Jeremiah 15
DortGod giveth absolute denial to the prophets intercession which he had made, and commanded him on the contrary to preach and denounce unto the people most sore and heavy plagues (especially four kindes) mentioning the sins, whereby they had deserved them , vers.1,& c.The Priphet complaineth, that everyone curseth him for those Phrophecies, and is comforted by God, 10. and the people threatened again, 13.The prophet complaineth of his persecutours, and prayeth for preservation in his sufferings, appealing to God in regard of his innocency, 15. Is thereupon instructed and comforted by God,19.
1. But the LORD said unto me;[God answereth furthur to the former intercession of Jeremia] Though Moseh and Samuel stood before my face ,(yet) should not my soul [that is minde affection.Compare Psal.27 on verse 12.] be toward his people:[That is, though they were now alive, and prayed for this people, yet I would not hear them, as I have done heretofore. See Exodus 32:14, 1 Samuel7.9 and compare Ezechiel 14.14,18,20.]drive them away from my face,[that is prophecie unto them in my Name, That I will expell them out of my house, city, and land.Compare above chapter 1 on verse 10.] and let them goe forth.
2. And it shall come to pass, when they shall say unto thee, wither shall we go forth? That thou shalt say unto them, thus saith the LORD, whosoever to death, to death,[That is, mortality, pestilence, &c. As may be gathered from the former verse, and so is the sequel. So below chap.43.21.] and whosoever to the sword, to the sword, and whosoever to the famine, to the famine, and whosoever to captivity, to captivity.
3. For I will visit them (with) [Oth. I will appoint over them, as officers, or overseers]four kinds,that is, four sorts of plagues, which are reckoned up in the following words. Compare Ezech 14.21] saith the LORD; with the sword to slay, and wth the dogs to drag,[To be torn in pieces] and with the fowls of the Heaven, and with the beasts of the earth, to eat up, and to destroy. [See Levit.26.16.]
4. And I will give them up[Or, make them, appoint them] for a commotion, to all the kingdoms of the earth;[Or, chasing about, driving about in all kingdoms,&c. See Deut.28 on vers. 25.] because of Manassah, the son of Jehizkia, king of Juda; for that which he did at Jerusalem.[2Kings 21.11,12,13, etc.
5. For who should spare thee [Or have pity upon thee] O Jerusalem? Or who should commiserate thee? [or bemoan thee] Or who should go aside to ask thee concerning peace? [As a man steppeth aside out of the way, to speak to a friend, or an aquaintance of his, and to ask him how he doth . See Judges 18:15 (concerning peace) That is, concerning thy welfare, how thou doest. See Genes. 43. on vers.27. As if the LORD should say, They are not worthy, that a man should trouble himself so much about them, as that he should once ask, whether they be well or ill]
6. Thou hast forsaken me, saith the LORD, thou art gone backward: [Compare above chap.5.7.]threfore will I stretch out mine hand against thee, and destroy thee: Iam grown weary of repenting. [That is, Iam weary of with-holding, delaying, diminishing, or keeping off deserved judgements from them, as I have often done. It is spoken of God after the manner of men. Compare Genes.6 on vers.6.]
7. And I will fan them with a fan,[See above chap.4.11.] in the gates of the Land: [That is, in the boarders , uttermost frontier-Cities, strong holds, hereon ye rell at present:as men use to fan or winnow corn in or at the doors, to scatter and winnow dust by the winde: so etc. Oth, in the Cities of the Land; that is everywhere] I have bereaved [That is, I will, etc. And so in the next verse] my people of children,[Or, of all that they have, or, that is dear unto them; because in the next verse is spoken of widows, and the hebrew word is not onely used of bereaving of children, but also of other things. See 2Kings 2.19. Ezech 46. 12,13,14,15. with the annotat.] (and) destroyed (them;) they returned not from their wayes [That is, repented not of their wicked dealings and conversation. See Genes. 6 on vers.12.]
8. Their [That is, the peoples] widows are become more to me than the sand of the seas: [Or, stronger in number than the sand, etc in regard multitudes of their Husbands were slain] I have caused to come to them upon the Mother [Namely Jerusalem] a young man [The king of Babel, being stout and strong in his work, like a youmg man] a destroyer at noon-day: compare above chap.6.4. Oth. Upon the mother of a young men a destroyer at noon-day; that is, upon the assembly of the young men] I have caused him to fall upon her suddenly, the city with terrours. [Hebr. The city and terrours, or, amazements. The sense may be, I will cause that young man to fall uopon her, to wit, upon the city of Jerusalem (called mother before)with great terrour:Or, to wit upon the city, and there shall be more terrour. Or thus: I will cause the cities and terrours suddenly to fall upon her.]
9. She that bare seven,[Namely, Jerusalem that produceth as much people a woman that bringeth forth seven, that is, many (see Gen.4. on vers.32) , children.]is become weak, she has blown out her soul, [is dead of grief and misery, and comfortless. Compare Job.11.20.] her son is gone down, when it was yet day,[or, their day That is, their joy, or flourishing state is turned into exreme sorrow and misery, at the time when she was yet in her prime or thought to be. Compare 2 Samuel 23:4. Amos 8:9 Micha 3.6] she is ashamed and blusheth: and the residue of them [which were not slain at the first] will I deliver to the sword at the face of their enemies, saith the LORD.
10. Woe is me, my Mother,that thou hast born me! [Compare Job 3:1,&c. below, chap.20.14, &c] a man of strife, a man of contention, to the whole land] with whom everyone striveth and contendeth. Compare 2 Samuel 8. on vers 10. The Prophet perceiving, that he could not deprecate Gods judgement, is heartily grieved and complaineth of his sad and troublesome condition under his own wicked countrey-men, against which the Lord comforteth him in the next verse] I have not given (to them) on usury, [From whence commonly strifes and contention, revilings and reproachings are wont to arise] neither have they given to me usury, (yet) every one of them doth curse me.[As if the Prophet h ad said, that he gave them no cause of strife, hatred, cursing, as have nothing to do with them, but to aquaint them with the word of the LORD, and his calling, foralone he suffered.]
11. The LORD said, if thy remnant [Or, the remainder of thee] shall not be for good! [The meaning seemeth to be, If I shall not cause it to go well with thee in the remaining time of thy life,wherein thou shalt remain, when this wicked people shall be plagued and perish: or, if I do not save a remnant of the people in the midst of judgements] if I do not in time of evil [that is,of plagues and miseries] and in time of trouble come between [or speak for, intercede, as Isai.59.16.] for thee by the enemy! [or, cause the enemy to intreat thee (well;) that is, cause the enemy to deal lovingly and kindly with thee. See the fulfilling hereof below, chap.40.1,2,3,4&c. If thy,&c. an abrupt kinde of speech, very usual in making oaths. See Gen.14. On vers.23. And Deut.1. On vers.35 God sweareth Jeremia, that he will turn his sufferings into a good condition, so that in the time of the enemies invasion he shall speed much better than this wicked people shall. Some take in an interrogatory way, in one and the same sense.]
12. Shall also (any) iron break the iron or copper [Or, steel] of the North?[Asif God should say, By no means. Because the Northern iron is much harder, and is like steel, as Gographers also testifie: Are then these men that do so vex thee, hard?Iam yet harder, able enough to break their plots and designes against thee. But some conceive that God in this phase beginneth again to speak of the coming of the Babylonians from the North, whose power the Jews with their defensive weapons would be as little able to resist, as a common iron sword is able to break a Northern sword of steel; both in a good sense.]
13. I will give thy power,[That is, riches] and thy treasurers for a prey, without price; [Hebr. Not for price, or not in buying; that is, for nothing; they shall take all away at their pleasure, without giving anything for it] and that for all thy sins, and in all thy boaders. [Meaning, will do this: or for thy sins, which thou hast committed in all thy boarders, as below, ch.17.3.]
14. And I will carry (thee) over with thine enemies, into a Land, (which) thou knowest not; [Or; carry over (the treasures) whereof, in the verse] into,&c. Oth. I will cause thine enemies to passe over thorow a Land, which thou knowest not; That is, thou shalt not know of their passage and comming; they shall come upon thee by-wayes, and in a manner unknown to thee. Some understand it thus: I will cause thine enemies to go over (thee;) That is, I will cause them to use thee tyrannically. Compare below, chap.17.4 and 43.12. and Deuteron.32.22. Job.22.20. With the annotat.] is kindled in mine anger, it shall burn upon you.
15. O LORD thou knowest (it) [mine innocency, whereof above vers.10. These are the words of the Prophet again to God] remember me, [For good, as Neh.5.19. and 13. 31.see Genes. 8. on vers. 1.] and visit me [graciously. See Genes.21.on v.1.] and revenge me of mine persecutours; [Compare above chap.11.20.] take me not away in thy long-suffering (toward them.) [that is, whilest thou dealest thus patiently with my persecutors, that thou hinderest them not , but delayest thy punishment, yet prevent, that they in the mean while take away my life, as they intend to do. Or, according to thy long suffering, when the same shall be at an end, and thou shalt punish this people,then save me. Oth. In, or by lenghtening of thine anger; that is, whilest thou shalt punish this wicked people a long time, make, I pray, a dinstinction between them and me, that I may not perish with them. Compare, Psalm.26.9.] know that for thy sake I suffer disdain.
16. When thy words are found, then I did eat them up, [That is, as soon as they were present, were revealed to me, or represented unto me by thy revelation, I forth with imbraced them with great zeal, and minded them diligently. Compare Ezechiel 2.8. and 3,1,2,3. with the annotat.and Revelations 10.9.] and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoycing of mine heart: called or proclaimed upon me, because Iam thy servant and thy Prophet. See above, chapter 7.10.] O LORD, God of hosts. [See 1 Kings 18. on verse 15.]
17. I set not in the counsel of the mockers [As the Priests and the false Prophets were at that time . Compare Psal.1.1.] nor leaped up for joy: I sate alone [Separating myself from the wicked, being grieved, and weeping for their wickednesse and the approaching plagues . Compare above chap.9.2. and 13.17. also Exod.33.7.] because of thy hand: [to wit, thy punishing hand, which thou will stretch out against this people, Or, because of command, because I would be wholly governed by thy hand,and by thy spirit of prophecy, and would obey thee. See Ezechiel 1. on verse. 3.] for thou hast filled me (with) indignation. [An holy indignation, which I have drawn from thy prophecies against this peoples obstinacy towards thee, and cruelty towards me. Compare above, chap.6.11.]
18. Why is my pain continually lasting, [Or, strong, piercing thorow; see of the Hebrew word, Psal.13. On verse 1,2.] and my plague smaerting? It refuseth to be healed: shouldest thou be altogether [Or, in a manner. Hebr. being be] unto me as a lying (person) [That is, shouldest thou every way shew thyself towards me, as if thou didst deal with lies? Seeing thou hast made me such strong promises (above chap.1.17,18,19.) and yet Iam daily plagued by this people, and am in danger] (as) waters (that) are not lasting? [That dry up, flow away, and so that he is deceived, that cometh for water to them. Cmpare Job 6:15. Thus the Prophet is assulted with impatiency, grief, diffidence, and murmuring, by reason of the peoples wickedness: whreupon God instructeth and comforteth him in the following words]
19. Therefore thus saith the LORD;If thou shalt return, [From this impatiency murmuring. (where-of in the former verse) so as they do not draw thee away from thy duty and office] then will I cause thee to return, [That is, settle and establish thee, as it were a new in thy Prophetical ministery. Oth. If thou shall turn thyself that way, that I do turn thee; that is, faithfully execute my commands, then shalt thou,&c.] thou shalt stand before my face; That is, minister unto me, be and continue my servant and Prophet. See 1 Kings 17:1 . and 18.5. Deut. 10. on vers.8.] and if thou pluck off the precious from the vile [Or, the precious one from the vile one, that is, fever the Godly (that are most precious in my sight) from the wicked, telling both of them severally and bodly whatsoever I command thee. Some understand here the distinguishing between true and false Doctrine, Prophecy, comfort, etc. It seemeth to be a comparison, taken from the work of Goldsmiths. Compare above chap.6.29. and see likewise, Psal.12. on vers.9.] thou shalt be as my mouth: [Compare above chap 1.9. That is, my true Prophet and Interpreter] let them return unto thee, seeking counsel and comfort fron thee. See below, chap.37.3.] but thou shalt not return unto them. [That thou shouldest fail through faint heartednesse, or humane fear, yeeld to them in their wickedness, also seek counsel and comfort from them]
20. For I have made thee [Or, I will make thee, or, I do make thee; to wit, as it were anew.] against this people a strong copper wall: [Compare above chap.1.18.] they shall indeed fight thee, but not prevail against thee; for Iam with thee, to save thee, and to rescue thee, saith the LORD.
21. Yea I will rescue thee out of the hand of the wicked: and I will deliver thee out of the hand-palm of Tyrants.