For according to the number of thy cities were thy gods, O Judah; and according to the number of the streets of Jerusalem have ye set up altars to that shameful thing, even altars to burn incense unto Baal.

JEREMIAH 11:13KJV
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Jeremiah 11:13 (KJV)

What does Jeremiah 11:13 mean?

Jeremiah 11:13 says that the people of Judah had as many false gods as they had cities, and that in Jerusalem, they had set up just as many altars to a shameful idol, specifically to burn incense to Baal, as there were streets. This verse highlights the widespread and overwhelming nature of idol worship among the people of Judah.

In this verse, the prophet Jeremiah is speaking God's message to the people of Judah during a time when they had turned away from worshiping the LORD alone. The situation is one of deep spiritual unfaithfulness, where idol worship had become so common that every city and street had its own altar to Baal. The verse uses numbers and locations to stress just how thoroughly idolatry had spread in Judah and Jerusalem.

The Hebrew behind Jeremiah 11:13

  • "gods" (אֱלֹהִים, 'elohim'): This word can mean "gods" in a general sense, not just the true God, and here it refers to the many false gods the people were worshiping.
  • "thing" (בֹּשֶׁת, boshet): This word means "shame" or "shameful thing." Jeremiah uses it to describe the idol, emphasizing how disgraceful this worship was in God's eyes.
  • "Baal" (בַּעַל, Baʿal): Baal was a well-known Canaanite deity. The mention of Baal shows that the people were adopting the worship practices of surrounding nations, which was strictly forbidden in Israelite law.

Why Jeremiah 11:13 matters

  • Jeremiah 11:13 clears up any idea that idol worship was just a minor problem in Judah; it was widespread and deeply rooted, affecting every city and street.
  • The verse emphasizes the seriousness of turning away from the LORD to follow other gods, showing that such behavior is not just a private matter but a public and national crisis.
  • By naming Baal and calling the idol "that shameful thing," Jeremiah connects this verse to a larger biblical theme: the contrast between the LORD and false gods, and the shame that comes from abandoning true worship.

Where else these words appear

“thing” Hebrew H1322 · used in 29 verses

  • 1 Samuel 20:30 Then Saul's anger was kindled against Jonathan, and he said unto him, Thou son of the perverse rebellious woman, do not I know that thou hast chosen the son of Jesse to thine own confusion, and unto the confusion of thy mother's nakedness?
  • Psalms 109:29 Let mine adversaries be clothed with shame, and let them cover themselves with their own confusion, as with a mantle.
  • Jeremiah 3:25 We lie down in our shame, and our confusion covereth us: for we have sinned against the LORD our God, we and our fathers, from our youth even unto this day, and have not obeyed the voice of the LORD our God.

“Baal” Hebrew H1168 · used in 68 verses

  • Judges 2:11 And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD, and served Baalim:
  • 1 Kings 19:18 Yet I have left me seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which hath not kissed him.
  • 2 Chronicles 17:3 And the LORD was with Jehoshaphat, because he walked in the first ways of his father David, and sought not unto Baalim;

“incense” Hebrew H6999 · used in 112 verses

  • Exodus 29:13 And thou shalt take all the fat that covereth the inwards, and the caul that is above the liver, and the two kidneys, and the fat that is upon them, and burn them upon the altar.
  • Leviticus 9:20 And they put the fat upon the breasts, and he burnt the fat upon the altar:
  • 2 Chronicles 28:3 Moreover he burnt incense in the valley of the son of Hinnom, and burnt his children in the fire, after the abominations of the heathen whom the LORD had cast out before the children of Israel.

“number” Hebrew H4557 · used in 129 verses

  • Genesis 34:30 And Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, Ye have troubled me to make me to stink among the inhabitants of the land, among the Canaanites and the Perizzites: and I being few in number, they shall gather themselves together against me, and slay me; and I shall be destroyed, I and my house.
  • Deuteronomy 32:8 When the most High divided to the nations their inheritance, when he separated the sons of Adam, he set the bounds of the people according to the number of the children of Israel.
  • Ezra 2:2 Which came with Zerubbabel: Jeshua, Nehemiah, Seraiah, Reelaiah, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispar, Bigvai, Rehum, Baanah. The number of the men of the people of Israel: