King James Version
Jeremiah 17
27 verses with commentary
Judah's Sin and Punishment
The sin of Judah is written with a pen of iron, and with the point of a diamond: it is graven upon the table of their heart, and upon the horns of your altars; point: Heb. nail
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KJV Study Commentary
The indictment against Judah employs striking imagery of permanence and depth. The Hebrew <em>cheret barzel</em> (חֶרֶט בַּרְזֶל, "pen of iron") and <em>tzipporen shamir</em> (צִפֹּרֶן שָׁמִיר, "point of diamond") emphasize the indelible nature of sin's record. Unlike temporary inscriptions, these materials create permanent engravings, signifying that Judah's guilt is not superficial but deeply en...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
XVII.
(1) **A pen of iron.**—*i.e., *a *stylus, *or graving tool, as in Job 19:24, chiefly used for engraving in stone or metal. In Psalm 45:1 it seems to have been used of the instrument with which the scribe wrote on his tablets.
**With the point of a diamond.**—The word expresses the idea of the hardness rather than the brilliancy of the diamond, and is rendered “adamant” in Ezekiel 3:9; Zechar...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**8. given to pleasures--**(See on Is 47:1). In no city were there so many incentives to licentiousness.
**I am ... none ... beside me--**(Is 47:10). Language of arrogance in man's mouth; fitting for God alone (Is 45:6). See Is 5:8, latter part.
**widow ... loss of children--**A state, represented as a female, when it has fallen is called a widow, because its king is no more; and childless, be...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 17
The fatal consequences of the idolatry of the Jews. (Jr 17:1-4) The happiness of the man that trusts in God; the end of the opposite character. (Jr 17:5-11) The malice of the prophet's enemies. (Jr 17:12-18) The observance of the sabbath. (Jr 17:19-27)
**Verses 1-4** The sins which men commit make little impression on their minds, yet every sin is marked in the book of God; they a...
Read full commentary →Whilst their children remember their altars and their groves by the green trees upon the high hills.
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KJV Study Commentary
This verse reveals the tragic intergenerational transmission of idolatry. The children's remembrance of "altars and groves" (<em>asherim</em>, אֲשֵׁרִים—wooden poles representing the Canaanite goddess Asherah) demonstrates how false worship becomes culturally embedded. The parents' compromise has shaped their children's spiritual formation, creating cycles of covenant unfaithfulness.<br><br>The lo...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(2) **Whilst their children remember . . .**—If we take “children” as referring to age, there may be a reference to the way in which the horrors of Molech worship were burnt in upon the minds of boys who were present at such a spectacle, so as never to be forgotten, but the general sense in which we speak of the “children” of Israel or Judah seems sufficient. The thought expressed is that every lo...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**9. in a moment--**It should not decay slowly, but be suddenly and unexpectedly destroyed; in a single night it was taken by Cyrus. The prophecy was again literally fulfilled when Babylon revolted against Darius; and, in order to hold out to the last, each man chose one woman of his family, and strangled the rest, to save provisions. Darius impaled three thousand of the revolters.
**in ... perf...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 17
The fatal consequences of the idolatry of the Jews. (Jr 17:1-4) The happiness of the man that trusts in God; the end of the opposite character. (Jr 17:5-11) The malice of the prophet's enemies. (Jr 17:12-18) The observance of the sabbath. (Jr 17:19-27)
**Verses 1-4** The sins which men commit make little impression on their minds, yet every sin is marked in the book of God; they a...
Read full commentary →O my mountain in the field, I will give thy substance and all thy treasures to the spoil, and thy high places for sin, throughout all thy borders.
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KJV Study Commentary
God's judgment is comprehensive and inescapable. The phrase "my mountain in the field" likely refers to the temple mount or Mount Zion, which God claims as His own despite Judah's defiling it with high places. The threatened loss of "substance and all thy treasures" encompasses both material wealth and spiritual inheritance—everything Judah possessed as covenant privileges.<br><br>The phrase "for ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(3) **My mountain in the field.**—As in Jeremiah 21:13; Isaiah 2:2; Micah 4:2, a poetic phrase for Jerusalem or Zion, its greatness consisting not in its material elevation above the “field” or surrounding country, but in being “my mountain,” *i.e., *the mountain of Jehovah. The words predict the plunder of the city, perhaps specially the plunder of the Temple.
**Thy high places.**—As having been ...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**10. wickedness--**as in Is 13:11, the cruelty with which Babylon treated its subject states.
**None seeth me--**(Psa 10:11; 94:7). "There is none to exact punishment from me." Sinners are not safe, though seeming secret.
**Thy wisdom--**astrological and political (Is 19:11, &c., as to Egypt).
**perverted--**turns thee aside from the right and safe path.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 17
The fatal consequences of the idolatry of the Jews. (Jr 17:1-4) The happiness of the man that trusts in God; the end of the opposite character. (Jr 17:5-11) The malice of the prophet's enemies. (Jr 17:12-18) The observance of the sabbath. (Jr 17:19-27)
**Verses 1-4** The sins which men commit make little impression on their minds, yet every sin is marked in the book of God; they a...
Read full commentary →And thou, even thyself, shalt discontinue from thine heritage that I gave thee; and I will cause thee to serve thine enemies in the land which thou knowest not: for ye have kindled a fire in mine anger, which shall burn for ever. thyself: Heb. in thyself
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KJV Study Commentary
The severest consequence is introduced: "thou, even thyself, shalt discontinue from thine heritage." The emphatic Hebrew construction stresses personal responsibility—Judah cannot blame circumstances or others. The heritage refers to the promised land, Israel's covenant inheritance from God (Deut 4:21). To be removed from it means exile, the covenant curse for disobedience (Lev 26:27-39, Deut 28:6...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(4) **Thou, even thyself.**—Literally, *in *or *by thyself, *an emphatic form for expressing loneliness and abandonment.
**Shalt discontinue . . .**—The word was a half-technical one, used to describe the act of leaving lands untilled and releasing creditors in the sabbatical year (Exodus 23:11; Deuteronomy 15:2). The land would have its rest now, would “enjoy its Sabbaths” (Leviticus 26:34; 2Chro...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**11. from whence it riseth--**Hebrew, "the dawn thereof," that is, its first rising. Evil shall come on thee without the least previous intimation [Rosenmuller]. But dawn is not applied to "evil," but to prosperity shining out after misery (Is 21:12). Translate, "Thou shall not see any dawn" (of alleviation) [Maurer].
**put ... off--**rather, as Margin, "remove by expiation"; it shall be never ...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 17
The fatal consequences of the idolatry of the Jews. (Jr 17:1-4) The happiness of the man that trusts in God; the end of the opposite character. (Jr 17:5-11) The malice of the prophet's enemies. (Jr 17:12-18) The observance of the sabbath. (Jr 17:19-27)
**Verses 1-4** The sins which men commit make little impression on their minds, yet every sin is marked in the book of God; they a...
Read full commentary →Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD.
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KJV Study Commentary
This verse establishes a fundamental antithesis between two ways of life: trusting in human strength versus trusting in the LORD. The Hebrew <em>arur</em> (אָרוּר, "cursed") is the opposite of <em>baruch</em> (blessed) in verse 7, framing a wisdom contrast similar to Psalm 1. The curse falls upon those who "trusteth in man and maketh flesh his arm"—relying on human ability, alliances, or wisdom ra...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(5) **Cursed be the man . . .**—The words are vehement and abrupt, but they burst from the prophet’s lips as proclaiming the root evil that had eaten into the life of his people. Their trust in an arm of flesh had led them to Egyptian and Assyrian alliances, and these to “departing from the Lord.” The anathema has its counterpart in the beatitude of Jeremiah 17:7. The opening words, *Thus saith th...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**12. Stand--**forth: a scornful challenge to Babylon's magicians to show whether they can defend their city.
**laboured--**The devil's service is a laborious yet fruitless one (Is 55:2).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 5-11** He who puts confidence in man, shall be like the heath in a desert, a naked tree, a sorry shrub, the product of barren ground, useless and worthless. Those who trust to their own righteousness and strength, and think they can do without Christ, make flesh their arm, and their souls cannot prosper in graces or comforts. Those who make God their Hope, shall flourish like a tree alway...
Read full commentary →For he shall be like the heath in the desert, and shall not see when good cometh; but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land and not inhabited.
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KJV Study Commentary
The imagery of "heath in the desert" (Hebrew <em>ar'ar</em>, עֲרָעָר—likely a juniper or tamarisk shrub) depicts barrenness and isolation. This scraggly bush survives in harsh desert conditions but never flourishes. The person who trusts in human strength becomes spiritually stunted, unable to recognize or receive divine blessing even when it arrives ("shall not see when good cometh").<br><br>The ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(6) **Like the heath in the desert.**—The word rendered heath is, literally, *bare *or *naked, *and as such is translated by “destitute” in Psalm 102:17. That meaning has accordingly been given to it here by some recent commentators. No picture of desolation could be more complete than that of a man utterly destitute, yet inhabiting the “parched places of the wilderness.” All the older versions, h...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**13. wearied--**(compare Is 57:10; Eze 24:12).
**astrologers--**literally, those who form combinations of the heavens; who watch conjunctions and oppositions of the stars. "Casters of the configurations of the sky" [Horsley]. Gesenius explains it: the dividers of the heavens. In casting a nativity they observed four signs:--the horoscope, or sign which arose at the time one was born; the mid-he...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 5-11** He who puts confidence in man, shall be like the heath in a desert, a naked tree, a sorry shrub, the product of barren ground, useless and worthless. Those who trust to their own righteousness and strength, and think they can do without Christ, make flesh their arm, and their souls cannot prosper in graces or comforts. Those who make God their Hope, shall flourish like a tree alway...
Read full commentary →Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is.
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KJV Study Commentary
This verse stands in stark contrast to the preceding condemnation (v. 5-6) of those who trust in human strength. The Hebrew word for 'blessed' (baruch, בָּרוּךְ) denotes divine favor, happiness, and prosperity—not mere temporal success but covenantal well-being rooted in relationship with God. 'Trusteth in the LORD' uses batach (בָּטַח), meaning to feel secure, confident, and safe, with Yahweh (no...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(7) **Blessed is the man . . .**—The words that follow in Jeremiah 17:8 are almost a paraphrase of Psalm 1:3. and, we may well believe, were suggested by them. The prophet has, as it were, his own Ebal and Gerizim: trust in God inheriting the blessing, and distrust the curse.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
14. (Is 29:6; 30:30).
**not ... a coal--**Like stubble, they shall burn to a dead ash, without leaving a live coal or cinder (compare Is 30:14), so utterly shall they be destroyed.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 5-11** He who puts confidence in man, shall be like the heath in a desert, a naked tree, a sorry shrub, the product of barren ground, useless and worthless. Those who trust to their own righteousness and strength, and think they can do without Christ, make flesh their arm, and their souls cannot prosper in graces or comforts. Those who make God their Hope, shall flourish like a tree alway...
Read full commentary →For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit. drought: or, restraint
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KJV Study Commentary
This verse extends the blessing announced in verse 7 using vivid agricultural imagery. The Hebrew word for 'tree' (ets, עֵץ) planted 'by the waters' (mayim, מַיִם) and spreading roots 'by the river' (yubal, יוּבָל) depicts a tree with constant water supply—in contrast to trees dependent on sporadic rainfall in Palestine's semi-arid climate. The phrase 'shall not see when heat cometh' uses ra'ah (ר...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(8) **Shall not see when heat cometh.**—Another reading, followed by the LXX. and Vulgate, gives *shall not fear; *there is, however, more force in the repetition of the same word as in Jeremiah 17:6. The man who trusts is like the strong tree, clothed with foliage, that “does not see,” *i.e., *does not regard or feel, the presence of the heat. Technically the meaning is the same in both cases, bu...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**15. Thus, &c.--**Such shall be the fate of those astrologers who cost thee such an amount of trouble and money.
**thy merchants, from thy youth--**that is, with whom thou hast trafficked from thy earliest history, the foreigners sojourning in Babylon for the sake of commerce (Is 13:14; Jr 51:6, 9; Na 3:16, 17) [Barnes]. Rather, the astrologers, with whom Babylon had so many dealings (Is 47...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 5-11** He who puts confidence in man, shall be like the heath in a desert, a naked tree, a sorry shrub, the product of barren ground, useless and worthless. Those who trust to their own righteousness and strength, and think they can do without Christ, make flesh their arm, and their souls cannot prosper in graces or comforts. Those who make God their Hope, shall flourish like a tree alway...
Read full commentary →The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?
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KJV Study Commentary
This is one of Scripture's most penetrating assessments of human nature. The Hebrew <em>aqov</em> (עָקֹב, "deceitful") comes from the same root as Jacob's name, meaning "heel-grabber" or "supplanter"—one who deceives and tricks. The heart is not merely mistaken but actively deceptive, skilled at self-justification and rationalization. "Above all things" (literally "from all") indicates the heart s...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(9) **The heart is deceitful . . .**—The sequence of ideas seems as follows: If the blessing and the curse are thus so plainly marked, how is it that man chooses the curse and not the blessing, the portion of the “heath in the desert” rather than that of the “tree planted by the waters”? And the answer is found in the inscrutable self-deceit of his nature blinding his perceptions of good and evil....
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 5-11** He who puts confidence in man, shall be like the heath in a desert, a naked tree, a sorry shrub, the product of barren ground, useless and worthless. Those who trust to their own righteousness and strength, and think they can do without Christ, make flesh their arm, and their souls cannot prosper in graces or comforts. Those who make God their Hope, shall flourish like a tree alway...
Read full commentary →I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.
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KJV Study Commentary
After the devastating diagnosis of verse 9, God declares His omniscience and justice. "I the LORD search the heart" uses <em>choqer</em> (חֹקֵר), meaning to examine thoroughly, investigate deeply, or probe. God's knowledge is not superficial observation but penetrating insight into motives, thoughts, and desires. "I try the reins" (kidneys, <em>kelayot</em>, כְּלָיוֹת) refers to testing the deepes...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(10) **According to his ways.**—The Hebrew word is in the singular, *his way, *and the interpolated conjunction “and” is better omitted, so as to leave the last words as an explanation of what is meant by it. Jehovah, who “searches the heart,” answers the question “who can know it?” He does know, and will, in the end, judge with a perfectly righteous judgment. Men should live as in the presence of...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
CHAPTER 48 Is 48:1-22. The Things That Befall Babylon Jehovah Predicted Long before, lest Israel Should Attribute Them, in Its "Obstinate" Perversity, to Strange Gods (Is 48:1-5).
**1. the waters of Judah--**spring from the fountain of Judah (Nu 24:7; De 33:28; Psa 68:26; Margin). Judah has the "fountain" attributed to it, because it survived the ten tribes, and from it Messiah was to spring.
*...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 5-11** He who puts confidence in man, shall be like the heath in a desert, a naked tree, a sorry shrub, the product of barren ground, useless and worthless. Those who trust to their own righteousness and strength, and think they can do without Christ, make flesh their arm, and their souls cannot prosper in graces or comforts. Those who make God their Hope, shall flourish like a tree alway...
Read full commentary →As the partridge sitteth on eggs, and hatcheth them not; so he that getteth riches, and not by right, shall leave them in the midst of his days, and at his end shall be a fool. sitteth: or, gathereth young which she hath not brought forth
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KJV Study Commentary
This proverb about the partridge employs natural observation to teach a moral lesson. The Hebrew <em>qore</em> (קֹרֵא, partridge) was believed to gather eggs it didn't lay, attempting to hatch them as its own—but the chicks would eventually abandon the impostor. Similarly, wealth acquired unjustly ("not by right") cannot provide lasting security or satisfaction.<br><br>"Shall leave them in the mid...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(11) **As the partridge sitteth on eggs . . .**—Better, following the LXX. and Vulg., and the marginal reading of the Authorised Version, *heaps up eggs and hath not laid them. *The words point to a popular belief among the Jews that the partridge steals the eggs of other birds and adds them to her own, with the result that when the eggs are hatched the broods desert her (see *Bibl. Educ. *iii. p....
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**2. For--**Ye deserve these reproofs; "for" ye call yourselves citizens of "the holy city" (Is 52:1), but not in truth (Is 48:1; Ne 11:1; Da 9:24); so the inscription on their coins of the time of the Maccabees. "Jerusalem the Holy."
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 5-11** He who puts confidence in man, shall be like the heath in a desert, a naked tree, a sorry shrub, the product of barren ground, useless and worthless. Those who trust to their own righteousness and strength, and think they can do without Christ, make flesh their arm, and their souls cannot prosper in graces or comforts. Those who make God their Hope, shall flourish like a tree alway...
Read full commentary →A glorious high throne from the beginning is the place of our sanctuary.
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KJV Study Commentary
This verse shifts abruptly from the condemnation of false trust to a declaration of God's sovereignty and the temple's sanctity. The "glorious high throne" refers to God's heavenly throne, eternally established "from the beginning" (<em>merishon</em>, מֵרִאשׁוֹן). The throne represents divine sovereignty, judgment, and kingship—God's rule is not derived from earthly powers but exists eternally.<br...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(12) **A glorious high throne . . .**—The verse is better taken in connection with the following, and not, as the interpolated “is” makes it, as a separate sentence, the nouns being all in the vocative. *Thou throne of glory on high from the beginning, the place of our sanctuary, the hope of Israel, Jehovah** . . .*** The thoughts of the prophet rise from the visible to the eternal temple, and tha...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**3. former--**things which have happened in time past to Israel (Is 42:9; 44:7, 8; 45:21; 46:10).
**suddenly--**They came to pass so unexpectedly that the prophecy could not have resulted from mere human sagacity.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 12-18** The prophet acknowledges the favour of God in setting up religion. There is fulness of comfort in God, overflowing, ever-flowing fulness, like a fountain. It is always fresh and clear, like spring-water, while the pleasures of sin are puddle-waters. He prays to God for healing, saving mercy. He appeals to God concerning his faithful discharge of the office to which he was called. ...
Read full commentary →O LORD, the hope of Israel, all that forsake thee shall be ashamed, and they that depart from me shall be written in the earth, because they have forsaken the LORD, the fountain of living waters.
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KJV Study Commentary
This verse presents God as "the hope of Israel"—the covenant people's ultimate source of security, prosperity, and salvation. The Hebrew <em>miqveh</em> (מִקְוֵה, hope) also means "pool" or "gathering of waters," playing on the metaphor developed in the phrase "fountain of living waters" (<em>meqor mayim chayim</em>, מְקוֹר מַיִם חַיִּים). God Himself is the life-giving source His people need.<br>...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(13) **They that depart from me.**—The rapid change of person from second to first and first to third is eminently Hebrew.
**Written in the earth.**—In implied contrast with the name graven on the rock for ever (Job 19:24) are those written on the dust or sand. The Eastern habit of writing on the ground (of which John 8:6 supplies one memorable instance, and which was the common practice in Jewish...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**4. obstinate--**Hebrew, "hard" (De 9:27; Eze 3:7, Margin).
**iron sinew--**inflexible (Ac 7:51).
**brow brass--**shameless as a harlot (see Jr 6:28; 3:3; Eze 3:7, Margin).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 12-18** The prophet acknowledges the favour of God in setting up religion. There is fulness of comfort in God, overflowing, ever-flowing fulness, like a fountain. It is always fresh and clear, like spring-water, while the pleasures of sin are puddle-waters. He prays to God for healing, saving mercy. He appeals to God concerning his faithful discharge of the office to which he was called. ...
Read full commentary →Heal me, O LORD, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved: for thou art my praise.
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KJV Study Commentary
Jeremiah's prayer shifts from prophetic proclamation to personal petition. "Heal me, O LORD, and I shall be healed" employs emphatic repetition—the verb <em>rapha</em> (רָפָא) appears twice, underscoring that only divine healing is effective and complete. The parallel "save me, and I shall be saved" uses <em>yasha</em> (יָשַׁע), the root from which we get "Jesus" (Yeshua)—salvation, deliverance, r...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(14) **Heal me.**—The prophet, consciously or unconsciously, contrasts himself with the deserters from Jehovah. He needs “healing” and “salvation,” but he knows where to seek for them, and is sure that his Lord will not leave the work incomplete. The prayer of the prophet is like that of the Psalmist (Psalm 6:2; Psalm 30:2). In “thou art my praise” we have an echo of Deuteronomy 10:21; Psalm 71:6.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
5. (See on Is 48:1; Is 48:3).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 12-18** The prophet acknowledges the favour of God in setting up religion. There is fulness of comfort in God, overflowing, ever-flowing fulness, like a fountain. It is always fresh and clear, like spring-water, while the pleasures of sin are puddle-waters. He prays to God for healing, saving mercy. He appeals to God concerning his faithful discharge of the office to which he was called. ...
Read full commentary →Behold, they say unto me, Where is the word of the LORD? let it come now.
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KJV Study Commentary
The mockers' taunt "Where is the word of the LORD? let it come now" reflects the skepticism and hostility Jeremiah faced. His prophecies of judgment seemed delayed, leading scoffers to question God's word. This is a recurring biblical theme—2 Peter 3:3-4 describes last-days mockers asking "Where is the promise of his coming?" The demand "let it come now" expresses impatient disbelief and challenge...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(15) **Behold, they say unto me.**—The speakers are not named or defined, but they are clearly the mockers who questioned Jeremiah’s prophetic character, on the ground (comp. Deuteronomy 18:22) that his threats had received no fulfilment. Presumably, therefore, the words were written before the death of Jehoiakim and the capture of Jerusalem.
**Let it come now.**—The last word is the usual formula...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**6. Thou, &c.--**So "ye are my witnesses" (Is 43:10). Thou canst testify the prediction was uttered long before the fulfilment: "see all this," namely, that the event answers to the prophecy.
**declare--**make the fact known as a proof that Jehovah alone is God (Is 44:8).
**new things--**namely, the deliverance from Babylon by Cyrus, new in contradistinction from former predictions that h...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 12-18** The prophet acknowledges the favour of God in setting up religion. There is fulness of comfort in God, overflowing, ever-flowing fulness, like a fountain. It is always fresh and clear, like spring-water, while the pleasures of sin are puddle-waters. He prays to God for healing, saving mercy. He appeals to God concerning his faithful discharge of the office to which he was called. ...
Read full commentary →As for me, I have not hastened from being a pastor to follow thee: neither have I desired the woeful day; thou knowest: that which came out of my lips was right before thee. to: Heb. after thee
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KJV Study Commentary
Jeremiah defends his prophetic integrity against accusation that he desired the judgment he proclaimed. "I have not hastened from being a pastor to follow thee" indicates his reluctance—he didn't eagerly pursue the prophet's role or rush to pronounce doom. The Hebrew <em>ro'eh</em> (רֹעֶה, pastor/shepherd) emphasizes his pastoral concern for the flock, even while announcing judgment.<br><br>"Neith...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(16) **I have not hastened . . .**—The words of the English Version are somewhat obscure, and a better rendering would perhaps be, *I have not been quick to withdraw from my work in following thee, as a shepherd and guide of the people. *A possible meaning, adopted by some commentators, would be, “I have not hastened from my work as a shepherd (in the literal sense) to follow thee,” as presenting ...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
7. Not like natural results from existing causes, the events when they took place were like acts of creative power, such as had never before been "from the beginning."
**even before the day when--**rather [Maurer], "And before the day (of their occurrence) thou hast not heard of them"; that is, by any human acuteness; they are only heard of by the present inspired announcement.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 12-18** The prophet acknowledges the favour of God in setting up religion. There is fulness of comfort in God, overflowing, ever-flowing fulness, like a fountain. It is always fresh and clear, like spring-water, while the pleasures of sin are puddle-waters. He prays to God for healing, saving mercy. He appeals to God concerning his faithful discharge of the office to which he was called. ...
Read full commentary →Be not a terror unto me: thou art my hope in the day of evil.
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KJV Study Commentary
Jeremiah's petition "Be not a terror unto me" reveals his vulnerability and dependence on God amid persecution. The Hebrew <em>mechittah</em> (מְחִתָּה, terror) suggests overwhelming dread or that which causes dismay. Jeremiah knows that if God withdraws His sustaining presence, he will be undone. "Thou art my hope in the day of evil" (<em>machasei</em>, מַחְסִי, refuge) affirms that God alone pro...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(17) **Be not a terror . . .***—i.e., *a cause of terror or dismay. The words are explained by what follows. The prophet had put his hope in Jehovah, but if he were left to himself, his message unfulfilled, himself a by-word and a jest, what a contrast would all this be to what he had been led to hope! Would not his work as a prophet be more terrible than ever? The feeling expressed is like that o...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**8. heardest not--**repeated, as also "knewest not," from Is 48:7.
**from that time--**Omit "that." "Yea, from the first thine ear did not open itself," namely, to obey them [Rosenmuller]. "To open the ear" denotes obedient attention (Is 50:5); or, "was not opened" to receive them; that is, they were not declared by Me to thee previously, since, if thou hadst been informed of them, such is thy ...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 12-18** The prophet acknowledges the favour of God in setting up religion. There is fulness of comfort in God, overflowing, ever-flowing fulness, like a fountain. It is always fresh and clear, like spring-water, while the pleasures of sin are puddle-waters. He prays to God for healing, saving mercy. He appeals to God concerning his faithful discharge of the office to which he was called. ...
Read full commentary →Let them be confounded that persecute me, but let not me be confounded: let them be dismayed, but let not me be dismayed: bring upon them the day of evil, and destroy them with double destruction. destroy: Heb. break them with a double breach
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KJV Study Commentary
Jeremiah's imprecatory prayer "Let them be confounded that persecute me" expresses the biblical principle that God will vindicate His servants and judge their oppressors. The repetition emphasizes the contrast—confusion and dismay for persecutors, but not for the prophet. "Bring upon them the day of evil, and destroy them with double destruction" asks God to execute the judgment Jeremiah has proph...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(18) **Let them be confounded . . .**—The prayer reminds us of that of the Psalmist (Psalm 35:4; Psalm 40:14).
**Double destruction.**—Literally, *break them with a two-fold breaking*—*i.e., *the “double recompense” of Jeremiah 16:18. (See Note there.)
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**9. refrain--**literally, "muzzle"; His wrath, after the return, was to be restrained a while, and then, because of their sins, let loose again (Psa 78:38).
**for thee--**that is, mine anger towards thee.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 12-18** The prophet acknowledges the favour of God in setting up religion. There is fulness of comfort in God, overflowing, ever-flowing fulness, like a fountain. It is always fresh and clear, like spring-water, while the pleasures of sin are puddle-waters. He prays to God for healing, saving mercy. He appeals to God concerning his faithful discharge of the office to which he was called. ...
Read full commentary →Keeping the Sabbath Holy
Thus said the LORD unto me; Go and stand in the gate of the children of the people, whereby the kings of Judah come in, and by the which they go out, and in all the gates of Jerusalem;
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KJV Study Commentary
God commissions Jeremiah to a public prophetic act, positioning him strategically "in the gate of the children of the people"—likely the main public entrance to Jerusalem where both common folk and royalty passed. The command to stand "whereby the kings of Judah come in, and by the which they go out, and in all the gates of Jerusalem" emphasizes comprehensive witness. No one, regardless of social ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(19) **Thus said the Lord unto me . . .**—We enter here on an entirely fresh series of messages, arranged probably in chronological order, but having no immediate connection with what precedes, and narrated with a much fuller account of the circumstances connected with them. This, which begins the series, would appear from Jeremiah 17:25 to have been delivered before the sins of the people had ass...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
10. (See on Is 1:25).
**with silver--**rather, "for silver." I sought by affliction to purify thee, but thou wast not as silver obtained by melting, but as dross [Gesenius]. Thy repentance is not complete: thou art not yet as refined silver. Rosenmuller explains, "not as silver," not with the intense heat needed to melt silver (it being harder to melt than gold), that is, not with the most extre...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 19-27** The prophet was to lay before the rulers and the people of Judah, the command to keep holy the sabbath day. Let them strictly observe the fourth command. If they obeyed this word, their prosperity should be restored. It is a day of rest, and must not be made a day of labour, unless in cases of necessity. Take heed, watch against the profanation of the sabbath. Let not the soul be ...
Read full commentary →And say unto them, Hear ye the word of the LORD, ye kings of Judah, and all Judah, and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, that enter in by these gates:
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KJV Study Commentary
Jeremiah's message specifically addresses "kings of Judah, and all Judah, and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem"—the three primary groups comprising the covenant community. The repetition emphasizes that God's word applies to everyone without exception. "Hear ye the word of the LORD" is the classic prophetic summons demanding attention and obedience, not mere passive listening.<br><br>The phrase "t...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**11. how should my name--**Maurer, instead of "My name" from Is 48:9, supplies "My glory" from the next clause; and translates, "How (shamefully) My glory has been profaned!" In English Version the sense is, "I will refrain (Is 48:9, that is, not utterly destroy thee), for why should I permit My name to be polluted, which it would be, if the Lord utterly destroyed His elect people" (Eze 20:9)?
...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 19-27** The prophet was to lay before the rulers and the people of Judah, the command to keep holy the sabbath day. Let them strictly observe the fourth command. If they obeyed this word, their prosperity should be restored. It is a day of rest, and must not be made a day of labour, unless in cases of necessity. Take heed, watch against the profanation of the sabbath. Let not the soul be ...
Read full commentary →Thus saith the LORD; Take heed to yourselves, and bear no burden on the sabbath day, nor bring it in by the gates of Jerusalem;
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>The LORD's Command About the Sabbath:</strong> This verse begins a crucial prophetic oracle about Sabbath observance (Jeremiah 17:19-27), introduced by the messenger formula "<em>koh amar YHWH</em>" (כֹּה אָמַר יְהוָה, "Thus says the LORD"). The command "<em>hishammeru benafshoteikhem</em>" (הִשָּׁמְרוּ בְּנַפְשֹׁתֵיכֶם) literally means "take heed/guard yourselves in your souls"—a phrase e...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
12-15. The Almighty, who has founded heaven and earth, can, and will, restore His people.
**the first ... last--**(Is 41:4; 44:6).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 19-27** The prophet was to lay before the rulers and the people of Judah, the command to keep holy the sabbath day. Let them strictly observe the fourth command. If they obeyed this word, their prosperity should be restored. It is a day of rest, and must not be made a day of labour, unless in cases of necessity. Take heed, watch against the profanation of the sabbath. Let not the soul be ...
Read full commentary →Neither carry forth a burden out of your houses on the sabbath day, neither do ye any work, but hallow ye the sabbath day, as I commanded your fathers.
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KJV Study Commentary
The specific command concerns Sabbath observance: "Neither carry forth a burden out of your houses on the sabbath day, neither do ye any work." The prohibition against carrying burdens refers to commercial activity—transporting goods for trade or labor. The Sabbath was meant to cease from ordinary work, trusting God's provision and acknowledging Him as Creator and covenant Lord.<br><br>"Hallow ye ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(22) **Neither carry forth a burden.**—Interpreted by the parallel passage in Nehemiah 13:15-22, the *burden *would be the baskets of fruit, vegetables, or fish which were brought in from the country by the villagers who came to the Temple services, and the wares of the city which were taken to the gates to be sold in turn to them. The Sabbath was observed after a fashion, but, as Sunday has been ...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
12-15. The Almighty, who has founded heaven and earth, can, and will, restore His people.
**the first ... last--**(Is 41:4; 44:6).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 19-27** The prophet was to lay before the rulers and the people of Judah, the command to keep holy the sabbath day. Let them strictly observe the fourth command. If they obeyed this word, their prosperity should be restored. It is a day of rest, and must not be made a day of labour, unless in cases of necessity. Take heed, watch against the profanation of the sabbath. Let not the soul be ...
Read full commentary →But they obeyed not, neither inclined their ear, but made their neck stiff, that they might not hear, nor receive instruction.
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KJV Study Commentary
This verse chronicles Israel's historical rebellion: "But they obeyed not, neither inclined their ear." The phrase "inclined their ear" is a Hebrew idiom for attentive listening with intent to obey. The absence of both obedience and attentive listening indicates total rejection of God's word. "Made their neck stiff" (<em>hiqshu et-arfam</em>, הִקְשׁוּ אֶת-עָרְפָּם) employs livestock imagery—like a...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
12-15. The Almighty, who has founded heaven and earth, can, and will, restore His people.
**the first ... last--**(Is 41:4; 44:6).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 19-27** The prophet was to lay before the rulers and the people of Judah, the command to keep holy the sabbath day. Let them strictly observe the fourth command. If they obeyed this word, their prosperity should be restored. It is a day of rest, and must not be made a day of labour, unless in cases of necessity. Take heed, watch against the profanation of the sabbath. Let not the soul be ...
Read full commentary →And it shall come to pass, if ye diligently hearken unto me, saith the LORD, to bring in no burden through the gates of this city on the sabbath day, but hallow the sabbath day, to do no work therein;
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KJV Study Commentary
God offers conditional blessing: "If ye diligently hearken unto me" establishes that covenant blessings depend on obedience. The Hebrew construction emphasizes intentional, careful attention—not casual hearing but devoted obedience. The specific focus remains Sabbath observance: bringing no burden through the gates on the Sabbath and hallowing the day by ceasing from work.<br><br>This conditional ...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
12-15. The Almighty, who has founded heaven and earth, can, and will, restore His people.
**the first ... last--**(Is 41:4; 44:6).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 19-27** The prophet was to lay before the rulers and the people of Judah, the command to keep holy the sabbath day. Let them strictly observe the fourth command. If they obeyed this word, their prosperity should be restored. It is a day of rest, and must not be made a day of labour, unless in cases of necessity. Take heed, watch against the profanation of the sabbath. Let not the soul be ...
Read full commentary →Then shall there enter into the gates of this city kings and princes sitting upon the throne of David, riding in chariots and on horses, they, and their princes, the men of Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem: and this city shall remain for ever.
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KJV Study Commentary
The promised blessing for Sabbath-keeping includes dynastic continuity and prosperity: "Then shall there enter into the gates of this city kings and princes sitting upon the throne of David." This references God's covenant with David (2 Sam 7:12-16) promising an eternal dynasty. The imagery of kings and princes "riding in chariots and on horses" depicts royal splendor and military might—marks of n...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(25) **Kings and princes.**—The plural is obviously used to give greater vividness and grandeur to the picture of revived majesty which would be the reward of faithfulness, perhaps also to express the idea that the majesty would be enduring.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**16. not ... in secret--**(Is 45:19). Jehovah foretold Cyrus' advent, not with the studied ambiguity of heathen oracles, but plainly.
**from the time, &c.--**From the moment that the purpose began to be accomplished in the raising up of Cyrus I was present.
**sent me--**The prophet here speaks, claiming attention to his announcement as to Cyrus, on the ground of his mission from God and H...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 19-27** The prophet was to lay before the rulers and the people of Judah, the command to keep holy the sabbath day. Let them strictly observe the fourth command. If they obeyed this word, their prosperity should be restored. It is a day of rest, and must not be made a day of labour, unless in cases of necessity. Take heed, watch against the profanation of the sabbath. Let not the soul be ...
Read full commentary →And they shall come from the cities of Judah, and from the places about Jerusalem, and from the land of Benjamin, and from the plain, and from the mountains, and from the south, bringing burnt offerings, and sacrifices, and meat offerings, and incense, and bringing sacrifices of praise, unto the house of the LORD.
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KJV Study Commentary
This verse envisions comprehensive worship from all regions bringing offerings to the temple. The geographic sweep—"cities of Judah," "places about Jerusalem," "land of Benjamin," "the plain," "the mountains," and "the south"—encompasses the entire territory. This indicates national unity in worship and devotion to God, the covenant ideal where all Israel gathers at the central sanctuary.<br><br>T...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(26) **They shall come . . .**—The verse has a special interest (1) as a topographical description of the country about Jerusalem, and (2) as a summary of the chief forms of sacrifice under the Mosaic Law. (1) The “plain” (*Shephelah*) is the lowland country of Philistia, stretching to the Mediterranean; the “mountain” the hill-country of Judah; the “south” (*Negeb*) the region lying to the south ...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**17. teacheth ... to profit--**by affliction, such as the Babylonish captivity, and the present long-continued dispersion of Israel (He 12:10).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 19-27** The prophet was to lay before the rulers and the people of Judah, the command to keep holy the sabbath day. Let them strictly observe the fourth command. If they obeyed this word, their prosperity should be restored. It is a day of rest, and must not be made a day of labour, unless in cases of necessity. Take heed, watch against the profanation of the sabbath. Let not the soul be ...
Read full commentary →But if ye will not hearken unto me to hallow the sabbath day, and not to bear a burden, even entering in at the gates of Jerusalem on the sabbath day; then will I kindle a fire in the gates thereof, and it shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem, and it shall not be quenched.
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KJV Study Commentary
The final verse presents the alternative—judgment for covenant violation: "But if ye will not hearken unto me to hallow the sabbath day." The condition is repeated for emphasis, highlighting that the choice and consequences rest with the people. Continuing to bear burdens through Jerusalem's gates on the Sabbath represents deliberate, persistent covenant violation despite clear warning.<br><br>The...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(27) **Then will I kindle a fire . . .**—The fire is figurative rather than literal: the “fierce anger” of the Lord which man cannot quench, and which brings destruction in its train, of which an actual conflagration may have been the instrument (Hosea 8:14; Amos 1:14). Compare Jeremiah 7:20; Jeremiah 21:14.
**Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers
Text Courtesy of BibleSupport.com. Used by Pe...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**18. peace--**(Psa 119:165). Compare the desire expressed by the same Messiah (Mt 23:37; Lu 19:42).
**river--**(Is 33:21; 41:18), a river flowing from God's throne is the symbol of free, abundant, and ever flowing blessings from Him (Eze 47:1; Zec 14:8; Re 22:1).
**righteousness--**religious prosperity; the parent of "peace" or national prosperity; therefore "peace" corresponds to "righteousn...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 19-27** The prophet was to lay before the rulers and the people of Judah, the command to keep holy the sabbath day. Let them strictly observe the fourth command. If they obeyed this word, their prosperity should be restored. It is a day of rest, and must not be made a day of labour, unless in cases of necessity. Take heed, watch against the profanation of the sabbath. Let not the soul be ...
Read full commentary →