The document discusses a prophetic warning from Jeremiah to the tribe of Benjamin, urging them to flee from Jerusalem as disaster looms from the north. It emphasizes the necessity of sounding alarms from nearby towns like Tekoa and Beth-haccerem to signal the impending threat and prepare for resistance against the invading army. The text illustrates both the urgency of the message and the irony of the people's false sense of security as judgment approaches due to their sins.

1. JEREMIAH 6 COMME TARY
EDITED BY GLE PEASE
Jerusalem Under Siege
1 “Flee for safety, people of Benjamin!
Flee from Jerusalem!
Sound the trumpet in Tekoa!
Raise the signal over Beth Hakkerem!
For disaster looms out of the north,
even terrible destruction.
BAR ES, "Jeremiah addresses the men of Benjamin, either as being his own
tribesmen, or as a name appropriate to the people of Jerusalem, which also was situate
in the tribe of Benjamin.
Gather yourselves to flee - Gather your goods together to remove them to a place
of safety.
Blow the trumpet in Tekoa - The name of Tekoa is almost identical with the verb
“to blow”: but it was not chosen merely for the alliteration, but because it was the last
town in Judaea (about 11 miles south of Jerusalem), upon the very border of the desert,
where the fugitives would halt.
A sign - Rather, a signal.
Beth-haccerem - Or, the “Vineyard-House,” which was situated halfway between
Jerusalem and Tekoa.
Appeareth - “Is bending over;” is bending forward in eagerness to seize its prey.
CLARKE, "O ye children of Benjamin, gather yourselves to flee - As the
invading armies are fast approaching, the prophet calls on the inhabitants of Jerusalem
to sound an alarm, and collect all the people to arm themselves and go against the
invaders. They are called the children of Benjamin, because Jerusalem was in the tribe of
Benjamin.
Tekoa - Was a city about twelve miles to the south of Jerusalem.

2. Beth-haccerem - Was the name of a small village situated on an eminence between
Jerusalem and Tekoa. On this they were ordered to set up a beacon, or kindle a large fire,
which might be seen at a distance, and give the people to understand that an enemy was
entering the land.
Out of the north - From Babylon. The Scythians. - Dahler.
GILL, "O ye children of Benjamin,.... The tribe of Benjamin was with the tribe of
Judah, and continued with that in the pure worship of God when the ten tribes revolted;
and in the land of Israel, when they were carried captive; and besides, Jerusalem, at least
part of it, was in the tribe of Benjamin, and particularly Anathoth, which was Jeremiah's
native place, was in that tribe; and this altogether is a reason why the children of
Benjamin are so distinctly addressed:
gather yourselves to flee out of the midst of Jerusalem; where some of this tribe
lived, or had betaken themselves for safety: or the Jews in general may be meant; for, as
Ephraim is often put for the ten tribes, so Benjamin may be put for the two tribes, as
Judah frequently is: or the words may be rendered, "be ye strong" (i) "out of the midst of
Jerusalem"; as by the Septuagint, and others; and the sense may be, gather together in
bodies out of Jerusalem, and form yourselves into companies, and into an army, and be
prepared to meet the enemy, and fight him, who is near at hand; quit yourselves like
men, and be strong; show courage and valour; perhaps this is spoken ironically, as
Kimchi thinks it is; though he interprets the word, "flee ye"; that is, if ye can find a place
to flee to; and the Targum is,
"remove out of the midst of Jerusalem;''
but it seems rather to be a direction to go forth and meet the enemy, by what follows:
and blow the trumpet in Tekoa; as an alarm of war, to give the people notice of an
invasion; that the enemy was at hand, and therefore should provide themselves with
armour, and gather together to meet and oppose him. Tekoa was a city in Judah, 2Ch_
11:5, famous, for a wise woman in it, in the times of David, 2Sa_14:2. Jerom says it was
twelve miles from Jerusalem, and might be seen with the eye; so that probably it was
built on a very high hill, and for that reason chosen to blow the trumpet on, that it might
be heard far and near; and which may be confirmed from its being said (k) to be the
chief place in the land of Israel for the best oil, since olives grow on hills and mountains.
There is in the clause a beautiful play on words (l), which those, who understand the
Hebrew language, will easily observe:
and set up a fire in Bethhaccerem. This place, as Jerom says, lay between
Jerusalem and Tekoa; one of this name is mentioned in Neh_3:14. The Targum renders
it,
"the house of the valley of the vineyards;''
and in the Misnah (m) mention is made of the valley of Bethhaccerem, the dust of which
was red, and, when water was poured upon it, became hard; and this valley perhaps took
its name from the town, which might be built upon a hill, and was famous for vines,
from whence it was so called; and here might be a very high tower; for, as Kimchi and
Ben Melech observe, it signifies a high tower, for the keepers of the vines to sit and

3. watch the vines all about; and this was a very proper place to set up the sign of fire in, to
give notice to the country all around; for it was usual with all nations, Persians, Grecians,
and Romans, to signify in the night, by signs of fire, by burning torches, and the like,
either the approach of an enemy, or help from friends; the former was done by shaking
and moving their torches, the latter by holding them still (n); see Jdg_20:38,
for evil appeareth out of the north; Nebuchadnezzar and his army out of Babylon,
which lay north of Jerusalem: and great destruction; see Jer_1:14.
HE RY, "Here is I. Judgment threatened against Judah and Jerusalem. The city and
the country were at this time secure and under no apprehension of danger; they saw no
cloud gathering, but every thing looked safe and serene: but the prophet tells them that
they shall shortly be invaded by a foreign power, an army shall be brought against them
from the north, which shall lay all waste, and shall cause not only a general
consternation, but a general desolation. It is here foretold,
1. That the alarm of this should be loud and terrible. This is represented, Jer_6:1. The
children of Benjamin, in which tribe part of Jerusalem lay, are here called to shift for
their own safety in the country; for the city (to which it was first thought advisable for
them to flee, Jer_4:5, Jer_4:6) would soon be made too hot for them, and they would
find it the wisest course to flee out of the midst of it. It is common, in public frights, for
the people to think any place safer than that in which they are; and therefore those in the
city are for shifting into the country, in hopes there to escape out of danger, and those in
the country are for shifting into the city, in hopes there to make head against the danger;
but it is all in vain when evil pursues sinners with commission. They are told to send the
alarm into the country, and to do what they can for their own safety: Blow the trumpet
in Tekoa, a city which lay twelve miles north from Jerusalem. Let them be stirred up to
stand upon their guard: Set up a sign of fire (that is, kindle the beacons) in Beth-
haccerem, the house of the vineyard, which lay on a hill between Jerusalem and Tekoa.
Prepare to make a vigorous resistance, for the evil appears out of the north. This may be
taken ironically: “Betake yourselves to the best methods you can think of for your own
preservation, but all shall be in vain; for, when you have done your best, it will be a great
destruction, for it is in vain to contend with God's judgments.”
JAMISO , "Jer_6:1-30. Zion’s foes prepare war against her: Her sins are the
cause.
Benjamin — Jerusalem was situated in the tribe of Benjamin, which was here
separated from that of Judah by the valley of Hinnom. Though it was inhabited partly by
Benjamites, partly by men of Judah, he addresses the former as being his own
countrymen.
blow ... trumpet ... Tekoa — Tikehu, Tekoa form a play on sounds. The birthplace
of Amos.
Beth-haccerem — meaning in Hebrew, “vineyard-house.” It and Tekoa were a few
miles south of Jerusalem. As the enemy came from the north, the inhabitants of the
surrounding country would naturally flee southwards. The fire-signal on the hills gave
warning of danger approaching.
K&D 1-2, "The Judgment is Irrevocably Decreed. - A hostile army approaches from

4. the north, and lays siege to Jerusalem, in order to storm the city (Jer_6:1-8). None is
spared, since the people rejects all counsels to reform (Jer_6:9-15). Since it will not
repent, it will fall by the hands of the enemy, in spite of the outward sacrificial service
(Jer_6:16-21). The enemy will smite Zion without mercy, seeing that the trial of the
people has brought about no change for the better in them (Jer_6:22-30).
Jer_6:1-2
The judgment breaking over Jerusalem. - Jer_6:1. "Flee, ye sons of Benjamin, out of
the midst of Jerusalem, and in Tekoa blow the trumpet, and over Beth-haccerem set up
a sign; for evil approaCheth from the north, and great destruction. Jer_6:2. The
comely and the delicate - I lay waste the daughter of Zion. Jer_6:3. To her come
shepherds with their flocks, pitch their tents about her round about, and devour each
his portion. Jer_6:4. Sanctify war against her; arise, let us go up at noon. Woe unto us!
for the day declineth; for the shadows of evening lengthen. Jer_6:5. Arise, let us go up
by night, and destroy her palaces. Jer_6:6. For thus hath Jahveh of hosts spoken, Hew
down wood, and pile up against Jerusalem a rampart; she is the city that is (to be)
punished, she is all full of oppression in her midst. Jer_6:7. As a fountain pours forth its
water, so pours she forth her wickedness: violence and spoiling is heard in her; before
my face continually, wounds and smiting. Jer_6:8. Be warned, Jerusalem, lest my soul
tear herself from thee, lest I make thee a waste, a land uninhabited."
In graphic delineation of the enemy's approach against Jerusalem, the prophet calls on
the people to flee. As regarded its situation, Jerusalem belonged to the tribe of
Benjamin; the boundary between the tribal domain of Judah and Benjamin passed
through the valley of Ben-hinnom on the south side of Jerusalem, and then ran
northwards to the west of the city (Jos_15:8; Jos_18:16.). The city was inhabited by
Judeans and Benjamites, 1Ch_9:2. The summons is addressed to the Benjamites as the
prophet's fellow-countrymen. Tekoa lay about two hours' journey southwards from
Bethlehem, according to Jerome, on a hill twelve Roman miles south of Jerusalem; see
on Jos_15:59. This town is mentioned because its name admits of a play on the word
‫עוּ‬ ְ‫ק‬ ִ . The alarm is given in the country south of Jerusalem, because the enemy is coming
from the north, so that the flight will be directed southwards. Beth-haccerem, acc. to
Jerome, was a hamlet (vicus) between Jerusalem and Tekoa, qui lingua Syra et Hebraic
Bethacharma nominatur, et ipse in monte positus, apparently on what is now called the
Frank's Hill, Jebel Fureidis; see on Neh_3:14. ‫ת‬ ֵ‫א‬ ְ‫שׂ‬ ַ‫,מ‬ the lifting up, that which raises itself
up, or is raised; here a lofty beacon or signal, the nature of which is not further made
known. The meaning, fire-signal, or ascending column of smoke, cannot be made good
from Jdg_20:38, Jdg_20:40, since there ‫ן‬ ָ‫שׁ‬ ָ‫ע‬ is appended; nor from the statements of
classical authors (in Ros.), that in time of war bodies of troops stationed in different
places made their positions known to one another by masses of rising flame during the
night, and by columns of smoke in the day time. As to the last clause, cf. Jer_1:14. "Great
destruction," as in Jer_4:6. - In Jer_6:2 the impending judgment is further described. It
falls on the daughter of Zion, the capital and its inhabitants, personified as a beautiful
and delicately reared woman. ‫ה‬ָ‫ו‬ָ‫,נ‬ defectively written for ‫ה‬ָ‫או‬ָ‫,נ‬ contracted from ‫ה‬ָ‫ו‬ ֲ‫א‬ַ‫,נ‬ lovely,
beautiful. The words are not vocatives, O fair and delicate, but accusatives made to
precede their governing verb absolutely, and are explained by "the daughter of Zion,"
dependent on "I destroy:" the fair and the delicate, namely, the daughter of Zion, I
destroy. ‫ה‬ ָ‫מ‬ ָ as in Hos_4:5. The other meaning of this verb, to be like, to resemble, is
wholly unsuitable here; and, besides, in this signification it is construed with ‫ל‬ ֶ‫א‬ or ְ‫.ל‬

5. Ew.'s translation, I mean the daughter of Zion, is not justifiable by the usage of the word,
the Piel only, and not the Kal, being capable of this interpretation.
CALVI , "WE have already seen that oftentimes punishment is not only mentioned
by this Prophet as being nigh at hand, but is also set as it were before our eyes; and
we have shewn the reason for this, — because men are not only deaf, but wholly
thoughtless, whenever God threatens them. As reproofs make no impressions, and
even threatenings are not sufficient to arouse and awake them, it is necessary to set
before them vivid descriptions, and to represent the event as present. Jeremiah
continues this mode of teaching; he addresses the tribe of Benjamin; for one half of
Jerusalem was in the territory of that tribe; And as he was from Anathoth, he
addresses his own people and kindred rather than others, as he could use greater
freedom. Had he directly reproved the Jews, they might not have so well borne with
him; but as he begins with his neighbors, the tribe of Benjamin, it became more easy
to bear his reproofs.
Some understand the words, “Be ye assembled, and flee;” others read, “Go ye in
haste, “but for what reason I know not. I do not think that flight is meant here; but
I rather regard the Prophet as ironically encouraging the citizens of Jerusalem and
their neighbors to go forth, as it is usual, to meet their enemies; and this we may
easily learn from the context: Be ye assembled, he says, from the midst of
Jerusalem; that is, Be aroused and go forth. And he indirectly condemns their
indulgences, for they had been lying as it were in the bosom of their mother. Like
infants in the womb, the Jews were not apprehensive of any danger; they indulged
themselves, and were wholly secure and thoughtless. Hence he says, “From the
midst of Jerusalem be ye assembled.” (160)
Then he says, Blow ye the trumpet in Tekoa. They were wont, no doubt, when any
danger was at hand, to blow the trumpet in that town; and then the citizens of
Jerusalem went forth in large bodies to resist their enemies: for the Prophet follows
the usual custom, and speaks as of things well known. And set up a sign on the
house of Haccerem, ‫.הכרם‬ o doubt this place was so called, because many forces
were planted there. It means literally the house of the vineyard. It is, indeed, a
proper name; but its etymology ought to be borne in mind; for as vines were usually
planted on hills, it is probable that this place stood high; and a sign might have been
thence given to many around. He therefore says, “Set up a sign, ‫,משאת‬ meshat, a
word derived from ‫,נשא‬ nesha, which is also found here: but some interpreters
render it “fire” or bonfire; others “banner;” and others “tower.” They who render
it tower or citadel have no reason in their favor; for towers could not have been
suddenly raised up. But it is probable, as I have already said, that thence a sign was
given to those around, as from a watch — tower, whenever there was any cause of
fear. I am therefore inclined to take the word as meaning a sign; for the word
“banner” would have been too restricted. Literally it is, “Elevate an elevation.” The
word “sign, “then, is the most suitable. (161)
For an evil, he says, from the north has appeared (162) The Prophet points out
whence ruin would soon come, even from the Chaldeans, for God had appointed
them as the ministers and the executioners of his vengeance in destroying Jerusalem

6. and the whole tribe of Judah. We hence see what the Prophet means: he ridicules
the Jews, who were asleep in their vices, promising to themselves impunity, and
despising all the judgments of God: “Be now assembled, “he says, “from the midst
of Jerusalem;” as though he said, that they could not be safe in the city, without
going forth to meet their enemies: “Blow ye the trumpet in Tekoa;” and then he
adds, “Let the inhabitants of Bethhaccerem, “that is, of the house of the vineyard,
“set up signals; for an evil is nigh at hand, and a great distress;” from whom? from
the Chaldeans. The prediction was more likely to be believed, when he thus pointed
out their enemies, as it were, by his finger. It afterwards follows —
Hasten, ye sons of Benjamin, from the midst of Jerusalem.
Where Blayney got the phrase, “Retire in a body,“ it is difficult to say. — Ed.
COFFMA , "Verse 1
JEREMIAH 6
DESTRUCTIO FROM THE ORTH;
THE SIEGE OF JERUSALEM;
DESTRUCTIO OF JERUSALEM
A number of such titles as the ones cited here are assigned to this chapter by various
authors. There is very little in the chapter that requires any extensive research; and
we shall depart from our usual procedure by giving our own paraphrase of this
tragic prophecy.
True to the pattern throughout Jeremiah, the three subjects treated here, namely,
(1) a description of the tragic fate of the city, (2) the character and identification of
the instrument (the destroyer) God would use in the execution of his judgment
against the city, and (3) a summary of the reasons why God judged Jerusalem and
Judah to be worthy of the penalty about to fall upon them, Jeremiah jumbled all of
these topics together. In our paraphrase, we shall reorganize them topically.
THE AWFUL FATE TO BEFALL JUDAH A D JERUSALEM
The daughter of Zion (a poetic name for Jerusalem) shall be cut off (Jeremiah 6:2);
she shall be encircled with tents (Jeremiah 6:3); the lengthening shadows mark the
closing of the Day of God's Favor upon racial Israel (Jeremiah 6:4); her palaces
shall be destroyed (Jeremiah 6:5); the military shall cast up a mound against her
(Jeremiah 6:6); she shall be uninhabited, a desolation (Jeremiah 6:8); the vine of
Israel shall be stripped and gleaned (Jeremiah 6:9); the wrath of God shall be
poured out upon her children, the young men, the husbands and wives, and even
upon all the old people (Jeremiah 6:11); the houses, fields, and wives of the people
shall be taken away from them and given to the invaders (Jeremiah 6:12); the nation

7. shall fall; it shall be cast down (Jeremiah 6:25); God will bring evil upon her people
(Jeremiah 6:19); God will place stumblingblocks in their way; fathers and sons,
friends and neighbors shall perish (Jeremiah 6:21); the power of the defenders shall
be feeble, and anguish shall overwhelm them (Jeremiah 6:24); the people will fear to
go outside, for the sword of the enemy will be everywhere (Jeremiah 6:25); they
shall clothe themselves in sackcloth and ashes, mourning as for an only son;
destruction shall descend suddenly upon them (Jeremiah 6:26).
CHARACTER A D IDE TITY OF I VADERS
This had been accomplished already by the specifics Jeremiah gave in the preceding
chapter, which made it certain that God's instrument in the fall of Jerusalem and
the deportation of the people was to be Babylon; but some of the same clues are
mentioned again.
It will be a military destruction from the north with tents, military equipment,
trumpets, etc. (Jeremiah 6:1,4,17, and Jeremiah 6:22); the result shall be
accomplished by a siege, as indicated by the tents and the mound against the city,
earmarks of an all-out war (Jeremiah 6:4); the great nation from the north will have
skilled bowmen, cruel, merciless horsemen who shall bring death to thousands
(Jeremiah 6:23); their approach to Jerusalem shall be like the roaring sea-surge of a
mighty hurricane (Jeremiah 6:23); the merciless swords of the enemy, lurking
everywhere, shall spare no one (Jeremiah 6:25); they will strike suddenly (Jeremiah
6:16), as already indicated in Jeremiah 5 by the comparison with the leopard, the
swiftest of animals; they shall burn Israel as a refiner burns metal to remove the
dross; only Israel is all dross (Jeremiah 6:31).
WHY PU ISHME T OF ISRAEL WAS REQUIRED
God made it perfectly clear why it was required by the Divine justice that
punishment and destruction were to be meted out to racial Israel. Jerusalem was
producing nothing but wickedness, violence, and oppression (Jeremiah 6:7); they
would not hear the Word of God (Jeremiah 6:10); they hated the word of God
(Jeremiah 6:10); all of them were covetous and dealt falsely (Jeremiah 6:13); they
loved their false prophets who cried, Peace, peace, when there was no peace
(Jeremiah 6:14); they refused to be ashamed of their sins (Jeremiah 6:15); they
declared, "We will not listen to God" (Jeremiah 6:17); their thoughts were evil, and
as for God's Law, they rejected it (Jeremiah 6:19); their hypocritical and insincere
offerings were not acceptable to God (Jeremiah 6:21); Israel had become a nation of
grievous revolters, all of them habitual slanderers, and dealing falsely (Jeremiah
6:28); after God had repeatedly pleaded with and corrected his people, and after the
exercise of near-infinite patience, and after it was perfectly clear that Israel had no
intention of returning to God or in any sense mending their ways, God finally
summarily rejected them and consigned their nation to destruction and captivity
(Jeremiah 6:30).
Jeremiah 6:1-2

8. We shall now examine the text of this chapter.
"Flee for safety, ye children of Benjamin, out of the midst of Jerusalem. and blow
the trumpet in Tekoa, and raise up a signal on Beth-haccherem; for evil looketh
forth from the north, and a great destruction. The comely and the delicate one, the
daughter of Zion, will I cut off."
"Ye children of Benjamin ..." (Jeremiah 6:1). "The reason that Benjamin is
mentioned here is that Jerusalem geographically belonged to the territory of
Benjamin."[1]
"Out of the midst of Jerusalem ..." (Jeremiah 6:1). In Jeremiah 4:6, the people were
warned to flee "to Jerusalem"; but here, they are warned to get out of Jerusalem.
The capital of Judah is doomed to destruction. "The capital being doomed, and the
destruction coming from the north, the only safety would have been toward the
south."[2] Also, it may be supposed that some sought the safety of the rugged
mountains toward the Dead Sea.
"Tekoa... and Beth-haccherem ..." (Jeremiah 6:1) These towns in the vicinity of
Jerusalem were mentioned to indicate the near approach of the enemy, Tekoa being
"only ten or twelve miles south of Jerusalem,"[3] and Beth-haccherem being only
"four and a half miles west of Jerusalem."[4]
TRAPP, "Jeremiah 6:1 O ye children of Benjamin, gather yourselves to flee out of
the midst of Jerusalem, and blow the trumpet in Tekoa, and set up a sign of fire in
Bethhaccerem: for evil appeareth out of the north, and great destruction.
Ver. 1. O ye children of Benjamin.] These were the prophet’s countrymen, for
Anathoth was in that tribe; so was also part of Jerusalem itself. He forwarneth them
of the enemy’s approach, and bids them begone. The Benjamites were noted for
valiant, but vicious. [ 19:16; 19:22-25 Hosea 9:9; Hosea 10:9]
And blow the trumpet in Tekoah.] A place that had its name from trumpeting; so
there is an elegance in the original. See the like, Micah 1:10; Micah 1:14. It was
twelve miles from Jerusalem, and six from Bethhaccerem. Here dwelt that wise
woman brided by Joab. [2 Samuel 14:2]
Set up a sign of fire.] A beacon, or such as the cross of fire is in Scotland, where (for
a signal to the people when the enemy is at hand) two firebrands set across, and
pitched upon a spear, are carried about the country. (a)
COKE, "Jeremiah 6:1. O ye children of Benjamin— Jeremiah continues to inveigh
against the disorders of the Jews; he addresses himself to the tribe of Benjamin, to
prepare to defend themselves and their city against the Chaldeans; and for that

9. purpose to flee out of the city, and erect their standards in Tekoa, and Beth-
haccerem. The Benjamites were always remarkable for their skill and address in
war. Jerusalem belonged to this tribe, as well as to that of Judah. Tekoa was a
village about twelve miles from Jerusalem; and Beth-haccerem was a village
between Tekoa and Jerusalem. It was built upon a mountain situate in the way
which led to Jerusalem from Chaldea.
PETT, "His People Are To Prepare For Action Because The Invasion Is Upon Them
(Jeremiah 6:1-8).
As the enemy approached from the north the tribe of Benjamin (his own tribe), who
were to the north of Jerusalem, had fled for refuge to Jerusalem, and to help to
defend the city. But now they are commanded to leave Jerusalem because its case is
hopeless, and continue their southward journey in order to bring the southern cities
to a state of readiness. Benjamin were well known as doughty fighters, and their
skills would be needed there. And all this was because Jerusalem was no longer a
safe place to be. She had prided herself on being ‘the comely and delicate one’ but
now she was to be cut off without mercy.
As a result the call then goes out to prepare for war, because the approaching enemy
are filled with an eagerness that brooks no delay. This eagerness is because it is
YHWH Who has ordered them into action, as a result of the corruption and
waywardness of His people. But there is a touch of mercy here also, as He calls His
people to learn and repent, lest this desolation come upon them. It is apparent that if
only they will receive His instruction they may yet be saved.
Jeremiah 6:1
“Flee for safety, you children of Benjamin,
Out of the midst of Jerusalem,
And blow the ram’s horn in Tekoa,
And raise up a signal on Beth-haccherem,
For evil looks down from the north,
And a great destruction.”
The children of Benjamin, having come southwards seeking refuge in Jerusalem are
now advised to move on for safety’s sake. Jerusalem is no longer a safe place to be.
But it will not be an act of cowardice, for the point is made that it will be their duty
to warn and help the southern cities to prepare for what is coming. The
Benjaminites were renowned fighters.
Thus in Teqo‘a, (a city sixteen or so kilometres (ten miles) south of Jerusalem) they
are to tiqe‘u the ram’s horn. ote the wordplay. The name is simply chosen for its
assonance, not because Tekoa was of special importance. And in Beth-haccherem
(the house of the vineyard) they are to set up the war signal, indicating that war has
come to YHWH’s vineyard. The fact that evil ‘looks down’ from the north may
indicate that the enemy have taken over a high point overlooking the doomed city,
so that its ‘great destruction’ is about to take place.

10. Some relate the mention of Benjamin to the fact that Jeremiah was a Benjaminite,
with the thought being that he would feel more at home addressing his own tribe
who would be more to receive his words in a friendly spirit, but the mention of
safety makes our first suggestion more likely.
PULPIT, "A prophecy, in five stanzas or strophes, vividly describing the judgment
and its causes, and enforcing the necessity of repentance.
Jeremiah 6:1-8
Arrival of a hostile army from the north, and summons to flee from the doomed city.
Jeremiah 6:1
O ye children of Benjamin. The political rank of Jerusalem, as the capital of the
kingdom of Judah, makes it difficult to realize that Jerusalem was not locally a city
of Judah at all. It belonged, strictly speaking, to the tribe of Benjamin, a tribe whose
insignificance, in comparison with Judah, seems to have led to the adoption of a
form of expression not literally accurate (see Psalms 128:1-6 :68). The true state of
the ease is evident from an examination of the two parallel passages, Joshua 15:7,
Joshua 15:8, and Joshua 18:16, Joshua 18:17. As Mr. Fergusson points out, "The
boundary between Judah and Benjamin … ran at the foot of the hill on which the
city stands, so that the city itself was actually in Benjamin, while, by crossing the
narrow ravine of Hinnom, you set foot on the territory of Judah" (Smith's
'Dictionary of the Bible,' 1.983). It is merely a specimen of the unnatural method of
early harmonists when Jewish writers tell us that the altars and the sanctuary were
in Benjamin, and the courts of the temple in Judah. The words of "the blessing of
Moses" are clear (Deuteronomy 33:12): "The beloved of the Lord! he shall dwell in
safety by him, sheltering him continually, and between his shoulders he dwelleth;"
i.e. Benjamin is specially protected, the sanctuary being on Benjamite soil. And yet
these highly favored "children of Benjamin" are divinely warned to flee from their
sacred homes (see Jeremiah 7:4-7). Gather yourselves to flee; more strictly, save
your goods by flight. In Jeremiah 4:6 the same advice was given to the inhabitants
of the country districts. There, Jerusalem was represented as the only safe refuge;
here, the capital being no longer tenable, the wild pasture-land to the south (the foe
being expected from the north) becomes the goal of the fugitives of Jerusalem. In
Tokoa. Tokoa was a town in the wild hill-county to the south of Judah, the
birthplace of the prophet Amos. It is partly mentioned because its name seems to
connect it with the verb rendered blow the trumpet. Such paronomasiae are favorite
oratorical instruments of the prophets, and especially in connections like the present
(comp. Isaiah 10:30; Micah 1:10-15). A sign of fire in Beth-hakkerem; rather, a
signal on Beth-hakkerem. The rendering of Authorized Version was suggested by
20:38, 20:40; but there is nothing in the present context (as there is in that passage)
to favor the view that a fiery beacon is intended. Beth-hakkerem lay, according to
St. Jerome, on an eminence between Jerusalem and Tekoa; i.e. probably the hill
known as the Frank Mountain, the Arabic name of which (Djebel el-Furaidis, Little

11. Paradise Mountain) is a not unsuitable equivalent for the Hebrew (Vineyard-house).
The "district of Beth-hakkerem" is mentioned in ehemiah 3:14. The choice of the
locality for the signal was a perfect one. "There is no other tell," remarks Dr.
Thomson, "of equal height and size in Palestine." Appeareth; rather, bendeth
forward, as if it were ready to fall.
BI, 1-9, "Arise, and let us go up at noon.
Christian effort
That spirit-stirring call of the text, so needful to arouse the Chaldeans on their march to
the ancient, is as needful for us on our pilgrimage to the new, Jerusalem.
1. In other passages, the early years of childhood and youth are pointed out as the
special time for God’s service. While the heart is warm and pliant. Ere the hardening
influence of a selfish world, having closed it to the Saviour’s call, has swept and
garnished it for tenantry of evil.
2. “Arise, and let us go up at noon.” It is midday with you, to whom the text is
speaking. It is the period for active endeavour. Now the calls of the world are dinned
most loudly into your ears. In the earlier hours, and at the close of your passing day,
you were and will be alike incapable of prolonged toil. Now the requirement is made
of you, and to what behests does it bid you attend? Make the most of your time. Are
you poor? Strive for independence. Are you rich? Strive for place and power. Are you
intellectual? Seek a sphere for display, a stage for self-glorification. Thus speaks the
world, and were some of its directions pursued in moderation, pursued subordinate
to higher and nobler motive, there might be wisdom in our chastened regards. But,
alas! how many go to extreme in these observances, and become the slaves of time
and sense. Apply those misdirected energies to a nobler cause. The rewards of time
are not worth such care as this. In themselves, they are of scarce more value than the
withered leaves which crowned the victor in the ancient games. Arise, and go up at
noon to seek the incorruptible crown. Ye are soldiers engaged in warfare. The sword
is drawn. The banner is spread. Its emblem is the Cross. Your weapons are not
carnal. The din of military music shall not spur you to the dangerous assault; but
strains of sweetest melody shall speak to you of peace, peace on earth, goodwill to
men; peace which the world can neither give nor take away.
3. But have you passed that period of activity, and in your retrospect of its busy
hours do you feel how prodigally your energies have been wasted? Have ungodly
habits become so confirmed, that now at your journey’s end, being dead to the
enticements of the present, you are not alive to the requirements of the future? Shall
an appeal, which might impress a heart yet warm and flexible, fall coldly on the worn
and weary conscience of the aged? The gracious and long-suffering Master has still
this call to summon you, “Arise, and let us go by night.” Ye have heard and
disregarded the call throughout the day, and therefore may not be as those who,
having never been hired earlier, received every man a penny, but whatsoever is right,
that shall ye receive. Go by prayer and penitence, by sought and found spiritual
guidance, or soon the light of life will be extinguished in outer darkness.
4. But ye have been watchful and faithful. Ye arose, and went up at noon. It is not
woeful to you that the day goeth away. It is no cause of regret that the shadows of
evening are stretched out. “Behold! I come quickly,” the Saviour says to you; and
joyfully ready is your reply, “Even so, come, Lord Jesus.” All things are yours: love

12. and reverence from all without, peace unspeakable from all within. Ye shall arise and
go. The shadows stretched before you shall be dispelled forever, and the brightness
of that noon which shall fade no more shall rest upon you. (F. Jackson.)
2 I will destroy Daughter Zion,
so beautiful and delicate.
BAR ES, "The whole verse is difficult, but should probably be translated; “to a
pasturage, yea a luxuriant pasturage, have I likened (or, have reduced to silence, i. e.,
destroyed) the daughter of Zion.”
GILL, "I have likened the daughter of Zion to a comely and delicate woman.
That dwells at home and lives in pleasure, and deliciously, in great peace and quietness,
in entire ease and security, in no fear of enemies, or apprehension of danger; and so it
describes the secure state of the Jews. Kimchi and Ben Melech supply the word "woman"
as we do; but others supply "land" or "pasture"; and think that the Jewish nation is
compared to pleasant and delightful lands and pastures, which are inviting to shepherds
to come and pitch their tents about them; as follows. The words are by some rendered,
"O beautiful and delicate one, I have cut off, or destroyed the daughter of Zion" (o); in
which sense the word is used in Isa_6:5 and to this purpose is the Targum,
"O beautiful and delicate one, how hast thou corrupted thy ways? therefore the
congregation of Zion is confounded;''
but the former senses seem to be best; in which the word used is understood as having
the signification of likening or comparing; for which see Son_1:9.
HE RY 2-5, "That the attempt upon them should be bold and formidable and such
as they should be a very unequal match for. (1.) See what the daughter of Zion is, on
whom the assault is made. She is compared to a comely and delicate woman (Jer_6:2),
bred up in every thing that is nice and soft, that will not set so much as the sole of her
foot to the ground for tenderness and delicacy (Deu_28:56), nor suffer the wind to blow
upon her; and, not being accustomed to hardship, she will be the less able either to resist
the enemy (for those that make war must endure hardness) or to bear the destruction
with that patience which is necessary to make it tolerable. The more we indulge
ourselves in the pleasures of this life the more we disfit ourselves for the troubles of this

13. life. (2.) See what the daughter of Babylon is, by whom the assault is made. The generals
and their armies are compared to shepherds and their flocks (Jer_6:3), in such numbers
and in such order did they come, the soldiers following their leaders as the sheep their
shepherds. The daughter of Zion dwelt at home (so some read it), expecting to be
courted with love, but was invaded with fury. This comparing of the enemies to
shepherds inclines me to embrace another reading, which some give of Jer_6:2, The
daughter of Zion is like a comely pasture-ground and a delicate land, which invite the
shepherds to bring their flocks thither to graze; and as the shepherds easily make
themselves masters of an open field, which (as was then usual in some parts) lies
common, owned by none, pitch their tents in it, and their flocks quickly eat it bare, so
shall the Chaldean army easily break in upon the land of Judah, force for themselves a
free quarter where they please, and in a little time devour all. For the further illustration
of this he shows, [1.] How God shall commission them to make this destruction even of
the holy land and the holy city, which were his own possession. It is he that says (Jer_
6:4), Prepare you war against her; for he is the Lord of hosts, that has all hosts at his
command, and he has said (Jer_6:6), Hew you down trees, and cast a mount against
Jerusalem, in order to the attacking of it. The Chaldeans have great power against Judah
and Jerusalem, and yet they have no power but what is given them from above. God has
marked out Jerusalem for destruction. He has said, “This is the city to be visited, visited
in wrath, visited by the divine justice, and this is the time of her visitation.” The day is
coming when those that are careless and secure in sinful ways will certainly be visited.
[2.] How they shall animate themselves and one another to execute that commission.
God's counsels being against Jerusalem, which cannot be altered or disannulled, the
councils of war which the enemies held are made to agree with his counsels. God having
said, Prepare war against her, their determinations are made subservient to his; and,
notwithstanding the distance of place and the many difficulties that lay in the way, it is
soon resolved, nemine contradicente - unanimously. Arise, and let us go. Note, It is
good to see how the counsel and decree of God are pursued and executed in the devices
and designs of men, even theirs that know him not, Isa_10:6, Isa_10:7. In this
campaign, First, They resolve to be very expeditious. They have no sooner resolved upon
it than they address themselves to it; it shall never be said that they left any thing to be
done towards it tomorrow which they could do today: Arise, let us go up at noon, though
it be in the heat of the day; nay, (Jer_6:5), Arise, let us go up at night, though it be in the
dark. Nothing shall hinder them; they are resolved to lose no time. They are described as
men in care to make despatch (Jer_6:4): “Woe unto us, for the day goes away, and we
are not going on with our work; the shadows of the evening are stretched out, and we sit
still, and let slip the opportunity.” O that we were thus eager in our spiritual work and
warfare, thus afraid of losing time, or any opportunity, in taking the kingdom of heaven
by violence! It is folly to trifle when we have an eternal salvation to work out, and the
enemies of that salvation to fight against. Secondly, They confidently expect to be very
successful: “Let us go up, and let us destroy her palaces and make ourselves masters of
the wealth that is in them.” It was not that they might fulfill God's counsels, but that they
might fill their own treasures, that they were thus eager; yet God thereby served his own
purposes.
JAMISO , "likened — rather, “I lay waste.” Literally, “O comely and delicate one, I
lay waste the daughter of Zion,” that is, “thee.” So Zec_3:9, “before Joshua,” that is,
“before thee” [Maurer].
CALVI , "As the place, where the Prophet was born, was pastoral, he retained

14. many expressions derived from his education; for God did not divest his servants of
every natural endowment when he appointed them to teach his people. Hence the
Prophet here speaks according to notions imbibed in his early age and childhood.
The daughter of Sion, he says, is like a quiet maid, that is, one dwelling at leisure
and enjoying herself; and yet she would be exposed to many indignities, for come
shall shepherds, and around fix their tents; and the whole country would be
subjected to plunder. But it is doubtful whether the Prophet says, that the daughter
of Sion might be compared to a maid, tender and delicate, dwelling at ease and
cheerful, or whether he means, that rest had been for a time granted to the people.
There seems, indeed, to be no great difference, though there is some, between the
two explanations.
If we take the verb, ‫,דמיתי‬ damiti, in the sense of comparing, as interpreters do, then
it is the same as though the Prophet had said, “I seem to see in the state of Jerusalem
the image of a tender and delicate maid.” Thus Jeremiah speaks in his own name.
But the sentence may be more fitly applied to God, — that he had made the
daughter of Sion quiet for a time, and had given her peace with her enemies, so that
she lived at ease and cheerfully.
Though these two views differ, yet the subject itself is nearly the same. The Prophet,
no doubt, condemns here the Jews for their extreme torpidity, inasmuch as they had
wholly misapplied the quietness granted them by God. He then proves that they
were very thoughtless and stupid in thinking that their tranquillity would be
perpetual, for it was God’s favor, and only for a time. Hence he says, that the Jews
were until that very day like a tender maid. For though the country of the ten tribes
had been laid waste, and all had been driven away into exile, yet the kingdom of
Judah continued safe. They had, indeed, been plundered by enemies, but in
comparison with their brethren they had been very kindly treated. This, then, is the
reason, why he says that they were like a maid delicate and tender. (163)
To a pasture and a delightful habitation Have I likened the daughter of Sion.
Disposed to this view were Gataker and Lowth. But what Blayney has said is true,
that whenever the verb here used has the sense of likeness, it is followed by a
preposition. Besides, the two first words are not substantives but adjectives, as the
form, especially of the last, clearly shews. The verb ‫דמיתי‬ has in various passages the
sense of thinking, counting, esteeming, regarding; as the result of comparing things
together. See Jude 20:5; Esther 4:13; Psalms 48:9. There is a passage in Ezekiel
32:2, which is like the present, only the verb there is in iphal; its literal rendering I
consider to be the following: “The young lion of the nations art thou deemed,“ or,
thought to be. The literal rendering of this verse is as follows, —
Home-resident and delicate,
Have I deemed the daughter of Sion.
She was so regarded by God. ot like other nations, migratory, she had a home
allotted to her by God himself; and she was nursed and sustained with all

15. tenderness, like a delicate person. But owing to her sins, foreigners, as stated in the
next verse, would come and take possession of her house, and deprive her of her
enjoyments. — Ed.
TRAPP, "Jeremiah 6:2 I have likened the daughter of Zion to a comely and delicate
[woman].
Ver. 2. I have likened the daughter of Zion to a comely and delicate woman.]
Certatim amatae bucolicae puellae; some fair shepherdess, to whom the kings with
their armies make love (but for no love), that they may destroy and spoil her.
COKE, "Jeremiah 6:2. I have likened the daughter of Zion— There seems to be
nothing in the simile in this verse, that can at all suit with the continuation of it in
the third; and therefore I cannot but approve the interpretation which Houbigant
and several others give; I have likened the daughter of Sion to pleasant pasture,
wither the shepherds with the flocks come to feed, that is to say, "the Chaldeans
with their army, who were to feed upon and devour Jerusalem." Houbigant reads
the latter part of the next verse, They have pitched their tents near it, and they feed
round it, every one in his place.
PETT, "Jeremiah 6:2-3
“The comely and delicate one, the daughter of Zion, will I cut off,
Shepherds with their flocks will come to her,
They will pitch their tents against her round about,
They will feed every one in his place.”
‘The comely and delicate one.’ YHWH is possibly here citing Jerusalem’s verdict on
itself as ‘the comely and delicate one, the daughter of Zion’ (note the contrast with
Jeremiah 4:31 where she is the destitute mother with child). This may well have
been their view of themselves in terms of the Song of Solomon (Jeremiah 1:5;
Jeremiah 1:8-10; Jeremiah 1:15-16; Jeremiah 2:14; Jeremiah 6:4; Jeremiah 7:1-6).
ote especially Jeremiah 6:4, ‘comely as Jerusalem’. The idea then is that her view
of herself will not save her, for she is to be cut off (compare Isaiah 1:8;
Lamentations 1:6) to such an extent that she will become a pasturage for sheep. Her
lovers have evidently turned against her. (She will, however, one day be restored
(Isaiah 52:2), but that is not in mind here). In Deuteronomy 28:56 the woman
suffering under siege was also described as ‘tender and delicate’, and this may be in
mind here, linking the coming destruction with the curses in Deuteronomy.
Others, however, see this instead as YHWH’s benevolent view of Jerusalem, which
would tie in with the description of Judah/Israel as His ‘beloved’ in Jeremiah 11:15;
Jeremiah 12:7, and the thought that she was once His lover (Jeremiah 2:1-3). But
unless it is meant at least partially sarcastically (compare how her being called
YHWH’s ‘beloved’ in Jeremiah 11:15 is also probably partially sarcastic), it is
incompatible with the descriptions that have already been given of her and also with
the judgment immediately described. Jerusalem has in fact been revealed as far

16. from tender and delicate.
“Shepherds with their flocks will come to her; they will pitch their tents against her
round about; they will feed every one in his place.” This may be seen as a follow up
of the ‘great destruction’ in Jeremiah 6:1, being seen as a picture of what would
follow her ‘great destruction’. She would become so desolated that she would no
longer be inhabited, shepherds would feed their flocks there, and pitch their tents
around her, and each would feed his flock in his chosen place (compare Jeremiah
33:12-13). This would provide a vivid contrast with Jeremiah 6:2. “Having been ‘cut
off’ ‘the comely and delicate one’ will become a ruined waste”.
Alternately it may be seeing the commanders of the invading army as shepherds
over their sheep, pitching their war tents around Jerusalem expecting to partake of
her spoils. But while elsewhere invaders are sometimes likened to shepherds, they
are nowhere spoken of in terms of sheep (see Jeremiah 12:10; Isaiah 31:4; Isaiah
44:28; Micah 5:5; ahum 3:18). Invaders are more thought of in terms of lions. This
fact in itself would appear to support the first suggestion.
PULPIT, "I have likened … a comely and delicate woman. This passage is one of the
most difficult in the book, and if there is corruption of the text anywhere, it is here.
The most generally adopted rendering is, "The comely and delicate one will I
destroy, even the daughter of Zion," giving the verb the same sense as in Hosea 4:5
(literally it is, I have brought to silence, or perfect of prophetic certitude). The
context, however, seems to favor the rendering "pasturage" (including the idea of a
nomad settlement), instead of "comely;" but how to make this fit in with the
remainder of the existing text is far from clear. The true and original reading
probably only survives in fragments.
3 Shepherds with their flocks will come against
her;
they will pitch their tents around her,
each tending his own portion.”
BAR ES, "To it shall come “shepherds with their flocks:”

17. They have pitched upon it “their tents round about:”
They have pastured each his hand, “i. e., side.”
The pasture is so abundant that each feeds his flock, i. e., plunders Jerusalem, at the
side of his own tent.
CLARKE, "The shepherds with their flocks - The chiefs and their battalions.
The invading army is about to spoil and waste all the fertile fields round about the city,
while engaged in the siege.
GILL, "The shepherds with their flocks shall come unto her,.... Kings and their
armies, as the Targum paraphrases it; kings and generals are compared to shepherds,
and their armies to flocks, who are under their command and direction; here they design
Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, with his generals and armies, who should come up
against Jerusalem, as to a good pasture:
they shall pitch their tents against her round about; their military tents, in
allusion to pastoral ones. The phrase is expressive of the Chaldean army surrounding
and besieging Jerusalem:
they shall feed everyone in his place; where he is ordered and fixed by his head
general: or, "everyone shall feed his hand" (p): the sheep of his hand; see Psa_95:7,
"them that are under his hand", as the Vulgate Latin version renders it; who are
committed to his care and charge. The meaning is, he shall direct the company or
companies of soldiers under him, where to be, and what part to take in the siege; or
"with his hand", as the Septuagint, with the skilfulness of his hands, Psa_78:72, or with
might and power; or "at his hand", as the Arabic version; what is at hand, what is nearest
to him; or according to his will and pleasure. The Targum is,
"everyone shall help his neighbour.''
The sense, according to Kimchi, is, one king or general shall lay siege against a city, or
against cities, and so another, until they have consumed and subdued the whole land.
JAMISO , "shepherds — hostile leaders with their armies (Jer_1:15; Jer_4:17;
Jer_49:20; Jer_50:45).
feed — They shall consume each one all that is near him; literally, “his hand,” that is,
the place which he occupies (Num_2:17; see on Isa_56:5).
K&D, "Jer_6:3
The destruction comes about by means of shepherds with their flocks, who set up their
tents round the city, and depasture each his portion. We need hardly observe that the
shepherds and their flocks are a figure for princes, who with their peoples besiege and
sack Jerusalem; with this cf. Jer_1:15. The figure does not point to a nomad swarm, or

18. the Scythian people, as Ew. supposes. "Each his hand," i.e., what lies to his hand, or next
him.
CALVI , "But he afterwards adds, Come shall shepherds, etc. ; that is, there is no
ground for the Jews to deceive themselves, because God has hitherto spared them,
and restrained the assaults of enemies; for now shall come shepherds. He keeps to
the same metaphor; “come, “he says, “shall shepherds, “together with their flocks;
that is, come shall leaders of armies with their forces. But I have already reminded
you, that the Prophet here has a regard to the city where he had been born, and
adopts a pastoral language. Come then shall shepherds with their flocks; fix shall
they their tents, and feed shall each in his place, he means that the whole of
Jerusalem would be so much in the power of enemies, that each one would freely
choose his own part or his own portion; for when there is any fear, then the
shepherds gather their flocks, that they may assist one another; but when
everything is in their own power, they move here and there as they please. This free
acting then intimates, that the Jews would have no strength, and would be helped by
no aid; but that the shepherds would surround the whole city and besiege it: every
one, he says, would be in his own place. (164) It follows —
To her shall come shepherds and their flocks, And pitch by her their tents around,
And they shall feed, every one in his border.
“To pitch against her” seems improper: the proposition ‫על‬ means by or near, as well
as against. And ‫יד‬ does not mean properly place, but side or border. It is indeed
rendered place often in our version. See umbers 2:17; Deuteronomy 23:12; Isaiah
56:5; and in Isaiah 57:8, “quarter.” The ancient versions differ; the word seems not
to have been understood. It is rendered by the Septuagint, “by his hand;” by the
Vulgate, “those under his hand;” and by the Targum, “his neighbor.” — Ed
COFFMA , ""Shepherds with their flocks shall come unto her; they shall pitch
their tents against her round about; they shall feed everyone in his place. Prepare ye
war against her; arise, and let us go up at noon. Woe unto us! for the day declineth,
for the shadows of the evening are stretched out."
"Shepherds shall pitch their tents against Jerusalem... shall feed every one in his
place ..." (Jeremiah 6:3). The armies of Babylon are here compared to the large
numbers of shepherds that once pastured the area around Jerusalem; but this verse,
"Describes the soldiers, eager to feed upon the richness of the area."[5]
"Prepare ye war against her ..." (Jeremiah 6:4). "This expression derives from the
ancient institution of Holy War."[6] In ancient times, one nation making war
against another always undertook the venture by extensive preparations, making
sacrifices to their gods, consulting so-called oracles, and making all of the
preparations that in later years came to be associated with a formal declaration of
war.
PULPIT, "The shepherds with their flocks, etc.; rather, To her came shepherds with

19. their flocks; they have pitched their tents round about her; they have pastured each
at his side. The best commentary on the last clause is furnished by umbers 22:4,
" ow shall this company lick up all that are round about us, as the ox licketh up the
grass of the field."
4 “Prepare for battle against her!
Arise, let us attack at noon!
But, alas, the daylight is fading,
and the shadows of evening grow long.
BAR ES, "Prepare ye war - Rather, Sanctify ye war against her. War in ancient
times was never undertaken without religions solemnities (see Deu_20:2 note). For
some of these compare Eze_21:21-23.
At noon - The mid-day heat is so great in the East as to be usually passed under
shelter 2Sa_4:5; Son_1:7. The morning-march of an army was made fasting, and was
usually over by eight or nine. But so great is the impatience of the Chaldeans for the
assault that they cry, “we will make the assault at noon!”
Woe unto us! - Or,
Alas for us! “for the day” has turned
For the evening shadows are lengthening!
CLARKE, "Prepare ye war against her - The words of the invaders exciting each
other to the assault, and impatient lest any time should be lost; lest the besieged should
have time to strengthen themselves, or get in supplies.
GILL, "Prepare ye war against her,.... Not only proclaim it, but prepare themselves
for it; get everything ready for the siege, and begin it. These are either the words of the
Lord, calling upon the Chaldeans in his providence to act such a part against Jerusalem;
or of the Chaldeans themselves, stirring up one another to it; which latter seems to be
the sense; since it follows:
arise, and let us go up at noon; scale the walls, and take the city; which, though in

20. the heat of the day, and not so proper a time, yet such was the eagerness of the army,
and their confidence of carrying the place at once; and concluding there was no need of
waiting till the evening, or of taking any secret measures for the siege; they propose to go
up at noon, in the heat of the day, and in the sight of their enemies, and storm the city:
woe unto us, for the day goes away, for the shadows of the evening are
stretched out; which some take to be the words of the besiegers, lamenting they had
lost time, had not proceeded according to their first purpose, had neglected going up at
noontime, and now the evening was coming upon them; or as being angry, and out of
humour, that the city was not taken by them so soon as they expected: though, according
to Kimchi, they are the words of the prophet; and he may represent the besieged,
mourning over their unhappy case and circumstances; the day of prosperity declining,
and nothing but darkness and distress coming upon them.
JAMISO 4-5, "The invading soldiers encourage one another to the attack on
Jerusalem.
Prepare — literally, “Sanctify” war, that is, Proclaim it formally with solemn rites; the
invasion was solemnly ordered by God (compare Isa_13:3).
at noon — the hottest part of the day when attacks were rarely made (Jer_15:8; Jer_
20:16). Even at this time they wished to attack, such is their eagerness.
Woe unto us — The words of the invaders, mourning the approach of night which
would suspend their hostile operations; still, even in spite of the darkness, at night they
renew the attack (Jer_6:5).
K&D 4-7, "Jer_6:4-7
The description passes from figure to reality, and the enemies appear before us as
speaking, inciting one another to the combat, encouraging one another to storm the city.
To sanctify a war, i.e., prepare themselves for the war by religious consecration,
inasmuch as the war was undertaken under commission from God, and because the
departure of the army, like the combat itself, was consecrated by sacrifice and other
religious ceremonies; see on Joe_3:9. ‫ה‬ ָ‫ל‬ ָ‫,ע‬ to go up against a place as an enemy, not, go
up upon, in which case the object, them (the city or walls), could not be omitted. It is
plainly the storming or capture of the town that is meant by the going up; hence we may
understand what follows: and we will destroy her palaces. We have a rousing call to go
up at noon or in clear daylight, joined with "woe to us," a cry of disappointment that they
will not be able to gain their ends so soon, not indeed till night; in these we see the great
eagerness with which they carry on the assault. ‫ּום‬‫י‬ ‫ה‬ָ‫נ‬ ָ , the day turns itself, declines
towards its end; cf. Psa_90:9. The enemies act under a commission from God, who has
imposed on them the labour of the siege, in order to punish Jerusalem for her sins.
Jahveh is here most fittingly called the God of hosts; for as God of the world, obeyed by
the armies of heaven, He commands the kings of the earth to chastise His people. Hew
wood, i.e., fell trees for making the siege works, cf. Deu_20:20, both for raising the
attacking ramparts,
(Note: Agger ex terra lignisque attollitur contra murum, de quo tela jactantur.
Veget. de re milit. iv. 15.)
and for the entire apparatus necessary for storming the town. ‫ה‬ ָ‫צ‬ ֵ‫ע‬ is not a collective form
from ‫ץ‬ ֵ‫,ע‬ like ‫ה‬ָ‫ג‬ ָ from ‫ג‬ ָ ; but the ‫ה‬ is a suffix in spite of the omission of the Mappik,

21. which is given by but a few of the codd., eastern and western, for we know that Mappik is
sometimes omitted, e.g., Num_15:28, Num_15:31; cf. Ew. §247, d. We are encouraged to
take it so by Deu_20:19, where ‫ה‬ ָ‫צ‬ ֵ‫ע‬ are the trees in the vicinity of the town, of which only
the fruit trees were to be spared in case of siege, while those which did not bear eatable
fruit were to be made use of for the purposes of the siege. And thus we must here, too,
read ‫ה‬ ָ‫צ‬ ֵ‫,ע‬ and refer the suffix to the next noun (Jerusalem). On "pile up a rampart," cf.
2Sa_20:5; Eze_4:2, etc. ‫ד‬ ַ‫ק‬ ְ‫פ‬ ָ‫ה‬ is used as passive of Kal, and impersonally. The connection
with ‫יר‬ ִ‫ע‬ ָ‫ה‬ is to be taken like ‫ה‬ָ‫נ‬ ָ‫ח‬ in Isa_29:1 : the city where it is punished, or perhaps like
Psa_59:6, the relative being supplied: that is punished. ָ ֻⅴ is not to be joined, contrary
to the accents, with ‫ד‬ ַ‫ק‬ ְ‫פ‬ ָ‫ה‬ (Ven., J. D. Mich.), a connection which, even if it were
legitimate, would give but a feeble thought. It belongs to what follows, "she is wholly
oppression in her midst," i.e., on all sides in her there is oppression. This is expanded in
Jer_6:7. lxx and Jerome have taken ‫יר‬ ִ‫ק‬ ָ‫ה‬ from ‫,קרר‬ and translate: like as a cistern keeps
its water cool (ψύχει, frigidam facit), so she keeps her wickedness cool. Hitz. has
pronounced in favour of this interpretation, but changes "keep cool" into "keep fresh,"
and understands the metaphor thus: they take good care that their wickedness does not
stagnate or become impaired by disuse. But it would be a strange metaphor to put "keep
wickedness cool," for "maintain it in strength and vigour." We therefore, along with
Luth. and most commentators, prefer the rabbinical interpretation: as a well makes its
water to gush out, etc.; for there is no sufficient force in the objection that ‫ּור‬‫ק‬ ָ‫מ‬ from ‫,קוּר‬
dig, is not a spring but a well, that ‫יר‬ ִ‫ק‬ ֵ‫ה‬ has still less the force of making to gush forth,
and that ‫ּור‬ wholly excludes the idea of causing to spring out. The first assertion is
refuted by Jer_2:13, ‫ּור‬‫ק‬ ְ‫,מ‬ fountain of living water; whence it is clear that the word does
mean a well fed by a spring. It is true, indeed, that the word ‫ּור‬ , a later way of writing ‫ּר‬‫א‬ ְ
(cf. 1Ch_11:17. 22 with 2Sa_23:15. 20), means usually, a pit, a cistern dug out; but this
form is not substantially different from ‫ר‬ ֵ‫א‬ ְ , well, puteus, which is used for ‫ּור‬ in Ps.
55:24 and Psa_69:16. Accordingly, this latter form can undoubtedly stand with the force
of ‫ר‬ ֵ‫א‬ ְ , as has been admitted by the Masoretes when they substituted for it ‫ר‬ ֵ‫א‬ ְ ; cf. the
Arab. bi'run. The noun ‫ּור‬‫ק‬ ָ‫מ‬ puts beyond doubt the legitimacy of giving to ‫יר‬ ִ‫ק‬ ָ‫,ה‬ from ‫,קוּר‬
to dig a well, the signification of making water to gush forth.
The form ‫ה‬ ָ‫ר‬ ֵ‫ק‬ ֵ‫ה‬ is indeed referable to ‫,קרר‬ but only shows, as is otherwise well known,
that no very strict line of demarcation can be drawn between the forms of verbs '‫עע‬ and '
‫יר‬ ִ‫ק‬ ָ‫ה‬ ;‫,עו‬ again, is formed regularly from ‫.קוּר‬ Violence and spoiling; cf. Jer_20:8, and
Amo_3:10; Hab_1:3. "Before my face," before mine eyes, corresponds to "is heard," as
wounds and smitings are the consequences of violence. On that head, cf. Psa_55:10-12.
CALVI , "The Prophet leaves here the similitude he had adopted; for he does not
now speak of shepherds, but expressly describes the enemies, as coming with great
force, and furiously attacking and laying waste both the city and the whole of Judea.
He was before like God’s herald, proclaiming war; but he now, by a sort of
personification, introduces the Chaldeans encouraging one another to fight.

22. Sanctify, he says, war against her. So the Hebrews speak; for in all ages wars, we
know, were proclaimed by a solemn rite. God, no doubt, has implanted this feeling
in all nations, that no wars should be suddenly undertaken, and that no arms should
be taken up except for a lawful reason: for the proclamation of war was a testimony,
that they did not contend with one another but for causes just and necessary. It is
indeed true, that wars have been often undertaken rashly, and for no just causes;
but yet it was God’s will that this custom should remain and continue in use, in
order to take away excuse from men given to cruelty, or led by ambition to disturb
the world and harass others. This then is the reason for this manner of speaking,
Sanctify war; it is the same as though they declared and proclaimed a just war by a
solemn ceremony. It was according to the common practice that the Prophet spoke
when he said, Sanctify war against her, as we say in our language, Sommez —la
Then follows the readiness of the enemies, yea, their incredible quickness, for he
shews that they were extremely swift, Arise ye, and let us ascend at mid-day. But
they who come to assail a city do so usually in the morning. When the heat prevails,
it is not a suitable time, for the heat of the sun debilitates the body. Then enemies
rest when night comes, except an unexpected advantage should offer itself: but
having been refreshed, they rise early with recruited strength for fighting; they scale
the walls or assail the city by other means, or beat down the walls by warlike
instruments: but to begin the work at mid-day, when a city is to be attacked, is by
no means usual. Hence the Prophet intimates, that so ripened was God’s judgment,
that the Chaldeans, after having come to the walls of the city, would not wait, no,
not even a few hours. Arise ye, and let us ascend at mid-day
He then subjoins, Alas for us, for declined has the day, and the evening shadows are
extended. He employs a military language; for soldiers, we know, are for the most
part fierce and barbarous, and never speak in moderate terms. They have ever in
their mouths, “Alas for us!” or they use some other words, reproachful either to
God or to men. The Prophet then expresses the words of the soldiers; for he
describes the Chaldeans, and represents, as I have said, to the Jews the scene as
present, that he might dissipate their delusions, in which they were wholly asleep.
Alas, then, for us ! for declined has already the day, already have the evening
shadows extended: they who have added, “Too far,” because they had declined
more than usual, have mistaken the meaning of the Prophet. It is the same as though
he had said, “Already the night is nigh, and why should we give over? and why do
we not make such an impetuous assault as to take the city in a moment?” This is the
real meaning of the words.
TRAPP, "Jeremiah 6:4 Prepare ye war against her; arise, and let us go up at noon.
Woe unto us! for the day goeth away, for the shadows of the evening are stretched
out.
Ver. 4. Prepare ye war against her.] Say those Chaldean sweethearts. This is their
wooing language, like that of the English at Musselburgh.

23. Let us go up at noon.] Let us lose no time; why burn we daylight by needless delays?
PETT, "Jeremiah 6:4-5
“Prepare you war against her,
Arise, and let us go up at noon.
Woe to us! for the day declines,
For the shadows of the evening are stretched out.
Arise, and let us go up by night,
And let us destroy her palaces.”
In rather slick phrases Jeremiah conveys the idea of the invaders being ready to act
by both day and night. It is made clear that nothing will be allowed to hold them
back or delay them. They attack during the heat of the day, and then again at
nightfall, even though a night raid of such a type during a siege would normally be
unlikely, for they see the declining of the day as tragic because it might hinder their
activity. They are so determined that nothing can be allowed to stop them that even
the approach of night does not matter. o delay can be countenanced.
The word for ‘prepare’ means ‘sanctify, make holy’. War was looked on very much
as a religious venture. The omens would be consulted (Ezekiel 21:21), the gods
would be called on (Isaiah 36:10), the priests would pray over the army, the
guidance of astrologers would be sought to see if the portents were good. It is
intended to be ironic that it was the enemies of Jerusalem, and not ‘God’s people’,
who ‘made themselves holy’, and who were so eager to obey their gods.
PULPIT, "Prepare ye war; literally, sanctify (or, consecrate) war. The foes are
dramatically described as urging each other on at the different stages of the
campaign. The war is to be opened with sacrifices (comp. Isaiah 13:3 with 1 Samuel
13:9); next there is a forced march, so as to take the city by storm, when the
vigilance of its defenders is relaxed in the fierce noontide heat (comp. Jeremiah
15:8); evening surprises the foe still on the way, but they press steadily on, to do
their work of destruction by night. The rapidity of the marches of the Chaldeans
impressed another prophet of the reign of Josiah—Habakkuk (see Habakkuk 1:6,
Habakkuk 1:8). Woe unto us! for the day goeth away; rather, Alas for us! for the
day hath turned.
5 So arise, let us attack at night
and destroy her fortresses!”

24. BAR ES, "Up! and we will make the assault “by night!”
And destroy “her palaces.”
The generals delay the assault until the next morning. The soldiers consider
themselves aggrieved at this, and clamour for a night attack.
CLARKE, "Arise, and let us go by night - Since we have lost the day, let us not
lose the night; but, taking advantage of the darkness, let us make a powerful assault
while they are under the impression of terror.
GILL, "Arise, and let us go up by night,.... Since they could not take the city at
noon, and by day, as they expected, they propose to attempt it by night; they would lose
no time, but proceed on, day and night, until they had accomplished their end; this
shows how much they were resolved upon it, and that nothing could discourage from it;
and that they were sure of carrying their point: and therefore it follows,
and let us destroy her palaces; the tower and strong hold of Zion, the temple of
Jerusalem, the king's palace, the houses of the high priest, judges, counsellors, and other
civil magistrates, as well as the cottages of the meaner sort of people; for the Vulgate
Latin version renders it, "her houses"; which, notwithstanding her strong walls, were not
secure from the enemy.
CALVI , "He afterwards adds, Arise ye, and let us ascend in the night; that is, “As
we cannot take the city in six hours, (from mid-day to night were six hours, for they
divided the day into twelve hours, and the first hour began at the rising of the sun,
and the twelfth hour closed the day,) as then we cannot take the city in six hours, let
us attack it in the night.” We see here how graphically is described the extreme
ardor of their enemies; for they were urged on by the hidden power of God; and this
is what Jeremiah intended to express. (165) He afterwards adds —
Proclaim ye against her war: Rise, and let us ascend by mid-day. — Alas for us! for
declined has the day, For extended have become the shadows of the evening: Arise,
and let us ascend by night, And destroy her palaces.
The last word is rendered “foundations” by the Septuagint, — “houses” by the
Vulgate, — and “palaces” by the Targum. This is an instance of the loose way in
which the versions were often made.
To “sanctify war,“ is not to prepare it, but to proclaim it, as Calvin says, by a
solemn ceremony. — Ed

25. COFFMA , ""Arise, and let us go up by night, and let us destroy her palaces. For
thus hath Jehovah of hosts said, Hew ye down her trees, and cast up a mound
against Jerusalem: this is the city to be visited; she is wholly oppression in the midst
of her."
"Hew ye down her trees ..." (Jeremiah 6:6). This does not refer to fruit trees, which
would be utilized for feeding a besieging army, but to all the other trees, which
according to Clarke, would have been utilized "to build towers, for overlooking the
city, and for the mounting of their machines."[7]
The siege which is certainly prophesied here, "means that this description cannot fit
the Scythians, who did not have engines for besieging cities; but it is appropriate in
describing the Babylonians."[8]
6 This is what the Lord Almighty says:
“Cut down the trees
and build siege ramps against Jerusalem.
This city must be punished;
it is filled with oppression.
BAR ES, "Hew ye down trees - Rather, her trees: for the simple purpose of
clearing the approaches.
Cast a mount - literally, pour: the earth was emptied out of the baskets, in which it
was carried to the required spot upon the backs of laborers.
Wholly - Or,
“She “is the city” that is visited:
“Wholly oppression” is “in the midst of her!”
She is visited, - i. e., punished; she is ripe for punishment.
CLARKE, "Hew ye down trees - To form machines.

26. And cast a mount - That may overlook the city, on which to place our engines.
This is the city to be visited - We are sure of success, for their God will deliver it
into our hands, for it is full of oppression, and he has consigned it to destruction.
GILL, "For thus hath the Lord of hosts said,.... To the Chaldeans; for as it was the
Lord that brought them out of their own country, and directed them to Jerusalem, and
ordered them to prepare war against it; so they were as an army under his command,
and he it was that ordered them to do this, and that, and the other thing: the whole affair
was of the Lord, and the Jews had more to fear from him, who is the Lord of armies,
than from the army of the Chaldeans; for, as they could do nothing without his divine
permission, so, having that, there was a certainty of succeeding:
hew ye down trees, and cast a mount against Jerusalem: in the Hebrew text it
is, "pour out a mount" (q); the reason of which is, because there were a ditch or ditches
about the city; and into these they poured in stones, and dirt, and trees, and pieces of
wood, and so filled them up, and cast up a mount, on which they could raise their
batteries, and demolish the walls and houses; hence mention is made of hewing down of
trees, in order to cast the mount; for these were to be cut down, not so much to make
battering rams, and other instruments of war, as to fill up the ditch, and raise the mount,
so that the walls might be more easily battered and scaled: though some (r) interpret it
of taking precise, fixed, determined counsel, about the war, and the manner of carrying
it:
this is the city to be visited; or punished; not only that deserves to be so visited, but
which would certainly be visited, and that immediately; its punishment was not far off;
vengeance would soon be taken on it, and that for its sins: and so the Targum,
"this is the city whose sins are visited;''
as it follows:
she is wholly oppression in the midst of her; there were nothing but oppression
and oppressors in her; not only full of oppressors, but oppression itself. This is instanced
in for all kind of wickedness; the meaning is, that she was a sink of sin, and very
wickedness itself.
HE RY 6-7, "The cause of this judgment assigned. It is all for their wickedness; they
have brought it upon themselves; they must bear it, for they must bear the blame of it.
They are thus oppressed because they have been oppressors; they have dealt hardly with
one another, each in his turn, as they have had power and advantage, and now the
enemy shall come and deal hardly with them all. This sin of oppression, and violence,
and wrong-doing, is here charged upon them, 1. As a national sin (Jer_6:6): Therefore
this city is to be visited, it is time to make inquisition, for she is wholly oppression in the
midst of her. All orders and degrees of men, from the prince on the throne to the
meanest master of a shop, were oppressive to those that were under them. Look which
way you might, there were causes for complaints of this kind. 2. As a sin that had
become in a manner natural to them (Jer_6:7): She casts out wickedness, in all the
instances of malice and mischievousness, as a fountain casts out her waters, so
plentifully and constantly, the streams bitter and poisonous, like the fountain. The

27. waters out of the fountain will not be restrained, but will find or force their way, nor will
they be checked by laws or conscience in their violent proceedings. This is fitly applied to
the corrupt heart of man in his natural state; it casts out wickedness, one evil
imagination or other, as a fountain casts out her waters, naturally and easily; it is always
flowing, and yet always full. 3. As that which had become a constant practice with them;
Violence and spoil are heard in her. The cry of it had come up before God as that of
Sodom: Before me continually are grief and wounds - the complaint of those that find
themselves aggrieved, being unjustly wounded in their bodies or spirits, in their estates
or reputation. Note, He that is the common Parent of mankind regards and resents, and
sooner or later will revenge, the mischiefs and wrongs that men do to one another.
JAMISO , "cast — Hebrew, “pour out”; referring to the emptying of the baskets of
earth to make the mound, formed of “trees” and earthwork, to overtop the city walls. The
“trees” were also used to make warlike engines.
this — pointing the invaders to Jerusalem.
visited — that is, punished.
wholly oppression — or join “wholly” with “visited,” that is, she is altogether (in her
whole extent) to be punished [Maurer].
CALVI , "The Prophet now points out the cause why a near calamity awaited both
the city and the whole of Judea. Two things were necessary to be done: as the Jews
had hardened themselves in their thoughtlessness, so that they disregarded all the
threatenings of the prophets, it was necessary to expose and reprove this stupidity.
This is what the Prophet has hitherto done. But the other thing needful to be done
was, to make the Jews to know that they had not to do with the Chaldeans or other
nations, but with God himself, with whom they had for a long time carried on war.
The Prophet then, after having set before the eyes of his own kindred the calamity
which was then nigh at hand, shews now that God was its author.
Thus saith Jehovah of hosts. He reminds them here of the judgment of God, lest
they thought that they could overcome their enemies, even if they fought with the
greatest ardor and the greatest courage, for they could not overcome God. Thus
then saith the God of hosts; as though he had said, “The Chaldeans will indeed
bring their forces, which shall be great and strong; but the contest will be now with
God, whom ye have so often and for a long time and so pertinaciously provoked.”
Thus then saith now the God of hosts, —
Cut ye down wood; that is, “The Chaldeans will not of themselves attack you, but
they will fight for God, and serve him as hired soldiers.” As we have seen elsewhere
that God blows the trumpet, and sends by a hiss for whomsoever he pleases; so also
he says now that the Chaldeans would carry on war under the authority and banner
of God. Command them then did God to cut down wood and to cast up a mound.
We indeed know that warlike engines were made of timber, but the most suitable
word here, as it is evident, is mound.
It follows, She is the city of visitation. Jeremiah shews here that God would justly
act towards the Jews, though with much severity, because they had nearly become

28. putrid in their vices; for this reason he calls it the city of visitation. They therefore
who render the words, “that it may be laid waste, “or, “it is laid waste, “misconceive
the meaning; and indeed they touch neither heaven nor earth, for they consider not
the Prophet’s design, but only dwell on the words. But it is certain, that Jerusalem is
called the city of visitation, because God had exercised long patience and suspended
punishment, until the ripened time of vengeance came, so that it could no longer be
endured, inasmuch as it had become more and more corrupt through the
forbearance of God. It is, he says, the city of visitation; that is, “The time of extreme
vengeance is now come; for I have tried all means to see whether there was any hope
of repentance; but I now find that she is wholly irreclaimable. She is then the city of
visitation; its ruin cannot be suspended any longer.”
The Prophet obviates here, as I have already said, all those complaints which the
Jews were ever ready to make; for they were wont to murmur when any severity
appeared, and say, “God deals cruelly with us; where is his covenant? where is that
paternal kindness which he has promised to us?” As then the Jews were wont thus
to expostulate with God, the Prophet says that it was the city of visitation, and the
whole of it, and not a part only. As then there was nothing pure in it, he says that it
could no longer be spared: and he adds one kind of evil; but stating a part for the
whole, he means (as it is said elsewhere, Jeremiah 7:11) that Jerusalem was a den of
thieves: he therefore says that it was full of rapines, and that oppression was in its
very bowels. (166) It follows —
She, the city, to be visited is the whole of it:
Oppression is in the midst of it.
The verb ‫הפקד‬ is an infinite iphal. Some, not perhaps without reason, have
rendered the first line,
“For thus has Jehovah of hosts said.”
— Ed.
TRAPP, "Jeremiah 6:6 For thus hath the LORD of hosts said, Hew ye down trees,
and cast a mount against Jerusalem: this [is] the city to be visited; she [is] wholly
oppression in the midst of her.
Ver. 6. For thus hath the Lord of hosts said,] q.d., It is he who setteth these
Chaldean warriors to work, and giveth them these words of command. So Totilas,
Gensericus, and others, were the scourge in God’s hand, as now also the Turks are.
She is wholly oppression.] She was full of judgment, righteousness lodged in her;
but now nothing less.
“ omen Alexandri ne te fortasse moretur,

29. Hospes, abi: iacet hic et scelus et vitium. ”{a}
PETT, "Jeremiah 6:6
‘For thus has YHWH of hosts said,
“Hew you down trees,
And cast up a mound against Jerusalem,
This is the city to be visited,
She is wholly oppression in the midst of her.”
And the reason for their haste is that they are acting under YHWH’s orders. It is
YHWH Who has told them to hew down the trees and cast up a siege mound against
Jerusalem, seeking to bring the attackers on a level with the defenders, because this
is the city that He desires to visit in judgment, and that because she is so full of
oppression. ote that the whole city is in fact seen by Him as filled with oppression.
The judgment is not arbitrary. She is being ‘visited’ by design. The detailed
description of the siege tallies with what is depicted in inscriptions
PULPIT, "Hew ye down trees; rather, her trees. Hewing down trees was an
ordinary feature of Assyrian and Babylonian expeditions. Thus, Assurnacirpal
"caused the forests of all (his enemies) to fall" ('Records of the Past,' 3.40, 77), and
Shalmaneser calls himself "the trampler on the heads of mountains and all forests ".
The timber was partly required for their palaces and fleets, but also, as the context
here suggests, for warlike operations. "Trees," as Professor Rawlinson remarks,
"were sometimes cut down and built into the mound" (see next note); they would
also be used for the "bulwarks" or siege instruments spoken of in Deuteronomy
20:20. Cast a mount; literally, pour a mount (or "bank," as it is elsewhere
rendered), with reference to the emptying of the baskets of earth required for
building up the "mount" (mound). Habakkuk (Habakkuk 1:10) says of the
Chaldeans, "He laugheth at every stronghold, and heapeth up earth, and taketh it"
(comp, also 2 Samuel 20:15; Isaiah 37:33). The intention of the mound was not so
much to bring the besiegers on a level with the top of the walls as to enable them to
work the battering-rams to better advantage (Rawlinson, 'Ancient Monarchies,'
1.472). She is wholly oppression, etc.; rather, she is the city that is punished; wholly
oppression is in the midst of her.
7 As a well pours out its water,
so she pours out her wickedness.
Violence and destruction resound in her;

30. her sickness and wounds are ever before me.
BAR ES, "As a fountain casteth out - Better, As a cistern “cooleth.”
Before me ... - Before My face continually there is disease and wounding: Disease as
the result of poverty and want: wounding, or, the commission of deeds of actual
violence.
CLARKE, "As a fountain casteth out her waters - The inhabitants are incessant
in their acts of iniquity; they do nothing but sin.
GILL, "As a fountain casteth out her waters,.... In great abundance, and
continually:
so she casteth out her wickedness; this metaphor expresses the multitude of her
sins, the frequent and constant commission of them, and the source and spring of them,
the corrupt fountain of the heart; see Mat_12:34,
violence and spoil is heard in her; that is, the cry of those that are oppressed and
spoiled is heard, and that by the Lord himself, whose ears are open to the cries of the
oppressed, and will avenge them:
before me continually is grief and wounds; the poor, who were grieved and
wounded by their oppressors; the Lord was an eye and ear witness of their grievances,
and would redress them; nor could their enemies expect to escape his wrath, since they
were all known to him; or else the sense is, that because of their violence and spoil of the
poor, it was continually before the Lord, in his mind and purpose, and he was just ready
to bring upon them, by way of punishment for these things, what would grieve and
wound them; so Jarchi interprets it, which Kimchi mentions; and to it the Targum
agrees,
"the voice of robbers and plunderers is heard in her before me continually, therefore will
I bring upon her evil and smiting.''
JAMISO , "fountain — rather, a well dug, from which water springs; distinct from
a natural spring or fountain.
casteth out — causeth to flow; literally, “causeth to dig,” the cause being put for the
effect (2Ki_21:16, 2Ki_21:24; Isa_57:20).
me — Jehovah.

31. CALVI , The Prophet enlarges on what he had said in the last verse; for he had
shewn, by mentioning one kind of evil, that Jerusalem was a den of thieves, as
oppression dwelt in the midst of it. But he now, by a comparison, amplifies his
former statement, and says, that violence, oppression, devastation, grief, and
smiting, streamed forth like waters from a fountain. It is possible for many vices to
break out from a place, but repentance afterwards follows; but when men cease not,
and heap vices on vices, it then appears that they swell with wickedness, and even
burst with it, as they cannot repress it: they are like a fountain, which ever bubbles
up, and cannot contain its own waters. We hence see the object of the Prophet.
The word ‫,בור‬ bur, means a fountain, and ‫,באר‬ bar, means also a fountain, or a well,
and they are no doubt synonymous: and hence appears the mistake of a very
learned man among the Hebrews, who makes a difference between the two, and says
that the first is a cistern, which receives waters, but has no streaming. That this is
false appears from the words of the Prophet; for a cistern does not cast forth water.
But with regard to what is taught, we sufficiently understand that what the Prophet
means is, — that the Jews had so given up themselves to their vices, that they were
ever contriving some new way of doing evil, as waters never cease to stream forth
from the fountain; and it is a proof, as I have said, that a nation is wholly
irreclaimable, when there is no cessation from evil deeds, when there is no
intermission of injuries, when men ever indulge in their vices; and as the Jews could
not deny that such was the atrocity of their wickedness, the Prophet again assumes
the name of God, and says, Heard have been oppressions, and smitings are before
me; as though he had said, “They will gain nothing by evasions, for if they make a
hundred excuses before men, it will be wholly useless to them when they shall come
before God’s tribunal.” And he again adds the adverb dymt, tamid, continually,
which answers to the perpetual streaming of waters. (167) It follows —
7.As cast forth does a spring its waters, So cast forth is her wickedness: Violence
and plunder are heard of in her; Before me continually are wounding and smiting.
The first verb is in Hiphil, the second is in Huphal. “Violence” was the visible act;
“plunder” or spoiling was the object or the motive; “wounding” was the effect;
“smiting” was the cause. Such is often found to be the way of stating things observed
by the Prophets.
Blayney renders the two last words “sickness and smiting,“ and adds, that the two
words are a Hendiadis, and signify “sickness occasioned by blows.” The true reason
for the order is what has been stated: it is according to what is commonly done in
Scripture; what is found often is not the progressive, but the retrogressive order.
The Septuagint and the Targum have strangely rendered this verse in a manner
wholly inconsistent with the context; nor are the other versions much better. The
Hebrew is plain enough. — Ed.
COFFMA , ""As a well casteth forth its waters, so she casteth forth her

32. wickedness: violence and destruction are found in her; before me continually is
sickness and wounds. Be thou instructed, O Jerusalem, lest my soul be alienated
from thee; lest I make thee a desolation, a land not inhabited."
The meaning of Jeremiah 6:7 is that, "just as a water well maintained its waters at a
constant level, no matter how much was taken out of it; in the same way Jerusalem
maintained its full level of producing wickedness, violence, and destruction,
continually.
"Be thou instructed, O Jerusalem ..." (Jeremiah 6:8) "This seems to indicate that
the tragedy might be averted if the people would repent."[9] Maybe the passage
does indicate such a thing; but, even if it does, it was purely a theoretical premise
suggested by the prophet. ot only did Israel not repent, they despised and rejected
God's law.
TRAPP, "Jeremiah 6:7 As a fountain casteth out her waters, so she casteth out her
wickedness: violence and spoil is heard in her; before me continually [is] grief and
wounds.
Ver. 7. As a fountain casteth out her waters.] Incessantly and abundantly. In
Ieremia est continua quasi declamatio contra peccatum, &c.
Before me continually.] This showeth their impudence.
PETT, "Jeremiah 6:7
“As a cistern (pit) casts forth its waters,
So does she cast forth her wickedness,
Violence and destruction is heard in her,
Before me continually is sickness and wounds.”
Indeed just as a cistern (compare Genesis 37:24; Leviticus 13:36) pours forth its
somewhat soiled water (the rare verb indicates water obtained by digging - 2 Kings
19:24), so does Jerusalem pour forth iniquity, in terms of wickedness, violence and
destruction. Evil has so taken over the city that as YHWH surveys it, all He can see
continually is sickness and wounds. The city as a whole is like a sick and wounded
man. Compare for this idea Isaiah 1:5-6.
PULPIT, "As a fountain casteth out; rather, as a cistern keepeth fresh (literally,
cool). The wickedness of Jerusalem is so thoroughly ingrained that it seems to pass
into act by a law of nature, just as a cistern cannot help always yielding a supply of
cool, fresh water. Violence and spoil; rather, injustice and violence (so Jeremiah
20:8; Amos 3:10; Habakkuk 1:3). Before me, etc.; rather, before my face continually
is sickness and wounding. The ear is constantly dinned with the sounds of
oppression, and the eye pained with the sight of the bodily sufferings of the victims.
The word for" sickness" is applicable to any kind of infirmity (see Isaiah 53:3,
Isaiah 53:4), but the context clearly limits it here to bodily trouble.

33. 8 Take warning, Jerusalem,
or I will turn away from you
and make your land desolate
so no one can live in it.”
BAR ES, "Be thou instructed - Be thou chastised: learn the lesson which
chastisement is intended to teach thee.
Lest my soul - Lest I Myself - not “depart from thee,” God does not willingly leave
His people, but - “be torn from thee.”
CLARKE, "Be thou instructed - Still there is respite: if they would even now
return unto the Lord with all their heart, the advancing Chaldeans would be arrested on
their march and turned back.
GILL, "And be thou instructed, O Jerusalem,.... Or "corrected" (s); receive
discipline or instructions by chastisements and corrections, return by repentance, that
the evils threatened may not come: this shows the affection of the Lord to his people,
notwithstanding all their sins; that their amendment, and not their destruction, were
pleasing to him; that it was with reluctance he was about to visit them in the manner
threatened; and that even now it was not too late, provided they were instructed and
reformed; but, if not, they must expect what follows:
lest my soul depart from thee; his Shechinah, or divine Presence, and all the tokens
of his love, favour, and good will. The Targum interprets it of the Word of the Lord,
"lest my Word cast thee off;''
see Rom_11:1, or, "lest my soul pluck itself from thee"; or "be plucked" (t), and separated
from thee: the phrase denotes an utter separation, a forcible one, joined with the utmost
abhorrence and detestation. In Eze_23:18, it is rendered, "my mind was alienated"; it
denotes disunion and disaffection.
Lest I make thee desolate, a land not inhabited; the Targum adds, by way of
illustration,

34. "as the land of Sodom;''
so that not a man should dwell in it; see Jer_4:25.
HE RY, " The counsel given them how to prevent this judgment. Fair warning is
given now upon the whole matter: “Be thou instructed, O Jerusalem! Jer_6:8. Receive
the instruction given thee both by the law of God and by the prophets; be wise at length
for thyself.” They knew very well what they had been instructed to do; nothing remained
but to do it, for till then they could not be said to be instructed. The reason for this
counsel is taken from the inevitable ruin they ran upon if they refused to comply with the
instructions given them: Lest my soul depart, or be disjoined, from thee. This intimates
what a tender affection and concern God had had for them; his very soul had been joined
to them, and nothing but sin could disjoin it. Note, 1. The God of mercy is loth to depart
even from a provoking people, and is earnest with them by true repentance and
reformation to prevent things coming to that extremity. 2. Their case is very miserable
from whom God's soul is disjoined; it intimates the loss not only of their outward
blessings, but of those comforts and favours which are the more immediate and peculiar
tokens of his love and presence. Compare this with that dreadful word (Heb_10:38), If
any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. 3. Those whom God
forsakes are certainly undone; when God's soul departs from Jerusalem she soon
becomes desolate and uninhabited, Mat_23:38.
JAMISO , "Tender appeal in the midst of threats.
depart — Hebrew, “be torn away”; Jehovah’s affection making Him unwilling to
depart; His attachment to Jerusalem was such that an effort was needed to tear Himself
from it (Eze_23:18; Hos_9:12; Hos_11:8).
K&D, "Jer_6:8
If Jerusalem cease not from these sins and crimes, the Lord must devote it to
spoliation. Let thyself be corrected, warned; cf. Psa_2:10; Lev_26:23. ‫ע‬ ַ‫ק‬ ֵ from ‫ע‬ ַ‫ק‬ָ‫,י‬ tear
oneself loose, estrange oneself, as in Eze_23:17. "A land uninhabited" is an apposition
giving greater expressiveness to "a waste," Jer_22:6.
CALVI , "Though the Prophet had spoken as though there was no remedy for the
evils of Jerusalem, he yet exhorts it to seek peace with God, and addresses men past
remedy in his name. It is then the same as though God was stopping in the middle
course of his wrath, and saying, “What is to be done? Shall I destroy the city which
I have chosen?” He then attributes here to God a paternal feeling, as we also find in
several other places: God appeared as unwilling to proceed to extreme rigor in
punishing his people.
“Alas! I will now take vengeance on mine enemies,”
he says by Isaiah. (Isaiah 1:24)

35. He called them enemies, and justly too; for as it was said before, they ceased not to
carry on war against him; but he spoke with grief: “Alas! must I take vengeance on
mine enemies; I would, however, willingly spare them, were it possible.” God is not
indeed subject to grief or to repentance; but his ineffable goodness cannot be
otherwise expressed to us but by such mode of speaking. So also, in this place, we see
that God as it were restrains himself; for he had previously commanded the enemies
to ascend quickly the walls, to overturn the towers, and to destroy the whole city;
but now, as though he had repented, he says, Be instructed, (168) Jerusalem; that is,
“Can we not yet be reconciled?” It is like the conduct of an offended father, who
intends to punish his son, and yet desires to moderate his displeasure, and to blend
some indulgence with rigor. Be then instructed; that is, “There is yet room for
reconciliation, if thou wishest; provided thou shewest thyself willing to relinquish
that perverseness by which thou hast hitherto provoked me, I will in return prove
myself to be a father.”
There is no doubt but the object of the threatenings of the prophets was to lead the
people to know their sins, and suppliantly to seek pardon; for why were the
unbelieving threatened, except that God thereby proved whether they were
healable? It is indeed true that the reprobate are known by God, and that God does
not try or seek to find what is in their hearts, as though he did not know their
obstinacy; but as I have already said, God speaks here after the manner of men: and
he also shews what is the end of teaching, which is to lead men to repentance; and
this cannot be done without giving them the hope of pardon and reconciliation. The
Prophet thus briefly shews here for what purpose he had hitherto so dreadfully
threatened the Jews, even to lead them at length to repentance.
Lest torn shall be my soul from thee (169) Here God more clearly shews that he was
as yet restrained by love. He alludes no doubt to a similitude which we have
observed in another place; for God sustains the character of a spouse to his Church;
and hence he shews, that he had not yet divested himself of that love which a
husband has towards his wife. For a husband, when grievously offended at his wife,
cannot immediately throw aside his conjugal affection; some feeling of this kind will
ever remain. And we have seen in the fourth chapter, that God surpasses all
husbands in kindness; for he says there, “When a repudiated wife has found
another husband, will the former receive her again? Return to me, thou harlot,
return to me, thou strumpet and adulteress, and I am ready to pardon thee.” It is
the same course that God pursues here, “Be instructed, Jerusalem, lest my soul
wholly depart from thee;” as though he had said, “Even though I am now angry,
and have resolved severely to punish thy perfidy and rebellion, I shall yet be
reconciled to thee, provided thou returnest.” And it is added, Lest I make thee a
desolate land, a land uninhabited
The Prophet in short shews in this verse, that however grievously offended God was
with his people, there was yet a hope of pardon; for he would be propitious to the
people, if they turned and humbly confessed their sins, and sought to return into
favor with him. It follows —

36. TRAPP, "Jeremiah 6:8 Be thou instructed, O Jerusalem, lest my soul depart from
thee; lest I make thee desolate, a land not inhabited.
Ver. 8. Be thou instructed.] Affliction is a schoolmaster, (a) or rather an usher to the
law, which the apostle calleth a schoolmaster to Christ. Affliction bringeth men to
the law, and the law to Christ. Affliction is a preacher, saith one; "Blow the trumpet
in Tekoah"; what saith the trumpet? "Be instructed, O Jerusalem."
Lest my soul depart from thee.] Heb., Be loosed or disjointed; lest I loathe thee more
than ever I loved thee, and so thy ruin come rushing in, as by a sluice.
PETT, "Jeremiah 6:8
“Be you instructed, O Jerusalem,
Lest my soul be alienated from you,
Lest I make you a desolation,
A land not inhabited.”
But even in spite of Judah’s continued wickedness God would not give them up
unless there was no alternative. So He calls on them to let Him instruct them and
teach them so that they might return to Him and seek His face. He does not want to
be permanently alienated from them. And one reason for this (apart from His great
love and compassion) is that if that alienation takes place then they will become a
desolation and their land will become uninhabited. So once again at the end of a
message of judgment we find a message of hope, an appeal to Judah to respond,
something which could solve all their problems, with the alternative being total
desolation.
PULPIT, "Be thou instructed; rather, Let thyself be corrected (Authorized Version
misses the sense, a very important one, of the conjugation, which is ifal
tolerativum (comp. Psalms 2:10; Isaiah 53:12). The phrase equivalent to "receive
correction" (Jeremiah 2:30; Jeremiah 5:3), and means to accept the warning
conveyed in the Divine chastisement. Lest my soul, etc.; rather, lest my soul be rent
from thee (Authorized Version renders the same verb in Ezekiel 23:17, "be
alienated").
9 This is what the Lord Almighty says:

37. “Let them glean the remnant of Israel
as thoroughly as a vine;
pass your hand over the branches again,
like one gathering grapes.”
BAR ES, "They ... - Each word indicates the completeness of Judah’s ruin.
Turn back thine hand - Addressed perhaps to Nebuchadnezzar as God’s servant
Jer_25:9. He is required to go over the vine once again, that no grapes may escape.
Into the baskets - Better, “upon the tendrils.” While the Jews carried captive to
Babylon escaped, misery gleaned the rest again and again.
CLARKE, "They shall thoroughly glean the remnant of Israel as a vine:
turn back thine hand - The Chaldeans are here exhorted to turn back and glean up
the remnant of the inhabitants that were left after the capture of Jerusalem; for even that
remnant did not profit by the Divine judgments that fell on the inhabitants at large.
GILL, "Thus saith the Lord of hosts,.... Finding that all his threatenings,
admonitions, and expostulations, were in vain, he says of the Chaldeans, with respect to
the Israelites,
they shall thoroughly glean the remnant of Israel as a vine; by "the remnant of
Israel" are meant the two tribes of Judah and Benjamin, who were left in the land when
the ten tribes were carried captive; and these the Chaldeans should come and carry away
also, just as the poor come into a vineyard, after the vintage has been gathered in, and
pick off and glean what is left upon the branches:
turn back thine hand as a grapegatherer into the baskets; these words,
according to Kimchi, are the words of the Chaldeans to one another, to turn their hands
to the spoil, and to the prey, again and again, just as the grape gatherer does; he gathers
a bunch of grapes, and puts it into his basket, and then turns his hand, time after time,
till he has gleaned the whole vine: and, according to Jarchi, it seems to be his sense, that
they are the words of God unto them; and so Abarbinel; and it is as if he should say, O
thou enemy, turn thine hand to the spoil a second time, as a grape gatherer turns his
hand to the baskets; and who observes that so it was, that when Jehoiakim was carried
captive, and slain, Jeconiah was made king: then, at the end of three months, the enemy
returned, and carried him captive; and, at the end of twelve years, returned again, and

38. carried Zedekiah captive; nay, even of the poor of the people, and it may be observed,
that they were carried away at different times; see Jer_52:15.
HE RY 9-15, "The heads of this paragraph are the very same with those of the last;
for precept must be upon precept and line upon line.
I. The ruin of Judah and Jerusalem is here threatened. We had before the haste which
the Chaldea army made to the war (Jer_6:4, Jer_6:5); now here we have the havoc made
by the war. How lamentable are the desolations here described! The enemy shall so long
quarter among them, and be so insatiable in their thirst after blood and treasure, that
they shall seize all they can meet with, and what escapes them at one time shall fall into
their hands another (Jer_6:9): They shall thoroughly glean the remnant of Israel as a
vine; as the grape-gatherer, who is resolved to leave none behind, still turns back his
hand into the baskets, to put more in, till he has gathered all, so that they be picked up
by the enemy, though dispersed, though hid, and none of them shall escape their eye and
hand. Perhaps the people, being given to covetousness (Jer_6:13), had not observed that
law of God which forbade them to glean all their grapes (Lev_19:10), and now they
themselves shall be in like manner thoroughly gleaned and shall either fall by the sword
or go into captivity. This is explained Jer_6:11, Jer_6:12, where God's fury and his hand
are said to be poured out and stretched out, in the fury and by the hand of the
Chaldeans; for even wicked men are often made use of as God's hand (Psa_17:14), and in
their anger we may see God angry. Now see on whom the fury is poured out in full vials -
upon the children abroad, or in the streets, where they are playing (Zec_8:5) or whither
they run out innocently to look about them: the sword of the merciless Chaldeans shall
not spare them, Jer_9:21. The children perish in the calamity which the fathers' sins
have procured. The execution shall likewise reach the assembly of young men, their
merry meetings, their clubs which they keep up to strengthen one another's hands in
wickedness; they shall be cut off together. Nor shall those only fall into the enemies'
hands who meet for lewdness (Jer_5:7), but even the husband with the wife shall be
taken, these two in bed together, and neither left, but both taken prisoners. And, as they
have no compassion for the weak but fair sex, so they have none for the decrepit but
venerable age: The old with the full of days, whose deaths can contribute no more to
their safety than their lives to their service, who are not in a capacity to do them either
good or harm, shall be either cut off or carried off. Their houses shall then be turned to
others (Jer_6:12); the conquerors shall dwell in their habitations, use their goods, and
live upon their stores; their fields and vines shall fall together into their hands, as was
threatened, Deu_28:30, etc. For God stretches out his hand upon the inhabitants of the
land, and none can go out of the reach of it. Now as to this denunciation of God's wrath,
1. The prophet justifies himself in preaching thus terribly, for herein he dealt faithfully
(Jer_6:11): “I am full of the fury of the Lord, full of the thoughts and apprehensions of it,
and am carried out with a powerful impulse, by the spirit of prophecy, to speak of it thus
vehemently.” He took no delight in threatening, nor was it any pleasure to him with such
sermons as these to make those about him uneasy; but he could not contain himself; he
was weary with holding in; he suppressed it as long as he could, as long as he durst, but
he was so full of power by the Spirit of the Lord of hosts that he must speak, whether
they will hear or whether they will forbear. Note, When ministers preach the terrors of
the Lord according to the scripture we have no reason to be displeased at them; for they
are but messengers, and must deliver their message, pleasing or unpleasing. 2. He
condemns the false prophets who preached plausibly, for therein they flattered people
and dealt unfaithfully (Jer_6:13, Jer_6:14): The priest and the prophet, who should be
their watchmen and monitors, have dealt falsely, have not been true to their trust not
told the people their faults and the danger they were in; they should have been their

39. physicians, but they murdered their patients by letting them have their will, by giving
them every thing that had a mind to, and flattering them into an opinion that they were
in no danger (Jer_6:14): They have healed the hurt of the daughter of my people
slightly, or according to the cure of some slight hurt, skinning over the wound and never
searching it to the bottom, applying lenitives only, when there was need of corrosives,
soothing people in their sins, and giving them opiates to make them easy for the present,
while the disease was preying upon the vitals. They said, “Peace peace - all shall be well.”
(if there were some thinking people among them, who were awake, and apprehensive of
danger, they soon stopped their mouths with their priestly and prophetical authority,
boldly averring that neither church nor state was in any danger), when there is no peace,
because they went on in their idolatries and daring impieties. Note, Those are to be
reckoned our false friends (that is, our worst and most dangerous enemies) who flatter
us in a sinful way.
II. The sin of Judah and Jerusalem, which provoked God to bring this ruin upon them
and justified him in it, is here declared. 1. They would by no means bear to be told of
their faults, nor of the danger they were in. God bids the prophet give them warning of
the judgment coming (Jer_6:9), “but,” says he, “to whom shall I speak and give
warning? I cannot find out any that will so much as give me a patient hearing. I may
give warning long enough, but these is nobody that will take warning. I cannot speak
that they may hear, cannot speak to any purpose, or with any hope of success; for their
ear is uncircumcised, it is carnal and fleshly, indisposed to receive the voice of God, so
that they cannot hearken. They have, as it were, a thick skin grown over the organs of
hearing, so that divine things might to as much purpose be spoken to a stone as to them.
Nay, they are not only deaf to it, but prejudiced against it; therefore they cannot hear,
because they are resolved that they will not: The word of the Lord is unto them a
reproach; both the reproofs and the threatenings of the word are so;” they reckoned
themselves wronged and affronted by both, and resented the prophet's plain-dealing
with them as they would the most causeless slander and calumny. This was kicking
against the pricks (Act_9:5), as the lawyers against the word of Christ, Luk_11:45, Thus
saying, thou repoachest us also. Note, Those reproofs that are counted reproaches, and
hated as such, will certainly be turned into the heaviest woes. When it is here said, They
have no delight in the word, more is implied than is expressed; “they have an antipathy
to it; their hearts rise at it; it exasperates them, and enrages their corruptions, and they
are ready to fly in the face and pull out the eyes of their reprovers.” And how can those
expect that the word of the Lord should speak any comfort to them who have no delight
in it, but would rather be any where than within hearing of it? 2. They were inordinately
set upon the world, and wholly carried away by the love of it (Jer_6:13): “From the least
of them even to the greatest, old and young, rich and poor, high and low, those of all
ranks, professions, and employments, every one is given to covetousness, greedy of
filthy lucre, all for what they can get, per fas per nefas - right or wrong;” and this made
them oppressive and violent (Jer_6:6, Jer_6:7), for of those evils, as well as others, the
love of money is the bitter root. Nay, and this hardened their hearts against the word of
God and his prophets. It was the covetous Pharisees that derided Christ, Luk_16:14. 3.
They had become impudent in sin and were past shame. After such a high charge of
flagrant crimes proved upon them, it was very proper to ask (Jer_6:15), Were they
ashamed when they had committed all these abominations, which are such a reproach
to their reason and religion? Did they blush at the conviction, and acknowledge that
confusion of face belonged to them? If so, there is some hope of them yet. But, alas!
there did not appear so much as this colour of virtue among them; their hearts were so
hardened that they were not at all ashamed, neither could they blush, they had so
brazened their faces. They even gloried in their wickedness, and openly confronted the

40. convictions which should have humbled them and brought them to repentance. They
resolved to face it out against God himself and not to own their guilt. Some refer this to
the priests and prophets, who had healed the people slightly and told them that they
should have peace, and yet were not ashamed of their treachery and falsehood, no, not
when the event disproved them and gave them the lie. Those that are shameless are
graceless and their case is hopeless. But those that will not submit to a penitential
shame, nor take that to themselves as their due, shall not escape an utter ruin; for so it
follows: Therefore they shall fall among those that fall; they shall have their portion
with those that are quite undone; and, when God visits the nation in wrath, they shall be
sure to be cast down and be made to tremble, because they would not blush. Note, Those
that sin and cannot blush for it are in an evil case now, and it will be worse with them
shortly. At first they hardened themselves and would not blush, afterwards they were so
hardened that they could not. Quod unum habebant in malis bonum perdunt, peccandi
verecundiam - they have lost the only good property which once blended itself with
many bad ones, that is, shame for having done amiss. - Senec. De Vit. Beat.
JAMISO , "The Jews are the grapes, their enemies the unsparing gleaners.
turn back ... hand — again and again bring freshly gathered handfuls to the baskets;
referring to the repeated carrying away of captives to Babylon (Jer_52:28-30; 2Ki_
24:14; 2Ki_25:11).
K&D, "This judgment will fall unsparingly on Jerusalem, because they listen to no
warning, but suffer themselves to be confirmed in their shameless courses by false
prophets and wicked priests. - Jer_6:9. "Thus hath Jahveh of hosts said: They shall
have a gleaning of the remnant of Israel as of a vine: lay thine hand again as a vine-
dresser on the soots. Jer_6:10. To whom shall I speak, and testify, that they may hear?
Behold, uncircumcised is their ear, and they cannot give heed: behold, the word of
Jahveh is become to them a reproach; they have no pleasure in it. Jer_6:11. But of the
fury of Jahveh am I full, am weary with holding it in. Pour it out upon the child on the
street, and upon the group of young men together; for even the husband with the wife
shall be taken, the old man with him that is full of days. Jer_6:12. And their houses
shall pass unto others, fields and wives together; for I stretch out mine hand against
the inhabitants of the land, saith Jahveh. Jer_6:13. For great and small are all of them
greedy for gain; and from the prophet to the priest, all use deceit. Jer_6:14. And they
heal the breach of the daughter of my people lightly, saying, Peace, peace, when there is
no peace. Jer_6:15. They are put to shame because they have done abomination, yet
they take not shame to themselves, neither know they disgrace; therefore they shall fall
among them that fall: at the time that I visit them they shall stumble, hath Jahveh
said."
The threatening of Jer_6:9 is closely connected with the foregoing. The Lord will
make Jerusalem an uninhabited waste, because it will not take warning. The enemy will
make a gleaning like vine-dressers, i.e., they will yet search out eve that which is left of
the people, and crush it or carry it captive. This still sterner threat does come into
contradiction with the repeated pledge, that Israel is not to be wholly extirpated, not to
be made an utter end of (Jer_4:27; Jer_5:10, Jer_5:18). For even at the gleaning odd
clusters are left, which are not noticed or set store by. The words convey the idea that the
enemy will not have done with it after one devastating campaign, but will repeat his
inroads. ‫ל‬ ֵ‫ּול‬‫ע‬ is construed with the accus. of the vineyard in Lev_19:10. The "remnant of

41. Israel" is not the kingdom of Judah at large, but Judah already reduced by judgments. In
the second clause the idea of the first is repeated in the form of a command to the
gleaners. The command is to be looked on as addressed to the enemy by God; and this
turn of the expression serves to put the thought with a positiveness that excludes the
faintest doubt. To bring back the hand means: yet again to turn it, stretch it out against a
person or thing; cf. Amo_1:8; Isa_1:25. ‫ּות‬ ִ‫ס‬ ְ‫ל‬ ַ‫ס‬ is not baskets, like ‫ים‬ ִ ַ‫,ס‬ Gen_40:16, but
like ‫ים‬ ִ ַ‫ז‬ ְ‫ל‬ַ‫,ז‬ Isa_18:5, vine-shoots, prop. waving twigs, like ‫ים‬ ִ ַ ְ‫ל‬ ַ , Son_5:11, from ‫ל‬ ַ‫ל‬ ָ‫ס‬ =
‫ל‬ ַ‫ל‬ָ‫ז‬ and ‫ל‬ ַ‫ל‬ ָ , wave (Ew., Hitz.).
CALVI , "God here confirms the former statement, as though he had said, that he
dreaded a sight so sad and mournful, which yet the Jews disregarded. He then
shews, that he did not in vain exhort the Jews, even though late, to repent, for he
foresaw how dreadful would be their calamities. Hence he says, Thus saith Jehovah
of hosts, Gleaning they shall glean; for the word here does not mean to gather the
vintage, but to glean, grapiller, after the vintage. As after the harvest the poor follow
and gather ears of corn here and there, until nothing remains in the field; so also in
vintages when there is a gleaning, nothing remains. Hence God in the law forbade
the vineyards to be gleaned, that there might be something left for the poor.
(Leviticus 19:10; Deuteronomy 24:21.) But he says here, “Gleaning they shall glean
as a vine;” he speaks not of the people but of the remnant.
The ten tribes had been plundered, and at length their whole country had been laid
waste, most of them had been led into exile, but a few had sought hiding — places
for a time: and he says that they were like gleanings: “though, “he says, “there be a
few grapes, yet these shall follow.” In short, the Prophet sets before the Jews that
vengeance of God, which was known already to them as much as to the Israelites,
the ten tribes: and yet he shews that God’s vengeance was not completed, for there
were still a few remaining, a gleaning: “What then shall come of you? What indeed!
ye have seen that your brethren have been plundered, ye have seen that they and
their children have been slain; ye have seen that all kinds of cruelty have been
exercised towards them; and yet after the name of Israel has been obliterated, and
their country now deserted, has become a waste, God will still punish the remnant,
and ye shall see that his judgment will shortly overtake them; and what do ye,
wretched beings, yet look for? and how great is your torpidity, which never comes to
an end? why do you not seek to be reconciled to God, when such an opportunity is
offered to you?”
We now then apprehend the Prophet’s object. And then he says, Return thy hand as
a vintager to the baskets; that is, “Behold the vintagers, they stimulate one another;
so that there is no end of gleaning, as they ever return to their baskets, until they
gather everything, until there remains not a grape on the vine.” (170)
Turn again thine hand, like a grape-gatherer, unto the baskets.
“That is, Take thou again into thine hand, and begin the work of gathering or
gleaning anew.” He takes it as God’s address to the Chaldeans, in which they are

42. exhorted repeatedly to return and to carry away captives the remaining inhabitants.
But this does not comport with the simile of the vintager returning the hand to the
baskets. It seems to be a command to put in safe custody those whom they took or
gleaned, as a vintager, who, when he plucks a grape or a cluster, puts it safely in a
basket to be carried away. The “hand” is put here for what the hand holds-the
grapes or clusters. It is then the same as though he had said, “Lay up, as a vintager,
what you glean, in baskets.” The Jews were gathered, not to be destroyed, but to be
carried away into captivity. This seems to have been the intimation here, —
Return thine hand, like a vintager, unto the baskets.
That is, Throw not away what you gather, but let the hand, that is stretched forth to
reach the grapes, bring back what it gleans into the baskets. The Vulgate is, “Turn
(converte) thine hand as a vintager to his basket.” The Septuagint. “Turn ye (
ἐπιστρέψατε) as a vintager to his basket.” The Syriac is the same with the Vulgate,
except that it has “gleaning” instead of “basket.” The Arabic corresponds with the
Septuagint. The Targum has an unintelligible paraphrase. — Ed
COFFMA , ""Thus saith Jehovah of hosts, they shall thoroughly glean the
remnant of Israel as a vine: turn again thy hand as a grape-gatherer into the
baskets. To whom shall I speak and testify, that they may hear? behold, their ear is
uncircumcised, and they cannot hearken: behold, the word of Jehovah is become
unto them a reproach, they have no delight in it. Therefore I am full of the wrath of
Jehovah; I am weary with holding in: pour it out upon the children in the street,
and upon the assembly of the young men together; for even the husband with the
wife shall be taken, the aged with him that is full of days. And their houses shall be
turned unto others, their fields, and their wives together; for I will stretch out my
hand upon the inhabitants of the land, saith Jehovah. For from the least of them
even unto the greatest of them everyone is given to covetousness; and from the
prophet even unto the priest everyone dealeth falsely."
"Glean the remnant of Israel... turn again ... as a grape-gatherer ..." (Jeremiah 6:9).
"God here authorized the enemy to search out even the remnant of Israel and take
them captive ... The enemy will not be satisfied with one invasion, but will repeat
it."[10]
ot even this gleaning of Israel, however, could nullify God's promise of there
remaining a "righteous remnant" who would return to Jerusalem from Babylon
(Jeremiah 4:27; 5:10,18).
This is a terrible paragraph. The judgment of God will fall upon all segments of
human life, from children playing in the streets to aged men, five different
categories being cited.
otice also that houses, fields, wives, etc. in fact, everything shall be stripped away
and become booty for the invaders. What a horrible destruction of the people!

43. PETT, "Verses 9-15
Jeremiah Is Called Once More To Sift Jerusalem For Righteous Men And His
Response Demonstrates That He Is Despairing Of Ever Finding One As He Sums
Up Their Fallen State And Calls On YHWH To Fulfil His Judgment On Them
(Jeremiah 6:9-15).
In view of the coming thorough gleaning of the remnant of Israel, the gathering up
by the invaders of the remains of what was once a fruitful vine, the call comes to
Jeremiah from YHWH to check out the grapes in the baskets, presumably to take
out those which belong to Him. But Jeremiah discovers that there are none who will
hear, none who delight in the word of YHWH. And the discovery fills him with ‘the
wrath of YHWH’ as he begins to appreciate how God feels about His wayward
people, so much so that he can no longer hold in his feelings but calls on Him to
pour out His wrath (His revealed antipathy against sin) and carry out His judgment
on them all. YHWH then confirms that their houses will be handed over to others,
together with their fields and their wives, because of the total corruptness that is
among them.
Jeremiah 6:9
‘Thus says YHWH of hosts, “They will thoroughly glean the remnant of Israel as a
vine, turn again your hand as a grape-gatherer into the baskets (or ‘to the twigs’).”
Once again Israel/Judah are depicted as a vine (compare Jeremiah 2:21; Jeremiah
5:10), but this time as one which has so little fruit remaining on it that it is open to
the gleaners, those who seek what remains once the main harvest has been gathered.
The gleaners here are the final invaders, picking what remains of the remnant of
Israel after others have first harvested it. The ‘remnant of Israel’ are a depleted
Judah after the northern kingdom had been destroyed and after what it has itself
already suffered at the hands of its enemies. But among them may be some of
YHWH’s own and so Jeremiah is called on to put his hands into the gleaners’
baskets to see if he can find any. This can be seen as tying in with YHWH’s previous
command to search the streets and squares of Jerusalem to see if there were any
righteous (see Jeremiah 5:1).
Others see ‘turn again your hand as a grape-gatherer to the twigs’ as a comment
made by the invaders to each other as they encourage each other in the work of
gleaning. The branches having been gleaned it is now the turn of the furthest twigs.
But the general picture is clear. Israel/Judah is to be thoroughly gleaned.
PULPIT, "They shall thoroughly glean, etc. "Israel" has already been reduced to a
"remnant;" the ten tribes have lost their independence, and Judah alone remains
(Jeremiah 5:15). Even Judah shall undergo a severe sifting process, which is likened
to a gleaning (comp. Isaiah 24:13; Obadiah 1:5; Jeremiah 49:9). The prospect is
dark, but believers in God's promises would remember that a few grapes were
always left after the gathering (comp. Isaiah 17:6). Turn back thine hand. If the text
is correct, the speaker here addresses the leader of the gleaners. Keil thinks this

44. change of construction is to emphasize the certainty of the predicted destruction.
But it is much more natural (and in perfect harmony with many other similar
phenomena of the received text) to suppose, with Hitzig, that the letter represented
in the Authorized Version By "thine" has arisen by a mistaken repetition of the first
letter of the following word, and (the verbal form being the same for the infinitive
and the imperative) to render turning again the hand. In this case the clause will be
dependent on the preceding statement as to the "gleaning" of Judah. Into the
baskets; rather, unto the shoots. The gleaners will do their work with a stern
thoroughness, laying the hand of destruction again and again upon the vine-shoots.
10 To whom can I speak and give warning?
Who will listen to me?
Their ears are closed[a]
so they cannot hear.
The word of the Lord is offensive to them;
they find no pleasure in it.
BAR ES, "Give warning - Rather testify.
Reproach - They make the Word of God the object of their ridicule.
CLARKE, "The word of the Lord is unto them a reproach - It is an object of
derision; they despise it.
GILL, "To whom shall I speak, and give warning, that they may hear?....
These are the words of the prophet, despairing of any success by his ministry; suggesting
that the people were so universally depraved, that there were none that would hear him;
that speaking to them was only beating the air, and that all expostulations, warnings,
remonstrances, and testimonies, would signify nothing:

45. behold, their ear is uncircumcised, and they cannot hearken; their ears were
stopped with the filth of sin naturally, and they wilfully stopped their ears like the adder;
and so being unsanctified, they neither could hear nor desired to hear the word of the
Lord, as to understand it; see Act_7:51,
behold, the word of the Lord is unto them a reproach; they reproached it, and
blasphemed it, as a novel and false doctrine, and thought it a dishonour to them to
receive and profess it; and just so the Jews vilified the Gospel, in the times of Christ and
his apostles; and as many do now, who treat it with contempt, as unworthy of God, as
contrary to reason, as opening a door to licentiousness, and think it a scandal to preach
or profess it:
they have no delight in it; they see no beauty nor glory in it; they taste nothing of the
sweetness of it; its doctrines are insipid things to them, they having never felt the power
of it in their hearts; whereas such who are the true circumcision, who are circumcised in
heart and ears, who are born again, these desire the sincere milk of the word; it is to
them more than their necessary food; and, with this Prophet Jeremiah, they find it, and
eat it, and it is the joy and rejoicing of their hearts, Jer_15:16.
JAMISO , "ear is uncircumcised — closed against the precepts of God by the
foreskin of carnality (Lev_26:41; Eze_44:7; Act_7:51).
word ... reproach — (Jer_20:8).
K&D, "Jer_6:10-11
Well might Jeremiah warn the people once more (cf. Jer_6:8), in order to turn sore
judgment away from it; but it cannot and will not hear, for it is utterly hardened. Yet can
he not be silent; for he is so filled with the fury of God, that he must pour it forth on the
depraved race. This is our view of the progress of the thought in these verses; whereas
Hitz. and Graf make what is said in Jer_6:11 refer to the utterance of the dreadful
revelation received in Jer_6:9. But this is not in keeping with "testify that they may
hear," or with the unmistakeable contrast between the pouring out of the divine fury,
Jer_6:11, and the testifying that they may hear, Jer_6:10. Just because their ear is
uncircumcised to that they cannot hear, is it in vain to speak to them for the purpose of
warning them; and the prophet has no alternative left but to pour out on the deaf and
seared people that fury of the Lord with which he is inwardly filled. The question: to
whom should I speak? etc. (‫ל‬ ַ‫ע‬ for ‫ל‬ ֶ‫,א‬ as Psa_111:2 and often), is not to be taken as a
question to God, but only as a rhetorical turn of the thought, that all further speaking or
warning is in vain. "Testify," lay down testimony by exhibiting the sin and the
punishment it brings with it. "That they may hear," ut audiant, the Chald. has well
paraphrased: ut accipiant doctrinam. Uncircumcised is their ear, as it were covered with
a foreskin, so that the voice of God's word cannot find its way in; cf. Jer_5:24; Jer_4:4.
The second clause, introduced by ‫ה‬ֵ ִ‫,ה‬ adduces the reason of their not being able to hear.
The word of God is become a reproach to them; they are determined not to hearken to it,
because it lashes their sins. Jer_6:11 comes in adversatively: But the fury of the Lord
drives him to speak. ‫ת‬ ַ‫מ‬ ֲ‫ח‬ ‫יהוה‬ is not a holy ardour for Jahveh (Graf and many ancient
comm.), but the wrath of God against the people, which the prophet cannot contain, i.e.,
keep to himself, but must pour out. Because they will not take correction, he must inflict

46. the judgment upon them, not merely utter it. The imper. ְ‫ּך‬‫פ‬ ְ‫שׁ‬ is to be taken like ‫ב‬ ֵ‫שׁ‬ ָ‫,ה‬ Jer_
6:9, not as an expression of the irresistible necessity which, in spite of all his efforts
against it, compels the prophet to pour forth, in a certain sense, the wrath of the Lord on
all classes of the people by the very publishing of God's word (Graf); but it is the
command of God, to be executed by him, as is shown by "for I stretch out mine hand,"
Jer_6:12. The prophet is to pour out the wrath of God by the proclamation of God's
word, which finds its fulfilment in judgments of wrath; see on Jer_1:10. Upon all classes
of the people: the children that play in the street (cf. Jer_9:20), the young men gathered
together in a cheerful company, the men and women, old men and them that are full of
days, i.e., those who have reached the furthest limit of old age. ‫י‬ ִⅴ tells why the prophet is
so to speak: for upon the whole population will God's wrath be poured out. ‫ד‬ ֵ‫כ‬ ָ ִ‫,י‬ not, be
taken captive, but, be taken, overtaken by the wrath, as in Jer_8:9; cf. 1Sa_14:41.
CALVI , "The Prophet here shews there was no reason for him to labor any longer
in trying to reform the people, for he spoke to the deaf. He had said before,
according to our lecture yesterday, that God was still ready to be reconciled to the
Jews, if they repented; but now, referring to himself, he says that his words were
wholly lost. Hence he asks a question as respecting a thing strange or unexpected.
To whom, he says, shall I speak? and to whom shall I protest? He had indeed, as we
found yesterday, exhorted the people to repent: but there is nothing inconsistent in
all this; for he wished, as far as he could, to secure, the safety of the people. Even
God had commanded this; and it was his will, as it was yesterday stated, that a
testimony should be borne, that it was not his fault, according to what had been
taught, that he was not reconciled to the people.
We now then see that the whole passage harmonizes; for Jeremiah performed his
office in trying to find out whether the people were healable; but when he saw that
such were their obstinacy that it allowed of no remedy, he exclaims as one
astonished, To whom shall I speak? and to whom shall I protest? The meaning is,
that the people were so given up to impiety, that the prophets spent their labor in
vain while endeavoring to reform them. And the first clause he confirms by another,
To whom shall I protest? He intimates that they had despised not only what had
been plainly taught them, but also protestations, which possess much greater power.
He means that their wickedness could be cured by no remedies, that they had not
only rejected plain truth and serious warnings, but had also perversely resisted
solemn protestations.
That they may hear, he says. He intimates, that though he had faithfully performed
his office, yet his labor was without any fruit, for all the Jews were deaf. Hence he
adds, Behold, uncircumcised is their ear This metaphor is common in the prophets.
The uncircumcised ear is that which rejects all true doctrine. An uncircumcised
heart is that which is perverse and rebellious. But we ought to understand the
reason of this: as circumcision was an evidence of obedience, so the Scripture calls
those uncircumcised who are unteachable, who cast away every fear of God and all
sense of religion, and follow their own lusts and desires. But to be thus called was
greatly disliked by the Jews; for circumcision gave them no common ground of

47. confidence, since it was the symbol and pledge of adoption, and since they knew that
they were thereby separated from other nations so as to be called God’s holy people.
But the Prophet divested them of this vain conceit by calling them uncircumcised in
heart and ears, for they had dealt perfidiously with God when they promised to be
obedient to his will.
The external sign was of itself nothing, when the end was disregarded. It was God’s
will to consecrate his ancient people to himself by circumcision: but when they
became satisfied with the visible sign only, there was no longer the reality, and
God’s covenant was profaned. It is the same at this day with respect to baptism;
they who wish to be deemed Christians, boast of it, while at the same time they shew
no fear of God, and while their whole life obliterates the true character of baptism.
It is hence evident, that they are sacrilegious, for they pollute what is holy. And for
this reason Paul calls the letter [the outward rite] of circumcision, a sign without the
reality. (Romans 2:27.) So at this day baptism may be called the letter in all the
profane, who have no regard to its design: for God receives us into his Church on
the condition that we are the members of Christ, and that being ruled by his Spirit
we renounce the lusts of our flesh. But when we seek under the cloak of baptism to
associate God with the Devil, it is a most detestable sacrilege. Such was the stupid
presumption of the Jews. This was the reason why the prophets so often charged
them with being uncircumcised in hearts and ears: “Ye are God’s holy people; give
a proof of this: ye indeed boast that you have been circumcised; surely, the cutting
off of a small pellicle does not satisfy God; shew that your hearts and ears have been
circumcised: but uncircumcision remains in your hearts, and it remains in your
ears; ye are then heathens.”
We now then see the meaning of the Prophet, and also the reason why Scripture
speaks so much of the uncircumcision of the hearts and ears, and it was this, — to
prove the Jews guilty of profaning that sign, which ought to have been a pledge of
their adoption, and to have served as a profession of a new life.
It was not to lessen their guilt that Jeremiah said, They could not attend or give ear.
If any one objects and asks, “Ought it to be deemed a crime that they could not
attend?” The Prophet, as I have said, did not extenuate their guilt, but on the
contrary shewed that they were so sunk in their vices, that they were not masters of
themselves; as the case is with a drunkard, who is not in his right mind; but as he
has contracted this vice of intemperance, his going astray or his ignorance is in no
way excusable. So also the Prophet says, that the Jews could not attend to the word
of the Lord, because they had surrendered themselves up to the Devil, so that they
were become his slaves; as Paul says of those who were without the grace of God,
that they were sold under sin, (Romans 7:14;) and the Scripture says elsewhere the
same.
In short, Jeremiah here teaches us, that such was the habit of sinning contracted by
the Jews, that they were no longer free to do what was right; for the Devil led them
here and there at his pleasure, as though they were bound in his chains. And thus he
sets forth their depravity as hopeless. Even Aristotle, though he is of no authority as

48. to the power of the will, for he holds free-will, (he knew nothing of original sin and
of the corruption of nature,) yet allows that those who are otherwise wholly free
cannot do what is right, when they become so hardened in their vices, that
intemperance, ἀκράτεια, rules in them: for intemperance is a tyrant, which so
subdues all the feelings and senses of men, that all liberty is destroyed. We now then
see what the Prophet had in view: he meant not that the Jews sinned, because they
had not the power to resist; but because they had so plunged themselves into the
abyss of wickedness, that they had sold themselves as it were to the Devil, who held
them fast bound, and furiously drove them along as he pleased.
And this we learn more fully from what follows; for he says, Behold, the word of
Jehovah has been to them a reproach; and it has not pleased them, or they have not
delighted in it; for ‫חפף‬ means to take delight in a thing. The Prophet now more
clearly shews, that the fault was in the Jews themselves, because they had despised
God. Whence then was the impotence of which he had spoken? Even from their
licentiousness, because they deemed God and his prophets as nothing. Since, then,
their minds were thus hardened so as impiously to despise the truth, it followed that
they could not hear and attend, inasmuch as they were deprived of all right
knowledge. Whence was this? Even because they had closed their eyes and deafened
their ears, and given themselves up altogether to the Devil, so that he led them into
every kind of madness. In short, he shews at the end of the verse what was the
beginning of all their evils, even because the word of God did not please them, that
is, because they had cast aside every care for true religion, because they were not
pleased when the prophets came and offered to them the favor of God. As then the
truth had become unsavory to them, so that they rejected it, when it ought to have
been especially delightful to them, so it happened that they became wholly stupid
and void of all judgment and reason; and hence also came the uncircumcision of the
ears of which mention has been made. (171) It follows —
To whom shall I speak, And protest, so that they will hear? Behold, uncircumcised
is their ear, So that they cannot hearken; Behold, the word of Jehovah Has become
to them a reproach, They delight not in it.
“A reproach” is to be the subject of reproach: the word of God by his prophets was
despised and treated with contempt. This was the visible and palpable effect, but the
cause was, that they had no delight in it or love for it.
TRAPP, "Jeremiah 6:10 To whom shall I speak, and give warning, that they may
hear? behold, their ear [is] uncircumcised, and they cannot hearken: behold, the
word of the LORD is unto them a reproach; they have no delight in it.
Ver. 10. To whom shall I speak and give warning?] Heb., Protest - q.d., I know not
where to meet with one teachable hearer in all Jerusalem.
Behold, their ear is uncircumcised.] Obstructed and stopped with the "superfluity of
naughtiness," worse than any ear wax, or thick film overgrowing the organ of

49. hearing. Tanquam monstra marina, surda aure Dei verba praetereunt.
The word of the Lord is unto them a reproach.] They take reproofs for reproaches.
{as Luke 11:45}
PETT, "Jeremiah 6:10
‘To whom shall I speak and testify,
That they may hear?
Behold, their ear is uncircumcised,
And they cannot listen,
Behold, the word of YHWH is become to them a reproach,
They have no delight in it.’
Jeremiah’s response is basically to ask which grapes he can gather. Who are there to
whom he can testify and speak who would be willing to hear? For they all have
uncircumcised ears (they have flaps over their ears) so that they cannot listen. This
may be an indication that their ears are simply like those of foreign (uncircumcised)
nations, or that they have a flap of unbelief over their ears which needs to be
removed. It is a reminder that physical circumcision without a responsive heart is
nullified. And he then points out that the word of YHWH has become a reproach to
this people so that they had no delight in it. They did not want to hear preaching
about their own sins and failures. They wanted to be told that all was well with
them.
PULPIT, "Their ear is uncircumcised; covered as it were with a foreskin, which
prevents the prophetic message from finding admittance. Elsewhere it is the heart
(Le 26:41; Ezekiel 44:7), or the lips (Exodus 6:12) which are said to be
"circumcised;" a passage in Stephen's speech applies the epithet both to the heart
and to the ears (Acts 7:51).
BI, "They have no delight in it.
The impediments to the right celebration of religious ordinances
You will readily admit, that the feeling of delight accompanying the performance of
anything is, for the most part, a sign and measure of its profitable accomplishment; that
that is usually well done which is done cheerfully and with the heart; and that nothing,
on the contrary, is more commonly deteriorated in the performance of it, than what is
entered on with the apprehension of its being a piece of drudgery, and gone through as a
mere task. How true does this remark hold in the department of religion! If we approach
the exercises of religion, whether reading or hearing the Word, or the sacraments, or
prayer, as formalists come to them—if we take no lively interest in them—if we are
actuated merely by the force of custom, the power of example and other motives of
expediency, how can they ever profit us? Are we not changing the sources of heaven’s
blessings into empty and broken cisterns?
I. In attending to the circumstances that operate to take away from us delight in
Christian ordinances, we observe, that an unfavourable change in the frame of mind, as
persons are engaged In religious exorcises, often occurs, at least at times occurs,

50. unavoidably, however our desires and endeavours may be set against it. At one time we
will be attending with deep earnestness, at another time listening with cold indifference.
There is now a great acuteness in receiving instruction, at another time almost a
deadness that blunts the edge of the best directed observations. Now, all such changes as
these are still, in so far as they are traceable to constitutional temperament, to be ranked
among the class of what the Bible calls our infirmities, and when they are met by
meditation on the Word of God, and by prayer, in order that we may be cured, they are
not charged as criminalities against us. At the same time, take good heed lest you ascribe
to those things over which you think you have no control, what all the while springs from
sinful negligence.
II. First, the state of mind I have described, shows that there has not been with us due
consideration before we have come to the public ordinances of religion. We do not
consider that the services of the sanctuary relate to God in our adoring, or praising, or
supplicating Him whom the universe celebrates as its Maker, whom angels,
principalities and powers reverently worship—we do not consider that the services of the
sanctuary are the appointed means through which the soul is called to discourse with its
own original, with Him who is the source of bliss. We do not consider that the services of
the sanctuary present the sublimest objects for the exercise of the understanding, the
most splendid for attracting the imagination, the most engaging for affecting the heart.
Accordingly we do not in our petitions implore that fixedness of heart which is required
in the true and spiritual worshipper; we do not enter the sanctuary cherishing the
serious thought that we come hither to seek the blessings which the mercy of the Saviour
gives to every one who feels his need of them, and asks them. On the contrary, we come
to the sanctuary altogether unconcerned; we sit down without offering in our minds one
preparatory petition; we possess a frame of mind that is akin to levity; we are chargeable
at least with indifference, which can only be excusable in our waiting on an empty
ceremonial. Even allowing that the individual still possesses some desire to receive the
benefits of religious ordinances in the sanctuary, they are rendered quite impracticable
to him, except where the devotional exercises of every day are preparatory to those of the
Sabbath. The want of serious consideration before we come to engage in religious
ordinances, leads directly to want of due reflection when engaged in the performance of
them; for such trains of thought as we have been cherishing, are not easily broken down,
and, in fact, we cannot authoritatively dismiss them—they have fastened themselves by
innumerable links to the mind, and though many of these links may from time to time be
detached by us, still numbers are left which are quite sufficient to rivet the objects of our
affectionate concern to our memories and our hearts. Such objects, through long usage,
become great favourites with the mind, and hence, it not only attends to them in the
season of disengagement from other things, but strives to get back to them, even when
occupied in the ordinances of religion. Then when we think how base and degraded our
natural dispositions are, surely it is a most unreasonable expectation that we are
prepared for the spiritual exercises of the Sabbath, if we have had no preparatory
devotional exercises for such a day.
III. Most serious and grievous is the evil of which I am now speaking. Whatever degree
of it adheres to us its tendency is to destroy utterly the capacity of religious feeling, and
to increase that searedness of conscience which is the forerunner of open profligacy. Let
us then be roused to consideration. Let us come to religious ordinances with serious
thoughts on their nature, their reasonableness, their awful sanctions, and their
inestimable utility; and, having especially in view the example of the serious worshipper
who prays for the spirit of prayer, and who is a suppliant in private for the grace of
supplication which is to be employed by him in public, let us endeavour when we join in

51. religious ordinances to preserve seriousness of mind. Let us for this purpose devoutly
consider the object we have in view, whether engaged in the Word, in sacrament, or in
prayer. Let us not give a single moment’s encouragement to thoughts upon other
subjects. Let us withstand the inroads of such thoughts—let us cast them out as of Satan,
when they enter, and let us try to prevent them entering at all. Let there be prayer,
consideration and serious concern; and thus entering into the great truths, into the
sweetness of religion, there will be no longer felt the weariness with which we set out.
The satisfaction and delight, so conducive to our improvement, will then take the place
of the fatigue and irksomeness of the mere bodily worshipper. The Sabbath will be the
most acceptable of all refreshments, the Psalms of the sanctuary will be the sentiments
of gratitude and joy, the prayers offered will be as the flame which first ascended in holy
ardour to its origin, and the Word will be the principal vehicle of calling into action every
good resolution. Religion will then become that very privilege it is intended to be; the
elements, set upon the table, will appear as the memorials of all that is dear and precious
to our souls; the sentiments of holy love will be awakened in commemorating the blessed
Friend who gave His soul for us sinners; and thus the sanctuary and its services will
become the pledge to us of the noblest benefits, the scene of the most glorious hopes,
and an incitement to devoted obedience. (W. Muir, D. D.)
The Gospel unappreciated
Alphonse Kerr heard a gardener ask his master’s permission to sleep for the future in the
stable. “For,” said he, “there is no possibility of sleeping in the chamber behind the
greenhouse, sir; there are nightingales there which do nothing but guggle and keep up a
noise all the night.” The sweetest sounds are but an annoyance to those who have no
musical ear; doubtless the music of heaven would have no charm to carnal minds,
certainly the joyful sound of the Gospel is unappreciated so long as men’s ears remain
uncircumcised.
11 But I am full of the wrath of the Lord,
and I cannot hold it in.
“Pour it out on the children in the street
and on the young men gathered together;
both husband and wife will be caught in it,
and the old, those weighed down with years.

52. BAR ES, "Or, But I am filled with “the fury of Yahweh: I am weary with holding” it
“in.” Pour it out “upon the children” in the street, and upon the company of youths
“together;” for both man and “wife shall be taken;” the older and he whose days are full.
With emphatic abruptness Jeremiah bids himself give full utterance to God’s message.
And the message is to reach all. Five stages of human life are successively marked out.
CLARKE, "I am full of the fury of the Lord - God has given me a dreadful
revelation of the judgments he intends to inflict: my soul is burdened with this prophecy.
I have endeavored to suppress it; but I must pour it forth upon the children, on the
young people, on husbands and wives, on the old and the super-annuated. All must
partake in these judgments.
GILL, "Therefore I am full of the fury of the Lord,.... Either of zeal for the Lord,
for the glory of his name, and the honour of his word; or rather of the prophecy of the
Lord, as the Targum interprets it, concerning the wrath of God, that should come upon
this people for their sins:
I am weary with holding it; the prophecy, the message he was sent with to them, to
pronounce the judgments of God upon them; which being a disagreeable task to him, he
refrained from doing it as long as he could; but being highly provoked with the sins of
the people, and particularly with their contempt of the word of God, and especially he
being obedient to the divine will, he could forbear no longer making a full declaration of
it; see Jer_20:9.
I will pour it upon the children abroad; or, "in the street" (u); that are playing
there:
and upon the assembly of young men together; that are met together for their
pleasure and diversion; and the sense is, that the prophet would declare in a prophetic
manner, and denounce, according to his office and commission, the wrath of God, which
should come upon persons of every age, and of every relation in life, as follows: though
the words may be rendered, "pour it upon the children", &c. (w); and so it is a prayer of
the prophet's to the Lord, that he would execute the vengeance on them which he had
threatened them with by him:
for even the husband with the wife shall be taken; and carried captive:
the aged with him that is full of days; the old and the decrepit, such as are
advanced in years, and also those that are just upon the brink of the grave, ready to die:
the meaning is, that children should not be spared for their tender age, nor young men
for their strength, nor husbands and wives on account of their relation, nor any because
of their hoary hairs; seeing the corruption was so general, and prevailed in persons of
every age, and of every station.

53. JAMISO , "fury of ... Lord — His denunciations against Judah communicated to
the prophet.
weary with holding in — (Jer_20:9).
I will pour — or else imperative: the command of God (see Jer_6:12), “Pour it out”
[Maurer].
aged ... full of days — The former means one becoming old; the latter a decrepit old
man [Maurer] (Job_5:26; Isa_65:20).
CALVI , The prophet here rises higher; for it was not enough simply to set forth
the truth to refractory men, but it was necessary to stimulate them even sharply,
and sometimes to wound them, for they could not otherwise be roused, so great was
their hardness. Hence the Prophet proceeds in the same strain with what we
observed yesterday; and he declares that he was full of the indignation of God. This
may be taken passively and actively, — that the Prophet was indignant with holy
zeal, because he undertook the cause of God, — or, that he dreaded the judgment,
which the Jews nevertheless in no way heeded. But he speaks here no doubt
according to the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, as though he said, that he did not
announce what his own mind suggested, but what was dictated by the Spirit of God.
This indignation is, in short, to be applied to what was taught, as though he had
said, “If I address you with great vehemence, think not that as a man I forget
moderation, being influenced by wrath; but the Spirit of God leads and impels me.
Whatever indignation then is found in my language, whatever vehemence and
sharpness and menacing, all this is from God’s Spirit, and not from my own feelings
as a man.” It was on this account that he says, that he was filled with the indignation
of God.
What follows confirms this statement; for he says, that he was wearied with
restraint; as though he said, that so great was the impulse of God’s wrath, that it
could not be withheld from breaking out into vehemence. And hence we learn, as I
have said, that the Prophet declares no other thing than that he was not moved by
his own indignation, or by any feeling of his own nature, but that he of necessity
followed where he was led by the hidden influence of God’s Spirit, lest what he
taught might be despised; for the Jews had long accustomed themselves to use their
taunts and to say, that they were not to be frightened like children. That the Jews
then might not thus trifle, Jeremiah declares, that he was so filled with the
indignation of God, that he could contain himself no longer, but must denounce on
his own kindred what God had committed to his charge. As we shall elsewhere see
the same mode of speaking, and in more express terms, I shall proceed without
making any farther remarks.
He afterwards says, I shall pour it out, etc. He no doubt continues the same subject.
He then says, that since he could no longer suppress the vengeance of God, whose
herald he was, he would now pour it out, and that upon the children, he says, in the
streets He doubtless means by these words that there was nothing pure among the
people, for the very children were involved in the same guilt. Since, then, impiety so
prevailed that even children in their tender age were not exempt from it, it was an

54. evidence of a hopeless condition. This is what the Prophet means by saying, that he
would pour wrath upon children. Then he adds, upon the assembly, etc. The word
‫סוד‬ , sud, means a congregation, or an assembly; and it means also counsel. But as
the Prophet speaks of streets, there seems to be a contrast between streets and
counsels, as though he said, that children playing in the streets were without any
counsel or understanding: but still I include with them the old and the grown up
men, for they are all exposed to God’s judgment. He then adds, the counsel of young
men; for there is more discretion and prudence in young men grown up to maturity.
The Hebrews do not call youths of fifteen ‫בחורים‬ , bachurim, but men of full and
mature age; and the word is derived from a verb which means to choose. They then
who are in the flower of their age are called ‫,בחורים‬ bachurim, because they are
endued with discretion, and do not play in the streets like children. The Prophet
then says, that God’s wrath would now be poured forth on children, and also on
men grown up to the age of twenty or thirty.
For the husband, he says, with his wife shall be taken, the aged with the full of days
Some think that the full of days was the decrepit: but by ‫,זקן‬ zaken, I understand the
aged, and by the full of days, all those already grown into maturity, as those from
fifty to eighty may be so called. He means, in short, that no one would be exempt
from suffering God’s vengeance, as impiety had pervaded all stations, ranks, and
ages. (172) It follows —
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, —
(lang. cy) Blinais ymattal dywallt.
othing 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
TRAPP, "Jeremiah 6:11 Therefore I am full of the fury of the LORD I am weary
with holding in: I will pour it out upon the children abroad, and upon the assembly
of young men together: for even the husband with the wife shall be taken, the aged
with [him that is] full of days.
Ver. 11. Therefore I am full of the fury of the Lord,] i.e., Of curses and menaces
against this obstinate people. {as Jeremiah 4:19}
I am weary with holding in.] As hitherto I have done, and could still in compassion,
but that of necessity I must obey God’s will, and be the messenger of his wrath. It is

55. a folly to think that God’s ministers delight to fling daggers at men’s breasts, or
handfuls of hell fire in their faces. on nisi coactus, said he.
I will pour it forth.] I will denounce it, and then God will soon effect it. See on
Jeremiah 1:10.
PETT, "Jeremiah 6:11
‘Therefore I am full of the wrath of YHWH,
I am weary with holding in,
Pour it out on the children in the street,
And on the assembly of young men together,
For even the man with the woman will be taken,
The aged with him who is full of days.’
As a result of his vain efforts to face men up with the word of YHWH Jeremiah has
reached the end of his patience. From youngest to oldest none would listen. He thus
felt that he could no longer hold in the wrath of YHWH. And so he calls on Him to
pour it out on ‘the children in the street’ and on ‘the young men as they collect
together’. These would be some of the many whom he had found in the streets and
squares who had refused to listen to him (Jeremiah 5:1). or would women be
excluded, for what he said applied to both men and women, including the aged, and
those in the prime of life. All were to lose out in the coming visitation.
PULPIT, "Therefore I am full; rather, But I am full. I will pour it out. The text has
"pour it out." The sudden transition to the imperative is certainly harsh, and
excuses the conjectural emendation which underlies the rendering of the Authorized
Version. If we retain the imperative, we must explain it with reference to Jeremiah's
inner experience. There are, we must remember, two selves in the prophet (comp.
Isaiah 21:6), and the higher prophetic self here addresses the lower or human self,
and calls upon it no longer to withhold the divinely communicated burden. All
classes, as the sequel announces, are to share in the dread calamity. Upon the
children abroad; literally, upon the child in the street (comp. Zechariah 8:5). The
assembly of young men. It is a social assembly which is meant (comp. Jeremiah
15:17, "the assembly of the laughers").
12 Their houses will be turned over to others,
together with their fields and their wives,
when I stretch out my hand

56. against those who live in the land,”
declares the Lord.
BAR ES, "Turned - Violently transferred. Houses, fields, wives, all they most
valued, and most jealously kept to themselves - are gone.
GILL, "And their houses shall be turned unto others,.... To strangers, to the
Chaldeans; they shall be transferred unto them, come into their hands, and become their
property:
with their fields and wives together: not only their houses and lands shall be taken
away from them, and put to the use of others, but even their wives; than which nothing
could be more distressing:
for I will stretch out my hand upon the inhabitants of the land, saith the
Lord; the inhabitants of the land of Judea; and so the Septuagint render it, "upon them
that inhabit this land"; and so the Arabic version: wherefore, since the Lord would exert
himself in this affair, and stretch out his hand of almighty power, as the Targum
paraphrases it,
"I will lift up the stroke of my power;''
it might be depended upon that all this destruction threatened would come on them.
JAMISO , "The very punishments threatened by Moses in the event of disobedience
to God (Deu_28:30).
turned — transferred.
K&D, "Jer_6:12-14
Jer_6:12 gives the result of being thus taken: their houses, fields, and wives will be
handed over to others, descend to others. Wives are mentioned along with houses and
fields, as in the commandment, Exo_20:17; cf. Deu_5:18. The loss of all one's
possessions is mentioned in connection with reproof, following in Jer_6:13, of greed and
base avarice. The threatening is confirmed in Jer_6:12 by the clause: for I (Jahveh)
stretch my hand out, etc. Then in Jer_6:13 and Jer_6:14 the cause of the judgment is
adduced. The judgment falls upon all, for all, great and little, i.e., mean and powerful (cf.
Jer_6:4, Jer_6:5), go after base gain; and the teachers, who ought to lead the people on
the true way (Isa_30:21), sue deceit and dishonesty. They heal the breach of the
daughter of my people, i.e., the infirmities and injuries of the state, after a light and
frivolous fashion (‫ה‬ ָ ַ‫ק‬ְ‫נ‬ is partic.Niph. faem., and ‫ל‬ ַ‫ע‬ is of the thing that covers another); -

57. in this, namely, that they speak of peace and healing where there is no peace; that they
do not uncover the real injuries so as to heal them thoroughly, but treat them as if they
were trifling and in no way dangerous infirmities.
CALVI , "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,” (Psalms 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? ow, 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 —
TRAPP, "Jeremiah 6:12 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.
Ver. 12. With their fields and wives together.] These are mentioned as most dear to
them; who could haply say as he did -
“ Haec alii capiant; liceat mihi paupere cultu
Secure chara coniuge posse frui. ”
PETT, "Jeremiah 6:12
‘And their houses will be turned to others,
Their fields and their womenfolk together
For I will stretch out my hand on the inhabitants of the land,
The word of YHWH (neum YHWH).’
And the consequence of the coming invasion will be that their houses will be

58. possessed by others, together with their fields and their womenfolk (compare
Deuteronomy 8:12-20; it is the converse of Deuteronomy 6:10-11). And this is
because YHWH will stretch out His hand on them in order to punish them. This is
the certain and sure word of YHWH, and will fulfil his previous word spoken in
Deuteronomy.
13 “From the least to the greatest,
all are greedy for gain;
prophets and priests alike,
all practice deceit.
BAR ES, "Given to covetousness - literally, everyone has gained gains. The
temper of mind which gains the world is not that which gains heaven.
Falsely - Rather, “fraudulently.”
GILL, "For from the least of them even unto the greatest of them,.... From the
least in age to the oldest among them; or rather, from persons of the lowest class of life,
and in the meanest circumstances, to those that are in the highest places of trust and
honour, and are in the greatest affluence of riches and wealth; so that as men of every
age and station had sinned, old and young, high and low, rich and poor, it was but just
and right that they should all share in the common calamity:
everyone is given to covetousness; which is mentioned particularly, and instead of
other sins, it being the root of evil, and was the prevailing sin among them:
from the prophet even unto the priest everyone dealeth falsely; the false
prophet, as Kimchi interprets it, and so the Septuagint and other versions; and the priest
of Baal, as the same interpreter; both acted deceitfully; the one in prophesying lies to the
people, the other in drawing them off from the pure worship of God. The Targum is,
"from the scribe to the priest;''
from the lowest order of teachers to the highest in ecclesiastical office. The whole shows
a most general and dreadful corruption.

59. CALVI , "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 —
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.
TRAPP,, "Jeremiah 6:13 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.

60. Ver. 13. Every one is given to covetousness.] Avet avaritia, eager for greed, is
coveting covetise or excessively; crieth still, Give, give, with the horse leech; of which
creature Pliny (a) observeth, and experience showeth, that it hath no through
passage, but taketh much in, and letting nothing out, breaks and kills itself with
sucking. So doth the covetous man.
Every one dealeth falsely.] Heb., Each one is doing falsehood, as if that were their
common trade.
PETT, "Jeremiah 6:13-14
‘For from the least of them even to the greatest of them,
Every one is given to covetousness (literally ‘is out to gain gain’),
And from the prophet even to the priest,
Every one deals falsely.
They have healed also the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly,
Saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace.’
But YHWH’s wrath is not without reason. It has arisen because of the attitudes of
ALL the people towards one another, and towards Him. They are all given to the
breaking of the tenth commandment, being filled with covetousness and greed, all
out to do each other so that they might become wealthier. And worst of all, those
responsible for their spiritual welfare rather deal with them falsely. For they make
out that there is nothing to worry about and that God is not concerned over their
small sins, dismissing any concerns that they might have had as though they did not
matter by saying ‘peace, peace’, when in fact there is no peace, because YHWH is
very displeased with them. Their cry was ‘all is certainly well’ (the repetition
stressing certainty), when all was certainly not well.
‘Peace, peace.’ Compare Jeremiah 8:11. In this context this could refer either to
peace between men and God (Jeremiah 16:5; Jeremiah 29:11; Psalms 85:8; Psalms
85:10; Psalms 119:165; Isaiah 26:3; Isaiah 27:5; Isaiah 53:5; Isaiah 57:19; Isaiah
57:21; Malachi 2:5-6), or to a state of well-being (Jeremiah 23:17; Jeremiah 33:6;
Jeremiah 33:9; Jeremiah 38:4; Psalms 29:11; Isaiah 32:17-18; Isaiah 45:7; Isaiah
48:8; Isaiah 48:15; Isaiah 52:7), or to the prospect of peace in their relationship with
other nations, suggesting that there would be no war and no invasion (Jeremiah
4:10; Jeremiah 8:11; Jeremiah 8:15; Jeremiah 12:5; Jeremiah 14:19; and often),
although in many verses the meanings blend into each other. They had no peace
with God, they had no hope of future well being, and they had no prospect of peace
in respect of their enemies.
PULPIT, "Given to covetousness; literally, gaineth gain; but the word here
rendered "gain" implies that it is unrighteous gain (the root means "to tear"),
Unjust gain and murder are repeatedly singled out in the Old Testament as
representative sins (comp. Ezekiel 33:31; Psalms 119:36; Isaiah 1:15; Jeremiah 2:34;

61. and see my note on Isaiah 57:17). There is a special reason for the selection of
"covetousness" here. Land was the object of a high-born Jew's ambition, and
expulsion from his land was his appropriate punishment (comp. Isaiah 5:8, Isaiah
5:9).
14 They dress the wound of my people
as though it were not serious.
‘Peace, peace,’ they say,
when there is no peace.
BAR ES, "Healed - Rather, “tried to heal.”
Of the daughter - These words are omitted by a majority of manuscripts, but found
in most of the versions.
Slightly - literally, “according to,” i. e., as if it were, a “trifle: making nothing” of it.
This cry of “peace” was doubtless based upon Josiah’s reforms.
CLARKE, "They have healed also the hurt of the daughter of my people
slightly - Of the daughter is not in the text, and is here improperly added: it is,
however, in some MSS.
Peace, peace - Ye shall have prosperity - when there was none, and when God had
determined that there should be none. Here the prophets prophesied falsely; and the
people continued in sin, being deceived by the priests and the prophets.
GILL, "They have healed also the hurt of the daughter of my people
slightly,.... That is, the false prophets and lying priests, who pretended to be physicians,
and to heal the sickly and distempered state of the people; and they did do it, in their
way, but not thoroughly; they did not search the wound to the bottom; they drew a skin
over it, and made a scar of it, and called it a cure; they made light of the hurt or wound;
they healed it,
making nothing of it; or "despising it", as the Septuagint: or they healed it "with
reproach", as the Vulgate Latin version; in such a manner, as that it was both a reproach
to them, and to the people: or, as the Targum,

62. "they healed the breach of the congregation of my people with their lying words;''
which are as follow:
saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace; promising them all prosperity,
plenty of good things, and a continuance in their own land; when in a short time there
would be none of these things, but sudden destruction would come upon them; see 1Th_
5:3.
JAMISO , "hurt — the spiritual wound.
slightly — as if it were but a slight wound; or, in a slight manner, pronouncing all
sound where there is no soundness.
saying — namely, the prophets and priests (Jer_6:13). Whereas they ought to warn
the people of impending judgments and the need of repentance, they say there is nothing
to fear.
peace — including soundness. All is sound in the nation’s moral state, so all will be
peace as to its political state (Jer_4:10; Jer_8:11; Jer_14:13; Jer_23:17; Eze_13:5, Eze_
13:10; Eze_22:28).
CALVI , "This is to be applied to the prophets and priests alone; they not only
corrupted the people by their bad example, but also shook off every fear of God,
and by their impostures and false boasting took away every regard and respect for
the teaching of the true prophets. He then says, that they healed to no purpose, or
with levity or slightness, (175) the wound of the people He says, by way of
concession, that they had healed the wounds of the people: but it was no cure, when
the evil was increasing. They were like the unskillful, who by rashly applying false
remedies, cause inflammation, even when the disease is not serious; or like those
who are only bent on easing pain, and cause the increase of the disease within,
which is the more dangerous as it is more hidden. This is not to heal, but to kill. But
the Prophet, as I have said, concedes to them the work of healing, and then states
the issue, — that they were executioners and not physicians. They have healed, he
says, the wound of my people: He takes the words, as it were, from their mouth, “Ye
are verily good physicians! for by your flatteries ye have soothed my people: there
was need not only of sharp medicine to stimulate and to cause pain, but also of
caustics and of amputations; but ye have only applied lenients. This is your way of
healing! ye have thus healed the wound of my people, even by plasters and
ointments to drive inward the disease; but what has been the effect?”
He then immediately shews what sort of healing it was: It was saying, Peace, peace
The evil we know is an old one, common almost to all ages; and no wonder, for no
one wishes otherwise than to please himself; and what we observe daily as to the
ailments of the body, is the same as to the diseases of the soul. o sick person
willingly submits to the advice of his physician, if he prohibits the use of those things
which he desires: “What am I then to do? it were better to die than to follow this
advice.” And then, if the physician bids him to take a bitter dose, he will say, “I
would rather a hundred times endure any pain than to drink that draught.” And

63. when it comes to bleeding and other more painful operations, as caustics and things
of this kind, O the sick man can stand it no longer, and wishes almost any evil to his
physicians. What then experience proves to be true as to bodily diseases, is also true,
as I have said, as to the vices of the mind. All wish to deceive themselves; and thus it
happens that they wish for such prophets as promise them large vintages and an
abundant harvest, according to what is said by the Prophet Micah:
“Behold,” says God, “ye wish to have prophets who will speak to you of rich
provisions and of every kind of affluence; and ye do not wish them to prophesy evil;
ye would not have them to denounce on you the punishment which you fully
deserve.” (Micah 2:11)
As, then, the despisers of God wished to be soothed by flatteries, and reject the best
and the most salutary remedies, hence God has from the beginning given loose reins
to Satan, and hence impostors have gone forth, whose preaching has been, Peace,
peace; but to no purpose; for there is nothing real in such healing, for the Lord says,
there is no peace
The bolder any one is who professes to heal, if he be unskillful, the more disastrous
will be the issue. Hence the Prophet shews that the cause of the extreme calamity of
the Jews was, because they were deceived by their own priests and teachers. He does
not at the same time, as it has been elsewhere observed, excuse them, as though the
whole blame belonged to their false teachers. For how was it that the false prophets
thus fascinated them? Even because they knowingly and willfully destroyed
themselves; for they would not receive honest and skillful physicians: it was
therefore necessary to give them up to such as killed them. It follows —
The idea of “slightly,“ or “superficially,“ as rendered by Blayney, is not
countenanced by any of the foregoing versions, nor can the original words bear this
meaning. The word ‫,נקלה‬ is found as a iphal participle, and applied to man, as a
despised, contemptible, or worthless being, — 1 Samuel 18:23; Proverbs 12:9; Isaiah
3:5; Isaiah 16:14. But here it refers to the means used for healing, which, according
to all the versions, was something contemptible, worthless, useless, and which is
afterwards named, being no more than saying, Peace, peace, when in fact there was
no peace.
And healed have they the bruise Of the daughter of my people with what is
worthless, Saying, “Peace, peace;” and there was no peace.
— Ed.
COFFMA , ""They have healed also the hurt of my people slightly, saying Peace,
peace; when there is no peace. Were they ashamed when they had committed
abominations? nay, they were not at all ashamed, neither could they blush:
therefore they shall fall among them that fall; at the time that I visit them they shall
be cast down, saith Jehovah."

64. "They have healed the hurt of my people slightly ..." (Jeremiah 6:14) This appears
to be a reference to the reforms so vigorously pressed by king Josiah, but they were
reforms that did not at all reach the hearts of the people. The false prophets were
the ones who cried, "Peace, peace, when there was no peace."
"They were not at all ashamed ..." (Jeremiah 6:15). The hardened sinners of Israel
had lost all sense of shame and had no feelings either of regret or remorse for their
transgressions. There remained absolutely nothing else for God to do except to visit
the people with divine punishment.
TRAPP, "Jeremiah 6:14 They have healed also the hurt [of the daughter] of my
people slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when [there is] no peace.
Ver. 14. They have healed also the hurt of … slightly.] Heb., Upon a slight or
slighted thing. Secundum curationem mali leviculi; { a} as men use to cure the slight
hurts of their children by blowing on them only, or stroking them over. Thus these
deceitful workers dealt by God’s people, dallying with their deep and dangerous
wounds, which they search not, neither cauterise, according to necessary severity.
Saying, Peace, peace.] Making all fair weather before them, whenas the storm of
God’s wrath was even breaking out upon them, such a storm as should never blow
over.
PULPIT, "They have healed, etc. The full force of the verb is, "they have busied
themselves about healing" (so Jeremiah 8:11; Jeremiah 51:9). Of the daughter. Our
translators evidently had before them a text which omitted these words, in
accordance with many Hebrew manuscripts and the Septuagint; Van der Hooght's
text, however, contains them, as also does the parallel passage (Jeremiah 8:11).
Slightly; or, lightly; Septuagint, ἐξουθενοῦντες. Saying, Peace, peace. Always the
burden of the mere professional prophets, who, as one of a higher order—the bold,
uncompromising Micah—fittingly characterizes them," bite with their teeth, and
cry, Peace;" i.e. draw flattering pictures of the state and prospects of their country,
in order to "line their own pockets" (Micah 3:5).
BI, "They have healed also the hurt . . . slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when there is no
peace.
Healing our wounds slightly
I. What need we all have of healing.
1. Asserted in Scripture.
2. Confirmed by experience.
II. Who they are that heal their wounds slightly.

65. 1. They who rely on the uncovenanted mercy of God, fatally deceive their souls by
expecting mercy contrary to Gospel.
2. They who take refuge in a round of duties; no attainments can stand in place of
Christ.
3. They who rest in a faith that is unproductive of good works; but the faith that
apprehends Christ will “work by love,” “purify the heart,” “overcome the world.”
III. How we may have them healed effectually.
1. The Lord Jesus has provided a remedy for sin (Isa_53:5).
2. That remedy applied by faith shall be effectual for all who trust in it.
Address—
1. Those who feel not their need of healing.
2. Those who, after having derived some benefits from Christ, have relapsed into sin.
3. Those who are enjoying health in their souls. (C. Simeon, M. A.)
False teachers
How mischievous is that false kindness which is afraid of telling you honestly the state of
the case, if it happen to be dangerous or desperate! Now, in regard of their eternal
concerns, men have a willingness to be deceived, though in regard of their temporal
concerns, they are keenly alive to attempts at imposition, and eager to resent them. They
commonly prefer the moral physician who will make light of their vices, and not startle
them by faithfully exposing their danger, though, were they similarly beguiled by one
whom they consulted on a bodily malady, they would denounce him as guilty of the most
hateful perfidy. And it may be for your profit, if we look into some of the more ordinary
cases. First, we would remind you that, if there be truth in the statements of Scripture,
there is a distinction the very strongest between the people of the world and the people
of God. Yet, here is the respect in which, perhaps, the danger is the greatest of the moral
hurt being only slightly healed, and peace prophesied when there is no peace. The
worldly are well pleased to have the differences between themselves and the religious
made as few and unimportant as possible, inasmuch as they are thus soothed into a
persuasion that after all they are in no great danger of the wrath of the Almighty. On the
other hand, those who profess a concern for the soul are often still so much inclined to
the pursuits and the pleasures of earth, that they have a ready ear for any doctrine which
seems to offer them the joys of the next life, without requiring continued self-denial in
this life. Thus it is an unpopular thing, opposed to the inclinations of the majority of
hearers, to insist upon the breadth of separation between the worldly and the religious,
to represent, without qualification or disguise, that the attempting to serve two masters
is the certain serving of only one, and that the master whose wages is death. But if we
would be faithful in the ministry, this is what we must do. To do otherwise, would be to
play with your souls—to lead you into delusion, which, if continued, must leave you
shipwrecked for eternity. Take another case, the case of those in whom has been
produced a conviction of sin, whose consciences after a long slumber have been aroused
to do their office and have done it with great energy. It is no uncommon thing for
conviction of sin not to be followed by conversion. Hundreds who have been stirred for a
time to a sense of guilt and danger, in place of advancing to genuine penitence have
lapsed back into former indifference. Ah, this is amongst the most alarming of moral

66. phenomena. The signs and earnest, as we thought of life, give a melancholy and
mysterious interest to death. Let the ministers of religion take heed that they be not
accessory to so disappointing an occurrence, and they easily may be. The spiritual
physician may be too hasty in applying to the wounded conscience the balm of the
Gospel; and thus he may arrest that process of godly contrition which seemed so
hopefully begun. It is no time to speak of free forgiveness till the man exclaims in the
agony of alarm and almost of despair, “What must I do to be saved?” Then display the
Cross. Then expatiate on the glorious truth, that “the Son of Man came to seek and to
save that which was lost.” Then point to the unsearchable riches of Christ, and meet
every doubt, oppose every objection, and combat every fear by exhibiting the mighty fact
of an atonement for sin. But the case suggested by our text is that of a too hasty
appropriation of the consolations of Christianity, and this case we cannot doubt is of
frequent occurrence. Not, indeed, that whenever conviction of sin is not followed by
conversion, the cause is to be found in the premature use of the mercies of the Gospel.
We know too well that in many instances the conscience which had been mysteriously
aroused is as mysteriously quieted; so that, without a solitary reason, men who had
manifested anxiety as to their souls, and apparently been earnest in seeking salvation,
are soon again found amongst the careless and indifferent, as busy as ever with chasing
shadows, as pleased as ever with things that perish in the using. For a moment they have
seemed conscious of their immortality and have risen to the dignity of deathless beings,
and then the pulse has ceased to beat, and they have again been creatures of a day in
place of heirs of eternity. Still, if there be many instances in which we may not fairly
ascribe to a too hasty appropriation of the mercies of the Gospel, the failure of what
seemed hopefully commenced, we may justly say that such an exhibition is likely to
produce so disappointing a result, and that the probability is that it frequently does. We
have further to remark, that the peculiar doctrines of Christianity are strongly offensive
to the great body of men, and that on this account chiefly it is that there is so much
reluctance to the bringing them forward, and so much readiness to explain them away.
You cannot fail to be aware that the offence of the Cross has not ceased, you must be
sufficiently aware that these are not days when men are called to join the noble army of
martyrs, yet there is an opposition to the peculiar doctrines of the Gospel, an opposition
which gives as much cause now as there was in earlier days for the Saviour to exclaim,
“Blessed is he whosoever shall not be offended in Me.” So that here is a precise case in
which the known feelings of the generality of men place the teacher under a temptation
to keep back truth, or of stating it so equivocally that its full force shall not be felt, He
cannot be ignorant that if he set forth without reserve, or disguise the corruption and
helplessness of man, insist on the perfect gratuitousness of salvation, and refer to God’s
mercy and distinguishing grace as first exciting the desire for deliverance, and then
enabling us to lay hold upon the provided succours, he will have to encounter the
antipathies of perhaps a majority of his hearers; and he is consequently and naturally
moved to the concealing much, and the softening down more; and if he yield to the
temptation, then we have that mixed and diluted theology which does not, indeed,
exclude Christ, but assigns much to man, which without denying the meritorious
obedience and sufferings of the Mediator soothes our pride with an assurance that by
our good works we contribute something towards the attainment of everlasting
happiness. By encouraging the opinion that men are not very far gone from original
righteousness, that notwithstanding the fall, they retain a moral power of doing what
shall be acceptable to God, and that their salvation is to result from the combination of
their own efforts and the merits of Christ, we maintain that by encouraging such
opinions as these, the teacher flatters his hearers with the most pernicious of all flattery,
hiding from them their actual condition, and instructing them, how to miss, at the same

67. time that they think they are securing deliverance. Probably enough has been advanced
to certify you not only of the possible occurrence but of the grievous peril which must lie
in the substituting in religion what is superficial for what ought to be radical. It is on this
that we are most anxious to fix your attention. We want to have you satisfied that there
can be no falser kindness than that which should hide from men their real condition, and
that it is the very extreme of danger when those who are tottering believe themselves
secure. It needs no small courage—we ought rather to say, it needs no small grace—to be
willing to know the worst; not to be afraid of finding out how bad we are, how corrupt,
how capable of the worst actions, if left to ourselves. This is a great point gained in
spiritual things, it is a great point gained to be able to pray with David, “Search me, O
God, and try me, and see if there be any wicked way in me.” We call it a great point
gained to be willing to know the worst; for so long as we stop short of this, we shall
always be trying half measures, healing the hurt slightly, and therefore never reaching
the root of the disease. We counsel you then to be honest with yourselves, honest in
observing the symptoms of spiritual sickness, honest in applying the remedies
prescribed by the Bible. (H. Melvill, B. D.)
False peace
I. A false peace, what is it? We do not mean, in describing a false peace, to depict the
state of those who are utterly indifferent to religious claims and obligations. We are
speaking of another class, in whose minds there has been at some time an anxiety
concerning their state in the sight of God. They have felt that sin is within them, that sin
is working out terrible results, and, unless some remedy be applied, must work their
ultimate ruin. This anxiety has increased upon them; and at length they have found the
anxiety soothed; its pressure has been alleviated, and at length it has departed. But it has
been soothed by unsuitable means. To be in a state of false peace is to be in a state of
composure—not of indifference, but of composure and satisfaction, in a belief that all is
well when all is not well. And this may arise from various causes.
1. It may be that some are lulled into this false peace from the fact of never having
had clear and scriptural notions of the true nature of sin. They have had their
attention perhaps drawn rather more to sins and to sinning than to sin; and in their
cases it may have happened that the course of sinning has not been a very atrocious
course—that the habitude has never manifested itself in any very formidable way.
Now, so long as our attention is fixed upon sins, and so long as our minds are
drawing distinctions between the greater and the lesser amount of actual
transgressions against God, we overlook the scriptural view of sin, as that fatal
principle in the nature of man which taints every faculty, and which renders it utterly
impossible that man should live in the light of God’s countenance.
2. But suppose men do entertain scriptural views of sin, as a deadly principle within
them, still they may have very inadequate views of the justice of God and of His
perfect holiness. Many minds are very apt to measure God, as it were, by a human
standard, as if God’s mode of procedure would be governed on the same principles
on which man’s mode of procedure is usually governed; and the consequence is, that
they invest God with a kind of mercy which is altogether unscriptural. If the sinner
views God merely as a God of goodness and tenderness and mercy, and thinks His
justice is not to have its full and unrestricted exercise, then we ask, what are we to do
with those passages of God’s Word which exhibit all His attributes in their just
proportions, and their relations one to another?

68. 3. False peace may also be produced by having obscure notions of the Gospel. If we
could sum up the whole Gospel message, the whole of the rich provision of God’s
mercy and justice in Christ Jesus, in one sentence, we should say, it is a remedy for
sin; but multitudes hear the Gospel, in all its simplicity and fulness, and yet come to
the conclusion that the Gospel system only calls us into a greater familiarity of
relation to God, that it sets before us a more spiritual walk than the people who lived
under the Jaw were accustomed to, that it calls upon us for a higher moral bearing,
and that if we do in the main adhere to that, as if it were a second form of law
exhibited to us, then all shall be well; but they overlook the fact that there is in the
Gospel a remedy for sin—that it contains a provision for the healing, the true healing
of the wound which sin has made.
4. This false peace may arise, moreover, out of an imperfect reception of the true
Gospel. The doctrines may be received; the matters of fact upon which the doctrines
are based may be received; the economy of the Gospel may be received, as far as the
intellect goes; but there may be no surrender of the soul to the Gospel—there may be
no yielding up of all the perversity of the natural man to the sweet and precious
operations of the Spirit of God, seeking to establish His truth in the heart as a
remedy for sin. Now we believe, that wherever these four, or any one of these four
causes exist, the result is a false peace. And let it be borne in mind, that most men are
very much disposed to be satisfied with a false peace. When the testimony of
conscience has been stirring, when the burden of sin has been felt to be a heavy
burden, there is a disposition to embrace the first offer of peace that presents itself.
And why is it so? Because the burden is heavy to be borne, and the anxiety it
occasions is a distressing anxiety, which is to be got rid of in any way. Anything,
therefore, that can silence conscience, or that can lessen the severity of its testimony,
will be resorted to, and will be regarded as peace.
II. The real nature of that only peace which can be relied upon. Let it be remembered,
that true peace has relation both to God and to man; that is, it must be a peace on both
sides—on the side of a just and holy God, and on the side of man with his “carnal mind”
which is “enmity against God.” There must be peace on both sides; and the peace on
God’s side must be a peace that shall be in the highest degree honourable to Himself;
and in order to be strictly honourable to Him, it must be a peace that shall have
magnified His justice, as well as given Him a just occasion for the exercise of mercy. It is
plain, therefore, that man himself cannot make and establish such a peace, either by
sacrifice or by service. Then the truth is, that God has taken the whole matter into His
own hands. He regards man as altogether helpless in this respect; and God undertakes
for the establishing a peace that shall be in the highest degree honourable to Himself,
and in the utmost degree suitable to man. In graciously revealing Himself, then, in
Christ, God has come forth from the light and glory in which He has dwelt from all
eternity, and in the person of Jesus, the Eternal Word, has manifested Himself in an
attitude of peace—is at peace. “God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself,
not imputing their trespasses unto them.” In that declaration we “see the attitude of
peace. God comes not forth, in the Gospel of His dear Son, as an avenger, but He comes
honourably forth as a peacemaker. He comes forth, manifesting the strength and
severity of His justice, and magnifying the perfection of His justice. He spared not His
own Son.”
III. The danger of a false peace. There is present danger, and there is future danger. So
long as a false peace is soothing our anxieties in regard to our state as sinners before
God, this helps to deaden conscience; it does not always satisfy, but it subdues the
activity of conscience, and opens a way for the subtle workings of Satan. Moreover, this

69. false peace disinclines the mind of the deluded one for the definiteness of the Christian
state and the Christian character—makes all the peculiarity that marks the Christian and
the Christian’s walk distasteful—makes it regarded as too exact, as too minute, as going
too far in its restraints upon the natural freedom of man; and the consequence is, that it
is said, as it is sometimes said of some ministers of the Gospel, that their views are a
great deal too high, that they expect a great deal more of people than they ought, that
they are always raising a standard which makes religion appear so impracticable. Lastly,
there is the danger of indisposing us to study the depths of the written Word, and to
listen to those depths when they are brought out in the public ministry of the Word. So
long as the imagination is pleasantly exercised, and the ministry of the preacher is like
the song of one who hath a pleasant voice, and playeth well upon an instrument, there is
contentedness; but when the depths of God’s truth are brought forth, then it is regarded
as a dry matter—a matter in which they have but little concern; and whilst this state of
mind exists, the false peace makes the sinner to lie in a perilous abode, like a man whose
roof is on fire, and who is pressed down by the weight of slumber. But the danger is also
future. If we die in a false peace, then in the day of resurrection and in the judgment we
meet God as an avenger, and an avenger during all eternity. (G. Fisk, LL. B.)
Foundation of peace
There is a very true sentence of Lord Macaulay’s, in which he says, “It is difficult to
conceive any situation more painful than that of a great man condemned to watch the
lingering agony of an exhausted country, to tend it during the alternate fits of
stupefaction and raving which precede its dissolution, and to see the symptoms of
vitality disappear, one by one, till nothing is left but coldness, darkness, and corruption.”
It was just such a situation that the prophet Jeremiah was at this time condemned to fill.
We feel that there is real agony in the sentence of doom he is compelled to utter. What
aggravated his own personal grief was that he saw the remedy that alone could save
them, the thorough, searching, radical treatment of their ease that contained their only
hope, and they refused it, and with the very grip of death upon them they turned for
comfort to those who had the mildest treatment to prescribe, and who cried, “Peace,
peace, when there was no peace.”
I. The prophet here lays his finger on the essential error—the formalist has no adequate
idea of the significance of sin. To suppose you have healed the corruption of a man’s
nature by the sacrifice of a turtle dove is the merest folly. To suppose that you remove
the enmity of a man’s heart against God by crying “Peace, peace” is an incredible
mockery. Peace with God is the will, and the heart, and the conscience at one with Him.
II. This ignorance of the priests as to the very nature of the sin they professed to cure
reminds us of the truth of Lord Bacon’s saying, that that is a false peace which is
grounded upon an implicit ignorance, just as all colours agree in the dark. You may
cherish the ignominious ambition to have peace at any price. You may escape the
problems of thought by declining to think. You may avoid the responsibility of freedom
by voluntary slavery; you may escape the pain of repentance by ignoring the reality of
sin; yes, you may refuse to acknowledge the obligations of the light by dwelling ever in
the darkness; you may prefer to be the victim of error and superstition to being their
victor; you may prefer the cowardly acquiescence of surrender to the glad triumph of
conquest; but you will surely not delude yourselves into the belief that you have settled
anything, healed any hurt, or that the peace you enjoy is a worthy one, with any elements
of desirability at all. For let us be quite sure that true peace—moral or mental—is based

70. upon an honest facing of the truth. It was old Matthew Paris, the last of the old monastic
historians, who complained somewhat pathetically that the case of historians was hard,
because if they told the truth they provoked men, while if they wrote what was false they
offended God. The historian’s art, it appears, must have in it something of the
photographer’s, whose bounden duty is well known to be to make men better looking
than they are. It has been urged, that if you can persuade a man that he is better than be
really is, he will try to live up to the new revelation. Overlook his faults, and explain his
errors away, and he will take heart and grow better. The question comes back to an old
one that has been asked and discussed again and again, “Can there ever be any moral
uses in a lie?” Do we believe in that religious homoeopathy that proposes to cure one
immorality by another, conceal corruption by falsehood, and cover sinfulness by lying?
Can any possible good come out of such a practice? Can there ever be any moral uses in a
lie? I think you will agree with me, that even if it were possible to obtain a satisfactory
peace by the suppression of conviction on the one hand, or a misrepresentation of fact
on the other, we are not at liberty to take it on such terms. To obtain a worthy peace we
must face the facts. (C. S. Horne, M. A.)
A blast of the trumpet against false peace
It is no uncommon thing to meet with people who say, “Well, I am happy enough. My
conscience never troubles me. I believe if I were to die I should go to heaven as well as
anybody else.” I know that these men are living in the commission of glaring acts of sin,
and I am sure they could not prove their innocence even before the bar of man; yet will
these men look you in the face and tell you that they are not at all disturbed at the
prospect of dying. Well, I will take you at your word, though I don’t believe you. I will
suppose you have this peace, and I will endeavour to account for it on certain grounds
which may render it somewhat more difficult for you to remain in it.
1. The first person I shall deal with is the man who has peace because he spends his
life in a ceaseless round of gaiety and frivolity. You have scarcely come from one
place of amusement before you enter another. You know that you are never happy
except you are in what you call gay society, where the frivolous conversation will
prevent you from hearing the voice of your conscience. In the morning you will be
asleep while God’s sun is shining, but at night you will be spending precious time in
some place of foolish, if not lascivious, mirth. If the harp should fail you, then you
call for Nabar’s feast. There shall be a sheep shearing, and you shall be drunken with
wine, until your souls become as stolid as a stone. And then you wonder that you
have peace. What wonder! Surely any man would have peace when his heart has
become as hard as a stone. What weathers shall it feel? What tempests shall move
the stubborn bowels of a granite rock? You sear your consciences, and then marvel
that they feel not. Oh, that you would begin to live! What a price you are paying for
your mirth—eternal torment for an hour of jollity—separation from God for a brief
day or two of sin!
2. I turn to another class of men. Finding that amusement at last has lost all its zest,
having drained the cup of worldly pleasure till they find first satiety, and then disgust
lying at the bottom, they want some stronger stimulus, and Satan, who has drugged
them once, has stronger opiates than mere merriment for the man who chooses to
use them. If the frivolity of this world will not suffice to rock a soul to sleep, he hath a
yet more hellish cradle for the soul. He will take you up to his own breast, and bid
you suck therefrom his own Satanic nature, that you may then be still and calm. I

71. mean that he will lead you to imbibe infidel notions, and when this is fully
accomplished, you can have “Peace, peace, when there is no peace.”
3. I shall come now to a third class of men. These are people not particularly
addicted to gaiety, nor especially given to infidel notions; but they are a sort of folk
who are careless, and determined to let well alone. Their motto, “Let tomorrow take
care for the things of itself; let us live while we live; let us eat and drink, for
tomorrow we die.” If their conscience cries out at all, they bid it lie still. When the
minister disturbs them, instead of listening to what he says, and so being brought
into a state of real peace, they cry, “Hush I be quiet I there is time enough yet; I will
not disturb myself with these childish fears: be still, sir, and lie down.” Oh! up ye
sleepers, ye gaggers of conscience, what mean you? Why are you sleeping when death
is hastening on, when eternity is near, when the great white throne is even now
coming on the clouds of heaven, when the trumpet of the resurrection is now being
set to the mouth of the archangel?
4. A fourth set of men have a kind of peace that is the result of resolutions which
they have made, but which they will never carry into effect. “Oh,” saith one, “I am
quite easy enough in my mind, for when I have got a little more money I shall retire
from business, and then I shall begin to think about eternal things.” Ah, but I would
remind you that when you were an apprentice, you said you would reform when you
became a journeyman; and when you were a journeyman, you used to say you would
give good heed when you became a master. But hitherto these bills have never been
paid when they became duo. They have every one of them been dishonoured as yet;
and take my word for it, this new accommodation bill will be dishonoured too.
5. Now I turn to another class of men, in order that I may miss none who are saying,
“Peace, peace, when there is no peace.” I do not doubt but that many of the people of
London enjoy peace in their hearts, because they are ignorant of the things of God. If
you have a peace that is grounded on ignorance, get rid of it; ignorance is a thing,
remember, that you are accountable for. You are not accountable for the exercise of
your judgment to man, but you are accountable for it to God.
6. I now pass to another and more dangerous form of this false peace. I may have
missed some of you; probably I shall come closer home to you now. Alas, alas, let us
weep and weep again, for there is a plague among us. It is the part of candour to
admit that with all the exercise of judgment, and the most rigorous discipline, we
cannot keep our churches free from hypocrisy. Oh! I do not know of a more
thoroughly damnable delusion than for a man to get a conceit into his head, that he
is a child of God, and yet live in sin—to talk to you about sovereign grace, while he is
living in sovereign lust—to stand up and make himself the arbiter of what is truth,
while he himself contemns the precept of God, and tramples the commandment
under foot.
7. There remains yet another class of beings who surpass all these in their utter
indifference to everything that might arouse them. They are men that are given up by
God, justly given up. They have passed the boundary of His long suffering. He has
said, “My Spirit shall no more strive with them”; “Ephraim is given unto idols, let
him alone.” As a judicial punishment for their impenitence, God has given them up
to pride and hardness of heart. (C. H. Spurgeon.)
False security

72. I. How is it persons reach this state of easy confidence?
1. There is a disposition to acknowledge in a general way that they are sinners,
though also to palliate the enormity of sin, and to gloss it over with the gentle epithet
of an infirmity.
2. Then, to make all right, secure, and comfortable, the sentiment is cherished that
God is merciful and will overlook our infirmities. But this mercy, so vaguely trusted
in, is not the mercy which has been made the subject of an actual offer from God to
man. He has stepped forth to relieve us from the debt of sin.
II. The evils of such a false confidence.
1. It casts an aspersion on the character of God.
2. It is hostile to the cause of practical righteousness, since it tends to obliterate all
restraints, on the specious plea of all-availing mercy, and leaves every man to sin just
as much as he likes. (T. Chalmers, D. D.)
Peace, when there is no peace
The value of these Old Testament prophecies for us is that they hold up the mirror to
nature. Under different guises we see men grappling with the same problems,
encountering the same fears, wrestling with the same difficulties, meeting the same joys
and the same disappointments. History is ever repeating itself.
1. The same oppression, the same sin, the same corruptions which are causing so
much anguish in our midst, were at work there, and from many a heart there went
up the cry, “How long, O Lord, how long?” The means they adopted were not
sufficient for the end, and that is just the point at which these Israelites join hands
with many reformers in our days. There are fashions in these things as in everything
else. With the crowd and with the priests in these far-off days it was sacrifice and
burnt offering. With us the favourite nostrums are somewhat different. Let us look at
some of them.
(1) There is what has been called the doctrine of culture. “Educate, educate,
educate,” some cry, and that will put all right. The exponents of this school are
enthusiastic, and talk of great things to be accomplished when the refinement
and culture which is fostered in the “upper ten” has filtered down through
university extension schemes and settlements to the working classes.
(2) Others, of a more practical turn of mind, think that the world can be set right
by legislative means. “Better laws and greater freedom are what is wanted,” they
say, “to elevate the people.” Life to them consists in the abundance of things
which men possess. They laugh at the notion of a happiness which has not
plenty, and ridicule the very idea of comfort or contentment in a one-roomed
house.
(3) Another set think that if we could make the people sober all would be well.
They tell us that almost nine-tenths of the crime and mischief in the country
comes from drunkenness.
2. There is much truth in a great deal of what has been said by the advocates of each
of these different systems, and within certain limits they are right. That they will ever
reach the root of the matter is another thing. They are no new doctrines. Long have

73. men tried them. And what has been the result where they have had freest play? A
perfect cure? An approach to an ideal State? Alas, no. In some cases one or other of
them, or all of them together, may have contributed to render life easier, or more
comfortable to individuals here and there; but none of them, nor all of them
together, have been able to heal the hurt of humanity. They are but the purple
patches with which men seek to hide the festering sores. The trouble is in the heart,
in the blood, in the innermost centre of our being, and till it is expelled from that
citadel, there can be no hope for us, or the world. They who cherish the supposition
that man at bottom is a lover of truth and light, of purity and goodness, fondle a vain
conceit. Is there no cruelty, is there no lust in upper circles of society? Is there no
impurity, no degradation, no oppression among the learned? Is there no misery, no
broken hearts in the homes of the wealthy? Are there no tears, no sighs, no wrinkled
brows where intemperance is unknown? (R. Leggat.)
Useless doctoring
In China they have some queer ways of doctoring sick people, and in Pekin, it is said,
they have a brass mule for a doctor! This mule stands in one of their temples and sick
people flock there by the thousands to be cured. How can a brass mule cure anybody? do
you ask. Sure enough, how can he? and yet these poor ignorant people believe it. If you
lived there, instead of in this country, it is likely that when you had a toothache your
father would take you—to a dentist? Oh no! That is what they do in this country. In
Pekin you would probably be taken to the temple where the brass mule stands, and be
lifted up so that you could rub his teeth, then rub your own, and then think the pain
ought to go away. If you fell down and hurt your knee, you would go and rub the mule’s
knee, and then your own, to make it well. They say so many have rubbed the mule that
they have rubbed the brass off in many places, so that new patches had to be put on, and
his eyes have been rubbed out altogether. But a brand new mule stands waiting to take
the place of the old one when that finally falls to pieces. It seems a very simple way to
cure pains and aches, but, I fear, the pain is not very much better after the visit to the
mule; and I am sure all boys and girls who read of the “brass doctor” will be glad they
live in this land, even if dentists do sometimes pull out teeth that ache, and doctors often
give medicine that is not pleasant to take.
False peace
Your peace, sinner, is that terribly prophetic calm which the traveller occasionally
perceives upon the higher Alps. Everything is still. The birds suspend their notes, fly low,
and cower down with fear The hum of bees among the flowers is hushed. A horrible
stillness rules the hour, as if death had silenced all things by stretching over them his
awful sceptre. Perceive ye not what is surely at hand! The tempest is preparing, the
lightning will soon cast abroad its flames of fire. Earth will rock with thunder blasts;
granite peaks will be dissolved; all nature will tremble beneath the fury of the storm.
Yours is that solemn calm today, sinner. Rejoice not in it, for the hurricane of wrath is
coming, the whirlwind and the tribulation which shall sweep you away and utterly
destroy you. (C. H. Spurgeon.)

74. 15 Are they ashamed of their detestable conduct?
o, they have no shame at all;
they do not even know how to blush.
So they will fall among the fallen;
they will be brought down when I punish
them,”
says the Lord.
BAR ES, "They are brought to shame because
They have “committed abomination:”
Shame nevertheless they feel not;
To blush nevertheless they know not;
“Therefore they shall fall among” the falling;
“At the time” when “I visit them, they shall” stumble,
“Saith Yahweh.”
The fact is expressed that their conduct was a disgrace to them, though they did not
feel it as such. “Abomination” has its usual meaning of idolatry Jer_4:1.
GILL, "Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination?.... This
seems chiefly, and in the first place, to respect the false prophets and wicked priests;
who when they committed idolatry, or any other sin, and led the people into the same by
their doctrine and example, yet, when reproved for it, were not ashamed, being given up
to a judicial hardness of heart:
nay, they were not at all ashamed, neither could they blush; they were men of
impudent faces, they had a whore's forehead; there was not the least sign or appearance
of shame in them; when charged with the foulest crimes, and threatened with the
severest punishment, they were not moved by either; they had neither shame nor fear:
therefore they shall fall among them that fall; meaning that the prophets and
priests should perish among the common people, and with them, who should be slain,
and fall by the sword of the Chaldeans; the sacredness of their office would not exempt
them; they should fare no better than the rest of the people:

75. at the time that I visit them they shall be cast down, saith the Lord; that is,
when the city and temple should be destroyed by the Chaldeans, these would be cast
down from their excellency, the high office in which they were, and fall into ruin, and
perish with the rest.
JAMISO , "Rosenmuller translates, “They ought to have been ashamed, because ...
but,” etc.; the Hebrew verb often expressing, not the action, but the duty to perform it
(Gen_20:9; Mal_2:7). Maurer translates, “They shall be put to shame, for they commit
abomination; nay (the prophet correcting himself), there is no shame in them” (Jer_3:3;
Jer_8:12; Eze_3:7; Zep_3:5).
them that fall — They shall fall with the rest of their people who are doomed to fall,
that is, I will now cease from words; I will execute vengeance [Calvin].
K&D, "Jer_6:15
For this behaviour they are put to shame, i.e., deceived in their hope. The perf. is
prophetic, representing the matter as being equally certain as if it had been already
realized. It cannot bear to be translated either: they should be ashamed (Ros., Umbr.
after the Chald.), or: they would be ashamed (Ew.). The following grounding clause
adduces the cause of their being put to shame: because they have done abomination; and
the next clauses bring in a contrast: yet on the contrary, shame and disgrace they know
not; therefore on the day of visitation they will fall with the rest. When these verses are
repeated in Jer_8:12, the Niph. ‫ם‬ ֵ‫ל‬ ָⅴ ִ‫ה‬ is used in place of the Hiph. ‫ים‬ ִ‫ל‬ ְ‫כ‬ ַ‫.ה‬ It does not,
however, follow from this that the Hiph. has here the force of the Niph., but only thus
much, that the Hiph. is here used, not in a transitive, but in a simply active meaning: to
have shame or disgrace. For ‫ים‬ ִ ְ‫ד‬ ַ‫ק‬ ְ with the relative omitted, time when I visit, we have
in Jer_8:12 the simpler form of the noun ָ‫ת‬ ָ ֻ‫ק‬ ְ , as in Jer_10:15; Jer_46:21, and often.
Such divergencies do not justify the accommodation of the present passage to these
others, since on occasions of repetitions the expression in matters of subordinate
importance is often varied. The perf. of the verb has here the force of the fut. exact.
CALVI , "Jeremiah turns now his discourse to the whole people. In the last verse
he reproved only the priests and the prophets; he now speaks more generally, and
says, that they had put off all shame. “Behold,” he says, “they are sufficiently
proved guilty, their wickedness is manifest, and yet there is no shame. Their
disgrace is visible to heaven and earth; angels and all mortals are witnesses of their
corruption; but they have such a meretricious front that they are touched by no
sense of shame.” He means, in these words, that the wickedness of the people was
past all remedy; for they had arrived to that degree of stupor, of which Paul speaks,
when he calls those ἀπηλγηκότας, who were obstinate in their vices, who saw no
difference between right and wrong, between white and black. (Ephesians 4:19.)
This, then, is what the Prophet means when he says, Have they been ashamed? But a
question is much more emphatical, than if it was a simple reprobation or
affirmation. They have not been even ashamed, he says. In their very shame, they

76. knew not what it was to be touched by any shamefacedness. This may be classed
with those reproofs, by which they had not been subdued; as though he had said,
“Efforts having been made to expose their effrontery, in not humbling themselves
under the hand of God; they shall therefore fall among the fallen;” that is, “I will
dispute no longer with them, nor contend in words, but will execute on them my
judgment.” Fall, then, shall they among the fallen; as though he had said, “I have
more than sufficiently denounced war on them: had they been healable it would
have availed to their conversion, that they had been so often warned; and still more,
that I have so sharply stimulated them to come to me: but I will now no more
employ words, on the contrary, I will execute my vengeance, so that the calamity
which they have derived may devour them.” (176)
They shall wholly fall, he says, in the day of their visitation From this second clause
we understand more clearly what it is or what he means when he speaks of falling
among the fallen, which is, that they should wholly fall, when God would come as it
were with a drawn sword to destroy them, having been wearied with giving them so
many warnings.
15.Exposed to shame have they been, Because abomination have they wrought:
either with shame are they ashamed, or how to be abashed do they know;
Therefore fall shall they with the fallen; At the time when I shall visit them, They
shall perish, saith Jehovah.
There is no necessity to make this verse and the 12th of chap. 8 (Jeremiah 8:12) the
same in every particular, as Blayney attempts to do. Both passages are the same in
meaning, with a little variety in some of the words. The particle ‫,גם‬ repeated, may be
rendered by, either and nor. See umbers 23:5. The verb ‫הכלים‬ is an infinitive
Huphal. It is rendered as an infinitive by the Vulgate. “ They shall perish,“ which is
according to the Septuagint, the Syriac, and the Arabic, is literally, “They shall be
made to stumble.” — Ed
TRAPP, "Jeremiah 6:15 Were they ashamed when they had committed
abomination? nay, they were not at all ashamed, neither could they blush: therefore
they shall fall among them that fall: at the time [that] I visit them they shall be cast
down, saith the LORD.
Ver. 15. Were they at all ashamed] Their shamelessness was no small aggravation of
their sin. Ita licet multas abominationes commiserunt Papistae sine verecundia,
verecundari tamen non possunt, saith Dr John Raynolds. (a) Papists are frontless
and shameless. Dr Story, for instance: - I see nothing, said he, before the parliament
in the beginning of Queen Elizabeth, to be ashamed of, so less I see to be sorry for;
but rather because I have done no more, &c.; wherein he said there was no default
in him, but in the higher powers, who much against his mind had laboured only
about the young and little sprigs and twigs, whiles they should have struck at the
root and rooted it out, meaning thereby the Lady Elizabeth, whom also he
afterwards daily cursed in his grace before his meal. And concerning his persecuting
and burning the Protestants, he denied not but that he was once at the burning of an

77. earwig (for so he termed it) at Uxbridge (Mr Denley, martyr), where he tossed a
faggot at his face as he was singing psalms, and set a spiny evergreen bush of thorns
under his feet, a little to prick him, &c. (b)
ISBET, "FAILURES
‘They shall fall among them that fall.’
Jeremiah 6:15
How many men start in London with the fairest possible promise, but who
ultimately, alas, become occasional inmates of the casual ward! You have no need to
be told of their failure—some dragged down by the horrible curse of drink, others
degraded by impurity. But it seems to me as though such cases as these were, after
all, not the very saddest illustration of our subject. The saddest failures, it appears
to me, are those whom the world regards as successes—the men who get on in life,
who make large fortunes, who attain to a lofty social position, and who, all the
while, have been injuring and even ruining their own moral nature by their very
process of advancement. They are rich, successful, and externally fortunate, but,
none the less, mean, sordid, greedy, avaricious. They are what the world calls
successes, and they must be very bad indeed if the world does not recognise them as
such. But how does a man of that description appear in the eyes of the Eternal God
who made him? A shrivelled, withered thing, bereft of nearly all that goes to make
man God-like; not unlike the autumn leaf swept by the October blast—who shall
say where!
I. Perhaps the saddest part of the matter is that many who belong to this class do not
recognise the fact that they are failures.—A very large number of them are on
extremely good terms with themselves. They settle down into a condition of self-
complacency.
One man, perhaps, has made many thousands of pounds, and in a few months he is
going to retire from business, and he will have his respectable place in the church,
and, as he puts it, make the church a little more respectable by going there. And so
it is that, as frequently happens, our desire in early days to lead a good life
gradually fades away amidst the ‘humdrum’ routine of commercial life, which we
allow to drag us down instead of our elevating it into a position of sanctity; and we
become more and more gross in our aims, and content with our moral failure. On
the whole, peradventure, such a man calls himself a very fair specimen of the genus
humanum. ‘I will succeed,’ he seems to say, ‘in passing muster in the court of my
self-consideration, and I appear to pass muster pretty fairly in the circle in which I
live; and if I do that, I do not see why I should trouble myself about any nobler
aims.’ He does not realise that he is selling his spiritual birthright for the paltry
mess of pottage offered him by the world. Hence, you see that there may be
abundant activity in our lives, and that many a man who has led an active life in the
way just described will go so far as to affirm that he has always endeavoured to do
his duty. But what is duty? Duty is to produce what God intended you should, and
to become true to the Divine ideal. Otherwise, a man does not, and cannot, rise to
the proper level of true activity.

78. II. How do we become failures?—By abusing the world instead of using it as God
would have us use it. A man’s commercial life is part of the mechanism that God
employs for rendering him what God intended him to be. What, then, is your
commercial career doing for you in your manhood? Are you learning lessons of self-
control? Are you learning how to master your disposition in the direction of avarice,
greed, and impurity? If so, you are getting something out of your business which
you will have to thank God for through all eternity.
Many of our commercial men mistake the proper purpose of life, forgetting that the
making of money should be a means to an end, and not an end in itself. The man
who looks at the matter in the right light regards each fresh thousand that comes
into his possession as something that God has entrusted to him in order that he may
employ it for his Master’s glory and the benefit of his fellow-men. The secret of
moral failure lies in an absence of Divine co-operation—not in the reluctance of God
to co-operate, but in the indisposition of man to claim, and ensure, and make use of
the co-operation. I would just as soon expect to see a structure like the Forth Bridge
turned out without modern appliances as expect to see a saint produced otherwise
than by Divine co-operation. I stand in this pulpit, my fellow-men, because I believe
in the reformative power of God. God knows how to make a saint just as much as
He knows how to make a star. But to make a saint, man needs to surrender his
human will into the Divine hands; whereas, in the case of a star, the matter obeys
the behests of the Divine.
Gehenna, or Hell, is the common receptacle of rubbish, the place of loss, where those
who are not fit to share the Divine society, and to exercise the proper functions of
man—where those who are branded with God’s ‘failure,’ drop down into the dark
and are lost in utter night. What is the only alternative to this miserable, tragic
issue? It is that of surrendering ourselves completely to the control of God, Who is
able to turn our spiritual weaknesses into impregnable forts against the powers of
evil.
Canon Aitken.
PETT, "Jeremiah 6:15
‘Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination?
o, they were not at all ashamed, nor could they blush,
Therefore they will fall among those who fall,
At the time that I visit them they will be cast down,
Says YHWH.’
Worst of all, however, was their lack of shame. Were they ashamed at their idolatry
(abomination) and their sin? o, they were not ashamed, such things did not even
make them blush. And once people can no longer blush it is a sign of how brazen
they have become in sin. That is why they will fall among those who fall, and will be
cast down at the visitation of YHWH. And this is what YHWH Himself says.
PULPIT, "Were they ashamed? The Authorized Version certainly meets the

79. requirements of the context; there seems to be an implied interrogation. Most,
however, render, "They are brought to shame;" in which ease it seems best to take
the verb as a perfect of prophetic certitude, equivalent to "they shall surely be
brought to shame." When; rather, because. ay, they were not at all ashamed;
rather, nevertheless they feel no shame (i.e. at present). They shall be cast down;
rather, they shall stumble.
BI, "They were not at all ashamed.
Shamelessness in sin, the certain forerunner of destruction
He who has thus sinned himself past feeling, may be justly supposed to have sinned
himself past grace.
1. Extraordinary guilt. “Committed abomination.”
2. Deportment under guilt. “Not at all ashamed,” etc.
3. God’s high resentment of their monstrous shamelessness. “Were they ashamed?”
4. The consequent judgment. “Therefore shall they fall,” etc.
I. What shame is and what influence it has upon the government of men’s manners.
1. Shame is a grief of mind springing from the apprehension of some disgrace
brought upon a man. And disgrace consists properly in men’s knowledge or opinion
of some defect, natural or moral, belonging to them. So that when a man is sensible
that anything defective or amiss, either in his person, manners, or the circumstances
of his condition, is known, or taken notice of, by others; from this sense or
apprehension of his, there naturally results upon his mind a certain grief or
displeasure, which grief properly constitutes the passion of shame.
2. From this, that shame is grounded upon the dread man naturally has of the ill
opinion of others, and that chiefly with reference to the turpitude or immorality of
his actions, it is manifest that it is that great and powerful instrument in the soul of
man whereby Providence both preserves society and supports government,
forasmuch as it is the most effectual restraint upon him from the doing of such
things as more immediately tend to disturb the one and destroy the other.
3. He whom shame has done its work upon, is, ipso facto, stripped of all the
common comforts of life. The light is to him the shadow of death; he has no heart
nor appetite for business; his very food is nauseous to him. In which wretched
condition having passed some years, first the vigour of his intellectuals begins to flag
and dwindle away, and then his health follows; the hectic of the soul produces one in
the body, the man from an inward falls into an outward consumption, and death at
length gives the finishing stroke, and closes all with a sad catastrophe.
II. By what ways men come to cast off shame and grow impudent in sin.
1. By the commission of great sins. For these waste the conscience, and destroy at
once. They are, as it were, a course of wickedness abridged into one act, and a
custom of sinning by equivalence. They steel the forehead, and harden the heart, and
break those bars asunder which modesty had originally fenced and enclosed it with.
2. Custom in sinning never fails in the issue to take away the sense and shame of sin,
were a person never so virtuous before. First, he begins to shake off the natural
horror and dread which he had of breaking any of God’s commands, and so not to

80. fear sin; next, finding his sinful appetites gratified by such breaches of the Divine
law, he comes to like his sin and be pleased with what he has done; and then, from
ordinary complacencies, heightened and improved by custom, he comes passionately
to delight in such ways. Finally, having resolved to continue and persist in them, he
frames himself to a resolute contempt of what is thought or said of him.
3. The examples of great persons take away the shame of anything which they are
observed to practise, though never so foul and shameful in itself. Nothing is more
contagious than an iii action set off with a great example; for it is natural for men to
imitate those above them, and to endeavour to resemble, at least, that which they
cannot be.
4. The observation of the general and common practice of anything takes away the
shame of that practice. A vice a la mode will look virtue itself out of countenance,
and it is well if it does not look it out of heart too. Men love not to be found singular,
especially where the singularity lies in the rugged and severe paths of Virtue.
5. To have been once greatly and irrecoverably ashamed renders men shameless. For
shame is never of any force but where there is some stock of credit to be preserved.
When a man finds that to be lost, he is like an undone gamester, who plays on safety,
knowing he can lose no more.
III. The several degrees of shamelessness in sin.
1. A showing of the greatest respect, and making the most obsequious applications
and addresses to lewd and infamous persons; and that without any pretence of duty
requiring it, which yet alone can justify and excuse men in it.
2. To extenuate or excuse a sin is bad enough, but to defend it is intolerable. Such are
properly the devil’s advocates.
3. Glorying in sin. Higher than this the corruption of man’s nature cannot possibly
go. This is publicly to set up a standard on behalf of vice, to wear its colours, and
avowedly to assert and espouse the cause of it, in defiance of all that is sacred or civil,
moral or religious.
IV. Why it brings down judgment and destruction upon the sinner.
1. Because shamelessness in sin always presupposes those actions and courses which
God rarely suffers to go unpunished.
2. Because of the destructive influence which it has upon the government of the
world. It is manifest that the integrity of men’s manners cannot be secured, where
there is not preserved upon men’s minds a true estimate of vice and virtue, that is,
where vice is not looked upon as shameful and opprobrious, and virtue valued as
worthy and honourable. But now, where vice walks with a daring front, and no
shame attends the practice or the practisers of it, there is an utter confusion of the
first dividing and distinguishing properties of men’s actions; morality falls to the
ground, and government must quickly follow. And whenever it comes to fare thus
with any civil State, virtue and common honesty seem to make their appeal to the
supreme Governor of all things, to take the matter into His own hands, and to
correct those clamorous enormities which are grown too big and strong for law or
shame, or any human coercion.
V. What those judgments are.
1. A sudden and disastrous death; and, indeed, suddenness in this can hardly be

81. without disaster.
2. War and desolation.
3. Captivity. (R. South, D. D.)
The shamelessness of sinners
The legend says that, a sinner being at confession, the devil appeared, saying, that he
came to make restitution. Being asked what he would restore, he said, “Shame; for it is
shame that I have stolen from this sinner to make him shameless in sinning; and now I
have come to restore it to him, to make him ashamed to confess his sins.”
Neither could they blush.
Blushing
(with Ezr_9:6):—“Just fancy,” said Tom, who had been doing a bit of word study by the
aid of his newly-acquired Skeat, “to blush is, in its origin, the same word as to blaze, or
to blast, and a blush in Danish means a torch.” “And a very good origin too,” said his
sister, who got red in the face and hot all over on the slightest provocation. Yes, youth is
the blushing time of life. Said Diogenes to a youth whom he saw blushing: “Courage, my
boy, that is the complexion of virtue.”
I. There is the blush of guilt. Who broke the window? All were silent; but one boy looked
uneasy. His blush was the blast of his red-hot conscience, condemning the dumb tongue.
II. There is the blush of shame. It was such a mean thing to tell that lie to one’s own
father. It was a shabby trick I played my chum. And that nasty word I spoke yesterday to
a girl, too, it makes me sick-ashamed of myself to think of it. Yes; you ought to think
shame. But “the man that blushes is not quite a brute.”
III. There is the blush of modesty. Tom said nothing about his splendid score at the
match, until his sister read aloud at breakfast next morning the flattering report given in
the newspaper, at which Tom blushed like a girl. He had his revenge, however, when
more than one letter came to Shena from Dr. Barnardo, and Tom protested that he knew
now why she had no money to spend on sweets, and poor Shena got very red in the face
and went out of the room.
IV. There is the blush of honest indignation at the meanness of the cheat, the cruelty of
the bully, the greed of the glutton, and the indifference of selfish souls. This blush of
virtuous anger must have come into the meek face of Christ, when He rebuked the
disciples for keeping the mothers from bringing their children to Him.
V. Just twice, I think, do we read of blushing in the Bible, and the solemn thing is that
the blush in both cases is not before men, but under the eye of God.
1. One of the most remarkable prayers in the Bible is the prayer of Ezra, the scribe—
the brave, good, holy man who led a company of his Israelite brethren from Babylon
to Jerusalem. It rises hot and passionate out of his very heart; for, like all priestly
souls, he makes all the sins of the people his own. “O my God, I am ashamed and
blush to lift up my face to Thee, my God.” He loved his people so dearly that their
faults seemed to be his own, and he blushed before the Holy God for shame of them.
2. Quite at the opposite pole of feeling is the other place in the Bible where blushing
is spoken of. For Jeremiah, the broken-hearted prophet of the Lord, uses it when he

82. has to describe the utter callousness of the people, in spite of all their sins and
sorrows. “They were not at all ashamed, neither could they blush.” That is surely the
most hopeless state of all, when one has lost the very power to feel shame and sorrow
before God. The Florentines used to point to Dante in the street, whispering,
“There’s the man who has been in hell.” But hell has come into the heart of the man
who cannot blush. Oh, it is better, as Mahomet said in his old age, to blush in this
world than in the next. St. John of the eagle eye and loving heart tells us that in the
great day of judgment we shall either have the boldness or liberty and confidence of
children, or we shall shrink away with shame “like a guilty thing surprised.” (A. N.
Mackray, M. A.)
16 This is what the Lord says:
“Stand at the crossroads and look;
ask for the ancient paths,
ask where the good way is, and walk in it,
and you will find rest for your souls.
But you said, ‘We will not walk in it.’
BAR ES, "The sense is: God’s prophet has declared that a great national calamity is
at hand. “Make inquiries; stand in the ways; ask the passers by. Your country was once
prosperous and blessed. Try to learn what were the paths trodden in those days which
led your ancestors to happiness. Choose them, and walk earnestly therein, and find
thereby rest for your souls.” The Christian fathers often contrast Christ the one goodway
with the old tracks, many in number and narrow to walk in, which are the Law and the
prophets.
CLARKE, "Thus saith the Lord, Stand ye in the ways, and see - Let us
observe the metaphor. A traveler is going to a particular city; he comes to a place where
the road divides into several paths, he is afraid of going astray; he stops short, -
endeavors to find out the right path: he cannot fix his choice. At last he sees another
traveler; he inquires of him, gets proper directions - proceeds on his journey - arrives at
the desired place - and reposes after his fatigue. There is an excellent sermon on these
words in the works of our first poet, Geoffrey Chaucer; it is among the Canterbury Tales,

83. and is called Chaucer’s Tale. The text, I find, was read by him as it appears in my old MS.
Bible: - Standith upon weies and seeth, and asketh of the olde pathes; What is the good
weie? and goth in it, and gee schul fynden refreschimg to your soulis. The soul needs
rest; it can only find this by walking in the good way. The good way is that which has
been trodden by the saints from the beginning: it is the old way, the way of faith and
holiness. Believe, Love, Obey; be holy, and be happy. This is the way; let us inquire for it,
and walk in it. But these bad people said, We will not walk in it. Then they took another
way, walked over the precipice, and fell into the bottomless pit; where, instead of rest,
they find: -
- a fiery deluge, fed
With ever-burning sulfur, unconsumed.
GILL, "Thus saith the Lord, stand ye in the ways, and see,.... These are the
words of the Lord to the people, whom he would have judge for themselves, and not be
blindly led by the false prophets and priests; directing them to do what men should,
when they are in a place where two or more ways meet, and know not which way to take;
they should make a short stop, and look to the way mark or way post, which points
whither each path leads, and so accordingly proceed. Now, in religious things, the
Scriptures are the way mark to direct us which way we should take: if the inquiry is
about the way of salvation, look up to these, which are able to make a man wise unto
salvation; these show unto men that the way of salvation is not works of righteousness
done by them, but Christ only: if the question is about any doctrine whatever, search the
Scriptures, examine them, they are profitable for doctrine; they tell us what is truth, and
what is error: if the doubt is about the matter or form of worship, and the ordinances of
it, look into the Scriptures, they are the best directory to us what we should observe and
do:
and ask for the old paths; of righteousness and holiness, which Enoch, Noah,
Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and others, walked in, and follow them; and the way of salvation
by Christ, which, though called a new way, Heb_10:20, yet is not newly found out, for it
was contrived in eternity; nor newly revealed, for it was made known to Adam and Eve
immediately after the fall; nor newly made use of, for all the Old Testament saints were
saved by the same grace of Christ, and justified by his righteousness, and their sins
pardoned through his blood, and expiated by his sacrifice, as New Testament saints;
only of late, or in these last days, it has been more clearly made known; otherwise there
is but one way of salvation; there never was any other, nor never will be; inquire
therefore for this old path, which all true believers have trodden in:
where is the good way, and walk therein; or, "the better or best way" (x), and more
excellent way, which is Christ, Joh_14:6, he is the way of access to God, and acceptance
with him, and the way of conveyance of all the blessings of grace; he is the way to the
Father, and to eternal happiness; he is the living way which always continues, and is ever
the same; and is a plain, pleasant, and safe way, and therefore a good one; there is no
one better, nor any so good; and therefore this must be the right way to walk in, and to
which there is great encouragement, as follows:
and ye shall find rest for your souls; there is rest and peace enjoyed in the ways of
God, and in the ordinances of the Gospel; wisdom's ways are ways of peace, which are
the lesser paths; and in the doctrines of the Gospel, when the heart is established with

84. them, the mind is tranquil and serene, and at rest, which before was fluctuating and
wavering, and tossed to and fro with every wind; but the principal rest is in Christ
himself, in whom the true believer, that walks by faith in him, has rest from the guilt and
dominion of sin, from the curse and bondage of the law, and from the wrath of God in
his conscience; and enjoys a spiritual peace, arising from the blood, sacrifice, and
righteousness of Christ, Mat_11:28,
but they said, we will not walk therein; in the old paths, and in the good way but in
their own evil ways, which they chose and delighted in; and therefore, as their
destruction was inevitable, it was just and righteous.
HE RY, "They are put in mind of the good counsel which had been often given
them, but in vain. They had a great deal said to them to little purpose,
1. By way of advice concerning their duty, Jer_6:16. God had been used to say to them,
Stand in the ways and see. That is, (1.) He would have them to consider, not to proceed
rashly, but to do as travellers in the road, who are in care to find the right way which will
bring them to their journey's end, and therefore pause and enquire for it. If they have
any reason to think that they have missed their way, they are not easy till they have
obtained satisfaction. O that men would be thus wise for their souls, and would ponder
the path of their feet, as those that believe lawful and unlawful are of no less
consequence to us than the right way and the wrong are to a traveller! (2.) He would
have them to consult antiquity, the observations and experiences of those that went
before them: “Ask for the old paths, enquire of the former age (Job_8:8), ask thy father,
thy elders (Deu_32:7), and thou wilt find that the way of godliness and righteousness
has always been the way which God has owned and blessed and in which men have
prospered. Ask for the old paths, the paths prescribed by the law of God, the written
word, that true standard of antiquity. Ask for the paths that the patriarchs travelled in
before you, Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob; and, as you hope to inherit the promises
made to them, tread in their steps. Ask for the old paths, Where is the good way?” We
must not be guided merely by antiquity, as if the plea of prescription and long usage
were alone sufficient to justify our path. No; there is an old way which wicked men have
trodden, Job_22:15. But, when we ask for the old paths, it is only in order to find out the
good way, the highway of the upright. Note, The way of religion and godliness is a good
old way, the way that all the saints in all ages have walked in. (3.) He would have them to
resolve to act according to the result of these enquiries: “When you have found out
which is the good way, walk therein, practise accordingly, keep closely to that way,
proceed, and persevere in it.” Some make this counsel to be given them with reference to
the struggles that were between the true and false prophets, between those that said they
should have peace and those that told them trouble was at the door; they pretended they
knew not which to believe: “Stand in the way,” says God, “and see, and enquire, which of
these two agrees with the written word and the usual methods of God's providence,
which of these directs you to the good way, and do accordingly.” (4.) He assures them
that, if they do thus, it will secure the welfare and satisfaction of their own souls: “Walk
in the good old way and you will find your walking in that way will be easy and pleasant;
you will enjoy both your God and yourselves, and the way will lead you to true rest.
Though it cost you some pains to walk in that way, you will find an abundant
recompence at your journey's end.” (5.) He laments that this good counsel, which was so
rational in itself and so proper for them, could not find acceptance: “But they said, We
will not walk therein, not only we will not be at the pains to enquire which is the good
way, the good old way; but when it is told us, and we have nothing to say to the
contrary but that it is the right way, yet we will not deny ourselves and our humours so

85. far as to walk in it.” Thus multitudes are ruined for ever by downright wilfulness.
JAMISO , "Image from travelers who have lost their road, stopping and inquiring
which is the right way on which they once had been, but from which they have
wandered.
old paths — Idolatry and apostasy are the modern way; the worship of God the old
way. Evil is not coeval with good, but a modern degeneracy from good. The forsaking of
God is not, in a true sense, a “way cast up” at all (Jer_18:15; Psa_139:24; Mal_4:4).
rest — (Isa_28:12; Mat_11:29).
K&D, "The judgment cannot be turned aside by mere sacrifice without a change of
heart. - Jer_6:16. "Thus hath Jahveh said: Stand on the ways, and look, and ask after
the everlasting paths, which (one) is the way of good, and walk therein; so shall ye find
rest for your souls. But they say, We will not go. Jer_6:17. And I have set over you
watchmen, (saying): Hearken to the sound of the trumpet; but they say, We will not
hearken. Jer_6:18. Therefore hear, ye peoples, and know, thou congregation, what
happens to them. Jer_6:19. Hear, O earth! Behold, I bring evil on this people, the fruit
of their thoughts; for to my words they have not hearkened, and at my law they have
spurned. Jer_6:20. To what end, then, is their incense coming to me from Sheba, and
the good spice-cane from a far land? Your burnt-offerings are not a pleasure, and your
slain-offerings are not grateful to me. Jer_6:21. Therefore thus hath Jahveh said:
Behold, I lay stumbling-blocks for this people, that thereon fathers and sons may
stumble, at once the neighbour and his friend shall perish."
Jer_6:16
The Lord has not left any lack of instruction and warning. He has marked out for them
the way of salvation in the history of the ancient times. It is to this reference is made
when they, in ignorance of the way to walk in, are called to ask after the everlasting
paths. This thought is clothed thus: they are to step forth upon the ways, to place
themselves where several ways diverge from one another, and inquire as to the
everlasting paths, so as to discover which is the right way, and then on this they are to
walk. ‫ּות‬‫ב‬‫י‬ ִ‫ת‬ְ‫נ‬ ‫ם‬ ָ‫ּול‬‫ע‬ are paths that have been trod in the hoary time of old, but not all sorts of
ways, good and bad, which they are to walk on indiscriminately, so that it may be
discovered which of them is the right one (Hitz.). This meaning is not to be inferred
from the fact, that in Jer_18:15 everlasting paths are opposed to untrodden ways; indeed
this very passage teaches that the everlasting ways are the right ones, from which
through idolatry the people have wandered into unbeaten paths. Thus the paths of the
old time are here the ways in which Israel's godly ancestors have trod; meaning
substantially, the patriarchs' manner of thinking and acting. For the following question,
"which is the way," etc., does not mean, amongst the paths of old time to seek out that
which, as the right one, leads to salvation, but says simply thus much: ask after the paths
of the old time, so as thus to recognise the right way, and then, when ye have found it, to
walk therein. ְ‫ך‬ ֶ‫ר‬ ֶ ‫ּוב‬ ַ‫,ה‬ not, the good way; for ‫ּוב‬ ַ‫ה‬ cannot be an objective appended to ְ‫ך‬ ֶ‫ר‬ ֶ
, since immediately after, the latter word is construed in ָ as faem. "The good" is the
genitive dependent on "way:" way of the good, that leads to the good, to salvation. This
way Israel might learn to know from the history of antiquity recorded in the Torah. Graf
has brought the sense well out in this shape: "Look inquiringly backwards to ancient

86. history (Deu_32:7), and see how success and enduring prosperity forsook your fathers
when they left the way prescribed to them by God, to walk in the ways of the heathen
(Jer_18:15); learn that there is but one way, the way of the fear of Jahveh, on which
blessing and salvation are to be found (Jer_32:39-40)." Find (with ‫ו‬ consec.), and find
thus = so shall ye find; cf. Ew. §347, b; Ges. §130, 2. To "we will not go," we may supply
from the context: on the way of good.
Jer_6:17
CALVI , "The Prophet teaches us here that the fault of the people could not be
extenuated as though they had sinned through ignorance; for they had been warned
more than necessary by God. The same sentiment is found in Isaiah,
“This is your rest; but they would not hear.” (Isaiah 28:12.)
But our Prophet more at large condemns the Jews; for God had commanded them
to stand in the ways, to look and to inquire respecting all the old paths. He uses a
similitude: and we ought not to doubt respecting the way, since it has been shewn to
us by the mouth of God. But the impiety of the people is exposed and reproved,
because they did not so much as open their eyes, when God shewed them the way
and allowed them a free choice: for he introduces God here, not strictly as one who
commands, but as one who shews so much indulgence, that the people were free to
choose the way they approved and thought best. When God deals so kindly with
men, and so condescendingly sets before them what is useful and expedient, it is the
basest ingratitude to reject such kindness on God’s part.
We now then understand the Prophet’s design in saying, that God had commanded
them to stand in the ways and to consider what was best to be done. Consider, he
says, and ye shall find rest, that is, that ye may find rest (for the copulative here
denotes the end) to your souls (177) Here the Prophet means, that it remained only
with the Jews to secure prosperity and a quiet state; for if they had obeyed the
counsel of God, rest would have been provided for them: in short, he means, that
they were miserable through their own willfulness; for God had set before them the
prospect of a happy condition, but this favor had been despised by them, and
wantonly despised, as these words intimate, And they said, We will not walk in it
We see that the people’s perverseness is here discovered; because they might have
otherwise objected and said, that they had been deceived, and that if they had been
in time warned, they would have obeyed good and wise counsels. In order to cut off
this handle, Jeremiah says, that they from deliberate wickedness had rejected the
rest offered them by God: they have said, We will not walk in it. This resolution
deafly shews that they obstinately remained in their sins; so that the rest, which was
within their reach, was not chosen by them.
This passage contains a valuable truth, — that faith ever brings us peace with God,
and that not only because it leads us to acquiesce in God’s mercy, and thus, as Paul
teaches us, (Romans 5:1,) produces this as its perpetual fruit; but because the will of

87. God alone is sufficient to appease our minds. Whosoever then embraces from the
heart the truth as coming from God, is at peace; for God never suffers his own
people to fluctuate while they recumb on him, but shews to them how great stability
belongs to his truth. If it was so under the Law and the Prophets, as we have seen
from Isaiah, how much more shall we obtain rest under Christ, provided we submit,
to his word; for he has himself promised it, “Come unto me all ye who labor and are
heavy laden, and I will refresh you.” And ye shall find rest, he says here, to your
souls. This passage then serves to commend this celestial truth, that it avails to
pacify consciences, so that there is no perplexity nor doubt. It follows —
The representation is that of travelers, who, when doubtful as to the right road, are
to stand, that is, to stop, to look, and also to inquire. There were several old paths
before them, but they were to inquire which was the good way, and to walk in it.
This was what Jehovah by his prophets had exhorted the people to do, who had
false prophets among them; but they refused to do so. It is a relation of what God
had done, —
Thus has Jehovah said, — “Stand ye by the ways and look, And ask, as to the paths
of old, Where that is, the good way; And walk ye in it, And ye shall find rest to your
souls:” But they said, “We will not walk in it.”
There were many paths of old, or of antiquity, as there are still; but there was one
good way, the way of God’s word. That the way is old is no proof that it is good.
Error’s ways are as old as the way of truth. — Ed.
GREAT TEXTS OF THE BIBLE, "The Old Paths
Thus saith the Lord, Stand ye in the ways and see, and ask for the old paths, where
is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls.—Jer_6:16.
In the Pilgrims Progress we are told that Christian and Hopeful “as they went on
they wished for a better way. ow, a little before them, there was on the left hand of
the road a meadow, and a stile to go over into it; and that meadow is called By-path
Meadow. Then said Christian to his fellow, If this meadow lieth along by our
wayside, lets go over into it. Then he went to the stile to see; and, behold, a path lay
along by the way on the other side of the fence. Tis according to my wish, said
Christian; here is the easiest going: come, good Hopeful, and let us go over. Hopeful:
But how if this path should lead us out of the way? Thats not like, said the other.
Look, doth it not go along by the wayside? So Hopeful, being persuaded by his
fellow, went after him over the stile. When they were gone over, and were got into
the path, they found it very easy for their feet; and withal they, looking before them,
espied a man walking as they did (and his name was Vain-Confidence); so they
called after him, and asked him whither that way led. He said, To the Celestial Gate.
Look, said Christian, did not I tell you so? By this you may see we are right. So they
followed, and he went before them. But, behold, the night came on, and it grew very
dark; so that they that went behind lost the sight of him that went before. He,
therefore, that went before (Vain-Confidence by name), not seeing the way before

88. him, fell into a deep pit, which was on purpose there made by the prince of those
grounds to catch vain-glorious fools withal, and was dashed in pieces with his fall.”
We need not be reminded how the story goes on to tell of the finding of the two
pilgrims by Giant Despair, and all they suffered at his hands, nor how they did not
recover their full joy and rest of soul again until, as Bunyan has it, “they came to the
Kings highway again, and so were safe.”
1. “See, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein.” We
know quite well how ninety-nine people out of every hundred interpret this passage.
It is one of the great texts of the Bible, and it has been appealed to again and again
through all the generations. There are many who say that the old paths are the
paths in which our fathers and forefathers walked, and they say to us, “If we are to
do the right thing, and if we are to realize the great end of life, we must follow
closely in the footsteps of those who have gone before us. There must be no change
in our theological belief; we must believe just what our fathers before us believed. If
we do not do that we are leaving the old paths. And there must be no change in our
forms of worship; we must worship God precisely as our fathers did.”
Is that the meaning of the text? There are reasons for believing that it is not.
(1) Jeremiah himself is the first reason. Jeremiah was the great religious reformer of
his day. In the midst of a stolid and stiff-necked generation, he was the great
mouthpiece of progress. He was a religious agitator. He gave neither king, nor
priest, nor people any rest. He was probably a priest himself. He was what we
should call a regularly ordained minister. It is true he got very little support from
his brethren. They looked askance at him, and asked where this young man was
going to lead them. He was very unsparing in his denunciation of their cold and
hard formalism and their worse sins of covetousness. They were willing to condone
the sins of their people for the sake of a pecuniary consideration. ow, Jeremiah
was a very thorn in the side of these men, who, no doubt, called themselves old-
fashioned Jews. He was intensely social and political in his teaching. He dealt with
subjects that were startlingly modern. He was interested in the present-day life of
the people. When he began to prophesy, he was, apparently, just a young man in
close touch with his time: with his fingers on the nations pulse, prescribing Divine
remedies for her slackness and dulness of spiritual life as well as for the fevered
restlessness of her outward and sensuous life. He was severely practical. It was not
doctrine he was concerned for so much as life. He knew perfectly well that if you
cross-questioned this people, you would find them orthodox. Indeed, he himself says
as much. He says: “Though they say, the Lord liveth; surely they swear falsely.”
They say it, but they do not believe it. It is their creed, it is not their faith. Their
doctrine is true, but it is not living. It has no relation to their life. They do not
believe it. They hold it as a convenient intellectual formula and national creed—but
they do not honour it with their own personal loyalty. Their orthodoxy is lifeless,
barren, soulless. It has become a hollow sham and a miserable falsehood. It is worn
as spotless clothing to veil the hideous corruption of the spirit. It is separable from
the soul; and if you tear it off, you find the life it covers is foul and loathsome and
false. These men, who boasted that they stood where their fathers did and held to

89. the old paths, were aliens to the spirit and life of the sons of God; and Jeremiah felt
that in the name of righteousness it was well that they should know.
We cannot but believe that in the future the whole conception of orthodoxy is
destined to grow less and less prominent. Less and less men will ask of any opinion,
“Is it orthodox?” More and more they will ask, “Is it true?” More and more the
belief in the absolute safety of the freest truth-seeking, in truth-seeking as the only
safe work of the human mind, will deepen and increase. Truth will come to seem not
a deposit, fixed and limited, but an infinite domain wherein the soul is bidden to
range with insatiable desire, guarded only by the care of God above it and the Spirit
of God within it, educated by its mistakes, and attaining larger knowledge only as it
attains complete purity of purpose and thoroughness of devotion and energy of
hope. As that truer understanding of what truth is grows wide and clear, men will
cease to talk or think much of orthodoxy, and the humble service which it is made to
render it will render all the better when it is stripped of the purple and the sceptre,
the dominion and tyranny, to which it has no right.1 [ ote: Phillips Brooks, Essays
and Addresses, 196.]
(2) Another reason is the Bible. For if there is a book in the world that illustrates on
every page of it the principle of development, the principle of evolution, the
principle of change, it is this book that we call the Bible. Take, for example, the
name of God. Go to the Book of Genesis, and you find that the old Hebrews called
God “Elohim,” the strong one. That was their idea of the Creator—not a bad idea,
not a wrong idea. It is a great and glorious truth. But come down the stream, come
down to the time when the Lord Jesus Christ clothed Himself in our humanity, and
listen to His teaching. Is it the teaching of the Book of Genesis regarding God? ot
at all. Jesus tells us that God is our Father. He taught His disciples to pray, “Our
Father which art in heaven.” What a difference—almost as far as the East is from
the West—between the “Elohim” of Genesis and the “our Father” of the gospel!
At first, faith need not be more than the acceptance of a few central facts of
revelation. These will be sufficient to illuminate and justify that primitive, deep-
seated instinct of kinship with God which we recognized at the beginning as the raw
material of religion, and which we saw giving expression to itself in an imperfectly
understood ritual of sacrifice and communion. Such a faith, again, will be sufficient
to illuminate and justify the obstinate conviction that the values which we blindly
pursue and cherish are perfectly realized and eternally conserved in Him who is the
Word and Wisdom of the Father.
What an unlimited opening does faith thus provide for the development of religion;
for the garnering of religious experience in prayer and meditation; for the confident
quest of the true, the beautiful, and the good; for the practice of fellowship with all
who share the clansmens sacrificial feast and are pledged thereby to mutual service!
1 [ ote: A. Chandler, Faith and Experience, 102.]
(3) A third reason is the history of the Church. For when we come down the history
of the Christian Church we find precisely the same thing; change is stamped on

90. every age and generation. We do not worship as our fathers worshipped fifty years
ago, and we do not think as our fathers did in theological matters fifty years ago.
“The thoughts of men are widened with the process of the suns.” We cannot stand
still. Why, if men acted on that principle the world would never have developed at
all; there would have been no Christianity, no Reformation, no change whatever in
mens thoughts and ideas through the ages. That is not Gods purpose. We are all
children, and all in Gods school, and God is teaching us every day; and if we are
true children of the Father we are coming to know Him more and more intimately
and fully. We cannot stand in the old paths in that sense.
There is no saint in the Congregational denomination held—and deservedly held—
in higher honour than Richard Baxter, who suffered imprisonment for his loyalty to
the truth. Yet no man was more fiercely assailed by the rigid doctrinaires of his day
as being a heretic. And his biographer, in defending him, uses this quaint
illustration. “The discussion of truth and the agitation of doctrines have always
resulted in good to the Church and to the world. Even the waters of Bethesda in the
very house of mercy itself needed to be agitated and disturbed to renew their healing
power. It is, therefore, unseemly in theologians that, when some Doctor Angelicus
descends among them and agitates the settled waters of their dull and stagnant
orthodoxy, then always a great multitude of impotent folk, of blind, halt, and
withered, creep from the five points of their five porches to brandish their crutches
against the intruder, or to mutter their anathemas against the innovation, instead of
welcoming the benignant visitor, sharing in the healthiness of the agitation, and
becoming healed of whatsoever disease they had.” You see, then, that if you are
brave enough to trouble the settled waters of the theological Bethesda, you must
expect to be threatened with the crutches of the very men you are anxious to heal.
But you will remember that, long centuries ago, the Apostle Paul had to defend
himself to the governor of the Jews because, as he said, “After the way that they call
heresy, so worship I the God of my fathers.” And you will remember that, when the
Catholic Church excommunicated Wycliffe, he was bold enough to say that, when
they had first made Christ a heretic, it was a little matter to call His followers by the
same name. Yes, there are men who would make a heretic of Christ. Some of the
saintliest heroes who ever lived have been driven out of the Churches because,
“after the Way that men called heresy, so worshipped they the God of their fathers.”
It may be the highest honour to be called a heretic, if it comes from your loyalty to
the living Christ and your impatience of phrases and forms that have concealed His
reality, instead of expressing His relation to God and Man_1:1 [ ote: C. Silvester
Horne.]
2. What, then, is the old way? It is simply the way of rightness. It is the good way
because it is the way of goodness; it is the way of the keeping of the commandments
of God. What Jeremiah meant was this: if the children of Israel were to be
redeemed they must go back to the old paths of righteousness. They would never be
saved by mere forms of ritual. They must go back to the old paths of right doing.
“Do justly,” says the prophet Micah, “do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with
thy God.” And Jeremiah comes to the people in their distress, in their moral and
spiritual degradation, and he says to them: “There is just one hope for you, you

91. must begin to do right, you must abandon all your unfaithful ways, you must go
back to the old paths God has laid down from all eternity for mans life—the paths
of justice and truth.”
Even an old house has a haunting grace enough, as a place where men have been
born and died, have loved and enjoyed and suffered; but a road like this, ceaselessly
trodden by the feet of pilgrims, all of them with some pathetic urgency of desire in
their hearts, some hope unfulfilled, some shadow of sickness or sin to banish, some
sorrow making havoc of home, is touched by that infinite pathos that binds all
human hearts together in the face of the mystery of life. What passionate meetings
with despair, what eager upliftings of desirous hearts, must have thrilled the minds
of the feeble and travel-worn companies that made their slow journeys along the
grassy road! And one is glad to think, too, that there must doubtless have been
many that returned gladder than they came, with the burden shifted a little, the
shadow lessened, or at least with new strength to carry the familiar load. For of this
we may be sure, that, however harshly we may despise what we call superstition, or
however firmly we may wave away what we hold to have been all a beautiful
mistake, there is some fruitful power that dwells and lingers in places upon which
the hearts of men have so concentrated their swift and poignant emotions—for all,
at least, to whom the soul is more than the body, and whose thoughts are not
bounded and confined by the mere material shapes among which, in the days of our
earthly limitations, we move uneasily to and fro.1 [ ote: A. C. Benson, The Silent
Isle, 381.]
3. This is the very truth which Christ always uttered. When the scribe came to Him
demanding “What must I do to have eternal life?” He answered at once, “Keep the
commandments.” And the Apostles after Him used the same language.
“Circumcision is nothing,” said St. Paul, “and uncircumcision is nothing, but the
keeping of the commandments of God.” othing can take the place of that. And if
the gospel was new, it was new only in this that it made possible the keeping of the
commandments of God. It made it possible for men to find the old paths, the good
way, and to walk therein.
And so Jeremiah is at one with Jesus in offering rest of soul to those who find the
old paths and walk in them. Only Jesus had the power, which Jeremiah had not, of
giving the rest. Jeremiah could only recall the people to the way which their fathers
found good; Jesus could call them to Himself. “Come unto me, all ye that labour and
are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me;
and ye shall find rest unto your souls.” And how great is the difference between the
memory of the past and the power of the present; how great is the difference
between the thought of the law that is dead and the thought of the living, loving,
self-sacrificing Redeemer.
David said long ago when his heart had been ill at ease, and he had felt the burden
of his sin, My soul, O God, can find rest only in Thee. “Stand ye in the ways and see,
and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find
rest for your souls.” And when you have found it, and when by-and-by you come to

92. pass through the valley of the shadow, you will be able, like David of old, and with
full assurance, to say: “I will fear no evil; for thou art with me; thy rod and thy
staff, they comfort me.”1 [ ote: R. Borland.]
The desire of rest planted in the heart is no sensual nor unworthy one, but a longing
for renovation and for escape from a state whose every phase is mere preparation
for another equally transitory, to one in which permanence shall have become
possible through perfection. Hence the great call of Christ to men, that call on which
St. Augustine fixed as the essential expression of Christian hope, is accompanied by
the promise of rest; and the death bequest of Christ to men is peace.2 [ ote: Ruskin,
Modern Painters, vol. ii. sec. i. chap. vi. (Works, iv. 114).]
Does the road wind up-hill all the way?
Yes, to the very end.
Will the days journey take the whole long day?
From morn to night, my friend.
But is there for the night a resting-place?
A roof for when the slow dark hours begin.
May not the darkness hide it from my face?
You cannot miss that inn.
Shall I meet other wayfarers at night?
Those who have gone before.
Then must I knock, or call when just in sight?
They will not keep you standing at the door.
Shall I find comfort, travel-sore and weak?
Of labour you shall find the sum.
Will there be beds for me and all who seek?

93. Yea, beds for all who come.1 [ ote: Christina G. Rossetti, Poetical Works, 339.]
COFFMA , ""Thus saith Jehovah, Stand ye in the ways and see, and ask for the
old paths, where is the good way; and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your
souls: but they said, We will not walk therein."
James Hastings made this verse the text of one of his sermons on "Great Texts of the
Bible."[11] This is indeed a great text.
SEEK YE THE OLD PATHS
The title is a little misleading. One of the oldest paths is that of rebellion and
licentiousness; thus a better title would be "Ask for the good way!"
I. There is a challenge for serious thought. "Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask."
What a stupid folly it is for men to proceed through life without a thoughtful,
careful examination of "the way" they have chosen.
II. In this text, the ancient ways were the ways of faith, devotion, and honor of the
One True God of Israel, as revealed and certified unto the people in the Pentateuch.
In our own times the "good way" is the way of the Gospel of Christ.
III. There is the call for action. It is not enough to know about the good way; let men
"Walk in it!"
IV. Those who walk in the good way, "Shall find rest unto your souls." Jesus Christ
surely identified himself with this good way in the glorying words of the Great
Invitation (Matthew 11:28-30).
V. Today, no less than in the times of Jeremiah, the people are vainly searching for
"something new" in religion. "Give us anything except the way our father's did it!"
is the motto adopted by some. A church in our community recently appointed a
committee with instructions to come up every week with a novel way of structuring
the Lord's Day services! Why not try jumping out the windows after church, some
Sunday, instead of using the normal exits? "Idolatry and apostasy are the `modern
way'; the worship of God is the old way."[12]
It is a remarkable fact that Geoffrey Chaucer, in his Canterbury Tales, has one that
is called Chaucer's Tale, the same being a sermon on this very text, a sermon which
Adam Clarke called, "an excellent sermon."[13]
TRAPP, "Jeremiah 6:16 Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and
ask for the old paths, where [is] the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find
rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk [therein].

94. Ver. 16. Stand ye in the ways and see.] Duly deliberate and take time to consider
whether you are in the right or not.
Ask for the old paths.] Chalked out in the Word, and walked in by the patriarchs.
Think not, as some do today, by running through all religions to find out the right;
for this is viam per aria quaerere, as Junius phraseth it; to seek a way where none is
to be found. How many religions are there now among us! So many men, so many
minds. on est sciens hodie qui novitates non invenit, as one complained of old. He
is nobody that cannot invent a new way; but as old wine is better, so is the old way;
hold to it therefore. Quod primum verum, (a) That which was first is true; but
beware of new truths that cannot be proven to be old. {as 1 John 2:7}
“ Qui veteres linquit, calles sequiturque novatos
Saepius in fraudes incidet ille suns. ”
But they said, We will not walk therein.] So Jeremiah 6:17, "But they said, We will
not hearken." See the like resolute answers, Jeremiah 22:21; Jeremiah 44:16,
savouring of a self-willed obstinace. It is easier to deal with twenty men’s reasons
than with one man’s will. A wilful man stands as a stake in the midst of a stream,
lets all pass by him, but he stands where he was. Luther saith of some of his
Wittembergians, that so great was their obstinace, so headstrong and headlong they
were, that the four elements could not bear it. Jeremiah seems here to say as much
of his Jerusalemites. See Jeremiah 6:18-19.
{a} Alnar. Pelagius.
PETT, "Verses 16-26
YHWH ow Describes The Total Intransigence Of His People And Dismisses Their
Attempts To Pacify Him By Religious Ritual And Offerings, Confirming To Them
The Judgment That Is Inevitably Coming On Them Because Of Their Sins
(Jeremiah 6:16-26).
The intransigence of the people is now brought out by their response to YHWH’s
pleading. When He calls on them to walk in the old paths, they adamantly refuse.
When He gives them watchmen in order to warn them of the consequences of their
present behaviour they close their ears. It is not that they have not heard, it is
because they have refused to listen. And that is why YHWH calls on the nations and
the whole earth to witness the fact that He is bringing on them ‘evil, the fruit of their
thoughts’. Because they have adamantly refused to listen to His words and have
rejected His Instruction, they will reap what they have sown.
It is not that they have failed in the niceties of religious ritual. They still give the
impression of desiring to worship Him by what they bring to His house. But it is all

95. in vain if with it they are disobedient, for it reveals that they do not really know
Him. That is why they will stumble and fall and a terrible enemy will come against
them causing great grief and wailing, so that it will not even be safe to go outside the
city walls. And the passage closes with Jeremiah’s call on his people to mourn
because of the destroyer who will suddenly come upon them.
Judah’s Blatant Refusal To Obey YHWH.
Jeremiah 6:16
‘Thus says YHWH, “Stand you in the ways and see, and ask for the old paths,
where is the good way, and walk within it, and you will find rest for your souls.” But
they said, “We will not walk in it.”
Had the people been willing to respond they could still have escaped the coming
judgments, for YHWH was still calling on them to take their stance in the ways, and
seek the old paths where the good way is, being established in the good way, so that
they could walk in it (thus fulfilling the requirements of the covenant, God’s Law).
And indeed He promised that if they did so they would find rest to their souls (true
peace). But their only answer was to blatantly refuse, saying ‘we will not walk in it’.
Their hearts were totally set against the requirements of the covenant.
This is the Old Testament equivalent of ‘take My yoke on you and learn of me -- and
you will find rest to your souls’ (Matthew 11:29), except that here in Jeremiah the
idea is possibly more on physical well-being. The idea of ‘walking in the ways of
YHWH’ is a common one in Deuteronomy (Deuteronomy 5:33; Deuteronomy 8:6;
Deuteronomy 10:12; Deuteronomy 11:22; Deuteronomy 19:9; Deuteronomy 26:17;
Deuteronomy 28:9; Deuteronomy 30:16) and regularly linked with the idea of loving
God. The two go together. We cannot claim to love God and refuse to walk in His
ways.
SIMEO , "THE GOOD OLD WAY
Jeremiah 6:16. Thus saith the Lord, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the
old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your
souls.
WHATEVER bears the stamp of antiquity upon it, finds, for the most part, a
favourable reception in the world, while innovations are admitted with caution and
reserve, The Gospel itself is often discarded under the idea that it is new. Even as
far back as the days of Jeremiah, serious religion was deemed a novelty: but the
prophet claimed the people’s regard to it, no less from the consideration of its
antiquity than of its inherent excellence—
To elucidate the words before us, we shall inquire,
I. What is that old and good way here spoken of?

96. The explanation, which our Lord himself has given of this passage [ ote: Matthew
11:28-29.], shews, that we are not to confine its import to holiness alone, but must
understand it as comprehending,
1. A penitential affiance in God—
[Christ declares that he himself is “the way,” the only way to the Father [ ote: John
14:6.]. To him we must come, trusting in his mediation and intercession, and looking
for acceptance through him alone, ow this is certainly the old way, marked out by
all the Jewish sacrifices, and trodden by Abel and our first parents. or can we
doubt of its being the good way, since it was appointed of God himself, and has been
approved by all his saints from the beginning of the world.]
2. A cheerful obedience to him—
[Our Lord expressly says, “Take my yoke upon you;” nor can this ever be dispensed
with. Though faith in Christ be the way of acceptance with God, yet obedience to
him is the only means of manifesting the sincerity of our faith. Hence holiness is by
the prophet called, “The Lord’s highway [ ote: Isaiah 35:8.].” This too is of great
antiquity, and must be traced up through prophets and patriarchs to the days of
“righteous Abel.” And it must be acknowledged to be good, since it tends so much to
the perfecting of our nature, and to the adorning of our holy religion.]
This however is not a mere speculative point; as we shall see, if we inquire,
II. What is our duty with respect to it?
God having so plainly revealed it to us, it becomes us all,
1. To inquire after it—
[We should not go on in a presumptuous confidence that we are right; but should
“stand and see,” and attentively consider whither we are going. We should “ask” of
those whom God has appointed to be as way-marks to the people, and whose lips
should both keep, and dispense, knowledge. Moreover we should search the sacred
oracles (which, as a map, delineate our path with infallible precision) comparing
with them the various steps we have taken, and noticing with care the footsteps of
Christ and his Apostles. ot however trusting in our own researches, we should
above all implore the teaching and direction of God’s holy Spirit, who would bring
us back from our wanderings, and “guide our feet into the way of peace.”]
2. To walk in it—
[To possess knowledge will be of little service unless it produce a practical effect.
Having found the right way we must come into it, renouncing every other path, how
pleasant or profitable soever it may have been. or must we only get into it, but
“walk therein” continually, neither diverted from it by allurements, nor discouraged

97. in it by any difficulties. Whatever advances we may have made, we are still to
prosecute the same path, trusting in Christ as our advocate with God, and rendering
to him an uniform and unreserved obedience.]
or will this appear hard to us, if we consider,
III. The encouragement given us to perform this duty—
To those who are out of this way, whatever they may boast, we are sure there is no
solid peace: but they who walk in it shall find rest,
1. In their way—
[Sweet is the rest which a weary and heavy-laden sinner finds in Jesus Christ: he
sees in his blood a sufficiency of virtue to expiate all his guilt, and to cleanse him
from all his sin: he perceives that the foundation of his hope is sure and
immoveable; and therefore, “having peace in his conscience, he rejoices in hope of
the glory of God.” In the way of holy obedience, he enjoys, moreover, a present and
a great reward: for while he vests from turbulent passions and tormenting fears, he
finds, that “the work of righteousness is peace, and the effect of righteousness is
quietness and assurance for ever.”]
2. In their end—
[If the ungodly have no peace in this world, much less have they in the world to
come: but the obedient believer will enjoy perfect rest, when he shall have ceased
from his present labours. “There is a rest remaining for the people of God;” and
such a rest as neither eye hath seen, nor ear heard, nor heart conceived: at the
instant of their dismission from the body, they shall be borne on the wings of angels
into the regions of the blest, and lie in the bosom of their Lord to all eternity.]
Address—
1. To those who disregard religion—
[You indeed may plead long prescription (even from the days of Cain) and general
practice too, in favour of your habits: but do you doubt which is the better way? Do
you not in your hearts envy those who walk in the good old way; and wish that you
were able to live as they live? If then you would not persist in following a track,
which you knew would lead to a place extremely distant from that which you were
desirous to reach, attend to the warning now given, and turn unto God in the way
marked out for you in his Gospel.]
2. To those who seek indeed the paths of religion, but find no rest in them—
[There are many who approve of coming to Christ for salvation, but wish to be
excused from taking his yoke upon them; while others, on the contrary, would be

98. content to render obedience to his law, if they might be at liberty to decline the
humiliating method which he has prescribed for their acceptance with God. Others,
again, profess to approve of the good old way; but cannot renounce the cares and
pleasures of the world which retard their progress in it. o wonder then if such
persons find no solid rest: indeed, it is well for them that they do not; since it would
only deceive them to their eternal ruin. If we would have rest, either here or
hereafter, it must be obtained in the way that has been pointed out; nor can it be
obtained in any other to all eternity [ ote: John 3:36. Hebrews 12:14.].]
3. To those who are walking comfortably in the good way—
[Be not contented to go to heaven alone; but labour in your respective spheres to
bring others along with you. This was the disposition of the Church of old [ ote:
Song of Solomon 1:4.]; and should be the desire of all who have a hope towards
God. It is scarcely to be conceived how much the exertions of Christians in their
several families would extend the benefits of ministerial labours. The public
ministration of the word would be far better attended, and incomparably more
improved. Since then all are commanded to seek instruction, let all endeavour to
communicate it [ ote: If this were the subject of a Sermon for Charity Schools, the
propriety of subscribing liberally for the support of such institutions might be stated
here.]. So will the good way be more frequented; and more abundant blessings flow
down on all who walk in it.]
PULPIT, "Stand ye in the ways; literally, station yourselves on (or, by) roads, i.e. at
the meeting-point of different roads. There (as the following words state) the Jews
are to make inquiry as to the old paths. Antiquity gives a presumption of rightness;
the ancients were nearer to the days when God spoke with man; they had the
guidance of God's two mighty "shepherds" (Isaiah 63:11); they knew, far better
than we, who "are but of yesterday, and know nothing" (Job 8:9), the way of
happiness. For though there are many pretended "ways," there is but "one way"
(Jeremiah 32:39) which has Jehovah's blessing (Psalms 25:8, Psalms 25:9).
BI, "Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way,
and walk therein.
The good old way
Were you called together to listen to the present preacher only, courtesy might demand
at your hands an attentive hearing for him; but if an apostle of our Lord Jesus Christ
were the preacher, he would have far higher claims; and if one of the ancient prophets
were the speaker, or at any rate, could an angel or an archangel be permitted now to
address you, we think you would all admit that to be inattentive to his words would be
highly unbecoming: how much more so to be inattentive if the God of the whole earth
were addressing you! And is He not? “Thus saith the Lord, Stand ye in the ways, and
see,” etc.
I. To the way recommended in the text. “Ask for the old paths, where is the good way.”
The words of the text are metaphorical, and represent true religion under the aspect of a
pilgrimage or a journey. If, then, you ask me, “What is the way to heaven?” I refer to the
words of the Lord Jesus when speaking to Thomas. “I,” said He, “am the way.” “No man

99. cometh unto the Father but by Me.” Christ is the way. He is the way from sin to
holiness,—from darkness to light,—from bondage to liberty,—from misery to
happiness,—from the gates of hell to the throne of heaven. But how is He the way? By
His example: for “leaving us an example, we should follow His steps.” By His doctrine:
for “we know that He is true, and teaches the way of God in truth.” By His sacrificial
death: for “we have boldness to eater into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and
living way, which He hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, His flesh.”
By His Spirit: when He, the Spirit of truth, is come, He will guide you into all the truth.
How, then, are we to walk in the way? By “repentance towards God, and faith towards
our Lord Jesus Christ.” “Except ye repent ye shall all perish.” Believe m the Lord Jesus
Christ and thou shalt be saved. “He that believeth shall not perish.” But what are the
epithets by which the way is described in our text? The way is not “the broad way” that
leadeth to destruction; nor “the hard way,” pursued by transgressors; nor the way that
only seemeth right to a man, while the end thereof is death; but it is the good way, and
the old path.
1. It is an old way. True, there are persons who more than insinuate that the way, as
just described to you, is a new thing. They say the way to heaven is not now what it
formerly was, if our definition is correct. But what have we said? Have we not
affirmed that salvation is by Christ, and through Him only? Have we not said that
repentance and faith are the conditions of obtaining it from Him? And is this new
doctrine? Why, this doctrine is as old as the days of Wesley and Whitfield, for they
proclaimed it in England, Wales, Ireland, Scotland, and America. But go a step
further back. What were the leading doctrines of the illustrious Reformers? For what
were they traduced, slandered, excommunicated, and martyred, but for this? They
asserted that penance was a human prescription—that works of supererogation were
a delusion—that images, beads, holy water, crucifixes, and relics were but “sanctified
nonsense”—that Christ was the only mediator between God and man. But we go
further still. What did our Lord and the apostles themselves teach? They preached
“repent and believe!” Nor do we stop here. What did the prophets—Isaiah, Jeremiah,
Ezekiel, Micah, Malachi, and the rest—who flourished from seven hundred to a
thousand years anterior to the Christian era teach? Did not they speak of the
promised seed, the Messiah, the Redeemer, in whom men should believe, and by
whom they should be saved? Go to that splendid treasury of ecclesiastical
biography—the eleventh chapter of the Epistle to the Hebrews, and look at the fourth
verse: “By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which
he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he
being dead, yet speaketh.” Well, then, some three thousand years elapsed between
the time of Abel’s believing and that of Jeremiah’s preaching, and the way had been
tried during the whole of that long period, and was therefore properly called by the
prophet “the old path.” Oh no; we bring no new doctrine to your ears, no new way
before your eyes. We grant you that some of the circumstantials of religion have been
changed since the days of Abel; but the essentials have remained the same. A
Saviour, a mediator, a sacrifice, an atonement; repentance, faith, prayer, and holy
living—thane all abide ever. The way is called new by the apostle, in reference to that
fuller and clearer development of it furnished by the life and death of the Lord Jesus;
and even when contrasting it with those ritualistic observances on which the Jews
had long laid more than sufficient stress: but in all ages Christ has been the Saviour
of men, and faith in Him the prime condition of salvation.
2. The text speaks of this way as a good one. “Where is the good way?” It is not only a
good way, but the good way—good emphatically; the only good way, therefore, par

100. excellence, the good way. God is the author of it, and He is good. He is the good
Being: His name God implies this, as it is a contraction of the adjective “good.”
Christ is the way, and He is good. Pilate’s question, “What evil hath He done?”
remains still unanswered. The Holy Spirit recommends this way; and He would not
recommend anything evil. The Bible is a good book—all insinuations by scoffers to
the contrary notwithstanding,—and it strongly urges us to pursue this way. There
have been—and, thank God! still are—some good men in the world, bad as it is; and
they have travelled, or are travelling in this way. However vile they may have been
ere entering this way, they became virtuous and happy when they began to travel on
this path. Men have said the way of salvation by faith in the merits of another is not
good, for it will lead to licentiousness—to latitudinarianism. But such men speak
without experience. The faith that saves us is not a nominal thing—not merely
speculative, but practical, evangelical faith. “Show me thy faith without thy works,” O
objector, “and I will show thee my faith by my works.” Ah, there it is. This faith of
ours works, and has works; “it works by love, and purifies the heart.” While we
repose on the merits of the Saviour, we copy the example of the Saviour; while we
believe He died for us, we exhibit the genuineness of our belief by a holy life.
II. The duty the text enjoins. “Stand ye in the ways,” etc.
1. “Stand in the ways, and see.” These words seem to refer to the position of a
traveller on foot, who, in prosecuting his pilgrimage, has reached a point where there
is a junction of several roads; and who is perplexed by this circumstance, and at a
loss which way to pursue. What can he do in this case? The text says, “Stand,” halt,
ere you go astray, and try to ascertain the proper direction, or you may lose time in
losing your way, and perchance may haw to retrace your steps, amid the jeers of
witnesses, and under the self-inflicted penalty of regretful reproach. He takes from
his pocket a book and a map, from which he learns that the road to the right goes to
one place, that to the left to another, but the one straight on to the place of his
destination. He then, after due examination, prosecutes his pilgrimage with
pleasurable satisfaction; having no tormenting doubts as to his course, but a strong
assurance of reaching, by and by, the desired end. Now, the traveller to eternity—the
man in search of “the path of life”—has been graciously provided with an “itinerary”;
that is, God’s own road book, the Bible. Hence, says the Saviour, “Search the
Scriptures, for in them ye think ye have eternal life, and they are they which testify of
Me.” Go, then, fellow traveller, to the ever-blessed book; pore over its lessons; study
its precepts; imitate its examples; and realise its promises.
2. “Ask for the way.” See that man with his map and book; he is still perplexed
somewhat; he wants counsel; he needs a guide; let him ask advice of those who know
by experience what he has yet to learn. Ah! up comes a person who knows the road
intimately, who has travelled along it these many years, and who loves to give his
best practical advice to all inquirers. Well, ask him. He is a Gospel minister, or some
old weather-beaten pilgrim, who has borne the heat of many a summer, and the
stormy blasts of many a winter; he will be right glad to tell thee the way thou
shouldst go. And, if he fail, there is a Guide who never will; for, “when the Spirit of
truth is come, He will guide you into all the truth.”
3. “Walk therein.” Yes, it avails not what we read, how much information we acquire,
with whomsoever we converse, or even how often we pray, unless we “walk in the
way.” John Bunyan tells us of a Mr. Talkative, who was very ready and fluent in
religious discussions and conversations; but who left the practical part of religion to
others. Alas! that the descendants of that personage are not extinct. Remember that

101. no man can get to heaven by looking at maps of the road, or conversing with those
who are journeying thitherward; we must all “walk in the way.”
III. To the blessing promised. “Ye shall find rest for your souls.” The word “rest” is one
of the sweetest monosyllables in our language. Robert Hall said he could think of the
word tear till he wept; I could think of the word rest till I smiled. After a paroxysm of
pain, how delicious is ease and rest after a hard day’s toil, how delightful to retire to rest!
And if rest of the body be sweet, sweeter still is rest for the soul. “The spirit of a man will
sustain his infirmities, but a wounded spirit who can bear?” Rest for the soul we all long
to find; we cannot help it. We must be in quest of rest do what we may. Peace, happiness,
mental quietude, rest, every man of all things desiderates. But where may it be found?
Secularists and quondam socialists say in gratifying our animal passions; the miser—
significant name, literally miserable—hopes to find it among golden gains; the ambitious
climbs up the rugged heights of power and fame, and hopes to descry it there; but the
Christian is the only man who can exclaim with the exulting Greek, Eureka! Eureka! I
have found it! (W. Antliff, D. D.)
The ancient paths
Transition is easy from an outward physical path to a moral meaning: roads men walk
with their feet suggest the road men’s thoughts habitually walk in, the path in which
their feelings are accustomed to move, the way in which their conduct naturally flows. In
this secondary sense, use text to point out the necessity, in all who would go right, of
keeping upon the old ways, the ascertained ways, which, in the experience of mankind,
have been proved beneficial.
I. Our boast of novelty, our glorying in our newness, as if we were in advance of
everybody and everything else, is a fanciful mistake. Our thoughts, and all the channels
of our thoughts, are the result of the thought and experience of thousands of years that
are gone by. Political habits and customs, knowledge of right and equity, have been
gradually unfolded from ages past. Combinations are new, elements are old.
II. The present time is noticeable for an extraordinary outbreak of activity along new
lines of thought and belief.
1. Men are inclined to doubt generally the social and moral results of past
experience, to repudiate long-accepted social maxims and customs.
2. General distrust is being thrown upon religions teachings: not positive unbelief,
but uncertainty. And by having confidence in religion its real power is destroyed.
Thus thousands are abandoning old paths—old thoughts, usages, customs, habits,
convictions, virtues.
III. There are certain great permanencies of thought, character, and custom, especially
necessary in our time.
1. Moral and social progress can never be so rapid as physical developments. Men
cannot be changed in their principles, feelings, and inner life in the same ratio as
external changes go on.
2. There is danger in giving up any belief or custom which has been entwined in our
moral sense. Regard as sacred the first principles of truth.
3. In the transition from a lower to a higher form of belief there is peril. Hence, we
are not to think it our duty in a headlong way to change men’s beliefs simply because

102. they are erroneous. As if changing from one mode of belief to another was going to
change the conscience, reason, moral susceptibility, and character.
IV. The relinquishment of trust or of practice should always be from worse to better. If
you want a traveller to have a better road, make that better road, and then he will need
no argument to persuade him to walk in it. If you are teaching that one intellectual
system is better than another, and that one religious organisation, church, or creed, is
better, prove it by presenting better fruit than the other, and men will need little
argument beyond. If a Church breeds meekness, fortitude, love, courage,
disinterestedness; if it makes noble men—uncrowned but undoubted princes,—then it is
a Church, a living epistle which will convince men.
V. All new truths, like new wines, must have a period of fermentation.
1. All truths are at first on probation; must be scrutinised, ransacked, vindicated.
2. Guard against wild and unseasonable urgency in throwing off traditional faiths
and truths, for those you can discover for yourselves. Accept what other men
construct for you. We are so related, by the laws of God, one to another, that no man
can think out everything for himself.
VI. We do well to look cautiously at new truths and those who advocate them. There is a
conceit, a dogmatism, a bigotry of science, as really as there is of religion. Application—
1. All the tendencies which narrow the moral sense and enlarge the liberty of the
passions are dangerous.
2. All tendencies which increase self-conceit are to be suspected and disowned.
3. Those tendencies which extinguish in a man all spiritual elements, such as arise
from faith in God, in our spirituality and immortality, must inevitably degrade our
manhood.
4. All tendencies which take away your hope of and belief in another world, take
away your motive for striving to reach a higher life. Without this hope men will have
a weary pilgrimage in a world of unbelief. (H. W. Beecher.)
The old paths
I. The old paths are to be distinguished from theological creeds and dogmas. Lifted upon
the shoulders of many generations, with opportunities for interpreting the Bible in the
light of a developing Christianity, it would be strange if our horizon had not increased.
Think as those men thought—not necessarily what they thought.
II. A return to the “old paths” does not call us away from vigorous life. Wherever human
thought, in obedience to its best nature, essays to got wherever desire for higher and
better things reaches out, there are the paths of the Lord. They are as “the shining light,
that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.” Treading them, “every power finds
sweet employ.”
III. Some of the characteristics of the old paths.
1. They are plain. True, the fogs sometimes hang low upon them as upon worldly
ways; but we can always, in the darkest hour, see one step before us, and that taken,
we can see another. The engineer cannot see his track all the way from New York to
Albany, but in the heaviest night he trusts his headlight and keeps on his way. So let

103. the Christian do.
2. They are unchanging. God’s paths, like Himself, are “the same yesterday, today,
and forever.”
3. They are paths of righteousness (Psa_23:3). Old coins lose their royal stamp by
much handling. So with some of our grandest words. Righteousness is one of them.
It is not formalism, it is not morality. It is right living, with a pure heart as its source.
4. They are paths of mercy (Psa_25:10).
5. They are paths of plenty (Psa_65:11). What a struggle men have for mere
existence! They rise early and sit up late and eat the bread of affliction. They have left
the paths of the Lord. They have chased phantoms. They must endure for the time
the fruit of their doings. Yet, notwithstanding these seeming exceptions, the precious
promise abides (Psa_37:3).
6. They are paths of life (Pro_2:19). What a path that where Christ is the support of
our steps, guide of our way, and the crown of our journey’s end!
7. They are paths of peace (Pro_3:17; Isa_26:3). There is no peace but in the narrow
way where God gives pardon and reconciliation.
8. They are His paths (Isa_2:3). It is not possible, in a spiritual sense, that God
should give us anything and not give us Himself. Without Himself the graces of the
Spirit are only names.
IV. How to find these paths.
1. By standing. How hard it is to stop and stand still and think and search!
2. By seeing. With open eyes we may see whether the path be an old path, whether it
is macadamised with living truth, whether they who are upon it wear the livery of the
Great King.
3. By asking. Men are ever ready to ask counsel in worldly things. Why not of God
and His servants in regard to heavenly things? “Ask, and ye shall receive.”
4. By walking. Having used sight and tongue and thoughts, we are then to act. God
has united faith and works, prayer and activity.
V. The promise to those who obey. “Rest.” (E. P. Ingersoll, D. D.)
Novelty in religion exploded
Novelty is a term which, when applied to man, always involves a degree of previous
ignorance. The astronomer finds out new stars, the botanist new plants, the linguist new
tongues, the geometrician new modes of proof and illustration, the politician new laws,
the geographer new islands, the navigator new creeks, anchorages and havens, the
tradesman new articles of commerce, the artificer and mechanic new methods of
accomplishing the work of their hands. Each successive generation, in a civilised country
especially, makes advancement on the experiments of the former. In religious matters,
however, it is different. We am to expect no new Bible, no new ordinances, no new
Messiah, no new discoveries in the substance of truth and piety, any more than we look
for a new sun, moon, and seasons, in the institutions of nature. We allow, indeed, that in
ourselves, as we pass from a state of unregeneracy to that of renewal, “old things pass
away, and all things become new”; that in the progress of sanctification, there is a

104. succession of discoveries, as we grow in knowledge and grace; that in the pursuit of
schemes of usefulness, new modes of operation may be struck out; but as to all the rest,
it is established by the Great Head of the Church to be subjected to no alteration until
the time of the restitution of all things, when there shall be a “new heaven and earth,”
etc.
I. Trace the good old way.
1. There is the way of theory. This will be found in its grand and essential elements in
the Word of truth; for this is the chart or map in which the path is laid down in
which the pious have walked from the beginning.
2. There is the way of experience, or the application of these truths to the mind by
such an influence and in such a way as to render them living principles of activity
and enjoyment. Repentance for sin, dependence, devotion, etc.
3. There is the way of practice; and this with regard to God and our fellow creatures.
II. Show what is your duty with respect to the path which has been described.
1. Primarily, to institute a serious, a deliberate and cautious inquiry, that you may
ascertain whether you are in the right way. One grand reason why many who profess
to make the inquiry “What is truth?” do not succeed, is, that they indulge in a light,
trifling temper of mind, quite unsuited to the character of their avowed engagement,
and highly offensive to God.
2. Steadily pursue the path you have ascertained to be right. Aim to be established,
strengthened, settled on your most holy faith, and guard against that versatility
which will be an effective preventive to sanctification, comfort, and usefulness. With
walking we always connect the idea, not of habit only, but of progress. Your
knowledge, your sacred virtues, your practical obedience should be always on the
advance.
Conclusion—
1. The lamentable consequences of a refusal to walk in this way.
2. The inestimable advantages of walking in the good old way. (John Clayton.)
The old paths
Perhaps the chief danger attending modem progress is the neglect of antiquity. This does
not apply to literature and art, but to science and religion. A man who aspires to
excellence in letters or art must go on pilgrimage to the old paths, and having found
them must abide in them. Take the single example of sculpture. What has been gained
for this art in the advancement of later times? Nothing has been gained, but much lost
which can never be recovered. The most celebrated work of recent artists in stone is little
more than an imitation of the masterpieces of Athens executed between two and three
thousand years ago. The hope of the learner in this profession is to stand in the old
paths. With some qualifications the same is true of literature. The Greek and Roman
classics are still our teachers; and there is no prospect of the immediate declension of
their authority. No liberal education is supposed to be possible without the languages of
antiquity and the compositions that adorn them. Scientific culture has been repaid by
abundant fruit in recent years: but the losses sustained by science through our ignorance
of antiquity are inconceivable. Students in science will be the first to acknowledge and

105. deplore this loss. But while literature cannot neglect the old paths, and science is
devoutly engaged in retracing her lost ways, religion is in imminent danger of drifting
from her ancient landmarks. The peril I desire to point out is not new in the history of
the Christian faith. There is something in his nature which makes a human being feel
after a God; and this act of search would be far more likely to touch the object sought
when the race was young, when the impressions received were new, uncorrupted by
speculation, unfettered by tradition, than at this time when the race is old and our
impressions of the self within us, and of surrounding nature, are unconsciously weighted
and often made false by hereditary influences, and by misleading ideas that swarm about
us in childhood and are the spring of errors which it is the most difficult task of
education to discover and correct. This invariable tendency to look for truth and wisdom
and goodness, not to the possibilities of the present, not even to the lessons of the
immediate past, but to the records and traditions of a remote age, is a striking
confirmation of the biblical history of mankind. That wistful looking back on the part of
the nations is a pathetic sign that something is missing which once was ours when
heaven and truth were nearer to this earth than they are now. When I bring these
problems to the ancient ways of God that, setting out from the creation of man and
following the race, converge upon Christ, I discover the clue that leads to their
interpretation. The old paths ran into Christ. His attitude towards the men who
flourished before Him was neither hostile nor independent. He spoke of them with
reverence; He quoted their teaching in support of His own claims; He proved that that
teaching when divided from Himself was not only incomplete, but in some cases had no
meaning; that He, in fact, was the complement of the older wisdom. He dwelt not only
with contemporaries, but in the old paths as the Illuminating Presence of the past.
“Before Abraham was, I am.” He lighted up the parables of the sages; He harmonised
prediction with history, and type with the fulfilling event or person. And as the old paths
met in Christ—as He was the “Way” to which all other paths and ways led the traveller,
not only thoroughfares defined and laid down in systems of law and belief, but irregular
tracks made by earnest but wandering feet in search of the Highway; as He was the
“Truth,” in which all moral intimations, ideas, and aspirations found their fulfilment and
satisfaction; as He was the “Life,” in which all the nobler elements of the heart attained
their highest purity and their perfect expression—so He is now the centre and resting
place of all doctrine, of all inquiry, and of all faith. What will be the result of the attempt
to make the New Testament a modern publication? We smooth a hardness here, we read
in a meaning there, we hide the significance of this doctrine behind the assumed
importance of that, on the plea of keeping the Book in touch with a scientific age. There
will be no end to this recasting until we end the Bible itself. We share the conquests of
science, and partake the renown of scientific men; but theirs is the truth of research,
ours is the truth of revelation. Their conclusions are necessarily subject to revision;
many of them perish outright; but the Word of our God abideth, and shall stand forever.
(E. E. Jenkins, LL. D.)
The old paths
I. Excellent general advice. “Stand, and see, and ask.” I take these words to be a call to
thought and consideration. Now, to set men thinking is one great object which every
teacher of religion should always keep before him. Serious thought, in short, is one of
the first steps towards heaven. There are but few, I suspect, who deliberately and calmly
choose evil, refuse good, turn their back on God, and resolve to serve sin as sin. The
most part are what they are because they began their present course without thought.

106. They would not take the trouble to look forward and consider the consequences of their
conduct. By thoughtless actions they created habits which have become second nature to
them. They have got into a groove now, and nothing but a special miracle of grace will
stop them. There are none, we must all be aware, who bring themselves into so much
trouble by want of thinking as the young. Too often they choose in haste a wrong
profession or business, and find after two or three years, that they have made an
irretrievable mistake, and, if I may borrow a railway phrase, have got on the wrong line
of rails. But the young are not the only persons who need the exhortation of the text in
this day. It is preeminently advice for the times. Hurry is the characteristic of the age in
which we live. On every side you see the many driving furiously, like Jehu, after business
or politics. They seem unable to find time for calm, quiet, serious reflection about their
souls and a world to come. Men and brethren, consider your ways. Beware of the
infection of the times.
II. A particular direction. “Ask for the old paths.” We want a return to the old paths of
our reformers. I grant they were rough workmen, and made some mistakes. They
worked under immense difficulties, and deserve tender judgment and fair consideration.
But they revived out of the dust grand foundation truths which had been long buried and
forgotten. By embalming those truths in our Articles and Liturgy, by incessantly pressing
them on the attention of our forefathers, they changed the whole character of this
nation, and raised a standard of true doctrine and practice, which, after three centuries,
is a power in the land, and has an insensible influence on English character to this very
day. Can we mend these old paths? Novelty is the idol of the day. But I have yet to learn
that all new views of religion are necessarily better than the old. It is not so in the work
of men’s hands. I doubt if this nineteenth century could produce an architect who could
design better buildings than the Parthenon or Coliseum, or a mason who could rear
fabrics which will last so long. It certainly is not so in the work of men’s minds.
Thucydides is not superseded by Macaulay, nor Homer by Milton. Why, then, are we to
suppose that old theology is necessarily inferior to new? I ask boldly, What extensive
good has ever been done in the world, except by the theology of the “old paths”? and I
confidently challenge a reply. There never has been any spread of the Gospel, any
conversion of nations or countries, any successful evangelistic work, excepting by the
old-fashioned distinct doctrines of the early Christians and the reformers.
III. A precious promise. “Ye shall find rest to your souls.” Let it never be forgotten that
rest of conscience is the secret want of a vast portion of mankind. The labouring and
heavy laden are everywhere: they are a multitude that man can scarcely number; they
are to be found in every climate and in every country under the sun. Everywhere you will
find trouble, care, sorrow: anxiety, murmuring, discontent, and unrest. Did God create
man at the beginning to be unhappy? Most certainly not. Are human governments to
blame because men are not happy? At most to a very slight extent. The fault lies far too
deep to be reached by human laws. Sin and departure from God are the true reasons why
men are everywhere restless, labouring, and heavy laden. Sin is the universal disease
which infects the whole earth. The rest that Christ gives in the “old paths” is an inward
thing. It is rest of heart, rest of conscience, rest of mind, rest of affection, rest of will.
(Bishop J. C. Ryle.)
Standing in the old paths
I. The dangers of judging of religion, without long and diligent examination. Happy
would it be for the present age if men were distrustful of their own abilities.

107. II. The reasonableness of searching into antiquity, or of asking for the old paths. With
regard to the order and government of the primitive Church, we may doubtless follow
their authority with perfect security; they could not possibly be ignorant of laws
executed, and customs practised, by themselves; nor would they, even supposing them
corrupt, serve any interests of their own, by handing down false accounts to posterity.
Nor is this the only, though perhaps the chief use of these writers; for, in matters of
faith, and points of doctrine, those, at least, who lived in the ages nearest to the times of
the apostles, undoubtedly deserve to be consulted. The oral doctrines, and occasional
explications of the apostles, must have been treasured up in the memory of their
audiences, and transmitted for some time from father to son.
III. The happiness which attends a well-grounded belief and steady practice of religion.
Suspense and uncertainty distract the soul, disturb its motions, and retard its
operations; while we doubt in what manner to worship God, there is great danger lest we
should neglect to worship Him at all. There is a much closer connection between practice
and speculation than is generally imagined. A man disquieted with scruples concerning
any important article of religion, will, for the most part, find himself indifferent and
cold, even to those duties which he practised before with the most active diligence and
ardent satisfaction. Let him then ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and he
shall find rest for his soul. (S. Johnson, LL. D.)
On the appeal to antiquity in matters of religion
The appeal to antiquity is worth your closest observation, as one which may as well be
made in our own days as in those of the prophet Jeremiah. The paths which are to be
sought for are “the old paths,” and it is their age which seems represented as giving them
safety. Now it were quite idle to assert that this is in all cases a sound view, or that it will
necessarily hold good when applied to the businesses and sciences of life. If we
attempted, for example, to introduce into natural philosophy, the principle that the old
paths are the best, we should only be urging men to travel back to a broad waste of
ignorance, and to settle themselves once more in the crudest and most erroneous of
opinions. We are quite ready with the like admission, in matters of civil polity. We hold
unreservedly that nothing human can come to its perfection at once; and that whilst
there are certain fundamental principles which can never be swerved from with safety,
the determination of the best form of government for a community demands many
successive experiments; so that one generation is not to hand down its institutions to the
next, as not to be violated because not to be improved. The legacy of the fathers should
be their experience, and that experience should be carried by the children as a new
element into their political competitions. But the principle which applies not to sciences
or governments may be applicable, without reservation, to religion. Religious truth is
matter of revelation, and not therefore left to be searched out and determined by
successive experiments; whereas truth of any other description is only to be come at by
painful investigation; and until that investigation has been carried to the farthest
possible limit, we have no right to claim such a fixedness for our positions, that those
who come after us must receive them as irreversible. Yet we would not have it thought,
that even in matters of religion, we yield unqualified submission to the voice of antiquity.
We hold that there is room for discovery, strictly and properly so called in theology, as
well as in astronomy or chemistry. We ourselves must necessarily be more
advantageously circumstanced than any of our fathers, when the matter in question is
the fulfilment of prophecy. Prophecy is of course nothing but anticipated history; and
the further on, therefore, we live, in the march of those occurrences which are to make

108. up the story of our globe and its tenants, the more power have we to find the foretold in
the fulfilled, and thus to lessen the amount of unaccomplished prediction. Now when
this exception has been made, we do not hesitate to apply our text to the disclosures of
revelation, and to assert that in all disputes upon doctrines, and in all debates upon
creeds, it is the part of wise men to appeal to antiquity.
1. When we speak of antiquity, we refer to Christianity in its young days, whilst the
Church was still warm with her first love, and her teachers were but little removed
from those who had held intercourse with Christ and His apostles. It is in this
manner, for example, that we introduce the authority of antiquity into the question
of infant baptism. Unless apostles baptised infants, and unless they taught that
infants were to be received into the Church, it seems well-nigh incredible that those
who lived near their times, and must have obtained instruction almost from their
very lips, should have adopted the custom of infant baptism. We would advance
another illustration of the worth of the witness of antiquity, and we fetch it from a
fundamental matter of doctrine. We believe, undoubtedly, that the Bible is adapted
to all ages of the world and all ranks of society; and that the Spirit which indited it, is
as ready now, as in the early days of Christianity, to act as its interpreter and open up
its truths. We are assured, therefore, that the sublime doctrine of the Trinity, if it,
indeed, be contained in the Word of inspiration, will be made known to every
prayerful and diligent student; and that there will need no acquaintance with the
creeds or the commentaries of primitive Christians, in order to the apprehending of
this grand discovery of the nature of Godhead. But, at the same time, when all kinds
of opinions are broached, diametrically at variance with the doctrine of the Trinity,
and men labour to devise and support interpretations of Scripture which shall quite
overthrow this foundation stone of Christianity, we count it of no mean worth, that
in writings which have come down to us from days just succeeding the apostolic, we
can find the Trinity in unity as broadly asserted, and as clearly defined, as in any of
the treatises which now professedly undertake its defence. Now you will understand,
from these instances, the exact use of antiquity, in matters of religion; and the sense
in which it may fairly be expected that the old paths are the right. “Where was your
religion till Luther arose?” is the question broached in every dispute between the
Romish Church and the Reformed. The Romish Church prides itself on being the old
Church, and reproaches the Reformed with being the new. And we admit, in all
frankness, that if the Romish Church made good its pretensions—if it could win for
itself the praise of antiquity, and fix fairly on the Protestant newness, Popery would
gain an almost unassailable position; for we are inclined to hold it as little less than
an axiom in religion, that the oldest Christianity is the best. But we are quite ready to
meet the Roman Catholic on the ground of antiquity; and to decide the goodness by
deciding the oldness of our paths. We contend, that whatever is held in common by
the two Churches may be proved from Scripture, and shown to have been
maintained by the earliest Christians; but that everything received by the Romish
and rejected by the Protestant, can neither be substantiated by the Bible, nor
sanctioned by the practice of the primitive Church.
2. There is not one amongst you, who ought not to know something of this appeal to
antiquity. We may make the like assertion in regard to the Christian Sabbath. If
asked for our authority for keeping holy the first day of the week, in place of the
seventh, you cannot produce a direct scriptural command; but we are in possession
of such clear proof, that the apostles and their immediate successors made the first
day their Sabbath, that we may claim to the observance all the force of Divine
institution. This, however, we must all see, is employing the practice of antiquity

109. where we have not a distinct precept of Scripture; in other words, we prove the right
paths by proving the old paths. We are not, indeed, able to appeal to primitive
Christians, and to show you this union of Church or State as being sanctioned by
apostolical practice. Of course, until the rulers of the kingdom embraced the faith of
Christ (and this was not of early occurrence), Christianity could not become
established. But, as Milner observes, from the earliest ages of patriarchal
government, when holy men were favoured with a Divine revelation, governors
taught the true religion, and did not permit their subjects to propagate atheism,
idolatry, or false religion. There was, as under the Jewish constitution, an
unquestionable authority which the magistrates possessed in ecclesiastical
regulations: so that union between Church and State, in place of being novel, can be
traced up almost from the beginning of the world. (H. Melvill, B. D.)
The old paths
I. The denomination.
1. “Old paths.” Way of—
(1) Obedience.
(2) Worship.
(3) Piety.
2. “Old,” because—
(1) Ordained from eternity.
(2) Herein all the saints haw walked.
(3) Tried, and found pleasant and profitable.
II. The despot. “Good way.”
1. A path may be “old,” yet not “good”; this is both.
2. When may a path be called “good”?
(1) When safe.
(2) Direct.
(3) Frequented.
(4) Pleasant.
(5) Firm and passable.
III. The directions. They who seek this path should bell.
1. Cautious in their observations.
2. Earnest in their inquiries.
3. Prompt in entering thereon.
IV. The destination.
1. In the journey many blessings of rest will be enjoyed, as contentment, satisfaction,
cheerfulness, security.

110. 2. Afterwards there will be fulness of rest: the path leads to eternal repose,
happiness, glory. (Sermon Framework.)
The good old path
Men are travellers. No continuing city here; no rest. Days upon earth but a shadow; none
abiding. Must go on—from earth, with its cares and sorrows and privileges and joys—
either to heaven or hell.
I. A solemn exhortation.
1. We should ascertain what path we are walking in. Men do not think enough about
spiritual things. Many a poor misguided traveller would enter the right path and
obtain eternal life if he gave heed to the things which make for his peace.
(1) This examination of the path should be made immediately. Not a moment to
be lost. Next step may plunge you in some deadly pit.
(2) This examination should be made faithfully. Not superficially. Our being
different from those around us is not enough, for we may still be wrong. Must
bring our conduct and habits of life to the standard of God’s Word, and compare
them with that.
(3) This examination should be made prayerfully. It is useless for us to make it in
our own strength or wisdom; but, influenced and guided by the Spirit of Christ,
we cannot err.
2. We must not only ascertain if our way be wrong, but inquire for the right path.
(1) It is here termed the old path. The way of patriarchs, prophets, apostles, good
and holy of every clime and age. The everlasting Gospel has existed from eternity.
(2) It is to be sought out. Eternity depends on the issue.
3. Having found the right path, we are to walk in it. Knowledge alone is not
sufficient; there must be practical application of it.
II. A gracious promise.
1. The rest promised is of the highest kind. For the soul. The soul requires it.
Burdened with sin; filled with feverish anxiety; like a ship tossed on a troubled sea.
2. This rest can be bestowed by God alone. It is the fruit of our union with Him, the
result of our being His dear children.
3. In what does it consist? In our being forgiven; in our being conscious of the Divine
favour; in our having the Spirit of Christ in our souls; in our dependence upon the
promises. (H. B. Ingrain.)
The good old way
I. The nature of the old way from which adam so fatally swerved, and all his descendants
with him.
1. The way of self-denial. As this principle involves resistance to temptation, control
of temper and overthrow of natural inclinations and habits, it is necessarily an

111. important ingredient of true religion; from the nature of the case, from the bare fact
of its being amenable to the superior will of the Almighty, an indispensable requisite
of finite perfection in all instances whatsoever.
2. The way of implicit dependence upon God. Until the foul spirit of restless
discontent took possession of his breast Adam was sufficed to rest and rely for
everything upon the wisdom, power, love and benignity of Him who created him
content to know no more than what He taught him, and to exercise his mental
faculties and reasoning powers in entire subordination to his Superior’s wish,
questioning nothing, but taking everything as perfect that came from Him. The
knowledge, service and worship of God were the objects of all he thought, saw, or
did. Beyond them there was nothing he eared to desire or know.
3. The way of humility. “Knowledge” says St. Paul, “puffeth up, but charity edifieth.”
What knowledge? Not the chastened, subdued, heaven-taught and heaven-tempered
wisdom which guided the soul and enlarged the understanding of Adam before he
fell, but that meretricious counterfeit of it—that now delusive light, whose pride-
awakening, man-flattering beams, brought first to bear on his foolish heart by the
arch destroyer at the fall, allured him to his destruction.
II. How we may obey the command of the text in returning to this way. Whoever in
earnest desires to recover his lost innocence, and the forfeited favour of his Creator, and
to return to that better land, that state of ineffable bliss and purity, which was the
original birthright of us all, are taught in the Gospel of the grace of God that the first step
in that direction is faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, the Saviour of sinners; which is
nothing else than that filial trust or confidence we have already mentioned as displayed
by Adam before he fell.
III. The necessity and advantage, as well as duty, of obeying the advice given in the text.
(S. H. Simpson.)
The respect due to antiquity
It has been well said by Lord Bacon, that the antiquity of past ages is the youth of the
world—and therefore it is an inversion of the right order, to look for greater wisdom in
some former generation than there should be in our present day. “The time in which we
now live,” says he, “is properly the ancient time, because now the world is ancient; and
not that time which we call ancient, when we look in a retrograde direction, and by a
computation backward from ourselves.” There must be a delusion, then, in that homage
which is given to the wisdom of antiquity, as d it bore the same superiority over the
wisdom of the present times, which the wisdom of an old does over that of a young man.
It is in vain to talk of Socrates, and Plato, and Aristotle. Only grant that there may still be
as many good individual specimens of humanity as before; and a Socrates now, with all
the additional lights which have sprung up in the course of intervening centuries to
shine upon his understanding, would be a greatly wiser man than the Socrates of two
thousand years ago. But however important thus to reduce the deference that is paid to
antiquity; and with whatever grace and propriety it has been done by him who stands at
the head of the greatest revolution in philosophy.
we shall incur the danger of running into most licentious waywardness, if we receive not
the principle, to which I have now adverted, with two modifications. Our first
modification is, that though, in regard to all experimental truth, the world should be
wiser now than it was centuries ago, this is the fruit not of our contempt or our

112. heedlessness in regard to former ages, but the fruit of our most respectful attention to
the lessons which their history affords. We do right in not submitting to the dictation of
antiquity; but that is no cause why we should refuse to be informed by her—for this were
throwing us back again to the world’s infancy, like the second childhood of him whom
disease had bereft of all his recollections. And so, again, in the language of Bacon,
“Antiquity deserveth that reverence, that men should make a stand thereupon, and
discover what is the best way; but when the discovery is well taken then to make
progression.” But there is a second modification, which, in the case of a single individual
of the species, it is easy to understand, and which we shall presently apply to the whole
species. We may conceive of a man, that, after many years of vicious indulgence, he is at
once visited by the lights of conscience and memory; and is enabled to contrast the
dislike, and the dissatisfaction, and the dreariness of heart, which now prey on the
decline of his earthly existence, with all the comparative innocence which gladdened its
hopeful and happy morning. As he bethinks him of his early home, of the piety which
flourished there, and that holy atmosphere in which he was taught to breathe with
kindred aspirations, he cannot picture to himself the bliss and the beauty of such a
scene, mellowed as it is by distance, and mingled with the dearest recollections of
parents, and sisters, and other kindred now mouldering in the dust, he cannot recall for
a moment this fond, though faded imagery, without sighing in the bitterness of his heart,
after the good old way. Now, what applies to one individual may apply to the species. In
a prolonged course of waywardness, they may have wandered very far from the truth of
heaven. And after, perhaps, a whole dreary millennium of guilt and of darkness, may
some gifted individual arise, who can look athwart the gloom, and descry the purer and
the better age of Scripture light which lies beyond it. And as he compares all the errors
and the mazes of that vast labyrinth into which so many generations had been led by the
jugglery of deceivers, with that simple but shining path which conducts the believer unto
glory, let us wonder not that the aspiration of his pious and patriotic heart should be for
the good old way. We now see wherein it is that the modern might excel the ancient. In
regard to experimental truth, he can be as much wiser than his predecessors, as the
veteran and the observant sage is wiser than the unpractised stripling, to whom the
world is new, and who has yet all to learn of its wonders and of its ways. The voice that is
now emitted from the schools, whether of physical or of political science, is the voice of
the world’s antiquity. The voice emitted from the same schools, in former ages, was the
voice of the world’s childhood, which then gave forth in lisping utterance the conceits
and the crudities of its young unchastened speculation. But in regard to things not
experimental, in regard even to taste, or to imagination, or to moral principle, as well as
to the stable and unchanging lessons of Divine truth, there is no such advancement. For
the perfecting of these, we have not to wait the slow processes of observation and
discovery, handed down from one generation to another. They address themselves more
immediately to the spirit’s eye; and just as in the solar light of day, our forefathers saw
the whole of visible creation as perfectly as we—so in the lights, whether of fancy, or of
conscience, or of faith, they may have had as just and vivid a perception of nature’s
beauties; or they may have had as ready a discrimination, and as religious a sense of all
the proprieties of life; or they may have had a veneration as solemn, and an acquaintance
as profound, with the mysteries of revelation, as the men of our modern and enlightened
day. And, accordingly, we have as sweet or sublime an eloquence, and as transcendent a
poetry, and as much both of the exquisite and noble in all the fine arts, and a morality as
delicate and dignified; and, to crown the whole, as exulted and as informed a piety in the
remoter periods of the world, as among ourselves, to whom the latter ends of the world
have come. In respect of these, we are not on higher vantage-ground than many of the
generations that have gone by. But neither are we on lower vantage ground. We have

113. access to the same objects. We are in possession of the same faculties. And, if between
the age in which we live, and some bright and bygone era, there should have intervened
the deep and the long-protracted haze of many centuries, whether of barbarism in taste,
or of profligacy in morals, or of superstition in Christianity, it will only heighten, by
comparison, to our eyes, the glories of all that is excellent; and if again awakened to light
and to liberty, it will only endear the more to our hearts the good old way. (T. Chalmers,
D. D.)
Steadfastness in the old paths
In what respect should we follow old times? Now here there is this obvious maxim—
what God has given us from heaven cannot be improved, what man discovers for himself
does admit of improvement: we follow old times then so far as God has spoken in them;
but in those respects in which God has not spoken in them, we are not bound to follow
them. Now knowledge connected merely with this present world, we have been left to
acquire for ourselves. How we may till our lands and increase our crops; how we may
build our houses, and buy and sell and get gain; how we may cross the sea in ships; how
we may make “fine linen for the merchant,” or, like Tubal-Cain, be artificers in brass and
iron: as to these objects of this world, necessary indeed for the time, not lastingly
important, God has given us no clear instruction. Here then we have no need to follow
the old ways. Besides, in many of these arts and pursuits, there is really neither right nor
wrong at all; but the good varies with times and places. Each country has its own way,
which is best for itself, and bad for others. Again, God has given us no authority in
questions of science. If we wish to boast ,bout little matters, we know more about the
motions of the heavenly bodies than Abraham, whose seed was in number as the stars;
we can measure the earth, and fathom the sea, and weigh the air, more accurately than
Moses, the inspired historian of the creation; and we can discuss the varied inhabitants
of this earth better than Solomon. But let us turn to that knowledge which God has
given, and which therefore does not admit of improvement by lapse of time; this is
religious knowledge. God taught Adam how to please Him, and Noah, and Abraham, and
Job. He has taught every nation all over the earth sufficiently for the moral training of
every individual. In all these cases, the world’s part of the work has been to pervert the
truth, not to disengage it from obscurity. The new ways are the crooked ones. The nearer
we mount up to the time of Adam, or Noah, or Abraham, or Job, the purer light of truth
we gain; as we recede from it we meet with superstitions, fanatical excesses, idolatries,
and immoralities. So again in the case of the Jewish Church, since God expressly gave
them a precise law, it is clear man could not improve upon it; he could but add the
“traditions of men.” Lastly, in the Christian Church, we cannot add or take away, as
regards the doctrines that are contained in the inspired volume, as regards the faith once
delivered to the saints. Other foundation can no man lay, than that is laid, which is Jesus
Christ (1Co_3:11). But it may be said that, though the Word of God is an infallible rule of
faith, yet it requires interpreting, and why, as time goes on, should we not discover in it
more than we at present know on the subject of religion and morals? But this is hardly a
question of practical importance to us as individuals; for in truth a very little knowledge
is enough for teaching a man his duty: and, since Scripture is intended to teach us our
duty, surely it was never intended as a storehouse of mere knowledge. Little knowledge
is required for religious obedience. The poor and rich, the learned and unlearned, are
here on a level. We have all of us the means of doing our duty; we have not the will, and
this no knowledge can give. We have need to subdue our own minds, and this no other
person can do for us. Practical religious knowledge is a personal gift, and, further, a gift

114. from God; and, therefore, as experience has hitherto shown, more likely to be obscured
than advanced by the lapse of time. But further, we know of the existence of an evil
principle in the world, corrupting and resisting the truth in its measure, according to the
truth’s clearness and purity. Our Saviour, who was the truth itself, was the most
spitefully entreated of all by the world. It has been the case with His followers too. The
purer and more valuable the gift which God bestows, far from this being a security for
the truth’s abiding and advancing, rather the more grievously has been the gift abused
(1Jn_2:18; 2Ti_3:13). Such is the case as regards the knowledge of our duty,—that kind
of knowledge which alone is really worth earnest seeking. And there is an important
reason why we should acquiesce in it;—because the conviction that things are so has no
slight influence in forming our minds into that perfection of the religious character at
which it is our duty ever to be aiming. While we think it possible to make some great and
important improvements in the subject of religion, we shall be unsettled, restless,
impatient; we shall be drawn from the consideration of improving ourselves, and from
using the day while it is given us, by the visions of a deceitful hope, which promises to
make rich but tendeth to penury. On the other hand, as we cease to be theorists we shall
become practical men; we shall have less of self-confidence and arrogance, more of
inward humility and diffidence; we shall be less likely to despise others, and think of our
own intellectual powers with less complacency. It is one great peculiarity of the
Christian’s character to be dependent; to be willing to serve, and to rejoice in the
permission; to be able to view himself in a subordinate place; to love to sit in the dust. To
his ears the words of the text are as sweet music: “Thus saith the Lord, Stand ye in the
ways, and see, and ask for the old paths,” etc. The history of the old dispensation affords
us a remarkable confirmation of what has been argued; for in the time of the law there
was an increase of religious knowledge by fresh revelations. From the time of Samuel
especially to the time of Malachi, the Church was bid look forward for a growing
illumination, which, though not necessary for religious obedience, subserved the
establishment of religious comfort. Now, observe how careful the inspired prophets of
Israel are to prevent any kind of disrespect being shown to the memory of former times,
on account of that increase of religious knowledge with which the later ages were
favoured; and if such reverence for the past were a duty among the Jews when the
Saviour was still to come, much more is it the duty of Christians. Now, as to the
reverence enjoined and taught the Jews towards persons and times past, we may notice
first the commandment given them to honour and obey their parents and elders. This,
indeed, is a natural law. But that very circumstance surely gives force to the express and
repeated injunctions given them to observe it, sanctioned too (as it was) with a special
promise. But, further, to bind them to the observance of this duty, the past was made the
pledge of the future, hope was grounded upon memory; all prayer for favour sent them
back to the old mercies of God. “The Lord hath been mindful of us, He will bless us”; this
was the form of their humble expectation. Lastly, as Moses directed the eyes of his
people towards the line of prophets which the Lord their God was to raise up from
among them, ending in the Messiah, they in turn dutifully exalt Moses, whose system
they were superseding. Samuel, David, Isaiah, Micah, Jeremiah, Daniel, Ezra,
Nehemiah, each in succession, bear testimony to Moses. Oh, that we had duly drunk into
this spirit of reverence and godly fear. Doubtless we are far above the Jews in our
privileges; we are favoured with the news of redemption; we know doctrines, which
righteous men of old time earnestly desired to be told, and were not. Yet our honours are
our shame, when we contrast the glory given us with our love of the world, our fear of
men, our lightness of mind, our sensuality, our gloomy tempers. What need have we to
look with wonder and reverence at those saints of the old covenant, who with less
advantages yet so far surpassed us; and still more at those of the Christian Church, who

115. both had higher gifts of grace and profited by them! (J. H. Newman, D. D.)
Religion an ancient path, and a good way
I. The instructive view given of religion.
1. It is an ancient path. The Gospel is coeval with the Fall. All the Mosaic rites and
ceremonies were typical of the blessings of the Gospel dispensation, and taught the
faithful worshipper to look forward to the Saviour.
2. It is a good way.
(1) This is the way which God Himself, of His infinite wisdom and goodness,
hath marked out for us.
(2) Those who walk in it may expect all necessary guidance and direction.
(3) In wisdom’s way we have the best of company.
(4) It will afford the purest pleasure, as we advance in it, and will infallibly
conduct us to perfect and endless happiness and glory.
II. The duty enjoined.
1. We are to use every endeavour to become acquainted with the ways of religion.
(1) If we are accountable beings, what shall we think of those who seem to have
formed a resolution to banish serious reflection from their minds; who plunge
themselves into vice, dissipate themselves in pleasure, in vanity, and in every
trifle that strikes their imagination; and devote themselves to those things, body
and soul, without ever stopping to consider what they are doing, whither they are
going, and what the consequences must be of their madness and folly!
(2) To self-reflection we add reflection on the Word of God.
(a) The way therein marked out is a way of holiness and purity.
(b) The superior excellence of the Scriptures, as a rule of life, will be still
further evident if we consider their high authority.
2. Our knowledge must be reduced to practice; when we have found the good way,
we must walk in it.
(1) We should immediately enter upon a religious course, after due information
concerning it.
(2) We should proceed in a religious course with the greatest care and
circumspection.
(3) We should endeavour to make continual progress in a religious course.
3. It is our duty to persevere in a religious course, it will not answer a traveller’s
purpose, who has a necessary journey before him, to proceed a little way in it, and
then give over, or take a different path that leads a contrary way. So, in the ways of
religion, he, and he only, who holds out to the end shall be saved.
III. The import of the gracious promise, by which the duty here enjoined is
recommended and enforced. The rest here promised consists—
1. In our being delivered from those uneasy doubts and anxieties of mind which arise

116. from an uncertainty as to the way in which we ought to go.
2. Those who walk in the good way of religion find rest to their souls, as they are
thereby delivered from the great cause of inward uneasiness—the sense of
unpardoned guilt; or, in other words, from the terrors of an accusing conscience.
3. They who walk in the ways of religion find rest to their souls, as they are thereby
delivered from those sources of disquietude which spring from sinful and unruly
passions.
4. This good way infallibly conducts those who walk in it to uninterrupted and
everlasting happiness in the world to come. (James Ross, D. D.)
Reverence for the old things
Jeremiah was the most unpopular of the prophets. First because he was somewhat of a
pessimist, uttering predictions which the events proved true enough, but which were
painted in too gloomy colours to suit the tastes of the people. Secondly, because he never
flattered. And a third, and even greater, reason for the dislike, was that they regarded
him as old-fashioned, out of date, an antiquated, obsolete old fogey, with his eyes
behind. He was always harping on the old times when people lived simple lives and
feared God. And the people sneered at him as a sort of fossil, as a man who had been
born a century too late. The people had a disease upon them which might be called
Egyptomania. They wanted to form a close alliance with Egypt, and to adopt all their
modes of life, their dress, furniture, luxuries, self-indulgences, political ideas, military
system, laws, morals, and religion. There was to be a clean sweep made of all that Israel
had loved and believed in and by taking heathen Egypt as a model they would speedily
attain to Egypt’s greatness and splendour. This was the craze against which the prophet
set himself, and protested in vain. For there are times when a people are determined to
destroy themselves. Are the old paths always Divine, and the new ways always as
dangerous as this prophet thought them? The answer has to be qualified, and there are
more answers than one. The Bible does not always speak in the same voice about it. If
Jeremiah looked back with lingering affection, St. Paul, who had seen the higher truth in
Christ, had his eyes in front, and advised us to forget the things which are behind. And a
greater than Paul has told us that every wise man will bring out of his treasury things
new and old. The man who sneers at everything which is old, and fancies that wisdom
always wears a brand new face, has precious little of the latter article himself. The
alphabet and the simple rules of arithmetic are as ancient as an Egyptian mummy, but
they are not out of date yet. We still need some of the things which Noah and Abraham
prized. On the other hand, the man who sets his face against everything new is shutting
his eyes to the light.
I. To bind ourselves to the old paths is, for us at least, in many things impossible. We
live in the midst of rapid movement and change, and we are carried along by it in spite of
ourselves. And if we could do it, it would be paralysing. It would be the end of all healthy
life and action. It is the distinguishing feature of Christian nations to be forever casting
off the old and putting on the new. It is a dead religion which stands still and makes men
stand still. The spirit of life in Christ Jesus urges the world on, away from a dead past
nearer to the golden age which is to be. I hardly dare bring before you the things which
are going on in China. And it all comes from a blind, brutal, obstinate clinging to the old
paths. The world moves on, and the Chinese refuse to move. God in His mercy has
brought us out of all that, and given us eyes to see that through the ages one unceasing

117. purpose runs, and the minds of men are widened with the process of the suns. There are
a hundred things in nearly every department of life which we do and know and
understand better than our fathers. We should never dream of going back in science,
machinery, politics, government, freedom of thought and speech, or in religion.
II. To forsake all the old paths is a folly quite as blind and self-destructive as to cling to
them all. Wisdom was not born in the present century. It dwelt with God before the
foundation of the world, and He gave some of it to men who lived thousands of years
before our time. We are cleverer than the ancients in some things, but not in all. The
Greek thinkers were superior to the best thinkers of today. We could not now produce
such books as Plato wrote, and the Hebrew prophets and psalmists put all our cleverest
writers into the shade. We cannot build temples as the men of old built. We cannot paint
pictures or carve statues or create things of beauty as they did. We have no Homers and
Virgils, Dantes, Miltons, Shakespeares, Bunyans. In moral and religious things many of
those greatest men were far in advance of our best, and we can only reach some of their
excellence by learning of them and treading in the old paths. In fact, in the greatest
things of life the old ways are the everlasting ways, and the only ways of safety. They
have stood the test of time. For the momentous questions of morality and righteousness,
worship and reverence, sin and human need, God and immortality, spiritual mysteries
and things unseen, we have still to sit like children at the feet of those giants of faith,
those great souls from Moses to St. Paul, who walked with God and spoke as they were
moved by the Holy Ghost. We cannot dispense with the Ten Commandments yet. And as
for the Sermon on the Mount, its very perfection is our despair. If you want to find the
highest types of manhood, you will stand rather in the old paths than the new; you will
look back rather than around you. If we want to know what sin is, we must go to the
Bible and the Cross of Jesus Christ, and not to the modem ideas, which often make light
of sin and treat it as irresponsible disease. If we want to learn the depth of penitence we
must go to the soul-stricken David or the weeping Peter. And if we would see light
beyond the grave we must go all that way back and stand with the women and the
disciples before an open sepulchre. Yes, and perhaps above all things, if we would learn
how to live and love, to endure and to hope, to suffer and to die, it is only in the old Bible
paths that we can get the lesson. The new lights will show us how to get money faster,
and to make life smoother and more comfortable, but they will not help us to be brave in
difficulties, patient in cross bearing, and fearless in the hour of death. (J. G.
Greenhough, M. A.)
The Jesus way
“You must not be discouraged,” said a Kiowa Indian, “if we Indians come slow. It is a
long road for us to leave our old Indian ways, and we have to think a great deal; but I am
sure that all the Indian people will come into the Jesus road for I see that these white
Jesus people are here to help us, and I thank them for coming. Tell the Christian people
to pray for us. We are ignorant, but we want to be led aright, that we may come into the
Jesus road.” The quaint Indian expressions are very suggestive. It is indeed a “long road”
to leave our old ways; and when we feel that we are safe in the “Jesus road,” we should
take time to ask ourselves if we are sure we are treading it as we should, if we are sure we
are not walking in some path that seems to run parallel with it, but which in reality is
leading us farther and farther away. (Christian Age.)

118. Ye shall find rest for your souls.—
Soul rest
It is the distinguishing mark of the “good” and “old” way that in it men find rest for their
souls. You may judge between the true Gospel and the false, between that which is of
God and that which is of man, by this one test. As “by their fruits ye shall know them,” so
by this one fruit among the rest: Does it bring rest into the soul? If not, it is not of God;
but if it brings a clear, sure, true, honest rest into the soul, then it cometh of standing in
the good way. Remember that rest was the promise of the Saviour. “Come unto Me”—not
to anything else, but “unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I”—Myself
personally—“will give you rest” But what next? “Take My yoke upon you and learn of Me,
and ye shall find rest”—that is another rest, still deeper, which you find in service. Oh,
what a blessed Saviour we follow, who everywhere giveth us rest! Rest is enjoyed by
believers now. But you will never find it anywhere else; as in no other form of religion, so
in no other form of pursuit. If you follow wealth you will not find rest there. I spoke
some time ago with a gentleman whom I believed to own more than a million, and I
ventured to say that I should think after a man had got a million, it would not be worth
while to have any more, because he could not get through that lot. “Ah,” he said, “I did
not know”; and, truly, I did not know; but yet I knew enough to perceive that if a man
had a million millions he would not be content. And if you go in for health and pursue
that with all diligence, as you might readily do, yet even in the best health there is no
rest. It is a noble gift; they who lose it know how precious it is; but there is no rest in
that. And as in honour, or any earthly thing, of themselves they are the occasion of
disquiet; they often are a seed plot wherein thorns grow that pierce us. But there is rest
in Jesus, there is rest in a solid, simple faith in Him, but there is no rest anywhere else.
I. In thy good way we find rest, if we walk therein.
1. There is the way of pardon by an atonement. What a rest that brings to the
conscience! A crushed conscience is but an echo of a truth. There is that in the nature
of God and in the necessity of things, of which the conscience is but a faint echo, and
when your conscience tells you sin must be punished, it tells you the truth; there is
no escape from that necessity, and because Jesus suffered in our room and stead
here is a glorious gate of salvation, but there is no other. So the way of pardon by an
atonement gives rest to the conscience.
2. The way of believing the Word of God as being inspired of God, and being our
authoritative guide, is a great rest to the understanding, “But do you understand it
all?” No, sir, I do not; I do not want to. I want to love a great deal more, but I do not
care so much about growing in that particular direction of finding out riddles and
being able to thread the spheres. But if I could love my Lord better, and be more like
Him, I would be happy. “Well, but you do not understand it, and yet you believe it.”
Yes, I do; I find it is such a great thing to move my little bark side by side with a great
rock, so high that I cannot see the top of it, because then I know I shall be sweetly
sheltered there. Well, it is almost as good not to know as it is to know about a great
many things, and sometimes better not to know, because then you can adore and
consider that when faith bows before the majesty of an awful mystery she pays to
God such homage as cherubim and seraphim pay Him before His throne.
3. There is a way which Christians learn of trusting their affairs with God which
gives a general rest to their minds. You see, if you are truly a Christian you have not
got anything, you have given it all to the Lord. Cannot you therefore trust Him with
it? And pray which part of your business would you like to manage yourself? Mark it

119. off and then make a black mark against it, for you will have no end of mischief and
trouble there. Oh, happy is that man who leaves everything, soul and body, entirely
in the hands of God, and is content with His Divine will.
4. The way of obedience to the Lord gives rest to the soul. He that believes in Jesus
obeys Jesus. Oh, if you do right and stand fast in your integrity you shall wear that
little herb called “heart-ease,” and he that weareth that is more happy than a king!
and if you can go home at night, and that little bird in your bosom, called conscience,
can sweetly sing to you that you have done a right thing, you shall rest in peace. And,
mark you, even as to temporal things in the long run you shall be no loser; but if you
should be, you will count it an honour to lose for Christ’s sake and for the right, and
in the end, if you lose silver you shall gain gold. The way of obedience to Divine
command gives rest to the soul.
5. The way of close communion with Christ is a way of profound rest unto the soul.
Once get to be in Him, and to abide in Him, let your communion with Him be
unbroken day after day, month after month, and year after year, and ye shall find rest
unto your soul.
II. The rest which is found by walking in the good way is good for the soul.
1. There is a rest which rusts and injures the soul; but Gospel rest is of a very
peculiar kind; it brings satisfaction, but it never verges on self-satisfaction. Oh, to be
satisfied in Christ Jesus! Full, and therefore craving to be fuller; fed, and therefore
hungering to have more.
2. Next, the rest that comes with Christ is a sense of safety, but it is not a sense of
presumption. The man that is most safe in Christ is just the man that would not run
any risks whatever. Secure, but not carnally secure; in safety, but not presumptuous.
3. This blessed rest creates content, but it also excites a desire of progress. The man
that is perfectly content to be saved in Christ Jesus is also very anxious to grow in
grace.
4. He that rests in God is also delivered from all legal fears, but he is supplied with
superior motives for holiness. The fear of hell and the hope of heaven are poor
motives to effort; but to feel “I cannot be lost; the blood of Christ is between me and
the everlasting fire; I am bound for the everlasting kingdom, and by the certainties of
the Divine promise as a believer I shall never be ashamed.”
III. Rest of this kind ought to be enjoyed now by every Christian. It is enjoyed by many
of us, and it is a grievous error when it is not the case with all real Christians. Some of
you say: “I trust I am a Christian, but I do not get much of this rest.” It is your own fault.
I will tell you one thing, though—you would find more rest if you walked in the middle of
the way. The best walking to heaven is in the middle of the road; on either side where the
hedges are there is a ditch as well. I do not care to go to heaven along the ditch, on the
outside of the road. Have you never heard the American story of a gentleman who
invited a friend up to his orchard to come and eat some of his apples—he had such
exquisite apples? But though he invited his friend several times, he never came. At last
he said: “I wish you would come and taste my fruit—it is wonderful, just in perfection
now.” He said: “Well, to tell you the truth! have tasted it, and I was ill after it.” “Well,”
said he, “how came that about?” “Well, as I was riding along I picked up an apple that
fell over into the road.” “Oh, dear,” he said, “you do not understand it. I went miles to
buy that peculiar sort of apple to put round the edge of the orchard; that was for the
boys, so that after they had once tasted that particular apple they might not think of

120. coming any farther. But if you will go into the orchard you will find I have a very
different sort of fruit inside.” Now, do you know that round the margin of religion the
trees of repentance and so forth grow—that fruit not over sweet to some palates. Oh, but
if you would come inside, but if you would come into the very centre, what joy you would
have! Surely, Christians, you have reason enough for delight. What a happy religion that
is in which pleasure is a precept! “Rejoice in the Lord always” is as much a command as
“Thou shalt keep the Sabbath day.” Remember that, and do pray God that you may get
into the very middle of the road, know you are there, and keep there year after year by
Divine grace, for then you shall find rest unto your souls. Well, then, this rest ought to be
enjoyed now. We ought to throw aside these anxious cares of ours; if we do not, in what
respect are we better than worldlings? An excursion to heaven is the best relief from the
cares of earth, and you may soon be there. Last night a friend living in Colombo, Ceylon,
said, “Oh, it is a beautiful place to live in. Although it is very hot where we live, yet in a
few hours we get up in the eternal snows where we shall be as cool as we wish.” That is
just what we are here. It is very hot: the cares and trials of life often parch us, but in five
minutes we can be up there in the hill country, and behold the face of Him we love. Why
do we not oftener go there? (C. H. Spurgeon.)
The bugle call to rest
In nothing has God consulted economy less than in the provision He has made to guard
us from danger; and the Divine solicitude to rescue us from ruin is strongly contrasted
with our perpetual propensity to rush into it. In the moral constitution of the mind, also,
the safeguards against danger are no less remarkable than the provisions for enjoyment.
Why is conscience made so acutely wakeful and sensitive, but with a view to guard us
against the first approaches of sin? Why is memory made so tenaciously to treasure up
the results of past experience and failure, but to repress that inconsiderate eagerness
which would hurry us on to ruin? In the Bible God has preeminently placed the strongest
guards on the side of danger.
I. The attractive view of religion furnished in this one word “rest.” God might have made
religion a state of penance and bondage, and it would still have been such had we been
suffered to “escape so as by fire.” Instead of this, tie clothes His religion with
attractiveness and tenderness.
1. It brings rest to the understanding by the truths it reveals.
2. It brings rest to the conscience by the pardon it imparts.
3. It brings rest by revealing an adequate object on which the affections can repose.
The tendency of irreligion is to dishonour and degrade our nature, by confining us to
the world and to time; that of real religion is to exalt and ennoble the mind by
connecting us with God and eternity. The one leaves us to mourn, with orphaned
heart; the other brings God before us as the object most worthy of our affections, and
able to meet and satisfy the vast capacities of happiness which His own kindness has
originated.
II. Causes of the rejection of religion by the worldly and inconsiderate.
1. A false estimate of themselves and of the evil and danger to which, in consequence
of sin, they are exposed.
2. The unsuspected influence of evil habits, and the progressive and hardening
tendency of uurepented sin. As Jeremy Taylor puts it: “Vice first is pleasing, then

121. delightful, then frequent, then habitual, then confirmed; then the man is impenitent,
then he is obstinate, then he resolves never to repent, and then he dies.”
3. The injurious and delusive results of a false and formal profession of religion.
Despair is a near neighbour of presumption. The system which is founded in fraud
must end in delusion. It fails to satisfy, as it fails to sanctify.
4. Because the period is extremely short in which the voice of God, as a Saviour, can
be heard at all. “Mercy is like the rainbow which God set in the clouds to remember
mankind. It shines here as long as it is not hindered; but we must never look for it
after it is night.” (Homiletic Magazine.)
17 I appointed watchmen over you and said,
‘Listen to the sound of the trumpet!’
But you said, ‘We will not listen.’
BAR ES, "Watchmen - The prophets Isa_52:8.
The second of the trumpet - This was the signal for flight Jer_6:1; Amo_3:6.
Similarly the prophet’s warning was to move men to escape from God’s judgments.
CLARKE, "I set watchmen - I have sent prophets to warn you.
GILL, "Also I set watchmen over you,.... That is, prophets, as Jarchi; true
prophets, as Kimchi; such an one was Ezekiel, Jer_3:17. The Targum interprets it
teachers; such were the apostles and first ministers of the Gospel; and all faithful
preachers of it, who teach men good doctrine and watch for their souls, give them
warning of their danger, and exhort them to flee to Christ for rest and safety; and these
are of the Lord's appointing, constituting, and setting in his churches; see 1Co_12:28.
Saying, hearken to the sound of the trumpet; to their voice, lifted up like a
trumpet, Isa_58:1, to the word preached by them; to the law, which lays before them
their sin and danger; and to the Gospel, which is a joyful sound, and gives a certain one,
and proclaims peace, pardon, and salvation, by Christ:

122. but they said, we will not hearken; so the Jews, in the times of Christ and his
apostles, turned a deaf ear to their ministry, contradicted and blasphemed the Gospel,
and judged themselves unworthy of it, and of eternal life, brought to light by it. Perhaps
here it may regard the punishments threatened the Jews by the prophets, which they
would not believe were coming upon them, but put away the evil day far from them.
HE RY, "By way of admonition concerning their danger. Because they would not be
ruled by fair reasoning, God takes another method with them; by less judgments he
threatens greater, and sends his prophets to give them this explication of them, and to
frighten them with an apprehension of the danger they were in (Jer_6:17); Also I set
watchmen over you. God's ministers are watchmen, and it is a great mercy to have them
set over us in the Lord. Now observe here, (1.) The fair warning given by these
watchmen. This was the burden of their song; they cried again and again, Hearken to the
sound of the trumpet. God, in his providence, sounds the trumpet (Zec_9:14); the
watchmen hear it themselves and are affected with it (Jer_4:19), and they are to call
upon others to hearken to it too, to hear the Lord's controversy, to observe the voice of
Providence, to improve it, and answer the intentions of it. (2.) This fair warning slighted:
“But they said, We will not hearken; we will not hear, we will not heed, we will not
believe; the prophets may as well save themselves and us the trouble.” The reason why
sinners perish is because they do not hearken to the sound of the trumpet; and the
reason why they do not is because they will not; and they have no reason to give why
they will not but because they will not, that is, they are herein most unreasonable. One
may more easily deal with ten men's reasons than one man's will.
JAMISO , "watchmen — prophets, whose duty it was to announce impending
calamities, so as to lead the people to repentance (Isa_21:11; Isa_58:1; Eze_3:17; Hab_
2:1).
K&D, "Jer_6:17
But God does not let the matter end here. He caused prophets to rise up amongst
them, who called their attention to the threatening evil. Watchers are prophets, Eze_
3:17, who stand upon the watch-tower to keep a lookout, Hab_2:1, and to give the people
warning, by proclaiming what they have seen in spirit. "Hearken to the sound," etc., are
not the words of the watchmen (prophets), for it is they who blow the trumpet, but the
words of God; so that we have to supply, "and I said." The comparison of the prophets to
watchmen, who give the alarm of the imminent danger by means of the sound of the
trumpet, involves the comparison of the prophets' utterances to the clang of the signal-
horn-suggested besides by Amo_3:6.
CALVI , "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.

123. 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 —
COFFMA , ""And I set watchmen over you saying, Hearken to the sound of the
trumpet; but they said, We will not hearken. Therefore hear, ye nations, and know,
O congregation, what is among them. 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; and as for my law, they have rejected it."
"We will not hearken ..." (Jeremiah 6:17). One needs to read this with the similar
response in the preceding verse, where Israel rejected God's invitation to walk in the
good way, saying, "We will not walk therein." The meaning is simply that the
Chosen People had lost all desire to continue in the favor of God.
"Hear, ye nations, Hear O earth ..." (Jeremiah 6:18-19). This solemn invitation to
the whole Gentile world, as well as the whole earth itself to hear what God will do is
such an introduction that requires a special understanding of God's promise here to
"bring evil upon this people." The Dean of Canterbury, quoting Cyprian, stated
that: "A decree so solemnly proclaimed can be of no light importance; and therefore
the Fathers (the Ante- icenes) not without reason understood it as referring to the
rejection of the Jews from being God's Church."[14] This is a profoundly true
observation, provided only that it should be understood as a removal only of the
racial angle of God's favor to Israel. After the captivity of the Jews, the racial Israel
never again enjoyed the status of being the wife of God. All of the promises to
Abraham would afterward be fulfilled in the ew Israel, which is Christ; but no
Jew was ever rejected because of his race; but at the same time, he would never
again be automatically a member of the true Israel on account of his race.
TRAPP, "Jeremiah 6:17 Also I set watchmen over you, [saying], Hearken to the
sound of the trumpet. But they said, We will not hearken.
Ver. 17. Also I set watchmen over you,] i.e., Priests and prophets to watch for your
welfare.
Hearken to the sound of the trumpet.] See on Jeremiah 6:8.
We will not hearken.] See on Jeremiah 6:16.

124. PETT, "Jeremiah 6:17
‘And I set watchmen over you, saying, “Listen to the sound of the ram’s horn,” but
they said, “We will not listen.”
YHWH had then set watchmen over them, His true prophets, who had, as it were,
sounded the warning on the ram’s horn. But they had closed their ears saying, ‘we
will not listen to your warnings’. So it was not that His people had not had every
opportunity, it was that they had simply turned their backs on them.
The Inevitable Consequences Which Must Follow.
PULPIT, "Also I set; rather, and I kept raising up (the frequentative perfect).
Watchmen; i.e. prophets (Ezekiel 3:17, and part of Isaiah 52:8; Isaiah 56:10).
Hearken, etc. probably the words of Jehovah. Standing on their high watch-tower
(Habakkuk 2:1), the prophets scrutinize the horizon for the first appearance of
danger, and give warning of it by (metaphorically) blowing a trumpet (so Amos 3:6).
18 Therefore hear, you nations;
you who are witnesses,
observe what will happen to them.
BAR ES, "God summons three witnesses to hear His sentence.
(1) the Gentiles.
(2) all mankind, Jews and Gentiles.
(3) nature (see Jer_6:19).
What is among them - Rather, “what happens” in them; i. e., “Know what great
things I will do to them.”
GILL, "Therefore hear, ye nations,.... Since the Jews refused to hearken to the
word of the Lord, the Gentiles are called upon to hear it, as in Act_13:45, this is a rebuke
to the Jews, that the Gentiles would hear, when they would not:

125. and know, O congregation; either of Israel, as the Targum and Kimchi explain it; or
of the nations of the world, the multitude of them; or the church of God in the midst of
them:
what is among them; among the Jews: either what evil is among them; what sins and
transgressions are committed by them; which were the cause of the Lord's threatening
them with sore judgments, and bringing them upon them; so Jarchi and Kimchi
interpret the words; to which agrees the Targum,
"and let the congregation of Israel know their sins;''
or the punishments the Lord inflicted on them: so the Vulgate Latin version, "and know,
O congregation, what I will do unto them"; which sense is confirmed by what follows:
HE RY 18-19, "Here, I. God appeals to all the neighbours, nay, to the whole world,
concerning the equity of his proceedings against Judah and Jerusalem (Jer_6:18, Jer_
6:19): “Hear, you nations, and know particularly, O congregation of the mighty, the
great men of the nations, that take cognizance of the affairs of states about you and make
remarks upon them. Observe now what is doing among those of Judah and Jerusalem;
you hear of the desolations brought upon them, the earth rings of it, trembles under it;
you all wonder that I should bring evil upon this people, that are in covenant with me,
that profess relation to me, that have worshipped me, and been highly favoured by me;
you are ready to ask, Wherefore has the Lord done thus to this land? Deu_29:24. Know
then,” 1. “That it is the natural product of their devices. The evil brought upon them is
the fruit of their thought. They thought to strengthen themselves by their alliance with
foreigners, and by that very thing they weakened and diminished themselves, they
betrayed and exposed themselves.” 2. “That it is the just punishment of their
disobedience and rebellion. God does but execute upon them the curse of the law for
their violation of its commands. It is because they have not hearkened to my words nor
to my law, nor regarded a word I have said to them, but rejected it all. They would never
have been ruined thus by the judgments of God's hand if they had not refused to be ruled
by the judgments of his mouth: therefore you cannot say that they have any wrong done
them.”
JAMISO , "congregation — parallel to “nations”; it therefore means the gathered
peoples who are invited to be witnesses as to how great is the perversity of the Israelites
(Jer_6:16, Jer_6:17), and that they deserve the severe punishment about to be inflicted
on them (Jer_6:19).
what is among them — what deeds are committed by the Israelites (Jer_6:16, Jer_
6:17) [Maurer]. Or, “what punishments are about to be inflicted on them” [Calvin].
K&D, "Jer_6:18
Judah being thus hardened, the Lord makes known to the nations what He has
determined regarding it; cf. Mic_1:2. The sense of "Know, thou congregation," etc., is far
from clear, and has been very variously given. Ros., Dahl., Maur., Umbr., and others,
understand ‫ה‬ ָ‫ד‬ ֵ‫ע‬ of the congregation or assembly of the foreign nations; but the word
cannot have this meaning without some further qualifying word. Besides, a second

126. mention of the nations is not suitable to the context. the congregation must be that of
Israel. The only question can be, whether we are by this to think of the whole people (of
Judah), (Chald, Syr., Ew., and others), or whether it is the company of the ungodly that
is addressed, as in the phrase ‫ת‬ ַ‫ד‬ ֲ‫ע‬ ‫ח‬ ַ‫ּר‬‫ק‬(Hitz.). But there is little probability in the view,
that the crew of the ungodly is addressed along with the nations and the earth. Not less
open to debate is the construction of ‫ם‬ ָ ‫ר־‬ ֶ‫שׁ‬ ֲ‫ת־א‬ ֶ‫.א‬ In any case little weight can be attached
to Hitz.'s assumption, that ‫ת‬ ֵ‫א‬ is used only to mark out the ‫ר‬ ֶ‫שׁ‬ ֲ‫א‬ as relative pronoun:
observe it, O company that is amidst them. The passages, Jer_38:16 (Chet.), and Ecc_
4:3, where ‫ת‬ ֵ‫א‬ seems to have this force, are different in kind; for a definite noun precedes,
and to it the relation ‫ר‬ ֶ‫ֶת־אשׁ‬ ֲ‫א‬is subjoined. And then what, on this construction, is the
reference of ‫ם‬ ָ , amidst them? Hitz. has said nothing on this point. But it could only be
referred to "peoples:" the company which is amidst the peoples; and this gives no
reasonable sense. These three words can only be object to "know:" know what is
amongst (in) them; or: what is or happens to them (against them). It has been taken in
the first sense by Chald. (their sins), Umbr., Maur.: what happens in or amongst them;
in the second by Ros., Dahl.: what I shall do against them. Ewald, again, without more
ado, changes ‫ם‬ ָ into ‫א‬ ָ : know, thou congregation, what is coming. By this certainly a
suitable sense is secured; but there are no sufficient reasons for a change of the text, it is
the mere expedient of embarrassment. All the ancient translators have read the present
text; even the translation of the lxx: καᆳ οᅷ ποιµαίνοντες τᆭ ποίµνια αᆒτራν, has been arrived
at by a confounding of letters (‫דעי‬ ‫עדה‬ with ‫רעי‬ ‫.)עדר‬ We understand "congregation" of
Israel, i.e., not of the whole people of Judah, but of those to whom the title
"congregation" was applicable, i.e., of the godly, small as their number might be.
Accordingly, we are not to refer ‫ר‬ ֶ‫שׁ‬ ֲ‫ת־א‬ ֶ‫א‬ ‫ם‬ ָ to "peoples:" what is occurring amidst the
peoples, viz., that they are coming to besiege Jerusalem, etc. (Jer_6:3.). Nor is it to be
referred to those in Judah who, according to Jer_6:16 and Jer_6:17, do not walk in the
right way, and will not give ear to the sound of the trumpet. The latter reference, acc. to
which the disputed phrase would be translated: what will happen to them (against
them), seems more feasible, and corresponds better to the parallelism of Jer_6:18 and
Jer_6:19, since this corresponds better to the parallelism of Jer_6:18 and Jer_6:19,
since this same phrase is then explained in Jer_6:19 by: I bring evil upon this people.
(Note: So that we cannot hold, with Graf, that the reading of the text is "manifestly
corrupted;" still less do we hold as substantiated or probable his conjectural reading:
‫עוּ‬ ְ‫וּד‬ ‫ר‬ ֶ‫שׁ‬ ֲ‫א‬ ִ‫ע‬ ֲ‫,ה‬ and know what I have testified against them.)
CALVI , 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

127. addressing the nations, and saying, Hear, ye nations
Then he says, Know, thou assembly The words used are ‫דעי‬ , doi, and ‫,עדה‬ ode; and
though the letters are inverted, there is yet an alliteration by no means ungraceful.
With regard to the meaning, the Prophet shews that he found no disciples among
the elect people, for they were like brute beasts or stones or trunks; he therefore
turned to address the nations, as he despaired of any fruit to his labors among the
Jews: ye nations, then, hear, and know, thou assembly, (the reference is to any
people,) what shall be to them Some interpreters apply this to their vices, and give
this version, “What their state is, “ or, “What atrocious vices prevail and reign
among them.” But I prefer to apply it to their punishment, though I do not contend
for this view, as there is a probability in favor of the other. But the Prophet seems
here to send for the nations, that they might be witnesses of the just vengeance of
God, because the people’s impiety had become irreclaimable. “Hear then what shall
be done to them.” He had threatened the Jews as he had done before, and as he will
often do hereafter; but his design in this place was to reproach them for being so
intractable; for he expected that his labors would produce more fruit among the
nations than among them. (179)
18.Therefore hear, ye nations, And know the testimony which is against them;
19.Yea, hear thou earth, — Behold, I am bringing an evil on this people, The fruit of
their own devices, Because to my words they have not hearkened; And my law, they
have ever rejected it.
The preposition ‫ב‬ is found after the verb, to testify, and is even rendered to or
against; and coming after the substantive, testimony, it ought to be rendered the
same. — Ed
TRAPP, "Jeremiah 6:18 Therefore hear, ye nations, and know, O congregation,
what [is] among them.
Ver. 18. Therefore hear, O ye nations.] For this people will not hear me, though I
speak never so good reason. Scaliger (a) telleth us that the nature of some kind of
amber is such that it will draw to itself all kind of stalks of any herb, except basilisk,
a herb called capitalis, because it makes men heady, filling their brains with black
exhalations. Thus those who by the fumes of their own corrupt wills are grown
headstrong, will not be drawn by that which draweth others who are not so
prejudicated.
What is among them?] What their sins are; or, Quid in eos - sc., constituerim; what
I have resolved to bring upon them; (b) or, Quae in eis, know, O congregation (of
the saints) which art among them.
PETT, "Jeremiah 6:18-19

128. ‘Therefore hear, you nations, and know, O congregation, what is among them. Hear,
O earth. Behold, I will bring evil on this people, even the fruit of their thoughts,
because they have not listened to my words, and as for my law, they have rejected
it.’
The seriousness and solemnity of the situation is brought out by God’s wide appeal
to witnesses as to what He is going to do, and why He is going to do it. He calls on
the nations as witnesses, and on ‘the congregation’. And then He calls on the earth
itself. The ‘congregation’ is a word commonly used to represent the whole of Israel,
but it cannot mean that here, unless it refers to the congregation in exile, for they
are to be witnesses of what is among the people of Judah. It is possible therefore that
the appeal is to the congregation of God that stands in judgment (Psalms 82:1). This
would tie in with the contrast with ‘earth’. Alternatively it could be seen as referring
to the righteous remnant (Christ would build His congregation on the righteous
remnant - Matthew 16:18).
What is to be witnessed is ‘what is among them’, their sin and its consequences. For
He is bringing evil on this people, as the ‘fruit of their thoughts’. What they have
sown in their thoughts, so will they reap. It will be the consequence of their having
set their minds against Him by saying, ‘we will not walk in it’ and ‘we will not
listen’ (Jeremiah 6:16-17). It is because they have not listened to His words and
warnings, and because they have rejected His Instruction (torah, law, instruction),
in other words have rejected His covenant, that evil and judgment must come on
them.
PULPIT, "Therefore hear, etc. Remonstrance being useless, the sentence upon
Israel can no longer be delayed, and Jehovah summons the nations of the earth as
witnesses (comp. Micah 1:2; Isaiah 18:3; Psalms 49:1). O congregation, what is
among them. The passage is obscure. "Congregation" can only refer to the foreign
nations mentioned in the first clause; for Israel could not be called upon to hear the
judgment "upon this people" (Jeremiah 6:19). There is, however, no other passage
in which the word has this reference. The words rendered "what is among them,"
or "what (shall happen) in them," seem unnaturally laconic, and not as weighty as
one would expect after the solemn introduction. If correct, they must of course refer
to the Israelites. But Graf's conjecture that the text is corrupt lies near at hand. The
least alteration which will remove the difficulties of the passage is that presupposed
by the rendering of Aquila (not Symmachus, as St. Jerome says; see Field's
'Hexapla') and J. D. Michaelis, "the testimony which is against them."
19 Hear, you earth:
I am bringing disaster on this people,

129. the fruit of their schemes,
because they have not listened to my words
and have rejected my law.
BAR ES, "The fathers understood this to be the decree rejecting the Jews from
being the Church.
GILL, "Hear, O earth: behold, I will bring evil upon this people,.... The people
of the Jews; the evil of punishment, for the evil of sin committed by them; wherefore the
earth, and the inhabitants of it, are called upon to bear witness to, the righteousness of
such a procedure:
even the fruit of their thoughts; which they thought of, contrived, and devised;
which shows that they did not do what they did inadvertently, but with thought and
design. Kimchi interprets it of sinful deeds and actions, the fruit of thoughts; but his
father, of thoughts themselves. The Talmudists, (y) comment upon it thus,
"a thought which brings forth fruit, the holy blessed God joins it to an action; but a
thought in which there is no fruit, the holy blessed God does not join to action;''
that is, in punishment; very wrongly. For the sense is, that God would bring upon them
the calamities and distresses their thoughts and the evil counsels of their minds
deserved. The Targum renders it,
"the retribution or reward of their works.''
Because they have not hearkened unto my words; spoken to them by the
prophets:
nor to my law, but rejected it; neither hearkened to the law, nor to the prophets, but
despised both. The Targum is,
"because they obeyed not the words of my servants, the prophets, and abhorred my law.''
JAMISO , "(Isa_1:2).
fruit of ... thoughts — (Pro_1:31).
nor to my law, but rejected it — literally, “and (as to) My law they have rejected
it.” The same construction occurs in Gen_22:24.

130. K&D, "Jer_6:19
In Jer_6:19 the evil is characterized as a punishment drawn down by them on
themselves by means of the apposition: fruit of their thoughts. "Fruit of their thoughts,"
not of their deeds (Isa_3:10), in order to mark the hostility of the evil heart towards
God. God's law is put in a place of prominence by the turn of the expression: My law, and
they spurned at it; cf. Ew. §344, b, with 309, b.
CALVI , "He then adds, Hear, thou earth This is general, as though he said, “Hear
ye, all the inhabitants of the earth: “Behold, I am bringing an evil on this people He
would have directly addressed the Jews, had they ears to hear; but as their vices and
contempt of God had made them deaf, it was necessary for him to address the earth.
ow, God testifies here that he should not act cruelly in visiting with severity this
people, as he would only reward them as they deserved. The sum of what is said
then is, that however grievous might be the punishment he would inflict, yet the
people could not complain of immoderate rigor, for they should only receive what
their works justly deserved. But Jeremiah not only speaks of their works, but he
mentions the fruit of their thoughts; for they concocted their wickedness within, so
that they did not offend God through levity or ignorance. By thoughts, then, he
means that daily meditation on evil, to which the Jews had habituated themselves.
So then their interior wickedness and obstinacy are here set forth.
He afterwards adds, Because they have not to my words attended, and for nothing
have they esteemed my law. We ever see that the guilt of the Jews was increased by
the circumstance, that God had exhorted them by his servants, and that they had
rejected all instruction. That they then would not hearken, and that they counted
the law and instruction as nothing, made it evident that their sin could not by any
pretense be excused; for they knowingly and openly carried on war with God
himself, according to what is said of the giants.
We may learn from this passage, that nothing is more abominable in the sight of
God than the contempt of divine truth; for his majesty, which shines forth in his
word, is thereby trampled under foot; and further, it is art extreme ingratitude in
men, when God himself invites them to salvation, willfully to seek their own ruin
and to reject his favor. It is no wonder then that God cannot endure the contempt of
his word; by which his majesty, as I have said, is dishonored, and his goodness, by
which he would secure the salvation of men, is treated with the basest ingratitude.
He afterwards adds —
TRAPP, "Jeremiah 6:19 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.
Ver. 19. Hear, O earth.] In case none else will hear.
Even the fruit of their thoughts.] Why, then, should any man think that "thought is

131. free?" Free they are from men’s courts and consistories, but not from God’s eye,
law, or hand.
20 What do I care about incense from Sheba
or sweet calamus from a distant land?
Your burnt offerings are not acceptable;
your sacrifices do not please me.”
BAR ES, "The sweet cane - The same as the scented cane of Exo_30:23 (see the
note).
Your burnt offerings - The rejection of ritual observances is proclaimed by the two
prophets Isaiah and Jeremiah, who chiefly assisted the two pious kings, Hezekiah and
Josiah, in restoring the temple-service. God rejects not the ceremonial service, but the
substitution of it for personal holiness and morality. Compare 1Sa_15:22; Isa_1:11; Mic_
6:6-8.
CLARKE, "Incense frown Sheba - Sheba was in Arabian famous for the best
incense. It was situated towards the southern extremity of the peninsula of Arabia; and
was, in respect of Judea, a far country.
And the sweet cane from a far country - The calamus aromaticus, which, when
dried and pulverized, yields a very fine aromatic smell; see on Isa_43:24 (note). This was
employed in making the holy anointing oil. See Exo_30:23.
GILL, "To what purpose cometh there to me incense from Sheba,.... In Persia
or Arabia, from whence incense was brought, and perhaps the best; see Isa_60:6, and
yet the offering of this was of no esteem with God, when the words of the prophet, and
the law of his mouth, were despised; see Isa_1:13,
and the sweet cane from a far country? either from the same place, Sheba, which
was a country afar off, Joe_3:8, or from India, as Jerom interprets it; this was one of the
spices in the anointing oil, Exo_30:23 and though this was of divine appointment, and
an omission of it is complained of, Isa_43:24 yet when this was brought with a
hypocritical heart, and to atone for neglects of the moral law, and sins committed

132. against that, it was rejected by the Lord:
your burnt, offerings are not acceptable, nor your sacrifices sweet unto me:
being offered up with a wicked mind, and without faith in Christ, and in order to expiate
the guilt of black crimes unrepented of, and continued in; they were not grateful to God,
nor could he smell a sweet savour in them, but loathed and abhorred them; see Isa_1:11.
HE RY, "God rejects their plea, by which they insisted upon their external services
as sufficient to atone for all their sins. Alas! it is a frivolous plea (Jer_6:20): “To what
purpose come there to me incense and sweet cane, to be burnt for a perfume on the
golden altar, though it was the best of the kind, and far-fetched? What care I for your
burnt-offerings and your sacrifices?” They not only cannot profit God (no sacrifice does,
Psa_50:9), but they do not please him, for none does this but the sacrifice of the upright;
that of the wicked is an abomination to him. Sacrifice and incense were appointed to
excite their repentance, and to direct them to a Mediator, and assist their faith in him.
Where this good use was made of them they were acceptable, God had respect to them
and to those that offered them. But when they were offered with an opinion that thereby
they made God their debtor, and purchased a license to go on in sin, they were so far
from being pleasing to God that they were a provocation to him.
JAMISO , "Literally, “To what purpose is this to Me, that incense cometh to Me?”
incense ... cane — (Isa_43:24; Isa_60:6). No external services are accepted by God
without obedience of the heart and life (Jer_7:21; Psa_50:7-9; Isa_1:11; Mic_6:6, etc.).
sweet ... sweet — antithesis. Your sweet cane is not sweet to Me. The calamus.
K&D, "Jer_6:20
The people had no shortcoming in the matter of sacrifice in the temple; but in this
service, as being mere outward service of works, the Lord has no pleasure, if the heart is
estranged from Him, rebels against His commandments. Here we have the doctrine, to
obey is better than sacrifice, 1Sa_15:22. The Lord desires that men do justice, exercise
love, and walk humbly with Him, Mic_6:8. Sacrifice, as opus operatum, is denounced by
all the prophets: cf. Hos_6:6; Amo_5:21., Isa_1:11; Psa_50:8. Incense from Sheba (see
on Eze_27:22) was required partly for the preparation of the holy incense (Exo_30:34),
partly as an addition to the meat-offerings, Lev_2:1, Lev_2:15, etc. Good, precious cane,
is the aromatic reed, calamus odoratus (Exo_30:23), calamus from a far country -
namely, brought from India - and used in the preparation of the anointing oil; see on
Exo_30:23. ‫ּון‬‫צ‬ ָ‫ר‬ ְ‫ל‬ is from the language of the Torah; cf. Lev_1:3., Jer_22:19., Exo_28:38;
and with ‫ּא‬‫ל‬: not to well-pleasing, sc. before Jahveh, i.e., they cannot procure for the
offerers the pleasure or favour of God. With ‫ּא‬‫ל‬ ‫בוּ‬ ְ‫ֽר‬ ָ‫ע‬ ‫י‬ ִ‫ל‬ cf. Hos_9:4.
BI, "Your burnt offerings are not acceptable.
Waste worship
I. The manifest failure of these Jewish offerings.
1. By these their consecration was to be furthered. But they were foul.

133. 2. By these their repentance was to be awakened. But they sinned shamefully.
3. By these their minds were to be directed to the Messiah. But, in their arrogance
and care for mere externals, they lost sight of spiritual lessons.
4. By these God was to be pleased and propitiated. The text indicates their complete
miscarriage in this respect.
II. The indignant question and repudiation.
1. God thrusts from Himself the offensive temple offerings. He demands the heart.
Nothing is sweet to God without love.
2. God stigmatises them as purposeless and waste.
3. Worship that offends God is waste, but also something more. Heart hardening.
Judgment. Punishment.
Lessons—
1. The most important matter about our spiritual things is their acceptableness with
God.
2. Our best energies are needed, not for externals, but internals. (W. B. Haynes.)
Ostentatiousness of hypocrisy
Drones make more noise than bees, though they make neither honey nor wax. (J.
Trapp.)
CALVI , "The Prophet here replies to those hypocrites, who thought that they
made an expiation when they had offered incense and sacrifices, as though that was
all that was necessary in serving God: and hence we shall hereafter see, that the
Temple had become the den of thieves; for when they sedulously offered incense
every day and performed other ceremonies, they thought that God was pacified.
Thus hypocrites ever mock God with their fopperies and regard God as extremely
cruel, when not satisfied with external display. This was a perpetual evil, with which
the prophets had to contend: and hence the notion is often found referred to by our
Prophet,
“I desired not sacrifices; I commanded not your fathers, when I stretched forth my
hand to bring them out of Egypt, to offer burnt — offerings to me, but only to obey
my voice,”
(Jeremiah 7:21)
So we find in other prophets: the Psalmist says,
“If I hunger, I will not tell thee,” (Psalms 50:12)
It is said also by Micah,

134. “What does God require of thee, but to humble thyself before him? He seeks not
thousands of rams nor thousands of oxen from thy herds,” (Micah 6:7)
And we see at this day, that men cannot be rightly taught, except we carry on war
against that external splendor with which they will have God to be satisfied. As then
men deceive themselves with such trifles, it is necessary to shew that all those things
which hypocrites obtrude on God, without sincerity of heart, are frivolous
trumperies. This is the import of what is here taught.
There is, then, no doubt but that the Jews punctually offered their sacrifices, and
observed the legal rites. All this might have appeared very commendable; but God
gives this answer, To what purpose does frankincense come to me from the Sabeans,
and a sweet cane (180) (that is, odoriferous) from a far country? Thus the Prophet
here anticipates hypocrites, that he might not leave them — what they might have
objected: for while they spent a large sum of money on their forms of worship, they
thought that God was as it were bound to them: and where they also bestowed much
labor, they supposed that their’ toil could not be superfluous or useless. And under
the Papacy we observe the same thing: when any one builds a splendid church, and
adorns it with gold and silver and supplies it with rich furniture, and then provides
a revenue for saying masses, he thinks that lie holds in his hands all the keys of the
kingdom of heaven, so that he can push in even against the will of God. Similar is
the madness of the Papists, when they undertake pilgrimages: when they labor and
toil, they think that every step they take must be numbered before God, and that
God would be unjust, were he not to approve of what is offered to him with so much
trouble. Such was also the conceit of the Jews. As their incense, brought from the
Sa-beans, that is, from the east, even from Persia, was precious, and cost a
considerable sum of money, they wished that this should be deemed a satisfaction
for all their sins; and they looked for the same benefit from the cane: as the most
odoriferous cane was bought at, a high price, they expected that it would be of
account before God, and that it would avail to compensate for their punishment.
This is the folly which God here treats with contempt. “What are they to me, “he
says, “your expenses? I indeed count as nothing all that ye spend in buying incense
and sweet cane.” And then he speaks of the Sabeans and of a far country.
He afterwards adds, Please me do not your burnt —offerings, and your sacrifices
are not acceptable Under one kind Jeremiah includes the whole worship according
to the law; and yet it had been divinely appointed: this is indeed true, but for
another purpose. Fasting does not of itself displease God; but it becomes an
abomination to him, when it is thought to be a meritorious work, or when some
holiness is connected with it. The same is true as to sacrifices; for they who sought to
pacify God by victims robbed Christ of his honor: it was to transfer the favor, which
comes from Christ, to a calf or to a goat: and what a sacrilege was this, and how
abominable? When, therefore, the Jews set such a high value on their sacrifices,
they sought first childishly to trifle with God, as though these were expiations to
pacify him; and then to offer burnt — offerings, to slay an animal, for pacifying
God, was to change his nature; and lastly, it was, as I have said, to rob Christ of his
honor: for expiation is to be sought by no other means than through his blood, by

135. which we are cleansed from every stain through the Holy Spirit, who sprinkles it on
our hearts. But when this was attributed to sacrifices, they substituted the victim, or
the ram, for Christ, according to what has been stated.
ow there ought to have been in sacrifices the exercise of the duty of repentance:
but when they became more and more hardened, and thought that by their
ceremonies they obtained a greater license to sin, and that God required no more
from them, as though they had settled matters with him, they completely neutralized
the design of God: for sacrifices, as it has been already said, had been enjoined for
this end, — that they might exercise penitence.
We now then see that this answer given by Jeremiah was not in vain, — that their
sacrifices did not please God. There is a severer language used elsewhere, — that
God nauseated them, that he was wearied in bearing them, that he was constrained
to be troubled with them, while they thus profaned his name. (Isaiah 1:14.) The
meaning here is the same, — that God never required sacrifices for their own sake,
but for another end; and also, that all external rites are of themselves mere
trumperies and mockeries, nay, a profanation of God’s name; so that they could not
pacify him, but, on the contrary, provoke his wrath. It follows —
20.For what purpose is this done to me? Incense, from Sheba it comes, And the
precious reed, from a distant land: Your burnt-offerings, they are not acceptable,
And your sacrifices, they are not pleasing to me.
The reed or cane was dried and powdered, and formed a part of the incense. The
latter is mentioned first, and then one of its ingredients. Sheba and the distant land
are the same. The same order is to be observed in the burnt-offerings and sacrifices;
the finished act first, and then the previous act of presenting a sacrifice. — Ed.
COFFMA , ""For what purpose cometh there to me frankincense from Sheba, and
the sweet cane from a far country? your burnt-offerings are not acceptable, nor
your sacrifices pleasing unto me. Therefore thus saith Jehovah, Behold, I will lay
stumbling-blocks before this people; and the fathers and the sons together shall
stumble against them; the neighbor and his friend shall perish."
"Your burnt-offerings are not acceptable ..." (Jeremiah 6:20). "This does not mean
that Jehovah was against sacrifices per se; he was only against unethical
sacrifices."[15] When habitual sinners, insincere, hypocritical, and rebellious
against God brought sacrifices to God, they were not merely unacceptable but were
an abomination to the Holy God.
There was nothing capricious or vindictive on God's part who is represented here as
placing "stumbling blocks" in the way of Israel. "The stumbling blocks confronting
the people were of their own making,"[16] when they had deliberately refused to
walk in the good way (v. 17). Yes God had placed the stumblingblocks in the way of
evil which Judah elected to take with such disastrous consequences. It is, as if God

136. had said, "Take your choice; choose your way, either (1) the ancient paths, the good
way, or (2) the way with the stumbling-blocks."[17]
TRAPP, "Jeremiah 6:20 To what purpose cometh there to me incense from Sheba,
and the sweet cane from a far country? your burnt offerings [are] not acceptable,
nor your sacrifices sweet unto me.
Ver. 20. To what purpose cometh there to me incense?] Cui bono, so long as it
smelleth of the foul hand that offereth it, so long as you think to bribe me with it?
See Isaiah 1:14.
From Sheba.] Whence the Greeks seem to have their word σεβειν, to worship; and
the Arabians call God - the adequate object of divine worship - Sabim, and a
mystery, Saba.
And the sweet cane.] Heb., Cane the good. The Septuagint render it cinnamon; and
the Vulgate, calamus; of which see Pliny, lib. xii. cap. 22.
From a far country.] From India, saith Jerome. Haec omnia bene in nostros Papistas
quadrabunt.
COKE, "Jeremiah 6:20. To what purpose, &c.— Sheba was part of Arabia Felix,
and famous for its incense and perfumes. Respecting the sweet cane, see Isaiah
43:24. The prophet here reproves the hypocrisy of the Jews, who endeavoured to
cover their inward corruption by the external appearances of religion:—which the
prophets often declare to be of no value, when they do not proceed from a devout
mind;—and thereby paved the way for the abolition of the external ceremonies of
the Mosaic Dispensation, and for the practice of that spiritual worship
recommended by the Gospel. See chap. Jeremiah 5:2, Jeremiah 7:2, &c. and Isaiah
1:11.
PETT, "Jeremiah 6:20
‘To what purpose comes frankincense to me from Sheba,
And the sweet cane from a far country?
Your burnt-offerings are not acceptable,
or your sacrifices pleasing to me.
And in view of their rejection of the requirements of the covenant, and of His Law,
there is little purpose in their bringing to Him expensive gifts. Frankincense from
Sheba, and sweet cane from a far country may be all very well. But they do not
replace good, old-fashioned obedience. or in those circumstances are offerings and
sacrifices pleasing to Him. We have here the constantly repeated assertion by the
prophets that ritual offerings are not sufficient in themselves, unless they are

137. accompanied by love and obedience (compare 1 Samuel 15:22; Isaiah 1:11-18;
Hosea 6:6; Amos 5:21-22).
Sheba was in Arabia to the east, and a source of perfumes and scents. Frankincense
was required for the preparation of the holy incense (Exodus 30:34) and the holy
anointing oil, while the ‘far country’ is probably India from where would come the
aromatic calamus that was also required.
PULPIT, "To what purpose … incense from Sheba? This is the answer to an
implied objection on the part of the Jews, that they have faithfully fulfilled their
core-menial obligations. "To obey is better than sacrifice" (1 Samuel 15:22); "And
what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk
humbly with thy God?" (Micah 6:8; comp. Isaiah 1:11; Amos 5:21-24; Hosea 6:6;
Micah 6:6-8). All these passages must be read in the light of the prophets'
circumstances. A purely formal, petrified religion compelled them to attack the
existing priesthood, and a holy indignation cannot stop to measure its language.
Incense from Sheba; frankincense from south-west Arabia. This was required for
the holy incense (Exodus 30:34), and as an addition to the minkhah, or "meal
offering." Sweet cane. The "sweet calamus" of Exodus 30:23, which was imported
from India. It was an ingredient in the holy anointing oil (Exodus, loc. cit.). ot to
be confounded with the sugar-cane.
21 Therefore this is what the Lord says:
“I will put obstacles before this people.
Parents and children alike will stumble over
them;
neighbors and friends will perish.”
BAR ES, "“Behold,” I give unto “this people” causes of stumbling,
And they shall stumble against them:

138. Fathers and sons together,
“The neighbor and his friend shall perish.”
This is the natural consequence of their conduct. Their service of Yahweh was a
systematic hypocrisy: how then could they walk uprightly with their fellow-men? When
God lays stumblingblocks in men’s way, it is by the general action of His moral law Jam_
1:13-14, by which willful sin in one point reacts upon the whole moral nature Jam_2:10.
GILL, "Therefore thus saith the Lord,.... Because of their immorality and
hypocrisy, their contempt of his word, and confidence in legal rites and ceremonies:
behold, I will lay stumblingblocks before this people; by which may be meant
the judgments of God upon them, raising up enemies against them, and suffering them
to invade their land; particularly the Assyrians, as the following words show. Moreover,
the prophecies of the false prophets, and the doctrines which they were permitted to
spread among the people, were snares and stumblingblocks unto them, they being given
up to believe their lies, and to be hardened by them; nay, even true doctrines, the
doctrines of justification and salvation by Christ, yea, Christ himself, were a rock of
offence, and a stumbling stone to these people, Isa_8:14.
and the fathers and the sons together shall fall upon them; or, "by them" (z);
the latter following the examples of the forager; and so it denotes, that as the corruption
was general, the punishment would be:
and the neighbour and his friend shall perish; in the same calamity, being
involved in the guilt of the same iniquity, in which they encouraged and hardened one
another. The Septuagint and Arabic versions by "stumblingblocks" understand an
"infirmity" or "disease", which should come upon the people, and make a general
desolation among them. Kimchi interprets the whole of the wickedness of fathers and
children, neighbours and friends, and such as were in trade and partnership, and of their
delight in mischief; that though they were aware of the stumblingblocks, yet would not
give each other warning of them. The whole, according to the accents, should be
rendered thus, "and they shall fall upon them, the fathers and the sons together, the
neighbour and his friend, and they shall perish"; falling and perishing are said of them
all.
HE RY 21-23, " He foretels the desolation that was now coming upon them. 1. God
designs their ruin because they hate to be reformed (Jer_6:21): I will lay stumbling-
blocks before this people, occasions of falling not into sin, but into trouble. Those whom
God has marked for destruction he perplexes and embarrasses in their counsels, and
obstructs and retards all the methods they take for their own safety. The parties of the
enemy, which they met with wherever they went, were stumbling-blocks to them; in ever
corner they stumbled upon them and were dashed to pieces by them: The fathers and
the sons together shall fall upon them; neither the fathers with their wisdom, nor the
sons with their strength and courage, shall escape them, or get over them. The sons that
sinned with their fathers fall with them. Even the neighbour and his friend shall perish
and not be able to help either themselves or one another. 2. He will make use of the
Chaldeans as instruments of it; for whatever work God has to do he will find out proper
instruments for the doing of it. This is a people fetched from the north, from the sides of

139. the earth. Babylon itself lay a great way off northward; and some of the countries that
were subject to the king of Babylon, out of which his army was levied, lay much further.
These must be employed in this service, Jer_6:22, Jer_6:23. For, (1.) It is a people very
numerous, a great nation, which will make their invasion the more formidable. (2.) It is
a warlike people. They lay hold on bow and spear, and at this time know how to use
them, for they are used to them. They ride upon horses, and therefore they march the
more swiftly, and in battle press the harder. No nation had yet brought into the field a
better cavalry that the Chaldeans. (3.) It is a barbarous people. They are cruel and have
no mercy, being greedy of prey and flushed with victory. They take a pride in frightening
all about them; their voice roars like the sea. And, (4.) They have a particular design
upon Judah and Jerusalem, in hopes greatly to enrich themselves with the spoil of that
famous country. They are set in array against thee, O daughter of Zion! The sins of
God's professing people make them an easy prey to those that are God's enemies as well
as theirs.
JAMISO , "stumbling-blocks — instruments of the Jews’ ruin (compare Mat_
21:44; Isa_8:14; 1Pe_2:8). God Himself (“I”) lays them before the reprobate (Psa_
69:22; Rom_1:28; Rom_11:9).
fathers ... sons ... neighbour ... friend — indiscriminate ruin.
K&D, "Jer_6:21
Therefore the Lord will lay stumbling-blocks before the people, whereby they all come
to grief. The stumbling-blocks by which the people are to fall and perish, are the inroads,
of the enemies, whose formidableness is depicted in Jer_6:22. The idea of totality is
realized by individual cases in "fathers and sons, neighbour and his friend." ‫ו‬ ָ ְ‫ח‬ַ‫י‬ belongs
to the following clause, and not the Keri, but the Cheth. ‫דוּ‬ ֵ‫ּאב‬‫י‬, is the true reading. The
Keri is formed after the analogy of Jer_46:6 and Jer_50:32; but it is unsuitable, since
then we would require, as in the passages cited, to have ‫ל‬ ַ‫פ‬ָ‫נ‬ in direct connection with ‫ל‬ ַ‫שׁ‬ ָⅴ
.
CALVI , "Here God, in plain words, declares what vengeance he would execute on
the people. He says first, that he would lay for them stumbling blocks He no doubt
compares the judgments which were nigh to nets or traps; for the Jews hoped to
escape. He therefore says, that they would be ensnared: “Wherever ye go, “he says,
“ye shall meet with those nets by which God will catch you: Fall, therefore, shall
both fathers and sons, the neighbor and his friend ”
He means by these words, that however they might conspire together, they would
yet be exposed to the same punishment. For when sons follow the examples of their
fathers, they think themselves innocent; and also when any one has many associates,
he thinks himself safe in his licentiousness. As, then, consent or society hardens the
ungodly, so that they fear not the wrath of God, the Prophet on this account
includes sons with their fathers, and a neighbor with his friend, as those who were
to perish together, and without any difference. The word “stumbling blocks” is

140. indeed metaphorical; but in the next verse the Prophet speaks without a figure, and
says —
TRAPP, "Jeremiah 6:21 Therefore thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will lay
stumblingblocks before this people, and the fathers and the sons together shall fall
upon them; the neighbour and his friend shall perish.
Ver. 21. Behold, I will lay stumblingblocks.] (a) Heb., Stumblements - i.e., occasions,
preparations, and means to work their ruth and ruin; what these are, see Jeremiah
6:22.
PETT, "Jeremiah 6:21
‘Therefore thus says YHWH, “Behold, I will lay stumbling-blocks before this
people, and the fathers and the sons together will stumble against them, the
neighbour and his friend will perish.”
Having called on His witnesses YHWH now gives His verdict. He is going to fill their
way with grave difficulties which will cause ‘this people’, who have sinned so
greatly, to stumble totally against them, and they will all, both father and son, and
the friend with his neighbour, perish together. They all got along together, and now
they would all perish together.
22 This is what the Lord says:
“Look, an army is coming
from the land of the north;
a great nation is being stirred up
from the ends of the earth.
BAR ES, "Raised - Or, awakened, to undertake distant expeditions.
The sides of the earth - Or ends, the most distant regions (see Jer_25:32).
GILL, "Thus saith the Lord, behold, a people cometh from the north

141. country,.... The Assyrians from Babylon, which lay north of Judea, as in Jer_1:14,
and a great nation shall be raised; that is, by the Lord, who would stir them up to
this undertaking. The Targum is,
"many people shall come openly:''
from the sides of the earth; afar off, as Babylon was, Jer_5:15.
JAMISO , "north ... sides of the earth — The ancients were little acquainted
with the north; therefore it is called the remotest regions (as the Hebrew for “sides”
ought to be translated, see on Isa_14:13) of the earth. The Chaldees are meant (Jer_1:15;
Jer_5:15). It is striking that the very same calamities which the Chaldeans had inflicted
on Zion are threatened as the retribution to be dealt in turn to themselves by Jehovah
(Jer_50:41-43).
K&D 22-25, "A distant, cruel people will execute the judgment, since Judah, under
the trial, has proved to be worthless metal. - Jer_6:22. "Thus hath Jahveh said: Behold,
a people cometh from the land of the north, and a great nation raises itself from the
furthermost sides of the earth. Jer_6:23. Bows and javelins they bear; cruel it is, and
they have no mercy; their voice roareth like the sea; and on horses they ride, equipped
as a man for the war against thee, daughter of Zion. Jer_6:24. We heard the rumour
thereof: weak are our hands: anguish hath taken hold of us, and pain, as of a woman
in travail. Jer_6:25. Go not forth into the field, and in the way walk not; for a sword
hath the enemy, fear is all around. Jer_6:26. O daughter of my people, gird thee with
sackcloth, and besprinkle thee with ashes; make mourning for an only son, butter
lamentation: for suddenly shall the spoiler come upon us. Jer_6:27. For a trier have I
set thee among my people as a strong tower, that thou mightest know and try their
way. Jer_6:28. They are all revolters of revolters; go about as slanderers; brass and
iron; they are all dealing corruptingly. Jer_6:29. Burned are the bellows by the fire, at
an end is the lead; in vain they melt and melt; and wicked ones are not separated. Jer_
6:30. Rejected silver they call them, for Jahveh hath rejected them."
In Jer_6:22 the stumbling-blocks of Jer_6:21 are explained. At the end of this
discourse yet again the invasion of the enemy from the far north is announced, cf. Jer_
4:13 and Jer_5:15, and its terribleness is portrayed with new colours. The farther the
land is from which the enemy comes, the more strange and terrible he appears to the
imagination. The farthest (hindmost) sides of the earth (cf. Jer_25:32) is only a
heightening of the idea: land of the north, or of the far distance (Jer_5:15); in other
words, the far uttermost north (cf. Isa_14:13). In this notice of their home, Hitz. finds a
proof that the enemies were the Scythians, not the Chaldeans; since, acc. to Eze_38:6,
Eze_38:15, and Eze_39:2, Gog, i.e., The Scythians, come "from the sides of the north."
But "sides of the earth" is not a geographical term for any particular northern country,
but only for very remote lands; and that the Chaldeans were reckoned as falling within
this term, is shown by the passage Jer_31:8, according to which Israel is to be gathered
again from the land of the north and from the sides of the earth. Here any connection
with Scythia in "sides of the earth" is not to be thought of, since prophecy knows nothing
of a captivity of Israel in Scythia, but regards Assur and Babylon alone as the lands of the
exile of Israelites and Jews. As weapons of the enemy then are mentioned bows (cf. Jer_

142. 4:29; Jer_5:16), and the javelin or lance (‫ּון‬‫ד‬‫י‬ ִⅴ, not shield; see on 1Sa_17:6). It is cruel,
knows no pity, and is so numerous and powerful, that its voice, i.e., the tumult of its
approach, is like the roaring of the sea; cf. Isa_5:30; Isa_17:12. On horses they ride; cf.
Jer_4:13; Jer_8:16; Hab_1:8. ְ‫רוּך‬ ָ‫ע‬ in the singular, answering to "cruel it is," points back
to ‫ּוי‬ or ‫ישׁ‬ ִ‫א‬ ְⅴ . is not for ‫ישׁ‬ ִ‫א‬ ְⅴ ‫ד‬ ָ‫ח‬ ֶ‫א‬ (Ros.), but for ‫ישׁ‬ ִ‫א‬ ְⅴ ‫ה‬ ָ‫מ‬ ָ‫ח‬ ְ‫ל‬ ִ‫,מ‬ cf. 1Sa_17:33; Isa_42:13; and
the genitive is omitted only because of the ‫ה‬ ָ‫מ‬ ָ‫ח‬ ְ‫ל‬ ִ‫מ‬ ַ‫ל‬ coming immediately after (Graf).
"Against thee" is dependent on ְ‫רוּך‬ ָ‫:ע‬ equipped as a warrior is equipped for the war,
against the daughter of Zion. In Jer_6:24-26 are set forth the terrors and the suspense
which the appearance of the foe will spread abroad. In Jer_6:24 the prophet, as a
member of the people, gives utterance to its feelings. As to the sense, the clauses are to
be connected thus: As soon as we hear the rumour of the people, i.e., of its approach, our
hands become feeble through dread, all power to resist vanishes: cf. Isa_13:7; and for
the metaphor of travail, Isa_13:8; Mic_4:9, etc. In v. 28 the inhabitants of Jerusalem,
personified as the daughter of Zion, are warned not to go forth of the city into the field or
about the country, lest they fall into the enemies' hands and be put to death. ‫ּור‬‫ג‬ ָ‫מ‬ ‫יב‬ ִ‫ב‬ ָ ִ‫,מ‬
often used by Jeremiah, cf. Jer_20:3, Jer_20:10; Jer_46:5; Jer_49:29, and, as Jer_
20:10 shows, taken from Psa_31:14. Fear or terrors around, i.e., on all sides danger and
destruction threaten.
CALVI , "It was no useless repetition when the Prophet said so often that God
said. He might have said only, “Behold, a nation shall come from the north;” but he
premises by saying that he derived this message from God, and not only so, but he
introduces God as the speaker, that his message might be more impressive. In the
former verse he had also said, Thus saith Jehovah, and elsewhere: but he now
repeats the same words, that the holy name of God might more powerfully rouse
their minds.
Behold, he says, a people shall come from the land of the north For forty years
Jeremiah ceased not to proclaim war against the Jews, and also openly to name their
enemies: we yet see that so much preaching was without fruit. This was dreadful
indeed: but we may thus see, as it were in a mirror, how great is our hardness and
stupor, and how great is our fury and madness against God. He then designates here
the Chaldeans as a northern nation, and says that it was a great nation: and yet he
shews, that the Chaldeans would not of themselves come; it shall be roused, he says.
This act is to be applied to God; for though ambition and avarice impelled the
Chaldeans to lay waste nations and lands far and wide, yet that war was carried on
under the guidance of God himself: he armed and impelled the Chaldeans, and used
them as the scourges of his wrath. We may learn this from the verb ‫,יעור‬ iour, “ shall
be roused;” and he says, from the sides of the earth, (181) for they came from a
distant country. But the Prophet means, that there would be nothing to hinder the
Chaldeans from entering Judea, and from destroying and putting to flight the
people, and from demolishing the city and the temple.
COFFMA , ""Thus saith Jehovah, Behold, a people cometh from the north

143. country; and a great nation shall be stirred up from the uttermost parts of the earth.
They lay hold on the bow and the spear, they are cruel, and have no mercy; their
voice roareth like the sea, and they ride upon horses, every one set in array, as a
man to the battle, against thee, O daughter of Zion. We have heard the report
thereof; our hands wax feeble: anguish hath taken hold of us; and pangs, as of a
woman in travail."
"Everyone set in array, as a man for the battle ..." (Jeremiah 6:23). This reference
to an army marching in closed ranks "could not apply to the barbaric
Scythians."[18]
The Babylonians indeed were a merciless and cruel invader, but perhaps not so
terrible as the Assyrians; and some have found an element of mercy in God's
deliverance of Judah to Babylon instead of Assyria; but either nation was more than
terrible enough.
Feinberg noted that the use of cavalry in a military charge, as contrasted with the
use of horses in drawing the chariots such as those used in Egypt, was apparently a
new thing here.[19]
TRAPP, "Jeremiah 6:22 Thus saith the LORD, Behold, a people cometh from the
north country, and a great nation shall be raised from the sides of the earth.
Ver. 22. Thus saith the Lord.] It is not in vain that this is so oft prefaced to the
ensuing prophecies. Dictum Iehovae The word the Lord is very emphatic and
authoritative.
Behold, a people cometh from the north.] This the prophet had oft foretold for forty
years together; sed surdis fabulam, but he could not be believed.
PETT, "Jeremiah 6:22-23
‘Thus says YHWH, “Behold, a people come from the north country, and a great
nation will be stirred up from the uttermost parts of the earth. They lay hold on bow
and spear, they are cruel, and have no mercy, their voice roars like the sea, and they
ride on horses, every one set in array, as a man to the battle, against you, O
daughter of Zion.”
The nature of the cause of stumbling is then described. YHWH will call from the
north a people, a great nation (compare Jeremiah 5:15; Jeremiah 50:41), from the
uttermost parts of the earth. Opinion is divided as to whether this refers to the
Scythian hordes mentioned by Herodotus or to the Babylonians, or indeed to both
for they sometimes operated together. They are described as laying hold of bow and
spear, as cruel, as merciless, as advancing with loud war-cries (roaring like the sea),
while riding on horses, and as well armed, all in all presenting a fearsome picture.
And these fearsome warriors have banded together against the comely and delicate
daughter of Zion, Jerusalem.

144. Whilst they either came from the Black Sea area or from Babylon, or from both, to
most of the people of Judah this was the ‘uttermost parts of the earth’ for their
knowledge of the world was very limited and these nations were at the furthest
horizons of their world.
‘Cruel.’ The harshness of the Assyrians and Babylonians is well attested. It made
the Palestinian nations, whose bloodthirstiness appals us, look like angels. They
were pitiless and merciless, a trait brought out by ebuchadnezzar’s later treatment
of Zedekiah when he first slew his sons before his eyes and then gouged out his eyes.
They would cut off hands and noses, put out eyes, flay their victims alive, and cast
them alive into furnaces (compare Daniel 3:11).
23 They are armed with bow and spear;
they are cruel and show no mercy.
They sound like the roaring sea
as they ride on their horses;
they come like men in battle formation
to attack you, Daughter Zion.”
BAR ES, "Spear - Properly, a javelin for hurling at the enemy (see 1Sa_17:6 note):
an ordinary weapon of the Babylonians.
Cruel - ruthless, inhuman. In the Assyrian monuments warriors put the vanquished
to death; rows of impaled victims hang round the walls of the besieged towns; and men
collect in heaps hands cut from the vanquished.
Horses, set in array - A full stop should be put after horses. It - the whole army,
and not the cavalry only - is “set in array.”
As men for war against thee - Rather, as a warrior for battle “against thee.”
CLARKE, "They shall lay hold on bow and spear - Still pointing out the
Chaldeans: or according to Dahler, the Scythians, who had before their invasion of

145. Palestine overrun many parts of Asia, and had spread consternation wherever their
name was heard.
GILL, "They shall lay hold on bow and spear,.... That is, everyone of them should
be furnished with both these pieces of armour, that they might be able to fight near and
afar off; they had bows to shoot arrows at a distance, and spears to strike with when
near. The Targum renders it bows and shields. "They are cruel, and have no mercy"; this
is said, to strike terror into the hearts of the hardened Jews:
their voice roareth like the sea; the waves of it, which is terrible, Luk_21:25,
and they ride upon horses; which still made them more formidable, as well as
suggests that their march would be quick and speedy, and they would soon be with
them:
set in array as men for war; prepared with all sorts of armour for battle: or, "as a
man" (a); as one man, denoting their conjunction, ardour, and unanimity; being not only
well armed without, but inwardly, resolutely bent, as one man, to engage in battle, and
conquer or die; see Jdg_20:8,
against thee, O daughter of Zion; the design being against her, and all the
preparation made on her account; which had a very dreadful appearance, and
threatened with ruin, and therefore filled her with terror and distress, as follows.
JAMISO , "like the sea — (Isa_5:30).
as men for war — not that they were like warriors, for they were warriors; but
“arrayed most perfectly as warriors” [Maurer].
CALVI , "He adds other particulars, in order more fully to render the Chaldeans
objects of dread: They shall lay hold, he says, on the bow and the lance They who
render the last word shield, do not sufficiently attend to the design of the Prophet.
For there is no mention here made of defense; but it is the same as though the
Prophet had said, that they would come furnished with bows and spears, that they
might shoot at a distance. The word ‫,כידון‬ kidun, means a spear and a lance; (182)
and it means also a shield: but in this place the Prophet, I doubt not, means a spear;
as though he had said, “They will strike at a distance, or near at hand.”
He afterwards adds, that they would be cruel, according to what Isaiah says, when
he speaks of the Persians and Medes,
“They will covet neither gold nor silver,” (Isaiah 13:17)
and yet they were a rapacious people. This is indeed true; but the Prophet meant
both these things, that as the Persians and Medes were to be the executioners of
divine vengeance, they would come with a new disposition and character, despising
gold and silver, and other kinds of spoil, and seeking only blood. And they will
shew, he says, no mercy; and then he adds, their voice shall make an uproar, or

146. sound, like the sea He touches, I have no doubt, on the stupor of the people in not
attending to the voice of God; for the teaching of Jeremiah had for many years
sounded in their ears: Isaiah and others had preceded him; but the people had
continued deaf. He says now, “Ye shall hereafter hear other teachers; they will not
warn you, nor give you counsel, nor be satisfied with reproofs and threatenings, but
they will come like a tempest on the sea; their voice shall make an uproar ”
He adds, Ascend shall they on horses, (183) and be set in order as a man for war;
that is, “Thou, Jerusalem, shalt find that thou wilt have to do with military men.”
The Prophet means, in short, that the Jews most foolishly trusted in their own
strength, and thus heedlessly despised the threatenings of the prophets. But as their
security was of this kind, he says that they would at length really find out how
stupid they had been, for the Chaldeans would come with dreadful violence,
prepared for war — against whom? Against thee, he says, O daughter of Sion I
cannot proceed further, on account of some other business.
Set in order it shall be, like a man for war, Against thee, daughter of Sion.
Then the next verse refers to the same, the nation, —
Heard have we the report of it; Relaxed have become our hands,
Distress has laid hold on us, The pain like that of one in travail.
The effect is first stated, the relaxation of the hands; then the cause, the distress and
anguish they felt. — Ed.
COFFMA , ""Go not forth into the field, nor walk by the way: for the sword of the
enemy and terror, are on every side. O daughter of my people, gird thee with
sackcloth, and wallow thyself in ashes: make thee mourning, as for an only son,
most bitter lamentation; for the destroyer shall suddenly come upon us."
"O daughter of my people ..." (Jeremiah 6:26). The pathos in the heart of the
prophet with such a tragic message shows in this pathetic remark; the very words
seem to drip with tears. ote in the final clause the pronoun "us." Jeremiah surely
identified himself with the miseries coming upon the beloved city.
"Wallow thyself in ashes ..." (Jeremiah 6:26). "It was the custom of Jewish
mourners to cast ashes only upon their heads; wallowing in them therefore refers to
something far more than ordinary grief."[20] Actually, there was no adequate
manner for symbolizing the horrible grief that overcame the people of God in their
capture and captivity.
TRAPP, "Jeremiah 6:23 They shall lay hold on bow and spear; they [are] cruel, and
have no mercy; their voice roareth like the sea; and they ride upon horses, set in
array as men for war against thee, O daughter of Zion.

147. Ver. 23. They shall lay hold on bow and spear.] To destroy et eminus et comminus,
both afar off and at hand.
Their voice roareth like the sea.] Which is so dreadful, that the horrible shriekings
of the devils are set out by it [James 2:19). {a} They who would not hear the
prophet’s sweet words, shall hear the enemies roaring in the midst of their
congregations. {Psalms 74:4]
PULPIT, "Spear; rather, javelin (or, lance). They are cruel. The cruelty of the
Assyrians and Babylonians seems to have spread general dismay. ahum calls
ineveh "the city of bloodshed" ( ahum 3:1); Habakkuk styles the Chaldeans
"bitter and vehement, terrible and dreadful" (Habakkuk 1:6, Habakkuk 1:7). The
customs brought out into view m the monuments justify this most amply, though
Professor Rawlinson thinks we cannot call the Assyrians naturally hard. hearted.
"The Assyrian listens to the enemy who asks for quarter; he prefers making
prisoners go slaying.; he is very terrible in the battle and the assault, but afterwards
he forgives and spares" ('Ancient Monarchies,' 1.243). Their voice roareth. The
horrid roar of the advancing hosts seems to have greatly struck the Jews (comp.
Isaiah 5:30; Isaiah 17:12, Isaiah 17:13).
24 We have heard reports about them,
and our hands hang limp.
Anguish has gripped us,
pain like that of a woman in labor.
BAR ES, "The effect upon the Jewish people of the news of Nebuchadnezzars
approach.
Wax feeble - Are relaxed. It is the opposite of what is said in Jer_6:23 of the enemy,
“They lay hold etc.” Terror makes the hands of the Jews hold their weapons with
nerveless grasp.
GILL, "We have heard the fame thereof,.... Meaning not the prophet's report then,
but the rumour of the enemy's coming from another quarter, at the time he was actually
coming. These are the words of the people, upon such a rumour spread; or the words of
the prophet, joining himself with them, describing their case, when it would be strongly

148. reported, and they had reason to believe it, that the enemy was just coming, and very
near:
our hands wax feeble; have no strength in them, shake and tremble like men that
have a palsy, through fear and dread:
anguish hath taken hold of us; tribulation or affliction; or rather anguish of spirit,
on hearing the news of the near approach of the enemy:
and pain, as of a woman in travail; which comes suddenly, and is very sharp; and
this denotes that their destruction would come suddenly upon them, before they were
aware, and be very severe.
HE RY 24-26, " He describes the very great consternation which Judah and
Jerusalem should be in upon the approach of this formidable enemy, Jer_6:24-26. 1.
They own themselves in a fright, upon the first intelligence brought them of the
approach of the enemy: “When we have but heard the fame thereof our hands wax
feeble, and we have no heart to make any resistance; anguish has taken hold of us, and
we are immediately in an extremity of pain, like that of a woman in travail.” Note, Sense
of guilt quite dispirits men, upon the approach of any threatening trouble. What can
those hope to do for themselves who have made God their enemy? 2. They confine
themselves by consent to their houses, not daring to show their heads abroad; for,
though they could not but expect that the sword of the enemy would at last find them out
there, yet they would rather die tamely and meanly there than run any venture, either by
fight or flight, to help themselves. Thus they say one to another, “Go not forth into the
field, no not to fetch in your provision thence, nor walk by the way; dare not to go to
church or market, it is at your peril if you do, for the sword of the enemy, and the fear of
it, are on every side; the highways are unoccupied, as in Jael's time,” Jdg_5:6. Let this
remind us, when we travel the roads in safety and there is none to make us afraid, to
bless God for our share in the public tranquillity. 3. The prophet calls upon them sadly to
lament the desolations that were coming upon them. He was himself the lamenting
prophet, and called upon his people to join with him in his lamentations: “O daughter of
my people, hear they God calling thee to weeping and mourning, and answer his call: do
not only put on sackcloth for a day, but gird it on for thy constant wear; do not only put
ashes on thy head, but wallow thyself in ashes; put thyself into close mourning, and use
all the tokens of bitter lamentation, not forced and for show only, but with the greatest
sincerity, as parents mourn for an only son, and think themselves comfortless because
they are childless. Thus do thou lament for the spoiler that suddenly comes upon us.
Though he has not come yet, he is coming, the decree has gone forth: let us therefore
meet the execution of it with a suitable sadness.” As saints may rejoice in hope of God's
mercies, though they see them only in the promise, so sinners must mourn for fear of
God's judgments, though they see them only in the threatenings.
JAMISO , "fame thereof — the report of them.
CALVI , "Jeremiah proceeds in the same strain; for he sets before the eyes of the
Jews the judgment of God, and draws them, as it were against their will, into the
middle of the scene. And this was done by the prophets, as it has been already said,
because by plain words they could not move the hearts of the people on account of

149. their contempt of God, and of the long obduracy in which they had settled. Hence he
says, that heard had been the report of the enemy, and that immediately dissolved
had their hands When the Prophet spoke, the Jews did not think that their enemies
were so near. But the phrase is to be thus explained: “As soon as ye shall hear the
report, your hands shall be relaxed, and lay hold on you shall distress.”
The similitude of a woman in travail is often found in Scripture; and what is to be
understood in most places is sudden and unexpected pain: but in this place the
Prophet refers rather to the violence of pain; though the other meaning, which I
have just stated, is not to be excluded; for it is probable, that when he saw that the
hardness and obstinacy of the people were so great, he adopted this similitude, in
order to shew, that however heedlessly they despised the punishment due to them, it
could not yet be avoided, as it would seize them suddenly like that of a woman in
childbearing. He afterwards adds —
TRAPP, "Jeremiah 6:24 We have heard the fame thereof: our hands wax feeble:
anguish hath taken hold of us, [and] pain, as of a woman in travail.
Ver. 24. Our hands wax feeble.] He modestly reckoneth himself among the rest,
though the "arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of
Jacob," [Genesis 49:24] and his "heart was fixed, trusting in the Lord." [Psalms
112:7]
PETT, "Jeremiah 6:24
‘We have heard the report of them,
Our hands grow feeble,
Anguish has taken hold of us,
Birth-pains as of a woman in labour.”
The reaction of Judah to this news is then described. They were filled with fear, and
anguish, and, in modern parlance, they went weak at the knees. Their hands began
to shake and they lost their strength, anguish seized hold of them. They felt
themselves as being like a woman undergoing her labour pains in expectancy of
what was to come. The pictures vividly bring out the panic that takes hold of a
nation in the face of an invincible and cruel enemy.
25 Do not go out to the fields
or walk on the roads,
for the enemy has a sword,

150. and there is terror on every side.
BAR ES, "For the sword of the enemy - literally, “for to the enemy a sword; i. e.,
for the enemy is armed,” he has a commission from God to execute judgment. See Jer_
12:12; Isa_10:5, and Psa_17:13 note.
Fear is on every side - Magor-Missabib, Jeremiah’s watchword (compare Jer_20:3,
Jer_20:10). The “and” before it should be omitted.
GILL, "Go not forth into the field,.... Either for pleasure, or for business; to take a
walk in it for the air, or to till it, plough, sow, or reap; but keep within the city and its
walls, there being danger:
nor walk by the way; in the high road from Jerusalem, to any town or village near it:
for the sword of the enemy: or, "because there is a sword for the enemy" (b); or, "the
enemy has a sword"; and that drawn; the enemy is in the field, and in the ways, and
there is no escaping him:
and fear is on every side; all round the city, being encompassed by the Assyrian
army: or, the enemy's sword "is fear on every side" (c); causes fear in all parts round the
city. The Targum is,
"because the sword of the enemy kills those who are gathered round about;''
or on every side.
JAMISO , "He addresses “the daughter of Zion” (Jer_6:23); caution to the citizens
of Jerusalem not to expose themselves to the enemy by going outside of the city walls.
sword of the enemy — literally, “there is a sword to the enemy”; the enemy hath a
sword.
CALVI , "He confirms the previous verse. For the Jews, as it has been said,
regarded all threatenings as nothing: it was hence necessary that they should be
taught, not by words only, but be constrained to fear, by having the scene set before
their eyes, that being thus constrained they might at least entertain some fear on
account of the nearness of God’s vengeance. The Prophet then denounces war, and
speaks as though they were already besieged, Go ye not forth, he says, into the field,
etc., for the terror of the enemy and fear is on every side; (184) not that the
Chaldeans were already laying waste Judea, or that they had even departed from

151. their own country. But we have briefly explained the design of the Prophet: he
intended thus vehemently to deal with a hardened and obstinate people, that they
might know that he spoke seriously to them, and that his threatenings would not be
evanescent. It follows —
Go thou not forth to the field, And in the way walk not;
For the enemy has a sword, Terror is on every side.
“For the enemy,“ etc., literally, “For sword is to the enemy.” — Ed.
TRAPP, "Jeremiah 6:25 Go not forth into the field, nor walk by the way; for the
sword of the enemy [and] fear [is] on every side.
Ver. 25. Go not out into the field.] Since there is "no peace to him that goeth out, nor
to him that cometh in"; [2 Chronicles 15:5] but
“ Luctus ubique, pavor, et plurima mortis imago. ”
“Everywhere grief, panic and the images of the most dead.”
PETT, "Jeremiah 6:25
‘Do not go forth into the field,
or walk by the way,
For the sword of the enemy,
Terror is on every side (magor misabib).’
So desperate will the situation be, and so close the enemy, that it will no be longer
safe to go out into the countryside, or walk along local roads outside the shelter of
the cities, because the sword, and their enemy, and terror will be everywhere. This
would at times be a repeated experience during the reigns of Jehoiakim and
Zedekiah, but would come to finalisation at the end of Zedekiah’s reign.
‘Terror is on every side.’ This became a watchword to Jeremiah, so much so that he
would even give this appellation to his bitter enemy (Jeremiah 20:3), and would
have it thrown at him by the people (Jeremiah 20:10). See also Jeremiah 46:5;
Jeremiah 49:29.
PULPIT, "Go not forth into the field. The "daughter of Zion" (i.e. the personific
population of Jerusalem) is cautioned against venturing outside the walls. The
sword of the enemy; rather, the enemy hath a sword. Fear is on every side; Hebrew,
magor missabib; one of Jeremiah's favorite expressions (see Jeremiah 20:3,
Jeremiah 20:10; Jeremiah 46:5; Jeremiah 49:29; and comp. Psalms 31:13 (14).).
aturally of a timid, retiring character, the prophet cannot help feeling the anxious
and alarming situation into which at the Divine command he has ventured.

152. 26 Put on sackcloth, my people,
and roll in ashes;
mourn with bitter wailing
as for an only son,
for suddenly the destroyer
will come upon us.
BAR ES, "Wallow thyself in ashes - Violent distress is accustomed to find relief
in eccentric actions, and thus the wallowing in ashes shows that Jerusalem’s grief is
unbearable.
The spoiler - Nebuchadnezzar.
GILL, "O daughter of my people, gird thee with sackcloth,.... Either as a token
of repentance for sin; so the king of Nineveh and his subjects did, to show their
repentance, Jon_3:6 or as a sign of mourning, for the calamities coming on them, Gen_
37:34.
and wallow thyself in ashes; or roll thyself in them, as a token of the same. The
Targum is,
"cover your heads with ashes.''
Make thee mourning as for an only son; which of all is the most bitter: and
therefore it is added,
most bitter lamentation; see Zec_12:10.
For the spoiler shall suddenly come upon us; namely, Nebuchadnezzar, that
would spoil their cities, towns, villages, and houses, and them of all their wealth and
substance, and carry it away.
JAMISO , "wallow ... in ashes — (Jer_25:34; Mic_1:10). As they usually in
mourning only “cast ashes on the head,” wallowing in them means something more,
namely, so entirely to cover one’s self with ashes as to be like one who had rolled in them

153. (Eze_27:30).
as for an only son — (Amo_8:10; Zec_12:10).
lamentation — literally, “lamentation expressed by beating the breast.”
K&D, "Sorest affliction will seize the inhabitants of Jerusalem. As to "daughter of my
people," cf. Jer_4:11; on "gird thee with sackcloth," cf. Jer_4:8. To bestrew the head
with ashes is a mode of expressing the greatest affliction; cf. Eze_27:30; Mic_1:10. ‫ל‬ ֶ‫ב‬ ֵ‫א‬
as in Amo_8:10; Zec_12:10.
The closing verses of this discourse (Jer_6:27-30) are regarded by Hitz. as a
meditation upon the results of his labours. "He was to try the people, and he found it to
be evil." But in this he neglects the connection of these verses with the preceding. From
the conclusion of Jer_6:30, "Jahveh hath rejected them," we may see that they stand
connected in matter with the threatening of the spoiler; and the fact is put beyond a
doubt when we compare together the greater subdivisions of the present discourse. The
Jer_6:27-30 correspond in substance with the view given in Jer_5:30-31 of the moral
character of the people. As that statement shows the reasons for the threatening that
God must take vengeance on such a people (Jer_5:29), so what is said in the verses
before us explain why it is threatened that a people approaching from the north will
execute judgment without mercy on the daughter of Zion. For these verses do not tell us
only the results of the prophet's past labours, but they at the same time indicate that his
further efforts will be without effect. The people is like copper and iron, unproductive of
either gold or silver; and so the smelting process is in vain. The illustration and the thing
illustrated are not strictly discriminated in the statement. ‫ּון‬‫ח‬ ָ is adject. verb. with active
force: he that tries metal, that by smelting separates the slag from the gold and silver
ore; cf. Zec_13:9; Job_23:10. ‫ר‬ ָ‫צ‬ ְ‫ב‬ ִ‫מ‬ creates a difficulty, and is very variously understood.
The ancient comm. have interpreted it, according to Jer_1:18, as either in a fortress, or
as a fortress. So the Chald., changing ‫בחון‬ for ‫:בחור‬ electum dedi te in populo meo, in urbe
munita forti. Jerome: datur propheta populo incredulo probator robustus, quod
ebraice dicitur ‫,מבצר‬ quod vel munitum juxta Aquil., vel clausum atque circumdatum
juxta Symm. et lxx sonat. The extant text of the lxx has ᅚν λαοሏς δεδοκιµασµένοις.
Following the usage of the language, we are justified only in taking ‫ר‬ ָ‫צ‬ ְ‫ב‬ ִ‫מ‬ as apposition to
‫ּון‬‫ח‬ ָ , or to the suffix in ָ‫יך‬ ִ ַ‫ת‬ְ‫;נ‬ in which case Luther's connection of it with ‫י‬ ִ ַ‫,ע‬ "among my
people, which is so hard," will appear to be impossible. But again, it has been objected,
not without reason, that the reference of "fortress" to Jeremiah is here opposed to the
context, while in Jer_1:18 it falls well in with it; consequently other interpretations have
been attempted. Gaab, Maur., Hitz., have taken note of the fact that ‫ר‬ ָ‫צ‬ ְ occurs in Job_
36:19, like ‫ר‬ ֶ‫צ‬ ֶ in the signification of gold; they take ‫מבצר‬ as a contraction for ‫מן‬ ‫,בצר‬ and
expound: without gold, i.e., although then was there no gold, to try for which was thy
task. To this view Graf has objected: the testing would be wholly purposeless, if it was
already declared beforehand that there was no noble metal in the people. But this
objection is not conclusive; for the testing could only have as its aim to exhibit the real
character of the people, so as to bring home to the people's apprehension what was
already well known to God. These are weightier considerations: 1. We cannot make sure

154. of the meaning gold-ore for ‫ר‬ ָ‫צ‬ ְ by means of Job_36:19, since the interpretation there is
open to dispute; and ‫ר‬ ֶ‫צ‬ ֶ , Job_22:24, does not properly mean gold, but unworked ore,
though in its connection with the context we must understand virgin gold and silver ore
in its natural condition. Here, accordingly, we would be entitled to translate only:
without virgin ore, native metal. 2. The choice of a word so unusual is singular, and the
connection of ‫מבצר‬ with ‫י‬ ִ ַ‫ע‬ htiw is still very harsh. Yet less satisfactory is the emendation
defended by J. D. Mich., Dahl, Ew., and Graf, ‫ר‬ ֵ ַ‫ב‬ ְ‫:מ‬ "for a trier have I made thee among
my people, for a separater;" for ‫ר‬ ַ‫צ‬ ָ has in Heb. only the meaning cut off and fortify, and
the Pi. occurs in Isa_22:10 and Jer_51:53 in the latter meaning, whereas the signif.
separate, discriminate, can be maintained neither from Hebrew nor Arabic usage. The
case being so, it seems to us that the interpretation acc. to Jer_1:18 has most to be said
for it: To be a trier have I set thee amid my people "as a strong tower;" and to this Ges.,
Dietr. in Lex. s.v., adhere.
CALVI , "The Prophet seems to use more words than necessary; for in a clear
matter he appears to extend his discourse too far: but we must consider the design
which has been mentioned; for he could not rouse the Jews without urging the
matter on them with great vehemence. Known and sufficiently common is the term,
“daughter of my people, “as applied to the whole community. Daughter of my
people, he says, be thou girded with sackcloth, and roll thyself in the dust It is
doubtful whether the Prophet exhorts them to repent, or whether he denounces
mourning on the irreclaimable and the hopeless; for ashes and sackcloth are often
mentioned, when there is no hope of conversion or of repentance. However, if this
view be approved, I will not object, that is, that the Prophet still makes the trial,
whether the Jews would return to a sane mind.
Make thee a mourning, he says, as for an only-begotten Thus the Hebrews speak of
the greatest and bitterest mourning: for when any one loses an only son, he grieves
far more for his death than if he had many children; for when some remain, some
comfort still remains; but when one is wholly bereaved, a greater grief, as I have
said, is felt by parents. For this reason the Hebrews call it a mourning for an only
son, when things are in a hopeless state. He afterwards adds, the mourning of
bitternesses, signifying the same thing; because suddenly shall come upon us the
waster
If repentance be thought to be intended here, we know that sackcloth and ashes are,
of themselves, of no account before God, but that they were formerly evidences of
repentance when God’s wrath was humbly deprecated; and hence the prophets
often designated the thing signified by the sign. We must yet remember what Joel
says, that hearts, and not garments, are to be rent. (Joel 2:13.) But the prophets
assume this principle as granted, that we are not to deal falsely with God, but with
sincerity. Then by sackcloth and ashes they did not understand false protestations,
as it is said, but real manifestations of what they felt, when really and from the heart
they sought God’s mercy. But as the Prophet seems here to assume the character of
a herald, denouncing war, I know not whether repentance is what is here meant. So

155. then I rather understand him as saying, that nothing but extreme mourning
remained for the Jews: and hence he says, that destroyers would suddenly come
upon them; for they had for many years so misused the forbearance of God, that
they thought that they could sin with impunity. As, then, they had long indulged this
false confidence, the Prophet made use of this word, “suddenly,” ‫,פתאם‬ petam He
adds —
TRAPP, "Jeremiah 6:26 O daughter of my people, gird [thee] with sackcloth, and
wallow thyself in ashes: make thee mourning, [as for] an only son, most bitter
lamentation: for the spoiler shall suddenly come upon us.
Ver. 26. Gird thee with sackcloth, and wallow thyself in ashes.] The very heathens
do so when in danger of a merciless enemy: Veniam irarum coelestium poscentes,
saith Livy, (a) seeking the pardon of their sins and the favour of their gods.
COKE, "Jeremiah 6:26. Gird thee with sackcloth— As the wearing of sackcloth girt
round the body next the flesh (see 2 Kings 6:30.) is often mentioned in Scripture as
usual in times of mourning and lamentation, and appears, according to our notions,
a very harsh kind of discipline, it may not be amiss to take notice what kind of
sackcloth is meant. Mr. Harmer cites Sir John Chardin's manuscript, to shew that
the sacks used by travellers in the East for carrying their necessaries with them,
were made of coarse wool, guarded with leather; and then proceeds to infer with
great probability, that "if the sacks were woollen, the sackcloth, with which the
Eastern people were wont to clothe themselves at particular times, means coarse
woollen cloth, such as they made sacks of, and neither hair-cloth, nor rough harsh
cloth of hemp, as we may have been ready to imagine; for it is the same Hebrew
word ‫שׂק‬ sak, which signifies sack, that is here rendered sackcloth. And as the
people of very remote antiquity commonly wore no linen, there was not that
affectation in what they put on in times of humiliation, as we in the West may
perhaps have apprehended. They only put on very coarse mean woollen garments,
instead of those that were finer, but of the same general nature." Harmer's Observ.
ch. 5: Obs. 4:—Sitting or lying down in ashes was another custom observed on the
like occasions. See Esther 4:3. Job 2:8; Job 42:6. Isaiah 58:5. Jonah 3:6. &c. &c.
As for an only son— A proverbial expression among the Hebrews, to denote the
greatest grief. See Amos 8:10. Zechariah 12:10.
PETT, "Jeremiah 6:26
‘O daughter of my people, gird yourself with sackcloth, and wallow yourself in
ashes, make you mourning, as for an only son, most bitter lamentation, for the
destroyer will suddenly come upon us.’
The passage ends with a lament by Jeremiah, and a call to the people to go into
serious mourning ‘as for an only son’, because the Destroyer is soon to come among
them. They are not only to put on ashes but are to wallow in them. The wearing of
sackcloth and pouring on the head of ashes was a regular evidence of grief and
mourning, and here it was to be with ‘most bitter lamentation’. What greater grief

156. indeed than that for an only son, who was the perpetuator of the family name, the
heir to the inheritance and the one to whom the whole family would in future look
for protection and provision. His death would be a devastating loss.
PULPIT, "Wallow thyself in ashes; rather, sprinkle thyself with ashes, a sign of
mourning (2 Samuel 13:19; so Micah 1:10). Mourning, as for an only son. The
Septuagint renders πένθος ἀγαπητοῦ. Possibly this was to avoid a supposition which
might have occurred to some readers (it has, in fact, occurred to several modern
critics) that the "only son" was Adonis, who was certainly "mourned for" by some
of the Israelites under the name of Thammuz (Ezekiel 8:14), and whose Phoenician
name is given by Philo of Byblus as ἰεούδ (i.e. probably Yakhidh, only begotten, the
word used by Jeremiah; comp. βηρούθ, equivalent to Berith). M. Renan found a
vestige of the ancient festival of Adonis at Djebeil (the Phoenician Gebal) even at the
present day. There would be nothing singular in the adoption of a common popular
phrase by the prophet, in spite of its reference to a heathen custom (comp. Job 3:8),
and the view in question gives additional force to the passage. But the ordinary
explanation is perfectly tenable and more obvious. The phrase, "mourning [or,
'lamentation'] for an only begotten one," occurs again in Amos 8:10; Zechariah
12:10. In the last-mentioned passage it is parallel with "bitter weeping for a
firstborn."
27 “I have made you a tester of metals
and my people the ore,
that you may observe
and test their ways.
BAR ES, "Render it:
I have set thee among My people as a prover of ore,
And thou shalt know and try their way.
They are all of them rebels of rebels (i. e., utter rebels):
Slander-walkers, were copper and iron,

157. Corrupters all of them.
The bellows glow: from their fire lead only!
In vain hath the smelter smelted,
And the wicked are not separated.
Refuse-silver have men called them:
For Yahweh hath refused them.
The intermixture throughout of moral words and metallurgical terms is remarkable.
CLARKE, "I have set thee for a tower and a fortress - Dr. Blayney translates, I
have appointed thee to make an assay among my people. The words refer to the office of
an assayer of silver and gold; and the manner of assaying here intended is by the cupel, a
flat broad iron ring filled with the ashes of burnt bones. To separate the alloy from the
silver they add a portion of lead; and when all is fused together, and brought into a state
of ebullition, the cupel absorbs the lead, and with it the dross or alloy, and the silver is
left pure and motionless on the top of the cupel. The people are here represented under
the notion of alloyed silver. They are full of impurities; and they are put into the hands of
the prophet, the assayer, to be purified. The bellows are placed, the fire is lighted up, but
all to no purpose: so intensely commixed is the alloy with the silver, that it can not be
separated. The nozzle of the bellows is even melted with the intensity of the fire used to
effect the refinement; and the lead is carried off by the action of the heat; and the assayer
melteth in vain, for the alloy still continues in union with the metal. The assayer gives up
the process, - will not institute one more expensive or tedious - pronounces the mass
unfit to be coined, and denominates it reprobate silver, Jer_6:30. Thus, the evil habits
and dispositions of the Israelites were so ingrained that they would not yield to either
the ordinary or extraordinary means of salvation. God pronounces them reprobate
silver, - not sterling, - full of alloy; - having neither the image nor the superscription of
the Great King either on their hearts or on their conduct. Thus he gave them up as
incorrigible, and their adversaries prevailed against them. This should be a warning to
other nations, and indeed to the Christian Church; for if God did not spare the natural
branches, neither will he spare these.
GILL, "I have set thee for a tower,.... Or "in" one (d); in a watch tower, to look
about and observe the actions of the people, their sins and transgressions, and reprove
them for them; as well as to descry the enemy, and give notice of danger; see Hab_2:1 or,
"for a trier"; since the word used comes from one which signifies to "try" metals, as gold
and silver; and the rather this may be thought to be the meaning here, since the verb is
made use of in this sense in the text; and the metaphor is carried on in the following
words; though the word is used for towers in Isa_23:13 and may well enough be
understood of a watchtower, agreeably with the office of the prophet; who is here
addressed as a watchman, and was one to the house of Israel: and as the faithful
discharge of his work required courage, as well as diligence and faithfulness, it follows,
and
for a fortress among my people; not to defend them, but himself against them; or
he was to consider himself as so under the divine protection, that he was as a fortress or
strong tower, impregnable, and not to be dismayed and terrified with their calumnies

158. and threatenings; see Jer_1:18,
that thou mayest know and try their way; their course and manner of life, whether
good or bad; which he would be able to do, being in his watch tower, and in the
discharge of his duty; for the ministry of a good man is as a touchstone, by which the
principles and practices of men are tried and known; for if it is heard and attended to
with pleasure, it shows that the principles and practices of men are good; but if despised
and rejected, the contrary is evident, see 1Jo_4:5.
HE RY 27-30, " He constitutes the prophet a judge over this people that now stand
upon their trial: as Jer_1:10, I have set thee over the nations; so here, I have set thee for
a tower, or as a sentinel, or a watchman, upon a tower, among my people, as an
inspector of their actions, that thou mayest know, and try their way, Jer_6:27. Not that
God needed any to inform him concerning them; on the contrary, the prophet knew little
of them in comparison but by the spirit of prophecy. But thus God appeals to the
prophet himself, and his own observation concerning their character, that he might be
fully satisfied in the equity of God's proceedings against them and with the more
assurance give them warning of the judgments coming. God set him for a tower,
conspicuous to all and attacked by many, but made him a fortress, a strong tower, gave
him courage to stem the tide and bear the shock of their displeasure. Those that will be
faithful reprovers have need to be firm as fortresses. Now in trying their way he will find
two things: - 1. That they are wretchedly debauched (Jer_6:28): They are all grievous
revolters, revolters of revolters (so the word is), the worst of revolters, as a servant of
servants is the meanest servant. They have a revolting heart, have deeply revolted, and
revolt more and more. They seemed to start fair, but they revolt and start back. They
walk with slanders; they make nothing of belying and backbiting one another, nay, they
make a perfect trade of it; it is their constant course, and they govern themselves by the
slanders they hear, hating those that they hear ill-spoken of, though ever so unjustly.
They are brass and iron, base metals, and there is nothing in them that is valuable. They
were as silver and gold, but they have degenerated. Nay, as they are all revolters, so they
are all corrupters, not only debauched themselves, but industrious to debauch others, to
corrupt them as they themselves are corrupt; nay, to make them seven times more the
children of hell than themselves. It is often so; sinners soon become tempters. 2. That
they would never be reclaimed and reformed; it was in vain to think of reforming them,
for various methods had been tried with them, and all to no purpose, Jer_6:29, Jer_
6:30. He compares them to ore that was supposed to have some good metal in it, and
was therefore put into the furnace by the refiner, who used all his art, and took
abundance of pains, about it, but it proved all dross, nothing of any value could be
extracted out of it. God by his prophets and by his providences had used the most proper
means to refine this people and to purify them from their wickedness; but it was all in
vain. By the continual preaching of the word, and in a series of afflictions, they had been
kept in a constant fire, but all to no purpose. The bellows have been still kept so near the
fire, to blow it, that they are burnt with the heat of it, or they are quite worn out with
long use and thrown into the fire as good for nothing. The prophets have preached their
throats sore with crying aloud against the sins of Israel, and yet they are not convinced
and humbled. The lead, which was then used in refining silver, as quicksilver is now, is
consumed of the fire, and has not done its work. The founder melts in vain; his labour is
lost, for the wicked are not plucked away, no care is taken to separate between the
precious and the vile, to purge out the old leaven, to cast out of communion those who,
being corrupt themselves, are in danger of infecting others. Or, Their wickednesses are
not removed (so some read it); they are still as bad as ever, and nothing will prevail to

159. part between them and their sins. They will not be brought off from their idolatries and
immoralities by all they have heard, and all they have felt, of the wrath of God against
them; and therefore that doom is passed upon them (Jer_6:30): Reprobate silver shall
they be called, useless and worthless; they glitter as if they had some silver in them, but
there is nothing of real virtue or goodness to be found among them; and for this reason
the Lord has rejected them. He will no more own them as his people, nor look for any
good from them; he will take them away like dross (Psa_119:119), and prepare a
consuming fire for those that would not be purified by a refining fire. By this it appears,
(1.) That God has no pleasure in the death and ruin of sinners, for he tries all ways and
methods with them to prevent their destruction and qualify them for salvation. Both his
ordinances and his providences have a tendency this way, to part between them and
their sins; and yet with many it is all lost labour. We have piped unto you, and you have
not danced; we have mourned unto you, and you have not wept. Therefore, (2.) God
will be justified in the death of sinners and all the blame will lie upon themselves. He did
not reject them till he had used all proper means to reform them; did not cast them off
so long as there was any hope of them, nor abandon them as dross till it appeared that
they were reprobate silver.
JAMISO , "tower ... fortress — (Jer_1:18), rather, “an assayer (and) explorer.” By
a metaphor from metallurgy in Jer_6:27-30, Jehovah, in conclusion, confirms the
prophet in his office, and the latter sums up the description of the reprobate people on
whom he had to work. The Hebrew for “assayer” (English Version, “tower”) is from a
root “to try” metals. “Explorer” (English Version, “fortress”) is from an Arabic root,
“keen-sighted”; or a Hebrew root, “cutting,” that is, separating the metal from the dross
[Ewald]. Gesenius translates as English Version, “fortress,” which does not accord with
the previous “assayer.”
CALVI , "The Prophet says, that he was set by God as a watchtower, which was
also fortified, that he might observe the wickedness of the people. In order to gain
more authority for his prophecy, he introduces God as the speaker. He had spoken
hitherto in his own person; but now God himself comes forth, and says, I have made
thee a citadel. Jerome renders the last word “probation.” The verb ‫,בחן‬ becken,
means to prove; and Jeremiah uses the verb in this verse, “that thou mayest prove
their way.” But as the word ‫,מבצר‬ mebezar, “fortress, “follows, we cannot take the
word here otherwise than as meaning a citadel or rampart. I therefore have no
doubt but that a citadel for watching is what is meant; as though God had said, that
his Prophet was like a watchtower, from which might be seen at one glance
whatever was done far and wide: for we cannot see far from a plain, but they who
are located high can see to a great distance.
But the word fortress is also added: for it behooved Jeremiah to watch without fear,
and not to be exposed to the threats, calumnies, or clamors of the people. Jeremiah
intimates that two things are required in God’s servants, even knowledge and
undaunted courage; for it was not enough for the prophets to see clearly what was
needful, except they were firmly prepared to discharge their office. Both these
things seem to be included, when he says, that he was set as a watchtower, and also
as a fortress

160. Why was he thus set? That thou mayest know, he says, and prove their way Let us
now see what was the intention of this. The Prophet no doubt here claims power and
credit to himself, that he might not only freely but authoritatively reprove the
people: for objections, we know, were ever in their mouths, that they might be at
liberty to despise the Prophet’s teaching, as though it did not proceed from God.
This then was the reason why God here declares that Jeremiah was like a citadel,
and that a fortified one; he was made so, that he might observe and know the way of
the people. Hence it followed, that however obstinately they might defend
themselves, it availed them nothing; for Jeremiah was endued with the highest
authority, even that which was divine, in order to perform his office of a judge in
condemning them: for it immediately follows —
COKE, "Verses 27-30
Jeremiah 6:27-30. I have set thee for a tower, &c.— The prophet in these verses
evidently takes his ideas from metals, and the trial of them; and the verbs in the
latter clause of this verse, referring to such trial, manifestly require something
corresponding in the preceding part. But what have a tower and a fortress to do
with the trying of metals? In this view the reader will agree with me, that the
passage is rendered much more properly in some of the versions, and indeed more
agreeably to the Hebrew, I have given or established thee, as a strong prover or trier
of metals among my people; that thou mightest know, &c. The French version is
nearly the same, I have established thee Comme un robuste fondeur des metaux, au
milieu de ce peuple, pour sonder leur voie, &c. They are brass and iron, Jeremiah
6:28, means, "They have basely degenerated. It appears, upon trial, that they have
nothing in them of the purity of silver or gold; but their impudence resembles brass,
and their obstinacy iron." They are all corrupters, should be rendered, They are all
corrupted, or degenerated, Jeremiah 6:29. The bellows are burned, &c. that is to
say, "All methods to purify and amend them are ineffectual." Lead was made use of
in refining metals before the application of quick-silver. Houbigant renders the
latter part of this verse, The founder heapeth up fire in vain: the dross of iniquity is
not purged away. Reprobate or rejected silver shall men call them, Jeremiah 6:30
means, that they are good for nothing but to be rejected for ever, and thrown into
the flames. "As base money is refused by every one, because it cannot bear the
touch-stone; so shall these hypocrites and evil-doers be rejected both by God and
man."
REFLECTIO S.—1st, We have here,
1. An alarm spread of the approaching foe coming from the north, and spreading
destruction before him. The trumpet is blown in Tekoa, the beacon lighted in Beth-
haccerem, as a signal for their flight, if they hoped to escape, Jerusalem being ready
to be besieged.
2. Their weakness, and the formidable power of their foes, are described. The
daughter of Zion is as helpless, and unable to make resistance, as a comely and
delicate woman, or, as others read it, a pleasant pasture; in correspondence with the

161. following similitude, where their invaders are compared to shepherds with their
flocks, who would pitch their tents there, and eat up the land, and make it bare, as
easily as the ox licks up the grass of the field. ote; To have been brought up
delicately, makes every hardship more acutely felt.
3. In pursuance of God's commission, their enemies hasten to the attack. Prepare ye
war against her, and press the siege; hew ye down trees, and cast a mount against
Jerusalem, to batter the walls; and, as soon as the breach is practicable, make the
assault. With mutual encouragements, they quicken each other boldly to storm the
place; arise, and let us go up at noon; and, as if some delay had prevented their
design from being immediately executed, they regret that the shadows of the evening
are advancing, yet resolve to carry their point, and are confident of success; the time
of Jerusalem's visitation being come, they are too impatient to wait for the morning,
and resolve that night to attempt the breach. ote; (1.) When God's day of visitation
is come, the sinner can be no longer safe. (2.) If they were so eager to storm the city
and seize the wealth of Jerusalem, shall we shew less zeal and earnestness to enter
the kingdom of heaven and obtain the unsearchable riches of glory? (3.) othing
encourages the heart so much as confidence of success. And thus it is, in our
spiritual warfare, that faith enables us to overcome. Possunt, quia posse videntur.*
* They can conquer who believe they can.
4. The cause of all these judgments is their sins. Jerusalem was become a sink of
wickedness: it flowed incessantly and abundantly as the waters of a fountain; and
all ranks and degrees of men were tainted: particularly the whole city was a scene of
oppression, where, like riches in the sea, the great preyed upon the little; violence
and spoil is heard in every corner, and grief and wounds, the blood and the cries of
the oppressed, are continually before God, calling for vengeance. ote; There is a
day when the wrongs of the oppressed will be examined and avenged.
5. A fair admonition is once more given, if they have yet ears to hear. Be thou
instructed, O Jerusalem: at last attend to understand and obey the calls to
repentance, lest my soul depart from thee, or be violently plucked away from thee;
his favour utterly departing from them: and his love to them turned into
abhorrence; lest I make thee desolate, a land not inhabited. ote; (1.) God is
unwilling to give up the sinner; and therefore he is patient, and pleads long with
him, and late, to return. (2.) When all his offers of mercy are obstinately rejected, at
last God will depart, and leave the sinner to his ruin; and then woe, woe unto him.
2nd, Farther iniquities are here discovered, and farther judgments denounced.
1. Their transgressions were multiplied.
[1.] They were deaf to all the warnings of the prophets. To whom shall I speak and
give warning, that they may hear? intimating the universal disregard paid to his
message. Their ear is uncircumcised. At first they would not hearken, and now they
are left to the hardness of their hearts, and they cannot hearken. ay, they counted

162. God's word, which rebuked their sins, a reproach to them; and treated it, and those
who delivered it, with insult and contempt. They have no delight in it; but the very
contrary, a loathing and aversion to it. ote; (1.) The fidelity of God's ministers, in
rebuking men's sins, is often construed into personal abuse. (2.) We are not to
wonder that the word of the Gospel is looked upon as a reproach; it was so from the
beginning. (3.) They who have no delight in the Bible, have no name in the book of
life.
[2.] They were slaves to the love of money. High and low, rich and poor, priest and
prophet, all were given to covetousness, and cared not by what falsehoods or means
they enriched themselves, so they could but secure the mammon of unrighteousness.
ote; othing more fatally hardens the heart against God's word, than this rooted
attachment to gain.
[3.] The prophets and priests, who by profession and office should have
endeavoured to stop the torrent of ungodliness, contributed to make the disease
more desperate and incurable by their lying visions, false glosses, and smooth
discourses, suited to lull the sinner's conscience into a fatal security, crying, Peace,
peace, when there is no peace. ote; There is no surer mark of a false prophet than
this, that he avoids those alarming expressions of God's word which are suited to
startle the sinner; that he is solicitous to soften what are counted harsh sayings; that
it is his study not to offend, and his labour to lull those to their rest, who may have
been made uneasy by more faithful advocates for the truth.
[4.] They were shameless in their abominations. The preachers of lies refused to
blush, when never so clearly detected in their false doctrines and flattering
divinations; and the people, alike hardened, were neither ashamed of their sins, nor
afraid of the threatened punishments. ote; Those faces which will not blush at
rebuke, shall soon be pale as flames, when the terrors of God shall seize them.
[5.] The kindest admonitions of God had no influence on them: he would have
gathered them, but they would not. Thus saith the Lord, Stand ye in the ways and
see; consider your path, and whither it will lead you, to heaven or to hell; and ask
for the old paths; consult your Bibles, inquire the way wherein the holy patriarchs
walked: Where is the good way, the good old way of faith and holiness, which was
revealed in the first promise, and which all God's saints have trod from the
beginning? and ye shall find rest for your souls, from all your fears; but they said,
We will not walk therein, as if determined to rush on their destruction. Every
method had God taken to deter and divert them from so fatal a resolution. I set
watchmen over you, faithful ministers of the sanctuary, saying, Hearken to the
sound of the trumpet, breathing the voice of peace and mercy, or spreading the
tremendous alarm of the guilt and punishment of sin. But they said, We will not
hearken; refusing every method that God had taken to save them, and faithless, and
fearless of his judgments, persisting in their impenitence. ote; (1.) The importance
of that eternity which depends thereon, should engage us to a frequent and serious
consideration of our ways, what we are doing, and whither we are going. (2.) The
paths of life and truth are easily found of those who are at pains to inquire after

163. them. (3.) The good way to heaven is Christ, his infinite merit and divine grace; and
he is the old way; for from the beginning the Gospel was preached, and the saints of
old were saved, even as we. (4.) They who are found in this way will obtain rest to
their souls, peace with God, internal consolation, and comfortable confidence of
arriving safe at their journey's end in heaven. (5.) God's faithful ministers must lead
men in this way, and cry aloud to invite sinners to walk in it. (6.) They who will not
be persuaded by God's word, must be left to their own delusions; and miserable,
eternally miserable, will be the end of those men.
2. The terrible punishment of the Jewish people is foretold. Because they are thus
obstinate and hardened, the prophet declares, I am full of the fury of the Lord; the
revelation made to him of the wrath ready to be revealed, was so awful, that it filled
his heart with terrible apprehensions for them; I am weary with holding in; as if
unwilling to be the messenger of evil, he had refrained, till, like a fire within him, it
forced a passage, and he was constrained to speak. And fearful, indeed, are the
devastations threatened; I will pour it out upon the little children playing in the
streets, upon the assembly of young men associated for mirth and pleasure, husband
and wife shall be taken captives, and the most decrepit with age find no reverence or
pity. Their houses are given to their enemies, with their wives and fields: upon the
whole land the hand of God's vengeance is stretched out. Their lying prophets shall
then meet their doom, and fall among them that fall, in spite of all their vain
confidence; at the time that I visit them they shall be cast down, saith the Lord.
Thus shall their enemies plunder and destroy them; and, as if solicitous to leave
none to escape, they shall throughly glean the remnant of Israel as a vine, as the
poor after the vintage picked off every berry which was left. Turn back thine hand
as a grape-gatherer into the baskets, till all the spoil is collected, and every Israelite
led captive. ote; It is the most unpleasing part of our office to be the messengers of
evil; but it is absolutely necessary that by the terrors of the Lord we should
persuade men: and, however tremendous the subject, they who hear, ought not to be
displeased with the servants who barely report what they have received of the Lord.
3rdly, We have,
1. God's appeal to the whole world for the equity of his procedure. When tidings of
what was done among them, judgments so terrible and strange, were reported, it
might astonish them that God should thus deal with his once so favoured people;
but the wonder will cease when their provocations are known. Their sufferings are
the necessary fruit of their thoughts; evil, and only evil, and that continually; and
the consequence of their wicked ways, as disobedient against all the warnings of
God's prophets, and rebellious against all the restraints of his law. ote; If men will
not be ruled by God's word, they will justly be ruined by his wrath.
2. The vanity of their pretended services. Their incense and perfumes, their
offerings and sacrifices, however rich, expensive, and numerous, when brought with
a hypocritical heart, as a means of purchasing God's favour, with the hopes of
expiating unrepented sins, or to obtain a licence to abide in them; so far were they
from being pleasing and acceptable, that they were his detestation and abhorrence.

164. 3. The destruction that God would bring upon them. Stumbling-blocks should be set
in their ways, their false prophets permitted to delude them, or the Chaldeans, by
whom they should be dashed in pieces, both father and son; for sinners together
must suffer together; the neighbour and his friend; for those who have walked in
evil fellowship, will be involved in the same calamity. From the north, a far distant
country, the mighty enemies come, armed with bow and spear; fierce and cruel, they
shew no mercy; their voice terrible as the roaring of the sea; their cavalry swift and
strong; advancing in battle array against thee, O daughter of Zion.
4. Terrible consternation will seize the Jewish people at their approach. Frightened
at the very report, like a woman with child, who falls into travailing pangs, anguish
will seize them, their hearts fail them, and their hands be feeble and incapable of
resistance. In terror they shut themselves up within their city, not daring to stir, to
face the foe, or carry on their husbandry, or attempt to travel, for the sword of the
enemy, or because the enemy hath a sword ready drawn to slay; and fear is on every
side, no place being safe. ote; (1.) The sinner's terrors will seize him suddenly and
severely, as the pains of a travailing woman. (2.) When God sends his panic into the
heart, the mighty are feeble, and the brave turn cowards.
5. The prophet calls them to lamentation and bitter mourning, to lie in sackcloth
and ashes, as one under the most afflicting anguish for the loss of an only son; and
this either as a token of repentance for their sin, or as expressive of their desperate
sorrows under their sudden desolations. ote; How much wiser is it to prevent the
judgment by speedy humiliation, than by impenitence provoke the scourge, when
our anguish will come too late to profit us?
6. God appoints the prophet to inspect their ways, and a sad report he makes of
them. I have set thee for a tower, to observe them; or a trier, to examine them; and
for a fortress among my people, that, as safe in the divine protection, he might not
fear their threatenings; that thou mayest know and try their way, into which the
more he searched, the more would God's judgments appear righteous. And what is
the consequence of this inquisition? They are all grievous revolters, or revolters of
revolters, the most contumacious and stubborn transgressors: walking with
slanders: playing the hypocrite with God, or incessantly backbiting one another.
They are brass and iron; base and vile as these metals, having brazen fronts which
cannot blush, and hearts steeled that are impenetrably hardened. They are all
corrupters; as those who adulterate metals, so they corrupt the doctrines of truth;
or, in Satan's stead, turn tempters to each other. The bellows are burned; either the
judgments which they suffered had no effect on them; or the true prophets, who
prophesied till they were hoarse with crying, could avail nothing; or the false
prophets, who flattered them, are now consumed with them. The lead is consumed
of the fire, which was used in refining silver, but here was in vain: or, out of the fire
it is perfect lead; such are the people, without any thing precious or valuable in
them, notwithstanding the furnace of affliction through which they had gone. The
founder melteth in vain; all the prophet's labours were fruitless, and God's
dispensations without effect: for the wicked are not plucked away from their former

165. abominations, but persist in them. Reprobate silver shall men call them; mere dross,
because the Lord hath rejected them, from being his people, and given them up for a
prey to their enemies. ote; God tries every method with sinners, by calls of grace,
and corrections of Providence; and if, after all, they continue reprobate silver, their
eternal ruin will lie at their own door.
PETT, "Verses 27-30
Jeremiah Learns That YHWH Has Established Him As An Assayer Of His People,
As Well As Their Fortress, Although All That He Will Discover Will Be That They
Are A Mixture Of Base Metal And Dross (Jeremiah 6:27-30).
YHWH declares that He has made Jeremiah both a metal assayer and a fortress to
His people, in order that he may test their ways so as to discover what they are made
of. And what he will discover when he does this is that they are grievous rebels
(‘revolters of the revolters’, rebels above all rebels) who continually indulge in
slanders and deal corruptly. Rather than being silver and gold they are discovered
to be merely bronze and iron, and even then all attempts at refinement could only
fail, because all are wicked and it is thus not possible to separate the wicked out
from among the good. Men will therefore call them ‘refuse silver’, ore which has so
little silver in it that it is not worth bothering about (we might say ‘fool’s gold’),
because they will see that YHWH has rejected them.
Jeremiah 6:27
“A tester I have made you,
A fortress among my people,
That you may know,
And try their way.”
Jeremiah has been appointed for two purposes. On the one hand he is to test out the
metal of the people, and on the other he is to be a fortress for believers. For he is
called on to know their ways and to test them out. Thus God is making provision for
all His supposed people. Through Jeremiah He will uphold the righteous, and
through him He will sift out the wicked.
Alternately some would repoint mibtser (fortress) as mebatser (tester of metals) to
produce, ‘An assayer I made you among my people, a tester of metal --.’
PULPIT, "I have set thee, etc.; literally, as an assayer have I set thee among my
people, a fortress. Various attempts have been made to avoid giving the last word its
natural rendering, "a fortress." Ewald, for instance, would alter the points, and
render "a separator [of metals]," thus making the word synonymous with that
translated "an assayer;" but this is against Hebrew usage. Hitzig, assuming a
doubtful interpretation of Job 22:24, renders " … among my people without gold,"
i.e. "without there being any gold there for thee to essay" (a very awkward form of
expression). These are the two most plausible views, and yet neither of them is
satisfactory. othing remains but the very simple conjecture, supported by not a
few similar phenomena, that mibhcar, a fortress, has been inserted by mistake from

166. the margin, where an early glossator had written the word, to remind of the parallel
passage (Jeremiah 1:18, "I have made thee this day a fortress-city," 'it mibhcar). In
this and the following verses metallurgic phraseology is employed with a moral
application (comp. Isaiah 1:22, Isaiah 1:25).
28 They are all hardened rebels,
going about to slander.
They are bronze and iron;
they all act corruptly.
GILL, "They are all grievous revolters,.... From the right way of God and his
worship: or,
they are all revolters of revolters (e); of all, the greatest revolters, the greatest
sinners and transgressors, the most stubborn and disobedient; or sons of revolters;
fathers and children are alike. The Targum, is,
"all their princes rebel;''
and so the Vulgate Latin and Syriac versions: "walking with slanders": of one another; or
with deceit, as the Targum; in a hypocritical and fraudulent manner; playing the
hypocrite with God, or tricking and deceiving their neighbours. They are "brass and
iron"; as vile and mean as those metals, and not as gold and silver; or as hard and
inflexible as they are; or they deal as insincerely
"as he that mixes brass with iron;''
so the Targum:
they are all corrupters; as such that mix metals are; they are corrupters of
themselves and of others, of the doctrines and manners of men, and of the ways and
worship of God.
JAMISO , "grievous revolters — literally, “contumacious of the contumacious,”

167. that is, most contumacious, the Hebrew mode of expressing a superlative. So “the strong
among the mighty,” that is, the strongest (Eze_32:21). See Jer_5:23; Hos_4:16.
walking with slanders — (Jer_9:4). “Going about for the purpose of slandering”
[Maurer].
brass, etc. — that is, copper. It and “iron” being the baser and harder metals express
the debased and obdurate character of the Jews (Isa_48:4; Isa_60:17).
K&D, "Jer_6:28 gives a statement as to the moral character of the people. "Revolters
of revolters" is a kind of superlative, and ‫י‬ ֵ‫ר‬ ָ‫ס‬ is to be derived from ‫ר‬ ַ‫ר‬ ָ‫,ס‬ not from ‫,סוּר‬
perverse of perverse; or, as Hitz., imitating the Heb. phrase, rebels of the rebellious.
Going about as slanderers, see on Lev_19:16, in order to bring others into difficulties; cf.
Eze_22:9. To this is subjoined the figurative expression: brass and iron, i.e., ignoble
metal as contrasted with gold and silver, cf. Eze_22:18; and to this, again, the
unfigurative statement: they are all dealing corruptingly. ‫ים‬ ִ‫ית‬ ִ‫ח‬ ְ‫שׁ‬ ַ‫,מ‬ cf. Isa_1:4; Deu_31:29.
There is no sufficient reason for joining ‫ם‬ ָ ֻⅴ with the preceding: brass and iron, as Hitz.
and Graf do in defiance of the accents.
CALVI , "The Prophet now shews what he found the Jews to be, whose manners
and proceedings he had been commanded to observe. Had he said this at first, either
the fury of the people would have been kindled, or his judgment would have been
treated with contempt: but when God shewed what he had known through his
servant, it had more weight, and then the fury of the people was also repressed,
when they understood that it would avail them nothing to fight against God.
He says, that they were all the apostates of apostates, or the transgressors of
transgressors. Some read ‫,סרי‬ sari, with a ‫,ש‬ shin, and render the words, “the
princes of transgressors.” But I adopt the first as the more approved reading. They
who read “princes, “elicit a meaning from the words which appears strange, but not
the true one: they say that they were the princes of transgressors, because the people
were no better than their rulers, and because servants imitated their masters in all
kinds of wickedness. But this, as all must see, is a strained meaning. Why then
should anything be changed, since the sentence, as it is, has a most suitable
meaning? They are then called the apostates of apostates, or the transgressors of
transgressors, ‫סררים‬ ‫,סרי‬ sari sarerim The Hebrews, we know, express the
superlative degree by doubling the word, as, the heaven of heavens, the holy of
holies, the God of gods. He then says, that they were not only wicked, but most
wicked, who had reached the extreme point of depravity. For when impiety reaches
its summit, then justly may men be called the apostates of apostates. This, I have no
doubt, is what the Prophet means.
He afterwards adds, that they walked in slander The same mode of speaking, if I
mistake not, is found in Leviticus 19:16,
“Go not,” or walk not, “among thy people with slander.”

168. Yet this phrase may be otherwise explained, that is, that they walked in calumnies,
or that they perverted everything. But in this place, the word slander, seems too
feeble, as the Prophet, in my judgment, means more, even the audacity of the people,
so that they allowed themselves every liberty in sinning, and thus walked in their
own wickedness.
He adds, Brass and iron (185) Many render the words, “Brass mixed with iron;”
that is, that the noble and the vulgar were mingled together, so that there was a
common consent among them. Of this meaning I do not wholly disapprove: but as it
is rather refined, I know not whether it be well — founded. I therefore prefer to
regard this as designating their hardness: They were like brass and iron, for they
were inflexible. The Prophet then after having called them transgressors who had
alienated themselves from God, and after having said, that they walked in their own
depravity, now adds, that they were untamable, not capable of any improvements;
and hence he compares them to brass and iron.
He at last adds, that they were all corrupters This, as I think, is to be referred to
their habits: for thus are enemies called, who plunder everything, and commit all
excesses. But they are corrupters here, who not only like thieves plunder the goods
of all, but who are leaders to others in wickedness: so that all things were in
confusion, as it is wont to be said, from the head to the feet. (186) He afterwards
adds —
27.A watchtower have I given thee among my people, A fortress, that thou mightest
know and try their way; Then we are told what he had found them to be, — All of
them are the apostates of apostates, Companions of the slanderer; Brass and iron
are all of them, Corrupted are they.
“The apostates of apostates,” mean thorough, confirmed apostates, as “servant of
servants” means the basest: “companions,” etc., is literally, “Walkers with,“ etc.
“All of them,“ clearly belong to “Brass and iron,“ as “they” follows “corrupted.”
The ancient versions are not satisfactory, and the Targum is paraphrastic; but they
give the general meaning. “Prover” or “examiner” is what the versions give for
“watchtower.” “Fortress” is omitted in the Septuagint, the Arabic, and the Targum,
and is rendered “strong” by the Vulgate “ The apostates” is left out by the
Septuagint and the Arabic, and is rendered “princes” by the Vulgate, Syriac, and
the Targum For “companions of the slanderer,“ the Septuagint and Arabic have
“walking perversely — σκολιῶς;” the Syriac and Targum, “walking with guile —
cum dolo;” and the Vulgate, “walking fraudulently — fraudulenter.” The word ‫רכיל‬
, “slanderer” is found in five other places, Leviticus 19:16; Proverbs 11:13;
Jeremiah 9:4; Ezekiel 22:9. In the first three passages it is rendered in our version
“a talebearer,“ but more correctly, a slanderbearer, or, as Parkhurst renders it, “a
trader in slander.” It does not mean “a sharper,“ as Blayney thinks. The passages in
Proverbs are inconsistent with such an idea. There is no passage where it may not be
rendered “a slanderer,“ except Ezekiel 22:9; where it evidently means “slander.” —
Ed

169. TRAPP, "Jeremiah 6:28 They [are] all grievous revolters, walking with slanders:
[they are] brass and iron; they [are] all corrupters.
Ver. 28. They are all grievous revolters.] Heb., Revolters of revolters. Chald.,
Princes of revolters, archrebels. Jeremiah, God’s champion, such as was wont to be
set forth completely armed at the coronation of a king in this nation, findeth and
reporteth them such here, and proveth it.
Walking with slanders.] Trotting up and down as pedlars, dropping a tale here and
another there, contrary to Leviticus 19:16.
They are brass and iron.] Base and drossy, false and feculent metals. Silver and gold
they would seem to be, a sincere and holy people; but they are malae monetae, base
coinage, a degenerate and hypocritical generation. Adulterini sunt, nihil habentes
probi, as Theodoret hath it here; naught, and good for nought; not unlike those
stones brought home in great quantity by Captain Frobisher in the reign of Queen
Elizabeth. He thought them to be minerals and of good worth; but when there could
be drawn from them neither gold nor silver, nor any other metal, they were cast
forth to repair the highways. (a)
They are all corrupters.] Of themselves and of others.
PETT, "Jeremiah 6:28
‘They are all grievous rebels,
Going about with slanders,
They are bronze and iron,
They all of them deal corruptly.’
And what he will discover about the vast majority is that they are grievous rebels
(‘rebels of the rebels’), and that rather than being silver and gold they are bronze
and iron. They are of inferior quality, something evidenced by the fact that they go
about destroying other people’s reputations falsely (compare Leviticus 19:16), and
are unreliable in their dealings.
29 The bellows blow fiercely
to burn away the lead with fire,

170. but the refining goes on in vain;
the wicked are not purged out.
BAR ES, "The bellows are burned - Worn out by continual blowing. The
prophet has exhausted all his efforts. His heart, consumed by the heat of divine
inspiration, can labor no more. Others translate “The bellows snort,” i. e., blow furiously.
More probably, “The bellows glow” with the strong heat of the fire.
Plucked away - Separated. The smelter’s object is to separate the metal from the
dross.
GILL, "The bellows are burnt,.... Which Kimchi interprets of the mouth and throat
of the prophet, which, through reproving the people, were dried up, and become raucous
and hoarse, and without any profit to them; and so the Targum,
"lo, as the refiner's blower, that is burnt in the midst of the fire, so the voice of the
prophets is silent, who prophesied to them, turn to the law, and they turned not;''
or the judgments and chastisements of God upon the Jews may be meant, which were
inflicted upon them to no purpose:
the lead is consumed of the fire; lead being used formerly, as is said (f), instead of
quicksilver, in purifying of silver; which being consumed, the refining is in vain: or it
may be rendered,
out of the fire it is perfect lead (g); or wholly lead, a base metal, no gold and silver
in it, to which the Jews are compared:
the founder melteth in vain; to whom either the prophet is likened, whose reproofs,
threatenings, and exhortations, answered no end; or the Lord himself, whose corrections
and punishments were of no use to reform this people:
for the wicked are not plucked away; from their evil way, as Jarchi; or from good
men, they are not separated the one from the other; or, "evils (sins) are not plucked
away" (h); from sinners: their dross is not purged away from them; neither the words of
the prophet, nor the judgments of God, had any effect upon them. The Targum of the
latter part of the verse is,
"and as lead which is melted in the midst of the furnace, so the words of the prophets
which prophesied to them were nothing in their eyes; and without profit their teachers
taught them and they did not leave their evil works.''
JAMISO , "bellows ... burned — So intense a heat is made that the very bellows

171. are almost set on fire. Rosenmuller translates not so well from a Hebrew root, “pant” or
“snort,” referring to the sound of the bellows blown hard.
lead — employed to separate the baser metal from the silver, as quicksilver is now
used. In other words, the utmost pains have been used to purify Israel in the furnace of
affliction, but in vain (Jer_5:3; 1Pe_1:7).
consumed of the fire — In the Chetib, or Hebrew text, the “consumed” is supplied
out of the previous “burned.” Translating as Rosenmuller, “pant,” this will be
inadmissible; and the Keri (Hebrew Margin) division of the Hebrew words will have to
be read, to get “is consumed of the fire.” This is an argument for the translation, “are
burned.”
founder — the refiner.
wicked ... not plucked away — answering to the dross which has no good metal to
be separated, the mass being all dross.
K&D, "The trial of the people has brought about no purification, no separation of the
wicked ones. The trial is viewed under the figure of a long-continued but resultless
process of smelting. ‫ר‬ ַ‫ח‬ָ‫,נ‬ Niph. from ‫ר‬ ַ‫ר‬ ָ‫,ח‬ to be burnt, scorched, as in Eze_15:4. ‫ם‬ ַ ְ‫שׁ‬ ֵ‫א‬ ֵ‫מ‬ is
to be broken up, as in the Keri, into two words: ‫שׁ‬ ֵ‫א‬ ֵ‫מ‬ and ‫ם‬ ַ (from ‫.)תמם‬ For there does
not occur any feminine form ‫ה‬ ָ ִ‫א‬ from ‫שׁ‬ ֵ‫,א‬ nor any plural ‫ּת‬ ִ‫א‬ (even ‫ה‬ ֶ ִ‫א‬ forms the plur.
‫ים‬ ִ ִ‫,)א‬ so as to admit of our reading ‫ם‬ ָ‫ת‬ ָ ִ‫א‬ ֵ‫מ‬ or ‫ם‬ ָ‫ּת‬ ִ‫א‬ ֵ‫.מ‬ Nor would the plur., if there were
one, be suitable; Ew.'s assertion that ‫ּות‬ ִ‫א‬ means flames of fire is devoid of all proof. We
connect ‫שׁ‬ ֵ‫א‬ ֵ‫מ‬ with what precedes: Burnt are the bellows with fire, at an end is the lead.
Others attach "by the fire" to what follows: By the fire is the lead consumed. The thought
is in either case the same, only ‫ם‬ ַ is not the proper word for: to be consumed. Sense: the
smelting has been carried on so perseveringly, that the bellows have been scorched by
the heat of the fire, and the lead added in order to get the ore into fusion is used up; but
they have gone on smelting quite in vain. ‫ף‬ ַ‫ר‬ ָ‫צ‬ with indefinite subject, and the infin. absol.
added to indicate the long duration of the experiment. In the last clause of the verse the
result is mentioned in words without a figure: The wicked have not been separated out
(prop., torn asunder from the mass).
CALVI , "He says, that the bellows was consumed by the fire and without any
advantage. The whole sentence is metaphorical. Interpreters refer it simply to what
was taught; and hence they consider the mouth of the Prophet to be the bellows, by
which the fire was kindled. So the meaning would be, — that the Prophet was as it
were burnt, through his incessant crying, like the bellows, which by being
continually used is at length consumed, especially when the fire burns fiercely. They
then suppose that the Prophet complains that his throat had dried up, like the
bellows, which being burnt by the fire can no longer do its work. But what if we
refer this to the punishments and judgments by which God had chastised his people,
and yet without benefit? For so he complains in the first chapter of Isaiah, and in
other places.

172. “In vain, “he says, “have I chastised thee:”
and Jeremiah has before said,
“In vain have I chastised my children; they have not received correction.” (Jeremiah
2:30)
So also it is said by Isaiah,
“Alas! vengeance must I take on my enemies,” (Isaiah 1:24)
but to what purpose? He afterwards adds, that it was without any benefit, because
their wickedness was incurable.
The first meaning, however, is not to be rejected, for it was not unsuitable to say,
that the tongue of the Prophet was worn out with constant crying, that his throat
was nearly dried up. But I approve more of what I have just stated. Let each make
his own choice. If we consider prophetic teaching to be here intended, we may also
draw another meaning, — that the Prophet’s mouth was consumed by God’s
terrors; for it was like burning, whenever God threatened the people with final
destruction. The Prophet then does not without reason say, that his throat was
burnt by fire, even the threatenings of God.
He afterwards adds, that the lead was entire This sentence rather favors the view,
that Jeremiah is speaking of the judgments by which God sought to humble the
people and to lead them to repentance; for it cannot be suitably applied to doctrine
or teaching, that the lead was unmixt. By lead I understand dross. Some consider it
to be silver, and say that lead was mixed with silver, in order that the silver might
more easily be melted. As I am not skillful in that art, I cannot say whether this is
done or not. But the Prophet says that the lead was unmixt; that is, that nothing was
found but dross and filth.
He then adds, In vain has the melter melted, for evils have not been purged away;
that is, the dross had not been removed so as to leave behind the pure metal. He
means, in short, that there was nothing but dross and filth in the people, and not a
particle of pure silver. It hence followed, that they had been as it were in vain
melted. ow, this applies more fitly to punishment than to teaching, as all must see.
I hence do not doubt but that the Prophet shews here, that the Jews were not only
wicked and apostates and despisers of God, but were also so obstinate that God had
often tried in vain to purify them. And it is a kind of speaking, we know, which
occurs often in the prophets and throughout Scripture, that God is said to melt, to
purge, to refine men, when he chastises them. But the Prophet says that there was
only filth in that people, that lead was found, and that they were not melted. And
hence we learn how great was their hardness: though they were tried by fire, they
yet melted not, but continued in their perverseness. (187) He afterwards adds —
Burnt has been the bellows by the fire, Consumed has been the lead;

173. In vain has been the melting of the melted, For their evils have not been separated.
They had been in the furnace, but the lead intended to separate the dross from the
silver, was consumed, and the melting did not succeed, for their evils, or their vices,
were not separated from them. Hence in the next verse they are called reprobate
silver. — Ed.
COFFMA , ""The bellows blow fiercely; the lead is consumed of the fire; in vain
do they go on refining; for the wicked are not plucked away. Refuse silver shall men
call them, because Jehovah hath rejected them."
Scholars admit the difficulty of these verses, suggesting that the text might have
been damaged; but the general meaning is clear enough. The figure is that of a
refiner of silver; and the admonition here is that, "The silver (a metaphor for
Judah) is so full of alloy as to be utterly worthless."[22]
TRAPP, "Jeremiah 6:29 The bellows are burned, the lead is consumed of the fire;
the founder melteth in vain: for the wicked are not plucked away.
Ver. 29. The bellows are burnt.] The prophet’s lungs are spent; all their pains spilt
upon a perverse people. See Ezekiel 24:6; Ezekiel 24:12-13. Jeremiah had blowed
hard, as a smith or metallary doth with his bellows; he had suffered, as it were, by
the heat of a most ardent fire in trying and melting his ore; he had used his best art
also by casting in lead, as today they do quicksilver, to melt it the more easily, and
with less loss and waste; but all to no purpose at all. Let us, to the wearing of our
tongues to the stumps, preach never so much, men will on in sin, said Bradford. (a)
The lead is consumed.] All the melting judgments which, as lead is cast into the
furnace to make it the hotter, God added to the ministry of the prophets to make the
Word more operative, they will do no good.
The founder melteth in vain.] Whether God, the master founder, or the prophets,
God’s co-founders or fellow workmen, as the apostle calleth them. [1 Corinthians
6:1]
The wicked are not plucked away.] Or, Their wickednesses; they will not part with
their dross, or be divorced from their dilecta delicta, beloved sins. The vile person
will speak villany, and his heart will work iniquity, to practise hypocrisy, and to
utter error against the Lord. [Isaiah 32:6]
PETT, "Jeremiah 6:29
‘The bellows blow fiercely,
The lead is consumed by the fire,

174. In vain do they go on refining,
For the wicked are not plucked away.’
Indeed they are so all so evil that there is no way of refining them. The fiercely
blowing bellows will heat up the furnace to such an extent that the lead being used
for refining is burned up (during refining lead is placed in a crucible with the silver
ore and heated, and when the lead becomes oxidized it serves as a flux to collect
impurities), but even such heat will not be sufficient to refine His people because
when the attempt is made the wicked are not removed, simply because all are
wicked.
PULPIT, "The bellows are burned. The objection to this rendering is that the
burning of the bellows would involve the interruption of the process of assaying. We
might, indeed, translate "are scorched" (on the authority of Ezekiel 15:4), and
attach the word rendered "of the fire" to the first clause; the half-verse would then
run: "The bellows are scorched through the fire; the lead is consumed," i.e. the
bellows are even scorched through the heat of the furnace, and the lead has become
entirely oxydized. But this requires us to alter the verb from the masculine to the
feminine form of third sing. perf. (reading tammah). It is better, therefore, to give
the verb (which will be Kal, if the nun be radical) the sense of "snorting," which it
has in Aramaic and in Arabic, and which the corresponding noun has in Hebrew
(Jeremiah 8:16; Job 39:20; Job 41:12). The masculine form of the verb rendered "is
consumed" is still a difficulty; but we have a better right to suppose that the first
letter of tittom was dropped, owing to its identity with the second letter, than to
append (as the first view would require us) an entirely different letter at the end.
This being done, the whole passage becomes clear: "The bellows puff, (that) the lead
may be consumed of the fire." In any case, the general meaning is obvious. The
assayer has spared no trouble, all the rules of his art have been obeyed, but no silver
appears as the result of the process. Lead is mentioned, because, before quicksilver
was known, it was employed as a flux in the operation of smelting, Plucked away;
rather, separated, like the dross from the silver.
BI 29-30, "The bellows are burnt.
The bellows burnt
Apply to—
I. The prophet himself. The prophet was exhausted before the people were impressed.
So also with Noah, Isaiah, John the Baptist, Jesus Himself. Nor since, by apostles,
confessors, zeal-consuming preachers, has the iron-hearted world become melted; but
they themselves have suffered and perished amid their work.
1. It is the preacher’s business to continue labouring till he is worn out.
2. The Gospel he preaches is the infallible test between the precious and the vile.
II. The afflictions which God sends upon ungodly men. Sent to see if they will melt in the
furnace or not. But where there is no grace in affliction the afflictions are sooner
exhausted than the sinner’s heart is made to melt under the heat caused thereby—e.g.,
Pharaoh, not softened by all the plagues. Ahaz, “when he was afflicted, he sinned yet
more and more.” Jerusalem, often chastised, yet incorrigible. Sinners, upon whom God’s

175. judgments exert no melting power.
III. The chastisements which God sends upon His own people. The great Refiner will
have His gold pure, and will utterly remove our tin. Do not let it be said that the bellows
are used till they are worn out before our afflictions melt us to repentance and cause us
to let go our sins.
IV. The time is coming when the excitement of ungodly men will fail them. Many
activities are kept up by outward energies inciting men.
1. Excitement in pursuit of wealth. Yet how little will the joys of wealth stimulate you
in your last moments!
2. Excitement in pursuing fame. Alas! men burn away their lives for the approbation
of fellow creatures; and these fires will die down into darkness.
3. Living for pleasure; but satiety follows, and the flame of joy goes out.
4. Hypocrisy is with some their “bellows”; but this feigned zeal and pretended piety
will end in black despair.
V. Those excitements which keep alive the Christian’s zeal. In certain Churches we have
seen great blazings of enthusiasm, misnamed “revivals,” mere agitations. Genuine
revivals I love, but these spurious things are fanaticism. Why was it the fire soon went
out? The man who blew the bellows left the scene of excitement, and darkness ensued.
Our earnestness is worthless which depends on such special ministrations. Is the fire in
our soul burning less vehemently than in years past? Our obligations to live for Christ
are the same; our Master’s claims on our love are as strong; the objects for which we
served God in the past are as important. Should we grow less heavenly the nearer we
come to the New Jerusalem? (C. H. Spurgeon.)
The prophet’s consuming zeal and the people’s unresponsiveness
He likens the people of Israel to a mass of metal. This mass of metal claimed to be
precious ore, such as gold or silver. It was put into the furnace, the object being to fuse
it, so that the pure metal should be extracted from the dross. Lead was put in with the
ore to act as a flux (that being relied upon by the ancient smelters, as quicksilver now is
in these more instructed days); a fire was kindled, and then the bellows were used to
create an intense heat, the bellows being the prophet himself. He complains that he
spake with such pathos, such energy, such force of heart, that he exhausted himself
without being able to melt the people’s hearts; so hard was the ore, that the bellows were
burned before the metal was melted—the prophet was exhausted before the people were
impressed; he had worn out his lungs, his powers of utterance; he had exhausted his
mind, his powers of thought; he had broken his heart, his powers of emotion; but he
could not divide the people from their sins, and separate the precious from the vile. (C.
H. Spurgeon.)
The lead is consumed of the fire.
Refining fire
We mean precisely the same thing as the Hebrew prophet meant when we say, as
nowadays we are so apt to say, that life is a school. People still are puzzled by the

176. punishments of life. The discipline is strict. The rules are rigid. Oftentimes we suffer. It
is not by any means all play. But there are lessons to be learned, and forbearance to be
used, and suffering to be borne. It seems to us narrow and foolish of Jeremiah to have
fancied that the Lord raised up those great Assyrian and Babylonian nations simply for
the purpose of trying and testing the Jewish people. It was narrow also of the Jews to
fancy themselves the “chosen people,” whom God particularly loved and wished to save.
Yet all of us today are similarly narrow in one sense, and we have to be. We cannot free
ourselves, you and I and others like us, from the conviction that we, as men and women,
by virtue of the very life that is in us, are the centre and meaning of this entire universe.
Believe this in some degree we must. Doubt it, and the very heavens are bleak and bare.
Every system in philosophy, every article of religious faith, every discovery in science, is
based, more or less directly, upon the supposition of this distinct relationship between
the outer universe and the life of man. Let us use, for convenience’ sake, the analogy of
the prophet. We will suppose that we are placed here as the crude ore is thrown into the
furnace, in order to be refined. Along what lines should the process of refinement work?
Nothing is more familiar than the claim that sorrow chastens us, and hardships
strengthen, and trials test. As Goethe said, “Talent is perfected in retirement, but
character only in the stream of life.” They tell this concerning Wendell Phillips.
Whenever the great orator tended to become a little prosy in his speeches, and to lose
some of his customary fire, certain young Abolitionists used to get together near the
door and start a hiss. The note of disapproval never failed to arouse the lion in the
speaker, and he was electrified at once into matchless eloquence. The world’s agencies of
trial and toil and difficulty are indeed in vain, the bellows of life are consumed most
uselessly, if you and I are not made more courageous and calm and self-reliant by the
process. And yet the hard things of this world ought not to be the only ones to have this
refining influence. We are weak and ungrateful, and made of anything but precious
metal, if we are not purified by the privileges of life, hallowed by its happiness, humbled
by success. In everyday life most of us are not deficient in gratitude. We appreciate the
kindness and generosity of our friends. But how few of us in comparison fall to our knees
in an hour of newborn joy, or reverently think of life’s higher meaning, and resolve on a
rigider performance of our duties, when success has bathed us in its golden sunshine!
There is no much surer test of character than this: What effect has good fortune had? If
the person is innately weak to whom some power or privilege has come, he answers it by
pride and selfishness and vain indulgence. He feels himself exalted; and, instead of
looking up in reverence and humility to his God, he looks down with coldness on his
fellow men. Shall I tell you what is to me one of the most inspiring, beautiful sights in all
the wide range of human activity and character? It is to see and know of anyone truly
great who has been humbled by success, and touched into infinite modesty by the
consciousness of superlative ability. It is to find people refined into simplicity and gentle
devoutness by the world’s blandishments and distinctions and honours. And this has
been the refining influence to which the noblest and the truest ones have answered. You
all know, too, the saying of the distinguished, world-honoured discoverer, Sir Isaac
Newton,—that he was nothing but a helpless child gathering pebbles on a boundless
shore, with the great ocean of undiscovered truth stretching away beyond him. I have
spoken of sorrow and of joy—the two extremes of existence—as having properly this
purifying influence on life. Let, me now speak broadly of certain phases of refinement
which ought to appear as the result of the world’s great processes.
1. First, there is the refining fire of glory, which is so abundant in the outward world.
It is for us to answer it by what is known as reverence. We have not the pure metal
which is sought, if we are not so refined by the wonders of the world as to kneel in

177. worship, and uplift our souls in awe. “This world is not for him who does not
worship,” said an ancient Persian sage; and our kindred souls give back the truth
across the centuries, “This world is not for him who does not worship.”
2. Again, there is the burning fact of law. All things around us are done with
persistency. Everything is regular. The smallest function is precise. Surely the
knowledge of such constancy should have its influence on us. It should take what is
pure within us. It should appeal to the clear metal of our better selves, and make us
trust.
3. Finally, the fire of utter impartiality surrounds us. The world is laid at each one’s
feet. The Divine bounty is not given to this person, and denied to that one; but all of
us receive. And the answering refinement which should come from receptive human
beings, who may doubt its nature or its need? A suggestive legend comes to us from
Mohammedan writings. Abraham, it is said, once received an old man in his tent,
who, in sitting down to eat, neglected to repeat a “grace.” “My custom,” he said, in
explanation, “is that of the fire worshipper.”—Whereupon the Jewish patriarch in
wrath undertook to drive him from his door. But suddenly God appeared to him,
and, restraining the churlish impulse, cried: “Abraham, for one hundred years the
Divine bounty has flowed out to you in sunshine and in rain; and is it for you to deny
shelter to this man because his worship is not thine?” Even thus does nature speak a
silent yet severe rebuke to our narrowness, our lack of sympathy, our petty
distinctions and rivalries in social life. “Be broad,” she cries. “Let love control your
acts; to those who need, extend a helping hand.” (P. R. Frothingham.).
30 They are called rejected silver,
because the Lord has rejected them.”
BAR ES, "Reprobate - See the margin; not really silver, but the dross.
The Lord hath rejected them - This then is the end. The smelter is God’s prophet:
the bellows the breath of inspiration: the flux his earnestness in preaching. But in vain
does the fervour of prophecy essay to melt the hearts of the people. They are so utterly
corrupt, that no particle even of pure metal can be found in them. All the refiner’s art is
in vain. They have rejected all God’s gifts and motives for their repentance, and therefore
Yahweh has rejected them as an alloy too utterly adulterate to repay the refiner’s toil.
GILL, "Reprobate silver shall men call them,.... Or, "call ye them" (i), as the
Targum; so the Septuagint, Vulgate Latin, and Arabic versions; by whom are meant the
Jews, who thought themselves of some account, as silver; being the seed of Abraham,

178. and having the law, the covenant and promises, and service of God; when those that
tried them, as the prophets, found them to be nothing but dross; and therefore, if they
must be called silver, they could call them no other than reprobate silver; or what is of
no account and value; and which is confirmed by the following reason, which contains
the judgment and conduct of him that cannot err:
for the Lord hath rejected them; from being his people; and therefore cast them out
of their own land, and caused them to go into captivity.
JAMISO , "Reprobate — silver so full of alloy as to be utterly worthless (Isa_1:22).
The Jews were fit only for rejection.
K&D, "The final statement of the case: They call them (the whole people) rejected
silver, i.e., they are recognised as such; for Jahveh has rejected them, has given over
trying to make anything of them.
CALVI , "Jeremiah concludes his subject by saying, — that if the Jews had been
cast a hundred times into the furnace, they would not be improved, as they would
never become softened on account of their hopeless obstinacy. He uses the word
silver, by way of concession; for they were not worthy of that name, and we have
already seen that there was nothing soft or tender in them.
But the prophets often conceded some things to hypocrites; yet not without some
appearance of a taunt, as the case seems to be here. The Jews wished to be regarded
as silver, and to appear as such: “Let them then be silver, “that is, “Let them claim
the name, by boasting themselves as the holy seed of Abraham; but they are a
reprobate silver;” according to what we say, Faux or faux argent; which yet is
neither silver nor gold; but the words are used not in their strict meaning, and we
afterwards shew that what we have so called is not silver. Even so does the Prophet
say, “They are silver in their own esteem, and take pride in the title: but they are a
reprobate silver. ” How so? For Jehovah has rejected them He shews that it belongs
to God to pronounce sentence on men, and that they gain nothing by their vain
flatteries, and by securing some esteem in the world: for God alone is the true judge.
The Prophet then shews that the Jews were a reprobate silver, in order that they
might know that they in vain gloried, while they boasted themselves to be God’s
people and heritage. ow follows —
TRAPP, "Jeremiah 6:30 Reprobate silver shall [men] call them, because the LORD
hath rejected them.
Ver. 30. Reprobate (a) silver shall men call them.] Dross and refuse, rather than
pure metal; "silver" they would seem to be, but their hypocrisy shall be made
known to all men, who shall count them and call them "reprobate," because
impurgabiles and inexpiabiles, uncounsellable and incorrigible; (b) a sure sign of

179. reprobation, as Aquinas noteth from Hebrews 6:7-8.
For the Lord hath rejected them.] As refuse and counterfeit, such as will not pass in
payment. (c) Hence they are to be cast into Babylon’s iron furnace ( quasi antro
Aetnaeo et Cyclopico adhuc decoquendi), a type of that eternal fire of hell prepared
of old for the devil and reprobates.
PETT, "Jeremiah 6:30
‘Men will call them refuse (reject) silver,
Because YHWH has rejected them.’
Thus because they have been tested and rejected by YHWH men will call them
‘refuse silver’, poor quality silver ore which is thrown away because it is
unrefinable. In other words it will be seen that there is no good in them.