Jeremiah 3:13Only acknowledge your iniquity, that you have transgressed against Yahweh your God, and have scattered your ways to the strangers under every green tree, and you have not obeyed my voice,' says Yahweh."
The setting
Ancient Israel, ~627 BC. The 'green trees' refer to Canaanite fertility worship sites on hilltops throughout Israel and Judah, in modern-day Israel/Palestine...
The emotion here: patient parent waiting for child to tell the truth about the broken vase
The original word
yadah (יָדָה) — to acknowledge, confess, give thanks — requires active admission
Why it matters
Worship under green trees involved ritual prostitution as part of Baal fertility cults
Read with care
What most readers miss in Jeremiah 3:13
God isn't asking for groveling — just honest acknowledgment of what actually happened
Common misconceptionPeople think confession means feeling terrible about yourself. God wants acknowledgment so He can forgive, not self-hatred.
The thread continues
Verses that echo Jeremiah 3:13
Bible Genome reading
Jeremiah 3:13 — Bible Genome reading
Emotional genome
Jeremiah 3:13 comes from the book of Jeremiah, written during the Divided Kingdom period. These words are attributed to God. The dominant emotion in this verse is seeking, with a comfort power of 30% and a tone that is commanding. It belongs to the prophecy genre of biblical literature. Key themes include repentance, confession, sin. Notable phrases: acknowledge your iniquity. This verse contains a command.
Emotionally similar
Verses that meet the same seeking
“Pray without ceasing.”
— 1 Thessalonians 5:17
“But let justice roll on like rivers, and righteousness like a mighty stream.”
— Amos 5:24
“Be it far from you to do things like that, to kill the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous should be like the wicked. May that …”
— Genesis 18:25
“Call to me, and I will answer you, and will show you great things, and difficult, which you don't know.”
— Jeremiah 33:3
“Forgive us our sins, for we ourselves also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. Bring us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evi…”
— Luke 11:4
Your reflection
What does Jeremiah 3:13 mean to you, today?
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