Bible Commentary (1871–1879 Edition) (continued)
J%6 Jews' Love of Idolatry. JEEEMIAII XVII. The Salvation of God, not been severe enough to teacU tbem. my name . . . L.ora— Je?iovah. (Psalm 83. 18): God's incommunicable tree." Robinson translates, "the Juniper tree," found In the Arabah or Great Valley, here called "the desert," south of the Dead Sea. The " heath" was one of the plants, according to Pliny (13. 21; 16. 26), excluded from religious uses, because it has neither fruit nor seed, and is neither sown nor planted, not see . . . good—(Job 20. 17.) salt land—(Deuteronomy 29. 23), barren ground. 7. (Psalm 34.
niiiiie, to apply which to idols would be blasphemy. Keeping His threats and promises (Exodus 6. 3).
CHAPTER XVII.
8; Proverbs 16. 20; Isaiah 30. 18.) Jeremiah first removed the weeds (false trusts), so that there might be room for the good grain. [Calvin.] 8, (Psalm 1. 3.) shall not see —
Ver. 1-27. The Jews' invetekatk Love of Idolatry. The LXX. omit the first four verses, but other Greek versions have them. 1. The first of the four clauses relates
e., feel. Answering to f. 6; whereas the unbelievers "shall not see (eyen) when good coineth," the believer "shall not see (so as to be overwhelmed by it even) when heat (fiery trial) cometli." Trials shall come upon liim as on all, nay, upon him especially (Hebrews 12. 6) ; but he shall not sink under them, because the Lord is his secret strength, just as the "roots spread out by a river" (or, "water-course") draw hidden support from it (2 Corinthians 4. 8-11). carvtnl—anxious, as one desponding (Luke to the third, the second to the fourth, by alternate parallelism. The sense is, They are as keen after idols as if their propensity was "graven with an Iron pen (Job 19.
21) on their hearts," or as if it were sanctioned by a law "inscribed with a diamond point" on their altars. The names of their gods used to be written on "the horns of the altars " (Acts 17. 25). As the clause " on their hearts " refers to their inward propensity, so "on . . . altars," the outward exhibition of it. Others refer "on the horns of
12. 29; 1 Peter 5. 7). drought—fa., ivithholding, viz., of raiu. . . altars " to their staining them with the blood of victims, in imitation of the Levitical precept (Exodus 29. 12; Leviticus 4. 7, 18), but "written . . . graven," would thus be inappropriate, table of . . . heart—which God intended to be inscribed very differently, viz., with His truths (Proverbs 3. 3; 2 Corinthians 3. 3). your—though " their " preceded, he directly addresses them to charge the guilt home to them in particular, ti. cliildren remember —instead of forsaking the idolatries of their fathers they keep them up (ch. 7. 18). This is given as proof that their
(ch. 14. 1); he here probably alludes to the drought which had prevailed, but makes it the type of all kinds of distress. 9. deceitful—from a root, " supplanting," " tripping up insidiously by the heel," from which Jacob (Hosea
12. 3) toolt his name. In speaking of the Jews' deceit of heart, he appropriately uses a term alluding to their forefather, whose deceit, but not wliose faith, they followed. His " supplanting" was in order to obtain Jehovah's blessing. They plant Jehovah for "trust in man'' (u. 5), and then think to deceive God, as if it could escape His notice, that it is in man, not in Him, they trust, desperately wiched—"incurable" [Hoksley] (Micah 1. 9). Trust in one's own heart is as foolish as in our fellow-man (Proverbs 28. 26). 10. Lest any should infer from v. 9, " who can know it?" that even the Lord does not know, and therefore cannot punish, the hidden treachery of the heart. He saith, "I the Lord search the heart," &c. (1 Chronicles 28.
sin' is "graven upon . . . altars" (v. 1), i.e., is not merely temporary. They corrupt thir posterity after them. Castalio less probably Irahslates, " They remember their altars as (fondly as) they do their children." groves rather, imagesof Astarle, the goddess of the heavenly hosts, represented as a sacred tree, such as is seen in the Assyrian sculptures (2 Kings 21. 7 ; 2 Chronicles 24. IS): " Image of the grove." The Hebrew for "grove" is Asherah, i. e., Assarak, Astarte, or Ashtai'oth. by the greeu trees—j. e., near them: the sacred trees (idol symbols) of Astarte being placed in the midst of natural tres: "green trees "
9; Psalm 7.9; Proverbs 17. 3; Revelation 2.23). even to give—and that in order that I may give (ch. 32. 19). 11. partridge—(1 Samuel 26. 20). Hebrew "Korea," from a root, to call, alluding to its cry ; a name still applied to a bustard by the Arabs. Its nest is liable, being on the ground, to be trodden under foot, or robbed by carnivorous animals, notwithstanding all the beautiful manoeuvres of the parent birds to save the brood. The translation, "sitteth on eggs which it has not laid," alludes to the ancient notion that she stole the eggs of other birds and hatched them as her own ; and that the young birds when grown left her for the true mother. It is not needful to make Scripture allude to an exploded notion, as if it were true. Maurer thinks the reference is to Jehoiakirn's grasping cupidity (ch. 22. 13-17). Probably the sense Is more general; as previously he condemned trust in man
Is thus distinguished from "groves," artificial trees. Henderson, to avoid taking the same Hebrew particle in the same sentence differently, " by . . . upon " translates "images of Astarte on the green trees." But it is not probable that images, in the form of a sacred tree, should be hung on trees, rather than near them. 3. mountain—Jerusalem, and especially Zion and the temple, iu the field—As Jerusalem was surrounded by mountaiits (Psalm Tix 2), the sense probably is. Ye rely on your mountainous position (ch. 3. 23), but I will make "my mountain" to become as if it were in a plain (field), so as to give thy substance an easy prey to the enemy. [Calvin.] "Field" may, however, mean all Judea; it and " niy monntain" will thus express the country and its cap-
(v. 5), he now condemns another object of the deceitful hearts' trust, unjustly gotten riches (Psalm 39. 6; '49. 16, 17; 55.23). fool—(Proverbs 23. 5; Luke 12. 20); "their folly" (Psalm 49. 13). Himself, and all, shall at last perceive he was not the wise man he thought he was. 13. Throne— The temple of Jerusalem the throne of Jehovah. Having condemned false object of trust, "high places for sin" (v.
ital (Gkhk'S lus translates, "together with," Instead of in; as the Hebrew is translated, ch. 11. 19; Hosea 5. 6; but this
Is not al)solutely needed), "the substance" of both of which God "will give to the spoil." thy high placescorresponding in parallelism to " my mountain" (cf. Isaiah
11. 'J), as "all thy borders," to "the field" (which confirms the view that " field" means all Judea). for sin—connected with "Wgh places" In English Version, viz., frequented /or sin, i. e., for idolatrous sacrifices. But ch. 15. 13 makes tlie rendering probable, "I will give thy substance . . . to . . . spoil . , . on account 0/ thy sin througliout all t?iy bm-der's." 4. even thyself—rather, "owing to thyself," t. e., by thy own fault (ch. 15. 13). discontinue ft-om-be dispossessed of. Not only thy substance, but tliyself shall be carried off to a strange land (ch. 15. 1-4). 5. Referring to the Jews' proneness to rely on Egypt, in Its fear of .Assyria and Babylon (Isaiah 31. 1, 3). tmsteth —this word is emphatic. We may expect help from men, 8o far as God enables them to help us, but we must rest our trust In GOd alone (Psalm 62. 5). 6. heath—in Psalm
3), and an "arm of flesh," he next sets forth Jehovah, and His temple, which was ever open to the Jews, as the true object of confidence, and sanctuary to flee to. Henderson makes Jehovah, in v. 13, the subject, and this verse predicate, "A throne of glory, high from the beginning, the place of our sanctuary, the hope of Israel is Jehovah." Throne is thus used for Him who sits on it; cf. thrones (Colossians 1. 16). He is called a "sanctuary" to His people (Isaiah 8. 14; Ezekiel 11. 16). So ;S2/7*jac and ^m6ic. 13. me Jehovah. Though </iee precedes. This sudden transition is usual in the prophetic style, owing to the prophet s continual realization of Jehovah's presence, nil that forsake thee—(Psalm 73. 27; Isaiah 1. 28.) written in tlie earth—in the dust, i. e., shall be consigned to oblivion. So Jesus' significant writing "on the ground" (probably the accusers' names) (John 8. 6). Names written in the dust are obliterated by a very slight wind. Their hopes and celebrity are wholly in the earth, not in the heavenly boon
102. 17; Isaiah .32. 11; Habakkuk 3. 9, the Hebrew is translalfd, " bi Vre," " naked," " destitute ;" but as the parallel in f. 8 is "tree," sfime plant must be meant of which this Is the clxarsct eristic epithet (see ch. 48. 6, Margin), "a naked