The call of Jeremiah]

CHAP. I.

THE words of Jeremiah the son of Hilkiah, of the priests that were in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin: 2 To whom the word of the LORD came in the days of Josiah the son of Amon king of Judah, in the thirteenth year of his reign.

3 It came also in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah, unto the end of the eleventh year of Zedekiah the son of Josiah king of Judah, unto the carrying away of Jerusalem captive in the fifth month. 4 Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

5 Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.

6 Then said I, Ah, Lord GOD! behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child.

7 But the LORD said unto me, Say not, I am a child: for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak.

8 Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the LORD.

9 Then the LORD put forth his hand, and touched my mouth. And the LORD said unto me, Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth.

10 See, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms, to foot out, and to pull down, and to destroy; and to throw down, to build, and to plant.

Il Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Jeremiah, what

CHAP. I.

[to the prophetic office.

seest thou? And I said, I see a rod of an almond tree.

12 Then said the LORD unto me, Thou hast well seen: for I will hasten my word to perform it.

13 And the word of the LORD came unto me the second time, saying, What seest thou? And I said, I see a seething pot; and the face thereof is toward the north.

14 Then the LORD said unto me, Out of the north an evil shall break forth upon all the inhabitants of the land.

15 For, lo, I will call all the families of the kingdoms of the north, saith the LORD: and they shall come, and they shall set every one his throne at the entering of the gates of Jerusalem, and against all the walls thereof round about, and against all the cities of Judah.

16 And I will utter my judgments against them touching all their wickedness, who have forsaken me, and have burned incense unto other gods, and worshipped the works of their own hands.

17 Thou therefore gird up thy loins, and arise, and speak unto them all that I command thee: be not dismayed at their faces, lest I confound

thee before them.

18 For, behold, I have made thee this day a defenced city, and an iron pillar, and brazen walls against the whole land, against the kings of Judah, against the princes thereof, against the priests thereof, and against the people of the land.

19 And they shall fight against thee; but they shall not prevail against thee; for I am with thee, saith the LORD, to deliver thee. (A)

(A) Prefatory Chapter, with the call of Jeremiah to the prophetic office.-This so

lemn designation of the Prophet is stated to have been in the 13th year of the young King Josiah, at which time he speaks of

CHAP. I. Ver. 5. I sanctified that is, separated thee to my service, &c.—I ordained - Heb. "Gave."

Ver. 10. To root out-Lowth, "To pluck up." Ver. 11. An almond tree. See Note on Eccles. xii. 6.

Ver. 13. Towards the north-Heb. "From the face of the north. See chap. iv. 6.

Ver. 14. Shall break forth-Heb. "Be opened." Ver 16. I will pronounce.-Blayney, "I will dis course my judgments." See ch. xxxix. 5; lii. 9.

The Lord's kindness]

CHAP. II.

MOREOVER the word of the LORD came to me, saying,

2 Go and cry in the ears of Jerusalem, saying, Thus saith the LORD; I remember thee, the kindness of thy youth, the love of thine espousals, when thou wentest after me in the wilderness, in a land that was not sown.

3 Israel was holiness unto the LORD, and the firstfruits of his increase all that devour him shall offend; evil shall come upon them, saith the LORD.

4 Hear ye the word of the LORD, O house of Jacob, and all the families of the house of Israel:

5 Thus saith the LORD, What iniquity have your fathers found in me, that they are gone far from me, and have walked after vanity, and are become vain?

6 Neither said they, Where is the LORD that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, that led us through the wilderness, through a land of deserts and of pits, through a land of

[to Israel of old.

drought, and of the shadow of death, through a land that no man passed through, and where no man dwelt?

7 And I brought you into a plentiful country, to eat the fruit thereof and the goodness thereof; but when ye entered, ye defiled my land, and made mine hehitage an abomination.

8. The priests said not, Where is the LORD? and they that handle the law knew me not: the pastors also transgressed against me, and the prophets prophesied by Baal, and walked after things that do not profit.

9 Wherefore I will yet plead with you, saith the LORD, and with your children's children will I plead.

10 For pass over the isles of Chittim, and see; and send unto Kedar, and consider diligently, and see if there be such a thing.

11 Hath a nation changed their .gods, which are yet no gods? but my people have changed their glory for that which doth not profit.

12 Be astonished, O ye heavens, at this, and be horribly afraid, be ye very desolate, saith the LORD.

himself as a child, (ver. 6) and probably was little more, as we find him neither named nor consulted in that King's reforms. (See 2 Kings xxii. 14.) Like Moses of old time, he seems to have had a deep sense of his own inability, which is generally the case with those whom God calls to services of difficulty and importance. But the Lord, in a visible appearance, touched his lips, and put words into his mouth. The high commission given him is thus expressed: "See, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms;" by which we are not to understand the conferring any authority; but in the prophetic style, God's servants are said to do what they merely predict. His pulling down or pulling up, was merely the delineating of what God was about to do, which was

farther explained to him in two preparatory visions. The" rod," or branch "of almond tree," which is said to be the first tree that blossoms, was evidently intended to signify the speedy accomplishment of the judgments he was commissioned to predict; and "the seething (or boiling) pot their great severity; and both being turned from the north, farther intimated the quar ter from which they were to come, namely, Chaldea, which was north of Jerusalem. The concluding verses at once point out the arduous nature of his work, and assure him of strength and support to perform it. He shall be an iron pillar, or a brazen wall, whom the Lord supports and fortifies. This first chapter is considered as prose, but the following opens in poetic numbers.

CHAP. II. Ver. 2. I remember thee-Marg, "For thy sake." See Exposition; and Mr. Gataker approves the sense there given.▲ land not sown— that is, uncultivated."

Ver. 10. Pass over the isles-Blayney, "Pass over to the countries," &c. See Note on Isa. xxiii. 1. Ver. 14. Is (or was) Israel a servant .... hea home born slave? - The question seems to imply that

Israel did not go down into Egypt in a state of ser vitude, but as Joseph's kindred; Egypt, therefore, had no right to enslave them. He was also God's son; "When Israel was a child, then I loved hier, and called my son out of Egypt." Hos. xi. 1. Israel were free, the question then is, "Why is he spoiled?" "Why do all the nations round oppr him ?"

The Lord's kindness,]

13 For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water.

14 Is Israel a servant? is he a homeborn slave? Why is he spoiled?

15 The young lions roared upon him, and yelled, and they made his land waste: his cities are burned without inhabitant.

16 Also the children of Noph and Tahapanes have broken the crown of thy head.

17 Hast thou not procured this unto thyself, in that thou hast forsaken the LORD thy God, when he led thee by the way?

18 And now what hast thou to do in the way of Egypt, to drink the waters of Sihor? or what hast thou to do in the way of Assyria, to drink the waters of the river?

19 Thine own wickedness shall correct thee, and thy backslidings shall reprove thee: know therefore and see, that it is an evil thing and bitter, that thou hast forsaken the LORD thy God, and that my fear is not in thee, saith the Lord GoD of hosts.

20 For of old time I have broken thy yoke, and burst thy bands; and thou saidst, I will not transgress; when upon every high hill and under every green tree thou wanderest, playing the harlot.

21 Yet I had planted thee a noble vine, wholly a right seed: how then art thou turned into the dege

22 For though thou wash thee with nitre, and take thee much sope, yet thine iniquity is marked before me, saith the Lord GOD.

23 How canst thou say, I am not polluted, I have not gone after Baalim? see thy way in the valley, know what thou hast done: thou art a swift dromedary traversing her ways;

24 A wild ass used to the wilderness, that snuffeth up the wind at her pleasure; in her occasion who can turn her away? all they that seek her will not weary themselves; in her month they shall find her.

25 Withhold thy foot from being unshod, and thy throat from thirst: but thou saidst there is no hope: no; for I have loved strangers, and after them will I go.

26 As the thief is ashamed when he is found, so is the house of Israel ashamed; they, their kings, their princes, and their priests, and their prophets.

27 Saying to a stock, Thou art my father; and to a stone, Thou hast brought me forth: for they have turned their back unto me, and not their face: but in the time of their trouble they will say, Arise, and save us.

28 But where are thy gods that thou hast made thee? let them arise; if they can save thee in the time of thy trouble: for according to the number of thy cities are thy gods, O Judah.

29 Wherefore will ye plead with

Ver. 23. Traversing her ways → that is, running wild in the desert. Blayney, and other moderas, connect this verse with the following, instead of the preceding, which seems more natural. But Boothroyd supplies the particle of comparison, "(As) a swift dromedary; (as) a wild ass," meaning, that Israel was thus mad after her idolatries. The valley in ver. 23 probably refers to that of Hiunom. See chap. vii. 31.—xix. 2—4.

Ver. 24. In her pleasure-Heb. "In the desire of her soul."

Ver. 25. Withhold thy foot from being unshod-that is, as we conceive, Go not into the idol temples which probably was not permitted in shoes, &c. and the next clause, and thy throat from thirst, may refer to the drinking the potations of idolatry, whic were perhaps of mixed and strong liquors.

Ver. 27. Turned their back-Heb. The hack of the neck;" i. e. turned away their heads, as aver

sion.

me? ye all have transgressed against me, saith the LORD.

30 In vain have I smitten your children; they received no correction: your own sword hath devoured your prophets, like a destroying lion.

31 O generation, see ye the word of the LORD. Have I been a wilderness unto Israel? a land of darkness? wherefore say my people, We are lords; we will come no more unto thee?

32 Can a maid forget her ornaments, or a bride her attire? Yet my people have forgotten me days without number.

33 Why trimmest thou thy way to

seek love? Therefore hast thou also taught the wicked ones thy ways.

34 Also in thy skirts is found the blood of the souls of the poor innocents: I have not found it by secret search but upon all these.

[God's mercy,

innocent, surely his anger shall turn from me. Behold, I will plead with thee, because thou sayest, I have not sinned.

36 Why gaddest thou about 80 much to change thy way? thou also shalt be ashamed of Egypt, as thou wast ashamed of Assyria.

37 Yea, thou shalt go forth from him, and thine hands upon thine head: for the LORD hath rejected thy confidences, and thou shalt not prosper in them. (B)

CHAP. III.

THEY say, if a man put away his

wife, and she go from him, and become another man's, shall he return unto her again? Shall not that land be greatly polluted? But thou hast played the harlot with many lovers; yet return again to me, saith the LORD. 2 Lift up thine eyes unto the high

(B) The Lord's kindness, and Israel's ingratitude. In the opening of this chap ter God expresses the continuance of his regard: "I have called to mind in thy behalf, the kindness shewn thee in thy youth," &c. So Dr. Blayney, who remarks, that the kindness shewn was all on the part of God, and was perfectly gratuitous, as the word properly signifies; and it was his affection for them, and not theirs for him, that led him to espouse them. And thus the words are explained in our ancient English Bible, (1553 folio) to be "that grace and favour which I shewed thee from the beginning, when I did first choose thee to be my people, and married thee to myself." (Comp. Ps. cvi. 45. Is. lxiii. 11. Ezek. xvi. 60.) So what is said of Israel being " holiness to the Lord," must not be understood of their own holiness, but of their being separated, or consecrated to his service, "as a kind of first fruits:" (James i. 18.) and this is here mentioned, not in their commendation;

but to shew that the Lord still bore the same kindness as ever toward his people, and was still ready to receive them on their returning to him. At the same time it forms the ground of his remonstrance with them. (ver. 5.) "What iniquity have your fathers found in me?" &c. and leads to the exposure of their folly, in forsaking "The fountain of living waters," and putting their trust in idols, who were like "broken cisterns which could hold no water;" that is, which could yield them neither support nor comfort. Why leave Jehovah, their great patron and protector, and fly to the muddy streams of Egypt or Assyria?

In the latter part of the chapter, the nation is pointedly and severely reproved for their adultery, which, it must be remembered, throughout the Prophets, generally means idolatry: and if it be thought that some of the images are too bold, it should be recollected, that the prophets object is to excite disgust and abhorrence of the crime. Comp. Isaiah lvii. 5. &c.

Ver. 30. Your own sword -- that is, they killed their own prophets. Matt. xxiii. 29---37.

Ver. 31. We are lords --- Heb. "We have dominion." Compare Ps. xii. 4.

Ver. 34. In thy skirts---figuratively, "In thy gar. ments," which are stained therewith. (See Isa. Ixiii. 3.) Literally, "In the skirts (or borders) of thy country. blood of the souls---Boothroyd, "the life-blood" of poor innocents; i. e. children sacrificed to idols. See above, ver. 23. By secret

search---Heb. "By digging." This is supposed to allude to Levit. xvii. 13. Compare Ezek. xxiv. 7.

Ver. 37. With thine hands upon thine head---an attitude of great grief and lamentation. See 2 Sam. xiii. 19.

CHAP. III. Ver. 1. They say - Beb. “In say ing" or, "Thus saith," (viz. the law.) Dent. xxiv. 1-4.

Ver. 2. Lien with.-This refers not to literal, but

places, and see where thou hast not been lien with. In the ways hast thou sat for them, as the Arabian in the wilderness; and thou hast polluted the land with thy whoredoms and with thy wickedness.

3 Therefore the showers have been withholden, and there hath been no latter rain; and thou hadst a whore's forehead, thou refusedst to be ashamed. 4 Wilt thou not from this time cry unto me, My father, thou art the guide of my youth?

5 Will he reserve his anger for ever? will he keep it to the end? Behold, thou hast spoken and done evil things as thou could est.

6 The LORD said also unto me in the days of Josiah the king, Hast thou seen that which backsliding Israel hath done? She is gone up upon every high mountain and under every green tree, and there hath played the harlot. 7 And I said after she had done all these things, Turn thou unto me. But she returned not. And her treacherous sister Judah saw it.

and

8 And I saw, when for all the causes whereby backsliding Israel committed adultery I had put her away, given her a bill of divorce; yet her treacherous sister Judah feared not, but went and played the harlot also.

9 And it came to pass through the lightness of her whoredom, that she defiled the land, and committed adultery with stones and with stocks.

10 And yet for all this her treacherous sister Judah hath not turned unto me with her whole heart, but feignedly, saith the LORD.

[repentance.

11 And the LORD said unto me, The backsliding Israel hath justified herself more than treacherous Judah.

12 Go and proclaim these words toward the north, and say, Return, thou backsliding Israel, saith the LORD; and I will not cause mine anger to fall upon you: for I am merciful, saith the LORD, and I will not keep anger for ever.

13 Only acknowledge thine iniquity, that thou hast transgressed against the LORD thy God, and hast scattered thy ways to the strangers under every green tree, and ye have not obeyed my voice, saith the LORD.

14 Turn, O backsliding children, saith the LORD; for I am married unto you and I will take you one of a city, and two of a family, and I will bring you to Zion:

15 And I will give you pastors according to mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding.

16 And it shall come to pass, when ye be multiplied and increased in the land, in those days, saith the LORD, they shall say no more, The ark of the covenant of the LORD: neither shall it come to mind: neither shall they remember it; neither shall they visit it; neither shall that be done any

to figurative prostitution, or the worshipping of idols, which was generally "in high places," or in groves; see ver. 6.--As the Arabian, watching for the caravans to plunder, so eager are the Jews represented in their idolatry.

Xxviii. 24.

Latter rain

Ver. 3. Therefore the showers, &c. See Deut. - Blayney, "Harvest rain." See Calendar in Abib, vol. i. p. 310. — A whore's forehead. See ch. vi, 15.

Ver. 9. The lightness-Blayney, "Wantonness." Ver. 10. Feignedly-Heb. "In falsehood."

Ver. 12. Towards the north-because Israel was gone into captivity in the north. N. B. From the beginning of ver. 6 to these words, Dr. Blayney translates as prose, and here again commences the Hebrew verse.

"Thou hast

Ver. 13. Scattered thy ways-that is, run after various heathen nations in their several idolatries." Parkhurst.

Ver. 16. Come to mind Heb. "Come upon the heart." -Neither shall they visit it - Blayney, "Care about it." Neither shall that be done The ark was wantBlayney, "made" any more. ing in the second temple. The privileges of the Jewish establishment were to be superseded by the blessings of the Christian dispensation.

Ver. 17. All nations shall be gathered-Gentiles as well as Jews. --~ After the imagination- Marg. Stubbornness;" Blayney, "Lusting."

Ver. 18. Given for an inheritance - Margin
Caused your fathers to possess."