A Brighter Day Begins with His Word.

PUBLIC-DOMAIN CHRISTIAN BOOK

John Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible — Jeremiah

Gill, John, 1697-1771 · 357,402 words · 646 reading sections

SECTION 1

Jeremiah 1:1

John Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible. Jeremiah 1:1 INTRODUCTION TO JEREMIAH The title of the book in the Vulgate Latin version is, "the Prophecy of Jeremiah"; in the Syriac and Arabic versions, "the Prophecy of the Prophet Jeremiah". According to a tradition of the Jews {a}, this book stands the first of the P…

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SECTION 2

Jeremiah 1:2

Jeremiah 1:2 Ver. 2. To whom the word of the Lord came in the days of Josiah,.... This was the beginning of the prophecy of Jeremiah, so that he prophesied long after Isaiah, Hosea, Amos, and Micah; for this king was the son of Amon king of Judah, which Amon was the son of Manasseh; the Septuagint and Arabic versions…

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SECTION 3

Jeremiah 1:3

Jeremiah 1:3 Ver. 3. And it came also in the days of Jehoiakim, the son of Josiah king of Judah,.... In the beginning of his reign, and in the fourth year of his reign; see Jer 25:1, no mention is made of Jehoahaz, who reigned between Josiah and Jehoiakim, because his reign was short, but three months, 2Ki 23:31, and …

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SECTION 4

Jeremiah 1:4

Jeremiah 1:4 Ver. 4. Then the word of the Lord came unto me, saying. Not in the days of Jehoiakim, but in the thirteenth year of the reign of Josiah, Jer 1:2. The Septuagint and Vulgate Latin versions read, "unto him".…

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SECTION 5

Jeremiah 1:5

Jeremiah 1:5 Ver. 5. Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee,.... Not merely by his omniscience, so he knows all men before their conception and birth; but with such a knowledge as had special love and affection joined with it; in which sense the Lord knows them that are his, as he does not others, and predestin…

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SECTION 6

Jeremiah 1:6

Jeremiah 1:6 Ver. 6. Then said I, Ah, Lord God!.... The word hha, "Ah", or "Ahah", is used in distress and grief, as Kimchi observes; and is expressive of mourning and complaint, as Jarchi notes; and shows that the prophet was troubled and uneasy at his call, and would gladly have been excused on the following account…

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SECTION 7

Jeremiah 1:7

Jeremiah 1:7 Ver. 7. But the Lord said unto me, say not, I am a child,.... This excuse will not be admitted: for thou shall go to all that I shall send thee; either to "every place", as the Targum paraphrases; or "to all persons to whom" he should be sent, as the Septuagint and Arabic versions render the words; or "t…

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SECTION 8

Jeremiah 1:8

Jeremiah 1:8 Ver. 8. Be not afraid of their faces,.... Their stern looks, their frowning brows, and angry countenances, which would threaten him with destruction and death: for I am with thee, to deliver thee, saith the Lord; out of their hands, when in the most imminent danger. The Targum paraphrases the words thus,…

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SECTION 9

Jeremiah 1:9

Jeremiah 1:9 Ver. 9. Then the Lord put forth his hand,.... Who, according to Kimchi, was the Angel that appeared to the prophet, and spoke in the name of the Lord to him, and is called by his name; but rather it was the Son of God, the true Jehovah, who appeared in a human form he assumed for the present, and put fort…

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SECTION 10

Jeremiah 1:10

Jeremiah 1:10 Ver. 10. See, I have this day set thee over the nations, and over the kingdoms,.... Not as a prince, but as a prophet over them, to prophesy things concerning them, whether good or evil, which should certainly come to pass as he predicted: to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down…

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SECTION 11

Jeremiah 1:11

Jeremiah 1:11 Ver. 11. Moreover, the word of the Lord came unto me,.... At the same time as before: saying, Jeremiah, what seest thou? The Septuagint version leaves out the word "Jeremiah": and I said, I see a rod of an almond tree; a dry stick, without leaves or fruit upon it, and yet he knew it to be an almond tre…

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SECTION 12

Jeremiah 1:12

Jeremiah 1:12 Ver. 12. Then said the Lord unto me, thou hast well seen,.... The thing seen is a very proper emblem of what I am about to do, and the quick dispatch that will be made therein: for l will hasten my word to perform it; the words yna dqv, "shoked ani", "I will hasten", or "I am hastening", are in allusion…

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SECTION 13

Jeremiah 1:13

Jeremiah 1:13 Ver. 13. And the word of the Lord came unto me the second time,.... In the same vision: saying, what seest thou? besides the almond tree rod; which perhaps was now removed out of sight, and another object appears: and I said, I see a seething pot; a pot with fire under it, boiling and bubbling up: and…

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SECTION 14

Jeremiah 1:14

Jeremiah 1:14 Ver. 14. Then the Lord said unto me,.... Explaining the above vision: out of the north an evil shall break forth upon all the inhabitants of the land; that is, out of Babylon, which lay north, as Jarchi says, and so the Talmud {t}; or north east, as Kimchi and Ben Melech, to the land of Israel; from hen…

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SECTION 15

Jeremiah 1:15

Jeremiah 1:15 Ver. 15. For, lo, I will call all the families of the kingdoms of the north, saith the Lord,.... Which belonged unto and were under the jurisdiction of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon; and the "call" of them, as Kimchi well observes, is no other than putting it into their hearts to come:and they shall com…

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SECTION 16

Jeremiah 2:1

Jeremiah 2:1 INTRODUCTION TO JEREMIAH 2 This chapter contains the prophet's message from the Lord to the people of the Jews; in which they are reminded of their former favours, in order to aggravate their sins and transgressions they were chargeable with; to show their ingratitude and unkindness, and to bring them to…

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SECTION 17

Jeremiah 2:2

Jeremiah 2:2 Ver. 2. Go, and cry in the ears of Jerusalem,.... Of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the metropolis of Judea. The prophet seems now to have been at Anathoth, and therefore is bid to go from thence to Jerusalem, and there prophesy before the people in it, as the Targum paraphrases it: saying, thus saith the…

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SECTION 18

Jeremiah 2:3

Jeremiah 2:3 Ver. 3. Israel was holiness unto the Lord,.... When first brought out of Egypt into the wilderness, by the Lord's choice and separation of them to be a holy people to him above all others; by covenant with him, and profession of him; and by his giving them holy laws, and placing a sanctuary among them; an…

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SECTION 19

Jeremiah 2:4

Jeremiah 2:4 Ver. 4. Hear ye the word of the Lord, O house of Jacob, and all the families of the house of Israel. The Lord, by the prophet, having observed his great kindness to this people, what they were unto him, and what a regard he had for them, proceeds to upbraid them with their ingratitude, and requires an att…

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SECTION 20

Jeremiah 2:5

Jeremiah 2:5 Ver. 5. Thus saith the Lord, what iniquity have your fathers found in me,.... What injustice or injury has been done them? there is no unrighteousness in God, nor can any be done by him; or what unfaithfulness, or want of truth and integrity in performing promises, had they found in him? he never suffers …

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SECTION 21

Jeremiah 2:6

Jeremiah 2:6 Ver. 6. Neither said they, where is the Lord?.... They did not ask after him, nor seek his face and favour, nor worship him, nor took any notice of the blessings he bestowed upon them: that brought us up out of the land of Egypt? by means of Moses the deliverer, with a mighty hand, and outstretched arm; …

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SECTION 22

Jeremiah 2:7

Jeremiah 2:7 Ver. 7. And I brought you into a plentiful country,.... "Into the land of Carmel", as in the Hebrew text; that is, "into the land of Israel, which was planted as Carmel,'' as the Targum paraphrases it; with wheat, barley, vines, fig trees, pomegranates, and olives; a land flowing with milk and honey, De…

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SECTION 23

Jeremiah 2:8

Jeremiah 2:8 Ver. 8. The priests said not, where is the Lord?.... Whose business it was to draw nigh to God, and offer the sacrifices of the people, and inquire of God for them; whose lips should keep knowledge, and at whose mouth the law should be sought, they being the messengers of the Lord of hosts, Mal 2:7: and …

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SECTION 24

Jeremiah 2:9

Jeremiah 2:9 Ver. 9. Wherefore I will yet plead with you, saith the Lord,.... Either verbally, by reasoning with them, and reproving them for their ignorance, stupidity, and idolatry; or by deeds, inflicting punishment upon them; so the Targum, "therefore I will take vengeance on you, or punish you, saith the Lord:''…

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SECTION 25

Jeremiah 2:10

Jeremiah 2:10 Ver. 10. For pass over the isles of Chittim, and see,.... Or, "to the isles of Chittim" {z}; so called from Kittim the son of Javan, Ge 10:4 who, as Josephus says {a}, possessed the island of Chethima, now called Cyprus; and, from that, all islands, and most maritime places, are, by the Hebrews, called C…

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SECTION 26

Jeremiah 2:11

Jeremiah 2:11 Ver. 11. Hath a nation changed their gods, which are yet no gods?.... Though they are not by nature gods which they worship, only nominal and fictitious deities, yet they did not change them for others; but when they once embraced the worship of them, continued therein; so did the Chittim, the inhabitant…

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SECTION 27

Jeremiah 2:12

Jeremiah 2:12 Ver. 12. Be astonished, O ye heavens, at this,.... Meaning either the angels in heaven, or the heavens themselves, by a personification: and be horribly afraid, be ye very desolate, saith the Lord; all which may be signified by storms and tempests, by thunder and lightning, and by the sun's withdrawing …

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SECTION 28

Jeremiah 2:13

Jeremiah 2:13 Ver. 13. For my people have committed two evils,.... Not but that they had committed more, but there were two principal ones they were guilty of, hereafter mentioned; and it was an aggravation of these crimes, that they were the professing people of God who had committed them: and it may be observed, tha…

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SECTION 29

Jeremiah 2:14

Jeremiah 2:14 Ver. 14. Is Israel a servant?.... That he does not abide in the house, in his own land, but is carried captive, becomes subject to others, and is used as a slave; so the Targum, "as a servant;'' is he not the Lord's first born? are not the people of Israel called the children of the living God? how com…

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SECTION 30

Jeremiah 3:1

Jeremiah 3:1 INTRODUCTION TO JEREMIAH 3 In this chapter the sins of the people of Israel and Judah are exposed; particularly their idolatry, signified by playing the harlot; which is aggravated by the number of lovers or idols they had worshipped; by the many places where they had committed it; by their impudence in …

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SECTION 31

Jeremiah 3:2

Jeremiah 3:2 Ver. 2. Lift up thine eyes unto the high places,.... Where idols were set and worshipped; either places naturally high, as hills and mountains, which were chosen for this service; or high places, artificially made and thrown up for this purpose; see 2Ki 17:9, Jarchi interprets the word Mypv of "rivulets o…

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SECTION 32

Jeremiah 3:3

Jeremiah 3:3 Ver. 3. Therefore the showers have been withholden, and there hath been no latter rain,.... There were two seasons of the year when rain in common fell upon the land of Israel, called the former and the latter rain, and both are designed here. The former by Mybybr, "showers", so called from the multitude …

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SECTION 33

Jeremiah 3:4

Jeremiah 3:4 Ver. 4. Wilt thou not from this time cry unto me,.... These words are either a confirmation and proof of that impudence with which these people are charged; for had they not been impudent, or had not a forehead like a whorish woman; or were they truly ashamed, they would have cried to the Lord henceforwar…

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SECTION 34

Jeremiah 3:5

Jeremiah 3:5 Ver. 5. Will he reserve his anger for ever?.... These words may be considered as a continuation of the speech put into their mouths to make to the Lord and plead with him, as well as what follows: will he keep it to the end? that is, his anger: no; he will not: this is not according to the nature of God;…

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SECTION 35

Jeremiah 3:6

Jeremiah 3:6 Ver. 6. The Lord said also unto me, in the days of Josiah the king,.... For in his time Jeremiah began to prophesy, even in the thirteenth year of his reign, Jer 1:2: hast thou seen that which backsliding Israel hath done? the ten tribes; that is, hast thou not heard? or dost thou not know the idolatry o…

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SECTION 36

Jeremiah 3:7

Jeremiah 3:7 Ver. 7. And I said, after she had done these things,.... All these idolatries, in the several places mentioned, after she had repeated them over and over; the Lord sent to them by the Prophets Hosea, Amos, Micah, and others, who prophesied before the captivity of the ten tribes, and entreated them, saying…

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SECTION 37

Jeremiah 3:8

Jeremiah 3:8 Ver. 8. And I saw, when for all the causes, whereby backsliding Israel committed adultery,.... Not only Judah saw, but God, who sees all things, saw the idolatry of the ten tribes which apostatized from him, and all the springs, causes, reasons, and occasions of it, and its consequences; and also the trea…

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SECTION 38

Jeremiah 3:9

Jeremiah 3:9 Ver. 9. And it came to pass, through the lightness of her whoredom,.... Or the "swiftness" {b} of it; when it was once set on foot, it ran through the land presently one taking it from and following the example of another; or it became a light thing with her to commit idolatry; it was looked upon as a sma…

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SECTION 39

Jeremiah 3:10

Jeremiah 3:10 Ver. 10. And yet for all this,.... Though the two tribes saw the lightness and filthiness of the sin Israel was guilty of, and how the land was defiled with it, the stupidity of it, and the punishment inflicted on account of it: her treacherous sister Judah hath not turned unto me with her whole heart, …

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SECTION 40

Jeremiah 3:11

Jeremiah 3:11 Ver. 11. And the Lord said unto me,.... To the Prophet Jeremiah, as in Jer 3:6 and at or about the same time: the backsliding Israel hath justified herself more than treacherous Judah; that is, was comparatively more righteous; of the two she appeared the most righteous; though neither of them could vin…

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SECTION 41

Jeremiah 3:12

Jeremiah 3:12 Ver. 12. Go and proclaim these words towards the north,.... With his face thitherwards, towards Babylon, which lay north of Judea, and was the metropolis of Assyria, where the ten tribes were carried captive; and though they were dispersed in the cities of Media and Persia, which lay eastward, yet Babylo…

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Jeremiah 4:1

Jeremiah 4:1 INTRODUCTION TO JEREMIAH 4 This chapter begins with several exhortations to repentance; first to Israel, or the ten tribes, to return to the Lord with their whole hearts, and put away their abominations, and serve him in sincerity and uprightness of soul; with promises of rest and safety to themselves; a…

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SECTION 43

Jeremiah 4:2

Jeremiah 4:2 Ver. 2. And thou shalt swear, the Lord liveth,.... Or by the living Lord, by him and him only; not by the creatures, but by the God of truth. This is sometimes put for the whole worship and service of God, De 6:13 and for a confession of Christ, and profession of faith in him, Isa 45:23, compared with Ro …

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SECTION 44

Jeremiah 4:3

Jeremiah 4:3 Ver. 3. For thus saith the Lord to the men of Judah and Jerusalem,.... The two tribes of Judah and Benjamin, who were at the time of this prophecy in their own land; and so are distinguished from Israel the ten tribes, who were in captivity; unless the same persons should be meant, who were called by thes…

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SECTION 45

Jeremiah 4:4

Jeremiah 4:4 Ver. 4. Circumcise yourselves to the Lord,.... Or, "be ye circumcised", as the Septuagint and Vulgate Latin versions render it. This is to be understood of the circumcision of the heart, as Kimchi observes; and as appears from the following words: and take away the foreskins of your heart, ye men of Juda…

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SECTION 46

Jeremiah 4:5

Jeremiah 4:5 Ver. 5. Declare ye in Judah, and publish in Jerusalem, and say,.... Exhortations to repentance being without effect in general, though they might have an influence on some few particular persons, the Lord directs the prophet to lay before the people a view of their destruction as near at hand; who calls u…

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SECTION 47

Jeremiah 4:6

Jeremiah 4:6 Ver. 6. Set up the standard toward Zion,.... Not on the tower of Zion, as Kimchi interprets it; but on some high place, pointing to Zion, and directing the country people to flee thither for safety; for the setting up of the standard here is not for enlisting of soldiers in order to fight, but as a sign o…

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SECTION 48

Jeremiah 4:7

Jeremiah 4:7 Ver. 7. The lion is come up from his thicket,.... Meaning Nebuchadnezzar {s}, from Babylon, who is compared to a lion for his strength, fierceness, and cruelty; see Jer 50:17 so the Roman emperor is called a lion, 2Ti 4:17, agreeably to this the Targum paraphrases it, "a king is gone from his fortress;''…

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SECTION 49

Jeremiah 4:8

Jeremiah 4:8 Ver. 8. For this gird you with sackcloth, lament and howl,.... That is, because of this destruction threatened, which was so near at hand, and so sure and certain: for the fierce anger of the Lord is not turned back from us. The Septuagint, Syriac, and Arabic versions, render it "from you" and some rende…

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SECTION 50

Jeremiah 4:9

Jeremiah 4:9 Ver. 9. And it shall come to pass at that day, saith the Lord,.... When Nebuchadnezzar should be come up from Babylon into the land of Judea, and lay waste the cities thereof, and besiege Jerusalem: that the heart of the king shall perish; meaning Zedekiah king of Judah, who should be in the utmost frigh…

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SECTION 51

Jeremiah 4:10

Jeremiah 4:10 Ver. 10. Then said I, ah, Lord God!.... Expressing great sorrow and concern: this "ah" is by way of lamentation. The Targum interprets it as a petition, "and I said, receive my prayer, O Lord God:'' surely thou hast greatly deceived this people and Jerusalem: what the false prophets did, that God is sa…

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SECTION 52

Jeremiah 5:1

Jeremiah 5:1 INTRODUCTION TO JEREMIAH 5 This chapter contains a further account of the destruction of the Jews by the Chaldeans, and the causes of it, the sins of the people, as want of justice and truth; being so corrupt, that a just and faithful man was not to be found among them; could there, the city would have b…

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SECTION 53

Jeremiah 5:2

Jeremiah 5:2 Ver. 2. And though they say, the Lord liveth,.... It might be said, that there were multitudes that made mention of the name of the Lord, that professed it, and swore by it; which sometimes is put for the worship and service of God, De 10:20 and therefore it could not be so difficult a matter to find a ma…

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SECTION 54

Jeremiah 5:3

Jeremiah 5:3 Ver. 3. O Lord, are not thine eyes upon the truth?.... That is, thou hast no regard to such deceitful men, such hypocritical worshippers and formal professors, but to true and upright men: God looks not at outward appearances, but to the heart; he can see through all masks and vizards, there is no deceivi…

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SECTION 55

Jeremiah 5:4

Jeremiah 5:4 Ver. 4. Then I said, surely these are poor, they are foolish,.... The prophet, observing that reproofs and corrections in providence had no effect upon the people, he thought within himself that surely the reason must be, because these people are poor, and in low circumstances in the world, and are so bus…

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SECTION 56

Jeremiah 5:5

Jeremiah 5:5 Ver. 5. I will get me unto the great men, and speak unto them,.... The princes, nobles, and judges, the elders of the people, the scribes and doctors of the law: for they have known the way of the Lord, and the judgment of their God; it might be reasonably expected that they had, having had a good educat…

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SECTION 57

Jeremiah 5:6

Jeremiah 5:6 Ver. 6. Wherefore a lion out of the forest shall slay them,.... Meaning King Nebuchadnezzar out of Babylon, a place full of people, and so comparable to a forest, as the king is to a lion, for his strength, fierceness, and cruelty; and who came from thence, besieged and took Jerusalem; and who not only sl…

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SECTION 58

2Ch 36:17

2Ch 36:17 and a wolf of the evenings shall spoil them; which, having sought for its prey all the day, or not daring to go out for any, is hungry, raging and furious, and tears and destroys whatever it meets with; see Zep 3:3, so the Targum and Kimchi understand it of such a wolf; but Jarchi and Ben Melech interpret it…

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SECTION 59

Jeremiah 5:7

Jeremiah 5:7 Ver. 7. How shall I pardon thee for this?.... Because of their manifold transgressions, and multiplied backslidings; or "wherefore, or for what, shall I pardon thee?" {r} as the Targum; can any reason be given why I should? what goodness is there in thee, or done by thee, that I should do this unto thee? …

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Jeremiah 5:8

Jeremiah 5:8 Ver. 8. They were as fed horses in the morning,.... Adulterers are compared to horses, because they are very salacious and lustful creatures; wherefore the Septuagint renders the word: "horses are become mad after the females"; or, "as horses mad after the females are they become"; and especially to such …

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Source & rights

Public domain; John Gill (1697–1771). Source item is marked Public Domain on Internet Archive.

Project Gutenberg source record →

Historical Christian writing; not Scripture.