Jeremiah 2 · Verse 6

Jeremiah 2:6

Neither said they, Where is the Lord that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, that led us through the wilderness, through a land of deserts and of pits, through a land of drought, and of the shadow of death, through a land that no man passed through, and where no man dwelt?
Jeremiah 2:6, King James Version

Jeremiah 2:6 in other translations

BSBThey did not ask, ‘Where is the LORD who brought us up from the land of Egypt, who led us through the wilderness, through a land of deserts and pits, a land of drought and darkness, a land where no one travels and no one lives?’
WEBThey didn’t say, ‘Where is the LORD who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, who led us through the wilderness, through a land of deserts and of pits, through a land of drought and of the shadow of death, through a land that no one passed through, and where no man lived?’
ASVNeither said they, Where is Jehovah that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, that led us through the wilderness, through a land of deserts and of pits, through a land of drought and of the shadow of death, through a land that none passed through, and where no man dwelt?
YLTAnd have not said, Where is Jehovah, Who bringeth us up out of the land of Egypt, Who leadeth us in a wilderness, In a land of deserts and pits, In a dry land, and of death-shade, In a land--none hath passed through it, Nor dwelt hath man there?'
DARBYAnd they said not, Where is Jehovah, that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, that led us in the wilderness, in a land of deserts and of pits, in a land of drought and of the shadow of death, in a land that no one passeth through, and where no man dwelleth?
BBEAnd they never said, Where is the Lord, who took us up out of the land of Egypt; who was our guide through the waste of sand, through an unplanted land full of deep holes, through a dry land of deep shade, which no one went through and where no man was living?
WebsterNeither said they, Where is the LORD that brought us out of the land of Egypt, that led us through the wilderness, through a land of deserts and of pits, through a land of drouth, and of the shades of death, through a land that no man passed through, and where no man dwelt?

What does Jeremiah 2:6 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
6. Neither said they, Where, &c.--The very words which God uses (Is 63:9, 11, 13), when, as it were, reminding Himself of His former acts of love to Israel as a ground for interposing in their behalf again. When they would not say, Where is Jehovah, &c., God Himself at last said it for them (compare see on Jr 2:2). deserts ... pits--The desert between Mount Sinai and Palestine abounds in chasms and pits, in which beasts of burden often sink down to the knees. "Shadow of death" refers to the darkness of the caverns amidst the rocky precipices (De 8:15; 32:10).

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 6 Through the wilderness - Egypt was the house of their bondage: the desert through which they passed after they came out of Egypt, was a place where the means of life were not to be found; where no one family could subsist, much less a company of 600, 000 men. God mentions these things to show that it was by the bounty of an especial providence that they were fed and preserved alive. Previously to this, it was a land through which no man passed, and in which no man dwelt. And why? because it did not produce the means of life; it was the shadow of death in its appearance, and the grave to those who committed themselves to it.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Jeremiah 2:1-8

God expostulates with his people. (Jr 2:1-8) Their revolt beyond example. (Jr 2:9-13) Guilt the cause of sufferings. (Jr 2:14-19) The sins of Judah. (Jr 2:20-28) Their false confidence. (Jr 2:29-37) Verses 1-8 Those who begin well, but do not persevere, will justly be upbraided with their hopeful and promising beginnings. Those who desert religion, commonly oppose it more than those who never knew it. For this they…

Read the full comment on Jeremiah 2:1-8 →

Jeremiah 2:6 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

וְלֹ֣אve.Lo'and notH3808
אָמְר֔וּ'a.me.Ruthey saidH559
אַיֵּ֣ה'ai.Yehwhere?H346
יְהוָ֔הYah.weh[is] YahwehH3068
הַמַּעֲלֶ֥הha.ma.'a.Lehwho brought upH5927
אֹתָ֖נוּ'o.Ta.nu<obj.> usH853
מֵאֶ֣רֶץme.'E.retzfrom [the] land ofH776
מִצְרָ֑יִםmitz.Ra.yimEgyptH4714
הַמּוֹלִ֨יךְha.mo.Likhwho ledH1980
אֹתָ֜נוּ'o.Ta.nu<obj.> usH853
בַּמִּדְבָּ֗רba.mid.Barin the wildernessH4057
בְּאֶ֨רֶץbe.'E.retzin a land ofH776
עֲרָבָ֤ה'a.ra.Vahdesert plainH6160
וְשׁוּחָה֙ve.shu.Chahand pitH7745
בְּאֶ֙רֶץ֙be.'E.retzin a landH776
צִיָּ֣הtzi.YahdryH6723
וְצַלְמָ֔וֶתve.tzal.Ma.vetand deep darknessH6757
בְּאֶ֗רֶץbe.'E.retzin a landH776
לֹֽא\־lo'-[which] notH3808
עָ֤בַר'A.varhe has passedH5674
בָּהּ֙bahin <the> it
אִ֔ישׁ'IshanyoneH376
וְלֹֽא\־ve.lo'-and notH3808
יָשַׁ֥בya.Shavhe has dweltH3427
אָדָ֖ם'a.DamanyoneH120
שָֽׁם\׃ShamthereH8033

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Jeremiah 2:6

  • Deuteronomy 32:10

    He found him in a desert land, and in the waste howling wilderness; he led him about, he instructed him, he kept him as the apple of his eye.

  • Deuteronomy 8:14-16

    Then thine heart be lifted up, and thou forget the Lord thy God, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage; Who led thee through that great and terrible wilderness, wherein were fiery serpents, and scorpions, and drought, where there was no water; who brought thee forth water out of the rock of flint; Who fed thee in the wilderness with manna, which thy fathers knew not, that he might humble thee, and that he might prove thee, to do thee good at thy latter end;

  • Hosea 13:4

    Yet I am the Lord thy God from the land of Egypt, and thou shalt know no god but me: for there is no saviour beside me.

  • Isaiah 63:11-13

    Then he remembered the days of old, Moses, and his people, saying, Where is he that brought them up out of the sea with the shepherd of his flock? where is he that put his holy Spirit within him? That led them by the right hand of Moses with his glorious arm, dividing the water before them, to make himself an everlasting name? That led them through the deep, as an horse in the wilderness, that they should not stumble?

  • Jeremiah 2:8

    The priests said not, Where is the Lord? and they that handle the law knew me not: the pastors also transgressed against me, and the prophets prophesied by Baal, and walked after things that do not profit.

  • Job 10:21-22

    Before I go whence I shall not return, even to the land of darkness and the shadow of death; A land of darkness, as darkness itself; and of the shadow of death, without any order, and where the light is as darkness.

  • Matthew 4:16

    The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up.

  • Hosea 12:13

    And by a prophet the Lord brought Israel out of Egypt, and by a prophet was he preserved.

  • Isaiah 64:7

    And there is none that calleth upon thy name, that stirreth up himself to take hold of thee: for thou hast hid thy face from us, and hast consumed us, because of our iniquities.

  • 2 Kings 2:14

    And he took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and smote the waters, and said, Where is the Lord God of Elijah? and when he also had smitten the waters, they parted hither and thither: and Elisha went over.

  • Jeremiah 2:2

    Go and cry in the ears of Jerusalem, saying, Thus saith the Lord; I remember thee, the kindness of thy youth, the love of thine espousals, when thou wentest after me in the wilderness, in a land that was not sown.

  • Psalms 23:4

    Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Where.
8; 5:2; Jud 6:13; 2Ki 2:14; Job 35:10; Ps 77:5; Isa 64:7
brought us up.
Ex 14:1-15:27; Isa 63:9,11-13; Ho 12:13; 13:4
led us.
2; De 8:14-16; 32:10
the shadow.
Job 3:5; 10:21,22; Ps 23:4; Mt 4:16

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Jeremiah 2:5

    Thus saith the Lord, What iniquity have your fathers found in me, that they are gone far from me, and have walked after vanity, and are become vain?

  • Jeremiah 2:6

    Neither said they, Where is the Lord that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, that led us through the wilderness, through a land of deserts and of pits, through a land of drought, and of the shadow of death, through a land that no man passed through, and where no man dwelt?

  • Jeremiah 2:7

    And I brought you into a plentiful country, to eat the fruit thereof and the goodness thereof; but when ye entered, ye defiled my land, and made mine heritage an abomination.

Read all of Jeremiah 2

Jeremiah 2:6 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909
Y no dijeron: ¿Dónde está Jehová, que nos hizo subir de tierra de Egipto, que nos hizo andar por el desierto, por una tierra desierta y despoblada, por tierra seca y de sombra de muerte, por una tierra por la cual no pasó varón, ni allí habitó hombre?
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885
Et ils n’ont pas dit: Où est l’ Éternel qui nous a fait monter du pays d’Égypte, qui nous a fait marcher dans le désert, dans un pays stérile et plein de fosses, dans un pays aride et d’ombre de mort, dans un pays où personne ne passe et où aucun homme n’habite?
German
Elberfelder 1871
Und sie sprachen nicht: Wo ist Jehova, der uns aus dem Lande Ägypten heraufgeführt hat, der uns leitete in der Wüste, in dem Lande der Steppen und der Gruben, in dem Lande der Dürre und des Todesschattens, in dem Lande, durch welches niemand zieht, und wo kein Mensch wohnt?
Latin
Clementine Vulgate
Et non dixerunt: Ubi est Dominus qui ascendere nos fecit de terra Ægypti; qui traduxit nos per desertum, per terram inhabitabilem et inviam, per terram sitis, et imaginem mortis, per terram in qua non ambulavit vir, neque habitavit homo?