Jeremiah 2:21

Yet I had planted thee a noble vine, wholly a right seed: how then art thou turned into the degenerate plant of a strange vine unto me?

Yet I had planted {H5193} thee a noble vine {H8321}, wholly a right {H571} seed {H2233}: how then art thou turned {H2015} into the degenerate plant {H5494} of a strange {H5237} vine {H1612} unto me?

But I planted you as a choice vine of seed fully tested and true. How did you degenerate into a wild vine for me?

I had planted you like a choice vine from the very best seed. How could you turn yourself before Me into a rotten, wild vine?

Yet I had planted thee a noble vine, wholly a right seed: how then art thou turned into the degenerate branches of a foreign vine unto me?

Commentary

Context

Jeremiah prophesied during a tumultuous period for the Kingdom of Judah, just prior to the Babylonian exile. The book often highlights God's profound grief and anger over His people's persistent unfaithfulness and idolatry. This verse is part of a lament where God expresses His astonishment and sorrow over Israel's spiritual decline. The imagery of a "vine" is a common biblical metaphor used to represent Israel, emphasizing God's careful cultivation and their expected fruitfulness, yet their ultimate failure to live up to their divine calling.

Key Themes

  • Divine Election and Investment: God vividly portrays Himself as a meticulous gardener who planted Israel as a choice, "noble vine" (KJV: "wholly a right seed"). This underscores His initial gracious act of choosing them and providing everything necessary for their spiritual flourishing. It speaks to the perfect foundation He laid for His covenant people, whom He had set apart as a holy nation.
  • Profound Spiritual Degeneration: Despite God's perfect planting, Israel had inexplicably "turned into the degenerate plant of a strange vine." This signifies their severe apostasy, their abandonment of the one true God for foreign deities and practices. It's a stark contrast between what they were divinely intended to be and what they had become through their own choices.
  • God's Heartbroken Question: The rhetorical question, "how then art thou turned?" reveals God's deep sorrow, perplexity, and lament. It's a poignant expression of betrayal, akin to a parent grieving a child's radical departure from their upbringing and values, despite all the love and care invested.

Linguistic Insights

The Hebrew word for "noble vine" is soreq (ืฉึนื‚ืจึตืง), which refers to a choice, highly prized, dark-red grape variety known for its superior quality and fruit. This emphasizes the perfection and high potential of God's original planting of Israel. The phrase "degenerate plant" (derived from a root meaning to 'turn aside' or 'become corrupt') powerfully contrasts with this, indicating a transformation into something utterly foreign and inferior to its original noble nature, highlighting their spiritual deviation.

Practical Application

Jeremiah 2:21 offers timeless lessons for believers today:

  • Faithfulness to Our Calling: Just as Israel was called to bear good fruit for God, believers are called to live lives that reflect their identity in Christ. This verse prompts self-examination: Are we remaining a "noble vine" in our spiritual walk, or are we allowing spiritual compromises to turn us into a "degenerate plant"?
  • Beware of "Strange Influences": The "strange vine" represents foreign gods and ungodly practices. For us, this warns against allowing worldly ideologies, cultural trends, or false teachings that contradict God's Word to corrupt our faith and spiritual purity. We must be vigilant against anything that causes us to conform to the patterns of this world rather than being transformed by God.
  • God's Enduring Heart: While expressing disappointment, God's lament also implies His desire for repentance and restoration. He still longs for His people to return to Him, reminding us that even in our failings, God's invitation to return and be renewed remains open (Jeremiah 3:12).
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Cross-References

  • Isaiah 5:4 (14 votes)

    What could have been done more to my vineyard, that I have not done in it? wherefore, when I looked that it should bring forth grapes, brought it forth wild grapes?

  • Exodus 15:17 (10 votes)

    Thou shalt bring them in, and plant them in the mountain of thine inheritance, [in] the place, O LORD, [which] thou hast made for thee to dwell in, [in] the Sanctuary, O Lord, [which] thy hands have established.

  • Psalms 44:2 (8 votes)

    [How] thou didst drive out the heathen with thy hand, and plantedst them; [how] thou didst afflict the people, and cast them out.

  • John 15:1 (8 votes)

    ยถ I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.

  • Deuteronomy 4:37 (7 votes)

    And because he loved thy fathers, therefore he chose their seed after them, and brought thee out in his sight with his mighty power out of Egypt;

  • Psalms 80:8 (7 votes)

    ยถ Thou hast brought a vine out of Egypt: thou hast cast out the heathen, and planted it.

  • Deuteronomy 32:32 (6 votes)

    For their vine [is] of the vine of Sodom, and of the fields of Gomorrah: their grapes [are] grapes of gall, their clusters [are] bitter: