Jeremiah 13:10
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God declares this people "evil" not just for their actions, but because they actively refuse to listen to His words, stubbornly preferring their own desires and straying after other gods. This stubbornness is the root cause of their eventual worthlessness, like a spoiled loincloth good for nothing.
This evil people, who refuse to hear my words, who stubbornly follow their own heart and have gone after other gods to serve them and worship them, shall be like this loincloth, which is good for nothing.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Following the symbolic act of hiding and retrieving a ruined loincloth, Jeremiah now explains the meaning: this "evil people" have stubbornly refused God's words and followed their own desires and foreign gods. Their persistent disobedience and idolatry have rendered them as useless and ruined as the decayed loincloth, destined for destruction and exile.
Jeremiah points to a people who refuse to listen. What happens when we harden our hearts against God's truth?
The core of Israel's sin, as Jeremiah lays it out here, is a fundamental refusal to hear God's words. It's not just a passive ignoring, but an active rejection.
The Heart of Stubbornness
This willful rejection of divine guidance leads to their ultimate uselessness, just like the spoiled loincloth.
The loincloth became useless after being spoiled. What does this say about the end result of worshipping anything other than God?
The verse vividly describes the consequence of turning to other gods: becoming "good for nothing."
The Cost of Divided Worship
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When we chase after things – whether material possessions, personal ambitions, or even other spiritual paths – that usurp God's rightful place, we too risk becoming useless, unable to serve God or truly benefit others.
Understand the original words
râ'âh · Hebrew Adjective
A broad biblical category for anything that is morally wicked, harmful, or contrary to the nature and will of God. It describes both moral rebellion and the disastrous consequences that follow such rebellion.
mê'ânîm lishmôa‘ · Hebrew Verb
To refuse or reject the voice and authority of God. Biblically, it signifies a heart that is closed off to divine instruction, leading to persistent disobedience.
sherîrûth · Hebrew Noun
A term often used in the Prophets to describe a heart that is set in its own way and resistant to divine change. It represents a state of willful, persistent disobedience against God’s clear revelation.
'elôhîm 'achêrîm · Hebrew Noun phrase
In biblical theology, 'other gods' refers to idols or false deities—things created, imagined, or demonic—that humans set up in place of the one true God. Worshiping them is the ultimate act of spiritual adultery and faithlessness.
This verse comes from a time when Jerusalem faced imminent destruction and exile due to persistent disobedience and idolatry, making the prophet's warning about becoming 'good for nothing' incredibly urgent and terrifying.
Late 8th Century BC
Assyrian Captivity of Northern Kingdom
The northern kingdom of Israel (ten tribes) was conquered by the Assyrian Empire, leading to the exile of many of its inhabitants. This event served as a stark warning to Judah.
c. 701 BC
Assyrian Invasion of Judah
King Sennacherib of Assyria invaded Judah, besieging Jerusalem. Though Jerusalem was spared, the surrounding cities were devastated, and Judah became a vassal state.
605 BC
First Deportation to Babylon
Under King Nebuchadnezzar, Babylon conquered Judah and deported a first wave of exiles, including members of the royal family and educated elite, to Babylon.
597 BC
Second Deportation to Babylon
Following a Judean revolt, Nebuchadnezzar deported more of Judah's population, including the prophet Ezekiel and King Jehoiachin, to Babylon.
586 BC— this verse
Destruction of Jerusalem and Temple
The Babylonians, under Nebuchadnezzar, destroyed Jerusalem and its Temple after a final rebellion. The remaining population was largely exiled to Babylon.
c. 586 BC
Jeremiah's Ministry and Exile
Jeremiah prophesied during the final years of Judah, condemning the people's stubborn disobedience and idolatry. He likely continued his ministry among the exiles in or near Jerusalem, or was later taken to Egypt.
This passage uses similar imagery of a potter and clay, showing how God reshapes or destroys His people based on their response to His word, much like the spoiled loincloth represents Israel's uselessness.
Jeremiah 7:24This verse highlights the people's stubborn refusal to listen to God and their persistent pursuit of their own desires, mirroring the 'stubbornly follow their own heart' mentioned in Jeremiah 13:10.
Jeremiah 24:5-7While Jeremiah 13:10 speaks of ruin, this passage offers a contrast, showing how some exiles would be restored as 'good figs' because they would repent and return to God, suggesting a discernment between the truly rebellious and those who could be redeemed.
Romans 1:21-23This New Testament passage echoes Jeremiah's theme by describing people who, despite knowing God, exchanged His truth for a lie and worshiped created things, leading to a similar state of spiritual uselessness.
Hosea 4:6This verse directly states that God's people are 'destroyed for lack of knowledge' and have rejected it, paralleling Jeremiah's accusation that Israel refused to hear God's words and chose to serve other gods, rendering them useless.
barnesJeremiah 13:10: "This evil people, which refuse to hear my words, which walk in the imagination of their heart, and walk after other gods, to serve them, and to worship them, shall even be as this girdle, which is good for nothing."
This verse limits the application of the symbol. Only the ungodly and the idolatrous part of the people decayed at Babylon. The religious portion was strengthened and invigorated by the exile Jeremiah 24:5-7 .
cambridgeJeremiah 13:10: "This evil people, which refuse to hear my words, which walk in the imagination of their heart, and walk after other gods, to serve them, and to worship them, shall even be as this girdle, which is good for nothing."
10 . stubbornness ] See ch. Jeremiah 3:17 . shall even be ] Heb. let it be .
God declares this people "evil" not just for their actions, but because they actively refuse to listen to His words, stubbornly preferring their own desires and straying after other gods. This stubbornness is the root cause of their eventual worthlessness, like a spoiled loincloth good for nothing.
Following the symbolic act of hiding and retrieving a ruined loincloth, Jeremiah now explains the meaning: this "evil people" have stubbornly refused God's words and followed their own desires and foreign gods. Their persistent disobedience and idolatry have rendered them as useless and ruined as the decayed loincloth, destined for destruction and exile.
Following the symbolic act of hiding and retrieving a ruined loincloth, Jeremiah now explains the meaning: this "evil people" have stubbornly refused God's words and followed their own desires and foreign gods. Their persistent disobedience and idolatry have rendered them as useless and ruined as the decayed loincloth, destined for destruction and exile.
"This evil people, who refuse to hear my words, who stubbornly follow their own heart and have gone after other gods to serve them and worship them, shall be like this loincloth, which is good for nothing." — God declares this people "evil" not just for their actions, but because they actively refuse to listen to His words, stubbornly preferring their own desires and straying after other gods. This stubbo…
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Last reviewed October 2026
