Commentary on Jeremiah Volume 1 John Calvin
JOHN CALVIN
17. Also I set watchmen over you, saying, Hearken to the sound of the trumpet.
But they said, We will not hearken.
17. Et constitui super eos speculatores, ut attenderent 178 ad vocem (hoc est, clangorem) tubae: et dixerunt, Non attendemus.
This is an explanation of the last verse, yet not simply so; for the Prophet by a similitude aggravates the obstinacy of the people, who were not only deaf to the Prophet's admonitions, but would not be roused by the sound of the trumpet, nor even attend to it. The sound of the trumpet ought to have penetrated into their minds more than anything else for two reasons, --- because it was louder than any voice of man, --- and also, because we do not usually hear the trumpet sounding, except when war is at hand, or when there is the fear of war.
We hence see why the Prophet, after having announced his message, mentions the sound of the trumpet; as though he had said, that not only the prophets were despised, while teaching the people, but that the sound of the trumpet, announcing the approach of war, was not attended to by them. The stupidity of the people, and not only their stupidity, but as I have said, their perverseness also, was more fully proved, than if the Prophet had simply said, that they had resolved not to hear. It now follows ---
Jeremiah 6:18-19
18. Therefore hear, ye nations, and know, O congregation, what is among them.
18. Propterea audite gentes, et cognosce coetus quid in ipsis futurum sit.
19. Hear, O earth: behold, I will bring evil upon this people, even the fruit of their thoughts, because they have not hearkened unto my words, nor to my law, but rejected it.
19. Audi, terra, Ecce ego adduco malum (hoc est, cladem) super populum hunc, fructum cogitationum ipsorum, qui ad verba mea non fuerunt attenti, et legem meam spreverunt (ad verbum, et legem meam spreverunt in ipsa; sed non est ambiguus sensus, quod scilicet vel abjecerint vel spreverint, vel pro nihilo duxerint; verbum hoc significat rejicere et spernere, significat etiam reprobare; jam semel hoc usus est Propheta et saepius utetur.)
He turns now to address the nations, which had never heard anything of true religion. But the design of the apostrophe was, to make the Jews ashamed of their insensibility and deafness, for more attention and understanding were found among heathen nations. This was surely very great shame: the Jews had been plainly taught by the Law and by the Prophets, God had continued morning and evening to repeat the same things to them, that the nations, who had never heard the prophets and to whom the Law had not been given, should still be endued with more understanding and judgment than the Jews --- this was very shameful and really monstrous.
Thus the Prophet's design was to expose their disgraceful conduct by addressing the nations, and saying, Hear, ye nations
Then he says, Know, thou assembly The words used are {,}דעיdoi, and {,}עדה ode; and though the letters are inverted, there is yet an alliteration by no means
178There are several MSS. which have {{וbefore this verb, and such no doubt was the copy of Calvin. But all the versions render the verb as an imperative, as no doubt it is --- Ed