Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Jeremiah 22:17
But thine eyes and thine heart [are] not but for thy covetousness, and for to shed innocent blood, and for oppression, and for violence, to do [it].
17. covetousness ] better as mg. dishonest gain. Jehoiakim “remained fixed in the recollections of his countrymen, as the last example of those cruel, selfish, luxurious princes, the natural product of Oriental monarchies, the disgrace of the monarchy of David.” (Stanley, J. Ch. II. 448.)
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Covetousness – literally, gain. Besides exacting forced labor Jehoiakim, to procure the necessary means for the vast expenses he incurred, put innocent people to death on various pretexts, and escheated their property.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
All that thou lookest after, and that thy heart is set upon, is thy own grandeur and riches. And to make thyself great, thou makest no difficulty to destroy thy subjects that are innocent, and have not deserved death, and to oppress others, using all manner of violence against them. It is not to be thought that Jehoiakim did all this in person, but by such corrupt and unjust judges as he set up; so God accounted that Ahab had killed and taken possession, 1Ki 21:19, though the elders and nobles were those that did it, 1Ki 21:11-13. Princes are responsible to God for the sins of their ministers and judges.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
17. thineas opposed to thyfather, Josiah.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
But thine eyes and thine heart [are] not but for thy covetousness,…. He was wholly intent upon gratifying that lust; his heart was meditating, contriving, and forming schemes for that purpose; and his eyes were looking out here and there for proper objects and opportunities to exercise it:
and for to shed innocent blood; in order to get their money, goods, and possessions into his hands; avarice often leads to murder:
and for oppression, and for violence, to do [it]; by making incursions, and seizing upon the properties of men, and converting them to his own use; so true it is, that covetousness, or the love of money, is the root of all evil, 1Ti 6:10.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Here the Prophet expresses more clearly how much Jehoiakim differed from Josiah his father. He indeed shews that he was wholly unlike him, because Josiah had endeavored to observe what was equitable, while he set all his thoughts on fraud, plunder, and cruelty; for by the eye and the heart he means all the faculties of his soul and body. One of the main senses of the body, as it is well known, is the sight. Hence the Prophet includes here whatever is external and internal in men, when he says, thine eye, that is, all thy bodily senses are set on covetousness, and also thine heart, that is, all thy thoughts, feelings, designs, meditations, and purposes are employed in the same way. He intimates, in short, that Jehoiakim was corrupt both in body and mind, so that having cast aside every fear of God, he abandoned himself to avarice as well as to plunder and all acts of oppression. Thine eye, he says, and thy heart is not, except on covetousness
The verb בצע , betso, means to covet; hence the noun signifies not only avarice, but also any sinful lust. He adds cruelty, for it, cannot be but that all are bloody who give loose reins to their lusts. He mentions in the third place rapacity, or violent seizure; for עשק , oshek, means to take by force what belongs to another; hence the noun signifies rapacity. What follows in the last place is oppression, or disquietude. As רוף , ruts, means to run, Jerome renders it “the course of thy work,” as though ל , lamed, prefixed to עשות , oshut, were not one of the serviles, ם, ל, כ, ב , beth, caph, lamed, mem, but this cannot be admitted. The clear meaning of the Prophet indeed is, that Jehoiakim was not only intent on taking possession on what belonged to others, but that he also oppressed and distressed all he could. It is lastly added, to do; the verb to do is to be applied to what has gone before, that Jehoiakim employed all his thoughts, and was wholly engaged in evil deeds, that he not only contrived acts of cruelty and of avariciousness in his mind, but also carried fully into execution what he had contrived. (55) It follows, —
(55) The most literal version of this verse is the following, —
For on nothing are thine eyes and thine heart, Except on thy gain, And on innocent blood, that it may be shed, And on oppression and on violence, That they may be done.
“
That it may be shed,” is literally, “for being shed,” it is a passive participle; and such is the case as to the last verb. — Ed.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(17) Thy covetousness.More literally, thy gain, the word used implying (as in Jer. 6:13; Jer. 8:10) the idea of violence and oppression as the means by which it was obtained. The verb from which the noun is derived is so translated violence (literally, crushing)in Deu. 28:33. The marginal reading, incursion, has nothing to commend it. In the blood of the innocent here, as in Jer. 22:3, we have an allusive reference to many, for the most part unrelenting, acts of cruelty. One of these, the murder of Urijah, meets us in Jer. 26:23.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
17. But thine eyes, etc. Thou rulest for thine own selfish emolument or cruel and revengeful gratification; thy father ruled for the good of his people.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Jer 22:17 But thine eyes and thine heart [are] not but for thy covetousness, and for to shed innocent blood, and for oppression, and for violence, to do [it].
Ver. 17. But thine eyes and thy heart are not but for thy covetousness. ] That is all thou mindest and lookest after, oculis atque animo intentus ad rem. “Hearts they have,” saith Peter of such, “exercised with covetous practices: cursed children.” 2Pe 2:14 William Rufus is in story noted for such another.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
But thine eyes: or, Verily, thou hast neither eyes nor heart save for, &c.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
thine eyes: Jos 7:21, Job 31:7, Psa 119:36, Psa 119:37, Eze 19:6, Eze 33:31, Mar 7:21, Mar 7:22, Jam 1:14, Jam 1:15, 2Pe 2:14, 1Jo 2:15, 1Jo 2:16
covetousness: Exo 18:21, Psa 10:3, Luk 12:15-21, Luk 16:13, Luk 16:14, Rom 1:29, 1Co 6:10, Eph 5:3-5, Col 3:5, 1Ti 6:9, 1Ti 6:10, 2Pe 2:3, 2Pe 2:14
to shed: Jer 22:3, Jer 26:22-24, 1Ki 21:19, 2Ki 24:4, 2Ch 36:8, Eze 19:6, Zep 3:3
violence: or, incursion
Reciprocal: Exo 20:17 – thy neighbour’s house Lev 25:14 – General 1Ki 21:2 – Give me 2Ki 5:20 – and take Job 20:18 – and he shall Psa 10:8 – his eyes Psa 58:2 – in heart Psa 94:5 – break Psa 101:3 – set Pro 1:13 – General Pro 1:19 – every Pro 23:5 – thou Pro 27:20 – so Ecc 2:21 – whose Ecc 5:8 – regardeth Isa 1:23 – every Isa 3:5 – the people Isa 56:11 – all look Isa 57:17 – the iniquity Isa 59:3 – your hands Isa 59:7 – and they Jer 6:13 – For Jer 7:6 – and shed Jer 17:11 – he that Jer 19:4 – filled Jer 26:15 – ye shall Eze 7:23 – for Eze 9:9 – and the land Eze 18:7 – hath spoiled Eze 34:3 – ye kill Eze 45:8 – and my princes Mic 2:2 – they covet Zep 3:1 – to the Mat 6:21 – there Mat 14:11 – and given Luk 18:2 – which
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Jer 22:17. But the present generation was given to selfishness, even at the expense of the righteous poor of the land. If these covetous desires called for the slaying of innocent men the horrible plots were carried out.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Jer 22:17. But thine eyes and thy heart are not but for thy covetousness They are for that, and for nothing else. For this cause Jehoiakim is compared to a lion, by the Prophet Eze 19:6. Observe, reader, in covetousness the heart walks after the eyes, Job 31:7; it is therefore called the lust of the eye, 1Jn 2:15 : and the eyes and the heart are then for covetousness when the aims and affections are set upon the wealth of this world; and when they are so the temptation is strong to fraud, oppression, and all manner of violence and villany, even, as it is here said, to shed innocent blood.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Jehoiakim had only been interested in acquiring things for himself, even dishonestly. He resorted to oppression, extortion, and even murder to get what he wanted (Jer 26:20-23; 2Ki 24:3-4).
"Jehoiakim, who was only twenty-five years old when he began to reign and only thirty-six when he died (2Ki 23:36), was evidently a thoroughly spoiled and self-indulgent young despot." [Note: Thompson, p. 479.]