Commentary on Jeremiah Volume 1 John Calvin
Chapter
Lecture Fourteenth
Jeremiah 4:1
1. If thou wilt return, O Israel, saith the Lord, return unto me: and if thou wilt put away thine abominations out of my sight, then shalt thou not remove.
1. Si reverteris Israel, dicit Jehova, ad me revertere (vel, apud me quiesce;) et si abstuleris abominationes tuas a facie mea, et non fueris vagus (alii, et non migrabis.)
The Prophet no doubt requires here from the people a sincere return to God, inasmuch as they had often pretended to confess their sins, and had given many signs of repentance, while they were acting deceitfully with him. As then they had often dealt falsely with God and with his prophets, Jeremiah bids them to return to God without any disguise and in good faith. With regard to what is here substantially taught, this is the Prophet's meaning; but there is some ambiguity in the words.
Some read thus, ``If thou returnest, Israel, to me, saith Jehovah, ``connecting
me, {`` ,}אליwith the first clause, then they read separately ``{,}תשובteshub, thou shalt rest;'' and so they think that what follows is the repetition of the same thing, ``If thou wilt take away thine abominations from before me, thou shalt not migrate;'' that is, I will not cast thee out as I have threatened. Others take the verb
in the same sense, (for it is the same verb repeated,) ``If thou wilt return, Israel, return to me.'' The Prophet doubtless bids the Israelites to return to God in sincerity, and without any disguise, and not to act falsely with him, as they had often done.
I have as yet mentioned only what others have thought; but, in my judgment, the most suitable rendering is, ``If thou wilt return, Israel, rest in me, ``arrete toi, as we say in French. Rest then in me; and then a definition is given, If thou wilt take away thine abominations (for the copulative is to be taken as expletive or explanatory) from my sight, and wilt not wander What some of those I have referred to have