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| .1
¶ The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying,
2 Stand in the gate of the LORD'S house, and proclaim there this word, and say, Hear the word of the LORD, all ye of Judah, that enter in at these gates to worship the LORD. .3 Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, Amend your ways and your doings, and I will cause you to dwell in this place. .4 Trust ye not in lying words, saying, The temple of the LORD, The temple of the LORD, The temple of the LORD, are these. |
2 -
Stand
in the gate The people coming and going would hear "the word
that came." Jeremiah as a priest would speak with authority. Consider him
as at the gate or door to the inner court.
3 -Lord of hosts Jeremiah uses the term frequently. "Host" often means army je5103, 2ch2809. A group of angels is called a host 1ki2219, ps10321. Because the Messiah, Michael, was commander of the angels of heaven, it is reasonable to see Him here before being born as a human and still "the Lord of hosts." The word for "Lord" is "Yahweh." 4 - Trust ye not ... temple The people had apparently come to view the temple as having the power to protect the city. This was the error of Hophni and Phinehas who took the ark to battle. Here as there, trust was placed in the structures that God had blessed while living in disobedience to His appeals 1sa04. |
| .5
For if ye throughly amend your ways and your doings; if ye throughly execute
judgment between a man and his neighbour;
.6 If ye oppress not the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, and shed not innocent blood in this place, neither walk after other gods to your hurt: 7 Then will I cause you to dwell in this place, in the land that I gave to your fathers, for ever and ever. |
5 - Throughly amend A thorough transformation of character was the condition of remaining in Jerusalem. The serious corruption of the leaders was not something that God could bless. To do so would misrepresent Him and His plan for happiness. |
| .8
Behold, ye trust in lying words, that cannot profit.
9 Will ye steal, murder, and commit adultery, and swear falsely, and burn incense unto Baal, and walk after other gods whom ye know not; .10 And come and stand before me in this house, which is called by my name, and say, We are delivered to do all these abominations? .11 Is this house, which is called by my name, become a den of robbers in your eyes? Behold, even I have seen it, saith the LORD. .12 But go ye now unto my place which was in Shiloh, where I set my name at the first, and see what I did to it for the wickedness of my people Israel. |
10
- Called by my name As at je3415.,
v7,
v11,
de1205.
11 - Den of robbers Remember the declaration of Jesus when He left the temple desolate of the divine presence mr1117. 12 - Go ... unto ... Shiloh The ark had remained there for 300 years. Perhaps the appeal was to remember the old times. God identifies Shiloh as His place. He had been there with the shekinah glory above the ark. See jg2119. |
| .13
And now, because ye have done all these works, saith the LORD, and I spake
unto you, rising up early and speaking, but ye heard not; and I called
you, but ye answered not;
.14 Therefore will I do unto this house, which is called by my name, wherein ye trust, and unto the place which I gave to you and to your fathers, as I have done to Shiloh. .15 And I will cast you out of my sight, as I have cast out all your brethren, even the whole seed of Ephraim. |
13
- Rising up early and speaking This is an idiom used by Jeremiah
meaning "speaking earnestly and continually." Also in v25,
je1107,
je2605,
je3233,
je3514.
In spite of the appeals the people didn't listen. See pr0124,
mt2337.
14 - House ... wherein ye trust See on v4. 14 - As ... done to Shiloh Jerusalem was to have the same fate as Shiloh je2609, mi0312). 15 - Cast you out That is, send them into exile. Canaan was the land of Yahweh le2523, ho0903. 15 - Ephriam The main tribe of the northern kingdom used to indicate all of the kingdom as Judah was used as the name of the southern kingdom. is0702, ho0417. |
| .16
¶ Therefore pray not thou for this people, neither lift up cry nor
prayer for them, neither make intercession to me: for I will not hear thee.
17 Seest thou not what they do in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem? .18 The children gather wood, and the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead their dough, to make cakes to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto other gods, that they may provoke me to anger. 19 Do they provoke me to anger? saith the LORD: do they not provoke themselves to the confusion of their own faces? .20 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, mine anger and my fury shall be poured out upon this place, upon man, and upon beast, and upon the trees of the field, and upon the fruit of the ground; and it shall burn, and shall not be quenched. |
16
- Therefore pray not Jeremiah, as other prophets, was a man
of prayer je1114, je1820.
Compare ge1823-32,
1sa0709,
ps10623.
Having refused the call to reform they could expect only punishment. The
only healing would be from bitter medicine. Intercessory prayer would be
no help. See
je1114, je1411,
je1501.
Compare ex3210,
1jo0516.
17 - Seest thou not Jeremiah could see but apparently didn't want to accept the obvious. 18 - Children ... fathers ... The extent of rebellion even included the children. 18 - Cakes From kawwanim, "sacrificial cakes." 18 - To the queen of heaven Whole families were worshipping idols. The "cakes" were sacrifical offerings. In the early Christianity book, Against Heresies, women were said to offer cakes in the name and to the honor of the blessed Virgin." This is apparently the origin of "hot crossed buns." Such practices now dominate the Catholic religion. See also je4417. 20 - Mine anger ... poured out Compare je4218. |
| .21
¶ Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Put your burnt
offerings unto your sacrifices, and eat flesh.
.22 For I spake not unto your fathers, nor commanded them in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, concerning burnt offerings or sacrifices: .23 But this thing commanded I them, saying, Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and ye shall be my people: and walk ye in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well unto you. |
21
- Put your ... offerings The ceremonies were useless. The
animals may as well have been eaten.
22 - I spake not ... concerning ... sacrifices But He had spoken about those things. Jeremiah himself had said so. je1726, je3114, je3317. Jeremiah is using a rhetorical device where an inferior situation is denied to establish a superior one. Compare ex1608. The point is that the moral law is superior to the ceremonial system. See 1sa1522, ps05116, de0601. 23 - I will be He would have been their God. |
| 24 But they hearkened
not, nor inclined their ear, but walked in the counsels and in the imagination
of their evil heart, and went backward, and not forward.
.25 Since the day that your fathers came forth out of the land of Egypt unto this day I have even sent unto you all my servants the prophets, daily rising up early and sending them: 26 Yet they hearkened not unto me, nor inclined their ear, but hardened their neck: they did worse than their fathers. |
25 - I have even sent ... prophets We could have the same problem today. We are justified in being cautious. We should not accept a prophet based on popularity or our senses but according to God's word is0820. |
| .27
Therefore thou shalt speak all these words unto them; but they will not
hearken to thee: thou shalt also call unto them; but they will not answer
thee.
28 But thou shalt say unto them, This is a nation that obeyeth not the voice of the LORD their God, nor receiveth correction: truth is perished, and is cut off from their mouth. |
Speak ... but they will not [listen] Then why speak? It would be unfair to condemn people who have not had a chance. And while the majority do not listen, a few might. |
| .29
¶ Cut off thine hair, O Jerusalem, and cast it away, and take up a
lamentation on high places; for the LORD hath rejected and forsaken the
generation of his wrath.
.30 For the children of Judah have done evil in my sight, saith the LORD: they have set their abominations in the house which is called by my name, to pollute it. .31 And they have built the high places of Tophet, which is in the valley of the son of Hinnom, to burn their sons and their daughters in the fire; which I commanded them not, neither came it into my heart. |
31
- High places The word is bamoth, different from the
word for "high places" in v29. Here it is for idol worship 1ki1107,
2ki1709,
ez1616.
31 - Tophet A place in the valley of Hinnom where sacrifices were made to the god Molech. |
| .32
Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that it shall no more
be called Tophet, nor the valley of the son of Hinnom, but the valley of
slaughter: for they shall bury in Tophet, till there be no place.
33 And the carcases of this people shall be meat for the fowls of the heaven, and for the beasts of the earth; and none shall fray them away. .34 Then will I cause to cease from the cities of Judah, and from the streets of Jerusalem, the voice of mirth, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride: for the land shall be desolate. |
32
- Till ... no place See je1906-15.
Literally, "From there being no place." Apparently the idea is that there
will not be enough space to bury.
34 - Cease ... voice of mirth Woes and lamentations would replace the happy sounds. Compare is2407, je1609, re1823. 34 - Desolate From chorbah which indicates a place where people used to live but where none do. |
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