Woe be unto the pastors that destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! saith the LORD. This forms the epilogue to the denunciations of the four kings in Jeremiah 21:1; Jeremiah 22:1. WOE BE UNTO THE PASTORS THAT DESTROY AND SCATTER THE SHEEP - Shallum, Jehoiakim, Jeconiah, and Zedekiah ().... [ Continue Reading ]
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, saith the LORD. YE HAVE SCATTERED MY FLOCK, AND DRIVEN THEM AWAY, AND HAVE NOT... [ Continue Reading ]
And I will gather the remnant of my flock out of all countries whither I have driven them, and will bring them again to their folds; and they shall be fruitful and increase. Restoration of Judah from Babylon foretold in language which in its fullness can only apply to the final restoration of bot... [ Continue Reading ]
_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._ No JFB commentary on this verse.... [ Continue Reading ]
In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS. IN HIS DAYS JUDAH SHALL BE SAVED, AND ISRAEL SHALL DWELL SAFELY - (cf. Jeremiah 33:16, where "Jerusalem" is substituted for "Israel" here). Only Judah, and... [ Continue Reading ]
Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that they shall no more say, The LORD liveth, which brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt; Repeated from Jeremiah 16:14. The prophet said the same things often, in order that his sayings might make the more impression. The nam... [ Continue Reading ]
Mine heart within me is broken because of the prophets; all my bones shake; I am like a drunken man, and like a man whom wine hath overcome, because of the LORD, and because of the words of his holiness. BECAUSE OF THE PROPHETS - so the Masorites and Targum. But the Vulgate, Septuagint, etc., ma... [ Continue Reading ]
For the land is full of adulterers; for because of swearing the land mourneth; the pleasant places of the wilderness are dried up, and their course is evil, and their force is not right. THE LAND IS FULL OF ADULTERERS - spiritual, i:e., forsakers of God, Israel's true Husband () for idols, at th... [ Continue Reading ]
For both prophet and priest are profane; yea, in my house have I found their wickedness, saith the LORD. PROPHET AND PRIEST ARE PROFANE - (; ). IN MY HOUSE - (). They built altars to idols in the very temple (; Ezekiel 8:3). (Compare as to covetousness under the roof of the sanctuary, ; ).... [ Continue Reading ]
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. THEIR WAY SHALL BE UNTO THEM AS SLIPPERY WAYS IN THE DARKNESS - their "way" is their false doctr... [ Continue Reading ]
And I have seen folly in the prophets of Samaria; they prophesied in Baal, and caused my people Israel to err. I HAVE SEEN FOLLY - literally, insipidity unsavouriness () not having the salt of godliness (). THEY PROPHESIED IN BAAL - in name of Baal; in connection with his worship (see ). CAU... [ Continue Reading ]
I have seen also in the prophets of Jerusalem an horrible thing: they commit adultery, and walk in lies: they strengthen also the hands of evildoers, that none doth return from his wickedness: they are all of them unto me as Sodom, and the inhabitants thereof as Gomorrah. I HAVE SEEN ALSO IN THE... [ Continue Reading ]
Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts concerning the prophets; Behold, I will feed them with wormwood, and make them drink the water of gall: for from the prophets of Jerusalem is profaneness gone forth into all the land. GALL - poison (note, ; ).... [ Continue Reading ]
Thus saith the LORD of hosts, Hearken not unto 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. THEY MAKE YOU VAIN - they seduce you to vanity - i:e., idolatry, which will prove a vain trust to you... [ Continue Reading ]
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. THEY SAY STILL - Hebrew, say in saying - i:e., say incessantly. YE SHALL HAVE PEACE - (, "The diviner... [ Continue Reading ]
For who hath stood in the counsel of the LORD, and hath perceived and heard his word? who hath marked his word, and heard it? FOR WHO HATH STOOD IN THE COUNSEL OF THE LORD? A reason is given why the false prophets should not be heeded; they have not stood in the counsels of Yahweh-an image from... [ Continue Reading ]
Behold, a whirlwind of the LORD is gone forth in fury, even a grievous whirlwind: it shall fall grievously upon the head of the wicked. BEHOLD, A WHIRLWIND OF THE LORD IS GONE FORTH IN FURY - so far from all posterity awaiting the people, as the false prophets say (Jeremiah 23:17), wrath is in s... [ Continue Reading ]
The anger of the LORD 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. IN THE LATTER DAYS YE SHALL CONSIDER IT PERFECTLY - i:e., in "the year of their visitation" (). Primarily the meaning is, the Je... [ Continue Reading ]
I have not sent these prophets, yet they ran: I have not spoken to them, yet they prophesied. I HAVE NOT SENT THESE PROPHETS, YET THEY RAN; I HAVE NOT SPOKEN TO THEM, YET THEY PROPHESIED - "sent" refers to the primary call: "spoken," to the subsequent charges given to be executed. A call is requ... [ Continue Reading ]
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. IF THEY HAD STOOD IN MY COUNSEL - (). THEY SHOULD HAVE TURNED THEM FROM THEIR EVIL WAY - they would have given such counsels... [ Continue Reading ]
Am I a God at hand, saith the LORD, and not a God afar off? AM I A GOD AT HAND ... AND NOT A GOD AFAR OFF? - Let not the false prophets fancy that their devices () are unknown to me. Are ye so ignorant as to suppose that I can only see things near me?-namely, things in heaven, and not earthly th... [ Continue Reading ]
Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith the LORD. Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the LORD. CAN ANY HIDE HIMSELF ... THAT I SHALL NOT SEE HIM? (, etc.; Amos 9:2.) DO NOT I FILL HEAVEN AND EARTH? - with my omniscience. providence, power, and essential being ... [ Continue Reading ]
I have heard what the prophets said, that prophesy lies in my name, saying, I have dreamed, I have dreamed. THE PROPHETS ... PROPHESY LIES ... SAYING, I HAVE DREAMED - I have received a prophetic communication by dream (; , etc.; ).... [ Continue Reading ]
How long shall this be in the heart of the prophets that prophesy lies? yea, they are prophets of the deceit of their own heart; HOW LONG SHALL THIS BE IN THE HEART OF ... PROPHETS - [ nibª'eey (H5012)] - a participle, a different Hebrew form from the usual one. Translate, 'prophecy-mongers,' 'p... [ Continue Reading ]
Which think to cause my people to forget my name by their dreams which they tell every man to his neighbour, as their fathers have forgotten my name for Baal. They "think" to make my people utterly to forget me. But I will oppose to those dreamers my true prophets. AS THEIR FATHERS HAVE FORGOTT... [ Continue Reading ]
The prophet that hath 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 LORD. THE PROPHET THAT HATH A DREAM, LET HIM TELL A DREAM - God answers the objection which might be started, 'What, then, must we do, when l... [ Continue Reading ]
Is not my word like as a fire? saith the LORD; and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces? IS NOT MY WORD LIKE AS A FIRE? - as the "fire" consumes the "chaff," so "my word" will consume the false prophets (; ). "My word," which is "wheat" - i:e., food-to the true prophet and his hearers,... [ Continue Reading ]
Therefore, behold, I am against the prophets, saith the LORD, that steal my words every one from his neighbour. I AM AGAINST THE PROPHETS ... THAT STEAL MY WORDS - a two-fold plagiarism; one steals from the other and all steal words from Yahweh's true prophets, but misapply them (see ; ; ).... [ Continue Reading ]
Behold, I am against the prophets, saith the LORD, that use their tongues, and say, He saith. USE THEIR TONGUES - rather, 'take' [ haloqªchiym (H3947)] their tongue: a second class (cf. Jeremiah 23:30) require, in order to bring forth a revelation, nothing more than their tongues, wherewith they... [ Continue Reading ]
Behold, I am against them that prophesy false dreams, saith the LORD, and do tell them, and cause my people to err by their lies, and by their lightness; yet I sent them not, nor commanded them: therefore they shall not profit this people at all, saith the LORD. I AM AGAINST THEM THAT PROPHESY F... [ Continue Reading ]
And when this people, or the prophet, or a priest, shall ask thee, saying, What is the burden of the LORD? thou shalt then say unto them, What burden? I will even forsake you, saith the LORD. WHEN THIS PEOPLE ... SHALL ASK THEE ... WHAT IS THE BURDEN? - play on the double sense of the Hebrew [ m... [ Continue Reading ]
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. AS FOR THE PROPHET ... THAT SHALL SAY, THE BURDEN OF THE LORD - whoever shall in mockery call the Lord's word "a burden" shall be visited (margin) in wrath.... [ Continue Reading ]
Thus shall ye say every one to his neighbour, and every one to his brother, What hath the LORD answered? and, What hath the LORD spoken? THUS SHALL YE SAY - the result of my judgments shall be, ye shall address the prophet more reverentially hereafter, no longer calling his message a burden, but... [ Continue Reading ]
And the burden of the LORD shall ye mention no more: for every man's word shall be his burden; for ye have perverted the words of the living God, of the LORD of hosts our God. EVERY MAN'S WORD SHALL BE HIS BURDEN - as they mockingly call all prophecies burdens, as if calamities were the sole sub... [ Continue Reading ]
_THUS SHALT THOU SAY TO THE PROPHET, WHAT HATH THE LORD ANSWERED THEE? AND, WHAT HATH THE LORD SPOKEN?_ No JFB commentary on these verses.... [ Continue Reading ]
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: I WILL UTTERLY FORGET YOU - just retribution for their forgetting Him (Hosea 4:6). But God cannot possibly forget His children (Isaiah 49:... [ Continue Reading ]
And I will bring an everlasting reproach upon you, and a perpetual shame, which shall not be forgotten. NOT BE FORGOTTEN. If we translate as the English version, the antithesis is, though I forget you, your shame shall not be forgotten. Remarks: (1) How terrible will be the judgments of God on... [ Continue Reading ]