Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Jeremiah 30:12
For thus saith the LORD, Thy bruise [is] incurable, [and] thy wound [is] grievous.
12. Thy hurt is incurable ] lit. It is ill with thy hurt. Similar words are applied by the prophet to himself in Jer 15:18.
The pronouns in the v. are fem. as referring to the nation, as in Jer 22:20 and often elsewhere. For the whole v. cp. Lam 2:13.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
12 15. These vv. are either Jeremiah’s own (so Du.) or a close imitation of his style.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Incurable – Mortal, fatal.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 12. Thy bruise is incurable] anush, desperate, not incurable; for the cure is promised in Jer 30:17, I will restore health unto thee, and I will heal thee of thy wounds.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Interpreters generally understand by bruise or wound here the state that the Jews should be in the captivity of Babylon, which would be miserable, and so miserable that it would be incurable from any hand, except the hand of God. But I do not understand why it may not as well be interpreted of their sinful state, with reference to Gods purpose, and interpreted by 2Ch 36:16, where it is said, The wrath of God arose against them till there was no remedy. They had sinned to that degree that God had resolved into captivity they should go, and there should abide till the determination of seventy years.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
12. The desperate circumstancesof the Jews are here represented as an incurable wound. Their sin isso grievous that their hope of the punishment (their exile) sooncoming to an end is vain (Jer 8:22;Jer 15:18; 2Ch 36:16).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
For thus saith the Lord, thy bruise [is] incurable,…. By themselves or others, in all human appearance; there was no help for them from men; their case seemed desperate; there was no likelihood of their recovery to their former state and glory, as at this day the case of the Jews appears to be; there seems to be no probability of their conversion and restoration; and whenever it is, it will be as life from the dead, Ro 11:15; like quickening Ezekiel’s dry bones, or raising persons from the dead, which none but the hand of omnipotence can effect:
[and] thy wound [is] grievous; an expression signifying the same as before: the metaphor is taken from a body wounded and bruised in such a manner, as to be past the skill of the most able surgeon to cure it.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Because Israel has been severely chastised for his sins, the Lord will now punish his enemies, and heal Israel. – Jer 30:12. “For thus saith Jahveh: It is ill with thy bruise, thy wound is painful. Jer 30:13. There is none to judge thy cause; for a sore, healing-plaster there is none for thee. Jer 30:14. All thy lovers have forgotten thee, thee they seek not; for I have wounded thee with the wound of an enemy, the chastisement of a cruel one, because of the multitude of thine iniquity, [because] thy sins were numerous. Jer 30:15. Why criest thou over thy bruise – [because] thy wound is bad? Because of the multitude of thine iniquity, [because] thy sins were numerous, have I done these things to thee. Jer 30:16. Therefore all those who devour thee shall be devoured; and all thine oppressors, they shall all go into captivity; and they who spoiled thee shall become a spoil, and those that plundered thee I will give up for plunder. Jer 30:17. For I will put a plaster on thee, and will heal thee of thy wounds, saith Jahveh; for they call thee an outcast, [and say], Zion is she [whom] none seeketh after.”
This strophe is only a fuller expression of the idea set forth in Jer 30:11, that the Lord certainly chastises Israel, but will not make an end of him. The chastisement has commenced. From the wounds and blows which Israel has received, he lies motionless and helpless, getting neither sympathy nor aid from his lovers. The feminine suffix and the mention of lovers show that the address turns to the daughter of Zion. On the expression , “it is ill with thy bruise,” cf. Jer 15:18. , “bad, incurable is the stroke which thou hast received,” as in Jer 10:19; Jer 14:17. , “to execute justice;” cf. Jer 5:28; Jer 22:16. Hitzig well explains the meaning: “thy claims against thy heathen oppressors.” , although connected by the accents with what precedes, does not agree well with ; for has not the meaning which has been attributed to it, of a “bandage,” but, as derived from the verb , “to press a wound,” signifies the wound that has been pressed together; see on Hos 5:13. Neither does the figure of the wound agree with the expression, “there is none to judge thy cause,” so that we might, with Umbreit, render the passage, “No one gives thee thy due, in pressing thy wounds;” while, as Graf says, ” dissociated from forms a useless synonym with ,” and in Jer 46:11, where the thought is repeated, it is separated from the latter word. Accordingly, with Hitzig and Graf, we connect into one clause: “for the wound, there is no healing (or medicine)-no plaster.” is what is laid upon the wound, a plaster. “All thy lovers,” i.e., the nations which were once allied with thee (cf. Jer 22:20, Jer 22:22), do not trouble themselves about thee, because I have smitten thee so heavily on account of the multitude of thy transgressions; cf. Jer 5:6; Jer 13:22. still depends on the preposition , which continues its force, but as a conjunction. The idea that the Israelites have richly deserved their sufferings is still more plainly presented in Jer 30:15: “Why criest thou, because thou hast brought this suffering on thee through thy sins?” also depends on , which continues to exert its power in the sentence as a conjunction.
Jer 30:16-17 Therefore (i.e., because Israel, although punished for his sins, is destitute of help) will the Lord take pity on him. He will recompense to his oppressors and spoilers according to their deeds, and will heal his wounds. The enemies of Zion will now meet the fate which they have prepared for Zion. Those who, like rapacious animals, would devour Israel (see on Jer 2:3), shall be devoured, and all his oppressors shall go into captivity; cf. Jer 22:22. The Kethib is the Aramaic form of the participle from for ; the Qeri substitutes the Hebrew form , after Jer 50:11, Isa 17:14. , to put on a bandage, lay on a plaster. signifies, primarily, not a bandage, but, like the Arabic arikah (according to Fleischer in Delitzsch on Isa 58:8), the new skin which forms over a wound as it heals, and (as is shown by the expression of Isaiah, ) proves the healing of the wound. Against the direct transference of the meaning of the word in Arabic to the Hebrew , without taking into consideration the passage in Isaiah just referred to, there is the objection that the word is always used in connection with , “to be put on” (cf. Isa 8:22; 2Ch 24:13; Neh 4:1), or , “to put on” (here and in Jer 33:6), which is not the proper verb to be used in speaking of the formation of a new skin over a wound after suppuration has ceased. Hence the word in Hebrew seems to have received the derived sense of “a healing-plaster;” this is confirmed by the employment of the word , “plaster,” in Jer 30:13 and Jer 46:11. – The second , Jer 30:17, is subordinate to the clause which precedes. “Because they called thee one rejected,” i.e., because the enemies of Zion spoke of her contemptuously, as a city that has been forsaken of God, and the Lord will heal her wounds.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
Vs. 12-17: DIVINE HEALING
1. In verses 12-15 Judah is pictured as grievously and mortally wounded like a soldier stricken in battle – abandoned and forgotten by her political allies, (vs. 14a; comp. Jer 22:20; Jer 22:22).
a. There is no one to plead her cause; those on whom she has leaned do not come forward to bind up her wounds.
b. Nor does she have any healing medicines, (Jer 14:19; comp. Jer 46:11).
c. Because of her great wickedness (Jer 5:6; Jer 32:30-35; Jer 44:20 -23), Jehovah Himself has brought this chastisement upon her – as if she were His enemy! (vs. 14b; La 2:4-5; Jer 50:41-42).
d. No amount of crying will now avert the judgment necessitated by her persistent rebellion against her Divine Lover, (vs. 15).
2. But, there IS a word of hope and consolation, (vs. 16-17).
a. Those nations whom God has used as instruments of His divine discipline upon Judah will (because of their own sinful attitude in its infliction) themselves be judged, (vs. 16; comp. Jer 2:3; Jer 10:25; Isa 14:2; Jer 50:10; Mat 7:2).
b. In His divine graciousness, the Lord will restore health to Zion – healing ALL her wounds, (vs. 17; Jer 8:22; Jer 33:6; comp. Psa 107:20).
c. Though no one else may care, God always cares for the outcast, and yearns for the opportunity whereby He may, righteously,
restore them to fullness of life, (Jer 33:23-26; Isa 11:12; Isa 56:8).
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
The design of the Prophet is first to be noticed: he was fighting with those impostors who gave hope of a return in a short time to the people, while seventy years, as it has been said, were to be expected. The Prophet then wished to shew to the people how foolishly they hoped for an end to their evils in so short a time. And this is what ought to be carefully observed, for it was not without reason that the Prophet dwelt much on this point; for nothing is more difficult than to lead men to a serious acknowledgment of God’s judgment. When any thing adverse happens, they are tender and sensitive as to the evils they endure; but at the same time they look not to God, and comfort themselves with vain imaginations. It was therefore necessary for the Prophet to dwell on his doctrine at large; for he saw that the Israelites promised to themselves a return after two years, though they had been warned by the Prophets that they were to bear the scourge of God for seventy years.
This is the reason why the Prophet speaks here of the grievousness of evils, not because the Israelites were insensible, but because they had been credulous, and were still hoping for a return, so that they deceived themselves with false comfort. He therefore says, that the breaking was grievous; some give this rendering, “Unhealable, or hopeless, is thy bruising.” But אנוש, anush, is here a substantive, for it is followed by the preposition ל, lamed; nor can what the Prophet says be rendered otherwise than in this manner, “Grievousness is to thy bruising,” or breaking. He afterwards adds that the wound was grievous, that is, difficult to be healed; for so I understand the passage. (9) But the end was to be hoped for; yet the people were not to think it near at hand; they were, on the contrary, to prepare themselves for patient waiting until the end prescribed by God had come. It follows, —
(9) The ל in Hebrew is sometimes the, κατὰ in Greek; it means, as to, with regard to; so here, —
Incurable as to thy bruise, Grievous has been thy stroke.
Or we may give this rendering, inverting the order, —
As to thy bruise, it is incurable; Grievous has been thy stroke.
The “bruise” occasioned by the “grievous stroke” was incurable, that is, by human means. The effect is mentioned first, “the bruise;” then the cause, “the stroke.” — Ed.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
B. The Plight of Apostate Israel Jer. 30:12-17
TRANSLATION
(12) For thus says the LORD: Your wound is incurable, your hurt is fatal. (13) There is no one to plead your case that you may be bound up; you have no healing medicines. (14) All of your lovers have forgotten you, and they do not inquire about you; for I have smitten you with the blow of an enemy, with the chastisement of a cruel one, because your iniquity is so great and your sins so numerous. (15) Why are you crying out concerning your wound? Your pain is incurable! Because your iniquity is great and your sins are numerous, I have done these things unto you. (16) Therefore all of those who devour You shall be devoured! And all of your foes shall all go captive! Those who spoil you shall become spoil, and all who plunder you I will make plunder. (17) For I will restore health to you and with regard to your wounds I will heal you (oracle of the LORD), for they have called you an outcast, Zion for whom no one cares.
COMMENTS
After soaring ahead in the time to the grand day of Israels deliverance the prophet now returns to the present plight of the nation. He first indicates in some detail the present sad situation of Israel, then points out reasons for that condition, and finally moves forward positively to predict deliverance for the nation.
In a few bold strokes of the pen Jeremiah paints a picture of the present wretched condition of Israel. The nation has an incurable wound (Jer. 30:12) for which there are no healing medicines (Jer. 30:13 b). No one pleads for the nation at the judgment bar of God where their own iniquities condemn them (Jer. 30:13 a).[248] The nation has been forgotten by her lovers i.e., her allies who had encouraged her to revolt against Babylon (Jer. 30:14 a). The Lord Himself has treated Israel like an enemy. He has smitten them so severely that it would appear He was their implacable foe (Jer. 30:14 b).
[248] Jeremiah has woven together two different figures of speech in Jer. 30:12-13. This is a characteristic of his writing. See Streane, op. cit., p. xxix.
Attacked! Devoured! Carried away! How did Israel come to be in such desperate straits? Twice the prophet indicates the reason for the present plight. Because of the multitude of your iniquities, because your sins are great. The chastisement of Israel was well deserved because of the enormous guilt piled up by their innumerable sins (Jer. 30:14-15).
The thought in the paragraph takes a sharp turn at Jer. 30:16. The word therefore at the beginning of the verse is most significant. Because of the extremity of your need, therefore I will intervene on your behalf. Because you are unable to aid yourself, therefore I will act on your behalf. Because I have afflicted you so severely for your sins, therefore I will now mete out to your tormentors their rightly-deserved punishment. The end of the present plight will come when God brings punishment upon all the adversaries of Israel (Jer. 30:16). Humanly speaking the case of Israel was hopeless. But God, the great and gracious Physician, then turns his attention to the wounds of Israel. Zions health is restored despite all the ridicule of her enemies. The sneering enemies had called Zion an outcast for whom no one was concerned. Yet the day will surely come when God in an act of pure grace will restore the nation (Jer. 30:17).
Fuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series
(12) Thy bruise is incurable . . .The mind of the prophet dwells on the seeming hopelessness, in words which sound like an echo from his Lamentations (Jer. 2:13), in order to enhance the blessedness of the reverent utterance of hope which appears in Jer. 30:17.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
ISRAEL’S DIRE NECESSITY AND JEHOVAH’S MERCY, Jer 30:12-17.
12. Incurable That is, to human thought. But the things that seemed impossible to man were yet possible with God.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
The Reason Why Israel/Judah Needed To Be Delivered Was Because Of Their Sufferings, Which Were Grievous Because They Were The Consequence Of Their Sins ( Jer 30:12-15 ).
Having made His glorious promises YHWH now turns back to why all this was necessary. As we have seen above this passage contains a deliberate pattern of contrasts, with the fact of the miserable present being contrasted with the glorious future. Their present condition is what prevents God from restoring His people and must first be dealt with before there can be restoration. Their situation has arisen because they were spiritually badly wounded with none to tend them. It was because there was no balm in Gilead, and no physician there (Jer 8:22). It was because all to whom they looked had deserted them. It was because YHWH Himself was dealing with the problem of their sins.
Jer 30:12-13
‘For thus says YHWH,
“Your hurt is incurable,
And your wound grievous.
There is none to plead your cause, that you may be bound up,
You have no healing medicines.”
The condition of ‘Jacob’ (Jer 30:10) is seen as being like that of a badly wounded man. Their hurt is incurable by any earthly means. Their wound is bleeding and grievous. And because they have deserted Him there is no one to speak up for them in order that their wounds might be bound up. That is why they have no healing medicines. It is because they have been abandoned by those on whom they had depended. There is a clear similarity between this picture, and the badly diseased Israel of Isa 1:5-6.
Jer 30:14
“All your lovers have forgotten you,
They do not seek you,
For I have wounded you with the wound of an enemy,
With the chastisement of a cruel one,
For the greatness of your iniquity,
Because your sins were increased.
They are like a wounded man who has been deserted on the battlefield, with their erstwhile ‘lovers’ having forgotten and abandoned them. No one looks for him or is concerned about him. And so it is with them. The reference to ‘lovers’ may be to their idols, or more likely it may have in mind their erstwhile idolatrous allies among the nations. But the point is that they will not receive any help from anywhere or from anyone. And the reason is because it is YHWH Who has wounded them, acting through their enemy. It is YHWH who has chastised them, acting by means of all the fierceness of a cruel invader (both Assyrian and Babylonian soldiers could be called ‘cruel ones’ because of their total lack of humanity). And the reason they are in this condition is because of the greatness of their iniquity, their inbred evil, and because their sins have continually increased.
Jer 30:15
“Why do you cry out for your hurt?
Your pain is incurable,
For the greatness of your iniquity,
Because your sins were increased,
I have done these things to you.”
Whenever we get a repetition in Scripture it is because of the necessity of the lesson coming home, and here it is the lesson of Judah and Israel’s extreme sinfulness which is to be repeated almost word for word from Jer 30:14. In Jer 30:14 their wounded state at the hand of YHWH had been described, and we learned that it was because of the greatness of their iniquity, and because their sins were increased, and now they are asked why it is that they are crying out because of the hurt of their wound, and it is again stressed that they are as they are because they are suffering at the hand of YHWH because of the greatness of their iniquity and because their sins had increased. Thus it is saying, ‘Let it be repeated. That was why He had done these things to them.’ And because it is YHWH Who is responsible for their wound, their wound is incurable except by Him.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
The Turn of Affairs and the Consummation of Salvation
v. 12. For thus saith the Lord, Thy bruise is incurable, and thy wound is grievous, v. 13. There is none to plead thy cause, v. 14. All thy lovers, v. 15. Why criest thou for thine affliction? Thy sorrow is incurable, v. 16. Therefore all they that devour thee shall be devoured, and all thine adversaries, every one of them, shall go into captivity, v. 17. For I will restore health unto thee, v. 18. Thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will bring again the captivity of Jacob’s tents, v. 19. And out of them, v. 20. Their children also shall be as aforetime, v. 21. And their nobles shall be of themselves, v. 22. And ye shall be My people, v. 23. Behold, the whirlwind of the Lord, v. 24. The fierce anger of the Lord shall not return,
Fuente: The Popular Commentary on the Bible by Kretzmann
Jer 30:12. Thy bruise is incurable That is, “By all human means, and therefore I will work the greater miracle, and restore health to thee:” Jer 30:17. Houbigant renders it, Thy bruise is deadly; and so in the 15th verse.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
2. THE TURN OF AFFAIRS: THE LORD FOR THE CHASTISED AND AGAINST THE CHASTISER
Jer 30:12-17
12For thus saith Jehovah, thy wound is incurable,8
Mortal thy stroke.
13There is no one who undertaketh thy case,
For thy wound thou hast no remedies of bandages.9
14All thy lovers have forgotten thee;
They ask not after thee;
For I have smitten them with the stroke of an enemy,
With cruel chastisement for the greatness of thy guilt;
Because thy sins are innumerable.10
15Why criest thou over thy wound,
That thy sorrow is incurable?11
Because of the greatness of thy guilt,
Because thy sins are innumerable, I have done this.
16Therefore all who devour thee shall be devoured,
And all thy oppressors shall go away together into captivity.
And they that spoil thee12 shall be a spoil,
And all thy plunderers will I give up to plunder.
17For I will restore health unto thee,
And I will heal thee of thy wounds, saith Jehovah;
For they call thee Outcast,
Zion, which no man asketh after.
EXEGETICAL AND CRITICAL
This whole strophe is most closely connected with Jer 30:11, and explains the three thoughts expressed in this verse: that Zion is chastised according to its deserts, but is not to be destroyed, while destruction shall be the lot of its enemies. Thus Jer 30:12-15 are a commentary on the words chastise thee according to justice in Jer 30:11. For it is here set forth that Israel is given over to severe sickness without a protector and physician (Jer 30:12-13), that all friends have forsaken the people so severely chastised by God, (Jer 30:14), which people moreover have no right to complain of such treatment, for the Lord has done this on account of their sins (Jer 30:15). The sentence therefore, etc. (Jer 30:16), refers back to the declaration in the 11th verse that the Lord will make an utter end of the nations, among whom He scattered Israel. The right of retribution is to be exercised on them in the fullest measure. Jer 30:17 finally is connected with the third point in Jer 30:11, viz., that Israel is to be healed of his wounds after he has been apparently outcast and forgotten.
Jer 30:12-15. For thus saith Jehovah I hare done this.For introduces the proof that Israel will not really be left unpunished, but will be severely chastised, so that he will only not be utterly destroyed.Mortal thy stroke. Comp. Jer 10:19; Jer 14:17. Jer 30:13. There is no one, etc. Comp. Jer 5:28; Jer 22:16.Thy lovers. Comp. Jer 22:20; Jer 22:22.For stroke of an enemy. When a man is forsaken by God his fellow-men also forsake him.For the greatness, etc. In these and the following words to the end of Jer 30:15 lies the confirmation of according to justice, Jer 30:11 to Jer 5:6; Jer 13:22.Why criest thou? Israel has no right to complain of severe treatment. The Lord deals with him, according to justice, Jer 30:11.
Jer 30:16. Therefore all give up to plunder.Therefore has no sense if we refer it to what immediately precedes. For it cannot be said that the .enemies are to be destroyed, because the Lord has punished His people according to the greatness of their guilt. For if only strict justice prevailed, Israel deserved the same punishment as, or even severer punishment than the heathen. Comp. Jer 2:10 sqq. I therefore refer Therefore to Jer 30:11, to which this whole passage is only a corollary, and particularly to the words Though I make a full end of all the nations, etc. Israels guilt is in the past, and cause of the present calamity, hence for in Jer 30:12. The destruction of the heathen is future, and the effect of the judgment pronounced by God in Jer 30:11, hence therefore, Jer 30:16.All who devour thee. Comp. rems. on Jer 2:3; Jer 10:25.Go away together, etc. Comp. Jer 22:22.Shall be a spoil. Comp. Zep 1:13; 2Ki 21:14.To plunder. Comp. Jer 2:14.
Jer 30:17. For I will restore asketh after. This sentence also refers to Jer 30:11, and to the words Will not make an end of thee. The Lord will not utterly destroy Israel, for He has in mind to heal the people of the blows to which they have been exposed.I will restore, etc. Comp. rems. on Jer 8:22.For they call. The statement of the reason refers here to the thought that Israel needed healing.Outcast. Comp. Isa 14:3-4; Mic 4:6; Zep 3:19.Zion, etc., a sentence of the object, dependent on a verbum dicendi contained in call.Which no man asketh after=ea, quam nemo curat.
[Jer 30:12-15. So desperate were the circumstances of the Jews in Babylon while enduring the punishment God had inflicted upon them for their crimes, that no human interposition which they would naturally expect, could avail for their deliverance. Egypt, Syria, Tyre, etc., which had formerly been their confederates, were all laid prostrate by the same haughty conqueror whose chains they themselves wore. They are accordingly represented under the metaphor of a body full of wounds, left entirely destitute of medical aid. Henderson.S. R. A.]
DOCTRINAL AND ETHICAL
1. Joh. Conr. Schaller, pastor at Cautendorf, says in his Gospel Sermons, (Hof. 1742, S. 628), These chapters are like a sky in which sparkle many brilliant stars of strong and consolatory declarations, a paradise and pleasure-garden in which a believing soul is refreshed with delightsome flowers of instruction, and solaced with sweetly flavored apples of gracious promise.
2. On Jer 30:1-3. The people of Israel were not then capable of bearing such a prophecy, brimming over with happiness and glory. They would have misused it, hearing to the end what was promised them, and then only the more certainly postponing what was the only thing then necessarysincere repentance. Hence they are not yet to hear this gloriously consolatory address. It is to be written, that it may in due time be perceived that the Lord, even at the time when He was obliged to threaten most severely, had thoughts of peace concerning the people, and that thus the period of prosperity has not come by chance, nor in consequence of a change of mind, but in consequence of a plan conceived from the beginning and executed accordingly.
3. On Jer 30:7. The great and terrible day of the Lord (Joe 3:4) has not the dimensions of a human day. It has long sent out its heralds in advance. Yea, it has itself already dawned. For since by the total destruction of the external theocracy judgment is begun at the house of God (1Pe 4:17), we stand in the midst of the day of God in the midst of the judgment of the world. Then the time of trouble for Jacob has begun (Jer 30:7), from which he is to be delivered, when the fulness of the Gentiles is come in (Romans 11.)
4. On Jer 30:9. Christ is David in his highest potency, and He is also still more. For if we represent all the typical points in Davids life as a circle, and draw a line from each of these points, the great circle thus formed would comprise only a part of the given in Christ. Nevertheless Christ is the true David, who was not chosen like Saul for his bodily stature, but only for his inward relation to God (comp. Psa 2:7), whose kingdom also does not cease after a short period of glory, but endures forever; who will not like Saul succumb to his enemies, but will conquer them all, and will give to his kingdom the widest extent promised; all this however not without, like David, having gone through the bitterest trials.
5. On Jer 30:11. Modus patern castigationis accommodatus et quasi appensus ad stateram judicii Dei adeoque non immensus sed dimensus. Christus ecclesiam crucis su hredem constituit. Gregor. M. Frster.
6. On Jer 30:14. Cum virlutem patienti nostr flagella transeunt, valde metuendum est, ne peccatis nostris exigentibus non jam quasi filii a patre, sed quasi hostes a Domino feriamur. Gregor. M. Moral. XIV. 20, on Job 19:11. Ghisler.
7. On Jer 30:17. Providentia Dei mortalibus salutifera, antequam percutiat, pharmaca medendi grati componit, et gladium ir su acuit. Evagr. Hist. Ecc 4:6.Quando incidis in tentationem, crede, quod nisi cognovisset te posse illam evadere, non permisisset te in illam incidere. Theophyl. in cap. 18 Joh. Frster.Feriam prius et sanabo melius. Theophyl. in Hosea 11. Ghisler.
8. On Jer 30:21. This church of God will own a, Prince from its midstJesus, of our flesh and blood through the virgin Mary, and He approaches God, as no other can, for He is Gods image, Gods Son, and at the same time the perfect, holy in all His sufferings, only obedient son of man. This king is mediator and reconciler with God; He is also high-priest and fulfilled all righteousness, as was necessary for our propitiation. What glory to have such a king, who brings us nigh unto God, and this is our glory! Diedrich.
9. On Jer 31:1. There is no greater promise than this: I will be thy God. For if He is our God we are His creatures, His redeemed, His sanctified, according to all the three articles of the Christian faith. Cramer.
10. On Jer 31:2. The rough heap had to be sifted by the sword, but those who survived, though afflicted in the desert of this life, found favor with God, and these, the true Israel, God leads into His rest. Diedrich.
11. On Jer 31:3. The love of God towards us comes from love and has no other cause above or beside itself, but, is in God and remains in God, so that Christ who is in God is its centre. For herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us (1Jn 4:10). Cramer. Totum grati imputatur, non nostris meritis. Augustine in Psalms 31. Frster. Before I had done anything good Thou hadst already moved towards me. Let these words be written on your hearts with the pen of the living God, that they may light you like flames of fire on the day of the marriage. It is your certificate of birth, your testimonial. Let me never lose sight of how much it has cost Thee to redeem me. Zinzendorf. God says: My chastisement even was pure love, though then you did not understand it; you shall learn it afterwards. Diedrich. [I incline to the construction given in the English version, both because the suffix to the verb is more naturally, I have drawn thee, than I have drawn out toward thee, and because there seems to be a tacit allusion to Hos 11:4, With loving kindness have I drawn thee.-A great moral truth lies in this passage so construed, viz., that the main power which humbles mans pride, softens his hard heart and makes him recoil in shame and sorrow from sinning, comes through his apprehension of Gods love as manifested in Christ and His cross. It is love that, draws the fearful or stubborn soul to the feet of divine mercy. Cowles.S. R. A.]
12. On Jer 31:6. It is well: the watchmen on Mount Ephraim had to go to Zion. They received however another visit from the Jewish priests, which they could not have expected at the great reformation, introduced by John, and which had its seat among other places on Mount Ephraim. The Samaritans were not far distant, and Mount Ephraim had even this honor that when the Lord came to His temple He took His Seat as a teacher there. Zinzendorf. [Gods grace loves to triumph over the most inveterate prejudices No words could represent a greater and more benign change in national feeling than these: Samaria saying through her spiritual watchmen, Let us go up to Zion to worship, for our God is there. Cowles. Ascendamus in Sion, hoc est in Ecclesiam says S. Jerome. According to this view, the watchmen here mentioned are the Preachers of the Gospel. Wordsworth.S. R. A.]
13. On Jer 31:9. I will lead them. It is an old sighing couplet, but full of wisdom and solid truth:
Lord Jesus, while I live on earth, O guide me,
Let me not, self-led, wander from beside Thee.
Zinzendorf.
14. On Jer 31:10. He who has scattered Israel will also collect it. Why? lie is the Shepherd. It is no wolf-scattering. He interposes His hand, then they go asunder, and directly come together again more orderly. Zinzendorf.
15. On Jer 31:12-14. Gaudebunt electi, quando videbunt supra se, intra se, juxta se, infra se. Augustine.Prmia clestia erunt tam magna, ut non possint mensurari, tam multa, ut non possint numerari, tam copiosa, ut non possint terminari, tam pretiosa, ut non possint stimari. Bernhard. Frster.
16. On Jer 31:15. Because at all times there is a similar state of things in the church of God, the lament of Rachel is a common one. For as this lament is over the carrying away captive and oppressions of Babylon, so is it also a lament over the tyranny of Herod in slaughtering the innocent children (Mat 2:1-7.)Cramer. Premuntur justi in ecclesia ut clament, clamantes exaudiuntur, exauditi glorificent Deum. Augustin. Frster.With respect to this, that Rachels lament may be regarded as a type of maternal lamentation over lost children, Frster quotes this sentence of Cyprian: non amisimus, sed prmisimus (2Sa 12:23). [On the application of this verse to the murder of the innocents consult W. L. Alexander, Connexion of the Old and New. Testament, p. 54, and W. H. Mill in Wordsworths Note in loc.S. R. A.]
17. On Jer 31:18. The conversion of man must always be a product of two factors. A conversion which man alone should bring about, without God, would be an empty pretence of conversion; a conversion, which God should produce, without man, would be a compulsory, manufactured affair, without any moral value. The merit and the praise is, however, always on Gods side. He gives the will and the execution. Did He not discipline us, we should never learn discipline. Did He not lead back our thoughts to our Fathers house which we have left (Luke 15) we should never think of returning.
18. On Jer 31:19. The children of God are ashamed their life long, they cannot raise their heads for humiliation. For their sins always seem great to them, and the grace of God always remains something incomprehensible to them.Zinzendorf. The farther the Christian advances in his consciousness of sonship and in sanctification, the more brilliantly rises the light of grace, the more distinctly does he perceive in this light, how black is the night of his sins from which God has delivered him. [It is the ripest and fullest ears of grain which hang their heads the lowest.S. R. A.]
19. On Jer 31:19. The use of the dear cross is to make us blush (Dan 9:8) and not regard ourselves as innocent (Jer 30:11). And as it pleases a father when a child soon blushes, so also is this tincture a flower of virtue well-pleasing to God. Cramer. Deus oleum miserationis su non nisi in vas contritum et contribulatum infundit. Bernhard.Frster.
20. On Jer 31:19. The reproach of my youth. The sins of youth are not easily to be forgotten (Psa 25:7; Job 31:18). Therefore we ought to be careful so to act in our youth as not to have to chew the cud of bitter reflection in our old age. It is a comfort that past sins of youth will not injure the truly penitent. Non nocent peccata prterita, cum non placent prsentia. Augustine. To transgress no more is the best sign of repentance. Cramer.
21. On Jer 31:20. Comforting and weighty words, which each one should lay to heart. God loves and caresses us as a mother her good child. He remembers His promise. His heart yearns and breaks, and it is His pleasure to do us good. Cramer. lpsius proprium est, misereri semper et parcere. Augustine.Major est Dei misericordia quam omnium hominum miseria. Idem.
22. On Jer 31:23. The Lord bless thee, thou dwelling-place of righteousness, thou holy mountain. Certainly no greater honor was ever done to the Jewish mountains than that the womans seed prayed and wept on them, was transfigured, killed and ascended above all heaven. Zinzendorf. It cannot be denied that a church sanctifies a whole place . Members of Jesus are real guardian angels, who do not exist in the imagination, but are founded on Gods promise (Mat 25:40). Idem.
23. On Jer 31:29-30. The so-called family curse has no influence on the servants of God; one may sleep calmly nevertheless. This does not mean that we should continue in the track of our predecessors, ex. gr., when our ancestors have gained much wealth by sinful trade, that we should continue this trade with this wealth with the hope of the divine blessing. If this or that property, house, right, condition be afflicted with a curse, the children of God may soon by prudent separation deliver themselves from these unsafe circumstances. For nothing attaches to their persons, when they have been baptized with the blood of Jesus and are blessed by Him. Zinzendorf.
24. On Jer 31:29-30. In testamento novo per sarguinem mediatoris deleto paterno chirographo incipit homo paternis debitis non esse obnoxius renascendo, quibus nascendo fuerat obligatus, ipso Mediatore di cente: Ne vobis patrem dicis in terra (Mat 23:9). Secundum hoc utique, quod alios natales, quibus non patri succederemus, sed cum patre semper viveremus, invenimus. Augustine, contra Julian, VI. 12, in Ghisler.
25. On Jer 31:31. In veteribus libris aut nusquam aut difficile prter hunc propheticum locum legitur facta commemoratio testamenti novi, ut omnino ipso nomine appellaretur. Nam multis locis hoc significalur et prnuntiatur futurum, sed non ita ut etiam nomen lega ur expressum. Augustine, de Spir. et Lit. ad Marcellin, Cap. 19 (where to Cap. 29 there is a detailed discussion of this passage) in Ghisler.In the whole of the Old Testament there is no passage, in which the view is so clearly and distinctly expressed as here that the law is only . And though some commentators have supposed that the passage contains only a censure of the Israelites and not of the Old Covenant, they only show thus that they have not understood the simple meaning of the words. Ebrard. Comm. zum Hebrerbr. S. 275.
26. On Jer 31:31, sqq. Propter veteris hominis noxam, qu per literam jubentem et minantem minime sanabatur, dicitur illud testamentum vetus; hoc antem novum propter novitatem spiritus, qu hominem novum sanat a vitio vetustatis. Augustine, c. Lit. Cap. 19.
27. On Jer 31:33. Quid sunt ergo leges Dei ab ipso Deo script in cordibus, nisi ipsa prsentia Spiritus sancti, qui est digitus Dei, quo prsente diffunditur charitas in cordibus nostrio, qu plenitudo legis est et prcepti finis? Augustine, l. c. Cap. 20.
28. On Jer 31:34. Quomodo tempus est novi testamenti, de quo propheta dixit: et non docebit unusquisque civem suum, etc. nisi quia rjusdem testamenti novi ternam mercedem, id est ipsius Dei beatissimam contemplationem promittendo conjunxit? Augustine, l. c. Cap. 24.
29. On Jer 31:33-34. This is the blessed difference between law and Gospel, between form and substance. Therefore are the great and small alike, and the youths like the elders, the pupils more learned than their teachers, and the young wiser than the ancients (1Jn 2:20 sqq.). Here is the cause:For I will forgive their iniquities. This is the occasion of the above; no one can effect this without it. Forgiveness of sins makes the scales fall from peoples eyes, and gives them a cheerful temper, clear conceptions, a clear head.Zinzendorf.
30. On Jer 31:35-37. Etsi particulares ecclesi intotum deficere possunt, ecclesia tamen catholica nunquam defecit aut deficiet. Obstant enim Dei amplissim promissiones, inter quas non ultimum locum sibi vindicut qu hic habetur Jer 31:37. Frster.
31. On Jer 31:38-40. Jerusalem will one day be much greater than it has ever been. This is not to be understood literally but spiritually. Jerusalem will be wherever there are believing souls, its circle will be without end and comprise all that has been hitherto impure and lost. This it is of which the prophet is teaching, and which he presents in figures, which were intelligible to the people in his time. The hill Gareb, probably the residence of the lepers, the emblem of the sinner unmasked and smitten by God, and the cursed valley of Ben-Hinnom will be taken up into the holy city. Gods grace will one day effect all this, and Israel will thus be manifested as much more glorious than ever before. Diedrich.
HOMILETICAL AND PRACTICAL
1. On Jer 30:5-9. Sermon on one of the last Sundays after Trinity or the second in Advent. The day of the judgment of the world a great day. For it is, (1) a day of anxiety and terror for all the world; (2) a day of deliverance from all distress for the church of the Lord; (3) a day of realization of all the happiness set in prospect before it.
2. On Jer 30:10-12. Consolation of the church in great trial. 1. It has well deserved the trial (Jer 30:12); 2. it is therefore chastised, but with moderation; 3. it will not perish but again enjoy peace.
3. On Jer 30:17. [The Restorer of mankind. 1. Faith in the Christian Sacrament and its attendant revelation of divine character alone answer the demand of the heart and reason of man for a higher state of moral perfection. 2. Christianity offers to maintain a communication between this world and that eternal world of holiness and truth. 3. It commends itself to our wants in the confirmation and direction of that principle of hope, which even in our daily and worldly life, we are perpetually forced to substitute for happiness, and 4. By the adorable object, which it presents to our affections. Archer ButlerS. R. A.]
4. On Jer 31:1-2. Gesetz and Zeugniss (Law and Testimony) 1864, Heft. 1. Funeral sermon of Ahlfeld.
5. On Jer 31:2-4. lb. 1865. Heft 1. Funeral sermon of Besser, S. 32 ff.
6. On Jer 31:3. C. Fr. Hartmann (Wedding, School, Catechism and Birth-day sermons, ed. C. Chr. Eberh. Ehemann. Tb. 1865). Wedding sermon. 1. A grateful revival in the love of God already received. 2. Earnest endeavor after a daily enjoyment of this love. 3. Daily nourishment of hope.
7. On Jer 31:3. Florey. Comfort and warning at graves. I. Bndchen, S. 253. On the attractions of Gods love towards His own children. They are, 1. innumerable and yet so frequently overlooked; 2. powerful and yet so frequently resisted; 3. rich in blessing and yet so frequently; unemployed. [For practical remarks on this text see also Tholuck, Stunden der Andacht, No. 11.S. R. A.]
8. On Jer 31:9. Confessional sermon by Dekan V. Biarowsky in Erlangen (in Palmers Evang. Casual-Reden, 2 te Folge, 1 Band. Stuttgart, 1850.) Every partaking of the Lords supper is a return to the Lord in the promised land, and every one who is a guest at the supper rises and comes. 1. How are we to come? (weeping and praying). 2. What shall we find? (Salvation and blessing, power and life, grace and help).
9. On Jer 31:18-20. Comparison of conversion with the course of the earth and the sun. 1. The man who has fallen away is like the planet in its distance from the sun; he flees from God as far as he Song of Solomon 2. Love however does not release him: a. he is chastened (winter, cold, long nights, short days); b. he accepts the chastening and returns to proximity to the sun (summer, warmth, light, life). Comp. Brandt, Altes und Neues in i extemporirbaren Entwrfen. Nremberg, 1829, II. 5. [The stubborn sinner submitting himself to God. I. A description of the feelings and conduct of an obstinate, impenitent sinner, while smarting under the rod of affliction: He is rebellioustill subdued. II. The new views and feelings produced by affliction through divine grace: (a) convinced of guilt and sinfulness; (b) praying; (c) reflecting on the effects of divine grace in his conversion. III. A correcting but compassionate God, watching the result, etc., (a) as a tender father mindful of his penitent child; (b) listening to his complaints, confessions and petitions; (c) declaring His determination to pardon. Payson.S. R. A.]
10. On Jer 31:31-34. Sermon on 1 Sunday in Advent by Pastor Diechert in Grningen, S. Stern aus Jakob. I. Stuttg. 1867.
11. On Jer 31:33-34. Do we belong to the people of God? 1. Have we holiness? 2. Have we knowledge? 3. Have we the peace promised to this people? (Caspari in Predigtbuch von Dittmar, Erlangen, 1845).
12. On Jer 31:33-34. By the new covenant in the bath of holy baptism all becomes new. 1. What was dead becomes alive 2. What was obscure becomes clear. 3. What was cold becomes warm. 4. What was bound becomes free (Florey, 1862).
Footnotes:
[8]Jer 30:12.The construction of with is found here only. Perhaps Nah 3:19 was in the prophets mind. The thought lying at the basis of this construction is: insanabile vulneri tuo, or more exactly: incurable is the predicate which belongs to your wound.
[9]Jer 30:13.As does not agree with , I refer it, with Graf, to what follows, in the sense of vulnus (that which is wrapped in bandages, as in Hos 5:13, =medicamenta ligaminis, dressings. Comp. Jer 46:11; Eze 30:21. [A. V.: There is none to plead thy cause, that thou mayest be bound up. Others render: for thy cure thou hast, etc. Henderson: I take to be a nominative absolute: as for medicines.S. R. A.]
[10]Jer 30:14.Here as afterwards in Jer 30:15, a whole sentence is twice dependent on . (Comp. Naegelsb. Gr., 112, 9).
[11]Jer 30:15.[A. V.: Why criest thou for thine affliction? Thy sorrow is incurable. Wordsworth after Ewald, Umbreit, Graf: Why criest thou for thine affliction, that thy sorrow is incurable.S. R. A.]
[12]Jer 30:16.. The Chethibh is to be punctuated . Since the root does not occur in Hebrew, this form is to be explained as an Aramaism for , Keri (Jer 50:11; Isa 17:14).
Fuente: A Commentary on the Holy Scriptures, Critical, Doctrinal, and Homiletical by Lange
I stay not to detain the Reader with any observations upon this blessed passage, though in itself it would invite some of the most delightful. But the gracious things here spoken of, both in a way of judgment and mercy, are so plain and so very obvious that they can need no comment. The Lord points out the awful state of his people by the fall, and their total inability to any recovery in themselves: and thus, from impressing on their minds their undeservings, he heightens the riches of his grace in their redemption!
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Jer 30:12 For thus saith the LORD, Thy bruise [is] incurable, [and] thy wound [is] grievous.
Ver. 12. Thy bruise is incurable, ] i.e., Inevitable, by God’s irrevocable decree. Or, It is incurable in itself; but not to me, who am an almighty Physician or surgeon. See Eze 37:11 . They seemed “free among the dead,” free of that company.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Jer 30:12-17
12For thus says the LORD,
‘Your wound is incurable
And your injury is serious.
13There is no one to plead your cause;
No healing for your sore,
No recovery for you.
14All your lovers have forgotten you,
They do not seek you;
For I have wounded you with the wound of an enemy,
With the punishment of a cruel one,
Because your iniquity is great
And your sins are numerous.
15Why do you cry out over your injury?
Your pain is incurable.
Because your iniquity is great
And your sins are numerous,
I have done these things to you.
16Therefore all who devour you will be devoured;
And all your adversaries, every one of them, will go into captivity;
And those who plunder you will be for plunder,
And all who prey upon you I will give for prey.
17For I will restore you to health
And I will heal you of your wounds,’ declares the LORD,
‘Because they have called you an outcast, saying:
It is Zion; no one cares for her.’
Jer 30:12-17 YHWH used foreign pagan nations to discipline His people. His people surely deserved it (cf. Jer 30:12; Jer 30:14 e,f, 15c,d). His people were
1. worshiping the fertility gods
2. making foreign alliances involving other gods
However, YHWH will act on their behalf after He judges them.
1. those who God used to judge Judah/Israel will also be judged in the same manner (see note at Jer 17:10)
2. He will restore their health (sickness was a metaphor for sin, cf. Isa 1:5-6)
3. He will heal their wounds
4. by implication from Jer 30:13, He will also be their advocate (BDB 192, #3, cf. Jer 5:28; Jer 22:16)
Jer 30:12 Your wound is incurable This word, curable (BDB 60 I) is from the same consonants as enosh (BDB 60), which speaks of man’s frailty, weakness, and fallenness. The paradox of this incurable wound (idolatry of which they will not repent, cf. Jer 15:18; Jer 30:15; Mic 1:9) is found in Jer 30:17, where God freely heals His people. The horror of Jer 8:18-22 is now reversed!
Jer 30:17 Zion The city of Jerusalem was built on seven hills. Mt. Zion was the site of the old Jebusite fortress. David built his palace there. It came to be an idiom for the entire city of Jerusalem (i.e., Jer 3:14).
Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley
Jer 30:12-17
Jer 30:12-17
For thus saith Jehovah, Thy hurt is incurable, and thy wound grievous. There is none to plead thy cause, that thou mayest be bound up: thou hast no healing medicines. All thy lovers have forgotten thee; they seek thee not: for I have wounded thee with the wound of an enemy, with the chastisement of a cruel one, for the greatness of thine iniquity, because thy sins were increased. Why criest thou for thy hurt? thy pain is incurable: for the greatness of thine iniquity, because thy sins were increased, I have done these things unto thee. Therefore all they that devour thee shall be devoured; and all thine adversaries, every one of them, shall go into captivity; and they that despoil thee shall be a spoil, and all that prey upon thee will I give for a prey. For I will restore health unto thee, and I will heal thee of thy wounds, saith Jehovah; because they have called thee an outcast, [saying], It is Zion, whom no man seeketh after.
Thy hurt is incurable. I will heal thee of thy wounds …..
(Jer 30:12; Jer 30:17). From the human standpoint, there was no remedy for the condition of Israel, but God would supply the healing and restoration which were impossible from any other source.
Notice how the metaphors are multiplied here. There is an incurable sickness; there is a terrible wound; there are no medicines available; there is a lawsuit and no one to plead the cause of the defendant; all of Israel’s lovers have forsaken her!
Thy lovers have forgotten thee…
(Jer 30:14). These were the surrounding nations upon which Israel had relied for help against Babylon.
The greatness of thine iniquity . .. thy sins were increased…
(Jer 30:15). The terrible punishment which God decreed for Israel was fully justified and amply deserved by the apostate people.
The Plight of Apostate Israel Jer 30:12-17
After soaring ahead in the time to the grand day of Israels deliverance the prophet now returns to the present plight of the nation. He first indicates in some detail the present sad situation of Israel, then points out reasons for that condition, and finally moves forward positively to predict deliverance for the nation.
In a few bold strokes of the pen Jeremiah paints a picture of the present wretched condition of Israel. The nation has an incurable wound (Jer 30:12) for which there are no healing medicines (Jer 30:13 b). No one pleads for the nation at the judgment bar of God where their own iniquities condemn them (Jer 30:13 a) Jeremiah has woven together two different figures of speech in Jer 30:12-13. This is a characteristic of his writing. The nation has been forgotten by her lovers i.e., her allies who had encouraged her to revolt against Babylon (Jer 30:14 a). The Lord Himself has treated Israel like an enemy. He has smitten them so severely that it would appear He was their implacable foe (Jer 30:14 b).
Attacked! Devoured! Carried away! How did Israel come to be in such desperate straits? Twice the prophet indicates the reason for the present plight. Because of the multitude of your iniquities, because your sins are great. The chastisement of Israel was well deserved because of the enormous guilt piled up by their innumerable sins (Jer 30:14-15).
The thought in the paragraph takes a sharp turn at Jer 30:16. The word therefore at the beginning of the verse is most significant. Because of the extremity of your need, therefore I will intervene on your behalf. Because you are unable to aid yourself, therefore I will act on your behalf. Because I have afflicted you so severely for your sins, therefore I will now mete out to your tormentors their rightly-deserved punishment. The end of the present plight will come when God brings punishment upon all the adversaries of Israel (Jer 30:16). Humanly speaking the case of Israel was hopeless. But God, the great and gracious Physician, then turns his attention to the wounds of Israel. Zions health is restored despite all the ridicule of her enemies. The sneering enemies had called Zion an outcast for whom no one was concerned. Yet the day will surely come when God in an act of pure grace will restore the nation (Jer 30:17).
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
Jer 30:15, Jer 14:17, Jer 15:18, 2Ch 36:16, Isa 1:5, Isa 1:6, Eze 37:11
Reciprocal: Pro 3:8 – shall Isa 30:19 – thou shalt Isa 42:3 – bruised Jer 8:22 – why Jer 33:6 – I will bring Jer 46:11 – in vain Jer 51:8 – take balm Lam 2:13 – who can Hos 2:7 – she shall follow Hos 5:13 – his wound Hos 6:1 – he hath torn Amo 5:2 – none Mar 5:26 – had suffered
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Jer 30:12. We have observed that the events in the history of the Jews are not always recorded or predicted in chronological order. This verse and the three that follow pertain to the fate which God had decreed against his people. Bruise is incurable is a figurative statement that Judah had sinned so grievously that nothing that man could do would cure the condition.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Jer 30:12-15. Thy bruise is incurable In all human appearance. The state that the Jews should be in would be so miserable that it would be incurable from any hand except that of God. There is none to plead thy cause There is none that, by the reformation of their lives, or their intercessions with God, endeavour to avert his displeasure. Or, as the words may be rendered, There is none to judge thy cause, none that knows the true nature of thy malady, or what medicines are proper to be applied to it. Their calamitous state is compared to a distempered body; (see Jer 30:17, and Jer 8:22; Isa 1:5-6;) and the false prophets, instead of applying proper remedies, have healed thy wound slightly. Or the words may mean, There is none to intercede for thee with thy victors and oppressors. All thy lovers have forgotten thee All the nations whose alliance they had solicited, and whose idolatries they had imitated, and who had professed much friendship for them, had neglected and forgotten them, and desired no farther connection with them. They seek thee not Seek not thy welfare, but abandon thee to ruin. For I have wounded thee with the wound of an enemy, &c. Thy iniquities have provoked me to punish thee with that severity which appears like cruelty, and as if I had declared myself an utter enemy to thee. Why criest thou for thine affliction?
Why shouldest thou expostulate with me, as if I had dealt unjustly with thee, whereas, if thy condition seem desperate, it is owing to thine own iniquities, which have still been increased with new aggravations of guilt.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
The healing of Zion’s incurable wounds 30:12-17
"This strophe is only a fuller expression of the idea set forth in Jer 30:11, that the Lord certainly chastises Israel, but will not make an end of him." [Note: Keil, 2:8.]
Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)
Yahweh had inflicted His people with a wound from which they could not recover because they had sinned greatly. No one could intercede effectively for them because the Lord had determined to punish them. Israel’s political allies had forsaken her and would not help her. Even crying out would not help them.