Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Jeremiah 3:8
And I saw, when for all the causes whereby backsliding Israel committed adultery I had put her away, and given her a bill of divorce; yet her treacherous sister Judah feared not, but went and played the harlot also.
8. I saw ] rather (as mg.) she (Judah) saw that etc., thus harmonizing with the similar passage, Eze 23:11.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Rather, And I saw that because apostate Israel had committed adultery, I had put her away, and given her the writing of her divorcement, yet false Judah her sister feared not….The expression, For all the causes whereby, is probably the actual formula with which writings of divorcement commenced.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 8. I had put her away] Given them up into the hands of the Assyrians.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
I saw: q.d. That which others discern not I saw well enough, viz. both her hypocrisy and dissimulation, and her incorrigibleness notwithstanding what had befallen Israel, whose correction should have been her instruction; thus God speaks of the notice he took of both, Jer 23:13,14. Israel is said to be backsliding, but Judah
treacherous, because she retained the worship of God, though she did often privately and closely embrace idols. and sometimes publicly, under Manasseh, and Ahaz, and other wicked kings:
When for all the causes; or notwithstanding all the ground and reason I had to deal so with Israel in regard of her adulteries, as to put her away.
Given her a bill of divorce; delivered her up into the hands of the Assyrian, where God took from her the title of being his church, 2Ki 17:5,6, &c., which he calls here a bill of divorce; not such a one as the Jews were allowed to give upon every slight ground, (for such a one God denies that ever he gave them, and challengeth them to produce it, Isa 1:1) but upon just and great occasion, viz. her playing the adulteress against him in her idolatries. Feared not, i.e. was neither afraid of giving me offence, nor of the like punishment. But went and played the harlot also; although she had seen the judgment of God executed upon Israel before her eyes, which made it the more stupendous, that she would take no warning by her sisters sufferings, Pro 28:14, yet she went on still, Eze 23:11,12, &c.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
8. I saw that, though (whereas)it was for this very reason (namely), because backsliding (apostate)Israel had committed adultery I had put her away (2Ki 17:6;2Ki 17:18), and given her a billof divorce, yet Judah, c. (Eze23:11, &c.).
bill of divorceliterally,”a writing of cuttings off.” The pluralimplies the completeness of the severance. The use of this metaphorhere, as in the former discourse (Jer3:1), implies a close connection between the discourses. Theepithets are characteristic Israel “apostate” (as theHebrew for “backsliding” is better rendered); Judah,not as yet utterly apostate, but treacherous orfaithless.
alsoherself also, likeIsrael.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And I saw, when for all the causes, whereby backsliding Israel committed adultery,…. Not only Judah saw, but God, who sees all things, saw the idolatry of the ten tribes which apostatized from him, and all the springs, causes, reasons, and occasions of it, and its consequences; and also the treachery, hardness, and idolatry of Judah:
I had put her away, and given her a bill of divorce; as men did, when they put away their wives, as they might lawfully do in case of adultery; and here being that which answered to it, spiritual adultery or idolatry, the Lord, who was married to this people, put them away from him, and caused them to be carried captive out of their own land into another, 2Ki 17:6 which is meant by the bill of divorce; so the Targum,
“I caused them to go into captivity, as those that give a bill of divorce (to their wives) and dismiss them:”
yet her treacherous sister Judah feared not; to commit idolatry and offend the Lord, nor stood in awe of his righteous judgments; had no reverence of God, nor fear of punishment; so hardened and daring was she: but went and played the harlot; committed idolatry, as the ten tribes did, taking no warning by what befell them.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
He then says, And I saw As he had said that the kingdom of Judah had seen what happened to Israel, so he now says, that he had seen both, See then did I Now, what does he declare that he had seen? Even that Judah had played the harlot; for he now speaks of Judah as of a woman. Then God says, that it was not a thing hid from him that Judah had surpassed the crimes of her sister, not through ignorance or deception, but through deliberate wickedness: See, he says, did I, that notwithstanding all these things, she played the harlot He thus explains more fully what he had briefly touched upon before. He had said, that Judah had seen, but this on account of its brevity might have appeared ambiguous: he therefore explains it more at large; “ See did Judah that I gave a bill of divorcement to her sister, because she had played the harlot; and yet she feared not;” that. is, she thought not of repenting, when she had such a striking example of vengeance set before her eyes.
But it may be here asked, how could it be said that a bill of divorce had been given to the Israelites, when he denies by the Prophet Isaiah that he had given it? (Isa 50:1.) But the Prophet here takes another view of the subject; for he does not speak here of the bills of divorce, such as were usually given, when a husband repudiated a wife who had been chaste and faithful; but he speaks of that lawful divorce, when a woman, convicted of adultery, is liable to a capital punishment. God then by his prophet Isaiah denies that he had given a bill of divorcement; but he says here that he had given it, because he had repudiated an adulterous woman. It was not indeed at that time customary among the Jews to divorce an adulteress, for she was led to execution. But we have seen at the beginning of the chapter that there is a difference between God and husbands. As then God did not deal, as he might have justly done, with the Israelites, and did not execute a capital punishment, as he might rightly have done, and what was usually done, he says that he had given a bill of divorce, that is, that he had repudiated that people. But by the bill of divorce he means exile; for when the ten tribes were banished, it was the same as though God openly shewed that he had no connection with that people: as long as they continued in the holy land and in the promised inheritance, some kind of union remained; but when they were dispersed here and there, and every sort of worship had ceased among them, and also when the very kingdom of Israel had no longer an existence, God had then divorced them.
See then did her sister Judah, and she feared not It was indeed an instance of great insensibility, not to learn wisdom at the expense of others; and it is a complaint found everywhere in the prophets, — that the Jews were not stimulated to repentance, while God spared them, and at the same time set before them examples which ought in all reason to have terrified them. For what ought they to have considered, but that God would punish those many transgressions by which they provoked his wrath, since he had not spared their brethren? They saw that the kingdom of Israel had been abolished, and yet all of them derived their origin from the same father, even Abraham: how was it then that they so heedlessly despised God’s judgment, which had been for a long time before their eyes? Hence he complains that they feared not It now follows —
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(8) And I saw, when for all the causes.Better, perhaps (following a conjectural emendation, which gives a much better sense), And she saw that for all the causes. The technical fulness of the words suggests the thought that they were actually the customary formula with which every writing of divorcement began, recapitulating the offences which were alleged by the husband against the wife. The actual repudiation consisted, of course, in the bitter exile and loss of national life, which Hosea (Hos. 2:1-13) had predicted under a like figure. Judah had witnessed the sin and the punishment, and yet was following in the same path.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
8. A bill of divorce How fearful a thing is a bill of divorce from the Almighty! A withdrawal of the divine support and protection carries with it all dark and dreadful possibilities. The pall of desolation which for twenty-five centuries has covered this land is a fit but feeble expression of the fearfulness of abandonment by God!
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Jer 3:8. And I saw, &c. And I saw when on account of the adultery which backsliding Israel had committed, &c. Houbigant renders the words, I saw, in the third person; Nay, though she saw, that l had put away backsliding Israel, for all the adulteries, &c.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Jer 3:8 And I saw, when for all the causes whereby backsliding Israel committed adultery I had put her away, and given her a bill of divorce; yet her treacherous sister Judah feared not, but went and played the harlot also.
Ver. 8. And I saw. ] That which others could not so easily discern – viz., their hypocrisy and hollow heartedness, their incorrigibleness also, and refusing to be warned by what had befallen their brethren. God looked that Israel’s corrections should have been Jerusalem’s instructions, and that by their lashes she should have been lessoned, which because she was not he is highly displeased, and speaks of it here in a very angry dialect.
Yet her treacherous sister Judah feared not.
But went and played the harlot also.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
And I saw. In transcribing from the ancient characters, Aleph (= a) was perhaps taken for Tau (= t), the two letters differing only in one minute stroke (=) and (=). This shows that the primitive reading was = “Though she saw”. The Vulg, has preserved the ancient reading, which the Revised Version has put in the margin.
given her a bill, &c. Reference to Pentateuch (Deu 24:1). Compare Isa 50:1. Mar 10:4.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
when for: Jer 3:1, 2Ki 17:6-18, 2Ki 18:9-11, Eze 23:9, Hos 2:2, Hos 2:3, Hos 3:4, Hos 4:15-17, Hos 9:15-17
and given her: Deu 24:1, Isa 50:1
feared not: 2Ki 17:19, Eze 23:11-21, Hos 4:15
Reciprocal: Gen 38:24 – played the harlot 2Ki 17:13 – and against 2Ki 18:12 – they obeyed not 2Ch 17:4 – not after 2Ch 21:13 – a whoring Jer 3:6 – backsliding Jer 3:7 – her treacherous Jer 3:11 – The backsliding Jer 3:14 – for I am married Jer 3:20 – so have Jer 7:15 – I will Jer 11:15 – to do Jer 31:22 – backsliding Eze 16:32 – General Eze 16:46 – elder Eze 16:51 – justified Eze 23:31 – walked Hos 1:4 – will cause Hos 4:16 – slideth Hos 11:7 – are bent Hos 12:2 – and will Mic 1:13 – for Mat 19:7 – Why Mat 19:9 – except Rom 5:20 – But
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Jer 3:8. In Jer 3:4 the relation of father and offspring was used for an illustration. In keeping with that the two kingdoms of the people of God, Israel and Judah, are spoken of as sisters in a few of the verses. The former sister persisted so long in her spiritual adultery that her husband finally put her away with a bill Of divorce. Even this severe chastisement did not influence the other sister for good, but instead she went and committed the same unfaithfulness for which the other had been divorced.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Jer 3:8. And I saw As if he had said, That which others discerned not, I saw perfectly; namely, both her hypocrisy and her incorrigibleness, notwithstanding what had befallen Israel, whose correction should have instructed and reformed her. When for all the causes The various idolatries and other sins, for which I had given her That is, Israel; a bill of divorce Delivered her up into the hands of the Assyrians, and thereby taken from her the title of being my church; yet her sister Judah feared not Was neither afraid of giving me offence, nor of the like punishment; but went and played the harlot also Was forward enough to worship any idol that was introduced, and to join in any idolatrous usage, although she had seen the judgment of God executed upon Israel before her eyes.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
3:8 And I saw, when for all the causes by which backsliding Israel committed adultery I had put {k} her away, and given her a bill of divorce; yet her treacherous sister Judah feared not, but went and played the harlot also.
(k) And gave her into the hands of the Assyrians.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
Yahweh decided to put away His unfaithful "wife" Israel, to divorce her. So He sent her off to Assyria in captivity. But observing the consequences of Israel’s conduct did not discourage Judah from following in her sister’s footsteps. She too became a spiritual harlot and betrayed the trust of her "husband." Yahweh’s relationship to both Israel and Judah was the same in that both kingdoms were His chosen people. We should not press the illustration too far or we come out with a picture of God as a bigamist.