Jeremiah 17:2
◄  Jeremiah 17:2  ►
New International Version (©2011)
Even their children remember their altars and Asherah poles beside the spreading trees and on the high hills.

New Living Translation (©2007)
Even their children go to worship at their pagan altars and Asherah poles, beneath every green tree and on every high hill.

English Standard Version (©2001)
while their children remember their altars and their Asherim, beside every green tree and on the high hills,

New American Standard Bible (©1995)
As they remember their children, So they remember their altars and their Asherim By green trees on the high hills.

King James Bible (Cambridge Ed.)
Whilst their children remember their altars and their groves by the green trees upon the high hills.

Holman Christian Standard Bible (©2009)
while their children remember their altars and their Asherah poles, by the green trees on the high hills--

International Standard Version (©2012)
When their sons remember, they remember their altars and their Asherah poles beside green trees on the high hills.

NET Bible (©2006)
Their children are always thinking about their altars and their sacred poles dedicated to the goddess Asherah, set up beside the green trees on the high hills

GOD'S WORD® Translation (©1995)
Even their children remember their altars and their poles dedicated to the goddess Asherah beside large trees on high hills

King James 2000 Bible (©2003)
While their children remember their altars and their idols poles by the green trees upon the high hills.

American King James Version
Whilst their children remember their altars and their groves by the green trees on the high hills.

American Standard Version
whilst their children remember their altars and their Asherim by the green trees upon the high hills.

Douay-Rheims Bible
When their children shall remember their altars, and their groves, and their green trees upon high mountains,

Darby Bible Translation
whilst their children remember their altars and their Asherahs, by the green trees, upon the high hills.

English Revised Version
whilst their children remember their altars and their Asherim by the green trees upon the high hills.

Webster's Bible Translation
Whilst their children remember their altars and their groves by the green trees upon the high hills.

World English Bible
while their children remember their altars and their Asherim by the green trees on the high hills.

Young's Literal Translation
As their sons remember their altars and their shrines, By the green tree, by the high hills.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

17:1-4 The sins which men commit make little impression on their minds, yet every sin is marked in the book of God; they are all so graven upon the table of the heart, that they will all be remembered by the conscience. That which is graven in the heart will become plain in the life; men's actions show the desires and purposes of their hearts. What need we have to humble ourselves before God, who are so vile in his sight! How should we depend on his mercy and grace, begging of God to search and prove us; not to suffer us to be deceived by our own hearts, but to create in us a clean and holy nature by his Spirit!

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 2. - Whilst their children remember, etc. The connection of this with the preceding verse is rather obscure. Probably it is intended as an exemplification of the "sin of Judah," the inveterateness of which is shown by their thoughts spontaneously turning to the altars and symbols of the false gods whenever they are near a leafy tree or a high hill (probably "under the green trees" is the right reading; comp. 1 Kings 14:23; so Targum). To make "their sons" the accusative (with Hitzig and Keil), rendering, "As they remember their children, [even so they remember their altars]," seems unnatural; why should "children" and "altars" be associated in idea? Groves; rather, idols of Asherah, the Canaanitish goddess.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

Whilst their children remember their altars,.... Which is a further proof of their long continuance in idolatrous practices, and a fresh witness against them; they trained up their children in them; who, when grown up, could not forget them, but imitated them, and went on in the same evil ways. Some render the words, "as they remember their children, so they remember their altars (i), and their groves, by the green trees upon the high hills"; they had the same love to their idols, and the worship of them, as they had to their children. This sense is received by Kimchi (k); yea, they had a greater affection for their idols than for their children; since they made their children pass through the fire to Moloch, and burnt their sons and their daughters to Baal. The Targum renders it, "their groves under every green tree": see Jeremiah 2:20. Kimchi and Ben Melech connect green trees not with groves but with altars; and take the sense to be, that their altars were by green trees; since groves and green trees were the same, and which altars also were upon high hills.

(i) "sicut recordantur filiorum suorum, ita recordantur ararum suarum"; so some in Vatablus. (k) So in T. Bab. Sanhedrin, fol. 63. 2. & Gloss in ib.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

2. children remember—Instead of forsaking the idolatries of their fathers, they keep them up (Jer 7:18). This is given as proof that their sin is "graven upon … altars" (Jer 17:1), that is, is not merely temporary. They corrupt their posterity after them. Castalio less probably translates, "They remember their altars as (fondly as) they do their children."

groves—rather, "images of Astarte," the goddess of the heavenly hosts, represented as a sacred tree, such as is seen in the Assyrian sculptures (2Ki 21:7; 2Ch 24:18). "Image of the grove." The Hebrew for "grove" is Asherah, that is, Assarak, Astarte, or Ashtaroth.

by the green trees—that is, near them: the sacred trees (idol symbols) of Astarte being placed in the midst of natural trees: "green trees" is thus distinguished from "groves," artificial trees. Henderson, to avoid taking the same Hebrew particle in the same sentence differently, "by … upon" translates "images of Astarte on the green trees." But it is not probable that images, in the form of a sacred tree, should be hung on trees, rather than near them.

Jeremiah 17:2 Parallel Commentaries

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The Sin and Punishment of Judah
1The sin of Judah is written with a pen of iron, and with the point of a diamond: it is graven on the table of their heart, and on the horns of your altars; 2Whilst their children remember their altars and their groves by the green trees on the high hills. 3O my mountain in the field, I will give your substance and all your treasures to the spoil, and your high places for sin, throughout all your borders. …

Exodus 34:13 Break down their altars, smash their sacred stones and cut down their Asherah poles.
2 Chronicles 24:18 They abandoned the temple of the LORD, the God of their ancestors, and worshiped Asherah poles and idols. Because of their guilt, God's anger came on Judah and Jerusalem.
2 Chronicles 33:3 He rebuilt the high places his father Hezekiah had demolished; he also erected altars to the Baals and made Asherah poles. He bowed down to all the starry hosts and worshiped them.
Isaiah 17:8 They will not look to the altars, the work of their hands, and they will have no regard for the Asherah poles and the incense altars their fingers have made.
Jeremiah 2:20 "Long ago you broke off your yoke and tore off your bonds; you said, 'I will not serve you!' Indeed, on every high hill and under every spreading tree you lay down as a prostitute.
Jeremiah 3:6 During the reign of King Josiah, the LORD said to me, "Have you seen what faithless Israel has done? She has gone up on every high hill and under every spreading tree and has committed adultery there.
Jeremiah 3:23 Surely the idolatrous commotion on the hills and mountains is a deception; surely in the LORD our God is the salvation of Israel.
Jeremiah 7:18 The children gather wood, the fathers light the fire, and the women knead the dough and make cakes to offer to the Queen of Heaven. They pour out drink offerings to other gods to arouse my anger.