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.
Two evils - not merely one evil, like the idolaters who know no better: besides simple idolatry, my people add the sin of forsaking the true God whom they have known; the pagan, though having the sin of idolatry, are free from the further sin of 'changing' the true God for idols (Jeremiah 2:11).
Forsaken me. The Hebrew collocation brings out the only Living God into more prominent contrast with idol non-entities. "ME they have forsaken, the Fountain," etc. (Jeremiah 17:13; Psalms 36:9; the Lord Jesus identifies Himself with Yahweh in this respect (John 4:14).
Broken cisterns - tanks for rain water, common in the East, where wells are scarce. The tanks not only cannot give forth an ever-flowing fresh supply, as fountains can, but cannot even retain the water poured into them; the stone-work within being broken, the earth drinks up the collected water. So, in general, all earthly, compared with heavenly, means of satisfying man's highest desires (Isaiah 55:1-2: cf. Luke 12:33).