Lectionary Calendar
Tuesday, July 22nd, 2025
the Week of Proper 11 / Ordinary 16
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Contemporary English Version

Jeremiah 44:19

Then the women said, "When we lived in Judah, we worshiped the Queen of Heaven and offered sacrifices of wine and special loaves of bread shaped like her. Our husbands knew what we were doing, and they approved of it."

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Bread;   Idolatry;   Moon;   Queen;   Superstition;   Women;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Drink Offering;   Egypt;   Moon, the;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Egypt;   Moon;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Idol, idolatry;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Cake;   Moon;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Queen of Heaven;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Assyria, History and Religion of;   Babylon, History and Religion of;   Gods, Pagan;   Ishtar;   Jeremiah;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Greek Versions of Ot;   Idolatry;   Queen of Heaven;   Stars;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Moon;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Idolatry;   Queen (2);  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Kingdom of Judah;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Egypt;   Images;   Jeremiah (2);   Queen of Heaven;   Worship;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
And the women said, “When we burned incense to the queen of heaven and poured out drink offerings to her, was it apart from our husbands’ knowledge that we made sacrificial cakes in her image and poured out drink offerings to her?”
Hebrew Names Version
When we burned incense to the queen of the sky, and poured out drink-offerings to her, did we make her cakes to worship her, and pour out drink-offerings to her, without our husbands?
King James Version
And when we burned incense to the queen of heaven, and poured out drink offerings unto her, did we make her cakes to worship her, and pour out drink offerings unto her, without our men?
English Standard Version
And the women said, "When we made offerings to the queen of heaven and poured out drink offerings to her, was it without our husbands' approval that we made cakes for her bearing her image and poured out drink offerings to her?"
New American Standard Bible
"And," said the women, "when we were burning sacrifices to the queen of heaven and pouring out drink offerings to her, was it without our husbands that we made for her sacrificial cakes in her image, and poured out drink offerings to her?"
New Century Version
The women said, "Our husbands knew what we were doing. We had their permission to burn incense to the Queen Goddess and to pour out drink offerings to her. Our husbands knew we were making cakes that looked like her and were pouring out drink offerings to her."
Amplified Bible
And said the wives, "When we were burning sacrifices to the queen of heaven and were pouring out drink offerings to her, was it without [the knowledge and approval of] our husbands that we made cakes [in the shape of a star] to represent her and pour out drink offerings to her?"
World English Bible
When we burned incense to the queen of the sky, and poured out drink-offerings to her, did we make her cakes to worship her, and pour out drink-offerings to her, without our husbands?
Geneva Bible (1587)
And when we burnt incense to ye Queene of heauen, and powred out drinke offerings vnto her, did wee make her cakes to make her glad, and powre out drinke offerings vnto her without our husbands?
Legacy Standard Bible
"And," said the women, "when we were burning incense to the queen of heaven and were pouring out drink offerings to her, was it without our husbands that we made for her sacrificial cakes in her image and poured out drink offerings to her?"
Berean Standard Bible
"Moreover," said the women, "when we burned incense to the queen of heaven and poured out drink offerings to her, was it without our husbands' knowledge that we made sacrificial cakes in her image and poured out drink offerings to her?"
Complete Jewish Bible
[Then the wives added,] "Are we the ones who offer incense to the queen of heaven? Do we pour out drink offerings to her? And did we make cakes marked with her image for her and pour out drink offerings to her without our husbands' consent?"
Darby Translation
And when we burned incense to the queen of the heavens and poured out drink-offerings to her, did we make for her cakes to portray her, and pour out drink-offerings to her, without our husbands?
Easy-to-Read Version
Then the women spoke up and said to Jeremiah, "Our husbands knew what we were doing. We had their permission to make sacrifices to the Queen of Heaven. We had their permission to pour out drink offerings to her. Our husbands also knew that we were making cakes that looked like her."
George Lamsa Translation
And all the women said, When we burned incense to the queen of heaven and poured out drink offerings to her, it was not without our husbands consent; nor without their knowledge did we make cakes for her and pour out drink offerings to her.
Good News Translation
And the women added, "When we baked cakes shaped like the Queen of Heaven, offered sacrifices to her, and poured out wine offerings to her, our husbands approved of what we were doing."
Lexham English Bible
And indeed, when we were making smoke offerings to the queen of heaven and pouring out to her libations, was it not with the consent of our husbands that we made for her sacrificial cakes marked with her image, and we poured out to her libations?"
Literal Translation
And when we burned incense to the queen of heaven and poured out drink offerings to her, did we make her cakes to worship her, and pour out drink offerings to her, without our men?
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Last of all, when we wome did sacrifice and offred vnto the Quene of heaue, did we make her cakes ad poure vnto her drinkofferinges, to do her seruyce, without oure hu?bondes wylles?
American Standard Version
And when we burned incense to the queen of heaven, and poured out drink-offerings unto her, did we make her cakes to worship her, and pour out drink-offerings unto her, without our husbands?
Bible in Basic English
And the women said, When we were burning perfumes to the queen of heaven and draining out drink offerings to her, did we make cakes in her image and give her our drink offerings without the knowledge of our husbands?
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And is it we that offer to the queen of heaven, and pour out drink-offerings unto her? did we make her cakes in her image, and pour out drink-offerings unto her, without our husbands?'
King James Version (1611)
And when we burnt incense to the queene of heauen, and powred out drinke offrings vnto her, did we make her cakes to worship her, and powre out drinke offrings vnto her without our men?
Bishop's Bible (1568)
[Last of all] when we [women] dyd sacrifice and offred vnto the Queene of heauen: dyd we make her cakes and powre vnto her drinke offeringes to do her seruice, without our husbandes wylles?
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And where are your prophets who prophesied to you saying, The king of Babylon shall not come against this land?
English Revised Version
And when we burned incense to the queen of heaven, and poured out drink offerings unto her, did we make her cakes to worship her, and pour out drink offerings unto her, without our husbands?
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
That if we maken sacrifice to the queen of heuene, and offren to it moist sacrifices, whether withouten oure hosebondis we maden to it cakis, to worschipe it, and looues to be offrid?
Update Bible Version
And when we burned incense to the queen of heaven, and poured out drink-offerings to her, did we make her cakes to worship her, and pour out drink-offerings to her, without our husbands?
Webster's Bible Translation
And when we burned incense to the queen of heaven, and poured out drink-offerings to her, did we make for her cakes to worship her, and pour out drink-offerings to her, without our men?
New English Translation
The women added, "We did indeed sacrifice and pour out drink offerings to the Queen of Heaven. But it was with the full knowledge and approval of our husbands that we made cakes in her image and poured out drink offerings to her."
New King James Version
The women also said, "And when we burned incense to the queen of heaven and poured out drink offerings to her, did we make cakes for her, to worship her, and pour out drink offerings to her without our husbands' permission?"
New Living Translation
"Besides," the women added, "do you suppose that we were burning incense and pouring out liquid offerings to the Queen of Heaven, and making cakes marked with her image, without our husbands knowing it and helping us? Of course not!"
New Life Bible
And the women said, "When we baked cakes which looked like the queen of heaven, burned special perfume, and poured out our drink gifts, did not our husbands know about it?"
New Revised Standard
And the women said, "Indeed we will go on making offerings to the queen of heaven and pouring out libations to her; do you think that we made cakes for her, marked with her image, and poured out libations to her without our husbands' being involved?"
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And, though we are burning incense to the queen of the heavens and pouring out to her drink-offerings, is it, without our men that we have made to her sacrificial cakes as images of her and poured out to her, drink-offerings?
Douay-Rheims Bible
And if we offer sacrifice to the queen of heaven, and pour out drink offerings to her: did we make cakes to worship her, to pour out drink offerings to her, without our husbands?
Revised Standard Version
And the women said, "When we burned incense to the queen of heaven and poured out libations to her, was it without our husbands' approval that we made cakes for her bearing her image and poured out libations to her?"
Young's Literal Translation
and when we are making perfume to the queen of the heavens, and pouring out to her libations -- without our husbands have we made for her cakes to idolize her, and to pour out to her libations?'
THE MESSAGE
And then the women chimed in: "Yes! Absolutely! We're going to keep at it, offering sacrifices to the Queen of Heaven and pouring out offerings to her. Aren't our husbands behind us? They like it that we make goddess cookies and pour out our offerings to her."
New American Standard Bible (1995)
"And," said the women, "when we were burning sacrifices to the queen of heaven and were pouring out drink offerings to her, was it without our husbands that we made for her sacrificial cakes in her image and poured out drink offerings to her?"

Contextual Overview

15 A large number of Jews from both northern and southern Egypt listened to me as I told them what the Lord had said. Most of the men in the crowd knew that their wives often burned incense to other gods. So they and their wives shouted: 16 Jeremiah, what do we care if you speak in the Lord 's name? We refuse to listen! 17 We have promised to worship the goddess Astarte, the Queen of Heaven, and that is exactly what we are going to do. We will burn incense and offer sacrifices of wine to her, just as we, our ancestors, our kings, and our leaders did when we lived in Jerusalem and the other towns of Judah. We had plenty of food back then. We were well off, and nothing bad ever happened to us. 18 But since the time we stopped burning incense and offering wine sacrifices to her, we have been dying from war and hunger. 19 Then the women said, "When we lived in Judah, we worshiped the Queen of Heaven and offered sacrifices of wine and special loaves of bread shaped like her. Our husbands knew what we were doing, and they approved of it."

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

we burned: Jeremiah 44:15, Jeremiah 7:18

without: Genesis 3:6, Genesis 3:11, Genesis 3:12, Genesis 3:16, Genesis 3:17, Deuteronomy 7:3, Deuteronomy 7:4, 1 Kings 21:25, 2 Chronicles 21:6, Proverbs 11:21, Mark 6:19-27

men: or, husbands

Reciprocal: Leviticus 10:1 - put incense

Cross-References

Genesis 43:7
They answered, "He asked a lot of questions about us and our family. He wanted to know if you were still alive and if we had any more brothers. All we could do was answer his questions. How could we know he would tell us to bring along our brother?"
Genesis 43:29
When Joseph looked around and saw his brother Benjamin, he said, "This must be your youngest brother, the one you told me about. God bless you, my son."
Genesis 44:7
But they replied, "Sir, why do you say such things? We would never do anything like that!
Genesis 44:10
"Good!" the man replied, "I'll do what you have said. But only the one who has the cup will become my slave. The rest of you can go free."

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And when we burnt incense to the queen of heaven, and poured out drink offerings unto her,.... Which they owned they did, and which they were not ashamed of, and were determined to go on with; and were only sorry that they had at any time omitted such service:

did we make cakes to worship her; or, "to make her glad" g, as Kimchi; interpreting the word by an antiphrasis; it having a contrary signification, to grieve or to make sorrowful; and from hence idols have their name sometimes, because in the issue they bring grief and trouble to their worshippers; hence some render it, "to make her an idol" h; or them, the cakes, an idol; these had, as Jarchi says, the likeness of the idol impressed upon them:

and pour out drink offerings unto her, without our men? they own they did these things but not without the knowledge and consent at least, if not with the presence, of their husbands; hence these words seem to be the words of the women. Some indeed think they speak all along, from

Jeremiah 44:16; or one in the name of the rest; it may be one of Zedekiah's daughters; but however, if the men spoke what is said in the preceding verses, the women, being provoked, could hold their peace no longer, but broke in, and uttered these words; though some render the last clause, "without our principal men" i; and so take them to be the words of the people in general; who urge, in their own defence, that what they did they did with the direction, approbation, and leading example of their kings and governors.

g להעצבה "ad exhilarandum illud", Calvin; "ad laetificaudum eam", Munster, Pagninus. h "Idolificando", Piscator; so Ben Melech; "ut faciamus illas idolum", Cocceius. i המבלעדי אנשינו "absque praestantibus viris nostris", Junius & Tremellius.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Burned ... poured ... did - Or, burn ... pour ... do.

To worship her - Rather, to represent her image. The cakes Jeremiah 7:18 were made in the shape of a crescent to represent the moon.

Our men - i. e., our husbands (margin). They had the authority of their husbands for what they were doing. Jeremiah must leave them alone, and discuss the matter with those who alone had the right to interfere.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Jeremiah 44:19. And when we burned incense to the queen of heaven — The MOON seems to have been called מלכת melecheth, as the SUN was called מלך molech. The Hindoos pour out water to the sun thrice a day; and to the moon whenever they worship her.

The idolatrous worship of these people was a sort of imitation of the worship of the true God; only sacrifice was not common in it. The factious women here tell us in what it consisted.

1. They burnt incense to the moon, and perhaps to the sun and the planets.

2. They poured out libations to her.

3. They made and consecrated cakes to her.

All these were prescribed in the worship of the true GOD. See, among others, Exodus 29:23, c. Leviticus 2:4; Leviticus 23:16; and Numbers 6:15. And the women vindicate their conduct by asserting that they did all this by the consent of their husbands: "Did we worship her without our men?"


 
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