Sense: disgrace, reproach, shame, confusion, dishonour, insult, ignominy.
לַיהוָ֨ה  against  Yahweh 
Parse: Preposition-l, Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
אֱלֹהֵ֜ינוּ  our  God 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, first person common plural
Root: אֱלֹהִים  
Sense: (plural).
חָטָ֗אנוּ  we  have  sinned 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, first person common plural
Root: חָטָא 
Sense: to sin, miss, miss the way, go wrong, incur guilt, forfeit, purify from uncleanness.
וַאֲבוֹתֵ֔ינוּ  and  our  fathers 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine plural construct, first person common plural
Root: אָב  
Sense: father of an individual.
מִנְּעוּרֵ֖ינוּ  from  our  youth 
Parse: Preposition-m, Noun, masculine plural construct, first person common plural
Root: נְעוּרִים 
Sense: youth, early life.
וְעַד־  and  even  to 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition
Root: עַד  
Sense: as far as, even to, until, up to, while, as far as.
הַיּ֣וֹם  day 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: יׄום 
Sense: day, time, year.
הַזֶּ֑ה  this 
Parse: Article, Pronoun, masculine singular
Root: זֶה  
Sense: this, this one, here, which, this … that, the one … the other, another, such.
וְלֹ֣א  and  not 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Adverb, Negative particle
Root: הֲלֹא 
Sense: not, no.
שָׁמַ֔עְנוּ  have  obeyed 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, first person common plural
Root: שָׁמַע 
Sense: to hear, listen to, obey.
בְּק֖וֹל  the  voice 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: קֹול 
Sense: voice, sound, noise.
יְהֹוָ֥ה  of  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ  our  God 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, first person common plural
Root: אֱלֹהִים  
Sense: (plural).
ס  - 
Parse: Punctuation