The Meaning of Jeremiah 2:19 Explained

Jeremiah 2:19

KJV: Thine own wickedness shall correct thee, and thy backslidings shall reprove thee: know therefore and see that it is an evil thing and bitter, that thou hast forsaken the LORD thy God, and that my fear is not in thee, saith the Lord GOD of hosts.

YLT: Instruct thee doth thy wickedness, And thy backslidings reprove thee, Know and see that an evil and a bitter thing Is thy forsaking Jehovah thy God, And My fear not being on thee, An affirmation of the Lord Jehovah of Hosts.

Darby: Thine own wickedness chastiseth thee, and thy backslidings reprove thee: know then and see that it is an evil thing and bitter that thou hast forsaken Jehovah thy God, and that my fear is not in thee, saith the Lord, Jehovah of hosts.

ASV: Thine own wickedness shall correct thee, and thy backslidings shall reprove thee: know therefore and see that it is an evil thing and a bitter, that thou hast forsaken Jehovah thy God, and that my fear is not in thee, saith the Lord, Jehovah of hosts.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Thine own wickedness  shall correct  thee, and thy backslidings  shall reprove  thee: know  therefore and see  that [it is] an evil  [thing] and bitter,  that thou hast forsaken  the LORD  thy God,  and that my fear  [is] not in thee, saith  the Lord  GOD  of hosts. 

What does Jeremiah 2:19 Mean?

Verse Meaning

The consequences of the people"s own wickedness and apostasies would come back on them and plague them. This should teach them that it was morally evil and experientially bitter for them to abandon Yahweh their God. All these bad things happened to them because they did not fear the Lord.
"The greatest judgment God can send to disobedient people is to let them have their own way and reap the sad, painful consequences of their sins." [1]
"One may turn to or away from Yahweh, and one may turn to and away from other allegiances. No book in the OT contains so many nuances of this idea as Jeremiah." [2]

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 2:19 mean?

will correct you Your own wickedness and your backslidings will rebuke you therefore Know and see that [it is] an evil and bitter [thing] that you have forsaken - Yahweh your God and [is] not the fear of Me in you says the Lord GOD of hosts
תְּיַסְּרֵ֣ךְ רָעָתֵ֗ךְ וּמְשֻֽׁבוֹתַ֙יִךְ֙ תּוֹכִחֻ֔ךְ וּדְעִ֤י וּרְאִי֙ כִּי־ רַ֣ע וָמָ֔ר עָזְבֵ֖ךְ אֶת־ יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהָ֑יִךְ וְלֹ֤א פַחְדָּתִי֙ אֵלַ֔יִךְ נְאֻם־ אֲדֹנָ֥י יְהוִ֖ה צְבָאֽוֹת

תְּיַסְּרֵ֣ךְ  will  correct  you 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Imperfect, third person feminine singular, second person feminine singular
Root: יָסַר 
Sense: to chasten, discipline, instruct, admonish.
רָעָתֵ֗ךְ  Your  own  wickedness 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct, second person feminine singular
Root: רַע 
Sense: bad, evil.
וּמְשֻֽׁבוֹתַ֙יִךְ֙  and  your  backslidings 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, feminine plural construct, second person feminine singular
Root: מְשׁוּבָה  
Sense: turning away, turning back, apostasy, backsliding.
תּוֹכִחֻ֔ךְ  will  rebuke  you 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Imperfect, third person feminine plural, second person feminine singular
Root: יָכַח  
Sense: to prove, decide, judge, rebuke, reprove, correct, be right.
וּדְעִ֤י  therefore  Know 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Imperative, feminine singular
Root: דָּעָה 
Sense: to know.
וּרְאִי֙  and  see 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Imperative, feminine singular
Root: רָאָה 
Sense: to see, look at, inspect, perceive, consider.
כִּי־  that 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: כִּי 
Sense: that, for, because, when, as though, as, because that, but, then, certainly, except, surely, since.
רַ֣ע  [it  is]  an  evil 
Parse: Adjective, masculine singular
Root: רַע 
Sense: bad, evil.
וָמָ֔ר  and  bitter  [thing] 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Adjective, masculine singular
Root: מַר 
Sense: bitter, bitterness.
עָזְבֵ֖ךְ  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.
אֱלֹהָ֑יִךְ  your  God 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, second person feminine singular
Root: אֱלֹהִים  
Sense: (plural).
וְלֹ֤א  and  [is]  not 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Adverb, Negative particle
Root: הֲלֹא 
Sense: not, no.
פַחְדָּתִי֙  the  fear  of  Me 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct, first person common singular
Root: פַּחְדָּה  
Sense: dread, fear, awe, religious awe.
אֵלַ֔יִךְ  in  you 
Parse: Preposition, second person feminine singular
Root: אֶל  
Sense: to, toward, unto (of motion).
נְאֻם־  says 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: נְאֻם  
Sense: (Qal) utterance, declaration (of prophet).
אֲדֹנָ֥י  the  Lord 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: אֲדֹנָי  
Sense: my lord, lord.
יְהוִ֖ה  GOD 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: Jehovah—used primarily in the combination ‘Lord Jehovah’.
צְבָאֽוֹת  of  hosts 
Parse: Noun, common plural
Root: צָבָא 
Sense: that which goes forth, army, war, warfare, host.