Jeremiah 2:27
New International Version
They say to wood, ‘You are my father,’ and to stone, ‘You gave me birth.’ They have turned their backs to me and not their faces; yet when they are in trouble, they say, ‘Come and save us!’

New Living Translation
To an image carved from a piece of wood they say, ‘You are my father.’ To an idol chiseled from a block of stone they say, ‘You are my mother.’ They turn their backs on me, but in times of trouble they cry out to me, ‘Come and save us!’

English Standard Version
who say to a tree, ‘You are my father,’ and to a stone, ‘You gave me birth.’ For they have turned their back to me, and not their face. But in the time of their trouble they say, ‘Arise and save us!’

Berean Standard Bible
say to a tree, ‘You are my father,’ and to a stone, ‘You gave me birth.’ They have turned their backs to Me and not their faces. Yet in the time of trouble, they say, ‘Rise up and save us!’

King James Bible
Saying to a stock, Thou art my father; and to a stone, Thou hast brought me forth: for they have turned their back unto me, and not their face: but in the time of their trouble they will say, Arise, and save us.

New King James Version
Saying to a tree, ‘You are my father,’ And to a stone, ‘You gave birth to me.’ For they have turned their back to Me, and not their face. But in the time of their trouble They will say, ‘Arise and save us.’

New American Standard Bible
Who say to a tree, ‘You are my father,’ And to a stone, ‘You gave me birth.’ For they have turned their backs to Me, And not their faces; But in the time of their trouble they will say, ‘Arise and save us!’

NASB 1995
Who say to a tree, ‘You are my father,’ And to a stone, ‘You gave me birth.’ For they have turned their back to Me, And not their face; But in the time of their trouble they will say, ‘Arise and save us.’

NASB 1977
Who say to a tree, ‘You are my father,’ And to a stone, ‘You gave me birth.’ For they have turned their back to Me, And not their face; But in the time of their trouble they will say, ‘Arise and save us.’

Legacy Standard Bible
Who say to a tree, ‘You are my father,’ And to a stone, ‘You gave me birth.’ For they have turned their back to Me And not their face; But in the time when their evil comes they will say, ‘Arise and save us.’

Amplified Bible
Who say to a tree, ‘You are my father,’ And to a stone, ‘You gave me birth.’ For they have turned their backs to Me, And not their faces; But in the time of their trouble they will say, ‘Arise [O LORD] and save us.’

Christian Standard Bible
say to a tree, “You are my father,” and to a stone, “You gave birth to me.” For they have turned their back to me and not their face, yet in their time of disaster they beg, “Rise up and save us! ”

Holman Christian Standard Bible
say to a tree, “You are my father,” and to a stone, “You gave birth to me.” For they have turned their back to Me and not their face, yet in their time of disaster they beg, “Rise up and save us!”

American Standard Version
who say to a stock, Thou art my father; and to a stone, Thou hast brought me forth: for they have turned their back unto me, and not their face; but in the time of their trouble they will say, Arise, and save us.

Contemporary English Version
worship stone idols and sacred poles as if they had created you and had given you life. You have rejected me, but when you're in trouble, you cry to me for help.

English Revised Version
which say to a stock, Thou art my father; and to a stone, Thou hast brought me forth: for they have turned their back unto me, and not their face: but in the time of their trouble they will say, Arise, and save us.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
You call wood your father. You call stone your mother. You've turned your backs, not your faces, to me. But when you're in trouble, you ask me to come and rescue you.

Good News Translation
You will all be disgraced--you that say that a tree is your father and that a rock is your mother. This will happen because you turned away from me instead of turning to me. But when you are in trouble, you ask me to come and save you.

International Standard Version
who say to a tree, 'You are my father,' and to a stone, 'You gave birth to me.' They have turned their back to me, but not their faces. In the time of their trouble, they'll say, 'Rise up! Deliver us!'"

Majority Standard Bible
say to a tree, ‘You are my father,’ and to a stone, ‘You gave me birth.’ For they have turned their backs to Me and not their faces, yet in the time of trouble they beg, ‘Rise up and save us!’

NET Bible
They say to a wooden idol, 'You are my father.' They say to a stone image, 'You gave birth to me.' Yes, they have turned away from me instead of turning to me. Yet when they are in trouble, they say, 'Come and save us!'

New Heart English Bible
who tell wood, 'You are my father;' and a stone, 'You have brought me out:' for they have turned their back to me, and not their face; but in the time of their trouble they will say, 'Arise, and save us.'

Webster's Bible Translation
Saying to a stock, Thou art my father; and to a stone, Thou hast brought me forth: for they have turned their back to me, and not their face: but in the time of their trouble they will say, Arise, and save us.

World English Bible
who tell wood, ‘You are my father,’ and a stone, ‘You have given birth to me,’ for they have turned their back to me, and not their face, but in the time of their trouble they will say, ‘Arise, and save us!’
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
Saying to wood, You [are] my father! And to a stone, You have brought me forth, "" For they turned to me the back and not the face, "" And in the time of their distress, "" They say, Arise, and save us.

Young's Literal Translation
Saying to wood, 'My father art thou!' And to a stone, 'Thou hast brought me forth,' For they turned unto me the back and not the face, And in the time of their vexation, They say, 'Arise Thou, and save us.'

Smith's Literal Translation
Saying to the wood, Thou my father; and to the stone, Thou didst bring me forth: for they turned to me the back of the neck and not their face: and in the time of their evil they will say, Arise, and save us.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Saying to a stock: Thou art my father: and to a stone: thou hast begotten me: they have turned their back to me, and not their face: and in the time of their affliction they will say: Arise, and deliver us.

Catholic Public Domain Version
For they say to a piece of wood, ‘You are my father,’ and to a stone, ‘You have conceived me.’ They have turned their back to me, and not their face. But in the time of their affliction, they will say: ‘Rise up and deliver us.’

New American Bible
They say to a piece of wood, “You are my father,” and to a stone, “You gave me birth.” They turn their backs to me, not their faces; yet in their time of trouble they cry out, “Rise up and save us!”

New Revised Standard Version
who say to a tree, “You are my father,” and to a stone, “You gave me birth.” For they have turned their backs to me, and not their faces. But in the time of their trouble they say, “Come and save us!”
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Who say to a piece of wood, You are our father; and to a stone, You have brought us forth; for they have turned their backs upon me and not their faces; but in the time of their trouble, they say, Arise and save us.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
Who say to a tree: "You are our father”, and to a stone, "You have given birth to us!”, because they turned their back to me and not their faces, and at the time of their affliction they say: “Arise, help us and save us!”
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Who say to a stock: 'Thou art my father', And to a stone: 'Thou hast brought us forth', For they have turned their back unto Me, and not their face; But in the time of their trouble they will say: 'Arise, and save us.'

Brenton Septuagint Translation
They said to a stock, Thou art my father; and to a stone, Thou has begotten me: and they have turned their backs to me, and not their faces: yet in the time of their afflictions they will say, Arise, and save us.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Israel's Unfaithfulness
26As the thief is ashamed when he is caught, so the house of Israel is disgraced. They, their kings, their officials, their priests, and their prophets 27say to a tree, ‘You are my father,’ and to a stone, ‘You gave me birth.’ For they have turned their backs to Me and not their faces, yet in the time of trouble they beg, ‘Rise up and save us!’ 28But where are the gods you made for yourselves? Let them rise up in your time of trouble and save you if they can; for your gods are as numerous as your cities, O Judah.…

Cross References
Isaiah 44:9-20
All makers of idols are nothing, and the things they treasure are worthless. Their witnesses fail to see or comprehend, so they are put to shame. / Who fashions a god or casts an idol which profits him nothing? / Behold, all his companions will be put to shame, for the craftsmen themselves are only human. Let them all assemble and take their stand; they will all be brought to terror and shame. ...

Hosea 4:12
My people consult their wooden idols, and their divining rods inform them. For a spirit of prostitution leads them astray and they have played the harlot against their God.

Deuteronomy 32:18
You ignored the Rock who brought you forth; you forgot the God who gave you birth.

Isaiah 1:29-31
Surely you will be ashamed of the sacred oaks in which you have delighted; you will be embarrassed by the gardens that you have chosen. / For you will become like an oak whose leaves are withered, like a garden without water. / The strong man will become tinder and his work will be a spark; both will burn together, with no one to quench the flames.

Ezekiel 20:32
When you say, ‘Let us be like the nations, like the peoples of the lands, serving wood and stone,’ what you have in mind will never come to pass.

Judges 10:13-14
But you have forsaken Me and served other gods, so I will no longer save you. / Go and cry out to the gods you have chosen. Let them save you in your time of trouble.”

1 Kings 18:26-29
And they took the bull that was given them, prepared it, and called on the name of Baal from morning until noon, shouting, “O Baal, answer us!” But there was no sound, and no one answered as they leaped around the altar they had made. / At noon Elijah began to taunt them, saying, “Shout louder, for he is a god! Perhaps he is deep in thought, or occupied, or on a journey. Perhaps he is sleeping and must be awakened!” / So they shouted louder and cut themselves with knives and lances, as was their custom, until the blood gushed over them. ...

Psalm 115:4-8
Their idols are silver and gold, made by the hands of men. / They have mouths, but cannot speak; they have eyes, but cannot see; / they have ears, but cannot hear; they have noses, but cannot smell; ...

Psalm 135:15-18
The idols of the nations are silver and gold, made by the hands of men. / They have mouths, but cannot speak; they have eyes, but cannot see; / they have ears, but cannot hear; nor is there breath in their mouths. ...

Isaiah 45:20
Come, gather together, and draw near, you fugitives from the nations. Ignorant are those who carry idols of wood and pray to a god that cannot save.

Isaiah 46:6-7
They pour out their bags of gold and weigh out silver on scales; they hire a goldsmith to fashion it into a god, so they can bow down and worship. / They lift it to their shoulder and carry it along; they set it in its place, and there it stands, not budging from that spot. They cry out to it, but it does not answer; it saves no one from his troubles.

Habakkuk 2:18-19
What use is an idol, that a craftsman should carve it—or an image, a teacher of lies? For its maker trusts in his own creation; he makes idols that cannot speak. / Woe to him who says to wood, ‘Awake!’ or to silent stone, ‘Arise!’ Can it give guidance? Behold, it is overlaid with gold and silver, yet there is no breath in it at all.”

Romans 1:21-23
For although they knew God, they neither glorified Him as God nor gave thanks to Him, but they became futile in their thinking and darkened in their foolish hearts. / Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools, / and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images of mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.

Acts 17:29
Therefore, being offspring of God, we should not think that the Divine Being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by man’s skill and imagination.

1 Corinthians 10:19-20
Am I suggesting, then, that food sacrificed to an idol is anything, or that an idol is anything? / No, but the sacrifices of pagans are offered to demons, not to God. And I do not want you to be participants with demons.


Treasury of Scripture

Saying to a stock, You are my father; and to a stone, You have brought me forth: for they have turned their back to me, and not their face: but in the time of their trouble they will say, Arise, and save us.

to a stock

Jeremiah 10:8
But they are altogether brutish and foolish: the stock is a doctrine of vanities.

Psalm 115:4-8
Their idols are silver and gold, the work of men's hands…

Isaiah 44:9-20
They that make a graven image are all of them vanity; and their delectable things shall not profit; and they are their own witnesses; they see not, nor know; that they may be ashamed…

brought me forth.

Ezekiel 8:16
And he brought me into the inner court of the LORD'S house, and, behold, at the door of the temple of the LORD, between the porch and the altar, were about five and twenty men, with their backs toward the temple of the LORD, and their faces toward the east; and they worshipped the sun toward the east.

Ezekiel 23:35
Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Because thou hast forgotten me, and cast me behind thy back, therefore bear thou also thy lewdness and thy whoredoms.

their back.

Jeremiah 2:24
A wild ass used to the wilderness, that snuffeth up the wind at her pleasure; in her occasion who can turn her away? all they that seek her will not weary themselves; in her month they shall find her.

Jeremiah 22:23
O inhabitant of Lebanon, that makest thy nest in the cedars, how gracious shalt thou be when pangs come upon thee, the pain as of a woman in travail!

Judges 10:8-16
And that year they vexed and oppressed the children of Israel: eighteen years, all the children of Israel that were on the other side Jordan in the land of the Amorites, which is in Gilead…

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Arise Backs Birth Face Faces Forth Gave Life Save Saviour Stock Stone Time Tree Trouble Turned Vexation Wood
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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.














They say to a tree, ‘You are my father,’
This phrase highlights the idolatrous practices of the Israelites, who attributed divine qualities to inanimate objects. The Hebrew word for "tree" is "עֵץ" (etz), which can refer to wood or a tree. Historically, trees were often used in idol worship, such as the Asherah poles mentioned in the Old Testament. The Israelites' declaration of a tree as their "father" signifies a profound spiritual adultery, as they attribute life-giving power to something created rather than the Creator. This reflects a deep-seated rebellion against God, who is the true Father and source of life.

and to a stone, ‘You gave me birth.’
The use of "stone" here, from the Hebrew "אֶבֶן" (even), further emphasizes the absurdity of idol worship. Stones were commonly used to carve idols or altars in ancient Near Eastern cultures. By claiming that a stone "gave me birth," the Israelites are engaging in a form of spiritual delusion, attributing their existence to lifeless objects. This phrase underscores the folly of idolatry, as it replaces the worship of the living God with the veneration of dead matter. It serves as a stark reminder of the human tendency to replace God with tangible, yet powerless, substitutes.

For they have turned their backs to Me and not their faces
This imagery of turning one's back, from the Hebrew "פָּנִים" (panim) for "faces," signifies a deliberate rejection and disrespect towards God. In ancient cultures, turning one's back on someone was a sign of disdain and severance of relationship. The Israelites' actions symbolize a conscious decision to reject God's presence and authority. This phrase highlights the relational aspect of sin, where turning away from God leads to spiritual estrangement and moral decay. It calls believers to examine their own lives for areas where they may have turned away from God, urging a return to face Him in repentance and faith.

Yet in their time of trouble they beg, ‘Arise and save us!’
Despite their rebellion, the Israelites still cry out to God in times of distress. The Hebrew word for "trouble" is "צָרָה" (tzarah), often used to describe distress or adversity. This plea, "Arise and save us," reveals the innate human recognition of God's sovereignty and power to deliver, even among those who have turned away. It underscores God's enduring mercy and readiness to respond to genuine repentance. This phrase serves as a powerful reminder of God's grace, encouraging believers to seek Him earnestly in times of need, trusting in His willingness to save and restore.

(27) Saying to a stock . . .--The "stock" and the "stone" represent respectively the images of wood and marble. In Hebrew the latter word is feminine, and thus determines the parts assigned to them in the figurative parentage.

To a stock, Thou art my father.--Literally, to a tree. The words seem as if they were an actual quotation from the hymns of the idolatrous ritual.

In the time of their trouble.--So in Hosea (Hosea 2, 3) it is the discipline of suffering that leads the adulterous wife to repentance. In times of trouble and dismay those who had before turned their backs on Jehovah shall seek Him with outstretched hands, and the cry for help. The prophet half implies that then it maybe too late till chastisement has done its perfect work.

Verse 27. - And to a stone, etc. Stone ('ebhen) is feminine in Hebrew, and therefore addressed as the mother.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
say
אֹמְרִ֨ים (’ō·mə·rîm)
Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine plural
Strong's 559: To utter, say

to a tree,
לָעֵ֜ץ (lā·‘êṣ)
Preposition-l, Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 6086: Tree, trees, wood

‘You
אַ֗תָּה (’at·tāh)
Pronoun - second person masculine singular
Strong's 859: Thou and thee, ye and you

are my father,’
אָ֣בִי (’ā·ḇî)
Noun - masculine singular construct | first person common singular
Strong's 1: Father

and to a stone,
וְלָאֶ֙בֶן֙ (wə·lā·’e·ḇen)
Conjunctive waw, Preposition-l, Article | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 68: A stone

‘You
אַ֣תְּ (’at)
Pronoun - second person feminine singular
Strong's 859: Thou and thee, ye and you

gave birth to me.’
יְלִדְתָּ֔נוּ (yə·liḏ·tā·nū)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - second person feminine singular | first person common plural
Strong's 3205: To bear young, to beget, medically, to act as midwife, to show lineage

For
כִּֽי־ (kî-)
Conjunction
Strong's 3588: A relative conjunction

they have turned
פָנ֥וּ (p̄ā·nū)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person common plural
Strong's 6437: To turn, to face, appear, look

their backs
עֹ֖רֶף (‘ō·rep̄)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 6203: The nape, back of the neck, the back

to Me
אֵלַ֛י (’ê·lay)
Preposition | first person common singular
Strong's 413: Near, with, among, to

and not
וְלֹ֣א (wə·lō)
Conjunctive waw | Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

their faces,
פָנִ֑ים (p̄ā·nîm)
Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 6440: The face

yet in the time
וּבְעֵ֤ת (ū·ḇə·‘êṯ)
Conjunctive waw, Preposition-b | Noun - common singular construct
Strong's 6256: Time, now, when

of trouble
רָֽעָתָם֙ (rā·‘ā·ṯām)
Noun - feminine singular construct | third person masculine plural
Strong's 7451: Bad, evil

they beg,
יֹֽאמְר֔וּ (yō·mə·rū)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's 559: To utter, say

‘Rise up
ק֖וּמָה (qū·māh)
Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine singular | third person feminine singular
Strong's 6965: To arise, stand up, stand

and save us!’
וְהוֹשִׁיעֵֽנוּ׃ (wə·hō·wō·šî·‘ê·nū)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Imperative - masculine singular | first person common plural
Strong's 3467: To be open, wide, free, to be safe, to free, succor


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OT Prophets: Jeremiah 2:27 Who tell a stock You are my (Jer.)
Jeremiah 2:26
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