Jeremiah 5

1. I will pardon it. “I will pardon her,” R.V. The representation is not to be taken literally, for there were good men in Jerusalem, such as Baruch, etc. (cp. xxiv. 4, 5); but it is designed to show that Jerusalem, like Sodom, was guilty as a whole; and yet that God was willing to carry His long-suffering and clemency farther, if possible, than in that case: see Gen. xviii. 23-31.

2. The Lord liveth. i.e., “As the Eternal liveth”; the most solemn form of oath being used as the sanction of falsehood.

6 of the evenings. Probably “of the deserts,” as R.V. marg. The two words are very similar in Hebrew.

A leopard shall watch. That is, shall watch for prey.

7 adultery. Evidently idolatry, not without a reference to its licentious accompaniments.

10 battlements. Or, “branches” (R.V.), i.e., leave only the root or stem. The metaphor is that of a vineyard (ii. 21): op. Isa. vi. 13.

13. And the prophets shall become wind. This is the language of the scoffing Jews. They said, The gloomy predictions of the prophets shall turn out to be wind, and shall return on their own heads.

16. Their quiver is as an open sepulchre. See note on Psa. v. 9. The “open sepulchre” is here equivalent to a storehouse of death, i.e., death-dealing arrows. The words are, however, omitted in the Septuagint version.

17 shall impoverish. Rather, “shall beat down,” as R.V.

19. So shall ye serve strangers. The punishment like the offence. As they had served strange gods, so they should serve a strange people.

22. Fear ye not Me? Man’s reverence is due to God, as the Creator, Controller, and beneficent Sustainer (24) of all things. The power of so slight a thing as sand to resist the might of the ocean is a striking illustration of creative might and wisdom. But the Jews had utterly disregarded even these natural claims.

23 a revolting and a rebellious heart. Not only departing from God but actively opposing His will.

24. That giveth rain. As the preceding appeal had been to God’s creative power, so this is to His providential goodness. The “former rain” marked the autumn, the “latter” the spring. The “appointed weeks of harvest” were the interval between the Passover and the Pentecost, which latter was called the “Feast of Weeks.”

28. Yet they prosper. Rather, as R.V., “that they (i.e., the fatherless) may prosper.”

31 by their means. Lit., “on their hand,” i.e., under their guidance: see 1 Chron. xxv. 2, 3.