131 Thus saith the Lord unto me, Go and get thee a linen girdle, and put it upon thy loins, and put it not in water.
131 This is what the Lord said to me: "Go and buy a linen belt and put it around your waist, but do not let it touch water."
131 Thus says the Lord to me, "Go and buy a linen loincloth and put it around your waist, and do not dip it in water."
131 God told me, "Go and buy yourself some linen shorts. Put them on and keep them on. Don't even take them off to wash them."
131 Thus the Lord said to me: "Go and get yourself a linen sash, and put it around your waist, but do not put it in water."
131 This is what the Lord said to me: "Go and buy a linen loincloth and put it on, but do not wash it."
Matthew Henry's Commentary on Jeremiah 13:1
Commentary on Jeremiah 13:1-11
(Read Jeremiah 13:1-11)
It was usual with the prophets to teach by signs. And we have the explanation, verses 9-11. The people of Israel had been to God as this girdle. He caused them to cleave to him by the law he gave them, the prophets he sent among them, and the favours he showed them. They had by their idolatries and sins buried themselves in foreign earth, mingled among the nations, and were so corrupted that they were good for nothing. If we are proud of learning, power, and outward privileges, it is just with God to wither them. The minds of men should be awakened to a sense of their guilt and danger; yet nothing will be effectual without the influences of the Spirit.