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Jeremiah
Chapter Ten
Jeremiah 10
Chapter Contents
The absurdity of idolatry. (1-16) Destruction denounced
against Jerusalem. (17-25)
Commentary on Jeremiah 10:1-16
(Read Jeremiah 10:1-16)
The prophet shows the glory of Israel's God, and exposes
the folly of idolaters. Charms and other attempts to obtain supernatural help,
or to pry into futurity, are copied from the wicked customs of the heathen. Let
us stand in awe, and not dare provoke God, by giving that glory to another
which is due to him alone. He is ready to forgive, and save all who repent and
believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ. Faith learns these blessed truths
from the word of God; but all knowledge not from that source, leads to
doctrines of vanity.
Commentary on Jeremiah 10:17-25
(Read Jeremiah 10:17-25)
The Jews who continued in their own land, felt secure.
But, sooner or later, sinners will find all things as the word of God has
declared, and that its threatenings are not empty terrors. Submission will
support the believer under every grief allotted to him; but what can render the
load of Divine vengeance easy to be borne by those who fall under it in sullen
despair? Those cannot expect to prosper, who do not, by faith and prayer, take
God with them in all their ways. The report of the enemy's approach was very
dreadful. Yet the designs which men lay deep, and think well formed, are dashed
to pieces in a moment. Events are often overruled, so as to be quite contrary
to what we intended and expected. If the Lord has directed our steps into the
ways of peace and righteousness, let us entreat him to enable us to walk
therein. Say not, Lord, do not correct me; but, Lord, do not correct me in
anger. We may bear the smart of God's rod, but we cannot bear the weight of his
wrath. Those who restrain prayer, prove that they know not God; for those who
know him will seek him, and seek his favour. If even severe corrections lead
sinners to be convinced of wholesome truths, they will have abundant cause for
gratitude. And they will then humble themselves before the Lord.
── Matthew Henry《Concise Commentary on Jeremiah》
Jeremiah 10
Verse 2
[2] Thus saith the LORD, Learn not the way of the heathen,
and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at
them.
Learn not — The Jews being to live among the Chaldeans
in their captivity, where many of them were already, the prophet admonishes
them against the Chaldean idolatries, who were all much addicted to astrology.
The signs — This was so common among them,
that Judicial astrologers, of what nation soever, were generally termed
Chaldeans.
The Heathen — Leave this to Heathens; it doth
not become God's people.
Verse 9
[9] Silver spread into plates is brought from Tarshish, and
gold from Uphaz, the work of the workman, and of the hands of the founder: blue
and purple is their clothing: they are all the work of cunning men.
Tarshish — Is the proper name of a sea-town in Cilicia, and being
a noted port, it is usually put for the ocean, and may signify any place beyond
the sea.
Uphaz — Probably the best gold came from thence as the best
silver from Tarshish.
Verse 10
[10] But the LORD is the true God, he is the living God, and
an everlasting king: at his wrath the earth shall tremble, and the nations
shall not be able to abide his indignation.
But — All these are but false gods.
Living — These are all but dead stocks and stones, Jehovah is
the only living God, having life in himself, and giving life to all things
else.
An everlasting king — Time devours them
all, but the true God is everlasting.
Verse 13
[13] When he uttereth his voice, there is a multitude of
waters in the heavens, and he causeth the vapours to ascend from the ends of
the earth; he maketh lightnings with rain, and bringeth forth the wind out of
his treasures.
When — As in the former verse he relates God's unspeakable
power and wisdom in his creating and fixing the stated order of things, so here
he farther sets it forth in his providential ordering and disposing of them.
Verse 14
[14] Every man is brutish in his knowledge: every founder is
confounded by the graven image: for his molten image is falsehood, and there is
no breath in them.
Every man — Every idolator.
Verse 15
[15] They are vanity, and the work of errors: in the time of
their visitation they shall perish.
Visitation — When God shall come to reckon
with Babylon and her idols.
Verse 16
[16] The portion of Jacob is not like them: for he is the
former of all things; and Israel is the rod of his inheritance: The LORD of
hosts is his name.
Portion — God, who vouchsafes to be the portion of his people.
The former — Idols are things framed or
formed, but God is the former of all things.
The rod of his inheritance — So called, because
the inheritances of Israel were measured by a line, reed, or rod.
Verse 17
[17] Gather up thy wares out of the land, O inhabitant of the
fortress.
Gather up — The prophet now enters upon
another subject.
Thy wares — Every thing thou hast any
advantage by, all thy merchandise, as men use to do in case of invasion by an
enemy.
The fortress — The inhabitants of Jerusalem, the
chief place of security in Judea.
Verse 18
[18] For thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will sling out the
inhabitants of the land at this once, and will distress them, that they may
find it so.
Sing out — It denotes with how much violence and ease the
Chaldeans shall hurry away the people into Babylon. And therefore it is said at
this once, I will make one thorough quick work of it.
May find it so — Though they would never believe
it, yet they shall actually find the truth of my threatenings.
Verse 19
[19] Woe is me for my hurt! my wound is grievous: but I said,
Truly this is a grief, and I must bear it.
Woe is me — Here the prophet personates the
complaint of the people of the land.
Verse 20
[20] My tabernacle is spoiled, and all my cords are broken: my
children are gone forth of me, and they are not: there is none to stretch forth
my tent any more, and to set up my curtains.
My tabernacle — He describes the overthrow of the
land, or Jerusalem, by the breaking of the cords of a tabernacle, the use whereof
is to fasten it on every side to stakes in the ground, which cords being broken
the tabernacle falls.
Verse 21
[21] For the pastors are become brutish, and have not sought
the LORD: therefore they shall not prosper, and all their flocks shall be
scattered.
The pastors — The rulers of church and state.
Verse 22
[22] Behold, the noise of the bruit is come, and a great
commotion out of the north country, to make the cities of Judah desolate, and a
den of dragons.
Noise — Rumour, report.
Verse 23
[23] O LORD, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it
is not in man that walketh to direct his steps.
It is not — Lord we know it is not in our
power to divert these judgments that are coming upon us, but thou canst
moderate, and limit them as thou pleasest.
Verse 24
[24] O LORD, correct me, but with judgment; not in thine
anger, lest thou bring me to nothing.
Correct me — Seeing thou wilt punish us, let
it be a correction only, not a destruction. Let it be in measure; in the midst
of judgment remember mercy.
Anger — Lest if thou shouldst let out thy fury upon me, thou
wouldst utterly consume me.
Verse 25
[25] Pour out thy fury upon the heathen that know thee not,
and upon the families that call not on thy name: for they have eaten up Jacob,
and devoured him, and consumed him, and have made his habitation desolate.
The Heathen — Such as do not acknowledge thee
for their God.
Call not — One part of worship put for the whole. If thou wilt
pour out thy fury, let the effects of it be to thine enemies, not unto thine
own people.
── John Wesley《Explanatory Notes on Jeremiah》
10 Chapter 10
Verses 1-16
──《The Biblical Illustrator》
10 Chapter 10
INTRODUCTION TO JEREMIAH 10
This
chapter shows that there is no comparison to be made between God and the idols
of the Gentiles; represents the destruction of the Jews as near at hand; and is
closed with some petitions of the prophet. It begins by way of preface with an
exhortation to hear the word of the Lord, and a dehortation not to learn the
way of the Heathens, or be dismayed at their signs, since their customs were in
vain, Jeremiah 10:1 which lead on to expose their
idols, and set forth the greatness and glory of God. Their idols are described
by the matter and makers of them, Jeremiah 10:3 and from their impotence to
speak, to stand, to move, or do either good or evil, Jeremiah 10:4, but, on the other hand, God
is described by the greatness of his name and power, and by the reverence that
belongs unto him; in comparison of whom all the wise men of the nations are
brutish, foolish, and vain, Jeremiah 10:6, by the epithets of true,
living, and everlasting, and by the terribleness of his wrath, Jeremiah 10:10, by his power and wisdom, in
making the heavens and the earth, in causing thunder and lightning, wind and
rain, when the gods that have no share in these shall utterly perish, Jeremiah 10:11 their makers being brutish,
and brought to shame; and they falsehood and breathless vanity, the work of
errors, and so shall come to ruin, Jeremiah 10:14, but he, who is Jacob's
portion, and whose inheritance Israel is, is not like them; being the former of
all things, and his name the Lord of hosts, Jeremiah 10:16 and next follows a prophecy
of the destruction of the Jews; wherefore they are bid to gather up their
wares, since in a very little time, and at once, the Lord would fling them out
of the land, and bring them into distress, Jeremiah 10:17, upon which the prophet
expresses his sympathy with his people in trouble, and the part of grief he
took and bore with them, Jeremiah 10:19, the particulars of his
distress, through the desolation of the land, and the captivity of the people,
with the cause and authors of it, by whose means these things were brought upon
them, are mentioned, Jeremiah 10:20, and the Chaldean army, the
instruments of their ruin, are represented as just at hand, Jeremiah 10:22, when the prophet, directing
himself to God, acknowledges the impotence of man in general to help and guide
himself, deprecates correction in anger to himself in particular, and prays
that the wrath of God might be poured down upon the Heathens, by whom his
people were devoured, consumed, and made desolate, Jeremiah 10:23.
Verse 1
Hear ye the word which the Lord speaketh unto you, O house of
Israel. Or, "upon you"; or, "concerning you"F11עליכם "super vos", V. L. Pagninus, Montanus;
"de vobis", Vatablus; "super vobis", Cocceius. ; it may
design the judgment of God decreed and pronounced upon them; or the prophecy of
it to them, in which they were nearly concerned; or the word of God in general,
sent unto them by his prophets, which they were backward of hearing; and seems
to refer particularly to what follows.
Verse 2
Thus saith the Lord, learn not the way of the Heathen,.... Of the
nations round about them, particularly the Chaldeans; meaning their religious ways,
their ways of worship, their superstition and idolatry, which they were very
prone unto, and many of which they had learned already; and were in danger of
learning more, as they were about to be dispersed in divers countries, and
especially in Chaldea, which was a very superstitious and idolatrous nation:
and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; by which are
meant, not any extraordinary signs, such as are predicted in Joel 2:30, and by our Lord, as signs of the
last destruction of Jerusalem, and of his coming, and of the end of the world, Matthew 24:3, but ordinary signs, which are
no other than the sun, and moon, and stars, which are set up for signs and
seasons, and days and years, Genesis 1:14, and as long as they are observed
as signs of places and of times, it is well enough; but if more is attributed
unto them, as portending things future, and as having an influence on the birth
and death, dispositions and actions of men, when in such a conjunction,
situation, and position, it is wrong; which is what is called judicial
astrology, and to which the Chaldeans were much addicted, and is here
condemned; nor should men possess themselves with fears with what shall befall
them on such accounts, since all things are under the determination, direction,
and influence of the God of heaven, and not the signs of them; especially they
should not be so observed as to be worshipped, and to be so awed by them as to
fear that evil things will befall, if they are not; and to this sense is the
Syriac version, "the signs of the heavens do not worship, or fear".
Jarchi interprets them of the eclipses of the luminaries, which may be thought
to forbode some dreadful thingsF12Vid. T. Bab. Succa, fol. 29. 1. :
for the Heathen are dismayed at them; which is a
reason why the people of God should not, because it is a Heathenish fear; or,
"though the Heathen"F13כי יחתו "quamvis consterni soleant", Vatablus. ,
&c.; though they are frightened at such and such conjunctions and positions
of the stars, and fear that such and such dreadful things will follow; and
never regard the supreme Being and first cause of all things; yet such who have
the knowledge of the true God, and a revelation of his will, ought not to be
terrified hereby; see Isaiah 47:13. This text is brought to prove
that the Israelites are not under any planetF14T. Bab. Sabbat, fol.
156. 1. ; since the Heathens are dismayed at them, but not they.
Verse 3
For the customs of the people are vain,.... Or,
"their decrees", or "statutes"F15חקות "decreta", Targ.; "statua", Junius
& Tremellius, Piscator, Cocceius, Schmidt. , their determinations and
conclusions, founded upon the observation of the stars; or, their "rites
and ceremonies"F16Ritus, Vatablus; "ceremoniae",
Tigurine version. in religion, in the worship of the sun and moon, and the
hosts of heaven. The Syriac version is, "the idols of the people are
nothing"; and which appears by what follows:
for one cutteth a tree out of the forest (the work of the hands of
the workman) with the axe; not for building, or for burning, but to
make a god of; the vanity, stupidity, and folly of which are manifest, when it
is considered that the original of it is a tree that grew in the forest; the
matter and substance of it the body and trunk of a tree cut down with an axe,
and then hewed with the same, and planed with a plane, and formed into the
image of a man, or of some creature; and now, to fall down and worship this
must be vanity and madness to the last degree; see Isaiah 44:13.
Verse 4
They deck it with silver and with gold,.... Cover it
with plates of silver and gold, for the sake of ornament, that it may look
grand, majestic, and venerable; and by this means draw the eye and attention,
and so the devotion of people to it:
they fasten it with nails and hammers, that it move not. The sense is,
either that the idol was fastened to some post or pillar, or in some certain
place on a pedestal, that it might not fall, it not being able otherwise to
support itself; or the plates of silver and gold, as Kimchi thinks, were
fastened to the idol with nails and hammers, that so they might not be taken
away from it; for, were it not for the nails, the god would not be able to keep
his silver and golden deckings.
Verse 5
They are upright as the palm tree,.... Being nailed to a
post, or fastened to a pillar, or set upon a pedestal, and so stand erect
without bending any way; and are like a palm tree, which is noted for its
uprightness; hence the church's stature is compared to it, Song of Solomon 7:7, here it is a sarcasm,
and a bitter one:
but speak not; man, that is of an erect stature, in which
he differs from other creatures, has the faculty of speech, which they that go
upon four feet have not; but the idols of the Gentiles, though erect, have not
the power of speaking a word; and therefore can give no answer to their
worshippers; see Psalm 115:5,
they must needs be borne: or, "in carrying be
carried"F17נשוא ינשוא
"portando portantur", Schmidt; "portabitur" Pagninus;
"portabuntur", Montanus; "omnino portanda sunt", Junius
& Tremellius, Piscator. ; when being made they are fixed in the designed
place, or are moved from place to place; they are then carried in men's arms,
or on their shoulders:
because they cannot go; they have no life, and
so are incapable of motion of themselves; they have feet, but walk not; and
cannot arise and bestir themselves for the help of those that pray unto them, Psalm 115:7,
be not afraid of them, for they cannot do evil; that is,
inflict judgment, cause drought, famine, or pestilence, or any other evil or
calamity:
neither is it also in them to do good; to give rains
and fruitful seasons, or bestow any favour, temporal or spiritual; see Jeremiah 14:21.
Verse 6
Forasmuch as there is none like unto thee, O Lord,.... None like
him, for the perfections of his nature, for the works of his hands, and for the
instances of his kindness and beneficence, both in a way of grace and
providence; there is none like him for doing good, or doing evil; that is, for
bestowing favours, or inflicting punishments; there is none like him for
goodness or greatness, as follows:
thou art great; in his nature; of great power, wisdom,
faithfulness, truth, and goodness; and in his works of creation and providence,
and in everything in which he is concerned; and greatness is to be ascribed to
him, and greatly is he to be praised; and all the glory due unto his name is to
be given him:
and thy name is great in might; his name is himself, and
his greatness much appears in the exertion of the attribute of his power and
might; in making all things out of nothing, in upholding the whole creation,
and in the government of the universe; or the fame of him is great through the
effects of his power, which are to be seen throughout the earth.
Verse 7
Who would not fear thee, O King of nations?.... Not that
the fear of him among the nations was general, or that he was owned by them as
their King; but inasmuch as of right he was their King, so he ought to have
been feared and reverenced by them; and it was an instance of great stupidity
and ingratitude not to do it. The Targum renders it,
"King
of all people;'
and
the Syriac version, "King of all worlds"; some reference seems to be
had to this passage in Revelation 15:3, where, instead of
"King of nations", the Lord is called "King of saints"; and
there refers to a time when he will be feared, that is, worshipped and served
by all nations, as he ought to be:
for to thee doth it appertain; that is, fear belongs to
him, it is his due; and this, with keeping the commandments of God, is the
whole duty of man. The Vulgate Latin version is, "thine is the
glory"; honour or praise, as the Syriac version; and so Jarchi interprets
it of beauty or glory; but the Targum,
"thine
is the kingdom;'
and
so Kimchi; and to which agrees the Arabic version.
Forasmuch as among all the wise men of the nations, and in all
their kingdoms, there is none like unto thee; that is, among all the
wise kings of the nations, and all their wise counsellors, there is none like
unto God for wisdom, or for glory and majesty; there is none of them that has
such a kingdom as he has, or that governs it as he does; and as all their power
and government, so all that wisdom by which they manage their political
affairs, are from him.
Verse 8
But they are altogether brutish and foolish,.... In
comparison of the Lord, there is no knowledge and wisdom in them, this is a
certain fact; they are verily brutish and foolish; or they are one and all so,
there is not a wise man among them: or, "in one thing they are
brutish"F18ובאחת יבערו
"in hoc uno Munster", Tigurine version; "et certe in una quadem
re obbrutescunt", Piscator. So Jarchi and Abarbinel. , &c.; namely, in
their idolatry; however wise they may be in other respects, in this they are
foolish: or, to give no more instances of their brutishnessF19The
Talmudists seem to take the word בער to have the
signification of burning; for the sense of these words being asked, it is
replied, there is one thing that burns the wicked in hell; what is it?
idolatry; as it is here written, "a doctrine of vanities is the
stock." and folly, this one is sufficient, even what follows,
the stock is a doctrine of vanities; or what they teach
persons, as to worship the trunk of a tree, or any idol of metal, or of wood,
is a most vain and foolish thing, and argues gross stupidity and folly, and
proves them to be brutish, and without understanding.
Verse 9
Silver spread into plates is brought from Tarshish,.... In
Cilicia, where the Apostle Paul was born; according to Josephus, as Jerom says,
it was a country in India. The Targum renders it, from Africa, and calls it
silver "rolled up", or "covered"; so the Vulgate Latin;
such was beaten with a hammer into plates, and might be rolled up for better
convenience of shipment; and with which they covered and decked their idols, to
make them look glittering and pompous, and command some awe and reverence from
the common people. The Arabic version renders it, "solid silver"; it
being the same word from whence the firmament of heaven has its name, or the
wide expanse; hence we render it "spread", stretched, and drawn out
into plates. The Syriac version is, "the best silver"; as very likely
that from Tarshish was reckoned.
And gold from Uphaz; called sometimes
"the gold of Uphaz"; Daniel 10:5 or "Fess"; perhaps
the same with the gold of Ophir, Job 28:16 and so the Targum here calls it,
"gold from Ophir"; to which agrees the Syriac version; and was
esteemed the best gold.
The work of workmen, and of the hands of the founder; melter or
refiner, being first purified by him from dross, and then wrought into plates,
and polished, and fitted for the idol; and all this being owing to the art and
workmanship of men, shows the brutishness and ignorance of the people, in
worshipping it as a god. Blue and purple is their clothing; not the clothing of
the workmen, but of the idols; these colours seem to be chosen to dazzle the
eyes of the populace, and cause them to entertain a high opinion of them; the
"blue" being the colour of the heavens, and the "purple"
what is wore by kings; and so both may denote their deity and dominion. But,
alas!
they are all the work of cunning men: both the
idols, and their clothing; especially the latter is meant, which were curiously
wrought and embroidered by men skilful in that art.
Verse 10
But the Lord is the true God,.... In opposition to all
nominal and fictitious deities, which are not by nature God, only by name, and
in the foolish imagination of the people: or, "the Lord God is truth"F20אלהים אמת "Deus
veritas", Pagninus, Montanus, Coceeius. ; that cannot lie, is true to his
covenant and promises, and will never deceive those that worship and serve him,
and rely upon him:
he is the living God; that has life in
himself, and is the author and giver of life to others; to all men natural
life, to some men spiritual and eternal life; whereas the gods of the Gentiles
have no life in themselves; are either dead men, or lifeless and inanimate
things, stocks and stones, and can give no life to others. The words are in the
plural number, "he is the living Gods"; not for the sake of honour
and glory, as Kimchi observes; but as denoting a trinity of Persons in the
unity of the divine essence: for though the words אלהים
חיים, "living Gods", that is, living divine
Ones, or Persons, are in the plural number, yet הוא,
"he", is in the singular; which is worthy of observation. The Syriac
version renders it, "the God of the living"; and so an Oxford Arabic
MS, see Matthew 22:32.
And an everlasting King; from everlasting to
everlasting; he is King of old, even from eternity, and will ever be so; his
kingdom is an everlasting one, and his throne for ever and ever, and he will
always have subjects to reign over; nor will he have any successor, as mortal
kings have, even such who have been deified by their idolatrous subjects.
At his wrath the earth shall tremble; that is, the
inhabitants of it, when it is poured forth in judgments in the present life,
and in the everlasting destruction of soul and body hereafter; and then shall
they fear him, though now they do not.
And the nations shall not be able to abide his indignation; especially at
the day of judgment; see Revelation 6:16.
Verse 11
Thus shall ye say unto them,.... The godly Jews to
the idolatrous Chaldeans; and therefore this verse alone is written in the
Chaldee language. The Targum prefaces it thus,
"this
is the copy of the letter, which Jeremiah the prophet sent to the rest of the
elders of the captivity in Babylon; and if the people among whom you are should
say unto you, serve idols, O house of Israel; then shall ye answer, and so
shall ye say unto them, the idols whom ye serve are errors, in whom there is no
profit; from heaven they cannot bring down rain, and out of the earth they
cannot produce fruit:'
so
Jarchi observes: it follows in the text,
the gods that have not made the heavens and the earth, even they
shall perish from the earth, and from under these heavens; which the
Targum paraphrases thus,
"they
and their worshippers shall perish from the earth, and shall be consumed from
under these heavens.'
The
words may be considered as a prediction that so it would be; or as an
imprecation that so it might be, and be read, "let the gods",
&c.; and considered either way, being put into the mouth of the godly Jews
in Babylon, to be openly pronounced by them in the midst of idolaters, and in
answer to them, when they should be enticed to idolatry, show how open and
ingenuous men should be in the profession of the true God, and his religion and
worship: and it may be observed, against the deniers of the true deity of our
Lord Jesus Christ, that if he is not that God that made the heavens and the
earth, he lies under this imprecation or prediction.
Verse 12
He hath made the earth by his power,.... The Targum considers
these words as a continuation of the answer of the Jews to the Chaldeans,
paraphrasing them thus,
"and
so shall ye say unto them, `we worship him who hath made the earth by his
power':'
who
stands opposed to the gods that made not the heavens and the earth, that had no
title to deity, nor right to worship; but the true God has both; and his making
the earth out of nothing, and hanging it upon nothing, and preserving it firm
and stable, are proofs of his almighty power, and so of his deity; and
consequently that he ought to be worshipped, and he only.
He hath established the world by his wisdom; upon the
rivers and floods; or he hath poised it in the air; or he hath disposed it in
an orderly, regular, and beautiful manner, as the wordF21מכין "aptavit", Cocceius; "preparans",
Schmidt; a כון "aptavit, disposuit",
Gussetius. used signifies; by making it terraqueous, partly land, and partly
water; by opening in it fountains and rivers; by diversifying it with hills and
vales, with wood and arable land, &c.; all which show the wisdom as well as
the power of God.
And hath stretched out the heavens by his discretion; as a canopy
over the earth, as a tent to dwell in; and which is beautifully bespangled with
the luminaries in it; hence it has the name of expanse, or the firmament of
heaven.
Verse 13
When he uttereth his voice,.... Declares his will
and pleasure, issues out his commands; or when he thunders, for thunder is his
voice, Job 37:2,
there is a multitude of waters in the heavens; they are
covered with clouds, and these clouds full of water; which is brought about by
the following means:
and he causeth the vapours to ascend from the ends of the earth; from the
north and south, as Kimchi observes from the philosophers; or from all parts of
the earth, the most distant, and particularly from the sea, the border of the
earth, from whence clouds arise, being exhaled by the sun; see 1 Kings 18:43.
He maketh lightnings with rain; which very often go
together, and the one makes way for the other, Job 28:26, though they are so opposite one
to another:
and bringeth forth the wind out of his treasures; the caverns
of the earth, or his fists, in which he holds it, Proverbs 30:4 and lets its loose at his
pleasure; he has plenty of it in reserve; he is Lord over it; he sends it forth
when he pleases, and it fulfils his will and his word.
Verse 14
Every man is brutish in his knowledge,.... Or
science of making an idol, whether it be of wood, or of gold, or silver, or
brass; he is no better than a brute, if he thinks, when he has made it, he has
made a god: or, "because of knowledge"F23מדעת "propter scientiam", Pagninus, Montanus;
"a scientia", Calvin, Grotius, Schmidt. ; for want of it; being
without the knowledge of God and divine things, he is like the beasts that
perish, Psalm 49:20,
every founder is confounded by the graven image; or put to
shame on account of it; since, after all his art, and care, and trouble, in
melting and refining, and casting it into a form, it is no more than a piece of
gold, or silver, or brass, and has no deity, nor anything like it, in it:
for his molten image is falsehood; it is a lie, when it is
said to be a god; and it deceives those who worship it, and place any
confidence in it. Kimchi renders it, "his covering"F24נסכו "tectio, sive obductio ejus",
Vatablus. . The covering of the idol with gold and silver, with blue and
purple, as in Jeremiah 10:4, is all a piece of deceit, to
impose upon the people, and lead them into idolatry:
and there is no breath in them; they are mere stocks and
stones, lifeless and inanimate creatures; they have neither life themselves,
nor can they give it to others.
Verse 15
They are vanity,.... They are the fruit of the vain
imagination of men; to worship them shows the vanity of the human mind; and
they are vain things to trust to:
and the work of errors; of erroneous men, and
which lead men into errors; and are worthy to be laughed at, as the Targum
paraphrases it.
In the time of their visitation they shall perish; or in the
time that I shall visit upon them their sins, as the Targum; that is, when
Babylon should be destroyed by the Medes and Persians, as Kimchi interprets it;
when their idols were destroyed also; see Isaiah 46:1.
Verse 16
The portion of Jacob is not like them,.... Like
those idols, vain, and the work of errors, or shall perish; even the true God,
who is the portion of his people, of Jacob, whom he has chosen and redeemed;
who call themselves by the name of Jacob, and are Israelites indeed, and plain
hearted ones; and who have seen the insufficiency of all other portions, and the
excellency of this; for there is none like it, none so large, so rich, so
satisfying, and so durable; for God is the portion of his, in all the
perfections of his nature, which all, some way or other, are for their good and
advantage; and in all his persons, and under every character; even all he has
is theirs, now and hereafter:
for he is the former of all things: which idols are not,
being the maker of creatures themselves; wherefore the Creator must be a better
portion than they; and as he has all things at his dispose, he bestows them on
his people, and they cannot want:
and Israel is the rod of his inheritance; chosen and
possessed by him, and dear unto him; and wonderful this is, that on the one
side he should be the portion of his people; and, on the other, that they
should be his portion and his inheritance, when so few in number, and despised
by and among men, and but sinful dust and ashes; and especially when what
follows is considered:
the Lord of hosts is his name: his title is the Lord of
armies, above and below; he rules both in heaven and in earth, and has the
inhabitants of both worlds, angels and men, at his command; and yet he chooses
a handful of people to be his possession and inheritance.
Verse 17
Gather up thy wares out of the land,.... Or thy merchandise,
as the Targum; or thy substance, as the Septuagint; all valuable effects and
goods that are movable, which might be carried from place to place. The meaning
is, that the Jews would gather up their riches from the several parts of the
land of Judea, and bring them to Jerusalem, a fortified place; or they would be
in danger of falling into the hands of the enemy. Kimchi interprets the words
as if spoken of Babylon, and directed to the Chaldeans, not to be elated with
the captivity of Israel; and because the word כנע
signifies "to humble and subdue" he takes the sense to be,
"gather
in or contract thine humiliation or subjection;'
that
is, of other nations; refrain thyself, or cease from subduing kingdoms; that is
now at an end, it shall be no more so; but the words manifestly respect the
people of the Jews, as is clear from the next verse.
O inhabitant of the fortress; of the fortress of Zion,
or the fortified city, Jerusalem. The Targum is,
"O
thou that dwellest in the strong place, in the fortified cities.'
It
may be rendered, "that dwellest in the siege"F25יושבתי במצור "quae habitas
in obsidione", V. L. Cocceius, Schmidt. ; in the besieged city, Jerusalem.
Verse 18
For thus saith the Lord,.... This is a reason
enforcing the exhortation in the preceding verse, and shows that the same
people that are spoken of here are addressed there.
Behold, I will sling out the inhabitants of the land at this once; meaning the
inhabitants of the land of Judea; or otherwise the prophet would never have
expressed such a concern for them as he does in the following verse. Their
captivity is signified by the slinging of a stone out of a sling, and shows how
sudden, swift, and certain, it would be: and that it would as easily and
swiftly be done, and with equal force and rapidity, as a stone is slung out of
a sling; and that it would be done by the Lord himself, whoever were the
instruments:
and will distress them; or "straiten"F26והצרתי להם "oblidere faciana
eos", some in Vatablus; "et angustabo, vel obsidebo eos",
Schmidt; "faciam ut obsideant eos", Calvin; "arctum ipsis facium",
Cocceius. them, on every side; it seems to intend the siege; or bring them into
great straits and difficulties, through the pestilence, famine, sword, and
captivity:
that they may find it; so as he had spoken by
his prophets, it coming to pass exactly as they had foretold. The Targum is,
"that
they may receive the punishment of their sins;'
and
so the Septuagint and Arabic versions, "that thy stroke may be
found"; but the Syriac version is very different from either, "that
they may seek me and find"; which is an end that is sometimes answered by
afflictive dispensations.
Verse 19
Woe is me for my hurt!.... Or "breach"F1על שברי "propter
confractionem meam", Cocceius Schmidt, ; which was made upon the people of
the Jews, when besieged, taken, and carried captive; with whom the prophet
heartily sympathized, and considered their calamities and distresses as his
own; for these are the words of the prophet, lamenting the sad estate of his
people.
My wound is grievous; causes grief, is very
painful, and hard to be endured:
but I said; within himself, after he had thoroughly considered the matter:
this is a grief; an affliction, a trial, and exercise:
and I must bear it; patiently and quietly, since it is of God,
and is justly brought upon the people for their sins.
Verse 20
My tabernacle is spoiled,.... Not the temple at
Jerusalem only, rather Jerusalem itself, as Kimchi; or the whole land, as the
Targum,
"my
land is wasted:'
the
allusion is to the tents of shepherds, and denotes the unstable condition of
the Jewish nation:
and all my cords are broken: all the rest of the
cities of the land are destroyed, as Kimchi; and so the Targum,
"my
cities are spoiled:'
as
the cords are what the parts of the tabernacle or tent are fastened and kept
together with, they may intend the strength of the nation, which lay in its
wealth, its fortresses, and the numbers of its people, now weakened, loosed,
and broke.
My children are gone forth of me; into captivity, as the
Targum interprets it; the prophet, representing Jerusalem, and the cities of
Judah. The Septuagint adds, "and my sheep"; keeping on the metaphor
of a shepherd, his tent, and flock.
And they are not; either not in the world, being destroyed by
one judgment or another; or rather not in their own land, being carried
captive.
There is none to stretch forth my tent any more, and to set up my
curtains; which shows the great destruction and desolation of the land,
and its inhabitants, that there would be none to set up a shepherd's tent;
perhaps the rebuilding of Jerusalem, and the rest of the cities, may be meant.
Verse 21
For the pastors are become brutish,.... The
"kings" of Judah, so the Targum, Jarchi, and Kimchi, as Jehoiakim and
Zedekiah; though it need not be restrained to these only, but may include all
inferior civil magistrates, and even all ecclesiastical rulers, who were the
shepherds of the people; but these being like the brute beasts, and without
understanding of civil and religious things, and not knowing how to govern the
people either in a political or ecclesiastical way, were the cause of their
ruin.
And have not sought the Lord; this is an instance of
their brutishness and stupidity, and opens the source of all their mistakes and
misfortunes; they did not seek the Lord for counsel, by whom kings reign well,
and princes decree justice; nor doctrine from the Lord, as the Targum, as the
priests and prophets should have done, in order to instruct the people, and
feed them with knowledge and understanding; nor did either of them seek the
glory of God in what they did, but their own interest, worldly advantage, or
applause:
therefore they shall not prosper; in their kingdom, and in
the several offices and stations in which they were. Some render the words,
"therefore they do not act prudently"F2לא
השכילו "non egerunt prudenter", Vatablus,
Tigurine version; "non intellexerunt", Pagninus, Montanus. ; not
consulting the Lord, nor warning the people, nor giving them notice of
approaching danger:
and all their flocks shall be scattered; the people of
the Jews that were under their government, civil or ecclesiastical, should be
dispersed in several nations, and especially in Chaldee; wherefore it follows:
Verse 22
Behold the noise of the bruit is come,.... Or,
"the voice of hearing"F3קול שמועה "vox auditionis", Pagninus, Montanus;
"vox auditus", Vatablus, Calvin; "vox famae", Schmidt. ;
that is, the voice heard; the report that was made that the king of Babylon had
invaded the land, and was coming up to besiege Jerusalem: "and a great
commotion out of the north country"; a large army from Babylon, which lay
north of Judea, which came with great noise, and caused a great trembling and
shaking among the inhabitants of the land whither they were coming:
to make the cities of Judah desolate, and a den of dragons; this shows
that the whole paragraph is to be understood of the Jewish nation, and of their
destruction. See Gill on Jeremiah 9:11.
Verse 23
O Lord, I know that the way of man is not in himself,.... Kimchi
and Ben Melech interpret it of that well known man Nebuchadnezzar, whose way
was not in himself, and was not master of his own resolutions, but was under
the influence and direction of divine Providence: when he set out of Babylon,
he thought to have gone against the Ammonites; but when he came to a place
where two ways met; the one leading to the children of Ammon, the other to
Jerusalem; God changed his mind, and he steered his course to Jerusalem, to chastise
Zedekiah for the breach of his oath: but the words seem to have a more general
meaning; and the sense to be, that the prophet knew that it was not with him,
nor with any of the godly, to escape the judgments that were coming upon them;
that they were entirely in the hands of the Lord, to be guided, directed, and
disposed of at his pleasure. The words may be accommodated to spiritual things
and the affair of salvation; and be rendered thus, "I know, O Lord, that
not for man is his way"F4ידעתי יהוה כי לא
לאדם דרכו "novi,
Jehovah, quod non sit homini via ejus", Schmidt; so Vatablus, Cocceius. ;
his own way is not good for him; not his sinful way, for this is opposite to
God's way, and a going out of it; it is not according to his word; it is after
the course of the world; and it is a dark and crooked way, and leads to, and
ends in, destruction and death, if grace prevent not: nor the way of his own
righteousness; this is no way of access to God, no way of acceptance with him,
no way of justification before him, no way of salvation, no way to heaven, and
eternal happiness; that which is the good and right way, the only way of
salvation, is not of man, in him, or with him naturally; it is not of his
devising and contriving, and much less of his effecting; it is not even within
his knowledge; and so far as he knows anything of it, he does not approve of
it: but it is of God; the scheme of it is of his forming; it is a work wrought
out by Christ; it is a way of salvation revealed in the Gospel; and the thing itself
is savingly made known, and applied by the Spirit of God; all which is known
and owned when men are spiritually enlightened:
it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps; as not in
natural and civil things, much less in religious ones; a good man is one that
"walks", which supposes life and strength, without which there can be
no walking; and a progression, a going on in a way; which ways are Christ, and
his ordinances the path of doctrine and of duty; yet it is not even in this good
man "to direct" and order "his steps" of himself; it is the
Lord that must do it, and does; he can take no step aright without him; he is
guided by him and his Spirit, both in the path of truth and of obedience; and
hence it is that the saints persevere unto the end; see Psalm 37:23.
Verse 24
O Lord, correct me, but with judgment,.... The
prophet here represents the body of the Jewish nation, especially the godly
among them; he considers the troubles coming upon the nation as a correction
and chastisement of the Lord; he does not refuse it, or desire it might not
come upon them; he knew the chastisements of a father are for good; he only
entreats it might be "with judgment"; not in strict justice, as his
and the sins of his people deserved, then they would not be able to bear it;
but in measure and moderation, with a mixture of mercy and tenderness in it;
and in a distinguishing manner, so as to make a difference between his own
people and others, in the correction of them; see Ezekiel 34:16,
not in thine anger; in vindictive wrath, and hot displeasure,
which is elsewhere deprecated by the saints, Psalm 6:1,
lest thou bring me to nothing; or "lessen me"F5פן תמעטני "ne imminuas
me", Munster, Calvin, Cocceius; "ne diminuere facias me",
Pagninus, Montanus; "ne paucum reddas me", Schmidt. , or "make
me little"; or make us few, as the Arabic version; or bring to a small
number, as the Syriac; and so to utter ruin.
Verse 25
Pour out thy fury upon the Heathen that know thee not,.... Make a
difference between thy people that know thee, and make a profession of thy
name, and worship thee, and the Heathen, the nations of the world who are
ignorant of God, and worship stocks and stones; while thou correctest thine own
people in measure, in love, and not in wrath, pour out without measure all thy
fury upon the Gentiles that know not God, and are guilty of the grossest
idolatry:
and upon the families that call not on thy name; this does not
signify single families, commonly so called; but kingdoms, as the Targum
interprets it; Heathen kingdoms and nations, that call not upon or worship the
God of Israel, but their own idols; such as the family of Egypt, Zechariah 14:17 and so it is expressed in a
parallel place, Psalm 79:6, which is either taken from
hence, or this from thence:
for they have eaten up Jacob, and devoured him, and consumed him,
and have made his habitation desolate; a heap of words to
express the great destruction and desolation of the land of Israel, of
Jerusalem, and the cities of Judah; and of their houses and dwelling places,
private and public; and of their spoiling them of all their goods, substance,
wealth, and riches; which is given as a reason of the above imprecation.
──《John Gill’s Exposition of the
Bible》