Jeremiah 18:15
Because my people hath forgotten me, they have burned incense to vanity, and they have caused them to stumble in their ways from the ancient paths, to walk in paths, in a way not cast up;
Original Language Analysis
כִּֽי
H3588
כִּֽי
Strong's:
H3588
Word #:
1 of 14
(by implication) very widely used as a relative conjunction or adverb (as below); often largely modified by other particles annexed
שְׁכֵחֻ֥נִי
hath forgotten
H7911
שְׁכֵחֻ֥נִי
hath forgotten
Strong's:
H7911
Word #:
2 of 14
to mislay, i.e., to be oblivious of, from want of memory or attention
עַמִּ֖י
Because my people
H5971
עַמִּ֖י
Because my people
Strong's:
H5971
Word #:
3 of 14
a people (as a congregated unit); specifically, a tribe (as those of israel); hence (collectively) troops or attendants; figuratively, a flock
לַשָּׁ֣וְא
to vanity
H7723
לַשָּׁ֣וְא
to vanity
Strong's:
H7723
Word #:
4 of 14
evil (as destructive), literally (ruin) or morally (especially guile); figuratively idolatry (as false, subjective), uselessness (as deceptive, object
יְקַטֵּ֑רוּ
me they have burned incense
H6999
יְקַטֵּ֑רוּ
me they have burned incense
Strong's:
H6999
Word #:
5 of 14
to smoke, i.e., turn into fragrance by fire (especially as an act of worship)
וַיַּכְשִׁל֤וּם
and they have caused them to stumble
H3782
וַיַּכְשִׁל֤וּם
and they have caused them to stumble
Strong's:
H3782
Word #:
6 of 14
to totter or waver (through weakness of the legs, especially the ankle); by implication, to falter, stumble, faint or fall
דֶּ֖רֶךְ
in a way
H1870
דֶּ֖רֶךְ
in a way
Strong's:
H1870
Word #:
7 of 14
a road (as trodden); figuratively, a course of life or mode of action, often adverb
עוֹלָ֔ם
from the ancient
H5769
עוֹלָ֔ם
from the ancient
Strong's:
H5769
Word #:
9 of 14
properly, concealed, i.e., the vanishing point; generally, time out of mind (past or future), i.e., (practically) eternity; frequentatively, adverbial
לָלֶ֣כֶת
H1980
לָלֶ֣כֶת
Strong's:
H1980
Word #:
10 of 14
to walk (in a great variety of applications, literally and figuratively)
דֶּ֖רֶךְ
in a way
H1870
דֶּ֖רֶךְ
in a way
Strong's:
H1870
Word #:
12 of 14
a road (as trodden); figuratively, a course of life or mode of action, often adverb
Cross References
Jeremiah 6:16Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein.Isaiah 57:14And shall say, Cast ye up, cast ye up, prepare the way, take up the stumblingblock out of the way of my people.Jeremiah 2:32Can a maid forget her ornaments, or a bride her attire? yet my people have forgotten me days without number.Hosea 11:2As they called them, so they went from them: they sacrificed unto Baalim, and burned incense to graven images.Jeremiah 2:13For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water.Malachi 2:8But ye are departed out of the way; ye have caused many to stumble at the law; ye have corrupted the covenant of Levi, saith the LORD of hosts.Isaiah 41:29Behold, they are all vanity; their works are nothing: their molten images are wind and confusion.Jeremiah 10:15They are vanity, and the work of errors: in the time of their visitation they shall perish.Jeremiah 17:13O LORD, the hope of Israel, all that forsake thee shall be ashamed, and they that depart from me shall be written in the earth, because they have forsaken the LORD, the fountain of living waters.Jeremiah 16:19O LORD, my strength, and my fortress, and my refuge in the day of affliction, the Gentiles shall come unto thee from the ends of the earth, and shall say, Surely our fathers have inherited lies, vanity, and things wherein there is no profit.
Historical Context
Jeremiah's call to walk in "the old paths" (Jer 6:16) contrasted covenant faithfulness with the innovative syncretism of his day. Rather than maintaining the pure worship established by Moses and the prophets, Judah adopted Canaanite religious practices, Assyrian astral worship, and Egyptian cultic elements. This theological compromise produced the moral chaos the prophets condemned—injustice, oppression, sexual immorality, and covenant violation.
Questions for Reflection
- What 'ancient paths' of biblical truth are you tempted to abandon for contemporary religious innovations?
- How does forgetting God lead inevitably to stumbling into unmarked, dangerous paths?
- In what ways does Christ as 'the Way' fulfill and personify the ancient paths God revealed?
Related Resources
Explore related topics, people, and study resources to deepen your understanding of this passage.
Analysis & Commentary
The indictment: "Because my people hath forgotten me, they have burned incense to vanity." "Forgotten" isn't mere mental lapse but willful neglect and abandonment of covenant relationship. "Burned incense to vanity" (shav, שָׁוְא, worthlessness/emptiness) describes idolatry—worshiping what has no reality or power. They've exchanged substantial reality (God) for empty illusion (idols).
The consequence: "they have caused them to stumble in their ways from the ancient paths, to walk in paths, in a way not cast up." The "ancient paths" (orach olam, אֹרַח עוֹלָם) refer to God's revealed way—Torah, covenant stipulations, and divine instruction passed down through generations. "Not cast up" means unprepared, unmarked roads—dangerous paths leading to destruction. False worship produces false ethics; theological error generates moral confusion.
This verse warns that abandoning biblical truth inevitably leads to practical life chaos. The Reformed principle: doctrine and life are inseparable. False theology produces false living. The "ancient paths" aren't traditions for tradition's sake but tested truth revealed by God and validated through covenant history. Christ identified Himself as the Way (John 14:6)—the ultimate ancient path leading to the Father.