Jeremiah 3:21 Meaning and Explanation
“A voice was heard upon the high places, weeping and supplications of the children of Israel: for they have perverted their way, and they have forgotten the LORD their God.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →The sound of Israel's weeping and urgent prayer rises from the high places as the people awaken to their spiritual lostness.
The Context of Jeremiah 3:21
This verse marks the turning point: the people begin to recognize their sin and cry out in repentance.
What Does Jeremiah 3:21 Mean?
Picture the 'high places'—hilltops and shrines scattered across the land where Israel had built altars to foreign gods. Yet now, from these same high places, comes a different sound: not celebration or worship of idols, but weeping and fervent supplication. The people have not yet returned; they have only begun to see themselves clearly. The phrase 'perverted their way' (saqu derekham) suggests they walked a crooked path, deliberately turning from the straight road. And in that moment of clarity comes the cry: they have forgotten the Lord their God. Forgetting here is not mere loss of memory, but estrangement—a relationship grown so cold that the beloved feels absent.
This weeping on the high places is the first movement of genuine repentance. Before return, before healing, comes honest lamentation. Not the performance of sorrow, but real tears over the distance created by sin. Jesus wept over Jerusalem in the same spirit: weeping not at God's judgment, but at the people's forgetting and refusal of love. Our own repentance often begins here, in a moment when we finally see ourselves as we are.
Jeremiah 3:21 in the Original Language
saqu (שָׁקוּ), 'perverted' -- literally 'made crooked,' as if straightening the path requires deliberate reversal
How to Apply Jeremiah 3:21 Today
Have we wept over our own wandering? The path of repentance often opens with tears, with the painful admission that we have forgotten God and twisted our way into a crooked place. Such weeping, heard by heaven, is the first step home.
Frequently Asked Questions About Jeremiah 3:21
What does Jeremiah 3:21 mean?
The sound of Israel's weeping and urgent prayer rises from the high places as the people awaken to their spiritual lostness.
What is the context of Jeremiah 3:21?
This verse marks the turning point: the people begin to recognize their sin and cry out in repentance.
How can I apply Jeremiah 3:21 today?
Have we wept over our own wandering? The path of repentance often opens with tears, with the painful admission that we have forgotten God and twisted our way into a crooked place. Such weeping, heard by heaven, is the first step home.