Jeremiah 6:20

My Notes

What Does Jeremiah 6:20 Mean?

Jeremiah 6:20 describes God rejecting the finest worship offerings Israel can produce — and the rejection is devastating because the offerings aren't cheap. They're extravagant. And God doesn't want them.

"To what purpose cometh there to me incense from Sheba" — the Hebrew lammah-zeh li lĕvonah mishshĕva' tavo' (why does frankincense from Sheba come to me?) names the origin: Sheba (modern Yemen), the source of the finest frankincense in the ancient world. The incense has traveled over a thousand miles by caravan. It's the most expensive aromatic substance available. And God asks: why? What's the point? Why is this arriving at my altar?

"And the sweet cane from a far country?" — the Hebrew vĕqaneh hattov me'erets mĕrchaq (and the good/sweet cane from a far land) adds another luxury import — sweet cane (calamus), an aromatic reed used in temple worship (Exodus 30:23), imported from distant lands. The Hebrew merchaq (far country, distant land) emphasizes the effort and expense: this was sourced from the edges of the known world.

"Your burnt offerings are not acceptable" — the Hebrew 'olotheykem lo' lĕratson (your burnt offerings are not for acceptance/pleasure) uses ratson — the same word Isaiah 56:7 used for the foreigner's offerings being accepted. Here the word is negated. Your offerings? Not ratson. Not acceptable. Not pleasing. The burnt offerings — the most complete form of Israelite sacrifice, where the entire animal was consumed on the altar — carry no weight with God.

"Nor your sacrifices sweet unto me" — the Hebrew vĕzivcheykem lo'-'arĕvu li (and your sacrifices are not sweet/pleasant to me) uses 'arav — to be sweet, to be pleasant, to give pleasure. The sacrifices produce no pleasure in God. The Hebrew is blunt: they don't taste good to Him. The finest incense from the farthest land, offered with the most complete sacrificial ritual, and God says: I don't enjoy this.

The verse echoes Isaiah 1:11-15, Amos 5:21-24, and Micah 6:6-8 — the prophetic tradition that consistently says: worship without justice is noise. Expensive liturgy without ethical living is waste. The problem isn't the quality of the offering. It's the quality of the life behind it. Verse 19 explains: they refused to listen to God's words and rejected His law. The incense covers the disobedience. The sacrifice decorates the rebellion. And God says: I can smell the disobedience underneath the frankincense.

Reflection Questions

• 1.The offerings were the most expensive available — and God rejected them. When has your worship been lavish while your obedience was lacking?
• 2.God says the sacrifices aren't 'sweet' to Him. What makes worship genuinely pleasing to God versus merely impressive to observers?
• 3.The prophetic consensus: worship without justice is noise. How does your worship practice — giving, singing, serving — relate to how you treat people the other six days?
• 4.The incense from Sheba traveled a thousand miles. What effort in your spiritual life looks impressive but might be covering up something God actually wants addressed?

Devotional

The incense traveled a thousand miles. The cane came from the edge of the known world. The burnt offering consumed the entire animal. And God says: I don't want any of it.

This is one of the most expensive worship rejections in the Bible. The offerings aren't cheap. They're the finest available — Sheba's frankincense, imported aromatic cane, complete burnt offerings. The worshippers didn't cut corners. They spent lavishly. They sourced globally. They performed the most thorough ritual available. And God says: not acceptable. Not sweet. Not wanted.

The problem isn't the offering. It's the offerer. Verse 19 provides the diagnosis: they refused to hear God's words and rejected His Torah. The disobedience didn't stop at the temple door. They brought it in with them. And no amount of Sheban frankincense can cover the smell of rebellion. The incense is fragrant. The life underneath it stinks.

This is the prophetic consensus across multiple books: worship without obedience is insult. Isaiah 1: "I am full of the burnt offerings of rams... who hath required this at your hand?" Amos 5: "I hate, I despise your feast days." Micah 6: "Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams?" And here Jeremiah: your incense is from Sheba and your sacrifices are not sweet to me. The message never changes. The expensive worship that decorates an unchanged life isn't worship. It's decoration.

God isn't against incense. He prescribed it (Exodus 30:34-38). He isn't against burnt offerings. He established them (Leviticus 1). He's against the version where the ritual substitutes for the relationship — where the giving replaces the obeying, where the expensive offering masks the cheap obedience.

The question this verse presses: what are you offering God that you think compensates for the obedience you're withholding? What worship are you importing from Sheba while the Torah lies unread and the justice goes undone?

Commentary

Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.

Cross References

Related passages throughout Scripture