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Jeremiah
Chapter Ten
Jeremiah 10
Chapter Contents
The absurdity of idolatry. (1-16) Destruction denounced
against Jerusalem. (17-25)
Commentary on Jeremiah 10:1-16
(Read Jeremiah 10:1-16)
The prophet shows the glory of Israel's God
and exposes
the folly of idolaters. Charms and other attempts to obtain supernatural help
or to pry into futurity
are copied from the wicked customs of the heathen. Let
us stand in awe
and not dare provoke God
by giving that glory to another
which is due to him alone. He is ready to forgive
and save all who repent and
believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ. Faith learns these blessed truths
from the word of God; but all knowledge not from that source
leads to
doctrines of vanity.
Commentary on Jeremiah 10:17-25
(Read Jeremiah 10:17-25)
The Jews who continued in their own land
felt secure.
But
sooner or later
sinners will find all things as the word of God has
declared
and that its threatenings are not empty terrors. Submission will
support the believer under every grief allotted to him; but what can render the
load of Divine vengeance easy to be borne by those who fall under it in sullen
despair? Those cannot expect to prosper
who do not
by faith and prayer
take
God with them in all their ways. The report of the enemy's approach was very
dreadful. Yet the designs which men lay deep
and think well formed
are dashed
to pieces in a moment. Events are often overruled
so as to be quite contrary
to what we intended and expected. If the Lord has directed our steps into the
ways of peace and righteousness
let us entreat him to enable us to walk
therein. Say not
Lord
do not correct me; but
Lord
do not correct me in
anger. We may bear the smart of God's rod
but we cannot bear the weight of his
wrath. Those who restrain prayer
prove that they know not God; for those who
know him will seek him
and seek his favour. If even severe corrections lead
sinners to be convinced of wholesome truths
they will have abundant cause for
gratitude. And they will then humble themselves before the Lord.
── Matthew Henry《Concise Commentary on Jeremiah》
Jeremiah 10
Verse 2
[2] Thus saith the LORD
Learn not the way of the heathen
and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at
them.
Learn not — The Jews being to live among the Chaldeans
in their captivity
where many of them were already
the prophet admonishes
them against the Chaldean idolatries
who were all much addicted to astrology.
The signs — This was so common among them
that Judicial astrologers
of what nation soever
were generally termed
Chaldeans.
The Heathen — Leave this to Heathens; it doth
not become God's people.
Verse 9
[9] Silver spread into plates is brought from Tarshish
and
gold from Uphaz
the work of the workman
and of the hands of the founder: blue
and purple is their clothing: they are all the work of cunning men.
Tarshish — Is the proper name of a sea-town in Cilicia
and being
a noted port
it is usually put for the ocean
and may signify any place beyond
the sea.
Uphaz — Probably the best gold came from thence as the best
silver from Tarshish.
Verse 10
[10] But the LORD is the true God
he is the living God
and
an everlasting king: at his wrath the earth shall tremble
and the nations
shall not be able to abide his indignation.
But — All these are but false gods.
Living — These are all but dead stocks and stones
Jehovah is
the only living God
having life in himself
and giving life to all things
else.
An everlasting king — Time devours them
all
but the true God is everlasting.
Verse 13
[13] When he uttereth his voice
there is a multitude of
waters in the heavens
and he causeth the vapours to ascend from the ends of
the earth; he maketh lightnings with rain
and bringeth forth the wind out of
his treasures.
When — As in the former verse he relates God's unspeakable
power and wisdom in his creating and fixing the stated order of things
so here
he farther sets it forth in his providential ordering and disposing of them.
Verse 14
[14] Every man is brutish in his knowledge: every founder is
confounded by the graven image: for his molten image is falsehood
and there is
no breath in them.
Every man — Every idolator.
Verse 15
[15] They are vanity
and the work of errors: in the time of
their visitation they shall perish.
Visitation — When God shall come to reckon
with Babylon and her idols.
Verse 16
[16] The portion of Jacob is not like them: for he is the
former of all things; and Israel is the rod of his inheritance: The LORD of
hosts is his name.
Portion — God
who vouchsafes to be the portion of his people.
The former — Idols are things framed or
formed
but God is the former of all things.
The rod of his inheritance — So called
because
the inheritances of Israel were measured by a line
reed
or rod.
Verse 17
[17] Gather up thy wares out of the land
O inhabitant of the
fortress.
Gather up — The prophet now enters upon
another subject.
Thy wares — Every thing thou hast any
advantage by
all thy merchandise
as men use to do in case of invasion by an
enemy.
The fortress — The inhabitants of Jerusalem
the
chief place of security in Judea.
Verse 18
[18] For thus saith the LORD
Behold
I will sling out the
inhabitants of the land at this once
and will distress them
that they may
find it so.
Sing out — It denotes with how much violence and ease the
Chaldeans shall hurry away the people into Babylon. And therefore it is said at
this once
I will make one thorough quick work of it.
May find it so — Though they would never believe
it
yet they shall actually find the truth of my threatenings.
Verse 19
[19] Woe is me for my hurt! my wound is grievous: but I said
Truly this is a grief
and I must bear it.
Woe is me — Here the prophet personates the
complaint of the people of the land.
Verse 20
[20] My tabernacle is spoiled
and all my cords are broken: my
children are gone forth of me
and they are not: there is none to stretch forth
my tent any more
and to set up my curtains.
My tabernacle — He describes the overthrow of the
land
or Jerusalem
by the breaking of the cords of a tabernacle
the use whereof
is to fasten it on every side to stakes in the ground
which cords being broken
the tabernacle falls.
Verse 21
[21] For the pastors are become brutish
and have not sought
the LORD: therefore they shall not prosper
and all their flocks shall be
scattered.
The pastors — The rulers of church and state.
Verse 22
[22] Behold
the noise of the bruit is come
and a great
commotion out of the north country
to make the cities of Judah desolate
and a
den of dragons.
Noise — Rumour
report.
Verse 23
[23] O LORD
I know that the way of man is not in himself: it
is not in man that walketh to direct his steps.
It is not — Lord we know it is not in our
power to divert these judgments that are coming upon us
but thou canst
moderate
and limit them as thou pleasest.
Verse 24
[24] O LORD
correct me
but with judgment; not in thine
anger
lest thou bring me to nothing.
Correct me — Seeing thou wilt punish us
let
it be a correction only
not a destruction. Let it be in measure; in the midst
of judgment remember mercy.
Anger — Lest if thou shouldst let out thy fury upon me
thou
wouldst utterly consume me.
Verse 25
[25] Pour out thy fury upon the heathen that know thee not
and upon the families that call not on thy name: for they have eaten up Jacob
and devoured him
and consumed him
and have made his habitation desolate.
The Heathen — Such as do not acknowledge thee
for their God.
Call not — One part of worship put for the whole. If thou wilt
pour out thy fury
let the effects of it be to thine enemies
not unto thine
own people.
── John Wesley《Explanatory Notes on Jeremiah》
10 Chapter 10
Verses 1-16
──《The Biblical Illustrator》
10 Chapter 10
INTRODUCTION TO JEREMIAH 10
This
chapter shows that there is no comparison to be made between God and the idols
of the Gentiles; represents the destruction of the Jews as near at hand; and is
closed with some petitions of the prophet. It begins by way of preface with an
exhortation to hear the word of the Lord
and a dehortation not to learn the
way of the Heathens
or be dismayed at their signs
since their customs were in
vain
Jeremiah 10:1 which lead on to expose their
idols
and set forth the greatness and glory of God. Their idols are described
by the matter and makers of them
Jeremiah 10:3 and from their impotence to
speak
to stand
to move
or do either good or evil
Jeremiah 10:4
but
on the other hand
God
is described by the greatness of his name and power
and by the reverence that
belongs unto him; in comparison of whom all the wise men of the nations are
brutish
foolish
and vain
Jeremiah 10:6
by the epithets of true
living
and everlasting
and by the terribleness of his wrath
Jeremiah 10:10
by his power and wisdom
in
making the heavens and the earth
in causing thunder and lightning
wind and
rain
when the gods that have no share in these shall utterly perish
Jeremiah 10:11 their makers being brutish
and brought to shame; and they falsehood and breathless vanity
the work of
errors
and so shall come to ruin
Jeremiah 10:14
but he
who is Jacob's
portion
and whose inheritance Israel is
is not like them; being the former of
all things
and his name the Lord of hosts
Jeremiah 10:16 and next follows a prophecy
of the destruction of the Jews; wherefore they are bid to gather up their
wares
since in a very little time
and at once
the Lord would fling them out
of the land
and bring them into distress
Jeremiah 10:17
upon which the prophet
expresses his sympathy with his people in trouble
and the part of grief he
took and bore with them
Jeremiah 10:19
the particulars of his
distress
through the desolation of the land
and the captivity of the people
with the cause and authors of it
by whose means these things were brought upon
them
are mentioned
Jeremiah 10:20
and the Chaldean army
the
instruments of their ruin
are represented as just at hand
Jeremiah 10:22
when the prophet
directing
himself to God
acknowledges the impotence of man in general to help and guide
himself
deprecates correction in anger to himself in particular
and prays
that the wrath of God might be poured down upon the Heathens
by whom his
people were devoured
consumed
and made desolate
Jeremiah 10:23.
Verse 1
Hear ye the word which the Lord speaketh unto you
O house of
Israel. Or
"upon you"; or
"concerning you"F11עליכם "super vos"
V. L. Pagninus
Montanus;
"de vobis"
Vatablus; "super vobis"
Cocceius. ; it may
design the judgment of God decreed and pronounced upon them; or the prophecy of
it to them
in which they were nearly concerned; or the word of God in general
sent unto them by his prophets
which they were backward of hearing; and seems
to refer particularly to what follows.
Verse 2
Thus saith the Lord
learn not the way of the Heathen
.... Of the
nations round about them
particularly the Chaldeans; meaning their religious ways
their ways of worship
their superstition and idolatry
which they were very
prone unto
and many of which they had learned already; and were in danger of
learning more
as they were about to be dispersed in divers countries
and
especially in Chaldea
which was a very superstitious and idolatrous nation:
and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; by which are
meant
not any extraordinary signs
such as are predicted in Joel 2:30
and by our Lord
as signs of the
last destruction of Jerusalem
and of his coming
and of the end of the world
Matthew 24:3
but ordinary signs
which are
no other than the sun
and moon
and stars
which are set up for signs and
seasons
and days and years
Genesis 1:14
and as long as they are observed
as signs of places and of times
it is well enough; but if more is attributed
unto them
as portending things future
and as having an influence on the birth
and death
dispositions and actions of men
when in such a conjunction
situation
and position
it is wrong; which is what is called judicial
astrology
and to which the Chaldeans were much addicted
and is here
condemned; nor should men possess themselves with fears with what shall befall
them on such accounts
since all things are under the determination
direction
and influence of the God of heaven
and not the signs of them; especially they
should not be so observed as to be worshipped
and to be so awed by them as to
fear that evil things will befall
if they are not; and to this sense is the
Syriac version
"the signs of the heavens do not worship
or fear".
Jarchi interprets them of the eclipses of the luminaries
which may be thought
to forbode some dreadful thingsF12Vid. T. Bab. Succa
fol. 29. 1. :
for the Heathen are dismayed at them; which is a
reason why the people of God should not
because it is a Heathenish fear; or
"though the Heathen"F13כי יחתו "quamvis consterni soleant"
Vatablus.
&c.; though they are frightened at such and such conjunctions and positions
of the stars
and fear that such and such dreadful things will follow; and
never regard the supreme Being and first cause of all things; yet such who have
the knowledge of the true God
and a revelation of his will
ought not to be
terrified hereby; see Isaiah 47:13. This text is brought to prove
that the Israelites are not under any planetF14T. Bab. Sabbat
fol.
156. 1. ; since the Heathens are dismayed at them
but not they.
Verse 3
For the customs of the people are vain
.... Or
"their decrees"
or "statutes"F15חקות "decreta"
Targ.; "statua"
Junius
& Tremellius
Piscator
Cocceius
Schmidt.
their determinations and
conclusions
founded upon the observation of the stars; or
their "rites
and ceremonies"F16Ritus
Vatablus; "ceremoniae"
Tigurine version. in religion
in the worship of the sun and moon
and the
hosts of heaven. The Syriac version is
"the idols of the people are
nothing"; and which appears by what follows:
for one cutteth a tree out of the forest (the work of the hands of
the workman) with the axe; not for building
or for burning
but to
make a god of; the vanity
stupidity
and folly of which are manifest
when it
is considered that the original of it is a tree that grew in the forest; the
matter and substance of it the body and trunk of a tree cut down with an axe
and then hewed with the same
and planed with a plane
and formed into the
image of a man
or of some creature; and now
to fall down and worship this
must be vanity and madness to the last degree; see Isaiah 44:13.
Verse 4
They deck it with silver and with gold
.... Cover it
with plates of silver and gold
for the sake of ornament
that it may look
grand
majestic
and venerable; and by this means draw the eye and attention
and so the devotion of people to it:
they fasten it with nails and hammers
that it move not. The sense is
either that the idol was fastened to some post or pillar
or in some certain
place on a pedestal
that it might not fall
it not being able otherwise to
support itself; or the plates of silver and gold
as Kimchi thinks
were
fastened to the idol with nails and hammers
that so they might not be taken
away from it; for
were it not for the nails
the god would not be able to keep
his silver and golden deckings.
Verse 5
They are upright as the palm tree
.... Being nailed to a
post
or fastened to a pillar
or set upon a pedestal
and so stand erect
without bending any way; and are like a palm tree
which is noted for its
uprightness; hence the church's stature is compared to it
Song of Solomon 7:7
here it is a sarcasm
and a bitter one:
but speak not; man
that is of an erect stature
in which
he differs from other creatures
has the faculty of speech
which they that go
upon four feet have not; but the idols of the Gentiles
though erect
have not
the power of speaking a word; and therefore can give no answer to their
worshippers; see Psalm 115:5
they must needs be borne: or
"in carrying be
carried"F17נשוא ינשוא
"portando portantur"
Schmidt; "portabitur" Pagninus;
"portabuntur"
Montanus; "omnino portanda sunt"
Junius
& Tremellius
Piscator. ; when being made they are fixed in the designed
place
or are moved from place to place; they are then carried in men's arms
or on their shoulders:
because they cannot go; they have no life
and
so are incapable of motion of themselves; they have feet
but walk not; and
cannot arise and bestir themselves for the help of those that pray unto them
Psalm 115:7
be not afraid of them
for they cannot do evil; that is
inflict judgment
cause drought
famine
or pestilence
or any other evil or
calamity:
neither is it also in them to do good; to give rains
and fruitful seasons
or bestow any favour
temporal or spiritual; see Jeremiah 14:21.
Verse 6
Forasmuch as there is none like unto thee
O Lord
.... None like
him
for the perfections of his nature
for the works of his hands
and for the
instances of his kindness and beneficence
both in a way of grace and
providence; there is none like him for doing good
or doing evil; that is
for
bestowing favours
or inflicting punishments; there is none like him for
goodness or greatness
as follows:
thou art great; in his nature; of great power
wisdom
faithfulness
truth
and goodness; and in his works of creation and providence
and in everything in which he is concerned; and greatness is to be ascribed to
him
and greatly is he to be praised; and all the glory due unto his name is to
be given him:
and thy name is great in might; his name is himself
and
his greatness much appears in the exertion of the attribute of his power and
might; in making all things out of nothing
in upholding the whole creation
and in the government of the universe; or the fame of him is great through the
effects of his power
which are to be seen throughout the earth.
Verse 7
Who would not fear thee
O King of nations?.... Not that
the fear of him among the nations was general
or that he was owned by them as
their King; but inasmuch as of right he was their King
so he ought to have
been feared and reverenced by them; and it was an instance of great stupidity
and ingratitude not to do it. The Targum renders it
"King
of all people;'
and
the Syriac version
"King of all worlds"; some reference seems to be
had to this passage in Revelation 15:3
where
instead of
"King of nations"
the Lord is called "King of saints"; and
there refers to a time when he will be feared
that is
worshipped and served
by all nations
as he ought to be:
for to thee doth it appertain; that is
fear belongs to
him
it is his due; and this
with keeping the commandments of God
is the
whole duty of man. The Vulgate Latin version is
"thine is the
glory"; honour or praise
as the Syriac version; and so Jarchi interprets
it of beauty or glory; but the Targum
"thine
is the kingdom;'
and
so Kimchi; and to which agrees the Arabic version.
Forasmuch as among all the wise men of the nations
and in all
their kingdoms
there is none like unto thee; that is
among all the
wise kings of the nations
and all their wise counsellors
there is none like
unto God for wisdom
or for glory and majesty; there is none of them that has
such a kingdom as he has
or that governs it as he does; and as all their power
and government
so all that wisdom by which they manage their political
affairs
are from him.
Verse 8
But they are altogether brutish and foolish
.... In
comparison of the Lord
there is no knowledge and wisdom in them
this is a
certain fact; they are verily brutish and foolish; or they are one and all so
there is not a wise man among them: or
"in one thing they are
brutish"F18ובאחת יבערו
"in hoc uno Munster"
Tigurine version; "et certe in una quadem
re obbrutescunt"
Piscator. So Jarchi and Abarbinel.
&c.; namely
in
their idolatry; however wise they may be in other respects
in this they are
foolish: or
to give no more instances of their brutishnessF19The
Talmudists seem to take the word בער to have the
signification of burning; for the sense of these words being asked
it is
replied
there is one thing that burns the wicked in hell; what is it?
idolatry; as it is here written
"a doctrine of vanities is the
stock." and folly
this one is sufficient
even what follows
the stock is a doctrine of vanities; or what they teach
persons
as to worship the trunk of a tree
or any idol of metal
or of wood
is a most vain and foolish thing
and argues gross stupidity and folly
and
proves them to be brutish
and without understanding.
Verse 9
Silver spread into plates is brought from Tarshish
.... In
Cilicia
where the Apostle Paul was born; according to Josephus
as Jerom says
it was a country in India. The Targum renders it
from Africa
and calls it
silver "rolled up"
or "covered"; so the Vulgate Latin;
such was beaten with a hammer into plates
and might be rolled up for better
convenience of shipment; and with which they covered and decked their idols
to
make them look glittering and pompous
and command some awe and reverence from
the common people. The Arabic version renders it
"solid silver"; it
being the same word from whence the firmament of heaven has its name
or the
wide expanse; hence we render it "spread"
stretched
and drawn out
into plates. The Syriac version is
"the best silver"; as very likely
that from Tarshish was reckoned.
And gold from Uphaz; called sometimes
"the gold of Uphaz"; Daniel 10:5 or "Fess"; perhaps
the same with the gold of Ophir
Job 28:16 and so the Targum here calls it
"gold from Ophir"; to which agrees the Syriac version; and was
esteemed the best gold.
The work of workmen
and of the hands of the founder; melter or
refiner
being first purified by him from dross
and then wrought into plates
and polished
and fitted for the idol; and all this being owing to the art and
workmanship of men
shows the brutishness and ignorance of the people
in
worshipping it as a god. Blue and purple is their clothing; not the clothing of
the workmen
but of the idols; these colours seem to be chosen to dazzle the
eyes of the populace
and cause them to entertain a high opinion of them; the
"blue" being the colour of the heavens
and the "purple"
what is wore by kings; and so both may denote their deity and dominion. But
alas!
they are all the work of cunning men: both the
idols
and their clothing; especially the latter is meant
which were curiously
wrought and embroidered by men skilful in that art.
Verse 10
But the Lord is the true God
.... In opposition to all
nominal and fictitious deities
which are not by nature God
only by name
and
in the foolish imagination of the people: or
"the Lord God is truth"F20אלהים אמת "Deus
veritas"
Pagninus
Montanus
Coceeius. ; that cannot lie
is true to his
covenant and promises
and will never deceive those that worship and serve him
and rely upon him:
he is the living God; that has life in
himself
and is the author and giver of life to others; to all men natural
life
to some men spiritual and eternal life; whereas the gods of the Gentiles
have no life in themselves; are either dead men
or lifeless and inanimate
things
stocks and stones
and can give no life to others. The words are in the
plural number
"he is the living Gods"; not for the sake of honour
and glory
as Kimchi observes; but as denoting a trinity of Persons in the
unity of the divine essence: for though the words אלהים
חיים
"living Gods"
that is
living divine
Ones
or Persons
are in the plural number
yet הוא
"he"
is in the singular; which is worthy of observation. The Syriac
version renders it
"the God of the living"; and so an Oxford Arabic
MS
see Matthew 22:32.
And an everlasting King; from everlasting to
everlasting; he is King of old
even from eternity
and will ever be so; his
kingdom is an everlasting one
and his throne for ever and ever
and he will
always have subjects to reign over; nor will he have any successor
as mortal
kings have
even such who have been deified by their idolatrous subjects.
At his wrath the earth shall tremble; that is
the
inhabitants of it
when it is poured forth in judgments in the present life
and in the everlasting destruction of soul and body hereafter; and then shall
they fear him
though now they do not.
And the nations shall not be able to abide his indignation; especially at
the day of judgment; see Revelation 6:16.
Verse 11
Thus shall ye say unto them
.... The godly Jews to
the idolatrous Chaldeans; and therefore this verse alone is written in the
Chaldee language. The Targum prefaces it thus
"this
is the copy of the letter
which Jeremiah the prophet sent to the rest of the
elders of the captivity in Babylon; and if the people among whom you are should
say unto you
serve idols
O house of Israel; then shall ye answer
and so
shall ye say unto them
the idols whom ye serve are errors
in whom there is no
profit; from heaven they cannot bring down rain
and out of the earth they
cannot produce fruit:'
so
Jarchi observes: it follows in the text
the gods that have not made the heavens and the earth
even they
shall perish from the earth
and from under these heavens; which the
Targum paraphrases thus
"they
and their worshippers shall perish from the earth
and shall be consumed from
under these heavens.'
The
words may be considered as a prediction that so it would be; or as an
imprecation that so it might be
and be read
"let the gods"
&c.; and considered either way
being put into the mouth of the godly Jews
in Babylon
to be openly pronounced by them in the midst of idolaters
and in
answer to them
when they should be enticed to idolatry
show how open and
ingenuous men should be in the profession of the true God
and his religion and
worship: and it may be observed
against the deniers of the true deity of our
Lord Jesus Christ
that if he is not that God that made the heavens and the
earth
he lies under this imprecation or prediction.
Verse 12
He hath made the earth by his power
.... The Targum considers
these words as a continuation of the answer of the Jews to the Chaldeans
paraphrasing them thus
"and
so shall ye say unto them
`we worship him who hath made the earth by his
power':'
who
stands opposed to the gods that made not the heavens and the earth
that had no
title to deity
nor right to worship; but the true God has both; and his making
the earth out of nothing
and hanging it upon nothing
and preserving it firm
and stable
are proofs of his almighty power
and so of his deity; and
consequently that he ought to be worshipped
and he only.
He hath established the world by his wisdom; upon the
rivers and floods; or he hath poised it in the air; or he hath disposed it in
an orderly
regular
and beautiful manner
as the wordF21מכין "aptavit"
Cocceius; "preparans"
Schmidt; a כון "aptavit
disposuit"
Gussetius. used signifies; by making it terraqueous
partly land
and partly
water; by opening in it fountains and rivers; by diversifying it with hills and
vales
with wood and arable land
&c.; all which show the wisdom as well as
the power of God.
And hath stretched out the heavens by his discretion; as a canopy
over the earth
as a tent to dwell in; and which is beautifully bespangled with
the luminaries in it; hence it has the name of expanse
or the firmament of
heaven.
Verse 13
When he uttereth his voice
.... Declares his will
and pleasure
issues out his commands; or when he thunders
for thunder is his
voice
Job 37:2
there is a multitude of waters in the heavens; they are
covered with clouds
and these clouds full of water; which is brought about by
the following means:
and he causeth the vapours to ascend from the ends of the earth; from the
north and south
as Kimchi observes from the philosophers; or from all parts of
the earth
the most distant
and particularly from the sea
the border of the
earth
from whence clouds arise
being exhaled by the sun; see 1 Kings 18:43.
He maketh lightnings with rain; which very often go
together
and the one makes way for the other
Job 28:26
though they are so opposite one
to another:
and bringeth forth the wind out of his treasures; the caverns
of the earth
or his fists
in which he holds it
Proverbs 30:4 and lets its loose at his
pleasure; he has plenty of it in reserve; he is Lord over it; he sends it forth
when he pleases
and it fulfils his will and his word.
Verse 14
Every man is brutish in his knowledge
.... Or
science of making an idol
whether it be of wood
or of gold
or silver
or
brass; he is no better than a brute
if he thinks
when he has made it
he has
made a god: or
"because of knowledge"F23מדעת "propter scientiam"
Pagninus
Montanus;
"a scientia"
Calvin
Grotius
Schmidt. ; for want of it; being
without the knowledge of God and divine things
he is like the beasts that
perish
Psalm 49:20
every founder is confounded by the graven image; or put to
shame on account of it; since
after all his art
and care
and trouble
in
melting and refining
and casting it into a form
it is no more than a piece of
gold
or silver
or brass
and has no deity
nor anything like it
in it:
for his molten image is falsehood; it is a lie
when it is
said to be a god; and it deceives those who worship it
and place any
confidence in it. Kimchi renders it
"his covering"F24נסכו "tectio
sive obductio ejus"
Vatablus. . The covering of the idol with gold and silver
with blue and
purple
as in Jeremiah 10:4
is all a piece of deceit
to
impose upon the people
and lead them into idolatry:
and there is no breath in them; they are mere stocks and
stones
lifeless and inanimate creatures; they have neither life themselves
nor can they give it to others.
Verse 15
They are vanity
.... They are the fruit of the vain
imagination of men; to worship them shows the vanity of the human mind; and
they are vain things to trust to:
and the work of errors; of erroneous men
and
which lead men into errors; and are worthy to be laughed at
as the Targum
paraphrases it.
In the time of their visitation they shall perish; or in the
time that I shall visit upon them their sins
as the Targum; that is
when
Babylon should be destroyed by the Medes and Persians
as Kimchi interprets it;
when their idols were destroyed also; see Isaiah 46:1.
Verse 16
The portion of Jacob is not like them
.... Like
those idols
vain
and the work of errors
or shall perish; even the true God
who is the portion of his people
of Jacob
whom he has chosen and redeemed;
who call themselves by the name of Jacob
and are Israelites indeed
and plain
hearted ones; and who have seen the insufficiency of all other portions
and the
excellency of this; for there is none like it
none so large
so rich
so
satisfying
and so durable; for God is the portion of his
in all the
perfections of his nature
which all
some way or other
are for their good and
advantage; and in all his persons
and under every character; even all he has
is theirs
now and hereafter:
for he is the former of all things: which idols are not
being the maker of creatures themselves; wherefore the Creator must be a better
portion than they; and as he has all things at his dispose
he bestows them on
his people
and they cannot want:
and Israel is the rod of his inheritance; chosen and
possessed by him
and dear unto him; and wonderful this is
that on the one
side he should be the portion of his people; and
on the other
that they
should be his portion and his inheritance
when so few in number
and despised
by and among men
and but sinful dust and ashes; and especially when what
follows is considered:
the Lord of hosts is his name: his title is the Lord of
armies
above and below; he rules both in heaven and in earth
and has the
inhabitants of both worlds
angels and men
at his command; and yet he chooses
a handful of people to be his possession and inheritance.
Verse 17
Gather up thy wares out of the land
.... Or thy merchandise
as the Targum; or thy substance
as the Septuagint; all valuable effects and
goods that are movable
which might be carried from place to place. The meaning
is
that the Jews would gather up their riches from the several parts of the
land of Judea
and bring them to Jerusalem
a fortified place; or they would be
in danger of falling into the hands of the enemy. Kimchi interprets the words
as if spoken of Babylon
and directed to the Chaldeans
not to be elated with
the captivity of Israel; and because the word כנע
signifies "to humble and subdue" he takes the sense to be
"gather
in or contract thine humiliation or subjection;'
that
is
of other nations; refrain thyself
or cease from subduing kingdoms; that is
now at an end
it shall be no more so; but the words manifestly respect the
people of the Jews
as is clear from the next verse.
O inhabitant of the fortress; of the fortress of Zion
or the fortified city
Jerusalem. The Targum is
"O
thou that dwellest in the strong place
in the fortified cities.'
It
may be rendered
"that dwellest in the siege"F25יושבתי במצור "quae habitas
in obsidione"
V. L. Cocceius
Schmidt. ; in the besieged city
Jerusalem.
Verse 18
For thus saith the Lord
.... This is a reason
enforcing the exhortation in the preceding verse
and shows that the same
people that are spoken of here are addressed there.
Behold
I will sling out the inhabitants of the land at this once; meaning the
inhabitants of the land of Judea; or otherwise the prophet would never have
expressed such a concern for them as he does in the following verse. Their
captivity is signified by the slinging of a stone out of a sling
and shows how
sudden
swift
and certain
it would be: and that it would as easily and
swiftly be done
and with equal force and rapidity
as a stone is slung out of
a sling; and that it would be done by the Lord himself
whoever were the
instruments:
and will distress them; or "straiten"F26והצרתי להם "oblidere faciana
eos"
some in Vatablus; "et angustabo
vel obsidebo eos"
Schmidt; "faciam ut obsideant eos"
Calvin; "arctum ipsis facium"
Cocceius. them
on every side; it seems to intend the siege; or bring them into
great straits and difficulties
through the pestilence
famine
sword
and
captivity:
that they may find it; so as he had spoken by
his prophets
it coming to pass exactly as they had foretold. The Targum is
"that
they may receive the punishment of their sins;'
and
so the Septuagint and Arabic versions
"that thy stroke may be
found"; but the Syriac version is very different from either
"that
they may seek me and find"; which is an end that is sometimes answered by
afflictive dispensations.
Verse 19
Woe is me for my hurt!.... Or "breach"F1על שברי "propter
confractionem meam"
Cocceius Schmidt
; which was made upon the people of
the Jews
when besieged
taken
and carried captive; with whom the prophet
heartily sympathized
and considered their calamities and distresses as his
own; for these are the words of the prophet
lamenting the sad estate of his
people.
My wound is grievous; causes grief
is very
painful
and hard to be endured:
but I said; within himself
after he had thoroughly considered the matter:
this is a grief; an affliction
a trial
and exercise:
and I must bear it; patiently and quietly
since it is of God
and is justly brought upon the people for their sins.
Verse 20
My tabernacle is spoiled
.... Not the temple at
Jerusalem only
rather Jerusalem itself
as Kimchi; or the whole land
as the
Targum
"my
land is wasted:'
the
allusion is to the tents of shepherds
and denotes the unstable condition of
the Jewish nation:
and all my cords are broken: all the rest of the
cities of the land are destroyed
as Kimchi; and so the Targum
"my
cities are spoiled:'
as
the cords are what the parts of the tabernacle or tent are fastened and kept
together with
they may intend the strength of the nation
which lay in its
wealth
its fortresses
and the numbers of its people
now weakened
loosed
and broke.
My children are gone forth of me; into captivity
as the
Targum interprets it; the prophet
representing Jerusalem
and the cities of
Judah. The Septuagint adds
"and my sheep"; keeping on the metaphor
of a shepherd
his tent
and flock.
And they are not; either not in the world
being destroyed by
one judgment or another; or rather not in their own land
being carried
captive.
There is none to stretch forth my tent any more
and to set up my
curtains; which shows the great destruction and desolation of the land
and its inhabitants
that there would be none to set up a shepherd's tent;
perhaps the rebuilding of Jerusalem
and the rest of the cities
may be meant.
Verse 21
For the pastors are become brutish
.... The
"kings" of Judah
so the Targum
Jarchi
and Kimchi
as Jehoiakim and
Zedekiah; though it need not be restrained to these only
but may include all
inferior civil magistrates
and even all ecclesiastical rulers
who were the
shepherds of the people; but these being like the brute beasts
and without
understanding of civil and religious things
and not knowing how to govern the
people either in a political or ecclesiastical way
were the cause of their
ruin.
And have not sought the Lord; this is an instance of
their brutishness and stupidity
and opens the source of all their mistakes and
misfortunes; they did not seek the Lord for counsel
by whom kings reign well
and princes decree justice; nor doctrine from the Lord
as the Targum
as the
priests and prophets should have done
in order to instruct the people
and
feed them with knowledge and understanding; nor did either of them seek the
glory of God in what they did
but their own interest
worldly advantage
or
applause:
therefore they shall not prosper; in their kingdom
and in
the several offices and stations in which they were. Some render the words
"therefore they do not act prudently"F2לא
השכילו "non egerunt prudenter"
Vatablus
Tigurine version; "non intellexerunt"
Pagninus
Montanus. ; not
consulting the Lord
nor warning the people
nor giving them notice of
approaching danger:
and all their flocks shall be scattered; the people of
the Jews that were under their government
civil or ecclesiastical
should be
dispersed in several nations
and especially in Chaldee; wherefore it follows:
Verse 22
Behold the noise of the bruit is come
.... Or
"the voice of hearing"F3קול שמועה "vox auditionis"
Pagninus
Montanus;
"vox auditus"
Vatablus
Calvin; "vox famae"
Schmidt. ;
that is
the voice heard; the report that was made that the king of Babylon had
invaded the land
and was coming up to besiege Jerusalem: "and a great
commotion out of the north country"; a large army from Babylon
which lay
north of Judea
which came with great noise
and caused a great trembling and
shaking among the inhabitants of the land whither they were coming:
to make the cities of Judah desolate
and a den of dragons; this shows
that the whole paragraph is to be understood of the Jewish nation
and of their
destruction. See Gill on Jeremiah 9:11.
Verse 23
O Lord
I know that the way of man is not in himself
.... Kimchi
and Ben Melech interpret it of that well known man Nebuchadnezzar
whose way
was not in himself
and was not master of his own resolutions
but was under
the influence and direction of divine Providence: when he set out of Babylon
he thought to have gone against the Ammonites; but when he came to a place
where two ways met; the one leading to the children of Ammon
the other to
Jerusalem; God changed his mind
and he steered his course to Jerusalem
to chastise
Zedekiah for the breach of his oath: but the words seem to have a more general
meaning; and the sense to be
that the prophet knew that it was not with him
nor with any of the godly
to escape the judgments that were coming upon them;
that they were entirely in the hands of the Lord
to be guided
directed
and
disposed of at his pleasure. The words may be accommodated to spiritual things
and the affair of salvation; and be rendered thus
"I know
O Lord
that
not for man is his way"F4ידעתי יהוה כי לא
לאדם דרכו "novi
Jehovah
quod non sit homini via ejus"
Schmidt; so Vatablus
Cocceius. ;
his own way is not good for him; not his sinful way
for this is opposite to
God's way
and a going out of it; it is not according to his word; it is after
the course of the world; and it is a dark and crooked way
and leads to
and
ends in
destruction and death
if grace prevent not: nor the way of his own
righteousness; this is no way of access to God
no way of acceptance with him
no way of justification before him
no way of salvation
no way to heaven
and
eternal happiness; that which is the good and right way
the only way of
salvation
is not of man
in him
or with him naturally; it is not of his
devising and contriving
and much less of his effecting; it is not even within
his knowledge; and so far as he knows anything of it
he does not approve of
it: but it is of God; the scheme of it is of his forming; it is a work wrought
out by Christ; it is a way of salvation revealed in the Gospel; and the thing itself
is savingly made known
and applied by the Spirit of God; all which is known
and owned when men are spiritually enlightened:
it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps; as not in
natural and civil things
much less in religious ones; a good man is one that
"walks"
which supposes life and strength
without which there can be
no walking; and a progression
a going on in a way; which ways are Christ
and
his ordinances the path of doctrine and of duty; yet it is not even in this good
man "to direct" and order "his steps" of himself; it is the
Lord that must do it
and does; he can take no step aright without him; he is
guided by him and his Spirit
both in the path of truth and of obedience; and
hence it is that the saints persevere unto the end; see Psalm 37:23.
Verse 24
O Lord
correct me
but with judgment
.... The
prophet here represents the body of the Jewish nation
especially the godly
among them; he considers the troubles coming upon the nation as a correction
and chastisement of the Lord; he does not refuse it
or desire it might not
come upon them; he knew the chastisements of a father are for good; he only
entreats it might be "with judgment"; not in strict justice
as his
and the sins of his people deserved
then they would not be able to bear it;
but in measure and moderation
with a mixture of mercy and tenderness in it;
and in a distinguishing manner
so as to make a difference between his own
people and others
in the correction of them; see Ezekiel 34:16
not in thine anger; in vindictive wrath
and hot displeasure
which is elsewhere deprecated by the saints
Psalm 6:1
lest thou bring me to nothing; or "lessen me"F5פן תמעטני "ne imminuas
me"
Munster
Calvin
Cocceius; "ne diminuere facias me"
Pagninus
Montanus; "ne paucum reddas me"
Schmidt.
or "make
me little"; or make us few
as the Arabic version; or bring to a small
number
as the Syriac; and so to utter ruin.
Verse 25
Pour out thy fury upon the Heathen that know thee not
.... Make a
difference between thy people that know thee
and make a profession of thy
name
and worship thee
and the Heathen
the nations of the world who are
ignorant of God
and worship stocks and stones; while thou correctest thine own
people in measure
in love
and not in wrath
pour out without measure all thy
fury upon the Gentiles that know not God
and are guilty of the grossest
idolatry:
and upon the families that call not on thy name; this does not
signify single families
commonly so called; but kingdoms
as the Targum
interprets it; Heathen kingdoms and nations
that call not upon or worship the
God of Israel
but their own idols; such as the family of Egypt
Zechariah 14:17 and so it is expressed in a
parallel place
Psalm 79:6
which is either taken from
hence
or this from thence:
for they have eaten up Jacob
and devoured him
and consumed him
and have made his habitation desolate; a heap of words to
express the great destruction and desolation of the land of Israel
of
Jerusalem
and the cities of Judah; and of their houses and dwelling places
private and public; and of their spoiling them of all their goods
substance
wealth
and riches; which is given as a reason of the above imprecation.
──《John Gill’s Exposition of the
Bible》