Jeremiah 2:13

For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water.

Cross-reference

Jeremiah 2:11 describes Israel exchanging their glory for worthless idols, the first evil of forsaking God.

Jeremiah 2:17 directly attributes the suffering to the forsaking described in 2:13—cause and effect within the same chapter.

Jeremiah 2:31 continues the same theme: Israel rejects God, asking 'Have I been a wilderness?'—parallel to forsaking the fountain.

Jeremiah 2:32 uses forgetting ornaments to illustrate forgetting God, directly parallel to forsaking the living water.

Jeremiah 4:22 describes Israel as foolish and ignorant of God, echoing the folly of making broken cisterns.

Jeremiah 1:16 pronounces judgment for forsaking God—the same sin described in 2:13, with idolatry as the broken cisterns.

Jeremiah 18:14 contrasts reliable natural waters with Israel's broken cisterns, highlighting the folly of forsaking God.

Jeremiah 17:13 repeats the 'fountain of living water' phrase and judgment on those who forsake God, reinforcing the same indictment.

Jeremiah 15:6 repeats the charge of rejection—'you have rejected me'—reinforcing the forsaking in 2:13 with added judgment.

In Jeremiah 18:15, forgetting God and stumbling off the ancient path echoes forsaking the fountain of living waters.

In Jeremiah 5:19, the consequence of forsaking God is given, directly using the same verb 'forsaken' as in Jeremiah 2:13.

In Jeremiah 13:25, forgetting God and trusting in lies parallels the broken cisterns—trusting falsehood instead of living water.

In Jeremiah 14:3, cisterns yield no water, illustrating the emptiness of the broken cisterns metaphor from Jeremiah 2:13.

In Jeremiah 19:4, the people 'forsaken me' and worship other gods, directly matching the first evil of Jeremiah 2:13.

Jeremiah 5:31 shows false prophets and people loving it, another aspect of the same apostasy that rejects the fountain.

Isaiah 55:2 Parallel

Isaiah 55:2 echoes the same indictment: people waste effort on what cannot satisfy, just like hewing cisterns that hold no water.

Revelation 22:17 calls all who thirst to take the water of life, the final invitation to the fountain.

Micah 6:3 Parallel

Micah 6:3 echoes God's plea to an unfaithful people—same divine lament over Israel's abandonment of their God.

John 4:14 Typology

John 4:14 presents Jesus as the spring of living water to eternal life, the NT fulfillment of the OT fountain.

John 7:37 Allusion

John 7:37 invites the thirsty to come to Jesus, the true source of living water.

2 Peter 2:17 uses the identical image of 'wells without water' to describe false teachers, paralleling the broken cisterns here.

Revelation 21:6 promises the water of life from God, the eschatological restoration of the fountain.

Revelation 22:1 depicts the river of water of life from God's throne, the ultimate fountain.

Isaiah 46:6 Parallel

Isaiah 46:6 depicts the same sin: spending resources to create idols, the empty cisterns people trust instead of God's living water.

Isaiah 44:9-20 exposes the absurdity of idol-making, directly illustrating the 'broken cisterns' - worthless substitutes for the living God.

Judges 10:13 states the same charge of forsaking God for other gods, leading to judgment—a pattern echoed in Jeremiah.

Psalm 36:9 Allusion

Psalm 36:9 declares God as the fountain of life, affirming the source Israel abandoned.

Isaiah 46:7 Parallel

Isaiah 46:7 underscores idols' helplessness - they cannot move or answer, exactly like broken cisterns that cannot hold water.

Psalm 81:11-12 recounts Israel not listening to God and being given over to their own devices, parallel to forsaking the living water.

Isaiah 1:3 Parallel

Isaiah 1:3 contrasts animals' knowledge with Israel's ignorance—same indictment of God's people not recognizing their Provider.

Psalm 115:4-8 describes lifeless idols that cannot speak or see — exactly the 'broken cisterns' that fail to satisfy compared to the living God.

Ecclesiastes 2:11 finds no profit in human accomplishments — mirroring the worthless cisterns that yield no water.

In 2 Chronicles 29:6, Ahaz's generation 'forsook him' — echoing the sin Jeremiah condemns: forsaking the fountain of living waters.

Psalm 42:2 Contrast

In Psalm 42:2, the psalmist thirsts for the 'living God' — the positive counterpart to Israel rejecting the fountain of living waters.

John 4:10 Allusion

John 4:10 reveals Jesus as the living water—the very fountain Israel rejected, now offered to all.

In 2 Kings 21:22, Manasseh 'forsook the LORD' — the same Hebrew verb for the first evil in Jeremiah 2:13.

1 Kings 11:33 shows Solomon forsaking the Lord for idols, a direct example of the two evils: abandoning the fountain for broken cisterns.

Hebrews 3:12 warns against an unbelieving heart falling away from the living God—the same apostasy as forsaking the fountain.

1 Samuel 12:21 warns against going after empty things that cannot profit, exactly the futility of the hewed cisterns.

In Revelation 7:17, the Lamb leads to springs of living water — the same fountain Israel forsook, showing restoration after rejection.

Judges 10:6 Parallel

Judges 10:6 describes the same pattern: Israel forsook the Lord to serve other gods, exactly the 'forsaking the fountain' and turning to broken cisterns.

Deuteronomy 30:19 presents the life-or-death choice; forsaking the fountain of living waters is the death option.

Jonah 2:8 Parallel

Jonah 2:8 directly parallels forsaking God for vain idols—both speak of abandoning true hope for worthless substitutes.

Ezekiel 47:1 shows the restoration of living water from the temple—contrasting the broken cisterns with the river of life.

Isaiah 1:4 Parallel

In Isaiah 1:4, the people 'have forsaken the LORD' — the identical accusation as Jeremiah 2:13's first evil.

Isaiah 8:6 Parallel

In Isaiah 8:6, the people reject the gentle 'waters of Shiloah' — a direct parallel to forsaking the fountain for broken cisterns.

Isaiah 12:3 Contrast

Isaiah 12:3 invites joyful drawing from wells of salvation — in stark contrast to forsaking the fountain of living waters for broken cisterns.

Galatians 1:6 describes deserting the gospel for another—similar to forsaking the fountain for broken cisterns.

Isaiah 5:13 Parallel

Isaiah 5:13 shows the result of rejecting God's knowledge—exile and thirst—echoing the broken cisterns in Jeremiah.

Isaiah 31:1 Parallel

In Isaiah 31:1, trusting Egypt instead of God mirrors the same sin of forsaking the fountain for broken cisterns.

Zephaniah 1:6 describes turning back from following the Lord—the same apostasy as forsaking the fountain of living water.

Ecclesiastes 7:29 says God made man upright but they 'sought out many inventions' — parallel to hewing broken cisterns in Jeremiah 2:13.

In Isaiah 59:13, denying and turning from God echoes the forsaking of the living fountain in Jeremiah 2:13.

Song of Solomon 4:15 uses the same phrase 'fountain of living waters' for the beloved — an image of life, though in a different context.