· Translation: KJV

Jeremiah 11:13For according to the number of your cities are your gods, Judah; and according to the number of the streets of Jerusalem have you set up altars to the shameful thing, even altars to burn incense to Baal.

The setting

Jerusalem, ~605 BC. Every neighborhood has its own shrine. Jeremiah counts them street by street. Modern-day Jerusalem, Israel/Palestine.

The emotion here: disgusted at the complete saturation of compromise

The original word

bōšet (בשת) — shame, shameful thing, used to avoid saying 'Baal' directly

Why it matters

Ba'al worship involved child sacrifice and temple prostitution on every street corner

Read with care

What most readers miss in Jeremiah 11:13

Jeremiah won't even say 'Baal' — he calls it 'the shameful thing' out of disgust

Common misconceptionPeople think this is about ancient polytheism, but it's about how we create mini-gods everywhere — one for work success, one for relationships, one for comfort

Bible Genome reading

Jeremiah 11:13 — Bible Genome reading

SpeakerYahweh
EraDivided Kingdom
Primary emotionangry
Literary typeprophecy
MarkProphecy

Emotional genome

Comfort power10%
Quotability60%
Memorability70%
Crisis relevance60%
Standalone50%
Themes:widespread idolatryspiritual adultery

In context

No verse stands alone.

Read the conversation around it.

Open Jeremiah 11

Jeremiah 11:13 comes from the book of Jeremiah, written during the Divided Kingdom period. These words are attributed to Yahweh. The dominant emotion in this verse is angry, with a comfort power of 10% and a tone that is urgent. It belongs to the prophecy genre of biblical literature. Key themes include widespread idolatry, spiritual adultery. Notable phrases: according to the number of your cities; altars. This verse contains prophecy.

Your reflection

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