Annotations for Jeremiah

1:1–19 The Call of Jeremiah. Like many of the OT prophets, Jeremiah describes his call to that office. True prophets were not self-appointed; God raised them up (Deut 18:18). In that way, they followed the pattern of Moses, the archetypal prophet (Deut 18:15), whom God dramatically called to serve him (Exod 3). The call narrative thus authenticates the prophet.

1:1–3 Historical Setting. Jeremiah’s prophetic ministry occurs in a particular historical context: the southern kingdom of Judah during the reigns of the last several kings before the exile to Babylon in 586 BC. Since his prophetic career begins in “the thirteenth year of the reign of Josiah” (627 BC) and continues until after Jerusalem’s destruction, he prophesies for more than 40 years (2 Chr 36:12, 21–22).

1:1 The words of Jeremiah. The words of the book are both Jeremiah’s and the Lord’s (v. 2): the Holy Spirit divinely reveals them (2 Pet 1:21), but they also reflect the experiences and style of the human author. Like Ezekiel and Zechariah, Jeremiah comes from a priestly family, which is significant in his ministry. Anathoth. Only a few miles/kilometers from Jerusalem, one of the towns assigned to the priests in Josh 21:18.

1:2–3 Jeremiah’s work begins during the reign of Josiah (641/40–609 BC), a reforming king who brings Judah back toward faithfulness to the Lord. It continues during the reigns of Jehoiakim (609–598 BC) and Zedekiah (597–586 BC), as well as the unmentioned Jehoahaz (reigned for three months in 609 BC), and Jehoiachin (reigned for three months in 598–597 BC). All of these later kings, under considerable political pressure from Egypt and Babylon, follow policies that are out of step with the warnings of the prophets whom the Lord sends. The end result of their failed policies is the near total destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar in 586 BC, just as Jeremiah had warned.

1:4–19 Call Narrative. The Lord chooses his messengers carefully and sovereignly. The call is not an invitation but a draft notice: there is no option of refusing to serve, as Jonah discovered (see Jonah 1:1–3; 3:3). The call narrative often highlights a reason the prophet feels unqualified, as with the archetypal prophet Moses (Exod 3:11), but the Lord always overrules the objection with the assurance that he will be with the prophet, empowering them for their task. It also often orients the reader to the nature of the particular ministry to which God has called the prophet.

1:5 knew. More than merely an awareness of who Jeremiah was; the Lord specifically chose Jeremiah for this task before he was even born (see NIV text note). The Hebrew word used here is used in Amos 3:2 to describe the Lord’s unique relationship with his people: “You only have I chosen of all the families of the earth.” prophet. The Lord’s ambassador, bringing his words of judgment and consolation for both the present and the future (Deut 18:18–22). Most prophets address Israel and Judah primarily as the Lord’s covenant people, often charging them with breaking the terms of the covenant God had made with the Israelites at Mount Sinai (Zech 1:4). But God calls Jeremiah to be a “prophet to the nations,” which underlines his broader ministry. God calls him, like some other prophets, to deliver messages of judgment against the nations for their assaults on God’s people, confirming that the covenant with Abraham is still intact in spite of Israel’s sin and rebellion (chs. 46–51).

1:6–8 Jeremiah objects to his call on the grounds of his youth and inexperience. However, God identifies the real issue: fear (v. 8). If the Lord knew and chose him before he was formed in the womb (v. 5), then he is a better judge of Jeremiah’s readiness for ministry than Jeremiah himself. The answer to Jeremiah’s fear is to remember that the Lord is with him, even though he will face great conflict and opposition (cf. Ps 46).

1:9 put my words in your mouth. Though the words are Jeremiah’s, in a more profound sense they are the Lord’s.

1:10 to uproot and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant. Expresses the dual nature of Jeremiah’s ministry. Four negatives (“uproot,” “tear down,” “destroy,” “overthrow”) describe his declarations of certain judgment to come. If the people do not repent and turn to the Lord, they face certain destruction for their sins. Yet God has good plans for a future and a hope for a remnant of his people who will go into exile in Babylon (29:11). Even in the darkest of days, the prophet’s ministry is not purely a word of judgment but illuminates God’s purpose for the remnant of his people, whom he will preserve throughout the great tribulation, ultimately rebuilding what he destroys and replanting what he uproots. Jeremiah’s words of destruction are not merely for God’s sinful and rebellious people but are also for those whom the Lord raises up against them. The Lord will easily defeat Babylon once its usefulness is over.

1:11–14 The Lord shows Jeremiah two visions: a branch of an almond tree and a boiling pot.

1:11 almond tree. One of the first trees to blossom in the spring and therefore a sign of changing seasons. almond. The Hebrew (šāqēd) sounds like the word for watching (šōqēd). The Lord is watching to bring into effect his words of judgment, symbolized by the pot of boiling water about to tip over (v. 13).

1:13-14 from the north . . . From the north. The direction from which the judgment will come. Though Babylon is east of Judah as the crow flies, there is a desert between them, which means that invaders from Babylon threaten Judah from the north, as did the Assyrians before them.

1:15 all the . . . northern kingdoms. The enemy is coming from the north. The overwhelming scale of the invasion is clear; it is an alliance of which Babylon will be the head.

1:16 in forsaking [the LORD], in burning incense to other gods and in worshiping what their hands have made. This breach of the covenant relationship demands that God apply the covenant curses (cf. Deut 28).

1:17 Get yourself ready! The image used here describes preparing for action by tucking the long, flowing robe worn in those days into a belt to make it easier to run or fight.

1:18 a fortified city, an iron pillar and a bronze wall. Even though Jeremiah will face fierce opposition, he must stand firm like an immovable object.

1:19 I am with you. The decisive factor in the conflict.

2:1—6:30 Crime and Punishment. Jeremiah’s call is to “uproot and tear down” (1:10) and to warn of coming disaster (1:14–15). This terrible fate is not a coincidence but the necessary consequence of Israel’s covenant unfaithfulness. Under the terms of the covenant made at Sinai, the Lord will bless Israel if they are faithful, but if they are unfaithful, he will curse them (Deut 28). Jeremiah’s role is to build a case showing Judah that the reason for the coming disaster is their chronic unfaithfulness, not the power of the Babylonians and their gods (2 Chr 36:15–17).

2:1—3:5 Israel Forsakes the Lord. Jeremiah compares Israel’s early years, when they were devoted to the Lord and the Lord blessed and protected them, to their subsequent history of rebellion. Of course, Israel’s 40 years of wandering in the wilderness were hardly unmarked by sin (cf. Num 12–17), and that reality serves to highlight all the more the intensity of their later unfaithfulness.

2:2 devotion. Faithfulness (Hebrew ḥesed). During this honeymoon period in the wilderness, Israel showed devotion and love to her “husband” (3:14; i.e., the Lord), even though her pathway lay through difficult terrain. bride. Israel as God’s bride is a common image in Scripture, highlighting the expectation of single-hearted devotion to God (Isa 54:5; 62:4–5; Ezek 16:8). The reverse image of Israel as an adulterous and unfaithful wife often describes her attraction to idolatry (see Ezek 6:9; 16:32; see also Hos 1:2 and note).

2:3 holy. Set apart (see Introduction to Leviticus: Major Theological Themes [Holiness and Purity]; see also “Holiness). Israel is uniquely set apart to the Lord, as precious to him as the “firstfruits of his harvest.” He therefore protects her against her enemies.

2:5 worthless . . . worthless. Instead of being holy (see note on v. 3), Israel’s ancestors abandoned the Lord to pursue worthless idols, and they themselves became as worthless as the idols they worshiped.

2:7 fertile land. The promised land. detestable. By worshiping idols, they defiled the holy land God gave them.

2:8 priests . . . leaders . . . prophets. The leaders, including the religious leaders (the “priests” and “prophets”), who should have called them to faithfulness, were unfaithful. priests. Their primary ministry was to teach the law (Deut 33:10). leaders. Political leaders. prophets. They were to declare the word of the Lord, but instead they even prophesied by Baal, the Canaanite fertility god. This was especially prominent in the time of King Ahab, whom Elijah confronted at Mount Carmel (see 1 Kgs 16:29—18:46).

2:9–13 Israel’s faithlessness was utterly irrational. No other nation in antiquity so easily abandoned their gods, even though their gods were merely worthless idols.

2:10 Cyprus. An island west of Israel. Kedar. A land of desert dwellings to the east of Israel. The people in these lands remained faithful to their gods, while Israel alone rebelled (v. 11).

2:12 The Lord calls the “heavens” as a witness of this covenant breaking since they witnessed the original covenant making (Deut 30:19; 31:28).

2:13 forsaken me, the . . . living water . . . dug their own cisterns. In abandoning the Lord, Israel abandoned the source of “living” (i.e., running) water in favor of stagnant “cisterns” that could not even hold the water that was put in them. In other words, they exchanged the source of true life and peace for empty and deceptive promises, which is all that idols can give (see Isa 44:9–20).

2:14 Is Israel a servant . . . by birth? This rhetorical question expects a negative answer. Jeremiah has already declared that Israel is the Lord’s bride, not a slave (see v. 2 and note). So why are foreign nations attacking and plundering Israel like roaring “lions” (v. 15)?

2:16 Memphis . . . Tahpanhes. Leading cities in Egypt, which along with Assyria, were a constant threat to the peace and existence of Israel.

2:18 why . . . drink water from the Nile? . . . from the Euphrates? Instead of trusting in the Lord, Israel’s diplomatic policy has been to seek an alliance with either Egypt (whose national river is the Nile) or Assyria (whose national river is the Euphrates), whichever of these is not currently a threat.

2:19 when you forsake the LORD. By seeking help from Egypt or Assyria, nations that never deliver the help they promise (v. 13; cf. Ezek 29:6–7).

2:20 Israel’s servitude to Egypt and Assyria was the result of rejecting submission to the Lord. Like the Gentile nations in Ps 2, Israel sought to tear off the Lord’s “bonds.” high hill . . . spreading tree. Locations of pagan fertility cults (Deut 12:2). prostitute. Instead of being a pure bride (see v. 2 and note), Israel committed adultery (i.e., worshiped idols).

2:21 choice vine. An image for Israel that links with Isa 5, where it similarly shows the completeness of the Lord’s care for his people as the divine gardener and their unfaithful response. Ultimately, God provides the true vine in Jesus Christ, who is himself the new Israel who responds faithfully to his Father’s calling (see John 15:1–17 and note; see also note on John 15:1).

2:22 soap . . . cleansing powder. There were various kinds available in the ancient world. They were made from vegetable and mineral alkalis.

2:23–24 she-camel . . . wild donkey. In order to cut through Israel’s denial (see note on v. 23), Jeremiah uses graphic imagery to describe Israel’s sins (cf. Ezek 16; 23) of spiritual adultery. These images represent unrestrained pursuit of passion. Far from needing to be seduced and bought, Israel desperately pursued her foreign lovers at her own cost.

2:23 I am not defiled. The Israelites deny their sins. Until they recognize and confess their sins, they will remain guilty, even if they perform ritual acts of cleansing (v. 22).

2:27 wood . . . stone. Canaanite deities were often depicted in their sanctuaries by a wooden pole or tree representing Asherah and a stone representing Baal.

2:29 bring charges. Since false deities are powerless to act, in time of trouble the Israelites still seek help from the Lord but not in a spirit of repentance. The Lord has not been the unfaithful one; they have rebelled against him, forgetting their own husband (v. 32; see v. 2 and note).

2:34 On your clothes . . . lifeblood of the innocent poor. Their abandonment of God is revealed not only by their idolatry but also by their abuse of the poor. Their clothing is stained with the blood of the poor, who committed no offense against them. did not catch them breaking in. The law declares that killing a thief in the act of entering a house does not constitute murder (Exod 22:2); however, Israel has shed the blood of the poor even though they did not catch them breaking in.

2:35 pass judgment. The Lord is bringing charges against them (v. 9), for which he will certainly pass judgment on them.

2:36 disappointed by Egypt . . . Assyria. Alliance with Egypt will no more help the Judahites resist the coming Babylonians than alliance with Assyria helped them resist the Egyptians in the days of Josiah (2 Kgs 23:29). Trusting these nations is as futile as trusting idols of wood and stone: the people will leave their land as captives.

2:37 with your hands on your head. A posture of prisoners of war.

3:1 The law forbids a man from remarrying his divorced wife after she has married another man (Deut 24:1–4). Could Israel then casually live a prostitute’s life with so many men and then simply return to the Lord whenever she wished, as if nothing had happened?

3:2 By the roadside. Where prostitutes waited for clients (Gen 38:14).

3:3 showers . . . withheld, and no spring rains. The covenant curses have befallen Israel: the seasonal rainfalls on which their harvests depend have been withheld, as Deut 11:16–17 warns.

3:4 called to me. Israel thinks that all they have to do is call out the Lord’s name and everything will be forgotten. Genuine repentance is necessary, not merely saying the right words (cf. Hos 6:6).

3:6—4:4 Unfaithful Israel. Thus far, the prophet has addressed Israel as a single entity. However, long before Jeremiah’s time, the country had broken up into two distinct kingdoms, the northern kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Judah. Because the northern kingdom rebelled against God, the Assyrians subjugated it in 722 BC and dispersed its population. In this section, Jeremiah distinguishes between the former northern kingdom and the southern kingdom, in which he lives.

3:6 faithless Israel. The northern kingdom committed spiritual adultery with idols “on every high hill and under every spreading tree” (see also 2:20 and note).

3:8 certificate of divorce . . . sent her away. Because of Israel’s spiritual adultery, the Lord gave them a “certificate of divorce” and sent them away (Deut 24:1); this refers to the northern kingdom’s destruction and the exile of its people in 722 BC. Judah had no fear. The Lord’s judgment of the northern kingdom of Israel should have acted as a warning to the southern kingdom of Judah, but Judah did the same thing as Israel.

3:10 did not return . . . with all her heart. Even when Judah seemed to repent (e.g., the reforms of Hezekiah [2 Kgs 18] and Josiah [2 Kgs 23]), there was no true heart change, as evidenced by how quickly the people returned to their idolatry after the death of the reforming king.

3:12 faithless . . . faithful. There is hope for the remnant of the scattered northern tribes of Israel. Even though they had been faithless, the Lord remains faithful.

3:13 If Judah will “acknowledge [their] guilt,” they will be forgiven and received back. There is an implicit message here for the inhabitants of “unfaithful Judah” (v. 11), who are still pretending not to need forgiveness (see 2:23 and note). They too can trust the Lord’s faithfulness to forgive, if only they return with all their hearts. Yet to fail to repent, even after seeing what happened to Israel, will prove that Judah is even more corrupt than her sister (v. 11).

3:14 I am your husband. Even though the Lord gave the northern kingdom of Israel a certificate of divorce and sent her inhabitants away (v. 8), he remains her husband. He will sovereignly gather a small remnant from the north—“one from a town and two from a clan”—and bring them to Zion, the spiritual center of Judah and the home of the temple.

3:15 shepherds. Translated “leaders” in 2:8. In place of their rebellious leaders, God will give them “shepherds after [his] own heart,” like David, Israel’s greatest king (1 Sam 13:14; cf. Ezek 34:23–24).

3:16 The Lord’s presence will be so tangible that people will no longer remember its former representation: the ark of the covenant. nor will another one be made. Suggests that the original ark no longer existed in Jeremiah’s time. Yet the absence of the ark of the covenant, regarded as the divine footstool (1 Chr 28:2), will not prevent Jerusalem from being “The Throne of the LORD” (v. 17), the place from which he exercises his dominion over the nations.

3:18 God will purify (see 31:33) and reunite the former northern and southern kingdoms, fulfilling the promises he made to Abraham in Gen 12:2–3. This anticipates the gathering of Jews and Samaritans, together with the Gentiles, into the church (Acts 1:8; 8:1b–17) and ultimately into the new Jerusalem (Heb 12:22–24; Rev 21:24–26).

3:19–20 The Lord gave them a “pleasant land,” expecting them to respond to his kindness with favor (cf. Ps 106:24; Zech 7:14); however, they rejected him not only as their husband but also as their father.

3:22 Return. If the people of Israel will turn their backs on the “idolatrous commotion” (v. 23) of the pagan rituals in favor of the “weeping and pleading” of true repentance (v. 21), acknowledging the Lord as their God and their salvation, confessing their sin and its shameful consequences, then the Lord will “cure [them] of backsliding.” See also 4:1–4. Yet these words express an attitude that Israel does not feel.

4:1–4 True repentance—for both Israel (vv. 1–2) and Judah (vv. 3–4)—is more than simply lamenting the consequences of sin.

4:2 As surely as the LORD lives. Such an oath acknowledges the Lord as the sole deity. Such oaths had to be made “in a truthful, just and righteous way” and be backed up by faithful behavior to God and to one’s fellow human beings. Such repentance will lead to “blessings” not merely for Israel but for the nations as well, for when Israel is what she is supposed to be, the nations will find blessings in God, just as God promised Abraham (Gen 12:1–3; Isa 49:6). This is true not just for the northern kingdom but for Judah as well.

4:3 Break up your unplowed ground. The people need to reclaim and restore spiritual “ground” that they had left fallow and unfruitful, abandoned to the thorns.

4:4 circumcise your hearts. Externally, they may have been circumcised—marked out as belonging distinctively to the Lord as a holy nation, as God commanded Abraham (Gen 17:10–14). But they need to match that external mark of the covenant with internal commitment to the Lord, as Deut 10:16 commands. Failure to keep the terms of the covenant in this way will lead to certain judgment, as the prophetess Huldah warned Josiah when they rediscovered the Book of the Law in the temple (2 Kgs 22:17).

4:5–31 Disaster From the North. After the passionate plea for the people to repent, which apparently falls on deaf ears, the prophet comprehensively announces judgment on Judah and its capital city, Jerusalem.

4:5-6 Sound the trumpet . . . Raise the signal. When danger approached in ancient times, the watchman would sound the trumpet (more precisely, the ram’s horn) and raise a signal to warn everyone to flee to the safety of the walled cities. This image became a symbol for the work of the prophet (Ezek 3:16–21).

4:6 The danger comes “from the north,” the direction from which Assyrian armies came and from which Babylonian armies will come.

4:7 lion. Judah’s enemy is seeking its prey (2:15) and will totally devastate the land, depopulating and destroying the towns. destroyer. Frequently alludes to Babylon in the book of Jeremiah (6:26; 15:8; 48:8, 32), though in ch. 51 it refers to the similar role that Persia and its allies will play against Babylon (51:1, 48, 53, 56).

4:8 sackcloth. A traditional Near Eastern cultural symbol of mourning (see note on 1 Kgs 20:31). Such a comprehensive disaster will lead everyone in Judah to mourn. the fierce anger of the LORD. The coming assault is not merely the result of the Babylonians’ expansionist policies; the Lord’s judgment lies behind the brutality of the human agents.

4:9 king . . . officials . . . priests . . . prophets. All of the leaders of the people, both religious and political (as in 2:26), will be powerless and terrified in the face of the onslaught.

4:10 you have deceived this people. The people refuse to repent (and thus the impending disaster comes upon Jerusalem and Judah) because they remain attached to the words of the false prophets who insist they will have “peace” when there is no peace to find (see 6:13–14). Yet Jeremiah recognizes that this false prophecy is itself a fitting judgment that the Lord sends on people who reject the truth (cf. 1 Kgs 22:22–23; Ezek 14:9). Since Judah has rejected the Lord’s message and killed the true prophets he sent (2:30), he will turn the people over to believe the deceitful lies of the false prophets.

4:11 scorching wind. In Israel, hot, dry winds blow from the eastern desert at certain times of the year, drying up everything in their path. winnow. Separate the heavy grain from the lighter chaff, which the wind disperses. The Lord’s judgment will be like such a hot wind—not purifying the people (by winnowing), but destroying them.

4:13 He . . . his . . . his. The identity of the destroying army is left blank, perhaps because they are a mere tool in the Lord’s hands. chariots . . . like a whirlwind. Similar to how Isa 5:28 describes the Assyrian army. Woe. Prophetically declares God’s judgment, which Jeremiah pronounces on himself as well as his contemporaries. We. Jeremiah both identifies with his suffering people and represents the Lord, who is judging them (v. 8; cf. Isa 6:5).

4:15 Dan . . . hills of Ephraim. The northern outposts of Israel. Since the invading army will come from the north (v. 6), the first glimpse of their arrival will be from there.

4:18-19 the heart! . . . my heart! The judgment will be comprehensive, reaching even the heart, the seat of thinking and feeling. Yet it is the heart of the prophet himself that first registers the pain of the coming judgment, causing him agony.

4:22 Since “the fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge” (Prov 1:7), those who reject the Lord have become “fools,” implying moral deficiency as much as intellectual weakness (see note on Prov 1:7). Having abandoned their father (3:19), they are “children” who are turned loose to express the full extent of their depravity.

4:23 formless and empty. Hebrew tōhû wābōhû (see Gen 1:2 and note). The coming judgment on Judah will be so great that it will be as if the entire universe has been returned to a state of barren uncreation, a formless and uninhabited wilderness, without light or human occupants to cultivate it. Other than here, this Hebrew phrase occurs only in Gen 1:2, before the creation of light or humans. In other words, the destruction will make the land as if Gen 1 had never happened.

4:27 I will not destroy it completely. In the midst of the devastation, there is a tiny glimmer of hope. The Lord will preserve a remnant.

4:30 scarlet . . . gold. Instead of repenting and dressing in sackcloth (see v. 8 and note), Jerusalem responds by putting on her finery in a last appeal to her former “lovers,” Assyria and Egypt. She seeks political solutions that involve fruitlessly trusting in human help rather than the Lord.

4:31 The metaphor shifts from a prostitute (v. 30) to a “woman in labor,” gasping and panting in intense pain. Daughter Zion. Zion herself is the daughter in question (some translations render this “daughter of Zion”). Zion. Another name for Jerusalem.

5:1–31 Not One Is Upright. The challenge to find “one person who deals honestly” (v. 1) echoes Abraham’s challenge to God over Sodom (Gen 18:20–33). For Sodom, a minimum number of ten righteous people would have saved the city. On this occasion, God offers to spare Jerusalem if a single righteous person can be brought forth, but not even one can be found.

5:2 they say, ‘As surely as the LORD lives.’ The people take oaths in the Lord’s name but perjure themselves.

5:4 only the poor. If only the uneducated poor were sinning like this, it might be blamed on a lack of education. But a settled attitude of rebellion pervades every class.

5:5 broken off the yoke and torn off the bonds. They have rejected the Lord’s requirements as a burdensome “yoke” and restrictive “bonds” that must be removed as soon as possible (see 2:20).

5:6 a lion . . . a wolf . . . a leopard. The result of their rebellion will be comprehensive destruction. Who can escape from such a fearsome trio?

5:8 well-fed, lusty stallions. Various fertility cults (“houses of prostitutes,” v. 7) are central in Jeremiah’s indictment, leading to Judah disregarding the commandments against adultery and coveting their neighbor’s wife.

5:9–10 The Lord must punish them for rejecting the terms of the covenant, yet he will still not destroy them completely.

5:13 wind. Hebrew rûaḥ may be translated as both “Spirit” and “wind.” The people mock the words of the prophet with a pun: instead of being words of the Spirit, they are merely empty “wind.”

5:14 The people mistake the Lord’s patience and forbearance as inactivity or indifference (v. 12; cf. Ezek 12:22). But when the Lord acts, he will vindicate the prophet’s words.

5:19 you have forsaken me and served foreign gods in your own land. Because of this, the Lord will judge them fittingly: they will “serve foreigners” in a distant land, namely, Babylon. Yet the Lord will maintain a remnant through the judgment so that he can still fulfill his promises to Abraham.

5:21 do not see . . . do not hear. The people have become like the idols they serve: blind and deaf (see Isa 44:18).

5:22 The Lord created the universe and set the limits for the powerful sea.

5:24 autumn and spring rains. Given by God, the rains were necessary in that dry climate if they were to have an abundant harvest. The Baal cult claimed that Baal was the one who brought these rains, yet the Lord controls the rainfall, as he demonstrated in Elijah’s days (1 Kgs 17–18). It was the people’s covenantal unfaithfulness that deprived them of these routine necessities (v. 25; see Lev 26:4).

5:26–29 The rich were oppressing the weak, especially the “fatherless” and the “poor” (v. 28)—sections of society that had no one to advocate their cause and therefore often found it hard to gain justice. Yet such people could cry out to the Lord, who would certainly answer their plea for justice (Prov 22:22–23).

5:31 prophets. They should warn the people of the coming punishment; instead, they prophesy “lies.” priests. They should teach the people the law; instead, they teach their own ideas. Such teaching might be very popular with God’s people, but it is deadly because it fails to take into account what will happen “in the end.”

6:1–30 Jerusalem Under Siege. Normally, people would flee to a city for safety when danger threatened, but here Jeremiah advises the reverse behavior, because Jerusalem will fall after a devastating siege.

6:1 Benjamin. The one remaining tribe that along with Judah comprise the southern kingdom. Tekoa. It and (probably) Beth Hakkerem lie to the south of Jerusalem, so if they give the alarm to signal an approaching enemy, then an army approaching from the north must have Jerusalem surrounded. Beth Hakkerem. Likely Ramat Rahel, which was previously an Assyrian fortress and may have been a natural place to seek safety now that the Assyrians had left.

6:2 Daughter Zion. See note on 4:31.

6:3 Shepherds . . . flocks. Kings and their armies.

6:4 Prepare for battle. The kings are preparing for battle against Jerusalem, a process which often involved divination to seek the best time to attack. But they are so impatient for victory that they will consider a nighttime attack, a rare event in those days.

6:6–9 The real enemy is not the opposition kings and armies that surround Jerusalem but the Lord, who commands and directs the siege to punish the city for their sins.

6:6 siege ramps. A common way of counteracting high defensive walls.

6:9 glean . . . as thoroughly as a vine. The destruction is to be as thorough as “gathering grapes”: normally, the few leftover grapes from the initial harvest were supposed to be left for the poor (Deut 24:21), but here there is to be a second gathering process to make sure that no one escapes the Lord’s judgment. God will preserve only a very small “remnant” through the siege.

6:10 closed. See NIV text note. Judah has been as unresponsive to the Lord’s word as one would expect pagans to be. Yet their refusal to listen to God’s word does not protect them from the consequences of their sin.

6:11 the wrath of the LORD. Judgment will affect everyone from the youngest “children in the street” to the “old,” men and women alike.

6:13–15 The reason for this comprehensive judgment is comprehensive sin: “all are greedy for gain” (v. 13).

6:13 prophets and priests. Those whom the Lord appointed to warn the people. practice deceit. Instead of declaring the unpopular truth.

6:14 ‘Peace, peace,’ they say, when there is no peace. Instead of warning of the wrath to come. Peace, peace. Repetition is a form of emphasis in Hebrew, so “Peace, peace” affirms a certain future of comfort and wholeness.

6:15 The false priests and prophets will fall along with those whom they deceived.

6:16 ancient paths. The ways of obedience revealed to Moses, toward which priests and prophets alike were to direct the people. But the people rejected those ways.

6:17 watchmen. The prophets (Ezek 3:17). The people refused to listen to those who did faithfully warn them.

6:18–19 The Lord summons the nations and the earth itself as witnesses in his legal action against his own people, who have refused to listen to him.

6:20 incense. Frankincense (see note on Song 3:6). Sheba. In southwest Arabia (modern Yemen). calamus. Aromatic sweet cane. burnt offerings . . . sacrifices. The usual sacrificial offerings could not atone for their defiant sin (see Num 15:30–31), even if accompanied by expensive spices. The problem was not with the sacrificial system but with the people: if the hands that brought the offering were defiled, the offering itself was defiled and therefore unacceptable to God (see Hag 2:11–14).

6:21 obstacles. People who try to approach the Lord when their hearts are somewhere else will find obstacles in their paths, preventing them from access (cf. Ezek 14:1–5).

6:22 land of the north; a great nation. Babylon. From an Israelite perspective, the Babylonians lived at “the ends of the earth.”

6:23 cruel . . . no mercy. Though the Lord summons Babylon, knowing that it is a cruel invader, he does not sanction their cruelty. Daughter Zion. See note on 4:31.

6:24 hands hang limp. The news of this fearsome enemy will totally demoralize the defenders.

6:25 terror on every side. A slogan Jeremiah repeats often (see 20:3, 10; 46:5; 49:29; cf. Ps 31:13).

6:26 wailing as for an only son. A particularly intense mourning, for with the death of the sole heir, the family name seems certain to die out (cf. Zech 12:10).

6:27 tester of metals. The image depicts the prophet as a refiner, separating the pure metal from the dross (cf. Mal 3:2–3).

6:28–29 In this case, the refining process is a failure: the refiner is unable to separate any silver from the bronze, iron, and lead. The people are altogether dross and will be burned up entirely in the fire of God’s wrath.

7:1—10:25 False Religion and a Deluded People. The people of Jerusalem and Judah are content with a form of orthodox religion while rejecting true devotion to the Lord. Such a relationship to the Lord cannot save them any more than it saved their ancestors who tried the same approach.

7:1–29 False Religion Worthless. Jeremiah confronts the people as they enter the temple of the Lord in Jerusalem. This is the place where God himself told them to come and worship, yet mere attendance at his house is not enough if they continually despise him by breaking his commandments.

7:1–3 It appears that worshipers may have recited passages like Ps 15 as they entered “the gate of the LORD’s house” (v. 2), stressing the need for purity of life among those who came before the Lord. If the Israelites are to be saved, they need to reform their ways and their actions, not merely offer the required sacrifices. This is not because OT believers were saved by works but because their actions exposed the true commitments of their hearts. As Jesus said, a good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit (Matt 7:16–18).

7:4 This is the temple of the LORD. The inhabitants of Jerusalem repeat this formula as if the temple is a magic amulet that will protect them no matter how they live. This superstitious belief may have been reinforced by the dramatic deliverance of Jerusalem from the Assyrian army in the time of Hezekiah, 100 years earlier (2 Kgs 18:13—19:37). Psalms also speaks of the Lord’s protecting his city (e.g., Ps 46).

7:5–6 True religion can never divorce faith from obedience, especially care for the weak and helpless, the “fatherless” and the “widow” (cf. Jas 1:27).

7:6 foreigner. One who temporarily stayed in Jerusalem; they were likewise often subject to abuse and ill-treatment since they had no advocate. God’s law protected them, along with widows and the fatherless (Deut 24:19–21), but these laws were often broken in ancient Israel. Those who broke these covenant stipulations, as well as the commandment prohibiting “other gods” (see Exod 20:3), could not expect the Lord to give them the covenantal blessing of long life in the land (see v. 7 and note).

7:7 let you live in this place. God had warned that if the Israelites broke the covenant, they would lose the promised land and go into exile (Deut 28:25–68).

7:9 The Ten Commandments (Exod 20:1–17) form the heart of the covenant made at Mount Sinai, yet in this verse alone violations of five commandments are listed.

7:10 It is folly to recklessly break the covenant’s terms and yet expect to find acceptance at the house on which the Lord placed his Name (1 Kgs 8:29).

7:11 den of robbers. A place to which thieves return after they have committed their evil deeds; they feel safe there (cf. Matt 21:13; Mark 11:17; Luke 19:46).

7:12–15 The history of Shiloh should make them think twice: in 1 Sam 4, the Israelites treated the ark of the covenant as an amulet that would grant them victory, even though the priesthood was defiled and corrupt. Yet the ark went into exile among the Philistines, and the glory of God departed from Shiloh, resulting in a loss of its central status. So the glory of God will now depart from his dwelling place in Jerusalem (see Ezek 10), leaving the temple unprotected; the people will likewise be “thrust” (v. 15) from the Lord’s presence into exile, just as the northern kingdom (“the people of Ephraim,” v. 15) had been in 722 BC.

7:16 do not pray . . . do not plead. A key element of the deliverance of Jerusalem in the time of Hezekiah was Isaiah’s intercession (2 Kgs 19:5–7, 20–34). Jeremiah, however, is not permitted to pray or plead for Jerusalem; their fate is virtually sealed.

7:18 the Queen of Heaven. Ishtar to the Assyrians and Babylonians; Astarte to the Canaanites. The women made “cakes” stamped with her image as offerings (44:19). They also offered “drink offerings” to other deities as part of their fertility rituals.

7:19–20 The Lord declares that far from assuring blessing, these practices (see note on v. 18) are harming the people. Instead of bringing fertility to humans, beasts, trees, and crops, these practices will bring the Lord’s wrath.

7:21 Go ahead, add your burnt offerings . . . eat the meat yourselves! Grain and incense could legitimately be offered in various places (though not to various gods), because these offerings did not involve shedding blood. Jeremiah shockingly suggests that they might as well add whole “burnt offerings” to their sacrifices (even though only the priests in the temple could offer such offerings; see Lev 1:8 and note) and that they might as well go ahead and “eat the meat” of these sacrifices (even though the law demanded that whole burnt offerings be completely consumed by the fire; see Lev 1:9 and note). His point is that it is hypocritical of the people to scrupulously obey some of the ritual laws in the temple while transgressing others so comprehensively in their daily lives. The Lord’s commands in the time of Moses concerned not (just) “burnt offerings and sacrifices” (v. 22) but also a relationship that would affect every aspect of their lives (v. 23).

7:24–27 The Lord tells Jeremiah that the people will not listen to this message any more than their ancestors listened to the law Moses gave them. To ignore the Lord’s servants, the prophets, is to refuse to listen to the Lord who sent them.

7:29 Cut off . . . throw it away. During a Nazirite vow, allowing one’s hair to grow was a mark of consecration (see Num 6:1–8 and note); if that is the allusion here, then cutting off and throwing away the hair seems to symbolize the deconsecration and rejection of God’s people because of their defilement. The Lord has “rejected and abandoned” them. Alternatively, the hair cutting could simply be a sign of mourning.

7:30—8:3 The Valley of Slaughter. Idolatry has penetrated even to Jerusalem in the form of the cult of child sacrifice. Child sacrifice was associated with several ancient Near Eastern religions, and the people of Jerusalem practiced it during the time of Manasseh (2 Kgs 21:6). In 2 Kgs 23:10, Topheth was one of the places destroyed by Manasseh’s grandson Josiah in his reforms, but worship may have been revived there by Jeremiah’s day.

7:31 built. Can mean “rebuilt” in Hebrew. Topheth. High places had been set up nearby for pagan worship in the Valley of Ben Hinnom, just west of Jerusalem. Since the west is where the sun goes down, it was the direction connected with death in the ancient Near East, which is why in Egypt burial sites and tombs were all located west of the Nile. nor did it enter my mind. An anthropomorphism indicating how contrary it is to the Lord’s will for his people.

7:32 Valley of Slaughter. Topheth and the Valley of Ben Hinnom will be called this when they become the dumping ground for the bodies of the slain. Such an act is both a fitting judgment (the bodies of those who killed their own firstborn would end up in the same place) and a way to defile the location so that it could not be used again for its pagan purpose.

7:33 carcasses . . . food for the birds. Leaving bodies exposed to the attentions of scavengers was a covenantal curse (Deut 28:26).

8:1–3 This same judgment (7:30–34) will apply to all the leaders of Judah: the “kings and officials,” the “priests and prophets,” even those who had already been buried (v. 1). They will have their bones exposed like so much “dung” (v. 2).

8:2 sun . . . moon . . . stars. Worshiped as deities by many in the ancient world, yet they have no power to protect their worshipers.

8:3 survivors . . . will prefer death to life. Life in exile will be so hard that even death will seem preferable (Deut 28:64–68).

8:4—9:26 Sin and Punishment. If God’s people will repent, they will find forgiveness and mercy from the Lord. But instead, they are utterly committed to their path and completely unrepentant, which makes their destruction inevitable.

8:5 turned away . . . return. The Hebrew (šûb) can also mean “repent.” Just as getting back up is the normal response to falling down (v. 4), so repenting should be the normal response to sin. Judah, however, is defiantly set on their course like a warhorse in full flight (v. 6).

8:7 What we call “the laws of nature” actually manifest God’s order, which creation perfectly obeys (see Ps 19:1–6). the stork . . . the dove, the swift and the thrush. Migratory birds never refuse to travel their appointed routes at their “appointed seasons.” These birds know and obey the patterns of behavior the Lord laid down for them, while God’s people “do not know the requirements of the LORD.” do not know. See note on v. 8, “law.”

8:8 Compounding their blindness, the people claim to be “wise” because they have “the law of the LORD.” law. Hebrew tôrâ; includes instruction and teaching within its semantic range. This shows that “do not know” in v. 7 is not ignorance but willfully refusing to submit. scribes. Their job was to interpret and apply the law. They have “handled it falsely,” leading the people astray through their writings. Jesus says similar things of the religious leaders of his day (Matt 23:13–36).

8:10–13 The “prophets and priests” (v. 10), as well as the “scribes” (v. 8), pretend that the people’s condition is not serious, declaring that there is “peace” (v. 11; i.e., “wholeness”) in the relationship between Israel and the Lord when in reality the covenant is profoundly broken and destruction is imminent. Their judgment will be to experience personally the covenant curses whose reality they deny. They will lose “their wives to other men and their fields to new owners” (v. 10), and there will be “no grapes on the vine . . . no figs on the tree” (v. 13; see Deut 28:30–45). All of these things are gifts from the Lord, and he can take them away as well as give them. Much of this passage is identical to 6:12–15.

8:10 greedy. The motivation for Judah’s religious leaders is simple self-interest.

8:11 my people. Alternate translation: “the daughter of my people.” This term of affection that heightens the poignancy of the appeal to repent that falls on deaf ears. Peace, peace. See note on 6:14.

8:14–17 When it becomes plain that the teaching of the prophets and priests is false and that there is no peace or healing (v. 15), the people will be left in despair. The arrival of the enemy’s horses in the northern city of Dan will expose the delusion (v. 16), but there will be no time to do anything other than flee to the fortified cities and die there (v. 14). In that day, they will make (too late) the connection between their sin and the Lord’s judgment.

8:14 poisoned water. The fitting punishment for those who sought their water from poisonous sources (2:13), especially since “poison” elsewhere connects with idolatry (Deut 29:17–18; 32:32).

8:17 venomous snakes. In the wilderness, the Lord sent these to bite the people, but on that occasion he provided deliverance (Num 21:6–9).

8:18–20 Though Judah is justly condemned, neither the prophet nor the Lord delights in their downfall. The prophet mourns over the coming exile of his people and also gives voice to the Lord’s anguish. The people feel abandoned by their God, yet in reality their idolatry drove him away, leaving the land unprotected.

8:19 my people. See note on v. 11.

8:20 we are not saved. The false confidence of 7:10 has now been exposed. The Lord will not always remain in a defiled house, and their assumed safety is an empty boast.

8:22 Is there no balm in Gilead? A proverbial expression to which the answer is, “Of course there is.” Gilead was well-known for aromatic resin, which was used in a variety of medicines. Yet there is no remedy there for Judah’s sickness; their idolatry will lead to their judgment.

9:1, 10 weep. It is because of verses like these that Jeremiah has been called the “weeping prophet.” The prophets were not detached and aloof from the people to whom they spoke but were often caught up in the emotion of the messages they delivered (cf. Ezek 3:14–15).

9:1 my people. See note on 8:11.

9:3–9 These verses focus on the sins of the tongue, depicted as a deadly weapon: a bow (v. 3) and an arrow (v. 8). The central sin is deceitfulness, which includes lying about God (refusing to “acknowledge” [v. 3], or “know,” the Lord) as well as lying to their neighbors. Even the closest relations (friends, clan members, neighbors) are not trustworthy. They speak “cordially,” (v. 8) but plot evil against them (cf. 8:11, 15). Though such duplicity may seem temporarily to be triumphing, it demands God’s judgment.

9:7 refine. See 6:27–30 and notes.

9:10-11 the mountains . . . the towns of Judah. The prophet combines the genres of lament and judgment speech, expressing his grief over the Lord’s determination to follow through with judgment to the point that the countryside will be left abandoned and the cities ruined, devoid not just of humans but of animals as well.

9:12 Jeremiah has repeatedly explained the reason for this state of affairs. Yet such truths can be grasped only by those who have been “instructed by the LORD” and have received his wisdom.

9:14–16 Israel’s rebellion and idolatry are what “their ancestors taught them” (v. 14). Yet the result of such a way of life is “bitter food” (v. 15) and “poisoned water” (v. 15; see note on 8:14): they will experience the bitterness of God’s judgment, as Deut 29:18 warns.

9:16 nations that neither they nor their ancestors have known. This does not mean that they did not know of their existence; rather, they had no relationships with them that might have provided shelter and support in their exile (see Deut 28:36).

9:17 wailing women. Semiprofessional mourners who led the dirges. Mourning a death was an important social rite in antiquity.

9:20 hear the word of the LORD. Be open to receive God’s wisdom (see v. 12 and note). They will prepare for that awful day by learning and teaching laments to their daughters and friends.

9:21 Death. Pictured as a thief stealthily climbing in the window or as a victorious army triumphantly entering a fortress. Death typically carried off the old, but now it will remove the “children” and the “young men,” the future of the community.

9:22 lie . . . on the open field. A sign of judgment; it was a dishonor for a body to be left unburied.

9:23 wise . . . strong . . . rich. Natural sources of human confidence. But none of these things will avail anything in the impending outpouring of God’s wrath.

9:24 Anyone who wishes to “boast” should boast in knowing the Lord (contrast v. 6), especially his kindness (Hebrew ḥesed; i.e., covenant faithfulness), justice, and righteousness. These attributes are the delight and the favorite topic of conversation for such people, because it is in these characteristics that there is hope for the faithful remnant of God’s people. In the NT, Paul quotes this verse as he admonishes the Corinthians to boast in Jesus Christ alone, who is our righteousness, holiness, and redemption (1 Cor 1:30–31).

9:25 circumcised only in the flesh. Israel was not the only ancient nation that practiced circumcision. What made them unique was the significance of circumcision as a sign of the covenant with their God (Gen 17:9–14). Yet Israel became like these other nations: circumcised in the flesh but not in heart (see Deut 10:16). Some of these pagan nations also clipped the hair by their foreheads (see NIV text note on v. 26) in honor of their deities, something Israel was forbidden to do (Lev 19:27).

10:1–16 The Lord and Idols. Israel has been constantly attracted to the ways of the surrounding nations, especially their idolatry.

10:2 signs in the heavens. Israel’s attraction to idolatry often manifest itself in an interest in astrology.

10:3 worthless. Idols have no power to speak or act (v. 5).

10:5 scarecrow. Set up to terrify dumb birds but powerless to actually harm or bless anyone (cf. Isa 40:19–20; 41:7).

10:6 No one is like you, LORD. No idol is like the Lord in his greatness, power, name, and wisdom (v. 7). name. Reputation and character.

10:9 Tarshish. In the far west, possibly Spain. Uphaz. Location unknown. Together, these places give the impression of particularly choice and therefore expensive silver and gold. blue and purple. Colors connected with wealth and royalty because they were the most expensive dyes at that time.

10:11–13 The doctrine of creation is central to the polemic against idolatry. The idols “did not make the heavens and the earth” (v. 11); God did. The doctrine of creation is likewise crucial to maintain against modern idolatries that claim to explain the origin of the universe apart from the Creator.

10:12 power . . . wisdom . . . understanding. Creation is a living testimony to these attributes of the Lord.

10:13 waters in the heavens . . . clouds . . . lightning . . . rain . . . wind. God is behind these natural processes. These are not a random selection of natural phenomena but precisely those that the Canaanite god Baal allegedly controlled, phenomena that were essential to fertility and agricultural success in Canaan. See note on vv. 11–13.

10:16 Creation is intricately connected with redemption in the OT. The same God who created the universe also called Israel into existence so that they could be “the people of his inheritance” and so that he could be their “Portion” (cf. Deut 32:9). God is our inheritance, and we are his (see Eph 1:18), which means that we belong together for all eternity.

10:17–22 Coming Destruction. Exile is now inevitable, so the inhabitants of the land should prepare whatever they can carry.

10:17–19 Jeremiah so identifies with his people that he feels the pain of this coming disaster like an incurable “wound” (v. 19).

10:20 tent. An image of Israel (also in 4:20).

10:21 shepherds. See note on 2:8 (“leaders”).

10:22 land of the north. Babylon. See notes on 1:13–15.

10:23–25 Jeremiah’s Prayer. Identifying with his people (as he has throughout this passage), Jeremiah pleads for limits on the Lord’s judgment.

10:23 direct their steps. The Lord is sovereign over their steps (see Prov 20:24).

10:24 in due measure. Jeremiah asks for the Lord to discipline his people in justice, not in anger. This reflects the distinction between a judgment designed to restore someone to a renewed covenant relationship and a judgment designed to cast off that person (Ps 6:1; 38:1). This restorative judgment is what God promised David in 2 Sam 7:14–15.

10:25 Pour out your wrath on the nations. The nations deserve God’s punitive wrath because they do not acknowledge him. But how can God’s people escape his judgment since they practice that same sin (see 9:6)?

11:1—15:21 The Broken Covenant and Its Consequences. God made a covenant with his people at Mount Sinai when he brought them out of the land of Egypt. Attached to that covenant were blessings and curses: blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience (Deut 28). The impending judgment upon Judah and Jerusalem is the consequence of their long history of breaking that covenant, and it is now inevitable.

11:1–17 The Covenant Is Broken. The task of the prophets was to remind the people of the stipulations of the covenant made between God and his people at Mount Sinai (Exod 19–24), and to warn of the consequences of disobedience (2 Chr 36:15–16).

11:4–5 Even though the Israelites were not saved by works, possessing their land was conditional on obeying the God who graciously brought them out of Egypt.

11:4 iron-smelting furnace. Reminds the people of their painful experiences in Egypt, the place from which the Lord delivered them into the land of Canaan (Deut 4:20; 1 Kgs 8:51). you will be my people, and I will be your God. The goal of the covenant. It could not be reached if they were persistently idolatrous, following other gods.

11:5 flowing with milk and honey. A proverbial expression of plenty that describes the promised land of Canaan (see note on Exod 3:8). Amen. “May it be so.”

11:8 the curses of the covenant. See Lev 26; Deut 28. In Exod 24:3–7, the people bound themselves to keep the terms of the covenant and were sprinkled with the blood of the sacrifices as a reminder of the consequences of disobedience.

11:9 conspiracy. Has the overtones of rebellion against a king (2 Kgs 15:30; 17:4). The Israelites rebelled against the Lord, their true king.

11:10 returned to the sins of their ancestors. After the temporary reforms of King Josiah (2 Kgs 22:1—23:25), the people of Judah returned to various forms of pagan idolatry.

11:11 I will not listen to them. In their difficulty, the people will finally cry out to the Lord for help, only to find his ears deaf because of their idolatry.

11:12 They will “cry out” to their many idols, but their idols “will not” (or more precisely, cannot) “help them.” burn incense. One of the simplest and most common acts of devotion.

11:14 Do not pray for this people. Since the Lord is determined not to listen to the people, there is no point in Jeremiah’s interceding for them, even though this was normally part of a prophet’s role (see 7:16).

11:15 In spite of the “evil schemes” that they pursue, Israel is still the Lord’s “beloved” (cf. Isa 5:1); but because of their sin, the sacrifices that they continue to offer at the temple are worthless.

11:16 thriving olive tree. A beautiful symbol of prosperity (Ps 52:8); but the tree that the Lord planted has become dry and barren and will now be burned. branches. Represent the people. Paul adopts a similar image in Rom 11:17–24, where the olive tree represents the true people of God: dead branches can be broken off from the tree, and other wild olive branches (the Gentiles) can be grafted in to take their place.

11:18–23 Plot Against Jeremiah. This is the first of Jeremiah’s six “confessions” (see 12:1–4; 15:10–21; 17:12–18; 18:18–23; 20:7–18). Like some of the other prophets before him, Jeremiah is the target of plots because of his unpopular words. In his case, the Lord warns him of the danger, enabling him to escape.

11:20 let me see your vengeance. Jeremiah prays that those who plot against him will receive their just punishment. He is praying not for vengeance on his personal enemies but that the Lord will judge the wicked justly, a common theme in lament psalms (see note on Ps 69:22–28). Such judgment will publicly vindicate Jeremiah as the Lord’s messenger.

11:21 Anathoth. Jeremiah’s hometown and the location of his enemies (see 1:1 and note). As a priestly city, Jeremiah’s prophecies against the priests have not been well received. They are threatening him with death if he continues to prophesy.

11:22–23 False prophets, who faced little opposition (see Mic 2:11), will receive a fitting punishment (death), with no remnant left to them.

12:1–4 Jeremiah’s Complaint. Jeremiah asks the same question as that in Ps 37 and Ps 73: “Why does the way of the wicked prosper?” (v. 1; cf. Ps 37:1–2, 35–36; 73:3–20). In Jeremiah’s case, the plot against his life probably triggers this concern (Jer 11:19–23). Yet Jeremiah’s concern for justice and for righteous punishment for those of his own family who betray him is a small matter compared to the Lord’s anger at his people’s betrayal of him.

12:1–2 As a prophet, Jeremiah declared the Lord’s case against his people (2:9); but here he lays out his own case before God, the righteous judge. If “the wicked prosper,” it must be because the Lord has “planted them” since the Lord is sovereign (cf. 1:10), enabling them to grow like the fruitful tree that represents the righteous in Ps 1 (see Ps 1:3 and note). Yet they are hypocrites in their service to God. The Lord promises judgment “in the year of their punishment” (11:23), yet in the meantime, they seem to continue to prosper.

12:3 Drag them off like sheep. Since the wicked regard Jeremiah as a “lamb led to the slaughter” (11:19), it is only fitting that they share a similar fate. Yet the longer they continue untouched in their wickedness, the more people are emboldened in their sin and the more they deny the seriousness of Jeremiah’s words of impending judgment. Instead, they say, “He [Jeremiah] will not see what happens to us” (v. 4; i.e., they believe Jeremiah’s predictions of the future are false). Jeremiah’s attitude is similar to that of James and John, who ask Jesus if they can call down fire on those who oppose him (Luke 9:54).

12:5–17 The Lord’s Answer. The Lord gently rebukes Jeremiah. If Jeremiah is struggling like this when he has raced against only human adversaries, how will he fare if things get worse, metaphorically described as if he races against horses, which run much faster (v. 5)?

12:5 So far Jeremiah has operated in “safe country”; how will he survive in the more dangerous “thickets by the Jordan,” the home of lions and other dangerous wild animals (see Zech 11:3)? Jeremiah will face far greater challenges in the future than anything he has faced so far.

12:6 they have betrayed you. Just as Jeremiah cannot trust the members of his own family, the Lord has been betrayed by his own people and must “forsake” and “abandon” them (v. 7), giving his people into the hands of their enemies.

12:7–11 Poignantly, first person forms occur frequently in these verses, as if to emphasize the close relationship between the Lord and the nation and land that are now to be destroyed.

12:7 forsake my house. Foreshadows the departure of God’s glory from the Jerusalem temple in Ezek 8–11 and the ultimate abandonment of Christ, the true temple (John 2:19), on the cross.

12:9 speckled bird of prey. This pictures doom and death, with the carcasses of the people left exposed (see note on 7:33). birds of prey . . . wild beasts. The nations the Lord is calling against Judah.

12:10 shepherds. Kings of the nations who wreak destruction on the land and the people.

12:13 sow wheat but reap thorns. The idea of sowing but not reaping what you sowed and toiling for nothing are well-known futility curses in ancient Near Eastern covenants (cf. Hag 2:19).

12:14–17 The Abrahamic covenant is foundational, and Israel’s subsequent unfaithfulness cannot nullify it: those who harm Israel will do so to their own ultimate harm (Gen 12:1–3). After judging his people, the Lord will bring them back from exile. More than that, he will show compassion on the nations as well, as the Abrahamic covenant anticipated. They too will be restored if they turn from their idols and join the Lord’s people. But if they continue to be rebelliously committed to their idolatry, God will permanently destroy them. Just as Judah became like the nations and had to be judged, so too there is hope for the nations if they will repent.

13:1–11 A Linen Belt. Several prophets were instructed to perform sign-acts and speak in parables symbolizing the Lord’s plans for his people. This was particularly true of Jeremiah and Ezekiel, perhaps because both spoke to resistant audiences. The dramatic format engaged even those who did not want to listen to the prophet’s words.

13:1 a linen belt. An undergarment. Linen was costly, so this was a valuable item. Jeremiah uses it to perform the sign. It is to be worn once but is not to “touch water” to rule out the possibility of any damage.

13:4 Perath. The Hebrew name for the Euphrates River. But it is unlikely that the prophet would travel 350 miles (563 kilometers) to perform this action. More likely, this refers to a similarly named spring four miles (six kilometers) outside Anathoth. The similarity of the names deliberately highlights the region from which the symbolic destruction will come.

13:7 ruined. Predictably, the garment is spoiled when Jeremiah goes back to retrieve it.

13:9 In the same way. A sign-act is not a scientific experiment to uncover new facts but rather a demonstration of existing facts by means of a vivid analogy. Just as the belt was closely attached to Jeremiah’s waist (vv. 1, 11), the Lord closely attached Israel and Judah to himself (v. 11). But their pride, self-will, and idolatry ruined them, and they became as useless as the ruined garment (v. 10). The nation the Lord created for his “renown and praise and honor” (v. 11) became “useless” (v. 10).

13:12–14 Wineskins. As with the sign-act (vv.1–11), this parable states the obvious: “every wineskin should be filled with wine” (v. 12). What is less obvious is the application to Jeremiah’s hearers: God will fill the people and all their leaders with wine to the point of “drunkenness” (v. 13), i.e., he will make them act like drunkards, stumbling and reeling around (cf. Zech 9:15). Then he will “smash them one against the other” (v. 14), shattering them like clay wine jars, with “no pity or mercy or compassion” (v. 14).

13:15–27 Threat of Captivity. This message is tied together with the sign-act (vv. 1–11) and the parable (vv. 12–14) by the themes of pride and stumbling.

13:16 Give glory to the LORD your God. Sometimes a charge to confess sin (Josh 7:19; John 9:24). utter darkness. The same Hebrew word occurs in Ps 23:4 (“darkest valley”) to describe the trials through which the psalmist must go.

13:17 pride. Resists the call to confess, so the prophet laments the pride that will result in Judah’s exile.

13:18 king. Likely Jehoiachin. queen mother. Often exercised considerable power behind the scenes (1 Kgs 15:13). The Babylonians took both Jehoiachin and his mother into exile in 597 BC (2 Kgs 24:15). This poem is in the form of a lament, mourning the royal family’s downfall before it even occurs.

13:19 Negev. Southern region of Judah. Since the enemy is coming from the north, the whole country is overrun. The king was supposed to shepherd his flock (Ezek 34:1–24), but he failed in that mission.

13:21 Judah’s attempts to form political alliances against the Babylonians will be fruitless; indeed, the very nations they pursue as “special allies” will turn against them and join with the Babylonians.

13:22 your skirts have been torn off and your body mistreated. Describes Jerusalem’s destruction as a sexual assault. Since she has been so eager to commit spiritual adultery, prostituting herself with the surrounding nations, the punishment will fit the crime (cf. 3:8–9).

13:23 Ethiopian. See NIV text note; ancient Ethiopia-Cush is equivalent to modern Sudan. change his skin . . . its spots? These rhetorical questions expect a negative answer. Equally implausible is a change in Judah’s moral character.

13:24 chaff driven by the desert wind. A proverbial image of impermanence and destruction (see Ps 83:13).

13:26–27 Public exposure was part of the punishment for adultery (see Ezek 16:36–37; Nah 3:5).

14:1—15:21 Drought, Famine, Sword. Israel had been warned about the consequences of disobedience to the Mosaic covenant. These included drought, the sword, famine, and plague (Lev 26:19–20, 25–26). Jeremiah’s responsibility is to help the people understand the reason for these events.

14:1 This is the word of the LORD. The opening section of this chapter is a message from the Lord in which he describes the effect of the drought he has brought on his people.

14:4 cover their heads. A sign of grief and shame.

14:5-6 the doe . . . Wild donkeys. Were accustomed to the usual ebbs and flows in the water supply, but this drought will be so severe that even they cannot survive.

14:7 do something, LORD. Having described the situation of need in vv. 2–6, the prophet identifies with the people in confessing their sins and appealing to the Lord for help.

14:8 Since Israel bears God’s name (they belong to him), surely he will act to deliver them. Jeremiah asks why the Lord, “the hope of Israel,” has started acting distantly to his people.

14:10–12 At this point in a lament, after confession and supplication, there is sometimes an assurance of deliverance. But in this case, there is a confirmation of judgment. In place of Jeremiah’s “we,” the Lord responds with “they.”

14:12 fast . . . offerings. There is no real repentance in the hearts of the people, and so even if they were to undertake the appropriate religious mourning rituals of fasting and sacrifice, the Lord would not accept them. There is therefore no point in the prophet interceding any further for them (v. 11). sword, famine and plague. The classic curse triad that will be the punishment for their sins (1 Chr 21:12).

14:13–15 The false prophets continue to confuse the people by sending a message opposite to Jeremiah’s message (see 6:14–15; 8:10–11), declaring that there will be “lasting peace in this place” (v. 13). But this is not the Lord’s message to his people at this time, and the false prophets are therefore “prophesying lies” in the Lord’s name (v. 14). The Lord warned his people of this danger in Deut 18:20–22. The test of the true prophet was that his words would come true, and false prophets were to be put to death. The Lord will ultimately vindicate Jeremiah when his message of sword and famine comes true. In the process, the Lord will also cause the false prophets to die by the sword and the famine that they now deny.

14:17 Let my eyes overflow with tears. Jeremiah weeps over the effects of the Lord’s curse that he has just announced, just as Jesus later weeps over Jerusalem (Matt 23:37). Virgin Daughter. Israel. God describes her as she was in the beginning rather than as the adulterous woman she has become (13:26–27).

14:20–22 Jeremiah confesses the people’s sins and asks the Lord to intervene and deliver them. But God cannot accept Jeremiah’s intercession because the people do not share Jeremiah’s sorrow over sin, as the Lord said in vv. 11–12.

15:1–4 Even if Moses and Samuel, two archetypal prophets, were to intercede on behalf of the people, it would not change their fate. They are set in their course of sin, so their destiny is determined in one of four judgments: death, the sword, starvation, or captivity. The low point of Judah’s disobedience was Manasseh’s abominations (2 Kgs 21:1–16; 2 Chr 33:1–9), and from that point on the Babylonian exile was inevitable (2 Kgs 23:26–27).

15:6 You have rejected me. The Hebrew is emphatic. The problem is not that the Lord has rejected Judah, as the people claim (14:19); it is that they have rejected the Lord.

15:7 winnowing fork. Separates the grain from the chaff when they are thrown into the air; the wind carries the lighter chaff away. Judah is the “chaff” (13:24).

15:8 midday. Shows the supreme confidence of the invaders; they do not even attempt to conceal their attack.

15:10 Jeremiah laments that he was even born. Had he “lent” or “borrowed” money, there might be reason for people to hate him; financial obligations often complicate relationships. Yet he is universally hated without any reason, viewed as a man “with whom the whole land strives and contends”—an ironic reversal, since Jeremiah was the prosecuting attorney of the Lord’s contention against his people (see 2:9).

15:11 The Lord gently rebukes Jeremiah by assuring him that he has a good purpose for him (cf. 29:11) and will protect him until he accomplishes that good purpose.

15:12–14 The singular “you” (v. 14) is Judah. The Lord reminds Jeremiah of the message that he must still deliver to the people. Their confidence in their own strength is misplaced; they will be unable to break the “iron from the north” (v. 12). North is the direction from which their enemies will come (cf. 28:10–13).

15:15–18 The prophet is still disturbed and complains about his assignment.

15:16 When your words came, I ate them. Jeremiah internalized the Lord’s message that he had to deliver. Like Ezekiel (Ezek 2:8—3:3), Jeremiah found the message initially sweet. Yet his prophetic role isolated him from normal human companionship, and the message he received made him start to feel God’s own “indignation” toward the people (v. 17).

15:18 pain unending. Identifying both with the Lord and with his people, Jeremiah experiences unremitting pain. Whereas in 2:13 he described the Lord as a “spring of living water,” he now accuses God of being like a “deceptive brook,” a watercourse that dries up in the heat of summer and is not there when most needed. It seems to Jeremiah as if God has abandoned him in his hour of need.

15:19 If you repent. Jeremiah must lead the people in repentance and continue his prophetic work, uttering worthy words, unlike the false prophets. Then the Lord will deliver and protect him, making him into an impenetrable “wall of bronze” (v. 20). If the people only had ears to hear, they would likewise repent and be protected from the forthcoming day of disaster.

16:1—29:32 Opposition to Jeremiah’s Messages of Judgment. Jeremiah’s ministry faces constant opposition from kings, priests, and false prophets, as well as ordinary people. In particular, his message that the temple will be destroyed and the people taken into exile in Babylon seems at odds with earlier assurances of the Lord’s presence with Jerusalem (e.g., Ps 46), which makes the message of the false prophets even more attractive to the people.

16:1—17:18 Day of Disaster. The prophets were sometimes called to be signs themselves in their personal lives. Ezekiel was instructed not to mourn publicly when his wife died (Ezek 24:15–24) as a sign of the coming judgment, when there would be too many dead people for the proper mourning rites to be undertaken. Jeremiah’s highly unusual actions of not getting married and not engaging in mourning for the dead will be signs to the people of the certainty of his message.

16:2 You must not marry and have sons or daughters. Celibacy was not regarded as a more holy state in Israel; priests could marry, as could those who had taken a Nazirite vow of holiness to the Lord. Yet Jeremiah is not to marry or have children as a sign of the terrible fate that is coming on the land—a day when it will be easier not to have any close relationships, so as not to have to endure the pain of seeing loved ones suffer (v. 4). Also, when the Babylonians come they will make many childless.

16:5 funeral meal . . . mourn . . . show sympathy. Conventional cultural mourning practices. By not following these practices, Jeremiah will embody the Lord’s lack of love and pity toward his people. In the days to come, such practices will be suspended because of the scale of the disaster to come on Judah (vv. 6–7).

16:6 cut themselves . . . shave their head for the dead. Pagan rituals that Deut 14:1 forbids; including them in this list shows the extent to which paganism had invaded the culture.

16:8 feasting . . . eat and drink. These occur at celebrations such as weddings. The Lord will bring all such celebrations to an end (v. 9).

16:10 When . . . they ask you. The purpose of Jeremiah’s announcement is to make people ask him questions about why the Lord will bring such judgment upon them.

16:11 The reason for judgment is twofold: (1) their ancestors sinned when they “followed other gods,” “forsook” the Lord, and “did not keep [his] law”; and (2) more significant, the present generation is sinning in exactly the same way (v. 12). Serving other gods in exile is a fitting judgment for their sin of serving other gods in the land the Lord gave them (v. 13).

16:14 the days are coming. This message of judgment will not be the Lord’s last word in his relationship with his people. Instead, it is the precursor for a new and greater exodus in which he will bring his people back “out of the land of the north” (v. 15; i.e., Babylon; see notes on 1:13–15) and “out of all the countries” where they will be scattered. He will return them to their own land (v. 15).

16:16 fishermen . . . hunters. The Babylonians, whom the Lord will employ to relentlessly hunt his people down.

16:17 My eyes are on all their ways. It would normally be good news to hear the Lord say this (2 Chr 16:9), but here this means that they will be unable to hide from his judgment.

16:18 double. May mean “ample” or “full” punishment; however, it could also mean “an exact match,” as today we speak of an actor’s “double.” Deut 17:18 uses the same Hebrew word for an exact “copy” of the law. lifeless. In contrast to the living and life-giving God.

16:19–20 In contrast to the idolatry of his people (v. 18), Jeremiah himself proclaims the Lord alone as his “refuge.” In addition to the new exodus of the people, Jeremiah anticipates the day when the “nations” also will abandon their worthless idols and come to the Lord (Isa 2:2–4).

16:21 By bringing his people back from Babylon, the Lord will “teach” the nations his “power and might.” know that my name is the LORD. Recognize and acknowledge the Lord as the true God.

17:1 iron . . . flint. Hard materials, hard enough even to write on Judah’s stony “hearts” as well as on their “altars,” on which they offered their sinful sacrifices.

17:2 Asherah poles. Either living trees or wooden symbols representing the green trees that were associated with the fertility goddess Asherah (see NIV text note; see photo). spreading trees . . . high hills. See note on 2:20.

17:3 My mountain. This refers to Zion, the sacred home of the temple in Jerusalem. Some translations render it as “the mountains,” linking it with the “high hills” in v. 2.

17:5 man . . . mere flesh. The Hebrew words focus on human mortality as opposed to the matchless power of the living God.

17:6-8 bush in the wastelands . . . tree planted by the water. Ps 1 similarly contrasts the blessed person (who is like a “tree planted by streams of water” [Ps 1:3] that has leaves that are always green and that bears fruit in season) and the cursed person (who is dry and barren and whom the wind “blows away” [Ps 1:4]). In this context, it is also a reminder that true fertility and fruitfulness come from the Lord, not from Asherah (v. 2).

17:9 The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. The heart is not simply the seat of the emotions in the OT; it is the location of a person’s thoughts and beliefs (cf. Ezek 28:2). Because it is hidden, the heart is hard to understand (Prov 14:10).

17:10 mind. This word often occurs together with “heart” to indicate the most hidden recesses of a person. The Lord is a judge who searches both the “heart” and the “mind”; therefore, he is able to judge with absolute justice, rewarding “each person according to their conduct.” This is not good news given the deceitfulness of the human heart (see v. 9 and note; Ezek 9:10). However, the Lord is able to heal and transform even such a broken and dysfunctional organ, and he promises to do so under the new covenant (Jer 31:33; 32:40; cf. Ezek 36:26; Rom 5:5; Heb 10:22). That process is begun in the present in believers and will be completed on the “day of Christ Jesus” (Phil 1:6).

17:11 The proverbial inverse of the cuckoo, which lays eggs for others to raise, is the “partridge,” which reputedly hatches eggs that it did not lay. The point: people “who gain riches by unjust means” will find that, like fledglings, their riches will fly away from them and leave them abandoned and alone. These people are “fools,” which in the Bible points to moral (not intellectual) deficiency (see Ps 14:1 and NIV text note there).

17:12 sanctuary. The temple in Jerusalem, where the Lord reigned on his glorious throne (Isa 6:1); a place of refuge for those who trust in the Lord but not for those who forsake the Lord.

17:13 written in the dust. Perhaps (1) written down in insubstantial dust only to be blown away, or (2) written down for the judgment of death and decay. Either way, it is clear that God will judge those who forsake “the spring of living water” (see 2:13 and note).

17:14 Heal me. Psalms sometimes describe personal difficulty or trials in the metaphoric language of sickness, with deliverance then being an act of healing by the Lord (e.g., Ps 6). Unlike those who forsake the Lord, Jeremiah looks to the Lord for deliverance.

17:15 Jeremiah’s trial is that the words that he prophesies have not yet come true, which leads to skepticism about his message.

17:16 not run away from being your shepherd. Jeremiah has not shirked his responsibility as a prophet. not desired the day of despair. Jeremiah has not gloated over the message of destruction that he has been delivering.

17:17 Even though his hearers mock him, Jeremiah believes wholeheartedly in his message, so he prays that when the disaster he has been called to prophesy comes, the Lord will be his “refuge.”

17:18 double. See note on 16:18.

17:19–27 Keeping the Sabbath Day Holy. The Sabbath command was a key part of the Lord’s covenant with Israel (Exod 20:8–11; 31:12–18) as well as perhaps part of God’s design for humanity in the beginning (Gen 2:2–3). As the people of Israel submitted their time to the Lord’s kingship, the Sabbath was a sign that distinguished Israel from the surrounding nations. The coming exile will be in part a punishment for Israel’s failure to keep the Sabbath (Lev 26:34–35); the exile will be a time for the land to enjoy the Sabbath rests that it never experienced during Israel’s time of residence (2 Chr 36:21).

17:19 Gate of the People. Not mentioned elsewhere in Scripture; it must have been one of the many gates into Jerusalem. the kings of Judah. Probably included the royal princes.

17:21 carry a load. Forbidden on the Sabbath day since it was a form of work. In this case, it also served to advance another form of Sabbath breaking: trading on the Sabbath.

17:24–26 Jerusalem will continue to be the home of David’s descendants forever, as God promised (2 Sam 7:12–16), if the people carefully obey the Sabbath command. It will also remain the home of the temple, “the house of the LORD” (v. 26), the place to which people bring sacrifices from areas around Jerusalem.

17:26 hill country. The area of Judah west of Jerusalem. Negev. The area of Judah south of Jerusalem.

17:27 Covenantal unfaithfulness in Sabbath keeping will lead to the destruction of Jerusalem, including the temple and the house of David (ch. 22).

18:1—19:15 At the Potter’s House. Just as a potter has the right to shape the clay and reshape it if the first design doesn’t please him, so too the Lord has the right to deal with his rebellious people, whom he created.

18:3 wheel. A circular stone that was turned by foot so that the potter could produce round objects such as bowls and jugs.

18:4 marred. Malformed, so the potter simply presses the clay back into a lump and starts again.

18:6 Like clay in the hand of the potter. The object of the analogy in vv. 6–10 is Judah and Jerusalem’s relationship with the Lord.

18:7–10 The people of Judah assume that because the Lord entered a covenant with them, they can behave however they wish and still call on him in time of trouble. Yet the Lord declares that his relationship with a “nation or kingdom” (v. 7) can change based on the behavior of its people. He can threaten to uproot, tear down, and destroy a kingdom (v. 7) but then relent if the nation “repents of its evil” (v. 8). Alternatively, he can promise to build up or plant a kingdom but reconsider if they do not obey (vv. 9–10). The verbs in vv. 7, 9 (“uprooted, torn down and destroyed . . . built up and planted”) are all drawn from Jeremiah’s call in 1:10. This does not mean that God changes his mind, for he is outside time and does not change (Num 23:19). Yet we should not therefore think our actions have no significance. On the contrary, God’s dealings with a people, though foreordained from all eternity, nonetheless reflect their response to him. Hard-heartedness will lead to destruction, while repentance will lead to blessing. Of course, the specific application of the passage refers to nations receiving a prophetic word of blessing or curse, so it is not directly applicable to modern nation states, though it remains generally true that “righteousness exalts a nation, but sin condemns any people” (Prov 14:34).

18:11–12 Although the theoretical scenario sketched out in vv. 7–10 (see note on vv. 7–10) could result in blessing or curse, the immediate situation is bleak. The Lord warns his people that he is preparing a “plan” for their doom, but instead of repenting, they will stubbornly determine to continue with their own evil “plans.” There is no hope for them as long as they persist in this rebellion: the good promises of God will remain unfulfilled. However, the Lord’s words provide hope for the next generation. Though they will inherit the destruction of the exile, there can still be a positive outcome if they respond with repentance.

18:13 Virgin Israel. See note on 14:17.

18:14–15 The exact meaning of v. 14 is uncertain, though its point is clear: snow is consistently visible on the slopes of Mount Lebanon, and waters consistently flow from springs and the melting snows; nature is reliable in obeying the Lord’s laws (Ps 19:1–6). But Israel forgot the Lord, turning to “worthless idols” and abandoning “the ancient paths” (see note on 6:16).

18:16 lasting scorn. Reflects a gesture of astonishment and derision.

18:17 a wind from the east. A scorching wind from the desert that dries up and devastates the crops; it symbolizes destruction (see 4:11 and note). As Judah turned its back to the Lord (2:27), so he will now turn his back to them.

18:18 Instead of listening to Jeremiah’s words and repenting, the people’s response is to “make plans against Jeremiah,” proving the Lord’s assertion in v. 12. Jeremiah tells them that the Lord will turn his back to them (v. 17), which will terminate the communication between him and his people through the priest’s teaching of the law (Deut 33:10), the wise man’s thoughtful reflections on the nature of God’s world, and the prophets’ declaration of the word. They deny the truth of Jeremiah’s prophecy (17:15) and instead of submitting to the unwelcome truth, they determine to attack the messenger.

18:19 my accusers. This is often legal terminology. Jeremiah understands that their intention is more than merely to attack him with their tongues (v. 18). Their real intent is to put him to death (v. 23; see 11:19), perhaps on the grounds that he is a false prophet (Deut 18:20–22).

18:20–23 Jeremiah asks that the Lord vindicate the truth of his message by bringing upon his adversaries the righteous judgment that the Lord has announced will fall upon their children: “famine” and “the sword” (v. 21; see 14:15).

19:1 clay jar. Unlike wet clay that the potter can easily reshape into something else, a hardened vessel cannot be repaired once it is broken. In 1 Kgs 14:3, this kind of jar is used to carry honey. some . . . elders. They will be witnesses of Jeremiah’s sign-act.

19:2 Valley of Ben Hinnom. Where the people have been performing idolatrous child sacrifices (see 7:31). Potsherd Gate. A fitting location for the events that follow; potters may have dumped their broken vessels outside this gate, though there is no other reference to it in the Bible.

19:3 make the ears . . . tingle. A Hebrew idiom for a shocking catastrophe (1 Sam 3:11).

19:5 burn their children. See 7:31. Child sacrifice is normally associated with the god Molek, but here it is linked with the worship of Baal, the Canaanite fertility god. It is also possible that Baal (which means “lord”) functions here more as a title than a name and thus encompasses Molek.

19:6, 11, 12 Topheth. See note on 7:31.

19:7 plans. Recalls the people’s confidence that “counsel from the wise,” as well as their own plots to kill Jeremiah, will continue (18:18). Such plans will come to nothing; instead, they themselves will die, and their bodies will be left shamefully exposed for “the birds and the wild animals” (see 7:33 and note; cf. Deut 28:26).

19:9 A fitting judgment: instead of offering their children as sacrifices, their desperate hunger will be so great as a result of the Babylonian siege that they will eat their own “sons and daughters” (cf. Deut 28:53; Lam 2:20).

19:10–11 As a sign of what will happen to Judah and Jerusalem, Jeremiah is to “break” the clay jar. The symbolism is self-evident: just as the smashed jar could not be “repaired,” so too the city and nation will be destroyed.

19:13 defiled. By the presence of many corpses. The Lord cannot remain in such a defiled city. burned incense on the roofs to all the starry hosts. Probably related to worshiping Astarte/Ishtar, the Queen of Heaven (see 7:18 and note).

19:14 Since only a small number of the leaders were present at Topheth to witness the sign-act (v. 1), Jeremiah goes back to “the court of the LORD’s temple,” the spiritual center of Jerusalem, to repeat the central theme.

20:1–6 Jeremiah and Pashhur. Priests are at the center of the opposition to Jeremiah (see 11:21 and note) partly because they are one of the targets of his sharpest criticism (1:18). They are part of the central power structures in Jerusalem that Jeremiah declares are about to come to an end (18:18).

20:1 Pashhur. A common name; possibly the father of Gedaliah (38:1). official in charge of the temple of the LORD. Maintained order within the sacred precincts. Ironically, Pashhur chooses to maintain order by persecuting the Lord’s prophet rather than deal with the practices defiling the temple (identified by Jeremiah in ch. 7). The opposition endured by all the OT prophets foreshadows the opposition faced by Jesus as the final prophet (Luke 11:49–51).

20:2 in the stocks. Or possibly in a small, confined room. Upper Gate of Benjamin. A prominent gate into the temple area.

20:3–4 Jeremiah makes a wordplay between the name “Pashhur” (which sounds like the Aramaic phrase meaning “torn in pieces all around”) and the new name that God gives to the priest: Māgôr-missābîb (meaning “Terror on Every Side”; see note on 6:25). The new name describes the fate of Pashhur and all his friends.

20:5–6 Because Pashhur refuses to believe the Lord’s message, he and his friends will become living examples of its veracity: at the Lord’s decree, they will “go into exile to Babylon,” where they will die and be buried. Pashhur’s treatment of Jeremiah is functionally equivalent to the work of the false prophets who “prophesied lies,” denying the truth of Jeremiah’s words.

20:7–18 Jeremiah’s Complaint. Jeremiah cries out to God, lamenting his difficulties. Typically in laments the poet is wrestling with three subjects: God, his enemies, and himself. All three are present in vv. 7–9.

20:7 Jeremiah’s central struggle is with God: “You deceived me.” Jeremiah begins to question the Lord’s purpose in his call. deceived. In 1 Kgs 22:20–22 the same Hebrew verb (translated “entice”) describes the Lord’s strategy of employing the false prophets who told Ahab what he wanted to hear instead of the unwelcome truth that Micaiah brought. God is able to use sinful agents to accomplish his holy purposes. The verb’s use here shows that Jeremiah is not reading the situation rightly. He accuses God of using him like one of those false prophets, perhaps because none of his prophecies have yet been fulfilled. In reality, his role is to be like Micaiah, telling the truth in a hostile situation (1 Kgs 22:13–14).

20:8–9 Jeremiah struggles with his own body: if he tries not to speak the words God has given him, it feels like a fire burning in his bones.

20:10 Jeremiah’s struggle is not just with God and his own body (see notes on 20:7–9); it is also with the enemies who mock him and ridicule him. The prophet brings out all of these difficulties with which he is wrestling and lays them out before the Lord. Terror on every side! See 20:3 and note on 20:3–4. Denounce him! They hope that he is “deceived” and that his predictions are false, which means that they can take action against him (“take our revenge”).

20:11–13 As with many laments, the prophet turns from describing his own difficult situation to expressing confidence in the Lord and his protection as “a mighty warrior” (v. 11). He has entrusted his cause to the Lord and will wait to see the Lord act to vindicate him (v. 12). After the words of confidence, there are words of praise to the Lord, words that anticipate already the Lord’s answer to his petitions (v. 13).

20:14 Cursed be the day I was born! Uttering his lament does not resolve Jeremiah’s painful feelings. At the end of his earlier laments (11:18–20; 15:10), there were words of encouragement from the Lord, but here the prophet is plunged back into depression and despair. He pronounces a curse on the day on which he was born.

20:15 Jeremiah pronounces a curse on the man who brought his father the news of Jeremiah’s birth. Normally, one bringing such joyous tidings could expect a blessing for it.

20:16 towns the LORD overthrew without pity. Probably Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen 18:24–25).

20:17 Jeremiah claims it would have been better for him to have been killed before birth than to face such a difficult life. Job made a similar wish in Job 3:11–19.

21:1–14 The Lord Rejects Zedekiah’s Request. Zedekiah wants Jeremiah to inquire of the Lord on his behalf—not because he is repentant but because he is desperate for any possible source of help.

21:1 Zedekiah. The last king of Judah (597–586 BC; see 2 Kgs 24:18–25:21). He foolishly rebels against Babylon, trusting in Egypt to come to his aid; in the aftermath, Jerusalem itself is destroyed. Pashhur son of Malkijah. A different person than Pashhur son of Immer (20:1–6). Zephaniah. Called “the priest next in rank” to the chief priest in 2 Kgs 25:18. This is not the same person as the prophet Zephaniah.

21:2 Inquire now of the LORD. People seeking direction could go to a prophet and ask him to inquire of God on their behalf (e.g., 2 Kgs 3:11; 22:13). But such inquiries were not always acceptable since they might be viewed as a form of pagan divination (Ezek 20:1–3). Repentance was necessary if God was to receive the inquiry. Nebuchadnezzar. The original Hebrew spelling is Nebuchadrezzar (see NIV text note), which more closely reflects the ancient Babylonian form of the name. wonders. Miraculous acts of deliverance. in times past. For example, in the days of Hezekiah (2 Kgs 19:35–36).

21:4–7 The Lord rebuffs Zedekiah’s appeal because Zedekiah rebelled against the Lord as well as Babylon (2 Kgs 24:19). As a result, the Lord will not fight for Zedekiah; he will fight against him (v. 5), assuring his defeat (v. 7).

21:5 with an outstretched hand and a mighty arm. Recalls the wonders the Lord did for his people in the exodus (Deut 5:15). This time that same marvelous power will be used against his people, not for them.

21:7 plague, sword and famine. See note on 14:12. Even those who survive these curses will be handed over to their enemies.

21:8 I am setting before you the way of life and the way of death. This echoes Deut 30:19, where the choice is between obeying the Lord (leading to fullness of life) or turning away from the Lord (leading to death). Having already chosen the latter path, the people’s only choice now is between death (if they remain in the city) or a prisoner’s life (if they surrender to the Babylonians). Nonetheless, those who make the latter choice will at least live, while those who continue their rebellion within the city will face certain death (v. 9).

21:10 The ultimate agent of their destruction will be not the Babylonians but the Lord, who has “determined to do this city harm” because of all the sins of its inhabitants. The book of Lamentations witnesses to the brutal effects of the Babylonian siege of Jerusalem.

21:11 the royal house of Judah. The current king in the line of David embodied the sin of the people. How tragic!

21:12 Administer justice . . . rescue from . . . the oppressor. The job of the king (Ps 72:1–2; see introduction to Ps 72). Since Judah’s kings have failed to do this, the Lord’s wrath burns against them.

21:13 Their confidence in Jerusalem’s inaccessible location “on the rocky plateau” is misplaced. The Jebusites had a similarly misplaced confidence in David’s day (see 2 Sam 5:6–7).

22:1–30 Judgment Against Wicked Kings. In these next chapters, Jeremiah interacts very directly with the kings of Judah, as many other prophets had done before him (e.g., Isa 7), warning that the line of David will be judged and brought to an end before ultimately being restored.

22:1 the king of Judah. Which king is not clear, perhaps because the following messages address several kings (Jehoahaz, Jehoiakim, Jehoiachin, and Zedekiah) who all failed in essentially the same ways. They sat on David’s throne but didn’t follow David’s ways. Isa 11:1–3 anticipates the coming of a future king of David’s line who will rule with justice and righteousness, unlike these final kings of Judah.

22:3 foreigner . . . fatherless . . . widow. Vulnerable groups of society without a strong protector and therefore the objects of the Lord’s special care (see Exod 22:22–24 and note).

22:4, 5 palace. Can denote the king’s family as well as the royal residence. The future of the Davidic line was dependent upon their continued faithfulness (cf. 17:25). If they were unfaithful, the king’s palace would “become a ruin.”

22:6 Gilead . . . Lebanon. Famous for their forests, which produced the finest cedars, including those that made the palace of the king so beautiful (1 Kgs 7:2–3).

22:7 send. The language of holy war (see Introduction to Deuteronomy: Themes and Theology [Holy War]). destroyers. See note on 4:7; they will turn the palace into firewood (Ps 74:4–8).

22:10–12 People mourned and wept intensely at the death of King Josiah, who died in battle at Megiddo (2 Chr 35:24), yet Jeremiah declares that there should be greater mourning for Josiah’s son Shallum (also known as Jehoahaz, see NIV text note; 2 Kgs 23:31–34), who was exiled to Egypt after reigning for only three months as king in 609 BC. He will never return.

22:13–14 Jehoahaz followed the oppressive practice of forced labor in order to rebuild and enlarge his palace, which he paneled with expensive cedar and painted in extravagant red, or vermillion. For all its beauty, it will not last for long (see vv. 6–7).

22:15 He did what was right and just. Josiah, Jehoahaz’s father, was a righteous king, doing what was right and defending the weak and the helpless (v. 16), as the Lord commanded (v. 3).

22:16 what it means to know me. Josiah’s actions (v. 15) demonstrated that he knew the Lord, i.e., that he had a relationship with the Lord as his servant.

22:17 Unlike his father Josiah (v. 16), Jehoahaz had no interest in such knowledge of God. As a result, he oppressed the poor and needy, shedding the blood of those he was supposed to protect, so that he could multiply his possessions.

22:18 Jehoiakim. An oppressive ruler (609–598 BC) put on the throne by the Egyptians after they defeated his brother Jehoahaz. He was the exact opposite of the model of justice and righteousness the Lord desired (v. 3; 21:12). No one will lament Jehoiakim’s death in the way one laments the death of family members (“brother . . . sister”) or even a worthy employer (“master”). Instead, his body will be treated like the carcass of a “donkey” (v. 19), an unclean animal, which is dumped unceremoniously outside the city gate.

22:20–23 The prophecy broadens out to address all of the inhabitants of Judah. They should go up on a high mountain to lament their fate.

22:20 Lebanon. In the north. Bashan. To the northeast. Abarim. To the southeast. allies. The nations Judah trusted to help them rebel against Babylon.

22:21 Because of their political alliances, Judah felt secure even though the Lord sent his prophets repeatedly to warn them.

22:22 wind. Often represents the Lord’s judgment; here it extends to all “the shepherds” (kings) of Judah.

22:23 Lebanon. The cedar-paneled buildings of the palace (see NIV text note; see also v. 14), named after the place from which the cedar came. Yet they will provide no protection (vv. 6–7).

22:24 As surely as I live. The Lord swears an oath by himself to underscore how certain this event is (see Heb 6:16–17). Jehoiachin. Hebrew Coniah; also called Jeconiah (24:1 and NIV text note there); the “son of Jehoiakim.” He succeeded Jehoiakim as king, though he reigned for only three months (598–597 BC) before being exiled to Babylon (2 Kgs 24:8–17). signet ring. A precious and carefully protected object since it was used to seal documents and certify the authenticity of contracts and edicts. Jehoiachin, as a Davidic king, ought to have the special, protected status of a royal signet ring before the Lord; however, the Lord declares that Jehoiachin will be cast off and handed over to Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonians (v. 25).

22:26 The Babylonians will take Jehoiachin and his mother to Babylon (fulfilled in 2 Kgs 24:15), where both will die (though Jehoiachin is eventually released from prison; 2 Kgs 25:27–30). After he is taken into exile, the Babylonians place Jehoiachin’s uncle, Zedekiah, on the throne. Zedekiah, however, dies in the aftermath of the final destruction of Jerusalem, while Jehoiachin lives on in exile. Yet God’s promise of a lasting royal line for David is not forgotten (23:5), and Hag 2:23 reverses the prophecy of the signet ring (see note on v. 24): the postexilic Davidic governor Zerubbabel is restored to that same protected status (Hag 2:23).

22:28 despised, broken pot. Like the shattered vessel of ch. 19.

22:29 land, land, land. The triple repetition adds emphasis, like the triple repetition of the word “holy” in Isa 6:3. The land is called as a witness of the impending judgment.

22:30 Jehoiachin will be recorded as “childless” even though he has seven sons (1 Chr 3:17–18), because he and all of his children die in exile. His grandson, Zerubbabel, later becomes the governor of Judah after the return from exile, but he is not a king (Hag 1:1).

23:1–8 The Righteous Branch. In spite of the declaration of an end to the rule of the Davidic line in Jehoiachin, God nonetheless still has a future for that line in the person of a future Messianic king, the Branch.

23:1, 2 shepherds. Leaders (see note on 2:8), especially the kings of Judah, who failed to take care of God’s people. Without a caring shepherd, the sheep are scattered and left vulnerable to predators (cf. Ezek 34).

23:2 bestowed care on . . . bestow punishment on. A play on words: this uses a single Hebrew verb with two meanings. In English, the phrase “to take care of someone” can have the same positive or negative connotations.

23:3 I myself will gather . . . my flock. The Lord is himself the good shepherd (Ps 23:1; Ezek 34:11). Judah’s kings reigned as representatives of the Lord. Jesus declares that he is the Good Shepherd (John 10:14), claiming to fulfill this Messianic promise. The good shepherd’s job is to protect and care for the sheep, gathering them safely together (v. 4; John 10:14–16).

23:5 righteous Branch. Zedekiah means “the LORD is righteous,” but Zedekiah is anything but righteous. After him there are no more Davidic kings on the throne of Judah. In his place, the Lord ultimately brings a new offspring from the line of David, a “righteous Branch,” i.e., a new growth that is not the main stem. Isaiah speaks in similar terms of a new beginning for the line of David, a “shoot . . . from the stump of Jesse” (Isa 11:1). Other passages also promise a coming “Branch” (33:15; Isa 4:2; Zech 3:8; 6:12). This “Branch” was already recognized as a Messianic figure in the Targum (an ancient Aramaic paraphrase). In contrast to Zedekiah and Jehoiakim, he will “reign wisely” and “do what is just and right” (22:3; cf. 22:13).

23:6 This righteous king (see note on v. 5) will save his people (see Zech 9:9), unlike the Davidic kings of those days whose folly and sin brought catastrophe upon Jerusalem (22:20–23). He will not be called Zedekiah (“the LORD is righteous”) but Yahweh Tsidkenu (“the LORD is our righteousness”). The righteousness that the Lord will provide will enable the people to “live in safety,” experiencing the blessings promised in the Sinai covenant (Lev 26:5; see Deut 28:1–14) rather than the curses they had merited through their own disobedience (Deut 28:15–68).

This promise finds its fulfillment in Jesus, the true son of David (Matt 1:1), in whom we are “blessed . . . with every spiritual blessing” (Eph 1:3). He is “the Holy and Righteous One” (Acts 3:14), the Lord who clothes us with his righteousness (Rev 7:13–14). Yet in Matthew’s Gospel it is the blind, Gentiles, and children who recognize that Jesus is indeed the Son of David (Matt 9:27; 15:22; 20:30–31; 21:9), while the influential Pharisees cannot see it (Matt 12:23–24; 22:41–46).

23:7–8 This act of salvation by God in bringing the remnant of his people back from exile will be so dramatic that it will eclipse even the exodus. As a result, people will no longer swear oaths by “the LORD . . . who brought the Israelites up out of Egypt” but by “the LORD . . . who brought the descendants of Israel up out of the land of the north.” In Luke 9:31, the redemption that Christ accomplished on the cross is explicitly called his “exodus” in Greek (NIV “departure”; see NIV text note on Luke 9:31).

23:8 land of the north. Babylon (see notes on 1:13–15), as well as the other countries where the Judahites are scattered.

23:9–32 Lying Prophets. The Lord warned his people in Deut 18:20–22 that false prophets would come. Yet Jeremiah is distraught at the ease with which they deceive the people. The people prefer to listen to false prophets because, rather than announce the difficult truth, they tell the people what they want to hear. These false prophets did not stand in the Lord’s council; the Lord did not commission them to go and contend with the nation and declare words of judgment and hope. The Lord did not send them, yet they speak as if he did. Their fate and the fate of those who listen to them is deserved.

23:9 The Lord’s words are “holy,” unlike the unholy words of the false prophets (vv. 16–18), and they consume Jeremiah, making his “bones tremble” (cf. 20:9). This is an experience about which the false prophets know nothing.

23:10 adulterers. Those who are spiritually unfaithful to the Lord. They bring a “curse” upon the land in the shape of drought (14:1–6).

23:11 prophet and priest. They should represent the Lord to the people, but they are “godless” (14:8). This message (vv. 9–32) focuses on the prophets.

23:13 prophets of Samaria . . . prophesied by Baal. The prophets of the former northern kingdom of Israel had been perverted in the time of Ahab and Jezebel (and other kings) and had led Israel astray (1 Kgs 16:31; 18:18–40; 2 Kgs 17:16–20). Jeremiah’s hearers (Judahites) likely agreed with this assessment of their former neighbors.

23:14 prophets of Jerusalem. Jeremiah compares them to the former false prophets of Samaria (see note on v. 13)—a comparison his hearers (Judahites) find offensive. Instead of seeking to turn people from their sins, which was the work of true prophets (Ezek 3:18–19), false prophets simply confirmed “evildoers” in their wickedness. Not only are the prophets of Jerusalem like the prophets of Israel, but the “people of Jerusalem” are like the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah, whom the Lord destroyed for their sins (Gen 19:1–29).

23:15 bitter food . . . poisoned water. See 9:15.

23:16 false hopes. Hebrew hebel, translated “vanity” (KJV) or “meaningless” (NIV) in Ecclesiastes (see, e.g., Eccl l:2). visions from their own minds. See 14:14.

23:17 The false prophets declare “peace” to those at enmity with the Lord (see 6:14; 8:11). In this respect, they are like the preachers of a “different gospel” in Gal 1:6.

23:18 council of the LORD. The heavenly courtroom where the Lord commissions his servants and gives them their marching orders (1 Kgs 22:19–23; Isa 6:1–13). Only those whom he called into his presence had an authentic message to declare.

23:19 The Bible often depicts the Lord’s awesome presence as a “storm” or “whirlwind” (see Job 38:1; Ezek 1:4), though here it could simply be a storm sent by God.

23:20 In days to come. God will vindicate the message of the true prophet when the prophecy comes true (Deut 18:22). The imminent destruction of Jerusalem will vindicate Jeremiah’s words of wrath and reveal the false prophets’ words of peace to be lies.

23:23 a God nearby . . . a God far away. The Lord is not, like the pagan gods, tied to one locality. He rules over near and far.

23:24 God rules over the entire universe, filling “heaven and earth.” There will be nowhere safe for the false prophets to run and “hide” on the day of judgment.

23:25–27 The false prophets claim to have had dreams. God did sometimes reveal himself through dreams in those days (Num 12:6), but the proof that their dreams were false is that their effect was intended to make the people forget the Lord’s name. Such dreamers were subject to the death penalty (Deut 13:1–5).

23:28–29 Their dreams are as different from the true revelation of God’s word as valueless straw is different from precious grain. God’s word is like “fire” and a crushing “hammer” compared to their insipid and irrelevant pronouncements.

23:30 Their false pronouncements are not even original: they steal words from one another and pretend that they come from the Lord.

23:33–40 False Prophecy. The people’s constant desire for a new message from the Lord might sound spiritual, but it is an act of rebellion since they are refusing to listen to the clear message he has already given them through the prophets. For that reason, the Lord will punish anyone who falsely claims to have a new message from him.

23:33 message. Can mean “burden”; it is typically used of judgment messages. There is a play on words here: when the people ask, “What is the message [burden] from the LORD?” Jeremiah is to reply, in effect, “ ‘What is the burden? You are the burden, and I will put you down,’ declares the LORD.” declares the LORD. Occurs more often in the book of Jeremiah than it does in the other prophetic books, perhaps precisely because of the intensity of Jeremiah’s conflict with false prophecy.

24:1–10 Two Baskets of Figs. Many people, including the king himself, were carried into exile by the Babylonians in the days of Jehoiachin. Those who remain in Jerusalem regard those in exile as under the curse of God and as morally inferior to themselves. Jeremiah declares that the reverse is true: the better people have gone into exile, while God’s curse is about to fall on all those left in Jerusalem.

24:1 In 597 BC a significant group of “officials” and “skilled workers” were taken to exile in Babylon along with King Jehoiachin (e.g., 2 Kgs 24:12–14). It was standard Babylonian policy to remove leaders and artisans from captured territories to make it harder for those conquered nations to rebel in the future. The prophet Ezekiel was among those exiled at this time.

24:2 Jeremiah compares the groups taken and left behind to two baskets of figs. One basket has “very good figs”—the kind that “ripen early,” while the other basket contains “very bad figs,” so bad they cannot be eaten. The description of these figs and the location of the baskets “in front of the temple” (v. 1) suggest that this is a kind of firstfruits offering: the good figs are an acceptable offering, while the bad figs are rejected (see note on Num 15:20).

24:5 good figs. The exiles, whom the Lord will protect in exile and bring back.

24:6 build . . . plant . . . not uproot. God’s plan for the exiles (see 1:10 and note).

24:7 a heart to know me. The Lord will transform the exiles through their experience of exile, giving them a new heart and establishing a new covenant relationship with them (see 31:31–33 and notes).

24:8 bad figs. Those who “remain in this land” (Judah) or flee to Egypt (see ch. 43). They are under the Lord’s curse and will die by “the sword, famine and plague” (v. 10; see 14:12 and note).

25:1–14 Seventy Years of Captivity. Though the coming judgment will be devastating for those who remain in the land of Judah, it will not be the end of God’s purposes for his people. At the end of 70 years—a full lifetime (Ps 90:10)—the Lord will bring back those who are in exile.

25:1 fourth year of Jehoiakim. 605 BC. This same year Jeremiah dictates a scroll of prophecies to his scribe Baruch, which is then subsequently read to Jehoiakim, who rejects its message (36:4–25).

25:3 thirteenth year of Josiah. 628/27 BC, when Jeremiah’s own ministry began (see 1:2; Introduction: Author and Date). He has been preaching fruitlessly now for 23 years. He is not the only true prophet in Judah at this time: Uriah (26:20–23), Zephaniah, and Habakkuk also prophesy during this same approximate period, but the people do not listen.

25:5–6 A summary of the message of all the prophets.

25:7 you have brought harm to yourselves. In the past, the door was open for the people to repent and be restored, but since they did not listen, they are now responsible for the negative outcome.

25:9 all the peoples of the north. Allies of Babylon. Because the Lord is the living God who controls all of history, he can pronounce doom in specific terms, naming the man who will bring devastation on his people: Nebuchadnezzar (cf. Isa 44:24–28, which announces the rise of Cyrus). my servant. Though Nebuchadnezzar, ruler of a vast and powerful empire, has his own sinful reasons for waging war, those are subject to the Lord’s purposes. He is merely the Lord’s vassal king who must do his overlord’s bidding. completely destroy. As they were supposed to have destroyed the earlier inhabitants of Canaan during the conquest of the land (Deut 7:2). Judah has become like the Canaanites in their worship and behavior, so they will suffer the same fate as the Canaanites. See Introduction to Deuteronomy: Themes and Theology (Holy War). everlasting. Hebrew ʿ ôlām; often means “everlasting” but occasionally means simply a lengthy period of time. In this case, the subsequent verses make it clear that after 70 years, those in exile will come back and begin to restore the land.

25:10 sounds of joy and gladness . . . sound of millstones . . . light of the lamp. Marks of routine life that the coming invasion will thoroughly disrupt.

25:11 seventy years. Represents a full lifetime (Ps 90:10), indicating that none of those who go into exile can expect to return alive. The immediate context applies the 70 years to the time from the first deportation in 605 BC to the fall of Babylon in 539 BC (see Dan 9:1–2). For other possibilities, see note on 2 Chr 36:21.

25:12 I will punish the king of Babylon and his nation . . . for their guilt. Even though the Lord will employ Babylon as his agent of destruction, the Babylonians will be responsible for their own brutal actions, which will incur a debt of “guilt.” The result will be that just as the Babylonians make the land of Judah desolate forever, so also their land will be made “desolate forever.”

25:13 Jeremiah’s prophecies will be vindicated not merely in the fall of Jerusalem but also a lifetime later when the Medes and Persians destroy Babylon. Those who assault the Lord’s people will pay the penalty, as the Abrahamic covenant requires (Gen 12:1–3). this book. Suggests that Jeremiah’s prophecies are to be written down as a permanent record.

25:15–38 The Cup of the Lord’s Wrath. Judgment is often compared to drinking a cup filled with an intoxicating beverage, resulting in disorientation and confusion (cf. Isa 51:17–23; Hab 2:16), which foreshadows God’s final judgment on the nations, represented by Babylon (Rev 18:6). This is the cup that Christ drained for us on the cross (Matt 26:39, 42) so that we might drink the cup of blessing instead (1 Cor 10:16).

25:17–26 Jerusalem and Judah must drink this cup first, and then it will be passed to their neighbors. The list of nations is the same as that in the messages against the nations in chs. 46–51, except for Damascus. The list runs from south to north, beginning with Egypt, which will be Judah’s hope for deliverance from the Babylonian assault. It includes nations that ally themselves to the Babylonians, such as Edom (see the book of Obadiah), as well as those who join Judah in rebelling against them.

25:26 Sheshak. Babylon, according to a simple cryptogram in which the first letter of the alphabet is switched with the last, the second with the second-to-last, and so on (the Hebrew consonants for Babylon, bbl, become ššk; see NIV text note).

25:28 You must drink it! If judgment begins with the house of God for their sins, judgment must also be carried out on the other nations for their sins (1 Pet 4:17). No one can refuse to drink this cup. This historical judgment foreshadows the final judgment, when the Lord will crush all remaining opposition to his rule.

25:30 tread the grapes. To squeeze out the wine. Those doing so become covered with red juice, which becomes a potent image for judgment in the Scriptures (Isa 63:1–6; Rev 14:19–20). It is a time of great celebration that is associated with singing, cheering, and shouting for joy (cf. Isa 16:10). shout. Here linked with the Lord’s roaring like a lion that has captured its prey (Amos 3:4).

25:32 Ezekiel also depicts the Lord’s coming judgment as a “mighty storm” (Ezek 1:4; cf. Jer 23:19).

25:33 The devastation will be so overwhelming that no one will be able to mourn or bury the dead (8:2).

25:34, 35, 36 shepherds. Kings and leaders of the nations.

25:34 roll in the dust. To symbolize mourning and grief. you will fall like the best of the rams. See NIV text note, but in this context speaking about shepherds, the imagery of rams seems more likely.

25:38 Like a lion. See v. 30 and note (“shout”). There will be no escape from the Lord’s wrath. The “sword” of judgment is coming on all nations, first in the form of Babylon (v. 9) and then in judgment upon Babylon itself (v. 26).

26:1–24 Jeremiah Threatened With Death. In ch. 7, Jeremiah preaches a powerful message against the temple in Jerusalem. This passage records how the people respond to that message and how the Lord protects his servant from death.

26:1 Early in the reign of Jehoiakim. Sometime in 609 BC. Ch. 25 describes events in the “fourth year of Jehoiakim” (25:1), so the prophecies are not recorded chronologically (see Introduction: Outline).

26:2–6 This summarizes Jeremiah’s sermon in ch. 7. If the Judahites do not listen to Jeremiah’s message, the Lord will make the temple in Jerusalem “like Shiloh” (v. 6), the earlier home of the ark of the covenant. When the priests and the people in those days were unfaithful, the Lord abandoned them, sent the ark into exile among the Philistines, and gave Shiloh over to destruction (1 Sam 4; see note on Jer 7:12–15). If the Judahites do not listen to the Lord’s “servants the prophets” (v. 5), the same fate will befall Jerusalem.

26:8 You must die! The people display their attitude to the Lord’s message by how they respond to the Lord’s messenger (see 20:1–2 and note on 20:1; Matt 21:35–36). They are ready to kill Jeremiah for speaking the Lord’s words. Death was the appropriate punishment for a false prophet (Deut 13:5), but these people leave false prophets unharmed while seeking to kill the true prophet.

26:10 officials. They come to restore order. entrance of the New Gate. The place of judgment. A trial is immediately convened there.

26:11 “The priests and the prophets” again demand Jeremiah’s death.

26:12 The LORD sent me. Jeremiah’s defense rests in the Lord’s sending him to prophesy these things. Of course, only subsequent history can vindicate that defense, so the court may or may not believe him.

26:15 To execute Jeremiah at this point is to risk bringing “the guilt of innocent blood” on themselves and the city. The Lord condemned such unjust killings (e.g., Deut 19:13).

26:16 The people are initially on the side of the priests and prophets, who are against Jeremiah (v. 8). But once the people have time to consider, they join the officials against the priests and prophets in defending Jeremiah since he spoke “in the name of the LORD.”

26:17–19 Jeremiah’s case is assisted by some of the elders, who remind the people of the prophecy of Mic 3:12, which warned centuries earlier of the coming day when Zion would be “plowed like a field.” Far from putting Micah to death, Hezekiah heeded Micah’s warning and repented, which delivered the city from immediate destruction. If they put Jeremiah to death and he is indeed a messenger of the Lord, they will “bring a terrible disaster” on themselves (v. 19). Unfortunately, even though the people spare Jeremiah’s life, they don’t follow Hezekiah’s example of repentance.

26:20–23 Jeremiah is fortunate. Uriah, another prophet with a similar message in those days, was put to death by King Jehoiakim, who sent envoys to hunt Uriah down in Egypt, where he had fled. Since the Egyptians had put Jehoiakim in his position as king, he was able to get Uriah extradited to stand trial for treason. Jeremiah could easily have suffered a similar fate.

26:24 Shaphan. A key leader in the reforms of Josiah’s days (2 Kgs 22:3–14). He had at least three sons who followed in his footsteps: Ahikam, Elasah (29:3), and Gemariah (who later tries to persuade Jehoiakim to heed the scroll of Jeremiah’s prophecies; 36:11–26). Shaphan’s grandson, Gedaliah, later becomes governor of Judah after the fall of Jerusalem (39:14; 40:5–16). Ahikam’s support helps keep Jeremiah alive in this dangerous environment.

27:1–22 Judah to Serve Nebuchadnezzar. This chapter covers events eight years after the events of ch. 26. The common theme is the fierce opposition to Jeremiah’s consistent message of Jerusalem’s destruction.

27:1 Zedekiah. See NIV text note. Zedekiah is clearly the correct name from what follows (see vv. 3, 12; 28:1). The scribal error (“Jehoiakim” rather than “Zedekiah”) is probably due to the close similarity of this verse and 26:1.

27:2 Make a yoke. Another prophetic sign-act (cf. chs. 13; 19). Its power is in its simplicity and self-explanatory nature.

27:3 send word. Alternatively this phrase can mean “send them,” perhaps suggesting that Jeremiah make individual yokes to be delivered to each of the envoys, which would send a clear message for them to take home. The kings of the surrounding nations come to Judah to discuss rebelling against Nebuchadnezzar, possibly because of internal dissension in the Babylonian Empire at this time.

27:4–7 The prophet does not soften his message to these foreigners: he asserts that the Lord made the earth, along with its people and animals; therefore, it is his to give to whomever he chooses. The Lord is giving them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar (v. 6).

27:6 my servant. See note on 25:9. make even the wild animals subject to him. Nebuchadnezzar’s power is likened to the power Adam possessed before the fall. If Nebuchadnezzar is given power to tame such untamable creatures, how much more easily will he crush human rebellions?

27:7 his son and his grandson. May refer to those who succeeded Nebuchadnezzar as king, not necessarily those physically descended from him. Though two of his sons did indeed succeed him, the dynasty came to an end with them. subjugate him. Babylon’s reign will not be forever: its time too will come.

27:8 Any nation that refuses to submit to Babylon will be cursed with “the sword, famine and plague,” just like rebellious Judah (see 14:12 and note).

27:9 prophets . . . diviners . . . interpreters of dreams . . . mediums . . . sorcerers. These will prove no more reliable than Judah’s own false prophets. Deut 18:9–13 forbids Israel to use these means of discerning the future.

27:10–11 If the nations resist Nebuchadnezzar, they will be banished to Babylon, but if they submit to his God-given authority, the Lord (not merely Nebuchadnezzar!) will allow them to remain in their own land.

27:12–15 The message to Zedekiah is exactly the same as the one delivered to the surrounding nations.

27:16 articles from the LORD’s house. The gold, silver, and bronze utensils that Nebuchadnezzar took in 605 BC (Dan 1:1–2) and 597 BC (2 Kgs 24:10–13). These were highly symbolic because they were dedicated to the Lord. They will remain in Babylon until the Lord retrieves them (v. 22), which will not happen until the days of the Persian king Cyrus. That is still almost 70 years away at this point, not “very soon” as the false prophets claim. The return of these items will provide an important element of continuity between those who return from exile and the preexilic community, a tangible point of contact with the temple Solomon built.

27:18 If they are prophets. True prophets will spend their time interceding with the Lord (see note on 7:16) so that the remaining articles from the temple do not go to Babylon also.

27:19–22 The Lord has already decided the fate of these articles. When Nebuchadnezzar destroys Jerusalem in 586 BC, he will take away the articles that were too big to remove earlier.

27:19 bronze Sea. A massive basin (see 1 Kgs 7:23 and note) that held the water used by the priests to wash (see note on Exod 30:17–21). It was called the “Sea” because it represented the Lord’s victory over the chaotic forces of nature, which had been symbolically domesticated within his dwelling place. Many articles from the temple will return from Babylon with those who return to Jerusalem in the time of Cyrus (Ezra 1:7–8; 5:13–17).

28:1–17 The False Prophet Hananiah. This chapter contains a specific example of Jeremiah’s confrontation with false prophecy in the person of Hananiah, who declares the imminent return of the temple vessels and the people who are already in exile.

28:1 that same year. The events of ch. 28 are linked with those of ch. 27. Gibeon. A few miles/kilometers west of Anathoth, Jeremiah’s hometown.

28:2 yoke of the king of Babylon. See 27:2–6 and note on 27:2.

28:3 articles of the LORD’s house. See 27:16 and note. This prophecy directly contradicts Jeremiah’s prophecy, which means that one of them must be a false prophet. Jeremiah has prophesied a 70-year exile (25:11), while Hananiah expects the temple articles to be brought back “within two years.”

28:4 Jeremiah has declared that Jehoiachin will die in exile (22:27); Hananiah says that Jehoiachin and all the other exiles will return home soon.

28:6 Amen! “May it be so!” Jeremiah wishes Hananiah’s prophecy were true. He takes no pleasure in predicting the destruction of his own people. Since it was always much more popular to be a prophet of good news than a prophet of bad news, a prophet bringing bad news was less likely to make up his message than one bringing news of peace and plenty, especially if that bad news was in line with the words of earlier true prophets.

28:10–11 Jeremiah is wearing a yoke that he was told to make as a sign of the coming bondage to Babylon (27:2). Hananiah now performs a sign-act of his own: he breaks the yoke off Jeremiah’s neck to picture the freedom that his message proclaims.

28:11 went on his way. Jeremiah does not immediately respond. A false prophet, who invents his message as he goes along, needs never be at a loss for words. As a true prophet, Jeremiah needs instruction from the Lord about how he should respond.

28:12–14 The Lord reiterates his message in even stronger terms: in place of a wooden yoke, Jeremiah is to make an unbreakable iron yoke and deliver it to “all these nations” to symbolize the irresistible power of the Babylonians. Not only Judah but all these nations (v. 14; see 27:3) will serve the king of Babylon.

28:14 control over the wild animals. Even the created order will serve him (see note on 27:6).

28:16 you are going to die. The difference between a true and a false prophet is this: what the true prophet says actually happens. The Lord condemns Hananiah to death because of his false prophecy. Hananiah will not even live for the two years necessary to prove his own prophecies false; he will die within one year. Two months later, in that year’s “seventh month” (v. 17), Hananiah dies, vindicating Jeremiah’s message and his identity as a true prophet.

29:1–23 A Letter to the Exiles. Jeremiah earlier declared that the future of God’s people lies with the exiles, not with those still in Jerusalem (ch. 24). He therefore writes a letter encouraging the exiles to settle down in Babylon in the meantime, recognizing that they will be there for 70 years, not the brief period that Hananiah and other prophets predicted (28:3–4).

29:2 after King Jehoiachin . . . had gone into exile. In 597 BC, Nebuchadnezzar took many of the “leaders,” “skilled workers,” and “artisans” from Judah to Jerusalem. This included many of the “priests” and “prophets” (v. 1), since they would normally have been educated, able to read and write.

29:3 Elasah son of Shaphan. See note on 26:24. Gemariah son of Hilkiah. Possibly the son of the high priest at the time of Josiah’s reforms (this is not the Gemariah who later tries to persuade Jehoiakim to heed the scroll of Jeremiah’s prophecies [ch. 36]). For connections between Shaphan and Hilkiah, see 2 Kgs 22.

29:4 I carried into exile. The Lord (not the Babylonians) is sovereign over the entire process.

29:5 Build houses . . . plant gardens. These are long-term activities that would not be worthwhile if the people were coming back to Judah immediately.

29:6 Marry . . . find wives. They are to look beyond the immediate challenges to the needs of the next generation and the one after that. The Babylonians resettled the Jews in their own communities, so the Jews could still marry other Jews and remain a distinct people.

29:7 seek the peace and prosperity of the city . . . Pray . . . for it. They are used to doing this for Jerusalem (Ps 122:6–9). Shockingly, the Lord tells them to transfer their prayers and energies from Jerusalem to Babylon, the pagan capital, because for the next 70 years their “peace and prosperity” (Hebrew šālôm) will be connected with Babylon’s “peace and prosperity.” This message is the exact opposite of what the false prophets among them in Babylon are saying; they are falsely predicting a speedy return home to Judah.

29:10–14 The Lord will not abandon the exiles in Babylon forever. After 70 years (25:11), he will fulfill his “good promise” (v. 10) from Deut 30:3–5 to bring them back to their homeland. God is the ultimate source of blessings and curses. The plans he has for those in exile are for a good future (unlike the plans he has for those in Judah; see vv. 16–19). He is willing to listen to their prayers and allow them to call upon his name (Deut 4:29).

29:13 You will seek me and find me. In antiquity, gods were typically connected with particular lands, so it is a remarkable encouragement to those in exile in Babylon that they can approach the Lord (cf. Ezek 11:16). It is also a profound encouragement to contemporary believers who may feel cut off from God by their sins or by difficult circumstances.

29:15–19 The exiles are not to listen to those claiming to be the Lord’s prophets in Babylon.

29:16 the king who sits on David’s throne. Zedekiah. God’s word concerning Zedekiah and those who remain in Jerusalem is judgment: “the sword, famine and plague” (v. 17; see 14:12 and note).

29:17 figs. See ch. 24 and notes. Those in Jerusalem had failed repeatedly to listen to the words of God’s prophets, as indeed the exiles had.

29:21 put them to death. The penalty for false prophecy was death, a sentence that was carried out on Hananiah (28:17) and that would now befall two of the false prophets among the exiles, Ahab and Zedekiah.

29:22 Proving the Lord’s sovereign control over his instruments of judgment, Nebuchadnezzar will burn the false prophets in the fire, as he later tries to do unsuccessfully to Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego (Dan 3).

29:23 outrageous things. Particularly offensive crimes (see Gen 34:7; Josh 7:15 and note). In this case, they compounded the sin of false prophecy with marital infidelity.

29:24–32 Message to Shemaiah. Although located among the exiles, Shemaiah shares the negative perspective of many of the leaders back home in Jerusalem with regard to Jeremiah’s messages.

29:24 Shemaiah the Nehelamite. One of the exiles who disapproves of Jeremiah’s letter and seeks to have the authorities back in Jerusalem take action against him. Shemaiah wants Jeremiah put in “the stocks and neck-irons” (v. 26), as if he were a “maniac” (v. 26), as Pashhur had done in 20:2.

29:25 Zephaniah son of Maaseiah. A priest apparently in charge of temple security; a trusted envoy of King Zedekiah (see 21:1); possibly the brother of the false prophet Zedekiah, who is prophesying in Babylon (v. 21), since their fathers’ names are the same.

29:29–32 Zephaniah takes no action beyond showing Jeremiah the letter. In turn, the Lord declares that even though Shemaiah is physically located among the exiles, he will not share the good future the Lord has planned for the exiles. Instead, “because he has preached rebellion against [the LORD]” (v. 32) by inciting violence against one of the Lord’s servants, he will share the fate of those still in Jerusalem and be left without descendants.

30:1—33:26 Restoration and a New Covenant. Having consistently preached the destruction of Jerusalem for many years, Jeremiah now turns to speak words of comfort and consolation to the faithful remnant of his people. The few references to such hope in the earlier messages become the central focus in these chapters. The covenant relationship between Israel and the Lord has not been a blessing to Israel because of its unfaithfulness. That will change in the years ahead.

30:1—31:40 Restoration of Israel. The Lord’s judgment of his people is not merely venting his wrath. Its goal is to establish a pure and holy people who will belong to him in faithfulness, restored to the land that he promised to their ancestors.

30:2 a book. That is, a scroll. Jeremiah is to preserve the words for future generations.

30:3 The Lord will bring Israel and Judah back together, reuniting what was separated in the time of Rehoboam (cf. Ezek 37:15–28). This finds fulfillment in the NT as the gospel goes to Samaria as well as to Jerusalem and Judea before going out to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8). In Christ, all God’s scattered people are brought together into a new unity (Rev 7:4–10).

30:6 a woman in labor. This image of pain and anguish is one of the OT’s most potent descriptions of powerful emotions such as terror (cf. Isa 13:8; 21:3). The men who face the Babylonian onslaught of Jerusalem will finally recognize that, contrary to the message of the false prophets, there is no peace, and they will be in profound anguish. There is no way of bypassing the coming judgment.

30:7 that day. The day of the Lord’s judgment on Jerusalem (see note on Amos 2:16). It will be a time of almost unbearable distress for God’s people, yet the end of the process will not be utter destruction but new life, as in childbirth (see v. 6 and note; cf. Rom 8:22). No other will be like it. Cf. Dan 12:1; Joel 2:2; Matt 24:19–21. Jacob. Recalls the story of their forefather in Genesis: even though he was a cheat and a deceiver, he ultimately came to inherit the blessing that he so desired by God’s undeserved grace.

30:8–9 In chs. 27–28, the Lord uses the image of a yoke to describe the people’s bondage to Babylon. Now he promises that in “that day” (the day of their deliverance) he will break the unbreakable iron yoke of Babylon (28:14) and “tear off their bonds,” setting his people free (cf. Ps 2:3). Whereas previously they sought freedom by rebelling against God (2:20; 5:5), now freedom will mean freedom to “serve the LORD” and the promised descendant of David, a king after God’s own heart (3:15; 1 Sam 13:14; Ezek 34:23–24). This promise finds its fulfillment in Jesus’ invitation to take up his easy yoke (Matt 11:29), which is in contrast to the harsh rule of Nebuchadnezzar and the unfaithful rules of Jehoiachin and Zedekiah.

30:10 do not be afraid, Jacob my servant. See note on 46:27–28; see also note on Isa 42:1–9.

30:11 completely destroy all the nations. In contrast to Judah (see 4:27; 5:10, 18). See note on 12:14–17. in due measure. With justice. The Lord is with his people to save and deliver them.

30:12 Your wound is incurable . . . beyond healing. Humanly speaking, because the Lord will inflict judgment on them (8:22).

30:14 allies. They all desert Judah and leave the Judahites to their fate; this includes both the nations from which Judah seeks help, such as Egypt, and the false gods with whom they commit spiritual adultery.

30:16–17 Paradoxically, since it is the Lord who will strike them, he can restore them to health (Lam 3:31–32). The great physician can heal their incurable wound. The one who is slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love can forgive their guilt and sin (Exod 34:6–7). Then the ones who plunder and spoil Judah will in turn be plundered and spoiled, in accordance with the terms of the Abrahamic covenant (Gen 12:1–3), which even the people’s sin cannot render invalid.

30:18 fortunes of Jacob’s tents. Israel’s origins before she made a shipwreck of her position (Num 24:5). city. Jerusalem. ruins. The term used here reflects the ancient practice of rebuilding ruined cities on the rubble of preexisting sites.

30:19 In place of laments and mourning, there will be “songs of thanksgiving and the sound of rejoicing.”

30:21 In place of foreign rulers like Nebuchadnezzar, Israel will once again be ruled by “one of their own” people. Their leader . . . their ruler. The promised new David (v. 9). He will have a close relationship with the Lord, unlike Jehoiachin, whom the Lord cast away (22:24–30). The result will be a renewed relationship with God for the entire people, the goal of the covenant with Israel (Exod 6:7).

30:23 storm of the LORD. His anger previously raged against Judah (11:16; 25:32), but now it will come down on “the heads of the wicked” instead. The Lord’s wrath against his own people will be completely satisfied, and he will turn to protect his people.

30:24 the purposes of his heart. The Lord’s plan to save a people for himself.

31:1–40 The old covenant ends in disaster and exile, as Moses anticipated (Deut 30:1–5). But God will do a new work, as he promised in Deut 30:6, giving the people a hope and a future.

31:1 At that time. The day when the Lord acts to redeem his people (see note on 30:8–9) and finally reaches the covenant’s goal: “all the families of Israel” reunite as the one people of God (see 30:3 and note; see also 30:22) instead of straying after idols. they will be my people. The Lord’s purpose to have a holy people for himself remains unshakable in spite of Israel’s repeated sin and rebellion. If this purpose is to reach fruition, however, a new covenant is needed in which the Lord himself undertakes to ensure that the conditions of the covenant are fulfilled; this occurs through Christ (Matt 5:17–18; Rom 8:1–4; Gal 4:4–5).

31:2 The people who survive the sword. The exiles. They will find themselves in a situation like that of Israel “in the wilderness” in the book of Numbers. There too one generation was cut off because of sin, but a new generation found favor and experienced rest as a gift from the Lord as they began to enter the promised land.

31:3 everlasting love . . . unfailing kindness. Covenantal terms that express God’s continued care for his bride (“you” is feminine singular in Hebrew).

31:4 Though “Virgin Israel” (see note on 14:17) has been repeatedly unfaithful, the Lord will not abandon his commitment to her (see Hos 1–3). In place of her mourning and sadness, she will again show her joy in the way typical of young women dancing with timbrels. timbrels. Decorative pieces of metal that jingle when moved (Exod 15:20).

31:5 The restoration in view here speaks primarily of the former northern kingdom. hills of Samaria. The region around the former capital of the northern kingdom.

31:6 Ephraim. Another name for the northern kingdom. Zion. The home of the temple in Jerusalem (Isa 2:3). Instead of crying out a warning about oncoming enemies, the watchmen will encourage the people once again to go up to Jerusalem. In the past, Jeroboam had established temples at Bethel and Dan to dissuade the people from making the journey to Jerusalem (1 Kgs 12:28–30). The prophecy implicitly requires the restoration of the southern kingdom of Judah in order for Zion to become a place of pilgrimage once again.