Jeremiah 5:7

How shall I pardon thee for this? thy children have forsaken me, and sworn by them that are no gods: when I had fed them to the full, they then committed adultery, and assembled themselves by troops in the harlots’ houses.

Jeremiah 5:7 (KJV)

Context

Jeremiah ministered during the final decades of Judah, when the people had turned from the Lord to worship idols. The opening question, “How shall I pardon thee for this?” expresses God’s grief and astonishment, not uncertainty. He had every right to judge, yet He pleads with His people before the coming Babylonian exile.

Meaning

God’s lament centers on His people’s betrayal. They had “forsaken” Him, breaking the covenant relationship He had established. Worse, they “sworn by them that are no gods”—oaths made in the names of lifeless idols, which was a direct violation of the first commandments. The Hebrew text plays on the words for “swearing” and “feeding,” contrasting their oaths to false gods with God’s abundant provision.

God had “fed them to the full,” yet they responded with “adultery.” This refers both to literal sexual immorality and to spiritual unfaithfulness, as idolatry is often described as spiritual adultery. Their sin was not private but brazen: they “assembled themselves by troops in the harlots’ houses,” gathering in groups to indulge in immorality. This public, widespread corruption showed how far they had departed from God’s ways.

Biblical connections

The imagery of spiritual adultery echoes the covenant language used throughout the Old Testament, where Israel’s idolatry is compared to a wife’s unfaithfulness. The severity of sin committed in the face of God’s goodness is a recurring theme, warning that God’s mercy is not to be presumed upon.

Application

This verse warns against taking God’s grace for granted. When we have been fed “to the full”—blessed with provision and care—our response should be gratitude and faithfulness, not rebellion. It also challenges us to examine where our loyalties lie: do we swear by the true God, or do we give our devotion to things that are “no gods”?

Reflection

God’s question, “How shall I pardon thee for this?” is both a warning and an invitation. It reveals the depth of His grief over sin and His desire for His people to return. Persistent, unrepentant sin invites judgment, but God’s call to repentance remains open.