Jeremiah 13:1 kjv
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.
Jeremiah 13:1 nkjv
Thus the LORD said to me: "Go and get yourself a linen sash, and put it around your waist, but do not put it in water."
Jeremiah 13:1 niv
This is what the LORD said to me: "Go and buy a linen belt and put it around your waist, but do not let it touch water."
Jeremiah 13:1 esv
Thus says the LORD to me, "Go and buy a linen loincloth and put it around your waist, and do not dip it in water."
Jeremiah 13:1 nlt
This is what the LORD said to me: "Go and buy a linen loincloth and put it on, but do not wash it."
Jeremiah 13 1 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Jeremiah 2:2 | "Go and cry in the hearing of Jerusalem..." | Judah's relationship with God |
| Isaiah 10:33 | "...the mighty shall be humbled, and the lofty shall be laid low." | God's judgment on pride |
| Ezekiel 16:4 | "As for your birth... you were not cut out, nor washed with water to be made tender..." | Israel's state of sinfulness |
| Revelation 3:17 | "Because you say, 'I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing'—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked..." | Spiritual poverty |
| Jeremiah 13:11 | "For as the sash clings to the waist of a man, so I have clung to all the house of Israel..." | God's closeness to His people |
| Jeremiah 13:10 | "...they shall become like a sash that is useless." | The consequence of disobedience |
| 2 Kings 20:8 | "And Hezekiah said to Isaiah, 'What is the sign that the Lord will heal me, and that I shall go up to the house of the Lord the third day?'" | Signs for understanding |
| Hosea 2:3 | "...lest I strip her naked and expose her, like in the day that she was born..." | Shame due to sin |
| Lamentations 4:1 | "How the gold has become dim! How the most pure gold has changed! The stones of the sanctuary are scattered at the head of every street." | Loss of former glory |
| Isaiah 44:24 | "Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, and He who formed you from the womb: 'I am the Lord, who makes all things, who stretches out the heavens all alone, who spreads abroad the earth by Myself...'" | God as Creator |
| Jeremiah 5:23 | "But these people have a stubborn and rebellious heart; they have revolted and gone away." | Judah's stubbornness |
| Romans 3:23 | "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" | Universal sinfulness |
| Isaiah 28:8 | "For all tables are full of vomit; without any presence there is filthiness." | Pervasive sin |
| Proverbs 30:12 | "There is a generation that is pure in its own eyes, yet is not washed from its filthiness." | Deceptive self-righteousness |
| Ezekiel 23:46 | "And thus you shall do to the adulterous wife, when she gives prostitution prices for all her lovers, and gives all her idols an offering of fat, when they are all my rewards that she has given to her lovers..." | Adultery imagery |
| 1 Corinthians 6:18 | "Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body." | Sin against oneself |
| Galatians 5:17 | "For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh, and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish." | Conflict within |
| James 4:4 | "Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God." | Worldliness and enmity with God |
| 1 Peter 1:18 | "knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers," | Costly redemption |
| Jeremiah 22:28 | "Has this Man Ephraim a rejected, despised, broken idol, or a costly vessel in which is no pleasure? Why are they cast out into the north with...? " | Worthless idol |
| Ephesians 4:19 | "who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness." | Moral insensitivity |
Jeremiah 13 verses
Jeremiah 13 1 Meaning
The Lord instructs Jeremiah to obtain a linen loincloth, signifying the nation of Judah's sacred and precious connection to God, much like a waistband worn close to the body. He is to wear it until it becomes spoiled, representing the people's corruption and worthlessness due to their sinfulness.
Jeremiah 13 1 Context
This verse initiates a series of symbolic actions and prophetic pronouncements by Jeremiah. Chapter 13 as a whole illustrates the spiritual decay and impending judgment of Judah, personified through various analogies. Jeremiah's personal involvement, such as wearing the linen loincloth, underscores the intimacy and severity of the message he delivers. The chapter serves as a vivid depiction of sin's defiling nature and the inevitable consequences of national apostasy from God.
Jeremiah 13 1 Word analysis
"Thus": Indicates an immediate continuation and directive from God.
"says": A declaration of God's spoken word, emphasizing divine authority.
"the": The definite article, pointing to a specific item.
"Lord": Elohim's covenant name, YHWH, emphasizing His personal relationship with His people and His faithfulness, even in judgment.
"to": A preposition indicating direction or recipient.
"me": Refers to the prophet Jeremiah, the direct recipient of the command.
"Get": An imperative verb, a command from God. (Hebrew: qaneh, related to acquiring or obtaining).
"yourself": Emphasizes that the action is to be performed personally by Jeremiah.
"a": The indefinite article, referring to a single item.
"linen": (Hebrew: buṣ) This material was often fine and used for priestly garments or royal attire, signifying purity, sanctity, and dignity.
"loincloth": (Hebrew: ’eżōr) A band or belt worn around the waist, close to the body. It symbolized purity, marital fidelity, or personal identity.
"and": A conjunction connecting phrases.
"put": Another imperative verb, directing placement.
"it": Refers back to the linen loincloth.
"on": Preposition indicating location or wearing.
"your": Possessive pronoun.
"waist": (Hebrew: ṣawwā’ē’): The waist, symbolizing strength, essential life, and the center of a person's being.
"and": Conjunction.
"do": Imperative verb, initiating further action.
"not": Negation.
"put": Imperative verb.
"it": Refers to the linen loincloth.
"in": Preposition.
"water": (Hebrew: mayim) Symbolizes cleansing, purification, or baptism in a broader sense.
Group analysis: "linen loincloth": This specific item represented something valuable, chosen, and intimately associated with the wearer, analogous to the relationship between God and Israel. Its use as a symbol for the nation emphasizes their initial holy calling and chosen status.
Group analysis: "put it on your waist": Wearing it at the waist signified being girded, prepared, and intimately attached. For Israel, this depicted their close connection and adherence to God.
Group analysis: "do not put it in water": This instruction foreshadowed the destruction and defilement that would render the loincloth useless, just as Judah's sin would ruin their precious relationship with God. The act of avoiding water also points to avoiding purification or renewal, highlighting the rejection of God's means of restoration.
Jeremiah 13 1 Bonus section
The imagery of a spoiled loincloth highlights that God does not only judge outward sin but the internal defilement that corrupts one's very being and relationship with Him. The prohibition of putting the loincloth in water suggests that Israel’s chosen status, like the pristine linen, has been compromised beyond ordinary cleansing. True purification and restoration, the text implies through subsequent verses, would only come through a radical divine intervention and judgment that purifies the land and the remnant. This prophetic action emphasizes the physical and spiritual ramifications of national sin, leading to a complete loss of identity and purpose.
Jeremiah 13 1 Commentary
The directive for Jeremiah to acquire and wear a linen loincloth is the inaugural symbolic act in a series illustrating Judah's spiritual state. The linen, fine and perhaps consecrated, represents Israel's initial purity and their intimate, divinely ordained connection with God. Like a garment worn close to the body, Israel was meant to cleave to the Lord. However, this cherished connection is destined for corruption. The instruction not to put it in water is peculiar, anticipating a process of spoilage rather than cleansing. This signifies that Judah's sin is so pervasive and defiling that even the cleansing waters cannot restore its original sanctity; instead, water will contribute to its ruin, mirroring how their sin makes them utterly useless and abhorrent. The spoiled loincloth becomes a potent metaphor for a nation that, despite its divine election and potential, becomes utterly worthless through persistent sin, casting off its sacred identity and invitation to purification. This visual prophecy powerfully conveys God's grief over His people's spiritual decay and the inescapable consequences of their defiled covenant.