Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Jeremiah 19:14
Then came Jeremiah from Tophet, whither the LORD had sent him to prophesy; and he stood in the court of the LORD’s house; and said to all the people,
14. Jeremiah has now returned from the fulfilment of his commission.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Since it was this repetition of the prophecy in the temple which so greatly irritated Pashur, these two verses ought to be joined to the next chapter.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 14. Then came Jeremiah from Tophet] He had probably gone to the valley of Hinnom, and there repeated the discourse which he had a little before delivered to the chief priests and elders.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Jeremiah had now despatched the errand upon which God had sent him to Tophet; coming back by Gods direction, he stands in the court, which was common to all people, where the most might hear.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
14. court of the Lord’s housenearTophet; the largest court, under the open air, where was the greatestcrowd (2Ch 20:5).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Then came Jeremiah from Tophet,…. When he had broke his earthen bottle, and delivered his prophecy before the elders of the people and priests: or, “from that Tophet” t,
whither the Lord had sent him to prophesy; and whither he went and prophesied, according to his command; but now returned from thence, it being no doubt signified to him, in some manner or other, that it was the will of God he should;
and he stood in the court of the Lord’s house, and said to all the people; this was the court of the temple, called the outward court, or the court of the Israelites, where all the people met; for into other courts they might not enter; here the prophet placed himself, on purpose to deliver his prophecy to all the people; even the same as he had delivered at Tophet to the ancients of the people and the priests; but lest they should not faithfully represent it to the people, and that they might not be without it, he delivers it openly and publicly to them all, in the following words; which both declare their punishment, and the cause of it.
t .
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
The Prophet Jeremiah and the Temple-Warden Pashur. – Jer 19:14. When Jeremiah, having performed the divine command, returned from Tophet to the city, he went into the court of the house of God and spoke to the people assembled there, v. 15: “Thus hath said Jahveh of hosts, the God of Israel: Behold, I bring upon this city, and all its cities, all the evil that I have pronounced against it, because they stiffened their necks not to hear my words.” “All the people” is the people present in the court of the temple as distinguished from the men who had accompanied Jeremiah into the valley of Benhinnom (Jer 19:10). , the having dropped off, as in Jer 39:16; 1Ki 21:21, 1Ki 21:29; 2Sa 5:2, and often. “All its cities” are the towns that belonged to Jerusalem, were subject to it (Jer 34:1); in other words, the cities of Judah, Jer 1:15; Jer 9:10, etc. All the evil that I have pronounced against it, not merely in the valley of Benhinnom (Jer 19:3-13), but generally up till this time, by the mouth of Jeremiah. If we limit the reference of this view to the prophecy in Tophet, we must assume, with Ng. , that Jeremiah repeated the substance of it here; and besides, that prophecy is not in keeping with “all its cities,” inasmuch as it (Jer 19:3-13) deals with Jerusalem alone. Apparently Jeremiah must have said more than is written in the verse, and described the evil somewhat more closely; so that the new matter spoken by him here consists in the “Behold I bring,” etc., i.e., in his forewarning them of the speedy fulfilment of the threatenings against Jerusalem and Judah, as was the case with the prophecy in the valley of Benhinnom, which also, Jer 19:3, begins with . On “they stiffened their necks,” etc., cf. Jer 17:23; Jer 7:26.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
Vs. 14-15: PROCLAIMING JUDGMENT IN THE TEMPLE COURT
1. From Tophet the Lord sent Jeremiah to proclaim the same message within the court of the temple, in Jerusalem.
2. The Lord is bringing upon Jerusalem, and the cities of Judah, all the judgments that He has pronounced against them, (Jer 26:2-7).
3. If they ask “WHY,”the reason is clear:
a. In their stubbornness, they have stiffened their necks against God’s holy covenant-purpose, (Jer 7:26; Jer 17:23).
b. In an inexcusable violation of covenant-love, they have REFUSED TO HEED His word! (Neh 9:16-17; Neh 9:29; comp. Act 7:51).
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
Jeremiah had been led to the very place, when he foretold the punishment, which was nigh at hand, on account of the superstitions of Tophet or of the valley of Hinnom. That his doctrine might be more efficacious, God intended that he should preach before the very altar and in the very valley, then well known for ungodly and false modes of worship. He says now that he went to the Temple and delivered there the same message. We hence learn how great must have been the stupidity and indifference of the people, for the repetition of the prophecy was not unnecessary. For as God knew that the Jews were extremely tardy and slow, he caused them to be warned twice by his servant, and in two different places.
Jeremiah, it is said, returned from Tophet, where God had sent him to prophesy; which last words were added, that we may not suppose that he without reason preached in the valley of Hinnom. God then commanded Jeremiah to denounce there, as it were in the very place, on the Jews their own destruction. And he stood, it is added, in the court of Jehovah’s house. As it was not lawful for the people to enter into the Temple, they usually assembled in the court, which was a part of the Temple. Then Jeremiah stood there; for he had to speak, not to a few, or in a corner, but to the whole people, and to make them witnesses of his prophecy. But we read here nothing new; for, as it has been stated, he was bidden to declare twice the same thing — the approaching calamity; and he was so bidden, because the Jews were so hardened, that they could not easily be moved. That he connects other cities with Jerusalem is not to be wondered at; he thereby intimates, that the whole land was guilty before God, and that therefore desolation was near at hand, as to all the towns and cities; as though he had said, “God will not spare Jerusalem, though it has been hitherto his sanctuary; but as lesser cities are not innocent, they shall also feel the hand of God together with Jerusalem.”
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
C. The Arrest of the Prophet Jer. 19:14 to Jer. 20:6
TRANSLATION
(14) And Jeremiah went from Topheth where the LORD had sent him to prophesy and he stood in the court of the house of the LORD and spoke unto all the people. (15) Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Behold, I am about to bring against this city and against her cities all the evil which I have spoken concerning it for they have stiffened their neck that they might not hear My words. (1) Now Pashur the son of Immer, the priest who was chief overseer in the house of the LORD, heard Jeremiah prophesy these things. (2) Then Pashur smote Jeremiah the prophet and put him in the stocks which were in the upper Benjamin Gate which was in the house of the Lord. (3) And it came to pass the next morning that Pashur released Jeremiah from the stocks. And Jeremiah said unto him, The LORD has not called your name Pashur but Magormissabib. (4) For thus says the LORD: Behold, I am about to make you a terror to yourself and to all your friends and they shall fall by the sword of their enemies and your eyes shall see it. And all Judah I will give into the hand of the king of Babylon and he shall take them captive into Babylon or he shall smite them with the sword. (5) And I will give away all the wealth of this city and all the fruit of her labor and all her precious things: and all the treasures of the kings of Judah I will give into the hand of their enemies. They shall plunder them and take them and bring them to Babylon. (6) And you, Pashur, and all the inhabitants of your house shall go into captivity; and you shall go to Babylon and there you shall die and there you shall be buried both yourself and all your friends to whom you prophesied falsely.
COMMENTS
The prophet had pronounced his message of doom so courageously and boldly that no one dared to interrupt him or raise a hand against him. So he leaves the valley of Hinnom and returns to the Temple area to preach to the throngs there (Jer. 19:14). It is impossible to determine whether Jer. 19:15 is merely a summary of what Jeremiah said in the court of the Temple or whether on the other hand he had only begun to preach when he was interrupted. The former alternative seems more likely. In either case the message preached in the Temple court was one of judgment. Pashur the priest who was chief overseer in the house of the Lord heard that sermon (Jer. 20:1). Pashur was second in authority to the high priest (Jer. 29:26). His duty was to see that no unauthorized person entered the Temple area and that no disturbance was committed within the courts. Pashur smote Jeremiah which probably means that the prophet was scourged with forty stripes (Deu. 25:3). He then ordered that Jeremiah be put in the stocks. The exact nature of this instrument of torture is not clear but the Hebrew word suggests a device which distorts or twists the body, or forces it into a cramped posture. The stocks are mentioned again in Jer. 29:26. The Book of Chronicles refers to a house of stocks (2Ch. 16:10), so apparently the punishment was not uncommon. But in the case of Jeremiah the stocks were in public, in the upper Benjamin gate which was in the house of the Lord (Jer. 19:2). The tribe of Benjamin lay north of Jerusalem. Thus this gate was probably on the north side of the Temple. The phrase which was in the house of the Lord serves to distinguish this gate from the city gate of the same name (Jer. 37:13; Jer. 38:7). This is probably the same gate called by Ezekiel the higher gate (Jer. 9:2) which was built by king Jotham (2Ki. 15:35). It probably was one of the main gates leading from the Temple area to the city proper.
When Jeremiah was released from the stocks the next morning he had a special message for Pashur. The Lord has not called your name Pashur but Magor-missabib (Jer. 19:3). Pashurs new name means terror round about. This symbolic name signifies one who is surrounded by horror on all sides and who becomes an object of horror and fear to himself and to others. Pashur would live to see his friends slain by the sword and the rest of the men of Judah either slain or taken captive to Babylon (Jer. 19:4). All the wealth of the nation will be given by the Lord to the enemies of Judah and the national treasures will be taken to Babylon along with the captives (Jer. 19:5). Pashur himself and the members of his household would be taken to Babylon where they would all die and be buried. For a misguided patriot like Pashur the worst fate imaginable would be to die and be buried in a foreign land. It is not the personal mistreatment of Jeremiah that brought about this extreme prophecy of personal doom to Pashur. Rather it is the fact that he had prophesied lies (Jer. 19:6). What the nature of these lies were cannot be ascertained from the account.
Some have conjectured that Pashur was the leader of the pro-Egyptian party in Judah. Perhaps this would account for his fierce opposition to Jeremiah. His pro-Egyptian policy led to national and personal disaster and caused the terror which was about to come upon the land. In Jer. 29:26 Pashurs office is filled by a fellow named Zephaniah. This would suggest that Jeremiahs prophecy had already been fulfilled. No doubt Pashur was taken captive either in the deportation of 605 B.C. or in the deportation of 597 B.C. The latter is more likely.
Fuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series
(14) He stood in the court of the Lords house.The acted sermon had been preached in Tophet, in the valley of Ben-Hinnom, in the presence of a few chosen representatives of priests and people. It is followed by one addressed to the whole assembled congregation, announcing the same doom.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
14, 15. These verses belong with the following chapter.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
2. THE OPPOSITION AND PUNISHMENT OF PASHUR
Jer 19:14 to Jer 20:6
14Then came Jeremiah [back] from Tophet, whither the Lord [Jehovah] had sent him to prophesy; and he stood in the court of the Lords [Jehovahs] house; and 15said to all the people, Thus saith the Lord of hosts [Jehovah Zebaoth], the God of Israel: Behold, I will bring upon this city and upon all her towns all the evil that I have pronounced against it, because they have hardened their necks, that they might not hear my words.
1XX. Now Pashur, the son of Immer the priest, who was also chief governor10 in the house of the Lord, heard [that] Jeremiah prophesied [prophesy] these things. 2Then Pashur smote Jeremiah the prophet, and put him in the stocks [prison] that were [was] in the high gate of Benjamin, [the Benjamin-gate, the upper] which was 3by [in] the house of the Lord [Jehovah]. And it came to pass on the morrow that Pashur brought forth Jeremiah out of the stocks [prison]. Then said Jeremiah unto him, The Lord [Jehovah] hath not called thy name Pashur, but Magor-missabib, 4[Terror round about]. For thus saith the Lord [Jehovah], Behold, I will make thee [give thee up] a [to] terror to [for] thyself and to [for] all thy friends: and they shall fall by the sword of their enemies and thine eyes shall behold it: and I will give all Judah into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall carry them5captive into Babylon, and shall slay them with the sword. Moreover I will deliver all the strength [store]11 of this city, and all the labours [gains] thereof, and all the precious things thereof, and all the treasures of the kings of Judah will I give into the hand of their enemies, which shall spoil them, and take them, and carry them to6Babylon. And thou, Pashur, and all that dwell in thine house shall go into captivity: and thou shalt come to Babylon, and there thou shalt die, and shalt be buried there, thou, and all thy friends, to whom thou hast prophesied lies.
EXEGETICAL AND CRITICAL
The prophet betakes himself back from Tophet into the temple, and probably repeats there his predictions of calamity (Jer 19:14-15). For this he is struck by Pashur, the governor of the temple, and committed to prison for the night (Jer 20:1-2). Released from this confinement in the morning, Jeremiah announces to Pashur that the Lord has changed his name to Magor-missabib, for he will be given up, a prey to the torments of mortal anguish, his friends shall be slain before his eyes, Judah carried away to Babylon, all its treasures plundered; he himself shall survive all this, and die and be buried in Babylon, the prophet of lies in the midst of those whom he has deceived (Jer 19:4-6).
Jer 19:14-15. Then came Jeremiah my words. As these words are closely connected with the previous context , Jer 19:14, corresponds to . In antithesis to however has always the meaning of return. Comp. Num 27:17; Deu 28:6; 1Ch 11:2; Psa 121:8; Psa 126:6.
Jer 19:15. Thus saith, etc. It is incredible that Jeremiah spoke only these few words in the temple. He would then have said nothing new, and have given no motive to the evidently increased anger of the temple-governor. We must therefore refer all that I have pronounced specially to the words spoken in Tophet, and assume a repetition of these words, in order that the reference might be understood.I will bring. Comp. 2Sa 5:2; Mic 1:15, etc. Olsh., 38, c.; 208, d.All her towns. Comp. Jos 10:37; Jos 10:39; Jos 13:17; Jer 34:1; Zec 7:7.Hardened, etc. Comp. Jer 17:23; Jer 7:26.That they might not hear. Comp. Jer 16:12; Jer 18:10; Jer 42:13.
Jer 20:1-6. Now Pashurheard prophesied lies. According to Ezr 2:38; Ezr 10:22; Neh 7:41, there was a course of priests of the name Pashur. Not of this, however, but of the course named as that of Immer in these passages (comp. 1Ch 24:14) was the Pashur of the text. He is not mentioned elsewhere. For though the name frequently occurs (Jer 21:1; Jer 38:1; 1Ch 9:12; Neh 10:3; Neh 11:12), none of the individuals designated by it can be regarded as identical with this Pashur. It is at most possible that the father of Gedaliah mentioned in Jer 38:1 may be the same. Comp. Hitzig. ad loc.Chief governor. The expression involves that there were several overseers (comp. Joseph. Antiqq., X. 8, 5). Without doubt the temple-watch (comp. Winer, R.-W.-B, Art., Tempel at the end) was under the orders of the governor. From a comparison of Jer 29:25-26, with Jer 52:24, it seems that the temple-governor took the second rank to the high-priest. As the head of the temple-police, Pashur now puts Jeremiah into the . The expression occurs besides only in Jer 29:26; 2Ch 16:10. It is without doubt a contrivance for shutting up in crooked position (. Symm. ). Comp. Act 16:24.Gate of Benjamin, etc. From Jer 37:13; Jer 38:7, it is evident that there was a city-gate which led into the territory of the tribe of Benjamin, and was therefore called the gate of Benjamin. The one mentioned in the text is expressly distinguished from this as a temple-gate. The same name intimates identity of cause. We must then look for this temple-gate also in the direction of Benjamin, i.e., to the north. The upper gate corresponds to the upper court, forming one of the entrances to it. Whether this upper gate of Benjamin is the same with the new gate, leading to the upper court (Jer 36:10; Jer 26:10) which, according to 2Ki 15:35, was built by Jotham, is questionable. Comp. Eze 8:3; Eze 14:5; Eze 9:2.Not called Pashur, Jer 20:3. The signification of the name Pashur is very obscure. Most commentators derive the word from the Arabic pasaha=amplius fuit, and circumcirca. Hence Fuerst: extensionaround. Others from , Lev 13:5; Lev 13:7, and , Josh. 29:22, as though the widely extended authority of the man, making all pale (comp. Neumann), were indicated. Ewald renders Joy ( or from , Mal. 3:20) around (as though were pronounced ). Meier: Spirit of the free ( as in Job 35:15=extension, high spirit, pride;=the noble, the free). Hitzig and Graf cannot dispute that Jeremiah had the etymology, obscure as it is to us, in view, for how otherwise can we explain the choice of the name which he gave to the priest? It is certainly natural that Pashur should have some meaning opposed to that of the name Magor-missabib. It is noteworthy that the explanation afterwards given in Jer 20:4, sqq., corresponds exactly to this name, in so far as Pashur seems to be always surrounded by terrors, but never himself brought to extremity, for he is to die and be buried in Babylon (Jer 20:6). In this sense the words thine eyes shall see, are especially important. For by these the position of a man is designated, who is not himself reached by the most terrible calamity, but is compelled continually to behold how this comes upon others, and therefore does not escape the torture of anxiety. I would therefore neither render thee, after as distributive (Jer 19:13), nor would I allow it to depend on the latter, but on , terror:I give thee up to fear for thyself and thy friends. This is to be the specific punishment of Pashur, that he is not visited by death itself, but by the constant fear of death.To whom thou hast prophesied lies. From these concluding words we learn that Pashur was active, not merely as a priest, but also as prophet. But his prophetic office was assumed and false; and his behaviour toward Jeremiah may, in part at least, be thus accounted for.
DOCTRINAL AND ETHICAL
1. On Jer 18:2. What is the prophet of God to learn in the house of the potter? How shall this be his Bible or his school? But God chooses the foolish things to confound human wisdom (1Co 1:27). Cramer. [An orator would never choose such an instance for the purpose of making an impression on his audience; still less for the purpose of exhibiting his own skill and liveliness. It must be for business, not for amusement, that such a process is observed.What we want in every occupation is some means of preserving the continuity of our thoughts, some resistance to the influences which are continually distracting and dissipating them. But it is especially the student of the events of his own time, of the laws which regulate them, of the issues which are to proceed from them, who has need to be reminded that he is not studying a number of loose disconnected phenomena, but is tracing a principle under different aspects and through different manifestations. A sensible illustration, if we would condescend to avail ourselves of it, would often save us from much vagueness and unreality, as well as from hasty and unsatisfactory conclusions. Maurice.S. R. A.]
2. On Jer 18:6 sqq. Omne simile claudicat. Man is not clay, though he is made of clay (Gen 2:7). Consequently in Jer 20:8; Jer 20:10 the moral conditions are mentioned, which by virtue of his personality and freedom must be fulfilled on the part of man, in order that the divine transformation to good or bad may take place. If the clay is spoiled on the wheel, it cannot help it. It is probably only the potters fault. Nothing then is here symbolized but the omnipotence of God, by virtue of which He can in any given case suppress whole kingdoms and nations, and transform them with the same ease and rapidity as the potter rolls up the spoiled vessel into a ball of clay, and immediately gives it a new form. It would be well for all to convince themselves, by witnessing the process, of the wonderful ease with which the potter forms the clay on the wheel.
3. On Jer 18:6-10. Cogitet unusquisque peccata sua, et modo illa emendet, cum tempus est. Sit fructuosus dolor, non sit sterilis pnitudo. Tanquam hoc dicit Deus, ecce indicavi sententiam, sed nondum protuli. Prdixi non fixi. Quid times, quia dixi? Si mutaveris, mutatur. Nam scriptum est, quod pniteat Deum. Numquid quomodo hominem sic pnitet Deum? Nam dictum est: si pnituerit vos de peccatis vestris, pnitebit me de omnibus malis, qu facturus eram vobis. Numquid quasi errantem pnitet Deum? Sed pnitentia dicitur in Deo mutatio sententi. Non est iniqua, sed justa. Quare justa? Mutatus est reus, mutavit judex sententiam. Noli terreri. Sententia mutata est, non justitia. Justitia integra manet, quia mutato debet parcere, quia justus est. Quomodo pertinaci non parcit, sic mutato parcit. Augustin, Sermo 109. De Tem ad medium.
4. On Jer 18:6-10. Comminationes Dei non intelligend sunt absolute, sed cum exceptione pnitenti et conditione impnitenti. Promissiones itidem non sunt absolute sed circumscript cum conditione obedienti, tum exceptione crucis. God stipulates everywhere for the cross. Comp. Deuteronomy 28. Frster.
5. On Jer 18:6-10. Prscientia et prdictio Dei non injicit absolutam eventus necessitatem rebus prscitis ac prdictis. Frster.
6. On Jer 18:8. O felix pnitentium humilitas! Quam potens es apud omnipotentem. Bernard of Clairvaux.
[On Jer 18:8-10. I apprehend that we shall learn some day that the call to individual repentance, and the promise of individual reformation, has been feeble at one time, productive of turbulent, violent, transitory effects at another, because it has not been part of a call to national repentance, because it has not been connected with a promise of national reformation. We may appeal to men by the terrors of a future state; we may use all the machinery of revivalists to awaken them to a concern for their souls; we may produce in that way a class of religious men who pursue an object which other men do not pursue (scarcely a lass selfish, often not a less outward object):who leave the world to take its own course;who, when they mingle in it, as in time they must do for the sake of business and gain, adopt again its own maxims, and become less righteous than other men in common affairs, because they consider religion too fine a thing to be brought from the clouds to the earth, while yet they do not recognise a lower principle as binding on them. But we must speak again the ancient language, that God has made a covenant with the nation, and that all citizens are subjects of an unseen and righteous King, if we would have a hearty, inward repentance, which will really bring us back to God; which will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and of the children to the fathers; which will go down to the roots of our life, changing it from a self-seeking life into a life of humility and love and cheerful obedience; which will bear fruit upwards, giving nobleness to our policy and literature and art, to the daily routine of what we shall no more dare to call our secular existence. Maurice.S. R. A.]
7. On Jer 18:10. God writes as it were a reflection in our heart of that which we have to furnish to Him. For God is disposed towards us as we are disposed towards Him. If we do well, He does well to us; if we love Him, He loves us in return; if we forsake Him, He for sakes us. Psa 18:26. Cramer. [Sin is the great mischief maker between God and a people; it forfeits the benefits of His promises, and spoils the success of their prayers. It defeats His kind intentions concerning them (Hos 7:1), and baffles their pleasing expectations from Him. It ruins their comforts, prolongs their grievances, brings them into straits, and retards their deliverances. Isa 49:1-2. HenryS. R. A.]
8. On Jer 18:12. Freedom of the Spirit! Who will allow himself to be brought into bondage by the gloomy words of that singular man, Jeremiah? Every one must be able to live according to his own way of thinking. Diedrich, The prophet Jeremiah and Ezekiel briefly expounded. 1863, S. 59.This is the watchword of impiety in all times. If in truth everyone bears the divinity within him, then it is justified. But since every man bears within him only a , a divine germ or spark, a point of connection for the objectively divine, and at the same time a point of connection for the diabolical, it is a hellish deception when one supposes he must follow his ingenium. For the question is, whether the voice from within is the voice of God or the voice of the devil. Here it is necessary to try ourselves and to open an entrance to the divine sun of life, so that the divine life-germ in us may be strengthened, and enabled to maintain its true authority.
9. On Jer 18:14. On the summits of the high mountains, even in tropical countries, the snow does not entirely melt, and therefore the mighty cool springs at their feet never dry up. With those men only does the pure white snow of divine knowledge and godly fear never melt, whose heads are elevated above the steam and vapor of earthly cares and passions, into the pure clear air of heaven. And they it is, from whose bodies flow streams of living water (Joh 7:38).
10. On Jer 18:18. Consult the treatise of Luther: How a minister should behave when his office is despised?
11. On Jer 18:18. (Come and let us smite him with the tongue, etc.). It is indeed uncertain whether this is said by the preachers or by the whole people; but this is certain, that such actions are performed daily by those teachers, who know no other way of stopping the mouth of a servant of Jesus. And not give heed to any of his words. This is au pis aller. If we can do him no harm, we will stop our ears, and he shall not convince us. Zinzendorf.
12. On Jer 18:19. (Give heed to me, O Lord). This takes place in two ways. A teacher is looked at by the eye which is as flames of fire. He is also guided by the same eye, which looks on all lands, to strengthen those whose hearts are towards the Lord. No child can rest more securely in the cradle, while the nurse is looking for any fly that might disturb it, than a servant of the Lord can, to whom God gives heed. Zinzendorf.
13. On Jer 18:20. It is a pleasing remembrance, when a teacher considers that he has been able to avert divine judgments from his people. It is also an undeniable duty. The spirit of Job, Moses, Jeremiah, Ezra, Nehemiah, Paul in this respect is the true spirit of Jesus Christ. He is a miserable shepherd who can give up his sheep and look on with dry eyes, while the fold is being devastated. Not to mention that teachers are now-a-days, by the salaries which they receive from their congregations, brought into the relation of servitude, and besides the regular obligation of the head are laid under indebtedness, as hospitals and other institutions, to pray for their founders. They give themselves the name of intercessors and thus bind themselves anew to this otherwise universal duty of all teachers. Zinzendorf. But when the servant of God receives odium pro labore, persecutio pro intercessione, this is the worlds gratitude and gratuity. Frster.
14. On Jer 18:21-23. With regard to this prayer against his enemies Calvin remarks, this vehemence, as it was dictated by the Holy Spirit, is not to be condemned, nor ought it to be made an example of, for it was peculiar to the Prophet to know that they were reprobates. For the prophet, he says, was (1) endued with the spirit of wisdom and judgment, and (2) zeal also for Gods glory so ruled in his heart, that the feelings of the flesh were wholly subdued, or at least brought under subjection; and farther, he pleaded not a private cause.As all these things fall not to our lot, we ought not indiscriminately to imitate Jeremiah in this prayer: for that would then apply to us which Christ said to His disciples, Ye know not what spirit governs you (Luk 9:55). In general the older Comm. agree in this. Oecolampadius says tersely: Subscribit sententi divin. Frster also says that originally such a prayer is not allowed, but that to the prophet, who by the divine inspiration was certain of the obstinata et plane insanabilis malitia of his hearers, it was permitted as singulare et extraordinarium aliquid. The Hirschberger Bibel also explains the words as a consignment to the divine judgment, since God Himself has several times refused to hear prayer in their behalf (Jer 14:13-14), and they themselves could not endure it (Jer 20:18). Vide Neumann II. S. 15.Seb. Schmidt says plainly, Licet hominibus impiis et persecutoribus imprecari malum, modo ejusmodi imprecationes non fiant ex privata vindicta, et conditionat sint ad constantem eorum impietatem. Nisi enim ejusmodi imprecationes etiam piis essent licit, propheta non imprecatus esset persecutoribus gravissimam pnam hanc. I believe that it is above all to be observed that Jeremiah does not announce these words (Jer 20:18-18) as the word of Jehovah. It is a prayer to the Lord, like Jer 20:7-18. That which was remarked on Jer 20:14-18, on the Old Testament character of the prayer, applies here also and in a higher degree. For here as there we may set a good share of the harshness to the account of the rhetoric. The standard of judgment may be found in Mat 5:43. Many ancient Comm. ex. gr. Jerome, who regard the suffering prophet as a type of the suffering Saviour, point out the contrast between this prayer of Jeremiahs against his enemies and the prayer of Christ for His enemies (Luk 23:34). The only parallel adduced from the New Testament is 2Ti 4:4. But there it is (according to the correct reading of Tischendorf) not (Text. Rec., Knapp).
15. On Jer 19:1. If man were only a Platonic , and did not dwell in the flesh, but were pure spirit and soul, as the Schwenkfelder dreamed a man might be, he would not need such visible signs.But because man consists of body and soul, God uses, together with the Holy Ghost, the word and Sacrament and other signs. Cramer.
16. On Jer 19:6-9. . Herodotus. Vide Frster, S. 106.
17. On Jer 19:10-11. What is more easily broken in pieces than an earthen vessel? Equally easy is it for the hand of the Almighty to break in pieces the kingdoms of men. And if He spared not the kingdom of Judah, whose king was a son of David and the people the chosen nation, shall He spare the kingdoms of the heathen, none of which can point to any prophecy in its behalf, like that which we read in 2Sa 7:16? Comp. Dan 2:21; Dan 4:14; Dan 4:22; Dan 4:29; Dan 5:21; Sir 10:4; Sir 10:8; Sir 10:10; Sir 10:14.
18. On Jer 19:11-13. This prophecy was not completely fulfilled by the destruction of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar. For Jerusalem was restored after this destruction. The second destruction, by the Romans, must then be regarded as the definitive fulfillment. Comp. Jerome ad loc.Tophet was used by the inhabitants of Jerusalem for idolatrous purposes. In consequence, the fires of Tophet set Jerusalem on fire, and again the corpses which filled Jerusalem extended even to Tophet, and by reciprocal calamity Tophet became like Jerusalem and Jerusalem like Tophet.
19. On Jer 20:1-2. . Honores mutant mores. Frster. Quod hic fuit tormentum, illic erit ornamentum. Augustin.
20. On Jer 20:3-6. Mark, who is the stronger here: Pashur or Jeremiah? For 1. Jeremiah overcomes his sufferings by patience, 2. He is firm in opposition to his enemy and does not allow himself to be terrified by his tyranny, but rebukes him to his face for his sins and lies. Cramer.
21. On Jer 20:3-6. Pashurs punishment consists in this, that he will participate in the terrible affliction and be a witness of it, without being able to die.He is a type of the wandering Jew.
22. On Jer 20:7-12. The prophet could say with a good conscience that he had not pressed into this office. It was his greatest comfort that the Lord had persuaded and overpowered him, when resisting, and that afterwards the fire within kindled by the Lord compelled him to speak. Thus he at last becomes so joyful, that in the midst of his sufferings he sings a hymn on his deliverance.
Lord Jesus, for Thy work divine,
The glory is not ours, but Thine;
Therefore we pray Thee stand by those,
Who calmly on Thy word repose.
23. On Jer 20:14-18. When the saints stumble this serves to us; 1. for doctrine: we see that no man is justified by his own merits; 2. for , i. e. for the refutation of those, who suppose that there are ; 3. for , if we follow Ambrose, who called to the emperor Theodosius: Si Davidem imitatus es peccantem, imitare etiam pnitentem; 4. for , that he who stands take heed that he do not fall; 5. for , that he who has fallen may after their pattern rise again. Frster.
24. On Jer 20:17-18. The question is, Does a man do right in wishing himself dead? Answer: He who from impatience wishes himself dead like Job, Elijah, Jonah, Tobias, and here Jeremiah, does wrong, and this is a piece of carnal impatience. But when we think of the wicked world and the dangerous times in which we live and on the other hand of the future joy and glory, and therefore desire with Simeon and Paul to be released, we are not to be blamed. Cramer.
HOMILETICAL AND PRACTICAL
1. The 18th homily of Origen has for its text Jer 18:1-16 and Jer 20:1-7. The 19th has Jer 20:7-12.
2. On Jer 18:1-11. Comfort and warning, implied in the fact that the threatenings and promises of the Lord are given only conditionally: 1. The comfort consists in this, that the threatened calamities may be averted by timely repentance. 2. The warning in this, that the promises may be annulled by apostasy.
3. On Jer 18:7-10. Comp. the Homiletical on Jer 17:5-8.
4. On Jer 18:7-11. How we should be moved by Gods judgments and goodness: that each, 1. Should turn from his wickedness; 2. should reform his heart and life. Kapff, Passion, Easter and Revival Sermons. 1866.
5. [On Jer 18:12. The sin, danger and unreasonableness of despair. The devils chief artifices are to produce either false security and presumption or despair. Despair Isaiah 1. sinful, (a) in itself, (b) because it is the parent of other sins, as is seen in the cases of Cain, Saul, and Judges 2. It is dangerous. 3. It is groundless, because (a) we still enjoy life and the means of grace, (b) of the long-suffering character of God, (c) of the universality of the scheme of redemption, (d) of the person, character and invitations of Christ, (e) of many instances of final salvation. Payson.S. R. A.]
6. On Jer 18:18-20. Text for a Sermon on the Anniversary of the Reformation. Opposition of the office which has apparent authority to that which has true authority; 1. The basis of the opposition: the assertion of the infallibility of the former office. 2. The mode of the opposition; (a) in not being willing to hear, (b) in the attempt to destroy the latter by violence. 3. The result of the opposition is nugatory, for (a) the Lord hears the voice of the opposers to judge them, (b) He gives heed to His servants to protect them.
7. On Jer 20:7-13. The trial and comfort of a true minister of the Word; 1. The trial: (a) scorn and derision; (b) actual persecution. 2. The comfort: (a) the Lord put him in office and maintains him in it; (b) that the Lord will interpose for His servants and. thus, (1) help His cause to victory, and (2) save their persons.
Footnotes:
[10]Jer 19:1. . The construction is like , , Comp. Naegelsb. Gr., 72 and 66.
[11]Jer 19:5.copia, store. Comp. Pro 15:6; Pro 27:24; Isa 33:6; Eze 22:25.
Fuente: A Commentary on the Holy Scriptures, Critical, Doctrinal, and Homiletical by Lange
It should seem, by what is here said, that when the Prophet had finished his Sermon, at Tophet; , and had broken the bottle, in confirmation of what he had said before their eyes, that he returned under the influence of the same Holy Spirit, to add an inference in the courts of the temple. It doth not appear, that the Lord commanded him so to do: but the Prophet took it for granted, that it would be right. It is blessed to see men faithful to God and to souls. The Apostle commended Timothy to be in season and out of season. 2Ti 4:2 . Jeremiah here set a noble example, that he was delivered from the fear of man. Lord! make all thy servants in the ministry faithful, that whether men will hear, or whether they wilt forbear, that they may be free from the blood of souls. Eze 2:7 ; Act 20:25-27 .
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Jer 19:14 Then came Jeremiah from Tophet, whither the LORD had sent him to prophesy; and he stood in the court of the LORD’S house; and said to all the people,
Ver. 14. And he stood in the court of the Lord’s house.] A place of greatest concourse of people; and where he might meet with many hearers. Here he spread his net, that he might catch some souls; dilated his discourse at Tophet, whereof we have here but the short notes; minding them of their sin and punishment. And surely this prophet should be so much the more regarded by us, for that he so freely and fully delivered the divine messages, omitting no part thereof, either for fear or favour. Ambrose bade Augustine read the prophet Isaiah diligently, for the confirmation of his faith. We may all very profitably read the prophet Jeremiah, who is full of incitation to repentance and new obedience.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Jer 19:14-15
14Then Jeremiah came from Topheth, where the LORD had sent him to prophesy; and he stood in the court of the LORD’s house and said to all the people: 15Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, ‘Behold, I am about to bring on this city and all its towns the entire calamity that I have declared against it, because they have stiffened their necks so as not to heed My words.’
Jer 19:14-15 Since these two verses are in the third person, possibly they are Baruch’s (Jeremiah’s scribe) later editorial comments.
Jer 19:14 Topheth The word (BDB 1075 II) means fire-place (possibly from an Aramaic root), which denotes a valley south of Jerusalem in the Kidron Valley. Josiah turned it into a landfill where garbage was burned (see Special Topic: Where Are the Dead? for Gehenna). It was a place where
1. the god Molech (cf. Lev 18:21; see Special Topic: Molech ) was worshiped by child sacrifice, cf. Jer 7:31; 2Ki 23:10 (note Isa 30:33)
2. it is a metaphor for the slaughter of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, cf. Jer 7:32; Jer 19:6
3. it is a burial place of the dead of Jerusalem, cf. Jer 19:11-12
the court of the LORD’s house The temple of Jeremiah’s day was Solomon’s temple. It had several outer courts where the people of Israel could gather. Jeremiah is said to proclaim YHWH’s message there several times (cf. Jer 7:2; Jer 26:2).
Jer 19:15 stiffened their necks so as not to heed My words The covenant people refused to hear and respond to the covenant God (cf. Jer 7:26; Jer 17:23; Neh 9:17). They were His people in name only!
Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley
Jer 19:14-15
Jer 19:14-15
Then came Jeremiah from Topheth, whither Jehovah had sent him to prophesy; and he stood in the court of Jehovah’s house, and said to all the people: Thus saith Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel, Behold, I will bring upon this city and upon all its towns all the evil that I have pronounced against it; because they have made their neck stiff, that they may not hear my words.
This was probably only a summary of what Jeremiah said in the court of the temple, because Pashhur, the chief officer of the temple, was greatly irritated and angered by it, as comes to light in the next chapter. It was this connection between the two chapters that led Barnes to declare that, “These verses (Jer 19:14-15) should have been joined to the next chapter.”
At the Potter’s House – Jer 18:1 to Jer 19:15
Open It
1. What is the most arrogant statement youve ever heard?
2. What are some things that, when broken, are impossible to repair?
Explore It
3. Where did God send Jeremiah to receive a message from Him? (Jer 18:1-2)
4. What was the potter doing as Jeremiah watched? (Jer 18:3-4)
5. How did God liken His power over the nations to the decisions of the potter? (Jer 18:5-10)
6. What unthinkable deed had Judah done against God? (Jer 18:13-15)
7. Where did the people of Judah begin to walk when they left Gods ways and began to worship idols? (Jer 18:15)
8. What did God say He would do because Israel worshiped idols? (Jer 18:16-17)
9. What was being said about Jeremiah by the people who resisted his message? (Jer 18:18)
10. Of which past deeds did Jeremiah remind God? (Jer 18:19-20)
11. How did Jeremiah ask God to deal with his enemies? (Jer 18:21-23)
12. Where did God instruct Jeremiah to take the elders and deliver a prophecy? (Jer 19:1-2)
13. What practices (carried out in the Valley of Ben Hinnom) would bring Gods judgment on the people? (Jer 19:3-5)
14. Why would the name of the valley where Jeremiah stood be changed? (Jer 19:6-9)
15. What was the meaning of the symbolic action the Lord told Jeremiah to carry out? (Jer 19:10-12)
16. Whose houses would become defiled like the city dump? (Jer 19:13)
17. What message did Jeremiah take to all the people in the temple because of the reaction of the elders to whom he had delivered the prophecy? (Jer 19:14-15)
Get It
18. What is significant to you about the image of God as a potter?
19. Why did the people think Jeremiah was expendable?
20. Even after God has pronounced a judgment, what might make Him relent or reconsider, either for good or ill?
21. What comes to mind when you think of the image of God turning His back instead of showing His face?
22. What are some ways in which you have avoided the unpleasant in the past?
23. What do you think will become of people who abuse or neglect children, unless they repent?
Apply It
24. What is a practical way in which you can demonstrate Gods concern for a child in need in the coming weeks?
25. What God-fearing person in a position of leadership could use your encouragement today?
Questions On Jeremiah Chapter Nineteen
By Brent Kercheville
1 What is the frst act God commands Jeremiah to do (Jer 19:1-2)?
2 What is Jeremiah to proclaim with this act (Jer 19:3-9)?
2 What is the second act God commands Jeremiah to do (Jer 19:10)?
4 What is Jeremiah to proclaim with this act (Jer 19:11-13)?
5 Does Jeremiah do as commanded (Jer 19:14-15)?
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
from: Jer 19:2, Jer 19:3
he stood: Jer 17:19, Jer 26:2, 2Ch 20:5, 2Ch 24:20, 2Ch 24:21, Luk 21:37, Luk 21:38, Act 5:20
Reciprocal: Jos 15:8 – valley of the son Jer 7:2 – Stand Jer 20:2 – smote Jer 25:2 – General Jer 28:5 – the house Jer 36:6 – the words
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Jer 19:14. The preceding program was carried out in the valley of Hinnom near Jerusalem, and in the presence of the group of men that had been especially chosen to represent the nation. Jeremiah then came back into the city to speak to the peopie in general, He did this speaking in the court of the Lords house because that was the part of the building where the common citizen was permitted to enter.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Jer 19:14-15. He stood in the court of the Lords house The great court, called the outer court, Eze 46:21, supposed to be the same with the new court, mentioned 2Ch 20:5, as having been built since Solomons time. And said to all the people Confirming, and probably repeating to them, who had not heard it, what he had said to the ancients in the valley of Tophet. Thus saith the Lord of hosts Who is well able to make his words good, I will bring upon this city, and upon all her towns All the cities of Judah and Benjamin are meant which acknowledged Jerusalem for their metropolis, and were subordinate to her. All the evil that I have pronounced against it As if he had said, Flatter not yourselves with a conceit that God will be better to you than his word. Whatever you may suppose to the contrary, the execution of the divine threatening will fully answer the prediction, and the former will be found, by experience, to be as terrible as the latter represents it to be; because they have hardened their necks And would not bend them to the yoke of Gods commands; and would not hear his words Would not heed and yield obedience to them.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Jeremiah then returned from Topheth in the Valley of Hinnom to the temple courtyard. There he preached to the people that the Lord was about to bring this calamity on Jerusalem and the towns of Judah because they had stubbornly refused to repent (cf. Act 7:51).