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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 27) On the hills in the field, I saw your abominations. Woe to you, Jerusalem, you will not be cleansed (or because you have not been cleansed) after me, how much longer? Not only in the midst of the city of Jerusalem, but on every hill and in all the regions, I saw your idols, from which it is said to you: Woe to you, Jerusalem, because you have not been cleansed after me, to boast about following in my footsteps and proclaiming my name, yet you have never been cleansed because you have forgotten me and put your hope in lies. From where does he chastise her and say, How much longer? and what sense, how long will I wait for you? how long will I endure? how much longer will you forget me to the end, and despise my teachings? She commits fornication on the hills and in the fields, and is never cleansed, who with erect neck is not humbled by pride under the powerful hand of God, but trusts in her own sins and vices.
But if even real virgins, when they have other failings, are not saved by their physical virginity, what shall become of those who have prostituted the members of Christ and have changed the temple of the Holy Spirit into a brothel? Immediately they should hear the words, “Come down and sit in the dust, O virgin daughter of Babylon, sit on the ground—there is no throne, O daughter of the Chaldeans. You shall no more be called tender and delicate. Take the millstone and grind meal. Uncover your locks, make bare your legs, pass over the rivers. Your nakedness shall be uncovered. Yes, your shame shall be seen.” Shall she come to this after the bridal chamber of God the Son, after the kisses of him who is to her both kinsman and spouse? Yes, she of whom the prophetic utterance once sang, “At your right hand stands the queen in gold of Ophir,” shall be made naked, and her skirts shall be discovered on her face.
“After committing many transgressions,” he says, “you were not prepared to have recourse to repentance. I shall no longer demonstrate longsuffering. Instead, I will inflict punishment.” It is better, therefore, to live according to the divine laws. But since we who are human will most likely fall at some point, we ought to have recourse to the remedies of repentance, and through them placate the judge and escape the experience of the punishments he threatens. May we for our part continue to not experience them, thanks to the grace and lovingkindness of our Lord Jesus Christ.
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SUMMARY
Jeremiah 13:27 delivers a profound and sorrowful divine indictment against Judah, personified by Jerusalem, for its pervasive spiritual infidelity and moral depravity. Through the prophet Jeremiah, God unveils His intimate knowledge of their persistent idolatry, depicted in graphic terms of sexual immorality, which has defiled their covenant relationship. The verse culminates in a lamentable "Woe" and a poignant rhetorical question, revealing God's heartbreak over their unrepentant state and His longing for their purification, even as He pronounces the inevitable consequences of their stubborn rebellion.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
Jeremiah 13:27 is profoundly enriched by its use of vivid literary devices that amplify its message of divine indictment and lament. Metaphor is central, with Judah's idolatry consistently depicted as "adulteries" and "whoredom," drawing on the covenant relationship between God and Israel as a sacred marriage. This personification of Jerusalem as an unfaithful wife makes the betrayal deeply personal and emotionally charged, highlighting the relational brokenness caused by their sin. The use of "neighings" is a striking simile, comparing the nation's uncontrolled lust for false gods to the unrestrained sexual desire of horses, emphasizing the base, animalistic, and unbridled nature of their spiritual pursuit. The phrase "Woe unto thee, O Jerusalem!" functions as a powerful lament and a prophetic curse, conveying both divine sorrow over their condition and the certainty of impending judgment. Finally, the concluding rhetorical question, "wilt thou not be made clean? when shall it once be?", serves as a desperate divine plea, underscoring the depth of their defilement and God's yearning for their repentance, while simultaneously highlighting their stubborn refusal to turn and the apparent futility of such a hope.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Jeremiah 13:27 profoundly connects to the biblical themes of covenant fidelity, the nature of sin as spiritual idolatry, and God's just judgment tempered by His persistent desire for repentance. The graphic imagery of "adulteries" and "whoredom" underscores the deeply personal and relational aspect of Israel's sin against Yahweh, their divine husband and covenant partner. This unfaithfulness was not merely a breaking of rules but a betrayal of love and trust, leading to a defilement that permeated every aspect of their national life, symbolized by the "abominations on the hills." Yet, even in the pronouncement of "Woe," God's rhetorical question reveals His enduring compassion and His longing for His people to return to Him, demonstrating that divine judgment is often a painful consequence of unrepentant sin, rather than an arbitrary act, always holding out the possibility of purification.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Jeremiah 13:27 serves as a timeless mirror for self-examination, urging us to consider the nature of our own devotion to God. The "adulteries" and "whoredom" of ancient Judah represent anything that takes the place of God in our hearts today—be it ambition, comfort, relationships, material possessions, or even self-righteousness. These become our "high places" where we engage in "abominations" that subtly or overtly divert our worship and affection from the One true God. The divine observation, "I have seen," reminds us of God's omniscience and His intimate knowledge of our inner lives, challenging us to live with integrity and wholehearted devotion before Him. God's lament, "Woe unto thee," should stir a holy fear and a recognition of the serious consequences of spiritual compromise and unrepentant sin. His poignant question, "wilt thou not be made clean? when shall it once be?", remains a powerful and tender call to sincere repentance, urging us to confront any areas of spiritual defilement and to actively pursue purity and renewed, exclusive commitment to Christ, trusting in His power to truly cleanse.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
What does "neighings" mean in this context?
Answer: The term "neighings" (Hebrew: matshâlâh, H4684) in Jeremiah 13:27 is a striking and graphic metaphor derived from the lustful sounds made by horses, particularly stallions in heat. In this prophetic context, it is used to describe Judah's unrestrained, passionate, and animalistic pursuit of idolatry. It suggests that their turning away from Yahweh to worship false gods was not a passive or accidental act, but an eager, uncontrolled, and fervent desire, akin to the unbridled lust of animals. This vivid imagery underscores the depth of their spiritual depravity and their enthusiastic embrace of practices detestable to God, as seen in their devotion to pagan rituals on the high places.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Jeremiah 13:27, with its lament over Judah's deep-seated sin and unfaithfulness, finds its ultimate Christ-centered fulfillment in several profound ways. The "adulteries" and "abominations" that so grieved God in the Old Covenant pointed to humanity's universal sin problem—our inherent spiritual rebellion and inability to truly cleanse ourselves. The rhetorical question, "wilt thou not be made clean? when shall it once be?", highlights humanity's desperate need for a cleansing beyond self-effort, a purification that no human ritual or resolve could achieve. This profound cleansing is perfectly and completely offered in Jesus Christ. He is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, whose atoning sacrifice on the cross provides the ultimate purification from all "lewdness" and "whoredom" of the heart (Hebrews 9:14). Furthermore, Jesus, as the true Israel, perfectly fulfilled the covenant that Judah so grievously broke, establishing a new covenant in His blood where genuine cleansing and transformation of the heart are made possible through the indwelling Holy Spirit (Jeremiah 31:31-34). Thus, the "woe" pronounced upon unrepentant Jerusalem foreshadows the just judgment for all who reject Christ, while the longing for cleansing is answered in the saving grace and transforming power available to all who turn to Him, for He is the one who makes us clean by the washing of water with the word and presents us without blemish before God.