What is the meaning of Jeremiah 13:21? What will you say Jeremiah opens with a piercing question: “What will you say…?” (Jeremiah 13:21a). • The people of Judah have spent years dismissing prophetic warnings (Jeremiah 6:17; 7:25–26). • When God’s discipline finally arrives, excuses dry up; they will be “speechless” before Him (Romans 3:19; Matthew 22:12). • The line echoes earlier challenges—“How can you say, ‘I am not defiled’?” (Jeremiah 2:23)—exposing denial and calling for humble acknowledgment of sin. • God’s Word stands true, so the only honest response is repentance (Jeremiah 3:13; 1 John 1:9). When He sets over you close allies whom you yourself trained? “…when He sets over you close allies whom you yourself trained?” (Jeremiah 13:21b). • “He” is the LORD, sovereign over every nation (Jeremiah 10:7; Daniel 2:21). • “Close allies”—elsewhere called “lovers” (Jeremiah 4:30; Ezekiel 23:9)—are foreign powers Judah courted for security: Egypt (Isaiah 30:1–5) and, paradoxically, Babylon itself (2 Kings 24:1–2). • Judah “trained” them by sending tribute, adopting their customs, and trusting their idols (Jeremiah 2:33–36). • God reverses those alliances; the very nations Judah groomed for help now rule over her (Jeremiah 2:18; Lamentations 1:2). • The shift underscores divine justice: misplaced confidence leads to bondage (Psalm 118:8–9; Proverbs 3:5–6). Will not pangs of anguish grip you, as they do a woman in labor? “Will not pangs of anguish grip you, as they do a woman in labor?” (Jeremiah 13:21c). • The labor metaphor portrays unavoidable, intensifying pain (Jeremiah 6:24; Isaiah 13:8). • Once labor begins, no human effort can halt it; likewise God’s judgment will run its full course (1 Thessalonians 5:3). • The image also hints at something beyond punishment: labor pains precede birth. Through chastening, God aims to bring forth repentance and eventual restoration (Jeremiah 29:11–14; Hebrews 12:11). • Yet for those who persist in rebellion, the pain remains unrelieved (Jeremiah 4:31). summary Jeremiah 13:21 warns that when God turns Judah’s chosen allies into rulers, the people will have no defense, only crushing anguish. Every misplaced alliance, every spurned warning, comes home to roost. The LORD’s sovereign hand directs even foreign nations, transforming them from friends to disciplinarians. The resulting anguish, like labor pains, is both inevitable and purposeful: it exposes sin, silences excuses, and points to the only safe refuge—wholehearted return to the God whose Word is always true. |
    |