Jeremiah 16 13

Jeremiah 16:13 kjv

Therefore will I cast you out of this land into a land that ye know not, neither ye nor your fathers; and there shall ye serve other gods day and night; where I will not shew you favour.

Jeremiah 16:13 nkjv

Therefore I will cast you out of this land into a land that you do not know, neither you nor your fathers; and there you shall serve other gods day and night, where I will not show you favor.'

Jeremiah 16:13 niv

So I will throw you out of this land into a land neither you nor your ancestors have known, and there you will serve other gods day and night, for I will show you no favor.'

Jeremiah 16:13 esv

Therefore I will hurl you out of this land into a land that neither you nor your fathers have known, and there you shall serve other gods day and night, for I will show you no favor.'

Jeremiah 16:13 nlt

So I will throw you out of this land and send you into a foreign land where you and your ancestors have never been. There you can worship idols day and night ? and I will grant you no favors!'

Jeremiah 16 verses

Jeremiah 16 13 Meaning

Jeremiah 16:13 proclaims God's decisive judgment upon the people of Judah: they will be exiled from their promised land to a foreign, unknown territory, a place neither they nor their ancestors ever knew. In this alien land, they will experience a desolate existence, marked by the practical serving of foreign gods without receiving any divine favor or grace from Yahweh. It highlights the direct, severe consequences of their pervasive idolatry and unfaithfulness.

Jeremiah 16 13 Context

Jeremiah 16 outlines a period of unprecedented national judgment for Judah. God prohibits Jeremiah from participating in typical family and community rituals—marriage, mourning, and feasting—as symbolic acts foretelling the utter desolation coming upon the land. There will be no survivors for marriages, no mourners for the dead, and no joyful celebrations. The preceding verses (10-12) directly pose the question of why such catastrophe is coming, and God unequivocally states it is due to their persistent idolatry and wickedness, surpassing even their forefathers. Jeremiah 16:13, therefore, directly answers by declaring the precise nature of the judgment: exile, displacement, and the ironic consequence of serving other gods in an environment where Yahweh's favor will be completely withdrawn. This verse firmly establishes the causal link between their sin and God's severe but just retribution.

Jeremiah 16 13 Word analysis

• Therefore (וְלָכֵ֞ן - velakhen): This conjunction signifies a direct consequence, logically linking the prior verses detailing Judah's deep-rooted sin (vv.10-12, especially their worship of foreign gods) to the severe punishment now pronounced. It emphasizes divine justice.
• I will cast you out (הֵטַלְתִּ֣י אֶתְכֶ֔ם - hetalti et'chem): Hetalti comes from the root Hiphil of טוּל (tul), meaning "to throw, cast, hurl." It conveys a powerful, decisive, and irreversible action by God Himself, an active expulsion, not just a passive wandering. It emphasizes God's direct agency in their exile.
• of this land (מֵעַ֨ל הָאָ֤רֶץ הַזֹּאת֙ - me'al ha'arets hazot): "This land" refers specifically to the land of Canaan, the covenant land promised by God to Abraham's descendants (Gen 12:7, Ps 105:11). Being cast out means a severing of their unique relationship with the land as the place of God's presence and blessing, a fundamental breach of the covenant (Lev 26:33).
• into a land that you do not know (אֶל־אֶ֧רֶץ אֲשֶׁר־לֹא־יְדַעְתֶּ֣ם - el-erets asher-lo-yedatem): The Hebrew erets asher lo yeda'tem stresses the profound unfamiliarity and alien nature of their destination. This brings deep existential dread, as ancient identity was inextricably tied to land. It means no familiar customs, gods, or support systems, amplifying their vulnerability. It speaks to a complete uprooting and loss of belonging.
• neither you nor your fathers (אַתֶּ֛ם וַאֲבֹתֵיכֶ֖ם - atem va'avotekhem): This highlights the unprecedented nature of the exile. Previous generations might have experienced local skirmishes or brief subjugation, but never a wholesale removal to such a distant and unknown land. It implies a deeper, collective generational failure leading to this unique, severe judgment.
• and there (וְשָׁ֗ם - ve'sham): Emphasizes the location of their continued suffering and the stark contrast to their expectation of receiving blessings in their homeland.
• you shall serve other gods (וַעֲבַדְתֶּ֤ם שָׁם֙ אֱלֹהִ֣ים אֲחֵרִ֔ים - va'avadtem sham elohim acherim): Avadtem means "you shall serve, work for." This is not a divine command to worship foreign gods, but rather an ironic and painful consequence of their idolatry. In exile, surrounded by nations worshipping false deities, without Yahweh's covenant presence or protection, they will either be compelled to participate in such worship or, more deeply, will find themselves in a land where their true God will no longer actively deliver or favor them, leaving them in a state where their chosen "gods" offer no help. Their desperate quest for other gods back home led to a situation where they are surrounded by and subject to those "gods" powerlessness, and ultimately the withdrawal of Yahweh's favor.
• day and night (יוֹמָ֥ם וָלָֽיְלָה - yomam valailah): This phrase intensifies the preceding "serve other gods." It means constantly, without respite, suggesting ceaseless distress, burden, and a desperate, futile existence. There will be no escape from their harsh reality or the realization of the emptiness of their false gods.
• where I will give you no favor (אֲשֶׁ֛ר לֹא־אֶתֵּ֥ן לָכֶ֖ם חֲנִינָֽה - asher lo-etten lakhem khanina): Khanina (favor, grace, pity) comes from the root חָנַן (hanan), to be gracious, show favor. This is the crucial point: God will actively withhold His graciousness, protection, and deliverance. It signifies a complete severing of the covenant relationship of grace that had characterized Yahweh's dealings with Israel. Even if they call upon other gods, or even upon Him in desperation, He will offer no help in that context. It is the ultimate divine abandonment resulting from their rebellion.

Words-group by words-group analysis:

• "Therefore I will cast you out of this land": The ultimate breaking of the covenant promise of land. God, as the divine landlord, evicts His disobedient tenants, signaling the end of their favored status and presence in His holy territory due to their persistent sin. This judgment is an act of divine sovereignty and justice.
• "into a land that you do not know, neither you nor your fathers": Emphasizes absolute displacement, cultural shock, and the severing of generational memory and ties. It's a land beyond their collective experience, designed to disorient and humble them, contrasting sharply with their secure life in the promised land (Deut 28:36).
• "and there you shall serve other gods day and night": The pinnacle of irony and judgment. They worshipped idols hoping for prosperity; now, in exile, without Yahweh's grace, they will be utterly reliant on and surrounded by these powerless entities, without relief. It's a stark portrayal of the fruitlessness of their idolatrous choices, leading to endless spiritual servitude without real benefit.
• "where I will give you no favor": This is the heart of the judgment's severity. It isn't just about geographical displacement or even just the serving of other gods. It's the divine withdrawal of grace, mercy, and protection—the fundamental elements of Yahweh's covenant relationship. Without His favor, all other suffering is intensified; there is no hope, no relief from the only true source.

Jeremiah 16 13 Bonus section

The historical backdrop of Jeremiah's prophecy predates the actual Babylonian exile by several decades, serving as a prophetic warning to urge repentance. The people, however, largely disregarded Jeremiah, demonstrating the severity of their spiritual blindness and stubbornness. This verse highlights a theological polemic: it challenges the popular but erroneous belief that Yahweh would always protect Jerusalem and Judah because of the Temple, regardless of their sin (Jer 7:4). God's message here is a direct contradiction, demonstrating that His holiness and covenant fidelity demanded justice, even if it meant destroying His own sanctuary and exiling His chosen people. The severity ("neither you nor your fathers") underscores that this judgment was unique, reserved for profound and prolonged unfaithfulness. It also foreshadows a deeper New Testament principle: spiritual idolatry (worship of self, money, or anything over God) also leads to a separation from God's favor and can result in spiritual exile, where one seeks "favor" from things that offer no lasting sustenance (Rom 1:21-25).

Jeremiah 16 13 Commentary

Jeremiah 16:13 is a pronouncement of categorical divine judgment, outlining the dire consequences of Judah's ingrained idolatry. God's decisive act of "casting out" underscores His sovereignty and active role in history, refuting any notion of passive deity or unconcerned Lord. The destination—an unknown land, unfamiliar even to their forefathers—symbolizes profound disorientation and the complete shattering of national identity and security rooted in the promised land. This exile serves as a physical manifestation of their spiritual abandonment of Yahweh. The "serving of other gods day and night" in this foreign land is a bitter irony: they pursued idols in their homeland for perceived benefit, and now, removed from Yahweh's favor, they will experience a desolate, unceasing subservience where those gods prove utterly powerless. Crucially, God explicitly states, "I will give you no favor." This withdrawal of khanina (grace, mercy, pity) signals the severing of the covenant relationship of divine protection and blessing. The exile, therefore, is not merely punishment but a stark object lesson in the futility of idolatry and the grave cost of forsaking the one true God for worthless idols. It demonstrates that without Yahweh's favor, no other "god" can provide genuine blessing or deliverance.

• Example: A farmer who meticulously neglects his fertile fields, instead praying to rain idols, then experiences forced eviction to barren land where all his previous "gods" offer no help, and his former benefactor (landowner) will provide no aid. The consequence of neglect and misdirected trust.