Commentary on Jeremiah Volume 1 John Calvin
COMMENTARY ON JEREMIAH
8. Their tongue is as an arrow shot out; it speaketh deceit; one speaketh peacably to his neighbour with his mouth, but in heart he layeth his wait.
8. Sagitta tracta (ut quidam vertunt; alii, occidens) lingua eorum; mendacium loquitur; os ejus pacem ad proximum loquetur, et in medio sui (hoc est, intra viscera sua, intus) ponet insidias.
The Prophet again complains of the deceitfulness of their tongues; and he compares them to deadly, or drawn out arrows. Gold is said to be drawn out, when refined by repeated meltings; so also arrows, when sharpened, are more piercing.
The Prophet then says, that their tongues were like deadly or sharpened arrows: how so? because they ever spoke guile, by either slandering or circumventing others. But the expression is general; and the Prophet no doubt meant to include all modes of deceiving.
For it afterwards follows, With the mouth they speak peace; that is, every one professed friendship, and his words were honey; and yet within he did set up, or concealed intrigues. Here in other words he sets forth their perfidy; for the tongue and the heart differed. They shewed by the tongue what was different from the sentiment of the heart. Hence he says, that they set up treacheries in the midst of them, or in their hearts, while they spoke peace with the mouth, that is, pretended brotherly kindness. 241 At last he repeats again what he had said before, (Jeremiah
Jeremiah 9:9
9. Shall I not visit them for these things? saith the LORD: shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this?
9. An super hoc non visitabo eos, dicit Jehova? an in gente quae talis est (quae est sicut haec) non se ulciscetur anima mea?
We have already met with this verse; it will therefore be enough briefly to refer to what it contains. God shews here, that except he denied himself he must necessarily punish the Jews. How so? He takes it as granted that he is the judge of the world: he had said that the Jews were not only become wicked in one thing, but were so given up to all kinds of wickedness, that they wearied themselves; what then was to be done? God would not have acted in a manner worthy of himself, nor preserved consistency, had he not punished such men; for he must have changed his nature, had he not hated such a perverse nation. But he speaks after the manner of men when he mentions vengeance; for we know that no passions belong to God, as it has been often stated: but as he hates wickedness, so he is said to execute vengeance, when he appears as a judge and chastises those by whom he has been provoked to wrath.
PRAYER
Grant, Almighty God, that as we cease not by our sins to provoke thee more
241The word, {,{שוחטmeans ``killing'' or slaying; see Genesis 22:10; Genesis 37:31; Exodus 12:6. Its primary meaning, as Parkhurst thinks, is to shed, or to drain off, either blood from animals, or juice from grapes, or gold from dross. But it is used in the sense of slaying. The Septuagint and the Vulgate render it here, ``wounding,'' --- A killing arrow is their tongue; Deceit it speaks; With his mouth does one speak peace to his neighbor, But in his heart he sets an ambush for him. Literally, ``his ambush,'' that is, the ambush of which he is the object. This form of speech is often in Hebrew. See Job 28:10. ``Penit ei insidias`` is the Vulgate. Blayney gives a paraphrase, not a version, --- But inwardly will he resolve to fall upon him by surprise. The future tense here, as in many other instances, is used as a present tense, and designed to shew the habitual practice of the people. The same is done in the Welsh language: the future tense is continually used to express a present action. --- Ed.