Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Jeremiah 42:20
For ye dissembled in your hearts, when ye sent me unto the LORD your God, saying, Pray for us unto the LORD our God; and according unto all that the LORD our God shall say, so declare unto us, and we will do [it].
20. have dealt deceitfully against your own souls ] i.e. selves or lives; mg. (less well) in your souls. It is best (with slight modification of the MT.) to render with LXX “ye have done evil against,” etc.
Jer 43:1-7. See introd. summary to the section.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Ye dissembled in your hearts – Or, ye have led yourselves astray, i. e., your sending me to ask counsel of God was an act of self-delusion. You felt so sure that God would direct you to go into Egypt, that now that He has spoken to the contrary, you are unable to reconcile yourselves to it.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Jer 42:20
For ye dissembled in your hearts, when ye sent me unto the Lord your God, saying, Pray for us.
The hypocrisy of desiring the prayers of others without a suitable conduct
I. Consider on what principles desiring the prayers of others is grounded. They are these; that it is our duty to pray for one another; that God hath often shown a gracious regard to the intercessions of His servants for others; and that it is very desirable, especially in some particular cases, to have an interest in them.
II. When they who desire the prayers of others may be said to dissemble in their hearts. They do so when they desire them without sincerity; when they will not pray for themselves; when they will not use proper means to obtain the blessings they desire; and especially when they will not do what God by His Word and ministers requireth.
III. The hypocrisy and evil of this conduct. It is an affront to the all-seeing and holy God; it is likewise deceiving their friends; and prayers offered for such persons are not likely to be of much avail. Application–
1. We may hence learn, with what dispositions of mind we should desire the prayers of others. Whenever we ask the intercessions of others, let it be in sincerity; with a firm persuasion of the power of prayer; that it is not in vain to seek God; and that it is our duty to engage the assistance of our friends, by their application to the throne of grace. Be solicitous that you concur with them by praying yourselves without ceasing in the best manner you are able; and with your chief dependence for acceptance, not on your own prayers, nor those of your friends, but the mediation of Jesus Christ.
2. That we should be ready to pray one for another. Whenever we think of an absent relation or friend, or hear of him, or receive a letter from him, let us lift up our hearts to God for him in a short petition, as his circumstances may require. But we should be particularly mindful of those who desire our prayers.
3. It is peculiarly wicked to dissemble in our hearts, when we profess dependence on the intercession of Christ. (Job Orion, D. D.)
Dissembling with God
I. Consider, what was that great and general duty, against which the Jews, on the occasion before us, rebelled. Ye disembled, said Jeremiah, in your hearts. Dissimulation, like other sins, admits of degrees. The heart may dissemble radically and entirely, so as to be wholly hypocritical; so as not to feel any portion of that love to God, of that faith, of that gratitude, of that sense of duty, of that purpose of obedience which the tongue expresses. Or it may dissemble partially; feeling weakly and insufficiently those sentiments towards Him, which dwell with parade and seeming warmth upon the lips. The doom which awaits the complete hypocrite, cannot be doubted. Let the partial hypocrite beware, lest he at last come to the same place of torment.
II. Consider, each for himself, how strong is the probability that you may be guilty, in a greater or a less degree, of dissembling in your heart before God. We have in our hands the Word of God, which describes the character of a true Christian. We have before our eyes the practice of the world. When we compare them, we cannot but perceive how vast is the number of professed Christians who evince little of the spirit of true Christianity in their principles and conduct: and therefore stand self-convicted as dissemblers in their hearts before the Most High. When you call to remembrance the multitudes even among those who styled themselves the followers of God, which in ancient times the sinfulness and deceitfulness of the heart betrayed into hypocrisy: when you survey the multitudes of His professed followers, which in this your day the same sinfulness and deceitfulness render hypocritical before Him: have you not reason for serious dread that you may yourself be found a dissembler in His sight?
III. A scriptural rule, which may assist you in discovering whether, if the Son of God were now to call you to judgment, you would be found dissemblers in your hearts. Where your treasure is, saith our Lord, there will your heart be also. In other words, Whatever be the object which you judge and feel to be the most valuable; concerning that object will your heart snow itself to be the most steadily and the most deeply interested. Apply this rule to yourself. Thus you may discover with absolute certainty whether your heart is fixed upon God, or whether it dissembles before Him.
1. Compare the pains which you employ, the vigilance which you exercise, the anxiety which you feel, concerning worldly objects, on the one hand; on the other, concerning religion.
2. When you receive a kindness from a friend, you feel, I presume, warm and durable emotions of gratitude, and an earnest desire to render to your benefactor such a return, in proportion to your ability, as may be acceptable to him. You are receiving every day from God blessings infinitely superior to all the kindnessess which can be conferred upon you by any of your fellow-creatures. Do you feel then still more lively and durable emotions of gratitude to Him?
3. Your worldly prosperity is an object which you pursue with industry and solicitude. Are you still more diligent, more anxious, in pursuing the welfare of your soul?
4. You have various occupations to which you resort, as opportunities offer themselves, from inclination and choice. Among these is religion to be found? Does religion stand at the head of them?
5. When you are informed of the events which befall another person, you rejoice, if they are such as promote his worldly advantage; you lament, if they impair it. Do you experience greater joy when you are assured of his advancement in religion? Do you experience greater sorrow if you learn that he has gone backward in the ways of righteousness? (T. Gisborne, M. A.)
Insincerity in prayer
Rarely do men come to Christ, says Leighton, as blank paper–ut tabula rasa–to receive His doctrine; but, on the contrary, all scribbled and blurred with such base habits as malice, hypocrisy, and envy.
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 20. For ye dissembled in your hearts] What a most miserable and incorrigible people! Ingratitude, hypocrisy, rebellion, and cruelty seem to have been enthroned in their hearts! And what are they still? Just what their fathers were, except in the mere article of idolatry; and that they do not practise because they are indifferent to their own religion and to that of all others. Examine their devotions and their lives, and see whether Charity herself can say they believe in the God of Abraham!
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Ye dissembled in your hearts; or, you have used deceit, either towards God, dealing falsely with him, calling him to be a witness to your sincerity in what you never intended any sincerity in; or towards me, sending me to inquire of God for you, and promising to do according to what I should reveal to you from God as his will, whenas you never intended it; or towards your own souls, as every sinner doth but deceive his own soul: you made a pretence of what was not in your hearts, when you sent me to pray Gods direction for you, and made me such a firm promise to do whatsoever I should reveal to you from God as his will in this case.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
20. dissembled in yourheartsrather, “ye have used deceit against your (own)souls.” It is not God, but yourselves, whom ye deceive, to yourown ruin, by your own dissimulation (Ga6:7) [CALVIN]. But thewords following accord best with English Version, ye havedissembled in your hearts (see on Jer42:3) towards me, when ye sent me to consult God for you.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
For ye dissembled in your hearts,…. Did not honestly and faithfully declare their intentions; they said one thing with their mouths, and meant another in their minds; they pretended they would act according to the will of God, as it should be made known to them by him, when they were determined to take their own way. Some render it, “ye have deceived [me] in your hearts” z; the prophet, so Kimchi; by that which was in their hearts, not declaring what was their real intention and design: or, “ye have deceived your souls” a; you have deceived yourselves and one another; I have not deceived you, nor the Lord, but you have put a cheat upon your own souls: or, “you have used deceit against your souls” b; to the hurt of them, to your present ruin and everlasting destruction:
when ye sent me unto the Lord your God; the prophet did not go of himself, they desired him to go:
saying, pray for us unto the Lord our God; to be directed in the way they should go; so that the prophet did nothing but what they desired him to do:
and according to all that the Lord our God shall say, so declare unto us, and we will do [it]; they pressed him to a faithful declaration of the will of God to them, and promised they would act according to it. Now he had done all this; he had been wire God, prayed unto him as they requested, and had brought them his mind and will, and made a faithful relation of it, and yet they did not attend to it; so that the deceit was not in him, but in them, as follows:
z “seduxistis [me] animis vestris”, so some in Vatablus; “fefellistis me”, Munster. So Ben Melech. a “Fecistis errare animas vestras”, Pagninus; “fefellistis”, Calvin. b “Seduxeritis vos contra animas vestras”, Schmidt.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
He now adds another circumstance, that they had sent him under the pretense of rare piety, as though they were in every way ready to render obedience to God. But he first says that they had deceived themselves, or had been deceived. The verb תעה, toe, from which the Hithpael comes, means to err or go astray. But interpreters do not agree; for some give this explanation, that they deceived the Prophet in their hearts, that is, that they craftily retained their perverse design of going to Egypt, and at the same time professed that they were ready to obey. But as the Prophet’s name is not mentioned here, this explanation seems unnatural. I therefore prefer the other explanation, that they deceived themselves; and ב, beth, is here redundant, as in many places: Ye deceived, then, your own souls, when ye sent me, he says, to Jehovah The Prophet intimates that when they sought to act craftily they were deceived; for God is wont to discover the astute, and when they devise this or that, they only weave snares and toils for themselves; and we see that craftiness ever brings the ungodly to ruin. The Prophet, according to this sense, derides that perverse affectation of astuteness, when the ungodly seek to deceive God; and he says that they deceived themselves, as we see also daily. Then he says that they themselves had been the authors of the evil, for they had brought themselves to ruin by their astute and crafty counsel, when they sent him to Jehovah. The כי , ki, is to be taken here as an adverb of time, When ye sent me to Jehovah your God, saying, Pray for us. (129)
He reproves them not only for perfidy, but also for sacrilege, because they wickedly profaned the name of God. For it. was not to be endured that they should pretend a regard for religion, and testify that they would be obedient to God, and should at the same time cherish in their hearts that perverse intention which afterwards they discovered. And hence he not only relates that he had been sent, but that he had also been solicited to intercede for them. It was then a twofold sacrilege, for they had asked what would please God, and afterwards disregarded the prophecy, — and then they offered a prayer, and when God gave them an answer by his servant., they counted it as nothing! We now perceive why Jeremiah so expressly mentioned these two things.
Pray for us to our God, and according to all which Jehovah our God shall say, relate thou to us: the people seemed to act with wonderful sincerity; they exhorted the Prophet to dissemble nothing, to add nothing and to diminish nothing’. What better can be wished than that men should lay aside all ambiguity and all evasions, and not wish God’s words to be corrupted? And this the Jews expressed in high terms, Whatever Jehovah our God shall answer, declare thou to us Here they seemed to have more zeal than Jeremiah himself; for they enjoined a law, that he should add nothing and diminish nothing, but that he should be a faithful interpreter of God’s will. They seemed then to be half-angels. They afterwards testified that they would do whatever God should command them.
(129) All the versions and the Targum differ as to the construction of these two verses, the 19 and the 20, and modern authors too. I offer the following rendering, —
19. The word of Jehovah to you, the remnant of Judah, is this, Enter not into Egypt; knowing, know (or, surely know,) that I make this pro-
20. test to you this day. Verily, ye do go greatly astray against your own selves; for ye sent me to Jehovah your God, etc., etc.
The first clause is according to the Vulg. The express message was, not to enter into Egypt. What they were to know and remember was the protest he made to them. Then in verse 20, he charges them with inconsistency, that they went astray from their own professions, and afterwards he specifies what they had promised. There is, according to this view, a consistency in the whole passage. The word soul is often taken for the person: “against your own selves,” is literally “against your own souls.” The meaning of the phrase is, that they belied themselves, as it is evident from what follows. The past tense in Hebrew may often be rendered by the present, as it refers to time up to the present and including the present. The future also in Hebrew may be rendered by the present, because it refers often to what is now and continues to be. — Ed.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(20) For ye dissembled in your hearts . . .Looks and whispers betrayed, we may believe, the feelings of the prophets hearers. He saw by such outward signs, or he read, as by the intuition of inspiration, the secret counsels of their hearts (1Co. 14:24-25), that they had made a false profession of their readiness to obey, and really meant all along to act as they liked, with the prophets approval, if they could get it; if not, without. Hypocrisy such as this could not fail to draw down a righteous punishment.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
20. Ye dissembled, etc. The marginal reading is better: ye have used deceit against your souls. That is, your self-delusion is against your own souls.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
DISCOURSE: 1082
DISSIMULATION REPROVED
Jer 42:20-21. Ye dissembled in your hearts, when ye sent me unto the Lord your God, saying, Pray for us unto the Lord our God; and according unto all that the Lord our God shall say, so declare unto us, and we will do it. And now I hare this day declared it to you; but ye have not obeyed the voice of the Lord your God, nor any thing for the which he hath sent me unto you.
THE office of a minister, if it abound with consolations, abounds with trials and afflictions also. When he is instrumental to the turning of men to righteousness, and sees his children walk in truth, he has the sublimest joy of which, in his present state of existence, he is capable: but to find that he only labours in vain, and to behold those of whom he had begun to entertain some pleasing hopes, making shipwreck of their faith and of a good conscience, is inexpressibly painful: such scenes as these renewed, as it were, in the Apostles mind, all the pangs of childbirth, so that he travailed in birth again with his converts, till Christ should be completely formed in them. The Prophet Jeremiah was very unfortunate in this respect: he had at all times to deal with an untoward people; and actually experienced more kindness from the enemies of his nation, than he did from the people unto whom he ministered.
The particular circumstances under which he was at the time referred to in our text, deserve to be considered. Johanan and the captains of the Jewish forces having rescued their countrymen from Ishmael, who was carrying them captive into the land of the Ammonites, were doubting whether to continue in Canaan, where they feared the vengeance of the Chaldeans, or to go into the land of Egpyt, where they hoped to find both safety and abundance. In this strait they applied for instruction to Jeremiah, with apparent sincerity, but (as our text informs us, and the event proved,) with real dissimulation. We propose to consider their conduct,
I.
As exemplified in them
Their dissimulation was indeed most vile and flagrant
[In their application to the prophet, there was the greatest expression of piety: they entreated his prayers to God for them, and promised to follow implicitly whatever direction he should give them from the Lord. They declared most solemnly, that no consideration of ease or interest should induce them to deviate from his injunctions; and they even called God himself to be a witness between the prophet and them, and to visit upon them their iniquity, if they should neglect to perform their promise [Note: Read ver. 16.]
By the prophet, God returned to them a most gracious answer. He directed them what to do; and encouraged them by the strongest assurances of his own protection; promising to return in mercy to them himself, as well as to dispose the heart of the king of Babylon to shew mercy to them: at the same time he warned them plainly, that if they would follow their own ways in opposition to his counsel, he would bring upon them all the calamities which they were so anxious to escape [Note: Read ver. 719.]
They however, by their determined rejection of Gods counsel, betrayed in the most open manner their own hypocrisy. Instead of hearkening to Gods voice, they, the proud among them especially, denied that the message which was delivered to them proceeded from God: they imputed it to the ill-will of Baruch towards them [Note: Jer 43:1-3.]; and told the prophet plainly, that they would not follow his injunctions [Note: Jer 44:16.]. Accordingly they, in express violation of their own engagements, went down into Egypt, and there found, as God had declared unto them, whose word should stand, his or theirs [Note: Jer 44:28.].]
From this view of the history, we are led to make the following remarks:
First, How little do men know of their own hearts!
[In all the professions which they made of their readiness and determination to obey their God, they thought themselves sincere; and doubtless would have been exceedingly indignant, if the prophet had in the first instance charged them with hypocrisy. Thus Peter, when he so vehemently declared, that, though all others should forsake their Lord, he never would, conceived that nothing could ever induce him to recede from his purpose: and thus we also persuade ourselves that we shall prove superior to all temptations, till the time of trial comes, and we shew by our unfaithfulness, how little we knew of our own hearts.]
Next, What an enemy to mans happiness is pride!
[It was the proud men in particular who denied the inspiration of the prophet, and who ascribed his message to a conspiracy which ho and Baruch had entered into to deceive them. To the same malignant principle of pride does the holy Psalmist ascribe the contempt with which ungodly men treat every thing that relates to God: The wicked through the pride of his countenance! will not seek after God [Note: Psa 10:4.]. Yes, this is at the root of infidelity: men pretend that there is a want of evidence of the Divine authority of the Scriptures, and exclaim against the Gospel as the invention of priestcraft or enthusiasm: but the truth is, they are too proud to submit to the yoke of Christ, and to receive salvation as the unmerited gift of God.]
Once more;How awful is the issue of unbelief!
[Plain were the warnings which they received; and bitter was the experience which the unbelieving Jews had of Gods fidelity to his threatenings. Thus also it was with the Jews who came out of Egypt, all of whom perished in the wilderness, with the exception of two only. And thus it shall be with unbelievers, whoever they may be: they shall find to their cost, whose word shall stand, whether Gods or theirs. Their unbelief shall never make the word of God of none effect: of his word, not one jot or tittle shall ever fall to the ground.]
From this general view of their conduct, let us turn to the consideration of it,
II.
As imitated by us
It may properly be said of all who attend upon the preaching of the Gospel, that they virtually acknowledge the relation that subsists between them and their minister: they look to him as Gods ambassador, to declare to them the Divine will respecting them; and they profess their readiness to obey the Divine mandates, whatsoever they may be; and in every instance wherein they are wilfully disobedient, they are, in truth, like the Jews in our text, dissemblers with God. But there are some particular occasions on which our hearers place themselves precisely, as it were, in the same situation with them whose conduct we are considering:
1.
Under conviction of sin
[Those who hear the Gospel faithfully administered, rarely escape without having the word at one time or other brought home to their conscience, and being constrained to make some resolutions of amendment. When such emotions are excited, the heart, which was before stout, is softened; and the ear, which was deaf to all the precepts of the Gospel, becomes opened to receive instruction. On such occasions men will even condescend to request a remembrance in the prayers of their ministers, and to desire instruction relative to the commands of God. Like those on the day of Pentecost, they will cry, Sir, what must I do to be saved?
For persons in such a state the faithful minister feels deeply interested: and, whilst he implores the blessing of God upon them, he points out to them the only way of life and salvation. He shews them, that, if they will be Christs disciples, they must deny themselves in reference to all their former lusts and evil habits; that they must take up their cross daily, and not only bear with patience the contempt and hatred of an ungodly world, but rejoice that they are counted worthy to suffer for their Redeemers sake; and that they must follow Christ in the whole of his spirit and conduct, walking in all things as he walked.
But this, to the generality, appears too strait a path: they reply, as our Savioure hearers did, This is an hard saying; who can hear it? and like them also, they go back, and walk no more with us: thus proving, by their inconstancy, that all their former professions were no better than dissimulation before God. O let those who have tasted of the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, examine their own hearts, and see in what light they are viewed by God, if they have not followed up their convictions, and devoted themselves truly to their Lord and Saviour!]
2.
Under some heavy trial or affliction
[Affliction has a tendency to plough up, as it were, the fallow-ground of mans heart, and to prepare it for the reception of the good seed. The loss of a wife, or husband, or child, or of some friend that was as ones own soul, is often the means of embittering to us all that this world can afford, and of directing our attention to a better world, where alone true happiness can be found. A succession of any other painful events will also produce a similar effect.
Religious company and conversation will, under such circumstances, be not only tolerated, but often desired and delighted in; and the most hopeful appearances of sound conversion will ensue. They will pour out a prayer, when Gods chastening is upon them; yea, says God, in their affliction they will seek me early.
But in most cases the impression is but of short duration; and the vows which they made in trouble are soon forgotten. They are like metal taken out of the furnace, which soon returns to its former hardness. Thus it was with the Jews: When God slew them, then they sought him, and returned and inquired early after God, &c.; nevertheless they did but flatter him with their mouth, &c.; for their heart was not right with him, neither were they steadfast in his covenant [Note: Psa 78:34-37.]. And thus it is with too many also amongst ourselves; their goodness is only as the morning dew, and as the early cloud that passeth away.]
3.
At the approach of death
[The most hardened of men are, for the most part, softened at the prospect of death; so that even the most abandoned criminals, under a sentence of condemnation, are thankful for the services of a pious minister, listening eagerly to his instructions, and uniting fervently with him in his prayers. Indeed the common practice of mankind has sanctioned the idea of sending for a minister, to counsel and to pray for the sick and dying.
On those occasions we hear much regret expressed by the generality, on account of the sad neglect of which they have been guilty; and many purposes formed of turning unto the Lord, in case their lives should be prolonged.
But, when such persons are unexpectedly restored to health, how rarely do we find that they fulfil their promises, and devote themselves to God according to their vows! Truly, we need not look to the Jews for examples of dissimulation; for there is not a family, or scarcely an individual, that does not furnish an instance of it amongst ourselves. Human nature is the same in all ages: and wherever pride and unbelief reign, there will be disobedience, obduracy, and ruin.]
Let me now address,
1.
The disobedient amongst you
[Consider the relation that subsists between us, As your minister, it is my duty to pray for you, and to declare to you with fidelity the whole counsel of God. Suffer me to ask, how you have improved the opportunities you have enjoyed? If some few have answered the gracious designs of God respecting them, have not the great mass continued in their sinful habits even to this hour, instead of turning truly and unreservedly to the Lord their God? What then have their whole lives been, but one continued course of dissimulation with God? And what must the issue be of such conduct? O, before it is too late, remember how often you have been admonished not to lean to your own understandings, nor to trust in an arm of flesh; but to obey implicitly Gods revealed will, and to cleave unto the Saviour with full purpose of heart! The Lord grant that now at last you may become obedient to the faith; and that, instead of being a swift witness against you, I may have you as my joy and crown of rejoicing in the day of judgment!]
2.
Those who are hesitating what course to pursue
[Do not consult with flesh and blood, but go to the Lord your God, who, if you are upright in your requests, will surely make known his will unto you. The counsel of Gods ministers may indeed be asked; but they must no further be followed than they speak agreeably to the written word. That word you are to consult, every one of you for himself; and, if you pray unto God for his Spirit, he will guide you into all truth. But beware of dissimulation: beware also of delay. Defer not unto the morrow what God requires to be done to-day: but to-day, while it is called to-day, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness. If you listen to pride and unbelief, you see in the history before us, whither they will lead you. The ungodly world may promise you safety in following their ways; but safety is to be found only in an unreserved obedience to the commands of God, and especially that command of living by faith in his dear Son, and devoting yourselves to him as his redeemed people. Believe then in the Lord, so shall ye prosper; believe his prophets, so shall ye be established.]
Fuente: Charles Simeon’s Horae Homileticae (Old and New Testaments)
Jer 42:20 For ye dissembled in your hearts, when ye sent me unto the LORD your God, saying, Pray for us unto the LORD our God; and according unto all that the LORD our God shall say, so declare unto us, and we will do [it].
Ver. 20. For ye dissembled in your hearts. ] Heb., Ye seduced in your souls or in your minds. The Vulgate hath it, You deceived your souls, and not God, by playing fast and loose with him, by dealing with him ac si puer esset, scurra, vel morio, and if he sould be a boy, a baffoon or an idiot.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
ye dissembled, &c. None but Jehovah could know this. Compare Jer 41:17. Psa 139:2. Joh 1:48; Joh 2:24, Joh 2:25.
hearts = souls. Hebrew. nephesh.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
For ye: God made known to the prophet their dissimulation; which he shunned not to declare to them. Jer 3:10, Jer 17:10, Psa 18:44, Psa 65:3, Eze 14:3, Eze 14:4, Eze 33:31, Mat 22:15-18, Mat 22:35, Gal 6:7
dissembled in your hearts: Heb. have used deceit against your souls, Num 16:38, Jam 1:22
Pray: Jer 42:2
Reciprocal: Exo 8:29 – deal 2Sa 15:8 – I will serve 2Ch 10:6 – took counsel 2Ch 18:5 – Shall we go Isa 29:13 – Forasmuch Isa 30:2 – and have Isa 57:11 – that thou Isa 58:2 – they ask Isa 59:13 – lying Jer 37:3 – Pray Jer 38:14 – I will Jer 42:1 – came Jer 44:7 – against Eze 33:4 – whosoever heareth Eze 33:30 – Come Hos 7:13 – spoken Mat 22:17 – What Mar 12:14 – Master Joh 6:28 – What Act 4:10 – known
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Jer 42:20. To dissemble means to act deceitfully or hypocritically. The prophet accuses the people of having acted in that way when they asked him to pray to God for them. They evidently thought their profession of trust in God would win for them some escape from the divine wrath, for when the answer of God was unfavorable they broke their word and declared they would go- into Egypt as they had originally said.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Jer 42:20-22. For ye dissembled in your hearts Hebrew, , have used deceit. They acted deceitfully, either toward God, calling him to bear witness to their sincerity in a matter in which they were not sincere; or toward the prophet, sending him to inquire of God for them, and promising to act according as God should direct, when they never intended it; or, toward their own souls, as the margin reads it. Thus Blaney, Surely ye have practised deceit against your own souls, following the Masoretic reading of the margin, confirmed by twenty-two MSS. and five editions. The LXX. read ; for you have acted wickedly in your souls, and the Vulgate, because you have deceived your souls. Now I have this day declared it to you I went, according to your desire, to inquire of God for you; he revealed his will to me respecting you, and now I have as faithfully told you what it is. But ye have not obeyed, &c. Or, will not obey. If it be asked how Jeremiah knew they would not obey Gods will in this instance, inasmuch as they had not yet declared their minds to him, it must be answered, God had made their intentions known to him. Now therefore know certainly that ye shall die by the sword, &c. You think to avoid death by going to Egypt to sojourn for a little time, but you shall perish there, and that by those very deaths which, by going thither, you seek to avoid. Observe, reader, we must expect disappointment, misery, and ruin to follow actions done in disobedience to the revealed will of God.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
42:20 For ye were {h} hypocrites in your hearts, when ye sent me to the LORD your God, saying, Pray for us to the LORD our God; and according to all that the LORD our God shall say, so declare to us, and we will do [it].
(h) For you were fully intending to go into Egypt, whatever God spoke to the contrary.