Jeremiah 12 13

Jeremiah 12:13 kjv

They have sown wheat, but shall reap thorns: they have put themselves to pain, but shall not profit: and they shall be ashamed of your revenues because of the fierce anger of the LORD.

Jeremiah 12:13 nkjv

They have sown wheat but reaped thorns; They have put themselves to pain but do not profit. But be ashamed of your harvest Because of the fierce anger of the LORD."

Jeremiah 12:13 niv

They will sow wheat but reap thorns; they will wear themselves out but gain nothing. They will bear the shame of their harvest because of the LORD's fierce anger."

Jeremiah 12:13 esv

They have sown wheat and have reaped thorns; they have tired themselves out but profit nothing. They shall be ashamed of their harvests because of the fierce anger of the LORD."

Jeremiah 12:13 nlt

My people have planted wheat
but are harvesting thorns.
They have worn themselves out,
but it has done them no good.
They will harvest a crop of shame
because of the fierce anger of the LORD."

Jeremiah 12 verses

Jeremiah 12 13 Meaning

Jeremiah 12:13 pronounces divine judgment on the people of Judah, stating that their labor and endeavors, despite their efforts (sowing wheat), will result in nothing but pain and futility (reaping thorns). Their expected produce or income will ultimately bring them shame, directly attributing this failure and humiliation to the intense wrath of the LORD. It signifies a complete reversal of natural blessings, where expected abundance is replaced by hardship and disgrace, all as a consequence of their sin and God's righteous anger.

Jeremiah 12 13 Context

Jeremiah 12 opens with Jeremiah's lament and questioning of God's justice, observing the prosperity of the wicked. God responds by telling Jeremiah to brace himself for even worse circumstances (vv. 5-6) and then declares His impending judgment on Judah (v. 7-12). This particular verse, Jeremiah 12:13, stands as a vivid portrayal of the futility that will characterize Judah's existence due to their unfaithfulness and idolatry. Historically, Judah was steeped in sin, despite repeated warnings from prophets like Jeremiah. They engaged in false worship, social injustice, and reliance on foreign alliances rather than the LORD. The nation was on the brink of Babylonian invasion and eventual exile, and this verse powerfully illustrates the economic and national devastation that would accompany God's judgment, serving as a stark warning to the contemporary audience about the direct consequences of their continued rebellion against God.

Jeremiah 12 13 Word analysis

• They have sown wheat, but shall reap thorns:

  • They (הצניפו hitztzimu): Referring to the people of Judah, specifically their efforts in agriculture and national endeavors.
  • sown (זרעו zara'u): Hebrew זָרַע (zara') implies the deliberate act of planting, expecting a specific return.
  • wheat (חטים chittim): Hebrew חִטָּה (chittah) represents a valuable, essential crop; the expected produce for food and sustenance, symbolizing hard work and investment.
  • but shall reap (יקצרו yiqtzoru): Hebrew קָצַר (qatzar) is the act of harvesting, gathering the yield of what was sown.
  • thorns (קוצים qotzim): Hebrew קוֹץ (qots) signifies prickly, worthless, even harmful plants. The juxtaposition of "wheat" and "thorns" creates a stark picture of catastrophic failure and reversal of expected outcome. It's an anti-harvest, a painful consequence instead of profit.
    • Word-group analysis: This phrase vividly illustrates the principle of cause and effect in divine judgment. Their physical efforts, diligently applied to produce sustenance and wealth (wheat), will yield nothing but frustration, pain, and loss (thorns). It's a clear pronouncement that God will turn their productive labor into futile toil.

• they have put themselves to pain, but shall not profit:

  • put themselves to pain (התחוללו hithholelu): From Hebrew חול (khul) which can mean "to writhe, tremble, dance," or here, "to suffer anguish, to labor hard, travail." It implies strenuous, intense, and often painful effort, perhaps even birth pains, suggesting agonizing and consuming work.
  • shall not profit (לא יועילו lo yoeelu): From Hebrew יָעַל (ya'al), meaning "to be profitable, beneficial, or gain advantage." This emphasizes the utter lack of return or positive outcome despite their great efforts and suffering.
    • Word-group analysis: This reinforces the previous statement, moving beyond the agricultural metaphor to generalize their human experience. All their striving, toiling, and anguished labor, whether in national policy, military ventures, or economic pursuits, will result in absolutely no gain or success. Their efforts will be hollow and without substance.

• and they shall be ashamed of your revenues because of the fierce anger of the LORD.

  • be ashamed (יבושו yevoshu): Hebrew בּוּשׁ (bush) implies deep humiliation, disgrace, and disappointment, often public. It signifies that the expected pride or security from their yield will be replaced by profound shame, indicating failure and judgment.
  • your revenues (תבואותיכם tevou'oteichem): From Hebrew תְּבוּאָה (tevua'ah), referring to produce, harvest, income, or the total output of one's labor. It signifies the expected fruit of their toil. The use of "your" (plural) shifts directly to address the people of Judah, making the judgment personal.
  • because of (מפני mippeneh): "from the face of" or "on account of." This word directly attributes the cause.
  • the fierce anger (חרון אף charon 'af): Hebrew חָרוֹן (charon) implies burning, kindled wrath, an intense, vehement anger, literally "burning nose" (or "face"). אַף (af) can mean nose but often signifies anger or fury when combined with charon. This describes God's righteous and destructive wrath.
  • of the LORD (יהוה YHWH): The personal, covenant name of God, emphasizing that this judgment comes directly from the sovereign God of Israel, not from a capricious idol or random chance.
    • Word-group analysis: The shame is not incidental but directly tied to the outcome of their labor ("your revenues"), or lack thereof. The ultimate cause of their entire ordeal – the failed crops, the wasted effort, and the resulting humiliation – is definitively declared as "the fierce anger of the LORD." This establishes divine agency as the overriding factor in their calamitous experience, demonstrating that their efforts and trust were placed in vain because they provoked the Almighty. This also carries a polemic against the idea that foreign gods or human wisdom could ensure prosperity when the LORD Himself was against them.

Jeremiah 12 13 Bonus section

The concept presented in Jeremiah 12:13 reveals a deeper spiritual truth beyond mere agricultural failure: the universe is morally ordered by God. When humanity defies that order, even the natural blessings intended for them can turn into curses. The expectation of wheat (bounty) from effort is a natural, created law, but God's fierce anger causes this law to be supernaturally inverted. This teaches the Israelites, and by extension all believers, that the source of blessing is ultimately divine, not simply the human hand or natural processes. It also highlights the absolute inability of false gods to deliver on their promises of prosperity when pitted against the wrath of the one true God, YHWH. This judgment also prepares the audience for the severe consequences of the coming exile, where the nation's "revenue" – their land, their temple, their freedom – would all be lost, leading to utter shame among the nations.

Jeremiah 12 13 Commentary

Jeremiah 12:13 is a pronouncement of profound judgment, illustrating a divine reversal of cause and effect due to human sin. The metaphor of sowing wheat and reaping thorns captures the essence of God's curse upon a disobedient nation: effort will lead not to reward but to ruin, not sustenance but to suffering. Judah had invested its energy and resources in pursuing idolatry, social injustice, and misplaced alliances, essentially "sowing" rebellion against God. The natural consequence, ordained by God, is that their "harvest" will be equally unproductive and even harmful.

The phrase "put themselves to pain, but shall not profit" extends this futility beyond agriculture to all facets of their national life. Their strivings in military defense, economic stability, or social organization, undertaken in rebellion, would yield no beneficial results. All their suffering and labor would be ultimately empty, failing to secure the peace or prosperity they sought.

The culminating shame and disappointment over their expected income or prosperity, stemming directly from "the fierce anger of the LORD," emphasizes divine retribution. This anger is not arbitrary but a just response to Judah's prolonged apostasy and unfaithfulness. The judgment is an act of God demonstrating His sovereignty over all human endeavor, teaching that without His blessing and alignment with His will, all human efforts are ultimately vain and will lead to humiliation. It stands as a stark warning that true prosperity comes from divine favor, and sin inevitably leads to a barren harvest and public disgrace. This powerful principle resonates through Scripture, affirming that one cannot mock God's moral order.