Chinese Simplified CUNPSS Script Union (新标点和合本, 神版)
妇女说：「我们向天后烧香、浇奠祭，做天后像的饼供奉她，向她浇奠祭，是外乎我们的丈夫吗？」
这是什么意思？
This verse is spoken by people who worship the 'queen of heaven'. They are saying that they did not worship her without the men knowing about it. The key message is about a group's open practice of idol worship, specifically to a goddess.
儿童解释
Imagine if your friends made a special cake and drink for a pretend queen. They would not do this in secret, right? They would tell their parents too. The people here are saying they openly worshipped a pretend goddess and told everyone about it.
历史背景
Jeremiah, the prophet, wrote this around 627-585 BCE. He is addressing the people of Judah who had been exiled to Egypt and were continuing to worship other gods, including the 'queen of heaven', a Canaanite goddess.
今日应用
Today, this verse reminds us of the importance of being transparent about our beliefs and practices. If someone hides their beliefs, it might suggest they are not confident in them. Openly discussing and defending our faith can help us grow stronger in it.
They worshipped her because they believed she could provide them with blessings such as good harvests and protection, common beliefs among ancient cultures that had goddesses in their pantheon.
What does 'making cakes' mean in this context?
Making cakes here refers to baking special bread offerings as part of their worship rituals to honor the goddess, similar to how people might bake special food for religious festivals today.
How did Jeremiah respond to their practices?
Jeremiah strongly condemned these practices, warning the people that worshipping other gods would lead to punishment and that they should return to worshipping the one true God.
What can we learn about transparency from this verse?
We can learn that transparency in our beliefs and practices is important. Hiding our beliefs might indicate a lack of confidence or fear of judgment, which can be detrimental to our spiritual growth.