The Meaning of Jeremiah 44:17 Explained

Jeremiah 44:17

KJV: But we will certainly do whatsoever thing goeth forth out of our own mouth, to burn incense unto the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto her, as we have done, we, and our fathers, our kings, and our princes, in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem: for then had we plenty of victuals, and were well, and saw no evil.

YLT: for we certainly do everything that hath gone out of our mouth, to make perfume to the queen of the heavens, and to pour out to her libations, as we have done, we, and our fathers, our kings, and our heads, in cities of Judah, and in streets of Jerusalem, and -- we are satisfied with bread, and we are well, and evil we have not seen.

Darby: but we will certainly do every word that is gone forth out of our mouth, to burn incense to the queen of the heavens, and to pour out drink-offerings to her, as we have done, we and our fathers, our kings and our princes, in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem; and we had plenty of bread, and were well, and saw no evil.

ASV: But we will certainly perform every word that is gone forth out of our mouth, to burn incense unto the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink-offerings unto her, as we have done, we and our fathers, our kings and our princes, in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem; for then had we plenty of victuals, and were well, and saw no evil.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

But we will certainly  do  whatsoever thing  goeth forth  out of our own mouth,  to burn incense  unto the queen  of heaven,  and to pour out  drink offerings  unto her, as we have done,  we, and our fathers,  our kings,  and our princes,  in the cities  of Judah,  and in the streets  of Jerusalem:  for [then] had we plenty  of victuals,  and were well,  and saw  no evil. 

What does Jeremiah 44:17 Mean?

Study Notes

queen of heaven
See Jeremiah 44:18 ; Jeremiah 44:19 .
Ashtaroth
Ashtaroth, plural of Ashtoreth 1 Kings 11:5 were figures of Ashtoreth the Phoenician goddess (the Astarte of the Greeks), which were worshipped as idols during times of spiritual declension in Israel.; Judges 10:6 ; 1 Samuel 7:3 ; 1 Samuel 7:4 ; 1 Samuel 12:10 ; 1 Samuel 31:10 ; 1 Kings 11:5 ; 1 Kings 11:33 ; 2 Kings 23:13 . Jeremiah refers Jeremiah 44:18 ; Jeremiah 44:19 to Ashtoreth as the "queen of heaven."

Chapter Summary: Jeremiah 44

1  Jeremiah expresses the desolation of Judah for their idolatry
11  He prophesies the destruction of those who commit idolatry in Egypt
15  The obstinacy of the Jews
20  For which Jeremiah threatens them
29  and for a sign prophesies the destruction of Egypt

What do the individual words in Jeremiah 44:17 mean?

But surely we will do - whatever thing whatever has gone out of our own mouth to burn incense to the queen of heaven and pour out to her drink offerings as we have done we and our fathers our kings and our princes in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem for [then] we had plenty of food and were well-off and trouble no saw
כִּ֩י עָשֹׂ֨ה נַעֲשֶׂ֜ה אֶֽת־ כָּל־ הַדָּבָ֣ר ׀ אֲשֶׁר־ יָצָ֣א מִפִּ֗ינוּ לְקַטֵּ֞ר לִמְלֶ֣כֶת הַשָּׁמַיִם֮ וְהַסֵּֽיךְ־ לָ֣הּ נְסָכִים֒ כַּאֲשֶׁ֨ר עָשִׂ֜ינוּ אֲנַ֤חְנוּ וַאֲבֹתֵ֙ינוּ֙ מְלָכֵ֣ינוּ וְשָׂרֵ֔ינוּ בְּעָרֵ֣י יְהוּדָ֔ה וּבְחֻצ֖וֹת יְרוּשָׁלִָ֑ם וַנִּֽשְׂבַּֽע־ לֶ֙חֶם֙ וַנִּֽהְיֶ֣ה טוֹבִ֔ים וְרָעָ֖ה לֹ֥א רָאִֽינוּ

עָשֹׂ֨ה  surely 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Infinitive absolute
Root: עָשָׂה 
Sense: to do, fashion, accomplish, make.
נַעֲשֶׂ֜ה  we  will  do 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, first person common plural
Root: עָשָׂה 
Sense: to do, fashion, accomplish, make.
אֶֽת־  - 
Parse: Direct object marker
Root: אֹות 
Sense: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative.
כָּל־  whatever 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: כֹּל  
Sense: all, the whole.
הַדָּבָ֣ר ׀  thing 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: דָּבָר  
Sense: speech, word, speaking, thing.
אֲשֶׁר־  whatever 
Parse: Pronoun, relative
Root: אֲשֶׁר 
Sense: (relative part.).
יָצָ֣א  has  gone 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: יׄוצֵאת 
Sense: to go out, come out, exit, go forth.
מִפִּ֗ינוּ  out  of  our  own  mouth 
Parse: Preposition-m, Noun, masculine singular construct, first person common plural
Root: פֶּה  
Sense: mouth.
לְקַטֵּ֞ר  to  burn  incense 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Piel, Infinitive construct
Root: מֻקְטָר 
Sense: .
לִמְלֶ֣כֶת  to  the  queen 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: מְלֶכֶת  
Sense: queen.
הַשָּׁמַיִם֮  of  heaven 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine plural
Root: שָׁמַיִם  
Sense: heaven, heavens, sky.
וְהַסֵּֽיךְ־  and  pour  out 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hifil, Infinitive absolute
Root: נָסַךְ 
Sense: to pour out, pour, offer, cast.
לָ֣הּ  to  her 
Parse: Preposition, third person feminine singular
נְסָכִים֒  drink  offerings 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: נֶסֶךְ 
Sense: drink offering, libation, molten image, something poured out.
עָשִׂ֜ינוּ  we  have  done 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, first person common plural
Root: עָשָׂה 
Sense: to do, fashion, accomplish, make.
וַאֲבֹתֵ֙ינוּ֙  and  our  fathers 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine plural construct, first person common plural
Root: אָב  
Sense: father of an individual.
מְלָכֵ֣ינוּ  our  kings 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, first person common plural
Root: מֶלֶךְ 
Sense: king.
וְשָׂרֵ֔ינוּ  and  our  princes 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine plural construct, first person common plural
Root: סָרַר 
Sense: prince, ruler, leader, chief, chieftain, official, captain.
בְּעָרֵ֣י  in  the  cities 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, feminine plural construct
Root: עִיר 
Sense: excitement, anguish.
יְהוּדָ֔ה  of  Judah 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יְהוּדָה  
Sense: the son of Jacob by Leah.
וּבְחֻצ֖וֹת  and  in  the  streets 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition-b, Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: חוּץ  
Sense: outside, outward, street, the outside.
יְרוּשָׁלִָ֑ם  of  Jerusalem 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: יְרוּשָׁלַםִ  
Sense: the chief city of Palestine and capital of the united kingdom and the nation of Judah after the split.
וַנִּֽשְׂבַּֽע־  for  [then]  we  had  plenty 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, first person common plural
Root: שָׂבַע  
Sense: to be satisfied, be sated, be fulfilled, be surfeited.
לֶ֙חֶם֙  of  food 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: לֶחֶם  
Sense: bread, food, grain.
וַנִּֽהְיֶ֣ה  and  were 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, first person common plural
Root: אֶהְיֶה 
Sense: to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out.
טוֹבִ֔ים  well-off 
Parse: Adjective, masculine plural
Root: טָבַב 
Sense: good, pleasant, agreeable.
וְרָעָ֖ה  and  trouble 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Adjective, feminine singular
Root: רַע 
Sense: bad, evil.
לֹ֥א  no 
Parse: Adverb, Negative particle
Root: הֲלֹא 
Sense: not, no.
רָאִֽינוּ  saw 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, first person common plural
Root: רָאָה 
Sense: to see, look at, inspect, perceive, consider.