The Pulpit Commentary — Jeremiah — Volume 1 — Section 84

Ver. 3.-There is no occosion to sepnra!e that he vents himself in langnago such ~s the vcrs. s, 4, from the preceding prophecy. VI e last man might employ on the morro,v of lho hlive other instances of ns sud.den n tran- final judgment day (vers. 19-2G). And sition from the Isra.elites (in the narrower now, "lest what preeecles might seem only sense) to the men of Judah (nee Isa .. viii. 6-14 • x. 1-4 • xxviii. 1-6; in the writer's poetry" (Payne Smith), the Divine decree comm~nta.ry). For thus, etc. "For" is he~e is solemnly announced. The judgment is not causal; but explanatory: "I eo.y this irrevocable; but there is a. gleam of hope: not only to the men of Israel, but to you, "I will not make a full end." On the qncs- Omen of Judah who need the admonition tion whether the Scythians or the Baby- to repentance, h~w deeply I" (see eh. v. 2). B;rea.k up your fallow ground ; the sa~e lonians arc ma.inly alluded to, see Intro- figure as in Hos. x. 12. To understand 11;, duction.) we must rea.d the clause in connection with Ver. 5.-Cry, gather together; rather, the following one, Bow not among thorns. cry aloud. The prophet means, though he does not_say Ver. G.-Set np tho standard. The" stan- so, the roots which will spring up rnto dard" was a tall pole with I\ flag, pointing thorns. "Do not pla.nt your good reso- in the direction of Zion, for the guidanco lutioils in n heart filled up with the roots of fugitives. Retire, stay not; rather, sace of thorns,' but first ra.ke up the soil, and your !JOOds by flight; linger not. The former clear it of noxious germs, a~d then sow_ th: verb occurs again in the snme sense in seed which will grow up ID a holy life Exod. ix. 19; lea. x. 31. From the north. (comp. Matt. xiii. 7). The expression suits either the Scythians or Ver. 4.-Circumcise yourselves to the Lord. the Chaldeans (see on eh. i. H). A signi.ficnnt passage. All t?,e _Jews ~ere Ver. 7.-The lion; the symbol of irre- circumcised, but not a.11 were circumcised sistible might nnd royalty (Ge □. xlix. 7; to the Lord." There were but too ma.ny Rev. v. 5). Of the Gentiles; rather, of the who were "circumcised in nncircumcision" natiom. There is no reference to the dis- (eh. ix. 25), a.nd the prophet sternly reduces tinction between Jews nod Gentiles; the such circumcision to the level of the Jews themselves 11re not allowed to escl\pe. heathenish rite of cutting oft' the ha.ir (eh. ix. An ordinary lion attacks individunl men; 26; comp. Herod. iii. 8). Jeremiah sooms this lion destroyd no.tions. Is on his way ; to have been specie.Uy anxious to coun tcr9:ct literally, has broken up his encampment -a a merely formal, ritualistic notion of cir- phrase perhaps suggested by the noniad cumcision, shoring in this, e.s in other points, Scythi11ns. the influence of the Book of Deuteronomy, Ver. 8.-Ie not turned baok from ue. As so lately found in the temple (cO;IIIP· De1;1t. we in our folly believed (eh. ii. 35). x. 16). To him the venerable rite of cir- Ver. 9.-The hea.rt . .. shall pe:d..sh; i.e. cumcision (older, certainly, than Abraham) they shall lose their reo.son. Tho samo vcr!i is a symbol of the devotion of the _heart to in Ethiopio means "to be mad." '!'ho its ri<,.htful Lord (comp. St. Pa.ul 111 Rom. "heart" in Old Testament lnngungo is tho ii. 28~29; Col. ii. 11; Phil. iii. 3). centi·e of the intellectuC\l ns well os of the Vere. 5-31.-A revelation of grievous mornl life (comp. Hos. iv. 11; Job xii. 24; purport has suddenly rel\ched the prophet. Prov. xv. 28). So St. Ephrcm the Syri,m Soo how the Coo drnws nearer nnd neo.ror, says (' Works,' in Syri11c, ii. 316, quoted l,y nnd how alnrm drives the sco.ttored popu- Dolitzsch), "The reason expatiates in thu lation to seek for refuge in tho fortified henrt o.s in II paluco." Ver. 10.-Ah, Lord God! mther, Alas I 0 cities. Con such be the issue of the Lord Jehovah (see on eh. i. 6). Thou hast promises of peace with which Jehov11h has greatly deoeived this poople, olc. III nch encourngod his people? Such nre tho con- difficulty has been felt in interpreting Ibis tents of the first paragraph (vers. 5-10). vorso, partly because it scorns directly to Next, in Bhort, detached figures the prophet charge Jehovah with" deceit," nntl partly because the prophecy, Ye ehall havo sets forth the sin of the people a.ad its peaoo on which this chargo fa fount.!etl, punishment. Like a scorching simoom is accords oxa.ctly with the strain of tho "false the former; like swift clouds, a.ud like a prophets" (sec eh. vi. 14; xiv. IS; xxiii. 17). whirlwind, is the onward JDurch of the Hence somo (e.!J. EwC\ld) hC\V~ altcrntl tho instruments of the latter. Swift, indeed, points of the verb nt lho begmmng of tho verse, so ns' to enable tholll to render, must repentnnce be, if it is to outrun pun- "And one sli'11ll say," the subject understood ishment. For the northern peoples nre being either C\ "f.cl~c prophet" or one of the already here (vors. 11-18). 'l'he impres- people. This view is not in itsolf inq,os- sion is so strong on the rninll of the prophet sil.,le (Kcil's objection will not hear c-x,1- so THE BOOK OF THE PROPHET JEREr.HAII. [cH. 1v. 1-31.