Jeremiah 3:3Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

I understand that many hold the Jewish customs in high esteem, deeming their rituals sacred; thus, I feel compelled to dismantle this destructive belief. I have asserted that the house of worship does not surpass the theater, and I will support this claim with the prophet’s words; the Jewish people are no more worthy of credence than the prophets themselves. So what does the prophet declare? “The face of a harlot has turned toward you; you will not be ashamed for all.” Where a harlot engages in immoral acts, that place is deemed unclean. To put it more plainly, the house of worship has become not only an indecent theater but also a lair for thieves and unclean animals: “Is not my possession a den of hyenas?” (Jer. 12:8, 9, Jer. 7:11) – a den not simply for beasts but for the unclean as well.

Just as thieves commonly ambush travelers in the twilight and in desolate areas, so have you, akin to the adulteress depicted in the book of Proverbs, positioned yourself along the roads in the evening, ensnaring the souls of lovers through your actions (Proverbs 7). Consequently, the earth has become corrupt because of your infidelities. It is significant in a mysterious sense that those who pledge to renounce heretical beliefs are instructed to raise their gaze immediately. For unless they begin to look with sincerity, they cannot condemn their past transgressions.

You have corrupted the earth, or brought about its demise through your affections and wicked deeds; thus, the rain was withheld, resulting in a recent drought (or you have led many to stumble). The earth suffered due to the destruction of those who perished from sexual immorality and idol worship. Therefore, the blessings in all things were removed, leaving them to suffer the dryness caused by the absence of God’s word. Or, she had such shepherds that their presence provoked God’s anger, as those who ought to have guided others away from error became embroiled in sin themselves. You bore the countenance of an unashamed harlot; you did not wish to feel any shame. The Septuagint states: “the brow of the harlot was upon you: you were shameless before all.” Since it was previously stated, "I have not sinned," and further sins have been committed without confessing wrongdoing, now he readily calls out her as a brazen and utterly shameless woman, who is not ashamed before any one in her audacity. Let us wield this discourse against the assembly of heretics who take pride in their errors.

Consequently, it possesses both intelligence and immortality; having been created in the likeness of the Only-begotten, it is of unparalleled splendor. Therefore, the evil spirits (Eph. 6:12), driven by their corrupt desire for her, scheme to tarnish this divine and cherished form. As the prophet Jeremiah condemned Jerusalem, saying, “thou hast had the brow of a harlot, thou hast cast away shame with thy lovers,” he refers to one who succumbs to the pollution of hostile forces. These forces are the devil and his demons, who strive to blemish the verbal and tangible beauty of our minds and seek to engage in spiritual infidelity with every soul united to the Lord.