Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Jeremiah 6:9
Thus saith the LORD of hosts, They shall throughly glean the remnant of Israel as a vine: turn back thine hand as a grape gatherer into the baskets.
9. turn again thine hand ] addressed to the leader of the attack upon the land. Du. and Co., omitting for metrical reasons “They shall Israel,” consider that the prophet is bidden to search whether any good grapes are yet concealed under the leaves. Cp. Gen 18:32. In this case Jer 6:10 gives the result of the search as vain.
into the baskets ] better (with mg.) upon the shoots. So Gi. and others, taking MT. as another form of a word used Isa 18:5.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
9 15. See introd. note to ch. The gleaners shall go over and over again. Calamity shall not visit the land once only, as it has already visited the Northern tribes, but many times.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
They … – Each word indicates the completeness of Judahs ruin.
Turn back thine hand – Addressed perhaps to Nebuchadnezzar as Gods servant Jer 25:9. He is required to go over the vine once again, that no grapes may escape.
Into the baskets – Better, upon the tendrils. While the Jews carried captive to Babylon escaped, misery gleaned the rest again and again.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 9. They shall thoroughly glean the remnant of Israel as a vine: turn back thine hand] The Chaldeans are here exhorted to turn back and glean up the remnant of the inhabitants that were left after the capture of Jerusalem; for even that remnant did not profit by the Divine judgments that fell on the inhabitants at large.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Though gleaning be a term proper for all kind of harvest, yet the word used here is appropriated to the vintage, and implies the thorough riddance that the Chaldeans shall make, contrary to the law for gathering the vintage, though it may seem to allude to it, Lev 19:10. Judah shall be gleaned over and over, till there be a full end, none left; as the Israelites gleaned the Benjamites, Jdg 20:45; for thus they picked them up at several times, both before, 2Ki 24:2, and also at thee time of Zedekiahs reign, 2Ki 25:6,7,11,15,19; and this seems to be intimated in the next words. See Hab 1:9.
Turn back thine hand; as much as to say, they should not be content with one spoiling, but they should go back a second and a third time, again and again, to carry away both persons and spoil, leaving nothing behind them worth carrying away, Jer 52:28-30; the first carrying away being as the vintage, the second the gleaning; carrying away first the principal, and afterwards the more inferior sort.
As a grape gatherer into the baskets; as the grapegatherers do, filling one basket after another. Whether these be the words of the Babylonians calling upon and stirring up one another to do it, as some; or the words of God to the Babylonians, as most; it comes much to the same thing; for what they did; as by Gods commission.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
9. The Jews are the grapes,their enemies the unsparing gleaners.
turn back . . . handagainand again bring freshly gathered handfuls to the baskets; referringto the repeated carrying away of captives to Babylon (Jer 52:28-30;2Ki 24:14; 2Ki 25:11).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Thus saith the Lord of hosts,…. Finding that all his threatenings, admonitions, and expostulations, were in vain, he says of the Chaldeans, with respect to the Israelites,
they shall thoroughly glean the remnant of Israel as a vine; by “the remnant of Israel” are meant the two tribes of Judah and Benjamin, who were left in the land when the ten tribes were carried captive; and these the Chaldeans should come and carry away also, just as the poor come into a vineyard, after the vintage has been gathered in, and pick off and glean what is left upon the branches:
turn back thine hand as a grapegatherer into the baskets; these words, according to Kimchi, are the words of the Chaldeans to one another, to turn their hands to the spoil, and to the prey, again and again, just as the grape gatherer does; he gathers a bunch of grapes, and puts it into his basket, and then turns his hand, time after time, till he has gleaned the whole vine: and, according to Jarchi, it seems to be his sense, that they are the words of God unto them; and so Abarbinel; and it is as if he should say, O thou enemy, turn thine hand to the spoil a second time, as a grape gatherer turns his hand to the baskets; and who observes that so it was, that when Jehoiakim was carried captive, and slain, Jeconiah was made king: then, at the end of three months, the enemy returned, and carried him captive; and, at the end of twelve years, returned again, and carried Zedekiah captive; nay, even of the poor of the people, and it may be observed, that they were carried away at different times; see Jer 52:15.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
This judgment will fall unsparingly on Jerusalem, because they listen to no warning, but suffer themselves to be confirmed in their shameless courses by false prophets and wicked priests. – Jer 6:9. “Thus hath Jahveh of hosts said: They shall have a gleaning of the remnant of Israel as of a vine: lay thine hand again as a vine-dresser on the soots. Jer 6:10. To whom shall I speak, and testify, that they may hear? Behold, uncircumcised is their ear, and they cannot give heed: behold, the word of Jahveh is become to them a reproach; they have no pleasure in it. Jer 6:11. But of the fury of Jahveh am I full, am weary with holding it in. Pour it out upon the child on the street, and upon the group of young men together; for even the husband with the wife shall be taken, the old man with him that is full of days. Jer 6:12. And their houses shall pass unto others, fields and wives together; for I stretch out mine hand against the inhabitants of the land, saith Jahveh. Jer 6:13. For great and small are all of them greedy for gain; and from the prophet to the priest, all use deceit. Jer 6:14. And they heal the breach of the daughter of my people lightly, saying, Peace, peace, when there is no peace. Jer 6:15. They are put to shame because they have done abomination, yet they take not shame to themselves, neither know they disgrace; therefore they shall fall among them that fall: at the time that I visit them they shall stumble, hath Jahveh said.”
The threatening of Jer 6:9 is closely connected with the foregoing. The Lord will make Jerusalem an uninhabited waste, because it will not take warning. The enemy will make a gleaning like vine-dressers, i.e., they will yet search out eve that which is left of the people, and crush it or carry it captive. This still sterner threat does come into contradiction with the repeated pledge, that Israel is not to be wholly extirpated, not to be made an utter end of (Jer 4:27; Jer 5:10, Jer 5:18). For even at the gleaning odd clusters are left, which are not noticed or set store by. The words convey the idea that the enemy will not have done with it after one devastating campaign, but will repeat his inroads. is construed with the accus. of the vineyard in Lev 19:10. The “remnant of Israel” is not the kingdom of Judah at large, but Judah already reduced by judgments. In the second clause the idea of the first is repeated in the form of a command to the gleaners. The command is to be looked on as addressed to the enemy by God; and this turn of the expression serves to put the thought with a positiveness that excludes the faintest doubt. To bring back the hand means: yet again to turn it, stretch it out against a person or thing; cf. Amo 1:8; Isa 1:25. is not baskets, like , Gen 40:16, but like , Isa 18:5, vine-shoots, prop. waving twigs, like , Son 5:11, from = and , wave (Ew., Hitz.).
Jer 6:10-11 Well might Jeremiah warn the people once more (cf. Jer 6:8), in order to turn sore judgment away from it; but it cannot and will not hear, for it is utterly hardened. Yet can he not be silent; for he is so filled with the fury of God, that he must pour it forth on the depraved race. This is our view of the progress of the thought in these verses; whereas Hitz. and Graf make what is said in Jer 6:11 refer to the utterance of the dreadful revelation received in Jer 6:9. But this is not in keeping with “testify that they may hear,” or with the unmistakeable contrast between the pouring out of the divine fury, Jer 6:11, and the testifying that they may hear, Jer 6:10. Just because their ear is uncircumcised to that they cannot hear, is it in vain to speak to them for the purpose of warning them; and the prophet has no alternative left but to pour out on the deaf and seared people that fury of the Lord with which he is inwardly filled. The question: to whom should I speak? etc. ( for , as Psa 111:2 and often), is not to be taken as a question to God, but only as a rhetorical turn of the thought, that all further speaking or warning is in vain. “Testify,” lay down testimony by exhibiting the sin and the punishment it brings with it. “That they may hear,” ut audiant , the Chald. has well paraphrased: ut accipiant doctrinam . Uncircumcised is their ear, as it were covered with a foreskin, so that the voice of God’s word cannot find its way in; cf. Jer 5:24; Jer 4:4. The second clause, introduced by , adduces the reason of their not being able to hear. The word of God is become a reproach to them; they are determined not to hearken to it, because it lashes their sins. Jer 6:11 comes in adversatively: But the fury of the Lord drives him to speak. is not a holy ardour for Jahveh (Graf and many ancient comm.), but the wrath of God against the people, which the prophet cannot contain, i.e., keep to himself, but must pour out. Because they will not take correction, he must inflict the judgment upon them, not merely utter it. The imper. is to be taken like , Jer 6:9, not as an expression of the irresistible necessity which, in spite of all his efforts against it, compels the prophet to pour forth, in a certain sense, the wrath of the Lord on all classes of the people by the very publishing of God’s word (Graf); but it is the command of God, to be executed by him, as is shown by “for I stretch out mine hand,” Jer 6:12. The prophet is to pour out the wrath of God by the proclamation of God’s word, which finds its fulfilment in judgments of wrath; see on Jer 1:10. Upon all classes of the people: the children that play in the street (cf. Jer 9:20), the young men gathered together in a cheerful company, the men and women, old men and them that are full of days, i.e., those who have reached the furthest limit of old age. tells why the prophet is so to speak: for upon the whole population will God’s wrath be poured out. , not, be taken captive, but, be taken, overtaken by the wrath, as in Jer 8:9; cf. 1Sa 14:41.
Jer 6:12-14 Jer 6:12 gives the result of being thus taken: their houses, fields, and wives will be handed over to others, descend to others. Wives are mentioned along with houses and fields, as in the commandment, Exo 20:17; cf. Deu 5:18. The loss of all one’s possessions is mentioned in connection with reproof, following in Jer 6:13, of greed and base avarice. The threatening is confirmed in Jer 6:12 by the clause: for I (Jahveh) stretch my hand out, etc. Then in Jer 6:13 and Jer 6:14 the cause of the judgment is adduced. The judgment falls upon all, for all, great and little, i.e., mean and powerful (cf. Jer 6:4, Jer 6:5), go after base gain; and the teachers, who ought to lead the people on the true way (Isa 30:21), sue deceit and dishonesty. They heal the breach of the daughter of my people, i.e., the infirmities and injuries of the state, after a light and frivolous fashion ( is partic.Niph. faem ., and is of the thing that covers another); – in this, namely, that they speak of peace and healing where there is no peace; that they do not uncover the real injuries so as to heal them thoroughly, but treat them as if they were trifling and in no way dangerous infirmities.
Jer 6:15 For this behaviour they are put to shame, i.e., deceived in their hope. The perf. is prophetic, representing the matter as being equally certain as if it had been already realized. It cannot bear to be translated either: they should be ashamed (Ros., Umbr. after the Chald.), or: they would be ashamed (Ew.). The following grounding clause adduces the cause of their being put to shame: because they have done abomination; and the next clauses bring in a contrast: yet on the contrary, shame and disgrace they know not; therefore on the day of visitation they will fall with the rest. When these verses are repeated in Jer 8:12, the Niph. is used in place of the Hiph. . It does not, however, follow from this that the Hiph. has here the force of the Niph., but only thus much, that the Hiph. is here used, not in a transitive, but in a simply active meaning: to have shame or disgrace. For with the relative omitted, time when I visit, we have in Jer 8:12 the simpler form of the noun , as in Jer 10:15; Jer 46:21, and often. Such divergencies do not justify the accommodation of the present passage to these others, since on occasions of repetitions the expression in matters of subordinate importance is often varied. The perf. of the verb has here the force of the fut. exact.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
| The Universal Corruption of the Age. | B. C. 608. |
9 Thus saith the LORD of hosts, They shall thoroughly glean the remnant of Israel as a vine: turn back thine hand as a grape-gatherer into the baskets. 10 To whom shall I speak, and give warning, that they may hear? behold, their ear is uncircumcised, and they cannot hearken: behold, the word of the LORD is unto them a reproach; they have no delight in it. 11 Therefore I am full of the fury of the LORD; I am weary with holding in: I will pour it out upon the children abroad, and upon the assembly of young men together: for even the husband with the wife shall be taken, the aged with him that is full of days. 12 And their houses shall be turned unto others, with their fields and wives together: for I will stretch out my hand upon the inhabitants of the land, saith the LORD. 13 For from the least of them even unto the greatest of them every one is given to covetousness; and from the prophet even unto the priest every one dealeth falsely. 14 They have healed also the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace. 15 Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination? nay, they were not at all ashamed, neither could they blush: therefore they shall fall among them that fall: at the time that I visit them they shall be cast down, saith the LORD. 16 Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein. 17 Also I set watchmen over you, saying, Hearken to the sound of the trumpet. But they said, We will not hearken.
The heads of this paragraph are the very same with those of the last; for precept must be upon precept and line upon line.
I. The ruin of Judah and Jerusalem is here threatened. We had before the haste which the Chaldea army made to the war (Jer 6:4; Jer 6:5); now here we have the havoc made by the war. How lamentable are the desolations here described! The enemy shall so long quarter among them, and be so insatiable in their thirst after blood and treasure, that they shall seize all they can meet with, and what escapes them at one time shall fall into their hands another (v. 9): They shall thoroughly glean the remnant of Israel as a vine; as the grape-gatherer, who is resolved to leave none behind, still turns back his hand into the baskets, to put more in, till he has gathered all, so that they be picked up by the enemy, though dispersed, though hid, and none of them shall escape their eye and hand. Perhaps the people, being given to covetousness (v. 13), had not observed that law of God which forbade them to glean all their grapes (Lev. xix. 10), and now they themselves shall be in like manner thoroughly gleaned and shall either fall by the sword or go into captivity. This is explained Jer 6:11; Jer 6:12, where God’s fury and his hand are said to be poured out and stretched out, in the fury and by the hand of the Chaldeans; for even wicked men are often made use of as God’s hand (Ps. xvii. 14), and in their anger we may see God angry. Now see on whom the fury is poured out in full vials–upon the children abroad, or in the streets, where they are playing (Zech. viii. 5) or whither they run out innocently to look about them: the sword of the merciless Chaldeans shall not spare them, ch. ix. 21. The children perish in the calamity which the fathers’ sins have procured. The execution shall likewise reach the assembly of young men, their merry meetings, their clubs which they keep up to strengthen one another’s hands in wickedness; they shall be cut off together. Nor shall those only fall into the enemies’ hands who meet for lewdness (ch. v. 7), but even the husband with the wife shall be taken, these two in bed together, and neither left, but both taken prisoners. And, as they have no compassion for the weak but fair sex, so they have none for the decrepit but venerable age: The old with the full of days, whose deaths can contribute no more to their safety than their lives to their service, who are not in a capacity to do them either good or harm, shall be either cut off or carried off. Their houses shall then be turned to others (v. 12); the conquerors shall dwell in their habitations, use their goods, and live upon their stores; their fields and vines shall fall together into their hands, as was threatened, Deut. xxviii. 30, c. For God stretches out his hand upon the inhabitants of the land, and none can go out of the reach of it. Now as to this denunciation of God’s wrath, 1. The prophet justifies himself in preaching thus terribly, for herein he dealt faithfully (<i>v. 11): “I am full of the fury of the Lord, full of the thoughts and apprehensions of it, and am carried out with a powerful impulse, by the spirit of prophecy, to speak of it thus vehemently.” He took no delight in threatening, nor was it any pleasure to him with such sermons as these to make those about him uneasy; but he could not contain himself; he was weary with holding in; he suppressed it as long as he could, as long as he durst, but he was so full of power by the Spirit of the Lord of hosts that he must speak, whether they will hear or whether they will forbear. Note, When ministers preach the terrors of the Lord according to the scripture we have no reason to be displeased at them; for they are but messengers, and must deliver their message, pleasing or unpleasing. 2. He condemns the false prophets who preached plausibly, for therein they flattered people and dealt unfaithfully (Jer 6:13; Jer 6:14): The priest and the prophet, who should be their watchmen and monitors, have dealt falsely, have not been true to their trust not told the people their faults and the danger they were in; they should have been their physicians, but they murdered their patients by letting them have their will, by giving them every thing that had a mind to, and flattering them into an opinion that they were in no danger (v. 14): They have healed the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, or according to the cure of some slight hurt, skinning over the wound and never searching it to the bottom, applying lenitives only, when there was need of corrosives, soothing people in their sins, and giving them opiates to make them easy for the present, while the disease was preying upon the vitals. They said, “Peace peace–all shall be well.” (if there were some thinking people among them, who were awake, and apprehensive of danger, they soon stopped their mouths with their priestly and prophetical authority, boldly averring that neither church nor state was in any danger), when there is no peace, because they went on in their idolatries and daring impieties. Note, Those are to be reckoned our false friends (that is, our worst and most dangerous enemies) who flatter us in a sinful way.
II. The sin of Judah and Jerusalem, which provoked God to bring this ruin upon them and justified him in it, is here declared. 1. They would by no means bear to be told of their faults, nor of the danger they were in. God bids the prophet give them warning of the judgment coming (v. 9), “but,” says he, “to whom shall I speak and give warning? I cannot find out any that will so much as give me a patient hearing. I may give warning long enough, but these is nobody that will take warning. I cannot speak that they may hear, cannot speak to any purpose, or with any hope of success; for their ear is uncircumcised, it is carnal and fleshly, indisposed to receive the voice of God, so that they cannot hearken. They have, as it were, a thick skin grown over the organs of hearing, so that divine things might to as much purpose be spoken to a stone as to them. Nay, they are not only deaf to it, but prejudiced against it; therefore they cannot hear, because they are resolved that they will not: The word of the Lord is unto them a reproach; both the reproofs and the threatenings of the word are so;” they reckoned themselves wronged and affronted by both, and resented the prophet’s plain-dealing with them as they would the most causeless slander and calumny. This was kicking against the pricks (Acts ix. 5), as the lawyers against the word of Christ, Luke xi. 45, Thus saying, thou repoachest us also. Note, Those reproofs that are counted reproaches, and hated as such, will certainly be turned into the heaviest woes. When it is here said, They have no delight in the word, more is implied than is expressed; “they have an antipathy to it; their hearts rise at it; it exasperates them, and enrages their corruptions, and they are ready to fly in the face and pull out the eyes of their reprovers.” And how can those expect that the word of the Lord should speak any comfort to them who have no delight in it, but would rather be any where than within hearing of it? 2. They were inordinately set upon the world, and wholly carried away by the love of it (v. 13): “From the least of them even to the greatest, old and young, rich and poor, high and low, those of all ranks, professions, and employments, every one is given to covetousness, greedy of filthy lucre, all for what they can get, per fas per nefas–right or wrong;” and this made them oppressive and violent (Jer 6:6; Jer 6:7), for of those evils, as well as others, the love of money is the bitter root. Nay, and this hardened their hearts against the word of God and his prophets. It was the covetous Pharisees that derided Christ, Luke xvi. 14. 3. They had become impudent in sin and were past shame. After such a high charge of flagrant crimes proved upon them, it was very proper to ask (v. 15), Were they ashamed when they had committed all these abominations, which are such a reproach to their reason and religion? Did they blush at the conviction, and acknowledge that confusion of face belonged to them? If so, there is some hope of them yet. But, alas! there did not appear so much as this colour of virtue among them; their hearts were so hardened that they were not at all ashamed, neither could they blush, they had so brazened their faces. They even gloried in their wickedness, and openly confronted the convictions which should have humbled them and brought them to repentance. They resolved to face it out against God himself and not to own their guilt. Some refer this to the priests and prophets, who had healed the people slightly and told them that they should have peace, and yet were not ashamed of their treachery and falsehood, no, not when the event disproved them and gave them the lie. Those that are shameless are graceless and their case is hopeless. But those that will not submit to a penitential shame, nor take that to themselves as their due, shall not escape an utter ruin; for so it follows: Therefore they shall fall among those that fall; they shall have their portion with those that are quite undone; and, when God visits the nation in wrath, they shall be sure to be cast down and be made to tremble, because they would not blush. Note, Those that sin and cannot blush for it are in an evil case now, and it will be worse with them shortly. At first they hardened themselves and would not blush, afterwards they were so hardened that they could not. Quod unum habebant in malis bonum perdunt, peccandi verecundiam–they have lost the only good property which once blended itself with many bad ones, that is, shame for having done amiss.–Senec. De Vit. Beat.
III. They are put in mind of the good counsel which had been often given them, but in vain. They had a great deal said to them to little purpose,
1. By way of advice concerning their duty, v. 16. God had been used to say to them, Stand in the ways and see. That is, (1.) He would have them to consider, not to proceed rashly, but to do as travellers in the road, who are in care to find the right way which will bring them to their journey’s end, and therefore pause and enquire for it. If they have any reason to think that they have missed their way, they are not easy till they have obtained satisfaction. O that men would be thus wise for their souls, and would ponder the path of their feet, as those that believe lawful and unlawful are of no less consequence to us than the right way and the wrong are to a traveller! (2.) He would have them to consult antiquity, the observations and experiences of those that went before them: “Ask for the old paths, enquire of the former age (Job viii. 8), ask thy father, thy elders (Deut. xxxii. 7), and thou wilt find that the way of godliness and righteousness has always been the way which God has owned and blessed and in which men have prospered. Ask for the old paths, the paths prescribed by the law of God, the written word, that true standard of antiquity. Ask for the paths that the patriarchs travelled in before you, Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob; and, as you hope to inherit the promises made to them, tread in their steps. Ask for the old paths, Where is the good way?” We must not be guided merely by antiquity, as if the plea of prescription and long usage were alone sufficient to justify our path. No; there is an old way which wicked men have trodden, Job xxii. 15. But, when we ask for the old paths, it is only in order to find out the good way, the highway of the upright. Note, The way of religion and godliness is a good old way, the way that all the saints in all ages have walked in. (3.) He would have them to resolve to act according to the result of these enquiries: “When you have found out which is the good way, walk therein, practise accordingly, keep closely to that way, proceed, and persevere in it.” Some make this counsel to be given them with reference to the struggles that were between the true and false prophets, between those that said they should have peace and those that told them trouble was at the door; they pretended they knew not which to believe: “Stand in the way,” says God, “and see, and enquire, which of these two agrees with the written word and the usual methods of God’s providence, which of these directs you to the good way, and do accordingly.” (4.) He assures them that, if they do thus, it will secure the welfare and satisfaction of their own souls: “Walk in the good old way and you will find your walking in that way will be easy and pleasant; you will enjoy both your God and yourselves, and the way will lead you to true rest. Though it cost you some pains to walk in that way, you will find an abundant recompence at your journey’s end.” (5.) He laments that this good counsel, which was so rational in itself and so proper for them, could not find acceptance: “But they said, We will not walk therein, not only we will not be at the pains to enquire which is the good way, the good old way; but when it is told us, and we have nothing to say to the contrary but that it is the right way, yet we will not deny ourselves and our humours so far as to walk in it.” Thus multitudes are ruined for ever by downright wilfulness.
2. By way of admonition concerning their danger. Because they would not be ruled by fair reasoning, God takes another method with them; by less judgments he threatens greater, and sends his prophets to give them this explication of them, and to frighten them with an apprehension of the danger they were in (v. 17); Also I set watchmen over you. God’s ministers are watchmen, and it is a great mercy to have them set over us in the Lord. Now observe here, (1.) The fair warning given by these watchmen. This was the burden of their song; they cried again and again, Hearken to the sound of the trumpet. God, in his providence, sounds the trumpet (Zech. ix. 14); the watchmen hear it themselves and are affected with it (Jer. iv. 19), and they are to call upon others to hearken to it too, to hear the Lord’s controversy, to observe the voice of Providence, to improve it, and answer the intentions of it. (2.) This fair warning slighted: “But they said, We will not hearken; we will not hear, we will not heed, we will not believe; the prophets may as well save themselves and us the trouble.” The reason why sinners perish is because they do not hearken to the sound of the trumpet; and the reason why they do not is because they will not; and they have no reason to give why they will not but because they will not, that is, they are herein most unreasonable. One may more easily deal with ten men’s reasons than one man’s will.
Fuente: Matthew Henry’s Whole Bible Commentary
Vs. 9-15; PUNISHMENT: THE DESERVED END OF CORRUPTION
1. Once more a search is made for a faithful remnant – for whose sake God might spare the city from impending destruction, (vs. 9; comp. Jer 5:1-6; Jer 49:9).
2. But Jeremiah finds no one who will heed his warning!
a. Their ears were closed (uncircumcised) so that they could not hear, (Jer 4:4; Jer 5:21; Jer 7:26; comp. Act 7:51).
b. To them the word of the Lord was a reproach which they did not appreciate! (comp. Jer 20:8; 2Ch 36:16).
3. Thus, the prophet, full of the wrath of Jehovah, became so exasperated that he was ready for the Lord to unleash His wrath, like scalding water, upon young and old alike, (vs. 11; Mic 3:8; comp. Jer 15:6; Jer 20:9-11; Jer 7:20; Jer 9:21). ,
4. When the Lord’s hand is stretched out against them their houses, lands and wives will be delivered over to the enemy, (vs. 12; Jer 15:6; Jer 8:10; Jer 38:22-23; Deu 28:30).
5. The gain for which all – from prophet to priest – are so greedy, will be worthless in that day! (vs. 13; Isa 56:9-11; Isa 57:17).
6. Still, the religious leaders are optimistic – dealing fraudulently with the people, (vs. 14).
a. Their healing of the wounds of the people was very superficial! – like putting a band aid on an active cancer and declaring it cured, (Jer 8:11-12; Jer 8:21; Eze 13:10).
b. And they cried, “Peace!” “All is well” when the cloud of divine wrath was about to burst upon them!
7. Were these lying prophets ashamed when their loathsome behavior was discovered? (vs. 15).
a. They felt NO SHAME! (Jer 3:3; Jer 8:12); so practiced were they in wickedness that they had forgotten how to blush!
b. So, in the day of God’s wrath, they will fall along with those whom they have deceived with their hypocrisies!
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
God here confirms the former statement, as though he had said, that he dreaded a sight so sad and mournful, which yet the Jews disregarded. He then shews, that he did not in vain exhort the Jews, even though late, to repent, for he foresaw how dreadful would be their calamities. Hence he says, Thus saith Jehovah of hosts, Gleaning they shall glean; for the word here does not mean to gather the vintage, but to glean, grapiller, after the vintage. As after the harvest the poor follow and gather ears of corn here and there, until nothing remains in the field; so also in vintages when there is a gleaning, nothing remains. Hence God in the law forbade the vineyards to be gleaned, that there might be something left for the poor. (Lev 19:10; Deu 24:21.) But he says here, “Gleaning they shall glean as a vine;” he speaks not of the people but of the remnant.
The ten tribes had been plundered, and at length their whole country had been laid waste, most of them had been led into exile, but a few had sought hiding — places for a time: and he says that they were like gleanings: “though, “he says, “there be a few grapes, yet these shall follow.” In short, the Prophet sets before the Jews that vengeance of God, which was known already to them as much as to the Israelites, the ten tribes: and yet he shews that God’s vengeance was not completed, for there were still a few remaining, a gleaning: “What then shall come of you? What indeed! ye have seen that your brethren have been plundered, ye have seen that they and their children have been slain; ye have seen that all kinds of cruelty have been exercised towards them; and yet after the name of Israel has been obliterated, and their country now deserted, has become a waste, God will still punish the remnant, and ye shall see that his judgment will shortly overtake them; and what do ye, wretched beings, yet look for? and how great is your torpidity, which never comes to an end? why do you not seek to be reconciled to God, when such an opportunity is offered to you?”
We now then apprehend the Prophet’s object. And then he says, Return thy hand as a vintager to the baskets; that is, “Behold the vintagers, they stimulate one another; so that there is no end of gleaning, as they ever return to their baskets, until they gather everything, until there remains not a grape on the vine.” (170)
(170) Blayney’s version is, —
Turn again thine hand, like a grape-gatherer, unto the baskets.
“
That is, Take thou again into thine hand, and begin the work of gathering or gleaning anew.” He takes it as God’s address to the Chaldeans, in which they are exhorted repeatedly to return and to carry away captives the remaining inhabitants. But this does not comport with the simile of the vintager returning the hand to the baskets. It seems to be a command to put in safe custody those whom they took or gleaned, as a vintager, who, when he plucks a grape or a cluster, puts it safely in a basket to be carried away. The “hand” is put here for what the hand holds-the grapes or clusters. It is then the same as though he had said, “Lay up, as a vintager, what you glean, in baskets.” The Jews were gathered, not to be destroyed, but to be carried away into captivity. This seems to have been the intimation here, —
Return thine hand, like a vintager, unto the baskets.
That is, Throw not away what you gather, but let the hand, that is stretched forth to reach the grapes, bring back what it gleans into the baskets. The Vulgate is, “Turn ( converte) thine hand as a vintager to his basket.” The Septuagint. “Turn ye ( ἐπιστρέψατε) as a vintager to his basket.” The Syriac is the same with the Vulgate, except that it has “gleaning” instead of “basket.” The Arabic corresponds with the Septuagint. The Targum has an unintelligible paraphrase. — Ed
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
3. The success of the foe (Jer. 6:9-15)
TRANSLATION
(9) Thus says the LORD of hosts: They shall thoroughly glean as a vine the remnant of Israel; turn again your hand like a grape gatherer over the basket. (10) To whom may I speak and give warning that they may hear. Behold, their ear is uncircumcised; they are not able to pay attention. Behold, the word of the LORD has become a reproach to them, they do not delight in it. (11) Therefore with the wrath of the LORD am I filled; I weary myself containing it! Pour it out upon the child in the street and upon the gathering of young men. For a husband along with his wife shall be taken captive, the old man with the one full of days. (12) And their houses shall be turned over to others, their fields and their wives together. For I shall stretch out My hand over the inhabitants of the land (oracle of the LORD). (13) For from their least to their greatest everyone is greedy for gain, from the prophet even unto the priest everyone practices deception. (14) They have healed the wound of My people with platitudes, saying, Peace! peace! when there is no peace. (15) They shall be put to shame because they have committed abomination; they neither are ashamed nor do they know how to blush. Therefore they shall fall among those who are falling. At the time that I punish them they shall be thrown to the ground said the LORD.
COMMENTS
Once again comparing Israel to a vineyard Jeremiah paints the picture of a complete and thorough judgment. Only a remnant of once powerful Israel remained after the ten northern tribes were ravished and deported by the Assyrians. Yet now even this remnant, i.e., Judah, is to undergo a severe sifting process. The enemy will thoroughly spoil sinful Judah as a grape gatherer who leaves nothing but leaves behind. The hand of the grape gatherer moves incessantly back and forth from the vine to the basket until the final grapes are picked (Jer. 6:9). Here is a picture of the repeated calamities, deportations, and attacks which Judah experienced in the twenty years following the Battle of Carchemish in 605 B.C. So was the remnant of Israel, Judah, itself made a remnant.
Jeremiahs prophetic discouragement comes out in Jer. 6:10. No one will listen to him as he sounds the warning of impending judgment. The word of the Lord is treated with derision. The ear of the people seems to be uncircumcised, covered as it were with a foreskin which prevents the prophetic word from penetrating their mind (cf. Act. 7:51). Discouraged though he is, Jeremiah cannot refrain from preaching the word of judgment. He is filled with the message of divine wrath; it burns within him. He tries very hard to hold it back but only succeeds in making himself weary. In the last part of Jer. 6:11 the problem arises as to who is speaking and to whom. Some think God is talking to Jeremiah urging him to pour out his message of doom upon the population. Others think Jeremiah is talking to God urging Him to hasten the day of judgment. The best view seems to be that Jeremiah is talking to himself. These are words of self-exhortation. He calls upon himself to announce the terrible day of Gods wrath. Whether or not the people listen he must sound the alarm. He must pour out his message to all segments of the population, from the very youngest to the very oldest, for all will ultimately be involved in the outpouring of divine judgment (Jer. 6:11). Their houses, and fields, and wives will be turned over to the invading soldiers; for the hand of the Lord, once stretched out against the enemies of Israel (Exo. 3:20; Deu. 7:19) is now stretched out against them (Jer. 6:12).
The judgment described in Jer. 6:12 is appropriate to the root sin of the men of Judah, covetousness. Everyone in the nation, from the least to the greatest, was greedy for illicit gain. Even the prophets and priests practice deception and fraud to curry favor with the populace and thereby secure their good will and their gifts (Jer. 6:13). For the love of filthy lucre they would offer flattering pictures of the future prospects of the nation (cf. Mic. 3:5). All is well, they would say. Peace! Peace! These soft-soaping, self-seeking clergymen completely failed to come to grips with the serious ailment of the nation. The pious platitudes of these leaders would no more cure the wound of Judah than mercurochrome could heal a skin cancer. These leaders feel no shame at present, they have no conscience, they do not know how to blush. But the leaders will eventually share the fate of those they had misguided. They shall fall among those who are slain in battle; they shall disrespectfully be thrown to the ground by the ruthless conqueror (Jer. 6:15).
Fuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series
(9) Turn back thine hand.The image of the grape-gatherer carrying on his work to the last grape or tendril was a natural parable of unsparing desolation. The command is addressed to the minister of destruction, Nebuchadnezzar, or, it may be, to the angel of death.
Into the baskets.The noun is found here only, and probably means, like a kindred word in Isa. 18:5, the tendrils of the vine upon which the hand of the gatherer was to be turned.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
JERUSALEM’S AND ISRAEL’S OVERTHROW, ff. 9-15.
9. Baskets Rather, tendrils. The figure is the gleaning of the vine, that no grapes may escape. The enemy will not be satisfied with one devastating campaign, but will repeat his inroad.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Jeremiah Is Called Once More To Sift Jerusalem For Righteous Men And His Response Demonstrates That He Is Despairing Of Ever Finding One As He Sums Up Their Fallen State And Calls On YHWH To Fulfil His Judgment On Them ( Jer 6:9-15 ).
In view of the coming thorough gleaning of the remnant of Israel, the gathering up by the invaders of the remains of what was once a fruitful vine, the call comes to Jeremiah from YHWH to check out the grapes in the baskets, presumably to take out those which belong to Him. But Jeremiah discovers that there are none who will hear, none who delight in the word of YHWH. And the discovery fills him with ‘the wrath of YHWH’ as he begins to appreciate how God feels about His wayward people, so much so that he can no longer hold in his feelings but calls on Him to pour out His wrath (His revealed antipathy against sin) and carry out His judgment on them all. YHWH then confirms that their houses will be handed over to others, together with their fields and their wives, because of the total corruptness that is among them.
Jer 6:9
‘Thus says YHWH of hosts, “They will thoroughly glean the remnant of Israel as a vine, turn again your hand as a grape-gatherer into the baskets (or ‘to the twigs’).”
Once again Israel/Judah are depicted as a vine (compare Jer 2:21; Jer 5:10), but this time as one which has so little fruit remaining on it that it is open to the gleaners, those who seek what remains once the main harvest has been gathered. The gleaners here are the final invaders, picking what remains of the remnant of Israel after others have first harvested it. The ‘remnant of Israel’ are a depleted Judah after the northern kingdom had been destroyed and after what it has itself already suffered at the hands of its enemies. But among them may be some of YHWH’s own and so Jeremiah is called on to put his hands into the gleaners’ baskets to see if he can find any. This can be seen as tying in with YHWH’s previous command to search the streets and squares of Jerusalem to see if there were any righteous (see Jer 5:1).
Others see ‘turn again your hand as a grape-gatherer to the twigs’ as a comment made by the invaders to each other as they encourage each other in the work of gleaning. The branches having been gleaned it is now the turn of the furthest twigs. But the general picture is clear. Israel/Judah is to be thoroughly gleaned.
Jer 6:10
‘To whom shall I speak and testify,
That they may hear?
Behold, their ear is uncircumcised,
And they cannot listen,
Behold, the word of YHWH is become to them a reproach,
They have no delight in it.’
Jeremiah’s response is basically to ask which grapes he can gather. Who are there to whom he can testify and speak who would be willing to hear? For they all have uncircumcised ears (they have flaps over their ears) so that they cannot listen. This may be an indication that their ears are simply like those of foreign (uncircumcised) nations, or that they have a flap of unbelief over their ears which needs to be removed. It is a reminder that physical circumcision without a responsive heart is nullified. And he then points out that the word of YHWH has become a reproach to this people so that they had no delight in it. They did not want to hear preaching about their own sins and failures. They wanted to be told that all was well with them.
Jer 6:11
‘Therefore I am full of the wrath of YHWH,
I am weary with holding in,
Pour it out on the children in the street,
And on the assembly of young men together,
For even the man with the woman will be taken,
The aged with him who is full of days.’
As a result of his vain efforts to face men up with the word of YHWH Jeremiah has reached the end of his patience. From youngest to oldest none would listen. He thus felt that he could no longer hold in the wrath of YHWH. And so he calls on Him to pour it out on ‘the children in the street’ and on ‘the young men as they collect together’. These would be some of the many whom he had found in the streets and squares who had refused to listen to him (Jer 5:1). Nor would women be excluded, for what he said applied to both men and women, including the aged, and those in the prime of life. All were to lose out in the coming visitation.
Jer 6:12
‘And their houses will be turned to others,
Their fields and their womenfolk together
For I will stretch out my hand on the inhabitants of the land,
The word of YHWH (neum YHWH).’
And the consequence of the coming invasion will be that their houses will be possessed by others, together with their fields and their womenfolk (compare Deu 8:12-20; it is the converse of Deu 6:10-11). And this is because YHWH will stretch out His hand on them in order to punish them. This is the certain and sure word of YHWH, and will fulfil his previous word spoken in Deuteronomy.
Jer 6:13-14
‘For from the least of them even to the greatest of them,
Every one is given to covetousness (literally ‘is out to gain gain’),
And from the prophet even to the priest,
Every one deals falsely.
They have healed also the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly,
Saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace.’
But YHWH’s wrath is not without reason. It has arisen because of the attitudes of ALL the people towards one another, and towards Him. They are all given to the breaking of the tenth commandment, being filled with covetousness and greed, all out to do each other so that they might become wealthier. And worst of all, those responsible for their spiritual welfare rather deal with them falsely. For they make out that there is nothing to worry about and that God is not concerned over their small sins, dismissing any concerns that they might have had as though they did not matter by saying ‘peace, peace’, when in fact there is no peace, because YHWH is very displeased with them. Their cry was ‘all is certainly well’ (the repetition stressing certainty), when all was certainly not well.
‘Peace, peace.’ Compare Jer 8:11. In this context this could refer either to peace between men and God (Jer 16:5; Jer 29:11; Psa 85:8; Psa 85:10; Psa 119:165; Isa 26:3; Isa 27:5; Isa 53:5; Isa 57:19; Isa 57:21; Mal 2:5-6), or to a state of well-being (Jer 23:17; Jer 33:6; Jer 33:9; Jer 38:4; Psa 29:11; Isa 32:17-18; Isa 45:7; Isa 48:8; Isa 48:15; Isa 52:7), or to the prospect of peace in their relationship with other nations, suggesting that there would be no war and no invasion (Jer 4:10; Jer 8:11; Jer 8:15; Jer 12:5; Jer 14:19; and often), although in many verses the meanings blend into each other. They had no peace with God, they had no hope of future well being, and they had no prospect of peace in respect of their enemies.
Jer 6:15
‘Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination?
No, they were not at all ashamed, nor could they blush,
Therefore they will fall among those who fall,
At the time that I visit them they will be cast down,
Says YHWH.’
Worst of all, however, was their lack of shame. Were they ashamed at their idolatry (abomination) and their sin? No, they were not ashamed, such things did not even make them blush. And once people can no longer blush it is a sign of how brazen they have become in sin. That is why they will fall among those who fall, and will be cast down at the visitation of YHWH. And this is what YHWH Himself says.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
The Prophet Voices the Fury of the Lord
v. 9. Thus saith the Lord of hosts, They, v. 10. To whom shall I speak and give warning, v. 11. Therefore I am full of the fury of the Lord, v. 12. And their houses shall be turned unto others, v. 13. For from the least of them even unto the greatest of them, v. 14. They have healed also the hurt of the daughter of My people slightly, v. 15. Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination?
Fuente: The Popular Commentary on the Bible by Kretzmann
Jer 6:9. They shall throughly glean the remnant of Israel as a vine As much as to say, “Come, ye Chaldeans, into my vineyard; make the vintage; gather even to the very last grapes.” The people of the Lord are very frequently represented under the figure of a vine, and their enemies as vintagers, or gatherers of the grapes.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Jer 6:9 Thus saith the LORD of hosts, They shall throughly glean the remnant of Israel as a vine: turn back thine hand as a grapegatherer into the baskets.
Ver. 9. They shall thoroughly glean the remnant. ] They shall make clean work of them. as Jdg 20:45
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Jer 6:9-15
9Thus says the LORD of hosts,
They will thoroughly glean as the vine the remnant of Israel;Pass your hand again like a grape gatherer
Over the branches.
10To whom shall I speak and give warning
That they may hear?
Behold, their ears are closed
And they cannot listen.
Behold, the word of the LORD has become a reproach to them;
They have no delight in it.
11But I am full of the wrath of the LORD;
I am weary with holding it in.
Pour it out on the children in the street
And on the gathering of young men together;
For both husband and wife shall be taken,
The aged and the very old.
12Their houses shall be turned over to others,
Their fields and their wives together;
For I will stretch out My hand
Against the inhabitants of the land, declares the LORD.
13For from the least of them even to the greatest of them,
Everyone is greedy for gain,
And from the prophet even to the priest
Everyone deals falsely.
14They have healed the brokenness of My people superficially,
Saying, ‘Peace, peace,’
But there is no peace.
15Were they ashamed because of the abomination they have done?
They were not even ashamed at all;
They did not even know how to blush.
Therefore they shall fall among those who fall;
At the time that I punish them,
They shall be cast down, says the LORD.
Jer 6:9 YHWH calls on the invaders to thoroughly glean (BDB 760, KB 834; this is the INFINITIVE ABSOLUTE and Poel IMPERFECT VERB of the same root, used for intensity). Nothing will be left, everyone will be exiled or killed. This may be hyperbolic because of Jer 4:27; Jer 5:10; Jer 5:18; Jer 30:11; Jer 46:28.
The TEV takes this phrase to refer to Jeremiah reaching as many as possible with YHWH’s message of repentance (i.e., the remnant).
the remnant of Israel For the theological concept of remnant see Special Topic: The Remnant, Three Senses .
For Israel (see Special Topic: Israel [the name] ) one wonders if it means
1. the northern ten tribes (exiled in 722 B.C.)
2. the collective name for Abraham’s seed from Jacob
Jer 6:10 their ears are closed In Jer 6:10 Jeremiah responds to YHWH’s charge to keep proclaiming his message. Israel’s ears are uncircumcised (BDB 790, cf. Jer 4:4; Jer 9:25-26). They will not/cannot respond (i.e., listen, BDB 904, KB 1151, Hiphil INFINITIVE CONSTRUCT).
They have no delight in it God’s word (Scripture or the prophetic word or both) was meant to be a joyous thing (cf. Psa 19:7-10). They have made it a reproach (BDB 357).
Jer 6:11 Notice how YHWH is described.
1. full of wrath
2. weary with holding it in (cf. Jer 15:6)
3. will pour it out (cf. Jer 7:20) on
a. children
b. young men
c. husband and wife
d. the very old
This means YHWH’s judgment has arrived and it will affect the whole of society (cf. Jer 6:13; Jer 6:21).
Jer 6:12 This verse (Jer 6:12-15 are repeated in Jer 8:10-12) describes the consequences of resisting both the Assyrian and Babylonian armies’ exile. They moved conquered people hundreds of miles and relocated others in their homes and on their fields (i.e., Deu 28:30; Deu 28:38-40; Amo 5:11; Mic 6:15).
Notice also that it is not the power of the gods of the invaders/exilers, but the judgment of YHWH on His own people for their sin and idolatry.
For I will stretch out My hand see Special Topic: HAND .
Jer 6:13 Every segment of society is sinful (cf. Jer 8:10; Jer 16:6; Jer 31:34; Jer 42:1). All are sinful, all will be judged (cf. Jer 6:11).
greedy for gain This phrase is from the NOUN and VERB of the same root (BDB130, KB 147, cf. Jer 8:10; Jer 22:17).
from the prophet even to the priest All of Judah’s leadership are corrupt. They lie (BDB 1055). There was no one to trust!
Jer 6:14 They have healed the brokenness of My people superficially The false prophets (cf. Jer 8:10-11; Jer 14:14; Jer 23:10-22) and priests denied the problem and tried to cover up the consequences of invasion and exile (cf. Jer 8:11; Eze 13:10; Mic 3:5).
Peace This is the Hebrew Shalom (BDB 1022, KB 1532), which means the absence of bad and the presence of good. However, it was a false message!
SPECIAL TOPIC: PEACE (SHALOM)
Jer 6:15 God’s people were not ashamed (BDB 101, KB 116, cf. Jer 3:3; Jer 8:12). They will be!
they shall fall among those who fall There is a word play on
1. Qal IMPERFECT (BDB 656, KB 709)
2. Qal PARTICIPLE (BDB 656, KB 709)
What happened to other rebels will happen to them. This is possibly an allusion to the previous fall of Israel by Assyria in 722 B.C.
Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley
as a vine. Here, and in Jer 8:13, one Codex (Harley, 5720, B. M., Lond.) reads, “on the vine”.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Jer 6:9-15
Jer 6:9-13
“Thus saith Jehovah of hosts, they shall thoroughly glean the remnant of Israel as a vine: turn again thy hand as a grape-gatherer into the baskets. To whom shall I speak and testify, that they may hear? behold, their ear is uncircumcised, and they cannot hearken: behold, the word of Jehovah is become unto them a reproach, they have no delight in it. Therefore I am full of the wrath of Jehovah; I am weary with holding in: pour it out upon the children in the street, and upon the assembly of the young men together; for even the husband with the wife shall be taken, the aged with him that is full of days. And their houses shall be turned unto others, their fields, and their wives together; for I will stretch out my hand upon the inhabitants of the land, saith Jehovah. For from the least of them even unto the greatest of them everyone is given to covetousness; and from the prophet even unto the priest everyone dealeth falsely.”
“Glean the remnant of Israel… turn again … as a grape-gatherer …” (Jer 6:9). “God here authorized the enemy to search out even the remnant of Israel and take them captive … The enemy will not be satisfied with one invasion, but will repeat it.
Not even this gleaning of Israel, however, could nullify God’s promise of there remaining a “righteous remnant” who would return to Jerusalem from Babylon (Jer 4:27; Jer 5:10; Jer 5:18).
This is a terrible paragraph. The judgment of God will fall upon all segments of human life, from children playing in the streets to aged men, five different categories being cited.
Notice also that houses, fields, wives, etc. in fact, everything shall be stripped away and become booty for the invaders. What a horrible destruction of the people!
Jer 6:14-15
“They have healed also the hurt of my people slightly, saying Peace, peace; when there is no peace. Were they ashamed when they had committed abominations? nay, they were not at all ashamed, neither could they blush: therefore they shall fall among them that fall; at the time that I visit them they shall be cast down, saith Jehovah.”
“They have healed the hurt of my people slightly …” (Jer 6:14) This appears to be a reference to the reforms so vigorously pressed by king Josiah, but they were reforms that did not at all reach the hearts of the people. The false prophets were the ones who cried, “Peace, peace, when there was no peace.”
“They were not at all ashamed …” (Jer 6:15). The hardened sinners of Israel had lost all sense of shame and had no feelings either of regret or remorse for their transgressions. There remained absolutely nothing else for God to do except to visit the people with divine punishment.
3. The success of the foe (Jer 6:9-15)
Once again comparing Israel to a vineyard Jeremiah paints the picture of a complete and thorough judgment. Only a remnant of once powerful Israel remained after the ten northern tribes were ravished and deported by the Assyrians. Yet now even this remnant, i.e., Judah, is to undergo a severe sifting process. The enemy will thoroughly spoil sinful Judah as a grape gatherer who leaves nothing but leaves behind. The hand of the grape gatherer moves incessantly back and forth from the vine to the basket until the final grapes are picked (Jer 6:9). Here is a picture of the repeated calamities, deportations, and attacks which Judah experienced in the twenty years following the Battle of Carchemish in 605 B.C. So was the remnant of Israel, Judah, itself made a remnant.
Jeremiahs prophetic discouragement comes out in Jer 6:10. No one will listen to him as he sounds the warning of impending judgment. The word of the Lord is treated with derision. The ear of the people seems to be uncircumcised, covered as it were with a foreskin which prevents the prophetic word from penetrating their mind (cf. Act 7:51). Discouraged though he is, Jeremiah cannot refrain from preaching the word of judgment. He is filled with the message of divine wrath; it burns within him. He tries very hard to hold it back but only succeeds in making himself weary. In the last part of Jer 6:11 the problem arises as to who is speaking and to whom. Some think God is talking to Jeremiah urging him to pour out his message of doom upon the population. Others think Jeremiah is talking to God urging Him to hasten the day of judgment. The best view seems to be that Jeremiah is talking to himself. These are words of self-exhortation. He calls upon himself to announce the terrible day of Gods wrath. Whether or not the people listen he must sound the alarm. He must pour out his message to all segments of the population, from the very youngest to the very oldest, for all will ultimately be involved in the outpouring of divine judgment (Jer 6:11). Their houses, and fields, and wives will be turned over to the invading soldiers; for the hand of the Lord, once stretched out against the enemies of Israel (Exo 3:20; Deu 7:19) is now stretched out against them (Jer 6:12).
The judgment described in Jer 6:12 is appropriate to the root sin of the men of Judah, covetousness. Everyone in the nation, from the least to the greatest, was greedy for illicit gain. Even the prophets and priests practice deception and fraud to curry favor with the populace and thereby secure their good will and their gifts (Jer 6:13). For the love of filthy lucre they would offer flattering pictures of the future prospects of the nation (cf. Mic 3:5). All is well, they would say. Peace! Peace! These soft-soaping, self-seeking clergymen completely failed to come to grips with the serious ailment of the nation. The pious platitudes of these leaders would no more cure the wound of Judah than mercurochrome could heal a skin cancer. These leaders feel no shame at present, they have no conscience, they do not know how to blush. But the leaders will eventually share the fate of those they had misguided. They shall fall among those who are slain in battle; they shall disrespectfully be thrown to the ground by the ruthless conqueror (Jer 6:15).
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
They shall: Jer 16:16, Jer 49:9, Jer 52:28-30, Oba 1:5, Oba 1:6, Rev 14:18
Reciprocal: Jer 52:30 – carried Zep 1:2 – I will
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Jer 6:9. The vine industry is again used as an illustration. After a man has gathered the main crop of grapes he will go back over the vines to see if he has overlooked a cluster here and there and he will probably And one. But in the case of the nation of Judah it has become so corrupt that a gleaner will not be able to find a man (among the leaders) who Is true to the Lord,
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Jer 6:9. They shall thoroughly glean As if he had said, Come, ye Chaldeans, into my vineyard; collect the vintage; gather even to the very last grapes; the remnant of Israel as a vine The prophet, by this, seems to express, that all the remains of the Israelites, who had escaped when the main body of them had been carried into captivity by the Assyrians, and who had taken refuge in Judea and Jerusalem, should also be carried away into captivity by the Babylonians. Turn back thy hand, &c. That is, begin the work of gathering or gleaning anew: return again after the first time, and pick up those few inhabitants that were left before, and carry them also into captivity. Thus the Chaldeans did, as may be seen Jer 52:28-30.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Jer 6:9-15. The Justification of Yahwehs Wrath.The turn of Judah, the remnant of Israel, is now come, and Yahweh bids the foe, figured as a grape-gatherer at work on the vine (see on Jer 2:21) to do his work thoroughly (Jer 6:9 mg.). The prophet complains that the ears of the people are closed to his word, yet he cannot hold it back (Jer 20:9), and will pour it out (so LXX) even on the playing children and the irresponsible youth. Calamity falls on all alike, for all seek gain, and the very leaders are false with their easy talk of prosperity (Jer 6:15; both mgg.).
Fuente: Peake’s Commentary on the Bible
6:9 Thus saith the LORD of hosts, They shall thoroughly glean the remnant of Israel as a vine: turn {i} back thy hand as a grapegatherer into the baskets.
(i) He exhorts the Babylonians to be diligent to search out all and to leave none.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
The breadth of Judah’s guilt 6:9-15
Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)
The sovereign Lord promised that the coming enemy would remove the people of Judah from their land as a grape harvester removed the grapes from his vines (cf. Jer 5:10; Isa 5:1-6). The harvest would be so thorough that even the small number of Israelites left in the land, that remnant, would be taken captive.
The Lord also commanded Jeremiah to assess the nation as carefully as a grape gatherer examined the branches of his grapevine (cf. Jer 6:27; Jer 5:1). What follows in this pericope is what he discovered.
"All of Jeremiah’s prophetic ministry, however fruitless it seemed, was a kind of grape harvesting, a gleaning of the vine of Israel. Jeremiah’s task was to glean Israel. Once more he must return (shub) to the task to make certain that there was none remaining who had not heard his message." [Note: Thompson, p. 257.]