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Jeremiah 4-6
Jeremiah 4
1“If you will return, O Israel, return to Me,” declares the LORD. “If you will remove your detestable idols from My sight and no longer waver,
2and if you can swear, ‘As surely as the LORD lives,’ in truth, in justice, and in righteousness, then the nations will be blessed by Him, and in Him they will glory.”
3For this is what the LORD says to the men of Judah and Jerusalem: “Break up your unplowed ground, and do not sow among the thorns.
4Circumcise yourselves to the LORD, and remove the foreskins of your hearts, O men of Judah and people of Jerusalem. Otherwise, My wrath will break out like fire and burn with no one to extinguish it, because of your evil deeds.”
5Announce in Judah, proclaim in Jerusalem, and say: “Blow the ram’s horn throughout the land. Cry aloud and say, ‘Assemble yourselves and let us flee to the fortified cities.’
6Raise a signal flag toward Zion. Seek refuge! Do not delay! For I am bringing disaster from the north, and terrible destruction.
7A lion has gone up from his thicket, and a destroyer of nations has set out. He has left his lair to lay waste your land. Your cities will be reduced to ruins and lie uninhabited.
8So put on sackcloth, mourn and wail, for the fierce anger of the LORD has not turned away from us.”
9“In that day,” declares the LORD, “the king and officials will lose their courage. The priests will tremble in fear, and the prophets will be astounded.”
10Then I said, “Ah, Lord GOD, how completely You have deceived this people and Jerusalem by saying, ‘You will have peace,’ while a sword is at our throats.”
11At that time it will be said to this people and to Jerusalem, “A searing wind from the barren heights in the desert blows toward the daughter of My people, but not to winnow or to sift;
12a wind too strong for that comes from Me. Now I also pronounce judgments against them.”
13Behold, he advances like the clouds, his chariots like the whirlwind. His horses are swifter than eagles. Woe to us, for we are ruined!
14Wash the evil from your heart, O Jerusalem, so that you may be saved. How long will you harbor wicked thoughts within you?
15For a voice resounds from Dan, proclaiming disaster from the hills of Ephraim.
16Warn the nations now! Proclaim to Jerusalem: “A besieging army comes from a distant land; they raise their voices against the cities of Judah.
17They surround her like men guarding a field, because she has rebelled against Me,” declares the LORD.
18“Your ways and deeds have brought this upon you. This is your punishment; how bitter it is, because it pierces to the heart!”
19My anguish, my anguish! I writhe in pain! Oh, the pain in my chest! My heart pounds within me; I cannot be silent. For I have heard the sound of the horn, the alarm of battle.
20Disaster after disaster is proclaimed, for the whole land is laid waste. My tents are destroyed in an instant, my curtains in a moment.
21How long must I see the signal flag and hear the sound of the horn?
22“For My people are fools; they have not known Me. They are foolish children, without understanding. They are skilled in doing evil, but they know not how to do good.”
23I looked at the earth, and it was formless and void; I looked to the heavens, and they had no light.
24I looked at the mountains, and behold, they were quaking; all the hills were swaying.
25I looked, and no man was left; all the birds of the air had fled.
26I looked, and the fruitful land was a desert. All its cities were torn down before the LORD, before His fierce anger.
27For this is what the LORD says: “The whole land will be desolate, but I will not finish its destruction.
28Therefore the earth will mourn and the heavens above will grow dark. I have spoken, I have planned, and I will not relent or turn back.”
29Every city flees at the sound of the horseman and archer. They enter the thickets and climb among the rocks. Every city is abandoned; no inhabitant is left.
30And you, O devastated one, what will you do, though you dress yourself in scarlet, though you adorn yourself with gold jewelry, though you enlarge your eyes with paint? You adorn yourself in vain; your lovers despise you; they want to take your life.
31For I hear a cry like a woman in labor, a cry of anguish like one bearing her first child—the cry of the Daughter of Zion gasping for breath, stretching out her hands to say, “Woe is me, for my soul faints before the murderers!”
Jeremiah 5
1“Go up and down the streets of Jerusalem. Look now and take note; search her squares. If you can find a single person, anyone who acts justly, anyone who seeks the truth, then I will forgive the city.
2Although they say, ‘As surely as the LORD lives,’ they are swearing falsely.”
3O LORD, do not Your eyes look for truth? You struck them, but they felt no pain. You finished them off, but they refused to accept discipline. They have made their faces harder than stone and refused to repent.
4Then I said, “They are only the poor; they have played the fool, for they do not know the way of the LORD, the justice of their God.
5I will go to the powerful and speak to them. Surely they know the way of the LORD, the justice of their God.” But they too, with one accord, had broken the yoke and torn off the chains.
6Therefore a lion from the forest will strike them down, a wolf from the desert will ravage them. A leopard will lie in wait near their cities, and everyone who ventures out will be torn to pieces. For their rebellious acts are many, and their unfaithful deeds are numerous.
7“Why should I forgive you? Your children have forsaken Me and sworn by gods that are not gods. I satisfied their needs, yet they committed adultery and assembled at the houses of prostitutes.
8They are well-fed, lusty stallions, each neighing after his neighbor’s wife.
9Should I not punish them for these things?” declares the LORD. “Should I not avenge Myself on such a nation as this?
10Go up through her vineyards and ravage them, but do not finish them off. Strip off her branches, for they do not belong to the LORD.
11For the house of Israel and the house of Judah have been utterly unfaithful to Me,” declares the LORD.
12They have lied about the LORD and said: “He will not do anything; harm will not come to us; we will not see sword or famine.
13The prophets are but wind, for the word is not in them. So let their own predictions befall them.”
14Therefore this is what the LORD God of Hosts says: “Because you have spoken this word, I will make My words a fire in your mouth and this people the wood it consumes.
15Behold, I am bringing a distant nation against you, O house of Israel,” declares the LORD. “It is an established nation, an ancient nation, a nation whose language you do not know and whose speech you do not understand.
16Their quivers are like open graves; they are all mighty men.
17They will devour your harvest and food; they will consume your sons and daughters; they will eat up your flocks and herds; they will feed on your vines and fig trees. With the sword they will destroy the fortified cities in which you trust.”
18“Yet even in those days,” declares the LORD, “I will not make a full end of you.
19And when the people ask, ‘For what offense has the LORD our God done all these things to us?’ You are to tell them, ‘Just as you have forsaken Me and served foreign gods in your land, so will you serve foreigners in a land that is not your own.’”
20Declare this in the house of Jacob and proclaim it in Judah:
21“Hear this, O foolish and senseless people, who have eyes but do not see, who have ears but do not hear.
22Do you not fear Me?” declares the LORD. “Do you not tremble before Me, the One who set the sand as the boundary for the sea, an enduring barrier it cannot cross? The waves surge, but they cannot prevail. They roar but cannot cross it.
23But these people have stubborn and rebellious hearts. They have turned aside and gone away.
24They have not said in their hearts, ‘Let us fear the LORD our God, who gives the rains, both autumn and spring, in season, who keeps for us the appointed weeks of harvest.’
25Your iniquities have diverted these from you; your sins have deprived you of My bounty.
26For among My people are wicked men; they watch like fowlers lying in wait; they set a trap to catch men.
27Like cages full of birds, so their houses are full of deceit. Therefore they have become powerful and rich.
28They have grown fat and sleek, and have excelled in the deeds of the wicked. They have not taken up the cause of the fatherless, that they might prosper; nor have they defended the rights of the needy.
29Should I not punish them for these things?” declares the LORD. “Should I not avenge Myself on such a nation as this?
30A horrible and shocking thing has happened in the land.
31The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests rule by their own authority. My people love it so, but what will you do in the end?
Jeremiah 6
1“Run for cover, O sons of Benjamin; flee from Jerusalem! Sound the ram’s horn in Tekoa; send up a signal over Beth-haccherem, for disaster looms from the north, even great destruction.
2Though she is beautiful and delicate, I will destroy the Daughter of Zion.
3Shepherds and their flocks will come against her; they will pitch their tents all around her, each tending his own portion:
4‘Prepare for battle against her; rise up, let us attack at noon. Woe to us, for the daylight is fading; the evening shadows grow long.
5Rise up, let us attack by night and destroy her fortresses!’”
6For this is what the LORD of Hosts says: “Cut down the trees and raise a siege ramp against Jerusalem. This city must be punished; there is nothing but oppression in her midst.
7As a well gushes its water, so she pours out her evil. Violence and destruction resound in her; sickness and wounds are ever before Me.
8Be forewarned, O Jerusalem, or I will turn away from you; I will make you a desolation, a land without inhabitant.”
9This is what the LORD of Hosts says: “Glean the remnant of Israel as thoroughly as a vine. Pass your hand once more like a grape gatherer over the branches.”
10To whom can I give this warning? Who will listen to me? Look, their ears are closed, so they cannot hear. See, the word of the LORD has become offensive to them; they find no pleasure in it.
11But I am full of the LORD’s wrath; I am tired of holding it back. “Pour it out on the children in the street, and on the young men gathered together. For both husband and wife will be captured, the old and the very old alike.
12Their houses will be turned over to others, their fields and wives as well, for I will stretch out My hand against the inhabitants of the land,” declares the LORD.
13“For from the least of them to the greatest, all are greedy for gain; from prophet to priest, all practice deceit.
14They dress the wound of My people with very little care, saying, ‘Peace, peace,’ when there is no peace at all.
15Are they ashamed of the abomination they have committed? No, they have no shame at all; they do not even know how to blush. So they will fall among the fallen; when I punish them, they will collapse,” says the LORD.
16This is what the LORD says: “Stand at the crossroads and look. Ask for the ancient paths: ‘Where is the good way?’ Then walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls. But they said, ‘We will not walk in it!’
17I appointed watchmen over you and said, ‘Listen for the sound of the ram’s horn.’ But they answered, ‘We will not listen!’
18Therefore hear, O nations, and learn, O congregations, what will happen to them.
19Hear, O earth! I am bringing disaster on this people, the fruit of their own schemes, because they have paid no attention to My word and have rejected My instruction.
20What use to Me is frankincense from Sheba or sweet cane from a distant land? Your burnt offerings are not acceptable; your sacrifices do not please Me.”
21Therefore this is what the LORD says: “I will lay stumbling blocks before this people; fathers and sons alike will be staggered; friends and neighbors will perish.”
22This is what the LORD says: “Behold, an army is coming from the land of the north; a great nation is stirred up from the ends of the earth.
23They grasp the bow and spear; they are cruel and merciless. Their voice roars like the sea, and they ride upon horses, lined up like men in formation against you, O Daughter of Zion.”
24We have heard the report; our hands hang limp. Anguish has gripped us, pain like that of a woman in labor.
25Do not go out to the fields; do not walk the road. For the enemy has a sword; terror is on every side.
26O daughter of my people, dress yourselves in sackcloth and roll in ashes. Mourn with bitter wailing, as you would for an only son, for suddenly the destroyer will come upon us.
27“I have appointed you to examine My people like ore, so you may know and try their ways.
28All are hardened rebels, walking around as slanderers. They are bronze and iron; all of them are corrupt.
29The bellows blow fiercely, blasting away the lead with fire. The refining proceeds in vain, for the wicked are not purged.
30They are called rejected silver, because the LORD has rejected them.”
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Adultery: General Scriptures Concerning Jeremiah 5:7, 8
“Why should I forgive you? Your children have forsaken Me and sworn by gods that are not gods. I satisfied their needs, yet they committed adultery and assembled at the houses of prostitutes. / They are well-fed, lusty stallions, each neighing after his neighbor’s wife.
Afflictions and Adversities of the Wicked: Frequently Harden Jeremiah 5:3
O LORD, do not Your eyes look for truth? You struck them, but they felt no pain. You finished them off, but they refused to accept discipline. They have made their faces harder than stone and refused to repent.
Afflictions and Adversities: Obduracy In Jeremiah 5:3
O LORD, do not Your eyes look for truth? You struck them, but they felt no pain. You finished them off, but they refused to accept discipline. They have made their faces harder than stone and refused to repent.
Agriculture or Farming: Culture of the Heart Jeremiah 4:3
For this is what the LORD says to the men of Judah and Jerusalem: “Break up your unplowed ground, and do not sow among the thorns.
Agriculture or Farming: The Providence of God to be Acknowledged in the Produce of Jeremiah 5:24
They have not said in their hearts, ‘Let us fear the LORD our God, who gives the rains, both autumn and spring, in season, who keeps for us the appointed weeks of harvest.’
Agriculture: Fallow Ground Jeremiah 4:3
For this is what the LORD says to the men of Judah and Jerusalem: “Break up your unplowed ground, and do not sow among the thorns.
Agriculture: God to be Acknowledged In Jeremiah 5:24
They have not said in their hearts, ‘Let us fear the LORD our God, who gives the rains, both autumn and spring, in season, who keeps for us the appointed weeks of harvest.’
Anger: Anger of God Jeremiah 4:4, 8, 26
Circumcise yourselves to the LORD, and remove the foreskins of your hearts, O men of Judah and people of Jerusalem. Otherwise, My wrath will break out like fire and burn with no one to extinguish it, because of your evil deeds.” / So put on sackcloth, mourn and wail, for the fierce anger of the LORD has not turned away from us.” / I looked, and the fruitful land was a desert. All its cities were torn down before the LORD, before His fierce anger.
Archery in War Jeremiah 4:29
Every city flees at the sound of the horseman and archer. They enter the thickets and climb among the rocks. Every city is abandoned; no inhabitant is left.
Armies were Composed of Bowmen and Slingers Jeremiah 4:29
Every city flees at the sound of the horseman and archer. They enter the thickets and climb among the rocks. Every city is abandoned; no inhabitant is left.
Armies: Devastation Occasioned By Jeremiah 5:17
They will devour your harvest and food; they will consume your sons and daughters; they will eat up your flocks and herds; they will feed on your vines and fig trees. With the sword they will destroy the fortified cities in which you trust.”
Armies: Fear Occasioned By Jeremiah 6:25
Do not go out to the fields; do not walk the road. For the enemy has a sword; terror is on every side.
Armies: Furnished with Standards Jeremiah 4:21
How long must I see the signal flag and hear the sound of the horn?
Armies: March in Ranks: |Engines| Used Jeremiah 6:6
For this is what the LORD of Hosts says: “Cut down the trees and raise a siege ramp against Jerusalem. This city must be punished; there is nothing but oppression in her midst.
Armies: March in Ranks: Fortifications Jeremiah 6:6
For this is what the LORD of Hosts says: “Cut down the trees and raise a siege ramp against Jerusalem. This city must be punished; there is nothing but oppression in her midst.
Armies: Often Went on Foreign Service Jeremiah 5:15
Behold, I am bringing a distant nation against you, O house of Israel,” declares the LORD. “It is an established nation, an ancient nation, a nation whose language you do not know and whose speech you do not understand.
Arrows: Carried in a Quiver Jeremiah 5:16
Their quivers are like open graves; they are all mighty men.
Autumn Jeremiah 5:24
They have not said in their hearts, ‘Let us fear the LORD our God, who gives the rains, both autumn and spring, in season, who keeps for us the appointed weeks of harvest.’
Babylon: Remarkable For: Antiquity Jeremiah 5:15
Behold, I am bringing a distant nation against you, O house of Israel,” declares the LORD. “It is an established nation, an ancient nation, a nation whose language you do not know and whose speech you do not understand.
Babylon: Remarkable For: Military Power Jeremiah 5:16
Their quivers are like open graves; they are all mighty men.
Backsliders: Backsliding of Israel Jeremiah 5:1–31
“Go up and down the streets of Jerusalem. Look now and take note; search her squares. If you can find a single person, anyone who acts justly, anyone who seeks the truth, then I will forgive the city. / Although they say, ‘As surely as the LORD lives,’ they are swearing falsely.” / O LORD, do not Your eyes look for truth? You struck them, but they felt no pain. You finished them off, but they refused to accept discipline. They have made their faces harder than stone and refused to repent.
Backsliders: Promises To Jeremiah 4:1, 2, 14
“If you will return, O Israel, return to Me,” declares the LORD. “If you will remove your detestable idols from My sight and no longer waver, / and if you can swear, ‘As surely as the LORD lives,’ in truth, in justice, and in righteousness, then the nations will be blessed by Him, and in Him they will glory.” / Wash the evil from your heart, O Jerusalem, so that you may be saved. How long will you harbor wicked thoughts within you?
Backsliding: Guilt and Consequences of Jeremiah 5:6
Therefore a lion from the forest will strike them down, a wolf from the desert will ravage them. A leopard will lie in wait near their cities, and everyone who ventures out will be torn to pieces. For their rebellious acts are many, and their unfaithful deeds are numerous.
Battlements: On the Walls Jeremiah 5:10
Go up through her vineyards and ravage them, but do not finish them off. Strip off her branches, for they do not belong to the LORD.
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Jeremiah 4:1-31 Continuation of Address to the Ten Tribes of Israel. (Jer
4:1, 2). The Prophet Turns Again to Judah, to Whom He Had Originally Been Sent (Jer 4:3-31).
Jeremiah 4:1 Verse 1
return ... return--play on words. "If thou wouldest return to thy land (thou must first), return (by conversion and repentance) to Me." not remove--no longer be an unsettled wanderer in a strange land. So Cain (Ge 4:12, 14).
Jeremiah 4:2 Verse 2
And thou--rather, "And if (carried on from Jer 4:1) thou shalt swear, 'Jehovah liveth,' in truth, &c.", that is, if thou shalt worship Him (for we swear by the God whom we worship; compare De 6:13; 10:20; Isa 19:18; Am 8:14) in sincerity, &c. and the nations--Rather, this is apodosis to the "if"; then shall the nations bless themselves in (by) Him" (Isa 65:16). The conversion of the nations will be the consequence of Israel's conversion (Ps 102:13, 15; Ro 11:12, 15).
Jeremiah 4:3 Verse 3
Transition to Judah. Supply mentally. All which (the foregoing declaration as to Israel) applies to Judah. and Jerusalem--that is, and especially the men of Jerusalem, as being the most prominent in Judea. Break ... fallow ground--that is, Repent of your idolatry, and so be prepared to serve the Lord in truth (Ho 10:12; Mt 13:7). The unhumbled heart is like ground which may be improved, being let out to us for that purpose, but which is as yet fallow, overgrown with weeds, its natural product.
Jeremiah 4:4 Verse 4
Remove your natural corruption of heart (De 10:16; 30:6; Ro 2:29; Col 2:11).
Jeremiah 4:5 Verse 5
cry, gather together--rather, "cry fully" that is, loudly. The Jews are warned to take measures against the impending Chaldean invasion (compare Jer 8:14).
Jeremiah 4:6 Verse 6
Zion--The standard toward Zion intimated that the people of the surrounding country were to fly to it, as being the strongest of their fortresses.
Jeremiah 4:7 Verse 7
lion--Nebuchadnezzar and the Chaldeans (Jer 2:15; 5:6; Da 7:14). his thicket--lair; Babylon. destroyer of the Gentiles--rather, "the nations" (Jer 25:9).
Jeremiah 4:8 Verse 8
Nothing is left to the Jews but to bewail their desperate condition. anger ... not turned back--(Isa 9:12, 17, 21).
Jeremiah 4:9 Verse 9
heart--The wisdom of the most leading men will be utterly at a loss to devise means of relief.
Jeremiah 4:10 Verse 10
thou hast ... deceived--God, having even the false prophets in His hands, is here said to do that which for inscrutable purposes He permits them to do (Ex 9:12; 2Th 2:11; compare Jer 8:15; which passage shows that the dupes of error were self-prepared for it, and that God's predestination did not destroy their moral freedom as voluntary agents). The false prophets foretold "peace," and the Jews believed them; God overruled this to His purposes (Jer 5:12; 14:13; Eze 14:9). soul--rather, "reacheth to the life."
Jeremiah 4:11 Verse 11
dry wind--the simoom, terrific and destructive, blowing from the southeast across the sandy deserts east of Palestine. Image of the invading Babylonian army (Ho 13:15). Babylon in its turn shall be visited by a similar "destroying wind" (Jer 51:1). of ... high places--that is, that sweeps over the high places. daughter--that is, the children of my people. not to fan--a very different wind from those ordinary winds employed for fanning the grain in the open air.
Jeremiah 4:12 Verse 12
full ... from those places--rather, "a wind fuller (that is, more impetuous) than those winds" (which fan the corn) (Jer 4:11) [Rosenmuller]. unto me--"for Me," as My instrument for executing My purpose. sentence--judgments against them (Jer 1:16).
Jeremiah 4:13 Verse 13
clouds--continuing the metaphor in Jer 4:11:12. Clouds of sand and dust accompany the simoom, and after rapid gyrations ascend like a pillar. eagles--(De 28:49; Hab 1:8). Woe unto us--The people are graphically presented before us, without it being formally so stated, bursting out in these exclamations.
Jeremiah 4:14 Verse 14
Only one means of deliverance is left to the Jews--a thorough repentance. vain thoughts--namely, projects for deliverance, such as enlisting the Egyptians on their side. Gesenius translates, "How long wilt thou harbor vain thoughts?"
Jeremiah 4:15 Verse 15
For ... from Dan--The connection is: There is danger in delay; for the voice of a messenger announces the approach of the Chaldean enemy from Dan, the northern frontier of Palestine (Jer 8:16; compare Jer 4:6; Jer 1:14). Mount Ephraim--which borders closely on Judah; so that the foe is coming nearer and nearer. Dan and Beth-el in Ephraim were the two places where Jeroboam set up the idolatrous calves (1Ki 12:29); just retribution.
Jeremiah 4:16 Verse 16
The neighboring foreign "nations" are summoned to witness Jehovah's judgments on His rebel people (Jer 6:18, 19). watchers--that is, besiegers (compare 2Sa 11:16); observed or watched, that is, besieged. their voice--the war shout.
Jeremiah 4:17 Verse 17
keepers of a field--metaphor from those who watch a field, to frighten away the wild beasts.
Jeremiah 4:18 Verse 18
(Jer 2:17, 19; Ps 107:17). this is thy wickedness--that is, the fruit of thy wickedness.
Jeremiah 4:19 Verse 19
The prophet suddenly assumes the language of the Jewish state personified, lamenting its affliction (Jer 10:19, 20; 9:1, 10; Isa 15:5; compare Lu 19:41). at my very heart--Hebrew, "at the walls of my heart"; the muscles round the heart. There is a climax, the "bowels," the pericardium, the "heart" itself. maketh ... noise--moaneth [Henderson]. alarm--the battle shout.
Jeremiah 4:20 Verse 20
Destruction ... cried--Breach upon breach is announced (Ps 42:7; Eze 7:26). The war "trumpet" ... the battle shout ... the "destructions" ... the havoc throughout "the whole land" ... the spoiling of the shepherds' "tents" (Jer 10:20; or, "tents" means cities, which should be overthrown as easily as tents [Calvin]), form a gradation.
Jeremiah 4:21 Verse 21
Judah in perplexity asks, How long is this state of things to continue?
Jeremiah 4:22 Verse 22
Jehovah's reply; they cannot be otherwise than miserable, since they persevere in sin. The repetition of clauses gives greater force to the sentiment. wise ... evil ... to do good ... no knowledge--reversing the rule (Ro 16:19) "wise unto ... good, simple concerning evil."
Jeremiah 4:23 Verse 23
Graphic picture of the utter desolation about to visit Palestine. "I beheld, and lo!" four times solemnly repeated, heightens the awful effect of the scene (compare Isa 24:19; 34:11). without form and void--reduced to the primeval chaos (Ge 1:2).
Jeremiah 4:24 Verse 24
mountains--(Isa 5:25). moved lightly--shook vehemently.
Jeremiah 4:25 Verse 25
no man ... birds--No vestige of the human, or of the feathered creation, is to be seen (Eze 38:20; Zep 1:3).
Jeremiah 4:26 Verse 26
fruitful place--Hebrew, Carmel. a wilderness--Hebrew, "the wilderness," in contrast to "the fruitful place"; the great desert, where Carmel was, there is now the desert of Arabia [Maurer]. cities--in contrast to the fruitful place or field.
Jeremiah 4:27 Verse 27
full end--utter destruction: I will leave some hope of restoration (Jer 5:10, 18; 30:11; 46:28; compare Le 26:44).
Jeremiah 4:28 Verse 28
For this--on account of the desolations just described (Isa 5:30; Ho 4:3). not repent--(Nu 23:19).
Jeremiah 4:29 Verse 29
whole city--Jerusalem: to it the inhabitants of the country had fled for refuge; but when it, too, is likely to fall, they flee out of it to hide in the "thickets." Henderson translates, "every city." noise--The mere noise of the hostile horsemen shall put you to flight.
Jeremiah 4:30 Verse 30
when thou art spoiled--rather, "thou, O destroyed one" [Maurer]. rentest ... face with painting--Oriental women paint their eyes with stibium, or antimony, to make them look full and sparkling, the black margin causing the white of the eyes to appear the brighter by contrast (2Ki 9:30). He uses the term "distendest" in derision of their effort to make their eyes look large [Maurer]; or else, "rentest," that is, dost lacerate by puncturing the eyelid in order to make the antimony adhere [Rosenmuller]. So the Jews use every artifice to secure the aid of Egypt against Babylon. face--rather, thy eyes (Eze 23:40).
Jeremiah 4:31 Verse 31
anguish--namely, occasioned by the attack of the enemy. daughter of Zion--There is peculiar beauty in suppressing the name of the person in trouble, until that trouble had been fully described [Henderson]. bewaileth herself--rather, "draweth her breath short" [Horsley]; "panteth." spreadeth ... hands--(La 1:17).
Jeremiah 5:1-31 The Cause of the Judgments to Be Inflicted Is the Universal
Corruption of the People.
Jeremiah 5:1 Verse 1
a man--As the pious Josiah, Baruch, and Zephaniah lived in Jerusalem at that time, Jeremiah must here mean the mass of the people, the king, his counsellors, the false prophets, and the priests, as distinguished from the faithful few, whom God had openly separated from the reprobate people; among the latter not even one just person was to be found (Isa 9:16) [Calvin]; the godly, moreover, were forbidden to intercede for them (Jer 7:16; compare Ge 18:23, &c.; Ps 12:1; Eze 22:30). see ... know--look ... ascertain. judgment--justice, righteousness. pardon it--rather, her.
Jeremiah 5:2 Verse 2
(Tit 1:16). swear falsely--not a judicial oath; but their profession of the worship of Jehovah is insincere (Jer 5:7; Jer 4:2). The reformation under Josiah was merely superficial in the case of the majority.
Jeremiah 5:3 Verse 3
eyes upon the truth--(De 32:4; 2Ch 16:9). "Truth" is in contrast with "swear falsely" (Jer 5:2). The false-professing Jews could expect nothing but judgments from the God of truth. stricken ... not grieved--(Jer 2:30; Isa 1:5; 9:13). refused ... correction--(Jer 7:28; Zep 3:2).
Jeremiah 5:4 Verse 4
poor--rather, "the poor." He supposes for the moment that this utter depravity is confined to the uninstructed poor, and that he would find a different state of things in the higher ranks: but there he finds unbridled profligacy.
Jeremiah 5:5 Verse 5
they have known--rather, "they must know." The prophet supposes it as probable, considering their position. but these--I found the very reverse to be the case. burst ... bonds--set God's law at defiance (Ps 2:3).
Jeremiah 5:6 Verse 6
lion ... wolf ... leopard--the strongest, the most ravenous, and the swiftest, respectively, of beasts: illustrating the formidable character of the Babylonians. of the evenings--Others not so well translate, of the deserts. The plural means that it goes forth every evening to seek its prey (Ps 104:20; Hab 1:8; Zep 3:3). leopard ... watch ... cities--(Ho 13:7). It shall lie in wait about their cities.
Jeremiah 5:7 Verse 7
It would not be consistent with God's holiness to let such wickedness pass unpunished. sworn by--(Jer 5:2; Jer 4:2); that is, worshipped. no gods--(De 32:21). fed ... to the full--so the Keri (Hebrew Margin) reads. God's bountifulness is contrasted with their apostasy (De 32:15). Prosperity, the gift of God, designed to lead men to Him, often produces the opposite effect. The Hebrew Chetib (text) reads: "I bound them (to Me) by oath," namely, in the marriage covenant, sealed at Sinai between God and Israel; in contrast to which stands their "adultery"; the antithesis favors this. adultery ... harlots' houses--spiritually: idolatry in temples of idols; but literal prostitution is also included, being frequently part of idol-worship: for example, in the worship of the Babylonian Mylitta.
Jeremiah 5:8 Verse 8
in the morning--(Isa 5:11). "Rising early in the morning" is a phrase for unceasing eagerness in any pursuit; such was the Jews' avidity after idol-worship. Maurer translates from a different Hebrew root, "continually wander to and fro," inflamed with lust (Jer 2:23). But English Version is simpler (compare Jer 13:27; Eze 22:11).
Jeremiah 5:9 Verse 9
(Jer 5:29; Jer 9:9; 44:22).
Jeremiah 5:10 Verse 10
Abrupt apostrophe to the Babylonians, to take Jerusalem, but not to destroy the nation utterly (see on Jer 4:27). battlements--rather, tendrils [Maurer]: the state being compared to a vine (Jer 12:10), the stem of which was to be spared, while the tendrils (the chief men) were to be removed.
Jeremiah 5:11 Verse 11
(Jer 3:20).
Jeremiah 5:12 Verse 12
belied--denied. It is not he--rather, "(Jehovah) is not He," that is, the true and only God (Jer 14:22; De 32:39; Isa 43:10, 13). By their idolatry they virtually denied Him. Or, referring to what follows, and to Jer 5:9, "(Jehovah) is not," namely, about to be the punisher of our sins (Jer 14:13; Isa 28:15).
Jeremiah 5:13 Verse 13
Continuation of the unbelieving language of the Jews. the prophets--who prophesy punishment coming on us. the word--the Holy Spirit, who speaks through true prophets, is not in them [Maurer]. Or else, "There is no word (divine communication) in them" (Ho 1:2) [Rosenmuller]. thus, &c.--Their ill-omened prophecies shall fall on themselves.
Jeremiah 5:14 Verse 14
ye ... thy ... this people--He turns away from addressing the people to the prophet; implying that He puts them to a distance from Him, and only communicates with them through His prophet (Jer 5:19). fire ... wood--Thy denunciations of judgments shall be fulfilled and shall consume them as fire does wood. In Jer 23:29 it is the penetrating energy of fire which is the point of comparison.
Jeremiah 5:15 Verse 15
(Jer 1:15; 6:22). Alluding to De 28:49, &c. Israel--that is, Judah. mighty--from an Arabic root, "enduring." The fourfold repetition of "nation" heightens the force. ancient--The Chaldeans came originally from the Carduchian and Armenian mountains north of Mesopotamia, whence they immigrated into Babylonia; like all mountaineers, they were brave and hardy (see on Isa 23:13). language ... knowest not--Isa 36:11 shows that Aramaic was not understood by the "multitude," but only by the educated classes [Maurer]. Henderson refers it to the original language of the Babylonians, which, he thinks, they brought with them from their native hills, akin to the Persic, not to the Aramaic, or any other Semitic tongue, the parent of the modern Kurd.
Jeremiah 5:16 Verse 16
open sepulchre--(Compare Ps 5:9). Their quiver is all-devouring, as the grave opened to receive the dead: as many as are the arrows, so many are the deaths.
Jeremiah 5:17 Verse 17
(Le 26:16).
Jeremiah 5:18 Verse 18
Not even in those days of judgments, will God utterly exterminate His people. I will not make a full end with you--(Jer 5:10; Jer 4:27).
Jeremiah 5:19 Verse 19
Retribution in kind. As ye have forsaken Me (Jer 2:13), so shall ye be forsaken by Me. As ye have served strange (foreign) gods in your land, so shall ye serve strangers (foreigners) in a land not yours. Compare the similar retribution in De 28:47, 48.
Jeremiah 5:21 Verse 21
eyes ... ears, and--Translate, "and yet" (compare De 29:4; Isa 6:9). Having powers of perception, they did not use them: still they were responsible for the exercise of them.
Jeremiah 5:22 Verse 22
sand--Though made up of particles easily shifting about, I render it sufficient to curb the violence of the sea. Such is your monstrous perversity, that the raging, senseless sea sooner obeys Me, than ye do who profess to be intelligent [Calvin], (Job 26:10; 38:10, 11; Pr 8:29; Re 15:4).
Jeremiah 5:23 Verse 23
(Jer 6:28).
Jeremiah 5:24 Verse 24
rain ... former ... latter--The "former" falls from the middle of October to the beginning of December. The "latter," or spring rain in Palestine, falls before harvest in March and April, and is essential for ripening the crops (De 11:14; Joe 2:23). weeks of ... harvest--the seven weeks between passover and pentecost, beginning on the sixteenth of Nisan (De 16:9). By God's special providence no rain fell in Palestine during the harvest weeks, so that harvest work went on without interruption (see Ge 8:22).
Jeremiah 5:25 Verse 25
National guilt had caused the suspension of these national mercies mentioned in Jer 5:24 (compare Jer 3:3).
Jeremiah 5:26 Verse 26
(Pr 1:11, 17, 18; Hab 1:15). as he that setteth snares--rather, "as fowlers crouch" [Maurer]. trap--literally, "destruction": the instrument of destruction. catch men--not as Peter, to save (Lu 5:10), but to destroy men.
Jeremiah 5:27 Verse 27
full of deceit--full of treasures got by deceit. rich--(Ps 73:12, 18-20).
Jeremiah 5:28 Verse 28
shine--the effect of fatness on the skin (De 32:15). They live a life of self-indulgence. overpass ... the wicked--exceed even the Gentiles in wickedness (Jer 2:33; Eze 5:6, 7). judge not ... fatherless--(Isa 1:23). yet ... prosper--(Jer 12:1).
Jeremiah 5:29 Verse 29
(Jer 5:9; Mal 3:5).
Jeremiah 5:30 Verse 30
(Jer 23:14; Ho 6:10).
Jeremiah 5:31 Verse 31
bear rule by their means--literally, "according to their hands," that is, under their guidance (1Ch 25:3). As a sample of the priests lending themselves to the deceits of the false prophets, to gain influence over the people, see Jer 29:24-32. love to have it so--(Mic 2:11). end thereof--the fatal issue of this sinful course when divine judgments shall come.
Jeremiah 6:1-30 Zion's Foes Prepare War against Her: Her Sins Are the
Cause.
Jeremiah 6:1 Verse 1
Benjamin--Jerusalem was situated in the tribe of Benjamin, which was here separated from that of Judah by the valley of Hinnom. Though it was inhabited partly by Benjamites, partly by men of Judah, he addresses the former as being his own countrymen. blow ... trumpet ... Tekoa--Tikehu, Tekoa form a play on sounds. The birthplace of Amos. Beth-haccerem--meaning in Hebrew, "vineyard-house." It and Tekoa were a few miles south of Jerusalem. As the enemy came from the north, the inhabitants of the surrounding country would naturally flee southwards. The fire-signal on the hills gave warning of danger approaching.
Jeremiah 6:2 Verse 2
likened--rather, "I lay waste." Literally, "O comely and delicate one, I lay waste the daughter of Zion," that is, "thee." So Zec 3:9, "before Joshua," that is, "before thee" [Maurer].
Jeremiah 6:3 Verse 3
shepherds--hostile leaders with their armies (Jer 1:15; 4:17; 49:20; 50:45). feed--They shall consume each one all that is near him; literally, "his hand," that is, the place which he occupies (Nu 2:17; see on Isa 56:5).
Jeremiah 6:4-5 Verses 4-5
The invading soldiers encourage one another to the attack on Jerusalem. Prepare--literally, "Sanctify" war, that is, Proclaim it formally with solemn rites; the invasion was solemnly ordered by God (compare Isa 13:3). at noon--the hottest part of the day when attacks were rarely made (Jer 15:8; 20:16). Even at this time they wished to attack, such is their eagerness. Woe unto us--The words of the invaders, mourning the approach of night which would suspend their hostile operations; still, even in spite of the darkness, at night they renew the attack (Jer 6:5).
Jeremiah 6:6 Verse 6
cast--Hebrew, "pour out"; referring to the emptying of the baskets of earth to make the mound, formed of "trees" and earthwork, to overtop the city walls. The "trees" were also used to make warlike engines. this--pointing the invaders to Jerusalem. visited--that is, punished. wholly oppression--or join "wholly" with "visited," that is, she is altogether (in her whole extent) to be punished [Maurer].
Jeremiah 6:7 Verse 7
fountain--rather, a well dug, from which water springs; distinct from a natural spring or fountain. casteth out--causeth to flow; literally, "causeth to dig," the cause being put for the effect (2Ki 21:16, 24; Isa 57:20). me--Jehovah.
Jeremiah 6:8 Verse 8
Tender appeal in the midst of threats. depart--Hebrew, "be torn away"; Jehovah's affection making Him unwilling to depart; His attachment to Jerusalem was such that an effort was needed to tear Himself from it (Eze 23:18; Ho 9:12; 11:8).
Jeremiah 6:9 Verse 9
The Jews are the grapes, their enemies the unsparing gleaners. turn back ... hand--again and again bring freshly gathered handfuls to the baskets; referring to the repeated carrying away of captives to Babylon (Jer 52:28-30; 2Ki 24:14; 25:11).
Jeremiah 6:10 Verse 10
ear is uncircumcised--closed against the precepts of God by the foreskin of carnality (Le 26:41; Eze 44:7; Ac 7:51). word ... reproach--(Jer 20:8).
Jeremiah 6:11 Verse 11
fury of ... Lord--His denunciations against Judah communicated to the prophet. weary with holding in--(Jer 20:9). I will pour--or else imperative: the command of God (see Jer 6:12), "Pour it out" [Maurer]. aged ... full of days--The former means one becoming old; the latter a decrepit old man [Maurer] (Job 5:26; Isa 65:20).
Jeremiah 6:12 Verse 12
The very punishments threatened by Moses in the event of disobedience to God (De 28:30). turned--transferred.
Jeremiah 6:13 Verse 13
(Jer 8:10; Isa 56:11; Mic 3:11).
Jeremiah 6:14 Verse 14
hurt--the spiritual wound. slightly--as if it were but a slight wound; or, in a slight manner, pronouncing all sound where there is no soundness. saying--namely, the prophets and priests (Jer 6:13). Whereas they ought to warn the people of impending judgments and the need of repentance, they say there is nothing to fear. peace--including soundness. All is sound in the nation's moral state, so all will be peace as to its political state (Jer 4:10; 8:11; 14:13; 23:17; Eze 13:5, 10; 22:28).
Jeremiah 6:15 Verse 15
Rosenmuller translates, "They ought to have been ashamed, because ... but," &c.; the Hebrew verb often expressing, not the action, but the duty to perform it (Ge 20:9; Mal 2:7). Maurer translates, "They shall be put to shame, for they commit abomination; nay (the prophet correcting himself), there is no shame in them" (Jer 3:3; 8:12; Eze 3:7; Zep 3:5). them that fall--They shall fall with the rest of their people who are doomed to fall, that is, I will now cease from words; I will execute vengeance [Calvin].
Jeremiah 6:16 Verse 16
Image from travellers who have lost their road, stopping and inquiring which is the right way on which they once had been, but from which they have wandered. old paths--Idolatry and apostasy are the modern way; the worship of God the old way. Evil is not coeval with good, but a modern degeneracy from good. The forsaking of God is not, in a true sense, a "way cast up" at all (Jer 18:15; Ps 139:24; Mal 4:4). rest--(Isa 28:12; Mt 11:29).
Jeremiah 6:17 Verse 17
watchmen--prophets, whose duty it was to announce impending calamities, so as to lead the people to repentance (Isa 21:11; 58:1; Eze 3:17; Hab 2:1).
Jeremiah 6:18 Verse 18
congregation--parallel to "nations"; it therefore means the gathered peoples who are invited to be witnesses as to how great is the perversity of the Israelites (Jer 6:16, 17), and that they deserve the severe punishment about to be inflicted on them (Jer 6:19). what is among them--what deeds are committed by the Israelites (Jer 6:16, 17) [Maurer]. Or, "what punishments are about to be inflicted on them" [Calvin].
Jeremiah 6:19 Verse 19
(Isa 1:2). fruit of ... thoughts--(Pr 1:31). nor to my law, but rejected it--literally, "and (as to) My law they have rejected it." The same construction occurs in Ge 22:24.
Jeremiah 6:20 Verse 20
Literally, "To what purpose is this to Me, that incense cometh to Me?" incense ... cane--(Isa 43:24; 60:6). No external services are accepted by God without obedience of the heart and life (Jer 7:21; Ps 50:7-9; Isa 1:11; Mic 6:6, &c.). sweet ... sweet--antithesis. Your sweet cane is not sweet to Me. The calamus.
Jeremiah 6:21 Verse 21
stumbling-blocks--instruments of the Jews' ruin (compare Mt 21:44; Isa 8:14; 1Pe 2:8). God Himself ("I") lays them before the reprobate (Ps 69:22; Ro 1:28; 11:9). fathers ... sons ... neighbour ... friend--indiscriminate ruin.
Jeremiah 6:22 Verse 22
north ... sides of the earth--The ancients were little acquainted with the north; therefore it is called the remotest regions (as the Hebrew for "sides" ought to be translated, see on Isa 14:13) of the earth. The Chaldees are meant (Jer 1:15; 5:15). It is striking that the very same calamities which the Chaldeans had inflicted on Zion are threatened as the retribution to be dealt in turn to themselves by Jehovah (Jer 50:41-43).
Jeremiah 6:23 Verse 23
like the sea--(Isa 5:30). as men for war--not that they were like warriors, for they were warriors; but "arrayed most perfectly as warriors" [Maurer].
Jeremiah 6:24 Verse 24
fame thereof--the report of them.
Jeremiah 6:25 Verse 25
He addresses "the daughter of Zion" (Jer 6:23); caution to the citizens of Jerusalem not to expose themselves to the enemy by going outside of the city walls. sword of the enemy--literally, "there is a sword to the enemy"; the enemy hath a sword.
Jeremiah 6:26 Verse 26
wallow ... in ashes--(Jer 25:34; Mic 1:10). As they usually in mourning only "cast ashes on the head," wallowing in them means something more, namely, so entirely to cover one's self with ashes as to be like one who had rolled in them (Eze 27:30). as for an only son--(Am 8:10; Zec 12:10). lamentation--literally, "lamentation expressed by beating the breast."
Jeremiah 6:27 Verse 27
tower ... fortress--(Jer 1:18), rather, "an assayer (and) explorer." By a metaphor from metallurgy in Jer 6:27-30, Jehovah, in conclusion, confirms the prophet in his office, and the latter sums up the description of the reprobate people on whom he had to work. The Hebrew for "assayer" (English Version, "tower") is from a root "to try" metals. "Explorer" (English Version, "fortress") is from an Arabic root, "keen-sighted"; or a Hebrew root, "cutting," that is, separating the metal from the dross [Ewald]. Gesenius translates as English Version, "fortress," which does not accord with the previous "assayer."
Jeremiah 6:28 Verse 28
grievous revolters--literally, "contumacious of the contumacious," that is, most contumacious, the Hebrew mode of expressing a superlative. So "the strong among the mighty," that is, the strongest (Eze 32:21). See Jer 5:23; Ho 4:16. walking with slanders--(Jer 9:4). "Going about for the purpose of slandering" [Maurer]. brass, &c.--that is, copper. It and "iron" being the baser and harder metals express the debased and obdurate character of the Jews (Isa 48:4; 60:17).
Jeremiah 6:29 Verse 29
bellows ... burned--So intense a heat is made that the very bellows are almost set on fire. Rosenmuller translates not so well from a Hebrew root, "pant" or "snort," referring to the sound of the bellows blown hard. lead--employed to separate the baser metal from the silver, as quicksilver is now used. In other words, the utmost pains have been used to purify Israel in the furnace of affliction, but in vain (Jer 5:3; 1Pe 1:7). consumed of the fire--In the Chetib, or Hebrew text, the "consumed" is supplied out of the previous "burned." Translating as Rosenmuller, "pant," this will be inadmissible; and the Keri (Hebrew Margin) division of the Hebrew words will have to be read, to get "is consumed of the fire." This is an argument for the translation, "are burned." founder--the refiner. wicked ... not plucked away--answering to the dross which has no good metal to be separated, the mass being all dross.
Jeremiah 6:30 Verse 30
Reprobate--silver so full of alloy as to be utterly worthless (Isa 1:22). The Jews were fit only for rejection.