Jeremiah 13:8

Study note

Setting — Yahweh addresses the prophet Jeremiah immediately after Jeremiah retrieves the ruined linen loincloth from the Euphrates. This utterance occurs at the precise moment the narrative shifts from physical action to prophetic interpretation.

The words — The compound דְבַר־יְהוָה (de.var-Yahweh) literally renders "the word of Yahweh," while the participle לֵ/אמֹר (le./Mor) means "to saying." These elements function as a formal hinge, marking the transition from descriptive narrative to authoritative divine speech.

The thread — The text itself frames this moment within Jeremiah 13:7 and Jeremiah 13:9, where the ruined loincloth directly parallels the coming ruin of Judah and Jerusalem. The verse operates as the structural pivot that connects the enacted sign to its stated judgment.

Why it lands — The passage requires the reader to fix attention on the source of the declaration rather than the prophet’s actions. It demands recognition that the impending destruction follows from Yahweh’s stated intent, not from the physical state of the loincloth.

Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.