Jeremiah 13:21 kjv
What wilt thou say when he shall punish thee? for thou hast taught them to be captains, and as chief over thee: shall not sorrows take thee, as a woman in travail?
Jeremiah 13:21 nkjv
What will you say when He punishes you? For you have taught them To be chieftains, to be head over you. Will not pangs seize you, Like a woman in labor?
Jeremiah 13:21 niv
What will you say when the LORD sets over you those you cultivated as your special allies? Will not pain grip you like that of a woman in labor?
Jeremiah 13:21 esv
What will you say when they set as head over you those whom you yourself have taught to be friends to you? Will not pangs take hold of you like those of a woman in labor?
Jeremiah 13:21 nlt
What will you say when the LORD takes the allies you have cultivated
and appoints them as your rulers?
Pangs of anguish will grip you,
like those of a woman in labor!
Jeremiah 13 21 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Jer 13:21 | "What will you say when he punishes you and you are led by those you once made your allies? Won't pain grip you like that of a woman in labor?" | Directly prophetic message to Judah. |
| Deut 28:64-66 | "The LORD will scatter you among all peoples, from one end of the earth to the other." | Foretold consequences of disobedience. |
| Isa 47:3 | "May your nakedness be revealed, may your shame be displayed." | God's judgment on Babylon, mirroring judgment on Judah. |
| Ezek 16:37 | "I will expose them to their lovers... and reveal your nakedness to them." | Consequence of unfaithfulness, spiritual adultery. |
| Hos 2:10 | "And I will now expose her lewdness in the sight of her lovers..." | Judgment for harlotry (spiritual unfaithfulness). |
| Micah 1:11 | "Pass on, inhabitants of Shafir, in naked shame." | Consequence of idolatry and sin. |
| Ps 109:29 | "May my accusers be covered with shame and wrap themselves in disgrace." | Prayer for vindication against enemies. |
| Jer 3:8, 11 | "She saw that for all the adulteries of faithless Israel, I had sent her away with a decree of divorce." | God divorces unfaithful Israel. |
| Jer 15:5 | "Who will pity you, Jerusalem? Who will mourn for you? Who will turn aside to ask how you are?" | Lament over Jerusalem's desolation. |
| Jer 17:1-2 | "The sin of Judah is written with a pen of iron; with a point of a diamond it is engraved on the tablet of their hearts..." | Deeply ingrained sin of Judah. |
| Jer 22:24-26 | "As surely as I live,' declares the LORD, 'even if you, Jehoiachin son of Jehoiakim king of Judah, were a signet ring on my right hand, I would tear it off.'" | Judgment on Jehoiachin. |
| Prov 6:33-34 | "An injury sustained from a wife is a disgrace and is easily forgiven, but the outrage of a husband is beyond reckoning." | Humiliation within relationships. |
| Isa 1:5-6 | "Your whole head is injured, your whole heart is diseased. From the sole of your foot to the top of your head there is no soundness—only wounds and bruises and open sores..." | Widespread spiritual sickness. |
| Jer 30:12-15 | "This is what the LORD says: 'Your wound is incurable, your injury beyond healing.'" | Incurable state due to sin. |
| Nah 3:5 | "'I am against you,' declares the LORD Almighty. 'I will lift your skirts over your face and display your nakedness to the nations, your shame to the kingdoms.'" | Judgment on Nineveh's arrogance. |
| Zech 14:2 | "I will gather all nations to Jerusalem to fight against it..." | Future conflict against Jerusalem. |
| Matt 24:16-21 | "then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains..." | Jesus' prophecy about Jerusalem's destruction. |
| Luke 21:20-24 | "When you see Jerusalem being surrounded by armies, you know that its desolation has come near." | Jesus' foreknowledge of the siege. |
| Gal 5:22-23 | "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control." | Contrast with the fruit of sin. |
| Eph 4:17-19 | "So I tell you this and insist in the Lord, that you no longer live as the Gentiles do in the futility of their thinking." | Call to abandon futile Gentile ways. |
Jeremiah 13 verses
Jeremiah 13 21 Meaning
The prophet Jeremiah is told to present a message of judgment to Jerusalem, emphasizing that the people's transgressions have brought this doom upon them. The imagery used signifies disgrace and public shame as a consequence of their sinful actions, particularly their apostasy and idolatry, leading to their eventual exile and dispersion.
Jeremiah 13 21 Context
Jeremiah chapter 13 continues God's lamentation and prophecy of judgment against Judah and specifically Jerusalem. The chapter begins with a symbolic act of burying a linen sash, which represents the people's pride and their connection to God. The sash becomes ruined, signifying the ruined state of Judah. This verse, Jeremiah 13:21, is part of the pronouncements of divine judgment upon the people for their unfaithfulness and persistent sin, particularly their turning to idols and forsaking the Lord. The historical context is one of imminent Babylonian invasion and exile, a consequence directly tied to Judah's spiritual and moral decline. The contemporary audience would have understood the shame and humiliation associated with being exposed and judged by former allies or by those they once thought were subservient.
Jeremiah 13 21 Word Analysis
מָה (mah): "What." An interrogative particle used to inquire or express surprise.
תֹּאמְרִי (to'mri): "you will say." Second person feminine singular perfect of אָמַר (amar), "to say," "to speak." This refers to the personal and introspective accounting Judah will face.
כִּי (ki): "when," "that." A versatile conjunction introducing the cause or condition.
תִּפְקְדֵנִי (tifqede'ni): "she is visited," "you are visited." Third person feminine singular perfect Niphal of פָּקַד (paqad), meaning "to visit," often in the sense of visiting in judgment or accountability.
בַּאֲשֶׁר (ba'asher): "because of," "in that." Denoting the cause or reason.
הִשְׁעַנְתְּ (hish'ant): "you have caused to trust," "you have leaned upon." Second person feminine singular perfect Hiphil of סָעַד (sa'ad), meaning "to prop up," "to support," here used of relying on others or things wrongly.
לָהֶם (lahem): "to them." Refers to allies, lovers, or trusted confederates that have become a source of weakness.
כֹּל (kol): "all," "every." Emphasizes the totality of their former dependencies.
רֵעַיִךְ (re'ayikh): "your lovers," "your friends." Second person feminine singular construct of רֵעַ (re'a), "friend," "companion," "lover." In this context, it refers to political alliances or idols that Israel relied upon.
גַּם (gam): "also," "even." Adds emphasis to the following clause.
בְּעֵת (be'et): "at the time of." Denotes the moment of crisis.
צִיר (tsir): "crisis," "pang," "travail," "messenger." Here signifying severe pain and distress, akin to birth pangs.
תֶּאֱחָזֵךְ (te'chezekh): "it shall seize you." Second person feminine singular perfect Qal of אָחַז (achaz), "to seize," "to grasp," "to lay hold of." This depicts overwhelming and unavoidable pain.
Jeremiah 13 21 Bonus Section
The use of feminine singular forms in addressing Jerusalem highlights the theological concept of Israel as God's wife or bride in the Old Testament. Their "lovers" are not only political alliances but also the idols and pagan practices they engaged in, which are described as spiritual adultery. The birth pangs metaphor is common in prophetic literature to describe the intense suffering and upheaval associated with God's judgment and the breaking forth of new beginnings or destruction. This verse starkly illustrates the principle that apostasy and misplaced reliance on worldly systems ultimately lead to painful consequences.
Jeremiah 13 21 Commentary
Jerusalem is being addressed directly, personified as a faithless wife. The Lord poses a rhetorical question about what Jerusalem will say when they face His divine judgment. Their misplaced trust in their supposed allies (represented by "lovers" or "friends") will have led them to ruin. These allies, whom they had relied upon instead of God, will prove to be useless or even instrumental in their downfall. The profound agony they will experience is likened to the intense, unavoidable pain of a woman in labor, signifying a difficult and inescapable process of suffering and purging due to their accumulated sin and rebellion against God.