Jeremiah 13:21

21 What shalt thou say, when he shall visit thee? for thou hast taught them against thee, and thou hast taught against thine head. Whether sorrows have not taken thee, as a woman travailing of child? (What shalt thou say, when he shall punish thee? for thou hast taught them to be thy leaders, but now they be against thee. Shall sorrows not take hold of thee, like a woman in labour?)

Jeremiah 13:21 Meaning and Commentary

Jeremiah 13:21

What will thou say when he shall punish thee?
&c.] Or, "visit upon thee" ^F6; that is, either when God shall punish thee for thy sins, thou canst bring no charge of injustice against him, or murmur and repine at the punishment inflicted on thee; so Jarchi; to which agrees the Targum,

``when he shall visit on thee thy sin;''

or else, to which the following words seem to incline, when the enemy shall visit upon thee; so Kimchi and Abarbinel, when the Chaldeans shall come upon thee, and pay thee a visit, an unwelcome one; yet who wilt thou have to blame but thyself? so the Septuagint and Arabic versions render it, "when they shall visit thee"; these words are directed, not to the king, nor to the queen neither; but to the body of the people, the Jewish state, represented as a woman; who, upon consideration of things past, would have a great deal of reason to reflect upon themselves for what they had done in former times, which had led on to their ruin and destruction: (for thou hast taught them to be captains, and as chief over thee;)
the Jews showed the Assyrians the way into their country, used them to come thither, and taught them how to conquer them, and be masters over them; or, "hast taught them against thee" ^F7; to thy hurt and detriment, to be captains or governors; for an head,
to have the rule over them: this was done by Ahaz, when he sent to Tiglathpileser king of Assyria to come and save him out of the hands of the kings of Syria and Israel, ( 2 Kings 16:7 ) and by Hezekiah, when he showed the messengers of the king of Babylon all his treasures; these were invitations and temptations to come and plunder them: shall not sorrows take thee as a woman in travail?
denoting the suddenness of their calamities; the sharpness and severity of them; and that they would be inevitable, and could not be prevented.

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FOOTNOTES:

F6 (Kyle dqpy yk) "quando visitabit super te"; Cocceius; "quum visitaverit super te", Schmidt.
F7 (Kyle Mta tdml taw) "docuisti istos contra te", Piscator.

Jeremiah 13:21 In-Context

19 The cities of the south be closed, and none is that openeth; all Judah is translated by perfect passing over, either going out of their land. (The cities of the south be besieged, and there is no one who can help them; all the people of Judah have been carried away captive.)

20 Raise ye (up) your eyes, and see ye, what men come from the north; where is the flock which is given to thee, thy noble sheep?

21 What shalt thou say, when he shall visit thee? for thou hast taught them against thee, and thou hast taught against thine head. Whether sorrows have not taken thee, as a woman travailing of child? (What shalt thou say, when he shall punish thee? for thou hast taught them to be thy leaders, but now they be against thee. Shall sorrows not take hold of thee, like a woman in labour?)

22 That if thou sayest in thine heart, Why came these things to me? for the multitude of thy wickedness thy shamefuller things be showed, thy feet be defouled. (And if thou sayest in thy heart, Why did these things come to me? I shall answer, Because of the multitude of thy wickedness, thy shameful things be shown, and thy feet be defiled.)

23 If a man of Ethiopia may change his skin (colour), either a leopard may change his diversities, and ye may do well, when ye have learned evil. (Only if a man of Ethiopia can change his skin colour, or if a leopard can change his spots, then can ye still do good, after all the evil that ye have learned.)