Jeremiah 3:1

“If a man divorces his wife and she leaves him to marry another, can he ever return to her? Would not such a land be completely defiled? But you have played the harlot with many lovers—and you would return to Me?” declares the LORD.

Berean Standard Bible

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Study note

Setting — The LORD speaks through Jeremiah to Israel, using a marriage analogy to confront their ongoing idolatry at a moment of covenant breach.

The words — יְשַׁלַּ֣ח (ye.sha.Lach) = he will send away [H7971] and אִשְׁתּ/וֹ֩ ('ish.T/o) = wife/his [H802] anchor the legal scenario of a husband divorcing his wife and her subsequent remarriage.

The thread — The text invokes the divorce regulation of Deuteronomy 24:1, echoes Ezekiel 16:26’s accusation of foreign alliances, and points toward the restoration promise in Deuteronomy 4:29.

Why it lands — The passage states that a land becomes defiled by such marital turnover, then applies that reality to Israel’s idolatry to ask whether they would dare return to God after breaking covenant with many lovers.

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

לֵאמֹ֡רle./Mor<to>/ saying הֵ֣ןhenthere!יְשַׁלַּ֣חye.sha.Lachhe will send away אִ֣ישׁ'isha husband אֶת־'et-<obj.>אִשְׁתּוֹ֩'ish.T/owife/ his וְהָלְכָ֨הve./ha.le.Khahand/ she will go מֵאִתּ֜וֹme./'i.T/ofrom/ with <the>/ him וְהָיְתָ֣הve./ha.ye.Tahand/ she will belong לְאִישׁ־le./'ish-to/ a man אַחֵ֗ר'a.Cheranother הֲיָשׁ֤וּבha./ya.Shuv¿/ will he return אֵלֶ֙יהָ֙'e.Lei./hato/ her ע֔וֹדodagain הֲל֛וֹאha./Lo'¿/ not חָנ֥וֹףcha.Nofcertainly <to be polluted>תֶּחֱנַ֖ףte.che.Nafwill it be polluted הָאָ֣רֶץha./'A.retzthe/ land הַהִ֑יאha./Hi'<the>/ that וְאַ֗תְּve./'Atand/ you זָנִית֙za.Nityou have acted as a prostitute רֵעִ֣יםre.'Imcompanions רַבִּ֔יםra.Bimmany וְשׁ֥וֹבve./Shovand/ will you return?אֵלַ֖י'e.La/ito/ me נְאֻם־ne.'um-[the] utterance of יְהֹוָֽה׃Yah.wehYahweh

King James Version

They say, If a man put away his wife, and she go from him, and become another man’s, shall he return unto her again? shall not that land be greatly polluted? but thou hast played the harlot with many lovers; yet return again to me, saith the Lord.

Cross-references

Deuteronomy 24:1 If a man marries a woman, but she becomes displeasing to him because he finds some indecency in her, he may write her a certificate of divorce, hand it to her, and send her away from his house.
Ezekiel 16:26 You prostituted yourself with your lustful neighbors, the Egyptians, and increased your promiscuity to provoke Me to anger.
Deuteronomy 4:29 But if from there you will seek the LORD your God, you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul.
Jeremiah 2:20 “For long ago you broke your yoke and tore off your chains, saying, ‘I will not serve!’ Indeed, on every high hill and under every green tree you lay down as a prostitute.
Jeremiah 4:1 “If you will return, O Israel, return to Me,” declares the LORD. “If you will remove your detestable idols from My sight and no longer waver,
Ezekiel 16:28 Then you prostituted yourself with the Assyrians, because you were not yet satisfied. Even after that, you were still not satisfied.
Ezekiel 23:4 The older was named Oholah, and her sister was named Oholibah. They became Mine and gave birth to sons and daughters. As for their identities, Oholah is Samaria, and Oholibah is Jerusalem.
Hosea 2:5 For their mother has played the harlot and has conceived them in disgrace. For she thought, ‘I will go after my lovers, who give me bread and water, wool and linen, oil and drink.’
Hosea 14:1 Return, O Israel, to the LORD your God, for you have stumbled by your iniquity.
Ezekiel 33:11 Say to them: ‘As surely as I live, declares the Lord GOD, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked should turn from their ways and live. Turn! Turn from your evil ways! For why should you die, O house of Israel?’