Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Jeremiah 5:7
How shall I pardon thee for this? thy children have forsaken me, and sworn by [them that are] no gods: when I had fed them to the full, they then committed adultery, and assembled themselves by troops in the harlots houses.
7. If the MT. be right, the transition to Jehovah’s words is an abrupt one. Du., however, considers that an abbreviation of the common formula “Thus saith Jehovah” was misunderstood and so brought about a corruption of the text. He would accordingly restore thus: How can I pardon them, saith the Lord; they have, etc.
I had fed them to the full ] not as mg. made them swear, meaning, had bound them to me by oath. They had made use of their prosperity only as facilitating and inciting to sin. Cp. Deu 32:15.
The last part of the verse may be understood to include the sense of faithlessness to their Divine Spouse, but Jer 5:8 seems clearly to indicate a reference to the impure rites which accompanied idolatry.
assembled themselves in troops ] The verb in MT. suggests bands of marauders (cp. e.g. 2Ki 5:2). As this is an unsuitable sense here, it is better (with LXX) to read by a slight alteration in the Hebrew (where d and r are very similar letters), made themselves sojourners ( yithgorru for yithgoddu).
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Rather, Why, for what reason should I pardon thee?
When … – Or, though I bound them to me by oath, yet they committed adultery.
The harlots houses – The harlots house, i. e., the temple of an idol; the prophet had also in view (see Jer 5:8) the unchastity which accompanied most forms of nature-worship.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 7. In the harlots’ houses.] In places consecrated to idolatry. In the language of the prophets, adultery generally signifies idolatry. This we have often seen.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
How shall I pardon? how canst thou expect that I shall bear such affronts? I shall expose myself, and seem to lay aside my power; I shall be looked upon as one that either regard not such injuries, or cannot avenge them, as Jer 5:9.
Thy children; thy inhabitants, both in city and country.
Sworn by them that are no gods, but by idols: swearing is here put, not for one part of worship, as sometimes it is, but for a religious worship and service of them, Jer 4:2.
When I had fed them to the full, they then committed adultery: here is noted the abuse of Gods bounty, or the natural effect of our unsanctified prosperity, Deu 32:15; Jer 2:7; Jude 4. That which in good men doth oft breed forgetfulness, in bad men generally breeds filthiness: rising up to play the wanton was the effect of Israels eating and drinking, Exo 32:6, and of Sodoms sin, Eze 16:49. Adultery; either,
1. Metaphorically to be understood of their going a whoring after their idols; or,
2. Properly, for corporal uncleanness, they usually going both together, Num 25:1,2; Ho 4:12,14.
Assembled themselves by troops in the harlots houses; it may be read in the nominative case, the house of the harlot assembled themselves: q.d. The whole house of Israel, Jerusalem and Judea, are but one stew. If it refers to their idolatry, then it alludes to their making the temple a common house of spiritual harlotry; but rather, as it refers to their corporal uncleanness, it seems to intimate that they did not act their adulteries clandestinely or by stealth, but laying aside all modesty, they went to harlots houses, like brute beasts, in company, as ashamed of nothing.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
7. It would not be consistentwith God’s holiness to let such wickedness pass unpunished.
sworn by (Jer 5:2;Jer 4:2); that is, worshipped.
no gods (De32:21).
fed . . . to the fullsothe Keri (Hebrew Margin) reads. God’s bountifulness iscontrasted with their apostasy (De32:15). Prosperity, the gift of God, designed to lead men to Him,often produces the opposite effect. The Hebrew Chetib (text)reads: “I bound them (to Me) by oath,” namely, in themarriage covenant, sealed at Sinai between God and Israel; incontrast to which stands their “adultery”; the antithesisfavors this.
adultery . . . harlots’housesspiritually: idolatry in temples of idols; but literalprostitution is also included, being frequently part of idol-worship:for example, in the worship of the Babylonian Mylitta.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
How shall I pardon thee for this?…. Because of their manifold transgressions, and multiplied backslidings; or “wherefore, or for what, shall I pardon thee?” r as the Targum; can any reason be given why I should? what goodness is there in thee, or done by thee, that I should do this unto thee? The particle , according to Kimchi, is a word of exclamation; and, according to Jarchi, of admiration; and may be rendered, “oh! for this shall I pardon?” how can it be? R. Menachem; in Jarchi, takes it to be the same with , “not”; and to be rendered, not for this will I pardon; and so is an affirmation, and fixed resolution not to pardon, and that for the following reasons:
thy children have forsaken me; my worship, as the Targum interprets it; that is, the children of Jerusalem, the inhabitants of it, the common people, as distinguished from their fathers, the civil and ecclesiastical rulers; see Mt 23:37, though not to the exclusion of them; for they were guilty of the same sin in forsaking the word, worship, and ordinances of God:
and sworn by them that are no gods; by the name of idols, as the Targum; or, “by those things which are not god”, as Noldius s renders the words; who rightly observes, that there were other things besides idols that they swore by, as the heaven and earth, temple, altar, c. with which the Arabic version agrees when an oath ought only to be taken in the name of the living God; or, “swore without God”; without making mention of the name of the true God:
when I had fed them to the full; with the good things of life; gave them all things richly to enjoy; the best provisions, and fulness of them; so that they had all that heart could wish for. There is in the Hebrew text a beautiful play on words t, between the word used for swearing in the former clause, and this for feeding here:
they then committed adultery; either idolatry, which is spiritual adultery; or adultery literally taken; as it seems from the following verse. This is the consequence of their being fullly fed; and that is an aggravation of this their sin against God and their neighbour; see
De 32:13:
and assembled themselves by troops in the harlots’ houses; either in the temples of idols, or in the stews or brothel houses, where harlots prostituted themselves; their going thither in troops, or in great numbers, shows both how universal and how public this sin was, and how impudent and barefaced they were in the commission of it.
r “ad quid, [vel] ob quid, [vel] quare parcam tibi?” De Dieu. s Ebr. Concord. Part. p. 199. No. 911. t “et juraverunt”, “cum saturarem”.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
There is here what rhetoricians call a conference: for God seems here to seek the judgment of the adverse party, with whom he contends, on the cause between them, though it was sufficiently clear; and this is a proof of confidence. When advocates wish to shew that there is nothing doubtful or obscure, they thus deliberate with the opposite party, — “Why, I will propose the matter privately to yourself; have you anything to say? Even if you were at liberty to determine the question, would not reason compel you to pronounce such a judgment as this?” So now God shews that he was constrained, as it were, by necessity to inflict on the Jews a most severe punishment, and intimates that he was not, as it were, at liberty to do otherwise. “If I am, “he says, “the judge of the world, is it possible that they can escape unpunished, who thus openly provoke me? Should I not expose to ridicule my glory? and should I not also divest myself of my own power? I should cease to be what I am, and in a manner deny myself, were I not to punish a people so wicked and irreclaimable.” We now perceive the Prophet’s meaning.
Some consider ו, vau, to be understood, and take אי, ai, for אין , ain, and read thus, “I will not spare thee for this.” But as there is no reason to make any change, and many agree in the view that has been given, I prefer to follow what has been most commonly received. The meaning of אי , ai, in Hebrew is “where;” but it also means “how: “and here it is to be understood, not of place, but of manner, “How could I for this be propitious to you?”
We see how God, as it were, deliberates with the opposite party, and even appeals to them for judgment, “Say now, were I to allow you so much liberty and power as to decide the question, could I, who am the judge of the world, spare you who are guilty of such vices?”
Thy sons have forsaken me This was the first sin: and when God complained that he was forsaken, he intimated that the people had willfully, and from deliberate wickedness, cast off the yoke; for the same thing could not have been said of heathens. It is indeed true, if we have regard to the beginning, that all may be charged with defection, for God had revealed himself to the sons of Adam and of Noah; and when they fell away into superstitions, they became apostates. But the defection of the Jewish people was much more recent, and less to be borne: nay, when they boasted that they were God’s people, who could have alleged the pretense of ignorance? We now then see what the Prophet means when he says, that God had been forsaken by the people.
He then adds, They have sworn by a no- god He means, by stating a part for the whole, that the worship of God was become corrupt and vitiated: for swearing, as it was stated yesterday, is a part of God’s worship. Whenever we swear by God’s name, we profess that we are under his power, and that we cannot escape if we swear falsely: we also ascribe to him his glory as the God of truth; and we further testify that nothing escapes him, or is hid from his view. Hence, by saying here that the Israelites swore by a no- god, he means that God was deprived of his own right. They were indeed guilty of other sins; but, as it has been stated, the Prophet includes under one kind all the superstitions which then prevailed among the people. It was then the same as though he had said, that they worshipped idols and gods, whom they had devised for themselves.
He adds a circumstance which enhanced their guilt, I have filled them, he says, and they have committed adultery There is here a striking alliteration, which must not be omitted, he had said, ישבען, ishbon, “ they have sworn;” and now he says, אשבע, ashbo, “ I have filled them.” The only difference is in a point; when placed on the left side of ש, shin, the word means to fill, and when on the right, to swear. (136) The Prophet then says, that they had sworn to another God, and yet had been filled God shews here how base and disgraceful had been the ingratitude of the people; for they had been filled to the full with all blessings, and yet they did not acknowledge their own God, who had been to them a Father, so kind and bountiful: I have filled them, he says, and they have committed adultery
Now this passage teaches us, that they who go astray, when allured by God’s paternal kindness and bounty, are on that account the more unworthy of pardon. When men grow wanton against God, while he is kindly indulging them, they no doubt treasure up for themselves wrath against the day of wrath, as Paul tells us in Rom 2:5. Let us then take heed, lest we indulge ourselves, while God is, as it were, indulging us; and lest prosperity should lead us to wantonness: but let us learn to submit ourselves willingly to him, even because he thus kindly and sweetly invites us to himself; and when he shews himself so loving, let us learn to love him.
He says, that they committed adultery This may be taken metaphorically: but as in the next verse he inveighs against their vagrant lusts and adulteries, this phrase may be taken in its literal sense. I yet think that adultery here is to be understood figuratively, as meaning that they had no spiritual chastity, inasmuch as they did not give God his own glory. He further says, And at the house of the harlot have they assembled together The word “house” may be taken in the nominative case, as the Jews might have been called the house of the harlot; as though the Prophet had said, that all Jerusalem and Judea were like brothels. But some consider ב, beth, to be understood, so that they assembled themselves, as it were, at the house of a harlot; and that he thus alludes to the temple. And it is a mark of great shamelessness, when many adulterers or wanton men assemble in one house; for most are ashamed of their adulteries, so that they endeavor to hide their baseness: but when they come together in troops, as though under an uplifted banner, it is a proof that there is no shame, but that they thus disregard all decency, like brute beasts. The most suitable meaning then is, that they are said to have assembled together in brothels, because they gloried in their own superstitions and sacrileges. (137) It follows —
(136) This has been done by the Punctuists, and is no part of the language. — Ed.
(137) The last line may be rendered thus, —
And the house of the harlot they crowd.
The verb for “crowd” seems here to be transitive, though it be intransitive in Mic 5:1. — Ed.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
2. Sexual impurity (Jer. 5:7-9)
TRANSLATION
(7) Wherefore should I forgive you? Your children have forsaken Me and have sworn by no-gods; and when I fed them, then they committed adultery and they flocked to the house of a harlot. (8) They have become well-fed stallions roaming about; each man neighs unto the wife of his neighbor. (9) On account of these things shall I not punish (oracle of the LORD)? Shall not MY soul take vengeance on a nation which is like this?
COMMENTS
Persistent unbelief makes divine forgiveness of Judah impossible. The children of Judah have forsaken God and have indicated their allegiance to idols by swearing in the name of these non-entities. God had fed them, granted to them prosperity. But instead of gratitude, here is depravity. They had committed the sin of adultery. The prophet may be referring to literal adultery here or he may be using adultery as a metaphor for apostasy. The men of Judah flocked (lit., assembled in troops) to the house of the harlot (Jer. 5:7). They were utterly unashamed of their actions and made no attempt to hide their immoral acts. The reference here might be to the obscene orgies which characterized certain of the Canaanite cults. In any case, the immoral acts of the Baal cult could not be confined to religious exercises. The men of Judah roam about like well-fed[166] stallions, each one neighing to the wife of his neighbor (Jer. 5:8). The morals of a nation have sunk to rock bottom when sexual desire becomes merely an animal appetite to be satisfied in any manner and with anyone. Can God do anything other than bring punishment and divine vengeance upon such a nation? (Jer. 5:9). Divine vengeance in Scripture is just retribution for sins which are an affront to God.
[166] The meaning of the Hebrew word is obscure. The best Hebrew authorities suggest that the word means weighted or furnished with weights.
Fuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series
(7) When I had fed them to the full.The reading of the Hebrew text gives, though I had bound them by oath, sc., by the covenant, as of marriage; and this, as heightening the enormity of the sin that follows, gives a better sense than the English version, which follows the marginal reading of the Hebrew. The latter finds its parallel in Deu. 32:15; Hos. 13:6. There is probably an implied reference to the covenant to which the people had sworn in the time of Josiah.
Houses.Literally, house. The singular is, perhaps, used because the prophet thinks primarily of the idols temple as the scene of the adulteresss guilt, which here, as elsewhere, is the symbol of national apostasy.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
7. How Rather, why.
Shall I pardon thee The form of the word translated “pardon” is difficult to account for. The Masoretes evidently considered it a future, and so have given as a Keri the usual form for the Kal future of the lamedh guttural. The form in the text may be a future after the type of the perfect verb, of which there are also other instances among the lamedh guttural verbs; or it may be, as suggested by Furst, Keil, and others, that aleph in the text has become substituted for lamedh, the two being very much alike in the MSS. If this is so, the verb is an infinitive, and the meaning given above is more clearly brought out, How could one pardon thee?
Thy children have sworn There is doubt and disagreement as to the original text in this place. Most of the Versions and about forty MSS., together with the Keri, give the reading, I had sworn them; that is, had bound them by an oath to fidelity. But the reading which is the basis of the Authorized Version is easier, and agrees in sentiment with many other passages. The rule, however, is, in disputed readings, that the more difficult is likely to be genuine, as its substitution for an easier one cannot readily be accounted for, while the reverse process is the natural one. Besides, the thought in the reading “I have sworn them,” is even more perfectly suited to the remainder of the verse. The sense, then, is, I bound them by the marriage covenant, but they committed adultery.
Harlots’ houses Literally, house of the harlot; an expression doubtless intended to cover both carnal uncleanness and spiritual adultery.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Faithlessness and Treachery
v. 7. How shall I pardon thee for this? v. 8. They were as fed horses in the morning, v. 9. Shall I not visit for these things, v. 10. Go ye up upon her walls and destroy, v. 11. For the house of Israel and the house of Judah, v. 12. They have belied the Lord, v. 13. and the prophets shall become wind, v. 14. Wherefore, thus saith the Lord God of hosts, v. 15. Lo, I will bring a nation upon you from far, O house of Israel, saith the Lord, v. 16. Their quiver is as an open sepulcher, v. 17. And they shall eat up thine harvest, v. 18. Nevertheless, in those days,
Fuente: The Popular Commentary on the Bible by Kretzmann
Jer 5:7 How shall I pardon thee for this? thy children have forsaken me, and sworn by [them that are] no gods: when I had fed them to the full, they then committed adultery, and assembled themselves by troops in the harlots’ houses.
Ver. 7. How shall I pardon thee for this? ] How with the safety of mine honour and justice? Swearing then by creatures (us by our Lady, by St Anne, by this light, &c.), or by idols, (as by the mass, by the rood, &c.), or by qualities (as by faith, troth, &c.), is not so small a sin as many deem it, since God maketh here a great question how he can pardon it. For why? it is a forsaking of him, a giving away his honour to another, a disgrace done to a man’s self – since we always “swear by the greater,” Heb 6:16 and a means to procure his utter ruin, without God’s greater mercy. Amo 6:14 Zep 1:3-5 Men sport themselves with oaths, as the Philistines did with Samson, which will at last pull the house about their ears. Zec 5:4
When I fed them to the full, they then committed adultery.
And assembled themselves by troops.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Jer 5:7-9
7Why should I pardon you?
Your sons have forsaken Me
And sworn by those who are not gods.
When I had fed them to the full,
They committed adultery
And trooped to the harlot’s house.
8They were well-fed lusty horses,
Each one neighing after his neighbor’s wife.
9Shall I not punish these people, declares the LORD,
and on a nation such as this
Shall I not avenge Myself?
Jer 5:5-7 YHWH speaks to Judah and outlines their sins and His appropriate response.
1. their sin
a. your sons have forsaken Me (cf. Jer 1:16)
b. they have sworn by false gods (opposite of Jer 4:2; Jer 5:2) who are not real (cf. Jer 2:11)
c. they committed adultery (i.e., idolatry)
d. they were involved in fertility worship with all the women of the community (cf. Jer 3:8-9)
2. YHWH’s response
a. He will not pardon them (opposite of Jer 5:1)
b. He fed them to the full (revelation and blessing)
c. they deserve judgment (Jer 5:9)
Jer 5:7 sworn by those who are not gods This is a denial of the existence of the Canaanite gods. See Special Topic: MONOTHEISM .
sworn. . .fed them to the full There is a word play between
1. – swear (BDB 989)
2. – fed to the full (BDB 959)
It is even possible that swear should be in both lines, thereby denoting false allegiances to fertility gods.
trooped to the harlot’s house The MT has a word (BDB 151, KB 177) in Hithpoel that has two distinct meanings.
1. gash/cut – an aspect of pagan worship (cf. Deu 14:1; 1Ki 18:28; Jer 16:6; Jer 41:5; Jer 47:5; possibly Hos 7:14)
2. assemble in troops or bands (cf. Hos 7:14; Mic 5:1) with the implication of spending much time there
The LXX has lodged and the Peshitta has fought one another. Obviously there is some confusion in meaning in the ancient versions.
Jer 5:8 Again the animal world is used to describe human activity. Humans, made in God’s image, should act differently than animals in heat!
The first two VERBS are uncertain in this context.
1. well fed – BDB 402, KB 404, Pual PARTICIPLE, occurs only here. BDB suggests it possibly parallels an Arabic root, to weigh, hence a metaphor for testicles. KB suggests to be in heat, from another Arabic root.
2. lusty – BDB 1013, KB 1488, Hiphil PARTICIPLE, which occurs only here. KB suggests it also means possessing testicles ( = testicle, cf. Lev 21:20)
The LXX has they were lusty stallions, each neighing for his fellow’s wife. Remember for interpreting poetry, look to
1. context (i.e., the strophe)
2. parallelism
3. general sense of the book’s larger context
4. similar Hebrew roots
5. cognate language roots
6. common sense
Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley
children = sons.
forsaken Me. Reference to Pentateuch (Deu 32:15, Deu 32:21).
sworn. Compare Jer 5:2.
fed them to the full. So in many codices, with two early printed editions, Aramaean, Septuagint, Syriac, and Vulgate; but some codices, with five early printed editions, read “made them swear”.
committed adultery. Reference to Pentateuch (Exo 20:14. Deu 5:18). The usual formula for idolatry.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Jer 5:7-9
Jer 5:7-9
“How can I pardon thee? thy children have forsaken me, and sworn by them that are no gods. When I had fed them to the full, they committed adultery, and assembled themselves in troops at the harlot’s houses; they were as fed horses roaming at large; everyone neighed after his neighbor’s wife. Shall I not visit for these things? saith Jehovah; and shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this?”
The sentiment voiced in Jer 5:9 here surfaces again in Jer 5:29, forming a kind of recurring refrain in the prophecy.
“Committed adultery and assembled … in harlot’s houses …” (Jer 5:7). “The reference here is both to the worship of the `no-gods,’ and to the literal immorality which resulted.
“Immorality always accompanied idolatry. Apostasy and adultery are a horrendous pair. Publicly and unashamedly the people thronged to the prostitute’s house, that is, the idol temple (the noun here in the Hebrew is singular!). Jer 5:8 proves that their sins included physical immorality.
“Only stern retribution and burning judgment were in store for such a generation, notwithstanding the word of the false prophets whose words would prove to be nothing but wind.
2. Sexual impurity (Jer 5:7-9)
Persistent unbelief makes divine forgiveness of Judah impossible. The children of Judah have forsaken God and have indicated their allegiance to idols by swearing in the name of these non-entities. God had fed them, granted to them prosperity. But instead of gratitude, here is depravity. They had committed the sin of adultery. The prophet may be referring to literal adultery here or he may be using adultery as a metaphor for apostasy. The men of Judah flocked (lit., assembled in troops) to the house of the harlot (Jer 5:7). They were utterly unashamed of their actions and made no attempt to hide their immoral acts. The reference here might be to the obscene orgies which characterized certain of the Canaanite cults. In any case, the immoral acts of the Baal cult could not be confined to religious exercises. The men of Judah roam about like well-fed stallions, each one neighing to the wife of his neighbor (Jer 5:8). The meaning of the Hebrew word is obscure. The best Hebrew authorities suggest that the word means weighted or furnished with weights. The morals of a nation have sunk to rock bottom when sexual desire becomes merely an animal appetite to be satisfied in any manner and with anyone. Can God do anything other than bring punishment and divine vengeance upon such a nation? (Jer 5:9). Divine vengeance in Scripture is just retribution for sins which are an affront to God.
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
How shall: Jer 3:19, Hos 11:8, Mat 23:37, Mat 23:38
sworn by: Jer 12:16, Jos 23:7, Hos 4:15, Amo 8:14, Zep 1:5
no gods: Jer 2:11, Deu 32:21, 1Co 8:4, Gal 4:8
I had fed: Jer 2:31, Deu 32:15, Eze 16:49, Eze 16:50, Hos 13:6, Jam 5:1-5
they then: Jer 9:2, Jer 13:27, Jer 23:10, Jer 29:22, Jer 29:23, Lev 20:10, Psa 50:18, Eze 22:11, Hos 4:2, Hos 4:13, Hos 4:14, Hos 7:4, Mal 3:5, 1Co 6:9, Heb 13:4, Jam 4:4
by troops: Num 25:1-3
Reciprocal: Gen 35:2 – strange Gen 42:15 – By the life Exo 23:21 – he will not Lev 27:8 – according Deu 6:13 – shalt swear Jdg 19:25 – and abused Job 31:12 – General Jer 16:11 – Because Lam 3:42 – thou Hos 6:4 – what Rom 2:22 – adultery
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Jer 5:7. Thee means the- nation of Judah and the children are the individual citizens of the kingdom. The captivity could not be avoided because nothing else was able to purify them from their love of idolatry, and untii they are thus purified the Lord would not pardon them. Idolatry is again compared to adultery because in both evils a companion proves untrue to the one who is the rightful partner. When, I had fed them is significant and portrays the ingratitude that is often shown by a fleshly wife. She will make full use of the home and support her husband provides for her, then turn her attention to the unlawful admirer to whom she is under no obligation either morally or socially. Troops has no word In the original, hut ihe clause means the people of Judah assembled in the bouses (temples) of harlots or the false gods.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Jer 5:7-9. How shall I pardon thee for this? How canst thou expect that the holy God, the righteous Governor and Judge of the world, should connive at, or bear with, such iniquitous conduct in his intelligent and accountable creatures. He appeals to themselves, whether they can think it consistent with his justice to let such enormous offences as he mentions go unpunished. Thy children Thy people, both in city and country; have forsaken me Have apostatized from my worship and service; and have sworn by them that are no gods Have made their appeals to them, as if they were omniscient and their proper judges. This is here put for all acts of religious worship which are due to God only, but with which they honoured their idols, thereby robbing God of his essential attributes, and ascribing them to creatures of their own fancy. When I fed them to the full Gave them temporal blessings in abundance; then they committed adultery Such is the natural effect of unsanctified prosperity. Shall I not visit for these things? Do not such crimes as these call for some remarkable judgments as their chastisement? Can you yourselves suppose that Jehovah, whose name is Holy and Jealous, will let them go unpunished? Shall not my soul be avenged? &c. Gods anger and vengeance signify, in Scripture, the execution of his justice, the effects of which are as terrible against obstinate sinners as if they proceeded from the highest resentment.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
5:7 How shall I pardon thee for this? thy children have forsaken me, and {g} sworn by [them that are] no gods: when I had fed them to the full, then they committed adultery, and assembled themselves by troops in the harlots’ houses.
(g) He shows that to swear by anything other than by God is to forsake him.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
Yahweh asked the people why He should pardon them. Their sons, for whom the older generation was responsible, had forsaken Him and trusted in idols. As payment for the blessings He had sent them, they continued to commit adultery with the Canaanite gods and their human representatives.