COMMENTARIES
ON
THE
BOOK OF THE PROPHET
JEREMIAH
AND
THE
LAMENTATIONS
BY JOHN
CALVIN
TRANSLATED FROM THE LATIN,
AND EDITED
BY THE REV. JOHN
OWEN,
VICAR OF THRUSSINGTON, AND RURAL
DEAN, LEICESTERSHIRE
VOLUME
FIFTH
CHAPTER 48
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JEREMIAH
48:1
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1. Against Moab thus saith the Lord of hosts,
the God of Israel, Woe unto Nebo! for it is spoiled; Kiriathaim is confounded
and taken: Misgab is confounded and dismayed.
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1. Contra Moab, sic dicit Jehova exercituum,
Deus Israel, Vae super Nebo, quia in vastitatem redacta est (vastata est;)
destructa est Kiriathaim; pudefacta est Misgab et expavit (vel,
anima fracta est.)
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This prophecy is against the Moabites, who, though
they derived their origin from Lot, and were of the same blood with the
Israelites, had yet been inimical to them. This prophecy would be uninteresting,
were we not to remember the history on which the application and use of what is
said depends. We have said that the Moabites, as the father of their nation was
Lot, were connected by blood with the Israelites; they ought then to have
retained the recollection of their brotherhood, and to have dealt kindly with
them; for God had spared them when the people of Israel entered into the land of
Canaan. The Israelites, we know, passed through the borders of Moab without
doing any harm to them, because it was God’s purpose, from a regard to
Lot, to preserve them for a time. But this people never ceased to contrive all
manner of plots against God’s people; and, as we shall hereafter see, when
the state of that people became embarrassed, they cruelly exulted over them, and
became more insolent than avowed enemies. Hence God prophesied against them,
that the Israelites might know, as we reminded you yesterday, that their
miserable condition was not overlooked by God, and that though he chastised
them, yet some hope of mercy remained, as he undertook their cause and would be
their defender. It was then no small comfort which this prophecy brought to the
faithful; for they thus knew that God was still their father, though apparently
he seemed to be severe to them. We now perceive the design of what is here
said.
The case of the Moabites was different from that of
the Egyptians, for the Egyptians were wholly aliens to the chosen people; but
the Moabites, as we have said, were related to them. They were therefore
willful, and as it were intestine enemies; and nature itself ought to have
taught them to acknowledge the Israelites as their brethren, and to cultivate
mutual kindness. This cruelty and ingratitude were so hateful to God, that at
length he punished them most severely. But as the Moabites remained in quietness
when Judea was laid waste, and the city Jerusalem destroyed, after the overthrow
of the kingdom of Israel, and the banishment of the ten tribes to distant
countries, it behooved the faithful to exercise patience, which could not have
been done without hope. It was this then that Jeremiah had in view, even to
sustain the minds of the godly with the expectation of God’s judgment,
which he here denounces on the Moabites.
He says,
Against
Moab;
fH1 and then it follows,
Thus saith Jehovah of hosts, the
God of Israel. By the first term he
designates the immense power of God, and reminds them that God is the judge of
the whole world, and that his kingdom extends over all nations; but by the
second expression he bears testimony to the love with which he had embraced the
children of Abraham, because he had been pleased to choose them as his peculiar
inheritance.
Woe,
he says, on
Nebo;
fH2 which was a city in the land of
Moab; because laid waste,
ashamed, taken is Kiriathaim. He names
here, as we see, some cities, and he will name more as he proceeds. Ashamed
then and taken is Kiriathaim;
and Misgab
fH3
is ashamed and
torn, or broken in mind. It follows,
—
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JEREMIAH
48:2
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2. There shall be no more praise of
Moab; in Heshbon they have devised evil against it; come, and let us cut it off
from being a nation: also thou shalt be cut down, O Madmen; the sword
shall pursue thee.
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2. Nulla amplius gloriatio Moab in Chesbon;
cogitaverunt super eam malum, Venite et excidamus eam, ne sit gens; etiam
Madmen, (alloquitur urbem ipsam,) excisa es (ad verbum,
in solitudinem redacta, sed metaphorice accipitur pro interitu,
interiit ergo Madmen;) post to proficiscetur
gladius.
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The Prophet, as before, does not speak in an ordinary
way, but declares in lofty terms what God had committed to him, in order that he
might terrify the Moabites; not indeed that they heard his threatenings, but it
was necessary that he should denounce vengeance in this vehement manner, that
the Jews might know that the cruelty and pride of the Moabites, hereafter
mentioned, would not go unpunished.
Hence he says,
No more shall be the praise
or the boasting
of Moab over
Heshbon. We may learn from this place
and from others, that Heshbon had been taken from the Moabites; for it was
occupied by God’s people, because the Moabites had lost it, as Moses
relates in
<042130>Numbers
21:30, and in
<050226>Deuteronomy
2:26, etc. But (as things change) when the Moabites became strong, they took
away this city from the Israelites. Hence the Prophet says, that there would be
no more boasting that they possessed that city; for he adds,
They have
thought, or devised, etc. There is here
a striking allusion, for
ˆwbçj,
chesbon, is derived from
bçj,
chesheb, to devise or to consult, as though it were a place of
consultation or devisings. The Prophet then says, that as to Heshbon they
consulted
against it,
hyl[
wbçj cheshbu olie. He uses the
root from which the name of the city is derived. Heshbon, then, hitherto called
the place of consultation, was to have and find other counselors, even those who
would contrive ruin for it. Come
ye; the Prophet refers here to the
counsel taken by the Chaldeans,
Come ye, and let us cut her off
from being a nation. He then joins
another city, And thou,
Madmen,
fH4
shalt be cut off, for a sword
shall go after thee, or pursue thee, as
though the city itself was fleeing from the sword; not that cities move from one
place to another; but when the citizens deliberate how they may drive away their
enemies and resist their attacks, — when they seek aid here and there,
— when they set up their own remedies, they are said to flee. But the
Prophet says, “Thou shalt gain nothing by fleeing, for the sword shall
pursue thee.” It follows, —
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JEREMIAH
48:3
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3. A voice of crying shall be from
Horonaim, spoiling and great destruction.
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3. Vox clamoris (id est, sonora)
e Choronaim, vastitas et contritio magna.
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By naming many cities, he shews that the whole land
was doomed to ruin, so that no corner of it would be exempt from destruction.
For the Moabites might have suffered some loss without much injury had they been
moderately chastised; but the Prophet shews that they would be so reduced by the
power of Nebuchadnezzar, that ruin would extend to every part of the land. We
now then see why this catalogue of the cities is given.
By the
voice of crying
he means howling, a loud lamentation, heard far
and wide. He says that the voice
of crying would go
forth from
Horonaim, which some think was so
called, because the city consisted of two parts, a higher and a lower part. He
then adds, desolation and great
destruction. He thus explains himself,
for the citizens of Horonaim would in vain cry out, because desolation and
breaking or destruction would constrain them, that is, make them cry out so as
to howl for the bitterness of their grief. It follows, —
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JEREMIAH
48:4
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4. Moab is destroyed; her little ones have
caused a cry to be heard.
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4. Afflicta est Moab; audire fecerunt clamorem
parvuli ejus.
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The Prophet speaks again generally of the whole
country. It is said that the land of Moab was afflicted; not that it was so
then; but to make certain the prophecy, he speaks of the event as having already
taken place; for the prophets, as it is well known, speaking in the person of
God, relate things as yet hidden, as though they had been completed. He says
that the little ones
of Moab so cried as to be
heard. fH5
This is much more emphatic than if he had said that men and women cried out; for
children do not soon perceive what is going on, for their understanding is not
great. Men and women howl when threatenings only are announced; but little
children are not moved but by present evils, and except they are actually
beaten, they are not affected; and then they hardly distinguish between some
slight evil and death. Hence, when the Prophet says that the little ones of Moab
were heard in their crying, he means that the grievousness of its calamity would
be extreme, as that little children, as though wise before their time, would
perceive the atrocious cruelty of their enemies. It follows, —
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JEREMIAH
48:5-6
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5. For in the going up of Luhith continual
weeping shall go up; for in the going down of Horonaim the enemies have heard a
cry of destruction.
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5. Quoniam in ascensu Luhith cum fletu
ascendet fletus, quia in descensu Choronaim hostes clamorem contritionis
audierunt (conjungi debet proximus versus,)
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6. Flee, save your lives, and be like the
heath in the wilderness.
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6. Fugite, eripite animas vestras; et eritis
quasi Aroer (vel, myrica) in deserto.
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Here Jeremiah uses another figure, that the weeping
would be everywhere heard in the ascent to Luhith. It is probable, and it
appears from the Prophet’s words, that this city was situated on a high
place. He then says, that men would go up with weeping
in the ascent to
Luhith; literally, In (or with)
weeping shall weeping
ascend. But some read as though it were
written
hkb,
beke, weeping; nor is there a doubt but that the verb
hl[y,
iole, refers to a person. But Jeremiah seems to have mentioned
weeping twice in order to show that men would not only weep in one place, but
during the long course of their ascent, as though he had said, “They who
shall be near the city shall weep, and they in the middle of their course, and
those at the foot of the mountain;” that is, there shall be weeping in
every place. We now then perceive the meaning of the Prophet.
He afterwards says,
In the descent to
Horonaim. It hence appears that this
city was situated in a low place or on a plain; and therefore I know not why
they say that one part of it was higher than the other. It might indeed be that
it had a hill in it; but the place was in a level country, and had mountains
around it, as we learn from the Prophet’s words,
In the descent to Horonaim the
enemies shall hear a cry of distress. By
saying that enemies would hear a cry,
fH6 he means that the citizens of Horonaim
and their neighbors would become frantic through grief. For fear restrains
weeping, and when any one sees an enemy near, the very sight of him checks him,
so that he dares not openly to show his grief; and then shame also restrains
tears as well as sighings, for an enemy would deride our weepings in our misery.
There is no doubt then, but that the Prophet here amplifies the grievousness of
their sorrow, when he says, that though the citizens of Horonaim had enemies
before their eyes, they would yet break forth with weeping and loud crying, and
that the reproach and derision of enemies would not restrain
them.
Then he adds,
Flee,
save: this is the crying of distress;
for miserable men, as the case is in extreme evils, mutually exhort one another,
Flee, save your
lives. He then compares them to a
tamarisk. The word
r[wr[,
oruor, designates a country, as it is probable, and there were also
two cities of this name. However,
r[r[,
oror, is a tamarisk, as we have already seen in
<241706>Jeremiah
17:6. Some render it, “a tower;” and the words of
Isaiah in
<231702>Isaiah
17:2, are perverted by some to maintain another meaning; for they think that
r[wr[,
oruor, means the cot of shepherds in the desert; but I prefer the
opinion of those who render it “tamarisk,” or juniper, though
the Prophet seems to me to allude to the city Aroer, or to a region of that
name, but I rather think to the city. He then says,
-And ye shall be as a
tamarisk in the desert: and it is known
from other places that Aroer was in the land of Moab.
We now then perceive what the Prophet means: that
Moab would be like a juniper in the desert, that is, a barren tree, which never
grows to any size; and then it is dry, because it is not cherished by any rain,
nor fed by any moisture from the ground. It is in this sense, as we have stated,
that our Prophet took the similitude in
<241705>Jeremiah
17:5-8:
“Blessed,” he says,
“is the man who trusts in Jehovah, for he shall be like a tree
planted near waters: cursed is the man who trusts in man, and who makes flesh
his arm, and withdraws his heart from Jehovah; for he shall be as the tamarisk
of the desert;”
that is, he shall be barren and dry, without any
moisture or support. It now follows: —
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JEREMIAH
48:7
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7. For because thou hast trusted in thy Works,
and in thy treasures, thou shalt also be taken; and Chemosh shall go forth into
captivity with his priests and his princes together.
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7. Propterea quod fiducia tua fuit in operibus
tuis (ad verbum) et in thesauris tuis, etiam tu capieris; et
egredietur Chamos in captivitatem, sacerdotes ejus et principes ejus
simul.
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Jeremiah assigns here the reason why God would take
vengeance on the Moabites; but we shall hereafter see other reasons why God had
been so much displeased with them. Let us then know that we are not here taught
avowedly why God determined to lay waste and destroy the land of Moab; for there
is here but one reason given, while there were others and greater ones, even
because they had wantonly exulted over the miseries of the Jews, because they
had conspired against them, because they had betrayed them, and lastly, because
they had as it were carried on war with their God. But here Jeremiah briefly
shews, that were there no other reasons, the Moabites deserved that God should
pour forth his wrath on them even for this, because they trusted in their own
works and treasures. By works some understand herds and flocks; and in this
sense they are sometimes taken, and it is an exposition that may be
admitted. We may however understand by “works” fortifications,
especially as “treasures” are added. He then says, that the Moabites
were such that it was just that God should be roused against them, because they
were inebriated with false confidence in their own power, and because they had
many treasures: they hence thought that they were impregnable.
The Prophet in the meantime intimates, that the
Moabites greatly deceived themselves in thinking that they were safe against
God’s hand, because they were strongly fortified, and because they had
immense treasures laid up. Hence he says that all these things would avail
nothing, for God would destroy the whole land.
Even
thou, he says,
shalt be
taken. There is no small emphasis in the
particle
µg,
gam, even or also; for the Prophet expresses what would now take
place; for the Moabites in vain trusted in their treasures and power, because
God would notwithstanding destroy them, and his hand would penetrate into
their fortresses. “God then shall find thee out equally the same,
as though thou wert exposed to all dangers.” They who abound in warlike
preparations, furnished with all kinds of defences, think themselves exempted
from the common lot of men: hence he says,
Even
thou, equally the same with any village
exposed to the will of enemies,
even thou shalt be taken; and go
forth shall Chemosh. This was the
tutelar God of the land, as it appears from the book of Judges and other places,
and even from what Moses says,
(<071125>Judges
11:25;
<111107>1
Kings 11:7, 33;
<042129>Numbers
21:29.) As, then, the Moabites worshipped this idol, they thought themselves
safe whatever evil might be at hand. The Prophet then derides this confidence.
We have said before, that the ungodly in part set up their own earthly power in
opposition to God, and in part imagined that they were aided by their idols.
Hence the prophets exposed these two evils, as it appears also from the present
passage: the Prophet had said, “Because thou trustest in thy fortresses
and treasures, even thou shalt be taken;” and now he says, “Because
thou thinkest Chemosh to be a sure and invincible defense, it shall be driven
into exile and be kept captive.” This he said in reproach to the idol. He
adds, its priests and its
princes, even those princes, who seem to
lie down safely under its shadow, they also shall be driven into
exile.
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JEREMIAH
48:8
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8. And the spoiler shall come upon every city,
and no city shall escape: the valley also shall perish, and the plain shall be
destroyed, as the Lord hath spoken.
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8. Et veniet vastator ad omnem urbem, neque
urbs eripietur; et peribit vallis, et perdetur planities, quod (id est,
quemadmodum) locutus est Jehova.
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He confirms the previous verse; nor ought he to be
deemed too wordy, for this prophecy was not announced, that it might cherish the
hope and patience of the faithful only for a few days; but it was necessary for
them to rest dependent for a long time on this promise, which God had given them
many years before. This, then, is the reason why the Prophet confirms at large a
truth in itself sufficiently clear.
Come,
he says, shall a waster to
all the cities. It now appears more
clearly why he mentioned some of the cities, though, as we shall see, they were
many, even that the Israelites might know that all the land of Moab was to be
given up to desolation: Nor shall
a city escape, for destroyed shall be the valley and the plain, as Jehovah has
spoken. It follows, —
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JEREMIAH
48:9
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9. Give wings unto Moab, that it may flee and
get away: for the cities thereof shall be desolate, without any to dwell
therein.
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9. Date alam ipsi Moab, quia volando volabit;
et urbes ejus in vastationem erunt, ut non sit qui habitet in
illis.
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Here is a bitter derision; for it was necessary not
only to goad the Moabites, but also to pierce them through, because they were
inflated with so much pride, and also because they cruelly raged against
God’s people, as we shall more fully see hereafter. When the Israelites
were conquered, these ungodly men cast forth their taunts, and also betrayed
them to their enemies. Hence the Prophet now says,
Give wings to
Moab. Though the word
≈yx,
tsits, properly means a flower, yet it means here a wing, put for
wings; as though he had said, that the Moabites could not escape destruction
except by flying. In short, as they had not only so proudly despised, but had
also persecuted their miserable brethren, the Prophet says, “Come
shall the time when feet for running or for flight shall not be sufficient
for you, your enemies being so eager in pursuit; but you will desire to have
wings.” But, as we shall see, he will presently tell us, that Moab had
been quiet and settling on its dregs.
He then adds, that its
cities would be a waste, so as to
have no inhabitant. He mentions the
reason why Moab would need wings, even because there would be no refuge for
them, for wherever it would betake itself, it would be thence driven away; for
the enemy would take all the cities, so that the whole people would be under the
necessity of removing elsewhere; he intimates, in short, that there would be no
hope for life to the Moabites, except by flight, and that the swiftest. At
length he adds, —
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JEREMIAH
48:10
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10. Cursed be he that doeth the work of
the Lord deceitfully, and cursed be he that keepeth back his sword from
blood.
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10. Maledictus qui tacit opus Jehovae
fraudulenter (hoc est, non bona fide,) et maledictus qui prohibet
gladium suum a sanguine.
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The Prophet here encourages the Chaldeans to
severity, so as to make no end until they destroyed that nation. We have said
that the prophets assumed different characters, so that what they said might be
more impressive. The Chaldeans were not indeed the disciples of Jeremiah; nor
was this exhortation intended for them, but that the Israelites might know that
what they heard from the mouth of Jeremiah was certain. He then turns to
address the Chaldeans; as he before spoke to any who might be present,
“Give wings to Moab;” so now another apostrophe follows,
Cursed,
etc., — to whom does he speak? to the Chaldeans; and yet the Prophet
did not address them as though he could effect anything; but, as I have said, he
had a regard to the Jews.
This passage has been very absurdly explained, and it
is commonly quoted as though the Prophet had said, that special care ought to be
taken by us, not to omit anything of what God commands. But they thus
misrepresent the meaning. We ought therefore to bear in mind what I have already
said, that these words are addressed to the Chaldeans, as though he had said,
“Spare not, but shed blood, and let no humanity move you, for it is the
work of God; God has armed you, that ye might fully execute his judgment and
spare no blood: ye shall then be accursed, except ye execute his
vengeance.” It is not indeed a common mode of speaking; but as to the
subject and the meaning there is no ambiguity. It is the same thing as though he
had said, “Go on courageously, and boldly execute God’s vengeance,
inasmuch as punishment has been denounced on them.” As when
soldiers idly delay, the leader when present not only exhorts them but also
urges them on with reproofs and threatenings, in order to rouse their alacrity;
so the Prophet here shews that God, as though present with the Chaldeans, would
chide their sloth, “Why do ye give over? cursed is every one who will not
shed blood, and who will not destroy them from the least to the
greatest.”
But the whole import of the passage is found in the
expression, that the destruction of that ungodly nation was the work of
Jehovah; as if he had said, “Though the Chaldeans shall lay
waste the land of Moab, and shall do this, not in order to obey God, but
from avarice and ambition, yet it will be the work of God; for God has hired the
Chaldeans for this end, that they might destroy the Moabites, though they may
think of no such thing.” It follows, —
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JEREMIAH
48:11
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11. Moab hath been at ease from his youth, and
he hath settled on his lees, and hath not been emptied from vessel to vessel,
neither hath he gone into captivity: therefore his taste remained in him, and
his scent is not changed.
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11. Tranquillus fuit Moab a pueritia sua
(vel, quietus fuit Moab,) et resedit ipse super faeces suas, et
non mutatus fuit a vase in vas, et in captivitatem non profectus (aut,
non migravit;) propterea stetit sapor ejus in eo, et odor ejus non mutatus
est.
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Here he expresses more clearly what we have before
seen, that Moab in vain promised to himself perpetual impunity, because he had
for a long time been prosperous. Then the Prophet says that he would be suddenly
destroyed, when God ascended his tribunal to execute his
judgment.
He first says, that he had been
quiet from his
childhood, because when the Israelites
had been often harassed, that nation remained untouched, and never felt any
disadvantage, as though fortified on all sides by their own defences; for they
dwelt in part amidst mountains, but had a level country, as it is well known,
beyond Jordan. It was a land in a moderate degree fertile, so that as they
enjoyed continual peace, they collected great wealth. But it was very hard for
the Israelites, when God afflicted them with various calamities, to see the
Moabites secure and safe from all trouble and all losses. As, then, this thought
might have grievously wounded the minds of the faithful, the Prophet here
exhorts them not to envy the happiness of the Moabites, because God would at
length stretch forth his hand against them, according to what was done by David,
who also exhorted the faithful patiently to wait for the day of the Lord, when
they saw the ungodly enjoying all kinds of pleasure, and meeting with success
according to their wishes.
(<193701>Psalm
37:1, 7, 8.) We now then understand the object of the Prophet.
He compares Moab to an old man, who had passed his
whole life in security, without any losses, without any grief or sorrow.
Quiet,
then, has
Moab
been, or quiet from his
childhood, even from the time he became
a nation. For what was the childhood of Moab? even from the time they expelled
the giants and other inhabitants and dwelt in their land. Then success ever
attended them; and hence he says, that they
settled on their
dregs, so that they underwent no change.
Here is another metaphor: as wine which remains in its own vessel, and is never
changed into another, retains its taste, its strength, and its savor; so also
the Prophet says that Moab had always been in the enjoyment of perpetual
felicity, like wine which remains on its own dregs. For the dregs preserve the
wine, as it is well known; for the wine, being taken off from its dregs, loses
in part its own strength, and at length becomes vapid; but wine, being not
changed, continues in its own strength.
We hence see how apt is the comparison, when the
Prophet says, that Moab had not
been changed from vessel to vessel, but had settled on his
dregs. And he explains himself without a
figure when he adds, that he had not gone, or removed, into
captivity. He yet intimates that this perpetual peace would avail the
Moabites nothing, because as the Lord had resolved to destroy them, he would
cause the strength of Moab to fail and all his wealth to be reduced to
nothing.
PRAYER
Grant, Almighty God, that since we are
so disposed to indulge sloth, and so devoted to earthly things, that we easily
forget our holy calling except thou dost continually stimulate us, — O
grant that the afflictions by which thou triest us, may effectually rouse us, so
that leaving the world we may strive to come to thee, and devote ourselves
wholly to thy service; and that we may so carry on the warfare under the various
afflictions of the present life, that our minds and all our thoughts may always
be fixed on the hope of that eternal and blessed rest which thine only-begotten
Son our Lord has promised as having been prepared for us in heaven. —
Amen.
LECTURE ONE HUNDRED AND
SEVENTIETH
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JEREMIAH
48:12
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12. Therefore, behold, the days come, saith
the Lord, that I will send unto him wanderers, that shall cause him to wander,
and shall empty his vessels, and break their bottles.
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12. Propterea ecce dies veniunt, dicit Jehova,
et mittam ei abactores qui abigant eum, et vasa ejus evacuent, et lagenas eorum
dispergant.
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The Prophet said in the last lecture that the
Moabites, as long as they lived prosperously, were very hardened, as impunity
becomes an incentive to sin; for the ungodly, while God spares them, think that
they shall never be called to an account. He now adds, that the days
would come, in which God would suddenly execute vengeance on
them. But he pursues the comparison which he had used; for he had said, that the
Moabites were like wine which had not been poured from one vessel into another;
and hence they retained their own odor, that is, they were inebriated with their
own pleasures, because God had granted them peace and quietness for a long
time.
Now, the Prophet, on the other hand, says that God
would send to them
drivers,
fH7
to drive them
away, and who would
empty their vessels and scatter
their bottles, — the
containing for the contained; though I do not disapprove of another
rendering, “and destroy their bottles;” for the verb is
sometimes taken in this sense. Properly it means to scatter, to dissipate; but
the verb
≈pn,
nuphets, sometimes expresses a stronger idea, even to scatter or
to cast forth with violence, so as to break what is thus cast forth. As to the
real meaning there is not much difference: for we perceive what was God’s
purpose, that he would send to the Moabites enemies to drive them into exile,
and thus to deprive them of those pleasures in which they had so long indulged.
But this was not said for the sake of the Moabites, but that the Jews might
know, that though that land had been in a quiet state, yet it would not escape
the hand of God; for its long continued felicity could not render void that
decree of God of which the Prophet had spoken. It now follows —
|
JEREMIAH
48:13
|
|
13. And Moab shall be ashamed of Chemosh, as
the house of Israel was ashamed of Beth-el their confidence.
|
13. Et pudefiet Moab a Chamos, sicuti
pudefacti sunt domus Israel a Bethel, sua fiducia.
|
We may see more clearly from this verse, that the
Prophet does not so much address the Moabites as his own people; for he was not
a teacher to the Moabites to promote their safety; on the contrary, he intended
his doctrine for the benefit of the Jews, as in the present
instance.
Ashamed,
he says, shall Moab be of his
idol: for we have said that Chemosh was
the god of the Moabites, as every nation had its own peculiar god, even its own
invention. Now, the comparison made here shews that the Prophet wished to exhort
the people, to whom he was appointed a teacher, to repentance; for he set before
them the example of the ten tribes. And we know that at the time Jeremiah
announced this prophecy, the kingdom of Israel was destroyed. All the
Israelites, then, had been driven into exile except the tribe of Judah and the
half tribe of Benjamin. Now, the ten tribes, as it is well known, had, under
Jeroboam, departed from the pure worship of God, and had built for themselves an
altar in Bethel. Hence, then, the Prophet now says,
As
ashamed were the Israelites of their
superstitions, which they had devised for themselves, so a similar vengeance of
God awaited the people of Moab; and thus he shews to the Jews what it is to
trust in the only true God. The Jews were not, indeed, involved in so gross a
superstition as to worship idols, at least publicly; but Ezekiel shews that they
also were contaminated with this kind of pollution, and that the very sanctuary
was defiled with idols; and at the same time the worship of God, according to
the Law, continued to be celebrated. But the Jews had nothing but the external
form: they had, indeed, the temple and the altar, they professed to worship the
true God, but in the meantime impiety and contempt of true religion prevailed
among them, and they had begun to involve themselves in many ungodly
superstitions, as we have before seen.
What, then, does Jeremiah now do? He sets before
their eyes the ten tribes whom God had destroyed, though the Israelites, as well
as the Jews, had descended from the same father, even Abraham. As, then, God had
inflicted so heavy a punishment on the kingdom of Israel, he now shews to the
Jews, that the punishment of the Moabites was not less probable; and why?
because they have, he says, their idol. God shews that this was a most atrocious
wickedness, by which the Moabites had provoked his anger; for there is nothing
less intolerable than for men to transfer the glory of God to their own
inventions, to statues, to logs of wood, to stones, or to idols of gold and
silver. We now, then, understand the object of the Prophet. It follows —
|
JEREMIAH
48:14-15
|
|
14. How say ye, We are mighty and
strong men for the war?
|
14. Quomodo dicitis, Viri (fortes) nos, et
viri robusti ad praelium?
|
|
15. Moab is spoiled, and gone up out of
her cities, and his chosen young men are gone down to the slaughter, saith
the King, whose name is The Lord of hosts.
|
15. Vastatus est Moab, civitates ejus excidit
(alii vertunt, civitates ejus evanuerunt, ut sit mutatio
numeri; alii, incola ascendit, vel, discessit ab
urbibus ejus,) et electio juvenum descendit (hoc est, electi
juvenes; et est allusio ad nomen
wyrjb,
nam
µyrwjb,
dicuntur apud Hebroeos adolescentes, qui sunt in flore oetatis,
sed nomen hoc deducitur a
rjb,
quod est eligere, unde est etiam nomen hoc quo utitur Propheta;
electio igitur juvenum, vel, electi juvenes,
descenderunt) ad mactationem, dicit Rex, nomen ejus Jehova exercituum (id
est, cujus nomen est Jehova exercituum.)
|
The Prophet here reproves the pride of the Moabites,
because they trusted in their own strength, and derided God and what the
Prophets announced. We indeed know that ungodly men, when all things prosper
with them, are moved by no fear, divest themselves of every feeling, and
become so sunk in indifference, that they not only disdainfully disregard the
true God, but also what is connected with moral obligation. Such, then, was the
confidence which prevailed among the Moabites. Hence the Prophet here checks
this foolish boasting.
How say ye, We are strong, we are
warlike men? as though he had said,
“These boastings, while God is seriously contending with you, are all
empty, and will avail you nothing: ye think yourselves beyond the reach of
danger, because ye possess great power, and are surrounded with strong defences;
but God will reduce to nothing whatever you regard as your protection.”
Wasted, then, is Moab. He sets up this threatening
in opposition to their arrogance. He indeed foretells what was to come, but
speaks of it as a thing already fulfilled. Wasted, he says, is
Moab, and the enemy has cut off
his cities. The verb
hl[,
ole, is to be taken in a transitive sense; it is indeed a neuter
verb, but the other meaning is more suitable to this place, that the enemy would
cut off the cities of the Moabites. I yet allow that it may be explained
otherwise, that the inhabitants would ascend or depart from his cities; for,
hl[,
ole, metaphorically, indeed, signifies to ascend, and to flow off,
or to go away, as they say, in smoke; and if an anomaly as to number, common in
Hebrew, be approved, the sense will be, “and from his cities they have
vanished.”
fH8 And this explanation agrees well with
what follows, and his young men
have descended to the slaughter; that
is, they who seem the strongest among them shall be drawn to destruction, or
shall descend to the slaughter. But as the event seemed difficult to be
believed, God is again introduced. Then the Prophet says, that he did not speak
from his own mind, but announced what God had committed to him. And he adds his
title, that the Jews might be more attentive to the consideration of God’s
power. God, he says, is he who speaks,
the King, whose name is Jehovah
of hosts. He sets up God’s name in
opposition to the warlike preparations, of which the Moabites, as we have seen,
boasted; as though he had said, that if the Moabites had to do with mortals,
they might indeed have justly gloried; but as they had a contest with the living
God, all their power would vanish away, since God was prepared to execute
vengeance. It follows —
|
JEREMIAH
48:16
|
|
16. The calamity of Moab is near to
come, and his affliction hasteth fast.
|
16. Propinqua est calamitas Moab
(dya,
sigificat infortunium et calamitatem, significat etiam
interitum, ideo vertunt quidam propinquus est interitus) ad veniendum
(ut veniat,) et malum ejus (id est, calamitas) festinat
valde.
|
Here the Prophet expresses something more, that the
vengeance of which he spoke was near and hastening. It served to alleviate the
sorrow of the faithful, when they understood that the Moabites would shortly be
punished; for it was a grievous and bitter trial, when God severely chastened
his own children, to see that the wicked were in the meantime spared. As, then,
he deferred his judgments as to the wicked, that delay tended to drive the
faithful to despair, at least they could not bear with sufficient patience the
scourges of God.
This is the reason why the Prophet now says,
Near is the destruction
of the Moabites,
and their calamity
hastens. And though God did for some
time yet bear with the Moabites, so that they remained in a quiet state, and
reveled in their pleasures, yet this prophecy was true; for we are to bear in
mind that truth, which ought ever to be remembered as to promises and
threatenings, that a thousand years are as one day with the Lord: and hence is
that exhortation given by the Prophet Habakkuk,
“If the prophecy delays, wait for
it; for coming it will come, and will not delay.”
(<350203>Habakkuk
2:3)
And this mode of speaking occurs often in the
prophets. When, therefore, God denounces punishment on the wicked and the
despisers of his Law, he says, “Behold, your day hastens,” and he
says this, that they might be awakened and begin to fear in due
time.
But here, as I have reminded you, Jeremiah had a
regard to his own people. For the faithful might have objected, and said,
“What can this be? how long will God defer the punishment which he
threatens to our enemies?” Hence he says, “Strengthen your minds for
a little while, for God will presently stretch forth his hand and show that he
is a defender who cares for you and your safety; for he will set himself against
the Moabites, because they have been unfaithful and vexatious to you.” It
is, then, for this reason that he says,
Near is their
destruction, and
their vengeance
hastens.
We may hence learn this useful doctrine, that
whenever God promises anything, we ought to receive it as a present thing,
though yet hidden and even remote. There is no distance which ought to impede
our faith; but we ought to regard as certain whatever God promises, and as
though it were before our eyes and in our hand. And the same ought to be the
case as to threatenings; whenever God denounces anything hard and grievous, it
ought to touch and move us the same as though we saw his hand armed with a
sword, and as though the very execution of his vengeance was exhibited before
our eyes. For we know what the Scripture teaches us elsewhere,
“When the wicked shall say, Peace
and security, destruction comes suddenly on them, as the pain of childbearing,
which seizes a woman when she thinks nothing of it.”
(<520503>1
Thessalonians 5:3)
Let us then learn to set God’s favor ever as
present, and also all punishments, so that we may really fear them. It follows
—
|
JEREMIAH
48:17
|
|
17. All ye that are about him, bemoan him; and
all ye that know his name, say, How is the strong staff broken, and the
beautiful rod!
|
17. Commovemini illi (id est,
super Moab) quicunque estis in circuitu ejus, et quicunque cognoscitis nomen
ejus, dicite, Quomodo fractus est baculus fortis? virga pulchritudinis
(vel, excellentiae, nam
trapt
significat decorum pulchritudine.)
|
The Prophet seems indeed to exhort all neighbors to
sympathy; but we have stated for what purpose he did this; for it was not his
object to show that the Moabites deserved pity, so that their neighbors ought to
have condoled with them in their calamities: but by this figurative mode of
speaking he exaggerated the grievousness of the evils which were soon to happen
to the Moabites; as though he had said, “This judgment of God will be so
dreadful as to make all their neighbors to tremble; all who had previously known
the state of the people of Moab, will be smitten with such terror as will make
them to groan and mourn with them.” In short, the Prophet had nothing else
in view than to show that God’s vengeance on the Moabites would not be
less severe and dreadful than it had been on the ten tribes, and what it would
be on the tribe of Judah.
Say
ye, he says,
how is the staff
broken? He introduces here all their
neighbors as astonished with wonder; for the same purpose are other things
mentioned, even to show that the calamity of Moab would be deemed a prodigy, for
the people thought them unassailable, and no one had ever dared to attempt
anything against their land. This, then, was the reason why the Prophet here
asks as one astonished, even in the person of all nations, How has it happened
that the staff is
broken?
and the beautiful
rod?
fH9 These are metaphorical words, which refer
to the royal dignity and the condition of the whole people. It follows —
|
JEREMIAH
48:18
|
|
18. Thou daughter that dost inhabit Dibon,
come down from thy glory, and sit in thirst; for the spoiler of Moab
shall come upon thee, and he shall destroy thy strong
holds.
|
18. Descende e gloria, sede in sit habitatrix
filia Dibon; quia vastator Moab ascendit contra to, destructor munitionum tuarum
(vel, quia vastatus est Moab, et supra to ascendet,
etc.)
|
Here the Prophet turns to address the city Dibon,
which was renowned among that people. The mode of speaking is well known; he
calls the people of the city the
daughter of
Dibon; and he calls the daughter an
inhabitant, because the Moabites, as it has been said, ever rested
in safety and quietness in their own habitations, for no one disturbed them. It
is, then, the same as though he had said, “Ye who have hitherto been in a
quiet state, descend
now
from your glory, and dwell in
thirst.”
fH10 By thirst he means the want of
all things. Thirst is set in opposition to glory; but it is more than if the
Prophet had mentioned disgrace or poverty; for there are many who are otherwise
oppressed by want, and yet find fountains or streams; but when there is no drop
of water to quench thirst, it is an extreme misery.
We hence see that the Prophet exaggerates the
punishment of the Moabites, when he says that the citizens of Dibon would
sit in
thirst, because, he says,
ascended against thee has the
waster,
fH11
and the destroyer of thy
fortresses. We may hence conclude that
the city was on all sides fortified, so that it thought its defences sufficient
to keep off enemies. But the Prophet derides this presumption, because the
Chaldeans would come to pull down and destroy all these strongholds. It follows
—
|
JEREMIAH
48:19
|
|
19. O inhabitant of Aroer, stand by the way,
and espy; ask him that fleeth, and her that escapeth, and say, What is
done?
|
19. Super viam consiste et speculare
habitatrix Aroer; interroga fugientem et eam quae elapsa fuerit, dic, Quid
factum est (quid accidit?)
|
We have stated elsewhere why the prophets in
describing calamities spoke in so elevated a style; for their object was not to
seek fame or the praise of eloquence. They are not these rhetorical ornaments
which the prophets used; but they necessarily spoke in a lofty style of the
punishments which awaited the ungodly, because such was the hardness of their
hearts that they hesitated not to despise God’s threatenings, or to regard
them as fables. That God’s threatenings then might penetrate into the
hearts of men, it was necessary to exaggerate them by means of various
comparisons, as it is done here and in many places. We ought at the same time to
bear in mind what I have said, that the Prophet had a regard to his own people.
As the Moabites were like a hid treasure, the Jews could never have thought it
possible, that the Chaldeans would at length make an inroad there; but the
Prophet declares that the thing was so certain, as though it was seen by their
own eyes. In order then to lead the Jews to the very scene itself, the
judgments of God are here not only described, but as it were
painted.
Stand,
he says, on the way, and
look, thou inhabitant of Aroer. This was
another city of the Moabites, of which mention is made in many places; and then
he mentions others, as we shall see.
Ask
him, he says,
who fleeth and her who
escapes. He, indeed, changes the gender
of the nouns; but when he mentions many, and then one person, he did this for
the sake of amplifying; because, on the one hand, he wished to show that so
great would be the number of exiles, that the whole land would become empty; and
then, on the other hand, when he says that this and that person would flee, he
means that they would be so scattered that they would not go in troops; but as
it is usual in a disordered state of things, one would flee on this side, and
another on the other side. Ask
him who fleeth, or as we may render the
words, Ask all who
flee; and then,
ask her who
escapes; because not only men, but also
women would flee, so that no sex would be spared. In short, he intimates, that
those who dwelt in cities well fortified, would be all anxiety on seeing enemies
irresistibly advancing through every part of the country.
|
JEREMIAH
48:20-24
|
|
20. Moab is confounded; for it is broken down:
howl and cry; tell ye it in Arnon, that Moab is spoiled,
|
20. Pudefactus est Moab, quia contritus est;
ululate et clamate, et annuntiate in Arnon, quoniam vastatus est Moab (vel, quod
vastatus est Moab;
yk
enim hic explicative accipitur, non causaliter;)
|
|
21. And judgment is come upon the plain
country; upon Holon, and upon Jahazah, and upon Mephaath,
|
21. Et judicium perveniet ad terram planam
(vel, rectam, hoc est, ad ipsam planiciem,) ad Holon et ad Jazar et ad
Mephaath;
|
|
22. And upon Dibon, and upon Nebo, and upon
Beth-diblathaim,
|
22. Et super Dibon, et super Nebo, et super
Beth-diblathaim (domum Diblathaim, sed est nomen proprium urbis;
)
|
|
23. And upon Kiriathaim, and upon Beth-gamul,
and upon Beth-meon,
|
23. Et ad Cariathain, et ad Beth-gamoul, et ad
Beth-meon;
|
|
24. And upon Kerioth, and upon Bozrah, and
upon all the cities of the land of Moab, far or near.
|
24. Et super Chirioth, et super Bozrah, et
super omnes urbes terrae Moab remotas et propinquas.
|
We have stated why the Prophet describes so fully the
ruin of the Moabites, and dwells so long on a subject in no way obscure; it was
not indeed enough merely to teach and to show what was useful to be known, but
it was also necessary to add goads, that the Jews might attend to these
prophecies; nay, it was necessary to drive as it were with a hammer into their
minds what would have been otherwise incredible; for they deemed it a fable that
the Moabites could thus be broken, laid waste, and reduced to nothing. The
Prophet then would have labored in vain, or spoken ineffectually, had he
described in simple and plain words what we here read. But he added vehemence to
his words, as though he would drive in his words with a hammer and fasten them
in the minds of the people.
He then says, that
Moab was ashamed, because he was
smitten. And then he turns again to
address their neighbors, Howl,
cry, and declare in Aroer: but the
Prophet ironically exhorted others to howl and cry; for, as we have said, it was
not his purpose to show that they deserved pity who had been the most cruel
enemies to God’s Church, but to show that God’s vengeance would be
so dreadful as to call forth cryings and howlings through the whole
neighborhood. And then he adds,
Declare it in
Aroer; and afterwards he names many
cities; as though he had said, that no corner of the land would be free from
fear and anxiety, because the enemies, after having made an inroad into one
part, would turn to another, so as to make no end of ravaging, until they had
destroyed the whole country and all the people. Of these cities and of their
situation there is no need of saying much, for it would be a useless labor. For
in the last place, the Prophet sufficiently shews that what he had in view was
what I have stated; for he says,
on all the cities of Moab, remote
as well as near: he intimates that no
part of the land would be exempted from destruction; for the enemies having
begun to attack it, would not cease until they had gone through every part, and
desolation had spread everywhere, as though the whole country had been burnt
with fire. It follows, —
|
JEREMIAH
48:25
|
|
25. The horn of Moab is cut off, and his arm
is broken, saith the Lord.
|
25. Succisum est cornu Moab, et robor ejus
confractum, dicit Jehova.
|
By another metaphor he expresses the same thing. By
horn he means power, as all who are in any measure acquainted with
Scripture well know that by this word is set forth power, strength, or any
defense for the protection of a nation. He then says that the
horn of Moab was cut
off; and he adds afterwards as all
explanation, that his strength
was broken. Hence by this second clause
we understand what the Prophet meant when he said, that the horn of Moab was cut
off. But he again introduces God as the speaker, because the Moabites thought
that their horn could not be broken. As then Jeremiah would not have obtained
credit, had he spoken in his own name, he again brought forward God as declaring
his own words. It now follows, —
|
JEREMIAH
48:26-27
|
|
26. Make ye him drunken; for he magnified
himself against the Lord: Moab also shall wallow in his vomit, and he also shall
be in derision.
|
26. Inebriate ipsum, quia adversus Jehovam
magnificatus est, et complosit Moab in vomitu suo (vel, involvit se,) et ipse
quoque in derisum (vel, in ludibrium: adjungamus etiam alterum
versum.)
|
|
27. For was not Israel a derision unto thee?
was he found among thieves? for since thou spakest of him, thou skippedst for
joy.
|
27. Annon in risum fuit tibi Israel? an inter
fures deprehensus fuit? quia ex quo sermo tuus de eo fuit, commovisti
to.
|
The Prophet now addresses the Chaldeans, who were to
be the executioners of God’s vengeance: hence he says,
Make him drunk, because he has
magnified himself against Jehovah, that
is, raised himself in his pride against God. Then the Prophet, as God’s
herald, encouraged the Chaldeans, fully to execute God’s judgment, who had
been chosen to be his servants. And the address had more force in it when the
Prophet showed that such a command was committed to him, as we have seen
elsewhere; for the Prophets showed how efficacious was their doctrine, when they
besieged and stormed cities, when they gave orders to armies. This then is the
course which Jeremiah now follows, when as God’s herald he summons the
Chaldeans, and commands them vigorously to perform what God approved and what he
had decreed, even to inebriate the Moabites with evils. The rest
to-morrow.
PRAYER
Grant Almighty God, that we may learn,
not only to consider thy judgments when they appear before our eyes, but also to
fear them whenever they are announced, so that we may implore thy mercy, and
also repent of our sins and patiently bear thy paternal chastisements, and never
murmur when thou sparest for a time the ungodly, but wait with calm and resigned
minds until the time comes when thou wilt execute vengeance on them, and when in
the meantime thou wilt gather us at the end of our warfare into the blessed rest
above, and give us to enjoy that inheritance which thou hast prepared for us in
Heaven, and which has been obtained for us by the blood of thine only-begotten
Son our Lord. — Amen.
LECTURE ONE
HUNDRED AND SEVENTY-FIRST
We began yesterday to explain why the Prophet,
denouncing on the Moabites the punishment they had deserved, directed his speech
to the Chaldeans, even that his prophecy might have greater force and produce
greater effect. The metaphor of drunkenness which he uses, is common; for when
Scripture intimates that any are made miserable, as they say, to satiety, or
more than what can be well borne, it compares them to those who are made drunk.
For as a drunken man loses his senses, so they who are overwhelmed with
miseries, are almost stunned with evils, so that they become deprived of reason
and judgment. This then is the drunkenness which the Prophet now mentions. And
following up the same idea, he adds,
And Moab is rolled in his own
vomit. Some by vomit understand
intemperate joy, and render the words in the past tense, “And Moab
shouted in his own vomit,” that is, he luxuriated in his own abundance,
and when he gorged himself with wine and with all kinds of luxuries, he loudly
exulted; and therefore he shall
be also a reproach. This contrast is not
unsuitable, that Moab immediately exulted when in prosperity, and that therefore
God would shortly punish him, so as to make him a reproach or a
derision.
But I follow what has been generally approved, that
Moab shall be rolled, or shall clap hands even in his own vomit: so that by
vomit the Prophet means excessive grief. For the drunkard delights in drinking,
but afterwards by vomiting he suffers the punishment of his intemperance, when
his head, his stomach, his legs and other members shake and tremble. So also, it
is no unsuitable comparison, when the Prophet calls sorrow, arising from
calamity, vomiting. He then says, that when
Moab shall clap his
hands, or roll
himself fH12
(for the word is variously rendered) in his own miseries, he shall be even a
derision. Why he says, that he would be a derision, we may learn
from the next verse, for he says,
Has not Israel been a derision to
thee?
But the higher cause for the drunkenness mentioned
here ought to be observed, even because Moab exalted himself against God. For
after having spoken of the pride through which he exulted over God, he adds an
explanation, Has not Israel been
a derision to thee? See then how the
Moabites acted proudly towards God, even because they treated his Church
reproachfully. And this ought especially to be noticed; for God intimates by
these words, that he is so connected with the faithful as to regard their cause
as his own, as it is said elsewhere,
“He that toucheth you, toucheth
the apple of my eye.”
(<380208>Zechariah
2:8)
God then so takes the faithful under his own
protection, that whatever injury is done to them, he counts it as done to him.
This connection is well expressed by the Prophet, when he says, “The
Moabites have raised themselves against God;” and at the same time he
shews the way and manner, even because they exulted over the Israelites. Were
any one to object and say, that the Moabites injured mortal men only and not
God; the answer has already been given, even that God has so adopted his Church
as to identify himself with it. Let us then know, that God, when he sees us
suffering anything unjustly, regards the wrong as done to himself. As then the
people of Israel had been a derision to the Moabites, the Prophet threatens them
with a similar punishment for their pride.
And then he adds,
Has he been found among thieves?
It is, indeed, certain, that the people of
Israel deserved very severe scourges, and that when they were subjected to so
many adversities, a just reward was rendered to them for their iniquities. With
regard to God this is certain; but with regard to the Moabites, the people of
Israel were innocent; for these ungodly men could not object anything to the
Israelites, for they were altogether like them, or even worse. God then compares
here his chosen people with aliens, and says that the Israelites were not
thieves. Under one thing he comprehends everything, as though he had said,
“Of what wickedness have the Israelites been guilty, that you have thus
become so enraged against them?” We hence see what the words of the
Prophet mean, even that the Moabites were impelled by nothing but cruelty and
pride, when they so basely raged against the Israelites, and so disdainfully
oppressed them; for as I have already said, there was no cause why the Moabites
should have been so hostile to the miserable people. Thus their crime was
doubled, for they acted proudly towards God’s people, and they
acted thus without a cause; for with regard to them, God’s people were
innocent.
By saying that they
were
moved, or excited
whenever they spoke of the
Israelites, he intimates that they were
carried away by malevolence, so as to wish all kinds of evil to the miserable,
and then, as far as they could, to lay snares for them. As then they thus raged
furiously against the Israelites, the Prophet includes everything of this kind
in the word “moved,” or raised an
uproar. fH13
It follows —
|
JEREMIAH
48:28
|
|
28. O ye that dwell in Moab, leave the cities,
and dwell in the rock, and be like the dove that maketh her nest in the
sides of the hole’s mouth.
|
28. Deserite urbes, et habitate in petra
(hoc est, in rupibus) habitatores Moab, et erunt quasi columba,
quae nidulatur in transgressionibus (hoc est,) trans os
fissurae.
|
Here Jeremiah denounces exile on the Moabites; as
though he had said, that such would be the desolation of their land, that they
would be forced as wanderers to flee here and there. That he bids them to
leave their
cities, this is not done in the same way
as when God commands his people what is right; but he only shews that he was
armed with the sword of God, not only to speak with the mouth, but also to
perform what he foretells; for the execution ought not to be separated from the
prophecies, for the hand of God is joined with his mouth. When, therefore, he
announces anything by his servants, the fulfillment also, as it has been stated,
is included.
This is the import of the words,
Leave the cities, and dwell among
the rocks; that is, Hide yourselves in
lurking-places, for no habitable land will afford you rest, or be a convenient
place to flee to. And they shall
be, he says,
like a dove which makes a nest in
remote places beyond the clefts of the
rocks, or stones. He means the most
deserted places. It is the same as though he had said, that it would not be
simply an exile that God would allot to the Moabites, but that they would be
taken away to regions unknown, and deserted by men. It follows —
|
JEREMIAH
48:29
|
|
29. We have heard the pride of Moab, (he is
exceeding proud,) his loftiness, and his arrogancy, and his pride, and the
haughtiness of his heart.
|
29. Audivimus superbiam Moab; superbit valde
fastum ejus (vel, arrogantiam ejus) et superbiam ejus (nomen
est etiam ejusdem significationis, et ab eadem radice, quemadmodum
si quis diceret ferocitatem et ferociam, tantum pronuntiatione differunt
istoe voces) et altitudinem cordis.
|
Here the Prophet intimates by anticipation, that how
much soever the Moabites might boast, they could not, by their boastings and
their pride, so succeed that God should not appear against them as a Judge. We
have said already, that as the Moabites had been long in a quiet state, what the
Prophet denounced on them, appeared at the first hearing as incredible. It is
then by way of anticipation that he says, that the Moabites were
proud, did swell with haughtiness, and breathed much
arrogance, that, in short, they manifested high and lofty spirits.
When the Prophet says all this, and adds, that nothing would avail them, we see
that he meets those doubts which might have possessed weak minds, so as to
prevent them to believe his prophecy.
And when he uses the words,
We have
heard, he not only means by report, but
that the Moabites loudly boasted, as it is usual with proud men; for they made,
so to speak, a bellowing, and sought, even by their tongues alone, to strike
others with terror. As then they proclaimed their wealth and their power, they
sought in a manner to shake the very air, so that all might tremble at their
voice alone. This seems to have been expressed by the Prophet, when he said,
We have
heard. In short, Jeremiah does not mean
that the report of the pride of Moab had spread abroad, as rumors often fly
respecting the haughtiness and boastings of men; but he intimates that the
Moabites were heralds of their own power, so that they spoke in lofty terms of
their own greatness, and thus their own tongues testified of their haughtiness
and arrogance.
fH14 And hence it was that the Prophet
enlarged on their pride; Moab is
very proud, he says;
we have heard his haughtiness,
his pride and his arrogance, (though it
be the same word,) and the
loftiness of his heart, or, as we may
say in Latin, et altos spiritus, and his high sprits. It now
follows —
|
JEREMIAH
48:30
|
|
30. I know his wrath, saith the Lord; but
it shall not be so; his lies shall not so effect
it.
|
30. Ego cognovi, dicit Jehova, insolentiam
ejus; et mendacia ejus non rectitudo; non sic facient.
|
This verse is variously explained, at least the
second clause. Some render it, “His indignation, and not what is
right;” then they add by itself, “his lies;” and
lastly, “they have not done rightly,” or as others,
“they will not do anything fixed,” which is more suitable, and comes
near to the rendering which I have given. But I will not here discuss other
interpretations, or try at large to disprove-them, but it is sufficient for us
to understand the real meaning of the Prophet.
In the first place, God is here introduced as saying,
I know his
insolence. The pronoun
yna,
ani, is emphatical, for in the last verse the Prophet had said,
that the boastings of Moab were a terror, as they spoke loudly of their own
strength and defences. As then they thus with open mouths sounded forth their
own praises, they filled all their neighbors with terror; hence the Prophet
said, We have heard the pride of
Moab. Now God also on his part gives
this answer, I
know, he says,
his
insolence; as though he had said,
“The Moabites do not thus boast, but that I am a witness; all these things
ascend to my tribunal.”
He afterwards adds, still in the person of God,
Not rectitude are his
lies. By the word
wtrb[,
obertu, which some render, “his indignation,”
the Prophet means, I think, insolence. It signifies properly excess, as it comes
from
rb[,
ober, to pass over. The noun is indeed often taken to express
indignation, because anger keeps within no limits, but is, as Horace says, a
momentary madness.
fH15 But on account of what the passage seems
to require, I render it insolence, and it is the most suitable word. And God
having declared that the insolence of Moab was seen by him, mentions also his
lies. The word
µydb,
means branches of trees, and sometimes sons or children, they being members
of the community; and hence some render it “sons” here, as though
the Prophet had said, that after the Moabites had been cut off, there would be
none remaining to continue their name in the world. As then there was to be no
posterity to the Moabites, they think that
µydb,
badim here means sons or children. But this view cannot be admitted,
because we shall hereafter see that there was to be some residue to the
Moabites. We cannot then take
µydb,
badim, but as referring to their vain boastings, for they were
nothing but lies.
But we must consider what Jeremiah says; the word
ˆk,
ken, means right; and I take the two words as being in apposition,
“His lies are not right;” that is, there is no
stability in his lies. For when an apposition is explained, one of the words is
turned to an adjective, or a preposition is inserted: Not right
then are his lies; that is, in his lies there is no rectitude,
or in his lies there is no stability. But the rectitude of which the Prophet now
speaks, refers not to justice or equity, but to stability; and that it has this
meaning may be gathered from other places. Then he says, that the boastings
which the Moabites indulged in were vain, because God would not establish what
they thought, or as they commonly say, what they presumed.
And then he adds the reason; the particle
ˆk,
ken, is to be taken here adverbially; it is an adverb of likeness,
“so,” or thus, they shall not so do; that is,
as they had conceived in their minds. It is a confirmation of the last clause;
for why was there to be no stability in their lies? because God would break down
the Moabites, so that their counsels would be vain, without any effect. We now
then perceive the meaning of the words.
<231606>Isaiah
16:6 uses nearly the same expressions, but he does not add this confirmation,
that they would not be able to do what they intended. He only says,
“there shall no rectitude be in their boastings,”
wydb ˆk
al, la ken bediu, having previously
spoken of the loftiness of their heart and of their ferocity and insolence; for
he mentions the third word with the other two.
fH16
Now this verse may be accommodated to our use;
whenever the ungodly indulge in boasting, and insolently arrogate all things to
themselves, let us not fear and tremble, but bear in mind what the Prophet
teaches us here, whose admonition is very necessary; for he shews that this
pride is in derision with God, and that when the ungodly fulminate in a terrible
manner, there will be no effect to their lies. It follows, —
|
JEREMIAH
48:31
|
|
31. Therefore will I howl for Moab, and I will
cry out for all Moab; mine heart shall mourn for the men of
Kir-heres.
|
31. Propterea super Moab ululabo, et ad Moab
totum (hoc est, penitus ad totam gentem) clamabo, meditabor ad
viros urbis testae.
|
Some think the last word to be a proper name, though,
according to etymology, it is “the city of potsherd.” They
therefore give this rendering, “the strong city.” But Isaiah
calls it “Kir-hareseth,”
tçrhAryq;
he extends the word by adding a syllable to it; but the word, however, is the
same. Then he says, I will think
of the men of Kir-cheres. The word
hgh,
ege, is properly to complain, to whisper, to murmur; and hence some
render the words not improperly, “I will mutter to the men of the city of
potsherd.” fH17
The Prophet does not relate here what he would do, as
I have before reminded you; but that he might represent to the life the ruin of
Moab, he mentions their howling, crying, and complaints. He then says, I will
howl, cry aloud, and with a trembling voice complain, as those who are
grievously oppressed with evils; at one time they complain, cry aloud, and howl,
and at another they mutter inwardly, grumble and murmur. Thus the Prophet
assumes the character of such persons, in order that he might more fully set
forth the extreme calamity of that nation. He afterwards comes to particulars:
—
|
JEREMIAH
48:32
|
|
32. O vine of Sibmah, I will weep for thee
with the weeping of Jazer: thy plants are gone over the sea, they reach even
to the sea of Jazer: the spoiler is fallen upon thy summer-fruits, and upon
thy vintage.
|
32. A fletu Jaezer flebo (vel, a
planctu plangam) tibi (id est, super to) vitis Sibmah; propagines
tuae penetrarunt ultra mare (trajecerunt mare,) usque ad mare Jaezer (hoc
est, cives Jaezer, vel propagines) attigerunt; super
aestivales (vel, aestivos) fructus tuos (vel, messes
proprie,) et super vindemias tuas irruit
vastator.
|
Here the Prophet shews more clearly what he had said
generally before, that Sibmah would weep for her vines, after having wept for
Jazer. These were cities in the land of Moab, as it appears from other places.
Some give this rendering, “In comparison with the weeping” or
mourning, etc.; and
ˆm,
men, as it is well known, has this meaning; but as
b,
beth, “in weeping,” is adopted by Isaiah, instead of
ˆm,
men, there is no doubt but that the Prophet means a continued
mourning, when he says, From (or with)
the weeping of Jazer I will weep
for thee, vine of Sibmah; that is, there
will be no end to weeping; for after the Moabites had mourned for the
destruction of the city Jazer, a new cause of weeping would arise, for other
cities would be destroyed, and especially Sibmah.
Now the region of Sibmah was very fertile, especially
on account of the abundance of vines. Then the Prophet includes the whole wealth
of that city under the word vine; nay, he designates the citizens
as its shoots or young branches.
I will
weep, he says,
“over thee, the vine
of the vine-bearing region of Sibmah;
for thy shoots, that is, thy wealth,
have passed over the
sea, and the citizens of Jazer, who were
thy neighbors.” He afterwards repeats respecting the city of Jazer what he
had said, because its calamity was connected with the other, and was the same.
For God had involved these two cities in the same destruction.
Jazer
then came even to the
sea. Now
a waster rushed
in: Isaiah has shouting,
ddyh,
eidad, which is added presently here; but the word there has quite
a different meaning, that all rejoicing would cease. The word here is
ddç,
shidad, and means a waster or spoiler.
A
waster then
has
fallen, that is, has come with great
irresistible force, on thy vintages and harvests; that is, that he may scatter
and consume all things. It follows, —
|
JEREMIAH
48:33
|
|
33. And joy and gladness is taken from
the plentiful field, and from the land of Moab; and I have caused wine to fail
from the wine-presses: none shall tread with shouting; their shouting
shall be no shouting.
|
33. Et tolletur laetitia et exultatio ab agro
fertili (neque enim est hic proprium loci nomen; scio quidem montem
Carmelum esse celebrem, sed hic accipitur appellative, quia agitur
de regione Moab; sicut explicative continuo post additur proprium nomen
regionis,) a terra Moab (inquit Propheta,) et vinum e
torcularibus cessare faciam (loquitur adhuc in persona Dei,) non
calcabit cum cantico, cantico, non erit canticum.
|
He pursues the same metaphor or comparison; for he
says that all places would be laid waste and desolate, which before had been
valuable and highly regarded on account of their fruitfulness. Cease then
shall all rejoicing from the land
of Moab, however fruitful it might have
been. And then he adds, I will
make the wine to cease from the presses;
that is, no one shall press the grapes, that from them the wine may flow.
And he adds, ddyh
ddyh, eidad, eidad,
shouting, shouting, for there
will be no shouting. Some render
ddyh,
eidad, “signal,” celeuma, (vel
celeusma,) a Greek word, but used also in Latin:
ke>leuma
is said by the Greeks to be the shouting of
sailors, especially when they drive to the shore; they then rouse one another in
rowing, and also congratulate one another, because they are nigh to land; for to
see the harbor is a cause of special joy to sailors, as though it were a
restoration to life and safety. But this word
ke>leuma
is applied to other things, as it may be said
that reapers sing a celeusma when they finish their work. The
vine-dressers had also their songs; and they were sung by heathen nations, as
Virgil says. “Now the worn-out vine-dresser sings at the extreme
rows of vines.”
fH18 By extreme rows or ranks he seems to
mean the extreme parts of the vines; for extreme rows (antes) are
properly prominences or overhanging stones. Now when they had come to the end,
they sang and congratulated themselves as to the vintage. It was then a common
custom among all nations.
The Prophet, now alluding to this, says,
“They who shall tread in the winepress shall not be as usual
joyful, so as to have their shouting, shouting,
ddyh
ddyh, eidad, eidad.” He
repeats the word, because men greatly exult at the vintage, and are excessive in
their rejoicings. This is the reason why the Prophet mentions the word twice. He
then adds, there shall be no
shouting,
ddyh
al, la eidad, because there would be
no vineyards. Isaiah uses other expressions, but the meaning is the same. It now
follows, —
|
JEREMIAH
48:34
|
|
34. From the cry of Heshbon even unto
Elealeh, and even unto Jahaz, have they uttered their voice, from Zoar
even unto Horonaim, as an heifer of three years old: for the
waters also of Nimrim shall be desolate.
|
34. A clamore Hesebon usque ad Elealeh, ad
Jahaes edent (ediderunt, ad verbum) vocem suam; a Zoar ad
Choronaim vitula triennis (aut, vitulam triennem;) quia etiam
aquae Nimrim in vastationem erunt (in ariditatem
scilicet.)
|
He continues the same subject; and by many and
various expressions confirms the same thing, in order that the faithful might
know that the destruction of the Moabites was really foretold, and that they
might feel more assured that God announced nothing but what he would presently
execute.
At the cry of Heshbon
even to Elealeh they shall
send forth their
voice. He means, as before, that there
would be continued cryings and howlings sounding forth from every part, and
spreading through every region. He then adds,
From Zoar to
Horonaim. We must bear in mind the
situations of these cities; but we may suppose that the Prophet chose
those cities which were opposite to each other. Then from one corner to the
other continual crying would be heard, because there would be everywhere
desolation and ruin. And then he comes to another part, from one city even to
another there would be a similar cry. In short, he shews that no part in the
whole land of Moab would be in a quiet state and free from miseries. This is the
meaning.
But he compares the whole land of Moab, or the city
Horonaim, to an heifer three years old, on account of its lasciviousness. Some
restrict the comparison to the city Horonaim, for they read the words in
apposition, “to Heronaim, an heifer three years old,” putting the
last words in the accusative case: but others read them apart, “an heifer
three years old” is Moab. And I prefer this construction, because he
afterwards adds another city, even Nimrim. As, however, it is a matter of no
great moment, I will not contend with any one who may take the other view.
Whether then it be one city or the whole country, it is compared to
an heifer three years
old, because that nation had long
luxuriated in its own pleasures. Now, an heifer three years old, as it is well
known, frisks and leaps, because it knows not what it is to fear the yoke; and
then it is not worn out, as the case is with cows, who are weakened by having
often brought forth young; and further, the milk that is taken from them
exhausts their strength. But all heifer three years old is in her rigor and
prime. In short, the Prophet intimates that the Moabites lived well, and as it
were unrestrained, for they had long exulted in their abundance; and as they had
plenty of wine and bread, they gave themselves up to
luxury. fH19
He then adds,
Surely even the waters of Nimrim
shall be a desolation. Some think Nimrim
to have been a city, and it is elsewhere called Nimra. Its waters are also
mentioned by Isaiah, as the brooks of the willows. We may hence conclude that
these waters were perpetual and flowed continually. But the Prophet speaks
metaphorically as before, for the meaning is, that nothing would be so safe in
the land of Moab as not to be destroyed, that nothing would be so fruitful as
not to be dried up. Then by the
waters of Nimrim he means the abundance which
was in the whole country. For the Chaldeans did not dry up that river or those
lakes, for it is certainly unknown whether there was a river there or a lake.
But it is probable that there was there abundance of waters, which were not
dried up by the coming of an hostile army; but, as I have said, he shews by
these figurative expressions that the whole land of Moab would be laid waste. It
follows —
|
JEREMIAH
48:35
|
|
35. Moreover, I will cause to cease in Moab,
saith the Lord, him that offereth in the high places, and him that burneth
incense to his gods.
|
35. Et cessare faciam (id est
profligabo) ex Moab, inquit Jehova, eum qui offert in excelso, et qui adolet
(aut, suffitum facit) diis suis.
|
In this verse the Prophet expresses what he had
before referred to, that God would become in such a way the avenger of the pride
and cruelty of the Moabites as to punish them for their superstitions. They had
descended from a pious father, for they were the posterity of Lot; but they had
renounced the worship of the only true God, and had defiled themselves with the
pollutions of heathens. Justly then does God declare that he would be the
avenger of idolatry, while executing punishment on the pride and cruelty of the
Moabites.
Now this passage, as innumerable others, clearly
shews that idolatry and all profanation of divine worship, cannot finally escape
punishment. God may indeed for a time connive at it, but he must necessarily at
last appear as the vindicator of his own glory in punishing superstitions. But,
if he spared not the Moabites, to whom the law had not, been given, and who had
been corrupted through many long years, how shall they now escape unpunished, to
whom God’s Word is daily propounded, and in whose ears it sounds? Let, us
then remember that superstitions cannot be endured, for God will at length
vindicate his own glory with regard to these abominations; for every
superstition is nothing less than a profanation of God’s glory, which is
thus transferred to idols and vain inventions.
PRAYER
Grant, Almighty God, that since thou
hast once deigned to receive us under thy protection, we may have thee as our
defense against our enemies, and that the more cruel and ferocious they become,
and that the more heavily thou chastisest them, we may thus find that thou
carest for our salvation, and flee also to thee with greater confidence, and
that when we have experienced thy mercy, we may more readily give thee continual
thanks, through Christ Jesus our Lord. — Amen.
LECTURE ONE HUNDRED AND
SEVENTY-SECOND
|
JEREMIAH
48:36
|
|
36. Therefore mine heart shall sound for Moab
like pipes, and mine heart shall sound like pipes for the men of Kir-heres:
because the riches that he hath gotten are perished.
|
36. Propterea cor meum propter Moab tanquam
tibiae resonabit, et cor meum ad viros Kir-cheres (vel, urbis
testaceae, ut dictum fuit) sicuti tibiae resonabit, quoniam
thesaurus quem fecerunt, perierunt (ad verbum est, residuum fecit,
perierunt; sed loquitur de thesauris reconditis, quemadmodum patet ex
simili loco Isaiae, capite 15.)
|
Here the Prophet, as it has been before stated, does
not mourn the calamity of the people of Moab, but assumes the character of
others, so that the event might appear more evident, it being set as it were
before our eyes; for as we have said, the wealth of the Moabites was so great at
that time, that it dazzled the eyes of all. It was then difficult for the
faithful to form an idea of this vengeance of God, therefore the Prophet
transfers to himself the feelings of others, and relates what the Moabites would
do, when God had so grievously afflicted them.
My
heart, he says,
shall sound like
pipes. Some think that mournful pipes
are meant, but I know not whether or not they were instruments of this
kind; and there are those who think that
µyllj,
chellim, were bag-pipes, but what is too refined I leave. The
Prophet simply means that such would be the trepidation, that the hearts of the
Moabites would make a noise like pipes. He repeats the same thing in different
words, that his
heart
would make a
noise, or sound,
for the men of
Kir-heres, of which city we spoke
yesterday.
He now adds,
for the residue which they have
made, or which Moab has made, for the
verb is in the singular number; and then,
they have
perished, where also there is a change
of number; but the reference is to the word “residue,”
trty,
iteret, which included hidden treasures, as we have
stated. fH20
Whatever then the Moabites had gained for themselves, and whatever they thought
would be always safe, the Prophet declares that it would perish. Isaiah adds,
“their substance,”
µtwqp,
pekotem, and says, that they would carry it to the willows, that
is, to deserted places; as though he had said, that all the wealth of the
Moabites would be scattered, as though it were, as they say, a thing forsaken.
It now follows —
|
JEREMIAH
48:37
|
|
37. For every head shall be bald, and
every beard clipped: upon all the hands shall be cuttings, and upon the
loins sackcloth.
|
37. Quia omni capiti calvitium, et omni barbae
rasura (ad verbum diminutio;
[rg
significat diminuere, sed hic accipitur, pro
rasura,) et super omnes manus incisiones, et super lumbos
saccus.
|
The Prophet describes at large a very great mourning.
They were wont in great sorrow to pull off their hair, to shave their beard, and
to put on sackcloth, or to gird it round their loins, and also to cut their
hands with a knife or with their nails. As these things were signs of grief;
Jeremiah puts them all together, in order to show that the calamity of Moab
would not be common, but what would cause to the whole people extreme
lamentation. They shall make
bald, he says,
their heads, their beard they
shall pull off, or shave; for the word,
to diminish, may signify either. Then he adds, the incisions in the
hands; they shall tear their faces and their hands with their nails,
or as some say, with a knife or a razor. As to sackcloth, it was also a sign of
mourning. It is indeed certain that it was formerly the practice for men, as
though it was innate in human nature, in great calamities to spread ashes on the
head and to put on sackloth. But he has added other excesses which are not very
congenial to nature, for it is not agreeable to humanity to pull off the beard,
to make bald the head, or to tear the hands and the face with the nails. These
things show excesses, suitable neither to men nor to women, — not to women
on the ground of modesty, nor to men on the ground of manliness and strength of
mind.
But mankind never control themselves, and whether
they mourn or rejoice, they are ever led away to excesses, observing no
moderation. There was also another evil connected with sackcloth and ashes; for
when it was God’s design to lead men by these symbols to humble
themselves, to consider their sins and to flee to his mercy, they were diverted
to another end, even that he who mourned might appear miserable to others, and
make a display of his weeping and tears. In short, besides excess, there was
also this common evil, even hypocrisy. For men ever turn aside to what is vain,
and dissemble in all things. But in this place there is no reason to dispute
about mourning, for the Prophet means only that the Moabites would become most
miserable, exhibiting all the symptoms of sorrow. It follows —
|
JEREMIAH
48:38
|
|
38. There shall be lamentation
generally upon all the house-tops of Moab, and in the streets thereof: for I
have broken Moab like a vessel wherein is no pleasure, saith the
Lord.
|
38. Super omnia tecta Moab, et in compitis
ejus omnino planctus (hoc est, ubique;
hlk
sumitur adverbialiter,) quoniam confregi Moab tanquam vas quod non
est in pretio (ad verbum, non desiderium in ipso, tanquam vas
quod contemnitur, quod non appetitur,) dicit
Jehova.
|
The Prophet at the beginning of the verse continues
the same subject, that the Moabites would weep and lament throughout
all their houses
and in
all their
streets. The reason is added in the
second clause, because God would bring a severe judgment on that
nation.
By saying that there would be
lamentation on all the
roofs, he refers to what was customary
at that time, for they had their walks on the roofs or tops of their houses.
Then he says, that the Moabites, in order to be more seen and to excite pity,
would ascend on the roofs, and cry, howl, and lament there. But we must observe
what is added, that the calamity would come from God; for it would not have been
sufficient to foretell adversity, except this was added, that God ascended his
tribunal to execute his judgments when he thus chastised the people. He also
compares the people of Moab to a
despised
vessel, in order to make a distinction
between God’s children and aliens; for God does also chastise his own
people when they sin, but he ceases not to love them and to regard them as
precious. Now he says that Moab would be a vessel despised and
rejected.
fH21 It now follows, —
|
JEREMIAH
48:39
|
|
39. They shall howl, saying, How is it broken
down! how hath Moab turned the back with shame! so shall Moab be a derision and
a dismaying to all them about him.
|
39. Quomodo contritus est? ululabunt (alii
vertunt, ulularunt:) quomodo vertit cervicem Moab; pudefactus est; et fuit Moab
in derisum, et in terrorem omnibus qui sunt in circuitu.
|
The Prophet still speaks in the person of others, and
according to their feelings and not his own. He then says, that
howling, they would say, through wonder,
How is it that Moab has been so
broken, that all had turned their backs,
that Moab had become ashamed? He indirectly intimates, that though no one could
then know God’s judgment, which he now foretells, yet God would by the
event prove that he had said nothing but in earnest. This wonder then was
expressed for this purpose, that the Jews might know, that though the calamity
of Moab would fill all with astonishment, and make them cry out as respecting an
extraordinary thing, “What can this mean?” yet the
fulfillment of his prophecy would be certain.
This is the meaning of the words when he says,
Howling, they will cry out, How
has Moab been broken? and how has he turned his
neck, or as they say, his back?
Moab is
ashamed; and then,
he is made a
derision, which we have observed before.
He adds, a
terror, though some read, “a
bruising;” but more suitable is fear or terror. For the Prophet
means, that Moab would be to others a derision, and that he would be to others a
dread, being an example of God’s awful
judgment.
fH22 And he says that he would be a
terror to all
around, that is, to the whole
surrounding country, as well as a laughter and a derision. It follows, —
|
JEREMIAH
48:40
|
|
40. For thus saith the Lord, Behold, he shall
fly as an eagle, and shall spread his wings over Moab.
|
40. Quia sic dicit Jehova, Ecce tanquam aquila
volabit, et expandet alas suas super Moab.
|
Here again he introduces God’s name, for it was
necessary to confirm an incredible prophecy by his authority. “God is
he,” he says, “who declares that enemies will come, who will
fly through all the land of Moab.” He now compares the Chaldeans to
eagles; and there is here a name understood which is not expressed.
Fly will he like an
eagle, that is, the king of Babylon with
his army.
The sum of what is said then is, that however widely
extended might be the country of Moab, yet there would be no corner into which
the Chaldeans would not penetrate, because they would nearly equal the eagles in
swiftness. Hence he adds, They
will extend their wings, not to cherish,
as eagles spread their wings over their young ones; but by extension he means,
that they would seize on all the land of Moab; so that hiding places would be
sought in vain, because the Chaldeans would from one part to another take
possession of every place, however remote the Moabites might think it to be, and
however they might hope its distance would render it safe. He afterwards adds,
—
|
JEREMIAH
48:41
|
|
41. Kerioth is taken, and the strong holds are
surprised, and the mighty men’s hearts in Moab at that day shall be as the
heart of a woman in her pangs.
|
41. Captae sunt urbes (est hic etiam
mutatio numeri, sed dura esset translatio ad verbum, ideo satis
est sensum tenere; captae ergo sunt urbes, hoc est,
unaquaeque urbs capta est, deinde,) arces (vel,
propugnacula) comprehensa sunt (est iterum mutatio numeri,) et
fuit cor virorum Moab in die illa tanquam cor mulieris quae angitur
(vel, premitur anxietate.)
|
I have already reminded you, that the Prophet is not
using too many words in this extended discourse, for it was necessary to confirm
at large what all would have otherwise rejected. He then says, that
the cities of Moab were
taken, that
strongholds were
seized. He mentions these things
expressly, because the country of Moab thought that it was defended by cities
and strongholds; and they thus thought, “Should the Chaldeans come
and make an irruption, there are many cities who will oppose them; they will
then have to spend much time in overcoming these obstacles. It may then so
happen, that being broken down with fatigue they will return to their own
country, and we shall recover what we may have lost.” With this confidence
then the Moabites deceived themselves, when they looked on their well fortified
cities and strongholds. For this reason the Prophet now says,
Taken are the cities, and seized
on are the
strongholds.
fH23
There was another thing of which the Moabites
boasted, that they possessed military valor; and yet they had not of late made a
trial of their strength, as they had been indulging themselves in sloth and
pleasures. But as they had formerly performed deeds worthy of being remembered,
they despised, as I have said, their enemies, arrogating to themselves the
credit of great valor. The Prophet, on the other hand, declares that their
courage would vanish away: The
heart, he
says, of the men of Moab shall
become effeminate in that day, softer
than the heart of a woman, when oppressed with evils. It might have appeared a
complete comparison, when he said that the men of Moab would be soft and
effeminate; but he wished to express something more, and hence he added, that
they would become softer than women when in great trouble. And by these words he
intimates, that it is in God’s power to melt the hearts of men, and to
break down their fierceness, so that they who were like lions are made like
does. And this ought to be carefully noticed; because courage is not only a
special gift, but it is also necessary that God should daily and constantly
strengthen those whom he has once made brave; otherwise they who are courageous
above others will soon lose their valor. It follows, —
|
JEREMIAH
48:42
|
|
42. And Moab shall be destroyed from being
a people, because he hath magnified himself against the
Lord.
|
42. Et contritus est (perditus, excisus) Moab,
ut non sit populus; quia adversus Jehovam sese extulit (magnificatus est., ad
verbum.)
|
He repeats what we have before observed, that the
calamity of Moab would be a just reward for his pride and indeed his sacrilege.
The Prophet then says that though God’s vengeance might seem extremely
grievous, yet it was most just, because the Moabites had not only been cruel
against their neighbors, but also reproachful against God. Here, then, he
condemns them first for cruelty, and then for their impious pride,
because they exalted themselves
against God.
But we must bear in mind the reason noticed before;
for the Moabites did not openly boast that they were equal or superior to God,
but when they raised their crests against God’s people, they became
contumelious against God himself, who had promised to be the protector and the
Father of his people. As then the Moabites thus despised the protection and
promise of God, they are here justly condemned by the Prophet, that they
exalted themselves against
God. And this ought to be carefully
noticed, so that we may not do any wrong to the godly, for God will at length
show that he is injured in their persons. And then also no common consolation
may be hence derived, that all who molest us are carrying on war against God,
and that all who injure us act sacrilegiously towards him. For the Prophet has
before explained how the Moabites gloried against God, even because they
regarded the children of Israel with derision. It follows, —
|
JEREMIAH
48:43-44
|
|
43. Fear, and the pit, and the snare, shall
be upon thee, O inhabitant of Moab, saith the Lord.
|
43. Terror et fovea et laqueus super to,
habitator Moab, dicit Jehova.
|
|
44. He that fleeth from the fear shall fall
into the pit; and he that getteth up out of the pit shall be taken in the snare:
for I will bring upon it, even upon Moab, the year of their visitation,
saith the Lord.
|
44. Qui fugerit a facie terroris incidet in
foveam; et qui ascenderit e fovea laqueo capietur; quoniam adducam super eam,
super Moab, annum visitationis ipsorum, dicit Jehova.
|
By these words the Prophet skews, that though the
Moabites should adopt many means of escape, yet they should be taken, for
God’s hand would everywhere entrap them. He mentions terror first,
then the pit, and thirdly, the
snare,
fH24 that is, “Thou wilt be so
frightened that terror will compel thee to flee; but when thou fleest, pits will
be in the way into which thou wilt fall: but if thou wilt rise from the pit,
snares will surround thee, and thou wilt be taken.” We then see that by
these similitudes nothing else is meant but God’s judgment, which impended
over the Moabites, so that it could by no means be averted by them; for no ways
could be found out by which they could escape, because fear would force them to
flee, and would, as it is usually the case, deprive them of mind and thought,
and thus they would be driven here and there, and could not move from any place
without meeting with a pit, and, as it has been said, after the pit there would
be the snare.
Now all this has not been expressed without reason,
because we know with how many flatteries men are wont to delude themselves when
God summons them to judgment; for they immediately look around here and there,
and promise themselves impunity, and then they hope for light punishment, as
though they were at peace with God. But the unbelieving harden themselves, as
Isaiah says, as though they had made a covenant with death and a compact with
hell.
(<232815>Isaiah
28:15.) As, then, the wicked set up security in opposition to God, the Prophet
here shews that there are many ways in his hand, by which he can take the
fugitives, and those who seem to think that they can escape through their own
astuteness; and hence he said, He
who flees from terror, that is, from
present danger, shall fall into
the pit, that is, when the Moabites
shall now think themselves secure, they shall meet with new dangers, and new
deaths will surround them.
But we must notice what is added at the end of the
verse, Because I will bring on
Moab the year of their visitation. Here
God sustains the minds of the godly, that they might not faint on account of
long delay. As, then, the faithful might have been worn out with weariness while
God prolonged the time as to the Moabites, the Prophet says, “Come
at length shall the year of their visitation.” For as it has been
stated elsewhere, by this mode of speaking God intimates that though he for a
time passes by things and connives at them, he will at length show himself to be
the judge of the world. We would have God ever to act in haste; and hence, when
he exhorts us to patience, all our feelings rebel. This happens, because we do
not consider that the fitness of times is determined by his will. Hence he
speaks now of the year of
visitation, as though he had said,
“I may for a time appear to disregard human affairs and to neglect my own,
while my people are cruelly oppressed by the wicked; but the time of visitation
will come.” For by this word “visitation,” God
means that there are changes, or, as they commonly say, revolutions, which are
fixed and certain. We now then understand the design of God, when he
says, that he would bring a visitation on the Moabites. It follows, —
|
JEREMIAH
48:45
|
|
45. They that fled stood under the shadow of
Heshbon, because of the force: but a fire shall come forth out of Heshbon, and a
flame from the midst of Sihon, and shall devour the corner of Moab, and the
crown of the head of the tumultuous ones.
|
45. In umbra Hesbon steterunt a fortitudine
(aut, violentia) fugientes; quia ignis egressus est ex Hesbon, et
flamma e medio Sion, et vorabit angulum Moab, et extremitatem et verticem
filiorum tumultus.
|
He confirms what is said in the last verse, that the
Moabites would in vain resort to their strongest cities, even Heshbon and
Sihon; because a flame would thence break forth, which would
consume the whole land. We hence see that God took away from the Moabites all
their vain confidences, and showed that no defences could stand against his
power, when once he rose up for judgment.
The
fleers, he says,
shall stand under the shadow of
Heshbon, thinking that there would be a
safe refuge in that city, and in others.
fH25 But the particle
yk,
ki, seems not to me to be here causal, but rather an affirmative,
or even an adversative; but, or surely
a fire has gone forth from
Heshbon, and a flame from Sihon. The
Prophet, I doubt not, borrowed these words from Moses, for he says in
<042128>Numbers
21:28, that a fire had gone forth from Heshbon; and there the expression is
given as an old proverb. There is no doubt but that enemies had triumphed over
that city when it was taken; for that whole song spoken by Moses is ironical,
and in saying that fire had gone forth, he referred to their counsels, for they
thought that city sufficiently strong against enemies. Now the Prophet says,
that what had been formerly said of Heshbon would be again fulfilled, that it
would be, as it were, the beginning of the fire. The meaning then, as I think,
is, that the Moabites indeed thought, that they would have a quiet and agreeable
shadow under the protection of the city Heshbon, and of the city Sihon; but what
was to be? even that these two cities would become, as it were, the beginnings
of the fire. How, or in what way? even because the probability is, that there
those counsels were taken which provoked the Chaldeans. We indeed know that
riches and power always produce haughtiness and false confidence in men; for in
villages and small towns wars are not contrived; but the great cities gather the
wood and kindle the fire; and the fire afterwards spreads and pervades the whole
land. fH26
This, then, is what our Prophet means, when he says,
that fire went forth from
Heshbon, even contrary to the
expectation of the people, for they thought that were all things to go to ruin,
there yet would be safety for them in that city:
go
forth, he says,
shall fire
from the city
Heshbon, and a flame from the
midst of Sihon, and it shall consume the corner of
Moab, and all his extremities; for by
rqrq,
kadkad, he means all parts. Extremity is elsewhere taken for a
part; but he does not mean that fire would come to all parts or extreme
corners, only as it were to touch them slightly: but he intimates that the whole
land would be consumed by this fire; it would thus spread itself to its very
extremities. fH27
But as I have already said, the Prophet alludes to
that old saying mentioned by Moses,
(<042127>Numbers
21:27, 28.) Further, there is no doubt but that Heshbon and Sihon were then in
the possession of that nation; for they had taken away many cities from the
Israelites, and thus the children of Israel had been reduced to narrower limits.
At length the tribe of Judah alone remained after the overthrow of the kingdom
of Israel. When they were driven into Chaldea, it was an easy thing for the
Moabites to make that their own which belonged to no one. Besides, as they had
helped the Chaldeans and betrayed that miserable people, and had thus acted
perfidiously towards their brethren, a reward was given to them. But when at
length they themselves dreaded the power of the Babylonian monarchy, they began
to change their minds, and endeavored to obstruct the farther progress of the
Chaldeans. Hence then a war was contemplated, and the occasion was given. He
then speaks of Heshbon and Sihon as chief cities; and there is no doubt but that
Sihon derived its name from a king who ruled there. For we know that there was a
king bearing this name; but as he speaks here of a place, it is probable, that
the king’s name was given to the city in order to commemorate
it.
He at length adds, that this
fire
and
flame
would devour the top of the
head of the sons of Saon, or tumult. But
he calls the Moabites tumultuous, because they before made a great noise, and
were dreaded by their neighbors. As then all their neighbors had been
frightened, in a manner, by their voice alone, he calls them sons of tumult, or
tumultuous men, from the effect produced. It follows —
|
JEREMIAH
48:46
|
|
46. Woe be unto thee, O Moab! the people of
Chemosh perisheth: for thy sons are taken captives, and thy daughters
captives.
|
46. Vae tibi Moab! periit populus Chamos, quia
tracti sunt (vel, rapti) filii tui in captivitatem, et filiae tuae
in exilium.
|
Here the Prophet, as he comes to the end of his
prophecy, suddenly exclaims, Woe
to thee! as though he had said, that
words failed him to express the grievousness of God’s vengeance. There is
then more force in this single expression, than if he had at large described the
miseries of that nation. He then adds,
The people of Chemosh have
perished. The Prophet again intimates,
that the Moabites vainly confided in their idol, Chemosh; they thought that
there would be a sure safety to them from their god, who was, as they commonly
say, a tutelar god. But the Prophet says, that their superstition would avail
them nothing, for they and their idol would perish together. He exults over this
fictitious god, that on the other hand he might extol the power of the only true
God. For there is here an implied contrast between the God of Israel and Chemosh
whom the Moabites worshipped.
He then adds,
Thy sons and thy daughters shall
be carried away into captivity. The
Prophet does not seem here to continue the same subject; for he had said before
that ruin or destruction was coming on the Moabites, but he now mitigates that
punishment, and speaks only of exile. But as captivity is like death, as it
abolishes the name of a nation, he speaks correctly and suitably. And then we
must observe, that God, for a time, so executed his vengeance on the Moabites,
that he left them some hope as to the future, according to what follows in the
last verse —
|
JEREMIAH
48:47
|
|
47. Yet will I bring again the captivity of
Moab in the latter days, saith the Lord. Thus far is the judgment of
Moab.
|
47. Et reducam captivitatem Moab in fine
dierum (hoc est, post longum tempus,) dicit Jehova. Hactenus
judicium Moab.
|
Here, as we see, God gives place to his mercy, so
that the Moabites should not wholly perish. At the same time, things which seem
to be contrary agree together, even that destruction was nigh the people of
Moab, and yet that some would remain alive, who would afterwards renew the name
of the nation, as it was God’s purpose to restore the Moabites to their
former state. These things, as I have said, seem inconsistent, and yet they may
be easily reconciled; for it was God’s will so to destroy the Moabites,
that those who died might not be without hope; and then, those who remained
alive were not deemed to be among the living, but in exile they were like the
dead. God, indeed, ever supported the godly with hope, even when they were
driven into Babylon: but as to the Moabites, the living as well as the dead, had
no hope. Why, then, was this promise given? not for the sake of the Moabites;
but that the Jews might feel assured that God would at length be propitious to
them; he promises pardon to the Moabites as it were accidentally, so to speak,
and thus unavowedly stretches forth his hand to them, but with a design through
this mercy to give to the Israelites a taste of his paternal favor. What remains
we must reserve for the lecture tomorrow.
PRAYER
Grant, Almighty God, that as thou wert
formerly pleased to extend thy mercy to aliens, who were wholly estranged from
thee, that the children of Abraham, whom thou didst adopt, might hence have a
hope of deliverance, — O grant, that we may also, at this day, cast our
eyes on the many proofs of thy goodness, manifested towards the ungodly and the
unworthy, so as to make an application for our own benefit, and never to doubt
but that however miserable we may be, thou wilt yet be ever propitious to us,
since thou hast deigned to choose us for thy peculiar people, and hast promised
to be ever our God and Father in Christ Jesus our Lord. —
Amen.
LECTURE ONE
HUNDRED AND SEVENTY-THIRD
We began in our last lecture to explain what the
Prophet has said of the restoration of Moab; and we said that some hope of mercy
to the unworthy is left here. For though they had in various ways provoked the
wrath of God, yet he was unwilling wholly to destroy them; and from that nation
also Christ, the Redeemer of the world, derived his origin. Here, then, we have
a memorable instance of God’s favor, that he did not wholly obliterate
that nation, which yet had deserved extreme punishment. We said further, that it
was, as it were, accidental that the Prophet promised favor to the Moabites; for
we know that the people of Israel were then a people distinct from other
nations. God then so disposed of his favor, that when a few drops came to
heathens, it was, as it were, adventitious. For it was not his will to cast
indiscriminately to all the bread which he had designed for his own children, as
Christ also says, that it is not right that the children’s bread should be
given to dogs.
(<401526>Matthew
15:26.) God, however, designed to show some preludes of his mercy towards alien
nations, when he so directed the promises of salvation to his chosen people as
not wholly to exclude the heathens, as we have an example here in the Moabites.
We shall hereafter see the same as to the Ammonites. Now follows —
CHAPTER 49
|
JEREMIAH
49:1
|
|
1. Concerning the Ammonites, thus saith the
Lord, Hath Israel no sons? hath he no heir? why then doth their king
inherit Gad, and his people dwell in his cities?
|
1. Ad filios Ammon: Sic dicit Jehova, An filii
non sunt Israeli? An haeres non est ei? quare haereditate possidet rex eorum Gad
et populus ejus in urbibus ejus habitat?
|
We have said that the Ammonites were not only
contiguous to the Moabites, but had also derived their origin from Lot, and were
thus connected with them by blood. Their origin was indeed base and shameful,
for they were, as it is well known, the offspring of incest. There was, however,
the bond of fraternity between them, because both nations had the same father.
God had spared them when he brought up his people from Egypt; for in remembrance
of the holy man Lot, he would have both peoples to remain uninjured. But
ingratitude doubled their crime, for these impious men ceased not in various
ways to harass the children of Abraham.: For this reason, therefore, does
Jeremiah now prophesy against them.
And we see here, again, the object of this prophecy
and the design of the Holy Spirit in announcing it, even that the Israelites
might know that they were not so completely cast away by God, but that there
remained some remnants of his paternal favor; for if the Moabites and the
Ammonites had been free from all evils, it would have been a most grievous
trial; it would have been enough to overwhelm weak minds to see a people whom
God had adopted, miserably oppressed and severely chastised, while heathen
nations were remaining quiet in the enjoyment of their pleasures, and exulting
also over the calamities of others. God, then, in order to mitigate the grief
and sorrow which the children of Israel derived from their troubles and
calamities, shews that he would yet show them favor, because he would carry on
war against their enemies, and become the avenger of all the wrongs which
they had suffered. It was no common consolation for the Israelites to hear that
they were still the objects of God’s care, who, nevertheless, seemed in
various ways to have poured forth his wrath upon them in a full stream. We now,
then, see the reason why Jeremiah denounced destruction on the Ammonites,
as he did before on the Moabites.
Then he says,
To the children of
Ammon:
fH28
Are there no children to
Israel?
Hath he no heir?
It was a trial very grievous to the miserable
Israelites to see a part of the inheritance promised them by God forcibly taken
from them by the Ammonites; for what must have come to their minds but that they
had been deceived by vain promises? But it had happened, that the Ammonites had
deprived the children of Israel of a part of their inheritance. Hence the
Prophet teaches us here, that though God connived for a time, and passed by this
robbery, he yet would not suffer the Ammonites to go unpunished for having taken
to themselves what justly belonged to others. Hence it is added,
Why doth their king inherit
Gad?
I know not why Jerome rendered
µklm,
melkam, as though it were the name of an idol, as the word is
found in the Prophet Amos.
fH29 But it is evident that Jeremiah speaks
here of the king, for immediately after he adds, his people.
Their
king, then, he says,
inherits
Gad. Gad is not the name of a place, as
some think, but Mount Gilead, which had been given to that tribe. The Prophet
says that they possessed the country of the Gadites; for they had been ejected
from their portion, and the children of Ammon had occupied what had been given
by God to them. And this is confirmed by the Prophet Amos, when he
says,
“For three of the
transgressions of the children of Ammon, and for four, I will not be propitious
to them, because they have cut off the mountain of
Gilead.”
fH30
(<300101>Amos
1:13)
He speaks there metaphorically, because God had fixed
the limits between the tribe of Gad and the children of Ammon, so that both
might be satisfied with their own inheritance. But the children of Ammon had
broken through and expelled the tribe of Gad from the cities of Mount Gilead.
This, then, is what now our Prophet means, even that they had taken to
themselves that part of the land which had been allotted to the children of Gad;
for it immediately follows, and
his people dwell in his cities, even in
the cities which had been given by lot to that tribe; for we know that a
possession beyond Jordan had been given to the children of Gad. We now, then,
perceive the meaning of the words.
God, then, shews that he had not forgotten his
covenant, though he had for a time suffered the Ammonites to invade the
inheritance which he had conferred on the children of Israel; yet the Gaddites
would at length recover what had been unjustly taken from them. For it was a
robbery not to be endured, that the Ammonites should have dared to take to
themselves that land, which was not the property of men, but rather of God
himself, for he had called it his rest, because he would have his people to
dwell there. And though God inflicted a just punishment on the Gaddites when he
expelled them from their inheritance, yet he afterwards punished the children of
Ammon, as he is wont to chastise his own children by the hand of the wicked, and
at length to render them also their just reward. It now follows —
|
JEREMIAH
49:2
|
|
2. Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the
Lord, that I will cause an alarm of war to be heard in Rabbah of the Ammonites;
and it shall be a desolate heap, and her daughters shall be burnt with fire:
then shall Israel be heir unto them that were his heirs, saith the
Lord.
|
2. Propterea ecce dies veniunt, dicit Jehova,
et audire faciam (vel, faciam resonare) super Rabbath filiorum
(vel, super filios) Ammon clangorem praelii, et erit in acervum
vastitatis, et filiae ejus igne comburentur, et possidebit Israel possessores
suos, dicit Jehova.
|
God testifies here plainly that he would not suffer
the Ammonites for ever to enjoy their unjust plunder. He says that
the days would
come, in order to sustain with hope the
minds of his children: for the Prophet announced his prediction at a time when
the Ammonites were in a state of security; and then, some years elapsed while
that people enjoyed their spoils. He therefore holds here the minds of the
faithful in suspense, that they might learn patiently to wait until the fixed
time of God’s vengeance came. For this reason, then, he says, that the
days would come when God would
cause the trumpet of war to
resound in Rabbah. He speaks as of a
thing extraordinary, for the Ammonites thought, as we shall see, that they
should never be in any danger. As, then, they proudly trusted in their own
strength, the Prophet speaks here of the trumpet of war in Rabbah, which was the
metropolis of the whole land. Some think that it was Philadelphia, a name given
to it by Ptolemy. Interpreters, however, do not agree; but the opinion mostly
received is, that it was Philadelphia. Now, as to the main thing, there is no
doubt but that it was then the chief seat of government, and the capital of the
kingdom, because the Prophet, stating a part for the whole, includes the whole
land when he speaks of this city.
He says that she would become
a heap of
desolation. But this was then wholly
incredible, because Rabbah was so fortified that no one thought that it
could be destroyed. But the Prophet now declares that the whole city would be
demolished, so that neither walls nor private houses would remain, but that it
would be a deformed mass of ruins. He adds,
her daughters shall be burned
with fire. By daughters he no doubt
understands towns and villages; and hence is confirmed what I have said, that
Rabbah was then the chief city of the whole land of Ammon. At the end of the
verse he says, Israel shall
possess all who possess
them.
fH31 By these words Jeremiah again
confirms what I have slightly referred to, that the calamity of the Ammonites
would be a testimony as to God’s paternal kindness towards his chosen
people, because he resolved to avenge the wrongs done to them. As, then, God
undertook the cause of the Israelites as his own, he sufficiently manifested the
favor he had intended for his people, and for no other reason, but because he
had gratuitously chosen them.
It may be asked, when was this prophecy fulfilled?
God, indeed, under David, gave some indication of their future subjection, but
Israel never possessed that land. Indeed, from that time Ammon had not been
brought low until after the overthrow of Israel. It then follows that what
Jeremiah predicted here, was not fully accomplished except under the kingdom of
Christ. David humbled that nation, because he had received a great indignity
from the king of Ammon; and he took also Rabbah, as it is evident front sacred
history.
(<101229>2
Samuel 12:29, etc.;
<132001>1
Chronicles 20:1, 2.) He was yet satisfied with making the people tributary. From
that time they not only shook off the yoke, but exercised authority within the
borders of Israel; and that the Israelites had recovered what they had lost, we
nowhere read.
fH32 Then Israel began to possess power over
the Ammonites when the kingdom of Christ was established; by which all heathen
nations were not only brought into subjection and under the yoke, but all
unworthy of mercy were also reduced to nothing. What is added at the end of the
verse is not superfluous; for the Prophet introduces God as the speaker, because
he speaks of great things, and of which it was difficult to be fully convinced.
It now follows —
|
JEREMIAH
49:3
|
|
3. Howl, O Heshbon, for Ai is spoiled: cry, ye
daughters of Rabbah, gird you with sackcloth; lament, and run to and fro by the
hedges: for their king shall go into captivity, and his priests and his
princes together.
|
3. Ulula Chesbon, quoniam vastata est Hai;
vociferamini filiae Rabbath, accingite vos saccis, plangite, discurrite per
sepes, quoniam rex eorum in captivitatem profectus est, et sacerdotes ejus et
principes cum ipso.
|
The Prophet now triumphs, as it were, over the land
of Ammon, and, according to his accustomed manner, as we have before seen; for
had the prophets spoken without metaphors, and simply narrated the things
treated of by them, their words would have been frigid and inefficient, and
would not have penetrated into the hearts of men. This, then, is the reason why
the prophets adopted an elevated style, and adorned with grandeur their
prophecies; for they never, like rhetoricians, affected eloquence, but necessity
so urged them, that they represented to the eyes those things which they could
not otherwise form a conception of in their minds. On this subject we have
spoken often already; but I am again constrained briefly to touch on it, because
those who are not well acquainted with Scripture, and do not understand the
design of the Holy Spirit, may think that words only are here poured forth. But
when we duly weigh what I have said, then we shall readily acknowledge that the
Prophet did not, without reason, enlarge on what he had previously
said.
Howl, thou
Heshbon, he says,
for Ai is laid
waste. These were two neighboring
cities: hence he exhorts Heshbon to howl on seeing the overthrow of another
city. He then adds,
Cry,
or cry aloud, ye daughters of
Rabbah. He again repeats what he had
before touched upon as to the city Rabbah.
Gird
yourselves, he says,
with
sackcloth, or put on sackcloth. He does not
here exhort the citizens of Rabbah to repentance, but he speaks according to the
customs of the people, as it has been stated elsewhere. Sackcloth was, indeed, a
symbol of penitence; when the miserable wished humbly to flee to God’s
mercy, and to confess their sins, they put on sackcloth. But the unbelieving
imitated the faithful without discretion or judgment. Hence it was, that they
scattered ashes on their heads, that without any reason they put on
sackcloth. What was then commonly done is now mentioned by Jeremiah;
Put on
sackcloth, he says,
lament and run here and there by
the fences.
He afterwards adds in the third person,
for gone is their king into
captivity. He expressed this, that the
Israelites might know, that though that kingdom flourished for a time, yet the
day of which the Prophet had spoken would come, when the condition of the
Ammonites would be nothing better than that of the Israelites; whose king, as it
was known, had been driven into exile, together with the priests and princes.
The Prophet now denounces the same punishment on the Ammonites, that not only
their king would be driven into another land, as a captive, but also their
princes and their priests. It follows —
|
JEREMIAH
49:4
|
|
4. Wherefore gloriest thou in the valleys, thy
flowing valley, O backsliding daughter? That trusted in her treasures,
saying, Who shall come unto me?
|
4. Quid gloriaris reconditis tuis? defluxit
profunditas tua (ad verbum, vallis tua; sed quoniam
qm[
significat prfundum esse ideo
µyqm[
sunt profunditates; cur ergo gloriaris in tuis
profunditatibus? sed non repugno quin transferamus, quid gloriaris
in vallibus tuis? defluvit vallis tua, est idem nomen,) filia aversatrix,
quae confidit in reconditis suis (in thesauris suis,) Quis veniet ad
me?
|
As the minds of men continually vacillate, because
they do not sufficiently consider the infinite power of God, the Prophet, that
he might remove all obstacles which might have rendered his prophecy doubtful,
now declares that the Ammonites gloried in vain in their valleys. Some
understand by valleys a fertile land, well watered. But the Prophet, as I think,
refers rather to fortified places. He then says, that they in vain
gloried in their deep
valleys; as they were surrounded with
mountains, so they thought that they could not be approached. He derides this
vain confidence, Why, he says,
dost thou glory in thy
valleys, or, profundities?
Flown down has thy
valley. By saying, that the
valley, or depth, had flown down, he alludes to its situation: for
when any one considers a region situated among mountains, the land appears as
flowing, like a river gliding between its banks. It is then a striking allusion
to a deep place, when he says that the valley flowed
down.
fH33 It was the same as though he had
said, “Thy depth has vanished,” or, “It shall not be to
thee such a protection as thou thinkest.” But the meaning is, that though
the Ammonites, confiding in their defences, disregarded all attacks of enemies,
they would yet be exposed to plunder; for their mountains and valleys would
avail them nothing, notwithstanding the opinion they entertained, that they were
so fortified, that they could not be assailed.
He calls Ammon a rebellious, or a
backsliding daughter, though he mentions no particulars. But
Ezekiel and also Amos and Zephaniah, these three, clearly show why God was so
severe towards the Ammonites, (Ezekiel 25;
<300101>Amos
1:13;
<360209>Zephaniah
2:9;) it was because they had uttered blasphemies against him and his people,
exulted over the miseries and calamities of the chosen people, and plundered
them when they saw them overcome by their enemies. For these reasons, then, our
Prophet now calls them a rebellious people: they had proudly exalted
themselves against God, and exercised cruel tyranny as to the miserable
Israelites, who were yet, as it has been stated, connected with them by
blood.
Who trusts in her
secrecies, or hidden places: rendered by
some, “in her treasures.” But as
rxa,
atser, means to hide, the reference is, as I think, to
strongholds; for the Prophet in the next words explains himself,
Who can come to me?
It appears, then, that the Ammonites thought
themselves thus secure, because they were not exposed to their enemies, but
protected by their mountains, as though they were in hiding places. This
boasting sufficiently shews that they did not so much trust in their treasures
as in their hidden places, because they dwelt in recesses. The meaning is, that
though the Ammonites gloried that they were beyond the reach of danger, yet God
would become the avenger of the cruelty which they had exercised towards their
relations, the Israelites. It follows —
|
JEREMIAH
49:5
|
|
5. Behold, I will bring a fear upon thee,
saith the Lord God of hosts, from all those that be about thee; and ye shall be
driven out every man right forth; and none shall gather up him that
wandereth.
|
5. Ecce ego adduco super to terrorem, dicit
Dominator, Jehova exercituum, ab omnibus circuitibus tuis, et expellemini,
quisque coram facie sua, et nullus erit qui colligat dispersos.
|
Jeremiah at length concludes his prophecy, by saying,
that God would dissipate that foolish confidence through which the Ammonites
were filled with pride, because
he would bring a terror on them. He sets
up terror in opposition to that security in which the Ammonites lay torpid; for
they were inebriated, as it were, with their pleasures. And then the strongholds
by which they thought themselves protected, so hardened their hearts, that they
feared no danger. God then sets up this terror in opposition to the false
arrogance by which they were inflated:
I
bring, then,
a terror from all around
thee. And this was not without reason
added, for the Ammonites thought that they could, on some side, escape, if
enemies pressed hard on them; and as there were many outlets, they thought it
impossible that they should fall into the hands of enemies. But God declares
that they would be in every way full of fear, for terror would surround and
besiege them, so that they could not escape.
He then adds,
Ye shall be driven out, every one
to his face, or, before his face. This
would be the effect of terror, because God would deprive them of all thought;
for when we flee in haste, and only regard any opening that may present itself,
it is evident that we are driven by terror. As we say in French, Il court
devant soi; so the Prophet says here,
Ye shall be driven out, every one
before his face, that is, “ye
shall flee wherever a place may be open to you.” He shews that they would
be so full of fear, that they would not consider which would be the best way,
nor think of a safe retreat; they would, in short, think of nothing but of
flight. And to the same purpose is what follows:
There will be none to gather the
dispersed: for when trembling seizes the
hearts of the multitude, they can yet be recalled, when one who has more courage
than the rest encourages them to stop, as we know that many armies have been in
this way saved; for as to soldiers, when suddenly seized with fear, a leader has
often been able to gather them again. But the Prophet, when he says, that there
would be none to call them back from flight, intimates their destruction. He at
length subjoins —
|
JEREMIAH
49:6
|
|
6. And afterward I will bring again the
captivity of the children of Ammon, saith the Lord.
|
6. Et postea reducam captivitatem filiorum
Ammon, dicit Jehova.
|
He now says the same thing of the children of Ammon,
as he said before of the Moabites, that some hope yet remained for them, for God
would at length show mercy to that nation. But, as we have said, these promises
were but adventitious, because God had chosen but one people to be a Father to
them; and the children of Abraham must be viewed as distinct from all other
nations. But though God built, as it were, a wall to separate his people from
aliens, it was yet his will to give some preludes of his favor, and of the
calling of the Gentiles. The Prophet, then, had here a regard to the kingdom of
Christ. The promise, no doubt, extended itself to his coming; for he speaks of
the calling of the Gentiles, which God deferred until he manifested his own Son
to the world. It is the same then, as though the Prophet had said, that
God’s mercy would at length be showed to the Ammonites in common with
others; that is, when God would gather his Church from the whole world, and
unite, in one body, those who were before scattered. Nor is there a doubt but
that the Prophet, speaking of the children of Ammon, intended to show what was
to be manifested through all parts of the world. And so it is, that on our
calling is our salvation founded, for we see that the gospel has not been,
without a design, proclaimed to the world; but as God had determined and settled
this from the beginning, so we see that Jeremiah was a herald of our adoption.
This, then, is the import of what is said. He afterwards passes over to the
children of Edom. But I cannot now proceed farther.
PRAYER
Grant, Almighty God, that as thou didst
formerly give so many proofs how great and singular was thy love towards the
children of Abraham, whom it had pleased thee to choose as thy people, — O
grant that we at this day may also enjoy the same favor, since we have been
admitted into a participation of the same union, and that we may be so chastised
as never to lose the hope of thy mercy, but that we may so taste it as to
meditate on that celestial kingdom, which has been obtained for us by the blood
of thine only-begotten Son. — Amen.
LECTURE ONE HUNDRED AND
SEVENTY-FOURTH
|
JEREMIAH
49:7
|
|
7. Concerning Edom, thus saith the Lord of
hosts, Is wisdom no more in Teman? is counsel perished from the prudent?
is their wisdom vanished?
|
7. Ad Edom (contra Edom) sic dicit Jehova
exercituum, An non amplius sapientia in Theman? periitne consilium ab
intelligentibus? computruit (vel, supervacua facta est) sapientia
ipsorum?
|
Here Jeremiah turns to Idumeans, who were most
inveterate enemies to the chosen people, though their origin ought to have
disposed them to show kindness to them, for they had descended from the same
father, even Abraham. The Idumeans also gloried in their holy descent,
and had circumcision in common with the Jews. It was then a most impious
cruelty that the Idumeans entertained such bitter hatred towards their own
blood. Hence our Prophet most severely reproved them, as also did Ezekiel and
Obadiah.
(<262512>Ezekiel
25:12-14; Obadiah 1,8.)
He says first,
Is there not wisdom any more in
Teman? By these words he intimates, that though
the Idumeans thought themselves safe through their own counsels, because they
excelled in acuteness, it yet would avail them nothing, for the Lord would blind
them and deprive them of a sane mind; for what is put here interrogatively is
declared plainly by Obadiah, (Obadiah 28.) even in God’s
name,
“I will take away wisdom from
Teman, and there shall be no understanding in Mount
Esau.”
But as Obadiah had preceded Jeremiah, it was
necessary that he should speak of this as of a future thing. But our Prophet, as
the judgment of which Obadiah was a witness and a herald, was near at hand,
boldly exults over the Idumeans, and laughs at their reproach, inasmuch as they
were deprived of counsel and understanding when they had most need of them.
Teman, no doubt, was the name of a mountain or of a region; and this we learn
from the Prophet Habakkuk,
“God shall come from Teman,
and the holy one from Mount Paran.”
(<350303>Habakkuk
3:3)
It was also a chief city, as we learn form other
places; and our Prophet sets it forth as the seat of the kingdom, when he says,
Is there not wisdom in Teman?
and then,
Has counsel perished from the
intelligent?
I wonder that interpreters, skillful in the language
and conversant in it, should render the last word “sons,”
for it is unsuitable to the place.
fH34 The word, no doubt, is derived from
µwb,
bun, to understand, and not from
hnb,
bene, to build, whence the word,
µynb,
benim, sons, comes. For how can it suit this passage to say,
Is there no more wisdom in Teman?
Has counsel perished from the children?
that is, as they understand it, “from the children of Esau.” But
this is frigid and forced; and the two clauses correspond much better when read
thus, “Is there no more wisdom in Teman? has counsel perished from
the intelligent?” that is, from those who have hitherto boasted of their
intelligence and acuteness.
He then adds,
Rotten has become their
wisdom. The verb
jrs,
sarech, means to be superfluous, but some render it here to be
putrid, as it is in Niphal. I know not whether they have done
this, because they did not know another meaning suitable to the context; but we
may fitly render it thus, that their wisdom had become superfluous, that is,
useless. We may also adopt another meaning, that their wisdom had been hitherto
overflowing, that is, superabounded; for they had such wisdom, so as not only to
act wisely for themselves, but also to show to others what was right and useful.
As then the Idumeans possessed so much wisdom as to direct others, and not to be
wise only for themselves, the words would read well were they rendered, that
their wisdom had abounded. But in that case the words would be ironical; for the
Prophet seems to assign a reason for his astonishment.
I give then this explanation: he first says,
Is there wisdom no more in Teman?
He exclaims, as though the thing was very
strange, “How can this be! is the very fountain of wisdom exhausted? Who
could have thought that a city so renowned for wisdom would become so fatuitous
as not to know her approaching calamity, so as to meet it, and apply in time the
remedy?” And to the same effect he adds,
Has counsel perished from the
intelligent? At length he subjoins, Abounded
has their wisdom; and this he says, in order to show a reason for his
astonishment. fH35
But we must notice the sameness and the difference
between our Prophet and Obadiah. The latter foretold the blindness of that
nation; but our Prophet, as though he wished to rouse from their torpor those
who had been inattentive to the prophecy of Obadiah, exclaims, “How has
wisdom perished from Teman, and counsel from the intelligent?” We must
further observe, that this punishment was by God inflicted on the Idumeans,
because they had applied all their thoughts to frauds and intrigues; and it
seldom happens, but that they who excel in acuteness become very sharp and
fraudulent. As then men are thus wont to abuse for the most part their
knowledge, God blinds them, and shews that men cannot of themselves be wise, but
as far as it is given them from above. As I have already said, the Prophet
enlarges on this judgment, that he might the more effectually rouse the minds of
men. For had the Idumeans been rustics, such as dwell among mountains, and had
no report prevailed as to their wisdom, no one would have wondered that they
were taken and subdued; for simple and unwary men are exposed to the intrigues
of their enemies, and cannot escape them. But the Prophet, in order to set forth
this judgment of God as wonderful, says that their wisdom had been as it were
overflowing, that is, like an abundant treasure, for they administered counsel
to others. As, then, the Idumeans so much excelled in intelligence, especially
those who dwelt in the city Teman, the Prophet shews by this very circumstance
that their blindness proceeded from the manifest vengeance of God, and that such
a change did not happen by chance. It follows, —
|
JEREMIAH
49:8
|
|
8. Flee ye, turn back, dwell deep, O
inhabitants of Dedan; for I will bring the calamity of Esau upon him, the time
that I will visit him.
|
8. Fugite, conversi sunt, profundaverunt
habitationem incolae Dedan, quia interitum Esau adduxi super ipsum tempore
visitationis ejus.
|
The Prophet shews here how great was the pride of
that nation, and sets it as it were before their eyes.
Flee,
he says; the language is abrupt, yet the meaning is not ambiguous. The
meaning is, that when any one warned the Idumeans to flee, none of them would
move; nay, they would remain fixed in their own country, for they thought that
they would have there a perpetual quietness.
The citizens of Dedan have made
deep their habitation. He names another
city not far from Teman. He then adds, in God’s name,
But I will bring destruction on
Esau in the time of his
visitation.
fH36
We now understand the design of the Prophet, —
that he wished to set before our eyes how proudly the Idumeans trusted in their
defences, as they never could be persuaded to flee. The Prophet then, as
God’s herald, declares that they would have to flee. But what did they do?
They made deep their
habitation, that is, they would remain
quiet in their own country, as though they were fixed in the center of the
earth, and therefore unassailable. By saying then that they
made
deep, he sets forth their obstinacy, so
that no one could terrify them, though he announced extreme dangers. But it was
his purpose thus to strengthen confidence in his prophecy, because the greatest
part of the faithful could form no judgment but according to the present aspect
of things; and the Idumeans proudly laughed at all threatenings. That the
faithful then might not think that the Idumeans would be safe, he afterwards
adds, in God’s name, “Behold, I will bring ruin on Esau.” He
mentions their father, and the Idumeans, we know, descended from Esau the
first-born of Isaac; and hence they were of the same blood with the Israelites.
But the Prophet, by bringing forward the name of a reprobate man, intended, no
doubt, to renew the memory of a curse, for Esau had been rejected, and his
younger brother Jacob succeeded in his place. Hence the Prophet, that he might
gain more credit to his words, brought before the people what was well known to
them, that Esau had been rejected by God; for on the rejection of Esau depended
their gratuitous election and adoption.
And he says that God would be the avenger of that
nation at the time of visitation; for as I have before reminded
you, what we have read was not immediately fulfilled. When, therefore, the
Israelites suffered extreme calamities, their hope might a hundred times have
failed them, on seeing the Idumeans remaining still as it were asleep in their
pleasures, and these judgments of God as it were buried; for it might have come
to their minds that all which Jeremiah had declared had passed away like smoke.
Hence, to sustain their hope and patience, he sets before them here the time
of visitation; as though he had said, that the Idumeans also would have
their turn, after God had patiently borne with their impiety and spared them for
a long time. But of this we shall hereafter see. Now, as I have shown elsewhere,
the words which remind us of the time of God’s visitations, ought to be
noticed, that we may not by hastening fall headlong, as it is usually the case;
for they who are in a hurry, fall at the first step. That we may then learn to
wait for the ripened time, let this remain fixed in our minds, that God has his
settled seasons of visitations. It now follows —
|
JEREMIAH
49:9
|
|
9. If grape-gatherers come to thee, would they
not leave some gleaning-grapes? if thieves by night, they will destroy
till they have enough.
|
9. Si vindemiatores venissent contra to, non
reliquissent uvas? si fures in nocte, nonne perdidissent quod sufficeret
ipsis?
|
Interpreters have not only obscured, but also
perverted this verse, and only said what is to no purpose, and have gone far
from the meaning of the Prophet.
fH37 How so? because it did not occur to them
to compare this with a passage in Obadiah. Obadiah is the true interpreter; nay,
our Prophet has borrowed what we read here from him. For there a question is
asked, “If thieves were to come to thee, if robbers
(yddç,
shaddi, is added there, but is omitted by Jeremiah) — if
robbers by night, how wouldest thou have been reduced to nothing?” But in
the first place the rendering ought to be, “Had thieves come to thee, how
wouldest thou have been reduced to nothing?” then he adds, “Would
they not have stolen what would suffice them?” He afterwards adds the
second clause, “If the grape-gatherers had come to thee, would they
not have left grapes.” There is now then no ambiguity in the
Prophet’s words, if we read them interrogatively. But there is an implied
contrast between the calamity threatened to the people and the other
devastations. Were a thief of the night to plunder another’s house, he
would depart, loaded with his prey, and leave something behind; for in all
plunder some things remain: so also as to grape-gatherers, some grapes remain,
which escape the gatherers.
Then the Prophet here shews, that so great would be
the destruction of that nation, that it would exceed all kinds of plundering;
for when one strips his vines, he leaves some grapes; and when a thief enters a
house, he does not carry all things away with him, being satisfied with his
booty. But nothing, he says, shall be left remaining with the Idumeans. We hence
see why the Prophet brings forward the two comparisons, that of the
grape-gatherers and of the thieves.
We must at the same time observe, that when God
denounces his vengeance on the Israelites, he often adduces these comparisons,
in order to show that nothing would be left them, “When the olives are
shaken, yet some fruit remains on the top of the trees; but thou shalt be wholly
emptied.” As God had said these things, the Israelites might have raised
an objection and said, “What is our condition, and how miserable! for we
are extremely afflicted; though God afflicts the Idumeans, yet he deals mildly
with them, for God’s wrath is less inflamed against them than against
us.” Lest then the faithful should be thus thrown into despair, our
Prophet declares that the Idumeans would be wholly destroyed, so that not a
grape would be left them, nor any of their furniture, for their enemies would
lay desolate the whole land. Now follows a confirmation of this verse —
|
JEREMIAH
49:10-11
|
|
10. But I have made Esau bare, I have
uncovered his secret places, and he shall not be able to hide himself his seed
is spoiled, and his brethren, and his neighbor’s, and he is
not.
|
10. Quia ego discooperio Esau, retego
abscondita ejus, et occultari non poterit; vastatum est semen ejus
(aut, vastabitur) et fratres ejus, et vicini, et non ipse
(quanquam alii vertunt, et nemo erit, et contexunt proximum
versum,)
|
|
11. Leave thy fatherless children, I will
preserve them alive; and let thy widows trust in me.
|
11. Relinque pupillos tuos; ego vivificabo
(hoc est, alam ipsos;) et viduae tuae in me sperent.
|
As to the beginning of the verse, the meaning of the
Prophet is not obscure; for he means that such would be the destruction of the
people of Edom, that they would be spoiled by enemies, that they would become
wholly naked. But he speaks in the name of God:
Behold, I uncover Esau, and make
open his hidden things. By hidden things
he means treasures, as it is evident from Obadiah. He then says that he would so
expose the Idumeans to plunder, that there would be no hidden thing but that
their enemies would seize and plunder it. This is the meaning.
He then confirms what I have said, that this
plundering would not be like grape-gathering, or theft, or common robbery,
because God would altogether empty the Idumeans of all that they had, even of
all that they hid in the ground.
With regard to the end of the verse, some give this
explanation, “There will be none to say:” there is then a word to be
understood, — “there will be none to say,
Leave thy orphans to me, I will
nourish or sustain them,
or I will he a father to them;
and thy widows, let them
hope or trust in me, or
rest on me.” For it is no small comfort to parents, when they know that
their widows would have one to flee to, and also their orphans. When one dies
and sees that his widow is destitute of every help, and sees that his orphans
are miserable and needy, his paternal and conjugal love is grievously wounded.
For is it more bitter than death itself, when the husband cannot provide any
help for his widow, when he cannot provide any relief for his orphans. Hence
some interpreters think that the ruin of this people is in this way exaggerated;
that is, because no one would be found to bring comfort to parents, and to take
as it were the place of the dead.
But the meaning would not be unsuitable, were the
words deemed ironical, that the Prophet spoke in the person of God,
Leave to me thy orphans, I will
nourish them, and let thy widows rest on me,
or trust in me: for it follows afterwards,
Behold, they to whom there was no
judgment, have drunk of the cup, etc.
The passage then would not read amiss, if we consider that God taunts the
Idumeans, and ironically declares that he would be a judge against them even
after they were dead; for God’s vengeance, we know, reaches to the third
and the fourth generation. As then he had before declared, that the Idumeans
would be destroyed, their seed, their brethren, and their neighbors, so he now
confirms the same thing, — “What! dost thou expect that I should be
a father or a protector to thy orphans? that I should bring aid to thy widow?
This thou expectest in vain from me.”
The Prophet, in a few words, very sharply goads the
minds of the Idumeans, when God thus presents himself, and says by way of
mockery, that he would be a protector to their orphans and widows; for they had
indiscriminately vented their rage on orphans and women, and spared neither sex
nor age. Then God shews here that there was no reason why they should expect any
comfort as to their children, for he would be their avenger to the third and the
fourth generation. And forced, no doubt, is what some say; at least I do not see
how the words, I will nourish them, can comport with the rest of
the context. This clause, then, I apply to God himself, because his vengeance
would consume them with their brethren, their neighbors and their seed. And the
irony is the most suitable to the whole passage; that is, that God meant to
show, that he could bring no help to orphans or aid to widows, since they had
been so cruel both to orphans and widows.
fH38 Then follows a confirmation —
|
JEREMIAH
49:12
|
|
12. For thus saith the Lord, Behold, they
whose judgment was not to drink of the cup have assuredly drunken; and
art thou he that shall altogether go unpunished? thou shalt not go
unpunished, but thou shalt surely drink of it.
|
12. Quia sic dicit Jehova, Ecce, quibus non
erat judicium (ad verbum, quibus non judicium ipsorum,) ad bibendum
calicem bibendo bibent; — tu vero ipse immunis eris? vel,
immunis immunitatem adipisceris? vel tu, vero immunis evades?) non
evades immunis, quia bibendo bibes.
|
He confirms the last verse, as I think, — that
God’s vengeance awaited the whole seed of Esau, because it would be
unreasonable to deal more severely with God’s people than with aliens, who
had wholly shaken off the yoke. For I explain what is said here of the Church,
Those to whom it was not their
judgment to drink the cup shall surely
drink. Some apply this to neighboring
nations who had not become so wicked as the Idumeans. But this exposition is
frigid, and we ought always, as we have said elsewhere, to have regard to the
design of the Prophet. What then was his object but to show to the faithful,
that there was no reason for them to despond, however grievously God might
afflict them, because the punishment which he would inflict on the Idumeans
would in no way be milder; for we know that we are greatly tempted by envy when
we see that the state of the impious and the reprobate is better than that of
God’s children. And it was for this purpose that Psalm 37 was
composed,
“Envy not the wicked, nor let
their prosperity vex thee, because they shall soon
perish.”
And David also, in
<197302>Psalm
73:2, 3, confesses, that he in a manner staggered when he saw the wicked
luxuriating in their pleasures, while the children of God were miserably
treated. Then our Prophet in this place, as often elsewhere, had regard to the
faithful, and wished to sustain them, lest they should succumb under their
burden, when God afflicted them as well as the Idumeans. Hence he says, when
speaking of the Idumeans,
Drinking they shall drink the cup
whose judgment was not to drink, and shalt thou be
exempted? that is, “I will
not spare my people, and should I spare aliens? this cannot
be.”
We then see that it was a fruitful source of
consolation to the faithful, when they heard that the wicked, who openly and
avowedly disregarded God, could not escape his judgment.
But it may be now asked, how could he say that it was
not the judgment of the Church to drink of the cup of God’s wrath? He
speaks comparatively, and this answer ought to suffice us. It is certain that
the Israelites deserved all the evils which they suffered. God then justly
chastised them; he did not act without reason or through sudden wrath, but
executed what he had previously decreed. It was then God’s
judgment, even what he had determined and fixed; for judgment here is to be
taken for God’s decree, by which he apportions to each his own lot.
It was not then a judgment to the Israelites to drink of the cup, when one
compared them to the Idumeans, — how so? Here a new question arises, for
the Israelites had been worse than all others. The Idumeans had departed wholly
from God; all light had become extinct among them; and then the law had not been
given them: before Jacob went down to Egypt, who was to be from thence
delivered according to the prefixed time made known to Abraham, they dwelt
in mountains separated from the land of Canaan. They therefore possessed no part
of God’s law, except that they had the empty symbol of circumcision. But
the Israelites, on whom had always shone the doctrine of the law, were
altogether inexcusable. Why then does the Prophet say that there was no judgment
to them? My answer is, that the reference here is not to the persons of men, but
on the contrary to the grace of God, through which he had been pleased to
embrace the children of Israel. As then God had chosen that nation, what is
regarded here is special adoption; for it is right in God to indulge his
children, and it is right also in him to pardon them rather than aliens. When
any one is offended with his own son, he will be reconciled to him; but an alien
will not find pardon.
We now then see that the Prophet does not regard what
the people had deserved, nor consider how detestable had been their impiety, and
of what grievous punishment they were worthy; but on the contrary, he refers to
that grace of God through which he had chosen the seed of Jacob. He had indeed
previously chosen the whole seed of Abraham; but the rejection of Esau followed,
so that Jacob alone remained as the seed. Since then God had manifested himself
as a father to the children of Jacob, the Prophet says that it was not their
judgment to drink of the cup, because it was according to reason and common
sense that God should forgive them rather than aliens, whom he had already
rejected, and who were like putrid members:
They,
then, whose judgment was not
to drink the cup, drinking shall drink, and shalt thou escape
free? The meaning is, that if the green
wood is burnt, what will become of the dry? as Christ said.
(<422331>Luke
23:31.) There is a similar consolation mentioned in
<600417>1
Peter 4:17, 18, where those afflictions are mentioned to which the Church of God
is now exposed. Now, as we are tender and delicate, and the minds of many may be
harassed, Peter says, that if God be so severe towards his own, those of his own
household, what will become of the wicked? what dreadful vengeance awaits
them?
We hence perceive the drift of the Prophet’s
words, and what doctrine may be hence deduced, even that when we see God’s
judgment beginning at God’s house, as the Prophet elsewhere says,
(<242529>Jeremiah
25:29) and as also Peter says; that is, when God chastises his own children, and
seems in the meantime to pass by the wicked, we ought patiently to wait for the
visitation previously mentioned; and this ought always to be remembered by us,
“If this be done in the green tree, what will be done in the dry?”
We shall not then envy the wicked, when God defers and does not immediately
execute his judgment; for the punishments inflicted by God on his servants are
only temporary and limited, and intended as medicine, inasmuch as all we suffer
are helps to our salvation, as Paul teaches us.
(<450828>Romans
8:28.) As then God paternally chastises us, let us not shun his paternal hand;
nor let us think that God deals more kindly with the wicked because he suspends
his judgments, for at length they will be hurried into their own ruin, as the
Prophet says here.
In speaking of a cup, the Prophet uses a phrase
common in Scripture, for the Scripture by a metaphor calls punishment inflicted
on men for their sins a cup; because God apportions to each his just measure. It
is taken then as allowed, that calamities are not by chance, but proceed
from God’s hand, as though he gave a cup to drink. Now when he afflicts
his own, they are constrained to drink as it were his wrath; it is therefore a
sour and a bitter cup. But the wicked shall hereafter drink poison. Even
medicine, though displeasing to the taste because of its bitterness, is
yet wholesome; but poison kills men, though its taste is like medicine. This
then is the comparison that is used here by Jeremiah;
Drinking, they shall drink the
cup, even God’s servants, who yet
ought to have been exempted through a singular privilege, even because God had
chosen them to be his peculiar people;
shalt
thou, he says,
be exempted from
drinking? He addresses all
aliens.
We have before seen another mode of speaking,
“They shall drink to the dregs,” as though he had said,
“God will not only give thee to drink a bitter cup, but its bitterness
will kill and destroy thee, for God will constrain thee to drink the very
dregs.” But still the meaning is the same, though the phrase is different.
He then asserts that the Idumeans would not be exempt from God’s judgment,
and why? because God does not spare even his own children. Here then is
suggested to us the best consolation when God in various ways afflicts us: let
us know that it cannot be otherwise, but that it is a prelude to the last
judgment, when salvation shall surely be our portion, for God purifies us now by
temporal punishments, that we may be then free from final vengeance. But when
the ungodly are secure, let us know that God’s judgment is indeed hidden,
but yet certain, and will shortly overtake them; for when they
say,
“Peace and security, then sudden
destruction
will come upon
them.”
(<520503>1
Thessalonians 5:3.)
But the clock strikes.
PRAYER
Grant, Almighty God, that as thou hast
not only in thine eternal counsel adopted us as thy children, but hast also
inscribed on our hearts a sure sign and pledge of thy paternal favor towards us,
— O grant that we may accustom ourselves to bear thy scourges, and
patiently to receive them without murmuring or complaining, but that we may ever
look forward to the blessed rest and inheritance above, and at the same time
dread the punishment that awaits the wicked, and that we may thus courageously
persevere in our warfare, until thou at length gatherest us into that celestial
kingdom which thine only-begotten Son has procured for us by his own blood.
— Amen.
LECTURE ONE HUNDRED AND
SEVENTY-FIFTH
|
JEREMIAH
49:13
|
|
13. For I have sworn by myself, saith the
Lord, that Bozrah shall become a desolation, a reproach, a waste, and a curse;
and all the cities thereof shall be perpetual wastes.
|
13. Quia per me ipsum juravi, dicit Jehova,
quod in vastitatem, in opprobrium, in desertum, et in maledictionem erit Bosra;
et omnes urbes ejus erunt in vastitates seeuli (id est,
perpetuas.)
|
Here the Prophet confirms what he had already
prophesied respecting the Idumeans; but to remove every doubt, he says, that God
had sworn; and he introduces God as the speaker, in order that his
word might be emphatical. He then declares that God had made an oath respecting
the destruction of Bozrah. What is particular is put for what is general; for he
includes the whole nation under the name of this city. Nor does he simply
declare that the Idumeans would be laid waste and destroyed, but he accumulates
words:
Bozrah,
he says, shall be a
waste;
fH39 secondly,
a
reproach; thirdly,
a
solitude, or desert; and fourthly,
a
curse.
What the Prophet said was no doubt a thing difficult
to be believed; for God did not without reason bring forth his own name. For as
he would have us to use it seriously and reverently, so he does not interpose so
precious a pledge except under the greatest necessity. It is then certain, that
there was a weighty reason why God testified by an oath what we read here of the
destruction of the people of Edom. Now I have said that what Jeremiah announced
was hardly credible; and it was so, because there was no cause for war; and
besides, the country was fortified by its own inclosures; for the Idumeans
thought, as it seems, that they were impregnable. This, then, was the reason why
God interposed an oath. At the same time his purpose was, as I have before
reminded you, to consult the benefit of the faithful; for God makes an oath that
he might apply a remedy to the weakness of our faith; for as we almost always
vacillate, a simple testimony, without being sanctioned by an oath, would not be
sufficient for us. This is then the reason for making an oath.
God is said to swear by himself,
because there is none greater; as the apostle says, by whom he can swear.
(<580613>Hebrews
6:13.) Men in doubtful and hidden things flee to God, who knows the heart, who
is himself the truth, and from whom nothing is hid. And an oath, as we learn
from many places of Scripture, is a part of divine worship. As then this honor
peculiarly belongs to him, that is, that we should swear by his name, when he
himself swears, he cannot derive authority from another, which may confirm his
words: he therefore swears by himself. And we have heard what he declares by
Isaiah,
“I will not give my glory
to another.”
(<234208>Isaiah
42:8)
God then prescribes to us the form of swearing, when
he swears by himself. God is said to swear sometimes by his soul, or by his
life, and he is said sometimes to lift up his hand. These expressions are not
strictly proper, but transferred to God from men. But the mode of speaking used
by Jeremiah ought especially to be observed, for we see how an oath is to be
rightly made, even when it is made by an appeal to God’s name, for he is
alone the fit witness and judge in things doubtful and hidden.
There is therefore under the Papacy a base and an
intolerable idolatry, for the Papists swear by dead saints. This is nothing else
but to rob God of his right; for since he alone, as it has been stated, is the
truth, so he alone is the fit judge when things are hidden and cannot be
ascertained by human testimony. And we ought to notice the words used in
swearing, that is, when men submit to God’s judgment, and implore him as a
judge. Whosoever then swears by the saints, it is the same thing as to make them
to occupy the place of God, so as to make them the judges of the world, and to
ascribe to them all power.
“God is a witness to my
soul,”
says Paul,
(<470123>2
Corinthians 1:23;) and then we have such words as these,
“May God do this to me and add
that.”
(<080117>Ruth
1:17;
<091444>1
Samuel 14:44;
<100335>2
Samuel 3:35, etc.)
By such expressions, as I have said, is set forth the
authority and character of an oath. In short, we must bear in mind, that when
necessity constrains us to swear, God is ever the sole judge, and that therefore
his name is profaned when we swear by another.
Now what it is to be
a reproach
and
a
curse, is evident from other places,
even when any one is set as it were in a theater, that he might be an example of
disgrace, or when any calamity gives an occasion for execrations and
maledictions, “May God destroy thee as he destroyed the
Idumeans:” this is to be a curse, as we have elsewhere
seen.
He adds
cities,
and thereby intimates that this desolation would not be confined to one
part, but be extended to all parts. He also says that they would be
perpetual
wastes; and thus he took away every hope
of restoration. When he prophesied before against the Moabites and the
Ammonites, he mingled some consolation, but as to Edom, every hope is cut off.
The nation, no doubt, deserved a heavier vengeance, for it had a nearer
connection with the Israelites — hence its cruelty was less to be borne.
Besides, it appears that it exceeded in its barbarity all other nations; for it
is not without reason said in the Psalms,
“Remember, O Lord, the
children of Edom, who said in the day of Jerusalem, Let it be erased, let it be
wholly erased to its foundation.”
(<19D707>Psalm
137:7)
We hence learn that the Idumeans raged most cruelly
against their own blood: and this was the reason why God declared that their
cities would become perpetual desolations; for the word
µlw[,
oulam, which some render “age,” often means
perpetuity. It follows —
|
JEREMIAH
49:14
|
|
14. I have heard a rumor from the Lord, and an
ambassador is sent unto the heathen, saying, Gather ye together,
and come against her, and rise up to the battle.
|
14. Auditum (hoc est, sermonem)
audivimus a Jehova, et nuntius ad gentes missus est, Congregamini
(vel, congregate vos,) et venite super eam, surgite ad
praelium.
|
The Prophet again shews that God would be the author
of the calamity of which he speaks; for if things were viewed by men, no one
could have thought that the Idumeans could in so short a time be destroyed. It
was therefore necessary for the faithful to raise upwards their minds. And this
the Prophet had in view when he said that all this would be from
God.
But most forcible are his words when he says,
We have heard a
hearing; some say, “a
report,” but improperly, as I think; for though,
h[wmç,
shemuoe, often means a report or rumor, yet here it ought to be
taken for a proclamation, which God published as it were by his own heralds. For
the similitude is taken from men, proclaiming war against their enemies by a
solemn rite. Then Jeremiah says, that a voice was heard sent from above,
because it was God’s purpose publicly and openly to testify, that what we
read here of the destruction of Edom would take place. We now then understand
the meaning of the Prophet, when he says,
A hearing have we heard from
Jehovah.
Then follows immediately a confirmation, a
messenger, or an
ambassador,
is sent to the
nations. God, indeed, had no messenger
or herald to proclaim war against the Idumeans, or to rouse up the Assyrians and
Chaldeans; but the Prophets usually spoke thus, that men, being led to the very
scene, might know that what was said was real, and would not be without its
effect, as prophecies were as so many embassies. And according to this view, the
prophets, as we have stated elsewhere, sometimes besieged and stormed cities,
sometimes sounded the trumpet, even for this purpose, to show that their
doctrine was linked with its execution, for God never spoke by them to no
purpose or in vain. The Prophet at the same time reminds us that the Chaldeans
and the Assyrians were in God’s hand, so that he could by a nod or a hiss
rouse them to war, as it is said elsewhere,
“God will hiss for the fly
of Egypt.”
(<230718>Isaiah
7:18)
The Prophet then means, that the Chaldeans and the
Assyrians would be ready to obey God, as though they were hired soldiers, and
enlisted under his banner.
We now then see how forcible was this mode of
speaking; for the faithful might hence learn, that it was in God’s power
to perform whatever he proclaimed by his servant, because he could by one word
rouse, draw, arm, and lead to war the Assyrians and the Chaldeans, as he also
says, Be ye assembled, and come
against her, and rise up to battle. And
he speaks of many nations, lest any one should think that the Idumeans would be
able to resist, for he is not immediately conquered who is attacked by his
enemies. But the Prophet meets this doubt, and says that there would be many
nations, who, with their united strength, would come against the people of Edom,
so that they would have no power to resist. Nearly the same words are found in
Obadiah. It now follows —
|
JEREMIAH
49:15
|
|
15. For, lo, I will make thee small among the
heathen, and despised among men.
|
15. Quia ecce parvum posui to inter gentes,
contemptum inter homines.
|
Interpreters for the most part give this exposition,
that the people of Edom would be contemptible, because God had determined to
cast them down from their dignity, which they for a time possessed: and then
they connect the next verse, in which the reason for this is given, “Thy
terror deceived thee, the pride of thy heart,” etc. But this passage may
be taken otherwise, — that God derides the pride of that nation, which
ought to have restrained itself, because it contended against nature, when it
wished to elate itself so much. And it seems to me that this is the real meaning
of the Prophet. I do not, indeed, pronounce the other view wrong, yet it
behooves me to state what I prefer. I then think that there is to be understood
here an implied comparison between the Israelites and the children of Edom,
which is more clearly expressed by Malachi,
(<390102>Malachi
1:2, 3;) for God there extols his kindness towards the Israelites, because he
gave them a rich and fruitful land, and sent away the posterity of Esau, and
confined them within rough mountains. As then the Idumeans, ejected from so
pleasant and desirable an inheritance as had been given to the children of
Abraham, were confined as it were to rugged mountains, the Prophet derides their
pride, because they tried in a way contrary and repugnant to nature to elevate
themselves: I made
thee, he says,
small among the nations, and
contemptible among men. And we know that
less easily can that pride be borne, where there is no reason for boasting. When
any one obscure from the lowest rank exalts himself above the most noble, all
regard him with contempt, for it is a monstrous thing. It is for this reason
that the Prophet now says, “What have you, O Idumeans, that ye are so
proud! What do you possess? what is your glory? for God has humbled you. It is
then the same as though a fly wished to exceed in bulk the
elephant.”
But if the other exposition be preferred, the meaning
would be as follows, “Behold, I will make thee small and
contemptible among the nations, because thou hast been very proud.” But I
have stated what I approve, even that God here brings against the Idumeans their
folly, because they ought not to have boasted without reason,
“Behold,” he says; he shews, as by the finger, how mean and abject
their condition was; 1 have made
thee small among the nations, and contemptible among
men. And, doubtless, were it a
threatening, it would not have been sufficiently forcible; for the Prophet has
hitherto been thundering against the Idumeans, and he goes on in the same
strain. If then he had now put in what we read, referring to their smallness, it
would have been frigid. I doubt not, then, but that the Prophet describes the
state of that nation, such as it had been in comparison with that of the chosen
people, and even of other nations; for though they were rich, had always been
free from disturbance, and suffered no losses, yet they lived, as it has been
stated, in mountains by no means fertile. It now follows —
|
JEREMIAH
49:16
|
|
16. Thy terribleness hath deceived thee,
and the pride of thine heart, O thou that dwellest in the clefts of the
rock, that holdest the height of the hill: though thou shouldest make thy nest
as high as the eagle, I will bring thee down from thence, saith the
Lord.
|
16. Superbia cordis tui, terror tuus, decepit
to, quae habitas in fissuris petrae (vel, rupis,) quae occupas
altitudinem collis (id est, collium, mutatio est numeri,
sicur etiam in
[ls,
ham significat rupes, plurali numero;) quamvis extollas
tanquam aquila nidum tuum, illinc detraham to (descendere faciam, ad
verbum,) dicit Jehova.
|
Some render the first words thus, “Thine idol
hath deceived thee;” and others, “Thy folly hath
deceived thee.” The verb has, indeed, this meaning, though there is a
different reading, for some put a point over the right side of the letter, and
others on the left. But the most suitable meaning is thus conveyed,
Deceived thee has thy terror, the
pride of thy heart. Those who render the
first word “idol,” consider that superstition is referred to, that
the false confidence which the Edomites placed in their idols had deceived them.
But this seems to be a forced explanation. Why others have rendered the word
“folly,” I know not. The word properly means terror. The verb
≈lp,
pelets, means to terrify, and from this the noun is derived. And when
the word is taken for an idol, it is so metaphorically, because idols terrify
men, or because a terrible end awaits their worshippers. But I retain the proper
meaning of the word. At the same time terror here is to be taken actively,
because the Idumeans were a terror to other nations, and were thus blinded with
pride on account of their conceit as to their power.
And the following words are explanatory,
the pride of thy
heart; for they who despise others fill
themselves with empty pride, and thus elevate their own hearts. As then the
Idumeans had gained for themselves the repute of being a warlike people, the
terror entertained for them inflated their own hearts with pride: but the
Prophet says, that they were deceived, as they arrogated to
themselves too much power. At the same time he continues the subject which I
have stated, as though he had said, “How comes it, that as God has
designed thee to be contemptible, thou takest to thyself such authority among
the nations? Thou fightest against nature, for thou hast hitherto in vain
terrified thy neighbors: hence it is, that thou art swollen with pride; but it
is a mere delusion; thou art greatly mistaken, and deceivest thyself in thus
thinking of thy strength, since thy condition ought, on the contrary, to make
thee humble.” We now see how well the whole passage runs, and how aptly
the words agree together. He then says that it was a foolish confidence, by
which the people of Edom, whom God had made contemptible, were
deceived.
He now adds, by way of concession,
Thou who dwellest in the fissures
of rocks, and occupiest the heights of
mountains. In these words the Prophet
concedes something to the Idumeans; but he afterwards adds, that the fortresses,
by which they thought themselves to be protected, would come to nothing;
though thou raisest high thy nest
as the eagle, thence will I, says God,
draw thee
down. We hence see that the
Prophet concedes to the Idumeans some reason for boasting on account of
their mountains, because they presented on every side a defense against enemies;
and yet he shews that all this would be useless to them; for he says,
though thou raisest high thy nest
as the eagle, that is, though thou
ascendest, as they commonly say, above the very clouds,
thence will I draw thee
down.
Now this passage teaches us first, that all who trust
in their own earthly defences deceive themselves; and, secondly, that all who
arrogate to themselves more than what is just and right, contend, as it were,
against God, and that it cannot, therefore, be otherwise but that God will lay
them prostrate. We are then taught by this doctrine to cultivate humility.
Humility has its roots fixed deeply within; so that the state of those who
willingly submit themselves, becomes firm and permanent; for the root, which
appears not on the surface, sustains the tree. So also that humility, which is
not known by men, is our real and solid prop and support. Whosoever takes the
wing and flies, and seeks, through his own presumption, to raise up himself,
provokes God as it were designedly: and here the Prophet shews what end awaits
all those who thus raise themselves on high, seeking to set their nest on a
summit like the eagle; for God will draw them down and lay them prostrate, as he
did to the Idumeans. It now follows —
|
JEREMIAH
49:17
|
|
17. Also Edom shall be a desolation: every one
that goeth by it shall be astonished, and shall hiss at all the plagues
thereof.
|
17. Et erit Edom in vastitatem, quisquis
transierit super ipsam obstupescet, et sibilabit super omnes plagas
ejus.
|
Here again the Prophet confirms what he had said. We
have before stated how necessary was such a repetition, because no one could
have thought that destruction was so nigh the Idumeans. He did not then repeat
what he had said, in order to explain more clearly what might have been
otherwise obscure, but to fix more fully in the hearts of the faithful what
appeared incredible.
He then says that
Edom would become a
waste; and then, that every one
passing by it
would be
astonished
and
hiss on account of all her
wounds, or strokes. Hissing may refer to
derision, or to astonishment, or, at least, to wonder: for many hiss, or shake
the head through mockery; and others hiss through wonder, when any unusual thing
happens. And as he had said before,
Whosoever shall pass through it
shall be astonished, I am disposed to
refer this also to what is produced by wonder or amazement. It afterwards
follows —
|
JEREMIAH
49:18
|
|
18. As in the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah,
and the neighbor cities thereof, saith the Lord, no man shall abide there,
neither shall a son of man dwell in it.
|
18. Secundum subversionem Sodomae et Gomorrae
et vicinarum ejus, dicit Jehova, non habitabit illie vir, et non manebit in ea
filius hominis.
|
He expresses more at large what he had briefly
included in one word: he had said, that Edom would become a waste;
but he now shews what sort of waste it would be, even such as that of
Sodom and Gomorrah, and other
cities; for God, as it is well known,
destroyed the five cities against which he fulminated.
And hence again we learn, that there was no hope left
for the Idumeans; as though the Prophet had said, that their final overthrow was
inevitable, because God would have them wholly destroyed, and their memory
obliterated. It is yet probable that there were some remnant of the nation; but
this was not inconsistent with this prophecy, because they who remained alive
became so scattered, that they never formed one people, nor had any name. And
though God might have chosen some from that nation, yet this favor remained hid,
and, as it was unknown to men, it can hardly be taken to the account. However
this may have been, we must bear in mind what I have before briefly referred to,
— that the Idumeans were so accursed, that their calamity was much severer
than that of other nations; and this they had deserved by their unnatural
cruelty and many contumelies towards the miserable Israelites, their own
relatives. This, then, was the reason why Jeremiah compared the land to,
Sodom and Gomorrah, and the other
cities; no man shall dwell there, that
is, the country shall be desolate.
And yet it appears, from history, that that country
was afterwards inhabited, for even the Romans placed there a garrison. But the
Prophet, as I have already said, meant that none of the Idumeans would survive
to possess the land, so as to become a nation. Though, then, other inhabitants
might have afterwards possessed the land, this was nothing to the Idumeans; for
that people had perished, and from that time no restoration followed: this was
sufficient as a fulfillment of this prophecy. Nay, it was a harder thing, that
their land should receive aliens and strangers, than if it had been left
desolate.
But we must also bear in mind the common mode of
speaking adopted by the Prophets; for when they adduce Sodom and Gomorrah as
examples, they speak hyperbolically; and there is no need here to accumulate
passages to prove this; for they who are in any tolerable measure acquainted
with Scripture, must know that whenever mention is made of Sodom and Gomorrah,
all pardon and alleviation of punishment are excluded. Isaiah, extolling
God’s mercy towards his chosen people, says,
“Had not God left us a very
small seed, we must have been as Sodom and like to Gomorrah.”
(<230109>Isaiah
1:9)
And this mode of speaking, as I have said, often
occurs in Scripture; yea, even our Prophet threatened the Israelites with the
destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah,
(<242314>Jeremiah
23:14.) The words, no doubt, are used hyperbolically; for God had not fulminated
against other lands or nations and sunk them in the deep, as he had done to
Sodom and Gomorrah. But in comparisons all parts do not
correspond.
Now, some one may ask, Why does God thus exceed due
limits in speaking? To this I answer, that it is not done without just reason
and necessity. We indeed see that men are indifferent to God’s judgments;
for such is their sloth and insensibility, that they disregard as a light thing,
or deem as nothing, what God threatens. As then men are so brutish, being
unmoved by God’s threatenings, it is necessary that such indifference
should be roused and awakened. He therefore sets Sodom and Gomorrah before their
eyes; and as Jude also says, there an example of all the punishments which await
the reprobate has been exhibited. (Jude 7.) God therefore designed to represent
once for all, as in a mirror, how dreadful will be his vengeance on all the
wicked. Since it is so, to the same end is this threatening, that God would
destroy the Idumeans and all like them, as he did Sodom and Gomorrah, so that
none would survive, though aliens might come and succeed the Idumeans and occupy
their inheritance. I cannot now finish; we shall leave the other
comparison.
PRAYER
Grant, Almighty God, that as thou hast
been pleased to stretch forth thine hand to us, we may be raised by faith above
the world, and learn to submit to thee in true humility, and to know how
miserable must be our condition and life, except we wholly recumb on thee alone,
so that we may be made partakers of that glory which thou hast purchased for us
in Heaven, and which thine only-begotten Son, our Lord, has obtained for us.
— Amen.
LECTURE ONE HUNDRED AND
SEVENTY-SIXTH
|
JEREMIAH
49:19
|
|
19. Behold, he shall come up like a lion from
the swelling of Jordan against the habitation of the strong: but I will suddenly
make him run away from her; and who is a chosen man, that I
may appoint over her? for who is like me? and who will appoint me the
time? and who is that shepherd that will stand before me?
|
19. Ecce tanquam leo ascendet ab elevatione
Jordanis ad tabernaculum fortitudinis; postquam quiescere fecero, faciam currere
ab ea; et quis electus super eam praeficiam? nam quis sicut ego? et quis
contestabitur mecum? et quis hic pastor qui stet coram facie mea (vel,
contra faciem meam.)
|
The Prophet here confirms what he had said, that such
would be the violence of the Chaldean army, that the Idumeans would not be able
to resist it. He then says, that the Chaldeans would come like lions, who ascend
in great fury when compelled to change the place of their habitation; for so I
explain what is said of the elevation of Jordan. The explanations are various;
but the one I approve is, that Jeremiah compares the Chaldeans to lions, who
every year, or at least when there was a great inundation, sought hiding-places
on mountains or on elevated grounds, because they could not lie down on the
plains. The elevation of Jordan is then to be taken for its swelling, that is,
when it overflowed. We learn from many passages that the lions lodged around
Jordan. As then they dwelt in the low plains, when the river swelled, they
changed the place of their habitation. But this could not be without their rage
being excited; for we know how savage these wild beasts are. Jeremiah had also a
regard to the situation of Idumea, which was more elevated than Jordan and the
country around it. He says the same also, in the next chapter, of the
Babylonians. But it may be that he alluded in this place to what was common
among the Idumeans, and this is probable.
The meaning then is, as I think, that as lions
ascended to higher grounds when Jordan swelled and overflowed, so the Chaldeans
would come to the Idumeans, and invade the country like furious wild beasts.
This is one thing. Then he adds,
to the habitation of
strength. Jerome’s rendering is,
“to valiant beauty;” the word is so explained almost everywhere, but
it is to be taken here for a strong dwelling. He alludes to the situation of
that land, for it seemed impregnable, because it was surrounded, as it has
appeared elsewhere, by mountains. The situation of Babylon was different, it
being surrounded by the various streams of the Euphrates.
What follows is obscure,
when I shall have made him to
rest, I will make him to run from her.
Some explain the particle
yk,
ki, differently. It is indeed a causative, but is often taken, as
it is well known, as an adverb of time. But the meaning of the Prophet is
ambiguous, and some have imagined that the chosen people are spoken of, as
though the Prophet meant, that when the Lord gave rest to his people, he would
then cause them to flee from the land of Edom. But this exposition is wholly
inadmissible; and I wonder how they came to make such a mistake; for the
Prophet, I have no doubt, means here that the Idumeans had a long time been at
ease, but that a sudden calamity would come which would scatter them here and
there, and force them to seek safety by flight; and this is the best meaning
that we can elicit: When, therefore,
I shall have made her to
rest, or, from the time I shall have
made her to rest, I will make him
to flee from her; as though he had said,
“I have hitherto suffered this nation to rest in its abundance, and
thus to remain quiet; but I will suddenly disperse the inhabitants here and
there, and they shall see their own land occupied by their enemies.” In
short, there is here a comparison between two conditions; for the Idumeans had
long remained in their own dregs, for there was no one who caused them any
trouble. God had then granted them a continual quietness; but now he declares
that he would make all of them to flee, and that suddenly. And it was necessary
that this should be distinctly expressed, that the Idumeans might not in future
trust in their tranquil state, as hypocrites do, who usually abuse God’s
indulgence, and think, when he bears long with them, that they have escaped
every danger. Lest then such confidence should deceive the Idumeans, the Prophet
says that they would have to flee after having been long in a state of
tranquillity.
The words may at the same time be explained
otherwise; for
[gr,
rego, means to rend, to cut, to break; and it may be so taken here,
“When I shall have made a rent;” for the Idumeans, as it has been
stated, were fortified by defences on every side. God now intimates that he
would make an irruption, which he compares to rending; and this explanation is
not unsuitable.
It afterwards follows,
And who is the chosen
one,
that I may set him over her?
God now summons all the strong ones, that he
might set them over Idumea, not as pastors or such as might care for the welfare
of the land and provide for its safety, but such as would oppress it with
tyrannical cruelty:
Who
then is the chosen
one? At the same time God shews that all men of
war are in his hand and at his disposal; as though he had said, “If
the Idumeans think that they surpass all others in courage and strength,
they are greatly mistaken; for I will find those who possess more courage, for I
have ready at hand chosen men to set over them whenever I please, who will
easily subdue the Idumeans, however superior they may think themselves to be in
martial valor.” Then God does not here ask a question as of a doubtful
matter, Who is the chosen one,
that I may set him over her? but he shews that
it would be no difficult thing for him to destroy the Idumeaus, because he would
send for the chosen one from any part of the world he pleased, and set him over
Idumea, not as a pastor, as I have said, but as a cruel tyrant.
He then adds,
For who is as I am?
He confirms the last clause; for God extols his
own power, which is wont to be despised by the unbelieving. The sentence indeed
seems to be a common truth, Who
is as I am? for all allow this from the least
to the greatest. The Prophet appears then to have announced something trite and
ordinary by saying, that none is
like God; for even the worst of men
acknowledge this, and the least child confesses it, and it is the dictate of
nature. But were any one duly to consider how great is the pride of men, he
would find that this truth is not so common; for there is hardly one in a
hundred who concedes to God what justly belongs to him. For when he comes forth
either to promise salvation or to announce punishment, how little is any one
moved? nay, they who hold this principle, that God can do all things, are yet
carried away, when the least hinderance occurs, to vain imaginations, and at
length become wholly lost. When any one is persuaded that God ought to be
feared, if any occasion for a false confidence be presented, what he had at
first entertained in his mind will be choked, and then wholly extinguished. In
short, if we carefully consider how contemptibly men think of God, we shall
understand that this truth is not in vain often repeated in Scripture, that God
has none like him. For when any one dares to exalt himself against God, he
immediately strikes all with terror; and yet the power of God is regarded as
nothing. We see that even the faithful themselves deem the least thing stronger
than God; nay, they hesitate not to set up flies and insects, so to speak, in
opposition to God, and even to make them equal to him. This is indeed very
shameful, and yet it is what has usually prevailed perpetually in all
ages.
We now, then, understand why God declares here as a
great matter and as it were incredible, that
there is none like
him. And hence also we learn what the
last clause means, when it is asked,
Where is the chosen one whom I
may set over her? for he follows up the subject
by saying, There is no one like
me. By these words he shews that the
whole world is under his power.
He now adds,
and who will protest against
me? Some read, “Who will
prescribe to me the time?” But they who thus render the words, obscure the
meaning of the Prophet. The Prophet, I doubt not, means, that there is no one
who will dare to dispute with God; or were any one to attempt this, it would be
ridiculous, because God could with one breath dissipate all contentions which
men might raise. When therefore he says,
Who will protest against
me? it is the same as though he said,
“Who will make himself a party against me?” as it is commonly said.
Who then will oppose himself to me? or, Who will dare to contend with me? or,
Who will dare to dispute in judgment with me? I have therefore given this
rendering, and who will protest
against me? and this seems clearly to
express the meaning of the Prophet.
He afterwards says,
and who is this pastor that
stands before my face? By the word
pastor,
he alludes to the comparison of a lion; for he thus compares the Idumeans to
sheep. Though they were very ferocious, yet here their weakness is referred to.
As, then, a sheep cannot defend itself against a lion, so the Prophet shews that
the Idumeans would not possess sufficient courage to resist the attacks of the
Chaldeans. In short, the Prophet means, that though the Idumeans had many
protectors, yet there would be no one able to stand against God when he came
forth armed to destroy that nation. The sum of what is said is, that there would
be no one, by right or by strength, equal to God, to defend the Idumeans; for he
said first, Who will protest
against me? and then,
What shepherd will stand against
me? We now perceive the meaning of the Prophet,
that as the Idumeans had to carry on war with God, it could not possibly be but
that they must perish, for though they might get aids on every side, yet they
could not, either by right or by strength, withstand
God. fH40 It
follows —
|
JEREMIAH
49:20
|
|
20. Therefore hear the counsel of the Lord
that he hath taken against Edom, and his purposes that he hath purposed against
the inhabitants of Teman: Surely the least of the flock shall draw them out;
surely he shall make their habitations desolate with them.
|
20. Propterea audite consilium Jehovae, quod
consultavit contra Edom, et cogitationes ejus, quas cogitavit contra habitatores
Theman; Si non minores gregiseos dejecerint, si non perdiderint super eos
habitacula ipsorum (vel, si non perdant super ipsos habitacula
ipsorum.)
|
The Prophet proceeds with his subject respecting the
Idumeans and their destruction; but he makes a preface in order to gain credit
to his words. He then says that this was God’s counsel and his
thoughts. He speaks after the manner of men; for he transfers to
God what does not properly belong to his nature; for God does not deliberate or
consult, but has once for all decreed before the creation of the world what he
will do; nor does he toss about his thoughts in all directions, as men do, who
do not immediately see what is right or what ought to be done. Nothing of this
kind belongs to God. But this way of speaking is sufficiently common, when what
strictly applies to man is transferred to God. It ought at the same time to be
observed, that this is not done without reason, for when God speaks by his
servants, we ever raise doubts, “Is that said in earnest — can it be
changed — is it revocable?” In short, we receive what is light and
frivolous, and immediately give credit to it; but when God declares anything, we
subject it to comments, and raise up a hundred disputes on every subject,
“Oh, but this or that may happen; and it may be that God does not speak in
earnest.” As, then, men never acquiesce in God’s word, as they ought
to do, the Prophets borrow from common use these forms of speech, that God had
thus thought, that he had thus decreed.
The meaning is, that whatever Jeremiah had hitherto
predicted of the Idumeans, could not be retracted, for it was a settled decree,
so fixed as though God had thought of it for a hundred or thousand
years.
He now adds,
the inhabitants of
Teman; by whom he means the Idumeans.
But the repetition deserves notice: he first mentions Edom, and then the
inhabitants of Teman. And Teman and Seir are sometimes the same.
If not, cast them
down, etc.; the verb properly means to
draw, and to draw in reproach and contempt, as when a carcase is drawn through
the mire. Then the Prophet means here a throwing down, accompanied with
reproach. And he says, If not,
draw them forth shall the least of the
flock. He speaks here otherwise than
before; for he called the Chaldeans chosen, and extolled their strength, that he
might strip the Idumeans of their vain confidence; but he now proceeds further
and says, that there was no need of great valor to put that nation to flight,
because even the least could lay them prostrate on the ground, and also draw
them in disgrace through the land. Now, though the manner of speaking is
different, yet the meaning remains the same, even that God would arm the
Chaldeans with courage, so that they would easily destroy the land of Edom; and
then, that though the Chaldeans should not, according to the estimation of men,
excel in valor, they would yet be superior to the Idumeans, because victory was
in God’s hand, and he could work by means of flies as well as by men, and
by children as well as by giants.
The formula of swearing is adopted, when he says,
If not, draw them, etc. It is an elliptical phrase, as it
has often been observed; such an obtestation as this is understood,
“Believe me not hereafter,” or, “Regard me not as God.”
In short, it is a form of an oath, which is a stronger affirmation than if he
had simply said, “Draw them forth shall the least of the
flock.”
Some render the last clause, “If not, set shall
they,” etc.; as though the verb came from
µwç,
shum, to put, to set; but it is from
µmç,
shemem, or
µmy,
imem, as some think, though rather
µmç,
shemem. The Prophet, I have no doubt, means, that they would
destroy, or lay waste over them their dwellings. It follows —
|
JEREMIAH
49:21
|
|
21. The earth is moved at the noise of their
fall; at the cry, the noise thereof was heard in the Red sea.
|
21. A voce ruinae ipsorum contremuit terra;
clamor vocis eorum in mari rubro auditus est.
|
The Prophet in many words dwells on the same thing,
in itself sufficiently clear; but as it was not easy to convince the Jews of
what had been already said of the destruction of the Idumeans, the Prophet
continues the same subject. He then says that the
earth trembled at the sound of
their fall. By these words he means that
such would be the calamity, that it would terrify all neighboring countries: as
when a great mass falls, the earth shakes, so the fall of the Idumeans, who had
long gloried in their wealth, could not but strike all their neighbors with
terror. Lest the Jews should think that incredible which had been said, the
Prophet says, that though the earth should tremble, yet God would overthrow that
nation.
He then adds,
the cry of their voice was heard
at the Red
Sea.
fH41 This sea, called now Red, was at
some distance. The word
ãws,
suph, properly signifies weedy, a name given to it on account of
the bulrushes it produced; but the sea that is meant, is what is now called the
Red Sea. I have said that the distance between these places was considerable,
and what the Prophet means is, that so great and so dreadful would be the
shaking of the land of Edom, that its noise would make this sea to tremble,
though it was at some distance. It follows —
|
JEREMIAH
49:22
|
|
22. Behold, he shall come up and fly as the
eagle, and spread his wings over Bozrah: and at that day shall the heart of the
mighty men of Edom be as the heart of a woman in her pangs.
|
22. Ecce tanquam aquila ascendet, et volabit
et expander alas suas super Bosra, et erit cor fortium Edom die illo sicuti cor
mulieris anxiae.
|
He again speaks of the speedy coming of the
Chaldeans, as though he had said, “When the state of that nation
shall seem peaceable, when they rest secure in their own nest, then shall the
Chaldeans suddenly come, or rather fly.” For he compares them to eagles,
in order to show that it would be a very quick and ruinous expedition. At the
time this prophecy was declared by the Prophet, no one could have suspected that
the Chaldeans would become enemies to the Idumeans, for they were on the best
terms with each other; nay, we know that they paid every attention to gain the
favor of the Chaldeans. Hence it is said in the Psalms,
“Remember, O Lord, the
children of Edom, who said in the day of Jerusalem, Let it be cut down, let it
be cut
down.”
(<19D707>Psalm
137:7)
By these words is intimated the impious conspiracy of
that nation with the Chaldeans. Nor is there a doubt but that they tried by all
means to conciliate the Chaldeans for their own interest. Hence the Prophet here
points out a sudden change, when he says that the Chaldeans would be like
eagles, who would expand their
wings over Bozrah. We have seen
elsewhere that this was the chief city of that nation.
The
heart, he says,
of the valiant men of Edom shall
be like the heart of a sorrowful woman.
We have seen how great was the pride of the Idumeans. As then they thought
themselves superior in valor and counsel, and all other things, the Prophet here
shews that the heart of their valiant men would become effeminate;
for it cannot be but the hearts of men are in God’s hand. God then is
alone he who can sustain and animate us and give us firmness; and he also, when
he pleases, can debilitate our spirits; and these things he does every moment:
and that day
then is not expressed without reason; for God
does not only impart to every one of us what valor he pleases, but also takes
away, when he pleases, the courage which he had given. Hence it is, that the
hearts of the brave become cowardly, and also, that the most timid become
sometimes bolder than lions, even when it pleases God either to weaken or to
strengthen the hearts of men.
But it ought to be noticed, that no hope is given
here to the Idumeans as to any remnant. When the Prophet spoke before of other
nations, he gave them some consolation; but here he does not mitigate
God’s vengeance: he dooms the Idumeans to final ruin, without giving them
any hope; and for this reason, because God had for a long time borne with them,
and they had most wickedly abused his forbearance. He had spared them from the
time the children of Israel came up from Egypt; and when they denied a passage
to them, the children of Israel made a long circuit with great inconvenience,
that they might not touch their land. It was a singular favor shown to them. And
had they had the least drop of humanity in them, they must have acknowledged
such a kindness; on the contrary, they had ever cruelly treated their own
brethren, and never ceased to do so, though often warned. It is no wonder then
that God should now give them up to ruin, and announce predictions full of
despair. This ought to be carefully observed, so that we may learn not to make
light of God’s patience when he bears long with us, but in due time to
repent, lest when he rises for judgment he should utterly destroy us. It now
follows —
|
JEREMIAH
49:23
|
|
23. Concerning Damascus. Hamath is confounded,
and Arpad; for they have heard evil tidings: they are faint-hearted; there
is sorrow on the sea; it cannot be quiet.
|
23. Ad Damascum: Pudefacta est Chemath, et
Arphad, quia rumorem malum audierunt, liquefacti sunt; in mari pavoris ad
quiescendum non potest (hoc est, quod quiescere non
potest.)
|
Jeremiah speaks here of the kingdom of Syria, which
he means by
Damascus,
where the kings, as it is well known, resided. The Syrians had been from the
beginning very hostile to the Israelites; and histories, well known, record that
they had continual wars for many years. At length the kings of Israel
confederated with the Syrians for the purpose of attacking their brethren the
Jews. Hence it was, that the Syrians caused great troubles to the Jews, and were
friends to the Israelites until both kingdoms were subverted by the Chaldeans.
It is hence probable that this prophecy was announced while the kingdom was yet
standing, or at least before its final overthrow; for it was much weakened
before it was wholly cut off, as it has been stated elsewhere.
It was necessary to make this preface, in order that
we might know the design of God in proclaiming this prophecy against the
Syrians, even because they had been from the beginning enemies to the
Israelites, and also, because they had united their strength with them for the
purpose of oppressing the Jews. They had therefore always been like the fans of
the Devil in the work of consuming the church of God. God then shews here that
the calamity which awaited them, was a just reward for the impious cruelty which
they had exercised towards the chosen people. This we must bear in
mind.
He now says, that
Hamath is
confounded; this is considered to have
been Antioch in Syria. There were many celebrated cities of this name; but
Hamath towards Cilicia was the most renowned. He then says that the city
Hamath,
that is, Antioch, was
ashamed
as well as
Arpad,
which was also an opulent city. He adds,
because they heard a bad
report, or an adverse rumor. By these
words he intimates that the kingdom of Syria would be terrified by a report
only. No one could have thought such a thing, for when they had united
themselves with the Israelites, they thought that they had power enough to drive
away their enemies. As then they supposed themselves to be thus strong, so as to
be beyond danger, the Prophet derides their confidence, and says that they would
be so terrified by mere report, that they would be ashamed as though conquered
by enemies.
He then adds, that they
would be
melted; for
gwm,
mug, means to be dissolved or melted. But there is here a
different reading; many copies have
hgad
µyb, beim dage, connected with
this; and they who read thus are forced to wrest the words of the Prophet. This
reading literally is, “They are ashamed in the sea, dread to
rest,” or, make to rest, “it cannot,” or could not. We
see how harsh is the expression; they, however, elicit this meaning, that these
cities would be dissolved, as he who sails on the sea and cannot through dread
make his heart tranquil. But, as I have already said, the words of the Prophet
are thus perverted. Now, if we read for
b,
beth,
k,
caph, which denotes likeness, the meaning would be very suitable,
as a sea of
dread, or a turbulent sea (a noun in the
genitive case instead of an adjective, a common thing in Scripture) which
cannot rest or be still.
fH42
As to the general meaning of the passage, there is
not much difference; for the Prophet intends to show that the Syrians would be
like a turbulent sea, which is tossed here and there, so that the waves conflict
together. If any one prefers to refer this to sailors, the meaning would be
still materially the same. The sum of what is said then is, that as the Syrians
had been terrible to all, so they would be frightened at the mere report of war,
and so much so as to melt away and not be able to stand their ground, like the
sea, which, when a tempest rages, has no rest, but is driven in all directions.
He afterwards adds, —
|
JEREMIAH
49:24
|
|
24. Damascus is waxed feeble, and
turneth herself to flee, and fear hath seized on her; anguish
and sorrows have taken her, as a woman in travail.
|
24. Remissa est (vel,
debilitata) Damascus; convertit se ad fugam; et tremor apprehendit eam;
angustia et dolores tenuerunt eam tanquam parturientem.
|
As the clock strikes, I will not proceed
further.
PRAYER
Grant, Almighty God, that as thou
settest before our eyes memorable judgments which ought to benefit us at this
day, so that we may be kept under thy yoke and under the fear of thy law,
— O grant, that we may not grow hard at such threatenings, but anticipate
thy wrath, and so submit to thee, that whatever thou denouncest on the ungodly
may turn to our comfort, and for a cause of joy, when we know that the salvation
of thy church is thus promoted, of which thou hast been pleased to regard and
acknowledge us as members in thy Son our Lord. — Amen.
LECTURE ONE HUNDRED AND
SEVENTY-SEVENTH
|
JEREMIAH
49:24
|
|
24. Damascus is waxed feeble, and
turneth herself to flee, and fear hath seized on her; anguish
and sorrows have taken her, as a woman in travail.
|
24. Remissa est (vel,
debilitata) Damascus; convertit se ad fugam; et tremor apprehendit eam;
angustia et dolores tenuerunt eam tanquam parturientem.
|
The Prophet goes on with the same subject, for
as the kingdom of Syria had flourished, and had been eminent in wealth and
power, it was hardly credible that it could so soon be overthrown. This, then,
is the reason why the Prophet, according to his usual manner, describes at large
the ruin of that kingdom in order to confirm what he said.
He then says,
relaxed,
or weakened, is
Damascus. This verb, indeed, sometimes
means to cease: he means that she was broken in strength. But under the name of
this city, he includes, as it was stated yesterday, the whole kingdom of Syria,
which was celebrated for its riches, largeness, and number of men.
She
turns, he says, to flight.
By these words he intimates that no safety remained for the Syrians except
by fleeing into other countries. And it is a miserable safety when men cannot
otherwise secure it than by a voluntary exile. He adds the reason,
Trembling has laid hold on her,
anguish and pangs have seized her as a woman in
travail. Whenever this comparison occurs
in Scripture, some sudden and unexpected evil is intended. The Prophet then no
doubt means that the ruin of Syria would be sudden; and he says this, that it
might not trust in its own power, and that others might not think her to be
beyond danger, because they saw that it was fortified by the number of its men,
and by the abundance of all other things. It now follows, —
|
JEREMIAH
49:25
|
|
25. How is the city of praise not left, the
city of my joy!
|
25. Quomodo non est relicta urbs laudis?
civitas gaudii mei?
|
Some think “my” to be redundant, and
therefore render it “the city of
joy;”
fH43 but they seem to be induced by no good
reason; for they think it absurd that it should be called a city of joy to the
Prophet, since he ought not to have regarded Damascus with any love or kindness.
But the prophets, we know, do not always speak according to their own feelings,
but assume the persons of others. We might then fitly read the words as they
are, the city of my joy!
Besides, Jeremiah very cuttingly exults
over Damascus, when he thus expresses his wonder at its destruction: “How
can this be,” he says, “that
the city of
praise, that is, a celebrated city, and
the city of my
joy, that is, a spectacle so noble as to
cause joy to all, — how can it be that this city should not be left, that
is, should not be spared?” For by “left” he does not
mean forsaken by its inhabitants, or reduced to solitude; for by
“left” he means untouched or safe.
fH44
But we must ever bear in mind what we have often
stated, that the prophets, when they thus speak in astonishment, do not adopt an
elevated style as rhetoricians do, to show their eloquence, but have always a
regard to what is profitable. It was necessary powerfully to impress the minds
of men, when the Prophet spoke of the ruin of so great a city. Then this
astonishment includes what they call an anticipation; for it obviated a doubt
which might have prevented credit from being given to this prophecy. This might
have immediately occurred to every one, “How can it be that
Damascus is to perish?” Then the Prophet anticipates this, and shews, that
though this was contrary to the judgment commonly formed, yet, as the Lord had
so decreed, the destruction of that city was certain. We now then perceive the
design of the Prophet. It afterwards follows, —
|
JEREMIAH
49:26
|
|
26. Therefore her young men shall fall in her
streets, and all the men of war shall be cut off in that day, saith the Lord of
hosts.
|
26. Propterea cadent electi ejus
(aut, robusti juvenes,
µyrwjb,
enim propria sunt electi, sed transfertur hoc nomen ad eos qui sunt in
pleno vigore aut flore oetatis) in compitis ejus; et omnes viri
militares silebunt (alii vertunt, excidentur, to metaphorice
accipitur illo sensu hoc verbum) in die illo, inquit Jehova
exercituum.
|
Here the Prophet in a manner corrects himself, and
declares, that though the ruin of Damascus would astonish all, yet it was
certain; and so I explain the particle
ˆkl,
lacen.
It is regarded by the Hebrews as a particle assigning
a reason — therefore, for this cause. They then think that a reason is
here expressed why God had decreed to destroy that city, even because it had
formerly made war with the Israelites, and then with the Jews, and thus it had
not ceased to persecute the Church of God. But it is to be taken here in a
simpler way, as an affirmative, according to its meaning in many other places.
The Prophet then checks here the astonishment which he had expressed, as though
he had said, “However this may be, yet it is so appointed by God,
though all should be astonished at the destruction of Damascus, yet
fall shall its
young men, etc.” The
meaning is, that no power under heaven was such as could resist God. Then
Damascus, as it was devoted to destruction, could not avoid that judgment,
though it was, according to the opinion of men, impregnable.
And this passage deserves particular notice, for when
hinderances occupy our minds, and are presented to our thoughts, we ought ever
to set up this as our shield, “Whatever God has appointed must be
fulfilled.” Though, then, heaven and earth may seem united to impede the
celestial decree, let us know that we ought to acquiesce in God’s word,
and this particle “yet,” or nevertheless,
ˆkl,
lacen, ought always to be remembered by us. For we have said that it
was Jeremiah’s purpose, in a manner, to bring into subjection whatever men
might plan in their own minds; for this alone is sufficient, God has decreed
what he declares. It follows, —
|
JEREMIAH
49:27
|
|
27. And I will kindle a fire in the wall of
Damascus, and it shall consume the palaces of Ben-hadad.
|
27. Et accendam ignem in muro Damasci, et
consumet palatia Benhadad.
|
Here God himself speaks, and declares that he would
be the author of the destruction of which Jeremiah prophesied. And he employs
the similitude of fire, because there is nothing more violent or more dreadful
than burning; for we know that the greatest cities are soon consumed and reduced
to ashes when fire begins to blaze. God then compares the destruction of the
city to burning, though no fire was applied to destroy the walls and the palaces
of the king; but the Prophet means by this metaphor, that such would be the
destruction of the city, as though it was consumed by fire. He at the same time
reminds the faithful of God’s judgment, that they might know that whatever
happened to the Syrians proceeded from his hand; because such calamities would
have availed but little, except this doctrine was also added, that just
punishments are inflicted by God on the wickedness of men.
But when he speaks of the
palaces of
Ben-hadad, he briefly points out the
cause why God would deal so severely with the Syrians. We have said already that
they had been always hostile to God’s chosen people. They first tried to
overthrow the kingdom of Israel; afterwards they confederated with the kings of
Israel, but it was for the purpose of overthrowing the kingdom of Judah; and
many were the confederacies for this end. But Ben-hadad, as we read in the first
book of Kings, grievously distressed the Israelites. We indeed learn from the
history of those times, that there were many kings of Syria who bore this name,
for it was a common name, as the kings of Egypt were called Pharaohs; and other
kings also took a popular name, as the emperors of Rome called themselves
Caesars. But we read that the last Ben-hadad was the son of Hazael, who was also
the king of Syria; and as I have said, it was not a private name. Since, then,
sacred history clearly shews that there were many who were called Ben-hadad, the
Prophet, I have no doubt, refers to the first who began to disturb and harass
the Israelites. He then points out the cause why God had determined to destroy
Damascus, for he had in his forbearance borne for a long time with the Syrians.
But when he saw that they did not repent, but on the contrary added sins to
sins, at length ascending his tribunal, he says, that the fire which he
would apply to the walls of Damascus, would also consume the palaces of
Ben-hadad, that is, the palaces whence so many evils had proceeded, and so much
cruelty, by which the miserable Church had been distressed. This is the meaning.
It now follows, —
|
JEREMIAH
49:28
|
|
28. Concerning Kedar, and concerning the
kingdoms of Hazor, which Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon shall smite, thus saith
the Lord, Arise ye, go up to Kedar, and spoil the men of the
east.
|
28. Ad Kedar, et regna Hazor, quae percussit
Nabuchadrezar, rex Babylonis, sic dicit Jehova, Surgite, ascendite adversus
Kedar, et perdite filios Kedem (vel, orientis).
|
There is here another prophecy added respecting the
Kedareans, who inhabited a part of Arabia. There is elsewhere mention made of
them, and it is probable that they were neighbors to the Syrians and not far
from Judea; for David complained (if he was the author of that psalm) that he
dwelt among the children of Kedar,
“Woe to me, because I am compelled
to dwell in Mesech and with the children of Kedar,”
(<19C005>Psalm
120:5)
Whoever, then, composed that psalm, it is a probable
conjecture that the Kedareans, though not contiguous to Judea, were not yet far
distant; and we have said that they were the inhabitants of Arabia. And the
Prophet adds, the children of
Kedem; so some render the word, as
though it were the name of a nation; and Moses tells us that Kedem was one of
the sons of Ishmael. It may be that for this reason Jeremiah joined this people
to the Kedareans,
(<012513>Genesis
25:13-15.) But I am, however, inclined to the opinion, that he mentions here
the children of the East, that is, with respect to Judea; not that
they were nigh the Persians or other oriental nations, but he only points out a
land to the east of Judea.
But why God took vengeance on that people, the cause
is not expressed. It may yet have been that they formerly had much injured the
Israelites; God therefore having long spared them at length appeared as their
severe judge. And though the reason was unknown, yet it did good to the Jews to
know, that God’s hand was extended to every part of the world to execute
vengeance; for they might have hence concluded that they were justly punished,
because they had rebelled against God; for we know that a servant who willfully
and disdainfully disobeys his master, deserves double punishment.
(<421247>Luke
12:47) When the Jews then saw that these barbarians, who were like wild beasts,
could not escape God’s vengeance, they might have thought within
themselves how just must have been God’s judgments executed on them, who
had knowingly and willfully despised him. This then was one of the benefits to
be derived from this prophecy.
And then, as we have elsewhere said, this general
rule ought to be borne in mind, that when changes happen in the world, it is
necessary, as men’s thoughts and feelings are evanescent, that this
warning should be given, that God so rules in all these changes, that chance has
no place in them. For when calamities, like a deluge, spread over the whole
world, then we think, as it has been stated, that such a confusion happens by
chance, and without any cause. For when God afflicts some portion, the
difference may lead us to some reflection, — “One part is afflicted
and another escapes;” but when evils overwhelm the whole world, then,
there being no difference, we think that all things are in a state of confusion,
nor can we collect our thoughts so as to know, that God so takes vengeance on
all, that he yet regulates his judgments, as it is right, according to his
infinite and incomprehensible wisdom and justice. As then this adjustment which
God makes, as to his judgments, is not evident to the mind and perception of
men, it was necessary, when God was at the same time fulminating through the
whole world, that the Jews should be reminded to be ever attentive to the
operations of his hand. They saw themselves ruined, they saw the same thing
happening to the Egyptians and to all other contiguous nations; at length
Assyria was to have its turn, then Chaldea, and afterwards the Medians and
Persians. As then no part was to remain untouched, who would not have thought
that all things revolved, as it were, through blind and uncertain fate? God,
therefore, did not, without reason, forewarn the faithful, lest they should
think, that in so great vicissitudes and violent changes, all things were
indiscriminately mixed together, but that they might know that God, from heaven,
regulated and overruled all these confusions. This is the reason why the
Prophets so particularly spoke of the calamities of all
nations.
Let us come now to the Kedareans:
To
Kedar, he says,
and the kingdoms of
Hazor. These kingdoms, no doubt,
included a large country, for it is hardly credible that Hazor was the name of a
city; for who would have said,
the kingdoms of
Hazor, had it been only the name of a
city? It is, indeed, certain, that there was a city of this name, as it is
mentioned by Joshua. But here it means a large region, contiguous to the
Kedareans. And he says that all these nations had been
smitten by
Nebuchadnezzar, because these barbarous
men were probably but little known to the Jews. It must yet be observed, that
they had not been as yet smitten by Nebuchadnezzar, that is, at the time the
Prophet spoke of their destruction. But Jeremiah spoke thus, in order to confirm
his prophecy, as though he had said, that what many disregarded, and even
treated with disdain, was at length really fulfilled. For when he threatened
ruin to these remote nations, it is probable that he was derided by his own
people; and hence he says, that he had not spoken in vain, but that by the event
itself his vocation was proved, because these were smitten as he had
predicted.
And this is the prophecy,
Arise ye, ascend against Kedar,
and destroy the children of the
East.
fH45 Here the Prophet speaks of the
Babylonians, and in the person of God, as his herald. And we have said that
God’s servants commanded and ordered what was future with supreme
authority, in order to gain more reverence and honor to their words or doctrine.
For prophecies were despised by ungodly men, and they insultingly said, that
they were only words. Hence the servants of God, to show that their words had
accomplishment connected with them, assumed the person of God. Thus they boldly
commanded the greatest kings, as Jeremiah does here, Arise ye; for
whom does he here address? the king of Babylon, that greatest of monarchs, and
also the Assyrians as well as the Chaldeans: and he commanded them to arise
and to ascend, as though he had them ready for his service,
even because he did not speak except by God’s command.
And such mode of speaking ought to be especially
observed, that we may learn to embrace whatever is announced in God’s
name, as though the thing itself were already before our eyes, and that we may
also know that the power of the whole world, is in such a way under God’s
control, that all the kingdoms of the earth are ready to fulfill his word. When,
therefore, God himself speaks, we ought so to regard the efficacy of his word,
as though heaven and earth were ready to obey and to fulfill what he has
commanded. It follows, —
|
JEREMIAH
49:29
|
|
29. Their tents and their flocks shall they
take away: they shall take to themselves their curtains, and all their vessels,
and their camels; and they shall cry unto them, Fear is on every
side.
|
29. Tentoria ejus (tabernacula ejus) et greges
ejus tollent, et cortinas ejus, et omnia vasa ejus, et camelos ejus sument sibi,
et clamabunt contra eos, Terror undique.
|
The Prophet, in speaking of tents and curtains, had
regard to the way of living adopted by that nation; for the Arabs, we know,
dwelt in cabins and tents, as they do at this day, and they were also shepherds.
They had no cultivated fields, but led their flocks through the deserts; and
they had a great number of camels. This is the reason why the Prophet mentions
tents, curtains, camels, and
flocks, while speaking of the Kedareans;
for they dwelt not in a fertile country, they possessed no arable lands, nor had
they much other wealth, neither cities nor palaces. The sum of what is said is,
that the Kedareans were doomed to destruction, and were therefore exposed as a
prey to their enemies.
But as this was difficult to be believed, he adds,
They shall cry to them, Terror on
every side. By these words the Prophet
means, that there would be so much dread, that all would suffer their
possessions to be plundered, not daring to make any resistance, because terror
on every side would lay hold on them. They who read, “They shall call them
terror on every side,” think that this is said metaphorically of the
soldiers, as they were terrible. Some also say, “The king of Babylon shall
call” or summon “terror on every side against them.” But the
former explanation is the most probable, that when enemies called or cried out,
Terror,
terror, as conquerors, they would
overcome them by their voice alone. This is, as I think, the real meaning of the
Prophet. It now follows, —
|
JEREMIAH
49:30
|
|
30. Flee, get you far off, dwell deep, O ye
inhabitants of Hazor, saith the Lord; for Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon hath
taken counsel against you, and hath conceived a purpose against
you.
|
30. Fugite, abite procul valde (profundaverunt
ad habitandum incolae Hasor, dicit Jehova); quia consultavit super vos
Nabuchadnezar rex Babylonis consilium, et cogitavit contra vos
cogitationem.
|
Jeremiah continues here the same subject, but more
clearly expresses what he had said,
Flee,
he says, depart far
away. What follows I read as a
parenthesis, Deep have they made
to dwell, the inhabitants of Hazor. Then
Jeremiah proceeds with his subject,
because consulted against you has
Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon,
etc. He then bids them to flee to a distance, because Nebuchadnezzar
had resolved to destroy them. By counsel and thought or purpose,
the Prophet means the secret means by which he subdued the people when they
feared no such thing. As then these shepherds lived securely on their mountains,
Nebuchadnezzar prepared his forces, and divided them; and thus were these taken
by his counsel and craft less than by strength. What the Prophet says here of
the counsel and device of Nebuchadnezzar is not superfluous,
because he indirectly touched on the sloth of that nation, who exercised no
vigilance and thought, their desert being a sufficient cover to them. As then
they thus lived securely, the Prophet here reminds them that they would have to
do with a cunning enemy, who would contrive and form his counsels at home, and
then would execute in due time what he had long meditated.
But a parenthesis follows,
Deep have they
made; to make more clear the sense, an
adversative particle must be considered as understood,
Though deep have they made to
dwell; for without this exception the
prophecy would have been less credible. For Kedareans were on every side
fortified, because no one envied them, as they were not only frugal men, but
also barbarous and contented with an austere and wretched living. As then they
thought themselves thus safe, some one might have raised this objection and
said, “Why dost thou bid them to flee? wherefore should they flee?
for there is no one so foolish as to attack them.” So also the Scythians
laughed at Alexander when he attacked them. “What is your object? you
think that you have to do with men; we are wild beasts: and then if you seek
wealth and riches, you will not find them with us.” Such then was the
state of those nations mentioned here. When, therefore, the Prophet bids them to
flee, because Nebuchadnezzar would suddenly attack them, he at the same time
adds, Though deep have they made
to dwell.
fH46 He had before used this mode of
speaking: to make deep to dwell, means to have a safe and hidden standing,
remote from all danger. They are then said to be deep in their dwellings who
dwell in fortified cities, or who inhabit deserts, or who are hid in some poor
country, as the Kedareans and their neighbors. But the Prophet says, that this
would not prevent the Babylonians from invading their land, and taking
possession of it. It follows, —
|
JEREMIAH
49:31
|
|
31. Arise, get you up unto the wealthy nation,
that dwelleth without care, saith the Lord, which have neither gates nor bars,
which dwell alone.
|
31. Surgite, ascendite contra gentem securam,
habitatorem (eum qui habitat) in fiducia, dicit Jehova; non portae nec vectes
ei, solus habitat.
|
He confirms the last verse, repeating what he had
already said,
Arise,
ascend;
but he adds, against a quiet
nation. This was the deep
dwelling of which he had spoken; for the Kedareans, as they thought
themselves to be as it were in another world, were secure; and hence he says,
against a secure
nation. The word
wylç,
sheliu, means delicate, as we have seen elsewhere, but in this
place its meaning is secure. For though there might be no joys there, it is
yet said to be a secure nation,
wylç
ywg, gui sheliu, a nation which
feared nothing. And then he explains himself, a dweller in confidence,
one without fear and anxiety.
And he gives the reason, because they had no need of
gates and bars, and they
dwelt
alone. Some interpreters think that the
pride of the Kedareans is denoted, because they would not protect themselves in
the usual way, and regarded gates and bars as nothing. But the Prophet’s
meaning is different, that as they were barbarians and shepherds and beyond the
reach of envy, they thought that no enemy would ever come to them. For what are
the causes of wars but avarice and ambition? and who would wish to rule over
barbarous nations living on their mountains? and then wealth cannot be found in
a wild uncultivated country. As then the Kedareans were such, the Prophet says
that they dwelt securely, though they were not fortified by gates
and bars, but lived alone. He then says that they lived alone, not because they
thought much of themselves as being solitary, and regarded themselves as being
above kings — for solitude often produces pride and obstinacy; but the
meaning of the Prophet, as I have said, is quite different, even because the
Kedareans thought that they had no need of friends and assistants, because they
depended not on their neighbors for aid, but were contented with their
own deserts. And at the same time they did not think that any enemy would
disturb them, as there was no cause and no occasion.
We now then perceive again why the Prophet says, that
they made deep to dwell, that is, that they had their dwelling
deep, even because poverty and the absence of all riches were to them a sort of
safe fortress: as they had no splendor and no dignity, they thought themselves
exempt from the common lot of other men. But nevertheless he says that the
Chaldeans would come and plunder them of what they had. It follows, —
|
JEREMIAH
49:32
|
|
32. And their camels shall be a booty, and the
multitude of their cattle a spoil: and I will scatter into all winds them that
are in the utmost corners; and I will bring their calamity from all sides
thereof, saith the Lord.
|
32. Et erunt cameli eorum in direptionem, et
copia pecorum ipsorum in praedam; et dispergam eos ad omnem ventum, extremos
anguli, et ab omnibus lateribus ejus adducam perditionem ipsorum, dicit
Jehova.
|
The explanation shall be given
tomorrow.
PRAYER
Grant, Almighty God, that though the
things related to us today from thy Prophets, concerning ancient nations, may
seem as grown out of use, O grant that we may however be seriously impressed
whenever we read of thy judgments as executed on any part of the world, so that
we may learn at this day wholly to submit to thee and flee to thy mercy, and
that whatever may happen to us, we may never doubt but that thou wilt be
propitious to us, if we seek thee with a sincere heart, and with unfeigned faith
in Christ Jesus, our Lord. — Amen.
LECTURE ONE
HUNDRED AND SEVENTY-EIGHTH.
In the verse we read yesterday, Jeremiah again
repeated that the Kedareans would be so plundered by their enemies that nothing
would remain for them. He therefore speaks again of camels and of cattle: he
says that the abundance of
cattle and the
camels
would be for a
spoil
and
plunder.
But why he names camels and cattle rather than fields and vineyards, I
briefly explained yesterday. For when a fertile country is the subject, whether
abounding in corn or in vines, the Prophets spoke of such possessions; but when,
as now, a reference is made to a country abounding in cattle and also
mountainous, the Prophet speaks only of camels and of cattle; for the mode of
living in that nation, as it has been stated, was austere and hard, and almost
below the condition of man. When food for their cattle failed them, they went
elsewhere, and carried in their waggons all their furniture.
It now follows,
1 will disperse them to every
wind. Here Jeremiah predicts the
scattering of that nation. It sometimes happens that a country is plundered by
enemies, when yet the inhabitants, stripped of their goods, remain there and
live in poverty. But together with poverty, Jeremiah declares that there would
be no ordinary exile, for the words are emphatical,
I will scatter them to every
wind. There is here an implied contrast
between that people and chaff; for as the chaff is carried away in all
directions by blasts of wind, so would be, as Jeremiah shews, the scattering of
that people. And he mentions also
the utmost
corners,
hap
yxwxq, kotsutsi pae. Jerome usually
renders the words, “shorn of hair,” but very improperly; for
there is no reason why the other people mentioned before should be thus called;
for in Jeremiah 7 and Jeremiah 25 Jeremiah did not speak of the Kedareans, and
yet he called many nations hap
yxwxq kotsutsi pae. The verb
≈xq
kotsets, whence this word comes, means to cut off; and
hap
pae, signifies the extremity of anything. This phrase then is the
same as though he mentioned those bordered by an extremity or a corner. And this
is most suitable to this passage; for it was not probable that they who dwelt in
recesses should be thus scattered. When any wealthy country is plundered by
enemies, they flee here and there in all directions; for instance, were a part
of Italy laid waste, they would flee to those parts who could receive fugitives;
but when a nation dwells in an extreme corner, where could it betake itself,
when routed by enemies? The Prophet therefore enhances the misery of exile when
he says, that people at the extremities would become fugitives, so as to be
scattered through all parts of the world.
He adds,
and from all its sides will I
bring their destruction. He confirms the
same thing; for when an evil enters on one side, neighbors may assist; but when
calamity urges on every side, miserable men must then of necessity be scattered;
and they must seek some distant exile, as there is no part that can show them
hospitality. All this then refers to their scattering. It afterwards follows,
—
|
JEREMIAH
49:33
|
|
33. And Hazor shall be a dwelling for dragons,
and a desolation for ever: there shall no man abide there, nor any
son of man dwell in it.
|
33. Et erit Hazor in habitationem draconum,
vastitas usque in perpetuum (in seculum;) non habitabit illic vir, et non
manebit illic (aut, peregrinabitur in ea) filius
hominis.
|
Here Jeremiah concludes his prophecy concerning the
Kedareans; he says that their land would be deserted. The Prophets often make
use of this way of speaking, that the land, deserted by its inhabitants, would
become the habitation of dragons. And this is more grievous than when the land
remains empty; for when dragons succeed men, it is a dreadful thing. Hence, that
God’s judgment might produce more impression on men’s feelings, the
Prophets often declare that a deserted place would become the dwelling of
dragons. He adds what imports the same thing,
A waste shall it be for an
age: but
µlw[,
oulam, means perpetuity. And it is added,
Not dwell there shall a man, nor
live there shall a son of man. There
seems indeed to be a superfluity of words, for it would have been sufficient in
one sentence to say, that the land would be deserted and not inhabited. But he
first assigns it to dragons: then he adds that it would be a waste or solitude;
and lastly, he says that no one would dwell there, and not only so, but having
mentioned man, he adds the
son of
man. Some indeed think that by man
the nobles are referred to, and that by the
son of
man, or Adam, we are to understand the
common people, the multitude. But as we have said elsewhere, this is too
refined. It is a repetition which increases the effect, though in the second
clause he speaks more generally and expresses the thing more clearly, as though
he had said, that no one of the human race would become an inhabitant of that
land. fH48
It now follows, —
|
JEREMIAH
49:34-35
|
|
34. The word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah
the prophet against Elam, in the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah king of
Judah, saying,
|
34. Qui fuit sermo Jehovae ad Jeremiam,
prophetam, contra Elam, principio regni Zedechiae, regis Jehudah,
dicendo,
|
|
35. Thus saith the Lord of hosts, Behold, I
will break the bow of Elam, the chief of their might.
|
35. Sic dicit Jehova exercituum, Ecce ego
frango arcum Elam, principium fortitudinis ipsorum.
|
By Elam some interpreters understand Persia, and it
is the most common opinion. I however think that the Elamites were not the same
with the Persians; I should rather say that they were the Parthians, were it not
that Luke, in
<440209>Acts
2:9, makes them a distinct people from the Parthians. At the same time it is not
right, as it seems to me, to regard the Persians as generally designated by
Elam; for the Persians were remote from the Jews, and the Jews never received
any injury from that people. There was therefore no reason why the Prophet
should denounce punishment on them. The country of Elymais was known as
bordering on the Medes, and contiguous to the Persians. But that people must
have joined the Assyrians and Chaldeans against the Jews. As then the
Babylonians had them as auxiliaries, it was God’s purpose to avenge the
injury done to his people. Besides, Pliny also speaks of Elamites as being
contiguous to the Nabatheans; but they were occupying, as it were, the
middle place between Persia and Judea. They were indeed, as he shews elsewhere,
a maritime people; for he speaks often of Elymais, but names the Elamites only
once. However this may have been, they were orientals as the Persians
were, but not so far from Judea; and as they were, at it has been said, near the
Medes, the probability is that they joined themselves with the enemies of the
Church, when Nebuchadnezzar drew with him the vast forces which he had
everywhere gathered, that he might extend his dominion far and wide; for we
shall see in what follows that God was grievously displeased with the
Elamites.
fH49 We hence conclude that they were very
hostile to the chosen people, whose cause God here undertakes.
This much as to the name: when, therefore, Jeremiah
speaks here of the Elamites, let us know that a particular nation is referred
to, and one distinct from the Persians, and then that this nation assisted the
Chaldeans in oppressing the Jews. Let us now see what the Prophet declares
respecting them.
He says, first, that this word came to him
in the beginning of the reign of
Zedekiah. Nebuchadnezzar, then, greatly
harassed the Jews, while yet they remained in their obstinacy; and it is
probable that the Elamites formed a part of the Chaldean army. When, therefore,
the Jews considered how various were their enemies, and when they did not expect
that they would ever be punished, it was a trial that must have greatly
distressed the minds of the godly. What Jeremiah then declared, no one could
have thought of, that is, that the Elamites would not escape unpunished, because
they so furiously attacked the chosen people under the banner of King
Nebuchadnezzar. This, then, was the reason why the Prophet specified the time:
this word, then,
came in the beginning of the
reign of Zedekiah.
Then God, in the first place, declares that he would
break the bow of
Elam. The Parthians and other Orientals,
we know, were very skillful archers; for every nation possesses its own peculiar
excellency in connection with war. Some excel in the use of one kind of weapons,
and others in the use of another kind. Formerly light infantry were in high
repute among the Italians; the Gauls excelled in mailed horsemen. Though, now,
all things are changed, yet still every nation differs as to its peculiar art in
war. Now historians testify that the Orientals were very skillful in the use of
the bow and arrow. It is, then, no wonder that the Prophet speaks of the bow
of this people, and calls it
the chief part of their
strength, as they excelled in this sort
of fighting. The Parthians were indeed much dreaded by the Romans; they
pretended to flee, and then they turned back and made an impetuous attack on
their enemies. They had also arrows dipped in poison. By these means
they conquered large armies. For the Romans laid by their darts and
fought hand in hand, and carried on a standing fight, so to speak; but when the
Parthians kept discharging their arrows, they almost always fought
unsuccessfully with them. I refer to this, that we may know that the bow was not
without reason called the chief
of their might, for it was by it that
they were superior to other nations, though they could not fight hand in hand
nor with drawn swords. It afterwards follows —
|
JEREMIAH
49:36
|
|
36. And upon Elam will I bring the four winds
from the four quarters of heaven, and will scatter them toward all those winds;
and there shall be no nation whither the outcasts of Elam shall not
come
|
36. Et adducam contra Elam quatuor ventos a
quatuor finibus coelorum, et dispergam eos ad omnes ventos istos; et non erit
gens ad quem non veniat quispiam profugus (est mutatio numeri, sed
quae sensum non obscurat, quispiam ex iis qui expulsi fuerint) ab
Elam.
|
He now adds that
four winds
would come, which would dissipate the whole
people. God himself speaks, in order that the word might be more powerful and
have more weight. I will rouse
up, he says,
four
winds. And we know that the air is in a
moment put in motion whenever it pleases God; and when Scripture extols the
power of God, it does not without reason refer to the winds; for it is not a
small miracle when the whole world is on a sudden put in motion. It is now
tranquil, and then in half an hour the winds rise and conflict together in mid
air. And God alludes to what is usual in nature: as then he suddenly rouses up
winds which make, as it were, the whole world to shake and tremble; so he says
he would raise up winds from the four ends of the world. But he speaks
metaphorically; by winds he understands enemies, who would on all sides unite
their powers to oppress the Elamites.
I will
bring, he says, on Elam
the four winds from the four
quarters of the world. By the
last words he expresses more clearly what I have just said, that God alludes to
that formidable power which is daily presented to our eyes in nature. As, then,
a sudden change disturbs the whole earth when winds arise, so God declares that
he would rouse up four winds from the four quarters of the heavens. And he calls
them the quarters of the
heavens; for though the winds arise from
the earth, yet their blowing is not perceived until they ascend into mid air:
and though sometimes they seem to be formed above the clouds, they yet arise
from the earth; for the origin of the wind is cold and dry
exhalation.
We now understand the reason why the Prophet speaks
of the winds. There is yet no doubt but that he denotes some enemies by the four
winds; but this prophecy was not fulfilled as long as the Persian monarchy ruled
and flourished. It is, then, probable that the destruction denounced by the
Prophet took place many ages after, even when the soldiers of Alexander
contended about the supremacy; for we know how grievously distressed were
all the Orientals when Alexander made an irruption into those countries. It was,
indeed, a horrible tempest. But as he enjoyed the empire of the east but for a
short time, what is said by the Prophet here was not then fulfilled. But those
countries were afterwards so miserable, torn by intestine wars, that the Prophet
does not without reason compare those contrary and opposite movements to four
winds; for never has there been a fiercer emulation between enemies, and each of
them had strong armies. Hence, then, it was, that that land was not
oppressed by one enemy, but exposed to various and almost innumerable
calamities. This is the reason that leads me to interpret this prophecy as
fulfilled in the calamities which followed the death of Alexander the
Great.
I will scatter
them, he says,
to these four
winds; that is, as one wind breaks out
at one time, and another at another time, so the Elamites shall flee here and
there. For no one ruled long peaceably in the East, till almost all the
soldiers of Alexander were consumed by mutual slaughters. Then Seleucus
obtained Syria, and exercised the cruelest tyranny. But, as I
have said, before Seleucus obtained peace and security, the whole of that part
of the world had been inundated with blood. This is the reason why the Prophet
says that the Elamites would be scattered to
these four
winds.
The end of the verse remains:
and there shall be no nation to
which some of the fugitives from Elam shall not
come. We cannot, certainly, show from
histories when this was fulfilled which the Prophet now says; but it is probable
that that people were scattered at the time when the chiefs contended about the
supremacy, that is, those who obtained power under Alexander. At the same time
there would be nothing unreasonable were we to say that the Prophet spoke
hyperbolically; and no doubt he exceeds due limits when he says “There
shall be no nation to which some of the fugitives from Elam shall not
come.” He indeed understands all the neighboring nations. But it may also
have been that they did not flee to the Asiatics, but rather departed towards
the Persian sea or to the Indies. We have already stated why the servants of God
sometimes introduced hyperbolical expressions into their teaching, even because
they had to do with men who were slow and stupid, who would not hear God when
speaking in a simple manner, and could hardly be moved when he thundered. It now
follows —
|
JEREMIAH
49:37
|
|
37. For I will cause Elam to be dismayed
before their enemies, and before them that seek their life; and I will bring
evil upon them, even my fierce anger, saith the Lord; and I will send the
sword after them, till I have consumed them.
|
37. Et expavefaciam Elam coram hostibus
ipsorum, et coram his qui quaerunt animam ipsorum; et adducam super eos malum
excandescentiae irae meae, dicit Jehova; et emittam post eos gladium usque dum
consumpsero ipsos.
|
This verse especially shews that the Elamites were of
the number of those who had inhumanly raged against God’s people, for he
did not without reason set forth the severity of his vengeance towards them. We
must, then, bear in mind that the Elamites had been among the chief of
God’s enemies, or at least had been in no ordinary way cruel, delighting
in slaughters. Hence he says, I
will dismay, or affright, etc. The verb
ttj,
chetat, means to tear in pieces, or to break; it may therefore be
rendered, “I will break.” They who render it “I will lay
prostrate,” do not seem to know the difference between
consternere, to lay prostrate, and consternare, to
dismay. But the most suitable meaning is, that God would terrify the Elamites,
for he had spoken before of their flight and exile.
He then mentions the cause of their dread, even
because God would dismay them and frighten them before their enemies, so
that they would not be able to stand before them. By these words he intimates,
that however warlike the Elamites were, they yet would not stand their ground
when it seemed good to God to render to them their reward, for in his hand are
the hearts of men. Though, then, the Elamites were brave, yet the Prophet
declares that they would be so faint-hearted
at the sight of
enemies, as immediately to flee away,
even because God would terrify them.
He afterwards adds,
I will send the sword after
them. He means by this clause that he
would not be content with terrifying them, but that when they began to flee, he
would take them, because he would follow them, that is, urge on their enemies.
And it ought ever to be observed, that what proceeds from men is ascribed to
God, because men, however little they may think of it, yet execute his purpose,
and are not only the proclaimers of his wrath, but also the instruments of
it.
But he mentions
the evil of the indignation of
his wrath.
fH50 This mode of speaking seems
indeed harsh; but we have elsewhere stated, that the Prophets did not without
reason join together these words, which appear somewhat harsh. Now wrath does
not in a strict sense belong to God, for no feelings of this kind appertain to
him. But when heat of wrath or indignation is mentioned, it doubles its
vehemence in order to shake off the torpor of men, who would otherwise, as I
lately said, be wholly insensible and indifferent. In short, by indignation
the Prophet means no other thing than that vengeance is dreadful, and ought
to astonish all mortals, so that they ought to fall down immediately as it were
lifeless, as soon as they hear that God is displeased with them. In the meantime
he shews what I have stated, that God was grievously offended with that people
whom he threatens with extreme punishment, for he says,
until I shall have consumed
them. We see what I have said, that this
people were not slightly chastised, according to what has been mentioned of
others: it hence follows that their wickedness had been very atrocious. The two
clauses seem however to be inconsistent, — that God would scatter the
Elamites through all nations, — and that he would consume them, for
dispersion and consumption widely differ. But consumption refers to the body of
the nation or to its name, as though he had said, that no Elamites would
survive, because they would be merged in other nations, and disappear like
chaff. It follows —
|
JEREMIAH
49:38
|
|
38. And I will set my throne in Elam, and will
destroy from thence the king and the princes, saith the Lord.
|
38. Et statuam solium meum in Elam; et perdam
illinc regem et principes, dicit Jehova.
|
He confirms what I have just referred to as to their
consumption; but he at the same time adds, that God would be in such a way the
avenger as though his tribunal was erected in that land. He threatens that he
would destroy the king and the
princes; and this, as I have explained,
was the consumption; for though some individuals would remain alive, yet the
name of the people would not survive, the whole race as such would become
extinct.
But these words ought to be noticed — that God
would erect his throne. God is said to erect his throne
when he rules; but his kingdom is not to be taken always in a good sense. God is
properly said to rule or reign among the faithful, whom he governs by his
Spirit. So God’s kingdom begins and has its origin when regeneration takes
place. But sometimes, as I have already said, God is said to reign in the midst
of his enemies, as we have seen respecting the Egyptians. He then erected his
throne when he executed his recorded judgment on the Elamites, for though the
Elamites were blind, yet God’s power was made really evident, and by the
effect he proved that he was the King of that people whose wickedness he
punished with so much severity. In short, as God is said to be silent, to sleep,
or to lie down, when he does not execute his vengeance; so in this place he is
said to erect his throne when he discharges the office of a Judge. It follows
—
|
JEREMIAH
49:39
|
|
39. But it shall come to pass in the latter
days, that I will bring again the captivity of Elam, saith the
Lord.
|
39. Et erit in posteritate dierum (hoc
est, diebus sequentibus, vel successu dierum) convertam
(vel, reducam) captivitatem Elam, dicit Jehova.
|
Here God mitigates the severity of the prediction,
because he would at length gather some of the Elamites and restore them, so that
they might again obtain some place or honor. He says not in the
end of
days, but after many days,
It shall be in course of time
that I will restore the captivity of Elam.
If it be asked when this was fulfilled, doubtless there has not been a
restoration of that nation recorded in history. But the Prophet no doubt gives
here a hope to the Elamites, which he gave before to other nations, even that
they should be united again under Christ as their head. Though then the Elamites
were not afterwards known, yet they have found out that this was not said in
vain; nor does the Holy Spirit without reason mention them by the mouth of Luke
among others who were converted to Christ.
(<440209>Acts
2:9.) For though the Elamites were almost unknown, yet he connects them with the
Medes and Parthians, “Parthians and Medes and Elamites.” This
then was the time of which Jeremiah had prophesied, when he said that the
Elamites would again be gathered together, that they might not be perpetually
captives. And though they might not have then returned into their own country,
yet it was a condition far better and more desirable when they obtained a name
and a place in the Church than if they had enjoyed every other blessing in the
world. And we know that it is said of Christ, that God would gather under his
hand all things scattered both in heaven and earth.
(<510120>Colossians
1:20.) A part of this scattering was God’s vengeance on the Elamites.
Gathered then have been Elamites with others; and thus God at that time
stretched forth in a manner his hand to them through Christ the Mediator, and
opened to them the door of hope as to eternal life.
PRAYER
Grant, Almighty God, that as thou didst
favor despairing men with some consolation when justly and extremely
indignant with them, — O grant that whenever we at this day provoke
thy wrath, we may at the same time taste of thy paternal mercy, and learn to
flee to thee, and to put our hope in thine only-begotten Son, so that we may
never despond, but ever look forward to that gathering, whose beginning is now
seen, and whose final and complete accomplishment awaits us in heaven, through
the same Christ our Lord. — Amen.
CHAPTER 50
LECTURE ONE
HUNDRED AND SEVENTY-NINTH
|
JEREMIAH
50:1
|
|
1. The word that the Lord spake against
Babylon, and against the land of the Chaldeans, by Jeremiah the
prophet.
|
1. Sermo quem loquutus est Jehova super
Babylone, super terra Chaldaeorum, in manu Jeremiae prophetae.
|
Our Prophet has been hitherto speaking of neighboring
nations who had cruelly harassed the chosen people; and it was some consolation
when the children of Abraham understood that God undertook their cause and would
be the avenger of those wrongs which they had suffered. But this of itself would
have been no great consolation, yea, it might have been viewed as nothing by
many, while there was no hope of restoration; for it would have been but a small
consolation to have others as associates in misery. If, indeed, Jeremiah had
only taught that none of the nations who had troubled God’s Church would
escape unpunished, the Jews might have raised an objection, and said, that they
were not freed from their own calamities, because the monarchy of Babylon still
flourished, and that they were buried as it were in a perpetual grave. It was
therefore necessary that what we read here should be predicted. And though this
prophecy is given last, we ought to notice that the Prophet had from the
beginning expressly spoken, as we have seen, of the calamity and destruction of
Babylon. But this prophecy is given as the conclusion of the book, to mitigate
the sorrow of the miserable exiles; for it was no small relief to them to hear
that the tyranny by which they were oppressed, and under which they did live as
it were a lifeless life, would not be perpetual. We now then understand why the
Prophet spoke of the Babylonians and of their destruction.
But a longer preface would be superfluous, because
those acquainted with Scripture well know that the Jews were at length so
reduced by the Babylonians that their very name seemed to have been obliterated.
As then they were reduced to such extremities, it is no wonder that the Prophet
here affirms that the Babylonians would be at length punished, and that not only
that God might show himself to be the avenger of wickedness, but also that the
miserable exiles might know that they were not wholly repudiated, but on the
contrary that God had a care for their salvation. We now perceive the design of
this prophecy.
The word of
Jehovah, he says,
which he spoke concerning
Babylon, concerning the land of the Chaldeans, by the hand of Jeremiah the
Prophet. He testifies in his usual
manner that he did not bring forward what he himself had invented, but that God
was the author of this prophecy. He at the same time declares that he was
God’s minister; for God did not descend from heaven whenever it pleased
him to reveal his favor to the Jews, but, as it is said in Deuteronomy, he was
wont to speak by his servants.
(<051818>Deuteronomy
18:18.) In short, Jeremiah thus recommends the things he was about to say, that
the Jews might reverently receive them, not as the fictions of men, but as
oracles from heaven. It follows —
|
JEREMIAH
50:2
|
|
2. Declare ye among the nations, and publish,
and set up a standard; publish, and conceal not: say, Babylon is taken,
Bel is confounded, Merodach is broken in pieces; her idols are confounded, her
images are broken in pieces.
|
2. Nuntiate in gentibus, audire facite (hoc
est, promulgate,) et tollite signum, promulgate, ne taceatis (ad
verbum, ne occultetis,) dicite, Capta est Babylon, pudefactus est
Bel, contritus est Merodach, pudefacta sunt simulachra ejus, contrita sunt idola
ejus.
|
He predicts the ruin of Babylon, not in simple words,
for nothing seemed then more unreasonable than to announce the things which God
at length proved by the effect. As Babylon was then the metropolis of the East,
no one could have thought that it would ever be possessed by a foreign power. No
one could have thought of the Persians, for they were far off. As to the Medes,
who were nearer, they were, as we know, sunk in their own luxuries, and were
deemed but half men. As then there was so much effeminacy in the Medes, and as
the Persians were so far off and inclosed in their own mountains, Babylon
peaceably enjoyed the empire of the whole eastern world. This, then, is the
reason why the Prophet expresses at large what he might have set forth in a very
few words.
Tell,
he says, among the nations,
publish, raise up a sign, and again,
publish.
To what purpose is such a heap of words? even that the faithful might learn
to raise up their thoughts above the world, and to look for that which was then,
according to the judgment of all, incredible. This confidence shews that
Jeremiah did not, in vain, foretell what he states; but he thundered as it were
from heaven, knowing whence he derived this prophecy. And his proclamation was
this, Babylon is taken, Bel is
confounded, and Merodach is broken. I
know not why some think that Merodach was an idol: for as to Bel, we know that
the Babylonians trusted in that god, or rather in that figment. But the Prophet
mentions here evidently the name of a king well known to the Jews, in order to
show that Babylon, with all its defences and its wealth, was already devoted to
destruction: for we know that men look partly to some god, and partly to human
or temporal means. So the Babylonians boasted that they were under the
protection of Bel, and dared proudly to set up this idol in opposition to the
only true God, as the unbelieving do; and then in the second place, they were
inebriated with confidence in their own power: and hypocrisy ever rules in the
unbelieving, so that they arrogate to themselves much more than what they
ascribe to their idols. It is then the same thing as though he had said, that
Babylon was taken, that Bel was confounded, and that the kingdom was broken, or
broken in pieces. fH51
The name
Merodach,
as I have said, was well known among the Jews, and mention is made of a
father and of a son of this name, by Isaiah and in sacred history.
(<233901>Isaiah
39:1;
<122012>2
Kings 20:12.) It is no wonder, then, that the Prophet should name this king,
though dead, on account of the esteem in which he was held, as we have seen in
the case of the kingdom of Syria, he mentioned Ben-hadad, though no one
supposes that he was then alive; but as Ben-hadad distinguished himself above
other kings of Syria, the Prophet introduced his name. For the same reason, in
my opinion, he names Merodach here.
The sum of the whole is, that though Babylon thought
itself safe and secure through the help of its idol, and also through its wealth
and warlike power, and through other defences, yet its confidence would become
vain and empty, for God would bring to shame its idol and destroy its king. He
again returned to the idols, and not without reason; for he thus called the
attention of his own nation to the only true God, and also reminded them how
detestable was the idolatry which then prevailed among the Chaldeans. And it was
necessary to set this doctrine before the Jews, and to impress it on them, that
they might not abandon themselves to the superstitions of heathens, as it
happened. But the Prophet designedly spoke of images and idols, that the Jews
might know that it was the only true God who had adopted them, and that thus
they might acquiesce in his power, and know that those were only vain fictions
which were much made of through the whole world by the heathens and unbelieving.
It now follows —
|
JEREMIAH
50:3
|
|
3. For out of the north there cometh up a
nation against her, which shall make her land desolate, and none shall dwell
therein: they shall remove, they shall depart, both man and
beast.
|
3. Quoniam ascendet contra eam gens ab
aquilone, quae ponet terram in vastitatem, et (ut) non sit habitator in ea ab
homine usque ad bestiam; fugerunt, abierunt.
|
Let what I have before said be borne in mind, that
the Prophet makes use of many words in describing the ruin of Babylon; for it
was not enough to predict what was to be; but as weak minds vacillated, it was
necessary to add a confirmation. After having then spoken of the power of
Babylon and its idols, he now points out the way in which it was to be destroyed
— a nation would come from the north, that is, with reference to Chaldea.
And he means the Medes and Persians, as interpreters commonly think; and this is
probable, because he afterwards adds that the Jews would then return. As then
Jeremiah connects these two things together, the destruction of Babylon and the
restoration of God’s Church, it is probable that he refers here to the
Medes and Persians. If, at the same time, we more narrowly view things, there is
no doubt but that this prophecy extends further, and this will appear more
evident as we proceed.
He simply says now that a
nation
would come from the
north, which would
turn the land to a
waste. This clause shews that this
prophecy could not be fitly confined to the time when Babylon was taken by
Cyrus; for we know that it was betrayed by two Satraps during a siege; and that
it was at a time when a feast was held, as though there was peace and security,
as Daniel testifies, with whom heathen writers agree. Now Xenophon testifies
that Cyrus exercised great forbearance and humanity, and that he used his
victory with such moderation, that Babylon seemed as though it had not been
taken. It had, indeed, changed masters, but such was the change that the
citizens readily submitted to it. But it was afterwards more hardly dealt with,
when Darius recovered it by the aid of Zopyrus; for Babylon had revolted from
the Persians, and shook off the yoke. Darius having in vain stormed it, at
length recovered it by the help of one man; for Zopyrus, having cut off his
nose, and mutilated his ears and his face, pretended, in this deformed manner,
to be a fugitive, and complained of the cruelty and barbarity of his king, with
whom yet he was most intimate. The city was soon afterwards taken by
treachery in the night. Then about four thousand of the Persians were
hung in the middle of the Forum, nor did Darius spare the people. The Prophet
then seems to include this second destruction when he predicted that the whole
land would be made desolate. Nor ought this to be deemed unreasonable, for the
Prophets so spoke of God’s judgments, that they extended what they said
further than to the commencement, as was the case in the present
instance.
When, therefore, Babylon was taken by the Persians,
it received the yoke; and she which ruled over all other nations, was reduced to
a state of servitude. For the Persians, as it is well known, were very inhuman,
and Isaiah describes them so at large. In the meantime, the city, as I have
said, retained its external appearance. The citizens were robbed of their gold
and silver, and of their precious things, and were under the necessity of
serving strangers: this was bitter to them. But when Darius punished their
perfidy and hung so many of the chief men, about four thousand, and also shed
indiscriminately the blood of the people, and subjected the city itself to the
plunder of his soldiers, then doubtless what the Prophet says here was more
fully accomplished. It was yet God’s purpose to give only a prelude of his
vengeance, when he made the Babylonians subject to the Medes and Persians. It
now follows —
|
JEREMIAH
50:4
|
|
4. In those days, and in that time, saith the
Lord, the children of Israel shall come, they and the children of Judah
together, going and weeping: they shall go, and seek the Lord their
God.
|
4. Diebus illis et tempore illo (sed
t[
proprie significat condictum aut proefixum tempus,) dicit Jehova,
venient filii Israel ipsi, et filii Jehudah simul, eundo et flendo venient, et
Jehovam Deum suum quaerent.
|
The Prophet now explains more clearly the purpose of
God, that in punishing so severely the Chaldeans, his object was to provide for
the safety of his Church. For had Jeremiah spoken only of vengeance, the Jews
might have still raised an objection and said, “It will not profit us at
all, that God should be a severe judge towards our enemies, if we are to remain
under their tyranny.” Then the Prophet shews that the destruction
of Babylon would be connected with the deliverance of the chosen people; and
thus he points out, as it were by the finger, the reason why Babylon was to be
destroyed, even for the sake of the chosen people, so that the miserable exiles
may take courage, and not doubt but that God would at length be propitious, as
Jeremiah had testified to them, having, as we have seen, prefixed the term of
seventy years. He was derided by the Jews, who had so habituated themselves to
hardness of heart, that they counted as nothing, or at least regarded as fables,
all the reproofs and threatenings of God, and also gave heed, as we have seen,
to the flatteries of the false prophets.
Jeremiah now promises that God would be their
liberator after the time of exile had passed, of which he had spoken. Thus we
perceive the design of this passage, in which the Prophet, after having referred
to the destruction of Babylon, makes a sudden transition, and refers to
God’s mercy, which he would show to the Jews after they had suffered a
just punishment: In those
days, he says,
and at that time —
he adds the appointed time, that the Jews might
not doubt but that the Chaldeans would be subdued, because God had appointed
them to destruction.
He says,
Come shall the children of
Israel, they and the children of Judah
together; and he says this, that they
might still suspend their desires. He commends here the greatness of God’s
favor, because the condition of the Church would be better after the exile than
it was before. The ten tribes, as we know, had separated from the kingdom of
Judah; and that separation was as it were the tearing asunder of the body. For
God had adopted the seed of Abraham for this end, that they might be one body
under one head; but they willfully made a defection, so that both kingdoms
became mutilated. The kingdom of Israel became indeed accursed, for it had
separated from the family of David, and this separation was in a manner an
impious denial of God. As then the children of Israel had alienated themselves
from the Church, and the kingdom of the ten tribes had become spurious, their
condition was doubtless miserable (though the Jews as well as the Israelites
were alike inebriated with their own lusts).
But what does our Prophet now say? They shall return
together, the children of Israel
and the children of Judah; that is, God
will not only gather the dispersed, but will also apply such a remedy, that
there will no more be any separation; but that on the contrary a brotherly
concord will prevail between the ten tribes and the tribe of Judah, when God
shall restore them again to himself. We now then perceive what the Prophet had
in view: there is, indeed, here an implied comparison between their former state
and that which they could yet hardly hope for, after their return from exile;
for there is nothing better than brotherly concord, as it is said in the
Psalms,
“How good and how pleasant
it is for brethren
to dwell
together in unity.”
(<19D301>Psalm
133:1)
For the kingdom and the priesthood, the pledges, as
it were, of the people’s safety, could not stand together, without the
union of the Israelites with the Jews. But they had been long alienated from one
another, so that the chief favor of God had been extinguished by this
separation. The Prophet says now, that they would come
together.
And he adds,
Going and weeping they shall
come. This may seem contrary to what is
said in the Psalms,
“Going they shall go, and
weep as those who sow; but coming they shall come with joy, carrying their
handfuls.”
(<19C606>Psalm
126:6)
The Prophet says here, that they shall come
with tears. How can these two things be consistent? even because
weeping may be taken for that which flows from joy or from admiration; for we
know that tears gush out not only through sorrow, but also through rejoicing;
and further, when anything unexpected happens, tears will flow from our eyes.
We can then take the Prophet’s words in this sense, that they would
come weeping, because they would then find God merciful to them. But it
is better to regard sorrow as simply meant; and the two things may be thus
reconciled, — that the Jews would come with joy, and also with sorrow, not
only because the memory of their exile could not be immediately obliterated from
their minds, but because it behooved them to remember their sins: they saw the
Temple overthrown, the land wasted — sights sufficient to draw tears a
hundred times from the hardest. On one side there were reasons for joy; and on
the other, reasons for tears. We know that there were tears shed; for the
Prophet Haggai expressly tells us, that the old men, who had seen the former
Temple, were much cast down, because there was then no such glory as they
had seen. (Haggai 2.)
However this may have been, the Prophet means, that
though the return would not be without many troubles, yet the Jews
would come; coming, he says, they shall come,
that is, going they shall go, and weep, as it is said in the
Psalms, that they would come through desert and dry places.
(<198406>Psalm
84:6.) The meaning then is, that though the journey would be hard and laborious,
yet the Jews would return with alacrity into their own country, so that no
labors would so fatigue them as to make them to desist from their
course.
He subjoins the main thing, that they would come to
seek their
God. Their change of place would have
been useless, had they not come animated with the desire of worshipping God; for
the worship had ceased during the time of exile, as it is said again in another
Psalm,
“How shall we sing songs to our
God in a foreign land?”
(<19D704>Psalm
137:4)
Then the Prophet here reminds them, that God’s
favor would be real and complete, because the Jews would not only return to
their own country, so as to possess it, but that they would also set up the
worship of God, and dwell as it were under his protection. It follows —
|
JEREMIAH
50:5
|
|
5. They shall ask the way to Zion, with their
faces thitherward, saying, Come, and let us join ourselves to the
Lord in a perpetual covenant that shall not be
forgotten.
|
5. Sion interrogabunt viam (hoc est,
interrogabunt de via) versus Sionem, illuc facies eorum: Venite, et copulate
vos Jehovae foedere perpetuo, quod oblivione non delebitur (subaudiendum est
relativum pronomen, quod omissum est.)
|
He explains himself more at large, that they would
ask those they met the
way, that
their faces
would be towards Sion, that they
would also exhort one another to seek God and join themselves to him by a
perpetual covenant. The Prophet includes here all the tribes, and says that the
Jews and the Israelites would not only return into their own country, to partake
of the produce of that rich and fruitful land, but that they would also render
to God the worship due to him, and then that nothing would be so vexatious to
them but that they would be able to overcome all difficulties and all
obstacles.
He says first, that they would
ask the way —
a proof of perseverance; that they would
ask the way to
Sion, that is, ask how they were to
proceed that they might come to Sion. By these words, the Prophet, as I have
just said, denotes their constancy and indefatigable resolution, as though he
had said, that though they journeyed through unknown lands, yea, through many
devious places, they would yet be in no way disheartened so as not to inquire of
those they met with until they came to Sion. This is one thing. Then he adds to
the same purpose, Thither their
faces. We indeed know, that plans are
often changed when adverse events impede us; for he who undertakes an
expedition, when he sees his course very difficult, turns back again. But the
Prophet declares here that there would be no change of mind that would cause the
Jews to relinquish their purpose of returning, because
their faces
would be towards
Sion,
that is, they would turn their eyes thither, so that nothing would be able
to turn them elsewhere. There is added, in the third place, an exhortation,
Come ye; and they shall join
themselves to Jehovah their God, by
a perpetual
covenant. Here the Prophet first shews,
that the Jews would be so encouraged as to add stimulants to one another; and
hence it is said, Come ye; and, secondly, he adds,
they shall
cleave (there is here a change of
person) to Jehovah by a perpetual
covenant which shall not by oblivion be
obliterated.
fH52
He again repeats what he had said, that the exiles
would not return to their own country, that they might there only indulge
themselves, but he mentions another end, even that they might join themselves to
God. He means, in short, that God would do for them something better and more
excellent than to allure them by earthly pleasures.
But we must notice the words,
they shall
cleave (so it is
literally) to Jehovah by a
perpetual covenant; for there is an
implied contrast between the covenant they had made void and the new covenant
which God would make with them, of which Jeremiah spoke in Jeremiah 31.
God’s covenant was, indeed, ever inviolable; for God did not promise to be
the God of Abraham for a certain term of years; but the adoption, as Paul
testifies, remains fixed, and can never be changed.
(<451129>Romans
11:29.) Then on God’s part it is eternal. But as the Jews had become
covenant-breakers, that covenant is called, on this account, weak and
evanescent: and for this reason the Prophet said,
“In the last days I will make a
covenant with you, not such as I made with your fathers, for they have broken,
he said, that covenant.”
(<243131>Jeremiah
31:31, 32)
Jeremiah now repeats the same thing, though more
briefly, that the Jews would return to favor with God, not only for a moment,
but that his covenant might continue and remain valid; and the way by which this
would be done is expressed in Jeremiah 21, even because God would inscribe his
law on their inward parts, and engrave it on their hearts. For it is not in
man’s power to continue so constant as that God’s covenant should
never fail; but what the Prophet omits here must be supplied from the former
passage, that when the Jews returned, God’s covenant would again become so
valid and fixed, that it would never fail, even because their hearts would be
renewed, so that they would be faithful to God, and never become apostates any
more like their fathers.
He then adds, This covenant
shall not be
forgotten. We hence conclude, that the
perpetuity of which he speaks, was founded rather on the mere benevolence of God
than on the virtue of the people. He calls then the covenant which God would
never forget, perpetual, because he would remember his mercy towards the chosen
people; and though they were unworthy to receive such a favor, yet he would
continue perpetually his mercy towards them to the coming of Christ; for the
passage clearly shows that this prophecy cannot be otherwise explained than of
Christ’s spiritual kingdom. The Jews indeed returned to their own country,
but it was only a small number; and besides, they were harassed by many
troubles; God also visited their land with sterility, and they were lessened by
various slaughters in wars: how then came the prophets thus to extol in such
high terms the favor of God, which yet did not appear among the people? even
because they included the kingdom of Christ; for whenever they spoke of the
return of the people, they ascended, as we have said, to the chief deliverance.
I do not yet follow our interpreters, who explain these prophecies concerning
the spiritual kingdom of Christ allegorically; for simply, or as they say,
literally, ought these words to be taken, — that God would never forget
his covenant, so as to retain the Jews in the possession of the land. But this
would have been a very small thing, had not Christ come forth, in whom is
founded the real perpetuity of the covenant, because God’s covenant cannot
be separated from a state of happiness; for blessed are the people, as the
Psalmist says, to whom God shows himself to be their God.
(<19E415>Psalm
144:15.) Now, then, as the Jews were so miserable, it follows that
God’s covenant did not openly appear or was not conspicuous; we must
therefore come necessarily to Christ, as we have elsewhere seen, that this was
commonly done by the Prophets. The Prophet now enters on a new argument, —
|
JEREMIAH
50:6
|
|
6. My people hath been lost sheep; their
shepherds have caused them to go astray, they have turned them away on the
mountains: they have gone from mountain to hill, they have forgotten their
resting-place.
|
6. Grex perditus fuit populus meus, pastores
eorum errare fecerunt ipsos, per montes abierunt, a monte in collem profecti
sunt, obliti sunt accubitus sui.
|
As the clock strikes, I must stop
here.
PRAYER
Grant, Almighty God, that we may not be
inebriated with the sweetness of earthly blessings which thou bestowest
continually on us, but learn to ascend to the hope of celestial life and eternal
felicity, and in the meantime have such a taste of thy blessings, that we may
know that thou art an inexhaustible fountain of all felicity, so that we may
cleave to thee with a sincere heart and in perfect integrity, until we shall at
length be brought to the full fruition of that kingdom, which thine
only-begotten Son has procured for us by his own blood. —
Amen.
LECTURE ONE
HUNDRED AND EIGHTIETH
THE, Prophet in the sixth verse compares God’s
people to lost sheep: he therefore says, that the Jews
wandered on the
mountains and
went from mountain to
hill. He throws the blame on the
shepherds, by whom the miserable people had been led astray. Notwithstanding,
God does not extenuate the fault of the people; nor did he accuse the pastors as
though their wickedness and perfidy absolved the people; but on the contrary, he
commends the greatness of his own grace, that he had mercy on a flock that was
lost and without hope. We now then understand the design of the Prophet when he
thus spoke in the person of God,
My people have become lost
sheep,
and the shepherds have
seduced them, on the mountains have they made them to go astray, from mountain
to hill have they gone; and he says,
that they had forgotten their
lying
down;
fH53 for when there is no fixed
station, the sheep have no place to rest. Flocks, we know, return in the evening
to their folds. But the Prophet says that the Jews, when scattered, forgot their
lying down, because they had no settled habitation. It afterwards follows,
—
|
JEREMIAH
50:7
|
|
7. All that found them have devoured them; and
their adversaries said, We offend not, because they have sinned against the
Lord, the habitation of justice; even the Lord, the hope of their
fathers.
|
7. Omnes qui invenerunt eos comederunt, et
adversarii eorum dixerunt, Non peccamus, quia scelerati fuerunt contra Jehovam;
habitaculum justitiae et expectatio (vel, spes) patrum ipsorum,
Jehova.
|
Jeremiah goes on with the same subject; for he tells
us how miserable was the condition of the people until God looked on them to
relieve them from their evils. And this comparison, as I have before said, more
fully sets forth the favor of God, because he raised up his people as it were
from hell at a time when they were reduced to despair.
He says first,
All who found them devoured
them; that is, all who came in contact
with them thought them a prey. He, in short, means that they were plundered by
all who met them; and then that enemies were so far from sparing them that they
gloried in their cruelty towards them. Hence he adds,
Their enemies said, We sin not,
because they have acted wickedly against
Jehovah. By these words the Prophet
intimates, that their enemies indulged in greater wantonness, because they
thought that what they did would not be punished. Almost the same sentiment is
found in Zechariah, where it is said,
“All who devoured them
sinned not, and they who devoured them said, Blessed be the Lord who has
enriched us.”
(<381105>Zechariah
11:5)
But we must more closely consider the design of the
Holy Spirit. The Prophet indeed shows that the Jews were reduced to extremities,
so that they were not only cruelly treated by their enemies, but were also
exposed to the greatest contempt. He, however, reminded them at the same time of
their duty to repent, for when the whole world condemned them, it was but right
that God should call them to an account for their sins. As then he had set over
them all men as their judges, he indirectly touched and goaded their
consciences, so that they might know that they had to do with God. When
therefore Zechariah said,
“All who devoured thee said,
Blessed be the Lord,”
he meant, that the sins of the people were so
manifest to all, that all the heathens declared that they deserved extreme
punishment; for by the words, “Blessed be the Lord who hath
enriched us,” he intimated that heathens, in spoiling and plundering the
Jews, would be so far from feeling any shame, that they would rather glory in
being enriched with prey as it were by the hand of God. So also in this place,
All who found them devoured
them,
and their enemies said, We
sin, not, — and why?
because they have acted wickedly
against Jehovah.
In short, the Prophet means, that the Jews would not
only be exposed to the rapacity, avarice, and cruelty of enemies, but also to
the greatest contempt and reproach. At the same time he exhorted them to repent;
for if they were thus condemned by the judgment of the whole world, it was not
unreasonable to direct their thoughts to the tribunal of God. Nor was it a
strange thing that the unbelieving referred to God, for it is what we commonly
meet with in all the prophets; and it was ever a principle held by all nations,
that there is some supreme Deity; for though they devised for themselves various
gods, yet they all believed that there is one supreme God. So the name, Jehovah,
was known in common by all nations: and hence the Prophet here introduced the
Chaldeans as speaking, that the Jews had
acted wickedly against
Jehovah; not indeed that they ascribed
to God his honor, but because this opinion, that there is some God, was held by
all; and this God they all indiscriminately worshipped according to their own
forms of religion, but they still thought that they worshipped
God.
What follows, interpreters explain as though the
Prophet in the person of enemies intended to exaggerate the sin of the chosen
people; they therefore connect the words thus, “They have been wicked
against Jehovah, who is the habitation of justice, and has always been the hope
of their fathers.” If we take this meaning, it is no wonder that their sin
is amplified, because the Jews had forsaken not some unknown God, whose favor
and power they had not experienced, but because they had been perfidious against
the God who had by many proofs testified his paternal love towards them. It was
then an impiety the more detestable, because they had thus dared to forsake the
only true God.
But I approve of a different meaning, — that
the Prophet answers by God’s command, that their enemies deceived
themselves, when they thus confidently trod under foot the chosen people, and
thought that everything was lawful for them. The Prophet, I doubt not, now
checks the wantonness of which he speaks, as though he had said, “Ye think
that this people are wholly rejected by me, and hence there are no limits to
your cruelty; but I have so adopted them, that my covenant can never be rendered
void.” We may better understand what Jeremiah means by a similar example:
when Isaiah answered King Hezekiah that God would be the defender of the
city, when they recited to him the words of Sennacherib or of Rabshakch,
who brought his orders,
(<233724>Isaiah
37:24) he said,
“But he thinks not that I have
founded Sion.”
fH54
That answer seems to me to be wholly like this
passage. Sennacherib said, “I will go up and take the city and the
temple;” he, in short, triumphed as though he was a conqueror; but God, on
the other hand, restrained his confidence in these words, “But that
impious and proud enemy knows not that I have created Sion, and have been from
the beginning its maker: can I then now bring upon it such a destruction as
would wholly cut off the memory of it? Many cities have indeed perished, and
there is no place so illustrious which may not sometime be destroyed; but the
condition of the holy city (says God) is different.” And he adds the
reason, Because he had created it. So in this place,
Jehovah is the habitation, of
justice and the hope of their fathers.
For God’s enemies almost always form their judgment according to the
present state of things; for in prosperity they are inflated with so much pride
that they dare insolently to utter blasphemies against God. For though the
Chaldeans had spoken thus, that they sinned not, because the Jews had been
wicked, there is yet no doubt but that their boasting was insulting to God, as
it is said in
<233722>Isaiah
37:22, 23,
“The virgin, the daughter of Zion,
hath despised and derided thee, and drawn out the tongue against thee; me, the
God of hosts, he says, hath he despised.”
By these words God shows that he was derided in the
person of his Church. For this reason, then, God himself now comes forth and
declares that he is the habitation of justice and the hope of his chosen people,
in order that the Chaldeans might not promise themselves prosperity
perpetually.
We hence see that these sentences are set in
opposition one to another rather than connected together, and spoken in the
person of the ungodly. The Chaldeans said, “We sin not, because they have
acted wickedly against Jehovah;” then the Prophet responds and shows that
they deceived themselves if they thought that God’s covenant was
abolished, because he for a time chastised his people, as it is said by
Isaiah,
“What shall the messengers of the
nations declare?”
or,
“What shall be told by the
messengers of the nations? that God hath founded Sion.”
(<231432>Isaiah
14:32)
When he spoke of the deliverance of the people and
city, he added this acclamation, that it would be a memorable benefit, the
report of which would be known among all nations, that is, that God had founded
Sion, that it had been wonderfully delivered as it were from present
destruction.
He first calls God the
habitation of
justice; and he alludes, as I think, to
the tabernacle; and then he more clearly expresses himself, that
God was the hope of their
fathers. The Jews were indeed unworthy
of being protected by God; but he speaks not here of their merits, but, on the
contrary, God himself affirms the perpetuity of his covenant, and the constancy
of his faithfulness, in opposition to the ungodly. For since the Chaldeans had
already possessed the greater part of the country, and had taken all the cities
except Jerusalem, they thought that the people were forsaken by their God; and
this tended to cast reproach on God himself. Hence he declares here, that though
the Jews had been wicked, yet his covenant was so far from being extinct, that
he was a habitations, that is, like a place of refuge. And he calls him
the habitation of
justice, that is, firm or faithful; for
justice is not to be taken here in its proper sense, but, as in many other
places of Scripture, it means firmness or rectitude; as though he
had said, “God has once extended his wings to cherish his people, (as it
is said elsewhere;) he will therefore be always a sure
habitation.”
He had also been the hope of their fathers, according
to what is said by Isaiah, that he had created Sion from the beginning; but he
renews the memory of his covenant, as though he had said, “It is not today
that I have first received this people into favor, but I made a covenant with
their father Abraham, which will remain fixed.” So, also, he says in this
place, that he was the hope of their fathers, even because he had adopted the
whole race of Abraham, and showed them mercy through all ages. Then the
Prophet indirectly infers that it would not be possible for their enemies
perpetually to possess power over them, because God, after having chastened his
people, would again gather the dispersed, and thus heal all their
evils. fH55
A useful doctrine may be hence gathered, that
whenever the Church seems to be so oppressed by enemies as to exclude any hope
of restoration, this ought always to be borne in mind by us, that as God has
once chosen it, it cannot be but that he will manifest his faithfulness even in
death itself, and raise from the grave those who seem to have been already
reduced to ashes. Let this passage, then, come to our minds, when the calamities
of the Church threaten utter ruin, and nothing but despair meets us; and when
enemies insolently arrogate everything to themselves, and boastingly declare
that we are accursed. But God is a
habitation of
justice, and was the
hope of our
fathers; let us, then, recumb on that
grace which he has once promised, when he deigned to choose us for himself, and
to adopt us as his peculiar people. Such is the import of the passage. It
follows, —
|
JEREMIAH
50:8
|
|
8. Remove out of the midst of Babylon, and go
forth out of the land of the Chaldeans, and be as the he-goats before the
flocks.
|
8. Fugite e medio Babylonis, et e Chaldaea
egredimini, et sitis tanquam hirci ante gregem.
|
This verse confirms the exposition which I have
given; for God does not now reprove his people, nor does he condemn their sins;
but on the contrary, he exhorts them to entertain good hope, though they were
overwhelmed with extreme miseries, he then pursues the same subject when he bids
them to flee from Babylon and to
go forth from Chaldea; for he promises
deliverance to the faithful, and at the same time reminds them of the coming
ruin of the Chaldean empire, so that they who went the farthest off would best
consult their own safety. For the Prophet intimates that all found in Chaldea
would be exposed to the violence of enemies; hence he bids them to flee and to
go forth quickly. But as I have before said, he promises a free exit to the
Jews; for he would have in vain exhorted them to depart had they been shut up,
for we know that they had been confined as within inclosures. Had they then been
thus captives, the Prophet would have spoken in mockery by saying to them,
Flee and go
forth. But he shows that their captivity
would not be perpetual, because God would remove all obstacles and open a way
for the miserable exiles to return to their own country.
He bids them to be as
he-goats before the
flocks: by which he means that they were
to hasten with all confidence. For the he-goats possess more boldness than
sheep, and they go before the flock because no fear restrains them. So God takes
away every fear of danger from the Jews when he bids them to be
as he-goats before the
flock; as though he had said that they
were no more to fear, lest the Chaldeans should punish them for avowing their
wish to return to their own country; for it was a capital offense to speak of
their return as long as the Chaldeans ruled over the Jews. But God now promises
a change, for he would dissipate the terror by which they had been for a time
restrained. It follows, —
|
JEREMIAH
50:9
|
|
9. For, lo, I will raise, and cause to come up
against Babylon, an assembly of great nations from the north country: and they
shall set themselves in array against her; from thence she shall be taken: their
arrows shall be as of a mighty expert man; none shall return in
vain.
|
9. Quia ecce ego excito (excitans, ad
verbum, et adducens) et adduco super Babylonem congregationem gentium
magnarum e terra aquilonis, et ordinabunt contra eam(aciem scilicet.)unde
capietur; sagittae ejus tanquam fortis prudenter agentis; non redibit
frustra,
|
Here, again, God declares that enemies would come and
overthrow the monarchy of Babylon; but what has been before referred to is here
more clearly expressed. For he says, first, that he would be the leader of that
war — that the Persians and Medes would fight under his authority.
I, he says (the pronoun
ykna,
anki, is here emphatical,) I
am he, says God, who
rouse
and
bring,
and then he adds, an,
assembly of great nations. The
Chaldeans, as we know, had devoured many kingdoms, for Babylon had subjugated
all the neighboring nations. Except, then, this had been distinctly expressed,
they might have disregarded the prophetic threatenings. But Jeremiah speaks here
of the assembly of great nations, lest the Chaldeans, relying on their power,
the largeness of the monarchy, and the multitude of their men, should promise
themselves victory, and thus lie asleep in their indulgences. God then, in these
words, shortly intimates that there would be ready at hand those who in number
and power would surpass the Chaldeans.
He afterwards adds,
They will set in order against
her. Something is to be here supplied
— that they would set the battle in order. Now, by this expression, the
Prophet sets forth the boldness of the Persians and Medes, as they would be
immediately ready for the conflict; they would not long consult, but quickly
advance to the fight. In short, he refers to the quickness and boldness of the
Persians and Medes, when he says,
They shall set in order against
her; for they who distrust their own
strength, take convenient positions, or contrive ambushes, or withdraw for a
time until they know all the plans of their enemies; but the Prophet says that
the Persians would by no means be such, because they would be prepared for
battle at the first onset, and have the army set in order against the
Babylonians.
It follows,
thence taken shall
be Babylon. The word
µçm,
mesham, means from that place. But the Prophet intimates that the
Persians would become conquerors by one battle only, so that the Chaldeans would
no more dare to resist. We indeed know that those once put to flight, do often
prepare new forces and renew the battle; this is indeed usually the case, and it
seldom happens that any one is conquered in one battle. But the Prophet here
declares that Babylon would be taken at one time; as soon, he says, as the fight
begins, the enemies shall not only overcome, but shall by one assault take
Babylon, so as to make it captive.
We now, then, perceive the design of the Prophet;
but, doubtless, this prophecy was a derision to the unbelieving, for he seemed
to speak of a thing impossible: thus he sang a fable to the deaf. But God,
however, did not without reason predict that Babylon would be so taken, that it
would, as it were, in one moment fall into the hands of enemies. We said,
indeed, yesterday, that it was long besieged and taken by treachery in the
night; but we also said that this prophecy is not to be confined to one period;
for Babylon was often taken. It was taken through the contrivance of Zopyrus, as
we said yesterday, when it thought itself sufficiently strong to resist, and
Darius had nearly despaired. We shall therefore find nothing inconsistent in
this prophecy, when we consider how great and how supine was the security of
that people even at the time when they were suddenly
overthrown.
He now adds,
Its arrows as of a valiant
man; some render it, as of a bereaving
man, because some put the point on the right side and some on the left. The word
lkç,
shecal, means to act prudently, to be prosperous, and also to be
bereaved. But I agree with those who take the first sense, for it immediately
follows, it shall not return in
vain. Those who render the word
“bereaved,” understand thereby that the arrows of the Persians would
be deadly or fatal. But the context does not correspond, for an explanation is
afterwards given, that it would not return in vain. It seems, then, that by this
word Jeremiah denotes their dexterity, as though he had said that the Persians
would be so skillful in throwing arrows, that they would not discharge one arrow
in vain; as those who are well exercised in that art always aim directly at an
enemy, and never shoot their arrows here and there without effect. So then the
Prophet says that the arrows of the Persians would be those of men shooting
skillfully, who know how to take a right aim.
fH56 And he calls them valiant or
strong; for it is not enough to send arrows straight against an enemy, except
there be also nerve and strength to shoot them; for arrows might touch one, but
not penetrate into his body, or hardly hurt his skin. But the Prophet refers to
both these things — that arrows would be hurled with sufficient force to
strike and wound the Chaldeans — and that they would also have always a
direct aim, so that no one would miss its object. It afterwards follows, —
|
JEREMIAH
50:10
|
|
10. And Chaldea shall be a spoil: all that
spoil her shall be satisfied, saith the Lord.
|
10. Et erit Chaldaea in praedam; quicunque
praedati fuerint ipsam, saturabuntur, dicit Jehova.
|
Here he mentions the effect of the victory, that he
might more fully confirm what he had said; for it is sometimes the case, that
they who are conquered flee to their cities. The country is indeed laid waste,
but the enemies depart with their spoils. But the Prophet here says, that the
whole of Chaldea would be plundered: he further adds, that the plunderers would
be satiated, as though he had said, “The enemies shall not only
seize on all sides, as it sometimes happens, on what may fall into their hands,
but they shall heap together all the treasures of Chaldea until they shall be
satiated.” He means, in short, that Chaldea would be wholly emptied; for
these two things ought to be deemed as set in opposition the one to the other,
— that the enemies would be filled to satiety, and that the Chaldeans
would be reduced to poverty. Then the satiety of which the Prophet speaks,
implies that the Chaldeans would be brought to extreme penury and want. It
follows, —
|
JEREMIAH
50:11-12
|
|
11. Because ye were glad, because ye rejoiced,
O ye destroyers of mine heritage, because ye are grown fat as the heifer at
grass, and bellow as bulls;
|
11. Certs laetati estis (in futuro quidem
tempore, laetabimini,)et exultabitis quum diripietis haereditatem meam;
multiplicabimini (hoc est, augescetis) tanquam vitula herbae, et hinnietis
tanquam equi fortes:
|
|
12. Your mother shall be sore confounded; she
that bare you shall be ashamed: behold, the hinder most of the nations shall be
a wilderness, a dry land, and a desert.
|
12. Pudefacta est mater vestra valde, erubuit
genitrix vestra; ecce postremum gentium, desertum, vastitas,
solitudo.
|
God shows here, that though the Chaldeans insolently
exulted for a time, yet their joy would not continue; and at the same time he
points out the cause of their ruin, even because they dealt so arrogantly with
the people of God. He then says in the former clause,
Ye exulted and rejoiced in
plundering my heritage; and then he
adds, Ye became fat
(for to be multiplied means here to become fat)
as a
heifer, well fed, or
of the
grass; for some think that the word is
used for
haçd,
deshae; but some render it, “herbified,” or fed on grass;
while others derive the word from
çwd,
dush, to thresh or tread out corn.
fH57 It is then added,
Ye neighed like strong
horses, or ye bellowed like bulls, as
some render the words; for
µyryba,
abirim, sometimes mean bulls, and sometimes strong horses; and the verb
lhx,
tzal, means to cry aloud, but is taken sometimes in the sense of
neighing, as we have seen in Jeremiah 5, “Every one neigheth on his
neighbor’s wife;” the Prophet said so in condemning the people for
their lusts; and they who apply this passage to bulls are obliged to change the
meaning of the verb — for bellowing, and not neighing, is what belongs to
bulls. fH58
Now it was necessary, for two reasons, for the
Prophet to speak thus; first, it was hardly credible, that the Chaldeans, after
so many and so remarkable victories, could be broken down and laid prostrate by
new enemies; for they had been terrible to the whole world, they had subdued all
their neighbors, they had extended on all sides their borders; it was then the
same as though they had set their nest in the clouds. Then the Prophet says
here, that though they exulted and gave loose reins to their joy, yet this state
of things would not be perpetual, because they should at length be brought to
shame. This is one thing. And the second reason why the Prophet spoke thus was,
because God intended that it should be testified to his own people, that though
he permitted so much liberty to the Chaldeans, he had not yet forgotten his
covenant; and for this reason he mentioned the word heritage. Though then the
calamity of his people was apparently a sort of repudiation, as though God
designed to have nothing more to do
with them, yet he says that they were his own
heritage; and thus he shows, that God would give a specimen of his favor towards
the Jews, by thus severely chastising the Chaldeans. This then is the reason why
he says, Ye have rejoiced in
plundering my heritage, but your mother is
ashamed. He expresses here more than if
he had said, “Ye shall at length lie down confounded with shame;”
but he names their mother, that he might intimate the destruction of the whole
of that monarchy, which had been so terrible to all the neighboring
nations. fH59
PRAYER
Grant, Almighty God, that though we
cease not daily to provoke thy wrath by our many sins, we may yet, with
confidence, flee to thy mercy, and that though thou seemest for a time to cast
us away, we may not yet cast away hope, founded on thy eternal word, but that,
relying on that Mediator in whom we always find the price of expiation, we may
not hesitate to call on thee as our Father; and may we, in the meantime, find
thee by experience to be such towards us, so that we may cheerfully look forward
to that celestial inheritance, which has been obtained for us by the blood of
thy only-begotten Son. — Amen.
LECTURE ONE
HUNDRED AND EIGHTY FIRST
WE explained yesterday why the Prophet denounced
shame and reproach on the Babylonians, even because they had arrogantly exulted
over the children of God. And he says that Babylon would be
the extremity of the
Nations.
The Chaldeans had flourished in power and wealth, and
possessed the empire of the East. It was then an extraordinary revolution to be
reduced to the lowest condition, to be, as it were, the dregs of all the
nations. And to the same purpose he adds,
a barren land, a desert, and a
solitude. It now follows, —
|
JEREMIAH
50:13
|
|
13. Because of the wrath of the Lord it shall
not be inhabited, but it shall be wholly desolate: every one that goeth by
Babylon shall be astonished, and hiss at all her plagues.
|
13. Ab indignatione Jehovae non habitabitur
(hoc est, praee indignatione, aut, propter indignationem,) et erit
vastitas tota; quisquis transierit per Babylonem stupebit, et sibilabit super
omnibus plagis ejus.
|
Jeremiah again repeats that the destruction of
Babylon would be an evidence of God’s vengeance, because the Chaldeans had
unjustly raged against the Church. But the name of God seems also to have been
designedly mentioned, that the faithful might more readily receive this
prophecy: for had they thought that what Jeremiah said came from man, they would
have hardly believed his words, for what he said exceeded the comprehension of
men. He then mentioned the indignation of God, that the faithful might know that
it was absurd to form an opinion concerning the ruin of Babylon according to the
present aspect of things, because God would do a work there beyond the common
course of things.
He then says, that it would become
a
waste, so that
every one passing through
it would be astonished, and yet would
not pity it. This way of speaking often occurs in the Prophets, when they wish
to describe a waste exceeding what is common. In the meantime, what follows
ought to be noticed, that this arrangement would excite no commiseration, but
rather mockery, which the Prophet denotes by the word hissing. It then
follows, —
|
JEREMIAH
50:14
|
|
14. Put yourselves in array against Babylon
round about; all ye that bend the bow, shoot at her, spare no arrows: for she
hath sinned against the Lord.
|
14. Ordinate contra Babel per circuitum;
quicunque tenditis arcum projicite (vel, jaculamini) super earn, (contra
eam,) ne parcatis sagittee; quia contra Jehovam scelerat egit.
|
The Prophet now turns to address the Medes and
Persians, and instigates them, in the name of God, to destroy Babylon. We have
already said, why the Prophets assume authority over all nations, even that they
might show that God’s power is connected with his word. For men do not
easily apprehend the efficacy of God’s word, and think that the air is to
no purpose beaten by an empty sound. Hence the Prophets show that God has his
hand extended whenever he speaks, so that nothing is announced in vain. This
then is the reason why the Prophet now, as before, commands the Persians and
Medes strenuously to exert themselves in attacking Babylon.
He says,
first, Set in
order, that is, the battle, or the
assault; set in order against
Babylon; and then,
around,
so that no escape might be open to them. He adds,
All ye who bend the
bow, for this mode of fighting was
common among the Medes and Persians, as it appeared elsewhere; and the Orientals
still follow the same practice, for they throw darts at their enemy, and move
here and there, for they do not engage in pitched battles. he afterwards says,
Throw or shoot at her,
spare not the arrow; the singular is
here used for the plural, he adds the reason, because they have acted
wickedly against God.
fH60
Though the iniquity of Babylon was manifold, there is
yet no doubt but that God here undertakes the cause of his Church. Then, of all
the sins of the Chaldeans, the chief was this, that they had oppressed the
Church of God; for we know with what favor God regards his children, so that he
who hurts them toucheth the apple of his eye, as he testifies elsewhere.
(<380208>Zechariah
2:8.) This singular effect of love Jeremiah sets forth when he says, that the
Chaldeans had acted wickedly
against Jehovah, even because they had
tyrannically oppressed his Church.
Now God will have nothing, as it were, apart from his
children: and hence we learn a useful doctrine, — that the salvation of
his Church is so precious in the sight of God, flint he regards the wrong done
to the faithful as done to himself. Thus there is no reason why we should
torment ourselves, when the ungodly harass us, because God will at length really
show that our salvation is not less dear to him than their own eyes are to men.
It afterwards follows, —
|
JEREMIAH
50:15
|
|
15. Shout against her round about: she hath
given her hand: her foundations are fallen, her walls are thrown down; for it
is the vengeance of the Lord: take vengeance upon her; as she hath done,
do unto her.
|
15. Vociferamini contra eam per circuitum;
dedit manum suam; ceciderunt fundamenta ejus, diruti sunt muri ejus, quia ultio
Jehovae haec; ultionem sumite de ea; quemadmodum fecit, facite
ei.
|
Jeremiah proceeds in exhorting the Persians and the
Medes, not that he had ever spoken to them; but this mode of speaking, as it has
been said, availed to confirm the minds of the godly, so that they might feel
assured that what had proceeded from the mouth of Jeremiah was not vain. Here,
then, he assumes the person of God himself, and with authority commands the
Persians and the Medes as to what they were to do. He says again,
Cry aloud against
her. By crying aloud or shouting, he
means the cry of triumph which soldiers send forth when a city is taken, or
rather, as I think, the encouraging cries, by which soldiers rouse one another
when they make an attack; for battles are never without shoutings, nor the
storming of cities. God titan bids the soldiers to animate one another in their
usual way to make a strenuous effort. Shout, he says, and then adds,
all around.
He then says,
She hath given her
hand. By these words he intimates that
Babylon would not be able to resist. Hands are wont to be given as a token of
union; but he is also said to give his hand who confesses himself to be
conquered. In this sense we may take the words of Jeremiah, that Babylon had
given her
hand, because she could not defend
herself against the Medes and Persians. But as we know flint the city was taken
by treachery, in this manner also was fulfilled what Jeremiah had announced,
when two Satraps, in order to revenge private wrongs, sent for Cyrus: for thus
it happened that Babylon, or those within it, willingly stretched forth the
hands.
It is added,
her foundations have fallen, and
her walls have been overthrown; not that
Cyrus attacked the city with warlike engines, for he entered in by the fords;
but still the soldiers readily mounted the walls. Jeremiah then speaks
figuratively, as though he had said, that the Chaldeans were mistaken in
thinking that they had strong fortresses, because the walls would avail them
nothing, however high and wide they were. And we know what ancient historians
relate of these walls and towers. The event was almost incredible; for no one
could have thought it possible that a city so fortified could be taken by
assault. But the Prophet derides this confidence, and declares that the
walls would be
overthrown, together with
their
foundations.
fH61 But as it was a thing difficult to be
believed, he again adds a confirmation, that it would be
the vengeance of
Jehovah; as though he had said, that the
destruction of Babylon ought not to be estimated according to the thoughts of
men, because God would there put forth his wonderful power. In the meantime, he
animates again the Persians and the Medes to take vengeance, and to render to
the Babylonians what they had deserved. The Prophet in short intimates that the
Persians and the Medes would be armed to execute God’s vengeance on the
Babylonians.
But we must notice the last clause,
Do to her as she has
done to others; for we hence learn, what
we have also observed elsewhere, that a reward is rendered to every one, so that
they who have been cruel to others, do find how dreadful is God’s
judgment. God does not always execute his judgment by men; but still this is
ever true,
“Woe to thee who plunderest, for
thou shalt be plundered;”
and also this,
“Judgment without mercy shall be
to him
who hath showed no
mercy;”
and still further,
“With what measure any one
measures,
the same shall be
rendered to him.”
(<233301>Isaiah
33:1;
<590213>James
2:13;
<400702>Matthew
7:2.) This truth, then, remains fixed and unchangeable. But God in various ways
renders to the ungodly their reward; for he sometimes punishes them by the hand
of man, and sometimes he suspends his judgment. Here he shows that the Persians
and the Medes would be the executioners of his vengeance, even as the Chaldeans
themselves had been as it were his scourges when he chastised his people for
their sins; for he had employed the Chaldeans in carrying on war against the
Jews. But God has many ways by which he calls each one to an account. Thus at
length he punished the Chaldeans, because they indulged only their avarice and
ambition in oppressing the Jews; for it was not their purpose to punish the Jews
as they deserved; but their own lust, as I have just said, led them to cruelty
and slaughter. It was, therefore, but just that they should in their turn be
chastised by God’s hand. It follows, —
|
JEREMIAH
50:16
|
|
16. Cut off the sower from Babylon, and him
that handleth the sickle in the time of harvest: for fear of the oppressing
sword they shall turn every one to his people, and they shall flee every one to
his own land.
|
16. Excidite seminantem e Babylone, et qui
apprehendit falcem tempore messis; coram gladio opprimente, quisque ad populum
suum respiciet, quisque ad terram suam fugiet.
|
He still addresses the Medes and the Persians, and
bids them cut off from Babylon both the sowers and the
reapers; but by stating a part for the whole he includes also all others.
Husbandmen in a manner preserve the life of men, as other arts and occupations
are not capable of doing so. Were there no sowing and reaping, all would of
necessity perish. When, therefore, the Prophet bids them take away those who
sowed and reaped, it was the same as though he had said, “Strike
with the sword and kill all the inhabitants, so that nothing may remain but
the land reduced to solitude.” He then commands the Chaldeans to be slain,
so that no husbandmen should remain to sow and reap.
This, indeed, was not fulfilled by Cyrus, as we have
elsewhere seen. But what I then reminded you of ought to be borne in mind, that
the Prophet extends his threatenings much further, for Babylon was often smitten
by God’s hand, and at length wholly destroyed. The assault of Cyrus was a
prelude, but other calamities followed, when it was more severely
oppressed.
He adds,
From the face of the
oppressing or wasting
sword every one shall flee to his
people and to his own land. As that
country was wealthy, many strangers had come there, and they had also drawn
together captives from all parts. Thus many foreigners no doubt dwelt in Chaldea
when the empire flourished. There were there many husbandmen and many
artificers. The Chaldeans ruled, and yet many were content with small means, and
even paltry; or it may be that the Chaldeans compelled conquered nations to do
servile work in agriculture and in works of art. The Prophet now says, that in
the revolution which was to happen, each would look to his own land and flee
there, as there could be no delight in a country deserted and desolate. Then
from the face of the oppressing
sword shall every one look to his own people and to his own
land; and those who before pretended to
be wholly devoted to the Chaldeans, would forsake them in their necessity,
because nothing would be better for them than to consult their own safety. It
follows, —
|
JEREMIAH
50:17
|
|
17. Israel is a scattered sheep; the
lions have driven him away: first the king of Assyria hath devoured him,
and last this Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon hath broken his
bones,
|
17. Grex dispersus (vel, agnus
dispersus aut haedus;
hç
significat interdum gregem, interdum etiam significat singulos agnos, vel
singulas oves; grex ergo dispersus fuit) Israel; leones expulerunt
eun; primus voravit eum rex Assyriae, et hic postremus contrivit ossa ejus
Nebuchadrezer rex Babylonis.
|
Here the Prophet more clearly shows what he had
briefly referred to, even that God was thus incensed against the Babylonians,
because he had undertaken the cause of the people whom he had chosen. Then
Jeremiah’s design was to show to the faithful, that though God severely
chastised them for a time, he had not wholly divested himself of his paternal
regard towards them, because he would at length make it openly evident that they
to whom he had been so rigid were dear to him. He then mitigates the severity of
punishment, that the Jews might not succumb to despair, but call upon God in
their miseries, and hope that he, after having turned them, would at length be
propitious to them.
The sum of what is said is, that whatever punishments
God inflicts on his Church are temporary, and are also useful for salvation,
being remedies to prevent them from perishing in their vices. Let us then learn
to embrace the promises whenever we are wounded with extreme sorrow under the
chastisements of God: let us learn, I say, to look to his mercy; and let us be
convinced of this, that though signs of his wrath may appear on every side, yet
the punishments we suffer are not fatal, but on the contrary, medicinal. For
this reason, the Prophet exhorted the faithful of his time to be patient, by
showing that God, after having been a Judge, would be again a Father to
them.
He then says that
Israel
was like
a scattered
flock, or a straying sheep, which is the
same thing. He expresses how they became so,
the first
who
devoured
them was
the king of
Assyria; for we know that the kingdom of
Israel was overthrown by the Assyrians, and the land of Judah was also very much
pillaged by them; a small portion remained. Then God says, that the people had
been consumed by the calamities which the Assyrians had occasioned. But he
compares what remained to bones, as though a wild beast devoured a sheep, and
left only the bones. There was then no flesh or skin in Israel after the
Assyrians had cruelly treated them, and that often. But as the kingdom of Judah
remained, he says that it was like bones; and hence he adds,
and this last, Nebuchadnezzar,
the king of Babylon, hath broken, his
bones,
fH62 that is, hath broken in pieces
and devoured the bones which remained.
We now perceive the meaning of the Prophet. Moreover,
he exaggerates the miseries of the chosen people, that he might in a manner open
a way for mercy. God, then, here assumes the feeling of man, who is touched with
a sad spectacle, when he sees a miserable and harmless sheep devoured, and the
bones cast away, and then sees another wild beast, still more savage, who breaks
the bones with his teeth and devours them. Since God then thus speaks, there is
no doubt but that he meant to express with what tender feeling he regarded his
chosen people, and that he also meant to give the godly the hope of salvation.
It afterwards follows,—
|
JEREMIAH
50:18
|
|
18. Therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts,
the God of Israel, Behold, I will punish the king of Babylon and his land, as I
have punished the king of Assyria.
|
18. Propterea sic dicit Jehova exercituun,
Deus Israel, ecce ego visito super regem Babylonis, et super terram ejus,
quemadmodum visitavi regem Assyriae.
|
What I have said may hence with more certainty be
inferred — that the similitude which God employed was intended for this
end, that having assumed the person of one in sorrow, he might represent as it
were to their eyes his sympathy, he then shows that he would be the avenger of
the cruelty which the Chaldeans had practiced, as he had already been the
avenger of all the evils which the Assyrians had done to his
people.
We must bear in mind the time — for the meaning
of this passage depends on history. The Assyrians were stronger than the
Chaldeans when they harassed the kingdom of Israel: for we know that in the time
of Hezekiah the king of Babylon sent to him to seek his favor, and to allure him
to a confederacy. While then the monarchy of Assyria was formidable, the
Assyrians were very hostile to the Israelites and also to the Jews: what
followed? Nineveh was overthrown, and Babylon succeeded in its place; and so
they who had ruled were constrained to bear the yoke, and thus Babylon made the
Assyrians captive to itself. God now refers to this judgment, which was known to
all. The Assyrians themselves did not indeed think that the God of Israel was
the avenger of his people, but yet it was so. Hence God here declares that he
had already given a manifest proof of the solicitude which he had for the
welfare of his people: as then he had punished Assyria, so he declares that he
would take vengeance on the Babylonians. And thus, by an example, he confirms
what might have appeared incredible. For who could have thought that that
monarchy could so suddenly fall? And yet it happened beyond what any could have
anticipated. God here repeats what had taken place, that the faithful might feel
assured that the judgment which the Assyrians had experienced, awaited the
Babylonians. This is the plain meaning of the Prophet. It follows,
—
|
JEREMIAH
50:19
|
|
19. And I will bring Israel again to his
habitation, and he shall feed on Carmel and Bashan, and his soul shall be
satisfied upon mount Ephraim and Gilead.
|
19. Et reducam Israelem ad caulas suas, et
pascetur in (monte) Carmel et Basan, et in monte Ephraim et Gilead; satiabitur
anima ejus.
|
Jeremiah pursues here the same subject, and sustains
the minds of the faithful in their miseries, lest they should wholly despond. It
is then the same as though he stretched forth his hand to the shipwrecked, or
gave support to those lying down as it were lifeless; for exile to God’s
children was not only sad, but was like death, because they perceived the
vengeance of God as though they had been wholly repudiated. It was therefore
necessary to give them some consolation, that they might not altogether despair.
The object, then, of our Prophet now is, to encourage the Jews to bear patiently
their troubles, and not to think the stroke inflicted on them to be fatal. Hence
God promises a restoration to their own country, which would be an evidence of
pardon and of mercy; for when God gathered his people, it was the same as though
he had openly showed that their adoption remained unchanged, and that the
covenant which seemed for a time to fail was still valid.
We now then see why Jeremiah spoke of the restoration
of the people; and then he adds,
to their own
folds, or to their own habitation. This
mode of speaking, we know, is found everywhere in the Prophets, for they compare
God to a shepherd, and the Church to a flock of sheep. This similitude then is
sufficiently common, nor could God better express how much he was concerned for
the welfare of his people, than by setting himself forth as their shepherd, and
by testifying that he would take care of his flock. But as we said at the
beginning of the book, Jeremiah had a special reason for using this similitude,
because he was from a town of pastures, and had been from his childhood among
shepherds: there is therefore no wonder that he often uses expressions to which
he had been accustomed; for education in a great measure forms the language of
men. Though then the Prophet speaks according to the usual phraseology of
Scripture, there is yet no doubt but that he retained, as it has been said
elsewhere, his own habitual mode of speaking.
He then says, that after the people had been
gathered, they would inhabit, rich and fertile mountains, even Carmel and
Bashan. The fruitfulness of these mountains is spoken of in many places,
but it is not necessary to quote them. The meaning however is, that God, after
having again gathered his chosen people, would be as it were a faithful shepherd
to them, so that they might feel assured that there would be not only a free
return to their own country, but that God would be also the guardian of their
safety, so as ever to protect them, to exercise care over them, to defend them
against their enemies.
But that God might more fully set forth his kindness,
he adds, and satisfied shall be
his soul. Soul here is to be taken for
desire, as in many other places. Now the former doctrine ought to be borne in
mind, that God is never so angry or displeased with his Church but that he
remembers his covenant. Then, as to the faithful, after they have undergone
their temporary punishment, God at length stretches forth his hand to them; nor
is he once only propitious to them, but continues his mercy, and so cherishes
them, that he is not less solicitous for their welfare than a shepherd is, to
whom his flock is not less dear than his own life, so that he watches in the
night, endures cold and heat, and also exposes himself to many dangers from
robbers and wild beasts in order that he might protect his flock. But the
Prophet points out as by the finger the very fountain of all this when he adds,
—
|
JEREMIAH
50:20
|
|
20. In those days, and in that time, saith the
Lord, the iniquity of Israel shall be sought for, and there shall be
none; and the sins of Judah, and they shall not be found: for I will pardon
them whom I reserve.
|
20. In diebus illis et tempore illo, dicit
Jehova, quaeretur iniquitas Israel, et nulla erit, scelus Jehudah, et non
invenietur; quia propitius ero his quos fecero residuos.
|
As I have already said, the Prophet now shows the
primary cause why God purposed to deal so kindly and mercifully with his people,
even because he would remit their sins. And doubtless whatever is said of the
remission of sins is cold and unmeaning, except we be first convinced that God
is reconciled and propitious to us. The unbelieving indeed seek no other thing
than to be relieved from their evils, as the sick who require nothing from their
physician but that he should immediately remove pain. If the sick man thirsts,
“Take away thirst,” he will say. In short, they regard only the
symptom, of the disease they do not say a word. Such is the case with the
ungodly, they neglect the chief thing, that God should pardon them and receive
them into favor. Provided they are exempted from punishment, this is enough for
them. But as to the faithful, they can never be satisfied until they feel
assured that God is propitious to them. In order, then, to free from disquietude
and all misgivings the minds of the godly, our Prophet says that God would be
propitious, so that he would bury all the sins of Israel and Judah, so that they
might no more be remembered or come to judgment.
This passage is remarkable, and from it we especially
learn this valuable truth, that when God severely chastises us, we ought not to
stop at the punishment and seek only a relief from our troubles, but on the
contrary we ought to look to the very cause of all evils, even our sins. So
David, in many places, when he seeks from God a relaxation of evil, does not
only say, “Lord, deliver me from mine enemies; Lord, restore to me my
health; Lord, deliver me from death;” — he does not simply speak
thus, but he earnestly flees to God and implores his mercy. And on the other
hand, when God promises deliverance from punishment, he does not simply say,
“I will restore you from exile or captivity, I will restore you to
your own country;” but he says, “I will forgive you your
sins.” For when the disease is removed, the symptoms also which accompany
the disease disappear. So also it happens in this case, for when God shows that
he is propitious to us, we are then freed from punishment, that is, what we have
for a time suffered, or what awaited us, had not God spared us according to his
infinite mercy and goodness.
fH63
PRAYER
Grant, Almighty God, that since thou
hast been so merciful towards thine ancient people, and however
grievously thou mightest have been offended, yet thou didst preserve some
remnant to whom thou gavest tokens of thy mercy, — O grant that it may
please thee so to allure us also at this day; and however we may deserve a
thousand times to be condemned by thee, yet deign to receive us in thine
only-begotten Son, and through him show thyself reconciled to us to the end of
our life; and be thou our Father in death itself, so that we may live and die to
thee, and acknowledge this to be the only true way of salvation, until we shall
at length enjoy that celestial inheritance which has been obtained for us by the
blood of the same, thine only-begotten Son. — Amen.
LECTURE ONE
HUNDRED AND EIGHTY SECOND
IN the last lecture we began to explain what the
Prophet says, that when God redeemed his people he would be so propitious as to
blot out all their sins. We said also that the Prophet shows that the people had
for just reasons been treated with severity. Here then we have to observe the
justice of God in all his judgments. For the Prophet reminds us that the Jews
could not have been reconciled to God, except they acknowledged that they had
been justly punished. And hence we learn also a useful doctrine, that whenever
God smites us with his rods, we are not only to seek that relief may be given us
from external evils or sorrow, but that God may also forgive us. The reason also
is to be observed, for the Prophet teaches us that there would be no iniquity
because God would be propitious. We hence learn that there were also just
reasons why God chastised his people, but that as he designed to forgive their
sins he became their deliverer. Let us then know that we are counted just before
God, not because he sees no iniquities in us, but because he freely forgives
them. It is, in short, the only true way of being reconciled to God, when he
buries as it were our sins so as never to call them to
judgment.
Moreover, that this favor properly belongs to the
kingdom of Christ may be gathered from the thirty-first chapter, where the
Prophet, having spoken of the new covenant, lays down this as the principal
thing,
“I will pardon their
iniquities,”
(<243134>Jeremiah
31:34)
and he uses here the same verb. This promise then
ought not to be confined to that short time when the people returned from their
Babylonian exile, but ought on the contrary to be extended to the kingdom of
Christ, for it was then that this prophecy was fully accomplished, because our
sins do not appear before God when he is reconciled to us.
Yet the Prophet intimates that this favor would not
be general, for he adds that God would be propitious only to the remnant;
and it was needful to express this, because the faithful after their return
might have otherwise desponded, when they saw that a few only of the people were
restored. Had their restoration been indiscriminately promised, the faith of the
godly might have faltered on seeing that almost the whole people disregarded the
favor offered to them; for a part only of the tribe of Judah availed themselves
of the kindness of Cyrus and Darius; and the ten tribes chose rather to dwell in
Chaldea and in other places. And it was not only once that God restricted the
promise given here; for it is said by Isaiah,
“Were thy people as the sand of
the sea,
a remnant only shall be
saved.”
(<231021>Isaiah
10:21, 22)
The people gloried in their number and boasted of
what had been said to Abraham,
“Number if thou canst the stars of
heaven and the sand of the sea, so shall thy seed be.”
(<011505>Genesis
15:5)
God then shows that the Jews were greatly mistaken
when they thought that they would be always in a safe state. Hence the Prophet
says here that God would not be propitious indiscriminately to all, but to those
whom he would make the remnant. And God also intimates that it was to be
ascribed to his gratuitous goodness that any remained alive, according to what
is said in
<230109>Isaiah
1:9,
“Except some seed had been left to
us, we must have been as Gomorrah, and like to Sodom,”
God then declares here that the remnant would not
otherwise be saved than through his gratuitous mercy, as Paul also says, that
the Jews were not to hope for salvation, except through the free mercy of God.
(<451105>Romans
11:5.) And he especially noticed this passage and similar passages, because the
Jews then in opposing the Gospel raised the objection, that they were the seed
of Abraham, and the chosen people; but Paul gave them this answer, that it was
not a new thing that God gathered a small remnant from his people; and he
assigns as the cause his gratuitous election. It now follows, —
|
JEREMIAH
50:21
|
|
21. Go up against the land of Merathaim,
even against it, and against the inhabitants of Pekod: waste and utterly
destroy after them, saith the Lord, and do according to all that I have
commanded thee.
|
21. Super terram exasperantium ascende super
eam (sod abundat) et super habitatores visitationis (et habitatores
visitationis;) occide et disperde post eos, dicit Jehova; et fac omnia quae
praecepi tibi.
|
The Prophet here undertakes the office of a herald,
and animates the Persians and the Medes to make war with Babylon. This prophecy
indeed never came to these nations, but we have stated why the Prophets
proclaimed war and addressed at one time heathen nations, at another time the
Jews — now one people, then another; for they wished to bring the faithful
to the very scene of action, and connected the accomplishment with their
predictions. By this mode of speaking, the Prophet then teaches us, that he did
not scatter words into the air, but that the power of God was connected with the
word which he spoke, as though God had expressly commanded the Medes and the
Persians to execute his vengeance on Babylon. And doubtless Jeremiah did not
thus speak; according to his own thoughts, nor did he thus speak in the person
of man; but on the contrary, he introduced God as the speaker, as it appears
front the end of the verse.
He then says,
Ascend on the land of the
exasperating; others read, “of
bitterness,” but improperly. God indeed calls the Chaldeans
rebellious, for though they were for a time the scourges of his wrath, they yet
had cruelly treated many nations, being impelled only by their own pride and
avarice; he justly calls them “the exasperating,” and then adds,
Slay the inhabitants of
visitation Some regard
dwqp,
pekud, as a proper name; and they first imagine that it was a town of
some note in Chaldea, which is groundless; and then they give a frigid
explanation by saying that it was some mean and obscure place. There is then no
doubt but that the Prophet calls the Chaldeans the
inhabitants of
visitation, because God’s
vengeance awaited them, nay, it was even suspended over their heads, as he
afterwards declares. But this way of speaking frequently occurs in the
Prophets. fH64
He afterwards adds,
and destroy after
or behind
them.
There is an alliteration in the words
µhyrta
µrjh, etherem acheriem; and he means
that the slaughter would be extreme, so that the Medes and Persians would not
cease to destroy until they had extinguished the name of Babylon. Yet we know
that this was not done by Cyrus and Darius; for as we have already stated
several times, the city was taken by fraud and treachery in the night, and the
king and the princes were slain, for Darius, or rather Cyrus, spared the rest of
the people; for though Darius had the name of being king, yet Cyrus was by far
the most renowned, as he was a valiant soldier, and only on account of his fame
accompanied his father-in-law and uncle. As then the sword did not destroy all
the Chaldeans when Babylon was taken, we conclude that the Prophets, when they
denounced slaughter and destruction on Babylon, did not confine what they said
to that time, but included also other slaughters; for Babylon was often taken.
It revolted from the Persians; and when it was recovered, it suffered very
severe punishment; for, by way of reproach, those who were first in power and
authority were hung, and there was also great cruelty exercised towards men and
women. There is no doubt then but that the Prophets, in speaking of the
destruction of Babylon, referred to God’s judgments inflicted at various
times. However this may have been, we learn that though God may long connive, or
suspend extreme judgments, yet the ungodly cannot possibly escape his hand,
though they may long be spared.
He then adds,
Do to them as I have commanded
thee. This prophetic mode of speaking
ought also to be noticed; for the Medes and the Persians never thought that they
fought under the authority of God; why then is the word “commanded”
used? even because God rules by his secret power ungodly men, and leads
them wheresoever he pleases, though nothing of the kind is ever thought of by
them. To explain the matter more fully, we must observe flint God commands in
two ways; for he commands the faithful when he shows to them what is right and
what they ought to follow. Thus daily God may be said to exercise his authority
or right of ruling, when he exhorts us to do our duty, when he sets his law
before us. And it is the proper way of commanding, or of exercising authority,
when God expresses what he would have us to do, or what he requires from us. But
God commands the unbelieving in another way; for though he does not declare to
them what he would have them to do, he yet draws them, willing or unwilling,
where-ever he pleases. Thus, by his secret operation, he induced Cyrus and
Darius to take up arms against Babylon.
We now then understand what the Prophet meant by this
expression; for he did not mean that Darius and Cyrus obeyed God from the heart,
because they knew not that he was the leader and author of that war; no such
thing ever entered into their minds. The former mode of commanding, as I have
said, is peculiar to the Church; for God is pleased to bestow on us a peculiar
privilege and favor, when he shows to us what is right, and prescribes the rule
of life. But yet his hidden providence, by which he influences the ungodly,
takes the place of a command, as it is said,
“The king’s heart is in the
hand of God.”
(<202101>Proverbs
21:1)
But Solomon speaks of a king rather than of common
men, because, if there be any liberty among mankind, it belongs to kings, for
they seem exempt from every yoke; and Solomon declares that the hearts of kings
are ruled by God. Though then Darius and Cyrus were carried away by their own
cupidity when they made war, yet God, as we shall hereafter see more clearly,
guided their hearts. So also he is said to command the heavens and the earth-not
that the heavens, being without ears and reason, hear his voice, but because God
powerfully moves and influences the heavens; for when he intends to punish us,
he commands the heaven not to rain. This command of God the heaven executes, and
the earth also obeys God; but there is no word of command given to them, —
what then? it is God’s providence which is hid from us. It follows,
—
|
JEREMIAH
50:22
|
|
22. A sound of battle is in the land,
and of great destruction.
|
22. Vox praelii in terra et contritio
magna.
|
The Prophet continues the same style of speaking, for
he says that there would be the voice or the sound
of
battle. Could he rouse up the Medes and
the Persians? not indeed by his own power, but here he exalts the efficacy of
his doctrine; as though he had said, that the vengeance he denounced on the
Babylonians would be in readiness when the time came, as Paul says that the
ministers of the gospel had vengeance ready at hand for all those who despised
it. We now then see why the Prophet mentions the word battle, and says
that breaking, or ruin, would be great in the land. It now
follows, —
|
JEREMIAH
50:23-24
|
|
23. How is the hammer of the whole earth cut
asunder and broken! how is Babylon become a desolation among the
nations!
|
23. Quomodo excisus est et contritus malleus
universes terrae? quomodo redacta est (fuit) in vastitatem Babylon inter
gentes?
|
|
24. I have laid a snare for thee, and thou art
also taken, O Babylon, and thou wast not aware: thou art found, and also caught,
because thou hast striven against the Lord.
|
24. Illaqueavi to, atque etiam(vel
atque, ideo,
µg,
hic ponitur loco rationalis particuloe, ideo) capta es Babylon, et
tu nescivisti; inventa es atque adeo deprehensa, quoniam contra Jehovam to
miscuisti (litigasti.)
|
Here, in the first place, Jeremiah asks in
astonishment how it happened that
the hammer of the whole earth was
broken, when it had before broken all
nations. God afterwards gives an answer, even because “I am he who
have taken Babylon.” The question availed to rouse the people to a greater
attention. We neglect God’s judgments or are blind to them, even because
we do not carefully consider them; for little things often excite us, when that
which God works in an unusual manner is deemed by us as nothing. As then our
apathy as to the works of God is so great, it is necessary to stimulate us. And
this is what is done now by Jeremiah, when he says in astonishment,
How?
for he intimates that to cut down Babylon would be incredible, for no one
could have thought that that monarchy could have ever fallen; for it had arrived
to the highest eminence, and was surrounded on all sides by so many
fortresses, that no danger could be feared. In short, all thought that Babylon
could not be endangered without a concussion of heaven and
earth.
Then the Prophet here wonders at a thing unusual, and
says, How is the hammer of all
the earth broken and shattered to pieces?
fH65 and then,
How has Babylon become a waste
among the nations? for it had subjugated
to itself not only the neighboring nations, but the remotest parts of the earth.
And in this manner he animated the faithful to entertain hope, lest they should
despond, for the power of that monarchy was terrible.
He then immediately answers in the person of God,
I have ensnared thee, and
therefore thou Babylon art taken. Here
God declares, that though it could not be possible that Babylon and its empire
should fall through human means, yet its destruction was in his hand.
Thou,
he says, art
taken, even because
I ensnared
thee; as though he had said, that the
Chaldeans would not have to do with men, because he himself would carry on the
war and guide and direct the Persians and the Medes, and also endue them with
power: He would, in short, fight himself until he had overcome the
Babylonians.
When he says,
thou knewest
not, he not only reproves the
insensibility of that people, but at the same time derides their security, as
though he had said, “Thou thinkest thyself beyond the reach
of harm, but thou wilt find that no one can escape my hand.” We now then
perceive the meaning of the Prophet. It is indeed true that the unbelieving,
when God punishes them for their wickedness, do not acknowledge his hand; but
the Prophet means another thing, — that though Babylon trusted in its
strength and feared nothing, it would yet be taken, because it could not evade
the snares.
He adds,
Thou art found and therefore
caught; and he states the reason,
because she had contended with God. We shall presently explain how
Babylon contended or litigated with or against God, even because God had taken
under his protection and patronage the Israelites. This, then, is said with
reference to the Church, as I shall presently explain more at large. It must be
here briefly observed, that God so undertakes the cause of his people, as though
he himself were injured, according to what he promises that they would be to him
as the apple of his eye.
(<380208>Zechariah
2:8.) It now follows, —
|
JEREMIAH
50:25
|
|
25. The Lord hath opened his armory, and hath
brought forth the weapons of his indignation: for this is the work of the
Lord God of hosts in the land of the Chaldeans.
|
25. Aperuit Jehova thesaurum suum, et protulit
vasa irae suae, quia opus hoc Domini, Jehovae exercituum, est in terra
Chaldaeorum.
|
The Prophet here expresses more clearly what he bad
touched upon, even that this war would not be that of the Persians, but of God
himself. He then says, that God had
opened his
treasure, even because he has various
and manifold ways and means, which cannot be comprehended by men, when he
resolves to destroy the ungodly. That monarchy was impregnable according to the
judgment of men; but God here says that he had hidden means by which he would
lay waste Babylon and reduce it to nothing. Then what is by a similitude called
the treasure of God, means such a way as surpasses the comprehension of
men, that is, when God executes his judgments in a way hidden and
unexpected.
As, then, the faithful could hardly conceive what
Jeremiah said, he raises up their thoughts to God’s providence, which
ought not to be subjected to human judgment; for it is absurd in men to judge of
God’s power according to the perceptions of the flesh; it is the same as
though they attempted to include heaven and earth in the hollow of their hand.
God himself says, that he takes heaven and earth in the hollow of his hand.
When, therefore, men seek to comprehend the power of God, it is like a fly
attempting to devour all the mountains. Hence the Prophet reproves this
presumption to which we are all by nature inclined, even to determine according
to the comprehension of our minds what God is about or ought to do, as though
his power were not infinite.
This is the reason why the Prophet says, God
hath opened his
treasury; and then,
he hath thence brought forth the
instruments of his wrath, that is, from
his treasury, even in a way and manner which was then
incomprehensible.
fH66 And subjoined is the reason,
Because this is the work of God
alone,
the God of hosts, in the land of
the
Chaldeans.
fH67 Here the Prophet briefly concludes,
intimating, that the faithful ought quietly to wait until what he taught came to
pass, even because it was the work of God. And there is nothing more absurd than
for men to seek to measure God’s power, as it has been said, by their own
judgment. It follows, — but I cannot explain the verse
now.
PRAYER
Grant, Almighty God, that since thou
hast been pleased to set before us thy judgments on the unbelieving, we may not
only fear thee, but also learn to cast on thee the hope of our salvation, so
that we may make progress in the truth, that we may neither be insensible as to
thy threatenings, nor tremble in our extreme evils, but so learn to raise up to
thee our eyes, that we may, during the whole course of our life, call on thee
through Christ Jesus our Lord. — Amen.
LECTURE ONE HUNDRED AND EIGHTY
THIRD
|
JEREMIAH
50:26
|
|
26. Come against her from the utmost border,
open her storehouses; cast her up as heaps, and destroy her utterly: let nothing
of her be left.
|
26. Venite contra eam a fine, aperite
apothecas ejus, calcate earn tanquam acervos, et disperdite eam, ne sint ei
reliquiae.
|
THE Prophet again addresses the Persians and the
Medes, and encourages them to come against Babylon. We stated yesterday that the
prophets are went to speak with authority, because they sustained the person of
God; and we mentioned how necessary this mode of speaking was, for the world
does not acknowledge that God speaks effectually.
Then he says first,
Come ye against
her;
fH68 and then,
Open her
storehouses. The word
sbam,
meabes, means a cornhouse or a repository of any kind: hence some render
it “granaries.” But it seems to me that the word is thus too
much restricted, for the Prophet no doubt speaks of the treasures of Babylon.
Now storehouses, (apothecas,) the Greeks call those repositories which
contain all sorts of things, not only wine and oil, but goods of merchants, and
also money. We call them in French, Arrieres-boutiques, or, magasins.
But this word is to be extended to wine, to every kind of fruit, and then to
treasures, and also to arms; for they were repositories of arms, of weapons of
every kind. It is the same as though Jeremiah had said, that nothing would be so
hidden among the Chaldeans but that the Medes and the Persians would find it
out.
He then adds,
Tread her as
heaps. The word
µymr[,
oremim, means not heaps of stones, but on the contrary, of sheaves. Then
he intimates that the Persians and the Medes would act cruelly, and tread them
as corn is trodden on the floor.
fH69 He lastly says,
Destroy her utterly, that there
way be to her no remnant. He seems
indirectly to set this in contrast with what God promised always to his people,
that there would be some remnant, he then says that nothing would remain when
God had executed his vengeance on the Chaldeans. The sum of what is said is,
that the punishment of which the Prophet speaks would be such as would
obliterate the very name of the Babylonian monarchy. This, as we said yesterday
and also previously, was not completed in one day. But when the Prophets speak
of God’s judgments, they do not regard only the preludes, but their words
extend to the last judgment that awaits all the reprobate. It now follows,
—
|
JEREMIAH
50:27
|
|
27. Slay all her bullocks; let them go down to
the slaughter: woe unto them! for their day is come, the time of their
visitation.
|
27. Occidite omnes juvencos ejus; descendant
ad mactationem: vae illis! quia venit dies eorum, tempus visitationis
eorum.
|
He goes on with the same subject; he bids the
Persians and the Medes to slay every strong man in Chaldea; for by bullocks
he no doubt means by a metaphor all those who excelled in strength, or in
power, or in wealth. The sum of what he says is, that the vengeance of which he
now speaks, would not only be against the common people, but also against the
highest and the choicest among them. He includes then the nobles as well as all
the men of war; for he refers not only to strength of body, but also to power
and authority.
Slay,
then, he says, all her
bullocks, that is, whatever is most
valued in Chaldea: that was to perish when the day of vengeance
came. fH70
He afterwards says, let them
descend to the slaughter. We must ever
bear in mind what I have said, that the Prophet gave orders as though he had the
Medes and the Persians under his own hand and authority, because the whole world
is subject to God’s word. He says,
Woe to them! for their day is
come, and the time of their visitation.
This was added, because the faithful might have disputed with themselves and
said, “How can it be that Babylon should perish so quickly?”
For God seemed to have favored that monarchy for a long time, as though he
intended to protect it perpetually. Hence the Prophet speaks here of the time of
visitation, so that the faithful might not doubt respecting this prophecy,
because God had not as yet put forth his band. He then reminded them that God
has his fixed times, and that he does not every day visit nations, that is, that
he does not execute his judgments every moment, but at the time which he has
appointed. Whenever, then, the ungodly securely exult and triumph, let us ever
remember this truth, that the time is not yet come for God to execute his
judgment; how so? because there is a fixed time of visitation, and that is
dependent on God’s will. Let us then learn to bear patiently all our
trials until it shall please God to show that he is the judge of the world. It
follows,—
|
JEREMIAH
50:28
|
|
28. The voice of them that flee and escape out
of the land of Babylon, to declare in Zion the vengeance of the Lord our God,
the vengeance of his temple.
|
28. Vox fugientium et qui evaserint e terra
Babylonis ad annuntiandum in Sion vindictam Jehovae Dei nostri, vindictam templi
ejus.
|
The Prophet again shows, that God in punishing
Babylon, would give a sure proof of his favor towards his Church. For this
prophecy would have been uninteresting to the faithful, did they not know that
God would be an enemy to that great monarchy, because he had undertaken the care
of their safety. Then the Prophet often calls the attention of the faithful to
this fact, that God’s vengeance on the Babylonians would be to them a sure
proof of God’s favor, through which he had once embraced them, and which
he would continue to show to them to the end.
This, then, was the design of the Prophet, when he
said, The voice officers and of
those who escape from the land of Babylon,
etc.; as though he had said, “Babylon is on many accounts
worthy of destruction, but God in destroying it will have a regard to his own
people, and will effectually show that he is the Father of the people whom he
has adopted.” Jeremiah afterwards exhorts the faithful to show their
gratitude. There are here, then, two things; the first is, that when God
destroyed Babylon, the people would hence with certainty perceive how dear they
were to God; and secondly, from this truth flows an exhortation, that the
faithful were not to be mute at such a singular benefit of God, but were to
proclaim their deliverance. Hence he says,
The voice of fleers and of those
who escape from the land of Babylon, to announce in
Sion, etc. By saying
in
Sion, he shows for what end God intended
to gather his people, even that he might again be worshipped as formerly-in his
own Temple.
He adds,
to announce in Sion the vengeance
of our God. The vengeance of God is to
be taken here in an active sense, signifying the vengeance which God would
execute. The vengeance of the Temple, which immediately follows, is to be taken
passively, as meaning the vengeance by which God would avenge the indignity
offered to the Temple. God then takes vengeance, and God’s Temple is
defended from contempt and reproach.
We now then see the meaning of this passage. The
Prophet first teaches us, that God would have a regard to his people in so
rigidly punishing Babylon; and secondly, he adds an exhortation, lest the
faithful should be unthankful to God, but acknowledge that God, for the sake of
their deliverance had undertaken war against that monarchy; and lastly, he shows
the end, even that the people who had been scattered, as it is said in
<19E702>Psalm
147:2,
“God is he who gathers the
dispersed of Israel,”
might again be collected together. As, then, the Jews
were as a mutilated body among the Chaldeans, the Prophet shows that that
monarchy would be dispersed, in order that the faithful might again be gathered,
and that all might worship God together in the Temple, or on mount Sion. It
follows, —
|
JEREMIAH
50:29
|
|
29. Call together the archers against Babylon:
all ye that bend the bow, camp against it round about; let none thereof escape:
recompense her according to her work; according to all that she hath done, do
unto her: for she hath been proud against the Lord, against the Holy One of
Israel.
|
29. Convocate contra Babylonem potentes, omnes
qui intendunt arcum; obsidete earn in circuitu, ne sit evasio; reddite ei
secundum opus suum, secundum omnia quae fecit facite ei; quia contra Jehovam
superb egit, contra sanctum Israelis.
|
The Prophet adopts various modes of speaking, and not
without reason, because he had to thunder rather than to speak; and then as he
spoke of a thing incredible, there was need of no common confirmation; the
faithful also, almost pining away in their miseries, could hardly entertain any
hope. This is the reason why the Prophet dwells so long and so diffusely on a
subject in itself not obscure, for there was not only need of amplifying, but
also of great vehemence.
Then, as though he had many heralds ready to obey, he
says, Call together the mighty
against Babylon. Some read
“many,” but the word
µybr,
rebim, means both; and I think that “the mighty” or
strong are meant here. Why some render it “arrows” I know not. It
is, indeed, immediately added,
all who bend the
bow,
tçq
ykrdAlk, caldereki koshet. But the word,
without anything added to it, never means an arrow. They refer to a place in
<012120>Genesis
21:20, where Ishmael is said to be “an archer,”
hbr,
rebe; but the word “bow” follows it. We cannot then
take
µybr,
rebim here but as signifying many or the mighty; and the latter is the
most suitable word. Then the Prophet bids the strong and the warlike to come
together, and then he mentions them specifically, —
all who bend the
bow, even all skillful archers. For the
Persians excelled in this art, they were archers of the first order. It was
indeed a practice common among eastern nations, but the Persians surpassed all
others. The Prophet then points them out when he bids archers to
assemble. fH71
He adds,
encompass
or besiege
her around, that there may be no
escape. This also was a thing difficult
to be believed, for Babylon was more like a country than a city. Then one could
have hardly thought that it could have been besieged around and at length taken,
as it happened. Therefore the Prophet here testifies that what exceeded the
opinion of all would take place. But he had said before that this would be the
work of God, that the faithful might not form a judgment according to their own
measure, for nothing is more absurd, as it has been said, than to measure the
power of God by our own understanding. As then the Prophet had before
declared that the siege of Babylon would be the work of God, he bids them
now, with more confidence, to besiege it around,
that there might not be an
escape.
It is then added,
Render to her according to her
work; according to what she has done, do to
her. By these words the Prophet shows
that the vengeance which God would execute on the Chaldeans would be just, for
nothing is more equitable than to render to one what he had done to
others.
“With what measure ye mete to
others,” says Christ, “it shall be rendered to you.”
(<420638>Luke
6:38)
As, then, nature itself teaches us that the
punishment is most just which is inflicted on the cruel themselves, hence the
Prophet reminds us here that God would be a just avenger in his extreme violence
against the Babylonians. But he looks farther, for he assumes this principle,
that God is the judge of the world. Since he is so, it follows that they who
unjustly oppress others must at length receive their own reward; as also Paul
says, that the judgment of God, otherwise obscure, will be made evident, when he
shall give relief and rest to the miserable who are now unjustly afflicted, and
when he shall render their reward to oppressors.
(<530106>2
Thessalonians 1:6, 7.) The Prophet then takes occasion of confidence from this
truth to animate the faithful and to encourage them to entertain hope. How so?
Since God is the judge of the world, the Jews ought to have considered what sort
of people the Babylonians had been; nay, they had already sufficiently
experienced how cruel and barbarous they were. As, then, the avarice and cruelly
of the Chaldeans were sufficiently apparent, the Prophet here reminds them, that
as God is in heaven, it could not be otherwise but that he would shortly call
them to judgment, for otherwise he would not be God. Surely he would not be the
judge of the world, were he not to regard the miserable unjustly oppressed, and
bring them help, and stretch forth his hand to relieve them; and were he not
also, on the other hand, to punish the avaricious and the proud and the cruel.
We now understand the meaning of the Prophet.
He adds, in the last place,
because she has acted proudly
against Jehovah, against the Holy One of
Israel. By saying that the Babylonians
had acted
proudly, he means that they had not only
been injurious to men, but had been also insolent towards God himself; for the
verb here used denotes a sin different from that which happens through levity or
want of thought. When any one sins inconsiderately, he is said to have erred;
but when one sins knowingly, it is a deliberate wickedness, and he is said to be
proud; and this we learn from
<191912>Psalm
19:12; for David there sets pride in opposition to errors:
“errors,” he says,
“who can understand?”
and then he asks God to cleanse him from all pride.
David indeed had not designedly raised his horns against God, but he yet feared
lest the wantonness of the flesh should lead him to pride. When, therefore, the
Prophet now says that the Chaldeans had
acted proudly towards
God, it is the same as though he accused
them of sacrilegious pride, even that they designed to be insolent towards God
himself, and not only cruel to his people.
But an explanation follows,
against the Holy One of
Israel. The Babylonians might have
raised an objection, and said, that it was not their purpose to act proudly
towards God. But the Prophet here brings forward the word Israel, as
though he had said, “If there be a God in heaven, our religion is
true; then God’s name dwells with us. Since, then, the Babylonians have
basely oppressed the people whom God has chosen, it follows that they have been
sacrilegious towards him.” And he meant the same thing when he said
before, the vengeance of Jehovah
our God. Why did he add,
our
God? that the Jews might know that
whatever wrongs they had suffered, they reached God himself, as though he were
hurt in his own person. So also in this place the Prophet takes away from the
Babylonians all means of evasion when he says, that they had
acted proudly towards the Holy
One of Israel. When, therefore, the
ungodly seek evasions and say that they do not contend with God, their pretenses
are disproved, when they carry on war with his Church, and fight, against his
faithful people, whose safety he has undertaken to defend. For God cannot be
otherwise the protector of his Church than by setting himself up as a shield in
its defense whenever he sees his people unjustly attacked by the reprobate. It
follows, —
|
JEREMIAH
50:30
|
|
30. Therefore shall her young men fall in the
streets, and all her men of war shall be cut off in that day, saith the
Lord.
|
30. Propterea cadent electi ejus (vel,
adolescentes,)in plateis ejus, et omnes viri militiae ejus (hoc est,
omnes viri bellicosi) redigentur ad silentium (alii vertunt,
compescentur; nam
µmd
significat utrumque) in die illo, dicit Jehova.
|
He confirms the same thing, and shows that the
destruction of Babylon would be such, that everything valuable would be
destroyed.
Fall,
he says, shall her strong men
in the streets; which is worse than if
he had said, “They shall fall in battle.” Babylon was so taken that
all her armed men were slain in the middle of the city. Cyrus indeed spared, as
it has been already said, the common people; but he slew all the chief men and
the armed soldiers. As the Babylonians were taken while keeping a feast, as we
read in Daniel, hence Jeremiah mentions
the
streets. He afterwards adds, —
|
JEREMIAH
50:31
|
|
31. Behold, I am against thee, O
thou most proud, saith the Lord God, of hosts: for thy day is come, the
time that I will visit thee.
|
31. Ecce ego contra to, superbe, dicit Dominus
Jehova exercituum quia venit dies tuus, tempus visitationis
tuae.
|
Jeremiah, in order more fully to confirm what he had
said, again introduces God as the speaker. And we have stated how necessary this
was, because he could have hardly gained credit otherwise to his prophecy; but
when he introduced God, he removed every doubt.
Behold,
he says, I am against thee, O
proud one. He again calls the
Babylonians
proud,
even because they had not been led to war by levity or folly, or vain
ambition, but because they had assailed God and men without any reverence and
without any regard to humanity.
He says that the
time had
come, because the faithful would have
otherwise interrupted him and said, “How is this, that God so long
delays?” That they might then sustain and cherish hope until the time
which God had prescribed for his vengeance, he says, that the
day had come, and the time of
visitation. Whenever this mode of
speaking occurs, let us know that all the natural instincts of our flesh are
checked; for there is no one of us who does not immediately jump to take
vengeance when we see the faithful oppressed, when we see many unworthy things
done to our brethren, when we see innocent blood shed, and the miserable cruelly
treated by the ungodly. When, therefore, all these instances of barbarity
happen, none of us can contain himself; hence God puts on us a bridle, and
exhorts us to exercise patience, when he says, that the time of visitation is
not yet completed.
As long then as God delays, let us know that the fit
time is not yet come, because he has a fixed day of visitation, unknown to us.
It follows, —
|
JEREMIAH
50:32
|
|
32. And the most proud shall stumble and fall,
and none shall raise him up; and I will kindle a fire in his cities, and it
shall devour all round about him.
|
32. Et impinget superbus et cadet, et nemo qui
eum erigat; et accendam ignem in urbibus ejus, qui consumet omnia quae sunt in
circuitu (per circuitus ejus, ad verbum.)
|
The Prophet continues the same subject: as then he
had announced in God’s name that the time of visitation would come when
God would rise up against the Chaldeans, he now adds,
stumble shall the proud, and
fall. The verb
lçk,
cashel, means also to fall; but as it is added,
lpnw,
vanuphel, and
fall, it ought to be rendered
stumble
here.
Stumble,
then, shall the proud, and
fall — for the Prophet denotes a
gradation. Some render the words, “Fall shall the proud and tumble
down:” but more suitable is the rendering I have given, that the
proud would
stumble, and then that he
would fall. And no
one, he says,
shall raise him
up. By these words, God intimates, that
though Babylon had many nations under its authority, yet there would be no help
given to it, when the time of visitation came. It indeed often happens that many
busy themselves, and make every effort to assist the wicked, but without any
success. When, therefore, God declares that there would be no one to raise up
Babylon when fallen, the meaning is not, that courage would be wanting to all,
but that the efforts of all would be of no avail, even because God, when Babylon
fell, would be against her, so that were the whole world to unite for her
relief, all their attempts would be useless.
And for the same purpose, he adds,
I will kindle a fire which will
consume or devour
all his
cities. God calls slaughter, by a
metaphor, fire; for slaughter, like fire, raged so as to consume the whole
monarchy — not only the city, but also all the neighboring nations —
for the war reached even to Asia. Cyrus, as it is well known, passed over the
sea and depopulated Phrygia. In short, though victory might have been mild, yet
it was no doubt like fire, as it devoured all the neighboring nations. It
follows,—
|
JEREMIAH
50:33-34
|
|
33. Thus saith the Lord of hosts; the children
of Israel and the children of Judah were oppressed together: and all that took
them captives held them fast; they refused to let them go.
|
33. Sic dicit Jehova exercituum, Oppressi
fuerunt filii Israel et filii Jehudah pariter; et omnes qui captivos ceperunt
praevaluerunt contra ipsos, et renuerunt ipsos dimittere.
|
|
34. Their Redeemer is strong; the Lord of
hosts is his name: he shall thoroughly plead their cause, that he may give rest
to the land, and disquiet the inhabitants of Babylon.
|
34. Redemptor (inquit) eorum fortis, Jehova
exercituum nomen ejus; litem litigando litigabit, (hoc est, disceptando
disceptabit causam ipsorum,) ut terram ipsam reddat tranquillam, (ut alii
vetrunt, sed ego potius ita interpretor, ut terram scindat,) et contremiscere
faciat habitatores Babylonis.
|
Our Prophet returns again to his former subject
— that God, in destroying the Babylonian monarchy, would have a regard to
his chosen people. But the comparison made here is very important; for in the
first place, the Prophet refers to an occasion of diffidence and even of
despair, which might have closed up the way against all his prophecies. For this
objection might have always been made, “We are driven into exile,
we are in a far country, and in places distant from one another; it is the same
as though we were in another world, and we can hardly move a foot without our
conquerors being enraged against us.” Thus the Jews, according to the
aspect of things at that time, could not otherwise than despair of returning to
their own country. This, then, is the reason why the Prophet says here, by way
of concession, “It is, indeed, true that the children of Judah and
the children of Israel are oppressed with cruel tyranny:” as when we wish
to secure faith, we state what seems to be opposed to us, and then dissipate it;
so now the Prophet does in this place, as though he had said, “I
see what his own mind may dictate to every one, even that the children of
Judah, as well as the children of Israel, are held captive, and shut up by such
fastnesses that no way of escape is open to them.”
When he speaks of the children of Israel and of the
children of Judah, we must remember that the ten tribes had been led into exile,
and also that the whole kingdom had been destroyed; and at length, after a
considerable time, the Chaldeans took possession also of the kingdom of Judah.
Hence then it was, that both the Israelites and the Jews became subject to a
cruel oppression. He therefore adds,
They who led them captive have
prevailed, or, as some render the last
word, “have held them;” for
qzj,
chesek, means to hold, to lay hold; but the Prophet seems to mean another
thing, even that their conquerors so prevailed as securely to rule over them;
and hence it is added, they have
refused to let them go; and we learn the
same thing from the next verse, in which the strength and power of God is set in
opposition to the power of their enemies. As far as things appeared to men,
there was certainly no way of deliverance for the people. The Prophet then
concedes what might have taken away every hope from them.
But he immediately after removes this ground of
despair, and says, Their redeemer
is strong. He then sets this strong,
qzj,
chesek, in opposition to the verb used before, “prevailed”
or ruled, µb
wqyzjh, echesiku beem,
“prevailed” or domineered “over them,”
so that they were stronger. But now, on the other hand, he calls the
Redeemer of Israel
strong; for were you only to consider,
he seems to say, how great the power of Babylon is, you might despond; but can
God, in the meantime, do nothing? Is there any power on earth which can overrule
him? Since then their redeemer was strong, he would prove superior to the
Chaldeans.
He afterwards adds what is of the same import,
His name is Jehovah of
hosts; that is, neither Babylon nor all
other nations have so much power as can resist the infinite power of God, for he
is always like himself, and perfect; he is the God of hosts. He at length adds,
Their strife by litigating he
will litigate, or, by pleading he will
plead the cause of his people, even so as to
cut
off or destroy
the
land. The verb,
[gr,
rego, means indeed sometimes to rest, and so almost all give this
rendering, “so as to make to rest the land:” but as I take
“land” and “the inhabitants of Babylon” to be the same,
I doubt not but that this verb is to be taken here in its proper sense. Then it
is, so as to cut off or
destroy the
land,
fH72
and to make to tremble the
inhabitants of Babylon. He then speaks
of the Chaldeans in mentioning the land, and afterwards explains himself by
adding, the inhabitants of Babylon.
PRAYER
Grant, Almighty God, that, as thou hast
deigned once to take us under thy protection, we may always raise up our eyes to
thine infinite power, and that when we see all things not only confounded, but
also trodden under foot by the world, we may not yet doubt but that thy power is
sufficient to deliver us, so that we may perpetually call on thy name, and with
firm constancy so fight against all temptations, that we may at length enjoy in
thy celestial kingdom the fruit of our victory, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
— Amen.
LECTURE ONE HUNDRED AND EIGHTY
FOURTH
|
JEREMIAH
50:35
|
|
35. A sword is upon the Chaldeans,
saith the Lord, and upon the inhabitants of Babylon, and upon her princes, and
upon her wise men.
|
35. Gladius super Chaldaeos, et super
habitatores Babylonis, et super principes ejus, et super sapientes
ejus.
|
THE Prophet proceeds with the same subject, and
employs the same manner of speaking. He denounces war on the Chaldeans as a
celestial herald; and then that what he says might have more force and power, he
sets the Persians and the Medes before us in the act of assailing and destroying
Babylon. He therefore says now in general,
A sword on the
Chaldeans; and, secondly, he mentions
the inhabitants of
Babylon, for that city was the seat and
head of the kingdom, as it is well known; but as the power of that monarchy was
deemed by men unassailable, the Prophet adds, that though the chief men excelled
in counsel and strength, and in the art of war, yet a sword would be upon
them; and in the last place, that though Babylon had its diviners, their
knowledge would yet be in vain. He, indeed, uses an honorable name, yet he no
doubt refers to astrologers and soothsayers, and other kinds of prophets. For we
know that the whole nation was given to many superstitions; but they boasted
themselves to be the chief of all astrologers; and hence soothsayers, who
practice their impostures, are called Chaldeans, and it was formerly a common
designation.
Then the Prophet means, that neither power nor
warlike skill, nor knowledge of any kind, would be a defense to the Chaldeans,
nor the arts in which they gloried, even though they thought that they were
familiarly acquainted with God; for by the stars they were wont to divine
whatever was to be. It follows, —
|
JEREMIAH
50:36
|
|
36. A sword is upon the liars; and they shall
dote: a sword is upon her mighty men; and they shall be
dismayed.
|
36. Gladius super divinos ejus, et
infatuabuntur; gladius super fortes ejus, et conterentur (vel,
expavescent.)
|
He repeats the same thing, but in other words; and in
the first clause he mentions diviners whom he before called wise men; and he
calls them now by their true and proper name; for
µydb,
bedim, mean mendacious men as well as falsehoods. He then calls those now
impostors to whom he conceded before the name of wise men. But when he called
them wise men, he spoke according to the common opinion, and he was unwilling to
contend with the Chaldeans as to the character of their wisdom: he, however, at
the same time made known the impositions of those who boasted that they had a
familiar intercourse with God and angels, whilst they pronounced by the stars
what was to be.
fH73 That art itself is indeed worthy of
praise, were men to preserve moderation. But as the curiosity of men is
insatiable, so they wandered here and there, and overleaped all limits, and thus
perverted the whole order of nature. The Chaldeans, then, were not genuine, but,
on the contrary, spurious astrologers.
This is the reason why the Prophet calls them now
liars; for we have before seen, that it was a mere imposition, when the
Chaldeans held that the whole life of man is subject to the influence of the
stars. Hence he exhorted the faithful to fear no dangers from the stars. It is
then no wonder that the Prophet now charges all the diviners with falsehoods,
who yet proudly arrogated to themselves the name of wise men, they shall be
infatuated, he says. The verb
lay,
ial, means indeed to begin, but in Niphal it means to become
foolish, or to be infatuated.
fH74
Then he says,
The sword shall be on her valiant
men; whom before he called chief men or
princes,
µyrç,
sherim, he now calls strong,
µyrbg,
geberim, or those who excelled in valor. The amount of the whole is,
— that whatever wisdom Babylon arrogated to itself would become folly, and
that the valor in which it prided, would vanish away. For he says, that they
would be broken in
pieces. The verb
ttj,
chetat, means to be broken, but as we have elsewhere seen, it is often
applied to the mind, and then it means to dread, or to be terrified. He then
says, that the valiant would not be able to stand when the sword was upon them,
for they would become, as it were, lifeless, or, at least, they would become so
effeminate as to think of nothing but flight.
|
JEREMIAH
50:37
|
|
37. A sword is upon their horses, and
upon their chariots, and upon all the mingled people that are in the
midst of her; and they shall become as women; a sword is upon her
treasures; and they shall be robbed.
|
37. Gladins super equos ejus, et super currus
ejus, et super multitudinem ejus (aut, vulgus promiscuum;
br[
significat examen animalium sicuti apum, et transfertur etiam ad homines, et
tunc accipitur pro vulgo ignobili; super multitudinem ergo,) quae est
in medio ejus; erunt in mulieres (hoc est, erunt similes mulieribus;)
gladius super thesauros ejus, et spoliabuntur (expositi erunt in
praedam.)
|
The Prophet, indeed, changes the gender of the
pronouns, and seems to refer to the king; but there is no ambiguity in the
meaning, he then declares that the horses as well as the chariots would perish;
for the sword would consume all the things used in war. And at the beginning he
generally declared that destruction was nigh all the Chaldeans, so he repeats
the same now, on all the
promiscuous multitude, which is in the midst
of Babylon. He says that they would be without courage, for the Lord would
dishearten them by terror, as it will be hereafter stated again. Then he joins,
and on her treasures, and they
shall be a prey to enemies. It follows,
—
|
JEREMIAH
50:38
|
|
38. A drought is upon her waters; and
they shall be dried up: for it is the land of graven images, and they are
mad upon their idols.
|
38. Siccitas super aquas ejus et arescent;
quia terra sculptilium est, et iis idolis (proprie, in terroribus,
vel, terriculamentis) gloriantur (vel, insaniunt.)
|
Here the same word is used in a different sense: he
had often before used the word
brj,
chereb, “sword;” but now by changing only a point, he uses it
in the sense of waste, or drought.
fH75 But as he mentions waters, the Prophet,
no doubt, means drought; nor was it without reason that he mentioned this,
because the Euphrates, as it is well known, flowed near the city, and it was
also divided into many streams, so that there were many islands, as it were,
made by the skill and hand of men. Thus the city was in no ordinary way
fortified, for it was difficult of access, being on one side surrounded by so
large a river: it had also trenches full of water, and it had many channels. But
Cyrus, as Xenophon relates, when attempting to take the city, used the same
contrivance, and imitated those who had fortified Babylon, but for a different
purpose; for he diverted the streams, so that the river might be forded. Thus,
then, he dried up that great river, which was like a sea; so that Babylon was
taken with no great trouble. Cyrus, indeed, entered in by night, and
unexpectedly invaded Babylon, while they were securely feasting, and celebrating
a festival, as we find in the book of Daniel. However, the way by which Cyrus
contrived to take the city was, by dividing the Euphrates into many streams.
Hence it was, that the Prophet, in order that the Jews might see, as it were,
with their own eyes, spoke nothing without reason, having not only predicted the
slaughter and destruction of the city, but showed also the very way in which it
was done, as though the event had been portrayed before them.
The reason is added,
because it is the land of
carvings, or gravings. God, indeed, took
vengeance on Babylon for other things, as it has before appeared; but the
Prophet here speaks of carvings, that the Israelites might know that there is no
certain salvation anywhere else except in the one true God, who had revealed
himself to them. Jeremiah, in short, means, that when any country is destitute
of God’s help, though it may excel in arms, in number, in wealth, and in
wisdom, yet everything under heaven is of no avail without the blessing and
favor of God. He has spoken of princes and of wise men, and he has named
chariots, horses, and treasures, — all these have been mentioned for the
purpose I have just stated, even to show, that were we supplied with all that
may seem necessary to defend us, except God protected us, whatever the world may
offer would be all in vain; for we shall at length find, that without God
neither arms, nor chariots, nor wisdom nor counsel, nor any other helps, can
avail us anything.
It follows, that Chaldea
gloried in
images. The word
µymya,
aimim, means terrors, and giants are called by this name in
<050210>Deuteronomy
2:10, because they inspire terror by their aspect. But this name is no doubt
applied to images, because they are only bugbears, des epovantailz, as we
say in French.
fH76 As then they are mere scarecrows, which
only frighten children, they are called
µymya,
aimim. And he says, that they
gloried
in, or doted on them — for
llh,
elal, means both, in Hithpael, as it is found here. It means to
boast or to elate one’s-self, and also to be mad or to dote. Either sense
would not be unsuitable to this place; for the unbelieving gloried in their
idols, and at the same time were mad: yet the first meaning seems to me the
best, that they gloried in their
idols, as it is said in
<194707>Psalm
47:7,
“Let them perish who trust
in images and glory in them.”
Though the verb there is indeed different, yet the
meaning is the same.
It was not, indeed, without reason, that the Prophet
reproaches the Chaldeans, that they gloried in their idols, because they thereby
robbed God of his honor; for what is ascribed to idols is taken away from God.
He intimates, in short, that the Chaldeans would be justly punished as guilty of
sacrilege, because they had impiously transferred the glory of God to their own
idols. And this passage teaches us, that when God is purely worshipped among us,
and when true religion flourishes, it will be our best protection. We shall then
be more impregnable than if we had all the power and wealth of the world:
nothing can hurt us, if we give to God his due honor, and strive to worship him
in sincerity and truth. It now follows, —
|
JEREMIAH
50:39
|
|
39, Therefore the wild beasts of the desert,
with the wild beasts of the islands, shall dwell there, and the owls
shall dwell therein: and it shall be no more inhabited for ever; neither shall
it be dwelt in from generation to generation.
|
39. Propterea habitabunt aves
sylvestres cum bestiis sylvestribus, et habitabunt filae struthionum; nec
habitabitur amplius in seculum; non erit (inquam) in habitationem usque ad
aetatem et aetatem.
|
The birds of the forest with the
beasts of the forest, are rendered by
some, “the satyrs with the fairies;” but
µyya,
aiim, as well as
µyyx,
tsiim, are, on the contrary, birds or beasts of the forest. Some render
µyya,
aiim, “cats.” I hold no controversy as to these
words — let there be a free judgment to every one; but, as we have
elsewhere seen, the Prophet means birds and beasts of the forest, rather than
satyrs and fairies. Then he adds,
the daughters of the
ostriches, rendered by some “of
the owls;” but about this name also I will not contend. Some then render
hn[y,
ione, “owl,” and refinedly explain that
“daughters” are mentioned, because these birds forsake their
young, when they howl through want or famine; but this is fictitious. I then
take the daughters of the ostriches or of the owls, according to the usual
manner of the language, to mean the very birds
themselves. fH77
The Prophets usually speak thus, when they give no
hope. We have said before, that Babylon was not then so laid waste, but that men
dwelt there, who afterwards lived in great luxury; for the city, under Cyrus and
his son, was always populous; and then, after its revolt, it was again
inhabited; and when Alexander subdued Asia, Babylon was full of people, and
flourished in luxury and wealth; and when he died there, he left the city very
opulent. We hence, then, conclude, that what Jeremiah declares here, was not
immediately fulfilled. But as the light or moderate punishments which the
unbelieving suffer now are certain preludes of final and eternal destruction; so
the Prophets, when speaking of God’s vengeance, ever extend what they say
to the last overthrow; and this also appears more clearly from the next verse,
where it is said, —
|
JEREMIAH
50:40
|
|
40. As God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah, and
the neighbor cities thereof, saith the Lord; so shall no man abide
there, neither shall any son of man dwell therein.
|
40. Secundum subversionem Dei in
Sodomam et Gomorram et vicinos ejus, dicit Jehova, non habitabit illie vir, et
non morabitur in ea filius hominis.
|
This verse confirms and explains the previous verse.
But that the design of the Prophet may be more evident, we must remember what
Jude in his epistle (Jude 7) says, that the destruction of Sodom is as it were a
mirror in which we behold God’s vengeance on all the ungodly. God
overthrew Sodom; but he does not proceed in the same way with other lands and
nations; yet the same is the lot of all the unbelieving, of the despisers of
God, and reprobates; for they are exposed to his vengeance, which they
cannot escape, though it may be for a time suspended. When, therefore, the
Prophet says now that Babylon would be overthrown, as Sodom was overthrown, he
does not mean that this would be after seventy years, when taken by Cyrus and
Darius, nor when retaken after its revolt, nor when taken by Alexander; for it
remained a long time after this, even to the reign of Augustus Caesar. As, then,
it has been so, it follows that our Prophet does not speak of its first, second,
or third assault, but that he had in view what I have already stated, —
that when God summons the wicked to judgment, it is a certain prelude of eternal
and final destruction. His way with the godly is another; for though God may
sink them down to the grave, nay, to the center of the earth, yet hope is still
left them; hence their death is never like the destruction of Sodom. And to the
same purpose is what we have already quoted from Isaiah,
“Except a seed had been
left us, we should have been as Sodom, and like to Gomorrah.”
(<230109>Isaiah
1:9)
That exception shows the difference between
God’s children and the reprobate, even because he often delivers them from
ruin.
We now then understand the Prophet’s meaning
when he says that Babylon would become desolate and solitary, so that no
one would dwell there, nor
remain;
fH78 and that
from age to
age, or from generation to
generation.
Moreover, we learn from what is here said, that the
unbelieving are overwhelmed with despair even under the least punishment,
because they see nothing but the vengeance of God; for though God does not
immediately slay them, yet the least puncture denotes what impends over them;
nay, he inflicts a deadly wound when he seems only to touch them lightly. There
is then only one consolation, which can sustain us in our miseries, even to know
that we are separated from the Sodomites through the mercy of God alone; because
we have deserved the same destruction, and the Lord has spared us according to
his infinite goodness. This, then, is the meaning, It follows, —
|
JEREMIAH
50:41
|
|
41. Behold, a people shall come from the
north, and a great nation, and many kings shall be raised up from the coasts of
the earth.
|
41. Ecce populus veniet ab aquilone, et gens
magna, et reges multi (aut, validi) excitabuntur a lateribus
terrae.
|
The Prophet again shows whence destruction was to
come on the Babylonians. He does not indeed mention Cyrus, as Isaiah does
(<234428>Isaiah
44:28; 45:1), nor does he mention the Persians; but he evidently points out the
Medes, when he says that a people
would
come from the
north. He adds,
a great nation and many
or powerful
kings;
and lastly, from the sides of the earth. It is indeed certain that
the war was carried on under the banner and command of Cyrus and Darius. Cyrus
was the chief, but Darius, on account of his age, was deemed the king. To whom
then does Jeremiah refer, when he says
many
kings, if we so render the words? even
to the satraps or princes, of whom a great number Darius brought with him; for
Cyrus came from remote mountains, and from a barbarous nation; but the kingdom
of Darius was very wide. There is then no doubt but that he brought with him
many kings, who yet obeyed his authority. But we may take
µybr,
rebim, in the sense of being strong. However this may be, the Prophet
means that the Chaldeans would have to carry on war, not with one nation or one
king, but with many nations and with many kings, or certainly with mighty kings.
Hence he mentions the sides of the earth, by which phrase he reminds us
that the army would come, not from one country but from remote parts; and though
the distance might be great, yet the Prophet says, that they would all come
together to attack the Chaldeans.
We now see that what afterwards happened is
represented as in a picture, in order that the event itself might confirm the
Jews, not only in the truth announced by Jeremiah, but also in the whole law and
worship of God; for this prophecy was ratified to the faithful when they found
that Jeremiah, a faithful interpreter of the law, had thus spoken. And then his
doctrine availed also for another purpose, even that the people might know that
they rebelled against God when they obstinately resisted the holy Prophet; for
we know that they were extremely disobedient. They were then proved, by what
happened, to have been guilty of having contended with God in their pertinacious
wickedness and contempt. There was afterwards given them a sure ground of hope;
for as Jeremiah had spoken of the destruction of Babylon, so, on the other hand,
he had promised a return to the Jews. They had then reason to look for
restoration, when they saw fulfilled what Jeremiah had spoken.
By the word
raised,
he expresses something more than by the word
come:
he says that people would come, and adds, that they would be
raised
up or roused; he intimates that they
would not come of themselves, but by the hidden influence of God, because this
war was not carried on merely by men. Cyrus indeed, led by insatiable
avarice and ambition, was guided by his own inclination to undertake this war;
and he made no end of his cruelty, until he at length miserably died, for he
never ceased to shed innocent blood everywhere. But yet the Lord made use of
these kings and nations to destroy Babylon: they were in reality the scourges of
God, and accordingly he says, that they were
roused from the sides of the
earth, that is, from the most distant
places.
|
JEREMIAH
50:42
|
|
42. They shall hold the bow and the lance:
they are cruel, and will not show mercy: their voice shall roar like the
sea, and they shall ride upon horses, every one put in array, like a man
to the battle, against thee, O daughter of Babylon.
|
42. Arcum et scutum apprehendent, crudelis
ipse (hoc est, omnes erunt crudeles,) et non tangentur misericordia; vox
eorum tanquam mare sonabit (vel, tumultuabitur,) et super equos
ascendent; paratus est quisque tanquam vir (hoc est, parati erunt) ad
proelium contra to, filia Babylonis.
|
Jeremiah again speaks especially of armor, to
intimate that the Babylonians would not be able to sustain the assault of their
enemies. He then says that they would be armed with the bow and the
shield;
fH79 and adds, that they would be
cruel. It is certain that the Persians were very bloody; for it was a
barbarous nation; and where barbarity rules, there is no feeling of mercy. Cyrus
indeed wished to appear a magnanimous prince, and not a savage; but it is
sufficiently evident that he was very cruel, though Xenophon in his Life speaks
of him otherwise; but he is not a true historian, for he tells many false things
in favor of Cyrus. But when any one reads all that has been recorded, he will
readily find out that Cyrus was a barbarian, who delighted in slaughter and
carnage.
As to the Medes, they were given to luxuries, and
were not a warlike nation. Darius, however, brought with him many princes, those
whom he had overcome in uncultivated countries, and such as also possessed some
valor. Though, then, the king of the Medes was effeminate as well as his people,
yet he had with him many warlike men. And the same thing is expressed also by
Isaiah; and you ought to compare this prophecy with that of Isaiah
(<231317>Isaiah
13:17) for the two Prophets wholly agree, though Isaiah was dead when Jeremiah
uttered this prophecy and wrote it.
He says that
their voice
would be
tumultuous as the
sea, or would sound or roar as the sea,
when moved by some violent storm. And all these things were said, that the
Babylonians might know that all their defenses would Be of no avail, when God
should arm the Persians and the Medes for their destruction. For had that war
been carried on only by men, the Chaldeans would have never thought that their
enemies would be victorious; and doubtless they would have never been so, had
not the Lord roused them and determined by their means to execute vengeance on
the Chaldeans. He says that they would be
prepared as a man for
war. Interpreters do not seem to me to
understand the meaning of the Prophet; for though Jeremiah uses the word
“prepared” in the singular number, yet he speaks of the whole
people. But how does he say they would be prepared? even
like a
man. Here he sets forth the union of the
whole army, for they would all come to battle, like one man attacking his own
enemy. It is indeed difficult for the minds of all to be so directed in battle,
that they should unitedly attack an enemy and fight as it were with one hand,
and that they should not look on one another, and yet make an united assault.
This, then, is what the Prophet means when he says, that they would be
prepared
against the Chaldeans as one
man.
He then adds,
against thee, daughter of
Babylon. He intimates that they
would be not only sufficiently strong against ordinary enemies, but also
against the city itself. For had not this been added, Babylon would have ever
been considered as an exception; for it was deemed impregnable on account of the
multitude of men, the height and breadth of its walls, its towers, and all other
defenses. Now, then, God shows that though Babylon proudly exulted in its
forces, and thought itself exempt from every danger, yet the Persians and the
Medes would possess sufficient power by which they would easily overcome it.
What follows I cannot finish today; it is therefore better to stop
here.
PRAYER
Grant, Almighty God, that since thou
teachest us by the example of the ungodly to fear thy name, we may learn to
submit our necks to thy word, and willingly, and as it becomes us, submissively
to receive thy yoke, that while we strive to glorify thy name, being safe under
thy protection, we may disregard all the attacks of our enemies, and all the
assaults and onsets of Satan, who is the captain of all our enemies, until we
shall at length enjoy our victory in the celestial kingdom, through Christ our
Lord. — Amen.
LECTURE ONE HUNDRED AND EIGHTY
FIFTH
|
JEREMIAH
50:43
|
|
43. The king of Babylon hath heard the report
of them, and his hands waxed feeble: anguish took hold of him, and pangs,
as of a woman in travail.
|
43. Audivit rex Babylonis famam ipsorum, et
dissolutae sunt manus ejus; anxietas apprehendit (vel, corripuit) eum,
dolor tanquam parturientem.
|
THE Prophet means by these words, that as soon as the
report of war reached the Chaldeans, they would be so disheartened through fear
as to become like a conquered people. As they had subjected to themselves many
nations, they had acquired the name of being a warlike people; but the Prophet
declares here that they would have no courage, and that therefore there would be
no need of much valor to attack them, as they would of themselves give way and
flee. The sum of what is said is, that the Persians and the Medes would gain the
victory before they fought, for there would be no need of an attack, as their
enemies would flee as being without any courage.
The Prophet at the same time intimates that in
God’s hand are the hearts of men, as I have often said, so that they who
seem to excel in great boldness, melt as wax in a moment. For no doubt the
Chaldeans were not wanting in courage to fight until God had rendered them
effeminate, so that they took to flight through fear as soon as they heard the
report respecting their enemies. It is, indeed, true that this was not
immediately the case, for we know that they had long sustained a siege, and that
Belshazzar was slain in the night, while they were securely and joyfully
feasting as in the greatest quietness and peace; but they were at length taken,
so that they had neither wisdom nor confidence; for the king and his princes
were slain, and the city was in a moment taken, as though all the men were
turned into logs of wood or into statues of stone. It
follows,—
|
JEREMIAH
50:44
|
|
44. Behold, he shall come up like a lion from
the swelling of Jordan unto the habitation of the strong: but I will make them
suddenly run away from her: and who is a chosen man, that I may
appoint over her? for who is like me? and who will appoint me the time?
and who is that shepherd that will stand before me?
|
44. Ecce tanquam leo ascendet (ascondens) a
tumore Jordanis (ab altitudine, vel, elevatione, proprie,
ˆwag
etiam significat metaphorice superbiam) ad habitaculum forte, quum quiescere
fecero, (vel, postquam irruptionem fecero,) currere faciam eos ab ipsa;
et quis electus quem super eam praeficiam? Quis enim similis mei? et quis
contestabitur mecum? et quis ille pastor qui consistat coram me (vel, ad
faciem meam)?
|
We have explained nearly the same words in the last
chapter; for the Prophet not only used the same similitude respecting the
Humans, but also added all the words which are found here; nay, the Prophet
brings forward nothing new to the end of the chapter, but only repeats what we
have seen before.
He first compares either Darius or Cyrus to a lion,
who, at, the overflowing of Jordan, removes to another place. This passage, like
the former, is indeed variously explained. Some read, “for the
pride of Jordan.” But as it appears from other places that lions had their
dens near the banks of Jordan, I have no doubt but that the Prophet here
compares Cyrus to, a lion, forced to leave his own lair because of the
inundation of that river. We know how savage a beast is the lion; but, when he
is forced to change his dwelling and to move to another place, his fury rages
the more. It is the same, then, as though he had said, that not any sort of lion
would attack the Babylonians, but a lion furious through rage. He then adds,
to the strong
habitation. When he spoke of the
Idumeans, the allusion might have been to their country, which was elevated, and
they had also mountains as their fortresses. But as Babylon was also strongly
fortified, and nearly impregnable on account of fire various streams of the
Euphrates, what the Prophet says is also suitable, that a lion would
come, though there were hindrances which might impede his course; for
when a lion rambles, being not hungry nor forced by any necessity, he can turn
here and there as he pleases; but when rage drives and constrains him, he will
then surmount all obstacles. So also the Prophet says, that how confident soever
Babylon might be in its fortresses, yet Cyrus would break through them, for he
would be like a lion, who, at the overflowing of Jordan, removes
elsewhere, as he can no longer find his wonted dwelling.
We now perceive the meaning of the words, —
that the Babylonians would have to do, not with an idle but a terrible enemy,
and with one who would surmount all obstacles, as when fury excites a lion when
necessity drives him as it were headlong.
What follows is obscure. Some render the words thus,
“When I shall make Israel to rest, then I will make them to flee from
her.” In the former place
(<244919>Jeremiah
49:19), we read “him,” in the singular,
wnxyra,
aritsnu; but here the Prophet uses the plural number,
“them,”
µxyra,
aritsem; it is yet certain that the meaning is the same. Some, at the
same time, apply this to the Jews, that God would remove them from
Babylon, purposing to give them rest, that is, by dwelling securely in
their own country; but as there is no mention made here of his people, this view
is forced and far-fetched. I omit other explanations, for the meaning of the
Prophet seems to me to be simply this,
When I shall make an
irruption, or, after I shall have made
them rest, I will make them to
flee. He speaks, as I think, of the
Chaldeans; and the particle
yk,
ki, is to be taken as an adverb of time, when, or after. It
is, indeed, often a causative, but it has sometimes this
meaning.
Now, these two clauses may be thus explained:
When I shall make an
irruption, or, when I shall have made
them rest; for
[gr,
rego, means both to break and to rest. It is here in the active or
causative conjugation, in Hiphil. If, then, we read, “After
I shall have made them to rest,” the sense will be that the:
Babylonians had been long tranquil, as there was no one who infested them or
disturbed their peace; and we know that men having long rested in their idleness
and sloth, become almost stupefied, so that they are touched with no fear. God
then shows that the Babylonians were greatly mistaken, if they thought that the
rest which they had previously enjoyed would be perpetual; for he would make
them to flee from the city, though they had been long there in a tranquil state.
The other sense is by no means unsuitable, “When I shall
break,” or make an irruption, then all will flee away, that is, leave the
city, which was before like a paradise. There is still no doubt but that the
Prophet here denounces on the Babylonians a sudden overthrow, which would drive
the people here and there in all directions.
fH80
It now follows,
Who is the chosen
one
whom I shall set over her?
God here in a manner deliberates as to the
person whom he should make the leader of the war against the Chaldeans; and by
these words he intimates that there would be ready for him the best general, and
one especially active and also excelling in the art of war. And we know that
even the unwilling are made to serve God, when he employs the ungodly as his
scourges. In short, God shows that though the Babylonians might have brave
leaders and most skillful in war, there yet would be prepared leaders, to whom
he would commit the office of taking that city. And thus he teaches us at
the same time that men are ruled by his hand, so that he chooses them according
to his will and directs them to any work he pleases,
Who is the chosen
one, he says,
whom I shall set over her?
And he adds,
and who is like me?
Here the Prophet shows that the Babylonians in
vain trusted in their own defenses; for after having tried all things, they
would find that whatever was set up against God and his invincible power, would
be mere smoke. This sentence often occurs; and however common it may appear,
yet, if we examine ourselves, we shall find that the Holy Spirit does not so
often enforce it without reason; for after we have confessed that none is equal
to God or can add to his power, — as soon as any trial assails us, this
confession vanishes, and we tremble as though God was nothing, and had no power
to bring us help. Diffidence, then, which often creeps in when we are in
difficulties or dangers, sufficiently shows that we do not attribute to God the
praise due to his power. He does not then exclaim here, as in other places,
without reason, Who is like me?
as though he had said, that the Babylonians
would foolishly seek auxiliaries here and there; for when they had made the
utmost exertions, whatever they might think the most useful would all vanish
away, so that they would be destitute of all remedies.
He adds,
And who will protest against
me? Some give this frigid version,
Who will prescribe
to me the time? but they wholly pervert
the meaning of the Prophet; for God in this place declares, that men would in
vain contend or litigate with him. It is the same as if he had said,
“Though all men were to rise up against, me, yet I will not allow them to
litigate with me; and this they would also do in vain.” In short, God
intimates that men would in vain clamor against his judgments, for he would
nevertheless perform what he has decreed. He does not yet claim for himself that
absolute power about which the sophists prattle, while they separate it from
justice; but he intimates that the causes are not always manifest to men when he
executes his judgments; for it is not without reason that the Scripture
testifies that God’s judgments are a deep abyss; but by such an expression
it is not meant that anything in God’s judgments is confused or in
disorder, what then? even that God works in an extraordinary manner, and that
hence his judgments are sometimes hidden from men.
Then God briefly shows, that though the Babylonians
were to dispute, and start many objections, all this would be useless, because
he would execute what he had decreed, and that without
debating.
Let us then learn from these words, that when
God’s works have the appearance of being unreasonable, we ought humbly to
admire them, and never to judge them according to our computation; for God is
not to be judged by us. Therefore, as I have already said, we are then only
wise, when we humbly adore him in all his works, without disputing with him; for
when we adduce all possible things, he will close our mouth with one word, and
check all our presumption; nay, he will ever overcome us by being silent, for
his justice will always overthrow whatever may come to our minds. But we must
bear in mind what I have stated, that God never so acts by his absolute power as
to separate it from his justice; for this would be as it were to wound himself;
for these things are undivided, his power and justice, though justice often does
not appeal however this may be, his sole and simple will is to us the rule of
all justice.
It follows,
And who is that shepherd who will
stand before me? He alludes to the similitude
he had used, for he compared himself before to a lion. he says now, “Since
I shall go against Babylon like a lion, what shepherd will dare to oppose
me?” We see that there is to be understood a contrast, between a lion and
a shepherd; for God would be like a lion to destroy Babylon; hence, by pastor,
he denotes any adversary who might come forth to defend the Chaldean flock. It
follows, —
|
JEREMIAH
50:45
|
|
45. Therefore hear ye the counsel of the Lord,
that, he hath taken against Babylon; and his purposes, that he hath purposed
against the land of the Chaldeans; Surely the least of the flock shall draw them
out; surely he shall make their habitation desolate with them.
|
45. Propterea audite consilium Jehovae quod
consultavit contra Babylonem, et cogitationes quas cogitavit contra terram
Chaldaeorum; Si non traxerint eos parvuli gregis; si non perdiderint super eos
habitaculum.
|
The Prophet confirms his previous doctrine, and uses
an oath, for he had already spoken sufficiently at large of the destruction of
Babylon, and his words might seem otherwise superfluous, because the subject had
been explained with abundant clearness. But he introduces God here as making an
oath, for the particles, “if not,”
al
µa, am la, show the sentence to be
elliptical; and we know that this form of swearing is common in Scripture. Then
God swears, that the Babylonians were already given up to destruction, so that
even the least of the flock
would be superior to them.
But it is not without reason that the Prophet speaks
here of the counsel of God and of his thoughts; for we know that
men through their own vanity are held suspended or in doubt, so that they do not
firmly acquiesce in God’s word, at least they vacillate so as to have no
stability of faith. As, then, men think in themselves that possibly a thing may
happen otherwise than according to the words of the prophets, Jeremiah does here
meet such thoughts, and bids men to hear the counsel of God and
his thoughts. It is, indeed, a mode of speaking transferred from men,
when he speaks of the thoughts of God; for we know that God does not deliberate
on what he is about to do, as the case is with men. But this manner of speaking
so frequently occurs, that it ought to be familiar to us. However this may be,
he intimates that God did not in vain announce terror when speaking of Babylon,
but that the irrevocable decree was declared which God had formed. Hence he
says, that he had already taken counsel, so that men need not deliberate any
more, nor call into question his fixed decree, nor dispute concerning his
thoughts. There is, then, no reason for men to revolve things in themselves, and
to adopt different views; because events must be, he says, as I have predicted;
God then has commanded me to announce this prophecy as brought forth from his
counsel, which can by no means be changed. This is the reason why he mentions
God’s counsel and thoughts.
He adds,
If they shall not draw them
forth; some read, “cast them
out.” But
bjs,
sacheb, means to draw; and there is no doubt but that the Prophet denotes
by this verb contempt and reproach; as carcasses are drawn through the mud, or a
dead dog is drawn and cast into a river; so now, he says,
Draw forth the Babylonians shall
the least of the flock. But how can
these things agree together, that there was to be the choicest leader, and that
yet the least of the flock would be the conquerors? God intimates, that though
he would endow Cyrus with warlike valor, yet if it pleased him, there would be
means by which he could destroy the Babylonians, were he to send sheep or lambs
as their enemies. He means, in a word, that the Babylonians would be unwarlike,
when God deprived them of their courage.
If they will not upset over them
their tabernacle. Some read as though
the verb were
µwç,
shum, “If they will not set,” etc.; others derive the
word from
µçy,
ishem; but it comes rather from
µmç,
shemem;
If,
then, they will not upset
over them their tabernacle, that is,
when the Babylonians shall be laid prostrate, even their houses shall fall and
overwhelm them. In short, God sets forth here a final ruin, from which the
Babylonians could never be restored; for it is an evidence of hopeless despair,
when houses are upset, so that their masters are buried in their ruins. It
follows, —
|
JEREMIAH
50:46
|
|
46. At the noise of the taking of Babylon the
earth is moved, and the cry is heard among the nations.
|
46. A voce captae Babylonis contremuit terra,
et clamor in gentibus, (vel, per gentes,) auditus est.
|
This is to anticipate an objection; for many might
have said, “How can it be, that Babylon should thus fall, on whose
monarchy so many and so wide countries are dependent?” As, then, such an
event appearing so unreasonable, might occur to them, the Prophet meets the
objection, and answers by way of anticipation, that though the earth shook, yet
this would surely take place. He shows, at the same time, how great the calamity
would be, for it would, by its noise, make the whole world to tremble: it would
be thus better known how grievous was to be God’s vengeance on the
Babylonians; for it was not to be without the shaking of the whole earth. Now
follows, —
CHAPTER 51
|
JEREMIAH
51:1
|
|
1. Thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will raise
up against Babylon, and against them that dwell in the midst of them that rise
up against me, a destroying wind.
|
1. Sic dicit Jehova, Ecce, ego excitans contra
Babylonem, et contra habitatores cordis qui insurgunt contra me, venturn
corrumpentem (vel, dissipantem.)
|
He proceeds with the same subject. Jeremiah seems,
indeed, to have used more words than necessary; but we have stated the reason
why he dwelt at large on a matter so clear: His object was not only to teach,
for this he might have done in a few words, and have thus included all that we
have hitherto seen and shall find in the whole of this chapter; but as it was an
event hardly credible, it was necessary to illustrate the prophecy respecting it
with many figures, and to inculcate with many repetitions what had been already
said, and also to confirm by many reasons what no one hardly
admitted.
He then says,
Behold, I
will, etc. God is made the speaker, that
the word might have more force and power.
Behold,
he says, I will raise up a
destroying wind against the Chaldeans. The
similitude of wind is very appropriate, for God thus briefly reminded them how
easy it was for him to destroy the whole world even by a single blast. The wind
is, indeed, indirectly set in opposition to instruments of war; for when any one
seeks to overcome an enemy, he collects many and strong forces, and procures
auxiliaries on every side; in short, he will not dare to attempt anything
without making every possible preparation. As, then, men dare not attack their
enemies without making strenuous efforts, God here extols his own power, because
it is enough for him to raise up a wind. We now, then, perceive the
design of the similitude, when he says, that he would raise up a wind that would
destroy or scatter the Chaldeans.
In the following words there is an obscurity;
literally, they are, the
inhabitants of the heart; for as the
word
ybçy,
ishebi, is in construction, another word necessarily follows it, as
for instance, the country of the Chaldeans. But the relative,
h,
He, referring to Babylon, ought to have been put down. Yet as the words
occur, we are compelled to read, and
against the inhabitants of
the heart. Some will have the relative,
rça,
asher, to be understood, but that is harsh, for it is an unnatural mode
of speaking. They, however, give this rendering of
bl
rça, asher leb, “those
who in heart rose up against me.” But what if we read the words
inhabitants of the
heart metaphorically, as meaning those
who gloried in their own wisdom? for the Babylonians, as it is well known,
thought other men dull and foolish, and were so pleased with their own
astuteness, as though they were fortified by inclosures on every side. They
dwelt then in their own heart, that is, they thought themselves well fortified
around through their own wisdom. In this sense the Prophet seems to call the
Babylonians the inhabitants of
the
heart.
fH81
He adds, at the same time, that they
rose, up against
God, even because they had cruelly
treated his people, and nearly destroyed them. And we know that God undertook
the cause of his Church, and therefore complained that war was made on him by
the ungodly, whenever they molested the faithful. It is also at the same time
generally true, that all who arrogate to themselves wisdom rise up against God,
because they rob God of the honor due to him. But it ought properly to be
referred to the union which exists between God and his Church, when he charges
the Chaldeans, that they rose up against him. It
follows,—
|
JEREMIAH
51:2
|
|
2. And will send unto Babylon fanners, that
shall tan her, and shall empty her land: for in the day of trouble they shall be
against her round about.
|
2. Et mittam contra Babylonem ventilatores,
qui ventilent ipsam (ad verbum, et ventilabunt ipsam,) et exinanient
terram ejus (vel, spoliabunt;
qqb
enim significat proprie exinanire, evacuare, ut vulgo dicunt; et significat
etiam spoliare et proedari; qui ergo exinanient terram;) quia erunt
contra eam in circuitu in die mali (hoc est, in die
adversa.)
|
Here he explains himself more clearly, without the
metaphor he had used. He no longer uses the similitude of wind when he declares
that he would send
fanners.
At the same time some take
µyraz,
zarim, in the sense of aliens, who would banish her; but this would be
harsh. I then doubt not but that the Prophet alludes to the wind before
mentioned. He does not indeed continue that metaphor; but yet what he says
corresponds with it. Instead of wind he now mentions fanners, or winnowers; but
this cannot be understood except of enemies. A clearer explanation is still
found in the word empty, after having said that the Persians and the
Medes would fan or winnow Babylon. He compares her, no doubt, to chaff.
As then the chaff, when ventilated, falls on the ground, so he says a similar
thing would happen to the Babylonians.
But he adds,
And shall make empty her
land, that is, the land of Babylon. He
says that the whole country would be so plundered, that nothing would be left
remaining. And he confirms this declaration,
because they shall
be, he says, around her. By this
expression he intimates that there would be no escape for the
Chaldeans.
It often happens that men stealthily escape, when
pressed by their enemies; for though enemies may watch all passages, yet they
often do not find out all hiding-places. But the Prophet says, that their
enemies would so surround them, that the Chaldeans would not be able to take
with them anything which they might save from their enemies’ hands. He
adds, in the day of
evil. By this phrase he intimates again,
that the Chaldeans were already devoted by God to destruction. It is, then, the
same thing as though he had said, that as soon as her enemies came, it would be
all over with Babylon and the whole nation, — how so? for it would be the
day of her utter ruin. It follows, —
|
JEREMIAH
51:3
|
|
3. Against him that bendeth the archer
bend his bow, and against him that lifteth himself up in his brigandine:
and spare ye not her young men; destroy ye utterly all her
host.
|
3. Ad tendentem qui tendit arcum suum
˚rdy
est hic vox supervacua, qui tendit igitur arcum suum,) et
(copula hic abundat;) ne parcatis electis ejus, interficite omnem
exercitum ejus.
|
Interpreters give various expositions of this verse.
Some understand a soldier of light armor by
him who bends the
bow; and by him who
elevates himself in his coat of
mail, they understand a heavy-armed,
soldier, There is also another difference; some take
la,
al, for
al,
la, when it is said l[ty
law, veal itol, because a copulative
follows; and the words seem not to be well connected, if we read thus, “As
to him who raises himself up in his coat of mail, and spare ye not,”
etc.; and hence they take negatively the particle
la,
al, instead of
al
la, “and he may not raise up himself in his coat of mail.”
But it is probable that the copulative in the second place is redundant The
simple meaning would therefore be,
As to him who bends the bow, and
who raises himself up in his coat of
mall.
fH82
I do not, indeed, give such a refined interpretation
as some do, respecting the light and heavy armed soldiers. I doubt not, then,
but that he points out the archers, and those clad in mail. If, however, any one
prefers the other explanation, let him enjoy his own opinion. As to the main
point, it is evident that the Prophet exhorts the Persians and the Medes not to
spare the young men among the Chaldeans, but to destroy their whole army, so
that no part of it should be left remaining.
PRAYER
Grant Almighty God, that since thou wert
formerly so solicitous respecting the salvation of thy people as to undertake
war, for their sake, against a most powerful nation, — O grant, that we
also, at this day, may know, that we shall be safe and secure under the
protection of thy hand, and that we may so experience thy power, that there may
be to us a just reason for glorying in thee, and that our enemies may be
confounded, in order that thy glory may shine forth more and more, and that the
kingdom of thine only-begotten Son may also be thus promoted. —
Amen.
LECTURE ONE HUNDRED AND EIGHTY
SIXTH
|
JEREMIAH
51:4
|
|
4. Thus the slain shall fall in the land of
the Chaldeans, and they that are thrust through in her
streets.
|
4. Et cadent vulnerati in terra ejus (in terra
Casdin) et transfixi (vel, confossi) in compitis ejus.
|
HE proceeds with what we began yesterday to explain,
— that the time was nigh when God would take vengeance on the Babylonians.
As, then, this could not be without great destruction in a city so very
populous, and as it could not be overthrown except calamity extended itself
through the whole country, hence, he says, that though Babylon should prepare
great and powerful armies, it would yet be in vain, because
they shall
fall, he says,
wounded everywhere in the
land; and then he adds,
and pierced through in her
streets. By these words he means, that
the Chaldeans would be slain not only in the open fields, but also in the midst
of the city. he afterwards adds, —
|
JEREMIAH
51:5
|
|
5. For Israel hath not been
forsaken, nor Judah of his God, of the Lord of hosts; though their land was
filled with sin against the Holy One of Israel.
|
5. Quoniam non viduatus est Israel, et Jehudah
a Deo suo, a Jehova exercituum; quin potius (eadem est particula
yk
causalis, quae tamen hic phes aliquid exprimit, ergo quin potius)
terra ipsorum plena est peccato propter sanctum Israel.
|
The Prophet shows here the cause why God had resolved
to treat the Babylonians with so much severity, even because he would be the
avenger of his own people. He also obviates a doubt which might have disturbed
weak minds, for he seemed to have forsaken his people when he suffered them to
be driven into exile. As this was a kind of repudiation, as we have seen
elsewhere, the Prophet says now, that
Israel
had not been
wholly widowed, nor Judah, by his
God; as though he had said, that the
Jews and the Israelites were indeed, for a time, like widows, but this was not
to be perpetual. For, as we have said, the divorce was temporary, when God so
forsook his Temple and the city, that the miserable people was exposed to
plunder. As long, then, as the will of their enemies prevailed, God seemed to
have forsaken his people. It is of this widowhood that the Prophet now speaks;
but he yet testifies that Israel would not be wholly widowed by Jehovah his
God.
He indeed alludes to that spiritual marriage, of
which frequent mention is made; for God had, from the beginning, united the
Church to himself, as it were, by a marriage-bond; and the people, as it is well
known, had been so received into covenant, that there was contracted, as it
were, a spiritual marriage. Then the Prophet now says, that they were not
widowed; in which he refers to the hope of deliverance; for it could not have
been denied but that God had repudiated his people. But he shows that their
chastisement would not be perpetual, because God would at length reconcile to
himself the people from whom he had been alienated, and would restore them to
the ancient condition and honor of a wife. He speaks of both
kingdoms.
Then he adds,
by Jehovah of
hosts. By this title he sets forth the
power of God, as though he had said, that as God is faithful in his promises,
and constantly keeps his covenant, so he is not destitute of power, so as not to
be able to save his people and to rescue them, when it pleases him, from death
itself. He confirms this truth, when he says, for
the land
of the Chaldeans
is filled with sin on account of
the Holy One of Israel, as though he had
said, that the land was abominable, because it carried on war against God.: For
when he speaks of the Holy One of
Israel, he shows that God had such a
care for his people that he was prepared, when the suitable time came, to show
himself as their avenger. We now perceive what the Prophet means when he says,
that Chaldea was filled with
sin, even because it provoked God when
it thought that the wrong was done only to men.
fH83 It follows, —
|
JEREMIAH
51:6
|
|
6. Flee out of the midst of Babylon, and
deliver every man his soul: be not cut off in her iniquity; for this is the time
of the Lord’s Vengeance; he will render unto her a
recompence.
|
6. Fugite e medio Babylonis, et servate
quisque animam suam, (vel, eripite,) ne excidamini (vel, pereatis) in iniquitate
ejus; quia tempus hoc ultionis Jehova, mercedem ipse rependet
ei.
|
He goes on with the same subject, but illustrates it
by various figures; for otherwise he would not have penetrated into the hearts
of the godly. Were any at this day to predict the destruction of Rome, it could
hardly be believed; and yet we know that it has in our life been stormed, and
now it hangs as it were by a thread, though hitherto it has been supported and
fortified by the greatest forces. But the dignity of the city so confounded the
minds of men, that it was hardly credible that it could have been so soon
subverted. How, then, was it possible for such a thing to have happened at that
time? for Babylon was the mistress of the East. The Assyrians had previously
possessed the empire; but they had been subdued, and had, as it were, been
brought under the yoke. As, then, Babylon now flourished in power so great and
invincible, Jeremiah seemed to be labeling when he spoke of its approaching
destruction. It was hence necessary that what he said should be confirmed, as it
is now done. And so he now turns to foreigners and guests, and exhorts them to
flee lest they should perish in the accursed city.
Flee,
he says, from the midst of
Babylon. But there was then no safer
place in the land; for had all the regions of the world been shaken, yet Babylon
would have been deemed beyond any danger. But he says that all guests were to
flee from the midst of it, if they wished to save their lives. Then he adds,
lest ye perish in her
iniquity. He assigns a reason why those
who then dwelt in Babylon could not be safe except they fled, even because God
was about to punish the city for its iniquities. He then sets the iniquity of
Babylon in opposition to the multitude of its men, as well as to its wealth and
defenses, and other means of strength. Babylon was populous; it might also be
aided by many auxiliaries; and there were ready at hand those who might hire
their services. As, then, there was nothing wanting to that city, the Prophet
here shows that wealth and abundance of people, and all other helps would be of
no moment, because it was God’s will to punish her iniquity. This is the
reason why Jeremiah now says,
lest ye perish in her
iniquity; that is, “do not
mingle with those ungodly men whom God has given up to
destruction.”
And for the same purpose he adds,
For it is the time of the
vengeance of Jehovah. Here, again, he
obviates an objection; for as God had suspended his judgment, no one thought it
possible that a fire could so soon, and, as it were, in a moment be kindled to
destroy Babylon. Then the Prophet says, that it was
the
time; by which he intimates, that though
God does not immediately execute his judgments, yet he does not he down as it
were idly, so as to forget what he has to do, but that he has his own times. And
this doctrine deserves to be noticed, because through our intemperate zeal we
make much ado, except God brings us help as soon as we are injured; but if he
delays even a short time, we complain and think that he has forgotten our
welfare. And even saints, in depositing familiarly their cares and anxieties in
his bosom, speak thus,
“Arise, O Lord, why sleepest
thou”
(<194423>Psalm
44:23)
As, then, we are by nature inclined to impatience, we
ought to observe what Scripture so often inculcates, even this — that God
has his certain and fixed times for punishing the wicked. Hence Jeremiah now
teaches us, that the time of
God’s vengeance was
come.
He then adds,
A reward will he render to
her; as though he had said, that though
Babylon would not have to suffer punishment immediately, yet she would not
escape from God’s hand, for the reward which God would render her was
already prepared. And this doctrine arises from a general principle, that God
will ever render to every one his just reward. We now, then, perceive the design
of the Prophet.
We have said that the words were addressed to the
strangers and the guests who were in Chaldea, or in the city Babylon.
They then pervert this passage, who think that the faithful are here
exhorted immediately to depart from Babylon, That is, to withdraw themselves
from superstitions and the defilements of the world; for the Prophet means no
such thing. A passage might, however, be made from one truth to another. It now
follows, —
|
JEREMIAH
51:7
|
|
7. Babylon hath been a golden cup in
the Lord’s hand, that made all the earth drunken: the nations have drunken
of her wine; therefore the nations are mad.
|
7. Calix aureus Babylon in manu Jehovae,
inebrians totam terram; e vino ejus biberunt gentes, propterea insanierunt
gentes.
|
Here again he anticipates an objection which might
have been made; for we know that the kingdoms of the world neither rise nor
stand, except through the will of God; as, then, the Prophet threatens
destruction to Babylon, this objection was ready at hand. “How comes it,
then, that this city, which thou sayest is accursed, has hitherto so greatly
flourished? for who hath honored Babylon with so great dignity, with so much
wealth, and with so many victories? for it has not by chance happened that this
monarchy has been elevated so high; for not only all Assyria has been brought,
under its yoke, but also the kingdom of Israel, and the kingdom of Judah is not
far from its final ruin.” To this the Prophet answers, and says, that
Babylon was a cup in God’s
hand to inebriate the earth; as though
he had said, that God was by no means inconsistent with himself when he employed
the Babylonians as his scourges, and when he now chastises them in their turn.
And he shows also, that when things thus revolve in the world, they do not
happen through the blind force of chance, but through the secret judgments of
God, who so governs the world, that he often exalts even the ungodly to the
highest power, when his purpose is to execute through them his
judgments.
We now, then, understand the design of this passage;
for otherwise what the Prophet says might seem abrupt. Having said that the
time of God’s
vengeance had already come, he now adds,
A golden cup is in God’s
hand; — to what purpose was
this added? By what has been stated, it appears evident how aptly the words run,
how sentences which seem to be wide asunder fitly unite together; for a doubt
might have crept in as to this, how could it be that God should thus bestow his
benefits on this city, and then in a short time destroy it. As, then, it seems
unreasonable that God should vary in his doings, as though he was not consistent
with himself, the Prophet on the other hand reminds us, that when such changes
happen, God does in no degree change his purposes; for he so regulates the
government of the world, that those whom he favors with remarkable benefits, he
afterwards destroys, they being worthy of punishment on account of their
ingratitude, and that he does not without reason or cause use them for a time as
scourges to chastise the wickedness of others. And it is for this reason, as I
think, that he calls it a golden
cup; for God seemed to pour forth his
benefits on the Babylonians as with a full hand. When, therefore, the splendor
of that city and of the monarchy was so great, all things were there as it were
golden.
Then he says, that it was
a golden
cup, but
in the hand of
God. By saying that it was in
God’s hand, he intimates that the Babylonians were not under the
government of chance, but were ruled by God as he pleased, and also that their
power, though very great, was yet under the restraint of God, so that they did
nothing but by his permission, and even by his command.
He afterwards adds how God purposed to carry this cup
in his hand, a cup so splendid as it were of gold; his will was that it should
inebriate the whole
earth. These are metaphorical words; for
the Prophet speaks here, no doubt, of punishments which produce a kind of fury
or madness. When God then designed to take vengeance on all these nations, he
inebriated them with evils, and this he did by the Babylonians. For this reason,
therefore, Babylon is said to have been the golden cup which God extended with
his own hand, and gave it to be drunk by all nations. This similitude has also
been used elsewhere, when Jeremiah spoke of the Idumeans,
“All drank of the cup, yea,
drank of it to the dregs, so that they were inebriated,”
(<244912>Jeremiah
49:12)
He there also called the terrible punishment that was
coming on the Idumeans the cup of fury. Thus, then, were many nations inebriated
by the Babylonians, because they were so oppressed, that their minds were
infatuated, as it were, with troubles; for we know that men are stupefied with
adversities, as though they were not in a right mind. In this way Babylon
inebriated many nations, because it so oppressed them that they were reduced to
a state of rage or madness; for they were not in a composed state of mind when
they were miserably distressed.
fH84
To the same purpose is what is added:
The nations who drank of her cup
became mad. Here he shows that the punishments
were not ordinary, by which divers nations were chastised by the Babylonians,
but such as deprived them of mind and judgment, as it is usually the case, as I
have just said, in extreme evils.
Moreover, this passage teaches us, that when the
wicked exercise their power with great display, yet God overrules all their
violence, though not apparently; nay, that all the wicked, while they seem to
assume to themselves the greatest license, are yet guided, as it were, by the
hand of God, and that when they oppress their neighbors, it is done through the
secret providence of God, who thus inebriates all who deserve to be punished. At
the same time, the Prophet implies, that the Babylonians oppressed so many
nations neither by their own contrivance, nor by their own strength; but because
it was the Lord’s will that they should be inebriated: otherwise it would
have greatly perplexed the faithful to think that no one could be found stronger
than the Babylonians. Hence the Prophet in effect gives this answer, that all
the nations could not have been overcome, had not the Lord given them to drink
the wine of fury and madness. It follows, —
|
JEREMIAH
51:8
|
|
8. Babylon is suddenly fallen and destroyed:
howl for her; take balm for her pain, if so be she may be
healed.
|
8. Subito cecidit Babylon et confracta est;
ululate super eam; tollite resinam (alii, balsamum) ad dolorem
ejus, si forte sanetur.
|
The Prophet now declares that the fall of Babylon
would be sudden, that the faithful might understand that God could accomplish in
one moment what he had decreed. For when the prophets spoke of God’s
judgments, the people questioned among themselves, how could that be which
surpassed the common ideas of men. That men, therefore, might not estimate
God’s power according to their own thoughts, he introduces this word,
suddenly;
as though he had said, that God had no need of warlike forces; for though he
makes no preparations, yet he can subvert every power that exists in the
world.
He then adds,
Howl for
her; and this is said, because it could
not be but that many nations would either bewail the ruin of so great a monarch,
or be astonished at her, and thus many things would be said. He then says, that
though the whole world were to howl for Babylon, it would yet fall and be
suddenly broken, whenever it pleased God. And he says, by way of irony,
Take balm, if peradventure it can
be healed. The word
yrx,
tsari, is, by some, rendered balsam, but it means rosin, for we
know that it was deemed precious in Judea; and the Prophet no doubt accommodated
what he said to what was commonly known. As then that medicament was in common
use among the Jews, he now says,
Take
rosin. As there is hardly any country
which has not its peculiar remedies; so we see that Jeremiah refers not to what
was usually done at Babylon, or to medicaments used by the Chaldeans, but to
what was commonly used in his own country, as it appears from other places. Now
rosin was a juice which flowed from trees, and it was a thick juice. The best
rosin which we now use is from the terebinth; but in these parts they have what
proceeds from the fir, for here the terebinth is not found. But Judea had a most
valuable rosin, as we learn from many parts of Scripture. And under this one
thing is included everything, Take rosin; as though he had said,
“Let physicians come together (otherwise she will perish) from
every place, if peradventure she can be healed.” This is
said ironically, that the faithful might know that the diseases of Babylon would
be incurable.
We have said elsewhere, that Babylon was not wholly
demolished when taken by Cyrus, and that the people were not then driven away.
They dwelt there as usual, though made tributary, as they were afterwards, under
the dominion of the Persians. Babylon was also grievously oppressed, when
punished for its revolt, until what Jeremiah and others prophesied was
fulfilled. Then the time of which he speaks ought not to be confined to one
calamity only, which was only a prelude to others still greater. He afterwards
adds, —
|
JEREMIAH
51:9
|
|
9. We would have healed Babylon, but she is
not healed: forsake her, and let us go every one into his own country; for her
judgment reacheth unto heaven, and is lifted up even to the
skies.
|
9. Curavimus Babylonem (idem est quidera
verbum,
apr,
quod significat sanare et mederi, quia non semper est in medico relevetur ut
oeger, nec semper foeliciter succedit, ideo dicit Propheta, medicati sumus, vel,
remedia attulimus ad curandum Babylonem,) et non sanata fuit; derelinquite eam,
et proficiseamur quisque in terram suam; quia pertigit ad coelos judicium ejus,
et elevatum est usque ad nubes.
|
The Prophet assumes different characters; he speaks
here in the person of those who of themselves brought help to the Babylonians.
And many, no doubt, would have been ready to assist them, had King Belshazzar
wished to accept aid; and we know also, that the city had a large army. He
compares, then, the nations subject to the Babylonians, and also the hired and
foreign soldiers, to physicians, as though he had said, “Babylon has been,
with great care, healed.” As when a great prince is taken ill, he sends
here and there for the best and most skillful physicians; but when the disease
is incurable, they all strive in vain to save his life: so now the Prophet
speaks, using a metaphor; but he speaks in the person of those who either had
set to hire their services, or had come from a sense of duty to heal Babylon.
“See,” they said, “the fault is not with us, for
we have faithfully and carefully done our best to heal her, but she has not been
healed.”
He then adds,
Leave her, and let us depart,
every one to his own land. This was the
language of foreign soldiers and mercenaries. When they saw that the safety of
the city was hopeless, they began to counsel one another, “What do
we? Ought we not rather to consult our own safety? for our efforts are wholly
useless. It is then time for every one to return to his own country, for the end
of Babylon is come.” But the change of person has much more force than if
the Prophet had spoken thus, “The time shall come when the auxiliaries
shall flee away, for they will see that it would be all in vain to defend
her.” But when he compares them to physicians, this similitude more fully
illustrates the case; and then when he speaks in their person, this renders what
is said still more emphatieal.
He at length adds,
For her judgment has reached to
the heavens, and has
been elevated to the
clouds. Jeremiah could not have properly
addressed what he said to the unbelieving, if you explain this of God being
adverse and hostile to the Babylonians; for it never occurred to the hired
soldiers,
that Babylon perished through the just judgment of
God. But the Prophet, according to a usual mode of speaking, says,
Her judgment
(that is, her destruction)
reached to the heavens, and has
been elevated to the clouds; that is, no
aid shall be found under heaven, which can deliver Babylon, — how so?
because it will be the same as though destruction came from heaven itself, and
from the clouds. For when danger is nigh either from behind or from before us,
we can turn aside either to the right hand or to the left, so that we may escape
the evils which men may bring on us: but when heaven itself seems to threaten
our heads, then an escape is attempted in vain. This then is the reason why the
Prophet says that the judgment of Babylon had reached to the heavens and had
been elevated to the clouds.
fH85 It follows, —
|
JEREMIAH
51:10
|
|
10. The Lord hath brought forth our
righteousness: come, and let us declare in Zion the work of the Lord our
God.
|
10. Eduxit (vel, protulit; egredi
fecit, ad verbum) Jehova justitias nostras: venite et narremus in Sion
opus Jehovae, Dei nostri.
|
The Prophet here addresses the faithful, and
especially shows, that the ruin of Babylon would be a sure evidence of
God’s paternal favor towards his Church. And it was no common consolation
to the faithful, in their extreme miseries, to know, that so dear and precious
to God was their salvation, that he would by no means spare the Babylonians,
whom the whole world regarded as half gods; for, as I have said, the power of
that monarchy filled the minds of men with astonishment. When the faithful,
then, knew that the Babylonians were to perish, because they had oppressed and
cruelly treated them, an invaluable consolation, as I have said, must hence have
been conveyed to them. The Prophet then reminds us here, that it would be a
singular testimony as to God’s favor to his Church, when he subverted
Babylon, and he also exhorts the faithful to gratitude: for it is the design of
all God’s benefits, that his name may be celebrated by us, according to
what David says:
“What shall I render to the Lord
for all the benefits which he has bestowed on me? The cup of salvation will I
take and call on the name of the Lord.”
(<19B612>Psalm
116:12, 13.)
He then says, first,
Brought forth hath Jehovah our
righteousness. Here, some anxiously toil
to untie a knot, where there is none; for fearing lest the word, righteousness,
should be laid hold on for the purpose of setting up merits, they say that
righteousness is the remission of sins. Then they thus explain the words of the
Prophet,” God has at length unfolded his mercy towards us, and it is our
righteousness when all our iniquities are buried.” But this is forced.
When the Prophet speaks here of righteousnesses, he does not mean the merits by
which the Jews were to obtain what had been promised to them; but
righteousnesses he calls their good cause with regard to the Babylonians. For
righteousness has various meanings; and when a comparison is made between men,
God is said to bring forth our righteousness, when he vindicates our integrity
from the calumnies of the wicked. So Jacob said,
“The Lord will bring forth my
righteousness as the
dawn.”
(<013033>Genesis
30:33)
But in this sense our righteousness has a reference
to our adversaries. So whenever David asked of God to regard his righteousness,
he no doubt compared himself with his enemies. And righteousness here is to be
taken simply with reference to the Babylonians. For though God had punished the
Jews as they deserved, yet as to the Babylonians they were cruel
tyrants and wicked robbers. The cause, then, of the chosen people was just, with
regard to them. This is the reason why he says, that God
brought forth
their
righteousnesses
The rest to-morrow.
PRAYER
Grant, Almighty God, that since thou
didst formerly put forth thy wonderful power, to help thy miserably afflicted
people, — O grant, that at this day the same power may be put forth in our
behalf, and that the same evidence of thy grace and paternal favor may be shown
to us, by raising up thy terrible hand to destroy all the ungodly who cruelly
oppress thine innocent people, that being delivered by thine hand, we may learn
ever to give thanks to thee, in the name of thine only-begotten Son. —
Amen.
LECTURE ONE
HUNDRED AND EIGHTY SEVENTH
WE began yesterday to explain the words of the
Prophet, when he says, that the
righteousnesses
of the people had been brought to light; and we
said, that the word righteousnesses does not refer to God, as though the Jews
had deserved a reward, but is, on the contrary, to be understood of a just cause
as to the Chaldeans, who, being impelled by avarice and pride alone, had made
war against the Church, and without any right, had tyrannically oppressed the
people. As far, then, as it was God’s will to defend his people, it was a
just cause. Nor is there any need of having here, a long dispute respecting
this, — how could the people be just, who had, by so many iniquities,
provoked the wrath of God; for, as we have already said, he does not treat now
of their merits, but. of a right which depended on the faithfulness and
protection of God.
The Prophet now exhorts the faithful to gratitude; he
would have them at the same time to rise up to the hope of deliverance, and to
cherish the promises which he had given them, when he says, Come, as
though he would set before their eyes the gift of redemption. He also shows the
end, even that the people were to celebrate the grace of God, as though he had
said, that the people, after having obtained mercy, ought to have this in view,
to worship God again in his Temple; as though he had said, that when God
restored his Church, his pure and true worship should, at the same time, be
restored; for the design of his grace is religion, and not the honor or dignity
of the people. This is the reason why he says,
Come and let us declare in Sion
the work of Jehovah our God. Now, when
Peter treats of a better redemption, he says, that those who are delivered from
the kingdom of darkness ought to set forth the unspeakable praises of God.
(<600209>1
Peter 2:9.) We must then understand, that God has appeared to us as a Redeemer,
in the person of his only-begotten Son, in order that we may celebrate his
mercy, which we have experienced, according also to what is said in the song of
Zacharias,
“He delivered us from the
hand of our enemies, that we may all our life worship him in holiness.”
(<420174>Luke
1:74, 75)
It now follows, —
|
JEREMIAH
51:11
|
|
11. Make bright the arrows; gather together
the shields: the Lord hath raised up the spirit of the kings of the Medes: for
his device is against Babylon, to destroy it; because it is the
vengeance of the Lord, the vengeance of his temple.
|
11. Polite sagittas (parate, ad
verbum,) implete (vel, perficite) clypeos; suscitat Jehova
spiritum regum Mediae, quia super Babylonem cogitatio ejus ad perdendum
eam, quia ultio Jehovae haec, ultio Templi ejus.
|
These words might have been addressed to the Medes as
well as to the Babylonians. If the latter meaning be approved, that is, that the
Prophet addresses the Babylonians, the words are a taunt, as though he had said,
that they were to no purpose spending their labors in preparing their armies,
because God would be stronger than they, and that the Medes would carry on war
under his banner and authority. Nor would what I have also stated, be
unsuitable, that is, that the Prophet bids the Medes to prepare themselves and
to put on their arms, that they might fight courageously against the
Babylonians. fH86
He now adds the main thing, — that the
kings of the Medes would come
against Babylon, because they had been
called from above; and he mentions the word
spirit,
that he might more fully express that men’s minds are ruled and turned
by the secret power of God, and also that whatever power or boldness is found in
them, proceeds altogether from God; as though he had said, that God would so
prepare the Medes and the Persians, that he would not only strengthen their
arms, hands, and feet, for the war, but would also lead them, and overrule their
passions — that he would, in short, turn their spirit here and there,
according to his will. He does not now speak of the wind, as before; nor does he
point out the enemies generally, but expressly names the Medes. For though
Cyaxares, or Darius, as he is called by Daniel, was not a very prudent man, nor
skillful in war, yet, as he was higher in dignity, the Prophet here mentions the
Medes rather than the Persians. Cyrus excelled in celerity, and was also a man
of singular wariness, activity, and boldness: but as he was by no means wealthy,
and ruled over a rustic nation, and the limits of his kingdom were confined, the
Prophet rightly speaks here of the Medes only, whose power far exceeded that of
the Persians.
But we hence learn, that Jeremiah did not speak as a
man, but was the instrument of the Spirit; for it was an indubitable seal to his
prophecy, that he predicted an event a long time before the war took place.
Cyrus was not yet born, who was the leader in this war: nor was Darius as yet
born; for seventy years elapsed from the time the Prophet spoke to the taking of
Babylon. We then see that this passage is a sure proof of his faithfulness and
authority.
He afterwards adds, that God’s
thought respecting Babylon
was
to destroy
her. He still speaks after the manner of
men, and at the same time obviates an objection which might have disturbed weak
minds, because Babylon not only remained safe and secure for a long time, but
also received an increase of power and dignity. The minds then of the godly
might have desponded, when there seemed to be no accomplishment of this
prophecy. Hence the Prophet calls attention to the thought of God, as
though he had said, that though God did not immediately put forth his hand, if,
was yet enough for the faithful to know what he had decreed. in short, the
Prophet reminded, them, that they ought to acquiesce in God’s decree,
though his work was yet hid.
And he again confirms the Jews, by adding, that it
would be his vengeance, even that of God, because he disregarded not his
Temple. By these words he intimates that the worship, according to the
law, was pleasing to God, because the Jews became a distinct people from heathen
nations, when the rule as to religion was prescribed to them. Then the Prophet
intimates, that though any sort of religion pleased men, there is yet but one
which is approved by God, even that which he himself has commanded. The case
being so, we may conclude, that God cannot long endure his worship to be scoffed
at. For we know how scornfully and proudly the Chaldeans spoke of the Temple, so
that they not only uttered blasphemies, but also heaped every reproach they
could think of on the Temple. Since that religion was founded on God’s
word, it follows that it could not be but that he must have at length risen and
vindicated the wrongs done to him by the Chaldeans. We now perceive the meaning
of the Prophet, when he says, that it would be the
vengeance of
God; and he adds,
because God will avenge his
temple. He confirms the Jews, when he
declares that God would be the vindicator of his own worship; and he, at the
same time, shows, that the worship according to the law, which had been taught
by Moses, was the only worship in the world which God approved. It afterwards
follows, —
|
JEREMIAH
51:12
|
|
12. Set up the standard upon the walls of
Babylon, make the watch strong, set up the watchmen, prepare the ambushes: for
the Lord hath both devised and done that which he spake against the inhabitants
of Babylon.
|
12. Super muros Babylonis tollite vexilium,
roborate custodiam (vel, augete,) parate (vel, statuite,
potius) custodes, disponite insidias; quia etiam cogitavit Jehova, etiam
fecit quod loquutus est super habitatores Babylonis.
|
These words seem to have been addressed to the
Chaldeans rather than to the Medes or the Persians, as some expound them; for
this is favored by the context; for as he bids them first to raise a standard on
the walls, so he adds, Increase
the watch, which refers to the citizens
of Babylon, and then he says, set
the watchmen. All this cannot apply to
the Persians and the Medes, but must be referred to the besieged, as being most
suitable to them. I do not then doubt but that the Prophet here treats, with a
taunt, all the efforts the Chaldeans would make for the defense of their city.
For not only they who attack a city raise a standard, but also they who are
besieged, and this as a sign of confidence, in order to show that they possess
sufficient courage to check their enemies, and to sustain all their attacks. It
was then the design of the Prophet to show, that however strenuously the
Chaldeans might defend themselves, yet all their exertions would be in vain,
because God would, without labor, destroy the city.
Raise,
he says, the banner on the
walls of Babylon, and strengthen, or
increase the
watch; and afterwards,
set
watchmen, so that every one might watch
with more care than usual. He says at last,
set in order the
ambushes. “When all things have
been tried by you, your labor will be without any advantage, for
the Lord hath
spoken.” When the particle
µg,
gam, is repeated, it ought to be rendered as and so
— for as the Lord hath
thought, so will he do what he hath said, etc.
He says again that God had thought, lest the faithful should imagine that
he heedlessly casts forth threatenings; for this thought often occurs to the
mind, that God terrifies without effecting anything, Hence the Prophet, that he
might more fully confirm his prophecy, says, that the thing had been
meditated upon by God; and we said yesterday that God does not deliberate with
himself like men; but as we cannot otherwise understand the certainty and
unchangeableness of his secret counsel, nor form an idea of the validity of his
decrees, the word thought is mentioned. The Prophet, in short,
means, that he brought forth nothing but what God had decreed. For words are
often heedlessly uttered, and the reality and the words are not always
connected; but Jeremiah testifies that he had taken what he announced from the
hidden and immutable counsel of God. Then he adds, what he hath spoken or
said; and this refers to his doctrine or his prediction. It follows, —
|
JEREMIAH
51:13
|
|
13. O thou that dwellest upon many waters,
abundant in treasures, thine end is come, and the measure of thy
covetousness.
|
13. Quae habitas super aquas multas (vel,
magnas,) quae multa es in thesauris, (id est, dives, vel,
locuples) venit finis tuus, mensura cupiditatis tuae.
|
The word
ytnkç,
shekenti, is to be taken here for
tnkç,
shekenet, a dweller; and the passage is more clear when we take it as the
title of Babylon. And he says that she was
a dweller among
waters, because the Euphrates not only
flowed by the city, (and we know that it was a very large river,) but it
surrounded it; and it, was indeed divided above Babylon into many streams, so
that it made as it were many islands, and thus access to the city was more
difficult. This circumstance served not only for a defense to it, but also for
other advantages.: For these streams or channels were navigable; and the land
also was made more fertile by the irrigation they supplied. Thus these streams
contributed to its wealth as well as to its defense in time of war. And though
Babylon was deemed on this account impregnable, and was also a very fertile
land, yet the Prophet says here that its
end was
come.
Now, except he had made this preface, that Babylon
was situated among the rivers or many waters, and that it was also a city full
of wealth, all this might have seemed a hindrance to prevent God from executing
on it his vengeance; for this objection was ready at hand, “How can
Babylon be taken, which is seated between many waters? for without great force
and number of soldiers it cannot but remain in safety, since it is protected by
so many rivers.” Then another objection might have been brought forward,
that Babylon was an opulent city, so that it could hire auxiliaries on every
side, and that having such abundance of money, it would never be unprotected.
Hence the Prophet here mentions these two things; but what he says ought to be
taken adversatively, as if he said, “Though thou dwellest among many
waters, and art great in treasures, that is, hast large treasures, yet
thine end is
come.”
He adds,
the measure of thy
cupidity. Some render
tma,
amet, “end,” but improperly; and the Prophet
has not without reason introduced the word
tma,
amet, which properly means a cubit, but is to be taken here for measure.
Jerome renders it “a foot,” a word in use in his age.
But the meaning is sufficiently clear, that though Babylon had exhausted all the
wealth of the world as an insatiable gulf, yet
the measure of her
cupidity would come. For the cupidity of
that nation was unlimited, but God at length brought it to an end — not
that they were amended, but that God checked their coveting. And according to
this sense the Prophet says, that though they had been hitherto devouring the
wealth of many countries, yet the
measure of her cupidity was
come, even because the Lord would take
away, together with the monarchy, the power and opportunity of doing wrong. For
the Chaldeans were able to act licentiously, when they had so many nations
subject to them; but the
measure
of their cupidity was come, when God in a manner cut off their strength, not
that they then desisted, or that their rapacious disposition was amended —
for they changed not their nature; but cupidity is to be referred here to its
exercise, even because their power was then taken from them, so that they could
not carry on their plunders as they had used to do. He afterwards adds, —
|
JEREMIAH
51:14
|
|
14. The Lord of hosts hath sworn by himself,
saying, Surely I will fill thee with men, as with caterpillars, and they
shall lift up a shout against thee.
|
14. Juravit Jehova exercituum per animam suam,
Nisi implevero to homine sicut locusta (hoc est, hominibus sicut
locustis, aut bruchis,) qui canunt super to
ddyh,
(id est, canticum vindemiale, cujus ante facta fuit
mentio.)
|
The Prophet more fully confirms what he had said by
introducing God as making an oath; and it is the most solemn manner of
confirmation when God swears by his own name. But he speaks of God in the
language of men when he says that he
swears by his own
soul; for it is a kind of protestation
when men swear by their own souls, as though they laid down or pledged their own
life. Whoever then swears by his own soul, means that as his own life is dear to
him, he thus lays it down as a pledge, that were he to deceive by perjury, God
would be an avenger and take it away. This is suitable to men, not to God; but
what does not properly belong to God is transferred to him; nor is this
uncommon, as we have seen it in other places. And the more familiar is the
manner of speaking adopted by God, the more it ought to touch men when he makes
himself like them, and in a manner assumes their person as though he lived in
the midst of them.
But we must still remember why the Prophet introduces
God as making an oath, even that all doubtfulness might be removed, and that
more credit might be given to his
prophecy;
for it not only proceeded from God, but was also sealed by an oath.
If I shall not fill
Babylon, he says,
with men as with
locusts.
The multitude of enemies is here opposed to the
multitude of the citizens, which was very large. For we have said elsewhere that
Babylon surpassed all other cities, nor was it less populous than if it were all
extensive country. As then it was full of so many defenders, it might have been
objected and said, “Whence can come such a number of enemies as can be
sufficient to put to flight the inhabitants? for were a large army to enter, it
would yet be in great danger in contending with so vast a multitude.” But
the Prophet compares here the Persians and the Medes to locusts; and we know
that Cyrus collected from various nations a very large army, nay, many armies.
Fulfilled then was what had been predicted by the Prophet, for Cyrus made up his
forces not only from one people, but he brought with him almost all the Medes,
and also led many troops from other barbarous nations. Hence then it happened,
that what had been said by Jeremiah was proved by the event.
He also adds, that they would be victorious; for by
the vintage
song, or shout, he no doubt means a song
or shout of triumph. But this song,
ddyh,
eidad, was then in use among the Jews. Then as they did after vintage
sing in token of joy, so also conquerors, exulting after victory over their
enemies, had a triumphant song. And the Greek translators have rendered it
ke>leusma,
or
keleuma,
which is properly the song of sailors; when they see the harbor they exult
with joy and sing, because they have been delivered from the dangers of the Sea,
and also have completed their sailing, which is always perilous, and have come
to the harbor where they more fully enjoy life, where they have pleasant air,
wholesome water, and other advantages. But the simple meaning of the Prophet is,
that when the Persians and the Medes entered Babylon, they would become
immediately victorious, so that they would exult without a contest and without
any toil, and sing a song of triumph. The Prophet now confirms his prophecy in
another way, even by extolling the power of God, —
|
JEREMIAH
51:15-16
|
|
15. He hath made the earth by his power, he
hath established the world by his wisdom, and hath stretched out the heaven by
his understanding.
|
15. Qui fecit terram in virtute sua, qui
statuit (alii vertunt, paravit) orbem in sapientia sua, et in sua
intelligentia; extendit coelos;
|
|
16. When he uttereth his voice,
there is a multitude of waters in the heavens: and he causeth the vapours
to ascend from the ends of the earth: he maketh lightnings with rain, and
bringeth forth the wind out of his treasures.
|
16. Ad vocem dando copiam aquarum in coelis,
qui attollit (et attollit, ad verbum) elevationes a fine (vel,
extremitate) terrae; fulgura in pluviam facit, educit ventum de thesauris
suis.
|
The Prophet commends here, as I have already said, in
high terms, the power of God; but we must bear in mind his purpose, for abrupt
sentences would be otherwise uninteresting. His object was to encourage the Jews
to entertain hope; for they were not to judge of Babylon according to its
splendor, which dazzled the eyes of all; nor were they to measure by their own
notions what God had testified, he bids the faithful to raise all their thoughts
above the world, and to behold with admiration the incomprehensible power of
God, that they might not doubt but that Babylon would at length be trodden under
foot; for had they fixed their eyes on that monarchy, they could have hardly
believed the words of prophecy; for the Prophet spoke of things which could not
be comprehended by the human mind.
We now then understand why the Prophet set forth the
power of God, even that. the faithful might learn to think of something sublimer
than the whole world, while contemplating the destruction of Babylon, for that
would not be effected in a way usual or natural, but through the incredible
power of God. The same words are also found in the tenth chapter; and the five
verses we meet with here were there explained. But Jeremiah had then a different
object in view, for he addressed the Jewish exiles, and bade them firmly to
persevere in the worship of God: though religion was oppressed, and though the
victorious Chaldeans proudly derided God, he yet bade them to stand firm in
their religion, and then said,
“When ye come to Babylon, say,
Cursed are all the gods who made not the heaven and the earth.”
(<241011>Jeremiah
10:11)
And there, indeed, he used a foreign language, and
taught them to speak in the Chaldee, that they might more plainly profess that
they would persevere in the worship of the only true God. He afterwards added
what he now repeats, even that the power of God was not diminished, though he
had chastised for a time his own people. But now, as we have said, he speaks in
sublime terms of the power of God, in order that the faithful might know that
what the judgment of the flesh held as impossible, could easily be done by that
God who can do all things.
He says first,
He who made the
earth. He does not mention God’s
name; but the expression is more emphatical, when he says,
the Maker of the
earth; as though he had said, “Who
can be found to be the creator of the heaven and the earth except the only true
God?” We hence see more force in the sentence than if God’s name had
been expressed; for he thus excluded all the fictitious gods, who had been
devised by the heathens; as though he had said, “The only true God is He
who made the earth.” Then he says,
by his
power. He speaks of God’s power in
connection with the earth, as it is probable, on account of its
stability.
He afterwards adds,
Who hath constituted the world by
his wisdom, and by his knowledge extended the
heavens. The wisdom of God is visible
through the whole world, but especially in the heavens. The Prophet indeed
speaks briefly, but he leads us to contemplate God’s wonderful work in its
manifold variety, which appears above and below. For though it may seem a light
matter, when he says, that the world was constituted by the wisdom of God, yet
were any one to apply his mind to the meditation of God’s wisdom in the
abundance of all fruits, in the wealth of the whole world, in the sea, (which is
included in the world,) it could not, doubtless, be, but that he must be a
thousand times filled with wonder and admiration: for the more carefully we
attend to the consideration of God’s works, we ourselves in a manner
vanish into nothing; the miracles which present themselves on every side, before
our eyes, overwhelm us. As to the heavens, what do we see there? an innumerable
multitude of stars so arranged, as though an army were so in order throughout,
all its ranks; and then the wandering planets, not fixed, having each its own
course, and yet appearing among the stars. Then the course of the sun, how much
admiration ought it to produce in us! — I say, not in those only who
understand the whole system of astronomy, but also in those who see it only with
their own eyes; for when the sun, in its daily course, completes so great and so
immense a distance, they who are not amazed at such a miracle must be more than
stupid; and then the sun, as it is well known, has its own course, which is
performed every year, and never passes in the least beyond its own boundaries;
and the bulk of that body is immense (for, as it is well known, it far exceeds
the earth,) and yet it rolls with great celerity and at the same time in such
order as though it advanced by degrees quietly. Surely it is a wonderful
specimen of God’s wisdom. The Prophet, then, though he speaks in an
ordinary way, yet suppress the godly with materials of thought, so that they
might apply their minds to the consideration of God’s works. Some explain
the words, that God expands the heavens whenever they are covered with clouds;
but this is wholly foreign to the meaning of the Prophet; for there is no doubt
but that he points out in this verse the perpetual order of nature, as in the
next verse he speaks of those changes which sometimes happen.
PRAYER
Grant, Almighty God, that since thou
hast deigned once to receive us under thy protection, we may learn to recumb on
the power of thy hand, and that as so many terrors on every side meet us through
the assaults and cruelty of our enemies, we may yet continue firm, and persevere
in calling on thy name, until thou appearest as our Redeemer, not only once, but
whenever we may need thy help, until thou gatherest us at length into that
blessed rest, which has been prepared for us in heaven, through Christ our Lord.
— Amen.
LECTURE ONE
HUNDRED EIGHTY EIGHTH
IN our last Lecture, we stopped where the Prophet
commends the power of God, as manifested in his ordinary works. Having
previously spoken of creation, and briefly shown, that both in heaven and on
earth there are many clear evidences of God’s wonderful wisdom as well as
of his power, he now comes to the rains and winds. We have further said, that
there is a difference between a fixed order of nature and those changes which
are daily observed; for were the appearance of the heavens and the earth always
the same, God’s power and wisdom could not appear so wonderful; but when
the heavens are covered with clouds, when the air is now tranquil, and then
disturbed by winds, when storms suddenly arise, and then rains follow, God thus
vividly sets forth his manifold wisdom and power.
This, then, is the reason why the Prophet, after
having briefly touched on what we have seen, adds, as evidences of God’s
power and wisdom, those things which appear to us in their various changes. He
then says, that by his voice
alone he gives abundance of waters in the
heavens, and then that
he raises vapors from the
extremity of the earth, that he
creates lightnings and the
rain, which yet seem to be contrary
things. At last he says, that he
brings the winds out of his
treasures. Philosophers indeed mention
the causes of these things, but we ought to come to the fountain itself, and the
original cause, even this, that things are so arranged in the world, that though
there are intermediate and subordinate causes, yet the primary cause ever
appears eminently, even the wisdom and power of God. Winds arise from the earth,
even because exhalations proceed from it; but exhalations, by whom are they
created? not by themselves: it hence follows, that God is their sole author. And
he calls hidden places treasures: as when one draws out this or that from
his storehouse, so he says that winds come forth from hidden places, not of
themselves, but through God, who holds them as though they were shut up. I pass
by these things by only touching on them, because I have already reminded you
that we have before explained, in the tenth chapter (Jeremiah 10), what is here
literally repeated. It now follows, —
|
JEREMIAH
51:17
|
|
17. Every man is brutish by his
knowledge; every founder is confounded by the graven image: for his molten
image is falsehood, and there is no breath in
them.
|
17. Infatuatus est omnis homo a scientia,
pudefactus omnis conflator a sculptili; quia mendacium est fusile, et non est
spiritus in ipsis.
|
This verse is usually explained, as though the
Prophet pointed out how men glide into errors and fancies, even because they
seek to be wise according to their own notions; and Paul, in the first chapter
to the Romans, assigns it as the cause of idolatry, that men become vain in
their own wisdom, because they follow whatever their own brains suggest to them.
This doctrine is in itself true and useful; for men have devised idols for
themselves, because they would not reverently receive the knowledge of God
offered to them, but rather believed their own inventions: and as mere vanity is
whatever man imagines according to his own thoughts, it is no wonder that those
who presumptuously form their own ideas of God, become wholly foolish and
infatuated. But it is evident from the context, that the Prophet means here
another thing, even that the artificers who cast or forge idols, or form them in
any other way, are wholly delirious in thinking that they can, by their own art
and skill, make gods. A log of wood lies on the ground, is trodden under foot
without any honor; now when the artificer adds form to it, the log begins to be
worshipped as a god; what madness can be imagined greater than this? The same
thing may be said of stones, of silver, and of gold; for though it may be a
precious metal, yet no divinity is ascribed to it, until it begins to put on a
certain form. Now when a melter casts an idol, how can a lump of gold or silver
become a god? The Prophet then upbraids this monstrous madness, when he says,
that men are in their knowledge like brute beasts, that is, when they apply
their skill to things so vain and foolish. But he mentions the same thing twice,
according to the common usage of the Hebrew style; for we know that the same
thing is often said twice for confirmation by the prophets.
After then having said that
men are infatuated by
knowledge, he adds, that they were
made ashamed by the graven
image. There seems to be an impropriety
in the words; for
lsp,
pesal, “graven,” does not well agree with
ãrx,
tsareph, “the caster,” or founder; but the Prophet,
stating a part for the whole, simply means, that all artificers are foolish and
delirious in thinking that they can by their own hand and skill cast or forge,
or in any way form gods. And to prove this he says, that there is no spirit
or breath in them; and this was a sufficient proof; for we know that
God is the fountain of life, and hence he is called by Moses
“the God of the spirits of
all flesh.”
(<041622>Numbers
16:22)
Whatever life, then, is diffused through all
creatures, flows from God alone as the only true fountain. What, then, is less
like divinity, or has less affinity to it, than a lump of gold or of silver, or
a log of wood, or a stone? for they have no life nor rigor. Nothing is more
fading than man, yet while he has life in him, he possesses something divine;
but a dead body, what has it that is like God? But yet the form of a human body
comes nearer to God’s glory than a log of wood or a stone formed in the
shape of man. It is not, then, without reason that the Prophet condemns this
madness of all the heathens, that they worshipped fictitious gods, in whom yet
there was no spirit. It follows, —
|
JEREMIAH
51:18
|
|
18. They are vanity, the work of
errors: in the time of their visitation they shall perish.
|
18. Vanitas ipsi, opus illusionum, tempore
visitationis ipsorum peribunt.
|
As he had called idols a lie, so now in the same
sense he declares that they were vanity, even because they were nothing
real, but vain pomps, or phantoms, or masks; and he afterwards expresses himself
more clearly by saying that they were
the work of
illusions. But he does not seem to take
the word
µy[t[t,
toroim, in a passive but in an active sense. He then means that it was a
deceptive work, which was a snare to men; as though he had said, that they were
the work of imposture, or impostures.
This passage, and such as are like it, ought to be
carefully noticed; because the Papists seem to themselves to find a way to
escape when they confess their images are not to be worshipped, but that they
are books for the unlearned. They who are moderate in their views have recourse
to this evasion. This was once suggested by Gregory, but very foolishly; and
they who wish to appear more enlightened than others under the papacy repeat the
same saying, that images ought to be tolerated, because they are the books of
the ignorant. But what does the Holy Spirit, on the other hand, declare here,
and also by the Prophet Habakkuk? that they are
the work of
impostures, even mere snares or traps.
(<350218>Habakkuk
2:18.) All, then, who seek instruction from statues or pictures gain nothing,
but become entangled in the snares of Satan, and find nothing but impostures.
And doubtless, whatever draws us away from the contemplation of the only true
God, ought justly to be deemed an imposture or a deception; for who by the sight
of a picture or a statue can form a right idea of the true God? Is not the truth
respecting him thus turned into falsehood? and is not his glory thus debased?
For we have then only the true knowledge of God, when we regard him to be God
alone, when we ascribe to him an infinite essence which fills heaven and earth,
when we acknowledge him to be a spirit, when, in short, we know that he alone,
properly speaking, exists, and that heaven and earth, and everything they
contain, exist through his power. Can a stone or wood teach us these things? No;
but on the contrary, I am led by the stone to imagine that God is fixed and
confined to a certain place. And then the life of God, does it appear in the
stone or in the wood? Besides, what likeness has a body, and that lifeless, to
an infinite spirit? It. is, then, not without reason that he complains, as it is
recorded by Isaiah, that he is thus wholly degraded:
“To whom have ye made me like? for
I contain the earth in my fist, and ye confine me to wood or stone.”
(<234012>Isaiah
40:12, 18)
If, in a word, the minds of men received no other
error from idols than the thought that God is corporeal, what can be more
preposterous?
We hence see that the Prophet does not here say
without cause, that all idols are vanity, and the work of imposture or
deception.
He lastly adds, that all fictitious gods would perish
at the time of
visitation. In this clause he exhorts
the faithful to patience, and in a manner sustains their minds, that they might
not despond; for it was not a small trial to see the monarchy of Babylon
flourishing, when yet it had no other protection than that of idols. As, then,
the Babylonians thought flint fictitious gods were the guardians and defenders
of their safety, and that through them they had subdued all their neighbors,
they became thus more and more addicted to their superstitions, the reward of
which they regarded all their wealth and power. Inasmuch as the minds of the
godly could not have been otherwise than shaken by such a trial, the Prophet
here supports them, and reminds them to wait for the time of visitation when the
idols were to perish. However, a reference may be intended to the Babylonians as
well as to the idols, when he says,
They shall perish at the time of
their visitation, that is, when the
Chaldeans shall be visited. But it is probable that the time of visitation
refers here especially to idols, because the Prophet had spoken before of all
the wicked and reprobate. However this may be, we understand that his object was
to show that however prosperous idolaters might be for a time, yet the hand of
God was to be patiently borne until the suitable time came, which is here called
the time of visitation. And the metaphor refers to the notions of men, for we
think that God dwells idly in heaven and turns away his eyes from us,
while he spares the ungodly. Hence the Prophet calls the judgment of God a
visitation, because he then shows really, by evident proofs, that he does
not disregard the affairs of men. It now follows, —
|
JEREMIAH
51:19
|
|
19. The portion of Jacob is not like
them; for he is the former of all things; and Israel is the rod of his
inheritance: the Lord of hosts is his name.
|
19. Non sicut ipsi (vel, sicut ipsa,
si ad idola referimus) portio Jacob; quia fictor omnium ipse, et virga
haereditatis ejus, Jehova exercituum nomen ejus.
|
Had the Prophet only said that idols were mere
impostures and mockeries, it would have been indeed something; but this part of
his teaching would have been cold and uninteresting, had he not, on the other
hand, proclaimed the glory of the one and only true God. We ought, indeed, to
know that idols are nothing, that men are most foolishly deceived, and are
wholly infatuated, when they imagine that there is in them some divinity. But
the main thing is, that the true God himself is brought before us, and that we
are taught to direct all our thoughts to him. This, then, is what is now done by
the Prophet; for after having exposed the folly of the heathens in worshipping
idols, and having shown that the whole is nothing but deception and falsehood,
he now says, Not as they, the fictitious gods,
is the portion of
Jacob; that is, the God who had revealed
himself to the chosen people is very far different from all idols.
And, doubtless, the vanity which the Prophet before
mentioned cannot be adequately understood, except the true God be known. For
though some of the ancient philosophers ridiculed the grossest errors of the
common people, yet they had nothing fixed or certain on which they could rest,
like him, who, when asked, “What was God?” requested time to
consider, and who after several delays confessed that the more he inquired into
the nature of God, the more absorbed were all his thoughts. And this must
necessarily be the case with men until they are taught what God is, which can
never be done until he himself represents himself and his glory as it were in a
mirror.
This is then the reason why the Prophet, while
setting the only true God in opposition to idols and all the inventions of
mortals, calls him the portion of
Jacob, because the law was as it were
the representation of the glory of God. As then he had plainly shown himself
there, as far as it was needful for the salvation of the chosen people, the
Prophet, in order to invite men to the true knowledge of the true God, calls him
the portion of
Jacob, as though he had set the law as a
mirror before their eyes. The
portion of Jacob then is God, who is not
like fictitious gods; how so? because he is the framer of all things. It is
indeed by a few words that he makes the distinction between the only true God
and the fictitious gods; but in this brief sentence he includes what I have
before explained, even that God is the fountain of life, and the life of all,
and then that his essence is spiritual and also infinite; for as he has created
the heaven and the earth, so of necessity he sustains both by his
power.
We then see that the Prophet speaks briefly but not
frigidly; and from this passage we learn a useful doctrine, even that God cannot
be comprehended by us except in his works. As then vain men weary themselves
with speculations, which have not in them, so to speak, any practical knowledge,
it is no wonder that they run headlong into many delirious things. Let us then
be sober in this respect, so that we may not inquire into the essence of God
more than it becomes us. When therefore we seek to comprehend what God is, or
how to attain the knowledge of him, let us direct all our thoughts, and eyes,
and minds to his works.
So also by this passage, when the Prophet calls God
the worker or framer of all things, is exposed the vanity of all superstitions;
and how? because we hence learn that the power which made not the heaven and the
earth, is vain and worthless; but the only maker of heaven and earth is God,
then he is God alone. Since he is the only true God, it follows that the
inventions or figments of men are altogether delirious, and are therefore the
artifices and impostures of the devil to deceive mankind. We hence see that the
doctrine of the Prophet is exclusive, when he says that God is
the maker of all
things; for where the maker of all
things is not found, there certainly no divinity can be.
He adds,
the rod of his
inheritance. This seems to refer to God,
but in the tenth chapter the word Israel is introduced; otherwise these
five verses literally agree, but in that passage the Prophet says that Israel
was the rod of God’s
inheritance. Here the rod means a
measuring pole; for the similitude is taken from lands being measured; for the
ancients used poles of certain length for measuring. Hence the Hebrews called an
inheritance the rod of inheritance, because it was what had been measured and
had certain limits: as when one possesses a field, he knows how many acres it
contains, it having been measured. But both things may be fitly and truly said,
even that Israel is the rod of God’s inheritance, and also that God
himself is a rod of inheritance; for there is a mutual union. For as God favors
us with this honor, to make us his inheritance, and is pleased to have us as his
own, so also he offers himself to us as an inheritance. David says often,
“The Lord is my portion,” and “The Lord is the portion
of mine inheritance,” that is, my hereditary portion. So in this place the
meaning would not be unsuitable were we to apply the words to God. As, however,
the word Israel is found in the former place, it may be deemed as
understood here. fH87
He says at last,
Jehovah of hosts is his
name. There is implied a contrast here;
for he does not honor God with this character, as though it was a common or
ordinary name; but he claims for him his own right, and thus distinguishes him
from all idols. By saying, then, that this name belongs only to the true God,
even the God of Israel, he intimates that by this distinction he differs from
all idols, and that men are sacrilegious when they transfer any power to idols,
and expect safety from them, and flee to them. As then this name belongs only to
God, it follows that in Him dwells a fullness of all power and might. Since it
is so, then wholly worthless is everything that the world has ever imagined
respecting the number and multitude of gods. It now follows,
—
|
JEREMIAH
51:20-23
|
|
20. Thou art my battle-axe and weapons of war:
for with thee will I break in pieces the nations, and with thee will I destroy
kingdoms;
|
20. Malleus tu mihi, vasa (vel, instrumenta)
proelii, (aut, bellica,) et conteram (vel, contrivi) per to gentes, et perdam
(vel, perdidi, malo in proeterito tempore accipere utrunque verbum, rationem
postea dicam) per to regna;
|
|
21. And with thee will I break in pieces the
horse and his rider; and with thee will I break in pieces the chariot and his
rider;
|
21. Et contrivi per to equum et ascensorem
ejus, et contrivi per to currum et ascensorem ejus;
|
|
22. With thee also will I break in pieces man
and woman; and with thee will I break in pieces old and young; and with thee
will I break in pieces the young man and the maid;
|
22. Et contrivi per to virum et mulierem, et
contrivi per to senem et puerum, et contrivi per to adolescentem et
virginem;
|
|
23. I will also break in pieces with thee the
shepherd and his flock; and with thee will I break in pieces the husbandman and
his yoke of oxen; and with thee will I break in pieces captains and
rulers.
|
23. Et contrivi per to pastorem et gregem
ejus, et contrivi per to agricolam et jugum ejus, et contrivi per to duces et
principes.
|
The Prophet here obviates the doubts of many; for as
he had spoken of the destruction of Babylon, it might have been readily
objected, that the monarchy which was fortified by so many defenses, and which
had subjugated all the neighboring nations, was impregnable. Hence the Prophet
here shows that the power and wealth of Babylon were no hindrances that God
should not destroy it whenever he pleased; for it is an argument derived from
what is contrary. We have before seen that God roots up what he has planted,
(<244504>Jeremiah
45:4;) and then we have seen the metaphor of the potter and his vessels. When
the Prophet went down to the potter, he saw a vessel formed and then broken at
the will and pleasure of the potter
(<241802>Jeremiah
18:2-4.) So also now God shows that the destruction was as it were in his hand,
because the Chaldeans had not raised themselves to eminence through their own
power, but he had raised them, and employed them for his own purpose. In short,
he compares the Babylonians in this passage to a formed vessel, and he makes
himself the potter:
“I am he who has raised Babylon to
so great a height; it therefore belongs to me to pull it down whensoever it
pleases me.”
We now understand the design of this passage, though
the Prophet employs different words.
He says that Babylon was a
hammer and weapons of war to
break in pieces the nations. The verb
≈pn,
nuphets, means to break in pieces, and carelessly to scatter here and
there, and also violently to scatter. He says then, “I have by thee
scattered the nations, and by thee have destroyed kingdoms.” But as the
Chaldeans had enjoyed so many victories and had subjugated so many nations, he
adds, I have by thee broken in
pieces the horse and his ride,; the chariot and its
rider; and then,
I have broken in pieces men and
women, old men and children, the young men and the maidens, the shepherds and
also their flocks. He enumerates here
almost all kinds of men. He then mentions
husbandmen
and
yokes of
oxen, or of horses; and lastly, he
mentions captains and
rulers.
fH88 All these things are said by way
of concession; but yet the Prophet reminds us that no difficulty would prevent
God to destroy Babylon, because Babylon in itself was nothing. According to this
sense, then, it is called a hammer. In short, the Prophet takes away the false
opinion which might have otherwise disturbed weak minds, as though Babylon was
wholly invincible. He shows at the same time that God executed his judgments on
all nations by means of Babylon. Thus the faithful might have been confirmed;
for otherwise they must have necessarily been cast down when they regarded the
formidable power of Babylon; but when they heard that it was only a hammer, and
that they would not have been broken in pieces by the Babylonians had they not
been armed from above, or rather had they not been driven on by a celestial
power, it then appeared that the calamity which the Jews had suffered was
nothing more than a punishment inflicted by God’s hand. When, therefore,
they heard this, it was no small consolation; it kept them from succumbing under
their miseries, and from being swallowed up with sorrow and despair. But it now
follows, —
|
JEREMIAH
51:24
|
|
24. And I will render unto Babylon, and to all
the inhabitants of Chaldea, all their evil that they have done in Zion in your
sight, saith the Lord.
|
24 Et rependam Babyloni et omnibus
habitatoribus Chaldaeae to omnia mala ipsorum quae intulerunt in Sion (contra
Sion, quae fecerunt in Sion, ad verbum,) in oculis vestris, (vel, eoram oculis
vestris,) dicit Jehova.
|
The Prophet, after having reminded the Jews that all
that they had suffered from the Babylonians had been justly inflicted on account
of their sins, and that God had been the author of all their calamities, now
subjoins, I will render to
Babylon and to the Chaldeans what they have
deserved. It may, however, appear strange at the first view, that God should
here threaten the Babylonians; for if their services depended on his command,
they seemed doubtless to have deserved praise rather than punishment; nay, we
know what the Holy Spirit declares elsewhere,
“I gave Egypt as a reward
to my servant Nebuchadnezzar, because he has faithfully performed my
work,”
(<262920>Ezekiel
29:20)
for Nebuchadnezzar had afflicted the Jews, therefore
he obtained this, says Ezekiel, as his reward. It seems then an inconsistent
thing when God declares that the Chaldeans deserved punishment because they had
afflicted the Jews. But both declarations agree well together; for when God
declared by Ezekiel that he gave Egypt as a reward to his servant
Nebuchadnezzar, he had a regard to the Jews and to their perverseness, because
they had not as yet been sufficiently humbled; nay, they thought that it was by
chance that they had been subdued by the Babylonians. God then declares that he
had executed his judgment on them by the hand of Nebuchadnezzar. It was
afterwards necessary that the faithful should be raised up in their extreme
distress; and this was regarded by our Prophet when he said —
Behold, I will render to
Babylon and to the Chaldeans all their
evils. They then obtained Egypt for a
short time, but afterwards all the evils they had brought on other nations
recoiled on their own heads.
But this promise was in a peculiar manner given to
the Church; for though the vengeance executed on the Chaldeans was just, because
they exercised extreme cruelty towards all nations; yet God, having a care for
his own Church, thus undertook its cause; therefore he speaks not here generally
of the punishment inflicted on the Chaldeans for their cruelty; but God, as I
have said, had a regard to his own Church. Hence, he says, I will render to the
Babylonians and to all the Chaldeans, all the evil
which they had done in
Sion. We now see that this punishment
had a special reference to the chosen people, in order that the faithful might
know that they had been so chastised by God, that yet the memory of his covenant
had never failed, and that thus in the midst of death they might have some hope
of salvation, and that they might feel assured that God would at length be
merciful; not that God would ever restore the whole body of the people; but this
promise, as it has been elsewhere stated, is addressed only to the remnant. Yet
fixed remains the truth, that God, after having broken in pieces the Jews and
other nations by means of one nation, would yet be the avenger of his Church,
because he could never forget his covenant. He adds,
before your
eyes, that the faithful might with
calmer minds wait for the vengeance of which they themselves would be
eye-witnesses.
PRAYER
Grant, Almighty God, that since thou
hast favored us with the light of thy Gospel, in which we see thy glory, and
into which we may be also transformed, except prevented by our unbelief, —
O grant, that with fixed eyes we may ever study that knowledge which once for
all has been made known to us, until at length, having followed the way there
set before us, we shall come to the fullness of that celestial glory which has
been obtained for us by the blood of thine only-begotten Son. —
Amen.
LECTURE ONE HUNDRED EIGHTY
NINTH
|
JEREMIAH
51:25
|
|
25. Behold, I am against thee, O
destroying mountain, saith the Lord, which destroyest all the earth: and I will
stretch out mine hand upon thee, and roll thee down from the rocks, and will
make thee a burnt mountain.
|
25. Ecce ego ad to, mons perditionis, dicit
Jehova, perdens omnem terram; et extendam manum meam super to, et devolvam to e
rupibus, et ponam to in montem combustionis.
|
THERE is no doubt but that the Prophet speaks of
Babylon. But it may seem strange to call it a mountain, when that city was
situated in a plain, as it is well known; nay, it has no mountains near it. It
was a plain, so that streams might be drawn here and there in any direction.
Hence they think that the city was called a mountain on account of the height of
its walls and also its great buildings. And this is probable, as though the
Prophet called it a great mass; for historians tell us that its walls were very
high, about two hundred feet, and a foot commonly exceeded three fingers. Then
the towers were very high. In short, Babylon was a prodigy for the quantity of
its bricks, for the walls were not built with squared stones, but formed of
bricks. Their breadth also was incredible; for chariots drawn by four horses
could go along without touching one another. Their breadth, according to Strabo
and also Pliny, was fifty feet. Then this metaphor was not used without reason,
when the Prophet, regarding in one respect the state of the city, called Babylon
a mountain, as though Ninus, or Semiramis, or others, had contended with
nature itself. The beginning of Babylon was that memorable tower mentioned by
Moses, but then the work was left off. (Genesis 11) Afterwards, either because
such a beginning inflamed the desire of men, or because the place was very
pleasant and fertile, it happened that a city of great size was built there. In
short, it was more like a country than a city; for, as Aristotle says, it was
not so much a city as a country or a province. This much as to the word
mountain.
Now God himself declares war against Babylon, in
order that more credit might be given to this prophecy; for the Prophet had no
regard to the Chaldeans, but to his own nation, and especially to the remnant of
the godly. The greater part derided his prophecy, but a few remained who
received the Prophet’s doctrine with becoming reverence. It was then his
object to consult their good and benefit; and, as we shall see at the end of
this chapter, he wished to lay up this treasure with them, that they might
cherish the hope of restoration while they were as it were lost in exile. God
then does here encourage them, and declares that he would be an enemy to the
Babylonians.
Behold,
he says, I am against
thee,
O mountain of perdition. The mountain of
perdition is to be taken in an active sense, for destroying mountain, as also a
clearer explanation follows, when he says that it had
destroyed all the
earth. For the Babylonians, as it is
well known, had afflicted all their neighbors, and had transferred the imperial
power of the Medes to their own city. When they subdued the Assyrians they
extended their power far and wide, and at length advanced to Syria, Judea, and
Egypt. Thus it happened that the Babylonians enjoyed the empire of the east till
the time of Cyrus; and then the monarchy was possessed by the Persians. But our
Prophet had respect to the former state of things; for he said that the
Chaldeans had been like a hammer, which God had employed to break in pieces all
the nations; and, according to the same meaning, he now says that all the earth
had been destroyed by the Babylonians.
But God here declares that he would be their judge,
because he would extend his hand
over Babylon, and
roll it down from the
rocks, he proceeds still with the same
metaphor; for as he called Babylon a mountain on account of its great buildings,
and especially on account of its high walls and lofty towers, so now he adopts
the same kind of language, I will
cast thee down, or rather roll thee,
from the
rocks, and
make thee a mountain of
burning. He thus intimates that Babylon
would become a heap of ashes, though this was not immediately fulfilled; for as
we have said, it was so taken as not to be entirely laid waste. For in the time
of Alexander the Great, many years after, Babylon was standing, and there
Alexander died. It then follows that it was not reduced to solitude and ashes by
Darius and Cyrus. But we have already untied this knot, that is, that the
Prophet does not only speak of one vengeance of God, but includes others which
followed. For Babylon soon after revolted and suffered a grievous punishment for
its perfidy, and was then treated with great contempt. Afterwards, Seleucus
tried in various ways to destroy it, and for this end Seleucia was built, and
then Ctesiphon was set up in opposition to Babylon. Babylon then was by degrees
reduced to that solitude of which the Prophet here speaks. Pliny says that in
his time the temple of Bel was there, whom they thought to have been the founder
of the city; but he afterwards adds that the other parts of the city were
deserted. If Jerome, as he says, visited it, we ought; to believe what he had
seen; and he says that Babylon was a small ignoble town, and ruins only were
seen there. There is, then, nothing unreasonable in this prophecy, for it ought
not to be restricted to one calamity only; for God ceased not in various ways to
afflict Babylon until it was wholly laid waste, according to what our Prophet
testifies. According to this view, then, he says that Babylon would become a
mountain of burning, or a burnt
mountain,
fH89 for ruins only would remain; and in the
same sense he immediately adds, —
|
JEREMIAH
51:26
|
|
26. And they shall not take of thee a stone
for a corner, nor a stone for foundations; but thou shalt be desolate for ever,
saith the Lord.
|
26. Et non tollent ex to lapidem ad angulum,
et lapidem ad fundamenta; quia solitudines perpetuae eris, dicit
Jehova.
|
He confirms the former verse, that when Babylon was
destroyed, there would be no hope of restoration. It often happens, that those
cities which have been wholly destroyed are afterwards built up again; but God
says that this would not be the case with Babylon, for it was given over to
perpetual destruction. By
corner
and
foundations
he understands the strength of the buildings, he then says, that there was
no hope that the stones would be again fitted together, for the building of the
city, for Babylon would become a perpetual waste or desolation.
We have, indeed, said, that the walls of Babylon were
not made of stones but of bricks: but the Prophet simply speaks according to the
common manner, in order to show that its ruin would be for
ever. fH90
We have also said elsewhere that a difference is commonly made by the prophets
between the people of God and the reprobate, that God promises to his Church a
new state as a resurrection from death, but that he denounces on the unbelieving
perpetual desolation. This course is now followed by our Prophet when he says,
that the desolations there would
be for
ever, because there is no hope of pardon
or of mercy to the unbelieving. It afterwards follows, —
|
JEREMIAH
51:27
|
|
27. Set ye up a standard in the land, blow the
trumpet among the nations, prepare the nations against her, call together
against her the kingdoms of Ararat, Minni, and Ashchenaz; appoint a captain
against her; cause the horses to come up as the rough
caterpillars.
|
27. Tollite signum in terra, clangite tuba in
gentibus, sanctificate (vel, praeparate) super eam gentes, congregate
contra eam regna Ararath, Minni, et Aschenaz, praeficite super eam ducem
(alii putant esse nomen proprium, et relinquunt
rspf
sed accipitur haud dubie pro duce,) educite equum tanquam locustam (vel,
bruchum) horribilem (vertit Hieronymus, aculeatum; alii vertunt,
horripilantem; sed vox illa asperior est, et tamen proprie signatur
horror ille, dum pili exurgunt ob metum, vel, ob
iracundiam.)
|
The Prophet here confirms what he had before taught,
even that Babylon, however proud on account of its strongholds, would not yet
escape God’s hand. Had he used a simple mode of speaking, hardly any one
would have ventured to look for what the Prophet said. It was then necessary to
introduce figurative expressions, of which we have before spoken. Here, then,
with the highest authority, he commands the nations to raise up war against
Babylon.
We must observe, as I have before reminded you, that
by such modes of speaking, the effect of prophetic doctrine is set forth. For
the unbelieving deride whatever they hear, because the voice of God is
the same to them as though it were a sound flowing through the air. Hence the
Prophet shows that he was endued with the power of God, and that the hand of God
was connected with his mouth, so that he fulfills whatever he predicts.
Raise, he says, a standard. This might have appeared ludicrous,
for we know that the Prophet was despised, not only at Jerusalem, but also in
his own town where he had been born: by what right, then, or on what ground does
he now boldly command all nations, and bid the banners to be raised? But as I
have said, he shows that a false judgment would be formed of what he said,
except the people thought that God himself spoke.
Sound with the
trumpet, he says,
among all
nations, and then,
sanctify
against her the
nations; and further, assemble,
literally, “make to hear,” but it means, in Piel, to
collect, to assemble. As to the word Ararat, it may be taken for Armenia.
I know not why some have taken Minni to be the lower Armenia, for there is no
creditable author for such an opinion. Nor is it certain what country the
Prophet designates by Ashchenaz. But it is evident from histories, that
the great army which Darius, or Cyrus under the authority of Darius, led with
him, had been collected from various and even remote nations. For he brought
with him the Hyrcanians and the Armenians, and some from many unknown places.
As, then, heathen authors declare that this army was collected indiscriminately
from many nations and almost unknown, it is nothing strange that the Hebrew
names are at this day unknown. And there is no doubt but that the Prophet here
indirectly intimates some great shaking of the world, as though he had said,
that even barbarous nations, The name of whom hath not hitherto been heard of,
would come like all overwhelming flood to destroy Babylon. He will hereafter
speak of the Medes; but here he treats the subject in a different way, as though
he had said, that so great would be the multitude of enemies, that Babylon,
notwithstanding its largeness, would be easily overthrown. We now perceive the
Prophet’s design as to these obscure words.
He says afterwards,
Set up a leader against
her. This is to be understood of Cyrus,
whose vigor was especially apparent in that war. Nor is there a doubt but that
he led his uncle and father-in-law to undertake the war. For those historians
fable, who say that Cyrus was cast away by his grandfather, and that he was
brought up privately by Astyages, and that he afterwards made war with his
grandfather. All these things have been invented. For it is quite evident that
Darius, the king of the Medes, was the chief in that war, and Daniel is our best
witness on this point. Heathen writers imagine that there was no king of the
Medes except under the authority of Cyrus. But Cyrus did not rule until after
the death of his father-in-law, or his uncle, whose daughter he had married. It
then follows, that he was the general, so that he carried on the war under the
authority of Darius. Cyrus then was, as it were, the hired soldier of his uncle
and father-in-law, but at length he obtained the kingdom of the Medes and the
whole empire of the East. Of this leader, then, I understand this passage, when
the Prophet says, Set up
or appoint
a leader against
Babylon:
fH91 he adds,
Bring
forth, or make to ascend,
the horse as the
locust. This refers to their number; as
though he had said, Bring forth against Babylon horses without number, who shall
be as locusts. He compares them to locusts, not for strength or skill in war,
but only with regard to their number. But as the locusts are frightful, he
applies to them the word
rms,
samer, “dreadful,” as though he had said, They are, indeed,
locusts as to their abundance, but they are at the same time dreadful, as though
they had on them frightful hairs. It afterwards follows, —
|
JEREMIAH
51:28
|
|
28. Prepare against her the nations, with the
kings of the Medes, the captains thereof, and all the rulers thereof, and all
the land of his dominion,
|
28. Praeparate contra eam gentes, regna
Medorum, duces ejus, et principes ejus, et totam terram ditionis
ejus.
|
He now repeats what he had said of preparing the
nations; but he mentions them first generally, and then he comes to specify them
particularly. He then bids the
nations
to be sent for, and then he shows who they were, even the
kingdoms of the
Medes.
fH92 There was, indeed, but one
kingdom, but many kings were subject to it. Then, on account of the many
provinces over which satraps ruled, and also on account of many tributary
countries, the Prophet was not satisfied to use the singular number, but calls
them in the plural number, the
kingdoms of the
Medes; for that monarchy had extended
itself far and wide, so that many kings were subject to Darius.
And it tended, in no small degree, to show the
certainty of this prophecy, that Jeremiah declared, before Cyrus or even Darius
was born, that the Medes would come. But we have stated, that though Cyrus,
being singularly active and a good warrior, carried on the war, yet Darius was
the first in authority. Then Babylon obeyed the Medes for a time; but as Darius
was now old, Cyrus succeeded him; and then the monarchy was transferred to
Persia; and laws issued thence until the time of Alexander the Great, who,
together with his catamite, burnt the tower. Nor is there a doubt but that many
memorable transactions were deposited there. But Alexander being drunk, seized a
torch and burnt the tower; for he thought that the memory of the Oriental
monarchy could thus be abolished.
We now then perceive why the Prophet expressly
mentions here the Medes; and he adds,
the captains and
princes. He includes, no doubt, under
these names, all the satraps and kings. At length he adds,
the whole land of its
dominion, or jurisdiction; and by this
word he designates the kingdoms already mentioned. It now follows, —
|
JEREMIAH
51:29
|
|
29. And the land shall tremble and sorrow: for
every purpose of the Lord shall be performed against Babylon, to make the land
of Babylon a desolation without an inhabitant.
|
29. Et contremuit terra, et doluit
(similitudo sumpta est a parturientibus,) quia stabilita fuit super
Babylon cogitationes (in plurali numero ponit cum tamen verbum sit singulare,
hoc est, stabilitae sunt cogitationes) Jehovae ad ponendum terram Babylonis
in solitudinem, ita ut non sit habitator (vel, qui illic
habitet.)
|
The Prophet no doubt endeavored to remove all doubts
from the minds of the godly, which would have otherwise weakened confidence in
his doctrine. It might have occurred to the minds of all, that the whole world
would sooner come to nothing than that Babylon should fall. Though it were so,
says the Prophet, that the whole earth trembled, yet Babylon will be destroyed.
Hence, he says, Tremble shall the
land and be in pain, even
because
confirmed, etc. There is here a striking
contrast between the moving of the earth and the stability of God’s
purpose. The verb means properly to rise, but it is taken in many places in the
sense of confirming or establishing, and necessarily so in this passage. he then
says, Tremble shall the
land,
fH93 even
because confirmed shall be the
thoughts of God respecting
Babylon.
But he mentions thoughts in the plural number, as
though he had said, that whatever God had appointed and decreed would be
unchangeable, and that the whole earth would sooner be shaken than that the
truth of God should lose its effect. Then this verse contains nothing else but a
confirmation of the whole prophecy. But the Prophet shows, that if even all the
hindrances of the world were in favor of the perpetuity of Babylon, yet what God
had decreed respecting its destruction, would be fixed and unchangeable. It
afterwards follows, —
|
JEREMIAH
51:30
|
|
30. The mighty men of Babylon have forborne to
fight, they have remained in their holds: their might hath failed; they
became as women: they have burnt her dwelling-places; her bars are
broken.
|
30. Cessarunt fortes Babylonis ad pugnandum
(hoc est, destiterunt pugnare fortes Babylonis,) sederunt in munitionibus,
deficit (vel, elanguit) virtus ipsorum, fuerunt in mulieres, accenderunt
habitacula ejus, confracti sunt vectes ejus.
|
The Prophet shows here, as by the finger, the manner
of the destruction of Babylon, such as it is described by heathen authors. He
then says, that the
valiant
men of
Babylon,
even those who had been chosen to defend the city,
ceased to
fight. For the city was taken rather by
craft than by open force; for after a long siege, Cyrus was laughed to scorn by
the Babylonians; then they securely held a feast. In the meantime two eunuchs of
Belshazzar passed over to Cyrus; for; as Xenophon relates, the tyrant had slain
the son of one, and by way of disgrace castrated the other. Hence, then, it was
that they revolted from him; and Cyrus was instructed by them how he could take
the city. The fords were dried-up, when Belshazzar suspected no such thing, and
in the night he heard that the city was taken. Daniel gives a clearer
description; for he says that there was held a stated feast, and that the hand
of a writer appeared on the wall, and that the king, being frightened, had heard
from Daniel that the end of his kingdom was near at hand, and that the city was
taken that very night.
(<270525>Daniel
5:25-30.) hence the Prophet says now that the valiant men desisted, so that they
did not fight. He indeed speaks of what was future, but, we know what was the
manner of the prophets, for they related what was to come as though it had
already taken place.
He afterwards adds, that they
sat down in their
fortresses, for the city was not taken
by storm — there was no fighting; but the forces passed silently through
the fords, and the soldiers entered into the middle of the city; the king was
slain together with all his satraps, and then all parts of the city were taken
possession of. We now, then, see that the Spirit of God spoke by the mouth of
Jeremiah, as of a thing that had already taken place.
He then adds, that
their valor had
failed or languished, even because
terror stupefied them when they heard that the city was taken. So also true
became what is added, that they became women, that they were like women
as to courage, for no one dared to oppose the conquerors. Fighting might have
still been carried on by so large a multitude, yea, they might have engaged with
their enemies in hundred or in thousand of the streets of the city, for it would
have been easy in the night to distress them: but the Prophet says, that they
all became women as to courage. At last, he adds, that that
burnt by enemies were the
palaces, and that
the bars of the gates were
broken; for no one dared to summon to
arms after it was heard that the city was taken. It follows, —
|
JEREMIAH
51:31
|
|
31. One post shall run to meet another, and
one messenger to meet another, to show the king of Babylon that his city is
taken at one end.
|
31. Cursor in occursum cursoris cucurrit
(vel, curret, ad verbum) et nuntius in occmsum nuntii ad
nuntiandum regi Babylonis, quod capta sit urbs ejus ab
extremitate.
|
This also was fulfilled according to the testimony of
heathen authors, as well as of Daniel. They do not indeed repeat these words,
but according to the whole tenor of history we may easily conclude that
messengers ran here and there, for the Babylonians never thought that the enemy
could so suddenly penetrate into the city, for there was no entrance. We have
seen how high the walls were, for there were no muskets then, and the walls
could not have been beaten down. There were indeed battering-rams; but what was
the breadth of the walls? even fifty feet, as already stated, so that four
horses abreast could pass without coming into contact. There was then no
battering-ram that could throw down walls so thick. As to the fords, the thing
seemed incredible; so that they kept a feast in perfect security. In such
an irruption, what our Prophet testifies here must have necessarily happened.
But it is quite evident that he was the instrument of the Holy Spirit; for Cyrus
was not as yet born when this prophecy was announced. We hence then know, that
the holy man was guided from above, and that what he said was not produced in
his own head, but was really celestial; for he could not have divined any such
thing, nor was it through probable conjecture that he was able thus to speak and
lead the Jews, as it were, into the very scene itself.
Nor is there a doubt but that this authority was
afterwards confirmed when the fathers told their children, “So have we
heard from the mouth of the Prophet what we now see with our eyes; and yet no
man could have conjectured any such thing, nor have discovered it by reason or
clearsightedness: hence Jeremiah must have necessarily been taught by the Spirit
of God.” This, then, is the reason why God designed that the destruction
of Babylon should be, as we see, so graphically described.
He then says,
A runner ran to meet a
runner, and then,
a messenger to meet a messenger,
to tell the king of Babylon that his city was taken at its
extremity?
fH94 Had this been said of a small
city, it might have appeared ridiculous: why are these runners? one might say.
But it has been sufficiently shown, that so extensive was that city, that
runners, passing through many fields, might have come to the king, and convey
the news that the city was taken at one of its extremities. And heathen
writers cannot sufficiently eulogize the contrivance and skill of Cyrus, that,
he thus took possession of so great a city; for he might have only
secured one half of it, and Belshazzar might have retained the other half, and
might have bravely contested with Cyrus and all his forces; and he would have no
doubt overcome him, had it not been for the wonderful and unusual expedition of
Cyrus. This haste, then, or expedition of Cyrus, is what the Prophet now sets
forth, when he says that
messengers ran to the king to
tell him that the city was taken. He now
adds, respecting other things, what no one could have divined, —
|
JEREMIAH
51:32
|
|
32. And that the passages are stopped, and the
reeds they have burnt with fire, and the men of war are
affrighted.
|
32. Et vada capta sunt, e stagna exusta sunt
igni, et viri proelii (hoc est, bellicosi) conterriti
sunt.
|
This verse most clearly proves that Jeremiah was
God’s herald, and that his language was under the guidance of the
celestial Spirit; for he sets forth the manner in which Babylon was taken, as
though he had witnessed it with his own eyes.
He says that
the fords were
taken, and that the
pools were burnt with
fire. We do not read that Cyrus had made
use of fire; and some render pools, reeds, but there is no reason to constrain
us so to render the word; for the Prophet speaks metaphorically. Their object
was to give a literal rendering, by saying that reeds were burnt; but the
Prophet shows, speaking hyperbolically, that the fords of the Euphrates were
dried up, as though one burned wood by applying fire to it. This, indeed, is not
suitable to water; but he, by a hyperbole, expresses more fully the miracle
which might have otherwise exceeded human comprehension. He then says, that the
fords were dried up, and then adds, that the pools were burnt. The same thing is
expressed twice, but in a different way; and as I have already said, he states
hyperbolically, that such was the skill of Cyrus and his army, that he made dry
the fords and the pools, as though one collected a large heap of wood and
consumed it with fire.
fH95 We now perceive the design of the
Prophet.
He afterwards adds, that the
men of war were broken in
pieces. For though the fords were made
dry, that is, the streams which were drawn from the Euphrates, vet. the guards
of the city might have still kept possession of a part of it, and have manfully
resisted, so as to prevent the soldiers of Cyrus from advancing farther; but the
city was so craftily taken, that the Babylonians were so terrified as not to
dare to raise up a finger, when yet they might have defended a part of the city,
though one part of it was taken.
PRAYER
Grant, Almighty God, that as thou didst
formerly testify thy favor towards thy Church by not sparing the greatest of
monarchies, — O grant that we may know thee at this day to be the same
towards all thy faithful people who call upon thee; and as the power and cruelty
of our enemies are so great, raise thou up thine hand against them, and show
that thou art the perpetual defender of thy Church, so that we may have reason
to magnify thy goodness in Christ Jesus our Lord. — Amen.
LECTURE ONE HUNDRED AND
NINETIETH
|
JEREMIAH
51:33
|
|
33. For thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God
of Israel, The daughter of Babylon is like a threshing floor: it is
time to thresh her: yet a little while, and the time of her harvest shall
come.
|
33. Quoniam sic dicit Jehova exercituum, Deus
Israel, filia Babylonis tanquam area, tempus calcandae ejus; adhuc paulisper, et
veniet messis ei.
|
BY this similitude the Prophet confirms what he had
before said, even that God would be the avenger of his Church, and would justly
punish the Babylonians, but at the suitable time, which is usually called in
Scripture the time of visitation, He then compares Babylon to a
threshing-floor,
not indeed in the sense which interpreters have imagined, but because the
threshing-floor only serves for the time of harvest, and is afterwards closed up
and not used. Babylon, then, had been for a long time like a threshing-floor,
because there had been no treading there, that is, no noise or shouting. But God
declares that the time of harvest
would come, when the threshing-floor
would be used. Oxen did then tread the corn; for the corn was not beaten out
with flails, as with us and in most places in France, though the inhabitants of
Provence still use the treading. In Judea they tread out the corn on floors, and
oxen were used for the purpose. Now, the reason for the similitude seems
evident; for the time would come when God would smite Babylon, as oxen after
harvest tread out with their feet the corn on the threshing-floor, which for the
rest of the year is not wanted, but remains closed up and quiet. Hence I have
said that what we have before seen as to the time of visitation is confirmed;
for it was strange at the first view to promise deliverance to the Jews, while
yet Babylon was increasing more and more and extending the limits of its
monarchy.
(<232824>Isaiah
28:24-26.) God shows in that passage that it was no matter of wonder if he did
not daily exercise his judgments in an equal degree; and he bids us to consider
how husbandmen act, for they do not sow at the same time wheat and barley and
other kinds of grain; nor do they always plough, or always reap, but wait for
seasonable times. “Since, then, husbandmen are endowed with so much
care and foresight as I have taught them, why may not I also have my times
rightly distributed, so that there may be now the harvest, and then the treading
or threshing? and should I not at one time sow wheat, and at another
cumin?” for the Prophet adds these several sorts. The same is the mode of
reasoning in this place, though the Prophet speaks more
briefly.
He then says that Babylon would be like a
threshing-foor, and how? because it had been as a place closed up and wholly
quiet; for God had spared the Chaldeans, and, as we shall hereafter see, they
had been so inebriated with pleasures that they feared no
danger.
And then immediately he explains himself, — it
is time to
tread or thresh her. Then Babylon
became like a threshing-fioor, for she had not been trodden or threshed for a
long time, as the threshing-floor is not used for nine or ten months through the
whole year. But he adds, yet a
little while, and come will her
harvest.
We learn from this and other passages that treading
or threshing was in use among the Jews and other eastern nations only during
harvest. In other places, corn is often kept in the ears for five and six years.
Some thresh the corn after six, or eight, or nine months, as it suits their
convenience. But there are many countries where the corn is immediately
threshed; it is not stored up, but is immediately conveyed to the
threshing-floor, and there it is trodden by oxen or threshed with flails. As
then it was usual immediately to tread the corn, hence God declares that the
time of harvest would come when Babylon would be trodden, as the threshing-floor
is trodden after harvest.
fH96
We must observe that a
little while
is not to be understood according to the
notions of men; for though God suspends his judgments, he yet never delays
beyond the time; on the contrary, he performs his work with all due celerity.
The Prophet Haggai says,
“Yet a little while, and I
will shake the heaven and the earth.”
(<370207>Haggai
2:7)
But this was not fulfilled till many years after. But
we must remember what is in Habakkuk, —
“If the vision delays, wait for
it, for it will come
and will not
be slow.”
(<350205>Habakkuk
2:5)
He says that prophecies delay, that is, according to
the judgment of men, who make too much haste, and are even carried away headlong
by their own desires. But God performs his work with sufficient celerity,
provided we allow him to arrange the times according to his own will, as it is
just and right for us to do. Whenever, then, the ungodly enjoy ease and securely
indulge themselves, let this fact come to our own minds, that the
threshing-floor is not always trodden, but that the time of harvest will come
whenever it pleases God. This is the use we ought to make of what is here said.
It follows, —
|
JEREMIAH
51:34
|
|
34. Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon hath
devoured me, he hath crushed me, he hath made me an empty vessel, he hath
swallowed me up like a dragon, he hath filled his belly with my delicates,
he hath cast me out.
|
34. Comedit me, contrivit me Nabuchadnezer rex
Babylonis; posuit me (locavit, ad verbum) vas inane; diglutivit me
tanquam draco, implevit ventrem suum deliciis meis, ejecit me.
|
Here is mentioned the complaint of the chosen people,
and this was done designedly by Jeremiah, in order that the Jews might feel
assured that their miseries were not overlooked by God; for nothing can distress
us so much as to think that God forgets us and disregards the wrongs done to us
by the ungodly, hence the Prophet here sets the Israelites in God’s
presence, that they might be convinced in their own minds that they were not
disregarded by God, and that he was not indifferent to the unjust and cruel
treatment they received from their enemies. For this complaint is made, as
though they expostulated with God in his presence.
He then says,
Devoured me and broken me in
pieces has Nebuchadnezzar, the king of
Babylon.
fH97 The word, to eat, or
devour, was enough; but Jeremiah wished to express something more atrocious by
adding the word, to break in
pieces;
fH98 for he intimates that Babylon had
not been like a man who devours meat set before him, but that she had been a
cruel wild beast, who breaks in pieces the very bones. We now, then, understand
the design of the Prophet; he amplifies the savageness of the king of Babylon,
by saying that God’s people had not only been devoured by him as men
swallow down their food, but that they had also been torn in pieces by his
teeth, as though he had been a lion, or a bear, or some other wild animal; for
these not only devour their prey, but also with their teeth break in pieces
whatever is harder than flesh, such as bones.
For the same purpose he adds,
He has set me an empty
vessel, that is, he has wholly exhausted
me, as when one empties a flagon or a cask. Then he says, he has
swallowed me like a
dragon.
fH99 It is a comparison different from
the former, but yet very suitable; for dragons are those who devour a whole
animal; and this is what the Prophet means. Though these comparisons do not in
everything agree, yet as to the main thing they are most appropriate, even to
show that God suffered his people to be devoured, as though they had been
exposed to the teeth of a lion or a bear, or as though they had been a prey to a
dragon.
He adds,
Filled has he his belly with my
delicacies, that is, whatever delicate
thing I had, he has consumed it. He then says,
he has cast off the
remnants, like wolves and lions and
other wild beasts, who, when they have more prey than what suffices them, choose
what is most savory; for they choose the head of man that they may eat the
brain; they suck the blood, but leave the intestines and whatever they do not
like. So also the Prophet says here of the miserable Jews, that they had been so
devoured that the enemy, having been satiated, had cast. off the
remainder. fH100
We hence learn that God’s people had been so
exposed to plunder, that the conqueror was not only satisfied, but cast away
here and there what remained; for satiety, as it is well known, produces
loathsomeness. But the Prophet refers to the condition of the miserable people;
for their wealth had been swallowed up by the Chaldeans, but their household
furniture was plundered by the neighboring nations; and the men themselves had
been driven into exile, so that there came a disgraceful scattering. They were
then scattered into various countries, and some were left through contempt in
the land; thus was fulfilled what is said here, “He has cast me
out,” even because these wild beasts, the Chaldeans, became satiated; meat
was rejected by them, because they could not consume all that was presented to
them.
By these figurative terms, as it has been stated, is
set forth the extreme calamity of the people; and the Prophet no doubt intended
to meet such thoughts as might otherwise have proved very harassing to the Jews.
For as they found no end to their evils, they might have thought that they had
been so cast away by God as to become the most miserable of men. This is the
reason why our Prophet anticipates what might have imbittered the minds of the
godly, and even driven them to despair, he then says, that notwithstanding all
the things which had happened, yet God had not forgotten his people; for all
these things were done as in his sight.
With regard to us, were God not only to double the
calamities of his Church, but also to afflict it in an extreme degree, yet what
the Prophet says here ought to afford us aid, even that God’s chosen
people were formerly so consumed, that the remainder was cast away in contempt;
for the conqueror, though insatiable, could not yet consume all that he got as a
prey, because his cupidity could not contain it. It now follows,
—
|
JEREMIAH
51:35-36
|
|
35. The violence done to me and to my flesh
be upon Babylon, shall the inhabitant of Zion say; and, My blood upon the
inhabitants of Chaldea, shall Jerusalem say.
|
35. Violentia mea (sed passive accipitur,
alii vertunt, rapinam, quod idem est) et caro mea contra Babylonem,
dicet (vel, dicat) habitatrix Sion, sanguis mens contra habitatores
Chaldaeae, dicat Jerusalem.
|
|
36. Therefore thus saith the Lord, Behold, I
will plead thy cause, and take vengeance for thee: and I will dry up her sea,
and make her springs dry.
|
36. Propterea sic dicit Jehova, Ecce ego
litigans litem tuam (hoc est, disceptans causam tuam, vel,
cognitor causae tuae,) et vindleans vindictam tuam; et arefaciam mare ejus,
et exsiccabo fontem ejus.
|
Jeremiah goes on with the same subject; for, after
having shown that the calamities of the people were not unknown to God, he now,
in an indirect way, exhorts the faithful to deposit their complaints in the
bosom of God, and to apply, or appeal to him, as their defender. The design,
then, of the Prophet is, (after having explained how grievously the Jews had
been afflicted,) to show them that their only remedy was, to flee to God, and to
plead their cause before him.
And this passage is entitled to particular notice, so
that we may also learn in extreme evils, when all things seem hopeless, to
discover our evils to God, and thus to unburden our anxieties in his bosom. For
how is it, that sorrow often overwhelms us, except that we do not follow what
God’s Spirit prescribes to us? For it is said in the
Psalms,
“Roll thy cares into God’s
bosom, and he will sustain thee, and will not give the righteous to a perpetual
change.”
(<195523>Psalm
55:23)
We may, then, by prayer, unburden ourselves, and this
is the best remedy: but we murmur, and sometimes clamor, or at least we bite and
champ the bridle, according to a common proverb; and, in the meantime, we
neglect the chief thing, and what the Prophet teaches us here.
We ought, then, carefully to mark the design
of what is here taught, when it is said,
my violence and my flesh
be
upon
Babylon. When he adds, Say will
(or let) the daughter of
Sion, he no doubt shows that the
faithful have always this consolation in their extreme calamities, that they can
expostulate with God as to their enemies and their cruelty. Then he says, my
plunder or violence; some render it “the plunder of me,”
which is harsh. But the meaning of the Prophet is not ambiguous, for it follows
afterwards, my
flesh. Then violence was that which was
done by enemies. But the people is here spoken of under the name of a woman,
according to what is commonly done,
Let the inhabitress of Sion say,
My plunder and my flesh. By the second
word the Prophet shows sufficiently plain what he understood by plunder.
My
flesh, he says, (even that which the
Chaldeans had devoured and consumed,) be
on
Babylon. This is of the greatest weight,
for by these words he intimates, that though the Chaldeans thought that they had
exercised with impunity their cruelty towards the Jews, yet their innocent blood
cried, and was opposed to them as an enemy.
To the same purpose he afterwards adds,
Let Jerusalem say, My blood is
upon the Chaldeans.
Then follows a clearer explanation, when God promises
that he would be the avenger of his chosen people, and that whatever the Jews
had suffered would be rendered to Babylon:
Therefore thus saith Jehovah,
Behold, I will litigate thy quarrel.
By this passage we are taught to present our complaints to God, if we
wish him to undertake our cause; for when we are silent, he will in his turn
rest, as he considers us unworthy of being helped. But if we cry to him, he will
doubtless hear us. Then we must remember the order of things, for the Prophet
says on the one hand, Let
Jerusalem cry, let the daughter of Sion say;
and on the other hand he says, Therefore God will come and hear the cry of
his people.
He says, first,
Behold, I will plead thy
cause, and then, I will vindicate or
avenge thy vengeance. These are hard words to Latin ears; but yet
they contain more force and power than if we were to follow the elegance of the
Latin tongue. It is then better to retain the genuine terms than to study
neatness too much.
In short, God promises to be the defender of his
people, and by using the demonstrative particle, he doubtless removes every
doubt, as though the thing was now present. We know that more than seventy years
had elapsed since God had spoken thus; for as it has been already stated, it was
not after the taking of the city that Jeremiah prophesied against the Chaldeans:
but though God suspended his judgment and vengeance for seventy years after the
destruction of the city, yet this was said, Behold, I, as though he
brought the faithful to witness the event; and this was done for the sake of
certainty.
Now, we hence learn, that though God humbles his
people, and suffers them even to be overwhelmed with extreme miseries, he will
at length become the avenger of all the wrongs which they may have endured; for
what has been said of the destruction of the people has a reference to us; nay,
what is here said, has not been left on record except for our benefit. And
further, let us learn, as I have before reminded you, to prepare our minds for
patience whenever God seems to forsake us. Let us, at the same time exercise
ourselves constantly in prayer, and God will hear our groans and complaints, and
regard our tears.
It is afterwards added,
I will make dry her
sea; for Babylon, as it has been already
stated, was surrounded by the streams of the Euphrates; and there was no easy
access to it. The Prophet then compares the fortifications of Babylon to a
sea and a fountain. For who would have thought that the Euphrates
could be dried up, which is so large a river, and has none equal to it in all
Europe? Even the Danube does not come up to the largeness of that river. Who
then would have thought it possible that such a river could be made dry, which
was like a sea, and its fountain inexhaustible? God then intimates by these
words, that such was his power, that all obstacles would vanish away, and that
he was resolved at the same time to execute his judgment on the Babylonians. It
afterwards follows, —
|
JEREMIAH
51:37
|
|
37. And Babylon shall become heaps, a
dwelling-place for dragons, an astonishment, and an hissing, without an
inhabitant.
|
37. Et erit Babylon in acervos, habitaculum
draconum, stupor et sibilum, absque habitatore.
|
He confirms what he had said, that when God raised
his hand against Babylon, such would be its destruction, that the splendor,
which before astonished all nations, would be reduced to nothing. Perish, he
says, shall all the wealth of Babylon — its towers and its walls shall
fall, and its people shall disappear; in short,
it shall become heaps of
stones, as he said before, that it would
become a mountain of burning. It is then for the same purpose that he now says
that it would become heaps. But we must bear in mind what we observed yesterday,
that it would become such heaps that they would not be fit for corners, that
they could not be set in foundations; for the ruins would be wholly useless as
to any new building.
He says that it would become
an astonishment and a
hissing. Moses also used these words,
when he threatened the people with punishment, in case they transgressed the law
of God.
(<052837>Deuteronomy
28:37.) But these threatenings extend to all the ungodly, and the despisers of
God. Then God fulfilled as to the Babylonians what he had denounced by Moses on
all the despisers of his law. It then follows, —
|
JEREMIAH
51:38
|
|
38. They shall roar together like lions: they
shall yell as lions’ whelps.
|
38. Rugient tanquam leones, rugient (est
quidem alium verbum sed ejusdem sensus) tanquam catuli
leonum.
|
Here, by another figure, Jeremiah expresses what he
had said of the destruction of Babylon, even that in the middle of the
slaughter, they would have no strength to resist: they would, at the same time,
perish amidst great confusion; and thus he anticipates what might have been
advanced against his prophecy. For the Babylonians had been superior to all
other nations; how then could it be, that a power so invincible should perish?
Though they were as lions, says the Prophet, yet that would avail nothing; they
will indeed roar, but roaring will be of no service to them; they will roar as
the whelps of lions, but still they will perish.
We now, then, understand the object of this
comparison, even that the superior power by which the Babylonians had terrified
all men would avail them nothing, for nothing would remain for them in their
calamity except roaring.
fH101 It follows, —
|
JEREMIAH
51:39
|
|
39. In their heat I will make their feasts,
and I will make them drunken, that they may rejoice, and sleep a perpetual
sleep, and not wake, saith the Lord.
|
39. In calore ipsorum ponam convivia ipsorum,
et inebriabo eos, ut exultent, et dormiant somnum perpetuum, et non
expergiscantur, dicit Jehova.
|
Here, also, he describes the manner in which Babylon
was taken. And hence we learn, that the Prophet did not speak darkly or
ambiguously, but so showed, as it were by the finger, the judgment of God, that
the prophecy might be known by posterity, in order that they might understand
that God’s Spirit had revealed these things by the mouth of the Prophet:
for no mortal, had he been a hundred times endowed with the spirit of
divination, could ever have thus clearly expressed a thing unknown. But as
nothing is past or future with God, he thus plainly spoke of the destruction of
Babylon by his Prophet, that posterity, confirmed by the event, might
acknowledge him to have been, of a certainty, the instrument of the Holy Spirit.
And Daniel afterwards sealed the prophecy of Jeremiah, when he historically
related what had taken place; nay, God extorted from heathen writers a
confession, so that they became witnesses to the truth of prophecy. Though
Xenophon was not, indeed, by design a witness to Jeremiah, yet that unprincipled
writer, whose object was flattery, did, notwithstanding, render service for God,
and sealed, by a public testimony, what had been divinely predicted by
Jeremiah.
In their
heat, he says,
I will make their
feasts, that is, I will make them hot in
their feasts; for when the king of Babylon was drunk, he was slain, together
with his princes and counselors. I will inebriate them that they may exult, that
is, that they may become wanton. This refers to their sottishness, for they
thought that they should be always safe, and ridiculed Cyrus for suffering so
many hardships. For he lived in tents, and the siege had been now long, and
there was no want in the city. Thus, then, their wantonness destroyed them. And
hence the Prophet says that God would make them hot, that they might become
wanton in their pleasures; and then, that they might
sleep a perpetual
sleep, that is, that they might perish
in their luxury: fH102
though they had despised their enemy, yet
they should never awake; for Babylon, as we observed yesterday, might have
resisted for a long time, but it was at once taken. The Babylonians were not
afterwards allowed to have arms. Cyrus, indeed, suffered them to indulge in
pleasures, but took away from them the use of arms, deprived them of all
authority, so that they lived in a servile state, in the greatest degradation:
and then, in course of time, they became more and more contemptible, until at
length the city was so overthrown, that nothing remained but a few cottages, and
it became a mean village. We hence see that whatever God had predicted by his
servant Jeremiah was at length fulfilled, but at the appropriate time, —
at the time of treading or threshing, as it has been stated. It follows, —
|
JEREMIAH
51:40
|
|
40. I will bring them down like lambs to the
slaughter, like rams with he-goats.
|
40. Educam (ad verbum est, descendere
faciam) eos tanquam agnos ad mactationem, tanquam arietes cure
hircis.
|
This is a comparison different from the former, when
the Prophet said that they would be like lions, but as to roaring only. But he
now shows how easy would that ruin be when it should please God to destroy the
Babylonians. Then as to their cry, they were like lions; but as to the facility
of their destruction, they were like lambs led to the slaughter. God does not
mean here that they would be endued with so much gentleness as to give
themselves up to a voluntary death; but he means, that however strong the
Babylonians might have previously been, and however they might have threatened
all other nations, they would then be women in courage, and be led to the
slaughter as though they were lambs or rams.
This is a comparison which occurs often in the
prophets, for sacrifices were then daily made; and then the prophets considered
the destruction of the ungodly as a kind of sacrifice; for as sacrifices were
offered under the Law as evidences of piety and worship, so when God appears as
a judge and takes vengeance on the reprobate, it is the same as though he
erected an altar, and thus exhibited an evidence of the worship that is due to
him; for his glory and worship is honored, yea, and celebrated by such
sacrifices. Then the destruction of all the ungodly, as we have said, may be
justly compared to sacrifices; for in such instances the glory of God shines
forth, and this is what especially belongs to his worship. It at length follows,
—
|
JEREMIAH
51:41
|
|
41. How is Sheshach taken! and how is the
praise of the whole earth surprised! how is Babylon become an astonishment among
the nations!
|
41. Quomodo capta est Sesak, et comprehensa
laus totius terrae? quomodo facta est Babylon in vastitatem (vel, in
stuporem) inter curtetas gentes?
|
Here the wonder expressed by the Prophet tended to
confirm what he had said, for he thus dissipated those things which usually
disturbed the minds of the godly, so as not to give full credit to his
predictions. There is indeed no doubt but that the godly thought of many things
when they heard Jeremiah thus speaking of the destruction of Babylon. It ever
occurred to them, “How can this be?” Hence Jeremiah
anticipated such thoughts, and assumed himself the character of one filled with
wonder — How is
Shesbach taken? as though he had said,
“Though the whole world should be astonished at the destruction of
Babylon, yet what I predict is certain; and thus shall they find who now admit
not the truth of what I say, as well as posterity.”
But he calls Babylon here Sheshach, as in Jeremiah
25. Some think it to be there the proper name of a man, and others regard it as
the name of a celebrated city in Chaldea. But we see that what they assert is
groundless; for this passage puts an end to all controversy, for in the first
clause he mentions Sheshach, and in the second, Babylon. That passage also in
Jeremiah 25 cannot refer to anything else except to Babylon; for the Prophet
said,
“Drink shall all nations of
God’s cup of fury,
and after
them the king of Sheshach,”
that is, when God has chastised all nations, at
length the king of Babylon shall have his turn. But in this place the Prophet
clearly shows that Sheshach can be nothing else than Babylon. The name is indeed
formed by inverting the alphabet. Nor is this a new notion; for they had this
retrograding alphabet in the time of Jerome. They put
t,
tau, the last letter, in the place of
a,
aleph, the first; then
ç,
shin, for
b,
beth, thus we see how they formed Shesbach. The
ç,
shin, is found twice in the word, the last letter but one being put for
b,
beth, the first, letter but one; and then
k,
caph, is put in the place of
l,
lamed, according to the order of the retrograde alphabet. There is no
good reason for what some say, that the Prophet spoke thus obscurely for the
sake of the Jews, because the prophecy was disliked, and might have created
dangers to them; for why did he mention Sheshach and then Babylon in the same
verse?
Many understand this passage enigmatically; but there
is no doubt but that that alphabet was then, as we have stated, in common use,
as we have Ziphras, as they call it, at this day. In the meantime, though
the Prophet was not timid, and encouraged his own people to confidence, it yet
pleased God that this prophecy should in a manner be hidden, but not that it
should be without evidence of its certainty, for we shall see in the last verse
but one of this chapter that he commanded the volume to be thrown into the
Euphrates, until the event itself manifested the power of God, which for a long
time remained as it were buried, until the time of visitation which of which he
had spoken.
PRAYER
Grant, Almighty God, that since thou art
pleased at this day to receive us for thy people, we may enjoy the same favor to
the end, and be sheltered under thy wings; and though we deserve to be wholly
cast away, yet, if thou chastise us for a time, deal with us with moderate
severity, and chastise us in judgment, and not with extreme rigor; and then,
after darkness, let thy serene face appear, until we shall at length enjoy that
full light to which thou invitest us daily through Christ Jesus our Lord.
— Amen.
LECTURE ONE HUNDRED AND NINETY
FIRST
|
JEREMIAH
51:42
|
|
42. The sea is come up upon Babylon: she is
covered with the multitude of the waves thereof.
|
42. Ascendit contra Babylonem mare,
multitudine fluctuum ejus cooperta est (vel, obruta.)
|
THE Prophet here employs a comparison, in
order more fully to confirm his prophecy respecting the destruction of Babylon;
for, as it was incredible that it could be subdued by the power or forces of
men, he compares the calamity by which God would overwhelm it to a deluge. He
then says that the army of the Persians and of the Medes would be like the sea,
for it would irresistibly overflow; as when a storm rises, the sea swells, so he
says the Medes and the Persians would come with such force, that Babylon would
be overwhelmed with a deluge rather than with the forces of men. We now then
understand the Prophet’s meaning, when he says that Babylon would be
covered with waves
when the Medes and the Persians came. It
then follows, —
|
JEREMIAH
51:43
|
|
43. Her cities are a desolation, a dry land,
and a wilderness, a land wherein no man dwelleth, neither doth any son of
man pass thereby.
|
43. Erunt urbes ejus in vastitatem, terra
deserti et siccitatis (aut, vastitatis) terra; non transibit per eam
quisquam (onmis homo,) et non habitabit in illa quisquam (et non transibit in
illa, hoc est, per illam) filius hominis.
|
He repeats what he had previously said, but we have
before reminded you why he speaks so largely on a subject in itself not obscure.
For he might have comprehended in a few words all that he had said in the last
chapter and also in this; but it was difficult to convince men of what he taught
— it was therefore necessary to dwell at large on the
subject.
He says now that the cities of Babylon, that
is, of that monarchy, would
become a
desolation. He seems to have hitherto
directed his threatenings against the city itself; but now he declares that
God’s vengeance would extend to all the cities under the power of the
Chaldean nation; and he speaks at large of their desolation, for he says that it
would be a land of desert, a land
of drought, or of filthiness, so that
no one would dwell in
it. And though he uses the singular
number and repeats it, yet he refers to cities,
Pass through it shall no man,
dwell in it shall no
man.
fH103 He indeed speaks of the whole
land, but so that he properly refers to the cities, as though he had said, that
so great would be the destruction, that however far and wide the monarchy of
Babylon extended, all its cities would be cut off. It afterwards follows,
—
|
JEREMIAH
51:44
|
|
44. And I will punish Bel in Babylon, and I
will bring forth out of his mouth that which he hath swallowed up: and the
nations shall not flow together any more unto him; yea, the wall of Babylon
shall fall.
|
44. Et visitabo super Bel in Babylone, et
extraham quod voravit ab ore ejus; et non confluent ad ipsum amplius gentes;
etiam murus Babylonis cecidit.
|
God again declares that he would take vengeance on
the idols of Babylon; not that God is properly incensed against idols, for they
are nothing but things made by men; but that he might show how much he detests
all superstitious and idolatrous worship. But he speaks of Bel as though it was
an enemy to himself; yet God had no quarrel with a dead figure, void of reason
and feeling; and such a contest would have been ridiculous. God, however, thus
rises up against Bel for the sake of men, and declares that it was an enemy to
himself, not because the idol, as we have said, of itself deserved any
punishment.
But we hence learn how detestable was that corruption
and that false religion. It appears evident from beathen writers that Bel was
the supreme god of the Chaldean nation; nay, that idol was worshipped throughout
all Assyria, as all testify with one consent. They thought that there had been a
king skillful in the knowledge of the stars, and hence he was placed by erring
men among the gods. But we learn from the prophets that this was a very ancient
superstition; and it is hardly probable that there had been any king of this
name — for otherwise Isaiah and Jeremiah, when predicting the ruin of this
idol, would not have been silent on the subject. That common opinion, then, does
not appear to me probable; but I think that on the contrary this name was given
to the idol according to the fancies of men; for no reason can be found why
heathen nations so named their false gods. It is indeed certain that divine
honor was given to mortals by the Greeks and the Romans, and by barbarous
nations. But the worship of Bel was more ancient than the time when such a thing
was done. And in such veneration was that idol held, that from it they called
some of their precious stones. They consecrated the eye-stone to the god of the
Assyrians, because it was a gem of great price. (See Plin. lib. 37, chap.
10.)
Jeremiah, then, now declares that Bel would be
exposed to God’s vengeance, not that God, as we have said, was angry with
that statue, but he intended in this way to testify how much he abominated the
ungodly worship in which the Chaldeans delighted. Nor did he so much regard the
Chaldeans as the Jews; for I have often reminded you that it was a hard trial,
which might have easily endangered the faith of the people, to think that the
Chaldeans had not obtained so many and so remarkable victories, except God had
favored them. The Jews might on this account have had some doubts respecting the
temple and the law itself. As then the Babylonians triumphed when success
accompanied them, it was necessary to fortify the minds, of the godly,
that they might remain firm, though the Babylonians boasted of their victories.
Lest the faithful should succumb under their trials, the prophets supplied a
suitable remedy, which is done here by Jeremiah. God then declares that he would
visit Bel; for what reason and to what purpose? that the Jews might be
convinced that that idol could do nothing, but that they had been afflicted by
the Babylonians on account of their sins. That true religion, then, might not be
discredited, God testified that he would some time not only take vengeance on
the Chaldeans themselves, but also on their idol, which they had devised for
themselves; I will
then
visit Bel in
Babylon.
And he adds,
and I will bring
or draw
out of his mouth what he has
swallowed. The word
y[b,
belo, means indeed what is devoured; but the Prophet refers here to the
sacred offerings by which Bel was honored until that time. And there is no doubt
but that many nations presented gifts to that idol for the sake of the Chaldean
nation, as we find that gifts were brought from all parts of the world to
Jupiter Capitolinus when the Roman empire flourished; for when the Greeks, the
Asiatics, or the Egyptians, wished to obtain some favor, they sent golden
crowns, or chandeliers, or some precious vessels; and they sought it as the
highest privilege to dedicate their gifts to Jupiter Capitolinus. So, then,
there is no doubt but that many nations offered their gifts to Bel, when they
wished to flatter the Chaldeans. And hence the Prophet declares that when God
visited that idol, he would make it disgorge what it had before swallowed. This
is indeed not said with strict propriety; but the Prophet had regard to the
Jews, who might have doubted whether the God of Israel was the only true God,
while he permitted that empty image to be honored with so many precious
offerings; for this was to transfer the honor of the true God to a dead figure.
Then he says, I will draw
out, as though Bel had swallowed what
had been offered to it, — I
will draw out from its mouth what it has
swallowed. Though the language is not
strictly correct, yet we see that it was needful, so it might not disturb the
minds of the Jews, that almost all nations regarded that idol with so much
veneration.
He afterwards expresses his meaning more clearly by
adding, the nations shall no more
flow
together.
fH104 We hence then see what he meant
by the voracity of Bel, even because there was a resort from all parts to this
temple, for the nations, seeking to ingratiate themselves with the Babylonians,
directed their attention to their god. We, indeed, know that the temple of Bel
remained even after the city was conquered; there is yet no doubt but that the
predictions of Jeremiah and of Isaiah have been accomplished. For Isaiah
says,
“Lie prostrate does Bel, Nebo is
broken.”
(<234601>Isaiah
46:1)
He names some other god, who is not made known by
heathen writers; but it is sufficiently evident from this testimony that Bel was
in high repute. He afterwards says that it would “be a burden to
the beasts even to weariness.” We hence learn that Bel was carried away,
not that it was worshipped by the Medes and the Persians, but because all the
wealth was removed, and probably that idol was made of gold.
It afterwards follows,
Even the wall of Babylon has
fallen. We have said elsewhere that this
prophecy ought not to be restricted to the first overthrow of Babylon, for its
walls were not then pulled down except in part, where the army entered, after
the streams of the Euphrates had been diverted. However, the ancient splendor of
the city still continued. But when Babylon was recovered by Darius, the son of
Hystaspes, then the walls were pulled down to their foundations, as Herodotus
writes, with whom other heathen authors agree. For Babylon had revolted together
with the Assyrians when the Magi obtained the government; but when Darius
recovered the kingdom, he prepared an army against the Assyrians who had
resorted to Babylon; and their barbarous cruelty is narrated, for they strangled
all the women that they might not consume the provisions. Each one was allowed
to keep one woman as a servant to prepare food and to serve as a cook; but they
spared neither matrons nor wives, nor their own daughters. For a time the
Persians were stoutly repulsed by them. At length, through the contrivance of
Zopyrus, Darius entered the city; he then demolished the walls and the gates,
and afterwards Babylon was no better than a village. Then also he hung the chief
men of the city, to the number of three or four thousand, which would be
incredible were we not to consider the extent of the city; for such a slaughter
would be horrible in a city of moderate size, even were men of all orders put to
death. But it hence appears what an atrocious cruelty it must have been, when
all the chief men were hung or fixed to crosses; and then also the walls were
demolished, though they were, as it has been elsewhere stated, of incredible
height and width. Their width was fifty feet; Herodotus names fifty cubits, but
I rather think they were feet; and yet their feet were longer than
common.
As, then, Jeremiah now says, that
the wall of Babylon had
fallen, there is no doubt but his
prophecy includes this second calamity, which happened under Darius; and this
confirms what I have referred to elsewhere. It now follows,
—
|
JEREMIAH
51:45
|
|
45. My people, go ye out of the midst of
her, and deliver ye every man his soul from the fierce anger of the
Lord.
|
45. Exite e mediom ejus, popule mi, et serrate
quisque animam suam ab exeandescentia irae Jehovae.
|
Here the Prophet exhorts the Israelites to flee from
Chaldea and Assyria. Yet this exhortation was intended for another purpose, to
encourage them in the hope of deliverance; for it was hardly credible
that they should ever have a free exit, for Babylon was to them like a
sepulcher. As then he exhorts them as to their deliverance, he intimates
that God would be their redeemer, as he had promised. But he shows that
God’s vengeance on Babylon would be dreadful, when he says, Flee
from the indignation of
God’s wrath.
We must, however, observe, that the faithful were
thus awakened, lest, being inebriated with the indulgences of the Chaldeans,
they should obstinately remain there, when God stretched forth his hand to them;
for we know what happened when liberty to return was given to the Israelites
— a small portion only returned; some despised the great favor of God;
they were so accustomed to their habitations, and were so fixed there,
that they made no account of the Temple, nor of the land promised them by God.
The Prophet, then, that he might withdraw the faithful from such indulgences,
says, that all who, in their torpor, remained there, would be miserable, because
the indignation of God would kindle against that city. We now perceive the
object of the Prophet.
It appears, indeed, but a simple exhortation to the
Jews to remove, that they might not be polluted with the filth of Babylon, but
another end is also to be regarded, proposed by the holy Prophet. This
exhortation, then, contains in it a promise of return, as though he had said,
that they were not to fear, because liberty would at length be given them, as
God had promised. In the meantime, a stimulant is added to the promise, lest the
Israelites should be delighted with the pleasures of Chaldea, and thus despise
the inheritance promised them by God; for we know how great was the pleasantness
of that land, and how great was the abundance it possessed of all blessings; for
the fruitfulness of that land is more celebrated than that of all other
countries. No wonder, then, that the Prophet so strongly urged the Jews to
return, and that he set before them the vengeance of God to frighten them with
terror, in case they slumbered in Chaldea. And he afterwards adds,
—
|
JEREMIAH
51:46
|
|
46. And lest your heart faint, and ye fear for
the rumor that shall be heard in the land; a rumor shall both come one
year, and after that in another year shall come a rumor and
violence in the land, ruler against ruler.
|
46. Et ne forte mollescat cor vestrum, et
timeatis in rumore (hoc est, ob rumorem) qui audietar in terra; veniet in
anno rumor, et postea in anno (altero, subaudiendum est anno posteriore)
rumor, et violentia in terra, et dominator super dominatorem.
|
Here the Prophet in due time anticipates a danger,
lest the Jews should be disturbed in their minds, when they saw those dreadful
shakings which afterwards happened; for when their minds were raised to an
expectation of a return, great commotions began to arise in Babylon. Babylon, as
it is well known, was for a long time besieged, and, as is usual in wars, every
day brings forth something new. As, then, God, in a manner, shook the whole
land, it could not be, especially under increasing evils, but that the miserable
exiles should become faint, being in constant fear; for they were exposed to the
wantonness of their enemies. Then the Prophet seasonably meets them here, and
shows that there was no cause for them to be disturbed, whatever might
happen.
Come,
he says, and rise shall
various rumors; but stand firm in your
minds. Interpreters confine these rumors to the first year of Belshazzar; but I
know not whether such a view is correct. I consider the words simply intended to
strengthen weak minds, lest they should be overwhelmed, or at least vacillate,
through trials, when they heard of grievous commotions.
But there is a doctrine here especially useful; for
when God designs to aid his Church, he suffers the world to be, in a manner,
thrown into confusion, that the favor of redemption may appear more remarkable.
Unless, then, the faithful were to have some knowledge of God’s mercy,
they could never endure with courageous minds the trials by which God proves
them, and while Satan, on the other hand, seeks to upset their faith. There is
the prelude of this very thing to be seen in the ancient people: God had
promised to be their redeemer; when the day drew nigh, war suddenly arose, and
the Medes and the Persians, as locusts, covered the whole land. We know what
various evils war brings with it. There is, then, no doubt but that the children
of God sustained many and grievous troubles, especially as they were exiles
there; they must have suffered want, they must have been harassed in various
ways. Now, as the event of war was uncertain, they might have fainted a hundred
times, had they not been supported by this prophecy. But, as I have said, so now
also God deals with his Church; for when a deliverer appears, all things seem to
threaten ruin rather than to promise a joyful and happy deliverance. It is then
necessary, that these prophecies should come to our minds, and that we should
apply, for our own benefit, what happened formerly to our fathers, for we are
the same body. There is, therefore, no reason for us at this day to wonder, if
all things seem to get worse and worse, when yet God has promised that the
salvation of his Church will ever be precious to him, and that he will take care
of her: how so? because it is said,
Let not your heart be faint, fear
ye not when rumors arise, one after
another; when one year brings tumults, and then another year brings new tumults,
yet let not all this disturb your minds.
fH105
And Christ seems to allude to these words of the
Prophet, when he says,
“Wars shall arise, and
rumors of wars: be ye not troubled.”
(<402406>Matthew
24:6)
These words of Christ sufficiently warn us not to
think it strange, if the Church at this day be exposed to violent waves, and be
tossed as by continual storms: why so? because it is right and just that our
condition should be like that of the fathers, or at least approach to it. We
now, then, understand the design of the Prophet, and the perpetual use that
ought to be made of what is here taught.
He afterwards adds,
Violence in the
land, and a
ruler
upon or after a ruler. This
refers to Cyrus, who succeeded Darius, whom some call Cyaxares. They, indeed, as
it is well known, both ruled; but Darius, who was older, had the honor of being
the supreme king. Afterwards Cyrus, when Darius was dead, became the king of the
whole monarchy. And Darius the Mede lived only one year after Babylon was taken.
But I doubt not but that the Prophet here bids the Jews to be of good courage
and of a cheerful mind, though the land should often change its masters; for
that change, however often, could take away nothing from God’s authority
and government. It afterwards follows, —
|
JEREMIAH
51:47
|
|
47. Therefore, behold, the days come, that I
will do judgment upon the graven images of Babylon; and her whole land shall be
confounded, and all her slain shall fall in the midst of her.
|
47. Propterea ecce dies veniunt, et visitabo
super simulachra Babylonis; et tota terra ejus pudefiet, et omnes occisi ejus
(vel, interfecti) cadent in medio ejus.
|
He repeats a former sentence, that
God would visit the idols of
Babylon. He does not speak now of Bel
only, but includes all the false gods. We have already said why God raised his
hand against idols, which were yet mere inventions of no account. This he did
for the sake of men, that the Israelites might know that they had been deceived
by the wiles of Satan, and that the faithful might understand that they ought
not to ascribe it to false gods, when God for a time spared the ungodly. However
wanton, then, they might be, in their prosperity, yet when they perished
together with their idols, the faithful would then learn by experience, that
idols obtained no victory for their worshippers.
When, therefore, the Prophet now says,
Behold, the days are
coming,
and I will visit,
etc., he no doubt intended to support
the minds of the godly, who otherwise would have been cast down. And it was the
best support, patiently to wait for the time of visitation, of which he now
speaks;. I will visit, he says,
all the images of
Babylon; and then he adds,
her whole land shall be
ashamed. He speaks of the land, because
the dominion of that monarchy extended far, so that it was difficult to travel
through all its regions, and enemies could hardly have access to them. At length
he adds, all her slain shall fall
in the midst of
her.
fH106 He then speaks first of the country,
and then he adds, that however fortified the city might be, yet. its walls and
towers would be of no moment, for conquerors would march through her very
streets, and everywhere kill those who thought themselves hid in a safe place,
and set, as it were, above the clouds. He then adds, —
|
JEREMIAH
51:48
|
|
48. Then the heaven and the earth, and all
that is therein, shall sing for Babylon: for the spoilers shall come unto
her from the north, saith the Lord.
|
48. Et jubilabunt contra Babylonem coeli et
terra, et omnia quae in eis sunt; quia ab aquilone veniet illi vastatores,
(est mutatio numeri,) dicit Jehova.
|
That, he might more fully convince the Jews of the
truth of all that he has hitherto said of the destruction of Babylon, he
declares that God would effect it, and that it would be applauded by all the
elements.
Shout,
he says, shall heaven and
earth; which is a kind of
personification — for he ascribes knowledge to heaven and earth. It might,
indeed, be more refinedly explained, that angels and men would shout for joy,
but it would be a frigid explanation; and the Prophet removes every ambiguity,
by adding, and all that is in
them: he includes, no doubt, the stars,
men, trees, fishes, birds, fields, stones, and rivers. And the expression is
very emphatical when he says, that all created things, though without reason and
understanding, would yet be full of joy, so that they would, in a manner,
rejoice and sing praise. If such would be the feeling in dead creatures, when
God put forth his hand against Babylon, would it be possible for that city to
remain safe, which was so hated by heaven and earth, and which was accursed by
birds and wild beasts, by trees, and everything void of understanding!
We hence see that the Prophet heaps together all
kinds of figures and modes of speaking, in order to confirm weak minds, so that
they might confidently look forward to the destruction of Babylon. He at the
same time intimates that Babylon was hated by all creatures, because it had
reached to the highest pitch of wickedness. He then shows the cause by the
effect, as though he had said that Babylon was hated by heaven and earth, so
that heaven and earth seemed as though they deemed themselves in a manner
polluted by the sight of that city. As long, then, as Babylon stood, heaven and
earth sighed: but, on the contrary, when God appeared as an avenger, then heaven
and earth, and all things in them, would shout with joy. Could it then be that
God, the judge of the world, would always connive at its sins? If heaven and
earth could not endure it, and Babylon was so loathsome to all, and joy would
arise from its destruction, could God possibly allow that city, filled with so
many sins, and detested by heaven and earth, to escape with impunity his
judgment?
We now, then, more fully understand why the Prophet
says that triumph and joy would be in heaven and earth, and among all created
things.
He says,
because;
but the particle
yk,
ki, may be taken for an adverb of time: then he says,
when from the north shall come
wasters. He alludes to the Medes, for
the Persians were eastward. But as the Medes were nigher, and also their monarch
hr wealthier, the Prophet refers especially to the Medes when he says that evil
would come from the north. For the Medes were north of Chaldea, as the Persians
were eastward.
PRAYER
Grant, Almighty God, that since thou not
only testifiest to us that thou wilt be the Redeemer of thy Church, into which
thou hast been pleased to introduce us, but hast also really manifested thyself
to us in thine only-begotten Son, — O grant that we may patiently bear all
the contests and afflictions by which thou now provest our faith, and that we
may perseveringly fight under the cross, until, having gone through all our
trials, we shall at length enjoy eternal glory, when we shall find thee to be
our complete Redeemer, through the same Christ Jesus our Lord. —
Amen.
LECTURE ONE HUNDRED AND NINETY
SECOND
|
JEREMIAH
51:49
|
|
49. As Babylon hath caused the slain of
Israel to fall, so at Babylon shall fall the slain of all the
earth.
|
49. Sicuti Babylon ut caderent (hoc est,
fecit ut caderent, subaudiendum est aliquid,) interfecti
Israelis, sic Babyloni cadent interfecti totius terrae.
|
THE words literally read thus, “As
Babylon, that they might fall, the slain of Israel, so for Babylon they
shall fall, the slain of all the lands.” Some, omitting the
l,
lamed, in the second clause, render the passage thus, “As the slain
of Israel have fallen through Babylon, so by Babylon shall they fall: “and
others render the last like the first, “through Babylon.” But the
simpler rendering is that which I have given, even that this would be the reward
which God would render Babylon, that they would fall everywhere through its
whole land, as it had slain the people of Israel. For the Prophet no doubt had
this in view, to alleviate the sorrow of the godly by some consolation; and the
ground of consolation was, that God would be the avenger of all the evils which
the Babylonians had brought on them. For it is a heavy trial when we think that
we are disregarded by God, and that our enemies with impunity oppress us
according to their own will. The Prophet, then, testifies that God would by no
means suffer that so many of the Israelites should perish unpunished, for he
would at length render to the Babylonians what they deserved, even that they who
destroyed others should in their turn be destroyed.
We may now easily gather what the Prophet means,
“As Babylon,” he says, “has made many in Israel to fall, so
now the Babylonians themselves shall fall.” To render
l,
lamed, by “through,” or, on account of, is improper.
Then he says the Babylonians themselves shall fall, the slain of the whole land.
By the whole land, I do not understand the whole world, as other interpreters,
but Chaldea only. Then everywhere in Chaldea, they who had been so cruel as to
shed innocent blood everywhere would perish.
fH107 And though that saying is generally
true, Whoso sheddeth man’s blood shall be punished; yet the word is
especially addressed to the Church. God, then, avenges all slaughters, because
he cannot bear his own image to be violated, which he has impressed on men. But
as he has a paternal care for his Church, he is in an especial manner the
avenger of that cruelty which the ungodly exercise towards the
faithful.
In short, the Prophet means, that though God may
suffer for a time the ungodly to rage against his Church, yet he will be at the
suitable season its avenger, so that they shall everywhere be slain who have
been thus cruel.
But we hence learn that we ought by no means to
despair when God allows so much liberty to the ungodly, so that they slay the
miserable and the innocent, for the same thing happened formerly to the ancient
people. It was the Church of God in which the Chaldeans committed that carnage
of which the Prophet speaks: the children of God were then slain as sheep. If
the same thing should happen to us at this day, there would be no reason for us
to despond, but to wait for the time of vengeance of which the Prophet speaks
here; for experience will then show how precious to God is the life of all the
godly. It now follows, —
|
JEREMIAH
51:50
|
|
50. Ye that have escaped the sword, go away,
stand not still: remember the Lord afar off, and let Jerusalem come into your
mind.
|
50. Qui evasistis e gladio, abite, ne stetis;
recordamini e longinquo Jehovae, et Jerusalem ascendat in cor
vestrum.
|
The Prophet again bids the faithful quickly to flee
from Chaldea; but he says, They
who remain from the sword. He then
intimates that the slaughter would be such, that it would include many of
God’s people, and that they would be destroyed. And we know that many
among them deserved such a sad end; but the Prophet now turns to address those
who had been preserved through God’s special favor. He then bids them to
depart and not to stand still or stay.
Now, we said yesterday what was the object of this
exhortation, even that the faithful might feel assured of their free return to
their own country, from which, nevertheless, they thought they were perpetually
excluded; for they had wholly despaired of deliverance, though it had been so
often promised. This exhortation, then, contains a promise; and in the meantime
the Prophet reminds us, that though God inflicted a temporary punishment on the
chosen people, yet his vengeance on the Babylonians would be perpetual. For God
not only tempers his rigor towards the faithful when he chastises them, but he
also gives them a happy issue, so that all their afflictions become helps to
their salvation, as Paul also teaches us.
(<450828>Romans
8:28.) In short, the punishments inflicted by God on his children are so many
medicines; for he always consults their safety even when he manifests tokens of
his wrath. But the case with the ungodly is different; for all their punishments
are perpetual, even those which seem to have an end. How so? because they lead
to eternal ruin. This is what the Prophet means when he bids those who
remained, to flee from
Chaldea, according to what we observed
yesterday, when he said, Flee ye
from the indignation of God’s wrath.
There is, then, an implied comparison between the punishment which brings
ultimate ruin on the reprobate, and the temporary punishment inflicted by God on
his children.
He bids them to
remember Jehovah from
afar. Some apply this to the seventy
years, but, in my view, in a sense too restricted. I then doubt not but that the
Prophet bids them to entertain hope and to look to God, however far they may
have been driven from him, as though he were wholly alienated from them. The
Israelites had then been driven into distant lands, as though God never meant to
restore them. As, then, the distance was so great between Chaldea and Judea,
what else could come into the minds of the miserable exiles but that God was far
removed from them, so that it was in vain for them to seek or call upon him? The
Prophet obviates this want of faith, and raises their confidence, so that they
might not cease to flee to God, though they had been driven into distant lands:
Be, then, mindful of
Jehovah from afar.
Then he adds,
Let Jerusalem ascend on your
heart; that is, though so many obstacles
may intercept your faith, yet think of Jerusalem. The condition of the people
required that they should be thus animated, for they might otherwise, as it has
been said, have a hundred times despaired, and have thus become torpid in their
calamities. Then the Prophet testifies that an access to God was open to them,
and that though they were removed far, he yet had a care for them, and was ready
to bring help whenever called upon And for the same reason he bids them to
direct their minds to
Jerusalem, so as to prefer the Temple of
God to all the world, and never to rest quiet until God restored them, and
liberty were given them of worshipping him there.
Now this passage deserves special notice, as it
applies to us at this day; for when the scattering of the Church takes place, we
think that we are forsaken by God, and we also conclude that he is far away from
us, so that he is sought in vain. As, then, we are wont, being inclined to
distrust, to become soon torpid in our calamities, as though we were very remote
from God, and as though he did not turn his eyes to look on our miseries, let us
apply to ourselves what is here said, even to
remember Jehovah from
afar; that is, when we seem to be
involved in extreme miseries, when God hides his face from us and seems to be
afar off; in short, when we think ourselves forsaken, and circumstances appear
as proving this, we ought still to contend with all such obstacles until our
faith triumphs, and to employ our thoughts in remembering God, though he may be
apparently alienated from us. Let us also learn to direct our minds to the
Church; for however miserable our condition may be, it is yet better than the
happiness which the ungodly seek for themselves in the world. When, therefore,
we see the ungodly flattering themselves as to their possessions, when we see
them pleased and delighted as though God were dealing indulgently with them, let
then Jerusalem come to our
minds, That is, let us prefer the state
of the Church, which may be yet sad and deformed, and such as we would
shun, were we to follow our own inclinations. Let then the condition of the
Church come to our minds, that is, let us embrace the miseries common to the
godly, and let it be more pleasant to us to be connected with the children of
God in all their afflictions, than to be inebriated with the prosperity
of those who only delight in the world, and are at the same time accursed by
God. This is the improvement which we ought to make of what is here taught. It
now follows, —
|
JEREMIAH
51:51
|
|
51. We are confounded, because we have
heard reproach: shame hath covered our faces; for strangers are come into the
sanctuaries of the Lord’s house.
|
51. Pudefacti sumus, quia audivimus
opprobrium; operuit igno minia facies nostras, quia venerunt extranei in
sanctuaria domus Jehovae.
|
It is thought that these words were spoken by the
Prophet to the faithful, to confirm them as to their return. But I rather think
that they were spoken by way of anticipation. They who think that they were
spoken as a formula to the Israelites, that they might with more alacrity
prepare themselves for their return, suppose a verb understood,
“Say ye, we are confounded (or ashamed), because we have heard
reproach;” even that sorrow would wound the minds of the faithful, to the
end that they might nevertheless go through all their difficulties. But as I
have said, the Prophet here repeats what the faithful might have of themselves
conceived in their own minds; and he thus speaks by way of concession, as though
he said, “I know that you have in readiness these words,
‘We are ashamed, we are overwhelmed with reproaches; strangers have
entered into the sanctuary of God: since the temple is polluted and the city
overthrown, what any more remains for us? and doubtless we see that all things
supply reasons for despair.’”
As, then, the thoughts of the flesh suggested to the
faithful such things as might have dejected their minds, the Prophet meets them
and recites their words. He then says, as in their person,
We are confounded, because we
have heard reproach; that is, because we
have been harassed by the reproaches of our enemies. For there is no doubt but
that the Chaldeans heaped many reproaches on that miserable people; for their
pride and their cruelty were such that they insulted the Jews, especially as
their religion was wholly different. As, then, the ears of the people were often
annoyed by reproaches, the Prophet declares here that they had some cause
according to the flesh, why they could hardly dare to entertain the hope of a
return.
To the same purpose is what he adds,
Shame hath covered our
faces, because
strangers have come into the
sanctuaries of Jehovah. For it was the
chief glory of the chosen people that they had a temple where they did not in
vain call upon God; for this promise was like an invaluable
treasure,
“I will dwell in the midst of you;
this is my rest, here will I dwell.”
(<19D213>Psalm
132:13, 14)
As, then, God was pleased to choose for himself that
throne and habitation in the world, it was, as I have said, the principal
dignity of the people. But when the temple was overthrown, what more remained
for them? it was as though religion was wholly subverted, and as though God also
had left them and moved elsewhere; in short, all their hope of divine aid and of
salvation was taken away from there.
We now, then, understand why the Prophet speaks thus
according to the common thoughts of the people, even that they were
covered with shame, because
strangers had come into God’s
sanctuaries; for that habitation, which
God had chosen for himself, was polluted. And he says
“sanctuaries,” in the plural number, because the temple had
many departments, as the tabernacle had; for there was rite vestibule or the
court where they killed the victims; and then there was the holy place, and
there was the holy of holies, which was the inner sanctuary. It was then on this
account that he said that the sanctuaries of the house of God were
possessed by strangers; for it was a sad and shameful pollution when strangers
took possession of God’s temple, where even the common people were not
admitted; for though the whole of the people were consecrated to God, yet none
but the priests entered the temple. It was therefore a dreadful profanation of
the temple, when enemies entered it by force and for the sake of degrading it.
What then remained for the people, except despair?
“This is your glory,”
said Moses, “before all nations; for what people so noble, what
nation so illustrious, as to have gods so near to it!”
(<050406>Deuteronomy
4:6-8)
When, therefore, God ceased to dwell familiarly with
the Jews, all their glory fell, and they were overwhelmed with shame. But after
the Prophet recited these complaints, he immediately subjoins a consolation,
—
|
JEREMIAH
51:52
|
|
52. Wherefore, behold, the days come, saith
the Lord, that I will do judgment upon her graven images; and through all her
land the wounded shall groan.
|
52. Propterea ecce dies veniunt, dicit Jehova,
et visitabo super sculptilia ejus; et in tota terra ejus clamabit vulneratus
(vel, occisus, hoc nomen
llj,
jam soepius vidimus.)
|
The design of the Prophet is, as I have reminded you,
to raise up the minds of the godly that they might not succumb under their
trials, on seeing that they were exposed to shame and were destitute of all
honors. He then says that the time would come when God would take vengeance on
the idols of Babylon. And thus God claims for himself that power which
seemed then to have almost disappeared; for the temple being overthrown, the
Babylonians seemed in a manner to triumph over him, as God’s power in the
temple was overcome. Then as the ruin of it, as we have said, seemed to have
extinguished God’s power, the Prophet applies a remedy, and says that
though the temple was overthrown, yet God remained perfect and his power
unchangeable. But among other things he bids the faithful patiently to wait, for
he invites their attention to the hope of what was as yet
hidden.
We now see how, these things, agree, and why the
Prophet uses the particle “therefore,”
ˆkl,
laken: Therefore, behold,
the days are coming, that is, though ye
are confounded, yet God will give you a reason for glorying, so that ye shall
again sing joyfully his praises. But he says, “the days will come;”
by these words he reminds us that we are to cherish the hope of the promises
until God completes his work; and thus he corrected that ardor by which we are
seized in the midst of our afflictions, for we wish immediately to fly away to
God. The Prophet, then, here exhorts the faithful to sustain courage until the
time fixed by God; and so he refers them to God’s providence, lest they
assumed too much in wishing him to act as their own minds led them.
Come then shall the days when I
shall visit the graven images of Babylon; and
groan or cry, etc.; for the word
qna,
anak, means to cry. Some render thus, “groan shall the
wounded;” and they render the last word “wounded,” because
they think it improper to say that the slain cry or groan. But the Prophet means
that the cry in that slaughter would be great, that is, that while the
Babylonians were slain, a great howling would be everywhere. It follows,
—
|
JEREMIAH
51:53
|
|
53. Though Babylon should mount up to heaven,
and though she should fortify the height of her strength, yet from me
shall spoilers come unto her, saith the Lord.
|
53. Si ascenderit Babylon in coelos, et si
munierit excelsum fortitudinis sum (vel, munierit fortitudinem suam in
excelso, quod mihi magis placet,) a me venient vastatores ei, dicit
Jehova.
|
The Prophet again teaches us, that however
impregnable Babylon might be, there was yet no reason to fear but that God would
be its judge; for it is by no means right to measure his power by our thoughts.
And nothing does more hinder or prevent us from embracing the promises of God,
than to think of what may be done naturally, or of what is probable. When,
therefore, we thus consult our own thoughts, we exclude the power of God, which
is superior to all the means that may be used.
Hence the Prophet says here, that though Babylon
ascended above the heavens, and in the height fortified strength for itself,
yet from
me, he says,
shall come wasters to
it.
fH108 There is to be understood here a
contrast between God and men; for if there be a contest between men, they fight
one with another; but the way of God is different, for he can thunder from
heaven, and thus lay prostrate the highest mountains. We now, then,
perceive the purpose of the Prophet by saying, that desolators
would come from God to destroy Babylon, were it to ascend above the clouds.
It follows, —
|
JEREMIAH
51:54
|
|
54. A sound of a cry cometh from
Babylon, and great destruction from the land of the Chaldeans.
|
54. Vox clamoris e Babylone, et confractio
magna e terra Chaldaeorum.
|
Jeremiah in a manner exults over Babylon, in order
that the faithful, having had all obstacles removed or surmounted, might feel
assured that what the Prophet had predicted of the fall of Babylon would be
confirmed, he then brings them to the very scene itself, when he says, that
there would be the voice of a cry
from Babylon, and that there would be
great
breaking or
distress from the land of the
Chaldeams.
We, at the same time, may render
rbç,
shober, here “crashing,” so that it may correspond
with the previous clause: he had said,
The voice of a cry from
Babylon; now he
says, a crashing from the land of
the Chaldeans. They call that sound
crashing, which is produced by some great shaking; as when a great mass falls,
it does not happen without a great noise. This, then, is properly what the
Prophet means. We have already stated why he used these words, even that the
faithful might have before their eyes the event itself, which as yet was
incredible. It follows, —
|
JEREMIAH
51:55
|
|
55. Because the Lord hath spoiled Babylon, and
destroyed out of her the great voice; when her waves do roar like great waters,
a noise of their voice is uttered.
|
55. Quia perdens Jehova Babylonem (hoc est
perdet, aut vastabit proprie est
ddç)
et perdet (nunc aliud est verbum) ex ea vocem magnam (vel,
magnificam;) et sonuerunt fluctus eorum tanquam aquae magnae, editus est
sonitus vocis eorum.
|
The reason for the crashing is now added, even
because God had resolved to lay waste Babylon, and to reduce it to nothing.
Jeremiah again calls the faithful to consider the power of God. He then says,
that it would not be a work done by men, because God would put forth his great
power, which cannot be comprehended by human minds. He then sets the name of God
in opposition to all creatures, as though he had said, that what exceeds all the
efforts of men, would yet be easily done by God. He, indeed, represents God here
as before our eyes, and says that Babylon would perish, but that it was God who
would lay it waste. He thus sets forth God here as already armed for the purpose
of cutting off Babylon. And he
will destroy from her the magnificent voice,
that is, her immoderate boasting.
What follows is explained by many otherwise than I
can approve; for they say that the waves made a noise among the Babylonians at
the time when the city was populous; for where there is a great concourse of
men, a great noise is heard, but solitude and desolation bring silence. They
thus, then, explain the words of the Prophet, that though now waves, that is,
noises, resounded in Babylon like great waters, and the sound of their voice
went forth, yet God would destroy their great or magnificent voice. But I have
no doubt but that what the Prophet meant by their great voice, was their
grandiloquent boasting in which the Babylonians indulged during their
prosperity. While, then, the monarchy flourished, they spoke as from the
height. Their silence from fear and shame would follow, as the Prophet
intimates, when God checked that proud glorying.
But what follows I take in a different sense; for I
apply it to the Medes and the Persians: and so there is a relative without an
antecedent — a mode of speaking not unfrequent in Hebrew. He then
expresses the manner in which God would destroy or abolish the grandiloquent
boasting of the Babylonians, even
because their
waves, that is, of the Persians,
would make a noise like great
waters; that is, the Persians, and the
Medes would rush on them like impetuous waves, and thus the Babylonians would be
brought to silence and reduced to desolation.
fH109 When they were at peace, and no enemy
disturbed them, they then gave full vent to their pride; and thus vaunting was
the speech of Babylon as long as it flourished; but when suddenly the enemies
made an irruption, then Babylon became silent or mute on account of the
frightful sound within it. We hence see why he compares the Persians and the
Medes to violent waves which would break and put an end to that sound which was
before heard in Babylon. It follows, —
|
JEREMIAH
51:56
|
|
56. Because the spoiler is come upon
her, even upon Babylon, and her mighty men are taken; every one of their
bows is broken: for the Lord God of recompenses shall surely
requite.
|
56. Quia venit super eam, super
Babylonem, vastator; et deprehensus est fortis ejus (deprehensi sunt, vel,
capri, fortes ejus;) confractus est arcus eorum, quia Deus retributionum
Jehova reddendo reddet.
|
He confirms the former verse; for as the thing of
which he speaks was difficult to be believed, he sets God before them, and shows
that he would be the author of that war. He now continues his discourse and
says, that desolators shall come
against Babylon. He had ascribed to God
what he now transfers to the Medes and the Persians. He had said,
Jehovah hath
desolated or wasted,
hwhy
ddç , shedad Jeve; he says now,
coming is a
desolator,
ddwç,
shudad. Who is he? not God, but Cyrus, together with the united army of the
Persians and the Medes; yea, with vast forces assembled from many nations, Now
that the same name is given to God and to the Persians, this is done with regard
to the ministration. Properly speaking, God was the desolator of Babylon; but as
in this expedition he employed the services of men, and made the Persians and
the Medes, as it were, his ministers, and the executioners of his judgment, the
name which properly belongs to God is transferred to the ministers whom he
employed. The same mode of speaking is also used when blessings are spoken of.
He is said to have raised up saviors for his people, while yet he himself is the
only Savior, nor can any mortal assume that name without sacrilege.
(<070315>Judges
3:15;
<121305>2
Kings 13:5.) For God’s peculiar glory is taken away, when salvation is
sought through the arm of men, as we have seen in Jeremiah 17. But though God is
the only author of salvation, yet it is no objection to this truth, that he
employs men in effecting his purposes. So also he converts men, illuminates
their minds by the ministers of the gospel, and also delivers them from eternal
death.
(<420117>Luke
1:17.) Doubtless were any one to arrogate to himself what Christ is pleased to
concede to the ministers of his gospel, he could by no means be endured;
but as I have already said, we must bear this in mind, that though God acts by
his own power and never borrows anything from any one, nor stands in need of any
help, yet what properly belongs to him is, in a manner, applied to men, at least
by way of concession. So now, then, the Prophet calls God the desolator, and
afterwards he honors with the same title the Persians and the
Medes.
He adds, that
the valiant men of Babylon were
taken, according to what we have before
seen, that the city was so taken that no one resisted. Then he adds, that
their bow was
broken, there is a part stated for the
whole; for under the word bow he includes all kinds of armor. But as bows
were used at a distance, and as enemies were driven from the walls by casting
arrows, the Prophet says that there would be no use made of bows, because the
enemies would skew themselves in the middle of the city before the watchmen saw
them, as we know that such was really the case. We now perceive why the Prophet
mentions the bow rather than swords or other weapons.
The reason follows,
Because Jehovah is the God of
retributions, and recompensing her
recompenses, that is, he will
recompense. The Prophet here confirms all that he had said, and reasons from the
nature or character of God himself. As then the fall of Babylon would hardly be
believed by the faithful, the Prophet does not ask what God is in himself, but
declares that he is the God of retributions, as though he had said, that it
belonged to God, and that it could not be separated from his nature, to be the
God of retributions, otherwise his judgment would be nothing, his justice would
be nothing. For if the reprobate succeeded with impunity, and if the righteous
were oppressed without any aid, would not God be like a stock of wood or an
imaginary thing? For why has he power, except that he may exercise justice? But
God cannot be without power.
We now, then, see how forcible is this confirmation,
with which the Prophet doses his discourse: for it is the same as if he had
said, that no doubt could possibly be entertained as to the fall of Babylon,
because God is the God of retributions. Either there is no God, he says, or
Babylon must be destroyed; how so? for if there be a God, he is the God of
retributions; if he is the God of retributions, then recompensing he will
recompense. Now, it is well known how wicked Babylon was, and in what various
ways it had provoked the wrath of God. Then it was impossible for it to escape
his hand unpunished, since it had in so many ways sought its own
ruin.
PRAYER
Grant, Almighty God, that when thou
hidest at this day thy face from us, the miserable despair we apprehend may not
overwhelm our faith, nor obscure our view of thy goodness and grace, but that in
the thickest darkness thy power may ever appear to us, which can raise us above
the world, so that we may courageously fight to the end, and never doubt but
that thou wilt at length be the defender of thy Church, which now seems to be
oppressed, until we shall enjoy our perfect happiness in heaven, through Christ
our Lord. — Amen.
LECTURE ONE HUNDRED AND NINETY
THIRD
|
JEREMIAH
51:57
|
|
57. And I will make drunk her princes, and her
wise men, her captains, and her rulers, and her mighty men: and they shall sleep
a perpetual sleep, and not wake, saith the King, whose name is the Lord
of hosts.
|
57. Et inebriabo principes ejus et sapientes
ejus et duces ejus et praefectos ejus et fortes ejus; et dormient somnum
perpetuum, et non expergefient, dicit rex, cujus nomen est Jehova
exercituum.
|
JEREMIAH pursues the same subject, he said yesterday
that desolators would come to destroy Babylon. He now confirms this by a
similitude; and God himself speaks,
I will
inebriate the princes and captains as
well as the soldiers and all the counselors. He seems here to allude to that
feast of which Daniel speaks, and of which heathen authors have written.
(<270501>Daniel
5:1) For while the feast was celebrated by the Babylonians, the city was that
night taken, not only through the contrivance and valor of Cyrus, but also
through the treachery of those who had revolted from Belshazzar. As,
then, they were taken while at the feast, and as the king was that night slain
together with his satraps, God seems to refer to this event when he declares,
that when he had inebriated them, they would be overtaken with perpetual sleep;
for death immediately followed that feasting. They had prolonged their feast to
the middle of the night; and while they were sitting at table, a tumult arose
suddenly in the city, and the king heard that he was in the hand of his enemies.
As, then, feasting and death followed in close succession, it is a
striking allusion given by the Prophet, when God threatens the Babylonians with
perpetual sleep, after having inebriated them.
But he mentions here the
rulers
and the
captains,
as well as the counsellors
and
the wise
men. We, indeed, know that the Babylonians were
inflated by a twofold confidence, — they thought themselves endued with
consummate wisdom, and also that they possessed warlike valor. This is the
reason why the Prophet expresses so distinctly, that all the captains and rulers
in Babylon, however superior in acuteness and prudence, would yet be
overtaken with perpetual sleep before they rose from their table. And we
must observe that Jeremiah had many years thus prophesied of Babylon; and hence
we conclude that his mind as well as his tongue was guided by the Spirit of God,
for he could not have possibly conjectured what would be after eighty
years: yet so long a time intervened between the prediction and its
accomplishment, as we shall presently see.
Moreover, the Prophet uses here a mode of speaking
which often occurs in Scripture, even that insensibility is a kind of
drunkenness by which God dementates men through his hidden judgment. It ought,
then, to be noticed, that whatever prudence and skill there is in the world,
they are in such a way the gifts of God, that whenever he pleases the wisest are
blinded, and, like the drunken, they either go astray or fall. But we must bear
in mind what I have already said, that the Prophet alludes to that very history,
for there was then an immediate transition from feasting to death. It now
follows,
|
JEREMIAH
51:58
|
|
58. Thus saith the Lord of hosts, The broad
walls of Babylon shall be utterly broken, and her high gates shall be burnt with
fire; and the people shall labor in vain, and the folk in the fire, and they
shall be weary.
|
58. Sic dicit Jehova exercituum, Murus
Babylonis latitudinis (hoc est, latus) dissipando dissipabitur, et portae
ejus excelsae igne comburentur, et laborabunt populi ad nihilum, et gentes in
igne, et fatigabuntur.
|
The Prophet again introduces God as the speaker, that
what he said might obtain more attention from the Jews; and for this reason he
subjoined a eulogy to the last verse, and said that the king spoke,
whose name is Jehovah of
hosts. We have stated elsewhere what is
the design of such expressions, even that men may rise above everything seen in
the world when God’s power is mentioned, that they may not try to contain
it in their own small measure. Then the Prophet now again repeats the name of
God, that the Jews might receive with becoming reverence what he
announced.
And what he says is,
The wall of
Babylon, however wide it may be,
shall yet be surely
demolished. We have said that the walls
were fifty feet wide, and the feet were indeed long, though Herodotus, as I have
said, mentions cubits and not feet. The width, indeed, was such that four horses
abreast meeting, could pass, there being space enough for them. It hence, then,
appears, that their thickness was so great, that the Babylonians confidently
disregarded whatever had been predicted by the Prophet; for no engines of war
could have ever beaten down walls so thick, especially as they were made of
bricks and cemented by bitumen. As, then, the material, beside the thickness,
was so firm and strong, this prophecy was incredible. It did not indeed reach
the Babylonians, but the Jews themselves regarded as a fable all that they had
heard from the mouth of the Prophet. Yet God did not in vain refer to width of
the wall, in order that the faithful might feel assured that the walls of
Babylon could not possibly resist him, however firm they might be in their
materials and thickness. The
wall, he says,
shall surely be
demolished.
He afterwards mentions the gates, which
Herodotus says were of brass when Darius took them away. He, indeed, means the
doors, but the Prophet includes the framework as well as the brazen doors. He
then says, they shall be
consumed with
fire. The Babylonians might have laughed
at this threatening of Jeremiah, for brass could not have been consumed with
fire, even if enemies had been permitted to set fire to them — for brass
could not have been so soon melted. But as the Prophet had predicted this by
God’s command, so at length his prophecy was verified when he was dead,
because it was proved by the event that this proceeded from God; for when the
doors were removed, the gates themselves were demolished; and it may have been
that Darius put fire to them, that he might the sooner destroy the gates and the
towers, which were very high, as well as the walls.
He afterwards adds,
Labor shall the people in vain,
and the nations in the fire; they shall be
wearied. So this passage is commonly
explained, as though the Prophet had said, that when the walls of Babylon had
begun to burn, and the gates to be consumed with fire, there would be no remedy,
though the Babylonians might greatly weary themselves and fatigue themselves in
attempting to quench the fire. But this exposition seems to be forced and
unnatural. I therefore take the words, though future, in the past tense. And as
the walls of Babylon had not been erected without great labor, and a vast number
of men had been hired, some to bring bitumen, others to heap up the earth, and
others to make the bricks, the Prophet in this place intimates that all this
labor would be in vain, even because it was spent for the fire, — that
whatever they did who had been either hired for wages or forced by authority to
erect the walls, was labor for the fire; that is, they labored that their work
might eventually be consumed by fire. This seems to me to be the real meaning of
the Prophet. He then says that
the people had labored in
vain, or for nothing, and why? because
they labored for the fire. The second clause is in my view an explanation
of the former.
fH110 It now follows, —
|
JEREMIAH
51:59
|
|
59. The word which Jeremiah the prophet
commanded Seraiah the son of Neriah, the son of Maaseiah, when he went with
Zedekiah the king of Judah into Babylon in the fourth year of his reign. And
this Seraiah was a quiet prince.
|
59. Sermo quem praecepit Jeremias propheta
Seraiae filio Neriae, filii Mahesiae, quum profectus est pro Zedechia (vel,
a Zedechia,) rege Jehudah, Babylonem, anno quarto regni ipsius; Seraiah
autem princeps quietis.
|
This is a remarkable sealing of the whole of what we
have hitherto found said respecting the destruction of Babylon; for the Prophet
not only spoke and promulgated what the Spirit of God had dictated, but also put
it down in a book; and not contented with this, he delivered the book to Seraiah
the son of Neriah, when he went to Babylon by the command of Zedekiah the king,
that he might read it there, east it into the Euphrates, and strengthen himself
in the hope of all those things which had been divinely
predicted.
He says first that he
commanded Seraiah
what he was to do, even to read the volume and
to throw it into the Euphrates, as we shall hereafter see. But he points out the
time and mentions the disposition of Seraiah, that we might not think it strange
that the Prophet dared to give an authoritative command to the king’s
messenger, which a man of another character would have refused. As to the time,
it was the fourth year of the reign of Zedekiah; seven years before the city was
taken, being besieged the ninth year and taken the eleventh. Then seven years
before the destruction and ruin of the city, Seraiah was sent by the king to
Babylon. There is no doubt but that the message was sent to pacify the king of
Babylon, who had been offended with the fickleness and perfidy of King Zedekiah;
an ambassador was then sent to seek pardon. But what the Jews say, that Zedekiah
went to Babylon, is wholly groundless; and we know that Sederola, whence they
have taken this, is full of all kinds of fables and trifles; and on such a point
as this, sacred history would not have been silent, for it was a thing of great
moment; and then the particle
ta,
at, expresses no such thing, but may be rendered in this sense, that the
messenger was sent
for, or by, or
in the place of
Zedekiah. Let us then be satisfied with this
simple and obvious explanation, that Seraiah was the king’s messenger sent
to remove the offenses taken by the
Babylonians.
fH111 And this happened
in the fourth year of
Zedekiah.
Now, by calling Seraiah
a prince of
quietness, I doubt not but that a
reference is made to his gentleness and meekness; and I wonder that in so plain
a thing interpreters have toiled so much. One renders it, even the Chaldean
paraphrase, “the prince of the oblations,” as though he was
set over to examine the presents offered to the king. Others imagine that he was
a facetious man who amused the king in his fears; and others think that he was
called “prince of quietness,” because he preserved the city
in a quiet state. But all these things are
groundless.
fH112 No other view, then, seems to me right,
but that he was a prince of a quiet disposition. Therefore the word
“quietness” ought not to be referred to any office, but a noun in
the genitive case used instead of an adjective. He was, then, a quiet prince, or
one of a placid disposition. And this commendation was not without reason added,
because we know how haughtily the princes rejected everything commanded them by
the servants of God. Seraiah might have objected, and said that he was sent to
Babylon, not by a private person, and one of the common people, but by the king
himself. He might then have haughtily reproved the Prophet for taking too much
liberty with him, “Who art thou, that thou darest to command me, when I
sustain the person of the king? and when I am going in his name to the king of
Babylon? and then thou seekest to create disturbances by ordering me to read
this volume. What if it be found on me? what if some were to suspect that I
carry such a thing to Babylon? would I not, in the first place, carry death in
my bosom? and would I not, in the second place, be perfidious to my king? for
thus my message would be extremely disliked.”
As then Seraiah might have stated all these things,
and have rejected the command which Jeremiah gave him, his gentleness is
expressly mentioned, even that he was a meek man, and who withheld not his
service — who, in short, was ready to obey God and his servant.
What, in a word, is here commended, is the meekness of Seraiah, that he
received the Prophet with so much readiness, — that he suffered himself to
be commanded by him, and that he also hesitated not to execute what he had
commanded, when yet it might have been a capital offense, and it might
especially have been adverse to his mission, which was to reconcile the
king of Babylon. And surely it is an example worthy of being noticed, that
Seraiah was not deterred by danger from rendering immediate obedience to the
Prophet’s command, nor did he regard himself nor the omee committed to
him, so as to reject the Prophet, according to the usual conduct of
princes, under the pretext of their own dignity; but laying aside his own honor
and forgetting all his greatness, he became a disciple to Jeremiah, who yet, as
it is well known, had been long despised by the people, and had sometimes been
nearly brought to death. It was, then, a remarkable instance of virtue in
Seraiah, that he received with so much modesty and readiness what had been said
to him by the Prophet, and that he obeyed his command, to the evident danger of
his own life. It now follows, —
|
JEREMIAH
51:60-64
|
|
60. So Jeremiah wrote in a book all the evil
that should come upon Babylon, even all these words that are written against
Babylon.
|
60. Et scripsit Jeremias omne malum, quod
venturum erat contra Babylonem in libro uno, omnes sermones istos scriptos
contra Babylonem.
|
|
61. And Jeremiah said to Seraiah, When thou
comest to Babylon, and shalt see, and shalt read all these
words,
|
61. Et dixit Jeremias ipsi Seraiae, Quum
ingressus fueris Babylonem, et conspexeris eam, tunc leges omnes sermones
istos,
|
|
62. Then shalt thou say, O Lord, thou hast
spoken against this place, to cut it off, that none shall remain in it, neither
man nor beast, but that it shall be desolate for ever.
|
62. Et dices, Jehova, tu loquutus es contra
locum hunc, ad excidendum ipsum, ut non sit in eo habitator, ab homine ad
bestiam, quia vastationes perpetuae erit (hoc est, erit in vastationes
perpetuas, vel redigetur.)
|
|
63. And it shall be, when thou hast made an
end of reading this book, that thou shalt bind a stone to it, and cast it into
the midst of Euphrates:
|
63. Et erit quum finem feceris legendo librum
hunc, alligabis ad ipsum lapidem, et projicies in medium
Euphratem:
|
|
64. And thou shalt say, Thus shall Babylon
sink, and shall not rise from the evil that I will bring upon her; and they
shall be weary. Thus far are the words of Jeremiah.
|
64. Et dices, Sic mergetur Babylon, et non
exurget a facie mali quod ego immitto contra eam, et volabunt (aut, fatigabunt.)
Hue usque sermones Jeremiae.
|
Here we see, on one hand, what courage the Prophet
had, who dared to command the king’s messenger; for though Seraiah was a
meek man, so as to render himself submissive, yet Jeremiah exposed himself to
danger; for he might have been timid, though he was neither proud nor arrogant;
and thus, as men are wont to do when terrified, he might have referred to the
king what he had heard from the Prophet. Then Jeremiah did what we here read,
not without danger; and hence appears his firmness. We then see that he
was endued with the spirit of invincible courage, so as to discharge his office
freely and intrepidly.
On the other hand, we have to observe not only the
meekness of Seraiah, but also his piety, together with his modesty; for except
he had in him a strong principle of religion, he might have adduced plausible
reasons for refusing. As, then, he was so submissive, and dreaded no danger, it
is evident that the real fear of God was vigorous in his soul.
And these things ought to be carefully noticed; for
who of our cornfly princes can be found at this day who will close his eyes to
all dangers, and resolutely disregard all adverse events, when God and his
servants are to be obeyed? And then we see how pusillanimous are those who
profess to be God’s ambassadors, and claim to themselves the name of
Pastors. As, then, teachers dare not faithfully to perform their office, so on
the other hand courtly princes are so devoted to themselves and to their own
prudence, that they are unwilling to undertake duties which are unpopular. On
this account, then, this passage, with all its circumstances, ought to be
carefully noticed.
Jeremiah, then,
wrote in a book all the evil
which was to come on Babylon, even
all those
words, (he refers to the prophecies
which we have seen;) and Jeremiah
said to
Seraiah,
fH113 etc. Here the boldness of
Jeremiah comes to view, that he hesitated not to command Seraiah to read this
book when he came to Babylon and had seen it. To see it, is not mentioned here
without reason, for the splendor of that city might have astonished Seraiah.
Then the Prophet here seasonably meets the difficulty, and bids him to disregard
the height of the walls and towers; and that however Babylon might dazzle the
eyes of others, yet he was to look down, as from on high, on all that pomp and
pride: When thou
enterest the city,
and hast seen it, then read this
book. The verb
arq,
kora, means to call, to proclaim, and also to read. Then Seraiah must have
read this book by himself; nor do I doubt but that the words ought to be so
understood, as we shall see. It was not then necessary for Seraiah to have a
pulpit, or in a public way to read the book to an assembled people; but it was
sufficient to read it privately by himself, without any witnesses; and this may
be gathered from the context.
And thou shalt say, Jehovah, thou
hast spoken against this place. It hence
appears that Seraiah was commanded to read the book, not for the benefit of
hearers, for they would have been doubly deaf to the words of Seraiah. And it is
not probable that the Hebrew language was then familiar to the Chaldeans. There
is a great affinity, as it is well known, in the languages, but there is also
some difference. But we conclude, from this passage, that the reading was in a
chamber, or in some secret place; for Seraiah is bidden to fix all his thoughts
on God, and to address his words to him. He did not then undertake the work or
office of a preacher, so as openly to proclaim all these things to the
Babylonians. But having inspected the city, he was to read the book by himself,
that is, what had been written.
And this also deserves to be noticed; for however
courageous we may be, yet our constancy and boldness are more apparent when we
have to do with men than when we are alone, and God is the only witness; for
when no one sees us, we tremble; and though we may have previously appeared to
have manly courage, yet when alone, fear lays hold on us. There is hardly one in
a hundred who is so bold as he ought to be when God alone is witness. But shame
renders us courageous and constrains us to be firm, and the vigor which is
almost extinct in private is roused in public. As, then, ambition almost always
rules in men, this passage ought to be carefully noticed, where the Prophet
commands Seraiah to deal alone with God, and, though no mortal was present, to
strengthen himself, by relying on the certain and infallible fidelity of God;
Thou shalt
then
say,
Jehovah, etc. And it is doubtless a real
experiment of faith, when we consider within ourselves the promises of God, and
go not forth before the public to avow our firmness; for when any one in silence
acknowledges God to be true, and strengthens himself in his promises, and so
disregards the false judgments of all, that were he alone in the world, he would
not yet despond, — this is a true and real trial of
faith.
Thou shalt
then
say, Jehovah, thou hast spoken
against this place. The design of the
words was, that Seraiah might feel assured that God was true, and embrace in his
presence what he read, and not doubt but that the word, which came from God,
would, in due time, be accomplished: how so? because God is true. The word
Jehovah,
then, ought to be regarded as emphatical;
and thou shalt say, Thou,
Jehovah,
hast spoken against this
place; that is, neither Jeremiah, nor
any other mortal, is the author of this prophecy; but thou, O Lord, has dictated
to thy servant whatever is contained in this volume.
To destroy it, so that there should
not be an inhabitant in it, neither man nor
beast: how so?
because it shall be reduced to
desolations, or the particle
yk,
ki, may be taken adversatively,
but it shall be reduced to
perpetual
desolations.
fH114
He afterwards adds,
And when thou hast made an end of
reading,
thou shalt tie a stone to it
and cast it into the Euphrates, and shalt say, Thus sink shall
Babylon. Here is added an external
symbol to confirm the faith of Seraiah. We must yet bear in mind, that this was
not said to Seraiah for his own sake alone, but that the people might also know,
that the king’s messenger, who had been sent for the sake of conciliating,
was also the messenger of God and of the Prophet, who might have otherwise been
despised by the people. When, therefore, the faithful knew this, they were in no
ordinary way confirmed in the truth of the prophecy. Jeremiah, then, not only
consulted the benefit of Seraiah alone, but that of all the godly; for though
this was unknown for a long time, yet the messenger afterwards acknowledged that
this command had been given him by Jeremiah, and that he took the book and cast
it into the Euphrates. This, then, was given as a confirmation to all the
godly.
As to the symbols by which God sealed the prophecies
in former times, we have spoken elsewhere; I therefore pass them by slightly
now: only we ought to bear in mind this one thing, that these signs were only
temporary sacraments; for ordinary sacraments are permanent, as the holy supper
and baptism. But the sign mentioned here was temporary, and referred, as they
say, to a special action: it yet had the force and character of a sacrament, as
to its use, the confirmation of this prophecy. Seraiah was then bidden to
tie a stone
to the book, and then to
cast it into the
Euphrates: why so? that the volume might
not swim on the surface of the water, but be sunk down to the bottom; and the
application follows, Thou shalt
say, etc. We see that words ought ever
to be connected with signs. We hence conclude how fatuous the Papists are, who
practice many ceremonies, but without knowledge. They are, indeed, dead and
empty things, whatever signs men may devise for themselves, except God’s
word be added. Thou
shalt then
say, Thus sink shall Babylon, and
shall not rise from the evil which I shall bring upon
her. In short, Seraiah was commanded, as
the Prophet’s messenger, to predict by himself concerning the fall of
Babylon; but it was for the sake of all the godly, who were afterwards taught
what had been done.
fH115
The Conclusion follows,
Thus far the words of
Jeremiah. We have said that the
prophets, after having spoken in the Temple, or to the people, afterwards
collected brief summaries, and that these contained the principal things: from
these the prophetic books were made up. For Jeremiah did not write the volume as
we have it at this day, except the chapters; and it appears evident that it was
not written in the order in which he spoke. The order of time is not, then,
everywhere observed; but the scribes were careful in this respect, that they
collected the summaries affixed to the doors of the Temple; and so they added
this conclusion, Thus far the
words of Jeremiah. But this, in my view,
is not to be confined to the prophecies respecting the fall of Babylon; for I
doubt not but that the scribe who had collected all his prophecies, added these
words, that he had thus far transcribed the words of Jeremiah.
We hence conclude that the last chapter is not
included in the prophetic book of Jeremiah, but that it contains history only as
far as was necessary to understand what is here taught: for it appears evident
that many parts of the prophecy could not be understood without the knowledge of
this history. As to the book of Lamentations, we know that it was a work
distinct from the prophecies of Jeremiah: there is, then, no wonder that it has
been added, Thus far the words of
Jeremiah.
PRAYER
Grant, Almighty God, that Since thou
hast deigned to choose us for thy people, we may not doubt but that our enemies
will be before thee like Babylon, so that when thou hast chastised us, thou wilt
at length, by a fatal and perpetual destruction, so lay them prostrate, that
they shall rise up no more; and when thou hast killed the body, manifest thyself
as our deliverer, until we shall at length be gathered into that celestial
kingdom which has been prepared for us by thine only-begotten Son. —
Amen.
The last chapter, as it is historical, and all its
parts have been elsewhere handled, holy Calvin did not expound in his Lectures,
that he might not burden the hearers with superfluous repetitions: however, to
render the book complete, we here add it.
CHAPTER
52
|
JEREMIAH
52:1-34
|
|
1. Zedekiah was one and twenty years
old when he began to reign; and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem; and his
mother’s name was Hamutal, the daughter of Jeremiah of
Libnah.
|
1. Viginti et unius anni erat Sedechias quando
regnavit, et undecim annis regnavit in Jerusalem, et nomen matris ejus Hamutal
filia Jeremiae de Libnah.
|
|
2. And he did that which was evil in
the eyes of the Lord, according to all that Jehoiakim had done.
|
2. Et fecit malum in oculis Jehovae, secundum
omnia quae fecerat Jehoiakim:
|
|
3. For through the anger of the Lord it came
to pass in Jerusalem and Judah, till he had cast them out from his presence,
that Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.
|
3. Nempe propter furorem Jehovae qui fuit
contra Jerusalem et Jehudah, donec projiceret eos a facie sua, rebellavit
Sedechias contra regem Babylonis.
fH116
|
|
4. And it came to pass, in the ninth year of
his reign, in the tenth month, in the tenth day of the month, that
Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon came, he and all his army, against Jerusalem,
and pitched against it, and built forts against it round about.
|
4. Fuit autem anno nono regni ejus, mense
decimo, decima mensis, venit Nabuchadrezer rex Babylonis, ipse et universus
exercitus ejus adversus Jerusalem, et castrametati sunt contra eam, et
aedificaverunt contra earn munitionem undique.
|
|
5. So the city was besieged unto the eleventh
year of king Zedekiah.
|
5. Venitque civitas in obsidionem usque ad
undecimum annum regis Sedechiae.
|
|
6. And in the fourth month, in the ninth
day of the month, the famine was sore in the city, so that there was no
bread for the people of the land.
|
6. Mense quarto, nona mensis, invaluit fames
in urbe, (adeo) ut non esset panis populo terrae.
|
|
7. Then the city was broken up, and all the
men of war fled, and went forth out of the city by night, by the way of the gate
between the two walls, which was by the king’s garden; (now the
Chaldeans were by the city round about;) and they went by the way of the
plain.
|
7. Et dirupta fuit urbs, et omnes viri
bellatores fugerunt, exieruntque de urbe noete per viam portae (quoe erat)
inter duos muros, qui (erant) juxta hortum regis (Chaldaei autem erant juxta
urbem per circuitum) abieruntque per viam solitudinis.
|
|
8. But the army of the Chaldeans pursued after
the king, and overtook Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho; and all his army was
scattered from him.
|
8. Persecutus vero est exereitus Chaldaeorum
regem, apprehenderuntque Sedechiam in desertis Jericho; quia omnis exercitus
ejus dispersus est ab eo.
|
|
9. Then they took the king, and carried him up
unto the king of Babylon to Riblah, in the land of Hamath; where he gave
judgment upon him.
|
9. Comprehenderunt igitur regem, et duxerunt
eum ad regem Babylonis in Riblatah, in terram Chamath, qui disceptavit cure eo
judiciis.
|
|
10. And the king of Babylon slew the sons of
Zedekiah before his eyes: he slew also all the princes of Judah in
Riblah.
|
10. Et jugulavit rex Babylonis filios
Sedechiam in oculis ejus, et etiam omnes principes Jehudah jugulavit in
Riblatah:
|
|
11. Then he put out the eyes of Zedekiah; and
the king of Babylon bound him in chain, and carried him to Babylon, and put him
in prison till the day of his death.
|
11. Oculos autem Sedechiae excaecavit, et
vinxit catenis, adducique fecit eum rex Babylonis, Babylonem, et posuit eum in
domo carceris
fH117 usque ad diem quo mortuus
est.
|
|
12. Now, in the fifth month, in the tenth
day of the month, (which was the nineteenth year of Nebuchadrezzar
king of Babylon,) came Nebuzar-adan, captain of the guard, which served
the king of Babylon, into Jerusalem,
|
12. Mense autem quinto, decima
mensis fH118
(is annus erat decimus nonus annus regis Nabuchadrezer regis Babylonis) venit
Nebuzaradan princeps militum, qui stabat
fH119 coram rege Babylonis, in
Jerusalem,
|
|
13. And burnt the house of the Lord, and the
king’s house; and all the houses of Jerusalem, and all the houses of the
great, men, burnt he with fire.
|
13. Et incendit domurn Jehovae et domum regis,
atque cunctas domos Jerusalem, et omnem domum magnam combussit
igni: fH120
|
|
14. And all the army of the Chaldeans, that
were with with the captain of the guard, brake down all the walls of
Jerusalem round about.
|
14. Onmesque muros Jerusalem undique
destruxerunt totus exercitus Chaledaeorum, qui erat cum magistro
militum.
|
|
15. Then Nebuzar-adan, the captain of the
guard, carried away captive certain of the poor of the people, and the
residue of the people that remained in the city, and those that fell away, that
fell to the king of Babylon, and the rest of the multitude.
|
15. De pauperibus autem populi, et de reliquo
populo qui remanserant in urbe, et de transfugis qui transfugerunt ad
regem Babylonis, et de reliquiis multitudinis transmigrare fecit Nebuzaradan
nmgister militum. fH121
|
|
16. But Nebuzar-adan, the captain of the
guard, left certain of the poor of the land for vine-dressers, and for
husbandmen.
|
16. De pauperibus vero terrae reliquit
Nebuzaradan magister militurn vinitores et agricolas.
|
|
17. Also the pillars of brass that were
in the house of the Lord, and the bases, and the brazen sea that was
in the house of the Lord, the Chaldeans brake, and carried all the brass of
them to Babylon.
|
17. Et columnas aereas quae erant in domo
Jehovae, et bases et mare aereum quod erat in domo Jehovae confregerunt
Chaldaei, et detulerunt omne aes eorum Babylonem.
|
|
18. The caldrons also, and the snuffers, and
the bowls, and the spoons, and all the vessels of brass wherewith they
ministered, took they away.
|
18. Lebetes quoque et scopas et psalteria et
pelves et cochlearia et omnia vasa aerea quibus ministrabant,
tulerunt.
|
|
19. And the basons, and the firepans, and the
bowls, and the caldrons, and the candlesticks, and the spoons, and the cups;
that which was of gold in gold, and that which
was of silver in silver, took the caprain of the guard
away.
|
19. Et hydrias et thuribula et pelves et ollas
et candelabra, et mortariola et cyathos, quae aurea, aurea, et quae argentea,
argentea,
fH122 tulit magister
militum.
|
|
20. The two pillars, one sea, and twelve
brazen bull:; that were under the bases, which king Solomon had made in
the house of the Lord: the brass of all these vessels was without
weight.
|
20. Columnas duas, mare unum, et boves
duodecim aereos, qui erant sub basibus quas fecerat rex Solomo in domo Jehovae,
non erat pondus, aeris eorum omnium (nempe) vasorum
istorum.
|
|
21. And concerning the pillars, the
height of one pillar was eighteen cubits; and a fillet of twelve cubits
did compass it; and the thickness thereof was four fingers; it was
hollow.
|
21. Quod ad columnas, octodecim cubitorum erat
altitudo columnae unius, et filum duodecim cubitortum circuibat eam, cujus
crassitudo (quoe) erat quatuor digitorum; (erat) vacua.
|
|
22. And the chapiter of brass was upon
it; and the height of one chapiter was five cubits, with net-work and
pomegranates upon the chapiters round about, all of brass: the second pillar
also and the pomegranates were like unto these.
|
22. Capitellum autem quod erat super earn
aereum; altitudo vero capitelli unius, quinque cubitorum erat, et reticulum, et
malogranata super capitellum per circuiturn, omnia aerea et similia erant
columnae secundae et malogranata.
|
|
23. And there were ninety and six pomegranates
on a side; and all the pomegranates upon the net-work were an hundred
round about.
|
23. Fuerunt autem malogranata nonaginta et sex
ad plagam (unam) onmia malogranata, centum super reticulum per
circuitum.
|
|
24. Tulit quoque magister militurn Seraiah
sacerdotem primum, et Sephaniah sacerdotem secundum, et tres custodes
liminis.
|
24. And the captain of the guard took Seraiah
the chief priest, and Zephaniah the second priest, and the three keepers of the
door:
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|
25. Et de urbe tulit eunuchum unum, qui erat
praepositus super viros bellatores, et septem viros ex iis qui videbant faciem
regis, qui inventi sunt in urbe, et scribam principem militiae, qui colligebat
ad militiam populum terrae, et sexaginta viros de populo terrae, qui inventi
sunt in medio urbis.
|
25. He took also out of the city an eunuch,
which had the charge of the men of war; and seven men of them that were near the
king’s person, which were found in the city; and the prineipal scribe of
the host, who mustered the people of the land; and threescore men of the people
of the land, that were found in the midst of the city.
|
|
26. Tulit, inquam, cos Nebuzar-adan magister
militum, et deduxit eos ad regem Babylonis in Riblatha:
|
26. So Nebuzar-adan, the captain of the guard,
took them, and brought them to the king of Babylon to Riblah.
|
|
27. And the king of Babylon smote them, and
put them to death in Riblah, in the land of Hamath. Thus Judah was carried away
captive out of his own land.
|
27. Et percussit eos rex Babylonis, et
interfecit eos in Riblatha in terra Chamath; et translatus est Jehudah de terra
sua.
|
|
28. This is the people whom
Nebuchadrezzar carrid away captive: In the seventh year three thousand Jews, and
three and twenty:
|
28. Iste est populus quem transferre fecit
Nabuchadrezer, anno septimo, Judaeos tria millia et viginti
tres.
|
|
29. In the eighteenth year of Nebuchadrezzar
he carried away captive from Jerusalem eight hundred thirty and two
persons:
|
29. Anno decimo octavo Nabuchadrezer
transferre fecit de Jerusalem animas octingentas triginta duas.
|
|
30. In the three and twentieth year of
Nebuchadrezzar, Nebuzar-adan, the captain of the guard, carried away captive of
the Jews seven hundred forty and five persons: all the persons were four
thousand and six hundred.
|
30. Anno tertio et vigesimo Nabuchadrezer,
transferre fecit Nelmzar-adan magister militum, Judaeorum animus septingentas
quadraginta quinque; omnes animae quatuor millia et
sexcentae. fH123
|
|
31. And it came to pass, in the seven and
thirtieth year of the captivity of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth
month, in the five and twentieth day of the month, that
Evil-merodach king of Babylon, in the first year of his reign, lifted
up the head of Jehoiachin king of Judah, and brought him forth out of
prison,
|
31. Fuit autem tricesimo septimo anno
transmigrationis Jehoiakin regis Jehudah, duodecimo mense, vicesima quinta
mensis, elevavit Evil-merodach rex Babylonis, anno regni sui, caput Jehoiakin
regis Jehudah, et eduxit eum de domo carceris;
|
|
32. And spake kindly unto him, and set his
throne above the throne of the kings that were with him in
Babylon,
|
32. Loquutusque est eum eo bolla, et posuit
thronum ejus super thronum regum, qui erant secum in Babylone;
|
|
33. And changed his prison garments; and he
did continually eat bread before him all the days of his life.
|
33. Et mutavit vestimenta carceris ejus, et
comedebat panem coram eo semper omnibus diebus vitae suae.
|
|
34. And for his diet, there was a
continual diet given him of the king of Babylon, every day a portion, until the
day of his death, all the days of his life.
|
34. Et portio ejus, portio perpetua dabatur ei
a rege Babylonis, per singulos dies ejus, usque ad diem quo mortuus est, omnibus
diebus vitae ejus.
|
LAUS
DEO
PRELECTIONS OF JOHN
CALVIN
ON
THE LAMENTATIONS
OF JEREMIAH
PREFACE
I undertake now to explain The Lamentations of
Jeremiah. We must inquire when the Book was composed by the Prophet, and also
what was the object of the author. Grossly mistaken was Jerome, who
thought that it is the Elegy which Jeremiah composed on the death of Josiah; for
we see nothing here that is suitable to that event. There is indeed mention made
in one place of a king, but what is said there cannot be applied to Josiah; for
he was never driven into exile, but was buried at Jerusalem with his fathers.
From the whole contents of the Book we may justly conclude, that it was written
after the city was destroyed, and the people led into exile.
Some think that Jeremiah, before this calamity
happened, historically described it, and that he thus prophesied of what was
future and yet unknown. But this is by no means probable; for Jeremiah here sets
before the eyes of all, those things which they knew as facts; and we shall
easily discover that his manner of stating things is wholly different from that
used in prophetic writings. There is, then, no doubt but that Jeremiah, after
the city was destroyed and the Temple burnt, bewailed the miserable state of his
own nation, not after the manner of heathens, but that he might shew that even
in so disastrous a state of things some benefit might be derived from what he
says. And this is what ought to be especially noticed; for except we bear this
in mind, the Book will lose its peculiar interest, but if we direct our minds to
that desolation, which wholly dejected not only the people in general, but also
the Prophet himself, so that he lost all hope, we may surely hence derive no
small benefit. It is an easy thing to extol in high terms the favor of God in
prosperity, and also to exhort those who have reasons to hope well to entertain
confidence, and to bring forward God’s promises, that the minds of the
godly may recumb on them; but when things are in a state of despair, and God
seems to have forsaken his Church, since prophecy still remains in its force,
and God appears as stretching forth his hand to the miserable, and to such as
are almost in a hopeless state, we hence derive much benefit, and this is the
chief use of what is taught here. But. we see that Jeremiah, when the kingdom
had fallen, when the king with all his children was exposed to extreme disgrace,
when in short the covenant of God seemed wholly abolished, still continued to
discharge his office, which he certainly did not do in vain.
When, therefore, he understood that his teaching
would not be without fruit, he was thus induced to speak first of God’s
judgments; secondly, to exhort the people to repentance; thirdly, to encourage
them to hope; and lastly, to open the door for prayer to God, so that the people
in their extremities might venture to flee to God’s mercy; which could not
have been done without faith.
We now in a measure understand for what purpose this
Book was written by Jeremiah: his object was to shew that though nothing in the
land appeared but desolation, and the Temple being destroyed, the Covenant of
God appeared as made void, and thus all hope of salvation had been cut off, yet
hope still remained, provided the people sought God in true repentance and
faith; and he thus proceeded in the course of his calling, and made it evident
that his doctrine would not be without benefit.
He indeed bewails, as I have said, the extreme
calamity of his people; but he mingles with his lamentations the doctrine of
repentance and faith’ For, on the one hand, he shews that the people
suffered a just punishment for the many iniquities, of which they could not have
been healed; and then, on the other hand, he gives them some intimations of
God’s mercy, that in death itself the Jews might seek life, nay, that in
the lowest depths they might know that God would be propitious to them. He at
length by his own example stimulates them to pray; but prayer is founded on
faith. It then follows, that Jeremiah, when the people had become wholly
alienated from the worship of God, yet spent his labor in collecting together
the remnant. Though, then, the whole Church was not only in the greatest
disorder, but also reduced as it were almost to nothing, yet Jeremiah
constructed some sort of building out of the ruins. This is the substance of
this Book.
The Greek Translators call this Book
Qrh>nouv,
Lamentations, and very properly, as also the Hebrews call it
hwnyq,
kinut; though the common name or title is
hka,
aike, from the first word in it. But when they wish to express what the
Book contains, they call it
twnyq,
kinut, Lamentations.
Let us now proceed to the words; for what I have now
briefly touched upon, can be more fully explained as we go on.
CHAPTER 1
LECTURE
FIRST.
|
LAMENTATIONS
1:1
|
|
1. How doth the city sit solitary that
was full of people! How is she become as a widow! She that was
great among the nations, and princess among the provinces, how is
she become tributary!
|
1. Quomodo sedet solitaria civitas, quae
abundavit populo! facta est tanquam vidua, quae magna fuit in gentibus! Quae
dominataest in provinciis, redacta est ad tributum!
|
The Prophet could not sufficiently express the
greatness of the calamity, except by expressing his astonishment. He then
assumes the person of one who on seeing something new and unexpected is filled
with amazement. It was indeed a thing incredible; for as it was a place chosen
for God to dwell in, and as the city Jerusalem was not only the royal throne of
God, but also as it were his earthly sanctuary, the city might have been thought
exempted from all danger. Since it had been said,
“Here is my rest
for ever, here will I
dwell,”
(<19D214>Psalm
132:14,)
God seemed to have raised that city above the clouds,
and to have rendered it free from all earthly changes. We indeed know that there
is nothing fixed and certain in the world, and that the greatest empires have
been reduced to nothing; but, the state of Jerusalem did not depend on human
protection, nor on the extent of its dominion, nor on the abundance of men, nor
on any other defenses whatever, but it was founded by a celestial decree, by the
promise of God, which is not subject to any mutations. When, therefore, the city
fell, uprooted from its foundations, so that nothing remained, when the Temple
was disgracefully plundered and then burnt by enemies, and further, when the
king was driven into exile, his children slain in his presence, and also the
princes, and when the people were scattered here and there, exposed to every
contumely and reproach, was it not, a horrible and monstrous
thing?
It was not, then, without reason that the Prophet
exclaimed, How! for no one could have ever thought that such a thing
would have happened; and then, after the event, no one with a calm mind could
have looked on such a spectacle, for innumerable temptations must have come to
their minds; and this thought especially must have upset the faith of all
— ”What does God mean? How is it that, he has promised that this
city would be perpetual? and now there is no appearance of a city, and no hope
of restoration in future.” As, then, this so sad a spectacle might not
only disturb pious minds, but also upset them and sink them in the depths of
despair, the Prophet exclaims, How! and then says,
How sits the city
solitary, which had much people! Here, by a
comparison, he amplifies the indignity of the fact; for, on the one hand, he
refers to the flourishing state of Jerusalem before the calamity, and, on the
other hand, he shews how the place had in a manner been turned into darkness.
For this change, as I have said, was as though the sun had fallen from heaven;
for the sun has no firmer standing in heaven than Jerusalem had on earth, since
its preservation was connected with the eternal truth of God. He then says that
this city had many people, but that now it was sitting solitary. The verb
to sit, is taken in Hebrew in a good and in a bad sense. Kings are said to sit
on their thrones; but to sit means sometimes to lie prostrate, as we have before
seen in many places. Then he says that Jerusalem was lying solitary, because it
was desolate and forsaken, though it had before a vast number of
people.
He adds,
How is she
become, etc.; for the word how,
hka,
aike, ought to be repeated, and applied to both clauses.
How,
then, is she become as a widow,
who was great among the nations!
F1 He
says that Jerusalem had not only been full of citizens, but had also extended
its power through many nations; for it is well known that many contiguous
nations were tributary to it under David and Solomon. And to the same purpose is
what follows, She who ruled among
provinces is become tributary! that is,
is become subject to a tribute. This phrase is taken from Deuteronomy 28, for
the prophets were wont freely to borrow expressions from Moses, that chief
teacher and prophet, as we shall presently see again.
We now then see the meaning of the Prophet. He
wonders at the destruction of the city Jerusalem, and regarded it as a prodigy,
which not only disturbed the minds of men, but in a manner confounded them. And
by this mode of speaking he shews something of human infirmity; for they must be
void of all feeling who are not seized with amazement at such a mournful sight.
The Prophet then spoke not only according to his own feelings, but also
according to those of all others; and he deplored that calamity as it were in
the person of all. But he will hereafter apply a remedy to this astonishment For
when we thus exaggerate evils, we at the same time sharpen our grief; and thus
it happens that we at length become overwhelmed with despair; and despair
kindles rage, so that men clamor against God. But the Prophet so mourned, and
was in such a way amazed, that he did not yet indulge his grief nor cherish his
amazement; but as we shall see, he restrained himself, lest the excess of his
feelings should carry him beyond due bounds. It then follows,
—
|
LAMENTATIONS
1:2
|
|
2. She weepeth sore in the night, and her
tears are on her cheeks; among all her lovers she hath none to comfort
her: all her friends have dealt treacherously with her; they are become
her enemies.
|
2. Plorando ploravit noctu, et lachrymae ejus
super genas ejus, non est ei consolator ex omnibus amicis ejus, et omnes socii
ejus Perfide egerunt cum ea, fuerunt illi inimici.
|
Jeremiah still pursues the same subject, for he could
not have spoken briefly and in a few words of things so bitter and mournful; and
he seems to have felt deeply the ruin of his own country. And when we wish to
penetrate into the hearts of those whose sorrow we desire to alleviate, it is
necessary that they should understand that we sympathize with them. For when any
one stronger than another seeks to mitigate another’s grief, he will be
disregarded if what he adduces seems to proceed from an unfeeling barbarity.
Had, then, Jeremiah spoken as it were in contempt., he could have hardly hoped
for any fruit from his teaching, for the Jews would have thought him void of all
human feelings. This, then, is the reason why he bewails, as one of the people,
the calamity of the city. He did not, however, dissemble in any degree in the
history he related; but we know that God’s servants, while they speak in
earnest, do not yet forget prudence; for they regard in this respect what is
useful; and their doctrine ought in a manner to be so regulated as to produce
effect on the hearers.
He then says that the weeping of Jerusalem was
continual; for he says first,
Weeping she
wept, and then,
in the
night; by which words he means that there was
no intermission. For the night is given us for rest, and God intends some
relaxation to men by the interchange of nights and days. When, therefore, the
Prophet says that Jerusalem,
weeping, wept in the
night, he intimates that her sorrow, as I have
stated, was continual. Then he adds,
her tears are on her
cheeks. Some render it jaws, but improperly;
the word
yjl,
lachi, indeed means a jaw, but it is to be taken for cheeks, or
cheek-bones. Then he means that tears were so profuse as to wet the whole face.
It is possible in weeping to restrain tears; but when they flow over the whole
face and cover the cheeks, it is an evidence of great mourning. This, then, is
the reason why the Prophet says that tears were on her cheeks; for he wished to
shew that tears were profusely shed.
He says further,
She has no
comforter. And this circumstance ought to be
noticed, for nothing is more seasonable in grief than to have friends near us to
shew us kindness, to be partakers of sorrow, and to apply the consolations which
may be had. But when no one feels for us in our evils, our sorrow is much more
increased. The Prophet then says that there was no one seeking to soothe the
griefs of Jerusalem. He adds, of all thy friends. Had Jerusalem been
always forsaken, she could have borne it better when no comforter was present.
For we see that miserable men are not thus soft and tender when very grievous
calamities happen to them; they do not look here and there for friends to come
to them, and why? because they have always been disregarded. It is, then,
nothing new to them, even in the greatest adversities, to have no one to shew
them any tokens of kindness. But when they who have had many friends, and
thought that they would be always ready to bring them aid — when they see
themselves forsaken, their sorrow becomes much more grievous. This, then, is
what the Prophet means in saying, that of many friends there were none to
comfort Jerusalem in her miseries.
There is not yet a doubt but that he indirectly
reproved Jerusalem; and by
µybha,
aebim, he understood lovers, as we have seen in other places; for
as they thought themselves safe by means of ungodly treaties, the prophets say
that they were like harlots who everywhere prostitute themselves and make gain
by their lasciviousness, and allure lovers on every side. It was, therefore,
right of the Prophet to remind the Jews in this place of that wickedness, even
that they had conciliated at one time the Egyptians, at another, the Assyrians,
like an impudent woman, who is not satisfied with her own husband, but draws
lovers from all quarters. However this may be, he no doubt understands by
friends those who confederated with them; and who were these? even those
with whom the Jews had connected themselves, having disregarded God; for they
had been sufficiently warned by the prophets not to form connections with the
heathens. But, at. the same time, Jeremiah sets forth the atrocity of the thing
by saying that there was none of all her friends a comforter to Jerusalem,
because all her friends had acted perfidiously. It follows, —
|
LAMENTATIONS
1:3
|
|
3. Judah is gone into captivity because of
affliction, and because of great servitude; she dwelleth among the heathen, she
findeth no rest: all her persecutors overtook her between the
straits.
|
3. Migravit (tanquam in exilium)
Jehudah prae magnitudine servitutis; ipsa sedet in gentibus, (ad verbum,
sedens in gentibus,) non invenit requiem, (vel, in praesenti tempore, non
invenit;) omnes apprehensores ejus apprehenderunt eam inter
angustias.
|
Interpreters apply this, but in my view improperly,
to the captivity of the people; on the contrary, the Prophet means that the Jews
had been scattered and sought refuges when oppressed, as they were often, by the
tyranny of their enemies, and then by degrees he advances to their exile; for he
could not have said all things at the same time. Let, then, the order in which
he speaks be observed: before he bewails their exile, he says that Judah had
been scattered; for many, fleeing the cruelty of enemies, went into voluntary
exile. We have before seen that many concealed themselves with the Moabites; nor
is there a doubt but that many went into Egypt: in short, there was no country
in which some of the Jews were not fugitives.
The real meaning, then, of the Prophet here is, that
the Jews had migrated, that is, had left their own country and fled to other
countries, because they were subjected to miseries and cruel
servitude.
Some take the words in a passive sense, even that
Judah migrated, because they had inhumanly oppressed their servants. But I
suspect what has led them astray, they thought that exile is meant here; and
then one mistake produces another; for it would have been absurd to say, that
the Jews had migrated into exile on account of affliction, and had migrated
willingly; for we know that they were violently driven by the Chaldeans. They
did not, then, willingly migrate. When these two things could not be connected,
they thought that the cruelty of the Jews is what is referred to, which they had
exercised towards their own brethren. But the migration of which the Prophet
speaks is improperly applied, as I have said, to the captivity; but on the
contrary, he means those who had removed into different parts of the world,
because this was more tolerable than their condition in their own country. And
we hence learn how severely they had been harassed by the Chaldeans, for they
had willingly fled away, though, as we know, exile is hard. We then conclude
that it was a barbarous and a violent oppression, since the Prophet says, that
the Jews thus went into exile of their own accord, and sought hiding-places
either in Egypt or in the land of Moab, or among other neighboring nations.
F2
He afterwards adds another evil, that they never
found rest; and lastly, that they had been taken by their enemies between
straits, so that no escape was possible. It must have been a sad condition for
the people to live in a foreign land; for we know that such a precarious life
differs but little from death; and there were no contiguous nations by whom the
Jews were not hated. When they then fled to such people, it was no small evil.
But when they had nowhere a quiet abode, the indignity was still greater, and
this is what the Prophet now refers to. But when we flee and tremblingly turn
here and there, it is one of the greatest of evils to fall into the hands of
enemies, and to be taken by them when we are enclosed as it were between two
walls, or in a narrow passage, as some explain the word. It follows,
—
|
LAMENTATIONS
1:4
|
|
4. The ways of Zion do mourn, because none
come to the solemn feasts: all her gates are desolate; her priests sigh, her
virgins are afflicted, and she is in bitterness.
|
4. Viae Sion lugentes a non venientibus (ad
verbum; quia non sint qui veniant) ad solennitatem; omnes portae ejus
solitariae (vastatae,
ˆymmwç;)
sacerdotes ejus plorantes, virgines ejus afflictae, et ipsa amaritudo ei (hoc
est, ipsa in amaritudine, ut vertit Hieronymus.
|
Jeremiah refers here to another cause of sorrow, that
the worship of God had ceased, it having been interrupted; nay, it seemed to
have become extinct for ever. He then says that the
ways of Sion
mourned, because none came to the feasts. The
words are figurative, for we know that feelings belong not to ways; but the
Prophet ascribes feeling to what is inanimate. And this sort of personification
is more emphatical than if he had introduced the people as mourning. But when
the Jews saw that God’s worship had fallen, it was more grievous than to
find themselves bereaved of children or of wives, or plundered of all their
goods; for the more precious God’s worship was to them, and the more
religion was thought of, in which consisted the eternal salvation of their
souls, the more severe and mournful was it to see the Church, so scattered, that
God could no longer be worshipped and invoked.
It is indeed true that God’s worship was not
tied to ceremonies; for Daniel never ceased to pray, and he was heard .no less
in his exile than if he came to the sacrifices with great solemnity to make an
offering in the Temple. This is no doubt true; but as God had not in vain
instituted these duties and rites of religion, the Prophet exhibits the thing
itself by its symbols. As, then, feasts were testimonies of God’s grace,
it was the same as though the Jews were called together by a standard being
lifted up, and as though God appeared in the midst of them. Hence the Prophet,
referring to these external symbols, shews that the worship of God had in a
manner ceased.
Her gates are
solitary, or desolate;
her priests are in mourning, her
virgins in afflictions; she is in bitterness.
F3 Now this
passage reminds us, that when God afflicts his Church, however grievous it may
be to see innocent men slain, blood shed promiscuously, the sexes, men and
women, killed indiscriminately; and though it be a sad spectacle to see houses
robbed and plundered, fields laid waste, and al! things in a confusion, yet when
all these things are compared with the abolition of God’s worship, this
passage reminds us that all these things ought to appear light to us. Though
David greatly deplored his condition, because he was banished from the Temple,
and did not as usual lead thither the assembly, when he was not the only one
ejected from the sanctuary of God; yet when the sanctuary itself was destroyed,
together with the altar, when there were no sacrifices, no thanksgiving, no
praises; in short, no prayer, it was surely much more bitter.
This lamentation of the Prophet ought then to be
carefully noticed, when he says, that
the ways of Sion
mourned, that no one went up
to the
feasts. What follows I pass over; I shall
hereafter dwell more on these things when we advance towards the end of the
narrative.
|
LAMENTATIONS
1:5
|
|
5. Her adversaries are the chief, her enemies
prosper; for the Lord hath afflicted her for the multitude of her
transgressions: her children re gone into captivity before
|
5. Fuerunt inimici ejus in caput; hostes ejus
feliciter egerunt (fuerunt in pace,
wlç;)
quia Jehova afflixit eam super magnitude scelerum, ejus; parvuli ejus the enemy.
Profecti sunt in exilium coram adversario.
|
He first says that her enemies
had become the
head; and by this expression he doubtless means
power; and this way of speaking he borrowed from Moses, for these are his
words,
“Thou shalt be the
head and not the tail,
in a high
place, not obscure.”
(<052813>Deuteronomy
28:13.)
He then says, that
enemies were the
head, that is, ruled over them. And the
opposite of that is to be understood, even that they had become the tail, that
is, were under the feet as it were of their enemies. And he says that her
enemies had acted
successfully, even
because Jehovah had afflicted
her. He here laments after the common practice,
as ungodly men are wont to do; but he mixes instruction with his mourning, and
shews that God, in a state of things so turbulent and confused, appeared as a
righteous judge. He then recalled them to the consideration of God’s hand,
when he said that her enemies had acted successfully, because God had
afflicted
her. Jerome renders the words, “because
Jehovah hath spoken.” He derives the verb from
hgh,
ege, which means to speak or to meditate. But this is an evident mistake, as
we shall find another presently in this very chapter. There is no doubt but that
the Prophet intimates that the cause of all evils was, that God had afflicted
her, even on account of the greatness of her impieties, or of her sins. He now
then begins to shew that there is no reason why the Jews should be swallowed up
with grief and despair, if only they considered whence their evils proceeded. He
thus begins to call their attention to God’s judgment. This indeed of
itself would not have been sufficient; but he afterwards points out a fruitful
source of consolation. But we shall see these things mentioned in their due
order.
PRAYER
Grant, Almighty God, that as the
deformity of thy Church at this day is sufficient to dishearten us all, we may
learn to look to thine hand, and know that the reward of our sins is rendered to
us, and that we may not doubt but that thou wilt be our physician to heal our
wound, provided we flee to thy mercy; and do thou so retain us in the assurance
of thy goodness and paternal care, that we may not hesitate, even in extreme
evils, to call on thee in the name of thine only-begotten Son, until we shall
find by experience that never in vain are the prayers of those, who, relying on
thy promises, patiently look for a remedy from thee alone, even in extreme
evils, and also in death itself. — Amen.
LECTURE
SECOND
We began yesterday to explain the passage where the
Prophet says, that the enemies of Jerusalem had become
the
head and had
been
successful. It was a trial which must have
grievously assailed the minds of the faithful, when they saw their enemies
having fortune, as they commonly say, as it were in their own hand; for it
appeared as though God shewed himself favorable to them. Hence the Prophet
assigns the reason, lest the faithful should fall off from religion and the fear
of God, and says that the whole of this proceeded from the just vengeance of
God, it being his purpose to afflict his own Church; and he states not this
alone, but adds, on account of
the greatness of her iniquities. For
ungodly men sometimes acknowledge that they have to do with God, but yet they
murmur and think that God is unjust and cruel. Hence the Prophet not only taught
the Jews that God was the author of the calamities which had happened, but at,
the same time reminded them that they were worthy of such a reward, not only
because they had transgressed, but because they had added sins to sins; for this
is what he means by the greatness
of iniquities. But he will presently repeat
this sentence and enlarge upon it: it is then enough now to state his object. It
was for this cause, then, as he says, that
her little ones went into
captivity before the adversary.
It was, indeed, an indignity, calculated to embitter
the minds of the faithful, to see not only their young men but also infants so
cruelly treated. :For men always think that they have some just cause to contend
with God, and especially when the case of infants is brought forward; who, then,
is not disposed to say that God’s vengeance exceeds its due limits?
“If his purpose be,” say they, “to punish men for their
wickedness, why does he not restrain his wrath as to the innocent? for how have
miserable infants sinned?” But the Prophet here checks such audacity, and
says that God had just reasons for extending his vengeance even to the little
ones. F4 It
now follows, —
|
LAMENTATIONS
1:6
|
|
6. And from the daughter of Zion all her
beauty is departed: her princes are become like harts that find no pasture, and
they are gone without strength before the pursuer.
|
6. Et egressus est a filia Sion omnis decor
ejus; fuerunt principes ejus tanquam cervi qui non inveniunt pascuum: et
profecti sunt abaque Virtute coram persequutore.
|
He continues the same subject. He says here that the
daughter of Sion was denuded of all her ornaments. Now, we know what was the
honor or dignity of that people; for Moses, in order to set forth the greatness
of God’s grace, exclaims,
“What nation so
illustrious under heaven
!”
(<050407>Deuteronomy
4:7.)
As, then, the singular gifts of God had been
conferred on that people, it was a very sad spectacle to see that city, which
once possessed the highest glory, robbed of all its honor and covered with
disgrace, as we shall hereafter see. He then says that all her glory was
taken away from the daughter of Sion.
Now, there is no need to enumerate all the kinds of
honor or glory which belonged to the city Jerusalem. But it may be said first,
that God had chosen there a habitation for himself; and then a sacerdotal
kingdom was there, — the people were holy to God — they were his
heritage, — there God had deposited his covenant, — he deemed all
the Jews his children, and his will was that they should in return count him as
their Father. As, then, they had been enriched with so many ornaments and so
superior, it is no wonder that the Prophet deplored the state of the city when
stripped of all its glory.
He then adds, that
her princes were like famished
harts for harts, as they are by nature swift,
when pressed by want run as though they were flying. Since then the swiftness of
that animal is so great, the Prophet says that the princes, who were wont to
walk with so much gravity and to carry the appearance of great authority, had
become swift, like harts oppressed with hunger; for they also labored under the
want of everything.
F5 He adds
that at length they went away, that is, they fled
before their pursuers without
strength. He intimates by these words that they
dared not to contend with their enemies, but that they were so frightened that
they fled, and thus proved that they were wholly disheartened and lifeless. It
follows, —
|
LAMENTATIONS
1:7
|
|
7. Jerusalem remembered in the days of her
affliction, and of her miseries, all her pleasant things that she had in the
days of old, when her people fell into the hand of the enemy, and none did help
her: the adversaries saw her, and did mock at her sabbaths.
|
7. Recordata est Jerusalem diebus afflictionis
suae et penuriae suae, omnium desiderabilium suorum quae fuerunt a diebus
antiquis, cum caderet populus ejus in manu hostis et nullus auxiliator ei:
viderunt hostes, subsannarunt (vel, riserunt) super sabbatio (vel, cessatione)
ejus.
|
He confirms the former verse when he says, that
Jerusalem remembered her
desirable things when she was afflicted by
God’s hand, and reduced to extreme want. And he in-intimates by these
words, that when Jerusalem was in its splendor, it did not sufficiently consider
the blessings of God; for the despisers of God cram themselves with whatever
flows from his bounty, and yet do not acknowledge him; for ingratitude is like
an abyss which absorbs all the fullness of God’s blessings. Then the
Prophet intimates that when Jerusalem flourished in wealth and in abundance of
all things, when it was adorned with singular gifts, she became as it were
inebriated, and never considered as she ought to have done, the benefits which
God had bestowed on her. And now, when she was reduced to want and surrounded
with extreme miseries, she
remembered her desirable things, even the glory
before mentioned; for by desirable things he means those gifts in which
,Jerusalem excelled as long as God manifested himself as a bountiful Father
towards it.
I wonder how all have given this version,
“Jerusalem remembered the days,” etc. Some rightly explain the
passage, but all agree in giving a wrong version. But the meaning is
sufficiently evident, Jerusalem
remembered her desirable things in the days of her affliction and of her
want, or of her groaning, or of her
transmigration; for some derive the word from
dwr,
rud, which means to complain, or to migrate. Hence they render it
“exile,” or migration. But others render it “complaint.”
Others, again, derive it from
drm,
mered, which sometimes means to fail, and render it “want,”
or indigence. Why some have translated it “iniquities” I know not,
and there is no reason for such a version. I do not approve of
“complaint;” exile or want is the. best word.
F6
The days of
affliction he more clearly expresses, when he
says, When the people fell into
the hand of the enemy, and there was no helper.
We now see what the Prophet means, even that Jerusalem was as it were roused
from her lethargy when God afflicted her. For as the drunken, after being
satiated, so sleep in their excess that they know and feel nothing, but seem
half dead; so prosperity inebriated Jerusalem for a long time; but being at
length awakened, she perceived whence she had fallen. As long, then, as she
stood in her high place of honor, she did not consider God’s indulgence
towards her; but after she was stripped of all her blessings, and became deeply
afflicted, she then remembered her desirable things, that is, she at
length began to perceive what she had lost, because she had fallen from the
grace of God.
We may hence gather a useful doctrine; for what the
Prophet relates of Jerusalem is seen almost in all mankind; but we must beware
lest this should be true of us. For God has not only in a common manner dealt
liberally hitherto with us, but he has also been pleased to favor us with
evidences of favor even more than paternal; he has separated us from the
unbelieving, and has bestowed on us many of his blessings. Let us now, then,
take heed lest we become stupid while God deals liberally with us; but, on the
contrary, let us learn to appreciate the blessings of God, and consider the end
for which they have been given us, otherwise what is said here of Jerusalem will
happen to us; for being too late awakened, we shall know that we were happy when
God shewed himself a father to us. We see the same thing exemplified in Adam the
first man; for though God adorned him with excellent gifts, yet being not
content with his lot, he wished to exalt himself beyond due limits; after he
fell and was reduced to extreme want, he then began to know what he had
previously been, and what he had become through his fall.
(<010126>Genesis
1:26, 27; 3:6,7.) But as this testimony of the Prophet is peculiarly suitable to
the Church, let us know that we are warned by the example of Jerusalem, so that
when God shews to us his bounty, his gifts ought as they deserve, to be valued,
lest when too late we shall at length begin to acknowledge how desirable had
been our previous condition. Then, in a word, Jeremiah here reproves the
stupidity of the people, who did not know how desirable was their state, until
they were deprived and plundered of all their blessings. He also says,
from the days of
old. By these words he probably intimates that
the course of God’s kindness had been perpetual; for God had not for a
short time been bountiful to that people, but had shewed them favors
successively and continually.
When her people
fell, etc. It was a heavier misery,
because they had so long flourished. It is added,
Seen, her have enemies, they
laughed at her Sabbath, or at her cessation,
which I do not dislike. But they who render it “leisure,” or
idleness, either pervert or too much obscure the meaning of the Prophet. In the
word “cessation,” there is an irony, for the enemies did not simply
laugh at cessation, but did so in mockery, as they took this opportunity to
taunt them for their religion. We know that the Sabbaths of the Jews were always
hated by the heathens; and they were thereby subjected to many reproaches; for
by way of reproach they called the Jews Sabbatharians. And when they wished
ignominiously to traduce the whole service of God, as under the law, they named
it “Sabbaths.” There is, then, no doubt but that the heathens
reproachfully taunted the Jews because they observed the Sabbath; “See,
now is the time to worship God.” And we also see that God upbraided the
Jews in a similar way by saying,
“Until the land
shall enjoy its Sabbaths.”
(<032643>Leviticus
26:43.)
For when the Jews had the opportunity and leisure
(when no enemies molested them)to observe the worship of God, they
contemptuously profaned the Sabbaths. As, then, God’s worship had been so
disgracefully neglected by them, God said, “The land itself shall in your
stead keep the Sabbath;” how? it shall not be ploughed, it shall not bring
forth fruit.
(<032634>Leviticus
26:34, 35.) That cessation was called by God Sabbath, but not without a taunt;
for he cuttingly reproved the Jews for having violated the Sabbaths, as was also
done by Jeremiah,
(<241722>Jeremiah
17:22, 27.) F7
It then appears to me probable that taunts were cast
by enemies against the Jews, that they might now have a long and a continual
Sabbath, while the city was deserted and no one dwelt there. For it would have
been cold and unmeaning to say that the enemies laughed at the cessation of it.
The Prophet would have no doubt used a different word, if his purpose had been
to point out the blasphemy of enemies as to God’s worship.
The
enemies then
saw and laughed at her
cessation; but this cessation they called by
way of reproach Sabbatharian. It follows, —
|
LAMENTATIONS
1:8
|
|
8. Jerusalem hath grievously sinned; therefore
she is removed; all that honored her despise her, because they have seen her
nakedness; yea, she sigheth, and turneth backward.
|
8. Peccatum peccavit Jerusalem (hoc est,
scelerate egit;) proterea in migrationem (vel, commotionem) facta est (hoc est,
Reddita fuit instabilis;) omnes qui honore eam persequebantur, spreverunt eam,
quia viderunt turpitudinem (vel, foeditatem) ejus; etiam ipsa gemens, et
conversa est retrorsum.
|
Here the Prophet expresses more clearly and strongly
what he had briefly referred to, even that all the evil which the Jews suffered
proceeded from God’s vengeance, and that they were worthy of such a
punishment, because they had not lightly offended, but had heaped up for
themselves a dreadful judgment, since they had in all manner of ways abandoned
themselves to impiety. This is the substance of what is said. We hence learn
that the Prophet did not compose this song to lament the calamity of his own
country as heathens were wont to do. An example of a heathen lamentation we have
in Virgil: —
“Come is the
great day and the unavoidable
time
Of Dardania: we
Trojans have been; Ilium has
been,
And the great
glory of the Teuerians: cruel Jupiter has to
Argos
Transferred all
things: the Danai rule in the burnt
city.”
F8
He also repeats the same sentiment in other words:
—
“O country! O
Ilium, the house of the gods! and the famous for
war,
The camp of the
Dardanidans! cruel Jupiter has to
Argos
Transferred all
things.”
F9
He thus mourns the destruction of Troy; but he
complains of the cruelty of God, and calls Him cruel Jupiter, because he was
himself enraged, and yet the speaker was Pantheus the priest of Apollo. We hence
see how the unbelieving, when they lament their own calamities, vomit forth
blasphemies against. God, for they are exasperated by sorrow. Very different is
the complaint of the Prophet from that of the ungodly; for when he deplores the
miseries of his people, he at the same time adds that God is a righteous
avenger. He does not then accuse God of cruelty or of too much rigor, but
reminds the people to humble themselves before God and to confess that they
justly deserved all their evils.
The unbelieving do indeed sometimes mingle some
words, by which they seem to give glory to God; but they are evanescent, for
they soon return to their perverseness. They are sometimes moderate, “If
thou art turned by any entreaties.” In that case they expostulate with
God:, as though he were deaf to the prayers of his servants. At length they
break out into open blasphemies, —
“After it
seemed good to the gods to subvert the affairs of
Asia
And the
undeserved nation of Priam.”
F10
—
They regarded the nation which had been cut off
unworthy of such a punishment; they called it an undeserved nation. Now, then,
we perceive what is the difference between the unbelieving and the children of
God. For it is common to all to mourn in adversities; but the end of the
mourning of the unbelieving is perverseness, which at length breaks out into
rage, when they feel their evils, and they do not in the meantime humble
themselves before God. But the faithful do not harden themselves in their
mourning, but reflect on themselves and examine their own life, and of their own
accord prostrate themselves before God, and willingly submit to the sentence of
condemnation, and confess that God is just.
We hence now see how the calamity of the Church ought
to be lamented by us, even that we are to return to this principle, that God is
a just avenger, and does not punish common offenses only, but the greatest sins,
and that when he reduces us to extremities, lie does so on account of the
greatness of our sins, as also Daniel confessed. For it was not in few words
that he declared that the people were worthy of exile and of the punishment
which they suffered; but he accumulated words,
We have sinned, we have
acted impiously, we have done wickedly, we have been transgressors.”
(<270905>Daniel
9:5.)
Nor was the Prophet satisfied without this
enumeration, for he saw how great the impiety of the people had been, and how
mad had been their obstinacy, not for a few years, but for that long time,
during which they had been warned by the prophets, and yet they repented not,
but always became worse and worse. Such, then, is the mode of speaking adopted
here.
He says that
she was made a
commotion, that is, that she was removed from
her country. There seems to be implied a contrast between the rest which had
been promised to the Jews, and a wandering and vagrant exile; for, as we have
seen, the Jews had not only been banished, but they had nowhere a quiet
dwelling; it was even a commotion. This may at the same time be referred to the
curse of the law, because they were to be for a commotion — for even the
unbelieving shook their heads at them. But the word,
hdyn,
nide, ought properly to be applied to their exile, when the Jews became
unfixed and vagrant.
F11 It is
added, that she was despised and treated reproachfully by all who
before esteemed and honored her. This also did not a little increase the
grievousness of her calamity; she had been repudiated by her friends, by whom
she had before been valued and honored. The reason is mentioned,
because they saw her
nakedness. But the word properly means
turpitude or ignominy. It is at length added, that
she even groaned and turned
backward; that is, that she was so oppressed
with grief, that there was no hope of a remedy; for to turn backward means the
same as to be deprived of all hope of restoration.
F12 It now
follows, —
|
LAMENTATIONS
1:9
|
|
9. Her filthiness is in her skirts; she
remembereth not her last end; therefore she came down wonderfully; she had no
comfort. O Lord, behold my affliction; for the enemy hath magnified
himself.
|
9. Ignominia ejus in fimbriis ejus, non est
recordata finis sui; et descendit mirabiliter, nemo consolator ei; vide, Jehova,
afflic tionem meam, quia magnifice se effert hostis (ad verbum, magnificatus est
hostis.)
|
He continues here, as I think, the same subject; he
had said at the end of the last verse that turpitude or baseness had been seen
at Jerusalem; and now he says that it was on the very fringes or skirts.
The Prophet seems to allude to menstruous women who hide their uncleanness as
much as they can; but. such a thing is of no avail, as nature must have its
course. In short, the Prophet intimates that the Jews had become filthy in no
common degree, being so afflicted that their uncleanness appeared on their
skirts. This seems to be the Prophet’s meaning. Interpreters think that
Jeremiah speaks of the sins of the people, but they are mistaken; for I doubt
not but that the reference is to their punishment. They say that filthiness was
on the skirts, because the people had shamelessly prostituted themselves to all
kinds of wickedness, and that they remembered not their end, because they had
become altogether foolish, according to what is said in the song of
Moses,
“O that they were
wise, and would foresee their end? (Deuteronomy 32 29.)
But let any one duly consider the design of the
Prophet, and he will readily agree with me that he speaks not of guilt, but on
the contrary of punishment.
F13
The Prophet then says that the reproach of the Jews
was on their skirts, because they could not hide their disgrace, For shame often
makes men to hide their evils and silently to bear them, because they are
unwilling to expose themselves to the mockery of their enemies. But the Prophet
says that the miseries of the people could not be kept hidden, but that they
appeared to all, as the case is with women subject to an overflow — it
issues forth to the extremities of their garments.
And when he says that
she remembered not her
end, I understand this to mean, that the Jews
were so overwhelmed with despair, that they did not raise up their thoughts to
God’s promises; for it is no ordinary source of comfort, and what even
common sense dictates to us, to take breath in extreme evils, and to extend our
thoughts farther, for misery will not always oppress us — some change for
the better will happen. As then men are wont thus to sustain themselves in
adversities, he says that the
Jews remembered not their end; that is, they
were so demented by their sorrow, that they became stupified, and entertained no
hope as to the future. In short, by these words, he denotes extreme despair; for
the Jews were so stupified that they could not raise up their minds to any
hope.
And the reason is expressed, because they had
come down
wonderfully, that is, because they had been
cast down in an extraordinary manner. A noun is here put instead of an adverb,
and in the masculine gender,
µyalpX
pelaim; sometimes we have
twalp,
pelaut, but in the same sense. He then says that the Jews had sunk as it
were miraculously; but by a miracle he means a prodigy, the word being taken in
a bad sense; then miraculously
has Jerusalem come down. It hence followed that
it succumbed under its miseries, so that it could not turn its thoughts to any
hope, nor think of another end; but. became stupid in its miseries, as men
usually become desperate, when they think that there is no deliverance for them.
He repeats what he had said before, that
there was no
comforter.
These things ought to be carefully observed, for
Satan at this day uses various means to lead us to despair. In order to avert us
from all confidence in the grace of God, he sets before us extreme calamities.
And when sorrow lays such hold on our minds, that the hope of grace does not
shine forth, from that immoderate sorrow arises impatience, which may drive us
to madness. Hence it comes that we murmur, and then clamor against God. As,
then, at this day Satan supplies materials to harass our minds, that we may
succumb under our griefs, let us bear in mind what the Prophet says, that
Jerusalem, which was then the only true Church of God in the world, was
overwhelmed with so many and so great evils, that she
remembered not her
end. This, indeed, ought to be understood of
external circumstances, for God no doubt sustained the minds of the godly, and
always so mitigated their grief that they had regard to their end. But the
reference is to the people in general, and also to the outward appearance of
things, when the Prophet says that the Jews remembered not their
end.
He now encourages them to pray, and suggests words to
them, for he speaks as in the person of
all: See, Jehovah, my affliction,
for the enemy hath highly exalted himself.
Though the Prophet here represents the Church, yet he exhorts them no doubt,
according to the obligations of his office, to entertain good hope, and
encourages them to pray, for true and earnest prayer cannot be offered without
faith; for when the taste of God’s grace is lost, it cannot be that we can
pray from the heart; and through the promises alone it is that we can have a
taste of God’s paternal goodness. There is, then, no doubt but that the
Prophet here promises a sure deliverance to the Jews, provided they turned to
God, and believed and were fully persuaded that he would be their
deliverer.
We now, then, see what is the right way of teaching,
even that men are to be humbled, and that their just condemnation is to be set
before them, and that they are also to be encouraged to entertain hope, and a
hand is to be stretched out to them, that they may pray to God, and not hesitate
in extreme evils not only to hope for but even to request aid from him. This is
the order observed by the Prophet; we must learn in adversities ever to come
down to ourselves, and to acknowledge our guilt; and then when we are sunk deep,
we must learn to elevate our minds by faith that thence prayer may arise by
which our salvation is to be attained.
One thing has escaped me; the Prophet, in order to
obtain favor, says, that enemies had greatly exalted themselves. And this
deserves a special notice; for what seems to occasion despair to us, ought, on
the contrary, to encourage us to entertain good hope, that is, when enemies are
insolent and carry themselves with great arrogance and insult us. The greater,
then, is their pride and the less tolerable, with more confidence may we call on
God, for the Holy Spirit has not in vain taught us this truth, that God will be
propitious to us when enemies thus greatly exalt themselves, that is, when they
become beyond measure proud, and immoderately indulge themselves in every kind
of contempt. It follows —
|
LAMENTATIONS
1:10
|
|
10. The adversary hath spread out his hand
upon all her pleasant things: for she hath seen that the heathen entered into
her sanctuary, whom thou didst command that they should not enter into thy
congregation.
|
10. Manum suam extendit hostis ad omnia
desiderabilia ejus; quia vidit gentes quum ingresse sunt sanctuarium ipsius, de
quibus praeceperas, ne ingrederentur in congregationem tibi (hoc est, quae tibi
sacrata est.)
|
The Prophet again deplores the profanation of all
sacred things; and this complaint, as I have said, proceeded from the bitterest
sorrow; for though it was a sad thing for the faithful, to lose all their
property, to wander in exile and to suffer the want of all things, yet it must
have been more grievous to them to see the Temple polluted, and all religion
exposed to shame. This calamity, then, the Prophet again deplores, when he says
that enemies had stretched forth
their hand against all desirable things. Now,
by desirable things, he does not mean riches, nor anything that belongs to the
condition of an earthly and fading life, but those invaluable treasures which
God had deposited with the chosen people. The enemy, then, had
extended his
hand against the altar, against the table,
against the ark of the covenant, against all the sacred
vessels.
Then this indignity was increased, because
Jerusalem saw the heathens
entering into her sanctuary; for the pronoun is
in the feminine gender. But the sanctuary of Jerusalem was God’s Temple
for, though properly speaking, it was alone God’s sanctuary, it was yet at
the same time the sanctuary of the people, because God had not caused the Temple
to be built for his own benefit, but rather for the benefit of his people. What
God, then, had consecrated for himself is rightly called the sanctuary of the
people. He still increases the indignity, because God
had forbidden the heathens to
enter the sanctuary; but they had violently
rushed in there. They did not, however, enter for the sake of worshipping God,
for it was his command to keep them from the holy assembly; but they had by
force entered for the purpose of violating the Temple, and also of abolishing
the whole worship of God, and of exposing religion to all kinds of mockery.
F14
PRAYER.
Grant, Almighty God, that as at this day
we see thy Church miserably afflicted, we may direct our eyes so as to see our
own sins, and so humble ourselves before thy throne, that we may yet cease not
to, entertain hope, and in the midst of death wait for life; and may this
confidence open our mouth, that we may courageously persevere in calling on thy
name, through Christ our Lord. — Amen.
LECTURE THIRD
|
LAMENTATIONS
1:11
|
|
11. All her people sigh, they seek bread; they
have given their pleasant things for meat to relieve the soul: see, O Lord, and
consider; for I am become vile.
|
11. Totus populus ejus gementes, quae rentes
panem, diderunt desiderabilia sua (hoc est, quicquid habebant pretiosum)
Pro cibo ad revocandum animan: vide, Jehova, et aspice, quia facta sum vilis
(aut, contempta.)
|
The Prophet here complains that all the citizens of
Jerusalem were constantly groaning through want and famine. He first says, that
all were
sighing. The word “people” is
collective, and hence he uses the plural
number,
Xµyjnan, nanechim. Then he says that
they were all sighing; but he expresses also the reason, because they were
seeking
bread. To seek bread is indeed common to all;
but by this word he intimates extreme want., as though he had said, that they
begged their bread. He then compares them to beggars, who go about here and
there to seek bread.
He says also, that they
gave the most precious things for
meat, to
recover the soul.
Here he refers more clearly to famine, for he
says that in a manner they suffered want. Others render the last clause,
“to refresh the soul,” which is not unsuitable. But the Prophet no
doubt meant to denote a deficiency as to the support of life, when he said, that
they gave whatever precious thing they had to restore their souls, as it were
from death to life.
A prayer follows,
See, Jehovah, and look, for I am
become vile. We said yesterday, that the
complaints which humbled the faithful, and, at the same time, raised them to a
good hope, and also opened the door to prayers, were dictated by the Spirit of
God. Otherwise, when men indulge in grief, and torment themselves, they become
exasperated; and then to be kindled by this irritation is a kind of madness. The
Prophet, therefore, in order to moderate the intensity of sorrow, and the raging
of impatience, recalls again the faithful to prayer. And when Jerusalem asks God
to see and to
look, there is an emphasis intended in using
the two words; and the reason given does also more fully shew this, because she
had become vile;
F15 so that
the Church set nothing else before God, to turn him to mercy, but her own
miseries. She did not, then, bring forward her own services, but only deplored
her own miseries, in order that she might obtain the favor of God. It follows,
—
|
LAMENTATIONS
1:12
|
|
12. Is it nothing to you, all ye that
pass by? behold, and see if there be any sorrow like unto my sorrow, which is
done unto me, wherewith the Lord hath afflicted me in the day of his
fierce anger.
|
12. Non ad voc omnes qui transitis per viam?
Aspicite et videte, an sit dolor sicut dolor meus, qui factus est mihi, quia
affixit me (vel, dolore affecit) Jehova in die excandescentiae irae
suae.
|
The beginning of the verse is variously explained.
Some read it interrogatively, “Is it nothing to you who pass by the
way?” Others more simply, “I see that I am not cared for by you; to
you my sorrow is nothing.” Some again read thus, “Let it not be a
sorrow to you;” and others, “Let not sorrow be upon you,” that
is, let not what I have happen to you; so that it is a prayer expressive of
benevolence.
What I prefer is the interrogation,
Is it nothing to you who pass by
the way? for the letter ,
h,
He, the note of a question, is often omitted. But were it read
affirmatively, the meaning would not be unsuitable: “It does not concern
you who pass by,” as though Jerusalem, in its lamentations, felt grieved
that all those who passed by were not touched either with pity or with sorrow.
F16
But she addressed those who
passed
by, that she might more fully set forth the
greatness of her calamity. For. had she directed her words to neighbors alone,
there would not have been so much force in them; but when she spoke to
strangers, she thus shewed that her calamity was so great, that it ought to have
roused the sympathy of men from the remotest parts, even while on their journey.
And she asks them to
look
and
see.
The order is inverted, for she said before, “See, Jehovah, and
look.” Then Jerusalem asked God, first to turn his eyes to see her
calamities, and then attentively to notice them: but now for another purpose she
says, look ye and
see, that is, consider how evident is my
calamity, which otherwise might have been in a measure hidden from you.
Look
ye, she says,
is there a sorrow like my
sorrow? she adds,
which is come to
me: some render the words actively,
“which Jehovah has brought on me;” but the other version is more
correct, for it is more literal. Jerome’s rendering is, “who has
gleaned me;” and
ll[X
olal, means sometimes to glean, nor do I wish to reject this
interpretation. But what follows is incorrectly rendered, as in a former
instance, by Jerome, “of which Jehovah has spoken:” for he derived
the verb, as before stated, from
hgh,
ege; but it comes from
hgy,
ige, as it is evident from the letter
w,
vau, being inserted. There is then no doubt but that the Church intimates
that God was the author of that sorrow which she deplored.
And it is necessary to know this, lest men should be
carried away into excesses in their mourning, as it frequently happens. For the
majesty of God imposes a check, when we perceive that we have to do with him.
Simple and bare knowledge of this is not, indeed, sufficient, for, as it has
been said, the ungodly, while they know that their sorrows proceed from God, yet
murmur against him: but it is nevertheless the beginning of patience and
meekness when we have a regard to God. It was, then, for this reason that
Jerusalem said that she had been afflicted by God.
And it is added,
In the day of the indignation of
his wrath. Here the Prophet wished to express
the grievousness of God’s vengeance, by mentioning
the indignation of
wrath. Some render
µwrj,
cherun, “fury;” but as the word “fury” is too
harsh, the word “indignation,” or great heat (excandescentia)
is not unsuitable. We must, however, bear in mind the design of the Prophet,
which was to shew that God’s vengeance had been so dreadful, as though his
wrath had all been on a flame against Jerusalem: and this is more fully
confirmed in the following verse, —
|
LAMENTATIONS
1:13
|
|
13. From above hath he sent fire into my
bones, and it prevaileth against them: he hath spread a net for my feet; he hath
turned me back; he hath made desolate and faint all the day.
|
13. E sublimi misit ignem in ossa mea, et
dominatus est in ipso (est mutatio numeri, refertur quidem ad oss, sed perinde
est ac Si diceret, dominatus est ignis in unoquoque ossium;) extendit rete suum
pedibus meis, convertet me retrorsum; dedit me (reddidit me, vel, posuit) vastam
vel, desolatam) toto die dolentem (vel, infirmam.)
|
The Prophet proceeds with the same subject, that
God’s vengeance had raged most dreadfully agsinst Jerusalem. But employing
a metaphor she says, that.fire had been sent to her bones. They
who interpret bones of fortified places, weaken the meaning of the Prophet. I
take bones in their proper sense, ss though it was said, that God’s fire
had penetrated into the inmost parts. This way of speaking often occurs in
Scripture. By bones is denoted strength or valor. Hence David sometimes
deplored, that his bones were vexed or troubled.
(<190602>Psalm
6:2.) And Hezekiah said in his song
“As a lion he hath
broken my bones.”
(<233713>Isaiah
37:13.)
In the same sense the Prophet now says, that
fire
had been sent by God, which ruled
in his bones, that is, which not only burnt the
skin and the flesh, but also consumed the bones.
hdr,
rede, means also to take away or to receive: but as the former rendering
is most commonly taken, I am disposed to follow it — that
fire ruled in his
bones.
There is another similitude added, that God had
spread a net before her
feet; and thus he had taken away every means of
escape. She intimates (for it is Jerusalem who speaks) that she had been
ensnared by God’s judgments, so that she was bound over to ruin, as though
she had fallen into toils or snares. It is stated in the third place, that she
was desolate all the day, so that
she sorrowed perpetually. By all the day is
meant continually. It is then said, that she sorrowed without end, beyond
measure, because she had been turned back by the nets of God, and her bones had
been consumed by celestial fire: for the expression from above,
µwrmm,
memerumn, is emphatical, for the Prophet means that it was no common or
human burning; because what is ascribed to God exceeds what is human or earthly.
It is, then, as though he had said, that it had been such a vengeance as
betokened the dreadful power of God; for it was the same as though God had
thundered from heaven. We now perceive the import of the words. It follows,
—
|
LAMENTATIONS
1:14
|
|
14. The yoke of my transgressions is bound by
his hand; they are wreathed and come up upon my neck: he hath made my
strength to fall; the Lord hath delivered me into their hands, from
whom I am not able to rise up.
|
14. Ligatumest (hic vertit Hieronymus,
vigilavit, namhallucinatus est inpuncto duntaxat
dqçnX
et legendum est
dqçnX
quia est punctum sinistrum, quod significat ligave, ligatum est
igitur) jugum iniquitatum mearum in manu ejus; implicitae sunt
(vel, perplexae,) ascenderunt super collum meum; corruere fecit
(vel, debilitavit) robur meum; dedit me Dominus in manus eorum (est in
regimine, et tamen nulla sequitur additio, quae respondeat, sed apparet
aliquid esse subaudiendum, in manus ergo hostium) ex quibus non
potero surgere.
|
Here, again, Jerusalem confesses that God had been
justly displeased. She had ascribed to God’s vengeance the evils which she
suffered; but now she expresses the cause of that displeasure or wrath. Hence
she says, that the
yoke
of her
iniquities
had been
bound
in God’s hand. Though interpreters explain the words, yet they touch not
the meaning of the Prophet; for they consider not that there is a continued
metaphor. We ought then to bear in mind the two clauses, — that
God’s hand held the yoke tied, and also that the yoke was bound around the
neck of Jerusalem. As when a husbandman, after having tied a yoke to oxen, holds
a rein, and folds it rotund his hand, so that the oxen not only cannot throw off
the yoke, but must also obey the hand which holds the reins; so also it is said,
that the yoke of iniquities was fastened: “I bear the yoke,” she
says, “but it is tied, and so fastened, that it cannot be shaken off; and
then, however furious I may be, or kick, God holds the tied yoke by his own hand
so as to constrain me to bear it.”
We now, then, see the design and import of the
Prophet’s words, that God was justly incensed against Jerusalem, and had
justly used so much severity. Expressed at the same time is the atrocity of the
punishment, though wholly just; for, on the one hand, Jerusalem complains that a
yoke was laid on her neck, tied and fastened, and also that it was tied by the
hand of God, as though she had said, that she was under such a constraint, that
there was no relaxation. On the one hand, then, she bewails the grievousness of
her calamity; and on the other, she confesses that she fully deserved what she
suffered; and thus she accused herself, lest any should think that he clamored
against God, as is commonly the case in sorrow.
F17
It is added,
He hath made to
fall, or weakened, etc. The verb
lçk,
cashel, in Hilphil, means, as it is well known, to stumble, or to
cause to stumble or fall. He
hath, then,
weakened my strength; the Lord
hath given me up into the hand of my enemies,
from whom I shall not be able to rise; that is, he hath so subjugated me,
and so laid me prostrate under the hands of my enemies, that there is no hope of
rising again. Were any one to ask, “Why then does she pray, and again will
pray often?” the answer is, that when she says here, that she will not be
able to rise again, the reference is made to the outward state of things: in the
meantime, the grace of God is not taken to the account. and this goes beyond all
human means. She then says, that according, to the thoughts of the flesh, she
had no hope, because there appeared to be no means of rising. But yet she did
not despair, but that God would at length, by His almighty power, cause her to
rise from fatal ruin. And this is a mode of speaking that ought to be borne in
mind; for hope sees things which are hidden. But at the same time the faithful
speak according to the common appearance of things, and when they seem to
despair, they regard what falls under their own observation and judgment. So
then Jerusalem now says that she could not rise, except God manifested his
extraordinary power, which far exceeds all human means. It follows,
—
|
LAMENTATIONS
1:15
|
|
15. The Lord hath trodden under foot all my
mighty men in the midst of me; he hath called an assembly against me to crush my
young men: the Lord hath trodden the virgin, the daughter of Judah, as in a
winepress.
|
15. Calcavit omnes fortes meos Dominus in
medio mei; vocavit super me diem (hoc est, edixit statum diem, alii vertunt
congregationem; et
d[wm,
tam coetum ipsum significat, quam condictum tempus,) ad conterendos adolescentes
meos (vel, electos;) torcular calcavit Adonai super virginem (vel, puellam,)
filiam Jehudah.
|
She first says, that
all
her
valiant
men had been trodden
underfoot. Now we know how much the Jews
trusted in their men even to the very time when they were wholly subdued. As
then they had shewed so much insolence and pride towards the prophets, it hence
became a cause of greater sorrow, when Jerusalem herself saw that she was
destitute of every protection, and that her valiant men were trodden under foot.
She says, in the midst of
me. And this ought to be observed; for if they
had fallen on the field of battle, if they had been taken in the fields by their
enemies, such a thing would not have been so grievous: but that they had been
thus laid prostrate, in the very bosom of the city, was indeed a token of
vengeance from above. We now see that this circumstance was not superfluous,
that all the valiant men of Jerusalem were laid prostrate in the midst of
her.
It is then said that it was the
fixed
time, when God
destroyed her chosen
men, or her youth. Should it seem preferable to
take
d[wm,
muod, as meaning a congregation, I do not object; yet I do not approve of
this meaning, for it seems forced. It agrees better with the context to regard
it as the fixed time, the time before appointed by God to destroy all the strong
men. F18
There is then another metaphor used, — that God
had trodden the winepress as to
the daughter of Zion. This figure occurs
elsewhere, as in
<236301>Isaiah
63:1,
“Who is this that
cometh from Edom? and why are his garments red?”
For the Prophet wonders how God could come forth from
Edom, sprinkled with blood. God answers, “The winepress have I trod
alone;” that is, because he had avenged the wrongs done to his people. For
we know that the Idumeans had always been incensed against the miserable Jews.
Then God, in order to shew that lie was the defender of his Church, says that he
came from Edom, and was sprinkled and even made wet with blood. As when any one
is red with wine after having toiled in the winepress, so also is the
representation in this place. We have also seen in
<245133>Jeremiah
51:33, that Babylon was like a threshing-floor. The metaphor, indeed, is
different, but bears a likeness to the present. As, then, God is said to tread,
or to thresh, when he afflicts any land, so he is said to tread the winepress,
as here.
F19 It
follows, —
|
LAMENTATIONS
1:16
|
|
16. For these things I weep: mine eye, runneth
down with water, because the comforter that should relieve my soul is far from
me; my children are desolate, because the enemy prevailed.
|
16. Propter id ego plorans, oculus meus,
oculus meus, descendunt aquae, (hoc est, defluit in aquas,) quia remotus
est a me consolator, qui animam revocet, (vel, recreat animam,
byçm;)
Fuerunt filii mei desolati, quia praevaluit hostis.
|
He describes at large the calamities of Jerusalem.
But it is no wonder that the Prophet, thus lengthened his discourse; for we know
that those who are heavily oppressed never satisfy themselves with mourning and
lamentations. If, indeed, we duly consider how great the evils were, the Prophet
will not appear to us wordy, nor will his prolixity be wearisome to us. For when
any one compares the flourishing state of Jerusalem with that desolate ruin
which the Prophet laments, it will surely appear to him that no words, however
many, can fully express what it really was; nay, though the expressions may seem
hyperbolical, yet they do not exceed the greatness of that calamity. This point
is briefly adverted to, lest any one should be wearied with those various modes
of expression which the Prophet employs, when yet he might have at once said
that Jerusalem was destroyed.
He says,
For this will I
weep. He throughout sustains the person of a
woman; for Jerusalem herself speaks, and not Jeremiah. I, she says,
for this will weep; mine eye mine
eye! it shall descend into waters. Others read,
“Waters will descend from mine eyes;” but such a rendering is too
loose. I do not, then, doubt but that Jerusalem says that her eyes would be like
fountains of waters. She indeed speaks in the singular number, and repeats the
words, mine eye! mine eye! it
shall descend, or flow as waters, that is, as
though they were two fountains,
because alienated from
me, or far from me,
is a comforter, to revive my
soul.
F20 By these
words she intimates that she was fainting, and as it were dying and that there
was no one present to administer comfort, so that her soul might be revived. As
it appeared before, that it is deemed an extreme evil when there is no friend to
do the duty of humanity by alleviating sorrow; so now again Jerusalem repeats
the same complaint, and says that all her
sons were destroyed, because the
enemy had prevailed. It follows,
—
|
LAMENTATIONS
1:17
|
|
17. Zion spreadeth forth her hands, and
there is none to comfort her; the Lord hath commanded concerning Jacob,
that his adversaries should be round about him: Jerusalem is as a
menstruous woman among them.
|
17. Expandit Sion in manibus suis (id
est, manus suas, vel, complosit manibus suis, alii vertunt,
confregit,) nullus consolator ei; mandavit Jehova super Jacob per circuitus ejus
adversarios ejus; facta est Jerusalem in abominationem inter ipsos (vel,
tanquam immunda, vel, menstruata,
hdn,
enim vocater mulier menstruata apud Moseu.)
|
The Prophet first says that
Jerusalem had expanded her
hands, as a token of sorrow, or that she might
seek friends from every side; for when we wish to move men to pity, we stretch
forth our arms. I wonder how it came to the minds of some to say that Jerusalem
had broken bread with her hands. This is extremely puerile. Some have rendered
the words, that she had broken with her hands, understanding thereby that she
had clapped with her hands. It is, however, a harsh mode of speaking; I retain
the most suitable sense, that
Jerusalem had expanded her
hands. The word
çrp,
peresh, means also to disperse, or scatter; but the Prophet no doubt
means the expansion of the hands, as though Jerusalem had said that she was like
a woman lamenting her calamities, and seeking friends on every side to give her
some consolation. And we may gather the meaning of the Prophet from the passage
itself, Sion, it is said,
by spreading hands calls her
friends, and no one is a comforter: these
clauses ought to be read together, that is, that Sion expanded her hands, and
yet no one responded to alleviate her sorrow by consolation.
It follows, that
Jehovah had commanded respecting
Jacob, that through his circuits adversaries should afflict
him. The Prophet again reminds us that these
evils did not happen through men, but that God had resolved in this manner to
punish the obstinate impiety of the people. Lest, then, the Jews should give
vent to their sorrow, and ascribe it to the Chaldeans, as it was commonly done,
he recalls their attention to God himself, and says that the Chaldeans, however
cruel they were, yet did nothing merely through their own impulse, but through
God’s command. He adds,
through the
circuits, that the Jews might know that there
was no escape, for God held them all as though they were shut up. For we can in
various ways escape from the hands of men; but when God is our enemy, we in vain
seek hiding-places. The Prophet then teaches us that subterfuges did not avail
the Jews, because God on every side kept them shut up.
He says at length that
Jerusalem was like a menstruous
woman, or was an abomination; for
hdn,
nede, may be rendered uncleanness, or abomination, and is often a noun
substantive; and I am disposed so to render it, even that Jerusalem was regarded
as filth, as though the Prophet had said that there was no humanity or
moderation in the enemies of the Jews, because they were not counted as men, but
as offscourings, as an abominable filth.
F21
Now, if such a thing happened to the ancient Church,
let us not wonder if at this day also God should deal with us more severely than
we wish. It is, indeed, a very bitter thing to see the Church so afflicted as to
have the ungodly exulting over its calamities, and that God’s children
should be as the refuse and filth of the world. But let us patiently bear such a
condition; and when we are thus contemptuously treated by our enemies, let us
know that God visits us with punishment, and that the wicked do nothing except
through the providence of God, for it is his will to try our faith, and thus to
shew himself a righteous judge: for if we rightly consider in how many ways, and
how obstinately we have provoked his wrath, we shall not wonder if we also be
counted at this day an abomination and a curse. It follows,
—
|
LAMENTATIONS
1:18
|
|
18. The Lord is righteous; for I have rebelled
against his commandment: hear, I pray you, all people, and behold my virgins and
my young men are gone into captivity.
|
18. Justus ipse Jehova, quia os ejus
exacerbavi: Audite agedum omnes populii, videte dolorem meum; virgines meae et
adolescentes mei profecti sunt in captivitatem.
|
Jerusalem again acknowledges, and more clearly
expresses, that she suffered a just punishment. She had before confessed that
her enemies were cruel through God’s command; but it was necessary to
point out again the cause of that cruelty, even that she had too long provoked
the wrath of God.
She says, first, that God was just, or
righteous,
F22
because she had provoked his
mouth. By the
mouth
of God we are to understand the prophetic doctrine, as it is well known. But the
phrase is emphatical, for when the word of God was proclaimed by the mouth of
prophets, it was despised as an empty sound. As, then, prophetic doctrine has
not its own majesty ascribed to it, God calls whatever his servants declare his
mouth. This mode of speaking is taken from Moses, and often occurs in his
writings.
Jehovah,
then, is just; how so?
because I have provoked his
mouth. And it was more grievous and less
excusable to provoke the mouth of God than simply to offend God. The ungodly
often offend God when they labor under ignorance; but when the Lord is pleased
to open his mouth to recall the erring, and to shew the way of salvation, and
then men rush headlong, as it were designedly, into sins, it is certainly a mark
of extreme impiety. We hence understand why the Prophet mentions the mouth of
God, or the teaching of the prophets, even to exaggerate the wickedness of
Jerusalem, which had so obstinately disregarded God speaking by his
prophets.
The greatness of her sorrow is again deplored; and
what follows is addressed to all nations,
Hear, I pray, all ye people; see
my sorrow. And what was the reason for this
great sorrow?
because,
she says, my virgins and my young
men have been driven into captivity. This might
seem a light thing; for a previous account has been given of other calamities,
which were far more severe; and exile in itself is but a moderate punishment.
But we must bear in mind what we have before stated, that the Jews dwelt in that
land, as though they had been placed there by the hand of God, that Jerusalem
was to be a perpetual rest, which had been granted them from above; in short,
that it was as it were a pledge of the eternal inheritance. When, therefore,
they were driven into captivity, it was the same as though God had cast them
down from heaven, and banished them from his kingdom. For the Jews would not
have been deprived of that land, had not God rejected them and shewed his
alienation from them. It was then the same as repudiation. It is therefore no
wonder that Jerusalem so much lamented because her sons and her daughters were
driven into exile.
PRAYER.
Grant, Almighty God, that as thou hast
hitherto dealt so mercifully with us, we may anticipate thy dreadful judgment;
and that if thou shouldest more severely chastise us, we may not yet fail, but
that being humbled under thy mighty hand, we may flee to thy mercy and cherish
this hope in our hearts, that thou wilt be a Father to us, and not hesitate to
call continually on thee, until, being freed from all evils, we shall at length
be gathered into thy celestial kingdom, which thine only-begotten Son has
procured for us by his own blood. — Amen.
LECTURE
FOURTH
|
LAMENTATIONS
1:19
|
|
19. I called for my lovers, but they deceived
me: my priests and mine elders gave up the ghost in the city, while they sought
their meat to relieve their souls.
|
19. Clamavi ad amicos nucos, ipsi deceperunt
me: sacerdotes mei et seniores mei in urbe obierunt, quia quaesierint cibum sibi
et refocillarunt (ad verbum, hoc est, ut refocillarent) animam suam (ad verbum,
ut redire facerent, quemadmodum Gallice dicimus, faire revenir le
coeur.)
|
Here the people of God complain in the person of a
woman, as we have before seen, that in their calamity they were left destitute
of every comfort. And it is a circumstance which increases grief, when no one is
present to shew any kindness to the miserable; for it is no small alleviation of
sorrow, when friends offer their kind services, and as far as they can, endeavor
to mitigate the severity of the evil.
The Church of God now says, that she was so forsaken
by friends as to be left alone to pine away in her mourning and sorrow. There
may, however, be here an allusion to shameful and impure connections; for by
this term, friends, the Spirit often points out the Egyptians as well as
others in whom the Israelites had foolishly trusted; for in this manner, we
know, they had turned aside from conjugal fidelity. God had bound them to
himself, that they might acquiesce in his favor alone; and so to acquiesce was
their spiritual chastity. Rightly, then, does Scripture compare both the
Egyptians and the Assyrians to harlots, whenever the Israelites sought aid from
them. But as this explanation seems too refined, I am content to view what is
said simply as a complaint., that the people of God, though looking in all
directions, yet could find no comfort in the world.
I
cried, she said,
to my friends; they deceived
me.
It is then added,
My priests and mine elders
expired in the city. Had they been slain in
battle, it would have been no wonder; for they who go against an enemy, go as it
were to meet death. But God’s people here deplore a more grievous evil,
that the priests died in the city, not through the enemies’ sword, but
through famine, which is as it were the extreme of evils. It is then said, that
the priests as well as the elders perished through famine, because they could
not find food. And when it is said that they
sought food to refresh the
soul, there is a contrast to be understood
between ordinary food and a remedy for the famine; for we naturally seek food
whenever we feel hungry; but the Prophet refers here to something more than
this, even that the priests and the elders sought food, because long abstinence
urged them; and it was very sad, that the priests, who excelled in honor, and
also the elders, were thus reduced to want. Had such a thing happened to the
common people, it would not have been so wonderful; for the long siege of the
city had consumed all their provisions. But when the priests, and those who had
wealth, were thus oppressed with hunger, we may conclude that the want which the
Prophet wished to describe was extreme. It follows, —
|
LAMENTATIONS
1:20
|
|
20. Behold, O Lord, for I am in
distress; my bowels are troubled: mine heart is turned within me; for I have
greviously rebelled: abroad the sword bereaveth, at home there is as
death.
|
20. Vide Jehova, quia afflictio mihi,
(vel, augustia,) viscera mea conturbata sunt (alii, contracta;)
eversum est cor meum interme, quia rebellando rebellavi; fris orbat gladius,
domi tanquam mors.
|
The people turn again to pray God: and what has been
before said ought to be remembered, that these lamentations of Jeremiah differ
from the complaints of the ungodly; because the faithful first acknowledge that
they are justly chastised by God’s hand, and secondly, they trust in his
mercy and implore his aid. For by these two marks the Church is distinguished
from the unbelieving, even by repentance and faith. To sigh and to mourn in
adversities, and to lament also their miseries, are common to both; but the
children of God differ greatly from the ungodly, because they humble themselves
under his mighty hand, and confess that they deserve to suffer punishment; and
further, they cast not away the hope of salvation, but implore his mercy. Then
the Prophet introduces again the people as praying God to look on them. For the
ungodly pour forth their complaints into the air; and when at any time nature
dictates to them that they ought to address God, yet no prayer arises from a
sincere heart.
There is no doubt but that the Prophet here shewed to
the faithful how they were to lament their common miseries, even so as patiently
to bear the chastisements of God, and also to seek deliverance from him, though
they had provoked his wrath. For when we see that we are pressed down by
God’s hand, we do not murmur, but the knowledge of our sins humbles us,
and faith moderates our mourning, which would otherwise exceed moderation. And
when we thus humbly flee to God, we in a manner unburden our sorrows into his
bosom, as it is said in the Psalms, “Cast (or roll) on God thy
cares.”
(<195522>Psalm
55:22.)
He then says first,
See, Jehovah, for
affliction is
to
me. He then expresses the manner of the
affliction, because his bowels
were bound, or troubled. The word is from ,
rmj
chemer, which is doubled. Some derive it
from
rwmj,
chemur, an ass, and so render it “bound,” as when a. burden
is fastened on an ass. But more probable is the opinion of those who derive the
word from mortar or cement, for as cement is made by mixing water with lime and
sand, and stirring them together, so by a metaphor the bowels are said to be
stirred or troubled;
F23 and this
explanation agrees better with what follows — for it is added,
my heart is
overturned. The reason is given, because the
people by rebelling had
rebelled, that is, had been very rebellious
against God. We have said that the complaints of the godly differ from those of
the ungodly, for they not only pray to God, but make also a sincere confession,
so as to make it evident that they are justly chastised by God’s hand. At
the beginning of the verse the faithful prayed, and now again they declare that
they deserved what they suffered, because they had been very rebellious. Then
Jeremiah proceeds with what he had begun to say respecting the grievousness of
their punishment,
Abroad,
or without, he says, the sword
bereaves, and at home it is like death; that
is, “When we go abroad, the sword meets us; and when we hide ourselves at
home, there also many deaths surround us.” He uses the particle of
likeness, as, or like; as though he had said that nothing met them at
home but what was deadly.
F24 It now
follows, —
|
LAMENTATIONS
1:21
|
|
21. They have heard that I sign; there is none
to comfort me: all mine enemies have heard of my trouble; they are glad that
thou hast done it; thou will bring the day that thou hast called, and they shall
be like unto me.
|
21. Audierunt quod sum gemens, (hoc est, quod
sim in luctu,) nec quisquam consolator mihi; omnes inimici mei audierunt malum
meum, gavisi sunt quod tu feceris, et adduxeris diem, quem tu vocasti; atqui
erunt sicuti ego.
|
The verb
w[mç,
shemou, is put down twice, but at the beginning without a nominative
case: hence the sentence is defective, until in the second clause the word
ybya
aibi, is expressed. Jeremiah evidently says, that enemies had
heard of the evils under which the people labored, even that they were
sighing, and that no one showed them any kindness; for it is commonly the
case that sympathy is manifested towards the miserable. By this circumstance he
amplifies the grievousness of their punishment, there being no one, as before
said, to administer any consolation. But it is repeated, that
enemies
had
heard;
for as there is nothing more bitter than reproaches, we seek in adversities to
withdraw ourselves in a manner from the observation of men; but our evil is
especially doubled, when we become a spectacle to enemies; for they derive joy
from our adversities, and then exult over us. When, therefore, the chosen people
said, that
enemies
had
heard,
they thus showed that nothing could be added to their miseries:
They have
heard, then, that I was sighing and that no one
comforted me. Who had heard? all mine enemies; and they
have rejoiced that thou hast done
it.
Jeremiah seems to intimate, that their enemies, being
fully persuaded that God was displeased with his people, did on this account
more freely rejoice; and at the same time they believed that it was all over
with those miserable people with whom God was displeased. But I know not whether
this view is well grounded. I indeed do not reject it, :nor will I dispute with
any one who may hold that the enemies rejoiced, because they thought that God
was become the enemy of that people, whom he had before chosen and also
protected: nor is this view unsuitable; for the reprobate then fully triumph
when they can boast that God is adverse to us. But when no such thought comes to
their minds, they yet cease not to rejoice when they see that we are oppressed
and afflicted. Though, then, they may not think of God’s hand, yet they
rejoice that it is done; that is, they rejoice that we are distressed,
though they understand not who the author is. We may then take the meaning
simply to be, that the enemies of the Church rejoiced at that calamity, without
considering who the author of it was.
But, why is it expressed that
God had done
it? even to shew that while the ungodly think
that fortune is unfavorable to us, it; is our duty to cast our eyes on God, for
we ought not to judge of things according to their blindness. As, then, they
ascribe not to God the glory due to him when they do not acknowledge him as
judge, it ever behooves us to see by the eyes of faith what is hid from the
natural perceptions of men, even that nothing happens to us except through the
righteous judgment of God. Though, then, enemies had not wisdom to know how it
was that the Church was afflicted, yet it behooved the Church itself to use by
means of faith such a language as this, that God had
done
it; they rejoiced that thou hast
done it.
And it follows,
Thou hast brought the day which
thou hast called, or proclaimed; for
arq,
kora, has sometimes this meaning.
F25 In
short, the faithful now confess not only that they were afflicted by God’s
hand, but also that what the prophets had so often threatened, and what had been
despised, was now fulfilled. For we have seen with what pertinacity that people
rejected the threatenings given by the prophets: God had often exhorted them to
repent, and also had proclaimed or fixed a time for them, but without effect.
Therefore the faithful now reflect on what had not been sufficiently known
before, even that the day was brought which had been often proclaimed. And thus
they confessed, not only that they were worthy of punishment., but that it was
the proper time for them to be chastised, as they had not repented after having
been so often warned.
He adds,
But they themselves shall be as
I am. Here the future tense may be considered
as optative, for presently a prayer follows which confirms this view. But we may
also take the meaning to be simply this, — that the faithful began to take
courage, as they looked forward to the time when God would render to the wicked
according to their proud and disdainful exultation’s. It follows,
—
|
LAMENTATIONS
1:22
|
|
22. Let all their wickedness come before thee;
and do unto them as thou hast done unto me for all my transgressions: for my
signs are many, and my heart is faint.
|
22. Veniet (aut, veniat) omnis malitia eorum
in conspectum tuum, et facias illis, quemadmodum fecisti mihi super omnibus
sceleribus meis; quia multa suspiria mea, et cor meum debile (vel,
moestum.)
|
Here, no doubt, the faithful regarded as a part of
their comfort the judgment which God would at length execute on the ungodly; and
there is no doubt but that this kind of imprecation had been suggested to
God’s children by the Holy Spirit, in order to sustain them when pressed
down by heavy troubles; not that God gave them thus loose reins to desire
vengeance on their enemies, but that while those perished who indulged their
malice, the faithful might derive from their ruin a hope of deliverance; for the
vengeance of God on the reprobate brings with it a token of paternal favor
towards the elect.
And that we may better understand what this
imprecation means, we must first bear in mind that we cannot complain of
enemies, except they are also enemies to God. For should I hurt any one, and
should he, impelled by wrath, vex me, there could be no access for my complaint
to God, and in vain could I seek a covering from this example; why? because
whenever we go before God, it is necessary, as I have said, that our enemies
should be also his enemies. But, secondly, it would not be sufficient, except
our zeal were also pure; for when we defend our own private cause, something
excessive will necessarily be in our prayers. Let us, then, know that we are not
to pronounce an imprecation on our enemies, except, first, they are God’s
enemies; and, secondly, except we disregard ourselves, and plead not our own
cause, but, on the contrary, undertake the cause of public safety, having laid
aside all turbulent feelings; and especially, except our fervor arises from a
desire to glorify God. With these qualifications, then, we may adopt the form of
prayer given us here by the Prophet. But as this subject has been explained
elsewhere, and often and very fully, I touch on it here but
briefly.
He then says,
Let all their wickedness come
before thee; do to them as thou hast done to
me. Here, again, the faithful take upon
themselves the blame for all the evils they were suffering; for they do not
expostulate with God, but pray only that he would be