The prophet complains CHAP. XV. of his hard lot. A. M. cir. 3399. we go forth? then thou shalt tell children, I will destroy my peo B. C. cir. 605.. Ol. XLIII. 4. Tarquinii Prisci, R. Roman., cir annum 12. them, Thus saith the LORD; d. Such as are for death, to death; and such as are for the sword, to the sword; and such as are for the famine, to the famine; and such as are for the captivity, to the captivity. 3 And I will appoint over them four kinds, saith the LORD: the sword to slay, and the dogs to tear, and the fowls of the heaven, and the beasts of the earth, to devour and destroy. 4 And I will cause them to be removed into all kingdoms of the earth, because of Manasseh the son of Hezekiah king of Judah, for that which he did in Jerusalem. 5 For who shall have pity upon thee, O Jerusalem ? or who shall bemoan thee? or who shall go aside to ask how thou doest? 6 Thou hast forsaken me, saith the LORD, thou art gone backward therefore will I stretch out my hand against thee, and destroy thee; P I am weary with repenting. 7 And I will fan them with a fan in the gates of the land; I will bereave them of Chap. xliii. 11; Ezek. v. 2, 12; Zech. xi. 9.16, &c. e Lev. xxvi. Heb. families, Chap. vii. 33; Deut. xxviii. 26. Heb. I will give them for a removing.- Deut. xxviii. 25; chap. xxiv. 9; Ezek. xxiii. 46.- 2 Kings xxi. II, &c.; xxiii. 26; xxiv. 3, 4. Isa. li. 19.- Heb. to ask of thy peace. Chap. ii. 13.Chap. vii. 24, Verse 3. I will appoint over them four kinds] There shall appear four instruments of my justice. 1. The sword to slay. 2. The dogs to tear what is slain. 3. The fouls of the heaven to feed on the dead carcasses. And, 4. The wild beasts to destroy all that the fowls have left. Verse 4. I will cause them to be removed into all kingdoms of the earth] This seems to have respect to the succeeding state of the Jews in their different generations; and never was there a prophecy more literally fulfilled; and it is still a standing monument of Divine truth. Let infidelity cast its eyes on the scattered Jews whom it may meet with in every civilized nation of the world; and then let it deny the truth of this prophecy, if it can. The Jews are scattered through every nation, and yet are not a nation; nor do they form even a colony on any part of the face of the earth. Behold the truth and the justice of God! Verse 5. Who shall go aside to ask how thou doest?] Perhaps there is not a more despised nor a more degraded people under the sun. Scarcely any one thinks himself called upon to do a kind office for a Jew. Their character is bad in society, and they are not at all solicitous to redeem it. Verse 6. I am weary with repenting.] With repeatedly changing my purpose. I have often, after purposing to punish, showed them mercy, I will do it no longer; it A. M. cir. 3399. B. C. cir. 605. 01. XLIII. 4. Tarquinii Prisci, R. Roman., cir. annum 12. 8 Their widows are increased to me above the sand of the seas: I have brought upon them against the mother of the young men, a spoiler at noonday: I have caused him to fall upon it suddenly, and terrors upon the city. 9 She that hath borne seven languisheth : she hath given up the ghost; " her sun is gone down while it was yet day: she hath been ashamed and confounded: and the residue of them will I deliver to the sword before their enemies, saith the LORD. 10 Wo is me, my mother, that thou hast borne me a man of strife and a man of contention to the whole earth! I have neither lent on usury, nor men have lent to me on usury; yet every one of them doth curse me. 11 The LORD said, Verily it shall be well with thy remnant, verily I will cause the enemy to entreat thee well in the time of evil and in the time of affliction. 12 Shall iron break the northern iron and the steel? P Hos. xiii. 14.- - Or, whatsoever is dear. Isa. ix. 13; chap. v. 3; Amos iv. 10, 11.— Or, against the mother city a young man spoiling, &c., or against the mother and the young men. 1 Sam. ii. 5." Amos viii. 9.-V Job. iii. 1, &c.; chap. xx. 14. -W w Or, I will entreat the enemy for thee.- -X Chap. xxxix. 11, 12; xl. 3, 4, 5, is useless. I took them often at their promise, and in every instance they have failed. Verse 7. I will fan them with a fan] There is no pure grain; all is chaff. In the gates of the land] The places of public justice and there it shall be seen that the judgments that have fallen upon them have been highly merited. And from these places of fanning they shall go out into their captivity. Verse 8. The mother of the young men] The metropolis or mother city, Jerusalem. Verse 9. She that hath borne seven] She that hath had a numerous offspring; Jerusalem, the parent of so many cities, villages, and families in the land. Seven signifies a complete or full number. Verse 10. A man of contention to the whole earth!] To the whole LAND, to all his countrymen; though he had done nothing to merit their displeasure. Verse 11. I will cause the enemy to entreat thee well in the time of evil] This was literally fulfilled; see chap. xxxix. f1, &c. Nebuchadnezzar had given strict charge to Nebuzar-adan, commander in chief, to look well to Jeremiah, to do him no harm, and to grant him all the privileges he was pleased to ask. Verse 12. Shall iron break the northern iron and the steel?] Shall our weak forces be able to oppose and overcome the powers of the Chaldeans? n necho 13 Thy substance and thy treasures will I give to the spoil without price, and that for all thy sins, even in all thy borders. 14 And I will make thee to pass with thine enemies into a land which thou knowest not: for a fire is kindled in mine anger, which shall burn upon you. sheth, which we here translate steel, properly signifies brass or copper united with tin, which gives it much hardness, and enables it to bear a good edge. Verse 13, Thy substance-will I give to the spoil without price] Invaluable property shall be given up to thy adversaries. Or, without price-thou shalt have nothing for it in return, Verse 15. O Lord-remember me, and visit me] Let me not be carried away into captivity; and it does not appear that he had ever been taken to Babylon. After the capture of the city he went into Egypt; and either died there, or was put to death by his countrymen. Verse 16. Thy word was-the joy and rejoicing of mine heart] When I did receive the prophetic message, I did rejoice in the honour thou hadst done me; and I faithfully testified thy will to them. They have become mine enemies; not because there was any evil in me, but because I was faithful to thee. Verse 18. Wilt thou be altogether unto me as-waters that fail?] Meaning either springs, which in the height of summer grow dry; or, like that phenomenon in the sandy desert, where, by a peculiar action of the air on the rising vapours, the resemblance of water is produced, so that the traveller, deceived, rejoices that he is come, in the sandy desert, to the verge of a beautiful lake; but the farther he travels, it is still at the same distance, and at last vanishes; and he finds the whole was an illusion, for the waters have failed. Nothing can exceed the disappointment of the farmer whose subsist298 by promises of protection. B. e. cir 605. A. M. cir. 3399. OI. XLIII. 4. Tarquinii Prisci, R. Roman.. 18 Why is my pain per petual, and my wound incurable, which refuseth to be healed? wilt thou be altogether unto me. as a liar, and as waters that m fail? k cir. annum 12. 19 Therefore thus saith the LORD, "If thou return, then will I bring thee again, and thou shalt stand before me: and if thou P take forth the precious from the vile, thou shalt be as my mouth; let them return unto thee; but return not thou unto them. 20 And I will make thee unto this people a fenced brazen 4 wall: and they shall fight against thee, but they shall not prevail against thee: for I am with thee to save thee and to deliver thee, saith the LORD. 21 And I will deliver thee out of the hand of the wicked, and I will redeem thee out of the hand of the terrible. Then will I bring thee again] Restore thee to thy own country. But some think the words are spoken to the prophet in reference to his ministry. He had greatly repined because of the persecutions which he endured. The Lord reprehends him, and is about to take from him the prophetic gift; but exhorts him first to take the precious from the vile-not to attend to the deceitful words of the people, but boldly declare the message he had given him; not to return unto the people, but let the people return unto him. And then he should be as God's mouth-his words should appear to be what they were, the genuine words of God; and the people should be obliged to acknowledge them as such. Verse 20. I will make thee-a fenced brazen wall] While thou art faithful to me, none of them shall be able to prevail against thee. Verse 21. I will deliver thee out of the hand of the wicked] From the power of this evil people. And I will redeem thee out of the hand of the terrible.] Out of the power of the Chaldean arinies. Every thing took place as God had promised, for no word of his can ever fall to the ground. The Lord's directions CHAP. XVI. to the prophet. CHAPTER XVI. On account of the evils which threatened his country, the prophet is forbidden to encumber himself with a wife and family, or to bear any share in the little joys and sorrows of his neighbours, which were to be forgotten and absorbed in those public calamities, 1-9, which their sins should draw on them, 10-13. A future restoration however is intimated, 14, 15, after those calamities should be endured, 16-18; and the conversion of the Gentiles is foretold, 19-21. or daughters in this place. 3 For thus saith the LORD concerning the sons and concerning the daughters that are born in this place, and concerning their mothers that bare them, and concerning their fathers that begat them in this land; n 8 Thou shalt not also go into the house of feasting, to sit with them to eat and to drink.. 9 For thus saith the LORD of hosts, the 4 They shall die of grievous deaths; they God of Israel; Behold, I will cause to cease shall not be lamented; neither shall they be out of this place in your eyes, and in your buried; but they shall be as dung upon the days, the voice of mirth, and the voice of face of the earth and they shall be consumed gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and by the sword, and, by famine; and their car- the voice of the bride. casses shall be meat for the fowls of heaven, and for the beasts of the earth. e C a1 Cor. vii. 26. Chap. xv. 2.- Chap. xxii. 18, 19; xxv. 33. d Psa. lxxxiii. 10; chap. viii. 2; ix. 22.- Psa. ixxix. 2; chap. vii. 33; xxxiv. 20.- Ezek. xxiv. 17, 22, 23. Or, mourning feast. Chap. xxii. 18.- Lev. xix. 28; Deut. xiv. 1; chap. xli. 5; xlvii. 5.- -k Isa. xxii. 12; chap. vii. 29. D 10 And it shall come to pass, when thou shalt show this people all these words, and they shall say unto thee, Wherefore hath the LORD pronounced all this great evil against us? or what is our iniquity? or what is our sin that we have committed against the LORD our God? 11 Then shalt thou say unto them, Because your fathers have forsaken me, saith the LORD, and have walked after other gods, and Or, break bread for them, as Ezek. xxiv. 17; Hos. ix. 4; see Deut. xxvi. 14; Job xl. 11. Prov. xxxi. 6, 7. Isa. xxiv. 7, 8; chap. vii. 34; xxv. 10; Ezek. xxvi. 13; Hos. ii. 11; Rev. xviii. 23. Deut. xxix. 24; chap. v. 19; xiii. 22; xxii. 8.- —P Deut. xxix. 25; chap, xxii. 9. them; because, having become idolaters, they conformed to all the customs of the heathen. They tore their hair, rent their garments, cut their hands, arms, and faces. These were not only signs of sorrow, but were even supposed to give ease to the dead, and appease the angry deities. The Hindoos, on the death of a relation, express their grief by loud lamentations, and. not unfrequently bruise themselves in an agony of grief with whatever they can lay hold on. Verse 8. Thou shalt not also go into the house of feasting] Funeral banquets were made to commemorate the dead, and comfort the surviving relatives; and the cup of consolation, strong mingled wine, was given to those who were deepest in distress, to divert their minds and to soothe their sorrows. These kinds of ceremonies were common among almost all the nations of the world on funeral occasions. The Canaanites, the Jews, the Persians, Arabians, New Zealanders Huns, &c., &c. The conversion of A. M. cir. 3400. B. C. cir. 604. Ol. XLIV. 1. Tarquinii Prisci, R. Roman., cir. annum 13. have served them, and have and after will I send for 12 And ye have done a worse than your fathers; for, behold, ye walk every one after the imagination of his evil heart, that they may not hearken unto me: t 18 Therefore will I cast you out of this land into a land that ye know not, neither ye nor your fathers; and there shall ye serve other gods day and night; where I will not show you favour. r W A. M. cir. 3400. R. Roman, cir. annum 13. 17 For mine y y eyes are upon all their ways: they are not hid from my face, neither is their iniquity hid from mine eyes. a 18 And first I will recompense their iniquity and their sin double; because they have defiled my land, they have filled mine inheritance with the carcasses of their detestable and abominable things. 20 Shall a man make gods unto himself, and they are no gods? 21 Therefore, behold, I will this once cause them to know, I will cause them to know mine hand and my might; and they shall know that my name is The Lord. 16 Behold, I will send for many fishers, saith the LORD, and they shall fish them; Chap. vii, 26. Chap. xii. 10.- Or, stubbornness. Deut. iv. 26, 27, 28; xxviii. 36, 63, 64, 65. Chap. xv. 14. v Isa. xliii. 18; chap. xxiii. 7, 8.- Chap. xxiv. 6; xxx. 3; 5. xxxii. 37. Amos iv. 2; Hab. i. 15.—y Job xxxiv. 21; Prov. v. 21; xv. 3; chap. xxxii. 19. Verse 12. And ye have done worse than your fathers] The sins of the fathers would not have been visited on the children, had they not followed their example, and become even worse than they.. Verse 13. Will I cast you out of this land] chap. vii. 15, and ix. 15. Verse 14. The Lord liveth, that brought up] Isa. xliii. 18. Verse 15. The land of the north] Chaldea and their deliverance thence will be as remarkable as the deliverance of their fathers from the land of Egypt. Verse 16. I will send for many fishers-for many hunters] I shall raise up enemies against them some of whom shall destroy them by wiles, and others shall ruin them by violence. This seems to be the meaning of these symbolical fishers and hunters. Verse 18. The carcasses of their detestable-things.] Either meaning the idols themselves, which were only carcasses without life; or the sacrifices which were made to them. f Ezek. xliii. 7, 9. dIsa. xliv. 10; chap. ii. 11; x. --e Isa. xxxvii. 19; chap. ii. 11; Gal. iv, 8.Exod. xv. chap. xxxiii. 2; Amos v. 8.- - Or, JEHOVAH; Psa. lxxxiii. 18. Verse 19. The Gentiles shall come] Even the days shall come when the Gentiles themselves, ashamed of their confidence, shall renounce their idols, and acknowledge that their fathers had believed lies, and worshipped vanities. This may be a prediction of the calling of the Gentiles by the Gospel of Christ; if so, it is a light amidst much darkness. In such dismal accounts there is need of some gracious promise relative to an amended state of the world. Verse 20. Shall a man make gods unto himself?] Can any be so silly, and so preposterously absurd? Yes, fallen man is capable of any thing that is base, mean, vile, and wicked, till influenced and converted by the grace of Christ. Verse 21. Therefore, behold, I will this once] I will not now change my purpose. They shall be visited and carried into captivity; nothing shall prevent this: and they shall know that my name is JEHOVAH. Since they would not receive the abundance of my mercies, they shall know what the true God can do in the way of judgment. CHAPTER XVII. This chapter begins with setting forth the very strong bias which the people of Judah had to idolatry, with the fatal consequences, 1-4. The happiness of the man that trusteth in Jehovah is then beautifully contrasted with the opposite character, 5-8. God alone knows the deceitfulness and wretchedness of the heart He is cursed who CHAP. XVII. trusts in man. of man, 9, 10. The comparison of a bird's hatching the eggs of another of a different species, which will soon forsake her, is highly expressive of the vanity of ill-acquired riches, which often disappoint the owner, The prophet continues the same subject in his own person, appeals to God for his sincerity, and prays that the evil intended him by his enemies may revert on their own heads, 12-18. The remaining part of the chapter is a distinct prophecy relating to the due observance of the Sabbath, enforced both by promises and threatenings, 19-27. 11. Chap, xv. 14.- Isa. xxx. 1, 2; xxxi. 1. NOTES ON CHAP. XVII. Chap. Verse 1. The sin of Judah] Idolatry. Is written with a pen of iron] It is deeply and indelibly written in their heart, and shall be as indelibly written in their punishment. Writing with the point of a diamond must refer to glass, or some vitrified substance, as it is distinguished here from engraving with a steel burine, or graver. Their altars show what the deities are which they worship. There may be reference here to the different methods of recording events in those days-1. A pen or stile of iron, for engraving on lead or wood. 2. A point of a diamond, for writing on vitreous substances. 3. Writing on tables of brass or copper. 4. Writing on the horns of the altars the names of the deities worshipped there. This is probable. In several parts of India, and all through Ceylon, an iron or steel pen is used universally; with these the natives form the letters by incisions on the outer rind of the palm leaf. Books written in this way are very durable. This pen is broad at the top, has a very fine sharp point, and is sharp at one side as a knife, to shave and prepare the palm leaf. A pen of this description now lies before me. Verse 2. Whilst their children remember] Even the rising generation have their imagination stocked with idol images, and their memories with the frantic rites and ceremonies which they saw their parents observe in this abominable worship. Verse 3. O my mountain in the field] The prophet here addresses the land of Judea, which was a moun | | i B. C. cir. 604. OL. XLIV. 1. Tarquinii Prisci, R. Roman., cir. annum 13.. 5 Thus saith the LORD; Curs- A. M. cir. 3100. ed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD. 6 For he shall be like the heath in the desert, and shall not see when good cometh; but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, " in a salt land and not inhabited. 7 Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is. n 8. For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of 4 drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit. 9 The heart is deceitful above all things, See Isa. xxxi. 3.- Chap. xlviii. 6. m Job xx. 17. Deut. xxix. 23.- Psa. ii. 12; xxxiv. 8; cxxv. 1; cxlvi. 5; Prov. xvi. 20; Isa. xxx. 18.P Job viii. 16; Psa. i. 3.————-q Or, restraint. tainous country, Deut. iii. 25; but Jerusalem itself may be meant, which is partly built upon hills which, like itself, are elevated above the rest of the country. Verse 5. Cursed be the man that trusteth in man] This reprehends their vain confidence in, trusting in Egypt, which was too feeble itself to help, and, had it been otherwise, too ill disposed towards them to help them heartily. An arm of flesh is put here for a weak and ineffectual support. And he who, in reference to the salvation of his soul, trusts in an arm of flesh—in himself or others, or in any thing he has done or suffered, will inherit a curse instead of a blessing. Verse 6. He shall be like the heath in the desert] kearar; or, like a blasted tree, without moisture, parched and withered. Shall not see when good cometh] Shall not be sensible of it: the previous drought having rendered it incapable of absorbing any more vegetable juices. A salt land] Barren; and therefore unfit to be inhabited. Verse 8. As a tree planted by the waters] Which is sufficiently supplied with moisture, though the heat be intense, and there be no rain; for the roots being spread out by the river, they absorb from it all the moisture requisite for the flourishing vegetation of the tree. Shall not see when heat cometh] Shall not feel any damage by drought, for the reason already assigned. It shall be strong and vigorous, its leaf always green; and shall produce plenty of fruit in its season. Verse 9. The heart is deceitful] עקב akob |