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Jeremiah 3:22

Old Testament Major Prophet ASV (1901)

What does Jeremiah 3:22 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “Return, ye backsliding children, I will heal your backslidings. Behold, we are come unto thee; for thou art Jehovah our God.” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

Return, ye backsliding children, I will heal your backslidings. Behold, we are come unto thee; for thou art Jehovah our God.
Jeremiah 3:22 — American Standard Version

Context — Jeremiah 3

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
19But I said, How I will put thee among the children, and give thee a pleasant land, a goodly heritage of the hosts of the nations! and I said, Ye shall call me My Father, and shall not turn away from following me.
20Surely as a wife treacherously departeth from her husband, so have ye dealt treacherously with me, O house of Israel, saith Jehovah.
21A voice is heard upon the bare heights, the weeping [and] the supplications of the children of Israel; because they have perverted their way, they have forgotten Jehovah their God.
22Return, ye backsliding children, I will heal your backslidings. Behold, we are come unto thee; for thou art Jehovah our God.
23Truly in vain is [the help that is looked for] from the hills, the tumult on the mountains: truly in Jehovah our God is the salvation of Israel.
24But the shameful thing hath devoured the labor of our fathers from our youth, their flocks and their herds, their sons and their daughters.
25Let us lie down in our shame, and let our confusion cover us; for we have sinned against Jehovah our God, we and our fathers, from our youth even unto this day; and we have not obeyed the voice of Jehovah our God.
← Jeremiah 3:21Jeremiah 3:23 →
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What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“Return, ye backsliding children, etc.] This is the call of the Jews to repentance in the latter day; (See Gill on “<240314>Jeremiah 3:14”). and I will heal your backslidings; that is, I will forgive your sins. Sins are the diseases of the soul, and the wounds made in it; and pardoning them is healing them. So the Targum, “I will forgive you when ye return;” (see <19A303>Psalm 103:3), this is done by the application of the blood of Christ, the only physician, and whose blood is the balm that heals every wound; and this springs from the love of God, and his free favour to his people, even the riches of his grace and abounding mercy through Christ; and is the great motive and inducement, and…”
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Jamieson, Fausset & Brown
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“Jehovah's renewed invitation (Jer 3:12, Jer 3:14) and their immediate response. heal--forgive (Ch2 30:18, Ch2 30:20; Hos 14:4). unto thee--rather, "in obedience to thee"; literally, "for thee" [ROSENMULLER].”
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Barnes' Notes
Albert Barnes (1798–1870) · Notes on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“Yahweh’s answer to their prayer in Jeremiah 3:21 is immediately followed by their acceptance of the offer of divine mercy. For - Rather, because ... This profession of faith gives the reason why they return to Yahweh. The whole description is most graphically conceived. The people weeping upon the hills: God’s gracious voice bidding them return: the glad cry of the penitents exclaiming that they come: the profession of faith won from them by the divine love; these form altogether a most touching picture of a national repentance. return to 'Top of Page'”
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Tyndale Open Study Notes
Tyndale House Publishers · Tyndale Open Study Notes · Modern study notes
“3:22-24 The Lord heard the touching prayer of devotion; the people affirmed their acceptance of the Lord as their God (31:7; Pss 38:18; 121:1-2). • The people even confessed that they had worshiped idols and engaged in religious orgies. They admitted that all this was a delusion (Jer 11:13; 14:20; Hos 9:10) and acknowledged that salvation is found only in the Lord. Their ancestors had squandered their wealth by killing their animals and children in honor of Baal. 3:22 The Lord did not forget his children. Out of the depths of his being, he called them to come back so that he could heal them. He desired to set aside his anger and pour forth his love (30:17; 33:6; Hos 6:1; 14:4).”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“Return: Hos 6:1, Hos 14:1, Hos 14:4 we: Jer 31:18; Isa 27:8; Sol 1:4; Hos 3:5, Hos 6:1, Hos 6:2, Hos 13:4, Hos 14:8; Zac 13:9 Jeremiah 3:23”
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Related study paths

Read Jeremiah 3 in contextBrowse Hebrew word studiesOpen this verse in the study reader

Sources and verification