1 Thus saith the LORD unto me, Go and get thee a linen girdle, and put it upon thy loins, and put it not in water.
2 So I got a girdle according to the word of the LORD, and put it on my loins.
3 And the word of the LORD came unto me the second time, saying,
4 Take the girdle that thou hast got, which is upon thy loins, and arise, go to Euphrates, and hide it there in a hole of the rock.
5 So I went, and hid it by Euphrates, as the LORD commanded me.
6 And it came to pass after many days, that the LORD said unto me, Arise, go to Euphrates, and take the girdle from thence, which I commanded thee to hide there.
7 Then I went to Euphrates, and digged, and took the girdle from the place where I had hid it: and, behold, the girdle was marred, it was profitable for nothing.
8 Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
9 Thus saith the LORD, After this manner will I mar the pride of Judah, and the great pride of Jerusalem.
10 This evil people, which refuse to hear my words, which walk in the imagination of their heart, and walk after other gods, to serve them, and to worship them, shall even be as this girdle, which is good for nothing.
11 For as the girdle cleaveth to the loins of a man, so have I caused to cleave unto me the whole house of Israel and the whole house of Judah, saith the LORD; that they might be unto me for a people, and for a name, and for a praise, and for a glory: but they would not hear.
1 Thus saith H559 the LORD H3068 unto me, Go H1980 and get H7069 thee a linen H6593 girdle, H232 and put H7760 it upon thy loins, H4975 and put H935 it not in water. H4325
2 So I got H7069 a girdle H232 according to the word H1697 of the LORD, H3068 and put H7760 it on my loins. H4975
3 And the word H1697 of the LORD H3068 came unto me the second time, H8145 saying, H559
4 Take H3947 the girdle H232 that thou hast got, H7069 which is upon thy loins, H4975 and arise, H6965 go H3212 to Euphrates, H6578 and hide H2934 it there in a hole H5357 of the rock. H5553
5 So I went, H3212 and hid H2934 it by Euphrates, H6578 as the LORD H3068 commanded H6680 me.
6 And it came to pass after H7093 many H7227 days, H3117 that the LORD H3068 said H559 unto me, Arise, H6965 go H3212 to Euphrates, H6578 and take H3947 the girdle H232 from thence, which I commanded H6680 thee to hide H2934 there.
7 Then I went H3212 to Euphrates, H6578 and digged, H2658 and took H3947 the girdle H232 from the place H4725 where I had hid H2934 it: and, behold, the girdle H232 was marred, H7843 it was profitable H6743 for nothing.
8 Then the word H1697 of the LORD H3068 came unto me, saying, H559
9 Thus saith H559 the LORD, H3068 After this manner will I mar H7843 the pride H1347 of Judah, H3063 and the great H7227 pride H1347 of Jerusalem. H3389
10 This evil H7451 people, H5971 which refuse H3987 to hear H8085 my words, H1697 which walk H1980 in the imagination H8307 of their heart, H3820 and walk H3212 after H310 other H312 gods, H430 to serve H5647 them, and to worship H7812 them, shall even be as this girdle, H232 which is good H6743 for nothing.
11 For as the girdle H232 cleaveth H1692 to the loins H4975 of a man, H376 so have I caused to cleave H1692 unto me the whole house H1004 of Israel H3478 and the whole house H1004 of Judah, H3063 saith H5002 the LORD; H3068 that they might be unto me for a people, H5971 and for a name, H8034 and for a praise, H8416 and for a glory: H8597 but they would not hear. H8085
1 Thus saith Jehovah unto me, Go, and buy thee a linen girdle, and put it upon thy loins, and put it not in water.
2 So I bought a girdle according to the word of Jehovah, and put it upon my loins.
3 And the word of Jehovah came unto me the second time, saying,
4 Take the girdle that thou hast bought, which is upon thy loins, and arise, go to the Euphrates, and hide it there in a cleft of the rock.
5 So I went, and hid it by the Euphrates, as Jehovah commanded me.
6 And it came to pass after many days, that Jehovah said unto me, Arise, go to the Euphrates, and take the girdle from thence, which I commanded thee to hide there.
7 Then I went to the Euphrates, and digged, and took the girdle from the place where I had hid it; and, behold, the girdle was marred, it was profitable for nothing.
8 Then the word of Jehovah came unto me, saying,
9 Thus saith Jehovah, After this manner will I mar the pride of Judah, and the great pride of Jerusalem.
10 This evil people, that refuse to hear my words, that walk in the stubbornness of their heart, and are gone after other gods to serve them, and to worship them, shall even be as this girdle, which is profitable for nothing.
11 For as the girdle cleaveth to the loins of a man, so have I caused to cleave unto me the whole house of Israel and the whole house of Judah, saith Jehovah; that they may be unto me for a people, and for a name, and for a praise, and for a glory: but they would not hear.
1 Thus said Jehovah unto me, `Go, and thou hast got for thee a girdle of linen, and hast placed it on thy loins, and into water thou dost not cause it to enter:'
2 and I get the girdle, according to the word of Jehovah, and I place `it' on my loins.
3 And there is a word of Jehovah unto me a second time, saying,
4 `Take the girdle that thou hast got, that `is' on thy loins, and rise, go to Phrat, and hide it there in a hole of the rock;
5 and I go and hide it by Phrat, as Jehovah commanded me.
6 And it cometh to pass, at the end of many days, that Jehovah saith unto me, `Rise, go to Phrat, and take thence the girdle, that I commanded thee to hide there;'
7 and I go to Phrat, and dig, and take the girdle from the place where I had hid it; and lo, the girdle hath been marred, it is not profitable for anything.
8 And there is a word of Jehovah unto me, saying, `Thus said Jehovah:
9 Thus do I mar the excellency of Judah, And the great excellency of Jerusalem.
10 This evil people, who refuse to hear My words, Who walk in the stubbornness of their heart, And go after other gods to serve them, And to bow themselves to them, Yea it is -- as this girdle, that is not profitable for anything.
11 For, as the girdle cleaveth unto the loins of a man, So I caused to cleave unto Me The whole house of Israel, And the whole house of Judah, an affirmation of Jehovah, To be to Me for a people, and for a name, And for praise, and for beauty, And they have not hearkened.
1 Thus said Jehovah unto me: Go and buy thee a linen girdle, and put it upon thy loins; but dip it not in water.
2 And I bought a girdle according to the word of Jehovah, and put it upon my loins.
3 And the word of Jehovah came unto me the second time, saying,
4 Take the girdle that thou hast bought, which is upon thy loins, and arise, go to the Euphrates, and hide it there in a hole of the rock.
5 So I went and hid it by the Euphrates, as Jehovah had commanded me.
6 And it came to pass at the end of many days, that Jehovah said unto me, Arise, go to the Euphrates, and take the girdle from thence which I commanded thee to hide there.
7 And I went to the Euphrates, and digged, and took the girdle from the place where I had hid it; and behold, the girdle was spoiled, it was good for nothing.
8 And the word of Jehovah came unto me, saying,
9 Thus saith Jehovah: After this manner will I spoil the pride of Judah, and the great pride of Jerusalem.
10 This evil people, who refuse to hear my words, who walk in the stubbornness of their heart, and go after other gods, to serve them and to worship them, shall even be as this girdle which is good for nothing.
11 For as a girdle cleaveth to the loins of a man, so have I caused to cleave unto me the whole house of Israel and the whole house of Judah, saith Jehovah; that they might be unto me for a people, and for a name, and for a praise, and for a glory: but they would not hear.
1 Thus says Yahweh to me, Go, and buy you a linen belt, and put it on your loins, and don't put it in water.
2 So I bought a belt according to the word of Yahweh, and put it on my loins.
3 The word of Yahweh came to me the second time, saying,
4 Take the belt that you have bought, which is on your loins, and arise, go to the Euphrates, and hide it there in a cleft of the rock.
5 So I went, and hid it by the Euphrates, as Yahweh commanded me.
6 It happened after many days, that Yahweh said to me, Arise, go to the Euphrates, and take the belt from there, which I commanded you to hide there.
7 Then I went to the Euphrates, and dug, and took the belt from the place where I had hid it; and, behold, the belt was marred, it was profitable for nothing.
8 Then the word of Yahweh came to me, saying,
9 Thus says Yahweh, After this manner will I mar the pride of Judah, and the great pride of Jerusalem.
10 This evil people, who refuse to hear my words, who walk in the stubbornness of their heart, and are gone after other gods to serve them, and to worship them, shall even be as this belt, which is profitable for nothing.
11 For as the belt cleaves to the loins of a man, so have I caused to cleave to me the whole house of Israel and the whole house of Judah, says Yahweh; that they may be to me for a people, and for a name, and for a praise, and for a glory: but they would not hear.
1 This is what the Lord said to me: Go and get yourself a linen band and put it round you and do not put it in water.
2 So, as the Lord said, I got a band for a price and put it round my body.
3 And the word of the Lord came to me a second time, saying,
4 Take the band which you got for a price, which is round your body, and go to Parah and put it in a secret place there in a hole of the rock.
5 So I went and put it in a secret place by Parah, as the Lord had said to me.
6 Then after a long time, the Lord said to me, Up! go to Parah and get the band which I gave you orders to put there.
7 So I went to Parah and, uncovering the hole, took the band from the place where I had put it away: and the band was damaged and of no use for anything.
8 Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying,
9 The Lord has said, In this way I will do damage to the pride of Judah and to the great pride of Jerusalem.
10 These evil people who say they will not give ear to my words, who go on in the pride of their hearts and have become servants and worshippers of other gods, will become like this band which is of no use for anything.
11 For as a band goes tightly round a man's body, so I made all the people of Israel and all the people of Judah tightly united to me; so that they might be a people for me and a name and a praise and a glory: but they would not give ear.
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible » Commentary on Jeremiah 13
Commentary on Jeremiah 13 Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
CHAPTER 13
Jer 13:1-27. Symbolical Prophecy (Jer 13:1-7).
Many of these figurative acts being either not possible, or not probable, or decorous, seem to have existed only in the mind of the prophet as part of his inward vision. [So Calvin]. The world he moved in was not the sensible, but the spiritual, world. Inward acts were, however, when it was possible and proper, materialized by outward performance, but not always, and necessarily so. The internal act made a naked statement more impressive and presented the subject when extending over long portions of space and time more concentrated. The interruption of Jeremiah's official duty by a journey of more than two hundred miles twice is not likely to have literally taken place.
1. put it upon thy loins, &c.—expressing the close intimacy wherewith Jehovah had joined Israel and Judah to Him (Jer 13:11).
linen—implying it was the inner garment next the skin, not the outer one.
put it not in water—signifying the moral filth of His people, like the literal filth of a garment worn constantly next the skin, without being washed (Jer 13:10). Grotius understands a garment not bleached, but left in its native roughness, just as Judah had no beauty, but was adopted by the sole grace of God (Eze 16:4-6). "Neither wast thou washed in water," &c.
4. Euphrates—In order to support the view that Jeremiah's act was outward, Henderson considers that the Hebrew Phrath here is Ephratha, the original name of Beth-lehem, six miles south of Jerusalem, a journey easy to be made by Jeremiah. The non-addition of the word "river," which usually precedes Phrath, when meaning Euphrates, favors this view. But I prefer English Version. The Euphrates is specified as being near Babylon, the Jews future place of exile.
hole—typical of the prisons in which the Jews were to be confined.
the rock—some well-known rock. A sterile region, such as was that to which the Jews were led away (compare Isa 7:19) [Grotius].
6. after many days—Time enough was given for the girdle to become unfit for use. So, in course of time, the Jews became corrupted by the heathen idolatries around, so as to cease to be witnesses of Jehovah; they must, therefore, be cast away as a "marred" or spoiled girdle.
9. (Le 26:19).
10. imagination—rather, "obstinacy."
11. (Jer 33:9; Ex 19:5).
glory—an ornament to glory in.
12. A new image.
Do we not … know … wine—The "bottles" are those used in the East, made of skins; our word "hogshead," originally "oxhide," alludes to the same custom. As they were used to hold water, milk, and other liquids, what the prophet said (namely, that they should be all filled with wine) was not, as the Jews' taunting reply implied, a truism even literally. The figurative sense which is what Jeremiah chiefly meant, they affected not to understand. As wine intoxicates, so God's wrath and judgments shall reduce them to that state of helpless distraction that they shall rush on to their own ruin (Jer 25:15; 49:12; Isa 51:17, 21, 22; 63:6).
13. upon David's throne—literally, who sit for David on his throne; implying the succession of the Davidic family (Jer 22:4).
all—indiscriminately of every rank.
14. dash—(Ps 2:9). As a potter's vessel (Re 2:27).
15. be not proud—Pride was the cause of their contumacy, as humility is the first step to obedience (Jer 13:17; Ps 10:4).
16. Give glory, &c.—Show by repentance and obedience to God, that you revere His majesty. So Joshua exhorted Achan to "give glory to God" by confessing his crime, thereby showing he revered the All-knowing God.
stumble—image from travellers stumbling into a fatal abyss when overtaken by nightfall (Isa 5:30; 59:9, 10; Am 8:9).
dark mountains—literally, "mountains of twilight" or "gloom," which cast such a gloomy shadow that the traveller stumbles against an opposing rock before he sees it (Joh 11:10; 12:35).
shadow of death—the densest gloom; death shade (Ps 44:19). Light and darkness are images of prosperity and adversity.
17. hear it—my exhortation.
in secret—as one mourning and humbling himself for their sin, not self-righteously condemning them (Php 3:18).
pride—(see on Jer 13:15; Job 33:17).
flock—(Jer 13:20), just as kings and leaders are called pastors.
18. king—Jehoiachin or Jeconiah.
queen—the queen mother who, as the king was not more than eighteen years old, held the chief power. Nehushta, daughter of Elnathan, carried away captive with Jehoiachin by Nebuchadnezzar (2Ki 24:8-15).
Humble yourselves—that is, Ye shall be humbled, or brought low (Jer 22:26; 28:2).
your principalities—rather, "your head ornament."
19. cities of the south—namely, south of Judea; farthest off from the enemy, who advanced from the north.
shut up—that is, deserted (Isa 24:10); so that none shall be left to open the gates to travellers and merchants again [Henderson]. Rather, shut up so closely by Nebuchadnezzar's forces, sent on before (2Ki 24:10, 11), that none shall be allowed by the enemy to get out (compare Jer 13:20).
wholly—literally, "fully"; completely.
20. from … north—Nebuchadnezzar and his hostile army (Jer 1:14; 6:22).
flock … given thee—Jeremiah, amazed at the depopulation caused by Nebuchadnezzar's forces, addresses Jerusalem (a noun of multitude, which accounts for the blending of plural and singular, Your eyes … thee … thy flock), and asks where is the population (Jer 13:17, "flock") which God had given her?
21. captains, and as chief—literally, "princes as to headship"; or "over thy head," namely, the Chaldeans. Rather, translate, "What wilt thou say when God will set them (the enemies, Jer 13:20) above thee, seeing that thou thyself hast accustomed them (to be) with thee as (thy) lovers in the highest place (literally, 'at thy head')? Thou canst not say God does thee wrong, seeing it was thou that gave occasion to His dealing so with thee, by so eagerly courting their intimacy." Compare Jer 2:18, 36; 2Ki 23:29, as to the league of Judah with Babylon, which led Josiah to march against Pharaoh-necho, when the latter was about to attack Babylon [Maurer].
sorrows—pains, throes.
22. if thou say—connecting this verse with "What wilt thou say" (Jer 13:21)?
skirts discovered—that is, are thrown up so as to expose the person (Jer 13:26; Isa 3:17; Na 3:5).
heels made bare—The sandal was fastened by a thong above the heel to the instep. The Hebrew, is, "are violently handled," or "torn off"; that is, thou art exposed to ignominy. Image from an adulteress.
23. Ethiopian—the Cushite of Abyssinia. Habit is second nature; as therefore it is morally impossible that the Jews can alter their inveterate habits of sin, nothing remains but the infliction of the extremest punishment, their expatriation (Jer 13:24).
24. (Ps 1:4).
by the wind—before the wind.
of the wilderness—where the wind has full sweep, not being broken by any obstacle.
25. portion of thy measures—the portion which I have measured out to thee (Job 20:29; Ps 11:6).
falsehood—(Jer 13:27), false gods and alliances with foreign idolaters.
26. discover … upon thy face—rather, "throw up thy skirts over thy face," or head; done by way of ignominy to captive women and to prostitutes (Na 3:5). The Jews' punishment should answer to their crime. As their sin had been perpetrated in the most public places, so God would expose them to the contempt of other nations most openly (La 1:8).
27. neighings—(Jer 5:8), image from the lust of horses; the lust after idols degrades to the level of the brute.
hills—where, as being nearer heaven, sacrifices were thought most acceptable to the gods.
wilt thou not … ? when—literally, "thou wilt not be made clean after how long a time yet." (So Jer 13:23). Jeremiah denies the moral possibility of one so long hardened in sin becoming soon cleansed. But see Jer 32:17; Lu 18:27.