What is the meaning of Jeremiah 3:23? Surely deception comes from the hills • In Jeremiah’s day “the hills” were the favored sites for pagan shrines (Jeremiah 2:20; Hosea 4:13; 2 Kings 17:10). • People climbed those heights expecting help, but God labels the whole enterprise “deception.” It looked spiritual, yet it was empty (Isaiah 44:19–20). • Idol worship promised rain, crops, and security; instead it delivered bondage, just as Psalm 115:8 warns that those who make idols “will become like them.” • The verse reminds us that any trust placed outside the Lord—whether in rituals, government, wealth, or self—will prove false (Psalm 20:7; Jeremiah 17:5). and commotion from the mountains • “Commotion” pictures the noisy frenzy of idol processions, loud chants, and frantic sacrifices (1 Kings 18:26–29; Isaiah 57:5–7). • Spiritual substitutes stir emotion but give no peace; they leave the soul unsettled (Isaiah 57:20–21). • The mountains once echoed with Israel’s covenant ceremonies (Deuteronomy 27:12-13). Now they resound with confusion—evidence of how far the nation has drifted (Jeremiah 7:31). • False worship multiplies activity without producing fruit, echoing Paul’s description of “noisy gongs” devoid of love (1 Corinthians 13:1). Surely the salvation of Israel is in the LORD our God • The verse pivots from emptiness to certainty. “Surely” announces rock-solid confidence: real deliverance rests “in the LORD our God” alone (Psalm 62:1-2; Jonah 2:9). • Salvation here is both national and personal—rescue from looming judgment (Jeremiah 3:12; Isaiah 45:17) and restoration to covenant blessing (Jeremiah 31:33). • God’s exclusive claim echoes throughout Scripture: “Salvation belongs to the LORD” (Psalm 3:8) and, ultimately, “there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). • The contrast is stark: – Hills and mountains: human religion, deceptive noise, shattered hopes. – The LORD: faithful Creator, covenant-keeper, unshakable Savior. summary Jeremiah 3:23 exposes the futility of every man-made substitute for God. High places promise much yet deceive; frenzied worship generates only commotion. In vivid counterpoint, the prophet declares that genuine, lasting salvation is found solely in the LORD. The verse calls every reader to turn from hollow hills and rest in the sure deliverance of Israel’s Redeemer. |
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