Table of Contents
Jeremiah 13
Jeremiah 13
1 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.
2 So I got a girdle according to the word of the Lord, and put it on my loins.
3 And the word of the Lord came unto me the second time, saying,
4 Take the girdle that thou hast got, which is upon thy loins, and arise, go to Euphrates, and hide it there in a hole of the rock.
5 So I went, and hid it by Euphrates, as the Lord commanded me.
6 And it came to pass after many days, that the Lord said unto me, Arise, go to Euphrates, and take the girdle from thence, which I commanded thee to hide there.
7 Then I went to Euphrates, and digged, and took the girdle from the place where I had hid it: and, behold, the girdle was marred, it was profitable for nothing.
8 Then the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,
9 Thus saith the Lord, After this manner will I mar the pride of Judah, and the great pride of Jerusalem.
10 This evil people, which refuse to hear my words, which walk in the imagination of their heart, and walk after other gods, to serve them, and to worship them, shall even be as this girdle, which is good for nothing.
11 For as the girdle cleaveth to the loins of a man, so have I caused to cleave unto me the whole house of Israel and the whole house of Judah, saith the Lord; that they might be unto me for a people, and for a name, and for a praise, and for a glory: but they would not hear.
12 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?
13 Then shalt thou say unto them, Thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will fill all the inhabitants of this land, even the kings that sit upon David's throne, and the priests, and the prophets, and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, with drunkenness.
14 And I will dash them one against another, even the fathers and the sons together, saith the Lord: I will not pity, nor spare, nor have mercy, but destroy them.
15 Hear ye, and give ear; be not proud: for the Lord hath spoken.
16 Give glory to the Lord your God, before he cause darkness, and before your feet stumble upon the dark mountains, and, while ye look for light, he turn it into the shadow of death, and make it gross darkness.
17 But if ye will not hear it, my soul shall weep in secret places for your pride; and mine eye shall weep sore, and run down with tears, because the Lord's flock is carried away captive.
18 Say unto the king and to the queen, Humble yourselves, sit down: for your principalities shall come down, even the crown of your glory.
19 The cities of the south shall be shut up, and none shall open them: Judah shall be carried away captive all of it, it shall be wholly carried away captive.
20 Lift up your eyes, and behold them that come from the north: where is the flock that was given thee, thy beautiful flock?
21 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?
22 And if thou say in thine heart, Wherefore come these things upon me? For the greatness of thine iniquity are thy skirts discovered, and thy heels made bare.
23 Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? then may ye also do good, that are accustomed to do evil.
24 Therefore will I scatter them as the stubble that passeth away by the wind of the wilderness.
25 This is thy lot, the portion of thy measures from me, saith the Lord; because thou hast forgotten me, and trusted in falsehood.
26 Therefore will I discover thy skirts upon thy face, that thy shame may appear.
27 I have seen thine adulteries, and thy neighings, the lewdness of thy whoredom, and thine abominations on the hills in the fields. Woe unto thee, O Jerusalem! wilt thou not be made clean? when shall it once be?
Notes
Cross Reference
Commentary
Rashi
Verse 1
<html><b>a girdle</b> (pourceint in O.F.). <b>and do not put it in water</b> to wash it when it will be soaked with sweat, in order that it hasten to decay.</html>
Verse 7
<html><b>it was of no use for anything</b> It was not fit for anything.</html>
Verse 10
<html><b>and it shall be like this girdle</b> Their pride shall be like this rotten girdle.</html>
Verse 12
<html><b>bottle</b> Heb. נבל. This is an earthenware vessel, and it is used to hold wine.</html>
Verse 14
<html><b>And I will dash them one against the other</b> I will dash one against the other until they break into small pieces. Cf (Psalms 2:9) “Like a potter’s vessel shall you shatter them (תנפצם)” (ibid. 137: 9). “And dash ונפץ your babes”; and so is every expression of נפוץ in Scripture. <b>and the fathers and the sons</b> I will dash one against the other.</html>
Verse 16
<html><b>and before your feet stumble</b> Heb. יתנגפו (achopper in French), to stumble. <b>the dark mountains</b> Heb. נשף, the dark mountains when they go into exile. <b>and making it into a thick cloud</b> Heb. ושית, like ולשית, and to make the light into a thick cloud.</html>
Verse 17
<html><b>because of your pride</b> Because of your greatness which will be curtailed. Another explanation: Because of the pride of the kingdom of Heaven that will be given over to the idols of Babylon.</html>
Verse 18
<html><b>to the king and to the queen mother</b> Jehoiachin and his mother. <b>your greatness has come down</b> Heb. מראשתיכם (vostremijevec in O.F.), your ascent, as it is stated: (II Kings 24:12) “And Jehoiachin… came out to him (sic), he and his mother and his servants,” and he led all of them in exile.</html>
Verse 19
<html><b>The cities of the South are shut up</b> before those coming upon them from the north [i.e.,] the cities of Eretz Israel are shut up because of fear of Nebuchadnezzar. <b>she was exiled peacefully</b> Jehoiachin will not wage war, but he will come out peacefully, and he will exile them. Another interpretation. שלומים (gueredon in O.F.), reprisal. That is to say: she was exiled as the recompense for their iniquity. And Jonathan rendered in this manner: the recompense of their sins was received.</html>
Verse 20
<html><b>Lift your eyes and see</b> those coming upon you from the North. <b>Where is the flock that was given you</b> After they are exiled, this will be said to Jerusalem.</html>
Verse 21
<html><b>What will you say when He visits</b> i.e., when the Holy One, blessed be He, visits upon you? <b>when you accustomed them to be princes at your head</b> You sent emissaries to the Chaldees to bring their idols from there to worship them, as it is written in Ezekiel (23 16): “And she lusted for them to the sight of her eyes, and she sent emissaries to them, to the Chaldees.” Another explanation of “you accustomed them to be princes over you”: Hezekiah who showed the emissaries of Merodach-baladan his entire treasure house (Isaiah 39:2, II Kings 20:13).</html>
Verse 22
<html><b>your skirts</b> The skirts of the garments (tes ourlets in French), your hems. When a woman is stripped in a humiliating way, they turn her chemise upside down. <b>your steps cut off</b> Your ways are cut off. נחמסו is like (Lam. 2:6) “And He cut off (ויחמֹס) like a garden His dwelling.” <b>your steps</b> (traces in O.F.) Travelers have stopped.</html>
Verse 23
<html><b>a Cushite</b> Heb. כושי, the name of a black man, who is called Maure in French, a Moor. <b>or a leopard</b> leopard in French. <b>his spots</b> The leopard is spotted, and they are the spots (taches in French), and it is impossible for them to change. <b>to do evil</b> Heb. הרע, like להרע, to do evil.</html>
Verse 25
<html><b>the portion of your measures</b> The portion of your measures, a measure for a measure.</html>
Verse 26
<html><b>have uncovered your skirts</b> I have uncovered the hems of your garments upon your face.</html>
Verse 27
<html><b>your neighings</b> like the neighing of adulterous horses. <b>After when</b> will you ever become purified?</html>