This verse underscores that while God liberated His people, they repeatedly refused His service, turning instead to false worship and spiritual adultery.
“For long ago I broke your yoke
And tore off your bonds;
But you said, ‘I will not serve!’
For on every high hill
And under every green tree
You have lain down as a harlot.” (v.20)
Jeremiah, a prophet active in the southern kingdom of Judah from around 626 BC until after Jerusalem’s fall in 586 BC, delivers a vivid message from the LORD in these words. By saying, “I broke your yoke and tore off your bonds” (v.20), the LORD reminds His people that He delivered them from enslavement, granting them freedom and a special covenant relationship. Yet while they were supposed to serve Him faithfully, they instead declared, “I will not serve!” (v.20). The language shifts sharply to accuse them of seeking other gods, “on every high hill and under every green tree,” an image of spiritual infidelity that calls to mind the practice of worshiping false deities at hilltop shrines, similar to the way Israelite worship was later corrupted in places described elsewhere (Hosea 4:13). This betrayal was not only disobedience; it was an act of spiritual adultery, since the covenant with the LORD was akin to a marriage bond where unfaithfulness to Him was treated as harlotry.Throughout the Old Testament, the LORD’s relationship with His people is repeatedly likened to that of a faithful husband and an unfaithful spouse. The repeated references to spiritual adultery—“you have lain down as a harlot” (v.20)—evoke the same imagery found in books such as Hosea, where pursuing idol worship constituted forsaking God’s covenant protection and blessings. In Exodus, we see how the LORD viewed idol worship as a breach of trust equivalent to marital unfaithfulness, confirming that such behavior violated His righteous jealousy for Israel’s devotion.In Jeremiah 2:20, then, God confronts Judah with a stark reminder of both His gracious redemption and their blatant rebellion. He freed them from the bondage of other nations and false systems, yet they chose the empty promises of spiritual idolatry instead of walking in loyal service. This indictment sets the stage for further calls throughout Jeremiah for repentance, urging God’s people to abandon the fruitless worship of idols and return wholeheartedly to the God who had once removed their yoke.
Set to dark mode
Jeremiah 2:20 meaning
“For long ago I broke your yoke
And tore off your bonds;
But you said, ‘I will not serve!’
For on every high hill
And under every green tree
You have lain down as a harlot.” (v.20)
Jeremiah, a prophet active in the southern kingdom of Judah from around 626 BC until after Jerusalem’s fall in 586 BC, delivers a vivid message from the LORD in these words. By saying, “I broke your yoke and tore off your bonds” (v.20), the LORD reminds His people that He delivered them from enslavement, granting them freedom and a special covenant relationship. Yet while they were supposed to serve Him faithfully, they instead declared, “I will not serve!” (v.20). The language shifts sharply to accuse them of seeking other gods, “on every high hill and under every green tree,” an image of spiritual infidelity that calls to mind the practice of worshiping false deities at hilltop shrines, similar to the way Israelite worship was later corrupted in places described elsewhere (Hosea 4:13). This betrayal was not only disobedience; it was an act of spiritual adultery, since the covenant with the LORD was akin to a marriage bond where unfaithfulness to Him was treated as harlotry.Throughout the Old Testament, the LORD’s relationship with His people is repeatedly likened to that of a faithful husband and an unfaithful spouse. The repeated references to spiritual adultery—“you have lain down as a harlot” (v.20)—evoke the same imagery found in books such as Hosea, where pursuing idol worship constituted forsaking God’s covenant protection and blessings. In Exodus, we see how the LORD viewed idol worship as a breach of trust equivalent to marital unfaithfulness, confirming that such behavior violated His righteous jealousy for Israel’s devotion.In Jeremiah 2:20, then, God confronts Judah with a stark reminder of both His gracious redemption and their blatant rebellion. He freed them from the bondage of other nations and false systems, yet they chose the empty promises of spiritual idolatry instead of walking in loyal service. This indictment sets the stage for further calls throughout Jeremiah for repentance, urging God’s people to abandon the fruitless worship of idols and return wholeheartedly to the God who had once removed their yoke.