耶利米书 17:16

Chinese Union (Simplified)

至 於 我 ， 那 跟 从 你 作 牧 人 的 职 分 ， 我 并 没 有 急 忙 离 弃 ， 也 没 有 想 那 灾 殃 的 日 子 ； 这 是 你 知 道 的 。 我 口 中 所 出 的 言 语 都 在 你 面 前 。

Parallel Translations

Chinese NCV (Simplified)
至於我，我沒有急忙離棄那跟從你作牧人的職分（“我沒有急忙離棄那跟從你作牧人的職分”有古譯本作“我沒有催逼你降災禍”），也沒有想望災難的日子，這是你知道的；我嘴裡所出的話都在你面前。

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

I have: Jeremiah 1:4-10, Jeremiah 20:9, Ezekiel 3:14-19, Ezekiel 33:7-9, Amos 7:14, Amos 7:15, James 1:19, James 3:1

to follow thee: Heb. after thee

neither: Jeremiah 4:19, Jeremiah 4:20, Jeremiah 9:1, Jeremiah 13:17, Jeremiah 14:17-21, Jeremiah 18:20, Romans 9:1-3

that: Acts 20:20, Acts 20:27, 2 Corinthians 1:12, 2 Corinthians 2:17

Reciprocal: Psalms 59:10 - let Psalms 131:1 - neither Proverbs 11:23 - desire Proverbs 12:20 - Deceit Proverbs 17:5 - and Isaiah 15:5 - My heart Jeremiah 8:21 - the hurt Jeremiah 15:15 - thou Jeremiah 17:18 - the day Jeremiah 20:7 - deceived Jeremiah 28:6 - the Lord perform Jeremiah 42:2 - and pray Daniel 7:15 - was grieved Amos 5:10 - abhor Jonah 4:5 - till Luke 19:41 - and wept John 3:27 - A man Romans 10:1 - my heart's

Gill's Notes on the Bible

As for me, I have not hastened from [being] a pastor to follow thee,.... Though he had met with so much ill usage, and was hated by the people for bringing such messages to them, and was jeered and scoffed at because his prophecies were not accomplished; yet he had not been hasty, and solicitous, and importunate with the Lord to dismiss him from his service; but was willing to continue in his office as a pastor or prophet, and to follow the Lord fully, and faithfully perform the work he had called him to, whatever difficulties and discouragements attended him, or reproaches were cast upon him. Some render the words, "I hastened not", or "I have not urged", or "pressed to be a pastor after thee" z; to which the sense of Kimchi agrees,

"I did not press myself, or was anxious about the matter, that I should be a shepherd after thee, or a prophet;''

he did not run before he was sent; he did not thrust himself into this office; he was not forward, but backward to it, as appears from Jeremiah 1:6; a pastor of the Lord is an under shepherd; one that has his mission and commission from the Lord; who obeys him in all things; follows his directions; goes where and with what he sends him; and such an one was Jeremiah; though it was not what he sought after, and was pressing for; and this he says to take off the edge of the people's resentment against him; to which agree the following words:

neither have I desired the woeful day, thou knowest; he foresaw that reproaches and calumnies would be cast upon him, and that bonds and afflictions would abide him wherever he went with his messages and prophecies; he knew it would be a woeful and miserable day to him, whenever he was sent as a prophet to this people; and that he should meet with nothing but sorrow, and trouble, and vexation of spirit; and therefore it could not be desirable to him, as a man, to be in such an office, or to be sent on such an errand; to be a messenger of such terrible things, and to denounce such woeful judgments; and much less did he desire the execution of them, even though he had prophesied of them; having not so much regard to his own honour and credit, as an affection to the people, and a compassionate concern for their welfare; and for all this he could appeal to the heart searching and rein trying God. The Septuagint, Vulgate Latin, Syriac and Arabic versions, render it, "man's day"; see 1 Corinthians 4:3; but the Targum paraphrases it agreeably to the sense given,

"and the evil day which thou shall bring upon them, I have not desired:''

that which came out of my lips was [right] before thee; as he could appeal to the omniscient God for the truth of the above, so for this, that he delivered nothing by way of prophecy but what he had from the Lord; and that he delivered out truly and faithfully whatever he had from him; and it was all done openly and publicly, and in his sight, with all sincerity and truth; see 2 Corinthians 2:17.

z ואני לא אצתי מרעה אחריך "ego autem non festinavi ut essem pastor post te", Calvin; "et me (quod attinet) non ursi [esse] pastor post te", Noldius, p. 567.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

In the rest of the prophecy Jeremiah dwells upon the moral faults which had led to Judah’s ruin.

Jeremiah 17:6

Like the heath - Or, “like a destitute man” Psalms 102:17. The verbs “he shall see” (or fear) and “shall inhabit” plainly show that a man is here meant and not a plant.

Jeremiah 17:8

The river - Or, “water-course” Isaiah 30:25, made for purposes of irrigation.

Shall not see - Or, “shall not fear Jeremiah 17:6.” God’s people feel trouble as much as other people, but they do not fear it because they know

(1) that it is for their good, and

(2) that God will give them strength to bear it.

Jeremiah 17:9

The train of thought is apparently this: If the man is so blessed Jeremiah 17:7-8 who trusts in Yahweh, what is the reason why men so generally “make flesh their arm”? And the answer is: Because man’s heart is incapable of seeing things in a straightforward manner, but is full of shrewd guile, and ever seeking to overreach others.

Desperately wicked - Rather, mortally sick.

Jeremiah 17:10

The answer to the question, “who can know it?” To himself a man’s heart is an inscrutable mystery: God alone can fathom it.

Ways - Rather, way, his course of life. The “and” must be omitted, for the last clause explains what is meant “by man’s way,” when he comes before God for judgment. It is “the fruit,” the final result “of his doings, i. e., his real character as formed by the acts and habits of his life.

Jeremiah 17:11

Rather, “As the partridge hath gathered eggs which it laid not, so ...” The general sense is: the covetous man is as sure to reap finally disappointment only as is the partridge which piles up eggs not of her own laying, and is unable to hatch them.

A fool - A Nabal. See 1 Samuel 25:25.

Jeremiah 17:12, Jeremiah 17:13

Or, “Thou throne ... thou place ... thou hope ... Yahweh! All that forsake Thee etc.” The prophet concludes his prediction with the expression of his own trust in Yahweh, and confidence that the divine justice will finally be vindicated by the punishment of the wicked. The “throne of glory” is equivalent to Him who is enthroned in glory.

Jeremiah 17:13

Shall be written in the earth - i. e., their names shall quickly disappear, unlike those graven in the rock forever Job 19:24. A board covered with sand is used in the East to this day in schools for giving lessons in writing: but writing inscribed on such materials is intended to be immediately obliterated. Equally fleeting is the existence of those who forsake God. “All men are written somewhere, the saints in heaven, but sinners upon earth” (Origen).

Jeremiah 17:15

This taunt shows that this prophecy was written before any very signal fulfillment of Jeremiah’s words had taken place, and prior therefore to the capture of Jerusalem at the close of Jehoiakim’s life. “Now” means “I pray,” and is ironical.

Jeremiah 17:16

I have not hastened from - i. e., I have not sought to escape from.

A pastor to follow thee - Rather, “a shepherd after Thee.” “Shepherd” means “ruler, magistrate” (Jeremiah 2:8 note), and belongs to the prophet not as a teacher, but as one invested with authority by God to guide and direct the political course of the nation. So Yahweh guides His people Psalms 23:1-2, and the prophet does so “after Him,” following obediently His instructions.

The woeful day - literally, “the day of mortal sickness:” the day on which Jerusalem was to be destroyed, and the temple burned.

Right - Omit the word. What Jeremiah asserts is that he spake as in God’s presence. They were no words of his own, but had the authority of Him before whom he stood. Compare Jeremiah 15:19.

Jeremiah 17:17

A terror - Rather, “a cause of dismay,” or consternation Jeremiah 1:17. By not fulfilling Jeremiah’s prediction God Himself seemed to put him to shame.

Jeremiah 17:18

Confounded - Put to shame.

Destroy them ... - Rather, break them with a double breaking: a twofold punishment, the first their general share in the miseries attendant upon their country’s fall; the second, a special punishment for their sin in persecuting and mocking God’s prophet.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Jeremiah 17:16. I have not hastened from being a pastor — Dr. Blayney translates thus: "But I have not been in haste to outrun thy guidance." I was obliged to utter thy prediction; but I have not hastened the evil day. For the credit of my prophecy I have not desired the calamity to come speedily; I have rather pleaded for respite. I have followed thy steps, and proclaimed thy truth. I did not desire to be a prophet; but thou hast commanded, and I obeyed.