Bible Strands
Jeremiah 7:18
The sons gather wood, the fathers light the fire, and the women knead the dough to make cakes for the Queen of Heaven; they pour out drink offerings to other gods to provoke Me to anger.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Yahweh speaks through Jeremiah to the people of Judah and Jerusalem during a period of active, public idolatry. He confronts them while they are executing a multi-generational ritual in their streets and homes.
The words — The Hebrew מְלַקְּטִים (me.la.ke.Tim) means "are gathering," describing the sons collecting wood for the offering. The verb מְבַעֲרִים (me.va.'a.Rim) translates literally as "are kindling," applied by the fathers to the fire for the ritual.
The thread — This specific combination of cake-baking and drink offerings to the Queen of Heaven appears again in Jeremiah 44:17. The practice is tied to the defilement of Jerusalem's houses in Jeremiah 19:13 and aligns with the broader condemnation of crafting other gods in 1 Kings 14:9.
Why it lands — The text states that familial cooperation in idolatry is a direct provocation to Yahweh. It requires the reader to acknowledge that syncretistic worship functions as self-spite, bringing shame upon the participants rather than securing divine favor.
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
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.
Cross-references
- Jeremiah 19:13 The houses of Jerusalem and the houses of the kings of Judah will be defiled like that place, Topheth—all the houses on whose rooftops they burned incense to all the host of heaven and poured out drink offerings to other gods.”
- Jeremiah 44:17 Instead, we will do everything we vowed to do: We will burn incense to the Queen of Heaven and offer drink offerings to her, just as we, our fathers, our kings, and our officials did in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem. At that time we had plenty of food and good things, and we saw no disaster.
- 1 Kings 14:9 You have done more evil than all who came before you. You have proceeded to make for yourself other gods and molten images to provoke Me, and you have flung Me behind your back.
- 1 Corinthians 10:22 Are we trying to provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than He?
- Deuteronomy 4:19 When you look to the heavens and see the sun and moon and stars—all the host of heaven—do not be enticed to bow down and worship what the LORD your God has apportioned to all the nations under heaven.
- Deuteronomy 32:16 They provoked His jealousy with foreign gods; they enraged Him with abominations.
- Deuteronomy 32:21 They have provoked My jealousy by that which is not God; they have enraged Me with their worthless idols. So I will make them jealous by those who are not a people; I will make them angry by a nation without understanding.
- Deuteronomy 32:37 He will say: “Where are their gods, the rock in which they took refuge,
- 1 Kings 16:2 “Even though I lifted you out of the dust and made you ruler over My people Israel, you have walked in the way of Jeroboam and have caused My people Israel to sin and to provoke Me to anger by their sins.
- Jeremiah 11:17 The LORD of Hosts, who planted you, has decreed disaster against you on account of the evil that the house of Israel and the house of Judah have brought upon themselves, provoking Me to anger by burning incense to Baal.”