The Meaning of Jeremiah 7:18 Explained

Jeremiah 7:18

KJV: The children gather wood, and the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead their dough, to make cakes to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto other gods, that they may provoke me to anger.

YLT: The sons are gathering wood, And the fathers are causing the fire to burn, And the women are kneading dough, To make cakes to the queen of the heavens, And to pour out libations to other gods, So as to provoke Me to anger.

Darby: The children gather wood, and the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead dough, to make cakes to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink-offerings unto other gods, that they may provoke me to anger.

ASV: The children gather wood, and the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead the dough, to make cakes to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink-offerings unto other gods, that they may provoke me to anger.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

The children  gather  wood,  and the fathers  kindle  the fire,  and the women  knead  [their] dough,  to make  cakes  to the queen  of heaven,  and to pour out  drink offerings  unto other  gods,  that they may provoke me to anger. 

What does Jeremiah 7:18 Mean?

Verse Meaning

Whole families were involved in making offering cakes for the Queen of Heaven, a deity mentioned only by Jeremiah. They also poured out drink offerings to other gods to hurt, humiliate, and annoy the Lord.
The "Queen of Heaven" was most likely a title of the Assyrian-Babylonian goddess Astarte (or Ishtar; cf. Jeremiah 44:17), though some scholars believe the name applied to several pagan goddesses. [1] Worship of the Queen of Heaven had been popular in Judah during the reign of Manasseh ( 2 Kings 21; 2 Kings 23:4-14), though it began earlier in Israel"s history ( Amos 5:26). This "queen" was an astral deity that appealed particularly to women (cf. Jeremiah 19:13; Jeremiah 32:29; Zephaniah 1:5). Her worship involved offering cakes made in the shape of the deity or the moon, or stamped with her image, and drink offerings (cf. Jeremiah 44:19). Other symbols of this goddess were the planet Venus, a moon, and a star. This cult had evidently survived Josiah"s reforms, probably because people could worship Astarte in their homes. [2] Worship of the Queen of Heaven and all other idols constituted a rejection of Yahweh"s sole sovereignty as Lord of Israel"s covenant.

Chapter Summary: Jeremiah 7

1  Jeremiah is sent to call to true repentance, to prevent the Jews' captivity
8  He rejects their vain confidence,
12  by the example of Shiloh
17  He threatens them for their idolatry
21  He rejects the sacrifices of the disobedient
29  He exhorts to mourn for their abominations in Tophet;
32  and the judgments for the same

What do the individual words in Jeremiah 7:18 mean?

the sons gather wood and the fathers kindle - the fire and the women knead dough to make cakes for queen of the heaven and [they] pour out drink offerings to gods other that they may provoke Me to anger
הַבָּנִ֞ים מְלַקְּטִ֣ים עֵצִ֗ים וְהָֽאָבוֹת֙ מְבַעֲרִ֣ים אֶת־ הָאֵ֔שׁ וְהַנָּשִׁ֖ים לָשׁ֣וֹת בָּצֵ֑ק לַעֲשׂ֨וֹת כַּוָּנִ֜ים לִמְלֶ֣כֶת הַשָּׁמַ֗יִם וְהַסֵּ֤ךְ נְסָכִים֙ לֵאלֹהִ֣ים אֲחֵרִ֔ים לְמַ֖עַן הַכְעִסֵֽנִי

הַבָּנִ֞ים  the  sons 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine plural
Root: בֵּן 
Sense: son, grandson, child, member of a group.
מְלַקְּטִ֣ים  gather 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Participle, masculine plural
Root: לָקַט  
Sense: to pick up, gather, glean, gather up.
עֵצִ֗ים  wood 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: עֵץ  
Sense: tree, wood, timber, stock, plank, stalk, stick, gallows.
וְהָֽאָבוֹת֙  and  the  fathers 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Article, Noun, masculine plural
Root: אָב  
Sense: father of an individual.
מְבַעֲרִ֣ים  kindle 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Participle, masculine plural
Root: בָּעַר 
Sense: to burn, consume, kindle, be kindled.
אֶת־  - 
Parse: Direct object marker
Root: אֹות 
Sense: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative.
הָאֵ֔שׁ  the  fire 
Parse: Article, Noun, common singular
Root: אֵשׁ  
Sense: fire.
וְהַנָּשִׁ֖ים  and  the  women 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Article, Noun, feminine plural
Root: אִשָּׁה  
Sense: woman, wife, female.
לָשׁ֣וֹת  knead 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, feminine plural
Root: לוּשׁ  
Sense: (Qal) to knead (dough).
בָּצֵ֑ק  dough 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: בָּצֵק  
Sense: dough (unleavened).
לַעֲשׂ֨וֹת  to  make 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct
Root: עָשָׂה 
Sense: to do, fashion, accomplish, make.
כַּוָּנִ֜ים  cakes 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: כַּוָּן  
Sense: cake, sacrificial cake.
לִמְלֶ֣כֶת  for  queen 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: מְלֶכֶת  
Sense: queen.
הַשָּׁמַ֗יִם  of  the  heaven 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine plural
Root: שָׁמַיִם  
Sense: heaven, heavens, sky.
וְהַסֵּ֤ךְ  and  [they]  pour  out 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hifil, Infinitive absolute
Root: נָסַךְ 
Sense: to pour out, pour, offer, cast.
נְסָכִים֙  drink  offerings 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: נֶסֶךְ 
Sense: drink offering, libation, molten image, something poured out.
לֵאלֹהִ֣ים  to  gods 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, masculine plural
Root: אֱלֹהִים  
Sense: (plural).
אֲחֵרִ֔ים  other 
Parse: Adjective, masculine plural
Root: אַחֵר  
Sense: another, other, following.
לְמַ֖עַן  that 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: לְמַעַן 
Sense: purpose, intent prep.
הַכְעִסֵֽנִי  they  may  provoke  Me  to  anger 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Infinitive construct, first person common singular
Root: כָּעַס  
Sense: to be angry, be vexed, be indignant, be wroth, be grieved, provoke to anger and wrath.