Commentary on the Holy Bible

Verse 20. I ivill make thee — a fenced brazen leall] While thou art faitliful to me, none of them shall be able to prevail against thee.

Verse 21. / ivill deliver thee out of the hand of the wicked] From the power of this evil people.

And I will redeem thee out of the hand of the terrible.] Out of the power of the Chaldean armies. Every thing took place as God had promised, for no word of his can ever faU to the ground.

On account of the evils which threatened his country, the prophet is forbidden to encumber himself with a wife and family, or to hear any share in the little joys and sorrows of his neighbours, which were to be forgotten and absorbed in those public calamities, 1-9, which their sins should draw on them, 10-13. A future restoration however is intimated, 14, 15, after those calamities should be endured, 16— IS; atid the conversion of the Gentiles is foretold, 19-21.

3 For thus saith the Lord concerning the sons and concerning the daughters that arc born in this place, and concerning their mothers that bare them, and concerning their fathers that begat them in this land;

4 They shall die of * grievous deaths; they shall not be "^ lamented; neither shall they be biuied; but they shall be "^ as dung upon the face of the earth: and they shall be consumed by the sword, and b}' famine; and their " carcasses shall be meat for the fowls of heaven, and for the beasts of the earth.

5 For thus saith the Lord, ' Enter not into the house of ^ mom'ning, neither go to lament nor bemoan them: for I have taken away my peace from this people, saith the Lord, even loving-kindness and mercies.

6 Both the great and the small shall die in this land: they shall not be biu-ied, '' neither shall men lament for them, nor ' cut them-

Verse 1. The word of the Lord came also unto me] This discourse Dahler supposes to have been delivered some time in tlie reign of Jehoiakim.

Verse 2. Thou shalt not take thee a wife] As it would be very inconvenient to have a family when the threatened desolations should come on the place. The reason is given in the following verses.

Be meat for the fowls] See chap. vii. 33.

Verse 5. Enter not into the house of mourning] The public calamities are too great to permit individual losses to come into consideration.

^'^erse 6. Nor cut themselves] A custom of the heathen forbidden to the Jews, Lev. xix. 28, Deut. xiv. 1. and which apoears now to have prevailed among

7 Neither shall?nen ' tear thein- '^"Roman.! '' selves for them in mourning, to """• ^"''""' ^^- comfort them for the dead; neither shall tnen give them the cup of consolation to "" drink for their father or for their mother.

8 Thou shalt not also go into the house of feasting, to sit with them to eat and to drink. ■ 9 For thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, " I will cause to cease out of this place in your eyes, and in your days, the voice of mirth, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride.

10 And it shall come to pass, when thou shalt show this people all these words, and they shall say unto thee, ° Wherefore hath the Lord pronounced all this great evil against us? or what is our iniquity? or what is our shi that we have committed against the Lord our God?

1 1 Then shalt thou say unto them, p Because your fathers have forsaken me, saith the Lord, and have walked after other gods, and

them; because,having become idolaters, they conformed to all the customs of the heathen. They lore their hair, rent their garments, cut their hands, arms, and faces. These were not only sigtis of sorroic, but were even supposed to give ease to the dead, and appease the angry deities. The Hindoos, on the death of a relation, express their grief by loud lamentations, and not unfrequently bruise themselves in an agony of grief with whatever they can lay hold on.

Verse 8. Thou shalt not also go into the house of feasting] Funeral banquets were made to commemorate the dead, and comfort the surviving relatives; and the cup of consolation, strong mingled wine, was given to those who were deepest in distress, to divert their minds and to soothe their sorrows. These kinds of ceremonies were common among almost aU the nations of the world on funeral occasions. The Canaaniles, the Jetcs, the Persians, Arabians, New Zealanders Huns, &c., &c.

vi-orshipped theni, and have for- hunters, and they shall himt them oi. XLiv. i.

12 And ye have done 'worse than your fathers; for, behold, "■ ye walk every one after the ^ imagination of his evil heart, that they may not hearken unto me:

13 -Therefore will I cast you out of this land ^ into a land that ye know not, neither ye nor your fathers; and there shall ye serv^e other gods day and night; where I will not show j'OU favour.

14 Therefore, behold, the ''days come, saith the Lord, that it shall no more be said. The Lord liveth, that brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egy^Dt;

15 But, The Lord hveth, that brought up the chikhen of Israel from the land of the north, and from all the lands whither he had driven them: and " I will bring them again into their land that I gave unto their fathers.

16 Behold, I will send for many '^fishers, saith the Lord, and they shall fish them;

Verse 12. And ye have done worse than your fathers] The sins of the fathers would not have been visited on the children, had they not followed their example, and become even worse than they.

Verse 13. Will I cast you out of this land] chap. vii. 15, and is. 15.

17 For mine >" eyes are upon all their ways: they are not hid from my face, neither is their iniquity hid from mine eyes.

1 8 And first I will recompense their iniquity and their sin ^ double; because " tliey have defiled my land, they have filled mine inheritance with the carcasses of their detestable and abominable things.

19 O Lord, * my strength, and my fortress, and " my refuge in the day of affliction, the Gentiles shall come unto thee from the ends of the earth, and shall say. Surely our fathers have inherited lies, vanity, and things ^ wherein there is no profit.

20 Shall a man make gods unto himself, and ' they are no gods?

21 Therefore, behold, I will this once cause them to know, I will cause them to know mine hand and my might; and they shall know that f my name is? The Lord.

Verse 19. The Gentiles shall come] Even the days shaU come when the GentUes themselves, ashamed of their confidence, shall renounce their idols, and acknowledge that their fathers had believed lies, and worship- See ' ped vanities. This may be a prediction of the calling; of the Gentiles by the Gospel of Christ; if so, it is a See ' light amidst much darkness. In such dismal accounts 1 there is need of some gracious promise relative to an and ' amended state of the world, their deUverance thence wUl be as remarkable as ] Verse 20. Shall a man make gods unto himself!] he deUverance of their fathers from the land of ( Can any be so silly, and so preposterously absurd 1

Verse 16. I will send for many fishers — for many hunters] I shall raise up enemies against them some of whom shall destroy them by wiles, and others shall ruin them by violence. This seems to be the meaning of these syrchoXicsX fishers and hunters.

Verse 18. The carcasses of their detestable — things.] Either meaning the idols themselves, which were only

Yes, fallen man is capable of any thing that is base, mean, vile, and wicked, till influenced and converted by the grace of Christ.

Verse 21. Therefore, behold, I will this once] I wiU not now change my purpose. They shall be visited and carried into captivity; nothing shall prevent this: and they shall Icnow that my name is JEHOVAH. Since they would not receive the abundance of my carcasses without life; or the sacrifices which were | mercies, they shaU know what the true God can do in made to them, j the way of judgment.

TJiis chapter begins with setting forth the very strong bias which the people of Judah had to idolatry, icitft the fatal consequences, 1—4. The happiness of the man that trusteth in Jehovah is then beautifully contrasted with the opposite character, 5-8. God alone knmvs the deceitfulness and wretchedness of the heart

R!'"RomarLr' with the '' point of a diamond:

it is " graven upon the table of their heart, and upon the horns of your altars;

2 Whilst their children remember their altars and their ^ groves by the green trees upon the high hills.

3 0 my mountain in the field, " I will give thy substance and all thy treasiu-es to the spoil, and thy high places for sin, throughout aU thy borders.

4 And thou, even ' thyself, shall discontinue from thine heritage that I gave thee; and I will cause thee to serve thine enemies in?the land which thou knowestnot: for ''ye have kindled a fire in mine anger, ivhich shall burn for ever.

of man, 9, 10. The comparison of a bird's hatching the eggs of another of a different species, which will soon forsake her, is highly expressive of the vanity of ill-acquired riches, which often disappoint the owner, 11. The prophet continues the some subject in his oion person, appeals to God for his sincerity, and prays that the evil intended him by his enemies may revert on their own heads, 12—18. The remaining part of the chapter is a distinct prophecy relating to the due observance of the Sabbath, enforced loth by promises and threatenings, 19-27.

ed he the man that trusteth in 01. XLIV. i. man, and maketh '' flesh his arm, R^'^iiomanr" and whose heart departeth from '^''- ^"""^ "•

6 For he shall be ' like the heath in the desert, and "" shall not see when good cometh; but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, " in a salt land and not inhabited.

7 ° Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is.

8 For he shall be p as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be gi-een; and shall not be careful in the year of <• drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit.

9 The heart is deceitful above all things,

Is written with a pen of iron] It is deeply and indelibly wTitlen in their heart, and.shall be a.s indelibly written in their punishment. Writing with the point of a diamond must refer to glass, or some vitrified substance, as it is distinguished here from engraving with a steel Imrine, or graver. Their altars show what the deities are which they worship. There may be reference here to the different methods of recording events in those days: — 1. A pen or stile of iron, for engraving on lead or wood. 2. A point of a diamond, for writing on vitreous substances. 3. Writing on tables of brass or copper. 4. Writing on the horns of the altars the names of the deities worshipped there. This is probable.

In several parts of India, and all through Ceylon, an iron or steel pen is used universally; with these the natives form the letters by incisions on the outer rind of the palm leaf. Books written in this way are very durable. This pen is broad at the top, has a -very fine sharp point, and is sharp at one side as a knife, to shave and prepare the palm leaf. A pen of this description now lies before me.

A''er.se 2. Whilst their children remember] Even the rising generation have their imagination stocked with idol images, and their memories with the frantic rites and ceremonies which they saw their parents observe in this abominable worship.

Verse 3. O my mountain in the field] The prophet here addresses the land of Judea, wliich was a mountainous country, Deut. iii. 25; but Jerusalem itself may be meant, which is partly built upon hills which, like itself, are elevated above the rest of the country.

Verse 5. Cursed be the man that trusteth in man] This reprehends their vain confidence in trusting in Egypt, which was too feeble itself to help, and, had it been otherwise, too ill disposed towards them to help them heartily. An arm of flesh is put here for a iveak and ineffectual support. And he who, in reference to the salvation of his soul, trusts in an arm of flesh — in himself or others, or in any thing he has done or suffered, will inherit a curse instead of a blessing.

Verse 6. He shall be like the heath in the desert^ 1J>">1'D kearar; or, like a blasted tree, without moisture, parched and withered.

Shall not see when good cometh] Shall not be sensible of it: the previous drought having rendered it incapable of absorbing any more vegetable juices.

Verse 8. As a tree planted by the waters] Which is sufficiently supplied with moisture, though the heat be intense, and there be no rain; for the roots being spread out by the river, the)' absorb from it all the moisture requisite for the flourishing vegetation of the tree.

Shall not see when heat cometh] Shall not feel any damage b}' drought, for the reason already assigned. It shall be strong and vigorous, its leaf always green; and shall produce plenty of fruit in its season.

10 I the Lord 'search the

give every man according to his ways, and i according to the fruit of his doings. ^

W As the partridge ' sitteth on eggs, and hatcheth them not; so he that getteth riclies, j and not by right, " shall leave them in the midst of his days, and at his end shall be " a fool.

12 A glorious high throne from the beginning is the place of our sanctuary.

13 0 Lord, ^ the hope, of Israel, ^ all that forsake thee shall be ashamed, and they that

halleb, " the heart is supplanting — tortuous — ^full of windings — insidious;" lying ever at the catch; striving to avail itself of every favourable circumstance to gratify its propensities to pride, ambition, evil desire, and corruption of all kinds.

And desperately wickedl XIH lyjNl veanush hu, and is wretched, or feeble; distressed beyond all things, in consequence of the wickedness that is in it. I am quite of Mr. ParhhursCs opinion, that this word is here badly translated, as B'JN anash is never used in Scripture to denote iDickedness of any kind. My old MS. Bible translates thus: —.5>tl)rclUl& i^ the IjcttC of a man; atib ungcrcljaWc: Volio Schal fenotoen iti

Who can know it?] It even hides itself from itself; so that its owner does not know it. A corrupt heart is the worst enemy the faUen creature can have; it is full of evil devices, — of deceit, of folly, and abomination; and its owner knows not what is in him till it boils over, and is often past remedy before the evil is perceived. Therefore, trust not in man, whose purposes are continually changing, and who is actuated only by motives of self-interest.

Verse 10. 7 the Lord search the heart] The Lord is called by his apostles. Acts i. 24, Ka^SioyvuiTris, the Knoioer of the heart. To him alone can this epithet be applied; and it is from him alone that we can derive that itistruction by which we can in any measiure knoiv ourselves.

Verse 11. As the partridge] Nip X;ore. It is very likely that this was a bird different from our partridge. The text Dr. Blayney translates thus: —

" The covetous man," says Dahler, " who heaps up riches by unjust ways, is compared to a bird which hatches the eggs of other fowls. And as the young, when hatched, and able at all to shift for themselves, abandon her who is not their mother, and leave her nothing to compensate her trouble, so the covetous man loses those unjustly-gotten treasures, and the fruit of his labour."

in the earth, because they have oi. XLiv.i. forsaken the Lord, the '^ Fountain R'l^Romim.r''

14 Heal ine, 0 Lord, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved: for = thou art my praise.

15 Behold, they say unto me, ''Where is the word of the Lord? let it come now.

16 As for me, "= I have not hastened from being a pastor "^ to follow thee: neither have I desired tlie woful day; thou knowest: that which came out of my lips was no-/;; before thee.

17 Be not a terror unto me: ''thou art

And at his end shall be a fool.] Shall be reputed as such. He was a fool all the way through; he lost his soul to get wealth, and this wealth he never enjoyed. To him also are applicable those strong words of the poet: — -

" 0 cursed lust of gold! when for thy sake The wretch throws up his interest in both worlds: First starved in this, then damned in that to come.'''

Verse 12. A glorious high throne] As he is cursed who trusts in man, so he is blessed vfho trusts in God. He is here represented as on a throne in his temple; to him in the means of grace all should resort. He is the support, and a glorious support, of all them that trust in him.

Verse 13. Written in the eartK] They shall never come to true honour. Their names shall be written in the dust; and the first wind that blows over it shall mar every letter, and render it illegible.

Verse 14. Heal me — and I shall be healed] That is, I shall be thoroughly healed, and effectually saved, if thou undertake for me.

Thou art my praise.] The whole glory of the work of salvation belongs to thee alone.

Verse 15. Where is the word of the Lord 1] Where is the accomplishment of his threatenings? Thou hast said that the city and the temple should both be destroyed. No such events have yet taken place. But they did take place, and every tittle of the menace was strictly fulfilled.

Verse 16. I have not hastened from being a pastor] Dr. Blayney translates thus: " But I have not been in haste to outrun thy guidance." I was obliged to utter thy prediction; but I have not hastened the evil day. For the credit of my prophecy I have not desired the calamity to come speedily; I have rather pleaded for respite. I have followed thy steps, and proclaimed tliy truth. I did not desire to be a prophet; but thou hast commanded, and I obeyed.

Verse 17. Be not a terror unto me] Do not command me to predict miseries, and abandon me to them and to my enemies.

R.Roman., 18 'Let thcm be coniounded cir. annum 13. ^^^^ persecute me, but s let not me be confounded: let thcm be dismayed, but let not me be dismayed: bring upon them the day of evil, and ''destroy' them with double destruction.

R. Roman., tlic children ol the people, wherecir. annum. |,y ^[^g kings of Judah comc in,

and by the which they go out, and in all the

20 And say unto them, '' Hear ye the word of the Lord, ye kings of Judah, and all Judah, and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, that enter in by these gates:

21 Thus saith the Lord; ' Take heed to yourselves, and bear no burden on the sabbath day, nor bring it in by the gates of Jerusalem;

22 Neither carry forth a burden out of your I'louses on the sabbath day, neither do ye any work, but hallow ye the sabbath day, as I "' commanded your fathers.

23 " But they obeyed not, neither inclined their ear, but made their neck stiff, that they

Verse 18. Let them be confounded] They shall be confounded. These words are to be understood as simple predictions, rather than prayers.

Verse 19. The gate of the children of the people] I suppose the most public gate is meant; that through which there was the greatest thoroughfare.

Verse 20. Ye kings of Judah, and all Judah] This last clause is wanting in eight of KennicotCs and De ' Rossi's MSS., in the Arabic, and some copies of the Septuagint. i

Verse 21. Take heed to yourselves and bear no htrdcn] From this and the following verses we find the ruin of the Jews attributed to the breach of the Sabbath; as this led to a neglect of sacrifice, the or- j

24 And It shall come to pass, 11 r. Roman., ye diligently hearken imto me, ""■ ™""™ ®'

saith the Lord, to bring in no burden through the gates of this city on the sabbath day, but hallow the sabbath day, to do no work therein;

25 " Then shall there enter into the gates of this city kings and princes sitting upon the throne of David, riding in chariots and o^ horses, they, and their princes, the men of Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem: and this city shall remain for ever.

26 And they shall come from the cities of Judah, and from Pthe places about Jerusalem, and from the land of Benjamin, and from ithe plain, and from the mountains, and from ' the south, bringing burnt-offerings, and sacrifices, and meat-offerings, and incense, and bringing ^ sacrifices of praise, unto the house of the Lord.

27 But if ye will not hearken unto me to hallow the sabbath day, and not to bear a burden, even entering in at the gates of Jerusalem on the sabbath day; then ' will I kindle a fire in the gates thereof, " and it shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem, and it shall not be quenched.

dinances of religion, and all public worship, so it necessarily brought with it all immorality. This breach of the Sabbath was that which let in upon them all the waters of God's wrath.

Vetse 24. If ye diligently hearken unto me] So we find that though their destruction was positively threatened, yet still there was an unexpressed proviso that, if they did return to the Lord, the calamities should be averted, and a succession of princes would have been continued on the throne of David, ver. 25, 26.

Verse 27. But if ye will not hearken] Then their sin lay at their own door. How fully were they warned; and how basely did they reject the counsel of God against themselves!

The type of the potter's vessel, and its signifcation, 1-10. The inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem exhorted to repentance, 11; but on their refusal, {which is represented to be as unnatural as if a man should prefer the snowy Lebanon or barren rock to a fruitful plain, or other ivaters to the cool stream of the fountain,) their destruction is predicted, 12-17. /;; consequence of these plain reproofs and warnings of Jeremiah, a conspiracy is formed against him, 18. This leads him to appeal to God for his integrity, 19, 20; tvho puts a most dreadful curse in the mouth of his prophet, strongly indicative of the terrible fate of his enemies, 21-23.

cir. aimum 9. ^ Arise, and go down to the potter's house, and there I will cause thee to hear my words.

3 Tiien I went down to the potter's house, and, behold, he wrought a work on the * wheels.

4 And the vessel •• that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he ■= made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it.

A''erse 1. The word which came to Jeremiah] This discourse is supposed to have been delivered some time in the reign of Jehoiakim, probably within the first three years.

Verse 2. Go dotcn to the potter's house] By this similitude God shows the absolute state of dependence on himself in which he has placed mankind. They are as clay in the hands of the potter; and in reference to every tiling here belou; he can shape their destinies as he pleases. Again; though while under the providential care of God they may go morally astray, and pervert themselves, yet they can be reclaimed by the almighty and aU-wise Operator, and become such vessels as seemcth good for him to make. In considering this parable we must take heed that in running parallels we do not destroy the free agency of man, nor disgrace the goodness and supremacy of God.

Verse 3. He wrought a work on the wheels.] Sj? D'J3Xn at haabnayim, upon the stones, the potter's wheel being usually made of such; the spindle of the moving stone being placed on a stone below, on which it turned, and supported the stone above, on which the vessel was manufactured, and which alone had a rotatory motion. The potter's wheel in the present day seems to differ very little from that which was in use between two and three thousand years ago.

Verse 4. The vessel — was marred in the hands of the potter] It did not stand in the working; it got out of shape; or some gravel or small stone having been incorporated with the mass of clay, made a breach in that part where it was found, so that the potter was obliged to knead up the clay afresh, place it on the wheel, and form it anew; and then it was such a vessel as seemed good to the potter to make it.

A'erse 6. Cannot I do with you as this potter?] Have I not a right to do with a people whom I have created as reason and justice may require 1 If they do not answer my intentions, may I not reject and •lestroy them; and act as this potter, make a new vessel out of that wliich at fh'st did not succeed in his hands 1

It is generally supposed that St. Paul has made a ver>' diiferent use of tliis simUitude from that mentioned above. See Rom. i.x. 20, &c. His words are, " Hath

5 Then the word of the Lord a. M; cir. 33%

6 O house of Israel, ^ cannot I R^^iSmanr'' do with you as this potter? saith """• """""' ^- the Lord. Behold, "^ as the clay is in the potter's hand, so are ye in mine hand, 0 house

7 At what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to ^ pluck up, and to pull down, and to destroy it;

8 ^ If that nation, against whom I have pronounced, turn from their evil, ^ I will repent of the evil that I thought to do unto them.

not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour V To this every sensible and pious man will answer. Undoubtedly he has. But would any potter make an exceedingly fair and good vessel on purpose to dash it to pieces when he had done 1 Surely no! And would, or could, the God of infinite perfection and love make mUlions of immortal souls on purpose for eternal perdition, as the horrible decree of reprobation states 1 No! Tlus is a lie against all the attributes of God. But does not the text state that he can, out of the same lump, the same mass of human nature, make one vessel to honour, and another to dishonour? Yes. But the text does not say, what the horrible decree says, that he makes one part, and indeed the greater, for eternal perdition. But what then is the meaning of the text \ Why evidently this: As out of the same mass of clay a potter may make a flagon for the table and a certain utensil for the chamber, the one for a more honourable, the other for a less honourable use, though both equally necessary to the owner; so God, out of the same flesh and blood, may make the tiller of the field and the prophet of the Most High; the one in a more honourable, the other in a less honourable employ; yet both equally necessary in the world, and equally capable of bringing glory to God in their respective places. But if the vessel be marred in his hand, under his providential and gracious dealings, he may reject it as he did the Jeios, and make another vessel, such as he is pleased with, of the Gentiles; yet even these m.arred vessels, the reprobate Jews, are not finally rejected; for all Israel shall be saved in (through) the Lord, i. e., Jesus Christ. And should the Gentiles act as the Jews have done, then they also shall be cut off, and God wiU call his Church by another name. See on Rom. tx. 29, and below. Verses 7-10. At what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, &c. — If that nation, against lohom, &c. — And at what instant, &c. — If it do evil, &c.] These verses contain what may be called God's decree by which the whole of his conduct towards man is regulated. If he purpose destniction against an offending person, if that person repent and turn to God, he shall lice and not die.

9 And at what instant I shall

10 If it do evil in my sight, tlial it obey not my voice, then I will repent of the good, wherewith I said I would benefit them.

1 1 Now therefore go to, speak to the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying, Thus saith the Lord; Behold, I frame evil against)-ou, and devise a device against you: ' return ye now, ever}' one from his evil way, and make your ways and your doings good.

12 And they said, ''There is no hope: but we will walk after our own devices, and we will every one do the imagination of his evil heart.

13 Therefore thus saith the Lord; 'Ask ye now among the heathen, who hath heard such things: the virgin of Israel hath done ""a verj' horrible thing.

14 Will a man leave " the snow of Lebanon which Cometh from the rock of the field? or shall the cold flowing waters that come from another place be forsaken?

1 5 Because my people hath forgotten " me, they have burned incense to p vanity, and ihey have caused them to stumble in their ways from the i ancient paths, to walk in paths, in a way not cast up;

16 To make their land "^ desolate, and a perpetual ^hissing; every one that passeth thereby shall be astonished, and wag his head.

If he purpose peace and salvation to him that walketh uprightly, if he turn from God to the world and sin, he shall die and not tii-e.

A'erse 13. The virgin of Israel] Instead of Sxity Yisrael, three of KennicoWs and De Rossi's MSS., with the Alexandrian copy of the Septua^int, have thjoyv Yerushalcm, Jerusalem.

Verse 14. Will a man leave the snoiv of Lebanon] Lebanon was the highest mountain in Judea. Wotild any man in his senses abandon a. farm that was always watered by the melted snows of Lebanon, and take a harren roch in its place? How stupid therefore and absurd are ray people, who abandon the everlasting God for the worship of idols!

an east wind before the enemy; 01. XLiii. i. " I will show them the back, and "^ rI"™,^"!"' not the face, in the day of their "'■ "'^""'j' _ calamit}'.

18 Then said they, "' Come, and let us devise devices against Jeremiah; ' for the law shall not perish from the priest, nor counsel from the wise, nor the word from the prophet. Come, and let us smite him >' with the tongue, and let us not give heed to any of his words.

19 Give heed to me, O Lord, and hearken to the voice of them that contend with me.

20 ^ Shall evil be recompensed for good? for ''they have digged a pit for my soul. Remember that I stood before thee to speak good for them, and to turn away thy wrath from

21 Therefore "^ deliver up their children to the famine, and <= pour out their blood by ihi; force of the sword; and let their wives be bereaved of their children, and be widows; and let their men be put to death; let their young men be slain by the sword in battle.

22 Let a cry be heard from their houses, when thou shall bring a troop suddenly upon them: for ''they have digged a pit to take me, and hid snares for my feet.

23 Yet, Lord, thou knowest all their coun sel against me " to slay me: ^ forgive not their iniquit)', neither blot out their sin from thy sight, but let them be overthrown before thee, deal thus with them in the time of thine anger

Verse 17. I tvill scalier them as with an east wind] It is the property of this wind, almost every where, to parch up, blast, and destroy grain and trees, and even cattle and men suffer from it. Hence the old metrical proverb: —

Verse 18. Come, and let us devise devices] Let us form a conspiracy against him, accuse him of being a false prophet, and a contradicter of the words of God. for God has promised us protection, and he says we shall be destroyed, and that God will forsake his people.

Let us smite him with the tongue] Ox the tongue; so it should be rendered. Lying and false testimony are punished in the eastern countries, to the present day, by smiting the person on the mouth with a strong piece of leather like the sole of a shoe. Sometimes a bodkin is run tlirough the tongue. Blasphemy, calumny, and cursing of parents, are usually punished in that way among the Chinese.

Verse 20. Tkei/ have digged a pit for my soul.] For my life; this they wish to take away.

Verse 2 1. Therefore deliver zip their children] The execrations in these verses should be considered as simply prophetic declarations of the judgments which God was about to pour out on them.

If we consider them in their grammatical meaning, then they are not directions to us, to whom our Lawgiver has said, " Love your enemies.^^

Bi/ the significant type of ireaiing a patterns vessel, Jeremiah is directed to predict the utter desolation of Judah and Jerusalem, 1—15. The prophets taught frequently iy symbolic actions as welt as by words.

T^HUS saith the Lord, Go and get a potter's earthen bottle,

R. Roman., and take oi the ancients oi the CU-. annum 10. pgople, and of the ancients of the priests;

2 And go fortli unto ^ the valley of the son of Hinnom, which is by the entry of '' tiie east gate, and proclaim there the words that I shall tell thee,

3 "^ And say. Hear ye the word of the Lord, 0 kings of Judah, and inhabitants of Jerusalem; Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will bring evil upon this place, the which whosoever heareth, his ears shall * tingle.

4 Because they " have forsaken me, and have estranged this place, and have burned incense in it unto other gods, whom neither they nor their fathers have known, nor the kings of Judah, and have filled this place with '^the blood of innocents;

5 s They have built also the high places of Baal, to burn their sons with fire for burntofferings unto Baal, ^ which I commanded not, nor spake it, neither came it into my mind:

Verse 1. Go and get a potter's earthen bottle] This discourse was also delivered some time in t-he reign of Jehoiakim. Under the type of breaking a potter's earthen bottle or jug, Jeremiah shows his enemies that the word of the Lord should stand, that Jerusalem should be taken and sacked, and they all carried into

Ancients of the priests] The chiefs of the twentyfour classes which David had established. See 1 Chron. xxiv. 4.

place shall no more be called r. Roman., Tophet, nor * The valley of "'■ ^"""'^ '"• the son of Hinnom, but The valley of slaughter.

7 And I will make void the counsel of Judah and Jerusalem in this place; '' and I will cause them to fall by the sword before their enemies, and by the hands of them that seek their lives: and their ' carcasses will I give to be meat for the fowls of the heaven, and for the beasts of the earth.

8 And I will make this city " desolate, and a hissing: every one that passeth thereby shall be astonished and hiss because of all the plagues thereof.

9 And 1 will cause them to eat the " flesh of their sons and the flesh of their daughters, and they shall eat every one the flesh of liis friend in the siege and straitness, wherewith their enemies, and they that seek their lives, shall straiten them.

10 "Then shalt thou break the bottle in the sight of the men that go with thee.

Verse 5. Offerings unto Baaf] A general name for all the popular idols; Baal, Moloch, Ashtaroth, &c.

Verse 7. / will make void the counsel of Judah] Probably this refers to some determination made to proclaim themselves independent, and pay no more tribute to the Chaldeans.

To be meat for the fowls] See on chap. vii. 33.

Verse 9. I will cause them to eat the flesh of thei" sons] This was literally fulfilled when Jerusalem was

pie and this city, as one breaketh a potter's vessel, that cannot i be made whole again: and they shall "■ bury them in Tophet, till there he no place to bury.

12 Thus will I do unto this place, saith the Lord, and to the inhabitants thereof, and even make this city as Tophet:

13 And the houses of Jerusalem, and the houses of the kings of Judah, shall be defiled ^ as the place of Tophet, because of all the houses upon whose ' roofs they have burned

Verse 11. Even so toill I break this people and this citi/] The breaking of the bottle was the symbolical representation of the destruction of the city and of the slate.

That cannot be made whole again] This seems to refer rather to the final destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans, than to what was done by the Chaldeans. Jerusalem was Aea?erf after 70 years: but nearly 1800 years have elapsed since Jerusalem was taken and destroyed by the Romans; and it was then so broken, that it could not be made whole again.

14 Then came Jeremiah from Tophet, whither the Lord had sent him to prophesy; and he stood in ' the court of the Lord's house, and said to all the people,

15 Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will bring upon this city and upon all her towns all the evil that I have pronounced against it, because " they have hardened their necks, that they might not hear my words.

Verse 12. And even make this city as Tophet] A place of slaughter and destruction.

Verse 1 4. Then came Jeremiah from Tophet] He had probably gone to the valley of Hinnom, and there repeated the discourse which lie had a little before delivered to the chief priests and elders.

Verse 15. Because they have hardened their necks] A metaphor taken from unruly and unbroken oxen, who resist the yoke, break and run away with their gears. So this people had broken and destroyed the yoke of the law.

Jeremiah, on account of his prophesying evil concerning Judah and Jerusalem, is beaten and imprisoned by Pashur, chief governor of the temple, 1, 2. On the following day the prophet is released, who denounces the awful judgments of God which should fall upon the governor and all his house, as tcell as upon the whole land of Judah, in the approaching Babylonish captivity, 3—6. Jeremiah then bitterly complains of the reproaches continually heaped upon him by his enemies; and, in his haste, resolves to speak no more in the name of Jehovah; but the word of the Lord is in his heart as a burning flame, so that he is not able to forbear, 7—10. The prophet professes his trust in God, whom he praises for his late deliverance, 11 — 13. The remaining verses, which appear to he out of their place, contain Jeremiali's regret that he ivas ever born to a life of so much sorrow and trouble, 14—18. This complaint resembles that of Job; only it is milder, tmd more dolorous. This excites our pity, that our horror. Both are highly poetical, and embellished with every circumstance that can heighten the colouring. But such circumstances are not always to be too literally understood or explained. We must often make allowances for the strong figures of eastern poetry.

IV'OW Pasluur the son of " Immur the priest, who toas also chief governor in the house of the Lord, heard that Jeremiah prophesied these things. 2 Then Pashur smote Jeremiah the prophet.

NOTES ON CHAP. XX. A''erse 1. Pashur — chief governor] Pashar was probably one of the chief priests of tb« twenty-four

3 And it came to pass on the morrow, that Pashur brousht forth Jeremiah out of the

Verse 2. Put him in the slocks] Probably such a place near the gate as wo term the lock-up, the coalhole; or it may mean a sort of dungeon.

Stocks. Then said Jeremiah unto him, The Lord hath not TZman,!''' Called thy name Pashur, but cir. annum 10. b Magor-missabib. 4 For thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will make thee a terror to thyself, and to all thy friends: and they shall fall by the sword of their enemies, and thine eyes shall behold it: and I will ^ive all Judah into the hand of the

9 Then I said, I will not make mentior. cf him, nor speak any more in his name. But his word was in mine heart as a ' burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with

kintr of Babylon, and he shall carry them cap- forbearing, and '' I could not stay

tive into Babylon, and shall slay them with the sword.

5 Moreover I " will deliver all the strength of this city, and all the laboiurs thereof, and all the precious things thereof, and all the treasures of the kings of Judah will I give into the hand of their enemies, which shall spoil them, and take them, and carry them to"

6 And thou, Pasluu-, and all that dwell in thine house, shall go into captivity: and thou shalt come to Babylon, and there thou shalt die, and shalt be buried there, thou, and all thy friends, to whom thou hast '^ prophesied lies.

7 O Lord, thou hast deceived me, and I was •= deceived: ^ thou art stronger than 1, and hast prevailed: ^ I am iji derision daily, every one mocketh me.

— Security on all sides. Tliis name thou hast had, but not by Divine appointment.

But Magor-nnssahib — Fear on every side. This name hath God given thee; because, in the course of his providence, thou shak be placed in the circumstances signified by it: thou shalt be a terror to thyself.

Verse 6. And thou, Pashui — shall go into capthnty] Thou shalt sufFev for the false prophecies which thou hast delivered, and for thy insults to my prophet.

Verse 7. O Lord, thou hast deceived me] Thou hast promised me protection; and, lo! I am now delivered into the hands of my enemies. These words were probably spoken when Pashur smote him, and put him in prison.

I think our translation of this passage is very exceptionable. My old Bible reads, iHljtm labWjSt me a^ibc aotti; ant) jE inajf lab aisfitie. The original word is ':.Tni3 pilltthani, thou hast persuaded me, i. e., to go and prophesy to tliis people. I went, faithfully declared thy message, and now I am likely to perish by their cruelty. As the root nn3 pathah signifies to persuade and allure, as well as to deceive, the above must be its meaning in this place. Taken as in our Version, it is highly irreverent. It is used in the same

10 ' For I lieard the defaming of many, fear on every side. Report, say they, and we will report it. ™ All ■> my familiars watched for my halting, saying, Peradventure he will be enticed, and we shall prevail against him, and we shall take our revenge on

■~^ 1 But ° the Lord is with me as a mighty terrible one: therefore my persecutors shall stumble, and they shall not p prevail: they shall be greatly ashamed; for they shall not prosper: their i everlasting confusion shall never be forgotten.

1 2 But, 0 Lord of hosts, that "■ triest the righteous, and seest the reins and the heart, ^ let me see thy vengeance on them: for unto thee have I opened my cause.

1 3 Sing unto the Lord, praise ye the Lord:

sense here as in Gen. ix. 27: God shall enlarge {persuade, margin) Japheth; and he shall dwell in the tents of Shein.

Verse 8. / cried violence and spoil] This was the burden of the message thou didst give me.

Verse 9. I will not make mention of him]. I will renounce the prophetic office, and return to my house.

.4.5 a burning fire shut tip in my bones] He felt stings of conscience for the hasty and disobedient resolution he had formed; he felt ashamed of his own weakness, that did not confide in the promise and strength of God; and God's word was in him as a strongly raging fire, and he was obliged to deliver it, in order to get rid of the tortures which he felt from suppressing the solemn message which God had given. It is as dangerous to refuse to go when called, as it is to run without a call. On this subject, see on chap. i. 6.

Verse 10. Report — and ice will report it.] Lotus spread calumnies against him every where; or let us spread reports of dangers coming upon him, that we may intimidate hun, and cause him to desist.

Verse U. But the Lord is with me as a mighty terrible one] Thus was he, by his strong confidence

I was born: let not the day wherein my mother bare me be blessed.

15 Cursed he the man who brought tidings to my father, saying, A man child- is bom unto thee; making him very glad.

16 And let that man be as the cities which

in the strong God, delivered from adl his fears, and enabled to go on comfortably with his work.

Verse 13. Sing unto the Lord] He was so completely delivered from all fear, that although he remained in the same circumstances, yet he exults in the Divine protection, and does not fear the face of any adversary.

Verse 14. Cursed be the day wherein I was born] If we take these words literally, and suppose them to be in their proper place, they are utterly inconsistent with that state of confidence in which he e.xulted a few minutes before. If they are the language of Jeremiah, they must have been spoken on a prior occasion, when probably he had given way to a passionate hastiness. They might well comport with the state he was in ver. 9. I really believe these verses have got out of their proper place, which I conjecture to be between the eighth and ninth verses. There they will come in very properly; and might have been a part of his complaint in tUise moments when he had purposed to flee from God as did Jonah, and prophesy no more in his name.

IT'' Because he slew me not from the womb or that my mother might have been my grave and her womb to he always great with me.

18 >' Wherefore came I forth out of the womb to ^ see labour and sorrow, that my days should be consumed with shame?

Transpositions in this prophet are frequent; therefore place these five verses after the eighth, and let the chapter end with the thirteenth, and the whole will form a piece of exquisite poetry; where the state of despair, and the hasty resolutions he had formed whUe under its influence, and the state of confidence to which he was raised by the succouring influence of God, will.appear to be both illustrative of each other, and are touched with a delicacy and fervour which even a cold heart must admire. See Job iii. 3, and the notes there. The two passages are very similar.

Verse J 5. A man child is born] Sotun i^ to tl)Ce a knabe tljilb — Old MS. Bible. This is the old English word for man or servant; and is so used by Wiclif, Rev. xii. 5.

Verse 18. Wherefore came I forth] It would have been well had I never been born, as I have neither comfort in my life, nor comfort in my work

Nebuchadnezzar being come up against Jerusalem, Zedehiah sends Pashur and Zephaniah to the prophet to request him to intercede with God in behalf of his people, 1, 2. But he is declared to be against Jerusalem, and the whole land of Judah; and the only mitigation of their punishment must proceed from their surrendering to the king of Babylon, 3-10. Prophecy concerning the house of the king of Judah, 11, 1'2. Notwithstanding the amazing fortifications round about Jerusalem, in which the people vainly trust, the Lord will most assuredly visit them for their iniquities; the city shall be taken by the Chaldeans, 13, 14.

NOTES ON CHAP. XXI. Verse 1. The word which came unto Jeremiah] The chapters in the remaining parts of this prophecy seem strangely interchanged. This subject has been mentioned in the introduction, and some tables given; and to these the critical reader is requested to refer. The discourse here was delivered about the ninth year of the reign of Zedekiah. This chapter, observes Dr. Blayney, contains the first of those prophecies which were delivered by Jeremiah, subsequent to the revolt of Zedekiah, and the breaking out of the war thereupon; and which are continued on to the taking of Jerusalem, related in chap, xxix., in the following order: — ch. xxi., xx.xiv., xxxvii., xxxii., xxxiii., xxxviii., xxxix.

Pashur the son of Melchiah] There can be little doubt that this Pashur was a difliprent jier.son from him who was called the son of Immur in the preceding

oi. XL VII. 4. war against us; if so be that the Rl'^Knmanr'' LoKD will deal with us according cir. annum 28. j^ g]j j^jg •^vondl•ous works, that

3 Then said Jeremiah unto them, Thus shall ye say to Zedckiah:

4 Thus saith the Lord God of Israel: Beliold, I will turn back the weapons of war that are in your hands, wherewith ye fight against the king of Babylon, and against the Chaldeans, whicli besiege you without the walls, and "* I will assemble them into the midst of this city.

5 And I myself will fight against you with an ^ outstretclied hand and with a strong arm, even in anger, and in furj"-, and in great wrath.

6 And I will smite the inhabitants of tliis city, botli man and beast: they shall die of a great pestilence.

7 And afterward, saith the Lord, ' I will deliver Zedekiah king of Judah, and his servants, and the people, and such as are left in tliis city from the pestilence, from the sword, and from the famine, into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babj'lon, and into the hand of their enemies, and into the hand of those that seek their life: and he shall smite them with the edge of the sword; s he shall not spare them, neither have pity, nor have mercy.

Verse 4. / loill turn back the weaj)ons\ Every attempt you make to repel the Chaldeans shall be unsuccessful.

/ will assemhle them into tlie midst of this city.'\ I will deliver the city into their hands.

Verse 6. They shall die of a great pestilence.^ The sword may appear to be that of man, though I have given the Chaldeans their commission; but the pestilence shall appear to be the immediate act of God.

Verse 7. Nel>uchadrezzar-] This name is spelt as above in twenty -six j)laces of this book; and in ten places it is spelt Nebuchadnezzar, which is the common orthography. The difference is only a 1 resh for a J nun; but the MSS. are various on this point. It is the same person who is intended by both names; and here all the Versions, except the,4raJjc,which omits the name, have it in the usual form.

Verse 8. Behold, I set before you the way of life, and the way of death.] Meaning escape or destruction

Behold, "i set betore you the r. Roman., way of life, and the way of death, "''■^""""'^s.

9 He that ' abideth in this city shall die by the sword, and by the famine, and by the pestilence: but he that goeth out, and falleth to the Chaldeans that besiege you, he shall live, and '^his life shall be unto him for a prey.

1 0 For I have ' set my face against this city for evil, and not for good, saith the Lord: ■" it shall be given into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall " burn it with fire

11 And touching the house of the king of Judah, say, Hear ye the word of the Lord;

12 0 house of David, thus saith the Lord; "Execute p judgment "! in the morning, and deliver him that is spoiled out of the hand of the oppressor, lest my fury go out hke fire, and burn that none can quench it, because of the evil of your doings.

13 Behold, =^1 a»i against thee, 0 inhabitant of the valley, and rock of the plain, saith the Lord; which say, 'Who shall come down against us? or who shall enter into our habitations?

14 But I will " punish you according to tlie ■^ fruit of your doings, saith the Lord: and I will kindle a fiire in the forest thereof, and '"' it shall devour all things round about it.

Verse 10. He shall burn it with fire.'] What a heavy message to all; and especially to them who had any fear of God, or reverence for the temple and its sacred services!

Verse 12. Execute judgment in the morning] Probably the time for dispensing judgment was the morning, when the people were going to their work; but the words may mean, Do justice promptly, do not delay. Let justice be administered as soon as required.

Verse 13.0 inhabitant of the valley, and rock of the plain] Dr. Blayney translates: " O thou inhabitant of the levelled hollow of a rock." With all his explanation I cannot see the good sense of this translation. Jerusalem itself, though partly on two hills, was also extended in the valley; and Zioyi, the city of David, was properly a rock, strongly fortified both by nature and art; and by its ancient possessors, the Jebusites, was deemed impregnable.

words of those courtiers who had persuaded Zedekiah to rebel against the king of Babylon.

Verse 14. / will kindle afire in the forest thereof] I will send destruction into its centre, that shall spread

The beginning of the thirth-fourth chapter should follow here. See the arrangement on ver. 1

This section of prophecy, extending to the end of the eighth verse of the next chapter, is addressed to the king of Judah and his people. It enjoins on them the practice of justice and equity, as they would hope to prosper, 1-4; but threatens than, in case of disobedience, tvith utter destruction, 5-9. The captivity of Shallum, the son of Josiah, is declared to be irreversible, 10-12; and the miserable and unlamented end of Jeconiah. contemptuously called Coniah, is foretold, 13-19. His family is threatened with the like captivity, and his seed declared to be for ever excluded from the throne, 80-30.

'pHUS saith the Lord; Go down to the house of the king of Judah, and speak there this word,

2 And sa)% * Hear the word of the Lord, O king of Judah, that sittest upon the throne of David, thou, and thy sen-ants, and thy people that enter in by these gates:

3 Thus saith the Lord; '' Execute ye judgment and righteousness, and deHver the spoiled out of the hand of the oppressor: and " do no wrong, do no violence to the stranger, the fatherless, nor the widow, neither shed innocent blood in this place.

4 For if ye do this thing indeed, ''then shall there enter in by the gates of this house kings sitting " upon the throne of David, riding in chariots and on horses, he, and his servants, and his people.

5 But if ye will not hear these words, ^ I swear by myself, saith the Lord, that this house sliall become a aesobtion.

Verse 1. Go down to tlie house of the king of Judah, and speak there this word] This is supposed by Dahler to have been published in the first year of the reign of Zedekiah.

Verse 3. O king of Judah — thou, and thy sen-ants] His ministers are here addressed, as chiefly governing the nation; and who had counselled Zedekiah to rebel.

Verse G. Thou art Gilead unto me, and the headvf Lebanon] Perhaps in allusion, says Dahlcr, to the oaks of Gtlead, and the cedars of Mount Lebanon, of which the paiace was constructed. Lebanon was the highest mountain in Israel, and Gilead the richest and most fertile part of the country; and were, therefore, proper emblems of the reigning /ami7y. Tliough thou art the richest and most powerful, I, who raised thee up, can twing thee down and make thee a wilderness.

6 For thus saith the Lord unto A^'^J, ^'Z- ^^M. the king's house of Judah; Thou 01. cir. XLV. s.

will make thee a wilderness, and cities which

7 And I will prepare destroyers against thee, every one with his weapons: and they shall cut down? th)' choice cedjirs, '^ and cast them into the fire.

8 And many nations shall pass by this city, and they shall say every man to his neighbour, ' Wherefore hath the Lord done thus unto this great city?

9 Then they shall answer, ^ Because they have forsaken the covenant of the Lord their God, and worshipped other gods, and served

10 Weep ye not for 'the dead, neither bemoan him: hut weep sore for him " that goeth away: for he shall return no more, nor see his native country.

Verse 7. They shall cut down thy choice cedars] The destruction of the country is expressed under the symbol of the destruction of 3. fine forest; a multitude of fellers come against it, each with his axe; and, there being no resistance, every tree is soon felled to the earth. " These destroyers," God says, " I have prepared, Ti'iyTp kiddashti, I have sanctified — consecrated, to this work. They have their commission from me." Verso 8. Many nations shall pass] These words seem borrowed from Deut. xxix. 22, &c.

Verse 10. Weep ye not for the dead] Josiah, dead ' in consequence of the wound he had received at Megiddo, in a battle with Pharaoh-necho, king of Egypt; 1 but he died in peace with God.

But weep sore for him that goeth away] Namely, Jehoahaz, the son of Josiah, called below Shallum,! whom Pharaoh-necho had carried captive into Egypt

01. cir. XLV. 3. touching "Shallum the son of ll.'"Roman.r'' Josiah king of Judah, wliich cir. annum 19. j-gigned instead of Josiah his fatlier, ° which went forth out of this place; He shall not retm-n thither any more:

1 2 But he shall die in the place whither they have led liim captive, and shall see this land no more.

1 3 p Wo unto him that buildeth his house by unrighteousness, and his chambers by ■ivrong; 1 that useth his neighbour's service without wages, and giveth him not for his work;

14 That saith, I will build me a wide house and 'large chambers, and cutteth him out ^ windows; and it is ceiled with cedar, and painted with vermilion.

from which it was prophesied he should never return, 0 Kings xxiii. 30-34. He was called Shallum before he ascended the tlirone, and Jehoaha~ afterwards; so his brother Eliakim changed his name to Jehoiakim, and Mattaniak to Zedekiah.

Verse 13. Wo unto him that hiiildeth his house] These evils, charged against Jehoialdm, are nowhere else circumstantially related. We learn from 3 Kings xxiii. 35-37, that he taxed his subjects heavily, to give to Pharaoh-necho, king of Egypt: " He exacted the silver and gold of the people of the land, and did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord." The mode (if taxation is here intimated; he took the toages of the hirelings, and caused the people to work without wages in his o%on buildiiigs., &c.

Verse 15. Shalt thou reign, cj-c] Dost thou think thou art a great king, because thou dwellest in a splendid palace ■?

Verse 18. They shall not lament for him, sa3ring. Ah my brother.'] These words were no doubt the burden of some funeral dirge. Alas! a brother, who was our lord or governor, is gone. Alas, our sister! his QUEEN, who has lost her glory in losing her husband, mn hodah is feminine, and must refer to the glory of the queen.

The mom-nings in the east, and lamentations for the dead, are loud, vehement, and distressing. For a child or a parent grief is expressed in a variety of impassioned sentences, each ending with a burden like that in the text, "Ah my chUd!" "Ah my mother!" as the prophet in this place: TIN ilH hoi achi, " Ah my brother!" ninx 'in hoi achoth, " Ah sister!" jnN 'in hoi adon, " Ah lord!" mn 'in hoi hodah, " Ah the glory."

Mr. Ward, in his Manners and Customs of the Hindoos, gives two examples of lamentation; one of a mother for the death of her son, one of a daughter for

15 Shalt thou reign, because '*b'^'j![^ Hfthou closest thyself in cedar? 01. cir. XLV. 3. ' did not thy father eat and drink, "^Roma"'"' and do judgment and justice, and "'■ '^'"° ^^- then " it was well with him?

16 He judged the cause of the poor and needy; then it was well with him: was not this to know me? saith the Lord.

17 ■' But thine eyes and thine heart are not but for thy covetousness, and for to shed innocent blood, and for oppression, and for " violence, to do it.

18 Therefore thus saith the Lord concerning Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah; ^ They shall not lament for liim, saying, y Ab my brother! or. Ah sister! they shall not lament for him, saying, Ah lord! or. Ah his glory!

her departed mother. " When a woman," says he, " is overwhelmed with grief for the death of her chOd, she utters her grief in some such language as the following: —

' Ah my child, my child!' Take me with thee. — ' Ah my child, my child!' He played round me, like a golden top. — ' Ah my my mother!' " From the above we may conclude that the funeral lamentations, to which the prophet refers, generally

01. cir. XLV. 3. thc biirial of an ass, drawn and "r. Rornaii., ' cast forth beyond the gates of cir. annum 19 Jerusalem.

20 Go up to Lebanon, and cry; and lift up thy voice in Baslian, and cry from the passages: for all thy lovers are destroyed.

21 I spake unto thee in thy "prosperity; hut thou saidst, I will not hear. ''This hath been thy manner from thy youth, that thou obeyedst not my voice.

22 The wind shall eat up all " thy pastors, and ^ thy lovers shall go into captivity: siu'ely then shalt tliou be ashamed and confounded for all thy wickedness.

23 0 " inhabitant of Lebanon, that makest thy nest in the cedars, how gracious shalt thou be when pangs come upon thee, '^the pain as of a woman in travail!

24 As I live, saith the Lord, s though Coniah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah ''were the signet upon my right hand, yet would I pluck thee thence;

There is another intimation of this ancient and universal custom in 1 Kings xiii. 30, where the old prophet, who had deceived the man of God, and who was afterwards slain by a lion, is represented as mourning over him, and saying, TIN 'in hoi achi, " Alas, my brother!" this being 'the burden of the lamentation which he had used on this occasion. Similar instances may be seen in other places, Jer. xxx. 7; Ezek. vi. 1 1; Joel i. 15; and particularly Amos v. 16, 17, and Rev. xviii. 10-19.

Verse 19. With the burial of an ass] Cast out, and left unburied, or buried without uny funeral solemnities, and without such lamentations as the above.

Verse 20. Go up to Lebanon] Probably Anii-Libanus, which, together with Bashan and Abarim, whicli we here translate passages, were on the way by which the captives should be led out of their own

Verse 21. I spake unto thee in thy prosperity] In all states and circumstances I warned thee by my prophets; and thou wilt only be ashamed of thy conduct when thou shalt be stripped of all thy excellencies, and reduced to poverty and disgrace, ver. 22.

them whose face thou fearest, "'"■ """"'" ^°- even into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, and into the hand of the Chaldeans.

26 ' And I will cast thee out, and thy mother that bare thee, into another country, where ye were not born; and there shall ye die.

27 But to the land wliereunto they '' desire to return, thither shall tliey not return.

28 Is this man Coniah a despised broken idol? is he ' a vessel wherein is no pleasure? wherefore are they cast out, he and his seed, and are cast into a land which they know not?

30 Thus saith the Lord, Write ye this man " childless, a man that shall not prosper in his days: for no man of his seed shall prosper, ° sitting upon the throne of David, and ruling any more' in Judah.

Verse 22. The wind shall eat up all thy pastors] A blast from God's mouth shaU carry ofl" thy kings, princes, prophets, and priests.

Verse 24. Though Coniah] Called Jeconiah, probably on ascending the throne. See on ver. 10.

The signet upon my right hand] The most precious seal, ring, or armlet. Though dearer to me than the most splendid gem to its possessor.

Verse 26. / will cast thee out, and thy mother] See all this fulfilled, 2 Kings xxiv. 12, 13. All were carried by Nebuchadnezzar into captivity together.

Verse 28. Is this man Coniah a despised broken idol.?] These are probably the exclamations of the people, when they heard those solemn denunciations against their king and their country.

Verse 29. O earth] These are the words of the prophet in reply: O land! unhappy land! desolated land! Hear the judgment of the Lord!

Verse 30. Write ye this 7nan childless] Though he had seven sons, 1 Chron. iii. 17, yet, having no successor, he is to be entered on the genealogical tables as one without children, for none of his posterity ever sat 9n the throne of David.

Sequel of the discourse which commenced in the preceding chapter. The prophet denounces vengeance against the pastors of Israel who have scattered and destrmjed the flock of the Lord, 1, 2. He concludes with gracious promises of deliverance from the Babylonish captivity, and of better times under the Messiah, when the converts to Christianity, loho are the true Israel of God, shadowed forth hy the old dispensation, shall be delivered, by the glorious light of the Gospel, from worse than Chaldean bondage, from the captivity of sin and death. But this prophecy will not have its fullest accomplishment till that period arrives which is fixed in the Divine counsel for the restoration of Israel and Judah from their various dispersions, of which their deliverance from the Chaldean domination was a type; when Jesus the Christ, the righteous Branch, the Root and Offspring of David, and the only legitimate Heir to the throne, shall take unto himself his great power, and reign gloriously over the whole house of Jacob, 3—8. At the ninth verse a new discourse commences. Jeremiah expresses his horror at the great wickedness of the priests and prophets of Judah, and declares that the Divine vengeance is hanging over them. He exhorts the people not to listen to their false promises, 9-22; and predicts the utter ruin that shall fall upon all pretenders to inspiration, 23-32, as well as upon all scoffers at true prophecy, 33-40.

2 ' Therefore thus saith the Lord God of Israel against the pastors that feed my people; Ye have scattered my flock, and driven them away, and have not visited them: '' behold, I will visit upon you the evil of your doings,

3 And ' I will gather the remnant of my flock out of all countries whither I have driven

Verse 1. Wo be unto the pastors] There shall a curse fall on the kings, princes, priests, and prophets; who, by their vicious conduct and example, have brought desolation upon the people.

Verse 2. Ye have scattered ray flock] The bad government both in Church and State was a principal cause of the people's profligacy.

Verse 5. I will raise unto David a righteous Branch] As there has been no age, from the Babylonish captivity to the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans, in which such a state of prosperity existed, and no king or governor who could answer at all to the character here given, the passage has been understood to refer to our blessed Lord, Jesus Christ, who was a branch out of the stem of Jesse; a righteous king; by the power of his Spirit and influence of his religion reigning, prospering, and executing judgment ani justice in

Verse 6. In his days Judah shall be saved] The real Jew is not one who has his circnmcision in the flesh, but in the spirit. The real Israel are true believers in Christ Jesus; and the genuine Jerusalem is the Church of the first-born, and made free, with all her children, from the bondage of sin, Satan, death, and hell. All these exist only in the days of the Messiah. All that went before were the types or significators of these glorious Gospel excellencies.

4 And I will set up '' shepherds "' """"■" '^- over them which shall feed them: and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, neither shall they be lacking, saith the Lord.

5 Behold, " the days come, saith the Lord, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, ^ and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth.

6 s In his days Judah shall be saved, and

And this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.] I shall

give the Hebrew text of this important passage: nil IJpTi* mn" IXlp' isyx niy veteh shemo asher yikreo Yehorah tsidkcnu, which the Sepluagint translate as follows, Kai TOUTO ro ovop.« aurou o xaXeo'si o.mtov Kupioff, lytfe^Ex, " And this is his name which the Lord shall call him, Josedek."

Dr. Blayney seems to follow the Sepluagint; he translates thus, " And this is the name by which Jehovah shall call him. Our Righteousness."

In my old MS. Bible, the first English translation ever made, it is thus: — l&vCa tlji-S ifi tl)C name tinit tl)ci ^djul flepen l)im: ourc rigrtoi^c llorii,

Coverdale's, the first complete English translation of the Scriptures ever/jrm/erf, (1535,) has given it thus: — aiiti tijis' i.S tijc n.uuc tljat tljei' islja" Ccill!)"": ebc" tijc Uorbc oiirc tiglituou.s'.jTirthcr.

Matthews (1549) and Becke (1549) follow Coverdale literally; but our present translation of the clause is borrowed from Cardmarden, (Rouen, 1566,) " Even the Lord our righteousness "

7 Therefore, behold, ' the days come, saitli ihe Lord, that they shall no more say, The Lord livelh, which brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt;

8 But, The Lord liveth, which brought up and which led the seed of the liouse of Israel out of the north country, ■" and from all countries whither I have driven them; and they shall dwell in their own land.

r!' Roinan!^, ' " all my bones shake; I am like cir. annum 12. ^ drunken man, and like a man whom wine hath overcome, because of the Lord, and because of the words of his holiness.

Dr. Blayneij thus accounts for his translation:^ " Literally, according to the Hebrew idiom, — ' And this is his name by which Jehovah shall call, Our Righteousness;' a plu'ase exactly the same as, ' And Jehovah shall call him so;' which implies that God would make him such as he caUed him, that is, our Righteousne.'ss, or the author and means of our salvation and acceptance. So that by the same metonymy Christ is said to ' have been made of God unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption,' 1 Cor.

" I doubt not that some persons will be offended with me for depriving them, by this tran.slation, of a favourite argument for proving the Divinity of our Saviour from the Old Testament. But I cannot help it; I have done it with no ill design, but purely because I think, and am morally sure, that the text, as it stands, will not properly admit of any other construction. The Septuagint have so ti-anslated before me, in an age when there could not possibly be any bias Or prejudice either for or against the fore-mentioned doctrine, a doctrine which draws its decisive proofs from the New Testament only."

Dahhr paraphrases, — " This Prince shall be surnamed by his people, ' The Lord, the author of our happiness." The people shall feci themselves happy nndcr him; and shall express their gratitude to him."

I am satisfied that both llie Iranslalion from Cardinarden downwards, and the meaning put on these words, are incorrect. I prefer the translation of Blayneij to all others; and that it speaks any thing about the imputed righteousness of Christ, cannot possibly be proved by any man who understands the original text. As to tliose who put the sense of their creed upon the words, they must be content to stand out of the list of Hebrew critics. I believe Jesus to be Je-

'1 swearing tlie land mourneth; r, Roman.. "■ the pleasant places of the wil- ^ir. annum 12.

dcrness are dried up, and their '^ course is evil, and their force is not right.

1 1 For ' both prophet and priest are profane; yea, " in my house have I found their wickedness, saith the Lord.

12" Wherefore their way shall be unto them as slippery ways in the darkness: they shall be driven on, and fall therein: for I " will bring evil upon them, even the year of their visitation, saith the Lord.

13 And I have seen ^ folly ^in the prophets of Samaria; ^ they prophesied in Baal, and * caused my people Israel to err.

14 I have seen also in the prophets of Jerusalem * a horrible thing: ■= they commit

hovah; but I doubt much whether this text calls him so. No doctrine so vitally important should be rested on an interpretation so dubious and unsupported by the text. That all our righteousness, holiness, and goodness, as well as the whole of our salvation, come hy Hiii, from HIM, and through hi.m, is fully evident from the Scriptures; but this is not one of the passages that support this most important truth. See on chap, xxxiii.

Verse 9. Mine heart loithin me is broken because of the prophets] The first word of this clause is D"K33'7 lannebiim, which we incorporate with the whole clause, and translate, " Because of the prophets." But as a new prophecy begins here, it is evident that the word is the title to this prophecy; and is thus distinguished both by Blayncy and Dahler, Concerning the Prophets. This discourse was delivered probably in the reign of Jehoiakim.

All my bones shake] He was terrified even by his own message, and shocked at the profanity of the false prophets.

Verse 10. The land is full of adulterers] Of idolaters. Of persons who break their faith to we, as au impure wife does to her husband.

The pleasant places of the wilderness are dried up] He speaks here, most probably, in reference to dearth. Profane oaths, false swearing, evil courses, violence. &c., had provoked God to send this among other judgments; see ver. 19.

Verse 11. In my house] They had even introduced idolatry into the Temple of God!

V(3rse 13. I have seen folly in the prophets of Samaria] This was not to be wondered at, for their religion was a system of corruption.

K. Roman., evil doers, that none doth return cir. armum 12. f^Qj^ ^jg wickedness: they are all of them unto me as '^ Sodom, and the inhabitants thereof as Gomorrah.

15 Tlierefore thus saith the Lord of hosts concerning the prophets; Behold, I will feed them with s wormwood, and make them drink the water of gall: for from the prophets of Jerusalem is ''profaneness gone forth into all the land.

16 Thus saith the Lord of hosts, Hearken not mito the words of the prophets that prophesy unto you: they make you vain: ' they speak a vision of their own heart, and not out of the mouth of the Lord.

17 They say still unto them that despise me, The Lord hath said, '' Ye shall have peace; and they say unto every one that walketh after the ' imagination of his own heart, "No evil shall come upon you.

18 For " wJio hath stood in the "counsel of the Lord, and hath perceived and heard his word? who hatli marked his word, and heard it 1

19 Beiiold, a ''whirlwind of the Lord is gone fortli in fury, even a grievous whirlwind:

salem'\ That is, the prophets of Jerusalem, while professing a pure faith, have followed the ways, and become as corrupt as the prophets of Samaria.

They are all of them unto me as Sodom] Incorrigible, brutish sinners, who will as surely be destroyed as Sodom and Gomorrah were.

Verse 16. Hearken not unto the words of the prophets] That is, of those who promise you safety, without requiring you to forsake your sins and turn unto the Lord; see ver. 17.

Verse 18. Who hath stood in the counsel of the Lord] Who of them has ever received a word of prophecy from me! My word is not in them.

A'^erse 19. Behold, a whirlwind'] The simooin: t\\e hot pestilential wind lilowing from the south, frequently mentioned or referred to in the sacred writings; see

Verse 20. In the latter days ye shall consider it] I give you warning: and this punishment which I now threaten shall surely take place; a short time will determine it: ye shall not escape.

Verse 21. I have not sent these prophets, yet they ran] Not to save souls, but to profit themselves.

/ have not spoken to thtm, yet they prophesied.] They never received the »vord at my mouth; yet they went, publishing their own deceits, and pretending them it shall fall grievously upon the *■ '^ '^j.''- 3399. head of the wicked. Oi.XLiir. 4.'

20 1 he 1 anger oi the Lord r. Roman., shall not return until he have ''" """"^ '^- executed, and till he have performed the thoughts of his heart: "■ in the latter days ye shall consider it perfectly.

21 ^I have not sent these prophets, yet they ran: I have not spoken to them, yet they prophesied.

22 But if they had • stood in my counsel, and had caused my people to hear my words, then they should have " turned them from their evil way, and from the evil of their doings.

23 Am I a God at hand, saith the Lord, and not a God afar off?

24 Can any ' hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith the Lord. '" Do not I fill heaven and earth? saitk the Lord.

25 I have heard what the prophets said, that prophesy lies in my name, saying, I have dreamed, I have dreamed.

26 How long shall this be in the heart of the prophets tliat prophesy lies? yea, they are prophets of the deceit of their own heart;

27 Which think to cause my people to forget my name by their dreams which they tell

to be revelations from God. The churches which have legal emoluments are ever in danger of being overrun and ruined by worldly and self-interested priests.

Verse 23. Am / a God at hand, — and not a God afar off?] You act as if you thought 1 could not see you! An I not omnipresent? Do not I fill the heavens and the earth? ver. 24.

Verse 27. By their dreams] Dreams were anciently reputed as a species of inspiration; see Num. xii. 6; 1 Sam. xxviii. 6; Joel iii. 1; Dan. vii. 1. In the Book of Genesis we find many examples; and although many mistook the workings of their own vain imaginations in sleep for revelations from God, yet he has often revealed himself in this way: but such dreams were easily distinguished from the others. They were always such as had no connexion with the gratification of the flesh; they were such as contained learnings against sin, and excitements to holiness; they were always consecutive — well connected, with a proper beginning and ending; such as possessed the intellect more than the imagination. Of such dreams the Lord says, (ver. 28:) The prophet that hath a dream, let him tell a dream — permit him to shov/ what he has thus received from the Lord: but let him tell it as a dream, and speak my word faithfully, lest he may have been deceived.

■^ *c "'' 605*' fivsry man to his neighbour, ^ as 01. XLIII.4. their fathers have forgotten my

R. Roman., name tor caal. "''■ »"""" '^- 28 The prophet >' that hatli a dream, let him tell a dream; and he that hath my word, let him speak my word faithfully. What is the chaff to the wheat? saith the

29 Is not my word like as a fire? saith the Lord; and like a hanmier that breakelh the rock in pieces?

30 Therefore, behold, ^ I am against the prophets, saith the Lord, that steal my words every one from his neighbour.

3 1 Behold, I am against the prophets, saith the Lord, ^ that use their tongues, and say, He saith.

the Lord, and do tell them, and r. Roman., cause my people to err by their ""•• annum 12. lies, and by •" their lightness; yet I sent them not, nor commanded them: therefore they shall not profit this people at all, saith

33 And when this people, or the prophet, 01 a priest, shall ask thee, saying, What is " the bm-den of the Lord? thou shall then say unto them. What burden? "^ I will even forsake you,

34 And as for the prophet, and the priest, and the people, that shall say. The burden of the Lord, I will even " punish that man and his house.

Verse 28. What is the chaff to the wheat? saith the Lord.] Do not mingle t'lese equivocal matters with positive revelations. Do not consider a dream, even from a prophet, as that positive inspiration which my prophets receive when their reason, judgment, and spiritual feelings are all in full and in regular exercise. Mix none of your own devices with my doctrines.

Verse 29. Is not my word like as afire T\ It enlightens, warms, and penetrates every part. When it is conununicated to the true prophet, it is like afire shut up in his bones; he cannot retain it, he must publish it: and when published, it is like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces; it is ever accompanied by a Divine power, that causes both sinner and saint to feel its loeight and importance.

In the original words there is something singular: E'XD '13T HD NiSn halo coh debari kaesh, " Is not thus my word like fire?" I suspect, with Dr. Blayney, that n:) coh, thus, was formerly «Titten HD coach, strength or power; and so it was understood by the Targumist: " Are not all my words strong, like fire 1" and probably the author of the Epistle to the Hebrews read it thus, and had it in view when he wrote: " For the word of God is quick and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword," Heb. iv. 13. This admitted, the text would read, " Is not my word powerful, like fire?" or, " Is not the power of my word like fire V But however we understand the words, let us take heed lest we think, as some have thought and affirmed, that the sacred writings are quite sufficient of themselves to enlighten, convince, and convert the soul, and that there is no need of the Holy Spirit. Fire itself must be applied by an agent in order to produce its eft'ects; and surely the hammer cannot break the rock in pieces, unless wielded l)y an able workman. And it is God's Spirit alone that can thus apply it; for we find it frequently read and frequently spoken, without producing any sahitary effects. And by this very thing the true preachers of the word of God may be distinguished from the false, non-commissioned ones; those who run, though they are not sent, ver. 21. The word of him who has his commission from heaven shall be as a fire and as a hammer; sinners shall be convinced and converted t6 God by it. But the others, though they steal the word from their neighbour — borrow or pilfer a good sermon, yet they do not profit the people at all, because God did not send them, ver. 32; for the power of God does not in their ministry accompany the word.

There may be an allusion to the practice in some mining countries, of roasting stones containing ore, before they are subjected to the hammer, in order to pulverize them. In Cornwall I have seen them roast the tin stones in the fire, before they placed them under the action of the hammers in the stamp mill. The fire separated the arsenic from the ore, and then they were easily reduced to powder by the hammers of the mill; afterwards, ivashing the mass with water, the grains of tin sank to the bottom, while tlie lighter parts went off with the water, and thus the metal was procured clean and pure. If this be the allusion, it is very appropriate.

Verse 30. I am against the prophets'] Three eases are mentioned here which excited God's disapprobation: 1. The prophets who stole the word from their neighbour; who associated with the true prophets, got some intelligence from them, and then went and published it as a revelation which themselves had received, ver. 30. 2. The prophets who used their tongues; DJl'^7 □'np/n hallokechim leshonam, who lick or smooth with their tongues — gave their own counsels as Divine revelations, flattering them in their sins, and promising peace, when God had not spoken; and prefaced them, " Thus saith the Lord," ver. 31. 3 The prophets « ho m.ade up false stories, which they termed prophecies, revealed to them in dreams; and thus caused the people to err, ver. 32.

Verse 33. What is the burden of the Lord?] The wordx'^O massa, here used, signifies Awrrfpn, oracle, prophetic discourse; and is used by almost every prophet.

36 And the burden of the Lord sliall ye mention no more: for eveiy man's word shall be his biu'den; for ye have perverted the words of the living God, of the Lord of hosts our God.

37 Thus shalt thou say to the prophet, What hath the Lord answered thee? and, What hath the Lord spoken?

38 But since ye say, The burden of the

But the persons in the text appear to have been mockers. " Where is this burden of the Lord \" — " WTiat is the burden now?" To this insolent question tlie prophet answers in the following verses.

I will even forsake you] I v,-ill punish the prophet, the priest, and the people, that speak thus, ver. 34. Hers are burdens.

Verse 36. Every mail's tvord shall be his burdeti] Ye say that all God's messages are burdens, and to you they shall be such: whereas, had you used them as you ought, they woidd have been blessings to you.

For ye have perverted the tvords of the living God].\jij thus have sinned against your own souls.

Lord; therefore thus saith the *■ ^ "'^-^?^99' Lord; Because ye say this 6i. XLiii.4. word. The burden of the Lord, R.'^'iSiman.r' and I have sent unto you, say- '^"•- annum 12. ing, Ye shall not say. The burden of the Lord;

39 Therefore, behold, I, even I, ^ will utterly forget you, and " I will forsake you, and the city that I gave you and your fathers, and cast you out of my presence:

40 And I will bring ^ an everlasting reproach upon you, and a perpetual shame, which shall not be foro'otten.

Verse 39. I will utterly forget you, and I ivill forsake you and the city'\ Dr. Blayney translates: — I will both take you up altogether, and will cast you off together with the city. Ye are a burden to me: but I will take you up, and then cast you off. I will do with you as a man weary with his bm-den will do; cast it ofl his shoulders, and bear it no more.

Verse 40. / will bring an everlasting reproach upon you] And this reproach of having rebelled against so good a God, and rejected so powerful a Saviour, follows them to this day through aU their dispersions, in every part of the habitable earth. The word of the Lord cannot fail.

Under the emblem of the good and bad Jigs is represented the fate of the Jews already gone into capttvity with Jeconiah, and of those that remained still in their own country with Zedekiah. It is likewise intimated that God tvould deal kindly with the former, but that his wrath would still pursue the latter, 1—10

Tarquinii Prisci, wei'e set before the temple of the "■ ^°"'""' ^^- Lord, after that Nebuchadrezzar '' king of Babylon had carried away captive ''■ Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah,

Verse 1. The Lord shoived me, and, behold, two baskets of Jigs] Besides the transposition of whole chapters in this book, there is not unfrequently a transposition of verses, and parts of ver.':es. Of this we have an instance in the verse before us; the first clause of which shoidd be the last. Thus: —

" After that Nebuchadrezzar- king of Babylon had carried away captive Jeconiah, the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah, with the carpenters and smiths from Jerusalem, and had brought them to Babylon, the Lord showed me, and, behold, two baskets of figs were set before the temple of the Lord."

and the princes of Judah, with ^- ^ ^'^■ the carpenters and smiths from Oi.XLV. 3. Jerusalem, and had brought them Tarquinii Prisci, to Babylon. rt.feoman, 19.'

2 One basket had very good figs, even like the figs that are first ripe; and the other basket

the figs that are first ripe; and the other basket had very naughty figs, which could not be eaten, they were so bad."

This arrangement restores these verses to a better sense, by restoring the natural connemon.

This prophecy was undoubtedly delivered in the first year of the reign of Zedeldah.

Under the type of good and bad Jigs, God represents the state of the persons who had already been carried captives into Babylon, with their king Jeconiali, compared with the state of those who should be carried away with Zedekiah. Those already carried away, being the choice of the people, are represented by the good fgs: those now remaining, and soon to be carried into oaptiv

R. Roman., 19. g Then Said the Lord unto me. What seest thou, Jeremiali? And I said, Figs; the good figs, very good; and the evil, very evil, that cannot be eaten, they are so evil.

5 Thus saith the Loud, the God of Israel; Like these good figs, so will I acknowledge " them that are carried away captive of Judah, whom I have sent out of this place into the land of the Chaldeans for their good.

6 For I will set mine eyes upon them for good, and '' I will bring them again to this land: and? I will build them, and not pull thetn down; and I will plant them, and not pluck them up.

ity, are represented by the bad figs, that were good for nothing. The state also of the former in their captivity was vastly preferable to the state of those who were now about to be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon. The latter would be treated as double rebels; the former, being the most respectable of the inhabitants, were treated well; and even in captivity, a marked distinction would be made between them, God ordering it so. But the prophet sufficiently explains his own meaning.

Verse 2. Veri/ good figs] Or, figs of the early sort. The fig-trees in Palestine, says Dr. Shaio, produce fruit thrice each year. The first sort, called boceore, those here mentioned, come to perfection about the middle or end of June. The second sort, called iermez, or summer fig, is seldom ripe before August. And the third, which is called the tcinter fig, which is larger, and of a darker complexion than the preceding, hangs all the winter on the tree, ripening even when the leaves are shed, and is fit for gathering in the beginning of spring.

Could not be eaten] The winter fig, — then in its crude or unripe state; the spring not being yet come.

8 And as the evil ' figs, which cannot be eaten, they are so evil; surely thus saith the Lord, So will I give Zedckiah the king of Judah, and his princes, and the residue of Jerusalem, that remain in this land, and ""them that dwell in the land of Eg}^pt:

9 And I will deliver them "to "be removed inio all the kingdoms of the earth for their hurt, ^ to be a. reproach and a proverb, a taunt 1 and a curse, in all places whither I shall drive them.

10 And I will send the sword, the famine, and the pestilence, among them, till they be consumed from off the land that I gave unto them and to their fathers.

Verse 5. Like these good figs, so will I acknowledge] Those already carried away into captivity, I esteem as far more excellent than those who still remain in the land. They have not sinned so deeply, and they are now penitent; and, therefore, / will set mine eyes upon them for good, ver. 6. I will watch over them by an especial providence, and they shall be restored to their own land.

Verse 7. They shall be my people] I will renew my covenant with them, for they will return to me with their irhole heart.

Verse 8. So icill I give Zedckiah] I will treat these as they deserve. They shall be carried into captivity, and scattered through all nations. Multitudes of those never returned to Judea; the others returned at the end of seventy years.

Verse 10. I will send the sivord] Many of them fell by sword and famine in the war with the Chaldeans, and many more by such means afterwards. The first received their captivity as a correction, and turned to God; the latter still hardened their hearts more and more, and probably very many of them never returned: perhaps they are now amalgamated with heathen nations. Lord, how long?

Thts chapter contains a summary nf the judgments denounced by Jeremiah against Judah, Babylon, and many other nations. It begins tcith reproving the Jews for disobeying the calls of God to repentance, 1-7: on which account their captivity, tvith that of other neighbouring nations, during seventy years, is foretold. 8-11. At the expiration of that period, (computing from the invasion of Nebuchadnezzar in the fourth year of Jehoiakim, to the famous edict of the first year of Cyrus,) an end teas to be put to the Babylonian empire, 12-14. All this is again declared by the emblem of that cup of wrath which the prophet, as it should seem in a vision, tendered to all the nations which he enumerates, 15-29. And for farther confirmation, it is a third lime repeated in a very beautiful and elevated strain of poetry, 30-38. The talent of diversifying the ideas, images, and language, even when the subject is the same, or nearly so, appears no where in such perfection as among the sacred poets.

R. Roman., 10. q£ Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah, that urns the first year of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon

2 The which Jeremiah the prophet spake unto all the people of Judah, and to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying,

3 '' From the thirteenth year of Josiah the son of Amon king of Judah, even unto this day, that is the three and twentieth year, the word of the Lord hath come unto me, and I have spoken unto 3'ou, rising early and speaking; ■= but ye have not hearkened.

4 And the Lord hath sent unto you all his servants the prophets, ■* rising early and sending them; but ye have not hearkened, nor inclined your ear to hear.

5 They said, * Turn ye again now every one from his evil way, and from the evil of yotur doings, and dwell in the land that the Lord hath given unto you and to your fathers for ever and ever:

6 And go not after other gods to serve them,

Verse 1. The word that came to Jeremiah — in the fourth year'] This prophecy, we see, was delivered in the fourth year of Jehoakim, and the chapter that contains it is utterly out of its place. It should be between chapters xxxv. and xxxvi.

The defeat of the Egyptians by Nebuchadnezzar at Carchemish, and the subsequent taking of Jerusalem, occurred in this year, viz., the fourth year of Jehoialiim.

The first year of Nebuchadrezzar] This king was associated with liis father two years before the death of the latter. The Jews reckon his reign from this time, and this was the_^r.s/ of those two years; but the Chaldeans date the commencement of his reign two vears later, viz., at the death of his father.

Verse 7. That ye might provoke] Ye would not hearken; but chose to provoke me with anger.

Verse 9. Behold, I will send] At this tune Nebuchadrezzar had not invaded the land, according to this Version; but the Hebrew may be translated, " Behold I am sending, and have taken all the families;" that is, all the allies of the king of Babylon.

and to worship them, and provoke ^^^^- 3397. me not to anger with the works 01. XLiii. 2. of your hands; and I will do Tarmd^'iPrisci,

7 Yet ye have not hearkened unto me, saith the Lord; that ye might ''provoke me to anger with the works of your hands to your own hurt

8 Therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts, Because ye have not heard my words,

9 Behold, I will send and take « all the families of the north, saith the Lord, and Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon, '^ my servant, and will bring them against this land, and against the inhabitants thereof, and against all these nations round about, and will utterly destroy them, and ' make them an astonishment, and a hissing, and perpetual desolations.

1 0 Moreover ^ I will take from them the Woice of mirth, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride, ™ the sound of the millstones, and the light of the candle.

1 1 And this whole land shall be a desolation, and an astonishment; and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years.

Instead of Ssi reel, "and to Nebuchadrezzar," as in the common Hebrew Bible, seven MSS. of Kennicott^s and De Rossi's, and one of my own, have jINl veeth, " AND Nebuchadrezzar," which is undoubtedly tlie true reading.

The sound of the mill-stones, and the light of the candle.] These two are conjoined, because they generally ground the com before day, by the light of the candle. Sir J. Chardin has remarked, that every where in the morning may be heard the noise of the mills; for they generally grind every day just as much as is necessary for the day's consumption. Where then the noise of the mill is not heard, nor the light of the candle seen, there must be desolation; because these things are heard and seen in every inhabited

Verse 11. Shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years.] As this prophecy was delivered in the fourth year of Jehoiakim, and in the first of Nebuchadnezzar, and began to be accomplished in the same year, (for then Nebuchadnezzar invaded Judea, and took Jeriisa-

12 And it shall come to pass,

king of Babj'lon, and tiiat nation, saith the Loud, for their iniquity, and the land of the Chaldeans, ^and will make it perpetual desolations.

13 And I will bring upon that land all my words which I have pronounced against it, even all that is written in this book, which Jeremiah hath prophesied against all the nations.

14 iFor many nations ■'and great kings shall ' serve themselves of them also: • and I will recompense them according to their deeds, and according to the works of their own hands.

15 For thus saith the Lord God of Israel unto me; Take the " wine cup of this fury at my hand, and cause all the nations, to whom I send thee, to drink it.

1 6 And ^ they shall drink, and be moved, and be mad, because of the sword that I will send among them.

17 Then took I the cup at the Lord's hand.

18 To wit, Jerusalem, and the TarqLuinu Prisci, cities of Judah, and the kings

lem,) seventy 3'ears from this time will reach dovm to the first year of Cjtus, when he made his proclamation for the restoration of the Jews, and the rebuildinoof Jerusalem. See the note on Isa. xiii. 19, where the subject is farther considered in relation to the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, and the city of Babylon.

Verse 12. And that nation] H^T^rrvn /laggoi Jiahu. Dr. Blayneij contends that this should be translated his nation, and that Ninn hahu is the substantive pronoun used in the genitive case. It is certainly more clear and definite to read, " 1 will punish the king of Babylon, and HIS nation."

Will make it perpetual desolations] See the note on Isa..xiii. 19, where the fulfilment of this prophecy is distinctly marked.

Verse 14. Many nations and great kings] The Medcs and the Persians, under Cyrus; and several princes, his vassals or allies.

Verse 15. Take the loine cnp of this fury] For an ample illustration of this passage and simile, see the note on Isa. li. 21.

Verse 17. Then took I the cup—and made all the nations to drink] This cup of God's wrath is merely s\Tnbolical, and simply means that the prophet should declare to all these people that they shall fall under the Chaldean j-oke, and that this is a pimi.shment inflicted on them bv God for their iniiiuitics. " Then I

thereof, and the princes thereof, to make them '"a desolation, an astonishment, a hissing, and ^ a curse; as it is this day;

19 y Pharaoh king of Egypt, and his servants, and his princes, and all his people;

20 Ajid all ^ the mingled people, and all the lungs of ^ the land of Uz, '' and all the kings of the land of the Philistines, and Ashkelon, and Azzah, and Ekron, and "^ the remnant of Ashdod,

22 And all the kings of s Tynis, and all the kings of Zidon, and the kings of the "^ isles which are beyond the ' sea,

23 ''Dedan, and Tema, and Buz, and all ' that are in the utmost corners,

24 And ""all the kings of Arabia, and all the king^ of the "mingled people that dwell in the desert,

took the cup;" I declared publicly the tribulation tha. God was about to bring on Jerusalem, the cities of Judah, and aU the nations.

Verse 19. Pharaoh king of Egypt] This was Pharaoh-necho, who was the principal cause of instigating the neighbouring nations to form a league against the

Verse 20. All the mingled people] The strajigers and foreigners; Abyssinians and others who had settled in Egypt.

Land of Uz] A part of Arabia near to Idumea. See on Job i. 1.

Verse 22. Tynis and — Zidon] The most ancient of all the cities of the Phcenicians.

Kings of the isles which are heyond the sea.] As the Mediterranean Sea is most probably meant, and the Phtenicians had numerous colonies on its coasts, I prefer the marginal reading, the kings of the region by the sea side.

Tema] Was one of the sons of Ishmael, in the north of Arabia, Gen. xxxvi. 15.

01. XLin.2. and all the kings of ° Llam, and TarquinUPnsci, all the kings of the Medes, R. Roman., 10. 26 p And all the kings of the north, far and near, one whh another, and all the kingdoms of the world, which are upon the face of the earth: i and the king of Sheshach sliall drink after them.

27 Therefore thou shall say unto them. Thus.saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; 'Drink ye, and ^be drunken, and spue, and fall, and rise no more, because of the «word which I will send among you.

28 And it shall be, if they refuse to take the cup at thine hand to drink, then shalt thou say unto them. Thus saith the Lord of hosts; Ye shall certainly drink.

29 For, lo, ' I begin to bring evil on the city "which ^is called by my name, and should ye be utterly unpunished? Ye shall not be unpunished: for " I will call for a sword upon all the inhabitants of the earth, saith the Lord of hosts.

.30 Therefore prophesy thou against them all these words, and say unto them, The Lord shall ^ roar from on high, and utter his voice from y his holy habitation; he shall mightily roar upon ^ his habitation; he shall give ^ a shout, as they that tread the grapes, against all the inhabitants of the earth.

31 A noise shall come even to the ends of

Elam] Called Elymais by the Greeks, was on the south frontier of Media, to the north of Susiana, not far from Babylon.

Averse 26. The /,ings of the north, far and near] The first may mean Syria; the tatter, the Hyrcanians and Bactrians.

And the king of Sheshach shall drink after them.] She^kach was an ancient king of Babylon, who was deified after his death. Here it means either Babylon, or Nebuchadnezzar the king of it. After it has been the occasion of luin to so many other nations, Babylon itself shall be destroyed by the Medo-Persians.

Verse 27. Be drunken, and spue] Why did we not use the word vomit, less offensive than the other, and yet of the same signification 1 the earth; for the Lord hath '•a ^^ M. 3^397. controversy with the nations, " he 01. XLIII. 2. will plead with all flesh; he will Tarmiinii Prisci, give them that are wicked to the R- R°m^n., lo. sword, saith the Lord.

32 Tiius saith the Lord of hosts, Behold, evil shall go forth from nation to nation, and ^ a great whirlwind shall be raised up from the coasts of the earth.

33 ' And the slain of the Lord shall be at that day from one end of the earth even unto the other end of the earth: they shall not be f lamented, s neither gathered, nor buried; they shaU be dung upon the ground.

34 ^ Howl, ye shepherds, and cry; and wallow yourselves in the ashes, ye principal of the flock: for ' the days of your slaughter and of your dispersions are accomplished; and ye shall fall like "^ a pleasant vessel.

35 Aird ' the shepherds shall have no way to flee, nor the principal of the flock to escape.

36 A voice of the cry of the shepherds, and a howling of the principal of the flock, sfiall be heard: for the Lord hath spoiled their pasture.

37 And the peaceable habitations are cut down because of the fierce anger of the Lord.

38 He hath forsaken "■ his covert, as the lion: for their land is " desolate because of the fierceness of the oppressor, and because of his fierce anger.