1Tak mi pravil Hospodin: Jdi a kup si lněný pás, uvaž si ho kolem beder, ale do vody ho nedávej! 2Koupil jsem si tedy pás podle Hospodinova slova a uvázal si ho kolem beder. 3Hospodin mě oslovil podruhé takto: 4Vezmi pás, který sis koupil a máš okolo beder, vstaň, jdi k Eufratu a ukryj ho tam do skalní díry. 5Odešel jsem tedy a ukryl jsem ho u Eufratu, jak mi přikázal Hospodin. 6Po mnohých dnech mi Hospodin řekl: Vstaň, jdi k Eufratu a vezmi odtud pás, který jsem ti přikázal tam ukrýt. 7I odešel jsem k Eufratu, kopal jsem a vzal jsem pás z místa, kde jsem ho ukryl, avšak ten pás byl shnilý, takže nebyl k potřebě. 8Pak mě Hospodin oslovil: 9Toto praví Hospodin: Tak shnije Judova pýcha a veliká pýcha Jeruzaléma; 10tento zlý lid, který nechce poslouchat má slova a chodí v zatvrzelosti svého srdce, který odešel za cizími bohy, aby jim sloužil a klaněl se jim, bude jako tento pás, který se k ničemu nehodí. 11Neboť jako se přivazuje pás k bedrům muže, tak jsem k sobě připoutal celý Izraelův i Judův dům – praví Hospodin – aby byli mým lidem, jménem, chválou a slávou, ale neposlechli. 12Řekneš jim toto: Tak praví Hospodin, Bůh Izraele: Každý džbán se plní vínem. Když pak ti řeknou: Copak nevíme, že se každý džbán plní vínem? 13- odpovíš jim: Tak praví Hospodin: Hle – naplním opilstvím všechny obyvatele této země, krále, kteří sedí na Davidově trůně, kněze a proroky, všechny jeruzalémské obyvatele 14a rozbiji jednoho o druhého, jak otce, tak také syny – praví Hospodin; nesmiluji se, neušetřím, neslituji se, dokud je nezahubím. 15Slyšte, dejte pozor, nebuďte zpupní, neboť mluví Hospodin. 16Vzdejte čest Hospodinu, svému Bohu, dříve než bude tma, dříve než v soumraku narazí vaše nohy o hory; budete čekat světlo, on však ho změní v stín, udělá z něho temnotu. 17Jestliže však této výstrahy neuposlechnete, ve skrytosti zapláči, nad vaší pýchou hořce zanaříkám, z oka mi vyprýští slzy, že Hospodinovo stádce jde do vyhnanství. 18Řekni králi i královně matce: „Sedněte na zem! Vaše nádherná koruna vám padá z hlavy!“ 19Jižní města jsou zavřena, nikdo je neotvírá. Celý Juda je odveden do vyhnanství, odveden do posledního muže. 20Pozdvihni oči a pohleď na ty, kteří přicházejí od severu. Kde je stádce, které ti bylo dáno, tvůj nádherný brav? 21Co řekneš, až ti za pány ustanoví ty, které jsi vychovala, aby byli tvými přáteli? Nezachvátí tě bolesti jako ženu, která rodí? 22Řekneš si snad v duchu: Proč mě tohle potkalo? – Pro tvou velkou nepravost byl odkryt lem tvého šatu, tvoje paty trpí bolest. 23Může mouřenín změnit svou kůži nebo pardál svoje pruhy? Mohli byste dělat dobro i vy, kteří jste zvyklí na zlo? 24Rozptýlím je jako stébla slámy, kterými zmítá vítr z pouště. 25To je tvůj los a úděl, který jsem ti odměřil – praví Hospodin. Protože jsi na mě zapomněla a doufala v lež, 26přehodím lem tvého šatu na tvou tvář, aby se ukázala tvoje hanba, 27tvá cizoložství, tvé řehtání, tvé hanebné smilstvo. Na pahorcích a v poli viděl jsem tvé ohavnosti. Běda tobě, Jeruzaléme, že se nechceš očistit! Jak dlouho budeš váhat s obrácením?
Jamieson Fausset Brown Bible Commentary 1 SYMBOLICAL PROPHECY (
Jer 13:1-
Jer 13:7). (Jer. 13:1-27)
put it upon thy loins, &c.--expressing the close intimacy wherewith Jehovah had joined Israel and Judah to Him (
Jer 13:11).
linen--implying it was the inner garment next the skin, not the outer one.
put it not in water--signifying the moral filth of His people, like the literal filth of a garment worn constantly next the skin, without being washed (
Jer 13:10). GROTIUS understands a garment not bleached, but left in its native roughness, just as Judah had no beauty, but was adopted by the sole grace of God (
Ezek 16:4-
Ezek 16:6). "Neither wast thou washed in water," &c.
4 Euphrates--In order to support the view that Jeremiah's act was outward, HENDERSON considers that the Hebrew Phrath here is Ephratha, the original name of Beth-lehem, six miles south of Jerusalem, a journey easy to be made by Jeremiah. The non-addition of the word "river," which usually precedes Phrath, when meaning Euphrates, favors this view. But I prefer English Version. The Euphrates is specified as being near Babylon, the Jews future place of exile.
hole--typical of the prisons in which the Jews were to be confined.
the rock--some well-known rock. A sterile region, such as was that to which the Jews were led away (compare
Isa 7:19) [GROTIUS].
6 after many days--Time enough was given for the girdle to become unfit for use. So, in course of time, the Jews became corrupted by the heathen idolatries around, so as to cease to be witnesses of Jehovah; they must, therefore, be cast away as a "marred" or spoiled girdle.
9 (
Lev 26:19).
10 imagination--rather, "obstinacy."
11 (
Jer 33:9;
Exod 19:5).
glory--an ornament to glory in.
12 A new image.
Do we not . . . know . . . wine--The "bottles" are those used in the East, made of skins; our word "hogshead," originally "oxhide," alludes to the same custom. As they were used to hold water, milk, and other liquids, what the prophet said (namely, that they should be all filled with wine) was not, as the Jews' taunting reply implied, a truism even literally. The figurative sense which is what Jeremiah chiefly meant, they affected not to understand. As wine intoxicates, so God's wrath and judgments shall reduce them to that state of helpless distraction that they shall rush on to their own ruin (
Jer 25:15;
Jer 49:12;
Isa 51:17,
Isa 51:21-
Isa 51:22;
Isa 63:6).
13 upon David's throne--literally, who sit for David on his throne; implying the succession of the Davidic family (
Jer 22:4).
all--indiscriminately of every rank.
14 dash-- (
Ps 2:9). As a potter's vessel (
Rev 2:27).
15 be not proud--Pride was the cause of their contumacy, as humility is the first step to obedience (
Jer 13:17;
Ps 10:4).
16 Give glory, &c.--Show by repentance and obedience to God, that you revere His majesty. So Joshua exhorted Achan to "give glory to God" by confessing his crime, thereby showing he revered the All-knowing God.
stumble--image from travellers stumbling into a fatal abyss when overtaken by nightfall (
Isa 5:30;
Isa 59:9-
Isa 59:10;
Amos 8:9).
dark mountains--literally, "mountains of twilight" or "gloom," which cast such a gloomy shadow that the traveller stumbles against an opposing rock before he sees it (
John 11:10;
John 12:35).
shadow of death--the densest gloom; death shade (
Ps 44:19). Light and darkness are images of prosperity and adversity.
17 hear it--my exhortation.
in secret--as one mourning and humbling himself for their sin, not self-righteously condemning them (
Phil 3:18).
pride--(see on
Jer 13:15;
Job 33:17).
flock-- (
Jer 13:20), just as kings and leaders are called pastors.
18 king--Jehoiachin or Jeconiah.
queen--the queen mother who, as the king was not more than eighteen years old, held the chief power. Nehushta, daughter of Elnathan, carried away captive with Jehoiachin by Nebuchadnezzar (
2Kgs 24:8-15).
Humble yourselves--that is, Ye shall be humbled, or brought low (
Jer 22:26;
Jer 28:2).
your principalities--rather, "your head ornament."
19 cities of the south--namely, south of Judea; farthest off from the enemy, who advanced from the north.
shut up--that is, deserted (
Isa 24:10); so that none shall be left to open the gates to travellers and merchants again [HENDERSON]. Rather, shut up so closely by Nebuchadnezzar's forces, sent on before (
2Kgs 24:10-11), that none shall be allowed by the enemy to get out (compare
Jer 13:20).
wholly--literally, "fully"; completely.
20 from . . . north--Nebuchadnezzar and his hostile army (
Jer 1:14;
Jer 6:22).
flock . . . given thee--Jeremiah, amazed at the depopulation caused by Nebuchadnezzar's forces, addresses Jerusalem (a noun of multitude, which accounts for the blending of plural and singular, Your eyes . . . thee . . . thy flock), and asks where is the population (
Jer 13:17, "flock") which God had given her?
21 captains, and as chief--literally, "princes as to headship"; or "over thy head," namely, the Chaldeans. Rather, translate, "What wilt thou say when God will set them (the enemies,
Jer 13:20) above thee, seeing that thou thyself hast accustomed them (to be) with thee as (thy) lovers in the highest place (literally, 'at thy head')? Thou canst not say God does thee wrong, seeing it was thou that gave occasion to His dealing so with thee, by so eagerly courting their intimacy." Compare
Jer 2:18,
Jer 2:36;
2Kgs 23:29, as to the league of Judah with Babylon, which led Josiah to march against Pharaoh-necho, when the latter was about to attack Babylon [MAURER].
sorrows--pains, throes.
22 if thou say--connecting this verse with "What wilt thou say" (
Jer 13:21)?
skirts discovered--that is, are thrown up so as to expose the person (
Jer 13:26;
Isa 3:17;
Nah 3:5).
heels made bare--The sandal was fastened by a thong above the heel to the instep. The Hebrew, is, "are violently handled," or "torn off"; that is, thou art exposed to ignominy. Image from an adulteress.
23 Ethiopian--the Cushite of Abyssinia. Habit is second nature; as therefore it is morally impossible that the Jews can alter their inveterate habits of sin, nothing remains but the infliction of the extremest punishment, their expatriation (
Jer 13:24).
24 (
Ps 1:4).
by the wind--before the wind.
of the wilderness--where the wind has full sweep, not being broken by any obstacle.
25 portion of thy measures--the portion which I have measured out to thee (
Job 20:29;
Ps 11:6).
falsehood-- (
Jer 13:27), false gods and alliances with foreign idolaters.
26 discover . . . upon thy face--rather, "throw up thy skirts over thy face," or head; done by way of ignominy to captive women and to prostitutes (
Nah 3:5). The Jews' punishment should answer to their crime. As their sin had been perpetrated in the most public places, so God would expose them to the contempt of other nations most openly (
Lam 1:8).
27 neighings-- (
Jer 5:8), image from the lust of horses; the lust after idols degrades to the level of the brute.
hills--where, as being nearer heaven, sacrifices were thought most acceptable to the gods.
wilt thou not . . . ? when--literally, "thou wilt not be made clean after how long a time yet." (So
Jer 13:23). Jeremiah denies the moral possibility of one so long hardened in sin becoming soon cleansed. But see
Jer 32:17;
Luke 18:27.