Who are “the king and queen mother” who must “take a lowly seat, for your beautiful crown has come down from your head"?

Much like the passage before (Jeremiah 13:15–16), this brief passage (Jeremiah 3:17–18) is an independent poem that has been placed in this section as it deals with events around the Babylonian exile. The poem is addressed to King Jehoiachin and his mother, Nehushta. Jehoiachin became king in 597 BC at the age of eighteen after his father Jehoiakim died. After reigning for just three months, Jehoiachin and his mother were exiled to Babylon (2 Kings 24:8–17, see also Jeremiah 22:26; Jeremiah 29:2). These events are all part of the Lord’s judgment on Judah which has been the main theme of Jeremiah 13:1–27.

In the poem the Lord instructs Jeremiah to tell the king and his mother that they must take a lowly seat for your beautiful crown has come down form your head. The king and his mother are being told to prepare themselves for their removal from the throne of Judah. The Hebrew word sapal, translated as come down carries the meaning of being humiliated. They are also told to take a lowly seat. This is not simply about their removal from the throne but is a call for humility after leading the people in arrogant rebellion against the Lord.¹