The Meaning of Jeremiah 2:17 Explained

Jeremiah 2:17

KJV: Hast thou not procured this unto thyself, in that thou hast forsaken the LORD thy God, when he led thee by the way?

YLT: Dost thou not do this to thyself? By thy forsaking Jehovah thy God, At the time He is leading thee in the way?

Darby: Hast thou not procured this unto thyself, in that thou hast forsaken Jehovah thy God, at the time he was leading thee in the way?

ASV: Hast thou not procured this unto thyself, in that thou hast forsaken Jehovah thy God, when he led thee by the way?

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Hast thou not procured  this unto thyself, in that thou hast forsaken  the LORD  thy God,  when  he led  thee by the way? 

What does Jeremiah 2:17 Mean?

Verse Meaning

Now comes the answer to the question posed in Jeremiah 2:14. The Israelites had brought these calamities on themselves by forsaking Yahweh, their God, who had led them so competently in the earlier years of their history.

Chapter Summary: Jeremiah 2

1  God having shown his former kindness,
5  expostulates with the people on their causeless and unexampled revolt
14  They are the causes of their own calamities
18  The sins and idolatries of Judah
35  Her confidence is rejected

What do the individual words in Jeremiah 2:17 mean?

have not this you brought on yourself in that you have forsaken - Yahweh your God when He led you in the way
הֲלוֹא־ זֹ֖את תַּעֲשֶׂה־ לָּ֑ךְ עָזְבֵךְ֙ אֶת־ יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהַ֔יִךְ בְּעֵ֖ת מוֹלִיכֵ֥ךְ ؟ בַּדָּֽרֶךְ

הֲלוֹא־  have  not 
Parse: Adverb, Negative particle
Root: הֲלֹא 
Sense: not, no.
זֹ֖את  this 
Parse: Pronoun, feminine singular
Root: זׄאת  
Sense: this, this one, here, which, this … that, the one … the other, such.
תַּעֲשֶׂה־  you  brought 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, second person masculine singular
Root: עָשָׂה 
Sense: to do, fashion, accomplish, make.
לָּ֑ךְ  on  yourself 
Parse: Preposition, second person feminine singular
עָזְבֵךְ֙  in  that  you  have  forsaken 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct, second person feminine singular
Root: עָזַב 
Sense: to leave, loose, forsake.
אֶת־  - 
Parse: Direct object marker
Root: אֹות 
Sense: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative.
יְהוָ֣ה  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
אֱלֹהַ֔יִךְ  your  God 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, second person feminine singular
Root: אֱלֹהִים  
Sense: (plural).
מוֹלִיכֵ֥ךְ  He  led  you 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Participle, masculine singular construct, second person feminine singular
Root: הָלַךְ  
Sense: to go, walk, come.
؟ בַּדָּֽרֶךְ  in  the  way 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, common singular
Root: דֶּרֶךְ  
Sense: way, road, distance, journey, manner.