Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Jeremiah 7:6
[If] ye oppress not the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, and shed not innocent blood in this place, neither walk after other gods to your hurt:
6. if ye oppress not the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow ] The foreigner, temporarily resident, as having no legal status, specially needed commendation to the kindness of those around him. Harshness to such was strongly denounced in the “Book of the Covenant” (Exodus 21-23, e.g. Jer 22:21, Jer 23:9) and Deut. (e.g. Deu 24:17).
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Here they are cautioned against three sins that this people were generally addicted to, oppression, blood, and idolatry; and he instanceth in the worst of oppressions, viz. of such as God hath more especially taken into his immediate protection, because these are most void of help, and most obnoxious to injuries; the
stranger, Exo 22:21, the
fatherless, and widow, Jer 7:22-24; see them all three together, Deu 10:18; 27:19; see on Isa 10:1,2; and where God speaks of right administering of justice, he usually makes mention of these three, to prove the integrity and impartiality of justice; and though this may more properly respect the princes and great ones, yet I conceive here the prophet doth not so restrain it.
Shed not innocent blood, either by murder or unrighteous sentence; being one of those sins in special mentioned for which God expresseth his high displeasure, and will send the Chaldeans upon them, 2Ki 24:4.
In this place; either in this city in special, or the whole land in general; see Jer 7:3; and there he would show what a foolish thing it is that they should boast of their security in this place, and yet shed blood, which pollutes every place, Num 35:31, &c.
Neither walk after other gods; abstain from your idolatrous courses and depart not from my pure and uncorrupted worship, unto your superstitious and hypocritical service; and he adds to
your hurt, or your own hurt, to show that they will be the only sufferers by it, not God, Jer 7:19. God is neither benefited nor damaged by any thing that we can do, Job 35:6-8.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
6. this placethis city andland (Jer 7:7).
to your hurtso Jer7:19; “to the confusion or their own faces” (Jer 13:10;Pro 8:36).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
If ye oppress not the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow,…. Who have none to help them, and who ought to have mercy and compassion shown them, as well as justice done them; and should not be injured by private men in their persons and properties, and much less oppressed in courts of judicature by those who should be the patrons and defenders of them:
and shed not innocent blood in this place: in the temple, where the sanhedrim, or great court of judicature, sat; for this does not so much respect the commission of murder by private persons, as the condemnation of innocent men to death by the judges, which is all one as shedding their blood; and by which actions they defiled that temple they cried up, and put their trust in; to shed innocent blood in any place, Kimchi observes, is an evil; but to shed it in this place, in the temple, was a greater evil, because this was the place of the Shechinah, or where the divine Majesty dwelt:
neither walk after other gods to your hurt; the gods of e people, as the Targum; “for this”, as the Arabic version renders it, “is pernicious to you”; idolatry was more hurtful to themselves than to God; and therefore it is dissuaded from by an argument taken from their own interest.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Then he adds, if ye will not oppress the stranger and the orphan and the widow This also belonged to the judges: but God no doubt shews here generally, that injustice greatly prevailed among the people, as he condemns the cruelty and perfidy of the judges themselves.
As to strangers and orphans and widows, they are often mentioned; for strangers as well as orphans and widows were almost destitute of protection, and were subject to many wrongs, as though they were exposed as a prey. Hence, whenever a right government is referred to, God mentions strangers and orphans and widows; for it might hence be easily understood of what kind was the public administration of justice; for when others obtain their right, it is no matter of wonder, since they have advocates to defend their cause, and they have also the aid of friends. Thus every one who defends his own cause, obtains at least some portion of his right. But when strangers and orphans and widows are not unjustly dealt with, it is an evidence of real integrity; for we may hence conclude, that there is no respect of persons among the judges. But as this subject has been handled elsewhere, I only touch on it lightly here.
And if ye will not shed, he says, innocent blood in this place Here the Prophet accuses the judges of a more heinous crime, and calls them murderers. They had, however, no doubt some plausible pretences for shedding the blood of the innocent. But the Prophet, speaking here in the name of God and by the dictates of his Spirit, overlooks all these as altogether vain, though the judges might have thought them sufficient excuses. By saying, in this place, he shews how foolish was their confidence in boasting of God’s worship, sacrifices, and Temple, while yet they had polluted the Temple with their cruel murders. (191)
He then passes to the first table of the law, If ye will not walk after foreign gods to your evil By stating a part for the whole, he condemns every kind of impiety: for what is it to walk after alien gods but to depart from the pure and legitimate worship of the true God and to corrupt it with superstitions? We see then what the Prophet means: he recalls the Jews to the duty of observing the law, that they might thereby give a veritable evidence of their repentance: “Prove, “he says, “that you have repented from the heart.” He shews how they were to prove this, even by observing the law of God. And, as I have said, he refers to the first Table by stating a part for the whole. As to the second Table, he mentions some particulars which were intended to shew that they violated justice and equity, and also that cruelty and perfidiousness, frauds and rapines, prevailed greatly among them.
(191) What is to be understood by innocent blood in not only murder, nor principally; but the offering of innocent infants to Moloch, referred to in the 31 verse of this chapter. — Ed.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(6) The stranger, the fatherless, and the widow.Grouped together, as in Deu. 14:29; Deu. 24:19-21, as the three great representatives of the poor and helpless, standing most in need therefore of mans justice and of the divine protection.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
Jer 7:6 [If] ye oppress not the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, and shed not innocent blood in this place, neither walk after other gods to your hurt:
Ver. 6. If ye oppress not the stranger, &c. ] Turtures amat Deus, non vultures. See on Isa 1:23 .
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
stranger, the fatherless, and the widow. Reference to Pentateuch (Deu 24:17).
innocent blood. Reference to Pentateuch (Deu 19:10). See note on Isa 59:7.
other gods. Reference to Pentateuch (Exo 20:3. Deu 6:14; Deu 8:19, &c). App-92.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
oppress: Jer 22:3, Jer 22:4, Jer 22:15, Jer 22:16, Exo 22:21-24, Deu 24:17, Deu 27:19, Job 31:13-22, Psa 82:3, Psa 82:4, Zec 7:9-12, Mal 3:5, Jam 1:27
and shed: Jer 2:30, Jer 2:34, Jer 22:17, Jer 26:15, Jer 26:23, 2Ki 21:6, 2Ki 24:4, Psa 106:38, Isa 59:7, Lam 4:13, Eze 22:3-6, Mat 23:35-37, Mat 27:4, Mat 27:25
neither walk: Jer 13:10, Deu 6:14, Deu 6:15, Deu 8:19, Deu 11:28, Eze 18:6
Reciprocal: Exo 23:6 – General Lev 19:33 – vex him Deu 19:10 – General Deu 23:16 – thou shalt not 2Ki 21:16 – Manasseh Psa 94:6 – General Psa 103:6 – executeth Isa 10:2 – that widows Jer 7:9 – and walk Jer 25:6 – General Jer 38:17 – If thou Eze 7:23 – for Eze 11:6 – General Eze 18:7 – hath not Eze 22:7 – dealt Eze 23:37 – and blood Hos 4:2 – swearing Hos 11:10 – walk Amo 4:1 – which oppress Mat 7:12 – for Luk 20:47 – devour 1Th 4:6 – defraud
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Jer 7:6. The reformation that was mentioned in general terms in the preceding verse is given specific notice in this. It requires that justice he shown all unfortunate classes of citizens, and that they discontinue the worship of false gods.