9 Because Israel's immorality mattered so little to her, she defiled the land and committed adultery with stone and wood.
9 Because she took her whoredom lightly, she polluted the land, committing adultery with stone and tree.
9 She took up cheap sex-and-religion as a sideline diversion, an indulgent recreation, and used anything and anyone, flouting sanity and sanctity alike, stinking up the country.
9 So it came to pass, through her casual harlotry, that she defiled the land and committed adultery with stones and trees.
9 Israel treated it all so lightly-she thought nothing of committing adultery by worshiping idols made of wood and stone. So now the land has been polluted.
32 But as a wife that committeth adultery, which taketh strangers instead of her husband!
32 " 'You adulterous wife! You prefer strangers to your own husband!
32 Adulterous wife, who receives strangers instead of her husband!
32 "'Wives who are unfaithful to their husbands accept gifts from their lovers.
32 You are an adulterous wife, who takes strangers instead of her husband.
32 Yes, you are an adulterous wife who takes in strangers instead of her own husband.
(Read Ezekiel 16:1-58)
In this chapter God's dealings with the Jewish nation, and their conduct towards him, are described, and their punishment through the surrounding nations, even those they most trusted in. This is done under the parable of an exposed infant rescued from death, educated, espoused, and richly provided for, but afterwards guilty of the most abandoned conduct, and punished for it; yet at last received into favour, and ashamed of her base conduct. We are not to judge of these expressions by modern ideas, but by those of the times and places in which they were used, where many of them would not sound as they do to us. The design was to raise hatred to idolatry, and such a parable was well suited for that purpose.
Matthew Henry's Commentary on Jeremiah 3:9
Commentary on Jeremiah 3:6-11
(Read Jeremiah 3:6-11)
If we mark the crimes of those who break off from a religious profession, and the consequences, we see abundant reason to shun evil ways. It is dreadful to be proved more criminal than those who have actually perished in their sins; yet it will be small comfort in everlasting punishment, for them to know that others were viler than they.