What is the meaning of Jeremiah 50:6?

My people are lost sheep

– “My people” shows God’s covenant claim; He still calls Judah His own even in judgment (Jeremiah 31:3).

– Sheep naturally need guidance (Psalm 100:3); when they are “lost,” it means they have strayed from God’s revealed path (Isaiah 53:6).

– The literal exile to Babylon pictures a deeper spiritual condition: separation from the Shepherd.

– Jesus later echoes this heartache, seeing Israel as “harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd” (Matthew 9:36).

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Their shepherds have led them astray

– “Shepherds” refers to kings, priests, and prophets charged with guarding truth (Jeremiah 23:1-2).

– Instead of pointing to the Law and covenant faithfulness, they endorsed idolatry and alliances (Ezekiel 34:2-6).

– Leadership failure magnified national sin; Zechariah 11:17 warns such shepherds will be judged.

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Causing them to roam the mountains

– High places were centers of idol worship (1 Kings 14:23).

– What looks like freedom—roaming—actually deepens bondage; roaming replaces the security of God’s pasture (Psalm 23:2).

– The mountains symbolize proud self-reliance, a stark contrast to humble dependence.

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They have wandered from mountain to hill

– Restlessness marks sinful wandering—always moving, never arriving (Hosea 8:7-9).

– The shift from “mountain” to “hill” hints at spiritual decline: what began as lofty rebellion devolves into smaller, habitual compromises (Romans 1:21-25).

– When truth is abandoned, directionless drift becomes the norm (Ephesians 4:14).

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They have forgotten their resting place

– God alone is that resting place: the temple (Psalm 132:13-14), the Sabbath promise (Exodus 33:14), ultimately Christ Himself (Matthew 11:28-29).

– Forgetting is not mere lapse of memory; it is wilful neglect, choosing substitutes over covenant rest (Hebrews 3:18-19).

– Exile’s pain would remind them where true rest lies, just as prodigal hardship prompts return (Luke 15:17-18).

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summary

Jeremiah 50:6 paints a tragic chain: beloved sheep stray, ungodly leaders misguide, restless wandering ensues, and covenant rest is lost. The verse warns every generation to heed faithful shepherding, reject counterfeit mountains, and remember that lasting rest is found only in returning to the Lord—the Good Shepherd who seeks and saves the lost.