that you bought
The act of purchasing the loincloth signifies intentionality and value. In ancient times, buying a garment was a deliberate act, often involving personal investment. This purchase symbolizes God's deliberate choice and investment in Israel as His chosen people. It underscores the idea that God has set apart Israel for a special purpose, highlighting the value and worth He places on His covenant relationship with them.

and are wearing
Wearing the loincloth indicates an ongoing, active relationship. It is not merely an object to be possessed but something to be integrated into daily life. This reflects how God desires His people to live out their faith actively and visibly. The act of wearing signifies a continuous, living connection with God, reminding believers of the importance of embodying their faith in everyday actions and decisions.

and go at once
The urgency in "go at once" suggests immediate obedience to God's command. It reflects the necessity of prompt action in response to divine instruction. This phrase emphasizes the importance of not delaying in fulfilling God's will, highlighting the need for readiness and willingness to act according to His guidance. It serves as a call to believers to prioritize God's commands and respond without hesitation.

to Perath
"Perath" is often identified with the Euphrates River, a significant geographical location in the ancient Near East. The Euphrates was a symbol of power and boundary, often associated with the extent of Israel's promised land. By instructing Jeremiah to go to Perath, God is drawing a connection between the physical journey and the spiritual journey of Israel. It serves as a reminder of the boundaries and limits set by God, as well as the consequences of stepping outside His will.

and hide it there
The act of hiding the loincloth signifies concealment and separation. In the prophetic symbolism, this represents the hidden or broken relationship between God and Israel due to their disobedience and idolatry. It serves as a warning of the consequences of turning away from God, leading to a loss of intimacy and favor. This act of hiding is a call to reflection and repentance, urging believers to seek restoration with God.

in a crevice of the rocks
A "crevice of the rocks" suggests a place of obscurity and inaccessibility. This imagery conveys the idea of something being lost or forgotten, much like Israel's spiritual state at the time. The crevice represents the depths of separation from God that sin can cause. It serves as a powerful metaphor for the hidden sins and the need for introspection and confession to restore the relationship with God. This phrase encourages believers to examine their hearts and seek God's forgiveness and renewal.

A hole of the rock.--Better, cleft. In the lower part of its course the Euphrates flows through an alluvial plain, and the words point therefore to some part of its upper course above Pylae, where its course is through a valley more or less rocky.

(1) because the common prefix, "the river," is wanting, though in so extraordinary a narrative it was peculiarly needed;

(2) because of the length of the journey to Babylonia, which has ex hyp. to be made twice; and

(3) because the Euphrates is not a rocky river. Ewald suggested that "some wet place near Jerusalem" probably had the name of P'rath, and indicates a valley and spring called Forah, about six English miles north-east of Jerusalem. Mr. Birch appears to have hit independently on the same spot, which he identifies with the Parah of Joshua 18:23, about three miles north-east of Anatbeth, and describes as a picturesque gorge between savage rocks, with a copious stream (Quarterly Statement of the Palestine Exploration Fund, October, 1880, p. 236). This combination, however, involves an emendation of the text (P'rath into Parah) - logically it involves this, as Mr. Birch has seen; Ewald's comparison of the Arabic furat, sweet water, seems inconsistent with his reference to Parah - for which there does not seem to be sufficient necessity; and it is better to adopt the view of the great old French Protestant scholar, Bochart, that P'rath is a shortened form of Ephrath, i.e. at once Bethlehem and the district in which Bethlehem lay (see 1 Chronicles 2:50; 1 Chronicles 4:4; and perhaps Psalm 132:6). It need hardly be said that the limestone hills of this region afforded abundance of secluded rocks. There may, of course, be at the same time an allusion to the ordinary meaning of P'rath, viz. Euphrates, on the analogy of the allusion in Isaiah 27:12. Those who hold the view here rejected, that P'rath is equivalent to the Euphrates, sometimes suppose that the narrative is a parable or symbolical fiction, such as Luther, Calvin, and others find in Hosea 1, 3, the thing signified being in this case the carrying captive of the people to Babylon; and this seems the best way of making this interpretation plausible.

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