Jeremiah 3

— backsliding Israel] See the note on chap. vii. 24.

— and the nations shall bless themselves in him, &c.] A prediction of the Gospel times, when the heathens shall join with the true Israelites in paying all solemn acts of worship and devotion to the true God alone; see Isa. lxv. 16; and in ascribing all honour and glory to Him and his only Son, the Messiah, in whom all nations were to be blessed. See Gen. xxii. 18; Gal. iii. 8; and compare Isa. xlv. 25. W. Lowth.

Jeremiah 3:3

3. Therefore the showers have been withholden, &c.] The general import of this passage is, That God had begun in some degree to chastise his people, (as He threatened, Lev. xxvi. 19; Deut. xxviii. 23,) with a view to their reformation; yet his chastisement had not produced the desired effect, for they continued as abandoned as before, without shewing the least sign of shame or remorse. By “the showers” we are to understand what is otherwise called “the former or first rain,” being the first that falls in autumn after a long summer’s drought, which is usually terminated in Judea and the neighbouring countries by heavy showers, that last for some days. Dr. Blayney. Concerning the rains of Judea, see the notes on Deut. xi. 14; xxviii. 12.

4. For thus saith the Lord &c.] See note on chap. iii. 6.

— Break up your fallow ground, &c.] Hitherto, O my people, your hearts have been like a rough, thorny, uncultured ground; but now break up this fallow ground of yours, by an unfeigned repentance, and root up these thorns of your corruptions. Bp. Hall.

Jeremiah 3:4

4. Circumcise yourselves to the Lord, &c.] Circumcision, as well as baptism, had a moral import, and denoted the obligation of putting away all sinful lusts of the flesh, every irregular and inordinate affection and appetite. Dr. Blayney.

Jeremiah 3:5

5. Will he reserve his anger for ever? &c.] In this and the foregoing verse God puts into the people’s mouths words, whereby they might express their humiliation and their hope in his mercy, which they might still expect on their true repentance. He concludes with affirming, that his arguments had no weight with them: “Behold, thou hast spoken and done evil things as thou couldest,” they continued to do as they had said or resolved; they carried their wicked thoughts into execution, in spite of all his remonstrances and expostulations. W. Lowth, Dr. Blayney.

6. — Blow ye the trumpet in the land: &c.] The Prophet here describes the dreadful preparations for war, such as “blowing the trumpet,” and “setting up the standard,” for assembling men together; in order to their leaving the open country, and retiring with their families and goods “into the defenced cities,” both for their own safety, and that they might maintain those garrisons against the power of the invading enemy. W. Lowth.

Jeremiah 3:6

6. The Lord said also unto me] Here begins an entire new section, or distinct prophecy, which is continued to the end of the sixth chapter. The charge of hypocrisy upon Judah, ver. 10, points out the date of this prophecy to have been in the reign of Josiah, and some time after his eighteenth year, when the people under the influence of their good king were professedly engaged in measures of reformation; which however are here declared to have been insincere.

This prophecy consists of two distinct parts. The first part contains a complaint against Judah, for having exceeded the guilt of her sister Israel, whom God had already cast off for her idolatrous apostasy, ver. 6—12. The Prophet is hereupon sent to announce to Israel the Vol. II.

But she returned not. And her treacherous sister Judah saw it.

6. — from the north.] Babylonia, Chaldea, Assyria, and Media, are constantly represented in Scripture as being to the north of Judea. Probably the Prophets speak of the kings of Babylonia and Chaldea, not so much with a view to their geographical situation, which is rather to the east of Palestine, as to the course which they took in their expeditions against Judea. The deserts of Arabia being not practicable for an army, they commonly crossed the Euphrates at Tiphsah, or Thap-

Z 2 God exhorteth Judah to repentance by fearful judgments. Before CHRIST about 612.

Jeremiah 3:7

7. — And her treacherous sister Judah saw it.] The two kingdoms of Israel and Judah are described as sisters in iniquity. The same metaphor is applied to Samaria and Jerusalem, the two metropolises of those kingdoms. Ezek. xxiii. 4, &c. The word “treacherous” properly denotes a wife unfaithful to her husband; see ver. 20. W. Lowth.

8. The lion is come up from his thicket, &c.] Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon; compare chap. v. 6; whose monarchy is represented by a lion, Dan. vii. 4. He is called here “the destroyer of the Gentiles,” or rather nations: Judea and all the neighbouring countries being given up into his hands by God’s decree. See chap. xxv. 9; xxvii. 6. W. Lowth. In the language of prophecy, several animals, as a lion, a bear, a leopard, a goat, according to their qualities, are put for several kingdoms and bodies politick. Sir Isaac Newton.

9. — surely thou hast greatly deceived this people. That is, Thou hast suffered them to be greatly deceived by their false prophets: see the note on Isa. lxiii. 17. These pretenders to prophecy studied only to speak pleasing things to the people, and soothe them in them impunity and carnal security: and Thou hast in thy just judgment given them up to follow these delusions. Compare 2 Thess. ii. 11, 12. W. Lowth.

The Prophet takes care to remove all pretence of charging God, by throwing the blame upon the people themselves: see ver. 18. In one place “the sword” is said to “reach unto the soul;” in the other, the reason is assigned, because their “wickedness” had reached thither before. The people had been desperately wicked; would accept of no sober counsel, nor bear any just reproof: they loved “smooth things;” they delighted in flattery and lies; they “walked after the imagination of their own hearts,” chap. xxiii. 17; and therefore God gave them up to strong delusions, and suffered them to be grossly imposed on by lying prophets of their own choosing. In Scripture phrase, God is frequently said to do what He permits to be done, because all events are in his disposal, and wait his pleasure. The device may be man’s; but God directs it to better purposes than man could think of; and so, by taking the thing into his own hands, and governing the issue of it, He makes it in a certain sense his own. Dr. Waterland.

Jeremiah 3:9

9. And it came to pass through the lightness &c.] She was not nice in her choice of objects; but eagerly fell in with all kinds of idolatrous worship indiscriminately, descending so low as to images of wood and stone. Dr. Blayney.

Jeremiah 3:11

11. — The backsliding Israel hath justified herself] That is, hath appeared righteous in comparison with Judah. A phrase of the like sort occurs, Luke xviii. 14. Dr. Blayney.

Israel and Judah are both shamefully wicked: and yet, of the two, Judah is worse than Israel: her treachery is so much more, as she had more favours from me. Bp. Hall. She sinned against greater convictions; and would not take warning by that desolation, which God brought on the whole kingdom of Israel for their idolatries. Compare Ezek. xvi. 51. W. Lowth.

11. — A dry wind] The same with “a destroying wind,” chap. ii. 1; an hot pestilential wind, as the Arabick translates it in that place, which destroys great

multitudes in a moment. W. Lowth. Concerning the hot wind of the Arabian desert, see the notes on Numb. xi. 1; 2 Kings xix. 35.

In prophetick language, tempestuous winds, or the motion of clouds, is put for wars. Sir Isaac Newton. In this place, under the metaphor of this wind, the Prophet describes the Chaldean armies invading Judea. W. Lowth.

Jeremiah 3:12

12. — toward the north,] Assyria and Media, whither Z

The promises of the Gospel to the penitent. JEREMIAH. Israel reproved, and called by God,

Before CHRIST about 612. e Ps. 56. 15. & 103. 8. 9.

thou backsliding Israel, saith the LORD; and I will not cause mine anger to fall upon you: for I am merciful, saith the LORD, and I will not keep anger for ever.

12. — shall come unto me.] At my commandment: compare Matt. viii. 9. The winds, storms, and other meteors are said to fulfil God’s word, and attend upon his commands. See Ps. exlviii. 8; Job xxxviii. 35. W. Lowth. That the calamity spoken of was of God’s appointment, coming from Him, for a judicial purpose, is apparent from the words that follow. Dr. Blayney.

Jeremiah 3:13

13. — he shall come up] That is, the person designed by “the lion,” and “the destroyer of the Gentiles,” ver. 7; namely, the king of Babylon. Compare Isa. v. 26—28. Dr. Blayney.

Jeremiah 3:14

14. — I will take you one of a city, and two of a family, &c.] The word “family” here is equivalent to a country or kingdom: compare chap. i. 15; Zech. xiv. 17, 18. W. Lowth. This passage relates to their call into the Christian Church, into which they were brought, not all at a time, nor in a national capacity, but severally as individuals, here and there one. So it is said, “And ye shall be gathered one by one, O ye children of Israel,” Isa. xxvii. 12. Dr. Blayney.

15. — How long shall thy vain thoughts lodge within thee?] That is, How long wilt thou delude thyself with vain hopes of escaping the judgments of God by any other way than by repentance? Notwithstanding the frequent relapses of the people into idolatry, with what patience did God expect their repentance, and the result of all the merciful messages and warnings given them from time to time by his Prophets, as one that earnestly desired it, and even longed for it! Compare ch. xiii. 27; and viii. 6; where God is represented, after the manner of men, waiting with great patience, as one that would have been glad to hear any penitent word drop from them, to see any sign of their repentance and return to a better mind. Abp. Tillotson.

Jeremiah 3:15

15. For a voice declareth from Dan, &c.] The rumour of the enemy’s approach is heard first from Dan, which, being the most northern part of Judea, was first of all invaded. See chap. vii. 16. And the evil tidings still increase, as the army marches forward toward Jerusalem, by the way of mount Ephraim. W. Lowth.

Jeremiah 3:16

16. — they shall say no more, The ark of the covenant of the Lord.] Here God comforts the Jews with an assurance, that, though upon their return to Him they might not find themselves in possession of exactly the same privileges as they had before, they should receive ample indemnification, so as to leave them no just cause of regret. The ark of the covenant was the visible seat of God’s residence among his people; it was therefore the object of their boast; but after the destruction of the first temple, they had it no more. But to compensate this loss, they are told in the next verse, that “Jerusalem should be called the throne of the Lord,” to which, not the Jews only, but “all the nations should be gathered.” By Jerusalem is meant the Christian Church: see Gal. iv. 26; Rev. xxi. 2, 3. The greater privileges of this latter would supersede all boast on account of those, which had at any time belonged to the Jewish Church. Dr. Blayney.

— neither shall it come to mind: neither shall they remember it;] Meaning, The Jews shall then be convinced that the ark and other parts of the Mosaical dis-

and all the nations shall be gathered unto it, to the name of the LORD, to Jerusalem: neither shall they walk any more after the || imagination of their evil heart.

16. — watchers] By “watchers” are meant besiegers, placing sentinels round the city, to prevent any from coming in or going out; and keeping the place in continual alarm by shouts of war. Dr. Blayney.

Jeremiah 3:18

18. In those days the house of Judah shall walk with the house of Israel.] Most of the prophecies, which mention the restoration of the Jews, join Judah and Israel together, as equal sharers in that blessing. See chap. xxx. 3; xxxi. 1; l. 4. 20; Isa. xi. 13; Ezek. xxxvii. 16. 22; Hos. i. 11; Zech. x. 6. W. Lowth.

Jeremiah 3:19

19. But I said, How shall I put thee &c.] But I said, How shall it come about, that thou, which deservest not the name of a servant, shalt become a dear son to me; and shalt have a pleasant and happy inheritance bequeathed to thee, even a blessed room in my Church? And I answered myself again, It is by the means of thy faithful invocation of me, and of thy true repentance and holy obedience, that this shall be effected. Bp. Hall. The conditions of adoption into the Christian Church, and of enjoying the privileges of the Gospel covenant, are expressly stated by Christ and his Apostles to be the same as are here prescribed, namely, the profession of a true faith in God, and uniform obedience for the time to come. “Thou shalt call me, My Father; and shalt not turn away from me.” Dr. Blayney.

Jeremiah 3:21

21. A voice was heard upon the high places.] The Prophet, foreseeing that the Jews will at length be touched with an hearty repentance for all their misgivings, represents them as bewailing themselves upon “the high places,” the scenes of their former idolatries. Compare chap. xxxi. 9; l. 4; Zech. xii. 10. W. Lowth.

Jeremiah 3:22

22. — Behold, we come unto thee; &c.] What follows to the end of the chapter is spoken in the name of the

maketh a solemn confession of their sins. CHAP. III, IV. God calleth Israel by his promise.

Before CHRIST about 612.

Jeremiah 3:24

24. For shame hath devoured the labour of our fathers &c.] It is this shameful idolatry which hath undone both our late forefathers and us. Bp. Hall. “Shame,” or “that shameful thing,” meaning the idol that they worshipped, called by the same name, chap. xi. 13; Hos. ix. 10; and with good reason; because, in return for all the expense and pains bestowed on it, it only frustrated the hopes of its votaries; and left them mortified with disappointment, and overwhelmed with disgrace. W. Lowth, Dr. Blayney.

The Hebrews, instead of pronouncing the name of Baal, of which they had a dread, used in its place the name of “Bosheth,” shame, confusion. Thus instead of Mephi-baal, and Meri-baal, they said, Mephi-bosheth, and Meri-bosheth. Calmet.

Or it may mean in a general sense, that “shame;” that is, the destruction of our country and our captivity, attended with shame, have consumed us. Dr. Wells.

Chap. IV. The two first verses of this chapter ought not to have been separated from the foregoing; being spoken in reply to the confession of the people of Israel, and concluding that part of the prophecy which respected them. Dr. Blayney. See the note on chap. iii. 6.

Ver. 2. And thou shalt swear, The Lord liveth, &c.] This is as much as to say, Thou shalt be of the number of those that worship the true God. For an oath is one of the most solemn acts of religious invocation; and therefore God’s people are expressly charged to swear by his name, and by no other, Deut. vi. 13; x. 20; Josh. xxiii. 7. And to “swear to,” or by, “the Lord of hosts,” is used as synonymous with the profession of his true religion, Isa. xix. 18. Dr. Blayney.