Jeremiah 2:37

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.”

Berean Standard Bible

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Study note

Setting — God speaks through Jeremiah to Judah, addressing their recent diplomatic pivot to Egypt after previous failures with Assyria. The moment marks a prophetic declaration of impending public disgrace for their political maneuvering.

The words — The verb תֵּֽצְאִי (te.tze.'I) "you will go out" is coupled with יָדַ֖יִ/ךְ עַל\־ רֹאשֵׁ֑/ךְ (ya.Da.yi/kh 'al ro.She/kh) "your hands on your head," describing a posture of mourning or despair. The particle כִּֽי\־ (ki-) "for" directly links this action to the stated fact that Yahweh has rejected their trusted allies.

The thread — The hands-on-head gesture parallels Tamar’s public lament in 2 Samuel 13:19, while the warning against human reliance mirrors the curse in Jeremiah 17:5. The pattern of failed foreign alliances continues in the narrative of Jeremiah 37:7.

Why it lands — The text states that trusting political or military powers guarantees abandonment and shame, demanding a reader to stop outsourcing security to human systems and recognize divine rejection of that strategy.

Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.

The Hebrew words

גַּ֣םgamalso מֵאֵ֥תme./'Etfrom/ with זֶה֙zehthis [one]תֵּֽצְאִ֔יte.tze.'Iyou will go out וְיָדַ֖יִךְve./ya.Da.yi/khand/ hands/ your עַל־'al-[will be] on רֹאשֵׁ֑ךְro.She/khhead/ your כִּֽי־ki-for מָאַ֤סma.'Ashe has rejected יְהֹוָה֙Yah.wehYahweh בְּמִבְטַחַ֔יִךְbe./miv.ta.Cha.yi/kh<in>/ objects of confidence/ your וְלֹ֥אve./Lo'and/ not תַצְלִ֖יחִיtatz.Li.chiyou will prosperלָהֶֽם׃la./Hemto <the>/ them

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.

Cross-references

2 Samuel 13:19 And Tamar put ashes on her head and tore her robe. And putting her hand on her head, she went away crying aloud.
Jeremiah 17:5 This is what the LORD says: “Cursed is the man who trusts in mankind, who makes mere flesh his strength and turns his heart from the LORD.
Jeremiah 37:7 “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says that you are to tell the king of Judah, who sent you to Me: Behold, Pharaoh’s army, which has marched out to help you, will go back to its own land of Egypt.
Ezekiel 17:15 But this king rebelled against Babylon by sending his envoys to Egypt to ask for horses and a large army. Will he flourish? Will the one who does such things escape? Can he break a covenant and yet escape?’
Numbers 14:41 But Moses said, “Why are you transgressing the commandment of the LORD? This will not succeed!
2 Chronicles 13:12 Now behold, God Himself is with us as our head, and His priests with their trumpets sound the battle call against you. O children of Israel, do not fight against the LORD, the God of your fathers, for you will not succeed.”
Isaiah 10:4 Nothing will remain but to crouch among the captives or fall among the slain. Despite all this, His anger is not turned away; His hand is still upraised.
Jeremiah 2:36 How impulsive you are, constantly changing your ways! You will be disappointed by Egypt just as you were by Assyria.
Jeremiah 32:5 He will take Zedekiah to Babylon, where he will stay until I attend to him, declares the LORD. If you fight against the Chaldeans, you will not succeed.’”