1Hospodin ke mně promluvil: "Jdi si koupit lněný pás. Opásej se jím na bedrech, ale ve vodě ho neper." 2Koupil jsem si tedy bederní pás, jak Hospodin řekl, a opásal se jím. 3Znovu jsem dostal slovo Hospodinovo: 4"Vezmi ten pás, který sis koupil a který nosíš na bedrech, vstaň, jdi k Pratu a tam ho schovej ve skalní puklině." 5Šel jsem tedy a schoval jej u Pratu, jak mi Hospodin přikázal. 6Po mnoha dnech mi pak Hospodin řekl: "Vstaň, jdi k Pratu a vezmi odtud onen pás, který jsem ti tam přikázal schovat." 7Šel jsem tedy k Pratu na místo, kde jsem pás předtím schoval, vyhrabal jsem ho, a hle - pás byl plesnivý a úplně na nic. 8Tehdy jsem dostal slovo Hospodinovo: 9"Toto praví Hospodin: Právě tak zkazím pýchu Judy a nesmírnou pýchu Jeruzaléma! 10Tento zlý lid, který odmítá poslouchat má slova, který se řídí svým zarputilým srdcem a odchází za cizími bohy, aby jim sloužil a klaněl se jim, bude jako tento pás - úplně na nic. 11Jako se pás ovíjí kolem lidských beder, tak jsem k sobě přivinul celý dům Izraele a celý dům Judy, praví Hospodin. Chtěl jsem, aby byli mým lidem, mým věhlasem, chválou a ozdobou, oni však neposlouchali." 12"Vyřiď jim tato slova. Tak praví Hospodin, Bůh Izraele: Každý džbán se plní vínem. Když ti namítnou: ‚Copak nevíme, že se každý džbán plní vínem?' 13řekni jim - Tak praví Hospodin: Hle, já všechny obyvatele této země, krále sedící na Davidově trůnu, kněze, proroky i všechny obyvatele Jeruzaléma, naplním tak, že budou opilí. 14Roztříštím je jedny o druhé, rodiče i děti, praví Hospodin. Nebudu mít soucit ani slitování, nesmiluji se, dokud je nezničím." 15Pozorně poslouchejte, odložte pýchu, vždyť mluvil Hospodin. 16Vzdejte slávu Hospodinu, svému Bohu, dříve než tmou vše zahalí, dříve než vaše nohy zakopnou v příšeří mezi horami. Vyhlížíte světlo, on je však promění v stín smrti, obrátí je ve tmu nejhlubší. 17Jestliže neposlechnete, spláču nad vaší pýchou potají, mé oči budou plakat hořce, přetékat budou slzami nad Hospodinovým stádem odvlečeným do zajetí. 18"Vyřiď králi a královně matce: ‚Sesedněte z trůnů na zem; vaše skvostné koruny vám spadnou z hlav!' 19Města v Negevu budou zavřena, nikdo je nebude moci otvírat. Celý Juda bude vystěhován, vystěhován bude docela." 20Zvedněte oči, pohleďte na ty, kdo táhnou od severu! Kde máte stádo vám svěřené, ovce, jež byly vaší chloubou? 21Co řekneš, až ti určí za vládce ty, jež sis pěstovala jako spojence? Nepřepadnou tě bolesti jako ženu, když rodí? 22Ptáš-li se sama sebe: "Proč mě to potkalo?" - To za množství tvých vin ti zvedli sukně a zprznili ti tělo! 23Může si Habešan změnit barvu kůže anebo leopard své skvrny? Pak byste i vy mohli jednat dobře, kdo jste si navykli být zlí! 24"Rozpráším tě jako plevy unášené pouštním vichrem. 25To bude tvůj úděl, to jsem ti vyměřil, praví Hospodin, protože jsi na mě zapomněla a uvěřila lži. 26Já sám ti proto zvednu sukně až přes obličej, ať se ukáže tvá hanba, 27tvé cizoložství, tvůj chtíč i tvé zvrhlé smilnění. Viděl jsem tvé nechutnosti na kopcích i v polích. Běda ti, Jeruzaléme! Jak dlouho ještě budeš nečistý?"
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.
