Therefore thou shalt speak unto them this word; Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Every bottle shall be filled with wine: and they shall say unto thee, Do we not certainly know that every bottle shall be filled with wine?

JEREMIAH 13:12KJV
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Jeremiah 13:12 (KJV)

What does Jeremiah 13:12 mean?

Jeremiah 13:12 records God telling Jeremiah to deliver a message to the people of Israel: “Every bottle shall be filled with wine.” The people respond as if this is obvious, but the statement is meant to set up a lesson or warning that will follow.

In this verse, God is speaking through Jeremiah to the people of Judah. The “bottle” refers to a clay jar or wineskin, and the people’s reply shows they think the statement is just common sense. However, Jeremiah is using this everyday image to prepare them for a deeper message about judgment and consequences, which will be explained in the next verses.

The Hebrew behind Jeremiah 13:12

  • “Bottle” (נֵבֶל, nevel) refers to a large jar or container, often used for wine. This word helps us picture something substantial, not just a small vessel.
  • “Filled” (מָלֵא, male) means to be completely full. The image is of something being filled to capacity, hinting at something overflowing or saturated.
  • “Wine” (יַיִן, yayin) is the ordinary word for wine, often used in the Bible as a symbol of both blessing and, at times, judgment or excess.

Why Jeremiah 13:12 matters

  • The verse uses a familiar image to the people—wine jars being filled—to catch their attention before delivering a warning, showing how God often spoke in ways people could immediately understand.
  • The people’s response (“Do we not certainly know…?”) shows they are missing the deeper point, which highlights how easy it is to overlook a warning when it comes in a familiar form.
  • This verse sets up the next part of Jeremiah’s message, where the filling of the bottles will turn out to be a symbol of coming judgment, not just an everyday fact.

Where else these words appear

“bottle” Hebrew H5035 · used in 37 verses

  • 1 Samuel 1:24 And when she had weaned him, she took him up with her, with three bullocks, and one ephah of flour, and a bottle of wine, and brought him unto the house of the LORD in Shiloh: and the child was young.
  • 1 Chronicles 25:1 Moreover David and the captains of the host separated to the service of the sons of Asaph, and of Heman, and of Jeduthun, who should prophesy with harps, with psalteries, and with cymbals: and the number of the workmen according to their service was:
  • Psalms 92:3 Upon an instrument of ten strings, and upon the psaltery; upon the harp with a solemn sound.

“wine” Hebrew H3196 · used in 134 verses

  • Genesis 9:21 And he drank of the wine, and was drunken; and he was uncovered within his tent.
  • 2 Chronicles 2:10 And, behold, I will give to thy servants, the hewers that cut timber, twenty thousand measures of beaten wheat, and twenty thousand measures of barley, and twenty thousand baths of wine, and twenty thousand baths of oil.
  • Isaiah 22:13 And behold joy and gladness, slaying oxen, and killing sheep, eating flesh, and drinking wine: let us eat and drink; for to morrow we shall die.