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The words of Jeremiah son of Hilkiah, of the priests who were in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin, ²to whom the word of the L ord came in the days of King Josiah son of Amon of Judah, in the thirteenth year of his reign. ³It came also in the days of King Jehoiakim son of Josiah of Judah, and until the end of the eleventh year of King Zedekiah son of Josiah of Judah, until the captivity of Jerusalem in the fifth month.

Jeremiah’s Call and Commission

⁴ Now the word of the L ord came to me saying,

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,

and before you were born I consecrated you;

I appointed you a prophet to the nations.”

⁶ Then I said, “Ah, Lord G od! Truly I do not know how to speak, for I am only a boy.” ⁷But the L ord said to me,

“Do not say, ‘I am only a boy’;

for you shall go to all to whom I send you,

and you shall speak whatever I command you.

Do not be afraid of them,

for I am with you to deliver you,

says the L ord.”

⁹ Then the L ord put out his hand and touched my mouth; and the L ord said to me,

“Now I have put my words in your mouth.

See, today I appoint you over nations and over kingdoms,

to pluck up and to pull down,

to destroy and to overthrow,

to build and to plant.”

¹¹ The word of the L ord came to me, saying, “Jeremiah, what do you see?” And I said, “I see a branch of an almond tree.” ¹²Then the L ord said to me, “You have seen well, for I am watching over my word to perform it.” ¹³The word of the L ord came to me a second time, saying, “What do you see?” And I said, “I see a boiling pot, tilted away from the north.”

¹⁴ Then the L ord said to me: Out of the north disaster shall break out on all the inhabitants of the land. ¹⁵For now I am calling all the tribes of the kingdoms of the north, says the L ord; and they shall come and all of them shall set their thrones at the entrance of the gates of Jerusalem, against all its surrounding walls and against all the cities of Judah. ¹⁶And I will utter my judgments against them, for all their wickedness in forsaking me; they have made offerings to other gods, and worshiped the works of their own hands. ¹⁷But you, gird up your loins; stand up and tell them everything that I command you. Do not break down before them, or I will break you before them. ¹⁸And I for my part have made you today a fortified city, an iron pillar, and a bronze wall, against the whole land—against the kings of Judah, its princes, its priests, and the people of the land. ¹⁹They will fight against you; but they shall not prevail against you, for I am with you, says the L ord, to deliver you.

New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

This verse contains an explanation of the last; for God more dearly and more specifically expresses what he had before referred to — that the evil would come from the north. He says that he would be the sender of this evil, and speaks thus of it: Behold, I call all the families of the kingdoms of the north The prediction would not have been so effectual had not this declaration been expressly added — that the Chaldeans would come by the authority of God; for men are ever wont to ascribe to fortune whatever takes place: and we shall hereafter see in the Book of Lamentations (Lamentations 3:37, 38) that the Jews were so besotted, that in their calamities they attributed to the events of fortune the destruction of the temple and city, and the ruin of the kingdom. Hence God sharply expostulated with them, because they were so blind in a matter so clear, and did not acknowledge his judgments. The Prophet, then, after having testified that the evil would come from the north, now adds, that this evil would by no means be by chance, but through that war which the Chaldeans would bring on them; that God would be the chief commander, who would gather soldiers from all parts, and prepare an army to destroy the Jews.

The Prophet uses the word, to cry: Behold, he says, I will cry to all the kindreds, or families, etc. ¹⁶¹⁶ Perhaps the more literal rendering would be, “I will call to,” or for. The version of Septuagint is, “συγκάλω-I will summon;” of Vatablus, “invitabo — I will invite;” of Piscator, “vocabo — I will call;” and of Blayney, “I will call for.” — Ed God employs various modes of speaking, when he intends to teach us that all nations are in his hand, and subject to his will, so that he can excite wars whenever it pleases him. He says, “Behold, I will hiss (or whistle) for the Egyptians;” and he compares them sometimes to bees. (Isaiah 5:26; Isaiah 7:18.) Again, in another place he says, “Behold, I will blow with the trumpet, and assemble shall the Assyrians.” All these modes of speaking are intended to shew, that though men make a great stir, and disturb the whole world, yet God directs all things by his sovereign power, and that nothing takes place except under his guidance and authority. We then see that the Prophet does not speak as an historian; nor does he simply predict what was to be, but also adds a doctrine or a great truth. It would have been a naked prediction only, had he said, “An evil shall break forth from the north: “but he now, as I have already said, performs the office of a teacher, that his prediction might be useful, and says that God would be the chief commander in that war: Behold, then, I will cry to all the families ¹⁷¹⁷ They are called “families,“ say some, because kings are called fathers; but probable it is a mode of speaking retained from primitive times, as we find that those called “families” in Genesis 12:3, are called “nations” in Genesis 22:18. — Ed. of the kingdoms of the north.

There was then indeed but one monarchy; but as the self — confidence of the Jews was so great, and hence their sottishness, so that they dreaded no evil, God, in order to arouse them, says that he would assemble all the families of the kingdoms: and doubtless those belonged to many kingdoms whom God brought together against the Jews. A regard also was had to that vain confidence which the Jews entertained, in thinking that the Egyptians would be ever ready to supply them with help. As, then, they were wont to set up the Egyptians as their shield, or even as a mountain, God here exposes their folly, — that trusting in the Egyptians, they thought themselves sufficiently fortified against the power and arms of the whole Chaldean monarchy. For these reasons, then, he mentions the families, and then the kingdoms, of the north.

It follows, And they shall come, and set each (man, literally) his throne ¹⁸¹⁸     The original word, כסא, not only means a throne, but a seat; see 1 Samuel 1:9; 1 Samuel 4:18; and 2 Kings 4:10, where it is rendered in our version “a stool.” Grotius renders it here “praetorium castrense — a camp’s tent.” The “throne” is derived from the Septuagint. — Ed at the entrance of the gates The Prophet here means that the power of the Chaldeans would be such, that they would boldly pitch their tents before the gates, and not only so, but would also close up the smaller gates, for he mentions the doors (ostia) of the gates ¹⁹¹⁹     Literally it is “The opening of the gates.” The preposition at is not in the original; and the word in some other places is found without it. See Genesis 19:11; Genesis 43:17. The preposition ἐπὶ is given by the Septuagint, “ἐπὶ τὰ πρόθυρα-at or in the vestibules,“ etc. We have the fulfillment of this expressly recorded in Jeremiah 39:3. The idea suggested by Adam Clarke, that they would sit as judges in the gates, as these were the courts of justice, is evidently not intended here; for they would also fix their tents or their seats by or on the walls, and in all the cities of Judah. The latter portion of the verse may be thus rendered, —
   And they shall come, and set, each his seat,
At the entrance of the gates of Jerusalem,
And on all its walls around,
And on all the cities of Judah.
   The description betokens an entire possession of the whole land. — Ed. And by speaking of each of them, he meant the more sharply to touch the Jews: for they, relying on the help of Egypt, thought themselves capable of resisting, while yet the Chaldeans, who had conquered the Assyrians, would be irresistible. Hence he says, that not only the army itself would encamp before the gates, but that each individual would fix himself there, and set up his tent as in a place of safety. In short, God intimates that the Chaldeans and Assyrians would be victorious, that they would entirely rule and rest themselves as at their own homes, in the fields and before the gates of the city Jerusalem. These things are afterwards more distinctly expressed, and many circumstances are added: but God intended at first to announce this declaration, that the Jews might know that it would be all over with them.

He then says, On its walls around, and on all the cities of Judah The Prophet here declares, that the whole country would be laid waste, as though he had said, “The Jews in vain trust to their own resources, and help from others, for God will fight against them; and as the Chaldeans and the Assyrians shall be armed by him, they shall be victorious, whatever force the Jews may oppose to them.” It follows —

¹⁶ Perhaps the more literal rendering would be, “I will call to,” or for. The version of Septuagint is, “συγκάλω-I will summon;” of Vatablus, “invitabo — I will invite;” of Piscator, “vocabo — I will call;” and of Blayney, “I will call for.” — Ed

¹⁷ They are called “families,“ say some, because kings are called fathers; but probable it is a mode of speaking retained from primitive times, as we find that those called “families” in Genesis 12:3, are called “nations” in Genesis 22:18. — Ed.

¹⁸ The original word, כסא, not only means a throne, but a seat; see 1 Samuel 1:9; 1 Samuel 4:18; and 2 Kings 4:10, where it is rendered in our version “a stool.” Grotius renders it here “praetorium castrense — a camp’s tent.” The “throne” is derived from the Septuagint. — Ed

¹⁹ Literally it is “The opening of the gates.” The preposition at is not in the original; and the word in some other places is found without it. See Genesis 19:11; Genesis 43:17. The preposition ἐπὶ is given by the Septuagint, “ἐπὶ τὰ πρόθυρα-at or in the vestibules,“ etc. We have the fulfillment of this expressly recorded in Jeremiah 39:3. The idea suggested by Adam Clarke, that they would sit as judges in the gates, as these were the courts of justice, is evidently not intended here; for they would also fix their tents or their seats by or on the walls, and in all the cities of Judah. The latter portion of the verse may be thus rendered, — And they shall come, and set, each his seat, At the entrance of the gates of Jerusalem, And on all its walls around, And on all the cities of Judah. The description betokens an entire possession of the whole land. — Ed.