Jeremiah 23

Jeremiah 23:1

VVO be unto the pastours] Princes, rulers, priests and prophets. Chap. 10. 21. and 22. 22. and 25. 34. & 50. 6. Ezekiel 34:2.

the sheep of my pasture] Or, my pasture sheep. Psalms 100:3. Which I take speciall care; and have provided good pasture for. Psal. 23. 1, 2.

Jeremiah 23:2

against the pastours that feed my people] That rule them; and should feed them: but do nothing lesse. Ezek. 34. 2, 3.

I will visit upon you] Or, punish you for. Exodus 32:34. I will visite you in wrath and judgement, for your not visiting them, that is, performing all good offices of help and relief to them, according to your dutie, Ezekiel 34:4; Ezekiel 34:8; Ezekiel 34:10. Matth. 25. 41, 43.

Jeremiah 23:3

I will gather the remnant of my flock, &c.] To comfort and confirme the faithfull, the Prophete telleth them still, that after the dispersion of his people, God yet will have a remnant to make him a Church, which he will gather and preserve, Isaiah 1:9. & Isaiah 4:3. & Isaiah 6:13. & 9. 21. Chap. 3. 14. & 12. 14. & 16. 15. & 31. 7. Ezek. 20. 40, 41. & 34. 11, 12. Mic. 2. 12.

Jeremiah 23:4

I will set up shepheards over them] Chap. 3. 15. Ezek. 34. 11, &c.

neither shall they be lacking] Or, missing Isaiah 34:16.

Jeremiah 23:5

Behold, the dayes come, &c.] Isaiah 4:2. & Isaiah 40:11. & Isaiah 45:8. Chap. 33. 14, 15. Daniel 9:24. John 1:45.

a righteous branch] Christ, the true branch; in whom this was fulfilled, Isaiah 11:1. Zechariah 3:8.

a king shall reigne and prosper] Isaiah 52:13. & Isaiah 53:10.

and shall execute judgement and justice in the earth] Or, upon the earth. Chap. 31. 22. Matthew 6:10. Or, in the lad. Isaiah 58. Vers. 8.

Jeremiah 23:6

In his dayes Judah shall be saved, &c.] Deuteronomy 33:28. Chap. 33. 16.

this is his name whereby he shall be called] Either Israel, whose righteousnesse Christ is: 1 Corinthians 1:30. and who is one with Christ: 1 Corinthians 6:17. & 1 Corinthians 12:12. Or, Christ, who is the righteousnesse of his, Daniel 9:24. 2 Corinthians 5:21.

THE LORD OUR ] Or, The Lord is our righteousnesse. Isaiah 45:24. Heb. Jehovah tsidkenu. Chap. 33. 16.

Jeremiah 23:7

they shall no more say, The LORD liveth which brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt, &c.] Isaiah 43:18. Chap. 16. 14, 15.

Jeremiah 23:9

Mine heart within me is broken, because of the prophets] The false-prophets, that deceive and delude the people, See Chap. 14. 13.

all my bones shake] Habakkuk 3:16.

I am like a drunken man] Not able to stand on my legs; and at my wits end, Psalms 107:27. Isaiah 24:20.

Jeremiah 23:10

the land is full of adulterers] Chap. 9. 2.

because of swearing] Or, cursing. or, the curse. Because of their oaths and perjuries, joyned commonly with execrations, Leviticus 5:1. Judges 17:2. Nehem. 10. 29. Or, by reason of Gods curse upon the land for sinne, Isaiah 24:6.

the pleasant places] Or, habitations; that is, habitable places: or, pastures, Joe 2:22. Chap. 9. 10. & 12. 4.

of the wildernesse] Or, plain. I. am. 4. 19.

and their course is evill, and their force is not right] Or, yet (as Chap. 2. 25.) their violence (as Chap. 22. 17.) is evill, and their might (as Chap. 49. 35.) is not right. is not set upon, or imployed about, that which is right; but bent wholly to the contrarie: as Psalms 36:4. Notwithstanding the curse of God upon the land, they runne on still in a violent course unto evill, and bend themselves with all their might thereunto, Chap. 5. 3. and 8. 6. & 9. 3.

Jeremiah 23:11

in my house have I found their wickednesse] My very Temple is full of their superstitions and Idolatries. 2 Chron. 36. 14. Chap. 7. 10. 11. Ezekiel 7:20.

Jeremiah 23:12

as slippery wayes in the darknesse] That they may fall; and not know how to recover themselves, Psalms 35:6. John 11:10. 1 John 2:11.

the yeer of their visitation] Chap. 11. 23. & 48. 44.

Jeremiah 23:13

I have seen folly] Or, an absurd thing. Heb. unsavoury. Job 6:6.

caused my people Israel to erre] Isaiah 3:12. & Isaiah 9:16. Chap. 18. 15. Vers. 32.

Jeremiah 23:14

I have seen also in the prophets of Jerusalem] They that should have been better, Hosea 4:15. and ought to have been warned, by what befell those of Samaria; and yet are worse then they. Chap. 3. 8.

an horrible thing] Or, filthinesse. Chap. 5. 30. & 29. 17.

walk in lies] Heb. a lie. or, falshood. Ver. 26.

they strengthen also the hands of evill doers] They confirme men in their wickednesse; and so keep them from repentance, Ezekiel 13:22.

they are all of them unto me as Sodom, and the inhabitants thereof as Gomorrah] How holy soever they may seem to others, I abhorre them, as I did those abominable cities, Isaiah 1:9. Ezekiel 16:46.

Jeremiah 23:15

I will feed them with wormwood] Chap. 8. 14. & 9. 15.

make them drink the water of gall] Or, juyce of hmlock.

from the prophets of Jerusalem is prophanenesse, &c.] Or, hypocrisie. Vers. 11.

Jeremiah 23:16

they make you vain] Or, beguile you.

they speak a vision of their own heart] The devices of their own heads and hearts, Chap. 14. 14. Vers. 26.

Jeremiah 23:17

They say still] Heb. saying say. Exodus 21:5.

Ye shall have peace] Chap. 6. 14. & 8. 11. Ezekiel 13:10. Zechariah 10:2.

that walketh after the imagination, &c.] Or, stubbornnesse. Chap. 16. 12. & 18. 12.

Jeremiah 23:18

who hath, &c.] Either the Prophets own speech concerning them; which of them hath God acquainted with any such purpose of his? Vers. 22. Job 15:8. Or, of the false-prophets demanding how Jeremiah, or any other besides themselves, should come to know any such thing from God, as he, or they spake: as if themselves alone were acquainted with Gods privie counsels, and none could know them but from them: and so heartning the people against the menaces of Gods prophets. 1 Kings 22:24.

stood in the counsel of the LORD] Or, secret. Psalms 25:14. As servants stand attending on great personages: and by that means sometime come to notice of their intentions, which from others are concealed, 1 Kings 10:8. Proverbs 22:29. Matthew 18:10.

Jeremiah 23:19

a whirlwind of the LORD] Or, a mighty whirlwind. as Genesis 10:9. Psalms 36:6. See Chap. 30. 23.

is gone forth in fury] Or, fury is gone forth.

a grievous whirlwind] Or, paning. Job 15:20. or, continuing. Job 20:21. Chap. 30. 23.

it shall fall] Or, rest. 2 Samuel 3:29. Hosea 11:6.

Jeremiah 23:20

The anger of the LORD shall not return] Chap. 30. 24.

in the latter dayes] Heb. posteritie of dayes. Chap. 48. 47.

ye shall consider it perfectly] Or, understand it fully. Heb. consider it, with understanding, or consideration. Ye shall then certainly know, that God hath sent me; and that his word by me is true, Ezekiel 2:5. & Ezekiel 6:10.

Jeremiah 23:21

I have not sent these prophets] Chap. 14. 14. and 27. 15. and 29. 8, 9.

Jeremiah 23:22

if they had stood in my counsel] Had been admitted into so neer attendance with me, as to be made acquainted with my will and purpose, Vers. 18. 1 Kings 22:19.

and had caused my people to heare my words] Or, they would then have caused them, &c. They would have acquainted them with my word and will; and not taught them their own devices, nor told them their own dreams. Vers. 16. 25.

then they should have turned them from their evill way] Or, and have turned them, &c. They would have endevoured so to do; as my true and faithful prophets from time to time have done, Chap. 25. 3,-5.

Jeremiah 23:23

Am I a God at hand, and not a God afarre off] As well on earth, that seemeth farther off from me, Psalms 103:11. Job 22. 12,-14. as in heaven, that seemeth neerer to me, as being the place of my speciall resiance, Psalms 115:3.

Jeremiah 23:24

Can any hide himself in secret places, &c.] Psal. 139. 7, &c. Amos 9. 2, 3.

that I shall not see him] Do not I see your falshood and your wickednesse; howsoever ye cloake it, and wheresoever ye commit it. Proverbs 15:3. Job 34:21-22.

do not I fill heaven and earth] Am I not present every where? Proverbs 15:3. 1 Kings 8:27. Psalms 139:7.

Jeremiah 23:25

I have dreamed] I have a Prophecie revealed to me from God by dream, Numbers 12:6.

Jeremiah 23:26

How long shall this be in the heart of the prophets that prophesie lies? yea, they are prophets of the deceit of their own heart] Or, How long? (will they never leave this course? as Psalms 6:3.) is it in the heart of them (is it their delight, as Psalms 37:31. & Psalms 40:8. or, are they desperately bent, as Isaiah 63:4.) to be prophets of lies, and of their own deceit full fancies? Vers. 16.

Jeremiah 23:27

to cause my people to forget my name by their dreams] This being Satans sleight, in raising up of false prophets, to withdraw people from God, Chap. 28. 16. & 29. 33.

which they tell every man to his neighbour] Or, one to another. Chap. 22. 8.

as their fathers have forgotten my name, for Baal] Judg. 3. 7. and 8. 33, 34.

Jeremiah 23:28

The prophet that hath a dream] Heb. with whom a dream is.

let him tell a dream] Let him tell it as his own phantasie; and not slander my word, make it a cloake to cover, or commend his lies.

speak my word faithfully] Dividing it aright, and applying it to that purpose, for which it was spoken: not mingling humane fancie, with it, as chaff with wheat, Ezekiel 3:17. Luke 12:42. 1 Corinthians 2:13. & 1 Corinthians 4:2. 2 Timothy 2:15. 1 Pet. 2. 2. & 4. 10, 11.

what is the chaff to the wheat] Or, what hath the chaff to do with the wheat? Heb. what to the chaff with the wheat? The like phrase is, Hosea 14:9. John 2:4. To what end should lies and fancies, that are no better then chaff, be mingled with my word, that should feed mens souls? Chap. 3. 15. John 6:27.

Jeremiah 23:29

I not my word like as a fire and like a hammer that breaketh the rock i pieces] Of a powerfull nature; to burn out drosse, and burn up stubble; to break stonie hearts, and to batter the obstinate to pieces, Chap. 5. 14. & 20. 9. Luke 24:32. Hebrews 4:12. 2 Corinthians 2:16. & 2 Corinthians 10:4. 5.

a hammer] Chap. 50. 23.

Jeremiah 23:30

I am against the prophets] Deuteronomy 18:20. Chap. 14. 14, 15.

that steal my words every one from his neighbour] Or, one from another. Vers. 27. That conceal the truth from them; which they ought to teach them: Acts 20:27. or, that work that again out of them, that the true prophets have taught them, Matthew 13:19. Luke 8:12.

Jeremiah 23:31

that use their tongues] Or, that smooth their tongues. Heb. that take; or, as some, lick with their tongues. that speak pleasing things, Isaiah 30:10. Chap. 6. 14. & 8. 11. Mic. 2. 11.

Jeremiah 23:32

that prophesie false dreams] Heb. dreams of falshood. Isaiah 32:7.

cause my people to erre] Vers. 13.

by their lightnesse] Zephaniah 3:4.

yet I sent them not] Or, when I have not sent them.

therefore they shall not profit this people at all] Or, nor do they profit (Heb. profiting profit) this people at all. They do them no good, but much hurt by their false prophecies, and flatteries. Lamentations 2:14.

Jeremiah 23:33

What is the burden of the LORD] Because the Prophets oft began their Sermons with, The burden of the Lord, or the like, Isa. 13. & 15. &c. Malachi 1:1. therefore the profane people would in mockerie demand of them, what new burden they had for them.

Jeremiah 23:34

I will even punish that man] Heb. visit upon. Vers. 2.

Jeremiah 23:35

every one to his neighbour, and every one to his brother] Chap. 31. 34. Ver. 27. 28.

Jeremiah 23:36

the burden of the LORD shall ye mention no more] Because the word was grown into contempt and derision among them, God would have it no more used by them; but would have them speak in another phrase, with due reverence both to his messengers and to their message. So Hosea 2:16.

every mans word shall be his burden] That which they mock and contemn, shall befall them. Or, this their mockerie shall bring burden enough upon them; they shall pay full dearly for it, Chap. 5. 14,-15.

Jeremiah 23:39

I will utterly forget you] Heb. forgetting forget. Deuteronomy 8:19. Look no more after you; take no more care of you, for your good and behoof; then as if I had clean forgotten you. Hosea 4:6.

and cast you out of my presence] As Psal. 89 39. 44.

Jeremiah 23:40

I will bring an everlasting reproch upon you, and a perpetuall shame] Heb. reproch of perpetuitie, and a shame of perpetuitie. Chap. 20. 11.