Jeremiah 44:19

 Jeremiah 44:19

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?

 

a. NLT: “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!” [Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.]

b. ASV: 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? [Thomas Nelson & Sons first published the American Standard Version in 1901. This translation of the Bible is in the public domain.]

c. YLT: 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 Young's Literal Translation was translated by Robert Young, who believed in a strictly literal translation of God's word. This version of the Bible is in the public domain.]

d. Classic Amplified: [And the wives said] When we burned incense to the queen of heaven and poured out drink offerings to her, did we make cakes [in the shape of a star] to represent and honor her and pour out drink offerings to her without [the knowledge and approval of] our husbands? [Amplified Bible, Classic Edition (AMPC) Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation]

e. Stone Edition Torah/Prophets/ Writings:Furthermore, when we burn offerings to the queen of the heavens and pour out libations to her, is it without our husbands’ [consent] that we make her delicacies to gladden her and pour out the libations?  [The Artscroll Series/Stone Edition, THE TANACH--STUDENT SIZE EDITION Copyright 1996, 1998 by Mesorah Publications, Ldt.]

f. NIV: The women added, “When we burned incense to the Queen of Heaven and poured out drink offerings to her, did not our husbands know that we were making cakes impressed with her image and pouring out drink offerings to her?” [THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by Permission of Biblica, Inc.® All rights reserved worldwide.]

g. Summary: This group of Jews from Judah were attempting to flee from the Babylonians by going into Egypt. They approached Jeremiah and asked him to pray to the Lord for guidance for them (Jeremiah 42:1-6). After ten days Jeremiah calle them and gave them the Lord’s answer. He told them to not go to Egypt but stay in Judah and He would have mercy on them (Jeremiah 42:7-12). He warned them if you refuse the word of the Lord and go to Egypt you will be destroyed (Jeremiah 42:13-22). When they went to Egypt Jeremiah sent them another word of warning to them that the king of Babylon was going to go into Egypt and and take them into captivity (Jeremiah 43:8-13). Then he sent another word of warning to them and reminded them that the reason Judah was destroyed was because of their disobedience and idolatry and he warned them that the people from Judah that fled into Egypt will be destroyed (Jeremiah 44:1-14). In Jeremiah 44:15-19 we have the answer of these refugees from Judah living in Egypt, and in their answer they defend their worship of the queen of heaven. They said when they worshipped the false gods including the queen of heaven they did fine, but since they quit all the worship of these gods, they have suffered. 

1. “And when we burned incense to the queen of heaven, and poured out drink offerings unto her…”

a. [And] when [Strong: 3588 kiy kee a primitive particle (the full form of the prepositional prefix) indicating causal relations of all kinds, antecedent or consequent; (by implication) very widely used as a relative conjunction or adverb (as below); often largely modified by other particles annexed:--and, + (forasmuch, inasmuch, where-)as, assured(-ly), + but, certainly, doubtless, + else, even, + except, for, how, (because, in, so, than) that, + nevertheless, now, rightly, seeing, since, surely, then, therefore, + (al- )though, + till, truly, + until, when, whether, while, whom, yea, yet.]

b. we [Strong: 587 'anachnuw an-akh'-noo apparently from 595; we:--ourselves, us, we.]

c. burned incense [Strong: 6999 qatar kaw-tar' a primitive root (identical with 7000 through the idea of fumigation in a close place and perhaps thus driving out the occupants); to smoke, i.e. turn into fragrance by fire (especially as an act of worship):--burn (incense, sacrifice) (upon), (altar for) incense, kindle, offer (incense, a sacrifice).]

d. [to the] queen [Strong: 4446 mleketh mel-eh'-keth from 4427; a queen:--queen.]

e. [of] heaven [Strong: 8064 shamayim shaw-mah'-yim dual of an unused singular shameh {shaw-meh'}; from an unused root meaning to be lofty; the sky (as aloft; the dual perhaps alluding to the visible arch in which the clouds move, as well as to the higher ether where the celestial bodies revolve):--air, X astrologer, heaven(-s).]

f. [and] to poured out [Strong: 5258 nacak naw-sak' a primitive root; to pour out, especially a libation, or to cast (metal); by analogy, to anoint a king:--cover, melt, offer, (cause to) pour (out), set (up).]

g. drink offerings [unto her] [Strong: 5262 necek neh'-sek or necek {nay'-sek}; from 5258; a libation; also a cast idol:--cover, drink offering, molten image.

2. “...did we make her cakes to worship her, and pour out drink offerings unto her, without our men?”

a. [did we] make [Strong: 6213 `asah aw-saw' a primitive root; to do or make, in the broadest sense and widest application (as follows):--accomplish, advance, appoint, apt, be at, become, bear, bestow, bring forth, bruise, be busy, X certainly, have the charge of, commit, deal (with), deck, + displease, do, (ready) dress(-ed), (put in) execute(-ion), exercise, fashion, + feast, (fight-)ing man, + finish, fit, fly, follow, fulfill, furnish, gather, get, go about, govern, grant, great, + hinder, hold ((a feast)), X indeed, + be industrious, + journey, keep, labour, maintain, make, be meet, observe, be occupied, offer, + officer, pare, bring (come) to pass, perform, pracise, prepare, procure, provide, put, requite, X sacrifice, serve, set, shew, X sin, spend, X surely, take, X thoroughly, trim, X very, + vex, be (warr-)ior, work(-man), yield, use.]

b. [her] cakes [Strong: 3561 kavvan kav-vawn' from 3559; something prepared, i.e. a sacrificial wafer:--cake.]

c. [to] worship [her] [Strong: 6087 `atsab aw-tsab' a primitive root; properly, to carve, i.e. fabricate or fashion; hence (in a bad sense) to worry, pain or anger:-- displease, grieve, hurt, make, be sorry, vex, worship, wrest.]

d. [and] pour out [Strong: 5258 nacak naw-sak' a primitive root; to pour out, especially a libation, or to cast (metal); by analogy, to anoint a king:--cover, melt, offer, (cause to) pour (out), set (up).]

e. drink offerings [unto her] [Strong: 5262 necek neh'-sek or necek {nay'-sek}; from 5258; a libation; also a cast idol:--cover, drink offering, molten image.]

f. without [Strong: 1107 bil`adey bil-ad-ay' or balmadey {bal-ad-ay'}; constructive plural from 1077 and 5703, not till, i.e. (as preposition or adverb) except, without, besides:--beside, not (in), save, without.]

g. [our] men [Strong: 582 'enowsh en-oshe' from 605; properly, a mortal (and thus differing from the more dignified 120); hence, a man in general (singly or collectively):--another, X (blood-)thirsty, certain, chap(-man); divers, fellow, X in the flower of their age, husband, (certain, mortal) man, people, person, servant, some ( X of them), + stranger, those, + their trade. It is often unexpressed in the English versions, especially when used in apposition with another word.]

1). The Roman Catholic system has a number of anti-Scripture practices that are mentioned in the Old and New Testaments. Placing Mary the mother of Jesus, as the Queen of Heaven is one of the most blasphemous things the Catholic church has made up. It provokes God to anger.

a). Jeremiah 7:18 The children gather wood, and the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead their dough, to make cakes to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto other gods, that they may provoke me to anger.

b). In an  ENCYCLICAL OF POPE PIUS XII called AD CAELI REGINAM ON PROCLAIMING THE QUEENSHIP OF MARY, Pope writes in Paragraph 32: Finally, art which is based upon Christian principles and is animated by their spirit as something faithfully interpreting the sincere and freely expressed devotion of the faithful, has since the Council of Ephesus portrayed Mary as Queen and Empress seated upon a royal throne adorned with royal insignia, crowned with the royal diadem and surrounded by the host of angels and saints in heaven, and ruling not only over nature and its powers but also over the machinations of Satan. Iconography, in representing the royal dignity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, has ever been enriched with works of highest artistic value and greatest beauty; it has even taken the form of representing colorfully the divine Redeemer crowning His mother with a resplendent diadem. In Paragraph 34, 35 & 36, he writes s We have already mentioned, Venerable Brothers, according to ancient tradition and the sacred liturgy the main principle on which the royal dignity of Mary rests is without doubt her Divine Motherhood. In Holy Writ, concerning the Son whom Mary will conceive, We read this sentence: "He shall be called the Son of the most High, and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of David his father, and he shall reign in the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end," and in addition Mary is called "Mother of the Lord"; from this it is easily concluded that she is a Queen, since she bore a son who, at the very moment of His conception, because of the hypostatic union of the human nature with the Word, was also as man King and Lord of all things. So with complete justice St. John Damascene could write: "When she became Mother of the Creator, she truly became Queen of every creature." Likewise, it can be said that the heavenly voice of the Archangel Gabriel was the first to proclaim Mary's royal office. Paragraph 35:  But the Blessed Virgin Mary should be called Queen, not only because of her Divine Motherhood, but also because God has willed her to have an exceptional role in the work of our eternal salvation. "What more joyful, what sweeter thought can we have" - as Our Predecessor of happy memory, Pius XI wrote - "than that Christ is our King not only by natural right, but also by an acquired right: that which He won by the redemption? Would that all men, now forgetful of how much we cost Our Savior, might recall to mind the words, 'You were redeemed, not with gold or silver which perishes, . . . but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a Lamb spotless and undefiled.[43] We belong not to ourselves now, since Christ has bought us 'at a great price'." Paragraph 36: w, in the accomplishing of this work of redemption, the Blessed Virgin Mary was most closely associated with Christ; and so it is fitting to sing in the sacred liturgy: "Near the cross of Our Lord Jesus Christ there stood, sorrowful, the Blessed Mary, Queen of Heaven and Queen of the World." Hence, as the devout disciple of St. Anselm (Eadmer, ed.) wrote in the Middle Ages: "just as . . . God, by making all through His power, is Father and Lord of all, so the blessed Mary, by repairing all through her merits, is Mother and Queen of all; for God is the Lord of all things, because by His command He establishes each of them in its own nature, and Mary is the Queen of all things, because she restores each to its original dignity through the grace which she merited.