The Pulpit Commentary — Jeremiah — Volume 1 — Section 510

such changes of person nre of frequent preponderance or the fals<l prophets OYer occurrence, and we know that the prophets the tru<l, ns if Jehova.b wore uuo.ware c.f th<l ~-ere thoroughly assured that the word mischief. Not so; Jehovo.h is omnipresent. which they spoke was not theirs, hut tha.t Ver. 25.-1 have dreamed. Jeremiah of him who sent them. mentions it e.s one of the marks of a false Vers. 19, 20.-These two verses seem to be prophet tba.t he appealed to his dreams oonnectcd with ver. I 7. The false prophets (comp. eh. xxix. 8); true prophecy con- say, "Ye shall have pcac<l.11 How different tented itself with less ambiguous media of the message of the true I (A duplicate of communication with the unseen world. It these verses occur, in eh. xxx. 23, 24.) may be obj<lcted tha.t Abra.ba.m (Gen. xv. Yer. 19.-A whirlwind of the Lord, etc.; 12), a.t any rate, e.nd Abimelech (Gen. rather, A storm of the Lord, even fury, is gone xx. 3) received Divine revelations in clreams; forth, and a whirling storm-upon the head but thes<l were not officially prophets. Na- of the wicl,ed shall it whirl. The hurricane than and the contemporaries of the author ba.s already brGkeu out; it will soon reach of Job bad messages from God by night, Jerusalem. This seems to be tJ.10 force of but these nre called, not dreams, but visions J cremiah's expressive figure. (2 Sam. vii. 14, comp. 17; Job- iv. 13). Ver. 20.-The anger of the Lord. The Deuteronomy (and this is one of its btriking prophet's interpretation of the image. It is points of agreement with Jeremiah) ex- the judicial anger of J ebovah, personified a.s pressly describes a fals<l prophet e.s " a Divine manifestations so often aro (hence dreamer of dreams" (Deut. xiii. I ; comp. "shall not return"). The form of the verse 1 Sam. xxviii. 6). Two passages in the Old rominds us of Isa. Iv. 11. In the latter Testament seem inconsistent with this clis- de.ye ; rather, in future days, as Dr. Hen- couragement of dreams as a medium of n.crson rightly renders. It seems better to revelation-Numb. xii. 6, where the Lord is restrict the term " latter days II to the said to make himself knowu to propb~ts by Messianic period (" the coming e.ge, 11 Matt. visions and dreams, and Joel ii. 28, where xiL 32), to which, in fact, it is ofte:::i. applied the prophetic dreams of the old men nre (e.g. Iso.. ii. 2; Hos. iii 5). The phrase in one of the features of a Messianic descrip- itself simply means "in the sequel of th<l tion ; but it is noteworthy that the first of days," i.e. in the future ; its Messianic these refers to the primitive period of IsrAel's reference, when this exists, is inferred solely history, and th<l second to the distant Mes- from the context. In the po.sse.ge before us, sianic age. In its classical period prophecy and in Dent. iv. 30, xxx. 29, tber<J can be kept itself sedulously aloof from a. field on no intention of pointing to the Messianic which it had such compromising companiou- age. Precisely the same phrase occurs in ship (comp. Eccles. v. 7). an Assyrian inscription, where its meaning is Ver. 26.-How long shall tl..tis be in the clear from the context (ana akhrat yumi heart, etc.? i.e. how long aho.11 this be their in"b, '' For a sequel of days-i.e. for a futur<l purpose, viz. to prophesy lies? But this time-I deposited"). In the present case it rendering leaves out of account a seconu is no distant period to which the prophet interrogo.tive which in the Hebrew follows refers, for be continues, Ye shall consider it, "how Jong." It is betler to translate this etc., or rather, ye shall understand it clearly, difficult passag<l, with De Dieu and many viz. that the calamities which will have modems, thus: "How long(quousque durabit com<l upon you are the Divine judgment hrec ipsorum impudentia)? Is it in the upon your sins. heart of the prophets tho.t prophesy lies, nnd Vers. 21, 22.-In vers. 17-20 Jeremiah the prophets of the deceit of their own ho.s shown that these cannot be true pro- heart; a.re they thinking (I say) to cause phets, because their message is cliametrically my people to forget," etc.? Ou this view, opposed to the true revelation. He now ver. 27 resumes the question iuterrupted in pro,es it from the absence of any moral ver. 26. effect from their preaching. Ver. 27.-Every me.n to his neighbour, Vere. 23-32.-Jebovab bas observed and Not merely one proph<lt to anolher prophet, will punish the false pretensions of the for it is "my people" whom th£>y cause to prophets. forget my Nume (comp. ver. 32), but the Vere. 23, 24.-Am I a God e.t he.nd, etc.? propbr.t to his fellow-man. Have forgotten ('' At hand" equivalent to" near.") Elipbaz my name for Be.al; or,forgot my name through may again assist us with an illustration. Baal. ".A.nd thou sayest "-he is expostulating Ver. 28.-Let him tell a dream; ro.ther, with Job-•' What doth God know? can he let Mm tell it as a dream; Jet him tell his judge through th<l dark oloud? thick clouds urenms, if be will, but not intermix the,n a.re a. covering to him, that he seetb not; with Divine r<lvelations. Jeremiah, then, yea, he walketh upon the Yault of heaven" <l.oes not deny that there is a measure of tJoL xx.ii. 13, 14). It might seem, from the truth ;n what these prophets soy; be only  oH. xxm. 1-10.] THE BOOK OF TIIE PROPHET JEllEMIAH. 517