Jeremiah 2:13
"For My people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living water, and they have dug their own cisterns--broken cisterns that cannot hold water.
For My people
This phrase indicates a personal relationship between God and the Israelites. The Hebrew word for "My people" is "עַמִּי" (ammi), which signifies possession and covenant. God is not speaking to strangers but to those He has chosen and set apart. This highlights the intimacy and responsibility inherent in the covenant relationship. Historically, Israel was chosen to be a light to the nations, a people through whom God would reveal His character and purposes.

have committed
The Hebrew root here is "עָשָׂה" (asah), meaning to do or to make. This word implies deliberate action, not accidental or unintentional behavior. The use of "committed" suggests a breach of trust and a conscious decision to turn away from God. It underscores the gravity of Israel's actions as a willful departure from their covenant obligations.

two evils
The phrase "two evils" is significant because it specifies the nature of Israel's transgressions. The Hebrew word for "evils" is "רָע" (ra), which can mean wickedness or calamity. This indicates not just moral failure but also the resulting consequences. The dual nature of their sin is emphasized, suggesting a comprehensive failure in both their relationship with God and their spiritual practices.

They have forsaken Me
"Forsaken" comes from the Hebrew "עָזַב" (azab), meaning to leave or abandon. This word conveys a sense of betrayal and neglect. God, who is the source of life and sustenance, has been abandoned by His people. This forsaking is not just a physical departure but a spiritual and relational severance, highlighting the depth of Israel's unfaithfulness.

the fountain of living water
The imagery of "the fountain of living water" is rich with meaning. In Hebrew, "מְקוֹר מַיִם חַיִּים" (mekor mayim chayyim) suggests a source of life, refreshment, and purity. Water is essential for life, and living water implies a continuous, flowing source. This metaphor portrays God as the sustainer and provider, offering spiritual nourishment and vitality. Historically, water was a precious commodity in the arid regions of the Near East, making this imagery particularly poignant.

and they have dug their own cisterns—
The act of digging "cisterns" (בֹּארוֹת, borot) implies human effort and self-reliance. Cisterns were man-made reservoirs for storing water, often stagnant and prone to contamination. This contrasts sharply with the living water God provides. The choice to rely on cisterns symbolizes Israel's attempt to find satisfaction and security apart from God, reflecting a misplaced trust in their own abilities and resources.

broken cisterns that cannot hold water
The description of the cisterns as "broken" (נִשְׁבָּרוֹת, nishbarot) emphasizes their inadequacy and futility. A broken cistern is useless, unable to fulfill its intended purpose. This imagery illustrates the emptiness and failure of Israel's pursuits apart from God. Spiritually, it represents the futility of idolatry and self-reliance, which cannot sustain or satisfy the soul. The phrase serves as a powerful reminder of the consequences of turning away from God and the inherent insufficiency of human efforts to replace divine provision.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Jeremiah
A prophet called by God to deliver His messages to the people of Judah, warning them of their idolatry and urging them to return to God.

2. The People of Israel
Referred to as "My people" by God, they are the chosen nation who have turned away from Him, committing spiritual adultery by worshiping other gods.

3. The Fountain of Living Water
A metaphor for God Himself, representing His life-giving and sustaining power, purity, and the source of true spiritual nourishment.

4. Broken Cisterns
Symbolic of the false gods and idols that the Israelites have turned to, which are inadequate and incapable of providing true spiritual sustenance.

5. The Land of Judah
The southern kingdom of Israel, where Jeremiah's ministry primarily took place, and where the people had fallen into idolatry and sin.
Teaching Points
Recognizing Idolatry
Identify and reject modern-day "broken cisterns" in our lives, such as materialism, self-reliance, or any pursuit that takes precedence over God.

Seeking the True Source
Emphasize the importance of turning to God, the fountain of living water, for spiritual nourishment and fulfillment.

The Consequences of Forsaking God
Understand the spiritual emptiness and dissatisfaction that result from turning away from God and relying on inadequate substitutes.

God's Faithfulness and Invitation
Despite our failures, God continually invites us back to Him, offering forgiveness and restoration.

Living Water in Christ
Recognize that Jesus is the fulfillment of the promise of living water, offering eternal life and satisfaction to all who believe in Him.
Bible Study Questions
1. What are some modern-day "broken cisterns" that people might turn to instead of God, and how can we identify them in our own lives?

2. How does the concept of God as the "fountain of living water" challenge us to evaluate where we seek fulfillment and satisfaction?

3. In what ways does Jesus fulfill the promise of living water, and how can this understanding deepen our relationship with Him?

4. How can we practically ensure that we are drawing from the "fountain of living water" in our daily lives?

5. Reflect on a time when you experienced spiritual dryness. How did turning back to God restore and refresh you? How can this experience encourage others?
Connections to Other Scriptures
John 4:10-14
Jesus speaks to the Samaritan woman at the well about the "living water" He offers, which will become a spring of water welling up to eternal life, drawing a parallel to God as the source of living water.

Psalm 36:9
Describes God as the fountain of life, emphasizing His role as the source of all that is good and life-giving.

Isaiah 55:1-3
Invites those who are thirsty to come to the waters, symbolizing the invitation to receive God's grace and sustenance freely.
A Broken CisternJeremiah 2:13
Broken CisternsW. A. Esscry.Jeremiah 2:13
Broken CisternsR. F. Herren, D. D.Jeremiah 2:13
Broken CisternsE. Mellor, D. D.Jeremiah 2:13
Broken CisternsH. Melvill, B. D.Jeremiah 2:13
Forsaking the Fountain for the Broken CisternD. Moore, M. A.Jeremiah 2:13
Forsaking the Fountain of Living WatersD. Young Jeremiah 2:13
The Fountain and the CisternG. Cron.Jeremiah 2:13
The Fountain of Living WatersC. Beard, B. A.Jeremiah 2:13
The Misery of Forsaking GoJeremiah 2:13
The People's SinJ. Waite Jeremiah 2:13
The Sin of People's Forsaking God and Betaking Themselves to the Creature in His SteadJeremiah 2:13
The Two-Fold Sin of MankindC. Clayton, M. A.Jeremiah 2:13
True Happiness to be Found not in the World, But in GodJ. Mason, M. A.Jeremiah 2:13
Two Astounding EvilsHomilistJeremiah 2:13
A Sweet Remembrance EmbitteredS. Conway Jeremiah 2:1-14
Changing GodsChristian ObserverJeremiah 2:9-13
Christian ControversyJ. Parker, D. D.Jeremiah 2:9-13
Hath a Nation Changed Their Gods?John Trapp.Jeremiah 2:9-13
Seven WondersD. J. Burrell, D. D.Jeremiah 2:9-13
Sin UnnaturalT. D. Woolsey.Jeremiah 2:9-13
The Marvel of UnbeliefA.F. Muir Jeremiah 2:10-13
People
Gad, Jacob, Jeremiah, Kedar, Kittim, Kittites
Places
Assyria, Cyprus, Egypt, Euphrates River, Jerusalem, Kedar, Memphis, Nile River, Tahpanhes
Topics
Broken, Cisterns, Committed, Contain, Cut, Dug, Evils, Forsaken, Fountain, Hew, Hewed, Hold, Rock, Sins, Spring, Storing, Themselves, Water-holes, Waters, Wells
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Jeremiah 2:13

     4221   cistern
     4278   spring of water
     4293   water
     4296   wells
     4817   drought, spiritual
     5580   thirst
     5770   abandonment
     8032   trust, lack of
     8224   dependence

Jeremiah 2:7-13

     8705   apostasy, in OT

Jeremiah 2:11-13

     8780   materialism, and sin

Jeremiah 2:13-17

     8129   guidance, examples

Library
Stiff-Necked Idolaters and Pliable Christians
'Hath a nation changed their gods, which are yet no gods? but My people have changed their glory for that which doth not profit.'--JER. ii. 11. The obstinacy of the adherents of idolatry is in striking contrast with Israel's continual tendency to forsake Jehovah. It reads a scarcely less forcible lesson to many nominal and even to some real Christians. I. That contrast carries with it a disclosure of the respective origins of the two kinds of Religion. The strangeness of the contrasted conduct is
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Forsaking Jehovah
'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.'--JER. ii. 19. Of course the original reference is to national apostasy, which was aggravated by the national covenant, and avenged by national disasters, which are interpreted and urged by the prophet as God's merciful pleading with men. But the text is true in reference to individuals. I. The universal indictment. This is not so
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Balak's Inquiries Relative to the Service of God, and Balaam's Answer, Briefly Considered.
"Wherewith shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before the high God? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves of a year old? Will the Lord be pleased with, thousands of rams, or with ten thousands of rivers of oil? Shall I give my first born for my transgression; the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?--He hath shewed thee, 0 man, what is good: And what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?" As mankind are
Andrew Lee et al—Sermons on Various Important Subjects

"He is the Rock, his Work is Perfect, for all his Ways are Judgment, a God of Truth, and Without Iniquity, Just and Right is He.
Deut. xxxii. 4, 5.--"He is the Rock, his work is perfect, for all his ways are judgment, a God of truth, and without iniquity, just and right is he. They have corrupted themselves, their spot is not the spot of his children," &c. There are none can behold their own vileness as it is, but in the sight of God's glorious holiness. Sin is darkness, and neither sees itself, nor any thing else, therefore must his light shine to discover this darkness. If we abide within ourselves, and men like ourselves,
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning

That it is not Lawful for the Well Affected Subjects to Concur in Such an Engagement in War, and Associate with the Malignant Party.
That It Is Not Lawful For The Well Affected Subjects To Concur In Such An Engagement In War, And Associate With The Malignant Party. Some convinced of the unlawfulness of the public resolutions and proceedings, in reference to the employing of the malignant party, yet do not find such clearness and satisfaction in their own consciences as to forbid the subjects to concur in this war, and associate with the army so constituted. Therefore it is needful to speak something to this point, That it is
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning

A Book for Boys and Girls Or, Temporal Things Spritualized.
by John Bunyan, Licensed and entered according to order. London: Printed for, and sold by, R. Tookey, at his Printing House in St. Christopher's Court, in Threadneedle Street, behind the Royal Exchange, 1701. Advertisement by the Editor. Some degree of mystery hangs over these Divine Emblems for children, and many years' diligent researches have not enabled me completely to solve it. That they were written by Bunyan, there cannot be the slightest doubt. 'Manner and matter, too, are all his own.'[1]
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3

'The God of the Amen'
'He who blesseth himself in the earth shall bless himself in the God of truth; and he that sweareth in the earth shall swear by the God of truth.'--ISAIAH lxv. 16. The full beauty and significance of these remarkable words are only reached when we attend to the literal rendering of a part of them which is obscured in our version. As they stand in the original they have, in both cases, instead of the vague expression, 'The God of truth,' the singularly picturesque one, 'The God of the Amen.' I. Note
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

The Harbinger
The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD , make straight in the desert a high-way for our God. Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain. And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it. T he general style of the prophecies is poetical. The inimitable simplicity which characterizes every
John Newton—Messiah Vol. 1

"All Our Righteousnesses are as Filthy Rags, and we all do Fade as a Leaf, and Our Iniquities, Like the Wind, have Taken us Away. "
Isaiah lxiv. 6, 7.--"All our righteousnesses are as filthy rags, and we all do fade as a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away." Not only are the direct breaches of the command uncleanness, and men originally and actually unclean, but even our holy actions, our commanded duties. Take a man's civility, religion, and all his universal inherent righteousness,--all are filthy rags. And here the church confesseth nothing but what God accuseth her of, Isa. lxvi. 8, and chap. i. ver.
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning

How Christ is the Way in General, "I am the Way. "
We come now to speak more particularly to the words; and, first, Of his being a way. Our design being to point at the way of use-making of Christ in all our necessities, straits, and difficulties which are in our way to heaven; and particularly to point out the way how believers should make use of Christ in all their particular exigencies; and so live by faith in him, walk in him, grow up in him, advance and march forward toward glory in him. It will not be amiss to speak of this fulness of Christ
John Brown (of Wamphray)—Christ The Way, The Truth, and The Life

All Mankind Guilty; Or, Every Man Knows More than He Practises.
ROMANS i. 24.--"When they knew God, they glorified him not as God." The idea of God is the most important and comprehensive of all the ideas of which the human mind is possessed. It is the foundation of religion; of all right doctrine, and all right conduct. A correct intuition of it leads to correct religious theories and practice; while any erroneous or defective view of the Supreme Being will pervade the whole province of religion, and exert a most pernicious influence upon the entire character
William G.T. Shedd—Sermons to the Natural Man

A Short and Easy Method of Prayer
CHAPTER I The Universal Call to Prayer What a dreadful delusion hath prevailed over the greater part of mankind, in supposing that they are not called to a state of prayer! whereas all are capable of prayer, and are called thereto, as all are called to and are capable of salvation. Prayer is the application of the heart to God, and the internal exercise of love. S. Paul hath enjoined us to "pray without ceasing" (1 Thess. v 17), and our Lord saith, "I say unto you all, watch and pray" (Mark xiii.
Madame Guyon—A Short and Easy Method of Prayer

All are Commanded to Pray --Prayer the Great Means of Salvation
CHAPTER I. ALL ARE COMMANDED TO PRAY--PRAYER THE GREAT MEANS OF SALVATION, AND POSSIBLE AT ALL TIMES BY THE MOST SIMPLE. Prayer is nothing else but the application of the heart to God, and the interior exercise of love. St Paul commands us to "pray without ceasing" (1 Thess. v. 17). Our Lord says: "Take ye heed, watch and pray." "And what I say unto you, I say unto all" (Mark xiii. 33, 37). All, then, are capable of prayer, and it is the duty of all to engage in it. But I do not think that all are
Jeanne Marie Bouvières—A Short Method Of Prayer And Spiritual Torrents

What are Consequences of Backsliding in Heart.
The text says, that "the backslider in heart shall be filled with his own ways." 1. He shall be filled with his own works. But these are dead works, they are not works of faith and love, which are acceptable to God, but are the filthy rags of his own righteousness. If they are performed as religious services, they are but loathsome hypocrisy, and an abomination to God; there is no heart in them. To such a person God says: "Who hath required this at your hand?" (Isaiah 1:12). "Ye are they which justify
Charles G. Finney—The Backslider in Heart

Backsliding.
"I will heal their backsliding; I will love them freely: for Mine anger is turned away."--Hosea xiv. 4. There are two kinds of backsliders. Some have never been converted: they have gone through the form of joining a Christian community and claim to be backsliders; but they never have, if I may use the expression, "slid forward." They may talk of backsliding; but they have never really been born again. They need to be treated differently from real back-sliders--those who have been born of the incorruptible
Dwight L. Moody—The Way to God and How to Find It

The Medes and the Second Chaldaean Empire
THE FALL OF NINEVEH AND THE RISE OF THE CHALDAEAN AND MEDIAN EMPIRES--THE XXVIth EGYPTIAN DYNASTY: CYAXARES, ALYATTES, AND NEBUCHADREZZAR. The legendary history of the kings of Media and the first contact of the Medes with the Assyrians: the alleged Iranian migrations of the Avesta--Media-proper, its fauna and flora; Phraortes and the beginning of the Median empire--Persia proper and the Persians; conquest of Persia by the Medes--The last monuments of Assur-bani-pal: the library of Kouyunjik--Phraortes
G. Maspero—History Of Egypt, Chaldaea, Syria, Babylonia, and Assyria, V 8

That the Unskilful Venture not to Approach an Office of Authority.
No one presumes to teach an art till he has first, with intent meditation, learnt it. What rashness is it, then, for the unskilful to assume pastoral authority, since the government of souls is the art of arts! For who can be ignorant that the sores of the thoughts of men are more occult than the sores of the bowels? And yet how often do men who have no knowledge whatever of spiritual precepts fearlessly profess themselves physicians of the heart, though those who are ignorant of the effect of
Leo the Great—Writings of Leo the Great

"So Then they that are in the Flesh Cannot Please God. "
Rom. viii. 8.--"So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God." It is a kind of happiness to men, to please them upon whom they depend, and upon whose favour their well-being hangs. It is the servant's happiness to please his master, the courtier's to please his prince; and so generally, whosoever they be that are joined in mutual relations, and depend one upon another; that which makes all pleasant, is this, to please one another. Now, certainly, all the dependencies of creatures one upon
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning

The Section Chap. I. -iii.
The question which here above all engages our attention, and requires to be answered, is this: Whether that which is reported in these chapters did, or did not, actually and outwardly take place. The history of the inquiries connected with this question is found most fully in Marckius's "Diatribe de uxore fornicationum," Leyden, 1696, reprinted in the Commentary on the Minor Prophets by the same author. The various views may be divided into three classes. 1. It is maintained by very many interpreters,
Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg—Christology of the Old Testament

Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners Or, a Brief Relation of the Exceeding Mercy of God in Christ, to his Poor Servant, John Bunyan
In this my relation of the merciful working of God upon my soul, it will not be amiss, if in the first place, I do in a few words give you a hint of my pedigree, and manner of bringing up; that thereby the goodness and bounty of God towards me, may be the more advanced and magnified before the sons of men. 2. For my descent then, it was, as is well known by many, of a low and inconsiderable generation; my father's house being of that rank that is meanest, and most despised of all the families in
John Bunyan—Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners

"He is the Rock, his Work is Perfect. For all his Ways are Judgment. A God of Truth, and Without Iniquity, Just and Right is He.
Deut. xxxii. 4, 5.--"He is the rock, his work is perfect. For all his ways are judgment. A God of truth, and without iniquity, just and right is he. They have corrupted themselves, their spot is not the spot of his children. They are a perverse and crooked generation." "All his ways are judgment," both the ways of his commandments and the ways of his providence, both his word which he hath given as a lantern to men's paths, and his works among men. And this were the blessedness of men, to be found
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning

1 to Pray Does not Imply that Without Prayer God Would not Give us Anything...
1. To pray does not imply that without prayer God would not give us anything or that He would be unaware of our needs, but it has this great advantage, that in the attitude of prayer the soul is best fitted to receive the Giver of blessing as well as those blessings He desires to bestow. Thus it was that the fullness of the Spirit was not poured out upon the Apostles on the first day, but after ten days of special preparation. If a blessing were conferred upon one without a special readiness for
Sadhu Sundar Singh—At The Master's Feet

John Bunyan on the Terms of Communion and Fellowship of Christians at the Table of the Lord;
COMPRISING I. HIS CONFESSION OF FAITH, AND REASON OF HIS PRACTICE; II. DIFFERENCES ABOUT WATER BAPTISM NO BAR TO COMMUNION; AND III. PEACEABLE PRINCIPLES AND TRUE[1] ADVERTISEMENT BY THE EDITOR. Reader, these are extraordinary productions that will well repay an attentive perusal. It is the confession of faith of a Christian who had suffered nearly twelve years' imprisonment, under persecution for conscience sake. Shut up with his Bible, you have here the result of a prayerful study of those holy
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3

The River of Egypt, Rhinocorura. The Lake of Sirbon.
Pliny writes, "From Pelusium are the intrenchments of Chabrias: mount Casius: the temple of Jupiter Casius: the tomb of Pompey the Great: Ostracine: Arabia is bounded sixty-five miles from Pelusium: soon after begins Idumea and Palestine from the rising up of the Sirbon lake." Either my eyes deceive me, while I read these things,--or mount Casius lies nearer Pelusium, than the lake of Sirbon. The maps have ill placed the Sirbon between mount Casius and Pelusium. Sirbon implies burning; the name of
John Lightfoot—From the Talmud and Hebraica

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