Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Jeremiah 12:12
The spoilers are come upon all high places through the wilderness: for the sword of the LORD shall devour from the [one] end of the land even to the [other] end of the land: no flesh shall have peace.
12. bare heights ] See on ch. Jer 3:2.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Through – in. Even these remote scaurs do not escape, polluted as they had been by the nations idolatries.
Shall devour – Or, devoureth. These hosts of war come as Yahwehs sword.
No flesh shall have peace – Flesh in Gen 6:3 means mankind as sinners; here, Judah. Peace in Hebrew has the wider signification of welfare, happiness. Hence, their salutation in life was, Peace be to thee, and in death In Peace was engraved upon their sepulchres.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 12. The sword of the Lord shall devour] It is the sword of the Lord that has devoured, and will devour: this is what no man layeth to heart. They think these things come in the course of events.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
The prophet (as very usually) speaketh of a thing as already done which was very shortly to be done; he saith they were come up because they should come up, and no places should be so high but they should climb them, none so strong but they should subdue them. The sword of the enemy is called
the sword of the Lord, because he ordereth and succeeds it, though the enemy manageth it; and he saith it shall be against all, of all ranks and orders, no flesh should have peace; by
no flesh he meaneth no ranks, no orders of men.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
12. high placesBefore, He hadthreatened the plains; now, the hills.
wildernessnot anuninhabited desert, but high lands of pasturage, lying between Judeaand Chaldea (Jer 4:11).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
The spoilers are come upon all high places through the wilderness,…. Of Judea; or which lay between Chaldea and Judea, through which the Chaldean army came; called here the “spoilers”, because they spoiled and plundered all places where they came; nor could the high, strong, and fortified places withstand them, or escape their ravage and fury. De Dieu renders it, “upon all the plains in the wilderness”; where was pasture, land for cattle, as Kimchi serves; which were trodden down and spoiled by the soldiers, and made forage of.
For the sword of the Lord shall devour from the one end; of the land even the other end of the land; the sword of the Chaldeans is called the sword of the Lord, because it was drawn by his order and appointment, and was succeeded by him to do execution; and the calamity which it brought upon the land reached from one end of it to the other, so general and; extensive it was.
No flesh shall have peace; no inhabitant of Judea shall be in safety, but be exposed to the sword, or to captivity.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Jeremiah here proceeds farther — that no corner of the land would be exempt from the attacks of enemies. Desert is not put here for solitude not inhabited, but for high places; and as such places fbr the most part are fit for pastures, there is no doubt but that he means here secluded places. It is, however, sufficient for our present purpose to consider, that the desert; here is put in opposition to the level parts of the country. When, therefore, the enemies had rambled through the plains, the Prophet says, that no recesses, however hidden, would be safe; for there also the violence of the enemies would penetrate. And this is what he states more clearly at the end of the verse when he says that there would be no peace to any flesh: for he intimates, no doubt, that all, from the least to the greatest, would be rendered miserablei as God’s vengeance would reach every one without exception; and he says this, because those who sought hiding — places might have hoped to escape, thinking that the enemy would be satisfied with a limited victory; but the Prophet declares, that God’s wrath would so burn as to consume all, and to leave no part of the land without involving in ruin the rich and the poor, the country people and the citizens.
After having then threatened the plains, which were more open and accessible, he now adds, that neither the mountains nor the hins would escape the outrage of their enemies; and at the same time he reminds them that God would be the author of all their calamities; for had he only spoken of the Chaldeans, the Jews would not have thought that they were given up to punishment by God on account of their sins: it would have therefore been without any good effect had they thought that they had a contest only with the Chaldeans. Hence he calls their attention to God’s judgment, and shews, that though ambition, avarice, and cruelty instigated and influenced their enemies, they were yet conducted by a divine power, because the Jews had for a long time provoked against themselves the vengeance of God. He, in short, intimates that the Chaldeans would fight for God and do his work, as he would be the chief commander in the war; and this he intimates lest the Jews should think that such great calamities happened to them by chance: hence he says, The sword of Jehovah hath devoured, etc. He indeed speaks of future things; but he uses the past tense, which is commonly done by the prophets. (65) It now follows —
(65) The versions and the Targum render the first verb in the past tense, but the second, incorrectly, in the future. The verse is as follows, —
12. On all heights in the wilderness have wasters come, For the sword has for Jehovah devoured; From one end of the land to the other end of the land No peace has been to any flesh.
The third line reads better with the last. No doubt, the past, as Calvin says, is used for the future. The same is the case in the next verse. — Ed.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(12) All high places.i.e., the bare treeless heights so often chosen as the site of an idolatrous sanctuary.
The sword of the Lord.As in the cry of the sword of Jehovah and of Gideon (Jdg. 7:18) all mans work in war is thought of as instrumental in working out a Will mightier than his own. The sword of the Chaldean invader was, after all, His sword. The thought was more or less the common inheritance of Israel, but it had recently received a special prominence from Deu. 32:41.
No flesh shall have peace.The context limits the prediction to the offenders of the cities of Judah. As peace was for the Israelite the sum and substance of all blessedness, so its absence was the extremest of all maledictions. Flesh is used, as in Gen. 6:3, for mans nature as evil and corrupt.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
12. No flesh peace See Gen 6:12. The term “flesh” is here used in the same way, but with narrower application.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Jer 12:12 The spoilers are come upon all high places through the wilderness: for the sword of the LORD shall devour from the [one] end of the land even to the [other] end of the land: no flesh shall have peace.
Ver. 12. For the sword of the Lord, ] i.e., Of the enemy set on by the Lord; for whencesoever the sword cometh, it is bathed in heaven. Isa 34:5 See Eze 14:17 .
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
high = eminent.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
spoilers: Jer 4:11-15, Jer 9:19-21
the sword: Jer 15:2, Jer 34:17, Jer 47:6, Jer 48:2, Lev 26:33, Isa 34:6, Isa 66:15, Isa 66:16, Eze 5:2, Eze 14:17, Amo 9:4, Zep 2:12, Rev 19:16-21
no: Isa 57:21, Mat 24:21, Mat 24:22, Rev 6:4
Reciprocal: Deu 33:29 – the sword 2Sa 2:26 – sword 1Ch 21:12 – the sword Jer 6:26 – for the Jer 17:3 – and thy Jer 20:5 – I will deliver Jer 25:27 – because Jer 46:14 – the sword Eze 7:14 – for Eze 7:24 – I will bring Eze 21:9 – A sword Eze 33:2 – When I bring the sword upon a land
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Jer 12:12. The spoilers refers to the Babylonians who were coming against the land and capital city of Jerusalem. 2Ki 24:13 and, 2Ki 25:11-16 shows the fulfillment of this spoiling. Sword of the Lord means the sword of the Babylonians since that army was performing in this action according to His decree.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Jer 12:12-13. The spoilers The Chaldean soldiers, described by the metaphor of a full wind of the high places, Jer 4:11, are come upon all high places Have made themselves masters of all the natural fastnesses and artificial fortresses in the country. The prophet, as usual, speaks of a thing as already done, which was very shortly to be done. For the sword of the Lord shall devour Thus those people are called, whom God excited to invade Judea, as a punishment of the Jews for their sins: they were the Lords sword: from one end of the land even to the other The numerous army of the invaders shall disperse themselves through the whole country, penetrating into every corner of it. No flesh shall have peace No rank or order of men shall be exempt from the calamity, or able to enjoy any tranquillity. They Namely, the inhabitants of the land; have sown wheat, but shall reap thorns Have taken much pains, and been at much charge, but all shall turn to their prejudice. It is a proverbial expression, signifying mens loss of time and labour; or rather, their receiving only vexation and injury as the fruit of those efforts from which they expected great advantage. It is here applied to the fruitless and destructive endeavours of the Jews to save themselves from the evils that threatened them, by courting the assistance and alliance of idolaters. They shall be ashamed of your revenues Or, increase, as should rather be rendered: it alludes to the reaping of thorns, mentioned in the former part of the verse, as if he had said, You shall be ashamed of the small and inconsiderable returns you make of all your pains and labours: because of the fierce anger of the Lord Which shall make all your designs abortive.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
The Lord would bring "destroyers" against His people from the wilderness, who would act as His "sword" and "devour" them. The whole land would experience war.