Commentary on Jeremiah Volume 1 John Calvin
JOHN CALVIN
ranks, and ages. 172 It follows ---
Jeremiah 6:12
12. And their houses shall be turned unto others, with their fields and wives together: for I will stretch out my hand upon the inhabitants of the land, saith the
Lord
12. Et volventur (quasi per circuitum, haec est propria significatio, vertentur) domus eorum ad alienos, agri et uxores similiter; quia extendam manum meam super habitatores terrae, dicit Jehova.
One kind of vengeance only he mentions, --- that the Jews would be deprived of their land, which they thought would ever remain in peace to them. Inasmuch as it had been said, ``This is my rest for ever, here will I dwell,'' (Psalm 132:14) they imagined that they could not be driven out of it: and they entertained the thought, that their dwelling in the land of Canaan was as certain as that of the sun and moon in the heavens. As then they deceived themselves by this foolish confidence, the Prophet says, that there would be a change, that God would transfer their houses to foreign nations.
He then mentions their fields and their wives All this seemed incredible to the Jews: but it was necessary to denounce on them so dreadful a vengeance, that they might at length be awaked. And then he subjoins the reason why: For God will extend his hand. The Prophet here reprobates their obstinacy, because it made God their enemy; as though he had said, that there was no cause for them to think that the possession of the land would be undisturbed, for God was offended with them.
Whence, indeed, did the possession of the land come to them, except from God's gratuitous favor? Now, if God was adverse to them, what hope remained for them?
We now, then, see that the Prophet at the end of the verse mentions the cause, that the Jews might know that what he said of the transfer of their houses, lands, and wives to others was not incredible. It follows ---
Jeremiah 6:13
13. For from the least of them even unto the greatest of them every one is given to covetousness; and from the prophet even unto the priest every one dealeth falsely.
13. Quia a parvo eorum usque ad magnum eorum omnis (vel, quilibet) con cu-
172There are two or three points in this verse differently explained. The fury or indignation of Jehovah has been viewed as the message which the Prophet had to deliver, which strongly expressed God's displeasure. See Jeremiah 1:9, and Jeremiah 20:9. The verb for pouring forth is either in the imperative or in the infinitive mood. The Vulgate and the Syriac render it as an imperative; but the Septuagint, the Targum, and the Arabic give it, as in our version, in the future indicative, the first person. Venema follows the Vulgate: but Blayney takes it to be in the imperative mood; which seems most consistent with the whole of the passage. The view of most as to "the old" and "the full of years" is, that the first is mature old age, and that the second is the last stage of life, the age of decrepitude. The full of days is "one" as Blayney says, "who has arrived at the full period of human life;" and hence "Abraham, Isaac, David, and Job are said to have died full of years, or of days." See Isaiah 65:20. Though the general meaning is given in our version, yet the more literal I conceive to be the following, — But with the wrath of Jehovah have I been filled; I am weary of restraining to pour it forth On the child in the street, And on the assembly of young men also; Yea, both man and woman shall be taken, The aged and the full of days. It is unusual to have two infinitives following one another: but the Welsh is capable of expressing the Hebrew literally, — Blinais ymattal dywallt. Nothing can express the original more exactly. It is better to say "man and woman, "as Gataker proposes, than "husband and wife;" for the object is to shew, that all, including every age and both sexes, were to be visited with judgment. — Ed
COMMENTARY ON JEREMIAH
piscit cupiditatem (hoc est, cupidus est lucri, vel, addictus avaritiae;) et a propheta usque ad sacerdotem quilibet operatur mendacium (hoc est, fraudulenter agit.)
The Prophet now again declares, that it was nothing strange that God resolved to deal with so much severity with that people, and to execute on them extreme vengeance; for no part was whole and sound, but impiety had pervaded all ranks.
It might, indeed, be ascribed to the young, as well as to the old, for he says, From the small to the great; but I prefer to understand the first clause of the poor and the lower orders, and the second of the higher ranks, who excelled in power and wealth among the people. He says, then, that contempt of God and every kind of wickedness prevailed, not only in one part but in the whole community, so that there was no soundness from the head to the soles of the feet. We now, then, perceive what the Prophet means by saying, From the small to the great 173
And this appears still clearer from the end of the verse, where he says, From the prophet to the priest He amplifies here what he had said of the small and the great.
Hence we see, that by the great he understands not those of mature or advanced age, but such as were in dignity and honor, who were in esteem on account of their wealth or of other endowments. So also, on the other hand, he does not call those small who were young, but such as were despised, who were of the lowest order, and formed as it were the dregs of society: for as I have said, he amplifies what he had said, by adducing the prophets and the priests. Even though the king and his court were extremely wicked, yet some care for religion ought to have prevailed among the prophets and the priests; there ought at least to have been among them some decency; for they were appointed for the purpose of carrying light for others.
As, then, even these were apostates, and had degenerated from the true worship of God, what could have been found among the rest of the people?
We now, then, see that the mouth of the ungodly was here closed, so that they could not expostulate with God or blame his severity, for they had all arrived at the highest pitch of impiety, inasmuch as the prophets and the priests were no less corrupt than the common people.
By saying that all coveted covetousness, he refers to frauds and base gain; in that he includes every kind of avariciousness. 174 By saying that the priests and the prophets wrought falsehood, or acted fraudulently, he means the same thing, but in other words, even that there was no integrity in those teachers who ought to have been leaders to the blind: for God had ordained them that they might, as I have said, carry light to all others and shew them the way of salvation. It follows ---
Jeremiah 6:14
173"From the small of them even to the great," Septuagint; "From the less to the greater," Vulgate; "From the least of them even to the greatest of them," Targum, Syriac, and Arabic. The last is the best. The positive degree is often put in Hebrew for the superlative. See Jonah 3:5. — Ed. 174The words literally are "gaining gain," rendered in Proverbs 1:19, and Proverbs 15:27, "greedy of gain." The Septuagint give only a general idea, "performed unlawful things;" the Vulgate has, "given to avarice;" the Targum, "gape after riches." The prevailing sin of all ranks was covetousness; and the special sin of the priests and prophets was falsehood: they taught falsely. The verse may be thus rendered, — For from the least of them to the greatest of them, His all is to gain; And from the prophet to the priest, His all is to act falsely. "His all" means all his object, or all that he did. — Ed.