INTRODUCTION TO JEREMIAH 7 In this chapter the Lord, by the prophet, calls the people of the Jews to repentance and reformation; reproves them for their vain confidence; and threatens them with destruction for their many sins, and particularly idolatry. The preface to all this is in Jeremiah 7:1, t... [ Continue Reading ]
THE WORD THAT CAME TO JEREMIAH,.... The Word of prophecy, as the Targum: FROM THE LORD, SAYING; this begins a new prophecy. This verse, and the beginning of the next, are wanting in the Septuagint version.... [ Continue Reading ]
STAND IN THE GATE OF THE LORD'S HOUSE,.... That is, of the temple, and the court of it. This gate, as Kimchi says, was the eastern gate, which was the principal gate of all; see Jeremiah 26:2: AND PROCLAIM THERE THIS WORD, AND SAY; with a loud voice, as follows: HEAR YE THE WORD OF THE LORD, ALL Y... [ Continue Reading ]
THUS SAITH THE LORD OF HOSTS, THE GOD OF ISRAEL,.... The Lord of armies above and below in general, and the God of Israel in particular; wherefore they ought to hearken to what he was about to say, and to be obedient to him: AMEND YOUR WAYS AND YOUR DOINGS; or, "make them good" l; which shows that... [ Continue Reading ]
TRUST YE NOT IN LYING WORDS,.... In the words of the lying prophets, as the Targum; and to the same purpose is the Arabic version, "do not trust in lying words, for the false prophets do not profit you in anything;'' the things in which they trusted, and in which the false prophets taught them to... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR IF YE THOROUGHLY AMEND YOUR WAYS AND YOUR DOINGS,.... Or, "if ye make your ways good, and do your works well", which is what is exhorted to Jeremiah 7:3, and respects the duties of the moral law; which are more acceptable to God than legal sacrifices, when done from right principles, and with ri... [ Continue Reading ]
IF YE OPPRESS NOT THE STRANGER, THE FATHERLESS, AND THE WIDOW,.... Who have none to help them, and who ought to have mercy and compassion shown them, as well as justice done them; and should not be injured by private men in their persons and properties, and much less oppressed in courts of judicatur... [ Continue Reading ]
THEN WILL I CAUSE YOU TO DWELL IN THIS PLACE,.... In the land of Judea, and not suffer them to be carried captive, which they had been threatened with, and had reason to expect, should they continue in their sins, in their impenitence and vain confidence: IN THE LAND THAT I GAVE TO YOUR FATHERS; to... [ Continue Reading ]
BEHOLD, YE TRUST IN LYING WORDS,.... What they are dissuaded from, Jeremiah 7:4, is here affirmed they did, and which is introduced with a note of asseveration, attention, and admiration; it being a certain thing that they did so; and was what was worthy of their consideration and serious reflection... [ Continue Reading ]
WILL YE STEAL, MURDER, AND COMMIT ADULTERY, AND SWEAR FALSELY,.... At the same time they offered sacrifices, and trusted in them, they did those things, which would not be grateful to the Lord, nor profitable to them; or, "ye do steal", c. so the Septuagint, and all the Oriental versions; and likewi... [ Continue Reading ]
AND COME AND STAND BEFORE ME IN THIS HOUSE,.... In the temple; this they did after they had been guilty of such immoralities and idolatry; thinking by their appearance there, and their performance of a few ceremonies, and offering of some sacrifices, that all were atoned for: or this denotes their i... [ Continue Reading ]
IS THIS HOUSE, WHICH IS CALLED BY MY NAME,.... Meaning the temple: BECOME A DEN OF ROBBERS IN YOUR EYES? or do you look upon it, and make use of it, as thieves do of dens; who, when they have robbed and murdered men, betake themselves to them, not only to share their spoil, but to hide themselves?... [ Continue Reading ]
BUT GO YE NOW UNTO MY PLACE, WHICH WAS IN SHILOH,.... A city in the tribe of Ephraim, on the north of Bethel, and the south of Lebonah, and not far from Shechem, Judges 21:19 here were the tabernacle, the ark and altar of the Lord, and the sacrifices; and therefore the tabernacle is called the taber... [ Continue Reading ]
AND NOW, BECAUSE YE HAVE DONE ALL THESE WORKS, SAITH THE LORD,.... Meaning evil works, such as theft, murder, adultery, perjury, and idolatry, mentioned Jeremiah 7:8 or the same which were done by the people of Israel, on account of which the tabernacle at Shiloh was left: AND I SPAKE UNTO YOU, RIS... [ Continue Reading ]
THEREFORE WILL I DO UNTO THIS HOUSE, WHICH IS CALLED BY MY NAME,.... The temple, as in Jeremiah 7:11, for though it was called by his name, and his name was called upon in it, yet this could not secure it from desolation; for so the name of the Lord was set in the tabernacle at Shiloh, and yet he fo... [ Continue Reading ]
AND I WILL CAST YOU OUT OF MY SIGHT,.... Or, "from before my face", or "faces" n; out of the land of Judea, and cause them to go into captivity; and so the Targum paraphrases it, "I will cause you to remove out of the land of the house of my majesty:'' AS I HAVE CAST OUT ALL YOUR BRETHREN, EVEN TH... [ Continue Reading ]
THEREFORE PRAY NOT THOU FOR THIS PEOPLE,.... These are the words of the Lord to the Prophet Jeremiah, forbidding him to pray for the people of the Jews; which he either was doing, or about to do, and which, from the great affection he had for them, he was inclined unto; wherefore, to show how much t... [ Continue Reading ]
SEEST THOU NOT WHAT THEY DO IN THE CITIES JUDAH,.... Not in one city only, but in all of and particularly the chief of them; as follows: AND IN THE STREETS OF JERUSALEM? these words, with what is said next, show the reason why the prophet was forbid to pray for this people, and the Lord was so prov... [ Continue Reading ]
THE CHILDREN GATHER WOOD,.... In the fields, or out of the neighbouring forest; not little children, but young men, who were able to cut down trees, and bear and carry burdens of wood: AND THE FATHERS KINDLE THE FIRE; take the wood of their children, lay it in order, and put fire to it; which shows... [ Continue Reading ]
DO THEY PROVOKE ME TO ANGER? SAITH THE LORD,.... No: he cannot be provoked to anger as men are; anger does not fall upon him as it does on men; there is no such affection in God as there is in men; his Spirit cannot be irritated and provoked in the manner that the spirits of men may be; and though s... [ Continue Reading ]
THEREFORE THUS SAITH THE LORD GOD,.... Since these are their thoughts, and this the fruit of their doings: BEHOLD, MY ANGER AND MY FURY SHALL BE POURED OUT UPON THIS PLACE; like fire, to consume and destroy it; meaning Jerusalem, which was burned with fire; as an emblem of God's wrath, and an insta... [ Continue Reading ]
THUS SAITH THE LORD GOD OF HOSTS, THE GOD OF ISRAEL,.... The Lord of armies above and below, and the covenant God of the people of Israel; who were bound to serve him, not only by the laws of creation, and the bounties of Providence, but were under obligation so to do by the distinguishing blessings... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR I SPAKE NOT UNTO YOUR FATHERS,.... Meaning not Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, but Moses, Aaron, and others, who were living at the time of the bringing of the children of Israel out of Egypt, as appears by what follows: NOR COMMANDED THEM IN THE DAY THAT I BROUGHT THEM OUT OF THE LAND OF EGYPT, CON... [ Continue Reading ]
BUT THIS THING COMMANDED I THEM, SAYING,.... This was the sum and substance of what was then commanded, even obedience to the moral law; this was the main and principal thing enjoined, and to which the promise was annexed: OBEY MY VOICE: the word of the Lord, his commands, the precepts of the decal... [ Continue Reading ]
BUT THEY HEARKENED NOT, NOR INCLINED THEIR EAR,.... Neither to the law that was given them, nor to the promises that were made unto them, this was the case of the Jewish fathers, and also of their posterity, to whom belonged the law, and the promises, and the service of God: BUT WALKED IN THE COUNS... [ Continue Reading ]
SINCE THE DAY THAT YOUR FATHERS CAME FORTH OUT OF THE LAND OF EGYPT UNTO THIS DAY,.... That is, in all generations; ever since their first coming out of Egypt, they had been disobedient to the commands of God, and had walked after their own hearts' lusts, and had gone backward, and not forward; for... [ Continue Reading ]
YET THEY HEARKENED NOT UNTO ME,.... Speaking by the prophets: NOR INCLINED THEIR EAR; to what was said to them; would not listen to it, and much less obey what was commanded them: BUT HARDENED THEIR NECK; and so became stiffnecked, and would not submit to bear the yoke of the law: THEY DID WORSE... [ Continue Reading ]
THEREFORE THOU SHALT SPEAK ALL THESE WORDS UNTO THEM,.... Before mentioned in the chapter; exhortations to duty, dehortations from sin, promises and threatenings: BUT THEY WILL NOT HEARKEN TO THEE: so as to reform from their evil ways, and do the will of God; they will neither be allured by promise... [ Continue Reading ]
BUT THOU SHALT SAY UNTO THEM,.... Having found by experience, after long speaking and calling to them, that they are a disobedient and incorrigible people: THIS IS A NATION THAT OBEYETH NOT THE VOICE OF THE LORD THEIR GOD; who, though the Lord is their God, and has chosen and avouched them to be hi... [ Continue Reading ]
CUT OFF THINE HAIR, O JERUSALEM, AND CAST IT AWAY,.... This supplement is made, because the word is feminine; and therefore cannot be directed to the prophet, but to Jerusalem, and its inhabitants; shaving the head is a sign of mourning, Job 1:20 and this is enjoined, to show that there would soon b... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR THE CHILDREN OF JUDAH HAVE DONE EVIL IN MY SIGHT, SAITH THE LORD,.... Meaning not a single action only, but a series, a course of evil actions; and those openly, in a daring manner, not only before men, but in the sight of God, and in contempt of him, like the men of Sodom, Genesis 13:13: THEY... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THEY HAVE BUILT THE HIGH PLACES OF TOPHET,.... Where was the idol Moloch; and which place had its name, as Jarchi thinks, from the beating of drums, that the parents of the children that were burnt might not hear the cry of them: which is in the valley of the son of Hinnom; a valley near Jerusal... [ Continue Reading ]
THEREFORE, BEHOLD, THE DAYS COME, SAITH THE LORD,.... And they were coming on apace; a little longer, and they would be come; for it was but a few years after this ere Jerusalem was besieged and taken by the army of the Chaldeans, and the slaughter made after mentioned: THAT IT SHALL NO MORE BE CAL... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THE CARCASSES OF THIS PEOPLE SHALL BE MEAT FOR THE FOWLS OF THE HEAVEN, AND FOR THE BEASTS OF THE EARTH,.... That is, those which remain unburied, for which there will be found no place to bury them in; all places, particularly Tophet, being so full of dead bodies; not to have a burial, which is... [ Continue Reading ]
THEN WILL I CAUSE TO CEASE FROM THE CITIES OF JUDAH, AND FROM THE STREETS OF JERUSALEM,.... Signifying that the devastation should not only be in and about Jerusalem, but should reach all over the land of Judea; since in all cities, towns, and villages, would cease THE VOICE OF MIRTH, AND THE VOICE... [ Continue Reading ]