Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Jeremiah 15:3

And I will appoint over them four kinds, saith the LORD: the sword to slay, and the dogs to tear, and the fowls of the heaven, and the beasts of the earth, to devour and destroy.

3. kinds ] lit. as mg. families. Four sorts of destructive agencies. Similar threats occur chs. Jer 19:7, Jer 34:20.

tear ] lit. as mg. drag.

Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

Kinds – literally, as the margin, i. e., classes of things. The first is to destroy the living, the other three to mutilate and consume the dead.

To tear – literally, to drag along the ground. It forcibly expresses the contumely to which the bodies of the slain will be exposed.

Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible

Verse 3. I will appoint over them four kinds] There shall appear four instruments of my justice.

1. The sword to slay.

2. The dogs to tear what is slain.

3. The fowls of the heaven to feed on the dead carcasses. And,

4. The wild beasts to destroy all that the fowls have left.

Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible

Four kinds of destroyers; the enemies swords shall slay them, and so make meat for the dogs, who shall tear their carcasses, and for the birds of prey, who shall prey upon their dead bodies that shall lie unburied. And I will also send amongst them wild beasts, who shall both tear their living bodies and their dead carcasses.

Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole

3. appoint (Le26:16).

kindsof punishments.

Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible

And I will appoint over them four kinds, saith the Lord,…. Or four families x, and these very devouring ones; that is, four sorts of punishment; and so the Targum,

“four evil punishments;”

which are after mentioned. These are represented as under God, and at his beck and command; servants of his, that go and come at his pleasure, and do his will; and as being over men, and having power and authority to kill and to destroy by a divine commission:

the sword to slay: the first and chief of the four families or punishments, which had a commission from the Lord to sheath itself in his people, the Jews; even the sword of the enemy, the Chaldeans, drawn against them by a divine order and appointment:

and the dogs to tear; the carcasses of those that are slain with the sword: or “to draw” y; as the word signifies; it being the usual way of dogs to draw and drag the flesh about they are feeding on; this is another of the four families, and a very voracious one it is:

and the fowls of the heaven, and the beasts of the earth, to devour and destroy; or “to eat, and to corrupt”, the bodies of those that are slain by the sword. The meaning is, that such should not have a burial, but should be the food of fowls and wild beasts: these are the other two destroying families, which have their commission from the Lord for such service.

x “quatuor familias, [sive] cognationes”, Vatablus, Tigurine version, Calvin. y “ad trahendum”, Calvin, Pagninus, Montanus, Junius Tremellius, Piscator, Schmidt so Ben Melech,

Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible

Jeremiah proceeds with the same subject. He said yesterday that the people were no longer cared for by God, and so that nothing remained for them but in various ways to perish, and that the last punishment would be exile. He now confirms the same thing, and says, that God would prepare against them ravenous birds as well as wild beasts, the sword and dogs (129) as though he had said, that all animals would be hostile to them, and be the executioners of God’s vengeance.

Some render the verb פקד, pekod, to visit, but improperly, as I think; for they must give this version, “I will visit four families upon them;” but there is no sense in this, nor can any sense be elicited from it. The meaning most suitable here is to set over, (130) “I will set over them four kinds;” which he calls “four families.” And there is to be understood here a contrast: as they thought it hard to obey God, they were now to have over them dogs and wild beasts, and the birds of the air, and the sword. The meaning is, that there would be no end to God’s vengeance, and to various punishments, until the Jews were wholly destroyed. He further intimates, that he would have in readiness many to execute his wrath, as he had all creatures under his control. As then he would employ in his service dogs, and birds, and animals, as well as men, it behoved the Jews to feel assured that they in vain had recourse to this or that refuge. We indeed know that men impiously confine the power of God, both with regard to their salvation and the punishment of their sins, for when he passes by any evil they think that they have escaped, and promise themselves impunity, as though God indeed were not able every moment to inflict many and various scourges. This then is the reason why the Prophet speaks here of four kinds of judgments. It follows —

(129) Our version ascribes tearing to dogs, but the verb means to draw or drag about, as rendered by Calvin. It is more descriptive of what is done by dogs, and conveys a more horrid idea, and intended doubtless to terrify the Jews. Blayney renders it “to drag about,” and no doubt correctly. Our version is the Vulgate: the Syriac is to draw or drag about. — Ed.

(130) So Gataker, “I will set over them, etc., as in Lev 26:16; a borrowed speech from officers set over people.” The Syriac expresses the idea, “I will punish them with four scourges.” Blayney’s version is —

And I will commission against them four species.

But the best rendering is that of Calvin, which is also adopted by Venema. I give the following version —

And I set over them four kinds, saith Jehovah, — The sword to kill, and dogs to drag about, And the bird of heaven and the beast of the earth To devour, and to pull to pieces.

The “devouring” refers to “the beast of the earth,” and the “pulling to pieces” to the bird of heaven, according to the usual style of the Prophets, the order being reversed. — Ed.

Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary

(3) Four kinds.The sword, as the direct instrument of death, is followed by those that follow up its work, the beasts and birds of prey that feed on the corpses of the slain. The latter feature has naturally been from the earliest stages of human history the crowning horror of defeat. So Homer, Il. i. 4 :

And many mighty souls of heroes sent
To Hades, and their bodies made a prey
To dogs and to all birds.

Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)

3. Four kinds One to kill, the rest to tear and mutilate the dead.

Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

Jer 15:3 And I will appoint over them four kinds, saith the LORD: the sword to slay, and the dogs to tear, and the fowls of the heaven, and the beasts of the earth, to devour and destroy.

Ver. 3. And I will appoint over them four kinds. ] Heb., Families, or kindreds – i.e., quatuor cognata carnivora, dogs, birds, and beasts being added to the former four evils, Jer 15:2 quasi per auxesin.

Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)