The Linen Belt: Symbol of Judah's Humiliation
Jeremiah 13:1-11
Jer.13.1 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- כה: ADV
- אמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- אלי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
- הלוך: VERB,qal,part,3,m,sg
- וקנית: VERB,qal,imp,2,m,sg
- לך: PRON,2,m,sg
- אזור: NOUN,m,sg,cons
- פשתים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- ושמתו: VERB,qal,imp,2,m,sg
- על: PREP
- מתניך: NOUN,f,pl,poss:2,m
- ובמים: CONJ+PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs
- לא: PART_NEG
- תבאהו: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,sg
Parallels
- Jeremiah 13:7-11 (verbal): Direct continuation of the same symbolic object — the linen belt is later ruined at the Euphrates and explicitly interpreted as a symbol of Judah’s pride and coming humiliation.
- Hosea 3:1 (thematic): A prophetic purchase used as a sign—Hosea buys his wife as a living parable of God's relationship with Israel, paralleling Jeremiah’s buying of a linen belt as a prophetic object.
- Isaiah 20:2-4 (thematic): A prophet commanded to perform a public symbolic action (walking naked and barefoot) to portray impending humiliation and exile; similar function to Jeremiah’s wearing of a special garment as a sign-act forecasting judgment.
- Ezekiel 4:1-3 (structural): Another prophet instructed to perform a dramatic symbolic action (making a model siege and lying on his side) to communicate God’s message; parallels Jeremiah’s use of a commissioned, non-ordinary object to symbolize coming devastation.
Alternative generated candidates
- Thus says the LORD to me: Go and buy for yourself a linen sash and bind it on your waist, and do not bring it into water.
- Thus says the LORD to me: Go and buy yourself a linen loincloth and put it on your loins; do not let it be dipped in water.
Jer.13.2 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ואקנה: VERB,qal,impf,1,m,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- האזור: NOUN,m,sg,def
- כדבר: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- ואשם: VERB,qal,impf,1,c,sg
- על: PREP
- מתני: NOUN,m,pl,abs+1cs
Parallels
- Jeremiah 13:11 (structural): Direct internal parallel — the linen belt bought/put on in 13:2 is later interpreted in 13:11 as a symbolic object lesson about Israel’s close binding to the LORD and the resulting judgment when it is spoiled.
- Ezekiel 4:1-3 (structural): Prophetic symbolic action parallel — Ezekiel is commanded to perform a visible, enacted sign (lying on a tilted clay tablet, marking it) to illustrate impending judgment, analogous to Jeremiah’s purchase and wearing of a belt as a acted parable.
- Isaiah 20:2-4 (structural): Another prophetic sign-act — Isaiah is told to walk naked and barefoot as a prophetic demonstration; similar to Jeremiah’s enacted instruction, both use embodied actions to communicate impending shame and exile.
- Ephesians 6:14 (verbal): New Testament verbal parallel — Paul’s admonition to 'gird your loins with truth' uses the same girdle/loins imagery (belt as preparedness or identity), echoing the OT symbolic language of a belt about the loins.
- Isaiah 11:5 (thematic): Belt imagery used metaphorically — 'righteousness will be the belt of his loins' employs the belt as a symbol of moral/state identity, thematically related to Jeremiah’s use of a linen belt to signify covenantal relationship and status.
Alternative generated candidates
- So I bought the sash according to the word of the LORD and bound it on my loins.
- So I bought the loincloth, as the word of the LORD commanded me, and I put it on my loins.
Jer.13.3 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויהי: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- דבר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- אלי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
- שנית: ADV
- לאמר: INF,qal,infc
Parallels
- Jeremiah 1:4 (verbal): Uses the same prophetic formula 'the word of the LORD came to me, saying' as an introduction to a divine message to Jeremiah.
- Zechariah 1:1 (structural): Opens with the standard prophetic rubric 'the word of the LORD came to Zechariah' (with dating formula), showing the common structural way prophets introduce revelations.
- Ezekiel 1:3 (verbal): Contains the phrase 'the word of the LORD came expressly unto Ezekiel,' a close verbal parallel to Jeremiah's introductory formula for divine speech.
- Hosea 1:1 (structural): Begins with 'the word of the LORD that came unto Hosea,' another example of the prophetic introductory formula framing the prophet's oracle.
Alternative generated candidates
- And the word of the LORD came to me a second time, saying,
- The word of the LORD came to me a second time, saying,
Jer.13.4 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- קח: VERB,qal,impv,2,m,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- האזור: NOUN,m,sg,def
- אשר: PRON,rel
- קנית: VERB,qal,perf,2,m,sg
- אשר: PRON,rel
- על: PREP
- מתניך: NOUN,f,pl,poss:2,m
- וקום: CONJ+VERB,qal,imp,2,m,sg
- לך: PRON,2,m,sg
- פרתה: NOUN,f,sg,prop
- וטמנהו: CONJ+VERB,qal,imp,2,m,sg+3,m,sg
- שם: ADV
- בנקיק: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- הסלע: NOUN,m,sg,def
Parallels
- Jeremiah 13:1-11 (structural): The full symbolic action (buying the linen belt, hiding it by the Perath, later retrieving it ruined) of which v.4 is the central instruction—same parable and theological point about Israel’s humiliation and exile.
- Hosea 3:1-2 (thematic): Hosea’s purchase of his wife as a prophetic sign parallels Jeremiah’s buying and concealing an object: both prophets perform a concrete transaction to symbolize Israel’s condition and God’s dealings with the nation.
- Ezekiel 4:1-3 (thematic): Ezekiel is commanded to make and display a model of Jerusalem’s siege as a acted parable; like Jeremiah’s hidden belt, the enacted object dramatizes impending judgment and exile.
- Ezekiel 12:3-6 (thematic): Ezekiel’s instruction to pack baggage and dig through the wall as a sign-act of deportation echoes Jeremiah’s direction to hide the belt by the Perath—both prophetic enactments signify forced removal toward foreign territory.
Alternative generated candidates
- Take the sash that you bought, which is on your waist, and arise, go to the Euphrates, and hide it there in a cleft of the rock.
- "Take the loincloth that you bought, which is on your loins, and go to the Euphrates, and hide it there in a cleft of the rock."
Jer.13.5 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ואלך: CONJ+PREP+PRON,2,m,sg
- ואטמנהו: VERB,qal,perf,1,m,sg
- בפרת: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- כאשר: CONJ
- צוה: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- אותי: PRON,1,sg,acc
Parallels
- Jer.13:4 (verbal): Immediate context of the same prophetic action — the LORD commands Jeremiah to buy and wear the linen girdle before being told to hide it by the Euphrates.
- Jer.13:11 (structural): Explains the symbolism of hiding the girdle by the Euphrates: Judah’s pride will be humbled and they will be bound and carried off to the nations (interpretive parallel within the same oracle).
- Ezek.4:1-3 (thematic): Ezekiel is commanded to perform a symbolic action (make a model of Jerusalem and lie on his side) as a prophetic sign-act conveying impending judgment — parallels Jeremiah’s enacted symbol of hiding the girdle.
- Isa.20:2-4 (thematic): Isaiah is told to walk naked and barefoot as a demonstrative sign of coming humiliation and exile to Assyria, a sign-act akin to Jeremiah’s instruction to conceal the girdle by the Euphrates.
- Ezek.12:3-6 (thematic): Ezekiel’s packing of goods and digging through a wall as a public symbolic action forecasting exile resonates with Jeremiah’s symbolic hiding of the girdle as an enacted prophecy of deportation/humiliation.
Alternative generated candidates
- So I went and hid it by the Euphrates, as the LORD had commanded me.
- So I went and hid it by the Euphrates, as the LORD had commanded me.
Jer.13.6 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויהי: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- מקץ: PREP
- ימים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- רבים: ADJ,m,pl,abs
- ויאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- אלי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
- קום: VERB,qal,impv,2,m,sg
- לך: PRON,2,m,sg
- פרתה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- וקח: VERB,qal,imp,2,m,sg
- משם: PREP
- את: PRT,acc
- האזור: NOUN,m,sg,def
- אשר: PRON,rel
- צויתיך: VERB,qal,perf,1,-,sg
- לטמנו: VERB,qal,inf,3,m,sg
- שם: ADV
Parallels
- Ezek.4:1-3 (structural): Like Jeremiah's girdle action, Ezekiel is commanded to perform a symbolic, object-based sign (a model siege) acting out forthcoming judgment on Jerusalem.
- Isa.20:2-4 (structural): Isaiah is ordered to walk naked and barefoot as a prophetic sign of humiliation and exile—another instance of a prophet commanded to enact a symbolic message with his own body.
- Ezek.12:3-6 (thematic): Ezekiel's packing and departure are a prophetic sign-act portraying exile; thematically parallel to Jeremiah's use of a garment to symbolize Judah's fate.
- Hosea 1:2-3 (thematic): God instructs Hosea to take a wife of harlotry as a living parable of Israel's unfaithfulness—another case of a prophet's personal action serving as symbolic prophecy.
- Jer.13:7-11 (verbal): The immediate continuation and interpretation of 13:6—Jeremiah hides the girdle, later retrieves it ruined, and is told its meaning regarding Israel's ruin and dishonor.
Alternative generated candidates
- After many days the LORD said to me, Arise, go to the Euphrates and take from there the sash that I commanded you to hide there.
- After many days the LORD said to me, "Arise, go to the Euphrates, and take from there the loincloth that I commanded you to hide there."
Jer.13.7 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ואלך: CONJ+PREP+PRON,2,m,sg
- פרתה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ואחפר: VERB,qal,perf,1,_,sg
- ואקח: VERB,qal,impf,1,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- האזור: NOUN,f,sg,def
- מן: PREP
- המקום: NOUN,m,sg,def
- אשר: PRON,rel
- טמנתיו: VERB,qal,perf,1,_,sg
- שמה: ADV
- והנה: ADV
- נשחת: VERB,nip,perf,3,f,sg
- האזור: NOUN,f,sg,def
- לא: PART_NEG
- יצלח: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- לכל: PREP
Parallels
- Jeremiah 13:1-11 (structural): Same prophetic object-lesson: burying a linen belt and later digging it up to find it ruined — the immediate literary context and parallel action and interpretation.
- Isaiah 3:24–26 (thematic): Uses garment/girdle imagery (girdle removed, shawl torn, exposed shame) to portray judgment and humiliation, echoing the ruined belt as symbolic disgrace.
- Ezekiel 16:36–43 (thematic): God describes stripping Jerusalem of her clothes and ornaments as punishment; the removal/ruin of garments symbolizes humiliation and judgment similar to the ruined sash.
- Hosea 2:8–13 (thematic): God strips Israel of her finery and exposes her as punishment—language of taking away clothing/ornaments parallels the belt’s destruction as an enacted sign of judgment.
Alternative generated candidates
- So I went to the Euphrates and dug, and I took the sash from the place where I had hidden it; and behold, it was ruined—it was of no use at all.
- I went to the Euphrates and dug and took the loincloth from the place where I had hidden it. Behold, the loincloth was ruined; it was no longer good for anything.
Jer.13.8 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויהי: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- דבר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- אלי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
- לאמר: INF,qal,infc
Parallels
- Jeremiah 1:4 (structural): Same prophetic call formula ('And the word of the LORD came to me, saying...') introducing Jeremiah's commission — establishes the genre and authority of the message.
- Hosea 1:1 (verbal): Opens with the watchword 'The word of the LORD that came to Hosea' — a parallel verbal formula used to introduce prophetic oracles.
- Jonah 1:1 (verbal): Begins with 'And the word of the LORD came unto Jonah...' — the same clause used to signal a divine communication to a prophet.
- Ezekiel 2:1 (verbal): Contains the phrase 'And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying...' — a near-identical verbal formula introducing divine speech and commands to the prophet.
- Micah 1:1 (thematic): 'The word of the LORD that came to Micah' — parallels the opening prophetic formula and the thematic function of announcing authoritative revelation.
Alternative generated candidates
- And the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
- The word of the LORD came to me, saying,
Jer.13.9 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- כה: ADV
- אמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- ככה: ADV
- אשחית: VERB,qal,imperfect,1,m,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- גאון: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יהודה: NOUN,m,sg,prop
- ואת: CONJ
- גאון: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ירושלם: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- הרב: NOUN,m,sg,def
Parallels
- Zephaniah 3:11 (thematic): God promises to remove the proudly exultant from Jerusalem—parallel theme of God destroying the pride of Judah/Jerusalem.
- Isaiah 2:11 (thematic): The haughtiness of men will be humbled; similar motif of the Lord bringing low lofty pride.
- Obadiah 1:3-4 (thematic): Judgment against national pride (“the pride of your heart has deceived you… you will be brought down”), paralleling divine punishment of proud Judah/Jerusalem.
- Proverbs 16:18 (thematic): The proverb that pride precedes destruction echoes the theological basis for God’s action to destroy pride in Judah and Jerusalem.
Alternative generated candidates
- Thus says the LORD: Thus will I ruin the pride of Judah and the great pride of Jerusalem.
- "Thus says the LORD: Thus I will ruin the pride of Judah and the lofty pride of Jerusalem.
Jer.13.10 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- העם: NOUN,m,sg,def
- הזה: DEM,m,sg
- הרע: ADJ,m,sg,def
- המאנים: PART,qal,ptc,mp,pl
- לשמוע: VERB,qal,infc
- את: PRT,acc
- דברי: NOUN,m,pl,abs+PRON,1,c,sg
- ההלכים: NOUN,m,pl,def
- בשררות: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- לבם: NOUN,m,sg,poss
- וילכו: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,pl
- אחרי: PREP
- אלהים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- אחרים: ADJ,m,pl,abs
- לעבדם: VERB,qal,inf,3,m,pl
- ולהשתחות: CONJ+VERB,hitpael,inf
- להם: PREP+PRON,3,m,pl
- ויהי: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- כאזור: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- הזה: DEM,m,sg
- אשר: PRON,rel
- לא: PART_NEG
- יצלח: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- לכל: PREP
Parallels
- 2 Kings 17:14-15 (verbal): Describes Israel's refusal to listen to the LORD and their turning to other gods and bowing down to them—language and theme closely mirror Jeremiah's charge of a people who will not heed and pursue idols.
- Isaiah 30:9-10 (thematic): Speaks of a 'rebellious people' who refuse to hear instruction and whose hearts are stubborn—paralleling Jeremiah's depiction of a hard‑hearted, disobedient nation.
- Jeremiah 2:13 (thematic): Accuses the people of abandoning the true God and seeking worthless substitutes—echoes Jeremiah 13:10's critique of following other gods and serving/idolizing them.
- Psalm 81:11 (verbal): The psalmist says 'My people did not listen to me,' reflecting the same reproach of a people who refuse God's word found in Jeremiah 13:10.
- Hosea 4:12 (allusion): Depicts Israel consulting idols and turning to inanimate gods for guidance—parallels Jeremiah's condemnation of bowing down to and serving other gods.
Alternative generated candidates
- This evil people, who refuse to hear my words, who walk in the stubbornness of their hearts and go after other gods to serve them and to bow down to them, shall be like this sash which is not good for anything.
- This wicked people who refuse to hear my words, walking in the stubbornness of their heart, who go after other gods to serve them and to bow down to them— they shall be like this loincloth that is no use.
Jer.13.11 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- כי: CONJ
- כאשר: CONJ
- ידבק: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- האזור: NOUN,m,sg,def
- אל: NEG
- מתני: NOUN,m,pl,abs+1cs
- איש: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- כן: ADV
- הדבקתי: VERB,hiphil,perf,1,_,sg
- אלי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- כל: DET
- בית: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ישראל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ואת: CONJ
- כל: DET
- בית: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יהודה: NOUN,m,sg,prop
- נאם: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- להיות: VERB,qal,inf,NA,NA,NA
- לי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
- לעם: PREP
- ולשם: CONJ+PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ולתהלה: CONJ+PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ולתפארת: CONJ+PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ולא: CONJ
- שמעו: VERB,qal,impv,2,m,pl
Parallels
- Deuteronomy 10:20 (verbal): Uses the verb דבק/“cling” to describe Israel’s proper relation to YHWH (“fear the LORD your God... and cling to him”), echoing Jeremiah’s image of the people clinging to God like a sash to the loins.
- Deuteronomy 7:6 (thematic): Declares Israel chosen to be a holy people to the LORD — a people for God’s possession/name — paralleling Jeremiah’s purpose language that Israel should be for God “a people, a name, a praise and glory.”
- Isaiah 43:21 (thematic): “The people whom I formed for myself that they might declare my praise” closely parallels Jeremiah’s idea that Israel was meant to be for God’s name and praise.
- Ezekiel 36:22-23 (thematic): God acts for the sake of his holy name so that the nations will know and praise him — corresponding to Jeremiah’s emphasis that Israel was meant to be God’s people for his name, praise and glory.
- Psalm 63:8 (verbal): The psalmist says “my soul clings to you” using the same cling metaphor (דבק) on an individual level, resonating with Jeremiah’s image of intimate attachment between God and Israel.
Alternative generated candidates
- For as the sash clings to a man's waist, so I have made the whole house of Israel and the whole house of Judah cling to me, declares the LORD, to be for me a people, a name, a praise and a glory—but they did not listen.
- For as the loincloth clings to a man's loins, so I made the whole house of Israel and the whole house of Judah cling to me, says the LORD, that they might be my people, my name, my praise, and my glory; but they would not listen.
Thus says the LORD to me: Go and buy yourself a linen belt and put it about your waist, and do not bring it into water. So I bought the belt, at the LORD's command, and I put it on my waist.
Again the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
Take the belt that you bought, which is on your waist, and arise, go to the Euphrates, and hide it there in a cleft of the rock. So I went and hid it by the Euphrates, as the LORD had commanded me.
After many days the LORD said to me, 'Arise, go to the Euphrates and take from there the belt which I commanded you to hide there.' So I went to the Euphrates and dug and took the belt from the place where I had hidden it; behold, the belt was ruined—of no use to anyone.
Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying, Thus says the LORD: I will ruin the pride of Judah and the great pride of Jerusalem.
This evil people, who refuse to hear my words, who walk in the stubbornness of their hearts and go after other gods to serve them and to bow down to them—shall be like this belt that is good for nothing to anyone.
For as the belt clings to the loins of a man, so I have made the whole house of Israel and the whole house of Judah cling to me, says the LORD, to be for me a people, a name, a praise, and a glory; yet they would not listen.