TRV
Translation
King James Version
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.
Complete Jewish Bible
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."
Berean Standard Bible
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.”
American Standard Version
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.
World English Bible Messianic
From there also you shall go out, with your hands on your head; for the LORD has rejected those in whom you trust, and you shall not prosper with them.
Geneva Bible (1599)
For thou shalt goe foorth from thence, and thine hands vpon thine head, because the Lord hath reiected thy confidence, and thou shalt not prosper thereby.
Young's Literal Translation
Also from this thou goest out, And thy hands on thy head, For Jehovah hath kicked at thy confidences, And thou dost not give prosperity to them!
Study This Verse
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 37.) And you will be confounded by Egypt, just as you were confounded by Assyria: for you will also go out from there, and your hands will be on your head: because the Lord has broken your confidence (or hope), and you will have nothing prosperous in it. In order to avoid the attack of the Egyptians, they fled to the Assyrians, whose defense was in vain, for we read that they were defeated by the Egyptians. Again, in order to escape the wrath of the Assyrians, they used the help of the Egyptians; whom the Assyrians overcame, as the history tells. Therefore, they are rebuked because, having abandoned hope in the Lord, they rely on the assistance of men, which is totally broken and so destroyed that they cannot find any usefulness in it. Hence it is said: 'And you shall leave this, that is, Egypt, just as you left Assyria; and your hands shall be upon your head, and you shall grieve in vain for having expected help from the Egyptians.' Let us remember the story when Thamar was corrupted and violated by her wicked brother Amnon, and she put her hands sprinkled with ashes on her head, and thus she returned to her house (II Kings XIII).
Salvian the PresbyterAD 500
THE GOVERNANCE OF GOD 7:11
Our soldiers were brought low by a similar disdaining pride and by the same outcome. That saying of the prophet was brought home to our army: “The Lord shall cast aside your confidence, and you shall not have prosperity.” We were confident in our own wisdom and strength, contrary to the command of God, who says, “Let not the wise person glory in his wisdom or the strong person in his strength, but let him who glories glory in this, to know and understand me, because I am the Lord.”
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 2:37 delivers a stark prophetic declaration concerning the Kingdom of Judah's impending disgrace and ultimate failure. It vividly portrays Judah being sent away in utter humiliation, with hands placed upon the head—a universal gesture of despair and public shame in the ancient world. This dire outcome is directly attributed to the LORD's decisive rejection of Judah's misplaced trust in human alliances, particularly with Egypt, rather than in Him. The verse unequivocally states that these "confidences" will prove utterly futile, yielding no success or true prosperity, underscoring the severe consequences of spiritual apostasy.
CONTEXT
Literary Context: Jeremiah 2:37 serves as the climactic pronouncement at the conclusion of a powerful and sustained divine indictment against Judah's spiritual apostasy in Jeremiah chapter 2. Throughout this chapter, the LORD recounts His unwavering faithfulness to Israel from the time of their exodus, contrasting it sharply with Judah's consistent rebellion and idolatry. The nation is accused of abandoning the "fountain of living waters" to carve out "broken cisterns that can hold no water" (Jeremiah 2:13). This spiritual adultery manifests in their desperate political choices, specifically their attempts to secure safety through alliances with powerful nations like Egypt and Assyria, rather than seeking the LORD's protection. Verse 37 is the divine verdict on this profound spiritual and political folly, predicting the inevitable failure of their reliance on Egypt to protect them from the looming Babylonian threat, thus demonstrating the futility of their chosen path.
Historical & Cultural Context: Jeremiah's prophetic ministry occurred during a tumultuous period in Judah's history (late 7th to early 6th century BCE), marked by the decline of the Assyrian Empire and the meteoric rise of Babylon as the dominant superpower. Judah found itself precariously positioned between these great Mesopotamian empires and Egypt, often attempting to play one against the other for survival. The "confidences" mentioned in the verse refer specifically to Judah's political and military treaties with Egypt, a common but often disastrous strategy for smaller nations in the ancient Near East. Culturally, the gesture of "hands upon thine head" was a widely recognized symbol of extreme grief, mourning, despair, and public disgrace. It was often associated with captives being led away, indicating their utter helplessness, the loss of all hope, and the profound shame of defeat. This imagery would have immediately conveyed the depth of Judah's impending humiliation to Jeremiah's original audience.
Key Themes: The central theme of Jeremiah 2 and this verse is Misplaced Trust. Judah's profound error lies in placing their security in human power and political alliances (specifically with Egypt, as alluded to in verses like Jeremiah 2:36) rather than in the sovereign LORD, their covenant God. This misplaced confidence is explicitly met with Divine Rejection and Judgment, as God declares, "the LORD hath rejected thy confidences." This signifies God's active judgment on their unfaithfulness, indicating that their chosen path would lead to divine abandonment and inevitable failure. The vivid imagery of "thine hands upon thine head" powerfully illustrates the Shame and Humiliation that would accompany their defeat and captivity, a posture of utter despair and public disgrace. Finally, the phrase "thou shalt not prosper in them" underscores the Futility of Worldly Reliance, highlighting that seeking security, prosperity, or deliverance outside of God's will and provision is ultimately fruitless and leads to spiritual barrenness.
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
Jeremiah 2:37 employs several powerful literary devices to convey its message of judgment and despair. The most prominent is Imagery, specifically the vivid depiction of "thine hands upon thine head." This is a potent visual that immediately conjures an image of public shame, utter defeat, and profound grief, a universally understood gesture of despair and humiliation in the ancient world. This Idiom serves as a synecdoche, where the physical gesture represents the entire state of national humiliation, defeat, and impending captivity. The verse also features direct Prophecy, as it is a clear divine declaration of future judgment, foretelling Judah's inevitable fate due to their unfaithfulness. Furthermore, there is an explicit statement of Divine Judgment, "for the LORD hath rejected thy confidences," which attributes the nation's downfall directly to God's active and righteous response to their spiritual apostasy and misplaced trust.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Jeremiah 2:37 profoundly underscores the biblical principle that true security and prosperity are found exclusively in the LORD, not in human strength, political alliances, or worldly wisdom. It highlights the devastating consequences of spiritual idolatry, where the object of trust shifts from the Creator to the created. Judah's "confidences" in Egypt represent a universal human tendency to seek refuge and solutions in tangible, visible sources rather than in the invisible, sovereign God. This verse serves as a stark reminder of God's jealousy for His covenant people and His unwavering commitment to judging those who forsake Him, demonstrating that any path chosen apart from Him will ultimately lead to futility and shame. It reinforces the theme of God's absolute sovereignty and the futility of human efforts when they are in opposition to His divine will, emphasizing that genuine flourishing stems only from faithful reliance on Him.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Jeremiah 2:37 serves as a timeless and potent warning for believers today. In a world that constantly beckons us to place our "confidences" in fleeting securities—be it financial stability, career success, political systems, human wisdom, or even personal achievements—this verse challenges us to examine the true object of our trust. When these temporal dependencies supplant our ultimate reliance on God, they become "broken cisterns" that cannot hold the living water of true peace and prosperity. The shame and futility experienced by Judah are a powerful metaphor for the spiritual barrenness and despair that result from seeking life apart from the Giver of life. Our prosperity, both spiritual and material, is not guaranteed by our cleverness or alliances, but by our unwavering trust in the Lord. This verse calls us to a radical reorientation of our hope, urging us to recognize that true security, lasting success, and genuine flourishing are found only in Him. It compels us to repent of any misplaced trust and to realign our hearts entirely with God's unwavering faithfulness, understanding that His rejection of our false securities is ultimately for our good, leading us back to Him, the source of all true blessing.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
What does the phrase "thine hands upon thine head" signify in this verse?
Answer: The phrase "thine hands upon thine head" is a powerful idiom in the ancient Near East, signifying profound despair, public disgrace, and utter helplessness. It was a common gesture of mourning, often associated with captives being led away in defeat, indicating their complete loss of hope and the shame of their situation. In Jeremiah 2:37, it graphically portrays the deep humiliation and sorrow that would befall Judah as a consequence of their unfaithfulness and misplaced trust in foreign alliances. It symbolizes their utter defeat and the public acknowledgment of their failed strategies, a stark visual of national ruin.
Why did the LORD reject Judah's "confidences"?
Answer: The LORD rejected Judah's "confidences" because they represented a profound betrayal of their covenant relationship with Him. Instead of trusting in God, who had faithfully delivered them from Egypt and promised to be their protector, Judah sought security in alliances with human powers, particularly Egypt. This act was seen as spiritual adultery, forsaking the "fountain of living waters" (Jeremiah 2:13) for "broken cisterns" that could hold no water. God's rejection was a righteous judgment against their idolatry of human strength and their failure to acknowledge His sovereignty and faithfulness. He would not bless their attempts to find security outside of His divine will, as such endeavors demonstrated a fundamental lack of faith and loyalty.
What were Judah's "confidences" specifically, and why were they futile?
Answer: Judah's "confidences" primarily referred to their political and military alliances with powerful nations like Egypt. Historically, Judah often vacillated between aligning with Egypt or Assyria/Babylon, believing these alliances would protect them from rival threats. These confidences were futile because they ignored God's explicit commands against such alliances (e.g., Deuteronomy 17:16) and demonstrated a profound lack of faith in His ability and willingness to protect His people. Ultimately, God is sovereign, and any human effort or alliance that contravenes His will or supplants trust in Him is destined to fail, as the verse states, "thou shalt not prosper in them." Their futility stemmed from their inherent spiritual bankruptcy and their opposition to God's divine plan for His people.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Jeremiah 2:37, with its depiction of misplaced trust leading to shame and futility, finds profound Christ-centered fulfillment in several ways. Humanity's fundamental problem, mirroring Judah's, is a universal tendency to place "confidences" in anything other than God—our own righteousness, achievements, worldly systems, or even religious works. This misplaced trust inevitably leads to spiritual "hands upon the head," a state of despair, guilt, and separation from God, as vividly described in passages like Romans 3:23 where all have fallen short of God's glory. Christ, however, is the ultimate and only true object of our confidence. He is the "fountain of living waters" that Judah forsook (John 4:14), offering true and lasting prosperity (salvation and eternal life) that no human alliance or effort could ever provide. His perfect obedience and sacrificial death on the cross address the "rejection" that humanity deserves for its misplaced trust, becoming the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29). Through faith in Him, we are no longer sent away in shame but are brought near to God, receiving a confidence that leads to peace and access to grace (Ephesians 3:12). The futility of self-reliance and worldly "confidences" is overcome by the triumph of Christ's finished work, which grants us true prosperity and an unshakeable hope in Him alone (Philippians 3:7-9). He is our refuge and strength, the one in whom we truly prosper.