The Meaning of Jeremiah 13:10 Explained

Jeremiah 13:10

KJV: This evil people, which refuse to hear my words, which walk in the imagination of their heart, and walk after other gods, to serve them, and to worship them, shall even be as this girdle, which is good for nothing.

YLT: This evil people, who refuse to hear My words, Who walk in the stubbornness of their heart, And go after other gods to serve them, And to bow themselves to them, Yea it is -- as this girdle, that is not profitable for anything.

Darby: This evil people, who refuse to hear my words, who walk in the stubbornness of their heart, and go after other gods, to serve them and to worship them, shall even be as this girdle which is good for nothing.

ASV: This evil people, that refuse to hear my words, that walk in the stubbornness of their heart, and are gone after other gods to serve them, and to worship them, shall even be as this girdle, which is profitable for nothing.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

This evil  people,  which refuse  to hear  my words,  which walk  in the imagination  of their heart,  and walk  after  other  gods,  to serve  them, and to worship  them, shall even be as this girdle,  which is good  for nothing. 

What does Jeremiah 13:10 Mean?

Verse Meaning

The people of Judah, pure and untarnished at the time of their call ( Jeremiah 2:2-3), would be just as worthless as Jeremiah"s ruined waistband-because they had refused to listen to the Lord. They had been stubborn in their hearts (cf. Deuteronomy 26:17-19), and had pursued idols by serving and worshipping them.

Context Summary

Jeremiah 13:1-11 - 20-25, The Parable Of The Girdle
This parable of the girdle may really have been transacted. By some such striking symbol before them the attention of the people must have been powerfully arrested. Or, it may be that this is only a vivid style of presentation. Whichever it is, the chief idea is the intimacy of relationship between the Chosen People and their God, Jeremiah 13:11. Oh, that He would cause us to cleave to Him! The degradation of the best produces the worst, and nothing more strikingly sets forth the condition to which those may sink who have abused the highest possibilities, than the condition of this marred and profitless girdle. Let us beware! since capable of God's best and highest, we are also liable to the weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth.
Jerusalem is apostrophized, and asked where was the beautiful flock of sister and daughter towns which had gathered under her lead. They had been destroyed, and their people were in captivity. Their destruction had come from those who had been allies and friends, Jeremiah 13:21; but their sin was so deeply seated and inveterate that such a fate was inevitable. There was no hope of reformation, Jeremiah 13:23. It was easier to expect a negro to become white, or for a leopard to change his spots than that Israel should do good. Only Christ can do this for us. He can with a word arrest a Niagara in its fall and bid it leap back. His grace can cause the leprosy of inbred sin to cease its hold, never again to pollute the soul. [source]

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 13:10 mean?

People this evil who refuse to hear - My words who follow the dictates of their hearts and walk after gods other to serve them and worship them shall be just like sash this which not is profitable for anything
הָעָם֩ הַזֶּ֨ה הָרָ֜ע הַֽמֵּאֲנִ֣ים ׀ לִשְׁמ֣וֹעַ אֶת־ דְּבָרַ֗י הַהֹֽלְכִים֙ בִּשְׁרִר֣וּת לִבָּ֔ם וַיֵּלְכ֗וּ אַֽחֲרֵי֙ אֱלֹהִ֣ים אֲחֵרִ֔ים לְעָבְדָ֖ם וּלְהִשְׁתַּחֲוֺ֣ת לָהֶ֑ם וִיהִי֙ כָּאֵז֣וֹר הַזֶּ֔ה אֲשֶׁ֥ר לֹא־ יִצְלַ֖ח לַכֹּֽל

הָעָם֩  People 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: עַם 
Sense: nation, people.
הַזֶּ֨ה  this 
Parse: Article, Pronoun, masculine singular
Root: זֶה  
Sense: this, this one, here, which, this … that, the one … the other, another, such.
הָרָ֜ע  evil 
Parse: Article, Adjective, masculine singular
Root: רַע 
Sense: bad, evil.
הַֽמֵּאֲנִ֣ים ׀  who  refuse 
Parse: Article, Adjective, masculine plural
Root: מֵאֵן  
Sense: refusing.
לִשְׁמ֣וֹעַ  to  hear 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct
Root: שָׁמַע 
Sense: to hear, listen to, obey.
אֶת־  - 
Parse: Direct object marker
Root: אֹות 
Sense: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative.
דְּבָרַ֗י  My  words 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, first person common singular
Root: דָּבָר  
Sense: speech, word, speaking, thing.
הַהֹֽלְכִים֙  who  follow 
Parse: Article, Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine plural
Root: הָלַךְ  
Sense: to go, walk, come.
בִּשְׁרִר֣וּת  the  dictates 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: שְׁרִרוּת  
Sense: stubbornness, hardness, firmness.
לִבָּ֔ם  of  their  hearts 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, third person masculine plural
Root: לֵב 
Sense: inner man, mind, will, heart, understanding.
וַיֵּלְכ֗וּ  and  walk 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: הָלַךְ  
Sense: to go, walk, come.
אַֽחֲרֵי֙  after 
Parse: Preposition
Root: אַחַר 
Sense: after the following part, behind (of place), hinder, afterwards (of time).
אֱלֹהִ֣ים  gods 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: אֱלֹהִים  
Sense: (plural).
אֲחֵרִ֔ים  other 
Parse: Adjective, masculine plural
Root: אַחֵר  
Sense: another, other, following.
לְעָבְדָ֖ם  to  serve  them 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct, third person masculine plural
Root: עָבַד  
Sense: to work, serve.
וּלְהִשְׁתַּחֲוֺ֣ת  and  worship 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition-l, Verb, Hitpael, Infinitive construct
Root: שָׁחָה  
Sense: to bow down.
וִיהִי֙  shall  be 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive imperfect Jussive, third person masculine singular
Root: אֶהְיֶה 
Sense: to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out.
כָּאֵז֣וֹר  just  like  sash 
Parse: Preposition-k, Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: אֵזׄור  
Sense: waist-cloth, the innermost piece of clothing.
הַזֶּ֔ה  this 
Parse: Article, Pronoun, masculine singular
Root: זֶה  
Sense: this, this one, here, which, this … that, the one … the other, another, such.
יִצְלַ֖ח  is  profitable 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: צָלַח 
Sense: (Qal) to rush.
לַכֹּֽל  for  anything 
Parse: Preposition-l, Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: כֹּל  
Sense: all, the whole.