Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Jeremiah 16:17
For mine eyes [are] upon all their ways: they are not hid from my face, neither is their iniquity hid from mine eyes.
This chastisement arises not from caprice, but is decreed upon full knowledge and examination of their doings.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
God is of purer eyes than that he can behold iniquity in any so as to approve it, and therefore though he be long patient, yet he will at last punish evil-doers; for his eyes behold them, their sins are open in his sight, and he particularly observeth mens actions, that he may render unto every one according to his works.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
17. (Jer 32:19;Pro 5:21; Pro 15:3).
their iniquitythecause of God’s judgments on them.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
For mine eyes are upon all their ways,…. Not only which they may take to hide themselves from their enemies, and where they should be directed to find them; but their evil ways in which they walked, and which were the cause of their calamities; these, how secret soever they were, were under the eye of God, whose eyes are in every place, and upon all the ways of men, good and bad; though they might flatter themselves, as wicked men sometimes do, that the Lord sees them not, and does not take notice of their iniquities: but, that they might be assured of the contrary, it is added,
they are not hid from my face, neither is their iniquity hid from mine eyes; neither their ways nor their works, their persons nor their actions, could be concealed from the Lord; none can hide himself in secret places, that they should not be seen by him; the darkness and the light are both alike to an omniscient God. The Targum is,
“their iniquities are not hid from before (or from, or the sight of) my Word;”
the essential Word of God; see Heb 4:12.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
The Prophet now shews that the grievous calamity of which he had spoken would be a just reward for the wickedness of the people; for we know that the prophets were endued with the Spirit of God not merely that they might foretell things to come — for that would have been very jejune; but a doctrine was connected with their predictions. Hence the prophets not only foretold what God would do, but at the same time added the causes. There is then now added a doctrine as a seasoning to the prophecy; for the Prophet says that the destructiorl of the Jews was at hand, because they had long greatly provoked the wrath of God. As there is no end to the evasions of hypocrites, according to what we observed yesterday, God here reminds them of his judgment, as though he had said, “This one thing is sufficient, he knows their iniquities, and he is a fit judge; so they contend in vain, and try in vain, to excuse or to extenuate their fault.”
Hence he says that the eyes of God were on all their ways: and he mentions all their ways, because they had not offended only once, or in one way, but they had added sins to sins. Nor are they hid, he says: the Prophet presses the matter on their attention; for had he allowed their false pretences, they would have made no end of excuses. He therefore says that their ways were not hid, nor their iniquities concealed from the eyes of God. Now follows a confirmation —
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(17) Mine eyes are upon all their ways.The context shows that here also the thought is presented on its severer side. The sins of Israel have not escaped the all-seeing eye of Jehovah.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
Jer 16:17 For mine eyes [are] upon all their ways: they are not hid from my face, neither is their iniquity hid from mine eyes.
Ver. 17. For mine eyes are upon all their ways. ] And though they hide me from themselves, yet can they not hide themselves from me possibly, nor from my hunters, who shall ferret them out.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Jer 23:24, Jer 32:19, 2Ch 16:9, Job 34:21, Job 34:22, Psa 90:8, Psa 139:3, Pro 5:21, Pro 15:3, Isa 29:15, Eze 8:12, Eze 9:9, Luk 12:1, Luk 12:2, 1Co 4:5, Heb 4:13
Reciprocal: Job 31:4 – General Psa 10:14 – Thou hast Psa 51:9 – Hide Psa 53:2 – looked Psa 69:5 – hid Isa 65:12 – did evil Jer 2:22 – yet thine iniquity Jer 7:11 – even Jer 23:25 – heard Jer 29:23 – even I Eze 11:5 – for Hos 7:2 – are before Zep 1:12 – that I
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Jer 16:17. Mine eyes are upon means the Lord was seeing everything his people were doing, not that he was looking with approval as the expression sometimes means.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
The Lord saw everyone and everything. His people were not able to hide from Him even though many of them tried to do so.