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.
Yea, thou shalt go forth {H3318} from him, and thine hands {H3027} upon thine head {H7218}: for the LORD {H3068} hath rejected {H3988} thy confidences {H4009}, and thou shalt not prosper {H6743} in them.
Yes, you will leave him too, with your hands on your heads [in shame]. For ADONAI rejects those in whom you trust; from them you will gain nothing."
Moreover, you will leave that place with your hands on your head, for the LORD has rejected those you trust; you will not prosper by their help.”
From thence also shalt thou go forth, with thy hands upon thy head: for Jehovah hath rejected those in whom thou trustest, and thou shalt not prosper with them.
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2 Samuel 13:19
And Tamar put ashes on her head, and rent her garment of divers colours that [was] on her, and laid her hand on her head, and went on crying. -
Ezekiel 17:15
But he rebelled against him in sending his ambassadors into Egypt, that they might give him horses and much people. Shall he prosper? shall he escape that doeth such [things]? or shall he break the covenant, and be delivered? -
Ezekiel 17:20
And I will spread my net upon him, and he shall be taken in my snare, and I will bring him to Babylon, and will plead with him there for his trespass that he hath trespassed against me. -
Jeremiah 17:5
¶ Thus saith the LORD; Cursed [be] the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD. -
Jeremiah 37:7
Thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel; Thus shall ye say to the king of Judah, that sent you unto me to enquire of me; Behold, Pharaoh's army, which is come forth to help you, shall return to Egypt into their own land. -
Jeremiah 37:10
For though ye had smitten the whole army of the Chaldeans that fight against you, and there remained [but] wounded men among them, [yet] should they rise up every man in his tent, and burn this city with fire. -
Isaiah 10:4
Without me they shall bow down under the prisoners, and they shall fall under the slain. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand [is] stretched out still.
Jeremiah 2:37 delivers a stark prophecy concerning the impending disgrace and failure of the Kingdom of Judah due to their misplaced trust. It portrays a scene of deep humiliation, where Judah is depicted as being sent away in shame, with their hands upon their head, a universally recognized gesture of despair and public disgrace in the ancient Near East. The core message is that the LORD has rejected their reliance on human alliances, particularly with Egypt, and these 'confidences' will ultimately yield no success or prosperity.
Context
This verse concludes a powerful section in Jeremiah, where the prophet relentlessly indicts Judah for their spiritual adultery and apostasy. Throughout Jeremiah chapter 2, God recounts His faithfulness to Israel from the time of their exodus from Egypt, contrasting it with Judah's consistent rebellion and idolatry. They are accused of forsaking the "fountain of living waters" to dig "broken cisterns" that can hold no water (Jeremiah 2:13). Specifically, Judah sought security not in their covenant God, but in alliances with powerful nations like Egypt and Assyria. Jeremiah 2:37 is the divine verdict on this folly, predicting the failure of their Egyptian alliance, which they had hoped would protect them from the rising threat of Babylon.
Key Themes
Linguistic Insights
The phrase "thine hands upon thine head" (Hebrew: יָדַיִךְ עַל־רֹאשֵׁךְ, yadaiych al ro'shech) is a powerful idiom. It was a common gesture of mourning, despair, and public disgrace in the ancient world, often associated with captives being led away, indicating their utter helplessness and shame. It symbolizes profound sorrow and the realization of lost hope. The word "confidences" comes from the Hebrew root בטח (batach), meaning to trust, to rely, to feel secure. It speaks to the very foundation of where one places their security and hope.
Practical Application
Jeremiah 2:37 serves as a timeless warning against relying on anything other than God for true security and success. In our modern world, we can be tempted to place our "confidences" in financial stability, political systems, human wisdom, personal achievements, or worldly power. This verse reminds us that such dependencies, when they supplant trust in God, are ultimately futile and lead to spiritual barrenness and despair. True prosperity and lasting security are found only in placing our trust and hope entirely in the Lord, as highlighted in verses like Jeremiah 17:7: "Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is." The call is to examine where our ultimate confidence lies and to realign our trust with God's unwavering faithfulness.