Jeremiah 44:19 "Moreover," said the women, "when we burned incense to the Queen of Heaven and poured out drink offerings to her, was it without our husbands' knowledge that we made sacrificial cakes in her image and poured out drink offerings to her?"

Bible > Jeremiah > Chapter 44 > Verse 19

◄ Jeremiah 44:19 ►

New International Version
The women added, “When we burned incense to the Queen of Heaven and poured out drink offerings to her, did not our husbands know that we were making cakes impressed with her image and pouring out drink offerings to her?”

New Living Translation
“Besides,” the women added, “do you suppose that we were burning incense and pouring out liquid offerings to the Queen of Heaven, and making cakes marked with her image, without our husbands knowing it and helping us? Of course not!”

English Standard Version
And the women said, “When we made offerings to the queen of heaven and poured out drink offerings to her, was it without our husbands’ approval that we made cakes for her bearing her image and poured out drink offerings to her?”

Berean Standard Bible
“Moreover,” said the women, “when we burned incense to the Queen of Heaven and poured out drink offerings to her, was it without our husbands’ knowledge that we made sacrificial cakes in her image and poured out drink offerings to her?”

King James Bible
And when we burned incense to the queen of heaven, and poured out drink offerings unto her, did we make her cakes to worship her, and pour out drink offerings unto her, without our men?

New King James Version
The women also said, “And when we burned incense to the queen of heaven and poured out drink offerings to her, did we make cakes for her, to worship her, and pour out drink offerings to her without our husbands’ permission?”

New American Standard Bible
“And,” said the women, “when we were burning sacrifices to the queen of heaven and pouring out drink offerings to her, was it without our husbands that we made for her sacrificial cakes in her image, and poured out drink offerings to her?”

NASB 1995
“And,” said the women, “when we were burning sacrifices to the queen of heaven and were pouring out drink offerings to her, was it without our husbands that we made for her sacrificial cakes in her image and poured out drink offerings to her?”

NASB 1977
“And,” said the women, “when we were burning sacrifices to the queen of heaven, and were pouring out libations to her, was it without our husbands that we made for her sacrificial cakes in her image and poured out libations to her?”

Legacy Standard Bible
“And,” said the women, “when we were burning incense to the queen of heaven and were pouring out drink offerings to her, was it without our husbands that we made for her sacrificial cakes in her image and poured out drink offerings to her?”

Amplified Bible
And said the wives, “When we were burning sacrifices to the queen of heaven and were pouring out drink offerings to her, was it without [the knowledge and approval of] our husbands that we made cakes [in the shape of a star] to represent her and pour out drink offerings to her?”

Christian Standard Bible
And the women said, “When we burned incense to the queen of heaven and poured out drink offerings to her, was it apart from our husbands’ knowledge that we made sacrificial cakes in her image and poured out drink offerings to her? ”

Holman Christian Standard Bible
And the women said, “When we burned incense to the queen of heaven and poured out drink offerings to her, was it apart from our husbands’ knowledge that we made sacrificial cakes in her image and poured out drink offerings to her?”

American Standard Version
And when we burned incense to the queen of heaven, and poured out drink-offerings unto her, did we make her cakes to worship her, and pour out drink-offerings unto her, without our husbands?

Contemporary English Version
Then the women said, "When we lived in Judah, we worshiped the Queen of Heaven and offered sacrifices of wine and special loaves of bread shaped like her. Our husbands knew what we were doing, and they approved of it."

English Revised Version
And when we burned incense to the queen of heaven, and poured out drink offerings unto her, did we make her cakes to worship her, and pour out drink offerings unto her, without our husbands?

GOD'S WORD® Translation
The women added, "When we burned incense to the queen of heaven, poured out wine offerings to her, and made cakes for her with her image on them, do you think our husbands didn't approve?"

Good News Translation
And the women added, "When we baked cakes shaped like the Queen of Heaven, offered sacrifices to her, and poured out wine offerings to her, our husbands approved of what we were doing."

International Standard Version
Indeed, we are going to continue offering sacrifices to the Queen of Heaven and pouring out liquid offerings to her. And do you think we have made cakes to represent her or poured out liquid offerings for her without our husbands' approval?"

Majority Standard Bible
?Moreover,? said the women, ?when we burned incense to the Queen of Heaven and poured out drink offerings to her, was it without our husbands? knowledge that we made sacrificial cakes in her image and poured out drink offerings to her??

NET Bible
The women added, "We did indeed sacrifice and pour out drink offerings to the Queen of Heaven. But it was with the full knowledge and approval of our husbands that we made cakes in her image and poured out drink offerings to her."

New Heart English Bible
And the women said, "When we burned incense to the queen of heaven, and poured out drink offerings to her, did we make her cakes to worship her, and pour out drink offerings to her, without our husbands?"

Webster's Bible Translation
And when we burned incense to the queen of heaven, and poured out drink-offerings to her, did we make for her cakes to worship her, and pour out drink-offerings to her, without our men?

World English Bible
The women said, “When we burned incense to the queen of the sky and poured out drink offerings to her, did we make her cakes to worship her, and pour out drink offerings to her, without our husbands?”

Literal Translations

Literal Standard Version
and when we are making incense to the queen of the heavens, and pouring out drink-offerings to her—have we made cakes for her to idolize her, and to pour out drink-offerings to her, without our husbands?”

Young's Literal Translation
and when we are making perfume to the queen of the heavens, and pouring out to her libations -- without our husbands have we made for her cakes to idolize her, and to pour out to her libations?'

Smith's Literal Translation
And when we burn incense to the queen of the heavens, and pour out libations to her, did we without our men make cakes to her, to serve her, and pour out libations to her?

Catholic Translations

Douay-Rheims Bible
And if we offer sacrifice to the queen of heaven, and pour out drink offerings to her: did we make cakes to worship her, to pour out drink offerings to her, without our husbands?

Catholic Public Domain Version
But when we offer sacrifice to the queen of heaven and pour out libations to her, do we make cakes for her worship and offer libations to her without our husbands?”

New American Bible
And the women said, “When we offered sacrifices to the Queen of Heaven and poured out libations to her, did we bake cakes in her image and pour out libations to her without our husbands’ consent?”

New Revised Standard Version
And the women said, “Indeed we will go on making offerings to the queen of heaven and pouring out libations to her; do you think that we made cakes for her, marked with her image, and poured out libations to her without our husbands’ being involved?”

Translations from Aramaic

Lamsa Bible
And all the women said, When we burned incense to the queen of heaven and poured out drink offerings to her, it was not without our husbands' consent; nor without their knowledge did we make cakes for her and pour out drink offerings to her.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And all the women answered and they said: “When we were offering up incense to the Queen of Heaven and we were pouring to her a drink offering, it was not without our husbands we were making to her cakes of fine flour and we poured to her a drink offering!”

OT Translations

JPS Tanakh 1917
And is it we that offer to the queen of heaven, and pour out drink-offerings unto her? did we make her cakes in her image, and pour out drink-offerings unto her, without our husbands?'

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And whereas we burned incense to the queen of heaven, and poured drink-offerings to her, did we make cakes to her, and pour drink-offerings to her, without our husbands?

Additional Translations ...

Audio Bible

Context

The Stubbornness of the People
…18But from the time we stopped burning incense to the Queen of Heaven and pouring out drink offerings to her, we have lacked everything and have been perishing by sword and famine.” 19“Moreover,” said the women, “when we burned incense to the Queen of Heaven and poured out drink offerings to her, was it without our husbands’ knowledge that we made sacrificial cakes in her image and poured out drink offerings to her?”

Berean Standard Bible · Download

Cross References

Jeremiah 7:18
The sons gather wood, the fathers light the fire, and the women knead the dough to make cakes for the Queen of Heaven; they pour out drink offerings to other gods to provoke Me to anger.

Ezekiel 8:14
Then He brought me to the entrance of the north gate of the house of the LORD, and I saw women sitting there, weeping for Tammuz.

Isaiah 44:17-19
From the rest he makes a god, his graven image. He bows down to it and worships; he prays to it and says, “Save me, for you are my god.” / They do not comprehend or discern, for He has shut their eyes so they cannot see and closed their minds so they cannot understand. / And no one considers in his heart, no one has the knowledge or insight to say, “I burned half of it in the fire, and I baked bread on its coals; I roasted meat and I ate. Shall I make something detestable with the rest of it? Shall I bow down to a block of wood?”

Hosea 2:8
For she does not acknowledge that it was I who gave her grain, new wine, and oil, who lavished on her silver and gold—which they crafted for Baal.

2 Kings 23:5
Josiah also did away with the idolatrous priests ordained by the kings of Judah to burn incense on the high places of the cities of Judah and in the places all around Jerusalem—those who had burned incense to Baal, to the sun and moon, to the constellations, and to all the host of heaven.

2 Kings 17:16
They abandoned all the commandments of the LORD their God and made for themselves two cast idols of calves and an Asherah pole. They bowed down to all the host of heaven and served Baal.

Deuteronomy 32:16-17
They provoked His jealousy with foreign gods; they enraged Him with abominations. / They sacrificed to demons, not to God, to gods they had not known, to newly arrived gods, which your fathers did not fear.

1 Kings 11:5
Solomon followed Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians and Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites.

1 Kings 11:33
For they have forsaken Me to worship Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, Chemosh the god of the Moabites, and Milcom the god of the Ammonites. They have not walked in My ways, nor done what is right in My eyes, nor kept My statutes and judgments, as Solomon’s father David did.

Judges 2:13
for they forsook Him and served Baal and the Ashtoreths.

Acts 19:27
There is danger not only that our business will fall into disrepute, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will be discredited and her majesty deposed—she who is worshiped by all the province of Asia and the whole world.”

Romans 1:25
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.

1 Corinthians 10:20
No, but the sacrifices of pagans are offered to demons, not to God. And I do not want you to be participants with demons.

Revelation 2:20
But I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess. By her teaching she misleads My servants to be sexually immoral and to eat food sacrificed to idols.

Revelation 17:4-5
The woman was dressed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls. She held in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the impurities of her sexual immorality. / And on her forehead a mysterious name was written: BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF PROSTITUTES AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.

Treasury of Scripture

And when we burned incense to the queen of heaven, and poured out drink offerings to her, did we make her cakes to worship her, and pour out drink offerings to her, without our men?

we burned

Jeremiah 44:15
Then all the men which knew that their wives had burned incense unto other gods, and all the women that stood by, a great multitude, even all the people that dwelt in the land of Egypt, in Pathros, answered Jeremiah, saying,

Jeremiah 7:18
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.

without

Genesis 3:6,11,12,16,17
And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat…

Deuteronomy 7:3,4
Neither shalt thou make marriages with them; thy daughter thou shalt not give unto his son, nor his daughter shalt thou take unto thy son…

1 Kings 21:25
But there was none like unto Ahab, which did sell himself to work wickedness in the sight of the LORD, whom Jezebel his wife stirred up.

men.

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Added Approval Bearing Burned Burning Cakes Draining Drink Drink-Offerings Heaven Husbands Image Incense Making Offer Offerings Perfumes Pour Poured Pouring Queen Sacrifices Sky Women Worship

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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

Berean Study Bible

Moreover, the women added
This phrase introduces the response of the women to Jeremiah's prophetic rebuke. The Hebrew word for "added" (יֹּאמְרוּ, yomru) implies a continuation or an additional statement, suggesting that the women were not only defending their actions but also attempting to justify them. This reflects a deeper cultural and spiritual defiance against the prophetic message, highlighting the entrenched nature of idolatry among the people.

When we burned incense
The act of burning incense was a common practice in ancient Near Eastern religious rituals, symbolizing prayers or offerings rising to the deity. The Hebrew root קָטַר (qatar) means to burn or offer incense. This practice was explicitly forbidden in the worship of Yahweh when directed towards other gods, indicating a direct violation of the covenant relationship between God and Israel.

to the queen of heaven
This title refers to a pagan deity, likely Astarte or Ishtar, worshipped in the ancient Near East. The "queen of heaven" was associated with fertility, love, and war. The worship of this goddess was a syncretistic practice that had infiltrated Israelite religion, representing a significant departure from monotheistic worship. This highlights the spiritual adultery of the people, as they turned from Yahweh to foreign gods.

and poured out drink offerings to her
Drink offerings, or libations, were part of sacrificial rituals, often involving the pouring out of wine or other liquids. The Hebrew word נָסַךְ (nasak) means to pour out or offer. This act was meant to honor the deity and seek favor. In the context of Israel's covenant with God, such offerings to other deities were acts of unfaithfulness and rebellion.

was it without our husbands’ knowledge
This rhetorical question implies complicity and shared responsibility between the women and their husbands. The Hebrew word for "knowledge" (יָדַע, yada) encompasses understanding, awareness, and consent. This suggests that the idolatrous practices were not isolated acts of the women but were part of a broader familial and communal apostasy.

that we made cakes in her image
The making of cakes, likely small sacrificial bread, in the image of the goddess, was a ritualistic act of devotion. The Hebrew word for "cakes" (כַּוָּנִים, kavvanim) indicates a specific type of offering, possibly shaped or marked with symbols of the deity. This practice underscores the tangible and deliberate nature of their idolatry, as they crafted offerings to honor the "queen of heaven."

and poured out drink offerings to her?
The repetition of the act of pouring out drink offerings emphasizes the seriousness and frequency of their idolatrous worship. It serves as a closing statement in their defense, reinforcing their commitment to these practices despite the prophetic warnings. This highlights the depth of their spiritual blindness and the challenge faced by Jeremiah in calling the people back to exclusive worship of Yahweh.

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(19) Without our men.--Better, as in the margin, without our husbands. We have here, it is obvious, the very words of the women who were stung by what they looked on as Jeremiah's intimation that the chief guilt lay on them. They disclaim any special responsibility. Their husbands had joined in the worship, or had, at least, sanctioned it.

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 19. - This part of the reply belongs to the women, who declare that, their husbands' consent having been given to their vow, Jeremiah has no right to interfere (see Numbers 30:6, 7). Burned...poured, etc.; rather, burn, pour. Did we, etc.; rather, do we, etc. To worship her. The sense of the Hebrew is doubtful; but the best reading seems that of Rashi, Graf, and Dr. Payne Smith, "to make her image." Without our men; rather, without our husbands.

Parallel Commentaries ...

Hebrew

“Moreover,” [said the women,] “when
וְכִֽי־ (wə·ḵî-)
Conjunctive waw | Conjunction
Strong's 3588: A relative conjunction

we
אֲנַ֤חְנוּ (’ă·naḥ·nū)
Pronoun - first person common plural
Strong's 587: We

burned incense
מְקַטְּרִים֙ (mə·qaṭ·ṭə·rîm)
Verb - Piel - Participle - masculine plural
Strong's 6999: To smoke, turn into fragrance by fire

to the queen
לִמְלֶ֣כֶת (lim·le·ḵeṯ)
Preposition-l | Noun - feminine singular construct
Strong's 4446: A queen

of heaven
הַשָּׁמַ֔יִם (haš·šā·ma·yim)
Article | Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 8064: Heaven, sky

and poured out
וּלְהַסֵּ֥ךְ (ū·lə·has·sêḵ)
Conjunctive waw, Preposition-l | Verb - Hifil - Infinitive construct
Strong's 5258: To pour out, a libation, to cast, to anoint a, king

drink offerings to her,
נְסָכִ֑ים (nə·sā·ḵîm)
Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 5262: A libation, a cast idol

was it without
הֲמִֽבַּלְעֲדֵ֣י (hă·mib·bal·‘ă·ḏê)
Preposition | Preposition
Strong's 1107: Apart from, except, without

our husbands’ {knowledge}
אֲנָשֵׁ֗ינוּ (’ă·nā·šê·nū)
Noun - masculine plural construct | first person common plural
Strong's 582: Man, mankind

that we made
עָשִׂ֨ינוּ (‘ā·śî·nū)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - first person common plural
Strong's 6213: To do, make

sacrificial cakes
כַּוָּנִים֙ (kaw·wā·nîm)
Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 3561: Something prepared, a sacrificial wafer

in her image
לְהַ֣עֲצִבָ֔ה (lə·ha·‘ă·ṣi·ḇāh)
Preposition-l | Verb - Hifil - Infinitive construct | third person feminine singular
Strong's 6087: To carve, fabricate, fashion, to worry, pain, anger

and poured out
וְהַסֵּ֥ךְ (wə·has·sêḵ)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Infinitive absolute
Strong's 5258: To pour out, a libation, to cast, to anoint a, king

drink offerings to her?”
נְסָכִֽים׃ (nə·sā·ḵîm)
Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 5262: A libation, a cast idol

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OT Prophets: Jeremiah 44:19 When we burned incense to the queen (Jer.)