JEREMIAH 4:5 TO JEREMIAH 6:30. A new paragraph should begin with Jeremiah 4:5, introducing a new section of the prophecies, which deals with the judgment of Judah, its causes and its instrument. This section is probably somewhat later than Jeremiah 2:1 to Jeremiah 4:4; it amplifies the vision of the... [ Continue Reading ]
THE SINS OF JERUSALEM. Jeremiah is bidden to seek even one man in Jerusalem, for whose sake Yahweh may spare the city (_cf._ Genesis 18:16), one man of justice and faithfulness (_mg.) ;_ even the oaths they swear by Yahweh mean nothing. The prophet confesses that it is this lack of faithfulness that... [ Continue Reading ]
THE COMING OF THE FOE. Let the enemy, therefore, destroy the vineyard of Judah, for of its owner Judah has said, He does nothing, rejecting His warnings by (true) prophets. The word they have rejected now becomes a fire to consume (_cf._ Jeremiah 23:29; ancient thought attached great power to the sp... [ Continue Reading ]
LET EVIL-DOERS FEAR YAHWEH. The folly of not fearing Yahweh is rebuked by a reminder of the power of Him who has set an impassable limit even to the sea (_cf._ the rebuke of Job's presumption by the description of Nature as Yahweh's work, Job 38-41). Because they have not feared Him who gives the re... [ Continue Reading ]