Jeremiah 3:2
New International Version
“Look up to the barren heights and see. Is there any place where you have not been ravished? By the roadside you sat waiting for lovers, sat like a nomad in the desert. You have defiled the land with your prostitution and wickedness.

New Living Translation
“Look at the shrines on every hilltop. Is there any place you have not been defiled by your adultery with other gods? You sit like a prostitute beside the road waiting for a customer. You sit alone like a nomad in the desert. You have polluted the land with your prostitution and your wickedness.

English Standard Version
Lift up your eyes to the bare heights, and see! Where have you not been ravished? By the waysides you have sat awaiting lovers like an Arab in the wilderness. You have polluted the land with your vile whoredom.

Berean Standard Bible
“Lift up your eyes to the barren heights and see. Is there any place where you have not been violated? You sat beside the highways waiting for your lovers, like a nomad in the desert. You have defiled the land with your prostitution and wickedness.

King James Bible
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.

New King James Version
“Lift up your eyes to the desolate heights and see: Where have you not 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.

New American Standard Bible
“Raise your eyes to the bare heights and see; Where have you not been violated? You have sat for them by the roads Like an Arab in the desert, And you have defiled a land With your prostitution and your wickedness.

NASB 1995
“Lift up your eyes to the bare heights and see; Where have you not been violated? By the roads you have sat for them Like an Arab in the desert, And you have polluted a land With your harlotry and with your wickedness.

NASB 1977
“Lift up your eyes to the bare heights and see; Where have you not been violated? By the roads you have sat for them Like an Arab in the desert, And you have polluted a land With your harlotry and with your wickedness.

Legacy Standard Bible
“Lift up your eyes to the bare heights and see; Where have you not been ravished? By the roads you have sat for them Like an Arab in the wilderness, And you have polluted a land With your harlotry and with your evil.

Amplified Bible
“Lift up your eyes to the barren heights and see; Where have you not been violated? You sat by the road waiting [eagerly] for them [those man-made gods] Like an Arab [tribesman who waits to attack] in the desert, And you have desecrated the land With your [vile] prostitution and your wickedness (disobedience to God).

Christian Standard Bible
Look to the barren heights and see. Where have you not been immoral? You sat waiting for them beside the highways like a nomad in the desert. You have defiled the land with your prostitution and wickedness.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Look to the barren heights and see. Where have you not been immoral? You sat waiting for them beside the highways like a nomad in the desert. You have defiled the land with your prostitution and wickedness.

American Standard Version
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.

Contemporary English Version
Just try to find one hilltop where you haven't gone to worship other gods by having sex. You sat beside the road like a robber in ambush, except you offered yourself to every passerby. Your sins of unfaithfulness have polluted the land.

English Revised Version
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.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
"Look at the bare hills, and see. You have had sex with men in every place. You sat by the roadside waiting for them like a nomad in the desert. You have polluted the land with your prostitution and wickedness.

Good News Translation
Look up at the hilltops. Is there any place where you have not acted like a prostitute? You waited for lovers along the roadside, as an Arab waits for victims in the desert. You have defiled the land with your prostitution.

International Standard Version
"Look up to the barren heights and see. Is there any place where you have not been ravished? You have sat beside the road, waiting for them like a nomad in the desert. And you have polluted the land with your fornication and your wickedness.

Majority Standard Bible
?Lift up your eyes to the barren heights and see. Is there any place where you have not been violated? You sat beside the highways waiting for your lovers, like a nomad in the desert. You have defiled the land with your prostitution and wickedness.

NET Bible
"Look up at the hilltops and consider this. You have had sex with other gods on every one of them. You waited for those gods like a thief lying in wait in the desert. You defiled the land by your wicked prostitution to other gods.

New Heart English Bible
"Lift up your eyes to the bare heights, and see. Where have you not been lain with? You have sat for them by the ways, as an Arabian in the wilderness. You have polluted the land with your prostitution and with your wickedness.

Webster's Bible Translation
Lift up thy eyes to the high places, and see where thou hast not been lain with. In the ways hast thou sat for them, as the Arabian in the wilderness; and thou hast polluted the land with thy acts of lewdness, and with thy wickedness.

World English Bible
“Lift up your eyes to the bare heights, and see! Where have you not been lain with? You have sat waiting for them by the road, as an Arabian in the wilderness. You have polluted the land with your prostitution and with your wickedness.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
“Lift your eyes to the high places, and see, "" Where have you not been lain with? You have sat for them on the ways, "" As an Arab in a wilderness, "" And you defile the land, "" By your fornications, and by your wickedness.

Young's Literal Translation
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.

Smith's Literal Translation
Lift up thine eyes upon the naked hills and see where thou wert not lain with. Upon the ways thou didst sit for them as the ravens in the desert; and thou wilt defile the land with thy fornications and with thine evil.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Lift up thy eyes on high: and see where thou hast not prostuted thyself: Thou didst sit in the ways, waiting for them as a robber in the wilderness: and thou hast polluted the land with thy fornications, and with thy wickedness.

Catholic Public Domain Version
Lift your eyes straight up, and see where you did not debase yourself. You were sitting in the roadways, waiting for them, like a robber in the wilderness. And you have polluted the land by your fornications and by your wickedness.

New American Bible
Raise your eyes to the heights, and look, where have men not lain with you? Along the roadways you waited for them like an Arabian in the wilderness. You defiled the land by your wicked prostitution.

New Revised Standard Version
Look up to the bare heights, and see! Where have you not been lain with? By the waysides you have sat waiting for lovers, like a nomad in the wilderness. You have polluted the land with your whoring and wickedness.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Lift up your eyes to the highways, and see if there is a place where you have not defiled yourself. In the roads you have sat waiting for them, like an ostrich in the wilderness; and you have polluted the land with your whoredom.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
Lift up your eyes on the streets and see where you have not defiled yourselves on the streets. You sat on them like a raven in the wilderness, and you defiled the land with your prostitution and with your evil
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Lift up thine eyes unto the high hills, 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 harlotries and with thy wickedness.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
Lift up thine eyes to look straight forward, and see where thou hast not been utterly defiled. Thou hast sat for them by the wayside as a deserted crow, and hast defiled the land with thy fornications and thy wickedness.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Wages of the Harlot
1“If a man divorces his wife and she leaves him to marry another, can he ever return to her? Would not such a land be completely defiled? But you have played the harlot with many lovers—and you would return to Me?” declares the LORD. 2“Lift up your eyes to the barren heights and see. Is there any place where you have not been violated? You sat beside the highways waiting for your lovers, like a nomad in the desert. You have defiled the land with your prostitution and wickedness. 3Therefore the showers have been withheld, and no spring rains have fallen. Yet you have the brazen look of a prostitute; you refuse to be ashamed.…

Cross References
Hosea 4:13
They sacrifice on the mountaintops and burn offerings on the hills, under oak, poplar, and terebinth, because their shade is pleasant. And so your daughters turn to prostitution and your daughters-in-law to adultery.

Ezekiel 16:25
At the head of every street you built your lofty shrines and degraded your beauty. With increasing promiscuity, you spread your legs to all who passed by.

Isaiah 57:7-8
On a high and lofty hill you have made your bed, and there you went up to offer sacrifices. / Behind the door and doorpost you have set up your memorial. Forsaking Me, you uncovered your bed; you climbed up and opened it wide. And you have made a pact with those whose bed you have loved; you have gazed upon their nakedness.

Deuteronomy 12:2
Destroy completely all the places where the nations you are dispossessing have served their gods—atop the high mountains, on the hills, and under every green tree.

2 Kings 17:10
They set up for themselves sacred pillars and Asherah poles on every high hill and under every green tree.

Ezekiel 23:3
and they played in Egypt, prostituting themselves from their youth. Their breasts were fondled there, and their virgin bosoms caressed.

Hosea 2:5
For their mother has played the harlot and has conceived them in disgrace. For she thought, ‘I will go after my lovers, who give me bread and water, wool and linen, oil and drink.’

Isaiah 1:21
See how the faithful city has become a harlot! She once was full of justice; righteousness resided within her, but now only murderers!

Ezekiel 6:13
Then you will know that I am the LORD, when their slain lie among their idols around their altars, on every high hill, on all the mountaintops, and under every green tree and leafy oak—the places where they offered fragrant incense to all their idols.

Hosea 9:1
Do not rejoice, O Israel, with exultation like the nations, for you have played the harlot against your God; you have made love for hire on every threshing floor.

Matthew 5:32
But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, brings adultery upon her. And he who marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

James 4:4
You adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore, whoever chooses to be a friend of the world renders himself an enemy of God.

Revelation 17:1-2
Then one of the seven angels with the seven bowls came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the punishment of the great prostitute, who sits on many waters. / The kings of the earth were immoral with her, and those who dwell on the earth were intoxicated with the wine of her immorality.”

1 Corinthians 6:15-16
Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and unite them with a prostitute? Never! / Or don’t you know that he who unites himself with a prostitute is one with her in body? For it is said, “The two will become one flesh.”

Romans 1:24-25
Therefore God gave them over in the desires of their hearts to impurity for the dishonoring of their bodies with one another. / They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is forever worthy of praise! Amen.


Treasury of Scripture

Lift up your eyes to the high places, and see where you have not been lien with. In the ways have you sat for them, as the Arabian in the wilderness; and you have polluted the land with your prostitutions and with your wickedness.

lift

Jeremiah 2:23
How canst thou say, I am not polluted, I have not gone after Baalim? see thy way in the valley, know what thou hast done: thou art a swift dromedary traversing her ways;

Ezekiel 8:4-6
And, behold, the glory of the God of Israel was there, according to the vision that I saw in the plain…

Luke 16:23
And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.

unto

Jeremiah 2:20
For of old time I have broken thy yoke, and burst thy bands; and thou saidst, I will not transgress; when upon every high hill and under every green tree thou wanderest, playing the harlot.

Deuteronomy 12:2
Ye shall utterly destroy all the places, wherein the nations which ye shall possess served their gods, upon the high mountains, and upon the hills, and under every green tree:

1 Kings 11:3
And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines: and his wives turned away his heart.

in the

Genesis 38:14
And she put her widow's garments off from her, and covered her with a vail, and wrapped herself, and sat in an open place, which is by the way to Timnath; for she saw that Shelah was grown, and she was not given unto him to wife.

Proverbs 7:11
(She is loud and stubborn; her feet abide not in her house:

Proverbs 23:28
She also lieth in wait as for a prey, and increaseth the transgressors among men.

thou hast

Jeremiah 3:1,9
They say, If a man put away his wife, and she go from him, and become another man's, shall he return unto her again? shall not that land be greatly polluted? but thou hast played the harlot with many lovers; yet return again to me, saith the LORD…

Jeremiah 2:7
And I brought you into a plentiful country, to eat the fruit thereof and the goodness thereof; but when ye entered, ye defiled my land, and made mine heritage an abomination.

Jump to Previous
Acts Arab Arabian Awaiting Bare Barren Desert Eyes Harlotries Heights High Hills Hilltops Lewdness Lift Loose Open Places Polluted Prostitution Ravished Roads Roadside Sat Seated Unclean Vile Violated Waiting Waste Ways Wayside Whoredoms Wickedness Wilderness
Jump to Next
Acts Arab Arabian Awaiting Bare Barren Desert Eyes Harlotries Heights High Hills Hilltops Lewdness Lift Loose Open Places Polluted Prostitution Ravished Roads Roadside Sat Seated Unclean Vile Violated Waiting Waste Ways Wayside Whoredoms Wickedness Wilderness
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














Lift up your eyes
This phrase is a call to awareness and reflection. In the Hebrew context, "lift up" (נָשָׂא, nasa) often implies an action of looking beyond the immediate, suggesting a spiritual awakening or realization. The act of lifting one's eyes is symbolic of seeking divine perspective, urging the Israelites to recognize their spiritual state and the consequences of their actions.

to the barren heights
The "barren heights" (שְׁפָיִם, shephayim) refer to the high places where idolatrous worship occurred. These were often elevated locations where altars to foreign gods were erected. Historically, these sites were associated with fertility rites and pagan practices, which were in direct opposition to the worship of Yahweh. The barrenness signifies the spiritual desolation resulting from abandoning God.

and see
The command "see" (רָאָה, ra'ah) is an invitation to perceive and understand the reality of their situation. It is not merely a physical seeing but a deeper, spiritual insight into the consequences of their idolatry. This seeing is meant to lead to repentance and a return to covenant faithfulness.

Where have you not been violated?
This rhetorical question highlights the extent of Israel's unfaithfulness. The term "violated" (חָנַן, chanan) in this context suggests defilement and unfaithfulness, akin to spiritual adultery. It underscores the pervasive nature of their idolatry, indicating that there is no place untouched by their transgressions.

By the roadside
The "roadside" (דֶּרֶךְ, derek) symbolizes the paths of life and choices made by the Israelites. Roads were often places of commerce and travel, but here they represent the spiritual journey and the choices that led them away from God. It suggests a public and shameless display of their infidelity.

you sat waiting for your lovers
This imagery of sitting and waiting (יָשַׁב, yashab) for "lovers" (אָהֵב, ahev) is a metaphor for Israel's pursuit of foreign gods and alliances. It conveys a sense of eagerness and anticipation for what is forbidden, highlighting the betrayal of their covenant relationship with God. The lovers represent the false gods and nations they turned to instead of trusting in Yahweh.

like a nomad in the desert
The comparison to a "nomad" (עֲרָבִי, aravi) in the "desert" (מִדְבָּר, midbar) evokes a sense of wandering and instability. Nomads were often seen as outsiders, living on the fringes of society. This imagery suggests that Israel, in its unfaithfulness, has become like a wanderer, lost and without a true home, forsaking the security and provision found in God.

You have defiled the land
The act of defiling (טָמֵא, tame) the "land" (אֶרֶץ, eretz) speaks to the spiritual and moral corruption that has permeated the nation. The land, a gift from God, was meant to be a place of blessing and holiness. Their idolatry and sin have polluted it, leading to a loss of divine favor and protection.

with your prostitution and wickedness
"Prostitution" (זְנוּת, zenut) and "wickedness" (רָעָה, ra'ah) are strong terms denoting spiritual adultery and moral corruption. Prostitution here is a metaphor for idolatry, indicating unfaithfulness to God. Wickedness encompasses the broader scope of their sinful actions. Together, these terms emphasize the gravity of their rebellion and the urgent need for repentance and restoration.

(2) Lift up thine eyes.--The consciousness of guilt was, however, the only foundation of repentance, and the prophet's work, therefore, in very tenderness, is to paint that guilt in the darkest colours possible. Still keeping to the parable of the faithless wife, he bids Israel, as such, to look to the "high places" that have witnessed her adulteries with those other lords for whom she had forsaken Jehovah. Like the harlots of the east, she had sat by the wayside, as Tamar had done (Genesis 38:14; comp. also Proverbs 7:12; Ezekiel 16:31), not so much courted by her paramours as courting them.

As the Arabian in the wilderness.--The Arabian is chosen as the representative of the lawless predatory tribes of the desert. As they, like the modern Bedouins, lay in ambush, waiting eagerly for their victims, so had the harlot Israel laid wait for her lovers, and so the land had been polluted.

Verse 2. - Lift up thine eyes, etc. No superficial reformation can be called "returning to Jehovah." The prophet, therefore, holds up the mirror to the sinful practices which a sincere repentance must extinguish. The high places; rather, the bare hills (comp. on Jeremiah 2:20). In the ways hast thou sat for them. By the roadside (comp. Genesis 38:14; Proverbs 7:12). As the Arabian in the wilderness. So early was the reputation of the Bedouin already won (comp. Judges 6.). Jerome ad loc. remarks, "Quae gens latrociniis dedita usque hodie incursat terminos Palaestinae."

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
“Lift up
שְׂאִֽי־ (śə·’î-)
Verb - Qal - Imperative - feminine singular
Strong's 5375: To lift, carry, take

your eyes
עֵינַ֨יִךְ (‘ê·na·yiḵ)
Noun - cdc | second person feminine singular
Strong's 5869: An eye, a fountain

to
עַל־ (‘al-)
Preposition
Strong's 5921: Above, over, upon, against

the barren heights
שְׁפָיִ֜ם (šə·p̄ā·yim)
Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 8205: Bareness, a smooth or bare height

and see.
וּרְאִ֗י (ū·rə·’î)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Imperative - feminine singular
Strong's 7200: To see

Is there any place where
אֵיפֹה֙ (’ê·p̄ōh)
Interrogative
Strong's 375: What place?, when?, how?

you have not
לֹ֣א (lō)
Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

been violated?
שֻׁכַּ֔בְתְּ (šuk·kab·bət)
Verb - Pual - Perfect - second person feminine singular
Strong's 7693: To violate, ravish

You sat waiting
יָשַׁ֣בְתְּ (yā·šaḇt)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - second person feminine singular
Strong's 3427: To sit down, to dwell, to remain, to settle, to marry

for [your lovers]
לָהֶ֔ם (lā·hem)
Preposition | third person masculine plural
Strong's Hebrew

beside
עַל־ (‘al-)
Preposition
Strong's 5921: Above, over, upon, against

the highways,
דְּרָכִים֙ (də·rā·ḵîm)
Noun - common plural
Strong's 1870: A road, a course of life, mode of action

like a nomad
כַּעֲרָבִ֖י (ka·‘ă·rā·ḇî)
Preposition-k | Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 6163: Arabian -- inhabitant of Arabia

in the desert.
בַּמִּדְבָּ֑ר (bam·miḏ·bār)
Preposition-b, Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 4057: A pasture, a desert, speech

You have defiled
וַתַּחֲנִ֣יפִי (wat·ta·ḥă·nî·p̄î)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Consecutive imperfect - second person feminine singular
Strong's 2610: To be polluted or profane

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

with your prostitution
בִּזְנוּתַ֖יִךְ (biz·nū·ṯa·yiḵ)
Preposition-b | Noun - feminine plural construct | second person feminine singular
Strong's 2184: Adultery, infidelity, idolatry

and wickedness.
וּבְרָעָתֵֽךְ׃ (ū·ḇə·rā·‘ā·ṯêḵ)
Conjunctive waw, Preposition-b | Noun - feminine singular construct | second person feminine singular
Strong's 7451: Bad, evil


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OT Prophets: Jeremiah 3:2 Lift up your eyes to the bare (Jer.)
Jeremiah 3:1
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