Jeremiah 44:4
Howbeit I sent unto you all my servants the prophets, rising early and sending them, saying, Oh, do not this abominable thing that I hate.
Original Language Analysis
וְשָׁלֹ֖חַ
Howbeit I sent
H7971
וְשָׁלֹ֖חַ
Howbeit I sent
Strong's:
H7971
Word #:
1 of 18
to send away, for, or out (in a great variety of applications)
אֶת
H853
אֶת
Strong's:
H853
Word #:
3 of 18
properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)
כָּל
H3605
כָּל
Strong's:
H3605
Word #:
4 of 18
properly, the whole; hence, all, any or every (in the singular only, but often in a plural sense)
הַשְׁכֵּ֥ים
rising early
H7925
הַשְׁכֵּ֥ים
rising early
Strong's:
H7925
Word #:
7 of 18
literally, to load up (on the back of man or beast), i.e., to start early in the morning
וְשָׁלֹ֖חַ
Howbeit I sent
H7971
וְשָׁלֹ֖חַ
Howbeit I sent
Strong's:
H7971
Word #:
8 of 18
to send away, for, or out (in a great variety of applications)
אַל
H408
אַל
Strong's:
H408
Word #:
10 of 18
not (the qualified negation, used as a deprecative); once (job 24:25) as a noun, nothing
נָ֣א
H4994
נָ֣א
Strong's:
H4994
Word #:
11 of 18
'i pray', 'now', or 'then'; added mostly to verbs (in the imperative or future), or to interjections, occasionally to an adverb or conjunction
תַעֲשׂ֗וּ
Oh do
H6213
תַעֲשׂ֗וּ
Oh do
Strong's:
H6213
Word #:
12 of 18
to do or make, in the broadest sense and widest application
אֵ֛ת
H853
אֵ֛ת
Strong's:
H853
Word #:
13 of 18
properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)
דְּבַֽר
thing
H1697
דְּבַֽר
thing
Strong's:
H1697
Word #:
14 of 18
a word; by implication, a matter (as spoken of) or thing; adverbially, a cause
הַתֹּעֵבָ֥ה
not this abominable
H8441
הַתֹּעֵבָ֥ה
not this abominable
Strong's:
H8441
Word #:
15 of 18
properly, something disgusting (morally), i.e., (as noun) an abhorrence; especially idolatry or (concretely) an idol
Cross References
Jeremiah 26:5To hearken to the words of my servants the prophets, whom I sent unto you, both rising up early, and sending them, but ye have not hearkened;Jeremiah 7:13And now, because ye have done all these works, saith the LORD, and I spake unto you, rising up early and speaking, but ye heard not; and I called you, but ye answered not;Jeremiah 7:25Since the day that your fathers came forth out of the land of Egypt unto this day I have even sent unto you all my servants the prophets, daily rising up early and sending them:Jeremiah 29:19Because they have not hearkened to my words, saith the LORD, which I sent unto them by my servants the prophets, rising up early and sending them; but ye would not hear, saith the LORD.Jeremiah 16:18And first I will recompense their iniquity and their sin double; because they have defiled my land, they have filled mine inheritance with the carcases of their detestable and abominable things.Zechariah 7:7Should ye not hear the words which the LORD hath cried by the former prophets, when Jerusalem was inhabited and in prosperity, and the cities thereof round about her, when men inhabited the south and the plain?Ezekiel 8:10So I went in and saw; and behold every form of creeping things, and abominable beasts, and all the idols of the house of Israel, pourtrayed upon the wall round about.Ezekiel 16:47Yet hast thou not walked after their ways, nor done after their abominations: but, as if that were a very little thing, thou wast corrupted more than they in all thy ways.2 Chronicles 36:15And the LORD God of their fathers sent to them by his messengers, rising up betimes, and sending; because he had compassion on his people, and on his dwelling place:
Historical Context
The prophetic tradition in Israel spanned centuries—from Moses through Samuel, Elijah, Isaiah, Hosea, Amos, Micah, and now Jeremiah himself. 'Rising early and sending' became proverbial for God's persistent warnings through this succession. Yet by 609-586 BC, Judah had systematically rejected or martyred most prophets, culminating in nearly killing Jeremiah multiple times (Jeremiah 26:7-11, 38:4-6).
Questions for Reflection
- How does the image of God 'rising early' to send warnings affect your view of divine judgment?
- What practices in contemporary Christianity might qualify as 'abominations' despite being culturally normalized?
- How should the phrase 'that I hate' inform our understanding of God's holiness versus modern therapeutic views of God?
Related Resources
Explore related topics, people, and study resources to deepen your understanding of this passage.
Analysis & Commentary
Howbeit I sent unto you all my servants the prophets, rising early and sending them—the emphatic wāʾešlaḥ (and I sent) stresses divine initiative. The phrase rising early (haškem wəšālōaḥ) is Jeremiah's characteristic expression (used 7 times), depicting God's persistent eagerness to warn His people—like a concerned father rising before dawn to intercept his wayward children. All my servants the prophets references the long succession of prophets God sent to Judah (2 Kings 17:13; Jeremiah 7:25, 25:4, 26:5).
Oh, do not this abominable thing that I hate—the entreaty particle ʾal-nāʾ (Oh, please do not) reveals divine pathos. Abominable thing (dəbar-hattôʿēbâ) uses vocabulary typically reserved for sexual perversion and cultic defilement (Leviticus 18:22-30; Deuteronomy 7:25-26). The phrase that I hate (ʾăšer śānēʾtî) is startling—God doesn't merely forbid idolatry legalistically; He finds it personally repugnant. This combines law (prohibition), emotion (hate), and relationship (servants, entreaty), showing that covenant violation grieves God personally, not just juridically.