Jeremiah 3:23Truly in vain is the help that is looked for from the hills, the tumult on the mountains. Truly the salvation of Israel is in Yahweh our God.
The setting
Jerusalem, ~627-586 BC. Jeremiah speaks to Judah as Babylon threatens. Hills refer to pagan worship sites where Israelites sought help from Canaanite gods.
The emotion here: heartbroken watching people chase empty solutions
The original word
šāqer (שָׁקֶר) — deception, falsehood, emptiness that promises but never delivers
Why it matters
High places on hills were where child sacrifice to Molech occurred during desperate times
Read with care
What most readers miss in Jeremiah 3:23
The 'tumult' refers to frenzied religious rituals, not just noise
Common misconceptionPeople think this condemns seeking any human help, but Jeremiah is specifically targeting pagan religious practices that promised divine intervention for money or rituals.
The thread continues
Verses that echo Jeremiah 3:23
Bible Genome reading
Jeremiah 3:23 — Bible Genome reading
Emotional genome
Jeremiah 3:23 comes from the book of Jeremiah, written during the Divided Kingdom period. These words are attributed to Jeremiah. The dominant emotion in this verse is seeking, with a comfort power of 50% and a tone that is reverent. It belongs to the prayer genre of biblical literature. Key themes include false worship, true salvation. Notable phrases: salvation of Israel is in Yahweh. This verse is a prayer.
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 3:23 mean to you, today?
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