Discovery BoxJeremiah 2:22-25 
Context2:22 You can try to wash away your guilt with a strong detergent.
You can use as much soap as you want.
But the stain of your guilt is still there for me to see,” 1
says the Lord God. 2
2:23 “How can you say, ‘I have not made myself unclean.
I have not paid allegiance to 3 the gods called Baal.’
Just look at the way you have behaved in the Valley of Hinnom! 4
Think about the things you have done there!
You are like a flighty, young female camel
that rushes here and there, crisscrossing its path. 5
2:24 You are like a wild female donkey brought up in the wilderness.
In her lust she sniffs the wind to get the scent of a male. 6
No one can hold her back when she is in heat.
None of the males need wear themselves out chasing after her.
At mating time she is easy to find. 7
2:25 Do not chase after other gods until your shoes wear out
and your throats become dry. 8
But you say, ‘It is useless for you to try and stop me
because I love those foreign gods 9 and want to pursue them!’
1 tn Heb “Even if you wash with natron/lye, and use much soap, your sin is a stain before me.”
2 tn Heb “Lord Yahweh.” For an explanation of this title see the study notes on 1:6.
3 tn Heb “I have not gone/followed after.” See the translator’s note on 2:5 for the meaning and usage of this idiom.
4 tn Heb “Look at your way in the valley.” The valley is an obvious reference to the Valley of Hinnom where Baal and Molech were worshiped and child sacrifice was practiced.
5 sn The metaphor is intended to depict Israel’s lack of clear direction and purpose without the
6 tn The words “to get the scent of a male” are implicit and are supplied in the translation for clarification.
7 sn The metaphor is intended to depict Israel’s irrepressible desire to worship other gods.
8 tn Heb “Refrain your feet from being bare and your throat from being dry/thirsty.”
9 tn Heb “It is useless! No!” For this idiom, see Jer 18:12; NEB “No; I am desperate.”
