Commentary on Jeremiah Part 5 (No. F024v)

Chapter 17

"The sin of Judah is written with a pen of iron; with a point of diamond it is engraved on the tablet of their heart, and on the horns of their altars, ²while their children remember their altars and their Ashe'rim, beside every green tree, and on the high hills, ³on the mountains in the open country. Your wealth and all your treasures I will give for spoil as the price of your sin throughout all your territory. ⁴You shall loosen your hand from your heritage which I gave to you, and I 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." ⁵Thus says the LORD: "Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his arm, whose heart turns away from the LORD. ⁶He is like a shrub in the desert, and shall not see any good come. He shall dwell in the parched places of the wilderness, in an uninhabited salt land. ⁷"Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose trust is the LORD. ⁸He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit." ⁹The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately corrupt; who can understand it? ¹⁰"I the LORD search the mind and try the heart, to give to every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings." ¹¹Like the partridge that gathers a brood which she did not hatch, so is he who gets riches but not by right; in the midst of his days they will leave him, and at his end he will be a fool. ¹²A glorious throne set on high from the beginning is the place of our sanctuary. ¹³O LORD, the hope of Israel, all who forsake thee shall be put to shame; those who turn away from thee shall be written in the earth, for they have forsaken the LORD, the fountain of living water. ¹⁴Heal me, O LORD, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved; for thou art my praise. ¹⁵Behold, they say to me, "Where is the word of the LORD? Let it come!" ¹⁶I have not pressed thee to send evil, nor have I desired the day of disaster, thou knowest; that which came out of my lips was before thy face. ¹⁷Be not a terror to me; thou art my refuge in the day of evil. ¹⁸Let those be put to shame who persecute me, but let me not be put to shame; let them be dismayed, but let me not be dismayed; bring upon them the day of evil; destroy them with double destruction! ¹⁹Thus said the LORD to me: "Go and stand in the Benjamin Gate, by which the kings of Judah enter and by which they go out, and in all the gates of Jerusalem, ²⁰and say: 'Hear the word of the LORD, you kings of Judah, and all Judah, and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, who enter by these gates. ²¹Thus says the LORD: Take heed for the sake of your lives, and do not bear a burden on the sabbath day or bring it in by the gates of Jerusalem. ²²And do not carry a burden out of your houses on the sabbath or do any work, but keep the sabbath day holy, as I commanded your fathers. ²³Yet they did not listen or incline their ear, but stiffened their neck, that they might not hear and receive instruction. ²⁴"'But if you listen to me, says the LORD, and bring in no burden by the gates of this city on the sabbath day, but keep the sabbath day holy and do no work on it, ²⁵then there shall enter by the gates of this city kings who sit on the throne of David, riding in chariots and on horses, they and their princes, the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and this city shall be inhabited for ever. ²⁶And people shall come from the cities of Judah and the places round about Jerusalem, from the land of Benjamin, from the Shephe'lah, from the hill country, and from the Negeb, bringing burnt offerings and sacrifices, cereal offerings and frankincense, and bringing thank offerings to the house of the LORD. ²⁷But if you do not listen to me, to keep the sabbath day holy, and not to bear a burden and enter by the gates of Jerusalem on the sabbath day, then I will kindle a fire in its gates, and it shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem and shall not be quenched.'"

Intent of Chapter 17

17:1-4 Judah's Sin

Again we see Judah condemned for blatant idolatry.

v. 1 pen of iron a diamond tipped stylus (Job 19:24; re the text that the elohim is Job's redeemer whom he will see at the resurrection).

Horns of the altar Ex. 29:12.

Here Judah stands condemned once again for child sacrifice and for the Asherim beside every green tree and the heights of the hills and mountains of Israel. God says that He will give her wealth and treasures as spoil due to her sins. They are to be sent into captivity in a foreign land to serve other people. They simply will not learn as we see from all the latter prophets and the Messiah and the apostles to this very day.

It is important to note that these verses 1-4 are missing from the LXX and have been added to the MT some time after the fall of the Temple in 70 CE and perhaps much later.

17:5-11 See Prov. 5-8 re wisdom and the law of God and Psalm 1. The law abiding and God fearing are fruitful and well watered trees (Ps. 1:3; Prov. 3:18). The godless is as a fruitless desert.

17:9-10 Only God can understand man and his heart properly; better than man himself (see Rom. 7:18-19). Thus only God can justly judge man (1Sam. 16:7; Ps. 62:12) even though He has given that task to Messiah as elohim, God also directs through the Holy Spirit in the matter (see #080; 143B; F066v).

v. 11 A proverb thought to refer to Jehoiakim (22:13; 2Kgs. 23:35) (see OARSV n.).

17:12-13 Throne The Ark in the Temple (Isa. 6:1);

Written in the earth assigned to sheol; the grave (Isa. 4:3); Fountain (see 2:13).

17:14-18 Jeremiah's Third Personal Lament

(see 11:18-12:6 n.); Suffering stress because of the taunts of his foes, Jeremiah prays for healing (see Ps. 6:2-3). The false prophets are challenging him as to when the disaster will befall them (v. 15). Jeremiah has not prayed for disaster upon them but he asked that those who persecute him are put to shame. They do not really understand the far reaching nature of these prophecies of all the Latter Prophets. Jeremiah asks that those who rebuke him are given a double dose of the disaster. So also will it be in the last days.

17:19-27 Judah and the Sabbath

We see that Judah is breaching the Sabbath by various means and its leaders and Kings are also condoning it (see also 16:11). This is an expansion of the oracle in violation of the Sabbath (see Ex 23:12; Neh. 13:15-22; comp. Mat. 12:1-8). If they honour the Sabbaths correctly then they will prosper and live. They did not do so and in fact transferred the Sabbath worship to the day of the Sun, or Sunday, throughout the world in Baal Worship, for which they will face the Messiah.

English Translation of the Greek Septuagint Bible.

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

Chapter 17 ^{17:1
2 3 4 5} Cursed is the man who trusts in man, and will lean his arm of flesh upon him, while his heart departs from the Lord. ⁶ And he shall be as the wild tamarisk in the desert: he shall not see when good comes; but he shall dwell in barren places, and in the wilderness, in a salt land which is not inhabited. ⁷ But blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord shall be. ⁸ And he shall be as a thriving tree by the waters, and he shall cast forth his root toward a moist place: he shall not fear when heat comes, and there shall be upon him shady branches: he shall not fear in a year of drought, and he shall not fail to bear fruit. ⁹ The heart is deep beyond all things, and it is the man, and who can know him? ¹⁰ I the Lord try the hearts, and prove the reins, to give to every one according to his ways, and according to the fruits of his devices. ¹¹ The partridge utters her voice, she gathers eggs which she did not lay; so is a man gaining his wealth unjustly; in the midst of his days his riches shall leave him, and at his latter end he will be a fool. ¹² An exalted throne of glory is our sanctuary. ¹³ O Lord, the hope of Israel, let all that have left thee be ashamed, let them that have revolted be written on the earth, because they have forsaken the fountain of life, the Lord. ¹⁴ Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved; for thou art my boast. ¹⁵ Behold, they say to me, Where is the word of the Lord? let it come. ¹⁶ But I have not been weary of following thee, nor have I desired the day of man; thou knowest; the words that proceed out of my lips are before thy face. ¹⁷ Be not to me a stranger, but spare me in the evil day. ¹⁸ Let them that persecute me be ashamed, but let me not be ashamed: let them be alarmed, but let me not be alarmed: bring upon them the evil day, crush them with double destruction. ¹⁹ Thus saith the Lord; Go and stand in the gates of the children of thy people, by which the kings of Juda enter, and by which they go out, and in all the gates of Jerusalem: ²⁰ and thou shalt say to them, Hear the word of the Lord, ye kings of Juda, and all Judea, and all Jerusalem, all who go in at these gates: ²¹ thus saith the Lord; Take heed to your souls, and take up no burdens on the sabbath-day, and go not forth through the gates of Jerusalem; ²² and carry forth no burdens out of your houses on the sabbath-day, and ye shall do no work: sanctify the sabbath-day, as I commanded your fathers. ²³ But they hearkened not, and inclined not their ear, but stiffened their neck more than their fathers did, so as not to hear me, and not to receive correction. ²⁴ And it shall come to pass, if ye will hearken to me, saith the Lord, to carry in no burdens through the gates of this city on the sabbath-day, and to sanctify the sabbath-day, so as to do no work upon it, ²⁵ that there shall enter through the gates of this city kings and princes sitting on the throne of David, and riding on their chariots and horses, they, and their princes, the men of Juda, and the dwellers in Jerusalem: and this city shall be inhabited for ever. ²⁶ And men shall come out of the cities of Juda, and from round about Jerusalem, and out of the land of Benjamin, and out of the plain country, and from the hill country, and from the south country, bringing whole-burnt-offerings, and sacrifices, and incense, and manna, and frankincense, bringing praise to the house of the Lord. ²⁷ But it shall come to pass, if ye will not hearken to me to sanctify the sabbath-day, to bear no burdens, nor go in with them by the gates of Jerusalem on the sabbath-day; then will I kindle a fire in the gates thereof, and it shall devour the streets of Jerusalem, and shall not be quenched.

Chapter 18

The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD: ²"Arise, and go down to the potter's house, and there I will let you hear my words." ³So I went down to the potter's house, and there he was working at his wheel. ⁴And the vessel he was making of clay was spoiled in the potter's hand, and he reworked it into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to do. ⁵Then the word of the LORD came to me: ⁶"O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter has done? says the LORD. Behold, like the clay in the potter's hand, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel. ⁷If at any time I declare concerning a nation or a kingdom, that I will pluck up and break down and destroy it, ⁸and if that nation, concerning which I have spoken, turns from its evil, I will repent of the evil that I intended to do to it. ⁹And if at any time I declare concerning a nation or a kingdom that I will build and plant it, ¹⁰and if it does evil in my sight, not listening to my voice, then I will repent of the good which I had intended to do to it. ¹¹Now, therefore, say to the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem: 'Thus says the LORD, Behold, I am shaping evil against you and devising a plan against you. Return, every one from his evil way, and amend your ways and your doings.' ¹²"But they say, 'That is in vain! We will follow our own plans, and will every one act according to the stubbornness of his evil heart.' ¹³"Therefore thus says the LORD: Ask among the nations, who has heard the like of this? The virgin Israel has done a very horrible thing. ¹⁴Does the snow of Lebanon leave the crags of Si'rion? Do the mountain waters run dry, the cold flowing streams? ¹⁵But my people have forgotten me, they burn incense to false gods; they have stumbled in their ways, in the ancient roads, and have gone into bypaths, not the highway, ¹⁶making their land a horror, a thing to be hissed at for ever. Every one who passes by it is horrified and shakes his head. ¹⁷Like the east wind I will scatter them before the enemy. I will show them my back, not my face, in the day of their calamity." ¹⁸Then they said, "Come, let us make plots against Jeremiah, for the law shall not perish from the priest, nor counsel from the wise, nor the word from the prophet. Come, let us smite him with the tongue, and let us not heed any of his words." ¹⁹Give heed to me, O LORD, and hearken to my plea. ²⁰Is evil a recompense for good? Yet they have dug a pit for my life. Remember how I stood before thee to speak good for them, to turn away thy wrath from them. ²¹Therefore deliver up their children to famine; give them over to the power of the sword, let their wives become childless and widowed. May their men meet death by pestilence, their youths be slain by the sword in battle. ²²May a cry be heard from their houses, when thou bringest the marauder suddenly upon them! For they have dug a pit to take me, and laid snares for my feet. ²³Yet, thou, O LORD, knowest all their plotting to slay me. Forgive not their iniquity, nor blot out their sin from thy sight. Let them be overthrown before thee; deal with them in the time of thine anger.

Intent of Chapter 18

18:1-12 The Allegory of the Potter

Jeremiah went down to the Potter’s house (i.e. to the South) and the potter had spoiled the mould and then remade it. Thus God makes His people (Rom. 9:20-24). God makes them to enable the body to be used for evil or for good.

(See the Problem of Evil (No. 118).) If they sin then repent God will restore them under His Covenant.

18:13-17 Poetic Commentary on v. 12. However, both Israel and Judah refused to repent. Judah continued in this folly (2:10,32). God is angry with Israel and their idolatry. He will ignore them (2:27-28) and God will scatter them before the enemy, as before the East Wind (4:11; 13:24; 23:19) and turn His back to them in the days of their calamity. They have faced tragedy over the entire 2650 years and still they do not repent even before the Messiah in 27-30 CE and they killed him, the Apostles and the elect as ruthlessly as they did the prophets (see 122C; F044vii).

Sirion, Mt Hermon, Mountain Waters Either from the Anti-Lebanon mountains or from Mt. Hermon itself, as the Pharpar and Abanah rivers, the sources of the Jordan.

18:18-23 Jeremiah's Fourth Personal Lament

see 11:18-12:6 n.). The false prophets and priests and their followers, due to his attacks (2:8; 8:8), made plots against him. Jeremiah merely did what he was instructed and thus turned to God for vindication and the total destruction of his enemies and their families. Note in v. 18 they were defending both the priests’ interpretation of the law, the counsel of the scribes and the words of the false prophets he denounced; and they intended to use slander and to ignore him. Such are the tools of the corrupt religious authorities over the ages.

English Translation of the Greek Septuagint Bible.

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

Chapter 18 ^18:1 The word that came from the Lord to ² Jeremias, saying, Arise, and go down to the potter’s house, and there thou shalt hear my words. ³ So I went down to the potter’s house, and behold, he was making a vessel on the stones. ⁴ And the vessel which he was making with his hands fell: so he made it again another vessel, as it seemed good to him to make it. ⁵ And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ⁶ Shall I not be able, O house of Israel, to do to you as this potter? behold, as the clay of the potter are ye in my hands. ⁷ If I shall pronounce a decree upon a nation, or upon a kingdom, to cut them off, and to destroy them; ⁸ and that nation turn from all their sins, then will I repent of the evils which I purposed to do to them. ⁹ And if I shall pronounce a decree upon a nation and kingdom, to rebuild and to plant it; ¹⁰ and they do evil before me, so as not to hearken to my voice, then will I repent of the good which I spoke of, to do it to them. ¹¹ And now say to the men of Juda, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, Behold, I prepare evils against you, and devise a device against you: let every one turn now from his evil way, and amend your practices. ¹² And they said, We will quit ourselves like men, for we will pursue our perverse ways, and we will perform each the lusts of his evil heart. ¹³ Therefore thus saith the Lord; Enquire now among the nations, who has heard such very horrible things as the virgin of Israel has done? ¹⁴ Will fertilising streams fail to flow from a rock, or snow fail from Libanus? will water violently impelled by the wind turn aside? ¹⁵ For my people have forgotten me, they have offered incense in vain, and they fail in their ways, leaving the ancient tracks, to enter upon impassable paths; ¹⁶ to make their land a desolation, and a perpetual hissing; all that go through it shall be amazed, and shall shake their heads. ¹⁷ I will scatter them before their enemies like an east wind; I will shew them the day of their destruction. ¹⁸ Then they said, Come, and let us devise a device against Jeremias; for the law shall not perish from the priest, nor counsel from the wise, nor the word from the prophet. Come, and let us smite him with the tongue, and we will hear all his words. ¹⁹ Hear me, O Lord, and hear the voice of my pleading. ²⁰ Forasmuch as evil is rewarded for good; for they have spoken words against my soul, and they have hidden the punishment they meant for me; remember that I stood before thy face, to speak good for them, to turn away thy wrath from them. ²¹ Therefore do thou deliver their sons to famine, and gather them to the power of the sword: let their women be childless and widows; and let their men be cut off by death, and their young men fall by the sword in war. ²² Let there be a cry in their houses: thou shalt bring upon them robbers suddenly: for they have formed a plan to take me, and have hidden snares for me. ²³ And thou, Lord, knowest all their deadly counsel against me: account not their iniquities guiltless, and blot not out their sins from before thee: let their weakness come before thee; deal with them in the time of thy wrath.

Chapter 19

Thus said the LORD, "Go, buy a potter's earthen flask, and take some of the elders of the people and some of the senior priests, ²and go out to the valley of the son of Hinnom at the entry of the Potsherd Gate, and proclaim there the words that I tell you. ³You shall say, 'Hear the word of the LORD, O kings of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem. Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, Behold, I am bringing such evil upon this place that the ears of every one who hears of it will tingle. ⁴Because the people have forsaken me, and have profaned this place by burning incense in it to other gods whom neither they nor their fathers nor the kings of Judah have known; and because they have filled this place with the blood of innocents, ⁵and have built the high places of Ba'al to burn their sons in the fire as burnt offerings to Ba'al, which I did not command or decree, nor did it come into my mind; ⁶therefore, behold, days are coming, says the LORD, when this place shall no more be called Topheth, or the valley of the son of Hinnom, but the valley of Slaughter. ⁷And in this place I will make void the plans of Judah and Jerusalem, and will cause their people to fall by the sword before their enemies, and by the hand of those who seek their life. I will give their dead bodies for food to the birds of the air and to the beasts of the earth. ⁸And I will make this city a horror, a thing to be hissed at; every one who passes by it will be horrified and will hiss because of all its disasters. ⁹And I will make them eat the flesh of their sons and their daughters, and every one shall eat the flesh of his neighbor in the siege and in the distress, with which their enemies and those who seek their life afflict them.' ¹⁰"Then you shall break the flask in the sight of the men who go with you, ¹¹and shall say to them, 'Thus says the LORD of hosts: So will I break this people and this city, as one breaks a potter's vessel, so that it can never be mended. Men shall bury in Topheth because there will be no place else to bury. ¹²Thus will I do to this place, says the LORD, and to its inhabitants, making this city like Topheth. ¹³The houses of Jerusalem and the houses of the kings of Judah--all the houses upon whose roofs incense has been burned to all the host of heaven, and drink offerings have been poured out to other gods--shall be defiled like the place of Topheth.'" ¹⁴Then Jeremiah came from Topheth, where the LORD had sent him to prophesy, and he stood in the court of the LORD's house, and said to all the people: ¹⁵"Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, Behold, I am bringing upon this city and upon all its towns all the evil that I have pronounced against it, because they have stiffened their neck, refusing to hear my words."

Intent of Chapter 19

19:1-20:6 The Public Persecution of Jeremiah.

19:1-2 Jeremiah is told by God to go and buy a potter's flask and go to the potsherd gate (later called the Dung Gate (in Neh. 2:13) taking with him some reliable elders and priests.

19:3-9 Jeremiah is told to condemn the leaders and the people for forsaking the Lord God and worshipping idols and offering their children to Baal (7:30-32). Using a play on the Hebrew words for flask and make void, God pronounces the horrible fate of Judah and Jerusalem and they are to be made to resort to cannibalism and fall by the sword. The Valley of the Son of Hinnom will become the Valley of Slaughter. Jeremiah then went to the court of the Lord's House and told the people that God was to bring upon Jerusalem and all the towns in Judah all the evil that He has pronounced against it because the people would not repent.

19:10-15 The idol worshipping city like the flask will be smashed beyond repair and death will hover over it as over Topheth (see 7:31 n.). Host of heaven 8:2 2Kgs. 21:3-5.

God has said they refuse to repent in Israel and Judah (see The Sign of Jonah … (No. 013)) and in all the nations right up until the coming of the Messiah and through the Vials of the Wrath of God (see #141E ; F066iv). In the USA in 2023, the Satanists have reportedly announced their right to sacrifice children as part of their religion in Abortion and Infanticide (see 259B). This was just as they did here in Judah resulting in the dispersion in 597 BCE and in 70 CE under the Romans (see War with Rome and the Fall of the Temple (No. 298)). God will now bring death and destruction upon the whole world and save only the Holy Seed (Isa. 6:9-13; Am. 9:1-15).

English Translation of the Greek Septuagint Bible.

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

Chapter 19 ^19:1 Then said the Lord to me, Go and get an earthen bottle, the work of the potter, and thou shalt bring some of the elders of the people, and of the priests; ² and thou shalt go forth to the burial-place of the sons of their children, which is at the entrance of the gate of Charsith; and do thou read there all these words which I shall speak to thee: ³ and thou shalt say to them, Hear ye the word of the Lord, ye kings of Juda, and men of Juda, and the dwellers in Jerusalem, and they that enter in by these gates; thus saith the Lord God of Israel; Behold, I will bring evil upon this place, so that the ears of every one that hears it shall tingle. ⁴ Because they forsook me, and profaned this place, and burnt incense in it to strange gods, which they and their fathers knew not; and the kings of Juda have filled this place with innocent blood, ⁵ and built high places for Baal, to burn their children in the fire, which things I commanded not, neither did I design them in my heart: ⁶ Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when this place shall no more be called, The fall and burial-place of the son of Ennom, but, The burial-place of slaughter. ⁷ And I will destroy the counsel of Juda and the counsel of Jerusalem in this place; and I will cast them down with the sword before their enemies, and by the hands of them that seek their lives: and I will give their dead bodies for food to the birds of the sky and to the wild beasts of the earth. ⁸ And I will bring this city to desolation and make it a hissing; every one that passes by it shall scowl, and hiss because of all her plague. ⁹ And they shall eat the flesh of their sons, and the flesh of their daughters; and they shall eat every one the flesh of his neighbour in the blockade, and in the siege wherewith their enemies shall besiege them. ¹⁰ And thou shalt break the bottle in the sight of the men that go forth with thee, ¹¹ and thou shalt say, Thus saith the Lord, Thus will I break in pieces this people, and this city, even as an earthen vessel is broken in pieces which cannot be mended again. ¹² Thus will I do, saith the Lord, to this place, and to the inhabitants of it, that this city may be given up, as one that is falling to ruin. ¹³ And the houses of Jerusalem, and the houses of the kings of Juda shall be as a ruinous place, because of their uncleannesses in all the houses, wherein they burnt incense upon their roofs to all the host of heaven, and poured drink-offerings to strange gods. ¹⁴ And Jeremias came from the place of the Fall, whither the Lord had sent him to prophesy; and he stood in the court of the Lord’s house: and said to all the people, Thus saith the Lord; ¹⁵ Behold I bring upon this city, and upon all the cities belonging to it, and upon the villages of it, all the evils which I have spoken against it, because they have hardened their neck, that they might not hearken to my commands.

Chapter 20

Now Pashhur the priest, the son of Immer, who was chief officer in the house of the LORD, heard Jeremiah prophesying these things. ²Then Pashhur beat Jeremiah the prophet, and put him in the stocks that were in the upper Benjamin Gate of the house of the LORD. ³On the morrow, when Pashhur released Jeremiah from the stocks, Jeremiah said to him, "The LORD does not call your name Pashhur, but Terror on every side. ⁴For thus says the LORD: Behold, I will make you a terror to yourself and to all your friends. They shall fall by the sword of their enemies while you look on. And I will give all Judah into the hand of the king of Babylon; he shall carry them captive to Babylon, and shall slay them with the sword. ⁵Moreover, I will give all the wealth of the city, all its gains, all its prized belongings, and all the treasures of the kings of Judah into the hand of their enemies, who shall plunder them, and seize them, and carry them to Babylon. ⁶And you, Pashhur, and all who dwell in your house, shall go into captivity; to Babylon you shall go; and there you shall die, and there you shall be buried, you and all your friends, to whom you have prophesied falsely." ⁷O LORD, thou hast deceived me, and I was deceived; thou art stronger than I, and thou hast prevailed. I have become a laughingstock all the day; every one mocks me. ⁸For whenever I speak, I cry out, I shout, "Violence and destruction!" For the word of the LORD has become for me a reproach and derision all day long. ⁹If I say, "I will not mention him, or speak any more in his name," there is in my heart as it were a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I am weary with holding it in, and I cannot. ¹⁰For I hear many whispering. Terror is on every side! "Denounce him! Let us denounce him!" say all my familiar friends, watching for my fall. "Perhaps he will be deceived, then we can overcome him, and take our revenge on him." ¹¹But the LORD is with me as a dread warrior; therefore my persecutors will stumble, they will not overcome me. They will be greatly shamed, for they will not succeed. Their eternal dishonor will never be forgotten. ¹²O LORD of hosts, who triest the righteous, who seest the heart and the mind, let me see thy vengeance upon them, for to thee have I committed my cause. ¹³Sing to the LORD; praise the LORD! For he has delivered the life of the needy from the hand of evildoers. ¹⁴Cursed be the day on which I was born! The day when my mother bore me, let it not be blessed! ¹⁵Cursed be the man who brought the news to my father, "A son is born to you," making him very glad. ¹⁶Let that man be like the cities which the LORD overthrew without pity; let him hear a cry in the morning and an alarm at noon, ¹⁷because he did not kill me in the womb; so my mother would have been my grave, and her womb for ever great. ¹⁸Why did I come forth from the womb to see toil and sorrow, and spend my days in shame?

Intent of Chapter 20

20:1-6 Pashhur, the chief officer of the temple police, seized Jeremiah and publicly beat him and put him in stocks in the upper Benjamin Gate at the Temple. Jeremiah was released the next morning and he said to Pashhur that Terror (6:25; Ps. 31:13) will be his name and lot for he and his family will suffer the same fate as the doomed city (25:8-11).

20:7-13; 14-18 Jeremiah's Fifth and Sixth Personal Laments

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

20:7-9 Jeremiah, almost blasphemously, accuses God of deceiving him. The word of the Lord has become a derision almost permanently. He cannot be silent even when his accusers seek his hurt (see Am. 3:8; 1Cor. 9:16).

20:10-13 His family and friends seek to denounce him. However he understands that God is with him as a “dread warrior” to protect him and his persecutors will then stumble. He uses excerpts from liturgical hymns (Pss. 6:9-10; 31:13; 109:30; 140:12-13).

20:14-18 In this section Jeremiah curses not God but his own existence (15:10; Job Ch. 3). Here we see the frustration and agony of God's prophet as he was, as were all, confronted by the godlessness of his day.

English Translation of the Greek Septuagint Bible.

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

Chapter 20 ^20:1 Now Paschor the son of Emmer, the priest, who also had been appointed chief of the house of the Lord, heard Jeremias prophesying these words. ² And he smote him, and cast him into the dungeon which was by the gate of the upper house that was set apart, which was by the house of the Lord. ³ And Paschor brought Jeremias out of the dungeon: and Jeremias said to him, The Lord has not called thy name Paschor, but Exile. ⁴ For thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will give thee up to captivity with all thy friends: and they shall fall by the sword of their enemies, and thine eyes shall see it: and I will give thee and all Juda into the hands of the king of Babylon, and they shall carry them captives, and cut them in pieces with swords. ⁵ And I will give all the strength of this city, and all the labours of it, and all the treasures of the king of Juda, into the hands of his enemies, and they shall bring them to Babylon. ⁶ And thou and all the dwellers in thine house shall go into captivity: and thou shalt die in Babylon, and there thou and all thy friends shall be buried, to whom thou hast prophesied lies. ⁷ Thou hast deceived me, O Lord, and I have been deceived: thou hast been strong, and has prevailed: I am become a laughing-stock, I am continually mocked every day. ⁸ For I will laugh with my bitter speech, I will call upon rebellion and misery: for the word of the Lord is become a reproach to me and a mockery all my days. ⁹ Then I said, I will by no means name the name of the Lord, and I will no more at all speak in his name. But it was a burning fire flaming in my bones, and I am utterly weakened on all sides, and cannot bear up. ¹⁰ For I have heard the reproach of many gathering round, saying, Conspire ye, and let us conspire together against him, even all his friends: watch his intentions, if perhaps he shall be deceived, and we shall prevail against him, and we shall be avenged on him. ¹¹ But the Lord was with me as a mighty man of war: therefore they persecuted me, but could not perceive anything against me; they were greatly confounded, for they perceived not their disgrace, which shall never be forgotten. ¹² O Lord, that provest just deeds, understanding the reins and hearts, let me see thy vengeance upon them: for to thee I have revealed my cause. ¹³ Sing ye to the Lord, sing praise to him: for he has rescued the soul of the poor from the hand of evil-doers. ¹⁴ Cursed be the day wherein I was born: the day wherein my mother brought me forth, let it not be blessed. ¹⁵ Cursed be the man who brought the glad tidings to my father, saying, A male child is born to thee. ¹⁶ Let that man rejoice as the cities which the Lord overthrew in wrath, and repented not: let him hear crying in the morning, and loud lamentation at noon; ¹⁷ because he slew me not in the womb, and my mother became not my tomb, and her womb always great with me. ¹⁸ Why is it that I came forth of the womb to see troubles and distresses, and my days are spent in shame?

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Bullinger’s Notes on Chapters 17-20 (for KJV)

Chapter 17

Verse 1

sin. Hebrew. chata'. App-44 .

your. One MS. (Harley, 5720, British Museum), quotes other MSS. as reading "their" (vol, 240b). So in two early printed editions, Syriac, and Vulgate.

Verse 2

children = sons.

groves = Asherim (plural) See App-42 .

the green trees. Some codices, with Aram, and Syriac, read "by every green tree".

upon. Some codices, with one early printed edition, Aramaean, and Syriac, read "and upon".

Verse 3

mountain in the field. Figure of speech Periphrasis , put for Jerusalem. Compare "rock of the plain" (Jeremiah 21:13).

I will give. By Figure of speech Hyperbaton , these words come at the end of the sentence, to call attention to them.

for sin = in sin: i.e. as a punishment for sin.

Verse 4

kindled a fire. Reference to Pentateuch (Deuteronomy 32:22 ). Compare Jeremiah 15:14 .

burn. Compare Isaiah 33:14 .

for ever. Hebrew. 'olam. See App-150 .

Verse 5

the LORD. Hebrew. Jehovah. App-4 .

Cursed, &c. Note the Alternation above.

the man = strong man. Hebrew. geber. App-14 .

trusteth = conndeth. Heb batah. App-69 .

Verse 6

in. Some codices, with Aramaean, Septuagint, Syriac, and Vulgate, read this word "in" in the text.

Verse 7

hope = confidence. Hebrew. Batah, as in the preceding line. Not the same word as in verses:Jeremiah 17:13,Jeremiah 17:17.

Verse 8

as a tree. Reference to an earlier book (Psalms 1:1-3 ).

river = stream. Hebrew. yubal , from yabal , to flow.

Verse 9

deceitful = crooked. Referring to the old nature of the natural man. desperately wicked = sick unto death = it [is] sick unto death: i.e. it [is] incurable.

who can know it? Figure of speech Erotesis , for emphasis.

Verse 10

I the LORD. Quoted in Romans 8:27 . Revelation 2:23 .

heart. Put by Figure of speech Metonymy (of Adjunct), for the mind, or intellect.

reins. Put by Figure of speech Metonymy (of Adjunct), for the thoughts, or affections.

even to give = giving. But some codices, with two early printed editions, Septuagint reads, "to give", or "that He may give", and Vulgate, "who gives".

man. Hebrew. 'ish. App-14 .

ways. Hebrew text reads "way" (singular); but some codices, with two early printed editions, Aramaean, Septuagint, Syriac, and Hebrew text margin, read "ways" (plural)

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

fruit of his doings. Compare Jeremiah 6:19 ; Jeremiah 32:19 .

Verse 11

days = day. But some codices, with one early printed edition, read "days", as Authorized Version. Compare Luke 12:20 .

Verse 13

the Hope of Israel. Put by Figure of speech Metonymy (of Adjunct), for Jehovah, in Whom Israel hoped.

Verse 14

Thou art my praise. Reference to Pentateuch (Deuteronomy 10:21 ).

Verse 15

Behold. Figure of speech Asterismos.

Where . . . ? Figure of speech Erotesis.

Verse 16

woeful. Same word as "desperately wicked" (in Jeremiah 17:9 ) = incurable.

right. Omit.

Verse 17

Be not a terror. Compare Jeremiah 1:17 .

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

Verse 18

double. Compare Jeremiah 16:18 , and see note on Isaiah 40:2 .

Verse 19

the gate, &c. Probably the main entrance to the Courts of the Temple. See plan, App-68 .

Verse 21

yourselves = your souls. Hebrew. nephesh. App-13 .

bear no burden. Reference to Pentateuch (Exodus 20:8 ; Exodus 23:12 ; Exodus 31:13 ). Compare Nehemiah 13:15-19 .

Verse 22

as = according as.

Verse 23

obeyed = hearkened.

Verse 25

horses. Some codices read "their horses".

men. Hebrew. 'Ish .

Verse 26

the plain. Called Shephelah = Philistia, between Jerusalem and the Mediterranean Sea.

mountains = the central land.

the south = the Negeb. See notes on Genesis 12:9 ; Genesis 13:1 .Deuteronomy 1:7 . Psalms 126:4 .

bringing burnt offerings, &c. Reference to Pentateuch Leviticus 1:1 , Leviticus 1:2 , &c.

meat = meal. Reference to Pentateuch (Leviticus 2:1 ). App-92 .

incense = frankincense.

Verse 27

kindle a fire, &c. Reference to Pentateuch (Deuteronomy 32:22 ), App-92 . Compare Jeremiah 21:14 .Lamentations 4:11 .

Chapter 18

Verse 1

the LORD. Hebrew. Jehovah. App-4 .

Verse 2

the potter's house. Note the lesson, set to Jeremiah there: that Jehovah never mends what man has marred. He always substitutes something new. The interpretation belongs to "THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL", and, that being "marred", the new "nation" is to be substituted. See Matthew 21:43 . Compare Romans 11:7 . Ezekiel 36:25-28 . The application belongs to:

(1) THE COVENANT (Deuteronomy 6:25 ), but it was marred (Jeremiah 31:32 ): for the New Covenant, see Hebrews 8:7-13 .

(2) ORDINANCES, marred (Isaiah 1:11-14 ); new (Hebrews 10:6-9 . Colossians 2:14 , Colossians 2:17 . Galatians 1:4 , Galatians 1:3 , Galatians 1:8-11 ).

(3) PRIESTHOOD (Hebrews 7:11-28 ).

(4) KING (2 Samuel 7:12-16 ). Compare Psalms 72:0 .Isaiah 9:6 ; Isaiah 11:1-9 ; Isaiah 32:1-8 . Luke 1:31-33 .

(5) MAN, marred (Genesis 3:0 , Romans 8:7 . Rom 17:9 . Psalms 14:2 ; 2 John 1:3; 2 John 1:3 2 John 1:3 :6 ); new (2 Corinthians 5:17 , 2 Corinthians 5:18 ).

(6) THE BODY, marred (Genesis 3:0 , Hebrews 9:27 ); the new ( 1Co 15:35 , 1 Corinthians 15:44 , 1 Corinthians 15:46 , 1 Corinthians 15:47 ).

(7) THE HEAVEN AND EARTH, marred (Genesis 3:0 , 2 Peter 3:7 ); the new (2 Peter 3:13 ). Psalms 85:10 , Psalms 85:13 .Isaiah 65:17 , &c.

(8) THE CHURCH, marred (2 Timothy 1:15 (compare Acts 19:10 ; Acts 20:29 ); Jeremiah 2:18 ; Jeremiah 3:8 ; Jeremiah 4:3 , Jeremiah 4:4 ); new (Ephesians 2:20-22 ; Ephesians 4:4 ).

wrought = was working.

Verse 6

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

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

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

Behold. Figure of speech Asterismos.

Verse 7

to pluck up = to declare that it should be plucked up. Hebrew idiom. Compare Jeremiah 1:10 .

pull down. Some codices, with two early printed editions and Syriac, read "tear away". Compare Jeremiah 1:10 .

Verse 8

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

I will repent. Figure of speech Anthropopatheia.

Verse 9

to build, &c. = to declare that it should be built and planted.

Verse 11

men . Hebrew ish.

I frame = I work (as the potter in Jeremiah 18:3 )

Verse 12

imagination = stubbornness.

Verse 13

heathen = nations.

Verse 14

Will a man leave . . . ? Note the Figure of speech Erotesis and the Figure of speech Ellipsis ( App-6) , and render:

"Will [a man] leave the snow [water] of Lebanon for the rock of the field?

Or, shall the cold flowing waters [be forsaken] for strange waters?

snow: i.e. snow [water], used for mixing with wine; or for washing, as in Job 9:30 .

which cometh. Omit, and supply the word "leave" in the second clause from the first clause.

Verse 15

forgotten. Showing that the emphasis is on the leaving and forsaking of Jeremiah 18:14 .

vanity. Used of idols. Figure of speech Metonymy (of Subject).

Verse 16

hissing. Put by Figure of speech Metonymy (of Effect), for the contempt felt.

Verse 17

as. Some codices, with five early printed editions, read "with", instead of "as".

wind. Hebrew. ruach. App-9 .

in the day. See App-18 .

Verse 18

the law, &c. Reference to Pentateuch (Leviticus 10:11 ). App-92 .

with the tongue = with hard words. "Tongue" put by Figure of speech Metonymy (of Cause), for the hard words spoken by it.

Verse 20

Shall . . . ? Figure of speech Erotesis. my soul = me (emphatic). Hebrew. nephesh. App-18 .

Verse 21

children = sons.

Verse 22

troop = marauders.

Verse 23

their counsel. See App-85 .

forgive not. See App-86 .

iniquity. Hebrew. 'avon. App-44 .

sin. Hebrew. chata'. App-44 .

Chapter 19

Verse 1

saith the LORD. Some codices, with two early printed editions, Aramaean, Septuagint, and Syriac, read "Jehovah said unto me".

the LORD. Hebrew. Jehovah. App-4 .

bottle = pitcher. Often seen hanging by a well to this day. Not a leathern wine-skin.

take. The Figure of speech Ellipsis (Absolute), must be thus supplied.

ancients = elders.

Verse 2

the east gate: i.e. the pottery gate. See App-59 . Not from Haras = east, but from heres = a potsherd. See note on Isaiah 19:19 and App-81 .

Verse 3

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

God. Hebrew. Elohim. App-4 .

Behold. Figure of speech Asterismos. App-6 .

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

his ears shall tingle. Reference to earlier books (1 Samuel 3:11 . 2 Kings 21:12 ). Compare the reference to Samuel in Jeremiah 15:1 .

Verse 4

forsaken Me. Reference to Pentateuch (Deuteronomy 28:20 ; Deuteronomy 32:15 ). Compare Jeremiah 5:7 , Jeremiah 5:19 . App-92 .

whom . . . they. . . have known. Reference to Pentateuch (Deuteronomy 32:17 ).

innocents = people, not merely babes.

Verse 5

to burn = consume. Hebrew. saraph. App-43 .

burn their sons, &c. Reference to Pentateuch (Leviticus 18:21 ).

burnt offerings. Compare Jeremiah 7:31 .

My mind. Hebrew My heart. Figure of speech Anthropopatheia. "Mind" put by Figure of speech Metonymy (of Adjunct), for the thoughts.

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

Verse 6

Tophet . . . Hinnom. Compare Jeremiah 7:31 .

The valley of slaughter. Compare Jeremiah 7:32 .

Verse 7

fall by the sword . . . enemies. Reference to Pentateuch (Leviticus 26:17 . Deuteronomy 28:25 ). App-92 .

lives = souls. Hebrew. nephesh. App-13 .

Verse 8

desolate . . . hissing. See note on Jeremiah 18:16 .

Verse 9

to eat the flesh, &c. Reference to Pentateuch (Leviticus 26:29 . Deuteronomy 28:53-57 ). Compare Lamentations 2:20 ; Lamentations 4:10 .

Verse 11

the LORD of hosts. See note on Jeremiah 6:6 .

as = according as.

Verse 13

upon whose roofs. Compare Jeremiah 32:29 .

Chapter 20

Verse 1

Pashur = most noble. The first person named in this book, beside Jeremiah. Not the Pashur of Jeremiah 21:0 . This incident is in the third year of Jehoiakim, just before Nebuchadnezzar comes for the first time. Jeremiah 2:0 1 is in the latter part of Zedekiah's reign, nineteen years later.

Immer. The ancestor of the sixteenth order of priests (1 Chronicles 24:14 ).

the priest: i.e. Immer.

chief governor: i.e. Pashur.

the LORD. Hebrew. Jehovah.

prophesied = was prophesying.

Verse 2

smote. Perhaps according to Deuteronomy 25:3 .

high = upper. Probably north of the Temple, which looked toward the gate of Benjamin.

Verse 3

not called thy name Pashur. Pashhur is the foreign Aramaic name, given by his parents. Jeremiah takes this Aramaic name and interprets it in Hebrew (as Isaiah had done in Jeremiah 8:1 , Jeremiah 8:3 ). Pash = to stay (or remain on), gur = to sojourn or wander about in a strange land. Aramaean sehor = Hebrew. sabib. Hence, "Thy name is not staying on, but wandering about. " Compare Jeremiah 20:3 with Jeremiah 20:6 . The opposite of Isaiah 8:1 , Isaiah 8:3 .

Magor-missabib. Hebrew. Magor- missabib = terror-round about, or fear on every side. Compare Jeremiah 20:10 ; Jeremiah 6:25 ; Jeremiah 46:5 , &c.

Verse 4

Behold. Figure of speech Asterismos.

by the sword. Some codices, with two early printed editions, add "at the hand of".

the king of Babylon. This is the first occurrence in Jeremiah.

Verse 5

strength = power, or might. Hebrew. hasen. Not the same word as in Jeremiah 20:7 . Put by Figure of speech Metonymy (of Effect), for the wealth acquired by strength.

Verse 7

deceived = induced, or persuaded. Hebrew. pathah, in a good sense: Genesis 9:27 ("enlarge"). Proverbs 25:15 ("persuade"). Hosea 2:14 ("allure"). The adjective Petthi means persuasible, and generally in a good sense: Psalms 19:7 ; and is rendered "simple": (Psalms 19:7 ; Psalms 116:6 ; Psalms 119:130 . Proverbs 1:4 ; Proverbs 8:5 ; Proverbs 21:11 , &c.)

stronger = stronger (to hold fast). Hebrew. hazak. Not the same word as in Jeremiah 20:5 .

mocketh = is laughing at.

Verse 9

was = became.

Verse 10

fear on every side. Hebrew. magor-missabib, as in Jeremiah 20:3 . Compare Jeremiah 6:25 ; Jeremiah 46:5 , &c.

familiars = those whom I am wont to salute. See App-85 .

enticed = induced, or persuaded. Hebrew. pathah , Jeremiah 20:7 .

Verse 12

LORD of hosts. See note on Jeremiah 6:6 , and 1 Samuel 1:3 .

triest = testest.

the righteous = a righteous one.

reins = kidneys. Put by Figure of speech Metonymy (of Subject), for thoughts.

heart. Put by Figure of speech Metonymy (of Subject), for the affections.

Verse 13

soul. Heb, nephesh. App-13 .

poor = helpless. Hebrew. 'ebyon. See note on Proverbs 6:11 .

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

Verse 14

let not the day, &c. Figure of speech Pleonasm.

Verse 15

man child = a son, a male. Compare Revelation 12:5 .

Verse 16

as the cities, &c. Reference to Pentateuch (Genesis 19:24 ).

cry: of the besieged for help. Compare Exodus 32:0 . shouting: of the besiegers for victory Jeremiah 17:18 .

Verse 18

Wherefore . . . ? Figure of speech Erotesis. Compare Job 3:0 .

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