Jeremiah 13:27
I have seen your abominations, your adulteries and neighings, your lewd whorings, on the hills in the field. Woe to you, O Jerusalem! How long will it be before you are made clean?”
English Standard Version (ESV)
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The verse isn't just listing sins; it's exposing the intensity of their spiritual adultery with imagery like "neighings," showing how their pursuit of idols was as frantic and unbridled as animal lust. The question "when shall it once be?" isn't just about timing, but a poignant cry that feels almost hopeless, highlighting the deep-seated resistance to true cleansing.
Right before this, God uses the powerful image of an unchangeable Ethiopian or leopard to show how deeply ingrained Jerusalem's sin has become. Now, God directly addresses Jerusalem, listing their widespread idolatry and sexual immorality practiced openly on hills and fields, comparing it to the frantic lust of horses. He pronounces a "woe" upon them, questioning how long it will take for them to finally repent and become clean, highlighting the near impossibility of their self-cleansing due to such deep-seated corruption.
Jeremiah uses shocking language to describe Jerusalem's sin. What does he really mean by 'adulteries' and 'neighings'?
Jeremiah doesn't just speak of literal infidelity; he uses powerful metaphors to describe Jerusalem's deep-seated sin.
The Betrayal of God
The "adulteries" and "whoredom" here are primarily spiritual. God had entered into a covenant relationship with Israel, like a marriage. By turning to other gods and practicing idolatry, Jerusalem was committing spiritual adultery against her faithful husband, God.
Unbridled Desire
The "neighings" draw a stark image from the lustful sounds of horses. This isn't just about straying; it's about an unbridled, almost animalistic eagerness for forbidden practices and false gods. It speaks to a deep, consuming passion that led them away from God, happening openly "on the hills in the fields."
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Jerusalem's sins are laid bare, leading to a cry of "Woe!" But the prophet's final question reveals a deeper problem.
The "woe" is a pronouncement of judgment, but the following questions cut to the core of Jerusalem's spiritual state.
A Moral Impossibility?
"Wilt thou not be made clean? When shall it once be?" These questions aren't just asking for a timeline. They express a profound despair, suggesting that Jerusalem's ingrained sin has made repentance and purification seem almost impossible. It highlights the depth of their spiritual corruption, where the will to change is absent.
Hope, Even in Despair
While the language implies deep-seated hardness, some commentators see a glimmer of hope. The questions can be interpreted as a desperate plea: "Isn't it time?" or "When will you finally choose to be cleansed?" This implies that cleansing is possible, but it hinges on Jerusalem's will to turn back to God, something they seem incapable of doing on their own.
Understand the original words
shiqquts · Hebrew Noun
A detestable or loathsome thing, specifically used in the Old Testament to describe idols, idolatrous practices, or acts that are morally repulsive to God and violate the covenant.
ni'uph · Hebrew Noun
Marital unfaithfulness; in a prophetic context, it represents Israel's spiritual infidelity by worshiping other gods and breaking their covenant relationship with Yahweh.
mitshalah · Hebrew Noun
A term denoting unrestrained sexual desire or lust, often used metaphorically in the prophets to describe the intense, frantic, and immoral pursuit of false gods by God’s people.
zimmah · Hebrew Noun
The state of being morally loose, shameless, or sexually promiscuous; biblically, it emphasizes the flagrant and open nature of spiritual apostasy and idolatry.
'oy · Hebrew Interjection
A cry of grief, distress, or impending judgment; it serves as a prophetic warning of the inevitable sorrow that follows persistent rejection of God's law.
Yerushalayim · Hebrew Proper Noun
The city of David and the dwelling place of the Temple; it serves as the symbolic center of God's covenant with His people, representing the nation's spiritual heart and responsibility.
taher · Hebrew Verb
Refers to ceremonial or moral purification, being set apart from sin or idolatry to be restored to a right, holy relationship with God.
Jeremiah's lament in this verse comes during a period of intense national crisis, as Jerusalem faces imminent destruction and exile due to its persistent idolatry and spiritual 'adultery'. The 'high places' and 'fields' were the sites of these pagan practices, which the prophet condemns as deeply offensive to God, questioning when the city will finally turn from its destructive path.
Late 8th century BC
High Place Worship Flourishes
During the reigns of kings like Hezekiah and Josiah, reforms were attempted to centralize worship in Jerusalem, but the practice of worshipping at 'high places' (altars on hills) was deeply entrenched, often involving idolatry and pagan rituals.
c. 605 BC
First Deportation to Babylon
Under King Jehoiakim, Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon begins his campaigns against Judah, leading to the first exile of Jewish nobles and skilled workers, including figures like Daniel, to Babylon.
c. 597 BC
Second Deportation to Babylon
After continued defiance and political maneuvering, Nebuchadnezzar deports King Jehoiachin and a larger segment of Jerusalem's population, including the prophet Ezekiel, to Babylon.
c. 587-586 BC— this verse
Fall and Destruction of Jerusalem
Nebuchadnezzar lays siege to Jerusalem for a final time, ultimately breaching the walls, destroying the Temple, and exiling most of the remaining population to Babylon, marking a catastrophic end to the Davidic monarchy.
c. 586-538 BC
Babylonian Exile
The Jewish people endure decades of exile in Babylon, a period of profound spiritual crisis and reflection, where the prophetic messages about sin, judgment, and future restoration gained deeper meaning.
Ezekiel also confronts Israel with their 'detestable things,' 'abominations,' and 'sacrifices' on the high places, mirroring Jeremiah's charge of widespread idolatry and its devastating consequences.
Hosea 2:2-13Hosea vividly portrays Israel's unfaithfulness to God using the metaphor of adultery and prostitution, much like Jeremiah's imagery of 'adulteries and neighings' to describe their pursuit of idols.
Romans 1:23-25Paul describes a similar pattern of exchanging the truth of God for a lie, leading to worship of created things and engaging in shameful practices, echoing the 'abominations' and 'lewdness' Jeremiah denounces.
1 Corinthians 6:9-11This passage lists various sinful behaviors, including sexual immorality and idolatry, and then reminds believers that they have been washed, sanctified, and justified, contrasting sharply with Jerusalem's unwilliness to be made clean.
Revelation 18:1-5The judgment pronounced on Babylon for its 'sexual immorality' and 'abominations' reflects the divine wrath against nations and cities steeped in idolatry and wicked practices, aligning with the 'woe' pronounced on Jerusalem.
barnesJeremiah 13:27: "I have seen thine adulteries, and thy neighings, the lewdness of thy whoredom, and thine abominations on the hills in the fields. Woe unto thee, O Jerusalem! wilt thou not be made clean? when shall it once be?"
And thine abominations - "Even thy abominations." The prophet sums up the three charges against Judah, namely, spiritual adultery, inordinate eagerness after idolatry (see the note at Jeremiah 5:7 note), and shameless participation in pagan orgies. In the fields - "in th…
pooleJeremiah 13:27: "I have seen thine adulteries, and thy neighings, the lewdness of thy whoredom, and thine abominations on the hills in the fields. Woe unto thee, O Jerusalem! wilt thou not be made clean? when shall it once be?"
Some think the prophet here reflects upon them for their corporal adulteries, and their madness upon them, which he compareth to the neighings of horses; but those words on the hills in the fields in the next clause seem to inform us that he means here only their idolatr…
The verse isn't just listing sins; it's exposing the intensity of their spiritual adultery with imagery like "neighings," showing how their pursuit of idols was as frantic and unbridled as animal lust. The question "when shall it once be?" isn't just about timing, but a poignant cry that feels almost hopeless, highlighting the deep-seated resistance to true cleansing.
Right before this, God uses the powerful image of an unchangeable Ethiopian or leopard to show how deeply ingrained Jerusalem's sin has become. Now, God directly addresses Jerusalem, listing their widespread idolatry and sexual immorality practiced openly on hills and fields, comparing it to the frantic lust of horses. He pronounces a "woe" upon them, questioning how long it will take for them to finally repent and become clean, highlighting the near impossibility of their self-cleansing due to such deep-seated corruption.
Right before this, God uses the powerful image of an unchangeable Ethiopian or leopard to show how deeply ingrained Jerusalem's sin has become. Now, God directly addresses Jerusalem, listing their widespread idolatry and sexual immorality practiced openly on hills and fields, comparing it to the frantic lust of horses. He pronounces a "woe" upon them, questioning how long it will take for them to finally repent and become clean, highlighting the near impossibility of their self-cleansing due to such deep-seated corruption.
"I have seen your abominations, your adulteries and neighings, your lewd whorings, on the hills in the field. Woe to you, O Jerusalem! How long will it be before you are made clean?”" — The verse isn't just listing sins; it's exposing the intensity of their spiritual adultery with imagery like "neighings," showing how their pursuit of idols was as frantic and unbridled as animal l…
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