Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Jeremiah 7:12
But go ye now unto my place which [was] in Shiloh, where I set my name at the first, and see what I did to it for the wickedness of my people Israel.
12. The central position of Shiloh ( Seiln) in Ephraim is clearly set forth in Jdg 21:19. It was the resting-place of the Ark till it was carried off in the battle of Ebenezer (1Sa 4:11). The destruction referred to here (and in Jer 26:6; Psa 78:60) probably followed upon that Philistine victory. At any rate thenceforward Shiloh was a place of insignificance. In Jeremiah’s time it existed as a village (ch. Jer 41:5).
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
12 15. See introd. note on the section.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Go ye unto my place in Shiloh – This argument roused the indignation of the people Jer 26:8-9, Jer 26:11. The ark, Jeremiah shows, had not always been at Jerusalem. The place first chosen, as the center of the nations worship, was Shiloh, a town to the north of Bethel, situated in the powerful tribe of Ephraim (Jos 18:1 note). The ruin of Shiloh is ascribed Psa 78:58-64 to the idolatry which prevailed in Israel after the death of Joshua; a similar ruin due to similar causes should fall on Jerusalem Jer 7:14. The site of Shiloh is identified with Seilun, the ruins of which are so insignificant as to bear out Jeromes remark, At Silo, where once was the tabernacle and ark of the Lord, there can scarcely be pointed out the foundation of an altar.
At the first – In the first stage, the first period of the existence of the Jewish commonwealth, Shiloh was to the Judges what Jerusalem subsequently was to the kings; and as the fall of Shiloh through the wickedness of Elis sons marked the period when the government by Judges was to pass away, and the second stage begin; so the power of the kings perished at the fall of Jerusalem, and left the way clear for the third stage of Jewish polity, government by the scribes.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 12. But go ye now unto my place which was in Shiloh] See what I did to my tabernacle and ark formerly: after a long residence at Shiloh, for the iniquity of the priests and the people, I suffered it to fall into the hands of the Philistines, and to be carried captive into their land, and to be set up in the house of their idols. And because of your iniquities, I will deal with you and this temple in the same way; for as I spared not Shiloh, though my ark was there, but made it a victim of my wrath, so will I do to Jerusalem and her temple.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Shiloh; a place that did belong to the tribe of Ephraim, Psa 78:60, compare Psa 78:67; the situation whereof see Jdg 21:19; and called Gods house, as the temple is, 1Sa 1:3,7; he sends them hither for an example, which had the same privileges and holiness with the temple; not to go thither locally, but to cast their thoughts back, and consider of it, that they might know that Gods presence is not tied to places, Act 7:48.
Where I set my name at the first; where I did at first give you the token and pledges of my presence among you, when you first entered into the pleasant land, noting the antiquity of Shiloh before the temple.
What I did to it, i.e. he utterly forsook it; he did not only deliver up his people into the Philistines hands, but the ark also, the token of his presence, which never returned to Shiloh more; and afterwards delivered the ten tribes, wherein Shiloh was situate, into captivity to the Assyrian; see Jer 7:14,15; wherein he upbraids them for their folly ill thinking that the ark or altar in the temple should any more privilege them than it did Shiloh.
For the wickedness of my people; he gives them the reason of it in these words, the wickedness of his people, and chiefly the priests, Hophni and Phinehas, Elis sons, 1Sa 2:12, &c.; and why should they think to escape, who did equal, if not exceed them?
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
12. my place . . . in ShilohGodcaused His tabernacle to be set up in Shiloh in Joshua’s days(Jos 18:1; Jdg 18:31).In Eli’s time God gave the ark, which had been at Shiloh, into thehands of the Philistines (Jer 26:6;1Sa 4:10; 1Sa 4:11;Psa 78:56-61). Shiloh wassituated between Beth-el and Shechem in Ephraim.
at the firstimplyingthat Shiloh exceeded the Jewish temple in antiquity. But God’sfavor is not tied down to localities (Ac7:44).
my people IsraelIsraelwas God’s people, yet He spared it not when rebellious:neither will He spare Judah, now that it rebels, though heretofore ithas been His people.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
But go ye now unto my place, which was in Shiloh,…. A city in the tribe of Ephraim, on the north of Bethel, and the south of Lebonah, and not far from Shechem, Jud 21:19 here were the tabernacle, the ark and altar of the Lord, and the sacrifices; and therefore the tabernacle is called the tabernacle of Shiloh, Ps 78:60, and here the Lord calls it his place; the place of the house of his Shechinah, as the Targum paraphrases it; and where he would have those people go; which is not to be understood locally, but of their taking this place into the consideration of their minds, and observe what was done to it, and became of it; though it was once the place where the Lord dwelt, and where his name was called formerly; as follows:
where I set my name at the first; when the children of Israel first entered into Canaan’s land, the tabernacle was set up and established in Shiloh, in Joshua’s time, Jos 18:1 and there it continued to the times of Eli:
and see what I did to it, for the wickedness of my people Israel; he refused and forsook his tabernacle there; he suffered the ark, which was fetched from thence in the times of Eli, to be taken and carried captive, and that because of the sins of his people,
Ps 78:60. Jerom m says, in his time, the altar that was pulled down was shown, though scarce the foundations of it were to be seen. Now the Lord would have these people consider what was done to Shiloh; that though this was the first place where the tabernacle was set in the land of Canaan, and so the inhabitants of it had antiquity on their side; yet this did not secure them, nor the tribe it was in, from being rejected by the Lord, when they sinned against him; nor should the tribes of Judah and Benjamin think themselves secure because of the temple of the Lord, since they might expect he would do to them for their sins what he had done to others before.
m Comment. in Zeph. ch. 1. fol. 94. L. Epitaph. Paulae, fol. 59. L.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Vs. 12-15: A JUDICIAL SENTENCE PRONOUNCED
1. Jerusalem, comfortable with all her sin, is told to consider Shiloh – the sanctuary where Jehovah once caused His name to dwell among His people Israel, (Jos 18:1; Jdg 18:31; 1Sa 1:3).
a. They are to understand that, because of the wickedness of that people, God not only destroyed their sanctuary, (Jer 26:6; Psa 78:60); He also sent Israel away into Assyrian captivity.
b. The sanctuary in THEIR midst certainly failed to GUARANTEE THEIR SECURITY when their hearts rebelled against the righteous rule of Jehovah, their God!
c. After the ark was captured by the Philistines, Shiloh was never able to regain its position as the religious center of the nation, (1 Samuel 4).
2. Judah also has committed abomination in the eyes of the Lord; yet, again and again, He has “risen up early” – calling her to repentance, (vs. 13, 25; Jer 11:7; Jer 25:3-4; Jer 26:5; Jer 29:19; Jer 32:33; Jer 35:14-15; Jer 44:4); but she would not hear.
3. Thus, the Lord will do to the temple in Jerusalem – the house which is called by His name (Deu 12:5-6; 1Ki 9:6-7), and wherein they trust (vs. 4) – as He did to Shiloh, (1Sa 4:10-11; 1Sa 4:22; Psa 78:60 -64).
4. He will as surely cast Judah out of His sight (because of her repeated and unrepented abominations) as He did her brethren, “even the whole seed of Ephraim” – who were taken into captivity around 711 B.C. by Sargon II of Assyria, (2Ki 17:22-23; Psa 78:67; Hos 7:13; Hos 9:3; Hos 12:1).
5. Nor should it be imagined that the same Lord will hesitate to cut off NEW TESTAMENT PEOPLE and CHURCHES if we err from His way and refuse His call to repentance! (Mat 18:15-18; Joh 15:6-10; Rev 2:4-5; Rev 3:15-20).
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
C. A Forceful Threat Jer. 7:12-15
TRANSLATION
(12) For go now to My place which was in Shiloh where I caused my Name to dwell at the first and observe what I did to it because of the evil of My people Israel. (13) And now because you have done all these things (oracle of the LORD) and I spoke earnestly and persistently unto you but you did not hear; and I called you but you did not respond; (14) therefore I will do to the house which is called by My Name, in which you are trusting, and to the place which I gave to you and your fathers, as I did to Shiloh. (15) And I will cast you forth from My presence as I cast forth all your brethren, all the seed of Ephraim.
COMMENTS
If the people of Judah had been more aware of their history they would have been more correct in their theology. In Jer. 7:12 Jeremiah attacks the popular false confidence in the Temple by pointing to another sacred sanctuary which had been destroyed. When the children of Israel entered the land of Canaan under Joshua they erected the Tabernacle at Shiloh north of Bethel. Shiloh remained the center of worship for over three hundred years. The old tent which had been transported through the wilderness wanderings was eventually replaced by or perhaps encased in some type of permanent structure which is called a house (Jdg. 18:31; Jdg. 19:18) or temple (1Sa. 1:9). The historical books of the Old Testament do not specifically mention the destruction of Shiloh. The place was probably captured and destroyed by the Philistine after the battle of Ebenezer (1Sa. 4:1 ff.) in the days of the judgeship of Eli. On the basis of their excavations archaeologists have dated the destruction at about 1070 B.C. If God not only permitted but even instigated the destruction of the shrine at Shiloh it is sheer folly to think that in the present instance He is under some solemn obligation to preserve Jerusalem.
In spite of the fact that God had earnestly and persistently called the people to repentance, they had not responded to the appeal (Jer. 7:13). To emphasize the zeal of the Lord in speaking to His people Jeremiah uses the idiom rising early and speaking. It is an expression peculiar to Jeremiah and means that the appeals were oft repeated and eager. In view of this rebuff and rejection God will destroy the Temple in Jerusalem just as he destroyed Shiloh (Jer. 7:15). Jeremiah does not deny that the Temple is Gods house; nor does he deny that the Temple had been given to the people of God as a place of worship. But he emphatically denies the conclusion to which the men of Judah had jumped viz., that God would never allow the Temple to be destroyed. History had proved that God was no respecter of sanctuaries. In more recent history Jeremiah finds another analogy. Just as God had cast forth into exile the seed of Ephraim, the ten tribes of the northern kingdom,[174] so now He will cast forth the inhabitants of Judah (Jer. 7:15). The land of Israel belonged to the Lord (Hos. 9:3; Lev. 25:23) and here the divine Landlord is issuing an eviction notice to His tenants.
[174] See Isa. 7:2; Hoses Jer. 4:17; Jer. 5:1-9 Jer. 12:1.
Fuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series
(12) My place which was in Shiloh.The history of the past showed that a Temple dedicated to Jehovah could not be desecrated with impunity. Shiloh had been chosen for the centre of the worship of Israel after the conquest of Canaan (Jos. 18:1), and was reverenced as such through the whole period of the Judges. It had not, however, been a centre of light and purity. It had been defiled by wild dances of a half-idolatrous character; by deeds of shameless violence (Jdg. 21:19-21), and by the sins of the sons of Eli (1Sa. 2:22). And so the judgment came. It lost the presence of the ark (1Sa. 4:17; Psa. 78:58-64); its people were slaughtered by the Philistines; it fell into decay. It is possible, as the words temple (1Sa. 1:9; 1Sa. 3:3) and house (1Sa. 3:15; Jdg. 18:31) applied to it suggest, that substantial buildings may have gathered round the original tabernacle, and that those wasted ruins may have given a special force to Jeremiahs allusion. It will be seen from Jer. 26:6; Jer. 26:9; Jer. 26:11, that it was this reference that more than anything else provoked the wrath of priest and people. They thought with a half-concealed exultation of the fate of the earlier sanctuary in Ephraim, which had given way to that of Judah. They forgot that like sins bring about like punishments, and were startled when they heard that as terrible a doom was impending over the Temple of which they boasted. It would appear from Jer. 41:5 that the ruin was not total, perhaps that it was still visited by pilgrims. Jerome describes it as a heap of ruins. It has been identified by modern travellers with the village of Seilun.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
12. Unto my place in Shiloh Shiloh, north of Jerusalem, was the place where the ark of the covenant was kept for a long period, and so was a sort of predecessor to Jerusalem as a place of the divine presence. There were, perhaps, in Shiloh permanent buildings for sanctuary purposes, though the holy ark itself abode in a tabernacle. To the ruins of these the prophet alludes, virtually saying, It is possible for even a sanctuary of Jehovah to be destroyed, as witness Shiloh.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Jer 7:12. But go ye now unto my place which was in Shiloh Shiloh was the place where, upon the first coming of the Israelites into Canaan, the tabernacle, in which was the ark of God’s presence, was set up, by divine appointment no doubt; and there it continued for a long space of time until the days of Samuel. It was during this residence, that the Israelites received that signal defeat from the Philistines, when the ark of God was taken, as related 1Sa 4:10-11 the pathetic description of which disaster made by the Psalmist, Psa 78:60-64 has caused it to be generally believed, that an allusion to it was likewise designed upon this occasion. But a due consideration of the context will, I think, lead us rather to conclude in favour of a more recent event, the vestiges of which were still fresh to be seen. Shiloh was in the tribe of Ephraim; and this place, once so favoured and sanctified by God’s particular residence, had shared the fate of the rest of the kingdom of Israel, and was become a scene of misery and ruin. This they might literally “go and see” at present; and this, says God, “have I done because of the wickedness of my people Israel.” In which words Israel, meaning the ten tribes, is acknowledged to have been God’s people no less than Judah; and Shiloh, it is observed, had once enjoyed the same privileges which now belonged to the temple at Jerusalem. But as God spared not Shiloh, but made it the victim of his wrath; so he says he would do to Jerusalem and her temple; and would cast off Judah for their wickedness from being his people, in like manner as he had already cast off their brethren, whom he distinguishes by the name of the children of Ephraim.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Jer 7:12 But go ye now unto my place which [was] in Shiloh, where I set my name at the first, and see what I did to it for the wickedness of my people Israel.
Ver. 12. But go ye now. ] Non passibus sed sensibus. Summon the sobriety of your senses before your own judgments, and consider what I did of old to Shiloh, a place no less privileged than yours, and wherefore I did it, and be warned by their woes. Alterius perditio, tua sit cautio; seest thou another shipwrecked, look well to thy tackling. Reason should persuade, and therefore lodgeth in the brain; but when reason cannot persuade, example should, and mostly will.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Jer 7:12-15
12But go now to My place which was in Shiloh, where I made My name dwell at the first, and see what I did to it because of the wickedness of My people Israel. 13And now, because you have done all these things, declares the LORD, and I spoke to you, rising up early and speaking, but you did not hear, and I called you but you did not answer, 14therefore, I will do to the house which is called by My name, in which you trust, and to the place which I gave you and your fathers, as I did to Shiloh. 15I will cast you out of My sight, as I have cast out all your brothers, all the offspring of Ephraim.
Jer 7:12 Shiloh Go (BDB 229, KB 246) and see (BDB 906, KB 1157) are both Qal IMPERATIVES. Shiloh was the first sanctuary in the Promised Land where the tabernacle and the Ark dwelt. It was destroyed by the Philistines and the Ark captured in 1050 B.C. (the event is not recorded in the OT but alluded to in Jer 26:6; Psa 78:60). This should have shown the covenant people their theology of God’s protection without conditions was not correct.
Jer 7:13 I spoke to you This refers to the prophets (cf. Jer 7:25).
rising up early This is a metaphor for the often and repeated attempts by YHWH to address His people through the prophets (cf. Jer 7:25; Jer 11:7; Jer 25:3-4; Jer 26:5; Jer 29:19; Jer 32:33; Jer 35:14-15; Jer 44:4)!
Jer 7:14 the house. . .in which you trust There are no special places or things to those who truly know God (cf. Jer 26:6; Joh 4:23-24). All places, things, and especially people are holy and sacred because of God’s presence and creation. They turned faith into a place and ritual instead of a daily, godly faith relationship (cf. 1Ki 6:12-13). This is also true of the church building and Sunday services in modern western countries!
Jer 7:15 all the offspring of Ephraim This is a reference to the exile of the Northern Ten Tribes in 722 B.C. by Assyria. What happened to them should have been a warning to Judah but it was not (cf. Jer 3:11; Eze 16:51-52; Eze 23:11). Judah also will be cast out (two Hiphil PERFECTS, BDB 1020, KB 1527).
Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley
in Shiloh. Now Seilun. Compare Jer 26:6, Jer 26:9; Jer 41:5.
where I set . . . at the first. Reference to Pentateuch (Deu 12:5, Deu 12:11, &c). App-92. Compare 1Sa 4:11.
what I did to it. See 1Sa 4:11, and Compare Jer 25:6.
wickedness. Hebrew. ra’a’. App-44.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Jer 7:12-15
Jer 7:12-15
But go ye now unto my place which was in Shiloh, where I caused my name to dwell at the first, and see what I did to it for the wickedness of my people Israel. And now, because ye have done all these works, saith Jehovah, and I spake unto you, rising up early and speaking, but ye heard not; and I called you, but ye answered not: therefore will I do unto the house which is called by my name, wherein ye trust, and unto the place which I gave to you and to your fathers, as I did to Shiloh. And I will cast you out of my sight, as I have cast out all your brethren, even the whole seed of Ephraim.
My place which was in Shiloh…
(Jer 7:12). God’s challenge to the Jews because they were trusting in the physical existence of God’s temple in their midst, was blunt and dramatic. Go to Shiloh! My name was once there; but it did not protect Israel in their wickedness; and neither will the current temple protect you. God here prophesied both (1) the destruction of the temple, just like he had destroyed Shiloh, and (2) the carrying away of Judah just as he had already deported the whole seed of Ephraim.
After the conquest of Canaan, the ancient tabernacle was set up at Shiloh, “some eighteen miles north of Jerusalem,” where it remained throughout practically the whole period of the Judges. In the days of Eli and Samuel, when Eli’s reprobate sons were actually committing adultery in the temple itself (Yes, there were buildings there also), God permitted the Philistines to ravage and destroy the place and capture the ark of the covenant itself. (See Joshua 18 :l; 22:12; Jdg 21:19; 1Sa 1:9; 1Sa 1:24; 1Sa 4:1-11).
The Bible has no description of the destruction of Shiloh; but archaeological discoveries during this century (1929) have concluded that it did indeed take place, “After the Battle of Ebenezer by the Philistines about 1050 B.C.” Since, after its destruction, “Shiloh was not rebuilt until about 300 B.C.,” the ruins of the place were surely evident in Jeremiah’s day witnessing the destruction that took place about a half millennium earlier.
Albright, Thompson, and Unger all make mention of the excavations that have disclosed the destruction of Shiloh. This destruction of Shiloh, where once God’s name was recorded, proved the wretched error of the people in their foolish faith that God was irrevocably committed to the preservation of any place regardless of the moral state of the Chosen People.
“There not only existed the ancient tabernacle at Shiloh, but also substantial buildings as proved by excavations, so it is called ‘the temple of Jehovah’ (1Sa 1:9).” Evidently, therefore, the Philistines who destroyed Shiloh did not consider the tabernacle valuable enough to be carried away, for it still existed in the days of David, who, when he contemplated building the temple, said, “I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of God dwelleth in curtains” (2Sa 7:2).
The terrible lesson from Shiloh applies to all generations. No church, however careful to observe the outward forms of holy religion, can be acceptable to God unless the moral character of the people corresponds to their holy profession. No mere formal observances of worship and devotion can take the place of true repentance and sincere worship of God.
A Forceful Threat Jer 7:12-15
If the people of Judah had been more aware of their history they would have been more correct in their theology. In Jer 7:12 Jeremiah attacks the popular false confidence in the Temple by pointing to another sacred sanctuary which had been destroyed. When the children of Israel entered the land of Canaan under Joshua they erected the Tabernacle at Shiloh north of Bethel. Shiloh remained the center of worship for over three hundred years. The old tent which had been transported through the wilderness wanderings was eventually replaced by or perhaps encased in some type of permanent structure which is called a house (Jdg 18:31; Jdg 19:18) or temple (1Sa 1:9). The historical books of the Old Testament do not specifically mention the destruction of Shiloh. The place was probably captured and destroyed by the Philistine after the battle of Ebenezer (1Sa 4:1 ff.) in the days of the judgeship of Eli. On the basis of their excavations archaeologists have dated the destruction at about 1070 B.C. If God not only permitted but even instigated the destruction of the shrine at Shiloh it is sheer folly to think that in the present instance He is under some solemn obligation to preserve Jerusalem.
In spite of the fact that God had earnestly and persistently called the people to repentance, they had not responded to the appeal (Jer 7:13). To emphasize the zeal of the Lord in speaking to His people Jeremiah uses the idiom rising early and speaking. It is an expression peculiar to Jeremiah and means that the appeals were oft repeated and eager. In view of this rebuff and rejection God will destroy the Temple in Jerusalem just as he destroyed Shiloh (Jer 7:15). Jeremiah does not deny that the Temple is Gods house; nor does he deny that the Temple had been given to the people of God as a place of worship. But he emphatically denies the conclusion to which the men of Judah had jumped viz., that God would never allow the Temple to be destroyed. History had proved that God was no respecter of sanctuaries. In more recent history Jeremiah finds another analogy. Just as God had cast forth into exile the seed of Ephraim, the ten tribes of the northern kingdom, so now He will cast forth the inhabitants of Judah (Jer 7:15). See Isa 7:2; Hoses Jer 4:17; Jer 5:1-9 Jer 12:1. The land of Israel belonged to the Lord (Hos 9:3; Lev 25:23) and here the divine Landlord is issuing an eviction notice to His tenants.
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
my place: Jos 18:1, Jdg 18:31, 1Sa 1:3
where: Deu 12:5, Deu 12:11
and see: Jer 26:6, 1Sa 4:3, 1Sa 4:4, 1Sa 4:10, 1Sa 4:11, 22-6:21; Psa 78:60-64
Reciprocal: Jos 19:51 – in Shiloh Jdg 20:27 – the ark Jdg 21:12 – virgins 1Sa 6:21 – Kirjathjearim 1Ki 2:27 – Shiloh 1Ki 8:16 – my name 1Ki 14:4 – Shiloh 1Ch 21:15 – unto Jerusalem Psa 69:25 – Let their Pro 21:27 – sacrifice Jer 41:5 – Shiloh Lam 2:7 – cast off Eze 10:18 – the glory
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Jer 7:12. Shiloh was the first location of the tabernacle after the Israelites were ready to pitch their camp in the land of Canaan. (See Jos 18:1.) The people whose headquarters were at that place committed sin in those days and received the chastisement, of God tor it. This verse refers to that history for the purpose of warning the ones living in the days of Jeremiah not to make the same mistake their fathers made and thus incur the same kind of misfortune at the hand of the Lord,
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Jer 7:12. But go ye now to Shiloh Shiloh was the place where, upon the first coming of the Israelites into Canaan, the tabernacle, in which was the ark of Gods presence, was set up; and there it continued for a long space of time, even until the days of Samuel. It was during this period that the Israelites, as a punishment of the iniquitous and scandalous lives of the priests and people, received that signal defeat from the Philistines, when the ark of God was taken, as related 1Sa 4:10, &c., the pathetic description of which disaster, given by the psalmist, Psa 78:60-64, has caused it to be generally believed, that an allusion to it was likewise designed here by Jeremiah. But a due consideration of the context, Blaney thinks, will lead us rather to conclude that the prophet refers to a more recent event, the vestiges of which were still fresh to be seen. Shiloh was in the tribe of Ephraim, and this place, once so favoured and sanctified by Gods particular residence, had shared the fate of the rest of the kingdom of Israel, and was become a scene of misery and ruin. This they might literally go and see at present; and this, says God, have I done because of the wickedness of my people Israel. In which words Israel, meaning the ten tribes, is acknowledged to have been Gods people no less than Judah; and Shiloh, it is observed, had once enjoyed the same privileges, which now belonged to the temple at Jerusalem. But as God spared not Shiloh, but made it the victim of his wrath, so he says he would do to Jerusalem and her temple; and would cast off Judah for their wickedness from being his people, in like manner as he had already cast off their brethren, whom he distinguishes by the name of the children of Ephraim.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
7:12 But go ye now to my place which [was] in Shiloh, {d} where I set my name at the first, and see what I did to it for the wickedness of my people Israel.
(d) Because they depended so much on the temple, which was for his promise, that he would be present and defend them where the ark was, he sends them to God’s judgments against Shiloh, where the ark had remained about 300 years, and after was taken, the priests slain, and the people miserably discomfited, 1Sa 4:11, Jer 26:6 .
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
Yahweh told the people to go to Shiloh to see what He had done to another town where He had met with the Israelites in former years (cf. Jos 18:1; Jdg 18:31; 1 Samuel 1-4). In Jeremiah’s day it lay in ruins. The site was about 20 miles north of Jerusalem. The Philistines evidently destroyed the town in Eli’s day, though the text does not say so explicitly (1 Samuel 4). [Note: See H. Kjaer, "The Excavation of Shiloh 1929," Journal of the Palestine Oriental Society 10:2-3 (1930):87-174; and W. F. Albright, "The Danish Excavations at Shiloh," Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research 9, pp. 10-11.] The tabernacle that had stood at Shiloh then was still in existence in David’s day, having been moved to Gibeon (1Ch 21:29), and when Solomon began to reign (2Ch 1:3), so it did not suffer destruction with the city. Later references indicate that the town was rebuilt (1Ki 14:2; 1Ki 14:4). The Assyrian invasion of the territory of Ephraim, where Shiloh stood, may have destroyed it again. Yahweh had allowed Shiloh to be destroyed because of the wickedness of the Israelites. Therefore Jeremiah’s hearers should not think that He would preserve the temple from destruction in spite of their sins. The temple was not a talisman (lucky charm) that guaranteed their safety. The Israelites had formerly taken this view of the ark as well (cf. 1Sa 4:3).