Bible Commentaries

Introduction

1	The utter rejection and manifold judgments of the Jews.
10	Jeremiah, complaining of their spite, receives a promise for himself;
12	and a threatening for them.
15	He prays;
19	and receives a gracious promise.

Verse 1
Then said the LORD unto me, Though Moses and Samuel stood before me, yet my mind could not be toward this people: cast them out of my sight, and let them go forth.

Though

7:16; 11:14; 14:11; Ezekiel 14:14,21

Moses

Exodus 32:11-14; Numbers 14:13-20; 1 Samuel 7:9; 12:23; Psalms 99:6

stood

18:20; Genesis 19:27; Psalms 106:23; Zechariah 3:3; Hebrews 9:24

my mind

Judges 5:9; Proverbs 14:35

cast

7:15; 23:39; 52:3; 2 Kings 17:20

Verse 2
And it shall come to pass, if they say unto thee, Whither shall we go forth? then thou shalt tell them, Thus saith the LORD; Such as are for death, to death; and such as are for the sword, to the sword; and such as are for the famine, to the famine; and such as are for the captivity, to the captivity.

for death

14:12; 24:9,10; 43:11; Isaiah 24:18; Ezekiel 5:2,12; 14:21; Daniel 9:12; Amos 5:19; Zechariah 11:9; Revelation 6:3-8

Verse 3
And I will appoint over them four kinds, saith the LORD: the sword to slay, and the dogs to tear, and the fowls of the heaven, and the beasts of the earth, to devour and destroy.

I will

7:33; Leviticus 26:16,22,25; Deuteronomy 28:26; 1 Kings 21:23,24; 2 Kings 9:35-37; Isaiah 18:6; 56:9,10; Ezekiel 14:21; Revelation 6:8; 19:17,18

kinds

Heb. families.

Verse 4
And I will cause them to be removed into all kingdoms of the earth, because of Manasseh the son of Hezekiah king of Judah, for that which he did in Jerusalem.

cause them to be removed

Heb. give them for a removing.

9:16; 24:9; 29:18; 34:17; Leviticus 26:33; Deuteronomy 28:25,64; Lamentations 1:8; Ezekiel 23:46

because

2 Kings 21:11-13; 23:26,27; 24:3,4

Verse 5
For who shall have pity upon thee, O Jerusalem? or who shall bemoan thee? or who shall go aside to ask how thou doest?

For who

16:5; 21:7; Job 19:21; Psalms 69:20; Isaiah 51:19; Lamentations 1:12-16; 2:15,16; Nahum 3:7

how thou doest

Heb. of thy peace.

Exodus 18:7; Judges 18:15; 1 Samuel 10:4; 17:22; 25:5; *margins

Verse 6
Thou hast forsaken me, saith the LORD, thou art gone backward: therefore will I stretch out my hand against thee, and destroy thee; I am weary with repenting.

forsaken

1:16; 2:13,17,19

thou art

7:24; 8:5; Isaiah 1:4; 28:13; Hosea 4:16; 11:7; Zechariah 7:11

stretch

Ezekiel 14:9; 25:7; Zephaniah 1:4

I am

6:11; 20:9; Psalms 78:38-40; Ezekiel 12:26-28; Hosea 13:14; Amos 7:3-8

Verse 7
And I will fan them with a fan in the gates of the land; I will bereave them of children, I will destroy my people, since they return not from their ways.

I will fan

4:11,12; 51:2; Psalms 1:4; Isaiah 41:16; Matthew 3:12

bereave

9:21; 18:21; Deuteronomy 28:18,32,41,53-56; Hosea 9:12-17

children

or, whatsoever is dear.

Ezekiel 24:21,25

since

5:3; 8:4,5; Isaiah 9:13; Amos 4:10-12; Zechariah 1:4

Verse 8
Their widows are increased to me above the sand of the seas: I have brought upon them against the mother of the young men a spoiler at noonday: I have caused him to fall upon it suddenly, and terrors upon the city.

widows

Isaiah 3:25,26; 4:1

the mother, etc

or, the mother city a young man spoiling, etc. or, the mother and the young men. a spoiler.

4:16; 5:6; 6:4,5; Luke 21:35

Verse 9
She that hath borne seven languisheth: she hath given up the ghost; her sun is gone down while it was yet day: she hath been ashamed and confounded: and the residue of them will I deliver to the sword before their enemies, saith the LORD.

She that hath

She that hath had a numerous offspring, Jerusalem, the mother city, the parent of so many cities, villages, and families in the land.

1 Samuel 2:5; Isaiah 47:9; Lamentations 1:1; 4:10

her sun

Amos 8:9,10

and the

2,3; 44:27; Ezekiel 5:12

Verse 10
Woe is me, my mother, that thou hast borne me a man of strife and a man of contention to the whole earth! I have neither lent on usury, nor men have lent to me on usury; yet every one of them doth curse me.

my

20:14-18; Job 3:1-26

a man

20; 1:18,19; 20:7,8; 1 Kings 18:17,18; 21:20; 22:8; Psalms 120:5,6; Ezekiel 2:6,7; Ezekiel 3:7-9; Matthew 10:21-23; 24:9; Luke 2:34; Acts 16:20-22; 17:6-8; Acts 19:8,9,25-28; 28:22; 1 Corinthians 4:9-13

I have

Exodus 22:25; Deuteronomy 23:19,20; Nehemiah 5:1-6; Psalms 15:5

curse

Psalms 109:28; Proverbs 26:2; Matthew 5:44; Luke 6:22

Verse 11
The LORD said, Verily it shall be well with thy remnant; verily I will cause the enemy to entreat thee well in the time of evil and in the time of affliction.

Verily it

Psalms 37:3-11; Ecclesiastes 8:12

verily I

29:11-14; 39:11,12; 40:2-6; Psalms 106:46

cause the enemy to entreat thee

or, entreat the enemy for thee.

Proverbs 16:7; 21:1

Verse 12
Shall iron break the northern iron and the steel?

Shall iron

1:18,19; 21:4,5; Job 40:9; Isaiah 45:9; Habakkuk 1:5-10

Verse 13
Thy substance and thy treasures will I give to the spoil without price, and that for all thy sins, even in all thy borders.

substance

8; 17:3; 20:5

without

Psalms 44:12; Isaiah 52:3,5

Verse 14
And I will make thee to pass with thine enemies into a land which thou knowest not: for a fire is kindled in mine anger, which shall burn upon you.

pass

4; 14:18; 16:13; 17:4; 52:27; Leviticus 26:38,39; Deuteronomy 28:25,36,64; Amos 5:27

a fire

4:4; Deuteronomy 29:23; 32:22; Psalms 21:9; Isaiah 42:25; 66:15,16; Nahum 1:5,6; Hebrews 12:29

Verse 15
O LORD, thou knowest: remember me, and visit me, and revenge me of my persecutors; take me not away in thy longsuffering: know that for thy sake I have suffered rebuke.

thou

12:3; 17:16; Job 10:7; Psalms 7:3-5; 17:3; John 21:15-17; 2 Corinthians 5:11

remember

11:18-20; 20:12; Nehemiah 5:19; 6:14; 13:22,31; Psalms 106:4; 109:26-29; Psalms 119:84,132-134; Luke 18:7,8; Romans 12:19; 2 Timothy 4:14; Revelation 6:10; 18:20

take

Psalms 39:13; 102:24; Isaiah 38:3

know

10; 11:21; 20:8; Psalms 69:7-9; Matthew 5:10-12; 10:22; 19:29; Luke 6:22,23; Luke 21:17; Romans 8:35; 1 Peter 4:14-16

Verse 16
Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O LORD God of hosts.

I did

Ezekiel 3:1-3; Revelation 10:9

thy word

Job 23:12; Psalms 19:10; 119:72,97,101-103,111

I am called by thy name

Heb. thy name is called upon me.

14:9; *marg:

Verse 17
I sat not in the assembly of the mockers, nor rejoiced; I sat alone because of thy hand: for thou hast filled me with indignation.

sat not

Psalms 1:1; 26:4,5; 2 Corinthians 6:17

sat alone

13:17; Lamentations 3:28; Ezekiel 3:24,25; Daniel 7:28

for

1:10; 6:11; 20:8,9

Verse 18
Why is my pain perpetual, and my wound incurable, which refuseth to be healed? wilt thou be altogether unto me as a liar, and as waters that fail?

my pain

14:19; Psalms 6:3; 13:1-3; Lamentations 3:1-18

my wound

30:12,15; Job 34:6; Micah 1:9

as a

1:18,19; 20:7

and as

14:3; Job 6:15-20

fail

Heb. be not sure.

Verse 19
Therefore thus saith the LORD, If thou return, then will I bring thee again, and thou shalt stand before me: and if thou take forth the precious from the vile, thou shalt be as my mouth: let them return unto thee; but return not thou unto them.

return

10-18; 20:9; Exodus 6:29,30; Jonah 3:2

stand

1; 1 Kings 17:1; Proverbs 22:29; Zechariah 3:7; Luke 1:19; 21:36; Jude 1:24

take

Leviticus 10:10; Isaiah 32:5,6; Ezekiel 22:26; 44:23; Hebrews 5:14

as my

Exodus 4:12,15,16; Luke 10:16; 12:12; 21:15

let them

38:20,21; Ezekiel 2:7; 3:10,11; Acts 20:27; 2 Corinthians 5:16; Galatians 1:10; 2:5

Verse 20
And I will make thee unto this people a fenced brasen wall: and they shall fight against thee, but they shall not prevail against thee: for I am with thee to save thee and to deliver thee, saith the LORD.

I will

1:18,19; 6:27; Ezekiel 3:9; Acts 4:8-13,29-31; 5:29-32

but

20:11,12; Psalms 124:1-3; 129:1,2; Romans 8:31-39

for

20:11; Psalms 46:7,11; Isaiah 7:14; 8:9,10; 41:10; Acts 18:9,10; 2 Timothy 4:16; 2 Timothy 4:17,22

Verse 21
And I will deliver thee out of the hand of the wicked, and I will redeem thee out of the hand of the terrible.

deliver

Genesis 48:16; Psalms 27:2; 37:40; Isaiah 49:24,25; 54:17; Matthew 6:13; Romans 16:20; 2 Corinthians 1:10

the terrible

Isaiah 25:3-5; 29:5,20

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