Jeremiah 2

Jeremiah Chapter Two Verse 1 2 THE OF ISRAEL"In this chapter, Israel' refers to the whole nation, but in Jeremiah 3 the reference is to the Northern Israel."[1] Keil's summary of the chapter notes these divisions: Israel had indeed loved God at first during the days of their delivery from Egypt (<a href="/bible/parallel/JER/2/1" class="green-link">Jeremiah 2:1-3</a>); but Israel had fallen away from the love of God and had taken up the worship of idols (<a href="/bible/parallel/JER/2/4" class="green-link">Jeremiah 2:4-8</a>); therefore God will punish Israel for her shameful conduct (<a href="/bible/parallel/JER/2/9" class="green-link">Jeremiah 2:9-19</a>). From of old, Israel had been renegade, and by their pursuit of idols had contracted terrible guilt, not even God's punishments leading them to repentance (<a href="/bible/parallel/JER/2/2" class="green-link">Jeremiah 2:2-30</a>); and therefore God will severely punish them (<a href="/bible/parallel/JER/2/31" class="green-link">Jeremiah 2:31-37</a>).[2]In our study of the Pentateuch, especially in Deuteronomy, we learned the importance of the old fifteenth century B.C. suzerainty treaties executed during that mid-second millennium B.C. period between overlords and their vassals, that being the form followed by the author of Deuteronomy and establishing the near-certainty of a very early date for Deuteronomy in the vicinity of 1,500 B.C. A full discussion of this is given by Meredith G. Kline in the Wycliffe Old Testament Commentary, pp. 156ff. That the Book of the Law discovered by Hilkiah (<a href="/bible/parallel/2KI/22/8" class="green-link">2 Kings 22:8</a>) was indeed a mid-second millennium document, and not a recent invention of Jewish priests is certified here in Jeremiah by the fact that the pattern of those old treaties is found right here in this chapter. Furthermore, this part of Jeremiah honored the very procedures that were required under those old treaties. When lesser kings offended their overlords in some act of rebellion, the overlord sent a written message by the hands of a messenger. There was a proper legal way to do this: (1) There was an appeal to the vassal to pay heed, and a summons to the earth and sky to act as witnesses. (2) There was a series of questions, each of which carried an implied accusation. (3) There was an enumeration of past benefits conferred upon the vassal by the overlord. (4) There was a refutation of the notion that ritual compensations would do any good toward healing the breach; and (5) there was a declaration of the vassal's guilt and culpability and a stern threat of judgment against the offender. This pattern is clearly visible in this chapter, despite the fact of its being somewhat concealed by the particular style of Jeremiah's writing. This prophecy, therefore, has the element of being a legal compliance with what was required to bring an offending vassal in to judgment and punishment. From this, it is clearly evident that Jeremiah had before him the Book of Deuteronomy, in which this pattern appears; but by no means does this mean that he did not have also the entire Book of the Law. It is unfair the way some scholars neglect to stress this. For example, Cheyne cited a dozen references from Deuteronomy which are reflected in this chapter[3]; but he failed to notice that there are far more passages from the other portions of the Pentateuch that should also be cited. A careful study will reveal that Jeremiah used material or made references more frequently from the books other than Deuteronomy in the Pentateuch than he did from Deuteronomy alone. The Cross-Reference Bible, which we have as our text in this study, has the following references to that Book of the Law that Hilkiah found in the temple. This 2chapter has twenty-two references to Genesis, eighteen to Exodus, ten to Leviticus, five to Numbers, and seventeen to Deuteronomy![4] This is a fair sample of the way it is throughout this prophecy of Jeremiah. This is the only proof that is needed to demonstrate that it was not merely the Book of Deuteronomy that was found in the temple by Hilkiah, but that it was, as the Bible flatly declares, "The Book of Law" namely, those first five books of the Bible usually called the Pentateuch. This cannot mean Deuteronomy only! <a href="/bible/parallel/JER/2/1" class="green-link">Jeremiah 2:1-3</a>"And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, Go and cry in the ears of Jerusalem, saying Thus saith Jehovah, I remember thee for the kindness of thy youth, the love of thine espousals; how thou wentest after me in the wilderness, in a land that was not sown. Israel was holiness unto Jehovah, the first-fruits of his increase: all that devour him shall be found guilty; evil shall come upon them, saith Jehovah.""The word of the Lord ..." (<a href="/bible/parallel/JER/2/1" class="green-link">Jeremiah 2:1-3</a>). Notice the triple declaration that the words of this chapter came from Jehovah. This truth is reiterated no less than a dozen times in this chapter. "The love of thine espousals ..." (<a href="/bible/parallel/JER/2/2" class="green-link">Jeremiah 2:2</a>). "The word love’ in this passage is a reference to Israel’s love as a bride for God her husband."[5] The NIV renders this, “your love as a bride;” and Barnes’ Notes on the Old Testament (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, a 1987 reprint of the 1878 edition) translated it, “your bridal love.” Such expressions of Israel’s devotion to the Lord are quite generous on the part of Jehovah, because the record reveals their countless murmurings and rebellions against God’s will. Still, in a relative sense, compared with the gross idolatries which later corrupted the Chosen People, the words are appropriate. The period when Israel loved God was in that era when he sent the plagues upon Egypt, delivered Israel from slavery, and ratified the covenant with them at Sinai. The very next passage begins the recitation of Israel’s apostasy; and despite this chapter’s being usually assigned to the earliest years of Jeremiah’s ministry, we do not believe that it is necessary to suppose that it was necessarily delivered before the great reforms of Josiah that followed the discovery of the Book of the Law. Many respected scholars, Ash, for example, so understand it;[6] but we believe it probably came concurrently with Josiah’s reforms. Why? As this chapter surely reveals, Judah’s reforms under Josiah were external only and did not at all touch the heart of the people who went right on delighting in the sexual orgies of their shameless love of the old Canaan fertility gods. “The valley” mentioned later in the chapter (v. 23) indicates the sacrifice of their children to Molech at the very time of their brazen claim of innocence. If the reform under Josiah had truly resulted in the repentance of Israel and their return to the God of their fathers, the Lord would most certainly have postponed their terminal judgment in the captivity. One of the great benefits bestowed upon Israel by their great Benefactor God was that he made them secure against all foreign enemies (Jeremiah 2:3). Verse 4 “Hear ye the word of Jehovah, O house of Jacob, and all the families of the house of Israel: Thus saith Jehovah, What unrighteousness have your fathers found in me, that they are gone far from me, and have walked after vanity, and are become vain? Neither said they, Where is Jehovah that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, that led us through the wilderness, through a land of deserts and pits, through a land of drought and of the shadow of death, through a land that none passed through, and where no man dwelt? And I brought you into a plentiful land, to eat the fruit thereof and the goodness thereof; but when ye entered, ye defiled my land, and made my heritage an abomination. The priests said not, Where is Jehovah? and they that handle the law knew me not: the rulers also transgressed against me, and the prophets prophesied by Baal, and walked after things that do not profit.“The gross stupidity and sinfulness of the whole nation are dramatically stated here. Israel, once the Chosen People, enjoying the exalted position as the wife of Jehovah himself, protected from every enemy, and moved into Canaan to replace its ancient pagan inhabitants, had themselves become worse than the people they replaced, and had “walked after worthlessness.” RKH tells us that the word “worthlessness,” through a play on words (paronomasia) is a reference to Baal. He also stated that, in those Near Eastern international treaties, To go after' (or walk after) meant to serve as a vassal."[7]In Israel's pursuit of worthlessness in their going after Baal, they had themselves become worthless, because men invariably become like what they love and worship. This immortal truth was allegorized by Nathaniel Hawthorne in his Legend of the Great Stone Face. "Land of deserts and pits ... etc." (<a href="/bible/parallel/JER/2/6" class="green-link">Jeremiah 2:6</a>). "The desert between Mount Sinai and Palestine abounds in chasms and pits, in which beasts of burden may sink down to their knees. Shadow of death’ refers to the darkness of the caverns amidst the rocky precipices (Deuteronomy 8:15)."[8]God indeed had tenderly led Israel safely through countless difficulties and dangers; so what had gone wrong? Jeremiah 2:8 cites four classes of the leadership of the nation as extremely culpable, these being, (1) the priests, (2) the Levites, (3) the rulers (shepherds), and (4) the prophets. The priests were complacent and indifferent; the Levites knew not God; the shepherds (rulers) were disobedient; and the prophets were working for Baal rather than for the Lord, money and sensual indulgence probably being the inducements that took them away from their duty. The text states that they walked after things that do not profit. Ash tells us that, “The Hebrew word rendered do not profit' comes from the same root as worthlessness’ in Jeremiah 2:5,"[9] and it is therefore connected with Baal. This is a terrible summary of the incompetence and inability of Israel’s leadership. They were a stupid group of blind, selfish, and apostate leaders. With that type of leadership, the people hardly had a chance. As Jesus stated it, “They were as sheep not having a shepherd” (Mark 6:34). Verse 9 “Wherefore I will yet contend with you, saith Jehovah, and with your children’s children will I contend. For pass over to the isles of Kittim, and see; and send unto Kedar, and consider diligently; and see if there hath been such a thing. Hath a nation changed its gods, which yet are no gods? but my people have changed their glory for that which doth not profit. Be astonished, O ye heavens, at this, and be ye horribly afraid, be ye very desolate, saith Jehovah. For my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water."Jeremiah 2:13 is the climax of this paragraph. The first verse (Jeremiah 2:9) uses legal terms that represent God as pressing a lawsuit against his people for doing a totally unheard of thing, namely, they had deserted the true God and gone after Baal. Furthermore, in all history it was never even heard of that even a pagan nation would forsake its ancestral gods! Perhaps the reason why pagan nations had so generally clung to their ancient “no gods” was rooted in the fact that the worship of such nonentities was rooted in and designed to satisfy basic instincts and passions; whereas the higher religion of the true God was designed to lift man to a far more spiritual and exalted level. “Kittim … and Kedar …” (Jeremiah 2:10). Kittim (Chittim in some versions) is the same as Cyprus. “Cyprus represents the West; Kedar (in N. Arabia) represents the East. Taken together they stand for the whole pagan world."[10]“My people have committed two evils …” (Jeremiah 2:13). Whereas the pagan nations were guilty of the one evil of worshipping their “no-gods,” Israel was guilty of two evils: (1) forsaking the true God, and (2) going after worthlessness. The foolishness and stupidity of Israel’s dual crime is illustrated here by the imaginary action of a rancher or farmer stopping up a flowing spring of water and constructing cisterns in place of it. The cisterns soon cracked and could hold no water. Sermons sometimes stress the stagnant waters of a cistern compared with spring waters; but the text states that such cisterns “could hold no water,” not even stagnant water. This is indeed an apt illustration of the folly of men who turn away from the saving religion of God to build instead of it their own worthless systems of religion. Verse 14 “Is Israel a servant? is he a home-born slave? why is he become a slave? The young lions have roared upon him, and yelled; and they have made his land waste: his cities are burned up, without inhabitant. The children also of Memphis and Tahpanhes have broken the crown of thy head. Hast thou not procured this unto thyself, in that thou hast forsaken Jehovah thy God, when he led thee by the way? And now what hast thou to do in the way to Egypt, to drink the waters of the Shihor? or what hast thou to do in the way to Assyria, to drink the waters of the River? Thine own wickedness shall correct thee, and thy backslidings shall reprove thee: know therefore and see that it is an evil thing and a bitter, that thou hast forsaken Jehovah thy God, and that my fear is not in thee, saith the Lord, Jehovah of hosts.““Why is he become a slave …” (Jeremiah 2:14)?

There are two ways of looking at this. One is to suppose that Israel is here depicted as a home-born slave of Jehovah; and the question, according to Cook, means: “How does it happen that the member of so powerful a family is spoiled?"[11] The other view considers the first two of the three questions here as stressing the fact that Israel is not a slave, but the wife of God; and how, then, is it possible for him to be mined? “The young lions have roared upon him …” (Jeremiah 2:15). These words make it certain that the passage applies to the Northern Israel particularly, because since 722 B.C., when the Samaritan Israel had fallen to Assyria, the young lions (definitely identifying Assyria. See Nahum 2:11-13), had indeed been feeding upon the rains of the Northern Israel. The significance of “the young lions” is that they remained in the den where they fed upon the prey brought to them by the adult lions. What an appropriate picture, because the Northern Israel had already been taken as a prey to Assyria. “They have made his land waste … etc.” (Jeremiah 2:15). “Not only had Israel been wasted, till the multiplication of wild beasts rendered human life unsafe (2 Kings 17:25), but the Assyrian invasions had also reduced Judaea to a state almost as sad."[12] The argument here is: Israel, look at what has already happened to your sister nation because of her apostasy! “Egypt … and Assyria …” (Jeremiah 2:16). The mention of Egypt here is surprising; but it is due to the fact of their fighting against Jerusalem, taking it, and murdering the good king Josiah. Jeremiah, being familiar (from history) with the fall of Samaria and personally with the events around the death of Josiah mentioned both together as Judea’s suffering from the nation’s apostasy. “Tahpanhes …” (Jeremiah 2:16). “This is the Greek Daphnae, modern Tell Defennch, on the eastern border of the Egyptian Delta."[13]“Hast thou not procured this unto thyself …” (Jeremiah 2:17)? This through Jeremiah 2:19 stresses the lesson that Judaea should be willing to learn: “Know therefore, and see that it is an evil thing, and a bitter, that thou hast forsaken Jehovah thy God!” As the subsequent verses of the chapter reveal, Judaea would not learn, having fallen completely in love with the Baalim and their licentious worship. These words do not take account of the “righteous remnant,” of whom, of course, was Jeremiah. “What hast thou to do in the way to Egypt… or in the way to Assyria …” (Jeremiah 2:18)?. In full keeping with Jeremiah’s constant opposition to all kinds of alliances and intrigues with foreign nations, these words stress the warning that traversing such ways by Israel will lead only to disaster. “To lean on Egypt, or any foreign power, was a violation of the principles of the theocracy, which required God’s people to be an independent power, firmly closed against all foreign influences."[14]Verse 20 “For of old time I have broken thy yoke and burst thy bonds; and thou saidst, I will not serve; for upon every high hill and under every green tree thou didst bow thyself, playing the harlot. Yet I had planted thee a noble vine, wholly a right seed: how then art thou turned into the degenerate branches of a foreign vine unto me? For though thou wash thee with lye, and take thee much soap, yet thine iniquity is marked before me, saith the Lord Jehovah. How canst thou say, I am not defiled, I have not gone after the Baalim? see thy way in the valley, know what thou hast done: thou art a swift dromedary traversing her ways; a wild ass used to the wilderness, that snuffeth up the wind in her desire; in her occasion, who can turn her away? all they that seek her will not weary themselves; in her month they shall find her. Withhold thy foot from being unshod, and thy throat from thirst. But thou saidst, It is in vain; no, for I have loved strangers, and after them I will go.“The change to the first person in Jeremiah 2:20 should not be confusing.

This type of abrupt change of persons is common in most of the Biblical writings. The Anchor Bible gives the true meaning of the passage thus: “Long ago you snapped your yoke, Shook off your lines. And said, “I will not serve!” Nay, on every high hill, Under every green tree, There you sprawled a-whoring."[15]Even more explicit is the rendition of Thompson who rendered the last two lines here as: “And under every green tree You sprawled in sexual vice."[16]All are familiar with the usual scholarly emphasis that harlotry and adultery in the Bible are actually metaphors for turning from the worship of God to any form of false worship; but the raw facts of human lust and depravity were basic factors involved in such “spiritual adultery”. “The reference in Jeremiah 2:20 is to the fertility cults of ancient Canaan, whose rites included so-called sacred prostitution and the ritual self-dedication of young women to the god of fertility."[17]As Feinberg put it, “It must not be forgotten that sexual immorality of the lowest order was always a part of this so-called worship."[18] There can be no doubt whatever that the basic attraction to the Hebrews of the Baalim cults was precisely this: they provided abundant gratification of sexual lust upon the payment of the usual fee of a cake of raisins. As Ash expressed it, “The harlotry, or whoredom, was both literal in the sexually oriented worship of Baal, and spiritual in the people’s abandonment of Jehovah for other gods."[19]These verses, and through Jeremiah 2:29, furnish a list of seven similes illustrating Israel’s apostasy: (1) She is like an ox that throws off the yoke and refuses to work; (2) She is like a prostitute. (3) She is like the choice grapevine that became a corrupt vine yielding poisonous berries. (4) Israel’s guilt is a stain that neither lye nor soap can remove. (5) She is like a she-camel in @@rut, running around in all directions seeking a mate. (6) She is like a she-ass in heat, crazed by desire, seeking a male partner. (7) The shame of Israel is like that of a thief who has been caught. All of these analogies are developed by Hyatt.[20]Jeremiah 2:21 gives Jeremiah’s version of the “corrupt vine” a passage with the same essential message as that of Isa 5:1-7. The message is that the promising nation of Israel had degenerated beyond all hope of its being preserved. “The noble or choice vine which God planted, in the Hebrew is literally `Sorek vine,’ a high-quality red grape grown between Jerusalem and the Mediterranean."[21]Jeremiah 2:22 points out that Israel’s uncleanness was of a type that soap and water, even with lye, could in no manner cleanse. This is the fourth simile describing the wickedness of the Once Chosen People: (1) the ox that threw off her yoke, (2) the unfaithful wife who became a whore, (3) the noble vine that degenerated into a corrupt plant; and (4) their person so filthy that lye and soap were powerless to cleanse her! “How canst thou say, I am not defiled …” (Jeremiah 2:23)? Keil identified the “valley” mentioned here as “Ben-Hinnom, to the south of Jerusalem, where children were offered to Molech, … and taken in connection with what follows, the words certainly imply the continued existence of practices of that sort."[22]In Jeremiah 2:23-24, we have two more of the similes regarding Israel’s guilt, (5) that of the young camel filly and (6) that of the she-ass, the behavior of either of them in heat being regarded as a description of the crazed, lustful search of Israel for illegal lovers. Those particular animals, when their time is upon them, search frantically for the male counterpart, not waiting to be sought by them. This was the manner of Israel’s shameless pursuit of gratification in the shrines and “high places” of the pagan cults. “Withhold thy foot from being unshod …” (Jeremiah 2:25). This is a plea by the prophet that Israel should stop running barefooted after lovers, forcing herself into a state of thirst, in her mad, lustful pursuit of false lovers, “Like a shameless adulteress, running after strangers."[23]Verse 26 “As the thief is ashamed when he is found, so is the house of Israel ashamed; they, their kings, their princes, and their priests, and their prophets; who say to a stock, Thou art my father, and to a stone, Thou hast brought me forth: for they have turned their back unto me, and not their face; but in the time of their trouble they will say, Arise and save us. But where are thy gods which thou hast made thee? let them arise, if they can save thee in the time of thy trouble: for according to the number of thy cities are thy gods, O Judah.““As the thief is ashamed when he is found …” (Jeremiah 2:26). This is the last of the seven similes developed in this chapter, concluding a totally devastating account of Israel’s gross apostasy. Also, this paragraph has a sarcastic admonition to the apostate people that instead of asking the true God to save them every time they run into trouble, maybe they should appeal to some of the gods they have made for themselves, especially since there are so many of them, one in every single city of the whole nation! This had long been the strategy of the Chosen People. Regardless of the extent of their apostasy, when troubles came, they invariably turned to the True God with pleas for their deliverance; but like the little boy who cried “Wolf” once too often, the time came soon enough, when God exacted the full price of their shameless rejecti.on of Him who had redeemed them. Verse 29 “Wherefore will ye contend with me? ye all have transgressed against me, saith Jehovah. In vain have I smitten your children; they received no correction: your own sword hath devoured the prophets, like a destroying lion. O generation, see ye the word of Jehovah. Have I been a wilderness unto Israel? or a land of thick darkness? wherefore say my people, We are broken loose; we will come no more unto thee? Can a virgin forget her ornaments, or a bride her attire? yet my people have forgotten me days without number. How trimmest thou thy way to seek love! therefore even the wicked women hast thou taught thy ways.

Also in thy skirts is found the blood of the souls of the innocent poor. Thou didst not find them breaking in; but it is because of all these things. Yet thou saidst, I am innocent; surely his anger is turned away from me. Behold, I will enter into judgment with thee, because thou sayest, I have not sinned. Why gaddest thou about so much to change thy way? thou shalt be ashamed of Egypt also, as thou wast ashamed of Assyria. From thence also shalt thou go forth, with thy hands upon thy head: for Jehovah hath rejected those in whom thou trustest, and thou shalt not prosper with them.““Wherefore will ye contend with me …” (Jeremiah 2:29)? “Here again we have the legal terminology of a lawsuit, this time a suit of Israel against God; but no grounds are specified."[24] God’s answer to such a ridiculous lawsuit is given in the same breath, “Ye all have transgressed against me.” “Your own sword hath devoured the prophets …” (Jeremiah 2:30). The constant description of Israel throughout her history was cited by Jesus when he wept over the city, saying, “O Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets and stonest them that are sent unto thee!” It seems that only an unqualified miracle spared Jeremiah for such a long ministry; and even in the end he was (as tradition affirms) stoned to death in Egypt. “Can a virgin forget her ornaments, or a bride her attire …” (Jeremiah 2:32)? Cook tells us that ancient Hebrew women always treasured the particular girdle that indicated her status as a married woman, “just as brides now cherish their wedding ring."[25] Nevertheless, Israel treasured no fond memories of their God, but simply forgot him “days without number!” “How trimmest thou thy way to seek love! therefore even the wicked women thou hast taught thy ways …” (Jeremiah 2:33). Seeking love in this verse is a reference to erotic love and refers to the embellishments and refinements that the Chosen People had learned through their countless adulteries, which they are here said to have taught even to prostitutes regarding how to make their services more tempting, seductive and satisfying. Feinberg pointed out that: “Israel could even teach wicked women new methods of seduction, and that she used all kinds of artifices to make herself desirable to her lovers and that she cared nothing at all for the love of God."[26]Harrison also had a word on this: “The immoral pursuit of Baal worship by Israel enabled them to become thoroughly proficient in iniquitous ways; and now they had become so skilled that they could instruct experienced professional prostitutes in the techniques of their nefarious trade.[27]“The blood of the souls of the innocent poor …” (Jeremiah 2:34). Had the Jews murdered the poor for “breaking in?” No, “It was not for any crime, but because of this thy lust after idolatry."[28] The text does not explain exactly how such murders contributed to the gratification of their passion for idolatry. “I am innocent …” (Jeremiah 2:35). It appears from this that the most aggravated element of the Chosen People’s wickedness was simply that of their stubborn protestations of innocence in spite of the wretched profusion of their sins. This verse states categorically that it was because of this that God hailed them into the severe judgment about to fall upon them. “From thence also shalt thou go forth …” (Jeremiah 2:37). This was a final sentence, The judgment was captivity at the hands of the Babylonians; and the meaning of it is that just as the Northern Israel had gone away into captivity, so also would Judah, there being also this difference, that in the case of Judah a “righteous remnant” would return. These last words regarding “whom thou trustest” “apply equally to Egypt and to Assyria,"[29] and to any other earthly power upon whom Israel might seek to rely. Her only hope was in God, and that she had stubbornly refused to seek.

Jeremiah 2:1

Jeremiah 2:1. The prophet frequently will tell us the source of his information, that it is the word of the Lord.

Jeremiah 2:2

Jeremiah 2:2. Cry means “ to call out” and in the ears means to speak so that they will hear. Jerusalem was not the only place where the guilt of idolatry existed, but it was the capital of the nation and hence was of special importance. Being the capital it was where the kings resided and reigned. Also, the temple was there and hence the priests were concerned personally with the religious activities on behalf of the nation. In view of these facts the guilt of idolatry was especially laid at their feet.

As an aggrieved husband would remind a cool hearted wife of her original affection, so God reminds Israel of the time when she gave him the kindness of her warm devotions. Espousals (note the plural form) is from keluwlah and Strong’s definition is, “bridehood,” hence it is not restricted to the period of engagement, but applies to the early days and years of marriage. It would especially apply to the honeymoon. During that period a bride is usually kindly disposed toward her husband and manifests a warm affection for him. In this passage the honeymoon is used in an illustration that applies to the journey in the wilderness. However, this bride was not as true during the honeymoon as fleshly brides usually are, for many times even in course of that period she became dissatisfied and complained to her husband of her lot.

And after all, the illustration holds good even in this respect, for we have heard or instances where couples became involved in marriage difficulties that began as early as the days of the honeymoon and finally ended in divorce. But this husband was more lenient and patient and always heard the complaints of his bride. He sometimes gave her very earnest rebukes, but proceeded to supply the things that would make her more comfortable and happy.

Jeremiah 2:3

Jeremiah 2:3. Israel was holiness is rather a ceremonial term, meaning the nation had been accepted as a peculiar possession of the Lord. Firstfruits means she was regarded as the choice of products, even as a young husband will think his bride is the most desirable person in the world. Should anyone attempt to molest this bride he would be due some serious trouble. Offend is defined in the lexicon “to be guilty,” and the person who would make any improper advances toward this bride would be deemed guilty and would be avenged by the husband.

Jeremiah 2:4

Jeremiah 2:4. Jacob and Israel refer to the same people, the former (whose name was changed to Israel, Genesis 32:28) being an ancestor of the latter. This people is now called upon to hear the word of the Lord as delivered by the inspired prophet.

Jeremiah 2:5

Jeremiah 2:5. Sometimes a wife will listen to the counsel of her parents who are objecting to the husband even after years of married life. If those objections are made on a true basis it is well for them to interfere, but they should be sure that such is the case before trying to dissolve the marriage. This husband demands to know what are the objections which have led to the coldness of the wife. That, coldness had arrived to the extent that the wife was going off after others who offered her some of their possessions; she had gone after vanity.

Jeremiah 2:6

Jeremiah 2:6. A true wife will take pleasure in recounting the many acts of kindness and tender regard that her husband showed her in their honeymoon and the early years of their married life, But this wife of the Lord had ceased even to talk about those days, much less to be held in her devotion to her husband in the later years. Those acts of devotion were not mere displays of sentiment with little or no substantial value as is sometimes the case with fleshly husbands. Sometimes a honeymoon will have to be taken against the wishes of other members of the family, and there have been instances where actual danger to life had to be encountered in order to remain together. Under conditions like those a loving husband will not evade any danger necessary to protect his bride. That was the case with the Lord and his bride, for they had to travel together through a country that was filled with pits and deserts and where the shadow of death hovered over them. But through it all the husband remained steadfast and helpful and had a constant care for his bride.

Jeremiah 2:7

Jeremiah 2:7. This bride was brought safely through the honeymoon until she was conducted to the place that was to be her home. And what a great home it was that her loving husband had provided for her! An entire tract large enough to accommodate a country, and thriving with luscious fruits and everything one could reasonably desire. With such provisions it would he expected that a bride would be contented and happy, and satisfied with nothing short of wholehearted devotion to such a wonderful companion. Sad to say, this bride not only became coldhearted toward her husband who had provided her with such a wonderful home, but she began at once to corrupt this good dowry with wild plants and weeds of idolatry.

Jeremiah 2:8

Jeremiah 2:8. One person cannot perform the duties of another in tlic service of the Lord, yet the degree of responsibility is not always the same with different men. God always charged the leading men in the nation more severely than he did the common people. Hence this verse names several classes of persona who were chiefly guilty in the coldness against the Lord. The priests were the ones who had charge of the altars and the services pertaining thereto. They that handle means they who wield or execute or teach the law.

Pastors Is from BAAH and Strong’s definition is, “a primitive root; to tend a flock, i.e. pasture It; intransitively to graze (literally or figuratively); generally to rule.” The original has been rendered by various words in the Old Testament, but the book of Jeremiah is the only one that has pastor. The term refers to the men in the Jewish nation whose special work was to give instruction to the people. The prophets were of two classes as regards their work. One class may he designated “writing prophets,” among whom were Isaiah and Jeremiah and others. However, these men were not restricted to writing, but God used them also to make oral predictions to the people. They also served to admonish and chastise the men and women of the nation for their many sins.

The other class of prophets did all of their work orally and among such were Elijah and Elisha and others whose names and work appear along In the Bible. All of the men mentioned above bad become indifferent toward the true God, but these prophets had not stopped at their coldness. They were prophesying by Baal which means they did their work in the name of this heathen god and pretended to believe that he would bring their predictions to pass.

Jeremiah 2:9

Jeremiah 2:9. The prophet seems to have dropped the illustration of bride and wife and now takes a direct form of language. In spite of all the unfaithfulness of the people, the Lord pleads with them arid even promises to do so from generation to generation.

Jeremiah 2:10

Jeremiah 2:10. The Lord purposes to shame hi3 people by referring them to others who have far less advantages as nations and yet have been more faithful to their gods. Chittim is rendered Cyprus (an island in the eastern Mediterranean) by many works of reference including Strong’ s lexicon. Kedar is a tribe of Arabians who were an unsettled kind of people. Such people, as are referred to in these two places would ordinarily not he ex-pected to display unusual qualities, yet a contrast, is going to be made between them and the people who had been favored by the Lord.

Jeremiah 2:11

Jeremiah 2:11. The question asked has the negative answer implied. These inferior nations had been true to their idol gods although in truth such objects were no gods. But God’s people had forsaken the true God and replaced him (in their hearts) with that which doth not profit. We would condemn a man if he deserted a friend of some standing, even though the one for whom he deserted the first one offered greater favors than had been provided by the other. It would be regarded rather In the nature of a bribe, But tbe people of God had done worse than that. They had turned their backs upon a true friend and gone after one who could give them nothing.

Jeremiah 2:12

Jeremiah 2:12. All intelligent beings are meant by the expression ye heavens. and they are told to he astonished at the horrible thing that has been done. To he afraid does not mean that the false gods can do anything effectively against the works of the true God. The expression really means that the situation is appalling and dark.

Jeremiah 2:13

Jeremiah 2:13. One evil is enough to bring the condemnation of the Lord, but these people of his had committed two evils. One was to forsake the true fountain of living water. Had they stopped with that evil it would have been bad enough. But they did not pause in their unfaithfulness of leaving the true fountain. They pretended to provide themselves a better supply of water by hewing out their own cisterns which proved to be broken and unable to hold any water.

In all ages of the world men have committed the same kind of folly that Is described in this verse by .the illustration of cisterns. They have become dissatisfied with the Lord’s plan of salvation and implied that He did not know just what man needed. Then they have proceeded to invent ways of their own for the benefit of sinful man. The inconsistency of such conduct is so evident that it is today a matter also at which to be appalled. If an infinite God did not know what was best for his own created beings, it is extremely foolish for those very creatures to think they can better the situation with their innovations.

Jeremiah 2:14

Jeremiah 2:14. This verse is a prediction in question form of the calamity that was to come upon Israel in a few years. The passage means to humiliate the people by speaking as if they were no better off than a servant or slave. Spoiled is rendered “become a spoil” in the margin which is correct. In a few years the Babylonian army will come against the capital and spoil or dispossess its people of their goods. The fulfillment of this prediction is recorded in 2 Kings 24:13.

Jeremiah 2:15

Jeremiah 2:15. Lions roaring and storming out of their thickets against a civilization is used lo illustrate the Invasion of the Babylonian army. Cities are burned took place in course of the siege and attack recounted in 2 Kings 24, 25. Most of the accounts of that campaign pertain to Jerusalem because it was the capital city. But the phrase the mighty of the land in 2 Kings 24:13 indicates that a general attack was made in the country; it was then the cities were burned.

Jeremiah 2:16

Jeremiah 2:16. Babylon was the country where the people of Israel were to be taken into captivity as a whole, but other places were permitted to make inroads and accomplish some gains. Noph (or Memphis) and Tahapanes were cities in Egypt and they are mentioned as having a share in the victories accomplished by their king Pharoah. The record of this event ts in 2 Kings 23:33-35.

Jeremiah 2:17

Jeremiah 2:17. This is a severe but just rebuke of the nation and lays the blame for the misfortunes of the people of Israel at their own door. They had been warned even as long ago as the days of Moses (Deuteronomy 28) that such experiences would come upon them if they went after false gods.

Jeremiah 2:18

Jeremiah 2:18. What hast thou means to ask them what right they had to go to those heathen places to partake of what they had. They did not always literally go to those places, but in their hearts they turned in that direction, and in a few instances they made literal application to those heathen localities for favors, Sihor is another name for tbe Nile in Egypt, and the river means the Euphrates in Babylonia, The last place is called Assyria because at the time Jeremiah wrote, the land through which the great river flows was still in the possession of Assyria, though it was destined to he brought under control by the Babylonians by the time the Jews were to be taken to begin their long- predicted captivity of 70 years.

Jeremiah 2:19

Verse 19. Sin often works its own rebuke on the principle that “whatsoever a man soweth that shall he also reap” (Galatians 6:8). This is especially true in moral questions if the Lord takes an active part in the case as he was to do with these people of Israel. It is an evil thing and- bitter means their conduct toward God was evil as it pertained to Him. and it would be bitter for them when they realized the punishment It brought them. This bitterness is predicted in terms of deep sadness in Psalms 137. Mg fear is not in thee refers to their lack of reverence for God and his law. For the fulfillment of the prediction in the first part of the verse, see the long note that shows their complete recovery from idolatry. It is given with the comments on Isaiah 1:25 in the 3rd volume of this Commentary.

Jeremiah 2:20

Jeremiah 2:20. The weakness of inconstancy was nowhere more evident than in the conduct of Israel through the long history of the nation. Time after time in the journey through the wilderness the people did wrong, felt sorry and promised to do better, then fell back into sin again. After reaching the promised land and heing established in it as a nation of the Lord, the same old tendency to forget God showed up from time to time. The most outstanding sin was idolatry, and the evident explanation is that it was the most prevalent iniquity in sight. Man Is inclined to be affected most by that which is nearest him.

All of the nations near Israel were idolaters and produced a strong influence over the people of God. Trees in themselves are not evil things but are among the noble objects of God’s creation. But the heathen nations had connected their idol worship so generally with the groves that the mere sight of even one green (living) tree suggested the erecting of an idol. If no means were available for making the Idol, the devoted idolater would fall down before the tree and offer his worship. This practice led God to make laws regarding the planting of groves, especially near any altar of the true services. Playing the harlot is using the corruption in the moral world to illustrate unfaithfulness in the reli-gious.

The comparison is logical and not just a strict notion of God as his enemies might think. If a married person has intimate relations with some one besides the lawful partner, it is recognized by everyone as being wrong and receives the name of adultery. On the same principle, if a person who professes to be married or joined to the true God should have intimate religious relations with some other god, it is like the unfaithfulness of the married partner. That is why God associated jealousy with the sin of idolatry in his law on the tables of the ten commandments (Exodus 20; Exodus 5).

Jeremiah 2:21

Jeremiah 2:21. Various things in the natural world are used to Illustrate those in the religious or spiritual realm. In this verse the object chosen is a vine, and that doubtless is because it was one of the most familiar things in Palestine. The nation of Israel is compared to a noble vine. These words are not separate terms in the original but together come from soregah which Strong defines, “a vine stock (properly one yielding purple grapes, the richest variety).” The fundamental meaning of strange is something foreign or from the outside. In this verse the Lord has a plant doing that which nature alone would not do.

Any vine might degenerate and become fruitless or fail to produce as good a crop as it should. But this “ thoroughbred” vine had changed its breed into the kind that grew in the territory outside of the vineyard. The literal explanation is that Israel had reached out and absorbed the substance of the idolatrous territory surrounding the Lord’ s vineyard, and was producing wild fruit in the form of false religion.

Jeremiah 2:22

Jeremiah 2:22. Nitre is defined in the lexicon as “potash” which corresponds to lye. If both lye and soap are used on a surface without getting it clean. It is certainly very much defiled and the uncleanness would be deep seated. Marked is from KATHAM which Strong defines, “a primitive root,; properly to carve or engrave, i.e. (by implication) to inscribe indelibly.” It means the uncleanness is deeper than the surface and is engraved into the body of the object, hence mere cleansing articles such as lye or soap would have no effect on it. The application is to the iniquity of the nation of Israel, and means that nothing the people can do for themselves will remove the mark.

This is another passage that might seem to conflict with others where the Lord exhorted his people to reform and make themselves “ clean” and he would receive them. The apparent difficulty is explained by observing the difference, between the nation aB a whole, and certain Individuals in it. There is a long note on (his subject with the comments on 2 Kings 22:17 in Vol. 2 of this Commentary.

Jeremiah 2:23

Jeremiah 2:23. Sometimes a person will deny an accusation when the evidence of his guilt is displayed in full sight. Israel denied the guilt of Idolatry but the Lord pointed to signs of guilt that were unmistakable. Baal was one of the heathen gods that was also worshiped by the people of Israel. For more information on this word see the comments at Judges 2:11-13 in volume 1 of this Commentary. Way is from a word that Strong defines, “A course of life or mode Of action,” and the Lord is pointing an accusing finger to the actions of Israel in the valley.

This word is from gay which Strong defines, “ A gorge (from its lofty sides; hence narrow, but not a gully or winter torrent).” From this definition it may be seen the word refers to a dry depression In the earth that can be used for human activities. The conduct to which this verse refers is that of idolatrous sacrifices which the Israelites offered in this place.

Incidentally, the name of one particular valley is the source of the word Gehenna, one of the words translated “hell” in the New Testament. It will be well to give the reader some Information from the lexicons on this interesting but much-perverted word. “The name Geenna . . , the narrow valley skirling Jerusalem on the south, running down from the west into the valley of Jehoshaphat, under Mount Zion. Here the ancient Israelites established the idolatrous worship of Moloch, to whom they burned infants in sacrifice; 2 Kings 23:10; Jeremiah 7:31-32; Jeremiah 32:35; compare Jeremiah 2:23 [our present verse]; Jeremiah 19:6; Jeremiah 19:13.” Robinson’s Greek Lexicon, “ Gehenna, properly the valley of Hin- nom, south of Jerusalem, once celebrated for the horrid worship of Moloch, and afterwards polluted with every species of filth, as well as the carcasses of animals, and dead bodies of malefactors: to consume which, in order to avert the pestilence such a mass of corruption would occasion, constant fires were keDt burning; hence, hell, the fires of Tartarus, the place of punishment in Hades. Matthew 5:22; Matthew 5:29-30."— Greenfield, With such practices as here described, and they being conducted so near the very capita] of the nation. It was foolish for the people of Israel to deny their guilt of idolatry. Traversing means to travel or move hack and forth, going over the same spots again and again.

Comparing Israel to a dromedary (a young camel) is to indicate the greater activities in the practice of idolatry since a younger animal would be likely to be more energetic. In the beginning of this paragraph the reference was to Baalim, while the above quotations from the lexicon refer to Moloch.

That is the name of another heathen god, but the various false gods were so much alike, and the services offered to them had so many principles in common, that a person guilty of devotion to one was Justly charged with devotion to the other.

Jeremiah 2:24

Jeremiah 2:24. In the preceding verse Israel (I use the word with its general meaning) is compared to a young camel. In this the comparison is to a wild ass spending her days in the wilderness. She has been in such surroundings bo much that she is used to the experiences. Sniffeth up the wind at her pleasure denotes an independent attitude toward the things that will give her pleasure regardless of whether they are things worth while or not. Who can turn her is In question form, but It means no one can turn her from her determination to have her own way.

Any male wishing her association might as Well not bother to find her out there in the wilderness. In her month (meaning the mating time) she will show up prompted by her own desires at which time the male companion will easily have access to her. Likewise, Israel is interested only in her own pleasure and in her occasion (at her opportunity) she submits to mating with another wild (strange or outside) creature, the false god. with whom she will unite in intimate association.

Jeremiah 2:25

Jeremiah 2:25. The comparison to a wild ass continues, representing her as being without the benefits that could be provided for her, though on account of her own stubbornness. The owner bids her not go longer with unshod feet or with a thirsty throat, for he has been willing ait the time to supply these needs. She replies “there is no hope” ; as much as to say, “there is no use to talk to me for I am in love with creatures on the outside and will still go after them.” This peculiar illustration literally means to predict that Israel will persist in her idolatry until she has learned tier lesson and then she will be ashamed.

Jeremiah 2:26

Jeremiah 2:26. Yes, just as a thief is ashamed when he has been caught, so Israel was destined to regret her idolatry and will express her grief in humiliating terms, even including the kings and other leading men in the confessions of shame.

Jeremiah 2:27

Jeremiah 2:27. The thing of which the people of Israel will be ashamed is their silly devotion to dumb idols described in this verse. The first two clauses are not intended to be direct quotations from the people, for they never actually said those things; the thought is their conduct logically said them. Certainly no being hut one’ s creator would have the right to such devotion as they were giving to idols that were made of1 a stock (a tree) or a stone. Thus their service to such objects implied that they had been produced by them. Have turned their back unto me is a direct charge from the Lord against liis people, and that was what justified the implied statements in the beginning of the verse.

For all of this they were being punished or would he in a little while, and for it all they were to be heartily ashamed. The last clause is on that subject and the form of their expression of grief is well described in Psalms 137. The same is historically described in Ezekiel 37; Ezekiel 11 about the dry bones.

Jeremiah 2:28

Jeremiah 2:28. The prophet resumes his chastising remarks against Israel in this verse and on to the end of the chapter. If the gods are worthy of devotion in time of peace, they ought to be able to help their devoted wor- sbipers in time of trouble, and the prophet calls upon his people to apply to them for help. No excuse could be made on the ground that these gods were not available, either because they were busy or were too far away. No, they had them in every city and hence were in close contact with the people. Judah is named in this verse whereas Israel is mentioned in the chapter in the same connection.

But at the present stage of the history the two names may properly be used interchangeably. Israel as a distinctive name of the 10- tribe kingdom lias been in exile from the native land for over a hundred years. The 2-tribe kingdom known as Judali is still in Palestine. But both of these kingdoms were composed of the people of Israel, hence either term is proper and will continue to be. for the 12 tribes will not be divided again during and after the captivity,

Jeremiah 2:29

Jeremiah 2:29. Wherefore will ye plead is the Lord’ s way of telling the people they have no ground on which to make a plea for favor. Ye all would Include the various classes in the nation. It is true the leaders were more to be blamed for the corruptions, but Jeremiah 5:31 says the people loved to have it so. The principles of the Bible are that tf a person takes pleasure (is satisfied or pleased with) in the actions of another it makes him a partaker of the same (Romans 1:32).

Jeremiah 2:30

Jeremiah 2:30. Smitten your children does not refer to the personal offspring of any individuals. The second word refers to them as a nation and the third means the citizens of the nation. The phrase is a reference to past chastisements that God had imposed upon the nation but which had not caused it to repent. Even the prophets who dared rebuke the people for their sins were not spared front the murderous sword.

Jeremiah 2:31

Jeremiah 2:31. A wilderness is a place without the products of life and the question asked of Israel is a reminder that God had supplied all of her needs. For that reason she had no right to say we are lords. That phrase means they had no right to claim a dominion of their own; that was what they had been claiming.

Jeremiah 2:32

Jeremiah 2:32. This is another use of the marriage relation for an illustration. A fleshly bride will long remember her wedding formal and will take pleasure in looking at it and showing it to others. And if she Is sincere, the mere sight of it will recall the man who stood beside her at the happy event. But this spiritual wife of the Lord had forgotten her husband days without number.

Jeremiah 2:33

Verse 33. Trimmest is rendered “dresseth” in Exodus 30:7 about trimming the lamps. The thought is this wife was making herself attractive so as to interest, another lover. She was not content to gratify herself with unrighteous practices, but induced others to do the same if she saw they were already inclined to evil.

Jeremiah 2:34

Jeremiah 2:34. Skirts is used figuratively, meaning Israel’s garments were stained with the blood of innocent persons. Secret is not in the original as a separate word but is a part of the same word for search. It is machtereth which Strong defines, “ a burglary; figuratively unexpected examination.” The thought is that God did not have to make any “lie test” kind of examination or try to “catch” the gutlty people when they were not expecting it. Upon all these means the Lord saw the evidences of their guilt plainly displayed.

Jeremiah 2:35

Jeremiah 2:35, In spite of the many evidences of her guilt, Israel was so bold as to deny it and then ask God to take her word for it and be favorable toward her. But this false plea of innocence was to be an extra reason for the anger of the Lord. It is bad enough to commit sin, but it makes the degree of that sin greater when the guilty one denies it In the face of plain evidences.

Jeremiah 2:36

Jeremiah 2:36. Gaddest is from azal and Strong’s definition is, “A primitive root; to go away, hence to disappear.” Way is from a word that means “ a course of life or mode of actions.” We know the general opinion of a wife who is seldom in her home, for she may be suspected of seeking indulgences that she cannot have in her home, [See Titus 2:5.) The wife of the Lord was frequently “gone from home” in search of someone with whom to enjoy unlawful pleasures and to receive from him some favor. Among the ones she thus flirted with were Egypt and Assyria. The Lord warns her that she will he ashamed of such paramours.

Jeremiah 2:37

Jeremiah 2:37. Him refers to the unlawful lover with whom the unfaithful wife had been intimate. Hands upon thine head is a gesture of shame for some humiliating event that has taken place, like the action of Tamar in 2 Samuel 13:19. The difference between the cases, however, is that Tamar was not to blame; but the shame was there and it was indicated by placing her hand upon her head. Israel was at fault in this unlawful intimacy, but she was destined to realize it and would feel the blame as much as did the innocent Tamar.