I myself will lift up your skirts over your face, and your shame will be seen.
English Standard Version (ESV)
All verses
Jeremiah 13:26
What does Jeremiah 13:26 mean?
This page isn't yet indexed by search engines.
Jeremiah 13:26
This page isn't yet indexed by search engines.
This verse highlights a profound sense of divine reciprocity: "I also will lift up your skirts." God is not just reacting; He is responding in kind to the shame and dishonor Israel has already inflicted upon Him by their idolatry and unfaithfulness. This isn't just punishment; it's a righteous mirroring of their own actions, revealing their deep-seated shame to themselves and the world.
I myself will lift up your skirts over your face, and your shame will be seen.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Jeremiah has just described Judah's deep-seated corruption and idolatry, comparing it to a stolen garment that cannot be cleaned. Now, God declares that He will act as the punisher, directly revealing their "skirts" – a euphemism for their private parts and their shameful actions – over their faces, making their hidden disgrace utterly public. This direct act of exposure is God's response to their unrepentant "adulteries" and their passionate pursuit of other gods, which have rendered them utterly unclean in His eyes.
Imagine a deeply personal betrayal – a trust shattered, a confidence broken. Jeremiah 13:26 uses intense imagery to describe God's response to His people's unfaithfulness.
This verse describes a severe form of public humiliation. Culturally, exposing someone's skirts was a radical act of stripping away all dignity and covering, revealing their deepest shame.
A Mirror to Their Sins
God declares, "I myself will lift up your skirts over your face." This isn't just punishment; it's a consequence that directly mirrors their actions. Jerusalem had sought out other 'lovers' (idols and foreign alliances), engaging in spiritual adultery. They had hidden their sin, yet God promised to expose it.
The God Who Avenges
This is God asserting His right to retaliate. The phrase "I also" emphasizes that just as they dishonored Him, He will bring a just and unavoidable shame upon them. It's a stark reminder that God will not tolerate His people turning away from Him.
Have you ever felt the sting of disrespect, or the quiet satisfaction of being honored? This verse speaks volumes about God's perspective on honor and dishonor.
The core of this judgment is the reciprocal nature of honor. God's people had chosen to dishonor Him by turning to idols and foreign powers for security and identity.
God's Prerogative
Ask a follow-up
God, in essence, says, 'You have despised Me, and therefore, you cannot expect to maintain your own honor.' He is the ultimate arbiter of dignity. When we honor God with our trust, our worship, and our obedience, He promises to honor us.
The Cost of Disregard
Conversely, when we disregard God, we invite a shame that is far greater than any earthly contempt. The exposure threatened in Jeremiah 13:26 is not merely physical, but a profound spiritual and national humiliation, demonstrating that true honor is found only in relationship with the Creator.
Understand the original words
qalon · Hebrew Noun
A state of dishonor, disgrace, or exposure resulting from sin, disobedience, or rebellion against God; often used to describe the stripping away of dignity that accompanies divine judgment.
Jeremiah's prophecy of Judah's skirts being uncovered signifies a public, shameful exposure of their sin and the resulting divine judgment. This imagery draws upon ancient Near Eastern customs of punishing unfaithful women, making it a potent metaphor for God's righteous retribution against His unfaithful people, especially in the wake of Jerusalem's devastating fall.
c. 722 BC
Fall of Samaria and Northern Kingdom
The Assyrian Empire conquers the northern Kingdom of Israel, exiling many Israelites. This event serves as a stark warning to the southern Kingdom of Judah about the consequences of disobedience.
c. 605 BC
First Babylonian Deportation
King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon conquers Judah and deports a group of elites, including Daniel, to Babylon. This marks the beginning of Judah's subjugation to Babylon.
597 BC
Second Babylonian Deportation
Following a rebellion, Babylon deports more Judeans, including King Jehoiachin and the prophet Ezekiel, to Babylon. Jerusalem's temple is plundered.
586 BC— this verse
Destruction of Jerusalem and Temple
Babylonian forces under Nebuchadnezzar destroy Jerusalem and its magnificent temple, ending Judah as an independent kingdom. The majority of the remaining population is exiled.
c. 585 BC
Jeremiah's Continued Ministry in Egypt
Jeremiah, who remained in Jerusalem after the destruction, is later taken to Egypt. He continues to prophesy to the Judean exiles there, condemning their continued idolatry.
This passage directly mirrors the imagery of Jeremiah 13:26, describing God's judgment as uncovering a city's skirts to reveal its shame and disgrace.
Isaiah 47:2-3Similar to Jeremiah's prophecy, Isaiah describes the humbling of Babylon by exposing its nakedness and shame, highlighting God's judgment on pride and impurity.
Ezekiel 16:37This verse speaks of God exposing Jerusalem's spiritual adultery by uncovering its nakedness before its lovers and the nations, a powerful parallel to the public shame Jeremiah describes.
Proverbs 1:26This proverb shows a conceptual link where the source of wisdom (God) will laugh at the destruction of those who have rejected Him, echoing the divine 'retaliation' and exposure of shame mentioned in Jeremiah.
clarkeJeremiah 13:26: "Therefore will I discover thy skirts upon thy face, that thy shame may appear."
Therefore will I discover thy skirts upon thy face - It was the custom to punish lewd women by stripping them naked, and exposing them to public view; or by throwing their clothes over their heads, as here intimated. Was this the way to correct the evil?
barnesJeremiah 13:26: "Therefore will I discover thy skirts upon thy face, that thy shame may appear."
Therefore will I-- literally, "And I also;" I also must have my turn, I too must retaliate. Compare Nahum 3:5 .
This verse highlights a profound sense of divine reciprocity: "I also will lift up your skirts." God is not just reacting; He is responding in kind to the shame and dishonor Israel has already inflicted upon Him by their idolatry and unfaithfulness. This isn't just punishment; it's a righteous mirroring of their own actions, revealing their deep-seated shame to themselves and the world.
Jeremiah has just described Judah's deep-seated corruption and idolatry, comparing it to a stolen garment that cannot be cleaned. Now, God declares that He will act as the punisher, directly revealing their "skirts" – a euphemism for their private parts and their shameful actions – over their faces, making their hidden disgrace utterly public. This direct act of exposure is God's response to their unrepentant "adulteries" and their passionate pursuit of other gods, which have rendered them utterly unclean in His eyes.
Jeremiah has just described Judah's deep-seated corruption and idolatry, comparing it to a stolen garment that cannot be cleaned. Now, God declares that He will act as the punisher, directly revealing their "skirts" – a euphemism for their private parts and their shameful actions – over their faces, making their hidden disgrace utterly public. This direct act of exposure is God's response to their unrepentant "adulteries" and their passionate pursuit of other gods, which have rendered them utterly unclean in His eyes.
"I myself will lift up your skirts over your face, and your shame will be seen." — This verse highlights a profound sense of divine reciprocity: "I also will lift up your skirts." God is not just reacting; He is responding in kind to the shame and dishonor Israel has already infl…
Get the original Greek and Hebrew, verse-by-verse context, and related passages inside the app.
Last reviewed October 2026