Jeremiah 3:19
New International Version
“I myself said, “’How gladly would I treat you like my children and give you a pleasant land, the most beautiful inheritance of any nation.’ I thought you would call me ‘Father’ and not turn away from following me.

New Living Translation
“I thought to myself, ‘I would love to treat you as my own children!’ I wanted nothing more than to give you this beautiful land— the finest possession in the world. I looked forward to your calling me ‘Father,’ and I wanted you never to turn from me.

English Standard Version
“‘I said, How I would set you among my sons, and give you a pleasant land, a heritage most beautiful of all nations. And I thought you would call me, My Father, and would not turn from following me.

Berean Standard Bible
Then I said, ‘How I long to make you My sons and give you a desirable land, the most beautiful inheritance of all the nations!’ I thought you would call Me ‘Father’ and never turn away from following Me.

King James Bible
But I said, How shall I put thee among the children, and give thee a pleasant land, a goodly heritage of the hosts of nations? and I said, Thou shalt call me, My father; and shalt not turn away from me.

New King James Version
“But I said: ‘How can I put you among the children And give you a pleasant land, A beautiful heritage of the hosts of nations?’ “And I said: ‘You shall call Me, “My Father,” And not turn away from Me.’

New American Standard Bible
“Then I said, ‘How I would set you among My sons And give you a pleasant land, The most beautiful inheritance of the nations!’ And I said, ‘You shall call Me, My Father, And not turn away from following Me.’

NASB 1995
“Then I said, ‘How I would set you among My sons And give you a pleasant land, The most beautiful inheritance of the nations!’ And I said, ‘You shall call Me, My Father, And not turn away from following Me.’

NASB 1977
“Then I said, ‘How I would set you among My sons, And give you a pleasant land, The most beautiful inheritance of the nations!’ And I said, ‘You shall call Me, My Father, And not turn away from following Me.’

Legacy Standard Bible
“Then I said, ‘How I would set you among My sons And give you a pleasant land, The most beautiful inheritance of the nations!’ And I said, ‘You shall call Me, “My Father,” And not turn away from following Me.’

Amplified Bible
“Then I said, ‘How [gloriously and honorably] I would set you among My children And give you a pleasant land—a wonderful heritage, The most beautiful inheritance of the nations!’ And I said, ‘You shall call Me, My Father And not turn away from following Me.’

Christian Standard Bible
I thought, “How I long to make you my sons and give you a desirable land, the most beautiful inheritance of all the nations.” I thought, “You will call me ‘My Father’ and never turn away from me.”

Holman Christian Standard Bible
I thought: How I long to make you My sons and give you a desirable land, the most beautiful inheritance of all the nations. I thought: You will call Me, my Father, and never turn away from Me.

American Standard Version
But I said, How I will put thee among the children, and give thee a pleasant land, a goodly heritage of the hosts of the nations! and I said, Ye shall call me My Father, and shall not turn away from following me.

Contemporary English Version
I have always wanted to treat you as my children and give you the best land, the most beautiful on earth. I wanted you to call me "Father" and not turn from me.

English Revised Version
But I said, How shall I put thee among the children, and give thee a pleasant land, a goodly heritage of the hosts of the nations? and I said, Ye shall call me My father; and shall not turn away from following me.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
"I wanted to treat you like children and give you a pleasant land, the most beautiful property among the nations. I thought that you would call me Father and wouldn't turn away from me.

Good News Translation
The LORD says, "Israel, I wanted to accept you as my child and give you a delightful land, the most beautiful land in all the world. I wanted you to call me father and never again turn away from me.

International Standard Version
"I said, 'How I wanted to treat you like children, and give you a pleasant land, the most beautiful inheritance of the nations.' I said, 'You will call me, my father, and won't turn back from following me.'

Majority Standard Bible
Then I said, ‘How I long to make you My sons and give you a desirable land, the most beautiful inheritance of all the nations!’ I thought you would call Me ‘Father’ and never turn away from following Me.

NET Bible
"I thought to myself, 'Oh what a joy it would be for me to treat you like a son! What a joy it would be for me to give you a pleasant land, the most beautiful piece of property there is in all the world!' I thought you would call me, 'Father' and would never cease being loyal to me.

New Heart English Bible
"But I said, 'How I would put you among the children, and give you a pleasant land, the most beautiful inheritance of all the nations.' and I said, 'You shall call me "My Father," and shall not turn away from following me.'

Webster's Bible Translation
But I said, How shall I put thee among the children, and give thee a pleasant land, a goodly heritage of the hosts of nations? and I said, Thou shalt call me, My father; and shalt not turn away from me.

World English Bible
“But I said, ‘How I desire to put you among the children, and give you a pleasant land, a goodly heritage of the armies of the nations!’ and I said, ‘You shall call me “My Father”, and shall not turn away from following me.’
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
And I have said, How do I put you among the sons, "" And give a desirable land to you, "" A beautiful inheritance of the hosts of nations, "" And I say, You call Me—My Father, "" And you do not turn back from after Me.

Young's Literal Translation
And I have said, How do I put thee among the sons, And give to thee a desirable land, A beauteous inheritance of the hosts of nations, And I say, My father -- ye do call to Me, And from after Me ye do not turn back.

Smith's Literal Translation
And I said, How shall I place thee among the sons, and I will give to thee a land of desire, an inheritance of glory of the armies of nations? And saying, Ye shall call to me, My father; and ye shall rot turn back from after me.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
But I said: How shall I put thee among the children, and give thee a lovely land, the goodly inheritance of the armies of the Gentiles? And I said: Thou shalt call me father and shalt cease to walk after me.

Catholic Public Domain Version
But I said: How shall I place you among the sons, and distribute to you a desirable land, the preeminent inheritance of the host of the Gentiles? And I said: You will call me Father, and you will not cease to walk after me.

New American Bible
I thought: How I would like to make you my children! So I gave you a pleasant land, the most beautiful heritage among the nations! You would call me, “My Father,” I thought, and you would never turn away from me.

New Revised Standard Version
I thought how I would set you among my children, and give you a pleasant land, the most beautiful heritage of all the nations. And I thought you would call me, My Father, and would not turn from following me.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
And I said, I will consider you as children, and give you a pleasant land, a goodly heritage of the hosts of nations; and I said, You shall call me, My father, and shall not turn away from me.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And I have said: "I shall count you among the children and I shall give to you the chosen land and the inheritance of the hosts of armies of the nations.” And I said: “You shall call me ‘My Father’, and you shall not turn from behind me.”
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
But I said: 'How would I put thee among the sons, And give thee a pleasant land, The goodliest heritage of the nations!' And I said: 'Thou shalt call Me, My father; And shalt not turn away from following Me.'

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And I said, So be it, Lord, for thou saidst I will set thee among children, and will give thee a choice land, the inheritance of the Almighty God of the Gentiles: and I said, Ye shall call me Father; and ye shall not turn away from me.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Invitation to Repentance
18In those days the house of Judah will walk with the house of Israel, and they will come together from the land of the north to the land that I gave to your fathers as an inheritance. 19Then I said, ‘How I long to make you My sons and give you a desirable land, the most beautiful inheritance of all the nations!’ I thought you would call Me ‘Father’ and never turn away from following Me. 20But as a woman may betray her husband, so you have betrayed Me, O house of Israel,” declares the LORD.…

Cross References
Hosea 11:1
When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called My son.

Isaiah 63:16
Yet You are our Father, though Abraham does not know us and Israel does not acknowledge us. You, O LORD, are our Father; our Redeemer from Everlasting is Your name.

Isaiah 64:8
But now, O LORD, You are our Father; we are the clay, and You are the potter; we are all the work of Your hand.

Deuteronomy 32:6
Is this how you repay the LORD, O foolish and senseless people? Is He not your Father and Creator? Has He not made you and established you?

Malachi 1:6
“A son honors his father, and a servant his master. But if I am a father, where is My honor? And if I am a master, where is your fear of Me?” says the LORD of Hosts to you priests who despise My name. “But you ask, ‘How have we despised Your name?’

Psalm 103:13
As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear Him.

Ezekiel 16:8
Then I passed by and saw you, and you were indeed old enough for love. So I spread My cloak over you and covered your nakedness. I pledged Myself to you, entered into a covenant with you, and you became Mine, declares the Lord GOD.

2 Corinthians 6:18
And: “I will be a Father to you, and you will be My sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.”

Romans 8:15
For you did not receive a spirit of slavery that returns you to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption to sonship, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!”

Galatians 4:6
And because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!”

Matthew 6:9
So then, this is how you should pray: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name.

John 1:12
But to all who did receive Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God—

1 John 3:1
Behold what manner of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God. And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know Him.

Ephesians 1:5
He predestined us for adoption as His sons through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of His will,

Hebrews 12:9
Furthermore, we have all had earthly fathers who disciplined us, and we respected them. Should we not much more submit to the Father of our spirits and live?


Treasury of Scripture

But I said, How shall I put you among the children, and give you a pleasant land, a goodly heritage of the hosts of nations? and I said, You shall call me, My father; and shall not turn away from me.

how

Jeremiah 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.

Hosea 11:8
How shall I give thee up, Ephraim? how shall I deliver thee, Israel? how shall I make thee as Admah? how shall I set thee as Zeboim? mine heart is turned within me, my repentings are kindled together.

put thee

Jeremiah 3:4
Wilt thou not from this time cry unto me, My father, thou art the guide of my youth?

Jeremiah 31:9,20
They shall come with weeping, and with supplications will I lead them: I will cause them to walk by the rivers of waters in a straight way, wherein they shall not stumble: for I am a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my firstborn…

John 1:11-13
He came unto his own, and his own received him not…

pleasant land.

Jeremiah 12:10
Many pastors have destroyed my vineyard, they have trodden my portion under foot, they have made my pleasant portion a desolate wilderness.

Psalm 106:24
Yea, they despised the pleasant land, they believed not his word:

Ezekiel 20:6
In the day that I lifted up mine hand unto them, to bring them forth of the land of Egypt into a land that I had espied for them, flowing with milk and honey, which is the glory of all lands:

goodly heritage.

Proverbs 3:35
The wise shall inherit glory: but shame shall be the promotion of fools.

1 Peter 1:3,4
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, …

thou shalt

Jeremiah 3:4
Wilt thou not from this time cry unto me, My father, thou art the guide of my youth?

Isaiah 63:16
Doubtless thou art our father, though Abraham be ignorant of us, and Israel acknowledge us not: thou, O LORD, art our father, our redeemer; thy name is from everlasting.

Isaiah 64:8
But now, O LORD, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand.

shall not

Jeremiah 32:39,40
And I will give them one heart, and one way, that they may fear me for ever, for the good of them, and of their children after them: …

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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














I said
This phrase indicates a direct communication from God, emphasizing His personal involvement and desire for a relationship with His people. In the Hebrew text, the word "אמרתי" (amarti) is used, which is a form of the verb "to say." This highlights the intentional and deliberate nature of God's message, underscoring His proactive role in reaching out to Israel.

How I long
The Hebrew word "אֵיךְ" (eikh) conveys a deep yearning or desire. This expression of longing reveals God's emotional investment in His people. It is not a mere obligation but a heartfelt desire to bless and nurture them. This reflects the depth of God's love and His willingness to go to great lengths to restore His relationship with Israel.

to make you My sons
The concept of sonship is central to the covenant relationship between God and Israel. The Hebrew word "בָּנִים" (banim) signifies not just a legal status but an intimate familial bond. This reflects God's intention to elevate Israel to a position of honor and closeness, akin to that of children to a father, highlighting the personal and relational nature of God's covenant.

and give you a desirable land
The "desirable land" refers to the Promised Land, a central theme in the Old Testament. The Hebrew word "אֶרֶץ חֶמְדָּה" (eretz chemdah) implies a land that is not only physically beautiful but also spiritually significant. This land is a tangible expression of God's promise and blessing, symbolizing abundance, peace, and divine favor.

the most beautiful inheritance of all the nations
This phrase underscores the uniqueness and superiority of the inheritance God offers. The Hebrew word "נַחֲלַת צְבִי" (nachalat tzvi) can be translated as "glorious inheritance," emphasizing its unparalleled value. This inheritance is not just material but also spiritual, representing the fullness of life and blessing found in a relationship with God.

I thought you would call Me ‘Father’
The expectation of calling God "Father" signifies a desired relationship of intimacy and trust. The Hebrew word "אָב" (av) is a term of endearment and respect, indicating a close, personal relationship. This reflects God's hope for Israel to recognize Him as their loving and caring provider, protector, and guide.

and never turn away from following Me
This phrase highlights the ideal of steadfast faithfulness and obedience. The Hebrew word "לֹא תָשׁוּבוּ" (lo tashuvu) means "not turn back" or "not apostatize." It underscores the importance of a continuous, unwavering commitment to God. This call to faithfulness is a recurring theme in the prophetic literature, emphasizing the need for Israel to remain true to their covenant with God.

(19) But I said.--Better, And I said. There is no contrast with what precedes. The speaker is, of course, Jehovah. The How shall I put thee! is an exclamation rather than a question, the utterance of a promise as with an intensity of affirmation. Special stress is laid on the pronoun "I." The words have been rendered by some commentators, following the Targum, How shall I clothe thee with children?

A pleasant land.--Literally, as in the margin, a land of desire, i.e., desirable.

A goodly heritage of the hosts of nations.--More accurately, a heritage of the beauty of beauties (Hebrew for "chief beauty") of the nations. The English version rests on the assumption that the word translated "beauties" is the same as that elsewhere rendered "Sabaoth," or "hosts," which it closely resembles.

And I said.--Not, as in the English, the answer to a question, but the continuance of the same thought. God will treat repentant Israel as His child: He will lead Israel to trust Him as a father. The days of apostasy ("turning away") will then be over. The original Hebrew seems, to judge from the LXX. version, to have had the plural "ye shall call," "ye shall not turn away," the prophet passing from the collective unity to the individuals that composed it.

Verse 19. - The concluding words of the last verse have turned the current of the prophet's thoughts. "Unto your fathers." Yes; how bright the prospect when that ideal of Israel was framed in the Divine counsels! Condescending accommodation to human modes of thought; But I said fails to represent the relation of this verse to the preceding. Render, I indeed had said, and continue, How will I, etc. Put thee among the children. This is a very common rendering, but of doubtful correctness. It assumes that, from the point of view adopted (under Divine guidance) in the prophecies of Jeremiah, the various heathen nations were in the relation of sons to Jehovah. This is most improbable; indeed, even Exodus 4:22 does not really favor the doctrine of the universal fatherhood of God in the fullest sense of the word. Moreover, the pronoun rendered "thee" is in the feminine, indicating that the prophet has still in his mind the picture of Israel as Jehovah's bride. It would surely be an absurd statement that Jehovah would put his bride among the children! Render, therefore, How will I found thee with sons! comparing, for the use of the Hebrew verb, 1 Samuel 2:8, and for that of the preposition, Isaiah 54:11. It is, in fact, the familiar figure by which a family or a nation is likened to a building ("house of Abraham," "of Israel"). Jehovah's purpose had been to make Abraham's seed as the dust of the earth (Genesis 13:16). Instead of that, the restored exiles would be few, and weak in proportion, so that the Jewish Church of the early restoration period is represented as complaining, "We made not the land salvation, neither were inhabitants of the world produced" (Isaiah 26:18). A special Divine promise was needed to surmount this grave difficulty. A goodly... nations; rather, a heritage the most glorious among the nations. So in Ezekiel (Ezekiel 20:6, 15) Palestine is described as "the glory of all lands." The want of irrigation, and the denudation of the land, have no doubt much diminished the natural beauty and fertility of Palestine; but wherever moderate care is bestowed on the soil, how well it rewards it! Thou shalt call me... shalt not turn; rather, thou wilt call me... wilt not turn. It is the continuation of Jehovah's ideal for Israel. In response to his loving gifts, Israel would surely recognize him as her Father, and devote to him all her energies in willing obedience. Father is here used, not in the spiritual and individualizing sense of the New Testament, but in such a sense as a member of a primitive Israelitish family, in which the pairia potestas was fully carried out, could realize. The first instance of the individualizing use of the term is in Ecclus. 23:1-4. (For the Old Testament use, comp. Isaiah 1:2; Isaiah 63:16; Exodus 4:22; Hosea 11:1.)

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Then I
וְאָנֹכִ֣י (wə·’ā·nō·ḵî)
Conjunctive waw | Pronoun - first person common singular
Strong's 595: I

said,
אָמַ֗רְתִּי (’ā·mar·tî)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - first person common singular
Strong's 559: To utter, say

‘How
אֵ֚יךְ (’êḵ)
Interjection
Strong's 349: How?, how!, where

I long to make you
אֲשִׁיתֵ֣ךְ (’ă·šî·ṯêḵ)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - first person common singular | second person feminine singular
Strong's 7896: To put, set

My sons
בַּבָּנִ֔ים (bab·bā·nîm)
Preposition-b, Article | Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 1121: A son

and give
וְאֶתֶּן־ (wə·’et·ten-)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive imperfect - first person common singular
Strong's 5414: To give, put, set

you a desirable
חֶמְדָּ֔ה (ḥem·dāh)
Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 2532: Desire, delight

land,
אֶ֣רֶץ (’e·reṣ)
Noun - feminine singular construct
Strong's 776: Earth, land

the most beautiful
צְבִ֖י (ṣə·ḇî)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 6643: Splendor, a gazelle

inheritance
נַחֲלַ֥ת (na·ḥă·laṯ)
Noun - feminine singular construct
Strong's 5159: Something inherited, occupancy, an heirloom, an estate, patrimony, portion

of all
צִבְא֣וֹת (ṣiḇ·’ō·wṯ)
Noun - masculine plural construct
Strong's 6635: A mass of persons, reg, organized for, war, a campaign

the nations.’
גּוֹיִ֑ם (gō·w·yim)
Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 1471: A foreign nation, a Gentile, a troop of animals, a flight of locusts

I thought
וָאֹמַ֗ר (wā·’ō·mar)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - first person common singular
Strong's 559: To utter, say

you would call Me
תִּקְרְאִי־ (tiq·rə·’î-)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - second person feminine singular
Strong's 7121: To call, proclaim, read

‘Father’
אָבִי֙ (’ā·ḇî)
Noun - masculine singular construct | first person common singular
Strong's 1: Father

and never
לֹ֥א (lō)
Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

turn away
תָשֽׁוּבִי׃ (ṯā·šū·ḇî)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - second person feminine singular
Strong's 7725: To turn back, in, to retreat, again

from following Me.
וּמֵאַחֲרַ֖י (ū·mê·’a·ḥă·ray)
Conjunctive waw, Preposition-m | first person common singular
Strong's 310: The hind or following part


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OT Prophets: Jeremiah 3:19 But I said How I will put (Jer.)
Jeremiah 3:18
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