12:12 sword of the LORD. God’s strength can be for defending (cf. 47:6; Judg. 7:20) or in this case, condemning. The Babylonians were God’s sword doing His will.
12:14 evil neighbors. Other nations which hurt Israel will, in their turn, also receive judgment from the Lord (cf. 9:26; 25:14–32; chaps. 46–51).
12:15 bring them back. God will restore His people to the land of Israel in a future millennial day, as indicated in chaps. 30–33.
Jeremiah 13
13:1 a linen sash. One of several signs Jeremiah enacted to illustrate God’s message (cf. Introduction) involved putting a linen sash (generally the inner garment against the skin) around his waist. This depicted Israel’s close intimacy with God in the covenant, so that they could glorify Him (v. 11). do not put it in water. Signified the moral filth of the nation. Buried and allowed time to rot (v. 7), the sash pictured Israel as useless to God due to sin (v. 10). Hiding it by the Euphrates (v. 6) pointed to the land of Babylon, where God would exile Israel to deal with her pride (cf. v. 9).
13:4 Euphrates. This refers literally to a site on the Euphrates River because: 1) the Euphrates is the area of exile (20:4); 2) “many days” fits the round trip of well over 1,000 mi. (v. 6); and 3) the ruining of the nation’s pride (v. 9) relates to judgment by Babylon (vv. 10, 11).
13:12–14 Every bottle. God pictured inhabitants of Israel in Babylon’s invasion as bottles or skins of wine. As wine causes drunkenness, they will be dazed, stumbling in darkness (cf. v. 16), out of control, and victims of destruction (v. 14).
13:16 Give glory to the LORD. Show by repentance and obedience to God that you respect His majesty.
13:18 king…queen mother. Jehoiachin and Nehushta, ca. 597 B.C. (cf. 22:24–26; 29:2; 2 Kin. 24:8–17). Because the king was only 18 years old, she held the real power.
13:19 wholly carried away. “All” and “wholly” do not require absolutely every individual, for Jeremiah elsewhere explains that some were to be slain and a remnant left in the land or fleeing to Egypt (chaps. 39–44).
13:23 Ethiopian…leopard. The vivid analogy assumes that sinners cannot change their sinful natures (cf. “incurably sick,” 17:9, marginal note). Only God can change the heart (31:18, 31–34).
13:26 uncover your skirts over your face. This was done to shame captive women and prostitutes (cf. Nah. 3:5).
13:27 lustful neighings. Refers to desire at an animal level, without conscience.
Jeremiah 14
14:1 droughts. Jeremiah seems to actually give the prophecy of this chapter during a drought in Judah (vv. 2–6).
14:2 gates languish. The “gates” were the place of public concourse, which during drought and consequent famine were empty or occupied by mourners.
14:7 O LORD. Jeremiah from 14:7—15:21, pursues a series of prayers in which he dialogues with the Lord, who hears and responds (as 1:7; 12:5–17, etc.). Five rounds or exchanges occur (14:7–12; 14:13–18; 14:19—15:9; 15:10–14; 15:15–21).
14:7–9 our backslidings. The prophet confesses Judah’s guilt but reminds God that His reputation is tied up with what happens to His people (vv. 7, 9). He asks that the Lord be not indifferent as a foreigner or overnight visitor (v. 8).
14:10–12 God responded in this first exchange that 1) He must judge Judah for chronic sinfulness, and 2) Jeremiah is not to pray for the sparing of Judah nor will He respond to their prayers since unrepentance must be punished (cf. 11:14, and see note there).
14:13 the prophets say. Jeremiah seemed to put forth the excuse that the people cannot help it since the false prophets deluded them with lying assurances of peace.
14:14–18 The excuse was not valid. These were deceits spawned from the prophets’ lying hearts. The prophets would suffer for their own sins (vv. 14, 15), but so would the people for “their wickedness” (vv. 16–18; 5:31).
14:17 virgin daughter. Judah is so called, having never before been under foreign bondage.
14:18 a land they do not know. Babylon.
14:19, 20 Have You utterly rejected Judah? Lest the Lord be casting Judah off forever, the prophet in deep contrition confesses the nation’s sin (cf. Dan. 9:4ff.).
14:21 the throne of Your glory. Jerusalem, place of the temple.
Jeremiah 15
15:1–9 It was ineffective at this point to intercede for the nation. Even prayers by Moses (cf. Num. 14:11–25) and Samuel (cf. 1 Sam. 12:19–25), eminent in intercession, would not defer judgment, where unrepentance persists (cf. 18:8; 26:3). Chief among things provoking judgment was the intense sin of King Manasseh (695–642 B.C.). Noted in v. 4., this provocation is recounted in 2 Kin. 21:1–18, cf. 2 Kin. 23:26, which says the Lord did not relent from His anger because of this (see also 2 Kin. 24:3, 4).
15:6 I am weary of relenting! God often withholds the judgment He threatens (cf. 26:19; Ex. 32:14; 1 Chr. 21:15), sparing men so that His patience might lead them to repentance (cf. Rom. 2:4, 5; 3:25).
15:9 sun…gone down while…yet day. Young mothers die in youth and their children are killed.
15:10 Woe is me. Overcome by grief (cf. 9:1), Jeremiah wished that he had not been born (as 20:14–18). He had not been a bad or disagreeable creditor or debtor, either of whom kindle hatred. Yet his people cursed him, and he felt the sting.
15:11–14 In the midst of judgment, the Lord promised protection for the obedient remnant in Judah (cf. Mal. 3:16, 17). The Babylonians permitted some to stay in the land when they departed (40:5–7). Jeremiah personally received kind treatment from the invader (40:1–6), and his enemies in Judah would later appeal to him (21:1–6; 37:3; 42:1–6). Ultimately, a band of renegade Judeans took Jeremiah to Egypt against God’s will (cf. 43:1–7).
15:15–18 O LORD, You know. Jeremiah, in a mood of self-pity, reminded the Lord of his faithfulness in bearing reproach, his love for His word, and his separation from evil men to stand alone.
15:18 an unreliable stream. He asked that the Lord not fail him like a wadi that has dried up (v. 18). The answer to this concern is in 2:13 (the Lord is his fountain), 15:19–21, and 17:5–8.
15:19 The Lord reprimanded Jeremiah for self-pity and impatience. He had to have the proper posture before God and repent. If he did so, he would discern true values (“take out the precious,” a figure drawn from removing pure metal from dross), and have the further privilege of being God’s mouthpiece. Let sinners change to his values, but let him never compromise to theirs. As a man who is to assay and test others (6:27–30), he must first assay himself (cf. Moses, in Ex. 4:22–26).
15:20, 21 When Jeremiah repents, God will protect him (vv. 20, 21, as 1:18, 19).
Jeremiah 16
16:2 You shall not take a wife. Since destruction and exile are soon to fall on Judah, the prophet must not have a wife and family. God’s kindness will keep him from anxiety over them in the awful situation of suffering and death (v. 4). Cf. 15:9 and 1 Cor. 7:26.
16:5 house of mourning. This was a home where friends prepared a meal for a bereaved family. Don’t mourn with them or rejoice, he is told (cf. v. 8).
16:6 cut…bald. These acts indicated extreme grief.
16:10–13 Why…? Jeremiah was to explain the reason for the judgment, i.e., their forsaking God and worshiping false gods (v. 11; 2:13). They would get their fill of idols in Babylon (v. 13).
16:14, 15 no more be said. In view of the Lord’s promise of restoration from Babylon, the proof of God’s redemptive power and faithfulness in the deliverance from Egypt would give way to a greater demonstration in the deliverance of His people from Babylon. That bondage was to be so severe that deliverance from Babylon was a greater relief than from Egypt.
16:15 all the lands. This reference is extensive enough to be fully realized only in the final gathering into Messiah’s earthly kingdom.
16:16 many fishermen…hunters. These are references to Babylonian soldiers, who were doing God’s judgment work (v. 17).
16:18 repay double. The word for “double” signified “full or complete,” a fitti
ng punishment for such severe sins.
16:19–21 The result of God’s judgment on the Jews will be the end of idolatry; even some Gentiles, witnessing the severity, will renounce idols. After the return from Babylon, this was partly fulfilled as the Jews entirely and permanently renounced idols, and many Gentiles turned from their idols to Jehovah. However, the complete fulfillment will come in the final restoration of Israel (cf. Is. 2:1–4; 49:6; 60:3).
Jeremiah 17
17:1 The sin of Judah. Reasons for the judgment (chap. 16) continue here: 1) idolatry (vv. 1–4), 2) relying on the flesh (v. 5), and 3) dishonesty in amassing wealth (v. 11). pen of iron. The names of idols were engraved on the horns of their altars with such a tool. The idea is that Judah’s sin was permanent, etched in them as if into stone. How much different to have God’s word written on the heart (31:33).
17:3 My mountain in the field. Jerusalem in Judah.
17:4 land…you do not know. Babylon.
17:5–8 Cursed is the man. Jeremiah contrasted the person who experiences barrenness (vv. 5, 6) with the one who receives blessing (vv. 7, 8). The difference in attitude is in “trust” placed in man or “trust” vested in the Lord (vv. 5, 7). And the contrast in vitality is between being like a parched dwarf juniper in the desert (v. 6) or a tree drawing sustenance from a stream to bear fruit (v. 8; cf. Ps. 1:1–3).
17:10 I…search the heart. For the sin of man (vv. 1–4), for the barren man (vv. 5, 6), or the blessed man (vv. 7, 8), God is the final Judge and renders His judgment for their works (cf. Rev. 20:11–15). By Him, actions are weighed (1 Sam. 2:3).
17:11 a partridge. This referred to a sand grouse which invaded and brooded over a nest not its own, but was forced to leave before the eggs hatched. It depicted a person who unjustly took possession of things he had no right to take and couldn’t enjoy the benefits, despite all the effort.
17:14–18 Jeremiah voiced the prayerful cry that God would deliver him from his enemies (v. 14). Surrounded by ungodly people (vv. 1–6, 11, 13), he showed qualities of godliness: 1) God was his praise (v. 14); 2) he had a shepherd’s heart to follow God (v. 16); 3) he was a man of prayer open to God’s examination (v. 16); 4) God was his hope (v. 17); and 5) he trusted God’s delivering faithfulness even in judgment (v. 18).
17:21–24 Sabbath day. Not only had the Jews failed to observe Sabbath days, but also the required Sabbath year of rest for the Land (Lev. 25:1–7) was regularly violated. God had warned that such disobedience would bring judgment (Lev. 26:34, 35, 43; 2 Chr. 36:20, 21). The 70 year captivity was correlated to the 490 years from Saul to the captivity, which included 70 Sabbath years. When the Jews were restored from captivity, special stress was placed on Sabbath faithfulness (cf. Neh. 13:19).
17:25–27 For obedience, God would assure the dynasty of David perpetual rule in Jerusalem, safety for the city, and worship at the temple (vv. 25, 26). Continued disobedience would meet with destruction of the city (v. 27).
Jeremiah 18
18:1—20:18 A close link exists between chap. 17 and chaps. 18–20. Destruction is in view (chap. 17), but repentance can yet prevent that (18:7, 8). However, repentance was not present (18:12), so Jeremiah’s shattered flask illustrated God’s dashing Israel in judgment (chap. 19). Then the rejection spirit (cf. 19:15) led to persecution against God’s mouthpiece (chap. 20).
18:2–6 potter’s house. God sent Jeremiah to a potter, who gave him an illustration by shaping a vessel. The prophet secured a vessel and used it for his own illustration (19:1ff.). Jeremiah watched the potter at his wheel. The soft clay became misshapen, but the potter shaped it back into a good vessel. God will so do with Judah if she repents.
18:8–10 Though He had announced impending judgment, the “marred” nation can be restored as a good vessel by God, who will hold off the judgment (vv. 8, 11). By contrast, if the nation followed sin, He would not bring the blessing desired (vv. 9, 10).
18:12 That is hopeless! Jeremiah brought them to the point where they actually stated their condition honestly. The prophet’s threats were useless because they were so far gone—abandoned to their sins and the penalty. All hypocrisy was abandoned in favor of honesty, without repentance. Repentance was not in Israel (as v. 18; 19:15). This explains a seeming paradox, that Israel can repent and avert judgment, yet Jeremiah is not to pray for Israel (7:16; 11:14). It would do no good to pray for their change since they steeled themselves against any change.
18:13 virgin of Israel. It enhanced their guilt that Israel was the virgin whom God had chosen (cf. 2 Kin. 19:21).
18:14 snow water…cold flowing waters. No reasonable man would forsake such for “the rock of the field,” perhaps a poetic term for Mt. Lebanon, from which the high mountain streams flowed. Yet Israel forsook God, the fountain of living waters, for broken foreign cisterns (cf. 2:13).
18:18 plans against Jeremiah. Plans to indict the prophet with their “tongues” and then to slay him (v. 23) were based on the premise that his message of doom was not true. The business of the priests, the wise, and the prophets continued as usual since God made them lasting institutions (cf. Lev. 6:18; 10:11).
18:19–23 Give heed to me. This is one of many examples of prayer aligning with God’s will as Jeremiah prays for God’s work of judgment to be done (vv. 11, 15–17).
18:22 dug a pit. Cf. 38:6.
Jeremiah 19
19:1 elders of the people…the priests. These were chosen to be credible witnesses of the symbolic action with the “earthen flask,” so no one could plead ignorance of the prophesy. The 72 elders who made up the Sanhedrin were partly from the “priests” and the other tribes (“people”).
19:2 Valley…Hinnom. See note on 19:6. Potsherd Gate. The gate of “broken pottery” was on the S wall of Jerusalem where the potters formed pottery for use in the temple nearby.
19:6 Tophet. Hebrew uses the word toph for “drum.” This was another name for the Valley of Hinnom, an E-W valley at the S end of Jerusalem where, when children were burned in sacrifice to idols (cf. vv. 4, 5), drums were beaten to drown their cries. Rubbish from Jerusalem was dumped there and continually burned. The place became a symbol for the burning fires of hell, called Gehenna (Matt. 5:22). Cf. 7:30–32; Is. 30:33. It was to become a place of massacre.
19:9 eat the flesh. Desperate for food during a long siege, some would resort to cannibalism, eating family members and friends (Lam. 4:10).
19:10 Cf. v. 1.
19:13 defiled. Their houses were desecrated by idolatrous worship. incense to…host of heaven. Refers to worship of the sun, planets, and stars from flat housetops (cf. 32:29; 2 Kin. 23:11, 12; Zeph. 1:5).
Jeremiah 20
20:1 Pashhur. The meaning is either “ease,” or “deliverance is round about,” both in contrast to the new name God assigns him in v. 3. He was one of several men so named (cf. 21:1; 38:1). Immer. He was one of the original “governors of the sanctuary” (cf. 1 Chr. 24:14). chief governor. He was not the High-Priest, but the chief official in charge of temple police, who were to maintain order.
20:2 struck Jeremiah. He or others acting on his authority, delivered 40 lashes (see Deut. 25:3) to the prophet. put him in the stocks. Hands, feet, and neck were fastened in holes, bending the body to a distorted posture, causing excruciating pain. high gate. The northern gate of the upper temple court.
20:3 Magor-Missabib. “Terror on every side” is the fitting name which the Lord reckons for the leader. The details of that terror are in vv. 4, 6 (cf. 6:25).
20:4 Babylon. This was Jeremiah’s direct identification of the conqueror who would come out of the “north” (1:13), from “a far country” (4:16).
20:8 derision daily. In vv. 7–18, Jeremiah prayerfully lamented the ridicule he was experiencing because of God’s role for his life. His feelings wavered between quitting (v. 9a), being encouraged (vv. 9c, 11), petitioning for help (v. 12), praise (v. 13), and waves of depression (vv. 14–18; cf. 11:18–23; 15:10, 15–18).
20:9 I will not make mention. A surge of
dejection swept over Jeremiah, making him long to say no more. But he was compelled inside (cf. Job 32:18, 19; Ps. 39:3; Acts 18:5; 1 Cor. 9:16, 17) because he did not want his enemies to see him fail (v. 10), he felt the powerful presence of the Lord (v. 11), and he remembered God’s previous deliverances (v. 13).
20:14 Cursed be the day. Another tide of depression engulfed the prophet, perhaps when he was in the painful stocks (v. 2). His words are like Job’s (Job 3:3, 10, 11).
20:15 Let the man be cursed. The servant of God fell into sinful despair, and he questioned the wisdom and purpose of God, for which he should have been thankful.
20:16 the cities which the LORD overthrew. Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen. 19:25).
Jeremiah 21
21:1 King Zedekiah. Cf. 2 Kin. 24:17—25:7 for details of his reign ca. 597–586 B.C. Pashhur. This priest was different from the man by this name in 20:1–6. Cf. 38:1.
21:2 war against us. This was during the last siege by Babylon (v. 4), ca. 587/86 B.C., resulting in the third deportation of Jews. Zedekiah hoped for God’s intervention, such as Hezekiah received against Sennacherib (2 Kin. 19:35, 36).
21:4 turn back the weapons…assemble them. The Jews were already fighting the invaders by going outside the walls of the city to battle them on the hillsides and in the valleys as they approached. However, they would soon be driven back into the city where the enemy would collect all their weapons and execute many with those very weapons.
21:5 I Myself will fight. God used an invader as His judging instrument (v. 7). The Jews have not only the Babylonians as their enemy, but God.
21:7 strike them…sword. This was the fate of Zedekiah’s son and many nobles. Zedekiah died of grief (cf. 34:4; 2 Kin. 25:6–8).
21:8, 9 life and…death. Since a persistent lack of repentance had led to the conquest, Jeremiah urged the Jews to submit and surrender to the besieger so as to be treated as captives of war and live rather than be killed.
The MacArthur Study Bible, NKJV Page 367
