Commentary on the Prophet Jeremiah
Prologue of St. Thomas
2 Maccabees 15:14This is the lover of his brethren, and of the people of Israel; this is he who prays much for the people and for the entire holy city, Jeremiah, the prophet of God.
These are the words of Onias the high priest to Judas Maccabees, commenting on the vision of Jeremiah. From this it is possible to derive four things regarding the present work, namely, the author, the subject matter, the method, and its usefulness.
Concerning the author, the present record delineates three things: his office, disposition, and activity.
With regard to his office, prophetic dignity is shown, as it says, Jeremiah, the prophet of the Lord.
With regard to internal disposition, his brotherly love, as it says, this is the lover of his brethren.
With regard to action, his dutiful compassion, as it says, this is he who prays much for the people and for the entire holy city.
Now, he is called the prophet of God to distinguish him from others, who are not prophets of God. For there are some who are prophets of the heavens, some who are prophets of the devil, and some who are prophets of God.
The prophets of the heavens are those who endeavor to tell the future from the figures of the heavens by the motions of the constellations; of these Isaiah speaks: let them stand and save you these augurs of the heavens, who contemplate the constellations and calculate the months, that from them they may announce to you the things which are to come (Isa 47:13). All divination belongs to this type of prophecy, which is accomplished through certain signs found in natural events.
Prophets of the devil are those who know certain future events from the revelation of demons, who, as Augustine says, gain knowledge by long experience, or perspicuity of nature, or by the revelation of supernal spirits. These are spoken of below: the prophets have prophesied by Baal and follow idols (Jer 2:8).
The prophets of God are those who, by the mediation of angels, as Dionysius says, receive an illumination from God concerning future events. For this reason, Cassiodorus says that prophecy is a divine inspiration announcing the outcome of events with immoveable truth. For this reason, it is said: you, child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High (Luke 1:76).
The first sort of prophecy is to be spurned, because it is false, and because it has no immoveable truth. For they receive the contingency of the effect from proximate causes, not necessity from first causes. And, therefore, it is said below: be not afraid of the signs of heaven (Jer 10:2).
The second type of prophecy is to be avoided entirely, because it is deceitful and pernicious. False prophets and unclean spirits I will drive from the land (Zech 13:2).
The third is to be followed and held as true, because it is illuminating. We have a more certain word of prophecy, to which you do well to attend as to a lamp shining in a dark place (2 Pet 1:19).
The holy prophets are called the prophets of God for three reasons.
First, because they are inspired by God. I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters will prophecy (Joel 2:28).
Concerning false prophets, on the contrary, who speak through their own spirit, it says: woe to foolish prophets who follow their own spirit, and see nothing (Ezek 13:3).
Second, because they are sent by God. Behold I send to you prophets and wise men and scribes (Matt 23:34). And now the Lord has sent me, and his spirit (Isa 48:16).
On the other hand, concerning false prophets it says below: I did not send prophets, yet they ran; I did not speak to them, yet they prophesied (Jer 23:21).
Third, because they bear witness to God. To this all the prophets bear witness (Acts 10:43). You are my witnesses (Isa 44:8).
His internal disposition is shown, burning with fraternal charity, as it says: this is the lover of his brethren (2 Macc 15:14).
Now the disposition of the prophets varies in three ways.
For some are lovers of profit. Sleeping and loving sleep; most unchaste dogs, they do not know abundance (Isa 56:10–11).
Some are lovers of human favor, of whom it says: they love the first seats in the feasts (Matt 23:6).
But the third are lovers of people, fulfilling what the Apostle says: may fraternal charity remain in you, and do not forget hospitality (Heb 13:1–2).
The first plunder riches. Thus says the Lord concerning the prophets who seduce my people, who bite with their teeth and preach peace (Micah 3:5). They dishonored me before my people for a handful of barley, and a crumb of bread, that they may kill souls which are not dying, and give life to souls which live not, lying to my people who believe their lies (Ezek 13:19).
The second deceive with flattering. His prophets have daubed them without tempering the mortar, seeing vain things and divining a lie unto them (Ezek 22:28).
But the third instruct with true doctrines. Below it says: I will give you shepherds after my own heart, and they will feed you with knowledge and understanding (Jer 3:15).
Moreover, in his action one sees his pious compassion for his people at: this is he who prays much (2 Macc 15:14).
His prayer is said to be much, or great, in three ways.
First, with regard to the depth of his contemplation. As it says below, remember that I stood in your sight, that I might speak good for them, and turn your indignation from them (Jer 18:20). To stand in his presence is to be present before him in contemplation.
Second, it was great because of the magnitude of his compassion. My bowels are disturbed, my liver is poured out on the earth (Lam 2:11).
Third, it was great with regard to duration of time, because it began before the captivity, and continued after. For this reason, James says: the constant prayer of the just man avails much (Jas 5:16).
And these three—namely, prophetic dignity, fraternal charity, and pious compassion—are necessary for a prophet.
Since, therefore, a prophet is established as a medium between God and the people—as it says, I was a mediator and stood in the midst between you and God (Deut 5:5)—it is fitting that through the gift of prophecy he should be joined to God—as it says, and through the nations she conveys herself to holy souls (Wis 7:27)—and by the bond of charity to be joined to the people—solicitously preserve the unity of spirit in the bond of peace (Eph 4:3). And so by praying he might bear the cause of the people to God, and by preaching bear the cause of God to the people.
Now from these three, there immediately appear another three.
For from the office of the man his method is clear, for he proceeds through similes and figures, which is the proper mode of the prophets. If any among you shall be a prophet of the Lord, I will appear to him in a vision, and I will speak to him through a dream (Num 12:6).
From his disposition, its usefulness is shown, as it is said: a faithful friend is a medicine of life and immortality (Sir 6:16). For it is our end to live well and to arrive at the glory of immortality.
The subject matter is clear from the action, for the subject according to the historical sense is the captivity of the people, which stirs up his prayer of compassion. For this reason, it is said: a soul in distress and an anxious spirit cry to you (Bar 3:1).
Preface of St. Jerome
Jeremiah the prophet, for whom this prologue is written, seems, in comparison with the Hebrews Isaiah, Hosea and certain others, to have been more rustic in his speech, though equal to them in sense, inasmuch as he prophesied by the same Spirit.Further, the simplicity of his speech results from the place in which he was born, for he was from Anathoth, which to this day is a small village some three miles distant from Jerusalem. He was a priest, the son of priests, and sanctified in his mother’s womb, dedicating by his virginity the evangelical man to the Church of Christ.
He began to prophesy when still a boy, and he saw the captivity of Judah not only in the Spirit, but also with the eyes of the flesh. The Assyrians had already taken the ten tribes away to Media, and gentile colonists were now in possession of their land.
For this reason, he prophesied only against Judah and Benjamin, and composed an acrostic elegy consisting of four-verse strophes mourning the destruction of his city, which we have rendered with verses in a measured meter.
Moreover, we have corrected the order of the visions, which among the Greeks and the Latins has been entirely confused, back to their original exactness.
We have passed over the book of Baruch, which among the Hebrews is neither read, nor held to be canonical, standing ready because of these things for the curses of my adversaries, to whom it is necessary for me to respond for every little work I undertake. These things I suffer because you force me.
As for the rest, it was better that by my silence I should impose a limit on their fury, rather than provoke them to insane envy by writing some new thing every day.
St. Thomas’s Commentary on St. Jerome’s Preface
He who translated the book from Hebrew to Latin attached an introduction to the book of Jeremiah by which, in the oratorical manner, he accomplishes three things.
First, he renders his readers attentive;
second, he makes them docile to instruction, as it says, he began to prophesy when still a boy;
third, he makes them kindly disposed, as it says, which we have rendered with verses in a measured meter.
He renders them attentive in two ways:
first, from the profundity of the Scripture;
second, from the authority of the writer, where it says, a priest, the son of priests.
Concerning the first, he makes two observations.
First, he commends the profundity of the mystery, in which he equates himself to the other prophets, as he says, though equal to them in sense. And he shows the cause, namely the unity of the inspiring Spirit, as he says, inasmuch as he prophesied by the same Spirit. It is the spirit who speaks mysteries (1 Cor 14:2). The inspiration of the Almighty gives understanding (Job 32:8).
Second, he apologizes for his rustic speech when he says, further, the simplicity of his speech results from the place in which he was born. And therefore he himself confesses below: I do not know how to speak, for I am a boy (Jer 1:6).
The authority, however, of the writer is shown from three things.
First, from his ancestry and dignity: a priest, the son of priests: from which we learn that it was his duty to teach the law. The lips of the priest guard knowledge, and they seek the law from his mouth (Mal 2:7).
Second, from the privilege of sanctity: and sanctified in his mother’s womb. For this reason, it is said, before you came forth from the womb I sanctified you (Jer 1:5).
Third, from the integrity of the flesh, virginity, which is proven from what is said below: you shall not take a wife in this place, and you shall have no sons (Jer 16:2).
He began to prophesy when still a boy. Here he renders them docile to instruction both by marking out the time—he saw the captivity of the city not only in the Spirit, referring to the future, but also with the eyes of the flesh, which speaks of the present—and by determining the subject, namely, because he did not prophecy concerning the ten tribes, but only the two.
The Assyrians had already taken the ten tribes away to Media. For 2 Kings 17 makes clear that the ten tribes were taken captive by the king of the Assyrians in the time of Ahaz, king of Judah.
Colonists, that is, foreign-born settlers, were brought to cultivate the land.
His elegy, in Lamentations.
We have rendered with verses in a measured meter. Here, he makes them well-disposed to his person by three devices.
First, from the good things he has done without arrogance, saying, which we have rendered with verses in measured meter, that is, writing letters in order before each series of verses for Lamentations, and for the book of Jeremiah.
Second, he softens the reproach he has given, by excusing himself for his treatment of Baruch, whom he has omitted. We have passed over the book of Baruch, which among the Hebrews is neither read nor held to be canonical.
Third, he shows what difficulties press upon him from the objections of his rivals.
For this reason, he first shows their envy at this entire undertaking;
and second, he shows the cause of his having taken up this work, these things I suffer because you force me.
As for the rest—it is as though he were saying, “If it were not for your entreaties I would have been able to slip away bearing none of their fury.”
Chapter 1
Jeremiah becomes a prophet
Lecture 1
Title of the work
1:1 The words of Jeremiah, the son of Hilkiah, from the priests that were in Anathoth, in the land of Benjamin.1. This book, after the manner of the other prophets, is divided into two parts:
namely, the title;
and the treatise which begins with, and the word of the Lord came to me, saying (Jer 1:4).
In the title, it does two things.
First, it describes the author;
and second, the time of the prophecy, at the word of the Lord which came to him (Jer 1:2).
The author is described in three ways.
First, by name, at the words of Jeremiah, which is translated as “highness to the Lord,” which is fitting for the eminence of his contemplation.
Second, from the prophetic line, the son of Hilkiah, which, according to the rule of Jerome, we are to understand as meaning that wherever the name of a prophet’s father is put in the title, he also was a prophet. And from the priestly line, from the priests, whose responsibility it was to know the Law: ask the law of the priest (Hag 2:12).
Third, he is described by his dwelling place: that were in Anathoth. For the Levites received in each tribe certain estates in which they were to dwell, as it says in Numbers 35. Concerning these words it is said, my words shall not fail (Isa 59:24).
Now, it is to be understood that some of the prophetic books are named from an interior action: whence it says, the vision of Isaiah or the vision of Obadiah; others from an exterior action, and these are called in the title a word, as is the case with this book; still others from the subject matter of a threat, and so are called in the title a burden. Habakkuk and Nahum are of this sort.
Lecture 2
Date of the work
1:2 The word of the Lord which came to him in the days of Josiah, the son of Amon, king of Judah, in the thirteenth year of his reign.1:3 And which came in the days of Jehoiakim, the son of Josiah, king of Judah, until the completion of the eleventh year of Zedekiah, the son of Josiah, king of Judah, even until the deportation of Jerusalem in the fifth month.
2. Here, he describes the time of the prophecy, because he prophesied under the three kings spoken of in 2 Kings 20 in succession.
Above he said, words. Why does he now use the singular word?
In response, it must be said that while prophetic words are in themselves many, they are nonetheless one in their origin, because they come from the uncreated Word.
Yet, since that Word is eternal, as it says in John 1, how is it spoken of as made?
It is to be said that it is not said to be simply made, but made to someone; there was indeed no change in the Word, but in him to whom revelation was made by the Word, according to which sense God is said to have been made our refuge.
Also, one asks: why is there no mention of the other two kings, that is, Joathan, the son of Josiah, and Joachin, the son of Jehoiakim, who is also called by the other name Jekoniah.
It is to be said that both of these only reigned three months, as it is said in 4 Kings 24, and because Sacred Scripture does not care for minute details, they are reckoned with the times of the other kings.
In the fifth month, in which the city was destroyed, although it was captured in the fourth month, as it says below (Jer 39:2).
Lecture 3
Jeremiah’s office of prophet
1:4 And the word of the Lord came to me, saying:1:5 before I formed you in the womb, I knew you; and before you came forth from the womb, I sanctified you and gave you as a prophet to the nations.
1:6 And I said: ah, ah, ah, Lord God, behold I do not know how to speak, for I am a boy.
1:7 And the Lord said to me: do not say, I am a boy, for to all that I shall send you, you shall go, and all whatsoever I shall command you, you shall say.
1:8 Do not be afraid at their presence, because I am with you to rescue you, says the Lord.
1:9 And the Lord sent forth his hand and touched my mouth, and said to me: behold I have given my words in your mouth.
1:10 See, I have established you this day over nations and over kingdoms, so that you may root up and pull down, lay waste and scatter, build and plant.
3. Here begins the discourse of the book itself.
First, the office of prophet is enjoined upon Jeremiah.
Second, a prophecy is given to the now instituted prophet, at and the word of the Lord came to me (Jer 2:1).
The former is divided into two.
In the first, the office is enjoined;
in the second, the manner of its execution is shown—as it says, you, therefore, gird up (Jer 1:17).
The former is divided into two.
In the first, he is established in the prophetic office;
in the second, the subject matter of the prophecy is delineated to him—as it says, and the word of the Lord came to me (Jer 1:11).
The former is divided into two.
In the first, the preparation of the prophet is related;
in the second, the conferral of the prophetic gift—as it says, and the Lord sent forth his hand (Jer 1:9).
The former is divided into three.
In the first is noted the preparation on the part of the Lord.
In the second, the objection of the prophet is mentioned at, and I said: ah, ah, ah (Jer 1:6).
In the third, the refutation of the objection at, and the Lord said (Jer 1:7).
Concerning the first, three things are to be said.
First, the preparation of the prophet is spoken of: the word of the Lord came to me, either externally through a subordinate creature, or internally through inspiration. I will hear what the Lord God says in me (Ps 84:8).
I formed you: within formative nature itself God makes a form, as the first cause within a second: with skin and flesh you have clothed me (Job 10:11). I knew you, with a knowledge of approval. The Lord called me from the womb, from the belly of my mother he has remembered my name (Isa 49:1).
Second, his privileged sanctification is mentioned: and before. They have mistreated him, who from his mother’s womb was consecrated a prophet (Sir 49:7).
Third, the predetermination of his office is noted. And gave you as a prophet, that is, in my disposition. I have given you as a light to the nations, that you should be my salvation to the ends of the earth (Isa 49:6).
Concerning his sanctification in the womb, let us see four things.
First, the time. And it seems that before the infusion of the soul, sanctification of this type is possible, as it says in the Gloss of Ambrose on Luke 1: there was not yet within him the spirit of life, and there was already present in him the spirit of grace.
Further, it says here: before I formed you in the womb, I knew you. Here, it is understood that he is speaking of spiritual knowledge, which is approbation. Therefore, before his formation he had grace.
On the other hand, it seems he did not before he was born from the womb, because Augustine says, no one can be reborn unless he has already been born. No one has grace unless he has been reborn, because he becomes the son of God through grace; therefore, he does not even have the grace of sanctification.
To this it is to be said that the sanctification about which we are speaking occurs through grace whose subject is the soul, and that, therefore, it cannot exist before the infusion of the soul. But here it happens by a special privilege after the infusion of the soul, but before he is born from the womb.
To the first point, one must say that here the spirit of life is externally called air, freely breathed. Alternatively, the spirit of life is said to be within when one notes if breath is drawn.
To the other point, it is to be said that what is understood by a notion of approbation is said in reference to predestination to grace, and not present justice.
As to the other point, one must say that no one is able to be reborn by general law, by that regeneration which comes through the sacraments before he is born, because he is not yet able to be subject to the operations of the ministers of the Church, through whom grace of this sort is dispensed. But God does not bind his power with the sacraments, and therefore he is able to sanctify someone in the womb by a special privilege.
Second, one asks, to whom is this sanctification fitting? It seems that it is fitting to Christ, of whom it is said in the gloss, that before he came forth from the womb he was sanctified in the belly.
On the contrary, however, to sanctify is to make holy what was unholy. But he was never unholy, therefore, etc.
Also, it seems that it is appropriate for inanimate objects, according to what is said in Psalm 45:5, the Most High has sanctified his tabernacle.
Yet on the contrary, things of this sort are not susceptible of grace.
It is to be said in response to the first point that something is said to be unholy in two ways: either privatively, and then the existence of the subject is needed, and such would not be fitting for Christ; or negatively, and in this sense, it is fitting for Christ to pass from unholy to holy, because, before he was man, he was not holy with regard to created holiness.
To the other point, one must say that in one way something is called holy which is dedicated to divine worship, and in this way animate and inanimate things can be sanctified. Sometimes, however, “holy” is used to mean faithful, or free from sin, or from the carnal act. Such sanctification comes through grace, and is only possible in men. But since all sanctification should be ordered to that most holy conception of the Son of God, it was fitting that the mother in whose womb the celebrated conception took place had been sanctified. John the Baptist, also, while yet in the womb pointed to another who was still in the womb. Jeremiah, too, who among others expressly treated of the manner of that most holy conception, below: the Lord has created a new thing upon the earth: a woman shall encompass a man (Jer 31:22).
Third, one asks about the effect of sanctification. It is to be understood that sanctification is ordered against the uncleanness of original sin, in which one has to consider the guilty state of lacking the vision of God, which arises from the lack of due justice. This he totally removes insofar as it pertains to the impediment of person, even though the price has not yet been paid by which the impediment of nature would be removed. One must also consider the tinder, so to speak, which is the inclination to every evil, which indeed remains as an obstructed condition not inclining to that towards which it is ordered. While in some it would incline to the venial, albeit not to the mortal, yet in the blessed Virgin, her inclination was towards neither of these.
Fourth, one must ask about the comparison of sanctifying grace and sacramental grace.
One must say that in a general manner sanctifying grace prevails, because the inclination to mortal sin remains after one receives sacramental grace. But in a certain respect, sacramental grace prevails with regard to the indelible mark it makes on the soul and other such things.
And I said. Here, the prophet raises an objection.
First, he expresses his astonishment: ah, because of the defects of his life; ah, because of his lack of knowledge; ah, because of his lack of eloquence. And I said, ah, ah, ah (Ezek 4:14).
Second, he gives the reason for his astonishment, and mentions his lack of eloquence: behold I do not know how to speak—I am not eloquent from yesterday or the day before (Exod 4:10)—and the fact of his youth, for I am a boy; therefore, my age is not appropriate to the office of preaching. I once hoped that a longer life would speak, and that a multitude of years would teach wisdom (Job 32:7). You who are older speak, for it is fitting for you (Sir 32:3).
For this reason, he refuses the office of preaching, to which Isaiah offered himself (Isa 6:8). Gregory shows this in the Gloss: some laudably seek the office of preaching, others are laudably forced into it. Because out of that love by which he was borne to God, he feared the loss of contemplation, and he, through love of his neighbor, desired the salvation of his neighbor. However, he did not offer himself before he was cleansed, neither did he stubbornly refuse.
And the Lord said. Here, he rejects this objection. And because he mentioned his youthfulness, he promises three things against the defects of young men.
For children are inconstant, and against this he promises constancy: do not say, excusing yourself, for to all, that is to be done. A man’s way is not his own, nor does it pertain to a man to walk and direct his steps (Jer 10:23). Think on him in all your ways, and he will direct your steps (Ps 3:6).
He also promises eloquence against the objection that children are without eloquence, and all whatsoever. Wisdom opens the mouth of the mute, and makes the tongues of infants articulate (Wis 10:21).
He promises courage against the timidity of children: do not be afraid at their presence, because I am with you to rescue you, this is not because you will be without difficulties, but because you will bear them all with patience. I will not fear evil, for you are with me (Ps 12:4).
And the Lord sent forth his hand. Here, he offers the gift of prophecy in the manner of a sacrament.
First, he places an action—the Lord sent forth his hand—in a vision of images, because a boy seeing human limbs would not have been terrified, by which is signified the liberality of God’s goodness. When you open your hand, all things will be filled with goodness (Ps 103:28). He is not, however, cleansed beforehand with a burning coal as was Isaiah, because he lacked sin on account of his youth and sanctification.
Second are placed the words: and said to me. These contain three things.
First, it expresses the gift: behold I have given. The Lord will give his word with much power to those announcing the good news (Ps 67:12).
Second, it shows his station: see, I have established you this day over nations, different ones, to which he preached, as a mediator between them and God. Behold, I have established you as a God to Pharaoh (Exod 7:1). You have established me as the head of nations (Ps 17:44).
Third, it explains his duty: so that you may root up, evil things with regard to the root; pull down, with regard to the contrivances of a wicked government; lay waste, the union of evil men; scatter, the defense of evil; build, good things with regard to right order; plant, with regard to the root. For they do not lack external fortifications such as a fence. He was consecrated a prophet, to overturn, to pull up, to destroy and to build again and to renew (Sir 49:9).
Lecture 4
Vision of the rod
1:11 And the word of the Lord came to me, saying: what do you see, Jeremiah? And I said: I see a rod watching.1:12 And the Lord said to me: you have seen well, because I will keep watch over my word to do it.
4. Here, he determines the subject matter for which he is particularly established to prophesy, namely, the destruction of Jerusalem, and the captivity of the people.
First, he shows the certainty of the prophecy;
second, he shows the captivity itself, at and the word of the Lord came (Jer 32:26).
Concerning the first, there are three points.
First is the incitement of the prophet to see. What do you see? It is as though he were saying, “By this you are a prophet, it is your duty to see.” He who is now called a prophet was once called a seer (1 Sam 9:9).
Second is the vision: and I said: I see images in a vision: a rod, as it were, in the hand of the Lord ready to strike. The yoke of my iniquities has kept watch, they are wrapped up in his hand and put upon my neck (Lam 1:14). Some understand the rod watching as the rod of thieves inserted through windows to take plunder from houses, while they keep watch and others sleep. But the first interpretation is better.
Third is the explanation: and the Lord said: you have seen well. It is as though he were saying, “These things are in accord with the truth.” I will keep watch: I will be solicitous. The word which will come forth from my mouth (Isa 55:11).
Lecture 5
Evil from the north
1:13 And the word of the Lord came to me a second time saying: what do you see? And I said: I see a boiling cauldron, and its face is from the face of the north.1:14 And the Lord said to me: from the north shall spread every evil upon the inhabitants of the land.
1:15 For, behold, I will call together all the families of the kingdoms of the north, says the Lord, and they shall come, and each one shall place his throne in the entry of the gates of Jerusalem, and upon all her walls round about, and upon all the cities of Judah.
1:16 And I will speak my judgments with them upon all the evil of those who have abandoned me, and poured out drink offerings to foreign gods, and worshiped the work of their own hands.
1:17 You, therefore, gird up your loins, arise and speak to them all which I command you. Do not be afraid in their presence, neither fear the countenance of their face.
1:18 I have surely set you today as a fortified city, and as an iron pillar, and as a brazen wall over all the land, for the kings of Judah and her princes, for her priests and for the people of the land.
1:19 And they shall wage war with you but will not prevail, for I am with you says the Lord, to deliver you.
5. Here, he describes the destruction of Jerusalem itself.
First, he speaks of the incitement to see, what do you see?, as above.
Second, he speaks of the vision: and I said: I see a boiling cauldron, which signifies the burning of the city. And its face—its bottom—is from the north, from which direction the fire was lit. Place an empty pot upon the coals, that it may grow hot, and melt its bronze, that its filthiness may flow into the midst thereof and its rust be consumed (Ezek 24:11).
Third is set down the exposition: and the Lord said.
And first, it is explained generally: from the north, that is, from the king of Babylon, who was towards the north with regard to the Holy Land. Inhabitants of the land, of Jerusalem, or of other adjacent cities, which will be destroyed by him. As it says below, behold, the sound of a noise comes, and a great shaking from the land of the north, that he may turn the cities of Judah into wilderness and the habitation of dragons (Jer 10:22).
Second, there follows the order of the whole matter.
First is given the assembling together of the army: for, behold, I will call together, by inspiration, the kingdoms subject to Nebuchadnezzar. He shall raise a sign to the nations that are afar off (Isa 5:26).
Second, he speaks of the siege of the city: and they shall come, and each one shall place his throne, that is, the tent, in the entry of the gates, it is as though they will bring the siege to the very walls. The horsemen shall put their seats in the gate, and the covering of Judah shall be revealed (Isa 22:7). Alternatively, he is thinking of the captivity of the city itself, and touches upon what happens below: and all the princes of the king of Babylon entered and sat in the middle gate (Jer 39:3).
Third, he discusses the punishment of the inhabitants: and I will speak my judgments, not with words, but with punishments. They shall judge you with the judgments of adulteresses, and of those who shed blood (Ezek 16:45).
You, therefore, gird up. Here, he teaches the manner in which this will be carried out:
and first, that it should follow immediately: gird up your loins, as one who prepares himself to go quickly. Gird up your loins as a man (Job 38:3).
Second, that he should proceed fearlessly.
Concerning this, he first excludes fear: do not be afraid. Do not fear them, neither be dismayed at their face, for it is a rebellious house (Ezek 3:9). Who are you that you fear mortal man, and the son of man, who is like straw that dries up and is forgotten by the Lord your maker, who stretches forth the heavens, and establishes the earth; and you have shrunk back in fear the whole day from the presence of him who troubles you, and had readied you for destruction (Isa 51:12).
Second, he promises the fortitude to resist: I have surely set you today as a fortified city, to uphold others, as an iron pillar. The Lord has given me a learned tongue, that I might know how to uphold him who is fallen with a word, that he may not flag within himself (Isa 50:4). And as a brazen wall. I have set your face as steel and as flint (Ezek 3:9).
Third, he promises the disappointment of the enemy: and they shall wage war with you, but will not prevail—they shall not be able to turn you from the truth. As it says below, I shall make you as a strong brazen wall before this people; and they shall wage war against you, and they shall not prevail, because I am with you to save you, and I will rescue you, says the Lord (Jer 15:20).
Collations
Concerning the things mentioned above, one must know first that God is able to have a knowledge (Jer 1:5) of approbation of something, as has been said. Of foresight: all things are known to the Lord God before they are created; thus also after their completion he sees all things (Sir 23:29). Of predestination: the Lord knows who are his (2 Tim 2:9). Of the infusion of grace: I know my sheep and they know me (John 10:27). Of special familiarity: and I have known you by name (Exod 33:12). Of glorification: I have known him in his blessings, and have given him an inheritance (Sir 44:25).
It is also to be noted that God touches (Jer 1:9) some by reproving them: have mercy on me, have mercy on me, at least you, O my friends, for the hand of the Lord has touched me (Job 19:21); by cleansing them from sin: Jesus touched him, saying, ‘I will it, be clean’ (Matt 8:3); by infusing grace: my beloved put forth his hand through the hole, and my belly trembled at his touch (Song 5:4); by strengthening with grace: and behold, a hand touched me, and raised me to my knees, and the knuckles of my hands (Dan 10:10); by stirring up fervor: touch the mountains and they shall smoke (Ps 143:5).
It is also to be noted that the sinful soul is called a cauldron (Jer 1:13) because of the fervor of its concupiscence. He makes the deeps of the sea to boil like a pot, and he reckons it as when they boil unguents (Job 41:22). Because of the carnality of its work: they break their bones, and cut them up finely as in a kettle, as meat in the midst of a cooking vessel (Mic 3:3). Because of the blackness of its stain: the face of all is as the blackness of a pot (Nah 2:10).
It is also to be noted that the aforementioned cauldron is heated by the fire of inordinate love. When the fire has been kindled and spread abroad, they will perish at the rebuke of your countenance (Ps 79:17). Of wrath and contention: behold you are all kindling the fire and girded about with flames (Isa 50:11). Of eternal damnation: a fire has been kindled in my wrath, and it shall burn to the lowest depths of hell (Deut 32:22).
It is also to be noted that the devil is called the north wind (Jer 1:14), because of the violence of his temptation. The voice of his thunder has struck the earth, a storm of the north wind and a gathering of air (Sir 43:18). Because he hinders the fruit of good work: arise, O north wind, and come, you south wind; blow through my garden, and its spices shall flow forth (Song 4:16). Because he dries the river of tears: the north wind scatters the rains, and a sad face a backbiting tongue (Prov 25:23).
It is also to be noted that the Church, and even the soul, is fortified (Jer 1:18) by divine assistance: I shall be a fire for them round about, and I shall be in the midst of him in glory (Zech 2:5); by the protection of the angels: his height is a rampart of stones (Isa 33:16); by the example of the holy fathers: the tower of David is your neck, which is built with bulwarks (Song 4:4); by the help of one’s brothers: a brother who is helped by his brother is like a strong city (Prov 18:19); by the remedy of the sacraments: I am a wall, my breasts are like a tower, from which I am made as one finding peace (Song 8:10).
Chapter 2
Israel’s idolatry condemned
Lecture 1
God’s love for Israel
2:1 And the word of the Lord came to me, saying:2:2 Go, and cry in the ears of Jerusalem, saying: thus says the Lord: I have remembered you, and taken mercy on your youth, and the love of your betrothal, when you followed me in the desert, in a land which was not sown.
2:3 Israel was holy to the Lord, the first of his fruits; all who swallow him up transgress. Evil shall come upon them, says the Lord.
6. Here begins the prophecy of Jeremiah himself now established in the prophetic office; and it is divided into three parts.
In the first, he predicts the coming captivity;
in the second, in the book of Lamentations, he mourns the captivity that has already occurred;
in the third, in the book of Baruch, he leads those who have now been taken captive to punishment.
The first is divided into two parts.
In the first, he predicts the captivity, in a prophetic manner;
in the second, he relates it in a historical mode: Zedekiah was one and twenty years old when he began to reign (Jer 52:1).
The first is divided into two parts.
In the first, he prophesies to the people of the Jews;
in the second, to the various peoples of the nations, because he was also established as a prophet for them, as is shown from the preceding section and from what is said in chapter 46: the word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah the prophet against the Gentiles (Jer 46:1).
The first is divided into two parts.
In the first, a prophecy is given to the people who are to be taken captive before the captivity;
in the second, to the rest of the exiles after the captivity: in the ninth year of Zedekiah king of Judah (Jer 39:1).
The first is divided into two parts.
In the first, the preaching of Jeremiah is given;
in the second, the objection of his listeners: the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord (Jer 34:1).
The first is divided into two parts.
In the first, he speaks of a threat;
in the second, of a consolation: this is the word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying (Jer 30:1).
The first is divided into two.
In the first, he speaks of a true threat;
in the second, he excludes any false consolation: in the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim, the son of Josiah, king of Judah (Jer 27:1).
The first is divided into two.
In the first, he mentions the threat against the people as a whole;
in the second, against the elders specifically: and Pashhur, the son of Emmer, the priest, who was appointed chief in the house of the Lord, heard Jeremiah prophesying these words (Jer 20:1).
The first is divided into two.
In the first, he makes a threat;
in the second, the prophet, as though feeling compassion, inserts his prayer: the word of the Lord which came to Jeremiah, concerning the words of the drought (Jer 14:1).
The first is divided into two parts.
In the first, he convicts them of their guilt through judgment;
in the second, he calls them back to repentance: it is said commonly (Jer 3:1).
The first is divided into two parts.
In the first, he gives the reason for such great respect, in that he does not immediately bring vengeance upon their guilt, but contends with them in judgment, that he may call them back;
in the second, he follows the order of judgment when he says, hear the word of the Lord, O house of Jacob (Jer 2:4).
Regarding the first, there are two points.
First, he deduces the reason from God’s compassion: cry, that is, openly proclaim, in the ears of Jerusalem, that is, to her inhabitants.
He also mentions the three things which move God to compassion.
First is the purity of their age: on your youth, in which spouses love each other more vehemently, when you followed, as they were coming out of Egypt. And he will sing there as in the days of your youth, and as in the days when you came up out of the land of Egypt (Hos 2:15).
Second, he recalls the memory of his original love: and the love, namely, that by which I have betrothed you to myself in giving the Law. As it says below: with an everlasting love have I loved you; therefore have I drawn you with mercy (Jer 31:3).
Third, the obedience of their work: when you followed me in the desert, in a land which was not sown, which cannot be sown. For this reason, you did not draw back even though the way was difficult, although some grumblers did say: you have led us into this terrible place, which cannot be sown (Num 20:5).
Second, he cites the reason as coming from the dignity of the people.
First, he places the dignity of the people: holy, as though it was dedicated to the worship of the Lord, and consecrated to the Lord. The first of his fruits, because the Lord has chosen you from all peoples, as the first fruits. The Lord’s portion is his people; Jacob is the rope of his inheritance (Deut 32:9). As the first fruits of a fig tree in its upper branches, I saw their fathers (Hos 9:10).
Second, he excludes the threat of the enemy: all who swallow him up, in accordance with the law found in Leviticus 7, that it was only permitted for the priests to eat the first fruits. Who devour my people as a morsel of bread (Ps 13:4).
Lecture 2
The sins of the fathers
2:4 Hear the word of the Lord, O house of Jacob, and all the families of the house of Israel.2:5 Thus says the Lord: what iniquity did your fathers find in me? For they have departed from me, and walked after vanity, and have become empty.
2:6 And they did not say: where is the Lord, who made us to go up from the land of Egypt, who led us through the desert, and through an uninhabitable and trackless land, through a land of thirst, and the image of death, through a land in which no man has walked, and no man dwelt?
2:7 And I brought you into the land of Carmel, that you should eat its fruit and the good things thereof; and when you entered you polluted my land, and turned my inheritance into an abomination.
2:8 My priests have not said: where is the Lord? And those who hold the law do not know me, and the shepherds have rebelled against me, and the prophets have prophesied by Baal, and followed idols.
7. Here he follows the order of judgment:
and he speaks first of the accusation;
second, he refutes their excuse, at but I have planted you as my chosen vine, every seed true (Jer 2:21).
The first point is divided into three.
First, he heaps up their offences as stemming from ingratitude for all the good they have received;
second, from the enormity of their misdeed, where he says, therefore, I shall still contend with you in judgment (Jer 2:9);
third, from the stubbornness of their minds, when he says, is Israel not my servant, or my home-born slave? (Jer 2:14).
Concerning the first, there are three points.
First, God absolves himself of guilt, lest the cause of their ingratitude should seem to lie with him: what iniquity did your fathers find in me? Certainly nothing bad. They have departed—they have abandoned him for a long time; vanity—idols, which are of no benefit to those who worship them. O my people, what have I done to you, how have I been troublesome to you, answer me (Mic 6:3).
Second, he mentions the abundance of his kind deeds, touching especially on the exodus from Egypt. He treats of this kindness in three ways.
With regard to the place from which he led them: and they did not say: where is the Lord? They sought me with their whole heart. To go up, because of the site of the land. As it says below, I led them from the land of Egypt (Jer 11:4).
With regard to the way by which he led them: who led us through the desert . . . the image of death, because death was threatened by the very sight of it: and he was your leader in the great and terrible wilderness (Deut 8:15).
With regard to the land into which he led them: and I brought you into the land of Carmel, because it symbolizes fertility, not because that mountain is in the land of promise. The land around which we have gone is very good (Num 14:7).
Third, he mentions the fault of ingratitude.
First, how it extends to everyone commonly: and when you entered you polluted with idols. The land is stained with blood, and polluted by their deeds (Ps 105:39).
Second, how it pertains to their prelates particularly. Priests, whose responsibility it is to lead others to God; those who hold the law: expert teachers; shepherds: princes, whose office it is to call the people back from idolatry. The shepherds themselves have not known understanding (Isa 56:11).
Lecture 3
Infidelity and idolatry
2:9 Therefore, I shall still contend with you in judgment, says the Lord, and with your sons I will debate.2:10 Cross over to the isles of the Cethim and see; and send to Cedar and consider diligently; and see if there is a deed of this kind:
2:11 if a nation has changed its gods. Certainly they are no gods. But my people have changed their glory into an idol.
2:12 Be astonished, O heavens, at this; and its gates be dismayed greatly, says the Lord.
2:13 For two evils has my people done: they have abandoned me, the source of living water, and they have dug for them cisterns, even broken cisterns, which are not able to hold water.
8. Here, he magnifies their guilt by noting the enormity of their misdeed.
First, he sets forth what he intends, namely, judgment: I shall still contend, concerning the enormity, as for ingratitude; with your sons, who imitate the wickedness of their fathers. The Lord will determine judgment with his people, and with Israel (Mic 6:2).
The argument follows second, when, through judgment, he shows the enormity of their sin:
first, from a comparison of religion: cross over, by consideration, to the isles of the Cethim—westerners beyond Cyprus; or a city named Cedar, where the Ishmaelites dwelt.
If a nation has changed—it is as though he were saying, “They have not changed.” From this it is certain that they are condemned by comparison with others. She has scorned my judgments, that she may be more wicked than the nations, and my precepts more than any land round about her (Ezek 5:6).
Second, when he turns from a comparison of gods and breaks forth in amazement: be astonished—it is as though he were saying, “If it were possible, the heavens would be astonished”—or the angels, who live in the heavens as the city of their king. And its gates—the chief among the angels, who act as princes and judges of the others. As in Isaiah 1:2, hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth, for the Lord has spoken.
Next he gives the reason for his amazement. For two—against two parts of the commandment. I am the Lord your God, who brought you forth from the land of Egypt. You shall have no other gods before me. And again: you shall not make to yourselves gods of silver or gods of gold (Exod 20:3). The source of living water, who am able to give them true consolation. With you is the source of life (Ps 35:10). Cisterns—idols, which are not able to save—they have dug, because they themselves have made them. The idols of the nations are silver and gold—the works of men’s hands (Ps 113:4).
Lecture 4
Israel’s exile is due to guilt
2:14 Is Israel not my servant, or my home-born slave? Why, therefore, have you become prey?2:15 The lions have roared over him, and sent forth their voice: they have made his land a desolation. His cities are burned, and there is none who may live in them.
2:16 The sons of Memphis and Taphnis have ravished you to the top of your head.
2:17 Was this not done to you because you abandoned the Lord your God when he led you along the way?
2:18 And now what do you wish for yourself in the way of Egypt, that you may drink muddy water? And what do you wish for yourself in the way of the Assyrians, that you may drink the water of the river?
2:19 Your wickedness will reprove you, and your turning aside will chastise you. Know and see that it is an evil and bitter thing to have left the Lord your God, and that there is no fear of him within you, says the Lord God of hosts.
9. Here, he magnifies their guilt by noting the stubbornness of their minds.
First, because they do not recognize their sin;
and second, because they add to it. As it says, from of old you have broken my yoke (Jer 2:20).
Concerning the first, there are three points.
First, he deduces the proof of their guilt from their punishments, excluding their servile condition, lest because of this they should seem to have been justly led into slavery. My home-born slave, that is, a slave born in the house of his master; it is as though he were saying, “She is not one.” We are of the seed of Abraham and we have never served anyone (John 8:33). Speaking of the variety of punishments with regard to the exile of people, why therefore have you become prey?
The lions, the princes of the Chaldeans; their voice, commands or war. With regard to the devastation of the country: they have made. Your land is desolate, your cities have been pulled down (Isa 1:7).
With regard to the rape of the women: the sons of Memphis and Taphnis, the cities of Egypt; to the top of your head—abusing her against nature and sparing no limb of her body. Or spiritually, contaminating even the strong through idolatry. They have humbled the women in Zion, and the virgins in the cities of Judah (Lam 5:11).
Then concluding with the true reason: was this not done to you because you abandoned the Lord your God? He led you, prosperously. For he did not abandon you, but you him. Because we have turned away from you, and we have not listened to the voice of the Lord our God to walk in his Law which he gave us through his servants the prophets . . . a curse has fallen upon us (Dan 9:10).
Second, he discusses the useless remedy which they had employed against punishments of this kind. From which it is clear that they did not recognize their sin, but instead hoped in the help of the nations. For this reason, he asks about the remedy: and now what do you wish for yourself? It is as though he were saying, “You should not avoid the punishments in this way, but by pleasing God,” in the way of Egypt, when he mentions the water of the Nile as a remedy, of the river, Euphrates, which belongs to the Assyrians. You who walk that you may go down to Egypt, yet have not asked at my mouth (Isa 30:2).
Their wickedness will reprove them for not having recognized their guilt, when they suffer punishment for it. The expression of their face will give judgment against them, for they have proclaimed their sin like Sodom (Isa 3:9).
Third, he offers useful advice to bring them to recognize their guilt: know . . . an evil—that it is disgraceful, bitter, and painful. The sound of the day of the Lord is bitter, then shall the strong man be troubled (Zeph 1:14).
Lecture 5
Obstinance in idolatry
2:20 From of old you have broken my yoke, you have burst my chains asunder, and you have said, ‘I will not serve.’ On every high hill, and under every leafy tree you have lain as a harlot.10. Here, he shows that sin is multiplied by an obstinate mind:
first, with regard to duration: from of old; it is as though he were saying, “From the moment the Law was given.” I have called you a sinner from the womb (Isa 48:8). What need is there that we serve him, and what will it benefit us if we pray to him? (Job 21:15).
Second, with regard to the number of their misdeeds, on every high hill—on high and beautiful places they would sacrifice to their idols. They have sacrificed upon the mountains, and upon the hills they have reproached me (Isa 65:7). High and beautiful places are always dedicated to idols.
Lecture 6
Removal of excuses
2:21 But I have planted you as my chosen vine, every seed true: how, then, have you become for me a perversion, a foreign vine?2:22 If you were to wash yourself with natron, and multiplied the herb berith unto yourself, still you would be stained with your iniquity before me, says the Lord.
2:23 How do you say, ‘I am not polluted; I have not walked after the Baalim’? Consider the roads in the valley and know what you have done; you are as a light runner running his paths.
2:24 As a wild ass accustomed to the wilderness, in his desire he has snuffed up the air of his love. None shall turn her. All who seek her shall not fail; in her menstruations shall they find her.
2:25 Keep back your foot from nakedness, and your throat from thirst. And you have said, ‘I have despaired, I have done wickedly; I have indeed loved others greatly, and walked after them.’
2:26 As the thief is confounded when he is caught, so are they of the house of Israel confounded, they and their kings, their princes and priests, and their prophets.
2:27 Saying to the wood, ‘You are my father,’ and to the stone, ‘You have begotten me.’ They have turned to me their back and not their face, and in the time of their affliction they will say, ‘Arise, and free us.’
2:28 Where are the gods which made you? Let them arise and free you in the time of your affliction: according to the number of your cities were your gods, O Judah.
11. Here, he removes their excuses.
First, they might raise the neglect of the husbandman. Against this he says, I have planted you as my chosen vine from elect ancestors. A vineyard was made for my beloved, on a hill fertile with oil (Isa 5:1).
Second, they might deny their guilt, at if you were to wash (Jer 2:22).
First, he convicts them of their guilt against God;
and second, of their offense against their neighbor, when he says, why do you strive to show your way good? (Jer 2:33).
Concerning the first, there are two points.
First, he convicts them of guilt when he shows them the impossibility of denying it. With natron, which is hardened by the heat of the sun, like salt, it washes what is dirty; berith, which is used for washing filth; it is an expression, as if he were saying, “All the water of a river would not make you clean,” that is, no excuse, or purgation of guilt is possible for you. A generation which seems clean to itself, yet is not washed from its filthiness (Prov 30:12).
How do you say, ‘I am not polluted’? Who is able to say that my heart is clean, I am pure from sin? (Prov 20:9).
And he considers the excuse of their guilt by setting forward two circumstances.
First, the place: consider the roads, that is, the works, in the valley, of the sons of Hinnom, where they worshiped idols. This place is watered by the springs of Siloam, and there was also a temple of Baal there, according to the Gloss. Below: direct your heart to the straight way upon which you have walked (Jer 31:21).
He also sets forth the manner of the sin.
With regard to their eagerness to sin: a light runner, as though equipped for sinning. Their feet run to evil, and make haste to shed blood (Prov 1:16).
With regard to the fervor of their lust: as a wild ass . . . in his desire—for coitus—he has snuffed the air, by which he perceives the smell of his female—of his love—of the thing loved. As it says below: the wild asses stood upon the rocks; they snuffed up the wind like dragons (Jer 14:6).
With regard to their strong attachment, none shall turn, by moving away.
And with regard to their readiness to sin: all who seek her; it is as though he were speaking of a harlot, who even in the time of her menstruations shows herself to her lovers. You have spread your legs to everyone that passed by, and you have multiplied all your fornications (Ezek 16:25).
Second, he convicts them of their hardness of mind:
first, because they are not recalled by admonitions;
second, because they are not corrected by afflictions, as it says, why do you wish to contend with me in judgment? (Jer 2:29);
third, because they are not turned by kind deeds, where it says, see the word of the Lord (Jer 2:31).
Concerning the first, there are three points.
First, he gives the admonition: keep back; it is as though he were saying, “Cease from the sins for which you will be led barefoot and thirsting into captivity.” As it says in Isaiah: as my servant Isaiah has walked naked and without shoes, so the king of Assyria will threaten the captivity of Egypt, and the exile of Ethiopia, the young men and the old, naked and barefoot, with uncovered buttocks to the shame of Egypt (Isa 20:3).
Second, he shows the rebellion of the people: and you have said, ‘I have despaired, I have done wickedly.’ Others, idols. Below: we have no hope, we shall go after our own thoughts, and each one of us will do according to the perversity of his own wicked heart (Jer 18:12).
Third, he threatens them with shame.
First, he sets forth an example of shame. As the thief is confounded when he is caught, so are they of the house of Israel confounded, caught in punishments.
Saying to the wood—to a wooden idol—‘You are my father’—my god. Let all those who worship graven images be ashamed, who glory in their idols (Ps 96:7). Let them be confounded by their idols (Isa 1:29).
Second, he lays out the order in which their shame will come.
And he discusses, first, the loss of divine assistance: they have turned, as though disobedient. They have turned their back and gone away, they have made their ears heavy lest they hear the Law (Zech 7:11). In the time of their affliction. In their tribulation they shall rise early to me. Come let us return to the Lord. (Hos 6:1).
Second, he discusses the uselessness of their idolatry. Where are the gods? Where are their gods, in which they had placed their confidence? (Deut 32:37).
Third, the multitude of their idols: according to the number of your cities were your gods, O Judah. The land is filled with horses, and his innumerable chariots of war (Isa 2:8).
Lecture 7
Vain correction
2:29 Why do you wish to contend with me in judgment? You have all left me, says the Lord.2:30 In vain have I struck your children; they have not received correction. Your sword has swallowed up your prophets; like a wasting lion is your generation.
12. Here, he shows their stubbornness, insofar as they are not corrected by chastisements.
First, he is astonished at their excuse: why do you wish to contend with me in judgment? If one would wish to contend with him, he would not be able to answer him one time in a thousand (Job 9:3).
Second, he shows how insensible they are of lesser afflictions: in vain have I struck your children, and your elders. Your sword has swallowed up: by this he means the enemy, which they have justly deserved, who has been sent to destroy them. Your prophets, that is, the false prophets of Baal, and the soothsayers. And speaking of them all as a group he says: like a wasting lion, he lays waste; or like a wasting lion, he is destroyed, for all rise up to kill a lion, or a wolf. As it says below: in vain has the founder melted, for their wickedness is not consumed. Reprobate silver you shall call them, because the Lord has cast them off (Jer 6:29–30).
Lecture 8
Refusal of kindnesses
2:31 See the word of the Lord: have I become a wilderness to Israel, or a barren land? Why, therefore, has my people said, ‘We have withdrawn; we will come no more to you’?2:32 Can a virgin forget her ornament, or a bride the fillet about her breast? But my people have forgotten me days without number.
13. Here, he shows their hardness from the fact that they are not turned by kindness.
First, he puts forward those kindnesses which pertain to the carrying on of life: see, that is, understand, have I become a wilderness to Israel? Indeed, I am like a city and a fruitful land for you, in that I defend you and give increase to the land: he will come to us as the early and the latter rains (Hos 6:3).
Second, he speaks of those things which pertain to apparel: can a virgin forget her ornament? He has girded me about with the robe of justice (Isa 56:10).
Lecture 9
Murder of the poor
2:33 Why do you strive to show your way good to find love? Moreover you have taught malice to be your ways.2:34 And on your wings is the blood of the souls of the poor and the innocent found? I have not found them in ditches, but in every place which I mentioned above.
2:35 And you said, ‘I am without sin and innocent, and so let your wrath be turned away from me.’ Behold, I will contend with you in judgment, because you said, ‘I have not sinned.’
2:36a How exceedingly vile have you become, going the same ways over again!
14. Here, he accuses them of crimes against their neighbors.
First, he proves their guilt;
second, he threatens the punishment of confusion where he says, and you shall be confounded by Egypt (Jer 2:36b).
Concerning the first, there are three points.
First, he brings up the murder of their neighbors, and marvels at their excuse: to find love, as though through these things you could appease me. He then speaks of spiritual murder: moreover you have taught, by evil example. As it says below: you have taught them against yourself, and instructed them against your own head (Jer 13:21).
He also speaks of physical murder: on your wings, as in bird wings—he is using the metaphor of a bird of prey. The poor, whom you have sacrificed to idols. I looked and behold, two women coming forth, and the wind was in their wings, and they had wings like the wings of a kite (Zech 5:9).
Second, the manifestation of their guilt: I have not found them in ditches, as though secretly murdered by thieves, but in every hill and pleasant place. Truth has fallen in the street, and righteousness cannot enter. Truth has been forgotten, and he who withdraws from evil is laid open as prey (Isa 59:14).
And he marvels at their excuse: and you said. And you said my speech is pure, I am clean in your sight (Job 11:4).
Third, he repeats their guilt, this time passing over his surprise at their excuse: behold, I.
How exceeding vile have you become, going the same ways over again, that is, returning to their sins. See, O Lord, and consider, for I am become vile (Lam 1:11).
Lecture 10
Confounded by Egypt
2:36b And you shall be confounded by Egypt, as you were confounded by Assyria.2:37 For you will go forth from her, and your hands shall be upon your head, because the Lord has destroyed your confidence, and you shall have no prosperity in it.
15. Here, he threatens them with the punishment of humiliation: and you shall be confounded by Egypt, on whose help you hoped, by Assyria, because you sought the help of Egypt against the ten tribes, and the Assyrians.
Your hands shall be upon your head, as a sign of grief. The strength of pharaoh shall be shame to you, and your trust in the shadow of Egypt, disgrace (Isa 30:3).
Collations
Note that here sin is called vanity (Jer 2:5), because it chooses what is only imaginary. Blessed is the man whose hope is in the name of the Lord, who does not consider vanities and false hopes (Ps 30:5). Because it considers permanent what is only transitory. Their days have departed in vanity, and their years with haste (Ps 78:33). Because it is deceitful in its expectation. Vain hope and a lie belong to a senseless man, and dreams lift up fools (Sir 34:1). Because its results bear no fruit. In vain have I labored, I have spent my strength without cause, and in vain (Isa 49:4).
One must also note that sacramental purity is a source of water (Jer 2:13): after these waters shall have come there, everything shall be healed and live, wherever the torrent comes (Ezek 47:9). The waters of restored doctrine: let all who thirst come to the waters, and those without money, make haste, buy and eat (Isa 55:1). The waters of restoring grace: it will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life (John 4:14). The waters of resplendent glory: he showed me a river of living water, shining like crystal, coming forth from the throne of God and of the Lamb (Rev 22:1).
Chapter 3
Israel and Judah as adulteresses
Lecture 1
Mercy upon the adulteress
3:1 It is said commonly, if a man shall send his wife away, and she, departing from him, marry another man, can he return to her again? Will not that woman be unclean and defiled? Though you have fornicated with your many lovers, still, return to me, says the Lord, and I will take you.3:2 Lift up your eyes on high, and see where you have not lain. You would sit by the roads waiting them as a thief in the desert; you have defiled the land with your fornications, and your iniquities.
3:3 Therefore, the drops of the rains were held back, and the latter rain was not given. You have had the forehead of a harlot, you would not blush.
3:4 Therefore, at least from this time forward cry unto me, ‘You are my Father, the guide of my youth.
3:5a Will you be angry forever, or will you continue to the end?’
16. Here, he calls them to repentance.
First, he speaks of the invitation to return.
Second, he speaks of the stubbornness of those who are called back: and you shall say to them (Jer 8:4).
The first is divided into two.
In the first, he speaks of the admonitions to return;
and in the second, the reasons for the same: if you return, O Israel, says the Lord, to turn back to me (Jer 4:1).
The first point is divided into two.
In the first, he calls the people back;
in the second, he mentions the fruit of their repudiation, when he says: but as a woman that despises her lover (Jer 3:20).
The first point is divided into two.
In the first, he calls them back from the crime of adultery;
in the second, from its punishment, where he says: go and shout these words against the north wind (Jer 3:12).
The first part is divided into two.
In the first, he calls them back with admonitions;
in the second, by examples, at and the Lord said to me in the days of Josiah the king (Jer 3:6a).
Concerning the first, he does two things.
First, he calls them back by reason of the mercy of God, which he proves by citing the common proverb: if a man shall send his wife away, which comes from Deuteronomy 24:1: if a man shall send his wife away. He speaks according to the permission given regarding the bill of divorce because of the hardness of their heart (Matt 19:8); he was forbidding a return either so that they would not be readily prone to divorce, or lest they kill her after having taken her back with deceit. From this proverb he draws the proof of divine clemency: you have fornicated with your many lovers, the idols. Let him return to the Lord and he will have mercy on him, and to our God, because he will abundantly pardon (Isa 55:7).
Second, he calls them back from their guilt.
First, by exposing their guilt, and indicating the place where it occurred: lift up your eyes on high, that is, with right consideration, or alternatively, “everywhere”; where have you not, as though everywhere, lain, like a harlot, for idolatry. You have made a brothel in every street (Ezek 16:24). And the desire for sinning: you would sit by the roads, like a harlot waiting for her lovers, and as a thief waiting for those whom he might despoil. And behold, there met him a woman with the attire of a harlot, prepared to deceive souls (Prov 7:10). Gilead is a city of those who make idols, supplanted with blood, and like the jaws of highway robbers (Hos 6:8). He indicates the effect of their sin: you have defiled the land. As we saw above, you polluted my land, and turned my inheritance into an abomination (Jer 2:7).
Then, he establishes the punishment for the sin: therefore, the drops of the rains were held back, by whose power the rain and the storm are generated—I shall command the clouds that they rain not showers upon my vine (Isa 5:6). And he shows the shamelessness of those who sinned, the forehead of a harlot. As it says below, nay; rather, they were not ashamed of shame (Jer 6:15).
Second, he urges them to repentance.
First, he encourages them to recognize the benefits: therefore. It is as though he were saying, “The past suffices, and so on.” You are my Father, through creation, the guide of my youth. It is as though he were saying, “When you led me through the desert, I was yet a virgin.” Who forsook the guide of her youth (Prov 2:17). The Spirit of the Lord was her guide (Isa 63:14).
Second, he urges them to seek mercy, and says: will you be angry forever, or will you continue to the end? Will you be angry with us forever, or extend your anger from generation to generation? (Ps 84:6).
Lecture 2
Israel’s contempt
3:5b Behold you have spoken, and you have done wickedness, and you were able.3:6a The Lord said to me in the days of Josiah the king: have you not seen what rebellious Israel has done?
17. Here, he shows their contempt with regard to the sins of the mouth: behold you have spoken, which refers to prideful words, etc. With regard to sins of commission: and you have done, which corresponds to the phrase, you have satisfied wickedness, with regard to the sin of the heart; and you were able—to which he adds, and you have displayed, as though you reveled in your power to sin. Now the phrase, and for your words, is not in the Hebrew, or in ancient books, but appears to be a clarification of Jerome. God gave him a space to repent, but he abused it in his pride (Job 24:23). Woe to you who are mighty to drink wine, and strong men to mix drunkenness (Isa 5:22).
Lecture 3
Judah and Israel’s adultery
3:6b She has gone away upon every high mountain, and under every green tree, and fornicated there.3:7 And I said when she had done all these things, ‘Return to me,’ but she did not return. And Judah her treacherous sister saw,
3:8 that because rebellious Israel had committed adultery, I sent her away, and gave her a bill of divorce. Yet treacherous Judah her sister did not fear, but strayed and even fornicated herself.
3:9 With the heedlessness of her fornication she polluted the earth, and committed adultery with stone and wood:
3:10 In all these things, her treacherous sister Judah did not return to me with her whole heart, but with a lie, says the Lord.
3:11 And the Lord said to me, rebellious Israel has justified her soul, by comparing herself to treacherous Judah.
18. Here, he calls them back by the example of the ten tribes: and concerning this he makes three points.
First, he gives an example of the crime of idolatry—she has gone away, following her own inclinations, and not my commands;
and he speaks of her disobedience: and I said. They have made for themselves statues, and groves on every high hill, and under every leafy tree, and there they burned incense upon their altars after the manner of the nations (2 Kgs 17:10). And as for the punishment which he made known to them: her treacherous sister saw, because they arose from the same ancestors.
I gave her a bill of divorce: she maintains the likeness of a harlot, in whom filthiness is found.
Yet, on the contrary, what is this bill of divorce? (Isa 50:1).
It must be said that God, insofar as it pertains to him, divorces no one, but that it is sinful man who divorces himself from God. For this reason, it says in the same place: you have been sold for your iniquities, and for your wickedness have I divorced your mother.
Second, he exposes their contempt: yet treacherous Judah her sister did not fear.
With stone, that is, with an idol made of stone. But neither did Judah himself keep the commandments of the Lord his God, but erred and strayed in the errors which Israel had done (2 Kgs 17:19).
Third, he exacerbates their guilt: and the Lord said to me, rebellious Israel has justified, comparatively, because the ten tribes had not seen the punishment of other peoples, and they were not corrected. You have justified your sisters in all your abominations, which you have done (Ezek 16:51).
Lecture 4
Call to return
3:12 Go and shout these words against the north wind, and say: return rebellious Israel, says the Lord, and I will not turn my face away from you, because I am holy, says the Lord, and I will not be angry forever.3:13 But recognize your iniquity, that you have rebelled against the Lord your God, and scattered your ways to strangers under every green tree, and have not listened to my voice, says the Lord.
3:14a Turn back, returning children, says the Lord, because I am your husband.
19. Here, he calls them back from the punishment of captivity.
First, he calls them back.
Second, he shows them the cause of their being called back, at but I said (Jer 3:19).
Concerning the first, there are two points.
First, he speaks of their being called back;
and second, the response of those who were called back: and I will take you, one from a city and two from a family, and I will lead you into Zion (Jer 3:14b).
Concerning the first, there are two points.
First, he calls them back from the ten tribes when he calls them to return, against the north wind, where they are held captive in the land of the Assyrians. He will not always be angry, nor threaten forever (Ps 102:9).
And regarding the recognition of their sins, but recognize. You have . . . scattered your ways to strangers, as though to many idols. As we saw above, consider the roads in the valley and know what you have done (Jer 2:23).
Second, speaking of those from the two tribes, turn back, by repentance, returning, to me. Or, returning, from captivity. And it shall be on that day, says the Lord, that she will call me, ‘My husband,’ and will no more call upon the Baalim (Hos 2:16).
Lecture 5
Promise of shepherds
3:14b And I will take you, one from a city and two from a family, and I will lead you into Zion.3:15 And I will give you shepherds after my own heart, and they will feed you with knowledge and understanding.
3:16 And when you have multiplied, and grown numerous in the land in those days, says the Lord, they shall not say anymore, the ark of the covenant of the Lord, neither shall it come into their heart, neither shall there be remembrance of it, neither shall it be visited, or be anymore.
3:17 In that time they will call Jerusalem the throne of the Lord; and all nations shall be gathered together in her in the name of the Lord in Jerusalem, and they will not walk after the depravity of their own wicked hearts.
3:18 In those days the house of Judah shall go forth to the house of Israel, and together they shall come from the land of the north to the land which I gave to your fathers.
20. Here, he takes up the response of those who have been called back:
first, those of the two tribes, promising them the restitution of their native land: one from a city, because they were scattered, or because not all have come back. Indeed, I will take you from the nations, and I will gather you from every land, and I will lead you to your own land (Ezek 36:24).
And the restoration of justice by the correction of their rulers: and I will give you shepherds after my own heart, and they will feed you with knowledge, regarding faith, and understanding, regarding morals. I will restore your judges as they were before, and your counsellors as they were of old (Isa 1:26).
Third, with regard to the increase of glory, which he signifies by the forgetting of what has come before: when you have multiplied . . . they shall not say anymore, the ark of the covenant of the Lord—as though they will account what they now glory in as nothing, because the ark had been hidden and not found, as it says in 2 Maccabees 1.
And from the promise of future things: in that time they will call Jerusalem, whole, because it has been completed by the reputation for sanctity in which it was held, as it says in 1 Maccabees 3. The place of my throne, and the place of the prints of my feet, where I dwell in the midst of the children of Israel forever (Ezek 43:7).
And with regard to the increase of worship: and all nations shall be gathered together, some will come from all peoples, for they shall come to pray in Jerusalem. Or it may be understood to speak of the conversion of the nations to the faith of Christ. All the nations, which you have made, will come and worship before you, O Lord (Ps 85:9).
Second, he discusses the conversion of the ten tribes: in those days the house of Judah shall go forth to the house of Israel, because those who returned were joined to the two tribes. This is alluded to by the fact that it is said: together they shall come. As it is said below: in those days, and at that time, says the Lord, the children of Israel shall come, they and the children of Judah together, walking and weeping they shall make haste, and shall seek the Lord their God (Jer 50:4). Some, however, interpret all this to refer to the last times.
Lecture 6
Reason for mercy
3:19 But I said: how shall I set you among the sons, and give you a desirable land, an excellent inheritance from among the hosts of the nations? And I said: you will call me ‘Father,’ and you will not cease to walk after me.21. Here, he gives the reason for their being called back.
First, he poses the question: how? That is, how is it possible that I should bestow so many good things upon you, when you languish in so many sins? Among the sons, that is, among a multitude of sons, the hosts of the nations, that is, where, since ancient times, armies have gathered, as they do even to this day, because of its allurements: they set at naught the desirable land (Ps 105:24). The lines have fallen to me in goodly places, for my inheritance is goodly to me (Ps 15:6).
Second, he gives the response: and I said, that is, foreseeing the good which you will do, I promise these things to you. He will call upon me: you are my father, my God and the support of my salvation (Ps 88:27).
Lecture 7
Shame after conversion
3:20 But as a woman that despises her lover, so has the house of Israel despised me, says the Lord.3:21 A voice was heard on the roads, the crying and the wailing of the children of Israel, for they have made their way wicked, and have forgotten the Lord their God.
3:22 Turn back, wayward children, and I will heal your backslidings. Behold, we have come to you, for you are the Lord our God.
3:23 Surely the hills were deceitful, the multitude of the mountains; truly in the Lord our God is the salvation of Israel.
3:24 Shame has devoured the labor of our fathers from our youth, their flocks and their herds, their sons and their daughters.
3:25 We will sleep in our shame, and our disgrace shall cover us, for we have sinned against the Lord our God, we and our fathers, from our youth until this day, and we have not listened to the voice of the Lord our God.
22. Here he discusses the fruit of their return.
First, he speaks of the necessity of their being called back as regards their own guilt—lover, not husband. Go, and love a woman loved by a lover, an adulteress (Hos 3:1).
Regarding the punishment, a voice was heard on the roads. As it says below, a voice was heard on high: lamentation, grief and wailing, Rachel weeping for her children (Jer 31:15).
Second, he discusses the usefulness of conversion: turn back, as it says above, backslidings, the things by which you have been turned away from God. Who heals all your infirmities (Ps 102:3). Turn back to me, and you will be saved (Isa 45:22).
Third, he treats of their return.
First, he acknowledges their obedience: behold, we have come, as you commanded. Come, let us return to the Lord, because he has taken and healed us; he will strike, and will cure us (Hos 6:1).
Second, they confess the magnificence of God, professing his divinity: for you are the Lord our God. This is my God, and I will glorify him (Exod 15:2).
And the falsity of their idols: surely the hills were deceitful, because the idols which we worshiped there did not bring the help for which we hoped, nor did they have the divinity which they pretended. We have set a lie as our hope, and by a lie are we protected (Isa 28:15). And the usefulness of worshiping God: truly in the Lord our God is the salvation of Israel. In God is my salvation, the God of my help, and my hope is in God (Ps 61:7).
Third, they confess their guilt and their punishment, and that of their fathers: shame has devoured the labor of our fathers from our youth. As it says below: O Lord, all who forsake you shall be put to shame; those who depart from you shall be inscribed in the land, for they have abandoned the Lord, the source of living waters (Jer 17:13).
Collations
Note that God is called father (Jer 3:4) from his act of creating: I confess to you Father, Lord of heaven and earth (Matt 11:25). By adoption: you have received the spirit of adoption of the sons of God, in whom we cry, Abba Father (Rom 8:15). By instruction: the father shall make known to his sons your truth (Isa 38:19). By correction: for whom the Lord loves, he chastens, and as a father a son in whom he delights (Prov 3:12).
Note that the inheritance (Jer 3:19) of the heavenly homeland is in the bright splendor of the divine vision: wisdom is bright and never fading, and easily seen by those who love her (Wis 6:12). In the sweetness of divine love: my intoxicating cup—how excellent it is (Ps 23:5). In familiarity with divine address: renown in sharing her words (Wis 8:18). In the magnificence of his work: there are great and wondrous works (Sir 43:27). In the greatness of exultation: the house of Judah and the house of Israel will be for a blessing (Zech 8:13). In the consolation of fellowship: every tree of pleasure which was in the paradise of God (Ezek 31:9).
Chapter 4
The threat of captivity
Lecture 1
Benefits of the return
4:1 If you return, O Israel, says the Lord, to turn back to me, if you remove your offences from before my face, you will not be moved.4:2 And he has sworn: as the Lord lives, in truth, and in judgment, and in justice, and the nations shall bless him, and him shall they praise.
23. Here, he gives the arguments for their return:
first, those drawn from the benefits which are promised to those who return;
and second, from the punishments which are threatened to those who defy him, at thus says the Lord (Jer 4:3).
Concerning the first, there are two points.
First, he shows the manner of return: if you return, from idols, to turn back to me. Or if you set yourself to return, be converted in your whole heart. Or if you return from captivity, come back doing penance. If you seek, seek! Turn back, and come! (Isa 21:12).
Second, he shows the threefold fruit of conversion.
First, security: if you remove your offences, that is, idols, by which you continue to offend and provoke me to wrath, you will not be moved, that is, from your native land. Those who trust in the Lord are like mount Zion; he who dwells in Jerusalem shall not be moved forever (Ps 124:1).
Second, the fruit of holiness within themselves: he has sworn: as the Lord lives, that is, by the living God, and not by dead idols; in truth, truthfully on the part of the one swearing, and not feigned or swearing so as to deceive; in judgment, with regard to the cause for which the oath is taken, so that they might not swear rashly but with prior, due examination; in justice, with regard to the thing about which the oath was taken, that it might be just and licit. He that swears in the earth shall swear by God, amen (Isa 65:16).
Third, the enlargement of religion among the nations: and the nations shall bless, the Lord, seeing his benefits in you. Bless our God, you nations! (Ps 65:8).
Lecture 2
Threats of punishment
4:3 For thus says the Lord to the men of Judah, and Jerusalem: break up your fallow land, and do not sow upon the thorns.4:4 Be circumcised to the Lord and take away the foreskins of your hearts, O men of Judah, and inhabitants of Jerusalem, lest perhaps my indignation should blaze forth like fire, and burn, and there be none to extinguish it, because of the wickedness of your thoughts.
4:5 Announce it in Judah, and make it heard in Jerusalem; speak, and sound a trumpet in the land, cry loudly, and say: ‘Gather together, and let us enter the fortified cities.’
4:6 Raise a sign in Zion, be strengthened, and do not stand, because I am bringing evil from the north, and great destruction.
24. Here, he takes up the topic of their turning from punishment.
First, he threatens punishments if they will not return;
second, he excludes false remedies: go through the streets of Jerusalem (Jer 5:1).
Concerning the first point, there are two things.
First, he shows the manner of return, with regard to the fruit of good work: fallow land, or land newly tilled, break up, that is, take away the thorns of vices, that clean-ploughed land may receive clean seed. Some fell among thorns, and the thorns which sprouting at the same time choked it (Matt 13:7).
And with regard to the practice of the divine religion: be circumcised, that you may remove from your heart the religion of the nations. Circumcise the foreskin of your heart (Deut 10:16).
Second, he shows the impending danger:
first, in general: lest perhaps my indignation should blaze forth like fire. Both will burn together, and there will be none who may extinguish them (Isa 1:31);
second, in particular: announce it in Judah, and make it heard in Jerusalem.
Concerning this, he makes three points.
First, he predicts the arrival of the enemy;
second, the hardship of the siege, at a voice of one announcing (Jer 4:15);
third, the loss of destruction: my stomach, I am in pain (Jer 4:19).
Concerning the first, there are two points.
First, he describes the preparation of the citizens;
second, the arrival of the enemy: the lion has come up from his den (Jer 4:7).
Concerning the first point, there are three things.
First, the command of announcing the preparation is given: announce it. Then, he speaks of the place: in Judah, that is, in that tribe, and in Jerusalem, which is the city of the king. The manner, openly: sound a trumpet that all may hear—and constantly, loudly. Cry, do not stop; lift up your voice in strength (Isa 58:1).
Second, he speaks of the preparation: gather together. As it says below: be strengthened, O sons of Benjamin, in the midst of Jerusalem; and sound the trumpet in Tekoa (Jer 6:1).
Third, he gives the reason: because I am bringing evil from the north. As we saw above: from the north shall spread every evil (Jer 1:14).
Lecture 3
The coming enemy
4:7 The lion has come up from his den, and the robber of the nations has raised himself; he has gone forth from his place that he may make your land a wilderness, and that your cities may be laid waste, and remain without inhabitant.4:8 For this gird yourselves with sackcloth, mourn and wail; because the wrath of the Lord’s fury has not turned back from us.
4:9 And it shall be in that day, says the Lord, the heart of the king shall fail, and the heart of the princes, and the priests shall be astonished, and the prophets shall be dismayed.
4:10 And I said: alas, alas, alas, O Lord God. Why have you deceived this people and Jerusalem, saying, ‘You shall have peace? And behold the sword has come even unto the soul.’
25. Here, he discusses the arrival of the enemy:
first, with regard to their going forth from their own land;
second, with regard to the progress of their route, at at that time (Jer 4:11);
third, with regard to the end of their journey: behold, he shall arise as a cloud (Jer 4:13).
Concerning the first, there are two points.
First, he describes the condition of the approaching enemy with regard to its strength: the lion, that is, Nebuchadnezzar, from his den, from Babylon. The lion is the strongest of beasts; he fears meeting no one (Prov 30:30). As we see below: behold, as a lion ascends from the swelling of the Jordan, against the strong and beautiful (Jer 49:19). With regard to their cruelty: the robber of the nations. The lion takes enough for his cubs, and kills for his lionesses (Nah 2:12). With regard to their intention: that he may make your land a wilderness. His heart will be for destruction, and for the slaying of many nations (Isa 10:7). And with regard to the execution of his intention: your cities. Your land is desolate, your cities have been destroyed (Isa 1:7).
Second, he discusses the astonishment of the Jews:
first, communally as though speaking of all: for this gird yourselves with sackcloth. As it says below: gird on sackcloth, and sprinkle yourself with ashes (Jer 6:26).
Second, he speaks specifically of the princes. And it shall be in that day, says the Lord, the heart of the king shall fail, and the heart of the princes, such that when they gather they will not find a plan of resistance. The heart of Egypt will melt in her midst (Isa 19:1).
Third, he specifically speaks of his own astonishment: and I said: alas . . . saying, ‘You shall have peace.’ As it says above: in that time, they will call Jerusalem the throne of the Lord; and all nations shall be gathered together in her in the name of the Lord in Jerusalem (Jer 3:17). He does not consider that the former was said of what must shortly be, and the latter of what will happen in the distant future. As it says below: we waited for peace, and there was no good; a time of healing, and behold, fear (Jer 8:15).
Lecture 4
The enemy’s march
4:11 At that time, it will be said to this people and to Jerusalem: a burning wind is on the roads, which are in the desert of the way of the daughter of my people, not to winnow, or to cleanse.4:12 A full wind from these will come to me. And now I; but I will speak my judgments with them.
26. Here he describes their arrival with regard to their progress on the route: it will be said, their arrival, a burning wind, that is, the army of the Chaldeans, who will burn the whole land, is already on the roads, which are in the desert, which is between Chaldea and Judaea; it is as though he were saying, “The army has already come to that place,” not to winnow, that is, that some might be taken captive, as when grain is cleansed from the chaff—but all of you will be taken captive.
A full wind, that is, perfect indignation will come upon you, from these, that is, from the enemy, to me, that is, for my honor. His breath is like a torrent flooding to the middle of the neck, to reduce the nations to nothing (Isa 30:28). And through them he threatens that he will execute judgment: and now I—as though I can no longer contain myself—but I will speak my judgments with them. Or: now I, will speak consoling things. As we saw above: I will speak my judgments with them upon all the evil of those who have abandoned me (Jer 1:16).
Lecture 5
The enemy’s arrival
4:13 Behold, he shall arise as a cloud, and mount his chariots as the storm; his horses are swifter than eagles. Woe to us, for we are laid waste.4:14 Wash your heart from wickedness, O Jerusalem, that you may be saved. How long shall thoughts of harm abide with you?
27. Here, he describes their coming with regard to the end of their march; concerning this he makes three points.
First, he describes the condition of the enemy with regard to their multitude: as a cloud, which covers the earth, shall arise, because of the situation of the land. With regard to their violence: as the storm, with much tumult. His wheels are like the fury of a storm (Isa 5:28). And with regard to their swiftness: his horses are swifter than eagles.
Second, he discusses the effect of their arrival—woe to us—from the perspective of the people. As a city which is laid waste (Isa 1:8).
Third, he advises repentance: wash your heart from wickedness. Wash, and be clean; take away from my eyes the evil of your thoughts (Isa 1:16).
Lecture 6
Siege of the city
4:15 A voice of one announcing from Dan, and one making known the idol from Mount Ephraim.4:16 Stir up the people: behold, it has been heard in Jerusalem that watchers are come from a distant land to give out their voice against the cities of Judah.
4:17 They are set around her as the keepers of the fields, because she provoked me to anger, says the Lord.
4:18 Your ways and your thoughts have done these things to you; this is your wickedness, because it is bitter, because it has touched your bone.
28. Here, he predicts the siege:
first, the messenger of the siege. From Dan, whose land the Chaldeans would encounter first on their way to Jerusalem; from mount Ephraim, which they would encounter next; the idol, that is, the enemy whose ravages they suffered because of idolatry. By this is signified the order of the messengers coming one after another.
Then he specifies what has been announced. Stir up the people, that is, the citizens in the midst of Jerusalem, preparing yourselves to resist; or stir up the people round about, that, terrified by your punishment, they may be corrected. Behold, it has been heard, frequently, through many messengers, and first through the prophets; watchers, that is, the enemy coming to lay siege; their voice, the cry of the army. As we saw above: the lions have roared over him, and sent forth their voice (Jer 2:15).
Second, he specifies the manner of the siege: as the keepers, laying siege round about without any resistance. Your enemies shall surround you with a rampart; they shall surround you and restrain you from every side (Luke 19:43).
Third, he speaks of the just reason for the siege: your ways, that is, your actions, touched your bone, have reached all the way to the inner bones. Because of your great wickedness, and your endless iniquities (Job 22:5).
Lecture 7
The land laid waste
4:19 My stomach, my stomach, I am in pain, and the senses of my heart are troubled within me. I will not keep silence, because my soul has heard the voice of the trumpet, the cry of battle.4:20 Destruction upon destruction is called forth, and the whole land is laid waste; my tents are destroyed suddenly and my skins in a moment.
4:21 How long shall I see him fleeing, and hear the voice of the trumpet?
4:22 Because my people are foolish they did not know me. They are stupid and senseless children. They are wise to do evil, but they know not how to do good.
29. Here, he predicts the destruction of the land.
First, he predicts the destruction itself;
second, the effect of the destruction, at I looked upon the land, and behold, it was empty and void (Jer 4:23).
Concerning the first point, there are three things.
First, the prophet shows his compassion: my stomach, I am in pain, with regard to emotional affliction; the senses of my heart, regarding mental anguish. I will not keep silence, even weeping openly. My eyes fail because of my tears, my bowels are troubled (Lam 2:11).
Second, he proceeds with the order of the destruction, when he describes the contest of the battle: because my soul has heard the voice of the trumpet. A day of trumpet and battle cry (Zeph 1:16).
The devastation of the country: destruction upon destruction, because the land was laid waste after the siege, or because one desolation followed upon another. Wound upon wound has fallen upon me, it has rushed upon me as a giant (Job 16:15). The destruction of the city itself with regard to its houses: my tents are destroyed suddenly, by which houses are signified; skins, from which a tent is made. As it says below, my tent is laid waste; all my cords are pulled up (Jer 10:20).
And regarding the flight of the citizens: how long shall I see him fleeing? The army of the Chaldeans. They have gone away without strength, before the face of the pursuer (Lam 1:6).
Third, he gives the reason for the devastation, that is, lack of due knowledge: because my people are foolish, with regard to knowledge of divine matters, and stupid with regard to the experience of their sweetness; senseless, because they have acted without sense with regard to the choice of what is practicable. Therefore, my people are led captive, because they have not knowledge (Isa 5:13). And with regard to their shrewdness to commit fraud: they are wise, against which Romans 16:19 says, I would that you were wise for the good, and simple in wickedness.
Lecture 8
The land’s desolation
4:23 I looked upon the land, and behold, it was empty and void; and upon the heavens and there was no light in them.4:24 I saw the mountains, and behold, they were moved: and all the hills were troubled.
4:25 I looked, and behold there was no man; and every bird of heaven had fled away.
4:26 I looked, and behold, Carmel was deserted, and all its cities were destroyed from before the face of the Lord, and from the face of the wrath of his fury.
4:27 For thus says the Lord: the whole land shall be desolate, but I will not make an end of it.
4:28 The earth shall grieve, and the heavens above shall mourn, because I have spoken. I have purposed it, and it has not repented me, nor have I turned back from it.
30. Here, he shows the effect of the destruction:
first, on the country;
second, on the people, where he says: from the voice of the horseman (Jer 4:29).
Concerning the first point, there are two things.
First, he predicts the coming desolation communally with regard to the fields: empty, of inhabitants, void, deprived of fruits, and buildings, there was no light, as it seemed to the afflicted for whom everything seemed dark. And the land will be left deserted, and the Lord will send everyone far away (Isa 6:11).
With regard to the mountainous regions: I saw the mountains, and behold, they were moved, hyperbolically, because, if it were possible, even the mountains would be moved by so great a time of trouble. Or perhaps by mountains he means those who dwell in the mountains. The mountains are troubled by his strength (Ps 45:4).
With regard to living things: I looked, and behold there was no man; and every bird of heaven had fled away, because they left when the inhabitants of the land left. I came, and there was no man; I called and there was none to hear (Isa 50:2).
And especially with regard to the fertile regions, which are least likely to be empty: I looked, and behold, Carmel was deserted. Your land is deserted, your cities are destroyed (Isa 1:7).
Second, he strengthens them through the judgment of the Lord:
and first, he discusses the admixture of mercy: thus says the Lord . . . I will not make an end, namely, that all should die, as he had said concerning the ten tribes. The Lord of Hosts will make an end and a cutting off in the midst of all the earth (Isa 10:23).
Second, he discusses the absolute dominion of this judgment: the earth shall grieve; it is as though he were saying, “It will be sterile, as one who prospers is said to laugh”; or, as through compassion, hyperbolically. The earth dries up and withers, and is deprived of strength; the world withers, and the haughty people of the earth are made weak (Isa 24:4).
Third, the firmness of the divine judgment: I have purposed it. This is the counsel which I have purposed concerning the whole earth, and these hands are stretched out upon all nations. The Lord of Hosts has decreed it, and who shall be able to make it void? (Isa 14:26).
Lecture 9
Abandonment of cities
4:29 Every city shall flee from the voice of the horseman, and from the one shooting the arrow; they have entered into steep places, and have gone up upon the cliffs; every city has been abandoned, and no man dwells in them.4:30 But you have been laid waste, what will you do? Though you dressed yourself in scarlet, though you were bedecked with ornaments of gold, and painted your eyes with stibium, in vain have you arranged yourself; your lovers have despised you, they will seek your life.
4:31 For I heard the voice as of a woman giving birth, the pains as of a woman in labor; it is the voice of the daughter of Zion among the dying, stretching forth her hands, ‘Woe to me, for my soul fails because of the slain!’
31. Here, he shows the effect of the destruction on the common people of the Jews.
First, he discusses their fear, which he signifies by the desertion of the cities: of the horseman, that is, of the Chaldeans. They fled from the face of the swords, from the face of the sword near at hand, from the face of the drawn bow, from the face of heavy battle (Isa 21:15). And with regard to the inhabitants of the mountains: they have entered into steep places. As it says below: leave the cities and dwell in the rocks, you inhabitants of Moab, and be as the dove which makes her nest in the mouth of the hole in the highest place (Jer 48:28).
Second, he speaks of their vain hope in idols: but you who have been laid waste, what will you do? Though you dressed yourself. As a harlot prepares herself so that she might please her lovers, so they bedecked the altars of their idols that they might please them, with stibium, an unguent of yellow color with which women dye their eyebrows, as it is said: Jezebel painted her eyes with stibium, and bedecked her head (2 Kgs 9:30). A woman ran up to him dressed as a harlot (Prov 7:10). And from their friends, especially the Egyptians, in whom they had trusted. Your lovers have despised you. All her friends have spurned her (Lam 1:2).
Third, he speaks of the pain by comparing it to a woman in labor: the voice as of a woman, who brings forth her firstborn and suffers more grievously; and by comparing it to the death of a son, among the dying. There were pains as of one giving birth (Ps 47:7).
Collations
It should be noted that the concept of circumcision (Jer 4:4) functions on several levels. At times, it means to remove perverse thoughts from the mind: until their uncircumcised mind feels shame (Lev 26:41). Elsewhere, it refers to removing perverse dispositions from the heart: a circumcision of the heart according to the Spirit, not the letter (Rom 2:29). Or it refers to removing improper speech from the lips: their ears are uncircumcised, and they cannot hear (Jer 6:10). When used of the flesh, it means to remove carnal lusts: you shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin, that it may be a sign of the covenant between me, and you (Gen 17:11).
It should also be noted that the heart is washed (Jer 4:14) by the water of baptism: I have washed you with water, and have cleansed your blood from you (Ezek 16:9); by the tears of compunction: every night I shall wash my bed, I shall water my bed with my tears (Ps 6:6); by the wine of divine love: he will wash his robe in wine, and his cloak in the blood of the grape (Gen 49:11); by the milk of the divine word: his eyes are like doves above rivulets of water, washed in milk (Song 5:12); by the burning heat of correction: the Lord shall wipe away the filth of the daughters of Zion, and wash the blood of Jerusalem, in a spirit of judgment and a spirit of burning heat (Isa 4:4); by the blood of the Lord’s passion: they have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the lamb (Rev 7:14).
Chapter 5
The corruption of Israel’s leaders
Lecture 1
Jerusalem without holy men
5:1 Go through the streets of Jerusalem, look and consider, seek in her broad places a man who carries out judgment, who seeks faith, and I will be gracious to her.5:2 Even if they say, ‘As the Lord lives,’ they swear falsely.
5:3 Lord, your eyes behold faith; you have struck them, and they have not been sorry; you have crushed them and they have refused to accept correction; they have hardened their faces above stone, and will not turn back.
32. Here, he excludes the remedies in which they might have been able to trust:
first, the holiness of men;
second, the strength of the royal city, at be strengthened (Jer 6:1);
third, exactness in the worship of God, at the word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying (Jer 7:1).
Concerning the first, there are two points.
First, he shows their wickedness in general;
second, he discusses their vices in particular, at for what shall I be able to be gracious to you? (Jer 5:7).
Concerning the first, there are two points.
First, he shows their guilt;
second, he threatens them with punishment, at therefore, the lion of the forest struck them (Jer 5:6).
Concerning the first, there are two points.
First, he shows the wickedness of the rulers;
second, of their subjects, at but I said (Jer 5:4).
Concerning the first, there are two points.
First, the Lord sets forth the universal wickedness of the people, regarding the depravity of their actions: a man, even one, who carries out judgment, that is, one who deals justly with his neighbor, according to the rule of just judgment; who seeks faith, that is, to act faithfully; and I will be gracious to her, not only on account of ten, as is said to Abraham concerning the inhabitants of Sodom in Genesis 18. But it could have been said, there is none who does good, no not even one (Ps 13:3).
And with regard to the perversity of their actions in these things, if they should somehow appear to be good: even if they say, ‘As the Lord lives,’ they swear falsely: because in their heart they do not worship the Lord, as they pretend with their mouth, or because they literally perjure themselves. As it says above, you shall swear: as the Lord lives, in truth, and in judgment, and in justice (Jer 4:2). This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me (Isa 29:13).
Second, the prophet confirms the judgment of the Lord.
First, he discusses the truth of the sentence: Lord, your eyes behold faith, that is, what is right; it is as though he were saying, “You have judged rightly.” Every way of a man lies open to his eyes, the Lord is a weigher of spirits (Prov 16:2). Your eyes are clean lest they should see evil, and to look upon iniquity you will not be able (Hab 1:13).
Second, he adds the incorrigibility of the people, for they are not corrected even by being struck: you have struck them, with light chastisements, and they have not been sorry, for their sins; you have crushed them, with death and captivity. As it says above, in vain have I struck your children; they have not received correction (Jer 2:30). I have struck you with a burning wind, and I have struck all the works of your hands with mildew and hail; and there was none among you who would turn back to me, says the Lord (Hag 2:18). Nor because of shame: they have hardened; it is as though he were saying, “They are not changed by the feeling of shame.” Indeed, the whole house of Israel has a hard forehead, and a stiff heart (Ezek 3:7).
Lecture 2
Sins of the nobles
5:4 But I said, perhaps they are poor and foolish, ignorant of the way of the Lord, of the judgment of their God.5:5 I will go to the nobles, and I will speak to them, for they have known the way of the Lord, the judgment of their God; and behold, these broke the yoke even more, and sundered the bonds at the same time.
33. Here, he shows the malice of the rulers against the judgment of the prophet.
First, he discusses the ignorance of the people, as though making an excuse for them: perhaps they are poor, those whom I found to be bad in the broad places; ignorant of the way, along which they should walk; judgment, which they should fear. Knowledge is not in everyone (1 Cor 8:7).
Second, he discusses the knowledge of the rulers, which takes away the supposition of guilt: I will go to the nobles, and I will speak to them, for they have known the way, along which they should walk, judgment, by which they should also judge between others. To you, O kings, are these words given, that you may learn wisdom, that you perish not (Wis 6:10).
Third, he speaks of their guilt: and behold, even more, more than the people, because they are more bold and less fearful; at the same time, with the people. The kings of the earth have stood together, and the princes gathered together as one against the Lord (Ps 2:2); the yoke of the law, the bonds of the commandments. Let us burst their bands asunder, and cast their yoke from us (Ps 2:3).
Lecture 3
The lion, wolf, and leopard
5:6 Therefore, the lion of the forest struck them, the wolf at sunset laid them waste, the leopard keeps watch over their cities; any who goes forth from them shall be captured, because they have multiplied their rebellions, and strengthened their backslidings.34. Here, punishment is threatened.
First, he determines the punishment with regard to the killing of men: the lion of the forest, as one who is fierce, that is, Nebuchadnezzar, because of his ferocity—by whom is signified the kingdom of the Chaldeans. With regard to the devastation of the countryside: the wolf at sunset, because of his swiftness, for wolves are faster in the evening, having been emptied of food, and they crave some prey at night. Alternatively, the kingdom of the Persians is signified by the wolf. With regard to the siege of the city: the leopard keeps watch, that is, Nebuchadnezzar, because of his fraudulence, or the kingdom of the Greeks because of the variety of their kings, which had been made subject to him. Concerning the kingdom of the Romans, however, he is silent: because that was still a long way off, or perhaps he refers to it when he says: any who goes forth, that is, escaped from the hands of those who came before, shall be captured. The bear lying in wait has become to me as a lion in hiding (Lam 3:10). Their horses are lighter than leopards, and swifter than a wolf at evening (Hab 1:8).
Second, he resumes the case: they have multiplied, with regard to number; strengthened, with regard to use; their backslidings, from God. Our iniquities have been multiplied before you, and our sins have answered us (Isa 59:12).
Lecture 4
Israel’s sins enumerated
5:7 For what shall I be able to be gracious to you? Your children have abandoned me and have sworn by them which are no gods. I have filled them, and they have been adulterous, they would sport in the house of the harlot.5:8 They have become as amorous horses with women; they have been sent out, each one neighing at the wife of his neighbor.
5:9 Shall I not visit you for these things, says the Lord, and on such a nation shall my soul not be avenged?
5:10 Go upon her walls, and destroy, but do not make an end; take away her shoots, because they are not of the Lord.
5:11 With rebellion the house of Israel and the house of Judah have rebelled against me, says the Lord.
5:12 They have denied the Lord, and said, ‘He is not; neither shall evil come upon us; we shall not see the sword or famine.’
5:13 There were prophets, and they spoke into the wind, and there was no response in them; therefore, these things shall come upon them.
5:14 Thus says the Lord God of hosts: because you have spoken this word, behold I give my words in your mouth as fire, and this people as wood, and it will devour them.
5:15 Behold, I will bring upon them a nation from afar off, O house of Israel, says the Lord. A strong nation, an ancient nation, a nation whose language you do not know, nor do you understand what they say.
5:16 His quiver is like an open sepulcher; they are all of them mighty men.
5:17 And he shall eat your corn, and your bread, and devour your sons and your daughters; he will eat up your flocks, and your herds; he will eat up your vine, and your fig tree: and he will destroy your fenced cities, in which you trust, with the sword.
5:18 Nevertheless, in those days, says the Lord, I will not make an end of you.
5:19 And if you shall say, ‘Why has the Lord God done all this to us?’ You will say to them, ‘As you left me, and served a strange god in your land, even so shall you serve strangers in a land not your own.’
35. Here, he treats of their sins specifically:
first, the sins of the subjects;
second, the sins of the rulers, at wicked men are found in my people, lying in wait (Jer 5:26).
Concerning the first, there are two points.
First, he shows the guilt of the people;
second, the foolishness of those who sin, at tell (Jer 5:20).
Concerning the first point, there are three things.
First, he accuses the people of the crime of idolatry: for what shall I be able to be gracious to you? That is, what reasonable cause will I be able to find for sparing you? Have sworn, offering divine honor to them. They have provoked me with what was not God; and incited me with their vanities; I also will provoke them with what is not a people (Deut 32:21).
Second, he accuses them of the fault of wantonness when he speaks of the commission of sin, or the occasion of sin: I have filled them, by conferring a wealth of temporal goods. From the Gloss: without Ceres and Bacchus, Venus has nothing to do; for the stomach and the genitals are friends. They have been adulterous, committed adultery, in the house of the harlot. The vileness of the sin is increased by the place itself. This was the sin of Sodom, your sister: pride and fullness of bread, abundance and leisure for herself, and for her daughters; and she did not stretch out her hand for the needy; they became haughty, and committed abominations before me, and I took them away as you have seen (Ezek 16:49).
He speaks also of the fervor of their lust: as amorous horses, that is, at the time of their sporting, sent out, because the beasts of burden are specifically sent out to pasture for this purpose. Neighing, as one mad with lust. Do not be as a horse or mule, in whom there is no understanding (Ps 31:9).
He speaks also of the recompense of punishment when he threatens vengeance: shall I not visit you for these things, by correcting their sins with punishments; my soul, the affections. I will visit the men settled in their lees (Zeph 1:12).
And he specifies their punishment with regard to the destruction of the walls: go upon her walls, O Chaldeans; and regarding the destruction of men: take away her shoots, that is, the sons who are propagated from these people, as vines from a slip. Your strong and lofty walls, in which you put your trust, will be torn down throughout all your land (Deut 28:52). Now he takes up the cause of their punishment again: because they are not of the Lord—they have been estranged from him by sin. The prevaricators have prevaricated, and with the prevarication of transgressors they have prevaricated (Isa 24:16).
Third, he accuses them of the sin of blasphemy.
First, he speaks of their guilt with regard to blasphemy against God: they have denied the Lord, denying his providence over lower matters. He, by whose nod all things are made, is not, neither shall evil come upon us, however much we have sinned against him. Who is this who spoke and it came to be, when the Lord has not commanded it? (Lam 3:37). And they said, the Lord has left the earth, and the Lord will not see (Ezek 9:9).
And regarding blasphemy against the prophets: into the wind, that is, in vain. No response, from God. You make fine speeches only to rebuke; you bring forth words to the wind (Job 6:26).
Second, he threatens punishment.
First, he speaks of the punishment for blasphemy against the prophets: therefore, these things, which follow.
As fire, that is, I will give efficacy to your words, that your words themselves may burn like fire. As it says below: are not my words like fire, says the Lord (Jer 23:29).
And as punishment for blasphemy against God, he describes the nature of the enemy, that they are powerful: behold, I will bring upon them a nation from afar off, that is, from Chaldea, a strong nation, with strong men, an ancient nation, because Nimrod the giant, was their leader; for this reason, since ancient times they have been trained in the use of weapons. He also shows them to be a people that cannot be moved by entreaty: a nation whose language you do not know.
And equipped with weapons—his quiver—because from there, they draw arrows quickly, and because there the arrows appear blood-stained, as corpses in the sepulchers. As it says below: behold, a people will come from the north, and a great people, and many kings will arise from the ends of the earth (Jer 50:41).
Now he discusses the infliction of the punishment: and he shall eat. The Lord will bring upon you a people from afar, and from the farthest ends of the earth like an eagle flying as to attack, whose language you cannot understand (Deut 28:49).
Yet, with a mixture of mercy: nevertheless, in those days, says the Lord, I will not make an end of you. As it says above: I will not make an end (Jer 4:27).
Second, he takes up the cause of their punishment: and if you shall say. As it says below: I also shall drive you out from this land to a land which you know not, neither you nor your fathers (Jer 16:13).
Lecture 5
Israel’s foolish disobedience
5:20 Tell this to the house of Jacob, and make it heard in Judah, saying:5:21 Hear, O foolish people, who have no heart; who have eyes, but you do not see, and ears, but you do not hear.
5:22 Therefore, will you not fear me, says the Lord, and will you not be dismayed before my face? I who set the sand as a boundary to the sea, as an eternal ordinance, which it may not overstep; they shall be moved, but shall not prevail; its waves shall surge, but they shall not cross over it.
5:23 But a rebellious, and unbelieving heart has been given to this people; they have turned back, and gone away.
5:24 And they did not say in their heart, ‘Let us fear the Lord our God, who has given us the early, and the latter rain in its season, guarding the fullness of the year’s harvest for us.’
5:25 Your iniquities have turned these away, and your sins have kept good from you.
36. Here, he shows the folly of a sinful people.
First, he sets forth the foolishness itself: hear, O foolish people, who have no heart; who have eyes, externally, but do not see, with the heart. Blind the heart of this people (Isa 6:10).
Second, he proves it:
first, through a comparison with insensible creatures by noting their obedience: therefore, will you not fear me? Sand, the shore; they shall be moved, namely, the waves—that is, however much they are moved. I have set my boundaries about it (Job 38:10).
And the disobedience of the people. But an unbelieving heart has been given to this people. Do not be rebellious as the rebellious house is (Ezek 2:8).
Second, he proves their ingratitude for the kindness they have received, when he speaks of their ingratitude: they have turned back.
The early rain, in the beginning of the growing season after the sowing; the latter rain, at the time of the ripening of the fruits; the Lord, namely, who is guarding.
And the cessation of his kindness: your iniquities. Your sins have made a division between you and your God (Isa 59:2).
Lecture 6
Treachery of the rulers
5:26 For wicked men are found in my people, lying in wait like fowlers, laying gins, and snares to catch men.5:27 As a trap filled with birds, so are their houses filled with treachery. For this reason, they have grown great, and become rich.
5:28 They have thickened, and grown fat; they have transgressed my words most wickedly. The cause of the widow they have not judged, nor pled the cause of the fatherless, and the judgment of the poor they have not judged.
37. Here, he speaks of the guilt of the rulers, which is frequently the cause of the guilt of the subjects; and, therefore, he says: for wicked men are found in my people, lying in wait.
Concerning this, he makes two points.
First, he declares their guilt regarding their violation of justice;
second, regarding their perversity of doctrine, at wondrous and amazing things are done in the land (Jer 5:30).
Concerning the first, there are two points.
First, he shows their injustice with regard to their unjust and fraudulent oppression of the poor when he speaks of their fraud: lying in wait. He lies in wait that he may take the poor (Ps 10:29).
Filled with treachery—riches that they have obtained by guile. And the purpose of guile by the multiplication of their riches: for this reason, they have grown great, in honors, and become rich, in wealth. As it says below: as the partridge has hatched what she did not lay, so he who has gotten riches, and not by judgment (Jer 17:11).
Also, in the multiplication of their sins: they have transgressed. The beloved has grown thick and kicked, thickened and fattened, enlarged (Deut 32:15).
Second, he shows their injustice as it pertains to their lack of just judgment: the cause of the widow. They do not judge for the orphan, and the cause of the widow does not come in before them (Isa 1:23).
Lecture 7
Vengeance upon the nation
5:29 Shall I not visit them for these things, says the Lord, or will not my soul be avenged upon a nation of this sort?38. Here, he threatens punishment. I will render vengeance to my enemies, and I will recompense those who hate me (Deut 32:41).
Lecture 8
Lies of prophets and priests
5:30 Wondrous and amazing things are done in the land:5:31 The prophets prophesy a lie, and the priests clap with their hands, and my people delight in such things. What then shall be done in the end thereof?
39. Here, he declares the perversity of their doctrine.
First, he discusses their astonishing guilt: wondrous, that is, something to be wondered at.
The prophets prophesy a lie, whose duty it was to teach the truth. Her prophets have daubed them without tempering the mortar, seeing false things, divining a lie for them (Ezek 22:28).
The priests clap with their hands, consenting to the lies—they whose duty it was to correct the prophets. As it is written below: the Lord has made you a priest in the place of Jehoiada the priest, that you may be the ruler in the house of the Lord over every madman and prophet, that you may put them in the stocks and in prison. And now, why have you not rebuked Jeremiah the Anatholite, who prophesies unto you? (Jer 29:26–27).
And my people: as the ruler of a city, so the inhabitants thereof (Sir 10:2).
Second, he intimates their astonishing punishment: what then shall be done in the end thereof? Certainly captivity or death. When she has been cast down, he shall judge her measure for measure (Isa 27:8).
Collations
It is to be noted that poverty (Jer 5:4) can be understood in many senses: for example, of earthly possessions. Has not God chosen the poor of this world, rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which God has promised to those that love him? (Jas 2:5). Of humility: blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven (Matt 5:3). Of affliction: I am poor and afflicted; your salvation Lord, has sustained me (Ps 68:30). Of knowledge: you know not that you are poor (Rev 3:17). Of imperfection: I am a man seeing my own poverty in the rod of his indignation (Lam 3:1).
It is also to be noted that visitation (Jer 5:9) has several senses; for example, it is used of consolation. The one rising from on high has visited us (Luke 1:78). Of correction: I will visit your iniquities with the rod (Ps 88:33). Of damnation, as it says below, in the time of their visitation they shall fall down, says the Lord. I shall surely gather them, says the Lord (Jer 8:12–13).
It is also to be noted that the word of God is called fire (Jer 5:14), because it illuminates: your word is a lamp to my feet (Ps 118:105); because it inflames: the word of the Lord has inflamed him (Ps 104:19); because it penetrates the weak, as it says below: and the word of the Lord became like a fire burning in my heart, shut up in my bones (Jer 20:9). The word of God is living, and effective—sharper than any two-edged sword, and penetrating to the division of soul and spirit, of joint also and marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart (Heb 4:12). Because it melts: he will send out his word, and it will melt them; he will blow forth his spirit and the waters will flow (Ps 147:7). Because it consumes the disobedient: his lips are full of indignation, and his tongue is as a devouring fire (Isa 30:27). If I had not come and spoken to them they would have no sin. But now, they have no excuse for their sin (John 15:22).
Chapter 6
Prophecy of Jerusalem’s destruction
Lecture 1
Siege of Jerusalem
6:1 Be strengthened, O sons of Benjamin, in the midst of Jerusalem; and sound the trumpet in Tekoa, and raise the banner over Beth Accarem, because evil has been seen from the north, and great destruction.6:2 I have likened the daughter of Zion to a beautiful and charming woman.
6:3 Shepherds and their flocks shall come to her; they have pitched their tents against her; each one shall pasture those which are under his hand.
40. Here, he excludes the second remedy on which they might have relied, namely the strength of the royal city, whose destruction he prophesies in this chapter; concerning this, he makes two points.
First, he speaks of the preparation of the citizens to resist—be strengthened—to indicate how they would exhort one another while the enemy was approaching. Alternatively, he says it ironically. Sons of Benjamin, because the upper part of Jerusalem was in the lot of that tribe, its lower part in that of Judah. And it goes up through the valley of the sons of Hinnom, from the side of Jebus to the south; this is Jerusalem (Josh 15:8). And sound the trumpet in Tekoa, and raise the banner over Beth Accarem, fortified places near Jerusalem. As it says above, raise a sign in Zion (Jer 4:6).
Second, he speaks of the destruction of the city itself, at I have likened the daughter of Zion to a beautiful and charming woman.
First, he speaks of the nature of the destroying enemy with a number of metaphors;
second, they are described openly and expressly, at thus says the Lord (Jer 6:9).
Concerning the first, there are two points.
First, he describes the siege of the city;
second, the attack, at sanctify a war against her (Jer 6:4).
Concerning the first point, there are three things.
First, he describes the beauty of the city: like a beautiful woman, with regard to the beautiful buildings and the multitude of the inhabitants; and charming, referring to the fertility of the earth. The finest wheat, honey and oil you have eaten, and you have become exceedingly fair (Ezek 16:13).
Second, he describes the siege: shepherds shall come to her, metaphorically, the princes of the Chaldeans, as though drawn by the fertility of the grazing. As it says below: many shepherds have torn down my vineyard, they have trampled my portion (Jer 12:10). They have pitched their tents, for the blockade of the city.
Third, he describes the proper ordering of the army: each one shall pasture, that is, he will govern, those which are under his hand, with power; there were various princes for the various squadrons.
Lecture 2
Attack on Jerusalem
6:4 Sanctify a war against her; arise, and let us go up at midday; woe to us, because the day is far spent, because the shadows are made longer at evening.6:5 Arise, let us go up in the night, and we will destroy her houses.
6:6a For thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘Cut wood, and cast up a mound against Jerusalem.’
41. Here, he speaks of the attack to capture the city; concerning this, he speaks of three things.
First, the command to attack. Sanctify, that is, prepare, or show that the war is sanctioned and just, as though undertaken by the will of God. It is the voice of the princes to the soldiers. If someone does not give them something to eat, they sanctify a battle against him (Mic 3:5).
Second, he speaks of the desire for battle, which is shown by three things. By mutual exhortation. Arise—the words of the soldiers to one another—let us go up, to fight, as though it were set on a mountain; and because they are not deterred by the unsuitability of the time, or by the heat of the day, at midday, or by the terror of the night, in the night, and because they complain about the shortness of time: woe to us, because the day is far spent—which was the appropriate time to wage war. Made longer—the more the sun approaches its zenith, the longer the shadow then becomes on the opposite side. Be strong, it is yet day, to remain in Nobe (Isa 10:32). But according to the Gloss, woe to us is spoken from the person of the people fearful of an ambush at night, because they were barely able to resist at midday.
Third, he shows the manner of attack: for thus says the Lord; it is as though he were saying, “We are able to fight securely, because the Lord has commanded”; cut wood, to make siege engines, cast up a mound, which they had made for the defense of their walls, destroying it, or cast up, in the sense of raising a heap of earth upon which to mount the siege engines against the city. He himself will laugh at all your defenses, and raise a mound, and capture it (Hab 1:10).
Lecture 3
The heart’s coldness
6:6b This is the city of visitation; in her midst is every cunning device.6:7 As a cistern cools her water, even so she makes her wickedness cold. Iniquity and ruin will be heard in her; ever before me is sickness and affliction.
42. Here, he speaks of the cause of the siege by way of the sin which occasioned it; concerning this, he makes three points.
First, he speaks of their universal wickedness: this is the city of visitation, as though worthy of correction; every cunning device, every manner of trickery. Usury and fraud have not failed from her streets (Ps 54:11).
Second, the hardness of their hearts: as a cistern cools her water, and keeps it untouched by the heat. As it says above: they have dug for them broken cisterns, which are not able to hold water (Jer 2:13).
Third, the continuation of their sin. Iniquity: wasting and destruction are in their ways; they have not known the way of peace (Isa 59:7–8). Sickness, as though it were a punishment corresponding to the two aforementioned sins.
Lecture 4
Warnings before destruction
6:8 Be instructed, O Jerusalem, lest perhaps my soul depart from you, lest I make you a deserted place, a land in which none may dwell.6:9 Thus says the Lord of hosts: they shall glean the remnant of Israel as a vine to the last cluster. Turn your hand as a grape-gatherer to the basket.
43. Here, he shows the destruction; concerning this, he makes three points.
First, he speaks of the warning to avoid destruction;
second, he speaks of their contempt for this advice, at to whom shall I speak, and whom shall I call as a witness (Jer 6:10);
third, he threatens the judgment of destruction, at therefore, I am filled with the fury of the Lord (Jer 6:11).
Concerning the first, there are two points.
First, he speaks of the counsel: be instructed, that is, chastened by the preceding chastisements. Only vexation gives understanding to the hearing (Isa 28:19).
Second, he speaks of the imminent danger in losing the divine love: lest perhaps. My zeal shall be taken away from you when the country is laid waste (Ezek 16:42). He has turned rivers into a desert, and springs of water into dry ground (Ps 106:33).
And in the captivity of the people: thus says the Lord of hosts: they shall glean . . . to the last cluster, inclusively, because even the root will not be left. Metaphorically, by the vineyard he means the Jews: the vineyard of the Lord of Hosts is the house of Israel (Isa 5:7); by “clusters” he means men, and by “grape-harvest” he means captivity. O Chaldean, turn—he continues the metaphor—as a grape-gatherer, who places the collected clusters into a vessel called a cartallus, to carry them to the wine-press. So shut the Jews up in prison, and carry them off to Babylon. If the grape-harvesters had come unto you, would they not have left at least a cluster (Obad 1:5). Or, to the last cluster, exclusively, because they sent back a remnant of the people, namely, the peasants and the poor. Turn—by which he signifies their return to their own land, which is shown immediately after this by the image of the basket.
Lecture 5
Israel’s deafness
6:10 To whom shall I speak, and whom shall I call as a witness, that he may hear? Behold, their ears are uncircumcised, and they cannot hear. Behold, the word of the Lord has become a reproach to them, and they receive it not.44. Here, he shows their contempt for the advice that was given.
First, the prophet seeks a suitable audience for his counsel: to whom shall I speak, the fruitful words of the Lord; whom shall I call as a witness—“Shall I swear to it?” By which he signifies how few there are. Whom will he teach knowledge, and what listener will he make to understand? (Isa 28:9).
Second, he shows the fittingness, because they were unwilling to listen: behold, their ears are uncircumcised, as though filled with the fables of the gentiles. Stiff-necked, and uncircumcised in heart and ear (Acts 7:51). And because they spurn what they have heard: behold, the word of the Lord has become a reproach. As it says below: and the word of the Lord has become a reproach to me, and a derision all the day (Jer 20:8).
Lecture 6
Scourge upon all people
6:11 Therefore, I am filled with the fury of the Lord; I have labored bearing it. Pour it out upon the child without, and upon the assembly of young men together; for the man with the woman will be taken, the old with the full of days.6:12 And their houses shall pass over to others, their fields and their wives likewise, because I will stretch out my hand upon the inhabitants of the earth, says the Lord.
45. Here, he threatens them with the scourge of destruction.
First, he shows them his zeal for justice: I am filled with the fury of the Lord, with a fiery zeal for the justice of the Lord. By my zeal was he stirred up against them, that I should not destroy them in my zeal (Num 25:11).
Second, he gives the enemy the command to destroy: abundantly pour it out, O Chaldean, wrath, that is, your abundant wrath, without, in the streets and fields. Stir up your fury and pour forth your wrath (Sir 36:8). Upon the child—let none be spared for his age.
Third, he speaks of the fulfillment of the command, both with regard to persons, and with regard to possessions. The man with the woman, his wife. Our inheritance has been turned over to strangers, our houses to foreigners (Lam 5:2).
Lecture 7
Universal abomination
6:13 For from the least to the greatest they are all given over to greed, and from the prophet to the priest, they all deal fraudulently.6:14 And they would heal the bruise of the daughter of my people with shame, saying, ‘Peace, peace!’ And there was no peace.
6:15 Were they ashamed because they committed abomination? Nay; rather, they were not ashamed of shame, and to blush they knew not how. For this reason, they will fall among them that fall, and in the time of their visitation they shall be cast down, says the Lord.
46. Here, he discusses the cause of the destruction:
first, greed;
second, disobedience, at thus says the Lord: stand upon the roads, and see (Jer 6:16);
third, the abuse of sacred things, at why do you bring me the frankincense of Sheba? (Jer 6:20).
Concerning the first, there are three things.
First, he speaks of their guilt, and mentions their zeal for greed in their desires: they are all given over to greed. All have gone aside in their own way, each one to his greed from the greatest to the least (Isa 56:11). Treachery in acquisition: and from the prophet to the priest, they all deal fraudulently. They think on fraud all the day long (Ps 37:13).
And the manner of their treachery, that it consisted in adulation: and they would heal, that is, with words excusing sins, and excluding punishments. Prophets of Israel who prophecy to Jerusalem, and see a vision of peace; and there is no peace, says the Lord God (Ezek 13:16).
Second, he speaks of their shamelessness even in the midst of punishment: they were not ashamed, by punishment, of shame, of a healthy sort, which calls forth repentance. There is a shame which brings sin, and a shame which brings glory and favor (Sir 4:21).
Third, he threatens punishment: for this reason, they—the prophets themselves—will fall among them that fall—the common people; they shall be cast down, by death, or captivity, to be associated with them in punishment, from whom they were not separated in sin.
Lecture 8
Refusal of the right paths
6:16 Thus says the Lord: stand upon the roads, and see, and ask of the ancient paths, ‘Which is the good way?’ and walk thereon; and you shall find rest for your souls. But they said, ‘We shall not walk therein.’6:17 And I will set watchmen over you; attend to the voice of the trumpet. But they said, ‘We shall not attend.’
6:18 Therefore, hear, O nations, and know, O congregation, what great things I will do to them.
6:19 Hear, O earth: behold, I will bring evils upon this people, the fruit of their thoughts; because they have not heard my words, but have cast off my law.
47. Here, he treats of their disobedience.
First, he sets down their guilt—namely, their disobedience to the commandment concerning the imitation of the holy—when he gives the command: stand upon the roads—consider the various works of the good, and of the bad, that you may see the progress, and final state of both. The ancient paths, which were trod by the steps of the holy. Let us examine our ways, and let us inquire, and return to the Lord (Lam 3:40). Alternatively, upon the roads, meaning the prophets. The fruit of the commandment: and you shall find rest. We have passed through fire and water, and you have brought us to rest (Ps 65:12). Learn from me for I am meek, and humble of heart, and you will find rest for your souls (Matt 11:29). And contempt for the commandment: but they said, ‘We shall not attend.’
And even with regard to the disobedience of the commandment concerning the obedience of their rulers: and I will set watchmen—prophets and princes; the voice of the trumpet—their preaching. Son of man, I have set you as a watchman over the house of Israel, and you shall hear a word from my mouth and tell it to them from me (Ezek 3:17).
Second, he threatens punishment:
first, by stirring up the listener: therefore hear, O nations, and know, O congregation, of all the peoples. Hear, O heavens, and perceive, O earth (Isa 1:2).
Second, he threatens the punishment: behold, I. They shall eat the fruit of their own inventions (Isa 3:10).
Lecture 9
Unacceptable holocausts
6:20 Why do you bring me the frankincense of Sheba, and sweet-smelling calamus from a distant land? Your holocausts are not accepted, and your sacrifices have not pleased me.6:21 Therefore, thus says the Lord: behold, I shall set stumbling blocks before this people; and the fathers and the sons shall fall on them together; a man and his neighbor shall perish.
48. Here he discusses the abuse of sacred things; insofar as they are polluted with sins, they presumed to offer sacrifices to God, which, because of this, had not been accepted; concerning this, he makes two points.
First, he proves their guilt from the fact that their sacrifices were not accepted. And with regard to those things which were offered on the altar of incense: why do you bring me the frankincense of Sheba, the region from which frankincense comes; calamus, cinnamon, which was put in the incense whose composition is given in Exodus 30:34: from a distant land, that is, from India. He who is mindful of frankincense is as one who blesses an idol (Isa 66:3). And with regard to the altar of burnt offerings: your holocausts. I have refused your holocausts of rams, and the fat of your fattened beasts, and the blood of your calves, lambs and goats (Isa 1:11).
Second, he speaks of their punishment. Therefore, thus says the Lord. The people will oppress each other, man against man and each one against his neighbor (Isa 3:5).
Lecture 10
Cruelty from the north
6:22 Thus says the Lord: behold, a people are coming from the land of the north, and a great nation shall arise from the ends of the earth.6:23 Arrow and shield they shall take up; they are cruel, and will not show mercy. Their voice shall resound like the sea; and they shall go upon horses, prepared as a man for battle against you, O daughter of Zion.
6:24 We have heard the fame thereof; our hands have become weak, anguish has taken hold of us, pain as of one giving birth.
6:25 Go not out to the fields, nor walk in the way, for the sword of the enemy and fear is round about.
6:26 O daughter of my people, gird on sackcloth, and sprinkle yourself with ashes; make a mourning for yourself as for an only son, a bitter wailing, because your ravager shall come upon us suddenly.
49. Here, he describes the coming of the enemy explicitly.
First, he describes the nature of the enemy;
second, the incorrigibility of the people, at I have set you as an assayer over my people, a stronghold (Jer 6:27).
Concerning the first, there are three things.
First, he describes the enemies as strong, because of their number: a great nation;
and because of their weapons: arrow, cruel—cruel like the sea—so that they should terrify by their sound and their purpose: and they shall go upon horses, prepared as a man for battle. As it says below: behold, a people shall come from the north, and a great nation, and many kings shall arise from the ends of the earth. They shall take up bow and shield; they are cruel and merciless (Jer 50:41–42).
Second, he speaks of the Jews’ fear of their reputation: we have heard the fame thereof; our hands have become weak—we are able to do nothing because of fear. Fear seized them there; pains as a woman in labor (Ps 47:7).
And the effect of fear: go not out. Without, the sword shall lay them waste, and within, fear (Deut 32:25).
Third, he urges them to accept the pain of repentance: O daughter of my people, gird on sackcloth. As it says above: for this gird yourselves with sackcloth . . . and wail: because the wrath of the Lord’s fury has not turned back from us (Jer 4:8).
Lecture 11
Incorrigibility of the people
6:27 I have set you as an assayer over my people, a stronghold; and you shall know, and prove their way.6:28 All these princes turn aside, walking fraudulently. Bronze and iron, all have been corrupted.
6:29 The bellows have failed; the lead is consumed in fire; in vain has the founder melted, for their wickedness is not consumed.
6:30 Reprobate silver you shall call them, because the Lord has cast them off.
50. Here, he shows the incorrigibility of the people.
First, he brings up the testimony of the prophet: as an assayer, so that you may learn of their stubbornness as though by experience, while not being able to turn them to the good. Know well the state of your cattle, and consider your herds (Prov 27:23).
Second, he discusses their universal sin: all these princes turn aside. Bronze and iron—it is as though he were saying, “Not only are they unclean, but they are covered in uncleanness,” as iron and bronze are impurities in silver. Alternatively, iron for its hardness, and bronze for its inability to bear anything, because it is brittle. His bones are like reeds of bronze (Job 40:18). They are corrupt and have become abominable in their desires (Ps 13:1).
Third, he gives an example of their incorrigibility: the bellows have failed, for silver mixed with lead is first placed in the furnace, then while the silversmith works the bellows, the dross is consumed and the silver is improved, but the lead is diminished. Now, these people were put in the furnace of tribulation, consumed with evil as with lead, but they were not corrected. In vain, the word of God, has the founder, God, or the preacher, melted. In fire are gold and silver tried, but acceptable men in the furnace of humiliation (Sir 2:5).
Fourth, he concludes the argument for rejection: reprobate silver you shall call them. You have utterly rejected us, you are exceedingly angry with us (Lam 5:22).
Collations
It is to be noted that sin is called cold (Jer 6:7), because it extinguishes the heat of love. Inasmuch as wickedness abounded, the love of many will grow cold (Matt 24:12). Because it freezes the moisture of love: the north wind has blown cold, and frozen the water to crystal (Sir 43:22). Because it slows the activity of good works: the lazy man refuses to plow because of the cold, therefore in the summer will he beg, but it shall not be given him (Prov 20:4).
Also, note that certain things are ways (Jer 6:16) of the commandments: I have run the way of your commandments, for you have broadened my heart (Ps 118:32); of actions: let us examine our ways, and inquire, let us return to the Lord (Lam 3:40); of virtues: I will show you the way of wisdom, and will lead you along the paths of equity (Prov 4:11); of teachers: her ways are lovely, and all her paths peace (Prov 3:17); Christ himself: I am the way, the truth and the life (John 14:6).
Chapter 7
No help from divine religion
Lecture 1
Abominations in the Lord’s house
7:1 The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying:7:2 stand in the gate of the house of the Lord, and preach there this word, and say: hear the word of the Lord, all Judah, who enter through these gates to worship the Lord.
7:3 Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: make your ways good, and your inclinations, and I will dwell with you in this place.
7:4 Trust not in lying words, which say, ‘The temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, it is the temple of the Lord.’
7:5 For if you direct your ways aright, and your inclinations; if you carry out judgment between a man and his neighbor;
7:6 If you do not oppress the stranger, the orphan, and the widow, and shed not innocent blood in this place, nor walk after strange gods to your own hurt,
7:7 I will dwell with you in this place, in the land which I gave to your fathers forever.
7:8 Behold, you trust in lying words, which cannot profit you:
7:9 To steal, to kill, to commit adultery, to swear falsely, to pour out drink offerings to the Baalim, and to go after strange gods, whom you know not:
7:10 Yet you have come, and stood before me in this house, which is called by my name, and have said, ‘We are delivered, because we have done all these abominations.’
7:11 Has not, then, this house become a den of thieves in your eyes, this house, which is called by my name? I, even I am; I have seen it, says the Lord.
7:12 Go to my place in Shiloh, where my name dwelt at the first, and see what I have done to it because of the evil of my people Israel.
7:13 And now, because you have done all these things, says the Lord, though I have spoken to you rising early and speaking, but you did not listen; I called you, and you did not respond;
7:14 I shall do to this house, in which my name is invoked, and in which you have confidence, and to the place which I have given to you, and to your fathers, as I did to Shiloh;
7:15 and I shall drive you from before my face, as I drove all your brothers, the whole seed of Ephraim.
51. Here, he excludes the third means of assistance upon which they might have relied, namely, the practice of the divine religion:
first, with regard to the sanctity of the temple;
and second, with regard to the devotion of prayer, at therefore, you shall not pray for this people (Jer 7:16);
third, with regard to the offering of sacrifices, at thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel (Jer 7:21).
Concerning the first, there are two points.
First, he speaks as though offering sound advice, showing true good-faith: stand in the gate, that at least they may be forced to listen because of the sanctity of the place; it is as though he were saying, “They disdain to hear elsewhere.”
Make your ways, that is, your actions, good, and your inclinations, your thoughts, by which you take counsel concerning what is to be done. Prepare the way, make straight the paths of our God in the wilderness (Isa 40:3).
And he first speaks of the fruit: and I will dwell. Behold the dwelling place of God is with men, and he shall dwell with them (Rev 21:3).
And he excludes their vain hope: trust not in lying words, inasmuch as they certainly said that, because of the sanctity of the temple, they would be able to avoid all punishment without an emendation of life. The temple of the Lord is holy; the temple of the Lord is precious; the temple of the Lord, is revered by all. God has not chosen a people because of the place, but a place because of the people (2 Macc 5:19).
Second, he takes up his purpose once more, and explains it:
first, with regard to the former part, he shows what is meant by making one’s ways good, and he arranges the steps in order for them according to action:
for if you direct aright, as though you were determining or directing in your mind and set straight in thought your inclinations;
and in the matter of doing good to your neighbor: if you carry out judgment;
and in relation to God, nor walk after strange gods;
he reminds them again of the fruit of his counsel: I will dwell with you, if you will desire it and will listen. Lord, who shall dwell in your tabernacle, or who shall rest on your holy mountain? He who walks without stain, and does justice (Ps 14:1–2).
Second, he explains it with regard to the latter part.
First, he shows their false confidence, and ascribes the defect to their guilt: behold, you trust in lying words, because you say that you are able to commit the following things with impunity:
to steal, a sin against the property of your neighbor;
to kill, a sin against his person;
to commit adultery, a sin which is partially against his property and partially against his person;
to swear falsely. Here, he speaks of the sins against God. We have set a lie as our hope, and by a lie are we protected (Isa 28:15).
He also speaks of an external show which belies a sufficient emendation of life: you have come, and stood before me in this house, as though believing that merely entering the temple would make satisfaction. Perhaps they were deceived by the prayer of Solomon which is recorded in 2 Chronicles 6 and 1 Kings 8. He, though, understands that one must enter the house of the Lord having made a complete emendation of one’s conduct. Because we have done all these abominations apart from him.
Second, he excludes it:
first, by an argument, showing that it is an insufficient emendation for their sins: has not, then, this house become a den of thieves? It is as though he were saying, “If you enter my house unpurified, you make it a den of thieves.” My house shall be called a house of prayer, but you have made it a den of thieves (Matt 21:13). And he shows their manifest guilt: I, even I—particularly—am, and seeing all things everywhere, I have seen your sins. All the ways of men lay open to his eyes; the Lord is a weigher of spirits (Prov 16:2).
Second, he excludes it by example.
First, he speaks of the example of Shiloh, where the tabernacle had been set up before: go to my place in Shiloh. And he rejected the tabernacle of Shiloh, his tabernacle, where he dwelled among men (Ps 77:60).
Second, he adapts it to the proposition at hand assuming a similar fault: and now, because you have done all these things, says the Lord, though I have spoken to you rising early, after the manner of a solicitous man, who rises very early to complete his work, or because that time is suitable for contemplation, and receiving words of wisdom, because the body is already quieted. I called. For I called and you refused, I implored and there was none who would look (Prov 1:24).
He infers a similar punishment, the destruction of the place: I shall do to this house. As it says below: I shall make this house like Shiloh, and this city a curse to all the nations (Jer 26:6).
And with regard to the captivity of the people: I shall drive you from before my face. As it says below: you have scattered my flock and have driven them away, and have not visited them (Jer. 23:2).
Lecture 2
Prayer forbidden
7:16 Therefore, you shall not pray for this people, neither take up praise or prayer for them and do not stand against me, because I will not hear you.7:17 Do you not see what they do in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem?
7:18 The sons gather wood, the fathers kindle the fire, and the women sprinkle the fat, to make cakes to the queen of heaven and to pour out drink offerings to strange gods and provoke me to anger.
7:19 Do they provoke me to anger? says the Lord; do they not provoke themselves to the shame of their own faces?
7:20 Therefore, thus says the Lord God: behold, my fury and my indignation are poured out on this place, upon men and beast of burden, upon the trees of the field, and upon the fruits of the earth; it shall be kindled, and it will not be extinguished.
52. Here, he excludes the remedy of prayer.
First, he sets forth the decree: neither take up, even when asked by them, and do not stand against, because the prayer of the saints in a certain sense delays and hinders the decree of God. For a man without blame made haste to pray for the people, bringing forth the shield of his service, prayer, and by incense making supplication, withstood the wrath and put an end to the calamity, showing that he was your servant (Wis 18:21). There is none who invokes your name, who may arise and take hold of you (Isa 64:7).
But on the contrary: God, whose wrath no one can oppose (Job 9:13).
It will be answered that this is true with regard to the strength of virtue, but not the strength of prayer and humility.
Because I will not hear, in the manner of a lord of the court who does not wish the face of a supplicant servant to confuse him. Pretend that you are in mourning; put on mourning clothes, and do not anoint yourself with oil (2 Kgs 14:2).
Second, he speaks of the case from the perspective of their guilt:
first, noting their guilt and showing that it is manifest, because it was done publicly: do you not see? Son of man, make Jerusalem to know her abominations (Ezek 16:2).
Further, it is common to both sexes and all ages: the sons gather wood, the fathers kindle the fire, and the women sprinkle the fat, to make cakes to the queen of heaven, that is, to the moon; or to the host of heaven and all the stars. As it says below: what of it if we sacrifice to the queen of heaven, and pour out drink offerings to her; did we make cakes to worship her without our husbands? (Jer 44:19).
Second, he shows the folly of those who sin, because they injured not God, but themselves: do they provoke me to anger? If you sin will you do him harm? (Job 35:6). His sorrow shall be turned on his own head, and his iniquity shall descend upon his own crown (Ps 7:17).
Third, he threatens punishment: therefore, thus says the Lord. As it says above: lest perhaps my indignation should blaze forth like fire, and burn, and there be none to extinguish it, because of the wickedness of your thoughts (Jer 4:4).
Lecture 3
Futility of sacrifice
7:21 Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: add burnt offerings to your sacrifices, and eat flesh.7:22 For I did not speak with your fathers, and I did not command them on the day I brought them out of the land of Egypt concerning burnt offerings and sacrifices.
7:23 But this thing did I command them, saying: hear my voice, and I will be a God to you, and you shall be my people, and walk in every way which I have commanded you, so that it may be well with you.
7:24 But they did not listen, and they did not incline their ear; but they went away in their own desires, and in the depravity of their evil hearts; and they went backward and not forward
7:25 from the day when their fathers came forth from the land of Egypt until this day. And I sent all my servants the prophets to you daily, rising early and sending them.
7:26 But they did not listen to me, nor did they incline their ear, but have stiffened their neck, and have done worse than their fathers.
7:27 And you shall speak all these words to them, but they will not listen to you; you shall call them, but they will not answer you.
7:28 You will say to them: this is a nation which has not hearkened to the voice of the Lord their God, nor received correction; faithfulness has perished, and has been taken from their mouth.
53. Here, he excludes their confidence in sacrifice.
First, he precludes any care for sacrifices when he sets forth God’s sentiment: add burnt offerings to your sacrifices; it is as though he were saying, “Just as the greater part of your sacrifices falls to your own use, so eat the entirety of the holocausts yourselves, for I am not pleased by the eating of flesh.” Do I eat the flesh of bulls, or drink the blood of goats? (Ps 49:13).
And he gives the reason: for I did not speak. For the Lord did not wish this for his own sake but that through this he might draw them away from idolatry. For this reason, before the worship of the calf (Exod 32:1–8), no commandments were given concerning sacrifices. Sacrifice and oblation you have not desired, but ears have you made for me. Holocaust and sin offering you have not required. Then I said, ‘Behold, I come’ (Ps 39:6–7).
Second, he reproaches them for the disobedience of their conduct.
First, he shows their guilt;
second, he threatens punishment, at cut off your hair (Jer 7:29).
Concerning the first, there are two points.
First, he proves their disobedience as though by induction, showing that they are disobedient to the Law by drawing their attention to the commandments of the Law: but this thing did I command, from the beginning, as if it were primarily intended. Hear my voice, concerning the moral precepts. You shall be for me a people, and I will be a God for you (Ezek 36:28).
And their contempt for the commandment: but they did not listen . . . they went backward, always adding sin afterwards. All have turned aside to their own way, each one to his greed, from the greatest to the least (Isa 56:11).
He also shows that they were disobedient to the prophets who came before: and I sent all my servants the prophets to you. The Lord has testified against Israel and against Judah by the hand of all his prophets and seers, saying: turn back from your evil ways, and keep my commandments and my sacred rites, according to the Law which I commanded your fathers, and as I have sent word to you by the hand of my servants the prophets. They did not listen, but stiffened their necks, like the necks of their fathers, who did not wish to obey the Lord their God (2 Kgs 17:13–14).
He even predicts that they would not obey him. And you shall speak . . . but they will not listen. The house of Israel does not wish to hear you, because they do not wish to hear me; indeed, the whole house of Israel has a hard forehead and an obstinate heart (Ezek 3:7). I have called, but you have not answered; I have spoken, but you did not listen, but you have done evil in my sight, and have chosen what I did not want (Isa 65:12).
Second, he draws the conclusion: you will say to them. As it says above: in vain have I struck your children; they have not received correction (Jer 2:30). Faithfulness of the Lord. With the heart we believe unto justice, but with the mouth confession is made unto salvation (Rom 10:10). Alternatively, fidelity to one’s neighbor. A faithful man who shall find? (Prov 20:6).
Lecture 4
Devastation of idols’ altars
7:29 Cut off your hair, and cast it aside, and take up your lamentation against the high places, for the Lord has cast off and forsaken the generation of his fury.7:30 For the sons of Judah have done evil in my eyes, says the Lord. They have put their abominations in the house called by my name to pollute it.
7:31 And they have built the high places of Tophet, which is in the valley of the sons of Hinnom, so that they might burn their sons and daughters with fire, which I have not commanded, nor thought it in my heart.
7:32 Therefore, the days shall come, says the Lord, when it shall no longer be called Tophet, and the valley of the sons of Hinnom, but the valley of slaughter; and they shall bury in Tophet until no place remains.
7:33 And the dead of this people shall be as food for the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth, and there shall be none to drive them away.
7:34 And I shall make cease from the cities of Judah the voice of joy and the voice of gladness, the voice of the groom, and the voice of the bride; for the land will be desolate.
54. Here, he threatens them with punishment.
First, he prefigures it with a sign: cut off your hair. As in Ezekiel 5:2, you shall burn the third part of your hair with fire in the midst of the city, according to the fulfillment of the days of the siege; and you shall take a third part, and strike it with a sword round about; and a third part you shall scatter to the wind. The generation of his fury. I shall send him to a false nation, and against the people of my fury shall I commission him (Isa 10:6).
Second, he explains his words:
first, resuming once more the sin of idolatry, haranguing them from the holy place because they made abominations, idols, in the house, namely, the temple, in a public and open place;
and they have built . . . which I have not commanded, as though he were saying, “I have not commanded them such heavy things.” From this it becomes plain that they have also turned back from me. They have sacrificed their sons and their daughters to demons, the flesh of their sons and their daughters have they offered to the graven images of Canaan (Ps 105:37).
Second, he threatens them with punishment:
first, with the slaughter of their men;
second, with scattering of their bodies, when he says, in that time, says the Lord, they shall cast out the bones of the king of Judah (Jer 8:1).
Third, with the driving out of the remnant, at and they shall choose death rather than life (Jer 8:3).
Concerning the first, there are three points.
First, he gives the place of the slaughter: therefore, the days shall come, when they will be punished in the same place where they sinned. Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when this place shall no longer be called Tophet, and the valley of the sons of Hinnom, but the valley of slaughter (Jer 19:6).
Second, he excludes the duty of burial: and the dead of this people shall be as food for the birds of the air. Yet, some of them will be buried, either by those who remain or by the enemy, who are unable to bear the stench. They have given the bodies of your servants as food to the birds of the air, and the flesh of your saints to the beasts of the earth (Ps 78:2).
Third, he excludes all joy: and I shall make cease. The joy of our heart has ceased; our dance is turned into sorrow (Lam 5:15). All of which attests to the magnitude of the slaughter.
Collations
Note that God dwells (Jer 7:3) with us through the constancy of our faith. That Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith (Eph 3:17). Through the concord of brotherly love: where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them (Matt 18:20). Through obedience to the commandments: if anyone love me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make a dwelling place with him (John 14:23). Through the eminence of devout contemplation: I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears my voice and opens to me, I will come in unto him, and will sup with him, and he with me (Rev 3:20).
Also note that he speaks of the temple (Jer 7:4) according to multiple senses. Historically: I shall worship in your holy temple, and confess your name (Ps 137:2). Allegorically, as the Church herself: the temple of God is holy, which temple you are (1 Cor 3:17). Typologically, as the just man himself: do you not know that your bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit? (1 Cor 6:19). Anagogically, as God himself: the Lord God almighty is its temple, and the lamb (Rev 21:22).
Also note that we ought to listen to the voice (Jer 7:23) of the Lord by loving him with the love of charity, because he is our good: you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength (Deut 6:5). By serving him with sacred worship, because he is the Lord: you shall worship the Lord your God, and him alone shall you serve (Deut 10:20). Serve the Lord with fear (Ps 2:11). By walking after him in the observance of his commandment, because he is our father: you will call me ‘father,’ and you will not cease to walk after me (Jer 3:19). By seeking him with right intention, because he is our end: seek the Lord, all you meek of the earth, because you have done his judgment (Zeph 2:3). By worshiping him with due honor, because he is our creator and our God: you shall worship the Lord your God (Matt 4:10).
Chapter 8
Pride, greed, and shamelessness
Lecture 1
The destruction of tombs
8:1 In that time, says the Lord, they shall cast out the bones of the king of Judah, and the bones of her princes, and the bones of the priests, and the bones of the prophets, and the bones of them that dwell in Jerusalem from their tombs.8:2 And they shall scatter them before the sun, and the moon, and all the host of heaven, which they loved, and which they served, and after which they walked, and which they sought, and worshiped. They shall not be gathered up, neither shall they be buried; they shall be as dung upon the face of the earth.
55. Here, he threatens the exhumation of corpses.
First, he speaks of the exhumation itself: they shall cast out the bones, believing that they will find gold, or something similar. But you have been cast forth from your tomb like a useless branch, polluted and wrapped up among those who were slain with the sword, and have gone down to the bottom of the pit, like a rotten corpse (Isa 14:19).
Second, the scattering of what was dug up: and they shall scatter them. They have worshiped the whole host of heaven (2 Kgs 17:16). Those things by which a man sins are the same also by which he is tormented (Wis 11:17).
Third, their worthlessness: they shall not be gathered up. Their dead bodies have become like dung in the middle of the streets (Isa 5:25).
Lecture 2
Death rather than life
8:3 And they shall choose death rather than life, all who remain from this evil family, which remain in all the places to which I have driven them, says the Lord of hosts.56. Here, he shows the oppression of those who remain, signified by their choice of death, which in itself is not worthy of choice except in as much as it is an end to evils. In those days men will seek death, but will not find it; and they shall desire to die, but death shall flee from them (Rev 9:6).
Lecture 3
Stubborn rebellion
8:4 And you shall say to them, thus says the Lord: shall not he who falls rise again, and he who has turned aside return?8:5 Why, then, has this people in Jerusalem turned aside in stubborn rebellion? They have set hold on a lie, and do not wish to return.
8:6 I attended and listened; no one speaks what is good; there is no one who does penance for his sin, saying, ‘What have I done?’ All have turned to their own course, as a horse rushing in attack to do battle.
8:7 The kite in the heavens knows his season; the turtle dove, the swallow, and the stork have kept the time of their coming; but my people have not known the judgment of the Lord.
57. Here, he shows their obstinacy and hardness in sin. For this reason, it is separated from everything that has come before.
First, he shows their obstinacy in the sins which they have committed against God or against themselves and their neighbor.
Then he speaks of those things which they have committed directly against their neighbor: who shall give water to my head and a wellspring of tears to my eyes? (Jer 9:1).
Concerning the first, there are two points.
First, he reprimands them for their hardness;
second, he threatens them with punishment, at I shall surely gather them (Jer 8:13).
Concerning the first point, there are four things.
First, he shows their hardness with regard to idolatry;
second, with regard to pride, at how can you say, ‘We are wise, for the law of the Lord is with us’? (Jer 8:8);
third, with regard to their greed, at therefore, I will give their women to strangers (Jer 8:10);
fourth, with regard to their shamelessness, at they are ashamed, because they have done abomination (Jer 8:12).
Concerning the first point, he shows their astonishing hardness from three things.
First, from normal behavior, when he says: shall not he who falls rise again? Spiritually, or even corporally, with regard to conversion from sin: and he who has turned aside; with regard to aversion, it is as though he were saying, “This is the customary manner.” Shall he that sleeps rise again no more? (Ps 40:8). The virgin of Israel is cast down upon her own land; there is none who will raise her up (Amos 5:2).
And he ends with astonishment: why, then, has this people in Jerusalem turned aside, with regard to sin, in stubborn rebellion? As though striving against the Lord, or defying him. I know your rebelliousness and your exceedingly stiff neck (Deut 31:27). They have set hold on, with regard to conversion, a lie: a fraud. We have set a lie as our hope, and by a lie are we protected (Isa 28:15).
Second, he shows their hardness from the universality of their sin, when he shows their complete negligence in doing good: I attended and listened; no one speaks what is good, and much less does it. There is none who does good, no not one (Ps 13:3). And their universal impenitence for the evils which they have committed: there is no one who does penance for his sin. But you according to your stubbornness, and impenitent heart store up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath (Rom 2:5). And unbridled concupiscence: all have turned. A horse not broken will become stubborn, and a son left to himself will become headstrong (Sir 30:8). He has run against God with an upraised neck, and with a fat neck is he armed (Job 15:26). Behold, he will swallow up a river and not be astonished; he has confidence that the Jordan river can flow into his mouth (Job 40:18).
Third, he shows their hardness from a comparison with irrational beings, when he describes their knowledge: the kite in the heavens, that is, the air, knows his season, suitable for his activities; of their coming, because they go away in winter to warmer locations, and they return in spring, and do all this by the instinct of natural judgment. Ask the beasts, and they will teach you; and the birds of heaven, and they shall declare it to you (Job 12:7).
Then, he speaks of the ignorance of the people: but my people have not known the judgment, of the propitiation which shall overtake them. But Israel has not known me (Isa 1:3).
Lecture 4
The wise confounded
8:8 How can you say, ‘We are wise, for the law of the Lord is with us’? When the lying pen of the scribes has worked falsehood.8:9 The wise are confounded, terrified, and taken prisoner, for they have cast aside the word of the Lord, and there is no wisdom in them.
58. Here, he shows their pride from their boast of wisdom; concerning this, there are three things.
First, he speaks of their boast: we are wise. Woe to you, who are wise in your own eyes, and prudent in your own estimation (Isa 5:21).
Second, he shows their injustice: when the lying pen of the scribes has worked falsehood, either by wrongly interpreting the Scriptures, or by establishing wicked laws. Woe to those who establish wicked laws, and when they write, have written injustice to oppress the poor in judgment, and do violence to the cause of the humble of my people (Isa 10:1).
Third, he speaks of their punishment: the wise are confounded—taking the past tense for the future. He brings counselors to a foolish end, and judges to astonishment (Job 12:17).
Then, he resumes his case: they have cast aside the word of the Lord. The word of the Lord in the highest is a wellspring of wisdom (Sir 1:5). Therefore are my people led captive, for they had not knowledge (Isa 5:13). Because you rejected wisdom, I will reject you from being a priest before me (Hos 4:6).
Lecture 5
Universal greed
8:10 Therefore, I will give their women to strangers, their fields to heirs, because from the least to the greatest they all go after greed; from the prophet to the priest, they all work deceit.8:11 And they would heal the wound of the daughter of my people with shame, saying, ‘Peace, peace,’ when there was no peace.
59. Here, he shows their greed.
First, he speaks of their punishment: to heirs, that is, to those who hold it strongly and securely as if it were their own inheritance. You shall take a wife, and another shall sleep with her (Deut 28:30).
Second, he speaks of their guilt:
first, of their greedy desire: because from the least to the greatest they all go after greed, as an end. The whole head is weak, and the whole heart grieving; from the sole of the foot to the top of the head there is no soundness in it (Isa 1:6).
Second, he speaks of their fraud in obtaining what they desire, from the prophet.
Third, the manner of their treachery: and they would heal. They gave life to their own souls, and violated me before the people for a handful of barley and a piece of bread, that they may kill souls that do not die, and bring life to souls that do not live, lying to my people that believes the lie (Ezek 13:17–19).
Lecture 6
Shamelessness
8:12 They are ashamed, because they have done abomination; yea, rather, they are not ashamed of shame, for they have not known how to blush. Therefore, they shall fall among those that fall; in the time of their visitation they shall fall down, says the Lord.60. Here, he shows their shamelessness.
And first, he shows a cause for shame: they are ashamed—it is as if he were saying, “They suffer punishments, of which they ought to be ashamed.” And there is a shame which brings sin (Sir 4:21).
Second, he shows their shamelessness: yea, rather, they are not ashamed of shame. Above: you have had the forehead of a harlot, you would not blush (Jer 3:3).
Third, their punishment: therefore, they shall fall among those that fall, as it says above (Jer 6:15). When her people fell among a hostile force, and there was none to help (Lam 1:7).
Lecture 7
Silence in the city
8:13 I shall surely gather them, says the Lord. There is not a grape on the vines, and there are no figs on the fig tree; the leaf has fallen, and what I had given to them has passed away.8:14 Why shall we sit? Come, and let us go into the fortified city and be silent there; because the Lord our God has made us silent, and has given us water of gall to drink, for we have sinned against the Lord.
8:15 We waited for peace, and there was no good; a time of healing, and behold, fear.
8:16 From Dan was heard the snorting of his horses; by the sound of the neighing of his warriors the whole earth was moved; they have come and devoured the earth and the fullness thereof; the city, and those who dwell therein.
8:17 For behold, I will send the basilisk among you, for which there is no charm, and they shall bite you, says the Lord.
8:18 My sorrow is above sorrow; my heart mourns within me.
8:19 Behold, the voice of my daughter calling out from a far country: ‘Is the Lord not in Zion, or her king in her?’ Why, therefore, did they provoke me to anger with their graven images, and strange vanities?
8:20 ‘The harvest has passed, the summer is ended, yet we are not saved.’
8:21 For the affliction of the daughter of my people am I broken, I am afflicted, and astonishment has taken hold of me.
8:22 Is there no balm in Gilead, or no physician there? Why, therefore, is the scar of the daughter of my people not covered?
61. Here, Jeremiah speaks of a punishment similar to the punishment mentioned above.
First, he speaks of the judgment of the Lord with regard to the affliction of men: I shall surely gather, in Jerusalem, by besieging it. Gather them like a flock to the sacrifice, and sanctify them for the day of slaughter (Jer 12:3). And as for the plundering of their fruits: there is not a grape, for you, but for the enemy, who shall eat up all that is yours while you watch. Passed away, from them into the hands of the enemy. The fig will not blossom, and there will be no bud on the vines (Hab 3:17).
Second, the misery of the people: why shall we sit? Alternatively, he speaks of their preparation, and gives here their exhortation to one another: why shall we sit in the houses of the city as though neutral. Let us be silent, as though astonished, or from the tumult of war. Gather together, and let us enter the fortified cities (Jer 4:5). And the reason of those giving the exhortation is that they foresee punishment: because the Lord our God has made us silent, with astonishment. He has filled me with bitterness, and made me drunk with wormwood (Lam 3:15). And they confess fault: we have sinned. We have sinned with our fathers, we have acted unjustly, we have done iniquity (Ps 105:6).
And they recognize the folly of waiting: we waited, according to the words of the false prophets; good, the reward of peace. The expectation of the just is joy, but the hope of the wicked will perish (Prov 10:28).
He mentions also the pursuit of the enemy and their reputation, from Dan. Above: a voice of one announcing (Jer 4:15). He also speaks of the effect of their reputation: by the sound of the neighing of his warriors the whole earth was moved—hyperbolically, or metonymically. The earth was moved and shook (Ps 17:7). And even the punishment inflicted by them: they have come and devoured the earth and the fullness thereof, that is, the produce of the earth. They have devoured Jacob, and laid waste his dwelling place (Ps 78:7).
And he excludes a remedy: for behold I will send the basilisk—the Chaldeans—among you, for which there is no charm, because they cannot be placated by any means. Their fury is according to the likeness of a serpent, as a deaf adder, which blocks her ears (Ps 57:4). Their pain is like the pain of a scorpion, when it stings a man (Rev 9:5).
Third, he speaks of the pity of the compassionate.
And first, he speaks about the compassion for the affliction of the people, sorrow, from the person of the Lord; this is an anthropopathism; alternatively, from the person of the prophet: O all you who pass by the way, give heed, and see if there be any sorrow like unto my sorrow (Lam 1:12).
And the affliction of the people: behold the voice, of the enemy, from a far country, or of the people against that same enemy, or from the land of their captivity. I heard the voice as of a woman giving birth (Jer 4:31). And the reason of the affliction: is the Lord not in Zion? Indeed, God himself is able to give counsel, aid, and answer; for this reason, they have no cause to seek other gods. Is there not a God in Israel, that you should go to inquire of Beelzebub, the god of Ekron (2 Kgs 1:16).
Second, he speaks about the compassion for the length of time, when he speaks of the duration of their affliction: the harvest has passed, the summer is ended, yet we are not saved, from the peril of famine, for we have not gathered in the produce of the earth; from the person of the people. So in 2 Kings 6:27, how can I save you?
Third, he speaks about the compassion for the affliction from the person of the Lord, as above. He became their savior in all their distress (Isa 63:8). Or from the person of the prophet. My bowels are troubled within me (Lam 2:11).
Fourth, he gives the reason for the length of time, which is certainly that they refused to be cured from sin: is there no balm, by which he means the remedy of repentance against guilt, or of divine wisdom; a physician, a prophet, or a priest, in Gilead, where the study of medicine flourished. Go up to Gilead, and take balm, O virgin daughter of Egypt (Jer 46:11). Why, therefore, is the scar, sin, not covered, cured. Wounds and bruises and swelling sores; they are not bound up, nor dressed, nor fomented with oil (Isa 1:6).
Collations
Note that silence (Jer 8:14) has many senses. Of astonishment: silence shall be cast out in every place (Amos 8:3). Of security: the work of justice shall be peace, and the effect of justice silence and security forever (Isa 32:17). Of longsuffering: it is good to wait with silence for the salvation of the Lord (Lam 3:26). The words of the wise are like goads, and nails driven deeply (Eccl 12:11).
Also note that the company of evil men is to be avoided, because they entice with their words: evil conversations corrupt good morals (1 Cor 15:33). They influence by their examples: with the upright you will be upright, and with the perverse you will be perverted (Ps 17:26). They negatively affect one’s reputation: he who touches pitch will be soiled thereby (Sir 13:1). They implicate one in punishment: depart from the tents of the wicked, and touch nothing that belongs to them, lest you become involved in their sins (Num 16:26).
Chapter 9
Enumeration of punishments
Lecture 1
Sins against neighbors
9:1 Who shall give water to my head and a wellspring of tears to my eyes? And I will cry day and night for the slain of the daughter of my people.9:2 Who will give me in the wilderness a lodging place for wayfarers? And I will leave my people and depart from them. For they are all adulterers, an assembly of transgressors.
9:3 And they bent their tongues, like a bow, to tell lies and not the truth; they have strengthened themselves in the land, because they have gone forth from evil to evil, and they have not known me, says the Lord.
9:4 Each one guards himself from his neighbor, and has no confidence in any brother; because every brother shall surely supplant, and every friend shall walk deceitfully.
9:5 And a man shall deride his brother, and they will not speak the truth; they have taught their tongue to speak lies; they have labored to do iniquity.
9:6 Your habitation is in the midst of deceit; in deceit they have refused to know me, says the Lord.
62. Here, he shows their obstinacy in sins which are directly against their neighbor.
First, he speaks of his own compassion with regard to the punishment: who shall give? It is as though he were saying, “There is not enough moisture”—which is the material for tears—“for sadness, and compassion”; water, with regard to its abundance, a wellspring, with regard to its unfailing supply. My eye has run down with streams of water over the destruction of the daughter of my people (Lam 3:48).
And with regard to their guilt: who will give me in the wilderness? It is as though he were saying, “I would rather dwell in the wilderness than see their sins”; a lodging place for wayfarers, a place where, although none may live, many pass through. Alternatively, in the wilderness through which various travelers never or rarely pass: I have left my house, I have forsaken my inheritance (Jer 12:7).
Second, the condition of the people is described: for they are all adulterers.
First, with regard to their guilt;
and second, with regard to their punishment, at therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts (Jer 9:7).
Concerning the first, there are two points.
First, he speaks of the sin of violating another’s wedding bed. They are adulterers. Above: each one neighing at the wife of his neighbor (Jer 5:8). From the transgression of a human or divine covenant: an assembly of transgressors; it is as though he were saying, “They have conspired at this.” The prevaricators have prevaricated, and with the prevarication of transgressors they have prevaricated (Isa 24:16).
From their speaking lies: they bent their tongues, like a bow, from which is shot the arrow of deceitful speech. They have turned back, that they might be without yoke, they have become like a treacherous bow (Hos 7:16).
Second, he magnifies the sin.
First, from the augmentation of their faults: they have strengthened themselves in the land, that is, in worldly sins or in earthly goods devoid of the heavenly. I have grown jealous of the wicked, when I saw the peace of sinners, for they go out from evil to evil (Ps 72:3), adding sin to sin. By swearing and lying, killing and thieving, and committing adultery they have become prosperous, and blood has touched blood (Hos 4:2).
Second, from the condition of the sinners, because they have behaved thus even among those with whom they have a relationship, and to whom they are all the more obliged to extend the works of charity.
And first, he considers their caution: each one guards himself from his neighbor, to whom he is joined by some civil or spiritual commonality; his brother, to whom he is joined by a natural alliance. Do not believe your friend, nor trust in a guide (Mic 7:5). Concerning the latter, he gives the cause as stemming from their deceitfulness. First, he speaks of the sin of fraud: because every brother shall surely supplant, taking another’s property unjustly. Behold, you have supplanted me a second time; before, you took my birthright, and now you have taken my blessing (Gen 27:36). In their way of acting, because every friend shall walk deceitfully. The vessels of the deceitful are most wicked (Isa 32:7).
And in their speech: and a man shall deride his brother. Who is mocked by his friend as I am; I will call upon God, and he will hear him (Job 12:4). The future tense indicates perseverance.
Second, he gives the reason, because they are accustomed to lies: they have taught, by custom, and zealous for evil deeds, they have labored. For they do not sleep except that they have done wickedly, nor do they slumber except they have made someone to fall (Prov 4:16). We have grown weary on the way of iniquity and perdition, we have tread difficult paths, but the way of the Lord we have not known (Wis 5:7).
Third, he draws a conclusion: your habitation, O Jeremiah, or O Jerusalem, is in the midst of deceit, that is, in the midst of a deceitful people. The unbelieving and rebellious are with you, and you dwell with scorpions (Ezek 2:6).
Lecture 2
Vengeance on the deceitful
9:7 Therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts: I shall melt them and test them, for what else should I do for the daughter of my people?9:8 Their tongue is a wounding arrow; it has spoken fraudulently. With their mouths they speak peaceably to their neighbors, but secretly they lie in wait for him.
9:9 Shall I not visit them for these things, says the Lord, or shall my soul not be avenged on such a people as this?
63. Here, he speaks of the wretched condition of the people with regard to their punishment.
First, he speaks about the sentence.
Second, he determines the punishment, at I will take up a lament for the mountains (Jer 9:10).
Concerning the first, there are two points.
First, he speaks of the sentence: I shall melt, as gold in the fire, so that even in this way they may at least be purified. The kiln proves the potter’s vessel, and the temptation of trouble the just man (Sir 27:6).
Second, he shows the justice of the sentence:
first, excluding the way of mercy: for what else should I do for the daughter of my people? It is as though he were saying, “Nothing remains but for me to punish them, as all other methods have been tried.” What is it that I should yet do for my vineyard, that I have not done for it (Isa 5:4).
Second, he sets forth their guilt: a wounding arrow, which strikes from afar and penetrates to the inmost part. The words of the backbiter seem simple, yet they sink to the depths of the heart (Prov 26:22). As a dart, or a sword, or a sharp arrow is the man who bears false witness against his neighbor (Prov 25:18). The arrows of children are their wounds, and their tongues are weakened against them (Ps 63:8–9). Who speak peace to their neighbor, but evil is in their hearts (Ps 27:3).
Third, he infers the punishment: shall I not visit them for these things? As is said above (Jer 5:9, 29).
Lecture 3
Israel as a wasteland
9:10 I will take up a lament for the mountains, and a wailing, and for the beautiful places of the wilderness a lament, for they are burned so that no man may pass through them, and they heard not the voice of their owner; from the bird of the heaven to the cattle, they have gone away and departed.9:11 And I will make Jerusalem to be heaps of sand and the lair of dragons; and the cities of Judah I will make desolate, so that there be no inhabitant.
9:12 Who is a wise man that he may understand this, and to whom has the word of the Lord’s mouth come, that he may tell it? Why has the land perished and been burned up like the wilderness, so that none may pass through?
9:13 And the Lord said: because they have abandoned my law which I gave them, and did not hear my voice, and did not walk in it.
9:14 And they went after the depravity of their heart, and after the Baalim, which they learned from their fathers.
64. Here, he specifies their punishment in detail.
First, he determines the punishment.
Second, he excludes false confidence in escape, at thus says the Lord: let not the wise glory in his wisdom (Jer 9:23).
Concerning the first point, there are three things.
First, he speaks of the devastation of the land;
second, of the affliction of men, at therefore, thus says the Lord (Jer 9:15);
third, of the throwing away of their bodies, at speak, thus says the Lord (Jer 9:22).
Concerning the first, there are two points.
First, he determines the destruction of the land with regard to possessions, indicating that it will be by fire: for they are burned. I will cry to you, O Lord, for fire has consumed the lovely places of the wilderness, and flame has burned every tree of the field (Joel 1:19). So that no man may pass through. Above: I looked, and behold there was no man, and every bird of heaven had fled away (Jer 4:25). And they heard not the voice of their owner, because he would no longer go there.
And with regard to the cities: I will make Jerusalem to be heaps of sand. Behold, Damascus shall cease to be a city, and will be as a heap of stones, a ruin (Isa 17:1).
Second, he gives the reason.
First, he poses a question: who is a wise man that he may understand, through itself; to whom has the word of the Lord’s mouth come, that he may know through revelation. Who is there among you, who may hear this, attend, and hear of future things? (Isa 42:23).
Second, he gives the response: and the Lord said, with regard to their turning away, because they have abandoned, as though they were not careful to meditate, and did not hear, so as to obey it promptly, they did not walk, so as to fulfill it. Many from the people of Israel resolved amongst themselves that they would not eat any unclean thing, and they chose to die rather than to defile themselves with unclean foods, and they refused to violate the holy law of God, and they were slain (1 Macc 1:62–63).
And with regard to conversion: they went after, that is, they followed their own perverse desires, the Baalim, plural in number and masculine in gender. Go not after your own lusts, and turn from your own will (Sir 18:30).
Lecture 4
Lament over desolation
9:15 Therefore, thus says the Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel, behold, I will feed them with wormwood and give them water of gall to drink.9:16 And I will scatter them among the nations, which they have not known, neither they nor their fathers, and I shall send a sword after them until they are consumed.
9:17 Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: consider and call the mourning women, and let them come; and send to the wise women, and let them come quickly.
9:18 Let them make haste, and take up a lament for us. Let our eyes stream tears, and our eyelids run with water.
9:19 Because a voice of wailing was heard in Zion: ‘How we are laid waste, and exceedingly put to shame? For we have left the land, because our tents are cast down.’
9:20 Hear, therefore, O women, the word of the Lord, and let your ears receive the word of his mouth, and teach your daughters lamentation, and each one her neighbor to wail.
9:21 For death has come up through our windows, and entered our houses, to destroy our little ones from without, and our young men from the streets.
65. Here, he threatens punishment with regard to the people themselves.
First, he determines the punishment with regard to affliction: I will feed them with wormwood, the scarcity which they have endured because of the Chaldeans; to drink, because the help of the Egyptians will turn bitter for them, for by their help they believed they would avoid trouble, as food is easily swallowed with drink. He has filled me with bitterness, made me drunk with wormwood (Lam 3:15).
And with regard to the captivity: I will scatter; and as for the slaughter: and I shall send, before. You shall scatter a third part to the wind, and draw the sword after them (Ezek 5:2).
Second, he invites them to make a sorrowful lament: thus says the Lord.
First, he invites the mourning women according to the custom of the Jews, that they may incite weeping: call the mourning women; this custom is touched upon below: they shall not lament for him, ‘Alas, lord,’ and, ‘Alas, glorious one’ (Jer 22:18). Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but for yourselves, and for your children (Luke 23:28).
Second, he gives the command to weep:
first, indicating to the people their present distress: let our eyes stream tears. Let our eyes stream as a torrent day and night, and give no rest to yourself, nor let the pupil of your eye be still (Lam 2:18).
And predicting the future, which is something like the material of the present: because a voice . . . was heard, by the spirit of prophecy; alternatively, he sets down the past for the future. A voice was heard on high (Jer 31:15). And he gives the cause: how we, the voice of those weeping in Zion, are laid waste, with regard to the devastation of the region; put to shame, with regard to servitude. We have left, with regard to the captivity. Woe to us, for we are laid waste (Jer 4:13).
Second, he speaks to the mourning women themselves alluding to their distress: hear, therefore, O women, the word of the Lord. O fine women arise, and hear my voice (Isa 32:9).
And he gives the reason: for death has come up, that is, the Chaldean who brings death—by which their speed and strength is signified—who is not content to enter through the door, but climbs in through the roof and the windows. They will scale the houses, and enter through the windows as a thief (Joel 2:9).
Lecture 5
The unburied dead
9:22 Speak, thus says the Lord: the carcasses of men shall fall as dung upon the face of the field, and as grass behind the back of the reaper, and there is none who may gather them.66. Here, he speaks of their punishment with regard to the bodies themselves which remained unburied: as grass, which is neglected by the reaper as something of little value. Their dead bodies have become like dung in the midst of the streets (Isa 5:25).
Lecture 6
Glory in the Lord
9:23 Thus says the Lord: let not the wise glory in his wisdom, nor the strongman in his strength, nor the rich man in his riches.9:24 But let him who glories glory in this, that he understands, and knows me, because I am the Lord who does mercy, and judgment, and justice in the land; for these things please me, says the Lord.
9:25 Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will punish those who have a circumcised foreskin.
9:26 Upon Egypt, and upon Judah, and upon Edom, and upon the sons of Ammon, and upon Moab, and upon all those who have shorn their hair and dwell in the wilderness; for all the nations have a foreskin, but the whole house of Israel is uncircumcised in heart.
67. Here, he excludes false confidence in escape: let not the wise glory, as though hoping by this to free himself, in his wisdom, which is chief among the human goods of the soul; in his strength, which is chief among the human goods of the body; in his riches, which are chief among the external goods. Do not multiply to speak lofty things, vaingloriously (1 Sam 2:3).
And he shows true confidence: but let him who glories glory in this, that he understands, through knowledge and understanding, and knows, through the experience of the feeling of sweetness. In God is my salvation, my glory, and my hope is in God (Ps 61:7). Let him who glories glory in the Lord (1 Cor 1:31). And he gives the reason: because I am the Lord who does mercy, that I may free you, and judgment, that I may subdue the foe; justice, that there may be equity; these things please me, in you. I will tell you, O man, what is good, and what does the Lord require of you. But to execute judgment and to love mercy, and to walk steadfastly with your God (Mic 6:8).
Second, he excludes confidence in the ceremonies of the Law, and particularly in circumcision, which is the chiefest and even comes from the patriarchs, because it is imperfect, being only of the flesh and not of the heart. For this reason, they will be punished together with the uncircumcised. Behold, the days are coming. With a stiff neck, and uncircumcised ears and hearts you have always resisted the Holy Spirit (Acts 7:51).
Collations
Note that a man ought not to glory in wisdom (Jer 9:23), because it is transitory. The wisdom of his wise men shall perish, and the understanding of his prudent men shall be hidden (Isa 29:14). Because it is imperfect: I understood that man can find no reason for all the works of God that are done under the sun (Eccl 8:17). Because it is harmful: knowledge puffs up, but charity edifies (1 Cor 8:1). Because it is attended with much labor: in much wisdom is much indignation; and he who adds learning adds labor also (Eccl 1:18).
Also, one ought not to glory in strength (Jer 9:23), because it is fragile. Neither is my strength the strength of stones, nor is my flesh bronze (Job 6:12). Because it is frequently useless: I saw that under the sun the race is not to the swift, nor war to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to the teacher, nor favor to the craftsman; but time and chance happen to them all (Eccl 9:11). Because it is not pleasing to God: his desire will not be in the strength of the horse, nor his good pleasure in the legs of men (Ps 146:10). Because it is an occasion of sin: but let our strength be the law of justice; for what is weak is found useless (Wis 2:11).
Also, one ought not to glory in riches (Jer 9:23), because they are transitory: your riches are corrupted, and moths have eaten your clothing (Jas 5:2). Because they are insufficient: what does it profit a fool to have riches, when he cannot buy wisdom (Prov 17:16). Because they impede the word of God: the falseness of riches strangles the word, and he becomes fruitless (Matt 13:22). Because they are harmful: riches gathered are an evil to their owner (Eccl 5:12).
Chapter 10
The futility of idol-worship
Lecture 1
Impotence of idols
10:1 Hear the word which the Lord has spoken concerning you, O house of Israel.10:2 Thus says the Lord: do not learn according to the ways of the nations, and do not be afraid of the signs of heaven, which the nations fear.
10:3 Because the laws of the peoples are vain. For he cuts a tree from the forest; it is the work of the craftsman with an axe.
10:4 He adorns it with silver and gold, and joins it together with nails and hammers, that it may not fall apart.
10:5 They are made in the likeness of the palm tree, and they will not speak; they must be carried to move, because they cannot walk. Therefore, do not be afraid of them, for they can do neither evil nor good.
68. Here, he shows the dignity of the people, so that from this their guilt may appear the more serious and their punishment the more just.
It is divided into three parts.
In the first, he shows their dignity from the perspective of the divine majesty;
in the second, from that of the divine covenant: the word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord (Jer 11:1);
in the third from that of their repudiated connection, or protection: thus says the Lord to me (Jer 13:1).
Concerning the first, there are two points.
In the first, he shows their dignity in comparison with other peoples, from the very fact that they venerate the word of God;
in the second, he threatens punishment, because through their idolatry they have rejected the worship of God, at gather up your shame from the earth (Jer 10:17).
Concerning the first, there are two things.
First, he shows the difference between gods;
second, from this he infers the destruction of their worship, at every man is made a fool (Jer 10:14).
Concerning the first, there are three things.
First, he distinguishes the true God from the false gods, with regard to the majesty of God;
second, with regard to the span of eternity, at the teaching of their vanity (Jer 10:8);
third, with regard to the truth of divinity, at therefore, thus shall you speak to them (Jer 10:11).
Concerning the first, there are two things.
First, he shows the emptiness and the futility of idols;
second, the divine majesty, at there is none like you, O Lord (Jer 10:6).
Concerning the first, there are two things.
First, he sets forth the command that they should not bow down to idols, either by imitation of the nations—according to the ways—or by the greatness of the heavenly bodies: do not be afraid of the signs of heaven, such that you would believe there to be divinity in them, or that they have power over those things which depend on free will. Lest perhaps you lift your eyes to heaven, and you see the sun, and the moon, and all the stars of heaven, and taken by error, you pray to them, and worship what the Lord God has made to serve all the nations, which are under the heavens (Deut 4:19).
Second, he proves the proposition when he speaks of the futility of idols: the laws of the peoples, by which they bind themselves to idolatry, are vain, because they are useless, and lacking the truth of divine knowledge. Vain are all men in whom no knowledge of God lies hidden (Wis 13:1). He proves their vanity from the cheapness of their substance with regard to matter: for he cuts a tree. He fells the cedars, takes the holm and the oak, which had stood among the trees of the forest (Isa 44:14). With regard to their principal efficient cause: work of the craftsman, and instrumental, with an axe. They are unhappy, and their hope is among the dead, who call upon gods the work of the hands of men (Wis 13:10). He has made it with corners, and made it round with a compass, and made the image of a man, a beautiful man, as it were, dwelling in a house (Isa 44:13).
With regard to the form of beauty: with silver. Their timbers are polished by the carpenter, gilded and silvered; they are false, and cannot speak (Bar 6:7). And of composition: with nails and hammers. At that time, the worker in bronze, striking with his hammer, encouraged the one who was forging, saying, ‘It is ready for soldering’; he strengthened it with nails, so that it should not be moved (Isa 41:7).
He proves it also from the weakness of the work, which has no sensitive or intellective operation: in the likeness of the palm tree, which does not perceive, however beautiful it may be; and they will not speak, with regard to an act of the reason; carried, namely, by others, because they cannot walk, with regard to the operation of the sensitive soul. They have a mouth, but will not speak; they have eyes, but they will not see; they have ears, but they will not hear; they have nostrils, but they will not smell; they have hands, but they will not feel; they have feet, but they will not walk; there is no voice in their throat (Ps 115:5).
Third, he draws the intended conclusion: therefore, do not be afraid, because some gods were worshiped so they would do good, others, so that they would not do evil. Do something, either good or bad, if you are able, and we will speak, and see together (Isa 41:23).
Lecture 2
God’s greatness
10:6 There is none like you, O Lord; you are great, and great is your name in strength.10:7 Who will not fear you, O king of the nations? For yours is the honor; among all the wise of the nations and amidst all their kingdoms, there is none like you.
10:8a The stupid and the foolish shall be tested alike.
69. Here, he shows the majesty of God’s dominion.
First, he shows each power: great, in himself, and great is your name, in the esteem of men. From this he infers fear: who will not fear? Above: therefore, will you not fear me, says the Lord, and will you not be dismayed before my face? (Jer 5:22).
Second, he shows his singular knowledge:
first, excluding equality in wisdom: for yours is the honor. Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, honor, and power, and might be to our God for ages of ages. Amen (Rev 7:12).
Second, he shows their foolishness in comparison with the divine wisdom: and amidst all their kingdoms, there is none like you.
The stupid, in divine matters; the foolish, in human affairs. The wisdom of this world is foolishness with God (1 Cor. 3:19).
Lecture 3
Idols lack eternity
10:8b The teaching of their vanity is wood.10:9 Sheets of silver rolled up they bring from Tharsis, and gold from Ophir: the work of the craftsman and his hand of bronze. Their garments are blue and purple; all these the work of a craftsman.
10:10 But the Lord is the true God. He is the living God, and king eternal. The earth will tremble at his indignation, and the nations shall not endure his threatening.
70. Here, he makes clear the difference with regard to eternity.
First, he shows the inception of the idols with regard to their substance, because they are made of wood: the teaching of their vanity, of the wise among the nations, is wood, that is, an idol made from wood. And from this, their vain wisdom is discerned.
And with regard to those which are of silver: silver; and with regard to those which are of gold: gold from Ophir: the work, as these indeed are, of the craftsman, and the work of his hand, as it were, even cheap work. The idols of the nations are silver and gold—the work of men’s hands (Ps 113:12). And with regard to their adornment: blue, for what is made is understood to have had a beginning. But you cover them with purple garments, and wipe their face because of the dust of the house, which is very much among them (Bar 6:12).
Second, he sets forth God’s eternity, joining it to his truth and majesty, because he is the true God and eternal. The eternal God who created the ends of the earth will not fail (Isa 40:28). From these things, he infers fear: the earth will tremble at his indignation, as though he were saying, “Even such things as are insensible of his wrath will feel it,” and they shall not endure for the greatness of their fear. The earth is moved and shaken; the foundations of the mountains are troubled (Ps 17:8).
Lecture 4
God’s power to create
10:11 Therefore, thus shall you speak to them: may the gods, who did not make the heavens and the earth, perish from the earth, and from those places which are under heaven.10:12 He who makes the earth by his might, and prepares the world by his wisdom, and by his knowledge stretches out the heavens.
10:13 At his word, he gives an abundance of waters in heaven, and raises the clouds from the ends of the earth; he makes the lightning in the rain, and leads forth the wind from his storehouses.
71. Here, he makes clear the difference with regard to the truth of divinity.
He first excludes the truth of divinity from the idols, showing that there is no divine operation in them: therefore, thus shall you speak to them, to the worshipers of idols. For this reason, the word is written in the Chaldean language in Hebrew text: perish, that is, let their worship cease. The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament makes known the work of his hands (Ps 18:1).
Second, he shows that divine operation exists in God:
first, with regard to creation of the essential parts of the world: he who makes the earth, with regard to the lowest things; the world, with regard to the highest. The Lord founded the earth with wisdom, and established the heavens with understanding (Prov 3:19). He stretches out the heavens like a tent; he covers his upper chambers with water (Ps 103:2–3).
Second, with regard to the passions of the air, so that not only would it be believed that prior things come to be from first things, as certain philosophers say, but further, that he is the author of all things and at work in all things.
First, with regard to those things which come to be from moist matter, such as clouds and rain: at his word, at his command, from the ends, because of the abundance of water around the earth.
Second, with regard to those things which are made of moist and dry matter: lightning. He changes the order, because rain frequently follows lightning.
Third, with regard to those things which are made from dry matter: and leads forth the wind from his storehouses, from hidden causes, and also, the place in which they are generated. He brings forth the clouds from the ends of the earth; he makes lightning in the rain (Ps 134:7).
Lecture 5
Idols make men fools
10:14 Every man is made a fool because of his knowledge, and the craftsman is confounded by his graven image, for what he has cast is false, and there is no breath in them.10:15 They are vain and worthy of derision; in the time of visitation they shall perish.
10:16 The portion of Jacob is not like these; for it is he who formed all things, and Israel is the rod of his inheritance; the Lord of hosts is his name.
72. Here, he infers the destruction of false worship.
First, he speaks of the shame of idolatry with regard to its foolishness: is made a fool, as became apparent, because of his knowledge from which he made the idol. God made the wisdom of this world to be foolishness (1 Cor 1:20). And with regard to the punishment of shame: is confounded. Let all who worship graven images be put to shame, and all those who glory in their idols (Ps 96:7). And he gives the cause from the falsity of the idols: for what he has cast is false in its emptiness and vain also in its end.
In the time of visitation they shall perish. What was made, together with him who made it, shall suffer torment (Wis 14:10).
Second, he excludes the glory of the Jews: the portion of Jacob is not like these. The Lord is the portion of my inheritance and my cup; it is you who restores my inheritance to me (Ps 15:5) because the happiness of all things is his portion. My portion is the Lord, said my soul, therefore I shall wait for him (Lam 3:24). The rod of his inheritance, his scepter, as it were, because his is a hereditary kingdom. Alternatively, rod, as a lot. But the portion of the Lord is his people, Jacob is the rope of his inheritance (Deut 32:9).
Lecture 6
Threat of exile
10:17 Gather up your shame from the earth, you who dwell in a siege.10:18 For thus says the Lord: behold, at this time, I shall cast the inhabitants of this land afar off, and I shall trouble them such that they may not be found.
10:19 Woe to me, because of my wound; my wound is very grievous. But I said: certainly, this is my sickness, and I will bear it.
10:20 My tent is laid waste; all my cords are pulled up; my sons have gone from me, and are not. There is none who stretches out my tent anymore or sets up the skins of my dwelling.
73. Here, he threatens them with punishment, because they have not preserved this dignity.
First, he threatens punishment;
second, the prophet seeks mercy when he says, I know, O Lord, that a man’s way is not his own (Jer 10:23).
Concerning the first, there are three things.
First, punishment is threatened;
second, the cause of the punishment, at for the shepherds have done foolishly (Jer 10:21);
third, the order of the punishment: behold, the sound of a noise comes (Jer 10:22).
Concerning the first, there are two things.
First, the Lord foretells that the punishment will be a siege: gather, in the city, from the earth, from the fields, shame, that is, your fruits, which are worthy of shame. I shall surely gather them, says the Lord (Jer 8:13).
And the punishment of captivity: for thus says the Lord: behold, at this time, I shall cast the inhabitants of this land afar off—it is as though he were saying, “I shall not spare them any longer”—such that they may not be found, in the city, or because the greater part of them has died. You have utterly rejected us (Lam 5:22).
Second, the people, terrified by this, lament the future punishment:
first, in general, lamenting the punishment: woe to me. Below: your breach is incurable (Jer 30:12), because of their sins. And he promises patience: but I said: certainly, this is my sickness, due to me because of my sins, and I will bear it, patiently. I shall bear the anger of the Lord, for I have sinned against him (Mic 7:9).
Second, in particular with regard to the destruction of their houses: tent, because houses are destroyed as easily as tents; cords, by which the tent is drawn out. My tents are destroyed suddenly and my skins in a moment (Jer 4:20). And with regard to the affliction of the inhabitants: my sons, they have gone out from you on foot led by the enemy (Bar 5:6). There is none who stretches out—there is no one who may rebuild.
Lecture 7
Shepherds’ foolishness
10:21 For the shepherds have done foolishly, and have not sought the Lord; therefore, they have not understood, and their whole flock is scattered.74. Here, he outlines the communal punishment in order, because the sins of the rulers are the cause of their blindness. Their wickedness has blinded them (Wis 2:21). And this is the cause of the destruction of the people. If the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit (Matt 15:14). My sheep are scattered because there was no shepherd, and they have become prey for all the beasts of the field, and they are scattered (Ezek 34:5).
Lecture 8
Noise from the north
10:22 Behold, the sound of a noise comes, and a great shaking from the land of the north, that he may turn the cities of Judah into wilderness and the habitation of dragons.75. Here, he determines the order of the punishment, pre-signifying the enemy who is to come from the north. From the north shall spread every evil upon the inhabitants of the land (Jer 1:14).
Lecture 9
Plea for mercy
10:23 I know, O Lord, that a man’s way is not his own, nor does it pertain to a man to walk and direct his steps.10:24 Correct me, O Lord, but with judgment, and not in your wrath, lest you bring me to nothing.
10:25 Pour forth your indignation upon the nations which have not known you, and upon the provinces which have not called upon your name, for they have eaten up Jacob, and devoured him; they have consumed him, and wasted his beauty.
76. Here, he seeks mercy.
First, he shows the necessity of seeking it: a man’s way is not his own, with regard to choice; to walk, with regard to execution; direct, with regard to ordering his steps to an end. And so it is in our power neither to resist nor to attack the Chaldean, but all depends upon your disposition. With the Lord are a man’s steps directed, and he shall delight in his way (Ps 36:23). The heart of man sets his way in order, but it is the Lord’s to direct his steps (Prov 16:9).
Second, he gives the petition by which he seeks mercy for the people: correct me with judgment, with your wonted mercy, and not with the condemnation, of which the Psalm speaks: do not enter into judgment with your servant, O Lord, for no one living will be justified in your sight (Ps 142:2); and not in your wrath, according to the measure of due retribution, lest you bring me to nothing, for it would be just for one who sins against God to be forsaken by him, and thus to tend towards nothingness. In saying this, he does not act contrary to the commandment given above; you, therefore, do not pray for the good of this people (Jer 14:11), for he does not pray that they should not be punished, but that they should not be utterly annihilated. Lord, do not rebuke me in your fury, nor chasten me in your wrath (Ps 37:1).
But he seeks wrath for the enemy: pour forth your indignation, and he gives the reason: for they have eaten up. Pour forth your wrath upon the nations which have not known you, and upon the kingdoms that have not called upon your name; because they have eaten up Jacob, and laid waste his dwelling place (Ps 78:6–7).
Collations
Note that man is a fool (Jer 10:14) from the perspective of God’s knowledge because of the pride of his heart: those who say they are wise have become foolish (Rom 1:22); because of his curiosity to inquire after things: much reading has driven you mad (Acts 26:24); because of the uncertainty of knowledge: your knowledge and your wisdom have deceived you (Isa 47:10); because of the perversity of his works: for you have blinded them with their wickedness (Wis 2:21).
Also, note that one should bear divine chastisement patiently (Jer 10:19) because of the good will of the one who chastises: my son, do not reject the discipline of the Lord, nor rebel when you are chastened by him (Prov 3:11); because of his knowledge of our wrongdoing: I shall bear the anger of the Lord, for I have sinned against him (Mic 7:9); because of the expectation of reward: blessed is the man who endures temptation, for when he has been tried he will receive the crown of life which God has promised to those who love him (Jas 1:12); because of the futility of grumbling: why has a living man murmured, a man suffering for his sins? (Lam 3:39).
Chapter 11
Israel’s broken covenant
Lecture 1
The covenant recalled
11:1 The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying:11:2 Hear the words of this covenant, and speak to the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem,
11:3 and you shall say to them: thus says the Lord God of Israel: cursed is the man who will not hearken to the words of this covenant,
11:4 which I commanded to your fathers, on the day when I led them from the land of Egypt, from the furnace of iron, saying: hear my voice, and do all that I command you, and you shall be my people, and I will be your God:
11:5 That I may stir up the oath which I swore to your fathers, that I would give them a land flowing with milk and honey, as it is today. And I answered, and said: amen, O Lord.
11:6 And the Lord said to me: proclaim all these words in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem, saying: hear the words of this covenant, and do them.
77. Here, he shows the dignity of the people from the fact that, having entered into a covenant with God, they were leagued together.
First, he speaks of the covenant, and he threatens punishment to those who transgress it.
Second, he examines the justice of punishing them: indeed, you are just, O Lord (Jer 12:1).
Concerning the first, there are two points.
First, he sets forth the covenant;
second, their transgression of the covenant, at for I strongly warned (Jer 11:7).
Concerning the first, there are two points.
First, the prophet is urged to proclaim: hear, which is addressed to you and those who are with you; they are good, and as such, are in a sense privileged.
And you shall say to them. Ezekiel speaks of this covenant: I have covered your shame, and sworn to you, and entered into a covenant with you, says the Lord God, and you are mine (Ezek 16:18).
Second, the people are urged to keep the covenant.
First, he sets forth two reasons:
the first of which he takes from the punishment of those who transgress: cursed is the man. Cursed is the man who will not abide in the words of this law, and not fulfill them in deed (Deut 27:26).
And he shows the justice of the punishment: on the day when I led them from the land of Egypt—it is as though he were saying, “It is just to punish them, who are ungrateful after having received so many kindnesses”; from the furnace, so called because of their affliction, of iron, because of the cruel domination. But the Lord took you from the iron furnace of Egypt, so that he might have a people of inheritance, as you are today (Deut 4:20). Then, he speaks of the form of the covenant: saying—in which he asks for something, namely, obedience—hear, and he promises something, namely the glory of friendship with God: and you shall be my people, and I will be your God. Above: this thing did I command them, saying: hear my voice, and I will be a God to you, and you shall be my people (Jer 7:23).
The second reason he takes from the reward of those who obey: that I may stir up, what had almost become void, because of the coming captivity; with milk, because of the abundance of animals, and honey, because of the abundance of plants springing from the earth. Alternatively, through hyperbole, an abundance of every good thing is signified by these two. That you may increase yet more in a land flowing with milk and honey, as the Lord God of your fathers has promised you (Deut 6:3).
Second, he gives the assent of the prophet: I answered, amen, that is, you have truly done what you promised: and all the people shall say, amen (Deut 27:26).
Third, the conclusion is drawn that they should give heed: and the Lord said. Raise your voice in strength (Isa 40:9).
Lecture 2
The covenant’s transgression
11:7 For I strongly warned your fathers, on the day when I brought them forth from the land of Egypt until this day; rising early I warned them, and said: listen to my voice.11:8 But they did not listen, nor did they incline their ear, but turned away, each one in the depravity of his own evil heart; and I brought all the words of this covenant upon them, which I commanded them to do, and they did not do.
11:9 And the Lord said to me: a conspiracy has been found among the men of Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
11:10 They have turned back to the former iniquities of their fathers, and they refused to listen to my words; therefore, they have gone after strange gods, that they might serve them; the house of Israel and the house of Judah have made void my covenant, which I made with their fathers.
78. Here, he shows how they have transgressed the covenant:
first, by sinning against God;
second, by sinning against the prophet, at but you, O Lord, have shown me, and I have known (Jer 11:18).
Concerning the first, there are two points.
First, he sets forth their guilt;
second, he threatens punishment, at therefore, thus says the Lord (Jer 11:11).
Concerning the first point, there are three things.
First, his diligent admonition is shown: from the oath: I strongly warned, as though adjuring them; and from the time being uninterrupted: on the day when I brought them forth; and further, from the appropriateness of the time: rising early, when man is more disposed to understand. Though I have spoken to you rising early and speaking (Jer 7:13).
Second, the transgression of the disobedient people is mentioned: but they did not listen. All have turned aside to their own way, each one to his greed, from the greatest to the least (Isa 56:11).
Third is set forth the aggravation of their guilt through stubbornness: and I brought upon them, because they were corrected neither by the punishments nor by the blessings contained in the covenant of the law that had been revealed to them. For I called, and you refused; I stretched out my hand, and there was none who would look; you despised all my counsel, and ignored my rebukes. I also shall laugh at your destruction, and mock when your fear comes upon you (Prov 1:24–26).
From the conspiracy: a conspiracy has been found—it is as though he were saying, “All have sinned alike, just as if they had conspired at it.” For a conspiracy is an agreement strengthened by an oath to do something. Everything which this people speaks is a conspiracy (Isa 8:12).
And from habit, they have turned back. They have turned back that they may be without yoke, they have become like a treacherous bow (Hos 7:16).
Fourth, the conclusion is drawn: have made void. But they like Adam have transgressed the covenant, they have rebelled against me (Hos 6:7). She has forsaken the guide of her youth, and forgotten the covenant of her God (Prov 2:17).
Lecture 3
Inescapable punishment
11:11 Therefore, thus says the Lord: behold I shall bring evil upon them, from which they shall not be able to escape; and they shall cry to me, but I will not hear them.11:12 And the cities of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem shall go and cry to the gods for whom they pour out drink offerings, and they shall not save them in the time of their affliction.
11:13 For according to the number of your cities, O Judah, were your gods, and according to the number of the streets of Jerusalem have you erected altars to your shame, altars to pour out drink offerings to the Baalim.
11:14 Therefore, you shall not pray for this people; take up no praise, or prayer for them, for I will not hear them in the time of their cry unto me, in the time of their affliction.
11:15 Why is it that my beloved has done much wickedness in my house? Will the sacred flesh take away your wickedness in which you gloried?
11:16 The Lord called your name an abundant olive tree, beautiful, fruitful, and fair. At the sound of a great word, a fire was kindled in her, and her branches were burnt.
11:17 And the Lord of hosts, who planted you, has spoken evil concerning you, for the evils of the house of Israel, and the house of Judah, which they did to provoke me, pouring out drink offerings to the Baalim.
79. Here, he threatens an inescapable punishment for incorrigible guilt.
First, he speaks of the punishment: behold I. He who draws himself out of the pit shall be taken by the snare (Isa 24:18).
Second, he excludes escape as a means of aid:
first, because they will not be helped by their own prayers poured out to God: they shall cry to me, but I will not hear them. They will call upon me, and I will not listen (Prov 1:28).
Neither will they be helped by prayers poured out to idols: and the cities of Judah shall go. They are ignorant who raise the image of their idol, and pray to a lord who cannot save (Isa 45:20).
And he adds the multitude of their idols: for according to the number of your cities, O Judah, were your gods. You have made a brothel on every street, and at the head of every street you have built an image of your prostitution (Ezek 16:31). The same is said above (Jer 2:28).
Not even by the prayers of others: therefore, you shall not pray for this people; take up no praise, as if by praising me for being merciful, you might induce me to show mercy. How long shall you mourn for Saul, when I have rejected him from reigning over Israel (1 Sam 16:1). The same is said above (Jer 7:16).
Second, that they will not be helped by the offering of sacrifices. He ascribes the reason to their rejection: why is it that my beloved, the people of Judah; in my house, there in the temple, worshiping idols. What do you think, O son of man, do you see, what these men do, the great abominations which the house of Israel does here, so that they may depart afar off from my sanctuary (Ezek 8:6). Here, he speaks of the rejection of the sacrifices: will the flesh, of sacrificed animals. It is impossible to take away sins with the blood of goats and bulls (Heb 10:4).
Third, he shows that they will not be helped by their own efforts. Concerning this, there are two things.
First, he recalls their former glory: an abundant olive tree, with regard to the abundance of her branches, by which is signified the multitude of the people; beautiful, with regard to greenness of color, by which is meant flourishing prosperity, and the vigorous strength of the mind; fruitful, with regard to the bounty of fruits, by which is meant the abundance of great good works; fair, with regard to the arrangement of the parts, by which is signified the proper ordering of the people. The Lord called, that such renown should go forth from you from every place. His glory shall be like the olive, and his fragrance like the Lebanon (Hos 14:6).
Second, he predicts their future punishment:
first, when he sets forth the punishment itself: at the sound of a word, that is, at the command of Nebuchadnezzar; in her, that is, the house of Israel; a fire was kindled in her, literally; her branches, men, and those things which pertained to them. Alternatively, of a great word, because from such an address you thought grand things of yourself, and therefore deserved punishment. I would march against it in battle, and set it on fire in like manner (Isa 27:4).
Second, the power of the one who punishes: the Lord of hosts. The Lord puts to death and gives life; he brings down to hell, and brings back again (1 Sam 2:6).
Third, he gives the cause: for the evils. They have provoked me by that which was no god, and incited me with their vanities; I also shall provoke them by that which is no people, and incite them with a foolish nation (Deut 32:21).
Lecture 4
Jeremiah’s persecution
11:18 But you, O Lord, have shown me, and I have known; then you disclosed to me their intentions.11:19 And I was gentle, like a lamb brought as a sacrifice: and I did not know that they took counsel against me, saying: let us put wood in his bread, and let us cut him off from the land of the living, and his name shall be remembered no more.
11:20 But you, O Lord Sabaoth, who judges justly, and tests the reins and the heart, let me see your vengeance upon them; for to you have I revealed my cause.
11:21 Therefore, thus says the Lord to the men of Anathoth, who seek your soul, and they say: do not prophecy in the name of the Lord, and you shall not die in our hands.
11:22 Therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts: behold, I shall visit this upon them: the young men shall die by the sword, and their sons and their daughters shall die of hunger.
11:23 And there shall be no remnant of them; for I will bring this evil upon the men of Anathoth, the year of their visitation.
80. Here, he shows how they have transgressed by sinning against the prophet himself, and certainly what is said suits Jeremiah literally, who came to be hated by the people because of the evils which he predicted; but the persecution of Jeremiah prefigures the passion of Christ, as the Gloss says. This seems, however, to go against the opinion above, in which we have applied what was said to Christ and not to Jeremiah. But all the prophets did most things as a type of the Savior, and what is fulfilled in the present in Jeremiah is prophesied about the Lord in the future.
Concerning this, therefore, there are three things.
For first, the prophet sets forth the guilt of his adversaries:
first, the revelation of their communal guilt: you have shown, by interior revelation; you disclosed, by external signs, their intentions, their machinations against me. With his strong hand he taught me that I might not go in the way of this people (Isa 8:11).
And he sets forth the necessity of the revelation, inasmuch as the deliberative faculty of itself could neither know, nor suspect, because of his innocence, which did not deserve such things. And I was like a lamb: and I did not know. Even Christ as man along the way received that knowledge from God, by which he knew all things through the grace of the hypostatic union, just as others receive what they know through the grace of revelation. As a lamb before the shearer is silent, and opens not his mouth (Isa 53:7). For who knows the things that are in a man but the spirit of man, which is in him (1 Cor 2:11). The Lord knows the thoughts of man, that they are vain (Ps 93:11). Let us put wood, that is, yew wood, so that poisoned in this way he would die, let us cut him off, so that no memory of him remains, like a tablet whose previous writing has been erased. Mystically, it is the body of Christ on the wood of the cross; alternatively, wood in his bread, that is, through the wood of the cross let us stir up scandal at his doctrine, which is bread. He was cut off from the earth (Isa 53:8).
Second, the prophet seeks vindication, and he mentions the power and the authority by which this is possible: but you, O Lord Sabaoth, that is, of hosts: the justice by which he wills; who judges justly, the knowledge by which he knows it; and tests the reins, the affections, and the heart, that is, the thoughts; let me see your vengeance upon them, from the person of Christ, on those who are stubborn, for he prays for others. Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do (Luke 23:34). You have seen, O Lord, their iniquity against me, judge my cause (Lam 3:59). And he gives the reason: for to you have I revealed, not as to one who did not know, but trusting my whole cause to you. Cast your care upon the Lord, and he will sustain you (Ps 54:22).
Third, the Lord threatens punishment:
first, he takes up their malice again: therefore, thus says the Lord to the men of Anathoth, who seek your soul, to kill you. Those who sought my soul have done violence (Ps 37:13). And he adds the cause of this malice: and they say: do not prophecy, as though you will only be able to avoid death if you stop prophesying. Who say to the seers, do not see (Isa 30:10).
Second, he threatens the punishment:
first, foretelling the visitation: therefore, thus says the Lord. I shall visit their iniquities with a rod, and their sins with stripes (Ps 88:32).
Second, the determination of their punishment: their . . . young men. Below: those who are for the sword, to the sword, and those who are for famine, to famine (Jer 15:2).
Third, the power of the one who punishes them: I will bring this evil upon them—I who am able. Bring upon them the day of affliction, and destroy them with a double destruction (Jer 17:18). Mystically, the men of Anathoth, which means “obedience,” signifies the men of Jerusalem, who, once obedient to the Lord, afterwards persecuted Christ.
Collations
Note that the olive tree (Jer 11:16) is called holy because of fatness, by which is signified devotion: you have been made a partaker in the root, and fatness of the olive tree (Rom 11:17); because of the excellence of the oil, by which is signified contemplation: these are the two sons of oil, who stand beside the Lord of the whole earth (Zech 4:14). And he made for the oracle two cherubim from olive wood, ten cubits in height (1 Kgs 6:23). Because of the greenness of its leaves, by which is signified the strength of the mind: the dove returned at evening, carrying the branch of a green olive tree in her mouth (Gen 8:11); because of its fertility, by which is signified an abundance of good works: but I am like a fruitful olive tree in the house of God, I have hoped in the mercy of God forever, and unto ages of ages (Ps 51:10); because of its beauty, by which is signified the glory of the saints: as a beautiful olive tree in the fields, and like a plane tree I am exalted by the waters (Sir 24:19). His glory will be like the olive tree, and his fragrance like the Lebanon (Hos 14:6).
Chapter 12
God’s justice in punishing
Lecture 1
Why do the wicked prosper?
12:1 Indeed, you are just, O Lord, if I should contend with you: yet I will speak what is just to you. Why does the way of the wicked prosper, and why does it go well for all who transgress, and deal unjustly?12:2 You planted them, and they sent out roots; they grow and bear fruit; you are close to their mouth, and far from their reins.
12:3 And you, O Lord, have known me, you have seen me, and tested my heart with you. Gather them like a flock to the sacrifice, and sanctify them for the day of slaughter.
12:4 How long shall the earth mourn, and the herb of every field be dried up, because of the evil of those who dwell in them? The beast and the bird are consumed, for they said, ‘He shall not see our last end.’
12:5 If you have labored running with footmen, how shall you be able to contend with horses? Although you were secure in a land of peace, what will you do in the swelling of the Jordan?
12:6 For both your brothers, and the house of your father, even they have fought against you, and cried after you with a loud voice; do not believe them, when they speak good to you.
81. Here, the prophet discusses the justice of the one who punishes.
First, the argument of the prophet is considered.
Second, the Lord’s response is considered, at I have left my house (Jer 12:7).
Concerning the first, there are three points.
First, he strives to gain a kindly hearing for himself from the person of the judge: indeed, you are just, O Lord. You are just, O Lord, and righteous is your judgment (Ps 118:37). And from the integrity of his case: yet I will speak what is just to you. I would speak to the Almighty, and I desire to contend with God (Job 13:3). And so both of them take on the role of an opponent. But Habakkuk takes up the role of the respondent: I will stand over my watch, and I will set my foot upon the rampart (Hab 2:1).
Second, he sets forth the case with regard to the adversaries, and he points out their prosperity with regard to temporal abundance: why does the way, the course, of the wicked, because of their infidelity, who transgress, by acting against the Law, and deal unjustly, against their neighbor. The tents of robbers abound, and they boldly provoke God, although it is he who has given everything into their hand (Job 12:6). I was jealous of the wicked, when I saw the peace of sinners (Ps 72:3).
And he sets forth the case with regard to the argument of prosperity: you planted, in temporal goods; and he speaks by analogy of a tree: they sent out roots, when their prosperity had been established; they grow, as a tree grows, through the increase of prosperity; and bear fruit, fulfilling in deed what they propose to do in their mind. Why do the wicked live, raised on high, and strengthened with riches? (Job 12:7). And he exposes their wickedness: you are close to their mouth, and far from their reins, their affections—these two things together seem opposed to divine justice. This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me (Isa 29:13). By which one may understand that for their imperfect good works they receive an imperfect recompense.
Moreover, he allows him to understand justice from his own perspective: and you, O Lord, have known, from eternity; you have seen, how I walk uprightly before you; and even though I say these things, I nonetheless do not experience in them an inducement to sin. Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you (Jer 1:5). He also allows him to understand correction: you have tested—having been tried by hardship, I have been found to walk with you. You have tried my heart, and visited me in the night; you have tested me with fire, and there was no iniquity found in me (Ps 16:3).
Third, he shows the punishment by way of his prayer:
first, he prays for the infliction of punishment: gather them—it is as though he were saying, “Because you are just, and it cannot be that you should not punish the wicked.” For this reason, you exalt them with success, just as one who fattens a flock for the slaughter. Therefore, gather them from that by which they were made fat and unjust, by which is signified that they were besieged at the time of Passover, when they had come into the city. Sanctify them—he speaks by analogy of the animals who were being killed for sacrifice. The sacrifice of the Lord in Bozrah, and a great slaughter in the land of Edom (Isa 34:6).
And he excludes a deferral of the punishment, because it is time that they be punished in their own persons, not in their possessions, nor in what springs forth from the earth: how long shall the earth mourn? I have turned rivers into a desert, and springs of water into dry ground; fruitful land into a field of salt, for the wickedness of those who dwell in it (Ps 106:33–34). Or in their animals: the beast is consumed. The Lord has forsaken the land, and the Lord does not see (Ezek 9:9).
Second, as though having overheard it, he speaks of an insult against those who are to be punished:
first, from the side of the enemy with regard to their power: if you have labored running with footmen, how shall you be able to contend with horses? It is as though he were saying, “If the neighboring peoples who fight on foot have given you much trouble, how will you be able to resist the Chaldeans and Egyptians who are mighty in horses?” The snow shall rush upon them that fear the frost (Job 6:16). And regarding the land of their captivity: although you were secure in a land of peace, that is, even though you always had peace in your land, what will you do, when you are across the Jordan, whose waters are swollen, because they are proud? Let him who glories in his substance, fear poverty (Sir 10:34).
Second, with regard to those joined by blood, he recalls their former injustice: for both your brothers, the Idumeans, and the house, the Moabites and the Ammonites. The sons of my mother fought against me (Song 1:6). And he gives a word of caution: do not believe them, when they speak good to you, as though wishing to be allied to you to resist the Chaldeans. Make bands and chains for yourself and put them on your neck, and send them to the king of Edom, and to the king of Moab (Jer 27:2–3). Each one guards himself from his neighbor, and has no confidence in any brother; because every brother shall surely supplant, and every friend shall walk deceitfully. And a man shall deride his brother, and they will not speak the truth (Jer 9:4–5).
Lecture 2
The forsaken inheritance
12:7 I have left my house, I have forsaken my inheritance; I have given my beloved soul into the hands of her enemies.12:8 My inheritance has become for me like a lion in the forest; she gave forth her voice against me, therefore have I hated her.
12:9a Is my inheritance as a speckled bird to me? Is it as a bird dyed throughout?
82. Here, he gives the Lord’s response.
First, he speaks of the threat of punishment.
Second, he speaks of the consolation of the punishment, at thus says the Lord (Jer 12:14).
Concerning the first, there are two points.
First, he threatens punishment with regard to the loss of divine assistance: I have left my house, the temple, so that I may not defend, my inheritance, the people of Israel. My inheritance is Israel (Isa 19:25). I will leave my people and depart from them. For they are all adulterers, an assembly of transgressors (Jer 9:2). And with regard to the oppression of the enemy: I have given my beloved, that is, the Jews, whom I loved as my own soul.
Second, he speaks of their guilt:
first, signifying the magnitude of their guilt: my inheritance, the people, has become for me like a lion, fierce to attack me. She gave forth her voice, to blasphemy. He lies in wait in secret, like a lion in his den (Ps 9:30).
Second, he wonders at their inconstancy of mind: is my inheritance as a speckled bird to me? It is as though he were saying, “Sometimes they cleave to me, and sometimes to idols”; dyed, with the uncleanness of sin, throughout, because they are all evil. How long will you waver between to opinions? If the Lord himself is God, follow him; but if Baal, follow him (1 Kgs 18:21). Alternatively, the phrase could be sentiment. For do I not hold her as dearly as the beautiful birds of this kind, so that I will not cast her away in the end? So that the various colors then refer to beauty. I have clothed you with many colors, and shod you with blue (Ezek 16:10).
Alternatively, when he says, I have left my house, these could be the words of the prophet who, in order to announce the word of God, exposed himself to mortal danger and, having left home and native land, had endured snares from his compatriots, who were like lions, diverse in their treachery and filled with malice. Mystically, they are the words of Christ, who is said to leave his home and native land in coming into the world, because he presented himself in the form of one leaving, when he hid his majesty in weakness. Inheritance, his celestial homeland.
Collations
The wicked prosper (Jer 12:1) because of the loss of their inheritance. Abraham gave all that he had to Isaac his son, but to the sons of the concubines he gave gifts (Gen 25:5). Because of their imperfect remuneration: amen I say to you, they have received their reward (Matt 6:2). Because they are not worthy of divine correction: my indignation shall rest upon you, and my zeal shall be taken from you (Ezek 16:42). I will not punish your daughters when they fornicate, or your wives when they commit adultery (Hos 4:14). If you are without discipline, of which you have all been made partakers, then you are illegitimate and not true sons (Heb 12:8). Because of the hopelessness of their illness: your wound is great like the sea. Who shall heal you? (Lam 2:13). Your breach is incurable, your wound very grievous (Jer 30:12). Because of their dejection: but for treachery you have put it to them, you have cast them down while they were being lifted up (Ps 72:18). Because of this God handed them over to a reprobate mind, that they might do what is not fitting (Rom 1:28).
Lecture 3
The desolate vineyard
12:9b Come, gather together, all you beasts of the earth; make haste to devour.12:10 Many shepherds have torn down my vineyard, they have trampled my portion, they have made my pleasant field an empty wilderness.
12:11 They have made it a desolation, and it has mourned for me; the whole earth is desolate with desolation, because there is none who considers within his heart.
12:12 The spoilers have come upon every way of the desert, because the sword of the Lord shall devour from one end of the earth to the other, and there is no peace for all flesh.
83. Here, he threatens punishment in particular.
First, he threatens the punishment of captivity.
Second, he threatens the punishment of the sterility of the land, at they have sown wheat, and harvested thorns (Jer 12:13).
Concerning the first point, there are three things.
First, he determines the punishment, describing the magnitude of the slain: to devour, the multitude of dead bodies. Thus says the Lord God: speak to every fowl and every bird, and to all the beasts of the field: assemble together and make haste; run together from every side to my sacrifice, which I offer for you—a great sacrifice on the mountains of Israel, that you may eat flesh and drink blood. You shall eat the flesh of the strong and drink the blood of the princes of the earth (Ezek 39:17–18).
Then he describes the affliction of the enemy with regard to the slain: many shepherds, that is, the princes of the Chaldeans. Shepherds and their flocks shall come to her (Jer 6:3). Vineyard: the house of Israel. For the vineyard of the Lord is the house of Israel (Isa 5:7). Alternatively, shepherds, the princes of the people, have torn down, by slaughter. And with regard to those oppressed by slavery and captivity: they have trampled. I will take away its hedge, and it will be destroyed (Isa 5:5). And the desolation of the land: they have made my field . . . and it has mourned for me (Jer 12:10–11) albeit too late. And she will say: I will go, and return to my first husband, because it was better for me then than now (Hos 2:7).
Second, he speaks of the cause of their punishment: the whole earth is desolate with desolation, because there is none who considers, the commands of God and his benefits. For this my people is led captive, because they had no knowledge (Isa 5:13).
Third, he gives the measure of the punishment.
First, he shows the multitude of the enemy: upon every way—it is as though he were saying, “They fill all the roads,” of the desert, which is between Jerusalem and Babylon. A burning wind is on the roads, which are in the desert of the way of the daughter of my people, not to winnow, or to cleanse (Jer 4:11).
Second, he shows the multitude of the slain: because the sword, either of illness or even of the Chaldeans. My sword shall devour flesh (Deut 32:42).
Third, he shows the lack of consolation: there is no peace; it is as though he were saying, “No one will be exempt.” There is no peace for the wicked says the Lord God (Isa 48:22).
Lecture 4
Punishment of sterility
12:13 They have sown wheat, and harvested thorns; they have received an inheritance, and it did not profit them. You shall be ashamed of your fruits, because of the wrath of the fury of the Lord.84. Here, he threatens the punishment of sterility.
First, the futility of the seed: they have sown—it is as though he were saying, “The seeds will be corrupted.” Did you not sow good seed in your field (Matt 13:27). I waited for it to produce grapes, and it brought forth wild grapes (Isa 5:4).
Second, the loss of their inheritance: they have received an inheritance, and it did not profit them, because it was stolen by the enemy. Our inheritance has been turned over to strangers (Lam 5:2).
Third, he infers shame: you shall be ashamed, because of the failing of your crops. The vintage has mourned, the vine is weakened, and all who were joyful in heart have sighed (Isa 24:7).
Lecture 5
Mercy after punishment
12:14 Thus says the Lord against all my wicked neighbors who touch the inheritance which I distributed to my people Israel: behold, I shall uproot them from their land, and I shall uproot the house of Judah from their midst.12:15 And when I have uprooted them, I will turn and have mercy upon them, and bring them back; a man to his inheritance, and a man to his own land.
12:16 And it shall be, if they will diligently learn the ways of my people, so that they swear by my name: ‘As the Lord lives!’ As they taught my people to swear by Baal, then they shall be built up in the midst of my people.
12:17 But, if they will not hear, I shall uproot that nation with utter destruction and ruin, says the Lord.
85. Here, he speaks of the consolation that will arise from the punishment of the enemy; and concerning this three things.
First, he speaks of their removal to another country: who touch the inheritance, by harming it. He who touches you is like one who touches the apple of my eye (Zech 2:8). See, I have established you this day over nations and over kingdoms, so that you may root up and pull down, lay waste and scatter, build and plant (Jer 1:10).
Second, their deportation: and when I have uprooted, I will bring you back from the nations (Ezek 36:24).
Third, he speaks of their instruction, by the promise of good things if they do well: and it shall be, if they will diligently learn the ways of my people . . . they shall be built up; it is as though he were saying, “They shall be reckoned among my people,” because it pertains to conversion. And the threat of punishments: but, if they will not hear, I shall uproot that nation with utter destruction and ruin, that is, eternal ruin. If you are willing and will obey me, you shall eat the good things of the earth (Isa 1:19).
Collations
Note that the rulers destroy (Jer 12:10) the people through the perversity of their works: for the shepherds have done foolishly, and have not sought the Lord; therefore, they have not understood, and their whole flock is scattered (Jer 10:21); because of the falseness of their doctrine: my people have been a lost flock, their shepherds led them astray, and have made them wander in the mountains (Jer 50:6); because of the timidity of fear: O shepherd, and idol that forsakes the flock; the sword is upon his arm and upon his right eye (Zech 11:17); because of the austerity of their rule: you commanded with austerity and with power, and my sheep are scattered (Ezek 34:4–5); because of a slackening of care: I will raise up a shepherd in the land who will not visit the forsaken, nor seek the lost, nor heal the wounded, nor nourish what stands, but he shall eat the flesh of the fat, and break their hooves (Zech 11:16).
Chapter 13
Allegory of the girdle
Lecture 1
Jeremiah’s girdle
13:1 Thus says the Lord to me: go and acquire for yourself a linen girdle, and put it upon your loins, and you shall not put it in water.13:2 And I acquired a girdle according to the word of the Lord, and I put it upon my loins.
13:3 And the word of the Lord came to me a second time, saying:
13:4 take the girdle which you have acquired, which is around your loins, and rising, go to the Euphrates and hide it there in the cleft of the rock.
13:5 And I went and hid it in the Euphrates, as the Lord had commanded me.
13:6 And it happened after many days that the Lord said to me: arise, go to the Euphrates, and take from there the girdle, which I commanded you to hide there.
13:7 And I went to the Euphrates, and I dug and took the girdle from the place where I had hidden it; and behold, the girdle was corrupted, such that it was fit for no purpose.
86. Here, he shows the dignity of the people from their connection to God.
And it is divided into two parts.
In the first, he gives an analogy;
in the second, the application of the analogy, at and the word of the Lord came to me (Jer 13:8).
Concerning the first point, there are three things.
First, the reception of the people into divine familiarity is signified when he speaks of the Lord’s command: go—more exactly, go to the place where such things are sold—because God himself had first come to the people. Not as though we had loved God, but because he first loved us (1 John 4:10).
Acquire, from me, so that you may possess it with proper right, as a proprietor his inheritance. Moreover, my inheritance is Israel (Isa 19:25). For yourself, for your own use, as the people for the glory of God. I have formed this people for myself; they will tell forth my praise (Isa 43:21). A girdle, which cleaves to the loins, in which resides the concupiscence of love; in like manner the people are received into the divine love. With the cords of Adam I will draw them, with the cords of love (Hos 11:4). Linen, which is taken from the earth unwrought and beautified by human labor; in like manner, the people are beautified by divine labor. But passing by you, I saw you trampled in your own blood (Ezek 16:6).
And you shall not put it in water. Gird your loins like a man; I will inquire of you, answer me. Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? (Job 38:3).
And because divine things are mystically expressed through the deeds of the prophet, and not only through his words—for this reason, it is said, I have been represented in the hands of the prophets (Hos 12:10)—he gives further the fulfillment of the command: I acquired, by which is noted the prophet’s obedience. Noah was a just man, and perfect in his generations; he walked with God (Gen 6:9).
Second, the rejection of the people is signified: and the word of the Lord came to me a second time, saying:
take—from yourself; in the same manner I will cast the people away from me: go to the Euphrates—by which is signified the power of the Assyrians and Chaldeans, through whom the people were led captive. The Lord will bring upon them the waters of the river, many and mighty, the king of the Assyrians, and all his glory. And it will rise above all its channels, and overflow all its banks, and will go as a flood through Judah, and passing by, it shall come to the neck (Isa 8:7–8). Hide—like the people, hidden by the waters, as it were: he swallowed me; like a dragon he filled his belly with my tender meats, and he has cast me out (Jer 51:34)—in the cleft, lest it flow away with the water, by which is signified that there would be a future remnant of the people, and that they would not entirely perish. But I will not make an end (Jer 4:27).
Third, the restoration of the people is signified:
when the restoration itself is first signified—and it happened after many days—to signify that they will be many years in captivity. When seventy years shall be fulfilled in Babylon, I shall visit you, and stir up my good word upon you, and lead you back to this place (Jer 29:10). Take from there—in just this manner I will bring the people back. I shall certainly take you from among the nations, and I will gather you from every land, and lead you to your land (Ezek 36:24).
Second is signified the character of the people: and behold, the girdle was corrupted—in the same way, the power and beauty of the people had been consumed. Shall it be useful for any work? Even when it was whole it was not fit for work, how much more when fire has consumed it, and burned it. Shall any work be done with it? (Ezek 15:5).
Lecture 2
The allegory’s application
13:8 And the word of the Lord came to me, saying:13:9 thus says the Lord: thus shall I make the pride of Judah to rot, and the great pride of Jerusalem.
13:10 This wicked people, who refuse to hear my words, and walk in the depravity of their own hearts, and have gone after strange gods, that they might serve them and worship them: and they shall be like this girdle, which is fit for no purpose.
13:11 For as a girdle cleaves to the loins of a man, so have I closely fitted the whole house of Israel and the whole house of Judah to myself, says the Lord, that they should be to me a people, in name, and praise and glory; but they did not hear.
13:12 You shall speak, therefore, this word to them: thus says the Lord God of Israel: every small jar shall be filled with wine. And they will say to you, ‘Do we not know that every small jar shall be filled with wine?’
13:13 And you shall say to them: thus says the Lord: behold, I shall fill all the inhabitants of this land, and the kings from the line of David, who sit upon his throne, and the priests, and the prophets, and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, with drunkenness.
13:14 And I will scatter them, a man from his brother, both fathers and sons alike, says the Lord. I shall not spare, and I will not yield, nor will I have mercy, that I should not scatter them.
13:15 Hear, and perceive with your ears; do not be lifted up, for the Lord has spoken.
13:16 Give glory to the Lord our God before it grows dark, and before you strike your feet against the dark mountains; you shall await the light, and he shall turn it into the shadow of death and into darkness.
13:17 But if you will not hear this, your soul shall weep in secret for your pride. Weeping, it shall surely weep, and my eye shall stream tears, for the flock of the Lord has been taken captive.
13:18 Say to the king and to the queen: humble yourselves; sit on the earth, for the crown of your glory has come down from your head.
13:19 The cities of the south are shut up, and there is none who may open them. All Judah is taken away captive, with an entire captivity.
13:20 Lift your eyes and see, you who come from the north: where is the flock that was given to you, your beautiful cattle?
13:21 What will you say when he visits you? For you have taught them against yourself, and instructed them against your own head. Will pain not take hold of you, as a woman in labor?
13:22 And if you say in your heart, ‘Why have these things come to me?’ For the multitude of your iniquities has your nakedness been revealed, and the soles of your feet are defiled.
13:23 Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots, and will you be able to do well when you have learned evil?
13:24 And I will scatter them like chaff which is caught by the wind in the desert.
13:25 This is your lot, your portion and measure from me, says the Lord, because you have forgotten me, and have trusted in a lie.
13:26 Therefore, I have also bared your leg against your face, and your shame has become apparent.
13:27 Your adultery, and your neighing, the wickedness of your fornication; I saw your abominations upon the hills of the field. Woe to you, Jerusalem! Will you not be made clean after me; how long yet?
87. Here, he gives the application of the allegory, and concerning this, he makes two points.
First, he applies the allegory to the punishment: thus shall I make to rot, that all their vigor and beauty should pass away. The beasts shall rot in their own dung (Joel 1:17).
And with regard to the cause of the punishment: disobedience—this wicked people. The Lord said to Moses: speak to the sons of Israel: you are a stiff-necked people (Exod 33:5). And they shall be like this girdle. He shall be broken small, as a clay jar is broken with a mighty destruction (Isa 30:14).
And with regard to the grace of divine familiarity: for as a girdle cleaves to the loins of a man, so have I closely fitted the whole house of Israel . . . to myself. Behold, the heavens belong to the Lord your God, and the heaven of heavens, the earth, and all that is in it; yet he was closely joined to your fathers, and loved them, and has chosen their seed after them; that is you, from among all the nations, as has been proven this day (Deut 10:14–15).
Second, he attends particularly to the order of the punishment: you shall speak, therefore. And concerning this are two things.
First, he shows the imminent danger, and he gives an example: every small jar, that is, any one of the people, shall be filled with wine, of tribulation. You shall thresh the mountains and break them small, and take them up like dust (Isa 41:15). He shows their contempt for the example: and they will say. For who does not know the things which you know (Job 12:3).
And he gives an explanation thereof: and you shall say to them.
With regard to the blindness of their heart: drunkenness, as not knowing what they are doing. Waver to and fro, and stagger, be drunk, and not from wine (Isa 29:9).
And with regard to the captivity: and I will scatter them, lest they be consoled by one another. Consolation is hidden from my eyes, because he shall make a separation between brothers (Hos 13:14–15).
With regard to the severity of the sentence: I shall not spare, and I will not yield, to moving them, as it were, because they are stubborn; alternatively, to proving them incontestably guilty, because they are manifestly wicked. The jealousy, and fury of a husband will not spare in the day of vengeance, nor will he yield to the prayers of any man, nor accept very many gifts for satisfaction (Prov 6:34–35).
Second, he gives them useful counsel for escaping, namely, that they should humble themselves: hear.
First, he speaks to the whole people when he advises them to avoid the fault of pride: do not be lifted up, by pride. The Lord has spoken, this counsel or the punishments which I have predicted: do not raise your horn on high, or speak wickedness against God (Ps 74:5) and against the commandment of God, because these things are the beginnings of all sin.
Give glory to the Lord our God. Ascribe greatness to our God. The works of God are perfect, and all his ways judgment (Deut 32:3–4). Taking up once more the imminent danger of blindness of the heart, before it grows dark, that is, before tribulations overtake you, in which you will not know what to do. Walk while you have the light, that the darkness may not overtake you (John 12:35). Of the captivity: before you strike, while being led into captivity, against the dark mountains, of Babylon, so called because of their height, or from the lack of visibility, or from the multitude of vapors. Raise the standard upon the dark mountain, shout (Isa 13:2). And of the severity of the sentence: you shall await the light, that is, divine consolation, and you will not have it. We waited for peace, and there was no good; a time of healing, and behold, fear (Jer 8:15).
And when he marks out the punishment for their contempt of this counsel, he speaks of the prophet’s compassion: but if you will not hear this, your soul shall weep in secret so that the victors may not be offended. Withdraw from me, I will weep bitterly. Do not try to comfort me for the destruction of the daughter of my people (Isa 22:4). Do not lament, or weep, but languish in your iniquities (Ezek 24:23). And the reason for his compassion: weeping, it shall surely weep, and my eye shall stream tears, for the flock of the Lord has been taken captive. Below: my people have been a lost flock; their shepherds led them astray, and have made them wander in the mountains (Jer 50:6).
Second, he gives the same counsel to the king, inviting him to humility: say to the king, Jekoniah, and to the queen, his mother—because he gave himself over to Nebuchadnezzar with his mother (2 Kgs 24:12–15)—sit on the earth, as a sign of humility. Come down, sit in the dust, O virgin daughter of Babylon, sit on the ground (Isa 47:1). And he gives the reason from the loss of the kingdom: for the crown . . . has come down from your head. The crown has fallen from our head (Lam 5:16).
As a result of the siege of the cities: the cities of the south, because the lot of Judah was towards the south (Josh 15:1–12), who may open, breaking the siege, namely, the Egyptian siege. And, as a consequence of the captivity of the people, is taken away. Judah has gone away because of her affliction, and the greatness of her bondage; she has dwelt among the nations, but has found no rest (Lam 1:3).
Third, he gives the same counsel to the royal city:
first, he urges them to humility;
second, he wonders at their stubbornness, at woe to you, Jerusalem (Jer 13:27).
He urges them to humility for four reasons.
First, the power of the enemy, when he sets forth the power of the enemy: lift, by way of consideration; you who come from the north, against the strong. Behold, a people are coming from the land of the north, and a great nation shall arise from the ends of the earth (Jer 6:22). And he excludes confidence in their subjects: where is the flock, the multitude of people who were subject to you? It is as though he were saying, “The royal and priestly city will not be able to help you.” Behold, I, even I am against the shepherds. I will require my flock from their hand, and I will make them to cease, that they may no longer pasture my flock, nor will the shepherds pasture themselves; and I will free my flock from their mouth, and they will be prey for them no more (Ezek 34:10).
And when he gives the reason why it is being delivered into the hands of the enemy, he takes away their excuse: what will you say to excuse yourself? If he wished to contend with him, he would not be able to answer him (Job 9:3). And he gives the reason: for you have taught—while calling them to come to your aid, you made them know your works. Moreover you have taught malice to be your ways (Jer 2:33). Alternatively, he touches on Hezekiah’s showing of the treasury to the messengers of the king of Babylon (Isa 39:2).
Second, by the infliction of pain, he threatens pain: will pain not take hold of you? Above: for I heard the voice as of a woman giving birth, the pains as of a woman in labor (Jer 4:31).
He gives the reason as arising from the multitude of their sins: and if you say in your heart, ‘Why have these things come to me?’ as a punishment. Your nakedness, the most shameful sins; the soles, the affections. Because of your great wickedness, and your endless iniquities (Job 22:5). Alternatively, he is here speaking of the fact that they were led into captivity on foot, and that while crossing rivers they had to uncover their shameful members, and bare feet; and, therefore, their soles were soiled with mud and dust. Uncover your shame, bare your shoulders, unveil your legs, cross the rivers, and your ignominy will be revealed, and your shame seen (Isa 47:2).
And from the stubbornness of their sins: can the Ethiopian change; it is as though he were saying, “You are able to change with difficulty”; the Ethiopian, because of the natural staining of sin; the leopard, because of their deceitfulness, or the diversity of their sins; when you have learned, by use. It is a proverb: a young man according to his way, and when he is old, he will not depart from it (Prov 22:6).
Third, he urges them to humility by reason of the future captivity, when he threatens the dispersion of captivity: and I will scatter. My God, make them like a wheel, and like chaff before the face of the wind (Ps 82:13). Scatter them in your strength (Ps 58:11).
And he gives the reason: this is your lot—what is due to you because of your sins—in a lie. In measure for measure when she has been cast down, he will judge her (Isa 27:8).
Fourth, by reason of the revelation of their sins.
First, he speaks of the threat: I also have bared, the shame of your sins, against your face, that you might recognize yourself. And your shame has become apparent, even to others. I will bare your ignominy before them, and they will see all your shame (Ezek 16:37).
And then he gives the cause: I saw your abominations upon the hills of the field; it is as though he were saying, “Because you have publicly sinned, you will be publicly punished.” On every high hill, and under every leafy tree you have lain as a harlot (Jer 2:20).
Finally, he wonders at their obstinacy: woe to you. How long yet after me, are you coming, or do you boast that you walk after me? Sons of men, how long will your hearts be heavy, why do you love vanity, and you seek after a lie? (Ps 4:2).
Collations
Note that mystically sometimes wine (Jer 13:12) is good, and sometimes bad. For there is the good wine of the wisdom of contemplation: drink the wine which I have mixed for you (Prov 9:5). Of divine love: I will give you a drink of spiced wine, and the juice of my pomegranates (Song 8:2). Of compunction: you have given us to drink of the wine of compunction (Ps 59:3). There is the bad wine of fraudulent deception: their wine is the bile of dragons, the incurable venom of asps (Deut 32:33). Of carnal delight: all nations have drunk from the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have fornicated with her (Rev 18:3). Of divine indignation: if anyone shall have worshiped the beast, and his image, and received his mark on his forehead, or on his hand, he shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is mixed with pure wine in the cup of his wrath (Rev 14:10).
It is also to be noted that the Holy Spirit is called south (Jer 13:19) because of his heat: are your clothes not hot, when the south wind has blown through them (Job 37:17); because of his splendor: God will come from the south, and the holy one from mount Paran. He has covered the heavens with his glory (Hab 3:3); because of the height of his flight: does not the hawk grow feathers through your wisdom, stretching his wings to the south (Job 39:26); because of the multiplication of the rains: turn, O Lord, our captivity, as the torrent in the south (Ps 125:4); because of the fruiting of trees: come, south wind, blow upon my garden, and its fragrances will spread abroad (Song 4:16).
Chapter 14
Jeremiah entreats God for mercy
Lecture 1
Disaster of the drought
14:1 The word of the Lord which came to Jeremiah, concerning the words of the drought.14:2 Judah has mourned, and her gates have fallen, and are darkened in the land, and the cry of Jerusalem is gone up.
14:3 The nobles have sent their inferiors to the water; they came to draw. They found no water; they brought their vessels back empty. They were confounded and afflicted, and covered their heads.
14:4 Because of the devastation of the land, for the rain has not come upon the earth, the farmers are confounded; they have covered their heads.
14:5 For the hind also has given birth in the field and left it, for there was no grass.
14:6 And the wild asses stood upon the rocks; they snuffed up the wind like dragons; their eyes failed because there was no grass.
88. Here, the prophet begins to interpose his prayer to God on their behalf, that in some way they may obtain mercy, at least after some chastisements.
It is divided into two parts.
In the first, he presents a certain discussion the prophet had with the Lord, so as to obtain this by entreaty;
afterwards, in the second part, he sets forth the final determination: and the Lord said to me (Jer 15:1).
Concerning the first idea, there are two points.
In the first, he sets down the affliction of the people, which is the occasion of his prayer;
in the second, he places the prophet’s discussion with the Lord, at if our iniquities (Jer 14:7).
Concerning the first idea, there are two points.
First, he gives the title of the prophecy: this is the word, of interior revelation, which came . . . concerning the words, which are to be announced exteriorly, of the drought, which came upon them when the captivity was imminent. Alternatively: concerning the words of the drought, that is, concerning a drought worthy of words.
Second, the inconvenience of the drought follows:
first, with regard to the affliction of men, specifically the lack of drinking water, he speaks of their sadness: Judah has mourned, afflicted with thirst. The vintage has mourned, the vine is weakened, and all who were joyful in heart have sighed (Isa 24:7). Gates, the judges who used to sit in the gates, have fallen, from their original joy; are darkened, that is, are shrouded in the darkness of tribulation. He has struck her gates to the ground; he has destroyed and broken her bars (Lam 2:2). Alternatively, because the walls were becoming loose due to excessive dryness, when the gates collapsed it was not possible to repair them because of the shortage of water. The cry, of complaint and lament. There shall be a cry for wine in the streets; all happiness, and joy has been taken away from the land (Isa 24:11).
And he gives the cause of the sadness: the nobles have sent their inferiors to the water. The poor and needy seek water, and there is none; their tongue has become dry with thirst (Isa 41:17). And with regard to the bareness of the land, a blow against their possessions: they were confounded and afflicted, and covered their heads, as a sign of shame. You shall be ashamed of your fruits, because of the wrath of the fury of the Lord (Jer 12:13).
And against their farmers: for the rain has not come. The farmers are confounded; the vinedressers have wailed, for the grain and the barley, for the harvest of the field has perished, the vineyard is confounded, and the fig tree has grown weak (Joel 1:11).
Second, he speaks of the affliction of the forest animals: with regard to the deer: for the hind also has given birth in the field, and left it; the deer is an animal which has much concern for the care of her offspring. Have you known the time when the ibex give birth on the rocks, or have you seen the hinds bring forth young? (Job 39:1).
And with regard to the wild asses: and the wild asses, who, nevertheless, endure thirst for long periods. The wild asses will wait in their thirst on the cliffs (Ps 103:11), on which there is more wind; they snuffed up, as relief from thirst, like dragons, who snuff the wind because of thirst. As a wild ass accustomed to the wilderness, in his desire he has snuffed up the air of his love (Jer 2:24).
Lecture 2
God’s refusal of prayers
14:7 If our iniquities should testify against us, O Lord, act according to your name, for our turnings away are many; we have sinned against you.14:8 The expectation of Israel, our savior in the time of trouble, why shall you be like a stranger in the land, and like a traveler turning aside to tarry the night?
14:9 Why shall you be as a vagrant man, as a strong man who cannot save? But you, O Lord, are in our midst, and your name is called upon us; do not forsake us.
14:10 Thus says the Lord to this people, who loves to move their feet, and has not stood still, and has not pleased the Lord: now their iniquity shall be remembered, and their sins visited.
14:11 And the Lord said to me: do not pray for the good of this people.
14:12 Though they fast, I will not hear their prayers, and if they offer me holocausts and sacrifices, I will not accept them, for I shall consume them with the sword, and famine, and pestilence.
89. Here, he begins to pray to God for the people.
First, he makes an argument for mercy from the divine nature;
second, from the predictions of the prophets, at and I said: a, a, a (Jer 14:13);
third, from the former love of the people, at have you utterly cast off Judah? (Jer 14:19).
Concerning the first, there are two points.
First, he gives the prophet’s speech, in which he proposes three things: trusting in mercy—if our iniquities should testify against us, for punishment. Our iniquities are multiplied before you, and our sins bear witness against us (Isa 59:12). A help in tribulations which have found us too often (Ps 45:2).
Then he sets forth constancy: why shall you be like a stranger in the land? It is as if he were saying, “It is unworthy of your constancy to forsake your vineyard, as one who tills another’s field”; like a traveler, you forsake your own house, as a traveler forsakes his night lodgings.
Why shall you be as a vagrant man, abandoning your inheritance as a man who is vagrant and of indeterminate residency abandons his own dwelling place. I have left my house, I have forsaken my inheritance (Jer 12:7).
He also sets forth power: as a strong man who cannot save; it is as though he were saying, “It is not fitting to your power that you should not save those whom once you took into your protection.” The Egyptians will say, ‘He was not able to bring this people into the land for which he had sworn’ (Num 14:16); therefore, he killed them in the wilderness. And he sets forth the idea that their care is due to him: but you are in our midst, as an inheritance, as it were, and your name, just as subjects are defended by the name of the king. I will dwell amongst them, and walk amongst them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people (1 Cor 6:16). And he concludes: do not forsake us, lest your constancy and power be blasphemed. Do not forsake me, O Lord, nor despise me, O God of my salvation (Ps 26:9).
Second, he gives the Lord’s response: thus says the Lord.
First, he exposes their guilt: who loves to move their feet, the affections, because of inconstancy in the good and movement from evil to evil. A wandering woman, impatient of quiet, her feet unable to stay at home (Prov 7:11). Or because of sending to Egypt for help: Egypt will help in vain, and to no purpose. Therefore, have I cried out concerning this: it is only pride; be still (Isa 30:7).
Second, he threatens punishment: now shall be remembered, referring to punishment. I shall visit their iniquities with a rod, and their sins with stripes (Ps 88:32).
Third, he excludes any remedy:
and first, of prayer: do not pray for the good of this people. Above: therefore, you shall not pray for this people, neither take up praise, or prayer for them and do not stand against me, because I will not hear you (Jer 7:16).
Second, of fasting: though they fast. Why have we fasted, and you have not regarded; we have humbled ourselves, and you did not know (Isa 58:3).
Third, of sacrifice: if they offer. I have no pleasure in you, says the Lord of hosts, and I will accept no gift from your hand (Mal 1:10).
Lecture 3
Destruction of false prophets
14:13 And I said: a, a, a, O Lord God. The prophets say to them, ‘You shall not see the sword, and there will be no famine among you, but he will give you true peace in this place.’14:14 And the Lord said to me: the prophets have prophesied falsely in my name. I have not sent them, and I have not commanded them, neither have I spoken to them. They prophesy to you a lying vision, divination, deception, and the seduction of their own heart.
14:15 Therefore, thus says the Lord concerning the prophets, whom I have not sent, who prophecy in my name, saying, ‘There shall be no sword or famine in the land.’ These prophets shall be consumed by sword and famine.
14:16 And the people to whom they prophecy will be cast out in the streets of Jerusalem because of famine and the sword, and there will be none to bury them, they and their wives, their sons and daughters; and I shall pour out this evil upon them.
14:17 And you shall speak this word to them: let my eyes stream down tears by night and by day, and not be silent, for with a terrible destruction is the virgin daughter of my people destroyed, by an exceedingly great blow.
14:18 If I go out to the fields, behold those killed by the sword; and if I go into the city, behold those wasted by famine. The prophet also and the priest have gone away to a land they knew not.
90. Here, he takes up his argument from the predictions of the prophets.
First, he gives the intercession of the prophet: a, a, a, for the threefold punishment he had just mentioned. The prophets, false prophets; true peace, lasting and unfeigned on the part of the enemy. Why have you deceived this people and Jerusalem, saying, ‘You shall have peace? And behold the sword has come even unto the soul’ (Jer 4:10).
Second, he gives the Lord’s response: and the Lord said.
First, he shows the falseness of the prophets with regard to the actions they take: I have not sent, to perform anything; I have not commanded, by enjoining a duty upon them; neither have I spoken, by inspiring the gift of prophecy. I did not send prophets, yet they ran; I did not speak to them, yet they prophesied (Jer 23:21). And with regard to the peace which they predicted: a lying vision . . . the seduction of their own heart, that is, words thought out to lead others astray. They see vain things, and divine a lie, saying, ‘The Lord has spoken’ when the Lord did not send them (Ezek 13:6).
Second, he threatens a punishment as much for the prophets who preach as for the people who believe: therefore, thus says the Lord. There will be those who bless this people and lead them astray, and those who are blessed will be cast down headlong (Isa 9:16).
Third, the compassion of the prophet is made known to the people: and you shall speak to them: let my (or your) eyes stream down tears. And in this manner the lament of repentance is made known. Stream down tears like a torrent (Lam 2:18). The reason for this is given: for with destruction, because of the multitude of the slain; terrible, because of their incorrigibility; exceedingly, because of its duration. I shall break them small, as a clay jar is broken with a mighty destruction (Isa 30:14).
And he gives the manner of their destruction with regard to the punishment of slaughter: if I go out, of doors, and if I go into, by consideration. Without, he shall slay them with the sword, and within, fear—the young man together with the virgin, the nursing mother, and the old man (Deut 32:25). With regard to the captivity: the prophet also. Above: I will scatter them among the nations, which they have not known, neither they nor their fathers (Jer 9:16).
Lecture 4
Jeremiah’s prayer for Israel
14:19 Have you utterly cast off Judah, or has your soul detested Zion? Why have you struck us so that there is no healing? We have waited for peace, and there is no good; a time of healing, and behold, trouble.14:20 We have acknowledged our wickedness, O Lord, and the iniquities of our fathers, for we have sinned against you.
14:21 Do not make us a reproach, because of your name, neither disgrace in us the throne of your glory; remember, and do not break your covenant with us.
14:22 For are there among the idols of the nations any who make rain, or can the heavens give showers, unless you will it? Are you not the Lord our God, for whom we wait? For you have made all these things.
91. He takes up his argument from the former love of the people: concerning this, there are three things.
First, he wonders at the rejection of the beloved people, astonished at the hatred: have you utterly cast off Judah? It is as though he were saying, “It seems astonishing.” But you have utterly cast us off, you are exceedingly angry with us (Lam 5:22). So that there is no healing. With an incurable wound, subjecting the nations in anger (Isa 14:6).
Second, he speaks of the recognition of the punishment: we have waited. Above: we waited for peace, and there was no good; a time of healing, and behold, fear (Jer 8:15).
And of guilt: we have acknowledged. I have acknowledged my iniquity, and my sin is ever before me (Ps 50:3).
Third, their petition is given: do not make us. You have made us a reproach to our neighbors, a mockery and a derision to those around us (Ps 43:14).
Fourth, the motive for the petition from the sanctity of the temple: the throne of your glory, of the mercy seat and of the ark, by which you showed your glory with miracles and revelations. The throne of the glory of the height from the beginning is the place of our sanctification. The expectation of Israel (Jer 17:12–13).
And from the weakness of idols: for are there among the idols of the nations any who make rain, or can the heavens give showers, by themselves as primary causes? Who is the father of rain, or who has begotten the drops of the dew (Job 38:28). From the power of God: are you not the Lord our God? You have made these things, the rains, and everything of this sort. At his word, he gives an abundance of waters in heaven, and raises the clouds from the ends of the earth (Jer 10:13).
Collations
It is to be noted that some peace (Jer 14:13) is false: living in a great war of ignorance, they call so many and such great evils peace (Wis 14:22). Some are fraudulent: they speak peace with their neighbor, but evil is in their hearts (Ps 27:3). Some transitory: for when they say peace and security, then destruction comes suddenly upon them (1 Thess 5:3).
It should also be noted that a throne (Jer 14:21) may be understood mystically in three ways.
One is as the throne of glory, and this in four ways. Manifestly with regard to the loftiness of its nature: I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne high and lifted up, and the whole earth was full of his majesty (Isa 6:1); with regard to the serenity of peace: they will call Jerusalem the throne of the Lord; and all nations shall be gathered together in her in the name of the Lord in Jerusalem (Jer 3:17); with regard to the depth of knowledge: and I looked, and behold, in the firmament, which was above the head of the cherubim, something like a sapphire stone, as the appearance of the likeness of a throne over it (Ezek 10:1); with regard to its eternal permanence: but you, O Lord, will remain forever, your throne from generation to generation (Lam 5:19).
Another is as the throne of mercy, preparing for obedience to God: I shall fix that stake in a sure place, and it shall be as a throne of glory for the house of his father; and I shall hang all the glory of his father upon it (Isa 22:23); for the sentence of justice: by justice shall the throne of the king be established (Prov 16:12); for mercy to one’s neighbors: and his throne shall be prepared in mercy, and he shall sit upon it in truth in the tent of David (Isa 16:5); for the grace of humility: the place of my throne, and the place of my footsteps, where I dwell in the midst of the sons of Israel forever (Ezek 43:7).
Another is as the throne of justice, preparing for judgment: who shall grant me to know, that I may find it, and come even to his throne (Job 23:3); for the correction of evil: the king, who sits upon the throne of judgment, shall scatter every evil thing with his gaze (Ps 20:8); to condemn the incorrigible: I saw the Lord upon his throne, and the whole host of heaven standing by at his right and at his left (1 Kgs 22:19); to defend the good: he shall sit upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom to establish it, and to strengthen it in judgment, and justice, from henceforth and forever (Isa 9:7).
Chapter 15
Jeremiah’s prayer continued
Lecture 1
God rejects Jeremiah’s prayer
15:1 And the Lord said to me: even if Moses and Samuel stood before me, my soul would not be for this people. Drive them out from before my face, and let them depart.15:2 But if they should say to you, ‘Where shall we go?’ you shall say to them: thus says the Lord: those who are for death, to death, and those who are for the sword, to the sword, and those who are for famine, to famine, and those who are for captivity, to captivity.
15:3 And I will visit upon them four kinds, says the Lord: the sword to slay, and dogs to tear, and the birds of heaven and the beasts of the earth to devour and destroy.
15:4 And I shall give them in burning anger to all the kingdoms of the earth, because of Manasseh, the son of Hezekiah, the king of Judah, and because of all that he did in Jerusalem.
92. Here is given the final and decisive rejection of the prophet’s prayer for the people.
First, the rejection of the prayer is set forth;
second is shown the stubbornness of the people, which is the cause of this: the sin of Judah is written with an iron pen, and a nail of diamond (Jer 17:1).
Concerning the first, there are two points.
First, he forbids the prophet to pray for the people;
second, he commands that he shun their society as one who excommunicates: and the word of the Lord came to me, saying (Jer 16:1).
Concerning the first, there are two points.
First is given the rejection of the prayer of the prophet praying for the people;
second, as though despairing of the wellbeing of the people, he pours forth a prayer for himself, at woe to me, O my mother! (Jer 15:10).
Concerning the first, there are two points.
First, the prayer is rejected;
and second, the reason for its rejection is given: who shall have mercy upon you, Jerusalem? (Jer 15:5).
Concerning the first, there are two points.
First, the rejection of the prayer is considered: even if Moses and Samuel stood—who were efficacious in prayer, because they were solicitous for the people and prayed for their enemies. Regarding Moses, this is mentioned in Exodus 22; and regarding Samuel, in 1 Samuel 12.
My soul, the affections; it is as though he were saying, “It is not for any failure on the part of the one praying that the prayer is not heard, but because of the failings of the people for whom prayer is made.” And if these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, shall be in their midst, they shall deliver their own souls by their justice (Ezek 14:14). As it says below in the same place: even if these three men shall be in their midst, they shall deliver neither sons nor daughters, but they themselves alone shall be delivered (Ezek 14:18).
Second, the rejection of the nation, for which he was praying, is considered:
and first, with regard to the end from which the rejection begins: drive them out, show that they have been cast out, from before my face, that they may not see me, and be defended by my presence. Behold, you drive me out this day from the face of the earth, and I shall be hidden from your face (Gen 4:14).
Second, with regard to the end to which the rejection is directed, he gives the fourfold danger: but if they should say to you, ‘Where shall we go?’ you shall say to them . . . those who are for death, to death, by pestilence; it is as though he were saying, “These diverse persons shall be subject to these sundry punishments.” A third part of you shall die by plague, and be consumed by famine in the midst of you, and a third part of you shall fall by the sword around you, and a third part I shall scatter to every wind, and I shall draw my sword after them (Ezek 5:12).
And he excludes the remedy of consolation—of burial for the dead: and I will visit upon them four kinds, already mentioned, namely death, sword, famine, and captivity. And I will add dogs in addition to this. And the dead of this people shall be as food for the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth, and there shall be none to drive them away (Jer 7:33).
And of mercy with regard to the captives: and I shall give them in burning anger, that is, in the burning anger of hatred, because of Manasseh, who did many evil things (2 Kgs 21:2–9). Whence in the same place it says: nevertheless, the Lord has not turned from the wrath of his great anger, by which his wrath was stirred up against Judah, because of the offences by which Manasseh provoked him (2 Kgs 23:26). But the people are punished for the sins of the king, because at that time an evil man was permitted to rule because of the sins of the people. Who made a hypocrite to rule because of the sins of the people (Job 34:30), further, because the people imitated the sins of the king. As is the ruler of a city, so are they who dwell in it (Wis 10:2). The prince who willingly hears the words of a deceitful man has all his ministers wicked (Prov 29:12).
Lecture 2
Cause of Israel’s rejection
15:5 Who shall have mercy upon you, Jerusalem, or who shall grieve for you, or who shall go to seek your peace?15:6 You have left me, says the Lord; you have gone away backwards; and I shall stretch out my hand upon you, and I will slay you. I am weary of entreating you.
15:7 And I shall scatter them with a winnowing-fork in the gates of the land. I have slain and I have destroyed my people, yet they have not turned back from their ways.
15:8 Their widows are multiplied to me more than the sand of the sea; I have brought upon them against the mother of the young man a spoiler at midday; I have sent fear upon their cities suddenly.
15:9 The one who bore seven sons is made weak; her soul fails; the sun has set upon her when it was still day; she is put to shame, and has blushed. And those who remain of them I will give to the sword in the sight of their enemies, says the Lord.
93. Here, he gives the reason for their rejection.
First, a question of wonderment is set forth: and first, the mercy of the judge is excluded: who shall have mercy upon you? Second, the satisfaction of some compassionate person: or who shall grieve for you? Third, the prayer of some mediator: or who shall go to seek your peace?, which God has withheld, because you continue in so many sins. Call his name ‘Without Mercy’ because I shall not continue to have mercy on the house of Israel, but I shall forget them utterly (Hos 1:6).
Second, he gives the reason for their rejection:
and first, from their ingratitude, he speaks of their guilt: you have left me. They have abandoned the Lord, they have blasphemed the Holy One of Israel, they have turned away backwards (Isa 1:4). And the punishment: and I shall stretch out my hand upon you. For all these things his anger is turned not back; but his hand is yet outstretched (Isa 9:12).
Second, from their stubbornness:
first, because they have not been turned back by his entreaties, he speaks of their guilt: I am weary of entreating you; it is as though he were saying, “I have implored you so often to turn back”; or, “I would have labored, if it had been possible.” You have made me to serve in your sins; you have wearied me with your iniquities (Isa 43:23).
And the punishment: and I shall scatter them with a winnowing-fork, by the army of the Chaldeans, as straw from the threshing floor, in the gates of the land, that is, to the ends of the earth: for a gate is the outermost part of a house or city. Whose winnowing-fork is in his hand, and he shall cleanse his threshing floor, and gather his wheat and his barley into his barn, but the straw shall he burn with unquenchable flame (Luke 3:17).
Second, because they are not corrected by chastisements:
first, he speaks of their hardness, and of their chastisement in general: I have slain, and I have destroyed, by leading them captive. In vain have I struck your children; they have not received correction (Jer 2:30).
And in particular, with regard to the women, who are more wretched and doleful at the loss of their husbands: their widows are multiplied to me more than the sand of the sea, hyperbolically—it is as though he were saying, “They were innumerable.” Upon her orphans, and her widows he shall not have mercy (Isa 9:17). And at the loss of an only-begotten son: I have brought upon them a spoiler, a slayer of the son, at midday, in which one sees the power of the enemies, who do not fight from ambuscades, but openly; suddenly, from which is shown their powerlessness to resist, because they have not taken heed. Her destruction shall come suddenly, when it is not expected (Isa 30:13).
And also with regard to the death of many sons at the same time, he speaks of the death of a child: is made weak, deprived of her sons, who are the strength of a mother. Until the barren mother bears many sons, and she who has many is made weak (1 Sam 2:5). And the sadness of the mother: her soul fails, because of the shock. The sun, of joy, has set upon her, because of the grief of her sorrow, which darkens the heart; she is put to shame, within; she has blushed, without, lacking that in which she once gloried. The sun will set at midday, and I shall make the land to grow dark in the day of light (Amos 8:9).
Second, he threatens punishment: and those who remain, after the above-mentioned chastisements. The Lord shall make you to fall before your enemies, and you shall go out one way against them, and flee seven ways from them, and you shall be scattered through all the kingdoms of the earth (Deut 28:25).
Lecture 3
Jeremiah prays for himself
15:10 Woe to me, O my mother! Why did you give birth to me, a man of contention, a man of discord in the whole land? I have not lent on usury, nor has anyone lent to me on usury; all curse me.15:11 The Lord says: it shall surely be well with your remnant, and I shall surely help you in the time of affliction, and in the time of trouble against the enemy.
15:12 Shall iron be allied with the iron of the north, and with bronze?
15:13 I shall give your riches and your treasures freely for spoil for all your sins and in all your borders.
15:14 And I will bring your enemies from a land you know not, for a fire is kindled in my wrath; and it shall burn upon you.
94. Here, the prophet prays for himself, as though despairing of the people.
First, he gives his own lament, and then sets forth the discord of the enemy: woe to me, that is, this hangs over me because I was born. Of contention, that is, because of whom there is contention, because I foretell unfavorable and evil things; of discord, because some attack me, and others defend me. This was also fulfilled in Christ. Why have you brought me forth from the womb? If only I had perished, that no eye might see me (Job 10:18). He excludes the cause of the discord, which most often is wont to arise from contracts. I have not lent on usury. All curse. They curse him, and you bless. Let those who rise against me be put to shame, but your servant shall rejoice (Ps 108:28).
Second, he speaks of the consolation of the Lord: the Lord says.
First, with regard to his own safety in the advancement of himself and his relatives in goods: with your remnant, that is, with those who cleave to you—for he did not have any children, as is shown below (Jer 16:2); it shall surely be well, that is, they will be well. This is aposiopesis, so one must supply: “I am not believed.” And with regard to deliverance from evils: I shall surely help—I am prepared to help. Blessed be the God, and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the father of mercies, and the God of all consolation, who consoles us in all our tribulation (2 Cor 1:3–4).
Second, with regard to the affliction of the enemy, he threatens an implacable enemy.
First, he excludes a concord with the enemy, because they wished to unite with the prophet: shall, the people of Judah, who are the iron, because of their hardness, and bronze, because of want of endurance, be allied with the iron of the north, that is, with the Chaldeans? It is as though he were saying, “No.” Bronze and iron, all have been corrupted. The bellows have failed; the lead is consumed in fire (Jer 6:28–29). Alternatively, you are the iron, preaching hard things to them, who are iron and bronze, and you cannot be allied with them. Do not wonder if the world hates you; know that they hated me before you (John 15:18).
Second, he excludes confidence in an alliance, whether by gifts: I shall give your riches and your treasures freely for spoil; it is as though he were saying, “Nothing shall help you,” in all, that is, for all. Take the silver, take the gold, and there is no end of riches from every goodly vessel (Nah 2:9).
Or whether by entreaty: and I will bring; it is as though he were saying, “You shall not be able to ask them, because they will not understand.” He will raise a signal to the distant nations, and whistle to him from the ends of the earth (Isa 5:26).
Third, he gives the reason: for a fire is kindled. A fire is kindled in my wrath, and it shall burn to the very depths of hell, and devour the earth with its bud, and burn the foundations of the mountains (Deut 32:22).
Lecture 4
Jeremiah’s petition
15:15 You know, O Lord; remember me, and visit me, and defend me from those that persecute me. Do not take me away in your forbearance; know that I have borne reproach for your sake.15:16 Your words were found, and I ate them; and your word has become the joy and gladness of my heart, for your name is called upon me, O Lord God of hosts.
15:17 I have not sat in the council of jesters, and I have gloried because of the presence of your hand; I sat alone, for you have filled me with threats.
15:18 Why has my sorrow become continual, and why has my incurable wound refused to be healed? It has become to me as the falsehood of treacherous waters.
95. Here the petition of the prophet is given:
first, his own prayer;
second, the response of the Lord, at because of this the Lord spoke these things (Jer 15:19).
Concerning the first point, there are three things.
First, he sets down the comfort of divine consolation: you know, what I suffer and what I have done. Remember, by the effect of mercy. Remember my poverty and my transgression, wormwood and bile (Lam 3:19). He seeks comfort: and visit me, with consolation. Your consolation has kept my spirit (Job 10:12). He excludes deferral: do not take me away in your forbearance. For the most high repays with patience (Wis 5:4).
Second, he mentions his merit, setting forth the reproach which he has endured patiently for God, and he speaks of the injustice done him: know, show that you know by effect; for your sake, while I obeyed your commands and announced hard things to the people. For your sake I have borne reproach, shame has covered my face (Ps 68:8).
And of his experience of spiritual joy: your words were found, finished, as it were, and I ate, delighted in them. How sweet are your words to my throat; they are sweeter than honey to my mouth (Ps 118:03). He also gives the reason: for your name is called upon me, when I am called a prophet of the Lord. Your name is called upon us (Jer 14:9).
He also sets forth the society which he prudently avoided, mentioning his solitude: I have not sat in the council of jesters, much less of the wicked, lest I should lay aside my heaviness of heart and be free of your commands. I have never associated myself with jesters, nor made myself a companion of those who walk in levity (Tob 3:17). He speaks of his interior exaltation: and I have gloried because of the presence of your correcting hand. Gladly will I glory in my infirmities (2 Cor 12:9). Alternatively, the hand of him who consoles with spiritual gifts. He also gives the reason for his solitude: I sat alone, for you have filled me with threats; it is as though he were saying, “I have been weighed down by so many bitter things, that I have had no time to play.” He has filled me with bitterness (Lam 3:15).
Third, he wonders at the sting of the pain inflicted, and speaks of the pain: why has my sorrow become continual? It is as though he were saying, “How is it that this trouble has not receded after such prayers and so many merits?” Below: your breach is incurable, your wound very grievous (Jer 30:12). According to the Jews, he speaks in the person of Jerusalem. He adjoins the consolation: it has become to me as the falsehood of treacherous waters; it is as though he were saying, “Nevertheless, in this I will be consoled, because distress of this kind will pass swiftly, as treacherous waters which are gathered together from the rains.” The waters have entered unto my soul (Ps 68:1). Alternatively, he says this because of the fraud of his adversaries.
Lecture 5
God’s promise to Jeremiah
5:19 Because of this the Lord spoke these things: if you will turn, I will turn you, and you will stand before my face; and if you will separate what is precious from what is base, you shall be as my mouth, and they shall be turned to you, and you shall not be turned to them.5:20 And I shall make you as a strong brazen wall before this people; and they shall wage war against you, and they shall not prevail, because I am with you to save you, and I will rescue you, says the Lord.
5:21 And I will free you from the hand of wicked men, and I will redeem you from the hand of the mighty.
96. Here is set down the response of the Lord who heard him.
First, he promises advancement in beatitude, with regard to uprightness of life: if you will turn, others to me from their sins, I will turn you, from your difficulties; you will stand, by your uprightness of life, or pre-eminence in contemplation. As the Lord lives, in whose sight I stand (1 Kgs 17:1). He who makes the sinner to turn from the error of his way will free his soul from death, and will cover a multitude of sins (Jas 5:20). And with regard to the authority of his prediction: and if you will separate what is precious from what is base, by distinguishing good works from bad; my mouth, because I will speak through you. For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you (Matt 10:20).
Second, with regard to deliverance from evil:
first, from the evils of guilt: they shall be turned to you; it is as though he were saying, “They will imitate you, and not you them.” I beseech you, be imitators of me, as I am of Christ (1 Cor 4:16).
Second, from the evils of punishment:
first, he promises fortitude: and I shall make you as a strong brazen wall before this people. Above: I have surely set you today as a fortified city, and as an iron pillar, and as a brazen wall over all the land, for the kings of Judah and her princes, for her priests and for the people of the land. And they shall wage war with you, but will not prevail, for I am with you says the Lord (Jer 1:18–19).
Second, he promises protection: and they shall wage war. For if I should walk in the midst of the shadow of death, I will not fear evil things, because you are with me (Ps 23:4).
Third, he promises liberation: and I will free. Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name (Isa 43:1).
Collations
It is to be noted that the saints glory (Jer 15:17) in the good of virtue. In the suffering of tribulations: not only so, however, but we also glory in tribulations (Rom 5:3); in the fellowship of their neighbors: I have much confidence in you, and much of which to glory because of you (2 Cor 7:4); in the purity of their conscience: for our glory is this, the witness of our conscience (2 Cor 1:12). The saints also glory in God, in the divine love shown by the passion: may I not glory but in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ (Gal 6:14); in divine knowledge: let him who glories, glory in this, that he understands, and knows me (Jer 9:24); in divine imitation: it is a great glory to follow the Lord; for length of days will be received from him (Sir 23:38).
Chapter 16
Jeremiah separated from the people
Lecture 1
Jeremiah set apart from Israelites
16:1 And the word of the Lord came to me, saying:16:2 you shall not take a wife, neither will you have sons and daughters in this place.
16:3 For thus says the Lord concerning the sons and daughters who are begotten in this place, and concerning their mothers, and concerning their fathers, of whom they were born in this land:
16:4 they shall die by the death of diseases; and they shall not be mourned, and they shall not be buried; they shall be like dung upon the face of the earth, and they shall be consumed by the sword and by famine; and their bodies shall be as food for the birds of the sky, and the beasts of the earth.
16:5 For thus says the Lord: you shall not enter a house of feasting, neither go to mourn, neither console them, because I have taken away my peace from this people, says the Lord, my mercy and my compassion.
16:6 And the great and the small shall die in this land; and they shall not be buried, neither shall they be mourned, and they shall not cut themselves, nor be made bald for them.
16:7 And they shall not break bread among them for the grieving to console him for his dead, and they shall give them a cup to drink to console them for their father and their mother.
16:8 And you shall not enter the house of feasting, that you may sit with them and eat and drink.
16:9 Because thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: behold, I will take from this place, in your eyes, and in your days, the voice of joy, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride.
97. Here, the Lord forbids the prophet from association with the condemned people.
First, he gives the sentence.
Second, he gives the cause, at and when you tell (Jer 16:10).
Concerning the first idea, there are two points.
First, he forbids association by marriage, and issues the command: you shall not take a wife. Are you free from a wife? Do not seek a wife (1 Cor 7:27).
And he gives the reason: from the universality of those who are punished, for no age or gender will be spared: for thus says the Lord concerning the sons and daughters. Below: I will break in pieces the man and the woman among you, and I will break in pieces the old man and the boy among you, and I will break in pieces the young man and the virgin among you (Jer 51:22).
From the diversity of punishments: he threatens death from an interior cause: by the death of diseases, plague and protracted illnesses. And he adjoins a fitting burial: they shall not be mourned. For this reason, many among you are sick and feeble, and many sleep (1 Cor 11:30). Below: they shall not be mourned, and they shall not be gathered together, neither shall they be buried; they shall lie as dung upon the face of the earth (Jer 25:33). From an external cause: by the sword, from the scoffing of the enemy, and by famine, from the lack of necessary things. And he adjoins a fitting burial: and their bodies shall be as food for the birds of the sky. Above: they will be cast out in the streets because of famine and the sword, and there will be none to bury them, they and their wives, their sons and daughters (Jer 14:16).
Second, he forbids association by social gathering: for thus says the Lord.
First, he forbids gatherings of sadness—because they tend to occur so as to provide consolation when there has been a death—where the prohibition is given: you shall not enter, neither as a mourner, nor as one who consoles.
Second, he gives the reason: from the removal of peace: because I have taken away my peace, which I used to maintain with them, but I have become angry with them; or the peace which they had for one another and for others, with me as its source. There is no peace for the wicked, says the Lord (Isa 48:22).
From the threat of death: they shall die. The small and the great are there; and there the slave is free from his master (Job 3:19). From the cessation of the due funeral rites, because they will lack the indulgence of burial: they shall not be buried. Above: they shall not be gathered up, neither shall they be buried; they shall be as dung upon the face of the earth (Jer 8:2). The mourning even of the family: neither shall they be mourned, and they shall not cut themselves, causing injury, which is forbidden to the Jews. You shall not cut yourselves, nor make a bald spot for the dead (Deut 14:1). But Job, who, having shorn his head, fell on the ground (Job 1:20), did not sin, because he was a gentile.
They will even lack the gathering of relations, which generally takes place among grieving relatives: and they shall not break. Give strong drink to the sorrowful, and wine to those who are bitter of spirit. Let them drink, and forget their poverty, and remember their grief no more (Prov 31:6–7).
Second, he forbids a gathering of joy.
First, the prohibition is given: and you shall not enter the house of feasting, neither for fellowship nor for eating. If he who is called a brother among you is a fornicator, covetous, a worshiper of idols, or foul-mouthed, or rapacious, do not even take food with such a one (1 Cor 5:11).
Second, the reason is given: because thus says the Lord. The joy of our heart has failed, our dancing is turned into mourning (Lam 5:15). The same is said below (Jer 25:10).
Lecture 2
Punishments for idolatry
16:10 And when you tell all these words to this people, and they say to you, ‘Why has the Lord spoken all this great evil concerning us? What is our iniquity, and what is our sin, that we have sinned against the Lord our God?’16:11 You shall say to them: because your fathers have abandoned me, says the Lord, and went after strange gods, and served them, and worshiped them, and forsook me, and did not keep my law.
16:12 But you have done worse than your fathers; for behold, each one walks after the depravity of his own evil heart, that he may not hear me.
16:13 I also shall drive you out from this land to a land which you know not, neither you nor your fathers; and there you will serve strange gods, day and night, who will not give you rest.
16:14 Therefore, behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when it shall no more be said: as the Lord lives, who led the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt,
16:15 but: as the Lord lives, who led the children of Israel out of the land of the north, and from all the lands to which I have driven them; and I will lead them back to their own land, which I gave to their fathers.
16:16 Behold, I shall send many fishers, says the Lord, and they shall fish them; and after these things, I will send many hunters to them, and they shall hunt them from every mountain, and from every hill, and from the caves of the rocks.
16:17 Because my eyes are upon all their ways; and they are not hidden from my face, and their iniquity was not hidden from my eyes.
16:18 And I will first pay them back double for their iniquities and for their sins, because they have polluted my land with the corpses of their idols, and have filled my inheritance with their abominations.
16:19 O Lord, my fortitude, and my strength, and my refuge in the day of trouble, to you shall the nations come from the ends of the earth, and they shall say, ‘Truly our fathers possessed a lie, a vanity which did not profit them.
16:20 Shall man make gods for himself? And they are not gods.’
16:21 Therefore, behold, I shall show to them this once; I shall show them my hand, and my power, and they shall know that my name is the Lord.
98. Here, he gives the cause of the aforementioned punishment.
First, he poses the question: why has the Lord spoken all this great evil concerning us? Such is the way of the adulterous woman, who eats, and wipes her mouth and says: I have done no wrong (Prov 30:20).
Second, the Lord’s response is given: you shall say to them.
First, he places the fault in the transgression of their fathers: because they have abandoned. Above: they have abandoned me, the source of living water, and they have dug for them cisterns, even broken cisterns, which are not able to hold water (Jer 2:13).
In the imitation of the children, lest they should be able to excuse themselves by what is said: the fathers have eaten the bitter grape, and the teeth of the children were set on edge (Ezek 18:2). But you have done worse. Fulfill the measure of your fathers (Matt 23:32).
Second, he threatens punishment:
first, he gives the threat of punishment with regard to captivity: I also shall drive you out; and with regard to slavery: you will serve strange gods, by serving their worshipers. Judah has gone away because of affliction and abundance of harsh labor; he has dwelt among the nations, and has not found rest (Lam 1:3). In those nations also, you shall not rest, neither will there be any rest for the sole of your foot (Deut 28:65).
Second, he promises consolation, giving an oath as the sign: therefore, behold, the days are coming; it is as though he were saying, “You shall think of this as a greater kindness than when you were freed from Egypt; and forgetting the former, as it were, you will always remember the latter.” You shall not remember what came before, and shall not consider former things (Isa 43:18). The same is said below (Jer 23:8).
And explaining the kindness: and I will lead them back. I shall surely take you from the nations, and I will gather you from all lands; and I will lead you back to your own land (Ezek 36:24).
Third, he speaks of the nature of the captivity: behold, I.
First, he describes the captivity of the Babylonians: fishers, namely, the Chaldeans, who have caught them, as though living in a sea of prosperity and pleasure. You shall make men like the fish of the sea, and like the creeping things which have no leader (Hab 1:3). And of the Romans: and after these things, I will send hunters, namely, the Romans, who hunted them like beasts for the cruelty of their murder. My enemies have taken me in the chase, like a bird without cause (Lam 3:52).
Second, he gives the reason for the captivity, and speaks of his awareness of their guilt: because my eyes are upon all their ways. All the ways of men lie open to his eyes; the Lord is a weigher of spirits (Prov 16:2).
And the threat of punishment: and I will first pay them back, that is, before the aforementioned consolation, double, certainly with regard to their worship of idols; because of what follows: because they have polluted; and with regard to the perversion of morals: and have filled my inheritance with their abominations. The earth is stained with blood, and polluted with their works (Ps 105:38).
Third, he speaks of the usefulness of the captivity, namely, the conversion of the nations; either those who came back to Jerusalem with the Jews under Zerubbabel, or those who were converted to the faith of Christ: because a blindness in part has befallen Israel, until the fullness of the nations should enter, and so all Israel should be saved (Rom 11:25).
Concerning which he makes three points.
First is set down the exultation of the prophet, signified in the confession of divine praise: O Lord, my fortitude, to conquer others, my strength, to persevere, my refuge, should I fail. I will love you, O Lord my strength, the Lord is my support and my refuge (Ps 17:18).
Second is set down the conversion of the nations: to you shall the nations come. Sing to the Lord a new song, his praise from the ends of the earth (Isa 42:10). The shame of sin: truly a lie, idolatry, which deceitfully claims divinity and falsely offers help. Above: surely the hills were deceitful, the multitude of the mountains (Jer 3:23).
And the refutation of their original error: shall man make gods for himself? And they are not gods. For how shall man make God like himself? (Wis 15:16).
Third, he speaks of the resultant good of their conversion: therefore, that is, so that the nations may be converted, to them, to the Jews, this once; it is as though he were saying, “I shall not withhold any longer” my hand of correction. Alternatively, to them, the nations, my hand, Christ. The Lord who carries out judgment will be known, the sinner is taken in the works of his own hands (Ps 9:17). Also: send forth your hand from on high and rescue me, free me from the mighty waters, from the hand of strange children (Ps 143:7).
Collations
It must be noted that the word hand (Jer 16:21) is used in various senses; of divine providence: in his hand are both we, and our words, and all wisdom, and the skill of the knowledge of works (Wis 7:16); of divine liberality: when you open your hand, all things are filled with goodness (Ps 103:28); of divine protection: he protected me under the shelter of his hand (Isa 49:2); of divine liberation: he strikes, and his hands will heal (Job 5:18): of divine operation: glorify your hand and right arm (Sir 36:7); also of divine condemnation, it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God (Heb 10:31).
Chapter 17
Causes of Israel’s obstinance
Lecture 1
Curses and blessings
17:1 The sin of Judah is written with an iron pen, and a nail of diamond, it is graven upon the breadth of their heart, and on the horns of their altars.17:2 When their sons shall remember their altars, and their groves, and their leafy trees, upon the high mountains,
17:3 those sacrificing in the field; I will give your strength, and all your treasures as plunder; and your high places for sin in all your borders.
17:4 And you will be left stripped of your inheritance, which I gave to you, and I will make you serve your enemies in a land you know not, for you have kindled a fire in my wrath, and it shall burn forever.
17:5 Thus says the Lord: cursed is the man who puts his trust in man, and makes flesh his arm, and his heart departs from the Lord.
17:6 For he shall be like a tamarisk in the desert, and shall not see when good comes, but he shall dwell in a dry place in the desert, in saltiness where none may dwell.
17:7 Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, and the Lord will be his confidence.
17:8 And he shall be like a tree which is planted above the waters, which sends forth its roots to the moisture, and shall not fear when the heat comes; and his leaf will be green, and in the time of dryness he will not be troubled, nor shall he cease to put forth fruit at any time.
17:9 The heart of man is wicked, and inscrutable; who shall know it?
17:10 I the Lord examine the heart, and test the reins; it is I who give to each one according to his way, and according to the fruits of his doings.
99. Here, he shows explicitly the stubbornness of the people, which is the cause of their rejection.
Whence, he first shows their obstinate malice;
second, the punishment consummated, at thus says the Lord (Jer 19:1).
Regarding the first, there are two points.
In the first are given the causes of their stubbornness;
second, the obstinacy itself is proven through experience, at the word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord (Jer 18:1).
The first is divided into two parts.
In the first, he sets down the causes of their obstinacy;
in the second, he calls them back to the practice of their original religion, at thus says the Lord (Jer 17:19).
Concerning the first, there are two points.
First, he touches upon one cause, namely, the disposition for iniquity: speaking of their guilt, he gives an example of it: the sin of Judah, of the two tribes, is written, that is, so deeply impressed upon their disposition, particularly to idolatry, that it is impressed, like writing made with an iron pen, with a nail, that is, of diamond, which is a stone polished after the manner of a nail. They have set their heart like diamond, that they may not hear the law and the words which the Lord of hosts has sent in his Holy Spirit through the hand of his former prophets (Zech 7:12). Alternatively, sin, that is, the sentence for sin. And he speaks of their disposition to sin: it is graven, that is, deeply, upon the breadth, that is, upon the heart enlarged in its disposition to sin; for this reason, a heart so enlarged is in place of a diamond, and the horns of their altars, that is, of the idols, are in place of the iron pen. For God had commanded that four horns should protrude from the altar, from which the grating would hang (Exod 27:2–4), and they had done likewise on the altars to the idols. Ephraim has multiplied altars unto himself to sin, altars have been made for him to sin (Hos 8:11).
He also gives the sign of this inclination in subsequent offspring: when their sons, who retain this inclination, in a variety of places, shall remember their altars, which will be built in their cities. Above: and under every leafy tree you have lain as a harlot (Jer 2:20).
He adjoins the punishment, namely, the plundering of goods which pertain to the necessities of life; strength, that is, the possessions because of which you thought yourself to be strong, such as the place of battle, and the military encampments. Above: I shall give your riches and your treasures freely for spoil for all your sins and in all your borders (Jer 15:13). That is, when your malice has become so complete that sons should imitate their fathers, worshiping idols in every place, then I will give your strength, and all your treasures as plunder. And the goods which pertain to the practice of idolatry: your high places, in which they would worship idols. Behold, I shall bring the sword upon you, and I shall destroy your high places, and pull down your altars, and your images shall be broken, and I shall cast your slain before your idols (Ezek 6:3–4).
He also threatens captivity: you will be left stripped, O Jerusalem, from your inheritance, from a people subject to you. Alternatively, you will be left stripped, O nation, from the land, while you will go into captivity. How she sits alone, the city filled with people; the mistress of the nations has become like a widow, the chief of the provinces has been made tributary (Lam 1:1). Slavery is also threatened: and I will make you serve your enemies. You shall serve your enemy, whom the Lord will send to you, in hunger, and thirst, and nakedness, and in utter want; and he shall put a yoke of iron upon your neck, until he destroys you (Deut 28:48). And he touches on the next cause of punishment, namely, divine wrath, which is the will to punish: for you have kindled a fire. A fire is kindled in my wrath, and it shall burn to the very depths of hell (Deut 32:22).
Second, he touches on another cause, namely, their confidence in their own impunity: cursed is the man who puts his trust in man. They were assuring themselves of their impunity for three reasons.
First, because of the power of their friends, namely, the Egyptians; and this he takes away first.
Second, because of their abundant wealth, and this, at as the partridge has hatched what she did not lay (Jer 17:11).
Third, because of their disbelief in God’s threats; and this at, behold, they themselves say unto me, where is the word of the Lord? (Jer 17:15).
Concerning the first, there are two points.
First, he speaks of the distinction between those who trust in the Lord and those who in men;
second, he introduces the author of the distinction, at the heart of man is wicked (Jer 17:9).
Concerning the first idea, there are two points.
First, he speaks of the curse upon those who trust in human assistance, where he gives the curse: cursed, as one who is “abandoned to evil.” And makes flesh his arm, that is, his strength, in which the irrationality of hope is set down, because human frailty is signified by the flesh. And his heart departs from the Lord, by which is shown the reason for the curse; for it is permitted to trust in man under God, but not in such a way that God is forsaken. And this is said because of the Jews who, having spurned God, put their hope in the Egyptians. Woe to you who go down to Egypt for help, hoping in horses, and having confidence in chariots, because they are many, and in horsemen, because they are mighty; and have not trusted in the Holy One of Israel, and have not sought the Lord (Isa 31:1). Put not your trust in princes, in the sons of men, in whom there is no salvation (Ps 145:3).
And he gives a simile for the curse: for he shall be like a tamarisk, which are little valued. Simmachus: like an unfruitful tree in the wilderness. He shall not see—before their liberation from captivity, almost all of them died. But he shall dwell, by which is shown the horror for the place of their captivity, not because it was bad in itself, but for those who are oppressed with bondage; in a dry place in the desert, which is not tilled, but has a dry air, which makes the trees unfruitful; in saltiness, with regard to the dryness of the land, because of the evaporation of moisture by the sun. He has set rivers in the desert, and a spring of waters in the dry place (Ps 106:33).
Second, he speaks of the blessing of those who trust in God’s help.
First, he gives the blessing: blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, and the Lord will be his confidence, so that God is the reason for trusting in whomever he trusts. For his anger burns for a moment, blessed are all who trust in him (Ps 2:13). Blessed are all who wait upon him (Isa 30:18).
Second, he gives a simile drawn from a tree:
first, with regard to the firmness of the roots: and he shall be like a tree, in which is illustrated the firmness of divine protection. And he shall be like a tree which is planted by the streams of water, which gives forth its fruit in its due season (Ps 1:3).
Second, with regard to the greenness of the leaves: and his leaf will be green, by which is signified temporal prosperity, and spiritual verdure. The just will sprout like a green leaf (Prov 11:28).
Third, with regard to the richness of the fruit, by which is signified an abundance of good works: nor shall he cease to put forth fruit at any time. Each month it brings forth its fruit (Rev 22:2).
And because the Jews could say that it is not possible for there to be a difference of rewards because of the variety of thoughts; therefore, as a result, he introduces the author of this distinction.
First, he poses the question at hand: the heart of man is wicked, that is, entangled with many evil things. Counsel is as deep water in the heart of a man, but a wise man will draw it out (Prov 20:5).
Second, he gives the response, and he offers two factors which make the distinction in judgment sufficient—namely, knowledge: I the Lord examine the heart, with regard to its thoughts, the reins, with regard to the emotions. And he that searches the hearts knows what the spirit desires, because he asks for the saints according to God (Rom 8:27). And justice: I who give to each one according to his way, with regard to the disposition of the heart; fruit, with regard to external works. Say to the just man that it is well, for he shall eat the fruit of his own doings (Isa 3:10).
Lecture 2
Folly of riches
17:11 As the partridge has hatched what she did not lay, so he who has gotten riches and not by judgment; he shall leave them in the midst of his days, and at the last he shall be a fool.17:12 A high and glorious throne from the beginning is the place of our sanctification.
17:13 You are the expectation of Israel, O Lord, all who forsake you shall be put to shame; those who depart from you shall be inscribed in the land, for they have abandoned the Lord, the source of living waters.
17:14 Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved, for you are my praise.
100. Here, he touches on the second, from which the hope of immunity arose, namely, an abundance of riches.
First, he speaks of the confidence of the wicked which is placed in their wealth, under the similitude of the partridge, which steals the eggs of other birds, sits on them, and finally is abandoned by the chicks; in this he is speaking of the unjust congregation: as the partridge has hatched. And he explains: so he who has gotten riches and not by judgment. Woe to him who multiplies what is not his own. How long will he load himself with dense clay? (Hab 2:6). And the loss of them: he shall leave them in the midst of his days because he will die in his youth; alternatively, because he will lose them to the plundering Chaldeans while he is still alive. At the last, that is, at the divine judgment, or at his death, when riches shall be found to have profited him nothing, he shall be a fool, that is, he will appear to be a fool. And he will leave his riches to others, and their graves shall be their houses forever (Ps 48:11). He knows the deceiver, and him who is deceived (Job 12:16).
Second, he speaks of the hope of the just, which is in the worship of God: glorious throne, that is, the expectation and the confidence of the people of Israel is the temple, the ark, and the mercy seat, by which is understood the worship of God, which is called, a high and glorious throne; for there the glory of the Lord would appear in revelations from the beginning of the giving of the Law: the place of our sanctification, that is, in which we are sanctified, or which you have sanctified before us, and for us. Above: the throne of your glory; remember, and do not break your covenant with us (Jer 14:21).
To this he adjoins the punishment of those who turn away from this confidence when he speaks of the punishment: O Lord, all who forsake you shall be put to shame; those who depart from you in the land, of their captivity, shall be inscribed, as citizens remaining there forever; or with those who know earthly things, or they shall descend into earthly corruption, concerning which Psalm 48:12 speaks: they have called their names in their lands. And he gives the reason: for they have abandoned the Lord, the source of living waters. Above: they have abandoned me (Jer 2:13).
Third, he extends his petition to him who is his hope: heal me, from the wounds of sin and from the distress which surrounds me; save me, by preserving me among the good; my praise, whom I praise, or because of whom I am praised. I have said: O Lord, have mercy on me, heal my soul, for I have sinned against you (Ps 40:5).
Lecture 3
Disbelief in God’s threats
17:15 Behold, they themselves say unto me, ‘Where is the word of the Lord? Let it come.’17:16 And I am not troubled following you, my shepherd; and I have not desired the day of man, you know; what has come forth from my lips was right in your sight.
17:17 Be not a terror to me; you are my hope in the day of affliction.
17:18 Let those who persecute me be put to shame, but let me not be confounded; let them fear, but let me not be afraid; bring upon them the day of affliction, and destroy them with a double destruction.
101. This is the third reason that gave rise to their belief in their own immunity, inasmuch as they did not believe God’s threats; concerning this, there are three points.
First, he speaks of the insolence of the those who did not believe: where is the word? It is as though he were saying, “They will not come.” You who say, let him make haste, and let his work come quickly, that we may see, and let the counsel of the Holy One of Israel come, and we will know it (Isa 5:19). Woe to them who desire the day of the Lord. For what good is it to you? (Amos 5:18).
Second is given the excuse of the prophet with regard to his constancy of mind: and I am not troubled, because of their contradiction, following, fulfilling what you commanded me; the day, the present life, because I am prepared even to die; alternatively, present prosperity and glory. But I account it very little that I should be judged by you, or by man’s day (2 Cor 4:3). And with regard to the truth of his preaching: you know . . . what was right in your sight, although not in theirs. My witness is in heaven (Job 16:20).
Third, his own petition is given.
And first, he seeks safety: be not a terror to me; it is as though he were saying, “I fear only your indignation.” Let him take his rod from me, and let not his fear terrify me (Job 9:34). Do not fear those who kill the body, but rather fear him who is able to destroy the soul and the body in Gehennah (Matt 10:28).
Second, he asks that those who did not believe may suffer torment in their hearts, and that they may be put to shame because of their guilt. Let those who persecute me be put to shame. Let them be confounded, and put to shame, who seek my soul to take it away (Ps 39:15). And the fear of punishment: let them fear. Terror to those who work evil (Prov 10:29). For though wickedness is fearful, it is given for the condemnation of all (Wis 17:10). And in the body: bring upon them the day of affliction, in life; destroy, by death, with a double, with the sword and famine, or in soul and body.
Lecture 4
Inobservance of the Sabbath
17:19 Thus says the Lord unto me: go and stand in the gate of the sons of the people, through which the kings of Judah come in, and go out, and in all the gates of Jerusalem.17:20 And you shall say to them: hear the word of the Lord, O kings of Judah, and all Judah, and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, who enter through these gates.
17:21 Thus says the Lord: guard your souls, and carry no burdens on the Sabbath day, nor bring them through the gates of Jerusalem.
17:22 And do not cast out burdens from your houses on the Sabbath day, and do no work; sanctify the Sabbath day, as I commanded your fathers.
17:23 And they did not listen, neither did they incline their ear; but they hardened their neck, lest they should hear me, and receive reproof.
17:24 And it shall be, if you hearken unto me, says the Lord, that you bring no burdens through the gates of this city on the Sabbath day, and if you will sanctify the Sabbath day, that you do no work in it,
17:25 that kings and princes shall enter through the gates of this city, who sit upon the throne of David, and who mount chariots and horses, they and their princes, the men of Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and this city shall be inhabited forever.
17:26 And they shall come from the cities of Judah, and from round about Jerusalem, and from the land of Benjamin, and from the fields, and from the hill country, and from the south, carrying holocausts, and victims, and sacrifice and frankincense, and they shall bring their offering into the house of the Lord.
17:27 But if you will not hearken unto me, that you sanctify the Sabbath day, and you carry no burden, and bring them not through the gates of Jerusalem on the Sabbath day, I shall kindle a fire in her gates, and it shall devour the houses of Jerusalem, and it shall not be extinguished.
102. Here, he calls them back to the practice of their original religion with regard to the commandment concerning the observance of the Sabbath, which is the lightest, so that their obstinacy may the more be shown; and concerning this, he makes two points.
First, he determines the place of his preaching: in the gate, so that they should be forced to listen against their will, as it were. Be instant in season, and out of season, reprove, entreat, rebuke (2 Tim 4:2). Of the sons, for they themselves are not my people, but the sons of the peoples. Through which . . . come in, for the specific gate itself was next to the royal palace, through which the kings would enter the city. Above: stand in the gate of the house of the Lord, and preach there this word (Jer 7:2).
Second, he gives the substance of the preaching: and you shall say to them: and concerning this, he does three things.
First, he gives the command, seeking an audience: hear. And now, understand, O kings, be instructed, you who judge the earth (Ps 2:10).
He makes known the command: thus says the Lord: guard, from sin; carry outside the city burdens of merchandise and servile work (Jer 17:22), pertaining either to their slavery to sin, or to the punishment of slavery, because they were required to abstain even from those things which were not sins; we are not obliged to abstain from all these things, but according to the commandment of the Church which regulates this matter.
Sanctify, so that you are free for good works. Remember to sanctify the Sabbath day (Exod 20:8). I saw in Judah those who tread the winepress on the Sabbath, who carried sheaves, and who loaded wine and grapes and figs and every burden upon their asses, and who brought them into Jerusalem on the Sabbath day. And I charged them (Neh 13:15).
And he speaks of their contempt for the commandment: and they did not listen. Above: but they did not listen, and they did not incline their ear; but they went away in their own desires, and in the depravity of their evil hearts (Jer 7:24).
Second, he promises a reward to those who obey: and it shall be, if you hearken with regard to three things in which the city will be glorious:
namely, in the dignity of the king; and with regard to this: shall enter. I shall restore your judges as they were before, and your counselors as of old (Isa 1:26).
In the multitude of the people; and with regard to this, and this city shall be inhabited. No more shall you be called forsaken, and your land shall no more be called desolate (Isa 62:4).
And with regard to the ceremonies of the temple: and they shall come from the cities of Judah, and from round about Jerusalem, and from the land of Benjamin, and from the fields, and from the hill country, and from the south, even from Egypt. They shall be offered on my acceptable altar, and I will glorify the house of my majesty (Isa 60:7).
Third, he threatens burning to the defiant: but if you will not hearken . . . I shall kindle a fire in her gates, because the Chaldeans upon entering the gates set fire to the city. They shall be burned, both together, and there shall be none who may extinguish it (Isa 1:31).
Collations
Note that the saints put forth fruit (Jer 17:8) through the contemplation of wisdom: come to her as he who ploughs, and he who sows, and wait for her good fruits (Sir 6:19); through the fervor of charity: let my beloved come to his garden, that he may eat the fruit of his apple trees (Song 5:1); through the profession of praise: through him we offer perpetually to God the sacrifice of praise, that is the fruit of lips confessing his name (Heb 13:15); by doing what is meritorious: for the Lord will give his goodness, and our land will give her fruit (Ps 84:13); through the conversion of one’s neighbors: that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should abide (John 15:16).
It is also to be noted that some follow (Jer 17:16) Christ through the integrity of the flesh: for they are virgins, and they follow the Lamb wherever he goes (Rev 14:4); through the intention of the heart: I follow if by any means I may apprehend (Phil 3:12); through the suffering of tribulation: Christ has suffered for us leaving you an example, that you should follow his steps (1 Pet 2:21); through the keeping of the commandments: my foot has followed his steps, I have kept his way, and have not turned aside from it (Job 23:11). It is a great glory to follow the Lord; for length of days shall be received from him (Wis 23:38).
Chapter 18
The potter’s clay
Lecture 1
Clay in the hands of the potter
18:1 The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying:18:2 arise, and go down into the house of the potter, and there you will hear my words.
18:3 And I went down to the house of the potter, and behold he was making his work upon the wheel.
18:4 And the vessel which he was making from the clay with his hands was marred; and turning he made another vessel as it was pleasing in his eyes to make it.
18:5 And the word of the Lord came to me saying:
18:6 cannot I do with you, O house of Israel, as this potter? says the Lord. Behold, as clay in the hands of the potter, are you in my hand, O house of Israel.
103. Here, he shows the obstinacy of the people themselves as though through experience:
first, because they spurn his preaching;
second, because they persecute the preacher, at and they said, ‘Come, and let us devise devices against Jeremiah’ (Jer 18:18).
Concerning the first, there are two points.
First is given the preaching which calls them back to repentance;
second, the desperation of those who spurned it, at and they said, ‘We have no hope; we shall go after our own thoughts’ (Jer 18:12).
Concerning the first, there are two things.
First, the Lord designates the place of revelation to the prophet: into the house of the potter, so that the prophecy should be drawn from a likeness to his work, by which is signified that the words of the Lord are revealed to the one who descends to consider his own weakness. His speech is with the simple (Prov 3:32).
I went down—I went to the lower part of the city where craftsmen of this sort stayed.
Second, the revealed word is given.
First, he gives the simile;
second, he draws the lesson from the simile, at I shall speak suddenly against a nation (Jer 18:7).
Concerning the first, there are two points.
First, the action of the potter is noted, from which the simile is drawn when he speaks of the vessel’s destruction: and behold he was making his work upon the wheel. The potter sitting at his work, and turning the wheel with his feet, who is always carefully set to his task, and innumerable is all his work (Sir 38:32).
And the restoration of the destroyed vessel: and turning he made another vessel. The potter pressing a mass of earth, laboriously crafts each vessel for our use, and from the same clay makes vessels which are for clean use, and in like manner those which are the opposite (Wis 15:7).
Second, he gives the application of the simile: and the word of the Lord came to me.
First, the question is posed: cannot I do with you, O house of Israel, as this potter? And now, O Lord, you are our father, and we are the clay; and you are our maker, and we are all the work of your hands (Isa 64:8).
Second, the response: behold, as clay. In his hand are both we, and our words, and all wisdom, and the skill of the knowledge of works (Wis 7:16).
Lecture 2
God’s craft of cities and nations
18:7 I shall speak suddenly against a nation and against a kingdom, that I may uproot, and destroy, and ruin it.18:8 If that nation will repent of its evil, which I have spoken against it, then I also shall repent of the evil which I have thought to do against it.
18:9 And at once I shall speak concerning the nation and the kingdom that I should build, and plant it.
18:10 If it does evil in my eyes, and does not hear my voice, then I will repent of the good which I have said I would do for it.
18:11 Now, therefore, speak to the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying: thus says the Lord: behold, I fashion an evil against you, and I think a thought against you; let each one turn from his wicked way, and direct your ways and your endeavors.
104. Here, he draws the lesson from the above-mentioned simile.
But it is objected that what is said here is opposed to what is written in Numbers 23:9: God is not as a man that he should lie, neither as the son of man that he should be changed. But one cannot tell a future that does not come to pass without lying, neither can one repent without changing. Therefore, etc.
To which one must say that according to Jerome, in the Gloss on Matthew 1, prophecy is twofold, namely that which pertains to predestination in those things which do not depend upon free will but only upon the disposition of God, which is immutable; and therefore, it is necessary for this to come to pass by all means. The other pertains to foreknowledge of those things which also are not subject to free will, but proceed from God insofar as God knows the outcome of every matter. And thus even a divine sentence is not changed, the change having been made in man but not in God. And therefore, repentance is understood not as a changing of the divine disposition but as a deferral of the divine sentence in accordance with lower causes. And therefore he says, suddenly, and, at once, speaking of God after the manner of a man; for someone is said to speak suddenly when he speaks without premeditation. Now this is fitting when one has regard only to the present, consideration of the future having been omitted.
Therefore, concerning this, he makes two points.
First, he speaks of the revocability of the divine sentence against the wicked when he gives the pronouncement of sentence: that I may uproot, by taking away all strength. Above: I have established you this day over nations and over kingdoms, so that you may root up and pull down, lay waste and scatter, build and plant (Jer 1:10).
And the revocation of the sentence: if that nation will repent of its evil . . . I also shall repent. My heart turned within me, likewise my repentance was stirred up (Hos 11:8).
And he gives the proclamation of the sentence for the good: and suddenly. If you shall return to the Almighty, you shall be built, and you will put your iniquity far from your tent (Job 22:23).
And the revocation, if he does evil: if the righteous man turns himself from his righteousness, and does iniquity according to all the abominations which the wicked man is accustomed to do, shall he live? All his righteousness which he had done will not be remembered; in the rebellion wherein he rebelled, and in the sin wherein he sinned, in them shall he die (Ezek 18:24).
Second, he introduces an idea.
First, he speaks of the punishment which has been devised: now, therefore, speak to the men of Judah . . . thus says the Lord: behold, I fashion, like a potter, an evil, punishments. I the Lord am he who makes peace, and creates evil (Isa 45:7).
Second, he concludes with repentance: let each one turn from his wicked way, and direct, make straight, your ways, works; endeavors, thoughts. Turn from your wicked ways (Ezek 33:11).
Lecture 3
Despair of sinners
18:12 And they said, ‘We have no hope; we shall go after our own thoughts, and each one of us will do according to the perversity of his own wicked heart.’18:13 Therefore, thus says the Lord: inquire of the nations: who has heard such dreadful things, which the virgin of Israel does exceedingly?
18:14 Shall the snow of Lebanon fail from the stone of the field? Or can the cold waters which burst forth, and flow be pulled up?
18:15 Because my people has forgotten me, sacrificing in vain, and stumbling in their ways, in the ways of their time, that they may walk in them by a way not taken,
18:16 that their land may become a waste, and a perpetual hissing; everyone who passes by her will be astonished, and shake his head.
18:17 As a burning wind I will scatter them before the enemy. In the day of their destruction, I shall show them my back, and not my face.
105. Here, he speaks of the despair of those who spurned his preaching.
First, he mentions their desperation: we have no hope. Above: and you have said, ‘I have despaired, I have done wickedly; I have indeed loved others greatly, and walked after them’ (Jer 2:25).
Second, the condemnation of those who despaired is given: therefore, thus says the Lord.
First, he reproves them for their horrendous sin in comparison to the nations: inquire of the nations. Above: cross over to the isles of the Cethim and see; and send to Cedar and consider diligently; and see if there is a deed of this kind: if a nation has changed its gods. Certainly they are no gods (Jer 2:10–11). He has despised my judgments, that he may be more wicked than the nations, and my commandments more than the lands which are round about him (Ezek 5:6).
With a simile drawn from insensate things, which hold to the order fixed for them by God: shall the snow of Lebanon fail from the stone of the field? It is to be noted that Lebanon is a large mountain and has at its top a great expanse in which are fields and caves in the rocks, in which the snow remains perpetually because the rays of the sun do not reach it. Or can the cold waters which burst forth be pulled up, so that they do not flow from Lebanon and other high mountains? It is as though he were saying, “No.” I have learned that all the works which God has made will endure forever. We can add nothing, nor take anything away from those things, which the Lord made that he might be feared (Eccl 3:14).
From the nature of the works, because they are useless: sacrificing in vain, to idols. What fruit, therefore, did you have in those things of which you are now ashamed (Rom 6:21). Because they are harmful: and stumbling, that is, offending. We have stumbled at noon day as in darkness, in dark places like the dead (Isa 59:10). Because they are shameful: in the ways of their time, idolatry, after which their entire generation goes. Do you not desire to keep to the path of the ages, which wicked men have trod, who were taken away before their time, and a river has overthrown their foundation, who said to God: depart from us, and we wish no knowledge of your ways (Job 22:15). And difficult: that they may walk in them by a way not taken, by their holy fathers. Alternatively, because they have devised vain sins: we have walked in difficult ways, and the way of the Lord we have not known (Wis 5:7). We will walk upon the trodden path (Num 20:17).
Second, he threatens an astonishing punishment.
First, with regard to the desolation of the land: that their land may become a waste, as consequently. O all you who pass by the way, attend, and see, if there is grief like unto my grief (Lam 1:10).
Second, with regard to the destruction of the nation: as a wind, which withers all fruit, before the Babylonian enemy. Above: a burning wind is on the roads, which are in the desert of the way of the daughter of my people, not to winnow, or to cleanse (Jer 4:11).
Third, with regard to the cessation of divine assistance. My back, after the manner of an angry person. I will hide my face from them, and will consider their last end (Deut 32:20). Why, O Lord, have your rejected us completely, and why is your anger stirred up against the sheep of your pasture (Ps 73:1).
Lecture 4
Devices against Jeremiah
18:18 And they said, ‘Come, and let us devise devices against Jeremiah; for the law shall not perish from the priest, nor counsel from the wise, nor speech from the prophet; come, and let us strike him with the tongue, and let us pay no heed to all his words.’18:19 Attend to me, O Lord, and hear the voice of my adversaries.
18:20 Is evil to be given for good, because they have dug a pit for my soul? Remember that I stood in your sight, that I might speak good for them, and turn your indignation from them.
18:21 Therefore, give their sons up to famine, and bring them into the hands of the sword; let their wives be without children, and widows; and let their husbands be killed with death; their young men pierced with the sword in battle.
18:22 Let a shout be heard in their houses; you will bring the thief upon them suddenly, because they have dug a pit to take me, and have hidden snares for my feet.
18:23 But you, O Lord, know all their counsel against me to slay me; do not forgive their iniquity, and let not their sins be blotted out from your sight; let them fall before your eyes, in the time of your wrath consume them.
106. Here their obstinacy is shown from the fact that they would persecute their preachers in a figure of the persecution of Christ.
First is noted the persecution on the part of his adversaries, when he speaks of their plan to persecute: come. The wicked spoke, thinking what is not right within themselves (Wis 2:1). And further (in the same place): let us surround the just man, for he is useless to us, and is contrary to our doings (Wis 2:12). The reason for the persecution: for the Law, the disposition of the Law, shall not perish. Speech, of divine revelation, which, as it were, falsely predicted this future. On the contrary, the Law shall perish from the priest, and counsel from the elders (Ezek 7:26). And the manner of persecution: with the tongue, by detraction, and accusation. Let us pay no heed, as though fearing his threats. They have sharpened their tongues as swords, they have established a worthless matter for themselves (Ps 63:4). The blow of the whip makes a bruise, but the blow of the tongue will break the bones (Sir 28:21).
Second, the prayer of the prophet is given.
First, he seeks an audience: attend to me, O Lord, that is, to my merits. You have heard their scorn, O Lord, all their thoughts against me (Lam 3:60).
Second, he sets forth the fault of ingratitude when he speaks of their ingratitude: is evil to be given for good? It is as though he were saying, “It is not customary; it is not just.” A pit, deception, that they might take my life. They have set before me evil for good, and hatred for my love (Ps 108:5). And the proof of their ingratitude: remember. This is the lover of his brethren, and of the people of Israel; this is he who prayed much for the people and for the entire holy city, Jeremiah the prophet of God (2 Macc 15:14).
Third, he calls down punishment.
First, the infliction of punishment with regard to the boys: therefore, give their sons. Above: those who are for the sword, to the sword, and those who are for famine, to famine, and those who are for captivity, to captivity (Jer 15:2). With regard to those who make use of marriage: let their wives be without children. Give them a womb without children, and dry breasts (Hos 9:14). And with regard to their men of war: let their young men be pierced with the sword in battle, let a shout be heard, of wailing. They will raise a cry of grief (Isa 15:5).
Second, the concealment of the punishment, so that they may not guard against it beforehand: you will bring the thief, Nebuchadnezzar, who would come upon them suddenly. If thieves had come in unto you, if robbers in the night, how should you have kept silent? (Obad 1:5). And he gives the reason: because they have dug a pit; it is as though he were saying, “It is just that they should be deceived, who wished to deceive me.” They have laid a snare for my feet, and bowed down my soul (Ps 56:7).
And he brings the proof: but you, O Lord, know. You have seen, O Lord, their wickedness against me, judge my cause (Lam 3:59).
Next, he excludes a revocation of the sentence when he excludes mercy: do not forgive their iniquity, by cleansing them from guilt; let not their sins be blotted out, by freeing them from punishment. Let the iniquity of his fathers be remembered in the sight of the Lord, and let not the sin of his mother be blotted out (Ps 108:14). And he calls down punishment: let them fall before your eyes . . . consume them, that is, treat them badly, or contrary to your accustomed clemency. Jerusalem is ruined, and Judah has fallen, because their tongue, and their doings are against the Lord, that they may provoke the eyes of his majesty (Isa 3:8).
Collations
One should note that there is the good hissing (Jer 18:16) of divine inspiration. I will whistle for them, and I will gather them, because I have redeemed them (Zech 10:8). Of strengthening the lowly: and after the fire, the whistle of a gentle breeze (1 Kgs 19:12). Of compassion. Below: all who pass by her will be astonished, and hiss because of all her plagues (Jer 49:17).
There is also the bad hissing of wicked persuasion: moved by the hissing of serpents, they perished for fear (Wis 17:9). Of insult: all those passing by the way hissed and shook their heads because of the daughter of Jerusalem saying: is this the city of perfect beauty, the joy of all the earth? (Lam 2:15). Of astonishment: I shall make them an astonishment and a hissing, and eternal desolations (Jer 25:9).
Also, concerning the phrase: that I might speak good for them (Jer 18:20), it should be noted that Christ speaks good for us that he may obtain mercy: Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do (Luke 23:34). To excuse guilt: we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ, the just man; and he is the atonement for our sins (1 John 2:1–2). You have come to the mediator of the new covenant, and to the sprinkling of blood, which speaks better than that of Abel (Heb 12:24). To obtain glory: I desire that where I am, they also may be with me, that they may see my glory, which you have given me (John 17:24).
Chapter 19
Analogy of the broken pot
Lecture 1
Warnings at the clay gate
19:1 Thus says the Lord: go and take a potter’s earthen vessel from the elders of the people and from the elders of the priests,19:2 And go out to the valley of the sons of Hinnom, which is near the entrance of the clay gate: and you shall preach there the words which I shall speak to you.
19:3 And you shall say: hear the word of the Lord, O kings of Judah, and inhabitants of Jerusalem. Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: behold, I will bring an affliction against this place, such that the ears of all who hear of it may tingle.
19:4 Because they have abandoned me, and profaned this place, and sacrificed in it to strange gods, whom they did not know, they or their fathers, or the kings of Judah; and they have filled this place with the blood of the innocent.
19:5 They have built the high places of the Baalim, to burn their sons with fire as a holocaust to the Baalim, which thing I have not commanded, nor spoken, nor has it come up in my heart.
19:6 Therefore, behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when this place shall no longer be called Tophet, and the valley of the sons of Hinnom, but the valley of slaughter.
19:7 And I will destroy the counsel of Judah and of Jerusalem in this place, and I shall overthrow them with the sword in the sight of their enemies, and in the hand of those that seek their lives; and I will give their bodies as food to the birds of the sky.
19:8 And I shall make this city an astonishment and a hissing; all who pass by her will be astonished and will hiss because of all her plagues.
19:9 And I shall feed them with the flesh of their sons and with the flesh of their daughters; and each one will eat the flesh of his friend in the siege, and in the distress with which their enemies, and those who seek their lives, shall shut them up.
107. Here, the full punishment is threatened.
First, he gives the place of the preaching: to the valley of the sons of Hinnom, which is near the entrance of the clay gate, where the potters lived, and you shall preach there the words which I shall speak to you. And you shall hear a word from my mouth, and you shall announce it to them from me (Ezek 3:17).
Second, he notes the content of the preaching:
first, in the place appointed by God beforehand;
second, in the temple, at now Jeremiah came from Tophet (Jer 19:14).
Concerning the first, there are two points.
First, he foretells the punishment with a word;
second, he presignifies it with a deed, at and you shall break the jar (Jer 19:10).
Concerning the first:
he first threatens punishment in general, when he seeks an audience: and you shall say, hear. And now, understand, O kings of the earth, be instructed, you who judge the land (Ps 2:10). When he foretells the punishment: thus says the Lord . . . that the ears of all who hear of it may tingle, as though from an agitation of the heart arising from astonishment, as from the agitation of a great sound. Behold, I will make a word in Israel, that whoever shall hear of it, both his ears will tingle (2 Kgs 21:12).
And when he gives the reason, the guilt of the people: because they have abandoned me. They have abandoned the Lord, blasphemed the Holy One of Israel, they have gone away backwards (Isa 1:4). And the guilt of the king with regard to simple homicide: or the kings of Judah. Manasseh spilled very much innocent blood, until Jerusalem was filled up to the mouth (2 Kgs 21:16).
And with regard to homicide joined to sacrilege: and they have built the high places of the Baalim. They spilled innocent blood, the blood of their sons, and of their daughters, which they sacrificed to the graven images of Canaan (Ps 105:38).
Second, he speaks of the punishment in particular:
first, with regard to the evils which they suffered while the city was being taken, when he discusses the slaughter of men: therefore, behold, the days are coming; here he designates the multitude of the slain: when this place shall no longer be called Tophet. The same thing is said above (Jer 7:32).
The destruction of counsel: and I will destroy the counsel of Judah, which had thought to conquer Nebuchadnezzar, in this place, because they were slain there: he takes the wise in their subtlety, and destroys the counsel of the wicked (Job 5:13). And the type of slaughter: and I shall overthrow them with the sword. This is the sword of great slaughter, which makes them to stand amazed, and to languish in heart, and that multiplies ruins (Ezek 21:14). And he speaks of the rejection of their bodies: and I will give their bodies as food to the birds of the sky. They have given the bodies of your servants as food to the birds of the air, and the flesh of your saints to the beasts of the earth (Ps 78:2).
And the destruction of their cities: and I shall make this city an astonishment. The same thing is said above (Jer 18:16).
Second, the punishment which they suffered in the siege: and I shall feed them with the flesh of their sons. You shall eat the fruit of your womb, and the flesh of your sons, and of your daughters, which the Lord your God shall give to you, in the want and ruin with which your enemy shall oppress you (Deut 28:53). The hands of pitiful women cooked their sons; they became their food in the destruction of the daughter of my people (Lam 4:10).
Lecture 2
The broken vessel
19:10 And you shall break the jar in the sight of the men who will go with you.19:11 And you will say to them: thus says the Lord of hosts: thus shall I destroy this people, and this city, as an earthen vessel is destroyed, which cannot be fit together again, and they shall be buried in Tophet, because there shall be no other place for burying.
19:12 Thus shall I do to this place, says the Lord, and to her inhabitants, and I shall make this city like Tophet.
19:13 And the houses of Jerusalem, and the houses of the kings of Judah shall be like the place Tophet, unclean, and all the houses upon whose roofs they have sacrificed to all the host of heaven, and poured out drink offerings to strange gods.
108. Here, he signifies the aforementioned punishment by deed.
First, he gives the deed: you shall break the jar. Behold, the sovereign Lord, the Lord of hosts, shall break the earthen vessel with terror, and the tall of stature shall be cut down, and the high places brought low (Isa 10:33).
Second, the meaning of the act: and you will say to them.
First, with regard to the slaughter of the people: thus shall I destroy. He shall be broken small, as a clay jar is broken with a mighty destruction (Isa 30:14).
Second, with regard to the place of burial: and they shall be buried in Tophet, because of the multitude of the slain. The same thing is said above (Jer 7:32).
Third, with regard to the destruction of the city: thus I shall make it like Tophet: unclean and without houses.
Upon whose roofs, that is, on the tops of their houses, which were flat, on which they would worship idols. You also are gone up wholly on the housetops, full of clamor, a populous city, a joyous city (Isa 22:23).
Lecture 3
Warning in the temple
19:14 Now Jeremiah came from Tophet, where the Lord had sent him to prophecy, and he stood in the atrium of the house of the Lord, and said to all the people:19:15 thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: behold, I will bring upon this city, and upon all the cities thereof, all the evils which I have spoken against her, for they have stiffened their necks, that they might not hear my words.
109. After he had said what had been said before in the valley of Tophet to the people, he returned to the temple, that he might announce those things to the people who did not wish to follow him. And it is clear. O stiff necked, and uncircumcised of heart, and ear, you have always resisted the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so do you also (Acts 7:51).
Chapter 20
Pashhur persecutes Jeremiah
Lecture 1
Pashhur imprisons Jeremiah
20:1 And Pashhur, the son of Emmer, the priest, who was appointed chief in the house of the Lord, heard Jeremiah prophesying these words.20:2 And Pashhur struck Jeremiah the prophet, and put him in fetters, which were in the upper gate of Benjamin, in the house of the Lord.
20:3 The next day, when it was light, Pashhur brought Jeremiah from prison, and Jeremiah said to him: the Lord has not called your name Pashhur, but Terror.
20:4 For thus says the Lord: behold, I will make you a terror to yourself and all your friends; and they will run from the sword of their enemies, and your eyes will see it; and I shall give all Judah into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall carry them into Babylon, and strike them with the sword.
20:5 And I shall give the whole substance of this city, and all its labor, and all its value, and all the treasures of the kings of Judah, shall I give into the hands of their enemies, and they shall spoil them, and take them, and lead them to Babylon.
20:6 But you, Pashhur, and all those who dwell in your house, shall go into captivity; and you shall come to Babylon, and there you shall die, and there you shall be buried, you and all your friends, to whom you have prophesied a lie.
110. Having finished the threat against the people, he begins the threat against the princes.
First is given the threat of the prophet against the princes;
second, the conspiracy of the princes against the prophet, as it says below: in the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim, the son of Josiah, king of Judah (Jer 26:1).
Concerning the first, there are two points.
First, he makes a threat against the princes of the Judean people;
second, against them and others, as it says below: the word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord (Jer 25:1).
The first divides into two parts.
In the first, he makes a threat against the princes, as those established in the highest rank of dignity;
in the second, he makes a threat against everyone, as it says below: woe to the shepherds who scatter and tear in pieces the flock (Jer 23:1).
Concerning the first, there are two points.
First, he makes a threat against the highest in spiritual dignity, namely, the high priest;
second, against the highest in temporal dignity, namely, against the king, as it says below: the word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord (Jer 21:1).
Concerning the first, there are two points.
First, he gives the threat against the high priest;
second, because of the danger which threatened the prophet as a result of this, he give his own complaint, at O Lord, you have deceived me (Jer 20:7).
Concerning the first, there are two points.
First is set down the occasion of the threat from the persecution of the prophet, where the reason for the persecution is given: prophesying these words, against the city; for this was the duty of the high priest—to bring false prophets to trial. As it says below: the Lord has made you a priest in the place of Jehoiada the priest, that you may be the ruler in the house of the Lord over every madman and prophet, that you may put them in the stocks and in prison (Jer 29:26).
The persecution of the prophet: and Pashhur struck . . . and put him in fetters, in a prison, a kind of torture for detaining captives; Benjamin, the gate which led to the tribe of Benjamin, for the city was located in the confines of both tribes (Josh 15:8, 18:28); the upper gate—perhaps because there were many gates leading to that land; in the house of the Lord, for which reason, prophets and ministers of the temple were judged in that gate and there confined to prison. He has built against me round about that I may not go out; he has made my fetters heavy (Lam 3:7).
And the liberation of the prophet: the next day, when it was light, Pashhur brought Jeremiah from prison. It happened that next day that their princes gathered together in Jerusalem, both the elders and the scribes (Acts 4:5). Who brings forth the bound with strength (Ps 67:7).
Second, the threat is given:
and first, the punishment is designated by the changing of the name: and Jeremiah said to him; he speaks after the manner of a fearful man who looks all about. Terror to those who work evil (Prov 10:29).
Second is placed the threat of the punishment: for thus says the Lord:
first, with regard to his friends: to yourself and all your friends. Their priests have fallen by the sword (Ps 77:64).
Second, with regard to his subjects, when he speaks of the captivity of the people: and all Judah. Judah has gone away because of her affliction, and the greatness of her bondage; she has dwelt among the nations, but has found no rest (Lam 1:3).
And the plundering of goods: and I shall give the whole substance of this city. Everything which is in your house, and which your fathers stored up until this day, shall be carried away to Babylon. Nothing shall be left, says the Lord (Isa 39:6).
Third, with regard to his own household: but you, Pashhur, and all those who dwell in your house, shall go into captivity . . . and all your friends, to whom you have prophesied a lie, promising them prosperity. The Lord will cast you like a ball in a wide and spacious land. There, you will die (Isa 22:18). Your sons and your daughters will fall by the sword, and your land shall be measured by a line; and you shall die in a polluted land, and Israel shall go from his land as a captive (Amos 7:17).
Lecture 2
Jeremiah’s complaint to the Lord
20:7 O Lord, you have deceived me, and I was deceived, you were stronger than I, and you prevailed; I have become a laughingstock all the day; everyone mocks me.20:8 For I am speaking now this long time, crying out against iniquity, and I often proclaim destruction; and the word of the Lord has become a reproach to me, and a derision all the day.
20:9 And I said: I shall not remember him, neither shall I speak any more in his name; and there came something like a fire burning in my heart, shut up in my bones; and I failed, unable to bear it.
20:10 For I heard the reproaches of many, and terror round about: ‘Persecute him, and let us persecute him,’ from all men who were at peace with me, and guarded my side: ‘If some way he may be deceived, and we may prevail against him, and avenge ourselves on him.’
20:11 But the Lord is with me, as a mighty man of war; therefore, those who persecute me shall fall and be weak; they shall be greatly ashamed, for they have not understood the eternal reproach, which shall never be blotted out.
20:12 And you, O Lord of hosts, are a tester of the just man; you who see the reins and heart, let me see, I pray, my vengeance upon them, for to you have I revealed my cause.
20:13 Sing to the Lord, praise the Lord, for he has freed the soul of the poor from the hand of the wicked.
111. Here is placed the complaint of the prophet.
First, he laments the duty which has been enjoined upon him.
Second, he laments his birth.
Concerning the first, there are two points.
First, he bewails the office enjoined upon him because of the consequent derision;
second, because of persecution, at for I heard the reproaches of many (Jer 20:10).
Concerning the first, there are three things.
First, he makes known, as it were, the manner of the injunction by complaining: you have deceived, that is, I have received an occasion for deception from your words for I believed that I would prophesy against the nations and not against the Jews, from whom I suffer persecution. He does not, however, wish to impute the crime of deception to God, because then he would blaspheme. You prevailed, in imposing the duty upon me when I resisted, as above in chapter 1. And this chiefly because he did not see the fruit of his own preaching. I have labored in vain, I have wasted my strength vainly and without cause (Isa 49:4).
Second, he sets forth the outcome of his preaching when he speaks of their derision: I have become a laughingstock . . . everyone mocks, with a wrinkling of the nose manifesting derision. I have become a laughingstock to my entire people, their song all the day long (Lam 3:14).
And he gives the reason when he sets out the substance of his preaching by which he openly reproved faults and threatened punishments: for I am speaking now this long time, crying out against iniquity, and I often proclaim destruction, which, nevertheless, has not yet come. To them which rejoice upon a wall of baked bricks, tell their stripes (Isa 16:7). And the consequent reproach: and the word of the Lord has become a reproach to me, that is, a cause of reproach. Festus said to Paul: much learning has made you mad (Acts 26:24).
Third, he rescinds the duty that was enjoined upon him: and I said.
First, he casts away the duty: I shall not remember, that is, I will think no more to speak to the people. For he did not wish to cast his pearls before swine. Do not give what is holy to the dogs (Matt 7:6).
Second, he again takes up the duty he cast off: and there came something like a fire; for the more one abstains externally from the words, the more one feels the fervor of love internally. My heart grew hot within me, and in my meditation a fire shall burn (Ps 38:4). In my bones, in the innermost part of the mind, I failed, in my purpose, unable to bear, the fire within, for I heard the reproaches of many (Jer 20:10).
Here, he complains about the duty he has taken on, because he is enduring persecution.
First, the persecution of his adversaries is given.
First, he speaks of the multitude of those who persecute him: of many, whom he is not able to resist. Persecute, in which their conspiracy is observed. He even mentions their familiarity: from all men who were at peace with me, in which the imminent danger is observed. All the men of your confederacy have mocked you; the men of your peace have prevailed against you (Obad 1:7).
Second comes the comforting of the prophet when he speaks of divine assistance: but the Lord is with me, to defend. The Lord God is my help, and therefore I am not ashamed (Isa 50:7). And his duty: and therefore, those who persecute me shall fall, because they persecute him. Boys shall faint and labor, and young men shall fall from weakness (Isa 40:30). They shall be greatly ashamed, because they have spoken reproachfully; for they have not understood, that is, they did not wish to understand, the reproach, of eternal damnation, or of the coming captivity. Let them be confounded and afraid, who seek my soul, that they may take it away (Ps 39:15).
Third is placed the petition where he longs for kindness, and commends justice: a tester—that is, one who proves, or an investigator and examiner—of knowledge; who sees the reins, with regard to the emotions, and hearts, with regard to the thoughts. Above: I the Lord examine the heart, and test the reins; it is I who give to each one according to his way (Jer 17:10). He seeks vengeance: let me see, I pray, my vengeance upon them; and he gives the cause: for to you have I revealed, not to one who did not know this, but putting my entire cause in you. Above: for to you have I revealed my cause (Jer 11:20).
Fourth is placed his thanksgiving: sing to the Lord. Because he has freed the poor from the powerful, the poor man who had no helper (Ps 71:12).
Lecture 3
Jeremiah curses his birth
20:14 Cursed is the day on which I was born; the day on which my mother bore me, may it not be blessed!20:15 Cursed is the man who announced it to my father, saying: a man-child is born to you, and made him rejoice greatly.
20:16 Let that man be as the cities which the Lord has overthrown and has not repented; let him hear a cry in the morning and wailing at noonday,
20:17 who did not kill me from the womb, so that the grave might become my mother and her womb an everlasting conception.
20:18 Why did I come forth from the womb to see labor and pain, that my days may be consumed in shame?
112. Here, he laments the origin of his birth.
But one may object to what is said here, for it is the duty of the saints to glory in tribulations, as it is said in Romans 5. Therefore, it seems that Jeremiah should not have burst forth in cursing because of his tribulations.
Furthermore, the day is a creature of God; but to curse a creature of God is a sin; therefore, etc.
Furthermore, a day is a transitory thing, and it is foolish to apply the punishment of a curse to it; therefore, etc.
Furthermore, no one should curse the innocent; but that man, insofar as he did not kill Jeremiah, was innocent; therefore, he sinned in cursing him.
To the first objection it is to be said that tribulations considered in themselves are an evil insofar as they are contrary to the nature of the good, as Augustine says; and thus to abhor them with a natural hatred is not a sin. If, however, because of them, an argument were to be drawn inductively from one’s own rectitude, this would be a sin. Considered, however, insofar as they move one toward the good, the saints glory in them as a sick man might in the amputation by which he is healed.
To the second and third objections, it is to be said that he does not curse the day considered as to its nature, because this would be foolish and a sin, but insofar as it is evil, in that something bad happened in it; just as, to the contrary, a festival day is celebrated because of something good which happened on that day; and this is what that curse signifies. Gregory, however, considering the nature of the day itself, says that it cannot be understood literally.
And one must respond similarly to the last objection, because he does not curse those men except insofar as they have a relation to their own action. Whence, by this, he gives us to understand his own sense of horror, hyperbolically speaking, and the weariness of his own life because of the difficulties which he was suffering.
Therefore, concerning this, he makes two points.
First, he mentions the curse against the time of his birth: cursed is the day. May the day perish on which it was said: a man is conceived (Job 3:3).
Against the messenger of his birth: cursed is the man who announced it to my father, saying, a man-child is born to you, and made him rejoice greatly. God has made joy for me, and whoever shall hear of it shall laugh with me (Gen 21:6).
And he explains the manner of the curse: let that man be as the cities which the Lord has overthrown. You have made the city a heap, the strong city a ruin (Isa 25:2).
And against the life of the servant, who saved his life: let him hear a cry, of death, so that the grave might become my mother, as though he had not been reckoned among men; an everlasting conception, which never came to its due delivery. Why did I not die in the womb, why did I not immediately die when I came out of the belly (Job 3:11).
Second is placed the reason for the curse: why did I come forth from the womb? Above: woe to me, O my mother! Why did you give birth to me, a man of contention, a man of discord in the whole land? (Jer 15:10). Woe to me that I was born to see the destruction of my people, and the destruction of the holy city, and to dwell there when it is given into the hands of the enemy (1 Macc 2:7).
Collations
A note concerning the verse: O Lord, you have deceived me, and I was deceived, you were stronger than I, and you prevailed (Jer 20:7), for the Lord seduces by drawing one along with persuasion: since I was clever, I caught you by guile (2 Cor 12:16); by alluring one with consolations: when I had eaten it, my stomach was made bitter (Rev 10:10); by comforting one with promises. Above: why have you deceived this people and Jerusalem, saying, ‘You shall have peace’? And behold the sword has come even unto the soul (Jer 4:10). But the Lord prevails by correcting: he taught me with his mighty hand, that I should not go in the way of this people (Isa 8:11); by drawing one back from what is harmful: I shall hedge your way with thorns, and I will stop it with a wall (Hos 2:6); by holding one fast with love: I shall draw them with the cords of a man, with the bonds of love (Hos 11:4).
Chapter 21
Threat against the kings
Lecture 1
Response to King Zedekiah
21:1 The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord, when king Zedekiah sent to him Pashhur, the son of Milchiah, and Zephaniah, the son of Maasiah the priest, saying,21:2 ‘Inquire of the Lord and pray for us, because Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, makes war against us, if perhaps the Lord will act according to all his wondrous deeds, and he will depart from us.’
21:3 And Jeremiah said to them: thus shall you say to Zedekiah:
21:4 thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: behold I will turn the weapons of war, which are in your hands, and with which you fight against the king of Babylon, and the Chaldeans, who besiege you round about the walls, and I will gather them in the midst of this city.
21:5 And I shall vanquish you with an outstretched hand, and with a mighty arm, and with fury, and indignation, and great wrath.
21:6a And I will strike the inhabitants of this city.
113. Here is given the threat against the kings, who hold the highest rank in secular power:
first, inasmuch as the kings will be punished through the punishment of the people;
second, inasmuch as they will be punished in their own person, as it says in chapter 22: thus says the Lord (Jer 22:1).
Concerning the first, there are two points.
First, the question or petition of the king is set down: inquire—it is as though he were saying, “Seek a divine response”—and pray for us. This Pashhur is not the same as the one above, who was born of a different father (Jer 20:1). This day is a day of tribulation, and correction, and blasphemy; for the children have come to birth, and there is no strength to bring them forth (Isa 37:3). And further down in the same place: raise a prayer for the remnant which is left (Isa 37:4).
Second is given the response of the prophet: and Jeremiah said.
First, he threatens punishment with regard to the time before the taking of the city, against the three things in which they trusted: namely, in the protection of their weapons: behold I will turn; it is as though he were saying, “The weapons which you have taken up against the enemy shall be turned against you, because you will fight against one another.” His sorrow shall be turned on his own head, and his iniquity shall come down on his own crown (Ps 7:17). Alternatively: they will be turned back, as though without fruit. They trusted also in the strength of their walls against which he says: and the Chaldeans, who besiege you round about the walls; it is as though he were saying, “The walls do not hinder them.” The kings of the earth and all the inhabitants of the world did not believe that the adversary and the enemy would enter through the gates of Jerusalem (Lam 4:12).
They trusted also in divine protection against which he says: I shall vanquish you with an outstretched hand, that with my power prepared for vengeance, with a mighty arm, which cannot be withstood, with fury, with regard to the wicked, and indignation, with regard to those sinning less, and great wrath, against those who sinned moderately.
Lecture 2
Curses against the city
21:6b Man and beast shall die from a great plague.21:7 And after these things, says the Lord, I will give Zedekiah, and his servants, and his people, and those who are left in the city from the plague and the sword and the famine, into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and into the hand of their enemies, and into the hand of those who seek their souls; and he shall strike them with the mouth of the sword, and he shall not be turned aside, nor will he spare, nor will he show mercy.
21:8 And you shall say to this people: thus says the Lord God: behold, I set before you the path of life, and the path of death.
21:9 He who shall dwell in this city shall die by the sword and the famine and the plague; but he who shall go out and flee over to the Chaldeans, who besiege you, shall live, and his soul shall be as a spoil to him.
21:10 For I have set my face against this city for evil and not for good, says the Lord; it shall be given into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall burn it with fire.
21:11 And to the house of the king of Judah: hear the words of the Lord,
21:12 O house of David. Thus says the Lord: judge judgment early, and deliver him that is oppressed by violence from the hand of the oppressor, lest perhaps my indignation should go forth like fire and burn, and there be none who may extinguish it, because of the evil of your deeds.
21:13 Behold I come to you that dwells in a valley upon a rock above a plain, says the Lord; and you say, ‘Who shall strike us?’ and, ‘Who shall enter our houses?’
21:14 And I shall visit upon you according to the fruit of your doings, says the Lord; and I shall kindle a fire in the forest thereof, and it shall devour everything round about.
114. Here, he touches upon the manner of the assault. With a strong hand, and an outstretched arm, and with fury poured forth I shall rule over you, and I shall lead you into the desert of the peoples, and I will plead with you there, face to face (Ezek 20:34–35).
And with regard to the time after the taking of the city: and after these things—he threatens punishment—I will give Zedekiah. The Lord has given me into a hand from which I shall not be able to flee (Lam 1:14). And he excludes mercy: and he shall not be turned aside, by prayers or gifts, nor will he spare, because of a once-held friendship, nor will he show mercy, out of compassion for their misery. Because the jealousy and fury of the husband will not spare in the day of vengeance, nor will he yield to the prayers of anyone, nor will he accept many gifts as a ransom (Prov 6:34–35). And this because they did not keep the covenant. Shall he flee who breaks a covenant? (Ezek 17:15).
Second, he proposes a way of safety to them with regard to the people: and you shall say to this people. And first, he gives them the freedom to choose: behold, I set before you the path of life, and the path of death. Before a man are life and death, good and evil; what pleases him shall be given to him (Sir 15:18).
He makes a contrast: he who shall dwell in this city shall die . . . but he who shall go out . . . shall live. Go forth from her midst, my people, that each one may save his soul from the wrath of the fury of the Lord (Isa 51:45).
And he gives the reason: for I have set my face against this city. Above: I see a boiling cauldron (Jer 1:13).
And to the king: and to the house of the king of Judah, you shall say, offering advice: judge early (Jer 21:12). Rescue the poor and deliver the needy from the hand of the sinner (Ps 81:4).
And he speaks of the imminent danger: lest perhaps my indignation should go forth like fire. A fire is kindled in my fury, and it shall burn to the lowest depths of hell (Deut 32:22).
Third, he excludes their false confidence when he speaks of the cause of their confidence: behold I come to you, that is, to the stronghold of Jerusalem, that dwells in a valley upon a rock above a plain, for Jerusalem was situated on the side of a mountain opposite the valley of Arnon; therefore, a part of it was in a valley. Alternatively, it is said disparagingly, as in Isaiah 22:1: the burden of the valley of vision. And it had solidity, strength, and steadfastness from the mountain, and it had fertility from the fruitful valley. And proud insolence: you say, ‘Who shall strike us?’ You who say in your heart, who shall drag me to the ground (Obad 1:3).
And he threatens punishment: and I shall visit . . . and I shall kindle a fire in the forest, people who bear no fruit. The fire has devoured the fair places of the wilderness, and a flame has burned all the trees of the country (Joel 1:19).
Chapter 22
Threats against Judah’s rulers
Lecture 1
Injunctions to the king of Judah
22:1 Thus says the Lord: go down to the house of the king of Judah, and there you shall speak this word,22:2 and say: hear the word of the Lord, O king of Judah, who sits upon the throne of David, you and your servants, and your people, who enter through these gates.
22:3 Thus says the Lord: execute judgment and justice, and free the one oppressed by violence from the hand of the oppressor: do not afflict the stranger, and the orphan, and the widow, and do not oppress them unjustly; do not shed innocent blood in this place.
22:4 For if you shall surely do this word, kings of the line of David sitting upon his throne shall enter through the gates of this house, and riding on chariots and horse, they and their servants and their people.
22:5 But if you will not hearken to these words, by myself I swear, says the Lord, that this house shall be a waste.
22:6 For thus says the Lord concerning the house of the king of Judah: Gilead are you to me, the head of Lebanon, yet surely I will make you a waste, cities in which none may dwell.
22:7 And I will sanctify against you the killing man and his arms; and he shall hew down your choice cedars, and cast them headlong into the fire.
22:8 And many nations shall pass by this city, and each one shall say to his fellow, ‘Why has the Lord done so to this great city?’
22:9 And they will respond, ‘Because they forsook the covenant of the Lord their God, and worshiped strange gods, and served them.’
22:10 Do not cry for the dead, nor weep for him with tears; mourn for him who goes forth, for he will not return again, nor will he see the land of his birth.
22:11 For thus says the Lord to Shallum, the son of Josiah, the king of Judah, who reigned in the place of Josiah his father, who went forth from this place, and shall not come here again,
22:12 but in the place to which I have taken him, there shall he die, and he shall see this land no more.
115. Here, he makes a threat against the kings, according to which they are to be punished in their own person; concerning this, he makes three points.
First, the command to announce is given, and the place of preaching indicated, at go down, because the temple where the prophet was standing to pray was located in an elevated place. Descend, and go with them, doubting nothing, because I have sent them (Acts 10:20).
Second, he gives counsel for their safety, when he seeks an audience: hear. And now, understand, O kings of the earth, be instructed, you who judge the land (Ps 2:10).
He proposes the counsel that he should do good and observe justice: thus says the Lord: execute judgment—the execution of justice, which properly belongs to the king and the judge. Love justice, O you who judge the earth (Wis 1:1). And by ending the perversion of justice: and free the one oppressed by violence. Rescue the poor and deliver the needy from the hand of the sinner (Ps 81:4). And in order that he should be free of evil with regard to the wrongful taking away of property: do not afflict the stranger, and the orphan, and the widow. You shall not vex the stranger, neither shall you afflict him (Exod 22:21). And with regard to killing the innocent: do not shed innocent blood. The innocent and the just man you shall not slay, because I abhor the wicked (Exod 23:7).
And he speaks of the fruit of this counsel when he proposes a reward to those who keep it: for if you shall surely do this word, kings of the line of David . . . shall enter through the gates of this house. The same is said above (Jer 17:25).
And proposes punishment to those who despise it: but if you will not hearken to these words, by myself I swear, because I have no one greater. For God in promising to Abraham, swore by himself, because he had no one greater by whom he might swear (Heb 6:13). This house, the palace or temple, shall be a waste. It shall be laid waste as when wasted by enemies (Isa 1:7).
Third, he predicts imminent danger:
first, against the royal city, touching its glory: for thus says the Lord concerning the house—Jerusalem—Gilead are you to me, the head of Lebanon; that is, you were as the head to me in the entire kingdom, just as Gilead is the head of the plain which is on the height of Lebanon, where Laban found Jacob (Gen 31:17–25). The Lord loves the gates of Zion above all the tabernacles of Jacob (Ps 86:2). He predicts a future punishment when he speaks of the infliction of punishment with regard to the desolation of the city: yet surely I will make—it is as though he were saying, “Should I not be believed”—cities, subject to you. As a garden of pleasure is the land before it, and after it is a desolate wilderness (Joel 2:3).
And with regard to the slaying of men, he speaks of the killing: and I will sanctify; it is as though he were saying: “I shall appoint to fulfill my command.” Likewise in Isaiah 13:3, I shall command my sanctified ones, and I shall call my strong ones in my wrath. And the killing: and he shall hew down cedars, that is, the greater among the people, to continue the metaphor. Open your gates, O Lebanon, and fire shall consume your cedars; wail, O fir, for the cedar has fallen, for the great are laid waste (Zech 11:1–2).
He speaks also of the astonishment at the punishment which is inflicted, and nations shall pass by, when he speaks of the question of those who are astonished: why has the Lord done so to this great city?
And the response of the listeners: and they will respond. And all the nations shall say, ‘Why has the Lord done so to this land? What is the great wrath of his fury?’ And they shall respond, ‘Because they have abandoned the covenant of the Lord, which he made with their fathers’ (Deut 29:24–25).
Second is mentioned the threat against the royal line:
first, against Jehoiakim, the son of Josiah, at for thus says the Lord (Jer 22:11);
second, against Jotham, the son of Josiah, at woe to him who builds his house by unrighteousness (Jer 22:13);
third, against Jekoniah, the son of Jehoiakim, at as I live says the Lord (Jer 22:24). 2 Kings 24 speaks of these things.
Concerning the first point, there are two things.
First is mentioned the threatening, where he forbids mourning for Josiah who has been killed: do not cry for the dead, namely, Josiah. Cry little for the dead, for they are at rest (Sir 22:11). And he indicts a lament for Jotham [Jehoahaz], who has been taken captive by Pharaoh: mourn for him. The eye which saw him shall not see, neither shall his place behold him any more (Job 20:9). It is called “weeping” when there is a profusion of tears; “mourning” adds a certain solemnity, but “lament” adds a further sense of complaining through words.
Second is posed the confirmation of the threat by divine sentence: for thus says the Lord to Shallum, Jehoiakim, because all the sons of Josiah were called Shallum, that is, “fulfillment,” because the kingdom came to an end in them. The Lord will cast you like a ball into a wide and spacious land. There you will die (Isa 22:18). And according to this, the entire prophecy of this chapter took place in the times of Jehoiakim; and he speaks of the captivity of Jotham [Jehoahaz] as though it was already past, and speaks of the captivity of others as though it were to come. But Jerome would have what has been said relate to Zedekiah, and that from the beginning of chapter 2 to this point the prophecy has taken place in the time of Zedekiah, and then Jehoiakim.
Lecture 2
Vanity of Jehoiakim’s works
22:13 Woe to him who builds his house by unrighteousness, and his chambers by injustice, that will oppress his friend without cause, and not give him his wages.22:14 Who says, ‘I shall build myself a broad house, and spacious chambers’; who opens windows for himself, and makes paneled roofs of cedar, and paints them with sinopia.
22:15 Shall you reign because you compare yourself to the cedar? Did not your father eat and drink, and execute judgment and justice, and then it was well with him?
22:16 He judged the cause of the poor, and the needy for his own good; was it not, therefore, because he knew me? says the Lord.
22:17 But your eyes and heart are set upon greed, and spilling innocent blood, and calumny, and running after evil works.
22:18 Because of these things the Lord says to Jehoiakim, son of Josiah, king of Judah: they shall not mourn him, ‘Alas, brother!’ and, ‘Alas sister!’ They shall not lament for him, ‘Alas, lord,’ and, ‘Alas, glorious one!’
22:19 He shall be buried with the burial of a donkey, corrupted and cast outside the gates of Jerusalem.
22:20 Go up to Lebanon, and shout, and in Bashan give your voice; and cry to those who are passing by, for all your lovers are destroyed.
22:21 I spoke to you in your abundance, and you said, ‘I will not listen.’ This is your way from your youth, because you would not hear my voice.
22:22 The wind shall feed all your shepherds, and your lovers shall go into captivity; and then you will be ashamed, and you will blush at all your wickedness.
22:23 You who sit in Lebanon, and build a nest in the cedars, how you moaned when pain came upon you, like the pains of a woman in labor.
116. Here, threat against Jehoiakim is made.
First, he reproves him for the sin of unjust building when he speaks of his unjust building: woe to him who builds—namely, Jehoiakim, the son of Josiah—chambers (cenacula), rooms, properly those to which one ascends by a ladder or steps, so-called from the verb, “to eat” (cenare). He who builds his house at other men’s charges is like the one who gathers his stones in winter (Sir 21:9). That will oppress his friend without cause, when he seeks help to build. The wages of your hired man shall not remain with you until morning (Lev 19:13).
He also speaks of the decoration of the building: who says, ‘I shall build myself a broad house’ . . . paneled roofs, which go up with ostentation by way of elevated chambers to the terrace; with sinopia, red in color, so called from the city of the Persians.
Second, he excludes the false confidence by which he promised himself prosperity, which his father Josiah had enjoyed, making a foolish comparison: shall you reign because you compare yourself to the cedar, to your father? I saw the wicked raised up and lifted high like the cedars of Lebanon (Ps 36:35). And he shows the difference between them when he sets forth the righteousness of the father: your father did eat, and nevertheless did not forsake righteousness because of his prosperity, and therefore it went well for him. And when I sat as king, with his army standing about him, I was as one who comforts those who mourn (Job 29:25).
And he sets forth the unrighteousness of the son: but your eyes, with regard to thought; and heart, with regard to the affections of the heart; upon greed, with regard to the unjust taking away of property, calumny—the false imputation of a crime, so that with such a pretext they might oppress; running after evil—it is as though he were saying, “What you conceive in your heart, you fulfill in deed.” Every thought of the heart of man is set on evil at all times (Gen 6:5).
Third, he threatens a punishment: because of these things the Lord says.
First, with regard to the king himself, with the lack of mourning: they, his relatives, shall not mourn. They shall not lament—his subjects at once being at peace. Above: they shall not be mourned, and they shall not be buried; they shall be like dung upon the face of the earth (Jer 16:4).
And the lack of burial: he shall be buried with the burial of a donkey because he will be thrown out to be devoured by beasts. All the kings of the nations, all have slept in glory, each man in his house; but you have been cast out of your tomb, like an unprofitable branch, defiled, and wrapped up with those who have been slain by the sword, and have gone down to the bottom of the pit (Isa 14:19).
Various things in various places are said about Jehoiakim. For in 2 Kings 24:2 it is said that the Lord sent robbers from the neighboring nations against him, to kill him; and he slept with his fathers. But in 2 Chronicles 36, it is said that the king of Babylon came up against him and led him to Babylon as a captive. Josephus, however, says that when Nebuchadnezzar, or Nebuzaradan, had entered the city, he broke the treaty and killed many young men, among whom was also Jehoiakim. Now this was said because he was unburied. And therefore, in order to bring all of this into harmony, one must know that Jehoiakim had been substituted for Jotham [Jehoahaz] his brother and that he reigned with the king of Egypt. Finally, in the eighth year of his reign, Nebuchadnezzar came against him, and Jehoiakim surrendered himself to him. He was also made tributary to him for two years. In the tenth year, however, he rebelled. For this reason, Nebuchadnezzar came against him and led him captive to Babylon; he made a treaty with him while en route, and he was returned to Jerusalem. But Nebuzaradan, having gathered together robbers from the neighboring nations, entered Jerusalem, and breaking the treaty, killed him; when he had been buried in the tombs of the kings by the people of the land, Nebuzaradan became indignant and had him dug up and thrown to the beasts to be devoured.
Second, against his princes, when he speaks of their destruction: go up to Lebanon, the temple mount, in Bashan, which lies next to the mount of Jerusalem. You who tell good news to Zion go up a high mountain (Isa 40:9). Lovers, princes and defenders.
He also gives the reason here as arising from disobedience: I spoke to you in your abundance, that is, when you abounded with good things given to you by me. As it says above: attend to the voice of the trumpet. But they said, ‘We shall not attend’ (Jer 6:17). And from ancient custom: this is your way, namely, disobedience, from your youth, from the time they came out of Egypt. I have called you a transgressor from the womb (Isa 48:8). As it says above: from of old you have broken my yoke, you have burst my chains asunder, and you have said, ‘I will not serve’ (Jer 2:20).
And he gives the manner and order of their destruction: all your shepherds, that is, the princes, the wind shall feed, driving them into captivity; lovers, the Egyptians. Ephraim pastures on the wind, and follows the burning heat (Hos 12:1).
Third, he makes a threat against the royal city itself—shame: and you will blush . . . who sit in Lebanon, by which is signified pride. What fruit, therefore, have you had from those things of which you are now ashamed (Rom 6:21). And sorrow: how you moaned when pain came upon you, like the pains of a woman in labor. The past is set for the future. There were pains as of a woman in labor (Ps 47:7).
Lecture 3
Threat against Jekoniah
22:24 As I live, says the Lord, that even if Jekoniah, the son of Jehoiakim, the king of Judah, were a ring upon my right hand, I would pull him thence.22:25 And I will give you into the hand of those who seek your soul, and into the hand of those whose face you fear, and into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, and into the hand of the Chaldeans.
22:26 And I will send you, and your mother, who bore you, to a strange land, in which you were not born, and there you shall die:
22:27 and they shall not return to the land unto which they lift up their soul to return there.
22:28 Is this man Jekoniah a broken earthen vessel? Is he a vessel in which there is no pleasure? Why are they cast out, he and his seed, and driven forth into a land which they did not know?
117. Here is given the threat against Jekoniah:
first, he threatens captivity;
second, sterility, at O earth, earth, earth (Jer 22:29).
Concerning the first, there are two points.
First, the threat of captivity is given, which threatens loss of dignity and the cessation of divine assistance: even if Jekoniah, the son of Jehoiakim, the king of Judah, were a ring upon my right hand—however much he is in a walled place, and however much he is the king of my people—I would pull him thence, by depriving him of his dignity and my help. I will remove your candlestick from its place, unless you repent (Rev 2:5).
He also threatens slavery to the enemy: and I will give you. The Lord has given me into a hand from which I shall not be able to escape (Lam 1:14).
He also threatens captivity: and I will send. Why is it, O Israel, that you are in the land of your enemies, that you have grown old in a strange land? (Bar 3:10–11).
Second, the wonderment at the threat is given: is this man Jekoniah a broken earthen vessel, as though having no firmness of strength, or power; no pleasure, because the Lord does not delight in him. The heart of a fool is like a broken vessel; it shall hold no wisdom (Sir 21:17).
Lecture 4
Curse of sterility
22:29 O earth, earth, earth, hear the word of the Lord.22:30 Thus says the Lord: write this man sterile, a man who shall not prosper in his days; for neither shall there be any of the seed of this man who may sit upon the throne of David and have power any more in Judah.
118. Here, he threatens sterility, which will not even be able to hold on to the fruit of the present prosperity: O earth, earth, earth; it is as though he were saying, “Although men do not listen, they shall at least obey insensible things.” Alternatively, it is metonymy—substituting the container for the contained—and he speaks to the greater expression; alternatively, because of the three parts of the earth: let the earth hear the words of my mouth (Deut 32:1).
Write, as a sentence, which is given in writing so that it may be remembered. As it says above: the sin of Judah is written with an iron pen, and a nail of diamond (Jer 17:1). Sterile, because he will not perceive with his mind those things which would be useful to him. A man who shall not prosper, in his works. He will also be sterile with regard to the fruit of succession to the royal dignity. For neither shall there be this man, who is purely human; for Christ was of his seed, but was God and man, as it says in Matthew 1. Neither was he a king in that manner of reigning, but he reigns eternally at the right hand of God the Father. And have royal power, because Zerubbabel, his grandson, was not king of the people. As it says below: there shall be no one left of him who may sit upon the throne of David (Jer 36:30).
Collations
A note concerning the verse, do not cry for the dead (Jer 22:10)—that one must not weep much for the dead because of the uselessness of grieving: do not give your heart to sadness, but drive it from you (Sir 38:21); because death is common to all: we all die, and like water, which does not return again, we are poured out on the earth (2 Sam 14:14); because of freedom from guilt: he was taken lest wickedness change his understanding, or falsehood deceive his soul (Wis 4:11); because of rest from labor: from henceforth now, says the Spirit, that they may rest from their labors (Rev 14:13); because of the attainment of glory: for we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, a house not made with hands, but eternal in the heavens (2 Cor 5:1).
Also, concerning the verse, the wind shall feed all your shepherds (Jer 22:22), note that sometimes the shepherds of the Church are fed by the wind of self-importance: the wind shall bear all of them away, and the breeze shall take them (Isa 57:13); the wind of excessive expectation: as one who grasps a shadow, and one who chases the wind, so is one who attends to lying visions (Sir 34:2); the wind of captivity: you shall scatter a third part to the wind, and you shall draw the sword after them (Ezek 5:2); and the wind of future damnation, as it says above: as a burning wind I will scatter them before the enemy. In the day of their destruction, I shall show them my back, and not my face (Jer 18:17).
Chapter 23
Condemnation of false prophets
Lecture 1
Woe to evil shepherds
23:1 Woe to the shepherds who scatter and tear in pieces the flock of my pasture! says the Lord.23:2a Therefore, thus says the Lord, God of Israel to the shepherds who shepherd my people: you have scattered my flock and have driven them away, and have not visited them.
119. Here, he speaks of the threat against all the princes in general:
first, the threat against the wicked princes;
second, the separation of the good from the bad, at the Lord showed me (Jer 24:1).
The first is divided into two parts.
First, he speaks of the threat against the preeminent among the people according to their authority in governing—namely, the rulers;
second, against the preeminent among the people according to the privilege of divine revelation—namely, the prophets—at, concerning the prophets: my heart is broken within me (Jer 23:9).
Concerning the first, there are two points.
First, he makes clear their fault;
second, he threatens punishment, at behold, I shall visit upon you (Jer 23:2b).
Concerning the first, there are two points.
First, the dispersion of the people: the shepherds who scatter, by driving them from their land; and tear in pieces, by killing or despoiling; or because of the tyranny they exercise over them; or because they were the occasion that the people should suffer these things from the enemy: while they were living in their sins, they did not call the people back from sin. As it says below: my people have been a lost flock; their shepherds led them astray, and have made them wander in the mountains (Jer 50:6).
Second, the rebuke of the shepherds: therefore, thus says the Lord: you have driven them away, as occasions arise; or because of tyranny. With your horns you toss all the weak cattle until they are scattered abroad (Ezek 34:21).
Lecture 2
Promise of salvation
23:2b Behold, I shall visit upon you the wickedness of your deeds, says the Lord.23:3 And I shall gather the remnants of my flock from all the lands to which I have driven them; and I shall bring them back to their own fields, and they shall increase, and be multiplied.
23:4 And I shall raise up shepherds over them, and they shall pasture them, and they shall not fear anymore, neither shall they be afraid, and none shall be lacking of their number, says the Lord.
23:5 Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I shall raise up from David a righteous shoot, and he shall reign as king, and will be wise, and he will execute judgment and righteousness in the land.
23:6 In those days Judah will be saved, and Israel shall dwell confidently; and this is the name which they shall call him: the Lord our just one.
120. Here he threatens punishment.
First, he mentions the threat against the shepherds: I shall visit. As it says above: I shall visit upon you according to the fruit of your doings (Jer 21:14).
Second, he mentions the consolation of the scattered flock: I shall gather, where first, he speaks of gathering. I shall lead them out from the peoples, and gather them from the lands (Ezek 34:13). And the prosperity of their state: and I shall bring them back to their own fields, and they shall increase, and be multiplied. Increase and multiply, and fill the earth (Gen 1:22).
Second, he promises them an improvement of their rulers.
First, he promises them solicitous princes when he speaks of the solicitude of their shepherds: and I shall raise up, when you have already fallen into nothingness, shepherds, Ezra and others according to some. But better, the apostles. As it says above: I will give you shepherds after my own heart, and they will feed you with knowledge and understanding (Jer 3:15). And the usefulness of solicitude, namely, security: and they shall not fear, with regard to the signs of fear externally, neither shall they be afraid, internally, and none shall be lacking of their number; it is as though he were saying, “None from the number of the Church shall fear or fail because of the negligence of the apostles.”
Alternatively, it refers to the number of the predestined. None of them is lost, except the son of perdition (John 17:12). This security, however, is not brought to completion in this life, but will be brought to completion when perfect charity casts out fear (1 John 4:18). It will be accomplished in the future.
Second, he promises them a most excellent king, showing the fittingness of the time: behold, because of the certainty, the days of grace. Behold, now is the acceptable time; behold, now is the day of salvation (2 Cor 6:2).
He shows the nature of the king who is to come, with regard to the nobility of his line: I shall raise up from David a righteous shoot. As it says below: I will make to spring forth for David the shoot of justice, and he shall execute judgment and justice in the earth (Jer 33:15). With regard to the authority of his dignity: and he shall reign as king, not only over the Jews, but also over all kings. And he shall rule over the house of Jacob forever (Luke 1:33). Whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all kings shall serve, and obey him (Dan 7:27). With regard to the wisdom of the heart: and he will be wise—indeed, wisdom itself. Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God (1 Cor 1:24). And with regard to the execution of justice: and he will execute judgment, in his first coming, against the devil, who was called the prince of the world: now is the judgment of the world, now is the prince of this world cast out (John 12:31), into the outer darkness; and in his second coming, against all, by punishing them by a general sentence. The Father does not judge anyone, but has given all judgment to the Son (John 5:22).
And righteousness, which he taught was to be observed: unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and pharisees you shall not enter into the kingdom of the heavens (Matt 5:20); and which was for completing the assistance of grace. For this reason, he speaks of the usefulness of his coming, with regard to salvation from punishment: in those days Judah will be saved—in his first coming particularly, and in his second coming universally, when all Israel shall be saved (Rom 11:26). If the number of the children of Israel were as the sand of the sea, a remnant of them shall be converted (Isa 10:22). And with regard to security: and Israel shall dwell confidently. And this is to be expounded as above. My people shall dwell in the beauty of peace, in the tabernacles of justice, and in abundant rest (Isa 32:18). He says, Judah, with regard to the two tribes; Israel, with regard to the ten, to signify that in the faith of Christ they shall be at peace. And they shall appoint for themselves one head (Hos 1:11).
Lecture 3
Joy after liberation
23:7 Because of this, behold, the days are coming says the Lord, when they shall no longer say, ‘As the Lord lives, who brought the children of Israel out of Egypt’;23:8 but, ‘As the Lord lives, who brought the seed of the house of Israel out of the land of the north, and from all the lands to which I shall scatter them.’ And they shall dwell in their own land.
121. Here, he shows the magnitude of the kindness from the fact that because of this kindness, God’s former kindness shall be forgotten; it is possible for one to refer this to the liberation wrought by Cyrus, but better would be to refer it to the liberation won by Christ. You shall not remember the former things, nor look upon the things of old (Isa 43:18).
Lecture 4
Threat against the prophets
23:9 Concerning the prophets: my heart is broken within me; all my bones are shaken; I have become like a drunk man, and like a man sodden with wine, from the face of the Lord, and from the face of his holy words.23:10 For the land is filled with adulterers; for the earth mourned because of the curse, the pastures of the wilderness are dried up: and their course has become evil, and their strength unequal.
122. Here, he speaks of the threat against the prophets, as the title itself declares:
first, the threat against the prophets;
second, the threat against the visions of the prophets, at therefore, if this people shall ask you (Jer 23:33).
Concerning the first, there are two points.
First, he speaks of the deception of the prophets;
second, of the variety of their deceptions, at thus says the Lord (Jer 23:16).
Concerning the first, there are two points.
First, the effect of the deception on the people;
second, the sin of the deceiving prophets, at for the prophet and the priest are defiled (Jer 23:11).
Concerning the first, there are two points.
First, the compassion of the prophet concerning the future destruction, which he reveals by the breaking of his heart: my heart is broken; by the trembling of his body: all my bones are shaken, as regularly happens to those who are troubled; by the hindering of his thinking: I have become like a drunk man, who does not have the use of his reason; and this, because of the magnitude of his shock: like a man sodden with wine, who certainly has the use of his reason, but it is impeded by much drinking; from the face of the Lord, from the presence of his revelation, which tells me he is angry with the Jews; his holy words, by which he informed me of their guilt, and predicted punishment. All my bones are scattered, my heart within me has become as melting wax in the midst of my bowels (Ps 21:15). Be astonished and wonder, waver and stagger, be drunk and not from wine, be moved and not from drunkenness (Isa 29:9).
Second, he speaks of the dissipation of the people:
first, with regard to the magnitude of their sin: for with adulterers, namely, with idolatry and other sins, the land of the Jews is filled. His land is filled with idols (Isa 2:8).
Second, with regard to the infliction of the punishment: because of the curse, of God, the earth mourned, was made barren. The land mourned, and faded away, and was made weak (Isa 24:4).
Third, regarding their obstinacy: and their course has become evil, because they are prepared for evil on account of their sins. Their feet run to evil (Prov 1:16). Unequal, to the strength of their holy fathers, who would exercise themselves in the service of God. The heart of the fool shall be unequal (Prov 15:7).
Lecture 5
Defilement of the prophets
23:11 For the prophet and the priest are defiled, and I find their evil in my house, says the Lord.23:12 Therefore, their way shall be as a slippery place in the darkness; they shall be thrust out, and fall in it; for I shall bring evil upon them, the year of their visitation, says the Lord.
23:13 And in the prophets of Samaria I have seen foolishness; they prophesied by Baal, and they deceived my people Israel.
23:14 And in the prophets of Jerusalem I have seen the likeness of adulterers, a way of lies, and they have strengthened the hands of the wicked, so that each one might not be turned from his wickedness; they have all become to me like Sodom, and their inhabitants like Gomorrah.
23:15 Therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts to the prophets: behold, I will feed them with wormwood, and make them drink gall; for defilement has come forth from the prophets of Jerusalem upon all the land.
123. Here, he notes the wickedness of the prophets as the cause of the wickedness of the people:
first, in general, when he speaks of their guilt: the prophet and the priest are defiled, by various crimes, in my house, the temple, or the people. As it says above: why is it that my beloved has done much wickedness in my house? (Jer 11:15).
And when he adds the punishment: therefore, their way shall be as a slippery place, that is, they will fall in their sins as on a road of this sort. Let their paths become dark and slippery (Ps 34:6). And when he expounds it: for I shall bring evil, punishments. As it says above: I will bring this evil upon the men of Anathoth, the year of their visitation (Jer 11:23).
Second, in particular:
first, he speaks of their guilt with regard to the prophets of the ten tribes: and in the prophets of Samaria I have seen foolishness, because they would worship their idols on the high places, like those whom Elijah slew (1 Kgs 18). The prophet that teaches falsehood is himself the tail (Isa 9:15).
And of the prophets of the two tribes: and in the prophets of Jerusalem I have seen the likeness, because they indirectly incited the people to idolatry when they deceitfully promised prosperity to idolaters. They have violated me to my people for a handful of barley, and a fragment of bread, that they might kill souls which do not die, and give life to souls which do not live (Ezek 13:19).
Second, he speaks of the divine wrath: they have all become to me like Sodom—namely, the prophets: I hold them in such abhorrence—and their inhabitants, of Jerusalem. Hear the word of the Lord, you princes of Sodom; perceive with your ears the law of your God, O people of Gomorrah (Isa 1:10).
Third, he threatens punishment: therefore, thus says the Lord: behold, I will feed them with wormwood, and make them drink gall. As it says above: behold, I will feed them with wormwood and give them water of gall to drink (Jer 9:15). And he gives the reason why he threatens the prophets particularly: for defilement has come forth from the prophets of Jerusalem upon all the land. Iniquity came from Babylon, from the elder judges who seemed to rule the people (Dan 13:5).
Lecture 6
Falsity of the prophets
23:16 Thus says the Lord of hosts: do not listen to the words of the prophets, who prophecy to you, and deceive you; they speak the vision of their own heart, and not by the mouth of the Lord.23:17 They say to those who blaspheme me, the Lord has spoken: ‘You shall have peace,’ and to everyone who walks in the perversity of his own heart they say, ‘No evil shall come upon you.’
23:18 For who was present in the counsel of the Lord, and saw, and heard his speech? Who considered his word, and listened?
23:19 Behold, the whirlwind of the Lord’s indignation shall go forth, and a storm breaking forth upon the head of the wicked shall come.
23:20 The fury of the Lord shall not turn back until it shall do and accomplish the thought of his heart; you shall understand his counsel at the end of days.
23:21 I did not send prophets, yet they ran; I did not speak to them, yet they prophesied.
23:22 If they had stood in my counsel, and had made note of my words to my people, I should have certainly turned them from their evil ways, and from their wicked thoughts.
124. Here, he speaks of the diverse modes of deception.
First, he exposes them.
Second, he gathers them summarily, at therefore, behold, I am against the prophets (Jer 23:30).
Concerning the first, there are two points.
First, he speaks of their mode of deception through false words, namely, when they had seen nothing but pretended that they had received a vision from the Lord;
second, he speaks of their mode of deception through vain dreams, when they presented fantastical dreams as divine revelations, at do you think that I am a God near at hand? (Jer 23:23).
Concerning the first, there are three points.
First, the prohibition to the people, lest they should listen to such false prophets, by obeying and believing in them: do not listen. If there should arise in your midst a prophet, or one who says he has seen a dream, and if he should predict a sign and a portent, and what he has said should come to pass, and he say to you, ‘Come let us go, and follow strange gods, whom you do not know, and let us serve them,’ do not listen to the words of that prophet, or dreamer (Deut 13:1–3).
Second, the deception in the case of the prophets who falsely said that they were messengers of God is exposed: they speak the vision of their own heart. Woe to the foolish prophets, who follow their own spirit, and see nothing (Ezek 13:3).
With regard to the false promise: they say to those who blaspheme. As it says above: and they would heal the bruise of the daughter of my people with shame, saying, ‘Peace, peace!’ And there was no peace (Jer 6:14).
And with regard to their erroneous proof: for who was present? Because it is said: who was his counselor? (Isa 40:13). They wished to weaken the warnings of the prophets, as though they were ignorant of the divine counsels, lest they should be believed; they wrongly understood, because by that verse it is not knowledge of divine counsel by revelation that is excluded, but knowledge comprehended by the human intellect, and saw, as though present, considered, as though absent. You err not knowing the Scriptures (Matt 22:29).
Next, he shows their falseness:
first, with regard to their false promise, when he speaks of their punishment: behold, the whirlwind, scattering the captives; a storm, of grave affliction, upon the head of the wicked, to whom they were promising peace, from which it is clear that they were not good prophets. If that prophet shall predict in the name of the Lord, and it does not come to pass, the Lord has not spoken this (Deut 18:22). A fire goes before him, burning his enemies round about (Ps 96:3).
And he excludes mercy: the fury shall not turn back. So shall be the word which goes forth from my mouth, it shall not return to me empty, but it shall do whatsoever I desired, and it shall prosper in those things for which I have sent it (Isa 55:11). And he sets forth the effect of the punishment: at the end of days, when you have endured the punishments, you shall understand, by experience. The Lord shall be known when he carries out judgment (Ps 9:17).
Second, with regard to their presumed authority: I did not send. As it says above: I have not sent them, and I have not commanded them, neither have I spoken to them (Jer 14:14).
Third, with regard to their false proof: if they had stood in my counsel, as true prophets, I should have certainly turned, the people, or the prophets themselves. As it says above: if you will turn, I will turn you (Jer 15:19).
Lecture 7
False prophetic dreams
23:23 Do you think that I am a God near at hand, says the Lord, and not a God afar off?23:24 If a man shall be hidden in secret places, shall I not see him? says the Lord. Do I not fill heaven and earth? says the Lord.
23:25 I have heard what the prophets have said, prophesying falsehood in my name, and saying, ‘I have dreamed, I have dreamed.’
23:26 How long shall this be in the heart of the prophets who prophesy a lie, and of those who prophesy the deceits of their own heart?
23:27 Who wish to make this people forget my name because of their dreams, which they tell each one to his neighbor, as their fathers forgot my name because of Baal.
23:28 Let the prophet who has a dream tell the dream, and let him who has my word speak my word truthfully. What has the straw to do with the wheat? says the Lord.
23:29 Are not my words like fire, says the Lord, and like a hammer breaking down the rock?
125. Here, he speaks of the other mode of deception, namely, through dreams. Concerning this, there are three points.
First, he begins by proving the divine testimony, and showing that he is an appropriate witness, because he has knowledge of remote things: near at hand, so that I should at least know what things are in the heavens, where my seat is said to be; or even the good things, and not the bad which are far from me. She reaches from one end to the other mightily, and disposes all things sweetly (Wis 8:1).
And because he has knowledge of hidden things: if a man shall be hidden in secret places, of thought, or of location. You shall not say, ‘I shall be hidden from God, and from on high who shall remember me?’ (Sir 16:16). And he proves both: heaven and earth, and thus, they are not remote from my understanding, do I not fill? As though penetrating them interiorly, and so they are not hidden from me. Heaven is my seat, and the earth my footstool (Isa 66:1).
I have heard. Vain hope and a lie to the senseless man, and dreams raise up the imprudent (Sir 34:1).
Second, he reproves the vice of deception with regard to the continuation of the fault: how long shall this be? O sons of men, how long shall your hearts be heavy; why do you love vanity, and seek for a lie? (Ps 4:3).
And with regard to the intention of the work or of the worker: who wish to make this people forget my name. They have dishonored me before my people for a handful of barley, and a fragment of bread, that they might kill souls which do not die, and give life to souls which do not live, lying to my people (Ezek 13:19).
Third, he sets forth the precepts of true doctrine: let the prophet who has a dream; it is as though he were saying, “whatever level of prophetic vision.” To each one as God has divided the measure of faith (Rom 12:3). And he gives the reason: what has the straw to do with the wheat? It is as though he were saying, “My words are wheat to restore your strength.” Above: your words were found, and I ate them; and your word has become the joy and gladness of my heart (Jer 15:16). How sweet to my throat are your words, more than honey to my mouth (Ps 118:103).
And fire, to kindle. Your word is kindled greatly (Ps 118:140). And again: the word of the Lord inflamed him (Ps 104:19). A hammer, for softening hard hearts. For this reason, I have hewed them by the prophets, and slain them by the words of my mouth (Hos 6:5). And therefore, they are not to be mixed with thorns. What fellowship has light with darkness, or the congregation of Christ with Belial (2 Cor 6:15).
Lecture 8
The Lord against the prophets
23:30 Therefore, behold, thus says the Lord: I am against the prophets, who steal my words, each one from his neighbor.23:31 Behold, I am against the prophets, says the Lord, who take up their tongues and say, ‘The Lord says.’
23:32 Behold, I am against the prophets who dream a lie, says the Lord, who tell them, and seduce my people with their lie and with their wonders, when I have not sent them, neither have I commanded them, who have profited this people nothing, says the Lord.
126. Here, he recollects the three modes of deception.
First, from a depraved use of the Scripture: who steal my words, as though to another sense than the prophets truly intended. He who does not enter through the gate in the sheepfold is a thief and a robber (John 10:1).
The second is from the falsehood of words: against the prophets, that is, against those who take up their tongues, inventing words. As it says above: they have taught their tongue to speak lies; they have labored to do iniquity (Jer 9:5).
The third is from the use of dreams: behold, I am against the prophets who dream a lie . . . with their wonders, with inflated discourse. Who see vain things, sleeping, and loving dreams (Isa 56:10).
Lecture 9
The burden of the Lord
23:33 Therefore, if this people shall ask you, or a prophet, or a priest, saying, ‘What is the burden of the Lord?’ you shall say to them, ‘You are the burden. I shall certainly cast you forth, says the Lord.’23:34 And the prophet, and the priest, and the people who say, ‘the burden of the Lord,’ I shall visit it upon that man, and upon his house.
23:35 These things you will say each one to his neighbor, and to his brother, ‘What has the Lord answered?’ And, ‘What has the Lord said?’
23:36 And the burden of the Lord shall be remembered no more, because each man’s own word will be his burden, and you have corrupted the words of the living God, the Lord of hosts, our God.
23:37 Thus you shall say to the prophet, ‘What has the Lord answered you?’ and, ‘What has the Lord said?’
23:38 But if you say, ‘the burden of the Lord,’ because of this, thus says the Lord: because you have said this word, ‘the burden of the Lord,’ and I have sent to you saying, ‘Do not say, “the burden of the Lord,”’
23:39 therefore, behold, I shall take you away carrying you, and I shall leave you, and the city which I gave to you and to your fathers, from before my face.
23:40 And I shall make you an everlasting reproach, and a perpetual shame, which shall never be forgotten.
127. Here, he makes a threat against the mockery of the prophets, for just as in the times of Isaiah, they ridiculed him: command, command again, expect, expect again (Isa 28:10); in this way they mocked the word that Isaiah had devised to designate the gravity of the punishment, as it were, namely, the burden of the Lord.
For this reason, he makes three points concerning this.
First, he reproves the people who mock him when he threatens a punishment with regard to those who ask him: if this people shall ask, mockingly, you shall say to them, ‘You are the burden.’ That those things by which a man sins are the same also by which he is tormented (Wis 11:17). They have become bothersome to me, I am weary of bearing them (Isa 1:14).
And with regard to those who speak together: and the prophet. I shall visit their iniquities with the rod, and their sins with stripes (Ps 88:32).
Second, he forbids the derision of his words.
First is given the command, by which is shown the manner of speaking: these things you will say.
And derision is forbidden: and the burden of the Lord . . . man’s own word will be a burden, that is, for their words they will be made liable to serious punishment. By your words will you be justified, and by your words you will be condemned (Matt 12:37). And he gives the reason for the derision: and you have corrupted; it is as though he were saying, “Because you have twisted it into an object of ridicule.”
And he concludes: thus you shall say. They hear your words, and they do not do them, because they turn them into a song of their mouth (Ezek 33:31).
Third, he threatens punishment:
first, the punishment of captivity: behold, I shall take you; he is speaking after the manner of one who carries a heavy weight up to a high place, that he might make it fall the more forcefully. A mighty angel took up a stone, like a great mill-stone, and cast it into the sea, saying: by this blow shall Babylon be cast down, and no longer be found (Rev 18:21).
Second, the punishment of shame: and I shall make you a reproach; this may refer to the punishment of burning or to the shame with which they were carried away into captivity. And the reproach is called sin, or the reproach is not worthy to be named. As it says above: they shall be greatly ashamed, for they have not understood the eternal reproach, which shall never be blotted out (Jer 20:11).
Collations
A note on the verse: behold, the days are coming (Jer 23:5, 7) The time of grace is called “day” because of the appearance of light: the night is far spent, the day drawn close; let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and put on the armor of light (Rom 13:12); because of the heat of the sun: tomorrow there shall be salvation for you (1 Sam 11:9); because of the security of the journey: if anyone walks in the day, he shall not stumble, because he sees the light of this world; but if he should walk at night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him (John 11:9–10); because of vigilance and sobriety: for those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who are drunk, are drunk at night (1 Thess 5:7).
Chapter 24
Good and bad princes separated
Lecture 1
Two baskets of figs
24:1 The Lord showed me and behold, two baskets full of figs set before the temple of the Lord, after that Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, had taken away Jekoniah, the son of Jehoiakim, the king of Israel, and his princes, and the craftsman, and the engraver from Jerusalem, and led them to Babylon.24:2 And one basket contained exceedingly good figs, as figs of the first season, and one basket contained exceedingly bad figs, which could not be eaten, because they were bad.
24:3 And the Lord said to me: what do you see, Jeremiah? And I said: figs, good figs, exceedingly good, and bad, exceedingly bad, which cannot be eaten, because they are bad.
24:4 And the word of the Lord came to me, saying:
24:5 ‘Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: as these good figs, so shall I think of the exile of Judah, which I have sent from this land into the land of the Chaldeans, for good.
24:6 And I shall set my eyes upon them for good, and I shall bring them back to this land; and I shall build them up, and not pull them down; I shall plant them, and not root them up.
24:7 And I shall give them a heart, that they may know me, for I am the Lord; and they shall be to me a people, and I shall be a God for them, for they shall return to me with their whole heart.
24:8 And as the bad figs, which cannot be eaten, because they are bad, thus says the Lord: so shall I make Zedekiah, the king of Judah, and his princes, and the remnant of Jerusalem, who remain in this city, and who dwell in the land of Egypt.
24:9 And I shall give them over to vexation and affliction in all the kingdoms of the earth, as a reproach and a parable, as a proverb and a curse, in all the places to which I have driven them.
24:10 And I shall send the sword, and the famine, and the pestilence against them, until they are consumed from the land which I gave to them and their fathers.’
128. Here, the separation of the wicked princes from the good is spoken of by way of a simile:
first, the exposition of the simile, when he speaks of the vision: the Lord showed, with a vision, either of images or of the sign itself, so that the prophecy might be drawn from the figs that were sold in front of the temple; similarly, above in chapter 18, the prophecy is drawn from the sign of the potter. If there be a prophet among you, I shall appear to him in a vision, or speak to him through a dream (Num 12:6). After that Nebuchadnezzar . . . the engraver, the silversmith, who encloses stones in silver or gold. And this is held to be true according to the account in 2 Kings 23. Behold, the sovereign Lord of Hosts shall take away from Jerusalem and from Judah, the strong and the mighty, the whole strength of bread, and the whole strength of water (Isa 3:1).
And the distinction between the things seen, when he speaks of the good figs: and one basket contained exceedingly good figs, by which good men are signified. As the first fruits of the fig tree in the top thereof, I saw their fathers (Hos 9:10). My soul desired the first ripened figs (Mic 7:1). And he speaks of the bad: and one basket contained exceedingly bad figs, by which the wicked among the people are signified. As it says above: how have you become for me a foreign vine? (Jer 2:21).
Second, the exposition of the vision is given: when the question of the Lord is asked, it is an incitement to see: and the Lord said to me. The same question is asked above (Jer 1:11). And the response of the prophet: and I said, figs. So Genesis 41, concerning the ears of grain, and the cows in the dream of Pharaoh.
Third, the exposition of the vision is given: and the word of the Lord came to me.
First, with regard to the good, when he applies the simile to the promise of prosperity in general: as these good figs, so shall I think of the exile of Judah, thinking with approval. The Lord knows those who are his own (2 Tim 2:19).
And he continues, in particular with regard to the goods of the body, to bring them back to their proper place: and I shall set my eyes. I shall certainly take you from the nations, and gather you from all the lands, and bring you back to your own land (Ezek 36:24). And to restore them to a state of prosperity: and I shall bring them back, and I shall build them up, raising them up, as happens with a building, and not pull them down, when they sin; as it says below: I shall build you up, and not pull you down. I shall plant, and not pull up (Jer 42:10). And I shall plant, by strengthening them in the good. As it says below: so shall I keep watch over them, to build up, and to plant, says the Lord (Jer 31:28).
And with regard to the goods of the soul, when God promises knowledge: and I shall give them a heart, that they may know me. I shall give you a new heart, and put a new spirit within you (Ezek 36:26). And he promises the subjection of obedience: and they shall be to me a people. They shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them as their God (Rev 21:3).
Second, with regard to the bad figs: and as the bad figs.
First, he threatens them with affliction in their own land: so shall I make Zedekiah. As it says above: I shall give them in burning anger to all the kingdoms of the earth, because of Manasseh, the son of Hezekiah, the king of Judah, and because of all that he did in Jerusalem (Jer 15:4).
Second, shame in the land of their captivity: as a reproach, with regard to the sin of neglect; as a parable, in metaphorical language, your punishment will be recited as an example; as a proverb, for, from what has happened to you, a proverb is drawn for the instruction of others; as a curse, with regard to the imprecation of the punishment penitentially. Alternatively, because someone will say to his fellow when he curses him, “May God do to you as he has done to them.” We have become a reproach to our neighbors, a source of scorn, and ridicule to those who live about us (Ps 78:4).
Third, the punishment of slaughter: and I shall send the sword against them. As it says above: those who are for death, to death, and those who are for the sword, to the sword, and those who are for famine, to famine (Jer 15:2).
Chapter 25
Threat against princes of all nations
Lecture 1
Obstinate deafness
25:1 The word which came to Jeremiah concerning all the people of Judah, in the fourth year of Jehoiakim, the son of Josiah, king of Judah (that is, the first year of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon).25:2 And Jeremiah the prophet spoke to the entire people of Judah, and to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying:
25:3 from the thirteenth year of Josiah, son of Amon, king of Judah, until this day, the twenty-third year, the word of the Lord has come to me, and I have spoken to you, rising at night, and speaking to you, and you have not listened.
25:4 And the Lord sent to you all his servants the prophets, rising early, and sending them; and you have not listened, neither have you inclined your ear that you might hear,
25:5 when he said: return each one from his evil way, and from your wicked thoughts, and you shall dwell in the land which the Lord gave to you and to your fathers, from generation to generation.
25:6 And do not go after strange gods to serve them, and to worship them; neither provoke me to anger by the works of your hands, and I shall not afflict you.
25:7 And you did not listen to me, says the Lord, to provoke me to anger by the works of your hands, in your wickedness.
129. Here, he gives the universal threat against the princes of all the nations, and it is divided into two parts.
In the first, he speaks of the threat;
in the second, the revelation of the threat, at for thus says the Lord (Jer 25:15).
Concerning the first, there are two points.
First, he gives the title of the prophecy: the word which came to Jeremiah, from which it is gathered that the prophecy comes before the preceding vision with regard to time.
Second, the prophecy of the threat, at from the thirteenth year of Josiah (Jer 25:3).
First, the cause of the threatening;
second, he threatens a punishment, at therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts (Jer 25:8).
But he attributes the cause from disobedience, for which reason they are numbered together with the other nations in punishment. Their disobedience is made worse in three ways.
First, from the perspective of the preaching prophet himself, because he was steadfast in his preaching: from the thirteenth year of Josiah, from which point to the end of his life and reign, are eighteen years, since he reigned thirty-one years. To these are added the four years of Jehoiakim, and the three months which Jotham [Jehoahaz] reigned. It is found to be the twenty-third year of Jeremiah’s preaching from the time these things were done. Rising at night, after the manner of one who is solicitous to finish some task. Run, make haste, rouse your friend (Prov 6:3).
Second, from the perspective of the one who sends, who, from the number of messengers, is known to be solicitous: and the Lord sent. As it says above: I sent all my servants the prophets to you daily, rising early and sending them: but they did not listen to me (Jer 7:25–26). Now, to designate clearly the divine solicitude, he uses the word early, and also the word night, for God shines in the darkness. This is that darkness concerning which it is said in John 3, that Nicodemus came to Jesus at night; etc.
Third, from the perspective of the warning, which is honorable in itself and useful with regard to the promised favor.
From here, he first sets forth the punishment for their past evils when he gives the command: return each one from his evil way. Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unjust man his thoughts, and let him return to the Lord, and he shall have mercy upon him, and to our God, for he is bountiful to forgive (Isa 55:7). And the promise: and you shall dwell in the land. If you are willing, and will listen to me, you shall eat the good things of the land (Isa 1:19).
Second, he cautions them against future evils when he gives the command: do not go after strange gods, with regard to idolatry; neither provoke me to anger, with regard to sins of morality. You shall not have other gods before me (Exod 20:3).
And their contempt for the command: and you did not listen. They provoked me by that which was no god, and they incited me with their vanities (Deut 32:16).
Lecture 2
Babylonian captivity
25:8 Therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts: because you did not listen to my words,25:9 behold, I shall send, and take all the families of the north, says the Lord, and Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, my servant, and bring them upon this land, and upon its inhabitants, and upon all the nations which are round about it; and I shall slay them, and I shall make them an astonishment and a hissing, and eternal desolations.
25:10 And I shall destroy from out of them the voice of joy and the voice of gladness, the voice of the groom and the voice of the bride, the sound of the millstone and the light of the lamp.
25:11 And this whole land shall be a desolation and an astonishment; and all the nations shall serve this king of Babylon for seventy years.
25:12 And when the seventy years shall be accomplished, I shall visit upon the king of Babylon and upon that people, says the Lord, their iniquity, and upon the land of the Chaldeans, and I shall make it an eternal desolation.
25:13 And I shall bring upon that land all my words which I have spoken against it, everything that is written in this book, and whatsoever Jeremiah has prophesied against all nations.
25:14 Because they served them when they were many nations and great kings; and I shall repay them according to their deeds and according to the work of their hands.
130. Here, he threatens punishment:
first, that which the Babylonians inflicted when he describes the enemy: behold, I shall send, and take . . . my servant, inasmuch as he exercised a service of the divine will. As it says above: behold, a people are coming from the land of the north, and a great nation shall arise from the ends of the earth (Jer 6:22). And he describes the imminent punishment with regard to the slaughter of men: and I shall slay them, and I shall make them an astonishment and a hissing, and eternal desolations. Because they shall never be restored, but shall be reduced, as it were, to the likeness of an eternal desolation. As it says above: I shall make this city an astonishment and a hissing; all who pass by her will be astonished, and will hiss because of all her plagues (Jer 19:8).
And with regard to the cessation of human duties in joyful occasions: and I shall destroy; and in the conveniences of life: the sound of the millstone, as above: I will take from this place, in your eyes, and in your days, the voice of joy, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride (Jer 16:9).
And when he describes even harsher punishment: and all the nations shall serve for seventy years, for the kingdom of the Chaldeans lasted this long. I shall not be angry forever, because a spirit shall go forth from my face (Isa 57:16).
Second, he gives the punishment which the Chaldeans endured: and when the seventy years shall be accomplished.
First, he gives the threat: I shall visit. He that shall lead into captivity shall go into captivity; he that shall kill by the sword must be killed by the sword (Rev 13:10).
Second, the certainty of the threat: and I shall bring upon that land all I have spoken against it: Isaiah 13, 21, 46, and 47. Jeremiah prophesied: 50 and 51 below.
Because they served; nevertheless, in their pride they abused the kindness of God.
Third, he shows the equity of the punishment: and I shall repay them. Give them according to the work of their hands, render to them their reward, for they have not understood the works of the Lord; and with the works of their hands destroy them, and do not build them up (Ps 27:4–5).
Lecture 3
The cup of the wine of fury
25:15 For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: take the cup of the wine of this fury from my hand, and you shall give it, to drink thereof, to all the nations to which I shall send you.25:16 And they shall drink and be troubled and driven mad before the sword which I shall send among them.
25:17 And I took the cup from the hand of the Lord, and gave it to all the nations to which the Lord sent me,
25:18 to Jerusalem, and the cities of Judah, and the kings thereof, and the princes thereof, that I should make them a desolation, and an astonishment, and a hissing, and a curse, as it is this day,
25:19 to Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and to his servants, and to his princes, and to all his people;
25:20 and to everyone generally, and to all the kings of the land of Ausitis; to all the kings of the land of the Philistines, and to Ashkelon, and to Gaza, and to Ekron, and to the remnant of Ashdod;
25:21 and to Edom, and Moab, and the sons of Ammon;
25:22 and to all the kings of Tyre, and to all the kings of Sidon, to the kings of the land of the islands, which are across the sea;
25:23 and to Dedan, and Thema, and Buz, and to all who are of shaved heads;
25:24 and to all the kings of Arabia, and to all the kings of the west, who dwell in the desert;
25:25 and to all the kings of Zimri, and to all the kings of Elam, and to all the kings of the Medes;
25:26 and to all the kings of the north, from near, and from far, to each one against his brother; and to all the kingdoms of the earth which are upon the face thereof; and king Sheshach shall drink after them.
131. Here, revelation of the predicted threat is made through a vision of images.
First, he gives the vision.
Second, he expounds it, at and you shall prophecy to them all these words (Jer 25:30).
Concerning the first, there are two points.
First, he sends him to offer them the drink;
second, they, to whom he offered, are invited to drink, at and you shall say to them (Jer 25:27).
Concerning the first, there are two points.
First, the Lord stretches out the cup, according to what appeared to him in a vision of images: take the cup of wine. It seemed to him that the Lord offered him the cup with an outstretched hand. By the wine is signified the divine indignation; by the cup, the power of the tyrants, through whom this indignation was to be poured out upon the nations. You shall give it, to drink thereof, not as though inflicting a punishment, but as though denouncing them. In the hand of the Lord there is a cup of strong wine, and full of mixture (Ps 74:9). As below: Babylon has been a golden cup in the hand of the Lord, making the whole earth drunk; all nations have drunk of her wine, therefore have they staggered (Jer 51:7).
Second, he speaks of the effect of the drinking: and they shall drink, by enduring affliction; and be troubled, with an inner fear and suffering; and driven mad, outwardly, fighting with one another after the manner of drunk men. And bitter shall be the drink to those who drink it (Isa 24:9).
Third, the prophet carries out the duty enjoined upon him: and I took.
First, he gives the drink to the Jews: to Jerusalem. Begin from my sanctuary (Ezek 9:6). It is time that judgment should begin from the house of God (1 Pet 4:17).
Second, to friends coming from abroad, beginning with the Egyptians, in whom they had trusted: to pharaoh . . . of Ausitis (Jer 25:19–20), which by another name is called the land of Uz, in the boundaries of Edom and Arabia; and the remnant (Jer 25:20)—he says this regarding Gath, which is the fifth city of the Philistines; and to all the kingdoms (Jer 25:26). This is the counsel which I have devised concerning the whole earth, and this is the hand stretched forth upon all nations (Isa 14:26).
Third, to the Babylonians themselves: and king Sheshach, that is, of Babylonia, which in Hebrew is called Babel. For this reason, in order to hide the name, he transposed the vowels, and changed the consonants joined to them, according to the custom of the Hebrews, who teach their children to say the first letter with the last, going backwards, and the second with the penultimate, and so on. For this reason, for a double beth, which is the second letter among the Hebrews, he put a shin, twice, which is the penultimate letter. And for the lamed, he put a kaf, which is joined to it according to the first reckoning. The last enemy who will be destroyed is death (1 Cor 15:26).
Lecture 4
Drink and be drunk
25:27 And you shall say to them: thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: drink, and be drunken, and vomit, and fall, and do not rise from before the sword which I shall send among you.25:28 And when they will not receive the cup from your hand to drink, you shall say to them: thus says the Lord of hosts: you shall surely drink:
25:29 For behold, in the city wherein my name is invoked I shall begin to afflict, and shall you be as though innocent and exempt? You shall not be exempt, for I call the sword upon all the inhabitants of the earth, says the Lord of hosts.
132. Here, they are invited to drink; and concerning this, there are three points.
First, the invitation is given: drink, by enduring punishments; be drunken, because of abundance, as though losing the use of reason, so that you do not know what you do; vomit, lose your riches; fall, into death and captivity. And he is speaking using a metaphor of a drunk man. The riches which he devoured he shall vomit out, and from his stomach God shall draw them (Job 20:15). Be astonished and wonder, waver and stagger, be drunk and not from wine, be moved and not from drunkenness (Isa 29:9).
Second, the coercion is given: and when they will not . . . you shall surely drink, that is, willing or unwilling. If anyone worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark on his forehead or on his hand, he shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is mixed with pure wine in the cup of his wrath (Rev 14:9–10).
Third, the reason for the coercion is assigned:
first, by an example: for behold, in the city, Jerusalem. And if at first with us, what shall be the end of them that believe not the Gospel of God? (1 Pet 4:17). As it says below: behold, they, whose judgment was not to drink of the cup, shall certainly drink; and shall you be left as though innocent? You shall not be innocent, but you shall surely drink (Jer 49:12).
Second, from the decree of the Lord. The sword, which is the same as the drink. I shall draw my sword from its sheath, and shall slay in your midst the just and the wicked (Ezek 21:3).
Lecture 5
The roaring of the Lord
25:30 And you shall prophesy to them all these words, and you shall say to them: the Lord shall roar from on high, and from his holy habitation he shall give forth his voice; he shall surely roar upon the place of his beauty; and the shout of those that tread grapes shall be given out against all the inhabitants of the earth.25:31 The sound shall reach to the ends of the earth, for the Lord enters into judgment with the nations; he enters into judgment with all flesh. The wicked I have given over to the sword, says the Lord.
25:32 Thus says the Lord of hosts: behold, affliction shall go forth from nation to nation, and a great whirlwind shall go forth from the heights of the earth.
25:33 And there shall be slain of the Lord on that day, from the heights of the earth to the depths thereof; and they shall not be mourned, and they shall not be gathered together, neither shall they be buried; they shall lie as dung upon the face of the earth.
133. Here, he gives the exposition of the vision:
first, against the nations;
second, against the princes of the nations, at wail, O shepherds (Jer 25:34).
Concerning the first, there are two points.
First, the threatening, when he speaks of the divine indignation: the Lord from on high, that is, from the height of his justice; he shall roar, terribly, like an angry lion. The lion shall roar; who shall not fear? (Amos 3:8). The universality of the punishment: upon the place of his beauty, that is, the temple; it is as though he were saying, “His wrath shall begin from the temple, and it shall proceed to the whole earth.” And the shout of those that tread grapes, the song of the vintners, by which is signified the joy of the victors in the pillaging of the lands, which are signified by the treaders of grapes, because they shed the blood of men, as the former spill the blood of grapes. For this reason, it is written in Isaiah 63:3, I have trampled the wine press alone, and from the nations, there was no man with me. I have trampled them in my fury, and tread upon them in my wrath; and their blood is sprinkled on my vesture, and I have soiled all my garments. As it says below: in vain will the treader of the grape sing his accustomed song (Jer 48:33).
And he sets forth the equity of the punishment when he speaks of the judgment: the Lord enters into judgment with the nations. The judgment of the Lord with his people and with Israel shall be determined (Mic 6:2). And the manner of judgment: the wicked I have given over. Because if you should provoke me to anger, the sword shall devour you, because the mouth of the Lord has spoken it (Isa 1:20).
Second, he outlines the progression of the punishment and its order: thus says the Lord.
First, he gives the progression: behold, affliction shall go forth, because one nation shall attack another, and it will itself be attacked by another, and so on; from the heights, from the most powerful, such as the Chaldeans, the Greeks, etc. The kingdom is transferred from nation to nation because of injustices and wrongs, injuries, and diverse deceits (Sir 10:8). As it says below: behold, the whirlwind of the Lord, his fury going forth, a rushing storm; it shall rest upon the head of the wicked (Jer 30:23).
Second, he gives the effect of the tribulation, because they shall be deprived of life: and there shall be slain of the Lord, that is, by the Lord. As it says above: the sword of the Lord shall devour from one end of the earth to the other (Jer 12:12). And they shall lack burial: and they shall not be mourned, and they shall not be gathered together, neither shall they be buried. The same is said above (Jer 16:4).
Lecture 6
Wailing of the shepherds
25:34 Wail, O shepherds, and cry, and sprinkle yourself with ashes, you nobles of the flock; for your days are accomplished of your slaughter and your dispersion; and you shall fall like precious vessels.25:35 And flight shall perish from the shepherds, and salvation from the nobles of the flock.
25:36 The voice of the cry of the shepherds and the wailing of the nobles of the flock, for the Lord has laid waste their pastures.
25:37 And the pastures of peace were silent from before the wrath of the fury of the Lord.
25:38 He has forsaken his covert as a lion, for their land has become a desolation from before the face of the wrath of the dove, and from before the face of the fury of the Lord.
134. Here, he threatens the princes and the nations.
First, with regard to persons, when he foretells the punishment: wail, as though unable to express their grief with words, but only by the raising of the voice. The sword of the Lord is full of blood; it is thickened with fat, with the blood of lambs and goats, and with the blood of well-fattened rams (Isa 34:6). You nobles, who are rich, and the princes of the people.
He excludes a way of safety: and flight shall perish. They have gone away without strength before the face of the pursuer (Lam 1:6).
Second, with regard to the subject lands: the voice of the cry.
First, by way of a metaphor, he speaks of the destruction of the cities: for the Lord has laid waste their pastures, that is, the cities and villas; he is maintaining the metaphor of the flock;
the pastures of peace were silent; it is as though he were saying, “They are reduced to nothing, so that no mention should be made of them”; the pastures of peace, which in times of peace were splendid. Fire has devoured the fair places of the desert, and flames have burned up all the trees of the countryside (Joel 1:19).
And with regard to the destruction of the temple: he has forsaken his covert, that is, God has forsaken his temple, as a lion, which no one hears approaching when he lies in wait. As it says above: I have left my house (Jer 12:7).
Second, he gives the exposition: for their land has become a desolation from before the face of the wrath of the dove, namely, of God, who punishes without agitation; or of Jerusalem, which has grown angry because of the loss of God; or of Nebuchadnezzar, because of the folly of his pride: Ephraim like a dove was led astray, having no heart (Hos 7:11); or because there are doves in pastures; or because, like one grown gentle, he has fulfilled the command of the Lord. Or, by antiphrasis, because he was cruel.
Chapter 26
Conspiracy of the princes
Lecture 1
Title and date
26:1 In the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim, the son of Josiah, king of Judah, this word came from the Lord, saying:135. Here is given the conspiracy of the princes against the prophet.
It is divided into three parts.
First, the title;
second, the prophecy, at thus says the Lord (Jer 26:2);
third, the epilogue, at in the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim (Jer 27:1).
The title is self-explanatory.
Lecture 2
Jeremiah in the temple
26:2 Thus says the Lord: stand in the court of the house of the Lord and speak to all the cities of Judah, from which people come to worship in the house of the Lord, all the words which I have commanded you to speak unto them. Do not subtract a word.26:3 It may be that they hear and be turned, each one from his wicked way, and I repent of the evil which I think to do against them, because of the evil of their doings.
26:4 And you shall say to them: thus says the Lord: if you will not hearken unto me, to walk in my law, which I have given you,
26:5 to hear the words of my servants the prophets, whom I have sent unto you, rising at night, and sending, and you did not hear,
26:6 I shall make this house like Shiloh, and this city a curse to all the nations of the earth.
136. Here the prophecy is given, and it is divided into three parts.
In the first, the occasion of the persecution;
in the second, the persecution, at and the priests heard (Jer 26:7);
in the third, the liberation, at and the princes heard (Jer 26:10).
Now, the occasion arose from his preaching;
for this reason, he first designates the place of the preaching: stand in the court. As it says above: stand in the gate of the house of the Lord, and preach there this word (Jer 7:2).
Second, with regard to the fruit of emendation: do not subtract a word (Jer 26:2); with regard to the emendation of faults: and they may be turned; and with regard to the remission of the punishment: and I repent. As it says above: if that nation will repent of its evil, which I have spoken against it, then I also shall repent of the evil which I have thought to do against it (Jer 18:8).
Third, he gives the subject matter of the preaching: and you shall say. As it says above: I shall do to this house, in which my name is invoked, and in which you have confidence, and to the place which I have given to you, and to your fathers, as I did to Shiloh; and I shall drive you from before my face, as I drove all your brothers, the whole seed of Ephraim (Jer 7:14–15).
Lecture 3
Wrath against Jeremiah
26:7 And the priests heard, and the prophets, and all the people heard Jeremiah speaking these words in the house of the Lord.26:8 And when Jeremiah had finished speaking everything which the Lord had commanded him to speak to all the people, the priests and the prophets, and all the people seized him, saying, ‘He shall surely die.
26:9 Why has he prophesied in the name of the Lord, saying, “This house shall be like Shiloh, and this city shall be laid waste, such that it have no inhabitant?”’ And all the people were gathered against Jeremiah in the house of the Lord.
137. Here, he speaks of the persecution; concerning this, he makes four points.
First, the hearing of the preaching: and the priests heard. They hear your words, and do not do them, because they turn them into a song of their mouth (Ezek 33:31).
Second, their wicked counsel: and when Jeremiah had finished . . . the priests seized him. Let us condemn him to a most shameful death (Wis 2:20). They have hated him that rebukes in the gate, and abhorred him who speaks perfectly (Amos 5:10).
Third, the evidence of their wickedness: why has he prophesied; it is as though they were saying, “The Lord seems to have spoken falsely when he chose this place.” I hate him, because he does not prophesy good to me, but evil (1 Kgs 22:8).
Fourth, the assembling of the people: and all the people were gathered. As is the ruler of a city, so are the inhabitants thereof (Sir 10:2). Do not cast yourself against the people, nor bind sin to sin (Sir 7:7–8).
Lecture 4
Jeremiah’s trial
26:10 And the princes of Judah heard these words, and came up from the house of the king into the house of the Lord, and sat in the entry of the new gate of the house of the Lord.26:11 And the priests, and the prophets spoke to the princes, and to all the people, saying, ‘There is a judgment of death against this man, because he has prophesied against this city, as you have heard with your own ears.’
26:12 And Jeremiah spoke to all the princes, and to all the people, saying: the Lord sent me to prophesy against this house and against this city all the words which you have heard.
26:13 Now, therefore, make your ways and your doings good, and hear the voice of the Lord your God, and the Lord shall repent of the evil which he has spoken against you.
26:14 But, behold, I am in your hands; do to me as seems good and right in your eyes.
26:15 But know of a surety that if you kill me, you bring innocent blood against you, and against this city, and against the inhabitants thereof; for in truth the Lord sent me to you, that I should speak all these words in your ears.
26:16 And the princes and all the people said to the priests and to the prophets, ‘There is no judgment of death against this man, for he has spoken to us in the name of the Lord our God.’
138. Here, the liberation is discussed; and concerning this, there are two points.
First, the judgment of the princes for the liberation of Jeremiah;
second, the calming of the furor of the people by the words of the elders, at therefore, certain of the elders of the land arose (Jer 26:17).
Concerning the first, there are three points.
First, he mentions the foresight of the princes: and the princes came up into the house of the Lord to quell the dissension; new, because it had been remade to house the trials of the priests and of those who pertained to the practice of religion. You shall establish judges and magistrates in all your gates, which the Lord your God shall give you throughout all your tribes, to judge the people with just judgment; neither shall they turn aside to another place (Deut 16:18–19).
Second, he mentions the dispute of the parties with regard to the accusation: and the priests spoke. And they strove to impose upon him something like the crime of blasphemy so that he would be killed. Likewise in Acts 6:13, this man does not cease to speak words against this holy place and against the law.
And with regard to the defense: and Jeremiah spoke. Now, he responds prudently, because he exempts himself from guilt: the Lord sent me; for this reason, I am not to be blamed for the things which I have spoken. Do not stand in fear of your neighbor when he falls, nor hold your tongue in the time of salvation (Sir 4:27). And now the Lord and his Spirit sent me (Isa 48:16).
And he softens their wrath when he points out the remedy: now, therefore, make your ways good. As it says above: let each one turn from his wicked way, and direct your ways and your endeavors (Jer 18:11).
He responds humbly, because he recognizes their power: behold, I am in your hands. A mild answer breaks wrath, but a hard word stirs up fury (Prov 15:1).
He also speaks consistently, because he forbids injustice: but know. The voice of your brother’s blood cries out to me from the earth (Gen 4:10). And because he is confirming the sentence: in truth, the Lord sent me. Judge whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God (Acts 4:19).
Third, the proclamation of the sentence is given: and the princes and all the people said.
First, the sentence is proclaimed by the princes: there is no judgment of death against this man. Behold, nothing worthy of death has been done by him (Luke 23:15).
Second, the sentence is confirmed by the elders, whose duty it is to know ancient precedents. In the ancient is wisdom, and in much time prudence (Job 12:12).
Lecture 5
Intervention of the elders
26:17 Therefore, certain of the elders of the land arose and spoke to the entire assembly of the people, saying:26:18 ‘Micah the Morashite was a prophet in the days of Hezekiah, king of Judah, and he spoke to the entire people of Judah, saying, “Thus says the Lord of hosts: Zion shall be ploughed like a field, and Jerusalem shall be a heap of stones, and the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be as the high places of the forest.”
26:19 Did Hezekiah, king of Judah, and all Judah, condemn him to death? Did they not fear the Lord, and entreat the face of the Lord, and the Lord repented of the evil which he has spoken against them? Therefore we are doing a great evil against our souls.’
26:20 There was also a man prophesying in the name of the Lord, Uriah, the son of Shemaiah, from Kiriath-Jearim, and he prophesied against this city, and against this land, according to all the words of Jeremiah.
26:21 And king Jehoiakim, and all the powerful, and his princes, heard these words, and the king sought to kill him: and Uriah heard it, and feared, and fled, and went into Egypt.
26:22 And Jehoiakim, the king, sent men into Egypt, Elnathan, the son of Achbor, and men with him, into Egypt.
26:23 And they took Uriah out of Egypt, and brought him to king Jehoiakim, and struck him with the sword, and cast his body into the graves of the common people.
26:24 Therefore, the hand of Ahicam, the son of Shaphan, was with Jeremiah, that they should not give him into the hands of the people, to put him to death.
139. Here is given the calming of the people’s fury against Jeremiah, by the words of the elders.
First, they set forth the example of the just, which they are to imitate, regarding the deed of Micah, when they make mention of his preaching; Micah; one of the twelve minor prophets the Morashite, to distinguish him from Micah, the son of Yemla (1 Kgs 22:8). Zion: hear your princes of Jacob, and leaders of the house of Israel (Mic 3:1). As it says above: I will make Jerusalem to be heaps of sand and the lair of dragons; and the cities of Judah I will make desolate, so that there be no inhabitant (Jer 9:11).
And the conversion of the people: did Hezekiah condemn him to death? It is as though he were saying, “No.” As it says above: ask of the ancient paths, ‘Which is the good way?’ and walk thereon; and you shall find rest for your souls (Jer 6:16). And they infer the conclusion: therefore, we are doing (Jer 26:19). His sorrow shall be turned on his own head, and his iniquity shall come down on his own crown (Ps 7:17).
Second, they set forward an example of injustice of which they must beware, lest they join evils to evils; there was also a man prophesying.
First, his preaching is given: and he prophesied. For he is not the God of dissension, but of peace (1 Cor 14:33). And therefore, they all say the same thing.
Second is given his persecution and flight; and Uriah heard . . . and fled. If you are persecuted in one city, flee to another (Matt 10:23).
Third, his slaying; and the king sent; because he was allied to the Egyptians.
Therefore this one was slain, and Jeremiah was set free, because God permits some of his saints to be killed for the condemnation of the wicked and as an example of the patience of the righteous: take, brothers, as an example of suffering evil, of labor and of patience, the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord (Jas 5:10). Likewise, Acts 12 where James is killed, and Peter is set free.
Third is given the execution of the sentence concerning the liberation of Jeremiah: therefore the hand of Ahicam, the son of Shaphan, was with Jeremiah. And this is clear.
Chapter 27
Nebuchadnezzar’s coming domain
Lecture 1
Surrender to Nebuchadnezzar
27:1 In the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim, the son of Josiah, king of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying:27:2 thus says the Lord to me: make bands and chains for yourself and put them on your neck,
27:3 and send them to the king of Edom, and to the king of Moab, and to the king of the sons of Ammon, and to the king of Tyre, and to the king of Sidon, in the hand of the messengers who come to Jerusalem to Zedekiah, king of Judah.
27:4 And command them that they should speak to their lords: thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: thus shall you say to your lords:
27:5 I made the earth, and men, and the beasts, which are upon the face of the earth, in my great strength and with my outstretched arm, and I gave it to the one who was pleasing in my eyes.
27:6 And now, therefore, I have given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, my servant; moreover, I have given all the beasts of the field to him, that they may serve him.
27:7 And all nations shall serve him, and his son, and his son’s son, until the time of his own land come; and many nations, and great kings shall serve him.
27:8 But the nation and the kingdom which shall not serve Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, and whoever does not bow the neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, I shall visit with the sword, and famine, and pestilence upon that nation, says the Lord, until I consume them in his hand.
27:9 Do not, therefore, listen to your prophets, and your soothsayers, and your dreamers, and your augurs, and your sorcerers, who say to you, ‘You shall not serve the king of Babylon,’
27:10 because they prophesy a lie to you, to drive you far from your land, and to cast you out, so that you perish.
27:11 Further, the nation which shall bow its neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, and shall serve him, I shall send them back to their own land, says the Lord, and they shall till it, and shall dwell in it.
140. Here, a clear title having been set forth, he excludes the false consolation of the prophets:
first, in general;
second, by touching on certain prophets in particular: and it came to pass in that year (Jer 28:1).
Concerning the former, there are two points.
First, he excludes the consolations of the prophets of the nations;
second, those of the prophets of the Jews, at and I spoke to Zedekiah, king of Judah (Jer 27:12).
Concerning the former, there are two points.
First, he presignifies the prophecy with an action: make chains for yourself, as a sign of the bondage of the nations, in the hand of the messengers, who had been sent to make an alliance with the king of Jerusalem; or they had been sent to resist Nebuchadnezzar. I have multiplied visions, and in the hand of the prophets I have used similitudes (Hos 12:10). And you, O son of man, behold, chains are set upon you, and they shall bind you in them, and you shall not go forth from their midst (Ezek 3:25).
Second, he expresses it with words: and command them. But he urges them in three ways to submit themselves to the king of Babylon, against the counsel of the prophets.
First, because of the power of Nebuchadnezzar, which he shows in two ways.
First, by divine concession, when he speaks about the creation of things: I made the earth, with regard to the work of creation and its disposition; men, with regard to the work of its provision; with my arm, which speaks to the application of his power to the work. Establishing the earth, and what springs from it (Isa 42:5). And he concludes with the bestowal of authority: and I gave it to the one, to a person, or to whomever. The Most High rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to whomever he wills (Dan 4:14).
And when he shows the concession made by God to Nebuchadnezzar, with regard to men: and now, therefore, I have given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar. The most high God gave kingship, great glory, and honor to Nebuchadnezzar your father. And because of the magnificence which he had given him, all peoples, tribes, and languages trembled and feared him (Dan 5:18–19). And with regard to animals: moreover, all the beasts—this is speaking hyperbolically. Alternatively, by beasts are meant the fierce men, who were under him. Or because, the people having been subdued, even the beasts, which were subject to them, were brought under his authority. For this reason, it is written: the beasts would rest under the shadow of the tree (Dan 4:9), by which Nebuchadnezzar is signified.
In another way, he shows his power by the subjection of the nations: and all nations shall serve. All things have a time (Eccl 3:1).
Second, he persuades them with the punishment of those who rebel, when he speaks about the punishment of those who rebel: but the nation and the kingdom. And therefore, be subject by necessity, not only because of wrath, but also because of conscience (Rom 13:5).
And he excludes the counsel of the prophets: do not, therefore, listen to your prophets, whom the gentiles say are able to foreknow even future events by the gleam of an intelligence acting in their souls, soothsayers, who were in the temples of the idols, dreamers, who from dreams, augurs, who from the chattering of birds, sorcerers, who predict the future by the conjuring of demons. As it says above: do not listen to the words of the prophets, who prophecy to you, and deceive you; they speak the vision of their own heart, and not by the mouth of the Lord (Jer 23:16).
And he gives for his reason the lie of the prophets: because they prophesy a lie, and the imminent danger, to drive you far, and this to introduces a result clause. I shall be as a lying spirit in the mouths of all the prophets (1 Kgs 22:22).
Third, he persuades them by the favor of those who obey, which they will receive from the Lord: further, the nation. As it says below: do not fear to serve the Chaldeans. Dwell in the land, and serve the king of Babylon, and it shall be well with you (Jer 40:9).
Lecture 2
Ignore false prophets
27:12 And I spoke to Zedekiah, king of Judah, according to all these words, saying: bow your neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, and serve him, and his people, and you shall live.27:13 Why should you die, you and your people, by the sword, and famine, and pestilence, and the Lord has spoken to the nation which refuses to serve the king of Babylon?
27:14 Do not listen to the words of the prophets who say to you, ‘You shall not serve the king of Babylon,’ because they speak a lie to you.
27:15 Because I have not sent them, says the Lord, and they prophesy falsely in my name, to drive you out, and you perish, both you and your prophets who prophesy to you.
141. Because those messengers could ask why he did not say such things to his own people intent upon rebellion, he responds that he has already said as much to them.
First is given his admonition to the king;
second, to the priests and to the people, at and I spoke to the priests, and to this people (Jer 27:16).
Concerning the former, there are two points.
First, he offers good advice, giving the advice itself: bow your neck. Servants, be submissive with all fear to your masters, not only to the good and modest, but also to the unreasonable (1 Pet 2:18).
And setting forth the imminent danger: why should you die? As it says above: he who shall dwell in this city shall die by the sword, and the famine, and the plague; but he who shall go out and flee over to the Chaldeans, who besiege you, shall live, and his soul shall be as a spoil to him (Jer 21:9).
Second, he excludes the false counsel of the prophets: do not listen, for three reasons.
First, because of the false promise: because they speak a lie. His prophets have daubed them without tempering the mortar, seeing vain things and divining a lie unto them; saying, ‘Thus says the Lord,’ when the Lord has not spoken (Ezek 22:28).
Second, because of the authority they claimed for themselves: because I have not sent them. As it says above: I did not send prophets, yet they ran; I did not speak to them, yet they prophesied (Jer 23:21).
Third, because of the imminent punishment: to drive you out, as the occasion arises. You shall fall today, and the prophet also shall fall with you (Hos 4:5).
Lecture 3
Captivity and liberation
27:16 And I spoke to the priests, and to this people, saying: thus says the Lord: do not listen to the words of your prophets, who prophesy to you, saying: behold, the vessels of the Lord shall now be returned swiftly from Babylon: for they prophesy a lie to you.27:17 Therefore, do not listen to them, but serve the king of Babylon, that you may live: why should this city be made a desolation?
27:18 And if they are prophets, and the word of the Lord is in them, let them make intercession to the Lord of hosts, that the vessels which were left in the house of the Lord, and in the house of the king of Judah, and in Jerusalem, may not go to Babylon.
27:19 For thus says the Lord of hosts to the columns, and to the sea, and to the bases, and the rest of the vessels, which have remained in this city,
27:20 which Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, did not take, when he carried away Jekoniah, son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah from Jerusalem to Babylon, and all the nobles of Judah, and Jerusalem.
27:21 For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to the vessels which were left in the house of the Lord, and in the house of the king of Judah and in Jerusalem.
27:22 They shall be carried off to Babylon, and there shall they be until the day of its visitation, says the Lord, and I shall cause them to be brought, and to be restored to this place.
142. Here is given the admonition to the priests, and to the common people.
First, he excludes the false counsel: do not listen . . . behold, the vessels, which were taken away to Babylon with Jekoniah (2 Kgs 24:13–15). And he gives the cause when he exposes the lie of the prophets: for they prophesy a lie to you; the fruit of bondage: that you may live; the danger of rebellion: why should this city be made a desolation? As it says above: he who shall go out and flee over to the Chaldeans, who besiege you, shall live (Jer 21:9).
Second, he asks for proof of their veracity: and if they are prophets; it is as though he were saying, “Let them do what is less,” namely, that by turning to God in their prayers, the vessels that remained may not be carried off, so that they might be believed in what is greater, namely, that those which have been carried away will be brought back. You have not gone up against the enemy, neither have you set up a wall for the house of Israel, that you may stand in battle on the day of the Lord (Ezek 13:5).
Third, he shows the clear proof of their falsity by an argument from the greater to the less, because if what seems more likely—namely, that the remaining vessels will not be carried away—does not happen, then neither therefore will what is less likely happen—namely, that those that have already been taken away will be returned. For thus says the Lord to the columns, the two which Solomon made for the portico, and to the sea, and to their bases, the vessel in which the water was kept for the washings of the priests, which was set upon twelve bases, all of which is found written in 1 Kings 7.
And he resumes: for thus says the Lord, because of the vessels of the temple, which he had not moved, except for the vessels which were in the portico. The vessels of her glory were led captive (1 Macc 2:9). And he promises that they will be brought back in the distant future: and I shall cause them to be brought, in the times of Cyrus. Cyrus the king brought forth the sacred vessels of the Lord, which Nebuchadnezzar had taken from Jerusalem, and consecrated to his idol. And bringing them, Cyrus, king of the Persians, handed them over to Mithradites, who had charge of his treasures, and by him were they given over to Shalmanezar, the ruler of Judah (1 Ezra 1:7–8).
Chapter 28
The false prophet Hananiah
Lecture 1
Hananiah’s false prophecy
28:1 And it came to pass in that year, in the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah, king of Judah, in the fourth year, in the fifth month, that Hananiah son of Azur, a prophet of Gibeon, spoke to me in the house of the Lord before the priests and all the people, saying:28:2 thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: I have broken the yoke of the king of Babylon.
28:3 Yet two years, and I shall cause all the vessels of the house of the Lord to be brought back to this place, which Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, took from this place, and carried them to Babylon.
28:4 And I shall bring back to this place, says the Lord, Jehoiakim, king of Judah, and all the exiles of Judah, who have gone to Babylon for I shall break the yoke of the king of Babylon.
143. Here, he descends particularly to certain false prophets:
first, to one who was telling the future to the remnant of Jerusalem;
second, to certain men who were prophesying to the captives in Babylonia: and these are the words of the book which Jeremiah the prophet sent (Jer 29:1).
Concerning the former, there are two points.
First is given the false consolation of the false prophet;
second, the condemnation of the falsity through Jeremiah, at and the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah (Jer 28:12).
Concerning the former, there are two points.
First, the false consolation, which the false prophet had given by word;
second, that which he had given by deed, at and Hananiah the prophet took the chain from the neck of Jeremiah (Jer 28:10).
Concerning the former, there are two points.
First, the false consolation;
second, the response of Jeremiah, at and Jeremiah spoke (Jer 28:5).
Concerning the former, there are two points.
First, he provides the title of the false prophecy, in which is described: the time, in the fourth year; the prophet, Hananiah, a prophet, in reputation; the place, in the house of the Lord. As above: I find their evil in my house, says the Lord (Jer 23:11).
Second, the word of the false consolation: thus says the Lord.
And first, he promises liberty: I have broken, I have destroyed—because of the certainty of the thing, it is spoken of in the past tense—the yoke, which was indeed to be broken, but not then. The yoke shall spoil because of oil (Isa 10:27).
Second, he predicts the nearness of its fulfillment: yet two years, lest they should be believed to be years of years, as it says in Ezekiel 4:6, a day for a year, yea, a day for a year, have I appointed to you.
And first, with regard to the return of the vessels: and I shall cause all the vessels of the house of the Lord to be brought back to this place. Lamentations 1:10 speaks of their capture: the enemy put out his hand to all her desirable things.
Second, with regard to the liberation of their princes: and Jehoiakim, contrary to what was said above in the preceding chapter. As it says above: O earth, earth, earth, hear the word of the Lord (Jer 22:29).
Lecture 2
Jeremiah’s response
28:5 And Jeremiah the prophet spoke to Hananiah the prophet, in the eyes of the priests and in the eyes of the entire people, which stood in the house of the Lord.28:6 And Jeremiah the prophet said, ‘Amen! May the Lord do so; may the Lord raise up your words, which you have prophesied, to bring back the vessels to the house of the Lord, and all the exiles from Babylon to this place.
28:7 But hear the word which I speak in your ears, and in the ears of all the people:
28:8 the prophets who were before me and before you from the beginning, who prophesied against many lands, and against great kingdoms concerning war, and affliction, and famine.
28:9 The prophet who foretold peace, when his word came to pass, he was known as a prophet whom the Lord had sent in truth.
144. Here the response of Jeremiah is given.
And first, he shows his emotion when he desires that what he had said should be fulfilled: amen, that is, let it be. If only I were not a man who has the Spirit, and that I was rather speaking a lie (Mic 2:11). He does not oppose this because he knew that the Lord wills the contrary, because this choice must be understood under the condition, namely, if God wills it, and in this he conforms his will to the divine, because he wills what God wills to be.
Second, lest he should seem to consent to falsehood, he proposes a sign of truthfulness: but hear. And this sign is taken from Deuteronomy 18:22: whatever that prophet shall prophesy in the name of the Lord, and it does not come to pass, this the Lord has not spoken.
But he himself seems to argue from the contrary sense, and it seems that the argument would be invalid because it is the fallacy of denying the antecedent, and therefore, the contrary is held in Deuteronomy 13:1–3: if there arise in your midst a prophet, or one who says that he has seen a dream, and he should predict a sign and a portent, and what he says should come to pass, and he say to you, ‘Come, let us follow strange gods whom you do not know, and let us serve them,’ you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or dreamer.
But it must be said that the argument is effective for showing his falsity, and this is what he intends.
Lecture 3
Jeremiah’s chain broken
28:10 And Hananiah the prophet took the chain from the neck of Jeremiah, and broke it.28:11 And Hananiah spoke in the sight of all the people saying, ‘Thus says the Lord: thus shall I break the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, after two years of days from the neck of every nation.’
28:12a And Jeremiah went his own way.
145. Here, he confirms his own prophecy by action; and concerning this, there are three points.
First, he gives a similitude of the action: Hananiah took and broke, as a sign of the breaking of the power of Babylonia.
Second, he explains the similitude: and Hananiah spoke. This was to happen long after in the future. As it says below: I shall break his yoke from your neck, and I shall burst his bonds (Jer 30:8).
Third, there is shown the humility of Jeremiah, because he patiently and willingly bore this and went his own way. I have become like a man who hears not, and has no reproofs in his mouth (Ps 37:15).
Lecture 4
Hananiah’s death
28:12b And the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah, after Hananiah the prophet had broken the yoke from the neck of Jeremiah the prophet, saying:28:13 go, and say to Hananiah: thus says the Lord: you have broken chains of wood, and in their place you shall make chains of iron.
28:14 For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: I have set a yoke of iron upon the neck of all these nations, that they may serve Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, and they shall serve him; moreover, the beasts also have I given to him.
28:15 And Jeremiah the prophet spoke to Hananiah the prophet: hear, O Hananiah, the Lord has not sent you, and you have made this people to trust in a lie.
28:16 Therefore, thus says the Lord: behold I shall send you from the face of the earth. This year you shall die, for you have spoken against the Lord.
28:17 And Hananiah the prophet died that year, in the seventh month.
146. Here is given the condemnation of the falsehood.
And first, he excludes the false consolation, by the similitude of the act: you, you Hananiah, have broken; and you Jeremiah, shall make, as a sign of the increase of the punishment. They who fear the hoarfrost, upon them shall fall the snow (Job 6:16).
And the exposition of the similitude: for thus says the Lord; it is as if he were saying, “The yoke of bondage will be harsher than had been previously signified.” His yoke is a yoke of iron, and his chain is a chain of bronze (Sir 28:24).
Second is given the threat against his prophesying:
and first, the restraining of his fault is given: and Jeremiah spoke . . . the Lord has not sent you. We have made a lie our hope, and by a lie are we protected (Isa 28:15).
Second, the threat of punishment is given: therefore, I shall send you; that is, I shall destroy you by death. Not so the wicked, not so, but they are like the dust which the wind drives from the face of the earth (Ps 1:4).
Third, the fulfillment of the prophecy is given: and Hananiah died in the seventh month—hence, he did not survive but by two months. When they say, ‘peace and security,’ then shall destruction come upon them suddenly, as the pain of a woman in labor, and they shall not escape (1 Thess 5:3).
Chapter 29
The consolations of false prophets
Lecture 1
Liberation after seventy years
29:1 And these are the words of the book which Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem to the remnant of the elders of the exile, and to the priests, and to the prophets, and to all the people whom Nebuchadnezzar had led from Jerusalem to Babylon,29:2 after Jekoniah the king had gone forth, and the queen, and the eunuchs, and the princes of Judah, and Jerusalem, and the workman and the engraver, from Jerusalem,
29:3 By the hand of Elasah, the son of Shaphan, and Gemariah, the son of Hilkiah, whom Zedekiah, the king of Judah had sent to Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, in Babylon, saying:
29:4 thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have taken from Jerusalem to Babylon:
29:5 build houses and dwell in them, and plant gardens and eat the fruit thereof.
29:6 Take wives and beget sons and daughters; and give wives to your sons, and give your daughters to husbands, and let them bear sons and daughters; and multiply there, and do not be few in number.
29:7 And seek the peace of the city to which I have caused you to remove, and pray for her to the Lord, because in her peace will be your peace.
29:8 For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: do not let your prophets and diviners who are in your midst deceive you, and do not attend to your dreams, which you dream.
29:9 For they prophesy falsely to you in my name, and I have not sent them, says the Lord.
29:10 For thus says the Lord: when seventy years shall be fulfilled in Babylon, I shall visit you, and stir up my good word upon you, and lead you back to this place.
29:11 For I know the thought which I think concerning you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of affliction, that I may give you an end and endurance.
29:12 And you shall call upon me, and go; and you shall worship me, and I will hear you.
29:13 You shall seek me, and you shall find me. When you have sought me with your whole heart,
29:14 I shall be found by you, says the Lord. And I shall bring back your captivity, and I shall gather you from all the nations, and from all the places to which I drove you, says the Lord. And I shall cause you to return from the place to which I made you to remove.
29:15 For you said, ‘The Lord has raised up prophets for us in Babylon.’
29:16 For thus says the Lord to the king who sits upon the throne of David, and to all the people who inhabit this city, and to your brothers who have not gone forth with you into exile.
147. Here, he excludes the false consolations of the prophets who were consoling the captives in Babylonia.
First, he excludes their false consolations;
second, he inveighs against the false consolers themselves, at thus says the Lord (Jer 29:21).
Concerning the former, there are two points.
First, he gives the title of the prophecy, in which he marks out three things.
Namely, the manner of prophesying, that it is by way of a letter: the words of the book, that is, of the letter. Now, therefore, go in and write upon a box, and note it diligently in a book, and it shall be on the last days as a testimony forever (Isa 30:8).
The time of the prophecy: after Jekoniah had gone forth; as in 2 Kings 24. Behold, the sovereign Lord of hosts shall take away from Jerusalem and from Judah, the valiant and the strong, every strength of bread, and every strength of water; and the strong man, and the man of war, the judge, and the prophet (Isa 3:1–2).
And the messenger of the prophesy: by the hand of Elasah, the son of Shaphan, and Gemariah, the son of Hilkiah, whom he sent to make peace with the Chaldeans, terrified as they were by the death of the false consoler Hananiah and by the threat of Jeremiah. When the wicked man is scourged, the fool shall be wiser (Prov 19:25).
Second, he gives the content of the prophecy: thus says the Lord. And concerning this, there are two points.
First, he gives them good and advantageous advice, that they should give their attention to those things which pertain to the demands of necessity: build houses, which they were neglecting to do, believing that they would return quickly, according to the promises of the false prophets. They have sown fields, and planted vineyards, and made the fruit of birth (Ps 106:37).
Also, that they should attend to those things which pertain to the production of children, take wives. Increase and multiply, and fill the earth (Gen 1:22).
And that they attend to those things which pertain to the tranquility of peace: and seek peace. Pray for the life of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, and for the life of Balthasar his son (Bar 1:11). I ask first of all that prayers, supplications and thanksgivings be made for all men, for all kings, and for all who are established on high, that we may lead a quiet and tranquil life, in all piety and chastity (1 Tim 2:1–2).
Second, he excludes their false and useless counsel: for thus says the Lord.
First, he excludes the vain confidence which they had conceived by the promises of the prophets;
second, he excludes foolish repentance, at for thus says the Lord (Jer 29:16).
Concerning the former, there are three points.
First, he excludes the utterance of the prophets, who were promising a speedy liberation: do not let your prophets deceive you, who speak to you in the name of the Lord, and diviners, who furnish the responses of demons. Woe to the foolish prophets, who follow their own spirit, and see nothing (Ezek 13:3).
Second, he speaks of the time of liberation, with regard to consolation: for thus says the Lord, I shall visit you, when I console you, and afflict the enemy. As it says above: when the seventy years shall be accomplished, I shall visit upon the king of Babylon and upon that people, says the Lord, their iniquity (Jer 25:12). And with regard to the restitution to their native land: and stir up—I will fulfill. Stir up the prophecies, which the former prophets spoke in your name (Sir 36:17).
Third, he gives the manner of their liberation.
First, he promises that they will enjoy the state of their original prosperity, with regard to the tranquility of peace: for I know as no other. The things which are of God no one knows except the Spirit of God (1 Cor 2:11). Eye has not seen, apart from you, what you have prepared for those who wait for you (Isa 64:4). Thoughts of peace, which I am preparing for you; an end, of captivity; endurance, of hardships, that you may bear them more easily. They speak peace with their neighbor, but evil is in their hearts (Ps 27:3).
And with regard to the hearing of prayer: you shall call, with your mouth; and you shall go, with your mind; you shall worship, with your body. Or, you shall go, to the temple. At the sound of your cry, as soon as he shall hear it, he shall answer you (Isa 30:19). Another text has: you shall call upon me, and you shall live; and you shall pray to me, and I will hear you. The sense is plain.
And with regard to the assistance of divine protection: you shall seek, by desire and prayers, and you shall find, ready to help; it is as though he were saying, “I offer myself.” He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him, and I will reveal myself to him (John 14:21). Seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while he is near (Isa 55:6).
Second, he promises them the place of their birth: and I shall bring back. I shall surely take you from the nations, and I shall gather you from all the lands, and I shall lead you to your own land (Ezek 36:24).
For you said—it is as though he were saying, “It was not necessary to write to you, because you trusted in false prophets.”
Lecture 2
Death for those in Jerusalem
29:17 Thus says the Lord of hosts: behold, I shall send the sword among them, and famine, and pestilence; and I shall make them like bad figs, which cannot be eaten, because they are bad.29:18 And I shall follow them with the sword, and with famine, and with pestilence; and I shall make them a vexation to all the kingdoms of the earth, as a curse, and as an astonishment, and as a hissing, and as a reproach to all the nations to which I have driven them.
29:19 Because they did not listen to my words, says the Lord, which I sent to them through my servants the prophets, arising by night and sending them; and you did not listen, says the Lord.
29:20 Therefore, listen to word of the Lord, all you exiles, whom I have sent from Jerusalem to Babylon.
148. Here, he excludes false repentance, for they could, because of their long captivity, come to regret that they had given themselves up when they saw others still remaining in Jerusalem; and therefore those who remained are threatened with the grave punishment of death: behold, I shall send. As it says above: he who shall dwell in this city shall die by the sword, and the famine, and the plague; but he who shall go out and flee over to the Chaldeans, who besiege you, shall live (Jer 21:9). And of affliction: I shall make, that is, they shall not find favor with me, neither with those by whom they are held captive, just as bad figs do not please those who gather them. As it says above: as the bad figs, which cannot be eaten, because they are bad, thus says the Lord: so shall I make Zedekiah, the king of Judah, and his princes, and the remnant of Jerusalem, who remain in this city, and who dwell in the land of Egypt (Jer 24:8).
And he gives the reason: because they did not listen, namely, that they should give themselves up to Nebuchadnezzar and cease from their sins. As it says above: rising early, I warned them, and said: listen to my voice. But they did not listen, nor did they incline their ear, but turned away, each one in the depravity of his own evil heart (Jer 11:7–8).
Next, he introduces the intended conclusion: therefore, listen to the word of the Lord, lest you surely suffer punishment, because you obeyed me in this. Hear, O sons, the discipline of your father (Prov 4:1).
Lecture 3
False prophets’ punishment
29:21 Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to Ahab, the son of Koliah, and to Zedekiah, the son of Maasiah, who prophesies to you falsely in my name: behold, I shall give them over into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, and he shall strike them before your eyes.29:22 And of them a curse shall be taken up by all the exiles of Judah, who are in Babylon, saying, ‘May the Lord make you as Zedekiah, and Ahab, whom the king of Babylon roasted in fire.’
149. Here, he inveighs against the false prophets themselves:
first, against certain advocates of falsehood;
second, against a certain attacker of the truth, at and to Shemaiah (Jer 29:24).
Concerning the former, there are three points.
First, he threatens a punishment;
second, he reproves their fault, at because they committed folly in Israel (Jer 29:23);
third, he reproves the justice of their judgment, at I am judge, and witness (Jer 29:23).
Concerning the former, there are three points.
First, their descent into guilt is spoken of: I shall give them over, so that he may have an occasion of punishing those whom he had in his power at first. The Lord has given me into a hand from which I shall not be able to flee (Lam 1:14).
Second, the infliction of the punishment: and he shall strike. As it says below: your breach is incurable, your wound very grievous (Jer 30:12).
Third, the resultant curse: and of them shall be taken up.
Now the Hebrews say that these are the two elders of whom Daniel 13 speaks. Whence, from this section they wish to show that the other is fictitious. For there, they are said to have been killed by the people; but here, by Nebuchadnezzar.
And furthermore, there, they are said to have been stoned; but here, burned with fire.
With regard to the first point, it must be said that both may be true, because Nebuchadnezzar killed by his authority those condemned by Daniel; and the people killed by executing the sentence.
With regard to the second point, it must be said that any punishment is called fire because of the pain, and this especially because of its likeness to the sin of adultery. All adulterers are like an oven heated by the baker (Hos 7:4). It is a fire devouring even to destruction, and roots up all things which sprout (Job 31:12).
Lecture 4
False prophets’ guilt
29:23a Because they committed folly in Israel, and adultery with the wives of their friends, and spoke a word in my name falsely, which I did not send to them.150. Here, he speaks of their guilt:
first, of adultery: folly, that is, a foolish thing; and adultery. Thus you would do to the daughters of Israel, and they for fear would speak with you (Dan 13:57). As it says above: each one neighing at the wife of his neighbor (Jer 5:8).
Second, the lie: and they spoke a word in my name falsely, for they were saying that liberation was near, and that the Christ was to be born from them, so that they might in this way beguile the women into committing adultery. As it says above: I did not speak to them, yet they prophesied (Jer 23:21).
Lecture 5
God is judge and witness
29:23b I am judge and witness, says the Lord.151. Here, he speaks of the justice of the judgment: judge, to inflict punishment; witness, to convict of guilt—because by divine assent, they were miraculously found out. The Lord stirred up the spirit of a young boy, whose name was Daniel (Dan 13:45).
Lecture 6
Rebuke of Shemaiah
29:24 And to Shemaiah the Nehalamite, you shall say:29:25 thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: because you sent books in my name to all the people who are in Jerusalem, and to Zephaniah, the son of Maasiah, the priest, and to all the priests, saying:
29:26 the Lord has made you a priest in the place of Jehoiada the priest, that you may be the ruler in the house of the Lord over every madman and prophet, that you may put them in the stocks and in prison.
29:27 And now, why have you not rebuked Jeremiah the Anathothite, who prophesies unto you?
29:28 For concerning this, he has sent to us in Babylon saying: it shall be long. Build houses, and dwell in them; and plant gardens, and eat the fruits thereof.
29:29 Zephaniah the priest, therefore, read this book in the ears of Jeremiah the prophet.
152. Here, he inveighs against an attacker of the truth, because, insomuch as he was a false prophet and promised the people that liberation was at hand, he was angry with Jeremiah because of the letter that he had sent to Babylon, and he wrote a letter to Jerusalem, to the high priest, against Jeremiah.
Concerning this, there are two points.
First, the attack against the truth is given;
second, the threat against him, at and the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah (Jer 29:30).
Concerning the former, there are two points.
First, he gives the sense of the letter: because you sent. It is an incomplete statement; as though saying, “You will allow it,” because he will speak after interposing certain things.
In the letter, he makes three points.
First, he recalls the example of his predecessor: the Lord has made you a priest in the place of Jehoiada, who slew the false prophets, as you should do to Jeremiah the false prophet (2 Kgs 11:18).
Second, he recalls his duty: that you may be the ruler in the house of the Lord over every madman, who, caught up by an unclean spirit, usurps the function of the prophet. For it pertained to the office of the priest to discern between spirits. Do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they be of God; for many false prophets have gone forth into the world (1 John 4:1).
Third, he also reproaches certain things: for concerning this, he has sent to us in Babylon, because he is not content for us to preach evil things. They have hated the one who rebuked in the gate, and have abhorred the one who speaks perfectly (Amos 5:10). I hate him, because he does not prophesy good to me, but evil, Micah, the son of Imla (1 Kgs 22:8).
Second, he shows how the prophet came to be aware of this: Zephaniah the priest, therefore, read this book in the ears of Jeremiah the prophet, that he might reproach him. As it says above: the word of the Lord has become a reproach to me, and a derision all the day (Jer 20:8).
Lecture 7
Threat against Shemaiah
29:30 And the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah, saying:29:31 send to all the exiles saying: thus says the Lord to Shemaiah the Nehalamite: because Shemaiah prophesied unto you, and I did not send him, and he made you to trust in a lie;
29:32 therefore, thus says the Lord: behold, I shall visit this upon Shemaiah, and upon his seed, that there be not a man left to him dwelling in the midst of this people, and that he may not see the good which I will do for my people, says the Lord, for he has spoken rebellion against the Lord.
153. Here, he speaks of the threat against him.
First, he reproves Shemaiah’s guilt: because Shemaiah prophesied. We have set a lie as our hope, and by a lie are we protected (Isa 28:15). His oration is directed against the captives by some other letter.
Second, he threatens punishment: therefore, thus says the Lord.
First, with regard to the sons: there be not a man left to him; it is as though he were saying, “He will not leave a survivor among the people.” I am the Lord your God, the Mighty One, the Jealous One, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the sons to the third and fourth generations of those who hate me (Exod 20:5).
Second, with regard to Shemaiah: and he may not see the good which I will do for my people. As it says above: for he shall be like a tamarisk in the desert, and shall not see when good comes (Jer 17:6).
Third, he resumes his case: for he has spoken rebellion against the Lord, because with his words he had rebelled against the Lord when he spoke, and promised prosperous times, when God had predicted the contrary. Shall he who contends with God, so easily become quiet? (Job 39:32).
Chapter 30
God promises liberation
Lecture 1
Command to write
30:1 This is the word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying:30:2 thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, saying: write for yourself all the words which I have spoken to you in a book.
30:3 For behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I shall turn the turning of my people Israel, and Judah, says the Lord. And I shall turn them to the land which I gave to their fathers, and they shall possess it.
154. After threatening, he begins here to offer consolation.
First, he offers consolation to all communally;
second, particularly to the royal city, namely, Jerusalem: and the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah a second time (Jer 33:1).
The first part divides into two.
First, he consoles them by word;
second, he signifies the consolation by action: the word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord (Jer 32:1).
The first part divides into two.
In the first, he consoles them with the fact that they have evaded adversity;
in the second, with the promise of prosperity: at that time, says the Lord (Jer 31:1).
The first part divides into two.
In the first, he promises liberation in general.
In the second, he describes the promise in particular, at and these are the words which the Lord spoke (Jer 30:4).
Concerning the former, he makes two points.
First, the Lord gives the prophet the command of preserving the prophecy: write for yourself all the words, which have been foretold and which shall follow, the revelation of which he had already taken up within the text, so that they should be preserved for a long time; by which is signified that they are not to be fulfilled swiftly. Take for yourself a great book, and write in it with the pen of a man: swiftly take the spoils away, quickly take the prey (Isa 8:1). Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he who reads it may run over it (Hab 2:2).
Second, he promises the benefit of liberation: for behold, I shall turn, that is, I shall call back from the land of captivity, in regard to the end from which the turning begins; the turning, because not all but only those who will be worthy of such a conversion; Israel, the ten tribes with regard to those who came to king Hezekiah in Jerusalem. For they were taken captive with them, and at their return, they shall return (2 Chr 30:9). Or it refers to the conversion to the faith of Christ. And I shall turn, in regard to the end to which the turning is directed. When the Lord turned the captivity of Zion, we became like those who are consoled (Ps 125:1).
Lecture 2
Stages of liberation
30:4 And these are the words which the Lord spoke to Israel and to Judah:30:5 for thus says the Lord: we have heard a voice of terror, fear, and there was no peace.
30:6 Ask, and see if a man gives birth. Why, therefore, do I see the hand of every man upon his loins as though he were a woman in labor, and why have all their faces turned sickly?
30:7 Woe! For it is that great day, and there is none like it; it is also a time of tribulation for Jacob, and he shall be saved from it.
30:8 And it shall be on that day, says the Lord of hosts, that I shall break his yoke from your neck, and I shall burst his bonds, and strangers shall no more rule over him.
30:9 But they shall serve the Lord their God and David their king, whom I shall raise up for them.
30:10 Therefore, do not fear, O you my servant Jacob, says the Lord; neither be afraid, O Israel; for behold, I shall save you from a distant land, and your seed from the land of their captivity; and Jacob shall return and be at rest, and he shall abound with every good thing, and there shall be none who fears.
30:11 For I am with you, says the Lord, to save you. For I shall make an end among all the nations, among whom I have scattered you; but I shall not make an end of you. But I shall chasten you in judgment, that you do not seem innocent to yourself.
155. Here, he describes the stages of the liberation.
First, he promises them liberation from bondage to the enemy;
second, from the manifold destruction which they have endured, at for thus says the Lord (Jer 30:12).
Concerning the first, there are two points.
First, he sets forth the former oppression, which he signifies when he sets forth the fear caused by the enemy: we have heard a voice of terror, foretold before by the prophets; fear, and there was no peace, from someone bringing assistance. The sound of terror is always in his ears, and when there is peace he always suspects treachery (Job 15:21).
The expression of fear from the posture of the body, for they were turned into the likeness of a woman in labor with her hands upon her loins, because of astonishment: ask. There, suffering like one in labor (Ps 47:7). And from the loss of strength: and why have all their faces turned sickly, which is the color black mixed with red, as when one is angry. And it comes from the burning wind. Their countenances shall be as faces burnt (Isa 13:8). All their faces shall be made like a kettle (Joel 2:6).
He also sets forth the magnitude of their fear and anxiety: woe, for it is that great, in magnitude of tribulation, day, the day of the capture of Jerusalem. The voice of the day of the Lord is bitter; then shall there be a mighty tribulation. A day of wrath is that day, a day of tribulation and distress; a day of calamity and misery; a day of darkness and gloom, a day of smoke and the whirlwind, a day of the trumpet and noise (Zeph 1:14–15).
Second, he promises future salvation.
First, he promises liberation: and he shall be saved from it, from that time, however evil it be. I shall save them by the Lord their God (Hos 1:7).
Second, the manner and order of salvation, when he promises them liberation from bondage and excludes the domination of the enemy: and it shall be on that day . . . I shall break his yoke, Nebuchadnezzar himself. And strangers shall no more rule, because the time of Simon has been fulfilled (1 Macc 16:2–3). Or it is to be referred to the liberation accomplished by Christ from the power of the demons. For you have overcome the yoke of his burden, and the rod of his shoulder, and the scepter of his oppressor (Isa 9:4).
And he promises them the longed-for rule: but they shall serve, that is, they shall serve someone who will be like David to you, as were Simon and Jonathan. Or Zerubbabel, who was of the line of David. Or Christ. But they longed most for the rule of David because of the prosperity and peace which they had in his time and because they were not oppressed by forced labor, as in the time of Solomon. David my servant shall be their prince forever (Ezek 37:24).
He also foresees the liberation from captivity when he excludes fear: therefore, do not fear. Do not be afraid, for I am with you. I shall lead your seed from the east, and I shall gather you from the west (Isa 43:5). And he speaks of their liberation with regard to the end from which the liberation begins: for behold, I shall save you from a distant land. Behold, I shall save my people from the land of the east, and from the land of the setting of the sun, and I shall bring them; and they shall dwell in the midst of Jerusalem, and they shall be for me a people, and I shall be for them a God, in truth, and in justice (Zech 8:7–8). And with regard to the end to which the liberation is directed: and Jacob shall return and be at rest, with regard to the tranquility of peace; and with every good thing, with regard to the fruitfulness of their affairs. My people shall dwell in a multitude of peace, and in the tents of confidence, and in abundant rest (Isa 32:28).
Third, he shows the author of their salvation.
First, he speaks of the presence of the savior: for I am with you. Above: the Lord is with me, as a mighty man of war; therefore, those who persecute me shall fall and be weak; they shall be greatly ashamed, for they have not understood the eternal reproach, which shall never be blotted out (Jer 20:11).
Second, vengeance upon their enemies: for I shall make an end—he will lead them to the end of consumption. The Lord shall make a consumption and a shortening in the midst of the whole earth (Isa 10:22).
Third, for you the mercy of preservation: but I shall not make an end of you, such that there should be no remnant of you. Above: nevertheless, in those days, says the Lord, I will not make an end of you (Jer 5:18).
Fourth, he introduces a moderated punishment to chastise them: I shall chasten you in judgment. Above: correct me, O Lord, but with judgment, and not in your wrath, lest you bring me to nothing (Jer 10:24), in the judgment of equity.
Lecture 3
God promises healing
30:12 For thus says the Lord: your breach is incurable, your wound very grievous.30:13 There is none who may judge your judgment to bind it; you have no useful medicines.
30:14 All your lovers have forgotten you, and they shall not seek you; for I have wounded you with the wound of an enemy, with cruel chastisement. For the multitude of your iniquity, your sins have become hard.
30:15 Why do you cry for your destruction? Your pain is incurable; because of the multitude of your iniquity, and because of your hard sins, I have done these things to you.
30:16 Therefore, all who eat you shall be devoured, and all your enemies shall be led into captivity; and those who waste you shall be wasted, and all those who spoil you I shall give as spoil.
30:17 For I will cover up your scar, and heal you of your wounds, says the Lord. Because they have called you, O Zion, an outcast: ‘This is she, who has none to seek after her.’
30:18 Thus says the Lord: behold, I shall turn the turnings of the tents of Jacob, and shall have mercy on his houses, and the city shall be built on its high place, and the temple shall be established according to the order thereof.
30:19 And praise shall go forth from them, and the voice of those who play. And I shall multiply them, and they shall not be diminished; and I shall glorify them, and they shall not be lessened.
30:20 And their children shall be as they were in the beginning, and their assembly shall remain before me, and I shall visit against all who trouble them.
30:21 And their leader shall be of themselves, and a prince from their midst shall be brought forth; and I will bring him near, and he shall come to me. For who is this that sets his heart to approach me? says the Lord:
30:22 And you shall be for me a people, and I shall be for you a God.
156. Here, he promises liberation from destruction, from the great affliction, which they had endured; concerning this, there are two points.
First, he speaks of the preceding destruction, showing its greatness, because it is as if the magnitude of the destruction shall have been so great that it cannot be repaired by human strength; breach, which speaks of a disruption of continuity and signifies the destruction of men or of cities; incurable, because of its greatness, insofar as it is in itself, although God could heal it; grievous, because of its depth. Your wound is great like the sea; who shall heal you? (Lam 2:13).
He excludes also the intervention of human assistance, whether by the judgment of justice rendered by a judge for the injustice sustained: there is none who may judge, against the enemy, to bind, as those who cure wounds bind a plaster upon them. The Lord saw, and evil appeared in his eyes, because there is no judgment (Isa 59:15). Or according to the affect of an intervening friendship: you have no useful medicines, namely, from among your friends, because you have offended the true physician. All her friends have spurned her, and have become her enemies (Lam 1:2).
He also shows the fairness of the punishment when he gives the cause of the punishment: for the wound of an enemy, who struck mortally, because it is incurable; cruel, because it is deep. For the multitude—for this reason, it ought to be a great wound, which would encompass all their corruption; hard, with regard to obstinacy, and therefore it was fitting for it to be grievous; and deep, penetrating even to the inmost parts. The Lord has become as an enemy, he has cast down Israel, he has cast down all her walls, he has broken up her bulwarks, and has multiplied in the daughter of Judah the afflicted, both the men and the women (Lam 2:5).
And he excludes the complaint of the murmurers: why do you cry? By murmuring. For they cannot be healed except by the most bitter effort, by which I would cut away putrid and incurable flesh. Why has a living man murmured, a man suffering for his sins? (Lam 3:39).
Second, he promises liberation.
First, he promises the benefit of aid with regard to the judgment of vengeance for the injustice committed against persons, for there is no other who may free them; who eat, by killing, your enemies, who take you captive. Above: all who swallow him up transgress. Evil shall come upon them, says the Lord (Jer 2:3). And against the injustice committed against goods: and those who waste you, with regard to immoveable goods, those who spoil, with regard to moveable goods. Woe to you who spoil, shall you yourself not also be spoiled? (Isa 33:1).
And with regard to the friendly disposition of the healer, he speaks of the healing: I will cover up, that is, I shall cure you so completely, that not even a vestige shall appear of your former wound. Who heals the broken heart, and binds up their wound (Ps 146:3). These things occurred under Zerubbabel when the Babylonians and the Chaldeans wasted the Assyrians—that is, Nineveh—and were themselves wasted by the Medes and Persians. And then the scar is covered, etc. (Jer 8:22). And he gives the reason: because they have called you an outcast, namely, the enemy. Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, and do not let your heart exult in his ruin, lest perhaps the Lord see, and it displease him, and he take his wrath away from him (Prov 24:17–18). For the reproach of the enemy is the cause of divine mercy.
Second, he shows the manner of assistance: thus says the Lord:
first, with regard to the manner of assistance: behold, I shall turn;
second, with regard to the manner of vengeance: behold, the whirlwind of the Lord, his fury going forth, a rushing storm (Jer 30:23).
Concerning the former, he first promises a restoration of all buildings generally: I shall turn, that is, I shall restore to their original state, the tents, the houses. They shall build up the wildernesses of the peoples, and shall raise up ancient ruins, and they shall restore cities deserted and laid waste for generations (Isa 61:4). And with regard to the princely places specifically: and the city shall be built, that is, Jerusalem. I who say to Jerusalem, you shall be inhabited, and to the cities of Judah, you shall be built; and to your waste places, I shall raise you up (Isa 44:26).
Second, he promises the prosperity of man with regard to joyfulness of heart: and praise shall go forth from them. Joy and gladness shall be found in her, and thanksgiving, and the voice of praise (Isa 51:3). With regard to the multitude of the people: I shall multiply them, and they shall not be diminished, insofar as it depends upon me, unless it comes about because of their own fault. I shall count them, and shall multiply them more than the sand of the sea (Ps 138:18). Alternatively, it is to be understood to concern those who are converted to Christ.
And with regard to the exaltation of man: and I shall glorify them (Jer 30:19), either bodily or spiritually, with regard to the sanctity of virtue, and their children shall be as they were in the beginning, that is, like their holy fathers, before me, by cleanness of life. And I shall visit, because I shall defend and avenge them. Who shall give me that I may be as in former months, and as the days when the Lord kept me? (Job 29:2).
Third, with regard to the goodness of their rulers.
First, he speaks of their kinship, for they are from the same line: and their leader shall be of themselves. This refers to Zerubbabel, or it refers to Christ. I shall give them vinedressers from the same place (Hos 2:15).
Second, of their holiness: and I will bring him near, and he shall come to me, by justice. For who is this that sets his heart to approach me?, by which is shown the author of the drawing, for no one is drawn near, unless he be drawn by God. No one can come to me, unless my Father, who sent me, draw him (John 6:44).
Third, he touches on the usefulness of justice: and you shall be for me a people. As the ruler of the city, so the inhabitants thereof (Sir 10:2).
Lecture 4
God will accomplish his wrath
30:23 Behold, the whirlwind of the Lord, his fury going forth, a rushing storm; it shall rest upon the head of the wicked.30:24 The Lord shall not turn aside the wrath of his indignation until he has done and accomplished the thought of his heart; in the end you will understand these things.
157. Here, he speaks of the manner of vindication.
First, he threatens a punishment: behold, the whirlwind, that scatters, as the movement of the air does the dust, by captivity; a storm, that swallows up through death, as the waves of the sea; of the wicked, those who had afflicted the Jews and have not been corrected concerning their evils; it shall rest, as though remaining in punishment. And the passage of the rod shall be strongly grounded, which the Lord shall make to rest upon him (Isa 30:32).
Second, he excludes mercy: the Lord shall not turn aside the wrath. In all these things the wrath of the Lord was not turned back; but still was his hand stretched forth (Isa 9:12).
Third, he promises knowledge of these things: in the end you will understand these things, namely, when all these things have come to pass. The Lord shall be known when he carries out judgment; the sinner shall be caught in the works of his hands (Ps 9:17).
Chapter 31
The promise of salvation
Lecture 1
Everlasting love for Israel
31:1 At that time, says the Lord, I shall be God to all the families of Israel, and they shall be to me as a people.31:2 Thus says the Lord: the people who remain from the sword have found favor in the wilderness. And shall Israel go to his rest?
31:3 From afar the Lord appeared to me. With an everlasting love have I loved you; therefore I have drawn you with mercy.
31:4 I shall build you again, and you shall be built, O virgin of Israel; yet shall you be adorned with your timbrels, and yet shall you go forth in the dance of those who play.
31:5 Yet shall you plant vineyards on the mountains of Samaria; yea, surely you shall plant them, and they shall not harvest until the time come.
31:6 For there shall be a day when the watchmen on mount Ephraim shall shout, ‘Arise, and let us go up to Zion, to the Lord our God.’
158. Here, he consoles them with the promise of prosperity. Concerning this, he makes two points.
First, he promises the prosperity of the nation;
second, the enlargement of the city, at behold the days are coming (Jer 31:38).
The former divides into three parts.
In the first, he consoles the ten tribes;
in the second, he consoles the two tribes, at thus says the Lord (Jer 31:23);
in the third, both groups, at behold, the days are coming (Jer 31:27).
The former divides into two points.
In the first, he speaks of the restoration of the destroyed people;
in the second, the order of their restoration, at for thus says the Lord: exalt in joy, O Jacob (Jer 31:7).
Concerning the former, there are three points.
First, he promises them a restoration to the practice of their religion: at that time, or after the return from Babylon; to all, with regard to those of the ten tribes who clung to the two tribes, or with regard to all, for all Israel shall be saved, after the fullness of the nations has entered (Rom 11:25–36). They shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them as their God (Rev 21:3).
Second, he promises them restoration to the place of their birth, when he promises the kindness of calling them back: the people who remain from the sword, of Babylon, in the wilderness, in the land of their captivity, in which they will seem to have been deserted by God, through which they returned, having been cleansed, to their own land, as once through the desert they returned to the land of promise; have found favor, that is, this mercy before God, because Israel shall go to his rest, that is, to his own land, in which he shall rest peacefully; this may be interpreted mystically with regard to the peace which they had in the time of Simon Maccabeus (1 Macc 14:4–6). My people shall dwell in the beauty of peace, and in the tents of confidence, and in abundant rest (Isa 32:28).
He determines the time of their being called back: from afar, before what is to come occurs; the Lord appeared, revealing the future liberation. Above: I shall break the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, after two years of days from the neck of every nation (Jer 28:11). For as yet the vision is far off, and it shall appear at the end, and shall not lie (Hab 2:3). And he shows the disposition of the one who calls them back: with an everlasting love have I loved you; it is as though he were saying, “He has granted you good things not for a time, but forever”; he has drawn, to your place; with mercy, filling them outwardly with mercy. I shall draw them with the cords of a man, and with the bonds of love (Hos 11:4). Above: I have remembered you, and taken mercy on your youth, and the love of your betrothal (Jer 2:2).
Third, he promises calling them back to their original state of prosperity.
First, he promises prosperity with regard to the renewal of the nation: I shall build again, according to the metaphor by which Israel is called a house. Above: I shall build them up, and not pull them down; I shall plant them, and not root them up (Jer 24:6). With regard to cheerfulness of heart: O virgin of Israel, you shall be adorned with your timbrels, that is, you shall go adorned to the pulse of the drum. With gladness of heart, as one who plays upon the flute, when he enters the mountain of the Lord, the Mighty One of Israel (Isa 30:29).
And with regard to the tranquility of peace: yet shall you plant vineyards on the mountains of Samaria, near the three cities which were added to the Jews (1 Macc 10:72–89): they shall plant . . . until the time come; it is as though he were saying, “They shall not anticipate the time of the grape harvest for fear of the enemy.” And they shall plant vineyards, and eat the fruits thereof (Isa 65:21).
Second, he gives the reason for their prosperity: for there shall be a day, by which is signified a return to the worship of God, to which they exhort one another. To Zion, and not to Bethel at the calves of Jeroboam: 1 Kings 12. And, come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us his ways, and we shall walk in his paths (Isa 2:3).
Lecture 2
Promise of reunion
31:7 For thus says the Lord: exult in joy, O Jacob, and neigh against the head of the nations; make a sound, and sing, and say: O Lord, save your people, the remnant of Israel.31:8 Behold, I shall lead them from the land of the north, and I shall gather them from the ends of the earth, among whom shall be the blind and the lame, the pregnant, and she that travails together, a great company of those who return to this place.
31:9 They shall come with weeping, and I shall bring them back in mercy; and I shall bring them through the torrents of water on a straight path, and they shall not stumble upon it, for I have become a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my firstborn.
159. Here, he discusses the order of operation, and concerning this, there are two points.
First, he incites them to exultation: exult in joy. Exult in God our help, sing to the God of Jacob (Ps 80:2). For the sake of expressing this exultation, he intimates the insulting of the enemy: and neigh, as an insult, against the head of the nations, that is, against the king of Babylonia, or of the Assyrians, who held you captive. Shall they not rise up suddenly that bite you, and those that tear you be stirred up, and you shall be prey for them? (Hab 2:7). And also the divine praise: make a sound, with psalteries, and instruments of this kind.
Second, he gives the order of the redemption: behold, I shall lead them; describing the end from which the returning begins: from the land of the north; and the company of those returning: among whom; it is as though he were saying, “No one indeed shall be hindered by some bodily infirmity from returning.” Then shall the lame man leap as a deer (Isa 35:6).
And also the manner of return: with weeping—some because of the joy of the return, and some when they saw the devastation of the land. So that one could not distinguish the voice of the shout of joy, from the noise of the weeping of the people (Ezra 3:13). And I shall bring them back in mercy, from shame of mind. I shall gather you with great mercies (Isa 54:7). Through the torrents of water—they travel easily sailing down them, and there are good roads next to them, by which is excluded the hardship of the journey and weariness. You shall walk confidently in your way, and your foot shall not stumble (Prov 3:23).
Third, he gives the reason from paternal affection, by which he is moved to them: for I have become a father—for this reason, as a father I am not able to forgive except that I have mercy upon them. For among all the peoples, Israel was the firstborn (Exod 4:22). Now to the sons of Joseph were given the birthright, as it says in 1 Chronicles 5, in which Ephraim was set before Manasseh (Gen 48:13–19); for this reason, it is left to Ephraim to be the firstborn.
Lecture 3
Praise on Mount Zion
31:10 Hear the word of the Lord, O nations, and tell it in the islands which are afar off, and say: he who scattered Israel shall gather him, and he shall keep him as a shepherd his flock.31:11 For the Lord has redeemed Jacob, and freed him from the hand of the more powerful.
31:12 And they shall come, and they shall offer praise on Mount Zion, and they shall stream to the goodness of the Lord, for the grain and the wine and the oil and for the young of the cattle and the beasts of burden; and their soul shall be as a watered garden, and they shall thirst no more.
31:13 Then the virgin shall rejoice in her dance, and the young man, and the old men together; and I shall turn their mourning into gladness, and I shall comfort them, and make them glad after their sorrow.
31:14 And I shall make the soul of the priest drunk with fatness, and my people shall be filled with my goodness, says the Lord.
160. Here is given the publishing of the liberation.
First, he rouses the nations to give heed. Hear—that all would trust in him, who is able to free them in such a manner. Hear O islands, and give heed, you people afar off (Isa 49:1).
Second, he foretells the liberation of the people, provided it be not hindered by divine indignation, for he who scattered Israel shall gather him. He shall feed his flock as a shepherd; he shall gather the lambs in his arms, and in his bosom shall he carry those who are with young (Isa 40:11).
Neither shall they be hindered by the power of their captors: the Lord has redeemed, formerly from the Egyptians, and from the hand of the more powerful, namely, the Chaldeans. He freed the poor man from the powerful, and the poor man, who had no helper (Ps 71:12).
Third, he promises the prosperity of liberty:
first, with regard to all, he promises the due observance of religion: on mount Zion, not in Bethel to the calves. Those who are redeemed by the Lord shall return, and they shall come to Zion with praise, and eternal gladness upon their heads (Isa 51:11). And he promises the affluence of temporal goods, when he speaks of the abundance of good things, with regard to those things that grow from the earth, which are produced as our food and which are preserved, with regard to the animals. And they shall stream, and they shall praise, God, for the grain and the wine. I have established him with grain, wine, and oil (Gen 27:37). And the satiety of those who possess these things: their soul shall be as a watered garden, which does not wait for the rain. This may be understood as regarding the spiritual goods gathered through Christ, which shall be fulfilled now in part, but in the future, entirely. They shall not hunger or thirst anymore, neither shall the sun strike them, or any heat (Rev 7:16).
And gladness of heart, with regard to the signs of gladness: the virgin shall rejoice. Above: praise shall go forth from them, and the voice of those who play. And I shall multiply them (Jer 30:19). And with regard to the cessation of sorrow: I shall turn their mourning into gladness. After the storm you make a calm, and after crying and weeping, you pour in joyfulness (Tob 3:22).
Second, with regard especially to the priests: I shall make them drunk, that is, I shall abundantly satiate them, with fatness, with an abundance of offerings, and sacrifices; and my people shall be filled, so that they may be able to make offerings to God. Now, this is understood spiritually as referring to the fatness of devotion. Let my soul be filled with marrow and fatness, and my mouth shall praise you with the lips of exultation (Ps 62:6).
Lecture 4
Return of Rachel’s children
31:15 Thus says the Lord: a voice was heard on high: lamentation, grief, and wailing, Rachel weeping for her children, she refuses to be comforted for them, because they are not.31:16 Thus says the Lord: let your voice be still from weeping, and your eyes from tears, for there is a reward for your work, says the Lord, and they shall come from the land of the enemy.
31:17 And there is hope for your future, says the Lord, and your children shall come back to their borders.
161. Here is given the consolation of the nations.
First, he introduces the weeping of a mother: Rachel, who was the mother of Joseph, weeping, for the destruction of her children. He is speaking figuratively—according to what is called hyperbole—of dead parents whose sadness overflows for the misfortune of their children. Or because in the Roman captivity, the Jewish captives were led by the tomb of Rachel and sold. Or because she is figuratively being said to mourn the children who were slain near her, since she was buried near Bethlehem (Gen 35:19); lamentation, which is made with words expressing grief; wailing, with regard to the shedding of tears; grief, with regard to a certain observance in the expression of grief, as occurs in the changing of garments and things of this sort. Above: a voice was heard on the roads, the crying and the wailing of the children of Israel, for they have made their way wicked, and have forgotten the Lord their God (Jer 3:21). He excludes the remedy of consolation: and she refuses to be comforted for them, because they are not, returned with the others, because they have been brought to nothing. Consolation is hidden from my eyes, because he shall make a separation between brothers (Hos 13:14–15).
Second, he applies the remedy of consolation: thus says the Lord: let your voice be still, with regard to lamentation; eyes, with regard to weeping. God shall wipe every tear from the eyes of his saints; and death shall be no more, neither mourning, nor crying, nor grief anymore, for the former things have passed away (Rev 21:4).
Third, he promises the benefit of liberation:
first, with regard to the end from which the liberation begins, for there is a reward, by which is shown that they were freed by the merits of their holy fathers. The enemy, the Chaldeans. Behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him (Isa 40:10).
Second, with regard to the end to which the liberation is directed: and there is hope for your future, to signify that in the last times they shall be turned to the true faith and perhaps even to their own land, at the death of the antichrist. The expectation of the just is gladness, but the hope of the wicked shall perish (Prov 10:28).
Lecture 5
Ephraim’s conversion
31:18 For I have surely heard Ephraim going into exile: ‘You have chastised me, O Lord, and I was chastened, as an unbroken calf: turn me and I shall be turned, because you are the Lord my God.31:19 After you turned me, I repented; and after you showed me, I struck my thigh. I was put to shame, and I blushed, for I have borne the reproach of my youth.’
162. Here is given the acceptance of those who repent, to whom is promised an acknowledgement of their confession: I have surely heard, that is, I have heard them mercifully. I have surely seen the suffering of my people, who are in Egypt, and I have heard their cry (Exod 3:7). And the confession is given: you have chastised me, O Lord, and I was chastened, as a calf, who is corrected with difficulty and with many blows. Only vexation gives understanding to hearing (Isa 28:19).
Second, the petition is given: turn me and I shall be turned. Turn us, O Lord, to yourself, and we shall be turned; renew our days as from the beginning (Lam 5:21).
Third, the reason for the petition is given as arising from the repentance which he has begun.
For this reason, he puts the punishment first: after you turned me, by infusing grace, I struck my thigh, signifying interior grief by an exterior blow, after the manner of a grieving person. Or, I struck my thigh, by repressing carnal pleasures. With the hearing of the ear I have heard you, but now my eye sees you (Job 42:5).
Second, repentance, because from the punishment which he has endured, recognizing his sin, he has suffered shame, which was a sign of repentance: I was put to shame, inwardly; I blushed, outwardly, for I have borne the reproach, that is, punishment and shame for the sins of my youth. And he calls the time before his conversion “youth”; it is as though he is saying that he sinned out of ignorance. You write bitter things against me, and wish to destroy me with the sins of my youth (Job 13:26).
Lecture 6
God promises mercy
31:20 Is Ephraim a son who brings me honor, is he a delicate boy? For from the point when I spoke of him, I shall remember him still. Therefore, are my inward parts moved for him; I shall surely have mercy upon him, says the Lord.163. Here, he takes up the penitent.
First is given the divine mercy;
second, the instruction of the penitent, at establish for yourself a watchtower (Jer 31:21);
third, his calling back, at turn, O virgin Israel (Jer 31:21).
Concerning the former, he makes two points.
First, he gives the reason for the mercy from the perspective of the people: is Ephraim a son who brings me honor; it is as though he were saying, “Is he not an honorable son?” Because of the birthright: is he a delicate boy, because of the tenderness of his age, because Joseph was, as it were, the youngest of the sons of Jacob, and Ephraim was the younger of the sons of Joseph. And these two factors incite fathers more to have mercy. Israel was a boy, and I loved him, and from Egypt have I called my son (Hos 11:1). He also gives the reason from the perspective of God: for from the point when I spoke; it is as though he were saying, “It is not fitting that the words of God should be made void”; I shall remember the words. Has he said, and will not do it? Has he spoken and will he not fulfill it? (Num 23:19).
Second, he shows his mercy: therefore, are my inward parts moved—anthropopathism, in which there is an internal compassion; I shall surely have mercy, in which there is an external bringing of aid. My heart is turned within me; likewise my repentance is stirred up (Hos 11:8).
Lecture 7
Call to the straight way
31:21a Establish for yourself a watchtower; make bitterness for yourself; direct your heart to the straight way upon which you have walked.164. Here, the instruction of the penitent is given: establish for yourself a watchtower (speculam), so that you may consider the prosperity which has been announced, or so that you may consider the way by which you may return; bitterness, concern for the return; direct, consider the way by which you came, that by it you may return.
Or a better interpretation: establish for yourself a mirror (speculum), of contemplation; bitterness, for past sins; to the straight way, that is, to the way of justice on which your fathers walked. Remember from whence you are fallen, and repent, and do the first works (Rev 2:5).
Lecture 8
A woman shall encompass a man
31:21b Turn, O virgin of Israel; return to these your cities.31:22 How long will you be dissolute in your delights, O errant daughter? For the Lord has created a new thing upon the earth: a woman shall encompass a man.
165. Here is put forth their calling back to their own land.
First, the calling back is given: return . . . how long will you be dissolute in your delights, O errant daughter? This is said with regard to those who, absorbed with the delights of the Chaldeans, did not wish to return to the land of promise. These are rightly called women because of their effeminacy. Above: though you have fornicated with your many lovers, still, return to me, says the Lord, and I will take you (Jer 3:1).
Second, the reason for calling them back is given from the Incarnation of Christ, which ought to induce everyone to turn from their delights: for the Lord has created a new thing upon the earth, because that conception occurred only by agency of divine power. A woman, because of the condition of the fragile sex, shall encompass, in her womb, a man, Christ, perfect in knowledge and grace from the beginning of his conception. For this reason, you ought to hasten to the land in which this new thing must come to pass: put on the new man, who, according to God, is created in justice and the holiness of truth (Eph 4:24). Behold the man, the Orient is his name, he shall rise under him; and he shall build a temple to the Lord (Zech 6:12).
Lecture 9
Joy of Israel and Judah
31:23 Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: they shall still say this word in the land of Judah, and in her cities, when I return their captivity, ‘May the Lord bless you, O beauty of justice, O holy mountain.’31:24 And Judah shall dwell in it and all his cities together, the farmer, and the tender of the flocks.
31:25 For I have made every weary soul drunk, and have satisfied every hungry soul.
31:26 Therefore, I awoke from sleep, as it were, and saw, and my sleep was sweet to me.
166. Here is placed the consolation for the two tribes particularly:
first, the glad annunciation, because he announces the holiness of the religion: they shall still say, Lord, and praise his temple, not idols; beauty of justice, O holy mountain, that is, Mount Zion, for from there the teaching of the Law, and judgment was spread through the whole kingdom, because of the priests and kings who dwelt there. The Lord is great, and worthy to be praised, and of his greatness there is no end (Ps 144:3). Or, mountain, that is, Christ. A stone cut from the mountain (Dan 2:34).
He also promises the security of peace: and they shall dwell. No more shall you be called forsaken, nor shall your land any more be called desolate; but you shall be called, ‘My delight is in her,’ and your land shall be inhabited (Isa 62:4).
He also promises an abundance of good things: for I have made drunk, I have filled abundantly; weary soul, from former tribulations. For he has filled the empty soul, and the hungry soul he has filled with good things (Ps 106:9).
Second is placed the exultation of the one announcing these things: therefore, I awoke from sleep, as it were, by divine revelation; sweet, because of the prosperity seen. These could also be the words of the people, and sleep could signify their preceding misery; sweet, inasmuch as they obtain mercy. I have slept, and taken my rest, and risen, for the Lord has upheld me (Ps 3:6). Sleep is sweet to the laborer, whether he eat little, or much (Eccl 5:11).
Lecture 10
The new covenant
31:27 Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I shall sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the seed of men and the seed of beasts.31:28 And as I have kept watch upon them to pull up, and to tear down, and to scatter, and to destroy, and to afflict, so shall I keep watch over them, to build up, and to plant, says the Lord.
31:29 In those days, they shall say no more: the fathers have eaten a bitter grape, and the teeth of their sons were set on edge.
31:30 But each one shall die in his iniquity; every man who eats the bitter grape, his teeth shall be set on edge.
31:31 Behold, the days shall come, says the Lord, when I shall make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah,
31:32 not according to the covenant which I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand, that I might lead them from the land of Egypt, a covenant which they have made void; and I had dominion over them, says the Lord.
31:33 But this shall be the covenant which I shall make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I shall put my law in their bowels, and I shall write it in on their hearts, and I shall be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people.
31:34 And no more shall a man teach his neighbor, and a man his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for all shall know me, from the least of them to the greatest, says the Lord; for I will pardon their iniquity, and I shall remember their sin no more.
167. Here, he consoles both together.
First is given the promise;
second, the confirmation of the promise, at thus says the Lord (Jer 31:35).
Concerning the former, there are two points.
First, he promises temporal goods with regard to men and the multiplication of beasts: I shall sow, I will multiply, by sowing, as it were. Jerusalem shall be inhabited without walls for the multitude of men and beasts in her midst (Zech 2:4).
With regard to the restoration of what has been destroyed: as I have kept watch—I have diligently fulfilled what I threatened; to pull up, by taking away all protection, by which they were made strong as by a root; to tear down, with regard to the slaughter of men and the desolation of cities; to scatter, by taking away the hedge of human and angelic assistance; to destroy, by driving them into captivity in various places; to afflict those taken captive with the heavy burden of slavery. As I thought to afflict you when your fathers provoked me to anger, says the Lord, and I did not have mercy; even so, having turned, have I thought in these days to do well to the house of Judah and Jerusalem (Zech 8:14–15).
And with regard to immunity to punishment for the sins of their fathers: in those days. Why is it that, among you, you turn a parable into this proverb in the land of Israel, saying: The fathers have eaten a bitter grape, and the teeth of the sons are set on edge? (Ezek 18:2).
Second, he promises spiritual goods: behold, the days shall come.
First, he promises the renewal of the covenant: days, of grace; a new covenant, a new testament—this is the Gospel.
Dominion, cruelly and powerfully taking vengeance. I shall make an eternal covenant with you, the faithful mercies of David (Isa 55:3).
Second, he speaks of the tenor of the covenant: but this shall be the covenant . . . I shall put my law, the Gospel, in their bowels, not on tablets of stone. I shall lead her into the wilderness, and I shall speak to her heart (Hos 2:14).
Third, he speaks of the usefulness of the covenant:
first, with regard to obedience: and I shall be to them a God. The same point is made in Ezekiel 36.
Second, with regard to wisdom: and no more shall a man teach his neighbor, by which is excluded the necessity of teaching. And this is indeed fulfilled in the present time with regard to the fact that we have come to divine truth not by the reasons of the prophecy, nor by human inventions, nor even by Jewish traditions; but in the future, it shall be fulfilled entirely. Do not be called Rabbi, for there is one who is your master (Matt 23:8). And he gives the reason: for all shall know me. I shall grant that all your children shall be taught by the Lord, and I will give your children an abundance of peace (Isa 54:13). All things whatsoever I have heard from my father, I have made known to you (John 15:15).
Third, with regard to purity from sin: for I will pardon their iniquity. Who forgives all your iniquities, and heals all your infirmities (Ps 102:3).
Lecture 11
Immutable as the heavens
31:35 Thus says the Lord, who gives the sun as the light of the day, the order of the moon and the stars, as the light of the night; who stirs up the sea, and its waves roar; the Lord of hosts is his name:31:36 if these laws fail from before me, says the Lord, then the seed of Israel shall fail, that he should not be a nation before me all days.
31:37 Thus says the Lord: if the heavens above can be measured, and if the foundations of the earth below may be found out, I also shall cast away the whole seed of Israel for all that they have done, says the Lord.
168. Here is given the confirmation of the promise.
First, he confirms it by the immutability of created things when he sets forth the power of the one who promises: who gives the sun as the light of the day. Who makes the great lights, the sun to rule the day, and the moon and the stars to rule the night (Ps 135:8–9). It is as though he were saying, “He who made these to be immovable shall also be able to make his promise sure.”
And he gives a comparison: if these laws fail; it is as though he were saying, “Just as they shall not fail until the end of the world, so neither shall the seed of Israel, with regard to those who are saved.” As the new heavens, and the new earth, which I make to stand before me, says the Lord, so shall your seed, and your name stand (Isa 66:22).
Second, from the immensity of created things: thus says the Lord.
First, he describes the impossibility of measuring: if the heavens above can be measured, by human ability. Who has measured with his fist the waters, and weighed the heavens with his palm? (Isa 40:12).
Second, he sets forth the promise. I also shall cast away; it is as though he were saying, “As that is impossible, so also is this”: the whole seed, because he has cast away some of them. For he has not willingly afflicted, nor cast off the children of men (Lam 3:33).
Lecture 12
Restoration of the city
31:38 Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when the city shall be built for the Lord, from the tower of Hananel to the gate of the corner.31:39 And the measuring line shall go forth in his sight, upon the hill of Gareb, and shall go about Goatha,
31:40 and all the valley of the dead bodies, and ash, and all the region of the dead, as far as the brook Kedron, and as far as the corner of the eastern gate of horses. The holy place of the Lord shall not be pulled up or torn down again forever.
169. Here is promised the restoration of the city.
First, the rebuilding is promised: when the city shall be built. It is I who say to Jerusalem, ‘You shall be inhabited,’ and to the cities of Judah, ‘You shall be built’; and I shall raise up your waste places (Isa 44:26).
Second, the enlargement is given: from the tower of Hananel, which some say was in Anathoth, but Jerome excludes this in the Gloss, to the gate of the corner, where two walls were joined together;
the former measuring line shall go forth, upon the hill of Gareb, which is translated as “scab,” where perhaps the lepers stayed outside the city; Goatha, which is translated as “sinful nation,” where those who were unclean because of some sin stayed;
the valley of the dead bodies, where the graves of the people were; ash, where ritually clean ashes were cast, as from sacrifices, or it refers to unclean ashes, as from the houses of lepers and others of this sort; of the dead, where malefactors were put to death; as far as the corner of the eastern gate of horses, for horses were not able to ascend from every direction because of the steepness of the mountain. Enlarge the place of your tent, and stretch out the coverings of your tabernacles (Isa 54:2).
Third, the duration is given: the holy place of the Lord shall not be pulled up, that is, the sanctuary, the temple, or the whole city, which was sanctified to the Lord. Above: they will call Jerusalem the throne of the Lord; and all nations shall be gathered together in her in the name of the Lord in Jerusalem (Jer 3:17). A tabernacle which cannot be removed, neither shall its stakes ever be taken away, and none of its cords shall be broken (Isa 33:20). The Jews expound this as referring to Jerusalem the golden, which Jerome disproves in the Gloss, and he expounds it as referring to the Church, which gathers within herself both the perfect and the imperfect, which is signified by the unclean places outside Jerusalem. It could also be said another way, that it was fulfilled under Ezra, as is seen in Nehemiah 3: for they began to build Hananel. And literally, perhaps they added some space to the city. When it is said to abide forever, the condition is understood: if they do not sin. Above: if it does evil in my eyes, and does not hear my voice, then I will repent of the good which I have said I would do for it (Jer 18:10).
Chapter 32
Allegory of the field
Lecture 1
Hananel’s field
32:1 The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord, in the tenth year of Zedekiah, king of Judah, which is the eighteenth year of king Nebuchadnezzar.32:2 At that time the army of the king of Babylon laid siege to Jerusalem, and Jeremiah the prophet was shut up in the courtyard of the prison, which was in the house of the king of Judah.
32:3 For Zedekiah, the king of Judah, had imprisoned him, saying, why do you prophesy saying, thus says the Lord: behold, I shall give this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall take it.
32:4 And Zedekiah, the king of Judah, shall not escape out of the hand of the Chaldeans, but shall be handed over into the hands of the king of Babylon; and the mouth of the one shall speak to the mouth of the other, and the eyes of the one shall see the eyes of the other.
32:5 And he shall lead Zedekiah to Babylon, and there shall he be until I visit him, says the Lord; but if you shall fight against the Chaldeans, you shall have no success.
32:6 And Jeremiah said, the word of the Lord came to me saying,
32:7 ‘Behold, Hananel, the son of Shallum, your cousin shall come to you, saying, buy my field for yourself, which is in Anathoth, for the right of inheritance is yours, because you are next of kin.’
32:8 And Hananel, the son of my uncle, came to me, according to the word of the Lord, to the vestibule of the prison, and he said to me, take possession of my field which is in Anathoth, in the land of Benjamin, because the right of inheritance is yours, and you are next of kin that you should possess it. And I understood that this was the word of the Lord.
32:9 And I bought the field from Hananel, the son of my uncle, which is in Anathoth, and I weighed out silver for it: seven staters and ten silver shekels.
32:10 And I wrote it in a book, and sealed it, and called witnesses, and weighed the silver in the scale.
32:11 And I took the deed of purchase that was sealed, and the stipulations, and the ratification, and the seals, which were on the outside.
170. Here, he consoles them with an action.
First, he indicates the time of the prophecy from the time of the king: in the tenth year of Zedekiah, king of Judah, which is the eighteenth year of king Nebuchadnezzar, so that one may understand from these what things are said above: in the fourth year of Jehoiakim was the first of Nebuchadnezzar (Jer 25:1).
From the siege of the city: at that time the army of the king of Babylon laid siege to Jerusalem. I shall make a circle round about you, and I shall cast up a rampart against you, and I shall set up bulwarks to besiege you (Isa 29:3). And the prison of the prophet, when he speaks of the misery of the prison: and Jeremiah the prophet was shut up in the courtyard of the prison. He has built up against me round about that I might not go out; he has made my fetters heavy (Lam 3:7).
And he gives the reason: why do you prophesy? Because he preached the capture of the city: behold, I shall give this city into the hand of the king of Babylon.
The captivity of the king: and Zedekiah, the king of Judah, shall not escape out of the hand of the Chaldeans.
And the hardship of the wars: but if you shall fight . . . you shall have no success. Above: I shall vanquish you with an outstretched hand, and with a mighty arm, and with fury, and indignation, and great wrath. And I will strike the inhabitants of this city (Jer 21:5–6). For which reason, this chapter, historically speaking, should be joined with that one.
Second, the prophetic act is given: and Jeremiah said.
First is mentioned a purchase;
second, the interpretation of the act, at and I gave the deed of purchase to Baruch (Jer 32:12);
third, the confirmation of the interpretation, at and I prayed to the Lord (Jer 32:16).
Concerning the former, there are three points.
First is set down the invitation of the seller to buy, when he gives the word of the invitation revealed to him: behold, Hananel shall come to you . . . for the right of inheritance is yours. Lest the tribes should be mixed together, the Lord commanded that possessions should be sold to those who were of the same family (Num 36:6–9, Lev 25:23–34), which was observed particularly with regard to the possessions of the Levites.
He also speaks of the arrival of the one who invites him to buy: and Hananel, the son of my uncle, came to me, according to the word of the Lord, because one cannot go with no purpose. Has he said, and will he not do it, he has spoken and shall he not fulfill it? (Num 23:19).
Second, the purchase is described: I understood, by the prophetic spirit—otherwise it would have seemed foolish to buy a field at such a time, by which one may also note the prophet’s obedience. Above: and I am not troubled following you, my shepherd; and I have not desired the day of man, you know (Jer 17:16).
And the payment of the price is given: and I weighed out, on the scales, seven staters, that is, shekels, each one of which consisted of twenty obols of silver (Ezek 45:12), these are the same as shekels.
Third, the confirmation of the purchase is given: and I wrote it in a book, and sealed it, with the seal of the seller and of the witnesses; stipulations—when there is one who asks and another who responds, the contract is strengthened; the ratification, the approval of the sale. I have called to myself faithful witnesses (Isa 8:2).
Lecture 2
Baruch given the deed
32:12 And I gave the deed of purchase to Baruch, the son of Ner, the son of Maasiah, in the eyes of Hananel, my cousin, in the eyes of the witnesses, who were inscribed on the deed of purchase, and in the eyes of all the Jews who sat in the courtyard of the prison.32:13 And I instructed Baruch before them, saying,
32:14 thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: take these books, the sealed deed of purchase, and this book which is open, and put them in a clay jar, that they be able to endure many days.
32:15 For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: houses, and fields, and vineyards shall yet be owned in this land.
171. Here is given the interpretation of the purchase.
First, he hands over the deed: in the eyes of all the Jews who sat in the courtyard of the prison, who had come to console and to consult, because the matter pertained to everyone.
Second, their diligent care is noted: and I instructed Baruch before them, saying, thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: take these books, the sealed deed of purchase, and this book which is open, that is, not sealed, so that when they send it, it may be viewed. I have been represented in the hands of the prophets (Hos 12:10).
Third, they are consigned to safekeeping: and put them in a clay jar.
Thus says the Lord. This is what Jeremiah said above, that he understood the word of the Lord. The vineyard shall give its fruit, and the earth its growth, and the heaven shall give its dew (Zech 8:12).
Lecture 3
Jeremiah’s prayer
32:16 And I prayed to the Lord after I handed the deed of purchase to Baruch, son of Neri, saying:32:17 Alas, alas, alas! O Lord God, behold, you made the heaven and the earth in your great strength and with your outstretched arm; nor shall any word be difficult for you,
32:18 who shows mercy to thousands, and repays the iniquity of the fathers into the bosoms of their sons after them. O most mighty, great and powerful, the Lord of hosts is your name.
32:19 Great in counsel, and incomprehensible in thought, whose eyes are open upon all the ways of the children of Adam, to repay each one according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.
172. Here is given the confirmation of the exposition, for, because they did not believe the words of the prophet, he sought a divine revelation concerning this, so that he may satisfy their doubt:
whence, the prophet’s prayer is given first;
second, the response of the Lord, at and the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah (Jer 32:26).
Concerning the former, there are three points.
First, he commends the divine justice;
second, he sets forth the punishment justly inflicted, at you who made signs (Jer 32:20);
third, he wonders at the reason for the former command, at and you say to me, O Lord God (Jer 32:25).
Now justice, when it is present, makes man will what is just; for this reason, two other factors are necessary for its execution, namely, knowledge and ability; whence, for the perfect execution of justice, he shows the perfection of knowledge and power.
First, of power, when he speaks about the creation of things: behold, you made. Above: I made the earth, and men, and the beasts, which are upon the face of the earth, in my great strength and with my outstretched arm, and I gave it to the one who was pleasing in my eyes (Jer 27:5). And he commends the perfection of his power: nor shall any word be difficult for you, by which you made such great things. No word shall be impossible with God (Luke 1:31).
To justice he adds its execution tempered with mercy: who shows mercy, giving a reward to the good, to thousands, that is, to a thousand generations; into the bosoms of their sons, at least for one generation, so that the mercy of the punishment might be preeminent. I am the Lord your God, mighty, jealous, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation of those that hate me (Exod 20:5). And he breaks forth into a condemnation of power, from which power is turned into the justice of mercy: O most mighty, insofar as he upholds all things. Upholding all things by the word of his power (Heb 1:3). If strength be demanded, he is most strong (Job 9:19). Great, insofar as the multitude of creatures does not exhaust his power; indeed, he is still able to bring forth things innumerable; powerful, to do all things. For your power is at hand when you will it (Wis 12:18). Lord of hosts, with regard to governance, and particularly of the rational beings in heaven, on earth, and in hell. Is there a number to his hosts? (Job. 25:3).
Second, he shows his perfect knowledge.
First, he communicates the perfection of his knowledge: great in counsel, that is, perfect in the disposition of wisdom, and incomprehensible in human thought. Behold the great God who exceeds our knowledge (Job 36:26). O the height of the riches of the wisdom of the knowledge of God. How incomprehensible are his judgments, and inscrutable his ways (Rom 11:33).
Second, he speaks of the execution of justice: whose eyes are open upon all the ways of the children of Adam. His eyes are upon the ways of men, and he considers all their steps (Job 34:21).
Lecture 4
Disobedience in the promised land
32:20 Who made signs and wonders in the land of Egypt until this day, and in Israel, and among men, and you have made yourself a name as at this day.32:21 And you led your people Israel from the land of Egypt with signs and wonders, and with a mighty hand, and an outstretched arm, with great fear;
32:22 and you gave them this land, which you swore to their fathers to give to them, a land flowing with milk and honey.
32:23 And they entered and took possession of it, and they did not obey your voice, and did not walk in your law; all that you commanded them that they should do, they did not do, and all these evils have befallen them.
32:24 Behold, siege works are raised up against this city that it may be taken, and the city is given into the hands of the Chaldeans, and in the hand of the king of Babylon, who battles against it, by the sword, and by famine, and by pestilence; and all that you have spoken has happened, as you yourself see.
173. Here, he describes the punishment inflicted upon the Jews by divine justice; and in order that its justice may be shown, he makes three points.
First, he sets out the benefits of the miraculous liberation: until this day, your signs are being made complete. Or your strength for the salvation of Israel and others appears. He did wonders in the land of Egypt, in the field of Tanis (Ps 77:12).
Of a rich dwelling place: and you gave them this land. You shall possess their land, which I shall give you as an inheritance—a land flowing with milk, and honey (Lev 20:24).
Second, he speaks of their ingratitude: and they entered. The beloved grew fat, and kicked; he grew fat, and thick and gross; he forsook God who made him, and departed from God his savior (Deut 32:15). I have brought up children, and exalted them; but they have despised me (Isa 1:2).
Third, the infliction of punishment: and all these evils have befallen them. He shall mock at every defense, and cast up a mound and take it (Hab 1:10).
Lecture 5
Buy a field for silver
32:25 And you say to me, O Lord God: buy a field for silver, and call witnesses, when the city has been given into the hands of the Chaldeans?174. Here, he wonders at the divine command: and you say to me . . . buy a field? This is astonishing, because it is not a time for buying. Let the one who buys not be glad, and the one who sells not mourn; because wrath is upon all his people (Ezek 7:12).
Lecture 6
Punishment and salvation
32:26 And the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah, saying:32:27 behold, I am the Lord God of all flesh. Shall any word be difficult for me?
32:28 Therefore, thus says the Lord: behold, I shall hand this city into the hands of the Chaldeans, and into the hands of the king of Babylon, and they shall take it.
32:29 And the Chaldeans shall come and make war against this city, and shall kindle it with fire, and burn it and the houses upon whose roofs they offered sacrifice to Baal, and poured out drink offerings to strange gods to provoke me.
32:30 For the children of Israel and the children of Judah have continually done evil in my eyes from their youth; the sons of Israel, who even until now provoke me with the work of their hands, says the Lord.
32:31 For this city has been for me a provocation, and an indignation from the day they built it, until this day when it shall be taken out of my sight,
32:32 because of the wickedness of the children of Israel, and the children of Judah, which they did to provoke me to anger, they and their kings, their princes, and their priests, and their prophets, the men of Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
32:33 And they turned their backs to me, and not their faces, when I taught them early, and instructed them, and they refused to hear, that they might accept reproof.
32:34 And they put their idols in the house, in which my name is invoked, to defile it.
32:35 And they built the high places of Baal, which are in the valley of the son of Hinnom, that they might consecrate their sons and daughters to Moloch, which I did not command them, nor did it come into my heart that they should do this abominable thing, and lead Judah into sin.
32:36 And now, because of all these things, thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, to this city, concerning which you say that it shall be given over into the hands of the king of Babylon, with the sword, and with the famine, and with pestilence:
32:37 behold, I shall gather them from all the lands to which I have driven them in my fury, and in my wrath, and in great indignation; and I shall lead them back to this place, and shall make them to dwell confidently.
32:38 And they shall be for me a people, and I shall be for them a God.
32:39 And I shall give them one heart and one way, that they should fear me all days, and it should be well with them, and with their children after them.
32:40 And I shall make an eternal covenant with them, and I shall not cease to do them good; and I shall put my fear in their heart, that they turn not away from me.
32:41a And I shall rejoice over them, when I do them good.
175. Here is given the Lord’s response.
First, he sets forth his power: shall any word be difficult for me? Why did Sarah your wife laugh saying, ‘Shall I, who am an old woman, truly bear a son?’ Is anything difficult for God? (Gen 18:14).
Second, he shows that the punishment was justly inflicted from such power when he predicts the punishment: therefore, thus says the Lord. Above: the houses of Jerusalem, and the houses of the kings of Judah shall be like the place Tophet, unclean (Jer 19:13).
And he subjoins their guilt when he shows their continuance in sin: for the children have continually done evil in my eyes from their youth, when they went forth from Egypt. Above: we have sinned—we and our fathers—from our youth until this day (Jer 3:25).
Also when he shows the universality of their sin: for this city has been for me a provocation, and an indignation from the day they built it. 1 Chron 11.
Because of the wickedness. From the sole of the foot to the top of the head there is no soundness in him (Isa 1:6). Above: I have set my face against this city for evil and not for good, says the Lord (Jer 21:10).
Also, when he shows the gravity of their sin with regard to their contempt for God: and they turned their backs to me, by disobedience, after the manner of those who spurn another. They have turned their shoulder and gone away; they have made their ears heavy, lest they should hear (Zech 7:11).
With regard to sacrilege in their defilement of the temple: and they put idols. Above: why is it that my beloved has done much wickedness in my house? (Jer 11:15).
And with regard to sacrilege joined to murder: and they built the high places. They have sacrificed their sons and their daughters to demons (Ps 105:37).
Third, he promises mercy.
First, he touches on their desperation: and now, because of all these things, thus says the Lord, “Because with respect to all things I am powerful; as I have punished them mightily, so shall I deliver them mightily.” You say, with despair, that it shall be given over. Above: those who are for the sword, to the sword, and those who are for famine, to famine, and those who are for captivity, to captivity (Jer 15:2).
Second, he gives the promise: behold, I shall gather you.
First, he promises calling them back. I shall gather. I shall surely take you from the nations, and gather you from every land, and lead you to your own land (Ezek 36:24). And he promises security to those who are called back: and I shall make them to dwell confidently. Above: in those days Judah will be saved, and Israel shall dwell confidently (Jer 23:6).
Second, he promises prosperity to those who return:
first, with regard to spiritual goods;
second, with regard to temporal, at and I shall plant them in this land (Jer 32:41).
Concerning the former, there are three points.
First, he promises sanctity, that is, obedience to God: and they shall be for me a people. They shall be his people and God himself with them shall be their God (Rev 21:3).
And harmony with their neighbors: and I shall give them one heart. And the multitude of believers was of one heart, and one mind (Acts 4:32).
Second, firmness of sanctity: and I shall make an eternal covenant with them, and I shall not cease to do them good, with regard to the fruit of sanctity of which he had spoken; fear, with regard to the gift of sanctity. I shall make with you an eternal covenant, the faithful mercies of David (Isa 55:3).
Third, the acceptance of their sanctity: and I shall rejoice, that is, I shall accept their good works. The Lord shall rejoice in his works (Ps 103:31).
Lecture 7
Explanation of the allegory
32:41b And I shall plant them in this land in truth, and with all my heart, and with all my soul.32:42 For thus says the Lord: as I brought all this great evil upon this people, so shall I bring upon them all the good which I speak to them.
32:43 And the fields shall be owned in this land, concerning which you say that it has been abandoned, because no man or beast remain in it, and it has been given into the hands of the Chaldeans.
32:44 Fields shall be bought for money, and they shall be inscribed in a book, and the seal pressed, and witnesses called in the land of Benjamin, and round about Jerusalem, in the cities of Judah, and in the cities of the mountains, and in the cities of the fields, and in the cities which are to the south, for I shall turn their captivity says the Lord.
176. Here, he promises temporal goods:
first, a secure dwelling in their native land: I shall plant, so that they may not easily be uprooted; in truth, without pretense; heart, with regard to thought; soul, with regard to will. Above: I shall build them up, and not pull them down; I shall plant them, and not root them up (Jer 24:6).
And he confirms this by way of a simile: for thus says the Lord: as I brought all this great evil upon this people, so shall I bring upon them all the good. He who brought evil upon you, he shall snatch you out of the hands of your enemies (Bar 4:18).
Second, he promises a free possession of property when he speaks of their full ownership: and the fields shall be owned. They shall possess it forever; they shall dwell in it from generation to generation (Isa 34:17).
Next, the freedom to make contracts: fields shall be bought for money. When the Lord turned the captivity of Zion, we became like those who are consoled (Ps 125:1).
Chapter 33
The kingdom and priesthood
Lecture 1
Israel and Judah’s consolation
33:1 And the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah a second time, while he was still shut up in the court of the prison, saying:33:2 thus says the Lord, who will do it, the Lord, and he will form it, and prepare it, the Lord is his name.
33:3 Call to me and I shall hear you: and I shall declare to you great and mighty things which you do not know.
33:4 For thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, to the houses of this city, and to the houses of the king of Judah, which have been destroyed, and to the bulwarks, and to the sword.
33:5 Of those that come that they may fight with the Chaldeans, and to fill them with the bodies of the men whom I have struck in my fury and in my indignation when I hid my face from this city because of all their evil.
33:6 Behold, I will close their wound and give them health, and I will heal them; and I shall reveal to them the prayer of peace and truth.
33:7 And I will bring back the captivity of Judah and the captivity of Jerusalem: and I will build them as in the beginning.
33:8 And I will cleanse them from all their iniquity, by which they have sinned against me; and I will forgive all their iniquities, by which they have sinned against me and despised me.
33:9 And it shall be to me as a name, and a joy, and a praise, and a gladness before all the nations of the earth, that shall hear of all the good things which I shall do to them; and they shall fear and be troubled for all the good things and for all the peace that I shall make for them.
177. Here, he offers consolation particularly to the two tribes, and especially with regard to Jerusalem, where the seat of the kingdom and of the priesthood was; concerning this, there are two points.
First, he gives the title of the prophecy, in which he speaks of the prison of the prophet: while he was still shut up in the court of the prison, by Zedekiah.
Second, with regard to the preceding vision, which came second, he speaks of the authority of the one who promises: thus says the Lord, who will do it, as a craftsman in preparing his material; he will form it, by bringing them to their full form; and prepare it, by ordering them to their end; the Lord is his name, because he alone is the Lord of all. For your name is the Lord, you alone are most high above the whole earth (Ps 82:19).
The firmness of the promise and its greatness: call to me, praying for the people, and I shall hear you, not that I should not bring evils upon you, but that after the evils have been brought, I should free you. And thus, it is not contrary to what was said above: therefore, you shall not pray for this people, neither take up praise, or prayer for them and do not stand against me, because I will not hear you (Jer 7:16). For he knows not, that is, he cannot apprehend this by human conjecture. From that time, I have made you to hear new things, and things which are kept that you knew not (Isa 48:6).
Next, he gives the word of the prophecy:
first, the promise to the people is made;
second, to the kingdom and the priesthood, at behold, the days are coming (Jer 33:14).
Concerning the former, there are three points.
First, he promises the healing of the wound which has been inflicted;
second, joyfulness of heart, at thus says the Lord: there shall yet be heard in this place (Jer 33:10);
third, the tranquility of peace, at thus says the Lord of hosts (Jer 33:12).
Concerning the first of these, there are three points.
First, he touches on the wound which has been inflicted: for thus says the Lord, as to the destruction of the buildings, to the houses. The Lord has cast down headlong, and has not spared what was fair in Jacob; he has destroyed in his fury the strongholds of the virgin of Judah, and cast them to the ground (Lam 2:2).
And with regard to the slaughter of men: and to the sword of those that come to the aid of Jerusalem, either from the gentiles or from the kingdom of the two tribes; and to fill them, as the occasion arises, because, drawing confidence from them, they resisted the enemy and were killed; when I hid my face, that is, when I withdrew my protection. The nations shall know that the house of Israel has been taken in her sins, and that she has abandoned me, and that I have hidden my face from them (Ezek 39:23).
Second, he promises the benefit of healing in general: behold, I will close their wound. Above: I will cover up your scar, and heal you of your wounds (Jer 30:17). And in particular with regard to the hearing of prayer: and I shall reveal, by fulfilling what was intended, the prayer, because they asked me for a mutual peace and the truth of religion. Let there be peace and truth in my days (Isa 39:8).
With regard to their restoration to their native land: and I will bring back. Above: I shall turn the turnings of the tents of Jacob, and shall have mercy on his houses (Jer 30:18).
With regard to the remission of sin, according to the cleansing of their guilt: and I will cleanse. You shall be cleansed from all your iniquities, and I shall cleanse you from all your idols (Ezek 36:25). And according to their absolution from punishment: and I will forgive all their iniquities. Who forgives all their iniquities, and heals all their infirmities (Ps 102:3).
Third, he speaks of the fruit of liberation with regard to the divine glory: and it shall be to me as a name. Above: I shall rejoice over them, when I do them good (Jer 32:41). I have formed this people for myself, they shall tell my praise (Isa. 43:21). With regard to the joy of their friends: and a gladness before all the nations of the earth. Mount Zion is established with the exultation of the whole earth, on the side of the north, the city of the great king (Ps 47:3). With regard to the hardship of those who envy them: and they shall fear. Let the envious peoples see, and be put to shame, and let fire devour your enemies (Isa 26:11).
Lecture 2
The voice of joy will return
33:10 Thus says the Lord: there shall yet be heard in this place, which you say is a ruin, because there is neither man nor beast in the cities of Judah and without Jerusalem, which are desolate without man, and without inhabitant, and without beast33:11 the voice of joy and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the voice of those that say: give thanks to the Lord of hosts, for the Lord is good, for his mercy endures forever: and of those that bring their vows into the house of the Lord; for I will bring back the captivity of the land as in the beginning, says the Lord.
178. Here, he promises their happiness:
first, temporal: the voice of joy. Above: I shall destroy from out of them the voice of joy and the voice of gladness, the voice of the groom and the voice of the bride, the sound of the millstone and the light of the lamp (Jer 25:10).
Second, spiritual joy expressed with divine praises: the voice of those that say: give thanks to the Lord. Joy and gladness shall be found in her, thanksgiving, and the voice of praise (Isa 51:3). Alleluia shall be sung throughout all her streets (Tob 13:22). And with offerings; and of those that bring their vows into the house of the Lord. They shall worship him with victims and gifts, and they shall swear vows to the Lord, and fulfill them (Isa 19:21).
Third, he gives the reason: for I will bring back the captivity of the land. Renew our days as from the beginning (Lam 5:21).
Lecture 3
Pastoral peace will return
33:12 Thus says the Lord of hosts: there shall yet be in this place that is desolate without man, and without beast, and in all the cities thereof, a habitation of shepherds who make their flocks to lie down.33:13 And in the cities of the mountain, and in the cities of the plains, and in the cities that are towards the south: and in the land of Benjamin, and round about Jerusalem, and in the cities of Judah shall the flocks again pass under the hand of him that numbers them, says the Lord.
179. Here, he promises them the tranquility of peace, which he signifies by their dwelling securely in their own land: the flocks pass under the hand of him that numbers them; it is as though he were saying, “They shall have such great security that they will be able to freely number their sheep.” In the most fertile meadows I shall feed them, and their pastures shall be on the highest mountains of Israel (Ezek 34:14).
Lecture 4
The shoot of justice
33:14 Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, that I shall stir up the good word that I spoke to the house of Israel, and to the house of Judah.33:15 In those days, and at that time, I will make to spring forth for David the shoot of justice, and he shall execute judgment and justice in the earth.
33:16 In those days shall Judah be saved, and Israel shall dwell confidently; and this is the name that they shall call him: the Lord our just one.
33:17 For thus says the Lord: there shall not perish from David a man to sit upon the throne of the house of Israel.
180. Here is provided the consolation with regard to the kingdom and the priesthood.
First, the restoration of both is promised;
second is given the confirmation of the promise, at and the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah (Jer 33:19).
Concerning the former, there are two points.
First, he promises the restoration of the kingdom;
second, of the priesthood, at and of the priests and Levites there shall not perish a man (Jer 33:18).
Concerning the former, there are three points.
First, he indicates the appropriateness of the time: behold, the days are coming, of grace, that I shall stir up—I shall fulfill—the good word, which I promised concerning the restoration of the kingdom. And the children of Judah shall be gathered, and the children of Israel likewise, and they shall appoint for themselves one head, and he shall go up from the land (Hos 1:11). Which was fulfilled in Christ.
Second, the nature of the kingdom with regard to the nobility of its ruler: in those days, I will make to spring forth for David the shoot of justice, Christ, who is justice itself. A rod shall go forth from Jesse, and a flower shall come up from his root (Isa 11:1). And he shall execute judgment, in his first coming, on behalf of the world; in his second coming, to the world; justice, teaching by word, and fulfilling in himself by deed, and in others by the gift of grace. I have done judgment and justice (Ps 118:121).
And with regard to the usefulness of the ruler for the salvation of the people: in those days shall Judah be saved, with regard to those who believed in his first coming and shall believe in his second. I shall save them by the Lord their God (Hos 1:7). In the security of peace: and Israel shall dwell confidently. My people shall dwell in the beauty of peace, and the tabernacles of confidence, and in abundant rest (Isa 32:28). And in the confession of the true faith: and this is the name . . . the Lord our just one. Just are you, O Lord, and righteous is your judgment (Ps 118:137).
Third, he speaks of the duration of the kingdom: for thus says the Lord: there shall not perish from David a man, Christ and his kingdom. His power is an everlasting power, which shall not be taken away, and his a kingdom which shall not be destroyed (Dan 7:14).
Lecture 5
Restoration of the priesthood
33:18 And of the priest and Levites there shall not perish a man from before my face, to offer holocausts, and to burn sacrifices, and to slay offerings every day:181. Here, he speaks of the restoration of the priesthood. And as the kingdom is restored in Christ himself and in his members, so also the priesthood. For inasmuch as he is a king, he is also a priest. You are priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek (Ps 109:4). And he made his members kings and priests. You have made us a kingdom and priests for our God (Rev 5:10). He offered himself as an offering to God, as a pleasing fragrance (Eph 5:2). And he makes his members offer spiritual victims to God. The priests and the Levites, the sons of Zadok, who kept the ceremonies of my sanctuary when the children of Israel wandered from me, they shall draw near to me to minister unto me, and they shall stand in my sight to offer me fat and blood, says the Lord God (Ezek 44:15).
Lecture 6
Covenant like the heavens
33:19 And the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah, saying:33:20 thus says the Lord: if my covenant with the day can be broken, and my covenant with the night, that there should not be day and night in their time,
33:21 so may my covenant with David my servant also be broken, that he should not have a son to rule upon his throne, and with the Levites and priests my ministers.
33:22 As the stars of heaven cannot be numbered, nor the sand of the sea be measured, so will I multiply the seed of David my servant, and the Levites my ministers.
182. Here is given the confirmation of the promise:
first, from the duration of created things: if my covenant with the day can be broken; it is as though he were saying, “It cannot be broken until the end of the world.” I shall establish his seed forever, and his throne as the days of heaven (Ps 88:30).
Second, their multitude: as the stars of heaven cannot be numbered, except by God alone; so is the number of the elect known only to God. I shall multiply your seed like the stars of heaven, and like the sand which is on the shore of the sea (Gen 22:17).
Lecture 7
The enemy contradicted
33:23 And the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah, saying:33:24 have you not seen what this people has spoken, saying: the two families which the Lord had chosen are cast off; and they have despised my people, such that it is no longer a nation before them?
33:25 Thus says the Lord: if I have not established my covenant between day and night, and given my laws to heaven and earth;
33:26 surely I will also cast off the seed of Jacob, and of David my servant to take any of his seed to be rulers of the seed of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; for I will bring back their captivity, and shall have mercy on them.
183. Here, he turns back the derision of the enemy.
First, the insult is given: two families, namely, the royal family and the priestly family, or the family of the ten tribes and of the two tribes. Who kept my soul, took counsel together as one, saying: the Lord has abandoned him, follow after, and take him, for there is no one to rescue him (Ps 70:10–11).
Second, the objection is given: thus says the Lord. Has God cast off his people? God forbid (Rom 11:1).
Chapter 34
Zedekiah transgresses the covenant
Lecture 1
Prophecy to Zedekiah
34:1 The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, when Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, and all his army, and all the kingdoms of the earth, that were under the power of his hand, and all the people fought against Jerusalem and against all her cities, saying:34:2 thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: go and speak to Zedekiah, king of Judah, and say to him: thus says the Lord: behold, I will deliver this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall burn her with fire.
34:3 And you shall not escape out of his hand, but you shall surely be captured, and you shall be handed over into his hand; and your eyes shall see the eyes of the king of Babylon, and his mouth shall speak with your mouth, and you shall go to Babylon.
34:4 Yet hear the word of the Lord, O Zedekiah, king of Judah: thus says the Lord unto you: you shall not die by the sword.
34:5 But you shall die in peace, and according to the burnings of your fathers, the former kings that were before you, so shall they burn you: and they shall mourn for you, saying, ‘Alas, lord!’ For I have spoken the word, says the Lord.
34:6 And Jeremiah the prophet spoke all these words to Zedekiah, king of Judah in Jerusalem.
34:7 And the army of the king of Babylon fought against Jerusalem, and against all the cities of Judah that were left, against Lachish, and against Azeka; for these remained of the cities of Judah, walled cities.
184. Because the Jews were so obstinate, inasmuch as they were neither frightened by severity nor turned by gladness, he rightly sets forth his threat and consolation, and, for the third time, the contradiction of those who were listening:
first, by the transgression of the judgment;
second, by the destruction of the writing: and it came to pass in the fourth year of Jehoiakim, the son of Josiah, king of Judah (Jer 36:1);
third, in the persecution of the prophet: and king Zedekiah, the son of Josiah, reigned in the stead of Jekoniah, the son of Jehoiakim (Jer 37:1).
Concerning the former, there are two points.
First, they are convicted of their transgression by fact;
and second, by example: the word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord (Jer 35:1).
Now, he shows that they are transgressors from the fact that they did not even keep the covenant which they had made with God concerning the freeing of their slaves according to the Law.
Now, this is divided into two parts.
First is given a certain alleviation of their evils after the ratification of the covenant;
second is given the threat after they transgressed the covenant which they had entered into, at the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord (Jer 34:8).
Concerning the former, there are two points.
First, he gives the title of the prophecy, in which he describes the time: when Nebuchadnezzar. Above: behold, I will call together all the families of the kingdoms of the north, says the Lord, and they shall come, and each one shall place his throne in the entry of the gates of Jerusalem (Jer 1:15).
Second, he gives the prophetic word: thus says the Lord. And he makes three points.
First, he gives the threat for past faults with regard to the destruction of the city: behold, I will deliver this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall burn her with fire. They have burned your sanctuary with fire, they have defiled the dwelling place of your name on earth (Ps 73:7).
And with regard to the captivity of the king: and you shall not escape. In the day of the Lord’s wrath there was no one who escaped, and was left (Lam 2:22).
Second, he speaks of the reward for the covenant which he entered into: yet hear . . . you shall not die. This indeed was not fulfilled, because he did not remain faithful to the covenant. Further, he died shamefully, having taken a laxative medication at a feast. Woe to him who gives drink to his friend, mixing his gall, and making him drunk that he may look upon his nakedness (Hab 2:15). Notwithstanding, this can be said to have been fulfilled because he was not killed by the sword of the enemy. Above: they shall not mourn him, ‘Alas, brother!’ and, ‘Alas sister!’ They shall not lament for him, ‘Alas, lord,’ and, ‘Alas, glorious one!’ (Jer 22:18).
Third, he touches on the imminent tribulation, so that the promise should be more welcome: for I have spoken the word. He shall laugh at every defense, and will cast up his mound, and take it (Hab 1:10).
Lecture 2
Liberation of Hebrew slaves
34:8 The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, after king Zedekiah had made a covenant with all the people in Jerusalem making a proclamation:34:9 that every man should let his manservant, and every man his maidservant, who is a Hebrew man or a Hebrew woman, go free; and that they should not have dominion over them, that is, over the Jews their brethren.
34:10 And all the princes and all the people who entered into the covenant heard that every man should let his manservant, and every man his maidservant go free, and that they should no more have mastery over them: and they obeyed, and let them go free.
34:11 But afterwards they turned and brought back again their manservants and their maidservants, whom they had set free, and brought them into subjection as menservants and maidservants.
185. Here, the threat is given after the transgression of the covenant.
First, he speaks of the transgression of the covenant;
second, he gives the threat against those who transgressed, at and the word came to Jeremiah from the Lord (Jer 34:12).
Concerning the former, there are three points.
First, the making of the covenant is given: after king Zedekiah had made a covenant (Jer 34:8)—and also after he broke it—that every man should go free, according to the Law. If you buy a Hebrew slave, he shall serve you for six years; in the seventh he shall go free without cost (Exod 21:2). And in Leviticus 25 they are forbidden to take any of their brothers as slaves or to oppress them through their power with the service of bondsmen; but they are to be as hirelings and sojourners.
Second, he speaks of the fact that they observed the covenant for a time: the princes and all the people heard therefore, and let go free. They did it quickly, they forgot his work, and did not keep his counsel (Ps 105:13).
Third is given the transgression of the covenant: and afterwards they turned. They turned back that they might be without yoke; they became like a treacherous bow (Hos 7:16).
Lecture 3
Transgression of the covenant
34:12 And the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying:34:13 thus says the Lord the God of Israel: I made a covenant with your fathers on the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage, saying:
34:14 ‘At the end of seven years, every man shall free his brother who is a Hebrew, who has been sold to you, so that he might serve you for six years; and you shall let him go free from you.’ And your fathers did not hearken to me, nor did they incline their ear.
34:15 And you turned today, and did that which was upright in my eyes, in proclaiming liberty, every one to his brother; and you made a covenant before me, in the house upon which my name is called.
34:16 But you have turned back and have polluted my name; and each one of you has brought back his manservant, and each one his maidservant, whom you released that they should be free, and under their own power, and you have subjugated them to be your manservants and your maidservants.
34:17 Therefore, thus says the Lord: you have not hearkened to me, that each man should proclaim liberty to his brother, and each man to his friend. Behold, says the Lord, I proclaim freedom to the sword, and the plague, and the famine, and I shall make you a terror to all the kingdoms of the earth.
34:18 And I shall give the men that have transgressed my covenant, and have not observed the words of the covenant to which they gave their assent in my presence, when they cut the calf in two and passed between the parts thereof:
34:19 the princes of Judah, and the princes of Jerusalem, the eunuchs, and the priests, and all the people of the land that passed between the parts of the calf:
34:20 and I will give them into the hands of their enemies, and into the hands of those that seek their life; and their dead bodies shall be for meat to the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth.
34:21 And Zedekiah, the king of Judah, and his princes, I will give into the hands of their enemies, and into the hands of those who seek their lives, and into the hands of the armies of the king of Babylon, which have withdrawn from you.
34:22 Behold, I command, says the Lord, and I will bring them back to this city, and they shall fight against it, and take it, and burn it with fire; and I will make the cities of Judah a desolation, for there shall be no inhabitant.
186. Here, he threatens those who transgressed.
First, he speaks of the guilt of their fathers when he speaks of the covenant: I made a covenant. Above: not according to the covenant which I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand, that I might lead them from the land of Egypt, a covenant which they have made void (Jer 31:32).
And the transgression: and they did not hearken to me. Above: they did not listen, nor did they incline their ear, but turned away, each one in the depravity of his own evil heart (Jer 11:8).
And the guilt of the children, when he speaks of the making of the covenant: and you turned, from the transgression of their fathers, in the house, in the temple. The house of our sanctification, and of our glory, where our fathers praised you (Isa 64:11).
But you have turned back and have polluted my name, by transgressing. Do not take the name of the Lord your God in vain (Exod 20:7). Not because of you shall I act, O house of Israel, but because of my holy name, which you have profaned among the nations unto whom you have gone (Ezek 36:22).
Second, he threatens punishment: therefore, thus says the Lord. And concerning this, there are two points.
First, he gives the punishment communally with regard to everyone when he predicts slaughter: behold, I proclaim freedom, that you should be freely killed. Above: those who are for the sword, to the sword, and those who are for famine, to famine, and those who are for captivity, to captivity (Jer 15:2).
And the bondage of those who remain: and I shall give the men . . . the calf, that is, the covenant which they established by the division of a calf offered in sacrifice to God. This manner of speaking, “to strike a covenant” (percutere foedus or ferire foedus) grew up from this custom. The Lord gave me into a hand from which I shall not be able to escape (Lam 1:14).
He predicts also that their dead bodies shall be devoured: and their dead bodies shall be for meat to the birds of the air. They made the bodies of your servants food for the birds of the sky, and meat for the beasts of the earth (Ps 78:2).
And with regard to the princes particularly: and Zedekiah, the king of Judah, and his princes. The Lord shall bring you and your king, whom you shall establish over you, into a people which you and your fathers knew not (Deut 28:36). Which have withdrawn from you, or were viewed as foreigners. See chapter 37 below (Jer 37:4).
Second, he speaks of the order in which this will be fulfilled: behold, I command. Above: they have made my pleasant field an empty wilderness. They have made it a desolation, and it has mourned for me (Jer 12:10–11).
Chapter 35
The Rechabites’ commandment
Lecture 1
The Rechabites’ fidelity
35:1 The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord in the days of Jehoiakim, the son of Josiah, the king of Judah, saying:35:2 go to the house of the Rechabites, and speak to them, and bring them into the house of the Lord, into one of the treasure chambers, and you shall give them wine to drink.
35:3 And I took Jaazaniah, the son of Jeremiah, the son of Habazzinaiah, and his brothers, and all his sons, and the whole house of the Rechabites,
35:4 and I brought them into the house of the Lord to the treasury of the sons of Hanan, the son of Igdaliah, the man of God, which was near the treasury of the princes, above the treasure of Maaseiah, the son of Shallum, who was the keeper of the vestibule.
35:5 And I set goblets and cups full of wine before the sons of the house of the Rechabites, and I said to them, ‘Drink wine.’
35:6 But they responded, ‘We shall not drink wine, because Jonadab, the son of Rechab, our father, commanded us, saying, ‘You shall not drink wine, you and your children, forever.
35:7 And you shall not build a house, nor sow seed, neither shall you plant vineyards, nor have them; but you shall dwell in tents all your days, that you may live many days upon the face of the earth in which you sojourn.’
35:8 We have obeyed, therefore, the voice of Jonadab, the son of Rechab, our father, in everything which he commanded us, that we should not drink wine all our days, we and our wives, our sons, and our daughters,
35:9 and that we should not build houses to dwell therein; and we have not had vineyard, field, or seed.
35:10 But we have dwelt in tents, and were obedient to all which Jonadab our father commanded us.
35:11 But when Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up to our land, we said, ‘Come, and let us enter into Jerusalem from the face of the army of the Chaldeans, and from the face of the army of Syria.’ And we have dwelt in Jerusalem.
187. Here, he convicts them of their transgression by the example of certain obedient men.
First is given the trial of their obedience;
second is given the condemnation of disobedience, at and the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah (Jer 35:12).
Concerning the former, there are three points.
First, the command to test them is given by the Lord to the prophet: go to the house of the Rechabites, who were given to the study of Scripture and therefore abstained from wine, concerning whom we read: the family of scribes dwelling in Jabez, singing and making melody, who dwell in tents. These are the Kennites, who came of Calor, father of the house of Rechab (1 Chron 2:55). Chamber—something like a room outside the main building. You shall give, proving their obedience. Above: I have set you as an assayer over my people; and you shall know, and prove their way (Jer 6:27).
And I took and brought them into the house of the Lord to the treasury (gazophylacium), in which the riches of the temple were kept; in Greek, Gaza means “riches,” and phylaxa means “keeping.” Maaseiah, who received this ministry in the time of David (1 Chron 24:3–18); of the vestibule, the atrium. Because the house in front of the principle chamber, where clothing (vestes) is kept, is called the vestibule, it became the custom to call every atrium a vestibule.
Cups, for water. Drink wine, that he might make a trial of the mysteries. Eat my bread, and drink the wine which I have mixed for you (Prov 9:5).
Third, their declaration of obedience is given: but they responded.
First is mentioned the paternal command of not drinking wine: you shall not drink. I thought to draw my flesh from wine, that I might turn my mind to wisdom (Eccl 2:3).
And of poverty, lest by concern for temporal things, they should interrupt the study of wisdom. And you shall not build a house. As possessing nothing, and having all things (2 Cor 6:10).
Second is mentioned their fulfilment: we have obeyed, therefore. My son do not forget my law, and let your heart keep my commandments (Prov 3:1).
In tents. They pitched their tents in deserted places (Wis 11:2).
Third, the necessary transgression is excused: but when Nebuchadnezzar came up.
Lecture 2
Comparison to Rechabites
35:12 And the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah, saying:35:13 thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: go and speak to the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem: will you not accept correction that you may obey my words? says the Lord.
35:14 The words of Jonadab, the son of Rechab, which he commanded his sons, that they should not drink wine, have prevailed, and they do not drink unto this day, because they obey the command of their father; but I have spoken unto you, arising early and speaking, and you have not obeyed me.
35:15 I have sent all my servants the prophets unto you, rising early and sending them, saying: let each one turn from his wicked way, and make your doings good; and do not follow after strange gods, neither worship them, and you shall dwell in the land which I gave to you and to your fathers. And you did not incline your ear, neither did you hearken unto me.
35:16 Therefore, the sons of Rechab have performed the commandment of their father, which he commanded them. But this people has not obeyed me.
35:17 Therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: behold, I shall bring upon Judah and upon all the inhabitants of Jerusalem all the evil which I have spoken against them, because I have spoken unto them, and they did not listen; I have called them, and they have not answered me.
35:18 But to the house of the Rechabites Jeremiah said: thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: because you have obeyed the commandment of Jonadab your father, and have kept all his commandments, and have done all that he commanded you,
35:19 therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: there shall not want a man of the line of Jonadab, the son of Rechab, to stand before me all days.
188. Here, the condemnation of their disobedience is given.
First, diverse merits are compared, when his astonishment at their disobedience is spoken of: will you not accept correction, even by scourgings and examples? Above: in vain have I struck your children; they have not received correction (Jer 2:30).
The reason for his astonishment is also given: the words have prevailed; it is as though he were saying, “The words of a carnal father have had greater efficacy than the words of a spiritual father.” We indeed have had fathers of our flesh for instructors, and we reverenced them; shall we not much more obey the Father of spirits and live? (Heb 12:9). And the proof of the comparison—for while the former obeyed, the latter did not obey: but I have spoken unto you. Above: I have spoken to you rising early and speaking, but you did not listen; I called you, and you did not respond (Jer 7:13).
Second, various rewards are promised.
First, he promises punishment to those who disobey: therefore, thus says the Lord. For I called and you refused; I stretched out my hand and no man regarded; you have despised all my counsel, and would have none of my reproofs; I also shall laugh at your destruction, and mock when what you fear comes (Prov 1:24–26).
Second, mercy for those who obey: but to the house of the Rechabites Jeremiah said. Obedience is better than sacrifices, and to hearken is better than to offer the fat of rams (1 Sam 15:22).
Chapter 36
Jeremiah’s book
Lecture 1
Jeremiah writes a book
36:1 And it came to pass in the fourth year of Jehoiakim, the son of Josiah, king of Judah, that this word from the Lord came to Jeremiah, saying:36:2 take the scroll of the book, and write in it all the words which I have spoken to you against Israel, and Judah, and against all the nations, from the day when I spoke to you, from the days of Josiah until this day.
36:3 For perhaps when the house of Judah hears all the evil which I think to do to them, each one will return from his own wicked way, and I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin.
36:4 Jeremiah, therefore, called Baruch, the son of Neriah, and Baruch wrote, from the mouth of Jeremiah, all the words which the Lord had spoken unto him in the scroll of the book.
189. Here, the description of the writing is given first;
second, the destruction of the writing, at now the king was sitting in the winter-house (Jer 36:22);
third, its restoration, at and the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah (Jer 36:27).
Concerning the former, there are three points.
First, he gives the command to write: take the scroll. Write the vision and make it plain upon tablets, that he who reads it may run over it (Hab 2:2).
Second, he gives the fruit of the writing: for perhaps when the house of Judah. If the wicked man repents from all his sins which he has done, and shall keep all my commandments, and execute judgment and justice, he shall surely live, and not die (Ezek 33:19).
Third, the minister of the writing: Jeremiah, therefore, called Baruch. Write what you see in a book, and send it to the seven churches which are in Asia (Rev 1:11).
Lecture 2
The scroll read in the temple
36:5 And Jeremiah commanded Baruch, saying: I am imprisoned, and cannot enter the house of the Lord.36:6 Therefore, you shall go, and read from the scroll in which you have written the words of the Lord from my mouth, while the people listen in the house of the Lord, on the fast day; and also you shall read to them in the hearing of all Judah, that come out of their cities.
36:7 It may be that they present their petition before the Lord, and each one turn from his own wicked way; for it is a great fury and indignation which the Lord has spoken against this people.
36:8 And Baruch, the son of Neriah, did according to all which Jeremiah commanded him when he read the words of the Lord from the scroll in the house of the Lord.
36:9 Now it came to pass in the fifth year of Jehoiakim, the son of Josiah, king of Israel, in the ninth month, that they proclaimed a fast in the sight of the Lord for all the people in Jerusalem, and for the whole multitude which had come from the cities of Judah.
36:10 And Baruch read the words of Jeremiah from the scroll in the house of the Lord, in the treasury of Gemariah, the son of Shaphan the scribe, in the upper vestibule, in the opening of the new gate of the house of the Lord, in the hearing of all the people.
190. Here, the declaration is first given to the people;
second, to the princes, at and when Micaiah had heard (Jer 36:11);
third, to the king, at therefore, when they had heard all the words (Jer 36:16).
Concerning the former, first, the command to announce is given: I am imprisoned. Labor like a good soldier of Christ Jesus (2 Tim 2:3). That more of the brothers in the Lord, trusting in my chains, may dare more abundantly to speak the word of God without fear (Phil 1:14).
Second is given the manner of announcing with regard to place: in the house of the Lord, which is a place of devotion. My house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples, says the Lord God (Isa 56:7). With regard to the time: on the fast day, which is a time of contrition. Is this not rather the fast that I have chosen? To loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the bundles which oppress, to let those who are broken go free, and to break every burden. To break your bread to those who are hungry and needy, and to bring the homeless into your house. When you see one who is naked, to cover him, and to despise not your own flesh (Isa 58:6–7). With regard to the listeners: while the people listen. With regard to those who have come to the city: and also in the hearing of all Judah, that come out of their cities.
Third, he gives the fruit of the declaration when he speaks of its usefulness: it may be that they present their petition before the Lord, that is, it may be accepted. And their subsequent holiness: and each one turn from his own wicked way; for it is a great fury and indignation. The great wrath of the Lord is kindled against us, because our fathers hearkened not to the words of this book, to do all that was written to us (2 Kgs 22:13).
Fourth, the fulfillment of the commandment is given, with regard to action: and Baruch did. Obey those who are set over you, and be subject to them (Heb 13:17).
With regard to time: now it came to pass in the fifth year of Jehoiakim. Sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders, gather the young, and those who suck at the breast (Joel 2:15).
With regard to place: and Baruch read . . . in the opening of the new gate, which Joash had made (2 Chron 27:3). In the upper vestibule, that is, in the upper part of the courtyard, in which the priests would offer sacrifice. They read in the scroll of the Lord their God four times in the day, and four times in the night (Neh 9:3).
Lecture 3
Baruch reads to the princes
36:11 And when Micaiah, the son of Gemariah, the son of Shaphan, had heard all the words of the Lord from the book,36:12 he went down to the house of the king, to the treasury of the scribe, and behold, all the princes were seated there: Elishamah the scribe, and Delaiah, the son of Shemaiah, and Elnathan, the son of Achbor, and Gemariah, the son of Shaphan, and Zedekiah, the son of Hananiah, and all the princes.
36:13 And Micaiah related to them all the words which he had heard, while Baruch was reading from the scroll in the hearing of the people.
36:14 All the princes, therefore, sent Jehudi, the son of Nathaniah, the son of Shelemiah, the son of Cushi, to Baruch, saying, ‘Take the scroll, from which you read in the hearing of the people, in your hand, and come.’ Therefore, Baruch, the son of Neriah, took the scroll in his hand, and came to them.
36:15 And they said to him, ‘Sit, and read these things in our ears.’ And Baruch read in their ears.
36:16a Therefore, when they had heard all the words, they turned in fear each one to his neighbor,
191. Here, the declaration to the princes is given.
First, concerning the writing of the prophecy and the making known of its meaning to the princes: and Micaiah related to them. Let him who hears say: come (Rev 22:17).
Second, the petition for the writing: all the princes, therefore, sent . . . to Baruch, saying, ‘Take the scroll, from which you read in the hearing of the people, in your hand’—mystically, in operation. Whatsoever your hand is able to do, do it with earnestness; for neither work, nor reason, nor wisdom, nor knowledge shall be in the underworld, to which you are hastening (Eccl 9:10). The bringing: therefore, Baruch took.
Third is given the recitation of the writing: and they said to him, ‘Sit, and read these things in our ears.’ For I have not shunned to declare the whole plan of God to you (Acts 20:27).
And the effect of the reading: therefore, when they had heard all the words, they turned in fear. Above: are not my words like fire, says the Lord, and like a hammer breaking down the rock? (Jer 23:29).
Lecture 4
The scroll read to the king
36:16b and they said to Baruch, ‘We must tell the king all these words.’36:17 And they inquired of him, saying, ‘Tell us, how did you write all these words from his mouth?’
36:18 And Baruch said to them, ‘He spoke with his mouth as though reading to me all these words, and I wrote them in the scroll with ink.’
36:19 And the princes said to Baruch, ‘Go and hide yourself, and Jeremiah, and let no man know where you are.’
36:20 And they went in unto the king in the courtyard; but they had deposited the scroll in the treasury of Elishamah the scribe, and they told all the words in the hearing of the king.
36:21 And the king sent Jehudi that he might take the scroll, who, taking it from the treasury of Elishamah the scribe, read it in the hearing of the king, and of all the princes who stood around the king.
192. Here, the declaration to the king is given.
First, he speaks of the preparation of the declaration, for they set forth the proposal to declare: we must tell, because he is able to correct the sins of the people. The king who sits upon the throne of judgment scatters every evil thing with his gaze (Prov 20:8).
They examine the manner in which the book was written; for this reason, a question is first posed: and they inquired of him, saying, ‘Tell us, how did you write all these words from his mouth?’ so that from the manner they might know whether the writing had been produced by the Spirit of God. Do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they be of God; for many false prophets have gone out into the world (1 John 4:1).
And the response is given: and Baruch said to them, ‘He spoke with his mouth as though reading,’ without hesitation or premeditation. Do not consider how, or what you are to say, for it will be given to you in that hour what you are to say; for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you (Matt 10:19). Above: behold I have given my words in your mouth (Jer 1:9).
And the advice to hide is given: hide, fearing the obstinacy and cruelty of the king. Has it not been told to you my lord what I did, when Jezebel killed the prophets of the Lord, that I hid of the prophets of the Lord a hundred men, by fifties in caves, and fed them with bread and water? And now you say, ‘Go and say to your lord, “Elijah is here,”’ that he may kill me? (1 Kgs 18:13–14).
Second, the declaration is given: and they went in. To you, therefore, O kings, that you should learn wisdom, lest you perish (Wis 6:10).
Third, the recitation of the text is given: and the king sent Jehudi; and when I sat as a king with his army round about, I was nonetheless a comforter of those who mourn (Job 29:25).
Lecture 5
The king burns the book
36:22 Now the king was sitting in the winter-house, in the ninth month, and there was set before him a brazier filled with coals.36:23 And when Jehudi had read three or four columns, he cut it with the knife of a scribe, and cast it into the fire which was upon the brazier, until the whole scroll should be consumed by the fire that was on the brazier.
36:24 And the king and all his servants, who had heard all these words, were not afraid, neither did they rend their garments.
36:25 Moreover, Elnathan, and Delaiah, and Gemariah had urged the king, that he should not burn the book, but he did not listen to them.
193. Here is given the destruction of the text, and concerning this, there are two points.
First is given the destruction of the text;
second, the persecution of the authors, at and the king commanded Jerachmiel (Jer 36:26).
Concerning the former, there are three points.
First is given the disposition for destruction: in the winter-house, there was set before him a brazier filled with coals, for because of his luxurious habits, he had special houses for winter and summer. I shall strike the winter house with the summer house, and the ivory houses shall perish, and many houses shall be destroyed (Amos 3:15).
Second, the destruction is given: and when Jehudi had read three columns, small pages; with the knife, with which a quill is prepared. Take the way from me, turn the path from me, let the Holy One of Israel cease from before us (Isa 30:11).
And so they did what they ought not to have done, and omitted also to do what they ought. And the king and all his servants were not afraid, after the example of Josiah. When the king had heard the words of the book of the Law, he rent his garments (2 Kgs 22:11).
Third, the objection of the princes is mentioned: moreover, Elnathan, and Delaiah, and Gemariah had urged the king. Something similar is found in 2 Samuel 24:4, but the word of the king prevailed over the words of Joab, and his princes.
Lecture 6
Baruch and Jeremiah persecuted
36:26 And the king commanded Jerachmiel, the son of Amelech, and Saraiah, the son of Azriel, and Shelemiah, the son of Abdeel, to seize Baruch the scribe and Jeremiah the prophet; but the Lord had hidden them.194. Here, the persecution of the authors is given:
first, the wicked command: to seize;
second, the help of God: but the Lord had hidden them and made it so they could not be found. The Lord has kept all their bones, that not one of them should be broken (Ps 33:21).
Lecture 7
Jeremiah rewrites the book
36:27 And the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah the prophet, after the king had burned the scroll and the words which Baruch had written by the mouth of Jeremiah, saying:36:28 take again another scroll, and write in it all the former words which were in the first scroll, which Jehoiakim king of Judah burnt.
36:29 And you shall say to Jehoiakim king of Judah: thus says the Lord: you have burned this scroll, saying: why have you written in it, saying: the king of Babylon shall come swiftly, and lay waste this land, and make man and beast to cease from it?
36:30 Therefore, thus says the Lord against Jehoiakim the king of Judah: there shall be no one left of him who may sit upon the throne of David, and has power any more in Judah, and his body will be cast out to the heat by day, and the cold by night.
36:31 And I shall visit his iniquities against him, and against his seed, and against all his servants; and I shall bring upon them, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and upon the men of Judah all the evil which I spoke unto them, and they did not listen.
36:32 And Jeremiah took another scroll, and gave it to Baruch, the son of Neriah the scribe, who wrote in it by the mouth of Jeremiah all the words of the book which Jehoiakim the king of Judah had burned with fire; and many more words were added than there had been before.
195. Here, the restoration of the text is described.
First, the command to restore it is given: take again. Above: they shall wage war with you, but will not prevail, for I am with you says the Lord, to deliver you (Jer 1:19).
Second, he threatens death to the one who destroyed it, at and you shall say to Jehoiakim king of Judah. For this reason, he rebukes him for his sin: you have burned. Destruction shall come suddenly upon the man that with a stiff neck despises him who reproves him, and soundness shall not follow (Prov 29:1).
And he threatens a punishment: therefore, thus says the Lord; the end of the royal succession: there shall be no one left of him who may sit upon the throne of David, and has power any more in Judah. And the discarding of his body: and his body will be cast out—the burial of an ass. But you have been cast forth from your tomb, like a useless branch, polluted, and wrapped up among those who were slain with the sword, and have gone down to the bottom of the pit, like a rotten corpse (Isa 14:19).
The destruction of his subjects with regard to those of his house: I shall visit his iniquities against him, and against his seed. I shall visit their iniquities with the rod, and with stripes their sins (Ps 88:33). And with regard the others: I shall bring upon them, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and upon the men of Judah all the evil. I am the Lord, and there is no other; I make light and create darkness, I make peace and create evil. I the Lord make all these things (Isa 45:7).
Third, he gives the fulfilling of the commandment: and Jeremiah took another scroll. Wisdom conquers evil (Wis 7:30).
Chapter 37
Jeremiah falsely suspected
Lecture 1
The king asks for prayers
37:1 And king Zedekiah, the son of Josiah, reigned in the stead of Jekoniah, the son of Jehoiakim, whom Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, had established as king in the land of Judah.37:2 And he and his servants and the people of the land did not obey the words of the Lord, which he spoke by the hand of Jeremiah the prophet.
37:3 And king Zedekiah sent Jehucal, the son of Shelemiah, and Zephaniah, the son of Maasiah the priest, to Jeremiah the prophet, saying, ‘Pray for us to the Lord our God.’
37:4 Now Jeremiah was freely walking in the midst of the people, for they had not put him into the keeping of the prison. Therefore, the army of pharaoh went forth from Egypt, and when the Chaldeans who were besieging Jerusalem heard the report of it, they withdrew from Jerusalem.
196. Here is shown the counter-response, from the persecution of the prophet.
First is given the persecution itself because of false suspicion;
second, because of a true prediction, and Shephatiah, the son of Mathan, heard (Jer 38:1).
Concerning the former, there are three points.
First, he gives the occasion for the suspicion;
second, he gives the suspicion, at and when he had arrived at the gate of Benjamin (Jer 37:12);
third, the persecution, at and they seized Jeremiah the prophet (Jer 37:12).
Concerning the former, there are two points.
First is given the occasion, arising from the word of the prophet;
second, the occasion that arose from the deed itself, at and when he had arrived (Jer 37:12).
Concerning the former, there are two points.
First, the consultation is given;
second, the prophet’s displeasing response to them, at and the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah (Jer 37:5).
Concerning the former, there are three points.
First, he describes the character of those who were consulting: whom Nebuchadnezzar had established as king, as we also read in 2 Kgs 24.
And he did not obey, that he should dissolve the tribute to the king of Babylon and cease from sinning. Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s (Matt 22:21). Servants, domestic servants; the people: as the judge of the people, so his servant, and as the ruler of a city, so the inhabitants thereof (Sir 10:2).
Second, the consultation is given: and king Zedekiah sent . . . saying, ‘Pray for us,’ that he may indicate to us what we should do to be freed from the enemy. Raise up, therefore, a prayer for the remnant which is left (Isa 37:4).
Third, the reason for the consultation, for they drew confidence from the prophet’s liberty, whom they had not yet afflicted: now Jeremiah was walking in the midst of the people, and from the breaking of the siege: therefore, the army of pharaoh went forth from Egypt, for the king of Egypt had gone forth to free the Jews. However, having been completely overwhelmed, the army returned. Behold, you trust in this broken staff of reed: in Egypt (Isa 36:6).
Lecture 2
The Chaldeans’ imminent victory
37:5 And the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah, the prophet, saying:37:6 thus says the Lord God of Israel: thus shall you say to the king of Judah, who sent you to me to inquire: behold the army of pharaoh, who has come forth to help you, shall return to its own land, to Egypt.
37:7 And the Chaldeans shall come again, and they shall make war against this city, and they shall take it, and burn it with fire.
37:8 Thus says the Lord: do not deceive your souls, saying, ‘They shall surely go away and depart from us,’ for they shall not go away.
37:9 But even if you shall strike the whole army of the Chaldeans, who fight against you, and there were left of them only certain wounded men, they would rise each one from his tent, and burn this city with fire.
197. Here, the response of the prophet is given.
First, he excludes the help of Egypt: behold the army of pharaoh. For Egypt shall help in vain, and to no purpose (Isa 30:7).
Second, he predicts the return of the Chaldeans: and the Chaldeans shall come again.
Do not deceive, with false hope. I have called my friends, and they have deceived me (Lam 1:19).
Third, he excludes hindrance: even if you shall strike. How did one pursue a thousand, and two put ten thousand to flight? Was it not, therefore, because the Lord your God sold them, and the Lord shut them up? (Deut 32:30).
Lecture 3
Jeremiah goes to divide his property
37:10 Therefore, when the army of the Chaldeans departed from Jerusalem because of the army of pharaoh,37:11 Jeremiah went out from Jerusalem that he should go to the land of Benjamin, and there divide his property in the sight of the people.
198. Here, he speaks of the occasion arising from his action: and there divide his property, which he had purchased—that is, to mark it out from the other fields, or to distribute it to others, that he might remain free of care. As having nothing, and possessing all things (2 Cor 6:10).
Lecture 4
Guards await Jeremiah
37:12a And when he had arrived to the gate of Benjamin, there were guards there by turns, by the name of Jeriah, the son of Shelemiah, the son of Hananiah.199. Here, the false suspicion is given. False witnesses have risen up against me, and iniquity has lied to itself (Ps 26:12).
Lecture 5
Jeremiah cast into prison
37:12b And they seized Jeremiah the prophet, saying, ‘Are you are fleeing to the Chaldeans?’37:13 And Jeremiah answered, ‘It is false. I am not fleeing to the Chaldeans.’ And they did not listen to him, but Jeriah seized Jeremiah, and brought him to the princes.
37:14 For this reason, the princes were angry with Jeremiah, and struck him and cast him into the prison which was in the house of Jonathan the scribe, for he was set over the prison.
37:15 And so Jeremiah entered the house of the pit, and the workhouse; and Jeremiah sat there for many days.
37:16 Then Zedekiah the king, sending for him, took him and inquired of him secretly in his own house, ‘Do you think that there is a word from the Lord?’ And Jeremiah said, ‘There is.’ And he said, ‘You shall be given over into the hand of the king of Babylon.’
37:17 And Jeremiah said to king Zedekiah, ‘How have I sinned against you, and your servants, and your people, that you have put me in this house of bondage?
37:18 Where are your prophets, who prophesied to you, and said, ‘The king of Babylon shall not come upon you, and upon this land?’
37:19 Now, therefore, hear, I beseech you, my lord the king. Let my prayer prevail in your sight, and do not send me back to the house of Jonathan the scribe, lest I die there.’
37:20 Therefore, king Zedekiah commanded that Jeremiah should be handed over to the courtyard of the prison, and that he should be given loaves of bread every day, without condiment, until all the bread of the city should be consumed. And Jeremiah remained in the vestibule of the prison.
200. Here, the persecution is spoken of in three ways.
In his capture. They have chased and taken (Lam 3:52).
In his flagellation: the princes struck him (Jer 37:14). Likewise Acts 8. They suffered mockeries, and stripes (Heb 11:36).
And in his imprisonment: and so Jeremiah entered the house of the pit. I am reckoned with those that go down into the pit (Ps 87:5). The workhouse—this is also properly a prison in which someone is condemned to some type of labor.
Second, his liberation is spoken of: sending. Concerning this, there are three points.
First, the occasion of his liberation is given: do you think that there is a word from the Lord?, which predicts the future, that has been revealed to you. Should not the people seek a vision of their God for the living and the dead? (Isa 8:19). And he gives the response: and Jeremiah said. But I have been sent to you as a bearer of hard news (1 Kgs 14:6).
Second, the request for liberty is given: and Jeremiah said to the king. Here, he shows his unjust punishment: how have I sinned? You shall not find iniquity in my tongue, nor shall foolishness go forth from my mouth (Job 6:30).
He clears himself of the guilt with which he has been charged: where are your prophets? It is as though he were saying, “Their falsehood and my truthfulness are now made manifest.” For the army of the Chaldeans had already returned, which they had denied would come back. Above: the prophet who foretold peace, when his word came to pass, he was known as a prophet whom the Lord had sent in truth (Jer 28:9).
And he asks for mercy: now, therefore, hear, I beseech you. A soft answer breaks wrath, but a hard word stirs up fury (Prov 15:1). A sweet word multiplies friends, and softens enemies; and a gracious tongue shall abound in a good man (Sir 6:5).
Third, the obtaining of the request is mentioned: therefore, king Zedekiah commanded that Jeremiah should be handed over to the courtyard of the prison, and that he should be given loaves of bread every day, without condiment, which he did not wish to be added; in the vestibule, that is, in the courtyard.
Chapter 38
Jeremiah persecuted by the princes
Lecture 1
Jeremiah thrown into a pit
38:1 And Shephatiah, the son of Mathan, and Gedaliah, the son of Pashhur, and Jucal, the son of Milchiah, heard the words which Jeremiah spoke to the entire people, saying:38:2 thus says the Lord: whosoever shall remain in this city shall die by the sword, and by famine, and by pestilence. But whoever shall flee to the Chaldeans shall live, and his soul shall be safe and live.
38:3 Thus says the Lord: this city shall surely be handed over into the hand of the army of the king of Babylon, and he shall take it.
38:4 And the princes said to the king, ‘We ask that this man be killed, for he intentionally weakens the hands of the men of war who remain in this city, and the hands of all the people, speaking to them according to these words. For this man surely does not seek peace for this people, but evil.’
38:5 And king Zedekiah said, ‘Behold, he is in your hands, for it is not permitted for the king to deny you anything.’
38:6 Therefore, they took Jeremiah and cast him into the pit of Milchiah, the son of Amelech, which was in the courtyard of the king. And they lowered Jeremiah down with ropes into the pit, in which there was no water, but mud. And so Jeremiah went down into the mud.
38:7 Now Ebed-Melech the Ethiopian, a eunuch man who was in the house of the king, heard that they had put Jeremiah into the pit. Moreover, the king was sitting in the gate of Benjamin.
38:8 And Ebed-Melech went forth from the house of the king, and spoke to the king, saying:
38:9 ‘My lord the king, these men have done evil in all that they have done to Jeremiah the prophet, casting him into a pit, that he should die there of hunger; for there is no longer any bread in the city.’
38:10 And so, the king commanded Ebed-Melech the Ethiopian, saying, ‘Take with you hence thirty men, and raise Jeremiah from the pit, before he die.’
38:11 Therefore, taking with him thirty men, Ebed-Melech entered the house of the king which was beneath the treasury, and took from there old rags, and old things, which had rotted, and let them down to Jeremiah by ropes.
38:12 And Ebed-Melech the Ethiopian said to Jeremiah, ‘Put these old rags and these torn and rotten things under your arms, and upon the ropes.’ Therefore, Jeremiah did so.
38:13 And they drew Jeremiah out with ropes, and brought him forth from the pit: but Jeremiah remained in the vestibule of the prison.
201. In this section is shown the persecution of the prophet because of his true prediction, and it is divided into three parts.
First, he gives the prediction: Jeremiah spoke.
Even though he was in prison, nevertheless, many would come to him, and through them he threatened death to those who remained: whosoever shall remain in this city shall die. And he promises safety to those who flee: but whoever shall flee . . . shall live.
The taking of the city: this city shall surely be handed over. He also mentioned these three things above in chapter 21 (Jer 21:7). For this reason, it seems to continue, according to the historical order, from that point.
Second, he speaks of the persecution when he speaks of the wicked petition of the princes, for they seek his death: and the princes said. Let us lie in wait the just man, for he is contrary to our works (Wis 2:12). They accuse his preaching: for he intentionally weakens the hands of the men, which is contrary to the prophetic duty. Strengthen the feeble hands, and confirm the week knees (Isa 35:3). And they pervert his intention: for this man surely does not seek peace. Am I therefore become your enemy, because I tell you the truth? (Gal 4:16). But Jeremiah did not wish to destroy the will to resist, but he said those things for the well-being and safety of the people by the command of the Lord.
He also speaks of the foolish compliance of the king: and king Zedekiah said. For this reason, he is not excused, even though he sinned less. Therefore, he who handed me over to you has the greater sin (John 19:11).
He also speaks of the careful execution of the plan: therefore, they took Jeremiah and cast him into the pit, a cistern without water. They have put me in the lower pit, in the darkness, and in the shadow of death (Ps 87:7). He speaks of the prophet’s being let down: and so Jeremiah went down into the mud. I am stuck fast in the deep mud, there is no sure footing (Ps 87:3).
Third, the liberation is mentioned. Here, he makes two points.
First, that he is freed from prison;
second, that he is freed from the fear of death, at and king Zedekiah sent and took Jeremiah unto him (Jer 38:14).
Concerning the former, there are four points.
First, he describes the petitioner, Ebed-Melech, which signifies “servant of the king,” which he calls him because of his humility. Paul a servant of Jesus Christ (Rom 1:1). Ethiopian, because of his mortification of the flesh. Ethiopia shall stretch out her hand to God (Ps 67:32). I am black, but beautiful (Song 1:4). A man, because of the strength of his spirit; eunuch, because of his chastity. There are eunuchs who have castrated themselves because of the kingdom of heaven (Matt 19:12). Who was in the house of the king. Our conversation is in the heavens (Phil 3:20). The eunuch who has not worked iniquity with his hands, nor thought wickedness against God, to him shall be given the choice gift of faith, and a most acceptable lot in the temple of God (Wis 3:14).
Second, he speaks of the petition when he designates the place of the petition: moreover, the king was sitting in the gate of Benjamin, which certainly led to the tribe of Benjamin.
And he gives the petition: and Ebed-Melech went forth from the house of the king, and spoke to the king . . . for there is no longer any bread in the city; it is as though he were saying, “From the time when he was imprisoned, bread has failed.” Or it was not necessary for him to be imprisoned, since we are all besieged and in want. Those things by which a man sins are the same also by which he is tormented (Wis 11:17).
Third, the obtaining of the request is mentioned: and so, the king commanded.
Fourth, the execution of the command is spoken of: therefore, taking with him thirty men, Ebed-Melech entered the house of the king . . . and took from there old rags, and old things, which had rotted, because of the hardships they had endured. Remember those who are set over you, who have spoken the word of God to you, whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation (Heb 13:7). Or, literally, because they are softer. By ropes, of the commandments of God. A three-ply rope is broken with difficulty (Eccl 4:12).
In the vestibule of the prison, that is, in the atrium. For the room before the chamber of the king is called a vestibule, where garments are kept; for this reason, every atrium is called a vestibule.
Lecture 2
Secret prophecy to the king
38:14 And king Zedekiah sent and took Jeremiah the prophet unto him to the third gate which was in the house of the Lord. And the king said to Jeremiah, ‘I shall ask you a thing, do not hide anything from me.’38:15 But Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, ‘If I tell you, will you not kill me? And if I give you counsel you will not listen to me.’
38:16 Therefore, king Zedekiah swore secretly to Jeremiah, saying, ‘As the Lord lives, who made this soul within us, I will not kill you, and I will not give you over into the hands of these men who seek your soul.’
38:17 And Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: if you shall indeed go forth to the princes of the king of Babylon, your soul shall live, and this city shall not be burned with fire, and you and your house shall be saved.
38:18 But if you will not go forth to the princes of the kings of Babylon, this city shall be given over into the hands of the Chaldeans, and they shall burn it with fire. And you shall not escape out of their hand.’
38:19 And king Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, ‘I am afraid of the Jews, who have fled over to the Chaldeans, lest I be given over into their hands and they mock me.’
38:20 But Jeremiah responded, and said to him: ‘They shall not hand you over. Hear, I beseech you, the word of the Lord which I speak to you, and it shall be well with you, and your soul shall live.
38:21 But if you are unwilling to go forth, this is the word which the Lord has shown me:
38:22 behold, all the women who have remained in the house of the king of Judah shall be led out to the princes of the king of Judah, and they shall say, ‘Your men of peace have deceived you, and prevailed against you. They have plunged your feet into mud and into a slippery place, and they have withdrawn from you.’
38:23 And all your wives and your sons shall be led out to the Chaldeans, and you shall not escape out of their hands, but shall be caught in the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall burn this city with fire.’
38:24 Therefore, Zedekiah said unto Jeremiah, ‘Let no one know these words, and you shall not die.
38:25 But if the princes hear that I have spoken with you, and they come to you, and say to you, ‘Tell us what you said to the king; do not hide it from us, and we shall not kill you; and what the king said to you.’
38:26 You shall say to them that I presented my petitions before the king, that he should not order me to be taken back to the house of Jonathan, lest I should die there.’
38:27 Therefore, all the princes came to Jeremiah, and they asked him, and he spoke to them according to all the words which the king had commanded him; and they ceased from him, for they had heard nothing.
202. Here, he is freed from the fear of death, his safety having been granted to him by the king.
First, the agreement for his safety is spoken of;
second, the keeping of the agreement, at but Jeremiah remained in the vestibule of the prison (Jer 38:28).
Concerning the former, there are two points.
First, their reciprocal requests are mentioned. For the king seeks a divine response or counsel: I shall ask. I adjure you again and again that you do not tell me anything in the name of the Lord except that which is true (1 Kgs 22:16).
And the prophet seeks a promise of safety: but Jeremiah said to Zedekiah. If I tell you, you will not believe me (Luke 22:67). For it could be read as a question or a remission.
Second, their mutual resolution is given.
For the king first makes a promise of safety: therefore, king Zedekiah swore . . . I will not kill you, lest evil befall me. I the Lord have called you in justice, and I have taken your hand, and saved you (Isa 42:6).
Second, the prophet gives a counsel of salvation. And concerning this, he makes four points.
First, the salutary exhortation of the prophet is mentioned: and Jeremiah said. And the option is given to the king of choosing good or evil. Life and death are before a man, and whichever he pleases, shall be given to him (Sir 15:18).
Second, the excuse of the king is given: and the king said . . . I am afraid of the Jews, whose goods he had destroyed because they had fled to the Chaldeans. Above: each one guards himself from his neighbor, and has no confidence in any brother; because every brother shall surely supplant, and every friend shall walk deceitfully (Jer 9:4).
Third, the exclusion of his response is given: Jeremiah responded, by which he excludes fear, if he should listen to his advice: they shall not hand you over. If you are willing, and will listen to me, you shall eat the good things of the earth (Isa 1:19).
He gives a threat, if he should disdain to listen: but if you are unwilling.
But he threatens the contempt of the women: behold, all the women shall say. For by insults they reproach the foolish counsel of their friends: your men have deceived, as much as it was in their power, and prevailed, because you believed them; your men of peace, who promised peace to you. O my people, those who call you blessed, deceive you, and destroy the way of your steps (Isa 3:12). The resultant harm: they have plunged your feet into the mud, of sin; into a slippery place, of punishment. Let their ways be dark and slippery (Ps 34:5). And their departure: they have withdrawn from you. There is a friend for his own time, and he shall not remain in the day of tribulation (Sir 6:9).
He also threatens the capture of his family: and all your wives. They shall take of your sons who shall come forth from you, whom you shall beget, and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon (Isa 39:7). And of his own person: and you shall not escape. There was none in the day of the Lord’s fury who escaped and was left (Lam 2:22). He also threatens the capture of the city: and he shall burn this city with fire. I shall kindle a fire in the wall of Rabbah, and it shall devour the houses thereof (Amos 1:14).
Fourth, the king asks that the counsel which he has given should be kept secret: therefore, Zedekiah said unto Jeremiah.
Concerning this, he makes three points.
First, he asks that the counsel should be kept secret: let no one know. It is good to hide the secret of the king, but it is honorable to reveal and confess the works of God (Tob 12:7).
Second, he teaches him the manner in which it is to be kept secret: but if the princes hear, that he may keep silent as to the truth and not speak a falsehood. He who governs his lips is most prudent (Prov 10:19).
Third, the fulfillment of the petition is mentioned: therefore, all the princes came to Jeremiah. He who walks deceitfully reveals hidden things; but he who is a friend conceals what is committed to him by a friend (Prov 11:13).
Lecture 3
Jeremiah remains in prison
38:28 But Jeremiah remained in the vestibule of the prison until the day when Jerusalem was captured. And it came to pass that Jerusalem was captured.203. Here, the fulfillment of his request is mentioned: in the vestibule. He was not put in the pit, in keeping with his request.
Chapter 39
The capture of Jerusalem
Lecture 1
Jerusalem captured
39:1 In the ninth year of Zedekiah, king of Judah, in the tenth month, Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, and all his army, came to Jerusalem, and they besieged it.39:2 Moreover, in the eleventh year of Zedekiah, in the fourth month, on the fifth day of the month, the city was breached.
39:3 And all the princes of the king of Babylon entered and sat in the middle gate: Neregel, Sereser, Semegar-nabu, Sarsachim, Rab-sares, Neregel, Sereser, Rab-mag, and all the other princes of the king of Babylon.
39:4 And when Zedekiah, the king of Judah, had seen them, and all the men of war, they fled; and they went out by night from the city by way of the garden of the king, and through the gate which was between the two walls, and they went out to the way of the desert.
39:5 But the army of the Chaldeans pursued them, and seized Zedekiah in the field of the wilderness of Jericho, and led him bound to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, in Reblath, which is in the land of Emath; and he spoke judgments to him.
39:6 And the king of Babylon killed the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes; and the king of Babylon killed all the nobles of Judah.
39:7 He also gouged out the eyes of Zedekiah and bound him with shackles that he should be led to Babylon.
39:8 The Chaldeans also burned the house of the king and the house of the people with fire, and cast down the walls of Jerusalem.
39:9 And Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard, took the remnant of the people who had remained in the city, and the deserters who had fled over to him, and the rest of the people who had stayed to Babylon.
204. Here is given the ordering of the remnant of the people, after the people themselves were taken captive. It is divided into three parts.
In the first is given the captivity;
in the second, the preservation of the remnant: the word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord (Jer 40:1);
in the third, the ordering of the remnant: and all the captains of the men at war came near (Jer 42:1).
Concerning the former, there are two points.
First, the captivity of the people is spoken of;
second, the liberation of certain men, at but some of the poor people, who had nothing within (Jer 39:10).
Concerning the former, there are three points.
First, he speaks of the siege: and they besieged. And I shall make a circle round about you, and cast up a mound against you, and raise up bulwarks to besiege you (Isa 29:3).
Second, he speaks of the taking of the city: in the eleventh year, in the fourth month, that is, in July. Nevertheless, it was burned in the fifth month, on the seventh day of the month, as it is related in 2 Kings 25:8, on the fifth day of the month. Contrary to this, it is said in 2 Kings 25:3 that it was on the ninth of the month. It could have been that people began to flee because of hunger on the fifth day, and that on the ninth day the city was breached, its guards having been removed; and because they first took the outer wall, it was then as if the city had been taken, and afterward, they took the city.
For this reason, the text continues: and all the princes sat in the middle gate, that is, in the midst of the two walls; alternatively, one which was between two gates on the same side of the city. Above: each one shall place his sole in the entry of the gates of Jerusalem, and upon all her walls round about, and upon all the cities of Judah (Jer 1:15).
He also speaks of the taking of the king when he notes his flight: and when Zedekiah, the king of Judah, had seen them, and all the men of war, they fled; and they went out by night from the city by way of the garden of the king, and through the gate which was between the two walls, which were joined to the wall of the city near the house of the king and surrounded the royal garden, between which there was both a road and a gate equidistant from one another. Her princes have become like rams which find no pasture; they have gone away without strength before the face of the pursuer (Lam 1:6).
And he subjoins their capture: but the army of the Chaldeans pursued them. Our pursuers were swifter than the eagles of the sky (Lam 4:19).
Third, he speaks of the condemnation of the captives:
first, of the king, and of the princes, to death: and led the king bound to Nebuchadnezzar, for the pronouncing of sentence: and he spoke judgments to him. I shall judge you with the judgments of adulteresses, and of those who spill blood (Ezek 16:38).
And the execution of the sentence of the princes: and the king killed.
And the blindness of his eyes: he also gouged out the eyes of Zedekiah . . . that he should be led to Babylon. One finds the same in 2 Kings 25.
Second, the condemnation of the city to destruction: the Chaldeans also burned the house of the king and the house of the people with fire. He cast down all her walls, and destroyed all her bulwarks (Lam 2:5).
Third, the condemnation of the people to exile: and Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard, took the remnant of the people . . . to Babylon. My delicate ones have walked rough ways, for they were taken away as a flock made a prey by the enemies (Lam 4:26).
Lecture 2
Those left at liberty
39:10 But some of the poor people, who had nothing within, Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard left in the land of Judah, and gave them vineyards and cisterns on that day.39:11 But Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, had commanded Nebuzaradan, captain of the guard, concerning Jeremiah, saying:
39:12 ‘Take him, and put your eyes upon him, but do no evil to him; but do unto him as he shall wish.’
39:13 Therefore, Nebuzaradan, captain of the guard, sent, and Nebushazban, and Rab-sares, and Neregel, and Sereser, and Rab-mag, and all the nobles of the king of Babylon,
39:14 they sent, and took Jeremiah from the vestibule of the prison, and handed him over to Gedaliah, the son of Ahicam, the son of Shaphan, and sent him to his house, and he dwelt among the people.
39:15 Moreover, the word of the Lord had come to Jeremiah when he was shut up in the vestibule of the prison, saying:
39:16 go, and say to Ebed-Melech the Ethiopian, saying: ‘Thus says the Lord, God of Israel: behold, I shall bring my words upon this city for evil, and not for good, and they shall be in your sight on that day.
39:17 And I will free you on that day, says the Lord, and you shall not be handed over into the hands of the men whom you fear.
39:18 But I shall surely free you, and you shall not fall by the sword, but your life shall be saved for you, says the Lord.’
205. Here, he speaks of the liberation of certain people.
First, of the poor people, who had nothing within . . . and gave them vineyards and cisterns, because the land suffers from a lack of water. Above: nevertheless, in those days, says the Lord, I will not make an end of you (Jer 5:18).
Second, the liberation of the just.
First, of the prophet, when he speaks of the command: Nebuchadnezzar had commanded, and its execution: therefore, Nebuzaradan, captain of the guard, sent him . . . to his house, that is, the prophet’s own house. The just is freed from distress, and the wicked shall be given up for him (Prov 11:8). What the wicked man fears shall come upon him, his desire shall be given to the just (Prov 10:24). When the ways of a man are pleasing to the Lord, he shall turn even his enemies to peace (Prov 16:7).
Second, the liberation of the eunuch: moreover, the word of the Lord had come to Jeremiah.
First, he promises liberation from the dominion of the enemy: and you shall not be handed over. He kept him from his enemies, and made him safe from the deceivers (Wis 10:12).
Second, from being slain by the sword: and you shall not fall by the sword. A thousand shall fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand, but to you it shall not approach (Ps 90:7). Above: blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, and the Lord will be his confidence (Jer 17:7). Believe in the Lord, and he will recover you, and direct your way, and hope in him (Sir 2:6).
Chapter 40
Jeremiah’s release and the princes’ plots
Lecture 1
Jeremiah released from chains
40:1 The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord, after he was sent by Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard from Ramah, when he took him bound with chains in the midst of all those who went from Jerusalem and Judah, and were led to Babylon.40:2 Therefore, when the captain of the guard took Jeremiah, he said to him, ‘The Lord your God spoke this evil against this place.
40:3 And the Lord has brought it, and done as he said, because you have sinned against the Lord, and did not listen to his voice. And this word has been done to you.
40:4 Now, therefore, I release you from the chains that are upon your hands. If it pleases you to come with me to Babylon, come, and I shall set my eyes upon you. But if it displease you to come with me to Babylon, stay. Behold, the whole land is before you. Whatever you shall choose, and to whatever place it shall please you to go, go there.
40:5 And do not come with me, but dwell with Gedaliah, the son of Ahicam, the son of Shaphan, whom the king of Babylon set over the cities of Judah. Dwell, therefore, with him in the midst of the people, or to whichever place it shall please you to go, go.’ And the captain of the guard gave him also food and small gifts and sent him away.
40:6 Now, Jeremiah came to Gedaliah, the son of Ahicam, in Mizpah, and dwelt with him in the midst of the people who had been left in the land.
206. Having spoken of the destruction of the city and the captivity of the people, he speaks of the well-being of the remnant.
First, the gathering of the people together is mentioned;
second, the disturbance of the congregation: and it came to pass in the seventh month (Jer 41:1).
Concerning the first, there are two points.
First, the congregation is spoken of;
second, the revelation of certain plots, which were disrupting the peace of the people, at but Johanan, the son of Kareah (Jer 40:13).
Concerning the former, there are three points.
First, the congregation of the people is spoken of with regard to the prophet;
second, with regard to the princes, at and when all the captains of the army had heard . . . there came to Gedaliah (Jer 40:7);
third, with regard to the people, at moreover, when all the Jews (Jer 40:11).
Concerning the first, there are four points.
First, the announcement of liberation is mentioned: the word which came to Jeremiah. Since no message follows, it is understood that by this word is first revealed what later is related as being fulfilled by action. He heard the poor, and did not despise his captives (Ps 68:34).
Second, the liberation of the prophet is spoken of: therefore, when the captain of the guard took Jeremiah. And he gives the reason—namely, the truthfulness of the prophet: the Lord your God spoke, by you. Is there any evil in the city which the Lord has not done? (Amos 3:6).
And he speaks of the liberation: now, therefore, I release you from the chains. He led them out of darkness, and the shadow of death, and broke their chains asunder (Ps 106:14).
Third, the option is given to him of going to Babylon, or remaining with Gedaliah, or going wherever he pleases: if it pleases. Behold, the land is before you (Gen 13:9). I shall lead you by the paths of equity, which when you have entered, your steps shall not be straightened, and when you run you shall not meet a stumbling block (Prov 4:11–12).
And the provision made for him is mentioned: the captain of the guard gave him also food. From the eater went forth food, and from the strong sweetness (Jud 14:14).
Fourth, the choice of the prophet is given: now, Jeremiah came to Gedaliah. Therefore, he did not go to Chaldea, because they had Daniel and Ezekiel for their consolation. He has sent me to bring good tidings to the humble, to heal the broken-hearted, and to preach release to the captives, and an opening to those who are shut up; that I should preach the year pleasing to the Lord, and the day of vengeance for our God; that I should console all those who mourn, and give consolation to all the mourners of Zion (Isa 61:1–2).
Lecture 2
Assembly of the princes
40:7 And when all the captains of the army, who were scattered through the countryside, they and their companions, had heard that the king of Babylon had set Gedaliah, the son of Ahicam, over the land, and that he had entrusted to him the men, and the women, and the little ones, and some of the poor of the land, who had not been taken to Babylon,40:8 there came to Gedaliah in Mizpah, Ishmael, the son of Nathaniah, and Johanan and Jonathan, the sons of Kareah, and Saraiah, the son of Tanhumeth, and the sons of Ephai the Netophathite, and Jezaniah, the son of the Maacathite, they and their men.
40:9 And Gedaliah, the son of Ahicam, the son of Shaphan, swore to them, and to their companions, saying, ‘Do not fear to serve the Chaldeans. Dwell in the land, and serve the king of Babylon, and it shall be well with you.
40:10 Behold, I dwell in Mizpah, that I may give answer to the command of the Chaldeans, who are sent to us. But you, gather the vintage, and the harvest, and the oil, and store it in your vessels, and remain in your cities, which you hold.’
40:11 Moreover, when all the Jews which were in Moab, and among the children of Ammon, and in Edom, and in the whole countryside, heard that the king of Babylon had left a remnant in Judah, and that he had set Gedaliah, the son of Ahicam, the son of Shaphan, over them,
40:12 then all the Jews returned from every place to which they had fled, and they came to the land of Judah, to Gedaliah in Mizpah, and they gathered the wine, and an exceedingly great harvest.
207. Here, the assembly of the princes is spoken of.
First, their coming together is mentioned: and when all the captains of the army, had heard . . . there came to Gedaliah. A foolish king shall destroy his people, but cities shall be inhabited through the good sense of the prudent (Sir 10:3).
Second, the assurance of those gathered is mentioned: and Gedaliah swore to them . . . do not fear. Servants, be submissive with all fear to your masters, not only to the good and modest, but also to the unreasonable (1 Pet 2:18).
Third, he shows the manner of their security: behold, I; it is as though he were saying, “I bear the entire burden, that you may be in peace.” We are foolish because of Christ, but you are wise in Christ (1 Cor 4:10). Surely, he has borne our infirmities, and has himself carried our griefs (Isa 53:4). A good shepherd lays down his life for his sheep (John 10:11).
Moreover, when all the Jews which were in Moab. Here, the gathering of the people is spoken of. He has gathered the exiles of Israel (Ps 146:2).
Lecture 3
Plots of the princes
40:13 But Johanan, the son of Kareah, and all the princes of the army who were scattered in the countryside, came to Gedaliah in Mizpah.40:14 And they said to him, ‘Know that Baalis, the king of the children of Ammon, has sent Ishmael, the son of Nathaniah, to take your life.’ And Gedaliah, the son of Ahicam, did not believe them.
40:15 But Johanan, the son of Kareah, spoke to Gedaliah secretly in Mizpah, saying, ‘Go, and I shall strike Ishmael, the son of Nathaniah, and no one shall know, lest he take your life, and all the Jews who are gathered to you will be scattered, and the remnant of Judah shall perish.’
40:16 And Gedaliah, the son of Ahicam, said to Johanan,the son of Kareah, ‘Do not do this word, for what you say regarding Ishmael is false.’
208. Here, the contrivance of plots is spoken of:
first, that made by the princes communally: know that Baalis, who still resisted the Chaldeans; and Gedaliah did not believe, because he believed the false words of Ishmael. The innocent believes every word, but the prudent man considers his steps (Prov 14:15).
Second, that made by a certain man in particular: Johanan.
First, its contrivance: go. By the good of the just a city shall be exalted, and in the destruction of the wicked shall be its praise (Prov 11:10).
Second, its rejection is spoken of: and Gedaliah said. Above: and I did not know that they took counsel against me, saying: let us put wood in his bread, and let us cut him off from the land of the living (Jer 11:19).
Chapter 41
Ishmael’s treachery
Lecture 1
Ishmael murders Gedaliah
41:1 And it came to pass in the seventh month, that Ishmael, the son of Nathaniah, the son of Elishamah, of royal blood, came and ten men with him, to Gedaliah, the son of Ahicam, in Mizpah, and they ate bread there together in Mizpah.41:2 But Ishmael, the son of Nathaniah, arose, and the ten men who were with him, and struck Gedaliah, the son of Ahicam, with the sword, and slew him, whom the king of Babylon had set over the land.
41:3 And Ishmael struck also all the Jews who were with Gedaliah in Mizpah, and the Chaldeans who were found there, and the men of war.
209. Here, the disturbance of the assembled people by the wickedness of Ishmael is spoken of:
first, the deceitful slaughter of certain men is mentioned;
second, the burial of their bodies, at now the pit into which Ishmael had cast all the bodies of the men . . . is that which king Asa had made (Jer 41:9);
third, the violent capture of the others, at and Ishmael led captive (Jer 41:10).
Concerning the first, there are two points.
First, the slaughter of the leader and his household is mentioned;
second, the slaughter of all his followers, at and on the second day (Jer 41:4).
Concerning the first, there are three points.
First, he speaks of the ruse of feigned peace: of royal blood, because of which Ishmael was moved by envy against him whom he saw set over the Jews, when he himself had been passed over by the king. There is a friend who is a companion at table, but he shall not remain in the day of trouble (Sir 6:10).
Second, he speaks of the murder of the leader: they arose from the table, the ten men, and struck, while the others suspected nothing of the kind. Not as cowards are wont to die, has Abner died (2 Sam 3:33).
Third, he speaks of the slaughter of his household: Ishmael struck also all the Jews who were with Gedaliah. Of one spark comes a great fire, and of one deceitful man much blood (Sir 11:34).
Lecture 2
Ishmael murders the pilgrims
41:4 And on the second day after he had slain Gedaliah, while as yet no one knew of it,41:5 men came from Shechem, and Shiloh, and from Samaria, eighty men with shaven beards, and torn and soiled garments. And they brought gifts and incense to offer in the house of the Lord.
41:6 And Ishmael, the son of Nathaniah, went out to meet them from Mizpah, weeping as he went. And when he had met them, he said to them, ‘Come to Gedaliah, the son of Ahicam.’
41:7 Then, when they had come into the midst of the city, Ishmael, the son of Nathaniah, slew them and cast them into the midst of a pit, he and the men who were with him.
41:8 But ten men were found among them, who said to Ishmael, ‘Do not kill us, for we have stores in the field of grain and barley, and oil, and honey.’ So he stopped and did not kill them with their brothers.
210. Here, he speaks of the slaughter of the pilgrims.
First, he describes their appearance with regard to being in mourning: with shaven beards. Her priests sigh (Lam 1:4). The Lord has brought great mourning upon me (Bar 4:9). And with regard to the votive offering: gifts, they had; incense, which was offered with every offering (Lev 2). In the house of the Lord, that is, in the place of the temple. They shall worship him with sacrifices and gifts, and they shall swear vows to the Lord, and perform them (Isa 19:21).
Second, he speaks of the slaughter, first noting the deceit in his feigned grief: Ishmael went out weeping. Though he humble himself, and go bowed down, take good heed, and beware of him (Sir 12:11). And in his deceitful counsel: and when he had met them. A false tongue loves not the truth, and a slippery mouth works destruction (Prov 26:28).
And he subjoins the murder: then, when they had come into the midst of the city, Ishmael slew them. My life has fallen into the pit, and they have laid a stone over me (Lam 3:53). Blood has touched blood (Hos 4:2).
Third, he speaks of the liberation of certain men because of the promise of riches which they said they had: but ten men. The ransom of a man’s life are many riches, but he that is poor bears no reproach (Prov 13:8).
Lecture 3
Ishmael fills the pit with bodies
41:9 Now the pit into which Ishmael had cast all the bodies of the men whom he had slain by the side of Gedaliah is that which king Asa had made because of Baasa king of Israel; the same Ishmael, the son of Nathaniah, filled with the slain.211. Here, he speaks of the burial of their bodies: king Asa. In 1 Kings 15:22, it is said that Asa caused Geba of Benjamin in Mizpah to be built from the materials which Baasha had prepared for the fortification of Ramah against him, and as it happens, he had made a cistern for the defense of the city. I am reckoned with those that go down into the pit, I am become as a man without helper, free among the dead (Ps 87:4–5).
Lecture 4
Johanan recovers Ishmael’s men
41:10 And Ishmael led all the remnant of the people who were in Mizpah captive, the daughters of the king, and all those who remained in Mizpah, whom Nebuzaradan had entrusted to Gedaliah, the son of Ahicam. And Ishmael, the son of Nathaniah, took them and went to cross over to the children of Ammon.41:11 Moreover, Johanan, the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the men of war who were with him, heard of all the evil which Ishmael, the son of Nathaniah, had done.
41:12 And having taken all their men, they set out to wage war against Ishmael, the son of Nathaniah. And they found him by the many waters that are in Gibeon.
41:13 And when all the people who were with Ishmael saw Johanan, the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the men of war, who were with him, they rejoiced.
41:14 And all the people whom Ishmael had taken turned back to Mizpah, and having returned, they went to Johanan, the son of Kareah.
41:15 But Ishmael fled with eight men from the face of Johanan, and went to the children of Ammon.
41:16 Therefore, Johanan, the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the men of war who were with him, took the whole remnant of the people which he had recovered from Ishmael, the son of Nathaniah, from Mizpah after he struck Gedaliah, the son of Ahicam: mighty men of war, and women, and children, and eunuchs, whom he had brought back from Gibeon.
41:17 And they went and dwelt as sojourners in Chimham near Bethlehem, that they might continue on, and enter into Egypt,
41:18 from the face of the Chaldeans, for they feared them, because Ishmael, the son of Nathaniah, had struck down Gedaliah, the son of Ahicam, whom the king of Babylon had set over the land of Judah.
212. Here, he speaks of the taking of captives.
First, the taking of those who remained is described: the remnant, because he had slain certain men who were of the household of Gedaliah. Hell has enlarged its soul, and opened its mouth without any end (Isa 5:14).
Second, he speaks of the liberation, noting the preparation of the liberators: Johanan heard. Rescue those who are being led to death, and do not cease to free those who are handed over to destruction (Prov 24:11).
To this he adds the liberation of the captives: and when all the people who were with Ishmael saw Johanan . . . they rejoiced. By the good of the just a city shall be exalted, and in the destruction of the wicked shall be its praise (Prov 11:10).
And he notes the escape of their captor: but Ishmael fled with eight men, two having been killed. Woe to you who plunder, shall you not also be plundered? (Isa 33:1).
Third, he speaks of their fear; concerning this, there are two points.
First, he notes the sign of their fear—namely, their resolve to flee: therefore, Johanan took. The wicked man flees, though no one pursues him (Prov 28:1).
Second, he speaks of the instigation of their fear: for they feared them. For a troubled conscience always foretells grievous things (Wis 17:10). Though there be peace, he always suspects treachery (Job 15:21).
Chapter 42
Instruction of the remnant
Lecture 1
The remnant asks for prayers
42:1 And all the captains of the men of war, and Johanan, the son of Kareah, and Jezaniah, the son of Hoshaiah, and the rest of the people, from the least to the greatest, came near,42:2 and they said to Jeremiah the prophet, ‘Let our supplication be accepted before you, and pray for us to the Lord your God, for all this remnant, for we have been left a few from many, as your eyes see us.
42:3 And let the Lord your God tell us the way by which we should go, and the word which we should do.’
42:4 But Jeremiah said to them, ‘Listen. Behold, I shall pray to the Lord your God according to your words, and shall tell you every word that he shall answer me, and I shall hide nothing from you.’
42:5 And they said to Jeremiah, ‘Let the Lord be a true and faithful witness between us, if we do not do according to every word with which the Lord your God shall send you to us.
42:6 Whether it is good, or whether it is evil, we shall obey the voice of the Lord our God to whom we are sending you, that it may be well with us when we shall hearken to the voice of the Lord our God.’
213. Here, the instruction of the gathered people begins, and it is divided into two parts.
First, the general instruction of the people is spoken of;
second, the particular instruction of Baruch, the word that Jeremiah spoke to Baruch (Jer 45:1).
Concerning the former, there are two points.
First, the prophet’s instruction is given;
second, the objection of the people, at it came to pass when Jeremiah finished speaking to the people (Jer 43:1).
Concerning the former, there are two points.
First, the request for instruction is given;
second, the instruction, at now, when ten days were accomplished (Jer 42:7).
Concerning the former, there are two points.
First, they seek the intercession of prayer when the petition is spoken of: let our supplication be accepted before you, as though saying, “Let it have a place with you.” The prayer of the one who humbles himself shall penetrate the clouds, and until it draws nigh he shall not be consoled, and he will not depart until the Most High behold (Sir 35:21). By this they gain his benevolence. And pray for us, when they seek kindness. Raise a prayer, therefore, for the remnant which is left (Isa 37:4). For we have been left a few, by which they turn him towards mercy. You shall be left few in number, who before were like the stars of heaven for number (Deut 28:62).
And tell, by which they express their longing for the fruit of prayer. The Lord. Should not the people seek a vision of their God for the living and the dead? (Isa 8:19). The way, because they had decided not to go to Egypt. Above: a man’s way is not his own, nor does it pertain to a man to walk and direct his steps (Jer 10:23). Since we know not what we should do, this only have we left, that we should direct our eyes to you (2 Chr 20:12).
The promise of the prophet is also spoken of, at but Jeremiah said. For he promises prayers: behold, I. Far be this sin against the Lord from me, that I should cease praying for you (1 Sam 12:23). And the declaration: and shall tell you every word that he shall answer me. For I have not spared to declare to you the whole counsel of God (Acts 20:27).
Second, they make a promise of obedience, which they were not going to keep: and they said. Likewise, Exodus 19:8, all that the Lord has spoken to us we shall do.
Lecture 2
God’s promises to the remnant
42:7 Now, when ten days were accomplished, the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah.42:8 And he called Johanan, the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the men of war who were with him, and all the people, from the least to the greatest.
42:9 And he said to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God of Israel, to whom you sent me that I should lay your prayers before him:
42:10 if you shall remain quiet in this land, I shall build you up, and not pull you down. I shall plant, and not pull up, for now I am appeased for the evil which I have done to you.
42:11 Do not fear because of the king of Babylon, of whom you are greatly afraid. Do not fear him, says the Lord, for I am with you, and I shall save you, and rescue you out of his hand.
42:12 And I shall give you mercies, and I shall have mercy upon you, and I shall make you to dwell in your own land.
42:13 But if you should say, ‘We will not dwell in this land, neither shall we listen to the voice of the Lord our God,’
42:14 saying, ‘By no means, but we shall go to the land of Egypt, where we shall not see war, and we shall not hear the sound of the trumpet, and we shall not endure famine, and we shall dwell there.’
42:15 Because of this, now hear the word of the Lord to the remnant of Judah: thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: if you should set your face to enter Egypt, and you enter and live there,
42:16 the sword which you fear shall take you there in the land of Egypt; and the famine, which you fear, shall cleave to you in Egypt, and there you shall die.
42:17 And all the men who set their face that they should enter Egypt, to live there, shall die by the sword, and by famine, and pestilence; none of them shall remain, neither shall they escape from before the evil which I shall bring upon them.
42:18 For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: ‘As my indignation was poured out upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so shall my indignation be poured out upon you when you have entered Egypt; and you shall be as an oath, and an astonishment, and a curse, and a reproach, and by no means shall you see this place again.’
42:19 The word of the Lord is upon you, O remnant of Judah: do not enter Egypt. Know certainly that I have adjured you this day,
42:20 for you have deceived your own souls. For you sent me to the Lord our God, saying, ‘Pray for us to the Lord our God, and according to all whatsoever the Lord our God shall say to you, tell us, and we shall do it.’
42:21 And I have told it to you this day, and you have not listened to the voice of the Lord your God concerning everything for which he sent me to you.
42:22 Now, therefore, know certainly that you shall die by the sword, and by famine and pestilence, in the place into which you desired to enter, to dwell therein.
214. Here, the instruction is given; concerning this, there are three points.
First, he speaks of the authority of the one revealing this: thus says the Lord, as a mediator between you and God, bearing your prayers to God and his response to you. I was a mediator, and stood between you and God at that time, that I might tell you his words (Deut 5:5).
Second, he exhorts them to a quiet life in two ways.
By excluding the evils of a divine punishment, when he speaks of the promise: I shall build you up, by conferring good things: I shall plant, by strengthening. And when he excludes any hindrance: for now I am appeased. And the Lord was appeased, that he should not do evil against his people (Exod 32:14). He shall not be angry forever, neither shall he always threaten (Ps 102:9).
And he excludes the fear of persecution by the enemy when he guarantees their security: do not fear. Who are you to fear a mortal man, and a son of man, who shall wither away as the grass? (Isa 51:12).
And he promises them help: for I am with you. Above: the Lord is with me, as a mighty man of war; therefore, those who persecute me shall fall and be weak; they shall be greatly ashamed, for they have not understood the eternal reproach, which shall never be blotted out (Jer 20:11). The Lord God is my helper, therefore, I shall not be put to shame (Isa 50:7).
[St. Thomas was unable to complete his literal commentary on Jeremiah before his death.]