Jeremia 12:4

Svenska Bibel

Huru länge skall landet ligga sörjande och gräset på marken allestädes förtorka, så att både fyrfotadjur och fåglar förgås för inbyggarnas ondskas skull, under det att dessa säga: »Han skall icke se vår undergång»

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

long: Jeremiah 9:10, Jeremiah 14:2, Jeremiah 23:10

the herbs: Psalms 107:34, Joel 1:10-17

the beasts: Jeremiah 4:25, Jeremiah 7:20, Hosea 4:3, Habakkuk 3:17, Romans 8:22

He: Jeremiah 5:13, Jeremiah 5:31, Psalms 50:21, Ezekiel 7:2-13

Reciprocal: Genesis 6:7 - General Genesis 7:21 - General Isaiah 24:4 - mourneth Jeremiah 4:26 - the fruitful Jeremiah 4:28 - the earth Jeremiah 12:11 - it mourneth Jeremiah 21:6 - I will Jeremiah 40:15 - wherefore Jeremiah 47:6 - how long Joel 1:18 - General Amos 1:2 - the habitations Amos 8:8 - every one Amos 9:5 - and all Zephaniah 1:3 - consume man Romans 8:20 - the creature

Gill's Notes on the Bible

How long shall the land mourn,.... The land of Judea, being desolate, and bringing forth no fruit, through the long drought that had been upon it:

and the herbs of every field wither; for want of rain to come upon it:

for the wickedness of them that dwell therein? this opens the cause, the reason of this dearth; it was the wickedness of the inhabitants of it: as the whole earth was originally cursed for the sins of men, so particular countries have had the marks of God's displeasure upon them, because of the sins of those that dwell in them. This clause, according to the accents, belongs to what follows, and may be read in connection with the next clause; either thus, "the herbs" of every field wither, I say, "because of the wickedness of the inhabitants of it, which consumes the beasts and the birds" x; that is, which wickedness is the cause not only of the withering of the grass and herbs, but of the consumption of birds and beasts: or else, by repeating the interrogation in the preceding clause,

how long shall the earth mourn, c.

how long, for the malice of them that dwell in it, are the beasts and the birds consumed y? the one having no grass to eat; and the other no fruit to pick, or seeds to live upon; the barrenness being so very great and general.

Because they said; the Jews, the inhabitants of the land, the wicked part of them, and which was the greater:

he shall not see our last end; either the Prophet Jeremiah, who had foretold it; but they did not believe him, that such would be their end, and that he should live to see it; or such was their atheism and infidelity, that they said God himself should not see it; and so the Septuagint and Arabic versions read, "God shall not see".

x So Gussetius, Ebr. Comment. p. 564. y Thus Schmidt, after Luther.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The Hebrew divides this verse differently. “How long shall the land mourn, and the herb of the whole field wither? Because of the wickedness of them that dwell therein cattle and fowl have ceased to be: for he will not see, say they, our latter end.” The people mock the prophet, saying, In spite of all his threatenings we shall outlive him.

Jeremiah complained that at a time of great general misery powerful men throve upon the ruin of others: even the innocent cattle and fowl suffered with the rest. To him it seemed that all this might have been cured by some signal display of divine justice. If God, instead of dealing with men by general and slow-working laws, would tear (out some of the worst offenders from among the rest, the land might yet be saved.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Jeremiah 12:4. How long shall the land mourn — These hypocrites and open sinners are a curse to the country; pull them out, Lord, that the land may be delivered of that which is the cause of its desolation.