Commentary on Jeremiah Part 4 (No. F024iv)

Chapter 13

Thus said the LORD to me, "Go and buy a linen waistcloth, and put it on your loins, and do not dip it in water." ²So I bought a waistcloth according to the word of the LORD, and put it on my loins. ³And the word of the LORD came to me a second time, ⁴"Take the waistcloth which you have bought, which is upon your loins, and arise, go to the Euphra'tes, and hide it there in a cleft of the rock." ⁵So I went, and hid it by the Euphra'tes, as the LORD commanded me. ⁶And after many days the LORD said to me, "Arise, go to the Euphra'tes, and take from there the waistcloth which I commanded you to hide there." ⁷Then I went to the Euphra'tes, and dug, and I took the waistcloth from the place where I had hidden it. And behold, the waistcloth was spoiled; it was good for nothing. ⁸Then the word of the LORD came to me: ⁹"Thus says the LORD: Even so will I spoil the pride of Judah and the great pride of Jerusalem. ¹⁰This evil people, who refuse to hear my words, who stubbornly follow their own heart and have gone after other gods to serve them and worship them, shall be like this waistcloth, which is good for nothing. ¹¹For as the waistcloth clings to the loins of a man, so I made the whole house of Israel and the whole house of Judah cling to me, says the LORD, that they might be for me a people, a name, a praise, and a glory, but they would not listen. ¹²"You shall speak to them this word: 'Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, "Every jar shall be filled with wine."' And they will say to you, 'Do we not indeed know that every jar will be filled with wine?' ¹³Then you shall say to them, 'Thus says the LORD: Behold, I will fill with drunkenness all the inhabitants of this land: the kings who sit on David's throne, the priests, the prophets, and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem. ¹⁴And I will dash them one against another, fathers and sons together, says the LORD. I will not pity or spare or have compassion, that I should not destroy them.'" ¹⁵Hear and give ear; be not proud, for the LORD has spoken. ¹⁶Give glory to the LORD your God before he brings darkness, before your feet stumble on the twilight mountains, and while you look for light he turns it into gloom and makes it deep darkness. ¹⁷But if you will not listen, my soul will weep in secret for your pride; my eyes will weep bitterly and run down with tears, because the LORD's flock has been taken captive. ¹⁸Say to the king and the queen mother: "Take a lowly seat, for your beautiful crown has come down from your head." ¹⁹The cities of the Negeb are shut up, with none to open them; all Judah is taken into exile, wholly taken into exile. ²⁰"Lift up your eyes and see those who come from the north. Where is the flock that was given you, your beautiful flock? ²¹What will you say when they set as head over you those whom you yourself have taught to be friends to you? Will not pangs take hold of you, like those of a woman in travail? ²²And if you say in your heart, 'Why have these things come upon me?' it is for the greatness of your iniquity that your skirts are lifted up, and you suffer violence. ²³Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard his spots? Then also you can do good who are accustomed to do evil. ²⁴I will scatter you like chaff driven by the wind from the desert. ²⁵This is your lot, the portion I have measured out to you, says the LORD, because you have forgotten me and trusted in lies. ²⁶I myself will lift up your skirts over your face, and your shame will be seen. ²⁷I have seen your abominations, your adulteries and neighings, your lewd harlotries, on the hills in the field. Woe to you, O Jerusalem! How long will it be before you are made clean?"

Intent of Chapter 13

13:1-11 Jeremiah and the Waistcloth God commanded Jeremiah to go and buy a linen waistcloth and place it on his loins and walk to the Euphrates (400 miles) and bury it on the river bank (v. 7). (The symbolism is in v. 11; cf. Ex. 19:6; Lev. 16:4.) The purpose was to show Israel (and Judah) the folly and corruption flowing from the pro-Babylonian policies of Jehoiakim (2:18). What was to follow was the all encompassing religious syncretism in Judah (2Kgs. 24:1-7) with their religious system and the Babylonian intercalations and False Calendar (see #195; 195C). The Babylonian traditions which were to result in the later adoption of the Hillel Calendar (ca. 344-358 CE) were to see Judah sent into the dispersion (from 70 CE) under the Sign of Jonah... (No. 013) and ultimately face the Holocaust (1941-45 and again in 2021-25). So also continuous Baal worship in Israel spread over the world and the nations on Sundays, Christmas and Easter with the crucifixion of the god Attis (Adonis among the Greeks), on Friday and Sunday and of the mother goddess Easter, consort of Baal (Lord) the Sun God and the baking of Cakes to Dumuzi (now hot cross buns) (see #235; 222) will see their destruction (see also No. 013B). There were also other illustrations of such requirements of the prophets (Isa. 20:1-6; Ezek. 4:1-17).

13:12-14 Allegory of the Wine Jar

The text uses a proverb (v. 12a) and drunkenness (v. 13; comp. 25:15-16; Ezek. 23:31) to illustrate God’s Judgment.

13:15-17 Judah’s last opportunity for repentance. Her captivity is imminent (v. 17).

13:18-19 They did not listen and Exile was to follow the Babylonian occupation of Jerusalem of 597 BCE and the First Deportation. There were three deportations for Judah here under the Babylonians. These were in the seventh, eighteenth, and twenty-third years of Nebuchadnezzar (Jer. 52:28). He had also taken some noble's sons hostage in 605 BCE, perhaps even before Carchemish (see Daniel (F027, i, ii).

13:20-27 Jerusalem’s Shame The text uses a common biblical simile of the ravishing of a woman (Isa. 47:2). Here Judah is the wanton harlot lifting her skirts and she suffers violence from those she has taught to be her “friends”. Jerusalem is raped by Babylon (vv. 22,26).

v. 20 North see also 1:1-14 n.; 4:6. Her shamelessness is the direct cause of her shame.

v. 23 Judah is unable to repent and change her ways (Hos. 5:4; Jn. 8:34 (F043ii); comp. 3:22).

13:26-27 Jerusalem is exposed as a wanton harlot and despite being sent into captivity on three occasions to Babylon she did not repent and despite being returned to enable the Mission of the Messiah as described in prophecy in 27-30 CE, after 70 CE she had to be sent in to dispersion permanently until the Messiah returns for the Millennium, and purges both Israel and Judah of this idolatrous conduct.

English Translation of the Greek Septuagint Bible.

Brenton, Sir Lancelot C. L... (1851)

Chapter 13 ^13:1 Thus saith the Lord, Go and procure for thyself a linen girdle, and put it about thy loins, and let it not be put in water. ² So I procured the girdle according to the word of the Lord, and put it about my loins. ³ And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ⁴ Take the girdle that is upon thy loins, and arise, and go to the Euphrates, and hide it there in a hole of the rock. ⁵ So I went, and hid it by the Euphrates, as the Lord commanded me. ⁶ And it came to pass after many days, that the Lord said to me, Arise, go to the Euphrates, and take thence the girdle, which I commanded thee to hide there. ⁷ So I went to the river Euphrates, and dug, and took the girdle out of the place where I had buried it: and, behold, it was rotten, utterly good for nothing. ⁸ And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, Thus saith the Lord, ⁹ Thus will I mar the pride of Juda, and the pride of Jerusalem; ¹⁰ even this great pride of the men that will not hearken to my words, and have gone after strange gods, to serve them, and to worship them: and they shall be as this girdle, which can be used for nothing. ¹¹ For as a girdle cleaves about the loins of a man, so have I caused to cleave to myself the house of Israel, and the whole house of Juda; that they might be to me a famous people, and a praise, and a glory: but they did not hearken to me. ¹² And thou shalt say to this people, Every bottle shall be filled with wine: and it shall come to pass, if they shall say to thee, Shall we not certainly know that every bottle shall be filled with wine? that thou shalt say to them, ¹³ Thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will fill the inhabitants of this land, and their kings the sons of David that sit upon their throne, and the priests, and the prophets, and Juda and all the dwellers in Jerusalem, with strong drink. ¹⁴ And I will scatter them a man and his brother, and their fathers and their sons together: I will not have compassion, saith the Lord, and I will not spare, neither will I pity to save them from destruction. ¹⁵ Hear ye, and give ear, and be not proud: for the Lord has spoken. ¹⁶ Give glory to the Lord your God, before he cause darkness, and before your feet stumble on the dark mountains, and ye shall wait for light, and behold the shadow of death, and they shall be brought into darkness. ¹⁷ But if ye will not hearken, your soul shall weep in secret because of pride, and your eyes shall pour down tears, because the Lord’s flock is sorely bruised. ¹⁸ Say ye to the king and the princes, Humble yourselves, and sit down; for your crown of glory is removed from your head. ¹⁹ The cities toward the south were shut, and there was none to open them: Juda is removed into captivity,they have suffered a complete removal. ²⁰ Lift up thine eyes, O Jerusalem, and behold them that come from the north; where is the flock that was given thee, the sheep of thy glory? ²¹ What wilt thou say when they shall visit thee, for thou didst teach them lessons for rule against thyself; shall not pangs seize thee as a woman in travail? ²² And if thou shouldest say in thine heart, Wherefore have these things happened to me? Because of the abundance of thine iniquity have thy skirts been discovered, that thine heels might be exposed. ²³ If the Ethiopian shall change his skin, or the leopardess her spots, then shall ye be able to do good, having learnt evil. ²⁴ So I scattered them as sticks carried by the wind into the wilderness. ²⁵ Thus is thy lot, and the reward of your disobedience to me, saith the Lord; as thou didst forget me, and trust in lies, ²⁶ I also will expose thy skirts upon thy face, and thy shame shall be seen; ²⁷ thine adultery also, and thy neighing, and the looseness of thy fornication: on the hills and in the fields I have seen thine abominations. Woe to thee, O Jerusalem, for thou hast not been purified so as to follow me; how long yet shall it be?

Chapter 14

The word of the LORD which came to Jeremiah concerning the drought: ²"Judah mourns and her gates languish; her people lament on the ground, and the cry of Jerusalem goes up. ³Her nobles send their servants for water; they come to the cisterns, they find no water, they return with their vessels empty; they are ashamed and confounded and cover their heads. ⁴Because of the ground which is dismayed, since there is no rain on the land, the farmers are ashamed, they cover their heads. ⁵Even the hind in the field forsakes her newborn calf because there is no grass. ⁶The wild asses stand on the bare heights, they pant for air like jackals; their eyes fail because there is no herbage. ⁷"Though our iniquities testify against us, act, O LORD, for thy name's sake; for our backslidings are many, we have sinned against thee. ⁸O thou hope of Israel, its savior in time of trouble, why shouldst thou be like a stranger in the land, like a wayfarer who turns aside to tarry for a night? ⁹Why shouldst thou be like a man confused, like a mighty man who cannot save? Yet thou, O LORD, art in the midst of us, and we are called by thy name; leave us not." ¹⁰Thus says the LORD concerning this people: "They have loved to wander thus, they have not restrained their feet; therefore the LORD does not accept them, now he will remember their iniquity and punish their sins." ¹¹The LORD said to me: "Do not pray for the welfare of this people. ¹²Though they fast, I will not hear their cry, and though they offer burnt offering and cereal offering, I will not accept them; but I will consume them by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence." ¹³Then I said: "Ah, Lord GOD, behold, the prophets say to them, 'You shall not see the sword, nor shall you have famine, but I will give you assured peace in this place.'" ¹⁴And the LORD said to me: "The prophets are prophesying lies in my name; I did not send them, nor did I command them or speak to them. They are prophesying to you a lying vision, worthless divination, and the deceit of their own minds. ¹⁵Therefore thus says the LORD concerning the prophets who prophesy in my name although I did not send them, and who say, 'Sword and famine shall not come on this land': By sword and famine those prophets shall be consumed. ¹⁶And the people to whom they prophesy shall be cast out in the streets of Jerusalem, victims of famine and sword, with none to bury them--them, their wives, their sons, and their daughters. For I will pour out their wickedness upon them. ¹⁷"You shall say to them this word: 'Let my eyes run down with tears night and day, and let them not cease, for the virgin daughter of my people is smitten with a great wound, with a very grievous blow. ¹⁸If I go out into the field, behold, those slain by the sword! And if I enter the city, behold, the diseases of famine! For both prophet and priest ply their trade through the land, and have no knowledge.'" ¹⁹Hast thou utterly rejected Judah? Does thy soul loathe Zion? Why hast thou smitten us so that there is no healing for us? We looked for peace, but no good came; for a time of healing, but behold, terror. ²⁰We acknowledge our wickedness, O LORD, and the iniquity of our fathers, for we have sinned against thee. ²¹Do not spurn us, for thy name's sake; do not dishonor thy glorious throne; remember and do not break thy covenant with us. ²²Are there any among the false gods of the nations that can bring rain? Or can the heavens give showers? Art thou not he, O LORD our God? We set our hope on thee, for thou doest all these things.

Intent of Chapter 14

14:1-16 Lament over Drought

14:1-10 Jeremiah describes the nation’s plight both in city and country and calls upon the Lord to save them because they are called by His name.

vv. 7-9 Prostrate in obeisance the people implore God not to leave them, but to save them.

v. 10 God says He will punish their iniquity and punish their sins.

vv. 11-12 God tells Jeremiah not to pray for this people. He will not accept their sacrifices but will pursue them by the sword, by famine and by pestilence (7:16). So will it be in the last days from 70 CE right to the Coming of the Messiah for both Israel and Judah (F066iii, iv, v).

7:13-16 In this place (in the Temple). Jeremiah attempts to plead for the people and their heedless reliance on the false prophets. It is rejected. The people have not obeyed God and the Law and will be punished.

14:17-15:4 Further Lament

14:17-18 God directs Jeremiah to speak to the people and directly blame the tears and anguish and death by the sword and pestilence and famine as the results of the false teachings of the prophets and priests.

14:19-22 Jeremiah acknowledges their wickedness and begs God not to spurn them for His own name’s sake, and not to break His Covenant with them. None of the false gods can bring rain and they have set their hope on God.

English Translation of the Greek Septuagint Bible.

Brenton, Sir Lancelot C. L...(1851)

Chapter 14 ^14:1 AND THE WORD OF THE LORD CAME TO JEREMIAS CONCERNING THE DROUGHT. ² Judea has mourned, and her gates are emptied, and are darkened upon the earth; and the cry of Jerusalem is gone up. ³ And her nobles have sent their little ones to the water: they came to the wells, and found no water: and brought back their vessels empty. ⁴ And the labours of the land failed, because there was no rain: the husbandmen were ashamed, they covered their heads. ⁵ And hinds calved in the field, and forsook it, because there was no grass. ⁶ The wild asses stood by the forests, and snuffed up the wind; their eyes failed, because there was no grass. ⁷ Our sins have risen up against us: O Lord, do thou for us for thine own sake; for our sins are many before thee; for we have sinned against thee. ⁸ O Lord, thou art the hope of Israel, and deliverest us in time of troubles; why art thou become as a sojourner upon the land, or as one born in the land, yet turning aside for a resting-place? ⁹ Wilt thou be as a man asleep, or as a strong man that cannot save? yet thou art among us, O Lord, and thy name is called upon us; forget us not. ¹⁰ Thus saith the Lord to this people, They have loved to wander, and they have not spared, therefore God has not prospered them; now will he remember their iniquity. ¹¹ And the Lord said to me, Pray not for this people for their good: ¹² for though they fast, I will not hear their supplication; and though they offer whole-burnt-offerings and sacrifices, I will take no pleasure in them: for I will consume them with sword, and with famine, and with pestilence. ¹³ And I said, O ever living Lord! behold, their prophets prophesy, and say, Ye shall not see a sword, nor shall famine be among you; for I will give truth and peace on the land, and in this place. ¹⁴ Then the Lord said to me, The prophets prophesy lies in my name: I sent them not, and I commanded them not, and I spoke not to them: for they prophesy to you false visions, and divinations, and auguries, and devices of their own heart. ¹⁵ Therefore thus saith the Lord concerning the prophets that prophesy lies in my name, and I sent them not, who say, Sword and famine shall not be upon this land; they shall die by a grievous death, and the prophets shall be consumed by famine. ¹⁶ And the people to whom they prophesy, they also shall be cast out in the streets of Jerusalem, because of the sword and famine; and there shall be none to bury them: their wives also, and their sons, and their daughters shall die thus; and I will pour out their wickedness upon them. ¹⁷ And thou shalt speak this word to them; Let your eyes shed tears day and night, and let them not cease: for the daughter of my people has been sorely bruised, and her plague is very grievous. ¹⁸ If I go forth into the plain, then behold the slain by the sword! and if I enter into the city, then behold the distress of famine! for priest and prophet have gone to a land which they knew not. ¹⁹ Hast thou utterly rejected Juda? and has thy soul departed from Sion? wherefore has thou smitten us, and there is no healing for us? we waited for peace, but there was no prosperity; for a time of healing, and behold trouble! ²⁰ We know, O Lord, our sins, and the iniquities of our fathers: for we have sinned before thee. ²¹ Refrain for thy name’s sake, destroy not the throne of thy glory: remember, break not thy covenant with us. ²² Is there any one among the idols of the Gentiles that can give rain? and will the sky yield his fulness at their bidding? Art not thou he? we will even wait on thee, O Lord: for thou hast made all these things.

Chapter 15

Then the LORD said to me, "Though Moses and Samuel stood before me, yet my heart would not turn toward this people. Send them out of my sight, and let them go! ²And when they ask you, 'Where shall we go?' you shall say to them, 'Thus says the LORD: "Those who are for pestilence, to pestilence, and those who are for the sword, to the sword; those who are for famine, to famine, and those who are for captivity, to captivity."' ³"I will appoint over them four kinds of destroyers, says the LORD: the sword to slay, the dogs to tear, and the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth to devour and destroy. ⁴And I will make them a horror to all the kingdoms of the earth because of what Manas'seh the son of Hezeki'ah, king of Judah, did in Jerusalem. ⁵"Who will have pity on you, O Jerusalem, or who will bemoan you? Who will turn aside to ask about your welfare? ⁶You have rejected me, says the LORD, you keep going backward; so I have stretched out my hand against you and destroyed you; --I am weary of relenting. ⁷I have winnowed them with a winnowing fork in the gates of the land; I have bereaved them, I have destroyed my people; they did not turn from their ways. ⁸I have made their widows more in number than the sand of the seas; I have brought against the mothers of young men a destroyer at noonday; I have made anguish and terror fall upon them suddenly. ⁹She who bore seven has languished; she has swooned away; her sun went down while it was yet day; she has been shamed and disgraced. And the rest of them I will give to the sword before their enemies, says the LORD." ¹⁰Woe is me, my mother, that you bore me, a man of strife and contention to the whole land! I have not lent, nor have I borrowed, yet all of them curse me. ¹¹So let it be, O LORD, if I have not entreated thee for their good, if I have not pleaded with thee on behalf of the enemy in the time of trouble and in the time of distress!¹²Can one break iron, iron from the north, and bronze? ¹³"Your wealth and your treasures I will give as spoil, without price, for all your sins, throughout all your territory. ¹⁴I will make you serve your enemies in a land which you do not know, for in my anger a fire is kindled which shall burn for ever." ¹⁵O LORD, thou knowest; remember me and visit me, and take vengeance for me on my persecutors. In thy forbearance take me not away; know that for thy sake I bear reproach. ¹⁶Thy words were found, and I ate them, and thy words became to me a joy and the delight of my heart; for I am called by thy name, O LORD, God of hosts. ¹⁷I did not sit in the company of merrymakers, nor did I rejoice; I sat alone, because thy hand was upon me, for thou hadst filled me with indignation. ¹⁸Why is my pain unceasing, my wound incurable, refusing to be healed? Wilt thou be to me like a deceitful brook, like waters that fail? ¹⁹Therefore thus says the LORD: "If you return, I will restore you, and you shall stand before me. If you utter what is precious, and not what is worthless, you shall be as my mouth. They shall turn to you, but you shall not turn to them. ²⁰And I will make you to this people a fortified wall of bronze; they will fight against you, but they shall not prevail over you, for I am with you to save you and deliver you, says the LORD. ²¹I will deliver you out of the hand of the wicked, and redeem you from the grasp of the ruthless."

Intent of Chapter 15

15:1-4 God is set against the nation. He says that even if Moses (Ex. 32:11-14 Num. 14:13-19) and Samuel (1Sam. 12:17-18) were to stand before Him He would not spare them from destruction (17:16-17). This is one of four references to Moses in prophetic literature (see also Mic. 6:4; Isa. 63:11; Mal. 4:4);

Manasseh 2Kgs. ch. 21.

15:5-9 Jerusalem’s End

This passage is considered to be post 597 BCE. It is nevertheless the theme of punishment by war here and covers the entire period of 2611 years.

v. 6 Weary of relenting Comp. Amos 7:1-9.

v. 7 Winnowed them - as in grain (see Isa. 21:10; 27:12; Mat. 3:12; Lk. 3:17),

v. 9 she who bore seven - a sign of favour (Ru. 4:15; 1Sam. 3:5). Jerusalem will be bereaved (comp. Hos. 9:12).

15:10-21 Jeremiah’s Second Personal Lament

(see 11:18-12:6 n.)

15:10-18 v. 10 Jeremiah bewails he is cursed by all with their continued rejection of the word of God (v. 16: Ezek. 2:8-10; Jn. 4:32-34).

Some consider vv. 13-14 are misplaced from 17:3-4;

v. 15 With thou knowest (Pss. 40:9; 139); Jeremiah prays for vengeance against his persecutors.

v. 17 The hand of God The symbol of divine direction or intervention, often a symbol of good (Isa. 8:11; Ezek. 3:14,22) is here a symbol of a burden.

15:19-21 God tells Jeremiah to do what Jeremiah tells them to do. If he turns to God wholeheartedly God will restore him. If he utters what is precious and not worthless he shall stand as God’s mouth (Ex. 4:16). God says He will make Jeremiah a wall of bronze to this people and they will fight against him but they will not prevail for God is with him to deliver him from the hand of the wicked and the grasp of the ruthless (see also 1:18-19). Not all prophets were to be as blessed (see 122C).

English Translation of the Greek Septuagint Bible.

Brenton, Sir Lancelot C. L...(1851)

Chapter 15 ^15:1 And the Lord said to me, Though Moses and Samuel stood before my face, my soul could not be toward them: dismiss this people, and let them go forth. ² And it shall be, if they say to thee, Whither shall we go forth? then thou shalt say to them, Thus saith the Lord; As many as are for death, to death; and as many as are for famine, to famine; and as many as are for the sword, to the sword; and as many as are for captivity, to captivity. ³ And I will punish them with four kinds of death, saith the Lord, the sword to slay, and the dogs to tear, and the wild beasts of the earth, and the birds of the sky to devour and destroy. ⁴ And I will deliver them up for distress to all the kingdoms of the earth, because of Manasses son of Ezekias king of Juda, for all that he did in Jerusalem. ⁵ Who will spare thee, O Jerusalem? and who will fear for thee? or who will turn back to ask for thy welfare? ⁶ Thou hast turned away from me, saith the Lord, thou wilt go back: therefore I will stretch out my hand, and will destroy thee, and will no more spare them. ⁷ And I will completely scatter them; in the gates of my people they are bereaved of children: they have destroyed my people because of their iniquities. ⁸ Their widows have been multiplied more than the sand of the sea: I have brought young men against the mother, even distress at noon-day: I have suddenly cast upon her trembling and anxiety. ⁹ She that bore seven is spent; her soul has fainted under trouble; her sun is gone down while it is yet noon; she is ashamed and disgraced: I will give the remnant of them to the sword before their enemies. ¹⁰ Woe is me, my mother! thou hast born me as some man of strife, and at variance with the whole earth; I have not helped others, nor has any one helped me; my strength has failed among them that curse me. ¹¹ Be it so, Lord, in their prosperity; surely I stood before thee in the time of their calamities, and in the time of their affliction, for their good against the enemy. ¹² Will iron be known? whereas thy strength is a brazen covering. ¹³ Yea, I will give thy treasures for a spoil as a recompence, because of all thy sins and that in all thy borders. ¹⁴ And I will enslave thee to thine enemies round about, in a land which thou hast not known; for a fire has been kindled out of my wrath; it shall burn upon you. ¹⁵ O Lord, remember me, and visit me, and vindicate me before them that persecute me; do not bear long with them; know how I have met with reproach for thy sake, from those who set at nought thy words; ¹⁶ consume them; and thy word shall be to me for the joy and gladness of my heart: for thy name has been called upon me, O Lord Almighty. ¹⁷ I have not sat in the assembly of them as they mocked, but I feared because of thy power: I sat alone, for I was filled with bitterness. ¹⁸ Why do they that grieve me prevail against me? my wound is severe; whence shall I be healed? it is indeed become to me as deceitful water, that has no faithfulness. ¹⁹ Therefore thus saith the Lord, If thou wilt return, then will I restore thee, and thou shalt stand before my face: and if thou wilt bring forth the precious from the worthless, thou shalt be as my mouth: and they shall return to thee; but thou shalt not return to them. ²⁰ And I will make thee to this people as a strong brazen wall; and they shall fight against thee, but they shall by no means prevail against thee; ²¹ for I am with thee to save thee, and to deliver thee out of the hand of wicked men; and I will ransom thee out of the hand of pestilent men.

Chapter 16

The word of the LORD came to me: ²"You shall not take a wife, nor shall you have sons or daughters in this place. ³For thus says the LORD concerning the sons and daughters who are born in this place, and concerning the mothers who bore them and the fathers who begot them in this land: ⁴They shall die of deadly diseases. They shall not be lamented, nor shall they be buried; they shall be as dung on the surface of the ground. They shall perish by the sword and by famine, and their dead bodies shall be food for the birds of the air and for the beasts of the earth. ⁵"For thus says the LORD: Do not enter the house of mourning, or go to lament, or bemoan them; for I have taken away my peace from this people, says the LORD, my steadfast love and mercy. ⁶Both great and small shall die in this land; they shall not be buried, and no one shall lament for them or cut himself or make himself bald for them. ⁷No one shall break bread for the mourner, to comfort him for the dead; nor shall any one give him the cup of consolation to drink for his father or his mother. ⁸You shall not go into the house of feasting to sit with them, to eat and drink. ⁹For thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Behold, I will make to cease from this place, before your eyes and in your days, the voice of mirth and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride. ¹⁰"And when you tell this people all these words, and they say to you, 'Why has the LORD pronounced all this great evil against us? What is our iniquity? What is the sin that we have committed against the LORD our God?' ¹¹then you shall say to them: 'Because your fathers have forsaken me, says the LORD, and have gone after other gods and have served and worshiped them, and have forsaken me and have not kept my law, ¹²and because you have done worse than your fathers, for behold, every one of you follows his stubborn evil will, refusing to listen to me; ¹³therefore I will hurl you out of this land into a land which neither you nor your fathers have known, and there you shall serve other gods day and night, for I will show you no favor.' ¹⁴"Therefore, behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when it shall no longer be said, 'As the LORD lives who brought up the people of Israel out of the land of Egypt,' ¹⁵but 'As the LORD lives who brought up the people of Israel out of the north country and out of all the countries where he had driven them.' For I will bring them back to their own land which I gave to their fathers. ¹⁶"Behold, I am sending for many fishers, says the LORD, and they shall catch them; and afterwards I will send for many hunters, and they shall hunt them from every mountain and every hill, and out of the clefts of the rocks. ¹⁷For my eyes are upon all their ways; they are not hid from me, nor is their iniquity concealed from my eyes. ¹⁸And I will doubly recompense their iniquity and their sin, because they have polluted my land with the carcasses of their detestable idols, and have filled my inheritance with their abominations." ¹⁹O LORD, my strength and my stronghold, my refuge in the day of trouble, to thee shall the nations come from the ends of the earth and say: "Our fathers have inherited nought but lies, worthless things in which there is no profit. ²⁰Can man make for himself gods? Such are no gods!" ²¹"Therefore, behold, I will make them know, this once I will make them know my power and my might, and they shall know that my name is the LORD."

Intent of Chapter 16

16:1-13 Jeremiah’s Life as a Symbol

(see Hos. 1:2-9; Isa 8:3-4).

16:1-9 This text is also an illustration of 15:17 above.

vv. 1-4 God instructed him not to take a wife or have children there in Judah because the ones born there, and their parents, will have deadly diseases. They shall not be buried but were to lie on the surface of the ground. This punishment was to continue over the multiple sieges to 70 CE and again in the last days. That will cease under Messiah after Armageddon and the Vials of the Wrath of God (see ##141E; 141E_2). Thus Jeremiah relinquished hope for a home and family as a sign of the judgment (Ezek. 24:15-27 (F026vi); 1Cor. 7:25-40 (F046ii),

vv. 5-7 God has taken away His peace from this people.

vv. 8-9 (25:10) No one is to mourn for the dead or employ the pagan systems (cut himself 41:5; make himself bald Am. 8:10; Isa. 22:12 comp. Deut. 14:1). They are futile. There will be no rejoicing or marriages.

v. 10 The people will then ask Jeremiah what sin have they committed.

vv. 11-13 God told Jeremiah to say to them that it was because they had gone after other gods and served and worshipped them and have forsaken me and not kept my law. It is the same to this day and they refuse point blank all over the world to keep God’s Law and His calendar (No. 156).

Service of other gods is a punishment together with the desolation and hardship that it causes. Because God had made them His people, when He did not fight for them they became prey to the demons and the nations under their control and no one cared for Israel (Jer. 30:17).

God sent Israel into captivity and dispersed them among the nations because of the breach of the covenant (Lev. 26:33; Deut. 29:25-28; Jer. 7:15,34; 8:3; 13:24; 16:11-13; 18:17; 22:28; 27:10; Ezek. 12:14-15). “The Covenant of God (No. 152)

For that reason they will die in the millions until they repent under the Messiah. Every priest and minister that teaches a false calendar and that the law is done away will die and not enter the millennial system under Messiah.

English Translation of the Greek Septuagint Bible.

Brenton, Sir Lancelot C. L... (1851)

Chapter 16 ^16:1 And thou shalt not take a wife, saith the Lord God of Israel: ² and there shall be no son born to thee, nor daughter in this place. ³ For thus saith the Lord concerning the sons and concerning the daughters that are born in this place, and concerning their mothers that have born them, and concerning their fathers that have begotten them in this land; ⁴ They shall die of grievous death; they shall not be lamented, nor buried; they shall be for an example on the face of the earth; and they shall be for the wild beasts of the land, and for the birds of the sky: they shall fall by the sword, and shall be consumed with famine. ⁵ Thus saith the Lord, Enter not into their mourning feast, and go not to lament, and mourn not for them: for I have removed my peace from this people. ⁶ They shall not bewail them, nor make cuttings for them, and they shall not shave themselves for them: ⁷ and there shall be no bread broken in mourning for them for consolation over the dead: they shall not give one to drink a cup for consolation over his father or his mother. ⁸ Thou shalt not enter into the banquet-house, to sit with them to eat and to drink. ⁹ For thus saith the Lord God of Israel; Behold, I will make to cease out of this place before your eyes, and in your days, the voice of joy, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride. ¹⁰ And it shall come to pass, when thou shalt report to this people all these words, and they shall say to thee, Wherefore has the Lord pronounced against us all these evils? what is our unrighteousness? and what is our sin which we have sinned before the Lord our God? ¹¹ Then thou shalt say to them, Because your fathers forsook me, saith the Lord, and went after strange gods and served them, and worshipped them, and forsook me, and kept not my law; ¹² (and ye sinned worse than your fathers; for, behold, ye walk every one after the lusts of your own evil heart, so as not to hearken to me); ¹³ therefore I will cast you off from this good land into a land which neither ye nor your fathers have known; and ye shall serve their other gods, who shall have no mercy upon you. ¹⁴ Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when they shall no more say, The Lord lives, that brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt; ¹⁵ but, The Lord lives, who brought up the house of Israel from the land of the north, and from all countries whither they were thrust out: and I will restore them to their own land, which I gave to their fathers. ¹⁶ Behold, I will send many fishers, saith the Lord, and they shall fish them; and afterward I will send many hunters, and they shall hunt them upon every mountain, and upon every hill, and out of the holes of the rocks. ¹⁷ For mine eyes are upon all their ways; and their iniquities have not been hidden from mine eyes. ¹⁸ And I will recompense their mischiefs doubly, and their sins, whereby they have profaned my land with the carcases of their abominations, and with their iniquities, whereby they have trespassed against mine inheritance. ¹⁹ O Lord, thou art my strength, and mine help, and my refuge in days of evil: to thee the Gentiles shall come from the end of the earth, and shall say, How vain were the idols which our fathers procured to themselves, and there is no help in them. ²⁰ Will a man make gods for himself, whereas these are no gods? ²¹ Therefore, behold, I will at this time manifest my hand to them, and will make known to them my power; and they shall know that my name is the Lord.

*****

Bullinger’s Notes on Chs. 13-16 (for KJV)

Chapter 13

Verse 1

the Lord. Hebrew. Jehovah . App-14

a linen girdle. Soft girdles, made of silk or linen, still worn by upper classes. Compare Ezekiel 16:10 . Some embroidered (Daniel 10:5 .Revelation 1:13 ; Revelation 15:6 ).

not in water. So that the cause of its marring be not mistaken.

Verse 2

got = bought.

Verse 4

Jeremiah's Eighth Prophecy (see book comments for Jeremiah).

Euphrates. On the road to Babylon, this river would be first met with at Carchemish, then held by the Egyptians (Jeremiah 46:2 ).

Verse 5

as = according as.

Verse 7

it was. Some codices, with one early printed edition, read "and it was".

Verse 9

Jeremiah's Ninth Prophecy (see book comments for Jeremiah).

mar the pride, &c. Reference to Pentateuch (Leviticus 26:19 ). App-92 .

Verse 10

imagination = stubbornness.

Verse 11

house of Israel. See note on Jeremiah 2:4 .

house of Judah. See note on Jeremiah 3:18 .

saith the LORD = [is] Jehovah's oracle.

that they might be unto Me for a people. Reference to Pentateuch (Exodus 19:5 ). App-92 .

Verse 12

the LORD God of Israel. See note on Jeremiah 11:3 .

bottle = an earthenware jar: not leathern or skin bottles.

wine. Hebrew. yayin. App-27 .

Verse 15

ye. Now addressing all.

hath spoken. Jehovah's words, not Jeremiah's.

Verse 16

darkness. Hebrew. nephesh. A Homonym, with two meanings (darkness and daylight). See note on 1 Samuel 30:17 .

Verse 17

my soul = Me (emphatic). Hebrew. nephesh. App-13 . Figure of speech Anthropopatheia.

weep . . . weep sore . . . rundown. Figure of speech Anabasis. App-6 .

run down, &c. Compare Matthew 26:38 . Luke 19:41 . See App-85 .

Verse 18

the king and to the queen. This was Jehoiachin, and the queen-mother. See 2 Kings 24:12 , 2 Kings 24:15 . Jehoiachin was only eighteen, so that the queen-dowager would hold a position of some influence (490, or 489 B.C.)

principalities = head-gear.

Verse 19

cities. So in Codex "Mugah"; but Codex "Hallel" (both quoted in the Massorah) reads "eyes".

the south = the Negeb. See note on Psalms 126:4 . Compare Genesis 12:9 ; Genesis 13:3 .

Verse 20

the north. See notes on Jeremiah 1:13 ; Jeremiah 3:12 ; Jeremiah 6:1 , &c.

Verse 22

iniquity. Hebrew. 'avah. App-44 .

Verse 23

Can . . . ? Figure of speech Erotesis and Paroemia. .

accustomed = schooled, or trained.

Verse 24

stubble = (Hebrew. kash), not crushed straw (Hebrew. teben).

wind. Hebrew. ruach. App-9 .

Verse 25

trusted = confided. Hebrew. batah. App-69 .

Verse 27

when shall it once be? = how long ere it yet be?

Chapter 14

Verse 1

The word, &c. = That which proved to be the word of Jehovah. Not the usual phrase in the Hebrew.

the LORD. Hebrew. Jehovah. App-4 .

the dearth. Hebrew " the restraints" : the holding back of rain, put by Figure of speech Metonymy (of Cause), App-6 , for the famine caused by it. One of thirteen recorded famines. See Genesis 12:10 . Reference to Pentateuch (Deuteronomy 28:23 , Deuteronomy 28:24 ). App-92 . Before the first siege (497 BC), or before the third siege (480 BC). See App-83 .

Verse 2

Judah . . . Jerusalem. Country and city.

gates. Put by Figure of speech Metonymy (of Adjunct), for the people assembling there.

are black = sit in black. Compare Jeremiah 8:21 ; Jeremiah 13:18 . Job 2:8 , Job 2:13 .Isaiah 3:26 ; Isaiah 15:3 .Psalms 35:14 .

Verse 3

to the waters: i.e. to fetch water.

and. Some codices, with two early printed editions, Aramaean, Septuagint, and Syriac, read this "and" in the text.

covered their heads. The symbol of mourning (2 Samuel 15:30 ; 2 Samuel 19:4 .Esther 6:12; Esther 6:12 ).

Verse 4

chapt = cleft, cracked, open in slits. From Old Dutch, "koppen", to cut off; "kappen", to cut, or chop (hence Eng. "chops", from Eng. "chapped" and "chip"). Gk. koptein, to cut. Hebrew here, hathath = to be broken.

ashamed. Absence of rain causes today great anxiety (Job 29:23 ).

Verse 5

Yea = For.

Verse 6

wind. Hebrew. ruach. App-9 .

dragons = jackals.

Verse 7

testify: or, answer. Figure of speech Prosopopoeia.

sinned. Hebrew. chata.

Verse 8

the Hope of Israel. Put by Figure of speech Metonymy (of Adjunct), for Jehovah, Who was, or should have been, Israel's hope. See Jeremiah 17:13 ; Jeremiah 50:7 ; and compare Genesis 49:18 . 1 Timothy 1:1 .

stranger = sojourner.

Verse 9

in the midst. Reference to Pentateuch (Exodus 29:45 .Leviticus 26:11 , Leviticus 26:12 ). App-92 .

we are called, &c. = Thy name was called upon us.

Verse 11

Pray not, &c. Reference to Pentateuch (Exodus 32:10 ). Compare Jeremiah 7:16 ; Jeremiah 11:14 .

Verse 12

I will not, &c. See Jeremiah 7:16 ; Jeremiah 11:14 ; Ezekiel 8:18 . Amos 5:23 .Micah 3:4 .

offer = offer up.

oblation = a gift offering, or donation. Hebrew. minchah. App-43 .

sword . . . famine . . . pestilence. Often thus conjoined (after this). Reference to Pentateuch (Leviticus 26:0 and Deuteronomy 28:0 ). App-92 . Compare Jeremiah 21:6 , Jeremiah 21:7 , Jeremiah 21:9 ; Jeremiah 24:10 , &c. See note on Jeremiah 42:2 .

and. Note the Figure of speech Polysyndeton , to emphasize each particular.

Verse 14

sent . . . commanded . . . spake. Compare Jeremiah 7:22 ; Jeremiah 23:21 .

you. Some codices, with two early printed editions, read "them".

Verse 16

wickedness = calamity. Heb, ra'a'. App-44 . Not the

same word as Jeremiah 14:20 .

Verse 19

Hast . . . hath . . . ? Figure of speech Erotesis.

Thy soul = Thou Thyself (emphatic). Hebrew. nephesh. App-13 . Figure of speech Anthropopatheia.

we looked. Compare Jeremiah 8:15 ; Jeremiah 15:1 , where it has a stronger refusal.

and. Some codices omit.

trouble = terror.

Verse 20

We acknowledge. These are the prophet's words.

wickedness = lawlessness. Hebrew. rasha'. App-44 . Not the same word as in Jeremiah 14:16 .

iniquity. Hebrew. 'avon. App-44 .

Verse 21

do not. Some codices, with three early printed editions, Syriac, and Vulgate, read "neither".

throne of Thy glory. See note on Jeremiah 3:17 .

Verse 22

Are there = Exist there. Hebrew. yesh. See notes on Jeremiah 14:22 .

vanities = idols.

Gentiles = nations.

He. Supply Figure of speech Ellipsis , "He [That givest rain]".

wait upon Thee. Reference to Pentateuch (Genesis 49:18 , the first occurrence in this sense).

Chapter 15

Verse 1

Then: or, And.

Moses and Samuel. See Psalms 99:6 and Ezekiel 14:14 (where other names are thus connected).

Moses. Reference to Pentateuch (Exodus 17:11 ; Exodus 32:11 .Numbers 14:13; Numbers 14:13 ).

Samuel. Compare 1 Samuel 7:9 ; 1 Samuel 8:6 ; 1 Samuel 12:16-23 .

My mind = My soul. Hebrew My nephesh . Figure of speech Anthropopatheia.

Verse 2

Such as are for death, &c. See notes on Jeremiah 43:9-11 . 2 Samuel 12:31 ; 2 Samuel 8:2 . Compare Revelation 13:10 .

Verse 3

I will appoint, &c. Reference to Pentateuch (Leviticus 26:16 ).

Verse 4

to be removed, &c. Reference to Pentateuch (Deuteronomy 28:25 , the same word).

because of Manasseh. See 2 Kings 21:3 , &c.

Verse 5

how thou doest? = of thy welfare?

Verse 7

gates. Put by Figure of speech Synecdoche (of Part), for cities, or for the outlets of the land.

children = sons.

Verse 8

above, &c. Figure of speech Hyperbole.

the sand of the seas. Figure of speech Paroemia.

young men: choice ones, or warriors.

him to fall upon it . . . and terrors upon the city = I have let fall upon her (the mother), suddenly, anguish and terror. To this, one MS. (Harley, 5720, British Museum) adds: "Woe unto us! for the day declineth, for the shadows of the evening are stretched out", as in Ch. Jeremiah 6:4 .

Verse 9

seven = the seven. Not even these will suffice.

given up the ghost = breathed out her soul. Hebrew. nephesh.

deliver = give.

Verse 10

lent on usury. Reference to Pentateuch (Exodus 22:25 ). App-92 .

Verse 11

The LORD said = Jehovah said. This formula, as commencing a sentence, occurs only here and Jeremiah 46:25 . It is adopted only in Luke 11:39 ; Luke 12:42 ; Luke 18:6 ; Luke 22:31 .

thy: i.e. Israel's.

evil. Hebrew. ra a'. App-44 .

Verse 12

steel = bronze.

Verse 13

sins. Hebrew. chata'. App-44 .

Verse 14

make thee to pass with thine enemies into. Some codices, with Septuagint and Syriac, read "make thee serve with thine enemies in". Compare Jeremiah 17:4 .

a fire is kindled, &c. Reference to Pentateuch (Deuteronomy 32:22 ).

Verse 15

revenge = avenge.

rebuke = reproach.

Verse 16

found = discovered. In the eighteenth year of Josiah 513 B.C. Hebrew. maza'. Not used of revelation. Reference to 2 Kings 22:8 . 2Ch 34:14 , 2 Chronicles 34:15 .

I am called by Thy name = Thy name was called upon me. Only those thus called feed upon Jehovah's words, and suffer reproach (Jeremiah 15:15 . Compare John 17:14 ).

O LORD God of hosts. See note on Jeremiah 5:14 , and 1 Samuel 1:3 .

God. Hebrew. Elohim. App-4 .

Verse 17

mockers = merry-makers.

hand. Put by Figure of speech Metonymy (of Cause), for guidance.

Verse 18

a liar = a deceitful [brook]. The Ellipsis , to be supplied from next clause, as a brook that disappointeth. Compare Job 6:20 .

Verse 19

stand before Me: i.e. as My servant. Compare 1 Kings 18:15 . 2 Kings 3:14 .

take forth the precious, &c. Reference to Pentateuch (Leviticus 10:10 ).

Verse 20

I will make thee, &c. Compare Jeremiah 1:18 , Jeremiah 1:19 ; Jeremiah 6:27 ,

deliver = rescue. Not the same word as in Jeremiah 15:9 .

Verse 21

the wicked = wicked ones. Hebrew. ra'im (plural) App-44 .

redeem: i.e. by power. Hebrew padah. Exodus 6:6 with Exodus 13:13 .

Chapter 16

Verse 1

Jeremiah's Eleventh prophecy (see book comments for Jeremiah).

the LORD. Hebrew. Jehovah. App-4 .

Verse 4

earth = ground, or soil.

Verse 5

taken away. Hebrew. 'asaph. A Homonym, with two meanings: (1) to protect, or heal (Numbers 12:14 , Numbers 12:15 ; 2 Kings 5:6 . Psalms 27:10 ); (2) to snatch away (Psalms 26:9 . Psalms 16:5 ).

peace: or, blessing.

saith the LORD = [is] Jehovah's oracle.

mercies = compassions, or tender mercies.

Verse 6

cut themselves . . . make . . . bald. Reference to Pentateuch (Leviticus 19:28 ; Leviticus 21:5 .Deuteronomy 14:1; Deuteronomy 14:1 ). Compare Jeremiah 41:5 ; Jeremiah 47:5 .

Verse 7

men tear themselves = break [bread]. Hebrew. paras, to break, used of breaking bread, as in Isaiah 58:7 . Ezekiel 24:17 . Hosea 9:4 , and Revised Version. The Ellipsis , is wrongly supplied in Authorized Version. See the margin there.

Verse 9

the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel. See note on Jeremiah 7:3 .

God. Hebrew. Elohim. App-4 .

Behold. Figure of speech Asterismos. .

the bride. Compare Jeremiah 7:34 ; Jeremiah 25:10 ; Jeremiah 33:11

Verse 10

Wherefore . . . ? Figure of speech Erotesis, App-6 . Reference to Pentateuch (Deuteronomy 29:24 , Deuteronomy 29:25 ). Compare Jeremiah 5:19 .

evil = mischief, or calamity. Hebrew. ra'a'. App-44 .

iniquity. Hebrew. 'avah. App-44 .

sin. Hebrew. chata'. App-44 .

Verse 11

not kept My law. Reference to Pentateuch (Exodus 20:0 ). App-92 .

Verse 12

imagination = stubbornness. Reference to Pentateuch, (see notes on Jeremiah 3:17 ; Jeremiah 7:24 ; Jeremiah 9:14 ; Jeremiah 13:10 ). App-92 .

evil. Hebrew. ra'a'. App-44 .

Verse 13

serve other gods. Reference to Pentateuch (Deuteronomy 4:26-28 ; Deuteronomy 28:36 ). App-92 .

Verse 14

children = sons.

out of. Egypt. Reference to Pentateuch (Ex. Jeremiah 12:15 ).

Verse 15

north. Babylon on the east; but entrance thence into the Land was by the north.

Verse 16

many fishers . . . hunters. Reference to Judah's enemies. Compare Jeremiah 16:18 . Amos 4:2 .Ezekiel 12:13 .Habakkuk 1:14 .

Verse 18

double. See note on Isaiah 40:2 .

Verse 19

Strength = strength (for protection). Hebrew. 'azaz.

Gentiles = nations.

Verse 20

man. Hebrew. 'adam . App-14 .

Verse 21

My name. Reference to Pentateuch (Exodus 3:15 ; Exodus 15:3 ). App-92 .

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