Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Jeremiah 5:5
I will get me unto the great men, and will speak unto them; for they have known the way of the LORD, [and] the judgment of their God: but these have altogether broken the yoke, [and] burst the bonds.
5. they know ] As experts they have leisure to study the Law, and to learn therefrom the will of God.
broken the yoke, and burst the bands ] of the Law and of obedience. The bands are the fastenings of the yoke upon the neck of the beasts that bear it.
For the phrase cp. Jer 2:20. As oxen which have broken loose, and are straying, so have the rebellious leaders of the people cast off obedience and service.
This verse suggested images to Dante:
“A lion’s aspect, which appeared to me,
He seemed as if against me he were coming
With head uplifted, and with ravenous hunger,
So that it seemed the air was afraid of him;
And a she-wolf, that with all hungerings
Seemed to be laden in her meagreness,
And many folk has caused to live forlorn!”
Inferno, Canto I. ll. 45 51. Longfellow’s Trans.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
They have known … – Men of education, who read the Scriptures, and learn from them the nature of Gods judgments.
But these – literally, surely they (compare Jer 5:4).
The yoke – The Mosaic law.
And burst … – They have torn off, torn themselves loose from.
The bonds – The fastenings by which the yoke was fixed upon the necks of the oxen.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 5. I will get me unto the great men] Those whose circumstances and rank in life gave them opportunities of information which the others could not have, for the reasons already given.
These have altogether broken the yoke] These have cast aside all restraint, have acted above law, and have trampled all moral obligations under their feet, and into their vortex the lower classes of the people have been swept away. Solon said, “The laws are like cobwebs; they entangle the small fry, but the great ones go through them, and carry all away with them.”
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
I will get me unto the great men, i.e. to the nobles, both prince and priest, that have more time to consider these things, have been better taught and educated, Pro 4:4. Not that Jeremiah had any better thoughts of these, but as carrying a great probability with it.
For they have known: had it been only among those, in the former verse, it might have been more excusable; but it is in the very nobles themselves; the state is wholly corrupt, from head to foot, who cannot plead ignorance, therefore the more inexcusable.
These have altogether broken the yoke, and burst the bonds; these are more refractory than the other, more heady and obstinate; no law of God is able to hold them, Psa 2:2,3; see Luk 19:14,27. There is not one better than another among them, whether poor or rich.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
5. they have knownrather,”they must know.” The prophet supposes it as probable,considering their position.
but theseI found thevery reverse to be the case.
burst . . . bondssetGod’s law at defiance (Ps 2:3).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
I will get me unto the great men, and speak unto them,…. The princes, nobles, and judges, the elders of the people, the scribes and doctors of the law:
for they have known the way of the Lord, and the judgment of their God; it might be reasonably expected that they had, having had a good education, and being at leisure from worldly business to attend to the law, and the knowledge of it, and whatsoever God had revealed in his word, both in a way of doctrine and duty:
but these have altogether broken the yoke, and burst the bonds; the yoke of the law, and the bonds of his precepts, with which they were bound; these they broke off from them, and would not be obliged and restrained by them, but transgressed and rejected them.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
He now adds, I will go to the great By the great he meant the priests and the prophets, as well as the king’s counselors, and the king himself. I will go, (132) then, he says, to the great, and will speak to them It is the same as though he had said, that everywhere his labor was in vain, for not only he spoke to the deaf when addressing the illiterate vulgar, but also when addressing the chief men. I have said, that the Prophet did not make the inquiry as one doubtful, but his purpose was to make the chief men ashamed of themselves, and also to confirm what he had said before, — that not one just and upright man could be found in Jerusalem.
For they know, he says, etc. He declares the same thing in the same words. But we must ever remember, that the Prophet did not believe this; but he speaks of it as a thing that appeared probable: for who could have then thought that there was so much ignorance in the chief men? for they were in great esteem among the people. Since then the opinion prevailed, that all those who were rulers were well acquainted with the law, Jeremiah speaks according to what was commonly thought, and says, that they knew the way of Jehovah
He afterwards adds, But (for אך, ak, is to be taken here adversatively, and its proper meaning is, nay or but) they have alike broken the yoke, they have burst the bonds; that is, “If any one thinks that the rulers are better than the common people, he is much deceived; for I have proofs enough to shew that their conduct is the same; they have broken the yoke of God no less than the most ignorant.” By this repetition he more fully confirmed their defection, and at the same time reminded them how shameful it was, that prophets, priests, and rulers, who occupied the first places in the state, had become so unbridled in their vices. It follows —
(132) Literally it is, “I will go for myself,” — an idiomatic form of speech. The Welsh is exactly the same, (lang. cy) af rhagof ; which means, I will go forth; but it cannot be literally expressed in another language. After the verb, as in Hebrew, there is a preposition prefixed to “me.” — Ed.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(5) I will get me.The prophet turns from the masses to the few, from the poor to the great, repeating, as with a grave, indignant irony, the words that describe the true wisdom which he has not found in the former, but hopes to find in the latter.
But these.Better, as less ambiguous, Surely they too. The clause begins with the same word as that in Jer. 5:4. What is meant is that the great as well as the poor, the learned as well as the ignorant, are altogether evil, the former even more defiant in breaking through all conventional constraints than the latter.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
Jer 5:5 I will get me unto the great men, and will speak unto them; for they have known the way of the LORD, [and] the judgment of their God: but these have altogether broken the yoke, [and] burst the bonds.
Ver. 5. I will get me unto the great men. ] Who have been better bred, and abound with leisure, and other helps to holy living.
But these have altogether broken the yoke.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
altogether = together, or with one accord.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
get me: Amo 4:1, Mic 3:1, Mal 2:7
but these: Jer 6:13, Psa 2:2, Psa 2:3, Eze 22:6-8, Eze 22:25-29, Mic 3:1-4, Mic 3:11, Mic 7:3, Mic 7:4, Zep 3:3-5, Mat 19:23-26, Luk 18:24, Luk 19:14, Act 4:26, Act 4:27, Jam 2:5-7
Reciprocal: 2Ch 36:14 – all the chief Neh 3:5 – their nobles Neh 13:17 – I contended Job 32:9 – Great Psa 49:2 – General Isa 1:5 – the whole Isa 1:23 – princes Isa 2:9 – the mean Isa 5:15 – the mean Isa 27:11 – for it is Isa 59:4 – calleth Jer 5:23 – a revolting Jer 6:10 – To whom Jer 8:7 – know Jer 42:1 – from Eze 8:11 – seventy Eze 11:2 – General Dan 2:48 – a great Hos 9:15 – all Mic 6:12 – the rich Nah 1:13 – will burst Zec 11:7 – General Mar 7:18 – General Luk 14:18 – all Joh 7:48 – General
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Jer 5:5. According to Strong the original for great means “great in any sense. It is like the teaching of Jesus in Mat 5:19, that keeping the commandments of the Lord constitutes true greatness. The leaders in the kingdom could have been great men in this good sense had they been obedient to the law of God. They were disobedient and hence incurred the wrath of God. On the other hand, there were some of the common people who were respectful toward the divine statutes. Get me unto means the Lord would look with favor upon the humble folks. This great truth is a divinely established principle and is taught in Isa 66:2. The pronoun these refers to the disbodient leaders described In the first of this paragraph. But in thus classifying the leaders we should not restrict the subject to them personally. They were chiefly to blame, but since the people generally loved to have It so (v. 31). almost the entire nation would come under the same condemnation.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
5:5 I will go to the {e} great men, and will speak to them; for they have known the way of the LORD, [and] the judgment of their God: but these have altogether broken the yoke, [and] burst the bonds.
(e) He speaks this to the reproach of them who would govern and teach others, and yet are farther out of the way than the simple people.