The Meaning of Jeremiah 13:22 Explained

Jeremiah 13:22

KJV: And if thou say in thine heart, Wherefore come these things upon me? For the greatness of thine iniquity are thy skirts discovered, and thy heels made bare.

YLT: And when thou dost say in thy heart, 'Wherefore have these met me?' For the abundance of thine iniquity Have thy skirts been uncovered, Have thy heels suffered violence.

Darby: And if thou say in thy heart, Wherefore come these things upon me? For the greatness of thine iniquity are thy skirts uncovered, and thy heels have suffered violence.

ASV: And if thou say in thy heart, Wherefore are these things come upon me? for the greatness of thine iniquity are thy skirts uncovered, and thy heels suffer violence.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And if thou say  in thine heart,  Wherefore come  these things upon me? For the greatness  of thine iniquity  are thy skirts  discovered,  [and] thy heels  made bare. 

What does Jeremiah 13:22 Mean?

Verse Meaning

If the people of the city asked themselves why such a state of affairs had overtaken them, they should remember that it was due to the greatness of their sins. The Lord would humiliate the city because it had humiliated Him. Lifting the skirt is a euphemism for sexual attack (cf. Leviticus 18:6-19; Leviticus 20:17; Deuteronomy 22:30; Deuteronomy 27:20; Isaiah 47:3; Nahum 3:5), and exposing the heels seems to have been another one (cf. Deuteronomy 28:57; 1 Samuel 24:3; Isaiah 6:2). One scholar took the "exposed heels" to mean "driven into exile barefooted." [1]

Chapter Summary: Jeremiah 13

1  By the type of a linen belt, hidden at Euphrates,
9  God prefigures the destruction of his people
12  By the parable of bottles filled with wine he foretells their drunkenness in misery
15  He exhorts to prevent their future judgments
22  He shows their abominations are the cause thereof

What do the individual words in Jeremiah 13:22 mean?

and if you say in your heart why have come upon me these things for the greatness of your iniquity have been uncovered Your skirts made bare Your heels
וְכִ֤י תֹאמְרִי֙ בִּלְבָבֵ֔ךְ מַדּ֖וּעַ קְרָאֻ֣נִי אֵ֑לֶּה בְּרֹ֧ב עֲוֺנֵ֛ךְ נִגְל֥וּ שׁוּלַ֖יִךְ נֶחְמְס֥וּ עֲקֵבָֽיִךְ

וְכִ֤י  and  if 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Conjunction
Root: כִּי 
Sense: that, for, because, when, as though, as, because that, but, then, certainly, except, surely, since.
תֹאמְרִי֙  you  say 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, second person feminine singular
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
בִּלְבָבֵ֔ךְ  in  your  heart 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, masculine singular construct, second person feminine singular
Root: לֵבָב  
Sense: inner man, mind, will, heart, soul, understanding.
מַדּ֖וּעַ  why 
Parse: Interrogative
Root: מַדּוּעַ  
Sense: why?, on what account?, wherefore?.
קְרָאֻ֣נִי  have  come  upon  me 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person common plural, first person common singular
Root: קָרָא  
Sense: to encounter, befall, meet.
אֵ֑לֶּה  these  things 
Parse: Pronoun, common plural
Root: אֵהֶל 
Sense: these.
בְּרֹ֧ב  for  the  greatness 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: רֹב  
Sense: multitude, abundance, greatness.
עֲוֺנֵ֛ךְ  of  your  iniquity 
Parse: Noun, common singular construct, second person feminine singular
Root: עָוֹן  
Sense: perversity, depravity, iniquity, guilt or punishment of iniquity.
נִגְל֥וּ  have  been  uncovered 
Parse: Verb, Nifal, Perfect, third person common plural
Root: גָּלָה  
Sense: to uncover, remove.
שׁוּלַ֖יִךְ  Your  skirts 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, second person feminine singular
Root: שׁוּל  
Sense: skirt (of robe).
נֶחְמְס֥וּ  made  bare 
Parse: Verb, Nifal, Perfect, third person common plural
Root: חָמַס 
Sense: to wrong, do violence to, treat violently, do wrongly.
עֲקֵבָֽיִךְ  Your  heels 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, second person feminine singular
Root: עָקֵב  
Sense: heel, rear, footprint, hinder part, hoof, rear of a troop, footstep.