Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Jeremiah 4:26
I beheld, and, lo, the fruitful place [was] a wilderness, and all the cities thereof were broken down at the presence of the LORD, [and] by his fierce anger.
26. the fruitful field ] mg. Heb. Carmel (see Jer 2:7), but meaning here the most fruitful portions of the land in general.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
The fruitful place, Heb. Carmel, either properly, for that part of the land so called for its fruitfulness; or rather appellatively, for not only their most pleasant, but most fruitful lands, that were kept dressed and occupied for food, both for necessity and delight, Jer 4:27; Isa 29:17; 33:9.
All the cities thereof were broken down; no place left for men to inhabit, Isa 1:7.
By his fierce anger; that which the enemy could not have done with all his fury and fierceness, had it not been for the anger of the Lord, which by their great provocation they had brought upon them. selves, 2Ki 24:3; Jer 9:12,13.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
26. fruitful placeHebrew,Carmel.
a wildernessHebrew,“the wilderness,” in contrast to “thefruitful place”; the great desert, where Carmel was,there is now the desert of Arabia [MAURER].
citiesin contrast tothe fruitful place or field.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
I beheld, and, lo, the fruitful place was a wilderness,…. Or, “I beheld, and, lo, Carmel was a wilderness”; which was a particular part of the land of Israel, and was very fertile, and abounded in pastures and fruit trees, and yet this, as the rest, became desolate as a wilderness; see Isa 32:15 though it may be put for the whole land, which was very fruitful; and so the Targum,
“I saw, and, lo, the land of Israel, which was planted as Carmel, was turned to be as a wilderness:”
and all the cities thereof; not of Carmel only, but of the whole land:
were broken down at the presence of the Lord, and by his fierce anger; for though this was done by the Chaldeans, yet it was by the will and appointment of God, and as a token of his fierce anger against the people of the Jews, for their sins and transgressions. Jarchi cites a Midrash Agadah, or an allegorical exposition of this place, which interprets the “mountains”, the Jewish fathers; the “hills”, the mothers, and their merits; “no man”, the worthiness of Moses, who was meeker than any man; and “Carmel”, Elijah; without any manner of foundation.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
What he saw the fourth time was this — that the fertile land was turned into a desert. I indeed think that Carmel is to be taken here as meaning the place. That part of the holy land, we know, received its name from its fertility: Carmel means any rich and fruitful spot of ground. But, as I have just said, the mount was so called because it abounded in all kinds of produce; for there were on it fruitful pastures and fertile fields, and every part of it was remarkably pleasant and delightful. I am therefore inclined to consider Carmel itself to be meant here; and my reason is, because he immediately adds, that its cities were destroyed; and this can be more fitly applied to Carmel than generally to all fruitful regions. As to myself, I think that the Prophet speaks of Carmel; and yet he alludes to what the word means. (120) Even in this verse he mentions a part for the whole, as though he had said, that Carmel, which excelled in fertility, had become like a desert. When Isaiah speaks of the renovation of the Church, he says,
“
The desert shall be as Carmel,“ (Isa 32:15)
as though he had said, that the blessing of God would be so abundant through the whole world, that deserts would bear fruit like Carmel, or those regions which are remarkable for their fertility. But Jeremiah, speaking here of a curse, says, that Carmel would be like the desert; and that all its cities would be demolished, even at the presence of Jehovah, and by the great heat of his wrath
Some render חרון, charun, fury: and this kind of language is not without its use; for men, as we have said, except God terrifies them as it were by thunders, will sleep and will not perceive his judgment, so that all threatenings become useless to them. This is the reason why Scripture speaks so often of the fury or of the great heat of God’s wrath. Either of the two words might indeed be sufficient; either חרון, charun, which means fury or great heat; or אף aph, which signifies anger or wrath. Why then are both mentioned? because it is necessary, as I have said, to tear in pieces our hardness as with hammers; for otherwise God could never turn us to fear him. This repetition then ought to avail for the purpose of subduing the perverseness of our nature; not that these turbulent feelings belong to God, as it is well known; but as we cannot otherwise conceive how dreadful his vengeance is, it is necessary that he should be set before us as one who is angry and burning with wrath: in a like manner, eternal death is described to us under the metaphor of fire.
Now, as to the sum of what is here said, the Jews at that time no doubt enjoyed great abundance and indulged their pleasures; in short, they were fully pleased with their condition. But the Prophet here declares that he saw at a distance what these blind Jews did not see, even God’s vengeance approaching, which would deprive them of that abundance, on account of which they were so swollen with pride, and which would reduce them all into such a state of desolation that nothing would remain above or below, but a disordered confusion, such as existed before nature was brought to order, when the earth was not separated from the heavens, and there was only a confused mass, including all the elements, and without any light. He afterwards adds —
(120) All the early versions, as well as the Targum, retain the word “Carmel.” Blayney renders it “the fruitful field.” — Ed.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(26) The fruitful place.The Carmel, or vine-land, became as the wilderness. The Hebrew article points probably to the well-known desert of the wanderings.
At the presence of the Lord.Literally, from before Jehovah, from before the heat of his anger. The original has the emphasis of repeating the preposition.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
Jer 4:26 I beheld, and, lo, the fruitful place [was] a wilderness, and all the cities thereof were broken down at the presence of the LORD, [and] by his fierce anger.
Ver. 26. At the presence of the Lord, &c. ] Who was the chief agent; as Titus the Roman emperor also acknowledged after be had destroyed Jerusalem: Non se id fecisse dixit, sed Deo iram suam declaranti manus suas accommodasse; a he said it was not he that had done it, but that he had only lent his hands to God, justly displeased at that nation.
a Suidas.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
at = because of.
and by. Some cod ices, with five early printed editions, Septuagint, Syriac, and Vulgate, read “and because of”.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
the fruitful: Jer 12:4, Jer 14:2-6, Deu 29:23-28, Psa 76:7, Psa 107:34, Isa 5:9, Isa 5:10, Isa 7:20-25, Mic 3:12
Reciprocal: Isa 7:23 – be for briers Jer 5:17 – they shall impoverish Hos 2:3 – as Zep 1:18 – but
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Jer 4:26. The figures of speech are discontinued and the prophet sees the country actually in a ruined condition. At the presence of the Lord, means the Babylonian forces are coming against the land at the decree of the Lord to punish its people.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
The Lord’s fierce anger had resulted in the land becoming wild and the cities destroyed.
"The picture is so extreme that only our present forebodings of nuclear winter may seem to come within sight of it." [Note: Kidner, p. 40. Cf. Zephaniah 1:14-18.]