18:12 18:12

Jeremiah 18:13

18:14 18:14

Bible Versions

Therefore thus saith the LORD; Ask ye now among the heathen, who hath heard such things: the virgin of Israel hath done a very horrible thing.
Therefore thus saith {H559} the LORD {H3068}; Ask {H7592} ye now among the heathen {H1471}, who hath heard {H8085} such things: the virgin {H1330} of Israel {H3478} hath done {H6213} a very {H3966} horrible thing {H8186}.
"Therefore, ADONAI says this: 'Ask among the nations who has heard anything like this. The virgin Isra'el has done a most horrible thing.
Therefore this is what the LORD says: “Inquire among the nations: Who has ever heard things like these? Virgin Israel has done a most terrible thing.
Therefore thus saith Jehovah: Ask ye now among the nations, who hath heard such things; the virgin of Israel hath done a very horrible thing.

Jeremiah 18:13 delivers a powerful divine lament and indictment against the nation of Israel. The Lord expresses profound shock and grief over their spiritual condition, declaring their actions to be so abominable that even pagan nations would be astonished.

Context

This verse follows the significant passage of the potter and the clay in Jeremiah 18:1-12, where God illustrates His sovereign right to reshape a nation based on its moral and spiritual choices. If a nation repents, He will relent from judgment; if it persists in evil, He will bring calamity. Jeremiah 18:13 serves as God's direct accusation, revealing Israel's failure to heed His warnings and their continued path of rebellion, leading to the pronouncement of inevitable judgment. It highlights the depth of their spiritual depravity despite their unique covenant relationship with the Lord.

Key Themes

  • Unprecedented Apostasy: The rhetorical question, "Ask ye now among the heathen, who hath heard such things?" underscores the extraordinary nature of Israel's sin. Their spiritual infidelity was so profound and shocking that even nations unfamiliar with the true God would find it incomprehensible. This emphasizes the gravity of their betrayal against the Lord who had chosen them, delivered them, and established a covenant with them.
  • God's Profound Grief and Indignation: The phrase "the virgin of Israel" is a tender, intimate term, symbolizing Israel's purity at the time of her covenant with God and His deep affection for her. For this "virgin" to commit a "very horrible thing" signifies a profound betrayal akin to spiritual adultery. It reveals God's deep sorrow and indignation over His beloved people turning away from Him, often for idols made by human hands.
  • Deliberate Rejection of Truth: The "horrible thing" refers to Israel's widespread idolatry, moral corruption, and their forsaking of the living God for false deities and practices (as detailed in Jeremiah's preceding chapters). This was not an accidental straying but a fundamental and persistent rejection of their covenant responsibilities and the very source of their blessing and identity. Jeremiah frequently laments their forsaking of God, the fountain of living waters, for broken cisterns that can hold no water.

Linguistic Insights

The Hebrew phrase translated "horrible thing" (sha'arurah) conveys a strong sense of something appalling, disgusting, or repulsive. It is used to describe acts that are morally and spiritually abhorrent, causing shock and horror. This emphasizes the severity of Israel's actions in God's eyes, portraying them not merely as mistakes but as deeply offensive abominations.

Practical Application

Jeremiah 18:13 serves as a sobering reminder for all believers today. It challenges us to examine our own hearts and lives: are we truly devoted to God, or have we allowed other things to take His rightful place? Anything that displaces God in our affections, priorities, or worship can become a modern idol. The verse underscores that spiritual complacency, disobedience, and idolatry are not light matters to God. He desires our exclusive devotion, just as He did with Israel. It calls us to a renewed commitment to Him, ensuring that our lives do not commit a "horrible thing" by turning away from the source of all life and blessing. We are called to flee from all forms of idolatry.

Note: Commentary is generated by AI with a directive for Biblical fidelity. Always rely on the Holy Spirit for discernment. The Scripture text and cross-references are from verified, non-AI sources.

  • Jeremiah 5:30

    A wonderful and horrible thing is committed in the land;

  • Jeremiah 23:14

    I have seen also in the prophets of Jerusalem an horrible thing: they commit adultery, and walk in lies: they strengthen also the hands of evildoers, that none doth return from his wickedness: they are all of them unto me as Sodom, and the inhabitants thereof as Gomorrah.

  • Jeremiah 2:10

    For pass over the isles of Chittim, and see; and send unto Kedar, and consider diligently, and see if there be such a thing.

  • Jeremiah 2:13

    For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, [and] hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water.

  • Isaiah 66:8

    Who hath heard such a thing? who hath seen such things? Shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day? [or] shall a nation be born at once? for as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children.

  • Hosea 6:10

    I have seen an horrible thing in the house of Israel: there [is] the whoredom of Ephraim, Israel is defiled.

  • Jeremiah 31:4

    Again I will build thee, and thou shalt be built, O virgin of Israel: thou shalt again be adorned with thy tabrets, and shalt go forth in the dances of them that make merry.
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