Jeremiah 2:14

"“For my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the spring of living waters, and cut out cisterns for themselves: broken cisterns that can’t hold water."

Key Reflection

Jeremiah 2:14 powerfully conveys God's frustration with his people, who have abandoned their faithful relationship with Him. By comparing Himself to "the spring of living waters," Jeremiah underscores the life-giving and sustaining nature of this divine relationship. However, the Israelites have instead sought other sources of guidance and security—broken cisterns that offer no true refreshment or support, reflecting their misguided pursuit of false gods or human solutions in place of God's promised provision.

From the Scholars: Barnes' Notes

It was Israel’s glory to be Yahweh’s servantJeremiah 30:10, and slaves born in the house were more prized than those bought with money as being more faithfulGenesis 14:14. Cannot Yahweh guard His own household? How happens it that a member of so powerful a family is spoiled? In the next verse the prophet gives the reason. Israel is a runaway slave, who has deserted the family to which he belongs by right of birth, and thereby brought upon himself trouble and misery.

More from Jeremiah 2

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