Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Jeremiah 4:18
Thy way and thy doings have procured these [things] unto thee; this [is] thy wickedness, because it is bitter, because it reacheth unto thine heart.
18. Thy way and thy doings ] See on Jer 7:3.
wickedness ] i.e. its result, viz. calamity.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Thy wickedness – This siege is thy wickedness, i. e., in its results; or better, this is thy wretchedness, this army and thy approaching ruin is thy misery.
Because – For. To feel that ones misery is the result of ones own doings adds bitterness to the anguish, and makes it reach, penetrate to the heart.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Thy way; thy manner of life, and particularly thy idolatries.
Have procured these things unto thee: q.d. Thou canst not lay any blame upon me.
This is thy wickedness, because it is bitter; thy wickedness hath been the cause of this thy grievous affliction, Isa 1:1; Jer 2:17,19, of this thy bitterness of bringing such a bitter enemy against thee, a metonymy of the efficient, which hath reached unto thy very heart, as the sword is said to reach unto the soul, Jer 4:10.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
18. (Jer 2:17;Jer 2:19; Psa 107:17).
this is thy wickednessthatis, the fruit of thy wickedness.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Thy way and thy doings have procured these things unto thee,…. The way in which they walked, which was an evil one; and the actions which they committed; their idolatries, backslidings, and rebellions, before spoken of in this and the preceding chapter, were the cause of this siege, and those calamities coming upon them; they had none to blame but themselves; it was their own sinful ways and works which brought this ruin and destruction on them:
this is thy wickedness; the fruit of thy wickedness; or, “this thy calamity”; that is, is owing to these things; so the word is rendered in Ps 141:5:
because it is bitter; not sin, as in Jer 2:19, but the punishment of it; the calamity before mentioned; which was hard and heavy, and grievous to be borne, and yet very just; it was by way of retaliation; “they had bitterly provoked the Lord”, as the word may be rendered in the preceding verse; and now he sends them a bitter calamity, and a heavy judgment:
because it reacheth unto thine heart; into the midst of them, and utterly destroyed them. The two last clauses may be rendered, “though it is bitter, though it reacheth unto thine heart” d; though it is such a sore distress, and such an utter destruction, yet it was to be ascribed to nothing else but their own sins and transgressions.
d “quamvis amarum sit, quamvis pertigerit”, Calvin.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
As I have just said, the Prophet confirms what he had declared, — that the Jews would not have to suffer, according to what is commonly said, an adverse fortune, but would be summoned by God to judgment, in order that being touched with the fear of God, they might repent, or at least, though destroyed as to the flesh, they might yet, being humbled, obtain pardon and be saved as to the Spirit.
He therefore says, that their deeds had done this for them; as though he had said, “There is no reason for you to blame God, or your adverse fortune, as ye are wont to do, and as all the heathens also do; for your own deeds have procured for you these calamities. Thus God will perform his office of a judge; and whatever may happen to you is to be ascribed to your own wickedness.” And to the same purpose is what he adds, This is thy wickedness. In short, the Prophet shews, that the Jews in vain transferred their calamities to this or that cause, for the whole blame was in themselves; they procured for themselves their own ruin by their impiety and evil deeds.
In the second clause of the verse, כי מר כי נגע, ki mer, ki nego, etc., the Prophet intimates, that however bitter might be to them what they were to endure, and however it might penetrate into the inmost heart, it was yet to be ascribed to themselves. For hypocrites are wont in their lamentations to cast the blame on God, or at least to complain of fortune. The Prophet anticipates these evasions, by shewing that however bitter might be what the Jews had to endure, and that though God should pierce them through and penetrate to their very bowels and hearts, yet they themselves were the authors of all their calamities. (115) He then adds —
(115) Blayney, contrary to all the early versions, renders אלה, “a curse,“ instead of “these,“ but there is no sufficient reason for the change. It is difficult to see what is the precise idea intended in our version as to the latter part of the verse. The meaning given by Calvin seems to be this, — that though the visitation was bitter and reached to the heart, it was yet to be ascribed to their wickedness. Blayney’s version is this, —
Such is thy calamity; for it is bitterness; for it is a plague even unto thy heart.
The latter words are taken as explanatory of the calamity. The word רעה does indeed mean sometimes a calamity; but all the early versions, as well as the Targum, render it here “wickedness.” Hence the most suitable rendering would be, —
Such is thy wickedness! Though bitter, though reaching to thy heart.
That כי may be rendered “though” is evident from Jos 17:18; and it ought to be so rendered in Exo 34:9; and in other places. But we may take the first כי in its primary sense, surely, certainly, truly, and the second as a causative, for, because; an instance of a similar kind we meet in Exo 13:17 : the first כי precedes an adjective, and is rendered “Although;” and the second כי, a verb, and is rendered “for.” Then our version would be, —
Such is thy wickedness (that is, its effect)! Surely, bitter; for it reaches to thy heart.
—
Ed.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(18) This is thy wickedness.Better, this is thy evil. She was reaping the fruit of her own doing, and this gave her sorrows a fresh bitterness. The Hebrew word, like the English evil, includes both guilt and its punishment.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
Jer 4:18. Thy way, &c. Thy ways and thy doings will procure thee these things: this is thy wickedness for they will be bitter, and will reach to thy heart. “Whatsoever happens to you, happens by your own fault, who have turned the sweet goodness of the Lord into bitterness, and have compelled him, however unwilling, to rage against you,” says St. Jerome on the place.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Jer 4:18 Thy way and thy doings have procured these [things] unto thee; this [is] thy wickedness, because it is bitter, because it reacheth unto thine heart.
Ver. 18. Thy way and thy doings have procured these things unto thee. ] This is like as we use to say to our children when they have taken cold or got any harm, This is your gadding and dabbling in the dirt, your going in the snow, your eating of fruit, &c.
This is thy wickedness,
Because it is bitter.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Thy way: Jer 2:17, Jer 2:19, Jer 5:19, Jer 6:19, Jer 26:19, Job 20:5-16, Psa 107:17, Pro 1:31, Pro 5:22, Isa 50:1
it reacheth: Jer 4:10
Reciprocal: Gen 42:21 – we saw 2Ch 12:5 – Ye have forsaken me 2Ch 24:20 – because Job 4:8 – they that plow Jer 14:16 – for Jer 44:3 – of their Lam 5:16 – woe Eze 24:14 – according to thy ways Eze 39:24 – General Hos 7:2 – their own Hos 13:9 – thou Mic 1:5 – the transgression of Jacob Zep 1:17 – because Act 8:23 – the gall
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Jer 4:18. Way means a course of life as a whole and doings refers to the individual acts in that way. The language is present tense in form but is a prediction of things soon to happen to Judah. She is told that all of her bitter and heartfelt experiences will have been brought on by her own conduct.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Jer 4:18. Thy way and thy doings Thy manner of life, and particularly thy idolatries; have procured these things unto thee Have been the causes of this thy grievous affliction, of bringing such a bitter enemy against thee, which hath reached unto thy very heart. Whatsoever happens to you, says Jerome on the place, happens by your own fault, who have turned the sweet goodness of God into bitterness, and have compelled him, however unwilling, to rage against you.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
God’s people had brought this punishment on themselves by breaking the Mosaic Covenant. God was not acting arbitrarily. Their evil had been great, but it had not moved them to repent.