Yeremia 3:6

3:6 When Josiah was king of Judah, the Lord said to me, “Jeremiah, you have no doubt seen what wayward Israel has done. ¹  You have seen how she went up to every high hill and under every green tree to give herself like a prostitute to other gods. ² 

Yeremia 3:20

3:20 But, you have been unfaithful to me, nation of Israel, ³ 

like an unfaithful wife who has left her husband,” ⁴ 

says the Lord.

Yeremia 5:11

5:11 For the nations of Israel and Judah ⁵ 

have been very unfaithful to me,”

says the Lord.

Yeremia 9:2

9:2 (9:1) I wish I had a lodging place in the desert

where I could spend some time like a weary traveler. ⁶ 

Then I would desert my people

and walk away from them

because they are all unfaithful to God,

a congregation ⁷  of people that has been disloyal to him. ⁸ 

[3:6]  ¹ tn “Have you seen…” The question is rhetorical and expects a positive answer.

[3:6]  ² tn Heb “she played the prostitute there.” This is a metaphor for Israel’s worship; she gave herself to the worship of other gods like a prostitute gives herself to her lovers. There seems no clear way to completely spell out the metaphor in the translation.

[3:20]  ³ tn Heb “house of Israel.”

[3:20]  ⁴ tn Heb “a wife unfaithful from her husband.”

[5:11]  ⁵ tn Heb “the house of Israel and the house of Judah.”

[9:2]  ⁶ tn Heb “I wish I had in the desert a lodging place [inn, or place to spend the night] for travelers.”

[9:2]  ⁷ tn Or “bunch,” but this loses the irony; the word is used for the solemn assemblies at the religious feasts.

[9:2]  ⁸ tn Heb “they are all adulterers, a congregation of unfaithful people.” However, spiritual adultery is, of course, meant, not literal adultery. So the literal translation would be misleading.