Jeremiah 13 25

Jeremiah 13:25 kjv

This is thy lot, the portion of thy measures from me, saith the LORD; because thou hast forgotten me, and trusted in falsehood.

Jeremiah 13:25 nkjv

This is your lot, The portion of your measures from Me," says the LORD, "Because you have forgotten Me And trusted in falsehood.

Jeremiah 13:25 niv

This is your lot, the portion I have decreed for you," declares the LORD, "because you have forgotten me and trusted in false gods.

Jeremiah 13:25 esv

This is your lot, the portion I have measured out to you, declares the LORD, because you have forgotten me and trusted in lies.

Jeremiah 13:25 nlt

This is your allotment,
the portion I have assigned to you,"
says the LORD,
"for you have forgotten me,
putting your trust in false gods.

Jeremiah 13 verses

Jeremiah 13 25 Meaning

Jeremiah 13:25 declares God's determined judgment upon Judah, presenting it as their divinely assigned "lot" or inescapable portion. This severe consequence stems directly from their profound unfaithfulness: actively forgetting the Lord, effectively severing their relationship with Him, and instead placing their full reliance and trust in empty deceptions and falsehoods, such as idols or human alliances. It highlights that their fate is a just recompense from God Himself for their rebellion against the covenant.

Jeremiah 13 25 Context

Jeremiah 13:25 comes towards the end of a series of warnings and prophecies concerning Judah's impending judgment. Chapter 13 begins with the symbolic prophecy of the linen belt, signifying Judah's once intimate relationship with God now ruined and made worthless due to their idolatry and pride (v. 1-11). This is followed by the analogy of wine jars, depicting utter devastation upon all inhabitants (v. 12-14). Jeremiah then pleads with Judah to repent before irreversible exile and shame befalls them, lamenting the pride of Jerusalem (v. 15-19) and picturing their humiliation (v. 20-24). Verse 23, immediately preceding 25, poignantly asks: "Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard his spots? Then also you can do good who are accustomed to do evil." This underscores the deep-seated nature of Judah's sin, suggesting an ingrained wickedness and a seeming inability to change, thus setting the stage for the unalterable "lot" of judgment. Historically, Judah was facing the threat of Babylonian invasion, a time when many were seeking security through foreign alliances or false religious practices, ignoring Jeremiah's calls for repentance and trust in God alone. The nation had continually forsaken their covenant with Yahweh for generations, leading to this point of no return.

Jeremiah 13 25 Word analysis

• This (זֶה - zeh): A demonstrative pronoun, pointing directly to the severe judgment and consequences described throughout the preceding verses (e.g., exile, shame, desolation). It signals a summary statement of the outcome.
• is your lot (גּוֹרָלֵךְ - goralēk): Goral literally means "lot" or "allotment," referring to something distributed by lot (e.g., land in Joshua). It signifies a pre-determined, divinely assigned share or destiny. Here, it refers to the judgment that Judah justly "draws" for itself due to its actions, even though it is assigned from God. It implies a final, inescapable portion.
• the portion (מְנָת - m'nat): Synonymous with "lot," m'nat means "portion," "share," or "allocation." It reinforces the idea of a fixed and determined outcome, often used for food, inheritance, or allocated tasks.
• of your measures (מִדַּיִךְ - maddayik): From middāh, meaning "measure" or "limit." It can suggest the exact measure of what Judah deserves or the extent of the punishment being precisely apportioned according to their actions. It emphasizes the tailored justice, that the punishment fits the crime.
• from me (מֵאִתִּי - me'ittiy): Emphatically states the divine origin of this judgment. This "lot" is not random fate or mere political consequence; it directly proceeds from Yahweh, the covenant God.
• declares the LORD (נְאֻם יְהוָה - ne'um YHWH): A common prophetic formula authenticating the divine speaker and lending absolute authority to the preceding statement. It underscores that this pronouncement is the unchallengeable word of the covenant God, Yahweh.
• because (עַל כִּי - ʿal ki): A strong conjunction establishing the direct causal link between Judah's actions and the proclaimed judgment. It presents the reason or ground for their deserved "lot."
• you have forgotten (שָׁכַחַתְּ - shachachat): Shākhach in Hebrew means more than a mere lapse of memory; it signifies a deliberate practical forgetting, neglecting, or abandoning a relationship or covenant obligations. It's a failure to act on or remember one's commitment, indicating apostasy from God.
• me (אוֹתִי - ʿotiy): The direct object, emphasizing that Judah forgot Yahweh Himself, not merely His laws or specific commands. It speaks to a breach of personal relationship.
• and trusted (וַתִּבְטְחִי - vativtachi): From bāṭaḥ, meaning to "trust," "be confident," "rely upon." It implies seeking security and placing one's confidence elsewhere, in contrast to where true security should be found (in God).
• in falsehood (בַּשֶּׁקֶר - ba-sheqer): Sheqer means "lie," "deception," "falsehood." This refers to their reliance on empty idols, deceitful political alliances, false prophets, or their own humanistic schemes rather than the living God. It directly contrasts with the truth of Yahweh.

Words-group by words-group analysis:

• This is your lot, the portion of your measures from me: This phrase combines three strong terms—goral, m'nat, middah—all indicating a fixed, allocated, and precisely measured fate. The emphasis on "from me" underscores God's active role as the dispenser of this just, deserved consequence, making it inescapable and divinely determined rather than accidental.
• because you have forgotten me and trusted in falsehood: This highlights the twin evils driving Judah's downfall. "Forgetting me" speaks to the internal, relational breach with the covenant God. It is an act of spiritual negligence and abandonment. "Trusted in falsehood" describes the external manifestation of this internal abandonment: the active and deliberate reliance on futile, deceptive substitutes (idols, human strength, false promises) instead of placing trust in the true God. The two are inextricably linked: the vacuum left by forgetting God is inevitably filled by trusting in something false.

Jeremiah 13 25 Bonus section

The feminine singular suffixes in goralēk, maddayik, shachachat, and tivtachi directly address Judah/Jerusalem as a woman, often personified in prophetic literature. This not only adds pathos but also suggests the intimacy of the violated covenant relationship, likening it to a husband addressing an unfaithful wife. The phrase "lot, portion, and measure" effectively uses parallelism to heighten the sense of inevitability and completeness of the judgment. There is no aspect of their destiny untouched by this divine decree; it's a full measure for their complete spiritual unfaithfulness. The judgment itself, carried out by foreign powers, is paradoxically a direct result of God's sovereign decree because Judah relied on foreign entities instead of Him, becoming enslaved by the very things they trusted. This illustrates a consistent biblical principle: what one trusts in will ultimately have dominion over them, for good or ill.

Jeremiah 13 25 Commentary

Jeremiah 13:25 is a poignant declaration of divine judgment, revealing God's justice as both precise and relational. The metaphor of a "lot" and "portion" emphasizes the inescapability of Judah's fate, portraying it as a just recompense measured out by God Himself. This isn't random misfortune but a divinely apportioned consequence, specifically calibrated to their actions. The fundamental transgression leading to this severe judgment is twofold: a practical "forgetting" of God and an active "trusting in falsehood." "Forgetting God" extends beyond mere memory lapse to a deliberate disregard for the covenant relationship and His commands, essentially severing their practical reliance on Him. This spiritual void was then filled by misplaced trust in deceptive alternatives—idolatry, futile foreign alliances, and false prophecies—which could never deliver genuine security or hope. This verse serves as a stark warning that abandoning the source of truth and life for empty deceptions leads inevitably to a destined "lot" of ruin and shame from the very hand of the God who was forsaken.