Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Jeremiah 17:24
And it shall come to pass, if ye diligently hearken unto me, saith the LORD, to bring in no burden through the gates of this city on the sabbath day, but hallow the sabbath day, to do no work therein;
24 27. See introd. summary to section.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Verse 24. If ye diligently hearken unto me] So we find that though their destruction was positively threatened, yet still there was an unexpressed proviso that, if they did return to the Lord, the calamities should be averted, and a succession of princes would have been continued on the throne of David, Jer 17:25; Jer 17:26.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
24. A part put for the whole,”If ye keep the Sabbath and My other laws.“
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And it shall come to pass,…. Or, “yet it shall come to pass” f; so it shall be, notwithstanding all former disobedience and rebellion:
if ye diligently hearken unto me, saith the Lord; or, “in hearing hear” g; hearken attentively, and readily obey the command given, before mentioned, so as
to bring in no burden through the gates of this city on the sabbath day; to be bought or sold, or to be wrought on or with; and so likewise to carry nothing out of their houses or city, which, though not expressed, is understood as before; and this respects not only the city of Jerusalem, but all other cities and towns in Judea; for the word of the Lord, concerning this matter, was sent to all Judah, the whole land of Judea, Jer 17:20;
but hallow the sabbath day, to do no work therein; one part of the sanctification of the sabbath lay in a cessation from all servile work, though not wholly, but also in the observance of religious worship, and the one was in order to the other; for, unless they abstained from worldly business, they could not be at leisure to attend divine service.
f “tamen erit”, Gataker; “erit autem”, Cocceius. g “audiendo audiveritis”, Pagninus, Montanus, Schmidt.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Jeremiah introduced, as I have said, a condemnation as to the fathers, that he might make the Jews of his age ashamed of themselves, lest they shouhl imitate the example of those whom they saw to have been disobedient to God. He yet shews, that God would be reconciled to them, provided they from the heart repented; as though he had said, — “Your fathers indeed provoked, for many years, and even for ages, the vengeance of God; but as he is ever inclined to mercy, he is ready to forgive you, if only you cease to follow your fathers and return to him.” In short, he promises them pardon for the time past, if they turned to God.
If by hearing ye will hear, he says, so as to carry no burden through the gates of this city on the sabbath-day, and to sanctify (this is connected with “hear”) the sabbath-day, so that ye do no work on it; then shall enter through the gates of this city kings and princes, etc. He first promises them a perpetuity as to the kingdom; and it was the chief happiness of the people to have a king from the posterity of David; for thus they saw as it were with their eyes the favor of God present, with them, inasmuch as David and his posterity were visible pledges of God’s favor. And we must remember also, that that kingdom was a type of a better kingdom, which had not yet been plainly discovered. Hence in the posterity of David the Jews beheld Christ, until he was manifested. For this reason I said, that they were miserable without a king, and that the perpetuity of the kingdom was a main part, of their happiness. This is the reason why Jeremiah now sets before them, as a singular benefit, the continuance of David’s kingdom among them, provided they observed the sabbath-day: and thus God did not only strictly demand what he had a ritht to do, but also allured them by the sweetness of his promise, according to his usual manner. He may indeed in one word command what he pleases; but when he invites us by promises, he has a regard to our infirmity.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
B. Promise and Threat Jer. 17:24-27
TRANSLATION
(24) And it shall come to pass if you fully hearken unto Me (oracle of the LORD) not to carry a burden into the gates of this city on the Sabbath day, and to sanctify the Sabbath day not to do in it any work, (25) then there shall pass through the gates of this city kings and princes who sit upon the throne of David, riding in chariots and on horses, they and their princes, the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and this city shall be inhabited forever. (26) And they shall come from the cities of Judah and from the environs of Jerusalem and from the land of Benjamin and from the Shephelah and from the hill country and from the Negev bringing burnt offerings and sacrifices and meal offerings and in cense, and bringing thank offerings to the house of the LORD. (27) But if you do not hearken unto Me to sanctify the Sabbath day and not to carry a burden while going through the gates of Jerusalem on the Sabbath day, then I will place a fire in her gates, and it shall consume the palaces of Jerusalem and shall not be extinguished.
COMMENTS
If there was any manifestation of national repentance with regard to the Sabbath observance the city would be spared. Things would continue as usual with kings and their entourages passing through the gates of the city (Jer. 17:24-25). From all parts of the territories of Judah and Benjamin men would continue to come to Jerusalem to offer sacrifice. The Shephelah, the Negev and the hill country are the three geographical regions of Judah. The Shephelah was the lowland region which separated the coastal plains from the hill country. The Negev was the region south of Beersheba. The different types of sacrifice or offerings enumerated prove conclusively that Jeremiah was not opposed to sacrifice as such. He mentions (1) burnt offerings, (2) sacrifices or peace offerings, (3) meal offerings, (4) incense, and (5) thank-offerings. If the people of Judah would only keep the Sabbath commandment business and worship would continue as usual. But if the exhortation to sanctify the Sabbath is ignored, then God will kindle an unquenchable fire in the gates of Jerusalem. Fire here as in Amo. 1:4 to Amo. 2:5 is symbolic of war.
Jeremiahs sermon on Sabbath observance underscores the fact that prophecies, no matter how final in tone, are conditional. God is always ready to receive the repentant sinner and forgive him. While Jeremiah had on numerous occasions spoken of the judgment to come as inevitable, he here makes it clear that he had a program for the people, a program which if followed could in fact avert the disaster. Jeremiah had been pleading with the people to put their trust in God alone. Now he urges them to show their faith by their works. By sanctifying the Sabbath day the inhabitants of Judah could demonstrate their faith in God. The Lord had promised to so bless their six days of labor that they could afford to set aside the seventh day for His service (Deu. 28:1-14). If they really had faith in God they would not hesitate to sanctify the Sabbath. Of course the generation of Jeremiahs day did not comply with the conditions stipulated in this sermon and consequently the city of Jerusalem was destroyed by the armies of Nebuchadnezzar,
Fuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series
Jer 17:24 And it shall come to pass, if ye diligently hearken unto me, saith the LORD, to bring in no burden through the gates of this city on the sabbath day, but hallow the sabbath day, to do no work therein;
Ver. 24. But hallow the Sabbath day, ] sc., By spending the holy time holily, else God may sue us on an action of waste. Idleness is a sin any day, but specially on the Sabbath day; spiritual idleness then, is as bad as corporal labour.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Jer 17:24-27
24But it will come about, if you listen attentively to Me, declares the LORD, to bring no load in through the gates of this city on the sabbath day, but to keep the sabbath day holy by doing no work on it, 25then there will come in through the gates of this city kings and princes sitting on the throne of David, riding in chariots and on horses, they and their princes, the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and this city will be inhabited forever. 26They will come in from the cities of Judah and from the environs of Jerusalem, from the land of Benjamin, from the lowland, from the hill country and from the Negev, bringing burnt offerings, sacrifices, grain offerings and incense, and bringing sacrifices of thanksgiving to the house of the LORD. 27But if you do not listen to Me to keep the sabbath day holy by not carrying a load and coming in through the gates of Jerusalem on the sabbath day, then I will kindle a fire in its gates and it will devour the palaces of Jerusalem and not be quenched.’
Jer 17:24 if you listen attentively to Me The IMPERFECT VERB is intensified by the INFINITIVE ABSOLUTE of the same root (BDB 1033, KB 1570).
Jer 17:25 forever See Special Topic: Forever (‘olam) .
Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley
Jer 17:24-27
Jer 17:24-27
THE FIRE THAT WILL NOT GO OUT
And it shall come to pass, if ye diligently hearken unto me, saith Jehovah, to bring in no burden through the gates of this city on the sabbath day, but to hallow the sabbath day, to do no work therein; then shall there enter in by the gates of this city kings and princes sitting upon the throne of David, riding in chariots and on horses, they, and their princes, the men of Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and this city shall remain for ever. And they shall come from the cities of Judah, and from the places round about Jerusalem, and from the land of Benjamin, and from the lowland, and from the hill-country, and from the South, bringing burnt-offerings, and sacrifices, and meal-offerings, and frankincense, and bringing [sacrifices of] thanksgiving, unto the house of Jehovah. But if ye will not hearken unto me to hallow the sabbath day, and not to bear a burden and enter in at the gates of Jerusalem on the sabbath day; then will I kindle a fire in the gates thereof, and it shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem, and it shall not be quenched.
Critics, ever eager to discover something that they can classify as ‘an error’ find fault with Jer 17:25, where it is declared that, “Kings and princes sitting upon the throne of David” should enter the gates of Jerusalem, “This is factually in error, since only the king occupied the throne.” As far as we are concerned, this is surely a gratuitous error! The singular noun “throne” already prevented ordinary people from misunderstanding the passage, anyway! If the prophet had intended the passage to mean the princes were on thrones also, he would have represented them as entering with the kings “on thrones (plural).”
What an amazing promise is included here! If, only IF, Judah had heeded the Word of God and had turned to him with their whole hearts in full obedience, God would, even at that late date, have turned aside all dangers and established Jerusalem forever! Such repentance and return Judah stubbornly refused to do.
Instead, due to the people’s continued rejection of their true God, and their persistency in idolatry, God would punish and destroy Israel. As Adam Clarke stated it:
Their sin lay at their own door. How fully were they warned; and how basely did they reject the counsel of God against themselves!
Promise and Threat Jer 17:24-27
If there was any manifestation of national repentance with regard to the Sabbath observance the city would be spared. Things would continue as usual with kings and their entourages passing through the gates of the city (Jer 17:24-25). From all parts of the territories of Judah and Benjamin men would continue to come to Jerusalem to offer sacrifice. The Shephelah, the Negev and the hill country are the three geographical regions of Judah. The Shephelah was the lowland region which separated the coastal plains from the hill country. The Negev was the region south of Beersheba. The different types of sacrifice or offerings enumerated prove conclusively that Jeremiah was not opposed to sacrifice as such. He mentions (1) burnt offerings, (2) sacrifices or peace offerings, (3) meal offerings, (4) incense, and (5) thank-offerings. If the people of Judah would only keep the Sabbath commandment business and worship would continue as usual. But if the exhortation to sanctify the Sabbath is ignored, then God will kindle an unquenchable fire in the gates of Jerusalem. Fire here as in Amo 1:4 to Amo 2:5 is symbolic of war.
Jeremiahs sermon on Sabbath observance underscores the fact that prophecies, no matter how final in tone, are conditional. God is always ready to receive the repentant sinner and forgive him. While Jeremiah had on numerous occasions spoken of the judgment to come as inevitable, he here makes it clear that he had a program for the people, a program which if followed could in fact avert the disaster. Jeremiah had been pleading with the people to put their trust in God alone. Now he urges them to show their faith by their works. By sanctifying the Sabbath day the inhabitants of Judah could demonstrate their faith in God. The Lord had promised to so bless their six days of labor that they could afford to set aside the seventh day for His service (Deu 28:1-14). If they really had faith in God they would not hesitate to sanctify the Sabbath. Of course the generation of Jeremiahs day did not comply with the conditions stipulated in this sermon and consequently the city of Jerusalem was destroyed by the armies of Nebuchadnezzar,
Day of Disaster – Jer 16:1 to Jer 17:27
Open It
1. For what have you relied on someone else who then turned out to be unreliable?
2. Under what circumstances does participation in routine activities not make sense?
3. What have you discovered about the importance of rest to your life?
4. What do you most like to do for relaxation?
Explore It
5. What routine practices did God forbid for Jeremiah as a sign to the people? (Jer 16:1-9)
6. How did Jeremiahs boycott of marriages and funerals convey his prediction about Israels future? (Jer 16:5-9)
7. How was Jeremiah to answer the question “What wrong have we done”? (Jer 16:10-13)
8. What great event in Israels past did God say would be exceeded by His eventual deliverance? (Jer 16:14-15)
9. What was Israel going to lose because of their sin? (Jer 17:3-4)
10. What is the outcome of trusting in people? (Jer 17:5-6)
11. What is promised to the person who trusts God? (Jer 17:7-8)
12. What was Jeremiahs, and Gods, perspective on the human heart? (Jer 17:9)
13. What did God say would become of the person who used unjust means to gain riches? (Jer 17:11)
14. What were the people saying to Jeremiah? (Jer 17:15)
15. How did Jeremiah ask God to prove him right? (Jer 17:14-18)
16. Where did God tell Jeremiah to deliver his message about obedience? (Jer 17:19)
17. What was Gods original command to His people concerning the Sabbath? (Jer 17:20-22)
18. How did God promise to bless Jeremiahs generation if they would observe the Sabbath laws? (Jer 17:24-26)
19. How did God intend to act toward Israel if they disobeyed as their ancestors had? (Jer 17:27)
Get It
20. In your experience, what do we lose when we disobey God?
21. Who is the most trustworthy person you have known, and why do you consider that person trustworthy?
22. In what way is it good news, bad news, or both that God is always watching us?
23. When have you been guilty of downplaying or disregarding Gods commands?
24. How have you personally witnessed that the human heart is “deceitful above all things”?
25. In what ways do people fool themselves?
26. How has God proven Himself trustworthy in your life?
27. In what sense is respect for the Sabbath also respect for God?
28. What does it mean to honor the Sabbath?
29. How can we use days of rest to restore our well-being?
Apply It
30. How can you observe the Sabbath this week in a way that will help you rest, as God intended?
31. What action can you take this week to evaluate the spiritual condition of your heart?
Questions On Jeremiah Chapter Seventeen
By Brent Kercheville
1 What is Gods message (Jer 17:1-4)? Explain the imagery.
2 What is condemned (Jer 17:5-6)? Why is this condemned? What do we learn?
3 What does God call us to do (Jer 17:7-8)? Why is this praised? What do we learn?
4 Why must we never trust our heart (Jer 17:9-11)?
5 What does Jeremiah pray for (Jer 17:12-18)? What do we learn?
6 What does God command (Jer 17:19-27)? Give reasons why neglecting the Sabbath, in the face of all the other sins we have read being committed, was such a concern to the Lord.
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
if: Exo 15:26, Deu 11:13, Deu 11:22, Isa 21:7, Isa 55:2, Zec 6:15, 2Pe 1:5-10
to bring: Jer 17:21, Jer 17:22
but hallow: Isa 58:13, Isa 58:14
Reciprocal: Exo 31:15 – whosoever Deu 28:1 – If thou shalt Neh 13:15 – burdens Jer 17:27 – ye will Jer 35:15 – ye shall dwell Eze 20:20 – General Luk 23:56 – rested Heb 4:13 – is there
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Jer 17:24. We have clearly understood that at the time Jeremiah was writing this the Babylonian captivity was about due. No only so, but the Lord had decreed many times that nothing that any man could do would save the nation from the captivity. Vet several verses seem to hold out the promise that it could be done by the repentance of the people. The apparent contradiction, can be explained from two different standpoints. These verses show what, could have prevented the national downfall which would have been the conduct described in this and the verses through the end of the chapter. In that view of the case it will help clarify the subject to make the words if ye diligently hearken read as if they said, if ye had hearkened.” Another phase of the explanation is to distinguish between the nation as a whole and certain individuals in it. See the note for an explanation of this matter at 2Ki 22:17 in Vol. 2 of this Commentary. Among the things they would have done to retain the Lords favor was the observance of the sabbath law both as to the land and the weekly activities.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
The Lord promised that if the people of Jeremiah’s day obeyed, He would give them more Davidic kings and officials, who would inhabit Jerusalem and be strong leaders of the people. The city would then enjoy inhabitants forever, rather than experiencing total abandonment by the Lord (cf. Isa 58:1-14; Zec 2:2-12; Zec 8:3; Zec 8:15; Zec 14:11). Security depended on obedience, and repentance was still possible when Jeremiah delivered this message.