Bible Commentaries
Jeremiah 5

Introduction

CHAPTER 5

:-. THE CAUSE OF THE JUDGMENTS TO BE INFLICTED IS THE UNIVERSAL CORRUPTION OF THE PEOPLE.

Verse 1

1. a man—As the pious Josiah, Baruch, and Zephaniah lived in Jerusalem at that time, Jeremiah must here mean the mass of the people, the king, his counsellors, the false prophets, and the priests, as distinguished from the faithful few, whom God had openly separated from the reprobate people; among the latter not even one just person was to be found ( :-) [CALVIN]; the godly, moreover, were forbidden to intercede for them ( :-; compare Genesis 18:23; Psalms 12:1; Ezekiel 22:30).

see . . . know—look . . . ascertain.

judgment—justice, righteousness.

pardon it—rather, her.

Verse 2

2. ( :-).

swear falsely—not a judicial oath; but their profession of the worship of Jehovah is insincere (Jeremiah 5:7; Jeremiah 4:2). The reformation under Josiah was merely superficial in the case of the majority.

Verse 3

3. eyes upon the truth— (Deuteronomy 32:4; 2 Chronicles 16:9). "Truth" is in contrast with "swear falsely" (2 Chronicles 16:9- :). The false-professing Jews could expect nothing but judgments from the God of truth.

stricken . . . not grieved— (Jeremiah 2:30; Isaiah 1:5; Isaiah 9:13).

refused . . . correction— (Jeremiah 7:28; Zephaniah 3:2).

Verse 4

4. poor—rather, "the poor." He supposes for the moment that this utter depravity is confined to the uninstructed poor, and that he would find a different state of things in the higher ranks: but there he finds unbridled profligacy.

Verse 5

5. they have known—rather, "they must know." The prophet supposes it as probable, considering their position.

but these—I found the very reverse to be the case.

burst . . . bonds—set God's law at defiance (Psalms 2:3).

Verse 6

6. lion . . . wolf . . . leopard—the strongest, the most ravenous, and the swiftest, respectively, of beasts: illustrating the formidable character of the Babylonians.

of the evenings—Others not so well translate, of the deserts. The plural means that it goes forth every evening to seek its prey (Psalms 104:20; Habakkuk 1:8; Zephaniah 3:3).

leopard . . . watch . . . cities— (Hosea 13:7). It shall lie in wait about their cities.

Verse 7

7. It would not be consistent with God's holiness to let such wickedness pass unpunished.

sworn by— (Jeremiah 5:2; Jeremiah 4:2); that is, worshipped.

no gods— (Jeremiah 4:2- :).

fed . . . to the full—so the Keri (Hebrew Margin) reads. God's bountifulness is contrasted with their apostasy (Jeremiah 4:2- :). Prosperity, the gift of God, designed to lead men to Him, often produces the opposite effect. The Hebrew Chetib (text) reads: "I bound them (to Me) by oath," namely, in the marriage covenant, sealed at Sinai between God and Israel; in contrast to which stands their "adultery"; the antithesis favors this.

adultery . . . harlots' houses—spiritually: idolatry in temples of idols; but literal prostitution is also included, being frequently part of idol-worship: for example, in the worship of the Babylonian Mylitta.

Verse 8

8. in the morning— ( :-). "Rising early in the morning" is a phrase for unceasing eagerness in any pursuit; such was the Jews' avidity after idol-worship. MAURER translates from a different Hebrew root, "continually wander to and fro," inflamed with lust ( :-). But English Version is simpler (compare Jeremiah 13:27; Ezekiel 22:11).

Verse 9

9. (Jeremiah 5:29; Jeremiah 9:9; Jeremiah 44:22).

Verse 10

10. Abrupt apostrophe to the Babylonians, to take Jerusalem, but not to destroy the nation utterly (see on Jeremiah 4:27).

battlements—rather, tendrils [MAURER]: the state being compared to a vine (Jeremiah 4:27- :), the stem of which was to be spared, while the tendrils (the chief men) were to be removed.

Verse 11

11. ( :-).

Verse 12

12. belied—denied.

It is not he—rather, "(Jehovah) is not HE," that is, the true and only God (Jeremiah 14:22; Deuteronomy 32:39; Isaiah 43:10; Isaiah 43:13). By their idolatry they virtually denied Him. Or, referring to what follows, and to Isaiah 43:13- :, "(Jehovah) is not," namely, about to be the punisher of our sins (Jeremiah 14:13; Isaiah 28:15).

Verse 13

13. Continuation of the unbelieving language of the Jews.

the prophets—who prophesy punishment coming on us.

the word—the Holy Spirit, who speaks through true prophets, is not in them [MAURER]. Or else, "There is no word (divine communication) in them" (Hosea 1:2) [ROSENMULLER].

thus, &c.—Their ill-omened prophecies shall fall on themselves.

Verse 14

14. ye . . . thy . . . this people—He turns away from addressing the people to the prophet; implying that He puts them to a distance from Him, and only communicates with them through His prophet ( :-).

fire . . . wood—Thy denunciations of judgments shall be fulfilled and shall consume them as fire does wood. In Jeremiah 23:29 it is the penetrating energy of fire which is the point of comparison.

Verse 15

15. (Jeremiah 1:15; Jeremiah 6:22). Alluding to Jeremiah 6:22- :, c.

Israel—that is, Judah.

mighty—from an Arabic root, "enduring." The fourfold repetition of "nation" heightens the force.

ancient—The Chaldeans came originally from the Carduchian and Armenian mountains north of Mesopotamia, whence they immigrated into Babylonia like all mountaineers, they were brave and hardy (see on Jeremiah 6:22- :).

language . . . knowest not— Isaiah 36:11 shows that Aramaic was not understood by the "multitude," but only by the educated classes [MAURER]. HENDERSON refers it to the original language of the Babylonians, which, he thinks, they brought with them from their native hills, akin to the Persic, not to the Aramaic, or any other Semitic tongue, the parent of the modern Kurd.

Verse 16

16. open sepulchre—(Compare :-). Their quiver is all-devouring, as the grave opened to receive the dead: as many as are the arrows, so many are the deaths.

Verse 17

17. ( :-).

Verse 18

18. Not even in those days of judgments, will God utterly exterminate His people.

I will not make a full end with you— (Jeremiah 5:10; Jeremiah 4:27).

Verse 19

19. Retribution in kind. As ye have forsaken Me (Jeremiah 2:13), so shall ye be forsaken by Me. As ye have served strange (foreign) gods in your land, so shall ye serve strangers (foreigners) in a land not yours. Compare the similar retribution in Deuteronomy 28:47; Deuteronomy 28:48.

Verse 21

21. eyes . . . ears, and—Translate, "and yet" (compare Deuteronomy 29:4; Isaiah 6:9). Having powers of perception, they did not use them: still they were responsible for the exercise of them.

Verse 22

22. sand—Though made up of particles easily shifting about, I render it sufficient to curb the violence of the sea. Such is your monstrous perversity, that the raging, senseless sea sooner obeys Me, than ye do who profess to be intelligent [CALVIN], (Job 26:10; Job 38:10; Job 38:11; Proverbs 8:29; Revelation 15:4).

Verse 23

23. ( :-).

Verse 24

24. rain . . . former . . . latter—The "former" falls from the middle of October to the beginning of December. The "latter," or spring rain in Palestine, falls before harvest in March and April, and is essential for ripening the crops (Deuteronomy 11:14; Joel 2:23).

weeks of . . . harvest—the seven weeks between passover and pentecost, beginning on the sixteenth of Nisan (Deuteronomy 16:9). By God's special providence no rain fell in Palestine during the harvest weeks, so that harvest work went on without interruption (see Deuteronomy 16:9- :).

Verse 25

25. National guilt had caused the suspension of these national mercies mentioned in :- (compare Jeremiah 3:3).

Verse 26

26. (Proverbs 1:11; Proverbs 1:17; Proverbs 1:18; Habakkuk 1:15).

as he that setteth snares—rather, "as fowlers crouch" [MAURER].

trap—literally, "destruction": the instrument of destruction.

catch men—not as Peter, to save (Luke 5:10), but to destroy men.

Verse 27

27. full of deceit—full of treasures got by deceit.

rich— (Psalms 73:12; Psalms 73:18-20).

Verse 28

28. shine—the effect of fatness on the skin (Deuteronomy 32:15). They live a life of self-indulgence.

overpass . . . the wicked—exceed even the Gentiles in wickedness (Jeremiah 2:33; Ezekiel 5:6; Ezekiel 5:7).

judge not . . . fatherless— (Isaiah 1:23).

yet . . . prosper— (Isaiah 1:23- :).

Verse 29

29. (Jeremiah 5:9; Malachi 3:5).

Verse 30

30. (Jeremiah 23:14; Hosea 6:10).

Verse 31

31. bear rule by their means—literally, "according to their hands," that is, under their guidance (1 Chronicles 25:3). As a sample of the priests lending themselves to the deceits of the false prophets, to gain influence over the people, see 1 Chronicles 25:3- :.

love to have it so— (Micah 2:11).

end thereof—the fatal issue of this sinful course when divine judgments shall come.