Jeremiah 13 · Verse 16

Jeremiah 13:16

Give glory to the Lord your God, before he cause darkness, and before your feet stumble upon the dark mountains, and, while ye look for light, he turn it into the shadow of death, and make it gross darkness.
Jeremiah 13:16, King James Version

Jeremiah 13:16 in other translations

BSBGive glory to the LORD your God before He brings darkness, before your feet stumble on the dusky mountains. You wait for light, but He turns it into deep gloom and thick darkness.
WEBGive glory to the LORD your God, before he causes darkness, and before your feet stumble on the dark mountains, and while you look for light, he turns it into the shadow of death, and makes it deep darkness.
ASVGive glory to Jehovah your God, before he cause darkness, and before your feet stumble upon the dark mountains, and, while ye look for light, he turn it into the shadow of death, and make it gross darkness.
YLTGive ye to Jehovah your God honour, Before He doth cause darkness, And before your feet stumble on dark mountains, And ye have waited for light, And He hath made it for death-shade, And hath appointed it for thick darkness.
DARBYGive glory to Jehovah your God, before he cause darkness, and before your feet stumble upon the mountains of twilight; and ye shall look for light, but he will turn it into the shadow of death, and make it gross darkness.
BBEGive glory to the Lord your God, before he makes it dark, and before your feet are slipping on the dark mountains, and, while you are looking for a light, he makes it into deep dark, into black night.
WebsterGive glory to the LORD your God, before he shall cause darkness, and before your feet stumble upon the dark mountains, and while ye look for light, he shall turn it into the shades of death, and make it gross darkness.

What does Jeremiah 13:16 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
16. Give glory, &c.--Show by repentance and obedience to God, that you revere His majesty. So Joshua exhorted Achan to "give glory to God" by confessing his crime, thereby showing he revered the All-knowing God. stumble--image from travellers stumbling into a fatal abyss when overtaken by nightfall (Is 5:30; 59:9, 10; Am 8:9). dark mountains--literally, "mountains of twilight" or "gloom," which cast such a gloomy shadow that the traveller stumbles against an opposing rock before he sees it (Joh 11:10; 12:35). shadow of death--the densest gloom; death shade (Psa 44:19). Light and darkness are images of prosperity and adversity.

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 16 Give glory to - God - Confess your sins and turn to him, that these sore evils may be averted. While ye look for light - While ye expect prosperity, he turned it into the shadow of death - sent you adversity of the most distressing and ruinous kind. Stumble upon the dark mountains - Before you meet with those great obstacles, which, having no light - no proper understanding in the matter, ye shall be utterly unable to surmount.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Jeremiah 13:12-17

As the bottle was fitted to hold the wine, so the sins of the people made them vessels of wrath, fitted for the judgments of God; with which they should be filled till they caused each other's destruction. The prophet exhorts them to give glory to God, by confessing their sins, humbling themselves in repentance, and returning to his service. Otherwise they would be carried into other countries in all the darkness of…

Read the full comment on Jeremiah 13:12-17 →

Jeremiah 13:16 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

תְּנוּ֩te.NugiveH5414
לַיהוָ֨הla.Yah.wehto YahwehH3068
אֱלֹהֵיכֶ֤ם'e.lo.hei.KhemGod yourH430
כָּבוֹד֙ka.VodgloryH3519
בְּטֶ֣רֶםbe.Te.rem<in> beforeH2962
יַחְשִׁ֔ךְyach.Shikhhe will bring darknessH2821
וּבְטֶ֛רֶםu.ve.Te.remand <in> beforeH2962
יִֽתְנַגְּפ֥וּyit.na.ge.Futhey will stumbleH5062
רַגְלֵיכֶ֖םrag.lei.Khemfeet yourH7272
עַל\־'al-onH5921
הָ֣רֵיHa.reimountains ofH2022
נָ֑שֶׁףNa.sheftwilightH5399
וְקִוִּיתֶ֤םve.ki.vi.Temand you will waitH6960
לְאוֹר֙le.'Orfor lightH216
וְשָׂמָ֣הּve.sa.Mahand he will make itH7760
לְצַלְמָ֔וֶתle.tzal.Ma.vetinto deep darknessH6757
וְשִׁ֖יתve.ya.shitand he will make [it]H7896
לַעֲרָפֶֽל\׃la.'a.ra.Felinto thick darknessH6205

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Jeremiah 13:16

  • Isaiah 59:9

    Therefore is judgment far from us, neither doth justice overtake us: we wait for light, but behold obscurity; for brightness, but we walk in darkness.

  • Isaiah 8:22

    And they shall look unto the earth; and behold trouble and darkness, dimness of anguish; and they shall be driven to darkness.

  • Isaiah 60:2

    For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee.

  • Proverbs 4:19

    The way of the wicked is as darkness: they know not at what they stumble.

  • Isaiah 5:30

    And in that day they shall roar against them like the roaring of the sea: and if one look unto the land, behold darkness and sorrow, and the light is darkened in the heavens thereof.

  • Joshua 7:19

    And Joshua said unto Achan, My son, give, I pray thee, glory to the Lord God of Israel, and make confession unto him; and tell me now what thou hast done; hide it not from me.

  • Amos 8:9-10

    And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord God, that I will cause the sun to go down at noon, and I will darken the earth in the clear day: And I will turn your feasts into mourning, and all your songs into lamentation; and I will bring up sackcloth upon all loins, and baldness upon every head; and I will make it as the mourning of an only son, and the end thereof as a bitter day.

  • Jeremiah 23:12

    Wherefore their way shall be unto them as slippery ways in the darkness: they shall be driven on, and fall therein: for I will bring evil upon them, even the year of their visitation, saith the Lord.

  • Exodus 10:21

    And the Lord said unto Moses, Stretch out thine hand toward heaven, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, even darkness which may be felt.

  • 1 Samuel 6:5

    Wherefore ye shall make images of your emerods, and images of your mice that mar the land; and ye shall give glory unto the God of Israel: peradventure he will lighten his hand from off you, and from off your gods, and from off your land.

  • Jeremiah 4:23

    I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was without form, and void; and the heavens, and they had no light.

  • John 12:35

    Then Jesus said unto them, Yet a little while is the light with you. Walk while ye have the light, lest darkness come upon you: for he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Give.
Jos 7:19; 1Sa 6:5; Ps 96:7,8
before.
4:23; Ec 11:8; 12:1,2; Isa 5:30; 8:22; 59:9; Am 8:9,10; Joh 12:35
your.
Pr 4:19; 1Pe 2:8; 1Jo 2:10,11
while.
8:15; 14:19; Isa 59:9; La 4:17
the shadow.
Ps 44:19
gross.
Ex 10:21; Isa 60:2

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Jeremiah 13:15

    Hear ye, and give ear; be not proud: for the Lord hath spoken.

  • Jeremiah 13:16

    Give glory to the Lord your God, before he cause darkness, and before your feet stumble upon the dark mountains, and, while ye look for light, he turn it into the shadow of death, and make it gross darkness.

  • Jeremiah 13:17

    But if ye will not hear it, my soul shall weep in secret places for your pride; and mine eye shall weep sore, and run down with tears, because the Lord’s flock is carried away captive.

Read all of Jeremiah 13

Jeremiah 13:16 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Dad gloria á Jehová Dios vuestro, antes que haga venir tinieblas, y antes que vuestros pies tropiecen en montes de oscuridad, y esperéis luz, y os la torne sombra de muerte y tinieblas.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Donnez gloire à l’ Éternel, votre Dieu, avant qu’il fasse venir des ténèbres, et avant que vos pieds se heurtent contre les montagnes du crépuscule: vous attendrez la lumière, et il en fera une ombre de mort et la réduira en obscurité profonde.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Gebet Jehova, eurem Gott, Ehre, bevor er finster macht, und bevor eure Füße sich an Bergen der Dämmerung stoßen, und ihr auf Licht wartet, und er es in Todesschatten verwandelt und zur Dunkelheit macht.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Date Domino Deo vestro gloriam antequam contenebrescat, et antequam offendant pedes vestri ad montes caliginosos: exspectabitis lucem, et ponet eam in umbram mortis, et in caliginem.