Jeremiah 2:23-25

2:23 “How can you say, ‘I have not made myself unclean.

I have not paid allegiance to the gods called Baal.’

Just look at the way you have behaved in the Valley of Hinnom!

Think about the things you have done there!

You are like a flighty, young female camel

that rushes here and there, crisscrossing its path.

2:24 You are like a wild female donkey brought up in the wilderness.

In her lust she sniffs the wind to get the scent of a male.

No one can hold her back when she is in heat.

None of the males need wear themselves out chasing after her.

At mating time she is easy to find.

2:25 Do not chase after other gods until your shoes wear out

and your throats become dry.

But you say, ‘It is useless for you to try and stop me

because I love those foreign gods and want to pursue them!’


tn Heb “I have not gone/followed after.” See the translator’s note on 2:5 for the meaning and usage of this idiom.

tn Heb “Look at your way in the valley.” The valley is an obvious reference to the Valley of Hinnom where Baal and Molech were worshiped and child sacrifice was practiced.

sn The metaphor is intended to depict Israel’s lack of clear direction and purpose without the Lord’s control.

tn The words “to get the scent of a male” are implicit and are supplied in the translation for clarification.

sn The metaphor is intended to depict Israel’s irrepressible desire to worship other gods.

tn Heb “Refrain your feet from being bare and your throat from being dry/thirsty.”

tn Heb “It is useless! No!” For this idiom, see Jer 18:12; NEB “No; I am desperate.”