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Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Jeremiah 13:1-11

The spoiled girdle. I. GOD 'S PEOPLE ARE LIKE A GIRDLE TO GOD . 1. They are his peculiar property . The girdle is a private personal possession. It belongs solely to the wearer. When all ordinary property is taken from him he retains the clothes on his body. Even the bankrupt has a right to these. 2. They are near to God. This girdle—really an under-garment—is close to the person of the wearer. God does not simply hold his people as an absentee landlord holds his... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Jeremiah 13:1-11

The marred girdle. This and the following emblem are intended to symbolize the characters and punishment of pride in spiritual and carnal men respectively. The "girdle" of linen cloth worn by the priest represents the close relation of Judah and Jerusalem to Jehovah. He had chosen them, and taken them into closest fellowship. They were as his cincture to declare his character and glory to men. But they had abused his confidence. For them, therefore, the fate was reserved which is described... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Jeremiah 13:1-11

The marred girdle. I. THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE GIRDLE . This is set before us clearly in Jeremiah 13:11 . God chose something which should illustrate the close connection between Israel and himself, and yet which should illustrate at the same time how easily that connection could be severed. The girdle was, of course, a familiar part of an Israelite's apparel. Not exactly a necessity, for a man could perhaps do without it; and yet a necessity in this sense, that habit had made... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Jeremiah 13:1-12

The ruined girdle; or, it may be too late to mend. The much-needed lesson of this section was taught by means of one of those acted parables of which we have so many instances both in the Old Testament and in the New: e.g. Zedekiah's horns of iron ( 1 Kings 22:11 ); the strange marriages of Isaiah 8:1 , Hosea 1:2 ; the two yokes ( Jeremiah 27:2 ); and in the New Testament, our Lord's standing the little child in the midst of the disciples; the washing the disciples' feet; the... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Jeremiah 13:4-6

After Jeremiah has worn the apron for some time, he is directed to take it to P'rath , and hide it there in a cleft (not "hole") of the rock. A long interval elapses, and he is commanded to make a second journey to the same place, and fetch away the apron. What does this P'rath mean? It is by no means easy to decide. Hardly "the Euphrates," Ewald suggested that "some wet place near Jerusalem" probably had the name of P'rath , and indicates a valley and spring called Forah, about six... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Jeremiah 13:6

After many days . To allow time for the apron to become rotten. read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Jeremiah 13:7

I went … and digged . The apron, then, had been covered with a thick layer of earth. read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Jeremiah 13:8-11

Explanation of the symbol. Could there be a greater humiliation for Judah and Jerusalem than to be compared to a rotting linen apron? The hard things said of this evil people in Jeremiah 13:10 must of course be understood with the limitations indicated in the note on Jeremiah 9:15 , Jeremiah 9:16 . Imagination should (as usual) be stubbornness . The explanation in Jeremiah 9:11 is a strong argument for the rendering "apron" (see above, on Jeremiah 9:1 ). read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Jeremiah 13:1

A linen girdle - The appointed dress of the priestly order (Leviticus 16:4, ...).Put it not in water - i. e., do not wash it, and so let it represent the deep-grained pollution of the people. read more

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