The Meaning of Jeremiah 13:27 Explained

Jeremiah 13:27

KJV: I have seen thine adulteries, and thy neighings, the lewdness of thy whoredom, and thine abominations on the hills in the fields. Woe unto thee, O Jerusalem! wilt thou not be made clean? when shall it once be?

YLT: Thine adulteries, and thy neighings, The wickedness of thy whoredom, on heights in a field, I have seen thine abominations. Woe to thee, O Jerusalem, Thou art not cleansed, after when is it again?

Darby: Thine adulteries, and thy neighings, the lewdness of thy fornication, on the hills, in the fields, thine abominations, have I seen. Woe unto thee, Jerusalem! Wilt thou not be made clean? after how long a time yet?

ASV: I have seen thine abominations, even thine adulteries, and thy neighings, the lewdness of thy whoredom, on the hills in the field. Woe unto thee, O Jerusalem! thou wilt not be made clean; how long shall it yet be?

KJV Reverse Interlinear

I have seen  thine adulteries,  and thy neighings,  the lewdness  of thy whoredom,  [and] thine abominations  on the hills  in the fields.  Woe  unto thee, O Jerusalem!  wilt thou not be made clean?  when [shall it] once  [be]? 

What does Jeremiah 13:27 Mean?

Verse Meaning

Her citizens had behaved like adulterers and like copulating horses (cf. Jeremiah 5:8). The Lord had seen their unfaithful, lewd behavior toward Him when they worshipped idols and practiced sacred prostitution in the open-air shrines across the land. Jerusalem was in deep trouble. How long would she continue in her wicked ways and remain unclean?! The question was expressing frustration, not requesting information.
Laments during a drought and a national defeat14:1-15:9
Evidently droughts coincided with the Babylonian invasions from the north. Many commentators believe that the droughts and the defeat that this section describes took place at about the same time, because of what Jeremiah wrote.

Chapter Summary: Jeremiah 13

1  By the type of a linen belt, hidden at Euphrates,
9  God prefigures the destruction of his people
12  By the parable of bottles filled with wine he foretells their drunkenness in misery
15  He exhorts to prevent their future judgments
22  He shows their abominations are the cause thereof

What do the individual words in Jeremiah 13:27 mean?

Your adulteries and your [lustful] neighings the lewdness of your harlotry on the hills in the fields I have seen Your abominations Woe to you Jerusalem not will you be made clean when how still -
נִֽאֻפַ֤יִךְ וּמִצְהֲלוֹתַ֙יִךְ֙ זִמַּ֣ת זְנוּתֵ֔ךְ עַל־ גְּבָעוֹת֙ בַּשָּׂדֶ֔ה רָאִ֖יתִי שִׁקּוּצָ֑יִךְ א֥וֹי לָךְ֙ ! יְר֣וּשָׁלִַ֔ם לֹ֣א ؟ תִטְהֲרִ֔י אַחֲרֵ֥י מָתַ֖י עֹֽד פ

נִֽאֻפַ֤יִךְ  Your  adulteries 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, second person feminine singular
Root: נִאֻפִים  
Sense: adultery.
וּמִצְהֲלוֹתַ֙יִךְ֙  and  your  [lustful]  neighings 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, feminine plural construct, second person feminine singular
Root: מִצְהָלֹות  
Sense: neighing.
זִמַּ֣ת  the  lewdness 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: זִמָּה  
Sense: plan, device, wickedness, evil plan, mischievous purpose.
זְנוּתֵ֔ךְ  of  your  harlotry 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct, second person feminine singular
Root: זְנוּת  
Sense: fornication, harlotry.
גְּבָעוֹת֙  the  hills 
Parse: Noun, feminine plural
Root: גִּבְעָה  
Sense: hill.
בַּשָּׂדֶ֔ה  in  the  fields 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: שָׂדֶה 
Sense: field, land.
רָאִ֖יתִי  I  have  seen 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, first person common singular
Root: רָאָה 
Sense: to see, look at, inspect, perceive, consider.
שִׁקּוּצָ֑יִךְ  Your  abominations 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, second person feminine singular
Root: שִׁקּוּץ  
Sense: detestable thing or idol, abominable thing, abomination, idol, detested thing.
א֥וֹי  Woe 
Parse: Interjection
Root: אֹוי  
Sense: woe! alas! oh!.
לָךְ֙  to  you 
Parse: Preposition, second person feminine singular
! יְר֣וּשָׁלִַ֔ם  Jerusalem 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: יְרוּשָׁלַםִ  
Sense: the chief city of Palestine and capital of the united kingdom and the nation of Judah after the split.
؟ תִטְהֲרִ֔י  will  you  be  made  clean 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, second person feminine singular
Root: טָהֵר  
Sense: to be clean, be pure.
מָתַ֖י  how 
Parse: Interrogative
Root: מָתַי  
Sense: when?.
עֹֽד  still 
Parse: Adverb
Root: עֹוד  
Sense: a going round, continuance adv.
פ  - 
Parse: Punctuation