Jeremiah 44:6
Therefore My wrath and anger poured out and burned in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem, so that they have become the desolate ruin they are today.
Therefore
This word serves as a conclusion or result of previous actions or statements. In the context of Jeremiah 44, it connects the disobedience and idolatry of the people of Judah with the consequences they face. The Hebrew word used here is "לָכֵן" (lakhen), which often introduces a divine judgment or decree. It emphasizes the certainty and inevitability of God's response to sin.

My wrath and anger
These terms reflect God's righteous indignation against sin. The Hebrew words "אַף" (aph) for wrath and "חֵמָה" (chemah) for anger convey a deep, passionate response to the covenant unfaithfulness of His people. In a conservative Christian perspective, this highlights God's holiness and justice, reminding believers of the seriousness of sin and the need for repentance.

poured out and burned
The imagery of God's wrath being "poured out" suggests an overwhelming and unstoppable force, akin to a flood. The Hebrew verb "שָׁפַךְ" (shaphak) means to spill or pour out, often used in the context of divine judgment. "Burned" (בָּעַר, baar) conveys the consuming nature of God's anger, likened to a fire that purifies and destroys. This serves as a sobering reminder of the consequences of turning away from God.

in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem
This phrase specifies the location of God's judgment, emphasizing that it was not a distant or abstract event but a tangible reality experienced by the people. Judah and Jerusalem were central to the identity and worship of the Israelites, making their desolation particularly poignant. Historically, this refers to the Babylonian conquest and destruction, a fulfillment of prophetic warnings.

so they have become the desolate ruin they are today
The outcome of God's judgment is described as "desolate ruin," using the Hebrew words "שְׁמָמָה" (shemamah) for desolate and "חָרְבָּה" (chorbah) for ruin. This stark depiction underscores the totality of the devastation. In a spiritual sense, it serves as a warning of the emptiness and destruction that result from forsaking God. It also points to the hope of restoration, as God's judgments are often followed by promises of renewal for those who return to Him.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Jeremiah
A prophet called by God to deliver messages of warning and hope to the people of Judah. He is known for his perseverance in the face of opposition.

2. Judah
The southern kingdom of Israel, which included the city of Jerusalem. It was the center of Jewish worship and culture but fell into idolatry and disobedience.

3. Jerusalem
The capital city of Judah, significant for its temple and as the spiritual heart of the Jewish people. It faced destruction due to the people's unfaithfulness.

4. God's Wrath and Anger
Represents God's righteous judgment against sin and disobedience. It is a response to the persistent idolatry and rebellion of His people.

5. Desolation
The state of ruin and emptiness that came upon Judah and Jerusalem as a consequence of their sin, serving as a physical manifestation of God's judgment.
Teaching Points
The Seriousness of Sin
Sin has real and devastating consequences. Just as Judah faced desolation, unrepentant sin in our lives can lead to spiritual ruin.

God's Righteous Judgment
God's wrath is not arbitrary but a just response to persistent disobedience. Understanding this helps us appreciate His holiness and justice.

Call to Repentance
The desolation of Judah serves as a warning and a call to repentance. We are encouraged to turn from sin and seek God's forgiveness.

Hope in Restoration
While judgment is severe, God's ultimate desire is for restoration. He offers hope and redemption to those who return to Him.

Faithfulness in Adversity
Like Jeremiah, we are called to remain faithful in delivering God's truth, even when it is unpopular or met with resistance.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does the desolation of Judah and Jerusalem serve as a warning for us today regarding the consequences of sin?

2. In what ways can we see God's justice and mercy working together in the events described in Jeremiah 44:6?

3. How can we apply the lessons of Judah's disobedience and God's judgment to our personal lives and communities?

4. What are some modern "idols" that might lead us away from God, similar to the idolatry that led to Judah's downfall?

5. How can we, like Jeremiah, remain faithful in proclaiming God's truth in a world that often rejects it?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Deuteronomy 28
This chapter outlines the blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience, providing a backdrop for understanding the consequences faced by Judah.

2 Kings 25
Describes the fall of Jerusalem and the Babylonian exile, illustrating the fulfillment of the warnings given by prophets like Jeremiah.

Lamentations 1
Offers a poetic reflection on the desolation of Jerusalem, echoing the themes of judgment and sorrow found in Jeremiah 44:6.

Romans 1:18-32
Discusses God's wrath against ungodliness and unrighteousness, drawing a parallel to the consequences faced by Judah.
A Severe Lesson UnlearnedD. Young Jeremiah 44:1-10
The Condition of Hardened Sinners DesperateA.F. Muir Jeremiah 44:1-14
Jeremiah's Last SermonS. Conway Jeremiah 44:1-30
The End of Jeremiah; Or, Going Down in CloudsS. Conway Jeremiah 44:1-30
People
Jeremiah, Nebuchadnezzar, Pharaoh, Zedekiah
Places
Babylon, Egypt, Jerusalem, Memphis, Migdol, Pathros, Tahpanhes
Topics
Anger, Burned, Burneth, Burning, Cities, Desolate, Desolation, Forth, Fury, Jerusalem, Judah, Kindled, Loose, Passion, Poured, Raged, Ruin, Ruins, Streets, Towns, Unpeopled, Waste, Wasted, Wherefore, Wrath
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Jeremiah 44:2-6

     5508   ruins

Jeremiah 44:5-6

     5885   indifference

Library
God's Patient Pleadings
'I sent unto you all my servants the prophets, rising early and sending them, saying, Oh, do not this abominable thing that I hate.'--JER. xliv. 4. The long death-agony of the Jewish kingdom has come to an end. The frivolous levity, which fed itself on illusions and would not be sobered by facts, has been finally crushed out of the wretched people. The dreary succession of incompetent kings--now a puppet set up by Egypt, now another puppet set up by Babylon, has ended with the weak Zedekiah. The
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Man's Misery by the Fall
Q-19: WHAT IS THE MISERY OF THAT ESTATE WHEREINTO MAN FELL? A: All mankind by their fall lost communion with God, are under his wrath and curse, and so made liable to all the miseries in this life, to death itself, and to the pains of hell for ever. 'And were by nature children of wrath.' Eph 2:2. Adam left an unhappy portion to his posterity, Sin and Misery. Having considered the first of these, original sin, we shall now advert to the misery of that state. In the first, we have seen mankind offending;
Thomas Watson—A Body of Divinity

That Whereas the City of Jerusalem had Been Five Times Taken Formerly, this was the Second Time of Its Desolation. A Brief Account of Its History.
1. And thus was Jerusalem taken, in the second year of the reign of Vespasian, on the eighth day of the month Gorpeius [Elul]. It had been taken five [34] times before, though this was the second time of its desolation; for Shishak, the king of Egypt, and after him Antiochus, and after him Pompey, and after them Sosius and Herod, took the city, but still preserved it; but before all these, the king of Babylon conquered it, and made it desolate, one thousand four hundred and sixty-eight years and
Flavius Josephus—The Wars of the Jews or History of the Destruction of Jerusalem

Man's Inability to Keep the Moral Law
Is any man able perfectly to keep the commandments of God? No mere man, since the fall, is able in this life perfectly to keep the commandments of God, but does daily break them, in thought, word, and deed. In many things we offend all.' James 3: 2. Man in his primitive state of innocence, was endowed with ability to keep the whole moral law. He had rectitude of mind, sanctity of will, and perfection of power. He had the copy of God's law written on his heart; no sooner did God command but he obeyed.
Thomas Watson—The Ten Commandments

The Mercy of God
The next attribute is God's goodness or mercy. Mercy is the result and effect of God's goodness. Psa 33:5. So then this is the next attribute, God's goodness or mercy. The most learned of the heathens thought they gave their god Jupiter two golden characters when they styled him good and great. Both these meet in God, goodness and greatness, majesty and mercy. God is essentially good in himself and relatively good to us. They are both put together in Psa 119:98. Thou art good, and doest good.' This
Thomas Watson—A Body of Divinity

Nature of Covenanting.
A covenant is a mutual voluntary compact between two parties on given terms or conditions. It may be made between superiors and inferiors, or between equals. The sentiment that a covenant can be made only between parties respectively independent of one another is inconsistent with the testimony of Scripture. Parties to covenants in a great variety of relative circumstances, are there introduced. There, covenant relations among men are represented as obtaining not merely between nation and nation,
John Cunningham—The Ordinance of Covenanting

Original Sin
Q-16: DID ALL MANKIND FALL IN ADAM'S FIRST TRANSGRESSION? A: The covenant being made with Adam, not only for himself, but for his posterity, all mankind descending from him, by ordinary generation, sinned in him, and fell with him in his first transgression. 'By one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin,' &c. Rom 5:12. Adam being a representative person, while he stood, we stood; when he fell, we fell, We sinned in Adam; so it is in the text, In whom all have sinned.' Adam was the head
Thomas Watson—A Body of Divinity

Jeremiah
The interest of the book of Jeremiah is unique. On the one hand, it is our most reliable and elaborate source for the long period of history which it covers; on the other, it presents us with prophecy in its most intensely human phase, manifesting itself through a strangely attractive personality that was subject to like doubts and passions with ourselves. At his call, in 626 B.C., he was young and inexperienced, i. 6, so that he cannot have been born earlier than 650. The political and religious
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

Links
Jeremiah 44:6 NIV
Jeremiah 44:6 NLT
Jeremiah 44:6 ESV
Jeremiah 44:6 NASB
Jeremiah 44:6 KJV

Jeremiah 44:6 Commentaries

Bible Hub
Jeremiah 44:5
Top of Page
Top of Page