Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Jeremiah 23:24
Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith the LORD. Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the LORD.
What do these atheistical priests, and prophets, and people think? Do they think that I, who am a God of purer eyes than to behold iniquity, see and take notice of what doctrine they preach, and what lives they live? If they did, surely they would not dare to do as they do. Do they think that I do not see or take notice of them? Can any hide themselves out of my sight? I fill heaven and earth, not only with my influence, but with my essence, with the immensity of my being; which, as it cannot be circumscribed by any, so it is shut out of no place.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
24. (Psa 139:7;Amo 9:2; Amo 9:3).
fill heaven and earthwithMy omniscience, providence, power, and essential being (1Ki8:27).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith the Lord,…. If a man should hide himself in the most secret and hidden places of the earth, and do his works in the most private manner, so that no human eye can see him, he cannot hide himself or his actions from the Lord, who can see from heaven to earth, and through the darkest and thickest clouds, and into the very bowels of the earth, and the most hidden and secret recesses and caverns of it. The darkness and the light are both alike to him; and also near and distant, open and secret places:
do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the Lord; not only with inhabitants, and with other effects of his power and providence; but with his essence, which is everywhere, and is infinite and immense, and cannot be contained in either, or be limited and circumscribed by space and place; see 1Ki 8:27. The Targum is,
“does not my glory fill heaven and earth? saith the Lord;”
both of them are full of his glory; and every person and thing in either must be seen and known by him; and so the false prophets and their lies; in order to convince of the truth of which, all this is said, as appears by the following words.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
And that this is the meaning appears more clearly from the next verse, which ought to be read in connection with this; Will a man hide himself in coverts, that I should not see him? (106) This verse is added by way of explanation; there can therefore be no doubt respecting the words, far off and near, — that God is said to be a God afar off; because his eyes penetrate into the lowest depths, so that nothing can escape him.
It is a wonder that the Greek translators made so great a mistake; for they wholly changed the sense, — that God is God nigh at hand, but not afar off. In the first place, they did not consider the question, and then, as they did not see the drift of the passage, they contrived from their own brains what is wholly remote from the words of the Prophet. This sentiment, that God is nigh and not afar off, is indeed true; but what is meant here is quite another thing, — that God sees in a way very different from men, for he fully and perfectly sees what is farthest from him, according to the passage we have quoted from Psa 102:19; and there is another in Psa 139:7, where the Psalmist says,
“
Where shall I flee from thy face? for if I ascend into heaven, thou art there; if I lie down in hell, there thou stretchest forth thine hand; if I take the wings of the dawn and fly to the clouds, even thine hand will lay hold of me there; if I seek coverts, even the night itself is before thee as the light, and darkness shines as the light.”
If, then, we join together these two passages, there will appear nothing ambiguous in the words of Jeremiah, — even that God penetrates with his eyes into the lowest depths, so that nothing is hid from him.
But Jeremiah not only explains the meaning of the last verse, but also makes a practical use of it; Will any one, he says, hide himself in coverts that I should not see him? The seeing of God has a reference to his judgment. Then all frivolous speculations ought to be cast aside, since Scripture says that God sees all things; but we ought especially to consider for what purpose it is that he sees all things; which is evidently this, — that he may at last call to judgment whatever is done by men. There is then an application of the doctrine to our case; for we hence learn, that whatsoever we do, think, and speak, is known to God.
By coverts, or hiding-places, he means all the secret frauds which men think they can cover; but by such an attempt they gain nothing but a heavier judgment. By coverts then we are to understand all those vain thoughts which hypocrites entertain; for they think that they can so hide themselves that God cannot see their purposes. Hence God laughs them to scorn, and says in effect, “Let them enter into their coverts, let them hide themselves as much as they please, I yet do see them in their coverts no less clearly than if they were quite close to me.”
To confirm this he adds, Do not I fill heaven and earth, saith Jehovah? This must not be refinedly explained of the infinite essence of God. It is indeed true, that his essence extends through heaven and earth, as it is interminable. But Scripture will not have us to feed on frivolous and unprofitable notions; it teaches only what avails to promote true religion. What therefore God declares here, that he fills heaven and earth, ought to be applied to his providence and his power; as though he had said, that he is not so taken up with things in heaven that he neglects the concerns of earth, as profane men dream; but he is said to fill heaven and earth, because he governs all things, because all things are noticed by him, because he is, in short, the judge of the world.
We now perceive what the Prophet means; and this passage is entitled to particular notice, because this error of imagining a God like ourselves is inbred almost in us all. Hence it is, that men allow themselves so much liberty; for they consider it a light thing to discharge their duty towards God, because they reflect not what sort of being he is, but they think of him according to their own understanding and character. As, then, we are thus gross in our ideas, it becomes us carefully to reflect on this passage, where God declares, that he is not only a God near at hand, that is, that he is not like us, who have only a limited power of seeing, but that he sees in the thickest darkness as well as in the clearest light; and that therefore it avails those nothing to deceive themselves who dig for themselves caverns, as it is said in Isaiah, and hide themselves in deep labyrinths. (Isa 2:21.) He thus denies that they gain anything, and gives this as the reason,
“
Because he fills heaven and earth;”
that is, his providence, his power, and his justice are so diffused everywhere, that wherever men betake themselves, it is impossible for them to be concealed from him. It follows, —
(106) The future here ought to be rendered potentially, —
Can a man hide in hiding-places, That I should not see him, saith Jehovah? Do not I fill the heavens and the earth, saith Jehovah?
The first line may be thus rendered more literally, —
Can a man secrete himself in secrecies?
In Welsh, —
(lang. cy) A lecha dyn mewn llechveydd ?
“
The heavens,” and not “heaven,” ought to be the word in the last line; and so does Blayney render it. The visible and the invisible heaven are intended. — Ed.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
DISCOURSE: 1061
THE OMNIPRESENCE OF GOD
Jer 23:24. Can any hide himself in secret places, that I shall not see him? saith the Lord. Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the Lord.
MEN universally encourage themselves in sin, from the hopes of impunity. But they are under a fatal delusion: for however secret their iniquities may be, there is One who beholds them, with all their aggravating circumstances, and will bring them forth to the light, as grounds of his righteous indignation. The false prophets of old imagined that their pretensions to inspiration would subject them to no danger, provided they could preserve appearances before men; but God expostulates with them in the words before us, and appeals to their own consciences for a testimony against them. He appeals to them respecting the omnipresence of the Deity; to which important subject we would now call your attention,
I.
In a way of rational inquiry
The Heathen believed their gods to be confined to particular temples, or to certain districts [Note: 1Ki 20:23.]: but can we imagine that Jehovah is thus limited?
Consult reason
[Is God the Creator of the world? How then can he be absent from any part of it, seeing that he must have been present with the whole at the time he formed it? Is he the Governor of the world? how then can he be limited to any place, since he must be every where, to direct and manage those events, which, without his superintending providence, would throw the universe into confusion. Is he God? if he be, he must be perfect; but if he be circumscribed by space, he must be imperfect; he must be ignorant of those things which he cannot behold, and impotent in respect of those things which he cannot reach.]
Consult Scripture
[The sacred records testify that he is in heaven; for he dwelleth in the high and holy place [Note: Isa 57:15.]. Yet they do not limit him to heaven; for the heaven of heavens cannot contain him [Note: 1Ki 8:27.]. He is spoken of as existing upon earth; for in him we live, and move, and have our being [Note: Act 17:28.]. Yet it is not in any particular part of the earth that he exists; for he filleth all in all [Note: Eph 1:23.].]
Consult conscience
[Every man who has ever heard of God has within him a consciousness that the Divine Being is present with him, and is privy to his most secret thoughts, In the midst of their wickedness indeed men try to persuade themselves that God does not see them [Note: Gen 3:8. Job 22:13-14. Psa 94:7.]: but in seasons of reflection they cannot divest themselves of the conviction, that his all-seeing eye penetrates the inmost recesses of their hearts. What David confessed with joy, they feel with terror and dismay; that, whether they be in heaven, earth, or hell, they cannot for one moment escape the notice of their God [Note: Psa 139:1-12.].
God is said indeed to have dwelt in the temple, and in the bush; and to be far from the wicked: but all such expressions relate, not to his essence, but to the manifestations of his presence. In every possible view, the appeal made to us in the text defies an answer, and precludes a doubt.]
Not to rest in mere theories, let the same subject be considered,
II.
In a way of practical improvement
Numberless are the truths which this subject would suggest to our minds; but we must of necessity confine ourselves to a few of the most important:
1.
What folly is it to commit sin under the idea of secrecy!
[That such folly obtains in the world, is manifest to all. The thief takes advantage of his privacy to lay his hand upon his neighbours property. The adulterer watches for the return of night, when he may accomplish his wicked purposes without detection [Note: Job 24:15-17.]. Sinners of every description commit in secret what they would not dare to perpetrate, if they knew that the eyes of their fellow-creatures were upon them. But whence is this, unless from the atheistical conceit that God is not privy to their actions, or from an utter forgetfulness of his presence? Such conduct however is folly in the extreme: for Gods eyes are in every place, beholding the evil and the good [Note: Pro 15:3.]. The darkness is no darkness to him: the night and the day to him are both alike: and, as he observes, so will he also bring to light, the hidden things of darkness, and make manifest the counsels of the heart [Note: 1Co 4:5.] as a ground of that sentence which he will one day pass upon all the workers of iniquity.
Let this be remembered in reference to all the sins we have ever committed in secret; and let it teach us to seek the remission of them while yet the day of mercy is continued to us.]
2.
How vain are the hopes of the hypocrite!
[It is no very difficult matter to impose upon men: yea, we may also deceive our ownselves; but we cannot deceive God. However specious our conduct may be, he will discern our corrupt motives and principles, and will judge us according to the real quality of our actions. There is one way, and only one, in which we can hide our sins from God; and that is, by fleeing to the Lord Jesus Christ for refuge: then, though God will behold the sinner, he will not behold the sin; for it shall all be blotted out as a morning cloud, and be cast behind him into the depths of the sea: the vilest sinner in the universe, if he be found in Christ, shall be complete [Note: Col 2:10.], without spot or blemish [Note: Eph 5:27.]. Such a hiding-place is Christ [Note: Isa 32:2.]; and such shall be the felicity of all that believe in him [Note: Act 10:43.]. But it is in vain to hope that by any other means we shall escape the wrath of God: for all things are naked and open unto the eyes of Him with whom we have to do; and every sin not purged away by the blood of Jesus shall be visited with just and everlasting judgments.]
3.
How secure are they who put their trust in God!
[Many of the enemies with whom the Christian has to contend, are hidden from his view: but neither they nor any of their devices are concealed from the eyes of God. He is everywhere present to protect his people, and to defeat the plots of their adversaries. He it is that has given to our enemies the strength and wisdom which they exert against us; and he engages that none of the weapons which they form against us shall prosper [Note: Isa 54:16-17.]. Let the weak then say, I am strong: for if God be for them, who shall be against them? Only let them acknowledge him in all their ways, and depend upon him in all their trials, and they need not fear [Note: Psa 46:1-2.]; for his eyes shall run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in their behalf [Note: 2Ch 16:9.].]
Fuente: Charles Simeon’s Horae Homileticae (Old and New Testaments)
Jer 23:24 Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith the LORD. Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the LORD.
Ver. 24. Can any man hide himself in secret places? ] Hide he may God from himself, but not himself from God; though atheists are apt to think (as they say the struthiocamelus doth when he hath thrust his head in a hole) a that because they see none, therefore none seeth them.
Do I not fill heaven and earth?
a Plin.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Can . . . ? . . . Do . . . ? Figure of speech Erotesis.
fill. The Hebrew accent (“Tiphcha'”) puts the emphasis on “fill” (not on “earth”), denoting the fullness of the Divine presence which no place can include, or exclude. A fullness of grace, of the prophetic word of judgment, and of promise.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
hide: Jer 49:10, Gen 16:13, Job 22:13, Job 22:14, Job 24:13-16, Psa 10:11, Psa 90:8, Psa 139:7, Psa 139:11-16, Pro 15:3, Isa 29:15, Eze 8:12, Eze 9:9, Amo 9:2, Amo 9:3
Do: 1Ki 8:27, 2Ch 2:6, 2Ch 6:18, Psa 148:13, Isa 57:15, Isa 66:1, Dan 4:35, Eph 1:23
Reciprocal: Gen 3:8 – hid Gen 11:5 – General Gen 13:13 – before Gen 39:11 – none of the men Deu 27:15 – and putteth 1Sa 28:8 – disguised 1Ki 22:30 – disguised himself 2Ki 6:12 – telleth 2Ki 19:27 – I know 2Ch 18:29 – I will disguise Job 33:27 – I have sinned Job 34:22 – no Psa 10:14 – Thou hast Psa 11:4 – his eyes Psa 33:13 – beholdeth Psa 44:21 – Shall Psa 53:2 – looked Psa 77:7 – the Lord Psa 94:9 – hear Psa 104:1 – art very great Psa 119:168 – for all my Psa 139:3 – and art acquainted Pro 5:21 – General Isa 5:18 – draw Isa 37:28 – I know Isa 47:10 – thou hast said Jer 7:11 – even Jer 16:17 – General Jer 29:23 – even I Jer 32:19 – for Eze 8:8 – General Dan 2:22 – he knoweth Dan 10:7 – so Mat 6:4 – seeth Act 5:3 – lie to Act 7:49 – Heaven Act 17:24 – seeing Act 17:27 – he be Eph 5:12 – in 1Jo 3:20 – and
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Jer 23:24. The first clause of this verse justifies the comments on the preceding one. Adam learned to his shame that man cannot hide from God because He is everywhere. On this important subject it will be well to read Psa 139:7-12.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
The people tried to hide from God in the sense that they did evil that they thought He could not see. The Lord reminded His people through Jeremiah that He is everywhere in the universe. There is no place where they could go to hide from Him (cf. Psalms 139; Amo 9:2-4).
"It is not wealth of knowledge as the result of long life or old age that God claims for Himself in Jer 23:24, but the power of seeing into that which is hidden so that none can conceal himself from Him, or omniscience." [Note: Keil, 1:362.]
Jeremiah condemned the false prophets for advertising their own dreams as revelations from Yahweh (Jer 23:25-32).