Jeremiah 17:3
O my mountain in the field, I will give thy substance and all thy treasures to the spoil, and thy high places for sin, throughout all thy borders.
Original Language Analysis
חֵילְךָ֥
thy substance
H2428
חֵילְךָ֥
thy substance
Strong's:
H2428
Word #:
3 of 11
probably a force, whether of men, means or other resources; an army, wealth, virtue, valor, strength
כָל
H3605
כָל
Strong's:
H3605
Word #:
4 of 11
properly, the whole; hence, all, any or every (in the singular only, but often in a plural sense)
אֶתֵּ֑ן
I will give
H5414
אֶתֵּ֑ן
I will give
Strong's:
H5414
Word #:
7 of 11
to give, used with greatest latitude of application (put, make, etc.)
בְּחַטָּ֖את
for sin
H2403
בְּחַטָּ֖את
for sin
Strong's:
H2403
Word #:
9 of 11
an offence (sometimes habitual sinfulness), and its penalty, occasion, sacrifice, or expiation; also (concretely) an offender
Cross References
Jeremiah 15:13Thy substance and thy treasures will I give to the spoil without price, and that for all thy sins, even in all thy borders.Jeremiah 26:18Micah the Morasthite prophesied in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah, and spake to all the people of Judah, saying, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Zion shall be plowed like a field, and Jerusalem shall become heaps, and the mountain of the house as the high places of a forest.2 Kings 24:13And he carried out thence all the treasures of the house of the LORD, and the treasures of the king's house, and cut in pieces all the vessels of gold which Solomon king of Israel had made in the temple of the LORD, as the LORD had said.
Historical Context
Jeremiah prophesied during the final decades of the southern kingdom (c. 627-586 BC), when Judah repeatedly broke covenant with God through idolatry and injustice. The reference to "high places" reflects the persistent Canaanite worship that Judah adopted despite repeated prophetic warnings. The threatened loss of national treasures was fulfilled when Nebuchadnezzar systematically plundered the temple and palace during the Babylonian sieges of 597 and 586 BC.
Questions for Reflection
- What 'treasures' in your life might be subject to God's judgment if they've become idols replacing trust in Him?
- How does understanding that sin inherently leads to loss change our motivation for obedience?
- In what ways does this comprehensive judgment point forward to the final day when all will give account before God?
Related Resources
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Analysis & Commentary
God's judgment is comprehensive and inescapable. The phrase "my mountain in the field" likely refers to the temple mount or Mount Zion, which God claims as His own despite Judah's defiling it with high places. The threatened loss of "substance and all thy treasures" encompasses both material wealth and spiritual inheritance—everything Judah possessed as covenant privileges.
The phrase "for sin, throughout all thy borders" emphasizes that judgment extends to every corner of the nation. The Hebrew chatta'ah (חַטָּאת, "sin") appears as both cause and consequence—their sin brings about their ruin. This demonstrates the Reformed doctrine that sin carries inherent judgment; God's wrath is not arbitrary but the necessary response to covenant violation.
The spoliation described here anticipates the Babylonian conquest (586 BC) when Jerusalem's treasures were plundered and the people exiled. Yet this historical judgment also serves as a type of final judgment, when all who trust in earthly treasures rather than God will lose everything. Christ's warning about laying up treasures in heaven (Matt 6:19-21) echoes this prophetic principle.