Jeremiah 1:10

See, I have this day set thee over the nations, and over the kingdoms,.... Not as a prince, but as a prophet over them, to prophesy things concerning them, whether good or evil, which should

See, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant. Set thee over - literally, appointed thee to the oversight.

I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms: having now received his commission, he is directed to whom he is to go, viz. to the greatest, not only single persons, but whole nations, as the Babylonians, Persians, and Egyptians, and exhorted to greatness of mind, as being sent as an ambassador from God, to deliver his messages without flattery or cowardice; and that he might make that proud people sensible of their folly, that looked upon themselves as above reproof, he gives unto his prophet this large authority. To pull down, i.e. to prophesy that I will pull down; which I will as certainly effect as if thou hadst done it thyself; for, according to Scripture usage, the prophets are said to do that which they foretell shall come to pass, , i.e. to pronounce destruction; hence God is said to slay them by the words of his mouth, ; and so are all the following expressions to be understood. To build and to plant; metaphors taken from architects and gardeners. Either the former words relate to the enemies of God, and the latter to his friends; or rather, to both conditionally. If they repent, he will build them up, i.e. he will increase their families, and plant them, viz. settle them in the land, . If they do not, he will root them up, and pull them down, &c. He will do the contrary. Compare this with , and . The reason why God useth so many words to the same purpose seems to be, partly to show how deeply all kind of wickedness and contempt of God had taken root; which possibly may be one reason why he placeth pulling down and rooting up before building and planting, to show what a deal of rubbish there was to be removed before he could reform and repair his church and state; or rather, because the prophet was to begin with these in his prophecy, as appears by his second visions, ,13; and partly to quicken the prophet’ s zeal against them.

Jeremiah 1:10 See, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant.Ver. 10. See, I have this day set thee over nations,] scil., With authority to use the same liberty in reproving their sins that they take in committing them. Fear not the highest (for I have set thee over them), but look upon them as so many mice; for what are they more in comparison of me and of thee, who hast from me thy mission and commission? zeal in well doing showeth a man to be right, like as such are living fish as swim against the stream. To root out, and to pull down,] i.e., To denounce destruction to evildoers, and then I will effect it. Elisha hath his sword, as well as Hazael or Jehu, and vengeance for the disobedient is every whit as ready in God’ s hands as in his minister’ s mouth. See Hosea 6:5. John 20:23. But what a mercy of God to the Church was it that the same day that Pelagius, that arch-heretic, was born in Britain, Augustine, the great confuter of that heretic, should be born in Africa - Providence so disposing that the poison and the antidote should come into world together. To build, and to plant.] As a co-worker with God for the good of souls, by preaching Christ unto them, as this prophet doth notably in a most divine and stately strain, setting him forth in his coming, covenant, offices, benefits, &c., as the only foundation and lively root of hope. Dempster, Hist. Scot.

(10) I have this day set thee . . .—With the gift, and therefore the consciousness, of a new power, there comes what would at first have been too much for the mortal vessel of the truth to bear—a prospective view of the greatness of the work before him. He is at once set (literally, made the “deputy,” or representative, of God, as in Judges 9:28 and 2 Chronicles 24:11, the “officer,” or in Jeremiah 20:1, “chief governor”) over the nations, i.e., as before, the nations external to Israel, and the “kingdoms” including it. The work at first seems one simply of destruction—to root out and ruin (so we may represent the alliterative assonance of the Hebrew), to destroy and rend asunder. But beyond that there is the hope of a work of construction. He is to “build up” the fallen ruins of Israel, to “plant” in the land that had been made desolate. The whole sequel of the book is a comment on these words. It passes through terror and darkness to the glory and the blessing of the New Covenant (Jeremiah 31:31).

Verse 10. I have - set thee over the nations] God represents his messengers the prophets as doing what he commanded them to declare should be done. In this sense they rooted up, pulled down, and destroyed - declared God's judgments, they builded up and planted - declared the promises of his mercy. Thus God says to Isaiah, Isaiah 6:10: "Make the heart of this people fat - and shut their eyes." Show them that they are stupid and blind; and that, because they have shut their eyes and hardened their hearts, God will in his judgments leave them to their hardness and darkness.

10. set thee] given thee authority to speak as My representative. It is the same word as that rendered “made governor” in Jeremiah 40:5; Jeremiah 40:7, and “made overseer” in Genesis 39:4-5. over the nations] So Amos (Jeremiah 1:3 to Jeremiah 2:3) had prophesied concerning non-Jewish kingdoms. to pluck up, etc.] The prophet is said to do in his own person that which he announces as about to be done by God. Cp. Jeremiah 15:1; Isaiah 6:10; Ezekiel 43:3, where the prophet speaks of the vision that he saw when he “came to destroy the city.” So in profane literature we find prophets spoken of as though they had a share in influencing the course of the future, which it was theirs only to predict. Thus Aeneas to the Sibyl: “And thou, O sacred maid, inspired to see The event of things in dark futurity, Give me what heaven has promised to my fate To conquer and command the Latian state.” Dryden’s Vergil, VI. 100–103. The predominant portion of the prophet’s task was to consist in rebuke and in threatening; while nevertheless out of the ruins a better and more hopeful state of things should arise for Israel.

I have ... set thee over - literally, I have made thee Pakeed, i. e., deputy. This title is given only to these invested with high authority (e. g. Genesis 41:34; 2 Chronicles 24:11; Jeremiah 20:1; Jeremiah 29:26).

10. To root out, and to pull down, etc. — A fearful commission! More unwelcome than that of Jonah! Yet his work was not executive but declarative. He was said to do what he has the commission to declare that God will do.