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Commentary on Jeremiah 13 verses 22–27
Here is, I. Ruin threatened as before, that the Jews shall go into captivity, and fall under all the miseries of beggary and bondage, shall be stripped of their clothes, their skirts discovered for want of upper garments to cover them, and their heels made bare for want of shoes, Jer 13:22. Thus they used to deal with prisoners taken in war, when they drove them into captivity, naked and barefoot, Isa 20:4. Being thus carried off into a strange country, they shall be scattered there, as the stubble that is blown away by the wind of the wilderness, and nobody is concerned to bring it together again, Jer 13:24. If the stubble escape the fire, it shall be carried away by the wind. If one judgment do not do the work, another shall, with those that by sin have made themselves as stubble. They shall be stripped of all their ornaments and exposed to shame, as harlots that are carted, Jer 13:26. They made their pride appear, but God will make their shame appear; so that those who have doted on them shall be ashamed of them.
II. An enquiry made by the people into the cause of this ruin, Jer 13:22. Thou wilt say in thy heart (and God knows how to give a proper answer to what men say in their hearts, though they do not speak it out; Jesus, knowing their thoughts, replied to them, Mat 9:4), Wherefore came these things upon me? The question is supposed to come into the heart, 1. Of a sinner quarrelling with God and refusing to receive correction. They could not see that they had done any thing which might justly provoke God to be thus angry with them. They durst not speak it out; but in their hearts they thus charged God with unrighteousness, if he had laid upon them more than was meet. They seek for the cause of their calamities, when, if they had not been willfully blind, they might easily have seen it. Or, 2. Of a sinner returning to God. If there come but a penitent thought into the heart at any time (saying, What have I done? Jer 8:6, wherefore am I in affliction? why doth God contend with me?) God takes notice of it, and is ready by his Spirit to impress the conviction, that, sin being discovered, it may be repented of.
III. An answer to this enquiry. God will be justified when he speaks and will oblige us to justify him, and therefore will set the sin of sinners in order before them. Do they ask, Wherefore come these things upon us? Let them know it is all owing to themselves.
1.It is for the greatness of their iniquities, Jer 13:22. God does not take advantage against them for small faults; no, the sins for which he now punishes them are of the first rate, very heinous in their own nature and highly aggravated - for the multitude of thy iniquity (so it may be read), sins of every kind and often repeated and relapsed into. Some think we are more in danger from the multitude of our smaller sins than from the heinousness of our greater sins; of both we may say, Who can understand his errors?
2.It is for their obstinacy in sin, their being so long accustomed to it that there was little hope left of their being reclaimed from it (Jer 13:23): Can the Ethiopian change his skin, that is by nature black, or the leopard his spots, that are even woven into the skin? Dirt contracted may be washed off, but we cannot alter the natural colour of a hair (Mat 5:36), much less of the skin; and so impossible is it, morally impossible, to reclaim and reform these people. (1.) They had been long accustomed to do evil. They were taught to do evil; they had been educated and brought up in sin; they had served an apprenticeship to it, and had all their days made a trade of it. It was so much their constant practice that it had become a second nature to them. (2.) Their prophets therefore despaired of ever bring them to do good. This was what they aimed at; they persuaded them to cease to do evil and learn to do well, but could not prevail. They had so long been used to do evil that it was next to impossible for them to repent, and amend, and begin to do good. Note, Custom in sin is a very great hindrance to conversion from sin. The disease that is inveterate is generally thought incurable. Those that have been long accustomed to sin have shaken off the restraint of fear and shame; their consciences are seared; the habits of sin are confirmed; it pleads prescription; and it is just with God to give those up to their own hearts' lusts that have long refused to give themselves up to his grace. Sin is the blackness of the soul, the deformity of it; it is its spot, the discolouring of it; it is natural to us, we were shapen in it, so that we cannot get clear of it by any power of our own. But there is an almighty grace that is able to change the Ethiopian's skin, and that grace shall not be wanting to those who in a sense of their need of it seek it earnestly and improve it faithfully.
3.It is for their treacherous departures from the God of truth and dependence on lying vanities (Jer 13:25): "This is thy lot, to be scattered and driven away; this is the portion of thy measures from me, the punishment assigned thee as by line and measure; this shall be thy share of the miseries of this world; expect it, and think not to escape it: it is because thou hast forgotten me, the favours I have bestowed upon thee and the obligations thou art under to me; thou hast no sense, no remembrance, of these." Forgetfulness of God is at the bottom of all sin, as the remembrance of our Creator betimes is the happy and hopeful beginning of a holy life. "Having forgotten me, thou hast trusted in falsehood, in idols, in an arm of flesh in Egypt and Assyria, in the self-flatteries of a deceitful heart." Whatever those trust to that forsake God, they will find it a broken reed, a broken cistern.
4.It is for their idolatry, their spiritual whoredom, that sin which is of all sins most provoking to the jealous God. They are exposed to a shameful calamity (Jer 13:26) because they have been guilty of a shameful iniquity and yet are shameless in it (Jer 13:27): "I have seen thy adulteries (thy inordinate fancy for strange gods, which thou hast been impatient for the gratification of, and hast even neighed after it), even the lewdness of thy whoredoms, thy impudence and insatiableness in them, thy eager worshipping of idols on the hills in the fields, upon the high places. This is that for which a woe is denounced against thee, O Jerusalem! nay, and many woes."
IV. Here is an affectionate expostulation with them, in the close, upon the whole matter. Though it was adjudged next to impossible for them to be brought to do good (Jer 13:23), yet while there is life there is hope, and therefore still he reasons with them to bring them to repentance, Jer 13:27. 1. He reasons with them concerning the thing itself: Wilt thou not be made clean? Note, It is the great concern of those who are polluted by sin to be made clean by repentance, and faith, and a universal reformation. The reason why sinners are not made clean is because they will not be made clean; and herein they act most unreasonably: "Wilt thou not be made clean? Surely thou will at length be persuaded to wash thee, and make thee clean, and so be wise for thyself." 2. Concerning the time of it: When shall it once be? Note, It is an instance of the wonderful grace of God that he desires the repentance and conversion of sinners, and thinks the time long till they are brought to relent; but it is an instance of the wonderful folly of sinners that they put that off from time to time which is of such absolute necessity that, if it be not done some time, they are certainly undone for ever. They do not say that they will never be cleansed, but not yet; they will defer it to a more convenient season, but cannot tell us when it shall once be.
(Verse 24, 25.) And I will scatter them like chaff that is blown away by the wind in the desert. This is your portion and your measure from me, says the Lord (or also a part of your disobedience against me). Because by excessive habit of evils, they could not change their nature, not by the fault of the creator, but by the inclination towards wickedness, therefore I will scatter them like chaff blown away by the wind into the wilderness, according to what is written elsewhere: Like dust that the wind scatters from the face of the earth (Psalm 1, 4). And it makes an appeal to Jerusalem itself: that this is its fate, and this is the portion that it has chosen for itself, complete and overflowing, or rather, a part of its disobedience, in which it did not want to submit to God. For the measure with which it measures will be measured back to it.
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SUMMARY
Jeremiah 13:25 delivers a profound divine indictment against the kingdom of Judah, unequivocally declaring that their impending "lot" or destiny of judgment is a direct, divinely apportioned consequence of their profound spiritual apostasy. This verse sternly articulates that their future suffering is not arbitrary misfortune but a just measure from the LORD, precisely because they have deliberately forgotten their covenant with Him and have placed their trust in deceptive and empty alternatives. It encapsulates a fundamental biblical principle: spiritual rebellion against God inevitably leads to divinely ordained and severe repercussions, underscoring God's sovereignty, justice, and the inescapable nature of covenantal faithfulness.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
Jeremiah 13:25 masterfully employs several potent literary devices to convey its message with striking clarity and force. The most prominent is Divine Declaration, powerfully conveyed through the recurring prophetic formula "saith the LORD" (Jeremiah 13:25). This phrase functions as an authoritative pronouncement, lending absolute weight, certainty, and inevitability to the divine judgment. The verse also utilizes effective Parallelism in the phrases "thy lot" and "the portion of thy measures," which are synonymous expressions that reinforce and intensify the idea of a divinely assigned destiny. This parallelism emphasizes the precision, intentionality, and just nature of God's judgment. Furthermore, the verse functions as a concise yet profound Cause and Effect statement, clearly linking Judah's spiritual failings ("forgotten me, and trusted in falsehood") to their divinely ordained consequence ("This [is] thy lot"). The very concept of "lot" itself can be seen as a powerful Metaphor for destiny or an assigned portion, drawing on the ancient cultural practice of casting lots to determine outcomes, thereby implying that Judah's future is a fixed, inescapable reality determined by God's righteous decree, not by chance.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Jeremiah 13:25 profoundly illustrates the biblical principle of divine justice and the inescapable covenantal consequences of apostasy. It underscores that God is not an indifferent or passive observer of human history but an active, righteous participant, holding His covenant people accountable for their faithfulness. The "lot" or portion Judah receives is a direct, measured reflection of their spiritual state—a consequence of their deliberate turning away from the living God and their pursuit of empty alternatives. This serves as a timeless theological warning: forgetting God and placing trust in anything other than Him inevitably leads to spiritual barrenness, divine judgment, and ultimately, destruction. It highlights the absolute necessity of remembering God's covenant, cherishing His Word, and placing exclusive, unwavering trust in Him, for true security, blessing, and life are found only in Him.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Jeremiah 13:25 stands as a sobering mirror, inviting us to critically examine the foundations of our own trust and the depth of our remembrance of God in our contemporary lives. In a world saturated with distractions, competing allegiances, and the relentless pursuit of fleeting satisfactions, it is alarmingly easy to subtly "forget" the LORD—not through outright denial, but through neglect: neglecting His Word, prayer, fellowship with His people, and the daily acknowledgment of His sovereignty and presence. When we forget God, we inevitably begin to "trust in falsehood"—whether it be the deceptive promises of materialism, the fleeting security of human systems, the alluring narrative of self-sufficiency, the empty ideologies of cultural idols, or the deceptive comfort of our own perceived wisdom. This verse challenges us to recognize that our "lot" or destiny, both individually and corporately, is profoundly shaped by these foundational choices. It calls for a radical reorientation, a conscious and consistent effort to remember God in all our ways, to cultivate a vibrant and intimate covenant relationship with Him, and to place our unwavering trust solely in His unchanging truth and faithfulness, thereby ensuring our portion is found in Him, not in the barrenness and ultimate futility of falsehood.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
What does it mean that Judah "forgotten" God?
Answer: When Jeremiah states that Judah "forgotten" God, it signifies much more than a simple lapse of memory or intellectual amnesia. In biblical terms, "forgetting" God (Hebrew: shâkach) implies a deliberate abandonment of the covenant relationship, a profound disregard for His commands and warnings, and a turning away from His presence and authority. It's a deep spiritual neglect that manifests in active disobedience, pervasive idolatry, and a failure to acknowledge God's rightful place and exclusive claim in their lives. This forgetfulness led them to cease caring for the covenant, effectively breaking their sacred bond with the LORD, as warned in passages like Deuteronomy 8:11. It was a choice to live as if God did not exist or was irrelevant to their daily affairs.
What kind of "falsehood" did Judah trust in?
Answer: The "falsehood" (Hebrew: sheqer) Judah trusted in refers broadly to anything that offered a deceptive alternative to the one true God, Yahweh. This primarily included pervasive idolatry—worshipping Baal, Asherah, and other foreign deities—which were inherently empty, powerless, and ultimately brought no salvation (Jeremiah 2:11). It also encompassed reliance on deceptive political alliances with powerful nations like Egypt or Assyria, believing these human strategies and treaties would provide security and deliverance instead of divine protection and provision (Jeremiah 2:36-37). Furthermore, it included trust in false prophets who spoke lies in the LORD's name, promising peace and prosperity when judgment was imminent (Jeremiah 14:14). In essence, "falsehood" encompassed any human construct, ideology, or spiritual alternative that offered empty promises and ultimately proved powerless and misleading, diverting Judah's trust from the only true source of life and security.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Jeremiah 13:25, with its stark declaration of divine judgment for forgetting God and trusting in falsehood, finds its ultimate Christ-centered fulfillment in the person and redemptive work of Jesus Christ. Humanity's universal "lot" due to sin was one of spiritual death, alienation from God, and eternal judgment, a direct consequence of our collective forgetting of our Creator and our pervasive trust in the "falsehood" of sin, self-reliance, and worldly idols. However, Jesus, the perfect Son, never forgot the Father and never trusted in falsehood. He perfectly embodied faithfulness, truth, and unwavering obedience to God (John 14:6). He came not to condemn, but to bear the "lot" of humanity's deserved judgment, becoming sin for us who knew no sin (2 Corinthians 5:21), so that through faith in Him, we might receive a new, undeserved "lot"—an inheritance of eternal life, righteousness, and reconciliation with God (Colossians 1:12). He is the ultimate truth who exposes all falsehood, and in Him, the new covenant is established, where God promises to put His laws in our minds and write them on our hearts, so that we will truly "remember" Him and never again forget Him, experiencing true intimacy and communion (Hebrews 8:10-12). Thus, our "lot" is miraculously transformed from one of deserved judgment to one of undeserved grace, adoption, and eternal communion, all made possible by Christ's perfect obedience, atoning sacrifice, and glorious resurrection.