Bible Strands
Jeremiah 3:10
Yet in spite of all this, her unfaithful sister Judah did not return to Me with all her heart, but only in pretense,” declares the LORD.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The LORD speaks through Jeremiah to Judah, contrasting her half-hearted repentance with the northern kingdom’s idolatry. This declaration follows the indictment of Israel’s land-defiling adultery and precedes a comparison of Judah’s pretense against Israel’s faithlessness.
The words — The Hebrew בָּגוֹדָה (ba.go.Dah) literally means "treacherous" or "unfaithful," characterizing Judah’s spiritual state. The verb שָׁׁבָה (Sha.vah) translates as "she returned," denoting a formal but insincere act of repentance.
The thread — This pattern of hollow worship appears in Hosea 7:14, where Israel’s wailing lacks heart, and Jeremiah 12:2, where God remains distant despite vocal devotion. 2 Chronicles 34:33 similarly records Josiah’s reforms that confront superficial religious action without genuine covenant loyalty.
Why it lands — The text demands honest covenant fidelity rather than ritual performance, declaring that external compliance without internal alignment fails divine judgment. Readers must examine whether their religious acts reflect genuine commitment or mere pretense.
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
King James Version
And yet for all this her treacherous sister Judah hath not turned unto me with her whole heart, but feignedly, saith the Lord.
Cross-references
- Hosea 7:14 They do not cry out to Me from their hearts when they wail upon their beds. They slash themselves for grain and new wine, but turn away from Me.
- Jeremiah 12:2 You planted them, and they have taken root. They have grown and produced fruit. You are ever on their lips, but far from their hearts.
- 2 Chronicles 34:33 And Josiah removed all the abominations from all the lands belonging to the Israelites, and he required everyone in Israel to serve the LORD their God. Throughout his reign they did not turn aside from following the LORD, the God of their fathers.
- Psalms 18:44 When they hear me, they obey me; foreigners cower before me.
- Psalms 66:3 Say to God, “How awesome are Your deeds! So great is Your power that Your enemies cower before You.
- Psalms 78:36 But they deceived Him with their mouths, and lied to Him with their tongues.
- Isaiah 10:6 I will send him against a godless nation; I will dispatch him against a people destined for My rage, to take spoils and seize plunder, and to trample them down like clay in the streets.