Jeremiah 17:2 (ASV)

Passage

whilst their children remember their altars and their Asherim by the green trees upon the high hills.

Nearby Context

Jeremiah 17:1 The sin of Judah is written with a pen of iron, [and] with the point of a diamond: it is graven upon the tablet of their heart, and upon the horns of your altars;

Jeremiah 17:2 whilst their children remember their altars and their Asherim by the green trees upon the high hills.

Jeremiah 17:3 O my mountain in the field, I will give thy substance and all thy treasures for a spoil, [and] thy high places, because of sin, throughout all thy borders.

Jeremiah 17:4 And thou, even of thyself, shalt discontinue from thy heritage that I gave thee; and I will cause thee to serve thine enemies in the land which thou knowest not: for ye have kindled a fire in mine anger which shall burn for ever.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "whilst", "children", "remember", "altars", "asherim", "green", "trees", and "upon". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "whilst" and "children", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 1's "The sin of Judah is written with..." into verse 3's "O my mountain in the field I...", so "whilst" and "children" belong inside that flow. In Jeremiah context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "whilst" and "children" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.