Jeremiah 19:5, "Nor did it ever enter My mind."

by Matt Slick

"and have built the high places of Baal to burn their sons in the fire as burnt offerings to Baal, a thing which I never commanded or spoke of, nor did it ever enter My mind," (Jer. 19:5).

This verse is answered the same way as Jer. 7:31.

Is the Lord actually saying He did not think of something?  Even in open theism, God knows all things actual as well as potential.  That means God can know all things in the present tense as well as all possibilities of things that could exist.  Certainly God who knew the past sins of Israel would have thought about them doing such sin -- as horrible as it was.  So, it doesn't make sense to interpret this as God admitting that He never thought of something.

Furthermore, the NASB,1 NIV, the KJV, NKJV, RSV, and the 1901 ASV, translate this as "and it did not come into My mind." What is interesting is that the LXX2 uses the Greek word kardia, "heart," instead of the Greek word for mind.  Since we can conclude that God can contemplate all potential forms of rebellion, we can also conclude that God is addressing the issue of human moral behavior instead of expressing ignorance since that is what God is talking about.  In other words, their sin did not enter the intention of God's heart in His plans for Judah.

• 1. The NASB has a marginal note of "heart."
• 2. The LXX, or Septuagint, is the Greek Translation of the Hebrew Old Testament.  It was translated by Jews around 200 B.C.