So I went, and hid it by Euphrates, as the LORD commanded me.

JEREMIAH 13:5KJV
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Jeremiah 13:5 (KJV)

What does Jeremiah 13:5 mean?

Jeremiah 13:5 describes how the prophet Jeremiah obeyed God’s instruction by taking a linen belt and hiding it by the Euphrates River, just as the LORD had told him. This action was part of a symbolic act meant to illustrate a message from God to the people of Judah.

In this verse, Jeremiah is following a direct command from God, acting out a physical demonstration that would later be explained. The setting is during Jeremiah’s prophetic ministry, and the act of hiding the belt is part of a larger object lesson about the relationship between God and His people, which unfolds in the surrounding verses.

The Hebrew behind Jeremiah 13:5

  • "went" (יָלַךְ, yalak): This word simply means to go or walk, showing Jeremiah’s obedience and movement to the location God specified.
  • "hid" (טָמַן, taman): This word means to conceal or bury, emphasizing that Jeremiah did not just place the belt somewhere visible but made sure it was hidden out of sight.
  • "Euphrates" (פְּרָת, Perat): This refers to the well-known river far from Jerusalem, highlighting the effort and distance involved in Jeremiah’s obedience and possibly symbolizing something significant about exile or distance from home.
  • "LORD" (יְהוָה, YHWH): This is the personal name of God, stressing that the command comes from Israel’s covenant God.
  • "commanded" (צָוָה, tsavah): This word means to order or instruct, underlining that Jeremiah’s actions were not his own idea but a response to God’s direct command.

Why Jeremiah 13:5 matters

  • Jeremiah 13:5 clears up that Jeremiah’s actions were not random or symbolic by his own choice; he was carefully following God’s specific instructions, which gives weight to the message that follows.
  • The mention of the Euphrates River connects this symbolic act to themes of distance, exile, or foreign lands, which are important in Jeremiah’s prophecies about Judah’s future.
  • This verse sets up the context for the lesson God is about to teach through Jeremiah’s actions, helping the reader understand that the coming explanation is rooted in a real, deliberate act of obedience.

Where else these words appear

“Euphrates” Hebrew H6578 · used in 19 verses

  • Genesis 2:14 And the name of the third river is Hiddekel: that is it which goeth toward the east of Assyria. And the fourth river is Euphrates.
  • 2 Kings 23:29 In his days Pharaohnechoh king of Egypt went up against the king of Assyria to the river Euphrates: and king Josiah went against him; and he slew him at Megiddo, when he had seen him.
  • 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.

“hid” Hebrew H2934 · used in 29 verses

  • Genesis 35:4 And they gave unto Jacob all the strange gods which were in their hand, and all their earrings which were in their ears; and Jacob hid them under the oak which was by Shechem.
  • Job 20:26 All darkness shall be hid in his secret places: a fire not blown shall consume him; it shall go ill with him that is left in his tabernacle.
  • Psalms 142:3 When my spirit was overwhelmed within me, then thou knewest my path. In the way wherein I walked have they privily laid a snare for me.