Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Jeremiah 2:21
Yet I had planted thee a noble vine, wholly a right seed: how then art thou turned into the degenerate plant of a strange vine unto me?
21. The fault did not lie in Jehovah’s planting, but in Israel’s perversity. Hos 10:1 has the same illustration. Jeremiah has probably a reminiscence also of Isa 5:1 ff., where, however, Israel is not as here the vine, but the vineyard in which it is planted.
a noble vine ] a Sorek vine, the word Sorek probably referring to the colour of the fruit, a vine bearing dark-purple grapes. It is the “choice vine” of Gen 49:11.
how then art thou turned ] That which had been sown, in other words the people, when first chosen to be God’s, was uncorrupt. How is it then, He asks, that such “right seed” can have produced such degenerate shoots?
degenerate plant ] The Hebrew is harsh, and suggested emendations are rendered either (with LXX) bitterness, or (with Dr.) evil smell.
strange ] foreign. For the word in this sense cp. Gen 42:7; Exo 21:8; Psa 114:1 and so
And palmers for to seeken straunge strondes.
Chaucer, Cant. Tales, prol.
unto me ] to my grief a frequent use of the dative case.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
A noble vine – Properly, a Sorek vine (see Isa 5:2), which produced a red wine Pro 23:31, and had a lasting reputation Gen 49:11.
A right seed – literally, a seed of truth, i. e., true, genuine seed, not mixed with weeds, nor with seed of an inferior quality. Compare Mat 13:24.
How then art thou turned – Or, How then hast thou changed thyself unto me (i. e., to my hurt or vexation) into the degenerate branches of a strange vine? The stock, which was Gods planting, was genuine, and of the noblest sort: the wonder was how such a stock could produce shoots of a totally different kind Deu 32:32.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Jer 2:21
How then art thou turned into the degenerate plant.
Spiritual deterioration
A mysterious action is this of spiritual deterioration. It does not set in with obvious energy all at once, so that in one short week a man ceases to be a healthy and fruit-bearing vine; but little by little he goes down, his tone changes, his prayers are depleted of elements that once made them rich with spiritual significance; a carelessness comes upon all his personal discipline; we say, he is no longer the man he once was; then he falls again, and still further he goes down, until at last we begin to be ashamed of his society, or to say that we never come near him without being chilled: once he was so warm, so cordial, so affectionate, so spiritually-minded, that to touch him was to receive virtue; but now all is changed,–his talk has fallen to a lower level, and there comes now and then a look into his face which means that the better self is being displaced by another identity. What I say unto one, said Christ, I say unto all, Watch. Let us be careful lest whilst we slumber the enemy take an advantage over us. (J. Parker, D. D.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 21. I had planted thee a noble vine] I gave thee the fullest instruction, the purest ordinances, the highest privileges; and reason would that I should expect thee to live suitably to such advantages; but instead of this thou art become degenerate; the tree is deteriorated, and the fruit is bad. Instead of being true worshippers, and of a holy life and conversation, ye are become idolaters of the most corrupt and profligate kind. See Isa 5:1, &c., where the same image is used.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
A noble vine; a usual metaphor for the church, Psa 80:8,9, &c. See Poole “Isa 5:1“. The Hebrew is Sorek, and may refer to the place or to the plant. With reference to the place, it may be taken either for a proper name, as Carmel for any fruitful place; so here noting either the place whence, viz. a vine of the same kind with those that come from Sorek; possibly that country where Samson saw Delilah, Jdg 16:4; or, the place where planted, viz. in a fruitful land, Exo 15:17. See Poole “Isa 1:2“. If it be referred to the plant, then it points at the excellency of its kind; and this the next clause seems to favour: and thus it notes both Gods care; he had as great a care of it as of the choicest plant; see on Isa 27:2,3; and also his expectation, that it should prove so, Isa 5:4. And the sense is, I planted thee, that thou shouldst bring forth choice fruit to me.
A right seed; a right seed of true believers, as ill the days of the patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Or supposing with to be understood before right seed, (as it often is in the Hebrew,) we may understand it of the ordinances of his church, which are said to be the plants or seed that God furnisheth it withal, Mat 13:24; and these are called right, Neh 9:13, not false or counterfeit.
The degenerate plant: though there be only degenerate or declining in the Hebrew text, yet the supplement is necessary in regard of the metaphor.
Strange: this must here be taken in a bad sense, as the word
degenerate going before intimates, though it be sometimes for what is rare and excellent: here it notes their apostacy and infidelity, and other wickednesses, where God speaks after the manner of man, both in a way of wonder and reproof.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
21. The same image as in Deu 32:32;Psa 80:8; Psa 80:9;Isa 5:1, &c.
unto mewith respect toMe.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Yet I had planted thee a noble vine, wholly a right seed,…. It is usual to compare the people of the Jews to a vineyard, and to vines; and their settlement in the land of Canaan to the planting of vines in a vineyard; see Isa 5:1. Kimchi says this is spoken concerning Abraham; no doubt respect is had to the Jewish fathers, such as Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the twelve patriarchs, Moses, Joshua, and Caleb, and the like; who, having the true and right seed of grace in them, became like choice and noble vines, and brought forth much fruit, and were deserving of imitation by their posterity:
how then art thou turned into the degenerate plant of a strange vine unto me? like a vine that grows in the woods, and brings forth wild grapes; so these, their sons, degenerating in practice from their fathers, became corrupt in themselves, and unprofitable to God. The Targum of the whole is,
“I set you before me as the plant of a choice vine, all of you doing truth; but how are you changed before me in your corrupt works? ye have declined from my worship, ye are become as a vine in which there is no profit.”
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
God here confirms what is said in the last verse; for he condemned the Israelites for having perversely run here and there after their superstitions, when yet they had been redeemed for this end, — that they might be ruled by the hand of God. Hence he says, I planted thee as a choice vine; that is, “When I redeemed thee from thine enemies, I did not give thee permission thus to prostitute thyself without any restraint, without any shame; for I planted thee as a choice vine.”
The metaphor is well known, and often occurs; for God frequently compares his Church to a vine. He calls it generally his heritage, or his land; but as vines excel other possessions, (for they are usually preferred to pasture lands, or to cultivated fields,) as then vines are the most valuable property, God hereby testifies how highly he values his Church; for he calls it his vine rather than his pasture or his field, when he speaks of it. So he does in this place, “I did not deliver thee from Egypt, that I might afterwards throw aside every care of thee; but my purpose was, that thou shouldest strike roots, and become an heritage precious to me, as an exquisite and a noble vine. I, therefore, planted thee a generous vine, שורק shur e k, that thou mightest bring me forth fruit.”
Then he says, a wholly right seed; (50) that is, “I planted thee for this end, — that thou mightest produce fruit acceptable and pleasant to me.” God regards here his own grace, and not the character of the people; for that people, as it is well known, was never a true seed: but God here shews the purpose for which he had redeemed the people, which was, that they might be like a choice vine. How then? he adds. God speaks here of their corruptions with wonder, for the indignity was such as was enough to astonish all men: how then art thou turned to me into degenerations! So I render סורום surim, though the word is not in common use in Latin: but it is enough for me if we understand the meaning of the Prophet. The word is derived from סור sur, to turn aside, or back. We ought to say then correctly, “into turnings aside.” But as this would be obscure, when the vine is spoken of, I have not hesitated to fix on another word: How then art thou turned to me into the degenerations of a strange vine! Some give this version, “into useless branches of grapes:” but I know not whence they have taken the words. I wish to keep to what is more genuine, — that the vine, which ought to have been fruitful, had so degenerated that it produced nothing, as we shall find in another place, but wild grapes. (51) And he calls them the turnings aside of a strange vine, which ceases to be the choice vine, שורק, shur e k, and is turned to a wild vine, which produces nothing but sour or bitter fruit: and in the last place, as it brought forth nothing useful, God justly calls it a strange vine. It follows —
(50) The word means not only the seed of vegetables, but whatever forms that from which anything grows. It is applied as a verb to the planting of shoots or cuttings in Isa 17:10. The proper rendering here would be, —
The whole of it a genuine plant (or shoot).
What is rendered “choice vine,” שורק is the yellow vine; the best was so called, because it produced wine of that color. — Ed
(51) Much difference exists as to the literal meaning of this clause, though the general meaning is quite evident. None of the early versions are the same. The word סורי is rendered, “into bitterness — εἰς πικρίαν,” by the Septuagint; “thou hast rebelled,” by the Syriac; “into what is corrupt — in pravurn,” by the Vulgate; “thou hast declined from my fear,” by the Targum Blarney takes it as a verb in the imperative mood, and renders the two lines thus, —
Yet how I find thee changed! Depart, O vine of spurious growth.
But there is a harshness and incongruity in this version that renders it inadmissible. Besides “vine of spurious growth” is not the meaning of the words used, for it is “a foreign vine,” that is, a heathen vine; which contains an allusion to the idolatry which had been imported from heathen nations.
It is most probable that סורי, or in full, סורים, means degenerate shoots or branches, as Parkhurst thinks. To turn aside, to decline, to degenerate, seems to be the most common meaning of the verb. There would in this case be a congruity in the whole verse, —
And I myself had planted thee a choice vine, The whole of it a genuine plant; How then art thou become to me The degenerate shoots of a foreign vine?
The plant was of the best kind, but the shoots or the branches had become degenerated, such as a foreign or heathen vine produced. — Ed.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(21) A noble vine.Literally, a Sorek vine. Elsewhere rendered choice or choicest (Gen. 49:11; Isa. 5:2). The word Sorek points primarily to the dark purple of the grape, and then to the valley of Sorek, between Ascalon and Gaza (Jdg. 16:4).
Wholly a right seed.Literally, a seed of truth, parallel with the good seed in the Parable of the Tares. Here, however, as in Isa. 5:1-7, which Jeremiah seems to have in his mind, stress is laid not on the mingling of the evil with the good, but on the degeneration which had changed the character of that which God had planted.
Art thou turned . . .?Better, hast thou changed thyself . . .?
Plant.Better, branches.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
21. In the original, two different words in the first member of this verse are emphasized, which fact of emphasis escapes our attention in the English Version.
I had planted The Hebrew places emphasis on the pronoun I, as if God would disclaim all responsibility for the monstrous product. The second emphatic word is wholly, which has a special force from its connexion with sorek, noble vine, preceding. God had planted Israel a “noble vine,” “wholly” a right seed, but they had changed themselves into the degenerate plant ( bastards) of a strange vine.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Jer 2:21. How then art thou turned, &c. This passage has occasioned great perplexity; but it does not seem to have occurred to any interpreter, that surei, is the imperative feminine of sur, and signifies, “Depart, Get thee gone, O vine of spurious growth,” being addressed by God to the house of Israel under the character of a vine, which is discarded for having adulterated the good qualities of its original stock. nakriiah, properly signifies strange, of a different nature from the stock whence it was taken. Compare the beautiful allegory in Isaiah, ch. Jer 5:1-7.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Jer 2:21 Yet I had planted thee a noble vine, wholly a right seed: how then art thou turned into the degenerate plant of a strange vine unto me?
Ver 21. Yet I had planted thee a noble vine. ] Heb., A sorek, or with slips of sorek. Jdg 16:4 See Isa 5:3 , a parallel text; Exo 15:17 Psa 44:3 ; Psa 80:9 .
Wholly a right seed.
How then art thou turned into the degenerate plant?
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
noble vine = choice, or precious vine.
strange = foreign.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Yet I: Exo 15:17, Psa 44:2, Psa 80:8, Isa 5:1, Isa 5:2, Isa 60:21, Isa 61:3, Mat 21:33, Mar 12:1, Luk 20:9, Joh 15:1
wholly: Gen 18:19, Gen 26:3-5, Gen 32:28, Deu 4:37, Jos 24:31, Psa 105:6, Isa 41:8
into the degenerate: Deu 32:32, Isa 1:21, Isa 5:4, Lam 4:1
Reciprocal: 2Ki 4:39 – a wild vine Psa 80:15 – vineyard Isa 27:2 – A vineyard Isa 43:26 – Put Jer 11:17 – that Eze 15:2 – What Hos 4:18 – drink Mal 1:6 – And ye Mal 2:11 – profaned Mal 2:15 – That he Luk 6:43 – General Luk 13:6 – fig tree Act 17:11 – more Rom 6:5 – planted Rom 11:16 – and if 1Co 3:9 – ye are God’s Heb 12:15 – any root Jam 3:12 – the fig tree
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Jer 2:21. Various things in the natural world are used to Illustrate those in the religious or spiritual realm. In this verse the object chosen is a vine, and that doubtless is because it was one of the most familiar things in Palestine. The nation of Israel is compared to a noble vine. These words are not separate terms in the original but together come from soregah which Strong defines, “a vine stock (properly one yielding purple grapes, the richest variety). The fundamental meaning of strange is something foreign or from the outside. In this verse the Lord has a plant doing that which nature alone would not do. Any vine might degenerate and become fruitless or fail to produce as good a crop as it should. But this thoroughbred vine had changed its breed into the kind that grew in the territory outside of the vineyard. The literal explanation is that Israel had reached out and absorbed the substance of the idolatrous territory surrounding the Lords vineyard, and was producing wild fruit in the form of false religion.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Yahweh had planted Israel in the Promised Land as a choice vine, as His faithful seed, but Israel had grown up as a degenerate vine that bore the marks of foreign stock (cf. Isa 5:1-7; Ezekiel 15; Mat 21:33-46). "Choice vine" is literally a sorek vine, a vine that thrived between Jerusalem and the Mediterranean Sea-especially in the Sorek Valley-and bore high-quality grapes.