Say to the king and to the queen mother, “Humble yourselves. Sit down, for your crowns have come down, even the crown of your glory.
Parallel Translations
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Say to the king and to the queen mother, “Humble yourselves. Sit down, for your crowns have come down, even the crown of your glory.
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Say unto the king and to the queen, Humble yourselves, sit down: for your principalities shall come down, even the crown of your glory.
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Say thou unto the king and to the queen-mother: 'Sit ye down low; for your headtires are come down, even your beautiful crown.'
Cross-references (15)
Passages linked to Jeremiah 13:18 in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, ordered by reader-vote popularity; verse text shown in World English Bible.
- Jeremiah 22:26 I will cast you out with your mother who bore you into another country, where you were not born; and there you will die.
- 2 Kings 24:12 and Jehoiachin the king of Judah went out to the king of Babylon, he, and his mother, and his servants, and his princes, and his officers; and the king of Babylon captured him in the eighth year of his reign.
- 2 Kings 24:15 He carried away Jehoiachin to Babylon, with the king’s mother, the king’s wives, his officers, and the chief men of the land. He carried them into captivity from Jerusalem to Babylon.
- 2 Chronicles 33:12 When he was in distress, he begged Yahweh his God, and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers.
- 2 Chronicles 33:19 His prayer also, and how God was entreated of him, and all his sin and his trespass, and the places in which he built high places, and set up the Asherah poles and the engraved images, before he humbled himself: behold, they are written in the history of Hozai.
- Isaiah 47:1 “Come down and sit in the dust, virgin daughter of Babylon. Sit on the ground without a throne, daughter of the Chaldeans. For you will no longer be called tender and delicate.
- Exodus 10:3 Moses and Aaron went in to Pharaoh, and said to him, “This is what Yahweh, the God of the Hebrews, says: ‘How long will you refuse to humble yourself before me? Let my people go, that they may serve me.
- 2 Chronicles 33:23 He didn’t humble himself before Yahweh, as Manasseh his father had humbled himself; but this same Amon trespassed more and more.
- Isaiah 3:26 Her gates shall lament and mourn. She shall be desolate and sit on the ground.
- Jonah 3:6 The news reached the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, and took off his royal robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes.
- Matthew 18:4 Whoever therefore humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven.
- James 4:10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he will exalt you.
- 1 Peter 5:6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time,
- Ezekiel 19:2-14 and say, ‘What was your mother? A lioness. She couched among lions, in the middle of the young lions she nourished her cubs. She brought up one of her cubs. He became a young lion. He learned to catch the prey. He devoured men. The nations also heard of him. He was taken in their pit; and they brought him with hooks to the land of Egypt. “ ‘Now when she saw that she had waited, and her hope was lost, then she took another of her cubs, and made him a young lion. He went up and down among the lions. He became a young lion. He learned to catch the prey. He devoured men. He knew their palaces, and laid waste their cities. The land was desolate, with its fullness, because of the noise of his roaring. Then the nations attacked him on every side from the provinces. They spread their net over him. He was taken in their pit. They put him in a cage with hooks, and brought him to the king of Babylon. They brought him into strongholds, so that his voice should no more be heard on the mountains of Israel. “ ‘Your mother was like a vine in your blood, planted by the waters. It was fruitful and full of branches by reason of many waters. It had strong branches for the scepters of those who ruled. Their stature was exalted among the thick boughs. They were seen in their height with the multitude of their branches. But it was plucked up in fury. It was cast down to the ground, and the east wind dried up its fruit. Its strong branches were broken off and withered. The fire consumed them. Now it is planted in the wilderness, in a dry and thirsty land. Fire has gone out of its branches. It has devoured its fruit, so that there is in it no strong branch to be a scepter to rule.’ This is a lamentation, and shall be for a lamentation.”
- Lamentations 2:10 The elders of the daughter of Zion sit on the ground. They keep silence. They have cast up dust on their heads. They have clothed themselves with sackcloth. The virgins of Jerusalem hang down their heads to the ground.
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this verse (16 sources)
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John Calvin 1540 · Public Domain The Prophet is here bidden to address his discourse…
The Prophet is here bidden to address his discourse directly to King Jehoiakim and his mother; for the term lady is not to be taken for the queen, the wife of Jehoiakim, but for his mother, who was then his associate in the kingdom, and possessed great authority. And there is no doubt but that God thus intended to rouse more fully the community in general; that is, by shewing that he would not spare, no, not the king nor the queen. But we may hence also learn what has already been observed, that the truth announced by the prophets is superior to all the greatness of the world. For it was said before to Jeremiah, “Reprove mountains and rebuke hills;” and still farther,
“Behold, I have set thee over kingdoms and nations, to pull down and to pluck up,” etc., (Jeremiah 1:10)
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This ought to be carefully noticed; for kings and those who are eminent in the world, think that they are not only, by a singular privilege, exempt from all laws, but also free from every obligation to observe modesty and to avoid shame. Hence it is, that they from their elevation despise God and his prophets. Here God shews, that he supplied the prophets with his word for this end, — that they might close their eyes to all the splendor of the world, and shew no respect of persons, but pull down every height, and bring to order everything that is elevated in this world. Paul also teaches us, that ministers of the gospel are endued with this power;
“Given to us,” he says, “is power against every height that exalteth itself against Christ.” (2 Corinthians 10:5)
And hence we must observe, that all who are chosen to the office of teaching, cannot faithfully discharge their duty except they boldly, and with intrepid spirit, dare to reprove both kings and queens; for the word of God is not to be restricted to the common people or men in humble life, but it subjects to itself all, from the least to the greatest. This prophecy was no doubt very bitter to the king as well as to the common people; but it behooved Jeremiah to discharge faithfully his office; and this was also necessary, for the king Jehoiakim and his mother thought that they could not possibly be dethroned.
He therefore bids them to descend and to lie down; that is, he bids them to forget their ancient greatness. He does not simply exhort them to repent, but shews, that as they had been so refractory in their pride, the punishment of disgrace was nigh at hand, for the Lord would with a strong hand lay them prostrate. It is not then an exhortation that the Prophet gives; but he only foretells what they little thought of, — that they in vain flattered themselves, for the Lord would in a short time expose them to reproach by casting them down.
And this is evident from what is added, For descend shall the crown of your honor; that is, it shall be taken away from your highnesses, or from your eminencies, or from your heads; for the word ראשה, rashe, means sometimes the head. But some think that it means here eminencies, and that “the magnificent crown” is put here in apposition.
I have omitted, if I mistake not, to notice one thing; that is, the pride mentioned by the Prophet; except ye hear, weep will my soul in secret on account of pride Interpreters render it “your pride;” that is, the pride with which the Jews were filled; but I am inclined to take a different view, that the Prophet speaks here of the pride or the great power of those enemies whom the Jews then did not in any degree fear. “Since then,” says the Prophet, “ye are so secure, I will retire and weep by myself, and my soul by mourning shall mourn, yea, my eye shall flow down with tears, on account of the pride of the enemies, who are now so much despised by you;” Let us now proceed —
John Calvin's Commentaries (1540-1563) — public domain. Text from the Calvin Translation Society English edition (1840s-50s) via the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (ccel.org). Calvin's coverage is partial (roughly two-thirds of the Bible); uncommented books and verses are honest gaps, never fabricated. The 19th-century editor's footnotes and remarks are omitted so the notes are faithfully Calvin's own voice.
Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain For Jehoiachin and his mother rendered themselves by Jeremiah’s…
For Jehoiachin and his mother rendered themselves by Jeremiah’s counsel to the king of Babylon, 2 Kings 24:12.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain Jer 13:18 Say unto the king and to the…
Jer 13:18 Say unto the king and to the queen, Humble yourselves, sit down: for your principalities shall come down, [even] the crown of your glory.
Ver. 18. Say to the king and to the queen.] Or Madam, the lady or mistress; that is, to the queen regent, even to Necustah, the mother of Jeconiah, say the Jews. When Beza, in the behalf of the reformed churches in France, made a speech at Possiacum before the young king and the queen mother, he spake so effectually, saith Rivet, that a great cardinal who heard it wished that either he had been dumb that day, or that they had all been deaf. This king and queen in the text might be as much convinced, though not thoroughly converted.
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Humble yourselves, sit down.] Heb., Humble, sit below.
For your principalities.] Or, Your head attires.
The crown of your glory.] Or, Your crown of glory; that is, your glorious crown, of which you shall have cause enough to say, as Antigonus did of his diadem, O vilis pannus, &c. Or, as another monarch,
“ Nobilis es, fateor, rutilisque onerata lapillis,
Innumeris curis sod comitata venis:
Quod bene si nossent omnes expendere, nemo,
Nemo foret quite tollere vellet humo. ”
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain The author of holy writ is discernible by this…
The author of holy writ is discernible by this as by other things, that the Scripture equally speaks to the greatest persons as to persons of meaner rank. God here calls to the king of Judah, whether it was at this time Jehoiakim, or his son Jehoiachin, is uncertain. By
principalities he means both their dignity and their liberty, that which he often calleth the crown of their glory. Some expound it head-tires, because the word deriveth from a word which signifies the head.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain The cities of the south shall be shut up,…
The cities of the south shall be shut up, and none shall open them,.... Meaning the cities of Judah, which lay in the southern part of the land of Israel, and to the south of Babylon; which might be said to be shut up, and not in the power of any to open, when besieged by the Chaldean army; or rather when destroyed, that there were none to go in and out; though some think the cities of Egypt are intended, which lay south of Judea, from whence the Jews should not have the relief they expected, and where they should find no refuge; but the former sense seems best:
Judah shall be carried away captive all of it; it was in part carried away in Jehoiachin's time, and wholly in Zedekiah's; which seems to be here respected:
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it shall be wholly carried away captive; or, in perfections (e); most perfectly and completely; the same thing is meant as before, only in different words repeated, to express the certainty of it.
(e) "perfectionibus", Vatablus, Montanus. It is by Schmidt left untranslated, "Schelomim", which he takes to be the city of Jerusalem, sometimes called "Solyma"; the inhabitants of which were carried captive when Judah was; and so Junius and Tremellius translate it; "civita, pacatorum", and understand it of Jerusalem; which has the signification of peace in its name.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain Verse 18. Say unto the king and to the…
Verse 18. Say unto the king and to the queen] Probably Jeconiah and his mother, under whose tutelage, being young when he began to reign, he was left, as is very likely.
Sit down] Show that ye have humbled yourselves; for your state will be destroyed, and your glorious crown taken from your heads.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain Jer 13:18. Say unto the king and queen —…
Jer 13:18. Say unto the king and queen — That is, to Jehoiachin, called also Coniah, and his mother, who were carried captives to Babylon at the first coming of Nebuchadnezzar; see Jer 22:26; 2Ki 24:12. Some indeed suppose that Zedekiah and his mother are intended, which does not appear so probable. Humble yourselves — By true repentance, and so both give glory to God, and set a good example to your subjects; and sit down — Sit down and consider what is coming; sit down and lament your condition. For your principalities shall come down —
The honour and power by which you value yourselves, and in which you confide, even the crown of your glory — For when you are led away captive, where will the badges of your power and pre-eminence be then? Blessed be God, there is a crown of glory which shall never come down, and which they who humble themselves before God, in true repentance, shall in due time inherit.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain The queen - i. e., “the queen-mother:” the word…
The queen - i. e., “the queen-mother:” the word signifies literally “the great lady.” The king’s mother took precedence of his wives.
Sit down - The usual position of slaves.
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For your principalities ... - Rather, “for the ornaments of your heads, even the crown of your majesty, shall come down.”
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain Queen; Nohesta, mother of Joachim, or to the consort…
Queen; Nohesta, mother of Joachim, or to the consort of Sedecias. (Calmet) --- Septuagint, "to the princes." (Haydock)
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain king--Jehoiachin or Jeconiah.
king--Jehoiachin or Jeconiah.
queen--the queen mother who, as the king was not more than eighteen years old, held the chief power. Nehushta, daughter of Elnathan, carried away captive with Jehoiachin by Nebuchadnezzar (Kg2 24:8-15).
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Humble yourselves--that is, Ye shall be humbled, or brought low (Jer 22:26; Jer 28:2).
your principalities--rather, "your head ornament."
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain 18. Queen — Rather, queen-mother. It seems to have…
18. Queen — Rather, queen-mother. It seems to have been the custom among many Oriental peoples for the king’s mother to take precedence of his wife.
Principalities — The marginal reading is better, your head-tires, even the crown of your glory, shall come down.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain 18. your headtires] The word in MT. means the…
18. your headtires] The word in MT. means the place of the head (and so the same consonants with rather different vocalisation in Gen_28:11, 1Sa_19:16; 1Sa_26:7). We should therefore by a slight shortening of the word (so LXX) render for come down from your head is your beautiful crown (lit. crown of beauty).
Humble yourselves, sit down] better, as mg. Sit ye down low. Cp. Jer_14:2.
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18, 19. Address to the king and the queen-mother
The highest shall be brought low, and the land with its cities emptied by universal captivity.
Graf and Du. make the king to be Jehoiakim and thus the queen-mother Zebidah (2Ki_23:36). Most however take the utterance as belonging to the three months’ reign of his successor, Jehoiachin, whose mother, Nehushta, is referred to in 2Ki_24:8; 2Ki_24:12; 2Ki_24:15. The prominence attached to the queen-mother by Eastern custom would be in that case enhanced by the king’s youth. Cp. Jer_22:26.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain (18) The queen.—Not the usual word, the Hebrew feminine…
(18) The queen.—Not the usual word, the Hebrew feminine of king, but literally “the great lady” (“dominatrix” Vulg.), the title of a queen-mother (in this case, probably, of Nehushta, the mother of Jehoiachin, 2Ki_24:8), sharing the throne during her son’s minority. The same word is used of Maachah, the mother of Asa (1Ki_15:13; 2Ki_10:13; 2Ch_15:16), and meets us again in Jer_29:2.
Your principalities.—Literally, as in the margin, your head-tires, i.e., the diadems which were signs of kingly state. The word is used nowhere else, and may have been coined by the prophet or taken from the court vocabulary of the time.
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain The extent of the calamity shown in individual instances.…
The extent of the calamity shown in individual instances. For the fulfillment, see 2Ki_24:15. After a reign of three months, the young prince and his mother were carried to Babylon. And to the queen; rather, and to the queen-mother (literally, the mistress). It will be noticed that, except in two cases, the names of the mothers of the reigning kings of Judah are scrupulously mentioned in the Books of Kings. This and the title of "mistress" are indications of the high rank they enjoyed in the social system. In the case of Asa, we are told that he removed his mother, Maachah, from her position as "mistress," or queen-mother, on account of her idolatry. (1Ki_15:13) The political value of the station is strikingly shown by the ease with which Athaliah, as queen-mother,.usurped the supreme authority. (2Ki 11) From a historical point of view, the "queen-mother" of the Jews is a most interesting personage; she is a relic of the primitive age in which relationship was reckoned with regard to the mother (so with the Accadians, Etruseans, Finns, etc.). It should be added, however, that once (viz. 1Ki_11:19) the same title, "mistress," is applied to the queen-consort. Humble yourselves, sit down; rather, sit down in abase-sent; i.e. take the station suitable for your abased circumstances. (comp. Isa_47:1) Your principalities; rather, your head. ornaments.
Royalty humbled.
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I GOD IS THE JUDGE OF KINGS. They are as far beneath God as are the meanest beggars. Their rank is no protection against the execution of Divine justice; their power no security against the consequences of the wrath of God. No earthly honor or power will serve men when they stand before the great throne of judgment.
II WICKED KINGS WILL MEET WITH SEVERE PUNISHMENT. The greater the privileges they have had, the more have they been able to abuse them, and therefore the greater their guilt. The larger their influence has been, the more harm have they done in using that influence for evil purposes. All who are entrusted with exceptional power should remember that this incurs exceptional responsibility.
III THE PRIDE OF KINGS WILL BE PUNISHED WITH HUMILIATION. Every sin will have its appropriate retribution. "Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap," not only in the main characteristics, but in particular features. Pride thus naturally sows the seed of shame. (Pro_29:23)
IV THE GREATNESS OF THE PRESENT PROSPERITY OF WICKED KINGS WILL ENHANCE THE SUFFERING OF THEIR FUTURE RETRIBUTION. They who stand highest can fall lowest. Poverty is felt more keenly by people who were once in affluence than by the children of the poor. The memory of his former luxuries must have added keenness to the sufferings of Dives in Hades. We are not to infer from this that future retribution is only a compensation for the inequality of the joys and sorrows of this life, that kings will suffer for their very greatness (for the wicked poor will be wretched hereafter, while the good and great will be blessed in the future with heavenly treasures), but that if we are unfaithful, the measure of future distress will necessarily be partly determined by that of present enjoyment. We need not, therefore, be envious of the prosperity of the wicked. Rather it should fill us with horror, grief, and pity as we consider what a fool"s paradise they live in what anguish will grow out of the contrast of it with the certain retribution of all sin!
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 General Information:
General Information:
Yahweh is continuing to talk to Jeremiah. He is telling Jeremiah what to say to the king of Judah and the king's mother.
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queen mother
the mother of the king
for your splendid crowns have fallen from your heads
A king and queen mother wear crowns to represent their royal positions as the king and queen mother. Also, this event has not happened yet, but it is written here as if it already has. This can be written in future tense. AT: "for you will no longer be the king and queen mother, for your crowns, your pride and glory, will fall off" (See: Symbolic Action and Predictive Past)
The cities in the Negev will be shut up, with no one to open them
This means that the cities will be surrounded by their enemies, who will not allow anyone to go in or come out of the cities. AT: "The cities in the Negev will be shut up, and no one will be able to go into them or come out of them" (See: Assumed Knowledge and Implicit Information)
The cities in the Negev will be shut up
This can be stated in active form. AT: "Your enemies will shut the cities in the Negev up" (See: Active or Passive)
All Judah will be taken captive, completely taken captive
Here "Judah" represents the people who live there. This can be stated in active form. AT: "The enemies will take all of the people of Judah captive into exile" (See: Metonymy and Active or Passive)
translationWords
king
queen
humble
crown
proud
glory
Negev
Judah
exile
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 13:18-19 The king was probably Jehoiakim’s son Jehoiachin, who…
13:18-19 The king was probably Jehoiakim’s son Jehoiachin, who was crowned in 597 BC after the death of his father; his mother was Nehushta (see 2 Kgs 24:1-9). Jehoiachin was eighteen years old and reigned for just three months; this message was probably delivered during his short reign. His glorious crowns would soon be taken from him by the Babylonians (see 2 Kgs 24:11-16). The treasures of the Temple and palace would be given to the Babylonians, and the royalty and elite of Judah would be carried into exile. At the same time, Judah’s southern neighbors would take over the towns of the Negev, the desert area from the city of Beersheba to the Gulf of Aqaba.
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.