Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Jeremiah 4:5
Declare ye in Judah, and publish in Jerusalem; and say, Blow ye the trumpet in the land: cry, gather together, and say, Assemble yourselves, and let us go into the defensed cities.
5. in Jerusalem ] But a proclamation that people should take refuge within cities would not be needed there. It is probable that the words should be omitted. Moreover, by a very slight change in the Hebrew, the first “and say” may be read “saith Jehovah.” Thus we may with probability emend, Declare ye in Judah, and publish, saith Jehovah, Blow, etc.
trumpet ] horn, as a signal of danger.
let us go, etc.] Cp. the crowding of the inhabitants of Attica within the walls of Athens on the occasion of a Spartan invasion (Thuc. II. 52).
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
5 10. Flee without delay, if so be that walls can save you. The foe from the north threatens ruin to town and country alike. Terror shall seize the greatest in the land, and dismay the priests and prophets.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Ch. Jer 4:5-31. Impending judgements. National disaster
This section and the two that follow it (viz. chs. 5 and 6) are somewhat later than the preceding, as presenting a more definite description of the punishment there threatened. They picture the excitement and dismay caused throughout the defenceless portions of the land by the approach of the enemy, and the hasty retreat to walled towns on the part of the country people.
No doubt as originally uttered these sections referred to the threatened invasion of Palestine by the Scythian hordes. (See Introd. i. 3 and on Jer 1:13.) On being reproduced in the Roll of b.c. 604 (ch. 36), when the Chaldaeans had become the formidable enemy, the language may have been modified here and there to suit the new political aspect of affairs. Thus “lion” and “destroyer of nations” (Jer 4:7) are epithets more appropriate to an individual leader such as Nebuchadnezzar than to a hostile multitude. Neither do we know that the Scythians had “chariots” ( Jer 4:13).
The present section may be summarized as follows.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Rather, Make proclamation in Judah, and in Jerusalem bid them hear, and say, Blow the trumpet throughout the land: cry aloud and say etc. The prophecy begins with a loud alarm of war. The verse sets forth well, in its numerous commands, the excitement and confusion of such a time.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 5. Blow ye the trumpet] Give full information to all parts of the land, that the people may assemble together and defend themselves against their invaders.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
The Lord being now about to bring enemies upon them, he bespeaks them in martial language, by stirring them to a speedy provision, and warning of them of the nature of their approaching judgment; not famine or plague within them, but a foreign enemy from without, Jer 6 1, viz. the coming of Nebuchadnezzar and the Chaldeans.
Cry, that your voice may be heard afar off, that all may hear.
Gather together; either to unite your forces, or to take counsel what to do, that you may be in safety; the same thing with
Assemble yourselves; implying that the calamity was general.
Let us go into the defenced cities, to secure from these invasions that are coming upon us.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
5. cry, gather togetherrather,”cry fully” that is, loudly. The Jews are warned to takemeasures against the impending Chaldean invasion (compare Jer8:14).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Declare ye in Judah, and publish in Jerusalem, and say,…. Exhortations to repentance being without effect in general, though they might have an influence on some few particular persons, the Lord directs the prophet to lay before the people a view of their destruction as near at hand; who calls upon some persons as a sort of heralds, to publish and declare in the land of Judea, and in Jerusalem the metropolis of it, what follows:
blow ye the trumpet in the land; as an alarm of an approaching enemy, and of an invasion by him, and of danger from him; and this was to be done, not in order to gather together, and put themselves in a posture of defence, to meet the enemy, and give him battle; but to get together, that were in the fields, and in country villages, and hide themselves from him:
cry, gather together, and say; or cry with a full mouth, with a loud voice, that all might hear; which shows imminent danger:
assemble yourselves and let us go into the defenced cities; such as Jerusalem, and others, where they might think themselves safe and secure; see Mt 24:16.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
From the north destruction approaches. – Jer 4:5. “Proclaim in Judah, and in Jerusalem let it be heard, and say, Blow the trumpet in the land; cry with a loud voice, and say, Assemble, and let us go into the defenced cities. Jer 4:6. Raise a standard toward Zion: save yourselves by flight, linger not; for from the north I bring evil and great destruction. Jer 4:7. A lion comes up from his thicket, and a destroyer of the nations is on his way, comes forth from his place, to make they land a waste, that thy cities be destroyed, without an inhabitant. Jer 4:8. For this gird you in sackcloth, lament and howl, for the heat of Jahveh’s anger hath not turned itself from us. Jer 4:9. And it cometh to pass on that day, saith Jahveh, the heart of the king and the heart of the princes shall perish, and the priests shall be confounded and the prophets amazed.” The invasion of a formidable foe is here represented with poetic animation; the inhabitants being called upon to publish the enemy’s approach throughout the land, so that every one may hide himself in the fortified cities.
(Note: By this dreaded foe the older commentators understand the Chaldeans; but some of the moderns will have it that the Scythians are meant. Among the latter are Dahler, Hitz., Ew., Bertheau ( z. Gesch. der Isr. ), Movers, and others; and they have been preceded by Eichhorn ( Hebr. Proph. ii. 96 f), Cramer (in the Comm. on Zephaniah, under the title Scythische Denkmler in Palstina , 1777). On the basis of their hypothesis, M. Duncker ( Gesch. des Alterth. S. 751ff.) has sketched out a minute picture of the inundation of Palestine by hordes of Scythian horsemen in the year 626, according to the prophecies of Jeremiah and Zephaniah. For this there is absolutely no historical support, although Roesch in his archaeological investigations on Nabopolassar ( Deutsch-morgld. Ztschr. xv. S. 502ff.), who, according to him, was a Scythian king, alleges that “pretty nearly all (?) exegetical authorities” understand these prophecies of the Scythians (S. 536). For this view can be neither justified exegetically nor made good historically, as has been admitted and proved by A. Kueper ( Jerem. libr. ss. int. p. 13f.), and Ad. Strauss (Vaticin. Zeph. p. 18f.), and then by Tholuck ( die Propheten u. ihre Weiss , S. 94ff.), Graf ( Jer. S. 16ff.), Ng ., and others. On exegetical grounds the theory is untenable; for in the descriptions of the northern foe, whose invasion of Judah Zephaniah and Jeremiah threaten, there is not the faintest hint that can be taken to point to the Scythian squadrons, and, on the contrary, there is much that cannot be suitable to these wandering hordes. The enemies approaching like clouds, their chariots like the whirlwind, with horses swifter than eagles (Jer 4:13), every city fleeing from the noise of the horsemen and of the bowmen (Jer 4:29), and the like, go to form a description obviously founded on Deu 28:49., and on the account of the Chaldeans ( ) in Hab 1:7-11 – a fact which leads Roesch to suppose Habakkuk meant Scythian by . All the Asiatic world-powers had horsemen, war-chariots, and archers, and we do not know that the Scythians fought on chariots. Nor was it at all according to the plan of Scythian hordes to besiege cities and carry the vanquished people into exile, as Jeremiah prophesies of these enemies. Again, in Jer 25, where he expressly names Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babel as the fulfiller of judgment foretold, Jeremiah mentions the enemy in the same words as in Jer 1:15, (Jer 25:9), and represents the accomplishment of judgment by Nebuchadnezzar as the fulfilment of all the words he had been prophesying since the 13th year of Josiah. This makes it as clear as possible that Jeremiah regarded the Chaldeans as the families of the peoples of the north who were to lay Judah waste, conquer Jerusalem, and scatter its inhabitants amongst the heathen. In a historical reference, also, the Scythian theory is quite unfounded. The account in Herod. i. 103-105 of the incursion of the Scythians into Media and of dominion exercised over Asia for 28 years by them, does say that they came to Syrian Palestine and advanced on Egypt, but by means of presents were induced by King Psammetichus to withdraw, that they marched back again without committing any violence, and that only plundered the temple of Venus Urania at Ascalon on the way back. But these accounts, taken at their strict historical value, tell us nothing more than that one swarm of the Scythian hordes, which overspread Media and Asia Minor, entered Palestine and penetrated to the borders of Egypt, passing by the ancient track of armies across the Jordan at Bethshan, and through the plain of Jezreel along the Philistine coast; that here they were bought off by Psammetichus and retired without even so much as touching on the kingdom of Judah on their way. The historical books of the Old Testament have no knowledge whatever of any incursion into Judah of Scythians or other northern nations during the reign of Josiah. On the other hand, we give no weight to the argument that the march of the Scythians through Syria against Egypt had taken place in the 7th or 8th year of Josiah, a few years before Jeremiah’s public appearance, and so could be no subject for his prophecies (Thol., Graf, Ng. ). For the chronological data of the ancients as to the Scythian invasion are not so definite that we can draw confident conclusions from them; cf. M. v. Niebuhr, Ges. Assurs u. Babels , S. 67ff.
All historical evidence for a Scythian inroad into Judah being thus entirely wanting, the supporters of this hypothesis can make nothing of any point save the Greek name Scythopolis for Bethshan, which Dunck. calls “a memorial for Judah of the Scythian raid.” We find the name in Jdg 1:27 of the lxx, , and from this come the of Judith 3:10, 2 Macc. 12:29, and in Joseph. Antt. v. 1. 22, xii. 8. 5, etc. Even if we do not hold, as Reland, Pal. ill. p. 992, does, that the gloss, , Jdg 1:27, has been interpolated late into the lxx; even if we admit that it originated with the translator, the fact that the author of the lxx, who lived 300 years after Josiah, interpreted by , does by no means prove that the city had received this Greek name from a Scythian invasion of Palestine, or from a colony of those Scythians who had settled down there. The Greek derivation of the name shows that it could not have originated before the extension of Greek supremacy in Palestine – not before Alexander the Great. But there is no historical proof that Scythians dwelt in Bethshan. Duncker e.g., makes the inference simply from the name and , 2 Macc. 12:29f. His statement: “Josephus (Antt. xii. 5. 8) and Pliny ( Hist. n. v. 16) affirm that Scythians had settled down there,” is wholly unfounded. In Joseph. l.c. there is no word of it; nor will a critical historian accept as sufficient historical evidence of an ancient Scythian settlement in Bethshan, Pliny’s l.c. aphoristic notice: Scythopolin (antea Nysam a Libero Patre, spulta nutrice ibi) Scythis deducts . The late Byzantine author, George Syncellus, is the first to derive the name Scythopolis from the incursion of the Scythians into Palestine; cf. Reland, p. 993. The origin of the name is obscure, but is not likely to be found, as by Reland, Gesen., etc., in the neighbouring Succoth. More probably it comes from a Jewish interpretation of the prophecy of Ezekiel, Eze 39:11, regarding the overthrow of Gog in the valley of the wanderers eastwards from the sea. This is Hvernick’s view, suggested by Bochart.
Taking all into consideration, we see that the reference of our prophecy to the Scythians is founded neither on exegetical results nor on historical evidence, but wholly on the rationalistic prejudice that the prophecies of the biblical prophets are nothing more than either disguised descriptions of historical events or threatenings of results that lay immediately before the prophet’s eyes, which is the view of Hitz., Ew., and others.)
The before in the Chet. has evidently got into the text through an error in transcription, and the Keri, according to which all the old versions translate, is the only correct reading. “Blow the trumpet in the land,” is that which is to be proclaimed or published, and the blast into the far-sounding is the signal of alarm by which the people was made aware of the danger that threatened it; cf. Joe 2:1; Hos 5:8. The second clause expresses the same matter in an intensified form and with plainer words. Cry, make full (the crying), i.e., cry with a full clear voice; gather, and let us go into the fortified cities; cf. Jer 8:14. This was the meaning of the trumpet blast. Raise a banner pointing towards Zion, i.e., showing the fugitives the way to Zion as the safest stronghold in the kingdom. , a lofty pole with a waving flag (Isa 33:23; Eze 27:7), erected upon mountains, spread the alarm farther than even the sound of the pealing trumpet; see in Isa 5:26. , secure your possessions by flight; cf. Isa 10:31. The evil which Jahveh is bringing on the land is specified by , after Zep 1:10, but very frequently used by Jeremiah; cf. Jer 6:1; Jer 48:3; Jer 50:22; Jer 51:54. , breaking (of a limb), Lev 21:19, then the upbreaking of what exists, ruin, destruction. In Jer 4:7 the evil is yet more fully described. A lion is come up from his thicket ( with dag. forte dirim ., from [ , 2Sa 18:9], or from , Psa 74:5; cf. Ew. 255, d, and Olsh. 155, b), going forth for prey. This lion is a destroyer of the nations (not merely of individual persons as the ordinary lion); he has started ( , or striking tents for the march), and is come out to waste the land and to destroy the cities. The infin. is continued by the temp. fin. , and the Kal of is here used in a passive sense: to be destroyed by war.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
| Punishment Predicted. | B. C. 620. |
5 Declare ye in Judah, and publish in Jerusalem; and say, Blow ye the trumpet in the land: cry, gather together, and say, Assemble yourselves, and let us go into the defenced cities. 6 Set up the standard toward Zion: retire, stay not: for I will bring evil from the north, and a great destruction. 7 The lion is come up from his thicket, and the destroyer of the Gentiles is on his way; he is gone forth from his place to make thy land desolate; and thy cities shall be laid waste, without an inhabitant. 8 For this gird you with sackcloth, lament and howl: for the fierce anger of the LORD is not turned back from us. 9 And it shall come to pass at that day, saith the LORD, that the heart of the king shall perish, and the heart of the princes; and the priests shall be astonished, and the prophets shall wonder. 10 Then said I, Ah, Lord GOD! surely thou hast greatly deceived this people and Jerusalem, saying, Ye shall have peace; whereas the sword reacheth unto the soul. 11 At that time shall it be said to this people and to Jerusalem, A dry wind of the high places in the wilderness toward the daughter of my people, not to fan, nor to cleanse, 12 Even a full wind from those places shall come unto me: now also will I give sentence against them. 13 Behold, he shall come up as clouds, and his chariots shall be as a whirlwind: his horses are swifter than eagles. Woe unto us! for we are spoiled. 14 O Jerusalem, wash thine heart from wickedness, that thou mayest be saved. How long shall thy vain thoughts lodge within thee? 15 For a voice declareth from Dan, and publisheth affliction from mount Ephraim. 16 Make ye mention to the nations; behold, publish against Jerusalem, that watchers come from a far country, and give out their voice against the cities of Judah. 17 As keepers of a field, are they against her round about; because she hath been rebellious against me, saith the LORD. 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.
God’s usual method is to warn before he wounds. In these verses, accordingly, God gives notice to the Jews of the general desolation that would shortly be brought upon them by a foreign invasion. This must be declared and published in all the cities of Judah and streets of Jerusalem, that all might hear and fear, and by this loud alarm be either brought to repentance or left inexcusable. The prediction of this calamity is here given very largely, and in lively expressions, which one would think should have awakened and affected the most stupid. Observe,
I. The war proclaimed, and general notice given of the advance of the enemy. It is published now, some years before, by the prophet; but, since this will be slighted, it shall be published after another manner when the judgment is actually breaking in, Jer 4:5; Jer 4:6. The trumpet must be blown, the standard must be set up, a summons must be issued out to the people to gather together and to draw towards Zion, either to guard it or expecting to be guarded by it. There must be a general rendezvous. The militia must be raised and all the forces mustered. Those that are able men, and fit for service, must go into the defenced cities, to garrison them; those that are weak, and would lessen their provisions, but not increase their strength, must retire, and not stay.
II. An express arrived with intelligence of the approach of the king of Babylon and his army. It is an evil that God will bring from the north (as he had said, ch. i. 15), even a great destruction, beyond all that had yet come upon the nation of the Jews. The enemy is here compared, 1. To a lion that comes up from his thicket, when he is hungry, to seek his prey, v. 7. The helpless beasts are so terrified with his roaring (as some report) that they cannot flee from him, and so become an easy prey to him. Nebuchadnezzar is this roaring tearing lion, the destroyer of the nations, that has laid many countries waste, and now is on his way in full speed towards the land of Judah. The destroyer of the Gentiles shall be the destroyer of the Jews too, when they have by their idolatry made themselves like the Gentiles. “He has gone forth from his place, from Babylon, or the place of the rendezvous of his army, on purpose against this land; that is the prey he has now his eye upon, not to plunder it only, but to make it desolate, and herein he shall succeed to such a degree that the cities shall be laid waste, without inhabitants, shall be overgrown with grass as a field;” so some read it. 2. To a drying blasting wind (v. 11), a parching scorching wind, which spoils the fruits of the earth and withers them, not a wind which brings rain, but such as comes out of the north, which drives away rain (Prov. xxv. 23), but brings something worse instead of it; such shall this evil out of the north be to this people, a black freezing wind, which they can neither fence against nor flee from, but, wherever they go, it shall surround and pursue them; and they cannot see it before it comes, but, when it comes, they shall feel it. It is a wind of the high places in the wilderness, or plain, that beats upon the tops of the hills or that carries all before it in the plain, where there is no shelter, but the ground is all champaign. It shall come in its full force towards the daughters of my people, that have been brought up so tenderly and delicately that they could not endure to have the wind blow upon them. Now this fierce wind shall come against them, not to fan, nor cleanse them, not such a gentle wind as is used in winnowing corn, but a full wind (v. 12), a strong and violent wind, blowing full upon them. This shall come to me, or rather for me; it shall come with commission from God and shall accomplish that for which he sends it; for this, as other stormy winds, fulfills his word. 3. To clouds and whirlwinds for swiftness, v. 13. The Chaldean army shall come up as clouds driven with the wind, so thick shall they stand, so fast shall they march, and it shall be to no purpose to offer to stop them or make head against them, any more than to arrest a cloud or give check to a whirlwind. The horses are swifter than eagles when they fly upon their prey; it is in vain to think either of opposing them or of outrunning them. 4. To watchers and the keepers of a field, v. 15-17. The voice declares from Dan, a city which lay furthest north of all the cities of Canaan, and therefore received the first tidings of this evil from the north and hastened it to Mount Ephraim, that part of the land of Israel which lay next to Judea; they received the news of the affliction and transmitted it to Jerusalem. Ill news flies apace; and an impenitent people, that hates to be reformed, can expect no other that ill news. Now, what is the news? “Tell the nations, those mixed nations that now inhabit the cities of the ten tribes, mention it to them, that they may provide for their own safety; but publish it against Jerusalem, that is the place aimed at, the game shot at, let them know that watchers have come from a far country, that is, soldiers, that will watch all opportunities to do mischief.” Private soldiers we call private sentinels, or watchmen. “They are coming in full career, and give out their voice against the cities of Judah; they design to invest them, to make themselves masters of them, and to attack them with loud shouts, as sure of victory. As keepers of a field surround it, to keep all out from it, so shall they surround the cities of Judah, to keep all in them, till they be constrained to surrender at discretion; they are against her round about, compassing her in on every side.” See Luke xix. 43. As formerly the good angels, those watchers, and holy ones, were like keepers of a field to Jerusalem, watching about it, that nothing might go in to its prejudice, so now their enemies were as watchers and keepers of a field, surrounding it that nothing might go in to its relief and succour.
III. The lamentable cause of this judgment. How is it that Judah and Jerusalem come to be thus abandoned to ruin? See how it came to this. 1. They sinned against God; it was all owing to themselves: She has been rebellious against me, saith the Lord, v. 17. Their enemies surrounded them as keepers of a field, because they had taken up arms against their rightful Lord and sovereign, and were to be seized as rebels. The Chaldeans were breaking in upon them, and it was sin that opened the gap at which they entered: Thy way and thy doings have procured these things unto thee (v. 18), thy evil way and thy doings that have not been good. It was not a false step or two that did them this mischief, but their way and course of living were bad. Note, Sin is the procuring cause of all our troubles. Those that go on in sin while they are endeavouring to ward off mischiefs with one hand are at the same time pulling them upon their own heads with the other. 2. God was angry with them for their sin. It is the fierce anger of the Lord that makes the army of the Chaldeans thus fierce, thus furious; that is kindled against us, and is not turned back from us, v. 8. Note, In men’s anger against us, and the violence of that, we must see and own God’s anger and the power of that. If that were turned back from us, our enemies could not come forward against us. 3. In his just and holy anger he condemned them to this dreadful punishment: Now also will I give sentence against them, v. 12. The execution was done, not in a heat, but in pursuance of a sentence solemnly passed, according to equity, and upon mature deliberation. Some read it, Now will I do execution upon them, according to the doom formerly passed; and we are sure that the judgment of God is according to the truth, and the execution of that judgment.
IV. The lamentable effects of this judgment, upon the first alarm given of it. 1. The people that should fight shall quite despair and shall not have a heart to make the least stand against the enemy (v. 8): “For this gird yourself with sackcloth, lament and howl,” that is, “you will do so. When the cry is made through the kingdom, Arm, arm! all will be seized with a consternation, and all put into confusion. Instead of girding on the sword, they will gird on the sackcloth; instead of animating one another to a vigorous resistance, they will lament and howl, and so dishearten one another. While the enemy is yet at a distance they will give up all for gone, and cry, Woe unto us! for we are spoiled, v. 13. We are all undone, the spoilers will certainly carry the day, and it is in vain to make head against them.” Judah and Jerusalem had been famed for valiant men; but see what is the effect of sin: by depriving men of their confidence towards God, it deprives them of their courage towards men. 2. Their great men, who should contrive for the public safety, shall be at their wits’ end (v. 9): At that day the heart of the king shall perish, both his wisdom and his courage. Despairing of success, he shall have no spirit to do any thing, and, if he had, he will not know what to do. His princes and privy-counselors, who should animate and advise him, shall be as much at a loss and as much in despair as he. See how easily, how effectually, God can bring ruin upon a people that are doomed to it, merely by dispiriting them, taking away the heart of the chief of them (Job 12:20; Job 12:24), cutting off the spirit of princes, Ps. lxxvi. 12. The business of the priests was to encourage the people in the time of war; they were to say to the people, Fear not, and let not your hearts faint,Deu 20:2; Deu 20:3. They were to blow the trumpets, for an assurance to them that in the day of battle they should be remembered before the Lord their God, Num. x. 9. But now the priests themselves shall be astonished, and shall have no heart themselves to do their office, and therefore shall not be likely to put spirit into the people. The prophets too, the false prophets, who had cried peace to them, shall be put into the greatest amazement imaginable, seeing their own guilty blood ready to be shed by that sword which they had often told the people there was no danger of. Note, God’s judgments come with the greatest terror upon those that have been most secure. Our Saviour foretels that at the last destruction of Jerusalem men’s hearts should fail them for fear, Luke xxi. 26. And it is common for those who have cheated and flattered people into a carnal security not only to fail them, but to discourage them, when the trouble comes.
V. The prophet’s complaint of the people’s being deceived, v. 10. It is expressed strangely, as we read it: Ah! Lord God, surely thou hast greatly deceived this people, saying, You shall have peace. We are sure that God deceives none. Let no man say, when he is tempted or deluded, that God has tempted or deluded him. But, 1. The people deceived themselves with the promises that God had made in general of his favour to that nation, and the many peculiar privileges with which they were dignified, building upon them, though they took no care to perform the conditions on which the accomplishment of those promises and the continuance of those privileges did depend; and they had no regard to the threatenings which in the law were set over-against those promises. Thus they cheated themselves and then wickedly complained that God had cheated them. 2. The false prophets deceived them with promises of peace, which they made them in God’s name. Jer 23:17; Jer 27:9. If God had sent them, he had indeed greatly deceived the people, but he had not. It was the people’s fault that they gave them credit; and here also they deceived themselves. 3. God had permitted the false prophets to deceive, and the people to be deceived by them, giving both up to strong delusions, to punish them for not receiving the truth in the love of it. Herein the Lord was righteous; but the prophet complains of it as the sorest judgment of all, for by this means they had been hardened in their sins. 4. It may be read with an interrogation, “Hast thou indeed thus deceived this people? It is plain that they are greatly deceived, for they expect peace, whereas the sword reaches unto the soul; that is, it is a killing sword, abundance of lives are lost, and more likely to be.” Now, was it God that deceived them? No, he had often given them warning of judgments in general and of this in particular; but their own prophets deceive them, and cry peace to those to whom the God of heaven does not speak peace. It is a pitiable thing, and that which every good man greatly laments, to see people flattered into their own ruin, and promising themselves peace when war is at the door; and this we should complain of to God, who alone can prevent such a fatal delusion.
VI. The prophet’s endeavour to undeceive them. When the prophets they loved and caressed dealt falsely with them, he whom they hated and persecuted dealt faithfully. 1. He shows them their wound. They were loth to see it, very loth to have it searched into; but, if they will allow themselves the liberty of a free thought, they might discover their punishment in their sin (v. 18): “This is thy wickedness because it is bitter. Now thou seest that it is a bitter thing to depart from God, and will certainly be bitterness in the latter end, ch. ii. 19. It produces bitter effects, and grief that reaches unto the heart, touches to the quick, and in the most tender part; the sword reaches to the soul,” v. 10. God can make trouble reach the heart even of those that would lay nothing to heart. “And by this thou mayest see what is thy wickedness, that it is a bitter thing, a root of bitterness, that bears gall and wormwood, and that it has reached to the heart; it is the corruption of the soul, of the imagination of the thought of the heart.” If the heart were not polluted with sin, it would not be disturbed and disquieted as it is with trouble. 2. He shows them the cure, v. 14. “Since thy wickedness reaches to the heart, there the application must be made. O Jerusalem! wash thy heart from wickedness, that thou mayest be saved.” By Jerusalem he means each one of the inhabitants of Jerusalem; for every man has a heart of his own to take care of, and it is personal reformation that must help the public. Every one must return from his own evil way, and, in order to that, cleanse his own evil heart. “And let the heart of the city too be purified, not the suburbs only, the outskirts of it.” The vitals of a state must be amended by the reformation of those that have the commanding influence upon it. Note, (1.) Reformation is absolutely necessary to salvation. There is no other way of preventing judgments, or turning them away when we are threatened with them, but taking away the sin by which we have procured them to ourselves. (2.) No reformation is saving but that which reaches the heart. There is heart-wickedness that is defiling to the soul, from which we must wash ourselves. By repentance and faith we must wash our hearts from the guilt we have contracted by spiritual wickedness, by those sins which begin and end in the heart and go no further; and by mortification and watchfulness we must suppress and prevent this heart-wickedness for the future. The tree must be made good, else the fruit will not. Jerusalem was all overspread with the leprosy of sin. Now as the physicians agree with respect to the body when afflicted with leprosy that external applications will do no good, unless physic be taken inwardly to carry off the humours that lurk there and to change the mass of the blood, so it is with the soul, so it is with the state: there will be no effectual reformation of the manners without a reformation of the mind; the mistakes there must be rectified, the corruptions there must be mortified, and the evil dispositions there changed. “Though thou art Jerusalem, called a holy city, that will not save thee, unless thou wash thy heart from wickedness.” In the latter part of the verse he reasons with them: How long shall thy vain thoughts lodge within thee? He complains here [1.] Of the delays of their reformation: “How long shall that filthy heart of thine continue unwashed? When shall it once be?” Note, The God of heaven thinks the time long that his room is usurped, and his interest opposed, in our souls, ch. xiii. 27. [2.] Of the root of their corruption, the vain thoughts that lodged within them and defiled their hearts, from which they must wash their hearts. Thoughts of iniquity or mischief, these are the evil thoughts that are the spawn of the evil heart, from which all other wickedness is produced, Matt. xv. 19. These are our own, the conceptions of our own lusts (Jam. i. 15), and they are the most dangerous when they lodge within us, when they are admitted and entertained as guests, and are suffered to continue. Some read it thoughts of affliction, such thoughts as will bring nothing but affliction and misery. Some by the vain thoughts here understand all those frivolous pleas and excuses with which they turned off the reproofs and calls of the word and rendered them ineffectual, and bolstered themselves up in their wickedness. Wash thy heart from wickedness, and think not to say, We are not polluted (ch. ii. 23), or, “We are Jerusalem; we have Abraham to our father,” Mat 3:8; Mat 3:9.
Fuente: Matthew Henry’s Whole Bible Commentary
Vs. 5-13: INVASION FROM THE NORTH
1. Here begins a series of prophecies concerning judgment upon Judah, that continue to the end of chapter 6.
2. First, the command is given to sound the trumpet throughout the land – calling the people of Judah to their fortified cities, (vs. 5; comp. Jer 6:1; Hos 8:1); there they are to flee for refuge, (vs. 6a).
3. From the North God is raising up an instrument of judgment against His erring people.
a. This “destroyer of nations” (evidently Babylon) is likened unto a lion emerging from his lair to seek prey, (vs. 7a; Jer 5:6; Jer 25:38; Jer 50:17).
b. It is his intention to make Judah desolate; to destroy her cities without inhabitant, (vs. 7b; Jer 2:15; comp. Isa 1:7; Isa 6:11).
4. Thus, Jeremiah calls upon Judah to repent; the fierce anger of the Lord is still not turned away from her abominations, (vs. 8; Jer 30:24; Isa 5:25; Isa 10:4).
5. The leaders of Judah are pictured as totally confounded, (vs. 9).
a. King and princes are so stricken with fear as to be without understanding – their intellects utterly paralyzed! (vs. 9a; comp. Isa 22:3-5).
b. So with the religious leaders; the priests are stunned – the prophets utterly dumbfounded! (vs. 9b; comp. Isa 29:9-10; Eze 13:916).
6. Scholars have long argued over whether verse 10 is the complaint of Jeremiah himself, or that of the mercenary priests and prophets who have persistently told the sinning nation what it wanted to hear.
a. It is the tendency of rebellious men to claim God’s blessings without heeding His warnings, or being too greatly concerned to meet His conditions.
b. Lying prophets (and preachers) often charge God with duplicity rather than acknowledge their own sin and accept the blame for its consequences.
c. There is no reason to believe (in view of his persistent warnings to Judah) that Jeremiah ever believed that his unrepentant people could escape the consequence of their stubborn rebellion and indescribable abominations!
7. Two figures are used here to describe the invader, and the nature of the discipline that God Himself is bringing upon Judah, (vs. 11-13).
a. First, his coming is likened unto a scorching sirocco that blows across the land when there is no cloud in the sky, (vs. 11; Jer 13:24; comp. Jer 51:1).
1) This wind is not for winnowing, or for cleansing; it is too strong for that.
2) It is a wind that moves under God’s own command – a wind of burning judgment, (Jer 1:16).
b. Again, he is pictured as hovering over the land “as clouds.” (comp. Jer Isa 19:1; Eze 38:16); his chariots are as destructive as a tornado (Isa 5:28-29) – his horses being more swift than eagles, (La 4:19).
c. Jeremiah can already hear the cry of anguish that will go up from Judah when it is TOO LATE TO REPENT: “Woe unto us! for we are spoiled!”, (comp. Isa 3:8).
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
Jeremiah treats his own people here with more severity, for he saw that they were refractory, and so obstinate in their vices, that they could not by wise counsels be restored to the way of safety. Hence he addresses them here as men wholly irreclaimable, and to whom instruction proved useless. But though according to the manner of the prophets, he sounds a trumpet for the sake of filling them with terror, he seems yet to speak tauntingly, when he bids them to proclaim in Judah, and to publish in Jerusalem; as though he had said, When distress shall seize you, you will then by experience perceive that God is angry with you: though to — day ye believe not my warnings; yet that God may not, indeed, by a violent hand, bring you back to himself, and as ye seek evasions for yourselves, ye shall sound the trumpet, and proclaim, “The enemies are coming, and are nigh at hand; let, therefore, every one flee to Jerusalem, and enter into the city, and resort unto Zion: “that is, “If we cannot secure our safety in the city, we shall at least be safe in the fortress of Sion.” But God, he says, brings an evil on you from the north; and whatever ye may think will be for your safety will be wholly useless. It is, however, proper, especially to regard the Prophet as God’s herald proclaiming war; and that though he exults over their perverseness, he yet declares that such would be everywhere the terror, that they would seek safety by flight.
Sound, he says, in Judah, and publish, or proclaim, in Jerusalem, ( הגידו, egidu, announce, literally.) He speaks not here for the same purpose as Joel did, (Joe 1:1,) when he bade them to sound the trumpet; for the latter exhorted the people to repent; but Jeremiah, as I have already said, tauntingly reproves here the people for their obstinacy and perverseness; as though he had said, “I see what ye will do, when God’s vengeance shall come upon you, that ye may not even then repent; for ye will sound the trumpet through the whole land, ‘Let all resort to Sion;’ as though ye could resist there your enemies, and preserve your lives.” He does not, then, bid them to sound the trumpet, but, on the contrary, shews what they would do.
Some improperly give this rendering, “Fulfill ye, “but the common version is, “Assemble yourselves.” But interpreters seem not to me to have regarded the etymology of the word; for it is of the same meaning in Hebrew as when we say, Amassez-vous, Gather yourselves. And say, Be ye assembled, and let us go into fortified cities It will, indeed, be announced to you to seek hiding — places to protect you from the assaults of your enemies; if so, Raise a banner in Sion, and flee; but God will at the same time bring evil on you from the north
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
CHAPTER SIX
SERMONS FROM THE REIGN OF JOSIAH
(Continued)
III. GODS WARNING To HIS PEOPLE
Jer. 4:5 to Jer. 6:26
Following his treatment of repentance Jeremiah takes up at length the subject of divine judgment. Using bold figures of speech he first announces the coming judgment (Jer. 4:5-18) and then adds a somewhat detailed description of that judgment (Jer. 4:19-31). Chapter 5 in its entirety is devoted to discussion of the causes of the impending disaster. In chapter 6 the prophet sees the judgment approaching ever closer to his country.
A. Announcement of Coming Judgment Jer. 4:5-18
Jeremiah builds the announcement of divine judgment around three figures. He compares the armies which will destroy Judah to a lion who ravishes the countryside (Jer. 4:5-10), to a tempest which swirls through the land (Jer. 4:11-13) and to watchers who station themselves outside the fortifications of Jerusalem and guard against any escape on the part of the inhabitants of the city (Jer. 4:14-18).
1. The first figure: the lion (Jer. 4:5-10)
TRANSLATION
(5) Declare in Judah and publish in Jerusalem, and say: Blow the trumpet in the land; cry out boldly and say: Gather yourselves and let us go unto the fortified city. (6) Set up a standard toward Zion. Take refuge. Do not hesitate; for I am about to bring calamity from the north and great destruction. (7) A lion has gone up from his thicket, yea, a destroyer of nations has set out; he has gone out of his place to make your land a desolation. Your cities shall fall to ruins, without inhabitant. (8) Because of this gird on sackcloth, mourn and howl for the fierce anger of the LORD has not turned back from us. (9) And it shall come to pass in that day (oracle of the LORD) that the heart of the king shall perish and the heart of the princes as well. The priests shall be astonished and the prophets shall be dumbfounded. (10) And I said, Ah Lord GOD! Surely you have completely deceived this people and Jerusalem saying, you shall have peace, while the sword reaches to the soul.
COMMENTS
Jer. 4:5-10 present a picture of impending disaster. Mentally projecting himself into the future, Jeremiah describes the frenzied activity throughout the land of Judah as the foe draws near. The dramatic quality of the passage is enhanced by the use of a series of rhetorical imperatives addressed by God to the prophet, by the prophet to the people, and by the people to one another. Jeremiah urges the people to sound the alarm throughout the land by means of trumpet and word of mouth. He urges them to cry out as loudly[157] as they possibly can in order that the scattered population might rush to safety in the fortified cities of the land (Jer. 4:5). Jeremiah urges them to set up a standard, a signal flag or signpost, to guide the fleeing refugees to Zion or Jerusalem. He pleads with fugitives not to hesitate (literally, stand around). They should not linger or tarry in order to have their possessions. It is an urgent hour. The Babylonian forces in the north are sweeping southward to bring calamity and destruction to Judah (Jer. 4:6).
[157] The Hebrew says literally, Cry out! Fill! sometimes in Hebrew a verb is used to convey an adverbial idea. Jeremiah is then urging them to cry out with the fullness of their strength.
Jeremiah compares Nebuchadnezzar to a lion which has gone up from its thicket. The lion, being the symbol of irresistible might and royalty, is a fitting figure for the invincible Chaldean conqueror. Unlike the literal lions which might attack individuals, this mighty and ruthless lion attacks and destroys whole nations. So certain is Jeremiah that this enemy from the north will descend on Judah that he can declare that Nebuchadnezzar has gone out of his place (lit., has broken up his camp). His purpose, declares the prophet, is to make the whole land of Judah a desolation (Jer. 4:7). In view of this impending disaster Jeremiah urges the people to gird on sackcloth as a sign of extreme distress. They should mourn and howl as in lamentation over the dead. The destruction of the land is inevitable because the fierce anger of the Lord has not turned away from Judah (Jer. 4:8) as the people naively believed (Jer. 2:35). In that day of disaster the heart of the king and his princes shall perish. The heart in the Old Testament is the center of the intellect, the will and the emotions. Hence the civil rulers who should be a tower of strength in the national emergency will lose their reason and their courage. The spiritual leaders who had so confidently been predicting that God could not and would not destroy Jerusalem will be utterly dumbfounded at the extent of the calamity (Jer. 4:9).
In Jer. 4:10 Jeremiah reacts to the vivid description of the future judgment which he has just faithfully related to the people. Shocking as it may seem, Jeremiah accuses God of deceiving or beguiling the nation, promising them peace while the sword of divine retribution was about to reach to the very soul or life of the nation. This is not the only passage where Jeremiah charges God with deceit (cf. Jer. 20:7). But what is the basis of the accusation against God? Where had God promised peace to the nation? Perhaps Jeremiah has reference to the Messianic promises of Jer. 3:14-18. He is not able to reconcile those glorious promises of a golden age to come with his present prophecy of the total destruction of Judah. On the other hand Jeremiah may be alluding to the prophecies of the fake prophets who had been confidently predicting peace for the land (Jer. 6:14; Jer. 14:13; Jer. 23:17). In this case the Lord is held responsible for those predictions of peace because He did not immediately punish the men who delivered the prophecies. In other words God is said to have done what He only permitted to occur. Upon complaining about these other prophets in a later passage (Jer. 14:18) Jeremiah is told that they are prophesying lies in the name of God.
Fuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series
(5) Declare.i.e., proclaim as a herald proclaims. The cry is that of an alarm of war. The prophet sees, as it were, the invading army, and calls the people to leave their villages and to take refuge in the fortified cities.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
5. Blow ye the trumpet, etc. The invasion of a hostile army is proclaimed. The cry of alarm resounds throughout the land. The inhabitants are called to betake themselves to their cities. From the first, the most fundamental notion of a city was that of a covert from danger; a place fortified and thus protected from hostile incursions, and so supplying the conditions of possible culture and development. Thus the “city” which Cain built was simply a natural stronghold selected and built up in such a way as to become a starting point and centre of that world-culture which so eminently characterized the Cainitic race.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Description of The Judgment under three Emblems
v. 5. Declare ye in Judah, v. 6. Set up the standard toward Zion, v. 7. The lion is come up from his thicket, v. 8. For this, v. 9. And it shall come to pass at that day, saith the Lord, v. 10. Then said I, Ah, Lord God! v. 11. At that time, v. 12. Even a full wind from those places, v. 13. Behold, he, v. 14. O Jerusalem, wash thine heart from wickedness, v. 15. For a voice declareth from Dan, v. 16. Make ye mention to the nations, v. 17. As keepers of a field, v. 18. Thy way and thy doings have procured these things unto thee,
Fuente: The Popular Commentary on the Bible by Kretzmann
Jer 4:5-6. Blow ye the trumpet “Sound the alarm, that every one may save himself in the defenced cities: the enemy is come into the field; he hath set up his standard, the lion from his thicket [Jer 4:7.]; Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, the destroyer of nations; so called, as the Almighty had given not only Judaea, but also all the neighbouring countries, into his hands.” See ch. Jer 2:15 Jer 48:8 Jer 51:47-49. Instead of gather together, we may read, cry aloud, or make a full cry. Comp. ch. Jer 12:8.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Jer 4:5 Declare ye in Judah, and publish in Jerusalem; and say, Blow ye the trumpet in the land: cry, gather together, and say, Assemble yourselves, and let us go into the defenced cities.
Ver. 5. Declare ye in Judah. ] As if the prophet should say, I do but lose my labour in calling upon you to mortify your corruptions and to cast away all your transgressions. Uncircumcised ye are in heart and ears, and so will be. Now therefore stand upon your guard against the approaching enemy, and defend yourselves, if at least you are able, from the evil that is coming upon you. Moat up yourselves against God’s fire. Jer 4:4
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Jer 4:5-9
5Declare in Judah and proclaim in Jerusalem, and say,
Blow the trumpet in the land;
Cry aloud and say,
‘Assemble yourselves, and let us go
Into the fortified cities.’
6Lift up a standard toward Zion!
Seek refuge, do not stand still,
For I am bringing evil from the north,
And great destruction.
7A lion has gone up from his thicket,
And a destroyer of nations has set out;
He has gone out from his place
To make your land a waste.
Your cities will be ruins
Without inhabitant.
8For this, put on sackcloth,
Lament and wail;
For the fierce anger of the LORD
Has not turned back from us.
9It shall come about in that day, declares the LORD, that the heart of the king and the heart of the princes will fail; and the priests will be appalled and the prophets will be astounded.
Jer 4:5 Blow the trumpet This is the word shophar. It was used as a call to war or for religious observances. Jer 4:5-9 forms a poem of a watchman.
SPECIAL TOPIC: HORNS USED BY ISRAEL
Jer 4:6 evil from the north This was a symbol of evil because it was the route of invasion for the Mesopotamian powers (i.e., Assyria, Babylon, Persia, cf. Jer 1:14-15; Jer 6:1; Jer 6:22; Jer 10:22; Jer 50:3; Isa 41:25).
Jer 4:7 a destroyer of nations has set out This is literally struck his tents. It refers to Nebuchadnezzar II of Neo-Babylon, who took Judah into exile in 605, 597, 586, 582 B.C., as Assyria did Israel in 722 B.C.
Jer 4:9 in that day This phrase was a way of referring to the special future day of YHWH’s visitation (cf. Jer 4:11 a). It can be for blessing or judgment, here judgment.
SPECIAL TOPIC: THAT DAY
the king. . .the princes. . .the priests. . .the prophets This refers to those leaders who rejected Jeremiah’s message (cf. Jer 1:18; Jer 2:8; Jer 2:26; Jer 5:31; Jer 6:13; Jer 8:1; Jer 8:10; Jer 13:13; Jer 14:18; Jer 23:33-34). Judah had no godly leaders!
Notice the parallel VERBS.
1. fail – BDB 1, KB 2, Qal IMPERFECT
2. appalled – BDB 1030, KB 1563, Niphal PERFECT (related form waste in Jer 4:7)
3. astounded – BDB 1069, KB 1744, Qal IMPERFECT (found only here in Jeremiah)
The leadership (civil and religious) will utterly fail and not know what to do in light of the invasion. Their eyes have been blinded by idolatry and false prophets (cf. Jer 4:10); they cannot find YHWH! As the leaders go, so go the people!
Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley
Declare . . . publish . . . say. Compare Jer 46:14; Jer 50:2.
Judah. Put by Figure of speech Synecdoche (of Part), for Judah and Benjamin.
Blow ye. Hebrew text reads, “And blow ye”: but Hebrew margin, and some codices, with three early printed editions, Aramaean, Septuagint, and Syriac, read without the “And”. This is followed by Authorized Version and Revised Version.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Jer 4:5-10
Jer 4:5-9
“Declare ye in Judah, and publish in Jerusalem; and say, Blow ye the trumpet in the land: cry aloud and say, Assemble yourselves, and let us go into the fortified cities. Set up a standard toward Zion: flee for safety, stay not; for I will bring evil from the north, and a great destruction. A lion has gone up from his thicket, and a destroyer of nations; he is on his way, he has gone forth from his place, to make the land desolate, that thy cities be laid waste, without inhabitant. For this gird you with sackcloth, lament and wail; for the fierce anger of Jehovah is not turned back from us. And it shall come to pass at that day, saith Jehovah, that the heart of the king shall perish, and the heart of the princes; and priests shall be astonished, and the prophets shall wonder.”
These verses are a prophecy of the Babylonian destruction of Jerusalem and the captivity of Judah. That terrible judgment against Judah, like many other judgments of God throughout history against cities and/or nations whose wickedness had reached a point of no return, is also typical of the ultimate overthrow of Adam’s rebellious race in the Final Judgment. This is indicated by the words “at that day” in Jer 4:9.
“Blow ye the trumpet in the land …” (Jer 4:5). This was an all-out war alarm, a signal for Judah and Jerusalem to brace themselves for the conflict.
“Set up a standard toward Zion …” (Jer 4:6). This meant that road signs should be set up pointing the way to the nearest fortified cities to which the people might flee for safety. It should not be thought, however, that any true safety was available. Of course, there was yet time, IF, only IF Judah repented and turned to the Lord, “There would then have been hope, that protected by their fortified cities, they might have waited till the tide of war had passed; but as long as their sins remained unrepented of, their punishment would continue.
“I will bring evil from the north, and a great devastation …” (Jer 4:6). Quite a few of the scholars whose writings on this chapter we have consulted still believe they find the Scythians indicated here; but, as in our introduction, we cannot agree with that interpretation.
Taking all into consideration, we see that referring this prophecy to the Scythians is founded neither on exegetical results, nor upon historical evidence; but such a reference relies solely upon rationalistic prejudice that the prophecies of the Biblical prophets are nothing more than either disguised descriptions of historical events, or threatenings based upon forthcoming events that astute political observations could predict.
That the prophecy here refers to the Babylonians is a certainty, as proved by the next verse.
“A lion has gone up from his thicket, and a destroyer of nations …” (Jer 4:7). This lion was no ordinary beast, but a destroyer of nations. While true enough that a lion “could represent either Assyria or Babylon,” after the fall of Nineveh (612 B.C.) the metaphor could have applied only to Babylon.
Jamieson identified the lion as, “Nebuchadnezzar and the Chaldeans … his `thicket’ was Babylon. Of course, the emphasis in Babylon upon the lion as their symbol is proved by the lion’s den into which Daniel was cast, and also, as Harrison noted: “Archaeological discoveries have uncovered beautiful representations of lions in enamel from the Processional Street of ancient Babylon.
“Gird you with sackcloth, lament and wail …” (Jer 4:8). There is nothing left for Judah except to weep and wail as the penalty of their sins is ruthlessly executed upon them by the savage lion of the Babylonians. Also note that the expression “at that day” also points forward to that day when “the weeping and the gnashing of teeth” shall mark the final punishment of our rebellious race of the sons of Adam.
This thought is developed more fully a little later in the chapter. “Jehovah’s judgment of his people here is similar to that of Isaiah 24, where the judgment of the enemies of Israel is interwoven with the judgment upon the earth.
Jer 4:10
“Then said I, Ah, Lord Jehovah! surely thou hast greatly deceived this people and Jerusalem, saying, Ye shall have peace; whereas the sword reacheth unto the life.”
We have called this the most difficult verse in the chapter; because, as it is written, we find it very difficult either to believe or to interpret. As it stands, it would have to be based upon the oriental conception that everything that happens is actually accomplished by Jehovah; and some commentators take that view; but in English, this understanding is by no means evident. Another view, held by some, that this is really the way Jeremiah felt about it, and that the thought should be forgiven due to the discouragement of Jeremiah; but we cannot allow that a blasphemous view like this ever belonged to Jeremiah.
“One of the three most ancient MSS, namely, the Codex Alexandrinus, along with the Arabic Version and the LXX, give the first three verses here as `They will say.'” Many scholars support this rendition, among whom are Wiseman and Ash, with Green in the Broadman Bible Commentary (Nashville: Broadman Press, 1971) accepting the meaning that “The leaders of Israel” are the ones who accused God of deceiving them, although he apparently retained the American Standard Version reading. To us, “They will say” is the only reading that makes any sense at all. Certainly it was the false prophets who, all along, were deceiving God’s people with promises of peace and safety.
Jer 4:5-10 present a picture of impending disaster. Mentally projecting himself into the future, Jeremiah describes the frenzied activity throughout the land of Judah as the foe draws near. The dramatic quality of the passage is enhanced by the use of a series of rhetorical imperatives addressed by God to the prophet, by the prophet to the people, and by the people to one another. Jeremiah urges the people to sound the alarm throughout the land by means of trumpet and word of mouth. He urges them to cry out as loudly as they possibly can in order that the scattered population might rush to safety in the fortified cities of the land (Jer 4:5). The Hebrew says literally, Cry out! Fill! sometimes in Hebrew a verb is used to convey an adverbial idea. Jeremiah is then urging them to cry out with the fullness of their strength. Jeremiah urges them to set up a standard, a signal flag or signpost, to guide the fleeing refugees to Zion or Jerusalem. He pleads with fugitives not to hesitate (literally, stand around). They should not linger or tarry in order to have their possessions. It is an urgent hour. The Babylonian forces in the north are sweeping southward to bring calamity and destruction to Judah (Jer 4:6).
Jeremiah compares Nebuchadnezzar to a lion which has gone up from its thicket. The lion, being the symbol of irresistible might and royalty, is a fitting figure for the invincible Chaldean conqueror. Unlike the literal lions which might attack individuals, this mighty and ruthless lion attacks and destroys whole nations. So certain is Jeremiah that this enemy from the north will descend on Judah that he can declare that Nebuchadnezzar has gone out of his place (lit., has broken up his camp). His purpose, declares the prophet, is to make the whole land of Judah a desolation (Jer 4:7). In view of this impending disaster Jeremiah urges the people to gird on sackcloth as a sign of extreme distress. They should mourn and howl as in lamentation over the dead. The destruction of the land is inevitable because the fierce anger of the Lord has not turned away from Judah (Jer 4:8) as the people naively believed (Jer 2:35). In that day of disaster the heart of the king and his princes shall perish. The heart in the Old Testament is the center of the intellect, the will and the emotions. Hence the civil rulers who should be a tower of strength in the national emergency will lose their reason and their courage. The spiritual leaders who had so confidently been predicting that God could not and would not destroy Jerusalem will be utterly dumbfounded at the extent of the calamity (Jer 4:9).
In Jer 4:10 Jeremiah reacts to the vivid description of the future judgment which he has just faithfully related to the people. Shocking as it may seem, Jeremiah accuses God of deceiving or beguiling the nation, promising them peace while the sword of divine retribution was about to reach to the very soul or life of the nation. This is not the only passage where Jeremiah charges God with deceit (cf. Jer 20:7). But what is the basis of the accusation against God? Where had God promised peace to the nation? Perhaps Jeremiah has reference to the Messianic promises of Jer 3:14-18. He is not able to reconcile those glorious promises of a golden age to come with his present prophecy of the total destruction of Judah. On the other hand Jeremiah may be alluding to the prophecies of the fake prophets who had been confidently predicting peace for the land (Jer 6:14; Jer 14:13; Jer 23:17). In this case the Lord is held responsible for those predictions of peace because He did not immediately punish the men who delivered the prophecies. In other words God is said to have done what He only permitted to occur. Upon complaining about these other prophets in a later passage (Jer 14:18) Jeremiah is told that they are prophesying lies in the name of God.
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
Declare ye: Jer 5:20, Jer 9:12, Jer 11:2
Blow: Jer 6:1, Eze 33:2-6, Hos 8:1, Amo 3:6, Amo 3:8
Assemble: Jer 8:14, Jer 35:11, Jos 10:20
Reciprocal: Num 10:3 – General Num 10:9 – then ye shall Jer 4:19 – sound Jer 4:21 – shall I Jer 6:25 – Go not Jer 34:7 – fought against Eze 7:14 – have Eze 33:3 – he blow Hos 5:8 – Blow Joe 2:1 – Blow Nah 3:11 – thou also
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Jer 4:5. Blow ye the trumpet is a call for a general reformation in the conduct of life. A trumpet was an instrument that was used when any important event was at hand that pertained to ail the people. (See Exo 19:13; Lev 25:9.)
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Jer 4:5-6. Blow ye the trumpet The Lord, being now about to bring enemies upon them, speaks in martial language, warning them of the nature of their approaching judgment. It is the beginning of a new discourse, in which the prophet describes the dreadful preparations of war, such as blowing a trumpet, and setting up a standard, for the assembling men together, in order to their leaving the open country, and retiring with their families and goods into the defenced cities, both for their own safety, and that they might maintain those garrisons against the power of the enemy. Retire, stay not Make haste away. I will bring evil from the north I am about to bring a great destruction upon you from Chaldea.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Jer 4:5-18. The Enemys Approach.Warning is given by the horn, and guidance, to the refugees fleeing to Jerusalem, by the standard; they are bidden to bring (their families) into safety (not flee for safety). The lion-like foe draws near to destroy, and the courage (Hebrew heart, Jer 4:9) of Judahs leaders fails them. The prophets will say that they have been deceived in prophesying prosperity (cf. Jer 6:14, Jer 14:13, Jer 23:17; Jeremiahs own prophecies were in marked contrast, see on Jeremiah 28). A sirocco blast blows on Judah, too strong (Jer 4:12 mg.) to winnow, and to distinguish the grain from the chaff. The foe approaches, cloud-like in numbers, vulturelike in speed. Hark! one declareth (so Jer 4:15), from the extreme north of the land, and then from the mountains a few miles north of Jerusalem (Ephraim), that the watchers (i.e. besiegers) are at hand. The bitterness of heart-felt sorrow is the result of Judahs wickedness.
Jer 4:10. said I: read, with Cod. A of LXX and the Arabic Version, they will say.
Jer 4:13. The eagle of RV is the griffon-vulture
Jer 4:15. Dan: cf. the proverbial phrase, from Dan unto Beersheba, Jdg 20:1.
Fuente: Peake’s Commentary on the Bible
4:5 {d} Declare ye in Judah, and proclaim in Jerusalem; and say, Blow ye the trumpet in the land: cry, confirm, and say, Assemble yourselves, and let us go into the fortified cities.
(d) He warns them of the great dangers that will come on them by the Chaldeans, unless they repent and turn to the Lord.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
Yahweh’s declaration of divine judgment 4:5-6:30
The Judahites-having sinned greatly (ch. 2)-failed to repent (Jer 3:1 to Jer 4:4). Consequently, judgment in the form of military invasion would overtake them. This whole section is an amplification and explanation of the overflowing cauldron vision in Jer 1:13-16.
This section provides a clear example of the mosaic structure of the Book of Jeremiah. It consists of 13 separate messages that all deal with the threat of approaching invasion from the north. Someone, Jeremiah and or others, skillfully arranged them in the present order to make a strong impact on the reader.
Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)
The sounding of the alarm that invasion was coming 4:5-10
Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)
The Lord instructed Jeremiah to call for the people of Judah to assemble in the main cities. Blowing the trumpet in Israel’s history and in the ancient Near East was a call to assemble and take cover in fortified cities, similar to the sounding of an air raid siren today (cf. Hos 5:8; Joe 2:1; Amo 3:6).