Jeremiah 11:9-13 · Bible study
Jeremiah 11:9-13 Commentary: The Covenant Conspiracy and Its Consequences
Hebrew · 10 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
God exposes a conspiracy of covenant-breaking and idolatry in Judah and Jerusalem, declaring their many gods and altars will not save them from the
Research Summary
- Meaning: God exposes a deliberate, corporate rebellion against His covenant, with the entire nation returning to idolatry and facing unavoidable judgment when He refuses to hear their cries.
- Key words: Qesher (conspiracy, treason, unlawful alliance) indicates premeditated unity in rebellion against God; boshet (shame, shameful thing) is the derogatory name for the idol Baal that brings disgrace.
- Main debate: Whether the “conspiracy” describes a literal secret combination against Josiah’s reforms (Barnes) or a more general, unanimous apostasy (Calvin, others).
- Theological theme: Covenant-breaking multiplied into idolatry at every level of society leads to a point where even desperate prayer goes unanswered, and false gods prove powerless.
- Best use: As a warning about collective sin, the danger of religious relapse after reform, and the emptiness of multiplied religious activity when the heart is far from God.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
9And the LORD told me, “There is a conspiracy among the men of Judah and the residents of Jerusalem.
10They have returned to the sins of their forefathers who refused to obey My words. They have followed other gods to serve them. The house of Israel and the house of Judah have broken the covenant I made with their fathers.
11Therefore this is what the LORD says: ‘I am about to bring upon them a disaster that they cannot escape. They will cry out to Me, but I will not listen to them.
12Then the cities of Judah and the residents of Jerusalem will go and cry out to the gods to which they have been burning incense, but these gods certainly will not save them in their time of disaster.
13Your gods are indeed as numerous as your cities, O Judah; the altars of shame you have set up—the altars to burn incense to Baal—are as many as the streets of Jerusalem.’
WEB World English Bible 2000
9Yahweh said to me, “A conspiracy is found among the men of Judah, and among the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
10They have turned back to the iniquities of their forefathers, who refused to hear my words. They have gone after other gods to serve them. The house of Israel and the house of Judah have broken my covenant which I made with their fathers.
11Therefore Yahweh says, ‘Behold, I will bring evil on them which they will not be able to escape; and they will cry to me, but I will not listen to them.
12Then the cities of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem will go and cry to the gods to which they offer incense, but they will not save them at all in the time of their trouble.
13For according to the number of your cities are your gods, Judah; and according to the number of the streets of Jerusalem you have set up altars to the shameful thing, even altars to burn incense to Baal.’
KJV King James Version 1769
9And the Lord said unto me, A conspiracy is found among the men of Judah, and among the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
10They are turned back to the iniquities of their forefathers, which refused to hear my words; and they went after other gods to serve them: the house of Israel and the house of Judah have broken my covenant which I made with their fathers.
11Therefore thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will bring evil upon them, which they shall not be able to escape; and though they shall cry unto me, I will not hearken unto them.
12Then shall the cities of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem go, and cry unto the gods unto whom they offer incense: but they shall not save them at all in the time of their trouble.
13For according to the number of thy cities were thy gods, O Judah; and according to the number of the streets of Jerusalem have ye set up altars to that shameful thing, even altars to burn incense unto Baal.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
9And Jehovah said unto me, A conspiracy is found among the men of Judah, and among the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
10They are turned back to the iniquities of their forefathers, who refused to hear my words; and they are gone after other gods to serve them: the house of Israel and the house of Judah have broken my covenant which I made with their fathers.
11Therefore thus saith Jehovah, Behold, I will bring evil upon them, which they shall not be able to escape; and they shall cry unto me, but I will not hearken unto them.
12Then shall the cities of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem go and cry unto the gods unto which they offer incense: but they will not save them at all in the time of their trouble.
13For according to the number of thy cities are thy gods, O Judah; and according to the number of the streets of Jerusalem have ye set up altars to the shameful thing, even altars to burn incense unto Baal.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
9And Jehovah saith unto me: `A conspiracy is found in the men of Judah, And in the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
10They have turned back to the iniquities of their first fathers, Who refused to hear My words, And they have gone after other gods to serve them, The house of Israel, and the house of Judah, Have made void My covenant, that I made with their fathers.
11Therefore thus said Jehovah: Lo, I am bringing in unto them evil, That they are not able to go out from, And they have cried unto Me, And I do not hearken unto them.
12And the cities of Judah, and inhabitants of Jerusalem have gone, And they have cried unto the gods, To whom they are making perfume, And they give no deliverance at all to them, In the time of their vexation.
13For--the number of thy cities have been thy gods, O Judah, And--the number of the streets of Jerusalem Ye have placed altars to a shameful thing, Altars to make perfume to Baal.
Darby Darby Bible 1890
9And Jehovah said unto me, A conspiracy is found among the men of Judah, and among the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
10They are turned back to the iniquities of their forefathers, who refused to hear my words; and they have gone after othergods to serve them. The house of Israel and the house of Judah have broken my covenant which I made with their fathers.
11Therefore thus saith Jehovah: Behold, I will bring evil upon them, from which they shall not be able to escape; and they will cry unto me, and I will not hearken unto them.
12Then shall the cities of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem go and cry unto thegods unto whom they have burned incense; but they shall not save them at all in the time of their trouble.
13For [as] the number of thy cities, are thygods, O Judah; and [as] the number of the streets of Jerusalem, have ye set up altars to the Shame, altars to burn incense unto Baal.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
9And the Lord said to me: A conspiracy is found among the men of Juda, and among the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
10They are returned to the former iniquities of their fathers, who refused to hear my words: so these likewise have gone after strange gods, to serve them: the house of Israel, and the house of Juda have made void my covenant, which I made with their fathers.
11Wherefore thus saith the Lord: Behold I will bring in evils upon them, which they shall not be able to escape: and they shall cry to me, and I will not hearken to them.
12And the cities of Juda, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem shall go, and cry to the gods to whom they offer sacrifice, and they shall not save them in the time of their affliction.
13For according to the number of thy cities were thy gods, O Juda: and according to the number of the streets of Jerusalem thou hast set up altars of confusion, altars to offer sacrifice to Baalim.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Jeremiah 11:9
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators across traditions agree that the conspiracy God reveals in this passage is a deliberate, corporate rebellion against His covenant. The key Hebrew term qesher (conspiracy) implies premeditated unity: the people have not merely fallen into sin individually but have acted as a body to reject Yahweh. Adam Clarke calls them fratres conjurati, sworn brothers determined to cast off the divine yoke. John Calvin notes that the word indicates they were worse than their ancestors because they banded together after many opportunities to repent.
The passage describes a relapse. After the reforms of King Josiah, the people of Judah and Jerusalem have returned to the iniquities of their forefathers, especially the refusal to hear God’s words and the worship of other gods. They have broken the covenant that Yahweh made when He brought Israel out of Egypt. The severity lies both in the collective nature of the sin and in its open, multiplied expression: altars to Baal and to the “shameful thing” have been set up in every city and street.
God’s response matches the gravity. He declares He will bring a disaster from which they cannot escape. When they cry to Him, He will not listen. And when they cry to the gods they have served, those gods will not save them. The point, as Matthew Henry and the Geneva Bible note, is that prayers from unrepentant hearts go unheard, and false gods offer no help in the day of trouble.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Low
What is clear: The passage unquestionably condemns the collective return to idolatry and covenant-breaking, and it declares that neither prayer to God nor cries to false gods will prevent the disaster that follows.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| The meaning of 'conspiracy' (qesher) | All commentators agree it denotes a deliberate, prearranged rebellion against God and His covenant, not mere individual sin. | Some (Barnes) see it as a literal secret combination organized by opponents of Josiah's reforms; others (Calvin, Clarke) understand it as a metaphor for the unanimous, willful rejection of God by the whole people. |
| The historical setting of these verses | Most place the passage in the reign of Jehoiakim, after Josiah's reform failed. | A minority view (Lange's commentators note) tries to place it later in Jehoiakim's reign, while others (Cambridge Bible) simply note the reforms had no lasting results without specifying the exact year. |
| The identity of 'the shameful thing' (boshet) | All agree it refers to Baal, intentionally called 'shame' to indicate his moral worthlessness. | There is no substantive debate; the term is used contemptuously for the Canaanite deity. |
| The nature of God's refusal to listen | Commentators agree that God's refusal to hear their prayer is a judicial response to persistent, unrepentant sin, not an arbitrary act. | Some emphasize that this silence is temporary and pastoral (Wesley), while others see it as a final judgment on this generation (Calvin, Gill). |
Historical & Cultural Context
These verses belong to the reign of Jehoiakim (609, 598 BC), after King Josiah’s sweeping religious reforms had been reversed. Josiah had torn down the high places, removed the altars to Baal, and renewed the covenant (2 Kings 22, 23). But his son Jehoahaz ruled only three months, and Jehoiakim, placed on the throne by Egypt, allowed idolatry to flood back into Judah. The Cambridge Bible notes that the passage shows Josiah’s reforms had no lasting results. Jeremiah’s words land in a time of rapid political and spiritual decline.
The “conspiracy” likely refers to the deliberate, organized opposition to Yahweh’s covenant. Some commentators, like Barnes, suggest that the party loyal to the old idolatries formed secret combinations against Josiah’s reforms and continued them under his successors. Others see the term more broadly: every level of society acted as if they had plotted together to break God’s law. The surrounding chapters (7, 10) show the full picture: prophets prophesy falsely, priests rule by their own authority, and the people love it that way (Jeremiah 5:31).
Archaeology and extrabiblical sources confirm that the worship of Baal and other deities was widespread in Judah during this period. The “high places” and “altars of incense” were part of a cosmopolitan religious culture that included the queen of heaven, the hosts of heaven, and local Baals. Judahite towns had their own patron deities, as common in ancient Near Eastern city-states. Jeremiah’s sarcastic line “according to the number of your cities are your gods” drives home how fragmented their loyalty had become, every village had a different god, but none of them was Yahweh.
The covenant that Judah broke is the Mosaic covenant, especially the commands to have no other gods and to obey Yahweh’s voice (Exodus 20:3; Deuteronomy 6:4, 5). By returning to the sins of their “first fathers,” the people align themselves with the wilderness generation that repeatedly tested God, and with the generations that served Baal during the time of the judges. This historical backstory heightens the tragedy: Judah knows what happens to covenant-breakers, and they do it anyway.
Textual Notes
The consulted commentaries note no significant textual variants in Jeremiah 11:9, 13. The Hebrew text is stable across extant manuscripts, and the differences among English translations (e.g., “evil” vs. “disaster,” “shameful thing” vs. “confusion”) reflect translation choices rather than manuscript divergence.
Reception History
Throughout church history, this passage has been read as a sobering example of collective apostasy and the limits of divine forbearance. Early church writers like Jerome used it to warn against the worship of multiple gods, even in the heart. During the Reformation, the text was employed to critique the multiplication of religious practices that lacked covenant faithfulness, Calvin commented extensively on the passage, stressing that a united front of rebellion provokes a unified judgment. In Puritan preaching, Jeremiah 11:9, 13 served as a call to examine whether the congregation had merely returned to old sins after a season of reformation. Modern readers often highlight the tragedy of prayers unanswered because of broken relationship, and the irony that more religion (more gods, more altars) does not save.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- The conspiracy exposed (vv. 9, 10): God reveals that the people of Judah and Jerusalem have joined together to break His covenant, turning back to the sins of their ancestors and serving other gods.
- The judgment declared (v. 11): Because of this corporate rebellion, God will bring unavoidable disaster, and He will not hear their cries for help when it comes.
- The idols’ failure (vv. 12, 13): In their trouble, the people will cry to the gods they have multiplied across their land, but those gods cannot save, the very abundance of altars proves their emptiness.
Five-point outline
- Conspiracy against the King of kings (v. 9): The word qesher suggests deliberate, prearranged rebellion, not mere drift.
- Return to ancestral sins (v. 10a): The people revert to the same pattern of refusing to hear God’s words, a pattern their forefathers established.
- Broken covenant (v. 10b): Both Israel and Judah have made void the covenant, breaking the relationship that defined them as God’s people.
- Unavoidable disaster and silent heaven (v. 11): God brings a calamity from which they cannot escape, and He refuses to listen when they cry out, not because He is cruel, but because persistent sin has severed the connection.
- The false gods cannot save (vv. 12, 13): The people’s many gods, many altars, and many prayers will accomplish nothing. Their idols, called “the shameful thing”, will only bring them shame.
Illustration hooks
- A city where every neighborhood has a different fire department, but when a real fire breaks out, none of them have enough water to stop it. Judah had a god for every street, but no god with the power to save.
- An employee who signs a contract, then meets with colleagues to plan how to ignore its terms. When the consequences come, they plead with the boss, but the evidence of their conspiracy is already on record.
- A family that repeatedly returns to a harmful habit after a genuine period of change. Each time, they convince themselves it will be different, but the pattern only deepens, and eventually the natural consequences arrive.
Questions your congregation is asking
- Can God ignore our prayers? If so, under what circumstances?
- What does it mean that the people had “conspired” against God, were they literally plotting together, or is it a metaphor?
- Is there any hope for a people who have turned back to old sins after a season of faithfulness?
Leading a Discussion
This passage shows how quickly a nation can slide back into the sins it once renounced, and how seriously God takes collective rebellion against His covenant. Judah had experienced a revival under Josiah, but within a decade the altars to Baal were back, more numerous than ever. The conspiracy that Jeremiah exposes is not a secret plot but a public, settled determination to reject God’s authority. As your group works through these verses, allow the weight of the language, conspiracy, broken covenant, shameful thing, unable to escape, to land honestly. Then ask what this might say about our own patterns of drifting, our own multiplied loyalties, and what it means for God to listen or not listen when we cry out.
Discussion questions
- What does the word “conspiracy” add to your understanding of the people’s sin? Why is this more severe than ordinary disobedience?
- Verse 10 says the people “turned back to the iniquities of their forefathers.” Has there been a time in your life when you returned to an old sin pattern after a period of growth? What made that experience different from a first-time failure?
- God declares He will not listen when the people cry to Him (v. 11). How do you reconcile this with passages that promise God hears those who call on Him (e.g., Psalm 34:17)? What conditions might be in view here?
- Why do you think the passage stresses that the people will cry to both God and the false gods (vv. 11, 12)? What does this dual appeal reveal about their hearts?
- Verse 13 says Judah’s gods are as numerous as its cities and its altars as numerous as its streets. What does this multiplication of religious activity suggest about the nature of their idolatry? Can more religion ever become a substitute for covenant faithfulness?
- In what ways do people today set up “altars of shame”, whether to money, reputation, comfort, or other loyalties, in every part of their lives?
- If a friend said, “I feel like God won’t listen to me anymore,” how would you respond based on this passage and the larger biblical story?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Jeremiah 5:31 | The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests rule by their own authority; and my people love to have it so. What will you do in the end of it? |
| Jeremiah 6:13 | “For from their least even to their greatest, everyone is given to covetousness. From the prophet even to the priest, everyone deals falsely. |
| Jeremiah 8:10 | Therefore I will give their wives to others and their fields to those who will possess them. For everyone from the least even to the greatest is given to covetousness; from the prophet even to the priest everyone deals falsely. |
| Ezekiel 22:25 | There is a conspiracy of her prophets within it, like a roaring lion ravening the prey. They have devoured souls. They take treasure and precious things. They have made many widows within it. |
| Ezekiel 22:31 | Therefore I have poured out my indignation on them. I have consumed them with the fire of my wrath. I have brought their own way on their heads,” says the Lord Yahweh. |
| Hosea 6:9 | As gangs of robbers wait to ambush a man, so the company of priests murder on the path toward Shechem, committing shameful crimes. |
| Micah 3:11 | Her leaders judge for bribes, and her priests teach for a price, and her prophets of it tell fortunes for money; yet they lean on Yahweh, and say, “Isn’t Yahweh among us? No disaster will come on us.” |
| Micah 7:2 | The godly man has perished out of the earth, and there is no one upright among men. They all lie in wait for blood; every man hunts his brother with a net. |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
9 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke highlights that the reformation under Josiah was quickly reversed, and the people plunged into worse idolatry than before. Their persistent rebellion made a captivity necessary, and God sent one. After that judgment, the Jews were finally cured of their propensity to worship other gods.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes highlights that the widespread turning away from God looked as though it was carefully planned, but it grew out of the idolatry long practiced by earlier generations. The phrase “their fathers, the first ones” points back to the wilderness and the time of the Judges. By “that shameful thing” he means Baal worship, which was publicly set up under Manasseh.
Calvin's Commentaries Reformed 1564
Calvin emphasizes that the people's sin was no ignorant mistake but a deliberate, proven conspiracy. They had not stumbled into idolatry; they banded together knowingly, fully aware of God's repeated warnings. Their obstinacy was confirmed and hopeless because they had openly annulled His covenant.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva Notes draw attention to the thoroughness of Judah's rebellion: every city and every street had its own altar to Baal, showing the nation was entirely given over to idolatry. God's response is just as total, a plague with no escape, and their desperate cries to false gods will be answered with silence. The covenant is broken, and no help remains.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill stresses that the conspiracy God revealed to Jeremiah was not political but religious — a widespread plot among both city and country people to abandon God's covenant and replace it with idolatry. He observes that such religious innovators always work secretly until their schemes are ready for open practice.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB highlights that Israel's idolatry was not impulsive but a deliberate conspiracy against God and Josiah's reform. He contrasts their cry to God, which goes unanswered, with their cry to idols that cannot save. The Hebrew word for "shameful thing" means not merely shameful but the very essence of shame, bringing confusion.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange organizes these chapters around the deliberate contrast between covenant and conspiracy. The people have not merely broken the covenant; they have actively conspired against God, a rebellion that spreads from the nation at large down to Jeremiah's own family and hometown.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry presents God's judgment on Judah as the unavoidable consequence of their persistent sin, following their evil as punishment for it. He stresses that the people are too weak to escape or resist, and that God has sealed their fate with no remedy or relief possible.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley stresses that God refuses to hear the prayers of those who ignored His commands during times of ease. He also highlights that Baal is called "that shameful thing" because worshiping it leads only to disgrace. The name Baal, meaning Lord, was a common title for many pagan idols across different nations.