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 become the judge of the whole
world, in order that the ungodly might also at length have their turn, when God
would be pacified towards his children. But they afterwards more clearly express
that they had deserved all that they had suffered —
for all my
sins. Then they add,
because my sighs are many and my
heart is weak. We, in short, see that the
faithful lay humbly their prayers before God, and at the same time confess that
what they had deserved was rendered to them, only they set before God their
extreme sorrow, straits, grieves, tears, and sighs. Then the way of pacifying
God is, sincerely to confess that we are justly visited by his judgment, and
also to lie down as it. were confounded, and at the same time to venture to look
up to him, and to rely on his mercy with confidence. Now follows the second
elegy, —
CHAPTER 2
|
LAMENTATIONS
2:1
|
|
1. How hath the Lord covered the daughter of
Zion with a cloud in his anger, and cast down from heaven unto the earth
the beauty of Israel, and remembered not his footstool in the day of his
anger!
|
1. Quomodo obnubilavit in iracundia sua
Dominus filiam Sion, projecit a coelo in terram decorem Israel, et non
recordatus est scabelli pedum suorum in dic iracundiae!
|
The Prophet again exclaims in wonder, that an
incredible thing had happened, which was like a prodigy; for at the first sight
it seemed very unreasonable, that a people whom God had not only received into
favor, but with whom he had made a perpetual covenant, should thus be forsaken
by him. For though men were a hundred times perfidious, yet God never changes,
but remains unchangeable in his faithfulness; and we know that his covenant was
not made to depend on the merits of men. Whatsoever, then, the people might be,
yet it behooved God to continue in his purpose, and not to annul the promise
made to Abraham. Now, when Jerusalem was reduced to desolation, there was as it
were all abolition of God’s covenant. There is, then, no wonder that the
Prophet here exclaims, as on account of some prodigy,
How can it be that God hath
clouded or darkened,
etc.
We must, however, observe at the same time, that the
Prophet did not mean here to invalidate the fidelity or constancy of God, but
thus to rouse the attention of his own nation, who had become torpid in their
sloth; for though they were pressed down under a load of evils, yet they had
become hardened in their perverseness. But it was impossible that any one should
really call on God, except he was humbled in mind, and brought the sacrifice of
which we have spoken, even a humble and contrite spirit.
(<195119>Psalm
51:19.) It was, then, the Prophet’s object to soften the hardness which he
knew prevailed in almost the whole people. This was the reason why he exclaimed,
in a kind of astonishment, How
has God clouded, etc.
F26
Some render the words, “How has God raised
up,” etc., which may be allowed, provided it be not taken in a good sense,
for it is said, in his wrath;
but in this case the words to raise up and to
cast down ought to be read conjointly; for when one wishes to break in pieces an
earthen vessel, he not only casts it on the ground, but he raises it up, that it
may be thrown down with greater force. We may, then, take this meaning, that
God, in order that he might with greater violence break in pieces his people,
had raised them up, not to honor them, but in order to dash them more violently
on the ground. However, as this sense seems perhaps too refined, I am content
with the first explanation, that God had
clouded the daughter of Zion in
his wrath; and then follows an explanation,
that he had cast her from heaven
to the earth. So then God covered with darkness
his people, when he drew them down from the high dignity which they had for a
time enjoyed. He had, then, cast
on the earth all the glory of Israel, and remembered not his
footstool.
The Prophet seems here indirectly to contend with
God, because he had not spared his own sanctuary; for God, as it has been just
stated, had chosen Mount Sion for himself, where he designed to be prayed to,
because he had placed there the memorial of his name. As, then, he had not
spared his own sanctuary, it did not appear consistent with his constancy, and
he also seemed thus to have disregarded his own glory. But the design of the
Prophet is rather to shew to the people how much God’s wrath had been
kindled, when he spared not even his own sanctuary. For he takes this principle
as granted, that God is never without reason angry, and never exceeds the due
measure of punishment. As, then, God’s wrath was so great that he
destroyed his own Temple, it was a token of dreadful wrath; and what was the
cause but the sins of men? for God, as I have said, always preserves moderation
in his judgments. He, then, could not have better expressed to the people the
heinousness of their sins, than by laying before them this fact, that God
remembered not his
footstool.
And the Temple, by a very suitable metaphor, is
called the footstool of God. It is, indeed, called his habitation; for in
Scripture the Temple is often said to be the house of God. It was then the
house, the habitation, and the rest of God. But as men are ever inclined to
superstition, in order to raise up their thoughts above earthly elements, we are
reminded, on the other hand, in Scripture, that the Temple was the
footstool of
God. So in the Psalms,
“Adore ye before
his footstool,”
(<199905>Psalm
99:5;)
and again,
“We shall adore in
the place where his feet
stand.”
(<19D207>Psalm
132:7.)
We, then, see that the two expressions, apparently
different, do yet well agree, that the Temple was the house of God and his
habitation, and that yet it was only his footstool. It was the house of God,
because the faithful found by experience that he was there present; as, then,
God gave tokens of his presence, the Temple was rightly called the house; of
God, his rest and habitation. But that the faithful might not fix their minds on
the visible sanctuary, and thus by indulging a gross imagination, fall into
superstition, and put an idol in the place of God, the Temple was called the
footstool of God. For as it was a footstool, it behooved the faithful to rise up
higher and to know that God was really sought, only when they raised their
thoughts above the world. We now perceive what was the purpose of this mode of
speaking.
God is said
not to have remembered his
Temple, not because he had wholly disregarded
it, but because the destruction of the Temple could produce no other opinion in
men. All, then, who saw that the Temple had been burnt by profane hands, and
pulled down after it had been plundered, thought that the Temple was forsaken by
God; and so also he speaks by Ezekiel,
(<261018>Ezekiel
10:18.) Then this oblivion, or not remembering, refers to the thoughts of men;
for however God may have remembered the Temple, yet he seemed for a time to have
disregarded it. We must, at the same time, bear in mind what I have said, that
the Prophet here did not intend to dispute with God, or to contend with him,
but, on the contrary, to shew what the people deserved; for God was so indignant
on account of their sins, that he suffered his own Temple to be profaned. The
same thing also follows respecting the kingdom, —
|
LAMENTATIONS
2:2
|
|
2. The Lord hath swallowed up all the
habitations of Jacob, and hath not pitied: he hath thrown down in his wrath the
strong holds of the daughter of Judah; he hath brought them down to the ground:
he hath polluted the kingdom and the Princes thereof.
|
2. Perdidit Dominus, non pepercit (hoc est,
non parcendo, absque venia) omnia habitacula Jacob; diruit in excandescentia sua
munitiones filiae Jehudah; detraxit ad terram: profanavit regnum ejus et
principes ejus.
|
He pursues the same subject, but in other words. He
first says, that God had without
pardon destroyed all the habitations of Jacob;
some read, “all the beauty (or the ornament) of Jacob.” But the
other rendering is more suitable, that he had destroyed all the
habitations
of Jacob; and then that he had
demolished in his
indignation, etc. The word is derived from what
means excess; but we know that all words signifying wrath are transferred to
God, but they do not properly belong to him. God, then,
in his violent wrath had
demolished all fortresses, and
cast them to the
ground; and afterwards, that he had
profaned, etc.
This profanation of the kingdom, and of the princes,
corresponds with the former verse, where he said that God had not remembered his
footstool for we know that the kingdom was sacerdotal and consecrated to God.
When, therefore, it was polluted, it follows that God in a manner exposed his
name to reproach, because the mouth of all the ungodly was thus opened, so that
they insolently poured forth their slanders. That God, then, spared not the
kingdom nor the Temple, it hence followed that his wrath against the Jews was
dreadful. Now, as he is a righteous judge, it follows, that such was the
greatness of the sins of the Jews, that they sustained the blame for this
extreme sacrilege; for it was through their sins that God’s name was
exposed to reproach both as to the Temple and the kingdom.
PRAYER.
Grant, Almighty God, that as thou
settest before us at this day those ancient examples by which we perceive with
what heavy punishments thou didst chastise those whom thou hadst adopted,
— O grant, that we may learn to regard thee, and carefully to examine our
whole life, and duly consider how indulgently thou hast preserved us to this
day, so that we may ever patiently bear thy chastisements, and with a humble and
sincere heart flee to thy mercy, until thou be pleased to raise up thy Church
from that miserable state in which it now lies, and so to restore it, that thy
name may, through thine only-begotten Son, be glorified throughout the whole
world. — Amen.
LECTURE FIFTH
|
LAMENTATIONS
2:3
|
|
3. He hath cut off in his fierce anger
all the horn of Israel: he hath drawn back his right hand from before the enemy,
and he burned against Jacob like a flaming fire, which devoureth round
about.
|
3. Confregit in excandescentia irae suae omne
cornu Israelis: retraxit (vel, redire fecit) retrorsum dexteram
suam a facie inimici, et exarsit in Jacob tanquam ignis, flamma devoravit in
circuitu.
|
Jeremiah expresses the same thing in various ways;
but all that he says tends to shew that it was an evidence of God’s
extreme vengeance, when the people, the city, and the Temple, were destroyed.
But it ought to be observed, that God is here represented as the author of that
calamity: the Prophet would have otherwise lamented in vain over the ruin of his
own country; but as in all adversities he acknowledged the hand of God, he
afterwards added, that God had a just reason why he was so grievously displeased
with his own people.
He then says, that
every
horn had been
broken
by God. We know that by
horn
is meant strength as well as excellency or dignity and I am disposed to include
both here, though the word breaking seems rather to refer to strength or power.
But the whole clause must be noticed, that God had
broken every horn of Israel in
the indignation of his wrath. The Prophet
intimates that God had not been angry with his people as though he had been
offended by slight transgressions, but that the measure of his wrath had been
unusual, even because the impiety of the people had so burst forth, that the
offense given to God could not have been slight. Then, by
indignation of
wrath the Prophet does not mean an excess, as
though God had through a violent impulse rushed forth to take vengeance; but he
rather intimates that the people had become so wicked, that it did not behoove
God to punish in an ordinary way an impiety so inveterate.
He then adds, that God had
withdrawn, his right hand from
before the enemy, and that at the same time he
had burned like a
fire, the flame of which had
devoured all
around. The Prophet here refers to two things;
the first is, that though God had been accustomed to help his people, and to
oppose their enemies, as they had experienced his aid in the greatest dangers,
yet now his people were forsaken and left destitute of all hope. The first
clause, then, declares, that God would not be the deliverer of his people as
formerly, because they had forsaken him. But he speaks figuratively, that God
had drawn back his right
hand; and God’s right hand means his
protection, as it is well known. But the Prophet’s meaning is by no means
obscure, even that there was hereafter no hope that God would meet the enemies
of his people, and thus preserve them in safety, for he had drawn back his hand.
F27 But
there is a second thing added, even that God’s hand
burned like
fire. Now it was in itself a grievous thing
that the people had been so rejected by God, that no help could be expected from
him; but it was still a harder thing, that he went forth armed to destroy his
people. And the metaphor of fire ought to be noticed; for had he said that
God’s right hand was against his people, the expression would not have
been so forcible; but when he compared God’s right hand to fire which
burned, and whose flame consumed all Israel, it was a much more dreadful thing.
F28
Moreover, by these words the Israelites were reminded
that they were not to lament their calamities in an ordinary way, but ought, on
the contrary, to have seriously considered the cause of all their evils, even
the provoking of God’s wrath against themselves; and not only so, but that
God was angry with them in an unusual degree, and yet justly, so that they had
no reason to complain. It follows, —
|
LAMENTATIONS
2:4
|
|
4. He hath bent his bow like an enemy: he
stood with his right hand as an adversary, and slew all that were
pleasant to the eye in the tabernacle of the daughter of Zion: he poured out
his fury like fire.
|
4. Extendit arcum suum tanquam inimicus,
stetit dextera ejus tanquam adversarius, et occidit omnex desiderabiles aspectu
(oculo) in tabernaculo filiae Sion (vel, in tabernaculum filiae Sion);
effudit tanquam ignem Iracundiam suam.
|
He employs now another metaphor, that God, who was
wont to defend his people, now took up arms against them; for stating a part for
the whole, he includes in the
bow
every other weapon. When, therefore, he says that God had bent his bow, it is
the same as though he said that he was fully armed. The bow, then, as we have
before seen, means every kind of weapon. He then adds, that
his right hand stood as an
adversary. Here he more plainly describes what
he had before touched upon, even that God had not only given up his people to
the will of their enemies, but that he himself had held up a banner to their
enemies, and went before them with an armed hand. Nor is there a doubt but that
by the right hand of God he means all their enemies; for it was necessary
carefully to impress this fact on the minds of the people, that the war had not
been brought by the Chaldeans, but that God had resolved thereby to punish the
wickedness of the people, and especially their desperate obstinacy, for he had
omitted nothing to restore the people to the right way.
Whenever, then, there is mention made here of God,
let us know that the people are reminded, as I have already said, that they had
to do with God, lest. they should forget this, or think that it was adverse
fortune, or dream of some other causes of evils, as men are wont in this respect
to be very ingenious in deceiving themselves. And we shall see this more clearly
hereafter, where it is said, that God had thought to destroy the wall of
Jerusalem; but this thought was the same as his decree. Then the Prophet
explains there more fully what is yet here substantially found, even that God
was brought forward thus before the people, that they might learn to humble
themselves under his mighty hand. The hand of God was not indeed visible, but
the Prophet shews that the Chaldeans were not alone to be regarded, but rather
that the hidden hand of God, by which they were guided, ought to have been seen
by the eyes of faith. It was, then, this hand of God that stood against the
people.
It then follows,
He slew all the chosen
men; some read, “all things
desirable;” but it seems more suitable to consider men as intended, as
though he had said, that the flower of the people perished by the hand of God
in the tabernacle of the
daughter of Sion; though the last clause would
unite better with the end of the verse, that
on the tabernacle of the daughter
of Sion God had poured forth his wrath, or his
anger, as fire.
He repeats the metaphor which he had used in the last
verse; and this is what we ought carefully to notice; for God threatens by
Isaiah that he would be a fire to devour his enemies:
“The light of
Israel shall be a fire, and his Holy One a flame of fire, and it shall devour
all briers and all kinds of
wood.”
(<231007>Isaiah
10:7.)
There God threatened the Chaldeans, as though he had
said that his vengeance would be dreadful, when as a patron and defender of his
people he would contend with the Chaldeans. He there calls himself the light of
Israel and the Holy One; and hence he said that he would be a fire and a flame
as to the Chaldeans. But what does he say here? even that God had poured forth
lt is wrath as fire, that its flame had devoured all around whatever was fair to
be seen in Israel. We hence see that the people had provoked against themselves
the vengeance of God, which would have been otherwise poured forth on their
enemies; and thus the sin of the people was doubled. It follows,
—
|
LAMENTATIONS
2:5
|
|
5. The Lord was an enemy: he hath swallowed up
Israel, he hath swallowed up all her palaces; he hath destroyed his strong
holds, and hath increased in the daughter of Judah mourning and
lamentation.
|
5. Fuit Dominus tanquam hostis, perdidit
Israelem, perdidit omnia palatia ejus, corrupit munitiones ejus, auxit in filia
Jehudah fletum Et lamentationem.
|
These words might seem superfluous, since the Prophet
has often repeated, that God was become an enemy to his own people; but we shall
hereafter see, that though they were extremely afflicted, they yet did not
rightly consider whence their calamity arose. As, then, they had become so
stupified by their evils, that they did not turn their eyes to God, they were on
this account often urged and stimulated, that they might at length understand by
their evils that God was a judge. Now, as it was difficult to convince them of
this truth, the Prophet did not think it enough briefly to touch on it, but
found it necessary to dwell on it at large, so that the people might at length
be roused from their insensibility.
He then says that God himself
was to them as an
enemy, lest the Israelites should fix their
eyes on the Chaldeans, and thus think that they had been the chief movers of the
war. He therefore says, that they had undertaken that war through the secret
influence of God, and had carried it on successfully, because God endued them
with his own power. And hence the faithful ought to have concluded, that nothing
could have been more grievous than to have God as their adversary; for as long
as they had suffered themselves to be defended by the hand of God, they were
victorious, we know, over all their enemies, so that they could then brave all
dangers with impunity. The Prophet now reminds them, that as they had been
successful and prosperous under the defense and protection of God, so now they
were miserable, for no other reason but that God fought against them. But we
ought at the same time to bear in mind the truth, which we have noticed, that
God is never angry with men without reason; and since he was especially inclined
to shew favor to his people, we must understand that he would not have been thus
indignant, had not necessity constrained him.
He has destroyed
Israel, he says;
he has destroyed all his
palaces; and afterwards,
he has
dissipated or demolished
all his
fortresses; and finally,
he has increased in the daughter
of Judah mourning and lamentation;
hynaw
hynat tanie veanie, words derived from the
same root, but joined together for the sake of amplifying, not only in this
place,. but also in the twenty-ninth chapter of Isaiah, and in other places. The
meaning is, that God had not put an end to his vengeance, because the people had
not resolved to put an end to their obstinate wickedness. He afterwards adds,
—
|
LAMENTATIONS
2:6
|
|
6. And he hath violently taken away his
tabernacle, as if it were of a garden; he hath destroyed his places of the
assembly: the Lord hath caused the solemn feasts and sabbaths to be forgotten in
Zion, and hath despised, in the indignation of his anger, the king and the
priest.
|
6. Et transtulit (vel, dissipavit, vel
evertit) tanquam hortum tabernaculum suum (alii vertunt, tabernaculum suum
tanquam hortum,) perdidit testimonium suum, oblitus est Jehova in Sion conven
tus solemnis (vel, sacrificii) et sabbathi, et quidem sunt voces, sed ego non
adeo scrupulose distinguo) regem et sacerdotem.
|
Then he says first, that
his tabernacle had been
overthrown by God. They who render it
“cottage” extenuate too much what is spoken of; nor does the Prophet
simply compare the sanctuary of God to a cottage. Then I take tabernacle in a
good sense. With regard to the verb
µmj,
chemes, as it means to migrate, they properly render it, as I think, who
give this version, that God had removed his tabernacle; nor do I disapprove of
repeating the word tabernacle. God, then, had removed his tabernacle, as though
it were a cottage in a garden. Watchmen, as it appears from the first chapter of
Isaiah, had then cottages in their gardens, but only for a time, as is the case
at this day with those who watch over their vineyards; they have, until the time
of vintage, small chests in which they conceal themselves. The Prophet then
says, that though God’s tabernacle was honorable, and of high dignity, it
was yet like a cottage in a garden. It is not, however, a simple comparison, as
before stated, and therefore I reject the opinion of those who render it
cottage, for it is not suitable, and it would be unmeaning. God, then,
hath removed his tabernacle as a
garden, that is, the sanctuary where he dwelt.
And how did he remove it? even as a garden-cottage. And as watchers of gardens
were wont to construct their little cots of leaves of trees and slight
materials, so the Prophet, in order to increase commiseration, says, that the
sacred habitation of God was like a cottage in a garden, because it was removed
from one place to another; and thus he intimates that God regarded as nothing
what he had previously adorned with singular excellencies.
F29
He then adds, that God had
destroyed his
testimony. By the word,
d[wm,
muod, he means the same throughout; but some confine it to the ark of the
covenant, and of this I .do not disapprove. We must yet bear in mind the design
of the Prophet, which was to shew that by the entire ruin of the Temple the
covenant of God was in a manner abolished. It is, indeed, certain, that God had
not forgotten his faithfulness and constancy, but this abolition of his covenant
refers to what appeared to men. He then says, that the sanctuary which was, as
it were, the testimony of God’s favor, had been overthrown. Now, as he
repeats again the word
d[wm,
muod, it may be that he thus refers to the Tabernacle, either because the
holy assemblies met there, or because it had been solemnly dedicated, that God
might there hold intercourse with his people. For
d[wm,
muod, means a fixed time, it means an assembly, it means a festival, and
sometimes it means a sacrifice; and all these signification’s are not
unsuitable: yet when he says that God had
destroyed his
testimony, I apply this to the Tabernacle
itself, or, if it seems to any preferable, to the ark of the covenant; though
the former is the most suitable, because it was a place consecrated, as it has
been stated, for mutual intercourse.
He afterwards says, that God had
forgotten the
assembly, the sacrifice, or the tabernacle; for
it is the same word again, but it seems not to be taken in the same sense. Then
I think that
d[wm,
muod, is to be taken here for the assembly. As he had previously said,
that the place where the holy assemblies met had been overthrown or destroyed,
so now he says, that God had no care for all those assemblies, as though they
had been buried in perpetual oblivion; for he mentions also the Sabbath,
which corresponds with the subject. God, then, had forgotten all the assemblies
as well as the Sabbath. There is, again, as to this last word, a part stated for
the whole, for this word was no doubt intended to include all the festivals. The
meaning of the passage then is, that the impiety of the people had been so
great, that God, having, as it were, forgotten his covenant, had inflicted such
a dreadful punishment, that religion, for a time, was in a manner trodden under
foot.
He says, in the last place, that the
king and the
priest had been rejected by God. We have
already said, that these were as two pledges of God’s paternal favor; for,
on the one hand, he who reigned from the posterity of David was a living image
of Christ; and on the other hand, there was always a high-priest from the
posterity of Aaron to reconcile men to God. It was then the same as though God
shewed himself in every way propitious to the chosen people. Then their true
happiness was founded on the kingdom and the priesthood; for the kingdom was, as
it were, a mark of God’s favor for their defense, and the priesthood was
to them the means by which reconciliation with God was obtained. When,
therefore, God wholly disregarded the king and the priest, it became hence
evident, that he was greatly displeased with his people, having thus, in a
manner, obliterated his favors. It follows, —
|
LAMENTATIONS
2:7
|
|
7. The Lord hath cast off his altar; he hath
abhorred his sanctuary: he hath given up into the hand of the enemy the walls of
her palaces; they have made a noise in the house of the Lord, as in the day of a
solemn feast.
|
7. Abominatus est Dominus altare suum, repulit
(vel, rejecit procul ab animo suo) sanctuarium suum, tradidit in manum hostis
muros palatiorum ejus, vocem ediderunt in domo Jehovae tanquam in die sacri
conventus (vel, solemnis; iterum ponitur nomen
d[wm
tamen accipitur vel pro conventu vel pro die festo.)
|
He proceeds with the same subject, and adopts similar
words. He says first, that God had
abominated his
altar;
F30 an
expression not strictly proper, but the Prophet could not otherwise fully shew
to the Jews what they deserved; for had he only spoken of the city, of the
lands, of the palaces, of the vineyards, and, in short, of all their
possessions, it would have been a much lighter matter; but when he says that God
had counted as nothing all their sacred things, — the altar, the Temple,
the ark of the covenant, and festive days, — when, therefore, he says,
that God had not only disregarded, but had also cast away from him these things,
which yet especially availed to conciliate his favor, the people must have hence
perceived, except they were beyond measure stupid, how grievously they had
provoked God’s wrath against themselves; for this was the same as though
heaven and earth were blended together. Had there been an upsetting of all
things, had the sun left its place and sunk into darkness, had the earth heaved
upwards, the confusion would have hardly been more dreadful, than when God put
forth thus his hand against the sanctuary, the altar, the festal days, and all
their sacred things. But we must refer to the reason why this was done, even
because the Temple had been long polluted by the iniquities of the people, and
because all sacred things had been wickedly and disgracefully profaned. We now,
then, understand the reason why the Prophet enlarged so much on a subject in
itself sufficiently plain.
He afterwards adds, He
hath delivered all the
palaces, etc.; as though he had said, that the
city had not been taken by the valor of enemies, but that the Chaldeans had
fought under the authority and banner of God. He, in short, intimates that the
Jews had miserably perished, because they perished through their own fault; and
that the Chaldeans had proved victorious in battle, and had taken the city, not
through their own courage or skill, but because God had resolved to punish that
ungodly and wicked people.
It follows in the last place, that the
enemies had made a noise in the
temple of God as in the day of solemnity. Here
also the Prophet shews, that God would have never suffered the enemies
insolently to exult and to revel in the very Temple, had not the Israelites
deserved all this; for the :insolence of their enemies was not unknown to God,
and he might have easily checked it if he pleased. Why, then, did he grant so
much license to these profane enemies? even because the Jews themselves had
previously polluted the Temple, so that he abhorred all their solemn assemblies,
as also he declares by Isaiah, that he detested their festivals, Sabbaths, and
new moons.
(<230113>Isaiah
1:13, 14.) But it was a shocking change, when enemies entered the place which
God had consecrated for himself, and there insolently boasted and uttered base
and wicked calumnies against God! But the sadder the spectacle, the more
detestable appeared the impiety of the people, which had been the cause of so
great evils. For we ought ever to remember what I have often stated, that these
circumstances were noticed by the Prophet, that the people , might at length
acknowledge themselves guilty as to all these evils, which they would have
otherwise ascribed to the Chaldeans. That, then, the Chaldeans polluted the
Temple, that they trod under foot all sacred things, all this the Prophet shews
was to be ascribed to the Jews themselves, who had, through their own conduct,
opened the Temple to the Chaldeans, who had exposed all sacred things to their
will and pleasure. It follows, —
|
LAMENTATIONS
2:8
|
|
8. The Lord hath purposed to destroy the wall
of the daughter of Zion; he hath stretched out a line, he hath not withdrawn his
hand from destroying: therefore he made the rampart and the wall to lament; they
languished together.
|
8. Cogitavit Jehova ut perderet murum filiae
Sion, extendit lineam, non retraxit manum suam a dissipatione; itaque luxit
antemurale, et murus; pariter corruerunt (vel, eversi
sunt.)
|
The verb to think, has more force than what is
commonly assigned to it; for it would be very flat to say, that God
thought to
destroy; but to think here means to resolve or
to decree.
F31 This is
one thing. And then we must bear in mind the contrast between this and those
false imaginations, by which men are wont to be drawn away, so as not to believe
that God is present in adversities as well as prosperity. As, therefore, men go
willfully astray through various false thoughts, and thus withdraw themselves,
as it were, designedly from God, the Prophet says here that the
walls of
Jerusalem had not fallen by chance, but
had been overthrown through a divine decree, because God had so determined,
according to what we have seen in many places throughout the book of Jeremiah:
“See, these are the thoughts which God has thought respecting Jerusalem,
which he has thought respecting Babylon.” The Prophet, then, in these
instances, taught what he now confirms in this place, that when the city
Jerusalem was destroyed, it was not what happened by chance; but because God had
brought there the Chaldeans, and employed them as his instruments in taking and
destroying the city: God, then, has
thought to destroy the wall of
the daughter of Zion. It is, indeed, true, that
the Chaldeans had actively carried on the war, and omitted nothing as to
military skill, in order to take the city: but the Prophet calls here the
attention of the Jews to a different thought, so that they might acknowledge
that they suffered justly for their sins, and that God was the chief author of
that war, and that the Chaldeans were to be viewed as hired
soldiers.
He afterwards adds, that God had
extended a
line or a rule, as it is usually done in
separating buildings.
F32 And then
he says, He hath not drawn back
his hand from scattering; and so it was, that the ramparts and the walls
mourned, and fell down together.
F33 We now
see that what the Prophet had in view was to lead the Jews fully to believe that
the destruction was not to be ascribed to the Chaldeans, but, on the contrary,
to God. Added at the same time must be another part of what is here taught, that
God would not have been so displeased with the holy city which he had chosen,
had not the people extremely provoked him with their sins. It now follows,
—
|
LAMENTATIONS
2:9
|
|
9. Her gates are sunk into the ground; he hath
destroyed and broken her bars; her king and her princes are among the Gentiles:
the law is no more; her prophets also find no vision from the Lord.
|
9. Demersae sunt in terra portae ejus,
perdidit et confregit vectes ejus, rex ejus et principes ejus in gentibus (vel,
ad gentes;) nulla lex, etiam Prophetae non reperiunt visionem a
Jehova.
|
He again relates in other words what he had said,
that the walls of Jerusalem had fallen. But he now speaks of the gates and says,
that they had sunk into the
ground, or had become fixed in the ground; for
it may be explained in both ways; as though he had said, that the gates had been
no hindrance to the enemies so as to prevent them to enter the city. He thus
derides the foolish confidence of the people, who relied on their defenses and
thought the city impregnable. He then says that the
gates had
sunk, or had become fixed
in the
ground.
He then says that God had
destroyed and broken her
bars; for no doubt the gates had firm and
strong bars. He then says that neither the gates nor the bars were found
sufficient, when God stretched forth his hand to the Chaldeans, to lead them
into the city. He afterwards adds, that both the king and the princes had been
driven into exile; for when he says, among the nations, or to the
nations, he intimates that there was no more a king, for he and the royal seed
and the princes were gone into banishment. The rest I defer until
tomorrow.
PRAYER.
Grant, Almighty God, that since so many
tokens of thy wrath meet us at this day, we may without delay return to thee,
and so submit to thee in true repentance, as to strive at the same time to be
reconciled to thee; and as a Mediator has been given to us to lead us to thee,
— O grant that we may by a true faith seek him, and follow wherever he may
call us, that having been purified from all pollution’s, we may be
glorified by thee our Father, and may so call on thee, that we may find thy
grace present in all our evils. Amen. —
LECTURE
SIXTH
Among the calamities of Jerusalem which the Prophet
deplores, he mentions this as one, that there was no law or doctrine. The
Chaldee Paraphraser thought that the reference is to punishment, but he perverts
the words of the Prophet. There follows afterwards an amplification; after
having said, there is no
law, he adds,
her prophets also have not found
a vision from Jehovah. There is then no doubt
but that the Prophet means that among the miseries of the people this was the
greatest, that they were without doctrine or teaching, and without prophets. The
word
hrwt,
ture, is indeed used often by way of excellency to designate the law, but
it signifies also doctrine or instruction; and the meaning here is the same, as
though the Prophet had said, that the Jews had been so forsaken by God, that
they found no consolation in their evils. This may be better understood by a
similar complaint in the Psalms:
“Our signs we see
not, there is not a Prophet any more, there is no more any one who
understands.”
(<197409>Psalm
74:9.)
The faithful there say, that they were in a hopeless
state, because God shewed them no signs of his favor; and signs were given when
God appeared propitious to them. Now, as God had testified that there would be
always faithful teachers to guide the people, they therefore complained that
there was no Prophet, that there was no one any more who had a vision. And so in
this place the Prophet says, that there was no law, and that the
prophets were without a vision, even because God, as though wearied, had
given up the care of the people: for his paternal favor could not have been
better known than by this evidence, that he sent them prophets; and it is
certain that all prophecies ceased when the people were driven into
exile.
A long time after, Daniel began to exhort the
faithful to hope for a return; and on this account it is said by
Isaiah,
“Comfort ye,
comfort ye my people, will our God
say.”
(<234001>Isaiah
40:1.)
There Isaiah indicates that there would be a
temporary silence; for all the prophets would be mute, that the people might lie
in a hopeless state, and for this reason, because they had long abused
God’s patience, and had disregarded that singular blessing, when God
manifested by his servants that he was solicitous for their well-being and
safety, as he had often said, that he rose up early and extended his hand to
them by the prophets. As, then, the gift of prophecy was to the people a sure
pledge not only of God’s favor, but also of the solicitude which he
entertained for them; so when he withheld prophets from the people, he departed
from them, having forsaken as it were his station among them.
F34
We now then understand what the Prophet meant by
saying, that there was no
doctrine any more, and that the
prophets
of Jerusalem found no
vision any more
from
Jehovah; for God, after his word had been long
profaned, became silent, and deigned not for a time to open his sacred mouth,
because he had seen that he had been treated with derision.
Now this passage teaches us, that nothing is more
desirable in evils, and that there is no better remedy, than to have God’s
promise, that he will at length be merciful to us. For when any promise of God
is set before us, it is like a small light kindled in darkness. Though then our
misery were like a thick darkness, yet when God shews some token of favor by his
promises, that ought to be sufficient to give us hope and joy. On the other
hand, when no promises of God occur to us, it is a sure token of reprobation,
unless that he sometimes thus tries us, as we read here. But the faithful also
themselves, when they perceive no evidence of God’s paternal favor in his
promises, are as it were in a hopeless state, and sunk in the lowest depths.
Hence it is then only that we arise from death to life, and find support so as
not to be overwhelmed with despair, when God is pleased to speak to us. It now
follows, —
|
LAMENTATIONS
2:10
|
|
10. The elders of the daughter of Zion sit
upon the ground, and keep silence: they have cast up dust upon their heads; they
have girded themselves with sackcloth: the virgins of Jerusalem hang down their
heads to the ground.
|
10. Sedent ad terram, silent senes filiae
Sion, attollunt pulverem super caput suum, accincti sunt saccis; demiserunt
(vel, demittunt) ad terram caput suum virgines (aut, puellae)
Jerusalem.
|
The Prophet here strikingly represents the
grievousness of the people’s calamity, when he says, that
the
elders, as in hopeless despair, were lying
on the
ground, that they
cast dust on their
heads, that they were
clad in
sackcloth, as it was usually done in very
grievous sorrow, and that the virgins bent their
heads down to the
ground. The meaning is, that the elders knew
not what to do, and led others. to join them in acts of fruitless and abject
lamentation. We indeed know that young women are over-careful as to their form
and beauty, and indulge themselves in pleasures; and that when they roll
themselves with their face and hair on the ground, it is a token of extreme
mourning. This is what the Prophet means.
They were wont indeed to put on sackcloth as a token
of repentance, and to cast dust on their heads; but their minds were often so
confused, that they only thus set forth their mourning and sorrow, and had no
regard to God; and hypocrites, when they put on sackcloth, pretended to repent,
but it was a false pretense. Now in this place the Prophet does not mean that
the elders by adopting these rites professed to repent and humbly to solicit
pardon; but refers to them only as tokens of sorrow; as though he had said, that
the elders had no resources, and that the young women had no hope nor joy. For
the elders did lie down on the ground, as it is usual with those who have no
remedy. We now understand the meaning of the Prophet.
F35 It
follows, —
|
LAMENTATIONS
2:11
|
|
11. Mine eyes do fail with tears, my bowels
are troubled, my liver is poured upon the earth, for the destruction of the
daughter of my people; because the children and the sucklings swoon in the
streets of the city.
|
11. Defecerunt in lachrymis oculi mei,
conturbata sunt viscera mea, effusum est ad terram jecur meum, propter
contritionem filiae populi mei, dum evanuit parvalus et sugens Ubera in compitis
urbis.
|
The Prophet himself now speaks, and says that his
eyes were consumed with
tears, while weeping on account of the
calamities of the people: even in the deepest grief tears at length dry up; but
when there is no end of weeping, the sorrow, which as it were never ripens, must
necessarily be very bitter. Jeremiah then expresses now the vehemence of his
grief when he says that his eyes
failed through shedding tears. He said in
Jeremiah 9, “Who will give me eyes for fountains?” that is, who will
make my eyes to turn into fountains, that they may continually flow? and this he
said, because he saw how dreadful a vengeance of God impended over the
obstinate. But now, when he sees accomplished what he had dreaded, he says, that
his eyes were consumed with weeping.
To the same purpose is what he adds, that his
bowels were
disturbed. It is the same verb as we have seen
before,
wrmrmj,
chemermeru; which some render “bound,” as we also said then.
I know not why one expositor has changed what he had elsewhere said rightly; he
puts here, “swollen have my bowels.” But I see no reason why the
verb should be taken here in a different sense, for it immediately follows,
my liver is poured forth on the
ground. He may, indeed, have included other
parts of the intestines by stating a part for the whole. The word here properly
means the liver, as when Solomon says,
“He hath pierced my
liver.”
(<200723>Proverbs
7:23.)
But Jeremiah, in short, shews that all his faculties
were so seized with grief, that no part was exempt. He then says that his
liver was poured
forth, but in the same sense in which he said
that his bowels were disturbed. They are indeed hyperbolical expressions; but as
to the meaning, Jeremiah simply expresses his feelings; for there is no doubt
but that he was incredibly anxious and sorrowful on account of so great a
calamity; for he not only lamented the adversity in no ordinary way, but he also
considered how wicked was that obstinacy in which the people had hardened
themselves for almost fifty years; for he had spent himself in vain, not for a
short time, but for nearly fifty years he never ceased to speak to them. He
then, no doubt, thought within himself what the people had deserved, so that he
had no common dread of God’s vengeance. This, then, was the reason why he
said that his bowels were disturbed and his liver poured forth.
F36 He,
however, mentions the cause of his sorrow, even
the
breach or destruction
of the daughter of his
people; and he mentions one thing in
particular, because the little
one and he who sucked the breasts vanished away in the streets of the
city; for so I render the verb
ãt[,
otheph, which properly means to cover; but its secondary meaning is to
vanish away, as we shall again presently see. It was, indeed, a miserable sight,
when not only men and women were everywhere slain, but when, through famine,
little children also fainted. We, indeed, know that infants move our pity, for
the tears of a child in hunger penetrate into our inmost souls. When, therefore,
little children and those who hung on their mothers’ breasts, cried
through the streets of the city, it must have touched the most iron hearts. It
was then not without reason that Jeremiah referred to this in particular, that
little children and sucklings
vanished away, not in a deserted and barren
land, but in the very streets of the city. It follows, —
|
LAMENTATIONS
2:12
|
|
12. They say to their mothers, Where is corn
and wine? When they swooned as the wounded in the streets of the city, when
their soul was poured out into their mother’s bosom.
|
12. Matribus suis dicunt, Ubi triticum et
vinum? cum evanescunt (in evanescendo ipsos, ad verbum) tanquam vulneratus (aut,
mortuus; dum evanescunt Ergo tanquam vulnerati, aut, mortui; est numeri
enallage) in compitis urbis (iterum repetit,) et cum se effundit (vel,
effunditur) anima eorum in sinum matrum ipsorum.
|
There is either a personification in the words of the
Prophet, or he speaks now of another party, for he cannot refer now to children
sucking their mothers’ breasts, for they could not have expressly said,
Where is corn and
wine? and the use of wine is not allowed to
infants. Then the words of the Prophets extend further, for not infants, but
children somewhat grown up, could have thus spoken. And in this view there is
nothing unreasonable or forced, for he spoke of little children, and to little
children he joined infants.
F37 And now
he refers only to one party, even that children, who could now speak, complained
to their mothers that there was no bread nor wine, that is, no means of support,
no food.
If, however, any one prefers a personification, I do
not object; and this view would not be unsuitable, that even infants by their
silence cried for food; for the tears of children speak more efficaciously than
when one gives utterance to words.
However this may be, the Prophet intimates that such
was the scarcity, that children died in the bosom of their mothers, and in vain
sought food and cried that they were without support. He then says that they
said to their
mothers;
F38 by which
expression he means that their complaints were the more pitiable, because their
mothers could afford them no help. And we know how tender and affectionate are
the feelings of mothers, for a mother would willingly nourish her own child, not
only with her own milk, but even, if possible, with her life. When, therefore,
the Prophet says that children cried to their mothers, he means to represent a
sad spectacle, and which ought justly to produce horror in the minds of all.
Where is bread and
wine? he says,
even when they vanished
away (some say “fainted,” but I
prefer, as I have said, this rendering)
as a dead man in the
streets; and further,
when they
poured out, a sadder thing still,
— when they poured out
their souls into the bosom of their mothers. It
now follows, —
|
LAMENTATIONS
2:13
|
|
13. What thing shall I take to witness for
thee? What thing shall I liken to thee, O daughter of Jerusalem? what shall I
equal to thee that I may comfort thee, O virgin daughter of Zion? For thy breach
is great like the sea; who can heal thee?
|
13. Quid contestabor tibi (vel, adducam
tibi testes, vel, testificabor tecum?) quid simile tibi filia Jerusalem
(vel, cur? hm
potest trans ferri utroque modo;) quid
(vel, cur) aequabo tibi quiequam (est repetitio, sed diverso
verbo) ut te Consoler, virgo filia Sion? Quia magna sicut mare contritio
tua; quis sanabit te?
|
When we wish to alleviate grief, we are wont to bring
examples which have some likeness to the case before us. For when any one seeks
to comfort one in illness, he will say, “Thou art not the first nor the
last, thou hast many like thee; why shouldest thou so much torment thyself; for
this is a condition almost common to mortals.” As, then, it is an ordinary
way of alleviating grief to bring forward examples, the Prophet says,
“What examples shall I set before thee? that is, why or to what purpose
should I mention to thee this or that man who is like thee? or,
What
then shall I call thee to
witness, or testify to thee?,” But
I prefer this rendering, “To what purpose should I bring witnesses to
thee, who may say that they have seen something of a like kind? for these things
will avail thee nothing.”
F39
The Prophet, then, means that comforts commonly
administered to those in misery, would be of no benefit, because the calamity of
Jerusalem exceeded all other examples, as though he had said, “No such
thing had ever happened in the world; God had never before thundered so
tremendously against any people; were I, then, to seek to bring examples to
thee, I should be utterly at a loss; for when I compare thee with others in
misery, I find that thou exceedest them all. “We now, then, perceive the
meaning of the Prophet: he wished by this mode of speaking to exaggerate the
grievousness of Jerusalem’s calamity, for she had been afflicted in a
manner unusual and unheard of before; as though he had said that the Jews had
become miserable beyond all other nations.
Why
then should I bring witnesses
before thee? and why should I make any one like thee? why should I make other
miserable people equal to thee? He adds
the reason or the end (for the
w,
vau, here ought to be so rendered)
that I might comfort
thee, that is, after the usual manner of men.
He afterwards adds, because great
as the sea is thy breach or breaking; that is,
“Thy calamity is the deepest abyss: I cannot then find any in the whole
world whom I can compare to thee, for thy calamity exceeds all calamities; nor
is there anything like it that can be set before thee, so that thou art become a
memorable example for all ages.”
But when we hear the Prophet speaking thus, we ought
to remember that we have succeeded in the place of the ancient people. As, then,
God had formerly punished with so much severity the sins of his chosen people,
we ought to beware lest we in the present day provoke him to an extremity by our
perverseness, for he remains ever like himself. But whenever it may happen that
we are severely afflicted and broken down by his hand, let us still know that
there is yet some comfort remaining for us, even when sunk down in the lowest
depth. The Prophet, indeed, exaggerates in this place the evils of the people;
but he had previously begun to encourage the faithful to entertain hope; and he
will again repeat the same doctrine. But it was necessary for the Prophet to use
such words until those who were as yet torpid in their sins, and did not
sufficiently consider the design of God’s vengeance, were really humbled.
He adds, —
|
LAMENTATIONS
2:14
|
|
14. Thy prophets have seen vain and foolish
things for thee; and they have not discovered thine iniquity, to turn away thy
captivity; but have seen for thee false burdens, and causes of
banishment.
|
14. Prophetae tui viderunt tibi vanitatem et
insulsitatem (vel, insipidum,) et non aperuerunt super iniquitate tua (hoc est,
non revelarunt tibi; aut, manifestarunt iniquitatem tuam,) ut converterent
captivitatem tuam (alii vertunt, aversionem tuam, vel, defectionem) et viderunt
tibi prophetias vanitatis, et expulsiones.
|
Here the Prophet condemns the Jews for that
wantonness by which they had, as it were, designedly destroyed themselves, as
though they had willfully drunk sweet poison. They had been inebriated with
those fallacies which we have seen, when impostors promised them a prosperous
condition; for we have seen that false prophets often boldly declared that
whatever Jeremiah threatened was of no account. Since, then, the Jews were
inebriated with such flatteries, and disregarded God’s judgment, and
freely indulged themselves in their vices, the effect was, that God’s
wrath had been always and continually kindled by them. Now, then, Jeremiah
reproves them for such wantonness, even because they willfully sought to be
deceived, and with avidity cast themselves into snares, by seeking for
themselves flatterers as teachers. Micah also reproves them for the same thing,
that they sought prophets who promised them a fruitful vintage and an abundant
harvest.
(<330210>Micah
2:10.) The meaning of Jeremiah is the same.
He says that
prophets had
prophesied, or had seen
vanity for
them; but the verb refers to prophecies, as
prophets are called seers. He then says that
the prophets had seen vanity and
insipidity
F40 This
availed not to extenuate the fault of the people; and Jeremiah does not here
flatter the people, as though they had perished through the fault of others; and
yet this was a common excuse, for most, when they had been deceived, complained
that they had fallen through being led astray, and also that they had not been
sufficiently cautious when subtle men were laying snares for them. But the
Prophet here condemns the Jews, because they had been deceived by false
prophets, as it was a just reward for their vainglory and ambition. For they had
very delicate ears, and free reproofs could not be endured by them; in a word,
when they rejected all sound doctrine, the devil must have necessarily succeeded
in the place of God, as also Paul says,
“that those were
justly punished who were blinded by God so as to believe a lie, because they
received not the
truth.”
(<530211>2
Thessalonians 2:11, 12.)
We now perceive the design of the Prophet: he says
that the Jews had indeed been deceived by the false prophets; but this had
happened through their own fault, because they had not submitted to obey God,
because they had rejected sound doctrine, because they had been rebellious
against all his counsels. At the same time, not only their crime seems to have
been thus exaggerated, but also their shame was brought before them, —
because they had dared to set up these impostors against Jeremiah as well as
other servants of God; for they had boasted greatly of these their false
prophets whenever they sought to exult against God. How great was this
presumption! When the false prophets had promised them security, they
immediately triumphed in an insolent manner over Jeremiah, as though they were
victorious. As, then, their wickedness and arrogance had been such against God,
the Prophet justly retorts upon them, “Behold now as to your false
prophets; for when they lately promised to you prosperity of every kind, I was
inhumanly treated, and my calling was disdainfully repudiated by you; let now
your false prophets come forward: be wise at length through your evils, and
acknowledge what it is to have acted so haughtily against God and against his
servants.” We now understand why the Prophet says, “They have seen
for you vanity and insipidity.”
He adds,
they have not
opened, or revealed, &c. The preposition
l[,
ol, is here redundant; the words are, “they have not revealed upon
thine iniquity.” There is, indeed, a suitableness in the words in that
language, that they had not applied their revelations to the iniquities of the
people, for they would have been thus restored to the right way, and would have
thus obviated the vengeance of God.
Now, this passage ought to be carefully noticed:
Jeremiah spoke of the fallacies of the false prophets, which he said were
insipid: he now expresses how they had deceived the people, even because they
disclosed not their
iniquities. Let us then know that there is
nothing more necessary than to be warned, that being conscious of our iniquities
we may repent. And this was the chief benefit to be derived from the teaching of
the prophets. For the other part, the foretelling of future things would have
had but little effect had not the prophets preached respecting the vengeance of
God, — had they not exhorted the people to repentance, — had they
not bidden them by faith to embrace the mercy of God. Then Jeremiah in a manner
detects the false doctrines of those who had corrupted the prophetic doctrine,
by saying that they had not
disclosed iniquities. Let us then learn by this
mark how to distinguish between the faithful servants of God and impostors. For
the Lord by his word summons us before his tribunal, and would have our
iniquities discovered, that we may loathe ourselves, and thus open an entrance
for mercy. But when what is brought before us only tickles our ears and feeds
our curiosity, and, at the same time, buries all our iniquities, let us then
know that the refined things which vastly please men are insipid and useless.
Let, then, the doctrine of repentance be approved by us, the doctrine which
leads us to God’s tribunal, so that being cast down in ourselves we may
flee to his mercy.
He afterwards
adds, that they might turn back
thy captivity; some prefer, “thy
defection” — and this meaning is :not unsuitable; but the Prophet, I
have no doubt, refers to punishment rather than to a crime. Then the captivity
of the people would have been reversed had the people in time repented; for we
obviate God’s wrath by repentance: “If we judge ourselves,”
says Paul, “we shall not be judged.”
(<461131>1
Corinthians 11:31.) As, then, miserable men anticipate God’s judgment when
they become judges of themselves, the Prophet does not without reason say that
the false prophets had not disclosed their iniquities, so that they might remain
quiet in their own country, and never be driven into exile. How so? for God
would have been thus pacified, that is, had the people willingly turned to him,
as it is said in Isaiah,
“And be converted,
and I should heal them.”
(<230610>Isaiah
6:10.)
Conversion, then, is said there to lead to healing;
for as fire when fuel is withdrawn is extinguished, so also when we cease to sin
fuel is not supplied to God’s wrath. We now, then, perceive the meaning of
the Prophet; he, in short, intimates that people had been destroyed because they
sought falsehoods, while the false prophets vainly flattered them; for they
would have in due time escaped so great evils, had the prophets boldly exhorted
the people to repentance.
F41
He then adds,
And they saw for thee prophecies
of vanity and expulsions. Though the word
taçm,
meshat, is often taken in a bad sense for a burden, that is, a hard
prophecy which shews that God’s vengeance is nigh, yet it is doubtful
whether the Prophet takes it now in this sense, since he speaks of prophecies
which gave hope of impunity to the people; and these were not
twaçm,
meshaut, that is, they were not grievous and dreadful prophecies. But
when all things are well considered, it will be evident that Jeremiah did not
without reason adopt this word; for he afterwards adds an explanation. The word,
haçm,
meshae, is indeed taken sometimes as meaning any kind of prophecy, but it
properly means what is comminatory. But now, what does Jeremiah say?
They saw for thee
burdens which thou hast escaped. For to render
odious the doctrine of the holy man, they called whatever he taught, according
to a proverbial saying, a burden. Thus, then, they created a prejudice against
the holy man by saying that all his prophecies contained nothing but terror and
trouble. Now, by way of concession, the Prophet says, “They themselves
have indeed been prophets to you, and they saw, but saw at length
burdens.”
While, then, the false prophets promised impunity to
the people, they were flatterers, and no burden appeared, that is, no trouble;
but these prophecies became at length much more grievous than all the
threatenings with which Jeremiah had terrified them; and corresponding with this
view is what immediately follows, expulsions. For the Prophet, I doubt
not, shews here what fruit the vain flatteries by which the people had chosen to
be deluded had produced: for hence it happened, that they had been expelled from
their country and driven into exile. For if the reason was asked, why the people
had been deprived of their own inheritance, the obvious answer would have been
this, because they had chosen to be deceived, because they had hardened
themselves in obstinacy by means of falsehoods and vain promises. Since, then,
their exile was the fruit of false doctrine, Jeremiah says now that these
impostors saw burdens of vanity, but which at length brought burdens; and then
they saw,
µyjwdm
meduchim,
F42
expulsions, even those things which had been the causes of expulsion or
exile.
PRAYER.
Grant, Almighty God, that though thou
chastisest us as we deserve, we may yet never have the light of truth
extinguished among us, but may ever see, even in darkness, at least some sparks,
which may enable us to behold thy paternal goodness and mercy, so that we may
especially be humbled under thy mighty hand, and that being really prostrate
through a deep feeling of repentance, we may raise our hopes to heaven, and
never doubt but that thou wilt at length be reconciled to us when we seek thee
in thine only-begotten Son. — Amen.
LECTURE
SEVENTH.
|
LAMENTATIONS
2:15
|
|
15. All that pass by clap their hands
at thee; they hiss and wag their head at the daughter of Jerusalem
saying, Is this the city that men call The perfection of
beauty, The joy of the whole earth?
|
15. Plauserunt super te manibus suis (id
est, comploserunt manus suas) omnes transcuntes per viam, sibilarunt, et
moverunt caput suum super filia Jerusalem, An haec urbs de qua dixcrunt,
perfecta decore, gaudium totius terrae?
|
The Prophet here reminds the Jews of the miseries by
which they had been already in an extreme measure afflicted, so that these words
seem redundant and somewhat unkind; for unseasonable is reproof when one lies
down, as it were, worn out with evils. As this was the condition of the people,
the Prophet ought not to have made more bitter their grief. But we have already
referred to the reason for this, even because the Jews, though they mourned and
were extremely sorrowful in their calamities, did not yet consider whence their
evils came. It was therefore necessary that they should be more and more
awakened; for it is but of little profit for any one to suffer evils, except he
has regard to God’s judgment. We hence perceive the design of the Prophet,
why he so much at large speaks of the miseries which were seen by all, and could
not escape the notice of the Jews, who were almost overwhelmed with them; for it
was not enough for them to feel their miseries, except they also considered the
cause of them.
He then says,
All who have passed by clapped
their hands and hissed and moved the head,
either in token of mockery, or of abhorrence, which is more probable. He then
says, that they
moved
or shook the head at the daughter
of Jerusalem,
F43
Is this the city of which they
said, It is perfect in beauty, and the joy of the whole
earth? I know not why some render
tlylk,
calibat, a crown; it comes, as it is well known, from
llk
calal, which means fullness, or anything solid. He then says, that Jerusalem
had been perfect in
beauty, because God had adorned it with
singular gifts; he had especially favored it with the incomparable honor of
being called by his name. Hence Jerusalem was in a manner the earthly palace of
God, that is, on account of the Temple; and further, it was there that the
doctrine of salvation was to be found; and remarkable was this
promise,
“From Sion shall go
forth the law,
and rite word of God
from Jerusalem.”
(<230203>Isaiah
2:3.)
God had also promised to Ezekiel, that this city
would be the fountain and origin of salvation to the whole world.
(<264701>Ezekiel
47:1-12.) As, then, Jerusalem had been adorned with so remarkable gifts, the
Prophet introduces here strangers, who ask, “Could it be that a city so
celebrated for beauty had become a desolation?”
He calls it also
the joy of the whole
earth; for God had poured there his gifts so
liberally, that it was a cause of joy to all. For we delight in beautiful
things; and wherever God’s gifts appear, we ought to have our hearts
filled with joy. Some give a more refined explanation — that Jerusalem had
been the joy of the whole earth, because men have no peace except God be
propitious to them; and there God had deposited the testimony and pledge of his
favor: and thus Jerusalem made glad the whole world, because it invited all
nations to God. This, at the first view, is plausible; but it seems to me more
refined than solid. I am, therefore, content with this simple view, that
Jerusalem was the joy of the whole earth, because God had designed that his
favor should appear there, which might justly excite the whole world to rejoice.
F44 It
afterwards follows, —
|
LAMENTATIONS
2:16
|
|
16. All thine enemies have opened their mouth
against thee; they hiss and gnash the teeth: they say, We have swallowed
her up: certainly this is the day that we looked for; we have
found, we Have seen it.
|
16. Aperuerunt
F45 super te os
suum cuncti hostes tui, sibilarunt et frenduerunt dente (vel, dentibus;)
dixerunt, Devorabimus; utique hic dies quem expectavimus; invenimus,
vidimus.
|
Here, also, the Prophet introduces enemies as
insolently exulting over the miseries of the people. He first says, that they
had opened the mouth, even that they might loudly upbraid them; for he is not
said to open the mouth who only speaks, but who insolently and freely utters his
calumnies. God is, indeed, sometimes said emphatically to open his mouth, when
he announces something that deserves special notice; and so Matthew says, that
Christ opened his mouth when he spoke of true happiness.
(<400502>Matthew
5:2.) But in this place and in others the enemy is said to open his mouth, who,
with a full mouth, so to speak, taunts him whom he sees worn out with evils.
Hence, he refers to petulance or insolence, when he says, that enemies had
opened their
mouth.
He then adds, that they had hissed. By hissing
he no doubt means scoffing or taunting; for it immediately follows, that they
had gnashed with their teeth, as though he had said, that enemies
not only blamed and condemned them, but had also given tokens of extreme hatred;
for he who gnashes with his teeth thus shews the bitterness of his mind, and
even fury; for to gnash the teeth is what belongs to a wild beast. The Prophet
then says, that enemies had not only harassed the people with taunts and scoffs,
but had also cruelly and even furiously treated them. Now we know that to men of
ingenuous minds, such a treatment is harder than death itself: for it is deemed
by many a hard thing to fall in battle — and we see how men of war expose
themselves to the greatest danger; but a disgraceful death is far more bitter.
The Prophet, then, no doubt, amplifies the miseries of the people by this
circumstance, that they had been harassed on every side by taunts. And he
mentions this on purpose, because reproofs by the prophets had not been received
by them; for we know how perversely the Jews had rebelled against the prophets,
when they reproved them in God’s name. As, then, they would not have borne
the paternal reproofs of God, they were thus constrained to bear the reproaches
of enemies, and to receive the just reward of their pride and presumption. Nor
is there a doubt, as I have said, but that the Prophet related reproaches of
this kind, and the scoffs of enemies, that the people might at length know that
they had been exposed to such evils, because they had proudly rejected the
reproofs given them by the prophets.
He says, that enemies spoke thus,
We have devoured; surely this is
the day which we have expected; as though they
triumphed when they saw that they got the victory, and that they could do with
the people as they pleased. And as I have said, this in itself was a very bitter
thing to the people; but. when the Prophet related, as in the person of the
enemies, what was already sufficiently known to them, the people ought to have
called to mind the reason why they had been so severely afflicted; and this is
what the Prophet clearly sets forth in the next verse; for he, adds, —
|
LAMENTATIONS
2:17
|
|
17. The Lord hath done that which he had
devised; he hath fulfilled his word that he had commanded in the days of old: he
hath thrown down, and hath not pitied: and he hath caused thine enemy to rejoice
over thee; he hath set up the horn of thine adversaries.
|
17. Fecit Jehova quod cogitaverat, complevit
sermonem suum quam praeceperat a diebus anitiquis: diruit (vel, evertit) et non
perpercit; et exhilaravit super te inimicum, et extulit corum hostium
tuorum.
|
Had the Prophet related only the boastings of
enemies, the people would have probably become more hardened in their sorrow.
But now, on the other hand, he assumes a different character. After having
represented how insolently the enemies conducted themselves, he now says,
Jehovah hath done what he had
determined; and thus from the taunts of enemies
he calls the attention of the people to the judgment of God. For when enemies
insult us, we: indeed feel hurt, but afterwards grief in a manner blunts our
feelings. Our best remedy then is, not to have our thoughts fixed on the
insolence of men, but to know what the Scripture often reminds us, that the
wicked are the scourges of God by which he chastises us. This, then, is the
subject which the Prophet now handles. He says that God had done, etc.;
as though he had said, that however enemies might exceed moderation, yet if the
people attended to God there was a just cause why they should humble
themselves.
He says, first, that
Jehovah had done what he had
determined: for the word to
think
is improperly applied to God, but yet it is often done, as we have before seen.
He then says, that he had
fulfilled the word which he had formerly
commanded; for had the Prophet touched only on the secret counsel of God, the
Jews might have been in doubt as to what it was. And certainly, as our minds
cannot penetrate into that deep abyss, in vain would he have spoken of the
hidden judgments of God. It was therefore necessary to come down to the
doctrine, by which God, as far as :it is expedient, manifests to us what would
otherwise be not only hidden, but also incomprehensible; for were we to inquire
into God’s judgments, we should sink into the deep. But when we direct our
minds to what God has taught us, we find that he reveals to us whatever is
necessary to be known; and though even by his word, we cannot perfectly know his
hidden judgments. yet we may know them in part, and as I have said, as far as it
is expedient for us. This, then, is the reason why the Prophet, after having
spoken of God’s counsels and decrees, adds the
word.
Let us then hold to this rule, even to seek from the
Law and the Prophets, and the Gospel, whatever we desire to know respecting the
secret judgments of God; for, were we to turn aside, even in the smallest
degree, from what is taught us, the immensity of God’s glory would
immediately swallow up all our thoughts; and experience sufficiently teaches us,
that nothing is more dangerous and even fatal than to allow ourselves more
liberty in this respect than what behooves us. Let us then learn to bridle all
curiosity when we speak of God’s secret judgments, and instantly to direct
our minds to the word itself, that they may be in a manner enclosed there.
Moreover, the Prophet was also able, in this manner, more easily to check
whatever the Jews might have been otherwise ready to object: for we know that
they were always wont to murmur, and that as soon as the prophets spake, they
brought forward many exceptions, by which they attempted to confute their
doctrine.
As, then, they were an unteachable people, Jeremiah
did not only speak of God’s hidden judgments, of which some doubt might
have been alleged; but, in order to cut off every occasion for disputes and
contentions, he mentioned the word itself; and thus he held the Jews as
it were convicted; for, as it is said by Moses, they could not have objected and
said,
“Who shall ascend
into heaven? who shall descend into the deep? who shall pass over the
sea?”
(<053012>Deuteronomy
30:12-14;)
for in their mouth was God’s word, that is, God
had sufficiently made known his judgments, so that they could not complain of
obscurity. We now then perceive another reason why the Prophet joined the word
to God’s judgments and decrees or counsel.
But he says that this word had been published
from ancient
days; and here he touches on the untameable
obstinacy of the people; for had they been admonished a few days or a short time
before, they might have expostulated with God; and there might have been some
specious appearance that God had as it were made too great haste in his rigor.
But as prophets had been sent, one after another, and as he had not ceased for
many years, nay, for many ages, to exhort them to repentance, and to threaten
them also that they might repent, hence their inveterate impiety more fully
betrayed itself. This is the reason why the Prophet now mentions the
ancient
days, in which God had published his
word.
He at length adds,
he hath subverted and not
spared. He does not here charge God with too
much rigor, but rather he reproves the Jews, so that from the grievousness of
their punishment they might know how intolerable had been their iniquity. He
would then have them to judge of their sins by their punishment, for God does
not act unjustly towards men. It hence follows, that when we are severely
afflicted by his hand, it is a proof that we have been very
wicked.
He then concludes that it was God who had
exhilarated their enemies, and
raised up their horn.
F46 By these
words. he confirms the doctrine, on which I have already touched, that we ought
to turn our eyes to God, when men are insolent to us ,and exult over our
miseries; for such a reproach might otherwise wholly overwhelm us. But when we
consider that we are chastised by God, and that the wicked, however petulantly
they may treat us, are yet God’s scourges, then we resolve with calm and
resigned minds to bear what would otherwise wear us out by its acerbity. It
follows, —
|
LAMENTATIONS
2:18
|
|
18. Their heart cried unto the Lord, O wall of
the daughter of Zion, let tears run down like a river day and night: give
thyself no rest; let not the apple of thine eye cease.
|
18. Clamavit cor corum ad Dominum; Mure filiae
Sion, deducas tanquam fluvium lachrymas (vel, tanquam fluvius) die et nocte; ne
des requiem Tibi, ne silcat (hoc est, ne quiescat) pupilla oculi
tui.
|
He means not that their
heart
really cried to
God, for there was no cry in their heart; but
by this expression he sets forth the vehemence of their grief, as though he had
said, that the heart of the people was oppressed with so much sorrow, that their
feelings burst forth into crying; for crying arises from extreme grief, and when
any one cries or weeps, he has no control over himself. Silence is a token of
patience; but when grief overcomes one, he, as though forgetting himself,
necessarily bursts out into crying. This is the reason why he says that their
heart cried to
Jehovah.
But we must observe, that the piety of the people is
not here commended, as though they complained of their evils to God in sincerity
and with an honest heart: on the contrary, the Prophet means that it was a
common cry, often uttered even by the reprobate; for nature in a manner teaches
this, that we ought to flee to God when oppressed by evils; and even those who
have no fear of God exclaim in their extreme miseries, “God be merciful to
us.” And, as I have said, such a cry does not flow from a right feeling or
from the true fear of God, but from the strong and turbid impulse of nature: and
thus God has from the beginning rendered all mortals inexcusable. So, then, now
the Prophet says, that the Jews cried to God, or
that their heart
cried; not that they looked to God as they
ought to have done, or that they deposited with him their sorrows and cast them
into his bosom, as the Prophet encourages us to do; but because they found no
remedy in the world — for as long as men find any comfort or help in the
world, with that they are satisfied. Whence, then, was this crying to God? even
because the world offered them nothing in which they could acquiesce; for it is
indigenous, as it were, in our nature (that is, corrupt nature) to look around
here and there, when any evil oppresses us. Now, when we find, as I have said,
anything as a help, even an empty specter, to that we cleave, and never raise up
our eyes to God. But when necessity forces us, then we begin to cry to God. Then
the Prophet means that the people had been reduced to the greatest straits, when
he says that their heart cried to
God.
He afterwards turns to the
wall
of Jerusalem, and ascribes understanding to an inanimate thing.
O wall
of Jerusalem, he says,
draw down tears as though thou
wert a river; or, as a river; for both meanings
may be admitted. But by stating a part for the whole, he includes under the word
wall, the whole city, as it is well known. And yet there is still a
personification, for neither houses, nor walls, nor gates, nor streets, could
shed tears; but Jeremiah could not, except by this hyperbolical language,
sufficiently express the extent of their cry. This was the reason why he
addressed the very wall of the city, and bade it to
shed tears like a
river.
F47
There seems to be some allusion to the ruins; for the
walls of the city had been broken down as though they were melted. And then the
Prophet seems to allude to the previous hardness of the people, for their hearts
had been extremely stupified. As, then, they never had been flexible, whether
addressed by doctrine, or exhortations, or threatenings, he now by implication
brings forward in contrast with them the walls of the city, as though he had
said, “Hitherto no one of God’s servants could draw even one tear
from your eyes, so great was your hardness; but now the very walls weep, for
they dissolve, as though they would send forth rivers of waters. Therefore the
very stones turn to tears, because ye have hitherto been hardened against God
and all prophetic instruction.”
He afterwards adds,
Spare not thyself, give not
thyself rest day or night, and let not the daughter of thine
eye, or the pupil of thine eye, cease,
literally, be silent; but to be silent is metaphorically taken in the sense of
ceasing or resting. He intimates that there would be, nay, that there was now,
an occasion of continual lamentation; and hence he exhorted them to weep day and
night; as though he had said, that sorrow would continue without intermission,
as there would be no relaxation as to their evils. But we must bear in mind what
we have before said, that the Prophet did not speak thus to embitter the sorrow
of the people. We indeed know that the minds of men are very tender and delicate
while under evils, and then that they rush headlong into impatience; but as they
were not as yet led to true repentance, he sets before them the punishment which
God had inflicted, that they might thereby be turned to consider their own sins.
It follows, —
|
LAMENTATIONS
2:19
|
|
19. Arise, cry out in the night; in the
beginning of the watches pour out thine heart like water before the face of the
Lord: lift up thy hands toward him for the life of thy young children, that
faint for hunger in the top of every street.
|
19. Surge, Clama nocte principio excubiarum
(custodiarum ad verbum, sed significat vigilias nocturnas;) effunde tanquam
aquas cor tuum coram facie Domini; attolle ad ipsum manus tuas propter Animam
parvulorum tuorum, qui deficiunt fame in capite omnium
compitorum.
|
The Prophet now explains himself more clearly, and
confirms what I have lately said, that he mentioned not the calamities of the
people except for this end, that those who were almost stupid might begin to
raise up their eyes to God, and also to examine their life, and willingly to
condemn themselves, that thus they might escape from the wrath of
God.
The Prophet then bids them to
rise
and to
cry. Doubtless they had been by force
constrained by their enemies to undertake a long journey: why then does he bid
them to rise, who had become fugitives from their own country, and had been
driven away like sheep? He regards, as I have said, the slothfulness of their
minds, because they were still lying torpid in their sins. It was then necessary
to rouse them from this insensibility; and this is what the Prophet had in view
by saying,
Rise.
F48 And then
he bids them to cry at the
beginning of the watches, even when sleep
begins to creep on, and the time is quieter; for when men go to bed, then sleep
comes on, and that is the main rest. ut the Prophet bids here the Jews to cry,
and in their uneasiness to utter their complaints at the very time when others
take their rest. et he did not wish them heedlessly to pour forth into the air
their wailings, but bade them to present their prayers to God. hen as to the
circumstances of that time, he repeats what we have already seen, that so great
was their mass of evils, that it allowed the people no relaxation; in short, he
intimates that it was a continual sorrow.
But, as I have said, he would have the Jews not
simply to cry, but after having exhorted them to
pour out their hearts like
waters, he adds,
before the face of
Jehovah. For the unbelieving make themselves
almost hoarse by crying, but they are only like brute beasts; or if they call on
God’s name, they do this, as it has been said, through a rash and
indiscriminate impulse. Hence the Prophet here makes a difference between the
elect of God and the reprobate, when he bids them to pour forth their hearts and
their cries
before
God, so as to seek alleviation from him, which could not have been done, were
they not convinced that he was the author of all their calamities; and hence,
also, arises repentance, for there is a mutual relation between God’s
judgment and men’s sins. Whosoever, then, acknowledges God as a judge, is
at the same time compelled to examine himself and to inquire as to his own sins.
We now understand the meaning of the Prophet’s words.
For the same purpose he adds,
Raise up to him thy
hands. This practice of itself is, indeed, not
sufficient; but the Scripture often points out the real thing by external signs.
Then the elevation of the hands, in this place and others, means the same thing
as prayer; and it has been usual in all ages to raise up the hands to heaven,
and the expression often occurs in the Psalms,
(<192802>Psalm
28:2;
<19D402>Psalm
134:2;) and when Paul bids prayers to be made everywhere, he
says,
“I would have men
to raise up pure hands without
contention.”
(<540208>1
Timothy 2:8.)
God has no doubt suggested this practice to men, that
they may first go beyond the whole world when they seek him; and, second]y, that
they may thus stimulate themselves to entertain confidence, and also to divest
themselves of all earthly desires; for except this practice were to raise up our
minds, (as we are by nature inclined to superstition,) every one would seek God
either at his feet or by his side. Then God has planted in men this feeling,
even to raise upwards their hands, in order that they may go, as I have said,
beyond the whole world, and that having thus divested themselves of all vain
superstition, they may ascend above the heavens. This custom, I allow, is indeed
common among the unbelieving; and thus all excuse has been taken away from them.
Though, then, the unbelieving have been imbued with gross and delirious
fantasies, so as to connect God with statues and pictures, yet this habit of
raising up the hands to heaven ought to have been sufficient to confute all
their erroneous notions. But it would not be enough to seek God beyond this
world, so that no superstition should possess our minds, except our minds were
also freed from all worldly desires. For we are held entangled in our lusts, and
then we seek what pleases the flesh, and thus, for the most part, men strive, to
subject God to themselves. Then the elevation of the hands does also shew that
we are to deny ourselves, and to go forth, as it were, out of ourselves whenever
we call on God. These are briefly the things which may be said of the use of
this ceremony or practice.
But we must remember what I have referred to, that
the Prophet designates the thing itself by an outward sign, when he bids them to
raise up the
hands to God. He afterwards shews the necessity
of this, because of the soul of
thy little ones, who faint in famine;
F49 but the
b,
beth, is redundant here, —
who,
then, through famine
faint or fail, and that openly. For it might
have happened that those who had no food pined away at home, and thus fainted
because no one gave them aid, because their want was not known. But when infants
in public places breathed out their souls through famine, hence was evident that
extreme state of despair, which the Prophet intended here to set forth by
mentioning at the head of all the
streets. It follows, —
|
LAMENTATIONS
2:20
|
|
20. Behold, O Lord, and consider to whom thou
hast done this. Shall the women eat their fruit, and children of a span long?
Shall the priest and the prophet be slain in the sanctuary of the
Lord?
|
20. Vide, Jehova, et aspice cui feceris sic;
an comedent mulieres fructum suum (hoc est, foetus suos,) parvulos educationis?
An occidetur in sanctuario Domini sacerdos et propheta?
|
Here, also, Jeremiah dictates words, or a form of
prayer to the Jews. And this complaint availed to excite pity, that God had thus
afflicted, not strangers, but the people whom he had adopted. Interpreters do,
indeed, give another explanation, “See, Jehovah, To whom hast thou done
this?” that is, Has any people been ever so severely afflicted? But I do
not think that the comparison is made here, which they seek to make, but that
the people only set before God the covenant which he had made with their
fathers, as though they said, “O Lord, hadst thou thus cruelly raged
against strangers, there would have been nothing so wonderful; but since we are
thine heritage, and the blessed seed of Abraham, since thou hast been pleased to
choose us as thy peculiar people, what can this mean, that, thou treatest us
with so much severity?”
We now, then, perceive the real meaning of the
Prophet, when, in the person of the people, he speaks thus,
See, and look on, Jehovah, to
whom thou hast done this; for thou hast had to
do with thy children: not that the Jews could allege any worthiness; but the
gratuitous election of God must have been abundantly sufficient to draw forth
mercy. Nor do the faithful here simply ask God to see, but they add another
word, Look on. By the two words they more fully express the indignity of
what had happened, as though they said, that it was like a prodigy that
God’s people should be so severely afflicted, who had been chosen by him:
see, then, to whom thou hast done this.
And this mode of praying was very common, as we find
it said in the Psalms,
“Pour forth thy
wrath on the nations which know not thee, and on the kingdoms which call not on
thy name.”
(<197906>Psalm
79:6.)
And a similar passage we have before observed in our
Prophet.
(<241025>Jeremiah
10:25.) The sum of what is said is, that there was a just reason why God should
turn to mercy, and be thus reconciled to his people, because he had not to do
with aliens, but with his own family, whom he had been pleased to adopt. But the
rest I shall defer until tomorrow.
PRAYER.
Grant, Almighty God, that as thy Church
at this day is oppressed with many evils, we may learn to raise up not only our
eyes and our hands to thee, but also our hearts, and that we may so fix our
attention on thee as to look for salvation from thee alone; and that though
despair may overwhelm us on earth, yet the hope of thy goodness may ever shine
on us from heaven, and that, relying on the Mediator whom thou hast given us, we
may not hesitate to cry continually to thee, until we really find by experience
that our prayers have not been ill vain, when thou, pitying thy Church, hast
extended thy hand, and given us cause to rejoice, and hast turned our mourning
into joy, through Christ our Lord. — Amen.
LECTURE
EIGHTH
We explained yesterday the complaint of the Prophet,
when he set before God his own covenant. For it might have appeared unreasonable
that God should deal with so much severity with the Church which he had adopted.
Hence the Prophet said, See,
Jehovah, to whom thou hast done this. He now
mentions some things calculated to produce horror, and thus to obtain pardon
from God, Should women eat their
own fruit? that is, their own foetus,
the infants of
nursings? This, as I have said, was a
horrible thing: for we see that mothers often forget their own life in their
concern for the safety of their infants. That a child, then, should be devoured
by its mother, was a most abominable thing; and yet we know that it was done. It
hence appears, that; the Israelites, when blinded by God, had fallen into this
barbarity: for it happened in the siege of Samaria, as sacred history declares;
and the Prophet now mentions the same thing as having taken place in his time,
and he repeats the same in the fourth chapter. And Josephus also says, that when
the city was besieged by Titus, the state of things was such, that mothers
agreed to eat their own children, and that they cast lots who should first slay
their child, and that they stole a leg or an arm from one another. Though it was
so inhuman a thing, yet the Prophet seeks to turn God to mercy by adducing so
great; an enormity. He then says, that it was by no means right, that
mothers should eat their own
children, the children of nursings, or
nurturings. F50
He afterwards adds,
Should the priest and the prophet
be slain in the sanctuary of the Lord?
This was another indignity, by which he sought to lead God to shew mercy. We
indeed know that the priests and the prophets were deemed sacred; and in the
Psalms, where Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are referred to, God, in order to shew
how much they were to be regarded, says,
“Touch not my
Christ’s, and to my prophets do no
harm.”
(<19A515>Psalm
105:15.)
As, then, the priests and the prophets were
especially under the protection of God, what is here said was an intolerable
atrocity. But when the profanation of the Temple was added, it was still a
greater prodigy. Jeremiah then complains, not only that the priests and the
prophets were slain, but that they were slain in the sanctuary. It now follows,
—
|
LAMENTATIONS
2:21
|
|
21. The young and the old lie on the ground in
the streets: my virgins and my young men are fallen by the sword; thou hast
slain them in the day of thine anger; thou hast killed, and not
pitied.
|
21. Jacuerunt in terra per compita puer et
senex; virgines meae et adolescentes mei ceciderunt gladio; occidisti in die
irae tuae; mactasti et non pepercisti.
|
Here he relates in the person of the Church another
calamity, that the young and the aged were lying prostrate in the streets; and
he joins children to the old men, to shew that there was no difference as to
age. Then he says that dead bodies were lying promiscuously in public places. He
adds, that
virgins
and young
men had
fallen by the
sword; by which he confirms the previous
clause, for there is nothing new said here, but only the manner is shewn by
which they had been slain; for slain by the sword had been the young men and
young women without any distinction; the enemies at the same time had not spared
the old, while they killed the very flower of the people.
But the Prophet at the same time shews that all this
was to be ascribed to God, not. that the Jews might expostulate with him, but
that they might cease vainly to lament their calamities, and in order that they
might on the contrary turn to God. Hence he does not say that the young and the
old had been slain by the enemies, but by God himself. But it was difficult to
convince the Jews of this, for they were so filled with rage against their
enemies, that they could not turn their thoughts to the consideration of
God’s judgments. This, then, is the reason why the Prophet makes God the
author of all their calamities;
Thou,
he says, hast slain in the day of
thy wrath; thou hast killed and not spared. And
though the people seem here in a manner to contend with God, we must yet bear in
mind the design of the Prophet, even to teach the people to look to God himself,
so that they might know that they had to do with him. For there ought to be a
passing from one truth to another, so that men, conscious of their sins, should
first give glory to God, and then humbly deprecate the wrath which they have
deserved. It follows at length, —
|
LAMENTATIONS
2:22
|
|
22. Thou hast called, as in a solemn day, my
terrors round about; so that in the day of the Lord’s anger none escaped
nor remained: those that I have swaddled and brought up hath mine enemy
consumed.
|
22. Vocasti tanquam ad diem festum terrores
meos undique, et nou fuit in die indignationis Jehovae superstes ac residuus;
quos enutrivi et educavi, hostis meus consumpsit cos (sed abundat
relativum.)
|
Here he uses a most appropriate metaphor, to show
that the people had been brought to the narrowest straits; for he says that
terrors had on every side surrounded them, as when a solemn assembly is
called. They sounded the trumpets when a festival was at hand, that all might
come up to the Temple. As, then, many companies were wont to come to Jerusalem
on feast-days — for when the trumpets were sounded all were called —
so the Prophet says that terrors had been sent by God from every part to
straiten the miserable people:
thou hast, then, called my
terrors all around, — how?
as to a
feast-day, the day of the assembly; for
d[wm,
muod, means the assembly as well as the place and the appointed time.
F51
But we must ever bear in mind what I have already
referred to, that though enemies terrified the Jews, yet this was to be ascribed
to God, so that every one might acknowledge for himself, that the Chaldeans had
not come by chance, but through the secret impulse of God. He afterwards adds,
in the day of Jehovah’s
wrath (he changes the person)
there was none
alive, or remaining; nay, he says
the enemy has consumed those whom
I had nursed and brought up. Here he transfers
to enemies what he had before said was done by God, but in this sense, that he
understood God as the chief author, and the Chaldeans as the ministers; of his
vengeance. Now follows, —
CHAPTER 3
|
LAMENTATIONS
3:1
|
|
1. I am the man that hath seen
affliction by the rod of his wrath.
|
1. Ego vir videns afflictionem in virga
Indignationis ejus.
|
The word,
hrb[
obere, properly means assault, passing over limits; but what is peculiar
to man is often in Scripture ascribed to God. Here also he changes the person,
for he spoke before of the people under the person of a woman, as it is often
done; but now the Prophet himself comes before us. At the same time there is no
doubt but that by his own example he exhorted all others to lamentation, which
was to be connected with true repentance. And this chapter, as we shall see, is
full of rich instruction, for it contains remarkable sentiments which we shall
consider in their proper places.
Some think that this Lamentation was written by
Jeremiah when he was cast into prison; but this opinion seems not probable to
me; and the contents of the chapter sufficiently shew that this ode was composed
to set forth the common calamity of the whole people. Jeremiah, then, does not
here plead his own private cause, but shews to his own nation what remedy there
was for them in such a state of despair, even to have an immediate recourse to
God, and on the one hand to consider their sins, and on the other to look to the
mercy of God, so that they might entertain hope, and exercise themselves in
prayer. All these things we shall see in their due order.
The Prophet then says that he was an
afflicted
man, or a man who saw affliction. This mode of
speaking, we know, is common in Scripture — to see affliction — to
see good and evil — to see life and death. He then says that he had
experienced
many afflictions, and not only so, but that he had been given up as it were to
miseries, — how? by the rod
of his fury. He does not mention the name of
God, but Jeremiah speaks of him as of one well known, using only a pronoun. Now,
then, at the very beginning, he acknowledges that whatever he suffered had been
inflicted by God’s hand. And as all the godly ought to be convinced of
this, that God is never angry without just reasons, there is included in the
word wrath a brief confession, especially when it is added,
by the
rod, or staff. In short, the Prophet says that
he was very miserable, and he also expresses the cause, for he had been severely
chastised by an angry God.
|
LAMENTATIONS
3:2
|
|
2. He hath led me, and brought me into
darkness, but not into light.
|
2. Me deduxit et proficisci fecit in tenebras,
et non in lucem.
|
The letters of the alphabet are tripled in this
chapter, which I had omitted to mention. In the first two chapters each verse
begins with the successive letters of the alphabet, except that in the last
chapter there is one instance of inversion, for Jeremiah has put
p,
phi, before
[,
oin; or it may be that the order has been changed by the scribes; but
this is uncertain. Here then, as I have said, each letter is thrice repeated.
Then the first, the second, and the third verse begins with
a
aleph; and the fourth begins with
b,
beth, and so he goes on to the end.
F52
He confirms here the last verse, for lie shews the
cause or the manner of his afflictions, for he had been led into darkness and
not into light. This kind of contrast has not :The same force in other languages
as it has in Hebrew. But when the Hebrews said that they were in darkness and
not in the light, they amplified that obscurity, as though they had said that
there was not even a spark of light in that darkness, it being so thick and
obscure. This is what the Prophet now means. And we know what is everywhere
understood in Scripture by darkness, even every kind of Lamentation: for the
appearance of light exhilarates us, yea, the serenity of heaven cheers and
revives the minds of men. Then darkness signifies all sorts of adversities and
the sorrow which proceeds from them. He afterwards adds,
—
|
LAMENTATIONS
3:3
|
|
3. Surely against me is he turned; he turneth
his hand against me the day.
|
3. Utique contra me vertetur, eonvertet marrum
suam quotidie (vel, toro die, qtuanquam in duobus verbis videtur futurtum tempus
debere resolvi in all prceteritutn, vel saltem Propheta actum continuum,
designat, ut soepe fieri solet.)
|
Now he says that
God was an adversary to
him; for this is what the verb
bçy,
isheb, means, he is turned against me. As an enemy, when intending to fight,
comes to meet one from the opposite side, so the Prophet says of God, who had
become an enemy to him; and he teaches the same thing in another way when he
says that he perceived that the hand of God was against
him: He
turns, he says,
against me his hand
daily, or all the day,
µwyhAlk,
cal-eium. But the Prophet simply means constancy, as though he had said
that there was no truce, no cessation, because God manifested the rigor of his
vengeance without limit or end. He afterwards adds, —
|
LAMENTATIONS
3:4
|
|
4. My flesh and my skin hath he made old; he
hath broken my bones.
|
4. Senio confecit earnera meam (senescere
fecit, ad verbum) et pelletn meam (vel, cutem;) confregit ossa
mea.
|
These, as it evidently appears, are metaphorical
words. Illness often makes people to look old, for from pain proceeds leanness:
thus the skin is contracted, and the wrinkles of old age appear even in youths.
As, then, sorrows exhaust moisture and strength, hence he is said to grow old
who pines away in mourning. This is what the Prophet now means.
God,
he says, has made my flesh and my
skin, to grow old, that is, he hath worn
me out, within and without, so that I am almost wasted away.
He then adds,
He hath broken my
bones. This seems to be hyperbolical;
but we have said elsewhere that this simile does not in every instance express
the greatness of the sorrow which the faithful feel under a sense of God’s
wrath. Both David and Hezekiah spoke in this way; nay, Hezekiah compares God to
a lion,
“As a lion,”
he says, “has he broken my
bones.”
(<233802>Isaiah
38:23.)
And David says at one time that his bones wasted
away, at another that they were broken, and at another that they were reduced to
ashes; for there is nothing more dreadful than to feel that God is angry with
us. The Prophet, then, did not only regard outward calamities, but the evidence
of God’s vengeance; for the people could see nothing else in their
distresses except that God was their enemy — and this was true; for God
had often exhorted them to repentance; but upon those whom he had found
incurable, he at length, as it was just, poured forth his vengeance to the
uttermost. This, then, was the reason why the Prophet said, that God had broken
his bones. He then adds, —
|
LAMENTATIONS
3:5
|
|
5. He hath builded against me, and encompassed
me with gall and travail.
|
5. AEdificavit contra me, et circumdedit felle
et molestia.
|
The words, as translated, may seem harsh, yet they
have no common beauty in Hebrew. The Prophet says he was blocked up and
straitened as it were by walls; and as we shall see, he repeats this comparison
three times; in other words, indeed, but for the same purpose.
God, he says,
hath built against
me, as, when we wish to besiege any one,
we build mounds, so that there may be no escape. This, then, is the sort of
building of which the Prophet now speaks: God, he says, holds me confined all
around, so that there is no way of escape open to me.
He then gives a clearer explanation, that he was
surrounded by gall
F53 or
poison and trouble. He mentions poison first, and then, without a figure, he
shews what that poison was, even that he was afflicted with many troubles. He
afterwards adds, —
|
LAMENTATIONS
3:6
|
|
6. He hath set me in dark places, as they that
be dead of old.
|
6. In tenebris jacere me fecit tanquam mortuos
seculi.
|
Here he amplifies what he had before said of poison
and trouble; he says that he was placed in darkness, not that he might be there
for a little while, but remain there for a long time; he hath made me, he says,
to dwell in darkness. But the comparison which follows more clearly explains the
Prophet’s meaning, as the dead of ages. The word
µlw[,
oulam, may refer to future or past time. Some say, as
the dead for
ever, who are perpetually dead. But the
Scripture elsewhere calls those
the dead of
ages who have been long buried, and have
decayed, and whose memory has become nearly extinct. For as long as the dead
body retains its form, it seems more like a living being; but when it is reduced
to ashes, when no bone appears, when the whole skin and nerves and blood have
perished, and no likeness to man remains, there can then be no hope of life. The
Scripture then calls those the dead of ages, who have wholly decayed. So also in
this place the Prophet says, that he dwelt in darkness, into which he had been
cast by God’s hand, and that he dwelt there as though he had been long
dead, and his body had become now putrid.
This way of speaking appears indeed hyperbolical; but
we must always remember what I have reminded you of, that it is not possible
sufficiently to set forth the greatness of that sorrow which the faithful feel
when terrified by the wrath of God. He then adds, —
|
LAMENTATIONS
3:7
|
|
7. He hath hedged me about, that I cannot get
out; he hath made my chain heavy.
|
7. Sepsit me, ut non egrediar; aggravavit
compedem meum.
|
Here he says, first, that he was held
shut
up; for
rdg,
gidar, is to enclose, and
hrdg,
gidare, means a fence or a mound, or an enclosure of any kind. He then
says, that he was shut up as it were by a fence, so that he could not go forth;
literally, it is, and I shall not
go forth; but the conjunction here is to
be taken as denoting the end. He has
shut me
up, he says, or he has enclosed me, that I
might not get out.
It then follows,
He hath made heavy my
fetter. His meaning is, that he was not only
bound with fetters, but so bound that he could not raise up his feet, as though
he had said, that he not only had fetters, but that they were so heavy that he
could not even move his feet.
|
LAMENTATIONS
3:8
|
|
8. Also when I cry and shout, he shutteth out
my prayer.
|
8. Etiam si clamem et vociferer, clausit
precationem meam (vel precatioi meae.)
|
The Prophet describes here the extremity of all
evils, that it availed him nothing to cry and to pray. And yet we know that we
are called to do this in all our miseries.
“The strongest
tower is the name of the Lord, to it will the righteous flee and shall be
safe.”
(<201810>Proverbs
18:10.)
Again,
“Whosoever shall
call on the name of the Lord shall be
saved.”
(<290232>Joel
2:32.)
And Scripture is full of testimonies of this kind;
that is, that God graciously invites all the faithful to
himself:
“He shall call upon
me, and I will hear him.”
(<199115>Psalm
91:15.)
“In the day when I
call, answer me
speedily.”
(<19A202>Psalm
102:2.)
“Before they call,
I will answer.”
(<236524>Isaiah
65:24.)
In short, there is no need to collect all the
passages; but we may be content with this one thing, that when God claims to
himself this prerogative, that he answers prayers, he intimates that it is what
cannot be separated from his eternal essence and godhead; that is, that he is
ready to hear prayer. And hence the Psalmist concludes,
“To thee shall all
flesh come.”
(<196503>Psalm
65:3.)
When, therefore, Jeremiah complains that his prayers
were in vain, and without any fruit or effect., it seems strange and
inconsistent. But we know that God holds the faithful in suspense, and so hears
as to prove and try their patience, sometimes for a long time. This is the
reason why he defers and delays his aid.
It is no wonder, then, that God did not hear the
prayers of his servant, that is, according to the judgment of the flesh. For God
never rejects his own, nor is he deaf to their prayers and their sighs; but the
faithful often speak according to what the flesh judges. As, then, the Prophet
found that he obtained nothing by prayer, he says that his prayer was shut out,
or that the door was closed against him, so that his prayer did not come to
God.
Now, this passage is worthy of special notice; for
except God immediately meets us, we become languid, and not only our ardor in
prayer is cooled but almost extinguished. Let us, then, bear in mind, theft
though God may not help us soon, yet our prayers are never repudiated by him;
and since we see that the holy fathers experienced the same thing, let us not
wonder, if the Lord at this day were to try our faith in the same manner. Let
us, therefore, persevere hi calling on Him; and should there be a longer delay,
and our complaint be that we are not heard, yet let us proceed in the same
course, as we shall see the Prophet did. It follows, —
|
LAMENTATIONS
3:9
|
|
9. He hath enclosed my ways with hewn stone;
he hath made my paths crooked.
|
9. Sepivit (idem est verbum quod ante
vidimus) vias meas lapide quadrato, semitas meas pervertit.
|
Other metaphors are used. Some think that the Prophet
refers to the siege of Jerusalem, but such a view is not suitable. The metaphors
correspond with one another, though they are somewhat different. He had said
before, that he was enclosed by God, or surrounded as with a mound; and now he
transfers this idea to his ways. When the life of man is spoken of, it is, we
know, compared to a way. Then the Prophet includes under this word all the
doings of his life, as though he had said, that all his plans were brought into
straits, as though his way was shut up, so that he could not proceed:
“Were I to proceed ill any direction, an obstacle is set before me; I am
compelled to remain as it were fixed.” So the Prophet now says, his
ways were
enclosed, because God allowed none of
His counsels or His purposes to be carried into effect.
And to the same purpose he adds, that. God had
perverted his ways, that is, that he had confounded all his doings, and all his
counsels.
But these words are added,
with a squared
stone. The verb
zzg
gizaz, means to cut; hence the word
tyzg,
gizit, signifies a polished stone, or one trimmed by the hammer. And we know
that such stones are more durable and firmer than other stones. For when
unpolished stones are used, the building is not so strong as when the stones are
squared, as they fit together better. Then the Prophet intimates that the
enclosures were such that he could by no means break through them, as they could
not be broken. he, in short, means that he was so oppressed by God’s hand,
that whatever he purposed God immediately reversed it. We now, then, perceive
what he means by saying, that all his ways were subverted or overturned by God.
F54 This is
not to be understood generally, for it is God who directs our ways. But he is
said to pervert our ways, when he disconcerts our counsels, when all our
purposes and efforts are rendered void; in a word, when God as it were meets us
as an adversary, and impedes our course; it is then that he is said to pervert
our ways. But this ought not to be understood as though God blinded men
unjustly, or as though he led them astray. The Prophet only means that he could
find no success in all his counsels, in all his efforts and doings, because he
had God opposed to him. here I stop.
PRAYER.
Grant, Almighty God, that as thou didst
in former times so severely chastise thy people, we may in the present day
patiently submit to all thy scourges, and in a humble and meek spirit suffer
ourselves to be chastised as we deserve; and that we may not, in the meantime,
cease to call on thee, and that however slowly thou mayest seem to hear our
prayers, we may yet persevere continually to the end, until at length we shall
really find that salvation is not in vain promised to all those who in sincerity
of heart call on thee, through Christ our Lord. — Amen.
LECTURE
NINTH
|
LAMENTATIONS
3:10
|
|
10. He was unto me as a bear
lying in wait, and as a lion in secret places.
|
10. Urus insidians fuit mihi (ipse mihi,) leo
in latebris.
|
Harsh is the complaint when Jeremiah compares God to
a. bear and a lion. But we have said that the apprehension of God’s wrath
so terrified the faithful, that they could not sufficiently express the atrocity
of their calamity; and then borne in mind must also be what we have stated, that
they spoke according to the judgment of the flesh; for they did not always so
moderate their feelings, but that something fell from them worthy of blame. We
ought not, then, to make as a rule in religion all the complaints of holy men,
when they were pressed down by the hand of God; for when their minds were in a
state of confusion, they uttered much that was intemperate. But we ought, on the
other hand, to acknowledge how great must be our weakness, since we see that
even the strongest; have thus fallen, when God exercised severity towards
them.
Though, then, it does not seem that it was said in
due honor, that God did lie in
wait as
bears
for travelers, or as lions in their dens; yet, if we consider how much the
faithful dreaded the tokens of God’s wrath, we shall not wonder at this
excess. It is then certain that rite Prophet brings before us here not only
evidences of the fear of God, of religion and humility, but also of the corrupt
feelings of the flesh; for it cannot be, but that the infirmity of men will
betray itself ill extreme evils. He adds, what is of the same import,
—
|
LAMENTATIONS
3:11
|
|
11. He hath turned aside my ways, and pulled
me in pieces: he hath made me desolate.
|
11. Vias meas pervertit et scidit me (vel,
dissipavit, vel, laceravit,) posuit me vastatam (vel, quasi
vastitatem.)
|
In this verse also the Prophet shews how grievously
the faithful are disturbed when they feel that God is adverse to them. But he
uses the same figure as yesterday, though the word
rrws,
surer, is different: what he used yesterday was
hw[,
oue, but in the same sense.
He then says that his ways had been perverted;
F55 and for
this reason, because he had been disappointed in his purpose; whatever he did
was made void, because God by force prevented him. When we undertake to do
anything, a way is open to us; but when there is no success, our way is said to
be perverted. And this is done by God, who has all events, prosperous as well as
adverse, in his own hand. As, then, God directs our ways when he blesses our
counsels and our actions; so, on the other hand, he perverts them, when all
things turn out unsuccessfully, when our purpose is not done and events do not
answer our expectations.
He afterwards adds,
He hath torn me
or broken me. The verb
jçp,
peshech, means properly to cut, but here to tear or scatter. It follows
lastly, he hath made me a
waste. In this expression he includes
the other two things; for he who is reduced to desolation, does not hold on his
way, nor find any exit; he is also drawn here and there, as though he was torn
into several parts. We hence see that the Prophet here complains of extreme
evils, for there was no hope of deliverance left. He adds,
—
|
LAMENTATIONS
3:12
|
|
12. He hath bent, his bow, and set me as a
mark for the arrow.
|
12. Extendit (vel, intendit) arcum
suum, et statuit me quasi signum sagittae.
|
Here the Prophet introduces another metaphor, that
God had shot him with arrows, as he was made a mark to them. Jeremiah has
elsewhere often used the word
artm,
methera, for a prison; but here it means a mark at which arrows are
leveled, and such is its meaning in
<181612>Job
16:12, where there is a similar complaint made. The meaning is, that the people,
in whose name Jeremiah speaks, had been like marks, because God had directed
against them all his arrows. It is, indeed, a fearful thing when God aims at us,
that he may discharge his darts and arrows in order to hit and wound us. But as
God had so grievously afflicted his people, that he seemed to have poured forth
all his vengeance, the Prophet justly complains that the people had been like
marks for arrows.
|
LAMENTATIONS
3:13
|
|
13. He hath caused the arrows of his quiver to
enter into my reins.
|
13. Induxit in renes meos filion pharetrae sum
(id est, sagittas.)
|
He goes on with the same metaphor; he said in the
last verse that God had leveled his bow; he now adds, that his arrows had
penetrated into his reins, that is, into his inward parts. But we must bear in
mind what the Prophet meant, that God had dealt so severely with the people,
that no part, even the innermost, was sound or untouched, for his arrows had
perforated their very reins. He afterwards adds, —
|
LAMENTATIONS
3:14
|
|
14. I was a derision to all my people,
and their song all the day.
|
14. Fui risus (vel, ludibrium) toti
populo meo, pulsatio (vel, canticum, quod pulsatur ab organo et
instrumento musico) quotidie (vel, toto die.)
|
The Prophet again complains of the reproaches to
which God had exposed the Jews. We have said that of all evils the most grievous
is reproach, and experience teaches us that sorrow is greatly embittered when
scoffs and taunts are added to it; for he who silently bears the most grievous
sorrows, becomes broken in heart when he finds himself contumeliously treated.
This, then, is the reason why the Prophet again amplifies the miseries of the
people, because they were exposed to the scoffs of all men. But it may seem a
strange thing that the Jews were derided by their own people. This is the reason
why some think that the Prophet complains of his own private evils, and that he
does not represent the whole people or the public condition of the Church. But
it may also be said in reply, that the Prophet does not mean that the people
were derided by themselves, which could not be; but it is the same as though he
had said, that their state was so disgraceful, that while they looked on one
another, they had a reason for taunting, if this their condition was allowed to
continue.
In short, the Prophet does not mean what. was
actually done, but he simply complains that their calamity was liable to all
kinds of reproaches, so that any one looking on Jerusalem might justly deride
such a disgraceful spectacle. And it was, as we have said, a most equitable
reward, for they had not ceased to reproach God. Then rendered to them was what
they had deserved, when God loaded them in turn with dishonor.
He afterwards adds, that he was
their
song, that is, of derision; for it is a
confirmation of the former clause, and the same complaint is also formal in Job.
He says that he was their song daily or all the day. This constancy, as
it has been said, proved more clearly the grievousness of the
evil.
|
LAMENTATIONS
3:15
|
|
15. He hath filled me with bitterness, he hath
made me drunken with wormwood.
|
15. Satiavit me amaritudinibus, saturavit me
felle.
|
Some render the last word “wormwood,” but
this word seems not to me to suit the passage, for though wormwood is bitter,
yet it is a wholesome herb. I therefore take it in this and like places for
poison or gall; and
çar,
rash, as we shall see, is joined with it. To satiate, is also a metaphor
very common. Then the Prophet means that lie was full of bitterness and gall;
and lie thus had regard to those calamities from which so much sorrow had
proceeded.
We hence also gather that the faithful were not free
from sorrow in their evils, for bitterness and gall sufficiently shew that their
minds were so disturbed that they did not bear their troubles with sufficient
patience. But they struggled with their own infirmity, and the example is set
before us that we may not despond when bitterness and gall lay hold on our
minds; for since the same thing happened to the best servants of God, let us
bear in mind our own infirmity, and at the same time flee to God. The
unbelieving nourish their bitterness, for they do not unburden their souls into
the bosom of God. But the best way of comfort is, when we do not flatter
ourselves in our bitterness and grief, but seek the purifying of our souls, and
in a manner lay them open, so that whatever bitter thing may be there, God may
take it away and so feed us, as it is said elsewhere, with the sweetness of his
goodness. He adds, —
|
LAMENTATIONS
3:16
|
|
16. He hath also broken my teeth with gravel
stones, he hath covered me with ashes.
|
16. Confregit (vel, contrivit) lapillo
dentes meos, involvit me (foedavit me, alii autem, versavit) hi
pulvere.
|
Many renderings are given of these words’ there
is, however, no over-statement here; for, as it has been often said, the grief
of the people under such a mass of evils could not be sufficiently expressed.
The Prophet, no doubt, extended here his hand to the weak, who would have
otherwise lain down as dead; for under such evils the ruin of the whole nation,
the fall of the city, and the destruction of the temple, it could not be but
such thoughts as these must have occurred. Now, as to any one unacquainted with
such a trial, he would soon succumb, had no remedy been presented to him. The
Prophet then dictates for all the godly such complaints as they might, so to
speak, pour forth confidently and freely into the bosom of God.
We hence see that here is even expressed whatever
might occur to the minds of God’s children, so that they might not
hesitate in their straits to direct their prayers to God, and freely confess
whatever they suffered in their souls. For shame closes up the door of access;
and thus it happens; that we make a clamor as though God were far away from us;
hence impatience breaks out almost to a rage. But when an access to God is
opened to us, and we dare to confess what burdens our minds, this, as I have
said, is the best way for obtaining relief and comfort. We must then understand
the design of the Prophet, that he suggests words to the faithful, that they
might freely cast their cares and sorrows on God, and thus find some
alleviation.
For this reason, he says that his teeth had been
broken by a little stone or pebble.
F56 The same
expression, if I mistake not, is found in Job. It is a metaphor taken from those
who press stones instead of bread under their teeth; for when grit lies hid in
bread, it hurts the teeth. Then inward and hidden griefs are said to be like
small stones, which break or shatter the teeth. For the Prophet does not speak
here of large stones, but on the contrary he speaks of pebbles or small stones,
which deceive men, for they lie hid either in bread or in meat, or in any other
kind of food. As, then, the teeth are hurt by pressing them, so the Prophet says
that his sorrows were most bitter, as that part, as it is well known, is very
tender; and when any injury is done to the teeth, the pain spreads instantly
almost through the whole body. This is the reason why he says that his teeth
were broken.
Then he adds, that he was
covered with
dust, or that he was lying down or
dragged along in the dust. The expression is taken from those who are drawn by
way of reproach along the ground, as a carcass is, or some filthy thing which we
abhor. F57
Thus the Prophet complains that there was nothing short of extreme evils. He
adds, —
|
LAMENTATIONS
3:17
|
|
17. And thou hast removed my soul far off from
peace: I forgat prosperity.
|
17. Et remota fuit a pace anima mea, oblitus
sum boni.
|
By saying that his
soul was remote from
peace, he means that no good remained;
for by peace, as it is well known, the Hebrews understood every kind of
prosperity. And he explains himself by another clause, that, he had
forgotten every
good; and this forgetfulness ought to be
understood, so to speak, as real or entire; for if there had been any reason for
rejoicing, it would not have been forgotten; for all are naturally pleased with
what is pleasant, nay, they with avidity seek what delights them. It would then
be contrary to nature to forget things good and pleasant, to us. But the Prophet
means here a privation. Hence the forgetfulness of which he speaks is nothing
else but alienation from everything good, as though he had said (as the previous
clause shews) that he was removed from every hope of peace.
But the expression is much more emphatical, when he
says, that his soul was far removed from peace. By soul he does not mean himself
only, (for that would be frigid,) but he understands by it all things connected
with him, as though he had said, “Wherever I look around me, I find no
peace, and no hope appears to me.” Hence it was, that all the faculties of
his soul were far removed from all experience of good things. It follows,
—
|
LAMENTATIONS
3:18
|
|
18. And I said, My strength and my hope is
perished from the Lord.
|
18. Et dixi, Periit fortitudo mea, et spes mea
a Jehova.
|
This verse shews what I have before reminded you of,
that the Prophet does not here speak as though he was divested of every sin, and
prescribed a perfect rule for prayer. But, on the contrary, in order to animate
the faithful to seek God, he sets before them here an instance of infirmity
which every one finds true as to himself. It was yet a most grievous trial,
because the Prophet almost despaired; for since faith is the mother of hope, it
follows, that when any one is overwhelmed with despair, faith is extinct.
Nevertheless the Prophet. makes this declaration,
Perished,
he says, has my strength
and my hope from God.
F58
He does not speak through some inconsiderate impulse,
as though he was suddenly carried away, as many things happen to us which we
have had no thought of; but he speaks what was, as it were, fixed in his mind.
As he said, “Perished has my hope and strength from Jehovah,” it is
evident that his faith was not slightly shaken, but had wholly failed’ but
the expression, I said, renders the thing still stronger; for it means,
as it is well known, a settled conviction. The Prophet was then fully persuaded
that he was forsaken by God; but what does this mean? We ought indeed to
maintain this, that faith sometimes is so stifled, that even the children of God
think that they are lost, and that it is all over with their salvation. Even
David confesses the same thing; for it was an evidence of despair, when he
declared,
“I said in my
haste, Vanity is every man.”
(<19B611>Psalm
116:11.)
He had almost failed, and he was not master of
himself when he was thus agitated. There is no doubt but that the Prophet also
expressly reminded the faithful that they ought not to despair, though despair
laid hold on their minds, or though the devil tempted them to despair, but that
they ought then especially to struggle against it. This is indeed, I allow, a
hard and perilous contest, but the faithful ought not to faint, even when such a
thing happens to them, that is, when it seems to be all over with them and no
hope remains; but, on the contrary, they ought nevertheless to go on hoping, and
that, indeed, as the Scripture says elsewhere, against hope, or above hope.
(<450418>Romans
4:18.)
Let us then learn from this passage, that the
faithful are not free from despair, for it enters into their souls; but that
there is yet no reason why they should indulge despair; on the contrary, they
ought courageously and firmly to resist it; for when the Prophet said this, he
did not mean that. he succumbed to this trial, as though he had embraced what
had come to his mind; but lie meant, that lie was as it were overwhelmed for a
short time. Were any one to ask, How can it be that hope and despair should
reside in the same man? the answer is, that when faith is weak, that part of the
soul is empty, which admits despair. Now, faith is sometimes not only enfeebled,
but is also nearly stifled. This, indeed, does not happen daily, but there is no
one whom God deeply exercises with temptations, who does not feel that his faith
is almost extinguished. It is often no wonder, that despair then prevails; but
it is for a moment. In the meantime, the remedy is, immediately to flee to God
and to complain of this misery, so that he may succor and raise up those who are
thus fallen. He then adds, —
|
LAMENTATIONS
3:19
|
|
19. Remembering mine affliction and my misery,
the wormwood and the gall.
|
19. Recordari .(vel, recordando,
alii, recordare) afflictionis meae et aerumnae maere (alii
vertunt, humiliationem, alii, peccatum; sed nomen afflictionis vel
aerumnoe melius convenit) veneni et fellis (iterum ponitur
hn[l
quod vertunt quidam, absynthium, sed potius est amaritudo vel
venenum, veneni ergo et fellis.)
|
The verb may be considered as an imperative; it is an
infinitive mood, but it is often taken in Hebrew as an imperative. Thus, many
deem it a prayer, Remember my
affliction and my trouble, the gall and the
poison. This might be admitted; but what
others teach I prefer: that this verse depends on the last. For the Prophet
seems here to express how he had almost fallen away from hope, so that he no
longer found strength from God, even because he was overwhelmed with evils; for
it is very unreasonable to think, that those who have once experienced the mercy
of God should cast away hope, so as not to believe that they are to flee to God
any more. What seems then by no means congruous the Prophet here in a manner
excuses, and shews that it was not strange that he succumbed under extreme
evils, for he had been so pressed down by afflictions and troubles, that his
soul became as it were filled with poison and gall.
F59
But in the meantime, he shews by the word
remember, how such a trial as this, when it comes, lays hold on our
minds, that is, when we think too much of our evils. For the faithful ought to
hold a middle course in their afflictions, lest they contract a torpor; for as
hence indifference and stupidity arise, they ought to rouse themselves to a due
consideration of their evils; but moderation ought to be observed, lest sorrow
should swallow us up, as Paul also warns us
(<470207>2
Corinthians 2:7.) They then who fix their minds too much on the remembrance of
their evils, by degrees open the door to Satan, who may fill their hearts and
all their thoughts with despair. The Prophet then describes here the fountain of
evils, when he says, that he remembered his affliction and trouble; and suitable
to this is what immediately follows, —
|
LAMENTATIONS
3:20
|
|
20. My soul hath them still in remembrance,
and is humbled in me.
|
20. Recordando recordabitur, et humiliabitur
in me (vel, super me) anima mea.
|
The Prophet seems in other words to confirm what he
had said, even that the memory of afflictions overwhelmed his soul. For the soul
is said to be humbled in or upon man, when he lies down under the burden of
despair. It is the soul that raises man up, and as it were revives him; but when
the soul is cast as it were on man, it is a most grievous thing; for it is
better to lie down a dead body than to have this additional burden, which makes
the case still worse. A dead body might indeed lie on the ground without
strength and motion, but it may still retain its own place; but when the soul is
thus cast down, it is said to press down man, though lifeless, more and more.
This then is what the Prophet means. And yet he says that he was so occupied
with this remembrance, that he could not thence withdraw his
mind.
There is no doubt but that he also intended here to
confess his own infirmity, and that of all the faithful; and the reason of this
we have already explained. Then relying on this doctrine, even when all our
thoughts press us down, and not only lead us to despair, but also hurry us on
and cast us headlong into it, let us learn to flee even then to God and to lay
before him all our complaints, and let us not be ashamed, because we see that
this mode of proceeding is suggested to us by the Holy Spirit. It follows,
—
|
LAMENTATIONS
3:21
|
|
21. This I recall to my mind, therefore have I
hope.
|
21. Hoc revocabo ad cor meum, propterea
sperabo.
|
We see here what I have already stated, that if we
struggle against temptations, it will be a sure remedy to us, because our faith
will at length emerge again, and gather strength, yea, it will in a manner be
raised up from the lowest depths. This is what the Prophet now shews.
I will recall
this, he says,
to my heart, and therefore will I
hope. How can despair produce hope from
itself? This would be contrary to nature. What then does the Prophet mean here,
and what does he understand by the pronoun this,
taz,
zat? Even that being oppressed with evils, he was almost lost, and was also
nearly persuaded that no hope of good anymore remained. As then he would recall
this to mind, he says that he would then have new ground of hope, that is, when
he had recourse to God; for all who devour their own sorrows, and do not look to
God, kindle more and more the hidden fire, which at length suddenly turns to
fury. Hence it comes that they clamor against God, as though they were doubly
insane. But he who is conscious of his own infirmity, and directs his prayer to
God, will at length find a ground of hope.
When therefore we recall to mind our evils, and also
consider how ready we are to despair, and how apt we are to succumb under it,
some hope will then arise and aid us, as the Prophet here says.
F60
It must still be observed, that we ought to take heed
lest we grow torpid in our evils; for hence it happens that our minds become
wholly overwhelmed. Whosoever then would profit by his evils, should consider
what the Prophet says here came to his mind. for he at length came to himself,
and surmounted all obstacles. We see then that God brings light out of darkness,
when he restores his faithful people from despair to a good hope; yea, he makes
infirmity itself to be the cause of hope. For whence is it that the unbelieving
east away hope? even because security draws them away from God; but a sense of
our own infirmity draws us even close to him; thus hope, contrary to nature, and
through the incomprehensible and wonderful kindness of God, arises from despair.
It follows, —
|
LAMENTATIONS
3:22
|
|
22. It is of the Lord’s mercies that we
are not consumed, because his compassion’s fail not.
|
22. Clementite Jehovae, quod non sumus
consumpti (vel, certe non sunt consumptae,) certe non defecerunt miscrationes
ejus.
|
The first clause may be explained in two ways: The
view commonly taken is, that it ought to be ascribed to God’s mercy that
the faithful have not been often consumed. Hence a very useful doctrine is
elicited — that God succors his own people, lest they should wholly
perish. But if we attend to the context, we shall see that another sense is more
suitable, even that the mercies
of God were not consumed, and that his compassion’s had not
failed. The particle
yk,
ki, is inserted, but ought to be taken as an affirmative only,
surely the mercies of God are not
consumed;
F61 and
then, — surely his compassion’s have not failed. And he afterwards
adds, —
|
LAMENTATIONS
3:23
|
|
23. They are new every morning: great
is thy faithfulness.
|
23. Novae ad singula mane; magna veritas
tua.
|
This verse confirms what I have said, that the same
truth is here repeated by the Prophet, that God’s mercies were not
consumed, nor had his compassion’s failed. How so? Because they were new,
or renewed, every day; but he puts morning, and that in the plural
number. I am surprised at the hour striking so soon; I hardly think that I have
lectured a whole hour.
PRAYER.
Grant, Almighty God, that as there are
none of us who have not continually to contend with many temptations, and as
such is our infirmity, that we are ready to succumb under them, except thou
helpest us, — O grant, that we may be sustained by thine invincible power,
and that also, when thou wouldest humble us, we may loathe ourselves on account
of our sins, and thus perseveringly contend, until, having gained the victory,
we shall give thee the glory for thy perpetual aid in Christ Jesus our Lord.
— Amen.
LECTURE
TENTH
In the last lecture the Prophet said that the
mercies of God are renewed daily. This must indeed be viewed according to
the apprehension of men, for to God belongs no charge. But the mercies of God
seem to be renewed when he for a time hides his face, and again becomes
reconciled to us. The Prophet mentions morning; and he alludes, as I
think, to this passage in the Psalms —
“If weeping dwells
with us in the evening,
yet joy
will return in the morning.”
(<193005>Psalm
30:5.)
He then means that God hastens to succor men in
misery.
He subjoins the word truth, because a sense of
God’s mercy can never come to us except he offers it to us. Were then God
to take away the promise, all the miserable would inevitably perish; for they
can never lay hold on his mercy except through his word. This, then, is the
reason why Scripture so often connects these two things together, even
God’s mercy and his faithfulness in fulfilling his promises. It now
follows, —
|
LAMENTATIONS
3:24
|
|
24. The Lord is my portion, saith therefore
will I hope in him.
|
24. Pertie inca Jehova, dixit my soul; anima
mea; ideo sperabo in eo.
|
The Prophet intimates in this verse that we cannot
stand firm in adversities, except we be content with God alone and his favor;
for as soon as we depart from him, any adversity that may happen to us will
cause our faith to fail. It is then the only true foundation of patience and
hope to trust in God alone; and this is the case when we are persuaded that his
favor is sufficient for our perfect safety. In this sense it is that David calls
God his portion.
(<191605>Psalm
16:5.) But there is in the words an implied contrast, for most men seek their
happiness apart from God. All desire to be happy, but as the thoughts of men
wander here and there, there is nothing more difficult than so to fix all our
hopes in God so as to disregard all other things.
This then is the doctrine which the Prophet now
handles, when he says, that those alone could hope, that is, persevere in hope
and patience, who have so received God as their portion as to be satisfied with
him alone, and to seek nothing else besides him. But he speaks emphatically,
that his soul had thus said. Even the unbelieving are ashamed to
deny what we have stated, that the whole of our salvation and happiness is found
in God alone. Then the unbelieving also confess that God is the fountain of all
blessings, and that they ought to acquiesce in him; but with the mouth only they
confess this, while they believe nothing less. This then is the reason why the
Prophet ascribes what he says to his soul, as though he had said, that lie did
not boast, like hypocrites, that God was his portion, but that of this lie had a
thorough conviction. My soul has said, that is, I am fully convinced that
God is my portion; therefore will I hope in him. We now understand the
meaning of this passage.
It remains for us to make an application of this
doctrine. That we may not then fail in adversities, let us bear in mind this
truth, that all our thoughts will ever wander and go astray, until we are fully
persuaded that God alone is sufficient for us, so that lie may become alone our
heritage. For all who are not satisfied with God alone, are immediately seized
with impatience, whenever famine oppresses them, or sword threatens them, or any
other grievous calamity. And for this reason Paul also says,
“If God be for us, who can be
against us? I am persuaded that neither famine, nor nakedness, nor sword, nor
death, nor life, can separate me from the love of God, which is in
Christ.”
(<450831>Romans
8:31, 35-39.)
Then Paul lays hold of the paternal favor of God as a
ground of solid confidence; for the words in Christ sufficiently show that those
are mistaken interpreters who take this love passively, as though he had said,
that the faithful would never cease to love God, though he exercised them with
many afflictions. But Paul meant that the faithful ought so to fix their minds
on God alone, that whatever might happen, they would not yet cease to glory in
him. Why? because God is their life in death, their light in darkness, their
rest in war and tumult, their abundance in penury and want. It is in the same
sense our Prophet now says, when lie intimates that none hope in God but those
who build on his paternal favor alone, so that they seek nothing else but to
have him propitious to them. It afterwards follows, —
|
LAMENTATIONS
3:25
|
|
25. The Lord is good unto them that wait for
him, to the soul that seeketh him.
|
25. Bonus Jehova expectanti ipsum, (vel,
speranti in eum,) animae quaerenti ipsum.
|
He continues the same subject: he however adds :now
something to it, even that God always deals mercifully with his servants, who
recumb on him, mid who seek him. We hence see that the last verse is confirmed,
where he said that he was content with God alone, while suffering all kinds of
adversity: How so? for God, he says, is
good to those who wait for
him.
F62 It might
have been objected and said, that adversities produce sorrow, weariness,
sadness, and anguish, so that it cannot be that they retain hope who only look
to God alone; and it is no doubt true that, when all confess that they hope in
God, they afterwards run here and there; and the consequence is, that they fail
in their adversities. As, then, this might have been objected to the Prophet, he
gives indirectly this answer, that God is good to those who wait for him, as
though he had said, that the confidence which recumbs on God alone cannot
disappoint us, for God will at length shew his kindness to all those who hope in
him. In short, the Prophet teaches us here, that the blessings of God, by which
he exhilarates his own children, cannot be separated from his mercy or his
paternal favor. Such a sentence as this, “Whatever can be expected is
found in God,” would be deemed frigid by many; for they might object and
say, as before stated, that they were at the same time miserable. Hence the
Prophet reminds us here that God’s blessings flow to us from his favor as
from a fountain, as though he had said, “As a perennial fountain sends
forth water, so also God’s goodness manifests and extends
itself.”
We now, then, understand the Prophet’s meaning.
He had indeed said, that we ought to acquiesce in God alone; but now he adds, by
way of favor, regarding the infirmity of men, that God is kind and bountiful to
all those who hope in him. The sum of what he states is, as I have said, that
God’s goodness brings forth its own fruits, and that the faithful find by
experience, that nothing is better than to have all their thoughts fixed on God
alone. God’s goodness, then, ought to be understood, so to speak, as
actual, even what is really enjoyed. As, then, God deals bountifully with all
who hope in him, it follows that they cannot be disappointed, while they are
satisfied with him alone, and thus patiently submit to all adversities. In
short, the Prophet teaches here what the Scripture often declares, that hope
maketh not ashamed.
(<450505>Romans
5:5.)
But the second clause must be noticed: for the
Prophet defines what it is to hope in God, when he says that he is good to
the soul that seeks
him. Many indeed imagine hope to be I know not
what — a dead speculation; and hypocrites, when God spares them, go on
securely and exult, but their confidence is mere ebriety, very different from
hope. We must then remember what the Prophet says here, that they alone hope hi
God who from the heart seek him, that is, who acknowledge how greatly they need
the mercy of God, who go directly to him whenever any temptation harasses them,
and who, when any danger threatens them, flee to his aid, and thus prove that
they really hope in God. It now follows, —
|
LAMENTATIONS
3:26
|
|
26. It is good that a man should both hope and
quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord.
|
26. Bonum et expectabit et silebit ad salutem
Jehovae (ad verbum; vertunt tamen quidam, bonus sperabit et
silebit ad Jehovae; sed potius it neutro genere accipio vocem,
bwf,
sicut in proximo versu qui sequetur, Bonum viro, et
coetera.)
|
It is, indeed, an abrupt phrase when he says, Good
and he will wait; for these words are without a subject; but as it is a general
statement, there is no ambiguity. The Prophet means that it is
good to hope and to be silent as
to the salvation, of God. Then the verbs in the
future tense ought to be rendered its subjunctives, as though it was said,
“It is good when any one hopes in the salvation of Jehovah, and is silent,
that is, bears patiently all his troubles until God succors him.”
F63
But; the Prophet here reminds us, that we are by no
means to require that God should always appear to us, and that his paternal
favor should always shine forth on our life. This is, indeed, a condition sought
for by all; for the flesh inclines us to this, and hence we shun adversities.
We, then, naturally desire God’s favor to be manifested to us; how? In
reality, so that all things may go on prosperously, that no trouble may touch
us, that we may be tormented by no anxiety, that no danger may be suspended over
us, that no calamity may threaten us: these things, as I have said, we all
naturally seek and desire. But in such a case faith would be extinguished, as
Paul tells us in his Epistle to the Romans,
“For we hope
not,” he says, “for what appears, but we hope for what, is
hidden.”
(<450824>Romans
8:24, 25.)
It is necessary in this world that the faithful
should, as to outward things, be miserable, at one time exposed to want, at
another subject to various dangers — at; one time exposed to reproaches
and calumnies, at another harassed by losses: why so? because there would be no
occasion for exercising hope, were our salvation complete. This is the very
thing which the Prophet now teaches us, when he declares that it is good for us
to learn in silence to wait for the salvation of God.
But to express more clearly his mind, he first says,
He will wait, or hope. He teaches the need of patience, as also the Apostle
does, in Hebrew 10:36; for otherwise there can be no faith. It hence appears,
that where there is no patience, there is not even a spark of faith in the heart
of man; how so? because this is our happiness, to wait or to hope; and we hope
for what is hidden. But in the second clause he explains himself still more
clearly by saying, and will be
silent. To be silent means often in
Scripture to rest, to be still; and here it signifies no other thing than to
bear the troubles allotted to us, with a calm and resigned mind. He is then said
to be silent to God, who remains quiet even when afflictions supply occasion for
clamoring; and hence this quietness is opposed to violent feelings; for when
some trouble presses on us, we become turbulent, and are carried away by our
fury, at one time we quarrel with God, at another we pour forth various
complaints. The same thing also happens, when we see some danger, for we
tremble, and then we seek remedies here and there, and that with great
eagerness. But he who patiently bears his troubles, or who recumbs on God when
dangers surround him, is said to be silent or to rest quietly; and hence the
words of Isaiah, “In hope and silence;” for he there exhorts the
faithful to patience, and shews where strength is, even when we trust in God, so
as willingly to submit to His will, and to be ready to bear his chastisements,
and then when we doubt not but that he will be ready to bring us help when we
are in danger.
(<233015>Isaiah
30:15.)
We now perceive what the Prophet means when he says,
that it. is good if we
wait and be silent as to the salvation of
God; even because our happiness is hid,
and we are also like the dead, as Paul says, and our life is hid in Christ.
(<510303>Colossians
3:3.) As then it is so, we must necessarily be silent as to God’s
salvation, and cherish hope within, though surrounded with many miseries. It
follows, —
|
LAMENTATIONS
3:27
|
|
27. It is good for a man that he bear the yoke
in his youth.
|
27. Bonum viro, si tulerit jugum in pueritia
sua.
|
This verse admits of two meanings; for the word yoke
may be explained as signifying teaching, or the scourges of God. We, indeed,
undertake or bear in two ways the yoke of God, even when we are taught to
receive his doctrine, or when we are resigned when he chastises us, when we are
not obstreperous, but willingly submit to his corrections. As then some take the
word
lw[,
for the yoke of instruction, and others for the yoke of chastisement, two
explanations, as I have said, are given; and both are admissible. It is indeed
truly said, that it is good for man to be accustomed from his youth to
God’s corrections; but Jeremiah seems rather to speak of that obedience
generally, which the faithful render to God when they submit to his will. It is
then our true happiness when we acknowledge that we are not our own, and allow
God, by his sovereign power, to rule us as he pleases. But we ought to begin
with the law of God. Hence, then, it is, that we are said to bear the yoke of
God, when we relinquish our own judgment, and become wise through God’s
word, when, with our affections surrendered and subdued, we hear what God
commands us, and receive what he commands. This, then, is what Jeremiah means by
bearing the yoke.
And he says, in youth. For they who have lived
unrestrained throughout their life, can hardly bear to be brought into any
order. We indeed know, that, the aged are less tractable than the young; nay,
whether we refer to the arts or to the liberal sciences, the youthful age is the
most flexible. The aged are also much slower; and added to this is another evil,
they are very obstinate, and will hardly bear to be taught the first rudiments,
being imbued with a false notion, as though they must have lived long in vain.
As, then, the disposition in the old is not easily changed, the Prophet says
that it is good for us to be formed from childhood to bear the yoke. And this is
also seen in brute animals; when a horse is allowed full liberty in the fields,
and not in due time tamed, he will hardly ever bear the curb, he will be always
refractory. The oxen, also, will never be brought to bear the yoke, if they be
put under it in the sixth or eighth year. The same is found to be the case with
men. Jeremiah, then, does not say, without reason, that it is good for every one
to be trained from his youth in the service of God; and thus he exhorts children
and youth not to wait for old age, as it is usually the case. For it has been a
common evil, in all ages, for children and youth to leave the study of wisdom to
the old. “Oh! it will be time enough for me to be wise, when I arrive at a
middle age; but some liberty must be given to childhood and youthful
days.” And for this reason, Solomon exhorts all not to wait for old age,
but duly to learn to fear God in childhood. So also our Prophet declares that it
is good for one to bear the yoke in his childhood. It then follows. —
|
LAMENTATIONS
3:28
|
|
28. He sitteth alone, and keepeth silence,
because he hath borne it upon him.
|
28. Sedebit seorsum (vel, solus) et
silebit, quia tulit super se.
|
Here he shews the fruit of teachableness; for when
God deals severely with his children, they yet do not rebel, but even then they
willingly submit to his authority. For whence comes it that so much impatience
rages in men, except that they know not what it is to obey God, to prepare
themselves to bear the yoke? so, then, men become furious like wild beasts,
never tamed, therefore the Prophet now says, “Whosoever is thus habituated
to the yoke of God, will also be silent in extreme evils, and remain
quiet.” We now perceive what I have just said, that the fruit of docility
and obedience is set forth in this verse.
But when he says that those who are thus trained to
obey God will sit apart, he expresses most fitly the strength and
character of patience. For they for the most part who wish to appear magnanimous
make a great display, and think that their valor is nothing except they appear
as on a theater; they allow themselves at the same time an unbridled liberty
when they are alone; for they who seem the most valorous, except God’s
fear and true religion prevail in their souls, rage against God and champ the
bridle in adversities, though they may not make a clamor before men, for, as I
have already said, they regard display. But here a very different account is
given of patience, even that we are to sit alone and be silent, that is, even
were no one present as a witness, whose presence might make us ashamed; were we
even then to sit, and to submit with calm minds to God, and to take his yoke, we
should thus prove our patience. This verse then distiguishes between the
simplicity of the godly and that will display in which they delight who seek to
obtain the praise of courage, patience, and perseverance, from the world; for
these also sit and speak words as from heaven, and as though they had put off
the flesh. He who has lost a son will say, that he had begotten a mortal: he who
is stripped of all his goods will say, “All my things I carry with
me.” Thus magnanimously do ungodly men speak, so that they seem to surpass
in fortitude and firmness all the children of God. But when they give utterance
to these swelling words, what they regard is the opinion which men may form of
them. But the faithful, what do they do? They sit apart, that is, though they
might shamelessly clamor against God, yet they are quiet and submit to his will.
We now understand what is meant by sitting apart.
Then he says,
because he will carry it on
himself. Some take
lfn
nuthel, in a transitive sense, “he will cast it upon him.”
But this is a forced rendering. It would be a simpler meaning, were we to say,
because he will carry or raise it on himself. The verb
lfn,
nuthel, means not only to carry, but also elevate or raise up. When,
therefore, the Prophet says, that it is an example of real patience when we
carry it on ourselves, he means that we succumb not under our adversities, nor
are overwhelmed by them; for it is patience when it is not grievous to us to
undergo any burdens which God may lay on us; and on this account we are said to
regard his yoke as not grievous — how so? because it is pleasant to us.
As, then, meekness thus extenuates the heaviness of the burden, which would
otherwise overwhelm us, the Prophet says that those who raise up on themselves
all their troubles sit apart.
I do not, however, know whether this passage has been
corrupted; for the expression seems not to me natural. Were we to read
wl[,
olu, his yoke, it would be more appropriate, and a reason would be given
for what goes before, that the faithful sit apart and are silent before God,
because they bear his yoke; for the pronoun may be referred to God as well as to
man. But this is only a conjecture.
F64 It
follows, —
|
LAMENTATIONS
3:29
|
|
29. He putteth his mouth in the if dust so be
there may be hope.
|
29. Ponet in pulvere os suum, si forte sit
spes.
|
He continues the same subject; for he describes to us
men so subdued to obedience that they are ready to bear whatever God may lay on
them. He then says that the sitting and the silence of which he spoke, so far
prevailed, that the children of God, though in extreme evils, did not yet cease
to persevere in their obedience. For it sometimes happens that those who have
made some progress in the fear of God, give proof of their obedience and
patience in some small trial; but when they are greatly tried, then breaks forth
the impatience which they had previously checked. Then the Prophet teaches us
here, that the children of God do not sufficiently prove their patience, when
they bear with a calm mind a moderate correction, except they proceed to a
higher degree of perseverance, so as to remain quiet and resigned even when the
state of things appears hopeless.
By saying that the faithful
put their mouth in the
dust, he means that they lie down humbly
before God and confess themselves to be as dead. The import of what is said is
this: In time of extreme affliction the wise will put his mouth in the dust,
while seeing things in such confusion that all his thoughts vanish away on
account of the atrocity of evils; and thus he intimates that the wise would have
nothing to say. To put the mouth, then, in the dust is to become mute, as though
he had said, that the faithful shut their mouth, when they do not murmur against
God nor abandon themselves to complaints, when they do not expostulate that
injury is done them, nor allege what the unbelieving usually do when God deals
severely with them. In short, to put the mouth in the dust, means to bring no
complaints, and so to check ourselves that no clamorous words proceed from our
mouth. Thus another phrase is used to set forth the silence mentioned
before.
And that the Prophet here speaks of extreme trials,
may be easily gathered from the next clause,
If so be that there is
hope; not that the faithful doubt
whether God would give them hope, for they have no doubt but that God, who
shines in darkness itself by his word, would at length by, the effect prove that
he is not unfaithful. But the particle
ylwa
auli, as it is well known, expresses what is difficult; for when anything
appears to be incredible, the Hebrews say,
If it may
be. But here, as I have said, it does not
intimate a doubt; for when the mind of a godly man fluctuates or doubts, how is
it that he puts his mouth in the dust? but the Prophet shews that those who are
taught to obey God, persevere even in extreme trials, so that while nothing but
despair appears, they yet lie down humbly before God, and patiently wait until
some hope shines forth. And here hope is to be taken for the ground or occasion
of hope.
F65 It
afterwards follows, —
|
LAMENTATIONS
3:30
|
|
30. He giveth his check to him that smiteth
him; he is filled full with reproach.
|
30. Dabit percutienti maxillam, saturbitur
opprobriis.
|
Here he mentions another fruit of patience, that the
faithful, even when injuries are done to them by the wicked, would yet be calm
and resigned. For there are many who submit to God when they perceive his hand;
as, for instance, when any one is afflicted with a disease, he knows that it is
a chastisement that proceeds from God; when pestilence happens, or famine, from
the inclemency of the weather, the hand of God appears to them; and many then
conduct themselves in a suitable manner: but when an enemy meets one, and when
injured, he instantly says, “I have now nothing to do with God, but that
wicked enemy treats me disgracefully.”
It is then for this reason that the Prophet shews
that the patience of the godly ought to extend to injuries of this kind; and
hence he says, He ,will give the
cheek to the smiter, and will be filled with
reproaches.
F66 There
are two kinds of injuries; for the wicked either treat us with violence, or
assail us with reproaches; and reproach is the bitterest of all things, and
inflicts a most grievous wound on all ingenuous minds. The Prophet, then, here
declares that the children of God ought meekly to suffer when they are violently
assailed, and not only so, but when they are dealt with reproachfully by the
wicked. This, then, he says of patience. Now follows another confirmation,
—
|
LAMENTATIONS
3:31
|
|
31. For the Lord will not cast off for
ever.
|
31. Quia non respuet (vel, rejiciet) in
perpetuum Dominus.
|
It is certain that there will be no patience, except
there be hope, as it has already appeared. As, then, patience cherishes hope, so
hope is the foundation of patience; and hence consolation is, according to Paul,
connected with patience.
(<451504>Romans
15:4.) And this is the doctrine which the Prophet now handles, — that the
faithful bear the yoke with meek and calm minds, because they believe that God
will at length be propitious to them: hence also arises patience; for the
faithful are persuaded that all adversities are temporary, and that there will
be a happy end, because God will at length be reconciled to them, though he
gives them new evidences of his wrath.
F67 The rest
to-morrow.
PRAYER.
Grant, Almighty God, that as it is
expedient for us to be daily chastised by thy hand, we may willingly submit to
thee, and not doubt but that thou wilt be faithful, and not prove us with too
much rigor, but that thou wilt consider our weakness, so that we may thus calmly
bear all thy chastisements, until we shall at length enjoy that perfect
blessedness, which is now hid to us under hope, and as it were sealed, until
Christ thy Son shall reveal it at his coming. — Amen.
LECTURE
ELEVENTH
|
LAMENTATIONS
3:32
|
|
32. But though he cause grief, yet will he
have compassion according to the multitude of his mercies.
|
32. Quia si dolore affecerit, etiam
miserebitur secundum multitudinem clementiarum suarum.
|
We saw in the last Lecture that the best and the only
true remedy for sorrows is, when the faithful are convinced that they are
chastised only by the paternal hand of God, and that, the end of all their evils
will be blessed. Now this they cannot of themselves assume; but God comes to
their aid, and declares that he will not be angry for ever with his children.
For this promise extends generally to the whole Church,
“For a moment I
afflicted thee, in the time of mine indignation, but with perpetual mercies will
I follow thee,”
(<235407>Isaiah
54:7, 8 :)
and again,
“I will visit their
iniquities with a rod, yet my mercy I will not take away from them” (Psalm
89 33, 84.)
When therefore the faithful feel assured that their
punishment is only for a time, then they lay hold on hope, and thus receive
invaluable comfort in all their evils.
Jeremiah now pursues the same subject, even that God
will shew compassion according to
the multitude of his mercies, though he causes sorrow to
men. This may indeed be generally explained as
to all mankind; but, as we have said, God has promised this to his own Church.
All miseries, regarded in themselves, are tokens of the wrath and curse of God;
but as all things turn out for good and for salvation to the children of God,
when they embrace this truth, that God, as the Prophet Habakkuk says, remembers
mercy in wrath,
(<350302>Habakkuk
3:2,) so they restrain themselves and do not despond, nor are they overwhelmed
with despair. We now then understand the Prophet’s object in saying, that
though God afflicts he yet remembers mercy.
But we must at the same time bear in mind what I have
before shewed, that the faithful are exposed to various evils, because it is
profitable for them to be chastised by God’s hand. Hence appears the
necessity of this doctrine, for were we exempt frown all adversities, this
admonition would be superfluous. But as it cannot be but that God will smite us
with his rods, not only because we deserve to be smitten, but also because it is
expedient, it is necessary to flee to this consolation which is offered to us,
even that God having afflicted us with grief will again shew us compassion, even
according to the multitude of his
mercies. He confirms the truth of what
he alleges by a reference to the very nature of God himself. Hence, that the
faithful might not debate with themselves whether God would be propitious to
them, after having inflicted on them a temporary punishment, the Prophet comes
to their aid, and sets before them the mercy of God, or rather mercies, in the
plural number; as though he had said, that it could not be that God should deny
himself, and that therefore he would be always merciful to his people; for
otherwise his mercy would be obliterated, yea, that mercy which is inseparable
from his eternal essence and divinity.
And hence, when God is pleased briefly to shew what
he is, he sets forth his mercy and patience; for except his goodness and mercy
meet us, when we come to him, dread would immediately absorb all our thoughts;
but when God comes forth as if clothed and adorned with mercy, we may then
entertain hope of salvation; and though conscious of evil, yet while we recumb
on God’s mercy, we shall never lose the hope of salvation. We not:
apprehend the Prophet’s meaning. It follows, —
|
LAMENTATIONS
3:33
|
|
33. For he doth not afflict willingly, nor
grieve the children of men.
|
33. Quia non affligit ex corde suo, et delore
afficit filios viri.
|
This is another confirmation of the same truth, that
God takes no delight in the evils or miseries of men. It is indeed a strong mode
of speaking which the Prophet adopts, but very suitable. God, we know, puts on,
as it were, our form or manner, for he cannot be comprehended in his
inconceivable glory by human minds. Hence it is that he transfers to himself
what properly can only apply to men. God surely never acts unwillingly nor
feignedly: how then is that suitable which Jeremiah declares, — that God
does not afflict from his
heart? But God, as already said, does
here assume the character of man; for though he afflicts us with sorrow as he
pleases, yet true it is that he delights not in the miseries of men; for if a
father desires to benefit his own children, and deals kindly with them, what
ought we to think of our heavenly Father?
“Ye,” says
Christ, “who are evil,
know
how to do good to your children,”
(<400711>Matthew
7:11;)
what then are we to expect from the very fountain of
goodness? As, then, parents are not willingly angry with their children, nor
handle them roughly, there is no doubt but that God never punishes men except
when he is constrained. There is, as I have said, an impropriety in the
expression, but it is enough to know, that God derives no pleasure from the
miseries of men, as profane men say, who utter such blasphemies as these, that
we are like balls with which God plays, and that we are exposed to many evils,
because God wishes to have as it were, a pleasant and delectable spectacle in
looking on the innumerable afflict, ions, and at length on the death of
men.
That such thoughts, then, might not tempt us to
unbelief, the Prophet here puts a check on us, and declares that God does
not afflict from his
heart, that is, willingly, as though he
delighted in the evils of men, as a judge, who, when he ascends his throne and
condemns the guilty to death, does not do this from his heart, because he wishes
all to be innocent, and thus to have a reason for acquitting them; but. yet he
willingly condemns the guilty, because this is his duty. So also God, when he
adopts severity towards men, he indeed does so willingly, because he is the
judge of the world; but he does not do so from the heart, because he wishes all
to be innocent — for far away from him is all fierceness and cruelty; and
as he regards men with paternal love, so also he would have them to be saved,
were they not as it were by force to drive him to rigor. And this feeling he
also expresses in Isaiah,
“Ah! I will take
consolation from mine
adversaries.”
(<230124>Isaiah
1:24.)
He calls them adversaries who so often provoked him
by their obstinacy; yet he was led unwillingly to punish their sins, and hence
he employed a particle expressive of grief, and exclaimed Ah! as a father who
wishes his son to be innocent, and yet is compelled to be severe with
him.
But however true this doctrine may be, taken
generally, there is yet no doubt but that the Prophet here addresses only the
faithful; and doubtless this privilege peculiarly belongs to God’s
children, as it. has been shown before. It follows, —
|
LAMENTATIONS
3:34-36
|
|
34. To crush under his feet all the prisoners
of the earth,
|
34. Ad conterendum sub pedibus suis omnes
vinetos terrae,
|
|
35. To turn aside the right of a man before
the face of the most High.
|
35. Ad pervertendum (ad declinandum) judisium
viri coram conspectu excelsi,
|
|
36. To subvert a man in his cause, the Lord
approveth not.
|
36. Ad pervertendumm hominem in lite sua,
Dominus non videt (vel, non vidit)
|
Many interpreters think that these three verses are
connected with the previous doctrine, and show the connection thus, — that
God does not see, that is, does not know what it is to pervert the good cause of
a man, and to oppress the innocent; and, doubtless, God is said not to know what
iniquity is, because he abhors all evil; for what is the nature of God but the
perfection of justice? It may then be truly said, that. God knows not what it is
to turn man aside in judgment. Others take not to see, as meaning, not to
approve.
If we subscribe to the opinion of those who say that
injustice is contrary to the nature of God, there is here an exhortation to
patience; as though the Prophet had said that afflictions ought to be borne with
resignation, because the Jews had fully deserved them. For the liberty taken to
complain arises from this, that men imagine that they are without fault; but he
who is convicted dares not thus to rise up against God; for the chief thing in
humility is the acknowledgment of sin. This, then, is one meaning. But they who
give this explanation, that God does not approve of those who pervert judgment,
think that there is here a ground of consolation, because God would at length
succor the miserable who were unjustly oppressed. And doubtless it avails not a
little to encourage patience when we are persuaded that God will be an avenger,
so that he will at length help us, after having for a time suffered us to be
severely treated.
But these expositions seem to me to be too remote; we
may give a correcter explanation by supposing a concession to be made, as though
the Prophet had said, “It is indeed true that the wicked take much
license, for they imagine that God is blind to all evil deeds.” For this
madness is often ascribed to the ungodly, that they think that they can sin with
impunity, because God, as they suppose, cares not for the affairs of men. They
then imagine that God is asleep, and in a manner dead, and hence they break out
into all kinds of wickedness. And for this reason it was that David so
vehemently rebuked them:
“He who has formed
the ear, will he not hear? He who has created the heaven, will he not
see?”
(<199409>Psalm
94:9.)
This explanation also I cannot approve of, it being
forced and not obvious.
I therefore think that the reference is to the
impious words of those who complain that God is not moved by any compassion. For
this thought almost lays hold on us wheel pressed down by adversities, —
that God has forgotten us, that he is either asleep or lies down inactive. In
short, there is nothing more difficult to be assured of than this truth, that
God governs the world by his counsel, and that nothing happens without a design.
This is indeed what almost all confess; but when a trial comes, this doctrine
vanishes, and every one is carried away by some perverted and erroneous
thoughts, even that all things roll round fortuitously through blind fate, that
men are not the objects of God’s care. Nor is there a doubt but that in
Jeremiah’s time words of this kind were flying about; and it appears
evident from the context that those Jews were reproved who thought that their
miseries were disregarded by God, and hence they clamored; for men are
necessarily carried away into a furious state of mind, when they do not believe
that they have to do with God. The Prophet, then, refers to such impious words,
or if they dared not to express in language what they thought, he refers to what
was believed almost by all, — that the wicked
perverted the judgment of
man, that they
turned aside a man in his
cause, that
they tore under their feet all
the bound of the earth;
F68 that is,
that all those things were done by the connivance of God. The plain meaning,
then, is, that judgment is perverted before the face of the Most High, —
that the bound of the earth such as are helpless, are despised, trodden under
foot by the wicked, — that a man in his cause is unjustly dealt with, and
that all this is done because God
does not see.
F69 We now,
then, perceive what the Prophet means.
But whence came such madness? even because the Jews,
as I have said, would not humble themselves under the mighty hand of God; for
hypocrisy had so blinded them, that they proudly clamored against God, thinking
that they were chastised with unjust severity,. As then, they thus flattered
themselves in their sins, this expostulation arose which the Prophet mentions,
that man’s judgment was perverted, that the innocent failed in a good
cause, that the miserable were trodden under foot; and whence all this? because
God did not see, or did not regard these things. Now follows the reproof of this
delirious impiety, —
|
LAMENTATIONS
3:37-38
|
|
37. Who is he that saith, and it cometh to
pass, when the Lord commandeth it not.
|
37. Quis iste, dixit; fuit, Deus non
praecepit?
|
|
38. Out of the mouth of the most High
proceedeth not evil and good.?
|
38. Ex ore Excelsi non egredietur malum et
bonum (vel, quasi non egrediatur malum et bonum ex ore
Excelsi?)
|
The Prophet, after having mentioned the blasphemy
which prevailed everywhere at that time, strongly condemns so gross a stupidity.
Who is
this? he says. He checks such madness by a
sharp rebuke — for the question implies an astonishment, as though the
Prophet had said, that it was like a prodigy to find men who imagined that God
was content with his own leisure, and exercised no care over the world; for this
was to annihilate him altogether. God is not a dead being, he is not a spectre;
what then? God is the judge of the world. We hence see that it was a monstrous
thing, when men entertained the notion that God is idle or forgetful, that he
gives up the world to chance. This is the reason why the Prophet asks as of a
thing absurd and extremely disgraceful.
Who is
this? he says; Could it be that men should give
themselves up to such a degree of madness? for when they said, that anything
could happen without God’s command, it was the same as if they denied his
power; for what is God without his judgment?
The other verse may be explained in two ways; but as
to the meaning, there is but little difference. It may, then, be read as a
question, “Cannot good and evil proceed from the mouth of the most
High?” or it may be rendered thus, “As though good and evil should
not proceed from the mouth of God.” As to the substance of what is said,
we see that there is no need of disputing, for the Prophet confirms what he had
said, that men are to be abhorred who imagine God to be as it were dead, and
thus rob him of his power and of his office as a judge. And, doubtless, except
we hold this truth, no true religion can exist in us; for except all the sayings
and doings of men come to an account before the tribunal of God, and also their
motives and thoughts, there will be first. no faith and, secondly, there will be
no integrity, and all prayer to God will be extinguished. For if we believe that
God does not regard what is done in the world, who will trust in him? and who
will seek help from him? besides, who will hesitate to abandon himself to
cruelty, or frauds, or plunder? Extinguished, then, is every sense of religion
by this impious opinion, that God spends his time leisurely in heaven, and
attends not to human affairs. This is the reason why the Prophet is so indignant
against those who said, that anything could be done without the command of
God.
Let us now see how God commands what is wrongly and
foolishly done by men. Surely he does not command the ungodly to do what is
wicked, for he would thus render them excusable; for where God’s authority
interposes, there no blame can be. But God is said to command whatever he has
decreed, according to his hidden counsel. There are, then, two kinds of
commands; one belongs to doctrine, and the other to the hidden judgments of God.
The command of doctrine, so to speak, is an evident approbation which acquits
men; for when one obeys God, it is enough that he has God as his authority,
though he were condemned by a hundred worlds. Let us, then, learn to be
attentive to the commands of doctrine, by which we ought to regulate our life,
for they make up the only true rule, from which it is not right to depart. But
God is said to command according to his secret decrees what he does not approve,
as far as men are concerned. So Shimei had a command to curse, and yet he was
not exempt from blame; for it was not his purpose to obey God; nay, he thought
that he had offended God no less than David.
(<101605>2
Samuel 16:5, 6.) Then this distinction ought to be understood, that some things
are commanded by God, not that men may have it as a rule of action, but when God
executes his secret judgments by ways unknown to us. Thus, then, ought this
passage to be understood, even that nothing is carried on without God’s
command, that is, without his decree, and, as they say, without his
ordination.
It hence appears, that those things which seem
contingent, are yet ruled by the certain providence of God, so that nothing is
done at random. And what philosophers call accident, or contingent,
(ejndeco>menon)
is necessary as to God; for God decreed before the world was made whatever he
was to do; so that there is nothing now done in the world which is not directed
by his counsel. And true is that saying in the Psalms, that our God is in
heaven, and doeth whatsoever he pleaseth,
(<19B603>Psalm
116:3;) but this would not be true, were not all things dependent on God’s
counsel. We hence see that nothing is contingent, for everything that takes
place flows from the eternal and immutable counsel of God. It. is indeed true,
that those things which take place in this or that manner, are properly and
naturally called contingencies, but what is naturally contingent, is necessary,
as far as it is directed by God; nay, what is carried on by the counsel and will
of men is necessary. Philosophers think that all things are contingent
(ejndeco>mena)
and why? because the will of man may turn either way. They then, conclude, that
whatever men do is contingent, because he who wills may change his will. These
things are true, when we consider the will of man in itself, and the exercise of
it; but when we raise our eyes to the secret providence of God, who turns and
directs the counsels of men according to his own will, it is certain that how
much soever men may change in their purposes, yet God never
changes.
Let us then hold this doctrine, that nothing is done
except by God’s command and ordination, and, with the Holy Spirit, regard
with abhorrence those profane men who imagine that God sits idly as it were on
his watch-tower and takes no notice of what is done in the world, and that human
affairs change at random, and that men turn and change independently on any
higher power. Nothing is more diabolical than this delirious impiety; for as I
have said, it extinguishes all the acts and duties of religion; for there will
be no faith, no prayer, no patience, in short;, no religion, except we believe
and know that God exercises such care over the world, of which he is the
Creator, that nothing happens except through his certain and unchangeable
decree.
Now they who object, and say that God is thus made
the author of evils, may be easily refuted; for nothing is more preposterous
than to measure the incomprehensible judgment of God by our contracted minds.
The Scripture cries aloud that the judgments of God are a great deep; it exhorts
us to reverence and sobriety, and Paul does not in vain exclaim that the ways of
God are unsearchable.
(<451133>Romans
11:33.) As, then, God’s judgments in their height far surpass all our
thoughts, we ought to beware of audacious presumption and curiosity; for the
more audacious a man becomes, the farther God withdraws from him. This, then, is
our wisdom, to embrace only what the Scripture teaches. Now, when it teaches us
that nothing is done except through the will of God, it does not speak
indiscriminately, as though God approved of murders, and thefts, and sorceries,
and adulteries; what then? even that God by his just and righteous counsel so
orders all things, that he still wills not iniquity and abhors all injustice.
When, therefore, adulteries, and murders, and plunders are committed, God
applies, as it were, a bridle to all those things, and how much soever the most;
wicked may indulge themselves in their vices, he still rules them; this they
themselves acknowledge; but for what end does he rule them? even that he may
punish sins with sins, as Paul teaches us, for he says that; God gives up to a
reprobate mind those who deserve such a punishment, that he gives them up to
disgraceful lusts, that he blinds more and more the despisers of his word.
(<450128>Romans
1:28;
<530210>2
Thessalonians 2:10.) And then God has various ways, and those innumerable and
unknown to us.
Let us then learn not to subject; God to our
judgment, but adore his judgments, though they surpass our comprehension; and
since the cause of them is hid from us, our highest wisdom is modesty and
sobriety.
Thus we see that God is not the author of evils,
though nothing happens but by his nod and through his will, — for far
different is his design from that of wicked men. Then absurd would it be to
implicate him as all associate ill the same crime, when a murderer, or a thief,
or an adulterer is condemned, — and why? because God has no participation
in thefts and adulteries; but the vices of men are in a way wonderful and
incomprehensible as his judgments. In a word, as far as the heavens are from the
earth, so great is the difference between the works of God and the deeds of men,
for the ends, as I have said, are altogether different.
F70
The Prophet says that
from the mouth of the most High
proceed good and evil. By
“mouth” he means his decree. God indeed does not always declare that
he is a judge; he has often executed punishment on the wicked, as it were, in
silence; for there were no prophets among the heathens to proclaim the judgments
he brought on them. But though God does not always speak when he punishes the
wickedness of men, it is yet said that good and evil proceed from his mouth;
because he allots to men their punishment as it seems good to him; and then he
spares others or bears with them for a time. It follows,
—
|
LAMENTATIONS
3:39
|
|
39. Wherefore doth a living man complain, a
man for the punishment of his sins?
|
39. Cur molestia se afficit homo vivens? Vir
super peccato suo?
|
Some explain the verb
ˆnwaty,
itaunen, by giving it the sense of lying, “Why should man
lie?” others, “Why should man murmur?” But I see not what
sense there can be in rendering it lying or murmuring. Others translate thus,
“Why should man harden himself?” but it is a mere conjecture. Now,
this verb sometimes means to weary one’s self, in Hithpael. So in
the eleventh chapter of Numbers, “The people murmured,” as some
render the words; but I think differently; nor is there a doubt but that Moses
meant that the people were wearied, so that they in a manner pined away; and
this meaning is the most suitable here. For the Prophet had before rebuked those
who imagined that God, having relinquished the care of the world, led an
inactive and easy life in heaven; but now, in order to rouse the minds of all,
he points out the remedy for this madness, even that men should not willingly
weary themselves in their sins, but acknowledge that their wickedness is shewn
to them whenever any adversity comes upon them. And surely men would not be so
infatuated as to exclude God from the government of the world, were they to know
themselves and seriously to call to mind their own deeds and words; for God
would soon exhibit to them sure and notorious examples of his judgment. Whence
then comes it, that we are so dull and stupid in considering the works of God?
nay, that we think that God is like a spectre or an idol? even because we rot in
our sins and contract a voluntary dullness; for we champ the bit, according to
the old proverb.
We now, then, perceive why the Prophet joins this
sentence, Why does a living man
weary himself?
F71
and a man in his
sins? for as long as men thus remain in their
own dregs, they will never acknowledge God as the judge of the world, and thus
they always go astray through their own perverse imaginations. If, then, we wish
to dissipate all the mists which prevent us from seeing God’s providence,
(that is, by the eyes of faith,) let every one be his own witness and the judge
of his own life, and carefully examine himself; it will then immediately occur
to us, that God is not without reason angry with us, and that we are afflicted
with so many adversities, because our sins will come forth before us. We here
see the cause of that madness which makes men to exclude God’s providence
from human affairs, even because they look not on themselves, but torment
themselves without any benefit and become wearied in their sins, and do not
raise up their eyes to God. The rest, connected with our subject, I must defer
till to-morrow.
PRAYER.
Grant, Almighty God, that as we are at
this day tossed here and there by so many troubles, and almost all things in the
world are in confusion, so that wherever we turn our eyes, nothing but thick
darkness meets us, — O grant that we may learn to surmount all obstacles,
and to raise our eyes by faith above the world, so that we may acknowledge that
governed by thy wonderful counsel is everything that seems to us to happen by
chance, in order that we may seek thee, and know that help will be ready for us
through thy mercy whenever we humbly seek the pardon of our sins, through Christ
Jesus our Lord. — Amen.
LECTURE
TWELFTH
|
LAMENTATIONS
3:40
|
|
40. Let us search and try our ways, and turn
against the Lord.
|
40. Percontemur (scrutemur) vias nostras, et
inquiramus, et convertamur ad Jehovam.
|
The Prophet now shews more clearly what the reproof
meant which we shortly explained yesterday: he said that men act absurdly while
they weary themselves in their sins; he now adds that they would do rightly if
they inquired into their own life, and faithfully examined
themselves.
For hence is trouble and weariness, when men feel and
deplore their outward evils, but consider not the cause, that is, when they
consider not that they are justly chastised by God’s hand. Then the
examination now mentioned is set in opposition to the torpor and weariness with
which men in vain torment themselves, and in which they pine away, because they
reflect not on their vices. Hence it is that they attain nothing but weariness
— and that is a sorrow to death, as Paul says; but sorrow to life proceeds
from the self-examination to which the Prophet now invites and exhorts
us.
He then says that the only true remedy in adversities
is when men carefully examine themselves, and consider what they deserve.
F72 He also
mentions conversion; for they who are really touched with the fear of God do not
stop at this examination, but rise higher; for as God calls them back to the
right way, when they acknowledge that they have departed from him, they flee to
his mercy, loathe themselves on account of their vices, and seek after newness
of life. Thus our Prophet prescribes to us a certain order, — that we are
to examine our whole life, and that, being influenced by the fear of God, we are
to return to him; for while he treats us with severity, he still kindly invites
us by ever offering to sinners a free pardon. He afterwards adds,
—
|
LAMENTATIONS
3:41
|
|
41. Let us lift our heart with our hands unto
God in the heavens.
|
41. Tollamus corda nostra cum manibus ad Deum
in coelis.
|
To conversion he joins prayer; for we cannot be
reconciled to God except he buries our sins; nor can repentance and faith be
separated. Moreover, to taste of God’s mercy opens to us the door of
prayer. And this ought to be carefully noticed, because the unbelieving seem at
times to be very busy in seeking to return to God’s favor, but they only
attend to the outward change of life; and at the same time they are not anxious
about pardon, but go boldly before God, as though they were not exposed to his
judgment.
And we see under the Papacy that while they make long
sermons on repentance, they hardly ever make any account of faith, as though
repentance without faith were a restoration from death to life.
Hence I said that we ought to notice the mode of
teaching which our Prophet adopts: he begins with self-examination, then he
requires conversion; but he does not separate it from faith. For when he exhorts
us to pray, it is the same thing as though he had set before us the judgment of
God, and had also taught us that we cannot escape death except God be propitious
to us. How then is pardon to be obtained? by prayer: and prayer, as it is well
known, must be always founded on faith.
By telling us to
raise up our hearts to God
together with our hands, he bids us to
banish all hypocrisy from our prayers. For all without a difference raise up
their hands to God; and nature itself, when we are pressed down with evils,
leads us to seek God. But the greater part stifle this feeling of nature. When
affliction comes, it is a common thing with all to raise up their hands to
heaven, though no one should bid them to do so; but still their hearts remain
fixed on the earth, and they come not to God. And the greater part of men are
included in that class mentioned by Isaiah,
“This people come
to me with their tongue,
but their
heart is far away.”
(<232913>Isaiah
29:13.)
As, then, men deal thus formally with God, and
present a naked ceremony, as though God had changed and suffered his eyes to be
covered, the Prophet bids all dissimulation to cease from prayer;
Let us raise up
hands, he says, to God, and also
hearts. Joel speaks somewhat differently, when he says,
“Rend your hearts
and not your garments,”
(<290213>Joel
2:13;)
for he seems to exclude the outward rite, because
men, wishing to shew that they were guilty before God, rent their garments. Joel
says that this was superfluous and useless; and doubtless the rite itself was
not so very necessary. But as prayers, when they are earnest, move the hands,
our Prophet refers to that practice as useful. At the same time he teaches us
that the chief thing ought not to be omitted, even to raise up the hearts to
God: Let
us, then, he says,
raise up our hearts together with
our hands to God; and he adds,
to God who is in
heaven: for it is necessary that men
should rise up above the world, and to go out of themselves, so to speak, in
order to come to God.
We now then understand the meaning of the Prophet,
— that those who repent from the heart ought not to go before God, as
though they were not guilty before his tribunal, but that on the contrary they
ought to be penitent and humble, so that they may obtain pardon. He afterwards
shews that the right way of praying is, when we not only perform the outward
ceremonies, but when we open our hearts and raise them up as it were to heaven
itself. It is, then, the right way of praying, when the inward feeling
corresponds with the external posture. It follows, —
|
LAMENTATIONS
3:42
|
|
42. We have trangressed, and we have rebelled;
thou hast not pardoned.
|
42. Nos peccavimus et rebelles fuimus; tu non
pepercisti.
|
The faithful do not here expostulate with God, but on
the contrary acknowledge that God’s severity was just. That God then had
dealt with them severely, they ascribe to their own sins, This is the substance
of what is said.
We hence learn that an ingenuous confession ever
accompanies repentance, as also Paul teaches us,
(<470711>2
Corinthians 7:11.) For when a sinner is either secure or tries to cover his
wickedness, and flatters himself, as we see but a few who willingly humble
themselves before God, he contracts the hardness of obstinacy. For this reason
the Prophet requires confession; nay, he suggests here the words suitable to be
used, when we desire to obtain pardon from God.
We have done
wickedly, he says,
and have been
rebellious. The pronoun, we, is here
emphatical, as though the faithful had taken on themselves the blame of all the
evils, which the greater part ever sought to disown.
F73
Here then the Prophet shews that there is no other
way of being reconciled to God, than by confessing ourselves to be the authors
of all our evils; and he also teaches us, that it is an evidence of true
repentance, when we do not allege vain pretences as it is commonly done, nor
flatter ourselves, but confess that we are guilty. He now shows that guilt ought
by no means to be extenuated, so that our confession may be real and complete:
but in this respect the world trifle with God. The most wicked are, indeed,
ashamed to deny that they are sinners; but as they are forced to make some kind
of confession, this they do lightly; and it seems an extorted confession, and is
therefore jejune, or at least not complete. But the Prophet here shews that they
who seek to be reconciled to God, ought not only in words to acknowledge and
confess their guilt, but also ingenuously to open their hearts. Hence he
connects perverseness with sin: as though he had said, “We have not sinned
simply or in one way, but we have exasperated God himself; and by sinning in
many ways and constantly, we have provoked him against us.” He says, in
short, that there is then an access open to us to obtain favor, when we do not
murmur against God nor contend with him as though he had dealt severely with us,
but when we confess that he has been hard and rigid with us, because he had a
reason to be so on account of our sins and wickedness. He adds,
—
|
LAMENTATIONS
3:43
|
|
43. Thou hast covered with anger, and
persecuted us; thou hast slain, thou as not pitied.
|
43. Obtexisti in ira et persequutus es nos;
occidisti et non pepercisti.
|
At the first view, this complaint may seem to proceed
from a bitter heart; for here the faithful complain that they had been slain,
and then that God had executed his judgment as it were in darkness, without any
indulgence; and the next verse confirms the same thing. But it is a simple
acknowledgment of God’s righteous vengeance for in their extreme
calamities the faithful could not declare that God dealt mercifully with them,
for they had been subjected to extreme rigor, as we have before seen. Had they
said that they had been leniently chastised, it would have been very strange,
for the temple had been burnt, the city had been demolished, the kingdom had
been overthrown, the people for the most part had been driven into exile, the
remainder had been scattered, the covenant of God had been in a manner
abolished; for it could not have been thought otherwise according to the
judgment of the flesh. Had, then, the exiles in Chaldea said that God had
smitten them leniently, would not such an extenuation have appeared very
strange? and had also the Prophet spoken in the same strain? For the causes of
sorrow were almost innumerable: every one had been robbed of his goods; then
there were many widows, many orphans; but the chief causes of sorrow were the
burning of the temple and the ruin of the kingdom. No wonder, then, that the
faithful set forth here their aggravated evils: but yet they seek out no other
cause than their own sins.
Hence they say now, that God had
covered them over in
wrath. It is a most suitable metaphor;
as though he had said, that God had executed his vengeance in thick darkness.
For an object presented to the eye produces sympathy, and we are easily inclined
to mercy when a sad spectacle is presented to us. Hence it is, that even the
most savage enemies are sometimes softened, for they are led by their eyes to
acts of humanity. The Prophet, then, in order to set forth the horrible
vengeance of God, says that there had been a covering introduced, so that God
had punished the wicked people in an implacable manner. But as I have said, he
does not charge God with cruelty, though he says that he had covered them over
in wrath. F74
He then says,
Thou hast pursued us and killed
us, and hast not spared. They intimate,
in short, that God had been a severe judge; but they at the same time turned to
themselves and sought there the cause, even that they might not, by their own
hardness, provoke God against themselves, as hypocrites are wont to do. And the
consciousness of evil leads us also to repentance; for whence is it that men
grow torpid in their sins, except that they flatter themselves? When, therefore,
God suspends his judgments, or when he moderates them, and does not punish men
as they deserve, then, if there be any repentance, it is yet frigid, and soon
vanishes. This, then, is the reason why God inflicts deadly strokes, because we
feel not his hand except the stroke be as it were deadly. As, then, simple
chastisement is not sufficient to lead us to repentance, the Prophet introduces
the faithful as speaking thus, “Behold, thou hast in wrath covered us
over, so as not to look on us,” so that there might be no opportunity for
mercy, that is, that they might be the judges of themselves, and conclude from
the atrocity of their punishment how grievously they must have provoked the
wrath of God. It follows in the same sense, —
|
LAMENTATIONS
3:44
|
|
44. Thou hast covered thyself with a cloud,
that our prayer should not pass through.
|
44. Obtexisti in nube tibi, ne transiret
precatio.
|
The Prophet confirms the same thing, but the words
are different. He again repeats the word to cover; but, that the metaphor might
be clearer and more fully explained, he says, with a cloud. He simply
intimates, that a cloud interposed, that God might more unrestrainedly punish
the Jews, as they had deserved. Isaiah speaks somewhat otherwise, but for the
same purpose:
“The hand of God,” he says,
“is not shortened, nor are his ears more deaf; but your sins have
interposed a distance between you and God.”
(<235901>Isaiah
59:1, 2.)
There is no doubt but that Isaiah meant the same
thing as our Prophet, even that God’s nature never changes; and,
therefore, that when he seems to rage against his people, the cause ought to be
ascribed to their sins, because God ever remains like himself. We know what is
said in the Psalms,
“Thou art God who
hearest prayer.”
(<196503>Psalm
65:3.)
God, then, is always ready to hear his people, and he
also possesses power sufficient to help them; but the distance arises from our
sins. And so the Prophet now says that a cloud interposed.
Nearly the same sentence is found in the third
chapter, as we have seen; for there the Prophet said, in the name of the whole
people, that they had become separated from God, but that it was a separation,
not because God had changed his purpose, but because the people had, in a
manner, rejected his favor. Thou hast, then, he says, covered
thyself with a
cloud, that is, thou hast made for
thyself a covering, that prayer may not pass through. This seems, indeed, very
strange, because God advances to meet all the miserable, and promises to hear
their prayers: what, then, can this mean, that a cloud interposed that prayer
might not go through to him? even that the Jews did not pray aright, and that
they had closed up against themselves every access by which God could admit
them. In short, the faithful do not here contend with God, as though they had
been deceived by his promises, but confess that they were unworthy to pray to
God, and they also acknowledge that they did not pray aright.
F75 And
according to this sense they say, that they were hindered, as though a cloud
interposed, so that their prayer could not ascend to God. It follows,
—
|
LAMENTATIONS
3:45
|
|
45. Thou hast made us as the offscouring and
refuse in the midst of the people.
|
45. Quisquilias et rejectionem posuiti nos in
medio populorum.
|
They say here that they were exposed to reproach, so
as to become, as it were, the sweepings of the world. Some render
yjs,
sachi, “refuse;” some by other words; and some
“filth:” But the word properly means sweepings or scraping’s,
called by the Greeks
periyh>mata.
Paul says, that he and his associates were the offscouring
(periyh>mata)
of the world.
(<460413>1
Corinthians 4:13.) He means that they were despised as offscourings or
scrapings. The word is derived from sweeping. Whatever, then, is cleaned off by
sweeping or scouring, that is, the filth of the house or the floor, is called
yjs,
sachi. What the Prophet had in view is not obscure; for he means that the
degradation of the people was not hidden, but open Go all nations, as though God
had erected a theater in Judea, and there exhibited a remarkable and an unusual
example of his vengeance. To the same purpose is what he adds,
—
|
LAMENTATIONS
3:46
|
|
46. All our enemies have opened their mouths
against us.
|
46. Aperuerunt super nos os suum omnes inimici
nostri.
|
He repeats what he had said, that the people were an
offscouring, or scrapings, or sweepings, and also a refuse. The last word is,
indeed, in the infinitive mood,
swam,
maus, but it is to be taken as a noun. They had become all this, because
they had as many enemies as neighbors; for we know that the Jews were hated by
all the neighboring nations. They had become, then, a refuse and filth among all
people, for with an open mouth they spoke furiously against them. For the open
mouth means that they spoke insolently, and took the liberty of cursing them
all, as it has been stated elsewhere. Now it was the bitterest thing to the
miserable people, when they found that the reproaches and taunts of enemies were
added to their calamities: for we know how grievously does reproach wound those
who are already afflicted.
|
LAMENTATIONS
3:47
|
|
47. Fear and a snare is come upon us,
desolation and destruction.
|
47. Pavor et fovea fuit nobis, destructio
(alii vertunt, deceptio,) et contritio.
|
The Prophet largely dwells on the grievousness of the
calamity which had happened. He compares here the anxieties into which the
people had been brought, to a pitfall and dread. There is a
striking alliteration in the words
djp
and
tjp,
pechet and peched. But the meaning is, that the people had been
reduced to such straits, that there was no outlet for them; as the case is with
us, when we are filled with dread, and look here and there, and see nothing but
pitfalls on every side; then we are at our wits’ end. Such then was the
state of the people, as Jeremiah shews: filled with dread, they sought refuge,
but saw pitfalls on every side.
He afterwards mentions
desolation
or destruction, and sorrow. It is probably a mistake in Jerome’s version,
where the first; word is rendered “prophesying.” Some think that he
was led astray by the letter
ç,
shin, which he seems to have read with a point on the left side; and he
took the word as coming from
açn
nusha. But another conjecture seems more correct, that the transcribers
have committed a mistake; for what I have said is most appropriate to the
passage, even that the people were overwhelmed with all kinds of evils, because
there was nothing to be seen but desolation and sorrow, or bruising, or breach,
rbç,
shaber. It now follows, —
|
LAMENTATIONS
3:48
|
|
48. Mine eye runneth down with rivers of water
for the destruction of the daughter of my people.
|
48. Rivi (hoc est, tanquam rivi)
aquarum descendit oculus meus super contrione (vel, afflictione, est
idem nomen
rbç)
filii populi mei.
|
Interpreters give different explanations of the
beginning of this verse: some render it thus, “My eye comes down unto
rivers of waters;” others, “My eye flows down unto rivers of
waters,” or, “rivers of waters flow down.” But as I have
explained elsewhere, the Prophet rather means, that his eye came down like
rivers; and to come down, or to descend, is a metaphor for flowing down; for
water, as it is well known, descends when it flows. And there is a change of
number when he says, “My eye descends;” there is also raider-stood
the particle of comparison,
k,
caph.
F76 The
meaning is, that his eyes descended or flowed down as rivers. The last: word
properly signifies divisions, but; he means that many streams flowed down, as
though they were so many rivers.
For the
bruising, or the breach,
of my
people: the Prophet speaks here in his
own person, though there is no doubt but that he exhorts all others to join him
in his sorrow. For the faithful would not have prayed to God with sufficient
ardor, had they not been dreadfully broken and confounded; had not the calamity
deeply affected them, as it ought to have done, there would have been no serious
attention to prayer. This is the reason why the Prophet here mentions his own
weepings, and groanings, and tears, even that he might rouse himself to prayer,
and lead others also. It follows, —
|
LAMENTATIONS
3:49
|
|
49. Mine eye trickleth down, and ceaseth not,
without any intermission.
|
49. Oculus meus defluxit, et non quievit a non
intermissionibus (hoc est, ut non sint intermissiones, vel ut
nulla sit requies.)
|
He repeats the same in other words, — that his
eyes flowed down with tears. He still retains the singular number, but this is
common in Hebrew. He then says, that
his eye without end flowed down,
so that there was no rest. But it
afterwards follows —
|
LAMENTATIONS
3:50
|
|
50. Till the Lord look down, and behold from
heaven.
|
50. Donec aspiciat et videat Jehova e
coelis.
|
The Prophet here makes a distinction between his
weeping and that blind sorrow by which the unbelieving are affected and
violently agitated: they have no regard to God. Then the Prophet says here that
he not only wept, but that he also prayed and waited for God to put an end to
evils. As I have already said, the unbelieving grieve abundantly in adversities,
nay, they abandon themselves to sorrow; but they turn away wholly from God, and
are like wild beasts. Then the Prophet points out the right way to mourn: our
eyes must flow down to weariness and without rest, but at the same time we must
wait until God be propitious to us. Therefore this verse connects well with the
former, F77
until Jehovah look down and see
from heaven; for otherwise tears would
draw us to despair, and despair would become the cause of fury; for we see that
the ungodly murmur against God.
Thus, then, ought we to weep, in order that we may at
the same time cherish hope while we wait for God to look down on us and to see
our miseries from heaven. The word heaven, is not added uselessly,
because men in their evils, when they seek God, are filled with terror, for they
do not think that they can ascend to him: hence, then, it is, that they despond,
for they imagine that God is too remote from them. The Prophet therefore
anticipates here this false notion, and says that we ought nevertheless to wait
until God looks down from heaven; which corresponds with what is said in the
Psalms: that God is high and yet has respect to low things.
(<19B304>Psalm
113:4-6.) Though, then, the majesty of God is elevated above all the heavens,
yet this does not prevent him familiarly to regard what is low and despised in
the world. At length it follows, —
|
LAMENTATIONS
3:51
|
|
51. Mine eye affecteth mine heart, because of
all the daughters of my city.
|
51. Oculus meus dolore afficit animam meam
propter omes filias urbis meae (vel pro omnibus filiabus urbis
meae.)
|
He had said, that his eye flowed down, and then, that
it was like a fountain, from which many streams or rivers flowed: he now adopts
another mode of speaking, that his
eyes grieved his
soul; and it is a sign of the greatest sorrow
when he who weeps seeks some relief, and is at the same time overpowered by that
external feeling. For many indulge in grief and inflame themselves; then the
soul of man is like a fan to rouse the burning. But when we weep and our eyes
shed tears, and when the mind in a manner exhausts itself, it is a proof of the
greatest grief. And this great. grief Jeremiah wished to express by saying, that
his eye
troubled or grieved
his
soul.
The latter part is explained in two ways: sonic
render thus, “Because of all the daughters of my city.” But though
this meaning is generally taken, I yet prefer the opinion of those who render
the words thus, “More than all the daughters of my city :” for
ˆm,
men, denotes a comparison, as it is also a causative. He says, then, that he was
given to grief more than all the young women. As the female sex, as it is well
known, are more tender and softer than men, the Prophet amplifies his
lamentation by this comparison, that in weeping he exceeded all the young women
of the city, so that he had almost forgotten his manhood. Had he said, the
daughters of the people, it might be explained as before, as referring either to
the cities, or to the whole people, that is, the whole community. But when he
mentions all the daughters of his
city, I cannot otherwise take the
passage but as setting forth a comparison, that is, that he could not moderate
his grief, but was so seized with it as women are, and also young girls, whose
hearts, as it has been already said, are still more tender.
F78 The rest
to-morrow.
PRAYER.
Grant, Almighty God, that as thou hast
hitherto spared us, we may not grow torpid in our vices, and that since thou
hast already begun to deal more severely with thy Church, we may be awakened by
thy chastisements, and so humble ourselves under thy mighty hand, as yet not to
doubt but that thou wilt be propitions to us, and that we may so loathe
ourselves on account of our sins, as still to be fully persuaded that, provided
we wait for thee, thou wilt at length be merciful to us, so as to afford us new
reasons for joy and gratitude, through Christ Jesus our Lord. —
Amen.
LECTURE
THIRTEENTH
|
LAMENTATIONS
3:52
|
|
52. Mine enemies chased me sore, like a bird,
without cause.
|
52. Venando venati sunt tanquam passerem
(vel, avem) inimici mei sine causa.
|
We shall see to the end of the chapter the various
complaints, by which the Prophet deplored the miseries of his own nation, that
he might at length obtain the mercy of God. He takes here the comparison of a
bird or a sparrow. He says that the Chaldeans had been like fowlers, and the
Jews like sparrows: and we know that there is neither prudence nor courage in
birds. He, then, means that the Jews had been destitute of all help, having been
exposed as a prey to their enemies, who were like fowlers.
And he seems to allude to the words of Solomon, when
he says, that without a cause is the net spread for birds
(<200117>Proverbs
1:17;) and he means that innocent men are circumvented by the wicked, when they
spread for them their snares as it were on every side, while they are like the
birds, who have no prudence to avoid them.
We now, then, understand the drift of what the
Prophet says: he amplifies the indignity of their calamity by this comparison,
— that the Chaldeans at their pleasure plundered the miserable people, who
were not able to resist them, who were indeed without any power to defend
themselves.
F79 It
follows, —
|
LAMENTATIONS
3:53
|
|
53. They have cut off my life in the dungeon,
and cast a stone upon me.
|
53. Succiderunt (vel potius,
constrinxerunt) in puteo vitam meam, et projecerunt lapidem super
me.
|
He now employs other comparisons. Some improperly
confine this to Jeremiah himself, as though he explained here before God the
wrongs done to himself: but there is no doubt but that he undertakes the cause
of the whole people; and his object was to encourage by his own example the
faithful to lament their state so that they might obtain pardon from
God.
He then compares himself to a man half-dead, cast
into a pit, and there left for lost. Then some improperly interpret the words,
“they cast stones;” for stoning was not in the mind of the Prophet;
but having said that he was fast bound in a pit or dungeon, he adds that a stone
was laid over him, that lie might not come forth, as we know was the case with
Daniel.
(<270616>Daniel
6:16, 17.) Daniel was cast into the den of lions, and then a stone was put on
the mouth of the den. So also the Prophet says, that he was bound fast in the
pit, and not only that, but that a stone was laid over him, that there might be
no hope of coming out; and thus the pit was like a grave. Here, then, he means
that lie was reduced to the last extremity, because he had not only been taken
by his enemies, but had also been cast into a pit. And, as it is well known, it
is a metaphorical expression or a similitude. He adds, —
|
LAMENTATIONS
3:54
|
|
54. Waters flowed over mine head; then I said
I am cut off.
|
54. Inundaverunt (ad verbum,
alii, ascenderunt) aquae super caput meum; dixi, succisus
sum.
|
He now adds a third comparison, — that he had
been overwhelmed, as it were, with a flood of evils. This similitude occurs
often in Scripture, especially in the Psalms; for when David wished to set forth
his despair, lie said that he was sunk in deep waters.
(<196915>Psalm
69:15, 16.) So also in this place the Prophet complains, that waters had flowed
over his head, so that he thought himself lost. Though, indeed, this was the
saying of a man in a hopeless state, it is yet evident from the context that the
Prophet was firm in the hope of God’s mercy. But he speaks according to
the judgment of the flesh; and we know that the faithful are as it were divided;
for as they have not put off the flesh, they must necessarily be acquainted with
adversities, be stormed by fear and feel anxieties; in short, when death hangs
over them, they must in a manner be exposed to fear. In the meantime, faith in
their hearts obtains the victory, so that they do not succumb under terrors, or
cares, or anxieties.
When, therefore, the Prophet says that in his own
judgment he was lost, he does not mean that his faith was so extinguished that
he ceased to pray to God; for in the next verse he shews that he persevered in
prayer. How, then, did he say or believe that he was lost? even, as I have
already said, according to human judgment. And we often see that the faithful
complain that they are forsaken, that God is asleep in heaven, that he has
turned away from them. All these things are to be referred to the perception of
the flesh. While, then, the faithful cast their eyes on dangers, when death
comes, they not only tremble, but fear greatly and faint also. In the meantime,
as I have said, they struggle by faith against all these temptations. So, then,
is this passage to be understood, — that the Prophet believed that he was
lost, that is, as far as he could judge by the aspect of things at that time,
for no hope appeared then to the Church. But we yet see that the Prophet did not
indulge himself in this despair; for he immediately adds,
—
|
LAMENTATIONS
3:55
|
|
55. I called upon thy name, O Lord, out of the
low dungeon.
|
55. Invocavi nomen tuum, Jehova, e puteo
profunditatum.
|
We certainly see that the Prophet had an inward
conflict, which also all the faithful experience, for the spirit fights against
the flesh, as Paul teaches us.
(<480517>Galatians
5:17.) Though, then, he on the one hand apprehended death, he yet ceased not to
flee to God; for faith strengthened his mind so that he did not succumb, but on
the contrary he firmly rejected the temptation presented to him. Though, then,
he was, according to the flesh, persuaded as to his own ruin, he:. on the other
hand, called on the name of God; for the faithful do not measure the power and
grace of God by their own thoughts, but give glory to God by recumbing on him
even in the greatest extremities.
And this passage ought to be carefully noticed; for
when Satan cannot in any other way turn us aside from prayer, he alleges our
weakness; “What meanest thou, miserable being? will God hear thee? for
what canst thou do? thou tremblest, thou art anxious, nay, thou despairest; and
yet thou thinkest that God will be propitious to thee.” Whenever,
therefore, Satan tries to shut the door against us so as to prevent us to pray,
let this example of the Prophet come to our minds; for he, though he thought
himself lost, did not yet cast aside the confidence he entertained as to
God’s help and aid. For whence arose his perseverance, except that he in a
manner rebuked himself when he found himself so overwhelmed, and as it were
dead. These two states of mind are seen in this short prayer of
David,
“My God, my God,
why hast thou forsaken
me?”
(<192201>Psalm
22:1.)
For when he addressed God, and called him his God, we
see his rare and extraordinary faith; and when he complains that he was
forsaken, we see how, through the infirmity of the flesh, he thought that it was
all over with him as to his salvation. Such a conflict, then, is described here;
but faith overcame and gained the victory, for the Prophet ceased not to cry to
God, even from the pit of depths — from the pit, that is, from
death itself.
And this also ought to be carefully observed; for
when God bears us on his wings, or when he carries us in his bosom, it is easy
to pray; but when we seem to be cast into the deepest gulfs, if we thence cry to
him, it is a real and certain proof of faith and hope. As such passages often
occur in the Psalms, they may be compared together; but I touch but slightly on
the subject, for it is not my object to heap together all the quotations which
are appropriate; it is enough to present the real meaning of the Prophet. It
follows, —
|
LAMENTATIONS
3:56
|
|
56. Thou hast heard my voice; hide not thine
ear at my breathing, at my cry.
|
56. Vocem meam audisti; ne occultes
(vel, occludas) aurem tuam ad respirationem meam (vertunt, ad
clamorem meum) et ad precationem meam (sed prius nomen accipio potius pro
gemitu, vel clamore.)
|
When the Prophet says that God heard, it is
the same as though he said, that he had so prayed that God became a witness of
his earnestness and solicitude; for many boast in high terms of their
earnestness and fervor and constancy in prayer, but their boastings are all
empty and vain. But the Prophet summons God as a witness of his crying, as
though he had said that he was not so overwhelmed by his adversity, but that he
always fled to God.
He then says,
Close
not, etc.; it is properly, “hide
not;” but as this is not quite suitable to ears, I am disposed to give
this version, Close not thine ear to my cry. The verb
jwr
ruch, means to dilate, to respire; hence almost all render the noun here,
“breathing;” but what follows cannot admit of this sense,
to my
prayer or cry. I have no doubt but that these
two words mean crying; for in groaning the spirit of man dilates itself, and the
soul, compressed by grief, expands. But when we cast our cares and troubles into
the bosom of God, then the spirit forcibly emerges. This, then, is what the
Prophet means, when he asks God
not to close his ear to his
dilation or groaning, and to his cry
F80 It
follows, —
|
LAMENTATIONS
3:57
|
|
57. Thou drewest near in the day that I called
upon thee: thou saidst, Fear not.
|
57. Appropinquasti in die in quo clamavi ad te
(vel, invocavi te,) dixisti, Ne timeas.
|
Here the Prophet tells us that he had experienced the
goodness of God, because he had not suffered a repulse when he prayed. And this
doctrine is especially useful to us, that is, to call to mind that we had not in
time past prayed in vain. For we may hence feel assured, that as God ever
continues like himself, he will be ever ready to help us when- ever we implore
his protection. This, then, is the reason why the Prophet declares here that he
had experienced the readiness of God to hear prayer:
Thou didst come
nigh, he says,
in the day when I called on
thee; thou didst say, Fear not. And this
approach or coming nigh refers to what was real or actually done, that God had
stretched forth his hand and helped his servants. Since, then, they had been
confirmed by such evidences, they had the privilege of ever fleeing to God. God,
indeed, supplies us with reasons for hope, when he once and again aids us; and
it is the same as though he testified that he will ever be the same as we have
once and again found him to be.
He then adds an explanation,
Thou didst say, Fear
not. He does not mean that God had
spoken; but, as I have said, he thus sets forth the fact, that he had not sought
God in vain, for he had relieved him. Though God may not speak, yet when we find
that our prayers are heard by him, it is the same as though he raised us up and
removed from us every fear. The sum of what is said is, that God had been
propitious to his servants whenever they cried to him. It now follows,
—
|
LAMENTATIONS
3:58
|
|
58. O Lord, thou hast pleaded the causes of my
soul; thou hast redeemed my life.
|
58. Disceptasti, Domine, disceptationes animae
meae, redemisti vitam meam.
|
For the same purpose he now says, that God had been
his judge to undertake his cause, and not only once, for he had contended for
him as though he had been his perpetual advocate. The meaning is, that the
Prophet (who yet speaks in the name of all the faithful) had found God a
defender and a helper, not only in one instance, but whenever he had been in
trouble; for he uses the plural number, and says,
Thou hast pleaded the
pleadings of my soul
He adds, Thou hast redeemed my life. It is the way of
God’s pleading when he delivers us as it were from death. Friends do,
indeed, sometimes anxiously exert themselves, interposing for our defense, but
they do not always succeed. But God is such a pleader of our cause, that he is
also a deliverer, for our safety is in his hand. It follows, —
|
LAMENTATIONS
3:59
|
|
59. O Lord, thou hast seen my wrong; judge
thou my cause.
|
59. Vidisti, Jehova, oppressionem
(subversionem, alii vertunt, iniquitatem) meam; judica judicium
meum.
|
The word
yttw[,
outti, is rendered by some “iniquity,” but in an ironical
sense, as though the Prophet had said, “Thou, God, knowest whether I have
offended.” But the word is to be taken passively; the verb
tw[,
out, means, to subvert, as we have elsewhere seen, even in this chapter.
Then, by his
subversion, he means oppression, even
when his adversaries unworthily trod him under their feet. And hence he asks God
at the same time to judge
his judgment, that is, to undertake his
cause, and to appear as his defender, as he had formerly done; for he saw his
subversion, that is, he saw that he was unjustly cast down and laid prostrate by
the wicked. It follows, —
|
LAMENTATIONS
3:60
|
|
60. Thou hast seen all their vengeance, and
all their imaginations against me.
|
60. Vidisti omnes ultiones ipsorum, omnes
cogitationes contra me.
|
This mode of speaking was often used by the saints,
because God, when it pleased him to look on their miseries, was ever ready to
bring them help. Nor were they words without meaning, when the faithful said,
O Lord, thou hast
seen; for they said this for their own
sake, that they might shake off all unbelief. For as soon as any trial assails
us, we imagine that God is turned away from us; and thus our flesh tempts us to
despair. It is hence necessary that the faithful should in this respect struggle
with themselves and feel assured that God has seen them. Though, then, human
reason may say, that God does not see, but neglect and disregard his people, yet
on the other hand, this doctrine ought to sustain them, it being certain that
God does see them. This is the reason why David so often uses this mode of
expression.
Thou,
Jehovah, he says,
hast seen all their
vengeances. By vengeances here he means
acts of violence, according to what we find in
<190802>Psalm
8:2, where God is said “to put to flight the enemy and the avenger.”
By the avenger there he simply means, not such as retaliate wrongs, but cruel
and violent men. So also, in this place, by vengeances, he means all kinds of
cruelty, as also by thoughts he means wicked counsels, by which the ungodly
sought to oppress the miserable and the innocent. He again repeats the same
thing, —
|
LAMENTATIONS
3:61
|
|
61. Thou hast heard their reproach, O Lord,
and all their imaginations against me;
|
61. Audivisti probra ipsorum, Jehova, omnes
cogitationes eorum contra me.
|
We see that this is a repetition, but for vengeances
he now mentions
reproaches.
And in this way he sought again to turn God to mercy; for when he brings no aid,
he seems to close his eyes and to render his ears deaf; but when he attends to
our evils, he then soon brings help. The Prophet, then, having said that God
saw, now refers to hearing: he had heard their reproaches. Adopting a language
not strictly proper, he adds, that he had heard their thoughts; though he speaks
not only of their secret counsels, but also of all the wicked conspiracies by
which his enemies had contrived to ruin him.
F81 He adds,
—
|
LAMENTATIONS
3:62
|
|
62. The lips of those that rose up against me,
and their device against me all the day.
|
62. Labia (vel sermones, aut, linguas)
insurgebtium contra me, et sermones eorum contra me tota die (vel,
quotidie.)
|
Instead of thoughts, he now mentions lips, or
words. The verb
hgh,
ege means to meditate, when no voice is uttered; but as the noun is
connected here with lips, there is no doubt but that the Prophet refers to
words, rather than to hidden meditations.
F82 He then
says, that such were the conspiracies, that they did not conceal what they had
in their hearts, but publicly avowed their wicked purposes. Now this insolence
must have moved God to aid his people, so unjustly oppressed.
He adds,
every
day, or daily. This circumstance also
must have availed to obtain favor, so that God might the sooner aid his people.
For had the ungodly made violent assaults, and soon given over, it would have
been easy to persevere in so short a trial, as when a storm soon passes by; but
when they went on perseveringly in their machinations, it was very hard to bear
the trial. And hence we derive a ground of hope, supplied to us by what the Holy
Spirit suggests to us here, that God will be merciful to us on seeing the
pertinacity of our enemies. He then adds, —
|
LAMENTATIONS
3:63
|
|
63. Behold their sitting down, and their
rising up, I am their music.
|
63. Sessionem eorum et surrectionem eorum
aspice; ego canticum eorum (vel, pulsatio, ut alii
vertunt.
|
The Prophet repeats still the same thing, only in
other words. He had spoken of the lyings in wait, and the conspiracies and the
speeches of his enemies; he now adds, that nothing was hid from God. By
sitting and rising, he means all the actions of life, as when
David says,
“Thou knowest my
sitting and my rising,”
(<19D902>Psalm
139:2;)
that is, whether I rest or walk, all my actions are
known to thee. By rising, then, the Prophet denotes here, as David did, all the
movements or doings of men; and by sitting, he means their quiet counsels; for
men either deliberate and prepare for work while they sit, or rise, and thus
move and act.
He means, in short, that whether his enemies
consulted silently and quietly, or attempted to do this or that, nothing was
unknown to God. Now, as God takes such notice of the counsels and all the
actions of men, it cannot be but that he restrains and checks the wicked; for
God’s knowledge is always connected with his office as a judge. We hence
see how the Prophet strengthens himself, as we have lately stated, and thus
gathers a reason for confidence; for the wicked counsels of his enemies and
their works were not hid from God.
He adds,
I am become a
song. He again sets before God his
reproach, east upon him by the ungodly. For that indignity also availed much to
lead God not to suffer his people to be unworthily treated. It now follows,
—
|
LAMENTATIONS
3:64
|
|
64. Render unto them a recompense, O Lord,
according to the work of their hands.
|
64. Repende illis mercedem, Jehova, secundum
opus manuum suarum
|
He adds here a conclusion; for he has hitherto been
relating, as I have said, the evils which he suffered, and also the reproaches
and unjust oppressions, in order that; he might have God propitious to him; for
this is the way of conciliating favor when we are wrongfully dealt with; for it
cannot be but that God will sustain our cause. He indeed testifies that he is
ready to help the miserable; it is his own peculiar work to deliver captives
from prison, to illuminate the blind, to succor the miserable and the oppressed.
This is the reason, then, why the Prophet now confidently asks God to render to
his enemies their reward,
according to the work of their
hands.
Were any one to object, and say, that another rule is
prescribed to us, even to pray for our enemies, even when they oppress us; the
answer is this, that the faithful, when they prayed thus, did not bring any
violent feelings of their own, but pure zeal, and rightly formed; for the
Prophet here did not pray for evil indiscriminately on all, but on the
reprobate, who were perpetually the enemies of God and of his Church. He might
then with sincerity of heart have asked God to render to them their just reward.
And whenever the saints broke forth thus against their enemies, and asked God to
become an avenger, this principle must be ever borne in mind, that they did not
indulge their own wishes, but were so guided by the Holy Spirit — that
moderation was connected with that fervid zeal to which I have referred. The
Prophet, then, as he speaks here of the Chaldeans, confidently asked God to
destroy them, as we shall again presently see. We find also in the Psalms the
same imprecations, especially on Babylon, — “Happy he who shall
render to thee what thou hast brought on us, who shall dash thy children against
a stone.”
(<19D708>Psalm
137:8, 9.) It follows, —
|
LAMENTATIONS
3:65
|
|
65. Give them sorrow of heart, thy curse unto
them.
|
65. Des illis impedimentum cordis
(alii, obstinationem,) maledictionem tuam illis (vel maledictio
tua illis.)
|
He expresses what the vengeance was to be, even that
God would give them up to a reprobate mind; for by
blAtngm,
meganet-leb, he no doubt meant the blindness of the heart, and at the
same time included stupidity, as though he had said, “O Lord, so oppress
them with evils, that they may become stupified.” For it is an extremity
of evil, when we are so overpowered as not to be as it were ourselves, and when
our evils do not drive us to prayer.
F83
We now then perceive what the Prophet meant by asking
God to give to his enemies the
impediment of
heart, even that he might take away a
sound mind, and smite them with blindness and madness, as it is said elsewhere.
— I run on quickly, that I may finish, lest the hour should prevent us.
The last verse of this triple alphabet follows, —
|
LAMENTATIONS
3:66
|
|
66. Persecute and destroy them in anger from
under the heavens of the Lord
|
66. Persequere in ira et perde eos e sub
coelis Jehovae (quidam in vocativo casu legunt, Jehova; sed quia non
ponitur
µymç,
sed in constructione
ymç,
ideo retineo proprietatem.)
|
He first asks God to
persecute them in
wrath, that is, to be implacable to
them; for persecution is, when God not only chastises the wicked for a short
time, but when he adds evils to evils, and accumulates them until they perish.
He then adds, and prays God to
destroy them from under the
heavens of Jehovah. This phrase is
emphatical; and they extenuate the weightiness of the sentence, who thus render
it, “that God himself would destroy the ungodly from the earth.” For
the Prophet does not without a design mention the heavens of Jehovah, as though
he had said, that though God is hidden from us while we sojourn in the world, he
yet dwells in heaven, for heaven is often called the throne of God, —
“The heaven is my
throne.”
(<236601>Isaiah
66:1.)
“O God, who
dwellest in the
sanctuary.”
(<192204>Psalm
22:4;
<197714>Psalm
77:14.)
By God’s sanctuary is often meant heaven. For
this reason, then, the Prophet asked here that the ungodly should be destroyed
from under the heaven of Jehovah, that is, that their destruction might
testify that he sits in heaven, and is the judge of the world, and that things
are not in such a confusion, but that the ungodly must at length render an
account before the celestial judge, whom they have yet long neglected. This is
the end of the chapter.
PRAYER.
Grant, Almighty God, that as at this day
ungodly men and wholly reprobate so arrogantly rise up against thy Church, we
may learn to flee to thee, and to hide ourselves under the shadow of thy wings,
and fully to hope for thy salvation; and that however disturbed the state of
things may be, we may yet never doubt but that thou wilt be propitious to us,
since we have so often found thee to be our deliverer; and that we may thus
persevere in confidence of thy grace and mercy, and be also roused by this
incentive to pray to thee, until having gone through all our miseries, we shall
at length enjoy that blessed rest which thou hast promised to us through Christ
Jesus our Lord. — Amen.
CHAPTER 4
LECTURE
FOURTEENTH
|
LAMENTATIONS
4:1
|
|
1. How is the gold become dim! How is the most
fine gold changed! The stones of the sanctuary are poured out in the top of
every street.
|
1. Quomodo obscuratum est aurum! Mutatum est
aurum bonum! Effusi sunt (vel, projecti) lapides sanctuarii in capite
omnium platearum.
|
Here Jeremiah, following the order of the alphabet
the fourth time,
F84 deplores
the ruin of the city, and the destruction of the priesthood and of the kingdom.
For they are mistaken who think that the death of Josiah is here lamented; for
there are here many things, which we shall see as we proceed, which do not suit
that event. There is no doubt but that this mournful song refers to the
destruction of the Temple and city; but when Josiah was killed, the enemy had
not come to the city, and the stones of the Temple were not then east forth into
the streets and the public roads. There are also other things which we shall
see, which did not then happen. It follows then that here is described the
terrible vengeance of God, which we have had already to
consider.
He begins by expressing his astonishment,
How obscured is the gold!
and the precious gold! for
µtk,
catam, is properly the best gold, though the word
good,
bwfh ethub, is added to it. We may hence
conclude that it generally denotes gold only. He mentions, then, gold twice, but
they are two different words in Hebrew,
bhz,
zaeb, and
µtk
catam.
F85 Now he
speaks figuratively in the former part of the verse; but there is no doubt but
that by the gold, and the finest gold, as it :is rendered, he means the splendor
of the Temple; for God had designed the Temple to be built, as it is well known,
in a very magnificent manner. Hence he calls what was ornamental in the Temple
gold.
He then speaks without a figure, and says, that
the stones were
thrown here and there in all directions. Some,
indeed, think that these words refer to the sacred vessels, of which there was a
large quantity, we know, in the Temple. But this opinion is not probable, for
the Prophet does not complain that the gold was taken away, but that it was
obscured, and changed. It is then, no doubt, a metaphorical expression. But he
afterwards explains himself when he says that
the stones of the sanctuary were
cast forth here and there along all the
streets. It was indeed a sad spectacle; for God had consecrated that temple to
himself, that he might dwell in it. When therefore the stones of the sanctuary
were thus disgracefully scattered, it must have grievously wounded the minds of
all the godly; for they saw that God’s name was thus exposed to
reproaches. Nor is there a doubt but that the Chaldeans vomited forth many
reproaches against God when they thus scattered the stones of the temple. It
hence appears, that the Prophet did not without reason exclaim, How has this
happened! for such a sight must have justly astonished all the godly, seeing as
they did the degradation of the temple connected with a reproach to God himself.
It follows, —
|
LAMENTATIONS
4:2
|
|
2. The precious sons of Zion, comparable to
fine gold, how are they esteemed as earthen pitchers, the work of the hands of
the potter!
|
2. Filii Sion pretiosi (alii vertunt,
inclytos) comparatiauro (alii vertunt, amicti auro, quod mihi magis
placet,) quomodo reputati sunt in lagenas testaceas (testae, ad
verbum) opus manuum figuli?
|
The Prophet comes now to the people, though he does
not include the whole people, but brings forward those who were renowned, and
excelled in honor and dignity. He then says, that they were become like
earthen
vessels and the
work of the potter’s
hands, which is very fitly added. Then
by the sons of
Sion, whom he calls
precious
or glorious, he means the chief men and the king’s counselors and
those who were most eminent. And he seems to allude to that prophecy which we
before explained’ for he had said that the people were like earthen
vessels; and he went into the house of the potter, that he might see what was
made there. When the potter made a vessel which did not please him, he remodeled
it, and then it assumed another form; then God declared that the people were in
his hand and at his will, as the clay was in the hand of the potter.
(<241802>Jeremiah
18:2; 19:11.) When he now says, that the chief men were stripped of all dignity,
and reduced to another form, so as to become like earthen vessels, he no doubt
sets forth by this change the judgment of God, which the Jews had for a time
disregarded.
And we must bear in mind the Prophet’s object:
he described the ruin of the Temple and city, that he might remind the people of
the punishment which had at length been inflicted; for we know that the people
had not only been deaf, but had also scoffed at and derided all prophecies and
threatenings. As, then, they had not believed the doctrine of Jeremiah, he now
shews that what he had predicted was really fulfilled, and that the people were
finding to their cost that God did not trifle with them when he had so often
threatened what at length happened. And hence we may conclude, that there was
then a superfluous splendor in garments, for we read that they had been clad or
clothed in gold; surely it was a display too sumptuous. There is, however, no
wonder, for we know that Orientals are far too much given to such
trumperies.
Now, if the other reading, that the
sons of Sion had been before
compared to gold,
F86 be more
approved, the passage must be extended to all their dignity and to all those
gifts by which they had been favored and had become illustrious. I have already
reminded you, that the work of
the potter’s hands is here to be taken
for the vessels or the earthen flagons; but it was the Prophet’s object to
enlarge on that reproach, which ]lad been before incredible. It follows
—
|
LAMENTATIONS
4:3
|
|
3. Even the sea-monsters draw out the breast,
they give suck to their young ones: the daughter of my people is become cruel,
like the ostriches in the wilderness.
|
3. Etiam serpentes educunt mammam, lactant
catulos suos; filia populi mei ad crudelem tanquam ululm (vel,
struthiones) in deserto.
|
This verse is harshly explained by many, for they
think that the daughter of the people is called cruel, because she acted towards
her children as serpents do to their young ones. But this meaning is not
suitable, for the word
tb,
beth, is well known to be feminine. He says that the daughter of the
people had come to a savage or cruel one, the latter word is masculine. Then the
Prophet seems to mean that the whelps (such is the word) of serpents are more
kindly dealt with than the Jews. Serpents are void of all humanity, yet they
nourish their brood and give them the breast,. Hence the Prophet by this
comparison amplifies the miseries of the people, that their condition was worse
than that of serpents, for the tender brood are nourished by their mothers; but
the people were without any help, so that they in vain implored the protection
of their mother and of others. ‘We now see the real meaning of the
Prophet.
The particle
µg,
gam, is emphatical; for had he spoken of animals, such as are careful to
nourish their young, it would not have been so wonderful; but so great seems to
be the savageness and barbarity of serpents, that they might be expected to east
away their brood. Now he says that
even serpents draw out the
breast. The Jews say that the breasts of
serpents are covered with scales, as though they were hidden; but this is one of
their figments. It is a common phrase, taken from t common practice; for a woman
draws out the breast when she gives suck to her infant; so serpents are said to
draw out the breast when they give suck to their whelps; for
µyrwg,
gurim, are the whelps of lions or of bears; but in this place the word is
applied to serpents. The
daughter, then,
of my people has come to the
cruel one, for the people had to do with
nothing but cruelty, there being no one to bring them help or to succor them in
their miseries. He, then, does not accuse the people of cruelty, that they did
not nourish their children, but on the contrary he means that they were given up
to cruel enemies F87
As the
ostriches, or the owls, he says, in the
wilderness. If we understand the ostrich to be intended, we know that bird to be
very stupid; for as soon as she lays an egg, she forgets and leaves it. The
comparison, then, would be suitable, were the daughter of the people said to be
cruel, because she neglected her children; but the Prophet, as I think, means,
on the contrary, that the Jews were so destitute of every help, as though they
were banished into solitary places beyond the sight of men; for birds in
solitude in vain seek the help of others. As, then, the ostrich Or the owl has
in the desert no one to bring it help, and is without its own mother, so the
Prophet intimates that there was no one to stretch forth a hand to the
distressed people to relieve their extreme miseries. It follows,
—
|
LAMENTATIONS
4:4
|
|
4. The tongue of the sucking child cleaveth to
the roof of his mouth for thirst: the young children ask bread, and no man
breaketh it unto them.
|
4. Adhaesit lingua lactantis ad palatum ejus
in siti; parvuli petierunt panem, dividens nemo illis (hoc est, nemo est
qui illis dividat, id est, porrigat.)
|
He says that sucking children were so thirsty, that
the tongue was as it were fixed to the palate; and it was a dreadful thing; for
mothers would willingly pour forth their own blood to feed their infants. When,
therefore, the tongue of a child clave to his mouth, it seemed to be in a manner
beyond nature. Among other calamities, then, the Prophet names this, that
infants pined away with
thirst, and also that
children sought
bread in vain. He speaks not in the latter
instance of sucklings, but. of children three or four years old. Then he says
that they
sought
or asked for bread, but that there was no one to give.
F88
He describes here the famine of the city, of which he
had predicted, when he declared that it would be better with the slain than with
the people remaining alive, for a harder conflict with famine and want would
await the living. But this was not believed. Now, then, the Prophet upbraids the
Jews with their former perverseness. He afterwards adds,
—
|
LAMENTATIONS
4:5
|
|
5. They that did feed delicately are desolate
in the streets: they that were brought up in scarlet embrace
dung-hills.
|
5. Qui comedebant ad delicias (hoc est, in
deliciis, ad verbum,
µynd[ml,)
perierunt in plateis; qui educati fuerant in coccino (ad coccinum,) amplexi sunt
stercora.
|
Here he goes on farther, and says, that they had
perished with famine who had been accustomed to the most delicate food. He had
said generally that infants found nothing in their mothers’ breasts, but
pined away with thirst, and also that children died through want of bread. But
he now amplifies this calamity by saying, that this not only happened to the
children of the common people, but also to those who had been brought up
delicately, and had been clothed in scarlet and purple.
Then he says that
they perished in the
streets, and also that they
embraced the
dunghills, because they had no place to
lie down, or because they sought food, as famished men do, on dunghills.
F89 It seems
to be a hyperbolical expression; but if we consider what the Prophet has already
narrated and will again repeat, it ought not to appear incredible, that those
who had been accustomed to delicacies embraced dunghills; for mothers cooked
their own children and devoured them as beef or mutton. There is no doubt but
that the siege, of which we have before read, drove the people to acts too
degrading to be spoken of, especially when they had become blinded through so
great a pertinacity, and had altogether hardened themselves in their madness
against God. It follows, —
|
LAMENTATIONS
4:6
|
|
6. For the punishment of the iniquity of the
daughter of my people is greater than the punishment of the sin of Sodom, that
was overthrown as in a moment, and no hands stayed on her.
|
6. Et major fuit poena filiae populi mei poena
Sodomae (ad verbum est, iniquitas filiae populi mei peccato vel
scelere Sodomae; sed statim, dicam cur de poena exponam potius quam de ipso
scelere,) quae eversa fuit tanquam momento; non manserunt in ea plagae
(alii vertunt, et non castrametatae sunt manus; sed postea etiam dicam
cur mihi magis placeat illa versio.)
|
The Prophet says first,, that the punishment of his
people was heavier than that of Sodom. If any one prefers the other version, I
will not contend, for it is not unsuitable; and hence also a most useful
doctrine may be drawn, that we are to judge of the grievousness of our sins by
the greatness of our punishment for God never exceeds what is just when he takes
vengeance on the sins of men. Then his severity shews how grievously men have
sinned. Thus, Jeremiah may have reasoned from the effect to the cause, and
declared that the people had been more wicked than the Sodomitites. Nor is this
unreasonable; for if the Jews had not fallen into that great wickedness of which
the Sodomites were guilty, yet the Prophets everywhere charged them as men who
not only equaled but also surpassed the Sodomites, especially Ezekiel,
(<261646>Ezekiel
16:46, 47.) Isaiah also called them the people of Gomorrha, and the king’s
counselors and judges, the princes of Sodom,
(<230109>Isaiah
1:9, 10.) This mode of speaking is then common in the Prophets, and the meaning
is not unsuitable.
But as he dwells only on the grievousness of their
punishment, the other explanation seems more simple; for I regard not what is
plausible, but accept the true meaning. Let us then repeat the Prophet’s
words: greater is the punishment
of my people, etc. The word
ˆw[,
oun, means punishment as well as iniquity; this is certain, beyond
dispute. Now
tafj,
chethat, means also both sin and punishment. It is hence applied to
expiations; the sacrifice for sin is called
tafj,
chethat. As to the words, then, they designate punishment as well as sin,
the cause of it. But the reason which follows leads me to consider punishment as
intended, for he says that Sodom
was overthrown as in a moment. Here, doubtless,
we see that the sins of the Jews are not compared to the sins of the Sodomites,
but their destruction only: God had overthrown Sodom, as afterwards he overthrew
Jerusalem; but the ruin of Sodom was milder, for it perished in a moment —
for when God had dreadfully thundered, the Sodomites and their neighboring
citizens were immediately destroyed; and we know that the shorter the
punishment, the more tolerable it is. As the Prophet here compares the momentary
destruction of Sodom with the prolonged ruin of the city and slaughter of the
people, we see that what is spoken of is not sin, but on the contrary
God’s judgment.
There is yet no doubt but that the Prophet summoned
the Jews to God’s tribunal, that they might know that they deserved such a
vengeance, and that they might perceive that they were worse than the Sodomites.
For it was not the Prophet’s object to expostulate with God, or to charge
him with having been too rigid in destroying the city of Jerusalem. As, then,
the Prophet does not charge God either with injustice or with cruelty, it is
certain that punishment is what is here set forth, in order that the people
might know what they deserved.
F90
But the words declare nothing more than that
God’s vengeance had been severer towards the Jews than towards the
Sodomites. How so? it is evident from this reason,
because Sodom was consumed as in
a moment; and then it is added,
and strokes remained not on
her. The word
dy,
id, as it is well known, means hand, a place, but sometimes,
metaphorically, a stroke. Interpreters vary here, but I shall not recite the
opinions of all, nor is it needful. Those who seem to come nearest to the words
of the Prophet, render them thus, “and hands (or forces) have not encamped
against her.” But this is a forced and far-fetched meaning. It would run
better, “have not remained.” The verb
lwj
chul, means sometimes to encamp and sometimes to remain, to settle. Then
the most appropriate meaning would be,
that strokes settled not on
the Sodomites, while the Jews pined away
in their manifold evils.
F91 For they
did not immediately perish like the Sodomitites; but when God saw them so
obstinate in their wickedness, he destroyed some by famine, some by pestilence,
and some by the sword; and then the city was not immediately demolished
altogether, as it often happens when enemies make a slaughter and kill men,
women, and children; but this people were not so destroyed. Many of them were
driven into exile, and some of the common people were left to inhabit the ruined
cities, for there was dreadful desolation. The king himself, as it has before
appeared, was removed to Babylon, but his eyes had previously been pulled out,
and his children slain in his presence.
We hence see that the destruction of the city was
like a slow consumption: and that thus strokes remained there as it were fixed,
which did not happen to Sodom; for Sodom suddenly perished when God thundered
against it; but the hand of God did not depart from the Jews, and the strokes or
smitings, as I have said, were fixed on them and continued. It follows,
—
|
LAMENTATIONS
4:7-8
|
|
7. Her Nazarites were purer than snow, they
were whiter than milk, they were more ruddy in body than rubies, their polishing
was of sapphire:
|
7. Candidiores Nazaraei ejus nive,
(vel, puriores,) candidiores laete, rubicundi fuerunt corpore suo
(neque enim hoc potest accipi de ossibus) supra lapillos preciosos,
sapphirus excisio ipsorum:
|
|
8. Their visage is blacker than a coal; they
are not known in the streets: their skin cleaveth to their bones; it is
withered, it is become like a stick.
|
8. Obtenebrata est prae caligine forma
ipsorum, non agniti in plateis; adhaesit cutis eorum ossi ipsorum, (hoc
est, ossibus;) exaruit, fuit tanquam lignum.
|
Here the Prophet speaks of Nazarites, by whom we know
the worship of God was honored; for they, who were not content with the common
observance of the Law, consecrated themselves to God, that by their example they
might stimulate others. It was then a singular zeal in a few to consecrate
themselves, so as to become Nazarites, or separated. What this custom was may be
known from the sixth chapter of Numbers. For God, who has always repudiated all
fictitious forms of worship, prescribed to the Nazarites what he approved in
every particular. Hence Moses carefully men-honed all those things which were to
be observed by the Nazarites.
As to the present passage, it is enough to say, that
the Nazarites were peculiarly devoted to God’s service during the time of
their separation, for it was only a temporary service.
Then the Prophet brings them forward, that it might
hence be evident how sad was the change, which he never could have made the Jews
to believe. He says that the Nazarites were purer than snow, and whiter that
milk, and also ruddier than precious stones, so that they might be corn-pared to
sapphire; for, by saying sapphire was their cutting, he means that they were
like sapphires well polished. Now we know that the Nazarites abstained from wine
and strong drink: hence abstinence might have lessened somewhat of their
ruddiness. For he who is accustomed to drink wine, if he abstains for a time, is
apt to grow pale; lie will then lose almost all his color, at least he will not
be so ruddy; nor will there appear in his face and in his members so much rigor
as when he took his ordinary support. Jeremiah, in short, teaches us flint the
blessing of God was conspicuous in the Nazarites, for he wonderfully supported
them while they were for a time abstinence.
Now, on the contrary, he says that the
Nazarites were become withered,
that their skin clave to their bones,
that, in short, they were so deformed that they could not be known, not only
in obscure corners, but even in the open street, hi the middle of the
market-place. We hence learn that as the favor of God had before appeared as to
the Nazarites, so now also his vengeance might be certainly known, because they
had fallen off from their vigor, and were reduced to a degrading deformity.
F92
The Prophet at the same time shews that worship
according to the law had in a manner deteriorated on account of the vices of the
people; and this is the design of the whole, as I reminded you at the beginning.
For there is no doubt but that he wished to rouse the Jews, that they might at
length raise up their eyes to God; for they had long grown torpid in their
vices, and had been even inflated with diabolical pride; hence was their
inveterate obstinacy. As long as the Temple stood, they thought that they
satisfied God by the sacrifices they offered. When the Prophet now tells them
that the stones of the Temple were thrown down, it hence follows that the Temple
was profaned’ whence this profanation? from the wickedness of the people.
The Chaldeans, indeed, thought that they brought a great reproach on God when
they demolished the Temple; but,, as long pollution had preceded, our Prophet
now represents to the Jews their sins as in a mirror or a living form; for they
had polluted the Temple before the Chaldeans. So also he shews that the worship
according to the law was no longer pleasing to God, for they had mocked him with
empty specters; for it was only a vain display when there was no integrity
within. The Prophet then shews to them what, he could before by no means have
persuaded them to believe, that God was in no way pleased with the external
worship of the Jews, while they were audaciously violating the whole law. It
afterwards follows, —
|
LAMENTATIONS
4:9
|
|
9. They that be slain with the sword are
better than they that be slain with through for want of the fruits of the
field.
|
9. Meliores fuerunt occisi gladio quam occisi
fame; fluxerunt transrossi a fructibus agri.
|
The beginning of the verse is without any difficulty;
for the Prophet. says that it happened better to those who immediately perished
by the sword than to others who had to struggle with famine, according to what
he had lately said, that the punishment of Sodom was more tolerable, because it.
was suddenly executed. Sudden death is the easiest And the Prophet, when
complaining that the ungodly prospered, so that the faithful sometimes envied
them, says that they die as it were in a moment, and are taken away from the
world; but he says that the faithful are held, as it were, captive by the snares
of death, and protract life in perpetual languor. For this reason the Prophet
now says that the punishment of death would have been light to the Jews. And yet
we know that. a violent death is regarded by us with horror. For he who dies on
his bed is said to yield to his fate, as he seems to pay what he owes to nature;
but, he who is slain by the sword is violently snatched away, and, as it were,
contrary to nature. Violent death, then, is always horrible. But the comparison
used by the Prophet amplifies the atrocity of their punishment, because it would
have been more desirable to have been killed at once than to remain alive to
struggle with famine.
And he expresses himself more clearly by saying that
they pined away, having been
pierced through by the fruits of the earth.
There is here some obscurity, but
by the fruits of the
earth, we are no doubt to understand all
kinds of food. Some consider that “defect,” or failure, is to be
understood. But the Prophet speaks much more emphatically, even that all the
productions of the earth took vengeance on this wicked people, by refusing the
usual supply. The earth is the servant of God’s bounty and kindness; for
it is the same as though he with his hand extended food to us, when the earth
opens its bowels; so also the productions of the earth are evidences of
God’s paternal love towards us. Now, when the fruits of the earth withdraw
themselves from us, they are as it were the weapons to execute God’s
vengeance. So, then, the Prophet means that the Jews had been
pierced through by the fruits of
the earth, and thus had pined away; as
though he had said, that they had not been pierced by the sword, but had been
wounded by famine, for the productions of the earth became, as it were, swords,
while yet they sustain, as we have said, the life of men.
F93
PRAYER.
Grant. Almighty God, that as thou
shewest by thy Prophet that, after having long borne with thine ancient people,
thy wrath at length did so far burn as to render final judgment above all others
remarkable, — O grant that we may not at this day, by our obstinacy or by
our sloth, provoke thy wrath, but be attentive to thy threatenings, yea, and
obey thy paternal invitations, and so willingly devote ourselves to thy service,
that as thou hast hitherto favored us with thy blessings, so thou mayest
perpetuate them, until we shall at length enjoy the fullness of all good things
in thy celestial kingdom, through Christ our Lord. —
Amen.
LECTURE
FIFTEENTH
|
LAMENTATIONS
4:10
|
|
10. The hands of the pitiful women have sodden
their own children: they were their meat in the destruction of the daughter of
my people.
|
10. Manus mulierum misericordium coxerunt
foetus suos, fuerunt in alimenta ipis in contritione filiae populi
mei.
|
Here Jeremiah refers to that disgraceful and
abominable deed mentioned yesterday; for it was not only a barbarity, but a
beastly savageness, when mothers boiled their own children. That it was done is
evident from other writers; but. the Prophet is to us a sufficient witness, who
had seen it with his own eyes. He then says that the mothers were merciful, that
no one might think that they were divested of every natural feeling; but he
meant thus to set forth the blindness which proceeds from God’s dreadful
vengeance. He does not, then, praise the mothers for their clemency, as though
they felt as they ought to have done for their offspring; but. he intimates that
though they would have been otherwise humane, they were yet seized with unusual
madness, so that they boiled their own children, even their own bowels. We now,
then, perceive the meaning of the word
merciful,
as applied to the mothers by the Prophet. It is not then to be deemed as a
praise to them, as though they had a maternal love for their children; but his
object was to set forth that monstrous act, which would not have sufficiently
touched their minds, had he not testified that the mothers of whom he speaks
were not so brutal as not to have gladly given food to their children; but that
they were supernaturally blinded by furious madness. It follows
—
|
LAMENTATIONS
4:11
|
|
11. The Lord hath accomplished his fury; he
hath poured out his fierce anger, and hath kindled a fire in Zion, and it hath
devoured the foundation thereof.
|
11. Complevit (vel, perfecit) Jehova
iracundiam suam, effudit excandescentiam irae suae et accendit ignem in Sion,
qui voravit fundamenta ejus.
|
He at length concludes that nothing was wanting to
complete the extreme vengeance of God; for had the Jews been chastised in an
ordinary way, they would have still extenuated their sins, as we know that they
were not easily led to repentance. Hence the Prophet, to shew that their
offenses had not been slight, but that they had been extremely wicked before
God, says that the whole of God’s wrath had been executed:
Jehovah has completed his
wrath. The expression is indeed harsh to
Latin ears; but the meaning is, that he had executed his extreme
judgment.
He afterwards adds,
He has poured forth the
indignation of his wrath. God is indeed content
with moderate punishment, provided men be awakened from their torpor; but when
he pours forth his wrath, there is no hope of repentance. It is then a sign of
final despair when God’s vengeance overflows like a deluge. But when
Jeremiah thus speaks, he does not contend with God, but rather reminds the Jews
of what they deserved, as it was stated yesterday. There is, then, no doubt but
that he argues, from the grievousness of their punishment, that there was no
reason for the Jews to flatter themselves any longer, since God had dealt so
severely with them.
He then, in other words, points out the same thing,
that God had kindled a fire which
devoured or consumed
the very
foundations. Fire is wont rather to take hold
on the roofs of houses, or, when it creeps farther, it does not proceed beyond
the surface. It is a very rare thing for it to penetrate into the foundations.
Let us at the same time know that the Prophet speaks metaphorically of the
destruction of the city, for it was such as left nothing remaining. For when
some ruins remain, there is some intimation of a future restoration at least the
minds of beholders are inclined to hope that what has fallen is to be restored;
but when the buildings are not only pulled down, but also demolished from their
foundations, then the destruction seems to be without any hope of restoration.
And this is what the Prophet means when he says, that the
fire had
consumed, not only what was above
ground, but the very
foundations of Jerusalem. It follows,
—
|
LAMENTATIONS
4:12
|
|
12. The kings of the earth, and all the
inhabitants of the world, would not have believed that the adversary and the
enemy should have entered into the gates of Jerusalem.
|
12. Non crediderunt (vel, non
credidissent) reges terrae, neque omnes incolae orbis, quod ingressus esset
adversarius et inimicus in portas Jerusalem.
|
He confirms the same thing; for when a thing
incredible happens, either we are extremely stupid, or we must be moved and
affected. The Prophet, then, now says that the destruction of the city of
Jerusalem had been incredible, because God had defended it by his power; it was
also so fortified that no one believed that it could be taken, and the grandeur
of the city was known everywhere.
He then says that Jerusalem had been taken and
overthrown, which no one of the heathens, neither their kings nor their people,
had thought possible. It then follows that the city had been destroyed by
God’s hand rather than by the power of enemies. Nebuchadnezzar had indeed
brought a strong army, but the city was so well fortified that they thought that
all attempts would be in vain. That the city, then, was taken and demolished,
could not have been ascribed to human forces, but to a power hidden from the
eyes of men. It then follows that it was God’s work, and indeed singular.
We now, then, understand the design of the Prophet in saying that it was not
believed by kings nor people that enemies could storm Jerusalem. And in
continuation he adds, —
|
LAMENTATIONS
4:13
|
|
13. For the sins of her prophets, and the
iniquities of her priests, that have shed the blood of the just in the midst of
her.
|
13. Propter peccatum prophetarum ejus,
iniquitatem sacerdotum ejus, qui fuderunt in medio ejus sanguinem
justorum.
|
The Prophet, as in a matter fully proved, rebukes the
Jews, that he might, as it was necessary, bring down their pride. Had he at
first condemned the wickedness of the prophets and the priests, no credit would
have been given to his word. But after he had set before them what we have
observed, and especially after he had shewn that the ruin of the city was a kind
of prodigy, what he now adds must have been certainly inferred, even that the
Jews had in so many ways and with such pertinacity provoked God, that it became
necessary that they should be wholly destroyed, as it happened.
But he points out here the sins by which God’s
wrath hart been kindled against. the people. He then says that the fountain or
the origin was ill the prophets and priests. Now, we have elsewhere explained
that the fault was not removed from the people when the prophets and the priests
were thus condemned. Indeed, the common people readily exonerate themselves when
they can plead ignorance, or say that they have been deceived by their teachers
and leaders. But when Jeremiah imputes the chief part of the evils to the
prophets and priests, he does not, as I have said, devolve on them the fault of
the people, but intimates that their physicians had been as it were impostors.
For when the people corrupted themselves, the prophets were sent for this end,
to apply a remedy to their evils, and so also were the priests; for we know that
it was a duty enjoined on them to retain the people in true religion and in the
worship of God. In short, Jeremiah shows that the people had been ruined,
because corruption had begun with the prophets and the priests; or, which is the
same thing, that die sins of the people had proved fatal, because their heads or
chiefs were diseased; because, he
says, of the sin of the prophets,
and the iniquity of the priests,
etc.
He mentions one kind of sins, that
they shed the blood of the
righteous in the midst of Jerusalem.
They had no doubt led the people astray in other things, for they flattered
their vices, and gave loose reins to licentiousness; but the Prophet here fixed
on one particular sin, the most grievous; for they had not only, by their errors
and false doctrines and flatteries, led away the people from the fear of God,
but had also obstinately defended their impiety, and by force and cruelty
repressed their faithful teachers, and put to death the witnesses of God; for by
the righteous or just he no doubt means the prophets. For what Jerome and
others say, that blood had been shed because false teachers draw souls to
perdition, is frivolous and wholly foreign to what Jeremiah had in view; for the
word righteous cannot be applied to those miserable men who were ensnared to
their own ruin. Then Jeremiah, after having denounced the sin of the prophets
and the iniquity of the priests, mentions the savage cruelty, which was as it
were the summit of all their riches. Though, then, they had in various ways
provoked God, yet this was their extreme wickedness, that they exercised so
great a cruelty against God’s servants, that they constrained as it were
the Holy Spirit to be silent. For when the despisers of God went so far as to
give themselves up to shed innocent blood, it was a proof of a diabolical
obstinacy. We now, then, understand what the Prophet had here in
view.
Now this passage teaches us, that Satan has from the
beginning polluted the sanctuary of God by means even of sacred names: for the
prophetic office was honorable — so also was the sacerdotal. God had
established among his people the priesthood, which was as it were a living image
of Christ: there was then nothing more excellent than the priesthood under the
Law, if we regard the institution of God. It was also a singular blessing that
God promised that his people should never be without prophets. As, then,
prophets and priests were two eyes as it were in the Church, the devil turned
them to every kind of profanation. This example then reminds us how much we
ought to watch, lest empty titles deceive us, which are nothing but masks or
specters. When we hear the name of Church and of pastors, we ought reverently to
regard the office as well as the order which has proceeded from God, provided we
are not content with naked titles, but examine whether the reality also
corresponds. Thus we see that the whole world has for many ages degenerated from
true religion; under what pretext? even this, — that those who led astray
miserable souls, boasted that they were the vicars of Christ, the successors of
the apostles, so that they still arrogantly boast of these titles, and are
inflated with them. But we see what happened in the time of
Jeremiah.
We have had before similar passages; but this ought
to be carefully noticed, for it says, that prophets and priests had destroyed
the very Church of God. It was, indeed, a very grievous trial, and therefore a
powerful instrument, as it were, for subverting the faith of the simple, when
they saw that the very prophets and priests were the cause of ruin; but it
behooved the faithful constantly to persevere in their obedience to the law. And
we ought at the same time to remember what I have said, that the Prophet
enhances the wickedness of the people, because the priests and the prophets
themselves had been infected with impiety and contempt of God, and not only so,
but they had exercised tyrannical cruelty towards the servants of God. It
follows, —
|
LAMENTATIONS
4:14
|
|
14. They have wandered as blind men in the
streets, they have polluted themselves with blood, so that men could not touch
their garments.
|
14. Errarunt caeci (subaudienda est nota
similitudinis, sicut) in plateis, polluti sunt in sanguine, quia non
potuerunt quin contingerent vestes ipsorum (ita lego, nec sine ratione, quia
alioe versiones nullo modo conveniunt, ut nun
videbimus.)
|
They who simply read, that the blind had wandered,
deduce this meaning, that the blind were polluted in the streets, even because
there was filth everywhere. They, indeed, come near to the meaning of the
Prophet, but they do not clearly explain what he intended. I regard it therefore
beyond dispute, that the people are here compared to the blind, but it does not
yet appear for what purpose. But my opinion is this, that the whole city was so
full of defilement’s, that they could not avoid uncleanness; for a blind
man would touch a carcass, he would touch an unclean beast, he would touch a man
infected with some disease; how so? because he could not see to distinguish
between a dead and a living man, between the clean and unclean. Our Prophet now
compares the people to the blind, and why? because wherever they went,
uncleanness met them, so that their eyes were in a manner dazzled by thick
darkness. For when pestilence does not spread everywhere, we can avoid an
unclean place; but when there is no corner where there is not a dead corpse or
some sickness, we must pass on anyhow, having no choice to make, — and
why? because uncleanness surrounds us everywhere. So, then, the Prophet says
that the citizens of Jerusalem were everywhere polluted, as though they were
blind.
Now follows the reason, which has not been understood
by interpreters, They were
polluted, he says,
with blood, because they could
not but touch their garments. They all give
this version, “They could not touch their garments :” and as there
is much obscurity and almost absurdity in this rendering, they say that the
meaning is that they were to avoid to touch their garments, because the law
forbade them to touch the unclean. But the Prophet meant another thing. The
words are literally thus, “They could not, they will touch their garments,
that is, they will inevitably touch their garments. But the particle which I
have mentioned is to be understood, and the passage will read thus,
They could not but touch
their garments; and we know that the
language will bear this. And as this is consistent with the :subject which the
Prophet handles, every one, judging rightly, will readily receive what I have
stated. The meaning then is, that they
wandered as the blind, and were
polluted in all the streets of the city, because they could not escape
uncleanness, which met them everywhere; that
is, because the city, as I have said, was full of so many pollutions, that they
could not turn either here or there and avoid uncleanness.
F94
As to the words,
polluted with
blood, they refer to the ceremonial law. There
were indeed various kinds of pollutions, but this was the chief. He accommodates
his expressions to his own age, and follows what was prescribed by the law. He,
however, alludes to the sins designated by blood. We, in short, see that the
whole of Jerusalem was so polluted with defilements, that no one could go forth
without falling on some uncleanness. A confirmation follows, which also
interpreters have not understood, —
|
LAMENTATIONS
4:15
|
|
15. They cried unto them, Depart ye; it is
unclean; depart, depart, touch not; when they fled away and wandered, they said
among the heathen. They shall no more sojourn there.
|
15. Discedite, pollutus, clamavit illis;
discedite, discedite, ne accedatis: quia evolarunt (aut, festinarunt,)
etiam errarunt, dixerant in gentibus, Non adjicient ad
Labitandum
|
The Prophet confirms the former verse, as I have
said, even that no part of the city was free from filth, because they cried
everywhere, “Depart, depart — unclean!” That what is said may
be more evident to us, we must notice that the Prophet alludes (which also has
not been perceived) to
<031345>Leviticus
13:45. For it is said there of the lepers, whose disease was incurable, that
they were to go with rent garments, with a bare head, with covered lips, and
cry, “Unclean, unclean,
arqy amf
amf thema, thema, ikora. God, then, would
have the leprous to be driven from the assembly; and hence came into use the
exclamation, Unclean, unclean,
amf
amf, thema, thema. But here the Prophet
says, “Depart, depart — unclean
amf wrws
wrws, suru suru thema; which is
substantially the same as commanded in the law. Now the Prophet speaks
metaphorically when he says, that the city was infected with uncleanness, as
though lepers were everywhere. We hence see how all these things agree together,
“They cried, Depart ye — unclean; depart ye, depart;” that is,
no one can move a foot from his house, or go forth in public, but some
uncleanness will appear to him, so that it might be rightly exclaimed,
Unclean, depart ye,
depart. The Prophet, after having thus
spoken, Depart ye, come not
nigh says,
they have
fled. It is a striking allusion to the exile of
the people, as though he had said, that they were driven afar off by their
defilements. As then they were removed to a distant land, he says that this
happened through their own fault; how so? because they could no longer endure
these defilement’s of their sins; they had so contaminated the holy city,
that it was foetid through their filth. As, then, the city Jerusalem was so
polluted, the citizens, he says, at length fled away: and thus exile proceeded
from themselves, that is, the cause of exile was their filth, because they
contaminated the city. They have
fled, he says,
and have also
wandered; that is, so great was their haste,
that they kept not the right way, but turned here and there, as they usually do
who hasten with trembling. For when any one travels, and his mind composed, he
attends to the road that he may not go astray; but he who trembles, or is filled
with fear, forgets the way, and wanders from the right course. So, then, our
Prophet. now says, that the Jews
fled
and also
wandered;
for he uses the particle
µg,
gam, also; they also wandered, he says, even through that trepidation by
which they were smitten.
They have said among the nations,
They shall not return to dwell; that is, they
are scattered and driven among various nations without hope of
returning.
We now see what the Prophet meant to show, even that
the Jews had no reason to complain of their exile, because they had so infected
the holy city with their vices, that they were hence driven by their own filth;
this is one thing: and, then, that so great was the mass of their evils, that
they were seized with fear; and thus they did not keep on the right way, but
turned into devious paths and met darkness; and, in the last place, he adds, as
a continuation of what he had said, that there was no hope of a
return.
|
LAMENTATIONS
4:16
|
|
16. The anger of the Lord hath divided them;
he will no more regard them: they respected not the persons of the priests, they
favored not the elders.
|
16. Facies Jehovae divisit (vel, dissipavit)
eos; non adjiciet ad respiciendum eos; faciem sacerdotum non reveriti sunt (vel
honore persequuti,) et senum non fuerunt miserti.
|
He explains himself by saying, that they had been
scattered from the face of Jehovah. He had said, that they had fled into foreign
lands, and that they believed their exile to be perpetual; he now assigns the
reason that God had thus banished them. But he had promised by Moses, that
though they were dispersed through the four quarters of the world, he would yet
be propitious to them, so as to gather them when dispersed, as it is said in the
Psalms, “He will gather the dispersed of Israel.”
(<053004>Deuteronomy
30:4;
<19E702>Psalm
147:2.) And we know that the time of exile had been prefixed; for the Prophet
had often testified that God would at length become a deliverer to his people,
so as to stretch forth again his hand, and draw them forth from Chaldea as he
did from Egypt: how then does he say, that they had been scattered from the face
of Jehovah, and then, that they had been so rejected, that he would not favor
them hereafter with his paternal countenance? the obvious answer is this, that
the Prophet here regards only the extremely dispersed state of the people. For
though the promise of God as to their return was certain and clear, yet, when
any one cast his eyes on the state of things at that time, he could have hoped
no such thing; for the desolation, the ground of despair, was immense: no name
had remained for the people, the priesthood had been extinguished, the royal
dignity had been degraded, the city also and the Temple had been completely
overthrown. As, then, there was nothing remaining as to the nation and the
place, and also as to God’s worship, how could they do otherwise than
despond?
Then the Prophet, viewing the desolation, says, that
nothing else could be concluded, but that the Jews would be perpetually exiles,
and that all the ways were closed up, to prevent them to return to their
country, and also that the eyes of God were shut, so as never to look on them.
We now, then, perceive what he means by saying, that they were
scattered from the face of
Jehovah, so that he should no longer look on
them. And this mode of speaking is often found in Scripture; for, on the one
hand, it; sets before us the wrath of God, which brings death; and then on the
other, it sustains us, or when we are fallen it raises us up, by setting before
us the favor of God even in death itself.
The Prophet, then, considers now no other thing than
the dreadful calamity which was sufficient to sink the minds of all into the
lowest abyss of despair.
He then adds, that they
respected not the face of the
priests, and shewed no pity to the elders.
Some think that the reason is given why God had so severely punished the
people, even because they had despised the aged and the priests; but this is a
forced view. I, then, have no doubt but that the Prophet here intimates, that
the Jews had been treated reproachfully, so that there had been no account made
of the aged, and no respect shewn to the priests. It is, indeed, true, that
Daniel was held in great repute; but he speaks here of the priests who had
impiously despised all sound doctrine; and he speaks of the aged who were in
authority when the kingdom was yet standing. He then says that they had been, as
it were, trodden under feet. He hence concludes, that, all hope of restoration
was taken away from the Jews, if they only considered their extreme calamity. He
afterwards adds, —
|
LAMENTATIONS
4:17
|
|
17. As for us, our eyes as yet failed for our
vain help: in our watching we have watched for a nation that could not save
us.
|
17. Adhue nobis (hoc est quum adhue
staremus; sic intrepretor; quidam exponunt, nobis expectantibus, sed
male, meo judicio; quum ergo adhuc staremus,) defecerunt oculi nostri
ad auxilium nostrum vanum; in expectatione nostra expectavimus (vel, in
speculatione nostra respeximus) ad gentem quae non servaret.
|
Here the Prophet charges the people with another
crime, that neglecting God, and even despising his favor, they had always
attached themselves to vain and false hopes. And this was a sacrilege not to be
endured, because they thus robbed God of his rights: and what does he demand
more than that we should depend on him, and that our minds should acquiesce in
him alone? When, therefore, salvation is expected from others rather than from
God alone, he is, in a manner. reduced to nothing. The Prophet, then, accuses
the Jews of this great, sacrilege, that they never betook themselves to God, nor
had any hope in him, but on the contrary wandered here and there for
help.
As yet for
us, he says, that, is, while we were yet
standing.
F95 And this
circumstance deserves to be noticed; for after the Jews had been overthrown,
they at length began to know how they had been previously deceived, when they
placed confidence in the Egyptians. Prosperity inebriates men, so that they take
delight ill their own vanities: and while we seem to ourselves to stand, or
while we remain alive, God is disregarded, and we seek help here and there, and
think our safety beyond all danger. The Prophet then says, that the Jews had
been inebriated with false confidence, so that they disregarded God, and in the
meantime fled to the Egyptians.
When,
he says, we were standing, our
eyes failed, etc. We have before seen
what this phrase means: the eyes are said to fail, when with unwearied
perseverance we pursue a hope to the last, as it is said in the
Psalms,
“Our eyes have
failed for the living God,”
(<196903>Psalm
69:3;)
that is, We have persevered, and though many trials
may have wearied us, yet we have been constant in our hope in God. So now the
Prophet says, that the eyes of the people had failed; but he adds, for a vain
help, or a help of vanity, by which term he designates the Egyptians: and there
is an implied contrast between empty and fallacious help and the help of God,
which the people rejected when they preferred the Egyptians.
Our
eyes, he says,
failed,
that is, we were unwearied in hoping vainly, for we always thought that the
Egyptians would be a sufficient, defense to us. This is one
thing.
He afterwards
adds, In our looking out, we
looked out to a nation which could not save us.
He. repeats the same thing in other words. Some
consider a relative to be understood, “In our expectation with which we
have expected,” etc.; but it seems not necessary. I, then, so connect the
words of the Prophet, that the meaning is, that the Jews always turned their
eyes to Egypt, as long as they stood as a state and kingdom and thus they
willfully deceived themselves, because they took delight in their own vanity.
The other clause which follows has the same meaning,
In our expectation we expected a
nation, etc.; and this clause is added
as an explanation; for the Prophet explains how their eyes failed for a vain
hope, or for a vain help, even because the people did not look to God, but only
to the Egyptians.
Now the words, to look out and looking out, are not
unsuitable, for they refer to those vain imaginations to which the unbelieving
give heed; for God called them, but turning away from him they transferred their
hope to the Egyptians. It was, then, their own looking out or speculation, when,
through a foolish conceit, they imagined that safety would be secured to them by
the Egyptians.
He says that they were
a nation which could not
save; and there is no doubt but that the
Prophet here puts them in mind of the many warnings which had not been received
by the Jews, for God had tried to call them back from that ruinous confidence,
but without any success; for we know how much the Prophets labored in this
respect, but they were never believed until at length experience proved how vain
was the help of Egypt, as God had testified by his servants.
PRAYER
Grant, Almighty God, that as we are
beset on every side with so many allurements, and as Satan ceases not to draw us
here and there by vain flatteries, — O grant that we may recumb on thee
alone, even on thy power, and, in short, on thy word, nor doubt but thou wilt be
our deliverer, whatever may happen, and that we may always so seek thee in our
straits, and so acquiesce in the faithfulness of thy promises, that we may
calmly sustain all the assaults of afflictions, until thou at length gatherest
us into that blessed rest which is prepared for us in heaven by Christ our Lord.
— Amen.
LECTURE
SIXTEENTH
|
LAMENTATIONS
4:18
|
|
18. They hunt our steps. That we cannot go in
our streets: our end is near, our days are fulfilled; for our end is
come.
|
18. Venati sunt gressus nostros ne ambularemus
in compitis nostris; appropinquavit finis noster, impleti sunt dies nostri,
certe venit finis noster
|
Many apply this verse to the Egyptians, that they
insidiously enticed the Jews to flee to them in their difficulties. It is
indeed, true, that the Jews had been deceived by their false promises; and, as a
harlot draws to herself young men by wicked arts, so also the Jews had been
captivated by the enticements of the Egyptians. But the meaning of the Prophet
seems to be different, even this, — that the Chaldeans followed the Jews
as hunters, so that they observed their footsteps; and I connect together the
two verses, for it immediately follows, —
|
LAMENTATIONS
4:19
|
|
19. Our persecutors are swifter than the
eagles of the heaven: they pursued us upon the mountains, they laid wait for us
in the wilderness.
|
19. Velociores fucrunt persequutores nostri
aquilis coelorum; super montes insequuti sunt nos, in deserto insidiati sunt
nobis
|
Here, then, the Prophet means, that the Jews were so
straitened, that there was no escape for them, because their steps were observed
by their enemies, and also because the Chaldeans had recourse to the greatest
celerity, that they might take them.
He then, says, first, that their enemies were like
hunters, for the Jews could not go even through the streets of their own city.
We know that they were reduced to the greatest straits; but how hard the siege
was is better expressed by this similitude, even that they dared not walk
through the city; for there is an implied comparison, as though he had said,
“We had no liberty in the very city, much less were we allowed to go out
and ramble through the open fields.” he, in the second place, adds what
corresponds with the first clause,
Approach did our end, fulfilled
were our days; surely come did our end.
F96 He
concludes, that no hope remained since their enemies were thus oppressing them.
He, then, infers that the end was at hand, by which he means final ruin or
destruction; and he adds, that the days were fulfilled, where, he seems to
compare the state of Jerusalem with the life of man; for he is said to have
fulfilled his day who leaves the world — for a certain time for cur
sojourn has been prefixed. God, when it pleases him, calls us to himself. Hence,
our time is then fulfilled, as our course is said to be finished; for, as the
life of man is compared in .Scripture to a race, so death is like the goal. So
now, speaking of the city, the Prophet says that its time was fulfilled, for it
was not God’s will that it should remain any longer. In the third place,
he says, that the end had come. He said before, that it was nigh, but he says
now, that it had come. he, in short, shows that God, having long spared the
Jews, when he saw that they made no end of sinning, at length had recourse to
rigor, for they had shamefully abused his forbearance; for he had long suspended
his judgment, and had often tried whether they were healable. The Prophet, then,
reproves now their obstinacy, when he says that their end had
come, and that their time
was fulfilled.
He afterwards, for the same purpose, adds, that
swifter than eagles had been
their persecutors or pursuers. The Prophet, no
doubt;, continues the same subject. As, then, he had made the Chaldeans to be
like hunters, so he says now, that in flying they exceeded the eagles. It is,
indeed. a hyperbolical expression, but the Prophet could not otherwise express
the incredible celerity with which the Chaldeans hastened in pursuing the Jews.
Nor is there a doubt but that he indirectly derided the security of the foolish
people; for we know, that. whenever the prophets threatened them, this false
opinion ever prevailed, that the Chaldeans would not come, because they were far
away, the journey was long and difficult, time were many hinderances. The
Prophet, then, now taunts them for this confidence, by which they had been
deceived, when he says, that swifter titan the eagles of the heavens were their
enemies.
He mentions the ways they adopted,
Through the mountains they
pursued, and laid in wait in the desert.
He means that every way of escape was closed up. For when enemies come, many
hide themselves on mountains and thus escape; and others, betaking themselves to
the desert, find there some hiding-places. But the Prophet says that such was
the velocity of the Chaldeans, that the Jews in vain looked to the mountains or
to deserts, for snares were everywhere prepared, and they were present
everywhere to pursue them. Thus he confirms what he had said, that the time was
fulfilled, for the Lord kept them shut up on every side.
Now, though the Prophet speaks here of the ruin of
the city, yet we may gather a useful doctrine: When the hand of God is against
us, we in vain look around in all directions, for there will be no safety for us
on mountains, nor will solitude protect us in the desert. As, then, we see that
the Jews were closed up by God’s hand, so when we contend with him, we in
vain turn our eyes here and there; for, however we may for a time entertain good
hopes, yet God will surely at last disappoint us. It follows,
—
|
LAMENTATIONS
4:20
|
|
20. The breath of our nostrils, the anointed
of the Lord, was taken in their pits, of whom we said, Under his shadow we shall
live among the heathen.
|
20. Spritus narium nostrarum Christus Jehovae
captus est laqueis ipsorum; de quo diximus, In umbra ejus vivemus inter
gentes.
|
This verse, as I have said elsewhere, has been
ignorantly applied to Josiah, who fell in battle long before the fall of the
city. The royal dignity continued after his death; he was himself buried in the
grave of his fathers; and though the enemy was victorious, yet he did not conic
to the city. It is then absurd to apply to that king what is here properly said
of Zedekiah, the last king; for though he was wholly unlike Josiah, yet he was
one of David’s posterity, and a type of Christ.
As it was, then, God’s will that the posterity
of David should represent Christ, Zedekiah is here rightly called the Christ of
Jehovah, by which term Scripture designates all kings, and even Saul; and though
his kingdom was temporary, and soon decayed, yet he is called “the
Anointed of Jehovah;” and doubtless the anointing, which he received by
the hand of Samuel, was not altogether in vain. But David is properly called the
Anointed of Jehovah, together with his posterity. Hence he often used these
words, “Look on thy Christ.”
(<198410>Psalm
84:10.) And when Hannah in her song spoke of the Christ of Jehovah, she had no
doubt a regard to this idea.
(<090210>1
Samuel 2:10.) And, at length, our Lord was called the Christ of the Lord, for so
Simeon called him.
(<420226>Luke
2:26.)
Now, then, we perceive that this passage cannot be
understood except of king Zedekiah. It ought at the same time to be added, that
he is called the Christ of Jehovah, because his crown was not as yet cast down,
but he still bore that diadem by which he had been adorned by God. As, then, the
throne of David still remained, Zedekiah, however unworthy he was of that honor,
was yet the Christ of Jehovah, as Manasseh was, and others who were wholly
degenerated.
The Prophet, however, seems to ascribe to Zedekiah
far more than he deserved, when he calls the life of the people. But this
difficulty may be easily removed; the man himself is not regarded according to
his merits, but as he was called by God, and endued with that high and singular
honor; for we know that what is here said extended to all the posterity of
David, —
“I have made him
the first-begotten among all the
kings
of the earth.”
(<198927>Psalm
89:27.)
For though the kings of the earth obtained not their
authority, except as they were established by God’s decree, yet the king
from David’s posterity was first-begotten among them all. In short, it was
a sacerdotal, and even a sacred kingdom, because God had peculiarly dedicated
that throne to himself. This peculiarity ought then to be borne in mind, that we
may not look on the individual in himself.
Then the passage runs consistently, when he says,
that the
Messiah,
or the anointed of Jehovah, had
been taken it snares; for we know that
he was taken; and this is consistent with history. He had fled by a hidden way
into the desert, and he thought that lie had escaped from the hands of his
enemies; but he was soon seized, and brought to king Nebuchadnezzar. As, then,
he had unexpectedly fallen into the hands of his enemies, rightly does the
Prophet say metaphorically, that he was taken in their snares.
He calls him the
spirit of the
nostrils of the people, because the people
without their king was like a mutilated and an imperfect body. For God made
David king, and also his posterity, for this end, that the life of the people
might in a manner reside in him. As far, then, as David was the head of the
people, and so constituted by God, he was even their life. The same was the case
with all his posterity, as long as the succession continued; for the favor of
God was not extinguished until all liberty vanished, when the city was
destroyed, and even the name of the people was as it were abolished.
F97
But we must observe what we have before said, that
these high terms in which the posterity of David were spoken of, properly belong
to Christ only; for David was not the life of the people, except as he was the
type of Christ, and represented his person. Then what is said was not really
found in the posterity of David, but only typically. Hence the truth, the
reality, is to be sought in no other but in Christ And we hence learn that the
Church is dead, and is like a maimed body, when separated from its head. If,
then, we desire to live before God, we must come to Christ, who is really the
spirit or the breath of our nostrils; for as man that is dead does no longer
breathe, so also we are said to be dead when separated from Christ. On the other
hand, as long as there is between him and us a sacred union, though our life is
hid, and we die, yet we live in him, and though we are dead to the world, yet
our life is in heaven, as also Paul and Peter call us thither.
(<510303>Colossians
3:3, 4;
<610316>2
Peter 3:16.) In short, Jeremiah means that the favor of God was as it were
extinguished when the king was taken away, because the happiness of the people
depended on the king, and the royal dignity was as it were a sure pledge of the
grace and favor of God; hence the blessing of God ceased, when the king was
taken away from the Jews.
It follows at length,
Of whom we have said, Under thy
shadow we shall live among the nations. The
Prophet shews that the Jews in vain hoped for anything any more as to their
restoration; for the origin of all blessing was from the king. God had bereaved
them of their king; it then follows that they were in a hopeless state. But the
Prophet that he might more clearly express this, says, that the people thought
that they would be safe, provided the kingdom remained,
— We shall
live, they said,
even among the nations under the
shadow of our king; that is,
“Though we may be driven to foreign nations, yet the king will be able to
gather us, and his shadow will extend far and wide to keep us safe.” So
the Jews believed, but falsely, because by their defection they had cast away
the yoke of Christ and of God, as it is said in
<190203>Psalm
2:3. As then they had shaken off the heavenly yoke, they in vain trusted in the
shadow of an earthly king, and were wholly unworthy of the guardianship and
protection of God.
F98 It
afterwards follows, —
|
LAMENTATIONS
4:21
|
|
21. Rejoice, and be glad, O daughter of Edom,
that dwellest in the land of Uz: the cup also shall pass through unto thee; thou
shalt be drunken, and shalt make thyself naked.
|
21. Guade et laetare, filia Edom quae habitas
in terra Uts
(≈[,
ad verbum;) etiam super te transibit calix, inebriaberis et
nudaberis.
|
The Prophet in this verse intimates that the Jews
were exposed to the reproaches and taunts of all their enemies, but he
immediately moderates their sorrow, by adding a consolation; and it was a sorrow
that in itself must have been very bitter; for we know that nothing’ is
harder to bear, in a state of misery, than the petulant insults of enemies;
these wound us more than all other evils which we may suffer. The Prophet then
intimates, that the Jews had been so reduced, that all the ungodly and
malevolent were able, with impunity, to exult over them, and to taunt them with
their troubles. This is done in the former clause but its it was a prophecy, or
rather a denunciation, extremely bitter, he mitigates the atrocity of the evil,
when he says that their enemies would have soon in their turn to undergo
punishment.
Some explain the whole verse as spoken ironically, as
though the Prophet had said tauntingly, — “Go now, ye Idumeans, and
rejoice; but your joy shall be evanescent.”
F99 But I
rather think that he refers to the very summit of extreme misery, because the
Jews had been thus exposed to the taunts of their enemies; but he afterwards
adds some alleviation, because all their enemies would at length be punished.
There is, in
<330708>Micah
7:8, a similar mode of speaking, though there is no mention made there of Edom;
for there the Prophet speaks generally to all those who envied the people, and
were their adversaries: he compares the people, according’ to what was
usual, to a woman; and we know that in that sex there is much more jealousy than
in men; and then, when there is a grudge, they fiercely urge their pleas, that
they may have an occasion to speak evil of others. Therefore the Church, after
having acknowledged that she had been deservedly chastised, adds, “Rejoice
not over me, mine enemy.” But I have already fully explained the
Prophet’s meaning, — that the Church calls all her enemies an enemy,
or an inimical woman, as though there had been some quarrel or jealousy between
women. Hence she says,
“Though I have fallen, yet rejoice
thou not, my enemy; though I lie in darkness, yet the Lord will be my light
— though then my enemy has rejoiced, yet my eyes shall see when she shall
be trodden down.”
(<330708>Micah
7:8, 10.)
The Prophet no doubt meant there to mitigate the
sorrow of the godly, who saw that they were insolently taunted by all their
neighbors. He then shews the necessity of a patient endurance for a time; for
God would at length stretch out his hand, and render to enemies the reward of
their barbarity.
But why in this place mention is made of Edom, rather
than of other nations, is not evident. The Jews were, indeed, surrounded on
every side with enemies, for they had as many enemies as neighbors. But the
Idumeans, above others, had manifested hostility to the chosen people. And the
indignity was the greater, because they had descended from the same father, for
Isaac was their common father; and they derived their origin from two brothers,
Esau and Jacob. As, then, the Idumeans were related to the Jews, their cruelty
was less tolerable; for they thus forgot their own race, and raged against their
brethren and relatives. Hence it is said in
<19D707>Psalm
137:7,
“Remember, O Lord,
the children of Edom, who said, in the day of Jerusalem, Down with it, down with
it, to the very foundation.”
The Prophet, then, after having imprecated
God’s vengeance on all the ungodly, mentioned especially the Idumeans; and
why? because they indulged their cruelty above all others; for they were
standard-bearers, as it were, to enemies, and were like falls, by which the fire
was more kindled; for this address was no doubt made to the
Chaldeans,
“Make bare, make
bare; spare not;
let not a stone
remain on a stone.”
(<19D707>Psalm
137:7.)
As, then, the Idumeans had behaved most cruelly
towards their own relatives, the Prophet complains of them, and asks God to
render to them what they deserved.
So now in this place our Prophet says,
Be glad and rejoice, thou
daughter of Edom, who dwellest in the land of
Uz. By this clause, as I have already
said, Jeremiah intimates that the Jews were exposed to the taunts of their
enemies, because the Idumeans could now insult them with security. But he
immediately adds, also: here he begins a new subject, and this is
intimated by the particle
µg
gam, To thee also shall
pass the cup. He employs a common
metaphor; for adversity is denoted in Scripture by the word cup; for God,
according to his will, gives to drink to each as much as he pleases. As when a
master of a family distributes drink to his children and servants; so also God,
in a manner, extends his cup to every one whom he chastises; nor does he allow
any one either to reject the cup offered, .or to throw away the wine, but he
constrains him to drink and to exhaust to the very dregs as much as he gives to
each to drink. Hence it is for this reason that the Prophet says now that the
cup would pass over to the Idumeans; for we know that, shortly after, they were
subdued by the Chaldeans, with whom they had before been united. But when they
had by their perfidy fallen off from their treaty, they were in their turn
punished. As, then, the agreement they had made with the Chaldeans did not
continue, the Prophet says, that to them also the cup would pass
over.
He adds,
Thou shalt be inebriated and made
naked. God is wont thus to distinguish
between his own children and aliens or the reprobate; for he indeed gives a
bitter potion to his own children to drink, but it is as much as they are able
to drink; but he altogether chokes others, because lie constrains them, as it
has been already said, to drink to the very dregs. So, then, the Prophet now
compares the extreme miseries which the Idumeans suffered to drunkenness; and to
the same purpose are the words which follow,
Thou shalt be made
naked. For he thus intimates, that they
would be so confounded with the atrocity of their evils, as to have no care for
decency, and to be dead to all shame: as a drunken man, who is overpowered by
wine, disregards himself, and falls and exposes himself as Noah did; so also the
Prophet says, that so great would be the calamities of Edom, that the people,
exposed to every reproach, would afford occasion to all around them for taunts.
As when a sot lies down in the mire, casts away his garments, and makes an
exposure of himself, it is a spectacle both sad and shameful; so the Prophet
says, that the Idumeans would be like the drunken, because they would lie down
in their reproach. It follows, —
|
LAMENTATIONS
4:22
|
|
22. The punishment of thine iniquity is
accomplished, O daughter of Zion; he will no more carry thee away into
captivity: he will visit thine iniquity, O daughter of Edom; he will discover
they sins.
|
22. Completa est iniquitas tua, filia Sion;
non adjiciet ad te in exilium trahendam; visitavit iniquitatem filiae Edom, et
discooperuit super peccatum tuum (hoc est, nudavit peccatum
tuum.)
|
This verse, in my judgment, is incorrectly explained;
and the Jews have toiled much, for there seems to be a kind of inconsistency,
since it is certain that they were afterwards scattered into exile, not only
once, but several times. Hence they interpret. this place of the second
dispersion by Titus, under the authority of his father Vespasian. They then say
that the iniquity of the people was then completed, for after that exile no
change has followed. Otherwise they do not think that this prediction of the
Prophet accords with the reality or the event; for, as I have said, they have
been driven into all lands. They had been, indeed, before fugitives, as Moses
had declared concerning them. For we know that Jews dwelt in Greece and in
Macedonia; we know that many of the cities of Italy were full of this people,
until by the edict of Claudius Caesar they were expelled from Italy; for he
thought that Italy was infected by them, and he drove them afar off, as though
they were contagious. But the Jews lay hold on these refinements to no purpose
for the Prophet simply meant to say, that such would be, the punishment of the
people, that it would not be necessary then to repeat it.
When, therefore, he says that
their
iniquity, or the punishment of their iniquity,
was
completed, he intimates that God had dealt so
severely with them, that there was nothing short of extreme rigor: and this mode
of speaking occurs elsewhere. To the same purpose is what immediately follows:
The enemy, or God, which is the same,
will no more add to draw thee
into exile, — why? for what need was
there of a second exile when the whole land had been reduced to solitude? since
also the poor who had been left in the land had at length gone into Egypt,
whence they were brought again into Chaldea; but they were, at the time,
fugitives from the Holy Land. Then the Prophet means, that God’s judgment
was, in all its parts, completed, that nothing short of extreme calamity had
happened to the Jews.
It afterwards follows in the second clause,
He will
visit, which is, indeed, in the past tense,
he hath
visited, but he speaks of what was future.
According to the usual manner of the prophets, in order to confirm the
prediction, he speaks of the event as already past, He has visited the iniquity
of the daughter of Edom; so that thy wickedness has been uncovered. The meaning
will be clearer if we add the particles of comparison, “As thy punishment,
daughter of Sion, has been completed; so thine iniquity, daughter of Edom, shall
be visited;” or if we render the words thus, by way of concession,
“The punishment of thine iniquity, daughter of Sion, has indeed been
completed; but thy sin, daughter of Edom, shall be uncovered.”
F100
We, in short, see that the reason is explained why
the Prophet, in the last verse, alleviated, with comfort, the sorrow of the
people, that though the Jews were very miserable, it would yet be nothing better
with Edom, when the time of visitation came. And in saying that the punishment
of iniquity was completed, he refers not to their sin, but says that they had
been thus chastised, as it seemed good to God to execute all his rigor towards
them; and nearly the same manner of speaking is found in the fortieth chapter of
Isaiah. Then the Prophet does not deny but that the Jews might at a future time
become exiles; but he says that their transmigration now was complete, so that
it was not necessary that Nebuchadnezzar should again denude the land of its
inhabitants: this had been done, as it were, by a sudden whirlwind; for by one
sweep they had been snatched away. The land, indeed, was before made desolate,
but when Nebuchadnezzar took possession of the city, he only left behind the
dregs of the people. And he did this on purpose that he might have there some
people as tributaries. Then that transmigration was complete.
But the Prophet means not here, that God would not
afterwards banish and scatter the Jews as they deserved. There is then no
inconsistency, that the Jews afterwards became fugitives and wanderers through
the whole world, and that yet the enemy would not again draw them into
captivity, for he speaks here only of the Chaldeans: and this was said, because
Jeremiah wished to compare the Jews with the Idumeans, and to shew, that though
the Idumeans insolently exulted over them, yet their own calamity was nigh,
which would wholly overwhelm them, as the case had previously been with the
Jews. There is no time now to begin with the prayer of Jeremiah: I must
therefore defer it till the next Lecture.
PRAYER
Grant, Almighty God, that as thou seest
that at this day the mouths not only of our enemies, but of thine also, are open
to speak evil, — O grant, that no occasion may be given them, especially
as their slanders are cast on thy holy name; but restrain thou their insolence,
and so spare us, that though we deserve to be chastised, thou mayest yet have
regard for thine own glory, and thus gather us under Christ our head, and
restore thy scattered Church, until we shall at length be all gathered into that
celestial kingdom, which thine only-begotten Son our Lord has procured for us by
his own blood. — Amen.
CHAPTER 5
LECTURE
SEVENTEETH
|
LAMENTATIONS
5:1
|
|
1. Remember, O Lord, what is come upon us:
consider, and behold our reproach.
|
1. Memento (recordare,) Jehova, quid sit nobis
(hoc est, quomodo nobiscum agatur.) aspice et vide opprobrium
nostrum.
|
This prayer ought to be read as unconnected with the
Lamentations, for the initial letters of the verses are not written according to
the order of the Alphabet. yet it is a complaint rather than a prayer; for
Jeremiah mentions those things which had happened to the people in their extreme
calamity in order to turn God to compassion and mercy.
He says first,
Remember
what has happened to us; and then in the second part he explains himself,
Look and see our
reproach. Now the words, though brief
and concise, yet contain a useful doctrine — that God is pleased to bring
help to the miserable when their evils come to an account before him, especially
when they are unjustly oppressed. It is, indeed, certain that nothing is unknown
to God, but this mode of speaking is according to the perceptions of men; for we
think that God disregards our miseries, or we imagine that his back is turned to
us when he does not immediately succor us. But as I have said, he is simply to
be asked to look on our evils, for we know what he testifies of himself; so that
as he claims to himself the office of helping the miserable and the unjustly
oppressed, we ought to acquiesce in this consolation, that as soon as he is
pleased to look on the evils we suffer, aid is at the same time prepared for
us.
There is mention especially made of reproach, that
the indignity might move God the more: for it was for this end that he took the
people under his protection, that they might be for his glory and honor, as
Moses says. As, then, it was God’s will that the riches of his glory
should appear in that people, nothing could have been more inconsistent that
that instead of glory they should have nothing but disgrace and reproach. This,
then, is the reason why the Prophet makes a special mention of the reproach of
the people. It follows, —
|
LAMENTATIONS
5:2
|
|
2. Our inheritance is turned to strangers, our
houses to aliens.
|
2. Haereditas nostra devoluta est ad exteros,
domus nostrae ad alienos.
|
A catalogue of many calamities is now given by the
Prophet, and as I have reminded you, for this end, that he may obtain
God’s favor for himself and for the whole people. It was by no means a
reasonable thing, that the inheritance of the elect people should be given to
aliens; for we know that the land had been promised to Abraham four hundred
years before his children possessed it; we know that this promise had been often
repeated, “This land shall be to you for an inheritance.” For though
God sustained all nations, yet he was pleased to take a peculiar care of his
people. In short, no land has ever been given to men in so singular a way as the
land of Canaan to the posterity of Abraham. As, then, this inheritance had been
for so many ages possessed by the chosen people, Jeremiah does not without
reason complain that it was turned over to aliens.
In the second clause he repeats the same thing; but
he shews that the Jews had not only been robbed of their fields, but had been
cast out of their houses, a more grievous and disgraceful thing. For it
sometimes happens, that when one loses his farm, his fields, and vineyards, his
house remains to him untouched; but the Prophet here amplifies the misery of his
own nation, that they were not only deprived of their fields and possessions,
but that they were also ejected from their own houses, and others had possession
of them. For it is a sight deemed affecting even among heathens, when one
unworthy of any honor succeeds in the place of another eminent in wealth and
dignity. Well known are these words, —
O house of Aucus!
How ruled by an unequal master!
F101
As Tarquinius had succeeded and taken possession of
the kingdom, the heathen poet upbraidingly said that the house of Ancus had
passed over to those who were at first exiles and fugitives, but afterwards
became proud and cruel tyrants. So also in this place Jeremiah says that aliens
dwelt in the houses of the people. It follows, —
|
LAMENTATIONS
5:3
|
|
3. We are orphans and fatherless, our mothers
are as widows.
|
3. Pupilli fuimus patre (non patre,) matres
nostrae tanquam viduae.
|
Here the Prophet not only speaks in the person of the
whole people, but utters also the groans and complaints of each; for this could
not have been suitable to the whole Church, as he speaks of fathers and mothers.
We hence see that this verse does not apply to the whole body, but to individual
members, though every one of the people might have said that widows and orphans
were everywhere seen.
Now, this usually happens when a nation is consumed
either by pestilence or by war; for in one battle all do not so fall that a
whole country becomes full of orphans. But the Prophet sets forth here the
orphanage and widowhood occasioned through the continued vengeance of God, for
he had not ceased to afflict the people until by degrees they were exhausted. It
was, indeed, a sad spectacle to see among the chosen people so many widows, and
also so many children deprived of their fathers. It, follows,
—
|
LAMENTATIONS
5:4
|
|
4. We have drunken our water for money; our
wood is sold unto us.
|
4. Aquas nostras pecunia bibimus, ligna nostra
pretio veniunt (non veneunt, nam intelligit ligna afferri, aut venire
in illorum manus non sine pretio.)
|
The Prophet here relates, that the people were
denuded, that. they labored under the want of water and of wood. He does not say
that they were only deprived of corn and wine, he does not complain that any of
their luxuries were lessened; but he mentions water and wood, the common things
of life; for the use of water, as it is said, is common to all; no one is so
poor, if he dwells not in a land wholly dry, but that he has water enough to
drink. For if there be no fountains, there are at least rivers, there are wells;
nor do men perish through thirst, except in deserts and in places uninhabitable.
As, then, water might be had everywhere, the Prophet here sets forth the extreme
misery of the people, for water was even sold to them. In stony and high places
water is sold; but this is a very rare thing. The Prophet here means that the
people were not only deprived of their wealth, but reduced to such a state of
want that they had no water without buying it,.
At the same time he seems to express something worse
when he says, Our water we drink
for money, and our
wood is brought to us for a
price. It is not strange that wood should be
bought; but the Prophet means that water was sold to the Jews which had been
their own, and that they were also compelled to buy wood which had been their
own. Thus the possessive pronouns are to be considered as emphatical. Then he
says, “Our own waters we drink,” etc.
F102 He
calls them the waters of the people, which by right they might have claimed as
their own; and he also calls the wood The same; it was that to which the people
had a legitimate right. He then says that all things had been so taken away by
their enemies, that they were forced to buy, not only the wine which had been
taken from their cellars, and the corn which had been taken from their
granaries, but also the water and the wood.
But were any one disposed to take the words more
simply, the complaint would not. be unsuitable, — that the people, who
before had abundance of wine and all other things, were constrained to buy
everything, even water and wood. For it is a grievous change when any one, who
could once cut wood of his own, and gather his own wine and corn, is not able to
get even a drop of water without buying it. This is a sad change. So this
passage may be understood. It follows, —
|
LAMENTATIONS
5:5
|
|
5. Our necks are under persecution: we labor,
and have no rest
|
5. Super colla nostra (vel, cervicibus
nostris) persecutionem passi sumus; laboravimus non requies
nobis.
|
Here he says that the people were oppressed with a
grievous bondage. It is, indeed, a metaphorical expression when he says, that
people suffered persecution on their necks. Enemies may sometimes be troublesome
to us, either before our face, or behind our backs, or by our sides; but when
they so domineer as to ride on our necks, in this kind of insult. there is
extreme degradation. Hence the Prophet here complains of the servile and even
disgraceful oppression of the people when he says, that the Jews
suffered persecution on their
necks.
The meaning is, that the enemies so domineered at
the, it pleasure, that the Jews dared not to raise up their heads. They were,
indeed, worthy of this reward — for we know that they had an iron neck;
for when God would have them to bear his yoke, they were wholly unbending; nay,
they were like untameable wild beasts. As, then, their hardness had been so
great, God rendered to them a just reward for their pride and obstinacy, when
their enemies laid such a burden on their necks
F103
But the Prophet sets forth here this indignity, that
he might turn God to mercy; that is, that the Chaldeans thus oppressed as they
pleased the chosen people.
He adds, that they
labored and had no
rest. He intimates by these words that there
were no limits nor end to their miseries and troubles; for the phrase in Hebrew
is, We have labored and there was
no rest. It often happens that when one is
pressed down with evils for a short time, a relaxation comes. But the Prophet.
says that there was no end to the miseries of the people. Then to labor without
rest is the same as to be pressed down with incessant afflictions, from which
there is no outlet. Their obstinacy was worthy also of this reward, for they had
fought against God, not for a few months or years only, but for many years. We
know how long the Prophet called them without any success. Here, however, he
seeks favor with God, by saying that the people were miserable without limits or
end.
|
LAMENTATIONS
5:6
|
|
6. We have given the hand to the Egyptians and
to the Assyrians, to be satisfied with bread.
|
6. AEgyptiis dedimus manum Assyriis, ut
saturemur panibus.
|
He speaks here of the mendicity of the people, that
they sought bread from every quarter. To give the hand, is explained in three
ways: some say that it means humbly to ask; others, to make an agreement; and
others, to extend it in token of misery, as he who cannot ask for help,
intimates his wants by extending his hand. But the Prophet seems simply to mean
that the people were so distressed by want, that they begged bread. I then take
the expression, to give the hand, as meaning that they asked bread, as beggars
usually do.
He now says that they gave or extended
the hand both to the Egyptians and to the Assyrians,
which was a most unworthy and disgraceful thing; for the Egyptians had been
their most troublesome enemies, and the Assyrians afterwards followed their
example. At that time, indeed, the Egyptians pretended to be the friends of the
chosen people, and made a treaty with them; but the Jews were held in contempt
by them as they deserved, for they had prostituted as it were themselves like
harlots. As, then, they had been despised by the Egyptians, it was a disgrace
and reproach the most bitter, when they were compelled to beg bread in Egypt,
and then in Assyria; for this might have been turned to the bitterest
taunts.
We now, then, perceive the meaning of the Prophet;
even this reward also God justly rendered to them. He had promised them a
fruitful land, in which he was ready to support them to the full. How often is
mention made by Moses of corn, wine, and oil; and why? in order that God might
shew that that land exceeded every other in fertility. It was, then, an evidence
of an extreme curse when the people were compelled to beg bread here and there,
while yet the abundance of all things ought to have been sufficient to supply
even aliens,
“Thou shalt lend to
others, but thou shalt not borrow.”
(<051506>Deuteronomy
15:6.)
They then who ought to have fed others by their
plenty, were so reduced that their want forced them to undergo this disgrace, to
beg bread of the Egyptians and Assyrians. It follows, —
|
LAMENTATIONS
5:7
|
|
7. Our fathers have sinned, and are not; and
we have borne their iniquities.
|
7. Patres nostri peccarunt, non sunt (non
ipsi, ad verbum,) nos vero iniquitatem eorum portavimus.
|
The Prophet seems here to contend with God, and to
utter that blasphemy mentioned by Ezekiel. For when God severely chastised the
people, that proverb was commonly used by them,
“Our fathers did
eat a sour grape, and our teeth are blunted.”
(<261802>Ezekiel
18:2.)
Thus they intimated that they were unjustly and
cruelly treated, because they suffered the punishment of others, when they
themselves were innocent. So the Prophet seems to quarrel with God when he says
that the fathers who sinned were
no more; but as we shall presently see, the
Prophet confesses also the sins of those who were yet alive. As, then, an
ingenuous confession is made by the Prophet, he no doubt abstained here from
that blasphemy which is so severely reproved by Ezekiel. Jeremiah had nothing
farther from his purpose than to free the people from all blame, as though God
had dealt cruelly with them, according to what is said by a heathen poet,
—
“For the sins
of the fathers thou undeservedly sufferest, O
Roman!”
F104
Another says, —
“Enough
already by our
blood
Have we
suffered for the perjuries of Laomedonian
Troy.”
F105
They mean that the people of their age were wholly
innocent, and seek in Asia and beyond the sea the cause of evils, as though they
never had a sin at Rome. But the meaning of Jeremiah was not this, but he simply
intended to say that the people who had been long rebellious against God were
already dead, and that it was therefore a suitable time for God to regard the
miseries of their posterity. The faithful, then, do not allege here their own
innocency before God, as though they were blameless; but only mention that their
fathers underwent a just punishment, for that whole generation had perished.
Daniel speaks more fully when he says,
“We have sinned,
and our fathers, and our
kings.”
(<270908>Daniel
9:8.)
He involved in the same condemnation both the fathers
and their children.
But our Prophet’s object was different, even to
turn God to mercy, as it has been stated; and to attain this object he says,
“O Lord, thou indeed hast hitherto executed just punishment, because our
fathers had very long abused thy goodness and forbearance; but now the time is
come for thee to try and prove whether we are like our fathers: as, then, they
have perished as they deserved, receive us now into favor.” We hence see
that thus no quarrel or contention is carried on with God, but only that the
miserable exiles ask God to look on them, since their fathers who had provoked
God and had experienced his dreadful vengeance, were already dead.
F106
And when he says that the sons bore the
iniquity of the fathers, though it be a strong expression, yet its meaning
is not as though God had without reason punished their children and not their
fathers; for unalterable is that declaration,
“The son shall not
bear the iniquity of the father, nor the father the iniquity of the son; but the
soul that sinneth it shall
die.”
(<261820>Ezekiel
18:20.)
It may yet be said that children are loaded with the
sins of their fathers, because God, as he declares by Moses, extends his
vengeance to the third and fourth generation.
(<022005>Exodus
20:5.) And he says also in another place,
“I will return into
the bosom of children the iniquity
of
their fathers.”
(<243218>Jeremiah
32:18.)
God then continued his vengeance to their posterity.
But yet there is no doubt but that the children who had been so severely
punished, bore also the punishment of their own iniquity, for they deserved a
hundred deaths. But these two things well agree together, that God returns the
iniquity of the fathers into the bosom of their children, and yet that the
children are chastised for their own sins.
|
LAMENTATIONS
5:8
|
|
8. Servants have ruled over us: there is none
that doth deliver us out of their hand.
|
8. Servi dominati sunt nobis; eripiens nemo ex
manibus ipsorum (hoc est, nemo est qui nos eripiat e manibus
ipsorum.)
|
Another circumstance aggravated the calamity of the
people, that they came under the power of servants, which is more degrading than
when the rich and the eminent in wealth and power make us their servants. For it
is no shame to serve a king, or at, least a man who possesses some eminence; for
that servitude which is not apparently degrading is deemed tolerable. But when
we become the servants of servants, it is a most afflicting degradation, and
most grievously wounds our minds.
It is, then, for this indignity that Jeremiah now
expostulates, and says that
servants ruled over
them. There is, indeed, no doubt but that they
were driven into exile by some of the lowest; for the Chaldeans thought it right
to exercise towards them every kind of cruelty. But it was yet a very mournful
thing for God’s children to be the slaves of servants; for they were
before a sacerdotal kingdom, and God had so taken them under his protection,
that their condition was better and more desirable than that of any other
kingdom. As, then, they had been robbed of their liberty, and not only so, but
also made subject to servants, the change was sad in the extreme.
F107
Therefore the Prophet sought another occasion to plead for mercy, when he said
that they were ruled by servants. It now follows, —
|
LAMENTATIONS
5:9
|
|
9. We gat our bread with the peril of
our lives, because of the sword of the wilderness.
|
9. In anima nostra (alii vertunt, in
periculo vitae nostrae, vel, cum periculo) adduximus ad panem nostrum ob
siccitatem deserti (alii vertunt, a facie gladii, in
deserto.)
|
The word
brj,
chereb, means drought as well as sword. As the Prophet is speaking of
famine and the desert,, I have no doubt but that dryness or drought is
sword the word means here; and I wonder that the word sword had occurred
to any; they could not have regarded the context.
He then says that the people sought bread with the
soul, that is, at the hazard of their own life. If danger be preferred, I do not
object. But as he simply says, with the soul, he seems to express this, that for
food they hazarded their own life. Food, indeed, is the support of life, for why
is bread sought but for sustaining life? But the hungry so rush headlong to
procure food, that they expose themselves to thousand dangers, and they also
weary themselves with many labors; and this is to seek bread with their soul,
that is, when men not only anxiously labor to procure food, but pour forth as it
were their own blood, as when one undertakes a long journey to get some support,
lie is almost lifeless when he reaches the distant hospital. As, then, the Jews
nowhere found food, the Prophet says that they sought bread with their life,
that is, at the hazard of life. This is the view I prefer.
He then adds,
For the dryness of the
wilderness. What has the sword to do with
wilderness? We see that this is wholly unsuitable; there was then no reason why
interpreters should pervert this word. But what he calls the dryness of the
wilderness was the want by which the people were distressed, as though they were
in the wilderness. This is said by way of comparison, — that on account of
the dryness of the desert, that is, on account of sterility, they were under the
necessity of exposing their life to death, only that they might anywhere find
bread. F108
It may also be, that the Prophet meant, that they
were fugitives, and thus went in hunger through woods and forest, when they
dared not to go forth into the open country lest the enemy should meet them. But
what I have said is most suitable, that is, that they were so famished as though
they were in a vast desert, and far away from every hospital, so that bread
could nowhere be found. We now, then, perceive the meaning of the Prophet. He
adds, —
|
LAMENTATIONS
5:10
|
|
10. Our skin was black like an oven, because
of the terrible famine.
|
10. Pelles nostrae quasi clibanus nigredinem
contraxerunt ob exustiones famis.
|
Some read, “for tremors;” literally,
“from the face of tremors.” Jerome renders it, “tempests
:” but the word “burnings” is the most suitable; for he says
that their skins were darkened, and he compares them to an oven. This metaphor
often occurs in Scripture,
“Though ye have
been as among pots in the smoke, and deformed by blackness, yet your wings shall
shine.”
(<196814>Psalm
68:14.)
God says that his people had contracted blackness, as
though they had touched smoky pots, because they had been burnt as it were by
many afflictions; for when we pine away in our evils, filthiness itself deforms
us. But here he compares to an oven (which is the same thing) their skins or
skin. He then says that the skin of every one was so wrinkled and darkened by
blackness, that it was like an oven which is black through constant fire and
smoke. The Prophet or whoever was the author of the 119th Psalm, uses another
comparison, that he was like a bottle or a bladder, contracted by the smoke, and
had wrinkles together with blackness.
F109
The meaning is, that there was a degrading deformity
in the people, for they were so famished that no moisture remained in them; and
when moisture fails, then paleness and decay follow; and then from paleness a
greater deformity and blackness, of which the Prophet now speaks. Hence I have
said, that the word “burnings” is the most proper. For, if we say
tempests or storms, a tempest does not certainly darken the skin; and if we
render it tremors or tremblings, this would be far remote; but if we adopt the
word burnings, the whole passage will appear consistent; and we know, that as
food as it were irrigates the life of man, so famine burns it up, as Scripture
speaks also elsewhere. It follows, —
|
LAMENTATIONS
5:11
|
|
11. They ravished the women in Zion, and the
maids in the cities of Judah
|
11. Mulieres in Sion afflictae fuerunt
virgines in urbibus Juhudah
|
He mentions here another kind of reproach, that women
had been ravished in Jerusalem, and in other cities.
F110 God had
commanded chastity to be observed among his people. When, therefore, virgins and
women were thus defiled, it was a thing extremely disgraceful. But the Prophet
mentioned this also, in order that God might at length show himself propitious
to his people after having been entreated.
(<052221>Deuteronomy
22:21-24.)
And he mentioned Sion rather than Jerusalem,
— it was indeed to state a part for the whole; but that place, we know,
had been chosen by God that his name might be there worshipped. Sion, then, was
a holy place above any other; it was, in a word, the earthly dwelling of God.
As, then, God had there his palace, that he might dwell in the midst of his
people, it was a disgraceful sight in the extreme to see women ravished there,
for the temple of God was thus violated. It was not only a thing disgraceful to
the people, that women were thus ravished, but it was a filthy profanation of
God’s worship, and therefore sacrilegious. We now see the design of the
Prophet. He mentions also the cities of Judah, but with reference to the same
thing. It follows —
|
LAMENTATIONS
5:12
|
|
12. Princes are hanged up by their hand: the
faces of elders were not honored
|
12. Principes manu sua fuerunt suspensi,
facies senum non fuerunt in honore (non fuerunt honoratae, ad
verbum)
|
The beginning of the verse may be explained in two
ways. All render thus, “The princes have been slain by their hand,”
that is, of their enemies. But I wonder how it never occurred to them, that it
was far more grievous, that they were slain by their own hand. I certainly do
not doubt but that the Prophet says here, that some of the princes had laid
violent hands on themselves. For it would be a frigid expression, that the
princes were hung by the hand of enemies; but if we read, that the princes were
hung by their own hand, this would be far more atrocious, as we have before seen
that even women, excelling in humanity, devoured their own offspring. So he says
now that princes were hung, not by enemies, for it was a common thing for the
conquered to be slain by their enemies, and be also hung by way of reproach; but
the Prophet, as it appears to me, meant to express something more atrocious,
even that the miserable princes were constrained to lay violent hands on
themselves. F111
He adds, that
the faces of the aged were not
honored; which is also a thing not natural; for
we know that some honor is always rendered to old age, and that time of life is
commonly regarded with reverence. When, therefore, no respect is shown to the
aged, the greatest barbarity must necessarily prevail. It is the same, then, as
though the Prophet had said that the people had been so disgracefully treated,
that their enemies had not even spared the aged. We also now understand why he
adds this, for it would have otherwise appeared incredible, that the princes
hung themselves by their own hand. But he here intimates that there was no
escape for them, except they in despair sought death for themselves, because all
humanity had disappeared. It follows, —
|
LAMENTATIONS
5:13
|
|
13. They took the young men to grind, and the
children fell under the wood.
|
13. Adolescentes ad molam sumpserunt, et pueri
in ligno ceciderunt (vel, impegerunt)
|
I cannot proceed farther now.
PRAYER
Grant, Almighty God, that since thou
hast once stretched forth thy hand to consecrate us a people to thyself, —
O grant, that thy paternal favor may perpetually shine on us, and that we may,
on the other hand, strive always to glorify thy name, so that having once
embraced us thou mayest continue thy goodness, until we shall at length enjoy
the fullness of all blessings in thy celestial kingdom, which has been obtained
for us by the blood of thine only-begotten Son. — Amen.
LECTURE
EIGHTEENTH
The Prophet now says, that
young men, had been delivered to
the mill, or to the grinding-house; and
we know that of all servile works this was the lowest; for as they used asses to
grind, so also they used slaves. The meaning is, that the Jews were shamefully
treated, and were reduced to the most abject condition. I know not how came
Jerome to give this version, that they were basely used for lust; for
ˆjf,
thechen, means to grind or to tear. He thought that it means here
something base, which could not be named, as though the enemies had shamefully
abused the young men; but we may gather from the second clause of the verse that
such an idea does not accord with the passage.
He then says, that
young
men were compelled to
grind,
and that boys stumbled under the
wood. He means that boys were loaded with wood,
as drudges were wont to be; and it was a vile work. As, then, he said
previously, that the young men were employed in grinding, so now he says that
boys succumbed under the wood, because they carried burdens on their shoulders
too heavy for them, which they were not able to bear. We now, then, apprehend
what the Prophet means. It follows, —
|
LAMENTATIONS
5:14
|
|
14. The elders have ceased from the gate, the
young men from their music
|
14. Senes cessarunt e porta adolescentes a
pulsatione sua (vel, canticis musicis.)
|
Here the Prophet briefly shews that the city was
reduced to ruins, so that nothing but desolation could be seen there. For when
cities are inhabited, judges sit at the gate and young men exercise themselves
in ]awful pursuits; but he says that there were no judgments; for at that time,
as it is well known, they were wont to administer justice and to hold assemblies
at the gates of cities. It was then the same as though all civil order had been
abolished.
Then he adds, the
young men had ceased from their
own beating or musical songs. The meaning is,
that there was so great a desolation in the city, that, it was no more a city.
For men cannot dwell together without laws and without courts of justice. Where
courts of justice are closed up, where laws are mute, where no equity is
administered, there barbarity prevails, which is worse than solitude; :and where
there are no assemblies for legitimate amusements, life becomes brutal, for we
know that man is a sociable being. By these words, then, the Prophet shews that
a dreadful desolation appeared in the city after the people had gone into exile.
And among the Chaldeans, and in Assyria, they had not their own judges nor any
form of government, for they were dispersed and scattered, and that designedly,
that they might not unite together any more; for it was the purpose of the
Chaldeans to obliterate by degrees the very name of the people; and hence they
were not there formed into a community. So justly does the Prophet deplore their
desolation even in exile. It follows, —
|
LAMENTATIONS
5:15
|
|
15. The joy of our heart is ceased; our dance
is turned into mourning.
|
15. Cessavit gandium cordis nortri, versus est
luctum chorus noster (sic enium vertunt
wnljm lbal
|
He pursues the same subject, but he seems more
clearly to explain what he had briefly stated in the preceding verse, when he
says that all joy of the heart
had ceased, and that all the dances were turned into
mourning.
F112
We know that life is more bitter than death when men are in constant
mourning; and truly where there is no hilarity, that state of life is worse than
death. And this is what the Prophet now means by saying that all joy had ceased,
and that all dances were converted into mourning.
|
LAMENTATIONS
5:16
|
|
16. The crown is fallen from our head: woe
unto us, that we have sinned!
|
16. Cecidit corona capitis nostri; vae nunc
nobis, quia peccavimus.
|
By the crown of the head he no doubt understands all
those ornaments by which that people had been adorned. They had a kingdom and a
priesthood, which were like two luminaries or two precious jewels; they had also
other things by which the Lord had adorned them. As, then, they were endued with
such excellent things, they are said to have borne a
crown on their
head. But a crown was not only taken for
a diadem, — it was also a symbol of joy and of honor; for not only kings
then wore crowns, but men were crowned at weddings and feasts, at. games also,
and theatres. The Prophet, in a word, complains, that though many ornaments did
belong to the people, yet now they were denuded of them all:
The
crown, he says,
has fallen from our
head.
F113
He then exclaims,
Woe to us now, for we have
sinned! Here he sets forth an extreme misery,
and at the same time shews that all hope of restoration was taken away. He,
however, mentions the cause,
because they had done
wickedly. By saying this he did not
intend to exasperate their sorrow, so that they who were thus afflicted might
murmur against God; but, on the contrary, his object was to humble the
afflicted, so that they might perceive that they were justly punished. It is the
same as though he had summoned them as guilty before the tribunal of God, and
pronounced in one word that they justly suffered or sustained so grievous a
punishment; for a just God is an avenger of wickedness.
We hence conclude, that when he said yesterday that
the fathers who had sinned were dead, and their iniquity was borne by their
children, he did not so speak as to exempt the living from all blame; for here
he condemns them and includes himself in the number. But I explained yesterday
the meaning of that verse; and here the Prophet ingenuously confesses that the
people were justly punished, because they had by their sins provoked the wrath
of God. And this doctrine ought to be carefully observed; because when we are
pressed down by adversities, Satan will excite us to sorrow, and at the same
time hurry us on to rage, except this doctrine comes to our minds, that we have
to do with God, who is a righteous Judge. For the knowledge of our sins will
tame our pride and also check all those clamorous complaints, which the
unbelieving are wont to utter when they rise up against God. Our evils, then,
ought to lead us to consider God’s judgment and to confess our sins; and
this was the end which our Prophet had in view. It follows,
—
|
LAMENTATIONS
5:17
|
|
17. For this our heart is faint; for those
things our eyes are dim.
|
17. Propterea debile est cor nostrum; super
hoc (id est, propter hane causem) obtenebrati sunt oculi
nostri.
|
He connects sorrow here with the acknowledgment of
sin, that the people under the pressure and agony of sorrow might apply their
minds so as to consider their own sins. At the same time the Prophet, no doubt,
includes here all that we have already observed, as though he had said that the
people were not without reason wearied with sorrow, for they had ample and
manifold reasons for their grief.
For this reason, he says, that is, we do not exceed a
due measure in our sorrow, for our afflictions are not ordinary, so that our
grief cannot be moderate; but as we are come to an extremity, it cannot then be
but our minds should be overwhelmed with sorrow. As, then, the curse of God
appeared everywhere, he says that this was the cause of the fainting heart; and
he says also, Therefore were our eyes darkened. This is a common metaphor, that
the eyes become dim through sorrow; for the senses through sorrow are blunted.
Hence it is that the sight of the eyes is injured; and David especially makes
use of this mode of speaking. Our Prophet then says that the eyes were darkened,
because their grief was, as it were, deadly. It follows —
|
LAMENTATIONS
5:18
|
|
18. Because of the mountain of Zion, which is
desolate, the foxes walk upon it.
|
18. Propter montem Sion qui in vastitatem
redactus est, vulpes incedunt in eo.
|
Though he had in general included all kinds of evils,
he yet mentions now the principal cause of sorrow, that mount Sion had
lost its beauty and its excellency. For that place had been chosen by God, as
though he had descended there from heaven, that he might dwell there; and we
know also that its beauty is spoken of in high terms. For there the face of God
shone forth, as Moses and the Prophets often speak. It was then an extremely sad
change, that as God had dwelt in mount Sion, foxes should lodge there as in a
deserted cave. For on mount Sion was the tabernacle or the sanctuary; and God
says that it was the tabernacle of meeting,
d[wm,
moud, because there he wished to hold intercourse with his people. As,
then, that place included God and his Church, it was, as I have said, a dreadful
and monstrous thing, that it had become so desolate, that foxes succeeded in the
place of God and the faithful. It was not, then, without reason that Jeremiah,
after having spoken of so many and so bitter calamities, mentioned this as the
chief, that mount Sion was
reduced to desolation, so that foxes ran there hither and
thither.
F114
For as it is the principal thing, and as it were the
chief of all blessings, to be counted God’s people, and to have a familiar
access to him, so in adversities nothing is so sad as to be deprived of
God’s presence. When David testified. his gratitude to God, because he had
been enriched by every kind of blessing, he added this,
“I shall dwell in
the house of God.”
(<192306>Psalm
23:6.)
For though he had spoken of wealth and riches and of
the abundance of all things, yet he saw that his chief happiness was to call on
God together with the faithful, and to be deemed one of his people. So, also, on
the other hand, the Prophet here shews that nothing can be sadder to the godly
than when God leaves his dwelling and makes it desolate, in order to terrify all
who may see it.
This had been predicted to them by Jeremiah himself,
as we have seen in the seventh chapter of his prophecies, “Go ye to
Shiloh,” he said, where the ark of the covenant had long been; though that
place had been a long time the habitation of God, yet it was afterwards rejected
with great disdain. Jeremiah then declared to the Jews, while they were yet in
safety, that such would be the condition of Jerusalem; but his prophecy was not
believed. He now, then, confirms, by the event, what he had predicted by
God’s command, when he says that mount Sion was become the den of foxes.
It follows, —
|
LAMENTATIONS
5:19
|
|
19. Thou, O Lord, remained for ever; thy
throne from generation to generation.
|
19. Tu Jehova perpetuo sedebis, solium tuum in
aetatem et aetatem (id est, omnibus seculis.)
|
The Prophet here raises up his eyes to God, and, by
his example, he encourages all the godly, that they might not cease,
notwithstanding their extreme calamities, to look to God, as we find in the
hundred and second Psalm, where the Psalmist speaks of the destruction of the
city of Jerusalem. Indeed the subject of that psalm is similar to that of this
chapter; nor is there a doubt but that it was composed when the people, as it
clearly appears, were in exile in Babylon. There the Psalmist, after having
spoken of the ruin of the city, and calamities of the people, says, that the
heavens were growing old and wasting as it were with rottenness, together with
the whole world; but he afterwards adds,
“But thou, O Lord,
remainest
perpetually.”
(<19A227>Psalm
102:27-29.)
At the same time he speaks more clearly than
Jeremiah, for he applies his doctrine to the consolation of the Church,
“Children’s children,” he says, “shall inhabit
it.” Hence, from the perpetuity and immutability of God, he infers the
perpetuity of the Church. This is not done by Jeremiah, though it is implied;
and for this reason, no doubt, he exclaims, that
God dwells for ever,
and that
his throne remains fixed in
all ages, or through all
ages.
For when we fix our eyes on present things, we must
necessarily vacillate, as there is nothing permanent hi the world; and when
adversities bring a cloud over our eyes, then faith in a manner vanishes, at
least we are troubled and stand amazed. Now the remedy is, to raise up our eyes
to God, for however confounded things may be in the world, yet he remains always
the same. His truth may indeed be hidden from us, yet it remains in him. In
short, were the world to change and perish a hundred times, nothing could ever
affect the immutability of God. There is, then, no doubt but that the Prophet
wished to take courage and to raise himself up to a firm hope, when he
exclaimed, “Thou, O God, remainest for ever.” By the word sitting or
remaining, he doubtless meant that the world is governed by God. We know that
God has no body, but the word sitting is to be taken metaphorically, for He is
no God except he be the judge of the world.
This, also, he expresses more clearly, when he says,
that God’s throne remains through all ages. The throne of God designates
the government of the world. But if God be the judge of the world, then he doeth
nothing,, or suffereth nothing to be done, but according to his supreme wisdom
and justice.
F115 We
hence see, that inasmuch as the state of present things, as thick darkness, took
away all distinction, the Prophet raises up his eyes to God and acknowledges him
as remaining the same perpetually, though things in the world continually
change. Then the throne of God is set in opposition to chance or uncertain
changes which ungodly men dream of; for when they see things in great confusion
in the world, they say that it is the wheel of fortune, they say that all things
happen through blind fate. Then the Prophet, that he might not be cast down with
the unbelieving, refers to the throne of God, and strengthens himself in this
doctrine of true religion, — that God nevertheless sits on this throne,
though things are thus confounded, though all things fluctuate; yea, even though
storms and tempests mingle as it were heaven and earth together, yet God sits on
his throne amidst all such disturbances. However turbulent, then, all the
elements may be, this derogates nothing from the righteous and perpetual
judgment of God. This is the meaning of the words; and hence fruit and benefit
may be easily gathered. It. follows, —
|
LAMENTATIONS
5:20
|
|
20. Wherefore dost thou forget us for ever,
and forsake us so long time?
|
20. Ut quid in perpetuum oblivisceris nostri,
deseres nos in protractionem (vel, longitudinem) dierum?
|
He seems, indeed, here to expostulate with God; but
the faithful, even when they patiently bear their evils, and submit to
God’s scourges, do yet familiarly deposit their complaints in his bosom,
and thus unburden themselves. We see that David prayed, and no doubt by the real
impulse of the Spirit, and at the same time expostulated,
“Why dost thou
forget me perpetually?”
(<191301>Psalm
13:1.)
Nor is there a doubt but that the Prophet. took this
complaint from David. Let us, then, know, that though the faithful sometimes
take this liberty of expostulating with God, they yet do not put off reverence,
modesty, submission, or humility. For when the Prophet thus inquired why God
should for ever forget his people and forsake them, he no doubt relied on his
own prophecies, which he knew had proceeded from God, and thus he deferred his
hope until the end of the seventy years, for that time had been prefixed by God.
But it was according to human judgment that he complained in his own person, and
in that of the faithful, that the affliction was long; nor is there a doubt but
that he dictated this form of prayer to the faithful, that k might be retained
after his death. He, then, formed this prayer, not only according to his own
feeling, and for the direction to those of his own age; but his purpose was to
supply the faithful with a prayer after his own death, so that they might flee
to the mercy of God.
We now, then, perceive how complaints of this kind
ought to be understood, when the prophets asked, “How long.?” as
though they stimulated God to hasten the time; for it cannot be, when we are
pressed down by many evils, but that we wish help to be accelerated; for faith
does not wholly strip us of all cares and anxieties. But when we thus pray, let
us remember that our times are at the will and in the hand of God, and that we
ought not to hasten too much. It is, then, lawful for us on the one hand to ask
God to hasten; but, on the other hand, we ought to check our impatience and wait
until the suitable time comes. Both these things the Prophet no doubt joined
together when he said, Why
shouldest thou, perpetually forget us and forsake us?
F116
We yet see that he judged according to the evils then
endured; and doubtless he believed that God had not forsaken his own people nor
forgotten them, as no oblivion can happen to him. But, as I have already said,
the Prophet mentioned these complaints through human infirmity, not that men
might indulge themselves in their own thoughts, but that they might ascend by
degrees to God and overcome all these temptations. It follows,
—
|
LAMENTATIONS
5:21
|
|
21. Turn thou us unto tee, O Lord, and we
shall be turned; renew our days as of old.
|
21. Converte nos, Jehova ad te et convertimur:
innova (vel, instaura) dies nostros sicuti olim (vel, ab
initio.)
|
The Prophet shews, in this verse, that the remedy is
in God’s hand whenever he is pleased to succor his people. He, then,
exalts here the power of God, as though he had said, that God is not without
power, but that he can, whenever he pleases, help his people. This is not,
indeed, a sufficient ground for confidence, yet it is the beginning of hope; for
whence is it that despair weakens us, so that we cannot call on God? because we
think that it is all over with us; and whence is this? because we impiously
confine the power of God; nay, we in a manner, through our unbelief, repel his
power, which would otherwise be exerted in our behalf. As, then, we thus close
the door against God, when we extenuate his power, and think that our evils will
prevail; it is, therefore, as I have said, the beginning of hope to believe that
all the issues of death are in God’s hand, and that were we a hundred
times swallowed up, yet he, by stretching forth his hand to us, can become the
author of salvation to us at any moment.
This is now the argument which the Prophet handles,
when he says, Turn us, O Jehovah, and we shall be turned; that is, “If
thou, O Jehovah, be pleased to gather us, salvation is already certain to
us.” And he does not speak here of repentance. There is, indeed, a twofold
turning or conversion of men to God, and a twofold turning of God to men. There
is all inward turning when God regenerates us by his own Spirit; and turning
with respect to us is said to be the feeling of true religion, when, after
having been alienated from him, we return to the right way and to a fight mind.
There is also all exterior turning as to God, that is, when he so receives men
into favor, that his paternal favor becomes apparent; but the interior turning
of men to God takes place when they recover life and joy.
Of this second turning, then, does the Prophet now
speak, Turn us, O Jehovah, and we shall be turned; that is, If thou, Jehovah,
lookest on us, our condition will immediately become prosperous, for in thy hand
there is a sure salvation for us.” As, then, the Jews were at that time
like the dead, the Prophet says, that if it pleased God to gather them, they
could in a moment, as they say, have been restored, as it is said also in the
Psalms,
“Thou takest away
life, and all things change; send forth thy Spirit, and renew the face of the
earth.”
(<19A429>Psalm
104:29, 30.)
As, then, God renews the face of the earth and
restores it by only looking at it, hence now the Prophet says, that the Jews,
though they had been destroyed, could yet be immediately restored, if it were
the will of God to receive them into favor.
F117
He adds, Renew our days as of old. This is an
explanation of the former clause — the renewing of days was restoration to
their former state. God had been for many ages the deliverer of his people;
under David had been their greatest happiness; under Solomon also they had
greatly flourished; but from the time when God had redeemed his people, he had
given, as we know, many and constant proofs of his favor and mercy. As, then,
God’s goodness had, by so many evidences been made conspicuous, the
Prophet now says, Renew our days
as formerly, that is, “Restore us
to that happiness, which was formerly a testimony of thy paternal favor towards
thy people.” We now then perceive the meaning of the
Prophet.
But it ought to be noticed, that he grounds his hope
on the ancient benefits of God; for as God had formerly redeemed his people, had
often helped the miserable, had poured forth on them, posterity fullness of
blessings, hence the Prophet encourages himself to entertain good hope, and
suggests also to others the same ground of confidence. We see that this was done
often by David; for whenever he mentions ancient testimonies of God’s
favor towards his people, he hence gathered, that God would extend the same
goodness and kindness to posterity. It follows, —
|
LAMENTATIONS
5:22
|
|
22. But thou hast utterly rejected us; thou
art very wroth against us.
|
22. Nisi (vel, sed, vel, quod
si) rejiciendo rejecisti nos excanduisti contra nos valde.
|
The two words
µa
yk, ki am, are differently explained: some
render them, “but if,” or “certainly if,” and thus
separate the verse into two parts, “Surely if thou hast rejected us, thou
art very angry;” but this is a forced meaning, not intended, as I think,
by the Prophet. And these seem to have been compelled by necessity to pervert
the Prophet’s words; because it appears hard simply to declare that the
people had been wholly rejected by God. As, then, this harshness offended them,
they contrived this comment, “If thou hast rejected us, thou art very
angry.” But as I have said, this exposition I do not approve of, because
it is a very forced one; and the greater part of interpreters follow what I
stated in the first place, for they take
µa
yk, ki am, adversatively. The two
particles are often connected together, and rendered, “though” or
although, — “Though thou hast rejected us:” and hence the last
verse has been repeated.
For the Jews labor under this superstition, that when
a book ends with a hard and severe sentence, or one containing a dreadful
threatening, grating to the ears, in order to avoid the sad omen, they repeat
the last verse but one. So they do at the end of Isaiah, and at the end of
Malachi. As Isaiah says, “It shall be a horror (or abomination) to all
flesh;” they therefore repeat the previous verse. So in Malachi; as he
says, “Lest I come and smite the earth with a curse —
µrj,
cherem,” they think that as he pronounces there an anathema, it is
a sort of charm that may absorb this curse, to have the previous verse repeated
after it. There is, then, no doubt but that they took this passage in the same
sense, “Though thou hast rejected us,” etc.
If this explanation be approved, we must hold that
the Prophet here exceeded due limits, as also the faithful, in their prayers, do
not always so restrain themselves, but that some heat bubbles up; for we see how
David, in the Psalms, too often shewed this kind of feeling; and it is hence
evident, that his mind was not always sufficiently calm. We must then say, that
the Prophet was impelled by a turbulent feeling when he uttered these
words.
But
µa
yk, ki am, may also be rendered,
“Unless,” or except’ and it is singular that no one has
perceived this, though it be not an unsuitable meaning, “Except it may be
thou rejecting hast rejected us, and hast become very angry with us,” or
above measure angry; for dam
d[, od mad in Hebrew, means the same as
above measure (supra modum) in Latin. Though the Prophet seems to
speak doubtingly, by laying down t, his condition, there is vet no doubt but
that he struggled against all unbelief, when he said,
Except it may
be; for he reasons from what is
impossible, “Turn thou us to thee and we shall be turned, renew our days
as formerly; except it may be
thou hast rejected us:” but this
was impossible. Then, as I have said, the Prophet here strengthens himself by
setting up a shield against all the assaults of temptations when he says,
Except it may be thou hast
rejected us.
F118
But it cannot be that God will reject his people, and
be so angry with them, as never to be reconciled. We hence see that the Prophet
does not simply set down the condition, as though he said, “O God, if thou
art to be perpetually angry with us, and wilt never be reconciled, it is there
all over with our salvation; but if thou wilt be reconciled to us, we shall then
entertain good hope.” No, the Prophet did not thus keep his own mind and
the minds of others in suspense, but had a sure confidence as to God’s
favor; for it cannot be that God will ever forsake those whom he has chosen, as
Paul also shews in the eleventh chapter of the Epistle to the
Romans.
As it has so seemed good to the brethren, I will
begin tomorrow the explanation of Ezekiel.
PRAYER
Grant, Almighty God, that as thou didst
formerly execute judgments so severe on thy people, — O grant, that these
chastisements may at this day teach us to fear thy name, and also keep us in
watchfulness and humility, and that we may so strive to pursue the course of our
calling, that we may find that thou art always our leader, that thy hand is
stretched forth to us, that thy aid is ever ready for us, until, being at length
gathered into thy celestial kingdom, we shall enjoy that eternal life, which
thine only-begotten Son has obtained for us by his own blood. —
Amen.
A TRANSLATION OF
CALVIN’S
VERSION OF
JEREMIAH
CHAPTERS
48—52
CHAPTER
48
1 Concerning
Moab: Thus saith Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel, — Woe upon Nebo! for
it is laid waste, Ashamed, taken is Kiriathaim; Ashamed is Misgab and
dismayed.
2 No
more shall be the boasting of Moab over Heshbon; They have consulted an
evil against her, — “Come and let us cut her off from being a
nation.” Also Madmen, thou shalt be cut off, After thee shall go the
sword.
3 The
sound of a cry from Horonaim! A waste and great destruction!
4 Distressed
is Moab; A cry have her little ones made to be heard.
5 For
in the ascent to Luhith, With weeping shall ascend weeping; For in the descent
to Horonaim, The enemies a cry of distress shall hear:
6 Flee
ye, save your lives; And ye shall be as the juniper in the
desert,
7 Therefore,
because thy confidence Was in thy works and in thy treasures, Even thou shalt be
taken: And go forth shall Chemosh into captivity, His priests and his princes
together.
8 And
come shall a waster to every city, Nor shall a city escape; Perish also shall
the valley, And destroyed shall be the plain, As Jehovah hath
spoken.
9 Give
wings to Moab, For flying she shall fly, And her cities shall be a waste, That
there will be none to inhabit them.
10 Cursed
is he who doeth the work of Jehovah deceitfully, And cursed is he who restrains
his sword from blood.
11 Quiet
has been Moab from his childhood, And hath settled on his dregs, And hath not
been changed from vessel to vessel, And to captivity he hath not gone: Therefore
remained has his flavor in him, And his odor was not changed.
12 Therefore,
behold, the days are coming, saith Jehovah, That I will send to him drivers, Who
will drive him out; And his vessels will they empty, And his bottles will they
scatter:
13 And
ashamed will be Moab of Chemosh, As ashamed was the house of Israel of Bethel,
The object of their confidence.
14 How
say ye, “We are valiant, and men strong for war:”
15 Wasted
is Moab, and from his cities they have vanished, And his young men have
descended to the slaughter, Saith the King, Jehovah of hosts is his
name.
16 Nigh
is the destruction of Moab to come, And her calamity greatly hastens. Be ye
moved for him all who are around him, And all ye who know his name, say, —
“How has the strong staff been broken, the beautiful
rod!”
17 Come
down from glory, and dwell in thirst, Thou inhabitant, the daughter of
Dibon!
18 For
the waster of Moab comes up against thee, The destroyer of thy
fortresses.
19 On
the way stand and look, Thou inhabitant of Aroer. Ask the fugitive, and her who
has escaped, “Say, what hath happened?”
20 Ashamed
is Moab, for he is broken. Howl ye, and cry out, And proclaim in Arnon that Moab
is laid waste.
21 Judgment
also shall come on the plain country, On Holon, and on Jahazah, and on
Mephaath,
22 And
on Dibon, and on Nebo, and on Beth-diblathaim,
23 And
on Kiriathaim, and on Beth-gamul, and on Beth-meon,
24 And
on Kerioth, and on Bozrah, And on all the cities of the land of Moab, far and
near
25 Cut,
off is the horn of Moab, And his strength is broken, saith
Jehovah.
26 Make
him drunk, for against Jehovah hath he magnified him- self; And roll himself
shall Moab in his own vomit; And he also shall be a derision;
27 For
has not Israel been a derision to thee? Has he been found among thieves? For
since thou hast spoken of him, thou hast been excited.
28 Leave
the cities, and dwell in the rock, Ye inhabitants of Moab: And they shall be as
a dove, Which makes a nest in the passages, Beyond the mouth of the
cleft.
29 Heard
have we of the pride of Moab; Very proud is his haughtiness, And his pride, and
the loftiness of his heart.
30 I
know, saith Jehovah, his insolence, And his lies are not stable they shall not
do so
31 Therefore
for Moab will I howl, And to all Moab will I cry aloud; I will mutter to the men
of the city of potsherd.
32 With
the weeping of Jazer Will I weep for thee, vine of Sibmah: Thy shoots have
passed over the sea, Even to the sea came Jazer: On thy summer-fruits and on thy
vintages Has fallen a waster.
33 And
taken away shall be joy and exultation, From the fruitful field, from the land
of Moab; And the wine from the presses will I make to cease: He will not tread
with shouting, shouting, There will not be shouting.
34 At
the cry of Heshbon, to Elealeh, to Jahaz, Will they send forth their voice, From
Zoar to Horonaim; An heifer three years old is Moab; Verily even the
waters of Nimrim shall be dried up.
35 And
I will cause to cease from Moab, saith Jehovah, Him who offers on the high
place, And who burns incense to his gods
36 Therefore
my heart for Moab Shall make a sound like pipes, And my heart for the men of the
city of potsherd Like pipes shall make a sound; For the treasures he had made
have perished.
37 For
on every head shall be baldness, And to every beard, a shaving, And on
all hands, incisions, and on loins, sackcloth.
38 On
all the roofs of Moab, And in all her streets, shall be mourning altogether; For
I will break Moab like a vessel In which there is no pleasure, saith
Jehovah.
39 How
Moab is broken! they will howl; How has he turned his back! he is ashamed: Yea,
Moab is become a derision, And a terror to all around.
40 For
thus saith Jehovah, — Behold, as an eagle will he fly, And extend his
wings over Moab:
41 Taken
are the cities, the strongholds are seized, And the heart of the men of Moab
shall be in that day As the heart of a woman in distress.
42 And
broken shall Moab be, so as not to be a people, Because against Jehovah hath he
exalted himself.
43 Terror,
and the pit, and the snare, shall be on thee, Inhabitant of Moab, saith
Jehovah:
44 He
who flies from terror shall fall into the pit, And he who ascends from the pit
shall be taken in the snare; For I will bring upon her, upon Moab, The year of
their visitation, saith Jehovah.
45 Under
the shadow of Heshbon shall they stand, Who from violence shall flee: But fire
shall go forth from Heshbon, And a flame from the midst of Sihon; And it shall
consume the corner of Moab, And the extremities of the sons of
tumult.
46 Woe
to thee, Moab! Perished have the people of Chemosh! For driven have been thy
sons into captivity, And thy daughters into exile.
47 But
I will restore the captivity of Moab In the latter days, saith Jehovah. Thus far
the judgment of Moab.
CHAPTER
49
1 Concerning
the children of Ammon: Thus saith Jehovah, — Hath Israel no children? hath
he no heir? Why doth their king inherit Gad, And his people dwell in its
cities?
2 Therefore,
behold, the days are coming, saith Jehovah, That I will cause to be heard the
trumpet of war At Rabbah, of the children of Ammon; And she shall be a heap of
desolation, And her daughters shall be burned with fire, And possess his
possessors shall Israel, saith Jehovah.
3 Howl
thou, Heshbon, for laid waste is Ai; Cry aloud, ye daughters of Rabbah. Gird on
sackcloth, lament, Run here and there by the fences; For their king, into
captivity is he gone, And his priests and his princes with him.
4 Why
gloriest thou in thy deep valleys? Flown down has thy valley, rebellious
daughter! Who trusted in her hidden places, Saying, Who can come to
me?
5 Behold,
I will bring on thee terror, saith the Lord, Jehovah of hosts, from all around
thee; And ye shall be driven out, each one before him, And there will be none to
gather the dispersed.
6 But
I will afterwards restore The captivity of the children of Ammon, saith
Jehovah.
7 Concerning
Edom: Thus saith Jehovah of hosts, — Is there not wisdom any more in
Teman? Has counsel perished from the intelligent? Overflowing has been their
wisdom!
8 Flee,
ye inhabitants of Dedan, Who have turned and made deep your
dwelling; For the ruin of Esau will I bring on him, At the time of his
visitation.
9 If
vintagers had come to thee, Would they not have left some grapes? If thieves in
the night, would they not have destroyed What would suffice
them?
10 But
I will uncover Esau, I will disclose his hidden things, So that he cannot be
concealed: Plundered shall be his seed, And his brethren and his neighbors; And
he shall be no more.
11 Leave
thy orphans, I will nourish them; And thy widows, let them trust in
me.
12 For
thus saith Jehovah, — Behold, those to whom it was not their judgment To
drink the cup, shall surely drink, And shalt thou be exempted? Thou shalt not be
exempted, For drinking thou shalt drink it.
13 For
I have by myself sworn, saith Jehovah, That a waste, a reproach, a desert, And a
curse, shall Bozrah become; And all her cities shall be perpetual
wastes.
14 A
hearing have we heard from Jehovah, And a messenger to the nations has been
sent, — “Be ye gathered and come against her, And rise ye up to the
battle.”
15 For
behold, small made I thee among the nations, Contemptible among
men:
16 Deceived
thee has thy terror, the pride of thine heart; Thou who dwellest in the fissures
of rocks, Who occupiest the heights of mountains: Though thou raisest high, as
an eagle, thy nest, Thence will I draw thee down, saith
Jehovah.
17 And
Edom shall become a waste; Every one passing by her shall be astonished, And
shall hiss on account of all her strokes.
18 As
in the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah And of their neighboring cities, saith
Jehovah, Dwell there shall no man, Nor shall a son of man abide
there.
19 Behold,
as a lion from the swelling of Jordan, Will he ascend to the habitation of
strength: After having made him to rest, I will make him flee from her; And who
is the chosen one whom I shall set over her? For who is as I am? And who will
protest against me? And who is the shepherd that before me will
stand?
20 Therefore,
hear ye the counsel of Jehovah, Which he hath counseled against Edom, And his
thoughts which he hath thought Against the inhabitants of Teman; Surely draw
them forth shall the least of the flock, Surely destroyed over them shall be
their dwellings.
21 At
the sound of their fall, tremble shall the earth, The cry of their voice shall
at the Red Sea be heard.
22 Behold,
as an eagle will he ascend and fly, And will spread his wings over Bozrah; And
the heart of the valiant men of Edom in that day Shall be like the heart of a
sorrowful woman.
23 Concerning
Damascus: Ashamed is Hamath and Arpad; Because they heard a bad report, they
melt away, Like a turbulent sea which cannot rest.
24 Weakened
is Damascus, she turns to flight, Terror hath laid hold on her, Anguish and
pangs have seized her, As a woman in travail.
25 How
is not forsaken the city of praise — The city of my joy?
26 Yet
fall shall her young men in her streets, And all the men of war shall be cut off
In that day, saith Jehovah of Hosts.
27 For
I will kindle a fire in the wall of Damascus, And it shall consume the palaces
of Ben-hadad.
28 Concerning
Kedar, and the kingdoms of Hazor, which Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, had
smitten: Thus saith Jehovah, — Arise ye, ascend against Kedar, And destroy
the children of the east.
29 Their
tents and their flocks shall they take away, And their curtains and all their
vessels; Their camels also shall they take to themselves, And they shall cry to
them, “Terror is on every side.”
30 Flee
ye, depart far away, (Though deep have they made to dwell The inhabitants
of Hazor, saith Jehovah; ) For consulted against you hath Nebuchadnezzar, The
king of Babylon, a counsel, And he hath purposed against you a
purpose.
31 Arise
ye, ascend against a secure nation, That dwelleth in confidence, saith Jehovah;
It hath neither gates nor bars, it dwelleth alone.
32 And
their camels shall became a prey, And the abundance of their cattle a plunder;
And I will scatter them to every wind, Even the utmost corners; And from
all the sides thereof Will I bring their destruction, saith
Jehovah.
33 And
Hazor shall be the habitation of dragons, A perpetual desolation; Dwell there
shall no man, Nor shall a son of man abide in her.
34 The
word which came to Jeremiah, the prophet, against Elam, at the beginning of the
reign of Zedekiah, the king of Judah, saying:
35 Thus
saith Jehovah of hosts, — Behold, I will break the bow of Elam, The chief
part of their strength;
36 And
I will bring against Elam four winds From the four quarters of the heavens; And
I will scatter them to these four winds, And there shall not be a nation To
which some fugitives from Elam shall not come.
37 For
I will terrify Elam before their enemies, And before those who seek their life;
And I will bring on them the evil Of the indignation of my wrath, saith Jehovah;
And I will send after them the sword Until I shall have consumed
them;
38 And
I will erect my throne in Elam, And destroy thence the king and the princes,
saith Jehovah.
89 But
it shall be in the latter days That I will restore the captivity of Elam, saith
Jehovah.
CHAPTER
50
1 The
word which Jehovah spoke concerning Babylon, concerning the land of the
Chaldeans, by Jeremiah the prophet:
2 Tell
ye among the nations, proclaim, Raise up also a banner, proclaim, conceal not;
Say ye, “Taken is Babylon, Confounded is Bel, broken is Merodach,
Confounded are her images, broken are her idols.”
3 For
ascend against her shall a nation from the north, Which will turn her land to a
waste, So that there will be no dweller in it, man or beast; They have fled,
they have departed.
4 In
those days and at that time, saith Jehovah, Come shall the children of
Israel And the children of Judah together; Going and weeping they shall come,
And Jehovah their God will they seek.
5 To
Sion will they ask the way, hither their faces, — “Come ye and let
us join ourselves to Jehovah, By a perpetual covenant, not to be
forgotten.”
6 A
lost sheep have been my people; Their pastors have made them to wander; On the
mountains they strayed, From mountain to hill they went, They forgot the place
of their lying down.
7 All
who found them devoured them, And their adversaries said, “We sin not,
Because they have sinned against Jehovah, The habitation of justice, And the
hope of their fathers, even Jehovah.”
8 Flee
ye from the midst of Babylon, And from Chaldea go forth, And be as he-goats
before the flock.
9 For,
behold, I will rouse and bring against Babylon, An assembly of great nations
from the land of the north, And they shall set in order against her; Thence
taken will she be; Their arrows, like those of a skillful valiant man, They
shall not return in vain.
10 And
Chaldea shall be a prey, And all who plunder her shall be satiated, saith
Jehovah,
11 Surely
ye rejoiced and exulted When ye plundered mine heritage; Ye became fat as a
heifer well fed, And neighed like strong horses.
12 Ashamed
greatly shall be your mother, Blush shall she who bare you; Behold, the last of
nations shall she be, A desert, a waste, a solitude!
13 Because
of the indignation of Jehovah She shall not be inhabited, And shall be an entire
waste; All who pass by Babylon shall be astonished, And shall hiss for all her
strokes.
14 Set
in order against Babylon around; All ye who bend the bow, Shoot at her, spare
not the arrows, For against Jehovah hath she sinned.
15 Cry
ye aloud against her around; She hath given her hand, Fallen have her
foundations, Demolished have been her walls, Because it is the vengeance of
Jehovah; Vengeance take ye on her; as she has done, do to her.
16 Cut
off the sower from Babylon, And him who handles the sickle in the time of
harvest: From the face of the wasting sword Every one shall look to his own
people, Every one to his own land shall flee.
17 A
scattered flock hath Israel been, Lions have driven him out; The first
who devoured him was the king of Assyria, And this last hath broken his bones,
Even Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon.
18 Therefore
thus saith Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel — Behold, I will visit the
king of Babylon and his land, As I visited the king of Assyria:
19 And
I will restore Israel to his folds, And he shall feed on Carmel and Bashan, And
on mount Ephraim and Gilead; And satisfied shall be his soul.
20 In
those days and at that time, saith Jehovah, Sought will be the iniquity of
Israel, and there will be none; And the sin of Judah, and it shall not be found:
For I will pardon those whom I shall reserve.
21 On
the land of the exasperating ascend, And against the inhabitants of visitation,
Slay and destroy after them, saith Jehovah; And do all that I have commanded
thee.
22 A
sound of battle in the land and a great ruin!
23 Now
has the hammer of the whole earth Been cut off and broken in pieces! How has
Babylon become a waste among the nations!
24 I
set a snare for thee, therefore taken wert thou, Babylon, though thou knewest
not: Thou wept found, and hence taken, Because against Jehovah thou didst
contend.
25 Opened
hath Jehovah his treasure, And brought forth the instruments of his wrath; For
this is the work of the Lord, the Jehovah of hosts, In the land of the
Chaldeans.
26 Come
ye against her from the extremity, Open her repositories, tread her as heaps,
Destroy her wholly, that there may be to her no remnant.
27 Slay
all her bullocks, Let them descend to the slaughter Woe to them, for their day
is come, The time of their visitation.
28 The
voice of these who flee and escape From the land of Babylon! To announce in Sion
the vengeance of Jehovah our God, The vengeance of his temple.
29 Summon
against Babylon the mighty, All who bend the bow; Besiege her around, that there
may be no escape; Render to her according to her work, According to all she has
done, do ye to her; For against Jehovah has she acted proudly, Against the Holy
One of Israel.
30 Therefore
fall shall her young men in her streets, And all her men of war shall be
destroyed In that day, saith Jehovah.
31 Behold,
I am against thee, the proud one, Saith the Lord, the Jehovah of hosts; For come
is thy day, the time of thy visitation.
32 And
stumble shall the proud and fall, And there will be no one to raise him up; And
I will kindle a fire in his cities, And it shall consume all round
him.
33 Thus
saith Jehovah of hosts, — Oppressed have been the children of Israel And
the children of Judah together; And all who led them captives have prevailed
against them, They have refused to let them go.
34 Their
Redeemer is strong, Jehovah of hosts is his name, Their cause pleading he will
plead, So as to destroy the land, And to make to tremble the inhabitants of
Babylon.
35 A
sword on the Chaldeans, saith Jehovah! And on all the inhabitants of Babylon!
And on all her princes and on her wise men!
36 A
sword on her diviners! and they shall become foolish; A sword on her valiant
men! and they shall be terrified;
37 A
sword on her horses! and on her chariots! And on her multitude, in the midst of
her! They shall be as women; A sword on her treasures! and they shall be
plundered;
38 A
drought on her waters! and they shall be dried up: For it is the land of carved
images, And in idols they glory.
39 Therefore
dwell there shall wild birds with wild beasts, And dwell there shall the
daughters of ostriches; And it shall not be inhabited any more for ever; It
shall not be an habitation to all generations.
40 As
in God’s overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah, And of their neighboring cities,
saith Jehovah, Dwell there shall no man, For shall a son of man abide
there.
41 Behold,
a people cometh from the north, Even a great nation and many kings Shall be
roused from the sides of the earth.
42 On
the bow and the shield shall they lay hold, Cruel shall they be, and will shew
no mercy; Their voice like the sea shall roar, And on horses shall they ride,
Prepared as a man for battle Against thee, daughter of Babylon.
43 Heard
has the king of Babylon a report of them, And feeble became his hands; Anxiety
laid hold on him, And anguish, like a woman in travail.
44 Behold,
as a lion from the swelling of Jordan Will he ascend to the strong habitation:
After having made him to rest, I will make him flee from her; And who is the
chosen one whom I shall set over her? For who is as I am? And who will protest
against me? And who is the shepherd that before me will stand?
45 Therefore
hear ye the counsel of Jehovah, Which he hath counseled against Babylon; And his
thoughts which he has thought Against the land of the Chaldeans: Surely draw
them forth shall the least of the flock, Surely destroyed over them shall be
their dwellings.
46 At
the sound of Babylon being taken, tremble shall the earth, And a cry among the
nations shall be heard.
CHAPTER
51
1 Thus
saith Jehovah, — Behold, I will raise a destroying wind against Babylon,
And against boasters of wisdom, my adversaries;
2 And
I will send against Babylon winnowers, And they shall winnow her and empty her
land; For they shall be against her around in the day of evil.
3 As
to him who bends the bow, And him who raises himself up in his coat of mail,
— Spare ye not her young men, Destroy all her army
4 And
fall shall they wounded, in her land, And pierced through in her
streets.
5 For
not widowed is Israel, nor Judah By his God, by Jehovah of hosts: But rather
their land is filled with sin On account of the Holy One of
Israel.
6 Flee
ye from the midst of Babylon, And save ye, every one his life, Lest ye perish in
her iniquity; For it is the time of Jehovah’s vengeance, A reward will he
render to her
7 A
golden cup has Babylon been In Jehovah’s hand, inebriating the whole
earth; From her wine have the nations drunk, Therefore have the nations become
mad.
8 Suddenly
has Babylon fallen, and is broken; Howl ye for her, take rosin for her wound, It
may be that she can be healed!
9 We
have tried to heal Babylon, But she was not healed; Leave her, and let us
depart, Every one to his own land; For to the heavens has reached her judgment
And has risen up to the clouds.
10 Brought
forth has Jehovah our righteousness; Come ye and let us declare in Sion The work
of Jehovah our God.
11 Polish
the arrows, prepare the shields, Rouse will Jehovah the spirit of the kings of
Media; For as to Babylon his thought is to destroy her. For it is
Jehovah’s vengeance, the vengeance of his temple.
12 On
the wails of Babylon raise the standard, Increase the watch, set the watchmen,
Set in order the ambushes: For as Jehovah has thought, so will he do What he
hath spoken concerning the inhabitants of Babylon.
13 Thou
that dwellest among great waters, Who aboundest in treasures, Come is thine end,
the measure of thy cupidity.
14 Sworn
hath Jehovah by himself, — Surely I will fill thee with men as with
locusts, Who will shout over thee with the vintage-shouting,
—
15 (Even)
he who made the earth by his power, Who hath constituted the world by his
wisdom, And by his knowledge extended the heavens,
16 At
whose voice there is abundance of waters in the heavens, Who raises vapors from
the extremity of the earth, Who makes the lightnings and the rain, And brings
out the wind from his treasures.
17 Infatuated
is every man become by his knowledge, Put to shame shall be every founder by the
graven image, For a lie is the molten image, And there is no breath in
them:
18 Vanity
are they, the work of illusions; At the time of their visitation they shall
perish.
19 Not
like these is the portion of Jacob; For the former of all things is He, And the
rod of his inheritance is Israel; Jehovah of hosts is his name.
20 A
hammer hast thou been to me, weapons of war; And by thee have I broken nations
in pieces, And by thee destroyed kingdoms:
21 Yea,
by thee have I broken in pieces The horses and their riders, And by thee have I
broken in pieces The chariots and their
riders2
22 And
by thee have I broken in pieces Men and women, And by thee have I broken in
pieces Old men and children, And by thee have I broken in pieces Young men and
maidens,
23 And
by thee have I broken in pieces The shepherds and their flocks, And by thee have
I broken in pieces The husbandmen and their yokes of oxen, And by thee have I
broken in pieces The captains and the rulers.
24 But
I will render to Babylon And to all the inhabitants of Chaldea, All the evils
which they have done in Sion, Before your eyes, saith Jehovah.
25 Behold,
I am against thee, O destroying mountain, saith Jehovah, Which destroyest all
the earth; And I will extend my hand over thee, And will roll thee down from the
rocks, And will make thee a burnt mountain:
26 And
they shall not take of thee a stone for a corner, Nor a stone for foundations;
For perpetual wastes shalt thou be, saith Jehovah.
27 Raise
a banner in the land, Sound a trumpet among the nations, Prepare the nations
against her, Assemble against her the kingdoms of Ararat, Of Minni and of
Ashkenaz; Set up against her a leader, Bring forth the horse as the horrible
locust;
28 Prepare
against her the nations, The kings of Media, her captains and her princes, And
all the land of its dominion.
29 And
tremble shall the land and be in pain, For confirmed as to Babylon shall be the
thoughts of Jehovah: To set the land of Babylon a waste, So as to have no
inhabitant.
30 Ceased
have the valiant men of Babylon to fight, They sat down in their fortresses;
Fail did their valor, they became women, Burnt were her dwellings, broken her
bars.
31 A
runner to meet a runner ran, And a messenger to meet a messenger, To announce to
the king of Babylon That taken was the city at its extremity;
32 And
the fords were taken, And the pools were burnt with fire, And the men of war
were broken in pieces.
33 For
thus saith Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel, — The daughter of Babylon
shall be like a threshing-floor, (Come will) the time of treading
her; Yet a little while and come will her harvest.
34 Devoured
me, broken me in pieces, Hath Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon; He hath set
me an empty vessel, He hath swallowed me like a dragon, He hath filled his belly
with my delicacies, He hath cast me off.
35 My
plunder and my flesh be on Babylon, Shall the inhabitant of Sion say; My blood
be on the inhabitants of Chaldea, Shall Jerusalem say.
36 Therefore
thus saith Jehovah, — Behold, I will plead thy cause, And avenge thy
vengeance, For I will make dry her sea, And will dry up her
fountain:
37 And
Babylon shall become heaps An habitation of dragons, A wonder and a hissing,
without an inhabitant.
38 They
will roar as lions, They will roar as whelps of lions.
39 In
their heat will I make their feasts, And make them drunk, that they may exult
And sleep a perpetual sleep, And not awake, saith Jehovah.
40 I
will bring them as lambs to the slaughter, As rams and
he-goats.
41 How
has Sheshach been taken! And captured, the praise of the whole land! How has
Babylon become a waste among nations!
42 Come
up over Babylon has the sea, With the multitude of its waves is she
covered.
43 Her
cities shall be a waste, And a land of desert, and a land of drought, Pass
through it shall no man, And dwell in it shall no son of man.
44 And
I will visit Bel in Babylon; And I will draw what he hath swallowed out of his
month: And flow to him together shall nations no more: Even the wall of Babylon
hath fallen.
45 Go
out from the midst of her, my people, And save ye, every one his life, From the
indignation of Jehovah’s wrath.
46 And
let not faint be your heart, And fear ye not the rumor heard in the land; Come
in one year shall a rumor, And afterwards in another year, a rumor; — And
violence shall be in the land, And a ruler after a
ruler.
47 Therefore,
behold, the days are coming, That I will visit the images of Babylon; And her
whole land shall be ashamed, And all her slain, they shall fall in the midst of
her.
48 And
rejoice over Babylon shall heaven and earth, And all the things that are in
them; When from the north shall come to her Destroyers, saith
Jehovah.
49 As
Babylon made to fall the slain of Israel, So for Babylon they shall fall, the
slain of all the land.
50 Ye
who have escaped from the sword, Depart, stand not still; From afar remember
Jehovah, And let Jerusalem come to your minds.
51 We
are ashamed, because we have heard reproach; Shame hath covered our faces,
because strangers came Into the sanctuaries of the house of
Jehovah.
52 Therefore,
behold, the days are coming, saith Jehovah, That I will visit her graven images,
And in the whole land groan shall the wounded.
53 Though
Babylon ascended into heaven, And though in the height she fortified her
strength, From me would come to her wasters, saith Jehovah.
54 The
voice of a cry from Babylon! And a great crashing from the land of the
Chaldeans!
55 For
Jehovah will lay waste Babylon, And will destroy from her the voice of boasting:
And sound shall their waves like great waters, Sent forth shall be the sound of
their voice.
56 For
come to her, to Babylon, is a waster, And taken are her valiant men, Broken is
their bow; For the God of retributions is Jehovah, Recompensing he will
recompense.
57 And
I will inebriate her princes and her wise men, And her captains, and her rulers,
and her valiant men: And they shall sleep a perpetual sleep, And shall not
awake, saith the King, Whose name is Jehovah of hosts.
58 Thus
saith Jehovah of hosts, — The wall of Babylon, though wide, Shall
yet surely be demolished; And her gates, though high, Shall yet
be consumed with fire: Thus labored have the people for nothing, And the
nations for the fire, and wearied themselves.
59 The
word which Jeremiah the prophet commanded Seraiah, the son of Neraiah, the son
of Maaseiah, when he went for Zedekiah, the king of Judah, to Babylon, in the
fourth year of
60 his
reign; and Seraiah was a quiet prince: and Jeremiah wrote in a book all the evil
that should come on Babylon, even all
61 These
words which had been written against Babylon; and Jeremiah said to Seraiah,
— “When thou comest to Babylon and hast seen it, then
read
62 All
these words, and say, — ‘O Jehovah, thou hast spoken against this
place, to destroy it, so that there should be no inhabitant in it, neither man
nor beast, but that it shall become perpetual
desolations.’
63 And
it shall be, when thou hast made an end of reading this book, that thou shalt
tie a stone
64 To
it, and cast it into the midst of the Euphrates, and shalt say, —
‘Thus sink shall Babylon, and shall not rise from the evil which I shall
bring on her, though they may weary themselves.’ Thus far the words of
Jeremiah.
CHAPTER
52
1 Twenty-one
years old was Zedekiah when he began to reign, and eleven years reigned he in
Jerusalem; and the name of his mother was Hamutal, the daughter of Jeremiah of
Libnah.
2 And
he did evil in the sight of Jehovah, according to all the things which Jehoiakim
had done:
3 And
on account of the indignation of Jehovah against Jerusalem and Judah, until he
cast them away from his presence, Zedekiah rebelled against the king of
Babylon.
4 And
it was in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, in the tenth of the
month, that Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, came, he and all his army,
against Jerusalem, and encamped against it, and built against it a fortress on
every side.
5 And
the city was besieged till the eleventh year of Zedekiah.
6 In
the fourth month, on the ninth of the month, the famine prevailed in the city,
so that there was no bread for the people of the land:
7 And
the city was broken in upon, and all the men of war fled, and went out of the
city by night, by the way of the gate, between two walls, which were near the
king’s garden; (and the Chaldeans were near the city around:) and they
went out by the way of the desert.
8 And
the army of the Chaldeans pursued the king, and they took Zedekiah in the
deserts of Jericho; for all his army were scattered from him.
9 They
then took the king, and brought him to the king of Babylon in Riblah, to the
land of Hamath; who pronounced judgment upon him.
10 And
the king of Babylon slew the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes; and all the
princes of Judah he also slew in Riblah:
11 But
he blinded the eyes of Zedekiah, and bound him with chains; And the king of
Babylon brought him to Babylon, and put him in prison till the day in which he
died.
12 Now,
in the fifth month, in the tenth day of the month, (that year was the nineteenth
year of Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon,) Nebuzar-adan, the prince of the
soldiers, who stood before the king of Babylon, came into
Jerusalem,
13 And
burnt the house of Jehovah and the house of the king, and all the houses of
Jerusalem, even every great house he burnt with fire:
14 And
all the walls of Jerusalem around they destroyed, even the whole army of the
Chaldeans, which was with the prince of the soldiers.
15 And
some of the poor of the people and the rest of the people who had remained in
the city, and the fugitives who had fled over to the king of Babylon, and the
remainder of the multitude, Nebuzar-adan, the prince of the soldiers, led away
captive.
16 But
some of the poor of the land, Nebuzar-adan, the prince of the soldiers, left to
be vinedressers and husbandmen.
17 And
the brass pillars which were in the house of Jehovah, and the bases, and the
brazen sea which was in the house of Jehovah, the Chaldeans broke in pieces, and
carried away all their brass to Babylon.
18 The
pots also, and the shovels and the snuffers and the basons and the spoons, and
all the vessels of brass, with which they ministered, they took
away.
19 And
the dishes and the pans and the basons and the pots and the candlesticks and the
spoons and the bowls, some of which were all of gold and some were all of
silver, the prince of the soldiers took away.
20 The
two pillars, the one sea, and the twelve oxen of brass, which were under the
bases which Solomon had made in the house of Jehovah, there was no weight as to
the brass of all these vessels.
21 As
to the pillars, the height of each pillar was eighteen cubits, and a thread of
twelve cubits surrounded it, and its thickness was four fingers; it was
hollow.
22 And
the chapiter which was over it was brass, and the height of one chapiter was
five cubits, and net-work and pomegranates were on the chapiter around; all
these were of brass; and like these were the second pillar and the
pomegranates.
23 And
there were pomegranates, ninety-six on one side; all the pomegranates on the
net-work around were one hundred.
24 The
prince of the soldiers took away also Seraiah, the chief priest, and Zephaniah,
the second priest, and the three keepers of the door:
25 And
from the city he took away one eunuch, who had been set over the men of war: and
seven men of those who attended the king, who were found in the city, and a
scribe, the chief of the army, who gathered to the army the people of the land,
and sixty men of the people of the land, who were found in the midst of the
city.
26 And
Nebuzar-adan, the prince of the soldiers, took them away and brought them to the
king of Babylon in Riblah:
27 And
the king of Babylon smote them and slew them in Riblah, in the land of Hamath;
and he removed Judah from his own land.
28 These
are the people whom Nebuchadnezzar carried away captive: in the seventh year,
three thousand and twenty-three Jews;
29 In
the eighteenth of Nebuchadnezzar, he carried away captive from Jerusalem eight
hundred and thirty-two souls;
30 In
the three-and-twentieth year of Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuzar-adan, the prince of the
soldiers, carried away Jews, seven hundred and forty-five souls; — all the
souls were four thousand and six hundred.
31 And
it came to pass in the thirty-seventh year of Jehoiachin, the king of Judah, in
the twelfth month, on the twenty-fifth of the month, that Evil-merodach, the
king of Babylon, in the first year of his reign, lifted up the head of
Jehoiachin, the king of Judah, and brought him forth from
prison;
32 And
he spake kindly to him, and set his throne above the thrones of the kings, who
were with him in Babylon;
33 And
he changed his prison garments, and ate bread before him always, all the days of
his life.
34 And
his portion, a perpetual portion was given him by the king of Babylon every day,
until the day he died, all the days of his life.
PRAISE TO
GOD.
A TRANSLATION OF
CALVIN’S
VERSION OF
THE
LAMENTATIONS.
CHAPTER
1
1 How
sits solitary the city Which abounded in people I How is she
become as a widow, Who was great among the nations! She who ruled among
provinces Is become tributary!
2 Weeping
she has wept in the night And her tears are on her cheeks; She has
no comforter All along all her lovers; All her friends have dealt
falsely with her, They are become her enemies.
3 Migrated
hath Judah because of oppression, And because of much servitude;
She dwelleth among the nations, She finds no rest; All who
pursued her have taken her between the straits.
4 The
ways of Sion mourn, For they come not to the festivals; All her
gates are desolate, her priests are sighing; her virgins are
afflicted, And she is in bitterness!
5 Her
adversaries have become the head, Her enemies have prospered;
Because Jehovah hath afflicted her For the greatness of her
iniquities: Her little ones have gone into exile Before the
adversary;
6 And
departed from the daughter of Sion Has all her glory; her princes
have become like harts, Who cannot find pasture; And they have
gone without strength Before their pursuer.
7 Remember
did Jerusalem, In the days of her affliction and want, All her
desirable things, Which were from ancient days; When fall did her
people into the hand of the enemy, And she had no helper: Seen her
have enemies, They laughed at her Sabbath.
8 A
sin hath Jerusalem sinned, Therefore she is become a wandered; All who
honored her have despised her, Because they have seen her nakedness; She
even groaned, And turned backward:
9 Her
shame is in her skirts; She remembered not her end; Therefore she came
down wonderfully, She hath no comforter: See, Jehovah, my
affliction, For magnified himself hath the enemy.
10 His
hand did the enemy stretch out To all her desirable things; For
she saw the heathens, When they entered her sanctuary, Respecting whom
thou hast commanded, They shall not come to thy
congregation.
11 All
her people are sighing, They are seeking bread; They have given
their desirable things For food, to restore life: See, Jehovah,
and look, For I am vile.
12 is
it nothing to all of you Who pass by the way? Look and see, if
there be a sorrow Like the sorrow that is come to me; For
afflicted me hath Jehovah, In the day of the indignation of his
wrath.
13 From
on high hath he sent fire into my bones And it hath prevailed over
them: He hath spread his net for my feet, He hath turned me
backward; He hath made me desolate, Sorrowing all the
day.
14 Tied
is the yoke of mine iniquities by his hand, They are twined together:
They have come up on my neck, He hath weakened my strength:
Given me up hath the Lord, Into the hand of my enemies, From
whom I shall not be able to rise.
15 Trodden
under foot all my valiant men Hath the Lord in the midst of me: He
hath brought on me the fixed time To destroy my young men; The
winepress hath the Lord trodden, As to the virgin, the daughter of
Judah.
16 For
this I weep; mine eye mine eye! Waters flow down; For removed far
from me is a comforter Who might revive my soul; My children are
become desolate, For prevailed has the enemy.
17 Expand
did Sion her hands, She had no comforter; Given a charge had
Jehovah as to Jacob, To his adversaries all around him; Become is
Jerusalem An abomination among them.
18 Righteous
is Jehovah, For his mouth have I provoked, Hear, I pray, all ye
people, And behold my sorrow: My virgins and my young men,
They are gone into captivity.
19 I
called to my friends, They deceived me; My priests and my
elders, In the city they expired, While they were seeking food for
themselves, To revive their soul.
20 See,
Jehovah, for I am distressed, My bowels are troubled; Overwhelmed is my
heart within me, For rebelling I have rebelled: Without bereaves the
sword, Within it is as death,
21 They
have heard that I mourn, That I have no comforter; All mine
enemies have heard of my evil; They rejoice that thou hast done it,
And brought the day thou hast announced: But they shall be as I
am.
22 Let
all their wickedness Come into thy presence; And do to them as
thou hast done To me for all my sins; For my sighings are many,
And my heart is weak.
CHAPTER
2
1 How
hath the Lord clouded in his wrath The daughter of Sion! He hath
cast down from heaven to the earth The glory of Israel; And hath
not remembered his footstool In the day of his wrath!
2 Destroyed
hath the Lord, and spared not, All the habitations of Jacob; He
hath demolished in his indignation The fortresses of the daughter of
Judah; He hath cast them to the ground, he hath profaned Her
kingdom and her princes.
3 He
hath broken in the indignation of his wrath Every horn of Israel;
He hath withdrawn his right hand From before the enemy; And he
burned like fire in Jacob, The flame devoured all
around.
4 Bent
hath he his bow as an enemy, Stand did his right hand as an adversary,
And he slew all the delights of the eye In the tabernacle of the
daughter of Sion He hath poured forth As fire, his
wrath.
5 The
Lord hath been like an enemy, He hath destroyed Israel; He hath
destroyed all his palaces, He hath demolished his fortresses; He
hath increased in the daughter of Judah Mourning and
lamentation:
6 And
he hath removed as a garden His tabernacle; He hath destroyed his
testimony; Forgotten hath Jehovah in Sion The assembly and the
Sabbath; He hath rejected, in the indignation of his wrath, The
king and the priest:
7 Abhorred
hath Jehovah his altar, He hath cast off his sanctuary; Given up
hath he into the hand of the enemy The walls of her palaces: A
noise they made in the house of Jehovah, As on the day of the
assembly.
8 Resolve
did Jehovah to destroy the wall Of the daughter of Sion; He
extended a line, He drew not back his hand from scattering; Therefore
mourned hath the rampart and the wall, They have fallen
together.
9 Sunk
have her gates in the ground; He hath destroyed and broken her bars;
Her king and her princes, They are among the heathens; There
is no law, her prophets, They find no vision from
Jehovah:
10 They
sit on the ground, they are silent, The elders of the daughter of
Sion; They cast dust on their head, They gird themselves with
sackcloth; Bend to the ground their head Do the virgins of
Jerusalem.
11 Consume
with tears did mine eyes, Troubled were my bowels; Poured forth on
the ground was my liver, For the breach of the daughter of my people;
When the child and the suckling Vanished away in the streets of the
city.
12 To
their mothers they say,- “Where is corn and wine “
While they vanish away, as a dying man, In the streets of the
city, And while they pour out their souls Into the bosom of their
mothers
13 What
can I testify to thee? What can I compare to thee, O daughter of
Jerusalem? What can I liken to thee, to comfort thee, O virgin,
the daughter of Sion? For great as the sea is thy breach, Who can
heal thee?
14 Thy
prophets have seen for thee Vanity and insipidity. And they
disclosed not thine iniquity, That they might reverse thy captivity;
And they saw for thee Prophecies of vanity and
expulsions.
15 They
clapped at thee their hands, All who passed by on the road; They
hissed and moved their head At the daughter of Jerusalem, —
“Is this the city of which they said, Perfect in beauty, the
joy of all the earth?
16 Opened
at thee their mouth Have all thine enemies; They hissed and
gnashed the teeth, They said, “We shall devour her, Surely
the day which we expected We have found, we have
seen.”
17 Jehovah
hath done what he had purposed; He hath fulfilled his word, Which
he had commanded from days of old; He hath overthrown and not spared;
And tie hath made to rejoice over thee the enemy, He hath raised up
the horn of thine adversaries.
18 Cry
out did their heart to the Lord: O wall of the daughter of Sion,
Make tears to flow down As a river, day and night; Give
thyself no rest, Let not the pupil of thine eye cease.
19 Rise,
cry aloud in the night, At the beginning of the watches; Pour out
like waters Thy heart before the Lord; Raise lip to him thy
hands For the life of thy little ones, Who faint through famine
At the head of all the streets.
20 See,
Jehovah, and look, To whom thou hast done this: Should women eat
their own fruit, Infants while nursed! Should they be slain in the
Lord’s sanctuary, The priest and the prophet!
21 Lie
on the ground in the streets Did boys and old men; My virgins and
my young men, They fell by the sword: Thou hast killed in the day
of thy wrath, Thou hast slaughtered and not spared.
22 Thou
hast summoned, as on t festive day, My terrors all around; And in
the day of the indignation of Jehovah!, There was none surviving or
remaining; Whom I nursed and brought up, The enemy consumed
them.
CHAPTER
3
1 I
am a man who hath seen affliction Through the rod of his
indignation’
2 Me
hath he led and made to go Into darkness, and not into
light.
3 Surely
against me is he turned, He turns his hand daily.
4 To
grow old hath he made my flesh and my skin, He hath broken my
bones.
5 He
hath builded against me, And surrounded me with gall and
trouble.
6 In
darkness hath he made me to lie As the dead for ever.
7 He
hath shut me up, that I cannot go forth He hath made heavy my
fetter.
8 Even
when I cried, and cried aloud, he shut out my prayer.
9 He
hath enclosed my ways with hewn stones, My paths hath he
perverted.
10 A
bear lying in wait hath he been to me, A lion in his
den.
11 My
ways hath he perverted, and lie hath torn me, He hath made me a
waste.
12 He
hath bent his bow, and made me As a mark for the arrow.
13 He
hath made to enter into my reins The sons of his quiver.
14 I
became a derision to all my people, Their song all the
day.
15 He
hath satiated me with bitterness, He hath filled me with
gall.
16 He
hath broken with pebbles my teeth, He hath covered me with
dust,
17 And
far removed from peace is my soul; I have forgotten
good.
18 And
I said, “Perished hath my strength And my hope from
Jehovah;”
19 When
I remember my affliction and my trouble, The poison and the
gall:
20 Remembering
remember does my soul, And it is humbled within me
21 This
will I recall to my mind, Therefore will I hope.
22 The
mercies of Jehovah! surely they are not consumed; Surely failed not have
his compassion’s;
23 Renewed
are they in the morning; Great is thy faithfulness.
24 My
portion is Jehovah, said my soul, Therefore will I hope in
him.
25 Good
is Jehovah to him who waits for him, To the soul that seeks
him;
26 Good
it is to hope and to be silent, As to the salvation of
Jehovah;
27 Good
it is for a man To bear the yoke in his youth:
28 He
will sit apart, and be silent, For he will raise it on
himself;
29 He
will put in the dust his mouth, If so be that there is
hope;
30 He
will give to the smiter his cheek, He will be filled with
reproaches.
31 For
not cast away for ever Will the Lord;
32 For
though he causes grief, he will yet show compassion, According to the
multitude of his mercies;
33 :For
he does not from his heart afflict, Nor cause grief to the children of
men.
34 When
one tears under his feet All the bound of the earth,
—
35 When
he perverts man’s judgment Before the face of the Most High,
—
36 When
he turns a man aside in his causes — The Lord does not
regard.
37 Who
is this that says, “It was, And God has not commanded
.t”
38 From
the mouth of the Most High Can not good and evil
proceed?
39 Why
should he weary himself, a living man, And a man in his
sins?
40 Let
us examine our ways, and search, And turn to Jehovah;
41 Let
us lift up our hearts with our hands To God in the
heavens.
42 We
have sinned, and have been rebellious, Thou hast not
spared;
43 Thou
hast covered us over in wrath, and pursued us, Thou hast slain and not
spared.
44 Thou
hast covered thyself with a cloud, So that prayer cannot pass
through.
45 An
offscouring and a refuse hast thou made us In the midst of the
nations;
46 Opened
at us their mouth Have all our enemies;
47 Fear
and the pit have come to us, Desolation and a breach.
48 Rivers
of waters mine eye brings down, For the breach of the daughter of my
people.
49 Mine
eye flows down and rests not; There will be no
intermissions,
50 Until
Jehovah looks down, And beholds from heaven.
51 Mine
eye grieves my soul, Because of all the daughters of my
city.
52 Hunting
they have hunted me as a sparrow, Who are mine enemies without
cause;
53 They
have made fast in a pit my life, And cast a stone over
me;
54 Flowed
have waters over my head; I said, I am cut off.
55 I
called on thy name, Jehovah, From the deepest pit:
56 My
voice hast thou heard; close not thine ear To my groaning, to my
cry.
57 Thou
didst draw nigh in the day I cried to thee, Thou didst say, “Fear
not :”
58 Thou
hast, O Lord, pleaded the cause of my soul, Thou hast redeemed my
life.
59 Thou
hast seen, e Jehovah, my oppression; Defend my cause.
60 Thou
hast seen all their vengeance’s, All their counsels against
me.
61 Thou
hast heard, O Jehovah, their reproaches, All their counsels against
me,-
62 The
speeches of those who rose against me, And their words against me
daily.
63 Look
on their sitting down and their rising up; I am their
song.
64 Render
to them their reward, O Jehovah, According to the work of their
hands.
65 Give
them blindness of heart; Thy curse be on them.
66 Pursue
them in wrath, and destroy them From under the heavens of
Jehovah.
CHAPTER
4
1 How
obscured is the gold! How changed is the fine gold! Cast forth
have been the stones of the sanctuary At the head of all the
streets
2 The
precious sons of Sion, Clothed in gold, How they are counted as
earthen pitchers, The work of the potter’s hands!
3 Even
serpents draw out the breast, They suckle their young ones: The
daughter of my people was cruel, Like the ostriches in the
desert.
4 Cleave
did the tongue of the suckling To the roof of his mouth for thirst;
The little ones asked bread, No one divided to them.
5 They
who fed on delicacies Perished in the streets; They who had been
brought up in scarlet Embraced the dunghills:
6 And
the punishment of the daughter of my people Has been greater than the
punishment of Sodom, Which was overthrown as in a moment, And no strokes
remained on her.
7 Purer
were her Nazarites than snow, Whiter than milk; They were ruddy in
their body, Above precious stones; Sapphire was their polish:
8 Darker
than darkness became their form, They were not known in the streets;
Cleave did their skin to their bones, It became dry as
wood.
9 Better
were the slain with the sword Than the slain with famine: They
pined away, having been pierced through By the knits of the
field.
10 The
hands of compassionate mothers Boiled their own offspring; They
became food for them, At the destruction of the daughter of my
people.
11 Fulfilled
has Jehovah his wrath; He poured forth the indignation of his wrath; And
he kindled a fire in Sion, Which devoured her
foundations.
12 They
could not have believed, the kings of the earth, Nor all the inhabitants
of the world, That enter would the adversary and the enemy Into
the gates of Jerusalem.
13 For
the sin of her prophets, The iniquities of her priests, Who shed
in the midst of her The blood of the righteous, —
14 They
wandered blind in the streets, They were polluted with blood;
Because they could not But touch their garments.
15 Depart
ye, “Unclean,” they cried to them, Depart, depart, come not
near: Because they fled, and also wandered, They said among the Gentiles,
“They shall not return to dwell;
16 The
face of Jehovah hath divided them, He will no more regard them.”
The face of the priests they respected not, And to the elders they
shewed no mercy.
17 While
we were yet standing, our eyes failed, As to our vain help; In our
looking out we looked out To a nation that could not save
us.
18 They
hunted our steps, So that we could not walk in our streets; Draw
near did our end, fulfilled were our days, Surely come did our
end.
19 Swifter
were our pursuers Than the eagles of heaven; On the mountains they
followed us, They lay in wait for us in the desert.
20 The
spirit of our nostrils, the anointer of Jehovah, Was taken in their
snares; Of whom we said, “Under his shadow We shall live
among the nations.”
21 Rejoice
and be glad, thou daughter of Edom, Who dwellest in the land of Uz.
To thee also shall the cup pass over, Thou shalt be inebriated and
made naked.
22 Completed
is thy punishment, O daughter of Sion, He will no more deliver thee into
exile; He will visit thine iniquity, O daughter of Edom, And will
uncover thy sin.
CHAPTER
5
1 Remember,
O Jehovah, what has come to us; Look, and see our
reproach:
2 Our
heritage is turned over to foreigners, Our houses to
aliens.
3 Orphans
are we become, without a father; Our mothers are as
widows.
4 Our
own water, for money we drink; Our own wood, for a price it comes to
us.
5 On
our necks have we suffered persecution; We have labored, and had no
rest.
6 To
the Egyptians we extended the hand, To the Assyrians, to be satisfied
with bread.
7 Our
fathers sinned, and are not; And we their iniquities have
borne.
8 Servants
have ruled over us; None delivered from their hands.
9 With
our life have we procured our bread, Because of the drought of the
desert.
10 Our
skins are like an oven black, Because of the burnings of
famine.
11 Women
in Sion have been ravished, Virgins in the cities of
Judah.
12 Princes
by their own hand were hung, The faces of elders were not
honored.
13 Young
men they took to grind, And boys under the wood fell.
14 Eiders
ceased from the gate, Young men from their music.
15 Ceased
has the joy of our heart, Turned into mourning has our
dance.
16 Fallen
has the crown of our head; Woe now to us, for we have
sinned!
17 Therefore
faint is our heart; For this darkener! are our eyes,
18 Even
for mount Sion, which is desolate; Foxes pass through
it.
19 Thou
Jehovah for ever sittest, Thy throne is through all
ages.
20 Why
shouldest thou perpetually forget us, And forsake us for
ever.
21 Turn
us, Jehovah, to thee, and we shall be turned; Renew our days as of
old;
22 Except
thou hast wholly rejected us, And hast become very angry with
us.
PRAISE BE
GOD
Index of
Subjects
Index of
Names
Index of
Citations
Index of Latin Words
and Phrases
List of Scripture
References
FOOTNOTES
ftH1 All the
versions, except the Syriac, which Calvin has followed, have
“to Moab,” and connect the words with the following, that is,
“Jehovah says thus to Moab.” The best version is, as given by
Blayney and Henderson, “concerning Moab, thus saith,”
etc.. — Ed.
ftH2 Some give
this rendering, “Alas! no Nebo;” it had ceased to exist, and the
reason is given, “for it is laid waste. —
Ed.
ftH3 Neither
the Vulg. nor the Syr. gives this as a proper name, nor is there
any such place found elsewhere. Blayney renders it “the high
fortress,” agreeably with the Vulg., Syr., and the Targ. —
Ed.
ftH4 None of
the versions renders this a proper name, but as a participle from the verb which
follows, and no such place is mentioned elsewhere. They must have read
hmrm,
instead of
ˆmdm.
Then the version would be,
Even silenced thou shalt be
silenced,
After thee shall go the
sword.
To be silenced, in the language of the prophets, is
to be subdued. See
<231501>Isaiah
15:1, when the same thing is said of Moab. The word silence forms a contrast
with the boasting of Moab mentioned at the beginning of the verse. After being
subdued and removed elsewhere, still the sword would follow Moab. —
Ed.
ftH5 Here all
the versions and the Targum differ. The Vulg. only has
“little ones;” the Syr. has “her poor,” the
Sept. take “Zoar” to be intended, according to
<231505>Isaiah
15:5, the word
hr[wx,
instead of
hyrw[x.
The passage in Isaiah confirms this reading, though not found in any copies.
Then the verse would read thus, —
Broken is Moab, They made the cry heard
at Zoar.
This is substantially the version of Venema.
— Ed.
ftH6 The word
enemies is given only by the Vulg.; the other versions render it
“distress.” The literal rendering of the verse is,-
For in the ascent to Luhith,
With weeping ascends weeping; For in the descent to Heronaim, The distress of
the cry of ruin have they heard.
This version materially corresponds with
<231505>Isaiah
15:5. Weeping ascending with weeping, shews that all wept as they ascended.
“The distress of the cry” is a Hebraism for distressing cry.
— Ed.
ftH7
“Incliners” is the Sept.; “strewers,” the
Vulg.; “plunderers,” the Syr. and Targ.
The verb means to spread, to strew. They were those who turned the wine
vessels in order to empty them. Henderson has “overturners;”
but Blayney has the best word, “tilters,” who should tilt
him. — Ed.
ftH8 There is
no agreement in the Versions and Targ., as to these words, nor among
critics. The easiest construction is presented by Blayney, —
A spoiler of Moab and of her cities is
gone up.
The next clause is not so well rendered by
Blayney. He applies it to the Chaldeans. “Moab” is spoken of
in this chapter, both in the feminine and in the masculine gender. In our
language the neuter would be the most suitable, it and its. I render the verse
thus, —
15. The waster of Moab and of its cities
is going up, And the choice of its youth shall descend to the slaughter,
Saith the King, Jehovah of hosts is his name.
“Going up” as ascribed to the conqueror,
and “descending” to the conquered. —
Ed.
ftH9 The
literal rendering is, —
How has the rod of strength been broken,
The staff of honor?
“How” is by what means, or how much: the
first seems to be the meaning here. The rod and the staff are the same —
the sceptre an ensign of power and of honor or glory. —
Ed.
ftH10 The verb
“dwell” favors the idea adopted by some, that
amx
means here a dry or thirsty land. - Ed.
ftH11
hl[
here, as in
<244815>Jeremiah
48:15, is a participle, and so the verb which follows. The “waster”
is represented as then on his way, —
For the waster of Moab is ascending
against thee, The destroyer of thy fortresses.
— Ed.
ftH12 The word
has no other meaning than that of smiting, striking, or clapping the hand. A
drunkard rejoices by clapping his hands, even in his filth, and thus makes
himself an object of ridicule and derision; or he may strike his hands in agony:
but it is by the first he renders himself ridiculous, the thing evidently
intended here. It is observed justly by Blayney, that the first verb in
the verse is in the singular number, used for the plural; and he regarded this
verb to be the same; and his version is, —
And clap at Moab in his
vomiting.
The objection to this is, the verb in this sense is
not used without a preposition after it; see
<250215>Lamentations
2:15: otherwise this would suit the passage: it was suggested by Gataker. -
Ed.
ftH13 The
Vulg. and the Targ. give the best version of these words, —
Surely for the abundance of thy words
against him, thou shalt be quickly removed, or, led
captive.
Then, in the following verse, Moab is bidden to quit
his cities — Ed.
ftH14 Our
version in
<231606>Isaiah
16:6, where the same form of words occurs, is, “We have heard of,”
though here the “of” is dropped, and thus the meaning of Calvin
is conveyed, which is favored by the early versions.
The verse may be thus literally rendered, —
We have heard the arrogance of Moab;
Very arrogant has been his insolence and arrogance; Yea, his arrogantness
and the loftiness of his heart.
The word for “arrogance” means swelling;
it is to grow big, and to claim more than what belongs to us. Then
“insolence” signifies to rise high, so as to look down on others
with contempt. Arrogance is first, then insolence: and in the last line the two
are inverted, and with this difference, the disposition is denoted in the last
line, and the acting in the former. — Ed.
ftH15 Ira
furor brevis est. — Epist. 2 ad Loll.
ftH16 The
versions and the Targ. all differ as to this verse. The Vulg. is
the best; it takes
µydb,
branches, and also limbs, in a metaphorical sense, signifying strength. I give
the following rendering, —
30. I know, saith Jehovah, his excess,
(i.e. of pride;) But not so his strength, not so have they
done.
The mixture of numbers, singular and plural, is
common in the prophets — “his” and “they.” The
meaning seems to be, that however excessive was the pride and insolence of Moab,
they had no power fully to effect their purposes. - Ed.
ftH17 This
paragraph has been transplanted from the text.
The verbs here are imperatives in the Sept and
Syr., “Howl ye,” etc.; and in the future tense in the
Targ., “they shall howl, etc. The Vulg., is according to
the Hebrew. The last verb is in the third person, “He (Moab) will mourn
for the men of Kir-heres.” This city was on the extremity of Moab
northward, as Jazer was on its extremity southward. —
Ed.
ftH18 Jam
canit extremos effœtus vinitor antes. — Geor.
2:417.
ftH19 A reason
more suitable to the passage has been given for this comparison, — that
Moab in its distress is compared to an heifer lowing for want of pasture and
especially of water, for it follows that the waters of Nimrim would be dried up.
See
<231505>Isaiah
15:5, 6. — Ed.
ftH20 As to
this clause, widely different are all the versions; the Targ. gives the
general sense. The word
trty
is evidently plural, the
w
being wanting. “Reserves,” as given by Blayney, is an exact
rendering, —
Because the reserves he had made have
perished.
Connected with this word is another in
<231507>Isaiah
15:7, which means “deposits;” both signify the wealth or treasures
they had laid up. — Ed.
ftH21 All the
versions and Targ. read, “as a useless vessel;” but the
Hebrew is, “as a vessel without delight in it,” i.e., as a
vessel which has nothing pleasing or agreeable in it. —
Ed.
ftH22 The
literal rendering is as follows, —
How broken! they howled; How has Moab
turned the back ashamed! Thus Moab has become a derision And a terror to all
around him.
The past tense is used for the future. —
Ed.
ftH23 The
literal rendering of the verse is as follows, the nominative case to the two
verbs being Moab, taken here as the country, —
41. Taken it is, — the cities; And
the strongholds, — it is seized: And become shall the heart of the
valiants of Moab, In that day, like the heart of a woman in
distress.
In our language it would be, “as to its
cities,” and, “as to its strongholds.” —
Ed.
ftH24 There is
a striking alliteration in these words, fear, pit, snare — peched,
pechet, pech. — Ed.
ftH25 The word
“strength” is here omitted. Calvin’s version is, “Under
the shadow of Heshbon stood they who had fled from strength,” or violence,
i.e., of their enemies. Some connect it with “stood,” the
fugitives “stood for strength,” or, “without strength,”
which, perhaps, is preferable: they stood under the shadow or protection of
Heshbon, and obtained no help; so far was this from being the case, that from
Heshbon would go forth fire, that is, “the spoiler,” or, destroyer,
before often mentioned. Then
yk
would have its usual meaning, for, as giving a reason why the fugitives
remained without strength or help, under the protection of Heshbon. —
Ed.
ftH26 Most
give a different explanation of this fire, that it designated “the
spoiler” that was to come on Moab. That fire has often this meaning is
evident. See
<070920>Judges
9:20. — Ed.
ftH27 The last
clause is evidently a quotation from
<042417>Numbers
24:17: it is not literally the same, but the meaning is so. It is
“corner”’ here and not “corners,” as in Numbers;
and the word there is
rqrq,
and not
dqdq
as here, only there are some copies which have the former word here. In that
case, the passage would read thus, —
And it shall devour the corner of Moab,
And destroy the sons (or children) of tumult.
tç
in Numbers is probably for
taç,
which means the same as the word here used, coming from the same root, and
properly rendered “tumult.”
This passage is omitted in the Sept.; the
Vulg. renders
dqdq,
“verticem,” the crown or top of the head; but the Syr. and
Targ. drop the metaphor, and render it “chiefs” or nobles.
— Ed.
ftH28
Literally it is, “To the children of Ammon thus saith Jehovah:” so
the Sept., the Vulg., and the Targ. There are prophecies
concerning Ammon in
<262128>Ezekiel
21:28-32; 25:2-7;
<300101>Amos
1:13-15; and in
<360208>Zephaniah
2:8-11. — Ed.
ftH29
“Milcom” is given by the Sept., the Vulg., and the
Syr.; but “their king” by the Targ. In
<300101>Amos
1:15, the Vulg. and Syr. are the same; but the Sept. have
“kings,” and the Targ. is the same as here. There was a king
of Ammon,
<242703>Jeremiah
27:3; and there is one passage in which the possession of a country is ascribed
to a heathen god, to Chemosh, see
<071124>Judges
11:24. But “inheriting” is more suitably applied to a king
than to an idol; and the contrast in the next verse is with Israel and not with
God, “Israel shall be heir,” etc. Most probably, then, the
king is meant, and not the idol. — Ed.
ftH30 The
quotation is not literally given, but the meaning of the passage. —
Ed.
ftH31
Literally it is, “And Israel shall inherit his inheritors.” The
Ammonites claimed to be the heirs, and Israel succeeded them as the right heir.
This prophecy was fulfilled as recorded in 1 Macc. 5:6, 7, 28-36. —
Ed.
ftH32 Except
in 1 Macc. 5:6-8. The victories of the Maccabees were, no doubt, a literal
accomplishment of this prophecy. See verses 33, 34; where the sound of the
“trumpets” is expressly mentioned. —
Ed.
ftH33 The verb
means to flow out, and to flow away, to waste. The latter seems to be the
meaning here, “wasted has thy valley.” (See
<250409>Lamentations
4:9.) It has a noun after it, when it means to flow out in the sense of
abounding; but when used intransitively, it means to flow away in the sense of
wasting, —
Why gloriest thou in deep valleys! Flown
away has thy deep valley, O daughter, who hast turned aside, Who hast trusted in
thy treasures, Who hast said in thine heart, “Who can come to
me?”
The participle
hbbwçh,
“who hast turned aside,” or away, is rendered
“delicate,” by the Vulg., and “beloved,” by the
Syr., and the idea of impudence or folly, is conveyed by the Sept.
and Targ. How the word could be so rendered, it is difficult to say.
The verb means to turn to or from. Being a reduplicate here, it means to turn
away resolutely; hence “rebellious” would be no improper rendering.
“Her” before “treasures,” refers to
“daughter,” but in our language “thy” reads better, as
adopted by the Vulg. and the Syr. There is an addition in several
copies of the words, “Who hast said in thine heart,” and all the
versions have what corresponds with them. — Ed.
ftH34 So the
Vulg. and the Targ., while the Sept. and the Syr.,
have “prudent,” or intelligent. The word is not in its regular
form, the y iod being wanted, and the m mem before it being
omitted, which is not uncommon. Discerning rather than “prudent,” or
“intelligent,” is its meaning. — Ed.
ftH35 Some
maintain that the first clause only is a question, for there is no interrogatory
particle prefixed to the other clauses, —
Is wisdom no longer in Teman? Perished
has counsel from the discerning, Vanished has their wisdom.
Neither the versions nor the Targum put the
two last lines as questions; nor the Sept. and the Syr. the first.
The verb
jrs
is differently rendered, — by the Sept., “departed;” by
the Vulg., “become useless;” by the Syr., “taken
away;” by the Targ., “marred,” or corrupted. The verb
means to spread, to stretch out; and spreading here is in the sense of
dissipating or scattering, and the verb here is passive. So
“vanished” would convey the meaning. The first line is a question,
and the two following contain the answer. A tautology cannot be otherwise
avoided. — Ed.
ftH36 The
versions, (except the Syr. and the Targ.) have the verbs
here in the imperative mood; and they are so regarded by most critics,
“Flee ye, turn back, dwell deep,” etc.. This is necessary on account
of
yk,
for, which follows. — Ed.
ftH37 The
interpreters probably referred to are the Sept. and the Vulg.,
where the interrogative form is not used; not so the Syr. and the
Targ. — Ed.
ftH38 Neither
of the two explanations here given are satisfactory, though the first especially
has been adopted by many, such as Henry and Scott. It is difficult
to know the meaning of the Sept.; the Vulg. and the Syr.
are literally our version. The Targ. goes wide astray, representing
this verse as addressed to the people of Israel, of whom there is no mention
here. Blayney supposes a typographical mistake, joins
bz[
to the preceding verse, and puts
h,
to the next word, and gives this version, —
And there is nothing of him left. 11.
Shall I preserve the life of thy fatherless children? Or shall thy widows trust
in me?
The questions he considers as strong negatives. The
simpler view seems to be this: in the preceding verse the destruction not only
of Esau, but also of his brethren and neighbours, is announced. His
“seed” means his posterity, the nation, and he was was not to be,
that is, as a kingdom. There would be still some “orphans” and
“widows,” and as “brethren” and
“neighbors” would be destroyed as well as Esau himself, as to
all grown up people, forming the nation, and thus orphans and widows would be
left helpless, God was pleased to give the promise here stated:
Leave thy orphans, I will preserve
them, Thy widows also, in me let them trust.
The last verb is both masculine and feminine, and
refers both to the orphans and widows. This is substantially the explanation
given by Venema, and is the most satisfactory. —
Ed.
ftH39 It is
better to render it as in the Syr., “astonishment;” then
“reproach” comes after it; and the next word,
brj,
is properly “a waste,” and in the plural is rendered
“wastes” at the end of the verse. There were two cities called
Bozrah, one in Moab,
<244824>Jeremiah
48:24, and one in Edom,
<236301>Isaiah
63:1. — Ed.
ftH40 This
verse is variously rendered in the versions and in the Targum, and also
by commentators. The following rendering I deem plain and literal, —
Behold, as a lion from the swelling of
Jordan, Will he ascend to the strong habitation; For suddenly will I cause him
to run from it: And he who is chosen will I appoint over her; For who is like
me? and who can meet me? And who is he, the shepherd, who can stand before
me?
The word
h[ygra,
as in
<201219>Proverbs
12:19, is “suddenly,” or in a moment. “Him” is the lion,
and “from it,” the swelling of Jordan. “Over her” is
Edom. “Who can meet me?” that is, to contend with me, or resist
me, according to the Sept. The verb is
d[y,
though Calvin derived it from
dw[.
The “shepherd” is mentioned, because of the “lion,” whom
no shepherd can resist when he attacks the flock. God speaks of himself as
identified with his chosen one. — Ed.
ftH41 The
literal rendering is, —
The cry — at the Red Sea was heard
its sound.
It is an instance of the nominative case absolute.
— Ed.
ftH42 There
are several copies in which the
k,
caph, is found, and it is evidently the most suitable reading, —
Confounded is Hamath and Arpad; For an
evil report have they heard, — they melt away; Like the sea the agitation,
the quieting none can effect.
The melting away was through fear. They were moved or
agitated, and, like the sea, they could not rest or be still.
la
may be often rendered none or nothing. — Ed.
ftH43 So the
versions, (except the Sept.) and also the Targ., the
y
iod being regarded as paragogic. So Grotius. -
Ed.
ftH44 The
Syr. rendered it “spared;” the Vulg. has left out the
negative not. There are two difficulties, the verb
bz[
is not used in the sense of sparing, though Gataker labours to shew this;
then the connexion: the next verse begins with a “therefore.” Take
the verb here in its usual sense, and then “therefore” will have its
force. He asks, Why was not this city, under the circumstances previously
mentioned, forsaken or abandoned, notwithstanding its being a celebrated and a
joyous city? But as it was not forsaken, “therefore,” he says,
“her young men shall fall in her streets,” etc.
Venema’s view is different; his version
is, —
Why not? forsaken has been the city of
praise, The city of my joy.
That is, Why should not Damascus be compelled to
flee, since Jerusalem had been forsaken, the city of praise and of his joy.
“Therefore,” in this sense, refers to the slaughter of those who
would not flee. — Ed.
ftH45 It is
“Kedem” in the Sept., and “East” in
the other versions and the Targum. — Ed.
ftH46 This
verb is deemed by most to be in the imperative mood, like the two foregoing
verbs; and it is so given in the Sept., the Vulg., and the
Targ. In the Syr., all the verbs are in the past tense, which is
not consistent with the context. Blayney’s version is, —
Flee ye, move off apace, Retire deep for
to dwell, etc.
The meaning is, as he says, that they should go into
deep caverns to hide themselves from their enemies. See
<070602>Judges
6:2;
<091306>1
Samuel 13:6. — Ed.
ftH48 The
difference in the two clauses is properly distinguished by Blayney, in
his version, —
There shall not a man dwell there, Nor
shall a son of man sojourn therein. —
Ed.
ftH49 They
were the descendants of Elam the son of Shem,
<011022>Genesis
10:22. They were a powerful kingdom in the days of Abram,
<011401>Genesis
14:1. Isaiah speaks of them as hostile to the people of Israel,
<232206>Isaiah
22:6. Shushan is said to have been in the province of Elam,
<270802>Daniel
8:2. — Ed.
ftH50
“The indignation of his wrath” is in apposition with
“evil.” So the Vulg., the Syr., and the
Targ.
And I will bring on them evil, The
burning of my wrath, saith Jehovah.
The evil was the effect of God’s high
displeasure. — Ed.
ftH51 Most
consider that “Merodach” here was a false god; first probably a
king, afterwards deified. As confounded, or put to shame, is applied to Bel, the
other verb
tj,
should be rendered “dismayed” or terrified, a meaning which it often
has, —
Taken is Babylon, Confounded is Bel,
Terrified is Merodach; Confounded are her images, Terrified are her
idols.
The word for “images” means labor, and
refers to the labor and pains taken by those who made them; and the word for
“idols” means a trunk or log of wood from which they were made.
— Ed.
ftH52 The two
verbs are rendered by the versions, except the Syr., and by the Targ.,
in the future tense, “They shall come and be joined,” etc.; and
one MS., says Blayney, has
waby.
This would read better. Then the verse would. run thus —
To Zion will they ask the way, Hither
their faces; They shall come and be joined to Jehovah, By an everlasting
covenant, which shall not be forgotten.
“Hither” and not “thither,”
for the Prophet was at Jerusalem; and so the particle means, and it is so given
in the Sept. and Vulg. The last clause requires
“which” in our translation, though not in Welsh, for, like
the Hebrew, it can do without it — nad anghofir. literally
the Hebrew. What is here predicted was literally accomplished, as recorded by
Nehemiah,
(<160938>Nehemiah
9:38;
<161029>Nehemiah
10:29.) — Ed.
ftH53 I render
the verse thus, —
6. Lost sheep have become my people;
Their shepherds have caused them to err, Having turned them here and there on
the mountains; From mountain to hill have they gone; They have forgotten their
resting-place.
The meaning of
µybbwç
is given by the Sept. and Vulg., “causing them to
wander;” the verb
bç
is to turn; being here a reduplicate, it means to turn much, or again and
again, or here and there; and this is confirmed by what follows — they
went, through the teaching of their pastors, from “mountain to
hill,” that is, from one form of idolatry to another; and “forgotten
their resting-place,” which was God. — Ed.
ftH54
Calvin, in his exposition of
<233726>Isaiah
37:26, applies what is said to Sion, and not to Sennacherib, as it is commonly
done. — Ed.
ftH55 The most
approved exposition is the first, which makes the latter words to be in
apposition with Jehovah, as given in the Versions, though the last clause seems
to be a separate sentence, —
Because they have sinned against
Jehovah, The habitation of righteousness; And the hope of their fathers was
Jehovah.
By calling God the habitation of righteousness, what
is implied is, as Lowth suggests, that they would not have been banished,
had they not justly deserved to be so treated, God being the seat or
dwelling-place of justice or righteousness. And in addition to this, he had been
the hope of their fathers. See
<244003>Jeremiah
40:3, where we have an example of what their enemies alleged. —
Ed.
ftH56 Their
arrows, like those of a skilful warrior. — Blayney. In the next
line there is an instance of
al
being in the sense of none,– “None shall return empty,”
or void; i.e., without effecting its purpose. See
<235511>Isaiah
55:11. — Ed.
ftH57 Several
copies have
hçd,
threshing. Being allowed to eat at pleasure, the threshing heifer became fat and
frisky. It is so taken by Blayney and Henderson, though not
countenanced by the Versions or the Targ. — Ed.
ftH58 Jeremiah
having twice before
(<240816>Jeremiah
8:16;
<244703>Jeremiah
47:3) used the word for steeds or horses, we may conclude that he means the same
here. — Ed.
ftH59 The
connection of these two verses will be more evident, if we render
yk
when, as proposed by Gataker, and not surely, as by Calvin,
nor because, as in our version, —
11. When ye shall rejoice, when ye shall
exult, Ye plunderers of mine heritage, When ye shall skip as a fed heifer, And
neigh like steeds,
12. Ashamed greatly shall be your
mother, Confounded shall she be who bare you; Behold, the last of the
nations shall she be, A desert, a dry land, and a
wilderness.
The reference seems to be to the rejoicings of
Babylon, when it was taken. — Ed.
ftH60 Or
literally, “Because against Jehovah has she sinned.” —
Ed.
ftH61 Rather
“battlements” or ramparts, as given by the Sept.; for it is
not proper to say that “foundations” have fallen.
— Ed.
ftH62
Literally, “and boned him;” which is to be taken in a privative
sense, “and unboned him.” There are similar words in Hebrew: to neck
is to break the neck.
(<021313>Exodus
13:13.) To tail is to cut off the tail.
(<061019>Joshua
10:19.) To root is to root up.
(<195205>Psalm
52:5.) The Vulg. here is exossavit. — Ed.
ftH63 The idea
of this verse is rightly given in these words: the punishment for iniquity and
sins would not be exacted, because God would pardon the remnant; hence they
appeared not. The removal of punishment, the restoration from exile, would shew
that iniquity and sins no longer existed, God having fully pardoned them, and
thus obliterated them.
The iniquity of Israel was false worship, the worship
of the calves, and the sins of Judah were especially idolatry and the rejection
of God’s messages by his prophets. For these evils more particularly they
were banished, and their exile proved a remedy for them, as they never
afterwards fell into these sins. — Ed.
ftH64
Merathaim and Pekod are appellatives, and not proper names, in the early
versions, and the first is so in the Targ. and rendered
“rebellious;” but by the Sept. “bitterly;”
by the Vulg. “rulers;” and by the Syr.
“exasperating.” The most probable derivation of the word is from
hrm,
to rebel, with a dual termination, doubly rebellious, i.e., very
rebellious. As to “Pekod,” the versions give it the idea of visiting
by way of punishment: “Avenge thou with the sword,” is the Sept.;
“Visit her inhabitants,” the Vulg.; “Assail ye her
and her inhabitants,” the Syr.; the Targ. has “the
inhabitants of Pekod.” It is better to take both words as appellatives:
—
21. Against the land of the most
rebellious, against her ascend, And to the inhabitants of visitation; Slay and
utterly destroy their posterity, saith Jehovah, And do according to all that I
have commanded thee.
As to Babylon being “rebellious,” see
<245024>Jeremiah
50:24, 33. “Inhabitants of visitation” were such as were to be
visited, i.e., with judgment; see
<245031>Jeremiah
50:31. The repetition, “against her,” is emphatical.
“posterity,” i.e., children, or young men, as in
<245030>Jeremiah
50:30. See
<111603>1
Kings 16:3. — Ed.
ftH65 The
first verb,
[dg,
means to cast off as well as to cut off; the breaking is expressed by the
following verb. According to order often found in the Prophets, the final act,
casting off, is first mentioned, and then the previous act, the breaking of it,
—
23. How has the hammer of all the earth
Been cast off and broken! How has Babylon become a wonder among
nations!
“A wonder” or astonishment, for so the
word is evidently to be taken here, according to the Syr., though
rendered “extinction” by the Sept., and “desert”
by the Vulg. and Targ. Blayney and Henderson render it
“astonishment.” — Ed.
ftH66
“Treasury” here means an armory or arsenal, as rendered by
Blayney: and then “instruments” signify weapons, drawn from
the armory. — Ed.
ftH67
Literally it is, —
For a work — this the Lord Jehovah
of hosts has In the land of the Chaldeans. —
Ed.
ftH68 It is
added, “from the extremity,” i.e., of heaven, according to a
parallel passage in
<231305>Isaiah
13:5. They were to come from the farthest parts of the earth then known. —
Ed.
ftH69 The most
approved rendering is, “Cast (or throw) her up as heaps,” i.e.,
of rubbish, according to
<245137>Jeremiah
51:37. It is said that the verb here never means to tread under foot,
“Make her, of a goodly, stately city, nothing but heaps of earth, stones,
and rubbish.” Gataker. — Ed.
ftH70 The
Sept. and Syr. take
yrp
here as signifying fruit, i.e., of the womb — children, offspring;
and what is said in
<231316>Isaiah
13:16-18, favours this meaning, as well as what is said in
<245021>Jeremiah
50:21, if we render
µhyrja,
“their posterity.” The Vulg. and the Targ. render the
word here “valiants,” expressing the meaning of
“bullocks.” The first version is the most suitable, —
Slay ye all her fruit (or
offspring;)
Let them descend to the
slaughter.
It is descending to the slaughter that led critics to
render
yrp
bullocks, but we find this expression unconnected with bullocks in
<244815>Jeremiah
48:15; where “chosen young men” are said to “descend to the
slaughter.” To descend denotes degradation, and to ascend dignity. The
Targ. has, “Let them be delivered to the slaughter.” —
Ed.
ftH71 The
early versions and the Targ. render
µybr,
“many;” and the rendering of the Sept. and Vulg.
is to this effect, —
Proclaim ye to the many at Babylon, To
all who bend the bow, — “Encompass her around, Let there be no
escape,” etc.
The first part is a charge like what we find in the
second verse; and the second states what they were to do. “Proclaim ye
to,” is literally, “‘Make ye to hear,” —
“Make ye the many at Babylon to hear,” etc. —
Ed.
ftH72 The
versions, except the Syr. and the Targ., give a similar meaning to
this verb: but there is no instance of the verb in Hiphil having this meaning,
though it would be the most suitable to this place. At the same time we may
consider the land of Chaldea to be meant, if we regard the stillness or
quietness as referring to the check produced by God’s restraining power,
—
So as to render the land
still,
And to terrify the
inhabitants of Babylon.
The promise is to make the land quiet so as not to
oppose the return of the Jews, and for the same purpose, to terrify Babylon.
— Ed.
ftH73 The word
is rendered “diviners” by the Vulg., the Syr., and the
Targ.; it is left out by the Sept. Some derive it from
adb,
to feign, to devise, to invent, the
a
being left out in
µydb,
others say that it comes from
db,
alone, solitary, separate, so that
µydb
were the recluse, retirement or seclusion being often the habit of impostors. It
is connected, in
<234425>Isaiah
44:25, with
µymsq,
diviners, prognosticators. — Ed.
ftH74 Events
would prove, that they were foolish and ignorant, being not able to foretell the
ruin of their own nation, notwithstanding their boast in the knowledge of
futurity. — Ed.
ftH75 It is so
rendered by the Vulg. and the Targ., omitted by the Sept.,
and rendered “sword” by the Syr., and also by Blayney
and Henderson. The same incongruity exists as to the treasures; but
the sword here, means those who wielded it, the soldiers of Cyrus: they spoiled
the treasures, they turned the streams of the rivers. —
Ed.
ftH76 That the
Babylonians had large idols or images, which were of terrific size, is evident
from
<270301>Daniel
3:1 — Ed.
ftH77 As to
the two first words, the versions and the Targ. widely differ. According
to Bochart, the first word,
µyyx,
means “wild cats,” and the second,
µyya,
jackals. The Vulg., the Syr., and the Targ. render the
other word,
hn[y,
the same, “the ostrich;” and this is the general opinion. —
Ed.
ftH78 Rather
“sojourn,” according to the Sept. —
Ed.
ftH79 Rather
“spear” or lance; so the Sept. and Syr., though the
Vulg. and Targ. have “shield.” —
Ed.
ftH80 See note
on Jeremiah 49:19. — Ed.
ftH81 The
Targ. and the versions widely differ from one another. The cabbalistic
solution is very frivolous, by which the two words
bl
and
ymq
are made one, and made to signify “Chaldeans,” according to what was
called “Athbash,” by which aleph, the first letter, was taken
for tau, the last letter, and beth, the second, for shin,
the last but one; and so on through the whole alphabet. But Blayney
and others, such as Gataker and Venema, give a satisfactory
explanation of the words. The word
bl,
the heart, often means the middle of anything, as “the heart of
heaven,” in
<050411>Deuteronomy
4:11 means the midst of heaven; and “the heart of the seas,” in
<194602>Psalm
46:2, means the midst of the seas. So here, “the heart of my
adversaries,” means the centre of the country of his adversaries. i.e.,
Babylon, —
Against the inhabitants of the
metropolis
of my adversaries.
— Ed.
ftH82 It is
singular that
la
is omitted in the Sept. and the Syr., and retained in its negative
sense in the Vulg. and the Targ., which makes no sense
consistently with the context. There is evidently
rça
understood before the first verb, as is often the case when the verb is in the
future tense. Then the literal rendering would be this, —
At him who bends let the bender bend his
bow, And at him who glories in his coat of mail; And spare ye not her chosen
men, Utterly destroy all her host.
There is here perfect consistency. They who take
la
as a negative say, that the first part is addressed to the Chaldeans, and the
second to their enemies; but this would be strangely abrupt. —
Ed.
ftH83 The
explanation of the last clasue is, according to the Jewish commentators, not
generally taken. The “land,” by most is deemed to be the land of
Israel and Judah. The word
µça,
means not only guilt, but also guilt’s penalty — judgement; and this
seems to be its meaning here, —
For not widowed is Israel, By his God,
by Jehovah of hosts; Though their land has been filled With judgement by the
Holy One of Israel.
But if we render
m
before or against, then the last line would be, —
With guilt (or sin) before the Holy One
of Israel. — Ed.
ftH84 Some
render the last word “reel,” or stagger, and perhaps more
consistently with the comparison of drunkenness. The verb in Hithpael, as
here, means to be moved violently, either through rage or joy. Moved or agitated
is the rendering of the versions and the Targum. To be moved with joy is
to exult or glory; and so Blayney renders it, and connects the end of
this verse with the following, i.e., that the nations gloried because of
the fall of Babylon, —
Therefore shall nations glory, [saying,]
Babylon is suddenly fallen, etc. —
Ed.
ftH85 Another
view has been given of this clause: It is a mode of speaking to express the
greatness of a thing; see
<193605>Psalm
36:5;
<150906>Ezra
9:6. The judgement or punishment of Babylon would be so great, that it might be
compared to what may reach to the heavens, and to the ethereal regions; for such
is the meaning of the last word, and is rendered “stars,” by the
Sept., —
For to the heavens has reached her
judgement,
And it has risen up to
the ethereal regions.
By “heavens,” are often meant the skies.
— Ed.
ftH86 The
second clause in the versions and the Targ. is, “Fill the
quivers,” i.e., with arrows. But the word means
“shields:” hence some render the verb in the sense of filling up or
completing. “Complete the shields,” i.e., their number, or
rather, more consistently with sharpening or polishing the arrows, “Fill
up,” or mend, “the shields.” So Venema and
Parkhurst. — Ed.
ftH87 Though
the Hebrew here is exactly the same as in Jeremiah 10, except that
“Israel” is omitted here, yet the Vulg., the Syr., and
the Targ. give a different version; but in the Sept. it is the
same. But many copies have “israel” here, which is no doubt the
correct reading. — Ed.
ftH88 Many
render this passage in the future tense, according to all the Versions and the
Targ., and consider Cyrus to be intended by the “hammer;” but
they render
˚b,
by, or with thee, contrary to the Targ. and the Versions,
which is rendered in thee, i.e., Babylon; and for thee in the
Syr. And this seems to be the view most consistent with the whole
passage, especially
<245124>Jeremiah
51:24. Babylon was the “hammer” which God had employed,
“<245023>Jeremiah
50:23) but he would hereafter employ, as it were, a hammer, or a scatterer, in
Babylon itself, —
20. A scatterer (or a hammer) art thou
to me, A weapon of war; But I will scatter in thee nations, And destroy in thee
kingdoms;
21. And I will scatter in thee the horse
and its rider, And I will scatter in thee the chariot and its
rider;
22. And I will scatter in thee the
husband and the wife, And I will scatter in thee the old and the child, And I
will scatter in thee the young man and the maid;
23. And I will scatter in thee the
shepard and his flock, And I will scatter in thee the plougman and his team, And
I will scatter in thee the governors and princes.
The comes, naturally, a summary of the whole, —
24. And I will render to Babylon And to
all the inhabitants of Chaldea, All the evil which they have done in Sion,
Before your eyes, saith Jehova.
The in the two following verse Babylon is still
addressed.
“Scatter” is according to the
Sept., the Syr., and the Targ.; “dash against one
another” is the Vulg. — Ed.
ftH89
Blayney views “the mountain” differently, as a metaphor for a
nation, or a prince, rising above others in power: and “the rocks”
he considers to be the strongholds of this mountain. —
Ed.
ftH90 Though
the reatest part of the walls and towers was built of bricks, yet there were
stones no doubt used. Some understand, by “stone,” a king or prince,
and consider that an intimation is given that Babylon would not hereafter have a
king or its own, but be tributary. — Ed.
ftH91 The
Version and the Targ. all differ as to the word
rspf,
rendered by Calvin, “leader.” It is translated
“commander” by Blayney. Parkhurst says that it is a Chaldee
word, from
spf,
to reduce to order, and
rs,
a ruler. Then it means a commanding officer, a caption, or a general. It occurs
only here and in
<340317>Nahum
3:17. — Ed.
ftH92 The
Hebrew is, “the kings of Media;” but the Sept. and
Syr. have “the king of Media;” which is required by
“his dominion” at the end of the verse: the pronoun affixed to
“captains” and “rulers” is “her,” referring
to Media. — Ed.
ftH93 The
“earth” here is evidently the land of Chaldea or Babylon, —
And tremble shall the land and be in
pain; For confirmed respecting Babylon shall be the purposes of Jehovah, To set
the land of Babylon a waste, Without an inhabitant.
— Ed.
ftH94 It seems
to have been taken at its two extremities: hence the runners met each other at
the king’s palace, from both ends of the city, and each said, that it was
taken at its end. — Ed.
ftH95 The word
µymga,
properly pools, is probably a metonomy for what they grow, even reeds or
bulrushes, especially as the same word, in somewhat another form,
ˆmga,
clearly means a reed. See
<230914>Isaiah
9:14;
<231915>Isaiah
19:15. But what these reeds were, authors are at a loss to know. It is said in
the thirtieth verse, that they “burnt her habitations;” may it not
have been, that they were such as were made of reeds? Then the whole verse
appears intelligible; the passages (that is, the entrances from the river, whose
streams were diverted) were seized on, and such houses as were in part built of
reeds were set on fire; hence the men were frightened. —
Ed.
ftH96 By
identifying the time of threshing and the time of harvest, it is that we can see
the meaning of this verse. Mention is first made of threshing or treading
— the punishment prepared for Babylon; then it is said that what led to
that — the harvest, would shortly come. The verb “come” is to
be understood in the third line, it being given only in the last, —
33. For thus saith Jehovah of hosts, the
God of Israel, — Babylon shall be like a threshing-floor; Come
shall the time of threshing her; Yet a little while, and come to her shall
the time of harvest.
The order as to the threshing and harvest is similar
to what is often found in the prophets, — the last thing, being the main
thing, is mentioned first, and then what precedes or leads to it. —
Ed.
ftH97 The
pronoun after the verbs in this verse is in the plural number, us,
according to the present Hebrew text, but according to the Keri and
several copies, it is in the singular number, me. The authority as to
MSS. is nearly equal; only the latter reading is favored by the versions and the
Targ, and also by the verse which follows. —
Ed.
ftH98 The
common meaning of the verb is, violently to disturb, but it is evidently used in
the sense of breaking, crushing, or breaking in pieces, in
<232828>Isaiah
28:28; and this is the most suitable sense here, as it follows
“devouring.” — Ed.
ftH99 Or a
sea-monster, or a whale, who devours smaller fish whole and entire. —
Ed.
ftH100 The
last verb is left out by the Sept., rendered “cast out,” by
the Vulg., “destroyed,” by the Syr.; “made to
emigrate,” by the Targ. The verb properly means to drive out or
away; and their ejection from the land is what is meant. —
Ed.
ftH101 Taking
this verse is connection with the following, Gataker and Lowth
give somewhat another view, — that the Babylonians roared like lions
and shouted with exultation before the city was taken. It is said by
Herodotus, that “they ascended the walls, and capered, and loaded
Darius and his army with reproaches.” They roared with rage at their
enemies, and excited themselves as whelps when beginning to hunt for themselves,
full of life and animation, —
Together as young lions shall they roar.
And rouse themselves as whelps of lionesses.
There is a
w
wanting before the last verb, which is supplied by the Vulg.,
Syr., and the Targ.; and it is rendered necessary by the tense of
the verb. — Ed.
ftH102
“In their heat,” that is, as it appears, of rage, while they were
roaring like lions. The word rendered “feasts” by Calvin and
in our version, properly means drinking, and it is so rendered in the early
versions, and more suitably here, —
In their heat I will set for them
their drink, And will make them drunk, that they may leap for joy; And they
shall sleep a perpetual sleep, And shall not awake, saith
Jehovah.
It is a clear allusion to the feast celebrated in
Babylon the very night it was taken. — Ed.
ftH103 The
Sept. and the Syr. remove the incongruity that is in this verse;
they supply
k
before the “land” that occurs first, and omit the second
“land.” Then the verse would read thus, —
43. Become have her cities a desolation,
Like a land of drought and a wilderness; Dwell in them shall no man, And pass
through them shall no son of man.
The second “land” is omitted in two MSS.;
and one has “in her,” instead of “in them.” —
Ed.
ftH104
“The long processions of pilgrims,” observes Henderson,
“moving slowly along, are fitly expressed by
rhn,
which properly signifies, to flow as a river.” —
Ed.
ftH105 Some,
as Blayney, following the Syr., connect this verse with the
preceding: The Jews are bidden to leave Babylon, that they might escape the
wrath of God, and lest their hearts should faint at the evil romors that would
spread there, —
And lest your heart faint, And ye be
afraid of the rumor rumored in the land, — For it shall come in one year,
the romor, etc.
But if
ˆp,
rendered lest, be taken, as it is sometimes, a dissuasive particle, then
the rendering would be as follows, —
And let not your heart be faint, Nor be
ye afraid of the rumor rumored in the land; When it shall come in one year, the
rumor, And afterwards in a year, the rumor, And violence shall be in the
land, ruler against ruler.
The reference seems to be to the commotions in
Babylon before the liberation of the Jews. — Ed.
ftH106
Rather,
And all her slain, they shall fall in
the midst of her. —
Ed.
ftH107 This
verse may be deemed as the shouting song at the fall of Babylon, —
“As Babylon made to fall
the slain of Israel, So for Babylon have fallen the slain of all the
land.”
It is said before, in
<245004>Jeremiah
50:47, that her slain should fall in the midst of her land. “For
Babylon” means, on account of what she had done. But if it be “in
Babylon,” means, on account of what she had done. But of Babylon; and the
intimation is, that there would be none led captive, but slain in the land,
except “all” be taken, as is often the case, as signifying a large
number. — Ed.
ftH108 The
idea seems to be, if Babylon ascended the heavens, or the skies, and fortified
there a high place for her strength, yet to this place desolators would come,
—
Though Babylon mounted the skies, And
though she fortified the height as her strength, From me would come to
her destroyers, saith Jehovah. —
Ed.
ftH109 This is
the meaning given by the Targum. Venema and Horsley would put a
colon or a period after
dba,
—
55. For Jehovah is laying waste Babylon
and destroying her: From her comes a loud voice! And roar do their waves like
great waters, Going forth is the tumult of their voice.
According to the preceding verse, the destruction of
Babylon is represented as then taking place, —
54. A voice of howling from Babylon! And
of great destruction from the land of the Chaldeans!
The commotions and tumults, arising from the invasion
of enemies, seem to be set forth in
<245155>Jeremiah
51:55; and the beginning of the following,
<245156>Jeremiah
51:56, ought to be rendered in the present tense, the first verb being a
participle. — Ed.
ftH110 The
w
before
w[gy
is evidently conversive, and may be rendered so that, or
therefore, —
Thus saith Jehovah of hosts, The wall of
Babylon, the brroad one, It shall be utterly laid in ruins; And her gates, the
lofty ones, They shall be consumed with fire: So that people had labored for
vanity, And nations for the fire, and wearied themselves.
Several MSS. have
tmj,
wall, and so it is in the Sept., as required by “broad,”
which is in the singular number. “For vanity” is for the vain
object; and “for the fire” means for what was to be consumed by
fire. The last words may be rendered “though they wearied
themselves.” — Ed.
ftH111 The
Vulg. and Syr. have “with,” but the Sept. and
Targ. give it the meaning of “from;” and
ta
has often the meaning of
tam;
see
<010601>Genesis
6:1;
<014404>Genesis
44:4;
<015009>Genesis
50:9, 29. So Gataker, Venema, and Blayney. —
Ed.
ftH112 The
variety in the early versions is remarkable; the Sept. and the
Targ. have “the prince of gifts” or presnts; the
Vulg., “the prince of prophecy;” and the Syr.,
“the prince of warfare.” A similar phrase is found in
<132209>1
Chronicles 22:9; Solomon is said to be “a man of rest,”
çya
hjwnm.
The meaning most suitable to this passage is that if Calvin and of our
version. So though Gataker; but Lowth and Parkhurst
regarded the words as pointing out his office as the king’s chief
chamberlain, “the prince of the resting-place,” or chamber; but the
objection to this is, that the word is never used in this sense; it means not
the rest of sleep, but the rest of peace and quietness. —
Ed.
ftH113 That
the connection may appear more evident,
<245160>Jeremiah
51:60 and the first sentence in Jeremiah 61:61 ought to be put within a
parenthesis; for “the word which Jeremiah commanded Seraiah,”
mentioned in
<245159>Jeremiah
51:59, is what follows, “When thou comest to Babylon,” etc. —
Ed.
ftH114
Literally the words are, —
For desolations of perpetuity shall it
(or she) be.
Babylon is sometimes referred to as masculine, and
sometimes as feminine. — Ed.
fth115 Calvin
takes no notice here of the verb which closes this sentence,
wp[yw;
but in his version he renders it, “and they shall fly,” or they
shall be wearied. Critics know not what to make of it: it is omitted in the
Sept., and rendered by the Vulg., “and it shall be
dissolved;” by the Syr., “but they shall be thrown
down;” and by the Targ., “and they shall fail.” It is
left out in no MS. Blayney, following the Sept., omits it. The
best explanation is given by Junius and Tremelius, “though
they may weary themselves,” that is, the citizens of Babylon: their
attempt to rise and resist their enemies would be ineffectual, however much they
might toil in the effort.
The emendator, Houbigant, proposes to read the
word,
wpsyw,
“and they shall come to an end.” This agrees nearly with the
Targ., “and they shall fail.” —
Ed.
ftH116 The
best rendering of this verse is by Venema, —
Therefore the height of the wrath of Jehovah (that
is, the extreme wrath of Jehovah) was on Jerusalem and Judah, until he cast them
from his presence: and Zedekiah rebelled against the king of
Babylon.
The same words, in
<122420>2
Kings 24:20, ought to be rendered in the same way. —
Ed.
ftH117
Literally, “in the house of visitations,” that is, of punishments.
— Ed.
ftH118 It is
“the seventh” in
<122508>2
Kings 25:8. This discrepancy is accounted for by Blayney and others, by
suppposing a typographical mistake of putting the numeral
z,
seven, for
y,
ten, or vice versa. — Ed.
ftH119 It is
db[,
“served,” in
<122508>2
Kings 25:8; but the meaning is the same. To stand before one is phrase which
designates the office of one who serves. See
<420129>Luke
1:29. It would be better, in rendering this part of the verse, to change the
place of the verb, to come, — “Nebuzar-adan, the prince of the
executioners, who stood before the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem.”
— Ed.
ftH120 The
literal rendering is, “even every great house burnt he with fire.”
This clause qualifies the former one. — Ed.
ftH121 Though
in the parallel passages in
<243909>Jeremiah
39:9, and in
<122511>2
Kings 25:11, the words, “Some of the poor of the people,” ar3e not
found, yet the Vulg., the Syr., and the Targ., retain them
here, and they are found in all the MSS. except one. Some of the poor of the
city were evidently left, as well as some of the poor of the land. In the
following words, the Vulg. for the most part is followed, which is not
correct: the words should be, “et reliquum populum,” and, “et
reliquias multitudinis.” And the past words should be, “even the
remnant (or remainder) of the multitude,” that is, of the people that
formerly inhabited the city. See
<243909>Jeremiah
39:9. — Ed.
ftH122
“Which gold, gold, and which silver, silver:”
rça,
“which,” repeated, may be rendered here, “some;” and the
repetition of “gold,” and of “silver,” is the same as to
say, that some of the vessels were pure gold, and that some were pure silver:
then the version would be this, “some gold of gold,” i.e.,
pure gold, “and some silver of silver,” i.e., pure silver,
there being no mixture in either. — Ed.
ftH123 The
number here given is to be restricted to the years here specified, that is, the
seventh, the eighteenth, and the twenty-third of
Nebuchadnezzar’s reign. We read of other captives; that is, in the
third year of Jehoiakim’s reign,
(<270101>Daniel
1:1) which was the first of Nebuchadnezzar; and in the eighth year
of his reign,
(<122412>2
Kings 24:12) when Jehoiachin was taken prisoner, and with him not less than ten
thousand people,
(<122414>2
Kings 24:14.)
We have no account of the number in the first
captivity, when Daniel was taken to Babylon. The largest number in the eighth
year of Nebuchadnezzar’s reign, even ten thousand. The amount
of three captivities mentioned here, the last of which must have been
after the murder of Gedaliah, is four thousand six hundred. All
these being men, and of full age, there must have been many women and children.
It has been thought that all, taken captive all these times, could not have been
less than fifty thousand. — Ed.
ft1 The word
is not repeated in the early Versions, nor by Blayney and
Henderson. The word
hkya,
means properly, “Whence thus?” and it may be rendered, “How is
this?” and the passage would be more emphatic, —
1. How is this? alone sits the
city, that was full of people!
Like
a widow is she that was great among nations!
A princess among provinces is
under tribute!
2. Weeping she weeps in the
night, and her tear on her
cheek!
None to her a comforter of
all her lovers!
All her friends
have deceived her, they are become her enemies!
These were the various things which created
astonishment in the Prophet. — Ed.
ft2
Blayney and Horsley agree in this view; but Gataker,
Henry, and Henderson take the previous view, that is, that Judah
went to exile on account of the oppression they practiced, and the multiplied
servitude they exacted, especially the servitude or slavery to which servants
were subjected, as recorded in Jeremiah 34. What confirms this view is the word
“Judah,” which, as it implies the greater part, could not be applied
to the comparatively few who voluntarily migrated.
3. Removed is Judah for
oppression and for much
servitude;
She dwells among nations
without finding rest;
All her
pursuers seized her in the straits.
The Targum paraphrases
“oppression” by mentioning orphans and widows, and
“servitude,” by referring to what servants were subjected to, as
related in Jeremiah 34. These were sins for which the Jews had often been
threatened with banishment. “Pursuers” rather than
“persecutors;” and to be “seized in (or, between) the
straits,” is, as Lowth says, a metaphor taken from hunters, who drive the
game to narrow places, from which there is no escape.
Houbiqant proposes to connect
“oppression and servitude” with the following words, and not with
the preceding, —
Removed is Judah; for oppression and for much
servitude,
She dwells among the nations without
finding rest. — Ed.
ft3
Participles are used throughout this verse, which express the present state of
things, —
The ways of Sion are mourning, for none are coming to
the feasts;
All her gates are made desolate, her
priests are sighing;
Her virgins are afflicted,
and she, bitterness is to her. — Ed.
ft4
5. Become have her oppressors the
head,
Her enemies have
prospered;
For Jehovah has
afflicted her
For the number of her
transgressions;
Her children are
gone into captivity
Before the face
of the oppressor.
The word
rx
is not an” adversary,” but an oppressor, one who straitens and
oppresses another. — Ed.
ft5 The idea
here is somewhat different: the princes are compared to harts reduced and
enfeebled by famine, so that they were driven by their enemies like a herd of
tame cattle. — Ed.
ft6 The
versions and the Targ. are evidently wrong here, and are not consistent
with one another. There is no meaning except
b be
considered as understood before
ymy,
“days.” The only difference among critics is about the meaning of
dwrm.
There is no different reading. It is rendered “rejections —
ajpwsmw~n
,” by the Sept., “prevarication” by the Vulg.,
and “punishment” by the Syr. Parkhurst and
Blayney derive it from
dry,
to come down, to descend. It means the descending or abasement’s to which
Jerusalem had been subjected, and has the same meaning in
<250319>Lamentations
3:19. “In the days of her affliction and of her abasement’s.”
— Ed.
ft7 There are
in this verse four lines, while there are only three in all the rest; but there
is no ground for supposing an interpolation, as some have thought; for it is
found in every Hebrew copy and in the versions, and the Targum. As to the
last word, it is rendered by the Sept., “habitation,” or
according to the Alexandrian copy, “emigration;” by the Vulg.
“sabbaths;” and by the Syr. “sorrow.” The word is
nowhere found to signify the Sabbath. It is either from
hbç,
to lead captive, as Parkhurst thinks, and means captivity, emigration; or
from
tbç,
to cease, to come to an end, according to Blayney and Henderson,
and may be rendered “discontinuance,” i.e., as a nation or a
state, or “ruin.” But the former meaning agreeing with the
Sept. is to be preferred, —
When fall did her people, and she had no
helper,
See her did oppressors,
they laughed at her captivity. —
Ed.
ft8
“Venit summa
dies et ineluctabile
tempus
Dardaniae:
fuimus Troes; fuit Ilium et
ingens
Gloria
Teucrorum: ferus omnia Jupiter
Argos
Transtulit:
incensa Danai dominantur in
urbe.”
Virg. AEn.
2.
ft9
“O patria! O
divum domus Ilium! Et inclyta
bello
Moenia
Dardanidum! Ferus omnia Jupiter
Argos
Transtulit.”
—
AEn
2.
ft10
“Postquam res
Asiae, Priamique everterre
gentem
Immeritam
visum Superis.”
—
Virg. AEn.
3.
ft11
“Fluctuation,” by the Sept.; “instable,” by the
Vulg.: “vagrant,” or wandering, by the Targ.; and
“horror”, by the Syr. The verb means to remove; and the
reference here is evidently to banishment, and not to uncleanness, as some take
it, because the noun is sometimes so taken, persons being removed from society
on account of uncleanness. — Ed.
ft12 “To
turn back” or backward, is a phrase which some regard as expressive of
shame, as those who feel shame recede from the public view and hide themselves.
— Ed.
ft13
“She carries the marks of her sins in the greatness of her
punishment,” is Lowth’s remark, which seems to favor this view.
— Ed.
ft14 The verse
may be thus rendered, —
His hand has the oppressor expanded over
all her desirable things;
Indeed
she saw it: nations entered her
sanctuary;
Though thou hast
commanded this, “They shall not come to thine
assembly.”
“The desirable things” were sacred
things, and might be so rendered. To expand the hand over them was to seize
them, to take possession of them. — Ed.
ft15 That is,
she was treated as vile or worthless: “dishonored” is the
Sept. — Ed.
ft16 It is
evidently taken as
wl
by the Sept., the Vulg., and the Targ.; but as a negative
by the Syr., and the sentence is taken as a question: and this gives the
best meaning. — Ed.
ft17 All the
versions agree in rendering
dqçn
in the sense of watching; and when they agree, there is a strong presumption
that they are right. And all agree as to
l[
being a preposition, and not a noun, “yoke,” except the
Vulg., which hardly gives any meaning. The Rabbins have invented a new
meaning for the verb, which it has in no other place, and some have followed
them. It is rendered impersonally by the Sept., “there has been
watching,” but by the Vulg., “he hath watched.” To
“watch over transgressions,” is similar to “watch upon (or
over) the evil,” in
<270914>Daniel
9:14; it is to watch over them in order to punish them. The whole verse I render
thus, —
14. He hath watched over my
transgressions, by his hand they are twined; His yoke is upon my neck, he hath
made to fail my strength; Yea, given me hath the Lord into the hands of the
oppressor, I cannot stand.
The word “hands” is in a construct form,
which shews that there is a word left out. “I cannot stand,”
i.e., against the oppressor; I cannot resist. The future is used in the
sense of the present; literally it is, “I shall not be able to
stand,” or resist. So it is exactly in Welsh; it is the future, but
understood as expressing what is present.
In the first line, “his hand” is
connected in all the versions with “twined,” or wreathed together.
— Ed.
ft18 If the
word be rendered “assembly,” or congregation, the meaning is, the
assembly of the Chaldeans, and an allusion, as Gataker says, is made to
the calling of the people to their feasts. It is rendered “time” by
the Sept. and the Vulg., but “assembly” by the
Syr. To call against or upon one a fixed time, is no suitable expression.
Our version is no doubt right; and with it agree Blayney and
Henderson. — Ed.
ft19 The words
are as follows, —
The winepress has the Lord trodden as to
the virgin,
the daughter of
Judah.
The
l
sometimes means “as to,” or, with respect to. “The daughter of
Judah” is in apposition with “virgin.” —
Ed.
ft20 Though
the Sept. and Vulg. do not repeat the “eye,” yet the
Targ. has “my two eyes,” and the Syr., “mine
eyes.” The repetition is in most copies, and it is very emphatical. See a
similar instance in
<240409>Jeremiah
4:9.
16. For these things I weep: mine
eye! mine eye! it brings down water; For far from me is a comforter, a restorer
of my life;
Become desolate are my
sons, for the enemy has prevailed. —
Ed.
ft21 The same
word,
hdn
occurs in
<250108>Lamentations
1:8, only there is a
y in
it; and the phrase in its form is similar. The Versions, except the,
Syr., and also the Targ., give to it there the idea of wandering,
but here of uncleanness. There seems to be no reason for this change; and the
end of the next verse favors the idea of wandering: Jerusalem had become a
wanderer, or a fugitive, among her oppressors, —
17. Expanded hath Sion her hands,
no comforter is to her;
Commanded
has Jehovah as to Jacob, Let those around him be his oppressors;
Become has Jerusalem a wanderer among them.
The word
dn
is a fugitive, a wanderer, and as Jerusalem is feminine,
h is
added, a feminine termination. “Jerusalem” here, as in
<250108>Lamentations
1:8, means its citizens. — Ed.
ft22
“Righteous he, Jehovah:” the pronoun is used instead of the verb
is, — a common thing in Hebrew. — Ed.
ft23
Troubled,” or disquieted, is the rendering of all the versions, and also
of the Targ. As it is a reduplicate, the verb means greatly troubled or
greatly disturbed, or violently agitated. — Ed.
ft24 The
rendering of the Sept. is, —
Abroad the sword has bereaved me, as
death at home.
To the same purpose is the Syr. and
Arab. Having before referred to death by famine, he now adds the
devastation of the sword. — Ed.
ft25 Our
version is wrong in rendering this clause in the future tense. The reference is
not to the day of vengeance to the Babylonians, but to the day of vengeance
which God had brought on his own people. The versions, except the Syr.,
give the verb in the past tense.
There are here two instances of
yk
being carried on to the next clause, —
21. Heard have they that I sigh,
that I have no
comforter:
All mine enemies have
heard of my evil; they have
rejoiced
That thou hast done it,
that thou hast brought the day thou hast announced; But they shall be like
myself. — Ed
ft26 The verb
here is in the future tense, and the clause might be thus rendered,
—
Why should the Lord in
his wrath becloud
the daughter of
Sion?
And if
hbçy,
in
<250101>Lamentations
1:1, be in the future tense, as it may be, that clause may be rendered in the
same way, —
Why should sit alone the city that
was full of people?
Then follows here, as in the former instance, a
description of what had happened to Sion, —
He hath cast from heaven to earth the
glory of Israel,
And not remembered
his footstool in the day of his wrath.
At the same time, the clauses may both be rendered as
proposed in a note on
<250101>Lamentations
1:1, and the tenses of the verbs be preserved. The verb here is clearly in the
future tense, and the verb in the former instance may be so; and the future in
Hebrew is often to be taken as the present, as the case is in
Welsh.
How this! in his wrath becloud does the Lord the
daughter of Sion! — Ed.
ft27
Gataker, Henry, Blayney, and Henderson, consider “the right
hand” as that of Israel — that God drew back or restrained the right
hand of Israel, so that he had no power to face his enemies. But Scott
agrees with Calvin; and favorable to the same view are the early
versions, except the Syr., for they render the pronoun, “his own
— suam:” the Targ. also takes the same view. Had the word
been “hand,” it might have been applied to Israel; but it is
“the right hand,” which commonly means protection, or rather
God’s power, as put forth to defend his people and to resist enemies. This
is farther confirmed by what is said in the following verse, that God
“stood with his right hand as an adversary.” See
<197411>Psalm
74:11 — Ed.
ft28 The last
clause may be literally rendered thus, —
And he burned in Jacob as
fire,
the flame devoured around.
— Ed.
ft29 The word
wkç
is rendered by the versions in the sense of
wks,
“his tabernacle;” but by so doing they make it the same in effect
with
wd[wm,
“his place of meeting,” in the following clause. The verb
smj
never means what Calvin says, to migrate or to remove, but to cast off,
or to throw down, that is, with force or violence. Then
rç,
a fence or enclosure, is what suits the verb, —
6. And he has thrown down as that
of a garden his enclosure,
He has
destroyed his assembling-place; Forgotten hath Jehovah in Sion the assembly and
the Sabbath; And has cast off, in the foaming of his wrath, the king and the
priest.
The “enclosure,” or fence, refers to the
courts which surrounded the Temple; hence the place where the people assembled
was destroyed. God had regarded it no more than the fence of a common garden.
There is “fence” understood after
k,
no uncommon thing in Hebrew. — Ed.
ft30 Our
version, “cast off,” gives the real meaning of the verb. —
Ed.
ft31 The verb
is often used in this secondary sense, to purpose or resolve or determine, as
the result of thinking. The Vulg. and the Targ. very improperly
retain its primary meaning, but the Syr. gives that of resolving or
determining. — Ed.
ft32 It was
the line of destruction as mentioned in
<233411>Isaiah
34:11, designed to point out what was to be destroyed. —
Ed.
ft33 The verbs
lba,
to mourn, and
lsa,
to be faint, to fail, when applied to inanimate things, mean to be desolate and
to decay. This clause then ought to be thus rendered, —
So that he has made
desolate the rampart and the
wall,
They are become wholly
decayed together.
The connection shows that the where must be rendered,
“so that;” and as the last verb has the last letter doubled, the
word “wholly” ought to be introduced. —
Ed.
ft34 “No
law.” Gataker understood this to refer to the fact, that the law
written on the tables of stone, deposited in the temple, was lost, having been
destroyed by the Chaldeans. Others say, “no law” was observed
respecting God’s worship, the temple having been destroyed. The law,
moral, ceremonial and judicial, was given to Israel, and formed the condition on
which they were to inherit the land. When banished, because they kept not the
law, they had in exile as it were no law; the covenant respecting the land,
dependent on the law, was during the exile made void or suspended. —
Ed.
ft35 The verse
may be thus rendered, —
10. They sit on the ground, they
are silent, the elders of the daughter of Sion; They have cast dust on their
head, they have girded on sackcloth; They have bent to the ground their head,
the daughters of Jerusalem. —
Ed.
ft36 The verbs
here are all in the past tense, and the versions so render them. Our version is
wrong, as well as that of Blayney and Henderson, in rendering them
in the present tense; for the Prophet is describing how he felt when he
witnessed the destruction of Jerusalem, —
11. Consume with tears did my
eyes, agitated were my
bowels,
Poured out on the ground
was my liver, for the breach of the daughter of my people, When faint did the
child and the suckling in the streets of the city.
— Ed.
ft37 That
young children and infants are spoken of, is evident from the end of the verse;
the one died in the streets, and the other in the mother’s bosom. The
question, “Where is corn,” &c., is to be understood of the
children, young boys and girls. — Ed.
ft38 To
correspond with the former verse, the versions render this, “They said to
their mothers.” The verb is, indeed, in the future tense, and it might be
rendered, “To their mothers would they say;” for the Hebrew future
may be thus rendered, —
12. To their mothers would they
say,” Where is corn and
wine?”
When they fainted as
one wounded in the streets of the
city,
When they poured out their
life into the bosom of their mothers. —
Ed.
ft39 The
simpler rendering would be, “What shall I testify (or declare) to
thee?” So the Sept: or, “What shall I call thee to
witness?” — Ed.
ft40 So it
means when applied to eatables, but folly or absurdity when applied to words. It
comes from
lpn,
to fall, in the sense of decaying or degenerating. It is what is neither wise
nor true. Hence it is rendered “foolishness” by the Sept.;
“foolish” by the Vulg.; and “without substance”
by the Targ. —
Thy prophets, they have
seen vanity and folly.
What they had seen were both “vain,”
useless, and “foolish,” absurd. — Ed.
ft41 The verb
rendered “turn back,” means also to turn away or aside, and this is
the meaning given it here by the Syr., and most suitable to the passage,
—
And they discovered not
thine iniquity,
to turn aside thy
captivity.
That is, as the Syr. Expresses it, to avert
it. — Ed.
ft42 There
seems to be a mistake in this word of a
d
for an
r,
two letters very similar; for the., Targ., the , Syr., and the
Arab., must have so read the word, as they render it in the sense of what
is deceptive, fallacious, or imaginary. It is in the last rendered
“phantasms.” The word occurs in
<242214>Jeremiah
22:14, and is applied to chambers through which air or wind passed freely. It
may be rendered here winds or airy things. Such was the character of their
prophecies. This is far more suitable to the passage than expulsions or
rejections, as given by the Sept. and Vulg. —
Ed.
ft43 Jeremiah
relates what had taken place, the verbs being in the past tense. Our version is
not correct in rendering the verbs in the present tense. The old versions follow
the Hebrew. — Ed.
ft44 The words
may be rendered, “the joy of the whole land,” i.e., the land
of Israel; which was strictly true. — Ed.
ft45 This
verse begins with
p,
and the next with
[;
thus the alphabetical order is deranged. The same thing occurs in the two next
chapters, though in the first chapter the usual order of the letters is
preserved. Many conjectures have been made on the subject, but no satisfactory
reason has been assigned. The Targ. and the early versions, except the
Syr., follow in the three places the present text; only the Sept.,
very strangely, prefix the letters in their alphabetical order, and yet give the
verses as they now are. When, added to this, we find the meaning favors the
present arrangement, we cannot but conclude that it was the original one, though
the reason why Jeremiah changed, as to these two letters, even in three
instances, the alphabetical order, cannot now be discovered. —
Ed.
ft46 Literally
it is, —
And he hath made to
rejoice over thee the enemy,
He
hath exalted the horn of thine oppressors. —
Ed.
ft47 The
meaning suggested by the Vulgate is the most appropriate. The words may
be rendered thus, —
Cried has their heart to
the Lord,
“O the wall of the
daughter of Sion !”
—
Bring down like a torrent
the tear, day and night;
Give no
rest to thyself.
Let not cease the
daughter of thine eye.
Their exclamation was, “O the wall,” etc.
Then follow the words of Jeremiah to the end of the chapter; but the daughter of
Sion, not the wall, is exhorted to weep and repent. “The daughter of the
eye,” may be the tear, as suggested by Blayney and approved by
Horsley; and it would be more suitable here. —
Ed.
ft48 The
simpler meaning, as stated by Gataker, is, “Rise” from thy
bed; for she is exhorted to cry in the night. —
Ed.
ft49 Rather,
“who fainted through famine;” for he refers to what had taken place.
— Ed.
ft50
Educationum. Our version is nearly the Vulg. It is paraphrased by
the Sept., “who suck the breasts;” and the Targ. is,
“who are clad in silks.” Blayney rightly says, that
jpf
is the open palm of the hand; and he gives this as the literal rendering of the
words, “children of palms;” that is, children of sufficient age to
be carried about. His version of this line is, “Little ones dandled on the
hands.” Horsley approves of this meaning.
The previous word,
µydp,
has been a difficulty. to most, the final mem being masculine.
“Fruit,” in the sense of offspring, is applied to men as well as to
women. We may take the final mem in
µyçn,
as a pronoun, “their wives;” the same are meant as in
<250218>Lamentations
2:18, “their voice,” i.e., the citizens of Jerusalem. Thus
the construction will be quite grammatical.
Should their own wives
eat their offspring,
Infants
dandled on the hands!
Should they
be killed in the sanctuary of the
Lord,
The priest and the
prophet!
It is the language of humble expostulation. —
Ed.
ft51 The verb
for calling or summoning is in the future tense, and must, be so, to preserve
the alphabetical character of the elegy, but it is rendered as in the past tense
by all the versions, but the reason why does not appear. The future in Hebrew is
often to be rendered as a subjunctive, potential, or optative: so here,
—
Shouldest thou summon, as
on a festival day,
My terrors all
around! —
And there was not,
in the day of Jehovah’s
wrath,
A fugitive or a
survivor;
Whom I dandled and
brought up,
My enemy has consumed
them.
The first two lines are a kind of expostulation:
“My terrors” mean my terrifiers, according to the Vulg., the
abstract for the concrete. — Ed.
ft52 The
verses in this chapter are needlessly multiplied. It would have been better had
each verse contained a letter, for the length of this chapter is the same with
the two foregoing; the only difference is, that the lines, or alternate lines,
begin with the same letter three times, as follows, —
a
I am the man who hath seen
affliction,
Through the rod of his
indignation;
a
Me hath he led and caused to
walk
In darkness, and not in
light;
a
Surely against me he turns,
Upset
me does his hand all the day.
The three next lines, or alternate lines, begin with
b,
and so on to the end of the alphabet — Ed.
ft53 The
Sept., the Targ., and the Arab. render this “my
head;” but the Vulg. and the Syr., “gall.” It
occurs again in
<250219>Lamentations
2:19, and is rendered “gall” by the Targ. and all the
versions. He was “surrounded with gall,” with what was bitter to
him, and “with faintness,” with what made him to faint. Hence, in
the next verse, he represents himself as being like the dead. —
Ed.
ft54
“Subverted” is the Vulg., “obstructed” the
Sept., and “rendered oblique” the Syr. The meaning is,
“turned aside.” he had built as it were a wall of hewn stones across
his way, and thus he turned aside his goings or his paths, so that he was
constrained to take some other course. — Ed.
ft55 The word,
having the last letter doubled, means to turn aside again and again, “He
has often turned aside my ways.” — Ed.
ft56 The word
means grit or gravel, rendered “pebble” by the Sept., and
“stones” by the Syr. and the Targ. It is rendered
“gravel” in
<202017>Proverbs
20:17. The verb only occurs here and in Psalm 119.; and to wear out, is its most
suitable meaning, —
And he hath worn out with
grit my teeth. — Ed.
ft57 The verb
rendered “covered,” is found only here, and is translated
“fed” by the Sept. and Vulg.; “tumbled” or
laid low, by the Targ.; and “besprinkled,” by the Syr. As he
had said, that his food had been as it were grit, he could not have said that he
was fed with ashes. Therefore the arg. or the Syr. is the most
suitable, that God had laid him low in ashes, Tr that he had besprinkled
or covered him with ashes. — Ed
ft58 The word
“strength” is rendered “victory” by the Sept.,
“end” by the Vulg, “splendor by the Syr., and valor by
the Targ.
means superiority, excellency, rather
than strength, —
And I said, Perished hath
my excellency,
And my expectation
from Jehovah.
Whatever he had that was excellent had perished; and
perished also had every good he expected from Jehovah. The meaning is not, that
these things perished from Jehovah, but that his excellency and his expectation
from Jehovah had perished. — Ed.
ft59 The verb
“remember” is rendered as an imperative by the Targ., the
Vulg., and the Syr.; and it is so rendered by Henderson.
— Ed.
ft60 The
pronoun “this” is by most referred to what the next verse contains;
but as a clause intervenes, this can hardly be the meaning. The
<250319>Lamentations
3:19, 20, and 21, I render thus,
19. Remember my affliction and my
abasement,
The wormwood and the
gall.
20. Remembering thou wilt
remember them,
For bowed down
within me is my soul:
21. This I recall to my
mind;
Therefore will I
hope.
He prays, then he expresses his confidence that God
would hear his prayer; and “this” refers to the assurance he felt
that God would remember his afflicted state, and on this ground he entertained
hope. In the next verse he states what confirmed this hope: —
Ed.
ft61 So the
Targ. and all the versions, except the Vulg; they read
wmt.
“The mercies of Jehovah” is the nominative case absolute,
—
22. The mercies of Jehovah,
verily they have no end,
For his
compassion’s never fail.
23. Renewed (are they) in the
morning;
Great is thy
faithfulness.
“Renewed” refers to
“mercies,” i.e., blessings, the fruit of mercy; and God’s
mercies have no end, because his compassion’s ever continue. “In the
morning,” that is, after a night of affliction. If the rendering be made
literal, “in the mornings,” the meaning is the same; they follow the
previous nights of trouble. Blessings, being as it were suspended or withheld
during the night, are again renewed in the morning. —
Ed.
ft62 There is
more authority for the word for “wait” being in the singular than in
the plural, as it is given in the Syr. — Ed.
ft63 It may be
thus rendered, —
Good it is when he
hopes and waits quietly
For the
salvation of Jehovah.
The
w
may often be rendered when. This verse, the preceding, and following, begin with
“good,” which renders the passage very striking,
—
25. Good is Jehovah to him who
waits for him,
To the soul who
seeks him:
26. Good it is when he hopes and
waits quietly
For the salvation of
Jehovah:
27. Good it is for
man
That he bears the yoke in his
youth. — Ed.
ft64 It is so
found in the Syr.; but it comes to the same thing, if the verb be taken
passively. in Niphal, — “Because it (the yoke mentioned
before) has been laid on him.” Blayney’s version is,
“When it is laid on him.” — Ed.
ft65 To lay
the mouth in the dust, is a token of entire submission. Agreeably with this, the
following words may be considered as spoken by the individual,
—
He will lay in the dust
his mouth (and say)
—
“It may be there is
hope.”
It is better to render the verbs here as they are, in
the future tense, as all the versions do; for he describes what is usually the
character of the godly under severe trials. — Ed.
ft66 That is,
he will suffer himself to be filled with reproaches; he will submit to all
reproaches. — Ed.
ft67 This
verse is connected with
<250325>Lamentations
3:25: “Good is Jehovah to him who waits for him;” and the reason is
given here, “For not reject perpetually (or, for ever)will the
Lord.” “For,” as assigning a reason, is here repeated three
times, in this verse and in the two following verses; and they seem all to be
reasons given for the truth contained in
<250325>Lamentations
3:25,
31. For not reject
perpetually
Will the
Lord:
32. For though he afflicts, yet
he will shew compassion
According
to the multitude of his mercies:
33. For he does not depress from
his heart,
Nor afflict the children
of men.
All these particulars explain and elucidate the
truth, that God is good. “From his heart,” does not mean
“willingly,” but at his will, that is, arbitrarily, without reason,
but when constrained by man’s wickedness. —
Ed.
ft68 The order
is here reverted. It is a common thing in Scripture to state first the chief
thing, the chief good or evil. Here the greatest evil is mentioned first, the
tearing under foot of such as were already bound, or imprisoned; then the
sparing of the guilty; and thirdly, the withholding of justice to the righteous.
To turn aside or divert judgment, is not to punish the guilty; and to wrong a
person in his cause, is to deny his right. By “the bound,” or
“prisoners of the earth,” or land, Blayney understands
persons imprisoned for debt, who were obliged to work as slaves until they
satisfied their creditors. See
<401830>Matthew
18:30-34. Cruelty to such is referred to in
<235803>Isaiah
58:3. — Ed.
ft69 The
Targ. and the versions differ as to the import of this clause. The verb
to see, has been taken to mean three things, — to know, to approve,
and to regard or to notice. The Vulgate takes the first, our version the
second, and Calvin the third. The context seems to favor the last meaning
especially the following verses.
There is a difficulty as to the antecedent to the
pronoun “his, before “feet.” It seems to refer to
“man” in the last verse; for the words are, “the sons (or
children) of man,” not of “men.” The verb
har,
when followed by
l,
means to look on, at, or simply to see.
<196405>Psalm
64:5. Then the literal rendering of the passage would be as follows,
—
On the tearing under his
feet
Of all the bound of the
land,
On the diverting of a
man’s judgment,
In the
presence of the most High,
On the
wronging of a person in his
cause
The Lord doth not
look.
Or if the “on” be dropped, the last line
may be,
The Lord doth not see.
This is manifestly the saying of unbelieving men, or
of those weak in faith, as proved by the next verse, when rightly rendered.
— Ed.
ft70
‘The construction of these two verses is variously given. The verb
rendered, “It was, or, “It came to pass,” if in the third
person, is feminine, while it is usually and probably always masculine, when it
has this meaning. It may be taken to be here in the second person. The literal
rendering of the verse then would be, —
Who-he-saying (i.e., Who is he who
says,) That thou art Lord, ordering not, (i.e., who dost not order, or
command.)
Then the following verse contains a continuation of
what the objector said, —
From the mouth of the
Highest
Cometh not the evil and
the good.
The answer of the Prophet is in
<250339>Lamentations
3:39, in which he intimates that God orders evil as a punishment for
sin.
The objector’s declaration, that God as a Lord
or Sovereign does not command or order events, and for this reason, because both
evil and good cannot come from him, is a proof that not to see in
<250336>Lamentations
3:36, is not to :regard or notice the affairs of men. —
Ed.
ft71
“Murmur” is the Sept. and the Vulg. The word only occurs here and in
<041101>Numbers
11:1; and “complain” is the most suitable rendering in both places,
—
39. Why complain should
man,
Any man alive, for his
sin?
That is, on account of suffering for his sin. Thus
God is justified in ordaining or commanding evil as well as good, that is, the
evil of punishment. — Ed.
ft72 The words
literally rendered are very expressive, —
Let us uncover our ways,
and search.
The cover was first to be stripped off, and then was
a search to be made as to the character of their ways. —
Ed.
ft73 To give
the proper emphasis to the pronoun, the version ought to be as follows,
—
We, transgressed have we
rebelled. — Ed.
ft74 To
“cover” is the idea given to the verb by the Sept., the
Vulg, the Syr., and the Targ.; but Blayney and some
others take it in the sense of fencing in, enclosing, in allusion to the
practice of hunters; and the next verb, which means to pursue, to chase, favors
this meaning, —
Thou hast in wrath
enclosed and chased us,
Thou hast
slain and not spared.
Then the same verb begins the next verse,
—
Thou hast enclosed
thyself in a cloud,
That prayer
might not pass through. —
Ed.
ft75 There are
circumstances, no doubt, according to God’s word, under which God does not
hear prayer: and (his seems to have been an instance of this kind . —
Ed.
ft76 Let the
verb have a causative sense, to cause to descend, to bring down, and there will
be no difficulty in the clause; so the Sept. and the Vulg.,
—
Streams of water does
mine eyes bring down
For the breach
of the daughter of my people, —
Ed.
ft77 The
connection of this verse with the preceding will be more evident from the
following version, —
49. Mine eye hath poured down,
and it will not cease,
With any
intermissions,
50. Until Jehovah look
down
And see from
heaven.
To “see” here, as in
<250336>Lamentations
3:36, means to regard, so as to interfere in the affairs of men. “with
any,” etc., literally, “With no,” etc. But the English
language not admit of the two negatives, though the Welsh will. —
Ed.
ft78 The
versions and the Targ. give the first meaning, “because of the
daughters of my city;” and the last words, “of my city,” seem
to favor it; for had women as a sex been intended, they would not have been thus
designated. — Ed.
ft79 The words
literally are, —
Hunting hunted me like a
bird
have mine enemies without a
cause. — Ed.
ft80
Materially correct, no doubt, is this explanation. We may give this version,
—
My voice hast thou heard,
deafen not thy ear
To my sighing,
to my cry.
The verb
µl[
means to veil, and hence to hide. To veil the eye is, not to look at what is set
before it; and to veil the ear is, to render it deaf to what is said. The
Prophet says that God had heard his voice, for he had prayed; but he further
asks God not to turn a deaf ear to his sighing, or sobbing, as given by the
Vulg, and to his cry. — Ed.
ft81 There is
no necessity, as some have supposed, of making
yl
in the former verse, and
yl[
in this verse, the same. The difference is occasioned by the verbs “thou
hast seen,” and, “thou hast heard.” God had seen the thoughts
or purposes effected “against” him; and he had heard the purposes
formed “concerning” him. He refers first to the purposes carried
into effect, and then, as it is common in the prophets, he refers to the
purposes previously formed respecting him. — Ed.
ft82 The best
word is muttering, —
The lips of my
adversaries,
And their muttering
concerning me all the day.
It isn’t here, as in the previous verse,
“concerning me,” not “against me.” —
Ed.
ft83 The word
meant “covering, as rendered by the Sept.; the Syr. Has
“sorrow,” and the Vulg. “shield,” which has no meaning.
What is no doubt meant is hardness or blindness —
Give them blindness of
heart:
Thy curse be to them.
— Ed.
ft84 Here, as
in the two first chapters, the verses only begin alphabetically, but instead of
having three or six lines, they have only two or four. —
Ed.
ft85. This
chapter, like the two first chapters, begins with the word
hkya,
“How this!” and the verbs are in the future tense, used for
the present. —
How is this!
tarnished is gold,
Changed is fine
gold, the best:
Cast forth are the
sacred stones
At the head of every
street. — Ed.
ft86 The
value, and not the appearance, is evidently meant: the “sons of
Sion” were “precious,” as here expressly stated. In this
respect they had been of the same estimate with gold; but now they were as
worthless as potter’s vessels: they were so esteemed and treated,
—
The sons of Sion were
precious,
Of worth equal to
pure gold;
How is this! they have
been deemed as earthen vessels,
The
work of the hands of the potter. —
Ed.
ft87 The
reference here is to the conduct of mothers, called here “the daughter of
my people,” as it appears evident from the following verse,
—
Even dragons have drawn
out the breast,
They have suckled
their young ones:
The daughter of
my people has been for
cruelty
Like the ostriches in the
desert.
It is said that the ostrich lays her eggs and
forsakes them. See
<183915>Job
39:15. The verb, to be, is understood, as the case often is, but it must ever be
in the same tense as the verb or verbs connected with the sentence. —
Ed.
ft88 The verbs
here are in the past tense, and not in the present, as in our version,
—
Cleave did the tongue of
the suckling
To his palate through
thirst;
Children asked
bread,
A breaker, none was
to them. — Ed.
ft89 The
dunghills were collections of cow-dung and other things heaped together for fuel
instead of wood. They had been brought up “on scarlet,” i.e.,
on scarlet couches, they were now glad to lie down anywhere, even on
dunghills, and hence they are said to have embraced them, as though they had a
love for them, —
They who had fed on
delicacies
Perished in the
streets;
They who had been brought
up on scarlet
Embraced the
dunghills. — Ed.
ft90 The early
versions and the Targ. render the words “iniquity,”
and
“sin;” but modern critics agree
with Calvin. Penalty and punishment
might
be suitably adopted. — Ed.
ft91 The
clause might be rendered, —
And not wearied against
(or, over) her were hands.
This is substantially the Sept. and the
Syr. Grotius says that the meaning is, that Sodom was destroyed not by
human means, that is, not by a siege, as Jerusalem had been. —
Ed.
ft92 As to
these two verses there is much disagreement in the early versions and the
Targ.; that of the Sept. comes nearest to the original. They may
be thus rendered, —
7. Clearer were her Nazarites
than snow,
They were whiter than
milk;
Ruddier were they in body
than rubies,
Sapphire was their
polish (or smoothness:)
8. Darker than the dusk became
their appearance,
They were not
known in the streets:
Cleave did
their skin to their bones,
Dried
up, it became like a stick.
“Rubies,” rendered “pearls,”
by Bochart; “load stones,” or magnets, by Parkhurst;
“red corals,” by Gesenius. They were no doubt precious
stones of reddish appearance. The “sapphire” is mentioned for its
smoothness, as it appears from the contrast at the end of the eighth verse,
where it is said that their skin had become like a dried “stick,”
whose rind is shriveled. “Dusk” is rendered
“soot” by the Sept., and “coals” by the
Vulg. and the Syr.
rwjç
is the dusk, or the dawn: but the river Nile is also thus called on account of
its muddy and dusky waters. See
<240218>Jeremiah
2:18. This being the case, may it not be so taken here.; The character of the
passage favors this, “snow,” “milk,” etc. Then the line
would be, —
Darker than Sihor (or,
the Nile) became their appearance. —
Ed.
ft93
Houbigant and Blayney have given the following version of this
clause, which has been approved by Horsley, —
For those (the former)
departed, having been cut off
Before the fruits of the
field.
That is, they bad been cut off before the fruits of
the field failed, which occasioned the famine. This rendering is more
satisfactory than our version or that of Calvin. —
Ed.
ft94 This
clause has been variously explained. The whole passage from
<250412>Lamentations
4:12-16 inclusive, ought to be considered. The taking of Jerusalem is said to
have been incredible, even to heathens. Then the Prophet, in
<250413>Lamentations
4:13, tells the cause — “ the sins of the prophets and the
iniquities of the priests;” and in
<250414>Lamentations
4:14, 15, and 16, he describes their shame and their punishment at the
siege, when the people found out by experience that they had be deceived by
them, —
13. For the sins of her
prophets,
For the iniquities
of her priests,
Who had shed in the
midst of her
The blood of the
righteous, —
14. They wandered frantic in the
streets,
They were (or,
had been) polluted with
blood:
Inasmuch as they could
not
But touch their
garments,
15. “Depart ye,
uncleanness,” they cried to
them,
“Depart,
depart, touch
not:”
When they fled, yea,
became fugitives,
They said among
the heathens,
“They shall no
more dwell there”;
16. The face of Jehovah, their
portion,
Shall no more look on
them;
The face of their priests
they regard not,
To their elders
they shew no favor.”
The last five lines contain what the heathens said,
when they observed that the prophets and the priests were pronounced unclean by
the people, and were ordered to depart. They had shed blood, and were thus
polluted, or in their frenzy they touched the slain and became thus polluted.
Their retribution was just, and rendered to them by their own people, whom they
had led astray: for instead of attending to the true prophets, they killed them,
and flattered the people with falsehoods, and encouraged them in their idolatry
and vices; and thus brought on the ruin of a city deemed impregnable. —
Ed.
ft95 The true
reading is no doubt
wnyd[;
and Blayney thinks that there is a
w
wanting before the next verb, as it is in other in other instances;
<110114>1
Kings 1:14, 22;
<180116>Job
1:16, 17, 18. It is supplied in the Sept., Syr., and
Vulg.
Yet we were, and
fail did our eyes
As to our
assistance;
In vain by looking out
did we look out
To a nation that
could not save.
The Syr. connect “in vain,” more
properly, with the third line. — Ed.
ft96 He
describes throughout what had taken place. Our version is not right in giving
the verbs in the present tense. “For” is better than
“surely” before “come.”
They hunted our
footsteps,
That we could not walk
in our streets:
Near was our end;
fulfilled were our days,
For come
had our end.
Then he describes what happened when the city was
taken. — Ed.
ft97 A kingdom
cannot exist without a king. Hence the king may be said to be the breath or the
life of the body politic. — Ed.
ft98 The last
clause ought to be thus rendered, —
Under whose shadow, we
said,
We shall live among the
nations.
The Syr. in some measure imitates the
original, but neither the Sept. nor the Vulg. The
rça
is not governed by “we said.” It can be rendered literally in Welsh.
— Ed.
ft99 This is
the sense that is commonly taken: Gataker, Lowth, Scott, and Blayney,
regard the expression as ironical. — Ed.
ft100 The word
“iniquity” is used in this verse in two senses. This we discover by
the two verbs which are used. To complete “iniquity” can here mean
no other thing than to complete the punishment due to it; and that punishment
was exile, as the following words shew. But to “visit” iniquity
clearly means to punish it. —
Completed has been thine
iniquity, daughter of Sion;
He will
not again remove thee:
He has
visited thine iniquity, daughter of
Edom;
Having been removed for thy
sins,
or, — He has
removed thee for thy sins.
Though all the early versions and the Targ.
agree in rendering the last verb in the sense of discovering or uncovering, yet
the other meaning, which it often has, and even in the second line of this
verse, is more suitable to this place. Removal or migration had been the
punishment of the Jews: the same was to be the punishment of Edom. In this sense
is the word rendered by Blayney and Henderson. The past time in
the latter clause is evidently used for the future, according to the usual
manner of the Prophets, “He will visit,” etc., “he will
remove, etc. — Ed.
ft101 O domus
Anci! Quam dispari domino dominaris!
ft102 To
express this meaning, which is probably the true one, the words ought to be thus
rendered, —
4. Our own water, for money have
we drunk it;
Our own wood,
for a price it comes to us.
Grotius says that in the land of Canaan the
forests were free to all to get wood from. When in exile the Jews had to buy
wood. — Ed.
ft103 Not one
of the versions or the Targ., though they all differ, gives a
satisfactory rendering of this clause. Some take, “on our neck we have
been pursued,” as meaning, We have been closely pursued. So
Gataker. Others, as Lowth and Henderson, regarding
l[ a
noun, signifying a yoke, give a construction of this kind, “With the yoke
on our neck we have been pursued” or persecuted, according to the
words of Moses in
<052848>Deuteronomy
28:48. The former seems the best, —
On our neck (closely)
have we been pursued,
We labored
and had no rest.
Then comes in what they did when thus pursued by
their enemies, —
To Egypt gave we the
hand,
To Assyria, to be satisfied
with bread.
To give the hand, in this case, was to put it forth
as suppliants to ask help. This seems to refer to a, time previous to their
exile. — Ed.
ft104 Horace,
Od. 6:1, —
“Delicta
majorum immeritus lues, Romane.”
ft105 Virgil,
Georg., lib. 1, —
“Satis
jampridem sanguine
nostro
Laomedonteae
luimus perjuria Troiae.”
ft106 The
words may be thus rendered, —
Our fathers, they sinned
and are not;
We, their iniquities
have we borne.
To bear iniquities, is here evidently to bear their
penalty. So when Christ is said to bear our sins, the same thing is meant.
— Ed.
ft107 See
<160515>Nehemiah
5:15. — Ed.
ft108 The
versions and the Targ. render the word, “sword;” and so do
Gataker, Blayney, and Henderson. And by “the sword of the
desert” are to be understood freebooters who carried swords and made
incursions from desert places.
At the risk of our life
we got our bread,
On account of the
sword of the desert. —
Ed.
ft109 The word
twp[lz,
occurs in
<191106>Psalm
11:6, and in the singular number in Psalm 119: 53. The versions and the Targ.
render it differently in the three places, for it is not found anywhere else. In
<19B953>Psalm
119:53, it is rendered “horror” in our version, and this meaning
suits the passage in
<191106>Psalm
11:6, and also this passage, —
Our skins, like an oven
they became black,
Because of the
horrors of famine (or, horrible famine.)
The word for “skins” is in the plural
number according to several copies, and the verb requires it to be so. —
Ed.
ft110 There is
here a delicate word for a disgraceful act. The words literally are,
—
Women in Sion they
humbled (or, were humbled,)
And
virgins in the cities of Judah.
It is humbled by the Sept. and Vulg.
“And” before “virgins” is supplied by the Vulg.
and Syr. — Ed.
ft111 The most
obvious meaning of the words is, that princes were hung or suspended by the
hand, and not by the neck. Such a punishment is not recorded as having been
then practiced; but it may have been a barbarity resorted to by the
Chaldeans. This seems to be the meaning conveyed by the versions and the
Targ., —
Princes were by their
hand hung up,
The persons of the
aged were not honored. —
Ed.
ft112
The words ought rather to be thus rendered, —
Turned into mourning was
our piping.
The word does not mean dancing, but playing on some
fistular instrument. — Ed.
ft113 The
words are, —
Fallen has the crown of
our head.
Then the “woe” in the next line is only
declarative, —
Woe is now to us, because we have
sinned.
The particle “now” is omitted in our
version. — Ed.
ft114 Some
connect this verse with the foregoing, as a special reason why their eyes were
darkened, —
17. For this become faint did our
heart;
For these things darkened
were our eyes,
18. Yea, for mount Sion,
which is desolate;
Foxes have
walked through it.
“This” was the “woe” which
sin had brought; and “these things” were the various things which he
had previously stated, but the desolation of mount Sion was the chief cause of
sorrow.
Others take this verse by itself, as it is done by
the Sept., where
l[
is rendered “on,” and
ç
for
rça,
is translated “because,” —
On mount Sion, because it
has become desolate,
Foxes have
walked in (or through) it.
If
l[
be rendered concerning, or, as to, or, with regard to, the best construction
would be the following, —
As to mount Sion, which
has become desolate,
Foxes have
walked in it (or, traversed it.) —
Ed.
ft115 The
words literally are, —
Thou Jehovah for ever
sittest,
Thy throne is from
generation to generation.
Sitting is the posture of a judge, and the reference
here is to Jehovah, not as to his essence or existence, but as to his judicial
office. — Ed.
ft116
Why shouldest thou to the
end forget us —
Forsake us
for the length of our days?
“To the end,” or perpetually, and
“the length of our days,” are the same. The length of days, as it
appears from
<192306>Psalm
23:6, means the extent of the present life; the phrase is there used as
synonymous with all the days of one’s life. Might not the Prophet here
refer to the life of those then living? As to restoration after seventy years,
he could have had no doubt. He seems to have pleaded for the restoration of the
generation then living. — Ed.
ft117 The
meaning of this sentence is,” says Grotius, “Restore us to
thy favor, that we may be restored to our ancient state.” This being
evidently the meaning, the rendering ought to be this, —
Restore us, O Jehovah, to
thyself, that we may be restored.
And as Calvin, as well as Grotius,
says, the following line is a confirmation, —
Renew our days as
of old. —
Ed.
ft118 The
particles, µa
yk, seem to have the meaning of
“except,” as in
<013226>Genesis
32:26, “except thou bless me.” But the exposition is too refined.
The usual meaning of the particles is, but in truth, for surely, when indeed.
See
<092105>1
Samuel 21:5;
<202318>Proverbs
23:18;
<022223>Exodus
22:23. They are rendered here, “for,” by the Sept., Syr.,
and Arab; “but,” by the Vulg., and
“although,” by the Targ. The version of Blayney
and Henderson is, “For surely.” The Prophet assigns a
reason for his petition in the preceding verse; as though he had said, “I
ask for restoration to thy favor and to our land, because thou hast clearly
manifested thy rejection of us, and thy displeasure towards
us.”
For surely rejecting thou hast rejected
us,
Thou hast been wroth with us
exceedingly,
or, more literally,
Thou hast foamed against
us exceedingly.
The first line here corresponds with the latter part
of the previous verse, “Restore us to our land, and renew the ancient
days,” — “ Thou hast wholly rejected us.” He speaks of
things as they were then. Then the last line in this verse bears a relation to
the first part of the preceding verse, “Restore us to thy favor,”
— “ Thou hast been exceedingly displeased with us.”
Thus, for displeasure he asked favor, and for repudiation, a restoration.
— Ed.