King James Version
Jeremiah 42
22 verses with commentary
Warning to Stay in Judah
Then all the captains of the forces, and Johanan the son of Kareah, and Jezaniah the son of Hoshaiah, and all the people from the least even unto the greatest, came near,
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KJV Study Commentary
The remnant's approach to Jeremiah—'Then all the captains of the forces, and Johanan the son of Kareah, and Jezaniah the son of Hoshaiah, and all the people from the least even unto the greatest, came near'—appears to show humility and desire for divine guidance. The comprehensive phrase 'from the least even unto the greatest' indicates this was a corporate decision involving the entire community,...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
XLII.
(1) **Jezaniah the son of Hoshaiah.**—Possibly identical with “Jezaniah the son of a Maachathite” (Jeremiah 40:8). In Azariah the son of Hoshaiah (Jeremiah 43:2) we may recognise his brother. The LXX., indeed, reads Azariah here, and it is possibly the true reading.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**21. death ... windows--**The death-inflicting soldiery, finding the doors closed, burst in by the windows.
**to cut off ... children from ... streets--**Death cannot be said to enter the windows to cut off the children in the streets, but to cut them off, so as no more to play in the streets without (Zec 8:5).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 42
The character and coming of Christ. (Is. 42:1-4) The blessings of his kingdom. (Is. 42:5-12) The prevalence of true religion. (Is. 42:13-17) Unbelief and blindness reproved. (Is. 42:18-25)
**Verses 1-4** This prophecy was fulfilled in Christ, Matt. 12:17. Let our souls rely on him, and rejoice in him; then, for his sake, the Father will be well-pleased with us. The Holy Spirit not...
Read full commentary →And said unto Jeremiah the prophet, Let, we beseech thee, our supplication be accepted before thee, and pray for us unto the LORD thy God, even for all this remnant; (for we are left but a few of many, as thine eyes do behold us:) Let: or, Let our supplication fall before thee
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KJV Study Commentary
Jeremiah's description of the remnant's request—'And said unto Jeremiah the prophet, Let, we beseech thee, our supplication be accepted before thee, and pray for us unto the LORD thy God, even for all this remnant; (for we are left but a few of many, as thine eyes do behold us:)'—combines apparent humility with subtle manipulation. The phrase 'we beseech thee' suggests humble petition, and their s...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(2) **Pray for us unto the Lord thy God.**—The prophet had gone to Gedaliah at Mizpah (Jeremiah 40:6), and would seem to have been among the captives whom Ishmael was carrying off when they were rescued by Johanan at Gibeon (Jeremiah 41:13-14). The people now turn to him, acknowledging him as a true prophet, and, trusting to his patriotism. ask for his guidance. Their position was difficult and da...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**22. saith the Lord--**continuing the thread of discourse from Jr 9:20.
**dung--**(Jr 8:2).
**handful ... none ... gather them--**implying that the handful has been so trodden as to be not worth even the poor gleaner's effort to gather it. Or the Eastern custom may be referred to: the reaper cuts the grain and is followed by another who gathers it. This grain shall not be worth gathering. How...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 42
The character and coming of Christ. (Is. 42:1-4) The blessings of his kingdom. (Is. 42:5-12) The prevalence of true religion. (Is. 42:13-17) Unbelief and blindness reproved. (Is. 42:18-25)
**Verses 1-4** This prophecy was fulfilled in Christ, Matt. 12:17. Let our souls rely on him, and rejoice in him; then, for his sake, the Father will be well-pleased with us. The Holy Spirit not...
Read full commentary →That the LORD thy God may shew us the way wherein we may walk, and the thing that we may do.
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KJV Study Commentary
The remnant asks Jeremiah to inquire of God concerning their next steps. Their request sounds pious - 'pray for us unto the LORD thy God' and desire to know 'the way wherein we may walk.' Yet verse 20 reveals they'd already decided to go to Egypt and were seeking confirmation, not direction. Seeking God's counsel while having predetermined the answer is self-deception.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**23. wisdom--**political sagacity; as if it could rescue from the impending calamities.
**might--**military prowess.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 42
The character and coming of Christ. (Is. 42:1-4) The blessings of his kingdom. (Is. 42:5-12) The prevalence of true religion. (Is. 42:13-17) Unbelief and blindness reproved. (Is. 42:18-25)
**Verses 1-4** This prophecy was fulfilled in Christ, Matt. 12:17. Let our souls rely on him, and rejoice in him; then, for his sake, the Father will be well-pleased with us. The Holy Spirit not...
Read full commentary →Then Jeremiah the prophet said unto them, I have heard you; behold, I will pray unto the LORD your God according to your words; and it shall come to pass, that whatsoever thing the LORD shall answer you, I will declare it unto you; I will keep nothing back from you.
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KJV Study Commentary
Jeremiah's response—'Then Jeremiah the prophet said unto them, I have heard you; behold, I will pray unto the LORD your God according to your words; and it shall come to pass, that whatsoever thing the LORD shall answer you, I will declare it unto you; I will keep nothing back from you'—demonstrates faithful prophetic ministry. The acknowledgment 'I have heard you' validates their request before e...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
24. Nothing but an experimental knowledge of God will save the nation.
**understandeth--**theoretically; in the intellect.
**knoweth--**practically: so as to walk in My ways (Jr 22:16; Job 22:21; 1Co 1:31).
**loving kindness--**God's mercy is put in the first and highest place, because without it we should flee from God in fear and despair.
**judgment ... righteousness--**loving-kindness t...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 42
The character and coming of Christ. (Is. 42:1-4) The blessings of his kingdom. (Is. 42:5-12) The prevalence of true religion. (Is. 42:13-17) Unbelief and blindness reproved. (Is. 42:18-25)
**Verses 1-4** This prophecy was fulfilled in Christ, Matt. 12:17. Let our souls rely on him, and rejoice in him; then, for his sake, the Father will be well-pleased with us. The Holy Spirit not...
Read full commentary →Then they said to Jeremiah, The LORD be a true and faithful witness between us, if we do not even according to all things for the which the LORD thy God shall send thee to us.
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KJV Study Commentary
The people's solemn oath to Jeremiah establishes explicit covenant terms: 'Then they said to Jeremiah, The LORD be a true and faithful witness between us, if we do not even according to all things for the which the LORD thy God shall send thee to us.' Invoking God as 'true and faithful witness' creates formal covenant accountability—they call divine judgment on themselves if they disobey. The phra...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(5, 6) **The Lord be a true and faithful witness . . .**—The emphatic adjuration implies that they are ready to accept the punishment which the righteous Judge will inflict in the event of their proving unfaithful to their promise. The name of the place where they had lately been staying may have reminded them of the history of Genesis 31:49 (though that refers to another Mizpah), in which we find...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**25. with the uncircumcised--**rather, "all that are circumcised in uncircumcision" [Henderson]. The Hebrew is an abstract term, not a concrete, as English Version translates, and as the pious "circumcised" is. The nations specified, Egypt, Judah, &c., were outwardly "circumcised," but in heart were "uncircumcised." The heathen nations were defiled, in spite of their literal circumcision, by ...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 5-12** The work of redemption brings back man to the obedience he owes to God as his Maker. Christ is the light of the world. And by his grace he opens the understandings Satan has blinded, and sets at liberty from the bondage of sin. The Lord has supported his church. And now he makes new promises, which shall as certainly be fulfilled as the old ones were. When the Gentiles are brought ...
Read full commentary →Whether it be good, or whether it be evil, we will obey the voice of the LORD our God, to whom we send thee; that it may be well with us, when we obey the voice of the LORD our God.
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KJV Study Commentary
The remnant pledges unconditional obedience to God's word through Jeremiah, promising to obey whether 'it be good, or whether it be evil' (meaning pleasant or difficult). This is the proper stance before God's revealed will - submission regardless of personal preference. Yet their subsequent actions prove the pledge hollow. Easy promises made in crisis often fail in execution.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**26. Egypt--**put first to degrade Judah, who, though in privileges above the Gentiles, by unfaithfulness sank below them. Egypt, too, was the power in which the Jews were so prone to trust, and by whose instigation they, as well as the other peoples specified, revolted from Babylon.
**in the utmost corners--**rather, "having the hair shaven (or clipped) in angles," that is, having the beard on...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 5-12** The work of redemption brings back man to the obedience he owes to God as his Maker. Christ is the light of the world. And by his grace he opens the understandings Satan has blinded, and sets at liberty from the bondage of sin. The Lord has supported his church. And now he makes new promises, which shall as certainly be fulfilled as the old ones were. When the Gentiles are brought ...
Read full commentary →And it came to pass after ten days, that the word of the LORD came unto Jeremiah.
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KJV Study Commentary
The waiting period—'And it came to pass after ten days, that the word of the LORD came unto Jeremiah'—demonstrates several spiritual principles. First, God's timing differs from human urgency; the ten-day wait tested the people's patience and sincerity. Second, prophetic revelation requires divine initiative ('the word of the LORD came'), not human conjuring. Jeremiah couldn't generate God's word ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(7) **After ten days.**—The interval is significant, as indicating that the prophet would not give an answer of his own on the spur of the moment, but waited in prayer and meditation until there came into his mind that which he could utter as an oracle of God. So Ezekiel waited for seven days among the exiles that dwelt by the river of Chebar, till the word of the Lord came to him (Ezekiel 3:16). ...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 5-12** The work of redemption brings back man to the obedience he owes to God as his Maker. Christ is the light of the world. And by his grace he opens the understandings Satan has blinded, and sets at liberty from the bondage of sin. The Lord has supported his church. And now he makes new promises, which shall as certainly be fulfilled as the old ones were. When the Gentiles are brought ...
Read full commentary →Then called he Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces which were with him, and all the people from the least even to the greatest,
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KJV Study Commentary
Jeremiah's assembly of the leadership—'Then called he Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces which were with him, and all the people from the least even to the greatest'—mirrors their earlier approach to him (v.1), demonstrating prophetic reciprocity: they came to him collectively, now he addresses them collectively. The specific naming of Johanan signals his leadership role...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
CHAPTER 10 Jr 10:1-25. Contrast between the Idols and Jehovah. The Prophet's Lamentation and Prayer.
**1. Israel--**the Jews, the surviving representatives of the nation.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 5-12** The work of redemption brings back man to the obedience he owes to God as his Maker. Christ is the light of the world. And by his grace he opens the understandings Satan has blinded, and sets at liberty from the bondage of sin. The Lord has supported his church. And now he makes new promises, which shall as certainly be fulfilled as the old ones were. When the Gentiles are brought ...
Read full commentary →And said unto them, Thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel, unto whom ye sent me to present your supplication before him;
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KJV Study Commentary
Jeremiah begins delivering God's word: 'And said unto them, Thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel, unto whom ye sent me to present your supplication before him.' The prophetic formula 'Thus saith the LORD' establishes divine authority—this isn't Jeremiah's opinion but God's revealed will. The title 'the God of Israel' reminds them of covenant relationship: this is their God speaking, not a foreig...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
2. Eichorn thinks the reference here to be to some celestial portent which had appeared at that time, causing the Jews' dismay. Probably the reference is general, namely, to the Chaldeans, famed as astrologers, through contact with whom the Jews were likely to fall into the same superstition.
**way--**the precepts or ordinances (Le 18:3; Ac 9:2).
**signs of heaven--**The Gentiles did not ackno...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 5-12** The work of redemption brings back man to the obedience he owes to God as his Maker. Christ is the light of the world. And by his grace he opens the understandings Satan has blinded, and sets at liberty from the bondage of sin. The Lord has supported his church. And now he makes new promises, which shall as certainly be fulfilled as the old ones were. When the Gentiles are brought ...
Read full commentary →If ye will still abide in this land, then will I build you, and not pull you down, and I will plant you, and not pluck you up: for I repent me of the evil that I have done unto you.
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KJV Study Commentary
God's conditional promise: remain in Judah and I will build you up; flee to Egypt and you'll face what you fear. The phrase 'I repent me of the evil that I have done unto you' shows God's judgment was remedial, not vindictive. Having accomplished His disciplinary purpose, He's ready to bless. But blessing requires obedience to His word. Faith means trusting God in the place He assigns, even when i...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(10) **Then will I build you, and not pull you down . . .**—We note the characteristic recurrence of the formulæ with which Jeremiah’s work as a prophet had begun (Jeremiah 1:10). The word for “repent” does not imply regret for the past, as men repent of their sin, but, as in Jeremiah 18:8; Jeremiah 26:3, a change of purpose from what had been the mind of judgment to one of mercy. The prophet’s co...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 5-12** The work of redemption brings back man to the obedience he owes to God as his Maker. Christ is the light of the world. And by his grace he opens the understandings Satan has blinded, and sets at liberty from the bondage of sin. The Lord has supported his church. And now he makes new promises, which shall as certainly be fulfilled as the old ones were. When the Gentiles are brought ...
Read full commentary →Be not afraid of the king of Babylon, of whom ye are afraid; be not afraid of him, saith the LORD: for I am with you to save you, and to deliver you from his hand.
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KJV Study Commentary
God directly addresses the remnant's fear: 'Be not afraid of the king of Babylon, of whom ye are afraid; be not afraid of him, saith the LORD: for I am with you to save you, and to deliver you from his hand.' The repetition 'be not afraid...be not afraid' emphasizes the command—fear is disobedience when God promises protection. The phrase 'of whom ye are afraid' acknowledges their terror's reality...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**4. fasten ... move not--**that is, that it may stand upright without risk of falling, which the god (!) would do, if left to itself (Is 41:7).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 5-12** The work of redemption brings back man to the obedience he owes to God as his Maker. Christ is the light of the world. And by his grace he opens the understandings Satan has blinded, and sets at liberty from the bondage of sin. The Lord has supported his church. And now he makes new promises, which shall as certainly be fulfilled as the old ones were. When the Gentiles are brought ...
Read full commentary →And I will shew mercies unto you, that he may have mercy upon you, and cause you to return to your own land.
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KJV Study Commentary
God's promise continues with unexpected graciousness: 'And I will shew mercies unto you, that he may have mercy upon you, and cause you to return to your own land.' The phrase 'I will shew mercies' (literally 'I will give you compassions/mercies') emphasizes divine initiative—God's mercy produces mercy from others. The result 'that he may have mercy upon you' indicates God will move Nebuchadnezzar...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(12) **And cause you to return to your own land.**—The words admit of two interpretations—(1) that they should be carried away to Babylon, as others had been, and should afterwards return to their own country; (2) that they (the remnant who had been allowed by Nebuzaradan to remain to till the soil) should at once be allowed to return each man to his own field and vineyard. The latter is clearly m...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**5. upright--**or, "They are of turned work, resembling a palm tree" [Maurer]. The point of comparison between the idol and the palm is in the pillar-like uprightness of the latter, it having no branches except at the top.
**speak not--**(Psa 115:5).
**cannot go--**that is, walk (Psa 115:7; Is 46:1, 7).
**neither ... do good--**(Is 41:23).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 5-12** The work of redemption brings back man to the obedience he owes to God as his Maker. Christ is the light of the world. And by his grace he opens the understandings Satan has blinded, and sets at liberty from the bondage of sin. The Lord has supported his church. And now he makes new promises, which shall as certainly be fulfilled as the old ones were. When the Gentiles are brought ...
Read full commentary →But if ye say, We will not dwell in this land, neither obey the voice of the LORD your God,
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KJV Study Commentary
God explicitly forbids their Egypt plan: 'But if ye say, We will not dwell in this land, neither obey the voice of the LORD your God, Saying, No; but we will go into the land of Egypt, where we shall see no war, nor hear the sound of the trumpet, nor have hunger of bread; and there we will dwell.' This verse articulates their actual reasoning: Egypt promises 'no war' (escape from Babylonian threat...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**6. none--**literally, "no particle of nothing": nothing whatever; the strongest possible denial (Ex 15:11; Psa 86:8, 10).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 13-17** The Lord will appear in his power and glory. He shall cry, in the preaching of his word. He shall cry aloud in the gospel woes, which must be preached with gospel blessings, to awaken a sleeping world. He shall conquer by the power of his Spirit. And those that contradict and blaspheme his gospel, he shall put to silence and shame; and that which hinders its progress shall be take...
Read full commentary →Saying, No; but we will go into the land of Egypt, where we shall see no war, nor hear the sound of the trumpet, nor have hunger of bread; and there will we dwell:
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>No; but we will go into the land of Egypt</strong>—The remnant's reply reveals their predetermined decision, rejecting Jeremiah's prophetic word despite their earlier vow to obey (42:5-6). The emphatic Hebrew <em>lo</em> (לֹא, no) introduces outright refusal of God's command to remain in Judah. Their reasoning exposes the root sin: <strong>where we shall see no war, nor hear the sound of t...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(14) **No; but we will go into the land of Egypt.**—The thoughts that were in the hearts of the applicants are stated with dramatic vividness. Egypt, then under Apries (the Pharaoh-hophra of Jeremiah 44:30), seemed to them so safe and peaceful. As of old, it was still the granary of the East, and its plenteous harvests formed a bright contrast to the famine which they had experienced during the in...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
7. (Re 15:4).
**to thee doth it appertain--**to Thee it properly belongs, namely, that Thou shouldest be "feared" (taken out of the previous "fear Thee") (compare Eze 21:27). He alone is the becoming object of worship. To worship any other is unseemly and an infringement of His inalienable prerogative.
**none--**nothing whatever (see on Jr 10:6; Psa 89:6).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 13-17** The Lord will appear in his power and glory. He shall cry, in the preaching of his word. He shall cry aloud in the gospel woes, which must be preached with gospel blessings, to awaken a sleeping world. He shall conquer by the power of his Spirit. And those that contradict and blaspheme his gospel, he shall put to silence and shame; and that which hinders its progress shall be take...
Read full commentary →And now therefore hear the word of the LORD, ye remnant of Judah; Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; If ye wholly set your faces to enter into Egypt, and go to sojourn there;
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Hear the word of the LORD, ye remnant of Judah</strong>—Jeremiah addresses them by their identity: the <em>she'erit</em> (שְׁאֵרִית, remnant), emphasizing both their precious status as survivors and their covenant responsibility. The prophetic formula <strong>Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel</strong> invokes Yahweh's full covenant title: <em>YHWH Tseva'ot Elohei Yisra'el</em...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**8. altogether--**rather, "all alike" [Maurer]. Even the so-called "wise" men (Jr 10:7) of the Gentiles are on a level with the brutes and "foolish," namely, because they connive at the popular idolatry (compare Ro 1:21-28). Therefore, in Daniel and Revelation, the world power is represented under a bestial form. Man divests himself of his true humanity, and sinks to the level of the brute, when ...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 13-17** The Lord will appear in his power and glory. He shall cry, in the preaching of his word. He shall cry aloud in the gospel woes, which must be preached with gospel blessings, to awaken a sleeping world. He shall conquer by the power of his Spirit. And those that contradict and blaspheme his gospel, he shall put to silence and shame; and that which hinders its progress shall be take...
Read full commentary →Then it shall come to pass, that the sword, which ye feared, shall overtake you there in the land of Egypt, and the famine, whereof ye were afraid, shall follow close after you there in Egypt; and there ye shall die. shall follow: Heb. shall cleave after you
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KJV Study Commentary
God warns that the sword they fear will 'overtake' them in Egypt, and the famine will 'follow close after' them. What they fear in Judah will find them in Egypt - a common biblical principle. Flight from God's will doesn't provide safety; it multiplies danger. Only obedience to God's revealed will provides genuine security, regardless of circumstances.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
9. Everything connected with idols is the result of human effort.
**Silver spread--**(See on Is 30:22; Is 40:19).
**Tarshish--**Tartessus, in Spain, famed for precious metals.
**Uphaz--**(Da 10:5). As the Septuagint in the Syrian Hexapla in the Margin, Theodotus, the Syrian and Chaldee versions have "Ophir," Gesenius thinks "Uphaz" a colloquial corruption (one letter only being changed) for ...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 13-17** The Lord will appear in his power and glory. He shall cry, in the preaching of his word. He shall cry aloud in the gospel woes, which must be preached with gospel blessings, to awaken a sleeping world. He shall conquer by the power of his Spirit. And those that contradict and blaspheme his gospel, he shall put to silence and shame; and that which hinders its progress shall be take...
Read full commentary →So shall it be with all the men that set their faces to go into Egypt to sojourn there; they shall die by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence: and none of them shall remain or escape from the evil that I will bring upon them. So: Heb. So shall all the men be
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>All the men that set their faces to go into Egypt to sojourn there</strong>—The repeated phrase <em>sum panim</em> (שׂוּם פָּנִים, set faces) emphasizes deliberate, willful disobedience. The comprehensive judgment follows: <strong>they shall die by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence</strong>—the threefold covenant curse (<em>herev ra'av dever</em>, חֶרֶב רָעָב דֶּבֶר) repeated...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(17) **So shall it be with all the men . . .**—The words possibly imply that others were taking the same course as those who had applied to Jeremiah. There was something like a “rush” from many nations—Moab, Edom, and others (Jeremiah 27:3)—of fugitives, looking to Egypt as their one hope of safety against the Chaldæans, and joining with the Jews that had sought shelter in their respective territo...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**10. true God--**literally, "God Jehovah is truth"; not merely true, that is, veracious, but truth in the reality of His essence, as opposed to the "vanity" or emptiness which all idols are (Jr 10:3, 8, 15; 2Ch 15:3; Psa 31:5; 1Jo 5:20).
**living God--**(Joh 5:26; 1Ti 6:17). He hath life in Himself which no creature has. All else "live in Him" (Ac 17:28). In contrast to dead idols.
**everlast...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 13-17** The Lord will appear in his power and glory. He shall cry, in the preaching of his word. He shall cry aloud in the gospel woes, which must be preached with gospel blessings, to awaken a sleeping world. He shall conquer by the power of his Spirit. And those that contradict and blaspheme his gospel, he shall put to silence and shame; and that which hinders its progress shall be take...
Read full commentary →For thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; As mine anger and my fury hath been poured forth upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem; so shall my fury be poured forth upon you, when ye shall enter into Egypt: and ye shall be an execration, and an astonishment, and a curse, and a reproach; and ye shall see this place no more.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>As mine anger and my fury hath been poured forth upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem</strong>—The phrase <strong>poured forth</strong> (<em>natakh</em>, נָתַךְ) means to pour out like liquid, often used of molten metal (Ezekiel 22:22) or God's wrath (Psalm 69:24, Jeremiah 7:20). God's <em>aph</em> (אַף, anger, lit. 'nostril/nose') and <em>hemah</em> (חֵמָה, fury/wrath, from a root meaning 'h...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
11. This verse is in Chaldee, Jeremiah supplying his countrymen with a formula of reply to Chaldee idolaters in the tongue most intelligible to the latter. There may be also derision intended in imitating their barbarous dialect. Rosenmuller objects to this view, that not merely the words put in the mouths of the Israelites, but Jeremiah's own introductory words, "Thus shall ye say to them," are i...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 18-25** Observe the call given to this people, and the character given of them. Multitudes are ruined for want of observing that which they cannot but see; they perish, not through ignorance, but carelessness. The Lord is well-pleased in the making known his own righteousness. For their sins they were spoiled of all their possessions. This fully came to pass in the destruction of the Jewi...
Read full commentary →The LORD hath said concerning you, O ye remnant of Judah; Go ye not into Egypt: know certainly that I have admonished you this day. admonished: Heb. testified against you
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KJV Study Commentary
After receiving God's clear word not to go to Egypt, Jeremiah declares: 'know certainly that I have admonished you this day.' This solemn warning increases accountability. Ignorance could not be claimed; the remnant heard God's word plainly. Judgment would be just because warning was clear. Reformed theology emphasizes that greater light brings greater responsibility (Luke 12:47-48).
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
12. Continuation of Jr 10:10, after the interruption of the thread of the discourse in Jr 10:11 (Psa 136:5, 6).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 18-25** Observe the call given to this people, and the character given of them. Multitudes are ruined for want of observing that which they cannot but see; they perish, not through ignorance, but carelessness. The Lord is well-pleased in the making known his own righteousness. For their sins they were spoiled of all their possessions. This fully came to pass in the destruction of the Jewi...
Read full commentary →For ye dissembled in your hearts, when ye sent me unto the LORD your God, saying, Pray for us unto the LORD our God; and according unto all that the LORD our God shall say, so declare unto us, and we will do it. ye dissembled: or, ye have used deceit against your souls
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>For ye dissembled in your hearts</strong> (כִּי הִתְעֵתֶם בְּנַפְשׁוֹתֵיכֶם)—the Hebrew <em>hit'etem</em> means 'you deceived yourselves,' from the root <em>ta'ah</em> (תָּעָה), to wander or err. Not merely lying to Jeremiah but self-deception—they believed their own false piety. <strong>When ye sent me unto the LORD your God</strong>—note the distance: 'your God,' not 'our God,' subtly di...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(20) **For ye dissembled in your hearts . . .**—Looks and whispers betrayed, we may believe, the feelings of the prophet’s hearers. He saw by such outward signs, or he read, as by the intuition of inspiration, the secret counsels of their hearts (1Corinthians 14:24-25), that they had made a false profession of their readiness to obey, and really meant all along to act as they liked, with the proph...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
13. Literally, "At the voice of His giving forth," that is, when He thunders. (Job 38:34; Psa 29:3-5).
**waters--**(Ge 1:7)--above the firmament; heavy rains accompany thunder.
**vapours ... ascend--**(Psa 135:7).
**treasures--**His stores.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 18-25** Observe the call given to this people, and the character given of them. Multitudes are ruined for want of observing that which they cannot but see; they perish, not through ignorance, but carelessness. The Lord is well-pleased in the making known his own righteousness. For their sins they were spoiled of all their possessions. This fully came to pass in the destruction of the Jewi...
Read full commentary →And now I have this day declared it to you; but ye have not obeyed the voice of the LORD your God, nor any thing for the which he hath sent me unto you.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And now I have this day declared it to you</strong> (וַאַגִּד לָכֶם הַיּוֹם)—emphasis on temporal precision: 'this very day' (הַיּוֹם, hayom) eliminates excuse of ignorance. The verb <em>nagad</em> (נָגַד, declare/report) stresses prophetic faithfulness—Jeremiah discharged his duty fully. <strong>But ye have not obeyed the voice of the LORD your God</strong> (וְלֹא שְׁמַעְתֶּם בְּקוֹל יְהו...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**14. in his knowledge--**"is rendered brutish by his skill," namely, in idol-making (Jr 10:8, 9). Thus the parallel, "confounded by the graven image," corresponds (so Jr 51:17). Others not so well translate, "without knowledge," namely, of God (see Is 42:17; 45:16; Ho 4:6).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 18-25** Observe the call given to this people, and the character given of them. Multitudes are ruined for want of observing that which they cannot but see; they perish, not through ignorance, but carelessness. The Lord is well-pleased in the making known his own righteousness. For their sins they were spoiled of all their possessions. This fully came to pass in the destruction of the Jewi...
Read full commentary →Now therefore know certainly that ye shall die by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence, in the place whither ye desire to go and to sojourn. to go: or, to go to sojourn
View commentary (3 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Now therefore know certainly</strong> (וְעַתָּה יָדֹעַ תֵּדְעוּ)—emphatic construction, literally 'knowing, you shall know'—absolute certainty, no ambiguity. The dual imperative intensifies urgency. <strong>That ye shall die by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence</strong> (כִּי בַּחֶרֶב בָּרָעָב וּבַדָּבֶר תָּמֻתוּ)—the covenant curse triad (Deuteronomy 28:21-22, Jeremiah 14:12...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**15. errors--**deceptions; from a Hebrew root, "to stutter"; then meaning "to mock."
**their visitation they--**When God shall punish the idol-worshippers (namely, by Cyrus), the idols themselves shall be destroyed [Rosenmuller] (Jr 10:11).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 18-25** Observe the call given to this people, and the character given of them. Multitudes are ruined for want of observing that which they cannot but see; they perish, not through ignorance, but carelessness. The Lord is well-pleased in the making known his own righteousness. For their sins they were spoiled of all their possessions. This fully came to pass in the destruction of the Jewi...
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