Jeremiah 3:1
“They say, If a man put away his wife, and she go from him, and become another man's, shall he return unto her again? shall not that land be greatly polluted? but thou hast played the harlot with many lovers; yet return again to me, saith the LORD.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →God invokes the law of divorce to measure the grave breach of covenant, yet calls Israel back into relationship.
Context
Jeremiah speaks during Judah's decline, after the northern kingdom of Israel has fallen. The divorce law (Deuteronomy 24:1-4) would have been familiar to every hearer. The question opens a meditation on covenant breach and restoration.
What Does Jeremiah 3:1 Mean?
The law was clear: a man who divorced his wife, if she had become another man's, could not take her back. That would pollute the land. Jeremiah uses this familiar statute to show how terrible Israel's infidelity is. She has gone after many lovers, playing the harlot not once but repeatedly, scattering herself among false gods. By every legal standard, she should be beyond reclaiming.
Yet here is the wonder of what we encounter in Scripture: God speaks the consequence, then speaks beyond it. 'Return again to me, saith the Lord.' The law is stated so we grasp the weight of the transgression. But God's word does not end in law. He draws her back. This is the pattern we see in Jesus: the law holds up a mirror to show us our condition, then grace invites us to come home.
In the Original Language
shub (שוב), 'return' -- the root means to turn around, to go back; it is the word for repentance and restoration.
Application
When we have wandered far from God, we may feel that we have broken the relationship beyond repair. Yet Scripture shows us a God who does not regard His covenant as legally dissolved. He calls us to turn. The movement toward Him is always open.