Jeremiah 44:9

Have ye forgotten the wickedness of your fathers, and the wickedness of the kings of Judah, and the wickedness of their wives, and your own wickedness, and the wickedness of your wives, which they have committed in the land of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem?

Have ye forgotten {H7911} the wickedness {H7451} of your fathers {H1}, and the wickedness {H7451} of the kings {H4428} of Judah {H3063}, and the wickedness {H7451} of their wives {H802}, and your own wickedness {H7451}, and the wickedness {H7451} of your wives {H802}, which they have committed {H6213} in the land {H776} of Judah {H3063}, and in the streets {H2351} of Jerusalem {H3389}?

Have you forgotten the wicked deeds of your ancestors, the wicked deeds of the kings of Y'hudah, the wicked deeds of their wives, your own wicked deeds, and the wicked deeds of your wives, which they committed in the land of Y'hudah and in the streets of Yerushalayim?

Have you forgotten the wickedness of your fathers and of the kings of Judah and their wives, as well as the wickedness that you and your wives committed in the land of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem?

Have ye forgotten the wickedness of your fathers, and the wickedness of the kings of Judah, and the wickedness of their wives, and your own wickedness, and the wickedness of your wives, which they committed in the land of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem?

Jeremiah 44:9 is a poignant and severe rebuke from God, delivered through the prophet Jeremiah, to the Jewish remnant who had fled to Egypt after the devastating fall of Jerusalem. In this verse, God confronts their continued idolatry and rebellion, highlighting their astonishing failure to learn from the calamitous history of their ancestors.

Context

This verse is part of Jeremiah's final recorded prophecies, delivered to the Jews who, against God's direct command, had sought refuge in Egypt after the Babylonian destruction of Jerusalem and the assassination of Gedaliah (Jeremiah 41:2). Despite witnessing God's severe judgments manifest in the destruction of their capital and the exile of their people, this remnant continued to practice the very sins that led to their downfall. Specifically, they were deeply involved in the worship of pagan deities, most notably the "Queen of Heaven," a practice explicitly condemned by God and central to the "wickedness" mentioned here.

Key Themes

  • The Cycle of Generational Sin: The verse powerfully enumerates a lineage of disobedience, from "your fathers" to "the kings of Judah and their wives," and finally to "your own wickedness and the wickedness of your wives." This highlights a persistent pattern of rebellion against God, where each generation seemed to replicate or even intensify the sins of the last.
  • Failure to Learn from History: God's rhetorical question, "Have ye forgotten...?" underscores their incredible spiritual amnesia. They had direct evidence of God's judgment against disobedience, yet they acted as if these historical events held no lessons for them.
  • Idolatry as the Root Wickedness: While "wickedness" (Hebrew: rish'ah, implying guilt and wrongdoing) is a broad term, in this context, it primarily refers to their persistent idolatry—worshipping false gods and engaging in their associated abominable practices, particularly in the land of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem. Their continued devotion to the "Queen of Heaven" in Egypt (as seen in Jeremiah 44:17-19) confirms this.
  • Divine Memory and Accountability: While they might forget, God clearly does not. The verse implies that past sins, especially unrepented ones, contribute to the cumulative guilt that brings divine judgment.

Practical Application

Jeremiah 44:9 serves as a stark warning for all generations. It challenges us to:

  • Learn from the Past: Both personal and collective history offer crucial lessons. Ignoring the consequences of past mistakes, whether our own or those of others, sets us up for repeating them.
  • Examine Our Own "Wickedness": We must be honest about our own patterns of disobedience, especially subtle forms of idolatry that may replace God with other priorities (money, power, comfort, self).
  • Heed God's Warnings: God's patience is immense, but His warnings are serious. This verse reminds us that continued rebellion in the face of clear divine revelation will ultimately lead to judgment, as seen in the broader narrative of God's wrath against ungodliness.
  • Break Cycles of Sin: Families and societies can fall into cycles of destructive behavior. This verse encourages individuals to break free from such patterns through repentance and a renewed commitment to God's ways.
Note: Commentary was generated by an advanced AI, utilizing a prompt that emphasized Biblical fidelity over bias. We've found these insights to be consistently reliable, yet we always encourage prayerful discernment through the Holy Spirit. The Scripture text and cross-references are from verified, non-AI sources.

  • Jeremiah 7:17

    Seest thou not what they do in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem?

  • Jeremiah 7:18

    The children gather wood, and the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead [their] dough, to make cakes to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto other gods, that they may provoke me to anger.

  • Ezra 9:7

    Since the days of our fathers [have] we [been] in a great trespass unto this day; and for our iniquities have we, our kings, [and] our priests, been delivered into the hand of the kings of the lands, to the sword, to captivity, and to a spoil, and to confusion of face, as [it is] this day.

  • Ezra 9:15

    O LORD God of Israel, thou [art] righteous: for we remain yet escaped, as [it is] this day: behold, we [are] before thee in our trespasses: for we cannot stand before thee because of this.

  • Jeremiah 44:21

    The incense that ye burned in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem, ye, and your fathers, your kings, and your princes, and the people of the land, did not the LORD remember them, and came it [not] into his mind?

  • Daniel 9:5

    We have sinned, and have committed iniquity, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled, even by departing from thy precepts and from thy judgments:

  • Daniel 9:8

    O Lord, to us [belongeth] confusion of face, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against thee.

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