Jeremiah 4

Jer 4:1-31.

CONTINUATION OF

ADDRESS TO THE

TEN

TRIBES OF

ISRAEL.

(Jer 4:1, 2).

THE

PROPHET

TURNS

AGAIN TO

JUDAH, TO

WHOM

HE

HAD

ORIGINALLY

BEEN

SENT

(Jer 4:3-31).

1. return . . . return--play on words. "If thou

wouldest return to thy land (thou must first), return

not remove--no longer be an unsettled wanderer in a strange land.

So Cain

(Ge 4:12, 14).

2. And thou--rather, "And if (carried on from

Jer 4:1)

thou shalt swear, 'Jehovah liveth,' in truth, &c.", that is, if thou

shalt worship Him (for we swear by the God whom we

worship; compare

De 6:13; 10:20;

Isa 19:18;

Am 8:14)

in sincerity, &c.

and the nations--Rather, this is apodosis to the "if"; then shall

the nations bless themselves in (by) Him"

(Isa 65:16).

The conversion of the nations will be the consequence of Israel's

conversion

(Ps 102:13, 15;

Ro 11:12, 15).

3. Transition to Judah. Supply mentally. All which (the foregoing

declaration as to Israel) applies to Judah.

and Jerusalem--that is, and especially the men of Jerusalem, as

being the most prominent in Judea.

Break . . . fallow ground--that is, Repent of your idolatry, and so be

prepared to serve the Lord in truth

(Ho 10:12;

Mt 13:7).

The unhumbled heart is like ground which may be improved, being let out

to us for that purpose, but which is as yet fallow, overgrown with

weeds, its natural product.

4. Remove your natural corruption of heart

(De 10:16; 30:6;

Ro 2:29;

Col 2:11).

5. cry, gather together--rather, "cry fully" that is, loudly. The

Jews are warned to take measures against the impending Chaldean invasion

(compare

Jer 8:14).

6. Zion--The standard toward Zion intimated that the people of

the surrounding country were to fly to it, as being the strongest of

their fortresses.

7. lion--Nebuchadnezzar and the Chaldeans

(Jer 2:15; 5:6;

Da 7:14).

his thicket--lair; Babylon.

destroyer of the Gentiles--rather, "the nations"

(Jer 25:9).

8. Nothing is left to the Jews but to bewail their desperate condition.

anger . . . not turned back--

(Isa 9:12, 17, 21).

9. heart--The wisdom of the most leading men will be utterly at

a loss to devise means of relief.

10. thou hast . . . deceived--God, having even the false prophets in

His hands, is here said to do that which for inscrutable purposes He

permits them to do

(Ex 9:12;

2Th 2:11;

compare

Jer 8:15;

which passage shows that the dupes of error were self-prepared

for it, and that God's predestination did not destroy their moral

freedom as voluntary agents). The false prophets foretold "peace," and

the Jews believed them; God overruled this to His purposes

(Jer 5:12; 14:13;

Eze 14:9).

soul--rather, "reacheth to the life."

11. dry wind--the simoom, terrific and destructive, blowing from

the southeast across the sandy deserts east of Palestine. Image of the

invading Babylonian army

(Ho 13:15).

Babylon in its turn shall be visited by a similar "destroying wind"

(Jer 51:1).

of . . . high places--that is, that sweeps over the high places.

daughter--that is, the children of my people.

not to fan--a very different wind from those ordinary winds employed

for fanning the grain in the open air.

12. full . . . from those places--rather, "a wind fuller

(that is, more impetuous) than those winds"

(which fan the corn)

(Jer 4:11)

[ROSENMULLER].

unto me--"for Me," as My instrument for executing My purpose.

sentence--judgments against them

(Jer 1:16).

13. clouds--continuing the metaphor in

Jer 4:11:12.

Clouds of sand and dust accompany the simoom, and after rapid gyrations

ascend like a pillar.

eagles--

(De 28:49;

Hab 1:8).

Woe unto us--The people are graphically presented before us, without

it being formally so stated, bursting out in these exclamations.

14. Only one means of deliverance is left to the Jews--a thorough

repentance.

vain thoughts--namely, projects for deliverance, such as enlisting

the Egyptians on their side. GESENIUS

translates, "How long

wilt thou harbor vain thoughts?"

15. For . . . from Dan--The connection is: There is danger in delay;

for the voice of a messenger announces the approach of the Chaldean

enemy from Dan, the northern frontier of Palestine

(Jer 8:16;

compare

Jer 4:6;

Jer 1:14).

Mount Ephraim--which borders closely on Judah; so that the foe is

coming nearer and nearer. Dan and Beth-el in Ephraim were the two

places where Jeroboam set up the idolatrous calves

(1Ki 12:29);

just retribution.

16. The neighboring foreign "nations" are summoned to witness Jehovah's

judgments on His rebel people

(Jer 6:18, 19).

watchers--that is, besiegers (compare

2Sa 11:16);

observed or watched, that is, besieged.

their voice--the war shout.

17. keepers of a field--metaphor from those who watch a field, to

frighten away the wild beasts.

18.

(Jer 2:17, 19;

Ps 107:17).

this is thy wickedness--that is, the fruit of thy wickedness.

19. The prophet suddenly assumes the language of the Jewish state

personified, lamenting its affliction

(Jer 10:19, 20; 9:1, 10;

Isa 15:5;

compare

Lu 19:41).

at my very heart--Hebrew, "at the walls of my heart"; the muscles

round the heart. There is a climax, the "bowels," the pericardium, the

"heart" itself.

maketh . . . noise--moaneth

[HENDERSON].

alarm--the battle shout.

20. Destruction . . . cried--Breach upon breach is announced

(Ps 42:7;

Eze 7:26).

The war "trumpet" . . . the battle shout . . . the

"destructions" . . . the havoc throughout "the whole land"

. . . the spoiling of the shepherds' "tents"

(Jer 10:20;

or, "tents" means cities, which should be overthrown as easily

as tents [CALVIN]), form a gradation.

21. Judah in perplexity asks, How long is this state of things to

continue?

22. Jehovah's reply; they cannot be otherwise than miserable, since

they persevere in sin. The repetition of clauses gives greater force to

the sentiment.

wise . . . evil . . . to do good . . .

no knowledge--reversing the rule

(Ro 16:19)

"wise unto . . . good, simple concerning evil."

23. Graphic picture of the utter desolation about to visit Palestine.

"I beheld, and lo!" four times solemnly repeated, heightens the awful

effect of the scene (compare

Isa 24:19; 34:11).

without form and void--reduced to the primeval chaos

(Ge 1:2).

24. mountains--

(Isa 5:25).

moved lightly--shook vehemently.

25. no man . . . birds--No vestige of the human, or of the feathered

creation, is to be seen

(Eze 38:20;

Zep 1:3).

26. fruitful place--Hebrew, Carmel.

a wilderness--Hebrew, "the wilderness," in

contrast to "the fruitful place"; the great desert, where

Carmel was, there is now the desert of Arabia [MAURER].

cities--in contrast to the fruitful place or field.

27. full end--utter destruction: I will leave some hope of restoration

(Jer 5:10, 18; 30:11; 46:28;

compare

Le 26:44).

28. For this--on account of the desolations just described

(Isa 5:30;

Ho 4:3).

not repent--

(Nu 23:19).

29. whole city--Jerusalem: to it the inhabitants of the country had

fled for refuge; but when it, too, is likely to fall, they flee out of

it to hide in the "thickets." HENDERSON

translates, "every city."

noise--The mere noise of the hostile horsemen shall put you to flight.

30. when thou art spoiled--rather, "thou, O destroyed one"

[MAURER].

rentest . . . face with painting--Oriental women paint their eyes

with stibium, or antimony, to make them look full and sparkling, the

black margin causing the white of the eyes to appear the brighter by

contrast

(2Ki 9:30).

He uses the term "distendest" in derision of their effort to make their

eyes look large [MAURER]; or else, "rentest," that

is, dost lacerate by puncturing the eyelid in order to make the

antimony adhere [ROSENMULLER]. So the Jews use

every artifice to secure the aid of Egypt against Babylon.

face--rather, thy eyes

(Eze 23:40).

31. anguish--namely, occasioned by the attack of the enemy.

daughter of Zion--There is peculiar beauty in suppressing the name

of the person in trouble, until that trouble had been fully described

[HENDERSON].

bewaileth herself--rather, "draweth her breath short"

[HORSLEY];

"panteth."

spreadeth . . . hands--

(La 1:17).