Queen of Heaven

Biblical Text

The expression "queen of heaven" appears only in the Book of Jeremiah.

• Jeremiah 7:18: This verse is part of the message delivered at the temple in Jerusalem. It depicts whole families serving the queen of heaven: the children gather wood, the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead dough to make cakes. The people poured out drink offerings (libations of wine or other drink) to other gods, and the text records that God was provoked to anger by this.
• Jeremiah 44:17–19: After the fall of Jerusalem, the people of Judah who had fled to Egypt argue against Jeremiah. They say that when they used to burn incense and pour out drink offerings to the queen of heaven, they had plenty of food and saw no evil. Since they stopped, they claim, they have been consumed by the sword and by famine. The women add that they made cakes in the goddess's image with their husbands' consent.
• Jeremiah 44:25: Jeremiah rebukes them for insisting on keeping their vows. He then proclaims that judgment will come upon the people of Judah living in Egypt.

Background

The Hebrew phrase is malkat hashamayim: malkah means "queen," and shamayim means "heaven." Scholars have noted that in some places the Masoretic Text (the Hebrew text transmitted with vowel points by medieval Jewish scholars) vocalizes the word so that it reads something like "the work (host) of heaven." Some interpret this as a deliberate effort to avoid using an idol's title, though this is not settled.

Scripture does not identify the goddess. Scholars have proposed candidates such as the Mesopotamian Ishtar, the Canaanite-Phoenician Ashtoreth (Astarte), and Asherah, but there is no consensus. Some hold that the cult was a form of popular religion blending the characteristics of several goddesses.

The people in Jeremiah 44 say that disaster came after they stopped this worship. Some interpreters connect this with the religious reforms of King Josiah, who abolished the worship of the sun, moon, stars, and the rest of the host of heaven (2 Kings 23).

Significance in Scripture as a Whole

In the Book of Jeremiah, the worship of the queen of heaven is presented as a prime example of Judah's violation of the first of the Ten Commandments (Deuteronomy 5:6–10). The people credited this goddess with their prosperity and security, and Jeremiah regards that very belief as evidence that they had turned away from God.

The term does not reappear in the New Testament. However, the warning against worshiping the creature rather than the Creator (Romans 1:18–25) and the exhortation to keep away from idols (1 John 5:21) are often read alongside it as passages that continue the same theme.

Interpretation and Debate

The Catholic Church calls Mary "Queen of Heaven." One example is the prayer Regina Caeli ("Queen of Heaven, Rejoice"), prayed during the Easter season. Some Protestants link this title to the queen of heaven in Jeremiah and use the connection to criticize the veneration of Mary. The Catholic Church holds that the two titles are unrelated. According to its explanation, Mary's title signifies her participation in Christ's kingship, and the honor given to her is veneration, not the adoration (worship) due to God alone. Some Protestants likewise consider equating the two titles an interpretation that goes beyond the text.

In the Korean Church

In Jeremiah 44, the people justify idolatry by arguing that they prospered while they practiced it. This scene is sometimes cited in sermons warning against judging faith by one's circumstances or against a faith centered on seeking blessings.