Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Jeremiah 5:6
Wherefore a lion out of the forest shall slay them, [and] a wolf of the evenings shall spoil them, a leopard shall watch over their cities: every one that goeth out thence shall be torn in pieces: because their transgressions are many, [and] their backslidings are increased.
6. For the danger from actual wild beasts in Palestine cp. 1Sa 17:34; 1Ki 13:24 ; 1Ki 20:36. Here the description “spoiling,” “watching over” (i.e. lying in wait) shews that the passage is metaphorical. Cp. Jer 4:7.
evenings ] deserts, as mg., thus preserving the parallelism with “forest.” The mistake arose from the similarity of the two words in Hebrew.
leopard ] panther.
watch over ] Cp. Hos 13:7.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Evenings – See the margin. From its habit of skulking about in the twilight the wolf is often called the evening wolf Hab 1:8; Zep 3:3, but the word used here means a sandy desert.
Leopard – panther.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 6. Wherefore a lion] Nebuchadnezzar, according to the general opinion; who is called here a lion for his courage and violence, a bear for his rapaciousness, and a leopard for his activity. Dahler supposes the Scythians to be intended, both here and in Jer 4:7.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Nebuchadnezzar and the Chaldean army from Syria and Libanus, woody places, are here pointed at under the metaphor of beasts of prey of three kinds; the malignity that is proper to each of these creatures shall be put forth in this Babylonian army, compared, for instance, to a lion, Jer 4:7 which notes his great power, courage, pride, and insulting over his prey.
A wolf, for their greediness and unsatiableness; one wolf will destroy abundance of sheep; and said to be the wolf of the evenings, or deserts, or plains, they being the usual haunts of the wolf; or evenings, because then they are observed to be most ravenous, Hab 1:8, possibly because lying most part of the day in their dens for fear of the huntsmen, want of prey enrageth their hunger at night; and because of this greediness to devour, the judges among themselves are said to be
evening wolves, described Zep 3:3,
They gnaw not the bones till the morrow, either through hunger or rage.
A leopard; the Chaldean army compared to a leopard, not for its speed only, but especially for its vigilancy and subtlety; they will be so vigilant, that scarce any shall escape, according to Jer 4:16.
Increased, Heb. strong: here is the reason why God would bring such a devastation upon them, because they did, as it were, strengthen themselves in the multitude of their rebellions against him.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
6. lion . . . wolf . . . leopardthestrongest, the most ravenous, and the swiftest, respectively, ofbeasts: illustrating the formidable character of the Babylonians.
of the eveningsOthersnot so well translate, of the deserts. The plural meansthat it goes forth every evening to seek its prey (Psa 104:20;Hab 1:8; Zep 3:3).
leopard . . . watch . . .cities (Ho 13:7). Itshall lie in wait about their cities.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Wherefore a lion out of the forest shall slay them,…. Meaning King Nebuchadnezzar out of Babylon, a place full of people, and so comparable to a forest, as the king is to a lion, for his strength, fierceness, and cruelty; and who came from thence, besieged and took Jerusalem; and who not only slew their young men with the sword, but also the king’s sons, and the princes and nobles of Judah,
2Ch 36:17
and a wolf of the evenings shall spoil them; which, having sought for its prey all the day, or not daring to go out for any, is hungry, raging and furious, and tears and destroys whatever it meets with; see Zep 3:3, so the Targum and Kimchi understand it of such a wolf; but Jarchi and Ben Melech interpret it, “a wolf of the desert”, or deserts; as the word q will bear to be rendered; one that frequents desert places, and rages about in the wilderness; as the king of Babylon with his army did among the wilderness of the people of the nations about him, and at length spoiled Judea, and laid it desolate:
a leopard shall watch over their cities; the same enemies, who are compared to watchers, and to keepers of a field, Jer 4:16. Kimchi interprets the lion of a king, that being the king among beasts; the wolf, of his army; and the leopard, of the princes of the army; and so the Targum,
“wherefore a king with his army shall come up against them, as a lion out of the forest; and the people, who are strong as the wolves of the evening, shall slay them; and the rulers, who are mighty as the leopard, shall make a prey of them, watching over their cities;”
but Jarchi applies them to the several monarchies; by the lion, he understands the kingdom of Babylon; by the wolf, the kingdom of the Medes; and by the leopard, the kingdom of Greece; and so Jerom:
everyone that goes out thence; from any of the cities of Judea, watched by the enemy:
shall be torn in pieces; by those beasts of prey. Jarchi adds, by the Persians; the reason of all which follows, and shows it to be a righteous judgment of God upon them:
because their transgressions are many: their rebellions against God, their violations of his righteous law, were not a few, but many; God had bore long with them, and they had abused his patience and longsuffering; and therefore now he determines to punish them by such instruments:
and their backslidings are increased; though he had so often, and so kindly and tenderly, invited them to return unto him, Jer 3:12.
q “lupus desertorum”, Montanus; “lupus solitudinum”, Calvin; “deserta incolaus”, Pagninuns, Vatablus; “lupus camporum”, Schmidt.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Here, at length, God shews that he was moderate in his judgments, so that the wicked in vain charged him, as it is usual with them, with too much rigor.
Some render the words in the past tense, and think the sense to be, that the Prophet reminds the Jews that they had not been afflicted without reason by so many evils, as they had deserved heavier punishments. But another view may be taken; for we know that in Hebrew the tenses often change; and I am inclined to regard the future tense as intended; for the Prophet seems not here to record what they had already suffered, but to remind them of the heavy punishment that was awaiting them. Smite them shall the lion from the forest
The wolf is called the wolf of solitudes, because of his coming forth from the desert. Some render the words, “the wolf of the evening;” and this may be allowed. We indeed know, that in other places hungry wolves are called the wolves of the evening; for after having sought their prey in the day — time, and finding none, they become in the evening almost mad, and their hunger causes them to run furiously in all directions. This explanation, then, may be admitted. But as he says first, that the lion would come from the forest, it is more probable that the wolf is described as coming from the desert. (133) As to the general import of the passage there is not much difference.
He mentions here three wild beasts — the lion, the wolf, and the leopard. By these wild beasts he understands no doubt the enemies, who would shortly attack them with the greatest cruelty. It is indeed true that the Jews, before the time in which Jeremiah spoke to them, had been afflicted with many evils; for God had not punished them only once, but had given them frequent warnings; and had there been any hope of repentance, they might have still continued in safety, though considerably reduced. But Jeremiah seems to predict future punishment: he therefore refers, not only to the Egyptians and the Assyrians, but also to other enemies. For that people, we know, were hated by all their neighbors, and had suffered grievous wrongs even from their own kindred. Since, then, many nations were hostile to the Jews, it is nothing strange that the Prophet enumerates here three sorts of wild beasts; as though he had said, that enemies would come from every quarter, who would, like lions, wolves, and leopards, vent their fury on them, because they had so often, and for so long a time, provoked God’s wrath. At the same time, God does here check those false complaints which are wont to be often alleged by the wicked, and shews that he is a righteous Judge, and that the punishments he inflicted could not be blamed by the Jews: and it was for this purpose that he used the particle, Wherefore — על-כז, ol-kan.
He also adds, A leopard shall watch, that he may tear all who shall go out of the cities This language is no doubt metaphorical; and what he means is, that when the enemies would occupy the land, the Jews would be shut up in their cities, and would not venture to go forth, for dangers would await them everywhere.
At the end of the verse he repeats again, and speaks more fully of what he meant by “ Wherefore — על-כז, “at the beginning of the verse; (134) for he says, Because multiplied have their transgressions, and increased have their defections By these words he further proves what he had said, that God is a righteous judge, even when he seems to be too severe: for it could not have been otherwise, but that he must have visited with extreme vengeance a people so abandoned and irreclaimable. Nor does he only call them wicked, and apostates, but he says that their iniquities, (135) or evil deeds, were many, and that their defections had increased And by the last expression he amplifies their guilt: for though פשע , pesho, does not mean simply to offend, but to act wickedly; yet to fall away from God is a baser and a more atrocious sin. We hence learn, that such was the wickedness of the Jews, that it could not be corrected by common means or moderate punishment. He afterwards adds —
(133) The word, as found here, is never used for the evening; it ever means the desert, or uncultivated plains. The plural termination of the word, when it means the evening, is -ים, and not -ות, as here. See Num 22:1; Jos 5:10; Jer 39:5. In these verses it is rendered “plains;” they were evidently uncultivated, and might properly be called deserts. The Vulgate and the Targum have led commentators astray as to this word. The Septuagint have completely misunderstood it, and have rendered the sentence, “The wolf even to the houses ( ἕως τῶν οἰκιῶν) has destroyed them.” The version of Blayney is, “The wolf of the plains:“ and he says in a note, that they were “unenclosed commons.” used for sheepwalks, which were commonly “infested with wolves.” — Ed
(134) This illative, “wherefore,” or therefore, or, for this cause, is both retrospective and anticipative. It is a reason given for what is contained in the latter part of the last verse, and for what is contained in the last words of this verse; it anticipates the particle “because” before “multiplied.” — Ed.
(135) It is rendered “ ἀσεβείας — impieties, “ by the Septuagint; “prevarications” by the Vulgate; “ rebellions” by the Targum. It does not mean “iniquities,“ but willful violations of the law in matters connected with God’s worship and service. The other word means apostasies, defections from God, rendered by the Septuagint, “ ἀποστρόφαις — turnings away, “and so by the Vulgate and the Targum. They were defections to various forms of idolatry. Their idols increased in number. The Septuagint render the last sentence thus, “They have become strong ( ἴσχυσας) in their turnings away.” The Vulgate and the Targum are the same. The Verb עצם means an increase in quality or in quantity. But both verbs may be rendered here as transitives, —
Because they have multiplied their transgressions, They have strengthened (or increased) their apostasies.
—
Ed.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(6) A lion out of the forest.The imagery is vivid in itself. The three forms of animal ferocity, lion, wolf, leopardrepresenting, perhaps, the three phases of simple fierceness, ravenousness, and cunning; possibly even three oppressors in whom those attributes were to be impersonatedare brought together to embody the cruelty of the invader. The three animals were all common in Palestine, but it seems a weak rendering of the prophets words to take them literally as simply predicting that the land would be ravaged by the beasts of prey.
A wolf of the evenings.Better, as in the margin, of the deserts; but the term evening, as applied to the habits of the beast of prey prowling in the darkness, is supported by Hab. 1:8; Zep. 3:3. The same three animals appear in the symbolism of the first canto of Dantes Inferno, and the coincidence can hardly be thought of as accidental.
A leopard shall watch . . .There is no adequate reason for substituting panther. The leopard finds its place in the Fauna of Syria (Hos. 13:7; Hab. 1:8). The watching is that of the crouching beast making ready for its spring.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
6. Lion wolf leopard This is a drawing out in detail of the curse denounced in Lev 26:22: “I will also send wild beasts among you,” etc. The strongest, the most ravenous, and the swiftest of the beasts are here mentioned, as showing the thorough fulfilment of this threatening. The verbs in this verse should be rendered by the English present rather than the future, for the intention seems to be to point out the infliction of this curse.
Of the evenings Rather, of the plains. This, in the parallelism, stands over against out of the forest, which in itself is strongly confirmatory of the above rendering.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Jer 5:6. Wherefore a lion, &c. By the lion, say some, Nebuchadnezzar is meant: see chap. Jer 4:7. By the wolf, Nabuzaradan; and by the leopard, Antiochus Epiphanes. Others by the lion think that the Babylonians are understood; by the wolf the Medes and Persians; and by the leopard the Greeks: while others again, with more reason, suppose that Nebuchadnezzar alone is here pointed at; violent and courageous as a lion; rapacious, greedy, devouring, as a wolf; swift, lively, and active as a leopard. See Grotius and Calmet.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
How striking the expostulation? How unanswerably just the appeal? Do not fail to observe, Reader, that the Lord doth not simply speak of one nation, or of another, but it is this nation, this people, this very seed; Israel, the Lord’s Israel. And do not the words come in with peculiar, yea personal direction, to our Israel, in the present hour? Did they ever suit the Church, since the days of Jeremiah, more pointedly than now?
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Jer 5:6 Wherefore a lion out of the forest shall slay them, [and] a wolf of the evenings shall spoil them, a leopard shall watch over their cities: every one that goeth out thence shall be torn in pieces: because their transgressions are many, [and] their backslidings are increased.
Ver. 6. Therefore a lion of the forest shall slay them. ] So Nebuchadnezzar is called for his cruelty, a wolf for his voracity, and a leopard for his slyness and swiftness. All the malignities of other creatures meet in the Church’s enemies.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
evenings = deserts.
transgressions = revolts.
backslidings = apostasies.
increased = strong, or many.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
a lion: Jer 2:15, Jer 4:7, Jer 25:38, Jer 49:19, Eze 14:16-21, Dan 7:4, Hos 5:14, Hos 13:7, Hos 13:8, Amo 5:18, Amo 5:19, Nah 2:11, Nah 2:12
and a wolf: Psa 104:20, Eze 22:27, Hab 1:8, Zep 3:3
evenings: or, deserts
a leopard: Dan 7:6, Hos 13:7, Rev 13:2
because: Jer 2:17, Jer 2:19, Jer 9:12-14, Jer 14:7, Jer 16:10-12, Jer 30:24, Num 32:14, Ezr 9:6, Ezr 10:10, Isa 59:12, Lam 1:5, Eze 16:25, Eze 23:19
increased: Heb. strong
Reciprocal: Gen 49:27 – at night 2Ki 17:25 – the Lord sent Jer 4:16 – watchers Jer 15:8 – the mother Jer 19:4 – they have Jer 20:8 – I cried Jer 30:14 – because Jer 30:15 – for the Jer 50:17 – the lions Lam 3:11 – pulled Hos 4:16 – slideth Hos 14:4 – heal Mic 6:12 – the rich
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Jer 5:6. Some figurative language is again used and the wild animals named refer to the Babylonians. The forest means the territory in the region of the Euphrates River. God was going to suffer these enemies to come against his people because their transgressions are many.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Jer 5:6. Wherefore a lion, &c. Nebuchadnezzar and the Chaldean army are here pointed at under the metaphor of beasts of prey, of three kinds: being powerful, courageous, and violent as a lion; rapacious, greedy, and devouring as a wolf; and swift, lively, and active as a leopard. The word , rendered evenings in the text, is translated deserts in the margin of our Bibles, which probably is the sense here intended. And those wide and extensive plains, or unenclosed commons, seem to be meant, which were used only for sheep-walks and pasturage, and were, of course, most likely to be infested with wolves. Blaney.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
5:6 Wherefore a {f} lion from the forest shall slay them, [and] a wolf of the evenings shall spoil them, a leopard shall watch over their cities: every one that goeth out from there shall be torn in pieces: because their transgressions are many, [and] their backslidings are increased.
(f) Meaning, Nebuchadnezzar and his army.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
Therefore, the people of Judah would become prey for their savage, animal-like enemies (cf. Jer 2:15; Jer 4:7; Hos 13:7-8; Hab 1:8; Zep 3:3).
"The lion represents strength, the desert wolf ravenousness, and the leopard swiftness-all traits of the Babylonians." [Note: Feinberg, p. 413.]
When the Judahites later tried to flee their towns, the foe would devour them. The reason was, they had transgressed Yahweh’s covenant greatly and had departed from Him many times (cf. Lev 26:22; Eze 14:15). The eighth-century B.C. Sefire Treaties contain references to lions and leopards ravaging people in fulfillment of a treaty curse. [Note: See T. Wittstruck, "The Influence of Treaty Curse Imagery on the Beast Imagery of Daniel 7," Journal of Biblical Literature 97 (1978):100-102.] The Judahites were familiar with wild beasts attacking and killing humans outside their cities (cf. 2Ki 17:25).