Jeremiah 13:1 Study Bible: Thus says the LORD to me, "Go, and buy yourself a linen belt, and put it on your waist, and do not put it in water."

◄ Jeremiah 13:1 ►

This is what the LORD said to me: "Go and buy yourself a linen loincloth and put it around your waist, but do not let it touch water."

Study Bible

This is what the LORD said to me
The phrase underscores the divine origin of the message. In Hebrew, "LORD" is "YHWH," the covenant name of God, emphasizing His eternal and unchanging nature. This introduction sets the tone for the prophetic action that follows, highlighting the authority and direct communication between God and His prophet, Jeremiah. It reminds us of the personal relationship God maintains with His chosen messengers and His desire to communicate His will to His people.

Go and buy yourself a linen loincloth
The instruction to "go and buy" indicates a deliberate action that Jeremiah must undertake, symbolizing obedience and the importance of the prophetic act. The "linen loincloth" is significant; linen was a fabric often associated with purity and priestly garments in ancient Israel (Exodus 28:39-42). The loincloth, or girdle, was an intimate garment, symbolizing closeness and personal relationship. This act represents Israel's intended closeness to God, chosen to be a holy nation set apart for His purposes.

and put it around your waist
Placing the loincloth around the waist signifies the intended purpose of the garment—to be worn closely and intimately. In the Hebrew context, the waist is a place of strength and action, symbolizing readiness and preparedness. This act illustrates how Israel was meant to be bound to God, serving as His representative and living in accordance with His commandments.

but do not let it touch water
The prohibition against letting the loincloth touch water suggests the need to keep it pure and undefiled. Water, in this context, could symbolize external influences or impurities that might corrupt the garment. This instruction serves as a metaphor for Israel's need to remain uncontaminated by idolatry and sin, maintaining their purity and dedication to God. It highlights the importance of holiness and the consequences of failing to uphold God's standards.

Persons / Places / Events

1. Jeremiah
The prophet called by God to deliver messages of warning and hope to the people of Judah. He is known for his deep emotional connection to his message and his people.

2. The LORD (Yahweh)
The covenant God of Israel, who communicates His will and instructions to Jeremiah. Yahweh is portrayed as sovereign and deeply concerned with the faithfulness of His people.

3. Linen Loincloth
A symbolic garment that Jeremiah is instructed to buy and wear. In ancient times, linen was a valuable material, often associated with purity and priestly garments.

4. Judah
The southern kingdom of Israel, which is the primary audience of Jeremiah's prophecies. At this time, Judah is facing impending judgment due to its unfaithfulness to God.

5. Symbolic Action
The act of buying and wearing the loincloth serves as a prophetic symbol, illustrating a deeper spiritual truth about the relationship between God and His people.

Teaching Points

Symbolism in Prophecy
God often uses physical symbols to communicate spiritual truths. Understanding these symbols can deepen our comprehension of His messages.

Purity and Faithfulness
The linen loincloth represents purity and the close relationship God desires with His people. We are called to maintain spiritual purity and faithfulness in our walk with God.

Obedience to God's Instructions
Jeremiah's obedience in performing the symbolic act demonstrates the importance of following God's instructions, even when they may seem unusual or challenging.

The Consequences of Unfaithfulness
The eventual fate of the loincloth (as described in later verses) serves as a warning about the consequences of turning away from God.

God's Desire for Intimacy
The loincloth, worn close to the body, symbolizes the intimate relationship God desires with His people. We are invited to draw near to Him and remain in close fellowship.

Bible Study Questions

1. What does the instruction to buy a linen loincloth and not let it touch water symbolize about the relationship between God and His people?

2. How does the use of symbolic actions in Jeremiah 13:1 compare to other instances of prophetic symbolism in the Bible, such as in Isaiah 20 or Ezekiel 4?

3. In what ways can we apply the lesson of purity and faithfulness from the linen loincloth to our own spiritual lives today?

4. How does Jeremiah's obedience to God's unusual command challenge us to respond to God's instructions in our own lives?

5. Reflect on the intimate relationship symbolized by the loincloth. How can we cultivate a closer relationship with God in our daily walk?

Connections to Other Scriptures

Isaiah 20
Similar to Jeremiah, Isaiah is instructed to perform a symbolic act to convey a message from God. This highlights the use of prophetic symbolism in communicating divine truths.

Ezekiel 4
Ezekiel is also commanded to perform symbolic actions to represent the coming judgment on Jerusalem, showing a pattern of God using physical symbols to convey spiritual realities.

Exodus 28
The use of linen in priestly garments underscores the theme of purity and dedication to God, which is relevant to the symbolism of the linen loincloth in Jeremiah 13:1.

Sermons

Good Reasons for Singular Conduct		Jeremiah 13:1-11
Nearness to God Destroyed by Sin	E. Jerman.	Jeremiah 13:1-11
The Cast-Off Girdle		Jeremiah 13:1-11
The Marred Girdle	A.F. Muir	Jeremiah 13:1-11
The Marred Girdle	D. Young	Jeremiah 13:1-11
The Ruined Girdle; Or, it May be Too Late to Mend	S. Conway	Jeremiah 13:1-12

People

Jeremiah

Places

Euphrates River, Jerusalem, Negeb

Topics

Band, Belt, Buy, Cause, Dip, Enter, Girdle, Got, Hast, Linen, Loins, Placed, Round, Says, Thus, Touch, Waist, Waistband, Waistcloth

Dictionary of Bible Themes

Jeremiah 13:1

Jeremiah 13:1-7

Library

An Impossibility Made Possible
'Can the Ethiopian change his skin?'--JER. xiii. 23. 'If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature.'--2 COR. v. 17. 'Behold, I make all things new.'--REV. xxi. 5. Put these three texts together. The first is a despairing question to which experience gives only too sad and decisive a negative answer. It is the answer of many people who tell us that character must be eternal, and of many a baffled man who says, 'It is of no use--I have tried and can do nothing.' The second text is the grand Christian …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

The Notion of Inability.
PROPER METHOD OF ACCOUNTING FOR IT. I have represented ability, or the freedom of the will, as a first-truth of consciousness, a truth necessarily known to all moral agents. The inquiry may naturally arise, How then is it to be accounted for, that so many men have denied the liberty of the will, or ability to obey God? A recent writer thinks this denial a sufficient refutation of the affirmation, that ability is a first-truth of consciousness. It is important that this denial should be accounted …
Charles Grandison Finney—Systematic Theology

On Earthly Things
The earth is man himself; in the gospel: another has fallen into the good earth. The same in a bad part about the sinner: you devour the earth all the days of your life. [Mark 4:18; Genesis 3:14] The dry lands are the flesh of a fruitless man; in Ecclesiastes, to work in a dry land with evil and sorrow. [Ecclesiastes 37:3] The dust is a sinner or the vanity of the flesh; in the psalm: like the dust, which the wind blows about. [Ps. 1:4 Vulgate] The mud is the gluttony of sinners; in the psalm: tear …
St. Eucherius of Lyons—The Formulae of St. Eucherius of Lyons

The Cavils of the Pharisees Concerning Purification, and the Teaching of the Lord Concerning Purity - the Traditions Concerning Hand-Washing' and Vows. '
As we follow the narrative, confirmatory evidence of what had preceded springs up at almost every step. It is quite in accordance with the abrupt departure of Jesus from Capernaum, and its motives, that when, so far from finding rest and privacy at Bethsaida (east of the Jordan), a greater multitude than ever had there gathered around Him, which would fain have proclaimed Him King, He resolved on immediate return to the western shore, with the view of seeking a quieter retreat, even though it were …
Alfred Edersheim—The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah

On the Animals
The birds are the saints, because they fly to the higher heart; in the gospel: and he made great branches that the birds of the air might live in their shade. [Mark 4:32] Flying is the death of the saints in God or the knowledge of the Scriptures; in the psalm: I shall fly and I shall be at rest. [Ps. 54(55):7 Vulgate] The wings are the two testaments; in Ezekiel: your body will fly with two wings of its own. [Ez. 1:23] The feathers are the Scriptures; in the psalm: the wings of the silver dove. …
St. Eucherius of Lyons—The Formulae of St. Eucherius of Lyons

Covenanting Confers Obligation.
As it has been shown that all duty, and that alone, ought to be vowed to God in covenant, it is manifest that what is lawfully engaged to in swearing by the name of God is enjoined in the moral law, and, because of the authority of that law, ought to be performed as a duty. But it is now to be proved that what is promised to God by vow or oath, ought to be performed also because of the act of Covenanting. The performance of that exercise is commanded, and the same law which enjoins that the duties …
John Cunningham—The Ordinance of Covenanting

Meditations on the Hindrances which Keep Back a Sinner from the Practice of Piety.
Those hindrances are chiefly seven:-- I. An ignorant mistaking of the true meaning of certain places of the holy Scriptures, and some other chief grounds of Christian religion. The Scriptures mistaken are these: 1. Ezek. xxxiii. 14, 16, "At what time soever a sinner repenteth him of his sin, I will blot out all," &c. Hence the carnal Christian gathers, that he may repent when he will. It is true, whensoever a sinner does repent, God will forgive; but the text saith not, that a sinner may repent whensoever …
Lewis Bayly—The Practice of Piety

Jeremiah
The interest of the book of Jeremiah is unique. On the one hand, it is our most reliable and elaborate source for the long period of history which it covers; on the other, it presents us with prophecy in its most intensely human phase, manifesting itself through a strangely attractive personality that was subject to like doubts and passions with ourselves. At his call, in 626 B.C., he was young and inexperienced, i. 6, so that he cannot have been born earlier than 650. The political and religious …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

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