To what purpose cometh there to me incense from Sheba, and the sweet cane from a far country? your burnt offerings [are] not acceptable, nor your sacrifices sweet unto me.
To what purpose cometh {H935} there to me incense {H3828} from Sheba {H7614}, and the sweet {H2896} cane {H7070} from a far {H4801} country {H776}? your burnt offerings {H5930} are not acceptable {H7522}, nor your sacrifices {H2077} sweet {H6149} unto me.
What do I care about incense from Sh'va or sweet cane from a distant land? Your burnt offerings are unacceptable, your sacrifices don't please me."
What use to Me is frankincense from Sheba or sweet cane from a distant land? Your burnt offerings are not acceptable; your sacrifices do not please Me.”
To what purpose cometh there to me frankincense from Sheba, and the sweet cane from a far country? your burnt-offerings are not acceptable, nor your sacrifices pleasing unto me.
-
Isaiah 1:11
To what purpose [is] the multitude of your sacrifices unto me? saith the LORD: I am full of the burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts; and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he goats. -
Psalms 40:6
¶ Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire; mine ears hast thou opened: burnt offering and sin offering hast thou not required. -
Micah 6:6
¶ Wherewith shall I come before the LORD, [and] bow myself before the high God? shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves of a year old? -
Micah 6:8
He hath shewed thee, O man, what [is] good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God? -
Amos 5:21
¶ I hate, I despise your feast days, and I will not smell in your solemn assemblies. -
Amos 5:22
Though ye offer me burnt offerings and your meat offerings, I will not accept [them]: neither will I regard the peace offerings of your fat beasts. -
Isaiah 60:6
The multitude of camels shall cover thee, the dromedaries of Midian and Ephah; all they from Sheba shall come: they shall bring gold and incense; and they shall shew forth the praises of the LORD.
Jeremiah 6:20 delivers a powerful prophetic message from God to the people of Judah through the prophet Jeremiah. It reveals God's utter rejection of their religious rituals and costly offerings when their hearts and lives were far from Him. Despite bringing valuable incense from Sheba and sweet cane from distant lands, their sacrifices were deemed unacceptable because their actions did not align with God's righteousness.
Historical and Cultural Context
In Jeremiah's time (late 7th to early 6th century BC), the Kingdom of Judah was steeped in religious formalism and moral decay. While they continued to perform temple rituals, offer burnt offerings, and bring expensive aromatic substances—like frankincense from Sheba (a region famous for its spices and gold in modern-day Yemen/Ethiopia) and "sweet cane" (likely calamus, an aromatic ingredient for holy anointing oil, specified in Exodus 30:23)—their society was rife with injustice, idolatry, and spiritual unfaithfulness. God, speaking through Jeremiah, highlights this disconnect: external acts of worship, no matter how costly or meticulously performed, are worthless if the worshippers' hearts are corrupt and their lives disobedient to His covenant.
Key Themes and Messages
Linguistic Insights
The Hebrew word for "acceptable" (רָצוֹן, ratzon) implies favor, delight, or pleasure. When God says their offerings are "not acceptable," it means they bring Him no delight or satisfaction whatsoever. Similarly, "sweet" (עָרֵב, 'arev) means pleasing or agreeable. The double negative emphasizes God's strong displeasure, indicating that despite the pleasant aromas of incense and sweet cane, the true aroma of their worship was repugnant to Him due to their sin.
Related Scriptures
This principle—that God values righteousness and mercy over mere sacrifice—is a consistent biblical truth. We see it in Hosea 6:6, "For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice;" and Isaiah 1:11-17, where God expresses weariness with their multitude of sacrifices. The New Testament reinforces this, teaching that true worship is not about location or external form, but about worshipping God "in spirit and in truth" (John 4:24), and that a broken and contrite heart is the sacrifice God will not despise (Psalm 51:17).
Practical Application
Jeremiah 6:20 serves as a timeless reminder for all believers today. It challenges us to examine the sincerity of our worship and religious practices. It's easy to go through the motions—attending church, singing hymns, giving offerings—without a genuine transformation of heart or a commitment to living righteously. This verse calls us to:
Ultimately, this verse teaches that God values a life of integrity and obedience far more than any external religious performance, no matter how grand or costly.