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class="vheadingv"><b>Verse</b><a href="/bsb/jeremiah/3.htm" class="clickchap" style="color:#001320" title="Click any translation name for full chapter">  (Click for Chapter)</a></div><div id="par"><span class="versiontext"><a href="/niv/jeremiah/3.htm">New International Version</a></span><br />Have you not just called to me: &#8216My Father, my friend from my youth,<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nlt/jeremiah/3.htm">New Living Translation</a></span><br />Yet you say to me, ‘Father, you have been my guide since my youth.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/esv/jeremiah/3.htm">English Standard Version</a></span><br />Have you not just now called to me, ‘My father, you are the friend of my youth—<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/bsb/jeremiah/3.htm">Berean Standard Bible</a></span><br />Have you not just called to Me, ‘My Father, You are my friend from youth.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/kjv/jeremiah/3.htm">King James Bible</a></span><br />Wilt thou not from this time cry unto me, My father, thou <i>art</i> the guide of my youth?<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nkjv/jeremiah/3.htm">New King James Version</a></span><br />Will you not from this time cry to Me, ‘My Father, You <i>are</i> the guide of my youth?<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb_/jeremiah/3.htm">New American Standard Bible</a></span><br />“Have you not just now called to Me, ‘My Father, You are the friend of my youth?<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb/jeremiah/3.htm">NASB 1995</a></span><br />&#8220Have you not just now called to Me, &#8216My Father, You are the friend of my youth?<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb77/jeremiah/3.htm">NASB 1977 </a></span><br />“Have you not just now called to Me, ‘My Father, Thou art the friend of my youth?<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lsb/jeremiah/3.htm">Legacy Standard Bible </a></span><br />Have you not just now called to Me, ‘My Father, You are the close companion of my youth?<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/amp/jeremiah/3.htm">Amplified Bible</a></span><br />“Will you not just now call out to Me, ‘My Father, you were the guide <i>and</i> companion of my youth?<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/csb/jeremiah/3.htm">Christian Standard Bible</a></span><br />Haven’t you recently called to me, “My Father! You were my friend in my youth.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/hcsb/jeremiah/3.htm">Holman Christian Standard Bible</a></span><br />Have you not lately called to Me, &#8220My Father. You were my friend in my youth. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/asv/jeremiah/3.htm">American Standard Version</a></span><br />Wilt thou not from this time cry unto me, My Father, thou art the guide of my youth?<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/cev/jeremiah/3.htm">Contemporary English Version</a></span><br />You call me your father or your long-lost friend; <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/erv/jeremiah/3.htm">English Revised Version</a></span><br />Wilt thou not from this time cry unto me, My father, thou art the guide of my youth?<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/gwt/jeremiah/3.htm">GOD'S WORD® Translation</a></span><br />But now you are calling to me. You say, 'Father! You have been my companion ever since I was young.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/gnt/jeremiah/3.htm">Good News Translation</a></span><br />"And now you say to me, 'You are my father, and you have loved me ever since I was a child. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/isv/jeremiah/3.htm">International Standard Version</a></span><br />Have you not just called out to me, 'My father, you are the friend of my youth—<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/msb/jeremiah/3.htm">Majority Standard Bible</a></span><br />Have you not just called to Me, ?My Father, You are my friend from youth.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/net/jeremiah/3.htm">NET Bible</a></span><br />Even now you say to me, 'You are my father! You have been my faithful companion ever since I was young. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nheb/jeremiah/3.htm">New Heart English Bible</a></span><br />Will you not from this time cry to me, 'My Father, you are the guide of my youth?'<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/wbt/jeremiah/3.htm">Webster's Bible Translation</a></span><br />Wilt thou not from this time cry to me, My father, thou art the guide of my youth?<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/web/jeremiah/3.htm">World English Bible</a></span><br />Will you not from this time cry to me, ‘My Father, you are the guide of my youth!’? <div class="vheading2"><b>Literal Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lsv/jeremiah/3.htm">Literal Standard Version</a></span><br />Have you not from now on called to Me, "" My Father, You [are] the leader of my youth?<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/ylt/jeremiah/3.htm">Young's Literal Translation</a></span><br /> Hast thou not henceforth called to Me, 'My father, Thou art the leader of my youth?<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/slt/jeremiah/3.htm">Smith's Literal Translation</a></span><br />From the time didst thou not call to me, My father, thou the friend of my youth?<div class="vheading2"><b>Catholic Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/drb/jeremiah/3.htm">Douay-Rheims Bible</a></span><br />Therefore at least at this time call to me: Thou art my father, the guide of my virginity: <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/cpdv/jeremiah/3.htm">Catholic Public Domain Version</a></span><br />Therefore, at least from this moment on, call out to me: ‘You are my father, the guide of my virginity.’<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nabre/jeremiah/3.htm">New American Bible</a></span><br />Even now do you not call me, “My father, you are the bridegroom of my youth? <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nrsvce/jeremiah/3.htm">New Revised Standard Version</a></span><br />Have you not just now called to me, “My Father, you are the friend of my youth—<div class="vheading2"><b>Translations from Aramaic</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lamsa/jeremiah/3.htm">Lamsa Bible</a></span><br />Behold, now you say to me, My father, and thou art foster mother of my childhood.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/hpbt/jeremiah/3.htm">Peshitta Holy Bible Translated</a></span><br />Behold, therefore, call to me, "My Father!”, and “You are he who raised me from my youth!”<div class="vheading2"><b>OT Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/jps/jeremiah/3.htm">JPS Tanakh 1917</a></span><br />Didst thou not just now cry unto Me: 'My father, Thou art the friend of my youth.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/sep/jeremiah/3.htm">Brenton Septuagint Translation</a></span><br />Hast thou not called me as it were a home, and the father and guide of thy virgin-time?<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/parallel/jeremiah/3-4.htm">Additional Translations ...</a></span></div></div></div><div id="centbox"><div class="padcent"><a name="audio" id="audio"></a><div class="vheadingv"><b>Audio Bible</b></div><iframe width="100%" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5k55c51ZGhs?start=700" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe><span class="p"><br /><br /><br /></span><div class="vheadingv"><b>Context</b></div><span class="hdg"><a href="/bsb/jeremiah/3.htm">The Wages of the Harlot</a></span><br>…<span class="reftext">3</span>Therefore the showers have been withheld, and no spring rains have fallen. Yet you have the brazen look of a prostitute; you refuse to be ashamed. <span class="reftext">4</span><span class="highl"><a href="/hebrew/3808.htm" title="3808: hă·lō·w (Adv-NegPrt) -- Not. Or lowi; or loh; a primitive particle; not; by implication, no; often used with other particles.">Have you not</a> <a href="/hebrew/6258.htm" title="6258: mê·‘at·tāh (Prep-m:: Adv) -- Now. From eth; at this time, whether adverb, conjunction or expletive.">just</a> <a href="/hebrew/7121.htm" title="7121: qå̄·rå̄·ṯī (V-Qal-Perf-2fs) -- To call, proclaim, read. A primitive root; to call out to.">called</a> <a href="/hebrew/lî (Prep:: 1cs) -- ">to Me,</a> <a href="/hebrew/1.htm" title="1: ’ā·ḇî (N-msc:: 1cs) -- Father. A primitive word; father, in a literal and immediate, or figurative and remote application).">‘My Father,</a> <a href="/hebrew/859.htm" title="859: ’āt·tāh (Pro-2ms) -- You (masc. sing.). ">You are</a> <a href="/hebrew/441.htm" title="441: ’al·lūp̄ (N-msc) -- Or talluph; from 'alph; familiar; a friend, also gentle; hence, a bullock; and so, a chieftain.">my friend</a> <a href="/hebrew/5271.htm" title="5271: nə·‘u·ray (N-mpc:: 1cs) -- Or naur; and nturah; properly, passive participle from na'ar as denominative; youth, the state or the persons.">from youth.</a> </span><span class="reftext">5</span>Will He be angry forever? Will He be indignant to the end?’ This you have spoken, but you keep doing all the evil you can.”…<div class="cred"><a href="//berean.bible">Berean Standard Bible</a> · <a href="//berean.bible/downloads.htm">Download</a></div><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a name="crossref" id="crossref"></a><div class="vheading">Cross References</div><div id="crf"><span class="crossverse"><a href="/isaiah/63-16.htm">Isaiah 63:16</a></span><br />Yet You are our Father, though Abraham does not know us and Israel does not acknowledge us. You, O LORD, are our Father; our Redeemer from Everlasting is Your name.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/isaiah/64-8.htm">Isaiah 64:8</a></span><br />But now, O LORD, You are our Father; we are the clay, and You are the potter; we are all the work of Your hand.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/hosea/2-16.htm">Hosea 2:16</a></span><br />In that day,” declares the LORD, “you will call Me ‘my Husband,’ and no longer call Me ‘my Master.’<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/malachi/1-6.htm">Malachi 1:6</a></span><br />“A son honors his father, and a servant his master. But if I am a father, where is My honor? And if I am a master, where is your fear of Me?” says the LORD of Hosts to you priests who despise My name. “But you ask, ‘How have we despised Your name?’<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/deuteronomy/32-6.htm">Deuteronomy 32:6</a></span><br />Is this how you repay the LORD, O foolish and senseless people? Is He not your Father and Creator? Has He not made you and established you?<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/psalms/89-26.htm">Psalm 89:26</a></span><br />He will call to Me, ‘You are my Father, my God, the Rock of my salvation.’<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/proverbs/3-12.htm">Proverbs 3:12</a></span><br />for the LORD disciplines the one He loves, as does a father the son in whom he delights.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/ezekiel/16-8.htm">Ezekiel 16:8</a></span><br />Then I passed by and saw you, and you were indeed old enough for love. So I spread My cloak over you and covered your nakedness. I pledged Myself to you, entered into a covenant with you, and you became Mine, declares the Lord GOD.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/hosea/11-1.htm">Hosea 11:1</a></span><br />When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called My son.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/2_samuel/7-14.htm">2 Samuel 7:14</a></span><br />I will be his Father, and he will be My son. When he does wrong, I will discipline him with the rod of men and with the blows of the sons of men.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/matthew/6-9.htm">Matthew 6:9</a></span><br />So then, this is how you should pray: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/luke/15-18.htm">Luke 15:18-19</a></span><br />I will get up and go back to my father and say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. / I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants.”’<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/john/1-12.htm">John 1:12-13</a></span><br />But to all who did receive Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God— / children born not of blood, nor of the desire or will of man, but born of God.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/romans/8-15.htm">Romans 8:15</a></span><br />For you did not receive a spirit of slavery that returns you to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption to sonship, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/galatians/4-6.htm">Galatians 4:6</a></span><br />And because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!”</div><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a name="tsk" id="tsk"><div class="vheading">Treasury of Scripture</div><p class="tsk2">Will you not from this time cry to me, My father, you are the guide of my youth?</p><p class="hdg">wilt thou</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/jeremiah/3-19.htm">Jeremiah 3:19</a></b></br> But I said, How shall I put thee among the children, and give thee a pleasant land, a goodly heritage of the hosts of nations? and I said, Thou shalt call me, My father; and shalt not turn away from me.</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/jeremiah/31-9.htm">Jeremiah 31:9,18-20</a></b></br> They shall come with weeping, and with supplications will I lead them: I will cause them to walk by the rivers of waters in a straight way, wherein they shall not stumble: for I am a father to Israel, and Ephraim <i>is</i> my firstborn… </p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/hosea/14-1.htm">Hosea 14:1-3</a></b></br> O Israel, return unto the LORD thy God; for thou hast fallen by thine iniquity… </p><p class="hdg">my father</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/jeremiah/2-27.htm">Jeremiah 2:27</a></b></br> Saying to a stock, Thou <i>art</i> my father; and to a stone, Thou hast brought me forth: for they have turned <i>their</i> back unto me, and not <i>their</i> face: but in the time of their trouble they will say, Arise, and save us.</p><p class="hdg">the guide</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/jeremiah/2-2.htm">Jeremiah 2:2</a></b></br> Go and cry in the ears of Jerusalem, saying, Thus saith the LORD; I remember thee, the kindness of thy youth, the love of thine espousals, when thou wentest after me in the wilderness, in a land <i>that was</i> not sown.</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/psalms/48-14.htm">Psalm 48:14</a></b></br> For this God <i>is</i> our God for ever and ever: he will be our guide <i>even</i> unto death.</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/psalms/71-5.htm">Psalm 71:5,17</a></b></br> For thou <i>art</i> my hope, O Lord GOD: <i>thou art</i> my trust from my youth… </p><div class="vheading">Jump to Previous</div><a href="/jeremiah/2-2.htm">Cry</a> <a href="/isaiah/65-19.htm">Crying</a> <a href="/isaiah/63-11.htm">Early</a> <a href="/isaiah/41-8.htm">Friend</a> <a href="/jeremiah/2-17.htm">Guide</a> <a href="/isaiah/59-21.htm">Henceforth</a> <a href="/isaiah/55-4.htm">Leader</a> <a href="/isaiah/65-24.htm">Prayer</a> <a href="/jeremiah/2-28.htm">Time</a> <a href="/isaiah/64-12.htm">Wilt</a> <a href="/jeremiah/2-2.htm">Youth</a><div class="vheading2">Jump to Next</div><a href="/jeremiah/3-21.htm">Cry</a> <a href="/jeremiah/4-8.htm">Crying</a> <a href="/jeremiah/5-8.htm">Early</a> <a href="/jeremiah/3-20.htm">Friend</a> <a href="/jeremiah/31-9.htm">Guide</a> <a href="/ezekiel/36-12.htm">Henceforth</a> <a href="/jeremiah/20-1.htm">Leader</a> <a href="/jeremiah/7-16.htm">Prayer</a> <a href="/jeremiah/3-17.htm">Time</a> <a href="/jeremiah/4-1.htm">Wilt</a> <a href="/jeremiah/3-24.htm">Youth</a><div class="vheading2">Jeremiah 3</div><span class="reftext">1. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/jeremiah/3-1.htm">God's great mercy to Judah the polluted land</a></span><br><span class="reftext">6. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/jeremiah/3-6.htm">Judah is worse than Israel</a></span><br><span class="reftext">12. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/jeremiah/3-12.htm">The promises of the gospel to the penitent</a></span><br><span class="reftext">20. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/jeremiah/3-20.htm">Israel reproved, and called by God, makes a solemn confession of their sins</a></span><br></div></div><div id="mdd"><div align="center"><div class="bot2"><table align="center" width="100%"><tr><td><div align="center"> <script id="3d27ed63fc4348d5b062c4527ae09445"> (new Image()).src = 'https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=51ce25d5-1a8c-424a-8695-4bd48c750f35&cid=3a9f82d0-4344-4f8d-ac0c-e1a0eb43a405'; </script> <script id="b817b7107f1d4a7997da1b3c33457e03"> (new Image()).src = 'https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=cb0edd8b-b416-47eb-8c6d-3cc96561f7e8&cid=3a9f82d0-4344-4f8d-ac0c-e1a0eb43a405'; </script><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-2'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-0' style='max-width: 300px;'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-3'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-1' style='max-width: 300px;'> </div><br /><br />  <div align="center" id='div-gpt-ad-1531425649696-0'> </div><br /><br /> <ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:inline-block;width:200px;height:200px" data-ad-client="ca-pub-3753401421161123" data-ad-slot="3592799687"></ins> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); </script> <br /><br /> </div> </td></tr></table></div></div></div><div id="combox"><div class="padcom"><a name="study" id="study"></a><div class="vheading"><table width="100%"><tr><td width="99%" valign="top"><a href="/study/jeremiah/3.htm">Study Bible</a></td><td width="1%" valign="top"><a href="/study/jeremiah/" title="Book Summary and Study">Book ◦</a> <a href="/study/chapters/jeremiah/3.htm" title="Chapter summary and Study">Chapter </a></tr></table></div><b>Have you not just called to Me</b><br>This phrase reflects a rhetorical question posed by God through the prophet Jeremiah, highlighting the insincerity of Israel's repentance. The context is a call to acknowledge the nation's superficial relationship with God. Historically, Israel often turned to God in times of distress but quickly reverted to idolatry once the crisis passed. This pattern is seen throughout the Old Testament, such as in Judges, where the Israelites repeatedly cry out to God for deliverance only to fall back into sin.<p><b>‘My Father</b><br>The use of "My Father" signifies a personal and intimate relationship, which Israel claims with God. In the ancient Near Eastern context, calling God "Father" was a profound acknowledgment of His authority and care. This term is also significant in the broader biblical narrative, as it foreshadows the New Testament revelation of God as Father through Jesus Christ. In the New Testament, Jesus frequently refers to God as His Father, inviting believers into a familial relationship with God (e.g., <a href="/matthew/6-9.htm">Matthew 6:9</a>).<p><b>You are my friend from youth</b><br>This phrase suggests a long-standing relationship, implying that Israel has known God from its early days as a nation. The reference to "youth" can be seen as a nod to the time of the Exodus and the covenant at Sinai, where God established Israel as His people. Culturally, friendship in the ancient world involved loyalty and mutual obligation, which Israel has failed to uphold. This phrase also echoes the idea of God as a faithful companion, a theme that resonates with the portrayal of Jesus as a friend to His followers (<a href="/john/15-15.htm">John 15:15</a>).<div class="vheading2">Persons / Places / Events</div>1. <b><a href="/topical/j/jeremiah.htm">Jeremiah</a></b><br>A major prophet in the Old Testament, called by God to deliver messages of warning and hope to the people of Judah.<br><br>2. <b><a href="/topical/j/judah.htm">Judah</a></b><br>The southern kingdom of Israel, often addressed by Jeremiah for their unfaithfulness and idolatry.<br><br>3. <b><a href="/topical/g/god.htm">God (Yahweh)</a></b><br>The covenant-keeping God of Israel, who desires a relationship with His people and calls them to repentance.<br><br>4. <b><a href="/topical/i/israel.htm">Israel</a></b><br>The northern kingdom, often used symbolically to represent the people of God who have turned away from Him.<br><br>5. <b><a href="/topical/y/youth.htm">Youth</a></b><br>A reference to the early relationship between God and Israel, symbolizing the initial devotion and love that has since waned.<div class="vheading2">Teaching Points</div><b><a href="/topical/t/the_call_to_repentance.htm">The Call to Repentance</a></b><br><a href="/jeremiah/3-4.htm">Jeremiah 3:4</a> highlights the need for genuine repentance. God desires His people to return to Him with sincerity, not just empty words.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/t/the_father-child_relationship.htm">The Father-Child Relationship</a></b><br>The verse underscores the intimate relationship God desires with His people, akin to that of a father and child. This relationship should be marked by respect, love, and obedience.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/t/the_danger_of_complacency.htm">The Danger of Complacency</a></b><br>The people of Judah had become complacent, relying on their historical relationship with God without maintaining it. Believers today must guard against taking their relationship with God for granted.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/g/god's_unchanging_nature.htm">God's Unchanging Nature</a></b><br>Despite Israel's unfaithfulness, God remains a constant and loving Father. This assurance should encourage believers to return to Him, knowing He is always ready to forgive.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/y/youthful_devotion.htm">Youthful Devotion</a></b><br>Reflecting on the early days of faith can rekindle passion and commitment. Believers are encouraged to remember their first love and return to that fervor.<div class="vheading2">Lists and Questions</div><a href="/top10/lessons_from_jeremiah_3.htm">Top 10 Lessons from Jeremiah 3</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/bible's_view_on_anxiety,_depression.htm">Why should anyone despise your youth?</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/bible's_view_on_social_anxiety.htm">What does the Bible say about social anxiety?</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/what_does_'ask,_seek,_knock'_mean.htm">What did Jesus mean by 'Ask, Seek, Knock'?</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/bible's_view_on_god_vs._satan.htm">What does the Bible say about God versus Satan?</a><a name="commentary" id="commentary"></a><div class="vheading2"><a href="/commentaries/ellicott/jeremiah/3.htm">Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers</a></div>(4) <span class= "bld">Wilt thou not from this time cry unto me . . .?</span>--Better, <span class= "ital">Hast thou not from this time cried unto me . . .? </span>The prophet paints with a stern irony the parade of the surface repentance of Josiah's reign. There had been a pathetic appeal to God as the forgiving husband of the faithless wife, but not the less had the wife returned to her wickedness.<p><span class= "bld">Guide.</span>--The same word as in <a href="/proverbs/2-17.htm" title="Which forsakes the guide of her youth, and forgets the covenant of her God.">Proverbs 2:17</a>; the "chief friend," as applied to the husband.<p><div class="vheading2"><a href="/commentaries/pulpit/jeremiah/3.htm">Pulpit Commentary</a></div><span class="cmt_sub_title">Verse 4.</span> <span class="cmt_word">Wilt thou not</span>, etc.? rather, <span class="accented">Truly from this time thou callest unto me</span> (literally, <span class="accented">Dost</span> thou not, etc.? a common way of giving an energetic assurance). The prophet admits the apparent revival of faith in Jehovah which attended the compulsory reformation under Josiah, but denies that it was more than apparent (comp, ver. 10). The guide of my youth; <span class="accented">rather</span>, <span class="accented">the companion</span> (the familiar associate); so in <a href="/proverbs/2-17.htm">Proverbs 2:17</a>. Comp. <a href="/jeremiah/2-2.htm">Jeremiah 2:2</a>, and especially <a href="/isaiah/54-6.htm">Isaiah 54:6</a>, "and a wife of youth" (<span class="accented">i</span>.<span class="accented">e</span>. married in youth), "that she should be rejected [how incredible a thing!]" <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/commentaries/jeremiah/3-4.htm">Parallel Commentaries ...</a></span><span class="p"><br /><br /><br /></span><a name="lexicon" id="lexicon"></a><div class="vheading">Hebrew</div><span class="word">Have you not</span><br /><span class="heb">הֲל֣וֹא</span> <span class="translit">(hă·lō·w)</span><br /><span class="parse">Adverb - Negative particle<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_3808.htm">Strong's 3808: </a> </span><span class="str2">Not, no</span><br /><br /><span class="word">just</span><br /><span class="heb">מֵעַ֔תָּה</span> <span class="translit">(mê·‘at·tāh)</span><br /><span class="parse">Preposition-m | Adverb<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_6258.htm">Strong's 6258: </a> </span><span class="str2">At this time</span><br /><br /><span class="word">called to Me,</span><br /><span class="heb">קָרָ֥את</span> <span class="translit">(qā·rāṯ)</span><br /><span class="parse">Verb - Qal - Perfect - second person feminine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_7121.htm">Strong's 7121: </a> </span><span class="str2">To call, proclaim, read</span><br /><br /><span class="word">‘My Father,</span><br /><span class="heb">אָבִ֑י</span> <span class="translit">(’ā·ḇî)</span><br /><span class="parse">Noun - masculine singular construct | first person common singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_1.htm">Strong's 1: </a> </span><span class="str2">Father</span><br /><br /><span class="word">You [are]</span><br /><span class="heb">אָֽתָּה׃</span> <span class="translit">(’āt·tāh)</span><br /><span class="parse">Pronoun - second person masculine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_859.htm">Strong's 859: </a> </span><span class="str2">Thou and thee, ye and you</span><br /><br /><span class="word">my friend</span><br /><span class="heb">אַלּ֥וּף</span> <span class="translit">(’al·lūp̄)</span><br /><span class="parse">Noun - masculine singular construct<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_441.htm">Strong's 441: </a> </span><span class="str2">Familiar, a friend, gentle, a bullock, a chieftain</span><br /><br /><span class="word">from youth.</span><br /><span class="heb">נְעֻרַ֖י</span> <span class="translit">(nə·‘u·ray)</span><br /><span class="parse">Noun - masculine plural construct | first person common singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_5271.htm">Strong's 5271: </a> </span><span class="str2">Youth, the state, the persons</span><br /><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><div class="vheading">Links</div><a href="/niv/jeremiah/3-4.htm">Jeremiah 3:4 NIV</a><br /><a href="/nlt/jeremiah/3-4.htm">Jeremiah 3:4 NLT</a><br /><a href="/esv/jeremiah/3-4.htm">Jeremiah 3:4 ESV</a><br /><a href="/nasb/jeremiah/3-4.htm">Jeremiah 3:4 NASB</a><br /><a href="/kjv/jeremiah/3-4.htm">Jeremiah 3:4 KJV</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="//bibleapps.com/jeremiah/3-4.htm">Jeremiah 3:4 BibleApps.com</a><br /><a href="//bibliaparalela.com/jeremiah/3-4.htm">Jeremiah 3:4 Biblia Paralela</a><br /><a href="//holybible.com.cn/jeremiah/3-4.htm">Jeremiah 3:4 Chinese Bible</a><br /><a href="//saintebible.com/jeremiah/3-4.htm">Jeremiah 3:4 French Bible</a><br /><a href="/catholic/jeremiah/3-4.htm">Jeremiah 3:4 Catholic Bible</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/jeremiah/3-4.htm">OT Prophets: Jeremiah 3:4 Will you not from this time cry (Jer.) </a></div></div></td></tr></table></div><div id="left"><a href="/jeremiah/3-3.htm" onmouseover='lft.src="/leftgif.png"' onmouseout='lft.src="/left.png"' title="Jeremiah 3:3"><img src="/left.png" name="lft" border="0" alt="Jeremiah 3:3" /></a></div><div id="right"><a href="/jeremiah/3-5.htm" onmouseover='rght.src="/rightgif.png"' onmouseout='rght.src="/right.png"' title="Jeremiah 3:5"><img src="/right.png" name="rght" border="0" alt="Jeremiah 3:5" /></a></div><div id="botleft"><a href="#" onmouseover='botleft.src="/botleftgif.png"' onmouseout='botleft.src="/botleft.png"' title="Top of Page"><img src="/botleft.png" name="botleft" border="0" alt="Top of Page" /></a></div><div id="botright"><a href="#" onmouseover='botright.src="/botrightgif.png"' onmouseout='botright.src="/botright.png"' title="Top of Page"><img src="/botright.png" name="botright" border="0" alt="Top of Page" /></a></div><div id="bot"><iframe width="100%" height="1500" scrolling="no" src="/botmenubhnew2.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></div></td></tr></table></div></body></html>