PARAGRAPH DIVISIONS OF MODERN TRANSLATIONS

(The parentheses represent poetic literary units)

NASB	NKJV	NRSV	TEV	NJB
Judah Threatened With Invasion			A Call To Repentance
4:1-2 (1-2)	4:1-2 (1-2)	4:1-4 (1-4)	4:1-2	4:1-2 (1-2)
4:3-4 (3-4)	4:3-4 (3b-4)		4:3-4	4:3-4 (3-4)
	An Imminent Invasion	The Foe From the North	Judah Is Threatened With Invasion	Invasion From the North
4:5-9 (5-8)	4:5-6 (5b-6)	4:5-8 (5-8)	4:5-8 (5-8)	4:5-8 (5-8)
	4:7-8 (7-8)
	4:9 (9)	4:9-10	4:9	4:9-12 (9-12)
4:10	4:10 (10)		4:10
4:11-13 (13)	4:11-18 (11-12)	4:11-18	4:11-12
			Judah Is Surrounded by Enemies
	(13)	(13-17)	4:13	4:13-18 (13-18)
4:14-18 (14-18)	(14-18)		4:14
			4:15-17
		(18)	4:18
Lament Over Judah's Devastation	Sorrow For the Doomed Nation		Jeremiah's Sorrow For His People
4:19-22 (19-22)	4:19-22 (19-21)	4:19-22 (19-22)	4:19-22 (19-22)	4:19-21 (19-21)
	(22)		Jeremiah's Vision of the Coming Destruction	4:22-28 (22-28)
4:23-26 (23-26)	4:23-26 (23-26)	4:23-28 (23-28)	4:23-31 (23-26)
4:27-31 (27-31)	4:27-31 (27b-29) (30) (31)		(28-31)
		4:29-31 (29-31)		4:29-31 (29-31)

 

READING CYCLE THREE (see introductory section)

FOLLOWING THE ORIGINAL AUTHOR'S INTENT AT PARAGRAPH LEVEL

This is a study guide commentary,which means that you are responsible for your own interpretation of the Bible. Each of us must walk in the light we have. You, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit are priority in interpretation. You must not relinquish this to a commentator.

Read the chapter in one sitting. Identify the subjects (reading cycle #3). Compare your subject divisions with the five translations above. Paragraphing is not inspired, but it is the key to following the original author's intent, which is the heart of interpretation. Every paragraph has one and only one subject.

1. First paragraph

2. Second paragraph

3. Third paragraph

4. Etc.

 

BACKGROUND

A. This chapter is a series of poems on different subjects. Verses 5-31 are several independant poems about Judah's invasion.

 

B. Verses 1-2 describe repentance and relate to chapter 3, vv. 21-25.

 

C. The theme of Judah's rebellion and YHWH's judgment by foreign invasion runs through chapter 6.

 

WORD AND PHRASE STUDY

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 4:1-2
¹"If you will return, O Israel," declares the Lord,
"Then you should return to Me.
And if you will put away your detested things from My presence,
And will not waver,
²And you will swear, 'As the Lord lives,'
In truth, in justice and in righteousness;
Then the nations will bless themselves in Him,
And in Him they will glory."

4:1 "If" Grammatically there seem to be four "ifs" or conditions in vv. 1-2. This shows the conditional nature of the covenant (i.e., "if. . .then. . .," cf. Leviticus 26; Deuteronomy 27-28).

▣ "return. . .return to Me" The Hebrew root, בוש (BDB 996-1000), is used in several words, in several lines in chapters 3:1-4:2.

1. שׁוב - "return," 3:1 (twice), 7 (twice), 10,12,14,19,22; 4:1 (twice)

 - "turn away," 4:8

 - "turn back," 4:28

2. שׁובב (BDB 1000) - "faithless," 3:14,29

3. משׁובה, (BDB 1000) - "faithless," 3:6,8,11,12

 - "backsliding," 3:22

Notice the personal emphasis (cf. 3:1,4,7,10,19,20). Sin is more than a violation of a law code. It is a personal affront to a personal God!

▣ "Israel" See Special Topic at 2:3. This title (BDB 975) can mean

1. a new name given to Jacob

2. a collective term for all the children of Jacob

3. the northern ten tribes after the split of the United monarchy in 922 b.c. They were later taken captive by Assyria at the fall of the capital, Samaria in 722 b.c.

Context must determine which meaning. This is especially hard in Jeremiah when #2 and #3 are used in isolated poems without their historical setting specified.

▣ "detested things" This is literally "abominations" (BDB 1055) and refers to idols. See Special Topic at 2:7.

▣ "and will not waver" This verb (BDB 626, KB 678, Qal imperfect, lit. "wander," cf. Gen. 4:12,14) refers to wholehearted daily activities (i.e., lifestyle).

4:2 "you will swear" This verb (BDB 989, KB 1396, Niphal perfect) refers to a verbal act of worship, much like our modern liturgies (cf. 12:16; Deut. 6:13; 10:20; Isa. 65:16). Idolaters swear by Ba'al but YHWH's people swear allegiance only to Him! This is theologically parallel to Rom. 10:9-13, which is a quote from Joel 2:32 (cf. Acts 2:21).

▣ "In truth, in justice and in righteousness" This is the content of "swear." It refers to a lifestyle response, not ritual or periodic emotional experiences. This would describe true repentance. Each of these three words carries theological meaning.

1. in truth (BDB 54, see Special Topic at 3:12)

2. in justice (BDB 1048, see Special Topic below)

3. in righteousness (BDB 842, see Special Topic below)

 

SPECIAL TOPIC: JUDGE, JUDGMENT, and JUSTICE (שׁפט) IN ISAIAH

SPECIAL TOPIC: RIGHTEOUSNESS

▣ "the nations will bless themselves in Him" This is a recurrent theme in Genesis (BDB 138, KB 159, Hithpael perfect, cf. Gen. 12:3; 18:18; 22:18; 26:41; 28:14). God's promises to the Patriarchs show Israel's purpose as an instrument of reaching the whole world (cf. Exod. 19:5-6; Isa. 42:6; 49:6, see Special Topic at 1:5).

This is such an important theological concept that I have included my notes from Gen. 12:3.

NASB, NKJV,
NRSV, Peshitta"and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed"
NRSVfootnote,
JPSOA"by you all the families of the earth shall bless themselves"
TEV"and through you I will bless all the nations"
TEVfootnote"All the nations will ask me to bless them as I have blessed you"
NJB"and all clans on earth will bless themselves by you"
LXX"and in you shall all the tribes of the earth be blessed"
REB"All the peoples on earth will wish to be blessed as you are blessed"
REBfootnote"All the peoples on earth will be blessed because of you"

The Niphal perfect (BDB 138, KB 159) stem is usually passive (LXX, NASB, "shall be blessed," cf. 18:18; 28:14), but in 22:18 and 26:4 the Hithpael perfect stem is used, which is reflexive ("bless themselves"). It is possible that the Hithpael denotes a continuing action through time. It is significant that God includes all nations in His promise to Abram in light of the universal rebellion of chapter 11. God chose Abraham to choose all humans made in His image (cf. Ps. 22:27; 66:4; 86:9; Isa. 66:23; 49:6; Acts 3:25; Gal. 3:8)! Also see note at 22:18.

This is really an important passage. It shows clearly God's purpose of using Abram to reach all the world. The universal promise of Gen. 3:15 is being implemented, even amidst the purposeful rebellion of Noah's children (i.e., Genesis 10 and 11). It s not only to those who show favor to Abram, but to those who will show favor to Abram's seed (i.e., the Messiah). There was/is a universal purpose in YHWH's choice of "one" to bring prophesied redemption through the special "One" of his descendants. In the big picture, this is not a text about an attitude toward Jews, but a faith response to the Jewish "promised One."

▣ "in Him they will glory" The verb (BDB 237, KB 248) is Hithpael imperfect, denoting ongoing action. Followers of YHWH glory/boast in knowing Him and Him alone (cf. 9:23-24). Notice the wonderful, universal implications of Isa. 45:20-25, especially v. 25b! Biblical faith is a personal relationship with the one true God!

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 4:3-4
³For thus says the Lord to the men of Judah and to Jerusalem,
"Break up your fallow ground,
And do not sow among thorns.
⁴Circumcise yourselves to the Lord
And remove the foreskins of your heart,
Men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem,
Or else My wrath will go forth like fire
And burn with none to quench it,
Because of the evil of your deeds."

4:3-8 This strophe is a warning and call for repentance. Notice the commands.

1. v. 3, "break up" - BDB 644, KB 697, Qal imperative (metaphor for prepare your heart, cf. Hos.  10:12)

2. v. 3, "sow" - BDB 281, KB 282, Qal imperfect used in a jussive sense (negated, "among the  thorns" metaphor for established idolatry)

3. v. 4, "circumcise yourselves" - BDB 557, KB 555, Niphal imperative (a metaphor for the heart,  cf. 9:25-26)

4. v. 4, "removed" - BDB 693, KB 747, Hiphil imperative (the literary parallel to "circumcise")

In light of YHWH's warning of judgment (vv. 4c-f), He calls for the proclamation of invasion and action (vv. 5-8).

1. v. 5, "declare" - BDB 610, KB 665, Hiphil imperative (first of six imperatives about communication)

2. v. 5, "proclaim" - BDB 1033, KB 1570, Hiphil imperative

3. v. 5, "say" - BDB 55, KB 65, Qal imperative

4. v. 5, "blow" - BDB 1075, KB 1785, Qal imperative

5. v. 5, "cry" - BDB 894, KB 1128, Qal imperative

6. v. 5, "aloud" - BDB 569, KB 583, Piel imperative

7. v. 5, "say" - same as #3

The content of their commandment is, act now, judgment is coming (cf. 6c-7)

8. v. 5, "assemble" - BDB 62, KB 74, Niphal imperative , cf. 8:14

9. v. 5, "let us go" - BDB 97, KB 112, Qal cohortative, cf. 8:14

10. v. 5, "lift up a standard" - BDB 669, KB 724, Qal imperative (i.e., a military signal)

11. v. 6, "seek refuge" - BDB 731, KB 797, Hiphil imperative

12. v. 6, "do not stand still" - BDB 763, KB 840, Qal imperfect used in a jussive sense (i.e., do not wait!)

Finally, in light of the coming judgment, they are called on to grieve.

13. v. 8, "put on sackcloth" - BDB 291, KB 291, Qal imperative (see Special Topic at 2:37)

14. v. 8, "lament" - BDB 704, KB 763, Qal imperative

15. v. 8, "wail" - BDB 410, KB 413, Qal imperative

Why? "The fierce anger of the Lord" is coming (cf. 4:26; 12:13; 25:37,38; 30:24; 49:37; 51:45) and He will not change His mind (cf. v. 28).

4:3 "to the men of Judah and to Jerusalem" This shows the collective call to individual repentance, which characterizes Jeremiah and Ezekiel (i.e., Ezekiel 18). Biblical faith is corporate but it is entered into by individual choice.

▣ "Break up your fallow ground" Verse 3 relates to the agricultural practice of preparing ground for seed. The rabbis use the illustration that our minds are like a plowed field, ready for seed and what one lets in through the eyes and ears falls on that prepared ground. What we think and then dwell on becomes who we are!

Repentance is plowed, good ground, ready for fellowship and obedience in a daily walk with God.

4:4 "Circumcise yourselves to the Lord. . .remove the foreskin of your heart" This shows that ritual alone was/is never effective, but a daily, internal faith attitude is essential (cf. Deut. 10:12; 30:6). Other examples of this metaphor are:

1. ears, Jer. 6:10

2. lips, Exod. 6:12,30

3. heart, Deut. 10:16

4. flesh, Gen. 17:14

 

▣ "My wrath go forth like fire" This is a recurrent metaphor (cf. 17:4; 21:12).

SPECIAL TOPIC: FIRE

▣ "with none to quench it" See Isa. 1:31; 66:24; Amos 5:6; Matt. 3:12; Mark 9:43,48.

See the word study gehenna in the following Special Topic.

SPECIAL TOPIC: Where Are the Dead?

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 4:5-9
⁵Declare in Judah and proclaim in Jerusalem, and say,
"Blow the trumpet in the land;
Cry aloud and say,
'Assemble yourselves, and let us go
Into the fortified cities.'
⁶Lift up a standard toward Zion!
Seek refuge, do not stand still,
For I am bringing evil from the north,
And great destruction.
⁷A lion has gone up from his thicket,
And a destroyer of nations has set out;
He has gone out from his place
To make your land a waste.
Your cities will be ruins
Without inhabitant.
⁸For this, put on sackcloth,
Lament and wail;
For the fierce anger of the Lord
Has not turned back from us.
⁹It shall come about in that day," declares the Lord, "that the heart of the king and the heart of the princes will fail; and the priests will be appalled and the prophets will be astounded."

4:5 "Blow the trumpet" This is the word shophar. It was used as a call to war or for religious observances. Verses 5-9 form a poem of a watchman.

SPECIAL TOPIC: HORNS USED BY ISRAEL

4:6 "evil from the north" This was a symbol of evil because it was the route of invasion for the Mesopotamian powers (i.e., Assyria, Babylon, Persia, cf. 1:14,15; 6:1,22; 10:22; 50:3; Isa. 41:25).

4:7 "a destroyer of nations has set out" This is literally "struck his tents." It refers to Nebuchadnezzar II of Neo-Babylon, who took Judah into exile in 605, 597, 586, 582 b.c., as Assyria did Israel in 722 b.c.

4:9 "in that day" This phrase was a way of referring to the special future day of YHWH's visitation (cf. v. 11a). It can be for blessing or judgment, here judgment.

SPECIAL TOPIC: THAT DAY

▣ "the king. . .the princes. . .the priests. . .the prophets" This refers to those leaders who rejected Jeremiah's message (cf. 1:18; 2:8,26; 5:31; 6:13; 8:1,10; 13:13; 14:18; 23:33-34). Judah had no godly leaders!

▣ Notice the parallel verbs.

1. fail - BDB 1, KB 2, Qal imperfect

2. appalled - BDB 1030, KB 1563, Niphal perfect (related form "waste" in v. 7)

3. astounded - BDB 1069, KB 1744, Qal imperfect (found only here in Jeremiah)

The leadership (civil and religious) will utterly fail and not know what to do in light of the invasion. Their eyes have been blinded by idolatry and false prophets (cf. v. 10); they cannot find YHWH! As the leaders go, so go the people!

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 4:10
¹⁰Then I said, "Ah, Lord God! Surely You have utterly deceived this people and Jerusalem, saying, 'You will have peace'; whereas a sword touches the throat."

4:10 "Surely You have utterly deceived this people" Verse 10 is a comment from Jeremiah to YHWH about the message of the false prophets. Jeremiah speaks bluntly and honestly to God (cf. 12:1; 15:17-18; 20:7-9). This false message of hope and deliverance from invasion was what the false prophets were preaching in God's name (cf. 6:14; 8:11; 14:13; 23:16-17; 28:1ff). God let this occur but the speaker and hearer are responsible!

One more possibility in understanding this difficult phrase is that the people were clinging to Isaiah's prophecies about the invulnerability of Jerusalem (cf. Isaiah 36-39). Jeremiah would have to remind them that Isaiah's promises were also based on a conditional covenant model (i.e., "if. . .then. . .," cf. vv. 1-2). Judah did not obey the covenant, therefore, its curses, not its promises, were what they would reap (cf. Leviticus 26; Deuteronomy 28-29).

▣ "throat" This is the word nephesh (BDB 659, cf. Gen. 2:7 [of man] and 2:19 [of animals]). It basically means the life on this planet that breathes (related to the Hebrew word for "breath").

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 4:11-13
¹¹In that time it will be said to this people and to Jerusalem, "A scorching wind from the bare heights in the wilderness in the direction of the daughter of My people-not to winnow and not to cleanse, ¹²a wind too strong for this-will come at My command; now I will also pronounce judgments against them.
¹³Behold, he goes up like clouds,
And his chariots like the whirlwind;
His horses are swifter than eagles.
Woe to us, for we are ruined!"

4:11 "A scorching wind" This refers to the sirocco desert winds, often used in the OT as aa metaphor for judgment (i.e., "not to winnow, and not to cleanse," cf. v. 12).

▣ "from the bare heights" This was the physical locality of Ba'al worship (cf. 2:20; 3:2,6; 4:11; 7:29; 14:6; 17:2; Isa. 57:7; Deut. 12:2).

▣ "not to winnow" The wind will be too strong and too hot for harvesting grain. The last item, "cleanse," probably refers to the process of separating the husk from the grain.

4:12 "at My command" God sent these judgments; they were carried out by Mesopotamian pagan nations! There are consequences to covenant disobedience (cf. Leviticus 26; Deuteronomy 28-29)!

4:13 This is a metaphorical description of God's judgment (i.e., lines a-c) and the results.

1. woe to us (BDB 17, cf. v. 31; 6:4; 10:19; 13:27)

2. we are ruined (BDB 994, KB 1418, Pual perfect, same verb found in 4:20; 9:19; 10:20; 48:1,15,20; 49:3,10)

 

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 4:14-18
¹⁴"Wash your heart from evil, O Jerusalem,
That you may be saved.
How long will your wicked thoughts
Lodge within you?
 ¹⁵For a voice declares from Dan,
And proclaims wickedness from Mount Ephraim.
¹⁶Report it to the nations, now!
Proclaim over Jerusalem,
'Besiegers come from a far country,
And lift their voices against the cities of Judah.
 ¹⁷Like watchmen of a field they are against her round about,
Because she has rebelled against Me,' declares the Lord.
¹⁸"Your ways and your deeds
Have brought these things to you.
This is your evil. How bitter!
How it has touched your heart!"

4:14 "Wash your heart" This verb (BDB 460, KB 459, Piel imperative) is an allusion to washing a soiled garment, which is a metaphor for repentance and cleansing (cf. Ps. 51:2,7; Isa. 1:16). It is a call, like Ezekiel 18, for an individual to turn back to YHWH and change his ways (cf. vv. 3-4).

▣ "That you may be saved" The Hebrew verb (BDB 446, KB 448) has two connotations.

1. physical deliverance

2. spiritual forgiveness

Both are needed for Judah to avert YHWH's coming judgment!

SPECIAL TOPIC: SALVATION (OLD TESTAMENT TERM)

▣ "wicked thoughts" Maybe this is best illustrated by 13:27.

4:15 "voice. . .from Dan" This was the farthest northern tribe in Palestine. The tribe of Dan, in unbelief, moved from its tribal allocation in the south (cf. Josh. 19:40-48) to the north (cf. Judges 18). The phrase "from Dan to Beersheba" became a way to denote the whole Promised Land (cf. Jdgs. 20:1; I Sam. 3:20; II Sam. 3:10; 17:11; 24:2; II Chr. 30:5; Amos 8:14).

▣ "Mount Ephraim" This refers to the central mountainous (i.e., hill country) region of Palestine, which was the tribal allocation of Ephraim (cf. Josh. 17:15; 19:50; 20:7). The mountains of Ebal and Gerizim (i.e., Samaria) were in this region.

Dan and Ephraim fell to the Assyrians in 722 b.c. Now that destruction would come to Judah and Jerusalem (cf. vv. 16-17) and the northern invaders were close!

4:16 This verse starts with two commands to make known YHWH's coming judgment to Judah.

1. report - BDB 269, KB 269, Hiphil imperative (this could refer to the mercenary invaders, v. 16c)

2. proclaim - BDB 1033, KB 1570, Hiphil imperative

The voice from Dan (v. 15) (1) tells the invaders (or the surrounding nations to Judah) they are close to Jerusalem and (2) tells Jerusalem that the invaders are close to them!

▣ "Besiegers come from a far country" The verbal (BDB 665, KB 718, Qal active participle) in this context has the meaning of "besiege" (BDB 666, #5, cf. Isa. 1:8; Ezek. 6:12). It usually is translated "enemies." The UBS Handbook (p. 133) suggests advanced scouts of the Babylonian army.

4:17 "Like watchmen of a field" I must admit that I do not understand this phrase in this context. TEV takes it to mean watchmen that surround a field ready to harvest. But here they guard against any persons escaping the besieged city.

The UBS Handbook (p. 134) suggests that the imagery is connected to the "tents" (booths) of the agricultural watchmen with the army tents of the invaders.

▣ "Because she has rebelled against Me" Notice the personal affront that YHWH feels! It is not just the violation of His covenant, but the rebellion against Him, Him as husband, Him as King, Him as the only God! Possibly 5:20-29 describes the attitude best.

The verb "rebelled" (BDB 598, KB 632, Qal perfect) is also found in 5:23; Lam. 1:18,20 (twice); and 3:42. However a synonym (BDB 833, KB 981) is used in 2:8,29; 3:13; 33:8; Lam. 3:42.

4:18 The invasion, destruction, and exile of the covenant people from the covenant land and city was their own fault. YHWH only gave them what they had sown (cf. Job 34:11; Ps. 28:4; 62:12; Pro. 24:12; Eccl. 12:14; Jer. 17:10; 32:19; Matt. 16:27; 25:31-46; Rom. 2:6; 14:12; I Cor. 3:8; II Cor. 5:10; Gal. 6:7-10; II Tim. 4:14; I Pet. 1:17; Rev. 2:23; 20:12; 22:12).

▣ "How bitter" This is the result of their rebellion (cf. 2:19; Amos 8:10). Note Job 20:11-16; sin tastes good initially but becomes poison and brings death!

Their idolatry had spread into their very being (i.e., heart). They were sinful through and through!

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 4:19-22
¹⁹"My soul, my soul! I am in anguish! Oh, my heart!
My heart is pounding in me;
I cannot be silent,
Because you have heard, O my soul,
The sound of the trumpet,
The alarm of war.
²⁰Disaster on disaster is proclaimed,
For the whole land is devastated;
Suddenly my tents are devastated,
My curtains in an instant.
²¹How long must I see the standard
And hear the sound of the trumpet?
²²For My people are foolish,
They know Me not;
They are stupid children
And have no understanding.
They are shrewd to do evil,
But to do good they do not know."

4:19-22 This shows the way God truly feels (v. 22) about bringing judgment to Judah (cf. Hos. 11:8-9).

▣ "soul" The term "soul" means "bowels" (BDB 588). The ancient Hebrew thought the seat of the emotions was in the lower viscera (BDB 589 #5).

The terms "soul" and "heart" are repeated for intensity.

SPECIAL TOPIC: THE HEART

4:19

NASB"I am in anguish"
NKJV"I am pained in my heart"
NRSV"how great my agony"
TEV"I can't bear the pain"
NJB"I writhe in pain"
JPSOA"How I writhe"

The verb could come from

1. חול - BDB 296, KB 297, Qal cohortative, "writhe"

2. יחל - BDB 403 KB 407, Hiphil cohortative, "wait"

This information is from OT Parsing Guide (revised) by Beall, Banks, and Smith, p. 546. The UBS Text Project and AB do not even mention the option.

▣ "The sound of the trumpet" The JPSOA notes that the MT has "you, O my being, hear," but by a change of vocalization, yields, "I hear the blare of horns" (p. 931).

4:20 "tents. . .curtains" The phrase "in an instant" (רגע, BDB 921), with revocalization, can be translated "torn to shreds" (cf. LXX, NEB). This would fit the parallelism better.

The NET Bible (p. 1298) makes the comment that this verse could refer to

1. the weakness of Judah's defenses

2. the destruction of a person's home (using an ancient cultural metaphor)

The UBS Handbook (p. 137) suggests that "tents" and "curtain" could be a reference to the temple in Jerusalem.

4:21 The "standard" and "the trumpet" are military signaling devises, here of the invaders (cf. v. 19).

The two verbs of this verse are

1. see - BDB 906, KB 1157, Qal imperfect used in a cohortative sense

2. hear - BDB 1033, KB 1570, Qal cohortative

 

4:22 This verse shows God's disappointment in His covenant people in strong metaphors of irony.

1. they are foolish (BDB 17)

2. they do not know Me

3. they are stupid (BDB 698) children

4. they have no understanding

5. they are shrewd to do evil

6. they do not know how to do good

Notice how they are described in 5:21.

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 4:23-26
²³I looked on the earth, and behold, it was formless and void;
And to the heavens, and they had no light.
²⁴I looked on the mountains, and behold, they were quaking,
And all the hills moved to and fro.
²⁵I looked, and behold, there was no man,
And all the birds of the heavens had fled.
²⁶I looked, and behold, the fruitful land was a wilderness,
And all its cities were pulled down
Before the Lord, before His fierce anger.

4:23-26 This strophe uses original creation in its chaotic state (i.e., formless and void, cf. Gen. 1:2; "the heavens, and they had no light" before Gen. 1:3) with the destruction caused by foreign (Mesopotamian) invasion.

As creation was originally without human habitation, so now the Promised Land is without human habitation. This is not to be taken literally; there were always some Israelites and Judeans not taken captive, but the land looked/seemed empty! (cf. v. 27).

Also notice the literary structure of "I looked. . ." (BDB 55, KB 65, Qal perfect) used four times.

4:25 "all the birds of the heavens had fled" This may refer to the fact that even the carnivorous birds have left because there is no more food (i.e., those killed in battle or invasion).

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 4:27-31
²⁷For thus says the Lord,
"The whole land shall be a desolation,
Yet I will not execute a complete destruction.
²⁸For this the earth shall mourn
And the heavens above be dark,
Because I have spoken, I have purposed,
And I will not change My mind, nor will I turn from it."
²⁹At the sound of the horseman and bowman every city flees;
They go into the thickets and climb among the rocks;
Every city is forsaken,
And no man dwells in them.
³⁰And you, O desolate one, what will you do?
Although you dress in scarlet,
Although you decorate yourself with ornaments of gold,
Although you enlarge your eyes with paint,
In vain you make yourself beautiful.
Your lovers despise you;
They seek your life.
³¹For I heard a cry as of a woman in labor,
The anguish as of one giving birth to her first child,
The cry of the daughter of Zion gasping for breath,
Stretching out her hands, saying,
"Ah, woe is me, for I faint before murderers."

4:27 "Yet I will not execute a complete destruction" This refers to hope amidst judgment (cf. 5:10,18; 30:11; 46:28)!

4:28 This verse speaks of the determined judgment of God (cf. 23:20; 30:24; Num. 23:19). There is a greater purpose in the discipline of His covenant people (see Special Topic at 1:5). His discipline, in reality, was a sign of His love. He would not let them continue in their waywardness (i.e., Heb. 12:5-13).

Verse 28 personifies YHWH's creation (i.e., earth and heaven). The first two created things mourn over the coming judgment of Palestine, and especially of Jerusalem and the temple (possibly v. 20c and d).

4:29 This verse describes what happened when an invading army swept across the land, and smaller unwalled cities were defenseless and had to abandon their homes and shops. They tried to hide or seek the shelter of a walled city.

4:30 This is an allusion to Judah as a harlot. Her lovers are the foreign powers with whom she makes political alliances.

4:31 This allusion switches to birth pains. But not to bring forth life, but death! Judah's idolatry and covenant breaking have resulted in destruction, death, and exile!

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

This is a study guide commentary, which means that you are responsible for your own interpretation of the Bible. Each of us must walk in the light we have. You, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit are priority in interpretation. You must not relinquish this to a commentator.

These discussion questions are provided to help you think through the major issues of this section of the book. They are meant to be thought-provoking, not definitive.

1. List the four conditions God demanded to show repentance (vv. 1-2).

2. How many separate poems are there in chapter 4?

3. Briefly express in your own words the central idea that chapter 4 is trying to convey.

 

Copyright © 2012 Bible Lessons International

PARAGRAPH DIVISIONS OF MODERN TRANSLATIONS

(The parentheses represent poetic literary units)

NASB	NKJV	NRSV	TEV	NJB
Destruction of Jerusalem Impending	Impending Destruction From the North	The Corruptions for Which Judgment Is Coming (5:1-6:30)	Jerusalem Is Surrounded By Enemies	More About Invasion
6:1-8 (1-8)	6:1-3 (1-3)	6:1-9 (1-9)	6:1-5	6:1-15 (1-15)
	6:4-5 (4-5)
	6:6-8 (6-8)		6:6-8
			Rebellious Israel
6:9-15 (9-15)	6:9 (9)		6:9-11a
	6:10-15 (10-15)	6:10-11a (10-11a)
		6:11b-12 (11b-12)	6:11b-15 (11b-15)
		6:13-21 (13-21)	Israel Rejects God's Way
6:16-21 (16-21)	6:16-21 (16-20)		6:16a	6:16-21 (16-21)
			6:16b-17
			6:18-21
The Enemy From the North	(21)		Invasion From the North
6:22-26 (22-26)	6:22-23 (22-23)	6:22-23 (22-23)	6:22-23	6:22-26 (22-26)
	6:24-26 (24-26)	6:24-25 (24-25)	6:24-25
		6:26-30 (26-30)	6:26-30
6:27-30 (27-30)	6:27-30 (27-30)			6:27-30 (27-30)

 

READING CYCLE THREE (see introductory section)

FOLLOWING THE ORIGINAL AUTHOR'S INTENT AT PARAGRAPH LEVEL

This is a study guide commentary,which means that you are responsible for your own interpretation of the Bible. Each of us must walk in the light we have. You, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit are priority in interpretation. You must not relinquish this to a commentator.

Read the chapter in one sitting. Identify the subjects (reading cycle #3). Compare your subject divisions with the five translations above. Paragraphing is not inspired, but it is the key to following the original author's intent, which is the heart of interpretation. Every paragraph has one and only one subject.

1. First paragraph

2. Second paragraph

3. Third paragraph

4. Etc.

 

BACKGROUND

A. This continues the condemnation of Judah's sins. She had a witness in

1. Scripture

2. the prophets

3. the fall of Israel

but she would not repent.

 

B. This chapter has many commands.

1. vv. 1-8 - YHWH sends an invader from the north

a. flee for safety, v. 1 - BDB 731, KB 797, Hiphil imperative

b. blow a trumpet, v. 1 - BDB 1075, KB 1785, Qal imperative

c. raise a signal, v. 1 - BDB 669, KB 724, Qal imperative

d. prepare war (lit. "sanctify"), v. 4 - BDB 872, KB 1073, Piel imperative

e. arise, v. 4 - BDB 877, KB 1086, Qal imperative

f. let us attack, v. 4 - BDB 748, KB 828, Qal imperfect used in a cohortative sense

g. arise, v. 5 - same as e

h. let us attack, v. 5 - same as f

i. destroy, v. 5 - BDB 1007, KB 1469, Hiphil cohortative

j. cut down, v. 6 - BDB 503, KB 500, Qal imperative

k. cast up (lit. "pour out,"), v. 6 - BDB 1049, KB 1629, Qal imperative

l. be warned, v. 8 - BDB 415, KB 418, Niphal imperative

2. vv. 9-15 - YHWH's wrath burst forth

a. pass your hand, v. 9 - BDB 996, KB 1427, Hiphil imperative

b. speak, v. 10 - BDB 180, KB 210, Piel cohortative

c. give warning, v. 10 - BDB 729, KB 795, Hiphil cohortative

d. hear, v. 10 - BDB 1033, KB 1570, Qal imperfect used in a jussive sense

e. pour, v. 11 - BDB 1049, KB 1629, Qal imperative

3. vv. 16-21 - possibly one of Jeremiah's sermons

a. stand by, v. 16 - BDB 763, KB 840, Qal imperative

b. see, v. 16 - BDB 906, KB 1157, Qal imperative

c. ask, v. 16 - BDB 981, KB 1371, Qal imperative

d. walk, v. 16 - BDB 229, KB 246, Qal imperative

e. find, v. 16 - BDB 592, KB 619, Qal imperative

f. listen, v. 17 - BDB 904, KB 1151, Hiphil imperative

g. hear, v. 18 - BDB 1033, KB 1570, Qal imperative

h. know, v. 18 - BDB 393, KB 390, Qal imperative

i. hear, v. 18 - same as g

4. vv. 22-26 - The invader comes!

a. go out (negated), v. 25 - BDB 422, KB 425, Qal imperfect used in a jussive sense

b. walk (negated), v. 25 - BDB 229, KB 246, Qal imperfect used in a jussive sense

c. put on, v. 26 - BDB 291, KB 291, Qal imperative

d. roll, v. 26 - BDB 814, KB 935, Hithpael imperative

e. mourn, v. 26 - BDB 793, KB 889, Qal imperative

5. vv. 27-30 - YHWH's message to Jeremiah (much like 1:18) has no imperatives

 

C. Notice the different titles for the covenant people (esp. Jerusalem).

1. "sons of Benjamin," v. 1

2. "the daughter of Zion," vv. 2, 23

3. "Jerusalem" vv. 6,8

4. "the remnant of Israel," v. 9

5. "My people," vv. 14, 27

6. "O daughter of my people," v. 26

 

D. Notice the names for YHWH.

1. "the Lord of hosts," vv. 6,9

2. "the Lord," vv. 10, 11, 12, 15, 16, 21, 22, 30

 

See SPECIAL TOPIC: NAMES FOR DEITY at 1:2.

WORD AND PHRASE STUDY

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 6:1-8
¹"Flee for safety, O sons of Benjamin,
From the midst of Jerusalem!
Now blow a trumpet in Tekoa
And raise a signal over Beth-haccerem;
For evil looks down from the north,
And a great destruction.
²The comely and dainty one, the daughter of Zion, I will cut off.
³Shepherds and their flocks will come to her,
They will pitch their tents around her,
They will pasture each in his place.
⁴Prepare war against her;
Arise, and let us attack at noon.
Woe to us, for the day declines,
For the shadows of the evening lengthen!
⁵Arise, and let us attack by night
And destroy her palaces!"
⁶For thus says the Lord of hosts,
"Cut down her trees
And cast up a siege against Jerusalem.
This is the city to be punished,
In whose midst there is only oppression.
⁷As a well keeps its waters fresh,
So she keeps fresh her wickedness.
Violence and destruction are heard in her;
Sickness and wounds are ever before Me.
⁸Be warned, O Jerusalem,
Or I shall be alienated from you,
And make you a desolation,
A land not inhabited."

6:1 "Flee for safety" Usually the ancients fled to their fortified cities for protection (cf. 4:6, same verb, same form). But here they are told to flee the walled city of Jerusalem.

▣ "sons of Benjamin" This was Jeremiah's tribe. Jerusalem was very close to the territory of Benjamin, or in it (cf. Josh. 15:8, 63; 18:16; Jdgs. 1:21). Therefore, this is a literary way of addressing all the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

▣ "blow. . .Tekoa" This is a play on the Hebrew words (blow, - ועקת, cf. 4:5; Tekoa - עוקת) which have the same consonants (also note עקת, "alienated" is from the same root). Tekoa was a city south of Jerusalem.

▣ "raise a signal" This refers to a fire signal (cf. Lachish Ostraca, cf. Jdgs. 20:38, 40), as the line above refers to an audible signal.

▣  "Beth-haccerem" This means "house of a vineyard" (BDB 108 construct 501, cf. Neh. 3:14). This city was southwest of Jerusalem.

▣  "evil looks down from the north" Invaders from Mesopotamia had to follow the Euphrates to its head waters and then go south because of the desert east of Palestine. Here the invading army is personified as "evil looks."

6:2

NASB"The comely and dainty one, the daughter of Zion, I will cut off"
NKJV"I have likened the daughter of Zion to a lovely and delicate woman"
NRSV"Beautiful, delicate as she is, I shall destroy the daughter of Zion"
NJB"I have likened the daughter of Zion to the loveliest pasture"
LXX"Your loftiness, O daughter of Zion, shall be removed"
JPSOA"Fair Zion, the lovely and delicate, I will destroy"

There are three descriptive terms.

1. comely - BDB 610

a. adjective - Song of Songs 1:5; 2:14; 6:4

b. verb (Piel) - Isa. 52:7; Song of Songs 1:10

2. delicately bred - BDB 772, KB 851, Pual participle (only here)

3. daughter of Zion - common descriptive family phrase

See a good note on this difficult phrase in UBS Handbook, p. 180. The Tyndale commentary by R. K. Harrison takes the phrase as a question, "Have I compared you to a pleasant pasture?" (p. 80), like NJB.

6:2 "Shepherds" This is a title used of God (i.e., Psalm 23) and the leaders of God's people (cf. 2:8; 3:15). Here it is a metaphor of the invaders who

1. surround the city

2. take over the surrounding lands

 

6:4-5 These are

1. the words of the invaders! They will attack again and again because of the command of YHWH (cf. v. 6).

2. the words of the leaders of Jerusalem and Judah (which does not fit v. 5, line 2).

 

6:4 "Woe to us, for the day declines" This expresses the desire of the invaders to attack by daylight, but even if it is night, they will continue the attack!

▣ "at noon. . .at night" The enemy is so fierce that they attack even at unusual times.

6:5 "palaces" This is "fortified towers" or "citadels" (BDB 74, cf. 17:27; 49:27).

6:6 "cut down her trees" In Deut. 20:19-20, trees were used to build siege instruments, ramps, firewood, etc., for invading armies. Also the destruction of all of the fruit trees is an idiom of total, complete desolation!

▣ "This is the city to be punished" The UBS Text Project suggests a meaning to this Hebrew phrase, "this is the city which has been investigated" (p. 191). The verb דקפ (BDB 823) in Hophal (BDB 824, #1) means "to visit" for either blessing or cursing. Here it is visitation by YHWH for the just destruction of an evil, idolatrous, unrepentant capital city (i.e., Jerusalem).

▣ "In whose midst there is only oppression" See 22:17.

6:7 Jerusalem is compared to a constantly flowing well. As UBS Handbook points out, the interpretive issue is, "Does the verb of line 1:

1. fresh - (lit. "cold," cf NET Bible) reflect a moral indifference?

2. gushing/bubbling (JPSOA, "flows") fit the context best (NIV)?

Number 2 fits the context best. Jerusalem is constantly evil!

▣ "Violence and destruction are heard in her" Her violence (BDB 949) and destruction (BDB 994) were constant! YHWH knew this! He describes their sin as "sickness and wounds" (cf. 30:12-13; Isa. 1:5-6).

As sickness is used as a metaphor of sin, so healing is used as a metaphor for forgiveness. Notice the poetic parallelism of Ps. 103:3.

▣ "Sickness and wounds" This could refer to

1. the sin of Jerusalem (i.e., NIV, cf. Isa. 1:4-5)

2. the evil of the leaders against the poor and powerless (cf. v. 13)

 

▣ "are ever before Me" YHWH knows what is happening, especially with the covenant people who are His instrument of revelation and salvation to a lost, ignorant world (see Special Topic at 1:5). If they do not live out the covenant revealtion of YHWH, then the world does not know Him! The same is now true for the Church.

6:8 "Be warned" This is literally "accept for yourself discipline" (BDB 415, KB 418, Niphal imperative).

▣ "Or I shall be alienated from you" This is literally "torn away" (BDB 429, KB 431, Qal imperfect). It is the worst possible happening. This possibility may be alluded to in v. 4, line 1, "sanctify," which was a "Holy War" term. It was used to address the invaders in v. 6, but here Judah hopes YHWH will be on her side!

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 6:9-15 ⁹Thus says the Lord of hosts,
"They will thoroughly glean as the vine the remnant of Israel;
Pass your hand again like a grape gatherer
Over the branches."
¹⁰To whom shall I speak and give warning
That they may hear?
Behold, their ears are closed
And they cannot listen.
Behold, the word of the Lord has become a reproach to them;
They have no delight in it.
¹¹But I am full of the wrath of the Lord;
I am weary with holding it in.
"Pour it out on the children in the street
And on the gathering of young men together;
For both husband and wife shall be taken,
The aged and the very old.
¹²Their houses shall be turned over to others,
Their fields and their wives together;
For I will stretch out My hand
Against the inhabitants of the land," declares the Lord.
¹³"For from the least of them even to the greatest of them,
Everyone is greedy for gain,
And from the prophet even to the priest
Everyone deals falsely.
¹⁴They have healed the brokenness of My people superficially,
Saying, 'Peace, peace,'
But there is no peace.
¹⁵Were they ashamed because of the abomination they have done?
They were not even ashamed at all;
They did not even know how to blush.
Therefore they shall fall among those who fall;
At the time that I punish them,
They shall be cast down," says the Lord.

6:9 YHWH calls on the invaders to "thoroughly glean" (BDB 760, KB 834; this is the infinitive absolute and Poel imperfect verb of the same root, used for intensity). Nothing will be left, everyone will be exiled or killed. This may be hyperbolic because of 4:27; 5:10, 18; 30:11; 46:28.

The TEV takes this phrase to refer to Jeremiah reaching as many as possible with YHWH's message of repentance (i.e., the remnant).

▣ "the remnant of Israel" For the theological concept of "remnant" see the Special Topic at 5:10-13.

For "Israel" (see Special Topic at 2:3) one wonders if it means

1. the northern ten tribes (exiled in 722 b.c.)

2. the collective name for Abraham's seed from Jacob

 

6:10 "their ears are closed" In v. 10 Jeremiah responds to YHWH's charge to keep proclaiming his message. Israel's ears are "uncircumcised" (BDB 790, cf. 4:4; 9:25-26). They will not/cannot respond (i.e., "listen," BDB 904, KB 1151, Hiphil infinitive construct).

▣ "They have no delight in it" God's word (Scripture or the prophetic word or both) was meant to be a joyous thing (cf. Ps. 19:7-10). They have made it a "reproach" (BDB 357).

6:11 Notice how YHWH is described.

1. full of wrath

2. weary with holding it in (cf. 15:6)

3. will pour it out (cf. 7:20) on

a. children

b. young men

c. husband and wife

d. the very old

This means YHWH's judgment has arrived and it will affect the whole of society (cf. vv. 13, 21).

6:12 This verse (vv. 12-15 are repeated in 8:10-12) describes the consequences of resisting both the Assyrian and Babylonian armies' exile. They moved conquered people hundreds of miles and relocated others in their homes and on their fields (i.e., Deut. 28:30, 38-40; Amos 5:11; Micah 6:15).

Notice also that it is not the power of the gods of the invaders/exilers, but the judgment of YHWH on His own people for their sin and idolatry.

For "I will stretch out My hand" see SPECIAL TOPIC: HAND at 1:9.

6:13 Every segment of society is sinful (cf. 8:10; 16:6; 31:34; 42:1). All are sinful, all will be judged (cf. v. 11).

▣ "greedy for gain" This phrase is from the noun and verb of the same root (BDB130, KB 147, cf. 8:10; 22:17).

▣ "from the prophet even to the priest" All of Judah's leadership are corrupt. They lie (BDB 1055). There was no one to trust!

6:14 "They have healed the brokenness of My people superficially" The false prophets (cf. 8:10-11; 14:14; 23:10-22) and priests denied the problem and tried to cover up the consequences of invasion and exile (cf. 8:11; Ezek. 13:10; Micah 3:5).

▣ "Peace" This is the Hebrew Shalom (BDB 1022, KB 1532), which means the absence of bad and the presence of good. However, it was a false message!

SPECIAL TOPIC: PEACE (SHALOM)

6:15 God's people were not ashamed (BDB 101, KB 116, cf. 3:3; 8:12). They will be!

▣ "they shall fall among those who fall" There is a word play on

1. Qal imperfect (BDB 656, KB 709)

2. Qal participle (BDB 656, KB 709)

What happened to other rebels will happen to them. This is possibly an allusion to the previous fall of Israel by Assyria in 722 b.c.

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 6:16-21
¹⁶Thus says the Lord,
"Stand by the ways and see and ask for the ancient paths,
Where the good way is, and walk in it;
And you will find rest for your souls.
But they said, 'We will not walk in it.'
¹⁷And I set watchmen over you, saying,
'Listen to the sound of the trumpet!'
But they said, 'We will not listen.'
¹⁸Therefore hear, O nations,
And know, O congregation, what is among them.
¹⁹Hear, O earth: behold, I am bringing disaster on this people,
The fruit of their plans,
Because they have not listened to My words,
And as for My law, they have rejected it also.
²⁰For what purpose does frankincense come to Me from Sheba
And the sweet cane from a distant land?
Your burnt offerings are not acceptable
And your sacrifices are not pleasing to Me."
²¹Therefore, thus says the Lord,
"Behold, I am laying stumbling blocks before this people.
And they will stumble against them,
Fathers and sons together;
Neighbor and friend will perish."

6:16 YHWH uses five imperatives to call His people back to His covenant with them but they refused.

God's truths and will were pictured as a clearly marked path (cf. 18:15; 31:21; Psalm 119; 105; 139:24; Pro. 6:23). This godly path brought rest and peace but they would not!

Lifestyle faith is characterized by the verb 'walk" (cf. Eph. 2:10; 4:1,17; 5:2,15).

▣ "you will find rest for your souls" Jesus quotes this in Matt. 11:29. His teachings fulfill the "ancient paths" (i.e., Moses, cf. 18:15) and surpasses them (cf. Matt. 5:17-19, 21-48; the book of Hebrews).

6:17 "watchmen" This refers to the prophets (cf. Ezek. 3:16-21; 33:7).

6:18-19 There is a parallelism between

1. O nations (BDB 156)

2. O congregation (BDB 417 II). This line of v. 18 is left untranslated by AB because of its difficulty and uncertainty, the UBS Handbook suggests that "O congregation" be revocalized to an infinitive of "know," thereby intensifying the verb "know" (BDB 393, KB 390), p. 196

3. O earth (BDB 75)

These seem to be metaphorical of witnesses to court testimony and judgment. Each is matched with an imperative.

For "earth" see Special Topic below.

SPECIAL TOPIC: LAND, COUNTRY, EARTH (ץרא)

6:19 "The fruit of their plans" They are reaping what they sowed.

▣ "My words. . .My law" God's people were His in name only! They rejected both the Torah/Law of Moses (i.e., the ancient paths), as well as the word of the true prophets (cf. Isa. 1:10; 5:24). Their lack of spiritual discernment is exemplified by their devotion to

1. idolatry

2. false prophets (cf. Isa. 29:13)

3. greed and exploitation of the poor

 

6:20 This is sacrificial terminology.

1. frankincense, BDB 526 I, cf. Exod. 30:34-38, this was used for temple incense

2. sweet cane, BDB 373 II and 889, this was holy anointing oil, possibly from India

3. burnt offerings, BDB 750, these were wholly burnt offerings symbolizing total dedication

4. sacrifices, BDB 257, cf. Lev. 7:15-18; 19:5-8, the offerer retained part for a fellowship meal to eat with friends and YHWH

 

▣ "your sacrifices are not pleasing to Me" This is a shocking phrase (cf. Isa. 1:11-14; Hos. 6:6; Amos 5:21-23; Micah 6:6-8; and esp. Jer. 7:21-23). It was not the sacrificial system (which God instigated) but the attitude of the worshipers that He rejected!

6:21 The imagery of this verse refers to the "ancient paths" of v. 16. As walking on the path of God (i.e., Scripture, or the prophetic word) was a source of life, peace, and joy, anything that blocked that path (cf. Isa. 8:14-15) caused pain, trouble, and confusion. The path God's people were on was not His path! They refused to listen and repent, so there were societal and individual consequences! YHWH disciplines His people for their ultimate good!

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 6:22-26
²²Thus says the Lord,
"Behold, a people is coming from the north land,
And a great nation will be aroused from the remote parts of the earth.
²³They seize bow and spear;
They are cruel and have no mercy;  
Their voice roars like the sea,
And they ride on horses,
Arrayed as a man for the battle
Against you, O daughter of Zion!"
²⁴We have heard the report of it;
Our hands are limp.
Anguish has seized us,
Pain as of a woman in childbirth.
²⁵Do not go out into the field
And do not walk on the road,
For the enemy has a sword,
Terror is on every side.
²⁶O daughter of my people, put on sackcloth
And roll in ashes;
Mourn as for an only son,
A lamentation most bitter.
For suddenly the destroyer
Will come upon us.

6:22-26 This strophe describes the Mesopotamian invaders (cf. 50:41-43).

1. they come from the north

2. they are a great nation

3. they are aroused by God

4. they seize bow and spear (BDB 475 I, "javelin" in I Sam. 17:6 or "sword" in DSS)

5. they are cruel and have no mercy (cf. Isa. 13:18)

6. their voices roar (cf. Isa. 5:30; 17:12)

7. they ride horses (cf. 4:13,19)

It also describes Zion's response.

1. they have heard the report

2. their hands are limp (from fear, cf. Isa. 13:7; Zeph. 3:16)

3. anguish seizes them (like childbirth)

4. they (Qere) are afraid to travel

5. they grieve (see Special Topic at 2:37)

a. put on sackcloth

b. roll in ashes (cf. 25:34)

c. mourn as for a son

d. lament bitterly

The destroyer will come suddenly!

6:25 "Terror is on every side" This is a recurrent phrase in Jeremiah (cf. 20:3,10; 46:5; 49:29).

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 6:27-30
²⁷"I have made you an assayer and a tester among My people,
That you may know and assay their way."
²⁸All of them are stubbornly rebellious,
Going about as a talebearer.
They are bronze and iron;
They, all of them, are corrupt.
²⁹The bellows blow fiercely,
The lead is consumed by the fire;
In vain the refining goes on,
But the wicked are not separated.
³⁰They call them rejected silver,
Because the Lord has rejected them.

6:27-30 This strophe is directed towards Jeremiah (cf. 1:18). YHWH has made him

1. an assayer (BDB 103)

2. a tester (NASB, LXX, REB)

3. a fortification (BDB 131, NKJV)

4. a refiner (NJB, JPSOA)

These are rare usages of these roots, which usually denote towers and fortifications, but the context of vv. 20-30 demands it.

The strophe continues by YHWH's description of His people.

1. stubborn (BDB 711)

2. rebellious (BDB 710, KB 779, Qal participle)

3. talebearers (BDB 940)

4. bronze and iron (cf. Ezek. 22:18)

5. corrupt (BDB 1007, KB 1469, Hiphil participle)

YHWH tries to purify them as silver but they would not, therefore, He has "rejected them" (BDB 549, KB 540, Qal perfect).

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

This is a study guide commentary, which means that you are responsible for your own interpretation of the Bible. Each of us must walk in the light we have. You, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit are priority in interpretation. You must not relinquish this to a commentator.

These discussion questions are provided to help you think through the major issues of this section of the book. They are meant to be thought-provoking, not definitive.

1. Is there any hope?

2. Why is God so upset with Judah?

 

Copyright © 2012 Bible Lessons International

PARAGRAPH DIVISIONS OF MODERN TRANSLATIONS

(The parentheses represent poetic literary units)

NASB	NKJV	NRSV	TEV	NJB
	7:32-8:3	7:30-8:3	7:30-8:3	7:30-8:3
The Sin and Treachery of Judah
8:1-3	The Peril of False Teaching	Miscellaneous Oracles	Sin and Punishment	Threats, Laments, Advice, Israel's Perversity
8:4-7 (4b-7)	8:4-7 (4b-6) (7)	8:4-7 (4-7)	8:4-12	8:4-7 (4-7)
				The Law As Administered By the Priests
8:8-12 (8-12)	8:8-12 (8-12)	8:8-13 (8-13)		8:8-9 (8-9)
				Repetition of An Earlier Threat
				8:10-12 (10-12)
				Threats Against Judah the Vine
8:13-17 (13-17)	8:13-17 (13) (14) (15-16) (17)		8:13	8:13-17 (13-17)
		8:14-15 (14-15)	8:14-16
		8:16-17 (16-17)
			8:17
	The Prophet Mourns For the People		Jeremiah's Sorrow For His People	A Lament Of the Prophet During A Famine
8:18-22 (18-22)	8:18-22 (18-19a) (19b) (20-22)	8:18-21 (18-21)	8:18-22 (18-20) (21-22)	8:18-23 (18-23) [v. 23 is 9:1]
		8:22 (22)

READING CYCLE THREE (see introductory section)

FOLLOWING THE ORIGINAL AUTHOR'S INTENT AT PARAGRAPH LEVEL

This is a study guide commentary,which means that you are responsible for your own interpretation of the Bible. Each of us must walk in the light we have. You, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit are priority in interpretation. You must not relinquish this to a commentator.

Read the chapter in one sitting. Identify the subjects (reading cycle #3). Compare your subject divisions with the five translations above. Paragraphing is not inspired, but it is the key to following the original author's intent, which is the heart of interpretation. Every paragraph has one and only one subject.

1. First paragraph

2. Second paragraph

3. Third paragraph

4. Etc.

 

BACKGROUND

A. Chapters 7-10 seem to form a literary unit describing the idolatry of the people of Judah in Jeremiah's day.

1. Chapter 7 is Jeremiah's famous temple sermon where he confronts the idolatrous people of God at the center of the worship of YHWH. Some believe this sermon extends through 8:3.

2. Chapters 8 and 9 form a series of warnings to the people of Jerusalem and Judah which is connected to their abrogation of YHWH's covenant.

3. Chapter 10 is similar to the sarcastic descriptions of idolatry found in Isaiah 2:20; 31:7; 40:18-20; 41:7; 44:9-20; 45:16; 46:5-7.

 

B. As in all of Jeremiah's writings there is a strong Deuteronomic flavor. This can probably be explained by the fact that the prophets went to the Abrahamic and Mosaic covenants as a basis for the covenant relationship with YHWH. To this legal and ritual format they emphasized the personal motive and attitude aspect.

 

WORD AND PHRASE STUDY

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 8:1-3
¹"At that time," declares the Lord, "they will bring out the bones of the kings of Judah and the bones of its princes, and the bones of the priests and the bones of the prophets, and the bones of the inhabitants of Jerusalem from their graves. ²They will spread them out to the sun, the moon and to all the host of heaven, which they have loved and which they have served, and which they have gone after and which they have sought, and which they have worshiped. They will not be gathered or buried; they will be as dung on the face of the ground. ³And death will be chosen rather than life by all the remnant that remains of this evil family, that remains in all the places to which I have driven them," declares the Lord of hosts.

8:1 "they will bring out the bones" Notice how the entire population is mentioned by a series of different groups.

1. kings of Judah

2. its princes

3. priests

4. the prophets

5. the inhabitants of Jerusalem

This act of bringing out the bones of buried Judeans has the following symbolic meaning:

1. the invaders were looking for buried valuables

2. it is connected with the astral worship of Babylon (cf.v. 2)

3. it was a cultural act of hatred and contempt for conquered Judah (cf. Amos 2:1)

 

8:2 "They will spread them out to the sun, the moon and to all the host of heaven" Verse 2 shows how involved the Judeans were in astral worship. The verbs (series of Qal perfects) tell the whole story.

1. loved

2. served

3. gone after

4. sought

5. worshiped

The term "host of heaven" (BDB 838 construct 1029) is used for the worship of the stars, planets, moon, and sun (cf. Deut. 4:19; 17:2-50; II Kgs. 23:4,5,11; Zeph. 1:5; Jer. 19:13; 32:29).

▣ "They will not be gathered or buried; they will be as dung on the face of the ground" This obviously refers to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. This is one reason why many see the context as running from 7:1 through 8:3. It was a horror to the Jews to remain unburied. They somehow thought that their afterlife was affected by a proper burial (see IVP Bible Background Commentary, p. 649). The metaphor "they will be as dung on the face of the ground" is a very striking allusion to their bodies becoming (1) fertilizer or (2) food for animals.

8:3 "And death will be chosen rather than life by all the remnant that remains of this evil family" Something of the pain of exile can be seen in this hyperbole and in Psalm 137.

For the term "remnant" see Special Topic at 5:10-13.

▣ "all the places to which I have driven them" YHWH is the one who allowed, even instigated, Judah's exile!

▣ "the Lord of hosts" This is probably a play on the phrase the "host of heaven," found in v. 2. It was YHWH,  not the planets and stars, who was the creator, sustainer, and guider of the universe (cf. Ps. 19:1-6; Neh. 9:6). See SPECIAL TOPIC: NAMES FOR DEITY at 1:2.

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 8:4-7
⁴"You shall say to them, 'Thus says the Lord,
"Do men fall and not get up again?
Does one turn away and not repent?
⁵"Why then has this people, Jerusalem,
Turned away in continual apostasy?
They hold fast to deceit,
 They refuse to return.
⁶"I have listened and heard,
 They have spoken what is not right;
No man repented of his wickedness,
Saying, 'What have I done?'
Everyone turned to his course,
Like a horse charging into the battle.
^7"Even the stork in the sky
Knows her seasons;
And the turtledove and the swift and the thrush
Observe the time of their migration;
But My people do not know
The ordinance of the Lord."

8:4 "Does one turn away and not repent" There is a play on the phrase "turn back" (BDB 996, KB 1427), found in vv. 4-6 (four times). The exact wording of v. 4 is somewhat in dispute.

1. Kimchi translates it as "if a man turns from evil, will not YHWH turn from judgment"

2. Moore translates it as "if a man repents, He will not repent" (cf. Isa. 55:6)

This seems to be the first allusion to the major theme of chapters 7-10, which is a call to the people of God to turn back to Him. However, Jeremiah knows that at this time their character has already been set and that it is rebellion.

8:5-7 YHWH describes the refusal of His people to repent.

1. they turned away and did not repent, v. 4

2. they turned away in continued apostasy, v. 5

3. they held fast to deceit, v. 5

4. they refused to return, v. 5

5. they heard the truth but spoke what was not right, v. 6

6. no man repented of his wickedness, v. 6

7. they refused to take any responsibility, v. 6

8. every one turned to his course, v. 6

9. they did not "know" YHWH or His ordinance, v. 7

 

8:5 "apostasy" For the term see Special Topic at 2:19.

▣ "They hold fast to deceit" "Hold fast" is the Hebrew phrase, "to cling" (BDB 304, KB 302, Hiphil perfect) and is used in Gen. 2:24 for the marriage relationship. The allusion to marriage is often used for the relationship between YHWH and His people. This imagery becomes "awhoring after other gods" when used of the fertility cults. See Special Topic at 2:20.

▣ "They refuse to return" The main verb "refuse" (BDB 549, KB 540) is a Piel perfect which denotes a settled attitude!

8:6 "I have listened and heard" The Septuagint (LXX) translates this phrase as two imperatives. The NASB implies that it is God speaking through the prophet, while the Septuagint implies it is God speaking to the people.

▣ "No man repented of his wickedness" This is a different Hebrew word (BDB 636, KB 688) from the word for repent and turn away, which is used four times in vv. 4-6 (BDB 996, KB 1427). However, it is a synonym which also refers to repentance but through the metaphor of grief.

▣ "What have I done" This is the big problem! Judah does not even recognize the problem. She is so blind, yet she thinks she sees clearly! One cannot repent of that which they refuse to see or acknowledge.

▣ "Like a horse charging into the battle" War horses were trained to charge and fulfill their training. The people of God were trained to love YHWH, but they had totally reverted from their training and were now running with the same intensity toward non-existent idols.

8:7 "Even the stork. . .turtledove. . .swift. . .thrush" Birds have a natural instinct to migrate at certain times to certain places. This is similar to the animal imagery in Isa. 1:13. However, the people of God had gone totally away from that which was natural and had gone after the fertility gods.

▣ "But My people do not know" There is a play on the word "know" throughout Jeremiah. We learn from Gen. 4:1 that the word "know" can refer to intimate personal relationships such as that between a husband and wife. Again, here is the metaphor of God as husband and Israel as wife. However, they had metaphorically lost their intimate relationship. Although the temples may have been full with religious activity, there was no personal relationship with YHWH. They were worshiping the fertility gods of Canaan in YHWH's name!

▣ "ordinance" See Special Topic at 5:4.

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 8:8-12
⁸"How can you say, 'We are wise,
And the law of the Lord is with us'?
But behold, the lying pen of the scribes
Has made it into a lie.
⁹The wise men are put to shame,
They are dismayed and caught;
Behold, they have rejected the word of the Lord,
And what kind of wisdom do they have?
¹⁰Therefore I will give their wives to others,
Their fields to new owners;
Because from the least even to the greatest
Everyone is greedy for gain;
From the prophet even to the priest
Everyone practices deceit.
¹¹They heal the brokenness of the daughter of My people superficially,
Saying, 'Peace, peace,'
But there is no peace.
¹²Were they ashamed because of the abomination they had done?
They certainly were not ashamed,
And they did not know how to blush;
Therefore they shall fall among those who fall;
At the time of their punishment they shall be brought down,"
  Says the Lord .

8:8-12 This is a literary unit which describes the religious leaders. This is the first extended mention of a group known as the "scribes" (BDB 707). We learn from I Chr. 2:55 that scribes developed into families. They do not serve a major function in Israel's faith until after the exile. They seem to have been developed by Ezra into the synagogue system and rabbinical Judaism. They were basically interpreters of the Mosaic law to local people for specific questions regarding the Torah.

If the leaders are blind, how dark is the darkness? They think they are "wise" and that they "know" the Law of the Lord (cf. v. 9).

NASB, NRSV"the lying pen of the scribes"
NKJV, NJB"the false pen of the scribes"
TEV"the laws have been changed by dishonest scribes"
LXX"a false pen has become of no use to scribes"
JPSOA"assuredly, for naught has the pen labored"
REB"when scribes with their lying pens have falsified it"

This issue is who is being condemned?

1. the scribes (i.e., equal to "wise men" of v. 9)

2. the people (v. 10)

3. other religious leaders (v. 9)

The problem is not the scribes' work (i.e., copying the Law and/or explaining it), but the people's rejecting both the prophetic word and the covenant obligations.

▣ "Has made it into a lie" There is a Hebrew word play between "lying pen" (BDB 1055) and "lie" (BDB 1055). There is often an allusion to Ba'al worship as being "the lie." There may be an allusion here.

8:9 "they have rejected the word of the Lord" They did this at the very time they thought they were upholding the word of the Lord. It would be good to remember Phil. 2:12.

8:10-12 These verses are omitted in the Septuagint (LXX) because of their striking resemblance to Jer. 6:12-15. It seems that the book of Jeremiah is a composite book which was edited according to themes, either by Jeremiah, Baruch, or someone later in history. Therefore, there is considerable repetition in the book.

8:10 "I will give their wives to others

Their fields to new owners" This refers to the experience of invasion and exile. Notice that wives were listed with a man's property, which was characteristic of ANE patriarchal soceity.

8:11 "They heal the brokenness of the daughter of My people superficially" The religious leaders seem to bring that which will give life, but in reality their message of false hope brings death (i.e., Lam. 2:14). The major truth in this verse is found in the latter part in the false prophets' words, "All is well, all is well" (cf. 6:14; 14:13,14). The problem was that there was no peace, but impending invasion. Many commentators believe that these false prophets were quoting Isaiah 36-39, referring to God's promises to Hezekiah and the safety of the city of Jerusalem against the invasion of Sennacherib. But, Jeremiah is emphasizing the truth that the covenant has two aspects: God's promises and His covenant people's faith response. Judah had totally abrogated the covenant!

8:12 The question of line 1 is answered in an intensified way (i.e., the Qal infinitive absolute and Qal imperfect verb of the same root, BDB 101, KB 116) in line 2.

▣ "they shall fall among those who fall" This may be another reference to the previous exile of the northern tribes.

▣ "the time of their punishment" The Neo-Babylonian army took captives from Judah in 605, 597, 586, and 582 b.c. The major deportation was 586 b.c. when the temple and Jerusalem were destroyed.

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 8:13-17
¹³"I will surely snatch them away," declares the Lord;
"There will be no grapes on the vine
And no figs on the fig tree,
And the leaf will wither;
And what I have given them will pass away."
¹⁴Why are we sitting still?
Assemble yourselves, and let us go into the fortified cities
And let us perish there,
Because the Lord our God has doomed us
And given us poisoned water to drink,
For we have sinned against the Lord.
¹⁵We waited for peace, but no good came;
For a time of healing, but behold, terror!
¹⁶From Dan is heard the snorting of his horses;
At the sound of the neighing of his stallions
The whole land quakes;
For they come and devour the land and its fullness,
The city and its inhabitants.
¹⁷For behold, I am sending serpents against you,
Adders, for which there is no charm,
And they will bite you," declares the Lord.

8:13 "'I will surely snatch them away,' declares the Lord

"There will be no grapes on the vine'" Verse 13, by means of two agricultural metaphors, one referring to grapes and the other to figs, implies that no one will be left in the Promised Land and that all will be taken into captivity. Not even a remnant will be left according to this shockingly hyperbolic passage. Palestine was YHWH's special garden but there was no spiritual fruit (cf. Isaiah 5). This is basically the fulfillment of the curses of Deuteronomy 27 and 28.

The first line of the MT can be understood in several ways.

NKJV, Peshitta"I will surely consume them"
TEV"I wanted to gather my people, as a farmer gathers a harvest"
JPSOA"I will make an end of them"
NET Bible"I will take away their harvest"
LXX"they will gather their produce" (i.e., the invaders)

Remember, this is highly emotional poetry! This line can be (1) positive (i.e., YHWH wants to gather His people to Himself, i.e., repentance) or (2) negative (others will reap their harvest, cf. v. 12).

NASB"And what I have given them will pass away"
NRSV"I have found them people to trample on them"
TEV"therefore, I have allowed outsiders to take over the land"
LXX, REB  -omitted---
JPSOA"Whatever I have given them is gone"

The UBS Text Project (p. 200) interprets this ambiguous Hebrew phrase in two ways.

1. "and I gave them (things which) escape them (i.e., fruits of the earth)"

2. "and I gave them (precepts which) they have trespassed"

The first option is based on v. 13, lines 1-4. The second option is related to v. 8 and refers to the Law (i.e., that which was found in the temple under Josiah's reform and remodeling, cf. II Kgs. 22:8).

8:14 "Assemble yourselves, and let us go into the fortified cities" In the ancient world, in times of crisis or invasion, the people of the surrounding areas fled into the walled cities. However, the overcrowding exacerbated the problems of food, water, and sanitation. We learn from later history that the siege experience of the people of Judah was so bad that even after the exile they had to cast lots to see who would live in the reconstructed Jerusalem (cf. Neh. 11:1).

YHWH's message of judgment is expressed in three commands.

1. "assemble yourselves" - BDB 62, KB 74, Niphal imperative

 2. "let us go into the fortified cities" - BDB 97, KB 112, Qal imperfect used in a cohortative sense

2. "let us perish" - BDB 198, KB 226, Qal chohortative

There is a sound play between "gather/harvest" in v. 13, סוף, and "gather together" in v. 14, אסף. Both gatherings bring judgment!

▣ "Because the Lord our God has doomed us. . .
For we have sinned against the Lord" This is the key to understanding God's actions against His own people. God chose them to be a kingdom of priests so that all the world would know Him, Gen. 12:3; Exod. 19:5,6 (see Special Topic at 1:5), but the light coming from God's people was anything but complimentary to God! The covenant made with Abraham, and further elaborated at Sinai, was based on the assumption that Israel's life and worship would reveal YHWH to the world. The only way to correct their false message was radical surgery (cf. Ezek. 36:22-38).

▣ "poisoned water" This (BDB 912 II) is an allusion to "wormwood" or "gall." Many times in the OT "gall" or "wormwood" is mentioned (cf. Jer. 9:15; 23:15; Deut. 29:18; Ps. 69:21; Lam. 3:19; and Matt. 27:34 in the NT)

8:15 This verse, like vv. 6d,8,11, shows that Judah expected "peace" and was surprised at invasion and exile. This phrase is repeated in 14:19 and is similar to Job 30:26.

8:16 "From Dan is heard the snorting of his horses" We learn that the tribe of Dan moved from its tribal allocation by Joshua in the south to the north (cf. Judges 18). Its capital city became the metaphor for describing the upper limits of the Promised Land (cf. 4:15). Invading Mesopotamian armies came from the north, therefore, when Dan heard the snorting horses it meant the troops from Babylon were entering Palestine.

8:17 "I am sending serpents against you" This may be (1) an allusion to Numbers 21 when God sent serpents to judge His people or (2) simply another kind of poison as in v. 14. Whichever is true, both metaphors (i.e., poison, snakes) combine to show that there is no hope for the people of God. Here "snakes" refers to the Babylonian army!

The first line of v. 18 may go with v. 17 and be understood as an idiom that the snake bites were fatal (lit. "beyond recovery"). The LXX translated it as "incurable."

 

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 8:18-22
¹⁸My sorrow is beyond healing,
My heart is faint within me!
¹⁹Behold, listen! The cry of the daughter of my people from a distant land:
"Is the Lord not in Zion? Is her King not within her?"
"Why have they provoked Me with their graven images, with foreign idols?"
²⁰"Harvest is past, summer is ended,
And we are not saved."
²¹For the brokenness of the daughter of my people I am broken;
I mourn, dismay has taken hold of me.
²²Is there no balm in Gilead?
Is there no physician there?
Why then has not the health of the daughter of my people been restored?

8:18-22 There has been much discussion among commentators as to who is speaking here. Some say that it is the prophet grieving over his people, but it seems, in context, to be God grieving over His people. It is true that God speaks through His prophet throughout this book and it is sometimes difficult to differentiate. However, because of Hos. 11:8,9 and because of the specific references found in 9:3,6,9,10,11, it seems to me that this is a very significant passage on the heart of God (i.e., v. 21). Though God was forced to judge His people, it broke His heart to do so. A good way to compare the love and anger of God is by comparing Deut. 5:9 with Deut. 7:9.

8:19-20 All of the verbs are perfects, reflecting settled conditions.

8:19 By means of a series of questions, the tragedy of Judah's invasion, destruction, and exile are highlighted. Idolatry and rebellion have consequences. This is still true (cf. 17:10; Gal. 6:7).

The TEV expressed the thought of the verse best.

1. the people cry out

a. "Is the Lord not in Zion?"

b. "Is her King not within her?"

2. YHWH answers in line 3 (cf. 7:30-34)

The NASB, "from a distant land," is an incorrect translation. The MT has "from the length and breadth of the land" (cf. NRSV). The people of Judah are speaking; those who remain from the Assyrian exile also. The question, "Where is YHWH?" rang out as the Babylonian army approached (cf. v. 16).

8:20 "Harvest is past, summer is ended

And we are not saved" This is a reference to the seasons when crops and fruit ripened. When the harvest has passed, there is nothing left!

8:22 "Is there no balm in Gilead" Gilead was famous for its healing ointment (cf. Gen. 37:25), but as there was no way to stop the poisoning of v. 14, no way to heal the serpent's bite of v. 17, no cessation of the hunger of v. 20, there was no doctor's help in v. 22. The people of God stand judged even though it had not yet happened historically (i.e., Babylonian invasions).

 

Copyright © 2012 Bible Lessons International

PARAGRAPH DIVISIONS OF MODERN TRANSLATIONS

(The parentheses represent poetic literary units)

NASB	NKJV	NRSV	TEV	NJB
The Broken Covenant	The Broken Covenant	Jeremiah and Observance of the Covenant	Jeremiah and the Covenant	Jeremiah and the Covenant
11:1-8	11:1-5	11:1-8	11:1-5	11:1-5
	11:6-8		11:6-8	11:6-8
11:9-13	11:9-10	11:9-12	11:9-14	11:9-13
	11:11-13
		11:13 (13)
11:14-17 (15-16)	11:14-17 (15-16)	11:14		11:14-17
		Rebuke to the Frequenters of the Temple
		11:15-16 (15-16)	11:15-16
		11:17	11:17
Plots Against Jeremiah	Jeremiah's Life Threatened	Jeremiah Persecuted at Anathoth	A Plot Against Jeremiah's Life	Jeremiah's First Personal Lament. A Plot Against the Life of Jeremiah (11:18-12:6)
11:18-20 (18-20)	11:18-20 (20)	11:18-19	11:18-19	11:18-20 (18-20)
		11:20 (20)	11:20
11:21-23	11:21-23	11:21-23	11:21-23	11:21-23

READING CYCLE THREE (see introductory section)

FOLLOWING THE ORIGINAL AUTHOR'S INTENT AT PARAGRAPH LEVEL

This is a study guide commentary,which means that you are responsible for your own interpretation of the Bible. Each of us must walk in the light we have. You, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit are priority in interpretation. You must not relinquish this to a commentator.

Read the chapter in one sitting. Identify the subjects (reading cycle #3). Compare your subject divisions with the five translations above. Paragraphing is not inspired, but it is the key to following the original author's intent, which is the heart of interpretation. Every paragraph has one and only one subject.

1. First paragraph

2. Second paragraph

3. Third paragraph

4. Etc.

 

CONTEXTUAL INSIGHTS

A. Chapters 11-13 are about the Mosaic covenant (see Special Topic at 3:7), which Josiah took seriously, as did the prophets (see Special Topic at 1:4), but the people did not (cf. vv. 7-8)!

 

B. This discussion of "the covenant" has words and phrasing taken from Deuteronomy.

 

C. The first of several very frank discussions between YHWH and Jeremiah, called "Jeremiah's Confessions," occurs in this literary unit (cf. 11:18-12:6; 15:10-21; 17:14-18; 18:18-23; 20:7-18).

Jeremiah felt comfortable being transparent in his conversations with YHWH.

WORD AND PHRASE STUDY

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 11:1-5
¹The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying, ²"Hear the words of this covenant, and speak to the men of Judah and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem; ³and say to them, 'Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, "Cursed is the man who does not heed the words of this covenant ⁴which I commanded your forefathers in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, from the iron furnace, saying, 'Listen to My voice, and do according to all which I command you; so you shall be My people, and I will be your God,' ⁵in order to confirm the oath which I swore to your forefathers, to give them a land flowing with milk and honey, as it is this day."'" Then I said, "Amen, O Lord."

11:2 "Hear the words" This is a Qal imperative which so often introduces a new poem/thought in Jeremiah (see note at 10:1).
▣ "of this covenant" Chapters 11-13 are unified by the term covenant (BDB 260, see Special Topic at 3:7). This covenant, in context, seems to relate to God's revelation to Moses on Mt. Sinai (cf. Exodus 19-24; Deuteronomy 5). God approached several of the early personages with promises and stipulations (i.e., Noah, Gen. 6:18; Abraham, Genesis 12,15,18). These covenants basically involve stipulations with benefits and warnings/cursings for non-performance (i.e., Leviticus 26; Deuteronomy 27-29). They exactly follow the Hittite Suzerian Treaty formulas of the second millennium b.c.

SPECIAL TOPIC: HITTITE (SUZERIAN) TREATIES

11:3 "cursed" In Deuteronomy 27 and 28 Moses lays out the benefits and judgments connected with following God. When Joshua entered the Promised Land, he confirmed this covenant with the people (cf. Josh. 8:30-35). There are consequences to disobedience (i.e., Deut. 27:15-26; 28:15-19).

11:4 "the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt" It needs to be remembered that God dealt with the Israelites in grace (cf. Gen. 6:1-22; 15:12-21) before He dealt with them in law (cf. Exodus 19-24). The Law was YHWH's way to assure a people who reflected His character to a fallen world!

▣ "from the iron furnace" This (BDB 468 construct 137) is from the mining industry, a phrase that speaks of processing metal. It is used metaphorically for "hard labor" (cf. Isa. 48:10; Deut. 4:20).

▣ "Listen" See note at v. 2. It is important to remember that God's covenant is both conditional and unconditional. It is conditional on mankind's faith response (cf. 31:32), but unconditional on God's promise (cf. 24:4-7). It is important not only to hear (Qal imperative, cf. v. 2) the Word of God (Exod. 24:3-8), but to act on the Word of God (cf. James 2:14-20).

▣ "so you shall be My people, and I will be your God" This is covenant language. Notice that it is based on Israel's obedience; no obedience - no covenant!

This is why a New Covenant (31:31-34; Ezek. 36:22-38) was needed. Fallen mankind, even covenant mankind, could not keep God's laws (cf. Galatians 3).

11:5 "the oath which I swore to your forefathers" This seems to refer to YHWH's call to Abram in Gen. 12:1-3.

▣ "a land flowing with milk and honey" This phrase was a technical name for the land of Palestine in Canaanite, Egyptian, Assyrian, and Babylonian documents (cf. Exod. 3:8,17; Deut. 6:3; 11:9; 26:9,15; 27:3; 31:20).

▣ "as it is this day" This is a combination of BDB 398 and 260, which is used often especially in Deuteronomy (cf. 2:30; 4:20,38; 5:24; 10:8; 11:4; 27:9; 29:27), but is also found several times in

1. Joshua - 7:25,26; 14:14; 23:8

2. Judges - 9:19; 10:15; 12:3; 15:19

3. I Samuel - 14:45; 22:8,13; 24:19; 25:32; 26:21; 27:6; 28:18; 29:3,6,8

4. II Samuel - 16:12; 18:20

5. I Kings - 2:26; 3:2; 8:8,24

Jeremiah, who had access to previous OT books, did not get it uniquely from Deuteronomy, which many modern scholars assume was written in Josiah's day.

SPECIAL TOPIC: PENTATEUCH SOURCE CRITICISM (J,E,D,P)

▣ "Amen" This is the Hebrew term for "faith" (cf. Hab. 2:4 and Special Topic at 3:12). It comes from the root "to be firm" or "to be sure." Its basic affirmation is "faithfulness" or "trustworthiness." Here and in 28:6 it is used in the sense of a verbal agreement, as we use today.

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 11:6-8
⁶And the Lord said to me, "Proclaim all these words in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem, saying, 'Hear the words of this covenant and do them. ⁷For I solemnly warned your fathers in the day that I brought them up from the land of Egypt, even to this day, warning persistently, saying, "Listen to My voice." ⁸Yet they did not obey or incline their ear, but walked, each one, in the stubbornness of his evil heart; therefore I brought on them all the words of this covenant, which I commanded them to do, but they did not.'"

11:6 This verse may imply an itinerant ministry. There is much about the lives of OT characters that is unknown. The verb "proclaim" is a Qal imperative (BDB 894, KB 1128, cf. 2:2; 3:12; 7:2; 19:2, same verb but Qal perfect).

11:7-8 These verses are omitted in the LXX (except for "And they did not obey," v. 8). They are theologically similar to 7:24-26. Basically they are Judah's response to YHWH's message through Jeremiah.

11:7 "I solemnly warned. . .warning persistently" This first phrase is an infinitive absolute and a perfect verb of the same root (BDB 729, KB 795), which was a grammatical way to show intensity. The second phrase is literally "rising early and warning," both Hiphil infinitive absolutes.

YHWH repeatedly warned His covenant people by revelations through Moses during the exodus and wilderness wandering period. YHWH manifested His personal presence then by

1. the Shekinah cloud

2. providing water

3. providing food

4. clothes

a. did not wear out

b. grew with the children

5. revelations at the tabernacle to Moses

 

▣ "Listen to My voice" See note at v. 2. "Voice" would be metaphorical for all of YHWH's revelations (see above).

11:8 This verse describes the covenant people's response to YHWH's revelation.

1. they did not obey - BDB 1033, KB 1570, Qal perfect (cf. 7:24; 9:13)

2. they did not incline their ear - BDB 639, KB 692, Hiphil perfect (cf. 35:15)

3. they walked, every one, in the stubbornness of their evil heart (cf. 3:17; 7:24; 9:14; 13:10; 16:12; 18:12; 23:17)

YHWH's response was

1. to bring the stated curses among them (cf. Leviticus 26; Deuteronomy 27-29)

2. even the curses did not affect their behavior

It must be remembered that biblical faith is not simply cognitive or a crisis experience, but a aily relationship with God through faith and repentance!

▣ "in the stubbornness of their evil heart" God possibly chose Israel because of their rebellious tendencies (cf. Deut. 9:6,7,13,24; 10:16; 31:27) so that the truth of His gracious and patient character (cf. Exod. 34:6-7; Num. 14:18; Deut. 4:31; Neh. 9:17; Ps. 86:15; 103:8-18; 145:8-13) might shine all the brighter!

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 11:9-13
⁹Then the Lord said to me, "A conspiracy has been found among the men of Judah and among the inhabitants of Jerusalem. ¹⁰They have turned back to the iniquities of their ancestors who refused to hear My words, and they have gone after other gods to serve them; the house of Israel and the house of Judah have broken My covenant which I made with their fathers." ¹¹Therefore thus says the Lord , "Behold I am bringing disaster on them which they will not be able to escape; though they will cry to Me, yet I will not listen to them. ¹²Then the cities of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem will go and cry to the gods to whom they burn incense, but they surely will not save them in the time of their disaster. ¹³For your gods are as many as your cities, O Judah; and as many as the streets of Jerusalem are the altars you have set up to the shameful thing, altars to burn incense to Baal.

11:9

NASB, NKJV,
NRSV, NJB"A conspiracy"
TEV"plotting against"
LXX"a bond of union"
NET Bible"plotted rebellion"

The Hebrew verb (BDB 905) denotes a "planning together" or "binding" of men to do harm (used often in Kings and Chronicles). It is found only here in Jeremiah. What is shocking is that it was the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem against YHWH.

11:10 "They have turned back to the iniquities of their ancestors" The current generation refused to acknowledge the sin and rebellion of their ancestors. They themselves became covenant breakers and idolaters just as their ancestors had (cf. Exod. 20:5). Consequences of sin move through time!

▣ "the house of Israel and the house of Judah" The Jewish united monarchy (Saul, David, Solomon) split in 922 b.c. over the issue of taxation and forced labor between Solomon's son Rehoboam and the Ephraimatic leader Jeroboam. From this point on the Northern Ten Tribes are know as Israel (collective term), Ephraim (the largest tribe), or Samaria (the capital city).

▣ "have broken My covenant" The verb is a Hiphil perfect (BDB 830 I, KB 974), which denotes an intensified, settled condition!

What a shocking phrase. The covenants with the Patriarchs were conditional. Successive generations violated it (the perfect denotes a settled condition). It had stated consequences (cf. Leviticus 26; Deuteronomy 27-29). YHWH abrogated the covenant and Jeremiah states clearly in 31:31-34 that a "new" covenant was necessary, one not based on human performance which, because of the Fall (Genesis 3), was impossible. Therefore, God Himself would act redemptively on their behalf (cf. Ezek. 36:22-38). The "new covenant" of Jeremiah is the gospel of Jesus Christ (cf. Rom. 3:21-31; Galatians 3; and the book of Hebrews).

11:11 The covenant curses come to fruition (cf. 6:19).

▣ "though they will cry to Me, yet I will not listen to them" What a shocking phrase! God pleaded again and again with them and they would not listen. Even now, their cry to Him is from the fear of consequences, not true repentance! The covenant is broken! YHWH will not respond (cf. v. 11; 7:16).

11:12 "will go and cry to the gods to whom they burn incense" The lifeless idols cannot hear, see, or save!

▣ "they surely will not save them" This is an infinitive absolute and an imperfect verb from the same root (BDB 446, KB 448), which shows intensity. There is no possible deliverance from "non-existent" gods made with human hands!

11:13 "For your gods are as many as your cities, O Judah" Every city had their own Ba'al/Asherah worship site (cf. 2:28, see Special Topic at 2:20).

▣ "the shameful thing" The Hebrews often took the vowels from the Hebrew word "shame" and combined them with the names of foreign deities (i.e., Ishbosheth = "man of shame," cf. II Sam. 2:8, instead of Eshbaal, I Chr. 8:33). This was done to ridicule the idols. The term "shame" (BDB 102) became a word for the fertility worship of Ba'al and Asherah of the Canaanite pantheon (see W. F. Albright, Archaeology and the Religion of Israel).

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 11:14-17
¹⁴"Therefore do not pray for this people, nor lift up a cry or prayer for them; for I will not listen when they call to Me because of their disaster.
¹⁵"What right has My beloved in My house
When she has done many vile deeds?
Can the sacrificial flesh take away from you your disaster,
So that you can rejoice?"
¹⁶The Lord called your name,
"A green olive tree, beautiful in fruit and form";
With the noise of a great tumult
He has kindled fire on it,
  And its branches are worthless.
¹⁷The Lord of hosts, who planted you, has pronounced evil against you because of the evil of the house of Israel and of the house of Judah, which they have done to provoke Me by offering up sacrifices to Baal.

11:14 "do not pray for this people" The first two verbs are imperfects used in a jussive sense. The time for intercession had passed (cf. v. 11; 7:16; 14:11). God had set his mind on judgment (cf. Exod. 32:10). It was an act of parental love (cf. Heb. 12:5-11). His people were so sick with sin only radical surgery could help!

A book that has helped me interpret prophecy in light of the original author's intent is by D. Brent Sandy, Plowshares and Pruning Hooks. This is especially true of chapter 4, "How does the Language of Destruction and Blessing Work?" (pp. 73-102). Moderns do not understand ancient eastern ways of imagery. We tend to make everything literal, which is a disaster when interpreting prophetic poetry.

11:15-16 These two verses are poetry. God's people are spoken of in the metaphor of an unfaithful wife, as in the book of Hosea (chapters 1-3). This shows the intimate interpersonal family relationship that was desired between God and His people (cf. 2:2).

11:15 "Can the sacrificial flesh take away from you your disaster" The LXX's understanding of this difficult Hebrew text is that Judah was depending on the ritual of her sacrificial cultus instead of a personal relationship with God. Most modern English translations follow the LXX and see it as relating to Jeremiah's temple sermon in chapter 7.

The MT seems to imply that the people were (1) taking the sacrificial meat home to eat or (2) eating it at the temple but planning their evil deeds of Ba'al worship activities. In Moses' writings this was the privilege of the priests only, except for the peace offering. This showed the people's total disregard for YHWH and His word!

The Expositors Bible Commentary, vol. 6, p. 455, offers a list of the textual problems.

1. a masculine plural adjective modifying a feminine noun

2. a singular noun construct followed by a plural verb

3. MT punctuation that does not make sense

4. an archaic ending to one of the nouns

5. an adverb before the last verb with an unusual meaning

 

SPECIAL TOPIC: Sacrifices in Mesopotamia and Israel and Their Significance

11:16 "A green olive tree" There are two major agricultural symbols used for the nation from Abraham's seed in the OT: (1) an olive tree (cf. Ps. 52:8; Hosea 14:6; Rom. 11:17-24) and (2) a grapevine (i.e., Isaiah 5).

NASB, LXX "its branches are worthless"
NKJV, NRSV,
JPSOA"it branches are broken"
TEV"break its branches"
NJB, REB"its branches will be consumed"

There are three possible verbs.

1. רעע - BDB 949, KB 1270, meaning "to break," cf. 15:12 (alternate form הער, KB 1264)

2. רעה - BDB 94, KB 1262, meaning "that which is harmful or useless" (LXX, see Benjamin Davidson, Analytical Hebrew and Chaldee Lexicon, p. DCLXXXVI, IV)

3. בער - BDB 128, KB 145, meaning "to kindle"

The judgment of YHWH (i.e., fire, BDB 77, or possibly lightning) has destroyed the fruitful olive tree (i.e., Judah).

11:17 "The Lord of hosts, who planted you" Here again the people are described in agricultural terms as an olive tree or vineyard (cf. 2:21; Exod. 15:17; Ps. 44:2; 80:8; Isa. 5:2). YHWH is their source and life.

▣ "to provoke Me" This verbal (BDB 494, KB 491, Hiphil infinitive construct) is used often in connection with idolatry (cf. 25:6,7; 32:30; 44:3,8; Deut. 4:25; 9:18; 31:29; 32:16; I Kgs. 16:7; II Kgs. 17:15-17; 21:6).

▣ "by offering up sacrifices to Baal" See 7:9; 11:13; and 32:29; also see Special Topic: Fertility Worship of the ANE at 2:20.

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 11:18-20
¹⁸Moreover, the Lord made it known to me and I knew it;
Then You showed me their deeds.
¹⁹But I was like a gentle lamb led to the slaughter;
And I did not know that they had devised plots against me, saying,
"Let us destroy the tree with its fruit,
And let us cut him off from the land of the living,
That his name be remembered no more."
²⁰But, O Lord of hosts, who judges righteously,
Who tries the feelings and the heart,
Let me see Your vengeance on them,
For to You have I committed my cause.

11:18-12:4 This is the first of several intimate conversations between YHWH and Jeremiah known as "Jeremiah's Confessions" (cf. 11:18-12:6; 15:10-21; 17:14-18; 18:18-23; 20:7-18). Verses 18-20 and 12:1-4 are poems. This first one deals with the plot from Jeremiah's own kindred in Anathoth to take his life.

11:19 Jeremiah expresses his surprise at the divine information he received (v. 18). He was shocked at the intensity of the plot, because he was innocent (i.e., line 1, cf. Isa. 53:7).

Lines 3 and 4 are cohortatives.

1. let us destroy the tree with its fruit - BDB 1007, KB 1469, Hiphil cohortative

2. let us cut him off from the land of the living - BDB 503, KB 500, Qal imperfect used in a cohortative sense

In v. 20, line 3, Jeremiah uses a cohortative directed at those who plotted his death - "let me see Your vengeance on them," BDB 906, KB 1157, Qal imperfect used in a cohortative sense.

Just an added note about "with its fruit" (#1 above). This word (בלחמו, BDB 536) usually means "bread" or possibly "food." REB translated it as "sap," which is a revocalization. TEV has "while it is still healthy," and NRSV has "in its strength" בלחו). The UBS Text Project, p. 211, gives "bread/fruit" an A rating.

▣ The last two lines of v. 19 are parallel. The same thought is expressed in two images.

1. "cut off" - BDB 503, KB 500, Qal imperfect used in a cohortative sense; this verb is used in two ways

a. cut down a tree

b. cut off a piece of something, here, "the land of the living," cf. Ps. 52:5; Isa. 53:8

2. "name be remembered no more" - BDB 269, KB 269, Niphal imperfect , cf. Ps. 41:5; 83:4; 109:13

Both of these were metaphors for death.

11:20 "O Lord of hosts, who judges righteously" This section deals with the age-old question of why the righteous suffer and the wicked prosper (see John W. Wenham, The Goodness of God and The Enigma of Evil: Can We Believe in the Goodness of God). Jeremiah picks up on God as a righteous judge and in 12:1 he wants to plead his circumstances before Him. This is reminiscent of the book of Job, also note Ps. 37:73 and Hab: 1:2-4. It is always difficult to face and accept the unfairness of this fallen reality! But the problem is not YHWH but human rebellion (i.e., Genesis 3). This is not the world YHWH intended it to be!

▣ "Who tries the feelings and the heart" God does judge (verb, BDB 103, cf. 6:27) on the basis, not only of actions, but also motives (cf. 17:10; 20:12; Ps. 7:9; 17:3; 26:2; 66:10; 139:23).

The word "feelings" (lit. "reins") in the English text is basically the Hebrew word (BDB 480) for the lower viscera. The ancients believed that this was the area where the emotions and motives dwelt (cf. 12:2).

For "heart" see Special Topic at 4:19.

▣ "For to You have I committed my cause" The MT has the verb "uncovered" (BDB 162, cf. LXX), but most translations have "committed" (lit. "rolled upon," cf. Ps. 22:8), which is spelled very similarly.

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 11:21-23
²¹Therefore thus says the Lord concerning the men of Anathoth, who seek your life, saying, "Do not prophesy in the name of the Lord, so that you will not die at our hand"; ²²therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts, "Behold, I am about to punish them! The young men will die by the sword, their sons and daughters will die by famine; ²³and a remnant will not be left to them, for I will bring disaster on the men of Anathoth-the year of their punishment."

11:21-23 This is YHWH's response to Jeremiah's prayer of v. 20. Anathoth was Jeremiah's hometown (cf. 1:1). There has been much discussion in the commentaries if these threats were based on the ancient rivalry between the two priestly families of Zadok and Abiathar. This connection is not certain in the text, but was obviously an undercurrent. Zadok was the current ruling high priestly family and Abiathar had been exiled to Anathoth by Solomon (cf. I Kgs. 2:26-27).

11:22 "the sword. . .famine" In the ANE there was a triad of terms used by Jeremiah to describe coming disaster (cf. 14:12; 21:7,9; 24:10; 27:8,13; 29:17-18; 32:24,36; 34:17; 38:2; 42:17,22; 44:13).

1. the sword - invasion

2. famine - drought or siege  

3. pestilence - insects, sickness, or siege

 

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

This is a study guide commentary, which means that you are responsible for your own interpretation of the Bible. Each of us must walk in the light we have. You, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit are priority in interpretation. You must not relinquish this to a commentator.

These discussion questions are provided to help you think through the major issues of this section of the book. They are meant to be thought-provoking, not definitive.

1. What is a covenant?

2. Define the Hebrew word "Amen" in v. 5.

3. Who is Ba'al and how was he worshiped?

4. How is v. 15 related to the book of Hosea?

5. Why were the men of Anathoth trying to kill Jeremiah?

 

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