20 We have known, O Jehovah, our wickedness, The iniquity of our fathers, For we have sinned against Thee.
`And -- they have confessed their iniquity, and the iniquity of their fathers, in their trespass which they have trespassed against Me, and also, that they have walked with Me, in opposition, also I walk to them in opposition, and have brought them into the land of their enemies -- or then their uncircumcised heart is humbled, and then they accept the punishment of their iniquity, -- then I have remembered My covenant `with' Jacob, and also My covenant `with' Isaac, and also My covenant `with' Abraham I remember, and the land I remember.
We have sinned with our fathers, We have done perversely, we have done wickedly. Our fathers in Egypt, Have not considered wisely Thy wonders, They have not remembered The abundance of Thy kind acts, And provoke by the sea, at the sea of Suph. And He saveth them for His name's sake, To make known His might, And rebuketh the sea of Suph, and it is dried up, And causeth them to go Through depths as a wilderness. And He saveth them from the hand Of him who is hating, And redeemeth them from the hand of the enemy. And waters cover their adversaries, One of them hath not been left. And they believe in His words, they sing His praise, They have hasted -- forgotten His works, They have not waited for His counsel. And they lust greatly in a wilderness, And try God in a desert. And He giveth to them their request, And sendeth leanness into their soul. And they are envious of Moses in the camp, Of Aaron, Jehovah's holy one. Earth openeth, and swalloweth up Dathan, And covereth over the company of Abiram. And fire burneth among their company, A flame setteth on fire the wicked. They make a calf in Horeb, And bow themselves to a molten image, And change their Honour Into the form of an ox eating herbs. They have forgotten God their saviour, The doer of great things in Egypt, Of wonderful things in the land of Ham, Of fearful things by the sea of Suph. And He saith to destroy them, Unless Moses, His chosen one, Had stood in the breach before Him, To turn back His wrath from destroying. And they kick against the desirable land, They have not given credence to His word. And they murmur in their tents, They have not hearkened to the voice of Jehovah. And He lifteth up His hand to them, To cause them to fall in a wilderness, And to cause their seed to fall among nations, And to scatter them through lands. And they are coupled to Baal-Peor, And eat the sacrifices of the dead, And they provoke to anger by their actions, And a plague breaketh forth upon them, And Phinehas standeth, and executeth judgment, And the plague is restrained, And it is reckoned to him to righteousness, To all generations -- unto the age. And they cause wrath by the waters of Meribah, And it is evil to Moses for their sakes, For they have provoked his spirit, And he speaketh wrongfully with his lips. They have not destroyed the peoples, As Jehovah had said to them, And mix themselves among nations, and learn their works, And serve their idols, And they are to them for a snare. And they sacrifice their sons And their daughters to destroyers, And they shed innocent blood -- Blood of their sons and of their daughters, Whom they have sacrificed to idols of Canaan, And the land is profaned with blood. And they are defiled with their works, And commit whoredom in their habitual doings. And the anger of Jehovah Is kindled against His people, And He doth abominate His inheritance. And giveth them into the hand of nations, And those hating them rule over them, And their enemies oppress them, And they are humbled under their hand. Many times He doth deliver them, And they rebel in their counsel, And they are brought low in their iniquity. And He looketh on their distress When He heareth their cry, And remembereth for them His covenant, And is comforted, According to the abundance of His kindness. And He appointeth them for mercies Before all their captors. Save us, O Jehovah our God, and gather us from the nations, To give thanks to Thy holy name, To glory in Thy praise. Blessed `is' Jehovah, God of Israel, From the age even unto the age. And all the people said, `Amen, praise Jah!'
we have sinned, and done perversely, and done wickedly, and rebelled, to turn aside from Thy commands, and from Thy judgments: and we have not hearkened unto Thy servants, the prophets, who have spoken in Thy name unto our kings, our heads, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land. `To Thee, O Lord, `is' the righteousness, and to us the shame of face, as `at' this day, to the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to all Israel, who are near, and who are far off, in all the lands whither Thou hast driven them, in their trespass that they have trespassed against Thee. `O Lord, to us `is' the shame of face, to our kings, to our heads, and to our fathers, in that we have sinned against Thee.
and say, `O my God, I have been ashamed, and have blushed to lift up, O my God, my face unto Thee, for our iniquities have increased over the head, and our guilt hath become great unto the heavens. `From the days of our fathers we `are' in great guilt unto this day, and in our iniquities we have been given -- we, our kings, our priests -- into the hand of the kings of the lands, with sword, with captivity, and with spoiling, and with shame of face, as `at' this day.
For my transgressions I do know, And my sin `is' before me continually. Against Thee, Thee only, I have sinned, And done the evil thing in Thine eyes, So that Thou art righteous in Thy words, Thou art pure in Thy judging.
having risen, I will go on unto my father, and will say to him, Father, I did sin -- to the heaven, and before thee, and no more am I worthy to be called thy son; make me as one of thy hirelings. `And having risen, he went unto his own father, and he being yet far distant, his father saw him, and was moved with compassion, and having ran he fell upon his neck and kissed him; and the son said to him, Father, I did sin -- to the heaven, and before thee, and no more am I worthy to be called thy son.
and if in the light we may walk, as He is in the light -- we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son doth cleanse us from every sin; if we may say -- `we have not sin,' ourselves we lead astray, and the truth is not in us; if we may confess our sins, stedfast He is and righteous that He may forgive us the sins, and may cleanse us from every unrighteousness;
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible » Commentary on Jeremiah 14
Commentary on Jeremiah 14 Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
CHAPTER 14
Jer 14:1-22. Prophecies on the Occasion of a Drought Sent in Judgment on Judea.
1. Literally, "That which was the word of Jehovah to Jeremiah concerning the dearth"
drought—literally, the "withholdings," namely, of rain (De 11:17; 2Ch 7:13). This word should be used especially of the withholding of rain because rain is in those regions of all things the one chiefly needed (Jer 17:8, Margin).
2. gates—The place of public concourse in each city looks sad, as being no longer frequented (Isa 3:26; 24:4).
black—that is, they mourn (blackness being indicative of sorrow), (Jer 8:21).
unto the ground—bowing towards it.
cry—of distress (1Sa 5:12; Isa 24:11).
3. little ones—rather, "their inferiors," that is, domestics.
pits—cisterns for collecting rain water, often met with in the East where there are no springs.
covered … heads—(2Sa 15:30). A sign of humiliation and mourning.
5. The brute creation is reduced to the utmost extremity for the want of food. The "hind," famed for her affection to her young, abandons them.
6. wild asses—They repair to "the high places" most exposed to the winds, which they "snuff in" to relieve their thirst.
dragons—jackals [Henderson].
eyes—which are usually most keen in detecting grass or water from the "heights," so much so that the traveller guesses from their presence that there must be herbage and water near; but now "their eyes fail." Rather the reference is to the great boas and python serpents which raise a large portion of their body up in a vertical column ten or twelve feet high, to survey the neighborhood above the surrounding bushes, while with open jaws they drink in the air. These giant serpents originated the widely spread notions which typified the deluge and all destructive agents under the form of a dragon or monster serpent; hence, the dragon temples always near water, in Asia, Africa, and Britain; for example, at Abury, in Wiltshire; a symbol of the ark is often associated with the dragon as the preserver from the waters [Kitto, Biblical Cyclopædia].
7. do thou it—what we beg of Thee; interpose to remove the drought. Jeremiah pleads in the name of his nation (Ps 109:21). So "work for us," absolutely used (1Sa 14:6).
for thy name's sake—"for our backslidings are so many" that we cannot urge Thee for the sake of our doings, but for the glory of Thy name; lest, if Thou give us not aid, it should be said it was owing to Thy want of power (Jos 7:9; Ps 79:9; 106:8; Isa 48:9; Eze 20:44). The same appeal to God's mercy, "for His name's sake," as our only hope, since our sin precludes trust in ourselves, occurs in Ps 25:11.
8. The reference is, not to the faith of Israel which had almost ceased, but to the promise and everlasting covenant of God. None but the true Israel make God their "hope." (Jer 17:13).
turneth aside to tarry—The traveller cares little for the land he tarries but a night in; but Thou hast promised to dwell always in the midst of Thy people (2Ch 33:7, 8). Maurer translates, "spreadeth," namely, his tent.
9. astonied—like a "mighty man," at other times able to help (Isa 59:1), but now stunned by a sudden calamity so as to disappoint the hopes drawn from him.
art in the midst of us—(Ex 29:45, 46; Le 26:11, 12).
called by thy name—(Da 9:18, 19) as Thine own peculiar people (De 9:29).
10. Jehovah's reply to the prayer (Jer 14:7-9; Jer 2:23-25).
Thus—So greatly.
loved—(Jer 5:31).
not refrained … feet—They did not obey God's command; "withhold thy foot" (Jer 2:25), namely, from following after idols.
remember … iniquity—(Ho 8:13; 9:9). Their sin is so great, God must punish them.
11. (Jer 7:16; Ex 32:10).
12. not hear—because their prayers are hypocritical: their hearts are still idolatrous. God never refuses to hear real prayer (Jer 7:21, 22; Pr 1:28; Isa 1:15; 58:3).
sword … famine … pestilence—the three sorest judgments at once; any one of which would be enough for their ruin (2Sa 24:12, 13).
13. Jeremiah urges that much of the guilt of the people is due to the false prophets' influence.
assured peace—solid and lasting peace. Literally, "peace of truth" (Isa 39:8).
14. (Jer 23:21).
15. (Jer 5:12, 13).
By sword and famine … consumed—retribution in kind both to the false prophets and to their hearers (Jer 14:16).
16. none to bury—(Ps 79:3).
pour their wickedness—that is, the punishment incurred by their wickedness (Jer 2:19).
17. (Jer 9:1; La 1:16). Jeremiah is desired to weep ceaselessly for the calamities coming on his nation (called a "virgin," as being heretofore never under foreign yoke), (Isa 23:4).
18. go about—that is, shall have to migrate into a land of exile. Horsley translates, "go trafficking about the land (see Jer 5:31, Margin; 2Co 4:2; 2Pe 2:3), and take no knowledge" (that is, pay no regard to the miseries before their eyes) (Isa 1:3; 58:3). If the literal sense of the Hebrew verb be retained, I would with English Version understand the words as referring to the exile to Babylon; thus, "the prophet and the priest shall have to go to a strange land to practise their religious traffic (Isa 56:11; Eze 34:2, 3; Mic 3:11).
19. The people plead with God, Jeremiah being forbidden to do so.
no healing—(Jer 15:18).
peace … no good—(Jer 8:15).
20. (Da 9:8).
21. us—"the throne of Thy glory" may be the object of "abhor not" ("reject not"); or "Zion" (Jer 14:19).
throne of thy glory—Jerusalem, or, the temple, called God's "footstool" and "habitation" (1Ch 28:2; Ps 132:5).
thy covenant—(Ps 106:45; Da 9:19).
22. vanities—idols (De 32:21).
rain—(Zec 10:1, 2).
heavens—namely, of themselves without God (Mt 5:45; Ac 14:17); they are not the First Cause, and ought not to be deified, as they were by the heathen. The disjunctive "or" favors Calvin's explanation: "Not even the heavens themselves can give rain, much less can the idol vanities."
art not thou he—namely, who canst give rain?