Jeremiah 44:18

"But we will certainly perform every word that has gone out of our mouth, to burn incense to the queen of the sky and to pour out drink offerings to her, as we have done, we and our fathers, our kings and our princes, in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem; for then we had plenty of food, and were well, and saw no evil."

Key Reflection

This passage reveals a commitment to pagan worship, where the people pledge to continue offering incense and drink offerings to the queen of heaven, echoing their ancestors' practices in Jerusalem. This devotion is linked to a sense of prosperity and security, highlighting how they believed such rituals brought material blessings and protection.

From the Scholars: Barnes' Notes

The suppression of this popular idolatry had apparently been regarded with much ill-will in Josiah’s time, and many may even have ascribed to it his defeat at Megiddo. Probably Jehoiakim had again permitted it, but Zedekiah, during the miseries of his reign, had forbidden it, and the people ascribed the fall of Jerusalem to the neglect of their favorite goddess.

More from Jeremiah 44

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