Jeremiah 13:21What will you say, when he shall set over you as head those whom you have yourself taught to be friends to you? shall not sorrows take hold of you, as of a woman in travail?
The setting
Jerusalem, ~605 BC. Judah had formed alliances with Assyria and Egypt, teaching them Israel's trade routes and military secrets. Now those allies have become conquerors...
The emotion here: devastated by inevitable betrayal
The original word
chevlei (חֶבְלֵי) — birth pangs, sudden inescapable agony that builds to breaking point
Why it matters
Judah's kings had sent tribute and hostages to Assyria for 150 years, essentially training their future oppressors
Read with care
What most readers miss in Jeremiah 13:21
The 'woman in travail' isn't just pain - it's the specific agony of something you can't stop or escape
Common misconceptionThis seems like God is being cruel, but He's actually explaining why the betrayal hurts so much - because Judah created their own enemies by sharing their weaknesses.
The thread continues
Verses that echo Jeremiah 13:21
Bible Genome reading
Jeremiah 13:21 — Bible Genome reading
Emotional genome
Jeremiah 13:21 comes from the book of Jeremiah, written during the Divided Kingdom period. The dominant emotion in this verse is anxious, with a comfort power of 10% and a tone that is urgent. It belongs to the prophecy genre of biblical literature. Key themes include betrayal, consequences, foreign alliances. Notable phrases: sorrows take hold; taught to be friends. This verse contains prophecy.
Emotionally similar
Verses that meet the same anxious
“And no wonder, for even Satan masquerades as an angel of light.”
— 2 Corinthians 11:14
“Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.”
— 2 Timothy 3:12
“The evil spirit answered, "Jesus I know, and Paul I know, but who are you?"”
— Acts 19:15
“I fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to me, 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?'”
— Acts 22:7
“When we had all fallen to the earth, I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew language, 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It is har…”
— Acts 26:14
Your reflection
What does Jeremiah 13:21 mean to you, today?
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