For as the girdle cleaveth to the loins of a man, so have I caused to cleave unto me the whole house of Israel and the whole house of Judah, saith the LORD; that they might be unto me for a people, and for a name, and for a praise, and for a glory: but they would not hear.

JEREMIAH 13:11KJV
Know the Bible

Jeremiah 13:11 (KJV)

What does Jeremiah 13:11 mean?

Jeremiah 13:11 explains why God compares Israel and Judah to a linen belt. God says he brought both peoples close to himself so that they would be his people and bring him honor. The verse ends with their refusal to listen.

The speaker is the LORD, whose words Jeremiah passes on. The belt pictures something worn close against a person’s body. Following the ruined belt in verse 10, the image makes the people’s refusal to hear especially striking.

The Hebrew behind Jeremiah 13:11

  • “girdle” — אֵזוֹר (ʾezor): A belt or waistcloth. The word points to a garment worn around the waist, not a modern piece of underwear.
  • “cleaveth” — דָּבַק (davaq): To cling or stay close. The same Hebrew word lies behind “cleave” later in the verse, joining the image of the belt to God’s description of the people.
  • “hear” — שָׁמַע (shamaʿ): To hear or listen. In this setting, the word can carry the sense of paying attention and responding, rather than merely detecting a sound.

Why Jeremiah 13:11 matters

  • Both kingdoms are included in the picture. The verse names “the whole house of Israel and the whole house of Judah,” so the image reaches beyond Judah alone.
  • The four phrases describe a purpose for the relationship. “A people,” “a name,” “a praise,” and “a glory” point to belonging to God and bringing him honor.
  • The ruined belt gives weight to the final words, “they would not hear.” In verses 7 and 10, the belt has become useless, a picture connected with the people’s refusal to listen.

Where else these words appear

“girdle” Hebrew H232 · used in 12 verses

  • 2 Kings 1:8 And they answered him, He was an hairy man, and girt with a girdle of leather about his loins. And he said, It is Elijah the Tishbite.
  • Isaiah 11:5 And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins.
  • Jeremiah 13:6 And it came to pass after many days, that the LORD said unto me, Arise, go to Euphrates, and take the girdle from thence, which I commanded thee to hide there.

“loins” Hebrew H4975 · used in 45 verses

  • Genesis 37:34 And Jacob rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his loins, and mourned for his son many days.
  • Nehemiah 4:18 For the builders, every one had his sword girded by his side, and so builded. And he that sounded the trumpet was by me.
  • Jeremiah 48:37 For every head shall be bald, and every beard clipped: upon all the hands shall be cuttings, and upon the loins sackcloth.

“glory” Hebrew H8597 · used in 50 verses

  • Exodus 28:2 And thou shalt make holy garments for Aaron thy brother for glory and for beauty.
  • Proverbs 19:11 The discretion of a man deferreth his anger; and it is his glory to pass over a transgression.
  • Isaiah 62:3 Thou shalt also be a crown of glory in the hand of the LORD, and a royal diadem in the hand of thy God.

“cleaveth” Hebrew H1692 · used in 52 verses

  • Genesis 2:24 Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.
  • Judges 20:42 Therefore they turned their backs before the men of Israel unto the way of the wilderness; but the battle overtook them; and them which came out of the cities they destroyed in the midst of them.
  • Job 29:10 The nobles held their peace, and their tongue cleaved to the roof of their mouth.