Herman Veldkamp's Commentary on Jeremiah 13: the conclusion of the thirteenth chapter, starting at verse 18, is an address to the king and queen-mother. Its tone is unusual. Royalty is generally favored with more flattering speech. Not many orators would be misled into using Jeremiah's address as a model for their own. A brief summary of his speech can be found in a quote from the New Testament: "he who does sin is a servant to sin."

When the words of the prophets made no impact on the people, God visited them with deeds. He then had the prophets perform some unusual act which would make the people sit up and take notice. Once their curiosity had been stimulated, God would give an explanation for the act, hoping to thus turn their curiosity into genuine interest and their interest into faith and repentance. This article discusses an example from Jeremiah 13