Commentary on Jeremiah Volume 1 John Calvin (continued)
COMMENTARY ON JEREMIAH
the Church God calls its subjects a new people, as in Psalm 102:19, ``A people who shall be created,'' that is, a new people, ``shall praise the Lord,'' as though he intimated that the Babylonian exile would be the ruin of his ancient people. God has, however, preserved a remnant, as Paul says in Romans 10 and Romans 11. So for the whole body of the people, and for the kingdom, the Prophet was not to pray, because he knew that it was all over with the people. But on this subject we shall speak more at large in another place. It follows ---
Jeremiah 7:17-19
17. Seest thou not what they do in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem?
17. An non rvides tu quid ipsi faciant in urbibus Jehudah et in compitis Jerusalem?
18. The children gather wood, and the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead their dough, to make cakes to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto other gods, that they may provoke me to anger.
18. Filii colligunt ligna, et patres accendunt ignem, et mulieres ad ponendum ut faciant placentas Reginae coelorum, et fundant (libent) libamina diis alienis, ut me provocent ad iram.
19. Do they provoke me to anger? saith the LORD: do they not provoke themselves to the confusion of their own faces?
19. An me ipsi ad iram provocant, dicit Jehova? an non seipsos ad erubescentiam facierum suarum?
Here God shews first why he ought to be implacable towards the people: for the command to the Prophet not to pray for them seems at the first hearing to be very severe; and it might have been objected and said, ``What if they repent? Is there no hope of pardon?'' God shews that they were past remedy --- How so? He says, Dost thou not see? Here he refers the examination of the cause to his servant Jeremiah; as though he had said, ``There is no reason for thee to contend with me; open thine own eyes, and consider how they have fallen; for children gather wood, and fathers kindle the fire, and women knead dough.'' Some render the last words, ``Women are busy with the paste;'' but literally, ``they set the dough, ``la paste God intimates here shortly, that the whole people were become corrupt, as though they had wickedly conspired together, so that men, women, and children, were all led away into idolatry as by a mad impulse; for he speaks here only of their superstitions. He had before charged them with adulteries, murders, and plunders; but he now condemns them for having wholly profaned God's worship, and at the same time shews the fruit of their impiety --- that they all strove to outdo one another by an insane rivalship.
The children, he says, gather wood He ascribes the collecting of wood to the young; for it was a more laborious work. As then that age excels in strength, they collected wood; and the fathers kindled the fire: the women, what did they do? They were busy with the meal. Thus no part was neglected. ``What then is to be done? and what else can I do, but wholly to cut off a people so wicked?'' Then he says, that they may make {,}כוניםcunim, which is translated ``cakes, ``and this is the most common rendering. Some think that kindling is meant, deriving the word from