Lexical Summary meen: Kind, species, sort Original Word: מֵאֵן Strong's Exhaustive Concordance refuse From ma'en; refractory -- refuse. see HEBREW ma'en NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom maen Definition refusing NASB Translation who refuse (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs [מֵאֵן] adjective id. plural מֵאֲנִים followed by Infinitive, of disobeying ׳י Jeremiah 13:10. Topical Lexicon Overview Strong’s Hebrew 3987 designates the act of refusing or rejecting. Its sole Old Testament appearance occurs in Jeremiah 13:10, where the Lord indicts His people for an obstinate refusal to heed His word. Although the vocabulary item is rare, the concept it expresses—wilful resistance against divine instruction—threads through Scripture as a hallmark of covenant unfaithfulness. Biblical occurrence (Jeremiah 13:10) “This wicked people, who refuse to listen to My words, who walk in the stubbornness of their hearts, and who follow other gods to serve and worship them, will be like this belt—good for nothing” (Berean Standard Bible). The verse forms part of Jeremiah’s enacted parable of the ruined linen waistband (Jeremiah 13:1-11). After hiding the belt by the Euphrates until it rotted, Jeremiah retrieves it to demonstrate Judah’s coming disgrace. The refusal indicated by 3987 is therefore not a momentary lapse but a settled disposition that renders the people as useless to God’s purposes as a spoiled garment. Theological themes 1. Covenant breach. Refusal to hear God’s word nullifies the relational obligations of the covenant (Exodus 24:7; Deuteronomy 26:17), exposing the people to judgment. Historical setting Jeremiah’s ministry spanned Judah’s final decades before the Babylonian exile (circa 627–586 BC). Repeated calls to repentance met entrenched resistance among the ruling classes and populace alike. The single use of 3987 crystallizes that atmosphere of defiance: despite prophetic preaching, reforms under King Josiah, and visible signs of looming judgment, Judah “refused to listen.” The eventual fall of Jerusalem (586 BC) validates Jeremiah’s acted sign and underscores the cost of continued refusal. Practical application • Preaching: The term warns congregations against selective hearing. When Scripture confronts cherished sins, refusal may masquerade as intellectual doubt or cultural sophistication. Related concepts • “Hardening the neck” (Proverbs 29:1) – the reflex that stiffens against correction. Summary Though Strong’s 3987 appears only once, it encapsulates a perennial spiritual peril: the refusal of the heart to submit to God’s revealed will. Jeremiah’s ruined waistband dramatizes the inevitable ruin that follows such obstinacy, while simultaneously calling every generation to renewed, wholehearted obedience so that God’s people may remain “for praise and for glory and for honor” (Jeremiah 13:11). Forms and Transliterations הַֽמֵּאֲנִ֣ים ׀ המאנים ham·mê·’ă·nîm hammê’ănîm hammeaNimLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Jeremiah 13:10 HEB: הַזֶּ֨ה הָרָ֜ע הַֽמֵּאֲנִ֣ים ׀ לִשְׁמ֣וֹעַ אֶת־ NAS: people, who refuse to listen KJV: people, which refuse to hear INT: he wicked who to listen to my words 1 Occurrence |
    |