Jeremiah 11:8

Yet they obeyed not, nor inclined their ear, but walked every one in the imagination of their evil heart: therefore I will bring upon them all the words of this covenant, which I commanded them to do; but they did them not. IMAGINATION - rather, stubbornness (note, ). WILL BRING. The words, "even unto this day" (), confirm the English version rather than the rendering of Rosenmuller: 'I brought upon them.' WORDS - threats (; )....

It afterwards follows, _Yet they heard not, and bent not, _or _inclined not their ear _Here the Prophet does not accuse a few men of perverseness, but says that, from the time they had been redeemed, they had been rebellious against God: and he exaggerates their sin by saying that they _inclined not their ear; _for this was no doubt added for the sake of emphasis, as though the Prophet had said, — that it was only their own fault that the right way was not quite evident to them, for they deigned not to give ear to God. Now, it is a proof of extreme contempt, when we not only repudiate what God says to us, and refuse to obey his authority and advice, but when we close up every avenue, and, as Tar as we can, forbid him to speak to us; this is surely an extremity of insolence. It may indeed be, that one will hear another speaking, and yet will not do what he says; he still will shew some co...

1-10 God never promised to bestow blessings on his rational creatures, while they persist in wilful disobedience. Pardon and acceptance are promised freely to all believers; but no man can be saved who does not obey the command of God to repent, to believe in Christ, to separate from sin and the world, to choose self-denial and newness of life. In general, men will hearken to those who speak of doctrines, promises, and privileges; but when duties are mentioned, they will not bend their ear....

I WILL BRING - Rather, I have brought. The breach of the covenant upon their part had always brought temporal calamity. The last examples were the deportation of the ten tribes by Salmanezer, and the leading of Manasseh prisoner to Babylon in chains (2 Chronicles 33:11)....

EXPOSITION The superscription in Jeremiah 11:1 evidently belongs to the three chapters 11-13, though Jeremiah 11:1 and Jeremiah 12:1 are more closely connected with each other than with Jeremiah 13:1. To which period the group of prophecies belongs—whether to the reign of Josiah, or of Jehoiakim, or of Jehoiachin, or to various periods, is a matter of dispute. It contains at any rate one passage (Jeremiah 12:7) which was almost certainly put in by a later editor. It is doubtless Jeremiah's work, but seems out of place her

YET THEY OBEYED NOT, NOR INCLINED THEIR EAR,.... Though they had such strong solicitations and fair warnings, and these repeated again and again; all which was an aggravation of their disobedience and stubbornness: BUT WALKED EVERYONE IN THE IMAGINATION OF THEIR EVIL HEART; which is desperately wicked, and is evil, and that continually, even every imagination of it; wherefore walking herein must be very wide and different from walking in the law of the Lord, and obeying that; see Jeremiah 3:17: THEREFORE I WILL BRING UPON THEM ALL THE WORDS OF THIS COVENANT; that is, all the curses and threatenings denounced in it against the disobedient; and so the Targum, "and I brought upon them vengeance (or punishment) because they received not the words of this covenant:'' which I commanded them to do, but they did them not; because the

CHAPTER 11 The Broken Covenant and the Plot Against Jeremiah _ 1. The broken covenant (Jeremiah 11:1) _ 2. The plot revealed and Jehovah's answer (Jeremiah 11:18) Jeremiah 11:1. Jehovah had made a covenant with His people. He tells the prophet about it and the responsibility which was connected with that covenant. They were to obey His voice. Then should they be His people and He their God. And of this covenant it was written, “Cursed be the man that obeyeth not the words of this covenant.” The prophet answered the Lord: “So be it LORD” (Amen). Then he is commanded to proclaim this covenant and tell the people that they had broken the covenant. They had followed the evil exampl

THE PROCLAMATION OF THE COVENANT. Jeremiah is commissioned to enforce solemnly (_cf._ Deuteronomy 27:26; Deuteronomy 29:9) on Judah and Jerusalem the covenant which Yahweh made at the time of the national deliverance from Egypt, as the condition of blessing. He solemnly accepts this commission, and is sent to the smaller cities, as well as to the streets of the capital, to declare the penalty of disobedience to this covenant, as shown by past history. Jeremiah 11:2. The verbs, hear ye, and speak should be emended to the singular, in view of Jeremiah 11:3....

IMAGINATION. stubbornness. EVIL. Hebrew. _ra'a'._ App-44....

See summary at commencement of section. Gi. omits these three _vv_. But Jeremiah 11:6 is needed, in order to account for the hostility roused at Anathoth by Jeremiah's mission. Jeremiah 11:7 on the other hand are omitted by LXX, and may well have been inserted here from the parallel passage, Jeremiah 7:23 f....