Commentary on Jeremiah and Lamentations Volume 2 John Calvin
JEREMIAH AND LAMENTATIONS
people had invented for themselves. And we must ever bear in mind the contrast between God's commands and the works of our hands, for whatever we obtrude on God besides his Law is the work of our hands; but obedience is better than sacrifice.
Then God here expressly condemns all the inventions of men, as though he had said, that however men may delight in their own superstitions, they are yet impious and detestable, for it is not lawful to devise anything. For God having given us his Law, has left nothing for us to do, except to follow what he has commanded; and when we turn aside and add something of our own, we do nothing but what is sacrilegious.
It now follows ---
Jeremiah 32:31
31. For this city hath been to me as a provocation of mine anger and of my fury from the day that they built it even unto this day; that I should remove it from before my face,
31. Quia ad tram meam et excandescentiam meam fuit mihi urbs ista ex quo die aedificarunt eam ad diem hunc usque, ad tollendum ipsam e conspectu meo; He confirms what we have just said, even that God, however, severely he might punish the Jews, would not yet exceed due limits in his judgment, because their iniquity had reached the highest pitch. It was a dreadful judgment when the city was wholly demolished by fire, and the Temple destroyed. Hence the atrocity of the punishment might have driven many to complain that God was too severe. Here he checks all such complaints, and says, that the city had been built as it were for this end, even to provoke him, as we say in French, Elle a este faite pour me depiter, pour me facher. Some read, ``Reduced to me has been the city;'' but they pervert and obscure the meaning. It might more properly be rendered, ``The city has been destined to me for my wrath and indignation.'' But the meaning which I have given is simpler. Thus the words {,}אפיaphi, and {}חמתיchemeti, are to be taken passively, even that the city Jerusalem had been in a manner devoted to this madness, so that it ceased not to inflame more and more against itself the vengeance of God. In a word, he repeats in other words what he had before said, even that the children of Israel did nothing else than provoke God by their misdeeds.
There is then nothing new said here, but as it was a thing difficult to be believed, the Prophet dwells on it, and says, that the city Jerusalem had been for the wrath and indignation of God, from the time in which it had been founded And we may gather from the end of the verse that this is the true meaning, for he says, Even to this day, that I should remove it from my sight; as though he had said, that the Jews had made no end of sinning, so that it was now quite the time to punish a people so wicked, whose impiety was un-healable. And he points out their persistency when he says, even to this day 296 For the people had not only begun to sin in the wilderness, but they pursued in a regular course, so to speak, their impiety, so that at no age, in 296It has been found difficult to render this verse literally, though the general meaning is evident, and is given in our version, which is more paraphrastic than usual. If we take {{על for ,{}עלהin its Chaldee sense, as in Daniel 6:5, 6, we shall find the version easy, --- 31. For the occasion of my wrath, and the occasion of my indignation, has this city been to me from the day that they have built it even 32. to this day; so that I shall remove it from my sight on account of all the wickedness of the children of Israel, etc. etc. So the latter part of Jeremiah 32:31 ought to be connected with the following verse. The verb for ``remove'' is in the infinitive mood preceded by .{}לIt is an elliptical phrase, as is sometimes the case, where a resolution, obligation, or duty is intended. --- Ed