Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Jeremiah 14:21
Do not abhor [us], for thy name’s sake, do not disgrace the throne of thy glory: remember, break not thy covenant with us.
21. the throne of thy glory ] Jerusalem, or more particularly the Temple, where the visible glory was enthroned above the Ark.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Jer 14:21
Do not abhor us.
Marks of a people in danger of the Divine abhorrence
I. The leading indications of a people exposed to that alarming condition which the prophet here so pathetically deprecates.
1. Unfruitfulness under the means of religious and moral improvement (Luk 13:6). When the recipients of so many favours, instead of being fruitful, bring forth no good fruit at all, or fruit that is positively bad; when, instead of acting suitably to such high advantages, they shew that they are insensible of them; when, instead of being devout, they are impious; when, instead of standing in awe of God, they profane His holy name; when, instead of regarding His ordinances, they despise them; when, instead of being humble, meek, and merciful, they are proud, overbearing, and injurious; and, instead of ascribing to the bounteous Giver of all good, the glory that is due to Him for His liberality towards them, by a holy, reverential, and submissive deportment, they disregard His authority:–most assuredly, if there is any justice in the Divine nature, and any discernment in the Divine administration, such a people are nigh unto cursing, and are rapidly advancing towards that state which is deprecated in the text.
2. A public and general contempt of religion. All things go well so long as God and Him service are reverenced; because there is a firmness, an energy, and a greatness in every effort put forth for the public weal, which, through the blessing of God, can scarcely fail to render it effectual. But, on the other hand, when God is despised; when His existence and authority are treated as merely ideal; when no influence is produced upon human agency by the greatness and purity of His character, or the rectitude and perfection of His counsels; when it acknowledges no higher principle than self-interest, or the gratification of the inferior appetites of our nature–then all things run into confusion. In confirmation of this, we have the remarkable testimony even of the heathen Polybius, one of the most judicious historians of ancient Rome. When the Romans, says he, left off consulting the gods, when they began to disregard the institutions of religion, or to laugh at things sacred, then fell the glory of the empire. The wisdom of the senator forsook him, and the heart of the soldier melted at the face of the foe. The State had no friend, because every man was a friend only to himself, and the gods forsook them because they were despised.
3. Levity and insensibility under the Divine judgments. How natural to conclude, when a child continues thoughtless, perverse, and obstinate, under the frowns of an indulgent parent, that he is fast approaching to destruction: and how just, as well as natural, is the conclusion; since the parent having tried all means, but in vain, to reclaim him, seems in a measure compelled to throw him off, and since the child himself seems bent on renouncing parental protection, were it even forced upon him. And no less just and natural is it to draw a similar conclusion in the case of nations, when they despise the chastenings of Omnipotence. To these He has recourse, only when all other means have proved ineffectual. If, then, when He strikes they feel it not, and instead of being brought to repentance, obstinately persist in their folly and inconsideration, what is to be looked for but their perdition?
II. How suitable the language and temper of the prayer in the text is to us, O Lord, do not abhor us for Thy names sake.
1. It is expressive of that temper of mind, which is most suited to the guilt which we have contracted, and the dangers to which we are exposed.
(1) It supposes, that as children, who have long resisted the kind intentions of our heavenly Father, trifled with His goodness, and abused His grace, we see ourselves about to be cast off by an awful exertion of His justice; and that, deeply alarmed at our situation, sensible of our unworthiness, and that the very fate which we dread, is what we actually merit, we run to Him at the very moment, and cry, O Lord, abhor us not; cast us not off forever. We deserve it, but stay Thy hand. Foolish, and rebellious, and perverse as we have been, we cannot bear the frowns of Thine indignation, or to be finally excluded from Thy favour.
(2) It implies the utmost earnestness, and the very feeling of present and immediate repentance. It supposes that the individuals who use it are actually lying low in the dust, under the sense of immediate danger, and calling out for immediate relief. And most assuredly there is no room for procrastinating.
2. It also peculiarly becomes us, because it is enforced by the only argument fit to be urged by guilty creatures, and the only argument which we can urge with effect.
(1) Review all the circumstances in your case. Single out what you conceive to be the most alleviating, and the most favourable–and then say, is there one of these which you can use as an argument why a pure and holy God should not abhor you?
(2) But beware of using this language in a cold and formal manner, and without those distressing apprehensions of danger, and those bitter feelings of repentance, which Jeremiah so evidently cherished when he uttered it. This, instead of appeasing the Divine wrath which has gone forth against us, will rather provoke it more than ever; and instead of averting the Divine judgments, will rather accelerate their accomplishment. (J. Somerville, D. D.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 21. Do not disgrace the throne of thy glory] The temple. Let not this sacred place be profaned by impious and sacrilegious hands.
Break not thy covenant] See Ex 24:7-8; Ex 19:5. They had already broken the covenant, and they wish God to fulfil his part. They ceased to be his people, for they abandoned themselves to idolatry; and yet they wished Jehovah to be their Lord; to defend, support, and fill them with all good things! But when the conditions of a covenant are broken by one of the contracting parties, the other party is not bound; and the covenant is necessarily annulled.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
The thing which the prophet deprecateth is, the judgments come already and further coming upon this people, the famine, sword, and pestilence, with the drought, under the sad consequents of which they at present laboured; but he prays for the removal of these judgments, and the prevention of such as were yet to come, in this phrase, Do not abhor us; noting to us that the love of God to a people is the root of all good which they can expect, and his hatred and displeasure the root of all the evil that can betide them. Here are divers arguments brought to back this petition.
1. For thy names sake; that is, thine honour and glory sake; an argument often made use of in holy writ, in the prayers of Gods people, Jos 7:9, &c., and upon a very good foundation, whether we consider Gods concern for his own glory, or the tenure of Gods promises, promising mercy for his own names sake. He also argueth with God from his former love and kindness to this people, which he had made
the throne of his glory. The words are either to be understood of the throne of the house of David, called the Lords throne, 1Ch 29:23, or else the temple, and the ark in it, the more special symbol of Gods presence: hence he is said to have dwelt betwixt the cherubims, Psa 80:1; so Jer 17:12, the prophet saith, A glorious high throne from the beginning is our sanctuary. Lord, (saith the prophet,) we have deserved all the disgrace thou canst throw upon us, but do not thou disgrace the throne of thine own glory.
Remember, break not thy covenant with us. Did not Jeremiah then know that God could not break his covenant?
Answ. He did know it; but he also knew that it is our duty to pray to God to fulfil it; or possibly he would extend it a little further, and for Gods covenant sake made with the faithful in Israel he would have obtained mercy for the whole body of the nation.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
21. us“the throne of Thyglory” may be the object of “abhor not” (“rejectnot”); or “Zion” (Jer14:19).
throne of thygloryJerusalem, or, the temple, called God’s”footstool” and “habitation” (1Ch 28:2;Psa 132:5).
thy covenant (Psa 106:45;Dan 9:19).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Do not abhor us, for thy name’s sake,…. Which was called upon them, and which they called upon; they deserved to be abhorred, they had done those things which might justly render them abominable, being what was abhorrent to him; and they deprecate this, not, for their own sake, who were unworthy of any favour, but for his own sake, for the sake of his honour and glory, which, as it is dear to the Lord, so to his people.
Do not disgrace the throne of thy glory; either Jerusalem, as Kimchi, which was the city of the great King, where he had his throne and palace, and which is called the throne of the Lord, Jer 3:17 or the house of the sanctuary, the temple, as Jarchi; see
Jer 17:12, respect seems to be had to the mercy seat upon the ark, over which were the cherubim of glory, between which the Lord dwelt; and they pray, that though they were worthy of disgrace themselves, and to be taken and carried captive into a strange land, yet they entreat that the Lord would not disgrace his own glorious habitation, by suffering the city and the temple, and the ark in it, to be destroyed:
remember; thy people, Zion, as before; or the promises made to them, the covenant, as follows:
break not thy covenant with us: God never breaks his covenant, though man does; it may sometimes seem to be broken, when his church and people are in distress and affliction; but he will never break the covenant he has made, or suffer his faithfulness to fail; yet, though he does not, it is proper and necessary oftentimes to pray in this manner to God, for the encouragement of faith in him, and expectation of good things from him.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Jeremiah goes on with the same prayer; and he made it from love, and also for the purpose of encouraging the faithful, who remained among the people, to seek forgiveness; for he undertakes here to represent the true Church, which was then very small. All indeed boasted that they were the children of God, and gloried in the covenant made with Abraham; but hardly one in a thousand called on God in truth and from the heart. The Prophet then represented the common feeling of a very small number; and yet he proceeded, as I have said, with his prayer.
Hence he says, Reject not, overthrow not, the throne of thy glory; or the meaning of the two verbs may be the same, which seems to me more probable. (124) But the Prophet joined together two verbs, not so much for the sake of ornament as rhetoricians do, as for the purpose of expressing the intenseness of his concern and anxiety; for he saw that the kingdom of Judah was in extreme danger. He then did not in an ordinary way try to turn aside God’s vengeance, but he hastened as one to extinguish a fire; for the obtaining of pardon was difficult.
He calls Jerusalem the throne of God’s glory, because God had chosen that city where he was to be worshipped, not that he was confined to the Temple, but because the memorial of his name was there, according to what had been usually said, especially by Moses. (Exo 20:24) Nor was the ark a vain Symbol of his covenant, for God really dwelt there; for the presence of his power and grace was evidenced by the clearest proofs. But as this mode of speaking is often found in the Prophets, it was sufficient for Jeremiah briefly to notice the subject. God indeed, as it is well known, fins heaven and earth, but he gives symbols of his presence wherever he pleases; and as it was his will to be worshipped in the Temple, it is called iris throne, and it is elsewhere called his footstool; for the Scripture describes the same thing in various ways. The Temple is often called the rest of God, his dwelling, his sanctuary, the place of his habitation; it is also called his footstool,
“
We will worship at his footstool.” (Psa 132:7)
But these various forms are used for the same purpose, though they are apparently different; for where the Temple is called the habitation of God, his palace or his throne, the presence of his power is set forth, as though God dwelt as a friend among his worshippers; but when it is called his footstool, it is for the purpose of checking a superstition which might have crept in; for God raises the minds of the godly higher, lest they should think that his presence is confined to any place.
We then perceive what the Scripture intends and what it means, whenever it calls Jerusalem or the Temple the throne or the house of God.
But we nmst carefully notice what is here mentioned by the Prophet, For thy name’s sake We know that whenever the saints pray to be heard for the sake of God’s name, they cast aside every confidence in their own worthiness and righteousness. Whosoever then pleads God’s name, in order to obtain what he asks, renounces all other things, and fully confesses that he is unworthy to find God propitious to him; for this form of speaking necessarily implies a contrast. As then the Prophet flees to God’s name as his only refuge, there is included in the words a confession, such as we have before noticed, — that the Jews, inasmuch as they had acted wickedly towards God, were unworthy of any mercy; nor could they pacify him by any of their own satisfactions, nor have anytiling by which they could obtain his favor. This then is the meaning; and as this doctrine has been elsewhere more fully handled, it; seems to me sufficient briefly to shew the design of the Prophet.
He calls it the throne of glory, to intimate that God’s name would be unknown and unnoticed, or even despised and exposed to reproaches, if he did not spare the people whom he had chosen. The genitive case is used in Hebrew, we know, instead of an adjective; and to enlarge on the subject is useless, as this is one of its primary elements. The Prophet then in calling the Temple the glorious throne of God, in which his majesty shone forth, in a manner reminds God himself not to expose his name to reproaches; for instantly the ungoldly, according to their evil dispositions, would vomit forth their blasphemies; and thus God’s name would be reproached.
He afterwards adds, Remember, make not void, thy covenant with us Here also the Prophet strengthens his prayer by calling to mind the covenant: for it might have been said, that the Jews had nothing to do with the holy name of God, with his glory, or with his throne; and doubtless they were worthy of being wholly forsaken by God. As then they had divorced themselves from God, and were wholly destitute of all holiness, the Prophet here brings before God his covenant, as though he had said, “I have already prayed thee to regard thine own glory and to spare thine own throne, as thou hast favored the place with so much honor as to reign among us: now, though our impiety is so great that thou mayest justly cast us away yet thou didst not make a covenant with Mount Sion, or with the stones of the Temple, or with material things, but with us; render not void then this thy covenant.”
We hence see that there is great emphasis in the words of the Prophet, when he implores God not to make void, or not to undo, the covenant, which he had made with the people. For though God would have continued true and faithful, had he obliterated the name of the whole people, yet it was necessary that his goodness should contend with their wickedness, his fidelity with their perfidiousness, inasmuch as the covenant of God did not depend on the people’s faithfulness or integrity. It was, as it may be said, a mutual stipulation; for God made a covenant with Abraham on this condition — that he should walk perfectly with him: this is indeed true; and the same stipulation was in force in the time of the Prophets. Yet at the same time Jeremiah assumed this principle — that the grace of God cannot be wholly obliterated; for he had chosen the race of Abraham, from whom the Redeemer was at length to be born. But Jeremiah intended to extend God’s grace still farther, according to what has been already said, and we shall again presently see the same thing. However this may be, he had a just reason for praying, “Undo not thy covenant with us.” But God had hidden means of accomplishing his purpose; for he did, according to the common apprehension of men, abolish the covenant by which the Jews thought him to be bound to them; and yet he remained true; for his truth shone forth at length from darkness, after the time of exile was completed. It now follows —
(124) The versions differ as to the two verbs: “Cease for thy name’s sake, and destroy not,” etc., is the Septuagint and the Arabic; “Reproach us not, etc., nor dishonor,” etc., is the Vulgate; “Be not angry, etc., nor dishonor,” etc., is the Syriac; “Cast us not away, etc., nor make vile,” etc., is the Targum. Neither of these renderings is correct. The two verbs here used have a similar meaning, though they are different, with those in the 19 th verse (Jer 14:19); the first signifies the rejection of a thing as worthless, and the second as vile, or filthy. They may be thus rendered, —
Scorn not, for thy name’s sake, Abominate not, the throne of thy glory.
The same form is adopted in what follows; two verbs are used, which have the same objective case, —
Remember, break not, thy covenant with us.
Which means, Remember thy covenant, and break it not, or annul it not. Blayney renders the first two lines thus, —
Spurn us not for thy name’s sake. Dishonor not the throne of thy glory.
But “us” is not in the original, nor do the versions give it, except the Vulgate; and dishonor has also been borrowed from that version, and is not the meaning of the verb. No doubt the two verbs refer to the throne. — Ed.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(21) Do not abhor us . . .Even in the English, and yet more in the Hebrew, we seem to hear the broken accents, words and sobs intermingled, of the agony of the prayer. Abhor us not . . . disgrace not . . . remember, break not. The prophet can make no plea of extenuation, but he can appeal to the character of God, and urge, with a bold anthropomorphism, that mercy is truer to that character than rigorous justice, and that His covenant with Israel pledges Him to that mercy.
The throne of thy glory.This is, of course, the Temple (see Jer. 17:12). Shall that become a bye-word of reproach, scorned (so the word means) as a fool is scorned?
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
Jer 14:21. Do not abhor, &c. Do not reject, for thy name’s sake,do not, &c. By the throne of God’s glory, is here principally to be understood the temple; and Jeremiah beseeches God not to give up that sacred structure, with the holy city, to be profaned by infidelity; the place which he had chosen for his peculiar residence, and where he sat between the cherubims as upon a throne. See Lowth and Calmet.
REFLECTIONS.1st, The dearth here at large described, had been before intimated. It was the beginning of sorrows, and a call to them by repentance to prevent the greater judgments in store. We have here,
1. A most affecting description, which God gives the prophet, of the distress which this visitation would bring upon the land. The voice of bitter mourning and the cry of anguish are heard throughout Judah and Jerusalem. The very gates languish, deserted by those who used to sit in them, and every face gathers blackness, pining with famine, and bowed to the ground with weakness and despair. The nobles, as well as people, are involved in the calamity: in vain their servants search for water; the heavens give no showers, the rivers are dry; they return with their vessels empty, and, with their masters, are overwhelmed with grief and shame at the disappointment. Parched up for want of rain, the earth cleaves in wide fissures, impenetrable to the plough, and leaves the husbandman confounded under the affliction. The very beasts suffer: the loving hind, now grown unnatural, abandons her young for want of nourishment to supply them; the wild asses on the mountains’ top, scorched with the heat, pant for breath, and snuff the wind; and their eyes fail, famished, because there is no grass. Note; (1.) The common blessings of life are usually disregarded: yet, if God stays the bottles of heaven, we shall quickly find a drop of water more valuable than mountains of gold. (2.) They who take no shame for their sins justly provoke God to confound them with disappointments. (3.) Many mourn over their miseries, who shed no tears over the guilt which provokes them.
2. The prophet addresses his importunate prayer to God in this their wretched situations and herein sets them an example to pray for themselves, and in what manner.
[1.] He begins with deep and humbling acknowledgments of their guilt and sinfulness. O Lord, our iniquities testify against us; too great to be palliated or excused, too public to be denied; for our backslidings are many; we have sinned against thee; in open violation of thy law, and in opposition to all the methods of thy grace; for which they stand convicted before God, and own the justice of his judgments; Note; True penitents are liberal in self-accusation, and never desire to cover their sins, but to confess them in all their malignity.
[2.] He pleads earnestly for mercy, though he acknowledges that they deserve punishment: do thou it for thy name’s sake, this being the sinner’s prevailing plea; not his own deserts, but that God would glorify the riches of his grace and power in the salvation of the unworthy.
[3.] He fills his mouth with arguments, to enforce his petition, drawn from their relation to God, and his glory concerned in their sufferings: O the hope of Israel, their only hope, who had in time past saved them, notwithstanding their provocations, and to whose endless mercy they had still recourse: the saviour thereof in time of trouble; who had often heard and answered their cries and prayers in the day of their distress, and in whom they trusted that he would yet deliver them: why shouldest thou be as a stranger in the land? an unconcerned spectator of their miseries, as not interested in them; and as a way-faring man, that turneth aside to tarry for a night? lodging at an inn, and departing without the least connexion formed with the people. Why shouldest thou be as a man astonished, as a mighty man that cannot save? for such reflections would be cast upon him by the Heathen, if he suffered his own people to become a prey to their enemies, as if he wanted wisdom or power to deliver them. Yet thou, O Lord, art in the midst of us, no stranger among them, but had long dwelt in the temple at Jerusalem, and therefore he begs that it may not now be forsaken; and we are called by thy name; in profession, in outward covenant, the people of God; leave us not, for this is the consummation of all misery; to be deserted by him is to be irrecoverably lost and undone. Note; (1.) The most powerful arguments are those drawn from God’s own glory. (2.) They who fly to God, as their only hope and Saviour in their deepest distress, shall not perish. (3.) If God seem to disregard our afflictions, we have only ourselves to blame for provoking him to leave us.
2nd, If aught could have prevailed to obtain pardon or respite, it had been this intercession; but we find it in vain.
1. God forbids him to pray for what he cannot grant; and he will not have the precious breath of prayer wasted. The measure of their iniquities was full, their sentence passed. They have loved to wander, have taken delight in sin, and, notwithstanding the repeated warnings, they have not refrained their feet, but continued to that hour obstinately impenitent; therefore the Lord doth not accept them: indeed it was impossible that he should: he will now remember their iniquity, and visit their sins, to punish them. In vain they fasted, prayed, sacrificed; their services were hypocritical, and, while their iniquities were not put away, so far from being acceptable, they were an abomination. Devoted, therefore, to destruction, he threatens, I will consume them by the sword, and by the famine, and by the pestilence, his three sore judgments. Note; (1.) While men continue determinately bent in the ways of sin, nothing can prevent their approaching ruin. (2.) They who bring down God’s wrath on their heads by their iniquities, will not be able to cast their destruction on any fatal necessity which they were under, but owe it to their own choice; they have loved to wander. (3.) All formal duties and devotions are but hypocrisy and a provocation, when offered by an unawakened heart.
2. The prophet, reluctant utterly to abandon his people, suggests that they had been deluded by the fair promises and confident assertions of the false prophets: a poor excuse, it must be owned, when they had before warning of their danger, and rules to judge them by; but it was the best apology that he could make for them, and therefore he pleads it in their behalf. Note; When a case is really bad, charity will teach us to make the best of it.
3. God over-rules his plea. He disclaims all those prophets who pretended a commission from him which he never gave. Their divination is false, a thing of naught, and the deceit of their heart, groundless, worthless, and delusive, as will quickly appear when the judgments of God shall begin with them; and that sword and famine, which they so confidently pronounced would never come, shall consume those lying prophets themselves. And those who have been deceived by them must perish with them by sword and famine, together with their wives, their sons and their daughters, and their corpses lie unburied in the streets of Jerusalem; God being determined to bring the punishment of their wickedness in full measure upon them. Note; (1.) They who flatter to their ruin shall themselves receive the greater damnation. (2.) It will be no excuse for the deceived that they followed those who pretended a mission from God, when they have their Bibles, and some few faithful ministers who warn them of their delusions. (3.) When sinners suffer, they may look upon their wickedness as the cause of it. And when the deceived and deceiver lie down in hell together, they will prove but miserable comforters to each other.
3rdly, The desolations of Judah affect the prophet’s heart, and he is permitted to lament them; and, though discouraged from prayer, he does not esteem it an absolute prohibition; therefore once more he intercedes in behalf of this guilty people.
1. He weeps, with ceaseless sorrow, over the dreadful calamities of his people, and God enjoins him to inform them of the cause of his tears, if peradventure it might affect their hearts with some apprehension of their impending miseries. Wherever he went, nothing but horrid scenes of devastation presented themselves to his view. Without, the Chaldean sword strewed the ground with the corpses of the slain; within the city famine raged, and every where the dying groans were heard of those who perished for want of food; and both the priest and prophet, those who had been the deceivers of the people, are sharers in their sufferings, dragged captives into a strange land, or wandering as vagabonds. But others understand this of the true prophets, such as Ezekiel and Daniel, who were carried into Babylon with the rest, and which would excite fresh grief, to see the righteous involved with the wicked. Note; Though we may not refuse pronouncing the sinner’s doom, it should appear that we desire not the woeful day; and they, who will not hear our warnings, should see our weeping over their lost souls.
2. Once more, he cannot keep silence: he pours out his prayer, if there be but the peradventure of hope.
[1.] He humbly expostulates. Hast thou utterly rejected Judah? that once-favoured family, that stock from which Shiloh comes; hath thy soul loathed Zion? that once loved name, where God delighted to dwell: why hast thou smitten us, and there is no healing for us? not merely with the rod of affliction, but with the sword of judgment, whose wound is incurable. Far other expectations had they entertained: we looked for peace; such was their fond hope, and so had their prophets flattered them; and there is no good; their affairs went from evil to worse: and for the time of healing, after the heavy chastisement which they had endured; and behold trouble, without prospect of its end or abatement. But will God be no more entreated?
[2.] He confesses that they deserve all, and more than all that they have yet endured. We acknowledge, O Lord, our wickedness, that it is great and aggravated, and the iniquity of our fathers, whose example they imitated, and filled the measure of their iniquities; for we have sinned against thee, and justly provoked his wrath and indignation against them. They own their guilt, and cast themselves on his mercy; which,
3. The prophet in their behalf, earnestly begs; Do not abhor us; if not embraced with the wonted tokens of divine favours, yet let us not be treated with utter detestation, and suffered to be intirely rooted out; for thy name’s sake; for they have nothing but this to plead; his honour is concerned in their ruin; do not disgrace the throne of thy glory, that temple where his honour dwelt; and if this was laid desolate, the heathen would triumph as if their gods were greater than Jehovah, who sat between the cherubims. Remember, break not thy covenant with us. Indeed the covenant was broken on their part; but, on their penitent return, they might still plead his promise, and would prove his fidelity. Note; (1.) The most prevailing plea in prayer is to be drawn from God’s glory, as interested in our salvation. (2.) It is a bitter grief to the pious soul, to see religion disgraced, and God blasphemed. (3.) We must plead God’s promises, not as doubting his fidelity to his engagements, but for the encouragement of our own faith.
4. He disclaims all dependence upon idols, and looks to God alone for relief under the present distress by reason of the drought. Are there any among the vanities of the Gentiles that can cause rain? No. All these idols cannot produce one drop of dew. Or can the heavens give showers? No. All second causes can only act according to the will of the first Mover. Therefore they will look from these to Him who alone bindeth up the waters in the thick cloud. Art not thou he, O Lord our God? in whom our confidence is placed, and who alone canst open the windows of heaven. Therefore we will wait upon thee, till thou art pleased to answer our prayer, and cause the clouds to drop down from above: for thou hast made all these things, the heavens and earth, and all that in them is; even the rain hath a father, and the drops of dew are formed by him, and descend at his command. Note; (1.) We cannot place too little dependence on the creature, nor too much on the Creator. (2.) They who wait upon God must wait for him; and they who patiently continue so to do, will not be disappointed of their hope.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Jer 14:21 Do not abhor [us], for thy name’s sake, do not disgrace the throne of thy glory: remember, break not thy covenant with us.
Ver. 21. Do not abhor us, for thy name’s sake.] This was to “continue instant in prayer.” Rom 12:12 This was to pray on, and not to faint. Luk 18:1 If thy suit be not honest, never begin it; and if it be, never leave it.
Do not disgrace the throne of thy glory.
Remember, break not thy covenant with us.
a . – Dion. Halicar., lib. ii.
b Jerome.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
do not. Some codices, with three early printed editions, Syriac, and Vulgate, read “neither”.
throne of Thy glory. See note on Jer 3:17.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
not abhor: Jer 14:19, Lev 26:11, Deu 32:19, Psa 51:11, Psa 106:40, Lam 2:7, Amo 6:8
for: Jer 14:7, Psa 79:9, Psa 79:10, Eze 36:22, Eze 36:23, Eze 39:25, Dan 9:7, Dan 9:15-19, Eph 2:7
disgrace: Jer 3:17, Jer 17:12, Psa 74:3-7, Psa 74:20, Psa 106:45, Lam 1:10, Lam 2:6, Lam 2:7, Lam 2:20, Eze 7:20-22, Eze 24:21, Eze 43:7, Dan 8:11-13, Luk 21:24, Rev 11:2
remember: Exo 32:13, Lev 26:42-45, Psa 74:2, Psa 74:18-20, Psa 89:39, Psa 89:40, Psa 106:45, Isa 64:9-12, Zec 11:10, Zec 11:11, Luk 1:72, Heb 8:6-13
Reciprocal: Gen 9:15 – remember Lev 26:44 – break Deu 4:31 – forget Deu 9:26 – prayed Deu 9:27 – Remember Jdg 2:1 – I will never 1Sa 12:22 – for his great Psa 89:34 – covenant Psa 106:8 – he saved Eze 20:22 – wrought Dan 9:19 – thine Amo 7:2 – O Lord Zec 11:8 – and my Joh 17:11 – thine
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Jer 14:21. This fervent plea for mercy was not made on the basis of their merit, but for the sake of the Lords name. Break, not thy covenant refers to the many promises of God to save them for His possession and never to forsake them entirely.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Jeremiah begged God for the sake of His reputation and honor not to abandon His people, not to break His covenant with them. He probably meant that God should not forsake the people with whom He had made a covenant at Mount Sinai. Of course, God never breaks His covenants even though people do.
"The nations knew him to be Judah’s God, and any withdrawal of his help now would not be to his credit. Moreover, the destruction of Jerusalem would involve the destruction of the temple, his glorious throne (cf. Jer 3:17; Jer 17:12). . . . If he allowed calamity to touch his people or Jerusalem and its temple, this would cast a reflection on his power. Besides, he had a covenant (berith) with the people which must surely have involved him in the most profound of obligations to deliver them from their enemies." [Note: Ibid., p. 386.]