Jeremiah 13 12

Jeremiah 13:12 kjv

Therefore thou shalt speak unto them this word; Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Every bottle shall be filled with wine: and they shall say unto thee, Do we not certainly know that every bottle shall be filled with wine?

Jeremiah 13:12 nkjv

"Therefore you shall speak to them this word: 'Thus says the LORD God of Israel: "Every bottle shall be filled with wine." ' And they will say to you, 'Do we not certainly know that every bottle will be filled with wine?'

Jeremiah 13:12 niv

"Say to them: 'This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: Every wineskin should be filled with wine.' And if they say to you, 'Don't we know that every wineskin should be filled with wine?'

Jeremiah 13:12 esv

"You shall speak to them this word: 'Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, "Every jar shall be filled with wine."' And they will say to you, 'Do we not indeed know that every jar will be filled with wine?'

Jeremiah 13:12 nlt

"So tell them, 'This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: May all your jars be filled with wine.' And they will reply, 'Of course! Jars are made to be filled with wine!'

Jeremiah 13 verses

Jeremiah 13 12 Meaning

Jeremiah 13:12 introduces a prophetic riddle or parable that begins with a seemingly obvious and mundane statement. Jeremiah is commanded to declare to the people that "every jug shall be filled with wine." The immediate, literal meaning refers to the natural function of a wine jug, which is to hold wine. The people's subsequent, dismissive response, "Do we not certainly know that every jug will be filled with wine?" highlights their spiritual dullness and inability to perceive a deeper, metaphorical meaning in God's words. This sets the stage for God's impending declaration of judgment in the following verse, where the "filling with wine" symbolizes God filling the nation of Judah with "drunkenness" (spiritual stupor, confusion, and ultimate judgment) due to their rebellion and unfaithfulness.

Jeremiah 13 12 Context

Jeremiah 13:12 occurs within a chapter focused on Judah's spiritual corruption and impending exile. The chapter opens with Jeremiah's symbolic action of burying a linen belt in the ground, allowing it to become ruined (Jer 13:1-11). This act vividly represented Judah's spiritual defilement and utter uselessness in God's service, once close but now corrupted, destined for "the pride of Judah and the great pride of Jerusalem" to be ruined. The parable of the wine jugs follows directly from this, serving as another visual and verbal illustration of the inevitable and thorough nature of God's judgment.

Historically, this period (late 7th and early 6th century BCE) saw the kingdom of Judah declining under kings like Jehoiakim, amidst increasing Babylonian threats. The people, especially the leadership, consistently engaged in idolatry, immorality, and rejected prophetic warnings, believing their status as God's chosen nation and the presence of the Temple in Jerusalem offered them inviolable security. This pervasive spiritual complacency and refusal to acknowledge their impending doom is directly confronted by God through Jeremiah's words in this verse. The message of the jugs and wine serves as a sharp contrast to their false sense of security and their failure to see beyond the superficial.

Jeremiah 13 12 Word analysis

• Therefore you shall speak to them this word:
  • Therefore (וְאָמַרְתָּ, wə'āmartā): Connects this divine instruction to the preceding prophecy regarding the ruined linen belt, implying that what follows is a logical progression of God's message of judgment. It signifies the transition to a new illustration.
  • you (אָמַרְתָּ, 'āmartā): The singular "you" explicitly refers to Jeremiah, emphasizing his direct commission and role as God's chosen mouthpiece to deliver even unpleasant truths.
  • shall speak (וְאָמַרְתָּ, wə'āmartā): A direct imperative from God, highlighting the authoritative nature of the message.
  • to them (אֲלֵיהֶם, 'ǎlêhem): Refers to the people of Judah, specifically the inhabitants of Jerusalem and its leaders, who were the primary audience of Jeremiah's ministry and the subject of God's judgment.
  • this word (אֶת־הַדָּבָר הַזֶּה, 'et-haḏḏāḇār hazzeh): Dabar (word) often signifies not just an utterance but an event or a matter from God. Here, it refers to the specific statement/riddle that follows, given divine weight.
• ‘Every jug shall be filled with wine.’
  • Every (כָּל־, kol-): Indicates totality and universality, encompassing all of Judah and its people without exception. This foreshadows the comprehensive nature of God's judgment.
  • jug (נֵבֶל, nēḇel): More accurately "wineskin" or "leather bottle," rather than a clay jar, though "jar" is commonly used. Made from animal hide, a nebel was a common container for liquids like wine. These containers could become brittle with age or burst if not maintained, hinting at fragility and ultimate destruction. Symbolically, the "jugs" represent the people of Judah themselves – a vessel that God created but has become corrupted.
  • shall be filled (יִמָּלֵא, yimmālē’): A passive form of the verb "to fill," indicating an external agent (God) performing the action. It implies inevitability and completion.
  • with wine (יָיִן, yāyin): Initially refers to ordinary wine, a common beverage. However, in the prophetic context, "wine" often symbolizes God's wrath or judgment, especially when associated with a "cup" or "drinking" (Isa 51:17, Jer 25:15). It also conveys a sense of staggering, confusion, or spiritual stupor that comes from intoxication, linking to the people's lack of discernment.
  • Words-group: ‘Every jug shall be filled with wine.’: This phrase is presented as a simple, undeniable fact, almost a proverb, the literal truth of which is obvious. Its banality is precisely what serves to highlight the spiritual blindness of the audience, who fail to look for deeper prophetic meaning.
• And they will say to you,
  • they (אָמְרוּ, 'āmərū): The collective people of Judah, representing their collective mindset and spiritual insensitivity.
  • will say (אָמְרוּ, 'āmərū): God already knows and anticipates their response, demonstrating His omniscience regarding their hardened hearts.
• ‘Do we not certainly know that every jug will be filled with wine?’
  • Do we not certainly know (הֲלוֹא יָדֹעַ נֵדַע, hălō’ yāḏôaʿ nêḏaʿ): A rhetorical question conveying scorn, sarcasm, and self-assuredness. The Hebrew idiom using the infinitive absolute (yāḏôaʿ) before the finite verb (nêḏaʿ) is an intensifier, meaning "we surely know," "we most certainly know." It emphasizes their profound conviction of knowing this trivial fact, while simultaneously revealing their inability to grasp the spiritual message.
  • that every jug will be filled with wine: The direct repetition underscores their literalistic, dismissive, and ultimately arrogant rejection of the prophetic message as merely stating the obvious, failing to look beyond the surface. This refusal to perceive foreshadows their downfall.

Jeremiah 13 12 Bonus section

• Divine pedagogy: God often uses simple, everyday objects and scenarios to convey profound spiritual truths. This method of parables (like the potter and clay in Jer 18 or Jesus' parables) aims to challenge human perception and expose the need for spiritual insight beyond the visible.
• Juxtaposition of literal and metaphorical: The power of this verse lies in the stark contrast between the people's literal, mundane interpretation and the profound, foreboding metaphorical intent that Jeremiah later reveals. This intentional misdirection serves to highlight their spiritual blindness.
• Role of the prophet: Jeremiah's task was often to deliver messages that were not only unpopular but also ridiculed or dismissed. This exchange perfectly illustrates the frustration and spiritual struggle faced by God's messengers.

Jeremiah 13 12 Commentary

Jeremiah 13:12 encapsulates a crucial dynamic between God and His people in times of spiritual decline: the prophet's call versus the people's stubborn refusal to understand. God instructs Jeremiah to deliver a parable that, on the surface, appears trite. The statement, "Every jug shall be filled with wine," is a commonplace observation—jugs exist to hold liquid. The predicted response from the people—a dismissive, "Do we not certainly know that every jug will be filled with wine?"—reveals their profound spiritual insensitivity. They are so consumed by their earthly wisdom and self-reliance that they cannot see past the literal meaning of God's word, rendering them impervious to divine warning.

This exchange is not about wine or jugs themselves, but about God preparing His people for a shocking truth in the next verse: these "jugs" (the people, the royal house, the priests) will not be filled with literal wine but with "drunkenness"—a metaphor for confusion, staggering, and the inescapable judgment of God. Their sarcastic "knowledge" highlights their spiritual ignorance; they know physical realities but are utterly blind to the spiritual and prophetic realities unfolding around them. Their pride prevents them from hearing the alarm, mistaking God's profound metaphors for trivial truisms. This verse is a stark portrayal of a people rendered deaf and blind by their own spiritual apathy, poised on the brink of devastating judgment, all because they refused to listen and discern.