The Pulpit Commentary — Jeremiah — Volume 1 — Section 31

God led thee these forty years in the lRnd," os it were (so Payne Smith). wilderness"). "Carmel" is strictly an appellative noun Ver, 3.-Israel was holineBB, etc. Israel moaning "garden-land," i.e. land planted woe a consecrated people (comp. Exod. xix. with vines ond other choice plants. So eh. 5, 6: Deut. vii. 6 ; xiv. 2 ; xxvi. 19). Isoiah, iv. 26; Isa.. xxix. 17; xxxvii. 24. fond as he is of the phrase "Israel's Holy Ver. 8.-The priests, etc. The blame One," does not expressly enforce the correla- principally falls on the three lending classes tive truth, as Jeremiah .does here. The ftret- (as in ver. 26; Mice.h iii. 11). First on tho frnits of his inoreaee; rather, hi8 ji'rst/rui/8 priests who "handle the Law," i.e. who of increaae. Israel is compared to the first- have a traditional knowledge of the details fruits (reshith) of the land, which were de- of the Low, and teach the people accordingly voted to the house of the Lord (Exod. xxiii. (Dent. xvii. 9-11; xxxiii. 10; eh. xviii. 18; .19; Nomb. :niii. 12, 13). So in Amos vi, see also on eh. viii 8); next on the" po.store," I, the title given him is "the chief [margin, or" shepherds" (in the Homeric sense), the 'firstfruits 'J of the nations" (in eh. xxxi. 7, civil and not the spiritual authorities ; so .a synonymow and cognate word, rosh, takes generally in the Old Testament (see eh. iii. the place of reahith for "chief"). All that 15; L 21 ; xxii. 22; xxv. 34 ; Zech. x. 3; xi. devour him shell o1f'end ; rather, all that ate 5, 8, 16; Isa. xliv. 28); e.nd lastly on the him incurred guiU, or became guilty of a prophets, who sought their inspiration, not trespass. Foreigners were forbidden to eot from Jehovah (comp. note on ver. 30), but of consecrated things ; by breokiog this from Baal. To prophesy by (by means of) lo.w they became guilty of a "trespass," :Bao.I, or rather, the Baal, implies that pro- having invaded the rights of Jehovah (Lev. phecy is dne to an impulse from the super- xxii. 10, 15, 16). The word for "trespass" natural world; that it is not a.nobjectifying is the same as that rendered "guilt." of the imaginations of tho prophet himself. Ver. 5.-Wha.t iniquity, etc.; rather, what Even the Baal prophets yielded to an im- unrigliteOU811eBs, etc. (comp. Dent. xxxii. 4, pulse from without, but how that impulse "a God of faithfulness, and wilhout un- was produced the prophet does not tell us. righteousness," alluding to the "covenant" We are told in 1 Kings xxii. 19-23, tbnt between Jehovah and Israel). God's con- even p.opheta of Jehovah could be led descending grace (his 'aniiviih, Ps. xviii. 36). ostre.y by a "lying spirit;'' much more As if he were under an obligation to Israel presumo.bly could prophets of the Bao!. (comp. Micah vi. 3, etc.; Isa. v. 3). Vanity; The Baal is here used as o representative i.e. the idols; litero.lly, a breath (so eh. x. of the idol-gods, in antithesis to J ehovuh; .15; xiv. 22; xvi. 19). Are beoome vain. The sometimes " Boalim," or the Bao.ls, is whole beiog of man is o.ffected by the wont used instead (e.g. ver. 23; eh. ix. 13), each of solid be.sis to his religion (comp. eh. xxiii. town or oity having its own Be.al ("lord"). 16; Ps. cxv. 8); and the evident o.lluaion to Things the.t do not profit. A synonym for our passage in Rom. i. 21 (St. Paul has idols (comp. eh. xvi. 19; Isa. xliv. 9; 1 ,,.,..,.,.. r:,91'/<TCUI, as Septuagint here). 'l'he Sam. xii. 21). An enlightened regard for clause is verbo.lly repeated in 2 Kings xvii. self-interest is encouroged by the religion 15, with reference to the ten tribes. of the Bible, at any rate edncationally. Ver. 6.-Neither so.id they, etc.; os their Contrast Comtism. children's children were forced by stress of Ver. 9.-1 will yet plead, eto. Repeated trouble to se.y ([so. lxiii. 11; see note). A aots of rebellion call forth repeated objurgEL- land of de1erts e.nd of pits. The first phrase tions and punishments. With your ohildren's applied to the region through which the ohildren. For God "visits tho iniquity of Iara.elites passed (" a wilderness ") was the fathers upon the children" (Exod. xx. 5). vague, and might mean merely pusture- Ver. 10.-Justification of Johovuh·s judi• land. The remainder of the description, cial action towards JudELh. Consider the however, shows thut "wilderness" i9 here heinousness of the offence. Pass over- meant, os often (e.g. lea. xxxv. 1; 1. 2), in rother, pas, 011er to-the isles of Chittim; the sense of "desert." Though recent i.e. the islands and maritime countries of the travellers have shown that tho Sino.Hie West, represented by Cyprus (see on Gen. x. peninsula is not by any means universally 4). For the wide use of Chittim, comp. o "desert," and that in o.ncient times it was Numb. xxiv. 24; Dan. xi. 30). Kedar, in the still lees eo, it is not unne.tural that 11n narrower sense, is n large tribe of Arubion ogrioulturo.l people should regard it as a origin, whose ho.nots were between Arabia most inhospitable region, and should even Petrrno. and Bobylonia. Here, however, it idealize its terrors (comp. Deut. viii. 15). is usod in a wider sense for the Arab tribrs "Pits," i.e. rents and fissures in the soil, in in general (so oh. xlix. 28; Isa. xxi. 16, 17). which the unwary traveller might lose his Ver. 11.-Hath a nation ohanged their life (eh. xviii. 20, 22). gods 1 IIas any heathen 11a!ion ever changed Ver, 7.-A plentiful oountry. "A Carmel its idol-god /or auotller 1 The prophet ckarly  THE BOOK OF THE PROPHET JEREMIAH. [ott. It. 1-87.