Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Jeremiah 7:20
Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, mine anger and my fury shall be poured out upon this place, upon man, and upon beast, and upon the trees of the field, and upon the fruit of the ground; and it shall burn, and shall not be quenched.
Upon man, and upon beast – All creation in some mysterious way shares in mans fall and restoration Rom 8:19-22.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Mine anger; put for his revenge, by a metonymy of the cause for the effect.
My fury: this expresseth his anger boiled up to the height, Jer 4:4.
Poured out; a metaphor taken from violent rains; see Jer 6:11; and may in particular allude to those showers of fire that were poured out upon Sodom, Gen 19:24.
Upon the trees of the field, and upon the fruit of the ground: these particulars are enumerated to express an utter desolation and ruin; see Jer 4:25; and it is threatened against those creatures which are innocent, because they were made for the use of man, partly that it might show how greatly God is offended, and that it should work upon them not only a greater fear of his judgments, but a greater shame for their sin, that they should occasion such sufferings upon the innocent creature, Rom 8:20,22.
Shall not be quenched: he follows the threatening with showing the irresistibleness of it; his resolution is not to be revoked, Jer 4:4; and this is suitable to the charge he gave the prophet, Jer 7:16.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
20. beast . . . trees . . .groundWhy doth God vent His fury on these? On account of man,for whom these were created, that the sad spectacle may strike terrorinto him (Ro 8:20-22).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Therefore thus saith the Lord God,…. Since these are their thoughts, and this the fruit of their doings:
behold, my anger and my fury shall be poured out upon this place; like fire, to consume and destroy it; meaning Jerusalem, which was burned with fire; as an emblem of God’s wrath, and an instance of his vengeance upon it, for sins; which came down in great abundance, like a storm or tempest:
upon man and upon beast; upon beasts for the sake of man, they being his property, and for his use; otherwise they are innocent, and do not deserve the wrath of God, nor are they sensible of it:
and upon the trees of the field, and upon the fruit of your ground; which should be blighted by nipping winds, or cut down and trampled upon by the Chaldean army:
and it shall burn, and shall not be quenched; that is, the wrath of God shall burn like fire, and shall not cease until it has executed the whole will of God in the punishment of his people.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Jeremiah proceeds still with the same subject, and explains more at large what we have noticed in the preceding lecture, that the ruin of Mount Sion and of the Temple was nigh at hand, according to what God had before done to Shiloh, where the Ark had long been kept. But that his threatening might have more weight, he introduced God as the speaker, —
Behold, he says, my wrath, even mine indignation, has been poured down on this place He refers to the metaphor he had before used; and hence is confirmed what I then said, — that God spoke not of prophetic teaching, but of the punishments which he had already inflicted and was prepared to inflict. On this account he says, that his wrath, or vengeance (the cause is put for the effect) had been poured down on the city Jerusalem, so as to bring destruction on the cattle as well as men, and also on the fruit of the land. It is indeed certain that brute animals, as well as trees and the productions of the earth, were innocent; but as the whole world was created for man and for his benefit, it is nothing strange that God’s vengeance should extend to innocent animals and to things not endued with reason: for God does not inflict punishment on brute animals and on the fruits of the earth, except for the purpose of shewing, by extending the symptoms of his wrath to all the elements, how much displeased he is with men. The whole world, we know, bears at this day in some measure the punishment which Adam deserved: and hence Paul says, that all the elements labor in pain, aspiring after a deliverance; and he says also, that all creatures have been subjected to corruption, though not willingly, that is, not through their own fault, but through the sin and transgression of man. (Rom 8:20.) It is no wonder, then, that God, wishing to terrify men, should daily set before their eyes the various forms of his vengeance as manifested towards animals, as well as trees and the fruits of the earth.
The meaning then is, — that God was so angry, that he purposed to destroy, not only the Jews, but the land itself, in order that posterity might know how grievously they had sinned, against whom God’s just vengeance had thus kindled. There is therefore no need for us curiously to inquire why God shewed his displeasure towards trees and brute animals: for it is enough for us to know that God does not in a strict sense punish brute animals and trees, but that this is done on account of man, that such a sad spectacle may fill them with fear. He afterwards adds —
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(20) Shall be poured out.The word is used in Exo. 9:33 of the plague of rain; here, of the great shower of the fire of the wrath of Jehovah (comp. Nah. 1:6). It is significant that it had been used by Josiah on hearing of the judgments denounced in the new-found copy of the Law (2Ch. 34:21).
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
I pause, not to interrupt the Reader in the progress of these verses, they are all to the same amount as the former. How pathetically the Prophet mourns the obstinacy of his people! Surely ministers ought to have tender feelings of compassion for the state of sinners.
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Jer 7:20 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, mine anger and my fury shall be poured out upon this place, upon man, and upon beast, and upon the trees of the field, and upon the fruit of the ground; and it shall burn, and shall not be quenched.
Ver. 20. Mine anger and mine fury. ] A very dreadful doom, denounced against these daring monsters. Those that provoke God to anger shall soon have enough of it. It is a fearful thing to fall into the punishing hands of the living God Heb 10:31 Oh keep out of them!
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
the Lord GOD. Hebrew Adonai Jehovah. App-4.
man. Hebrew. ‘adam. App-14.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Behold: Jer 4:23-26, Jer 9:10, Jer 9:11, Jer 12:4, Jer 14:16, Jer 42:18, Jer 44:6, Isa 42:25, Lam 2:3-5, Lam 4:11, Eze 20:47, Eze 20:48, Eze 22:22, Dan 9:11, Nah 1:6, Mal 4:1, Rev 14:10, Rev 16:1-21
and shall: Jer 17:27, 2Ki 22:17, Isa 66:24, Mar 9:43-48
Reciprocal: 2Ch 12:7 – and my wrath 2Ch 34:25 – my wrath Isa 10:17 – for a flame Isa 28:17 – and the hail Isa 34:10 – shall not Isa 65:7 – therefore Jer 6:8 – lest I Jer 17:4 – for Jer 21:6 – I will Jer 21:12 – none Jer 39:8 – burned Jer 50:3 – both Lam 2:4 – he poured Eze 7:8 – pour Eze 7:14 – for Eze 14:13 – and will cut Eze 15:6 – General Eze 24:8 – it might Eze 25:13 – and will Eze 27:2 – General Eze 29:8 – cut Eze 36:18 – I poured Amo 5:6 – there Zep 1:18 – but Mat 3:12 – with Act 17:25 – is
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Jer 7:20. The preceding verse does not mean that God would not be angered by the vain worship to false gods for he was; but that anger was to react against the guilty nation and its country. The things threatened referred to the general work of desolation the Babylonian army was to produce upon its invasion of Palestine. Shall not be quenched is a prediction that nothing the people could do would cause the Lord to hold off the threatened captivity.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Jer 7:20. Therefore thus saith the Lord And what he saith he will not unsay, nor can all the world withstand its execution. Hear it therefore and tremble. Behold, mine anger and my fury shall be poured out upon this place As the flood of waters was poured upon the old world, or the shower of fire and brimstone upon Sodom; since they will provoke me, let them feel the effects of their conduct. They shall soon find, 1st, That there is no escaping this deluge of wrath, either by fleeing from it, or fencing against it. It shall be poured out on this place Though it be a holy place, the Lords house. It shall reach both man and beast Like the plagues of Egypt; and, like some of them, shall destroy the trees of the field and the fruit of the ground Which they had designed and prepared for Baal, and of which they had made cakes to the queen of heaven. They shall find, 2d, That there is no extinguishing it: it shall burn and shall not be quenched Prayers and tears, forms and ceremonies of worship, and ritual observances of whatever kind, shall then avail nothing, to prevent that total destruction which it shall produce.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
The Lord promised to pour out His anger and wrath on the whole land of Judah because the people were doing these things. His judgment would affect people, animals, trees, and crops; in other words, it would affect everything in the land. Nothing would put out the fires of His anger, except genuine repentance (cf. Jer 7:3; Jer 7:5-7).