The Meaning of Jeremiah 2:3 Explained

Jeremiah 2:3

KJV: Israel was holiness unto the LORD, and the firstfruits of his increase: all that devour him shall offend; evil shall come upon them, saith the LORD.

YLT: Holy is Israel to Jehovah, The first-fruit of His increase, All consuming him are guilty, Evil cometh in unto them, an affirmation of Jehovah.

Darby: Israel was holiness unto Jehovah, the first-fruits of his increase: all that devour him are guilty; evil shall come upon them, saith Jehovah.

ASV: Israel was holiness unto Jehovah, the first-fruits of his increase: all that devour him shall be held guilty; evil shall come upon them, saith Jehovah.

Discover Jeremiah 2:3

CONTEXT: What is the Context of Jeremiah 2:3?

MEANING: What does Jeremiah 2:3 Mean?

WORDS: What do the individual words in Jeremiah 2:3 mean?

RELATIONS: What do the major concepts mean in Jeremiah 2:3?

What is the context of Jeremiah 2:3?

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Israel [was] holiness unto the LORD, [and] the firstfruits of his increase: all that devour him shall offend; evil shall come upon them, saith the LORD.

What does Jeremiah 2:3 Mean?

Verse Meaning

In those days Israel was set apart to the Lord in a way that she had not been since she entered the land and began to worship idols (cf. Exodus 19:6; Exodus 22:31). She was His firstfruits among the nations that He would bless (cf. Genesis 12:1-3; Leviticus 23:10; Leviticus 23:17; Deuteronomy 26:1-11). The Lord punished peoples who tried to devour the Israelites then (e.g, the Egyptians and the Amalekites), just as He punished those who ate His firstfruits offerings without divine authorization ( Leviticus 22:10; Leviticus 22:16).

Context Summary

Jeremiah 2:1-8 - Ungrateful Forgetfulness

God regarded Israel as His bride, who had responded to His love, or as a vineyard and cornfield which were expected to yield their first fruits in response to the careful cultivation of the owner. Why had they failed to respond? For the answer let us question our own hearts. What marvels of perversity and disappointment we are! Who can understand or fathom the reason of our poor response to the yearning love of Christ! The heathen, in their punctilious devotion and lavish sacrifices at their idol-shrines, may well shame us. The root of the evil is disclosed in Jeremiah 2:31. We like to be lords, to assume and hold the mastery of our lives. But God has been anything but a wilderness to us. He has given us ornaments, and we owe to His grace the garments of righteousness which He has put on us. In return we have forgotten Him days without number, Jeremiah 2:32. Let us ask Him to call us back-nay more, to draw us by the chains of love. [source]

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 2:3 mean?

Holiness Israel [was] to Yahweh the firstfruits of His increase All that devour him will offend Disaster will come upon them says Yahweh -

קֹ֤דֶשׁ יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ לַיהוָ֔ה רֵאשִׁ֖ית תְּבוּאָתֹ֑ה‪‬ כָּל־ אֹכְלָ֣יו יֶאְשָׁ֔מוּ רָעָ֛ה תָּבֹ֥א אֲלֵיהֶ֖ם נְאֻם־ יְהוָֽה פ

קֹ֤דֶשׁ	Holiness
Parse: Noun, masculine singular Root: קֹדֶשׁ Sense: apartness, holiness, sacredness, separateness.
יִשְׂרָאֵל֙	Israel [was]
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular Root: יִשְׂרָאֵל Sense: the second name for Jacob given to him by God after his wrestling with the angel at Peniel.
לַיהוָ֔ה	to Yahweh
Parse: Preposition-l, Proper Noun, masculine singular Root: יהוה Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
רֵאשִׁ֖ית	the firstfruits
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct Root: רֵאשִׁית Sense: first, beginning, best, chief.
תְּבוּאָתֹ֑ה‪‬	of His increase
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct, third person masculine singular Root: תְּבוּאָה Sense: produce, product, revenue.
אֹכְלָ֣יו	that devour him
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine plural construct, third person masculine singular Root: אָכַל Sense: to eat, devour, burn up, feed.
יֶאְשָׁ֔מוּ	will offend
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine plural Root: אָשַׁם Sense: to offend, be guilty, trespass.
רָעָ֛ה	Disaster
Parse: Adjective, feminine singular Root: רַע Sense: bad, evil.
תָּבֹ֥א	will come
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person feminine singular Root: בֹּוא Sense: to go in, enter, come, go, come in.
אֲלֵיהֶ֖ם	upon them
Parse: Preposition, third person masculine plural Root: אֶל Sense: to, toward, unto (of motion).
נְאֻם־	says
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct Root: נְאֻם Sense: (Qal) utterance, declaration (of prophet).
יְהוָֽה	Yahweh
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular Root: יהוה Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
פ	-
Parse: Punctuation

What are the major concepts related to Jeremiah 2:3?

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