Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Jeremiah 17:3
O my mountain in the field, I will give thy substance [and] all thy treasures to the spoil, [and] thy high places for sin, throughout all thy borders.
3. See on Jer 17:2 for amended reading, which is adopted by Du. and Co. The rendering in the text makes the “mountain” to apply to Jerusalem. But as a designation for the city it has a strange appearance, and Jer 21:13, quoted in its support, is precarious.
thy substance ( Jer 17:4) for ever ] See on Jer 15:13 f. where the greater part of this passage has occurred in a form somewhat less well preserved.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
O my mountain in the field – i. e., Jerusalem or Zion, called the Rock of the Plain in Jer 21:13. The field is the open unenclosed country, here contrasted with the privileged height of Zion.
Or sin – i. e., because of thy sin.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 3. O my mountain in the field] The prophet here addresses the land of Judea, which was a mountainous country, De 3:25; but Jerusalem itself may be meant, which is partly built upon hills which, like itself, are elevated above the rest of the country.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
O my mountain in the field; O Mount Zion; for though Jerusalem stood in a plain, yet it was at the foot of a hill, and part of it was built upon the side of the hill, upon the top of which hills Were many pleasant fields. Or, O Judah; which was a country full of mountains. God calls it his mountain, because of the particular favour he had to this country. He threateneth to give all the riches of the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem as a spoil, and all the high places where they had committed idolatry throughout all their country into the enemies hands.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
3. mountainJerusalem, andespecially Zion and the temple.
in the fieldAsJerusalem was surrounded by mountains (Ps125:2), the sense probably is, Ye rely on your mountainousposition (Jer 3:23), but I willmake “My mountain” to become as if it were in a plain(field), so as to give thy substance an easy prey to the enemy[CALVIN]. “Field”may, however, mean all Judea; it and “My mountain”will thus express the country and its capital. (GESENIUStranslates, “together with,” instead of “in”; asthe Hebrew is translated in Jer 11:19;Hos 5:6; but this is notabsolutely needed), “the substance” of both of which God”will give to the spoil.”
thy high placescorrespondingin parallelism to “My mountain” (compare Isa11:9), as “all thy borders,” to “the field”(which confirms the view that “field” means all Judea).
for sinconnected withhigh places” in English Version, namely, frequented forsin, that is, for idolatrous sacrifices. But Jer15:13 makes the rendering probable, “I will give thysubstance . . . to . . . spoil . . . on account of thy sinthroughout all thy borders.“
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
O my mountain in the midst of the field,…. Meaning either the temple, called the mountain of the house, and of the Lord’s house, Mic 3:12, or else Jerusalem, which stood on a hill in the midst of a plain, surrounded with fruitful fields and gardens; or in the midst of a land like a field. The Targum is,
“because thou worshippest idols upon the mountains in the field:”
I will give thy substance and all thy treasures to the spoil; all the riches of the city and temple to be the spoil and plunder of the enemy;
[See comments on Jer 15:13].
and thy high places for sin, throughout all thy borders. The sense is, that all their substance and treasure throughout their borders, the riches of the whole land, as well as of the city and temple, Jer 15:13 and all their high places throughout the land, which were used for sin, for idolatrous practices, on account thereof, should become the spoil of the enemy.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
The Prophet again repeats, that punishment was nigh the Jews, and that it availed them nothing to seek for themselves recesses and lurking-places, for God would draw them forth from the mountains and expose them as a prey to their enemies.
Some render הררי, erri, “O my mountain,” etc.; and at the first view this meaning seems appropriate; but as the context requires this to be understood of the Israelites and the Jews, who always resorted to their recesses, when any fear of enemies assailed them, I prefer another rendering. Since then at times of distress they betook themselves to their hiding-places, the Prophet says, that they would in vain attempt to escape, for the mountains would be like the fields: I will expose, he says, as in the field, or the plain, your riches and treasures, that they may become a prey to your enemies. The meaning is, that the Prophet denounces vengeance on the Jews, and at the same time shakes off their foolish confidence, which rendered them secure, so as to despise all the threatenings of God: “Ye think,” he says, “that there will be a safe refuge for you on the mountains; but God will draw forth from thence all your possessions, and expose them on the open field, so that they may become an easy prey.”
He again repeats what he had said, that God would inflict a just punishment on the Jews, because they had sinned very greatly on their high places. By high places he doubtless means all their ungodly and corrupt modes of worship. For God had chosen for himself a Temple on Mount Sion; he designed sacrifices to be offered there: but they, carried away by a foolish zeal, had built for thenlselves many altars, so that there was no hill where they had not set up some altar or another. By stating then a part for the whole, the Prophet here refers to every thing that was inconsistent with the law of God: and in order to amplify their sin, he says, In all thy borders; that is, their impiety was widely and extensively diffused, so that no part of the land was free from their corrupt superstition. Since then the land was throughout contaminated, justly does the Prophet say, “In all thy borders;” he declares that there would be no refuge for them, to preserve them and their treasures from becoming a prey to their enemies. It follows —
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(3) My mountain in the field.As in Jer. 21:13; Isa. 2:2; Mic. 4:2, a poetic phrase for Jerusalem or Zion, its greatness consisting not in its material elevation above the field or surrounding country, but in being my mountain, i.e., the mountain of Jehovah. The words predict the plunder of the city, perhaps specially the plunder of the Temple.
Thy high places.As having been from the time of Samuel onward the chief scene of the false worship of the people. The threat is repeated almost verbally from Jer. 15:13.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
3. My mountain in the field Jerusalem, or Zion. (See also Jer 21:13, for another similar designation “rock of the plain.”) Keil and Nagelsbach construe it as an accusative co-ordinate with substance; others, as in the common version. The term “field” is a comprehensive designation of the land as cultivated, and hence kindred with substance and treasures. Zion is called a “mountain,” both because of its physical elevation and its moral height as the throne and altar of the land.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Jer 17:3. O my mountain Houbigant, following the Vulgate, reads thus, Thy high places are in all thy borders; I will therefore for all thy sins cause thy riches and treasures to be spoiled. According to our interpretation, by my mountain in the field, we are to understand the temple.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Observe when the Lord threatens punishment, he still speaks of his mountain and his people. Israel and Judah are still the Lord’s, though chastened with the chastisement of a man. Jer 31:20 .
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Jer 17:3 O my mountain in the field, I will give thy substance [and] all thy treasures to the spoil, [and] thy high places for sin, throughout all thy borders.
Ver. 3. O my mountain in the field. ] Or, O my mountain and field, i.e., O ye mountaineers and fieldlings. Montani fere asperi sunt et inculti: molliores corpore atque moribus pratenses; they should all be spoiled one with another, for the sin of their high places.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
mountain in the field. Figure of speech Periphrasis, put for Jerusalem. Compare “rock of the plain” (Jer 21:13).
I will give. By Figure of speech Hyperbaton, these words come at the end of the sentence, to call attention to them.
for sin = in sin: i.e. as a punishment for sin.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
my: Jer 26:18, Isa 2:2, Isa 2:3, Lam 5:17, Lam 5:18, Mic 3:12, Mic 4:1, Mic 4:2
I will: Jer 15:13, Jer 52:15-20, 2Ki 24:13, 2Ki 25:13-16, Isa 39:4-6, Lam 1:10, Eze 7:20-22
and thy: Jer 12:12, Lev 26:30, Isa 27:9, Eze 6:3, Eze 16:39, Mic 1:5-7
Reciprocal: Deu 28:51 – which also Eze 6:6 – and the Eze 16:24 – and hast Eze 24:10 – spice Mar 12:9 – and will
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Jer 17:3. Mountain refers to Jerusalem and the field is the land of Judah of which Jerusalem was the capital. The verse is another prediction of the invasion by the Babylonians and their taking of the goods of the land. (See 2 Kgs 24: 13; 25: 1317.)
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Jer 17:3-4. O my mountain in the field By this expression the prophet is thought, by many interpreters, to intend the temple, which stood on a mountain, called elsewhere, the mountain of the Lords house, (Isa 2:2,) and the holy mountain. And this, as being the principal part of Jerusalem, is understood as being put, by way of synecdoche, for the whole city. Michaelis paraphrases it thus: O Jerusalem, which hast long been situate on my chosen mountain, and surrounded by a most fertile country, the land of Canaan. But Cocceius thinks that the Jewish people are hereby enigmatically compared with the rest of the world, as a mountain situated in the midst of a level plain, and distinguished with a glory which did not belong to the world in general. And it must be acknowledged that nations and princes of great power and eminence are often figuratively called mountains, in regard to their strength and elevation: see Jer 51:25; Isa 41:15; Zec 4:7. Judah, therefore, in general, as well as Jerusalem in particular, may be here styled Gods mountain, as having been chosen by him, and thereby raised to a degree of elevation above all other people: see a confirmation of this interpretation, Jer 31:23. I will give thy substance, and all thy treasures, to the spoil Both the products of the country, and the stores of the city, shall be seized by the Chaldeans. Justly are men stripped of that with which they have served their idols, and which has been made the food and fuel of their lusts. And thy high places for sin You have worshipped your idols on the high places, and now they shall be given for a spoil; in all your borders See note on Jer 15:13. Observe, reader, what we make an occasion of sin, God will make a matter of spoil; for what comfort can we expect in that wherewith God is dishonoured? And thou, even thyself, shalt discontinue from thy heritage Shalt intermit the occupation of thy land, as the word , here used, signifies, Exo 23:11. The prophet undoubtedly alludes to the seventh year of release, enjoined by Moses, Deu 15:1, which law the Jews had a long time neglected out of covetousness, and refused to observe, even after a solemn engagement to the contrary, Jer 34:8, &c. So here the passage implies, that since they would not release their land nor their servants in the sabbatical years, as God had enjoined them, he would dispossess them of the inheritance which he had given them, and the land shall enjoy her sabbaths, according to the prescription of the law: see Lev 26:34. And I will cause thee to serve thine enemies in the land which thou knowest not As a punishment for thy compelling thy servants to serve thee in thy own land, when I enjoined thee to set them at liberty. For ye have kindled a fire in mine anger, &c. By your idolatries and other sins you have increased my wrath to such a fire that it shall burn for a long time in terrible judgments upon you in this world, and shall burn all such as remain impenitent for ever, in the world to come.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
17:3 {e} O my mountain in the field, I will give thy substance [and] all thy treasures to the spoil, [and] thy high places for sin, throughout all thy borders.
(e) Zion that was my mountain, will now be left as a waste field.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
Jerusalem, or Mount Zion, stood like a mountain surrounded by countryside. Normally a city on such a site would be secure from invaders. But Yahweh would turn over His people’s wealth and treasures, and their pagan places of worship (really sin), to their enemy (cf. Jer 15:13). The idolaters thought the places where their shrines stood belonged to the gods they worshipped there, but Yahweh really owned them, and would turn them over to Judah’s invader.