Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Jeremiah 11:18
And the LORD hath given me knowledge [of it], and I know [it]: then thou showedst me their doings.
18 23. See summary at commencement of section, and for the date of Jer 11:18 to Jer 12:6 see introd. notes on the section. The abruptness with which the mention of the plots against Jeremiah is here introduced suggests either that some introductory words have fallen out, or, better (with Co.), that we should transpose these vv. with Jer 12:1-6. In this way “it” and “their” of Jer 11:18 will be explained by Jer 12:6, and the Lord’s warning in the latter v. will fit in with Jer 11:18.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Rather, gave me knowledge of it, and I knew it. Jeremiah shows Jer 11:18-23, that the general conspiracy of the people against Yahweh and the special plot against himself was revealed to him by God.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 18. The Lord hath given me knowledge of it] The men of Anathoth had conspired against his life, because he reproved them for their sins, and denounced the judgments of God against them. Of this God had given him a secret warning, that he might be on his guard.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
This may be understood either more generally, as relating to all the wicked actions of his countrymen, to obviate their saying, How comest thou to know our doings? or else (which seemeth most probable) more specially, with relation to that conspiracy against him which is mentioned in the following verses.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
18, 19. Jeremiah here digressesto notice the attempt on his life plotted by his townsmen ofAnathoth. He had no suspicion of it, until Jehovah revealed it to him(Jer 12:6).
the Lord . . . thouThechange of person from the third to the second accords with theexcited feelings of the prophet.
thenwhen I was inperil of my life.
their doingsthose ofthe men of Anathoth. His thus alluding to them, before he hasmentioned their name, is due to his excitement.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And the Lord hath given me knowledge of it,…. Either of what he had been declaring as the sins of these people; and of what he had been prophesying concerning punishment for their sins; what he had said was not of himself, did not arise from any pique or resentment in him against them; but it was of God, that knows all things, and had made known these things to him; and he had only faithfully related them as he had received them; or else of the malicious designs of the men of Anathoth to take away his life, after mentioned:
and I know it; and am sure of it; having it by divine revelation, and from that God that cannot lie, and will not deceive:
then thou shewedst me their doings. Some versions, as the Septuagint, Syriac; and Arabic, take the former words to be a prayer of the prophet’s, “O Lord, make me know, or show me, or teach me, that I may know”; and these signify that his prayer was answered. The Lord showed him the sins of these people, and what punishments they deserved, and would be inflicted on them; or rather what they were doing in the dark, and what schemes they were contriving and attempting to put in execution against his life; but God was careful of it, and would not suffer them to do him any harm; and therefore made all known unto him; see Ps 105:15.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Evidence that Judah is Unreclaimable, and that the Sore Judgments Threatened cannot be Averted. – As a practical proof of the people’s determination not to reform, we have in Jer 11:18-23 an account of the designs of the inhabitants of Anathoth against the prophet’s life, inasmuch as it was their ill-will towards his prophecies that led them to this crime. They are determined not to hear the word of God, chiding and punishing them for their sins, and so to put the preacher of this word out of the way. – Jer 11:18. “And Jahveh gave me knowledge of it, and I knew it; then showedst Thou me their doings. Jer 11:19. And I was as a tame lamb that is led to the slaughter, and knew not that they plotted designs against me: Let us destroy the three with the fruit thereof, and cut him off out of the land of the living, that his name may be no more remembered. Jer 11:20. But Jahveh of hosts, that judgeth justly, trieth reins and heart-I shall see Thy vengeance on them, for to Thee have I confided my case. Jer 11:21. Therefore thus hath Jahveh spoken against the men of Anathoth, that seek after thy life, saying, Thou shalt not prophesy in the name of Jahveh, that thou die not by our hand. Jer 11:22. Therefore thus hath Jahveh of hosts spoken: Behold, I will punish them; the young men shall die by the sword, their sons and daughters shall die by famine. Jer 11:23. And a remnant shall not remain to them; for I bring evil upon the men of Anathoth, the year of their visitation.”
Jeremiah had not himself observed the designs of the people of Anathoth against his life, because the thing was carried on in secret; but the Lord made it known to him. , then, sc. when I knew nought of their murderous intent; cf. Jer 11:19. “Their doings,” i.e., those done in secret. Jer 11:19. , agnus mansuetus , a tame pet-lamb, such as the Arabs used to keep, such as the Hebrews too, 2Sa 12:3, kept; familiar with the household, reared by them in the house, that does not suspect when it is being taken to be killed. In like manner Jeremiah had no suspicion that his countrymen were harbouring evil designs against him. These designs are quoted directly without . The saying is a figurative or proverbial one: we will destroy the tree . This word is variously taken. The ordinary meaning, food for men and beasts, usually bread, seems not to be suitable. And so Hitz. wishes to read , in its sap (cf. Deu 34:7; Eze 21:3), because may mean grain, but it does not mean fruit. Ng. justly remarks against this view: What is here essential is simply the produce of the tree, furnished for the use of man. The word of the prophet was a food which they abhorred (cf. Jer 11:21). As originally meant food, we here understand by it the edible product of the tree, that is, its fruit, in opposition to sap, wood, leaves. This interpretation is confirmed by the Arabic; the Arabs use both lahumun and ukulu of the fruit of a tree, see ill. in Rosenm. Schol. ad h. l. The proverbial saying is given in plain words in the next clause. We will cut him (i.e., the prophet) off, etc.
Jer 11:20-23 Therefore Jeremiah calls upon the Lord, as the righteous judge and omniscient searcher of hearts, to punish his enemies. This verse is repeated almost verbally in Jer 20:12, and in substance in Jer 17:10. Who trieth reins and heart, and therefore knows that Jeremiah has done no evil. is future as expressing certainty that God will interfere to punish; for to Him he has wholly committed his cause. , Pi. of , is taken by Hitz., Ew., etc. in the sense of : on Thee have I rolled over my cause; in support of this they adduce Psa 22:9; Psa 37:5; Pro 16:3, as parallel passages. It is true that this interpretation can be vindicated grammatically, for might have assumed the form of (Ew. 121, a). But the passages quoted are not at all decisive, since Jeremiah very frequently gives a new sense to quotations by making slight alterations on them; and in the passage cited we read . We therefore adhere, with Grot. and Ros., to the usual meaning of ; understanding that in making known there is included the idea of entrusting, a force suggested by the construction with instead of . , controversy, cause. – The prophet declares God’s vengeance to the instigators of the plots against his life, Jer 11:21-23. The introductory formula in Jer 11:21 is repeated in Jer 11:22, on account of the long intervening parenthesis. “That thou diest not” is introduced by the of consecution. The punishment is to fall upon the entire population of Anathoth; on the young men of military age ( ), a violent death in war; on the children, death by famine consequent on the siege. Even though all had not had a share in the complot, yet were they at heart just as much alienated from God and ill-disposed towards His word. “Year of their visitation” is still dependent on “bring.” This construction is simpler than taking for accus. adverb., both here and in Jer 23:12.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
| Conspiracy against Jeremiah; Destruction of the Men of Anathoth. | B. C. 606. |
18 And the LORD hath given me knowledge of it, and I know it: then thou showedst me their doings. 19 But I was like a lamb or an ox that is brought to the slaughter; and I knew not that they had devised devices against me, saying, Let us destroy the tree with the fruit thereof, and let us cut him off from the land of the living, that his name may be no more remembered. 20 But, O LORD of hosts, that judgest righteously, that triest the reins and the heart, let me see thy vengeance on them: for unto thee have I revealed my cause. 21 Therefore thus saith the LORD of the men of Anathoth, that seek thy life, saying, Prophesy not in the name of the LORD, that thou die not by our hand: 22 Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts, Behold, I will punish them: the young men shall die by the sword; their sons and their daughters shall die by famine: 23 And there shall be no remnant of them: for I will bring evil upon the men of Anathoth, even the year of their visitation.
The prophet Jeremiah has much in his writings concerning himself, much more than Isaiah had, the times he lived in being very troublesome. Here we have (as it should seem) the beginning of his sorrows, which arose from the people of his own city, Anathoth, a priest’s city, and yet a malignant one. Observe here,
I. Their plot against him, v. 19. They devised devices against him, laid their heads together to contrive how they might be in the most plausible and effectual manner the death of him. Malice is ingenious in its devices, as well as industrious in its prosecutions. They said concerning Jeremiah, Let us destroy the tree with the fruit thereof–a proverbial expression, meaning, “Let us utterly destroy him root and branch. Let us destroy both the father and the family” (as, when Naboth was put to death for treason, his sons were put to death with him), or rather “both the prophet and the prophecy; let us kill the one and defeat the other. Let us cut him off from the land of the living, as a false prophet, and load him with ignominy and disgrace, that his name may be no more remembered with respect. Let us sink his reputation, and so spoil the credit of his predictions.” This was their plot; and 1. It was a cruel one; but so cruel have the persecutors of God’s prophets been. They hunt for no less than the precious life, and very precious the lives are that they hunt for. But, (2.) It was a baffled one. They thought to put an end to his days, but he survived most of his enemies; they thought to blast his memory, but it lives to this day, and will be blessed while time lasts.
II. The information which God gave him of this conspiracy against him. He knew nothing of it himself, so artfully had they concealed it; he came to Anathoth, meaning no harm to them and therefore fearing no harm from them, like a lamb or an ox, that thinks he is driven as usual to the field, when he is brought to the slaughter; so little did poor Jeremiah dream of the design his citizens that hated him had upon him. None of his friends could, and none of his enemies would, give him any notice of his danger, that he might shift for his own safety, as Paul’s sister’s son gave him intelligence of the Jews that were lying in wait for him. There is but a step between Jeremiah and death; but then the Lord gave him knowledge of it, by dream or vision, or impression upon his spirit, that he might save himself, as the king of Israel did upon the notice Elisha gave him, 2 Kings vi. 10. Thus he came to know it. God showed him their doings; and such were their devices that the discovering of them was the defeating of them. If God had not let him know his own danger, it would have been improved by unreasonable men against the reputation of his predictions, that he who foretold the ruin of his country could not foresee his own peril and avoid it. See what care God takes of his prophets: He suffers no man to do them wrong; all the rage of their enemies cannot prevail to take them off till they have finished their testimony. God knows all the secret designs of his and his people’s enemies, and can, when he pleases, make them know. A bird of the air shall carry the voice.
III. His appeal to God hereupon, v. 20. His eye is to God as the Lord of hosts, that judges righteously. It is a matter of comfort to us, when men deal unjustly with us, that we have a God to go to who does and will plead the cause of injured innocency and appear against the injurious. God’s justice, which is a terror to the wicked, is a comfort to the godly. His eye is towards him as the God that tries the reins and the heart, that perfectly sees what is in man, what are his thoughts and intents. He knew the integrity that was in Jeremiah’s heart, and that he was not the man they represented him to be. He knew the wickedness that was in their hearts, though ever so cunningly concealed and disguised. Now, 1. Jeremiah prays judgment against them: “Let me see thy vengeance on them, that is, do justice between me and them in such a way as thou pleasest.” Some think there was something of human frailty in this prayer; at least Christ has taught us another lesson, both by precept and by pattern, which is to pray for our persecutors. Others think it comes from a pure zeal for the glory of God and a pious and prophetic indignation against men that were by profession priests, the Lord’s ministers, and yet were so desperately wicked as to fly out against one that did them no harm, merely for the service he did to God. This petition was a prediction that he should see God’s vengeance on them. 2. He refers his cause entirely to the judgment of God: “Unto thee have I revealed my cause; to thee I have committed it, not desiring nor expecting to interest any other in it.” Note, It is our comfort, when we are wronged, that we have a God to commit our cause to, and our duty to commit it to him, with a resolution to acquiesce in his definitive sentence, to subscribe, and not prescribe, to him.
IV. Judgment given against his persecutors, the men of Anathoth. It was to no purpose for him to appeal to the courts at Jerusalem, he could not have justice done him there: the priests there would stand by the priests at Anathoth, and rather second them than discountenance them; but God will therefore take cognizance of the cause himself, and we are sure that his judgment is according to truth. Here is, 1. Their crime recited, on which the sentence is grounded, v. 21. They sought the prophet’s life, for they forbad him to prophesy upon pain of death; they were resolved either to silence him or to slay him. The provocation he gave them was his prophesying in the name of the Lord without license from those that were the governors of the city which he was a member of, and not prophesying such smooth things as they always bespoke. Their forbidding him to prophesy was in effect seeking his life, for it was seeking to defeat the end and business of his life and to rob him of the comfort of it. It is as bad to God’s faithful ministers to have their mouth stopped as to have their breath stopped. But especially when it was resolved that if he did prophesy, as certainly he would notwithstanding their inhibition, he should die by their hand; they would be accusers, judges, executioners, and all. It used to be said that a prophet could not perish but at Jerusalem, for there the great council sat; but so bitter were the men of Anathoth against Jeremiah that they would undertake to be the death of him themselves. A prophet then shall find not only no honour, but no favour, in his own country. 2. The sentence passed upon them for this crime, Jer 11:22; Jer 11:23. God says, I will punish them; let me alone to deal with them. I will visit this upon them; so the word is. God will enquire into it and reckon for it. Two of God’s four sore judgments shall serve to ruin their town:–The sword shall devour their young men, though they were young priests, not men of war (their character shall not be their protection), and famine shall destroy the children, sons and daughters, that tarry at home, which is a more grievous death than that by the sword, Lam. iv. 9. The destruction shall be final (v. 23): There shall be no remnant of them left, none to be the seed of another generation. They sought Jeremiah’s life, and therefore they shall die; they would destroy him root and branch, that his name might be no more remembered, and therefore there shall be no remnant of them; and herein the Lord is righteous. Thus evil is brought upon them, even the year of their visitation, and that is evil enough, a recompence according to their deserts. Then shall Jeremiah see his desire upon his enemies. Note, Their condition is sad who have the prayers of good ministers and good people against them.
Fuente: Matthew Henry’s Whole Bible Commentary
Vs. 18-23: A PLOT AGAINST JEREAAIAH’S LIFE
1. Jeremiah had already been warned that he would face danger and opposition because of his faithful ministry, (Jer 1:17-19).
2. These verses describe the opposition he encountered from the people of Anathoth – his own birthplace, (comp. Mat 10:36).
a. Since the days of Solomon there had dwelt here a group of priests (kindred of Jeremiah) who had been excluded from the priestly function at Jerusalem, (1Ki 2:26).
b. Jeremiah’s fidelity to the Lord, and to the godly Josiah, had aroused within them such bitterness as made them beastly.
3. Until God told him of their plot, Jeremiah was as a trustful, unsuspecting lamb being led to the slaughter, (vs. 18-19; comp. Isa 53:7).
a. They threatened to cut him off in the prime and vigor of life if he would not cease to prophesy in the name of the Lord, (vs. 19b, 21 b).
b. Murder was their obvious intention; his name should be no more remembered if they succeeded.
c. Like his Lord, the prophet would “learn obedience” through suffering, (Heb 5:8-9).
4. Having committed his case into the hands of His righteous and knowing Lord, Jeremiah asks for vengeance upon his enemies, (vs. 20; comp. Jer 18:21; 2Ch 36:17).
a. He knows that God will do what is right.
b. His Lord tests the reins (kidneys) – the seat of one’s innermost feelings, (Pro 23:16; Psa 16:7; Psa 73:21); and He knows the heart -the seat of understanding, (Pro 15:14; Pro 20:5).
5. The Lord answers that He will, indeed, punish the men of Anathoth; but He will do it according to His own schedule, (vs. 21 a; 22-23; Jer 21:14).
a. Their young men will die by the sword; their young women of starvation, (Jer 18:21).
b. God will not even spare a remnant of the conspirators (Jer 6:9); according to Ezr 2:23 only 128 men of Anathoth returned from the exile.
c. Their calamity will come in the year God has appointed for their punishment, (comp. Jer 23:12).
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
We know that they were all very wicked; and though they were proved guilty, yet they were not wining to yield, to acknowledge and confess their fault; but they raged against God and rose up against the prophets. And as they dared not to vomit forth their blasphemies against God, they assailed his servants and wished to appear as though their contest was with them. And this is not the vice only of one age, but we find that it prevails at this day; for when we boldly reprove hidden vices, immediately the profane make a clamor and say, “What! these divine; but who has made these things known to them? Have they this oracle from heaven?” As though, indeed, neither the word of God nor his Spirit can shew their power, except when children become judges! But the ungodly rise up against God’s servants for this end, that they may with impunity do this and that, and everything, except what may draw them before an earthly tribunal, and be proved by clear and many evidences
For this reason the Prophet says, that made known, to him had been the vices of his own nation; as though he had said, “I see that you will be ready to raise an objection, as ye are wont proudly to resist all reproofs and threatenings, as though you contended only with men; but I testify to you now beforehand, that I bring nothing of my own, nor divine of myself what any one of you thinks within: but know ye that God, who knoweth the heart, has committed to me my office. He has then appointed me to be the herald of his vengeance, he has appointed me as a herald to denounce war on you. So I do not come nor act in my own name: there is, then, no reason for you to deceive yourselves, according to your usual manner, as though I presumptuously reproved you, when yet your vices are concealed, it being peculiar to God to know what is hid in the hearts of men. The recesses of the heart are indeed intricate, and great darkness is within; but God sees more dearly than men. Cease then to make this objection which ye are wont to raise against me, that I am presumptuous in bringing forth to light what lies hid in darkness, for God has appointed me to bring these commands to you: as he knows the heart, and as nothing escapes him, and as he penetrates into our thoughts and feelings, so he has also designed by his word which he has put in my mouth to render public what ye think is concealed.”
We now see the design of the Prophet: but some take a different view, that God had made known to his servant Jeremiah the impious conspiracy of which he afterwards speaks, and thus connect the two verses. But I doubt not that the Prophet intended here to shew what and how much weight belonged to his doctrine, the credit and authority of which the Jews thought of detracting by boastfully alleging that he, a mortal man, assumed too much, and announced uncertain divinations. Hence, to repel such calum — nies, he wished to testify that he threatened them not inconsiderately, nor spoke what he supposed or conjectured, when he exposed their sins, but that he only declared faith. — fully what had been enjoined by God and revealed also by the Holy Spirit. This is what is meant. (48) It afterwards follows —
(48) Calvin connects this verse with the foregoing, but most with what follows. The first verb in the Septuagint is a prayer, “Lord, make known to me, and I shall know.” The Syriac and Arabic are the same. The Vulgate takes the verb in the second person, “O Lord, thou hast made known,” etc. Venema seems to agree in part with Calvin; he connects the first clause with the foregoing, and the second with the following verse; and this appears to be the best construction. Then the ו is “when,” as it may be rendered when followed as here by אז, “then,” —
When Jehovah made me to know, so that I knew these things; Then thou didst shew me their doings.
That is, when Jehovah made known to him what he had previously related, he then shewed to him also the doings, or the purposes, of the men of Anathoth, which he afterwards more particularly mentions. — Ed.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
II. THE PLOT AGAINST THE PROPHET
Jer. 11:18-23
Jeremiah was to suffer much during his ministry. At times his enemies almost got the best of him. But God was faithful to His promise to deliver Jeremiah from his enemies. In the present paragraph Jeremiah experiences his first personal crisis. He learns through revelation that the men of his home town are plotting against him (Jer. 11:18-23). These developments seem to catch Jeremiah by surprise and in great distress he cries out to God in the first of his complaints or confessions. Probably this material is to be assigned to the early years of wicked king Jehoiakim.
A. The Case Which He Presents Jer. 11:18-20
TRANSLATION
(18) And the LORD made known to me that I might know; then You showed me their deeds. (19) But I was like a pet lamb brought to the slaughter; and I did not know that they were plotting against me, saying, Let us destroy the tree with its fruit and let us cut him off from the land of the living that his name be remembered no longer. (20) But, O LORD of host, who judges with righteousness, who tries the kidneys and heart, I will see Your vengeance upon them for I have revealed my case unto You.
COMMENTS
Jeremiah learned that the men of his home town were plotting against him through special revelation from God. God caused Jeremiah to correctly analyze and interpret the deceitful deeds of these cunning adversaries (Jer. 11:18). Jeremiah had never suspected that they were plotting against him. He was as unsuspecting and trusting as a lamb being led to the slaughter. As Jeremiah had been comparing Judah to a tree which God would destroy (Jer. 11:16-17) so the men of Anathoth contemptuously refer to Jeremiah as a tree which must be destroyed. They wish to rid themselves of that tree and its fruit. Since Jeremiah had no children, the fruit of the tree probably refers to his life work, his prophetic ministry. If they could slay Jeremiah there would be no descendant to perpetuate his name. Thus they schemed and plotted in an effort to find an opportunity to assassinate Jeremiah or have him publicly executed (Jer. 11:19).
Upon learning of the plot against him, Jeremiah turns immediately in prayer to God. As a petitioner before a court of law the prophet presents his case to the righteous Judge knowing that the Judge of all the earth will do right. God alone can test or try the kidneys and heart, the innermost feelings and thoughts of a man. The Lord knows that Jeremiah has been utterly sincere in his ministry. There has been no guile or bitterness in his heart. On the other hand God knows the hypocrisy and the evil intent of the men of Anathoth. Jeremiah is confident of the verdict which the righteous Judge will render in his behalf. Divine vengeance will be poured out upon the evil schemers and thus the cause of God and His prophet will be vindicated. Jeremiah has only to reveal his case to God and the just verdict will be rendered (Jer. 11:20). God, of course, was aware of the plight of the prophet; Jeremiah is not telling God something which He did not already know. To reveal ones case is to publicly, formally plead ones case before the bar of justice.
When the conspiracy against Jeremiah was exposed the men of Anathoth openly and outwardly began to threaten the life of the prophet. Only if he ceased to prophesy in the name of the Lord would his life be spared (Jer. 11:21). Other prophets had been threatened. Amos was ordered to leave Bethel (Amo. 7:10 ff.). Elijah had to flee for his life to Mt. Horeb (1Ki. 19:1-4). Some prophets had died because they fearlessly preached in the name of God. Zechariah was slain in the Temple (2Ch. 24:20-22) and Isaiah, according to tradition, was sawn asunder during the reign of king Manasseh. In Jeremiahs own day a prophet by the name of Uriah, who spoke words similar to those of Jeremiah, was slain by king Jehoiakim (Jer. 26:20-23). The threats made by the men of Anathoth were not idle. These men meant business. From this day forward Jeremiah would be putting his life on the line every time he uttered an oracle in the name of the Lord.
Fuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series
(18) And the Lord hath given me knowledge.A new section opens abruptly, and the prophet speaks no longer of the sins of Israel and Judah at large, but of the doings of his own townsmen, of their plots against his life. Unless this is altogether a distinct fragment, connected, possibly, with Jer. 9:8, the abruptness suggests the inference that the plots of the men of Anathoth against him had suddenly been brought under his notice.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
The Reaction Of The People Of His Hometown Anathoth Is To Seek To Warn Off Jeremiah With Threats Of Death, At Which He Appeals To YHWH ( Jer 11:18-20 ).
Jer 11:18
‘And YHWH gave me knowledge of it, and I knew it,
Then you showed me their doings.’
But all this was known to Jeremiah, because YHWH had made it known to him, and had made known to him the doings of the people, which was why he in his turn spoke to the people. In fact he was so certain of his God-ordained ministry and his sanctity as a God-appointed prophet of YHWH that he did not even consider the effect that his words might have on the people. But as we now learn, they did not like it, and began to scheme his death.
Jer 11:19
‘But I was like a gentle lamb,
Which is led to the slaughter,
And I did not know that they had devised schemes against me,
Saying, “Let us destroy the tree with the its fruit,
And let us cut him off from the land of the living,
That his name may be no more remembered.”
The result was that he was completely taken by surprise when he learned, possibly from a disciple or a well-wisher, that they were plotting to get rid of him. He depicts this in a touching simile. Most families had a pet lamb who lived in the house with the family, beloved of the children and feeling perfectly secure, for it was common practise (see 2Sa 12:3), as it would be later among the Arabs. But at some stage this little petted lamb would be taken totally by surprise and find itself being led to the slaughter as the equivalent of the fatted calf. It would never have believed that it could come to this! And it was such surprise that Jeremiah felt. He had felt that at least in his own home town he would be appreciated for what he was.
But he discovered in one way or another that many in Anathoth were in fact plotting his death. They had taken up his picture of the destroyed olive tree and applied it to him. So, they asked each other, according to Jeremiah YHWH was going to destroy them like a fruitful olive tree by an invader was He? Well, let Jeremiah have some of his own medicine. He would now in his turn be destroyed like a tree with its fruit, and be cut off from the land of the living so that his name was no more remembered (he was unmarried and without children). Let him see how he liked it..
Jer 11:20
‘But, O YHWH of hosts, who judges righteously,
Who tries the heart and the mind,
I will see your vengeance on them,
For to you have I revealed my cause.’
Shaken and greatly disturbed (it is possible that this was not long after the martyrdom of Uriah – Jer 26:20-24) Jeremiah was freshly awakened to just how sinful the people had become in that they would even destroy YHWH’s prophet (who were usually seen as sacrosanct in Judah), and calls on YHWH to judge the situation before Him. He ‘reveals his cause’ to Him, and calls on Him to ‘try the heart and mind’, both of himself and of the people. He knows that there can be only one verdict. The people will be found guilty, and will be suitably punished.
This verse is found repeated almost word for word (with a few slight changes) in Jer 20:12. Compare also the similar ideas in Jer 17:10. It is a recurrent theme.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Jer 11:18-19. The Lord hath given me knowledge It is generally agreed by the commentators, that Jeremiah here speaks of his own sufferings as figurative of those of the Messiah. All the churches agree, says St. Jerome, that these words and the following respect Jesus Christ and his passion. It was against his life that they formed their designs: he was the true lamb, meek and innocent; he it was who was fastened to the cross. Jeremiah is here a figure of the divine Saviour; he here suffers for his brethren, and represents in his person that divine original, who was a man of grief, and tried by all sorts of affliction. The Vulgate, Bochart, and Houbigant, read the first clause of the 19th verse, But I was like a gentle lamb, which is led to the slaughter, &c. Instead of, Let us destroy the tree, &c. Houbigant reads, and nearly in agreement with the Vulgate, Let us infect his food with poisoned wood. “Let us put some deadly and poisonous wood into what he eats.”
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Poor Jeremiah’s preaching brought upon him constant hatred and persecution. It hath done so to all faithful preachers in all ages of the Church, and ever must, and will. So Jesus taught his disciples to expect, and so they have always found. Joh 15:18-21 . Mark, how the Lord, in the close of the Chapter, sums up the subject, by taking the cause into his own hand. Luk 10:1-12 . Reader! do not overlook a greater than Jeremiah here. Isa 53:7 .
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Jer 11:18 And the LORD hath given me knowledge [of it], and I know [it]: then thou shewedst me their doings.
Ver. 18. And the Lord hath given me knowledge of it, ] i.e., Of the treacherous plot of my countrymen of Anathoth against me, who should never have dreamt of any such danger; Deus pro suis excubat. God keeps watch for his own.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Jer 11:18-20
18Moreover, the LORD made it known to me and I knew it;
Then You showed me their deeds.
19But I was like a gentle lamb led to the slaughter;
And I did not know that they had devised plots against me, saying,
Let us destroy the tree with its fruit,
And let us cut him off from the land of the living,
That his name be remembered no more.
20But, O LORD of hosts, who judges righteously,
Who tries the feelings and the heart,
Let me see Your vengeance on them,
For to You have I committed my cause.
Jer 11:18 to Jer 12:4 This is the first of several intimate conversations between YHWH and Jeremiah known as Jeremiah’s Confessions (cf. Jer 11:18 to Jer 12:6; Jer 15:10-21; Jer 17:14-18; Jer 18:18-23; Jer 20:7-18). Jer 11:18-20 and Jer 12:1-4 are poems. This first one deals with the plot from Jeremiah’s own kindred in Anathoth to take his life.
Jer 11:19 Jeremiah expresses his surprise at the divine information he received (Jer 11:18). He was shocked at the intensity of the plot, because he was innocent (i.e., line 1, cf. Isa 53:7).
Lines 3 and 4 are COHORTATIVES.
1. let us destroy the tree with its fruit – BDB 1007, KB 1469, Hiphil COHORTATIVE
2. let us cut him off from the land of the living – BDB 503, KB 500, Qal IMPERFECT used in a COHORTATIVE sense
In Jer 11:20, line 3, Jeremiah uses a COHORTATIVE directed at those who plotted his death – let me see Your vengeance on them, BDB 906, KB 1157, Qal IMPERFECT used in a COHORTATIVE sense.
Just an added note about with its fruit (#1 above). This word (, BDB 536) usually means bread or possibly food. REB translated it as sap, which is a revocalization. TEV has while it is still healthy, and NRSV has in its strength ). The UBS Text Project, p. 211, gives bread/fruit an A rating (very high probability).
The last two lines of Jer 11:19 are parallel. The same thought is expressed in two images.
1. cut off – BDB 503, KB 500, Qal IMPERFECT used in a COHORTATIVE sense; this VERB is used in two ways
a. cut down a tree
b. cut off a piece of something, here, the land of the living, cf. Psa 52:5; Isa 53:8
2. name be remembered no more – BDB 269, KB 269, Niphal IMPERFECT , cf. Psa 41:5; Psa 83:4; Psa 109:13
Both of these were metaphors for death.
Jer 11:20 O LORD of hosts, who judges righteously This section deals with the age-old question of why the righteous suffer and the wicked prosper (see John W. Wenham, The Goodness of God and The Enigma of Evil: Can We Believe in the Goodness of God). Jeremiah picks up on God as a righteous judge and in Jer 12:1 he wants to plead his circumstances before Him. This is reminiscent of the book of Job, also note Psalms 37; Psalms 73 and Hab 1:2-4. It is always difficult to face and accept the unfairness of this fallen reality! But the problem is not YHWH but human rebellion (i.e., Genesis 3). This is not the world YHWH intended it to be!
Who tries the feelings and the heart God does judge (VERB, BDB 103, cf. Jer 6:27) on the basis, not only of actions, but also motives (cf. Jer 17:10; Jer 20:12; Psa 7:9; Psa 17:3; Psa 26:2; Psa 66:10; Psa 139:23).
The word feelings (lit. reins) in the English text is basically the Hebrew word (BDB 480) for the lower viscera. The ancients believed that this was the area where the emotions and motives dwelt (cf. Jer 12:3).
For heart see Special Topic: Heart .
For to You have I committed my cause The MT has the VERB uncovered (BDB 162, cf. LXX), but most translations have committed (lit. rolled upon, cf. Psa 22:8), which is spelled very similarly.
Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley
hath given = gave. Jeremiah a type of Messiah. See App-85.
know = knew.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Jer 11:18-23
Jer 11:18
And Jehovah gave me knowledge of it, and I knew it: then thou showedst me their doings.
We have already observed that Jeremiah’s long life was most certainly a miracle. God preserved and protected him in a most unusual manner. The conspiracy (Jer 11:9) recognized that Jeremiah was an obstacle in the way of their purpose completely to restore total idolatry in Israel; and they doubtless could have killed the unsuspecting Jeremiah if God had not warned and protected him.
Jer 11:19
But I was like a gentle lamb that is led to the slaughter; and I knew not that they had devised devices against me, [saying], Let us destroy the tree with the fruit thereof, and let us cut him off from the land of the living, that his name may be no more remembered.
Just as Christ was rejected in his home town of Nazareth, Jeremiah’s home town of Anathoth was a party to this plot to kill him, reminding us of what the Lord said, “A prophet is not without honor, save in his own country.” Another similarity in the lives of Jeremiah and of our Lord is seen in this mention of his being like “a lamb led to the slaughter.” It was such similarities that caused some of the people to think that perhaps Christ himself was Jeremiah risen from the dead (Mat 16:14).
Jer 11:20-23
But, O Jehovah of hosts, who judgest righteously, who triest the heart and the mind, I shall see thy vengeance on them; for unto thee have I revealed my cause. Therefore thus saith Jehovah concerning the men of Anathoth, that seek thy life, saying, Thou shalt not prophesy in the name of Jehovah, that thou die not by our hand; therefore thus saith Jehovah of hosts, Behold, I will punish them: the young men shall die by the sword; their sons and their daughters shall die by famine; and there shall be no remnant unto them: for I will bring evil upon the men of Anathoth, even the year of their visitation.
There shall be no remnant unto them…
(Jer 11:23). In Ezr 2:23, the Scriptures mention among those returning to Jerusalem after the captivity certain men of Anathoth; and for that reason we must suppose that the denial of any remnant to be left to Anathoth was evidently limited to the actual conspirators against the life of Jeremiah and did not apply to the whole community.
Thou shalt not prophesy in the name of Jehovah, lest thou die by our hand…
(Jer 11:21). At some point in the conspiracy, but after God had revealed it to Jeremiah, the men of Anathoth attempted to silence the prophecies of Jeremiah by threatening to kill him. Only the providence and protection of God could have preserved the prophet’s life through the dreadful dangers to which he was exposed. The bitter and implacable hatred of Satan and his followers is here revealed in its stark reality.
THE PLOT AGAINST THE PROPHET
Jer 11:18-23
Jeremiah was to suffer much during his ministry. At times his enemies almost got the best of him. But God was faithful to His promise to deliver Jeremiah from his enemies. In the present paragraph Jeremiah experiences his first personal crisis. He learns through revelation that the men of his home town are plotting against him (Jer 11:18-23). These developments seem to catch Jeremiah by surprise and in great distress he cries out to God in the first of his complaints or confessions. Probably this material is to be assigned to the early years of wicked king Jehoiakim.
The Case Which He Presents Jer 11:18-20
Jeremiah learned that the men of his home town were plotting against him through special revelation from God. God caused Jeremiah to correctly analyze and interpret the deceitful deeds of these cunning adversaries (Jer 11:18). Jeremiah had never suspected that they were plotting against him. He was as unsuspecting and trusting as a lamb being led to the slaughter. As Jeremiah had been comparing Judah to a tree which God would destroy (Jer 11:16-17) so the men of Anathoth contemptuously refer to Jeremiah as a tree which must be destroyed. They wish to rid themselves of that tree and its fruit. Since Jeremiah had no children, the fruit of the tree probably refers to his life work, his prophetic ministry. If they could slay Jeremiah there would be no descendant to perpetuate his name. Thus they schemed and plotted in an effort to find an opportunity to assassinate Jeremiah or have him publicly executed (Jer 11:19).
Upon learning of the plot against him, Jeremiah turns immediately in prayer to God. As a petitioner before a court of law the prophet presents his case to the righteous Judge knowing that the Judge of all the earth will do right. God alone can test or try the kidneys and heart, the innermost feelings and thoughts of a man. The Lord knows that Jeremiah has been utterly sincere in his ministry. There has been no guile or bitterness in his heart. On the other hand God knows the hypocrisy and the evil intent of the men of Anathoth. Jeremiah is confident of the verdict which the righteous Judge will render in his behalf. Divine vengeance will be poured out upon the evil schemers and thus the cause of God and His prophet will be vindicated. Jeremiah has only to reveal his case to God and the just verdict will be rendered (Jer 11:20). God, of course, was aware of the plight of the prophet; Jeremiah is not telling God something which He did not already know. To reveal ones case is to publicly, formally plead ones case before the bar of justice.
When the conspiracy against Jeremiah was exposed the men of Anathoth openly and outwardly began to threaten the life of the prophet. Only if he ceased to prophesy in the name of the Lord would his life be spared (Jer 11:21). Other prophets had been threatened. Amos was ordered to leave Bethel (Amo 7:10 ff.). Elijah had to flee for his life to Mt. Horeb (1Ki 19:1-4). Some prophets had died because they fearlessly preached in the name of God. Zechariah was slain in the Temple (2Ch 24:20-22) and Isaiah, according to tradition, was sawn asunder during the reign of king Manasseh. In Jeremiahs own day a prophet by the name of Uriah, who spoke words similar to those of Jeremiah, was slain by king Jehoiakim (Jer 26:20-23). The threats made by the men of Anathoth were not idle. These men meant business. From this day forward Jeremiah would be putting his life on the line every time he uttered an oracle in the name of the Lord.
The Verdict Which He Receives Jer 11:21-23
The righteous Judge was quick to render His verdict in favor of the plaintiff. Punishment is about to fall upon the inhabitants of Anathoth. The young men of military age would die by the sword of the enemy. Younger children would die in the famine which would result because of prolonged siege (Jer 11:22). No remnant of those conspirators would survive the calamity which God was about to bring upon the land. That the threat is limited to the conspirators is indicated by the fact that some men of Anathoth did survive the exile and returned to their home city. See Ezr 2:23. The year of their visitation or punishment is upon them (Jer 11:23). They shall not be able to escape the ruthless armies of Nebuchadnezzar.
Jeremiah Prophesies Destruction – Jer 11:1 to Jer 13:27
Open It
1. What is an issue of fairness that has direct impact on your life?
2. If you knew that someone was trying to kill you, what would you do?
Explore It
3. Of what important era in their history did God want Jeremiah to remind Israel? (Jer 11:1-5)
4. Why was God punishing His people? (Jer 11:9-11)
5. What did God say the people would discover when they sought help from the gods they had been worshiping? (Jer 11:12-13)
6. How did Jeremiah find out about the plot on his life, and where did he turn for help? (Jer 11:18-20)
7. What did the Lord promise to do to the people of Anathoth who had threatened Jeremiah? (Jer 11:21-23)
8. What questions did Jeremiah pose to God concerning His justice? (Jer 12:1-4)
9. What did God reveal that He intended to do to His unfaithful people? (Jer 12:7-13)
10. How would the response of the nations to Gods judgment on Israel affect those nations? (Jer 12:14-17)
11. What physical demonstration did God require of Isaiah as a lesson to the people? (Jer 13:1-7)
12. How was Israel like Jeremiahs belt? (Jer 13:8-11)
13. How did Jeremiah know that God was not going to change His mind about punishing Israel? (Jer 13:12-14)
14. If Israel refused to listen to God, what would happen to them and to Jeremiah? (Jer 13:15-17)
15. What future did God predict for all Judah? (Jer 13:18-19)
16. What had it become impossible for Israel to do in her hardheartedness? (Jer 13:20-23)
17. What sins caused God to declare the destruction of Jerusalem? (Jer 13:24-27)
Get It
18. What has God promised to us, and what does this require of us as believers?
19. What idols (false gods) are worshiped in society today that pose a temptation even to believers?
20. Why do people try to silence people who speak for God or those who remind us of Gods commands?
21. Where do you see instances around you of wicked people seeming to prosper?
22. Why is it sometimes tempting to give up living Gods way if you see no immediate results?
23. Why is it unwise to claim to be “religious” if God does not reside in your heart?
24. What determines whether a person is useful to God?
25. If we cannot change our natural tendency toward sin, what hope is there for us?
26. Why are people who do not trust in God for their righteousness destined to shame?
Apply It
27. What do you want to remember the next time you see an unrighteous person prosper or get undeserved rewards?
28. In what area of your life do you need to be on guard against pride standing in the way of Gods blessing?
Questions On Jeremiah Chapter Eleven
By Brent Kercheville
1 What are the terms of the covenant (Jer 11:1-5)?
2 What is Gods warning (Jer 11:6-8)?
3 What is Gods message (Jer 11:9-13)?
4 What is Gods message (Jer 11:14-17)?
5 What was the plot against Jeremiah (Jer 11:18-23)? What have the people told Jeremiah not to do?
6 What was Gods message to Jeremiah about what the people were plotting (Jer 11:18-23)?
TRANSFORMATION:
How does this relationship change your relationship with God?
What did you learn about him?
What will you do differently in your life?
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
the Lord: Jer 11:19, 1Sa 23:11, 1Sa 23:12, 2Ki 6:9, 2Ki 6:10, 2Ki 6:14-20, Eze 8:6-18, Mat 21:3, Rom 3:7
Reciprocal: 1Sa 23:9 – David Psa 21:11 – imagined Jer 13:10 – evil Jer 15:15 – remember Jer 18:23 – thou Eze 33:30 – the children Hos 5:2 – profound
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Jer 11:18. Every word in the Bible is inspired but the writers sometimes compose their passages in the first- person and at other times they use another Torm. At times it will seem as if God is speaking directly and we almost forget that a prophet is speaking or writing the words ali the time. After the language runs along in that line for a while, the writer will change his form and refer to himself in his relation to God or to the people. We have one of these instances in this verse. The prophet even brings in the Lord under both the second and third persons. First he tells the reader that the Lord had given him knowledge of conditions, then he addresses himself to the Lord and acknowledges that thou showed me their (Israels) doings.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Jer 11:18-19. And the Lord hath given me knowledge of it, &c. This relates to the ill designs which the men of Anathoth had contrived against the prophet, which he here saith God had revealed to him. See the following verses. But I was like a lamb or an ox, &c. A proverbial speech, expressing a false security, or insensibility of danger. Dr. Waterland, in agreement with the Vulgate, Bochart, and Houbigant, reads this clause, But I was like a gentle lamb; and Blaney, For I was like a tame lamb that is led to the slaughter. But Lowth justly observes, we may very well admit of the common translation. For the word here used, certainly frequently signifies an ox, and the disjunctive particle, supplied by or, is elsewhere often understood, though not expressed. The meaning here is, that the prophet would have met with a fate similar to that of a slaughtered lamb or ox, if God had not revealed to him the designs of his enemies. Many commentators suppose that Jeremiah here speaks of his own sufferings as figurative of those of the Messiah. All the churches agree, says St. Jerome, that these and the following words respect Jesus Christ and his passion. It was against his life that they formed their designs: he was the true lamb, meek and innocent. Jeremiah is here a figure of the divine Saviour; he here suffers from his brethren, and represents, in his person, him who was a man of grief, and tried by all sorts of afflictions.
Let us destroy the tree with the fruit thereof Let us not only put an end to his prophesying, but to his life. The Hebrew is literally, Let us destroy the tree (or the stock) with the bread thereof; and bread, it must be observed, is sometimes used for the corn of which bread is made, as Jer 5:17. The meaning then is, Let us destroy the prophet and his doctrine. We have no other mention of this conspiracy but this here. It is, however, very plain, both from this verse and what follows, that the men of Anathoth (which was Jeremiahs own town) were offended at his prophesying, and had conspired to kill him.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Jer 11:18-23. The Anathoth Plot.The abrupt introduction of this account of the plot of the men of Anathoth against the life of the prophet might be explained by the supposition that his advocacy of the Deuteronomic Reformation (Jer 11:1 ff.) would seem treachery to his kinsmen. For, as stated in the Introduction, they may have traced their descent from Abiathar, a priestly line now perpetually set aside in favour of the Zadokite priests of Jerusalem. If, however, Jeremiahs advocacy of Deuteronomy be not accepted as historic, then the Anathoth persecution will be a special instance of the general unpopularity of Jeremiah. Whether it was provoked by some particular utterance like that of Jesus in the synagogue of Nazareth we do not know. Jeremiah says that he was as unconscious of this plot as is a tame (gentle) lamb (cf. 2Sa 12:3) of the purpose to kill it. He appeals to the just Judge, who knows his inmost feelings and thoughts, against the injustice of this plot. Yahweh answers the prophets appeal with a threat of vengeance on the men of Anathoth (see on Jer 1:1).
Jer 11:19. fruit: a slight emendation gives the preferable meaning sap.
Jer 11:20. In Hebrew psychology, the reins or kidneys are the seat of strong emotions, e.g. desires, and the heart is the general centre of psychical activity, including thought. Duhm points out that this is the earliest declaration of Yahwehs knowledge of the inner life. Cornill suggests with considerable plausibility that the following section, Jer 12:1-6, originally preceded Jer 11:18-23.
Fuente: Peake’s Commentary on the Bible
11:18 And the LORD hath given me knowledge [of it], and I know [it]: then thou didst show me {n} their doings.
(n) Who went about secretly to conspire my death.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
Jeremiah announced that the Lord had revealed the fate of the Judahites to him, and had given him insight into his people’s deeds ("plots" in context).
Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)
An attempt to kill Jeremiah 11:18-12:6
This pericope contains one of Jeremiah’s "confessions," a self-revelation of the prophet’s own struggles to cope with God’s actions (cf. Jer 10:23-24; Jer 15:10-12; Jer 15:15-21; Jer 17:9-11; Jer 17:14-18; Jer 18:18-23; and Jer 20:7-18). [Note: See Kelley, pp. 172-73, for an excursus on Jeremiah’s confessions.] The heart of this one is Jer 12:1-6.