Jeremiah · Chapter 10

Verse 1. Hear ye the word which the Lord speaketh unto you] Dr. Dahler supposes this discourse to have been delivered in the fourth year of the reign of Jehoiakim. It contains an invective against idolatry; showing its absurdity, and that the Creator alone should be worshipped by all mankind.

Verses 1, 2. Hear ye the word, &c. — The prophet continues his remonstrances and exhortations to Judah. He said, at the conclusion of the preceding chapter, that the Lord would punish, without distinction, all the ungodly and unrighteous Jews, as well as Gentiles. He here informs them that if they would avoid this vengeance of the Lord they must quit their idolatries and other impieties, and have nothing to do with the superstitious practices of the Gentile nations. Learn not the way of the heathen — Their manner of life or customs. And be not dismayed at the signs of heaven — “The Chaldeans, among whom the Jews were destined to live in captivity, were particularly addicted to astrology, and attributed to the heavenly bodies a considerable influence over human affairs. This naturally tended to beget a religious dread and awe of those objects, from whence so much good or evil was supposed to be derived. The sun, moon, and planets are said indeed to have been set in the firmament for signs. Genesis 1:14. But hereby is meant, that they should serve, as natural marks, to distinguish, by their periodical revolutions and appearances, the various times and seasons; which, however, is a very different use from that of prognosticating future events, or causing an alteration in the fortunes of men.” — Blaney.

V. 2. 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 2. Learn not the way of the heathen] These words are more particularly addressed to the ten tribes scattered among the heathen by the Assyrians, who carried them away captive; they may also regard those in the land of Israel, who still had the customs of the former heathen settlers before their eyes.

Be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed] The Chaldeans and Egyptians were notoriously addicted to astrology; and the Israelites here are cautioned against it. The signs of the heavens may mean either the sun, moon, planets, and particular stars or constellations; or the figures or characters by which they represented these heavenly bodies.

Verses 1, 2. Hear ye the word, &c. — The prophet continues his remonstrances and exhortations to Judah. He said, at the conclusion of the preceding chapter, that the Lord would punish, without distinction, all the ungodly and unrighteous Jews, as well as Gentiles. He here informs them that if they would avoid this vengeance of the Lord they must quit their idolatries and other impieties, and have nothing to do with the superstitious practices of the Gentile nations. Learn not the way of the heathen — Their manner of life or customs. And be not dismayed at the signs of heaven — “The Chaldeans, among whom the Jews were destined to live in captivity, were particularly addicted to astrology, and attributed to the heavenly bodies a considerable influence over human affairs. This naturally tended to beget a religious dread and awe of those objects, from whence so much good or evil was supposed to be derived. The sun, moon, and planets are said indeed to have been set in the firmament for signs. Genesis 1:14. But hereby is meant, that they should serve, as natural marks, to distinguish, by their periodical revolutions and appearances, the various times and seasons; which, however, is a very different use from that of prognosticating future events, or causing an alteration in the fortunes of men.” — Blaney.

Verse 2. Be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; at the position of revolving planets on which the augurs found predictions, and discover their ignorance. Be not dismayed at solar eclipses, at the aurora borealis, which cheers the northern regions with light during their long and dreary winters. Job 37:22. At the luminous appearances of some of the comets. The Saxon chronicle records, that “in the year of Christ, 678, a comet appeared, which shone every morning like a sunbeam.” Fear may often produce good effects on the less instructed public, as the total eclipse of the sun which happened during the great battle between the Assyrians and the Medes, which probably saved the effusion of blood by stopping the fight.

2. The reasons urged against this passage are: (a) That it interrupts the continuity of thought. But Jeremiah nowhere shows close logical coherence. The book is full of sudden and marked transitions. Its character is emotional rather than logical. (b) That the subject matter indicates a later time. But the passage is not inappropriate to any time, and especially to this one, in which idolatry was a living issue. (c) That the language differs from that ordinarily employed by Jeremiah. The opposite is the truth. The passage contains some of his characteristic expressions, such as the term vanity, for idols, day of visitation, etc., etc. (See a full list of these in Keil, in loc.) We conclude, then, that there is no sufficient ground for denying the genuineness of the passage. The eleventh verse of this chapter is in Chaldee, probably because it was a current aphorism familiar alike to the Jews and the Chaldeans, and inserted here in its popular form.

2. Way of the heathen — Their religious way, their worship. Signs of heaven — Those extraordinary appearances of any kind which alarm the ignorant and superstitious.

Verse 3. The customs of the people are vain] twqj chukkoth; the statutes and principles of the science are vain, empty, and illusory. They are founded in nonsense, ignorance, idolatry, and folly.

One cutteth a tree out of the forest] See Clarke’s notes on “Isaiah 40:19”, and “Isaiah 44:9”, &c., which are all parallel places and where this conduct is strongly ridiculed.

Verses 3-5. One cutteth down a tree, &c. — The prophet here exposes the folly of men’s worshipping the work of their own hands, by arguments similar to those which are used by Isaiah 44:10-20; where see the notes. They are upright,&c. — They are like the trunk of the palm-tree — Houb. “They are inflexible, immoveable, fixed, without action or motion, like the trunk of a tree: a comparison which admirably suits the ancient statues seen in Egypt and elsewhere, before the art of sculpture attained the perfection which it afterward did in Greece.” — Calmet. Dr. Waterland’s translation of this verse is, They are of just proportion, as a pillar, but they speak not; carried they must be, for go they cannot. Be not afraid of them — They can do you no more harm than the signs of heaven could do. The heathen worshipped some idols in order that they might do them good, and others, that they might do them no harm: but God tells them here, that as they cannot do evil, so neither is it in them to do good. See note on Isaiah 41:23. They can neither punish nor reward; they can neither hurt their enemies nor help their friends. By this the true God will be distinguished from idols, in that he alone can foretel things to come, and he alone can reward or punish.

3. Customs — Rather, ordinances, that is, their religious observances. These are as vain as the things on which they are based, namely, idols. The prophet now proceeds to show the vanity of idols in a passage which does, indeed, closely follow the thought of Isaiah, but is especially terse and graphic, and, when we consider that it was spoken when the popular current was setting toward idolatry, we shall feel it to be bold and effective. In the whole there is almost a vein of humour, which contrasts agreeably with Jeremiah’s accustomed pathos and sadness.

Verses 3-5. One cutteth down a tree, &c. — The prophet here exposes the folly of men’s worshipping the work of their own hands, by arguments similar to those which are used by Isaiah 44:10-20; where see the notes. They are upright,&c. — They are like the trunk of the palm-tree — Houb. “They are inflexible, immoveable, fixed, without action or motion, like the trunk of a tree: a comparison which admirably suits the ancient statues seen in Egypt and elsewhere, before the art of sculpture attained the perfection which it afterward did in Greece.” — Calmet. Dr. Waterland’s translation of this verse is, They are of just proportion, as a pillar, but they speak not; carried they must be, for go they cannot. Be not afraid of them — They can do you no more harm than the signs of heaven could do. The heathen worshipped some idols in order that they might do them good, and others, that they might do them no harm: but God tells them here, that as they cannot do evil, so neither is it in them to do good. See note on Isaiah 41:23. They can neither punish nor reward; they can neither hurt their enemies nor help their friends. By this the true God will be distinguished from idols, in that he alone can foretel things to come, and he alone can reward or punish.

Ver. 4. They deck it with silver and gold, and fasten it with nails. Hebrews twrmsm mesemeroth, nails of ornament, or splendid nails. Satire, as well in Horace, as in Isaiah and Jeremiah, seems the most successful armour against idolatry. See on Isaiah 40:19. 44:9.

Verse 5. They are upright as the palm tree] As straight and as stiff as the trees out of which they are hewn.

Verses 3-5. One cutteth down a tree, &c. — The prophet here exposes the folly of men’s worshipping the work of their own hands, by arguments similar to those which are used by Isaiah 44:10-20; where see the notes. They are upright,&c. — They are like the trunk of the palm-tree — Houb. “They are inflexible, immoveable, fixed, without action or motion, like the trunk of a tree: a comparison which admirably suits the ancient statues seen in Egypt and elsewhere, before the art of sculpture attained the perfection which it afterward did in Greece.” — Calmet. Dr. Waterland’s translation of this verse is, They are of just proportion, as a pillar, but they speak not; carried they must be, for go they cannot. Be not afraid of them — They can do you no more harm than the signs of heaven could do. The heathen worshipped some idols in order that they might do them good, and others, that they might do them no harm: but God tells them here, that as they cannot do evil, so neither is it in them to do good. See note on Isaiah 41:23. They can neither punish nor reward; they can neither hurt their enemies nor help their friends. By this the true God will be distinguished from idols, in that he alone can foretel things to come, and he alone can reward or punish.

5. Upright as the palm tree — Rather, as a palm tree of turned work, etc. The word rendered “palm tree,” occurs besides only in Judges 4:5, where it clearly has this meaning. But as in later Hebrew, (for example, Song of Solomon 3:6; Joel 2:30, and in the Talmud,) the root yields the sense of pillar. Keil would give it that sense in this place, and so translates, as a lathe-turned pillar, etc., that is, lifeless and motionless. This verse is peculiar to Jeremiah. There is nothing answering to it in either of the kindred passages in Isaiah. The whole passage is grotesquely faithful, and the conclusion commends itself, They cannot do evil, neither also is it in them to do good.

Verses 6, 7. Forasmuch as there is none like unto thee — This verse would be better rendered, O Lord, thou art great, so that there is none like unto thee, and thy name is great, because of thy might. Who would not fear thee? — Rather, who would not reverence, or stand in awe of thee? For to thee doth it appertain — That is, as some interpret the phrase, To thee doth it appertain to be feared and reverenced; to thee fear and reverence are due. The Hebrew, however, may be rendered, Who would not fear thee when he shall come, or draw near to thee? accordingly Blaney translates the verse thus: Who will not fear thee, O king of nations, when he shall approach unto thee? Forasmuch as among all the wisest of the nations, and in all their kingdoms, there is none like unto thee — On the clause, among the wisest of the nations, he observes, “These words may signify, either all those nations which were most distinguished for the cultivation and improvement of their rational faculties; or else those sage individuals among them, from whose learning and philosophy some better notions of God and religion might have been expected than from the rude and illiterate vulgar. And yet the fact was, that all their boasted wisdom and knowledge had failed of leading them to an object of worship, in any degree corresponding with the infinite perfections and majesty of the divine nature.”

THE INCOMPARABLE JEHOVAH, 6-11.

6. Forasmuch — A complete misapprehension of the force of the original, which is a double negative, doubtless employed for purposes of emphasis — none like unto thee. It is a fitting introduction to this strophe, (verses 6-11,) in which the almighty power of God is set forth in contrast with these dumb idols.

Verse 7. Who would not fear thee] Who would not worship thee as the Author and Giver of all good? The fear of God is often taken for the whole of true religion.

Among all the wise men of the nation] Not even the wisest and most cultivated of the nations have ever found out any one equal to thee; but so exalted and holy art thou, that in all their wisdom and research they have never been able to find out the true God.

Verses 6, 7. Forasmuch as there is none like unto thee — This verse would be better rendered, O Lord, thou art great, so that there is none like unto thee, and thy name is great, because of thy might. Who would not fear thee? — Rather, who would not reverence, or stand in awe of thee? For to thee doth it appertain — That is, as some interpret the phrase, To thee doth it appertain to be feared and reverenced; to thee fear and reverence are due. The Hebrew, however, may be rendered, Who would not fear thee when he shall come, or draw near to thee? accordingly Blaney translates the verse thus: Who will not fear thee, O king of nations, when he shall approach unto thee? Forasmuch as among all the wisest of the nations, and in all their kingdoms, there is none like unto thee — On the clause, among the wisest of the nations, he observes, “These words may signify, either all those nations which were most distinguished for the cultivation and improvement of their rational faculties; or else those sage individuals among them, from whose learning and philosophy some better notions of God and religion might have been expected than from the rude and illiterate vulgar. And yet the fact was, that all their boasted wisdom and knowledge had failed of leading them to an object of worship, in any degree corresponding with the infinite perfections and majesty of the divine nature.”

7. O King of nations — Mark here, as in many other Old Testament passages, the conception of God as the universal ruler of mankind, and not merely the national God of the Jews. Doth it appertain — The subject is indefinite, as though all dignity should be included. Wise men — “Men,” inserted by the translators, is misleading, and should not be used. Wise ones — Whether men or gods.

Verse 8. The stock is a doctrine of vanities.] Dr. Blayney translates,— “The wood itself is a rebuker of vanities.” The very tree out of which the god is hewn demonstrates the vanity and folly of the idolaters; for, can all the art of man make out of a log of wood an animate and intelligent being?

Verse 8. But they are altogether brutish — Or, all alike brutish. They that make images, saith the psalmist, Psalm 115:8, are like unto them, equally stupid and insensible. The stock is a doctrine of vanities — Or lies. The use of images in worship is grounded on a false and foolish opinion, that God is like the work of men’s hands, and that images have some divine power lodged within them, and in this opinion it has a direct tendency to confirm the ignorant. Hence an image is called by Habakkuk, A teacher of lies. Instead of the stock, &c., Dr. Waterland reads, Vain institutions! very wood! Blaney, in consistency with his interpretation of the 7th verse, given above, renders this, But they, when they approach, (namely, to worship,) are stupid and sottish, the very wood itself being a rebuker of vanities. On which he observes, “The contrast is thus strongly marked between the true God, and the objects of heathen superstition. The servants of the former, when they approached him in their devotions, could not but be impressed with a reverential awe of a being so transcendently glorious. But those who drew near to worship the latter, manifested the greatest stupidity, in not discovering what was so obvious to common apprehension, the gross unworthiness of the objects to which their adorations were addressed.” On the latter clause, The very wood itself, &c., he remarks, “The true meaning and force of this passage seem to have escaped the notice of all the commentators. rswm, (which our translators render doctrine,) properly signifies rectifying, or correcting, a false notion by just reproof; and by vanities are meant idols, so called from their being of no real use or advantage to those who had recourse to their assistance. And this unprofitableness of the idol, the very dull and senseless matter, says the prophet, out of which it was formed, is capable of demonstrating. But the rebuke, strictly speaking, is not directed to the idol, but to those who had not sense to perceive, that all the efforts of human art could never change an inanimate log of wood into an animated being, possessed of power and intelligence far surpassing those of the person from whom its origin was derived. There are, therefore, an energy and pointedness in this short sentence, at least equal to whatever has been said on the same subject by the most spirited writer, whether sacred or profane. Not even the keen raillery of the Roman satirist in those celebrated lines, olim truncus eram, &c., cuts with greater severity.” See note on Isaiah 44:12, &c.

8. The stock, etc. — Rather, the teaching of idols is wood. They themselves are wood, and nothing can proceed from them better than what is in them. The special point of this sentence, at once so keenly satirical and so truly philosophical, is this: Their shaping, polishing, decking, and plating would seem to be for the purpose of getting something more precious than wood. As they look upon their finished god, decked out with his trappings of gold and silver, they forget his genesis, and think of him as something else than he really is. And so the prophet condenses all the possibilities of the case into a single sentence; and then, as if in the way of individual justification, he hastily runs over the process of the manufacture of idols.

V. 9. 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 9. Brought from Tarshish] Some suppose this to be Tartessus in Spain, from which the Phœnicians brought much silver. Uphaz, Calmet thinks to be the river Pison; some think Ophir is intended. Blue and purple is their clothing] These were the most precious dyes; very rare, and of high price.

Verse 9. Silver spread into plates — To cover the images, and make them appear as if made of massy silver; is brought from Tarshish — A port of Spain, to which the merchants of Tyre and Sidon traded; of which place see note on Isaiah 2:16. And gold from Uphaz — The Syriac, Chaldee, and Theodotion read, from Ophir, which Bochart supposes to be here meant; namely, Ophir in India, near Zeilan, a place famous for gold. Blue and purple are their clothing — “The splendour and magnificence of dress seem, among the ancients, to have consisted very much in the richness of the colours; the art of dying which to perfection, was esteemed a matter of great skill, being known and practised by very few. The excellence of the Tyrian purple is celebrated by both sacred and profane authors. And the blue, which from many passages of Scripture we find to have been in great request, was also imported from remote countries as an article of elegant and expensive luxury.” They are all the work of cunning men — “If, in the preceding verse, the insignificance of the idols was argued from the vile and perishable matter out of which they were composed; the same is inferred in this from their being indebted to the art and labour of man for all their costly ornaments, their splendid outward show. In short, the whole of them, says the prophet, internal and external, is the work of skilful men. Upon what ground then could the thing formed pretend to a nature more excellent than its former?” — Blaney.

Ver. 9. Tarshish is the same with Carthage. The LXX render this differently. See Isaiah 23:6. Uphas or Ophir, was Africa without a doubt. Bochart has led the critics astray by affirming it to be a place near Ceylon. See 1 Kings 9:28.

9. Tarshish — Generally supposed to have been located in the south of Spain. It is thought from the context to have been an opulent and cultured city. Uphaz — Thought by Gesenius and Keil to be a dialectical variety of Ophir, and the Targum and the Syriac Version so treat it. Others, however, regard it as a distinct name. It occurs elsewhere only in Daniel 10:5.

V. 10. 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 10. But the Lord] The original word should be preserved, however we agree to pronounce it: hwhy Yehovah is the true God. He is without beginning, and without end. This is true of no being else. He is the living God] His being is underived; and he gives life to all. He is the very Fountain whence all life is derived.

And an everlasting king] As he has made, so he governs, all things. His sway is felt both in the heavens and in the earth.

At his wrath the earth shall tremble] All storms, tempests, tornadoes, and earthquakes are the effects of his power; and when the nations are destroyed, or turned upside down, it is the effect of his displeasure.

Verse 10. But the Lord — Hebrew, Jehovah, is the true God — A very different being from these idols. He is the living God — Images are dead and senseless things; but Jehovah is life itself, and the author and fountain of life and understanding; and all creatures that live, live in and by him. And an everlasting King — The absolute monarch over all creatures, their owner and ruler, having an incontestable right both to command and to dispose of them. And the counsels of his kingdom were from everlasting, and the continuance of it will be to everlasting. He is the king of eternity. The idols whom they call their kings are but of yesterday, and will soon be abolished; and the kings of the earth, that set them up to be worshipped, will themselves be in the dust shortly; but the Lord shall reign for ever, thy God, O Zion, unto all generations. At his wrath the earth shall tremble — Even the strongest and stoutest of the kings of the earth, nay, the earth itself, as firmly as it is fixed, when he pleases, is made to quake, and the rocks to tremble. And the nations, though they join together to contend with him, and unite their force against him, shall be found utterly unable, not only to resist, but even to abide his indignation.

Ver. 10. The Lord [Hebrews JEHOVAH] is the true God. Though satire, as above, be powerful in covering idols with shame, it is a fact, that the demonstrations of the being and perfections of the Deity, drawn from the creation, fix in man the best ideas of the Godhead. Justin Martyr argues thus, in his apology for the christian religion; that though the heathens exclaimed continually, ‘the gods—and may the gods;’ yet when any catastrophe befel mankind, their exclamations were, “Oh the great God— oh the true God—or, oh the good God!” The invisible things of him are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made. Romans 1:20. The diffusion of divine knowledge will chase idolatry from the earth.

THE INCOMPARABLE JEHOVAH, 6-11.

6. Forasmuch — A complete misapprehension of the force of the original, which is a double negative, doubtless employed for purposes of emphasis — none like unto thee. It is a fitting introduction to this strophe, (verses 6-11,) in which the almighty power of God is set forth in contrast with these dumb idols.

Verse 11. Thus shall ye say unto them] This is the message you shall deliver to the Chaldean idolaters.

The gods that have not made the heavens and the earth, even they shall perish] Both they and their worshippers shall be destroyed; and idolatry shall finally be destroyed from the earth; and the heavens shall look no more on so great an abomination. It is suffered for a while: but in the end shall be destroyed. This verse is written in a sort of Hebræo— Syriaco—Chaldee; such a dialect as I suppose was spoken at that time in Babylon, or during the captivity. As it is a message to the Babylonians, therefore, it is given in their own language. The Chaldee makes it the beginning of the copy of the epistle which the Prophet Jeremiah sent to the rest of the elders of the captivity who were in Babylon. All the ancient Versions acknowledge this verse; and it is found in all MSS. hitherto collated, except one of Dr. Kennicott’s numbered 526; and he has included it between lines, as doubting its authenticity. Dr. Blayney supposes that some public teacher during the captivity, deducing it by direct inference from the prophet’s words, had it inserted in the margin, and perhaps usually read together with this section, in the assemblies of the people, in order that they might have their answer always ready, whenever they were molested on the point of religion, or importuned to join the idolatrous worship of the Chaldeans.

Dahler has left it entirely out of the text, and introduces it in a note thus:— “After Jeremiah 10:10 the Hebrew text is interrupted by a verse written in the Chaldean or Babylonish tongue. It is thus expressed:— Ye shall say unto them, Let the gods perish!

Who have not made the heavens and the earth.

Let them be banished from above the earth,

and from under the heavens.

This verse can be considered only as a foreign insertion, not only on account of the difference of the language, but also because it interrupts the natural course of the ideas, and of the connexion of the tenth and twelfth verses.”

As a curiosity I shall insert it in Hebrew, which the reader may compare with the Chaldee text, which I also subjoin. ומנ xrah מנ wdbay xrahw תשמים wc[ al אשר האלהים להם wrmat כזאת אלה השמים תחת

cazoth tomeru lahem; haelohim asher lo asu hashshamayim vehaarets,yobedu min haarets, umin tachath hashshamayim elleh. aymv yd ayhla להונ תאמרונ andk אלה aymv תחות ומנ מארעא wdbay wdb[ al aqraw kidna temerun lehon; elahaiya di shemaiya vearka la abadu, yebadu meara umin techoth shemaiya elleh.

The Hebrew is the translation of Leusden; the Chaldee is that of the common text. Had not all the ancient Versions acknowledged it, I also, principally on account of the strangeness of the language, as being neither Chaldee nor Syriac, should have doubted its authenticity.

Verse 11. Thus shall ye say unto them — “This verse is in the Chaldee language, and it appears here as a kind of parenthesis. Houbigant thinks that the most probable reason why it is here inserted in the Chaldee, and not in the Hebrew, is, that Jeremiah prescribes to the Jews what they shall answer in living among idolaters, and using the Chaldee language; hereby prescribing that they should be the captives of the Chaldees.” — Dodd. The gods that have not made the heavens and the earth — And therefore they are no gods, but the usurpers of the honour due to him only who did make them; shall perish from the earth, &c. — Shall perish of course, because they are vanity, formed of perishing materials; and shall perish by his righteous sentence, because they are rivals with him who made all things. Here the prophet foretels that there shall be a final period put to idolatry. God hath already blotted out the names of many of the heathen idols, as an earnest of the utter destruction of the rest in his due time.

Ver. 11. Thus shall ye say—the gods that have not made the heavens and the earth—shall perish. This verse is written in the Chaldee language, that the Jews, when tempted by the Babylonians to idolatry, might have an answer in their own tongue. So St. Paul uses the word anathema maranatha, that the christians might answer the Jews in the Syriac, who loved not the Lord Jesus. It is acknowledged by all the Versions and MSS.

THE INCOMPARABLE JEHOVAH, 6-11.

6. Forasmuch — A complete misapprehension of the force of the original, which is a double negative, doubtless employed for purposes of emphasis — none like unto thee. It is a fitting introduction to this strophe, (verses 6-11,) in which the almighty power of God is set forth in contrast with these dumb idols.

Verses 12, 13. He hath made the earth, &c. — Here follows a noble and lofty description of God’s power and providence, whereby he sets forth his infinite pre-eminence above all the dead and senseless idols of the world. When he uttereth his voice, &c. — When he gives the word of command, and signifies his will and pleasure: see Job 38:34. Or, when he sends forth his thunder, called in Scripture the voice of God, the clouds immediately precipitate in torrents of rain, which, coming upon the ground that was scorched with heat before, not only cools and refreshes it, but renders it fruitful in all kinds of vegetable productions. He maketh lightnings with rain — And as he causes the vapours to ascend up in clouds from every quarter of the earth, so he joins two contrary things together, ordaining great flashes of lightning to break forth with the rain; the latter, by its moisture, preventing the ill effects that might otherwise proceed from the heat of the former. And bringeth forth the winds out of his treasures — As there is occasion for them, directing them all in such measures, and for such uses, as he thinks fit. In other words, “He makes great and mighty winds to come from unknown places and causes, as if he brought them out of a hidden treasure, or repository, where they had been laid up till he had occasion for them.” — Lowth.

MANIFESTATIONS OF JEHOVAH’S ALMIGHTINESS, 12-16.

12. Power… wisdom… discretion — This enumeration of the natural attributes of God as exhibited in the material creation is interesting. They are graded one above the other in true logical order. As through a window we look through this verse, and see how the revelations of God in his word and in his works are one; or if, in any sense, they are two, they are still harmonious. First, “power,” and its product is the dead earth; then “wisdom,” and its product is the organized world; finally, “discretion,” or constructive skill, and its product is the universe, with all its adjustments and the mutual adaptations of its various parts.

V. 13. 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 13. When he uttereth his voice, there is a multitude of waters] This is a plain allusion to a storm of thunder and lightning, and the abundance of rain which is the consequence. Water is composed of two gases, hydrogen and oxygen: the electric or galvanic spark decomposes them, and they become air; when recomposed, they form water. The lightning acts upon the hydrogen and oxygen, which are found In the atmospheric air: they are decomposed, and water or rain is the consequence; which, being heavier than the air falls down in the form of rain.

This verse and the three following are the same in substance, and nearly in words, as Jeremiah 51:16, and following.

Verses 12, 13. He hath made the earth, &c. — Here follows a noble and lofty description of God’s power and providence, whereby he sets forth his infinite pre-eminence above all the dead and senseless idols of the world. When he uttereth his voice, &c. — When he gives the word of command, and signifies his will and pleasure: see Job 38:34. Or, when he sends forth his thunder, called in Scripture the voice of God, the clouds immediately precipitate in torrents of rain, which, coming upon the ground that was scorched with heat before, not only cools and refreshes it, but renders it fruitful in all kinds of vegetable productions. He maketh lightnings with rain — And as he causes the vapours to ascend up in clouds from every quarter of the earth, so he joins two contrary things together, ordaining great flashes of lightning to break forth with the rain; the latter, by its moisture, preventing the ill effects that might otherwise proceed from the heat of the former. And bringeth forth the winds out of his treasures — As there is occasion for them, directing them all in such measures, and for such uses, as he thinks fit. In other words, “He makes great and mighty winds to come from unknown places and causes, as if he brought them out of a hidden treasure, or repository, where they had been laid up till he had occasion for them.” — Lowth.

Ver. 13. When he uttereth his voice, by loud peals of thunder, the trembling earth, the affrighted hinds, and the haughty heart bow beneath his terrors. Psalm 29. Job 37:4, 5.

13. When he uttereth his voice — Every thunderstorm becomes a declaration of God. There is some question as to the exact translation of this verse, though none at all as to its general meaning. A literal rendering of the first clause, retaining the words and idiom just as they stand in the original, would be, At the voice of his giving a roar of waters in the heavens. The remainder of the verse answers to Psalm 135:7, but is

probably original here, and quoted there.

V. 14. Every man-Every idolator.

Verse 14. Every man is brutish] נבער nibar, is a boor, acts as a brute, who may suppose that a stock of a tree, formed like a man, may be an intellectual being; and therefore shuns the form as though it had life. See Isaiah 44:10, 11. Of which verses, by the way, Dr. Blayney gives the following version to correct that of Bishop Lowth:—

Verse 10. Who hath formed a god?

Or set up a graven image that profiteth not?

11. Behold, all that are connected with it shall be ashamed, And the artificers, they above all men!

They shall assemble all of them; they shall stand forth; They shall fear; they shall be ashamed at the same time. “That is, while they stand before the image they have set up, and worship it with a religious dread, the glaring absurdity of their conduct shall lead to their shame and disgrace.” With due deference to this learned man, I think this interpretation too refined.

Verses 14, 15. Every man is brutish in his knowledge — This is spoken of the makers of idols, whose skilfulness as workmen made them foolish enough to attempt to make gods, and who afterward acted still more foolishly in worshipping them, when they knew they were but the work of their own hands. The founder is confounded by the graven image — Or, ashamed, as vybh signifies. For it can afford no help, nor do any good, to those who worship it; and therefore is a disgrace to the workman who pretends to make it a god, that could hear the prayers offered to it, and send help to its worshippers. His molten image is falsehood — That is, those are no less deceived who expect help from a molten image, than they who expect it from a false, lying man. They are the work of errors — The making of them is owing to men’s erroneous notions of the nature of God. In the time of their visitation they shall perish — The time will come when God will execute vengeance upon idolaters, and utterly destroy their idols.

14. Every man is brutish — In the presence of such exhibitions of God only the brutish and besotted can find satisfaction in idols.

V. 15. Visitation-When God shall come to reckon with Babylon and her idols.

Verses 14, 15. Every man is brutish in his knowledge — This is spoken of the makers of idols, whose skilfulness as workmen made them foolish enough to attempt to make gods, and who afterward acted still more foolishly in worshipping them, when they knew they were but the work of their own hands. The founder is confounded by the graven image — Or, ashamed, as vybh signifies. For it can afford no help, nor do any good, to those who worship it; and therefore is a disgrace to the workman who pretends to make it a god, that could hear the prayers offered to it, and send help to its worshippers. His molten image is falsehood — That is, those are no less deceived who expect help from a molten image, than they who expect it from a false, lying man. They are the work of errors — The making of them is owing to men’s erroneous notions of the nature of God. In the time of their visitation they shall perish — The time will come when God will execute vengeance upon idolaters, and utterly destroy their idols.

15. Work of errors — Rather, of mockery; a thing that deserves only ridicule and contempt, and brings it upon all its votaries.

V. 16. 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 16. The Portion of Jacob is not like them] Every nation had its tutelary god; this was its portion; in reference to this God says Deuteronomy 4:19, “He has divided the sun, moon, and stars, to all the nations under the heaven.” And the Lord had taken the Israelites to be his portion; for “the Lord’s portion is his people,” Deuteronomy 32:9, and David says, “The Lord is the portion of mine inheritance,” Psalm 16:5; 119:57. And hence Isaiah terms the smooth stones of the brook, to which Divine honours were paid, the portion of those idolaters, Isaiah 57:6. But in the text he says, “The PORTION, i.e., the God of Jacob is not like them; for he is the former of all things,” and they are formed by their foolish worshippers.

Verse 16. The portion of Jacob is not like them — There is no comparison between senseless idols and the great Creator of all things, who has chosen the posterity of Jacob for his peculiar people, and has promised to be their God, and that they should always have an especial interest in his favour, if they continued steadfast in their worship of, and obedience to, him. The rod of his inheritance — Is an expression taken from the first division of the land of Canaan, when the inheritance of each tribe and family was meted out with a line or rod.

Ver. 16. The portion of Jacob is not like them. Oh my soul, thou hast said to the Lord, thou art my portion. On the other hand, the Lord’s portion is his people, Jacob is the lot of his inheritance. The heathens placed their cities and countries under the care of imaginary gods; it was the same with their temples. But Israel rested under the shadow of Jehovah’s wings. Ruth 2:12. Psalm 62:7.

MANIFESTATIONS OF JEHOVAH’S ALMIGHTINESS, 12-16.

12. Power… wisdom… discretion — This enumeration of the natural attributes of God as exhibited in the material creation is interesting. They are graded one above the other in true logical order. As through a window we look through this verse, and see how the revelations of God in his word and in his works are one; or if, in any sense, they are two, they are still harmonious. First, “power,” and its product is the dead earth; then “wisdom,” and its product is the organized world; finally, “discretion,” or constructive skill, and its product is the universe, with all its adjustments and the mutual adaptations of its various parts.

V. 17. 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 17. Gather up thy wares] Pack up your goods, or what necessaries of life your enemies will permit you to carry away; for,—

Verses 17, 18. Gather up thy wares, &c. — That is, as some explain it, “Collect to Jerusalem all that you have valuable in the country; flee thither for refuge with your best effects; for the enemy will soon extend himself over all your land, and render it desolate.” Or, rather, the prophet, returning to his former denunciations against Jerusalem, warns her to move her effects, and prepare for going into captivity; for, though she thought herself secure, as dwelling in a place of great strength and well fortified, yet her enemies should prevail and take it: compare Ezekiel 12:3. Behold, I will sling out the inhabitants at this once — I will, at one stroke, remove the whole body of this people out of their native country: see 1 Samuel 25:29. And I will distress them that they may find it so — Or, that they may find my threatenings to be true. This implies, that though they had been often saved by God’s providence from hostile attacks, they would, however, on this occasion, find it otherwise.

MISERY OF THE PEOPLE, 17-25.

17. Gather up, etc. — From the presentation of idolatry the prophet now returns to the main subject. With characteristic abruptness he calls upon the people to get ready for their march into captivity. Thy wares — Literally, thy bundle; not articles of merchandise, but articles for necessary use, such as could be hastily caught up and carried about the person. Inhabitant of the fortress — Rather, thou that sittest in siege.

V. 18. 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 18. I will sling out the inhabitants of the land] I will project you with violence from your country. I will send you all into captivity. This discourse, from Jeremiah 10:17, is supposed to have been delivered in the eleventh year of Jehoiakim.

Verses 17, 18. Gather up thy wares, &c. — That is, as some explain it, “Collect to Jerusalem all that you have valuable in the country; flee thither for refuge with your best effects; for the enemy will soon extend himself over all your land, and render it desolate.” Or, rather, the prophet, returning to his former denunciations against Jerusalem, warns her to move her effects, and prepare for going into captivity; for, though she thought herself secure, as dwelling in a place of great strength and well fortified, yet her enemies should prevail and take it: compare Ezekiel 12:3. Behold, I will sling out the inhabitants at this once — I will, at one stroke, remove the whole body of this people out of their native country: see 1 Samuel 25:29. And I will distress them that they may find it so — Or, that they may find my threatenings to be true. This implies, that though they had been often saved by God’s providence from hostile attacks, they would, however, on this occasion, find it otherwise.

18. I will sling out — Compare Isaiah 22:17, 18. This once — Literally, this time; implying that in contrast with other and more partial judgments the grand catastrophe is hastening on. That they may find it so — The meaning is doubtful, but this, on the whole, seems preferable. The word rendered distress means to press hard, to close in. The thought, then, is, I will press them hard, (as into a strait place.) that they may find them.

V. 19. Woe is me-Here the prophet personates the complaint of the people of the land.

Verse 19. This is a grief, and I must bear it.] Oppressive as it is, I have deserved it, and worse; but even in this judgment God remembers mercy.

Verses 19, 20. Wo is me for my hurt — The prophet here again pathetically laments the overthrow of his country, and, either in his own person or in that of his country, bewails the plundering and desolation of the cities and houses, as if they were so many shepherds’ tents, to which he compares them, verse 20. But I said, This is a grief, and I must bear it — Blaney thinks the prophet here suggests motives of patience and consolation to his country, in regard to the evils that were coming upon her, putting the words of this and the following verses into her mouth, and making her observe, first, That her affliction, though great, would yet be found tolerable; secondly, That she had less reason to complain of what she suffered, as it was no other than might have been expected from the misconduct of those who had the direction of her affairs, verse 21; and, lastly, That she was not without hope in the mercy of God, who, upon the humble supplication of his people, might be moved to mitigate their chastisement, and to turn his hand against the heathen that oppressed them, verse 24. My children are gone from me, and are not, &c. — My inhabitants are gone into captivity, and will return hither no more, so that they are the same to me as if they were dead. There is none to set up my curtains — They will never be able to contribute any thing to the restoration of my former state.

19. Woe is me — From this to the end of the chapter the prophet speaks in the name of the congregation — the Jewish Church. We hear her lamentation, and her prayer for mercy to herself and for judgment on her enemies.

V. 20. 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 20. My tabernacle is spoiled] The city is taken, and all our villages ruined and desolated.

Verses 19, 20. Wo is me for my hurt — The prophet here again pathetically laments the overthrow of his country, and, either in his own person or in that of his country, bewails the plundering and desolation of the cities and houses, as if they were so many shepherds’ tents, to which he compares them, verse 20. But I said, This is a grief, and I must bear it — Blaney thinks the prophet here suggests motives of patience and consolation to his country, in regard to the evils that were coming upon her, putting the words of this and the following verses into her mouth, and making her observe, first, That her affliction, though great, would yet be found tolerable; secondly, That she had less reason to complain of what she suffered, as it was no other than might have been expected from the misconduct of those who had the direction of her affairs, verse 21; and, lastly, That she was not without hope in the mercy of God, who, upon the humble supplication of his people, might be moved to mitigate their chastisement, and to turn his hand against the heathen that oppressed them, verse 24. My children are gone from me, and are not, &c. — My inhabitants are gone into captivity, and will return hither no more, so that they are the same to me as if they were dead. There is none to set up my curtains — They will never be able to contribute any thing to the restoration of my former state.

20. Tabernacle — As though even at this time the tent was the ordinary dwelling. Cords — Those which stayed the tent. Children… are not — Matthew 2:13.

V. 21. The pastors-The rulers of church and state.

Verse 21. The pastors are become brutish] The king and his counsellors, who, by refusing to pay the promised tribute to Nebuchadnezzar, had kindled a new war.

Verses 21, 22. For the pastors are become brutish — The prophet pursues the foregoing metaphor, and says, that the reason why the tents are destroyed, is because the shepherds, meaning the governors, both civil and ecclesiastical, had, like so many brute creatures, forgotten God and their duty to him, and thereby engaged the people committed to their charge in idolatry, and in all manner of wickedness, which had ended in ruin to themselves and their flocks. And have not sought the Lord — Have neither made their peace with him nor addressed their prayers to him; they have had no eye to him and his providence in their management of affairs, have neither acknowledged the judgment nor expected the deliverance to come from his hand. Observe well, reader, those are brutish people that do not seek the Lord, that live without prayer and without God in the world: they are unworthy of the name of rational beings. But the state of a people is indeed deplorable when their pastors, that should feed them with knowledge and understanding, are themselves thus brutish. And what is the consequence? Therefore they shall not prosper — None of their attempts for the public safety shall succeed. How, indeed, can those expect to prosper who do not take God along with them in their ways? And when the pastors are brutish, what else can be expected but that all their flocks should be scattered? for if the blind lead the blind both will fall into the ditch. Behold, the noise of the bruit is come — The word bruit here signifies noise, or rumour, which is the meaning of the Hebrew, h[wmv. This is explained in the following clause to be that of the tumultuary invasion of the country by the Chaldeans from the north, of which notice had been repeatedly given. Blaney translates the verse, Hark! a noise! Behold, it advanceth, even a great commotion from the north country. To make the cities of Judah a desolation, a dwelling-place for dragons.

Ver. 21. The pastors are become brutish. Their princes, as in the Chaldaic. The whole head was sick, and the whole heart faint.

21. Pastors are… brutish — Compare Jeremiah 2:8, etc. Shall not prosper — Rather, have not dealt wisely, and hence their flocks shall be scattered.

V. 22. Noise-Rumour, report.

Verse 22. The noise of the bruit is come] How this silly French word bruit, which signifies noise, got in here, I cannot imagine. The simple translation is this: “The voice of the report! behold, it is come; yea, great commotion from the land of the north; (Chaldea;) to make the cities of Judea a desolation, a habitation of wild beasts.” That is, the report we had heard of the projected invasion of Judea by Nebuchadnezzar is confirmed. He has entered the land; the Chaldeans are at the doors, and the total desolation of Judea is their sole object.

Verses 21, 22. For the pastors are become brutish — The prophet pursues the foregoing metaphor, and says, that the reason why the tents are destroyed, is because the shepherds, meaning the governors, both civil and ecclesiastical, had, like so many brute creatures, forgotten God and their duty to him, and thereby engaged the people committed to their charge in idolatry, and in all manner of wickedness, which had ended in ruin to themselves and their flocks. And have not sought the Lord — Have neither made their peace with him nor addressed their prayers to him; they have had no eye to him and his providence in their management of affairs, have neither acknowledged the judgment nor expected the deliverance to come from his hand. Observe well, reader, those are brutish people that do not seek the Lord, that live without prayer and without God in the world: they are unworthy of the name of rational beings. But the state of a people is indeed deplorable when their pastors, that should feed them with knowledge and understanding, are themselves thus brutish. And what is the consequence? Therefore they shall not prosper — None of their attempts for the public safety shall succeed. How, indeed, can those expect to prosper who do not take God along with them in their ways? And when the pastors are brutish, what else can be expected but that all their flocks should be scattered? for if the blind lead the blind both will fall into the ditch. Behold, the noise of the bruit is come — The word bruit here signifies noise, or rumour, which is the meaning of the Hebrew, h[wmv. This is explained in the following clause to be that of the tumultuary invasion of the country by the Chaldeans from the north, of which notice had been repeatedly given. Blaney translates the verse, Hark! a noise! Behold, it advanceth, even a great commotion from the north country. To make the cities of Judah a desolation, a dwelling-place for dragons.

Ver. 22. The noise of the bruit is come. Our translators have here used the French word bruit, which signifies noise, rumour, report. Every messenger brought a confirmation of the report, that the Chaldeans had entered the land.

22. The noise of the bruit, etc. — Better, a voice is heard; behold it cometh, a great commotion from the north country (literally, the land of midnight) to make the cities of Judah desolate, an abode of jackals. See Jeremiah 9:11.

V. 23. 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 23. O Lord, I know that the way of man is not in himself] I will not pretend to dispute with thee; thou dost every thing wisely and justly; we have sinned, and thou hast a right to punish; and to choose that sort of punishment thou thinkest will best answer the ends of justice. We cannot choose; thou hast appointed us to captivity; we must not repine: yet,

Verse 23. O Lord, I know, &c. — The prophet now turns to God, and addresses himself to him, finding it to little purpose to speak to the people. It is some comfort to poor ministers, that, if men will not hear them, God will; and to him they have liberty of access at all times. Let them close their preaching with prayer, as the prophet here does, and then they will have no reason to complain that they have laboured in vain. That the way of man is not in himself — The prophet must here be considered as acknowledging the superintendence and dominion of the divine providence; that by it, and not by their own will and wisdom, the affairs both of nations and particular persons are directed and governed. His words in this verse, taken in connection with the following, may be thus paraphrased: Thy providence, O Lord, superintends all events; all that happens comes to pass through thy permission or appointment. It is not in man to hinder that which has been once resolved on in thy decrees. We know, therefore, that it is not in our power to divert those judgments which are coming upon us, but thou canst moderate and limit them as thou pleasest. If, then, it be thy will that we should feel the awful effects of thy justice, chastise us, but spare our weakness; correct us, but with judgment, not in thine anger, &c. Theodoret applies this to Nebuchadnezzar, and explains the passage thus: “We know, O Lord, that the prince whom thou sendest against us comes not without thy orders; that the success of his arms, and the good fortune of his enterprise, proceed only from thee: but deliver us, O Lord, from this terrible enemy; and if we have merited chastisement, may we receive it at thy hand. Punish us as a father, and not as a judge.” The words, however, are applicable to us all, as well as to Nebuchadnezzar and the Jews. We are not at our own disposal, nor able to direct our own way by our own wisdom, either in matters temporal or spiritual. Nor are we at liberty to choose what line of life we please, or to ensure to ourselves the success and prosperity we may desire. We are under God’s government, and at his disposal, and have continual need of his direction, and of the influence of his grace, without which we shall certainly err from the right way, and shall neither choose nor perform what is truly and lastingly good, and for our happiness.

23, 24. It is not in man… to direct his steps — A beautiful and spiritual prayer, the language of humility and penitence, of humble dependence on God, and of earnest supplication for his favour. Correct… with judgment — That is, in such measure as will best correct the evil.

V. 24. 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 24. Correct me, but with judgment] Let not the punishment be to the uttermost of the demerit of the offence; else we shall be brought to nothing—totally and irrecoverably ruined.

Verse 24. O Lord, correct me — I do not entirely deprecate all chastisement; I know we deserve correction, and am willing to accept it; persuaded that it is necessary for our purification and amendment; but let it be with judgment — That is, in measure, with moderation, and in wisdom; not more than is necessary; not in thine anger — How severe soever the correction be, let it come from thy love, and be designed for our good, and made to work for good; not to bring us to nothing, but to bring us to thyself. Let it not be according to the desert of our sins, but according to the designs of thy grace. Blaney justly observes here, that the word cpvm, translated judgment, “properly signifies, that calm and dispassionate judgment, which stands opposed to the hasty sallies of anger and furious revenge. And, though the latter cannot actually exist in God, it is sometimes, however, nominally attributed to him, whenever the effects of his displeasure are so violent as to stop nothing short of utter ruin; although such a proceeding may be justifiable upon the most solid principles of reason and equity. As, therefore, to punish with anger, implies an unrelenting rigour and severity; so, to correct with judgment, admits the use of such moderation as is consistent with the sinner’s personal safety, while it promotes his reformation.”

23, 24. It is not in man… to direct his steps — A beautiful and spiritual prayer, the language of humility and penitence, of humble dependence on God, and of earnest supplication for his favour. Correct… with judgment — That is, in such measure as will best correct the evil.

V. 25. 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.

Verse 25. Pour out thy fury upon the heathen] Even those who are now the executors of thy justice upon us will, in their turn, feel its scourge; for if judgment begins at us, who have been called thy house and thy people, shall they who have not acknowledged thee escape? It is impossible. The families and tribes which invoke thee not shall have thy fury poured out upon them, and especially they who “have eaten up Jacob and consumed him, and have made his habitation desolate.” This was fulfilled in the Chaldeans. Nebuchadnezzar was punished with madness, his son was slain in his revels, and the city was taken and sacked by Cyrus; and the Babylonish empire was finally destroyed! This verse has been often quoted against those ungodly families who set not up the worship of God in their houses. These are spiritual Chaldeans, worse indeed than the Chaldeans ever were: they acknowledge God and his Christ; and yet neither worship nor serve him. How can that family expect the blessing of God, where the worship of God is not daily performed? No wonder their servants are wicked, their children profligate, and their goods cursed! What an awful reckoning shall such heads of families have with the Judge in the great day, who have refused to petition for that mercy which they might have had for the asking.

JEREMIAH

Verse 25. Pour out thine indignation upon the heathen, &c. — Let thy justice be made known, by bringing an exemplary punishment upon the Chaldeans and their allies, (see Jeremiah 1:15,) who do not acknowledge thy providence, but ascribe all their successes to their idols: for they have eaten up Jacob, &c. — See note on Jeremiah 6:3. This prayer, it must be observed, did not proceed from a spirit of malice or revenge in the prophet, nor was it intended to prescribe to God on whom he should execute his judgments, or in what order; but, 1st, It is an appeal to his justice; as if he had said, Lord, we are a provoking people, but are there not other nations that are more so? And shall we only be punished? 2d, It is a prediction of God’s judgments upon all the impenitent enemies of his church and kingdom. If judgment begin thus at the house of God: what shall be the end of those that obey not his gospel? 1 Peter 4:17.

25. With very slight difference this verse is identical in language with Psalm 79:6, 7.