Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Jeremiah 28:8

The prophets that have been before me and before thee of old prophesied both against many countries, and against great kingdoms, of war, and of evil, and of pestilence.

Verse 8. The prophets that have been before me] Namely, Joel, Amos, Hosea, Micah, Zephaniah, Nahum, Habakkuk, and others; all of whom denounced similar evils against a corrupt people.

Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible

That is, Thou and I are not the first prophets that have foretold to countries and nations the great judgments of God coming upon them,

war, evil, pestilence: by evil, some think is to be understood famine, but it is not much material.

Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole

8. prophets . . . before meHosea,Joel, Amos, and others.

evila few manuscripts,read “famine,” which is more usually associated withthe specification of war and pestilence (Jer 15:2;Jer 18:21; Jer 27:8;Jer 27:13). But evil hereincludes all the calamities flowing from war, notmerely famine, but also desolation, &c. Evil,being the more difficult reading, is less likely to be theinterpolated one than famine, which probably originated incopying the parallel passages.

Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible

The prophets that have been before me, and before thee of old,…. Such as Isaiah, Hoses, Joel, Amos, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, and others: these

prophesied both against many countries and against great kingdoms; as Egypt, Babylon, Syria, Ethiopia, Moab, c. as Isaiah particularly did:

of war, and of evil, and of pestilence by evil some think is meant famine, because that usually goes along with the other mentioned, and there being but one letter in which the words for evil and famine differ; and now the prophets that prophesied of these were sent of God, were the true prophets of the Lord; and therefore this ought not to be objected to the prejudice of Jeremiah, that his prophecies were of this sort: yea, if they should not come to pass, yet a man is not to be counted a false prophet, because such things are threatened in case nations do not repent of their sins and reform, which they may do; and then the evils threatened are prevented, as in the case of the Ninevites.

Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible

But he makes here only a general statement, The Prophets who have been before, me and thee, and prophesied against many (or great) lands, and against great kingdoms, have prophesied of war, and of evil, and of pestilence The word רעה, roe, evil, is placed between two other kinds of evil; but it is to be taken here no doubt for famine, as it is evident from many other passages. (197) Then he adds, changing the number, “When any prophet spoke of peace, the event proved whether or not he was a true prophet. (198) Now, experience itself will shortly prove thee to be false, for after two years the people who are now in Babylon will be still there under oppression, and the condition of the residue will be nothing better, for those who now remain in the city and throughout all Judea shall be driven into exile as well as their brethren.”

(197) More than twenty MSS. read רעב, “famine,” which may be considered as the true reading, though all the Versions favor the other.

It is rather difficult to render this verse. Calvin here repeats the word “prophesied,” which perhaps would be the best construction. There is a ו before “prophesied” in the text, which connects it with “have been.” I would then render it as follows, —

8. The prophets, who have been before me and before thee from the beginning, and have prophesied concerning many lands and against mighty kingdoms, have prophesied of war, and of famine, and of pestilence.

There were prophets who did not prophesy “concerning many lands,” etc.; he refers not to these, but to those who had done this. — Ed.

(198) It is not the past but the future tense is used here, “The prophet, who shall prophesy of peace,” etc.; so the versions, except the Vulg. In the former verse Jeremiah speaks of what all the previous prophets had predicted, that is, of war, famine, and pestilence, as to various kingdoms, and Judah no doubt as forming a part of them. Now, in this verse he seems to say, that if a prophet should be found speaking a different language, contrary to that of all former prophets, the event alone, the fulfillment of his prophecy alone could prove him a true prophet. He intimates that as Hananiah said things contrary to all former prophets, he was not to be believed until what he said came to pass. The verse may be thus rendered, —

9. The prophet who shall prophesy (or who prophesies) of peace, when the word of that prophet shall come, he will be known as the prophet whom Jehovah hath sent in truth.

The first word, “the prophet,” is a nominative case absolute, many instances of which are found in Hebrew. — Ed.

Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary

(8) The prophets that have been before me and before thee . . .The appeal to the past is of the nature of an inductive argument. The older prophets whose names were held in honour had not spoken smooth things. They had not prophesied of peace; war, pestilence, and famine had been the burden of their predictions. And there was, therefore, an antecedent probability in favour of one who spoke in the same tone now, rather than of those who held out flattering hopes of peace and victory. The onus probandi in such a conflict of claims lay with the latter, not the former. Prophecies like those of Elijah (1Ki. 17:1; 1Ki. 21:21-24), Micaiah (1Ki. 22:17), Elisha (2Ki. 8:1), Joel (Joe. 1:1-20), Hosea (Hos. 2:11-12), Amos (Amos 1-4), Micah (Mic. 3:12), Isaiah (Isaiah 2-6), were probably in Jeremiahs thoughts.

Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)

8. The prophets that have been before me Mentioned as the very best warrant for untoward predictions. With them it was not disloyalty, either to God or their country, to predict evil.

Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

Jer 28:8. The prophets that have been before me Namely, Joel, Amos, Hosea, Micah, Zephaniah, Nahum, Habbakuk, and others. Jeremiah offers two reason’s in defence of his own prophesies, and against those of Hananiah. First, That many other prophets agreed with him in prophesying evil against the Jews, and other neighbouring people; whereas, Hananiah being single in his predictions, nothing less than the perfect answering of the event could give him the authority of a true prophet. Secondly, That, considering the corruption of the people’s manners, it was highly probable that God would punish their iniquities. This is one of the principles laid down by Maimonides, whereby to judge a true prophet: “He is a true prophet (says he) who is not deceived in foretelling things future:” and this principle is deduced from Jer 28:9. See Deu 18:22 and Chandler’s “Defence.” Instead of prophesied, we may read, have prophesied; and instead of, the word of the prophet, in the next verse, the word of that prophet.

Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke

Jer 28:8 The prophets that have been before me and before thee of old prophesied both against many countries, and against great kingdoms, of war, and of evil, and of pestilence.

Ver. 8. The prophets that have been before me, &c., ] q.d., Committamus, Anania, nos tempori, &c. Let us be judged by our peers, or rather by our ancients. It hath been ever usual with true prophets to declaim against the sins of the times, and to proclaim divine vengeance if men amend not. But thou doest nothing less than this: Ergo.

And of evil. ] Or, Of famine, that greatest evil of all the three, where it is extreme. a

a Vide Piscat. in Schol.

Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)