TRV
Translation
King James Version
¶ Wherefore will ye plead with me? ye all have transgressed against me, saith the LORD.
KJV (with Strong's)
Wherefore will ye plead H7378 with me? ye all have transgressed H6586 against me, saith H5002 the LORD H3068.
Berean Standard Bible
Why do you bring a case against Me? You have all rebelled against Me,” declares the LORD.
American Standard Version
Wherefore will ye contend with me? ye all have transgressed against me, saith Jehovah.
World English Bible Messianic
“Why will you contend with me? You all have transgressed against me,” says the LORD.
Geneva Bible (1599)
Wherefore wil ye pleade with me? ye all haue rebelled against me, sayeth the Lord.
Young's Literal Translation
Why do ye strive with Me? All of you have transgressed against Me, An affirmation of Jehovah.
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Commentary on Jeremiah 2 verses 29–37
29 ¶ Wherefore will ye plead with me? ye all have transgressed against me, saith the LORD.
30 In vain have I smitten your children; they received no correction: your own sword hath devoured your prophets, like a destroying lion.
31 O generation, see ye the word of the LORD. Have I been a wilderness unto Israel? a land of darkness? wherefore say my people, We are lords; we will come no more unto thee?
32 Can a maid forget her ornaments, or a bride her attire? yet my people have forgotten me days without number.
33 Why trimmest thou thy way to seek love? therefore hast thou also taught the wicked ones thy ways.
34 Also in thy skirts is found the blood of the souls of the poor innocents: I have not found it by secret search, but upon all these.
35 Yet thou sayest, Because I am innocent, surely his anger shall turn from me. Behold, I will plead with thee, because thou sayest, I have not sinned.
36 Why gaddest thou about so much to change thy way? thou also shalt be ashamed of Egypt, as thou wast ashamed of Assyria.
37 Yea, thou shalt go forth from him, and thine hands upon thine head: for the LORD hath rejected thy confidences, and thou shalt not prosper in them.
The prophet here goes on in the same strain, aiming to bring a sinful people to repentance, that their destruction might be prevented.
I. He avers the truth of the charge. It was evident beyond contradiction; it was the greatest absurdity imaginable in them to think of denying it (Jer 2:29): "Wherefore will you plead with me, and put me upon the proof of it, or wherefore will you go about to plead any thing in excuse of the crime or to obtain a mitigation of the sentence? Your plea will certainly be overruled, and judgment given against you: you know you have all transgressed, one as well as another; why then to you quarrel with me for contending with you?"
II. He heightens it from the consideration both of their incorrigibleness and of their ingratitude. 1. They had not been wrought upon by the judgments of God which they had been under (Jer 2:30): In vain have I smitten your children, that is, the children or people of Judah. They had been under divine rebukes of many kinds. God therein designed to bring them to repentance; but it was in vain. They did not answer God's end in afflicting them; their consciences were not awakened, nor their hearts softened and humbled, nor were they driven to seek unto God; they received no instruction by the correction, were not made the better by it; and it is a great loss thus to lose an affliction. They did not receive, they did not submit to, or comply with, the correction, but their hearts fretted against the Lord, and so they were smitten in vain. Even the children, the young people, among them (so it may be taken), were smitten in vain; they were so soon prejudiced against repentance that they were as untractable as the old ones that had been long accustomed to do evil. 2. They had not been wrought upon by the word of God which he had sent them in the mouth of his servants the prophets; nay, they had killed the messengers for the sake of the message: "Your own sword has devoured your prophets like a destroying lion; you have put them to death for their faithfulness with as much rage and fury, and with as much greediness and pleasure, as a lion devours his prey." Their prophets, who were their greatest blessings, were treated by them as if they had been the plagues of their generation, and this was their measure-filling sin, Ch2 36:16. They killed their own prophets, Th1 2:15. 3. They had not been wrought upon by the favours God had bestowed upon them (Jer 2:31): "O generation!" (he does not call them, as he might, O faithless and perverse generation! O generation of vipers! but speaks gently, O you men of this generation!) "see the word of the Lord, do not only hear it, but consider it diligently, apply your minds closely to it." As we are bidden to hear the rod (Mic 6:9), for that has its voice, so we are bidden to see the word, for that has its visions, its views. It intimates that what is here said is plain and undeniable; you may see it to be very evident; it is written as with a sun-beam, so that he that runs may read it: Have I been a wilderness to Israel, a land of darkness. Note, None of those who have had any dealings with God ever had reason to complain of him as a wilderness or a land of darkness. He has blessed us with the fruits of the earth, and therefore we cannot say that he has been a wilderness to us, a dry and barren land, that (as Mr. Gataker expresses it) he has held us to hard meat, as cattle fed upon the common. No; his sheep have been led into green pastures. He has also blessed us with the lights of heaven, and has not withheld them, so that we cannot say, He has been to us a land of darkness. He has caused his sun to shine, as well as his rain to fall, upon the evil and unthankful. Or the meaning is, in general, that the service of God has not been to any either an unpleasant or an unprofitable service. God sometimes has led his people through a wilderness and a land of darkness, but he himself was then to them all that which they needed; he so fed them with manna, and led them by a pillar of fire, that it was to them a fruitful field and a land of light. The world is, to those who make it their home and their portion, a wilderness and a land of darkness, vanity and vexation of spirit; but those that dwell in God have the lines fallen to them in pleasant places. 4. Instead of being wrought upon by these, they had grown intolerably insolent and imperious. They say, We are lords; we will come no more unto thee. Now that they had become a potent kingdom, or thought themselves such, they set up for themselves, and shook off their dependence upon God. This is the language of presumptuous sinners, and it is not only very impious and profane, but very unreasonable and foolish. (1.) It is absurd for us who are subjects to say, We are lords (that is, rulers) and we will come no more to God to receive commands form him; for, as he is King of old, so he is King for ever, and we can never pretend to be from under his authority. (2.) It is absurd for us who are beggars to say, We are lords, that is, We are rich, and we will come no more to God, to receive favours from him, as if we could live without him and need not be beholden to him. God justly takes it ill when those to whom he has been a bountiful benefactor care not either for hearing from him or speaking to him.
III. He lays the blame of all their wickedness upon their forgetting God (Jer 2:32): They have forgotten me; they have industriously banished the thoughts of God out of their minds, jostled those thoughts out with thoughts of their idols, and avoided all those things that would put them in mind of God. 1. Though they were his own people, in covenant with him and professing relation to him, and had the tokens of his presence in the midst of them and of his favour to them, yet they forgot him. 2. They had long neglected him, days without number, time out of mind, as we say. They had not for a great while entertained any serious thoughts of him; so that they seem quite to have forgotten him, and resolved never to remember him again. How many days of our lives have passed without suitable remembrance of God! Who can number those empty days? 3. They had not had such a regard and affection to him as young ladies generally have to their fine clothes: Can a maid forget her ornaments or a bride her attire? No; their hearts are upon them; they value them so much, and themselves upon them, that they are ever and anon thinking and speaking of them. When they are to appear in public they do not forget any of their ornaments, but put every one in its place, as they are described, Isa 3:18, etc. And yet my people have forgotten me. It is sad that any should be more in love with their fine clothes than with their God, and should rather leave their religion behind them, or part with that, than leave any of their ornaments behind them, or part with them. Is not God our ornament? Is he not a crown of glory and a diadem of beauty to his people? Did we look upon him to be so, and upon our religion as an ornament of grace to our head and chains about our neck (Pro 1:9), we should be as mindful of them as ever any maid was of her ornaments, or a bride of her attire, we should be as careful to preserve them and as fond to appear in them.
IV. He shows them what a bad influence their sins had had upon others. The sins of God's professing people harden and encourage those about them in their evil ways, especially when they appear forward and ringleaders in sin (Jer 2:33): Why trimmest thou thy way to seek love? There is an allusion here to the practice of lewd women who strive to recommend themselves by their ogling looks and gay dress, as Jezebel, who painted her face and tired her head. Thus had they courted their neighbours into sinful confederacies with them and communion in their idolatries, and had taught the wicked ones their ways, their ways of mixing God's institutions with their idolatrous customs and usages, which was a great profanation of that which was sacred and made the ways of their idolatry worse than that of others. Those have a great deal to answer for who, by their fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, make wicked ones more wicked than otherwise they would be.
V. He charges them with the guilt of murder added to the guilt of their idolatry (Jer 2:34): Also in thy skirts is found the blood of the souls, the life-blood of the poor innocents, which cried to heaven, and for which God was now making inquisition. The reference is to the children that were offered in sacrifice to Moloch; or it may be taken more generally for all the innocent blood which Manasseh shed, and with which he had filled Jerusalem (Kg2 21:16), the righteous blood, especially the blood of the prophets and others that witnessed against their impieties. This blood was found not by secret search, not by diggings (so the word is), but upon all these; it was above ground. This intimates that the guilt of this kind which they had contracted was certain and evident, not doubtful or which would bear a dispute; and that it was avowed and barefaced, and which they had not so much sense either of shame or fear as to endeavour to conceal, which was a great aggravation of it.
VI. He overrules their plea of, Not guilty. Though this matter be so plain, yet thou sayest, Because I am innocent, surely his anger shall turn from me; and again, Thou sayest, I have not sinned (Jer 2:35); therefore I will plead with thee, and will convince thee of thy mistake. Because they deny the charge, and stand upon their own justification, therefore God will join issue with them and plead with them, both by his word and by his rod. Those shall be made to know how much they deceive themselves, 1. Who say that they have not offended God, that they are innocent, though they have been guilty of the grossest enormities. 2. Who expect that God will be reconciled to them though they do not repent and reform. They own that they had been under the tokens of God's anger, but they think that it was causeless, and that they by pleading innocency had proved it to be so, and therefore they conclude that God will immediately let fall his action and his anger shall be turned from them. This is very provoking, and God will plead with them, and convince them that his anger is just, for they have sinned, and he will never cease his controversy till they, instead of justifying themselves thus, humble, and judge, and condemn themselves.
VII. He upbraids them with the shameful disappointments they met with, in making creatures their confidence, while they made God their enemy, Jer 2:36, Jer 2:37. It was a piece of spiritual idolatry they were often guilty of that they trusted in an arm of flesh and their hearts therein departed from the Lord. Now here he shows them the folly of it. 1. They were restless, and unsatisfied in the choice of their confidences: "Why gaddest thou about so much to change thy way? Doubtless it is because thou meetest not with that in those thou didst confide in which thou promisedst thyself." Those that make God their hope, and walk in a continual dependence upon him, need not gad about to change their way; for their souls may return to him, and repose in him, as their rest: but those that trust in creatures will be perpetually uneasy, like Noah's dove, that found no rest for the sole of her foot. Every thing they trust to fails them, and then they think to change for the better, but they will be still disappointed. They first trusted to Assyria, and, when that proved a broken reed, they depended upon Egypt, and that proved no better. Creatures being vanity, they will be vexation of spirit to all those that put their confidence in them; they gad about, seeking rest and finding none. 2. They were quite disappointed in the confidences they made choice of; so the prophet tells them they should be: Thou shalt be ashamed of Egypt, which thou now trustest in, as formerly thou wast of Assyria, who distressed them and helped them not, Ch2 28:20. The Jews were a peculiar people in their profession of religion, and for that reason none of the neighbouring nations cared for them, nor could heartily love them; and yet the Jews were still courting them, and confiding in them, and were well enough served when deceived by them. See what will come of it (Jer 2:37): Thou shalt go forth from him, thy ambassadors or envoys shall return from Egypt re infect - disappointed, and therefore with their hands upon their heads, lamenting the desperate condition of their people. Or, Thou shalt go forth hence, that is, into captivity in a strange land, with thy hands upon thy head, holding it because it aches (ubi dolor ibi digitus - where the pain is the finger will be applied), or as people ashamed, for Tamar, in the height of her confusion, laid her hand on her head, Sa2 13:19. "And Egypt, that thou reliest on, shall not be able to prevent it nor to rescue thee out of captivity." Those that will not lay their hand on their heart in godly sorrow, which works life, shall be made to lay their hand on their head in the sorrow of the world, which works death. And no wonder that Egypt cannot help them, when God will not, If the Lord do not help thee, whence should I? The Egyptians are broken reeds, for the Lord has rejected thy confidences; he will not make use of them for thy relief, will neither so far honour them, nor so far give countenance to thy confidence in them, as to appoint them to be the instruments of any good to thee, and therefore thou shalt not prosper in them; they shall not stand thee in any stead nor give thee any satisfaction. As there is no counsel or wisdom that can prevail against the Lord, so there is none that can prevail without him. Some read it, The Lord has rejected thee for thy confidences; because thou hast dealt so unfaithfully with him as to trust in his creatures, nay, in his enemies when thou shouldst have trusted in him only, he has abandoned thee to that destruction from which thou thoughtest thus to shelter thyself; and then thou canst not prosper, for none ever either hardened himself against God or estranged himself from God and prospered.
Matthew Henry (1662–1714) — Commentary on the Whole Bible. This section covers verses 29–37. Public domain.
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JeromeAD 420
Commentary on Jeremiah
(Verse 29) What do you want to contend with me in judgment? You all have forsaken me, says the Lord. Human perversity is inclined to make excuses for itself, so that whatever it rightfully endures, it may seem to endure unjustly; and it may attribute its own fault to the judgment of God. Therefore, in vain, you present complaints, and an unjust cause to the judge, when it is because of your impiety that you suffer. And what follows: And you have all acted unjustly against me, is added by the Septuagint.
Source: Quotations drawn from early Church Fathers and historical Christian theologians (AD 100–1500). Some quotes address the surrounding passage context rather than this verse alone.
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SUMMARY
Jeremiah 2:29 encapsulates a profound divine confrontation, where the LORD, through His prophet Jeremiah, directly challenges ancient Judah's futile attempts at self-justification. This verse serves as a stark rhetorical question, exposing the nation's undeniable and pervasive guilt, asserting that all have deliberately rebelled against Him. It functions as a powerful indictment, underscoring the impossibility of human vindication before a holy and omniscient God who sees every transgression.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
Jeremiah 2:29 masterfully employs several literary devices to convey its powerful and convicting message. The most prominent is the Rhetorical Question, "Wherefore will ye plead with me?" This question is not posed to elicit an answer, but rather to underscore the undeniable guilt of the people and the utter futility of any attempt at self-justification. It compels the audience to confront the obviousness and gravity of their rebellion. There is also strong Direct Address and Apostrophe, as God directly confronts the nation of Judah, making the accusation deeply personal and confrontational rather than a detached observation. The phrase "ye all" functions as a form of Hyperbole or Emphasis, highlighting the pervasive, comprehensive, and systemic nature of the transgression across the entire society, thereby stressing collective responsibility and culpability. Finally, the language of "pleading" and "transgressing" establishes a clear Legal Metaphor, casting God as the supreme and righteous Judge and Israel as the defendant in a divine courtroom, where their case is already irrevocably lost due to overwhelming evidence of their covenant breach.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Jeremiah 2:29 powerfully articulates the profound theological truth of human accountability before a holy God and the inherent nature of sin as deliberate rebellion. It reveals God's righteous character as an unyielding Judge who demands justice and exposes the inherent futility of human attempts at self-vindication. The verse emphasizes that sin, particularly "transgression" (pâshaʻ), is not merely a mistake or a lapse but a deliberate breaking away from divine authority and a willful violation of a sacred covenant. This highlights the profound gravity of Israel's unfaithfulness, which was a direct affront to the God who had redeemed them and entered into a unique and intimate relationship with them. The universal "ye all" underscores that sin is a pervasive human condition, making any plea of innocence before God utterly baseless and revealing humanity's desperate and universal need for divine intervention and unmerited grace.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Jeremiah 2:29 serves as a timeless and unsparing mirror, challenging each of us to honestly examine our own lives, motives, and spiritual posture in light of God's perfect and unwavering standard. When confronted with our failings, our natural human inclination is often to defend ourselves, to craft elaborate excuses, or to subtly shift blame, much like ancient Judah attempted to "plead" their case. This verse sternly reminds us that such self-justification is utterly futile and indeed an affront before an omniscient God who sees beyond our outward actions into the deepest recesses of our hearts and minds. True spiritual health and genuine repentance begin with profound humility and an unreserved willingness to acknowledge our sin without reservation or equivocation. It calls us to move beyond superficial confession to a genuine recognition of our deliberate rebellion against God's loving authority and His righteous commands. Just as Israel could not successfully plead their case before the LORD, neither can we earn our righteousness or justify our disobedience through our own efforts. Instead, we are called to confess our transgressions fully and turn in brokenness and repentance to God's abundant and freely offered mercy. This verse compels us to cultivate a sincere, obedient, and humble relationship with God, built on truth and unvarnished honesty, rather than one marked by superficiality, pride, or defiance.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Why does God ask a rhetorical question ("Wherefore will ye plead with me?") if He already knows their guilt?
Answer: God's rhetorical question is not posed out of ignorance but out of profound divine wisdom and pedagogical intent. It serves multiple crucial purposes: primarily, to provoke deep self-reflection and conviction within Judah; secondly, to highlight the utter folly, absurdity, and futility of their attempts at self-justification; and thirdly, to underscore the undeniable and self-evident nature of their sin. By asking a question for which there is no valid defense, God leaves them with absolutely no room for excuses, forcing them to confront the obvious and uncomfortable truth of their rebellion. It is a powerful divine challenge to their conscience, meticulously designed to strip away any pretense of innocence and lead them to a place of honest and unreserved acknowledgment of their guilt before Him, a pattern seen in similar prophetic challenges such as Isaiah 1:18.
Does "ye all" in "ye all have transgressed against me" literally mean every single individual in Judah?
Answer: While the phrase "ye all" might not imply that every single person committed every specific sin, it unequivocally signifies the pervasive, widespread, and systemic nature of the rebellion and apostasy within the nation. It indicates a collective guilt and a widespread abandonment of God's covenant ways, affecting the national character from its highest leaders to its common people. The phrase emphatically stresses that the apostasy was not an isolated incident or confined to a fringe group, but rather a dominant and defining characteristic of the society as a whole, making the nation collectively accountable before God. This concept of collective responsibility and corporate sin is a recurring and vital theme in prophetic literature, where the nation's spiritual state profoundly reflects the sum of its individual and corporate actions, as powerfully highlighted in Jeremiah 5:1.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Jeremiah 2:29, with its stark declaration of universal human transgression and the utter futility of self-justification, profoundly underscores humanity's desperate and intrinsic need for a Savior—a need perfectly and completely met in the person and work of Jesus Christ. The verse highlights the universal human condition of being utterly unable to "plead" a righteous case before a holy God, as "ye all have transgressed against me." This foundational Old Testament truth finds its powerful New Testament echo in passages like Romans 3:10-12, which unequivocally declares that "there is no one righteous, not even one." Humanity's rebellion, or "transgression" (pâshaʻ), against God's authority and His perfect law is a defining and inescapable aspect of the fallen human condition. However, the glorious good news of the Gospel is that what humanity could never achieve for itself—namely, standing righteous and justified before a holy God—Christ perfectly accomplished. He is the ultimate Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world, bearing the full weight and penalty of our transgressions on the cross, as prophesied in Isaiah 53:5. While ancient Israel had no advocate to successfully plead their case before God, believers in Christ now have a perfect Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous, who perpetually intercedes for them, not based on their merit but solely on His perfect and completed sacrifice, as affirmed in 1 John 2:1. Through saving faith in Him, our transgressions are not merely overlooked but are fully atoned for, and we are declared perfectly righteous by God's sovereign grace, as beautifully articulated in Ephesians 2:8-9. The authoritative "saith the LORD" in Jeremiah 2:29, which spoke of inescapable judgment for rebellion, is ultimately fulfilled and transformed in the "It is finished" of Christ on the cross, a triumphant declaration in John 19:30 that proclaims redemption and reconciliation for all who believe, offering a pathway to stand before God eternally justified, not by our futile pleading, but by His perfect, substitutionary work.