,,the ,,prophecies                      
,,of                                    
,,jeremiah4                     ,with a 
,sketch of ,his ,life and ,times4       
,,by ,,the ,,rev4                       
,c4 ,j4 ,,ball1 ,m4,a41                 
,chaplain of ,lincoln's ,inn2           
,,contributor ,,to ,,bishop             
,,ellicott',s ,,commentary1             
,,the ,,speaker',s ,,commentary1 ,,etc4 
,new ,york3                             
,a4 ,c4 ,,armstrong  ,,son1             
#gad ,,broadway4                        
#ahij4                                  
,,contents4                             
,,page      ,,preliminary ,,sketch ,,of 
,,the ,,life ,,and ,,times ,,of         
,,jeremiah                 #a           
,i4      ,,the ,,call ,,and             
,,consecration                          
#eh                                     
,,ii4      ,,the ,,trust ,,in ,,the     
,,shadow ,,of ,,egypt                   
#gd                                     
,,iii4      ,,israel ,,and ,,judah--,a  

,,contrast                              
#aad                                    
,,iv4      ,,the ,,scythians ,,as ,,the 
,,scourge ,,of ,,god                    
#acd                                    
,v4      ,,popular ,,and ,,true         
,,religion                              
#adi                                    
,,vi4      ,,the ,,idols ,,of ,,the     
,,heathen ,,and ,,the ,,god ,,of        
,,israel                     #bae       
,,vii4      ,,the ,,broken ,,covenant   
#bdh                                    
,,viii4      ,,the ,,fall ,,of ,,pride  
#bhj                                    
,,ix4      ,,the ,,drought ,,and ,,its  
,,moral ,,implications                  
#cjj                                    
,x4      ,,the ,,sabbath--,a ,,warning  
#cfd                                    
,,xi4      ,,the ,,divine ,,potter      
#cgg                                    
,,xii4      ,,the ,,broken ,,vessel--,a 
,,symbol ,,of ,,judgment                
#cih                                    

,,xiii4      ,,jeremiah ,,under         
,,persecution                           
#daa                                    
,,preliminary ,,sketch ,,of ,,the ,,life
 ,,and                                  
,,times ,,of ,,jeremiah4      ,a priest 
by birth1 ,jeremiah became a prophet by 
the special call  of ,god4 ,his priestly
 origin implies a good literary         
training1 in  times when literature was 
largely in the hands of the priests4    
,the  priesthood1 indeed1 constituted a 
principal section of the ,israelitish   
nobility1 as appears both from the      
history of those times1 and from  the   
references in our prophet's writings1   
where kings and princes and  priests are
 often named together as the aristocracy
 of the land 7i4  #ah1 ii4 #bf1 iv4 #i72
 and this fact would ensure for the     
young prophet a  share in all the best  
learning of his age4 ,the name of       
,jeremiah1 like  other prophetic proper 
names1 seems to have special            
significance in  connexion with the most

 illustrious of the persons recorded to 
have  borne it4 ,it means ,iahvah       
foundeth1 and1 as a proper name1 ,the   
,man  that ,iahvah foundeth2 a          
designation which finds vivid           
illustration in  the words of           
,jeremiah's call3 ,before ,i moulded    
thee in the belly1 ,i  knew thee2 and   
before thou camest forth from the womb1 
,i consecrated  thee3 a spokesman to the
 nations did ,i make thee 7i4 #e74 ,the 
not  uncommon name of ,jeremiah--six    
other persons of the name are numbered  
in the ,old ,testament--must have       
appeared to the prophet as invested     
with new force and meaning1 in the light
 of this revelation4 ,even  before his  
birth he had been founded#a and         
predestined by ,god for  the work of his
 life4    ,the ,hilkiah named as his    
father was not the high priest of that  
name1#b so famous in connexion with the 
reformation of king ,josiah4            
,interesting as such a relationship     
would be if established1 the  following 

facts seem decisive against it4 ,the    
prophet himself has  omitted to mention 
it1 and no hint of it is to be found    
elsewhere4 ,the  priestly family to     
which ,jeremiah belonged was settled at 
,anathoth  7i4 #a1 xi4 #ba1 xxix4 #bg74 
,but ,anathoth in ,benjamin 7xxxvii4    
#ab71 the  present ,ant1 between two and
 three miles ,,nne4 of ,jerusalem1      
belonged to the deposed line of ,ithamar
 7#a ,chron4 xxiv4 #c2 comp4  with #a   
,kings ii4 #bf1 #ce74 ,after this it is 
needless to insist that  the prophet1   
and presumably his father1 resided at   
,anathoth1 whereas  ,jerusalem was the  
usual residence of the high priest4 ,nor
 is the  identification of ,jeremiah's  
family with that of the ruling high     
priest helped by the observation that   
the father of the high priest  was named
 ,shallum 7#a ,chron4 v4 #ci71 and that 
the prophet had an  uncle of this name  
7,jer4 xxxii4 #g74 ,the names ,hilkiah#c
 and ,shallum  are too common to justify
 any conclusions from such data4 ,if the

  prophet's father was head of one of   
the twenty-four classes or guilds  of   
the priests1 that might explain the     
influence which ,jeremiah  could        
exercise with some of the grandees of   
the court4 ,but we are  not told more   
than that ,jeremiah ben ,hilkiah was a  
member of the  priestly community       
settled at ,anathoth4 ,it is1 however1 a
 gratuitous  disparagement of one of the
 greatest names in ,israel's history1 to
  suggest that1 had ,jeremiah belonged  
to the highest ranks of his caste1  he  
would not have been equal to the        
self-renunciation involved in the       
assumption of the unhonoured and        
thankless office of a prophet4#d  ,such 
a suggestion is certainly not warranted 
by the portraiture of the  man as       
delineated by himself1 with all the     
distinctive marks of truth  and nature4 
,from the moment that he became         
decisively convinced of his  mission1   
,jeremiah's career is marked by         
struggles and vicissitudes of  the most 

painful and perilous kind2 his          
perseverance in his allotted  path was  
met by an ever increasing hardness on   
the part of the people2  opposition and 
ridicule became persecution1 and the    
messenger of  ,divine truth persisted in
 proclaiming his message at the risk of 
his  own life4 ,that life may1 in fact1 
be called a prolonged martyrdom2  and1  
if we may judge of the unknown by the   
known1 the tradition that  the prophet  
was stoned to death by the ,jewish      
refugees in ,egypt is  only too probable
 an account of its final scene4 ,if the 
natural  shrinking of a somewhat        
feminine character is traceable in his  
own  report of his conduct at particular
 junctures1 does not the fact  shed an  
intenser glory upon the man1 who        
overcame this instinctive  timidity1 and
 persisted1 in face of the most         
appalling dangers1 in  the path of duty8
 ,is not the victory of a               
constitutionally timid and  shrinking   
character a nobler moral triumph than   

that of the man who  never knew         
fear--who marches to the conflict with  
others1 with a light  heart1 simply     
because it is his nature to do          
so--because he has had  no experience of
 the agony of a previous conflict with  
self8 ,it is  easy to sit in one's      
library and criticize the heroes of old2
 but  the modern censures of ,jeremiah  
betray at once a want of historic       
imagination1 and a defect of sympathy   
with the sublime fortitude  of one who  
struggled on in a battle which he knew  
to be lost4 ,in a  protracted contest   
such as that which ,jeremiah was called 
upon to  maintain1 what wonder if       
courage sometimes flags1 and            
hopelessness  utters its forsaken cry8  
,the moods of the saints are not always 
the  same2 they vary1 like those of     
common men1 with the stress of the      
hour4 ,even our ,saviour could cry from 
the cross1 ,my ,god1 ,my ,god1 why  hast
 ,thou forsaken ,me8 ,it is not by      
passing expressions1 wrung from  their  

torn hearts by the agony of the hour1   
that men are to be judged4  ,it is the  
issue of the crisis that is             
all-important2 not the cries of  pain1  
which indicate its overwhelming         
pressure4    ,it is sad1 says a well    
known writer1 with reference to the     
noble  passage1 xxxi4 #ca-cd1 which he  
justly characterizes as one of those    
which best deserve to be called the     
,gospel before ,christ1 ,it is  sad that
 ,jeremiah could not always keep his    
spirit under the calming  influence of  
these high thoughts4 ,no book of the    
,old ,testament1 except  the book of    
,job and the ,psalms1 contains so much  
which is difficult  to reconcile with   
the character of a self-denying servant 
of ,jehovah4  ,such expressions as those
 in xi4 #bj1 xv4 #ae1 and especially    
xviii4  #ba-bc1 contrast powerfully with
 ,luke xxiii4 #cd1 and show that the    
typical character of ,jeremiah is not   
absolutely complete4 ,probably  not4    
,the writer in question is honourably   

distinguished from a crowd  of ,french  
and ,german critics1 whose attainments  
are not superior to  his own1 by his    
deep sense of the inestimable value to  
mankind of  those beliefs which animated
 the prophet1 and by the sincerity of   
his manifest endeavours to judge fairly 
between ,jeremiah and his  detractors4  
,he has already remarked truly enough   
that the baptism  of complicated        
suffering1 which the prophet was called 
upon to pass  through in the reign of   
,jehoiakim1 has made him1 in a very high
  and true sense1 a type of ,one greater
 than he4 ,it is impossible to  avoid   
such an impression1 if we study the     
records of his life with  any insight or
 sympathy4 ,and the impression thus     
created is deepened1  when we turn to   
that prophetic page which may be called 
the most  appealing in the entire range 
of the ,old ,testament4 ,in the #ecrd of
  ,isaiah the martyrdom of ,jeremiah    
becomes the living image of that  other 
martyrdom1 which in the fulness of time 

was to redeem the  world4 ,after this1  
to say that the typical character of    
,jeremiah is  not absolutely complete1  
is no more than the assertion of a      
truism2  for what ,old ,testament       
character1 what character in the annals 
of  collective humanity1 can be brought 
forward as a perfect type of the        
,christ1 the ,man whom1 in ,his         
sinlessness and ,his power1 unbiassed   
human reason and conscience             
instinctively suspect to have been also 
,god8 ,to deplore the fact that this    
illustrious prophet could not  always   
keep his spirit under the calming       
influence of his highest  thoughts1 is  
simply to deplore the infirmity that    
besets all human  nature1 to regret that
 natural imperfection which clings to a 
finite  and fallen creature1 even when  
endowed with the most splendid gifts  of
 the spirit4 ,for the rest1 a certain   
degree of exaggeration is  noticeable in
 founding upon three brief passages of  
so large a work  as the collected       

prophecies of ,jeremiah the serious     
charge that no  book of the ,old        
,testament1 except the book of ,job and 
the ,psalms1  contains so much which is 
difficult to reconcile with the         
character  of a self-denying servant of 
,jehovah4 ,the charge appears to me both
  ill-grounded and misleading4 ,but ,i  
reserve the further consideration  of   
these obnoxious passages for the time   
when ,i come to discuss their  context1 
as ,i wish now to complete my sketch of 
the prophet's life4 ,he  has himself    
recorded the date of his call to the    
prophetic office4 ,it  was in the       
thirteenth year of the good king        
,josiah1 that the young#e  priest was   
summoned to a higher vocation by an     
inward ,voice whose  urgency he could   
not resist4#f ,the year has been        
variously identified  with #fbi1 #fbg1  
and #fbf ,b4,c4 ,the place has been     
supposed to have been  ,jerusalem1 the  
capital1 which was so near the prophet's
 home1 and  which1 as ,hitzig observes1 

offered the amplest scope and numberless
  occasions for the exercise of         
prophetic activity4 ,but there appears  
no good reason why ,jeremiah should not 
have become known locally as  one whom  
,god had specially chosen1 before he    
abandoned his native  place for the     
wider sphere of the capital4 ,this1 in  
truth1 seems to  be the likelier        
supposition1 considering that his       
reluctance to take  the first decisive  
step in his career excused itself on the
 ground of  youthful inexperience3      
,alas1 my ,lord ,iahvah6 behold1 ,i know
 not 7how7  to speak2 for ,i am but a   
youth4#g ,the ,hebrew term may imply    
that  he was about eighteen or twenty3  
an age when it is hardly probable  that 
he would permanently leave his father's 
house4 ,moreover1 he  has mentioned a   
conspiracy of his fellow-townsmen       
against himself1  in terms which have   
been taken to imply that he had         
exercised his  ministry among them1     
before his removal to ,jerusalem4 ,in   

chap4 xi4  #ba1 we read3 ,therefore thus
 said ,iahvah ,sabaoth upon the men of  
,anathoth that were seeking thy life1   
saying1 ,prophesy not in the  name of   
,iahvah1 that thou die not by our hand6 
,therefore thus said  ,iahvah ,sabaoth3 
,behold ,i am about to visit it upon    
them3 the young  men shall die by the   
sword2 their sons and their daughters   
shall die  by the famine4 ,and a remnant
 they shall have none2 for ,i will bring
  evil unto the men of ,anathoth1 7in7  
the year of their visitation4  ,it is   
natural to see in this wicked plot      
against his life the reason  for the    
prophet's departure from his native     
place 7but cf4 p4 #bfe74  ,we are       
reminded of the violence done to our    
,lord by the men of ,his  own country 7 
71 and of ,his final and1 as it would   
seem1  compulsory departure from        
,nazareth to ,capernaum 7,st4 ,luke iv4 
#af-bi2  ,st4 ,matt4 iv4 #ac74 ,in this1
 as in other respects1 ,jeremiah was a  
true  type of the ,messias4    ,the     

prophetic discourses1 with which the    
book of ,jeremiah opens 7ii4  #a-;iv4   
#b71 have a general application to all  
,israel1 as is evident not  only from   
the ideas expressed in them1 but also   
from the explicit  address1 ii4 #d3     
,hear ye the word of ,iahvah1 ,o house  
of ,jacob1 and  all the clans of the    
house of ,israel6 ,it is clear enough1  
that  although ,jeremiah belongs to the 
southern kingdom1 his reflexions  here  
concern the northern tribes as well1 who
 must be included in the  comprehensive 
phrases house of ,jacob1 and all the    
clans of the  house of ,israel4 ,the    
fact is accounted for by the            
circumstance that  these two discourses 
are summaries of the prophet's teaching 
on many  distinct occasions1 and as such
 might have been composed anywhere4     
,there can be no doubt1 however1 that   
the principal contents of his  book have
 their scene in ,jerusalem4 ,in chap4   
ii4 #a1 #b1 indeed1 we  have what looks 
like the prophet's introduction to the  

scene of his  future activity4 ,and     
there fell a word of ,iahvah unto me1   
saying1 ,go  and cry in the ears of     
,jerusalem4 ,but the words are not found
 in the  ,,lxx41 which begins chap4 ii4 
thus3 ,and he said1 ,these things saith 
the ,lord1 ,i remembered the            
lovingkindness 77 of thy youth1 and  the
 love of thine espousals 774 ,but       
whether these words  of the received    
,hebrew text be genuine or not1 it is   
plain that if1  as the terms of the     
prophet's commission affirm1 he was to  
be an  embattled city1 and a pillar of  
iron1 and walls of bronze 444 to the    
kings of ,judah1 to her princes1 to her 
priests1 as well as to the  country folk
 7i4 #ah71 ,jerusalem1 the residence of 
kings and princes  and chief priests1   
and the centre of the land1 would be the
 natural  sphere of his operations4 ,the
 same thing is implied in the ,divine   
statement3 ,a nab' to the nations have  
,i made thee 7i4 #e74 ,the  prophet of  
,judea could only reach the gym--the    

surrounding foreign  peoples--through   
the government of his own country1 and  
through his  influence upon ,judean     
policy4 ,the leaving of his native      
place1 sooner  or later1 seems to be    
involved in the words 7i4 #g1 #h73 ,and 
,iahvah  said unto me1 ,say not1 ,i am a
 youth3 for upon whatsoever 7journey7   
,i send thee1 thou shalt go 7,gen4 xxiv4
 #db72 and with whomsoever ,i  charge   
thee1 thou shalt speak 7,gen4 xxiii4    
#h74 ,be not afraid of  them6 ,the      
,hebrew is to some extent ambiguous4 ,we
 might also render3  ,unto whomsoever ,i
 send thee1 thou shalt go2 and          
whatsoever ,i charge  thee1 thou shalt  
speak4 ,but the difference will not     
affect my point1  which is that the     
words seem to imply the contingency of  
,jeremiah's  leaving ,anathoth4 ,and    
this implication is certainly           
strengthened by  the twice-given        
warning3 ,be not afraid of them6 7i4    
#h71 ,be not  dismayed at them1 lest ,i 
dismay thee 7indeed7 before them6 7#ag74

 ,the  young prophet might dread the    
effect of an unpopular message upon his 
brethren and his father's house4 ,but   
his fear would reach a far higher  pitch
 of intensity1 if he were called upon to
 confront with the same  message of     
unwelcome truth the king in his palace1 
or the high priest  in the courts of the
 sanctuary1 or the fanatical and easily 
excited  populace of the capital4       
,accordingly1 when after his general    
prologue  or exordium1 the prophet      
plunges at once into the agitated life  
of  the present1#h it is to the men of  
,judah and ,jerusalem 7iv4 #c71  to the 
great men 7v4 #e71 and to the throng of 
worshippers in the  temple 7vii4 #b71   
that he addresses his burning words4    
,when1 however  7v4 #d71 he exclaims3   
,and for me1 ,i said1 ,they are but poor
 folk2 they  do foolishly 7,num4 xii4   
#aa71 for they know not the way of      
,iahvah1  the rule 7i4e41 religion7 of  
their ,god 7,isa4 xlii4 #a73 ,i will    
get me unto the great men1 and will     

speak with them2 for they know  the way 
of ,iahvah1 the rule of their ,god3 he  
again seems to suggest  a prior         
ministry1 of however brief duration1    
upon the smaller stage  of ,anathoth4   
,at all events1 there is nothing against
 the conjecture  that the prophet may   
have passed to and fro between his      
birthplace  and ,jerusalem1 making      
occasional sojourn in the capital1 until
 at  last the machinations of his       
neighbours 7xi4 #ai sqq471 and as       
appears from xii4 #f1 his own kinsmen1  
drove him to quit ,anathoth for  ever4  
,if ,hitzig be right in referring       
,psalms xxiii41 xxvi4-xxviii4  to the   
prophet's pen1 we may find in them      
evidence of the fact that  the temple   
became his favourite haunt1 and indeed  
his usual abode4  ,as a priest by birth1
 he would have a claim to live in some  
one of  the cells that surrounded the   
temple on three sides of it4 ,the #bcrd 
,psalm1 though written at a later period
 in the prophet's career--,i  shall     

refer to it again by-and-by--closes with
 the words1 ,and ,i will  return unto   
7,ps4 vii4 #ag2 ,hos4 xii4 #g7 the house
 of ,iahvah as long  as ,i live1 or     
perhaps1 ,and ,i will return 7and dwell7
 in etc41 as  though the temple were at 
once his sanctuary and his home4 ,in    
like  manner1 ,ps4 xxvi4 speaks of one  
who washed his hands1 in innocency      
7i4e4 in a state of innocency2 the      
symbolical action corresponding  to the 
real state of his heart and conscience71
 and so compassed  the altar of ,iahvah2
 to proclaim with the sound of a psalm  
of  thanksgiving1 and to rehearse all   
,his wondrous works4 ,the language  here
 seems even to imply 7,ex4 ,,xxx4       
#ai-ba71 that the prophet took  part1 as
 a priest1 in the ritual of the altar4  
,he continues3 ,iahvah1  ,i love the    
abode of thine house1 ,and the place of 
the dwelling of  ,thy glory6 and        
concludes1 ,my foot1 it standeth on a   
plain2 ,in the  congregations ,i bless  
,iahvah1 speaking as one continually    

present at  the temple services4 ,his   
prayers ,judge me1 i4e41 ,do me justice1
  ,iahvah6 and ,take not away my soul   
among sinners1 ,nor my life  among men  
of bloodshed6 may point either to the   
conspiracies of the  ,anathothites1 or  
to subsequent persecutions at           
,jerusalem4 ,the former  seem to be     
intended both here1 and in ,ps4 xxvii41 
which is certainly  most appropriate as 
an ,ode of ,thanksgiving for the        
prophet's escape  from the murderous    
attempts of the men of ,anathoth4       
,nothing could be  more apposite than   
the allusions to evil-doers drawing near
 against  him to eat up his flesh 7i4e41
 according to the common ,aramaic       
metaphor1 to slander him1 and destroy   
him with false accusations72 to  the    
lying witnesses1 and the man 7or men7   
breathing out 7or panting  after7       
violence 7ver4 #ab72 and to having been 
forsaken even by his  father and mother 
7ver4 #aj74 ,with the former1 we may    
compare the  prophet's words1 chap4 ix4 

#b sqq41 ,o that ,i were in the         
wilderness1  in a lodge of wayfaring    
men2 that ,i might forsake my people1   
and  depart from among them6 ,for all of
 them are adulterous1 an assembly  of   
traitors4 ,and they have bent their     
tongue1 7as it were7 their bow  for     
lying2 and it is not by sincerity that  
they have grown strong in  the land4    
,beware ye1 every one of his friend1 and
 have no confidence  in any brother3 for
 every brother will assuredly supplant 7
   a reference to ,jacob and ,esau71 and
 every friend will gad about  for       
slander4 ,and each will deceive his     
friend1 and the truth they  will not    
speak3 they have taught their tongue to 
speak lies2 with  perverseness they have
 wearied themselves4 ,thy dwelling is in
 the  midst of deceit4444 ,a murderous  
arrow is their tongue2 deceit hath  it  
spoken2 with his mouth one speaketh     
peace with his neighbour1 and  inwardly 
he layeth an ambush for him4 ,such      
language1 whether in the  psalm or in   

the prophetic oration1 could only be the
 fruit of bitter  personal experience4  
7,cf4 also xi4 #ai sqq41 xx4 #b sqq41   
xxvi4 #h1  xxxvi4 #bf1 xxxvii4 #ae1     
xxxviii4 #f74 ,the allusion of the      
psalmist to  being forsaken by father   
and mother 7,ps4 xxvii4 #aj7 may be     
illustrated  by the prophet's words1    
chap4 xii4 #f4    ,jeremiah came        
prominently forward at a serious crisis 
in the history  of his people4 ,the     
,scythian invasion of ,asia1 described  
by ,herodotus  7i4 #ajc-ajf71 but not   
mentioned in the biblical histories of  
the  time1 was threatening ,palestine   
and ,judea4 ,according to the old ,greek
  writer1 ,cyaxares the ,mede1 while    
engaged in besieging ,nineveh1 was      
attacked by a great horde of ,scythians1
 under their king ,madyes1 who  had     
entered ,asia in pushing their pursuit  
of the ,cimmerians1 whom  they had      
expelled from ,europe4#i ,the ,medes    
lost the battle1 and the  barbarous     
victors found themselves masters of     

,asia4 ,thereupon they  marched for     
,egypt1 and had made their way past     
,ascalon1 when they  were met by the    
envoys of ,psammitichus ,i4 the king of 
,egypt1 whose  gifts and prayers1       
induced them to return4 ,on the way     
back1 some  few of them lagged behind   
the main body1 and plundered the famous 
temple of ,atergatis-,derceto1 or as    
,herodotus calls the great ,syrian      
goddess1 ,ourania ,afrodite1 at ,ascalon
 7the goddess avenged herself by        
smiting them and their descendants with 
impotence-- 1  cf4 #a ,sam4 v4 #f sqq474
 ,for eight and twenty years the        
,scythians  remained the tyrants of     
,asia1 and by their exactions and       
plundering  raids brought ruin          
everywhere1 until at last ,cyaxares and 
his ,medes1  by help of treachery1      
recovered their former sway4 ,after     
this1 the  ,medes took ,nineveh1 and    
reduced the ,assyrians to complete      
subjection2  but ,babylonia remained    
independent4 ,such is the story as      

related by  ,herodotus1 our sole        
authority in the matter4 ,it has been   
supposed#aj  that the #eith ,psalm was  
written by king ,josiah1 while the      
,scythians  were threatening ,jerusalem4
 ,their wild hordes1 ravenous for       
plunder1  like the ,gauls who at a later
 time struck ,rome with panic1 are at   
any  rate well described in the verse   
,they return at eventide1               
,they howl like the dogs1    the        
famished pariah dogs of an eastern      
town--              ,and surround the   
city4    ,but the ,old ,testament       
furnishes other indications of the      
terror which  preceded the ,scythian    
invasion1 and of the merciless havoc    
which  accompanied it4 ,the short       
prophecy of ,zephaniah1 who prophesied  
in the days of ,josiah ben ,amon king of
 ,judah1 and was therefore  a           
contemporary of ,jeremiah1 is best      
explained by reference to this  crisis  
in the affairs of ,western ,asia4       
,zephaniah's very first word  is a      

startling menace4 ,i will utterly away  
with everything from  off the face of   
the ground1 saith ,iahvah4 ,i will away 
with man  and beast1 ,i will away with  
the birds of the air1 and the fishes of 
the sea1 and the stumblingblocks along  
with the wicked 7i4e4 the  idols with   
their worshippers72 and ,i will         
exterminate man from off  the face of   
the ground1 saith ,iahvah4 ,the         
imminence of a sweeping  destruction is 
announced4 ,ruin is to overtake every   
existing thing2  not only the besotted  
people and their dumb idols1 but beasts 
and  birds and even the fish of the sea 
are to perish in the universal          
catastrophe4 ,it is exactly what might  
be expected from the sudden  appearance 
of a horde of barbarians of unknown     
numbers1 sweeping over  a civilised     
country from north to south1 like some  
devastating flood2  slaying whatever    
crossed their path1 burning towns and   
temples1 and  devouring the flocks and  
herds4 ,the reference to the fishes of  

the sea  is explained by the fact that  
the ,scythians marched southward by the 
road which ran along the coast through  
,philistia4 ,gaza1 cries the  prophet1  
shall be forsaken1--there is an         
inimitable paronomasia in  his          
words#aa--;,and ,ascalon a desolation3  
as for ,ashdod1 at noonday  they shall  
drive her into exile2 and ,ekron shall  
be rooted up4 ,alas  for the dwellers by
 the shore line1 the race of the        
,cherethites6 ,the  word of ,iahvah is  
against you1 ,o ,canaan1 land of the    
,philistines6 ,and  ,i will destroy     
thee1 that there shall be no inhabitant4
 ,it is true  that ,herodotus relates   
that the ,scythians1 in their retreat1  
for the  most part marched past ,ascalon
 without doing any harm1 and that the   
plunder of the temple was the work of a 
few stragglers4 ,but neither is  this   
very probable in itself1 nor does it    
harmonize with what he tells  us        
afterwards about the plunder and rapine 
that marked the period  of ,scythian    

domination4 ,we need not suppose that   
the information of  the old historian as
 to the doings of these barbarians was  
as exact  as that of a modern state     
paper4 ,nor1 on the other hand1 would it
 be  very judicious to press every      
detail in a highly wrought prophetic    
discourse1 which vividly sets forth the 
fears of the time1 and gives            
imaginative form to the feelings and    
anticipations of the hour2 as  if it    
were intended by the writer1 not for the
 moral and spiritual  good of his       
contemporaries1 but to furnish posterity
 with a minutely  accurate record of the
 actual course of events in the distant 
past4    ,the public danger1 which      
stimulated the reflexion and lent force 
to the  invective of the lesser prophet1
 intensified the impression produced  by
 the earlier preaching of ,jeremiah4    
,the tide of invasion1 indeed1  rolled  
past ,judea1 without working much       
permanent harm to the little  kingdom1  
with whose destinies were involved the  

highest interests of  mankind at large4 
,but this respite from destruction would
 be understood  by the prophet's hearers
 as proof of the relentings of ,iahvah  
towards  ,his penitent people2 and may1 
for the time at least1 have confirmed   
the impression wrought upon the popular 
mind by ,jeremiah's passionate  censures
 and entreaties4 ,the time was otherwise
 favourable2 for the  year of his call  
was the year immediately subsequent to  
that in which  the young king ,josiah   
began to purify ,judah and ,jerusalem   
from the  high places and the ,asherim1 
and the carven images and the molten    
images1 which he did in the twelfth year
 of his reign1 i4e4 in the  twentieth   
year of his age1 according to the       
testimony of the ,chronicler  7#b       
,chron4 xxxiv4 #c71 which there is no   
good reason for disallowing4  ,jeremiah 
was probably about the same age as the  
king1 as he calls  himself a mere youth 
7naar74 ,after the ,scythians had       
retired--if we  are right in fixing     

their invasion so early in the          
reign--the official  reformation of     
public worship was taken up again1 and  
completed by the  eighteenth year of    
,josiah1 when the prophet might be about
 twenty-five4  ,the finding of what is  
called the book of the ,law1 and the    
book of  the ,covenant1#ab by ,hilkiah  
the high priest1 while the temple was   
being restored by the king's order1 is  
represented by the histories as  having 
determined the further course of the    
royal reforms4 ,what this  book of the  
,law was1 it is not necessary now to    
discuss4 ,it is clear  from the language
 of the book of ,kings1 and from the    
references of  ,jeremiah1 that the      
substance of it1 at any rate1 closely   
corresponded  with portions of          
,deuteronomy4 ,it appears from his own  
words 7chap4 xi4  #a-h7 that at first1  
at all events1 ,jeremiah was an earnest 
preacher of  the positive precepts of   
this book of the ,covenant4 ,it is true 
that his  name does not occur in the    

narrative of ,josiah's reformation1 as  
related  in ,kings4 ,there the king and 
his counsellors inquire of ,iahvah      
through  the prophetess ,huldah 7#b     
,kings xxii4 #ad74 ,supposing the       
account to be  both complete and        
correct1 this only shows that five years
 after his  call1 ,jeremiah was still   
unknown or little considered at court4  
,but he  was doubtless included among   
the prophets1 who1 with the king and    
all the men of ,judah and all the       
inhabitants of ,jerusalem1 and the      
priests 444 and all the people1 both    
small and great1 after the words  of the
 newfound book of the ,covenant had been
 read in their ears1 bound  themselves  
by a solemn league and covenant1 to walk
 after ,iahweh1 and  to keep ,his       
commandments1 and ,his laws1 and ,his   
statutes1 with all the  heart1 and with 
all the soul 7#b ,kings xxiii4 #c74 ,it 
is evident that  at first the young     
prophet hoped great things of this      
national league  and the associated     

reforms in the public worship4 ,in his  
eleventh  chapter1 he writes thus3 ,the 
word that fell to ,jeremiah from        
,iahvah1  saying3 ,hear ye the words of 
this covenant--presumably the words of  
the newfound book of the ,torah--,and   
speak ye to the men of ,judah1 and  to  
the inhabitants of ,jerusalem4 ,and thou
 shalt say unto them--the  change from  
the second plural hear ye1 speak ye1 is 
noticeable4 ,in  the first instance1 no 
doubt1 the message contemplates the     
leaders of  the reforming movement      
generally2 the prophet is specially     
addressed in  the words1 ,and thou shalt
 say unto them1 ,thus said ,iahvah1 the 
,god of  ,israel1 ,cursed is the man    
that will not hear the words of this    
covenant1  which ,i commanded your      
fathers1 in the day when ,i brought them
 forth  from the land of ,egypt1 from   
the iron furnace1 saying1 ,hearken to   
,my  voice1 and do them1 according to   
all that ,i command you2 and ye shall   
become to ,me a people1 and ,i--,i will 

become to you ,elohim3 in order to  make
 good the oath that ,i sware to your    
fathers1 to give them a land  flowing   
with milk and honey1 as at this day4    
,and ,i answered and said1 ,so be it1   
,iahvah6    ,and ,iahvah said unto me1  
,proclaim all these words in the cities 
of  ,judah and in the streets of        
,jerusalem1 saying1 ,hear ye the words  
of  this covenant1 and do them4 ,for ,i 
solemnly adjured your fathers1 at the   
time when ,i brought them up out of the 
land of ,egypt1 7and7 unto this  day1   
with all earnestness earnestly and      
incessantly1 saying1 ,hearken  ye to ,my
 voice4 ,and they hearkened not1 nor    
inclined their ear1 and  they walked    
individually in the stubbornness of     
their evil heart4 ,so ,i  brought upon  
them all the words of this              
covenant--i4e41 the curses1  which      
constituted the sanction of it3 see     
,deut4 iv4 #be sqq41 xxviii4  #ae       
sqq4--7this covenant7 which ,i commanded
 them to do1 and they did  it not4 ,or  

perhaps1 ,because ,i bade them do1 and  
they did not2  implying a general       
prescription of conduct1 which was not  
observed4 ,or1  ,i who had bidden them  
do1 and they did not--justifying1 as it 
were1  ,god's assumption of the function
 of punishment4 ,his law had been set   
at nought2 the national reverses1       
therefore1 were ,his infliction1  and   
not another's4 ,this1 then1 was the     
first preaching of ,jeremiah4  ,hear ye 
the words of this covenant6--the        
covenant drawn out with  such precision 
and legal formality in the newfound book
 of the ,torah4  ,up and down the       
country1 in the cities of ,judah and in 
the streets  of ,jerusalem1 everywhere  
within the bounds of the little kingdom 
that  acknowledged the house of ,david1 
he published this panacea for the       
actual and imminent evils of the time1  
insisting1 we may be sure1 with  all the
 eloquence of a youthful patriot1 upon  
the impressive warnings  embodied in the
 past history of ,israel1 as set forth  

in the book of the  ,law4 ,but his best 
efforts were fruitless4 ,eloquence and  
patriotism and  enlightened spiritual   
beliefs and lofty purity of purpose were
 wasted  upon a generation blinded by   
its own vices and reserved for a swiftly
  approaching retribution4 ,perhaps the 
plots which drove the prophet  finally  
from his native place were due to the   
hostility evoked against  him by his    
preaching of the ,law4 ,at all events1  
the account of them  immediately        
follows1 in this eleventh chapter 7vers4
 #ah sqq474 ,but  it must be borne in   
mind that the ,law-book was not found   
until five  years after his call to the 
office of prophet4 ,in any case1 it is  
not  difficult to understand the popular
 irritation at what must have seemed    
the unreasonable attitude of a prophet1 
who1 in spite of the wholesale          
destruction of the outward symbols of   
idolatry effected by the king's  orders1
 still declared that the claims of      
,iahweh were unsatisfied1 and  that     

something more was needed than the      
purging of ,judah and ,jerusalem  from  
the high places and the ,asherim1 if the
 ,divine favour were to be  conciliated1
 and the country restored to permanent  
prosperity4 ,the  people probably       
supposed that they had sufficiently     
fulfilled the law  of their ,god1 when  
they had not only demolished all        
sanctuaries but  ,his1 but had done away
 with all those local holy places where 
,iahvah  was indeed worshipped1 but with
 a deplorable admixture of heathenish   
rites4 ,the law of the one legal        
sanctuary1 so much insisted upon in     
,deuteronomy1 was formally established  
by ,josiah1 and the national  worship   
was henceforth centralized in           
,jerusalem1 which from this time  onward
 remained in the eyes of all faithful   
,israelites the place where  men ought  
to worship4 ,it is entirely in          
accordance with what we know  of human  
nature in general1 and not merely of    
,jewish nature1 that the  popular mind  

failed to rise to the level of the      
prophetic teaching1  and that the       
reforming zeal of the time should have  
exhausted itself  in efforts which      
effected no more than these external    
changes4 ,the  truth is that the        
reforming movement began from above1 not
 from below2  and however earnest the   
young king may have been1 it is probable
 that  the mass of his subjects viewed  
the abolition of the high-places1 and   
the other sweeping measures1 initiated  
in obedience to the precepts  of the    
book of the ,covenant1 either with      
apathy and indifference1 or  with       
feelings of sullen hostility4 ,the      
priesthood of ,jerusalem were1 of       
course1 benefited by the abolition of   
all sanctuaries1 except the one  wherein
 they ministered and received their     
dues4 ,the writings of our  prophet     
amply demonstrate that1 whatever zeal   
for ,iahvah1 and whatever  degree of    
compunction for the past may have       
animated the prime movers  in the       

reformation of the eighteenth of        
,josiah1 no radical improvement  was    
effected in the ordinary life of the    
nation4 ,for some twelve years1  indeed1
 the well-meaning king continued to     
occupy the throne2 years1 it  may be    
presumed1 of comparative peace and      
prosperity for ,judah1 although  neither
 the narrative of ,kings and ,chronicles
 nor that of ,jeremiah  gives us any    
information about them4 ,doubtless it   
was generally supposed  that the nation 
was reaping the reward of its obedience 
to the law  of ,iahvah4 ,but at the end 
of that period1 circ4 ,b4,c4 #fjh1 an   
event  occurred which must have shaken  
this faith to its foundations4 ,in the  
thirty-first year of his reign1 ,josiah 
fell in the battle of ,megiddo1  while  
vainly opposing the small forces at his 
command to the hosts of  ,egypt4 ,great 
indeed must have been the searchings of 
heart occasioned  by this unlooked-for  
and overwhelming stroke4 ,strange that  
it should  have fallen at a time when1  

as the people deemed1 the ,god of       
,israel  was receiving ,his due at their
 hands2 when the injunctions of the book
  of the ,covenant had been minutely    
carried out1 the false and irregular    
worships abolished1 and ,jerusalem made 
the centre of the cultus2 a  time when  
it seemed as if the ,lord had become    
reconciled to ,his people  ,israel1 when
 years of peace and plenty seemed to    
give demonstration of  the fact2 and    
when1 as may perhaps be inferred from   
,josiah's expedition  against ,necho1   
the extension of the border1            
contemplated in the book of  the ,law1  
was considered as likely to be realised 
in the near future4 ,the  height to     
which the national aspirations had      
soared only made the fall  more         
disastrous1 complete1 ruinous4    ,the  
hopes of ,judah rested upon a worldly   
foundation2 and it was  necessary that a
 people whose blindness was only        
intensified by  prosperity1 should be   
undeceived by the discipline of         

overthrow4 ,no  hint is given in the    
meagre narrative of the reign as to     
whether the  prophets had lent their    
countenance or not to the fatal         
expedition4  ,probably they did2        
probably they too had to learn by bitter
  experience1 that no man1 not even a   
zealous and godfearing monarch1 is      
necessary to the fulfilment of the      
,divine counsels4 ,and the agony  of    
this irretrievable disaster1 this sudden
 and complete extinction  of his        
country's fairest hopes1 may have been  
the means by which  the ,holy ,spirit   
led ,jeremiah to an intenser conviction 
that illicit  modes of worship and      
coarse idolatries were not the only     
things in  ,judah offensive to ,iahvah2 
that something more was needed to win   
back ,his favour than formal obedience1 
however rigid and exacting1  to the     
letter of a written code of sacred law2 
that the covenant of  ,iahvah with ,his 
people had an inward and eternal1 not an
 outward and  transitory significance2  

and that not the letter but the spirit  
of the  law was the thing of essential  
moment4 ,thoughts like these must have  
been present to the prophet's mind when 
he wrote 7xxxi4 #ca sqq473  ,behold1 a  
time is coming1 saith ,iahvah1 when ,i  
will conclude with the  house of ,israel
 and with the house of ,judah a fresh   
treaty1 unlike the  treaty that ,i      
concluded with their forefathers1 at the
 time when ,i  took hold of their hand1 
to bring them out of the land of ,egypt2
 when  they1 on their part1 disannulled 
my treaty1 and ,i--,i disdained#ac      
them1 saith ,iahvah4 ,for this is the   
treaty that ,i will conclude with  the  
house of ,israel after those days i4e4  
in due time1 saith  ,iahvah3 ,i will put
 my ,torah within them and upon their   
heart will ,i  grave it2 and ,i will    
become to them a ,god1 and they--they   
shall become  to me a people4    ,it is 
but a dull eye which cannot see beyond  
the metaphor of the  covenant or treaty 
between ,iahvah and ,israel2 and it is a

 strangely  dark understanding that     
fails to perceive here and elsewhere a  
translucent figure of the eternal       
relations subsisting between ,god  and  
man4 ,the error is precisely that       
against which the prophets1 at  the high
 watermark of their inspiration1 are    
always protesting--the  universal and   
inveterate error of narrowing down the  
requirements of  the ,infinitely ,holy1 
,just and ,good1 to the scrupulous      
observance of  some accepted body of    
canons1 enshrined in a book and duly    
interpreted  by the laborious           
application of recognised legal         
authorities4 ,it is  so comfortable to  
be sure of possessing an infallible     
guide in so  small a compass2 to be     
spared all further consideration1 so    
long  as we have paid the priestly dues1
 and kept the annual feasts1 and        
carefully observed the laws of          
ceremonial purity6 ,from the first1 the 
attention of priests and people1        
including the official prophets1  would 

be attracted by the ritual and          
ceremonial precepts1 rather  than by the
 earnest moral teaching of ,deuteronomy4
 ,as soon as first  impressions had had 
time to subside1 the moral and spiritual
 element  in that noble book would begin
 to be ignored1 or confounded with the  
purely external and mundane             
prescriptions affecting public worship  
and social propriety2 and the interests 
of true religion would  hardly be       
subserved by the formal acceptance of   
this code as the  law of the state4 ,the
 unregenerate heart of man would fancy  
that it  had at last gotten that for    
which it is always craving--something   
final--something to which it could      
triumphantly point1 when urged by  the  
religious enthusiast1 as tangible       
evidence that it was fulfilling  the    
,divine law1 that it was at one with    
,iahvah1 and therefore had a  right to  
expect the continuance of ,his favour   
and blessing4 ,spiritual  development   
would be arrested2 men would become     

satisfied with  having effected certain 
definite changes bringing them into     
external  conformity with the written   
law1 and would incline to rest in things
  as they were4 ,meanwhile1 the truth   
held good that to make a fetish of  a   
code1 a system1 a holy book1 is not     
necessarily identical with the  service 
of ,god4 ,it is1 in fact1 the surest way
 to forget ,god2 for it  is to invest   
something that is not ,he1 but1 at best1
 a far-off echo of  ,his voice1 with    
,his sole attributes of finality and    
sufficiency4    ,the effect of the      
downfall of the good king was           
electrical4 ,the nation  discovered that
 the displeasure of ,iahvah had not     
passed away like  a morning cloud4 ,out 
of the shock and the dismay of that     
terrible  disillusion sprang the        
conviction that the past was not atoned 
for1  that the evil of it was           
irreparable4 ,the idea is reflected in  
the  words of ,jeremiah 7xv4 #a73 ,and  
,iahvah said unto me1 ,if ,moses were to

  stand before ,me 7as an intercessor71 
and ,samuel1 ,i should not incline      
towards this people3 dismiss them from  
,my presence1 and let them go  forth6   
,and when they say unto thee1 ,whither  
are we to go forth8 thou  shalt say unto
 them1 ,thus said ,iahvah1 ,they that   
are ,death's to death2  and they that   
are the ,sword's to the sword2 and they 
that are ,famine's  to famine2 and they 
that are ,captivity's to captivity4 ,and
 ,i will set  over them four families1  
saith ,iahvah2 the sword to slay1 and   
the dogs  to draw 7#b ,sam4 xvii4 #ac71 
and the birds of the air1 and the beasts
 of  the earth1 to devour and to        
destroy4 ,and ,i will give them for     
worry  7,deut4 xxviii4 #be7 to all the  
realms of earth2 because of 7,deut4  xv4
 #aj1 xviii4 #ab2 7 ,manasseh ben       
,hezekiah king of ,judah2 for  what he  
did in ,jerusalem4 ,in the next verses  
we have what seems to  be a reference to
 the death of ,josiah 7ver4 #g74 ,i     
fanned them with  a fan--the fan by     

which the husbandman separates wheat    
from chaff  in the threshing floor--,i  
fanned them with a fan1 in the gates of 
the land--at ,megiddo1 the point where  
an enemy marching along the  maritime   
route might enter the land of ,israel2  
,i bereaved1 ,i ruined  my people 7ver4 
#i74 ,she that had borne seven1 pined   
away2 she breathed  out her soul2 her   
sun went down while it was yet day4 ,the
 national  mourning over this dire event
 became proverbial1 as we see from      
,zech4  xii4 #aa3 ,in that day1 great   
shall be the mourning in ,jerusalem2    
like  the mourning of ,hadadrimmon in   
the valley of ,megiddo4    ,the         
political relations of the period are   
certainly obscure1 if we  confine our   
attention to the biblical data4         
,happily1 we are now able  to supplement
 these1 by comparison with the newly    
recovered monuments  of ,assyria4 ,under
 ,manasseh1 the kingdom of ,judah became
 tributary to  ,esarhaddon2 and this    
relation of dependence1 we may be sure1 

was not  interrupted during the vigorous
 reign of the mighty ,ashurbanipal1     
,b4,c4 #ffh-fbf4 ,but the first symptoms
 of declining power on the side  of     
their oppressors would undoubtedly be   
the signal for conspiracy  and rebellion
 in the distant parts of the loosely    
amalgamated empire4  ,until the death of
 ,ashurbanipal1 the last great sovereign
 who reigned  at ,nineveh1 it may be    
assumed that ,josiah stood true to his  
fealty4  ,it appears from certain       
notices in ,kings and ,chronicles 7#b   
,kings  xxiii4 #ai2 #b ,chron4 xxxiv4   
#f7 that he was able to exercise        
authority  even in the territories of   
the ruined kingdom of ,israel4 ,this may
  have been due to the fact that he was 
allowed to do pretty much as  he liked1 
so long as he proved an obedient vassal2
 or1 as is more  likely1 the attention  
of the ,assyrians was diverted from the 
,west by  troubles nearer home in       
connection with the ,scythians or the   
,medes and  ,babylonians4 ,at all       

events1 it is not to be supposed that   
when ,josiah  went out to oppose the    
,pharaoh at ,megiddo1 he was facing the 
forces  of ,egypt alone4 ,the thing is  
intrinsically improbable4 ,the king of  
,judah must have headed a coalition of  
the petty ,syrian states against  the   
common enemy4 ,it is not necessary to   
suppose that the ,palestinian           
principalities resisted ,necho's        
advance1 in the interests of their      
nominal suzerain ,assyria4 ,from all we 
can gather1 that empire was  now        
tottering to its irretrievable fall1    
under the feeble successors  of         
,ashurbanipal4 ,the ambition of ,egypt  
was doubtless a terror to  the combined 
peoples4 ,the further results of        
,necho's campaign are  unknown4 ,for the
 moment1 ,judah experienced a change of 
masters2 but  the ,egyptian tyranny was 
not destined to last4 ,some four years  
after  the battle of ,megiddo1 ,pharaoh 
,necho made a second expedition to the  
,north1 this time against the           

,babylonians1 who had succeeded to the  
empire of ,assyria4 ,the ,egyptians were
 utterly defeated in the battle  of     
,carchemish1 circ4 ,b4,c4 #fjf-e1 which 
left ,nebuchadrezzar in virtual         
possession of the countries west of the 
,euphrates 7,jer4 xlvi4 #b74  ,it was   
the fourth year of ,jehoiakim1 son of   
,josiah1 king of ,judah1  when this     
crisis arose in the affairs of the      
,eastern world4 ,the  prophet ,jeremiah 
did not miss the meaning of events4     
,from the first  he recognised in       
,nebuchadrezzar1 or ,nabucodrossor1 an  
instrument in  the ,divine hand for the 
chastisement of the peoples2 from the   
first1  he predicted a judgment of ,god1
 not only upon the ,jews1 but upon all  
nations1 far and near4 ,the substance of
 his oracles is preserved to us  in     
chapters xxv4 and xlvi4-xlix4 of his    
book4 ,in the former passage1  which is 
expressly dated from the fourth year of 
,jehoiakim1 and the  first of           
,nebuchadrezzar1 the prophet gives a    

kind of retrospect of  his ministry of  
three-and-twenty years1 affirms that it 
has failed  of its end1 and that ,divine
 retribution is therefore certain4 ,the 
tribes of the north will come and       
desolate the whole country 7ver4  #i71  
and these nations--the peoples of       
,palestine--shall serve the  king of    
,babel seventy years 7ver4 #aa74 ,the   
judgment on the nations  is depicted by 
an impressive symbolism 7ver4 #ae74     
,thus said ,iahvah1  the ,god of        
,israel1 unto me1 ,take this cup of     
wine1 the 7,divine7 wrath1  from ,my    
hand1 and cause all the nations1 unto   
whom ,i send thee1 to  drink it4 ,and   
let them drink1 and reel1 and show      
themselves frenzied1  because of the    
sword that ,i am sending amongst them6  
,the strange  metaphor recalls our own  
proverb3 ,quem ,deus vult perdere1 prius
  dementat4 ,so ,i took the cup from the
 hand of ,iahvah1 and made all  the     
nations drink1 unto whom ,iahvah had    
sent me4 ,then1 as in some  list of the 

proscribed1 the prophet writes down1 one
 after another1  the names of the doomed
 cities and peoples4 ,the judgment was  
set for  that age1 and the eternal books
 were opened1 and the names found in    
them were these 7ver4 #ah73 ,jerusalem1 
and the cities of ,judah1 and  her      
kings1 and her princes4 ,pharaoh king of
 ,egypt1 and his servants1  and his     
princes1 and all his people4 ,and all   
the hired soldiery1 and  all the kings  
of the land of ,uz1 and all the kings of
 the land of  the ,philistines1 and     
,ashkelon1 and ,gaza1 and ,ekron1 and   
the remnant  of ,ashdod4 ,edom1 and     
,moab1 and the ben ,ammon4 ,and all the 
kings of  ,tyre1 and all the kings of   
,sidon1 and the kings of the island     
7i4e4  ,cyprus7 that is beyond the sea4 
,dedan and ,tema and ,buz and all the   
tonsured folk4 ,and all the kings of    
,arabia1 and all the kings of the  hired
 soldiery1 that dwell in the wilderness4
 ,and all the kings of  ,zimri1 and all 
the kings of ,elam1 and all the kings of

 ,media4 ,and all  the kings of the     
north1 the near and the far1 one with   
another2 and  all the kingdoms of the   
earth that are upon the surface of the  
ground4           99       99       99  
99       99    ,when the mourning for   
,josiah was ended 7#b ,chron4 xxxv4 #bd 
sqq471  the people put ,jehoahaz on his 
father's throne4 ,but this arrangement  
was not suffered to continue1 for       
,necho1 having defeated and slain       
,josiah1 naturally asserted his right to
 dispose of the crown of ,judah  as he  
thought fit4 ,accordingly1 he put       
,jehoahaz in bonds at ,riblah  in the   
land of ,hamath1 whither he had probably
 summoned him to swear  allegiance to   
,egypt1 or whither1 perhaps1 ,jehoahaz  
had dared to  go with an armed force to 
resist the ,egyptian pretensions1 which1
  however1 is an unlikely supposition1  
as the battle in which ,josiah  had     
fallen must have been a severe blow to  
the military resources of  ,judah4      
,necho carried the unfortunate but also 

unworthy king 7#b ,kings  xxiii4 #cb7 a 
prisoner to ,egypt1 where he died 7ibid4
 #cd74 ,these  events are thus alluded  
to by ,jeremiah 7xxii4 #aj-ab73 ,weep ye
 not for  one dead 7i4e4 ,josiah71 nor  
make your moan for him3 weep ever for   
him that is going away2 for he will not 
come back again1 and see his  native    
land6 ,for thus hath ,iahvah said of    
,shallum 7i4e4 ,jehoahaz1 #a  ,chron4   
iii4 #ae7 ben ,josiah1 king of ,judah1  
that reigned in the place  of ,josiah   
his father1 who is gone forth out of    
this place 7i4e4  ,jerusalem1 or the    
palace1 ver4 #a71 ,he will not come back
 thither  again4 ,for in the place      
whither they have led him into exile1   
there  he will die2 and this land he    
will not see again4 ,the pathos of this 
lament for one whose dream of greatness 
was broken for ever within  three short 
months1 does not conceal the prophet's  
condemnation of  ,necho's prisoner4     
,jeremiah does not condole with the     
captive king  as the victim of mere     

misfortune4 ,in this1 as in all the     
gathering  calamities of his country1 he
 sees a retributive meaning4 ,the nine  
preceding verses of the chapter         
demonstrate the fact4    ,in the place  
of ,jehoahaz1 ,necho had set up his     
elder brother ,eliakim1  with the title 
of ,jehoiakim 7#b ,kings xxiii4 #cd74   
,this prince also  is condemned in the  
narrative of ,kings 7ver4 #cg71 as      
having done  the evil thing in the eyes 
of ,iahvah1 according to all that his   
forefathers had done2 an estimate which 
is thoroughly confirmed  by what        
,jeremiah has added to his lament for   
the deposed king his  brother4 ,the     
pride1 the grasping covetousness1 the   
high-handed  violence and cruelty of    
,jehoiakim1 and the doom that will      
overtake  him1 in the righteousness of  
,god1 are thus declared3 ,woe to him    
that  buildeth his house by injustice1  
and his chambers by iniquity6 that      
layeth on his neighbour work without    
wages1 and giveth him not his  hire6    

,that saith1 ,i will build me a lofty   
house1 with airy chambers2  and he      
cutteth him out the windows thereof1    
panelling it with cedar1  and painting  
it with vermilion4 ,shalt thou reign1   
that thou art  hotly intent upon cedar8 
7,or1 according to the ,,lxx4 ,vat41    
thou viest  with ,ahaz--,,lxx4 ,alex41  
with ,ahab2 perhaps a reference to the  
ivory  house mentioned in #a ,kings     
xxii4 #ci74 ,thy father1 did he not eat 
and drink and do judgment and justice8  
,then it was well with him4 ,he  judged 
the cause of the oppressed and the      
needy3 then it was well4  ,was not this 
to know ,me8 saith ,iahvah4 ,for thine  
eyes and thine heart  are set upon      
nought but thine own lucre thy plunder1 
and upon the  blood of the innocent1 to 
shed it1 and upon extortion and         
oppression  to do it4 ,therefore1 thus  
hath ,iahvah said of ,jehoiakim ben     
,josiah1  king of ,judah3 ,they shall   
not lament for him with ,ah1 my brother6
 or  ,ah1 sister6 ,they shall not lament

 for him with ,ah1 lord6 or ,ah1 his    
majesty6 ,with the burial of an ass     
shall he be buried2 with dragging  and  
casting forth beyond the gates of       
,jerusalem6    ,in the beginning of the 
reign of this worthless tyrant1 the     
prophet  was impelled to address a very 
definite warning to the throng of       
worshippers in the court of the temple  
7xxvi4 #d sqq474 ,it was to  the effect 
that if they did not amend their ways1  
their temple should  become like        
,shiloh1 and their city a curse to all  
the nations of the  earth4 ,there could 
be no doubt of the meaning of this      
reference to the  ruined sanctuary1 long
 since forsaken of ,god 7,ps4 lxxviii4  
#fj74 ,it so  wrought upon that         
fanatical audience1 that priests and    
prophets and  people rose as one man    
against the daring speaker2 and         
,jeremiah was  barely rescued from      
immediate death by the timely           
intervention of the  princes4 ,the      
account closes with the relation of the 

cruel murder of  another prophet of the 
school of ,jeremiah1 by command of      
,jehoiakim the  king2 and it is very    
evident from these narratives that1     
screened as  he was by powerful friends1
 ,jeremiah narrowly escaped a similar   
fate4    ,we have reached the point in  
our prophet's career when1 taking a     
broad  survey of the entire world of his
 time1 he forecasts the character of    
the future that awaits its various      
political divisions4 ,he has left the   
substance of his reflexions in the #beth
 chapter1 and in those prophecies       
concerning the foreign peoples1 which   
the ,hebrew text of his works  relegates
 to the very end of the book1 as        
chapters xlvi4-li41 but which  the      
,greek recension of the ,septuagint     
inserts immediately after chap4  xxv4   
#ac4 ,in the decisive battle at         
,carchemish1 which crippled the power   
of ,egypt1 the only other existing state
 which could make any pretensions  to   
the supremacy of ,western ,asia1 and    

contend with the trans-,euphratean      
empires for the possession of           
,syria-,palestine1 ,jeremiah had        
recognised  a signal indication of the  
,divine ,will1 which he was not slow to 
proclaim to all within reach of his     
inspired eloquence4 ,in common with  all
 the great prophets who had preceded    
him1 he entertained a profound          
conviction that the race was not        
necessarily to the swift1 nor the       
battle to the strong2 that the fortune  
of war was not determined simply  and   
solely by chariots and horsemen and big 
battalions2 that behind all  material   
forces lay the spiritual1 from whose    
absolute will they derived  their being 
and potency1 and upon whose sovereign   
pleasure depended the  issues of victory
 and defeat1 of life and death4 ,as his 
successor1 the  second ,isaiah1 saw in  
the polytheist ,cyrus1 king of ,anzan1 a
 chosen  servant of ,iahvah1 whose whole
 triumphant career was foreordained in  
the counsels of heaven2 so ,jeremiah saw

 in the rise of the ,babylonian         
domination1 and the rapid development of
 the new empire upon the ruins  of the  
old1 a manifest token of the ,divine    
purpose1 a revelation of  a ,divine     
secret4 ,his point of view is strikingly
 illustrated by the  warning which he   
was directed to send a few years later  
to the kings  who were seeking to draw  
,judah into the common alliance against 
,babylon  7chap4 xxvii4 #a sqq474 ,in   
the beginning of the reign of           
,zedekiah#ad  ben ,josiah1 king of      
,judah1 fell this word to ,jeremiah from
 ,iahvah4 ,thus  said ,iahvah unto me1  
,make thee thongs and poles1 and put    
them upon thy  neck2 and send them to   
the king of ,edom1 and to the king of   
,moab1 and to  the king of the ben      
,ammon1 and to the king of ,tyre1 and to
 the king of  ,zidon1 by the hand of the
 messengers that are come to ,jerusalem1
 unto  ,zedekiah the king of ,judah4    
,and give them a charge unto their      
masters1  saying1 ,thus said ,iahvah    

,sabaoth1 the ,god of ,israel1 ,thus    
shall ye  say to your masters3 ,i it was
 that made the earth1 mankind1 and the  
cattle that are on the face of the      
earth1 by ,my great strength1 and  by   
,mine outstretched arm2 and ,i give it  
to whom it seemeth good in ,my  sight4  
,and now1 ,i will verily give all these 
countries into the hand of              
,nebuchadrezzar king of ,babel1 ,my     
servant2 and even the wild creatures  of
 the field will ,i give unto him to     
serve him4    ,nebuchadrezzar was       
invincible1 and the ,jewish prophet     
clearly  perceived the fact4 ,but it    
must not be imagined that the ,jewish   
people  generally1 or the neighbouring  
peoples1 enjoyed a similar degree of    
insight4 ,had that been so1 the battle  
of ,jeremiah's life would never  have   
been fought out under such cruel1 such  
hopeless conditions4 ,the  prophet saw  
the truth1 and proclaimed it without    
ceasing in reluctant  ears1 and was met 
with derision1 and incredulity1 and     

intrigue1 and  slander1 and pitiless    
persecution4 ,by-and-by1 when his word  
had  come to pass1 and all the          
principalities of ,canaan were crouching
  abjectly at the feet of the conqueror1
 and ,jerusalem was a heap  of ruins1   
the scattered communities of banished   
,israelites could  remember that        
,jeremiah had foreseen and foretold it  
all4 ,in the light  of accomplished     
facts1 the significance of his prevision
 began to  be realised2 and when the    
first dreary hours of dumb and desperate
  suffering were over1 the exiles       
gradually learned to find consolation   
in the few but precious promises that   
had accompanied the menaces  which were 
now so visibly fulfilled4 ,while they   
were yet in their own  land1 two things 
had been predicted by this prophet in   
the name of  their ,god4 ,the first was 
now accomplished2 no cavil could throw  
doubt  upon actual experience4 ,was     
there not here some warrant1 at least   
for  reasonable men1 some sufficient    

ground for trusting the prophet at      
last1 for believing in his ,divine      
mission1 for striving to follow his     
counsels1 and for looking forward with  
steadfast hope out of present           
affliction1 to the gladness of the      
future which the same seer had          
foretold1 even with the unwonted        
precision of naming a limit of time8    
,so the exiles were persuaded1 and their
 belief was fully justified  by the     
event4 ,never had they realised the     
absolute sovereignty of  their ,god1 the
 universality of ,iahvah ,sabaoth1 the  
shadowy nature1  the blank nothingness  
of all supposed rivals of ,his dominion1
 as now  they did1 when at length years 
of painful experience had brought  home 
to their minds the truth that           
,nebuchadrezzar had demolished the      
temple and laid ,jerusalem in the dust1 
not1 as he himself believed1  by the    
favour of ,bel-,merodach and ,nebo1 but 
by the sentence of the  ,god of ,israel2
 and that the catastrophe1 which had    

swept them out of  political existence1 
occurred not because ,iahvah was weaker 
than the  gods of ,babylon1 but because 
,he was irresistibly strong2 stronger   
than  all powers of all worlds2 stronger
 therefore than ,israel1 stronger  than 
,babylon2 stronger than the pride and   
ambition of the earthly  conqueror1     
stronger than the self-will1 and the    
stubbornness1 and the  wayward          
rebellion1 and the fanatical blindness1 
and the frivolous  unbelief1 of his own 
people4 ,the conception is an easy one  
for us1 who  have inherited the         
treasures both of ,jewish and of        
,gentile thought2  but the long struggle
 of the prophets1 and the fierce        
antagonism of  their fellow-countrymen1 
and the political extinction of the     
,davidic  monarchy1 and the agonies of  
the ,babylonian exile1 were necessary to
  the genesis and germination of this   
master-conception in the heart of       
,israel1 and so of humanity4    ,to     
return from this hasty glance at the    

remoter consequences of the  prophet's  
ministry1 it was in the fourth year of  
,jehoiakim1 and the  first of           
,nebuchadrezzar 7xxv4 #a7 that1 in      
obedience to a ,divine  intimation1 he  
collected the various discourses which  
he had so far  delivered in the name of 
,god4 ,some doubt has been raised as to 
the  precise meaning of the record of   
this matter 7xxxvi474 ,on the one  hand1
 it is urged that ,an historically      
accurate reproduction of the  prophecies
 would not have suited ,jeremiah's      
object1 which was not  historical but   
practical3 he desired to give a salutary
 shock to the  people1 by bringing      
before them the fatal consequences of   
their evil  deeds3 and that the purport 
of the roll 7ver4 #bi7 which the king   
burned was only that the king of        
,babylon should 'come and destroy  this 
land1' whereas it is clear that         
,jeremiah had uttered many other        
important declarations in the course of 
his already long ministry4  ,and on the 

other hand1 it is suggested that the    
roll1 of which the  prophet speaks in   
chap4 xxxvi41 contained no more than the
 prophecy  concerning the ,babylonian   
invasion and its consequences1 which is 
preserved in chap4 xxv41 and dated from 
the fourth year of ,jehoiakim4          
,considering the unsatisfactory state of
 the text of ,jeremiah1 it is  perhaps  
admissible to suppose1 for the sake of  
this hypothesis1 that  the second verse 
of chap4 xxv41 which expressly declares 
that this  prophecy was spoken by its   
author to all the people of ,judah1 and 
to  all the inhabitants of ,jerusalem1  
is a loose inaccurate statement  due to 
a later editor2 although this           
inconvenient statement is found  in the 
,greek of the ,,lxx4 as well as in the  
,massoretic ,hebrew text4 ,but  let us  
examine the alleged objections in the   
light of the positive  statements of    
chap4 xxxvi4 ,it is there written thus3 
,in the fourth  year of ,jehoiakim ben  
,josiah king of ,judah1 this word fell  

to ,jeremiah  from ,iahvah4 ,take thee a
 book-roll1 and write on it all the     
words  that ,i have spoken unto thee1   
concerning ,israel and ,judah and all   
the nations1 from the day when ,i       
7first7 spake unto thee1--from the  days
 of ,josiah1--unto this day4 ,this      
certainly seems plain enough4  ,the only
 possible question is whether the       
command was to collect  within the      
compass of a single volume1 a sort of   
author's edition1 an  indefinite number 
of discourses preserved hitherto in     
separate ,,mss4  and perhaps to a great 
extent in the prophet's memory2 or      
whether we  are to understand by all the
 words the substance of the various     
prophecies to which reference is made4  
,if the object was merely to  impress   
the people on a particular occasion by  
placing before them  a sort of          
historical review of the prophet's      
warnings in the past1  it is evident    
that a formal edition of his utterances1
 so far as he  was able to prepare such 

a work1 would not be the most natural or
  ready method of attaining that        
purpose4 ,such a review for practical   
purposes might well be comprised within 
the limits of a single  continuous      
composition1 such as we find in chap4   
xxv41 which opens  with a brief         
retrospect of the prophet's ministry    
during twenty-three  years 7vers4 #c-g71
 and then denounces the neglect with    
which his  warnings have been received1 
and declares the approaching subjugation
  of all the states of                  
,phenicia-,palestine by the king of     
,babylon4 ,but  the narrative itself    
gives not a single hint that such was   
the sole  object in view4 ,much rather  
does it appear from the entire context  
that1 the crisis having at length       
arrived1 which ,jeremiah had so long    
foreseen1 he was now impelled to gather 
together1 with a view to their          
preservation1 all those discourses by   
which he had laboured in vain to        
overcome the indifference1 the          

callousness1 and the bitter antagonism  
of his people4 ,these utterances of the 
past1 collected and revised in  the     
light of successive events1 and         
illustrated by their substantial        
agreement with what had actually taken  
place1 and especially by  the new danger
 which seemed to threaten the whole     
,west1 the rising  power of ,babylon1   
might certainly be expected to produce a
 powerful  impression by their          
coincidence with the national           
apprehensions2 and  the prophet might   
even hope that warnings1 hitherto       
disregarded1 but  now visibly justified 
by events in course of development1     
would at  last bring the house of ,judah
 to consider seriously the evil that1   
in ,god's ,providence1 was evidently    
impending1 and return every man  from   
his evil way1 that even so late the     
consequences of their guilt  might be   
turned aside4 ,this doubtless was the   
immediate aim1 but it  does not exclude 
others1 such as the vindication of the  

prophet's own  claims1 in startling     
contrast with those of the false        
prophets1 who  had opposed him at every 
step1 and misled his countrymen so      
grievously  and fatally4 ,against these 
and their delusive promises1 the volume 
of  ,jeremiah's past discourses would   
constitute an effective protest1 and  a 
complete justification of his own       
endeavours4 ,we must also remember      
that1 if the repentance and salvation of
 his own contemporaries was  naturally  
the first object of the prophet in all  
his undertakings1 in  the ,divine       
counsels prophecy has more than a       
temporary value1 and that  the writings 
of this very prophet were destined to   
become instrumental  in the conversion  
of a succeeding generation4    ,those   
twenty-three years of patient thought   
and earnest labour1 of  high converse   
with ,god1 and of agonised pleading with
 a reprobate  people1 were not to be    
without their fruit1 though the prophet 
himself  was not to see it4 ,it is      

matter of history that the words of     
,jeremiah  wrought with such power upon 
the hearts of the exiles in ,babylonia1 
as  to become1 in the hands of ,god1 a  
principal means in the regeneration  of 
,israel1 and of that restoration which  
was its promised and its  actual        
consequence2 and from that day to this1 
not one of all the  goodly fellowship of
 the prophets has enjoyed such credit in
 the  ,jewish ,church as he who in his  
lifetime had to encounter neglect and   
ridicule1 hatred and persecution1 beyond
 what is recorded of any other4    ,so  
,jeremiah called ,baruch ben ,neriah2   
and ,baruch wrote1 from the  mouth of   
,jeremiah1 all the words of ,iahvah1    
that ,he had spoken unto  him1 upon a   
book-roll 7ver4 #d74 ,nothing is said   
about time2 and there  is nothing to    
indicate that what the scribe wrote at  
the prophet's  dictation was a single   
brief discourse4 ,the work probably     
occupied  a not inconsiderable time1 as 
may be inferred from the datum of  the  

ninth verse 7vid4 infr474 ,jeremiah     
would know that haste was  incompatible 
with literary finish2 he would probably 
feel that it  was equally incompatible  
with the proper execution of what he had
  recognised as a ,divine command4 ,the 
prophet hardly had all his past         
utterances lying before him in the form 
of finished compositions4  ,and         
,jeremiah commanded ,baruch1 saying3 ,i 
am detained 7or confined72  ,i cannot   
enter the house of ,iahvah2 so enter    
thou1 and read in the  roll1 that thou  
wrotest from my mouth1 the words of     
,iahvah1 in the  ears of the people1 in 
the house of ,iahvah1 upon a day of     
fasting3 and  also in the ears of all   
,judah 7the ,jews71 that come in 7to the
 temple7  from their 7several7 cities1  
thou shalt read them4 ,perchance their  
supplication will fall before ,iahvah1  
and they will return1 every one  from   
his evil way2 for great is the anger and
 the hot displeasure  that ,iahvah hath 
spoken 7threatened7 unto this people4   

,and ,baruch  ben ,neriah did according 
to all that ,jeremiah the prophet       
commanded  him1 reading in the book the 
words of ,iahvah in ,iahvah's house4    
,this  last sentence might be regarded  
as a general statement1 anticipative  of
 the detailed account that follows1 as  
is often the case in ,old  ,testament   
narratives4 ,but ,i doubt the           
application of this well-known          
exegetical device in the present        
instance4 ,the verse is more likely an  
interpolation2 unless we suppose that it
 refers to divers readings of  which no 
particulars are given1 but which        
preceded the memorable one  described in
 the following verses4 ,the injunction1 
,and also in the  ears of all ,judah    
that come out of their cities thou shalt
 read them6  might imply successive     
readings1 as the people flocked into    
,jerusalem  from time to time4 ,but the 
grand occasion1 if not the only one1 was
  without doubt that which stands       
recorded in the text4 ,and it came to   

pass in the fifth year of ,jehoiakim ben
 ,josiah king of ,judah1 in the  ninth  
month1 they proclaimed a fast before    
,iahvah1--all the people  in ,jerusalem 
and all the people that were come out of
 the cities  of ,judah into ,jerusalem4 
,and ,baruch read in the book the words 
of  ,jeremiah1 in the house of ,iahvah1 
in the cell of ,gemariah ben ,shaphan   
the scribe1 in the upper 7inner7 court1 
at the entry of the new gate  of        
,iahvah's house1 in the ears of all the 
people4 ,the dates have an  important   
bearing upon the points we are          
considering4 ,it was in the  fourth year
 of ,jehoiakim that the prophet was     
bidden to commit his  oracles to        
writing4 ,if1 then1 the task was not    
accomplished before  the ninth month of 
the fifth year1 it is plain that it     
involved  a good deal more than penning 
such a discourse as the twenty-fifth    
chapter4 ,this datum1 in fact1 strongly 
favours the supposition that  it was a  
record of his principal utterances      

hitherto1 that ,jeremiah  thus undertook
 and accomplished4 ,it is not at all    
necessary to assume  that on this or any
 other occasion ,baruch read the entire 
contents  of the roll to his audience in
 the temple4 ,we are told that he read  
in the book the words of ,jeremiah1 that
 is1 no doubt1 some portion  of the     
whole4 ,and so1 in the famous scene     
before the king1 it is not  said that   
the entire work was read1 but the       
contrary is expressly  related 7ver4    
#bc73 ,and when ,jehudi had read three  
columns or four1  he 7the king7 began to
 cut it with the scribe's knife1 and to 
cast it  into the fire4 ,three or four  
columns of an ordinary roll might have  
contained the whole of the twenty-fifth 
chapter2 and it must have been  an      
unusually diminutive document1 if the   
first three or four columns  of it      
contained no more than the seven verses 
of chap4 xxv4 7#c-f71  which declare the
 sin of ,judah1 and announce the coming 
of the king  of ,babylon4 ,and1 apart   

from these objections1 there is no      
ground for  the presumption that the    
purport of the roll which the king burnt
  was only that the king of ,babylon    
should 'come and destroy this  land4'   
,as the learned critic1 from whom ,i    
have quoted these words1  further       
remarks1 with perfect truth1 ,jeremiah  
had uttered many other  important       
declarations in the course of his       
already long ministry4    ,that1 ,i     
grant1 is true2 but then there is       
absolutely nothing to prove  that this  
roll did not contain them all4 ,chap4   
xxxvi4 #bi1 cited by the  objector1 is  
certainly not such proof4 ,that verse   
simply gives the  angry exclamation with
 which the king interrupted the reading 
of the  roll1 ,why hast thou written    
upon it1 ,the king of ,babylon shall    
surely  come and destroy this land1 and 
cause to cease from it man and beast8   
,this may have been no more than        
,jehoiakim's very natural inference     
from some one of the many allusions to  

the enemy from the north1  which occur  
in the earlier part of the book of      
,jeremiah4 ,at all  events1 it is       
evident that1 whether the king of       
,babylon was directly  mentioned or not 
in the portion of the roll read in his  
presence1 the  verse in question        
assigns1 not the sole import of the     
entire work1  but only the particular   
point in it1 which1 at the existing     
crisis1  especially roused the          
indignation of ,jehoiakim4 ,the #beth   
chapter may  of course have been        
contained in the roll read before the   
king4    ,and this may suffice to show  
how precarious are the assertions of the
  learned critic in the ,encyclop4      
,brit4 upon the subject of ,jeremiah's  
roll4 ,the plain truth seems to be that1
 perceiving the imminence of  the peril 
that threatened his country1 the prophet
 was impressed with  the conviction that
 now was the time to commit his past    
utterances to  writing2 and that towards
 the end of the year1 after he had      

formed and  carried out this project1 he
 found occasion to have his discourses  
read in the temple1 to the crowds of    
rural folk who sought refuge  in        
,jerusalem1 before the advance of       
,nebuchadrezzar4 ,so ,josephus          
understood the matter 7,ant41 x4 #f1    
#b74    ,on the approach of the         
,babylonians1 ,jehoiakim made his       
submission2  but only to rebel again1   
after three years of tribute and        
vassalage  7#b ,kings xxiv4 #a74        
,drought and failure of the crops       
aggravated the  political troubles of   
the country2 evils in which ,jeremiah   
was not  slow to discern the hand of an 
offended and alienated ,god4 ,how long1 
he asks 7xii4 #d71 shall the country    
mourn1 and the herbage of the  whole    
field wither8 ,from the wickedness of   
them that dwell therein  the beasts and 
the birds perish4 ,and in chap4 xiv4 we 
have a highly  poetical description of  
the sufferings of the time4             
,judah mourneth1 and her gates languish2

       ,they sit in black on the ground2
       ,and the outcry of ,jerusalem    
hath gone up4       ,and their nobles1  
they sent their menial folk for water2  
,they came to the pits1 they found no   
water2       ,they returned with their  
vessels empty2       ,they were ashamed 
and confounded and covered their head4  
,on account of ye ground that is chapt1 
,for rain hath not fallen in the land1  
,the plowmen are ashamed--they cover    
their head4       ,for even the hind in 
the field--       ,she calveth and      
forsaketh her young2       ,for there is
 no grass4       ,and the wild asses1   
they stand on the scaurs2       ,they   
snuff the wind#ae like jackals2         
,their eyes fail1 for there is no       
herbage4      ,and then1 after this     
graphic and almost dramatic portrayal of
 the  sufferings of man and beast1 in   
the blinding glare of the towns1 and  in
 the hot waterless plains1 and on the   
bare hills1 under that burning  sky1    
whose cloudless splendours seemed to    

mock their misery1 the  prophet prays to
 the ,god of ,israel4        ,if our    
misdeeds answer against us1       ,o    
,iahvah1 work for ,thy name sake6       
,verily1 our fallings away are many2    
,towards thee we are in fault4          
,hope of ,israel1 that savest him in    
time of trouble6       ,why shouldst    
thou be as a sojourner in the land1     
,and as a traveller1 that turneth aside 
to pass the night8       ,why shouldst  
thou be as a man stricken dumb1         
,as a champion that cannot save8        
,yet ,thou art in our midst1 ,o ,iahvah1
       ,and ,thy name is called over us3
       ,leave us not6    ,and again1 at 
the end of the chapter1        ,hast    
,thou wholly rejected ,judah8           
,hath ,thy soul loathed ,zion8          
,why hast ,thou smitten us1       ,that 
there is no healing for us8       ,we   
looked for welfare1 but bootlessly1     
,for a time of healing1 and behold      
terror6       ,we know1 ,iahvah1 our    
wickedness1 the guilt of our fathers3   

,verily1 we are in fault toward ,thee6  
,be not scornful1 for ,thy name's sake6 
,dishonour not ,thy glorious throne6    
i4e4 ,jerusalem4       ,remember1 break 
not ,thy covenant with us6       ,among 
the ,vanities of the nations are there  
indeed raingivers8       ,or the        
heavens1 can they yield showers8        
,art not ,thou ,he 7that doeth this71   
,iahvah our ,god8       ,and we wait for
 ,thee1       ,for 'tis ,thou that      
madest all this world4    ,in these and 
the like pathetic outpourings1 which    
meet us in the later  portions of the   
,old ,testament1 we may observe the     
gradual development  of the dialect of  
stated prayer2 the beginnings and the   
growth of  that beautiful and           
appropriate liturgical language in which
 both the  synagogue and the church     
afterwards found so perfect an          
instrument for  the expression of all   
the harmonies of worship4 ,prayer1 both 
public and  private1 was destined to    
assume an increasing importance1 and1   

after the  destruction of temple and    
altar1 and the forcible removal of the  
people  to a heathen land1 to become the
 principal means of communion with ,god4
    ,the evils of drought and dearth    
appear to have been accompanied  by     
inroads of foreign enemies1 who took    
advantage of the existing  distress to  
rob and plunder at will4 ,this serious  
aggravation of the  national troubles is
 recorded in chap4 xii4 #g-ag4 ,there it
 is said1 in  the name of ,god1 ,i have 
left ,my house1 ,i have cast off ,my    
heritage2  ,i have given the ,darling of
 ,my soul into the hands of her enemies4
  ,the reason is ,judah's fierce        
hostility to her ,divine ,master3 ,like 
a  lion in the forest she hath uttered a
 cry against ,me4 ,the result of  this  
unnatural rebellion is seen in the      
ravages of lawless invaders1  probably  
nomads of the desert1 always watching   
their opportunity1  and greedy of the   
wealth1 while disdainful of the pursuits
 of their  civilised neighbours4 ,it is 

as if all the wild beasts1 that roam at 
large in the open country1 had concerted
 a united attack upon the  devoted land2
 as if many shepherds with their        
innumerable flocks had  eaten bare and  
trodden down the vineyard of the ,lord4 
,over all the  bald crags in the        
wilderness freebooters 7,obad4 #e7 are  
come2 for a  sword of ,iahweh's is      
devouring3 from land's end to land's end
 no flesh  hath security 7ver4 #ab74    
,the rapacious and heathenish hordes of 
the  desert1 mere human wolves intent on
 ravage and slaughter1 are a sword  of  
the ,lord's1 for the chastisement of    
,his people2 just as the king of        
,babylon is ,his servant for the same   
purpose4    ,only ten verses of the book
 of ,kings are occupied with the reign  
of  ,jehoiakim 7#b ,kings xxiii4        
#cd-xxiv4 #f72 and when we compare that 
flying  sketch with the allusions in    
,jeremiah1 we cannot but keenly regret  
the  loss of that ,book of the          
chronicles of the kings of ,judah1 to   

which  the compiler of ,kings refers as 
his authority4 ,had that work survived1 
many things in the prophets1 which are  
now obscure and baffling1  would have   
been clear and obvious4 ,as it is1 we   
are often obliged to  be contented with 
surmises and probabilities1 where       
certainty would  be right welcome4 ,in  
the present instance1 the facts alluded 
to by  the prophet appear to be included
 in the statement that the ,lord sent   
against ,jehoiakim bands of ,chaldeans1 
and bands of ,arameans1 and  bands of   
,moabites1 and bands of ben ,ammon4 ,the
 ,hebrew term implies  marauding or     
predatory bands1 rather than regular    
armies1 and it need  not be supposed    
that they all fell upon the country at  
the same time  or in accordance with any
 preconcerted scheme4 ,in the midst of  
these  troubles1 ,jehoiakim died in the 
flower of his age1 having reigned  no   
more than eleven years1 and being only  
thirty-six years old 7#b  ,kings xxiii4 
#cf74 ,the prophet thus alludes to his  

untimely end4 ,like  the partridge that 
sitteth on eggs that she hath not laid1 
so is he  that maketh riches1 and not by
 right3 in the midst of his days they   
leave him2 and in his last end he       
proveth a fool 7xvii4 #aa74 ,we have    
already considered the detailed         
condemnation of this evil king in the   
#bbnd chapter4 ,the prophet ,habakkuk1 a
 contemporary of ,jeremiah1 seems  to   
have had ,jehoiakim in his mind's eye1  
when denouncing 7ii4 #i7 woe  to one    
that getteth an evil gain for his house1
 that he may set his  nest on high1 that
 he may escape from the hand of evil6   
,the allusion  is to the forced labour  
on his new palace1 and on the defences  
of  ,jerusalem1 as well as to the fines 
and presents of money1 which this       
oppressive ruler shamelessly extorted   
from his unhappy subjects4 ,the  stone  
out of the wall1 says the prophet1      
crieth out2 and the beam  out of the    
woodwork answereth it4    ,the premature
 death of the tyrant removed a serious  

obstacle from the  path of ,jeremiah4   
,no longer forced to exercise a wary    
vigilance in  avoiding the vengeance of 
a king whose passions determined his    
conduct1  the prophet could now devote  
himself heart and soul to the work of   
his  office4 ,the public danger1        
imminent from the north1 and the way to 
avert  it1 is the subject of the        
discourses of this period of his        
ministry4  ,his unquenchable faith      
appears in the beautiful prayer appended
 to his  reflexions upon the death of   
,jehoiakim 7xvii4 #ab sqq474 ,we cannot 
mistake the tone of quiet exultation1   
with which he expresses his sense  of   
the absolute righteousness of the       
catastrophe4 ,a throne of glory1  a     
height higher than the first 7871 7or1  
higher than any before7 is  the place of
 our sanctuary4 ,never before in the    
prophet's experience  has the ,god of   
,israel so clearly vindicated that      
justice which is the  inalienable       
attribute of ,his dread tribunal4       

,for himself1 the immediate result of   
this renewal of an activity that  had   
been more or less suspended1 was        
persecution and even violence4  ,the    
earnestness with which he besought the  
people to honestly keep  the law of the 
,sabbath1 an obligation which was       
recognised in theory  though disregarded
 in practice2 and his striking          
illustration of the  true relations     
between ,iahvah and ,israel as parallel 
to those that hold  between the potter  
and the clay 7chap4 xvii4 #ai sqq471    
only brought  down upon him the fierce  
hostility and organised opposition of   
the false  prophets1 and the priests1   
and the credulous and self-willed       
populace1  as we read in chap4 xviii4   
#ah sqq4 ,and they said1 ,come1 and let 
us  contrive plots against ,jeremiah4444
 ,come1 and let us smite him with the   
tongue1 and let us not listen to any of 
his words4 ,should evil be repaid  for  
good1 that they have digged a pit for my
 life8 ,and after his solemn  testimony 

before the elders in the valley of      
,ben-,hinnom1 and before the  people    
generally1 in the court of the ,lord's  
house 7chap4 xix471 the  prophet was    
seized by order of ,pashchr1 the        
commandant of the temple1  who was      
himself a leading false prophet1 and    
cruelly beaten1 and set  in the stocks  
for a day and a night4 ,that the spirit 
of the prophet  was not broken by this  
shameful treatment1 is evident from the 
courage  with which he confronted his   
oppressor on the morrow1 and foretold   
his certain punishment4 ,but the        
apparent failure of his mission1 the    
hopelessness of his life's labour1      
indicated by the deepening hostility  of
 the people1 and the readiness to       
proceed to extremities against him  thus
 evinced by their leaders1 wrung from   
,jeremiah that bitter cry of  despair1  
which has proved such a stumbling-block 
to some of his modern  apologists4      
,soon the prophet's fears were realised1
 and the ,divine counsel1 of which  he  

alone had been cognisant1 was fulfilled4
 ,within three short months  of his     
accession to the throne1 the boy-king   
,jeconiah 7or ,jehoiachin or  ,coniah71 
with the queen-mother1 the grandees of  
the court1 and the pick  of the         
population of the capital1 was carried  
captive to ,babylon by  ,nebuchadrezzar 
7#b ,kings xxiv4 #h sqq42 ,jer4 xxiv4   
#a74    ,jeremiah has appended his      
forecast of the fate of ,jeconiah1 and a
  brief notice of its fulfilment1 to his
 denunciations of that king's           
predecessors 7xxii4 #bd sqq474 ,as ,i   
live1 saith ,iahvah1 verily1  though    
,coniah ben ,jehoiakim king of ,judah be
 a signet ring upon ,my own  right hand1
 verily thence will ,i pluck thee away6 
,and ,i will give thee  into the hand of
 them that seek thy life1 and into the  
hand of those  of whom thou art afraid2 
and into the hand of ,nebuchadrezzar    
king of  ,babel1 and into the hand of   
the ,chaldeans4 ,and ,i will cast thee  
forth1  and thy mother that bare thee1  

into the foreign land1 wherein ye were  
not born2 and there ye shall die4 ,but  
unto the land whither they  long to     
return1 thither shall they not return4  
,is this man ,coniah a  despised broken 
vase1 or a vessel devoid of charm8 ,why 
were he and his  offspring cast forth1  
and hurled into the land that they knew 
not8 ,o  land1 land1 land1 hear thou the
 word of ,iahvah4 ,thus hath ,iahvah    
said1  ,write ye down this man          
childless1 a person that shall not      
prosper in  his days3 for none of his   
offspring shall prosper1 sitting on the 
throne of ,david1 and ruling again in   
,judah4    ,no better success attended  
the prophet's ministry under the new    
king  ,zedekiah1 whom ,nebuchadrezzar   
had placed on the throne as his vassal  
and tributary4 ,so far as we can judge  
from the accounts left us1  ,zedekiah   
was a wellmeaning but unstable          
character1 whose weakness and           
irresolution were too often played upon 
by unscrupulous and scheming  courtiers1

 to the fatal miscarriage of right and  
justice4 ,soon the  old intrigues began 
again1 and in the fourth year of the new
 reign  7xxviii4 #a7 envoys from the    
neighbour-states arrived at the ,jewish 
court1 with the object of drawing ,judah
 into a coalition against  the common   
suzerain1 the king of ,babylon4 ,this   
suicidal policy of  combination with    
heathenish and treacherous allies1 most 
of whom  were the heirs of immemorial   
feuds with ,judah1 against a sovereign  
who was at once the most powerful and   
the most enlightened of his  time1      
called forth the prophet's immediate and
 strenuous opposition4  ,boldly         
affirming that ,iahvah had conferred    
universal dominion upon                 
,nebuchadrezzar1 and that consequently  
all resistance was futile1 he  warned   
,zedekiah himself to bow his neck to the
 yoke1 and dismiss all  thought of      
rebellion4 ,it would seem that about    
this time 7circ4 #eif  ,b4,c47 the      
empire of ,babylon was passing through a

 serious crisis1  which the subject     
peoples of the ,west hoped and expected 
would result  in its speedy dissolution4
 ,nebuchadrezzar was1 in fact1 engaged  
in a  life-and-death struggle with the  
,medes2 and the knowledge that the      
,great ,king was thus fully occupied    
elsewhere1 encouraged the petty  princes
 of ,phenicia-,palestine in their       
projects of revolt4 ,if chaps4  l41 li41
 are genuine1 it was at this juncture   
that ,jeremiah foretold  the fall of    
,babylon2 for1 at the close of the      
prophecy in question  7li4 #ei71 it is  
said that he gave a copy of it to one of
 the princes  who accompanied ,zedekiah 
to ,babylon in the fourth year of his   
reign1  i4e4 in #eif ,b4,c4 ,but the    
style and thought of these two chapters1
  and the general posture of things     
which they presuppose1 are decisive     
against the view that they belong to    
,jeremiah4 ,at all events the  prophet  
gave the clearest evidence that he did  
not himself share in  the general       

delusion that the fall of ,babylon was  
near at hand4 ,he  declared that all the
 nations must be content to serve       
,nebuchadrezzar1  and his son1 and his  
son's son 7xxvii4 #g72 and as chap4     
xxix4 shows1  he did his best to        
counteract the evil influence of those  
fanatical  visionaries1 who were ever   
promising a speedy restoration to the   
exiles who had been deported to ,babylon
 with ,jeconiah4 ,at last1  however1 in 
spite of all ,jeremiah's warnings and   
entreaties1 the  vacillating king       
,zedekiah1 was persuaded to rebel2 and  
the natural  consequence followed--the  
,chaldeans appeared before ,jerusalem4  
,king  and people had refused salvation1
 and were now no more to be saved4      
,during the siege1 the prophet was more 
than once anxiously consulted  by the   
king as to the issue of the crisis4     
,although kept in ward  by ,zedekiah's  
orders1 lest he should weaken the       
defence by his  discouraging addresses1 
,jeremiah showed that he was far above  

the  feeling of private ill-will1 by the
 answers he returned to his  sovereign's
 inquiries4 ,it is true that he did not 
at all modify the  burden of his        
message2 to the king as to the people he
 steadily  counselled surrender4 ,but   
strongly as he denounced further        
resistance1  he did not predict the     
king's death2 and the tone of his       
prophecy  concerning ,zedekiah is in    
striking contrast with that concerning  
his  predecessor ,jehoiakim4 ,it was in 
the tenth year of ,zedekiah and the     
eighteenth of ,nebuchadrezzar1 that is  
to say1 circ4 #ehi ,b4,c41 when         
,jeremiah was imprisoned in the court of
 the royal guard1 within the  precincts 
of the palace 7xxxii4 #a sqq472 when the
 siege of ,jerusalem  was being pressed 
on with vigour1 and when of all the     
strong cities of  ,judah1 only two1     
,lachish and ,azekah1 were still holding
 out against  the ,chaldean blockade2   
that the prophet thus addressed the king
  7xxxiv4 #b sqq473 ,thus hath ,iahvah  

said1 ,behold1 ,i am about to give  this
 city into the hand of the king of      
,babel1 and he shall burn it  with fire4
 ,and thou wilt not escape out of his   
hand2 for thou wilt  certainly be taken1
 and into his hand thou wilt be given4  
,and thine  eyes shall see the king of  
,babel's eyes1 and his mouth shall speak
  with thy mouth1 and to ,babel wilt    
thou come4 ,but hear thou ,iahvah's     
word1 ,o ,zedekiah king of ,judah6 ,thus
 hath ,iahvah said upon thee1  ,thou    
wilt not die by the sword4 ,in peace    
wilt thou die2 and with the  burnings of
 thy fathers1 the former kings that were
 before thee1 so  will men burn         
7spicery7 for thee1 and with ,ah1 ,lord6
 will they wail  for thee2 for a promise
 have ,i given1 saith ,iahvah4 ,zedekiah
 was  to be exempted from the violent   
death1 which then seemed so probable2   
and was to enjoy the funeral honours of 
a king1 unlike his less worthy  brother 
,jehoiakim1 whose body was cast out to  
decay unburied like  that of a beast4   

,the failure of ,jeremiah's earnest and 
consistent  endeavours to bring about   
the submission of his people to what he 
foresaw to be their inevitable destiny1 
is explained by the popular  confidence 
in the defences of ,jerusalem1 which    
were enormously strong  for the time1   
and were considered impregnable 7xxi4   
#ac72 and by the  hopes entertained that
 ,egypt1 with whom negotiations had long
 been in  progress1 would raise the     
siege ere it was too late4 ,the low     
state  of public morals is vividly      
illustrated by an incident which the    
prophet has recorded 7chap4 xxxiv4 #g   
sqq474 ,in the terror inspired  by the  
approach of the ,chaldeans1 the         
panic-stricken populace of the  capital 
bethought them of that law of their     
,god1 which they had so  long set at    
nought2 and the king and his princes and
 the entire people  bound themselves by 
a solemn covenant in the temple1 to     
release all  slaves of ,israelitish     
birth1 who had served six years and     

upwards1  according to the law4 ,the    
enfranchisement was accomplished with   
all  the sanctions of law and of        
religion2 but no sooner had the         
,chaldeans  retired from before         
,jerusalem in order to meet the         
advancing army  of ,egypt1 than the     
solemn covenant was cynically and       
shamelessly  violated1 and the unhappy  
freedmen were recalled to their bondage4
  ,after this1 further warning was      
evidently out of place2 and nothing  was
 left for ,jeremiah but to denounce the 
outrage upon the majesty of  heaven1 and
 to declare the speedy return of the    
besiegers1 and the  desolation of       
,jerusalem4 ,his own liberty had not yet
 been restricted  7xxxvii4 #d7 when     
these events happened2 but a pretext was
 soon found  for venting upon him the   
malice of his enemies4 ,after assuring  
the  king that the respite was not to be
 permanent1 but that ,pharaoh's army    
would return to ,egypt without          
accomplishing any deliverance1 and that 

the ,chaldeans would come again1 and    
fight against the city1 and take  it1   
and burn it with fire 7xxxvii4 #h71     
,jeremiah availed himself of  the       
temporary absence of the besieging      
forces1 to attempt to leave his  ,city  
of ,destruction2 but he was arrested in 
the gate by which he was  going out1 and
 brought before the princes on a charge 
of attempted  desertion to the enemy4   
,ridiculous as was this accusation1 when
 thus  levelled against one whose whole 
life was conspicuous for sufferings     
entailed by a lofty and unflinching     
patriotism and a devotion1 at the  time 
almost unique1 to the sacred cause of   
religion and morality2 it  was at once  
received and acted upon4 ,jeremiah was  
beaten and thrown  into a dungeon1 where
 he languished for a long time in       
subterranean  darkness and misery1 until
 the king desired to consult him again4 
,this  was the saving of the prophet's  
life2 for after once more declaring  his
 unalterable message1    1 ,into the    

king of ,babel's hand thou wilt be      
given6 he made indignant protest        
against his cruel wrongs1 and obtained  
from ,zedekiah some mitigation  of his  
sentence4 ,he was not sent back to the  
loathsome den under the  house of       
,jonathan the scribe1 in whose dark     
recesses he had well nigh  perished     
7xxxvii4 #bj71 but was detained in the  
court of the guard1  receiving a daily  
dole of bread for his maintenance4 ,here
 he appears  to have still used such    
opportunity as he had1 in dissuading the
  people from continuing the defence4   
,at all events1 four of the princes     
induced the king to deliver him into    
their power1 on the ground that  he     
weakened the hands of the men of war1   
and sought not the welfare  but the hurt
 of the nation 7xxxviii4 #d74 ,unwilling
 for some reason  or other1 probably a  
superstitious one1 to imbrue their hands
 in the  prophet's blood1 they let him  
down with cords into a miry cistern  77 
in the court of the guard1 and left him 

there to die of cold  and hunger4       
,timely help sanctioned by the king     
rescued ,jeremiah from  this horrible   
fate2 but not before he had undergone   
sufferings of the  severest character1  
as may easily be understood from his own
 simple  narrative1 and from the        
indelible impression wrought upon others
 by  the record of his sufferings1 which
 led the poet of the ,lamentations  to  
refer to this time of deadly peril1 and 
torture both mental and  physical1 in   
the following terms3              ,they 
chased me sore like a bird1             
,they that were my foes without a cause4
             ,they silenced my life in  
the pit1             ,and they cast a   
stone upon me4             ,waters      
overflowed mine head2                   
,methought1 ,i am cut off4              
,i called ,thy name1 ,iahvah1           
,out of the deepest pit4             ,my
 voice ,thou heardest 7saying71         
',hide not ,thine ear at my breathing1  
at my cry4'             ,thou drewest   

near when ,i called ,thee2              
,thou saidst1 ',fear not'6              
,thou pleadedst1 ,o ,lord1 my souls     
pleadings2             ,thou ransomedst 
my life4    ,after this signal escape1  
,jeremiah's counsel was once more sought
 by  the king1 in a secret interview1   
which was jealously concealed from  the 
princes4 ,but neither entreaties1 nor   
assurances of safety1 could  persuade   
,zedekiah to surrender the city4        
,nothing was now left for the  prophet1 
but to await1 in his milder captivity1  
the long foreseen  catastrophe4 ,the    
form now taken by his solitary musings  
was not  anxious speculation upon the   
question whether any possible resources 
were as yet unexhausted1 whether by any 
yet untried means king and  people might
 be convinced1 and the end averted4     
,taking that end for  granted1 he looks 
forth beyond his own captivity1 beyond  
the scenes  of famine and pestilence and
 bloodshed that surround him1 beyond the
  strife of factions within the city1   

and the lines of the besiegers  without 
it1 to a fair prospect of happy         
restoration and smiling peace1  reserved
 for his ruined country in the far-off  
yet ever-approaching  future 7xxxii41   
xxxiii474    ,strong in this inspired   
confidence1 like the ,roman who         
purchased at  its full market value the 
ground on which the army of ,hannibal   
lay  encamped1 he did not hesitate to   
buy1 with all due formalities of        
transfer1 a field in his native place1  
at this supreme moment1 when  the whole 
country was wasted with fire and sword1 
and the artillery  of the foe was       
thundering at the walls of ,jerusalem4  
,and the event  proved that he was      
right4 ,he believed in the depth of his 
heart that  ,god had not finally cast   
off ,his people4 ,he believed that      
nothing1 not  even human error and      
revolt1 could thwart and turn aside the 
,eternal  purposes4 ,he was sure--it was
 demonstrated to him by the experience  
of  an eventful life--that1 amid all the

 vicissitudes of men and things1 one    
thing stands immutable1 and that is the 
will of ,god4 ,he was sure that         
,abraham's family had not become a      
nation1 merely in order to be blotted   
out of existence by a conqueror who knew
 not ,iahvah2 that the torch of a  true 
religion1 a spiritual faith1 had not    
been handed on from prophet to  prophet1
 burning in its onward course with an   
ever clearer and intenser  flame1 merely
 to be swallowed up before its final    
glory was attained1 in  utter and       
eternal darkness4 ,the covenant with    
,israel would no more be  broken than   
the covenant of day and night 7xxxiii4  
#bj74 ,the laws of the  natural world   
are not more stable and secure than     
those of the spiritual  realm2 for both 
have their reason and their ground of   
prevalence in the  ,will of the ,one    
,unchangeable ,lord of all4 ,and as the 
prophet had been  right in his forecast 
of the destruction of his country1 so   
did he prove  to have been right in his 

joyful anticipation of the future       
renascence  of all the best elements in 
,israel's life4 ,the coming time        
fulfilled his  word2 a fact which must  
always remain unaccountable to all but  
those who  believe as ,jeremiah         
believed4    ,after the fall of the     
city1 special care was taken to ensure  
the safety  of ,jeremiah1 in accordance 
with the express orders of              
,nebuchadrezzar1  who had become        
cognisant of the prophet's consistent   
advocacy of  surrender1 probably from   
the exiles previously deported to       
,babylonia1  with whom ,jeremiah had    
maintained communications1 advising them
 to  settle down peaceably1 accepting   
,babylon as their country for the time  
being1 and praying for its welfare and  
that of its rulers4 ,nebuzaradan1  the  
commander-in-chief1 further allowed the 
prophet his choice between  following   
him to ,babylon1 or remaining with the  
wreck of the population  in the ruined  
country4 ,patriotism1 which in his case 

was identified  with a burning zeal for 
the moral and spiritual welfare of his  
fellow-countrymen1 prevailed over regard
 for his own worldly interests2  and    
,jeremiah chose to remain with the      
survivors--disastrously for  himself1 as
 the event proved 7xxxix4 #b1 xl4 #a74  
,an old man1 worn out with strife and   
struggle1 and weighed down by           
disappointment and the sense of failure1
 he might well have decided  to avail   
himself of the favour extended to him by
 the conqueror1 and  to secure a        
peaceful end for a life of storm and    
conflict4 ,but the  calamities of his   
country had not quenched his prophetic  
ardour2 the  sacred fire still burnt    
within his aged spirit2 and once more he
  sacrificed himself to the work he felt
 called upon to do1 only to  experience 
again the futility of offering wise     
counsel to headstrong1  proud1 and      
fanatical natures4 ,against his earnest 
protestations1 he  was forced to        
accompany the remnant of his people in  

their hasty  flight into ,egypt 7xlii472
 and1 in the last glimpse afforded us1  
we see him there among his fellow-exiles
 making a final1 and alas6  ineffectual 
protest against their stubborn idolatry 
7xliv474 ,a  tradition mentioned by     
,tertullian and ,st4 ,jerome which may  
be of  earlier and ,jewish origin1      
states that these apostates in their    
wicked  rage against the prophet stoned 
him to death 7cf4 ,heb4 xi4 #cg74       
,the last chapter of his book brings the
 course of events down to about  #efa   
,b4,c4 ,the fact has naturally suggested
 a conjecture that the same  year       
witnessed the close of the prophet's    
life4 ,in that case1 ,jeremiah  must    
have attained to an age of somewhere    
about ninety years2 which1  taking all  
the circumstances into consideration1 is
 hardly credible4  ,a celibate life is  
said to be unfavourable to longevity2   
but however  that may be1 the other     
conditions in this instance make it     
extremely  unlikely4 ,jeremiah's career 

was a vexed and stormy one2 it was his  
fate to be divided from his kindred and 
his fellow-countrymen by the  widest and
 deepest differences of belief2 like    
,st4 ,athanasius1 he was  called upon to
 maintain the cause of truth against an 
opposing world4  ,woe's me1 my mother6  
he cries1 in one of his characteristic  
fits of  despondency1 which were the    
natural fruit of a passionate and almost
  feminine nature1 after a period of    
noble effort ending in the shame of     
utter defeat2 ,woe's me1 that thou      
gavest me birth1 a man of strife1  and a
 man of contention to all the land6     
,neither lender nor borrower  have ,i   
been2 yet all are cursing me 7xv4 #aj74 
,the persecutions he  endured1 the      
cruelties of his long imprisonment1 the 
horrors of the  protracted siege1 upon  
which he has not dwelt at length1 but   
which  have stamped themselves indelibly
 upon his language 7xviii4 #ba1 #bb1    
xx4 #af71 would certainly not tend to   
prolong his life4 ,in the #gast  ,psalm1

 which seems to be from his pen1 and    
which wants the usual  heading ,a ,psalm
 of ,david1 he speaks of himself as     
conscious of  failing powers1 and as    
having already reached the extreme limit
 of  age4 ,writing after his narrow     
escape from death in the miry cistern of
  his prison1 he prays        ,cast me  
not off in the time of old age2         
,forsake me not1 when my strength       
faileth4    ,and again1        ,yea1    
even when ,i am old and grey-headed1    
,o ,god forsake me not6    ,and1        
referring to his signal deliverance1    
,thou that shewedst me many and sore    
troubles1       ,thou makest me live    
again2       ,and out of the deeps of   
the earth again ,thou bringest me up4   
,the allusion in the #ijth ,psalm1 as   
well as the case of ,barzillai1 who is  
described as extremely old and decrepit 
at fourscore 7#b ,sam4 xix4 #cc71       
proves that life in ancient ,palestine  
did not ordinarily transcend the  limits
 of seventy to eighty years4 ,still1    

after all that may be urged to  the     
contrary1 ,jeremiah may have been an    
exception to his contemporaries  in     
this1 as in most other respects4        
,indeed1 his protracted labours and     
sufferings seem almost to imply that he 
was endowed with constitutional  vigour 
and powers of endurance above the       
average of men2 and if1 as  some        
suppose1 he wrote the book of ,job in   
,egypt1 to embody the fruits  of his    
life's experience and reflexion1 as well
 as arranged and edited  his other      
writings1 it is evident that he must    
have sojourned among the  exiles in that
 country for a considerable time4       
,the tale is told4 ,in meagre and broken
 outline ,i have laid before  you the   
known facts of a life which must always 
possess permanent  interest1 not only   
for the student of religious            
development1 but for  all men who are   
stirred by human passion1 and stimulated
 by human  thought4 ,and fully conscious
 as ,i am of failure in the attempt to  

reanimate the dry bones of history1 to  
give form and colour and  movement to   
the shadows of the past2 ,i shall not   
have spent my pains  for nought1 if ,i  
have awakened in a single heart some    
spark of living  interest in the heroes 
of old2 some enthusiasm for the martyrs 
of  faith2 some secret yearning to cast 
in their own lot with those who  have   
fought the battle of truth and          
righteousness and to share with  the    
saints departed in the victory that     
overcometh the world4 ,and  even if in  
this also ,i have fallen short of the   
mark1 these desultory  and imperfect    
sketches of a good man's life and work  
will not have  been wholly barren of    
result1 if they lead any one of my      
readers to  renewed study of that truly 
sacred text which preserves to all time 
the living utterances of this last of   
the greater prophets4    ,,footnotes3   
#a ,the same root is used in the ,targ4 
on i4 #ae for setting or  fixing        
thrones1 cf4 ,dan4 vii4 #i3 77    #b    

,clem4 ,alex41 ,strom41 ,i41  #abj4     
#c ,at least seven times4    #d ,hitzig4
    #e i4 #f4    #f i4 #b1 xxv4 #c4     
#g  puer2 7#a7 ,ex4 ii4 #f1 of a three  
months' babe2 7#b7 of a young  man up to
 about the twentieth year1 ,gen4 xxxiv4 
#ai1 of ,shechem ben  ,hamor2 #a ,kings 
iii4 #g1 of ,solomon1 as here4    #h    
,hitzig1 ,vorbemerkungen4    #i ,the    
,cimmerians are the ,gomer of           
,scripture1 the ,gimirr'a of the        
cuneiform inscriptions4    #aj ,ewald1  
,die ,psalmen1 #afe4    #aa ,zeph4 ii4  
#d sqq41    444      #ab  1 #b ,kings   
xxii4 #h2  1 #b ,kings xxiii4 #b4    #ac
 ,comparing the ,hebrew verb with the   
,arabic ,arabic3 9999 timuit1           
fastidivit4 ,,lxx41   1 ,cf4 ,jer4 iii4 
#ad4 ,gesenius  rendered fastidivit1    
rejecit4    #ad ,so rightly the ,syriac1
 for ,jehoiakim4    #ae i4e4 ,to scent  
food afar off1 like beasts of prey4     
,there was no  occasion to alter ,a4,v4 
,i4                          ,,the      
,,call ,,and ,,consecration4      ,in   

the foregoing pages we have considered  
the principal events in  the life of the
 prophet ,jeremiah1 by way of           
introduction to the more  detailed study
 of his writings4 ,preparation of this  
kind seemed to be  necessary1 if we were
 to enter upon that study with something
 more  than the vaguest perception of   
the real personality of the prophet4 ,on
  the other hand1 ,i hope we shall not  
fail to find our mental image of  the   
man1 and our conception of the times in 
which he lived1 and of the  conditions  
under which he laboured as a servant of 
,god1 corrected and  perfected by that  
closer examination of his works to which
 ,i now invite  you4 ,and so we shall be
 better equipped for the attainment of  
that  which must be the ultimate object 
of all such studies2 the deepening  and 
strengthening of the life of faith in   
ourselves1 by which alone we  can hope  
to follow in the steps of the saints of 
old1 and like them to  realise the great
 end of our being1 the service of the   

,all-,perfect4    ,i shall consider the 
various discourses in what appears to be
 their  natural order1 so far as        
possible1 taking those chapters together
  which appear to be connected in       
occasion and subject4 ,chap4 i4         
evidently stands apart1 as a            
self-complete and independent whole4    
,it consists of a chronological         
superscription 7vv4 #a-c71 assigning    
the temporal limits of the prophet's    
activity2 and secondly1 of an  inaugural
 discourse1 which sets before us his    
first call1 and the  general scope of   
the mission which he was chosen to      
fulfil4 ,this  discourse1 again1 in like
 manner falls into two sections1 of     
which the  former 7vv4 #d-aj7 relates   
how the prophet was appointed and       
qualified  by ,iahvah to be a spokesman 
for ,him2 while the latter 7vv4 #aa-ai71
  under the form of two visions1        
expresses the assurance that ,iahvah    
will accomplish ,his word1 and pictures 
the mode of fulfilment1 closing  with a 

renewed summons to enter upon the work1 
and with a promise of  effectual support
 against all opposition4    ,it is plain
 that we have before us the author's    
introduction to the  whole book2 and if 
we would gain an adequate conception of 
the meaning  of the prophet's activity  
both for his own time and for ours1 we  
must  weigh well the force of these     
prefatory words4 ,the career of a true  
prophet1 or spokesman for ,god1         
undoubtedly implies a special call or   
vocation to the office4 ,in this preface
 to the summarized account  of his      
life's work1 ,jeremiah represents that  
call as a single and  definite event in 
his life's history4 ,must we take this  
in its literal  sense8 ,we are not      
astonished by such a statement as the   
word of the  ,lord came unto me2 it may 
be understood in more senses than one1  
and  perhaps we are unconsciously prone 
to understand it in what is called  a   
natural sense4 ,perhaps we think of a   
result of pious reflexion  pondering the

 moral state of the nation and the needs
 of the time3  perhaps of that inward   
voice which is nothing strange to any   
soul that  has attained to the rudiments
 of spiritual development4 ,but when we 
read such an assertion as that of ver4  
#i1 ,then the ,lord put forth  ,his     
hand1 and touched my mouth1 we cannot   
but pause and ask what it  was that the 
writer meant to convey by words so      
strange and startling4  ,thoughtful     
readers cannot avoid the question       
whether such statements  are consonant  
with what we otherwise know of the      
dealings of ,god  with man2 whether an  
outward and visible act of the kind     
spoken of  conforms with that whole     
conception of the ,divine ,being1 which 
is1 so  far as it reflects reality1 the 
outcome of ,his own contact with our    
human spirits4 ,the obvious answer is   
that such corporeal actions are         
incompatible with all our experience and
 all our reasoned conceptions  of the   
,divine ,essence1 which fills all things

 and controls all things1  precisely    
because it is not limited by a bodily   
organism1 because its  actions are not  
dependent upon such imperfect and       
restricted media  as hands and feet4    
,if1 then1 we are bound to a literal    
sense1 we can  only understand that the 
prophet saw a vision1 in which a ,divine
 hand  seemed to touch his lips1 and a  
,divine voice to sound in his ears4     
,but are we bound to a literal sense8   
,it is noteworthy that ,jeremiah  does  
not say that ,iahvah ,himself appeared  
to him4 ,in this respect1  he stands in 
conspicuous contrast with his           
predecessor ,isaiah1 who  writes 7vi4   
#a71 ,in the year that king ,uzziah     
died1 ,i saw the ,lord  sitting upon a  
throne1 high and lifted up2 and with his
 successor  ,ezekiel1 who affirms in his
 opening verse 7i4 #a7 that on a certain
  definite occasion the heavens opened1 
and he saw visions of ,god4  ,nor does  
,jeremiah use that striking phrase of   
the younger prophet's1  ,the hand of    

,iahvah was upon me1 or was strong upon 
me4 ,but when  he says1 ,iahvah put     
forth ,his hand and touched my mouth1 he
 is  evidently thinking of the seraph   
that touched ,isaiah's mouth with the   
live coal from the heavenly altar 7vi4  
#g74 ,the words are identical  7  71 and
 might be regarded as a quotation4 ,it  
is true that1  supposing ,jeremiah to be
 relating the experience of a           
trance-like  condition or ecstasy1 we   
need not assume any conscious imitation 
of  his predecessor4 ,the sights and    
sounds which affect a man in such a     
condition may be partly repetitions of  
former experience1 whether  one's own or
 that of others2 and in part wholly new 
and strange4  ,in a dream one might     
imagine things happening to oneself1    
which  one had heard or read of in      
connexion with others4 ,and ,jeremiah's 
writings generally prove his intimate   
acquaintance with those of  ,isaiah and 
the older prophets4 ,but as a trance or 
ecstasy is itself  an involuntary state1

 so the thoughts and feelings of the    
subject of  it must be independent of   
the individual will1 and as it were     
imposed  from without4 ,is then the     
prophet describing the experience of    
such  an abnormal state--a state like   
that of ,st4 ,peter in his momentous    
vision on the housetop at ,joppa1 or    
like that of ,st4 ,paul when he was     
caught up to the third heaven1 and saw  
many wonderful things which  he durst   
not reveal8 ,the question has been      
answered in the negative  on two        
principal grounds4 ,it is said that the 
vision of vv4 #aa1 #ab1  derives its    
significance not from the visible thing 
itself1 but from  the name of it1 which 
is1 of course1 not an object of sight at
 all2  and consequently1 the so-called  
vision is really a well-devised and     
ingenious product of cool reflexion4    
,but is this so8 ,we may translate  the 
original passage thus3 ,and there fell a
 word of ,iahvah unto me1  saying1 ,what
 seest thou1 ,jeremiah8 ,and ,i said1 ,a

 rod of a wake-tree  7i4e4 an almond7 is
 what ,i see4 ,and ,iahvah said unto me1
 ,thou  hast well seen2 for wakeful am  
,i over ,my word1 to do it4 ,doubtless  
there is here one of those plays on     
words which are so well known  a feature
 of the prophetic style2 but to admit   
this is by no means  tantamount to an   
admission that the vision derives its   
force and  meaning from the invisible   
name rather than from the visible thing4
  ,surely it is plain that the          
significance of the vision depends on   
the  fact which the name implies2 a fact
 which would be at once suggested  by   
the sight of the tree4 ,it is the well  
known characteristic of the  almond tree
 that it wakes1 as it were1 from the    
long sleep of winter  before all other  
trees1 and displays its beautiful       
garland of blossom1  while its          
companions remain leafless and          
apparently lifeless4 ,this  quality of  
early wakefulness is expressed by the   
,hebrew name of the  almond tree2 for   

shqd means waking or wakeful4 ,if this  
tree1  in virtue of its remarkable      
peculiarity1 was a proverb of watching  
and  waking1 the sight of it1 or of a   
branch of it1 in a prophetic vision     
would be sufficient to suggest that     
idea1 independently of the name4  ,the  
allusion to the name1 therefore1 is only
 a literary device for  expressing with 
inimitable force and neatness the       
significance of the  visible symbol of  
the rod of the almond tree1 as it was   
intuitively  apprehended by the prophet 
in his vision4    ,another and more     
radical ground is discovered in the     
substance of the  ,divine communication4
 ,it is said that the anticipatory      
statement of the  contents and purpose  
of the subsequent prophesyings of the   
seer 7ver4  #aj71 the announcement      
beforehand of his fortunes 7vv4 #h1 #ah1
 #ai71 and  the warning addressed to the
 prophet personally 7ver4 #ag71 are only
  conceivable as results of a process of
 abstraction from real experience1  as  

prophecies conformed to the event 7ex   
eventu74 ,the call of the  prophet1 says
 the writer whose arguments we are      
examining1 was the  moment when1        
battling down the doubts and scruples of
 the natural man  7vv4 #g1 #h71 and full
 of holy courage1 he took the resolution
 7ver4  #ag7 to proclaim ,god's word4   
,certainly he was animated by the hope  
of  ,divine assistance 7ver4 #ah71 the  
promise of which he heard inwardly  in  
the heart4 ,more than this cannot be    
affirmed4 ,but in this chapter  7vv4    
#ag1 #ah71 the measure and direction of 
the ,divine help are already  clear to  
the writer2 he is aware that opposition 
awaits him 7ver4 #ai72  he knows the    
content of his prophecies 7ver4 #aj74   
,such knowledge was  only possible for  
him in the middle or at the end of his  
career2 and  therefore the composition  
of this opening chapter must be referred
 to  such a later period4 ,as1 however1 
the final catastrophe1 after which  his 
language would have taken a wholly      

different complexion1 is still  hidden  
from him here2 and as the only edition  
of his prophecies prepared  by himself1 
that we know of1 belongs to the fourth  
year of ,jehoiakim  7xxxvi4 #de72 the   
section is best referred to that very   
time1 when the  posture of affairs      
promised well for the fulfilment of the 
threatenings  of many years 7cf4 xxv4 #i
 with vv4 #ae1 #aj2 xxv4 #ac with vv4   
#ab-ag2 xxv4  #f with ver4 #af4 ,and    
ver4 #ah is virtually repeated1 chap4   
xv4 #bj1 which  belongs to the same     
period74    ,the first part of this is  
an obvious inference from the narrative 
itself4 ,the prophet's own statement    
makes it abundantly clear that  his     
conviction of a call was accompanied by 
doubts and fears1 which  were only      
silenced by that faith which moves      
mountains4 ,that lofty  confidence in   
the purpose and strength of the ,unseen1
 which has  enabled weak and trembling  
humanity to endure martyrdom1 might well
 be  sufficient to nerve a young man to 

undertake the task of preaching         
unpopular truths1 even at the risk of   
frequent persecution and  occasional    
peril4 ,but surely we need not suppose  
that1 when ,jeremiah  started on his    
prophetic career1 he was as one who     
takes a leap in the  dark4 ,surely it is
 not necessary to suppose him profoundly
 ignorant  of the subject-matter of     
prophecy in general1 of the kind of     
success  he might look for1 of his own  
shrinking timidity and desponding       
temperament1 of the measure and         
direction of the ,divine help4 ,had  the
 son of ,hilkiah been the first of the  
prophets of ,israel instead  of one of  
the latest2 had there been no prophets  
before him2 we might  recognise some    
force in this criticism4 ,as the facts  
lie1 however1  we can hardly avoid an   
obvious answer4 ,with the experience of 
many  notable predecessors before his   
eyes2 with the message of a ,hosea1  an 
,amos1 a ,micah1 an ,isaiah1 graven upon
 his heart2 with his minute  knowledge  

of their history1 their struggles and   
successes1 the fierce  antagonisms they 
roused1 the cruel persecutions they were
 called upon  to face in the discharge  
of their ,divine commission2 with his   
profound  sense that nothing but the    
good help of their ,god had enabled them
  to endure the strain of a lifelong    
battle2 it is not in the least          
wonderful that ,jeremiah should have    
foreseen the like experience for        
himself4 ,the wonder would have been1   
if1 with such speaking examples  before 
him1 he had not anticipated the measure 
and direction of the  ,divine help2 if  
he had been ignorant that opposition    
awaited him2  if he had not already     
possessed a general knowledge of the    
contents  of his own as of all          
prophecies4 ,for there is a substantial 
unity  underlying all the manifold      
outpourings of the prophetic spirit4    
,indeed1 it would seem that it is to the
 diversity of personal gifts1  to       
differences of training and temperament1

 to the rich variety of  character and  
circumstance1 rather than to any        
essential contrasts  in the substance   
and purport of prophecy itself1 that the
 absence of  monotony1 the impress of   
individuality and originality is due1   
which  characterises the utterances of  
the principal prophets4    ,apart from  
the unsatisfactory nature of the reasons
 alleged1 it is  very probable that this
 opening chapter was penned by ,jeremiah
 as an  introduction to the first       
collection of his prophecies1 which     
dates  from the fourth year of          
,jehoiakim1 that is1 circ4 ,b4,c4 #fjf4 
,in that  case1 it must not be forgotten
 that the prophet is relating events    
which1 as he tells us himself 7chap4    
xxv4 #c71 had taken place three  and    
twenty years ago2 and as his description
 is probably drawn from  memory1        
something may be allowed for unconscious
 transformation  of facts in the light  
of after experience4 ,still1 the        
peculiar  events that attended so marked

 a crisis in his life as his first      
consciousness of a ,divine call must1 in
 any case1 have constituted1  cannot but
 have left a deep and abiding impress   
upon the prophet's  memory2 and there   
really seems to be no good reason for   
refusing  to believe that that initial  
experience took the form of a twofold   
vision seen under conditions of trance  
or ecstasy4 ,at the same time1  bearing 
in mind the ,oriental passion for       
metaphor and imagery1 we are  not       
perhaps debarred from seeing in the     
whole chapter a figurative  description1
 or rather an attempt to describe       
through the medium of  figurative       
language1 that which must always        
ultimately transcend  description--the  
communion of the ,divine with the human 
spirit4 ,real1  most real of real facts1
 as that communion was and is1 it can   
never be  directly communicated in      
words2 it can only be hinted and        
suggested  through the medium of        
symbolic and metaphorical phraseology4  

,language  itself1 being more than half 
material1 breaks down in the attempt to 
express things wholly spiritual4    ,i  
shall not stop to discuss the importance
 of the general  superscription or      
heading of the book1 which is given in  
the first  three verses4 ,but before    
passing on1 ,i will ask you to notice   
that1  whereas the ,hebrew text opens   
with the phrase ,dibr ,yirmeyhu  7 71   
,the words of ,jeremiah1 the oldest     
translation we have1 viz4 the           
,septuagint1 reads3 ,the word of ,god   
which came to ,jeremiah 7       74 ,it  
is possible1 therefore1 that the old    
,greek translator had a ,hebrew  text   
different from that which has come down 
to us1 and opening  with the same       
formula which we find at the beginning  
of the older  prophets ,hosea1 ,joel1   
and ,micah4 ,in fact1 ,amos is the only 
prophet1  besides ,jeremiah1 whose book 
begins with the phrase in question 7  --
 72 and although it is more appropriate 
there than  here1 owing to the          

continuation ,and he said1 it looks     
suspicious  even there1 when we compare 
,isaiah i4 #a1 and observe how much more
  suitable the term vision 77 would be4 
,it is likely that the  ,,lxx4 has      
preserved the original reading of       
,jeremiah1 and that some  editor of the 
,hebrew text altered it because of the  
apparent tautology  with the opening of 
ver4 #b3 ,to whom the word of the ,lord 
7,,lxx4   7 came in the days of ,josiah4
    ,such changes were freely made by   
the scribes in the days before  the     
settlement of the ,o4 ,t4 canon2 changes
 which may occasion much  perplexity to 
those1 if any there be1 who hold by the 
unintelligent  and obsolete theory of   
verbal and even literal inspiration1 but
 none  at all to such as recognise a    
,divine hand in the facts of history1#af
  and are content to believe that in    
holy books1 as in holy men1 there  is a 
,divine treasure in earthen vessels4    
,the textual difference in  question may
 serve to call our attention to the     

peculiar way in which  the prophets     
identified their work with the ,divine  
will1 and their  words with the ,divine 
thoughts2 so that the words of an ,amos 
or a  ,jeremiah were in all good faith  
held and believed to be self-attesting  
utterances of the ,unseen ,god4 ,the    
conviction which wrought in them  was1  
in fact1 identical with that which in   
after times moved ,st4 ,paul  to affirm 
the high calling and inalienable dignity
 of the ,christian  ministry in those   
impressive words1 ,let a man so account 
of us as of  the ministers of ,christ1  
and stewards of the mysteries of ,god4  
,vv4 #e-aj1 which relate how the prophet
 became aware that he was in  future to 
receive revelations from above1         
constitute in themselves an  important  
revelation4 ,under ,divine influence he 
becomes aware of a  special mission4    
,ere ,i began to form 7mould1 fashion1 1
 as the  potter moulds the clay7 thee in
 the belly1 ,i knew thee2 and ere thou  
begannest to come forth from the        

womb1#ag ,i had dedicated thee1 not     
regarded thee as holy1 ,isa4 viii4 #ac2 
nor perhaps declared thee  holy1 as     
,ges42 but hallowed thee1 i4e4 dedicated
 thee to ,god1  ,judg4 xvii4 #c2 #a     
,kings ix4 #c2 especially ,lev4 xxvii4  
#ad2 of money and  houses4 ,the pi4 of  
consecrating priests1 ,ex4 xxviii4 #da2 
altar1  ,ex4 xxix4 #cf1 temple1         
mountain1 etc42 perhaps also1           
consecrated  thee for the discharge of a
 sacred office4 ,even soldiers are      
called  consecrated 7 ,isa4 xiii4 #c71  
as ministers of the ,lord of  ,hosts1   
and probably as having been formally    
devoted to ,his service  at the outset  
of a campaign by special solemnities of 
lustration and  sacrifice2 while guests 
bidden to a sacrificial feast had to    
undergo a  preliminary form of          
consecration 7#a ,sam4 xvi4 #e2 ,zeph4  
i4 #g71 to fit  them for communion with 
,deity4    ,with the certainty of his   
own ,divine calling1 it became clear to 
the prophet that the choice was not an  

arbitrary caprice2 it was  the execution
 of a ,divine purpose1 conceived long1  
long before its  realisation in time and
 space4 ,the ,god whose foreknowledge   
and will  directs the whole course of   
human history--whose control of events  
and direction of human energies is most 
signally evident in precisely  those    
instances where men and nations are most
 regardless of ,him1 and  imagine the   
vain thought that they are independent  
of ,him 7,isa4 xxii4  #aa1 xxxvii4      
#bf7--this sovereign ,being1 in the     
development of whose  eternal purposes  
he himself1 and every son of man was    
necessarily  a factor1 had from the     
first known him1--known the individual  
character and capacities which would    
constitute his fitness for  the special 
work of his life2--and sanctified him2  
devoted and  consecrated him to the     
doing of it when the time of his earthly
  manifestation should arrive4 ,like    
others who have played a notable  part  
in the affairs of men1 ,jeremiah saw    

with clearest vision that  he was       
himself the embodiment in flesh and     
blood of a ,divine idea2  he knew       
himself to be a deliberately planned and
 chosen instrument  of the ,divine      
activity4 ,it was this seeing himself as
 ,god saw him1  which constituted his   
difference from his fellows1 who only   
knew their  individual appetites1       
pleasures and interests1 and were       
blinded1 by  their absorption in these1 
to the perception of any higher reality4
  ,it was the coming to this knowledge  
of himself1 of the meaning and  purpose 
of ,,his individual unity of powers and 
aspirations in the great  universe of   
being1 of his true relation to ,god and 
to man1 which  constituted the first    
revelation to ,jeremiah1 and which was  
the secret  of his personal greatness4  
,this knowledge1 however1 might have    
come to him in vain4 ,moments  of       
illumination are not always accompanied 
by noble resolves and  corresponding    
actions4 ,it does not follow that1      

because a man sees  his calling1 he will
 at once renounce all1 and pursue it4   
,jeremiah  would not have been human1   
had he not hesitated a while1 when1     
after  the inward light1 came the voice1
 ,a spokesman1 or ,divine interpreter   
771 to the nations appoint ,i thee4 ,to 
have passing flashes of  spiritual      
insight and heavenly inspiration is one 
thing2 to undertake  now1 in the actual 
present1 the course of conduct which    
they  unquestionably indicate and       
involve1 is quite another4 ,and so1 when
  the hour of spiritual illumination has
 passed1 the darkness may and  often    
does become deeper than before4    ,and 
,i said1 ,alas6 ,o ,lord ,iahvah1 behold
 ,i know not how to speak2  for ,i am   
but a youth4 ,the words express that    
reluctance to begin  which a sense of   
unpreparedness1 and misgivings about the
 unknown  future1 naturally inspire4 ,to
 take the first step demands decision   
and  confidence2 but confidence and     
decision do not come of contemplating   

oneself and one's own unfitness or      
unpreparedness1 but of steadfastly      
fixing our regards upon ,god1 who will  
qualify us for all that ,he  requires us
 to do4 ,jeremiah does not refuse to    
obey ,his call2 the  very words ,my     
,lord ,iahvah--',adonai1 ,master1 or my 
,master--imply a  recognition of the    
,divine right to his service2 he merely 
alleges  a natural objection4 ,the cry1 
,who is sufficient for these things8    
rises to his lips1 when the light and   
the glory are obscured for a  moment1   
and the reaction and despondency natural
 to human weakness  ensue4 ,and ,iahvah 
said unto me1 ,say not1 ,i am but a     
youth2 for unto  all that ,i send thee  
unto1 thou shalt go1 and all that ,i    
command thee  thou shalt speak4 ,be not 
afraid of them2 for with thee am ,i to  
rescue  thee1 is the utterance of       
,iahvah4 ,unto all that ,i send thee    
unto2  for he was to be no local        
prophet2 his messages were to be        
addressed  to the surrounding peoples as

 well as to ,judah2 his outlook as a    
seer  was to comprise the entire        
political horizon 7ver4 #aj1 xxv4 #i1   
#ae1  xlvi4 sqq474 ,like ,moses 7,ex4   
iv4 #aj71 ,jeremiah objects that he is  
no  practised speaker2 and this on      
account of youthful inexperience4 ,the  
answer is that his speaking will depend 
not so much upon himself as  upon ,god3 
,all that ,i command thee1 thou shalt   
speak4 ,the allegation  of his youth    
also covers a feeling of timidity1 which
 would naturally  be excited at the     
thought of encountering kings and       
princes and  priests1 as well as the    
common people1 in the discharge of such 
a  commission4 ,this implication is met 
by the ,divine assurance3 ,unto  all--of
 whatever rank--that ,i send thee unto1 
thou shalt go2 and  by the encouraging  
promise of ,divine protection against   
all opposing  powers3 ,be not afraid of 
them2 for with thee am ,i to rescue     
thee4#ah    ,and ,iahvah put forth ,his 
hand and touched my mouth3 and ,iahvah  

said  unto me1 ,behold ,i have put ,my  
words in thy mouth6 ,this word of the   
,lord1 says ,hitzig1 is represented as a
 corporeal substance2 in  accordance    
with the ,oriental mode of thought and  
speech1 which invests  everything with  
bodily form4 ,he refers to a passage in 
,samuel 7#b ,sam4  xvii4 #e7 where      
,absalom says1 ,call now ,hushai the    
,archite1 and let us  hear that which is
 in his mouth also2 as if what the old  
counsellor  had to say were something   
solid in more senses than one4 ,but we  
need not press the literal force of the 
language4 ,a prophet who could  write   
7v4 #ad73 ,behold ,i am about to make my
 words in thy mouth fire  and this      
people logs of wood2 and it shall devour
 them2 or again 7xv4  #af71 ,thy words  
were found1 and ,i did eat them2 and    
,thy word became  unto me a joy and my  
heart's delight1 may also have written1 
,behold  ,i have put ,my words in thy   
mouth6 without thereby becoming amenable
  to a charge of confusing fact with    

figure1 metaphor with reality4 ,nor  can
 ,i think the prophet means to say that1
 although1 as a matter of  fact1 the    
,divine word already dwelt in him1 it   
was now put in his  mouth1 in the sense 
that he was henceforth to utter it4     
,stripped of  the symbolism of vision1  
the verse simply asserts that the       
spiritual  change which came over       
,jeremiah at the turning point in his   
career was  due to the immediate        
operation of ,god2 and that the chief   
external  consequence of this inward    
change was that powerful preaching of   
,divine truth1 by which he was          
henceforth known4 ,the great ,prophet of
  the ,exile twice uses the phrase1 ,i  
have set ,my words in thy mouth  7,isa4 
li4 #af1 lix4 #ba7 with much the same   
meaning as that intended by  ,jeremiah1 
but without the preceding metaphor about
 the ,divine hand4    ,see ,i have this 
day set thee over the nations and over  
the kingdoms1  to root out and to pull  
down1 and to destroy and to overturn2 to

  rebuild and to replant4 ,such1        
following the ,hebrew punctuation1  are 
the terms of the prophet's commission2  
and they are well worth  consideration1 
as they set forth with all the force of 
prophetic idiom  his own conception of  
the nature of that commission4 ,first1  
there is  the implied assertion of his  
own official dignity3 the prophet is    
made  a paqd 7,gen4 xli4 #cd1 officers  
set by ,pharaoh over ,egypt2 #b ,kings  
xxv4 #ai a military prefect7 a prefect  
or superintendent of the nations  of the
 world4 ,it is the ,hebrew term         
corresponding to the  of  the ,new      
,testament and the ,christian ,church   
7,judg4 ix4 #bh2 ,neh4 xi4 #i74  ,and   
secondly1 his powers are of the widest  
scope2 he is invested with  authority   
over the destinies of all peoples4 ,if  
it be asked in what  sense it could be  
truly said that the ruin and renascence 
of nations  was subject to the          
supervision of the prophets1 the answer 
is obvious4  ,the word they were        

authorised to declare was the word of   
,god4 ,but  ,god's word is not something
 whose efficacy is exhausted in the     
human  utterance of it4 ,god's word is  
an irreversible command1 fulfilling     
itself with all the necessity of a law  
of nature4 ,the thought is well         
expressed by a later prophet3 ,for as   
the rain cometh down1 and the  snow from
 heaven1 and returneth not thither1 but 
watereth the earth1  and maketh it bring
 forth and spring2 and yieldeth seed to 
the sower  and bread to the eater3 so   
shall ,my word become1 that goeth forth 
out  of ,my mouth2 it shall not return  
to ,me empty 771 but shall surely  do   
that which ,i have willed1 and shall    
carry through that for which ,i  sent it
 7or shall prosper him whom ,i have     
sent1 ,isa4 lv4 #aj1 #aa74  ,all that   
happens is merely the selfaccomplishment
 of this ,divine word1  which is only   
the human aspect of the ,divine will4   
,if1 therefore1 the  absolute dependence
 of the prophets upon ,god for their    

knowledge of  this word be left out of  
account1 they appear as causes1 when    
they are  in truth but instruments1 as  
agents when they are only mouthpieces4  
,and so ,ezekiel writes1 when ,i came to
 destroy the city 7,ezek4 xliii4  #c71  
meaning when ,i announced the ,divine   
decree of its destruction4  ,the truth  
upon which this peculiar mode of        
statement rests--the truth  that the    
will of ,god must be and always is done 
in the world that  ,god has made and is 
making--is a rock upon which the faith  
of ,his  messengers may always repose4  
,what strength1 what staying power may  
the ,christian preacher find in dwelling
 upon this almost visible fact  of the  
self-fulfilling will and word of ,god1  
though all around him  he hear that will
 questioned1 and that word disowned and 
denied6 ,he  knows--it is his supreme   
comfort to know--that1 while his own    
efforts  may be thwarted1 that will is  
invincible2 that though he may fail in  
the conflict1 that word will go on      

conquering and to conquer1 until it     
shall have subdued all things unto      
itself4    ,,footnotes3    #af ,even in 
the history of the transmission of      
ancient writings4    #ag ,isa4 xliv4    
#bd1  1 xlix4 #e1    4    #ah ,for the  
words of this promise1 cf4 ver4 #ai     
infr41 xv4 #bj1 xlii4  #aa4             
,,ii4                      ,,the ,,trust
 ,,in ,,the ,,shadow ,,of ,,egypt4      
,,jeremiah ii4 #a-;iii4 #e4      ,the   
first of the prophet's public addresses 
is1 in fact1 a sermon  which proceeds   
from an exposure of national sin to the 
menace of  coming judgment4 ,it falls   
naturally into three sections1 of which 
the first 7ii4 #a-ac7 sets forth        
,iahvah's tender love to ,his young     
bride ,israel in the old times of       
nomadic life1 when faithfulness  to ,him
 was rewarded by protection from all    
external foes2 and then  passes on to   
denounce the unprecedented apostasy of a
 people from  their ,god4 ,the second   
7#ad-bh7 declares that if ,israel has   

fallen a  prey to her enemies1 it is the
 result of her own infidelity to her    
,divine ,spouse2 of her early notorious 
and inveterate falling away to  the     
false gods1 who are now her only        
resource1 and that a worthless  one4    
,the third section 7ii4 #bi-;iii4 #e7   
points to the failure of  ,iahvah's     
chastisements to reclaim a people       
hardened in guilt1 and  in a            
self-righteousness which refused warning
 and despised reproof2  affirms the     
futility of all human aid amid the      
national reverses2 and  cries woe on a  
too late repentance4 ,it is not         
difficult to fix the  time of this noble
 and pathetic address4 ,that which      
follows it1 and is  intimately connected
 with it in substance1 was composed in  
the days  of ,josiah the king 7iii4 #f71
 so that the present one must be placed 
a little earlier in the same reign2 and1
 considering its position in  the book1 
may very probably be assigned to the    
thirteenth year of  ,josiah1 i4e4 ,b4,c4

 #fbi1 in which the prophet received his
 ,divine  call4 ,this is the ordinary   
opinion2 but one critic 7,knobel7 refers
  the discourse to the beginning of the 
reign of ,jehoiakim1 on account  of the 
connexion with ,egypt which is mentioned
 in vv4 #ah1 #cf1 and the  humiliation  
suffered at the hands of the ,egyptians 
which is mentioned  in ver4 #af2 while  
another 7,graf7 maintains that chaps4   
ii4-vi4 were  composed in the fourth    
year of ,jehoiakim1 as if the prophet   
had  committed nothing to writing before
 that date--an assumption which  seems  
to run counter to the implication       
conveyed by his own statement1  chap4   
xxxvi4 #b4 ,this latter critic has      
failed to notice the allusions  in      
chaps4 iv4 #ad1 vi4 #h1 to an           
approaching calamity which may be       
averted by national reformation1 to     
which the people are invited2--an       
invitation wholly incompatible with the 
prophet's attitude at that  hopeless    
period4 ,the series of prophecies       

beginning at chap4 iv4 #c is  certainly 
later in time than the discourse we are 
now considering2 but  as certainly      
belongs to the immediate subsequent     
years4    ,it does not appear that the  
first two of ,jeremiah's addresses were 
called forth by any striking event of   
public importance1 such as the          
,scythian invasion4 ,his new-born       
consciousness of the ,divine call would 
urge the young prophet to action2 and in
 the present discourse we have  the     
firstfruits of the heavenly impulse4 ,it
 is a retrospect of ,israel's  entire   
past and an examination of the state of 
things growing out of it4  ,the         
prophet's attention is not yet confined 
to ,judah2 he deplores the  rupture of  
the ideal relations between ,iahvah and 
,his people as a whole  7ii4 #d2 cf4    
iii4 #f74 ,as ,hitzig has remarked1 this
 opening address1 in  its finished      
elaboration1 leaves the impression of a 
first outpouring of  the heart1 which   
sets forth at once without reserve the  

long score of  the ,divine grievances   
against ,israel4 ,at the same time1 in  
its closing  judgment 7iii4 #e71 in its 
irony 7ii4 #bh71 in its appeals 7ii4    
#ba1 #ca71  and its exclamations 7ii4   
#ab71 it breathes an indignation stern  
and  deep to a degree hardly            
characteristic of the prophet in his    
other  discourses1 but which was natural
 enough1 as ,hitzig observes1 in a first
  essay at moral criticism1 a first     
outburst of inspired zeal4    ,in the   
,hebrew text the chapter begins with the
 same formula as chap4  i4 7ver4 #d73   
,and there fell a word of ,iahvah unto  
me1 saying4 ,but  the ,,lxx4 reads3 ,and
 he said1 ,thus saith the ,lord1 7 1    
72 a difference which is not immaterial1
 as it may be a  trace of an older      
,hebrew recension of the prophet's work1
 in which  this second chapter          
immediately followed the original       
superscription  of the book1 as given in
 chap4 i4 #a1 #b1 from which it was     
afterwards  separated by the insertion  

of the narrative of ,jeremiah's call and
  visions 73 cf4 ,amos i4 #b74 ,perhaps 
we may see another trace of  the same   
thing in the fact that whereas chap4 i4 
sends the prophet to  the rulers and    
people of ,judah1 this chapter is in    
part addressed to  collective ,israel   
7ver4 #d72 which constitutes a formal   
disagreement4  ,if the reference to     
,israel is not merely retrospective and 
rhetorical1--if it implies1 as seems to 
be assumed1 that the prophet  really    
meant his words to affect the remnant of
 the northern kingdom  as well as       
,judah1--we have here a valuable        
contemporary corroboration  of the much 
disputed assertion of the author of     
,chronicles1 that  king ,josiah         
abolished idolatry in the cities of     
,manasseh and ,ephraim  and ,simeon even
 unto ,naphtali1 to wit1 in their ruins 
round about 7#b  ,chron4 xxxiv4 #f71 as 
well as in ,judah and ,jerusalem2 and   
that ,manasseh  and ,ephraim and the    
remnant of ,israel 7#b ,chron4 xxxiv4   

#i1 cf4 #ba7  contributed to his        
restoration of the temple4 ,these       
statements of  the ,chronicler imply    
that ,josiah exercised authority in the 
ruined  northern kingdom1 as well as in 
the more fortunate south2 and so  far as
 this first discourse of ,jeremiah was  
actually addressed to  ,israel as well  
as to ,judah1 those disputed statements 
find in it an  undesigned confirmation4 
,however this may be1 as a part of the  
first  collection of the author's       
prophecies1 there is little doubt that  
the  chapter was read by ,baruch to the 
people of ,jerusalem in the fourth  year
 of ,jehoiakim 7chap4 xxxvi4 #f74    ,go
 thou and cry in the ears of ,jerusalem3
 ,thus hath ,iahvah said  7or thought3  
,this is the ,divine thought concerning 
thee67 ,i have  remembered for thee the 
kindness of thy youth1 the love of thine
  espousals2 thy following ,me 7as a    
bride follows her husband to his  tent7 
in the wilderness1 in a land unsown4 ,a 
dedicated thing  73 like the high       

priest1 on whose mitre was graven   7   
was ,israel to ,iahvah1 ,his firstfruits
 of increase2 all who  did eat him were 
held guilty1 ill would come to them1    
saith ,iahvah  7vers4 #b1 #c74--;,i have
 remembered for thee1 i4e4 in thy       
favour1  to thy benefit--as when        
,nehemiah prays1 ,remember in my favour1
 ,o  my ,god1 for good1 all that ,i have
 done upon this people1 7,neh4 v4       
#ai7--the kindness----the warm affection
 of thy youth1 the love  of thine       
espousals1 or the charm of thy bridal   
state 7,hos4 ii4 #ae1  xi4 #a72 the     
tender attachment of thine early days1  
of thy new born  national consciousness1
 when ,iahvah had chosen thee as ,his   
bride1  and called thee to follow ,him  
out of ,egypt4 ,it is the figure which  
we find so elaborately developed in the 
pages of ,hosea4 ,the bridal  state is  
the time from the ,exodus to the taking 
of the covenant at  ,sinai 7,ezek4 xvi4 
#h71 which was1 as it were1 the formal  
instrument  of the marriage2 and        

,israel's young love is explained as    
consisting  in turning her back upon the
 flesh-pots of ,egypt 7,ex4 xvi4 #c71 at
  the call of ,iahvah1 and following her
 ,divine ,lord into the barren  steppes4
 ,this forsaking of all worldly comfort 
for the hard life of  the desert was    
proof of the sincerity of ,israel's     
early love4 ,the  evidently original    
words in the wilderness1 a land unsown1 
are  omitted by the ,,lxx41 which       
renders3 ,i remembered the mercy of thy 
youth1 and the love of thy nuptials 71  
consummation71 so  that thou followedst 
the ,holy ,one of ,israel1 saith        
,iahvah4 ,iahvah's  remembrance of this 
devotion1 that is to say1 the return ,he
 made for  it1 is described in the next 
verse4 ,israel became not holiness but  
a holy or hallowed thing2 a dedicated   
object1 belonging wholly and  solely to 
,iahvah1 a thing which it was sacrilege 
to touch2 ,iahvah's  firstfruits of     
increase 7,heb4  74 ,this last phrase is
 to  be explained by reference to the   

well-known law of the firstfruits  7,ex4
 xxiii4 #ai2 ,deut4 xviii4 #d1 xxvi4    
#aj71 according to which the  first     
specimens of all agricultural produce   
were given to ,god4 ,israel1  like the  
firstlings of cattle and the firstfruits
 of corn and wine and  oil1 was         
consecrated to ,iahweh2 and therefore   
none might eat  of him without          
offending4 ,to eat or devour is a term  
naturally used  of vexing and destroying
 a nation 7x4 #be1 l4 #g2 ,deut4 vii4   
#af1 ,and  thou shalt eat up all the    
peoples1 which ,jehovah thy ,god is     
about to  give thee2 ,isa4 i4 #g2 ,ps4  
xiv4 #d1 ,who eat up ,my people as they 
eat  bread74 ,the literal translation   
is1 ,all his eaters become guilty  7or  
are treated as guilty1 punished72 evil  
cometh to them2 and the  verbs1 being in
 the imperfect1 denote what happened    
again and again in  ,israel's history2  
,iahvah suffered no man to do ,his      
people wrong with  impunity4 ,this1     
then1 is the first count in the         

indictment against  ,israel1 that       
,iahvah had not been unmindful of her   
early devotion1  but had recognised it  
by throwing the shield of sanctity      
around her1  and making her inviolable  
against all external enemies 7vv4 #a-c74
  ,the prophet's complaint1 as developed
 in the following section 7vv4  #d-h71  
is that1 in spite of the goodness of    
,iahvah1 ,israel has forsaken  ,him for 
idols4 ,hear ye the word of ,iahvah1 ,o 
house of ,jacob1 and  all the clans of  
the house of ,israel6 ,all ,israel is   
addressed1 and  not merely the surviving
 kingdom of ,judah1 because the apostasy
 had  been universal4 ,a special        
reference apparently made in ver4 #h to 
the  prophets of ,baal1 who flourished  
only in the northern kingdom4 ,we may   
compare the word of ,amos against the   
whole clan1 which ,iahvah  brought up   
from the land of ,egypt 7,amos iii4 #a71
 spoken at a time  when ,ephraim was yet
 in the heyday of his power4    ,thus   
hath ,iahvah said1 ,what found your     

fathers in ,me1 that was  unjust1 7 a   
single act of injustice1 ,ps4 vii4 #d2  
not to be found  in ,iahvah1 ,deut4     
xxxii4 #d7 that they went far from ,me  
and followed  the ,folly and were       
befooled 7or the ,delusion and were     
deluded7  7ver4 #e74 ,the phrase is used
 #b ,kings xvii4 #ae in the same sense2 
the 7mere7 breath1 the nothingness or   
vanity1 being  a designation of the     
idols which ,israel went after 7cf4 also
 chap4  xxiii4 #af2 ,ps4 lxii4 #aa2 ,job
 xxvii4 #ab72 much as ,st4 ,paul has    
written  that an idol is nothing in the 
world 7#a ,cor4 viii4 #d71 and that1    
with all this boasted culture1 the      
nations of classical antiquity  became  
vain1 or were befooled in their         
imaginations 7   71 and their foolish   
heart was darkened 7,rom4 i4 #ba74 ,both
  the prophet and the apostle refer to  
that judicial blindness which  is a     
consequence of persistently closing the 
eyes to truth1 and  deliberately putting
 darkness for light and light for       

darkness1 bitter  for sweet1 and sweet  
for bitter1 in compliance with the      
urgency of the  flesh4 ,for ancient     
,israel1 the result of yielding to the  
seductions  of foreign worship was1 that
 ,they were stultified in their best    
endeavours4 ,they became false in       
thinking and believing1 in doing and    
forbearing1 because the fundamental     
error pervaded the whole life of  the   
nation and of the individual4 ,they     
supposed that they knew and  honoured   
,god1 but they were entirely mistaken2  
they supposed they were  doing ,his     
will1 and securing their own welfare1   
while they were doing  and securing the 
exact contrary 7,hitzig74 ,and similar  
consequences  will always flow from     
attempts to serve two masters2 to       
gratify the  lower nature1 while not    
breaking wholly with the higher4 ,once  
the soul  has accepted a lower standard 
than the perfect law of truth1 it does  
not stop there4 ,the subtle corruption  
goes on extending its ravages  farther  

and farther2 while the consciousness    
that anything is wrong  becomes fainter 
and fainter as the deadly mischief      
increases1 until at  last the ruined    
spirit believes itself in perfect       
health1 when it is1  in truth1 in the   
last stage of mortal disease4           
,perversion of the will  and the        
affections leads to the perversion of   
the intellect4 ,there  is a profound    
meaning in the old saying that1 ,men    
make their gods in  their own likeness4 
,as a man is1 so will ,god appear to him
 to be4  ,with the loving1 ,thou wilt   
shew ,thyself loving2 ,with the perfect1
  ,thou wilt shew ,thyself perfect2     
,with the pure1 ,thou wilt shew ,thyself
  pure2 ,and with the perverse1 ,thou   
wilt shew ,thyself froward 7,ps4  xviii4
 #be sq474 ,only hearts pure of all     
worldly taint see ,god in ,his  purity4 
,the rest worship some more or less     
imperfect semblance of ,him1  according 
to the varying degrees of their         
selfishness and sin4    ,and they said  

not1 ,where is ,iahvah1 who brought us  
up out of the  land of ,egypt1 that     
guided us in the wilderness1 in a land  
of wastes  and hollows 7or desert and   
defile71 in a land of drought and       
darkness 7dreariness 71 in a land that  
no man passed through1  and where no    
mortal dwelt 7ver4 #f74 ,they said not1 
,where is ,iahvah1  who brought us up   
out of the land of ,egypt4 ,it is the   
old complaint  of the prophets against  
,israel's black ingratitude4 ,so1 for   
instance1  ,amos 7ii4 #aj7 had written3 
,whereas ,i--,i brought you up from the 
land of ,egypt1 and guided you in the   
wilderness forty years2 and  ,micah 7vi4
 #c sq473 ,my people1 what have ,i done 
unto thee1 and how  have ,i wearied     
thee8 ,answer against ,me4 ,for ,i      
brought thee up from  the land of       
,egypt1 and from a house of bondmen     
redeemed ,i thee4 ,in  common gratitude1
 they were bound to be true to this     
mighty ,saviour2  to enquire after      
,iahvah1 to call upon ,him only1 to do  

,his will1 and  to seek ,his grace 7cf4 
xxix4 #ab sq474 ,yet1 with              
characteristic  fickleness1 they soon   
forgot the fatherly guidance1 which had 
never  deserted them in the period of   
their nomadic wanderings in the wilds   
of ,arabia ,petra2 a land which the     
prophet poetically describes  as a land 
of wastes and hollows--alluding probably
 to the rocky  defiles through which    
they had to pass--and a land of drought 
and  darkness2#ai the latter an epithet 
of the ,grave or ,hades 7,job x4  #ba71 
fittingly applied to that great lone    
wilderness of the south1  which ,isaiah 
had called a fearsome land 7xxi4 #a71   
and a land of  trouble and anguish 7xxx4
 #f71 whither1 according to the poet of 
,job1  ,the caravans go up and are lost 
7vi4 #ah74    ,and ,i brought you into  
the garden land1 to eat its fruits and  
its  choicest things 7 ,isa4 i4 #ai2    
,gen4 xlv4 #ah1 #bj1 #bc72 and ye       
entered and defiled ,my land1 and ,my   
domain ye made a loathsome thing6  7ver4

 #g74 ,with the wilderness of the       
wanderings is contrasted the  land of   
the carmel1 the land of fruitful        
orchards and gardens1  as in chap4 iv4  
#bf42 ,isa4 x4 #ah1 xvi4 #aj1 xxix4 #ag4
 ,this was ,canaan1  ,iahvah's own land1
 which ,he had chosen out of all        
countries to be ,his  special           
dwelling-place and earthly sanctuary2   
but which ,israel no sooner  possessed1 
than they began to pollute this holy    
land by their sins1  like the guilty    
peoples whom they had displaced1 making 
it thereby an  abomination to ,iahvah   
7,lev4 xviii4 #bd sq41 cf4 chap4 iii4   
#b74    ,the priests they said not1     
,where is ,iahvah8 and they that handle 
the  law1 they knew 7i4e4 regarded1     
heeded7 ,me not2 and as for the         
shepherds 7i4e4 the king and princes1   
ver4 #bf71 they rebelled  against ,me1  
and the prophets1 they prophesied by    
7through7 the ,baal1  and them that help
 not 7i4e4 the false gods7 they followed
 7ver4  #h74 ,in the form of a climax1  

this verse justifies the accusation     
contained in the last1 by giving        
particulars4 ,the three ruling classes  
are successively indicted 7cf4 ver4 #bf1
 ch4 xviii4 #ah74 ,the priests1  part of
 whose duty was to handle the law1 i4e4 
explain the  ,torah1 to instruct the    
people in the requirements of ,iahvah1  
by oral  tradition and out of the sacred
 law-books1 gave no sign of spiritual   
aspiration 7cf4 ver4 #f72 like the      
reprobate sons of ,eli1 they knew  not  
7#a ,sam4 ii4 #ab7 ,iahvah1 that is to  
say1 paid no heed to ,him and  ,his will
 as revealed in the book of the law2 the
 secular authorities1  the king and his 
counsellors 7wise men1 xviii4 #ah71 not 
only sinned  thus negatively1 but       
positively revolted against the ,king of
 kings1  and resisted ,his will2 while  
the prophets went further yet in the    
path of guilt1 apostatizing altogether  
from the ,god of ,israel1 and  seeking  
inspiration from the ,phenician ,baal1  
and following worthless  idols that     

could give no help4 ,there seems to be a
 play on the words  ,baal and ,belial1  
as if ,baal meant the same as ,belial1  
profitless1  worthless 7cf4 #a ,sam4 ii4
 #ab3 ,now ,eli's sons were sons of     
,belial2  they knew not ,iahvah4 ,the   
phrase  they that help not1  or cannot  
help1 suggests the term  ,belial2 which1
 however1  may be derived from  not1 and
  supreme1 ,god1 and so mean  not-,god1 
idol1 rather than worthlessness1        
unprofitableness1 as  it is usually     
explained74 ,the reference may be to the
 ,baal-worship of  ,samaria1 the        
northern capital1 which was organised by
 ,ahab1 and his  ,tyrian queen 7chap1   
xxiii4 #ac74    ,therefore--on account  
of this amazing ingratitude of your     
forefathers1--,i will again plead       
7reason1 argue forensically7  with you  
7the present generation in whom their   
guilt repeats  itself7 saith ,iahvah1   
and with your sons' sons 7who will      
inherit  your sins7 will ,i plead4 ,the 
nation is conceived as a moral unity1   

the characteristics of which are        
exemplified in each successive          
generation4 ,to all ,israel1 past1      
present1 and future1 ,iahvah will       
vindicate his own righteousness4 ,for   
cross 7the sea7 to the coasts  of the   
,citieans 7the people of ,citium in     
,cyprus7 and see2 and to  ,kedar 7the   
rude tribes of the ,syrian desert7 send 
ye1 and mark well1  and see whether     
there hath arisen a case like this4     
,hath a nation  changed gods--albeit    
they are no-gods8 ,yet ,my people hath  
changed  his 7true7 glory for that which
 helpeth not 7or is worthless74         
,upheave1 ye heavens 7 1 a fine         
paronomasia71 at this1 and  shudder     
7and7 be petrified 7  ,ges41 be sore    
amazed   2 but ,hitzig be dry  stiff and
 motionless1 like syn4  in  #a ,kings   
xiii4 #d71 saith ,iahvah2 for two evil  
things hath ,my people  done3 ,me they  
have forsaken--a ,fountain of living    
water--to hew them  out cisterns1 broken
 cisterns1 that cannot 7imperf4         

potential7  hold water 7,heb4 the       
waters3 generic article7 7vv4 #i-ac74   
,in these  five verses1 the apostasy of 
,israel from his own ,god is held up as 
a fact unique in history--unexampled and
 inexplicable by comparison  with the   
doings of other nations4 ,whether you   
look westward or  eastward1 across the  
sea to ,cyprus1 or beyond ,gilead to the
 barbarous  tribes of the ,cedrei 7,ps4 
cxx4 #e71 nowhere will you find a       
heathen  people that has changed its    
native worship for another2 and if you  
did find such1 it would be no precedent 
or palliation of ,israel's  behaviour4  
,the heathen in adopting a new worship  
simply exchanges one  superstition for  
another2 the objects of his devotion are
 non-gods  7ver4 #aa74 ,the heinousness 
and the eccentricity of ,israel's       
conduct  lies in the fact that he has   
bartered truth for falsehood2 he has    
exchanged his ,glory--whom ,amos 7viii4 
#g7 calls the ,pride 7,a4,v4            
,excellency7 of ,jacob--for a useless   

idol2 an object which the prophet       
elsewhere calls ,the ,shame 7iii4 #bd1  
xi4 #ac71 because it can only  bring    
shame and confusion upon those whose    
hopes depend upon it4  ,the wonder of   
the thing might well be supposed to     
strike the pure  heavens1 the silent    
witnesses of it1 with blank astonishment
 7cf4 a  similar appeal in ,deut4 iv4   
#bf1 xxxi4 #bh1 xxxii4 #a1 where the    
earth  is added74 ,for the evil is not  
single but twofold4 ,with the rejection 
of truth goes the adoption of error2 and
 both are evils4 ,not only  has ,israel 
turned his back upon a fountain of      
living waters2 he  has also hewn him out
 cisterns1 broken cisterns1 that cannot 
hold  water4 ,the broken cisterns are1  
of course1 the idols which ,israel  made
 to himself4 ,as a cistern full of      
cracks and fissures disappoints  the    
wayfarer1 who has reckoned on finding   
water in it2 so the idols1  having only 
the semblance and not the reality of    
life1 avail their  worshippers nothing  

7vv4 #h1 #aa74 ,in ,hebrew the waters of
 a spring  are called living 7,gen4 xxi4
 #ai71 because they are more refreshing 
and1 as it were1 life-giving1 than the  
stagnant waters of pools and  tanks fed 
by the rains4 ,hence by a natural       
metaphor1 the mouth of  a righteous man1
 or the teaching of the wise1 and the   
fear of the  ,lord1 are called a        
fountain of life 7,prov4 x4 #aa1 xiii4  
#ad1 xiv4 #bg74  ,the fountain of life  
is with ,iahvah 7,ps4 xxxvi4 #aj72 nay1 
,he is  ,himself the ,fountain of living
 waters 7,jer4 xvii4 #ac72 because all  
life1 and all that sustains or quickens 
life1 especially spiritual  life1       
proceeds from ,him4 ,now in ,ps4 xix4 #h
 it is said that ,the law  of the       
,lord--or1 the teaching of ,iahvah--is  
perfect1 reviving 7or  restoring7 the   
soul 7cf4 ,lam4 i4 #aa2 ,ruth iv4 #ae72 
and a comparison  of ,micah and         
,isaiah's statement that ,out of ,zion  
will go forth the  law1 and the word of 
the ,lord from ,jerusalem 7,isa4 ii4 #c2

 ,mic4 iv4  #b71 with the more          
figurative language of ,joel 7iii4 #ah7 
and ,zechariah  7xiv4 #h71 who speak of 
a fountain going forth from the house of
 the  ,lord1 and living waters going    
forth from ,jerusalem1 suggests the     
inference that the living waters1 of    
which ,iahvah is the perennial          
fountain1 are identical with ,his law as
 revealed through priests and  prophets4
 ,it is easy to confirm this suggestion 
by reference to the  river whose streams
 make glad the city of ,god 7,ps4 xlvi4 
#d72 to  ,isaiah's poetic description of
 the ,divine teaching1 of which he was  
himself the exponent1 as the waters of  
,shiloah that flow softly  7viii4 #f71  
,shiloah being a spring that issues from
 the temple rock2  and to our ,lord's   
conversation with the woman of ,samaria1
 in which ,he  characterises ,his own   
teaching as living waters 7,st4 ,john   
iv4 #aj71  and as a well of waters1     
springing up unto eternal ,life 7ibid4  
#ad74    ,is ,israel a bondman1 or a    

homeborn serf8 ,why hath he become a    
prey8  ,over him did young lions roar2  
they uttered their voice2 and they  made
 his land a waste2 his cities1 they are 
burnt up 7or thrown  down71 so that they
 are uninhabited4 ,yea1 the sons of     
,noph and  ,tahpan7h7es1 they did bruise
 thee on the crown4 ,is not this what   
7the thing that7 thy forsaking ,iahvah  
thy ,god brought about for thee1  at the
 time ,he was guiding thee in the way8  
7vv4 #ad-ag74 ,as ,iahvah's  bride1 as a
 people chosen to be ,his own1 ,israel  
had every reason  to expect a bright and
 glorious career4 ,why was this         
expectation  falsified by events8 ,but  
one answer was possible1 in view of the 
immutable righteousness1 the eternal    
faithfulness of ,god4 ,the ruin  of     
,israel was ,israel's own doing4 ,it is 
a truth which applies to  all nations1  
and to all individuals capable of moral 
agency1 in all  periods and places of   
their existence4 ,let no man lay his    
failure in  this world or in the world  

to come at the door of the ,almighty4   
,let  none venture to repeat the        
thoughtless blasphemy which charges the 
,all-,merciful with sending frail human 
beings to expiate their offences  in an 
everlasting hell6 ,let none dare to say 
or think1 ,god might have  made it      
otherwise1 but ,he would not6 ,oh1 no2  
it is all a monstrous  misconception of 
the true relations of things4 ,you and  
,i are free to  make our choice now1    
whatever may be the case hereafter4 ,we 
may choose  to obey ,god1 or to disobey2
 we may seek ,his will1 or our own4 ,the
  one is the way of life2 the other1 of 
death1 and nothing can alter  the facts2
 they are part of the laws of the       
universe4 ,our destiny  is in our own   
hands1 to make or to mar4 ,if we qualify
 ourselves for  nothing better than a   
hell--if our daily progress leads us    
farther and  farther from ,god and      
nearer and nearer to the devil--then    
hell will  be our eternal home4 ,for    
,god is love1 and purity1 and truth1 and

 glad  obedience to righteous laws2 and 
these things1 realized and rejoiced  in1
 are heaven4 ,and the man that lives    
without these as the sovereign  aims of 
his existence--the man whose heart's    
worship is centred upon  something else 
than ,god--stands already on the verge  
of hell1 which  is the place of him that
 knows not 7and cares not for7 ,god4    
,and  unless we are prepared to find    
fault with that natural arrangement     
whereby like things are aggregated to   
like1 and all physical elements         
gravitate towards their own kind2 ,i do 
not see how we can disparage  the same  
law in the spiritual sphere1 in virtue  
of which all spiritual  beings are drawn
 to their own place1 the heavenly-minded
 rising to the  heights above1 and the  
contrary sort sinking to the depths     
beneath4    ,the precise bearing of the 
question 7ver4 #ad71 ,is ,israel a      
bondman1  or a homeborn slave8 is hardly
 self-evident4 ,one commentator supposes
  that the implied answer is an         

affirmative4 ,israel is a servant1  the 
servant1 that is1 the worshipper of the 
true ,god4 ,nay1 he is  more than a mere
 bondservant2 he occupies the favoured  
position of  a slave born in his lord's 
house 7cf4 ,abram's three hundred and   
eighteen young men1 ,gen4 xiv4 #ad71 and
 therefore1 according to the  custom of 
antiquity1 standing on a different      
footing from a slave  acquired by       
purchase4 ,the home or house is taken to
 mean the land  of ,canaan1 which the   
prophet ,hosea had designated as        
,iahvah's house  7,hosea ix4 #ae1 cf4   
#c72 and the ,israel intended is        
supposed to be  the existing generation 
born in the holy land4 ,the double      
question  of the prophet then amounts to
 this3 ,if ,israel be1 as is generally  
admitted1 the favourite bondservant of  
,iahvah1 how comes it that his  lord has
 not protected him against the spoiler8 
,but1 although this  interpretation is  
not without force1 it is rendered       
doubtful by the  order of the words in  

the ,hebrew1 where the stress lies on   
the terms  for bondman and homeborn     
slave2 and by its bold divergence from  
the sense conveyed by the same form of  
question in other passages of  the      
prophet1 e4g4 ver4 #ca infr41 where the 
answer expected is a  negative one 7cf4 
also chap4 viii4 #d1 #e1 xiv4 #ai1 xlix4
 #a4 ,the formula  is evidently         
characteristic74 ,the point of the      
question seems to  lie in the fact of   
the helplessness of persons of servile  
condition  against occasional acts of   
fraud and oppression1 from which neither
  the purchased nor the homebred slave  
could at all times be secure4  ,the     
rights of such persons1 however humane  
the laws affecting their  ordinary      
status1 might at times be cynically     
disregarded both by their  masters and  
by others 7see a notable instance1 ,jer4
 xxxiv4 #h sqq474  ,moreover1 there may 
be a reference to the fact that slaves  
were  always reckoned in those times as 
a valuable portion of the booty  of     

conquest2 and the meaning may be that   
,israel's lot as a captive  is as bad as
 if he had never known the blessings of 
freedom1 and had  simply exchanged one  
servitude for another by the fortune of 
war4 ,the  allusion is chiefly to the   
fallen kingdom of ,ephraim4 ,we must    
remember  that ,jeremiah is reviewing   
the whole past1 from the outset of      
,iahvah's  special dealings with        
,israel4 ,the national sins of the      
northern and  more powerful branch had  
issued in utter ruin4 ,the young lions1 
the  foreign invaders1 had roared       
against ,israel properly so called1 and 
made havoc of the whole country 7cf4 iv4
 #g74 ,the land was dispeopled1  and    
became an actual haunt of lions 7#b     
,kings xvii4 #be71 until  ,esarhaddon   
colonised it with a motley gathering of 
foreigners 7,ezra  iv4 #b74 ,judah too  
had suffered greatly from the ,assyrian 
invasion in  ,hezekiah's time1 although 
the last calamity had then been         
mercifully  averted 7,sanherib boasts   

that he stormed and destroyed forty-six 
strong cities1 and carried off #bjj1jjj 
captives1 and an innumerable  booty74   
,the implication is that the evil fate  
of ,ephraim threatens to  overtake      
,judah2 for the same moral causes are   
operative1 and the same  ,divine will1  
which worked in the past1 is working in 
the present1 and  will continue to work 
in the future4 ,the lesson of the past  
was plain  for those who had eyes to    
read and hearts to understand it4 ,apart
 from  this prophetic doctrine of a     
,providence which shapes the destinies  
of  nations1 in accordance with their   
moral deserts1 history has no value     
except for the gratification of mere    
intellectual curiosity4    ,aye1 and the
 children of ,noph and ,tahpanhes they  
bruise 78 used to  bruise2 are bruising3
 the ,heb4  may mean either7 thee on the
  crown 7ver4 #af74 ,this obviously     
refers to injuries inflicted by ,egypt1 
the two royal cities of ,noph or        
,memphis1 and ,tahpanhes or ,daphn1     

being  mentioned in place of the country
 itself4 ,judah must be the sufferer1   
as no ,egyptian attack on ,ephraim is   
anywhere recorded2 while we do  read of 
,shishak's invasion of the southern     
kingdom in the reign of  ,rehoboam1 both
 in the ,bible 7#a ,kings xiv4 #be71 and
 in ,shishak's own  inscriptions on the 
walls of the temple of ,amen at ,karnak4
 ,but the form  of the ,hebrew verb     
seems to indicate rather some           
contemporary trouble2  perhaps          
plundering raids by an ,egyptian army1  
which about this time  was besieging the
 ,philistine stronghold of ,ashdod      
7,herod41 ii4 #aeg74  ,the ,egyptians   
are bruising 7or crushing7 thee seems to
 be the sense2  and so it is given by   
the ,jewish commentator ,rashi 7        
diffringunt74  ,our ,english marginal   
rendering 7fed on7 follows the          
traditional  pronunciation of the       
,hebrew term 771 which is also the case 
with  the ,targum and the ,syriac       
versions2 but this can hardly be right1 

unless  we suppose that the ,egyptians  
infesting the frontier are scornfully   
compared to vermin 7read  with ,j4 ,d4  
,mich47 of a sort which1 as  ,herodotus 
tells us1 the ,egyptians particularly   
disliked 7but cf4 ,mic4 v4  #e2 ,ges41  
depascunt1 eating down47    ,the ,a4,v4 
of ver4 #ag presents a curious mistake1 
which the ,revisers  have omitted to    
correct4 ,the words should run1 as ,i   
have rendered  them1 ,is not this--thy  
present ill fortune--the thing that thy 
forsaking of ,iahvah thy ,god did for   
thee--at the time when ,he was  guiding 
thee in the way8 ,the ,hebrew verb does 
not admit of the  rendering in the perf4
 tense1 for it is an impf41 nor is it a 
#bnd  pers4 fem4 7 not 7 but a #crd4    
,the ,,lxx4 has it rightly  7       271 
but leaves out  the next clause which   
specifies the time4 ,the words1 however1
 are  probably original2 for they       
insist1 as vv4 #e and #ca insist1 on the
  groundlessness of ,israel's apostasy4 
,iahvah had given no cause for it2  ,he 

was fulfilling ,his part of the covenant
 by guiding them in the  way4 ,guidance 
or leading is ascribed to ,iahvah as the
 true ,shepherd  of ,israel 7chap4 xxxi4
 #i2 ,ps4 lxxx4 #a74 ,it denotes not    
only the  spiritual guidance which was  
given through the priests and prophets2 
but also that external prosperity1 those
 epochs of established power  and peace 
and plenty1 which were precisely the    
times chosen by  infatuated ,israel for 
defection from the ,divine ,giver of her
 good  things4 ,as the prophet ,hosea   
expresses it1 ii4 #h sq41 ,she knew not 
that it was ,i who gave her the corn and
 the new wine and the oil2 and  silver  
,i multiplied unto her1 and gold1 which 
they made into the ,baal4  ,therefore   
will ,i take back ,my corn in the time  
of it1 and ,my new wine  in its season1 
and will snatch away ,my wool and ,my   
flax1 which were to  cover her          
nakedness4 ,and 7chap4 xiii4 #f7 the    
same prophet gives this  plain account  
of his people's thankless revolt from   

their ,god3 ,when  ,i fed them1 they    
were sated2 sated were they1 and their  
heart was  lifted up3 therefore they    
forgot ,me4 ,it is the thought so       
forcibly  expressed by the minstrel of  
the ,book of the ,law 7,deut4 xxxii4    
#ae71  first published in the early days
 of ,jeremiah3 ,and ,jeshurun waxed fat 
and kicked2 ,thou waxedst fat1 and gross
 and fleshy6 ,and he forsook  the ,god  
that made him1 ,and made light of his   
protecting ,rock4 ,and1  lastly1 the    
,chronicler has pointed the same moral  
of human fickleness  and frailty in the 
case of an individual1 ,uzziah or       
,azariah1 the  powerful king of ,judah1 
whose prosperity seduced him into       
presumption  and profanity 7#b ,chron4  
xxvi4 #af73 ,when he grew strong1 his   
heart  rose high1 until he dealt        
corruptly1 and was unfaithful to ,iahvah
 his  ,god4 ,i need not enlarge on the  
perils of prosperity2 they are known  by
 bitter experience to every ,christian  
man4 ,not without good reason  do we    

pray to be delivered from evil ,in all  
time of our wealth2 nor  was that poet  
least conversant with human nature who  
wrote that ,sweet  are the uses of      
adversity4    ,and now--a common formula
 in drawing an inference and concluding 
an  argument--what hast thou to do with 
the way of ,egypt1 to drink the  waters 
of ,shihor 7the ,black ,river1 the      
,nile72 and what hast thou to  do with  
the way to ,assyria1 to drink the waters
 of the ,river8 7par  excellence1 i4e41 
the ,euphrates74 ,thy wickedness        
correcteth thee1  and thy revolts it is 
that chastise thee4 ,know then1 and see 
that  evil and bitter is thy forsaking  
,iahvah thy ,god1 and thine having no   
dread of ,me1 saith the ,lord ,iahvah   
,sabaoth 7vv4 #ah1 #ai74 ,and now--as   
the cause of all thy misfortunes lies in
 thyself--what is the use of  seeking a 
cure for them abroad8 ,egypt will prove 
as powerless to help  thee now1 as      
,assyria proved in the days of ,ahaz    
7ver4 #cf sq474 ,the  ,jewish people1   

anticipating the views of certain modern
 historians1  made a wrong diagnosis of 
their own evil case4 ,they traced all   
that  they had suffered1 and were yet to
 suffer1 to the ill will of the two     
great ,powers of their time2 and        
supposed that their only salvation lay  
in conciliating the one or the other4   
,and as ,isaiah found it necessary  to  
cry woe on the rebellious children1 that
 walk to go down into  ,egypt1 and have 
not asked at ,my mouth2 to strengthen   
themselves in  the strength of ,pharaoh1
 and to trust in the shadow of ,egypt6  
7,isa4  xxx4 #a sq471 so now1 after so  
much experience of the futility and     
positive harmfulness of these unequal   
alliances1 ,jeremiah has to lift  his   
voice against the same national folly4  
,the young lions of ver4 #ae must denote
 the ,assyrians1 as ,egypt is  expressly
 named in ver4 #af4 ,the figure is very 
appropriate1 for not  only was the lion 
a favourite subject of ,assyrian        
sculpture2 not only  do the ,assyrian   

kings boast of their prowess as         
lion-hunters1 while  they even tamed    
these fierce creatures1 and trained them
 to the chase2  but the great strength  
and predatory habits of the king of     
beasts made  him a fitting symbol of    
that great empire whose irresistible    
power was  founded upon and sustained by
 wrong and robbery4 ,this reference     
makes  it clear that the prophet is     
contemplating the past2 for ,assyria was
  at this time already tottering to its 
fall1 and the ,israel of his day1  i4e4 
the surviving kingdom of ,judah1 had no 
longer any temptation to  court the     
countenance of that decaying if not     
already ruined empire4  ,the sin of     
,israel is an old one2 both it and its  
consequences belong  to the past 7ver4  
#bj compared with ver4 #ad72 and the    
national attempts  to find a remedy must
 be referred to the same period4 ,ver4  
#cf makes it  evident that the prophet's
 contemporaries concerned themselves    
only  about an ,egyptian alliance4      

,it is an interesting detail that for   
the waters of ,shihor1 the ,,lxx4  gives
 waters of ,gihon 771 which it will be  
remembered is the  name of one of the   
four rivers of ,paradise1 and which     
appears to have  been the old ,hebrew   
name of the ,nile 7,ecclus4 xxiv4 #bg2  
,jos41 ,ant41  i4 #a1 #c74 ,shihor may  
be an explanatory substitute4 ,for the  
rest1 it is  plain that the two rivers  
symbolize the two empires 7cf4 ,isa4    
viii4  #g2 chap4 xlvi4 #g72 and the     
expression to drink the waters of them  
must imply the receiving and1 as it     
were1 absorption of whatever  advantage 
might be supposed to accrue from        
friendly relations with  their          
respective countries4 ,at the same time1
 a contrast seems to be  intended       
between these earthly waters1 which     
could only disappoint  those who sought 
refreshment in them1 and that fountain  
of living  waters 7ver4 #ac7 which      
,israel had forsaken4 ,the nation sought
 in  ,egypt its deliverance from        

self-caused evil1 much as ,saul had     
sought  guidance from witches when he   
knew himself deserted by the ,god whom  
by disobedience he had driven away4 ,in 
seeking thus to escape the  consequences
 of sin by cementing alliances with     
heathen powers1  ,israel added sin to   
sin4 ,hence 7in ver4 #ai7 the prophet   
reiterates  with increased emphasis what
 he has already suggested by a question 
7ver4 #ag73 ,thy wickedness correcteth  
thee1 and thy revolts it is  that       
chastise thee4 ,know then1 and see that 
evil and bitter is thy  forsaking of    
,iahweh thy ,god1 and thine having no   
dread of ,me6 ,learn  from these its    
bitter fruits that the thing itself is  
bad 7,read    as a #bnd pers4 instead of
 4 ,job xxi4 #cc1 quoted  by ,hitzig1 is
 not a real parallel2 nor can the       
sentence1 as it stands1  be rendered1   
,und dass die ,scheu vor mir nicht an   
dich kam72 and  renounce that which its 
consequences declare to be an evil      
course1  instead of aggravating the evil

 of it by a new act of unfaithfulness4  
,for long ago didst thou break thy yoke1
 didst thou burst thy bonds1  and       
saidst1 ,i will not serve3 for upon     
every high hill1 and under each         
evergreen tree thou wert crouching in   
fornication 7vv4 #bj-bd74 ,such  seems  
to be the best way of taking a verse    
which is far from clear as  it stands in
 the ,masoretic text4 ,the prophet      
labours to bring home to  his hearers a 
sense of the reality of the national    
sin2 and he affirms  once more 7vv4 #e1 
#g7 that ,israel's apostasy originated  
long ago1 in the  early period of its   
history1 and implies that the taint thus
 contracted  is a fact which can neither
 be denied nor obliterated4 7,the       
punctuators  of the ,hebrew text1 having
 pointed the first two verbs as in the  
#ast  pers4 instead of the #bnd         
feminine1 were obliged1 further1 to     
suggest  the reading  1 ,i will not     
transgress1 for the original  phrase    
,i will not serve2 a variant which is   

found in the  ,targum1 and many ,,mss4  
and editions4 ,serving and bearing the  
yoke  are equivalent expressions 7xxvii4
 #aa1 #ab72 so that1 if the first two   
verbs were really in the #ast pers41 the
 sentence ought to be continued  with1  
,and ,i said1 ,thou shalt not serve4    
,but the purport of this  verse is to   
justify the assertion of the last1 as is
 evident from the  introductory particle
 for1 4 ,the ,syriac supports 2 and the 
,,lxx4 and ,vulg4 have the two leading  
verbs in the #bnd pers41 iv4 #ai47 ,the 
meaning is that ,israel1 like a stubborn
 ox1 has broken the yoke imposed  on him
 by ,iahvah2 a statement which is       
repeated in v4 #e3 ,but these have      
altogether broken the yoke1 they have   
burst the bonds 7cf4 ver4 #ca1  infr42  
,hos4 iv4 #af2 ,acts xxvi4 #ad74    ,yet
 ,i--,i planted thee with 7or1 as7 noble
 vines1 all of them  genuine shoots2 and
 how hast thou turned ,me thyself into  
the wild  offshoots of a foreign vine8  
7ver4 #ba74 ,the thought seems to be    

borrowed from ,isaiah's ,song of the    
,beloved's ,vineyard 7,isa4 v4  #a      
sqq474 ,the nation is addressed as a    
person1 endowed with a  continuity of   
moral existence from the earliest       
period4 ,the days  of the life of a man 
may be numbered2 but the days of ,israel
 are  innumerable 7,ecclus4 xxxvii4     
#be74 ,it was with the true seed of     
,abraham1 the real ,israel1 that ,iahvah
 had entered into covenant 7,ex4  xviii4
 #ai2 ,rom4 ix4 #g72 and this genuine   
offspring of the patriarch  had its     
representatives in every succeeding     
generation1 even in the  worst of times 
7#a ,kings xix4 #ah74 ,but the prophet's
 argument seems  to imply that the good 
plants had reverted to a wild state1 and
 that  the entire nation had become     
hopelessly degenerate2 which was not far
  from the actual condition of things at
 the close of his career4 ,the          
culmination of ,israel's degeneracy1    
however1 was seen in the rejection  of  
,him to whom gave all the prophets      

witness4 ,the ,passion of ,christ       
sounded a deeper depth of sacred sorrow 
than the passion of any of ,his         
forerunners4 ,o ,jerusalem1 ,jerusalem6 
,thou that killest the prophets1  and   
stonest them that are sent unto thee6   
,then on ,my head a crown of thorns ,i  
wear2             ,for these are all the
 grapes ,sion doth bear1                
,though ,i ,my vine planted and watered 
there3                         ,was ever
 grief like ,mine8    ,for if thou wash 
with natron1 and take thee much soap1   
spotted  7crimsoned2 ,targ4 ,isa4 i4    
#ah3 or written1 recorded7 is thy  guilt
 before ,me1 saith ,my ,lord ,iahvah4   
,comparison with ,isa4 i4 #ah1  ,though 
thy sins be as scarlet 444 though they  
be red like crimson1  suggests that the 
former rendering of the doubtful word 77
 is  correct2 and this idea is plainly  
better suited to the context than  a    
reference to the ,books of ,heaven1 and 
the ,recording ,angel2 for the  object  
of washing is to get rid of spots and   

stains4    ,how canst thou say1 ,i have 
not defiled myself2 after the ,baals ,i 
have  not gone3 ,see thy way in the     
valley1 know what thou hast done1 ,o    
swift  she-camel1 running hither and    
thither 7literally intertwining or      
crossing her ways7 7ver4 #bc74 ,the     
prophet anticipates a possible  attempt 
at self-justification2 just as in ver4  
#ce he complains of  ,israel's          
self-righteousness4 ,both here and there
 he is dealing with  his own            
contemporaries in ,judah2 whereas the   
idolatry described in  ver4 #bj sqq4 is 
chiefly that of the ruined kingdom of   
,ephraim 7ch4  iii4 #bd2 #b ,kings xvii4
 #aj74 ,it appears that the worship of  
,baal proper  only existed in ,judah for
 a brief period in the reign of         
,ahaziah's  usurping queen ,athaliah1   
side by side with the worship of ,iahvah
  7#b ,chron4 xxiii4 #ag72 while on the 
high-places and at the local            
sanctuaries the ,god of ,israel was     
honoured 7#b ,kings xviii4 #bb74 ,so far

  as the prophet's complaints refer to  
old times1 ,judah could certainly  boast
 of a relatively higher purity than the 
northern kingdom2 and the  manifold     
heathenism of ,manasseh's reign had been
 abolished a whole  year before this    
address was delivered 7#b ,chron4 xxxiv4
 #c sqq474  ,the valley spoken of as the
 scene of ,judah's misdoings is that  of
 ,ben-,hinnom1 south of ,jerusalem1     
where1 as the prophet elsewhere  relates
 7vii4 #ca1 xxxii4 #ce2 #b ,kings xxiii4
 #aj71 the people sacrificed  children  
by fire to the god ,molech1 whom he     
expressly designates as a  ,baal 7xix4  
#e1 xxxii4 #ce71 using the term in its  
wider significance1  which includes all 
the aspects of the ,canaanite sun-god4  
,and because  ,judah betook herself now 
to ,iahvah1 and now to ,molech1 varying1
 as  it were1 her capricious course from
 right to left and from left to  right1 
and halting evermore between two        
opinions 7#a ,kings xviii4 #ba71  the   
prophet calls her a swift young         

she-camel1--swift1 that is1  for        
evil--intertwining1 or crossing her     
ways4 ,the hot zeal with  which the     
people wantonly plunged into a sensual  
idolatry is aptly  set forth in the     
figure of the next verse4 ,a wild ass1  
used to the  wilderness 7,job xxiv4 #e71
 in the craving of her soul she snuffeth
  up 7xiv4 #f7 the wind 7not lsst sie   
kaum ,athem genug finden1  indem sie    
denselben vorweg vergeudet1 as ,hitzig2 
but1 as a wild beast  scenting prey1 cf4
 xiv4 #f1 or food afar off1 she scents  
companions  at a distance72 her greedy  
lust1 who can turn it back8 ,none that  
seek her need weary themselves2 in her  
month they find her4 ,while  passion    
rages1 animal instinct is too strong to 
be diverted from its  purpose2 it is    
idle to argue with blind appetite2 it   
goes straight to  its mark1 like an     
arrow from a bow4 ,only when it has had 
its way1 and  the reaction of nature    
follows1 does the influence of reason   
become  possible4 ,such was ,israel's   

passion for the false gods4 ,they had no
  need to seek her 7,hos4 ii4 #g2 ,ezek4
 xvi4 #cd72 in the hour of her          
infatuation1 she fell an easy victim to 
their passive allurements4  7,the month 
is the season when the sexual instinct  
is strong47  ,warnings fell on deaf     
ears4 ,keep back thy foot from bareness1
 and thy  throat from thirst6 ,this cry 
of the prophets availed nothing3 ,thou  
saidst1 ,it is vain6 7sc4 that thou     
urgest me47 ,no1 for ,i love the        
strangers and after them will ,i go6    
,the meaning of the admonition is  not  
very clear4 ,some 7e4g4 ,rosenmller7    
have understood a reference  to the     
shameless doings1 and the insatiable    
cravings of lust4 ,others  7as          
,gesenius7 explain the words thus3 ,do  
not pursue thy lovers in  such hot      
haste1 as to wear thy feet bare in the  
wild race6 ,others1  again1 take the    
prohibition literally1 and connect the  
barefootedness  and the thirst with the 
orgies of ,baal-worship 7,hitz471 in    

which the  priests leaped or rather     
limped with bare feet 7what proof87 on  
the  blazing ltar1 as an act of         
religious mortification1 shrieking the  
while till their throats were parched   
and dry 7,ps4 lxix4 #d1   71 in frenzied
 appeal to their lifeless god 7cf4 ,ex4 
iii4 #e2 #b  ,sam4 xv4 #cj2 #a ,kings   
xviii4 #bf74 ,in this case1 the command 
is1 ,cease  this self-torturing and     
bootless worship6 ,but the former sense 
seems  to agree better with the context4
    ,like the shame of a thief1 when he 
is detected1 so are the house of        
,israel ashamed--they1 their kings1     
their princes1 and their priests1  and  
their prophets2 in that they say 7are   
ever saying7 to the wood  7iii4 #i in   
,heb4 masc471 ,thou art my father6 7iii4
 #d7 and to the  stone 7in ,heb4 fem471 
,thou didst bring me forth6 ,for they   
7xxxii4  #cc7 have turned towards ,me   
the back and not the face2 but in the   
time of their trouble they say 7begin to
 say71 ,o rise and save us6  ,but where 

are thy gods that thou madest for       
thyself8 ,let them arise1  if they can  
save thee in the time of thy trouble2   
for numerous as  thy cities are thy gods
 become1 ,o ,judah6 7vv4 #bf-bh74 ,the  
,shame  77 is the well-known title of   
opprobrium which the prophets apply  to 
,baal4 ,even in the histories1 which    
largely depend on prophetic  sources1 we
 find such substitutions as ,ishbosheth 
for ,eshbaal1 the  ,man of ,shame for   
,baal's ,man4 ,accordingly1 the point of
 ver4 #bf  sqq4 is1 that as ,israel has 
served the ,shame1 the idol-gods1       
instead  of ,iahvah1 shame has been and 
will be her reward3 in the hour of      
bitter need1 when she implores help from
 the ,one true ,god1 she is put  to     
shame by being referred back to her     
senseless idols4 ,the ,israel  intended 
is the entire nation1 as in ver4 #c1 and
 not merely the  fallen kingdom of      
,ephraim4 ,in ver4 #bh the prophet      
specially addresses  ,judah1 the        
surviving representative of the whole   

people4 ,in the book  of ,judges 7x4    
#aj-ad7 the same idea of the attitude of
 ,iahvah towards  ,his faithless people 
finds historical illustration4          
,oppressed by the  ,ammonites they cried
 unto the ,lord1 saying1 ,we have sinned
 against  ,thee1 in that we have both   
forsaken our own ,god1 and have served  
the  ,baals2 but ,iahvah1 after         
reminding them of past deliverances     
followed  by fresh apostasies1 replies3 
,go1 and cry unto the gods which ye have
  chosen2 let them save you in the time 
of your distress6 ,here also  we hear   
the echoes of a prophetic voice4 ,the   
object of such ironical  utterances was 
by no means to deride the self-caused   
miseries in  which ,israel was involved2
 but1 as is evident from the sequel of  
the  narrative in ,judges1 to deepen    
penitence and contrition1 by making  the
 people realize the full flagrancy of   
their sin1 and the suicidal  folly of   
their desertions of the ,god whom1 in   
times of national  distress1 they       

recognised as the only possible         
,saviour4 ,in the same  way and with the
 same end in view1 the prophetic        
psalmist of ,deut4  xxxii4 represents   
the ,god of ,israel as asking 7ver4 #cg7
 ,where are  their gods2 the ,rock in   
which they sought refuge8 ,that used to 
eat  the flesh of their sacrifices1 that
 drank the wine of their libation8  ,let
 them arise and help you2 let them be   
over you a shelter6 ,the  purpose is to 
bring home to them a conviction of the  
utter vanity of  idol-worship2 for the  
poet continues3 ,see now that ,i even ,i
 am  ,he--the one ,god--and there is no 
,god beside ,me 7with ,me1 sharing ,my  
sole attributes72 ',tis ,i that kill and
 save alive2 ,i have crushed1  and ,i   
heal4 ,the folly of ,israel is made     
conspicuous1 first by  the expression   
,saying to the wood1 ,thou art my       
father1 and to the  stone1 ,thou didst  
bring me forth2 and secondly1 by the    
statement1  ,numerous as thy cities are 
thy gods become1 ,o ,judah6 ,in the     

former1  we have a most interesting     
glimpse of the point of view of the     
heathen  worshipper of the seventh      
century ,b4,c41 from which it appears   
that  by a god he meant the original1   
i4e41 the real author of his own        
existence4 ,much has been written in    
recent years to prove that man's        
elementary notions of deity are of an   
altogether lower kind than those  which 
find expression in the worship of a     
,father in heaven2 but when  we see that
 such an idea could subsist even in     
connexion with the most  impure         
nature-worships1 as in ,canaan1 and when
 we observe that it was  a familiar     
conception in the religion of ,egypt    
several thousand years  previously1 we  
may well doubt whether this idea of an  
,unseen ,father of  our race is not as  
old as humanity itself4    ,the         
sarcastic reference to the number of    
,judah's idols may remind us  of what is
 recorded of classic ,athens1 in whose  
streets it was said to  be easier to    

find a god than a man4 ,the irony of the
 prophet's remark  depends on the       
consideration that there is1 or ought to
 be1 safety  in numbers4 ,the impotence 
of the false gods could hardly be put in
 a  stronger light in words as few as   
the prophet has used4 ,in chap4 xi4  #ac
 he repeats the statement in an         
amplified form3 ,for numerous as thy    
cities have thy gods become1 ,o ,judah2 
and numerous as the streets of          
,jerusalem have ye made altars for ,the 
,shame1 altars for sacrificing to  the  
,baal4 ,from this passage1 apparently1  
the ,,lxx4 derived the words  which it  
adds here3 ,and according to the number 
of the streets of  ,jerusalem did they  
sacrifice to the 7image of7 ,baal 7  74 
,why contend ye with ,me8 ,all of you   
have rebelled against ,me1 saith        
,iahvah4 7,,lxx4 1      4 ,ebenfalls    
authentisch says ,hitzig74 ,in vain have
 ,i smitten your sons2 correction  they 
7i4e41 the people2 but ,,lxx4  may be   
correct71 received  not6 your own sword 

hath eaten up your prophets1 like a     
destroying  lion4 ,generation that ye   
are6 ,see the word of ,iahvah6 ,is it a 
wilderness  that ,i have been to        
,israel1 or a land of deepest gloom8    
,why have ,my  people said1 ,we are     
free2 we will come no more unto ,thee8  
,doth a virgin  forget her ornaments1 a 
bride her bands 7or garlands1 ,rashi78  
yet  ,my people hath forgotten ,me days 
without number 7vv4 #bi-cb74 ,the       
question1 ,why contend1 or dispute ye   
771 or1 as the ,,lxx4 has it1  talk ye  
77 towards or about ,me 778 implies that
 the people  murmured at the reproaches 
and menaces of the prophet 7ver4 #bf    
sqq474  ,he answers them by denying     
their right to complain4 ,their         
rebellion  has been universal2 no       
chastisement has reformed them2 ,iahvah 
has done  nothing which can be alleged  
in excuse of their unfaithfulness2 their
  sin is1 therefore1 a portentous       
anomaly1 for which it is impossible  to 
find a parallel in ordinary human       

conduct4 ,in vain had their  sons1 the  
young men of military age1 fallen in    
battle 7,amos iv4 #aj72  the nation had 
stubbornly refused to see in such       
disasters a sign of  ,iahvah's          
displeasure1 a token of ,divine         
chastisement2 or rather1 while          
recognising the wrath of heaven1 they   
had obstinately persisted in  believing 
in false explanations of its motive1 and
 refused to admit that  the purpose of  
it was their religious and moral        
amendment4 ,and not only  had the nation
 refused warning1 and despised          
instruction1 and defeated  the purposes 
of the ,divine discipline4 ,they had    
slain their spiritual  monitors1 the    
prophets1 with the sword2 the prophets  
who had founded  upon the national      
disasters their rebukes of national sin1
 and their  earnest calls to penitence  
and reform 7#a ,kings xix4 #aj2 ,neh4   
ix4 #bf2  ,st4 ,matt4 xxiii4 #cg74 ,and 
so when at last the long deferred       
judgment  arrived1 it found a political 

system ready to go to pieces through the
  feebleness and corruption of the      
ruling classes2 a religious system1 of  
which the spirit had long since         
evaporated1 and which simply survived in
  the interests of a venal priesthood1  
and its intimate allies1 who made a     
trade of prophecy2 and a kingdom and    
people ripe for destruction4    ,at the 
thought of this crowning outrage1 the   
prophet cannot restrain  his            
indignation4 ,generation that ye are6 he
 exclaims1 behold the  word of the      
,lord4 ,is it a wilderness that ,i have 
been to ,israel1 or a  land of deepest  
gloom8 ,have ,i been a thankless1 barren
 soil1 returning  nothing for your      
culture8 ,the question is more pointed  
in ,hebrew than in  ,english2 for the   
same term 7 abad7 means both to till the
 ground1  and to serve and worship ,god4
 ,we have thus an emphatic repetition of
 the  remonstrance with which the       
address opens3 ,iahweh has not been     
unmindful  of ,israel's service2 ,israel

 has been persistently ungrateful for   
,iahvah's gracious love4 ,the cry ,we   
are free6 77 implies that they  had     
broken away from a painful yoke and a   
burdensome service 7cf4 ver4  #bj72 the 
yoke being that of the ,moral ,law1 and 
the service that perfect  freedom which 
consists in subjection to ,divine       
,reason4 ,thus sin always  triumphs in  
casting away man's noblest prerogative2 
in trampling under  foot that loyalty to
 the higher ideal which is the bridal   
adornment and  the peculiar glory of the
 soul4    ,why hurriest thou to seek thy
 love8 7,lit4 why dost thou make good   
thy way8 somewhat as we say1 to make    
good way with a thing7 7ver4  #cc74 ,the
 key to the meaning here is supplied by 
ver4 #cf3 ,why art thou  in such haste  
to change thy way8 ,in 7,of7 ,egypt also
 thou shalt be  disappointed1 as thou   
wert in ,assyria4 ,the way is that which
 leads  to ,egypt2 and the love is that 
apostasy from ,iahvah which invariably  
accompanies an alliance with foreign    

peoples 7ver4 #ah74 ,if you go to       
,assyria1 you drink the waters of the   
,euphrates1 i4e41 you are  exposed to   
all the malign influences of the heathen
 land4 ,elsewhere1  also 7iv4 #cj71     
,jeremiah speaks of the foreign peoples1
 whose connexion  ,israel so anxiously  
courted1 as her lovers2 and the metaphor
 is a  common one in the prophets4      
,the words which follow are obscure4    
,therefore the evil things also  hast   
thou taught thy ways4 ,what evil things8
 ,elsewhere the term  denotes           
misfortunes1 calamities 7,lam4 iii4     
#ch72 and so probably  here 7cf4 iii4   
#e74 ,the sense seems to be3 ,thou hast 
done evil1 and in  so doing hast taught 
,evil to dog thy steps6 ,the term evil  
obviously  suggests the two meanings of 
sin and the punishment of sin2 as we    
say1 ,be sure your sin will find you    
out6 ,ver4 #cd explains what  was the   
special sin that followed and clung to  
,israel3 ,also1 in thy  skirts--the     
borders of thy garments--are they 7the  

evil things7  found1 viz41 the          
life-blood of innocent helpless ones2   
not that  thou didst find them          
house-breaking1 and so hadst excuse for 
slaying  them 7,exod4 xxii4 #b72 but for
 all these warnings or1 because of all  
these apostasies and dallyings with the 
heathen1 which they denounced  7cf4 iii4
 #g71 thou slewest them4 ,the murder of 
the prophets 7ver4  #cj7 was the        
unatoned guilt which clung to the skirts
 of ,israel4    ,and thou saidst1       
,certainly ,i am absolved6 ,surely ,his 
wrath is  turned away from me6 ,behold  
,i wilt reason with thee1 because thou  
sayest1 ,i sinned not6 7ver4 #ce74 ,this
 is what the people said when  they     
murdered the prophets4 ,they1 and       
doubtless their false guides1  regarded 
the national disasters as so much       
atonement for their  sins4 ,they        
believed that ,iahvah's wrath had       
exhausted itself in the  infliction of  
what they had already endured1 and that 
they were now  absolved from their      

offences4 ,the prophets looked at the   
matter  differently4 ,to them1 national 
disasters were warnings of worse to     
follow1 unless the people would take    
them in that sense1 and turn from  their
 evil ways4 ,the people preferred to    
think that their account  with ,iahvah  
had been balanced and settled by their  
misfortunes in war  7ver4 #cj74 ,hence  
they slew those who never wearied of    
affirming the  contrary1 and threatening
 further woe1 as false prophets 7,deut4 
xviii4  #bj74 ,the saying1 ,i sinned    
not6 refers to these cruel acts2 they   
declared themselves guiltless in the    
matter of slaying the prophets1  as if  
their blood was on their own heads4 ,the
 only practical issue of  the national  
troubles was that instead of reforming1 
they sought to  enter into fresh        
alliances with the heathen1 thus1 from  
the point of  view of the prophets1     
adding sin to sin4 ,why art thou in such
 haste  to change thy way8 7i4e4 thy    
course of action1 thy foreign policy74  

,through ,egypt also shalt thou be      
shamed1 as thou hast been shamed        
through ,assyria4 ,out of this affair   
also 7or1 from him1 as the  country is  
perhaps personified as a lover of       
,judah27 shalt thou go  forth with thine
 hands upon thine head 7in token of     
distress1 #b ,sam4  xiii4 #ai3 ,tamar72 
for ,iahvah hath rejected the objects of
 thy trust1  so that thou canst not be  
successful regarding them 7vv4 #cf1     
#cg74  ,the ,egyptian alliance1 like the
 former one with ,assyria1 was destined 
to bring nothing but shame and confusion
 to the ,jewish people4 ,the  prophet   
urges past experience of similar        
undertakings1 in the hope of  deterring 
the politicians of the day from their   
foolish enterprise4  ,but all that they 
had learnt from the failure and loss    
entailed by  their intrigues with one   
foreign power was1 that it was expedient
 to  try another4 ,so they made haste to
 change their way1 to alter the         
direction of their policy from ,assyria 

to ,egypt4 ,king ,hezekiah had          
renounced his vassalage to ,assyria1 in 
reliance1 as it would seem1 on  the     
support of ,taharka1 king of ,egypt and 
,ethiopia 7#b ,kings xviii4 #g2  cf4    
,isa4 xxx4 #a-e72 and now again the     
nation was coquetting with the  same    
power4 ,as has been stated1 an ,egyptian
 force lay at this time on  the confines
 of ,judah1 and the prophet may be      
referring to friendly  advances of the  
,jewish princes towards its leaders4    
,in the ,hebrew1 ch4 iii4 opens with the
 word saying 774 ,no real  parallel to  
this can be found elsewhere1 and the    
,sept4 and ,syriac  omit the term4      
,whether we follow these ancient        
authorities1 and do  the same1 or       
whether we prefer to suppose that the   
prophet originally  wrote1 as usually1  
,and the ,word of ,iahvah came unto me1 
saying1  will not make much difference4 
,one thing is clear2 the division of    
the chapters is in this instance        
erroneous1 for the short section1  iii4 

#a-e1 obviously belongs to and completes
 the argument of ch4  ii4 ,the statement
 of ver4 #cg1 that ,israel will not     
prosper in the  negotiations with       
,egypt1 is justified in iii4 #a by the  
consideration  that prosperity is an    
outcome of the ,divine favour1 which    
,israel  has forfeited4 ,the rejection  
of ,israel's confidences implies the    
rejection of the people themselves 7vii4
 #bi74 ,if a man divorce  his wife and  
she go away from him 7 de chez lu71 and 
become another man's1 doth he 7her      
former husband7 return unto  her again8 
,would not that land be utterly         
polluted8 ,it is the case  contemplated 
in the ,book of the ,law 7,deut4 xxiv4  
#a-d71 the supposition  being that the  
second husband may divorce the woman1 or
 that the bond  between them may be     
dissolved by his death4 ,in either      
contingency1  the law forbade reunion   
with the former husband1 as abomination 
before ,iahvah2 and ,david's treatment  
of his ten wives1 who had been  publicly

 wedded by his rebel son ,absalom1      
proves the antiquity of  the usage in   
this respect 7#b ,sam4 xx4 #c74 ,the    
relation of ,israel to  ,iahvah is the  
relation to her former husband of the   
divorced wife who  has married another4 
,if anything it is worse4 ,and thou1    
thou hast  played the harlot with many  
paramours2 and shalt thou return unto   
,me8 saith ,iahvah4 ,the very idea of it
 is rejected with indignation4  ,the    
,author of the law will not so          
flagrantly break the law4 7,with  the   
,heb4 form of the question1 cf4 the     
,latin use of the infin4 ,mene  incepto 
desistere victam87 ,the details of the  
unfaithfulness of  ,israel--the proofs  
that she belongs to others and not to   
,iahvah--are  glaringly obvious2        
contradiction is impossible4 ,lift up   
thine eyes  upon the bare fells1 and    
see6 cries the prophet2 where hast thou 
not been forced8 ,by the roadsides thou 
satest for them like a ,bedawi  in the  
wilderness1 and thou pollutedst the land

 with thy whoredom  and with thine evil 
7,hos4 vi4 #ac74 ,on every hill-top the 
evidence  of ,judah's sinful dalliance  
with idols was visible2 in her eagerness
  to consort with the false gods1 the   
objects of her infatuation1 she  was    
like a courtesan looking out for        
paramours by the wayside 7,gen4         
xxxviii4 #ad71 or an ,arab lying in wait
 for the unwary traveller in  the       
desert4 7,there may be a reference to   
the artificial bamoth or  high places   
erected at the top of the streets1 on   
which the wretched  women1 consecrated  
to the shameful rites of the ,canaanite 
goddess  ,ashtoreth1 were wont to sit   
plying their trade of temptation3 #b    
,kings  xxiii4 #h2 ,ezek4 xvi4 #be74 ,we
 must never forget that1 repulsive and  
farfetched as these comparisons of an   
apostate people to a sinful  woman may  
seem to us1 the ideas and customs of the
 time made them  perfectly apposite4    
,the worship of the gods of ,canaan     
involved the  practice of the foulest   

impurities2 and by her revolt from      
,iahvah1  her lord and husband1         
according to the common ,semitic        
conception  of the relation between a   
people and their god1 ,israel became a  
harlot in fact as well as in figure4    
,the land was polluted with her         
whoredoms1 i4e41 her worship of the     
false gods1 and her practice  of their  
vile rites2 and with her evil1 as       
instanced above 7ii4 #cj1  #ce7 in the  
murder of those who protested against   
these things 7,num4  xxxv4 #cc2 ,ps4    
cvi4 #ch74 ,as a punishment for these   
grave offences1  the showers were       
withholden1 and the spring rains fell   
not2 but the  merciful purpose of this  
,divine chastisement was not fulfilled2 
the  people were not stirred to         
penitence1 but rather hardened in their 
sins3 but thou hadst a harlot's         
forehead2 thou refusedst to be made     
ashamed6 ,and now the day of grace is   
past1 and repentance comes too  late4   
,hast thou not but now called unto ,me1 

,my ,father6 ,friend of  my youth wert  
,thou8 ,will ,he retain ,his wrath for  
ever8 or keep it  without end8 7vv4 #c1 
#e74 ,the reference appears to be to the
 external  reforms accomplished by the  
young king ,josiah in his twelfth       
year--the  year previous to the         
utterance of this prophecy2 when1 as we 
read in  #b ,chron4 xxxiv4 #c1 ,he began
 to purge ,judah and ,jerusalem from the
  high places1 and the ,asherim1 and the
 carven images1 and the molten  images4 
,to all appearance1 it was a return of  
the nation to its old  allegiance2 the  
return of the rebellious child to its   
father1 of the  erring wife to the      
husband of her youth4 ,by those two     
sacred names  which in her inexcusable  
fickleness and ingratitude she had      
lavished  upon stocks and stones1       
,israel now seemed to be invoking the   
relenting  compassion of her alienated  
,god 7ii4 #bg1 ii4 #b74 ,but apart from 
the  doubt attaching to the reality of  
reformations to order1 carried  out in  

obedience to a royal decree2 apart from 
the question whether  outward changes so
 easily and rapidly accomplished1 in    
accordance  with the will of an absolute
 monarch1 were accompanied by any tokens
  of a genuine national repentance2 the 
sin of ,israel had gone too  far1 and   
been persisted in too long1 for its     
terrible consequences  to be averted4   
,behold--it is the closing sentence of  
the address2  a sentence fraught with   
despair1 and the certainty of coming    
ruin2--,behold1 thou hast planned and   
accomplished the evil 7ii4 #cc72  and   
thou hast prevailed6 ,the approaches of 
the people are met by the  assurance    
that their own plans and doings1 rather 
than ,iahvah's wrath1  are the direct   
cause of past and prospective adversity2
 ill doing is  the mother of ill        
fortune4 ,israel inferred from her      
troubles that ,god  was angry with her2 
and she is informed by ,his prophet     
that1 had she  been bent on bringing    
those troubles about1 she could not have

 chosen  any other line of conduct than 
that which she had actually pursued4    
,the term evils again suggests both the 
false and impure worships1  and their   
calamitous moral consequences4 ,against 
the will of ,iahvah1  ,his people had   
wrought for its own ruin1 and had       
prevailed4    ,and now let us take a    
farewell look at the discourse in its   
entirety4  ,beginning at the beginning1 
the dawn of his people's life as a      
nation1  the young prophet declares that
 in her early days1 in the old times of 
simple piety and the uncorrupted life of
 the desert1 ,israel had been  true to  
her ,god2 and her devotion to her       
,divine spouse had been rewarded  by    
guidance and protection4 ,israel was a  
thing consecrated to ,iahvah2  whoever  
eat of it was held guilty1 and evil came
 upon them 7ii4 #a-c74  ,this happy     
state of mutual love and trust between  
the ,lord and ,his  people began to     
change with the great change in outward 
circumstances  involved in their        

conquest of ,canaan and settlement among
 the aboriginal  inhabitants as the     
ruling race4 ,with the lands and cities 
of the  conquered1 the conquerors soon  
learned to adopt also their customs of  
worship1 and the licentious merriment of
 their sacrifices and festivals4        
,gradually they lost all sense of any   
radical distinction between the  ,god of
 ,israel and the local deities at whose 
ancient sanctuaries they  now worshipped
 ,him4 ,soon they forgot their debt to  
,iahvah2 ,his gracious  and             
long-continued guidance in the ,arabian 
steppes1 and the loving  care which had 
established them in the goodly land of  
orchards and  vineyards and cornfields4 
,the priests ceased to care about       
ascertaining  and declaring ,his will2  
the princes openly broke ,his laws2 and 
the  popular prophets spoke in the name 
of the popular ,baals 7vv4 #d-h74       
,there was something peculiarly strange 
and startling in this general  desertion
 of the national ,god and ,deliverer2 it

 was unparalleled among  the surrounding
 heathen races4 ,they were faithful to  
gods that were  no gods2 ,israel        
actually exchanged her ,glory1 the      
living source of  all her strength and  
well-being1 for a useless1 helpless     
idol4 ,her  behaviour was as crazy as if
 she had preferred a cistern1 all cracks
  and fissures1 that could not possibly 
hold water1 to a never-failing  fountain
 of sweet spring water 7vv4 #i-ac74 ,the
 consequences were only  too plain to   
such as had eyes to see4 ,israel1 the   
servant1 the favoured  slave of ,iahvah1
 was robbed and spoiled4 ,the lions1 the
 fierce and  rapacious warriors of      
,assyria had ravaged his land1 and      
ruined his  cities2 while ,egypt was    
proving but a treacherous friend1       
pilfering  and plundering on the borders
 of ,judah4 ,it was all ,israel's own   
doing2  forsaking his ,god1 he had      
forfeited the ,divine protection4 ,it   
was  his own apostasy1 his own frequent 
and flagrant revolts which were         

punishing him thus4 ,vain1 therefore1   
utterly vain were his endeavours  to    
find deliverance from trouble in an     
alliance with the great heathen  powers 
of ,south or ,north 7vv4 #ad-ai74       
,rebellion was no new feature in  the   
national history4 ,no2 for of old the   
people had broken the yoke  of ,iahvah1 
and burst the bonds of ,his ordinances1 
and said1 ,i will  not serve6 and on    
every high hill1 and under every        
evergreen tree1  ,israel had bowed down 
to the ,baalim of ,canaan1 in spiritual 
adultery  from her ,divine ,lord and    
,husband4 ,the change was a portent2 the
 noble  vine-shoot had degenerated into 
a worthless wilding 7vv4 #bj-ba74 ,the  
sin of ,israel was inveterate and       
ingrained2 nothing could wash out the   
stain of it4 ,denial of her guilt was   
futile2 the dreadful rites in the       
valley of ,hinnom witnessed against her4
 ,her passion for the foreign  worships 
was as insatiable and headstrong as the 
fierce lust of the  camel or the wild   

ass4 ,to protests and warnings her sole 
reply was3 ,it  is in vain6 ,i love the 
strangers1 and them will ,i follow6 ,the
 outcome  of all this wilful apostasy   
was the shame of defeat and disaster1   
the  humiliation of disappointment1 when
 the helplessness of the stocks  and    
stones1 which had supplanted her        
,heavenly ,father1 was demonstrated  by 
the course of events4 ,then she         
bethought her of the ,god she had  so   
lightly forsaken1 only to hear in ,his  
silence a bitterly ironical  reference  
to the multitude of her helpers1 the    
gods of her own creation4  ,the national
 reverses failed of the effect intended 
in the counsels of  ,providence4 ,her   
sons had fallen in battle2 but instead  
of repenting of  her evil ways1 she slew
 the faithful prophets who warned her of
 the  consequences of her misdeeds 7vv4 
#bj-cj74 ,it was the crowning sin2 the  
cup of her iniquity was full to         
overflowing4 ,indignant at the memory of
  it1 the prophet once more insists that

 the national crimes are what has  put  
misfortune on the track of the nation2  
and chiefly1 this heinous  one of       
killing the messengers of ,god like     
housebreakers caught in the  act2 and   
then aggravating their guilt by         
self-justification1 and by  resorting to
 ,egypt for that help1 which they       
despaired of obtaining from  an outraged
 ,god4 ,all such negotiations1 past or  
present1 were doomed  to failure        
beforehand2 the ,divine sentence had    
gone forth1 and it was  idle to contend 
against it 7vv4 #ca-cg74 ,idle also it  
was to indulge in  hopes of the         
restoration of ,divine favour4 ,just as 
it was not open to a  discarded wife to 
return to her husband after living with 
another2 so  might not ,israel be       
received back into her former position  
of the ,bride  of ,heaven1 after she had
 played the harlot with many lovers4    
,doubtless  of late she had given tokens
 of remembering her forgotten ,lord1    
calling  upon the ,father who had been  

the guide of her youth1 and deprecating 
the continuance of ,his wrath4 ,but the 
time was long since past1 when it  was  
possible to avert the evil consequences 
of her misdoings4 ,she had1  as it were1
 steadily purposed and wrought out her  
own evils2 both her  sins and her       
sufferings past and to come3 the iron   
sequence could not  be broken2 the ruin 
she had courted lay before her in the   
near future3  she had prevailed4 ,all   
efforts such as she was now making to   
stave it  off were like a deathbed      
repentance2 in the nature of things1    
they could  not annihilate the past1 nor
 undo what had been done1 nor substitute
 the  fruit of holiness for the fruit of
 sin1 the reward of faithfulness and    
purity for the wages of worldliness1    
sensuality1 and forgetfulness of  ,god4 
,thus the discourse starts with         
impeachment1 and ends with irreversible 
doom4 ,its tone is comminatory          
throughout2 nowhere do we hear1 as in   
other prophecies1 the promise of pardon 

in return for penitence4  ,such         
preaching was necessary1 if the nation  
was to be brought to  a due sense of its
 evil2 and the reformation of the       
eighteenth of  ,josiah1 which was       
undoubtedly accompanied by a            
considerable amount of  genuine         
repentance among the governing classes1 
was in all likelihood  furthered by this
 and similar prophetic orations4#bj     
,,footnotes3    #ai 1 so far as the     
punctuation suggests that the term is  a
 compound1 meaning shadow of death1 is  
one of the fictions of the  ,masorets1  
like  and  and  in the ,psalms4    #bj  
,perhaps1 too1 the immediate object of  
the prophet was attained1  which was1 as
 ,ewald thinks1 to dissuade the people  
from alliance with  ,psammitichus1 the  
vigorous monarch who was then reviving  
the power and  ambition of ,egypt4      
,jeremiah dreaded the effects of        
,egyptian influence  upon the religion  
and morals of ,judah4 ,ewald notes the  
significant  absence of all reference to

 the enemy from the north1 who appears  
in  all the later pieces4               
,,iii4                        ,,israel  
,,and ,,judah3 ,a ,,contrast4           
,,jeremiah iii4 #f-;iv4 #b4      ,the   
first address of our prophet was        
throughout of a sombre cast1 and  the   
darkness of its close was not relieved  
by a single ray of hope4  ,it was       
essentially a comminatory discourse1 the
 purpose of it being  to rouse a sinful 
nation to the sense of its peril1 by a  
faithful  picture of its actual         
condition1 which was so different from  
what  it was popularly supposed to be4  
,the veil is torn aside2 the real       
relations between ,israel and his ,god  
are exposed to view2 and it is  seen    
that the inevitable goal of persistence 
in the course which has  brought partial
 disasters in the past1 is certain      
destruction in the  imminent future4 ,it
 is implied1 but not said1 that the only
 thing  that can save the nation is a   
complete reversal of policies hitherto  

pursued1 in ,church and ,state and      
private life2 and it is apparently      
taken for granted that the thing implied
 is no longer possible4 ,the  last word 
of the discourse was3 ,thou hast        
purposed and performed the  evils1 and  
thou hast conquered 7iii4 #e74 ,the     
address before us forms  a striking     
contrast to this dark picture4 ,it opens
 a door of hope for  the penitent4 ,the 
heart of the prophet cannot rest in the 
thought of  the utter rejection of his  
people2 the harsh and dreary            
announcement  that his people's woes are
 self-caused cannot be his last word4   
,his  anger was only love provoked to   
distraction2 here it has come to  itself
 again1 and holds out an offer of grace 
first to that part of  the whole nation 
which needs it most1 the fallen kingdom 
of ,ephraim1  and then to the entire    
people4 ,the all ,israel of the former  
discourse  is here divided into its two 
sections1 which are contrasted with each
  other1 and then again considered as a 

united nation4 ,this feature            
distinguishes the piece from that which 
begins chap4 iv4 #c1 and which  is      
addressed to ,judah and ,jerusalem      
rather than to ,israel and ,judah1  like
 the one before us4 ,an outline of the  
discourse may be given thus4  ,it is    
shown that ,judah has not taken warning 
by ,iahvah's rejection  of the sister   
kingdom 7#f-aj72 and that ,ephraim may  
be pronounced  less guilty than ,judah1 
seeing that she had witnessed no such   
signal  example of the ,divine vengeance
 on hardened apostasy4 ,she is1         
therefore1 invited to repent and return 
to her alienated ,god1 which  will      
involve a return from exile to her own  
land2 and the promise  is given of the  
reunion of the two peoples in a restored
 ,theocracy1  having its centre in      
,mount ,zion 7#aa-ai74 ,all ,israel has 
rebelled  against ,god2 but the prophet 
hears the cry of universal penitence and
  supplication ascending to heaven2 and 
,iahvah's gracious answer of  acceptance

 7iii4 #bj-;iv4 #b74    ,the opening    
section depicts the sin which had       
brought ruin on ,israel1  and ,judah's  
readiness in following her example1 and 
refusal to take  warning by her fate4   
,this twofold sin is aggravated by an   
insincere  repentance4 ,and ,iahvah said
 unto me1 in the days of ,josiah the    
king1 ,sawest thou what the ,turncoat or
 ,recreant ,israel did8 she  would go up
 every high hill1 and under every       
evergreen tree1 and  play the harlot    
there4 ,and methought that after doing  
all this she  would return to ,me2 but  
she returned not2 and the ,traitress1   
her  sister ,judah saw it4 ,and ,i#ba   
saw that when for the very reason  that 
she1 the ,turncoat ,israel1 had         
committed adultery1 ,i had put her      
away1 and given her her bill of divorce1
 the ,traitress ,judah1 her  sister1 was
 not afraid1 but she too went off and   
played the harlot4  ,and so1 through the
 cry 7cf4 ,gen4 iv4 #aj1 xviii4 #bj sq47
 of her  harlotry 7or read  for 1       

script4 defect4 through her manifold  or
 abounding harlotry7 she polluted the   
land 7 ver4 #b71  in that she committed 
adultery with the ,stone and with the   
,stock4  ,and yet though she was        
involved in all this guilt 7lit4 and    
even in  all this4 ,perhaps the sin and 
the penalties of it are identified2  and
 the meaning is3 ,and yet for all this  
liability3 cf4 ,isa4 v4  #be71 the      
,traitress ,judah returned not unto ,me 
with all her heart  7with a whole or    
undivided heart1 with entire            
sincerity#bb7  but in falsehood saith   
,iahvah4 ,the example of the northern   
kingdom  is represented as a powerful   
influence for evil upon ,judah4 ,this   
was only natural2 for although from the 
point of view of religious  development 
,judah is incomparably the more         
important of the sister  kingdoms2 the  
exact contrary is the case as regards   
political power  and predominance4      
,under strong kings like ,omri and      
,ahab1 or again1  ,jeroboam ,,ii41      

,ephraim was able to assert itself as a 
first-rate power  among the surrounding 
principalities2 and in the case of      
,athaliah1 we  have a conspicuous       
instance of the manner in which         
,canaanite idolatry  might be propagated
 from ,israel to ,judah4 ,the prophet   
declares that  the sin of ,judah was    
aggravated by the fact that she had     
witnessed  the ruin of ,israel1 and yet 
persisted in the same evil courses of   
which that ruin was the result4 ,she    
sinned against light4 ,the fall of      
,ephraim had verified the predictions of
 her prophets2 yet she was  not afraid1 
but went on adding to the score of her  
own offences1 and  polluting the land   
with her unfaithfulness to her ,divine  
,spouse4 ,the  idea that the very soil  
of her country was defiled by ,judah's  
idolatry  may be illustrated by         
reference to the well-known words of    
,ps4 cvi4  #ch3 ,they shed innocent     
blood1 even the blood of their sons and 
their  daughters whom they sacrificed   

unto the idols of ,canaan2 and the land 
was defiled with the bloodshed4 ,we may 
also remember ,elohim's word  to ,cain3 
,the voice of thy brother's blood is    
crying unto ,me from the  ground6 7,gen4
 iv4 #aj74 ,as ,iahvah's special        
dwelling-place1 moreover1  the land of  
,israel was holy2 and foreign rites     
desecrated and profaned  it1 and made it
 offensive in ,his sight4 ,the pollution
 of it cried to  heaven for vengeance on
 those who had caused it4 ,to such a    
state had  ,judah brought her own land1 
and the very city of the sanctuary2 and 
yet in all this--amid this accumulation 
of sins and liabilities--she  turned not
 to her ,lord with her whole heart4 ,the
 reforms set on foot  in the twelfth    
year of ,josiah were but superficial and
 half-hearted2  the people merely       
acquiesced in them1 at the dictation of 
the court1  and gave no sign of any     
inward change or deep-wrought           
repentance4 ,the  semblance without the 
reality of sorrow for sin is but a      

mockery of  heaven1 and a heinous       
aggravation of guilt4 ,hence the sin of 
,judah  was of a deeper dye than that   
which had destroyed ,israel4 ,and       
,iahvah  said unto me1 ,the ,turncoat or
 ,recreant ,israel hath proven herself  
more  righteous than the ,traitress     
,judah4 ,who could doubt it1 considering
  that almost all the prophets had borne
 their witness in ,judah2 and  that1 in 
imitating her sister's idolatry1 she had
 resolutely closed  her eyes to the     
light of truth and reason8 ,on this     
ground1 that ,israel  has sinned less1  
and suffered more1 the prophet is bidden
 to hold out  to her the hope of ,divine
 mercy4 ,the greatness of her ruin1 as  
well as  the lapse of years since the   
fatal catastrophe1 might tend to        
diminish  in the prophet's mind the     
impression of her guilt2 and his        
patriotic  yearning for the restoration 
of the banished ,ten ,tribes1 who1 after
  all1 were the near kindred of ,judah1 
as well as the thought that they  had   

borne their punishment1 and thus atoned 
for their sin 7,isa4 xl4  #b71 might    
cooperate with the desire of kindling in
 his own countrymen  a noble rivalry of 
repentance1 in moving the prophet to    
obey the  impulse which urged him to    
address himself to ,israel4 ,go thou1   
and  cry these words northward 7toward  
the desolate land of ,ephraim71  and    
say3 ,return1 ,turncoat or ,recreant    
,israel1 saith ,iahvah2 ,i will  not let
 ,my countenance fall at the sight of   
you 7lit4 against you1  cf4 ,gen4 iv4   
#e72 for ,i am loving1 saith ,iahvah1 ,i
 keep not anger  for ever4 ,only        
recognise thy guilt1 that thou hast     
rebelled against  ,iahvah thy ,god1 and 
hast scattered 7or lavished3 ,ps4 cxii4 
#i7 thy  ways to the strangers 7hast    
gone now in this direction1 now in that1
  worshipping first one idol and then   
another2 cf4 ii4 #bc2 and so1 as it     
were1 dividing up and dispersing thy    
devotion7 under every evergreen  tree2  
but ,my voice ye have not obeyed1 saith 

,iahvah4 ,the invitation1  ,return      
,apostate ,israel6--  #bc--;contains a  
play on words1  which seems to suggest  
that the exile of the ,ten ,tribes was  
voluntary1  or self-imposed2 as if1 when
 they turned their backs upon their true
  ,god1 they had deliberately made      
choice of the inevitable consequence  of
 that rebellion1 and made up their minds
 to abandon their native  land4 ,so     
close is the connexion1 in the prophet's
 view1 between the  misfortunes of his  
people and their sins4    ,return1 ye   
apostate children 7again there is a play
 on words--   --,turn back1 ye          
back-turning sons1 or ye sons that turn 
the  back to ,me7 saith ,iahvah2 for it 
was ,i that wedded you 7ver4 #ad71 and  
am1 therefore1 your proper lord4 ,the   
expression is not stranger than  that   
which the great prophet of the ,return  
addresses to ,zion3 ,thy sons  shall    
marry thee4 ,but perhaps we should      
rather compare another passage  of the  
book of ,isaiah1 where it is said3      

,iahvah1 our ,god6 other lords  beside  
,thee have had dominion over us 7 ,isa4 
xxvi4 #ac71 and  render3 ,for it is ,i  
that will be your lord2 or perhaps1 ,for
 it is ,i  that have mastered you1 and  
put down your rebellion by              
chastisements2  and ,i will take you1   
one of a city and two of a clan1 and    
will bring  you to ,zion4 ,as a city is 
elsewhere spoken of as a thousand 7,mic4
  v4 #a71 and a thousand 77 is          
synonymous with a clan 771 as  providing
 a thousand warriors in the national    
militia2 it is clear  that the promise  
is that one or two representatives of   
each township  in ,israel shall be      
restored from exile to the land of their
 fathers4  ,in other words1 we have here
 ,isaiah's doctrine of the remnant1     
which  he calls a tenth 7,isa4 vi4 #ac71
 and of which he declared that the      
survivors of the house of ,judah that   
remain1 shall again take root           
downwards1 and bear fruit upwards 7,isa4
 xxxvii4 #ca74 ,and as ,zion is  the    

goal of the returning exiles1 we may    
see1 as doubtless the prophets  saw1 a  
kind of anticipation and foreshadowing  
of the future in the  few scattered     
members of the northern tribes of       
,asher1 ,manasseh and  ,zebulun1 who    
humbled themselves1 and accepted        
,hezekiah's invitation  to the passover 
7#b ,chron4 xxx4 #aa1 #ah72 and1 again1 
in the authority  which ,josiah is said 
to have exercised in the land of the    
,ten ,tribes  7#b ,chron4 xxxiv4 #f2 cf4
 #i74 ,we must bear in mind that the    
prophets  do not contemplate the        
restoration of every individual of the  
entire  nation2 but rather the return of
 a chosen few1 a kind of firstfruits  of
 ,israel1 who are to be a holy seed     
7,isa4 vi4 #ac71 from which the  power  
of the ,supreme will again build up the 
entire people according to  its ancient 
divisions4 ,so the holy ,apostle in the 
,revelation hears that  twelve thousand 
of each tribe are sealed as servants of 
,god 7,rev4 vii474    ,the happy time of

 restoration will also be a time of     
reunion4 ,the  estranged tribes will    
return to their old allegiance4 ,this is
 implied  by the promise1 ,i will bring 
you to ,zion1 and by that of the next   
verse3 ,and ,i will give you shepherds  
after ,my own heart2 and they  shall    
shepherd you with knowledge and wisdom4 
,obviously1 kings of  the house of      
,david are meant2 the good shepherds of 
the future are  contrasted with the     
rebellious ones of the past 7ii4 #h74   
,it is the  promise of ,isaiah 7i4 #bf73
 ,and ,i will restore thy judges as at  
the  first1 and thy counsellors as at   
the beginning4 ,in this connexion1 we   
may recall the fact that the original   
schism in ,israel was brought  about by 
the folly of evil shepherds4 ,the coming
 ,king will resemble  not ,rehoboam but 
,david4 ,nor is this all2 for ,it shall 
come to pass1  when ye multiply and     
become fruitful in the land1 in those   
days1  saith ,iahvah1 men shall not say 
any more1 ,the ark of the covenant of   

,iahvah1 7or1 as ,,lxx41 of the ,holy   
,one of ,israel72 nor shall it  7the    
ark7 come to mind2 nor shall men        
remember it1 nor miss it2 nor  shall it 
be made any more 7pointing  although the
 verb may be  impersonal4 ,i do not     
understand why ,hitzig asserts ,man wird
 keine  andere machen 7,movers7 oder2   
sie wird nicht wieder gemacht 7,ew41    
,graf7 als wre nicht von der            
geschichtlichen ,lade die ,rede1 sondern
  von ihr begrifflich1 knnen die ,worte 
nicht bedeuten4 ,but cf4 ,exod4  xxv4   
#aj2 ,gen4 vi4 #ad2 where the same verb 
is used4 ,perhaps1  however1 the        
rendering of ,c4 ,b4 ,michaelis1 which  
he prefers1 is more  in accordance with 
what precedes3 nor shall all that be    
done any  more1 ,gen4 xxix4 #bf1 xli4   
#cd4 ,but  does not mean nachforschen3  
cf4 #a ,sam4 xx4 #f1 xxv4 #ae74 ,in that
 time men will call ,jerusalem the      
throne of ,iahvah2 and all the nations  
will gather into it 7,gen4 i4  #i71 for 
the name of ,iahvah at ,jerusalem3      

,,lxx4 om42 and they  7the heathen7 will
 no longer follow the stubbornness of   
their evil  heart 7vii4 #bd2 ,deut4     
xxix4 #ai74    ,in the new ,theocracy1  
the true kingdom of ,god1 the ancient   
symbol  of the ,divine presence will be 
forgotten in the realization of that    
presence4 ,the institution of the ,new  
,covenant will be characterized by  an  
immediate and personal knowledge of     
,iahvah in the hearts of all ,his       
people 7xxxi4 #ca sq474 ,the small      
object in which past generations  had   
loved to recognise the earthly throne of
 the ,god of ,israel1 will  be replaced 
by ,jerusalem itself1 the ,holy ,city1  
not merely of ,judah1  nor of ,judah and
 ,israel1 but of the world4 ,thither    
will all the  nations resort to the name
 of ,iahvah2 ceasing henceforth to      
follow  the hardness 7or callousness7 of
 their own evil heart4 ,that the more   
degraded kinds of heathenism have a     
hardening effect upon the heart2  and   
that the cruel and impure worships of   

,canaan especially tended to  blunt the 
finer sensibilities1 to enfeeble the    
natural instincts of  humanity and      
justice1 and to confuse the sense of    
right and wrong1  is beyond question4   
,only a heart rendered callous by       
custom1 and  stubbornly deaf to the     
pleadings of natural pity1 could find   
genuine  pleasure in the merciless rites
 of the ,molech-worship2 and they who   
ceased to follow these inhuman          
superstitions1 and sought light and     
guidance from the ,god of ,israel1 might
 well be said to have ceased  to walk   
after the hardness of their own evil    
heart4#bd ,the more  repulsive features 
of heathenism chime in too well with the
 worst  and most savage impulses of our 
nature2 they exhibit too close a        
conformity with the suggestions and     
demands of selfish appetite2  they      
humour and encourage the darkest        
passions far too directly and           
decidedly1 to allow us to regard as     
plausible any theory of their  origin   

and permanence which does not recognise 
in them at once a cause  and an effect  
of human depravity 7cf4 ,rom4 i474      
,the repulsiveness of much that was     
associated with the heathenism with     
which they were best acquainted1 did not
 hinder the prophets of ,israel  from   
taking a deep spiritual interest in     
those who practised and were  enslaved  
by it4 ,indeed1 what has been called the
 universalism of the  ,hebrew           
seers--their emancipation in this       
respect from all local and  national    
limits and prejudices--is one of the    
clearest proofs of their  divine        
mission4 ,jeremiah only reiterates what 
,micah and ,isaiah had  preached before 
him2 that in the latter days the        
mountain of ,iahvah's  ,house shall be  
established as the chief of mountains1  
and shall be  exalted above the hills2  
and all the nations will flow unto it   
7,isa4  ii4 #b74 ,in ch4 xvi4 #ai sq4   
our prophet thus expresses himself upon 
the same topic4 ,iahvah1 my strength and

 my stronghold1 and my refuge  in the   
day of distress6 unto ,thee shall       
nations come from the ends  of the      
earth1 and shall say3 ,our forefathers  
inherited nought but a  lie1 vanity1 and
 things among which is no helper4 ,shall
 a man make him  gods1 when they are no 
gods8 ,how largely this particular      
aspiration  of the prophets of the      
seventh and eighth centuries ,b4,c4 has 
since  been fulfilled in the course of  
the ages is a matter of history4 ,the   
religion which was theirs has1 in the   
new shape given it by our ,lord  and    
,his ,apostles1 become the religion of  
one heathen people after  another1 until
 at this day it is the faith professed1 
not only in the  land of its origin1 but
 by the leading nations of the world4   
,so mighty  a fulfilment of hopes1 which
 at the time of their first conception  
and utterance could only be regarded as 
the dreams of enthusiastic  visionaries1
 justifies those who behold and realize 
it in the joyful  belief that the       

progress of true religion has not been  
maintained for  six and twenty centuries
 to be arrested now2 and that these     
old-world  aspirations are destined to  
receive a fulness of illustration in the
  triumphs of the future1 in the light  
of which the brightest glories of  the  
past will pale and fade away4    ,the   
prophet does not say1 with a prophet of 
the ,new ,covenant1 that  all ,israel   
shall be saved 7,rom4 xi4 #bf74 ,we may1
 however1 fairly  interpret the latter  
of the true ,israel1 the remnant        
according to the  election of grace1    
rather than of ,israel according to the 
flesh1  and so both will be at one1 and 
both at variance with the unspiritual   
doctrine of the ,talmud1 that ,all      
,israel1 irrespective of moral          
qualifications1 will have a portion in  
the world to come1 on account  of the   
surpassing merits of ,abraham1 ,isaac   
and ,jacob1 and even of  ,abraham alone 
7cf4 ,st4 ,matt4 iii4 #i2 ,st4 ,john    
viii4 #cc74    ,the reference to the ark

 of the covenant in the sixteenth verse 
is  remarkable upon several grounds4    
,this sacred symbol is not mentioned    
among the spoils which ,nebuzaradan     
7,nab-zir-iddin7 took from the  temple  
7lii4 #ag sqq472 nor is it specified    
among the treasures  appropriated by    
,nebuchadrezzar at the surrender of     
,jehoiachin4 ,the  words of ,jeremiah   
prove that it cannot be included among  
the vessels  of gold which the          
,babylonian conqueror cut in pieces 7#b 
,kings xxiv4  #ac74 ,we learn two facts 
about the ark from the present passage3 
7#a7  that it no longer existed in the  
days of the prophet2 7#b7 that people   
remembered it with regret1 though they  
did not venture to replace the  lost    
original by a new substitute4 ,it may   
well have been destroyed  by ,manasseh1 
the king who did his utmost to abolish  
the religion of  ,iahvah4 ,however that 
may be1 the point of the prophet's      
allusion  consists in the thought that  
in the glorious times of ,messianic rule

  the idea of holiness will cease to be 
attached to things1 for it will  be     
realized in persons2 the symbol will    
become obsolete1 and its  name and      
memory will disappear from the minds and
 affections of men1  because the fact   
symbolized will be universally felt and 
perceived to  be a present and          
self-evident truth4 ,in that great epoch
 of ,israel's  reconciliation1 all      
nations will recognise in ,jerusalem the
 throne  of ,iahvah1 the centre of light
 and source of spiritual truth2 the     
,holy ,city of the world4 ,is it the    
earthly or the heavenly ,jerusalem  that
 is meant8 ,it would seem1 the former   
only was present to the  consciousness  
of the prophet1 for he concludes his    
beautiful interlude  of promise with the
 words3 ,in those days will the house of
 ,judah walk  beside the house of       
,israel2 and they will come together    
from the land  of the ,north and from   
all the lands3 ,,lxx add4 cf4 xvi4 #ae  
unto  the land that ,i caused your      

fathers to possess4 ,like ,isaiah 7xi4  
#ab  sqq47 and other prophets his       
predecessors1 ,jeremiah forecasts for   
the whole repentant and united nation a 
reinstatement in their ancient  temporal
 rights1 in the pleasant land from which
 they had been so  cruelly banished for 
so many weary years4    ,the letter     
killeth1 but the spirit giveth life4    
,if1 when we look  at the whole course  
of subsequent events1 when we review the
 history  of the ,return and of the     
narrow religious commonwealth which was 
at  last1 after many bitter struggles1  
established on mount ,sion2 when  we    
consider the form which the religion of 
,iahvah assumed in the  hands of the    
priestly caste1 and the half-religious1 
half-political  sects1 whose intrigues  
and conflicts for power constitute      
almost all  we know of their period2    
when we reflect upon the character of   
the  entire post-exilic age down to the 
time of the birth of ,christ1 with  its 
worldly ideals1 its fierce fanaticisms1 

its superstitious trust  in rites and   
ceremonies2 if1 when we look at all     
this1 we hesitate  to claim that the    
prophetic visions of a great restoration
 found  fulfilment in the erection of   
this petty state1 this paltry edifice1  
upon the ruins of ,david's capital2     
shall we lay ourselves open to the      
accusation that we recognise no element 
of truth in the glorious  aspirations of
 the prophets8 ,i think not4    ,after  
all1 it is clear from the entire context
 that these hopes of  a golden time to  
come are not independent of the attitude
 of the  people towards ,iahvah4 ,they  
will only be realized1 if the nation    
shall truly repent of the past1 and turn
 to ,him with the whole heart4  ,the    
expressions at that time1 in those days 
7vv4 #ag1 #ah71 are  only conditionally 
determinate2 they mean the happy time of
 ,israel's  repentance1 if such a time  
should ever come4 ,from this glimpse of 
glorious possibilities1 the prophet     
turns abruptly to the dark page of      

,israel's actual history4 ,he has1 so to
 speak1 portrayed in characters  of     
light the development as it might have  
been2 he now depicts the  course it     
actually followed4 ,he restates         
,iahvah's original claim upon  ,israel's
 grateful devotion 7ii4 #b71 putting    
these words into the mouth  of the      
,divine ,speaker3 ,and ,i indeed        
thought1 ,how will ,i set thee among    
the sons 7of the ,divine household71 and
 give thee a lovely land1 a  heritage   
the fairest among the nations6 ,and     
methought1 thou wouldst call  ,me ',my  
,father1' and wouldst not turn back from
 following ,me4 ,iahvah  had at the     
outset adopted ,israel1 and called him  
from the status of a  groaning bondsman 
to the dignity of a son and heir4 ,when 
,israel was a  child1 ,he had loved him1
 and called ,his son out of ,egypt      
7,hos4 xi4 #a71  to give him a place and
 a heritage among nations4 ,it was      
,iahvah1 indeed1  who originally        
assigned their holdings to all the      

nations1 and separated  the various     
tribes of mankind1 fixing the           
territories of peoples1  according to   
the number of the sons of ,god 7,deut4  
xxxii4 #h ,sept474  ,if ,he had brought 
up ,israel from ,egypt1 ,he had also    
brought up the  ,philistines from       
,caphtor1 and the ,arameans from ,kir   
7,amos ix4 #g74 ,but  ,he had adopted   
,israel in a more special sense1 which  
may be expressed in  ,st4 ,paul's words1
 who makes it the chief advantage of    
,israel above the  nations that unto    
them were committed the oracles of ,god4
 7,rom4 iii4  #b74 ,what nobler         
distinction could have been conferred   
upon any race of  men than that they    
should have been thus chosen1 as ,israel
 actually was  chosen1 not merely in the
 aspirations of prophets1 but as a      
matter of  fact in the divinely-directed
 evolution of human history1 to become  
the  heralds of a higher truth1 the     
hierophants of spiritual knowledge1 the 
universally recognised interpreters of  

,god8 ,such a calling might have  been  
expected to elicit a response of the    
warmest gratitude1 the most             
enthusiastic loyalty and unswerving     
devotion4 ,but ,israel as a nation did  
not rise to the level of these lofty    
prophetic views of its vocation2  it    
knew itself to be the people of ,iahvah1
 but it failed to realize  the moral    
significance of that privilege1 and the 
moral and spiritual  responsibilities   
which it involved4 ,it failed to adore  
,iahvah as the  ,father1 in the only    
proper and acceptable sense of that     
honourable name1  the sense which       
restricts its application to one sole   
,being4 ,heathenism  is blind and       
irrational as well as profane and       
sinful2 and so it does  not scruple to  
confer such absolutely individual titles
 as ,god and  ,father upon a multitude  
of imaginary powers4    ,methought thou 
wouldst call ,me ',my ,father1' and     
wouldst not turn  back from following   
,me4 ,but 7,zeph4 iii4 #g7 a woman is   

false to  her fere2 so were ye false to 
,me1 ,o house of ,israel1 saith ,iahvah4
  ,the ,divine intention toward ,israel1
 ,god's gracious design for her         
everlasting good1 ,god's expectation of 
a return for ,his favour1 and  how that 
design was thwarted so far as man could 
thwart it1 and  that expectation        
disappointed hitherto2 such is the      
import of the  last two verses 7#ai1    
#bj74 ,speaking in the name of ,god1    
,jeremiah  represents ,israel's past as 
it appears to ,god4 ,he now proceeds to 
shew dramatically1 or as in a picture1  
how the expectation may yet be          
fulfilled1 and the design realized4     
,having exposed the national guilt1  he 
supposes his remonstrance to have done  
its work1 and he overhears  the penitent
 people pouring out its heart before    
,god4 ,then a kind of  dialogue ensues  
between the ,deity and ,his suppliants4 
,hark6 upon the  bare hills is heard the
 weeping of the supplications of the    
sons of  ,israel1 that they perverted   

their way1 forgot ,iahvah their ,god4   
,the  treeless hill-tops had been the   
scene of heathen orgies miscalled       
worship4 ,there the rites of ,canaan    
performed by ,israelites had  insulted  
the ,god of heaven 7vv4 #b and #f74 ,now
 the very places which  witnessed the   
sin1 witness the national remorse and   
confession4 ,the  'high-places' are not 
condemned even by ,jeremiah as places of
 worship1  but only as places of heathen
 and illicit worships4 ,the solitude and
  quiet and purer air of the hill-tops1 
their unobstructed view of  heaven and  
suggestive nearness thereto1 have always
 made them natural  sanctuaries both for
 public rites and private prayer and    
meditation3  cf4 #b ,sam4 xv4 #cb2 and  
especially ,st4 ,luke vi4 #ab4    ,in   
this closing section of the piece 7iii4 
#ai-;iv4 #b7 ',israel' means  not the   
entire people1 but the northern kingdom 
only1 which is spoken  of separately    
also in iii4 #f-ah1 with the object of  
throwing into  higher relief the        

heinousness of ,judah's guilt4          
,israel--the northern  kingdom--was less
 guilty than ,judah1 for she had no     
warning example1  no beacon-light upon  
her path1 such as her own fall afforded 
to the  southern kingdom2 and therefore 
the ,divine compassion is more likely   
to be extended to her1 even after a     
century of ruin and banishment1  than to
 her callous1 impenitent sister4        
,whether at the time ,jeremiah  was in  
communication with survivors of the     
northern ,exile1 who were  faithful to  
the ,god of their fathers1 and looked   
wistfully toward  ,jerusalem as the     
centre of the best traditions and the   
sole hope of  ,israelite nationality1   
cannot now be determined4 ,the thing is 
not  unlikely1 considering the interest 
which the prophet afterwards took  in   
the ,judean exiles who were taken to    
,babylon with ,jehoiachin 7chap4  xxix47
 and his active correspondence with     
their leaders4 ,we may also  remember   
that divers of ,asher and ,manasseh and 

,zebulun humbled  themselves and came to
 keep passover with king ,hezekiah at   
,jerusalem4  ,it cannot1 certainly1 be  
supposed1 with any show of reason1 that 
the  ,assyrians either carried away the 
entire population of the northern       
kingdom1 or exterminated all whom they  
did not carry away4 ,the words  of the  
,chronicler who speaks of a remnant 444 
escaped out of the  hand of the kings of
 ,assyria1 are themselves perfectly     
agreeable  to reason and the nature of  
the case1 apart from the consideration  
that he had special historical sources  
at his command 7#b ,chron4  xxx4 #f1    
#aa74 ,we know that in the ,maccabean   
and ,roman wars the rocky  fastnesses of
 the country were a refuge to numbers of
 the people1  and the history of ,david 
shews that this had been the case from  
time  immemorial 7cf4 ,judg4 vi4 #b74   
,doubtless in this way not a few        
survived  the ,assyrian invasions and   
the destruction of ,samaria 7,b4,c4     
#gba74  ,but to return to the text4     

,after the confession of the nation that
  they have perverted their way 7that   
is1 their mode of worship1 by  adoring  
visible symbols of ,iahvah1 and         
associating with ,him as ,his  compeers 
a multitude of imaginary gods1          
especially the local ,baalim1  ii4 #bc1 
and ,ashtaroth71 the prophet hears      
another voice1 a voice of  ,divine      
invitation and gracious promise1        
responsive to penitence and  prayer3    
,return1 ye apostate sons1 let ,me heal 
your apostasies6 or  ,if ye return1 ye  
apostate sons1 ,i will heal your        
apostasies6 ,it is  an echo of the      
tenderness of an older prophet 7,hos4   
xiv4 #a1 #d74 ,and  the answer of the   
penitents quickly follows3 ,behold us1  
we are come  unto ,thee1 for ,thou art  
,iahvah our ,god4 ,the voice that now   
calls us1  we know by its tender tones  
of entreaty1 compassion and love to be  
the voice of ,iahvah our own ,god2 not  
the voice of sensual ,chemosh1  tempting
 to guilty pleasures and foul           

impurities1 not the harsh cry of  a     
cruel ,molech1 calling for savage rites 
of pitiless bloodshed4 ,thou1           
,iahvah--not these nor their            
fellows--art our true and only ,god4    
,surely1 in vain 7for nought1           
bootlessly1 #a ,sam4 xxv4 #ba2 chap4 v4 
#b1  xvi4 #ai7 on the hills did we raise
 a din 7lit4 'hath one raised'2  reading
  and 72 surely1 in ,iahvah our ,god is 
the  safety of ,israel6 ,the ,hebrew    
cannot be original as it now stands in  
the ,masoretic text1 for it is          
ungrammatical4 ,the changes ,i have made
  will be seen to be very slight1 and   
the sense obtained is much the  same as 
,ewald's ,surely in vain from the hills 
is the noise1 from the  mountains 7where
 every reader must feel that from the   
mountains is a  forcible-feeble addition
 which adds nothing to the sense74 ,we  
might also  perhaps detach the mem from 
the term for 'hills1' and connect it    
with  the preceding word1 thus getting  
the meaning3 ,surely1 for ,lies are the 

hills1 the uproar of the mountains6 7   
444 72  that is to say1 the high-places 
are devoted to delusive nonentities1    
who can do nothing in return for the    
wild orgiastic worship bestowed on      
them2 a thought which contrasts very    
well with the second half of the  verse3
 ,surely1 in ,iahvah our ,god is the    
safety of ,israel6    ,the confession   
continues3 ,and as for the ,shame--the  
shameful idol1  the ,baal whose worship 
involved shameful rites 7chap4 xi4 #ac2 
,hos4 ix4  #aj71 and who put his        
worshippers to shame1 by disappointing  
them of  help in the hour of their need 
7ii4 #h1 #bf1 #bg7--;as for the         
,shame--in  contrast with ,iahvah1 the  
,safety of ,israel1 who gives all1 and  
requires little or nothing of this kind 
in return--it devoured the  labour of   
our fathers from our youth1 their flocks
 and their herds1  their sons and their 
daughters4 ,the allusion is to the      
insatiable  greed of the idol-priests1  
and the lavish expense of perpetually   

recurring feasts and sacrifices1 which  
constituted a serious drain  upon the   
resources of a pastoral and agricultural
 community2 and to  the bloody rites    
which1 not content with animal          
offerings1 demanded  human victims for  
the altars of an appalling superstition4
 ,let us  lie down in our shame1 and let
 our infamy cover us6 for toward ,iahvah
  our ,god we trespassed1 we and our    
fathers1 from our youth even unto  this 
day1 and obeyed not the voice of ,iahvah
 our ,god4 ,a more complete             
acknowledgment of sin could hardly be   
conceived2 no palliating  circumstances 
are alleged1 no excuses devised1 of the 
kind with  which men usually seek to    
soothe a disturbed conscience4 ,the     
strong  seductions of ,canaanite        
worship1 the temptation to join in the  
joyful  merriment of idol-festivals1 the
 invitation of friends and neighbours1  
the contagion of example1--all these    
extenuating facts must have been  at    
least as well known to the prophet as to

 modern critics1 but he is  expressively
 silent on the point of mitigating      
circumstances in the  case of a nation  
to whom such light and guidance had     
come1 as came to  ,israel4 ,no1 he could
 discern no ground of hope for his      
people except  in a full and unreserved 
admission of guilt1 an agony of shame   
and  contrition before ,god1 a heartfelt
 recognition of the truth that from  the
 outset of their national existence to  
the passing day they had  continually   
sinned against ,iahvah their ,god and   
resisted ,his holy ,will4    ,finally1  
to this cry of penitents humbled in the 
dust1 and owning  that they have no     
refuge from the consequences of their   
sin but in  the ,divine ,mercy1 comes   
the firm yet loving answer3 ,if thou    
wilt  return1 ,o ,israel1 saith ,iahvah1
 unto ,me wilt return1 and if thou  wilt
 put away thine ,abominations out of thy
 mouth and1 ,,lxx4  out of ,my          
,presence1 and sway not to and fro 7#a  
,kings xiv4 #ae71  but wilt swear ',by  

the ,life of ,iahvah6' in good faith1   
justice1 and  righteousness2 then shall 
the nations bless themselves by ,him1   
and  in ,him shall they glory 7iv4 #a1  
#b74 ,such is the close of this ideal   
dialogue between ,god and man4 ,it is   
promised that if the nation's           
repentance be sincere--not half-hearted 
like that of ,judah 7iii4 #aj2  #b      
,chron4 xxxiv4 #cc7--;and if the fact be
 demonstrated by a resolute  and        
unwavering rejection of idol-worship1   
evinced by the disuse of  their names in
 oaths1 and the expulsion of their      
symbols from the  ,presence1 that is1   
out of the sanctuaries and domain of    
,iahvah1 and  by adhering to the ,name  
of the ,god of ,israel in oaths and     
compacts of  all kinds1 and by a        
scrupulous loyalty to such engagements  
7,ps4 xv4 #d2  ,deut4 x4 #bj2 ,isa4     
xlviii4 #a72 then the ancient oracle of 
blessing will  be fulfilled1 and ,israel
 will become a proverb of felicity1 the 
pride  and boast of mankind1 the        

glorious ideal of perfect virtue and    
perfect  happiness 7,gen4 xii4 #c2 ,isa4
 lxv4 #af74 ,then1 all the nations will 
gather together unto ,jerusalem for the 
,name of ,iahvah 7iii4 #ag72 they  will 
recognise in the religion of ,iahvah the
 answer to their highest  longings and  
spiritual necessities1 and will take    
,israel for what  ,iahvah intended him  
to be1 their example and priest and     
prophet4    ,jeremiah could hardly have 
chosen a more extreme instance for      
pointing  the lesson he had to teach    
than the long-since ruined and          
depopulated  kingdom of the ,ten        
,tribes4 ,hopeless as their actual      
condition must  have seemed at the time1
 he assures his own countrymen in ,judah
  and ,jerusalem that even yet1 if only 
the moral requirements of the  case were
 fulfilled1 and the heart of the poor   
remnant and of the  survivors in        
banishment aroused to a genuine and     
permanent repentance1  the ,divine      
promises would be accomplished in a     

people whose sun had  apparently set in 
darkness for ever4 ,and so he passes on 
to address  his own people directly in  
tones of warning1 reproof1 and menace of
  approaching wrath 7iv4 #c-vi4 #cj47   
,,footnotes3    #ba ,she saw3 ,pesh4    
,this may be right4 ,and the ,traitress1
 her sister  ,judah1 saw it3 yea1 saw   
that even because the ,turncoat ,israel 
had  committed adultery1 ,i put her     
away4444 ,and yet the ,traitress ,judah1
  her sister1 was not afraid1 etc4      
#bb #a ,kings ii4 #d1       #bc ,as if  
,turn back1 back-turning ,israel6 i4e4  
,thou that turnedst  thy back upon      
,iahvah1 and1 therefore1 upon ,his      
pleasant land4    #bd ,cf4 also the     
,arabic ,arabic3 9999 pravus1 ,arabic3  
9999  pravitas1 with the ,hebrew term4  
,,iv4                     ,,the         
,,scythians ,,as ,,the ,,scourge ,,of   
,,god4                                  
,,jeremiah iv4 #c-vi4 #cj4      ,if we  
would understand what is written here   
and elsewhere in the pages  of prophecy1

 two things would seem to be requisite4 
,we must prepare  ourselves with some   
knowledge of the circumstances of the   
time1 and we  must form some general    
conception of the ideas and aims of the 
inspired  writer1 both in themselves1   
and in their relation to passing events4
 ,of  the former1 a partial and         
fragmentary knowledge may suffice1      
provided  it be true so far as it goes2 
minuteness of detail is not necessary to
  general accuracy4 ,of the latter1 a   
very full and complete conception may   
be gathered from a careful study of the 
prophetic discourses4    ,the chapters  
before us were obviously composed in the
 presence of a  grave national danger2  
and what that danger was is not left    
uncertain1  as the discourse proceeds4  
,an invasion of the country appeared to 
be  imminent2 the rumour of approaching 
war had already made itself heard  in   
the capital2 and all classes were       
terror-stricken at the tidings4    ,as  
usual in such times of peril1 the       

country people were already  abandoning 
the uncalled towns and villages1 to seek
 refuge in the  strong places of the    
land1 and1 above all1 in ,jerusalem1    
which was at  once the capital and the  
principal fortress of the kingdom4 ,the 
evil  news had spread far and near2 the 
trumpet-signal of alarm was heard       
everywhere2 the cry was1 ,assemble      
yourselves1 and let us go into the      
fenced cities6 7iv4 #e74    ,the ground 
of this universal terror is thus        
declared3 ,the lion is  gone up from his
 thicket1 and the destroyer of nations  
is on his way1  is gone forth from his  
place2 to make thy land a desolation1   
that thy  cities be laid waste1 without 
inhabitant 7ver4 #g74 ,a hot blast over 
the bare hills in the wilderness1 on the
 road to the daughter of my  people1 not
 for winnowing1 nor for cleansing2 a    
full blast from those  hills cometh at  
,my beck 7ver4 #aa74 ,lo1 like clouds he
 cometh up1  and1 like the whirlwind1   
his chariots2 swifter than vultures are 

his  horses4 ,woe unto us6 ,we are      
verily destroyed 7ver4 #ac74 ,besiegers 
7lit4 watchmen1 ,isa4 i4 #h7 are coming 
from the remotest land1 and  they utter 
their cry against the cities of ,judah4 
,like keepers of  a field become they   
against her on every side 7vv4 #af-ag74 
,at the  same time1 the invasion is     
still only a matter of report2 the blow 
has not yet fallen upon the trembling   
people4 ,behold1 ,i am about to  bring  
upon you a nation from afar1 ,o house of
 ,israel1 saith ,iahvah2 an             
inexhaustible nation it is1 a nation of 
old time it is1 a nation whose  tongue  
thou knowest not1 nor understandest     
7lit4 hearest7 what it  speaketh4 ,its  
quiver is like an opened grave2 they all
 are heroes4  ,and it will eat up thine 
harvest and thy bread1 which thy sons   
and  thy daughters should eat2 it will  
eat up thy flock and thine herd2 it     
will eat up thy vine and thy figtree2 it
 will shatter thine embattled  cities1  
wherein thou art trusting1 with the     

sword 7v4 #ae-ag74 ,thus  hath ,iahvah  
said3 ,lo1 a people cometh from a       
northern land1 and a  great nation is   
awaking from the uttermost parts of     
earth4 ,bow and  lance they hold2 savage
 it is1 and pitiless2 the sound of them 
is  like the sea1 when it roareth2 and  
on horses they ride2 he is arrayed  as a
 man for battle1 against thee1 ,o       
daughter of ,zion4 ,we have heard  the  
report of him2 our hands droop2 anguish 
hath taken hold of us1  throes1 like    
hers that travaileth 7vi4 #bb sq474     
,with the graphic  force of a keen      
observer1 who is also a poet1 the priest
 of ,anathoth  has thus depicted for all
 time the collapse of terror which befel
 his  contemporaries1 on the rumoured   
approach of the ,scythians in the reign 
of ,josiah4 ,and his lyric fervour      
carries him beyond this2 it enables  him
 to see with the utmost distinctness the
 havoc wrought by these  hordes of      
savages2 the surprise of cities1 the    
looting of houses1  the flight of       

citizens to the woods and the hills at  
the approach of  the enemy2 the         
desertion of the country towns1 the     
devastation of  fields and vineyards1   
confusion and desolation everywhere1 as 
though  primeval chaos had returned2 and
 he tells it all with the passion and   
intensity of one who is relating an     
actual personal experience4 ,in  my     
vitals1 my vitals1 ,i quake1 in the     
walls of my heart6 ,my heart is         
murmuring to me2 ,i cannot hold my      
peace2 for my soul is listening to  the 
trumpet-blast1 the alarm of war6 ,ruin  
on ruin is cried1 for all  the land is  
ravaged2 suddenly are my tents ravaged1 
my pavilions in  a moment6 ,how long    
must ,i see the standards1 must ,i      
listen to the  trumpet-blast8 7iv4      
#ai-ba74 ,i look at the earth1 and lo1  
'tis chaos3  at the heavens1 and their  
light is no more4 ,i look at the        
mountains1  and lo1 they rock1 and all  
the hills sway to and fro4 ,i look1 and 
lo1  man is no more1 and the birds of   

the air are gone1 ,i look1 and lo1 the  
fruitful soil is wilderness1 and all the
 cities of it are overthrown  7iv4      
#bc-bf74 ,at the noise of horseman and  
archer all the city is  in flight6 ,they
 are gone into the thickets1 and up the 
rocks they  have clomb3 all the city is 
deserted 7ver4 #bi74 ,his eye follows   
the  course of devastation until it     
reaches ,jerusalem3 ,jerusalem1 the     
proud1 luxurious capital1 now isolated  
on her hills1 bereft of all  her        
daughter cities1 abandoned1 even        
betrayed1 by her foreign allies4  ,and  
thou1 that art doomed to destruction1   
what canst thou do8 ,though  thou clothe
 thee in scarlet1 though thou deck thee 
with decking of  gold1 though thou      
broaden thine eyes with henna1 in vain  
dost thou  make thyself fair2 the lovers
 have scorned thee1 thy life are they   
seeking4#be ,the lovers--the false      
foreigners--have turned against  her in 
the time of her need2 and the strange   
gods1 with whom she  dallied in the days

 of prosperity1 can bring her no help4  
,and now1  while she witnesses1 but     
cannot avert1 the slaughter of her      
children1  her shrieks ring in the      
prophet's ear3 ,a cry1 as of one in     
travail1  do ,i hear2 pangs as of her   
that beareth her firstborn2 the cry of  
the  daughter of ,zion1 that panteth1   
that spreadeth out her hands3 ,woe's    
me6 my soul swooneth for the slayers6   
7vv4 #cj1 #ca74    ,even the strong     
walls of ,jerusalem are no sure defence2
 there is  no safety but in flight4     
,remove your goods1 ye sons of          
,benjamin1  from within ,jerusalem6 ,and
 in ,tekoah 7as if ,blaston or ,blowick 
or  ,trumpington7 blow a trumpet-blast1 
and upon ,beth-hakkrem raise  a signal  
7or beacon76 for evil hath looked forth 
from the  north1 and mighty ruin 7vi4   
#a1 #b74 ,the two towns mark the route  
of the fugitives1 making for the        
wilderness of the south2 and the        
trumpet-call1 and the beacon-light1     
muster the scattered companies  at these

 rallying points or haltingplaces4 ,the 
beautiful and the  pampered one will ,i 
destroy--the daughter of ,sion4         
7,perhaps3 ,the  beautiful and the      
pampered woman art thou like1 ,o        
daughter of ,sion6  #crd fem4 sing4 in  
-i47 ,to her come the shepherds and     
their flocks2  they pitch the tents upon
 her round about2 they graze each at his
 own  side 7i4e4 on the ground nearest  
him74 ,the figure changes1 with  lyric  
abruptness1 from the fair woman1        
enervated by luxury 7ver4 #b7  to the   
fair pasture-land1 on which the nomad   
shepherds encamp1 whose  flocks soon eat
 the herbage down1 and leave the soil   
stripped bare  7ver4 #c72 and then1     
again1 to an army beleaguering the fated
 city1  whose cries of mutual cheer1 and
 of impatience at all delay1 the        
poet-prophet hears and rehearses4       
,hallow ye war against her6 ,arise  ye1 
let us go up 7to the assault7 at        
noontide6 ,unhappy we6 the day  hath    
turned2 the shadows of eventide begin to

 lengthen6 ,arise ye1 and  let us go up 
in the night1 to destroy her palaces6   
7vv4 #d1 #e74    ,as a fine example of  
poetical expression1 the discourse      
obviously  has its own intrinsic value4 
,the author's power to sketch with a few
  bold strokes the magical effect of a  
disquieting rumour2 the vivid  force    
with which he realizes the possibilities
 of ravage and ruin  which are wrapped  
up in those vague1 uncertain tidings2   
the pathos and  passion of his lament   
over his stricken country1 stricken as  
yet to  his perception only2 the        
tenderness of feeling2 the subtle       
sweetness  of language2 the variety of  
metaphor2 the light of imagination      
illuminating the whole with its         
indefinable charm2 all these            
characteristics indicate the presence   
and power of a master-singer4  ,but with
 ,jeremiah1 as with his predecessors1   
the poetic expression of  feeling is far
 from being an end in itself4 ,he writes
 with a purpose  to which all the       

endowments of his gifted nature are     
freely and  resolutely subordinated4 ,he
 values his powers as a poet and orator 
solely as instruments which conduce to  
an efficient utterance of the  will of  
,iahvah4 ,he is hardly conscious of     
these gifts as such4 ,he  exists to     
declare in the house of ,jacob and to   
publish in ,judah the  word of the      
,lord4    ,it is in this capacity that  
he now comes forward1 and addresses his 
terrified countrymen1 in terms not      
calculated to allay their fears with    
soothing suggestions of comfort and     
reassurance1 but rather deliberately    
chosen with a view to heightening those 
fears1 and deepening them to a  sense of
 approaching judgment4 ,for1 after all1 
it is not the rumoured  coming of the   
,scythian hordes that impels him to     
break silence4 ,it is  his consuming    
sense of the moral degeneracy1 the      
spiritual degradation  of his           
countrymen1 which flames forth into     
burning utterance4 ,whom  shall ,i      

address and adjure1 that they may hear8 
,lo1 their ear is  uncircumcised1 and   
they cannot hearken2 lo1 the word of    
,iahvah hath  become to them a reproach2
 they delight not therein4 ,and of the  
fury of  ,iahvah ,i am full2 ,i am weary
 of holding it in4 ,then the other voice
 in  his heart answers3 ,pour thou it   
forth upon the child in the street1  and
 upon the company of young men together6
 7vi4 #aj1 #aa74 ,it is the  righteous  
indignation of an offended ,god that    
wells up from his heart1  and overflows 
at his lips1 and cries woe1 irremediable
 woe1 upon the  land he loves better    
than his own life4    ,he begins with   
encouragement and persuasion1 but his   
tone soon changes  to denunciation and  
despair 7iv4 #c sq474 ,thus hath ,iahvah
 said  to the men of ,judah and to      
,jerusalem1 ,break you up the fallows1  
and  sow not into thorns6 ,circumcise   
yourselves to ,iahvah1 and remove  the  
foreskins of your heart1 ye men of      
,judah1 and ye inhabitants of           

,jerusalem6 lest ,my fury come forth    
like fire1 and burn with none to  quench
 it1 because of the evil of your doings4
 ,clothed with the  ,spirit1 as ,semitic
 speech might express it1 his whole soul
 enveloped  in a garment of heavenly    
light--a magical garment whose virtues  
impart  new force as well as new        
light--the prophet sees straight to the 
heart  of things1 and estimates with    
,god-given certainty the real state of  
his people1 and the moral worth of their
 seeming repentance4 ,the first         
measures of ,josiah's reforming zeal    
have been inaugurated2 at least  within 
the limits of the capital1 idolatry in  
its coarser and more  repellent forms   
has been suppressed2 there is a shew of 
return to  the ,god of ,israel4 ,but the
 popular heart is still wedded to the   
old  sanctuaries1 and the old sensuous  
rites of ,canaan2 and1 worse than  this1
 the priests and prophets1 whose centre 
of influence was the  one great         
sanctuary of the ,book of the ,law1 the 

temple at ,jerusalem1  have simply taken
 advantage of the religious reformation 
for their  own purposes of selfish      
aggrandisement4 ,from the youngest to   
the  oldest of them1 they all ply the   
trade of greed2 and from prophet to     
priest1 they all practice lying4 ,and   
they have repaired the ruin of  the     
daughter of my people in light fashion1 
saying1 ,it is well1  it is well6 though
 it be not well 7vi4 #ac1 #ad74 ,the    
doctrine of the  one legitimate         
sanctuary1 taught with disinterested    
earnestness by  the disciples of        
,isaiah1 and enforced by that logic of  
events which  had demonstrated the      
feebleness of the local holy places     
before the  ,assyrian destroyers1 had   
now come to be recognised as a          
convenient  buttress of the private     
gains of the ,jerusalem priesthood and  
the  venal prophets who supported their 
authority4 ,the strong current of       
national reform had been utilized for   
the driving of their private  machinery2

 and the sole outcome of the            
self-denying efforts and  sufferings of 
the past appeared to be the enrichment  
of these grasping  and unscrupulous     
worldlings who sat1 like an incubus1    
upon the heart  of the national church4 
,so long as money flowed steadily into  
their  coffers1 they were eager enough  
to reassure the doubting1 and to  dispel
 all misgivings by their deceitful      
oracle that all was well4 ,so  long as  
the sacrifices1 the principal source of 
the priestly revenue1  abounded1 and the
 festivals ran their yearly round1 they 
affirmed  that ,iahweh was satisfied1   
and that no harm could befal the people 
of ,his care4 ,this trading in things   
,divine1 to the utter neglect of  the   
higher obligations of the moral law1 was
 simply appalling to the  sensitive     
conscience of the true prophet of that  
degenerate age4 ,a  strange and a       
startling thing it is1 that is come to  
pass in the land4  ,the prophets1 they  
have prophesied in the ,lie1 and the    

priests1 they  tyrannise under their    
direction2 and ,my people1 they love it 
thus2  and what will ye do for the issue
 thereof8 7v4 #cj1 #ca47 ,for such      
facts must have an issue2 and the       
present moral and spiritual ruin of  the
 nation points with certainty to        
impending ruin in the material  and     
political sphere4 ,the two things go    
together2 you cannot have a  decline of 
faith1 a decay of true religion1 and    
permanent outward  prosperity2 that     
issue is incompatible with the eternal  
laws which  regulate the life and       
progress of humanity4 ,one sits in the  
heavens1  over all things from the      
beginning1 to whom all stated worship is
 a  hideous offence when accompanied by 
hypocrisy and impurity and fraud  and   
violence in the ordinary relations of   
life4 ,what good to me is  incense that 
cometh from ,sheba1 and the choice      
calamus from a far  country8 your burnt 
offerings 7holocausts7 are not          
acceptable1 and  your sacrifices are not

 sweet unto ,me4 ,instead of purchasing 
safety1  they will ensure perdition3    
,therefore thus hath ,iahvah said3 ,lo1 
,i am  about to lay for this people     
stumblingblocks1 and they shall stumble 
upon them1 fathers and sons together1 a 
neighbour and his friend2 and  they     
shall perish 7vi4 #bj sq474    ,in the  
early days of reform1 indeed1 ,jeremiah 
himself appears to have  shared in the  
sanguine views associated with a revival
 of suspended  orthodoxy4 ,the tidings  
of imminent danger were a surprise to   
him1 as  to the zealous worshippers who 
thronged the courts of the temple4 ,so  
then1 after all1 the burning anger of   
,iahvah was not turned away  by the     
outward tokens of penitence1 by the     
lavish gifts of devotion2  this         
unexpected and terrifying rumour was a  
call for the resumption  of the garb of 
mourning and for the renewal of those   
public fasts  which had marked the      
initial stages of reformation 7iv4 #h74 
,the  astonishment and the              

disappointment of the man assert        
themselves  against the inspiration of  
the prophet1 when1 contemplating the    
helpless bewilderment of kings and      
princes1 and the stupefaction of        
priests and prophets in face of the     
national calamities1 he breaks out  into
 remonstrance with ,god4 ,and ,i said1  
,alas1 ,o ,lord ,iahvah6 of a  truth1   
,thou hast utterly beguiled this people 
and ,jerusalem1 saying1  ,it shall be   
well with you2 whereas the sword will   
reach to the life4  ,the allusion is to 
the promises contained in the ,book of  
the ,law1  the reading of which had so  
powerfully conduced to the movement for 
reform4 ,that book had been the text of 
the prophet-preachers1 who were  most   
active in that work2 and the influence  
of its ideas and language  upon         
,jeremiah himself is apparent in all his
 early discourses4    ,the prophet's    
faith1 however1 was too deeply rooted to
 be more than  momentarily shaken2 and  
it soon told him that the evil tidings  

were  evidence not of unfaithfulness or 
caprice in ,iahvah1 but of the          
hypocrisy and corruption of ,israel4    
,with this conviction upon him1 he      
implores the populace of the capital to 
substitute an inward and real  for an   
outward and delusive purification4      
,break up the fallows6 ,do  not dream   
that any adequate reformation can be    
superinduced upon the  mere surface of  
life3 ,sow not among thorns6 ,do not for
 one moment  believe that the word of   
,god can take root and bear fruit in the
 hard  soil of a heart that desires only
 to be secured in the possession of     
present enjoyments1 in immunity for     
self-indulgence1 covetousness1 and      
oppression of the poor4 ,wash thine     
heart from wickedness1 ,o ,jerusalem6   
that thou mayst be saved4 ,how long     
shall the schemings of thy folly  lodge 
within thee8 ,for hark6 one declareth   
from ,dan1 and proclaimeth  folly from  
the hills of ,ephraim 7iv4 #ad sq474    
,the folly 7'awen7  is the foolish      

hankering after the gods which are      
nothing in the world  but a reflexion of
 the diseased fancy of their            
worshippers2 for it is  always true that
 man makes his god in his own image1    
when he does make  him1 and does not    
receive the knowledge of him by         
revelation4 ,it was  a folly inveterate 
and1 as it would seem1 hereditary in    
,israel1 going  back to the times of the
 ,judges1 and recalling the story of    
,micah the  ,ephraimite and the ,danites
 who stole his images4 ,that ancient sin
 still  cried to heaven for vengeance2  
for the apostatizing tendency1 which it 
exemplified1 was still active in the    
heart of ,israel4#bf ,the nation had    
rebelled against the ,lord1 for it was  
foolish and had never really  known     
,him2 the people were silly children1   
and lacked insight2 skilled  only in    
doing wrong1 and ignorant of the way to 
do right 7iv4 #bb74 ,like  the things   
they worshipped1 they had eyes1 but saw 
not2 they had ears1  but heard not4     

,enslaved to the empty terrors of their 
own imaginations1  they1 who cowered    
before dumb idols1 stood untrembling in 
the awful  presence of ,him whose laws  
restrained the ocean within due limits1 
and  upon whose sovereign will the fall 
of the rain and increase of the field   
depended 7v4 #ba-bd74 ,the popular      
blindness to the claims of the true     
religion1 to the inalienable rights of  
the ,god of ,israel1 involved a         
corresponding and ever-increasing       
blindness to the claims of universal    
morality1 to the rights of man4         
,competent observers have often called  
attention to the remarkable influence   
exercised by the lower forms of         
heathenism in blunting the moral sense2 
and this influence was fully            
illustrated in the case of ,jeremiah's  
contemporaries4 ,so complete1  so       
universal was the national decline that 
it seemed impossible to  find one good  
man within the bounds of the capital4   
,every aim in life  found illustration  

in those gay1 crowded streets1 in the   
bazaars1 in  the palaces1 in the places 
by the gate where law was administered1 
except the aim of just and righteous and
 merciful dealing with one's  neighbour4
 ,god was ignored or misconceived of1   
and therefore man was  wronged and      
oppressed4 ,perjury1 even in the ,name  
of the ,god of ,israel1  whose eyes     
regard faithfulness and sincerity1 and  
whose favour is not  to be won by       
professions and presents2 a             
self-hardening against both  ,divine    
chastisement and prophetic admonition2 a
 fatal inclination to  the seductions of
 ,canaanite worship and the violations  
of the moral  law1 which that worship   
permitted and even encouraged as        
pleasing to  the gods2 these vices      
characterized the entire population of  
,jerusalem  in that dark period4 ,run ye
 to and fro in the streets of           
,jerusalem1  and see now1 and know1 and 
seek ye in the broad places thereof1 if 
ye  can find a man1 if indeed there be  

one that doeth justice1 that seeketh    
sincerity2 that ,i may pardon her4 ,and 
if they say1 ,by the life of  ,iahvah6  
even so they swear falsely4 ,iahvah1 are
 not thine eyes toward  sincerity8 ,thou
 smotest them1 and they trembled not2   
,thou consumedst  them1 they refused to 
receive instruction2 they made their    
faces harder  than a rock1 they refused 
to repent4 ,and for me1 ,i said         
7methought71  ,these are but poor folk2 
they behave foolishly1 because they know
 not  the way of ,iahvah1 the justice   
7ver4 #a7 of their ,god3 let me betake  
myself to the great1 and speak with     
them2 for they at least know the  way of
 ,iahvah1 the justice of their ,god3 but
 these with one consent had  broken the 
yoke1 had burst the bonds in sunder 7v4 
#a-e74    ,then1 as now1 the debasement 
of the standard of life among the       
ruling classes was a far more           
threatening symptom of danger to the    
commonwealth than laxity of principle   
among the masses1 who had never  enjoyed

 the higher knowledge and more thorough 
training which wealth  and rank1 as a   
matter of course1 confer4 ,if the crew  
turn drunken and  mutinous1 the ship is 
in unquestionable peril2 but if they who
 have  the guidance of the vessel in    
their hands1 follow the vices of those  
whom they should command and control1   
wreck and ruin are assured4    ,the     
profligacy allowed by heathenism1       
against which the prophets cried  in    
vain1 is forcibly depicted in the words3
 ,why should ,i pardon  thee8 ,thy sons 
have forsaken ,me1 and have sworn by    
them that are no  gods3 though ,i had   
bound them 7to ,me7 by oath1#bg they    
committed  7spiritual7 adultery1 and    
into the house of the ,fornicatress 7the
  idol's temple1 where the harlot       
priestess sat for hire7 they would      
flock4 ,stallions roaming at large were 
they2 neighing each to his  neighbour's 
wife4 ,shall ,i not punish such         
offences1 saith ,iahvah2  and shall not 
,my soul avenge herself on such a nation

 as this8 ,the  cynical contempt of     
justice1 the fraud and violence of those
 who were  in haste to become rich1 are 
set forth in the following3 ,among ,my  
people are found godless men2 one       
watcheth1 as birdcatchers lurk2 they    
have set the trap1 they catch men4 ,like
 a cage filled with birds1 so  are their
 houses filled with fraud3 therefore    
they are become great1  and have amassed
 wealth4 ,they are become fat1 they are 
sleek2 also  they pass over 7,isa4 xl4  
#bg7 cases 7,ex4 xxii4 #i1 xxiv4 #ad2   
cf4 also  #a ,sam4 x4 #b7 of            
wickedness--neglect to judge heinous    
crimes2 the  cause they judge not1 the  
cause of the fatherless1 to make it     
succeed2  and the right of the needy    
they vindicate not 7v4 #bf-bh74    ,she 
is the city doomed to be punished6 she  
is all oppression  within4 ,as a spring 
poureth forth its waters1 so she poureth
 forth  her wickedness2 violence and    
oppression resound in her2 before ,me   
continually is sickness and wounds 7vi4 

#f1 #g74 ,there would seem  to be no    
hope for such a people and such a city4 
,the prophet1 indeed1  cannot forget the
 claims of kindred1 the thousand ties of
 blood and  feeling that bind him to    
this perverse and sinful nation4        
,thrice1  even in this dark forecast of 
destruction1 he mitigates severity with 
the promise1 yet will ,i not make a full
 end4 ,the door is still left  open1 on 
the chance that some at least may be won
 to penitence4 ,but  the chance was     
small4 ,the difficulty was1 and the     
prophet's yearning  tenderness towards  
his people could not blind him to the   
fact1 that  all the lessons of ,god's   
providence were lost upon this reprobate
  race3 ,they have belied the ,lord1 and
 said1 it is not ,he2 neither  shall    
evil come upon us2 neither shall we see 
sword and famine4 ,the  prophets1 they  
insisted1 were wrong both in the        
significance which  they attributed to  
occasional calamities1 and in the       
disasters1 which  they announced as     

imminent3 ,the prophets will become     
wind1 and the  ,word of ,god is not in  
them2 so will it turn out with them4 ,it
 was1  therefore1 wholly futile to      
appeal to their better judgment against 
themselves3 ,thus said ,iahvah1 ,stop on
 the ways1 and consider1 and ask  after 
the eternal paths1 where is the good    
way1 and walk therein1 and  find rest   
for your soul3 and they said1 ,we will  
not walk therein4 ,and  ,i will set over
 you watchmen 7the prophets72 hearken ye
 to the call  of the trumpet6 7the      
warning note of prophecy7 and they said 
,we will  not hearken4 ,from such wilful
 hardness and impenitence1 disdaining   
correction and despising reproof1 ,god  
appeals to the heathen  themselves1 and 
to the dumb earth1 to attest the justice
 of ,his  sentence of destruction       
against this people3 ,therefore1 hear1  
,o ye  nations1 and know1 and testify   
what is among them6 ,hear1 ,o earth6    
,lo1 ,i am about to bring evil upon this
 people1 the fruit of their own         

devisings2 for unto ,my words they have 
not hearkened1 and as for ,mine         
instruction1 they have rejected it4     
,their doom was inevitable1 for it  was 
the natural and necessary consequence of
 their own doings3 ,thine  own way and  
thine ,own deeds have brought about     
these evils for thee2  this is thine own
 evil2 verily1 it is bitter1 verily1 it 
reacheth unto  thine heart4 ,the        
discourse ends with a despairing glance 
at the moral  reprobation of ,israel4   
,an assayer did ,i make thee among ,my  
people1  a refiner 7reading mecrf1 ,mal4
 iii4 #b1 #c71 that thou mightest  know 
and assay their kind 7lit4 way74        
,jeremiah's call had been to  sit as a  
refiner and purifier of silver in the   
name of his ,god3 in  other words1 to   
separate the good elements from the bad 
in ,israel1  and to gather around       
himself the nucleus of a people prepared
 for  ,iahvah4 ,but his work had been   
vain4 ,in vain had the prophetic fire   
burnt within him2 in vain had the       

vehemency of the spirit fanned the      
flame2 the ,divine word--that solvent of
 hearts--had been expended  in vain2 no 
good metal could come of an ore so      
utterly base4 ,they  are all the worst  
7#a ,ki4 xx4 #dc7 of rebels 7or1        
deserters to the  rebels71 going about  
with slander2 they are brass and iron2  
they all  deal corruptly4#bh ,the       
bellows blow2 the lead 7used for fining 
the  ore7 is consumed by the fire2 in   
vain do they go on refining 7or1  does  
the refiner refine#bi72 and the wicked  
are not separated4  ,refuse silver are  
they called1 for ,iahvah hath refused   
them4    ,,footnotes3    #be ,the modern
 singer has well caught the echo of this
 ancient strain4        ,wilt thou cover
 thine hair with gold1 and with silver  
thy feet8       ,hast thou taken the    
purple to fold thee1 and made thy mouth 
sweet8       ,behold1 when thy face is  
made bare1 he that loved thee shall     
hate3       ,thy face shall be no more  
fair at the fall of thy fate4           

,atalanta in ,calydon4    #bf ,the      
second 'awen1 however1 probably means   
trouble1 calamity1  as in ,hab4 iii4 #g4
 ,the ,sept4 renders 1 and this agrees  
with the  mention of ,dan in viii4 #af4 
,as ,ewald puts it1 from the north of   
,palestine the misery that is coming    
from the further north is already  being
 proclaimed to all the nations in the   
south 7vi4 #ah74    #bg ,with a         
different point3 ,when ,i had fed them  
to the full 7cf4  ,hos4 xiii4 #f74      
#bh ,this term--mashchthm--is certainly 
not the plur4 of the  mashchth1 pitfall 
or trap1 of v4 #bf4 ,the meaning is the 
same as  in ,isa4 i4 #d4 ,the original  
force of the root shachath is seen in   
the  ,assyrian shachtu1 to fall down4   
#bi ,the form--crf--is like bchn1       
assayer1 in ver4 #bg4                   
,v4                          ,,popular  
,,and ,,true ,,religion4                
,,jeremiah vii4-x41 xxvi4      ,in the  
four chapters which we are now to       
consider we have what is  plainly a     

finished whole4 ,the only possible      
exception 7x4 #a-af7  shall be          
considered in its place4 ,the historical
 occasion of the  introductory prophecy 
7vii4 #a-ae71 and the immediate effect  
of its  delivery1 are recorded at length
 in the twenty-sixth chapter of  the    
book1 so that in this instance we are   
happily not left to the  uncertainties  
of conjecture4 ,we are there told that  
it was in the  beginning of the reign of
 ,jehoiakim son of ,josiah1 king of     
,judah1  that ,jeremiah received the    
command to stand in the fore-court of   
,iahvah's house1 and to declare to all  
the cities of ,judah that were  come to 
worship there1 that unless they repented
 and gave ear to  ,iahvah's servants the
 prophets1 ,he would make the temple    
like ,shiloh1  and ,jerusalem itself a  
curse to all the nations of the earth4  
,the  substance of the oracle is there  
given in briefer form than here1 as  was
 natural1 where the writer's object was 
principally to relate the  issue of it  

as it affected himself4 ,in neither case
 is it probable  that we have a verbatim
 report of what was actually said1      
though the  leading thoughts of his     
address are1 no doubt1 faithfully       
recorded by  the prophet in the more    
elaborate composition 7chap4 vii474     
,trifling  variations between the two   
accounts must not1 therefore1 be        
pressed4    ,internal evidence suggests 
that this oracle was delivered at a time
  of grave public anxiety1 such as      
marked the troubled period after  the   
death of ,josiah1 and the early years of
 ,jehoiakim4 ,all ,judah1  or all the   
cities of ,judah 7xxvi4 #b71 that is to 
say1 the people of  the country towns as
 well as the citizens of ,jerusalem1    
were crowding  into the temple to       
supplicate their ,god 7vii4 #b74 ,this  
indicates an  extraordinary occasion1 a 
national emergency affecting all alike4 
,probably a public fast and humiliation 
had been ordered by the  authorities1 on
 the reception of some threatening news 

of invasion4 ,the  opening paragraphs of
 the address are marked by a tone of    
controlled  earnestness1 by an unadorned
 plainness of statement1 without        
passion1  without exclamation1          
apostrophe1 or rhetorical device of any 
kind2  which betokens the presence of a 
danger which spoke too audibly to the   
general ear to require artificial       
heightening in the statement of it4     
,the position of affairs spoke for      
itself 7,hitzig74 ,the very words  with 
which the prophet opens his message1    
,thus said ,iahvah ,sabaoth1  the ,god  
of ,israel1 ,make good your ways and    
your doings1 that ,i may  cause you to  
dwell 7permanently7 in this place6 7ver4
 #c1 cf4 ver4  #g7 prove that the       
anxiety which agitated the popular heart
 and drove  it to seek consolation in   
religious observances1 was an anxiety   
about  their political stability1 about 
the permanence of their possession of   
the fair land of promise4 ,the use of   
the expression ,iahvah ,sabaoth  ,iahvah

 7the ,god7 of ,hosts is also           
significant1 as indicating that  war was
 what the nation feared2 while the      
prophet reminds them thus  that all     
earthly powers1 even the armies of      
heathen invaders1 are  controlled and   
directed by the ,god of ,israel for ,his
 own sovereign  purposes4 ,a particular 
crisis is further suggested by the      
warning3  ,trust ye not to the lying    
words1 ',the ,temple of ,iahvah1 the    
,temple of  ,iahvah1 the ,temple of     
,iahvah1 is this6' ,the fanatical       
confidence in the  inviolability of the 
temple1 which ,jeremiah thus deprecates1
 implies  a time of public danger4 ,a   
hundred years before this time the      
temple  and the city had really come    
through a period of the gravest peril1  
justifying in the most palpable and     
unexpected manner the assurances of  the
 prophet ,isaiah4 ,this was remembered  
now1 when another crisis seemed         
imminent1 another trial of strength     
between the ,god of ,israel and the     

gods of the heathen4 ,only part of the  
prophetic teachings of ,isaiah  had     
rooted itself in the popular mind--the  
part most agreeable to it4  ,the        
sacrosanct inviolability of the temple1 
and of ,jerusalem for its  sake1 was an 
idea readily appropriated and eagerly   
cherished4 ,it was  forgotten that all  
depended on the will and purposes of    
,iahvah himself2  that the heathen might
 be the instruments with which ,he      
executed his  designs1 and that an      
invasion of ,judah might mean1 not an   
approaching  trial of strength between  
,his omnipotence and the impotency of   
the false  gods1 but the judicial       
outpouring of ,his righteous wrath upon 
,his own  rebellious people4            
,jeremiah1 therefore1 affirms that the  
popular confidence is  ill-founded2 that
 his countrymen are lulled in a false   
security2 and  he enforces his point1 by
 a plain exposure of the flagrant       
offences1  which render their worship a 
mockery of ,god4    ,again1 it may be   

supposed that the startling word1 ,add  
your  burnt-offerings to your 7ordinary7
 offerings1 and eat the flesh 7of  them7
 7vii4 #ba71 implies a time of unusual  
activity in the matter of  honouring the
 ,god of ,israel with the more costly   
offerings of which  the worshippers did 
not partake1 but which were wholly      
consumed on the  altar2 which fact also 
might point to a season of special      
danger4    ,and1 lastly1 the references 
to taking refuge behind the walls of    
'defenced cities' 7viii4 #ad2 x4 #ag71  
as we know that the ,rechabites and     
doubtless most of the rural populace    
took refuge in ,jerusalem on the        
approach of the third and last ,chaldean
 expedition1 seem to prove that  the    
occasion of the prophecy was the first  
,chaldean invasion1 which  ended in the 
submission of ,jehoiakim to the yoke of 
,babylon 7#b ,kings  xxiv4 #a74 ,already
 the northern frontier had experienced  
the destructive  onslaught of the       
invaders1 and rumour announced that they

 might soon be  expected to arrive      
before the walls of ,jerusalem 7viii4   
#af1 #ag74    ,the only other historical
 occasion which can be suggested with   
any  plausibility is the ,scythian      
invasion of ,syria-,palestine1 to which 
the previous discourse was assigned4    
,this would fix the date of the         
prophecy at some point between the      
thirteenth and the eighteenth  years of 
,josiah 7,b4,c4 #fbi-fbd74 ,but the     
arguments for this view do  not seem to 
be very strong in themselves1 and they  
certainly do not  explain the essential 
identity of the oracle summarized in    
chap4  xxvi4 #a-f1 with that of vii4    
#a-ae4 ,the undisguised references to   
the  prevalence of idolatry in          
,jerusalem itself 7vii4 #ag2 cf4 #cj1   
#ca71 and  the unwillingness of the     
people to listen to the prophet's       
teaching1  7vii4 #bg71 are quite as well
 accounted for by supposing a religious 
or rather an irreligious reaction under 
,jehoiakim--which is every way  probable

 considering the bad character of that  
king 7#b ,kings xxiii4  #cg2 ,jer4 xxii4
 #ac sqq471 and the serious blow        
inflicted upon the  reforming party by  
the death of ,josiah2 as by assuming    
that the  prophecy belongs to the years 
before the extirpation of idolatry in   
the eighteenth year of the latter       
sovereign4    ,and now let us take a    
rapid glance at the salient points of   
this  remarkable utterance4 ,the people 
are standing in the outer court1  with  
their faces turned toward the court of  
the priests1 in which  stood the holy   
house itself 7,ps4 v4 #g74 ,the         
prophetic speaker stands  facing them1  
in the gate of the ,lord's house1 the   
entry of the  upper or inner court1 the 
place whence ,baruch was afterwards to  
read  another of his oracles to the     
people 7xxxvi4 #aj74 ,standing here1 as 
it were between his audience and the    
throne of ,iahvah1 ,jeremiah acts  as   
visible mediator between them and their 
,god4 ,his message to the  worshippers  

who throng the courts of ,iahvah's      
sanctuary is not one of  approval4 ,he  
does not congratulate them upon their   
manifest devotion1  upon the munificence
 of their offerings1 upon their         
ungrudging and  unstinted readiness to  
meet an unceasing drain upon their      
means4 ,his  message is a surprise1 a   
shock to their self-satisfaction1 an    
alarm  to their slumbering consciences1 
a menace of wrath and destruction  upon 
them and their holy place4 ,his very    
first word is calculated to  startle    
their self-righteousness1 their         
misplaced faith in the merit  of their  
worship and service4 ,amend your ways   
and your doings6  ,where was the need of
 amendment8 they might ask4 ,were they  
not at  that moment engaged in a        
function most grateful to ,iahvah8 ,were
 they  not keeping the law of the       
sacrifices1 and were not the ,levitical 
priesthood ministering in their order1  
and receiving their due share  of the   
offerings which poured into the temple  

day by day8 ,was not all  this honour   
enough to satisfy the most exacting of  
deities8 ,perhaps  it was1 had the deity
 in question been merely as one of the  
gods of  ,canaan4 ,so much lip-service1 
so many sacrifices and festivals1 so    
much joyous revelling in the sanctuary1 
might be supposed to have  sufficiently 
appeased one of the common ,baals1 those
 half-womanish  phantoms of deity whose 
delight was imagined to be in feasting  
and  debauchery4 ,nay1 so much zeal     
might have propitiated the savage heart 
of a ,molech4 ,but the ,god of ,israel  
was not as these1 nor one of these2     
though ,his ancient people were too apt 
to conceive thus of ,him1 and  certain  
modern critics have unconsciously       
followed in their wake4    ,let us see  
what it was that called so loudly for   
amendment1 and then we  may become more 
fully aware of the gulf that divided the
 ,god of ,israel  from the idols of     
,canaan1 and ,his service from all other
 service4 ,it is  important to keep this

 radical difference steadily before our 
minds1 and  to deepen the impression of 
it1 in days when the effort is made by  
every  means to confuse ,iahvah with the
 gods of heathendom1 and to rank the    
religion of ,israel with the lower      
surrounding systems4    ,jeremiah       
accuses his countrymen of flagrant      
transgression of the  universal laws of 
morality4 ,theft1 murder1 adultery1     
perjury1 fraud  and covetousness1       
slander and lying and treachery 7vii4   
#i1 ix4 #c-h71  are charged upon these  
zealous worshippers by a man who lived  
amongst  them1 and knew them well1 and  
could be contradicted at once if his    
charges were false4    ,he tells them   
plainly that1 in virtue of their        
frequenting it1 the  temple is become a 
den of robbers4    ,and this trampling  
upon the common rights of man has its   
counterpart  and its climax in treason  
against ,god1 in burning incense to the 
,baal1 and walking after other gods whom
 they know not 7vii4 #i72 in  an open   

and shameless attempt to combine the    
worship of the ,god who  had from the   
outset revealed ,himself to their       
prophets as a jealous1  i4e41 an        
exclusive ,god1 with the worship of     
shadows who had not  revealed themselves
 at all1 and could not be known1 because
 devoid  of all character and real      
existence4 ,they thus ignored the       
ancient  covenant which had constituted 
them a nation 7vii4 #bc74    ,in the    
cities of ,judah1 in the streets of the 
very capital1 the  cultus of ,ashtreth1 
the ,queen of ,heaven1 the voluptuous   
,canaanite  goddess of love and         
dalliance1 was busily practised by whole
 families  together1 in deadly          
provocation of the ,god of ,israel4 ,the
 first and  great commandment said1     
,thou shalt love ,iahvah thy ,god1 and  
,him only  shalt thou serve4 ,and they  
loved and served and followed and sought
  after and worshipped the sun and the  
moon and the host of heaven1  the       
objects adored by the nation that was so

 soon to enslave them  7viii4 #b74 ,not 
only did a worldly1 covetous and sensual
 priesthood  connive in the restoration 
of the old superstitions which          
associated  other gods with ,iahvah1 and
 set up idol symbols and altars within  
the  precincts of ,his temple1 as       
,manasseh had done 7#b ,kings xxi4      
#d-e72  they went further than this in  
their syncretism1 or rather in their    
perversity1 their spiritual blindness1  
their wilful misconception of  the ,god 
revealed to their fathers4 ,they        
actually confounded ,,him--the  ,lord   
who exercised loving kindness1 justice1 
and righteousness1 and  delighted in the
 exhibition of these qualities by ,his  
worshippers  7ix4 #bd7--with the dark   
and cruel sun-god of the ,ammonites4    
,they  rebuilt the high-places of the   
,tophet1 in the valley of ben  ,hinnom1 
on the north side of ,jerusalem1 to burn
 their sons and  their daughters in the 
fire2 if by means so revolting to       
natural  affection they might win back  

the favour of heaven--means which       
,iahvah commanded not1 neither came they
 into ,his mind 7vii4 #ca74  ,such      
fearful and desperate expedients were   
doubtless first suggested  by the false 
prophets and priests in the times of    
national adversity  under king          
,manasseh4 ,they harmonized only too    
well with the despair  of a people1 who 
saw in a long succession of political   
disasters the  token of ,iahvah's       
unforgiving wrath4 ,that these dreadful 
rites were  not a survival in ,israel1  
seems to follow from the horror which   
they excited in the allied armies of the
 two kingdoms1 when the king  of ,moab1 
in the extremity of the siege1 offered  
his eldest son as  a burnt-offering on  
the wall of his capital before the eyes 
of the  besiegers4 ,so appalled were the
 ,israelite forces by this spectacle  of
 a father's despair1 that they at once  
raised the blockade1 and  retreated     
homeward 7#b ,kings iii4 #bg74 ,it is   
probable1 then1 that the  darker and    

bloodier aspects of heathen worship were
 of only recent  appearance among the   
,hebrews1 and that the rites of ,molech 
had not  been at all frequent or        
familiar1 until the long and harassing  
conflict with ,assyria broke the        
national spirit and inclined the        
people1 in their trouble1 to welcome the
 suggestion that costlier  sacrifices   
were demanded1 if ,iahvah was to be     
propitiated and ,his  wrath appeased4   
,such things were not done1 apparently1 
in ,jeremiah's  time2 he mentions them  
as the crown of the nation's past       
offences2 as  sins that still cried to  
heaven for vengeance1 and would surely  
entail  it1 because the same spirit of  
idolatry which had culminated in these  
excesses1 still lived and was active in 
the popular heart4 ,it is the           
persistence in sins of the same         
character which involves our drinking   
to the dregs the cup of punishment for  
the guilty past4 ,the dark  catalogue of
 forgotten offences witnesses against us

 before the ,unseen  ,judge1 and is only
 obliterated by the tears of a true     
repentance1 and  by the new evidence of 
a change of heart and life4 ,then1 as in
 some  palimpsest1 the new record covers
 and conceals the old2 and it is  only  
if we fatally relapse1 that the erased  
writing of our misdeeds  becomes visible
 again before the eye of ,heaven4       
,perhaps also the  prophet mentions     
these abominations because at the time  
he saw around  him unequivocal          
tendencies to the renewal of them4      
,under the patronage  or with the       
connivance of the wicked king           
,jehoiakim1 the reactionary  party may  
have begun to set up again the altars   
thrown down by ,josiah1  while their    
religious leaders advocated both by     
speech and writing a  return to the     
abolished cultus4 ,at all events1 this  
supposition gives  special point to the 
emphatic assertion of ,jeremiah1 that   
,iahvah had  not commanded nor even     
thought of such hideous rites4 ,the     

reference  to the false labours of the  
scribes 7chap4 viii4 #h7 lends colour to
  this view4 ,it may be that some of the
 interpreters of the sacred law         
actually anticipated certain writers of 
our own day1 in putting this  terrible  
gloss upon the precept1 ,the firstborn  
of thy sons shalt thou  give unto ,me   
7,ex4 xxii4 #bi74    ,the people of     
,judah were misled1 but they were       
willingly misled4 ,when  ,jeremiah      
declares to them1 ,lo1 ye are trusting1 
for your part1 upon  the words of       
delusion1 so that ye gain no good6 7vii4
 #h7 it is perhaps  not so much the     
smooth prophecies of the false prophets 
as the fatal  attitude of the popular   
mind1 out of which those misleading     
oracles  grew1 and which in turn they   
aggravated1 that the speaker deprecates4
  ,he warns them that an absolute trust 
in the prsentia ,numinis is  delusive2 a
 trust1 cherished like theirs           
independently of the condition  of its  
justification1 viz41 a walk pleasing to 

,god4 ,what6 will ye  break all ,my     
laws1 and then come and stand with      
polluted hands before  ,me in this house
 7,isa4 i4 #ae71 which is named after   
,me ',iahvah's  ,house'1 7,isa4 iv4 #a71
 and reassure yourselves with the       
thought1 ,we  are absolved from the     
consequences of all these abominations8 
7vv4  #i-aj4 ,lit4 ,we are saved1       
rescued1 secured1 with regard to having 
done  all these abominations3 cf4 ii4   
#ce4 ,but perhaps1 with ,ewald1 we      
should  point the ,hebrew term          
differently1 and read1 ,save us6 to do  
all these  abominations1 as if that were
 the express object of their petition1  
which would really ensue1 if their      
prayer were granted3 a fine irony4  ,for
 the form of the verb1 cf4 ,ezek4 xiv4  
#ad47 ,they thought their formal        
devotions were more than enough to      
counterbalance any breaches of the      
decalogue2 they laid that flattering    
unction to their souls4 ,they could     
make it up with ,god for setting ,his   

moral law at nought4 ,it was merely  a  
question of compensation4 ,they did not 
see that the moral law is as  immutable 
as laws physical2 and that the          
consequences of violating or  keeping it
 are as inseparable from it as pain from
 a blow1 or death  from poison4 ,they   
did not see that the moral law is simply
 the law of  man's health and wealth1   
and that the transgression of it is     
sorrow and  suffering and death4    ,if 
men like you1 argues the prophet1 dare  
to tread these courts1 it  must be      
because you believe it a proper thing to
 do4 ,but that belief  implies that you 
hold the temple to be something other   
than what it  really is2 that you see no
 incongruity in making the ,house of    
,iahvah  a meeting-place of murderers   
7spelunca latronum3 ,matt4 xxi4 #ac74   
,that you have yourselves made it1 in   
the full view of ,iahvah1 whose  seeing 
does not rest there1 but involves       
results1 such as the present  crisis of 
public affairs2 the national danger is  

proof that ,he has  seen your heinous   
misdoings4 ,for ,iahvah's seeing brings 
a vindication  of right1 and vengeance  
upon evil 7#b ,chron4 xxiv4 #bb2 ,ex4   
iii4 #g74 ,he  is the watchman that     
never slumbers nor sleeps2 the eternal  
,judge1  ,who ever upholds the law of   
righteousness in the affairs of man1 nor
  suffers the slightest infringement of 
that law to go unpunished4 ,and  this   
unceasing watchfulness1 this perpetual  
dispensation of justice1  is really a   
manifestation of ,divine mercy2 for the 
purpose of it is to  save the human race
 from self-destruction1 and to raise it 
ever higher  in the scale of true       
well-being1 which essentially consists  
in the  knowledge of ,god and obedience 
to ,his laws4    ,jeremiah gives his    
audience further ground for conviction4 
,he points  to a striking instance in   
which conduct like theirs had involved  
results such as his warning holds before
 them4 ,he establishes the  probability 
of chastisement by an historical        

parallel4 ,he offers  them1 so to speak1
 ocular demonstration of his doctrine4  
,i also1  lo1 ,i have seen1 saith       
,iahvah6 ,your eyes are fixed on the    
temple2  so are ,mine1 but in a         
different way4 ,you see a national      
palladium2  ,i see a desecrated         
sanctuary1 a shrine polluted and        
profaned4 ,this  distinction between    
,god's view and yours is certain3 for1  
go ye now  to ,my place which was at    
,shiloh1 where ,i caused ,my ,name to   
abide at  the outset 7of your settlement
 in ,canaan72 and see the thing that ,i 
have done to it1 because of the         
wickedness of ,my people ,israel 7the   
northern kingdom74 ,there is the proof  
that ,iahvah seeth not as man  seeth2   
there1 in that dismantled ruin1 in that 
historic sanctuary  of the more powerful
 kingdom of ,ephraim1 once visited by   
thousands  of worshippers like          
,jerusalem to-day1 now deserted and     
desolate1 a  monument of ,divine wrath4 
,the reference is not to the tabernacle1

 the sacred ,tent of the  ,wanderings1  
which was first set up at ,nob 7#a ,sam4
 xxi4 #bb7 and then  removed to ,gibeon 
7#b ,chron4 i4 #c71 but obviously to a  
building more  or less like the temple1 
though less magnificent4 ,the place and 
its  sanctuary had doubtless been ruined
 in the great catastrophe1 when the     
kingdom of ,samaria fell before the     
power of ,assyria 7#gba ,b4,c474    ,in 
the following words 7vv4 #ac-ae7 the    
example is applied4 ,and  now--stating  
the conclusion--because of your having  
done all these  deeds 7saith ,iahvah1   
,,lxx4 omits71 and because ,i spoke unto
 you  7early and late1 ,,lxx4 omits71   
and ye hearkened not1 and ,i called  you
 and ye answered not 7,prov4 i4 #bd73 ,i
 will do unto the house upon  which ,my 
,name is called1 wherein ye are         
trusting1 and unto the place  which ,i  
gave to you and to your fathers--as ,i  
did unto ,shiloh4    ,some might think  
that if the city fell1 the holy house   
would escape1  as was thought by many   

like-minded fanatics when ,jerusalem was
  beleaguered by the ,roman armies seven
 centuries later3 but ,jeremiah         
declares that the blow will fall upon   
both alike2 and to give greater  force  
to his words1 he makes the judgment     
begin at the house of ,god4  7,the      
,hebrew reader will note the dramatic   
effect of the disposition of  the       
accents4 ,the principal pause is placed 
upon the word fathers1  and the reader  
is to halt in momentary suspense upon   
that word1  before he utters the awful  
three which close the verse3 as ,i--did 
to--,shiloh4 ,the ,massorets were       
masters of this kind of emphasis47      
,and ,i will cast you away from ,my     
,presence1 as ,i cast 7all3 ,,lxx4      
omits#cj7 your kinsfolk1 all the        
posterity of ,ephraim 7#b ,kings  xvii4 
#bj74 ,away from ,my ,presence3 far     
beyond the bounds of that holy  land    
where ,i have revealed ,myself to       
priests and prophets1 and where  ,my    
sanctuary stands2 into a land where     

heathenism reigns1 and the  knowledge of
 ,god is not2 into the dark places of   
the earth1 that  lie under the blighting
 shadow of superstition1 and are        
enveloped  in the moral midnight of     
idolatry4 ,projiciam vos a facie mea4   
,the  knowledge and love of ,god--heart 
and mind ruled by the sense of purity   
and tenderness and truth and right      
united in an ,ineffable ,person1  and   
enthroned upon the summit of the        
universe--these are light and  life for 
man2 where these are1 there is ,his     
,presence4 ,they who are  so endowed    
behold the face of ,god1 in ,whom is no 
darkness at all4  ,where these spiritual
 endowments are non-existent2 where mere
 power1  or superhuman force1 is the    
highest thought of ,god to which man has
  attained2 where there is no clear     
sense of the essential holiness and     
love of the ,divine ,nature2 there the  
world of man lies in darkness  that may 
be felt2 there bloody rites prevail2    
there harsh oppression  and shameless   

vices reign3 for the dark places of the 
earth are full  of the habitations of   
cruelty4    ,and thou1 pray thou not for
 this people 7xviii4 #bj71 and lift not 
up for them outcry nor prayer1 and urge 
not ,me1 for ,i hear thee not4  ,seest  
thou not what they do in the cities of  
,judah and in the streets  of           
,jerusalem8 ,the children gather sticks1
 and the fathers light the  fire1 and   
the women knead dough1 to make sacred   
buns 7xliv4 #ai7 for  the ,queen of     
,heaven1 and to pour libations to other 
gods1 in order to  grieve ,me 7,deut4   
xxxii4 #af1 #ba74 ,is it ,me that they  
grieve8 saith  ,iahvah2 is it not       
themselves 7rather71 in regard to the   
shame of  their own faces 7#af-ai74     
,from one point of view1 all human      
conduct may be said to be  indifferent  
to ,god2 ,he is 1 self-sufficing1 and   
needs not  our praises1 our love1 our   
obedience1 any more than ,he needed the 
temple ritual and the sacrifices of     
bulls and goats4 ,man can neither       

benefit nor injure ,god2 he can only    
affect his own fortunes in this  world  
and the next1 by rebellion against the  
laws upon which his  welfare depends1 or
 by a careful observance of them4 ,in   
this sense1  it is true that wilful     
idolatry1 that treason against ,god1    
does not  provoke or grieve the         
,immutable ,one4 ,men do such things to 
their  own sole hurt1 to the shame of   
their own faces3 that is1 the punishment
  will be the painful realization of the
 utter groundlessness of their          
confidence1 of the folly of their false 
trust2 the mortification of             
disillusion1 when it is too late4 ,that 
,jeremiah should have expressed  himself
 thus is sufficient answer to those who 
pretend that the habitual               
anthropomorphism of the prophetic       
discourses is anything more than a  mere
 accident of language and an            
accommodation to ordinary style4    ,in 
another sense1 of course1 it is         
profoundly true to say that human  sin  

provokes and grieves the ,lord4 ,god is 
,love2 and love may be pained  to its   
depths by the fault of the beloved1 and 
stirred to holy  indignation at the     
disclosure of utter unworthiness and    
ingratitude4  ,something corresponding  
to these emotions of man may be         
ascribed1 with  all reverence1 to the   
,inscrutable ,being who creates man in  
,his own  image1 that is1 endowed with  
faculties capable of aspiring towards   
,him1 and receiving the knowledge of    
,his being and character4    ,pray not  
thou for this people 444 for ,i hear    
thee not6 ,jeremiah was  wont to        
intercede for his people 7xi4 #ad1      
xviii4 #bj1 xv4 #a2 cf4 #a  ,sam4 xii4  
#bc74 ,the deep pathos which marks his  
style1 the minor key  in which almost   
all his public utterances are pitched1  
proves that  the fate which he saw      
impending over his country1 grieved him 
to the  heart4 ,our sweetest songs are  
those which tell of saddest thought2    
and this is eminently true of ,jeremiah4

 ,a profound melancholy had  fallen like
 a cloud upon his soul2 he had seen the 
future1 fraught as  it was with         
suffering and sorrow1 despair and       
overthrow1 slaughter and  bitter        
servitude2 a picture in which images of 
terror crowded one upon  another1 under 
a darkened sky1 from which no ray of    
blessed hope shot  forth1 but only the  
lightnings of wrath and extermination4  
,doubtless  his prayers were frequent1  
alive with feeling1 urgent1 imploring1  
full of the convulsive energy of        
expiring hope4 ,but in the midst  of his
 strong crying and tears1 there arose   
from the depths of his  consciousness   
the conviction that all was in vain4    
,pray not thou for  this people1 for ,i 
will not hear thee4 ,the thought stood  
before him1  sharp and clear as a       
command2 the unuttered sound of it rang 
in his  ears1 like the voice of a       
destroying angel1 a messenger of doom1  
calm  as despair1 sure as fate4 ,he knew
 it was the voice of ,god4    ,in the   

history of nations as in the lives of   
individuals there are  times when       
repentance1 even if possible1 would be  
too late to avert  the evils which long 
periods of misdoing have called from the
 abyss to  do their penal and           
retributive work4 ,once the dike is     
undermined1 no  power on earth can hold 
back the flood of waters from the       
defenceless  lands beneath4 ,and when a 
nation's sins have penetrated and       
poisoned  all social and political      
relations1 and corrupted the very       
fountains of  life1 you cannot avert the
 flood of ruin that must come1 to sweep 
away  the tainted mass of spoiled       
humanity2 you cannot avert the storm    
that  must break to purify the air1 and 
make it fit for men to breathe again4   
,therefore--because of the national     
unfaithfulness--thus said the  ,lord    
,iahvah1 ,lo1 ,mine anger and ,my fury  
are being poured out toward  this       
place--upon the men1 and upon the       
cattle1 and upon the trees of  the      

field1 and upon the fruit of the ground2
 and it will burn1 and not  be quenched6
 7vii4 #bj74 ,the havoc wrought by war1 
the harrying and  slaying of man and    
beast1 the felling of fruit trees and   
firing of  the vineyards1 are intended2 
but not so as to exclude the ravages of 
pestilence and droughts 7chap4 xiv47 and
 famine4 ,all these evils are           
manifestations of the wrath of ,iahvah4 
,cattle and trees and the fruit  of the 
ground1 i4e4 of the cornlands and       
vineyards1 are to share in  the general 
destruction 7cf4 ,hos4 iv4 #c71 not1 of 
course1 as partakers  of man's guilt1   
but only by way of aggravating his      
punishment4 ,the  final phrase is worthy
 of consideration1 because of its       
bearing upon  other passages4 ,it will  
burn and not be quenched1 or it will    
burn  unquenchably4 ,the meaning is not 
that the ,divine wrath once kindled     
will go on burning for ever2 but that   
once kindled1 no human or other  power  
will be able to extinguish it1 until it 

has accomplished its  appointed work of 
destruction4    ,thus said ,iahvah      
,sabaoth1 the ,god of ,israel3 ,your    
holocausts add  ye to your common       
sacrifices1 and eat ye flesh6 that is1  
,eat flesh  in abundance1 eat your fill 
of it6 ,stint not yourselves by devoting
  any portion of your offerings wholly  
to ,me4 ,i am as indifferent to  your   
burnt-offerings1 your more costly and   
splendid gifts1 as to  the ordinary     
sacrifices1 over which you feast and    
make merry with  your friends 7#a ,sam4 
i4 #d1 #ac74 ,the holocausts which you  
are now  burning on the altar before ,me
 will not avail to alter ,my settled    
purpose4 ,for ,i spake not with your    
fathers1 nor commanded them1 in  the day
 that ,i brought them forth out of the  
land of ,egypt1 concerning  matters of  
holocaust and sacrifice1 but this matter
 commanded ,i  them1 ,hearken ye unto   
,my voice1 so become ,i ,god to you1 and
 you--ye  shall become to ,me a people2 
and walk ye in all the way that ,i shall

  command you1 that it may go well with 
you6 7#bb-bc7 cf4 ,deut4 vi4  #c4 ,those
 who believe that the entire priestly   
legislation as we now  have it in the   
,pentateuch is the work of ,moses1 may  
be content to  find in this passage of  
,jeremiah no more than an extreme       
antithetical  expression of the truth   
that to obey is better than sacrifice4  
,there  can be no question that from the
 outset of its history1 ,israel1 in     
common with all the ,semitic nations1   
gave outward expression to its          
religious ideas in the form of animal   
sacrifice4 ,moses cannot have           
originated the institution1 he found it 
already in vogue1 though he  may have   
regulated the details of it4 ,even in   
the ,pentateuch1 the  term sacrifice is 
nowhere explained2 the general          
understanding of  the meaning of it is  
taken for granted 7see ,ex4 xii4 #bg1   
xxiii4 #ah74  ,religious customs are of 
immemorial use1 and it is impossible in 
most  cases to specify the period of    

their origin4 ,but while it is certain  
that the institution of sacrifice was of
 extreme antiquity in ,israel  as in    
other ancient peoples1 it is equally    
certain1 from the plain  evidence of    
their extant writings1 that the prophets
 before the ,exile  attached no         
independent value either to it or to any
 other part of the  ritual of the       
temple4 ,we have already seen how       
,jeremiah could speak  of the most      
venerable of all the symbols of the     
popular faith 7iii4  #af74 ,now he      
affirms that the traditional rules for  
the burnt-offerings  and other          
sacrifices were not matters of special  
,divine institution1  as was popularly  
supposed at the time4 ,the reference to 
the ,exodus  may imply that already in  
his day there were written narratives   
which  asserted the contrary2 that the  
first care of the ,divine ,saviour after
  ,he had led ,his people through the   
sea was to provide them with an         
elaborate system of ritual and          

sacrifice1 identical with that which    
prevailed in ,jeremiah's day4 ,the      
important verse already quoted 7viii4   
#h7 seems to glance at such pious       
fictions of the popular religious       
teachers3 ,how say ye1 ,we are wise1 and
 the instruction 7,a4 ,v4 law7  of      
,iahvah is with us8 ,but behold for lies
 hath it wrought--the lying  pen of the 
scribes6    ,it is1 indeed1 difficult to
 see how ,jeremiah or any of his        
predecessors could have done otherwise  
than take for granted the  established  
modes of public worship1 and the        
traditional holy places4  ,the prophets 
do not seek to alter or abolish the     
externals of religion  as such2 they are
 not so unreasonable as to demand that  
stated  rites and traditional           
sanctuaries should be disregarded1 and  
that  men should worship in the spirit  
only1 without the aid of outward        
symbolism of any sort1 however innocent 
and appropriate to its object  it might 
seem4 ,they knew very well that rites   

and ceremonies were  necessary to public
 worship2 what they protested against   
was the  fatal tendency of their time to
 make these the whole of religion1 to   
suppose that ,iahvah's claims could be  
satisfied by a due performance  of      
these1 without regard to those higher   
moral requirements of ,his  law which   
the ritual worship might fitly have     
symbolized but could  not rightly       
supersede4 ,it was not a question with  
,hosea1 ,amos1 ,micah1  ,isaiah1        
,jeremiah1 whether or not ,iahvah could 
be better honoured  with or without     
temples and priests and sacrifices4 ,the
 question  was whether these traditional
 institutions actually served as an     
outward expression of that devotion to  
,him and ,his holy law1 of that         
righteousness and holiness of life1     
which is the only true worship1 or      
whether they were looked upon as in     
themselves comprising the whole of      
necessary religion4 ,since the people   
took this latter view1 ,jeremiah        

declares that their system of public    
worship is futile4    ,hearken unto ,my 
voice3 not as giving regulations about  
the ritual1  but as inculcating moral   
duty by the prophets1 as is explained   
immediately 7ver4 #be71 and as is clear 
also from the statement that  they      
walked in the schemes of their own evil 
heart omit3 in the  stubbornness1 with  
,,lxx41 and read m ath stat4 constr41   
and  fell to the rear and not the front4
 ,as they did not advance in the        
knowledge and love of the spiritual     
,god1 who was seeking to lead them  by  
,his prophets1 from ,moses downwards    
7,deut4 xviii4 #ae71 they steadily      
retrograded and declined in moral worth1
 until they had become  hopelessly      
corrupt and past correction4 7,lit4 and 
they became back  and not face1 which   
may mean1 they turned their backs upon  
,iahvah  and ,his instruction47 ,this   
steady progress in evil is indicated by 
the words1 and they hardened their neck1
 they did worse than their  fathers     

7ver4 #bf74 ,it is implied that this was
 the case with each  successive         
generation1 and the view of ,israel's   
history thus expressed  is in perfect   
harmony with common experience4         
,progress1 one way or the  other1 is the
 law of character2 if we do not advance 
in goodness1 we  go back1 or1 what is   
the same thing1 we advance in evil4     
,finally1 the prophet is warned that his
 mission also must fail1 like  that of  
his predecessors1 unless indeed the     
second clause of ver4  #bg1 which is    
omitted by the ,septuagint1 be really an
 interpolation4  ,at all events1 the    
failure is implied if not expressed1 for
 he is  to pronounce a sentence of      
reprobation upon his people4 ,and thou  
shalt speak all these words unto them   
and they will not hearken  unto thee1   
and thou shalt call unto them1 and they 
will not answer  thee3 ,,lxx4 omits4    
,and thou shalt say unto them1 ,this is 
the nation  that hearkened not unto the 
voice of ,iahvah its ,god1 and received 

not correction3 ,good faith is perished 
and cut off from their mouth  7cf4 ix4  
#c sq474 ,the charge is remarkable4 ,it 
is one which ,jeremiah  reiterates3 see 
ver4 #i1 vi4 #ac1 viii4 #e1 ix4 #c sqq41
 xii4 #a4 ,his  fellow-countrymen are at
 once deceivers and deceived4 ,they have
 no  regard for truth and honour in     
their mutual dealings2 grasping greed   
and lies and trickery stamp their       
everyday intercourse with each  other2  
and covetousness and fraud equally      
characterise the behaviour  of their    
religious leaders4 ,where truth is not  
prized for its own  sake1 there debased 
ideas of ,god and lax conceptions of    
morality creep  in and spread4 ,only he 
who loves truth comes to the light2 and 
only he  who does ,god's will sees that 
truth is divine4 ,false belief and false
  living in turn beget each other2 and  
as a matter of experience it is  often  
impossible to say which was antecedent  
to the other4    ,in the closing section
 of this first part of his long address 

7vv4  #bi-viii4 #c71 ,jeremiah          
apostrophizes the country1 bidding her  
bewail  her imminent ruin4 ,shear thy   
tresses 7coronal of long hair7 and  cast
 them away1 and lift upon the bare hills
 a lamentation6--sing  a dirge over thy 
departed glory and thy slain children1  
upon those  unhallowed mountain-tops    
which were the scene of thine apostasies
  7iii4 #ba72 for ,iahvah hath rejected 
and forsaken the generation of  ,his    
wrath4 ,the hopeless tone of this       
exclamation 7cf4 also vv4 #ae1  #af1    
#bj7 seems to agree better with the     
times of ,jehoiakim1 when it had  become
 evident to the prophet that amendment  
was beyond hope1 than  with the years   
prior to ,josiah's reformation4 ,his own
 contemporaries  are 'the generation of 
,iahvah's wrath1' i4e4 upon which ,his  
wrath is  destined to be poured out1 for
 the day of grace is past and gone2 and 
this1 because of the desecration of the 
temple itself by such kings  as ,ahaz   
and ,manasseh1 but especially because of

 the horrors of the  child-sacrifices in
 the valley of ben ,hinnom 7#b ,kings   
xvi4 #c1 xxi4  #c-f71 which those kings 
had been the first to introduce in      
,judah4  ,therefore behold days are     
coming1 saith ,iahvah1 and it shall no  
more  be called the ,tophet 7an obscure 
term1 probably meaning something  like  
,pyre or ,burningplace3 cf4 the ,persian
 tab-idan to burn1  and the ,greek 1 -  
to bury1 strictly to burn a corpse2     
also 1 to smoke1 ,sanskrit dhp3 to      
suppose a reproachful  name like        
,spitting  ,object of loathing1 is      
clearly against the  context3 the       
honourable name is to be exchanged for  
one of dishonour71  and the ,valley of  
ben ,hinnom1 but the ,valley of         
,slaughter1 and people  shall bury in   
the ,tophet for want of room            
7elsewhere76 ,a  great battle is        
contemplated1 as is evident also from   
,deut4 xxviii4  #be1 #bf1 the latter    
verse being immediately quoted by the   
prophet  7ver4 #cc74 ,the ,tophet will  

be defiled for ever by being made a     
burial  place2 but many of the fallen   
will be left unburied1 a prey to the    
vulture and the jackal4 ,in that fearful
 time1 all sounds of joyous  life will  
cease in the cities of ,judah and in the
 capital itself1 for  the land will     
become a desolation4 ,and the scornful  
enemy will not be  satisfied with       
wreaking his vengeance upon the living2 
he will insult  the dead1 by breaking   
into the sepulchres of the kings and    
grandees1  the priests and prophets and 
people1 and haling their corpses forth  
to lie rotting in face of the sun1 moon 
and stars1 which they had so  sedulously
 worshipped in their lifetime1 but which
 will be powerless  to protect their    
dead bodies from this shameful          
indignity4 ,and as for  the survivors1  
death will be preferred to life in the  
case of all the  remnant that remain of 
this evil tribe1 in all the places      
whither ,i  shall have driven them1     
saith ,iahvah ,sabaoth 7omit the second 

that  remain1 with ,,lxx4 as an         
accidental repetition from the preceding
  line1 and as breaking the             
construction74 ,the prophet has reached 
the conviction that ,judah will be      
driven into banishment2 but the  details
 of the destruction which he            
contemplates are obviously of an        
imaginative and rhetorical character4   
,it is1 therefore1 superfluous  to ask  
whether a great battle was actually     
fought afterwards in the  valley of ben 
,hinnom1 and whether the slain apostates
 of ,judah were  buried there in heaps1 
and whether the conquerors violated the 
tombs4  ,had the ,chaldeans or any of   
their allies done this last1 in search  
of  treasure for instance1 we should    
expect to find some notice of it in  the
 historical chapters of ,jeremiah4 ,but 
it was probably known well  enough to   
the surrounding peoples that the ,jews  
were not in the habit  of burying       
treasure in their tombs4 ,the prophet's 
threat however1  curiously corresponds  

to what ,josiah is related to have done 
at ,bethel  and elsewhere1 by way of    
irreparably polluting the high places   
7#b  ,kings xxiii4 #af sqq472 and it is 
probable that his recollection of  that 
event1 which he may himself have        
witnessed1 determined the form  of      
,jeremiah's language here4#ca    ,in the
 second part of this great discourse    
7viii4 #d-bc7 we have a fine            
development of thoughts which have      
already been advanced in the opening    
piece1 after the usual manner of        
,jeremiah4 ,the first half 7or strophe7 
is mainly concerned with the sins of the
 nation 7vv4 #d-ac71 the second  with a 
despairing lament over the punishment   
7#ad-bc  ix4 #a74 ,and  thou shalt say  
unto them3 ,thus said ,iahvah1 ,do men  
fall and not rise  again8 ,doth a man   
turn back1 and not return8 ,why doth    
,jerusalem make  this people to turn    
back with an eternal 7or perfect1 utter1
 absolute7  turning back8 ,why clutch   
they deceit1 refuse to return8 7,the    

,,lxx4  omits ,jerusalem1 which is      
perhaps only a marginal gloss4 ,we      
should  then have to read  shobab for   
shobebah1 as this  people is masc4 ,the 
,he has been written twice by           
inadvertence4 ,the  verb1 however1 is   
transitive in l4 #ai2 ,isa4 xlvii4 #aj1 
etc42 and ,i  find no certain instance  
of the intrans4 form besides ,ezek4     
xxxviii4  #h1 participle47 ,i listened  
and heard2 they speak not aright 7,ex4  
x4  #bi2 ,isa4 xvi4 #f72 not a man      
repenteth over his evil1 saying 7or     
thinking71 ,what have ,i done8 ,they all
 7lit4 all of him1 i4e4  the people7    
turn back into their courses 7plur4     
,heb4 text2 sing4 ,heb4  marg471 like   
the rushing horse into the battle4      
,there is something unnatural in this   
obstinate persistence in evil4 ,if  a   
man happens to fall he does not remain  
on the ground1 but quickly  rises to his
 feet again2 and if he turn back on his 
way for some  reason or other1 he will  
usually return to that way again4 ,there

  is a play on the word 'turn back' or  
'return1' like that in iii4  #ab1 #ad4  
,the term is first used in the sense of 
turning back or away  from ,iahvah1 and 
then in that of returning to ,him1      
according to its  metaphorical meaning  
to repent4 ,thus the import of the      
question is3  ,is it natural to         
apostatize and never to repent of it8   
7,perhaps we  should rather read1 after 
the analogy of iii4 #a1 ,doth a man go  
away  77 on a journey1 and not return87 
,others interpret3 ,doth a man return1  
and not return8 ,that is1 if  he return1
 he does it1 and does not stop midway2  
whereas ,judah only  pretends to repent1
 and does not really do so4 ,this1      
however1 does not  agree with the       
parallel member1 nor with the following 
similar questions4    ,it is very       
noticeable how thoroughly the prophets1 
who1 after all1  were the greatest of   
practical moralists1 identify religion  
with  right aims and right conduct4 ,the
 beginning of evil courses is  turning  

away from ,iahvah2 the beginning of     
reform is turning back  to ,iahvah4 ,for
 ,iahvah's character as revealed to the 
prophets is  the ideal and standard of  
ethical perfection2 ,he does and        
delights  in love1 justice and equity   
7ix4 #bc74 ,if a man look away from that
  ideal1 if he be content with a lower  
standard than the ,will and ,law  of the
 ,all-,perfect1 then and thereby he     
inevitably sinks in the scale  of       
morality4 ,the prophets are not troubled
 by the idle question  of medieval      
schoolmen and sceptical moderns4 ,it    
never occurred to  them to ask the      
question whether ,god is good because   
,god wills it1  or whether ,god wills   
good because it is good4 ,the dilemma   
is1 in  truth1 no better than a verbal  
puzzle1 if we allow the existence of  a 
personal ,deity4 ,for the idea of ,god  
is the idea of a ,being who is          
absolutely good1 the only ,being who is 
such2 perfect goodness is  understood to
 be realized nowhere else but in ,god4  

,it is part of ,his  essence and        
conception2 it is the aspect under which
 the human mind  apprehends ,him4 ,to   
suppose goodness existing apart from    
,him1 as an  independent object which   
,he may choose or refuse1 is to deal in 
empty  abstractions4 ,we might as well  
ask whether convex can exist apart  from
 concave in nature1 or motion apart from
 a certain rate of speed4  ,the human   
spirit can apprehend ,god in ,his moral 
perfections1 because  it is1 at however 
vast a distance1 akin to ,him--a divin  
particula  aur2 and it can strive       
towards those perfections by help of the
  same grace which reveals them4 ,the   
prophets know of no other origin  or    
measure of moral endeavour than that    
which ,iahvah makes known to  them4 ,in 
the present instance1 the charge which  
,jeremiah makes against  his            
contemporaries is a radical falsehood1  
insincerity1 faithlessness3  they clutch
 or cling to deceit1 they speak what is 
not right or  honest1 straightforward   

7,gen4 xlii4 #aa1 #ai74 ,their treason  
to ,god  and their treachery to their   
fellows are opposite sides of the same  
fact4 ,had they been true to ,iahvah1   
that is1 to ,his teachings through  the 
higher prophets and their own           
consciences1 they would have been  true 
to one another4 ,the forbearing love of 
,god1 ,his tender solicitude  to hear   
and save1 are illustrated by the words3 
,i listened and  heard 444 not a man    
repented over his evil1 saying1 ,what   
have ,i done8  7,the feeling of the     
stricken conscience could hardly be more
 aptly  expressed than by this brief    
question47 ,but in vain does the        
,heavenly  ,father wait for the accents 
of penitence and contrition3 they all   
return--go back again and again 7,ps4   
xxiii4 #f7--;into their own race  or    
courses1 like a horse rushing 7lit4     
pouring forth3 of rushing  waters1 ,ps4 
lxxviii4 #bj7 into the battle4 ,the     
eagerness with which  they follow their 
own wicked desires1 the recklessness    

with which they  give their sensual race
 the rein1 in set defiance of ,god1 and 
wilful  oblivion of consequences1 is    
finely expressed by the simile of the   
warhorse rushing in headlong eagerness  
into the fray 7,job xxxix4 #be74  ,also 
7or even7 the stork in the heavens      
knoweth her appointed  times1 and       
turtledove1 swift and crane observe the 
season of their  coming2 but ,my people 
know not the ordinance of ,iahvah--what 
,he  has willed and declared to be right
 for man 7,his ,law2 jus divinum1       
relligio divina74 ,the dullest of wits  
can hardly fail to appreciate  the force
 of this beautiful contrast between the 
regularity of  instinct and the         
aberrations of reason4 ,all living      
creatures are  subject to laws upon     
obedience to which their well-being     
depends4 ,the  life of man is no        
exception2 it too is subject to a law--a
 law which  is as much higher than that 
which regulates mere animal existence1  
as reason and conscience and spiritual  

aspiration are higher than  instinct and
 sexual impulse4 ,but whereas the lower 
forms of life are  obedient to the laws 
of their being1 man rebels against them1
 and  dares to disobey what he knows to 
be for his good2 nay1 he suffers        
himself to be so blinded by lust and    
passion and pride and self-will  that at
 last he does not even recognise the    
,law--the ordinance of the              
,eternal--for what it really is1 the    
organic law of his true being1 the      
condition at once of his excellence and 
his happiness4    ,the prophet next     
meets an objection4 ,he has just alleged
 a profound  moral ignorance--a culpable
 ignorance--against the people4 ,he     
supposes  them to deny the accusation1  
as doubtless they often did in answer to
  his remonstrances 7cf4 xvii4 #ae1 xx4 
#g sq47 ,how can ye say1 ,we  are       
wise--morally wise--and the teaching of 
,iahvah is with us6  but behold3 ,,lxx4 
omits3 either term would be sufficient  
by itself  for the ,lie hath the lying  

pen of the scribes made it6 ,the        
reference  clearly is to what           
,jeremiah's opponents call the teaching 
7or law3  torah7 of ,iahvah2 and it is  
also clear that the prophet charges the 
scribes of the opposite party with      
falsifying or tampering with  the       
teaching of ,iahvah in some way or      
other4 ,is it meant that they           
misrepresented the terms of a written   
document1 such as the ,book of  the     
,covenant1 or ,deuteronomy8 ,but they   
could hardly do this without  detection1
 in the case of a work which was not in 
their exclusive  possession4 ,or does   
,jeremiah accuse them of misinterpreting
 the sacred  law1 by putting false      
glosses upon its precepts1 as might be  
done  in a legal document wherever there
 seemed room for a difference of        
opinion1 or wherever conflicting        
traditional interpretations existed     
side by side8 7,cf4 my remarks on vii4  
#ca47 ,the ,hebrew may indicate  this1  
for we may translate3 ,but lo1 into the 

lie the lying pen of  the scribes hath  
made it6 which recalls ,st4 ,paul's     
description of  the heathen as changing 
the truth of ,god into a lie 7,rom4 i4  
#bf74  ,the construction is the same as 
in ,gen4 xii4 #b2 ,isa4 xliv4 #ag4 ,or1 
finally1 does he boldly charge these    
abettors of the false prophets  with    
forging supposititious law-books1 in the
 interest of their own  faction1 and in 
support of the claims and doctrines of  
the worldly  priests and prophets8 ,this
 last view is quite admissible1 so far  
as  the ,hebrew goes1 which1 however1 is
 not free from ambiguity4 ,it might  be 
rendered1 ,but behold1 in vain1 or      
bootlessly 7iii4 #bc7 hath  the lying   
pen of the scribes laboured2 taking the 
verb in an absolute  sense1 which is not
 a common use 7,ruth ii4 #ai74 ,or we   
might transpose  the terms for pen and  
lying1 and render1 ,but behold1 in vain 
hath the pen of the scribes fabricated  
falsehood4 ,in any case1 the  general   
sense is the same3 ,jeremiah charges not

 only the speakers1 but  the writers1 of
 the popular party with uttering their  
own inventions  in the name of ,iahvah4 
,these scribes were the spiritual       
ancestors  of those of our ,saviour's   
time1 who made the word of ,god of none 
effect for the sake of their traditions 
7,matt4 xv4 #f74 ,for the ,lie  means1  
to maintain the popular misbelief4 7,it 
might also be rendered1  for falsehood1 
falsely1 as in the phrase to swear      
falsely1  i4e41 for deceit2 ,lev4 v4    
#bd47 ,it thus appears that conflicting 
and competing versions of the law were  
current in that age4 ,has the           
,pentateuch preserved elements of both  
kinds1 or is it homogeneous  throughout8
 ,of the scribes of the period we1 alas6
 know little beyond  what this passage  
tells us4 ,but ,ezra must have had      
predecessors1 and  we may remember that 
,baruch1 the friend and amanuensis of   
,jeremiah1  was also a scribe 7xxxvi4   
#bf74    ,the wise will blush1 they will
 be dismayed and caught6 ,lo1 the word  

of ,iahvah they rejected1 and wisdom of 
what sort have they8 7vi4 #aj74  ,the   
whole body of ,jeremiah's opponents1 the
 populace as well as the  priests and   
prophets1 are intended by the wise1 that
 is1 the wise  in their own conceits    
7ver4 #h72 there is an ironical         
reference to  their own assumption of   
the title4 ,these self-styled wise ones1
 who  preferred their own wisdom to the 
guidance of the prophet1 will be        
punished by the mortification of        
discovering their folly when it is  too 
late4 ,their folly will be the          
instrument of their ruin1 for ,he       
taketh the wise in their own craftiness 
as in a snare 7,prov4 v4 #bb74    ,they 
who reject ,iahvah's word1 in whatever  
form it comes to them1 have  no other   
light to walk by2 they must needs walk  
in darkness1 and stumble  at noonday4   
,for ,iahvah's word is the only true    
wisdom1 the only true  guide of man's   
footsteps4 ,and this is the kind of     
wisdom which the  ,holy ,scriptures     

offer us2 not a merely speculative      
wisdom1 not what is  commonly understood
 by the terms science and art1 but the  
priceless  knowledge of ,god and of ,his
 will concerning us2 a kind of knowledge
  which is beyond all comparison the    
most important for our well-being  here 
and hereafter4 ,if this ,divine wisdom1 
which relates to the proper  conduct of 
life and the right education of the     
highest faculties of  our being1 seem a 
small matter to any man1 the fact argues
 spiritual  blindness on his part2 it   
cannot diminish the glory of heavenly   
wisdom4    ,some well-meaning but       
mistaken people are fond of maintaining 
what  they call the scientific accuracy 
of the ,bible1 meaning thereby an       
essential harmony with the latest       
discoveries1 or even the newest         
hypotheses1 of physical science4 ,but   
even to raise such a preposterous       
question1 whether as advocate or as     
assailant1 is to be guilty of a  crude  
anachronism1 and to betray an incredible

 ignorance of the real  value of the    
,scriptures4 ,that value ,i believe to  
be inestimable4 ,but  to discuss the    
scientific accuracy of the ,bible       
appears to me to  be as irrelevant to   
any profitable issue1 as it would be to 
discuss  the meteorological precision of
 the ,mahabharata1 or the marvellous    
chemistry of the ,zendavesta1 or the    
physiological revelations of the        
,koran1 or the enlightened anthropology 
of the ,nibelungenlied4    ,a man may   
reject the word of ,iahvah1 he may      
reject ,christ's word1  because he      
supposes that it is not sufficiently    
attested4 ,he may urge  that the proof  
that it is of ,,god breaks down1 and he 
may flatter  himself that he is a person
 of superior discernment1 because he    
perceives a fact to which the multitude 
of believers are apparently  blind4 ,but
 what kind of proof would he have8 ,does
 he demand more than  the case admits   
of8 ,some portent in earth or sky or    
sea1 which in  reality would be quite   

foreign to the matter in hand1 and could
 have  none but an accidental connexion 
with it1 and would1 in fact1 be no      
proof at all1 but itself a mystery      
requiring to be explained by the        
ordinary laws of physical causation8 ,to
 demand a kind of proof which  is       
irrelevant to the subject is a mark not 
of superior caution and  judgment1 but  
of ignorance and confusion of thought4  
,the plain truth  is1 and the fact is   
abundantly illustrated by the teachings 
of the  prophets and1 above all1 of our 
,divine ,lord1 that moral and spiritual 
truths are self-attesting to minds able 
to realize them2 and they no  more need 
supplementary corroboration than does   
the ultimate testimony  of the senses of
 a sane person4    ,now the ,bible as a 
whole is an unique repertory of such    
truths2 this is  the secret of its      
age-long influence in the world4 ,if a  
man does not  care for the ,bible1 if he
 has not learned to appreciate this     
aspect of  it1 if he does not love it   

precisely on this account1 ,i1 in turn1 
care  very little for his opinion about 
the ,bible4 ,there may be much in the   
,bible which is otherwise valuable1     
which is precious as history1 as        
tradition1 as bearing upon questions of 
interest to the ethnologist1 the        
antiquarian1 the man of letters4 ,but   
these things are the shell1 that  is the
 kernel2 these are the accidents1 that  
is the substance2 these  are the bodily 
vesture1 that is the immortal spirit4 ,a
 man who has not  felt this1 has yet to 
learn what the ,bible is4    ,in his    
text as we now have it1 ,jeremiah       
proceeds to denounce  punishment on the 
priests and prophets1 whose fraudulent  
oracles  and false interpretations of   
the ,law ministered to their own greedy 
covetousness1 and who smoothed over the 
alarming state of things  by false      
assurances that all was well 7vv4       
#aj-ab74 ,the ,septuagint1  however1    
omits the whole passage after the words1
 ,therefore ,i will  give their wives to

 others1 their fields to conquerors6 and
 as these  words are obviously an       
abridgment of the threat1 vi4 #ab 7cf4  
,deut4  xxviii4 #cj71 while the rest of 
the passage agrees verbatim with vi4    
#ac-ae1 it may be supposed that a later 
editor inserted it in the  margin here1 
as generally apposite 7cf4 vi4 #aj with 
ver4 #i71 whence  it has crept into the 
text4 ,it is true that ,jeremiah himself
 is  fond of repetition1 but not so as  
to interrupt the context1 as the        
therefore of ver4 #aj seems to do4      
,besides1 the wise of ver4 #h are  the  
self-confident people2 but if this      
passage be in place here1 the  wise of  
ver4 #i will have to be understood of   
their false guides1 the  prophets and   
priests4 ,whereas1 if the passage be    
omitted1 there is  manifest continuity  
between the ninth verse and the         
thirteenth3 ,i  will sweep1 sweep them  
away1 saith ,iahvah2 no grapes on the   
vine1 and  no figs on the fig tree1 and 
the foliage is withered1 and ,i have    

given  them destruction 7or blasting74  
,the opening threat is apparently quoted
 from the contemporary prophet          
,zephaniah 7i4 #b1 #c74 ,the point of   
the rest of the verse is not quite      
clear1 owing to the fact that the last  
clause of the ,hebrew text is           
undoubtedly corrupt4 ,we might suppose  
that the term laws 77 had  fallen out1  
and render1 and ,i gave them laws which 
they transgress  7cf4 v4 #bb1 xxxi4     
#ce74 ,the ,vulgate has an almost       
literal translation1  which gives the   
same sense3 et dedi eis qu praetergressa
 sunt4#cb  ,the ,septuagint omits the   
clause1 probably on the ground of its   
difficulty4 ,it may be that bad crops   
and scarcity are threatened 7cf4  chap4 
xiv41 v4 #bd1 #be74 ,in that case1 we   
may correct the text in the  manner     
suggested above  or  xvii4 #ah1 for 2   
or  ,amos iv4 #i1 for the  of other     
,,mss44 ,others  understand the verse in
 a metaphorical sense4 ,the language    
seems to be  coloured by a reminiscence 

of ,micah vii4 #a1 #b2 and the grapes   
and  figs and foliage may be the fruits 
of righteousness1 and the nation  is    
like ,isaiah's unfruitful vineyard      
7,isa4 v47 or our ,lord's barren fig    
tree 7,matt4 xxi4 #ai71 fit only for    
destruction 7cf4 also vi4 #i and ver4   
#bj74 ,another passage which resembles  
the present is ,hab4 iii4 #ag3 ,for  the
 fig tree will not blossom1 and there   
will be no yield on the vines2  the     
produce of the olive will disappoint1   
and the fields will produce no  food4   
,it was natural that tillage should be  
neglected upon the rumour  of invasion4 
,the country-folk would crowd into the  
strong places1 and  leave their         
vineyards1 orchards and cornfields to   
their fate 7ver4 #ad74  ,this would1 of 
course1 lead to scarcity and want1 and  
aggravate the  horrors of war with those
 of dearth and famine4 ,i think the     
passage of  ,habakkuk is a precise      
parallel to the one before us4 ,both    
contemplate  a ,chaldean invasion1 and  

both anticipate its disastrous effects  
upon  husbandry4    ,it is possible that
 the original text ran3 ,and ,i have    
given 7will  give7 unto them their own  
work 7i4e41 the fruit of it1 3  used of 
field-work1 ,ex4 i4 #ad2 of the earnings
 of labour1 ,isa4 xxxii4  #ag74 ,this1  
which is a frequent thought in          
,jeremiah1 forms a very  suitable close 
to the verse4 ,the objection is that the
 prophet does  not use this particular  
term for work elsewhere4 ,but the fact  
of its  only once occurring might have  
caused its corruption4 7,another term1  
which would closely resemble the actual 
reading1 and give much the  same sense  
as this last1 is  their produce4 ,this1 
too1 as a  very rare expression1 only   
known from ,josh4 v4 #aa1 #ab1 might    
have been  misunderstood and altered by 
an editor or copyist4 ,it is akin to the
  ,aramaic 1 and there are other        
,aramaisms in our prophet47 ,one  thing 
is certain2 ,jeremiah cannot have       
written what now appears in the         

,masoretic text4    ,it is now made     
clear what the threatened evil is1 in a 
fine closing  strophe1 several          
expressions of which recall the         
prophet's magnificent  alarm upon the   
coming of the ,scythians 7cf4 iv4 #e    
with viii4 #ad2 iv4  #ae with viii4 #af2
 iv4 #ai with viii4 #ah74 ,here1        
however1 the colouring  is darker1 and  
the prevailing gloom of the picture     
unrelieved by any  ray of hope4 ,the    
former piece belongs to the reign of    
,josiah1 this  to that of the worthless 
,jehoiakim4 ,in the interval between the
 two1  moral decline and social and     
political disintegration had advanced   
with fearfully accelerated speed1 and   
,jeremiah knew that the end could  not  
be far off4    ,the fatal news of       
invasion has come1 and he sounds the    
alarm to his  countrymen4 ,why are we   
sitting still 7in silent stupefaction78 
assemble yourselves1 that we may go into
 the defenced cities1 and be  silent 7or
 amazed1 stupefied1 with terror7 there6 

for ,iahvah our  ,god hath silenced us  
7with speechless terror7 and given us   
water of  gall to drink2 for we         
trespassed toward ,iahvah4 ,we looked   
for peace  7or1 weal1 prosperity71 and  
there is no good2 for a time of         
healing1 and behold panic fear6 ,so the 
prophet represents the effect  of the   
evil tidings upon the rural population4 
,at first they are taken  by surprise2  
then they rouse themselves from their   
stupor to take  refuge in the walled    
cities4 ,they recognise in the trouble a
 sign of  ,iahvah's anger4 ,their fond  
hopes of returning prosperity are nipped
  in the bud2 the wounds of the past are
 not to be healed2 the country  has     
hardly recovered from one shock1 before 
another and more deadly  blow falls upon
 it4 ,the next verse describes more     
particularly the  nature of the bad     
news2 the enemy1 it would seem1 had     
actually entered  the land1 and given no
 uncertain indication of what the       
,judeans might  expect1 by his ravages  

on the northern frontier4 ,from ,dan was
 heard  the snorting of his horses2 at  
the sound of the neighings of his       
chargers all the land did quake3 and    
they came in 7into the country7  and eat
 up the land and the fulness thereof1 a 
city and them that  dwelt therein4 ,this
 was what the invaders did to city after
 city1  once they had crossed the       
border2 ravaging its domain1 and sacking
  the place itself4 ,perhaps1 however1  
it is better to take the perfects  as   
prophetic1 and to render3 ,from ,dan    
shall be heard 444 shall  quake3 and    
they shall come and eat up the land1    
etc4 ,this makes the  connexion easier  
with the next verse1 which certainly has
 a future  reference3 ,for behold ,i am 
about to send 7or simply1 ,i send7      
against you serpents1 basilisks 7,isa4  
xi4 #h1 the ifoni was a  small but very 
poisonous snake2 ,aquila 1 ,vulg4       
regulus71  for whom there is no charm1  
and they will bite you6 saith ,iahvah4  
,if the tenses be supposed to describe  

what has already happened1 then  the    
connexion of thought may be expressed   
thus3 all this evil that you  have heard
 of has happened1 not by mere ill       
fortune1 but by the ,divine  will3      
,iahvah ,himself has done it1 and the   
evil will not stop there1  for ,he      
purposes to send these destroying       
serpents into your very  midst 7cf4     
,num4 xxi4 #f74    ,the eighteenth verse
 begins in the ,hebrew with a highly    
anomalous  word1 which is generally     
supposed to mean my source of comfort   
774 ,but both the strangeness of the    
form itself1 which can  hardly be       
paralleled in the language1 and the     
indifferent sense which  it yields1 and 
the uncertainty of the ,hebrew ,,mss41  
and the variations  of the old versions1
 indicate that we have here another     
corruption of  the text4 ,some ,hebrew  
copies divide the word1 and this is     
supported by  the ,septuagint and the   
,syro-,hexaplar version1 which treat the
 verse  as the conclusion of ver4 #ag1  

and render and they shall bite you      
incurably1 with pain of your perplexed  
heart 7,syro-,hex4 without  cure74 ,but 
if the first part of the word is without
 7 for  lack of 44471 what is the       
second8 ,no such root as the existing   
letters imply is found in ,hebrew or the
 cognate languages4 ,the ,targum  does  
not help us3 ,because they were scoffing
 77 against the  prophets who prophesied
 unto them1 sorrow and sighing will ,i  
bring  77 upon them on account of their 
sins3 upon them1 saith the  prophet1 my 
heart is faint4 ,it is evident that this
 is no better than  a kind of punning   
upon the words of the ,masoretic        
text4#cc ,i incline  to read ,how shall 
,i cheer myself8 ,upon me is sorrow2    
upon me my  heart is sick4 7,the prophet
 would write  not  for against1  without
 a suffix4 ,read     ,job ix4 #bg1 x4   
#bj2  ,ps4 xxxix4 #ad47 ,the passage is 
much like iv4 #ai4    ,another possible 
emendation is3 ,iahvah causeth sorrow to
 flash forth  upon me 7 2 after the     

archetype of ,amos v4 #i72 but ,i prefer
  the former4    ,jeremiah closes the   
section with an outpouring of his own   
overwhelming  sorrow at the             
heart-rending spectacle of the national 
calamities4  ,no reader endued with any 
degree of feeling can doubt the         
sincerity  of the prophet's patriotism1 
or the willingness with which he would  
have given his own life for the         
salvation of his country4 ,this one     
passage alone says enough to exonerate  
its author from the charge of           
indifference1 much more of treachery to 
his fatherland4 ,he imagines  himself to
 hear the cry of the captive people1 who
 have been carried  away by the         
victorious invader into a distant land3 
,hark6 the sound  of the imploring cry  
of the daughter of my people from a land
 far  away6 ,is ,iahvah not in ,sion8 or
 is not her ,king in her8 7cf4 ,mic4    
iv4 #i74 ,such will be the despairing   
utterance of the exiles of ,judah  and  
,jerusalem2 and the prophet hastens to  

answer it with another  question1 which 
accounts for their ruin by their        
disloyalty to that  heavenly ,king2 ,o  
why did they vex ,me with their graven  
images1 with  alien vanities8 ,compare a
 similar question and answer in an      
earlier  discourse 7v4 #ai74 ,it may be 
doubted whether the pathetic words which
  follow--,the harvest is past1 the     
fruit-gathering is finished1 but as  for
 us1 we are not delivered6--are to be   
taken as a further complaint  of the    
captives1 or as a reference by the      
prophet himself to hopes  of deliverance
 which had been cherished in vain1 month
 after month1  until the season of      
campaigns was over4 ,in ,palestine1 the 
grain crops  are harvested in ,april and
 ,may1 the ingathering of the fruit     
falls in  ,august4 ,during all the      
summer months1 ,jehoiakim1 as a vassal  
of ,egypt1  may have been eagerly hoping
 for some decisive interference from    
that  quarter4 ,that he was on friendly 
terms with that power at the time       

appears from the fact that he was       
allowed to fetch back refugees  from its
 territory 7xxvi4 #bb sq474 ,a provision
 for the extradition  of offenders is   
found in the far more ancient treaty    
between ,ramses  ,,ii4 and the king of  
the ,syrian ,chetta 7fourteenth cent4   
,b4,c474 ,but  perhaps the prophet is   
alluding to one of those frequent       
failures of  the crops1 which inflicted 
so much misery upon his people 7cf4     
vers4  #ac1 iii4 #c1 v4 #bd1 #be71 and  
which were a natural incident of times  
of  political unsettlement and danger4  
,in that case1 he says1 the harvest  has
 come and gone1 and left us unhelped and
 disappointed4 ,i prefer the  political 
reference1 though our knowledge of the  
history of the period  is so scanty1    
that the particulars cannot be          
determined4    ,it is clear enough from 
the lyrical utterance which follows 7vv4
  #ba-bc71 that heavy disasters had     
already befallen ,judah3 ,for  the      
shattering of the daughter of my people 

am ,i shattered2 ,i am  a mourner2      
astonishment hath seized me6 ,this can  
hardly be pure  anticipation4 ,the next 
two verses may be a fragment of one of  
the  prophet's elegies 7qinoth74 ,at all
 events1 they recall the metre of  ,lam4
 iv4 and v43              ,doth balm in 
,gilead fail8            ,fails the     
healer there8            ,why is not    
bound up            ,my people's deadly 
wound8              ,o that my head were
 springs1            ,mine eye a fount  
of tears6            ,to weep both day  
and night            ,over my people's  
slain4    ,it is not impossible that    
these two quatrains are cited from the  
prophet's elegy upon the last battle of 
,megiddo and the death of  ,josiah4     
,similar fragments seem to occur below  
7ix4 #ag1 #ah1 #bj7 in the  instructions
 to the mourning-women1 the professional
 singers of dirges  over the dead4      
,the beauty of the entire strophe1 as an
 outpouring of inexpressible  grief1 is 
too obvious to require much comment4    

,the striking question  ,is there no    
balm in ,gilead1 is there no physician  
there8 has passed  into the common      
dialect of religious aphorism2 and the  
same may be  said of the despairing cry1
 ,the harvest is past1 the summer is    
ended1  and we are not saved6    ,the   
wounds of the state are past healing2   
but how1 it is asked1 can  this be8     
,does nature yield a balm which is      
sovereign for bodily hurts1  and is     
there nowhere a remedy for those of the 
social organism8  ,surely that were     
something anomalous1 strange and        
unnatural 7cf4  viii4 #g74 ,is there no 
balm in ,gilead8 ,yes1 it is found      
nowhere else  7cf4 ,plin41 ,hist4 ,nat41
 xii4 #be ad init4 ,sed omnibus odoribus
  prfertur balsamum1 uni terrarum ,jud  
concessum74 ,then has ,iahvah  mocked   
us1 by providing a remedy for the lesser
 evil1 and leaving  us a hopeless prey  
to the greater8 ,the question goes deep 
down to  the roots of faith4 ,not only  
is there an analogy between the two     

realms of nature and spirit2 in a sense1
 the whole physical world is  an        
adumbration of things unseen1 a         
manifestation of the spiritual4  ,is it 
conceivable that order should reign     
everywhere in the lower  sphere1 and    
chaos be the normal state of the higher8
 ,if our baser  wants are met by        
provisions adapted in the most wonderful
 way to their  satisfaction1 can we     
suppose that the nobler--those cravings 
by which  we are distinguished from     
irrational creatures--have not also     
their  satisfactions included in the    
scheme of the world8 ,to suppose it is  
evidence either of capricious unreason1 
or of a criminal want of  confidence in 
the ,author of our being4    ,is there  
no balm in ,gilead8 ,is there no healer 
there8 ,there is a  panacea for         
,israel's woes--the law or teaching of  
,iahvah2 there  is a ,healer in ,israel1
 ,iahvah ,himself 7iii4 #bb1 xvii4 #ad71
 who has  declared of ,himself1 ,i wound
 and ,i heal 7,deut4 xxxii4 #ci2 chap4  

xxx4  #ag1 xxxiii4 #f74 ,why then is no 
bandage applied to the daughter of my   
people8 ,this is like the cry of the    
captives1 ,is ,iahvah not in ,sion1  is 
not her ,king in her8 7ver4 #ai74 ,the  
answer there is1 ,yes6 it is  not that  
,iahvah is wanting2 it is that the      
national guilt is working  out its own  
retribution4 ,he leaves this to be      
understood here2 having  framed his     
question so as to compel people1 if it  
might be1 to the  right inference and   
answer4    ,the precious balsam is the  
distinctive glory of the mountain land  
of  ,gilead1 and the knowledge of       
,iahvah is the distinctive glory of ,his
  people ,israel4 ,will no one1 then1   
apply the true remedy to the hurt  of   
the state8 ,no1 for priests and prophets
 and people know not--they  have refused
 to know ,iahvah 7ver4 #e74 ,the nation 
will not look to the  ,healer and live4 
,it is their misfortunes that they hate1
 not their  sins4 ,there is nothing left
 for ,jeremiah but to sing the funeral  

song  of his fatherland4    ,while      
weeping over their inevitable doom1 the 
prophet abhors with his  whole soul his 
people's wickedness1 and longs to fly   
from the dreary  scene of treachery and 
deceit4 ,o that ,i had in the wilderness
 a  lodging-place of wayfaring men--some
 lonely khan on a caravan track1  whose 
bare1 unfurnished walls1 and blank      
almost oppressive stillness1  would be a
 grateful exchange for the luxury and   
the noisy riot of  ,judah's             
capital--that ,i might leave my people  
and go away from among  them6 ,the same 
feeling finds expression in the sigh of 
the psalmist1  who is perhaps ,jeremiah 
himself3 ,o for the wings of a dove6    
7,ps4  lv4 #f sqq47 ,the same feeling   
has often issued in actual withdrawal   
from the world4 ,and under certain      
circumstances1 in certain states of     
religion and society1 the solitary life 
has its peculiar advantages4  ,the life 
of towns is doubtless busy1 practical1  
intensely real2 but  its business is not

 always of the ennobling sort1 its      
practice in the  strain and struggle of 
selfish competition is often distinctly 
hostile  to the growth and play of the  
best instincts of human nature2 its     
intensity is often the mere result of   
confining the manifold energies  of the 
mind to one narrow channel1 of          
concentrating the whole complex  of     
human powers and forces upon the single 
aim of self-advancement  and            
self-glorification2 and its reality is  
consequently an illusion1  phenomenal   
and transitory as the unsubstantial     
prizes which absorb  all its interest1  
engross its entire devotion1 and exhaust
 its whole  activity4 ,it is not upon   
the broad sea1 nor in the lone          
wilderness1  that men learn to question 
the goodness1 the justice1 the very     
being  of their ,maker4 ,atheism is born
 in the populous wastes of cities1      
where human beings crowd together1 not  
to bless but to prey upon each  other2  
where rich and poor dwell side by side1 

but are separated by  the gulf of       
cynical indifference and social disdain2
 where selfishness  in its ugliest forms
 is rampant1 and is the rule of life    
with  multitudes3--the selfishness which
 grasps at personal advantage and  is   
deaf to the cries of human pain2 the    
selfishness which calls all  manner of  
fraud and trickery lawful means for the 
achievement of its  sordid ends2 and the
 selfishness of flagrant vice1 whose    
activity is  not only earthly and       
sensual but also devilish1 as directly  
involving  the degradation and ruin of  
human souls4 ,no wonder that they whose 
eyes have been blinded by the god of    
this world1 fail to see evidence  of any
 other ,god2 no wonder that they in     
whose hearts a coarse or a  subtle      
self-worship has dried the springs of   
pity and love can scoff  at the very    
idea of a compassionate ,god2 no wonder 
that a soul1 shaken  to its depths by   
the contemplation of this bewildering   
medley of  heartlessness and misery1    

should be tempted to doubt whether there
 is  indeed a ,judge of all the earth1  
who doeth right4           99       99  
99       99       99    ,there is no    
truth1 no honour in their dealings with 
one another2  falsehood is the dominant 
note of their social existence3 ,they   
are  all adulterers1 a throng of        
traitors6 ,the charge of adultery is no 
metaphor 7chap4 v4 #g1 #h74 ,where the  
sense of religious sanctions is         
weakened or wanting1 the marriage tie is
 no longer respected2 and that  which   
perhaps lust began1 is ended by lust1   
and man and woman are  faithless to each
 other1 because they are faithless to   
,god4    ,and they bend their tongue1   
their bow1 falsely4#cd ,the tongue is as
  a bow of which words are the arrows4  
,evildoers stretch their arrow1  the    
bitter word1 to shoot in ambush at the  
blameless man 7,ps4 lxiv4  #d2 cf4 ,ps4 
xi4 #b74 ,the metaphor is common in the 
language of poetry2  we have an instance
 in ,longfellow's ,i shot an arrow into 

the air1  and ,homer's familiar  1      
winged words1 is a kindred  expression4 
7,others render1 and they bend their    
tongue as their bow  of falsehood1 as   
though the term sheqer1 mendacium1 were 
an epithet  qualifying the term for bow4
 ,i have taken it adverbially1 a use    
justified by ,pss4 xxxviii4 #bj1 lxix4  
#e1 cxix4 #gh1 #hf47 ,in colloquial     
,english a man who exaggerates a story  
is said to draw the long bow4    ,their 
tongue is a bow with which they shoot   
lies at their neighbours1  and it is not
 by truth--faithfulness1 honour1        
integrity--that they  wax mighty in the 
land2 their riches and power are the    
fruit of craft  and fraud and           
overreaching4 ,as was said in a former  
discourse1 their  houses are full of    
deceit1 therefore they become great1 and
 amass  wealth 7v4 #bg74 ,by truth1 or  
more literally unto truth1 according  to
 the rule or standard of truth 7cf4     
,isa4 xxxii4 #a1 according to  right2   
,gen4 i4 #aa1 according to its kind74   

,with the idea of the  verb1 we may     
compare ,ps4 cxii4 #b3 ,mighty in the   
land shall his  seed become 7cf4 also   
,gen4 vii4 #ah1 #ai74 ,the passage chap4
 v4 #b1 #c1  is essentially similar to  
the present1 and is the only one besides
  where we find the term by truth 7     
le'emunah74 ,the idiom  seems certain1  
and the parallel passages1 especially v4
 #bg1 appear to  establish the          
translation above given2 otherwise one  
might be tempted  to render3 they       
stretch their tongue1 their bow1 for    
lying 71  v4 #b71 and it is not for     
truth that they are strong in the land4 
,noblesse oblige is no maxim of theirs2 
they use their rank and  riches for     
unworthy ends4    ,for out of evil unto 
evil they go forth--they go from one    
wickedness  to another1 adding sin to   
sin4 ,apparently1 a military metaphor4  
,what  they have and are is evil1 and   
they go forth to secure fresh conquests 
of the same kind4 ,neither good nor evil
 is stationary2 progress is the  law of 

each--and ,me they know not1 saith      
,iahvah--they know not that  ,i am truth
 itself1 and therefore irreconcilably   
opposed to all this  fraud and          
falsehood4    ,beware ye1 every one of  
his companion1 and in no brother confide
 ye2  for every brother will surely play
 the ,jacob1--and every companion  will 
go about slandering4 ,and they deceive  
each his neighbour1  and truth they     
speak not3 they have trained their      
tongue to speak  falsehood1 to pervert  
7their way1 iii4 #ba7 they toil 7chap4  
xx4  #i2 cf4 ,gen4 xix4 #aa74 ,thine    
inhabiting is in the midst of deceit2   
through deceit they refuse to know ,me1 
saith ,iahvah 7#c-e74ce  ,as ,micah had 
complained before him 7,mic4 vii4 #e71  
and as bitter  experience had taught our
 prophet 7xi4 #ah sqq41 xii4 #f71       
neither  friend nor brother was to be   
trusted2 and that this was not merely   
the melancholy characteristic of a      
degenerate age1 is suggested by  the    
reference to the unbrotherly intrigues  

of the far-off ancestor  of the ,jewish 
people1 in the traditional portrait of  
whom the best  and the worst features of
 the national character are reflected   
with  wonderful truth and liveliness4#cf
 ,every brother will not fail  to play  
the ,jacob 7,gen4 xxv4 #bi sqq41 xxvii4 
#cf2 ,hos4 xii4 #d71  to outwit1        
defraud1 supplant2 cunning and trickery 
will subserve  acquisitiveness4 ,but    
though an inordinate love of acquisition
 may  still seem to be specially        
characteristic of the ,jewish race1 as  
in  ancient times it distinguished the  
,canaanite and ,semitic nations in      
general1 the tendency to cozen and      
overreach one's neighbour is so  far    
from being confined to it1 that some    
modern ethical speculators  have not    
hesitated to assume this tendency to be 
an original and  natural instinct of    
humanity4 ,the fact1 however1 for which 
those who  would account for human      
nature upon purely natural grounds are  
bound to supply some rational           

explanation1 is not so much that aspect 
of it which has been well-known to      
resemble the instincts of the  lower    
animals ever since observation began1   
but the aspect of revolt  and protest   
against those lower impulses which we   
find reflected so  powerfully in the    
documents of the higher religion1 and   
which makes  thousands of lives a       
perpetual warfare4    ,jeremiah presents
 his picture of the universal deceit and
  dissimulation of his own time as      
something peculiarly shocking and       
startling to the common sense of right1 
and unspeakably revolting in  the sight 
of ,god1 the ,judge of all4 ,and yet the
 difficulty to the  modern reader is to 
detect any essential difference between 
human  nature then and human nature     
now--between those times and these4 ,it 
is still true that avarice and lust     
destroy natural affection2 that  the    
ties of blood and friendship are no     
protection against a godless  love of   
self4 ,the work of slander and          

misrepresentation is not left to  avowed
 enemies2 your own acquaintance will    
gratify their envy1 spite1  or mere     
ill-will in this unworthy way4 ,a simple
 child may tell the  truth2 but tongues 
have to be trained to expertness in     
lying1 whether  in commerce or in       
diplomacy1 in politics or in the        
newspaper press1 in  the art of the     
salesman or in that of the agitator and 
the demagogue4  ,men still make a toil  
of perverting their way1 and spend as   
much  pains in becoming accomplished    
villains as honest folk take to excel   
in virtue4 ,deceit is still the social  
atmosphere and environment1  and through
 deceit men refuse to know ,iahvah4 ,the
 knowledge1 the  recognition1 the steady
 recollection of what ,iahvah is1 and   
what ,his  law requires1 does not suit  
the man of lies2 his objects oblige him 
to shut his eyes to the truth4 ,men do  
not will and will not1 to  know the     
moral impediments that lie in the way of
 self-seeking and  self-pleasing4       

,sinning is always a matter of choice1  
not of nature1  nor of circumstances    
alone4 ,to desire to be delivered from  
moral evil  is1 so far1 a desire to know
 ,god4    ,thine inhabiting is in the   
midst of deceit3 who that ever lifts  an
 eye above the things of time1 has not  
at times felt thus8 ,this  is a         
,christian country4 ,why8 ,because the  
majority are as bent on  self-pleasing1 
as careless of ,god1 as heartlessly and 
systematically  forgetful of the rights 
and claims of others1 as they would have
  been had ,christ never been heard of8 
,a ,christian country8 ,why8 ,is  it    
because we can boast of some two hundred
 forms or fashions of  supposed         
,christian belief1 differentiated from  
each other by heaven  knows what obscure
 shibboleths1 which in the lapse of time
 have become  meaningless and obsolete2 
while the old ill-will survives1 and the
  old dividing lines remain1 and        
,christians stand apart from ,christians
  in a state of dissension and disunion 

that does despite and dishonour  to     
,christ1 and must be very dear to the   
devil8 ,some people are bold  enough to 
defend this horrible condition of things
 by raising a cry of  ,free ,trade in   
,religion4 ,but religion is not a trade1
 not a thing to  make a profit of1      
except with ,simon ,magus and his       
numerous followers  both inside and     
outside of the ,church4    ,a ,christian
 country6 ,but the rage of avarice1 the 
worship of ,mammon1  is not less rampant
 in ,london than in old ,jerusalem4 ,if 
the more  violent forms of oppression   
and extortion are restrained among us by
  the more complete organization of     
public justice1 the fact has only       
developed new and more insidious modes  
of attack upon the weak and  the unwary4
 ,deceit and fraud have been put upon   
their mettle by the  challenge of the   
law1 and thousands of people are robbed 
and plundered  by devices which the law 
can hardly reach or restrain4 ,look     
where  the human spider sits1 weaving   

his web of guile1 that he may catch  and
 devour men6 ,look at the wonderful     
baits which the company-monger  throws  
out day by day to human weakness and    
cupidity6 ,do you call  him shrewd and  
clever and enterprising8 ,it is a sorry 
part to play  in life1 that of ,satan's 
decoy1 tempting one's fellow-creatures  
to  their ruin4 ,look at the lying      
advertisements1 which meet your eyes    
wherever you turn1 and make the streets 
of this great city almost as  hideous   
from the point of view of taste as from 
that of morality6 ,what  a degrading    
resource6 ,to get on by the industrious 
dissemination of  lies1 by false        
pretences1 which one knows to be false6 
,and to trade  upon human misery--to    
raise hopes that can never be           
fulfilled--to add  to the pangs of      
disease the smart of disappointment and 
the woe of a  deeper despair1 as        
countless quacks in this ,christian     
country do6    ,a ,christian country3   
where ,god is denied on the platform and

 through  the press2 where a novel is   
certain of widespread popularity1 if its
  aim be to undermine the foundations of
 the ,christian faith2 where  atheism is
 mistaken for intelligence1 and an      
inconsistent ,agnosticism  for the      
loftiest outcome of logic and reason2   
where flagrant lust  walks the streets  
unrebuked1 unabashed2 where every other 
person you  meet is a gambler in one    
form or another1 and shopmen and        
labourers  and loafers and errand boys  
are all eager about the result of races1
  and all agog to know the forecasts of 
some wily tipster1 some wiseacre  of the
 halfpenny press6    ,a ,christian      
country3 where the rich and noble have  
no better use  for profuse wealth than  
horse-training1 and no more elevating   
mode  of recreation than hunting and    
shooting down innumerable birds and     
beasts2 where some must rot in          
fever-dens1 clothed in rags1 pining for 
food1 stifling for lack of air and room2
 while others spend thousands  of pounds

 upon a whim1 a banquet1 a party1 a toy 
for a fair woman4 ,i  am not a          
,socialist2 ,i do not deny a man's right
 to do what he will  with his own1 and  
,i believe that state interference would
 be in the  last degree disastrous to   
the country4 ,but ,i affirm the         
responsibility  before ,god of the rich 
and great2 and ,i deny that they who    
live and  spend for themselves alone are
 worthy of the name of ,christian4    ,a
 ,christian country3 where human beings 
die1 year after year1 in the            
unspeakable1 unimaginable agonies of    
canine madness1 and dogs are  kept by   
the thousand in crowded cities1 that the
 sacrifice to the  fiend of selfishness 
and the mocking devil of vanity may     
never lack  its victims6 ,there is a    
more than ,egyptian worship of ,anubis1 
in the  silly infatuation which lavishes
 tenderness upon an unclean brute1 and  
credulously invests instinct with the   
highest attributes of reason2 and  there
 is a worse than heathenish besottedness

 in the heart that can  pamper a dog1   
and be utterly indifferent to the       
helplessness and the  sufferings of the 
children of the poor4 ,and people will  
go to church1  and hear what the        
preacher has to say1 and think he said  
what he ought  to have said1 or not1 as 
the case may be1 and return to their own
  settled habits of worldly living1 as a
 matter of course4 ,oh yes6 it is a     
,christian country--the name of ,christ 
has been named in it for fifteen        
centuries past2 and for that reason     
,christ will judge it4           99     
99       99       99       99           
,therefore1 thus said ,iahvah ,sabaoth3 
,lo1 ,i am about to melt them and  put  
them to proof 7,job xii4 #aa2 ,judg4    
xvii4 #d2 ch4 vi4 #be472 for how  am ,i 
to deal in face of the wickedness of1   
,,lxx3 the term has fallen  out of the  
,heb4 text3 cf4 iv4 #d1 vii4 #ab the    
daughter of ,my people8  ,this is the   
meaning of the disasters that have      
fallen and are even  now falling upon   

the country4 ,iahvah will melt and assay
 this rough1  intractable human ore1 in 
the fiery furnace of affliction2 the    
strain  of insincerity that runs through
 it1 the base earthy nature1 can only   
thus be separated and purged away 7,isa4
 xlviii4 #aj74 ,a deadly arrow  ,,lxx4 a
 wounding one1 i4e41 one which does not 
miss1 but hits and  kills is their      
tongue2 deceit it spake3 with his mouth 
peace with his  companion he speaketh1  
and inwardly he layeth his ambush 7,ps4 
lv4 #bb74  ,the verse again specifies   
the wickedness complained of1 and       
justifies  our restoration of that word 
in the previous verse4    ,perhaps1 with
 the ,peshito ,syriac and the ,targum1  
we ought rather to  render3 a sharp     
arrow is their tongue4 ,there is an     
,arabic saying  quoted by ,lane1 ,thou  
didst sharpen thy tongue against us1    
which  seems to present a kindred       
root#cg 7cf4 ,ps4 lii4 #c1 lvii4 #d2    
,prov4  xxv4 #ah74 ,the ,septuagint may 
be right1 with its probable reading3    

deceit are the words of his mouth4 ,this
 certainly improves the  symmetry of the
 verse4    ,for such things 7emphatic7  
shall ,i not--or should ,i not1 with an 
implied ought--shall ,i not punish them1
 saith ,iahvah1 or on such a  nation    
shall not ,my soul avenge herself8 7v4  
#i1 #bi1 after which the  ,,lxx4 omits  
them here47 ,these questions1 like the  
previous one1 ,how  am ,i to deal--or1  
how could ,i act--in face of the        
wickedness of the  daughter of ,my      
people8 imply the moral necessity of the
 threatened  evils4 ,if ,iahweh be what 
,he has taught man's conscience that ,he
 is1  national sin must involve national
 suffering1 and national persistence  in
 sin must involve national ruin4        
,therefore ,he will melt and try  this  
people1 both for their punishment and   
their reformation1 if it  may be so4    
,for punishment is properly retributive1
 whatever may be  alleged to the        
contrary4 ,conscience tells us that we  
deserve to  suffer for ill-doing1 and   

conscience is a better guide than       
ethical  or sociological speculators who
 have lost faith in ,god4 ,but ,god's   
chastisements as known to our           
experience1 that is to say1 in the      
present life1 are reformatory as well as
 retributive2 they compel us  to        
recollect1 they bring us1 like the      
,prodigal1 back to ourselves1  out of   
the distractions of a sinful career1    
they humble us with the  discovery that 
we have a ,master1 that there is a      
,power above ourselves  and our         
apparently unlimited capacity to choose 
evil and to do it3 and  so by ,divine   
grace we may become contrite and be     
healed and restored4    ,the prophet    
thus1 perhaps1 discerns a faint glimmer 
of hope1 but his  sky darkens again     
immediately4 ,the land is already to a  
great extent  desolate1 through the     
ravages of the invaders1 or through     
severe  droughts 7cf4 iv4 #be1 viii4    
#bj7871 xii4 #d74 ,upon the mountains   
will  ,i lift up weeping and wailing1   

and upon the pastures of the prairie  a 
lamentation1 for they have been burnt up
 7ii4 #ae2 #b ,kings xxii4  #ac71 so    
that no man passeth over them1 and they 
have not heard the  cry of the cattle3  
from the birds of the air to the beasts1
 they are  fled1 are gone 7iv4 #be74    
,the perfects may be prophetic and      
announce  what is certain to happen     
hereafter4 ,the next verse1 at all      
events1 is  unambiguous in this respect3
 ,and ,i will make ,jerusalem into      
heaps1  a haunt of jackals2 and the     
cities of ,judah will ,i make a         
desolation  without inhabitant4 ,not    
only the country districts1 but the     
fortified  towns1 and ,jerusalem itself1
 the heart and centre of the nation1    
will  be desolated4 ,sennacherib boasts 
that he took forty-six strong cities1   
and little towns without number1 and    
carried off #bjj1aej male and  female   
captives1 and an immense booty in       
cattle1 before proceeding  to invest    
,jerusalem itself2 a state which shews  

how severe the  sufferings of ,judah    
might be1 before the enemy struck at its
 vitals4    ,in the words ,i will make  
,jerusalem heaps1 there is not          
necessarily a  change of subject4       
,jeremiah was authorized to root up and 
pull down  and destroy in the name of   
,iahvah4    ,he now challenges the      
popular wise men 7viii4 #h1 #i7 to      
account for  what1 on their principles1 
must appear an inexplicable phenomenon4 
,who is the 7true7 wise man1 so that he 
understands this 7,hos4  xiv4 #i71 and  
who is he to whom the mouth of ,iahvah  
hath spoken1 so  that he can explain it 
unto you8 ,,lxx44 ,why is the land      
undone1  burnt up like the prairie1     
without a passer by8 ,both to ,jeremiah 
and  to his adversaries the land was    
,iahvah's land2 what befel it must  have
 happened by ,his will1 or at least with
 ,his consent4 ,why had ,he  suffered   
the repeated ravages of foreign invaders
 to desolate ,his own  portion1 where1  
if anywhere on earth1 ,he must display  

,his power and  the proof of ,his deity8
 ,not for lack of sacrifices1 for these 
were  not neglected4 ,only one answer   
was possible1 to those who recognised   
the validity of the ,book of the ,law1  
and the binding character of  the       
covenant which it embodied4 ,the people 
and their wise men cannot  account for  
the national calamities2 ,jeremiah      
himself can only do  so1 because he is  
inwardly taught by ,iahvah himself 7ver4
 #ab73 ,and  ,iahvah said4 ,it may be   
supposed that ver4 #aa states the       
popular  dilemma1 the anxious question  
which they put to the official prophets1
  whose guidance they accepted4 ,the    
prophets could give no reasonable  or   
satisfying answer1 because their        
teaching hitherto had been that  ,iahvah
 could be appeased with thousands of    
rams1 and ten thousand  torrents of oil 
7,mic4 vi4 #g74 ,on such conditions they
 had promised  peace1 and their teaching
 had been falsified by events4          
,therefore  ,jeremiah gives the true    

answer for ,iahvah4 ,but why did not the
 people  cease to believe those whose   
word was thus falsified8 ,perhaps the   
false prophets would reply to objectors1
 as the refugees in ,egypt  answered    
,jeremiah's reproof of their renewed    
worship of the ,queen  of ,heaven3 ,it  
was in the years that followed the      
abolition of this  worship that our     
national disasters began 7xliv4 #ah74   
,it is never  difficult to delude those 
whose evil and corrupt hearts make them 
desire nothing so much as to be deluded4
    ,and ,iahvah said3 ,because they    
forsook 7lit4 upon  on account  of their
 forsaking7 ,my ,law which ,i set before
 them 7,deut4 iv4  #ah71 and they       
hearkened not unto ,my voice 7,deut4    
xxviii4 #ae71 and  walked not therein   
7in ,my ,law2 ,,lxx4 omits the clause72 
and walked  after the obstinacy of their
 own 7evil3 ,,lxx47 heart1 and after the
  ,baals 7,deut4 iv4 #c7 which their    
fathers taught them--instead of         
teaching them the laws of ,iahvah       

7,deut4 xi4 #ai74 ,such were1 and had   
always been1 the terms of the answer of 
,iahvah's true prophets4 ,do you  ask   
upon what ground 7al mah7 misfortune has
 overtaken you8 ,upon  the ground of    
your having forsaken ,iahvah's law or   
instruction1 ,his  doctrine concerning  
,himself and your consequent obligations
 towards  ,him4 ,they had this teaching 
in the ,book of the ,law1 and had       
solemnly  undertaken to observe it1 in  
that great national assembly of the     
eighteenth year of ,josiah4 ,and they   
had had it from the first in the  living
 utterances of the prophets4    ,this1  
then1 is the reason why the land is     
waste and deserted4 ,and                
therefore--because past and present     
experience is an index of the  future1  
for ,iahvah's character and purpose are 
constant--therefore the  desolation of  
the cities of ,judah and of ,jerusalem  
itself1 will ere  long be accomplished4 
,therefore thus said ,iahvah ,sabaoth1  
the ,god  of ,armies and the ,god of    

,israel2 ,lo1 ,i am about to feed       
them--or1  ,i continue to feed them--to 
wit1 this people 7an epexegetical  gloss
 omitted by the ,,lxx47 with wormwood1  
and ,i will give them to  drink waters  
of gall 7,deut4 xxix4 #ag4 ,an          
,israelite inclining to  foreign gods is
 a root bearing wormwood and            
gall--bearing a bitter  harvest of      
defeat1 a cup of deadly disaster for his
 people2 cf4 ,am4  vi4 #ab71 and ,i will
 scatter them among the nations1 whom   
they and  their fathers knew not 7,deut4
 xxviii4 #cf1 #fd74 ,the last phrase is 
remarkable as evidence of the isolation 
of ,israel1 whose country lay  off the  
beaten track between the                
,trans-,euphratean empires and ,egypt1  
which ran along the sea-coast4 ,they    
knew not ,assyria1 until ,tiglath       
,pileser's intervention 7circ4 #gcd71   
nor ,babylon till the times of  the ,new
 ,empire4 ,in ,hezekiah's day1 ,babylon 
is still a far country  7#b ,kings xx4  
#ad74 ,israel was in fact an            

agricultural people1 trading  directly  
with ,phenicia and ,egypt1 but not with 
the lands beyond  the ,great ,river4    
,the prophets heighten the horror of    
exile by the  strangeness of the land   
whither ,israel is to be banished4      
,and ,i will send after them the sword1 
until ,i have consumed them4  ,the      
survivors are to be cut off 7cf4 viii4  
#c72 there is no reserve1  as in iv4    
#bg1 v4 #aj1 #ah2 a full end is         
announced2 which1 again1  corresponds to
 the aggravation of social and private  
evils in the time  of ,jehoiakim1 and   
the prophet's despair of reform4    ,the
 judgment of ,judah is the ruin of her  
cities1 the dispersion of  her people in
 foreign lands1 and extermination by the
 sword4 ,nothing  is left for this      
doomed nation but to sing its funeral   
song2 to send  for the professional     
wailing women1 that they may come and   
chant  their dirges1 not over the dead  
but over the living who are condemned   
to die3 ,thus said ,iahvah ,sabaoth     

7here as in ver4 #f1 ,,lxx4 omits  the  
expressive ,sabaoth71 ,mark ye well the 
present crisis1 and  what it implies    
7cf4 ii4 #aj2 ,,lxx4 wrongly omits this 
emphatic term71  and summon the women   
that sing dirges1 that they come1 and   
unto the  skilful women send ye1 that   
they come ,,lxx4 omits1 and hasten      
,,lxx4 and speak and to lift up the     
death-wail over us1 that our  eyes may  
run down with tears1 and our eyelids    
pour down waters4  ,the singing women of
 #b ,chron4 xxxv4 #be1 or the minstrels 
of ,st4  ,matt4 ix4 #bc1 are intended4  
,the reason assigned for thus inviting  
them assumes that the prophet's forecast
 is already fulfilled4  ,already1 as in 
viii4 #ai1 ,jeremiah hears the loud     
wailing of the  captives as they are    
driven away from their ruined homes3    
,for the  sound of the death-wail is    
heard from ,sion1 ,how are we undone6   
,we  are sore ashamed--of our false     
confidence and foolish security and     
deceitful hopes--for1 after all1 we have

 left the land1 for our  dwellings have 
cast 7us7 out6 ,the last two lines      
appear to be  parallels1 which is       
against the rendering1 ,for men have    
cast down  our dwellings4 ,cf4 ,lev4    
xviii4 #be2 chap4 xxii4 #bh4 ,from the  
wailing  women1 the address now seems to
 turn to the ,judean women generally2   
but perhaps the former are still        
intended1 as their peculiar calling  was
 probably hereditary and passed on from 
mother to daughter3 ,for  hear1 ye      
women1 the word of ,iahvah1 and let your
 ear take in the word  of ,his mouth6   
and teach ye your daughters the         
death-wail1 and each her  companion the 
lamentation2 for              ,death    
scales our lattices1             ,enters
 our palaces1             ,to cut off   
boy without1             ,the young men 
from the streets4    ,and the corpses of
 men will fall--the tense certifies the 
future  reference of the others--like   
dung 7viii4 #b7 on the face of the      
field 7#b ,kings ix4 #cg1 of ,jezebel's 

corpse7--left without burial rites  to  
rot and fatten the soil--and like the   
corn-swath behind the reaper1  and none 
shall gather 7them74 ,the quatrain 7ver4
 #bj7 is possibly  quoted from some     
familiar elegy2 and the allusion seems  
to be to a  mysterious visitation like  
the plague1 which used to be known in   
,europe  as the ,black ,death 7cf4 xv4  
#b1 xviii4 #ba1 xliii4 #aa74 ,in this   
time  of closed gates and barred doors1 
death is represented as entering the    
house1 not by the door1 but climbing up 
some other way like a thief  7,joel ii4 
#i2 ,st4 ,john x4 #a74 ,bars and bolts  
will be futile against  such an invader4
 ,the figure is not continued in the    
second half of the  stanza4#ch ,the     
point of the closing comparison seems to
 be that whereas  the corn-swaths are   
gathered up in sheaves and taken home1  
the bodies  will lie where the reaper   
,death cuts them down4    ,thus said    
,iahvah3 ,let not a wise man glory in   
his wisdom1 and let  not the mighty man 

glory in his might6 ,let not a rich man 
glory  in his riches1 but in this let   
him glory that glorieth1 in being       
prudent and knowing ,me 7,,lxx4 omits   
pronoun1 cf4 ,gen4 i4 #d71 that ,i1     
,iahvah1 do lovingkindness 7and3 ,,lxx4 
and ,orientals71 justice and            
righteousness upon the earth2 for in    
these ,i delight1 saith ,iahvah4    ,it 
is not easy1 at first sight1 to see the 
connexion of this1 one of  the finest   
and deepest of ,jeremiah's oracles1 with
 the sentence of  destruction which     
precedes it4 ,it is not satisfactory to 
regard it  as stating the only means of 
escape and the reason why it is not     
used 7the latter being set forth in vv4 
#bd1 #be72 for the leading  idea of the 
whole composition1 from vii4 #ac to ix4 
#bb1 is that  retribution is coming1 and
 no escape1 not even that of a remnant1 
is contemplated4 ,the passage looks like
 an appendix to the previous  pieces1   
such as the prophet might have added at 
a later period when  the crisis was     

over1 and the country had begun to      
breathe again1  after the shock of      
invasion had rolled away4 ,and this     
impression  is confirmed by its         
contents4 ,we have no details about the 
first  interference of the new ,chaldean
 power in ,judah2 we only read that  in 
,jehoiakim's days ,nebuchadrezzar the   
king of ,babylon came up1  and          
,jehoiakim became his servant three     
years3 then he turned and  rebelled     
against him 7#b ,kings xxiv4 #a74 ,but  
before this1 for some  two or three     
years1 ,jehoiakim was the vassal of the 
king of ,egypt  to whom he owed his     
crown1 and ,nebuchadrezzar had to reduce
 ,necho  before he could attend to      
,jehoiakim4 ,it may be1 therefore1 that 
the  worst apprehensions of the time not
 having been realized1 in the  year or  
two of lull which followed1 the         
politicians of ,judah began  to boast of
 their foresight and the caution and    
sagacity of their  measures for the     
public safety1 instead of ascribing the 

respite to  ,god2 the warrior class     
might vaunt the bravery which it had    
exhibited  or intended to exhibit in the
 service of the country2 and the rich   
nobles might exult in the apparent      
security of their treasures and  the new
 lease of enjoyment accorded to         
themselves4 ,to these various  classes1 
who would not be slow to ridicule his   
dark forebodings as  those of a moody   
and unpatriotic pessimist 7xx4 #g1 xxvi4
 #aa1 xxix4 #bf1  xxxvii4 #ac71         
,jeremiah now speaks1 to remind them    
that if the danger  is over for the     
present1 it is the lovingkindness and   
the righteous  government of ,iahvah    
which has removed it1 and to declare    
that it  is only suspended and          
postponed1 not abolished for ever3      
,behold1  days are coming1 saith        
,iahvah1 when ,i will visit 7his guilt7 
upon  every one that is circumcised in  
foreskin 7only1 and not in heart  also73
 upon ,egypt and upon ,judah1 and upon  
,edom and upon the ben  ,ammon and upon 

,moab1 and upon all the tonsured folk   
that dwell in the  wilderness3 ,for all 
the nations are uncircumcised1 and all  
the house  of ,israel are uncircumcised 
in heart4 ,egypt is mentioned first1 as 
the leading nation1 to which at the time
 the petty states of the west  looked   
for help in their struggle against      
,babylon 7cf4 xxvii4 #c74 ,the  prophet 
numbers ,judah with the rest1 not only  
as a member of the same  political      
group1 but as standing upon the same    
level of unspiritual  life4 ,like       
,israel1 ,egypt also practised          
circumcision1 and both the  context here
 requires and their kinship with the    
,hebrews makes it  probable that the    
other peoples mentioned observed the    
same custom  7,herod41 ii4 #cf1 #ajd71  
which is actually portrayed in a        
wall-painting  at ,karnak4 ,the tonsured
 folk or cropt-heads of the wilderness  
are north ,arabian nomads like the      
,kedarenes 7xlix4 #bh1 #cb71 and the    
tribes of ,dedan1 ,tema and ,buz 7xxv4  

#bc71 whose ancestor was the            
circumcised ,ishmael 7,gen4 xxv4 #ac    
sqq41 xvii4 #bc74 ,herodotus records    
their custom of shaving the temples all 
round1 and leaving a tuft of  hair on   
the top of the head 7,herod41 iii4 #h71 
which practice1 like  circumcision1 had 
a religious significance1 and was       
forbidden to the  ,israelites 7,lev4    
xix4 #bg1 xxi4 #e74    ,now why does    
,jeremiah mention circumcision at all8  
,the case is1 ,i  think1 parallel to his
 mention of another external distinction
 of  the popular religion1 the ,ark of  
the ,covenant 7iii4 #ae74 ,just as  in  
that place ,god promises shepherds      
according to ,mine heart which  shall   
shepherd the restored ,israel with      
knowledge and prudence1  and then       
directly adds that1 in the light and    
truth of those days1  the ark will be   
forgotten 7iii4 #ae1 #af72 so here1 he  
bids the ruling  classes1 the actual    
shepherds of the nation1 not to trust in
 their  own wisdom or valour or wealth  

7cf4 xvii4 #e sqq471 but in being       
prudent and knowing ,iahvah1 and then   
adds that the outward sign of           
circumcision1 upon which the people     
prided themselves as the mark of  their 
dedication to ,iahvah1 was in itself of 
no value1 apart from a  circumcised     
heart1 i4e41 a heart purified of selfish
 aims and  devoted to the will and glory
 of ,god 7iv4 #d74 ,so far as ,iahvah is
  concerned1 all ,judah's heathen       
neighbours are uncircumcised1 in spite  
of their observance of the outward rite4
 ,the ,jews themselves would  hardly    
admit the validity of heathen           
circumcision1 because the manner  of it 
was different1 just as at this day the  
,muhammadan method differs  from the    
,jewish4 ,but ,jeremiah puts all the    
house of ,israel1 who were  circumcised 
in the orthodox manner1 on a level with 
the imperfectly  circumcised heathen    
peoples around them4 ,all alike are     
uncircumcised  before ,god2 those who   
have the orthodox rite1 and those who   

have but  an inferior semblance of it2  
and all alike will in the day of        
judgment  be visited for their sins 7cf4
 ,amos i474    ,with the increasing     
carelessness of moral obligations1 an   
increasing  importance would be attached
 to the observance of such a rite as    
circumcision1 which was popularly       
supposed to devote a man to ,iahvah  in 
such sense that the tie was             
indissoluble4 ,jeremiah says plainly    
that this is a mistaken view4 ,the      
outward sign must have an inward  and   
spiritual grace corresponding thereto2  
else the ,judeans are no  better than   
those whose circumcision they despise as
 defective4 ,his  meaning is that of the
 ,apostle1 ,circumcision verily         
profiteth1 if  thou keep the law2 but if
 thou be a breaker of law1 thy          
circumcision  hath become uncircumcision
 7,rom4 ii4 #be74 ,circumcision is      
nothing1  and uncircumcision is nothing1
 but the keeping of the commandments  of
 ,god1 scil4 is everything 7#a ,cor4    

vii4 #ai74 ,it is faith working  by     
love1 it is the new creature that is    
essential in spiritual  religion 7,gal4 
v4 #f1 vi4 #ae74    ,hc dicit ,dominus3 
,non glorietur sapiens in sapientia sua4
 ,glancing  back over the whole passage1
 we discern an inward relation between  
these verses and the preceding          
discourse4 ,it is not the outward props 
of state-craft1 and strong battalions1  
and inexhaustible wealth1 that  really  
and permanently uphold a nation2 not    
these1 but the knowledge of  ,iahvah1 a 
just insight into the true nature of    
,god1 and a national life  regulated in 
all its departments by that insight4 ,at
 the outset of this  third section of   
his discourse 7ix4 #c-f71 ,jeremiah     
declared that corrupt  ,israel knew not 
and refused to know its ,god4 ,at the   
beginning of the  entire piece 7vii4 #c 
sq471 he urged his countrymen to amend  
their  ways and their doings1 and not go
 on trusting in lying words and  doing  
the opposite of lovingkindness and      

justice and righteousness1  which alone 
are pleasing to ,iahvah 7,mic4 vi4 #h71 
,who delighteth in  lovingkindness and  
not sacrifice1 and in the knowledge of  
,god more than  in burnt-offerings      
7,hos4 vi4 #f74 ,and just as in the     
opening section the  sacrificial worship
 was disparaged1 taken as an opus       
operatum1 so here  at the close         
circumcision is declared to have no     
independent value as  a means of        
securing ,divine favour 7ix4 #be74 ,thus
 the entire discourse  is rounded off by
 the return of the end to the beginning2
 and the main  thought of the whole1    
which ,jeremiah has developed and       
enforced with so  much variety of       
feeling and oratorical and poetical     
ornament1 is the  eternally true thought
 that a service of ,god which is purely 
external  is no service at all1 and that
 rites without a loving obedience are an
  insult to the ,majesty of ,heaven4    
x4 #ag-be4 ,the latter part of chap4 x4 
resumes the subject suspended at  ix4   

#bb4 ,it evidently contemplates the     
speedy departure of the people  into    
banishment4 ,away out of the land with  
thy pack 7or thy goods2  ,,lxx4 1       
property1 ,targ4 merchandise1 the ,heb4 
term1 which  is related to ,canaan1     
occurs here only71 ,o thou that sittest 
in  distress6 7or abidest in the siege3 
lii4 #e2 #b ,kings xxiv4 #aj74  ,sion is
 addressed1 and bidden to prepare her   
scanty bundle of bare  necessaries for  
the march into exile4 ,so ,egypt is     
bidden to make for  herself vessels of  
exile1 xlvi4 #ai4 ,some think that ,sion
 is warned  to withdraw her goods from  
the open country to the protection of   
her  strong walls1 before the siege     
begins1 as in viii4 #ad2 but we have    
passed that stage in the development of 
the piece1 and the next verse  seems to 
shew the meaning3 ,for thus hath ,iahvah
 said1 ,lo1 ,i am about  to sling forth 
the inhabitants of the land this        
time--as opposed to  former occasions1  
when the enemy retired unsuccessful 7#b 

,kings xvi4  #e1 xix4 #cf71 or went off 
satisfied with plunder or an indemnity1 
like  the ,scythians 7see also #b ,kings
 xiv4 #ad7--;and ,i will distress them  
that they may find out the truth1 which 
now they refuse to see4 ,the            
aposiopesis that they may find out6 is  
very striking4 ,the ,vulgate  renders   
the verb in the passive3 ,tribulabo eos 
ita ut inveniantur4  ,this1 however1    
does not give so good a sense as the    
,masoretic  pointing1 and ,ewald's      
reference of the term to the goods of   
the  panic-stricken fugitives seems flat
 and tasteless 7the inhabitants  of the 
land will this time 444 not be able to  
hide their goods from  the enemy674 ,the
 best comment on the phrase is supplied 
by a later  oracle3 ,lo1 ,i am about to 
make them know this time--,i will make  
them  know ,my hand and ,my might2 that 
they may know that ,my name is ,iahvah  
7xvi4 #ba74 ,cf4 also xvii4 #i2 ,eccles4
 viii4 #ag4    ,the last verse 7#ag7    
resembles a poetical quotation2 and this

 one looks  like the explication of it4 
,there the population is personified as 
a  woman2 here we have instead the plain
 prose expression1 inhabitants  of the  
land4 ,the figurative1 ,i will sling    
them forth or cast  them out1 explains  
the bidding of ,sion to pack up her     
bundle or  belongings--there seems to be
 a touch of contempt in this isolated   
word1 as much as to signify that the    
people must go forth into exile  with no
 more of their possessions than they can
 carry like a beggar in  a bundle4 ,the 
expression1 ,i will distress them1 seems
 to shew that  thou that sittest in the 
distress is proleptic1 or to be rendered
  thou that art to sit in distress1     
which comes to the same thing4          
99       99       99       99       99  
,and now the prophet imagines the       
distress and the remorse of this        
forlorn mother1 as it will manifest     
itself when her house is ruined  and her
 children are gone and she realizes the 
folly of the past 7cf4  iv4 #ca73--     

,woe's me for my wound6                 
,fatal is my stroke6    7perhaps quoted 
from a familiar elegy74 ,and yet ,i--,i 
thought  7chap4 xxii4 #ba2 ,ps4 xxx4    
#g71 ,only this--no more than this--is  
my  sickness3 ,i can bear it6 7   2     
,,lxx4 1 ,vulg4 mea74  ,the people had  
never fully realized the threatenings of
 the prophets1  until they began to be  
accomplished4 ,when they heard them1    
they had  said1 half-incredulously1     
half-mockingly1 ,is that all8 ,their    
false  guides1 too1 had treated apparent
 danger as a thing of little moment1    
assuring them that their half reforms1  
and zealous outward worship1  were      
sufficient to turn away the ,divine     
displeasure 7vi4 #ad74 ,and so  they    
said to themselves1 as sinners are still
 in the habit of saying1  ,if the worst 
come to the worst1 ,i can bear it4      
,besides1 ,god is  merciful1 and things 
may turn out better for frail humanity  
than your  preachers of wrath and woe   
predict4 ,meanwhile--,i shall do as ,i  

please1  and take my chance of the      
issue4    ,the lament of the mourning   
mother continues3 ,my tent is laid waste
  and all my cords are broken2 ,my sons 
went forth of me 7to battle7  and are   
not2 ,there is none to spread my tent   
any more1 ,and to  set up my curtains   
7cf4 ,amos ix4 #aa74 ,overhearing1 as it
 were1  this sorrowful lamentation      
7qinah71 the prophet interposes with    
the reason of the calamity3 ,for the    
shepherds became brutish or  behaved    
foolishly1 stulte egerunt 7,vulg47--the 
leaders of the nation  shewed themselves
 as insensate and silly as cattle--and  
,iahvah they  sought not 7ii4 #h72      
,therefore--as they had no regard for   
,divine  counsel--they dealt not wisely 
7iii4 #ae1 ix4 #bc1 xx4 #aa71 and all   
their flock was scattered abroad4       
,once more1 and for the last time1 the  
prophet sounds the alarm3 ,hark6  a     
rumour6 lo1 it cometh6 and a great      
uproar from the land of the north2  to  
make the cities of ,judah a desolation1 

a haunt of jackals6 ,it is  not likely  
that the verse is to be regarded as     
spoken by the mourning  country2 she    
contemplates the evil as already done1  
whereas here it is  only imminent 7cf4  
iv4 #f1 vi4 #bb1 i4 #ae74 ,the piece    
concludes with a  prayer 7vv4 #bc-be71  
which may be considered either as an    
intercession  by the prophet on behalf  
of the nation 7cf4 xviii4 #bj71 or as a 
form of  supplication which he suggests 
as suitable to the existing crisis4 ,i  
know1 ,iahvah1 that man's way is not his
 own2 ,that it pertaineth not to  a man 
to walk and direct his own steps3       
,correct me1 ,iahvah1 but with  justice2
 ,not in ,thine anger1 lest ,thou make  
me small6 7,partly quoted1  ,ps4 vi4 #a1
 xxxviii4 #a47 ,pour out ,thy fury upon 
the nations that know  ,thee not1 ,and  
upon tribes that have not called upon   
,thy name2 ,for they  have devoured     
,jacob and will devour him1 and consumed
 him1 and  his pasture they have        
desolated6 7,ps4 lxxix4 #f1 #g1 quoted  

from this  place4 ,in ,jer4 the ,,lxx4  
omits and will devour him2 while the    
psalm  omits both of the bracketed      
expressions47    ,the ,vulgate renders  
ver4 #bc3 ,scio1 ,domine1 quia non est  
hominis via  ejus2 nec viri est ut      
ambulet1 et dirigat gressus suos4 ,i    
think this  indicates the correct       
reading of the ,hebrew text 7 2 cf4  ix4
 #bc1 where two infinitives absolute are
 used in a similar way74 ,the           
,septuagint also must have had the same 
text1 for it translates1 nor  will 7    
can7 a man walk and direct his own      
walking4 ,the ,masoretic  punctuation is
 certainly incorrect2 and the best that 
can be made of it  is ,hitzig's version1
 which1 however1 disregards the accents1
 although  their authority is the same  
as that of the vowel points3 ,i know    
,iahvah  that not to man belongeth his  
way1 not to a perishing 7lit4 going1    
departing7 man--and to direct his steps4
 ,any reader of ,hebrew may  see at once
 that this is a very unusual form of    

expression4 7,for the  thought1 cf4     
,prov4 xvi4 #i1 xix4 #ba2 ,ps4 xxxvii4  
#bc47    ,the words express humble      
submission to the impending             
chastisement4 ,the  penitent people does
 not deprecate the penalty of its sins1 
but only  prays that the measure of it  
may be determined by right rather than  
by  wrath 7cf4 xlvi4 #bg1 #bh74 ,the    
very idea of right and justice implies a
  limit1 whereas wrath1 like all        
passions1 is without limit1 blind and   
insatiable4 ,in the ,old ,testament1    
justice is opposed1 not to mercy1  but  
to high-handed violence and oppression1 
which recognise no law but  subjective  
appetite and desire4 ,the just man owns 
the claims of an  objective law of      
right4    ,non est hominis via ejus4    
,neither individuals nor nations are    
masters of their own fortunes in this   
world4 ,man has not his fate  in his own
 hands2 it is controlled and directed by
 a higher ,power4  ,by sincere          
submission1 by a glad1 unswerving       

loyalty1 which honours  himself as well 
as its ,object1 man may co-operate with 
that ,power1 to  the furtherance of ends
 which are of all possible ends the     
wisest1 the  loftiest1 the most         
beneficial to his kind4 ,self-will may  
oppose those  ends1 it cannot thwart    
them2 at the most it can but momentarily
 retard  their accomplishment1 and      
exclude itself from a share in the      
universal  blessing4    ,israel now     
confesses1 by the mouth of his best and 
truest  representative1 that he has     
hitherto loved to choose his own path1  
and  to walk in his own strength1       
without reference to the will and way of
  ,god4 ,now1 the overwhelming shock of 
irresistible calamity has brought  him  
to his senses1 has revealed to him his  
powerlessness in the hands  of the      
,unseen ,arbiter of events1 has made him
 see1 as he never saw1  that mortal man 
can determine neither the vicissitudes  
nor the goal of  his journey4 ,now he   
sees the folly of the mighty man        

glorying in his  might1 and the rich man
 glorying in his riches2 now he sees    
that the  how and the whither of his    
earthly course are not matters within   
his own control2 that all human         
resources are nothing against ,god1  and
 are only helpful when used for and with
 ,god4 ,now he sees that  the path of   
life is not one which we enter upon and 
traverse of our  own motion1 but a path 
along which we are led2 and so1         
resigning his  former pride of          
independent choice1 he humbly prays1    
,lead ,thou me  on6 ,lead me whither    
,thou wilt1 in the way of trouble and   
disaster and  chastisement for my sins2 
but remember my human frailty and       
weakness1  and let not ,thy wrath       
destroy me6 ,finally1 the suppliant     
ventures to  remind ,god that others are
 guilty as well as he1 and that the     
ruthless  destroyers of ,israel are     
themselves fitted to be objects as well 
as  instruments of ,divine justice4     
,they are such 7i7 because they have not

  known nor called upon ,iahvah2 and    
7ii7 because they have devoured  ,jacob 
who was a thing consecrated to ,iahvah  
7ii4 #c71 and therefore  are guilty of  
sacrilege 7cf4 l4 #bh1 #bi74    ,it has 
never been our lot to see our own land  
overrun by a barbarous  invader1 our    
villages burnt1 our peasantry           
slaughtered1 our towns  taken and sacked
 with all the horrors permitted or      
enjoined by a  non-,christian religion4 
,we read of but hardly realize the      
atrocities  of ancient warfare4 ,if we  
did realize them1 we might even think a 
saint justified in praying for vengeance
 upon the merciless destroyers  of his  
country4 ,but apart from this1 ,i see a 
deeper meaning in this  prayer4 ,the    
justice of this terrible visitation upon
 ,judah is admitted  by the prophet4    
,yet in ,judah many righteous were      
involved in the  general calamity4 ,on  
the other hand1 ,jeremiah knew something
 of the  vices of the ,babylonians1     
against which his contemporary ,habakkuk

  inveighs so bitterly4 ,they knew not  
nor called upon ,iahvah2 but  a base    
polytheism reflected and sanctioned the 
corruption of their  lives4 ,a kind of  
moral dilemma1 therefore1 is proposed   
here4 ,if the  purpose of this          
outpouring of ,divine wrath be to bring 
,israel to  find out 7ver4 #ah7 and to  
acknowledge the truth of ,god and his   
own  guiltiness1 can wrath persist1 when
 that result is attained8 ,does not     
justice demand that the torrent of      
destruction be diverted upon the  proud 
oppressor8 ,so prayer1 the forlorn hope 
of poor humanity1 strives  to overcome  
and compel and prevail with ,god1 and to
 wrest a blessing  even from the hand of
 ,eternal ,justice4    ,,footnotes3     
#cj ,the omissions of the ,septuagint   
are not always intelligent4 ,the        
repetition of the all here intensifies  
the idea of the totality of  the ruin of
 the northern kingdom4 ,the two clauses 
balance each other3  all your           
brethren--all the seed of ,ephraim4 ,the

 objection that ,edom  was also a       
brother of ,israel 7,deut4 xxiii4 #h2   
,amos i4 #aa7 shews a  want of          
rhetorical sense4    ,in vii4 #d the    
,septuagint tastelessly omits the third 
,the ,temple of  ,iahvah6 upon which the
 rhetorical effect largely depends3 cf4 
chap4  xxii4 #bi2 ,isa4 vi4 #c4    #ca  
,,note ,,on vii4 #be4--,the word        
answering to daily in the ,heb4 simply  
means day1 and ought to be omitted1 as  
an accidental repetition either  from   
the previous line1 or of the last two   
letters of the preceding  word prophets4
 ,cf4 ver4 #ac1 where a similar phrase1 
rising early and  speaking1 occurs in a 
similar context1 but without daily4     
#cb ,wa'etten lahem can only mean and ,i
 gave 7in prophetic idiom  'and ,i will 
give'7 unto them1 and this1 of course1  
requires an  object4 ,i will give them  
to those who shall pass over them is the
  rendering proposed by several         
scholars4 ,but lahem does not mean  to  
those1 and the thought does not         

harmonize with what precedes1  and this 
use of  is doubtful1 and the verb to    
give absolutely  requires an object4    
,the ,vulgate rendering is really more  
in accordance  with ,hebrew syntax1 as  
the masc4 suffix of the verb might be   
used  in less accurate writing4 ,targum3
 because ,i gave them ,my law from      
,sinai1 and they transgressed against   
it2 ,peshito3 and ,i gave unto  them1   
and they transgressed them4 ,so also the
 ,syro-,hexaplar of ,milan  7participle3
 were transgressing7 between asterisks4 
#cc ,it seems to take the  each time as 
and to read    for 3 thus getting       
,scoffers6 ,i will bring upon  them     
sorrow2 upon them my heart is faint4    
#cd ,the irregular ,hiphil form of the  
verb--cf4 #a ,sam4 xiv4 #bb2 ,job  xix4 
#d--may be justified by ,job xxviii4 #h2
 we are not1 therefore1  bound to render
 the ,masoretic text3 and they make     
their tongue bend  their lying bow4     
,probably1 however1 ,qal is right1 the  
,hiphil  being due to a                 

misunderstanding1 like that of the      
,targum1 ,and they  taught their tongue 
words of lying4    #ce ,ewald prefers   
the reading of the ,,lxx41 which divides
 the words  differently4 ,if we suppose 
their version correct1 they must have   
read3  ,they have trained their tongue  
to speak falsehood1 to distort4 ,they   
are weary of returning4 ,oppression in  
oppression1 deceit in deceit6  ,they    
refuse to know ,me1 saith ,iahvah4 ,but 
,i do not think this an  improvement on 
the present ,masoretic text4    #cf ,if 
,jeremiah wrote ,ps4 lv41 as ,hitzig    
supposes1 he may be alluding  to the    
treachery of a particular friend2 cf4   
,ps4 lv4 #ac1 #ad4    #cg ,shahadhta    
lisnaka alaina4 ,in this case1 we should
 follow the  ,heb4 margin or ,q'r4      
#ch ,speak thou1 ,thus saith ,iahweh1 is
 undoubtedly a spurious  addition1 and  
does not appear in the ,,lxx4 ,jeremiah 
never says ,koh  ne'um ,iahvah1 and     
never uses the imperative dabber6       
,,vi4                     ,,the ,,idols 

,,of ,,the ,,heathen ,,and ,,the ,,god  
,,of ,,israel4                          
,,jeremiah x4 #a-af4      ,this fine    
piece is altogether isolated from the   
surrounding context1  which it          
interrupts in a very surprising manner4 
,neither the style nor  the subject1    
neither the idioms nor the thoughts     
expressed in them1  agree with what we  
easily recognise as ,jeremiah's work4 ,a
 stronger  contrast can hardly be       
imagined than that which exists between 
the  leading motive of this oracle as it
 stands1 and that of the long  discourse
 in which it is embedded with as little 
regard for continuity  as an aerolite   
exhibits when it buries itself in a     
plain4 ,in what  precedes1 the prophet's
 fellow-countrymen have been accused of 
flagrant  and defiant idolatry 7vii4 #ag
 sqq41 #cj sqq472 the opening words  of 
this piece imply a totally different    
situation4 ,to the way of the  nations  
become not accustomed1 and of the signs 
of heaven be not afraid2  for the       

nations are afraid of them4#ci ,jeremiah
 would not be likely  to warn inveterate
 apostates not to accustom themselves to
 idolatry4  ,the words presuppose1 not a
 nation whose idolatry was notorious1   
and  had just been the subject of       
unsparing rebuke and threats of imminent
  destruction2 they presuppose a nation 
free from idolatry1 but exposed  to     
temptation from surrounding heathenism4 
,the entire piece contains  no syllable 
of reference to past or present         
unfaithfulness on the part  of ,israel4 
,here at the outset1 and throughout1    
,israel is implicitly  contrasted with  
the nations 7 7 as the servant of       
,iahvah with  the foolish worshippers of
 lifeless gods4 ,there is a tone of     
contempt  in the use of the term        
goyim--,to the way of the goyim accustom
  not yourselves 444 for the goyim are  
afraid of them 7of the signs  of        
heaven72 or as the ,septuagint puts it  
yet more strongly1 for  they 7the       
besotted goyim7 are afraid 7i4e41       

worship7 before  them2 as though that   
alone--the sense of ,israel's           
superiority--should  be sufficient to   
deter ,israelites from any bowings in   
the house  of ,rimmon4#dj ,neither this 
contemptuous use of the term goyim1     
,gentiles1 nor the scathing ridicule of 
the false gods and their  devotees1 is  
in the manner of ,jeremiah4 ,both are   
characteristic of a  later period4 ,the 
biting scorn of image-worship1 the      
intensely vivid  perception of the utter
 incommensurableness of ,iahvah1 the    
,creator of  all things1 with the       
handiwork of the carpenter and the      
silversmith1  are well-known and        
distinctive features of the great       
prophets of the  ,exile 7see especially 
,isa4 xl4-lxvi474 ,there are plenty of  
allusions  to idolatry in ,jeremiah2 but
 they are expressed in a tone of fervid 
indignation1 not of ridicule4 ,it was   
the initial offence1 which issued  in a 
hopeless degradation of public and      
private morality1 and would  have for   

its certain consequence the rejection   
and ruin of the nation  7ii4 #e-ac1     
#bj-bh1 iii4 #a-i1 #bc sqq474 ,all the  
disasters1 past and  present1 which had 
befallen the country1 were due to it    
7vii4 #i1 #ag  sqq41 #cj sqq41 viii4 #b 
etc474 ,the people are urged to repent  
and  return to ,iahvah with their whole 
heart 7iii4 #ab sqq41 iv4 #c sqq41  v4  
#ba sqq41 vi4 #h71 as the only means of 
escape from deadly peril4 ,the  ,baals  
are things that cannot help or save 7ii4
 #h1 #aa72 but the prophet  does not    
say1 as here 7x4 #e71 ,fear them not2   
they cannot harm you6  ,the piece before
 us breathes not one word about         
,israel's apostasy1 the  urgent need of 
repentance1 the impending ruin4 ,taken  
as a whole1 it  neither harmonizes with 
,jeremiah's usual method of argument1   
nor does it  suit the juncture of       
affairs implied by the language which   
precedes and  follows 7vii4 #a-;ix4 #bf1
 x4 #ag-be74 ,for let us suppose that   
this oracle  occupies its proper place  

here1 and was actually written by       
,jeremiah at  the crisis which called   
forth the preceding and following       
utterances4  ,then the warning cry1 ,be 
not afraid of the signs of heaven6 can  
only  mean ,be not afraid of the ,powers
 under whose auspices the ,chaldeans are
  invading your country2 ,iahvah1 the   
true and living ,god1 will protect  you6
 ,but consolation of this kind would be 
diametrically opposed to the  doctrine  
which ,jeremiah shares with all his     
predecessors2 the doctrine  that ,iahvah
 ,himself is the prime cause of the     
coming trouble1 and that  the heathen   
invaders are ,his instruments of wrath  
7v4 #i sq41 vi4 #f72  it would imply    
assent to that fallacious confidence in 
,iahvah1 which the  prophet has already 
done his utmost to dissipate 7vi4 #ad1  
vii4 #d sq474    ,the details of the    
idolatry satirized in the piece before  
us point  to ,chaldea rather than to    
,canaan4 ,we have here a zealous worship
 of  wooden images overlaid and         

otherwise adorned with silver and gold1 
and robed in rich garments of violet and
 purple 7cf4 ,josh4 vii4  #ba74 ,this   
does not agree with what we know of     
,judean practice in  ,jeremiah's time1  
when1 besides the worship of the ,queen 
of ,heaven1 the  people adored stocks   
and stones2 probably the wooden symbols 
of the  goddess ,asherah and rude       
sun-pillars1 but hardly works of the    
costly  kind described in the text1     
which indicate a wealthy people whose   
religion reflected an advanced condition
 of the arts and commerce4  ,the        
designation of the objects of heathen   
worship as the signs of  heaven1 and the
 gibe at the custom of carrying the     
idol-statues in  procession 7,isa4 xlvi4
 #a1 #g71 also point us to ,babylon1 the
 land of  graven images 7l4 #ch71 and   
the home of star-worship and            
astrological  superstition 7,isa4 xlvii4
 #ac74    ,from all these               
considerations1 it would appear that not
 ,israel in  ,canaan but ,israel in     

,chaldea is addressed in this piece by  
some  unknown prophet1 whose leaflet has
 been inserted among the works of       
,jeremiah4 ,in that case1 the much      
disputed eleventh verse1 written in     
,aramaic1 and as such unique in the     
volume of the prophets proper1 may      
really have belonged to the original    
piece4 ,aramaic was the common  language
 of intercourse between ,east and ,west 
both before and during  the captivity   
7cf4 #b ,kings xviii4 #bf72 and the     
suggestion that the  tempted exiles     
should answer in this dialect the       
heathen who pressed  them to join in    
their worship1 seems suitable enough4   
,the verse  becomes very suspicious1 if 
we suppose that the whole piece is      
really  part and parcel of ,jeremiah's  
discourse1 and as such addressed to the 
,judeans in the reign of ,jehoiakim4    
,ewald1 who maintains this view upon    
grounds that cannot be called           
convincing1 thinks the ,aramaic verse   
was  originally a marginal annotation on

 verse #ae1 and suggests that it is  a  
quotation from some early book similar  
to the book of ,daniel4 ,at  all events1
 it is improbable that the verse        
proceeded from the pen of  ,jeremiah1   
who writes ,aramaic nowhere else1 not   
even in the letter to  the exiles of the
 first ,judean captivity 7chap4 xxix474 
,but might not the piece be an address  
which ,jeremiah sent to the  exiles of  
the ,ten ,tribes1 who were settled in   
,assyria1 and with whom  it is otherwise
 probable that he cultivated some       
intercourse8 ,the  expression ,house of 
,israel 7ver4 #a7 has been supposed to  
indicate  this4 ,that expression1       
however1 occurs in the immediately      
preceding  context 7ix4 #bf71 as does   
also that of the nations2 facts which   
may partially explain why the passage we
 are discussing occupies its  present   
position4 ,the unknown author of the    
,apocryphal ,letter of  ,jeremiah and   
the ,chaldee ,targumist appear to have  
held the opinion  that ,jeremiah wrote  

the piece for the benefit of the exiles 
carried  away with ,jehoiachin in the   
first ,judean captivity4 ,the ,targum   
introduces the eleventh verse thus3     
,this is a copy of the letter  which    
,jeremiah the prophet sent to the       
remnant of the elders of the  captivity 
which was in ,babylon4 ,and if the      
peoples among whom ye are  shall say    
unto you1 ,fear the ,errors1 ,o house of
 ,israel6 thus shall  ye answer and thus
 shall ye say unto them3 ,the ,errors   
whom ye fear  are 7but7 errors1 in which
 there is no profit3 they from the      
heavens  are not able to bring down     
rain1 and from the earth they cannot    
make  fruits to spring3 they and those  
who fear them will perish from the      
earth1 and will be brought to an end    
from under these heavens4 ,and  thus    
shall ye say unto them3 ,we fear ,him   
that maketh the earth by ,his  power1   
etc4 7ver4 #ab74 ,the phrase the remnant
 of the elders of the  captivity which  
was 7or who were7 in ,babylon is derived

 from  ,jer4 xxix4 #a4 ,but how utterly 
different are the tone and substance  of
 that message from those of the one     
before us6 ,far from warning  his       
captive countrymen against the          
state-worship of ,babylon1 far  from    
satirizing its absurdity1 ,jeremiah bids
 the exiles be contented  in their new  
home1 and to pray for the peace of the  
city4 ,the false  prophets who appear at
 ,babylon prophesy in ,iahvah's name    
7vv4 #ae1 #ba71  and in denouncing them 
,jeremiah says not a word about         
idolatry4 ,it is  evident from the whole
 context that he did not fear it in the 
case of  the exiles of ,jehoiachin's    
captivity4 7,see also the simile of the 
,good  and ,bad ,figs1 chap4 xxiv41     
which further illustrates the prophet's 
estimation of the earlier body of       
exiles47    ,the ,greek ,epistle of     
,jeremiah1 which in ,,mss4 is sometimes 
appended to  ,baruch1 and which         
,fritzsche refers to the ,maccabean     
times1 appear to  be partially based    

upon the passage we are considering4    
,its heading  is3 ,copy of a letter     
which ,jeremiah sent unto those who were
 about to  be carried away captives to  
,babylon1 by the king of the            
,babylonians2  to announce to them as   
was enjoined him by ,god4 ,it then      
begins thus3  ,on account of your sins  
which ye have sinned before ,god ye will
 be  carried away to ,babylon as        
captives by ,nabuchodonosor king of the 
,babylonians4 ,having come1 then1 into  
,babylon1 ye will be there many  years1 
and a long time1 until seven            
generations2 but after this ,i  will    
bring you forth from thence in peace4   
,but now ye will see in  ,babylon gods1 
silvern and golden and wooden1 borne    
upon shoulders1  shewing fear 7an object
 of fear7 to the nations4 ,beware then1 
lest ye  also become like unto the      
nations1 and fear take you at them1 when
  ye see a multitude before and behind  
them worshipping them4 ,but say  ye in  
the mind3 ,thee it behoveth us to       

worship1 ,o ,lord6 ,for ,mine  angel is 
with you1 and ,he is requiring your     
lives4 ,the whole epistle  is well worth
 reading as a kind of paraphrase of our 
passage4 ,for  their tongue is carven   
7or polished7 by a carpenter1 and       
themselves  are overlaid with gold and  
silver1 but lies they are and they      
cannot  speak4 ,they being cast about   
with purple apparel have their face     
wiped on account of the dust from the   
house1 which is plentiful upon  them    
7#ac74 ,but he holds a dagger with right
 hand and an axe1 but  himself from war 
and robbers he will not 7 cannot7       
deliver 7#ae71  cf4 ,jer4 x4 #ae4 ,he is
 like one of the house-beams 7#bj1 cf4  
,jer4 x4  #h1 and perhaps #e74 ,upon    
their body and upon their head alight   
bats1  swallows1 and the birds1 likewise
 also the cats2 whence ye will know     
that they are not gods2 therefore fear  
them not 7cf4 ,jer4 x4 #e74  ,at all    
cost are they purchased1 in which there 
is no spirit 7#be2  cf4 ,jer4 x4 #i1    

#ad74 ,footless1 upon shoulders they are
 carried1  displaying their own         
dishonour to men 7#bf74 ,neither if they
 suffer  evil from any one1 nor if good1
 will they be able to recompense  7#cd2 
cf4 ver4 #e74 ,but they that serve them 
will be ashamed 7#ci2  cf4 ver4 #ad74   
,by carpenters and goldsmiths are they  
prepared2 they  become nothing but what 
the craftsmen wish them to become4 ,and 
the  very men that prepare them cannot  
last long2 how then are the things      
prepared by them likely to do so8 for   
they left lies and a reproach  to them  
that come after4 ,for whenever war and  
evils come upon them1  the priests      
consult together where to hide with     
them4 ,how then is it  possible not to  
perceive that they are not gods1 who    
neither save  themselves from war nor   
from evils8 ,for being of wood and      
overlaid  with gold and silver they will
 be known hereafter1 that they are lies4
  ,to all the nations and to the kings  
it will be manifest that they are  not  

gods but works of men's hands1 and no   
work of ,god is in them  7#de-ea2 cf4   
,jer4 x4 #ad-ae74 ,a wooden pillar in a 
palace is more  useful than the false   
gods 7#ei74 ,signs among nations they   
will not  shew in heaven1 nor yet will  
they shine like the sun1 nor give light 
as the moon 7#fg74 ,for as a scarecrow  
in a cucumber-bed guarding  nothing1 so 
their gods are wooden and overlaid with 
gold and with  silver 7#gj2 cf4 ,jer4 x4
 #e74 ,the mention of the sun1 moon and 
stars1  the lightning1 the wind1 the    
clouds1 and fire sent forth from above1 
as totally unlike the idols in forms and
 powers1 seems to shew that  the author 
had verses #ab1 #ac before him4    ,when
 we turn to the ,septuagint1 we are     
immediately struck by its  remarkable   
omissions4 ,the four verses #f-h and #aj
 do not appear at all  in this oldest of
 the versions2 while the ninth is       
inserted between  the first clause and  
the remainder of the fifth verse4 ,now1 
on the one  hand1 it is just the verses 

which the ,,lxx4 translates1 which both 
in  style and matter contrast so        
strongly with ,jeremiah's authentic     
work1  and are plainly incongruous with 
the context and occasion2 while1  on the
 other hand1 the omitted verses contain 
nothing which points  positively to     
another author than ,jeremiah1 and1     
taken by themselves1  harmonise very    
well with what may be supposed to have  
been the  prophet's feeling at the      
actual juncture of affairs4             
,there is none at all like ,thee1 ,o    
,iahvah6       ,great art ,thou1 and    
great is ,thy ,name in might6       ,who
 should not fear ,thee1 ,o ,king of the 
nations8 for 'tis ,thy due       ,for   
among all the wise of the nations and in
 all their kingdom            there is  
none at all like ,thee4       ,and in   
one thing they are brute-like and dull2 
,in the doctrine of ,vanities1 which are
 wood6       ,but ,iahvah ,elohim is    
truth2       ,he is a living ,god1 and  
an eternal ,king3       ,at ,his wrath  

the earth quaketh1       ,and nations   
abide not ,his indignation4    ,as      
,hitzig has observed1 it is natural that
 now1 as the terrible  decision         
approaches1 the prophet should seek and 
find comfort in the  thought of the     
all-overshadowing greatness of the ,god 
of ,israel4 ,if1  however1 we suppose   
these verses to be ,jeremiah's1 we can  
hardly  extend the same assumption to   
verses #ab-af1 in spite of one or two   
expressions of his which occur in them2 
and1 upon the whole1 the  linguistic    
argument seems to weigh decisively      
against ,jeremiah's  authorship of this 
piece 7see ,naegelsbach74    ,it may be 
true enough that the basis and          
possibility of the true  prosperity and 
the hope of the genuine community are   
unfolded in these  strophes 7,ewald72   
but that does not prove that they belong
 to ,jeremiah4  ,nor can ,i see much    
force in the remark that didactic       
language is of  another kind than that  
of pure prophecy4 ,but when the same    

critic  affirms that the description of 
the folly of idolatry 444 is also quite 
new1 and clearly serves as a model for  
the much more elaborate ones1  ,isa4 xl4
 #ai-bd 7#bj71 xli4 #g1 xliv4 #h-bj1    
xlvi4 #e-g2 he is really giving  up the 
point in dispute4 ,verses #ab-af are    
repeated in the prophecy  against       
,babylon 7li4 #ae-ai72 but this hardly  
proves that the later  prophet1 chap4   
l4-li41 found all these words in our    
piece2 it is only  evidence1 so far as  
it goes1 for those verses themselves4   
,the internal connexion which ,ewald    
assumes1 is not self-evident4  ,there is
 no proof that the thought that the gods
 of the heathen might  again rule       
occurred for one moment to ,jeremiah on 
this occasion2 nor  the thought that the
 maintenance of the ancient true        
religion in  conflict with the heathen  
must produce the regeneration of        
,israel4  ,there is no reference        
throughout the disputed passage to the  
spiritual  condition of the people1     

which is1 in fact1 presupposed to be    
good2  and the return in verses #ag-be  
to the main subject of the discourse  is
 inexplicable on ,ewald's theory that   
the whole chapter1 omitting  verse #aa1 
is one homogeneous structure4    ,hear  
ye the word that ,iahvah spake upon you1
 ,o house of ,israel6 ,thus  said       
,iahvah4 ,the terms imply a particular  
crisis in the history of  ,israel1 when 
a ,divine pronouncement was necessary to
 the guidance of  the people4 ,iahvah   
speaks indeed in all existence and in   
all events1  but ,his voice becomes     
audible1 is recognised as ,his1 only    
when human  need asserts itself in some 
particular juncture of affairs4 ,then1  
in view of the actual emergency1 the    
mind of ,iahweh declares itself  by the 
mouth of ,his proper spokesmen2 and the 
prophetic ,thus said  ,iahvah contrasts 
the higher point of view with the lower1
 the  heavenly and spiritual with the   
earthly and the carnal2 it sets forth   
the aspect of things as they appear to  

,god1 in the sharpest antithesis  to the
 aspect of things as they appear to the 
natural unilluminated  man4 ,thus said  
,iahvah3 ,this is the thought of the    
,eternal1 this is  ,his judgment upon   
present conditions and passing events1  
whatever  your thought and your judgment
 may happen or incline to be6 ,such1 ,i 
think1 is the essential import of this  
vox solennis1 this customary  formula of
 the dialect of prophecy4    ,on the    
present occasion1 the crisis in view of 
which a prophet declares  the mind of   
,iahvah is not a political emergency but
 a religious  temptation4 ,the day for  
the former has long since passed away1  
and the  depressed and scattered        
communities of exiled ,israelites are   
exposed  among other trials to the      
constant temptation to sacrifice to     
present  expediency the only treasure   
which they have saved from the wreck of 
their country1 the faith of their       
fathers1 the religion of the prophets4  
,the uncompromising tone of this        

isolated oracle1 the abruptness with    
which the writer at once enters in      
medias res1 the solemn emphasis of  his 
opening imperatives1 proves that this   
danger pressed at the time  with        
peculiar intensity4 ,thus said ,iahvah3 
,unto the way of the nations  use not   
yourselves1 ,and of the signs of heaven 
stand not in awe1 for  that the nations 
stand in awe of them6 7cf4 ,lev4 xviii4 
#c2 ,ezek4 xx4  #ah74 ,the way of the   
nations is their religion1 the mode and 
manner  of their worship 7v4 #d1 #e72   
and the exiles are warned not to suffer 
themselves to be led astray by example1 
as they had been in the land of         
,canaan2 they are not to adore the signs
 of heaven1 simply because they  see    
their conquerors adoring them4 ,the     
signs of heaven would seem  to be the   
sun1 moon and stars1 which were the     
objects of ,babylonian  worship2        
although the passage is unhappily not   
free from ambiguity4  ,some expositors  
have preferred to think of celestial    

phenomena such  as eclipses and         
particular conjunctions of the heavenly 
bodies1 which  in those days were looked
 upon as portents1 foreshadowing the    
course  of national and individual      
fortunes4 ,that there is really a       
reference  to the astrological          
observation of the stars1 is a view     
which finds  considerable support in the
 words addressed to ,babylon on the eve 
of  her fall1 by a prophet1 who1 if not 
identical was at least contemporary     
with him whose message we are           
discussing4 ,in the forty-seventh       
chapter  of the book of ,isaiah1 it is  
said to ,babylon3 ,let now them that    
parcel out the heavens1 that gaze at the
 stars1 arise and save thee1            
prognosticating month by month the      
things that will come upon thee  7,isa4 
xlvii4 #ac74 ,the signs of heaven are1  
in this case1 the supposed  indications 
of coming events furnished by the       
varying appearances of  the heavenly    
bodies2 and one might even suppose that 

the immediate  occasion of our prophecy 
was some eclipse of the sun or moon1 or 
some  remarkable conjunction of the     
planets which at the time was exciting  
general anxiety among the motley        
populations of ,babylonia4 ,the prophecy
  then becomes a remarkable instance of 
the manner in which an elevated         
spiritual faith1 free from all the      
contaminating and blinding influences   
of selfish motives and desires1 may rise
 superior to universal  superstition1   
and boldly contradict the suggestions of
 what is accounted  the highest wisdom  
of the time1 anticipating the results   
though not the  methods nor the evidence
 of science1 at an epoch when science is
 as yet  in the mythological stage4 ,and
 the prophet might well exclaim in a    
tone  of triumph1 ,among all the wise of
 the nations none at all is like unto   
thee1 ,o ,lord1 as a source of true     
wisdom and understanding for the        
guidance of life 7ver4 #g74    ,the     
inclusion of eclipses and comets among  

the signs of heaven here  spoken of has 
been thought to be barred by the        
considerations that  these are sometimes
 alleged by the prophets themselves as  
signs of  coming judgment exhibited by  
the ,god of ,israel2 that1 as a matter  
of fact1 they were as mysterious and    
awful to the ,jews as to their  heathen 
neighbours2 and that what is here       
contemplated is not the  terror inspired
 by rare occasional phenomena of this   
kind1 but an  habitual superstition in  
relation to some ever-present causes4   
,it  is certain that in another prophecy
 against ,babylon1 preserved in  the    
book of ,isaiah1 it is declared that1 as
 a token of the impending  destruction1 
the stars of heaven and the ,orions     
thereof shall not  give their light3 the
 sun shall be darkened in his going     
forth1 and  the moon shall not cause his
 light to shine 7,isa4 xiii4 #aj72 and  
the  similar language of the prophet    
,joel is well known 7,joel ii4 #b1 #aj1 
#cj1 #ca1 iii4 #ae74 ,but these         

objections are not conclusive1 for what 
our author is denouncing is the heathen 
association of the signs of  the        
heavens1 whatever may be intended by    
that expression1 with a  false system of
 religious belief4 ,it is a special kind
 of idolatry  that he contemplates1 as  
is clear from the immediate context4    
,not  only does the parallel clause     
,unto the way of the nations use not    
yourselves imply a gradual conformity to
 a heathen religion2 not  only is it the
 fact that the ,hebrew phrase rendered  
in our versions  ,be not dismayed6 may  
imply religious awe or worship 7,mal4   
ii4  #e71 as indeed terms denoting fear 
or dread are used by the ,semitic       
languages in general2 but the prophet at
 once proceeds to an exposure  of the   
absurdity of image-worship3 ,for the    
ordinances 7established  modes of       
worship2 #b ,kings xvii4 #h2 here1      
established objects of  worship7 of the 
peoples are a mere breath 7i4e41        
nought76 for  it 7the idol7 is a tree1  

which out of the forest one felled 7so  
the accents72 the handiwork of the      
carpenter with the bill4 ,with  silver  
and with gold one adorneth it 7or1      
maketh it bright72 with  nails and with 
hammers they make them fast1 that one   
sway not 7or1  that there be no         
shaking74 ,like the scarecrow of a      
garden of gourds  are they1 and they    
cannot speak2 they are carried and      
carried1  for they cannot take a step   
7or1 march73 be not afraid of them1  for
 they cannot hurt1 neither is it in     
their power to benefit6 ,be  not afraid 
of them6 returns to the opening charge3 
,of the signs of  heaven stand not in   
awe6 7cf4 ,gen4 xxxi4 #db1 #ec2 ,isa4   
viii4 #ab1 #ac74  ,clearly1 then1 the   
signa cli are the idols against whose   
worship  the prophet warns his people2  
and they denote the sun1 the moon1  the 
constellations 7of the ,zodiac71 and all
 the host of heaven 7#b  ,kings xxiii4  
#e74 ,we know that the kings of ,judah1 
from ,ahaz onwards1  derived this       

worship from ,assyria1 and that its     
original home was  ,babylon1 where in   
every temple the exiles would see images
 of the  deities presiding over the     
heavenly bodies1 such as ,samas 7the    
sun7  and his consort ,aa 7the moon7 at 
,sippara1 ,merodach 7,jupiter7 and his  
son ,nebo 7,mercurius7 at ,babylon and  
,borsippa1 ,nergal 7,mars7 at ,cutha1   
daily served with a splendid and        
attractive ritual1 and honoured  with   
festivals and processions on the most   
costly and magnificent  scale4 ,the     
prophet looks through all this outward  
display to the void  within1 he draws no
 subtle distinction between the symbol  
and the  thing symbolized2 he accepts   
the popular confusion of the god with   
his image1 and identifies all the       
deities of the heathen with the         
materials out of which their statues are
 made by the hands of men4 ,and  he is  
justified in doing this1 because there  
can be but one god in his  sense of the 
word2 a multitude of gods is a          

contradiction in terms4  ,from this     
point of view1 he exposes the absurdity 
of the splendid  idolatry which his     
captive countrymen see all around them4 
,behold  that thing1 he cries1 which    
they call a god1 and before which they  
tremble with religious fear6 ,it is     
nothing but a tree trunk hewn in  the   
forest1 and trimmed into shape by the   
carpenter1 and plated with  silver and  
gold1 and fixed on its pedestal with    
hammer and nails1 for  fear it should   
fall6 ,its terrors are empty terrors1   
like those of the  palm-trunk1          
rough-hewn into human shape1 and set up 
among the melons  to frighten the birds 
away4              ,olim truncus eram   
ficulnus1 inutile lignum1               
,cum faber1 incertus scamnum faceretne  
,priapum1             ,maluit esse deum4
 ,deus inde ego1 furum ariumque         
,maxima formido4 7,hor41 ,sat4 i4 #h1   
#a1 sqq47    ,though the idol has the   
outward semblance of a man1 it lacks his
  distinguishing faculty of speech2 it  

is as dumb as the scarecrow1  and as    
powerless to move from its place2 so it 
has to be borne about  on men's         
shoulders 7a mocking allusion to the    
grand processions of  the gods1 which   
distinguished the ,babylonian           
festivals74 ,will you  then be afraid of
 things that can do neither good nor    
harm8 asks the  prophet2 in terms that  
recall the challenge of another1 or     
perchance  of himself1 to the idols of  
,babylon3 ,do good or do evil1 that we  
may  look at each other and see it      
together 7,isa4 xli4 #bc74    ,in utter 
contrast with the impotence1 the        
nothingness of all the gods  of the     
nations1 whether ,israel's neighbours or
 his invaders1 stands  for ever the ,god
 of ,israel4 ,there is none at all like 
,thee1 ,o ,iahweh6  great art ,thou1 and
 great is ,thy ,name in might6 ,with    
different vowel  points1 we might       
render1 ,whence 7cometh7 ,thy like1 ,o  
,iahvah8 ,this  has been supported by   
reference to chap4 xxx4 #g3 ,alas6 for  

great is  that day4 ,whence 7is one7    
like it8 7meayin872 but there too1  as  
here1 we may equally well translate1    
there is none like it4 ,the             
interrogative1 in fact1 presupposes a   
negative answer2 and the ,hebrew        
particle usually rendered there is not1 
are not 7ayin1 n7 has  been explained as
 originally identical with the          
interrogative where8  7ayin1 implied in 
meayin1 from where8 whence8 cf4 ,job4   
xiv4  #aj3 where is he8  he is not74    
,the idiom of the text expresses a  more
 emphatic negation than the ordinary    
form would do2 and though  rare1 is by  
no means altogether unparalleled 7see   
,isa4 xl4 #ag1 xli4  #bd2 and other     
references in ,gesenius74 ,great art    
,thou and great is  ,thy ,name in might2
 that is to say1 ,thou art great in     
,thyself1 and  great in repute or       
manifestation among men1 in respect of  
might1  virile strength or prowess 7,ps4
 xxi4 #ad74 ,unlike the do-nothing      
idols1 ,iahvah reveals ,his strength in 

deeds of strength 7cf4 ,exod4  xv4 #c   
sqq474 ,who should not fear ,thee1 ,thou
 ,king of the nations8  7cf4 v4 #bb7 for
 ,thee it beseemeth 7 it is ,thy due1   
and ,thine  only73 for among all the    
wise of the nations and in all their    
realm1  there is none at all 7as in ver4
 #f7 like ,thee4 ,religious fear is     
instinctive in man2 but1 whereas the    
various nations lavish reverence  upon  
innumerable objects utterly unworthy of 
the name of deity1  rational religion   
sees clearly that there can be but ,one 
,god1 working  ,his supreme will in     
heaven and earth2 and that this         
,almighty being is  the true ,king of   
the nations1 and disposes their         
destinies as well  as that of ,his      
people ,israel1 although they know ,him 
not1 but call  other imaginary beings   
their kings 7a common ,semitic          
designation of  a national god3 ,ps4 xx4
 #i2 ,isa4 vi4 #e1 viii4 #ba74 ,he1     
then1 is the  proper object of the      
instinct of religious awe2 all the      

peoples of  the earth owe ,him          
adoration1 even though they be ignorant 
of their  obligation2 worship is ,his   
unshared prerogative4    ,among all the 
wise of the nations and in all their    
realm1 not one  is like ,thee6 ,who are 
the wise thus contrasted with the       
,supreme  ,god8 ,are the false gods the 
reputed wise ones1 giving pretended     
counsel to their deluded worshippers    
through the priestly oracle8  ,the term 
kingdom seems to indicate this view1 if 
we take their  kingdom to mean the      
kingdom of the wise ones of the nations1
 that  is1 the countries whose kings    
they are1 where they are worshipped  as 
such4 ,the heathen in general1 and the  
,babylonians in particular1  ascribed   
wisdom to their gods4 ,but there is no  
impropriety from an  ,old ,testament    
point of view in comparing ,iahvah's    
wisdom with the  wisdom of man4 ,the    
meaning of the prophet may be simply    
this1 that  no earthly wisdom1 craft or 
political sagacity1 not even in the most

  powerful empires such as ,babylon1 can
 be a match for ,iahvah the  ,all-wise1 
or avail to thwart ,his purposes 7,isa4 
xxxi4 #a1 #b74 ,wise  and sagacious are 
titles which the kings of ,babylon      
continually  assert for themselves in   
their extant inscriptions2 and the      
wisdom and  learning of the ,chaldeans  
was famous in the ancient world4 ,either
 view  will agree with what follows3    
,but in one thing they--the nations1  or
 their wise men--will turn out brutish  
and besotted3 7in7 the  teaching of     
,vanities which are wood4 ,the verse is 
difficult2 but the  expression the      
teaching 7or doctrine7 of ,vanities may 
perhaps be  regarded as equivalent to   
the idols taught of2 and then the second
  half of the verse is constructed like 
the first member of ver4 #c3  ,the      
ordinances of the peoples are ,vanity1  
and may be rendered1 the  idols taught  
of are mere wood 7cf4 ver4 #c b1 ii4    
#bg1 iii4 #i74 ,it  is possible also    
that the right reading is foundation    

7msad7 not  doctrine 7msar73 the        
foundation 7basis1 substratum1          
substance7  of idols is wood4 7,the term
 ,vanities--habalim--is used for  idols1
 viii4 #ai1 xiv4 #bb2 ,ps4 xxxi4 #g74   
,and1 lastly1 ,i think1 the  clause     
might be rendered3 a doctrine of        
,vanities1 of mere wood1  it--their     
religion--is6#da ,this supreme folly is 
the one thing  that discredits all the  
boasted wisdom of the ,chaldeans2 and   
their  folly will hereafter be          
demonstrated by events 7ver4 #ad74      
,the body of the idol is wood1 and      
outwardly it is decorated with silver   
and gold and costly apparel2 but the    
whole and every part of it is the  work 
of man4 ,silver plate 7lit4 beaten out7 
from ,tarshish--from  far away          
,tartessus in ,spain--is brought1 and   
gold from ,uphaz 7,dan4  x4 #e71 the    
work of the smith1 and of the hands of  
the founder--who  have beaten out the   
silver and smelted the gold3 blue and   
purple is  their clothing 7,ex4 xxvi4   

#ca1 xxviii4 #h73 the work of the       
wise--of  skilled artists 7,isa4 xl4    
#bj7--;is every part of them4 ,possibly 
the  verse might better be translated3  
,silver to be beaten out--argentum      
malleo diducendum--which is brought from
 ,tarshish1 and gold which is  brought  
from ,uphaz1 are the work of the smith  
and of the hands of the  smelter2 the   
blue and purple which are their         
clothing1 are the work  of the wise all 
of them4 ,at all events1 the point of   
the verse seems to  be that1 whether you
 look at the inside or the outside of   
the idol1 his  heart of wood or his     
casing of gold and silver and his       
gorgeous robes1  the whole and every bit
 of him as he stands before you is a    
manufactured  article1 the work of men's
 hands4 ,the supernatural comes in      
nowhere4 ,in  sharpest contrast with    
this lifeless fetish1 ,iahvah is a ,god 
that is  truth1 i4e41 a true ,god 7cf4  
,prov4 xxii4 #ba71 or ,iahvah is ,god in
  truth--is really ,god--,he is a living

 ,god1 and an eternal ,king2 the        
sovereign whose rule is independent of  
the vicissitudes of time1 and the       
caprices of temporal creatures3 at ,his 
wrath the earth quaketh1 and  nations   
cannot abide ,his indignation3 the world
 of nature and the world  of man are    
alike dependent upon ,his ,will1 and ,he
 exhibits ,his power and  his righteous 
anger in the disturbances of the one and
 the disasters of  the other4           
,according to the ,hebrew punctuation1  
we should rather translate3  ,but       
,iahvah ,elohim 7the designation of ,god
 in the second account of  creation1    
,gen4 ii4 #d-;iii4 #bd7 is truth1 i4e41 
reality2 as opposed to  the falsity and 
nothingness of the idols2 or permanence1
 lastingness  7,ps4 xix4 #aj71 as       
opposed to their transitoriness 7vv4    
#aa-ae74    ,the statement of the tenth 
verse respecting the eternal power and  
godhead of ,iahvah is confirmed in the  
twelfth and thirteenth by  instances of 
,his creative energy and continual      

activity as exhibited  in the world of  
nature4 ,the ,maker of the earth by ,his
 power1  ,establishing the habitable    
world by ,his wisdom1 ,and by ,his      
insight ,he  did stretch out the        
heavens3 ,at the sound of ,his giving   
voice 7,ps4  lxxvii4 #ah2 i4e41         
thundering7 there is an uproar of waters
 in the  heavens1 ,and ,he causeth the  
vapours to rise from the end of the     
earth2  ,lightnings for the rain ,he    
maketh1 ,and causeth the wind to go     
forth  out of ,his treasuries4 ,there is
 no break in the sense between these    
sentences and the tenth verse4 ,the     
construction resembles that of ,amos  v4
 #h1 ix4 #e1 #f1 and is interrupted by  
the eleventh verse1 which in all        
probability was1 to begin with1 a       
marginal annotation4    ,the solid earth
 is itself a natural symbol of strength 
and stability4  ,the original creation  
of this mighty and enduring structure   
argues  the omnipotence of the ,creator2
 while the establishing or founding  of 

it upon the waters of the great deep is 
a proof of supreme wisdom  7,ps4 xxiv4  
#b2 cxxxvi4 #f71 and the spreading out  
of the visible  heavens or atmosphere   
like a vast canopy or tent over the     
earth 7,ps4  civ4 #b2 ,isa4 xl4 #bb71 is
 evidence of a perfect insight into the 
conditions essential to the existence   
and wellbeing of man4    ,it is1 of     
course1 clear enough that physical facts
 and phenomena are  here described in   
popular language as they appear to the  
eye1 and  by no means with the severe   
precision of a scientific treatise4 ,it 
is not to be supposed that this prophet 
knew more about the actual  constitution
 of the physical universe than the wise 
men of his time  could impart4 ,but such
 knowledge was not necessary to the     
enforcement  of the spiritual truths    
which it was his mission to proclaim2   
and  the fact that his brief oracle     
presents those truths in a garb which   
we can only regard as poetical1 and     
which it would argue a want of  judgment

 to treat as scientific prose1 does not 
affect their eternal  validity1 nor at  
all impair their universal importance4  
,the passage  refers us to ,god as the  
ultimate source of the world of nature4 
,it teaches us that the stability of    
things is a reflexion of ,his  eternal  
being2 that the persistence of matter is
 an embodiment of ,his  strength2 that  
the indestructibility which science     
ascribes to the  materials of the       
physical universe is the seal which     
authenticates  their ,divine original4  
,persistence1 permanence1               
indestructibleness1  are properly sole  
attributes of the eternal ,creator1     
which ,he  communicates to ,his         
creation4 ,things are indestructible as 
regards  man1 not as regards the ,author
 of their being4    ,thus the wisdom    
enshrined in the laws of the visible    
world1 all its  strength and all its    
stability1 is a manifestation of the    
,unseen ,god4  ,invisible in themselves1
 the eternal power and godhead of       

,iahvah  become visible in ,his         
creation4 ,and1 as the ,hebrew mode of  
expression  indicates1 ,his activity is 
never suspended1 nor ,his presence      
withdrawn4 ,the conflict of the         
elements1 the roar of the thunder1  the 
flash of the lightning1 the downpour of 
waters1 the rush of the  stormwind1 are 
,his work2 and not less ,his work1      
because we have found  out the natural  
causes1 that is1 the established        
conditions of  their occurrence2 not    
less ,his work1 because we have1 in the 
exercise  of faculties really though    
remotely akin to the ,divine ,nature1   
discovered how to imitate1 or rather    
mimic1 even the more awful of  these    
marvellous phenomena4 ,mimicry it cannot
 but appear1 when we  compare the       
overwhelming forces that rage in a      
tropical storm with  our electric toys4 
,the lightnings in their glory and      
terror are still  ,god's arrows1 and man
 cannot rob ,his quiver4    ,nowadays   
more is known about the machinery of the

 world1 but hardly  more of the         
,intelligence that contrived it1 and    
keeps it continually  in working order1 
nay1 lends it its very existence4 ,more 
is known  about means and methods1 but  
hardly more about aims and purposes4    
,the  reflexion1 how few are the        
master-conceptions which modern         
speculation  has added to the treasury  
of thought1 should suggest humility to  
the  vainest and most self-confident of 
physical inquirers4 ,in the very  dawn  
of philosophy the human mind appears to 
have anticipated as it  were by sudden  
flashes of insight some of the boldest  
hypotheses of  modern science1 including
 that of ,evolution itself4    ,the     
unchangeable or invariable laws of      
nature1 that is to say1 the  uniformity 
of sequence which we observe in physical
 phenomena1 is not  to be regarded as a 
thing that explains itself4 ,it is only 
intelligible  as the expression of the  
unchanging will of ,god4 ,the prophet's 
word  is still true4 ,it is ,god who    

causes the vapours to rise from the end 
of the earth1 drawing them up into the  
air from oceans and lakes by  the simple
 yet beautiful and efficient action of  
the solar heat2 it is  ,god who makes   
lightnings for the rain1 charging the   
clouds with the  electric fluid1 to     
burst forth in blinding flashes when the
 opposing  currents meet4 ,it is ,god   
who brings the wind out of ,his         
treasuries4  ,in the prophet's time the 
winds were as great a mystery as the    
thunder  and lightning2 it was not known
 whence they came nor whither they went4
  ,but the knowledge that they are but  
currents of air due to variations of    
temperature does not really deprive them
 of their wonder4 ,not only is it       
impossible1 in the last resort1 to      
comprehend what heat is1 what motion    
is1 what the thing moved is4 ,a far     
greater marvel remains1 which cries     
aloud of ,god's wisdom and presence and 
sovereignty over all2 and that  is the  
wonderful consilience of all the various

 powers and forces of  the natural world
 in making a home for man1 and enabling 
so apparently  feeble a creature as he  
to live and thrive amidst the perpetual 
interaction and collision of the        
manifold and mighty elements of the     
universe4    ,the true author of all    
this magnificent system of objects and  
forces1  to the wonder and the glory of 
which only custom can blind us1 is the  
,god of the prophet4 ,this sublime1 this
 just conception of ,god was  possible1 
for it was actually realized1 altogether
 apart from the  influence of ,hellenic 
philosophy and modern ,european science4
 ,but it  was by no means as common to  
the ,semitic peoples4 ,in ,babylon1     
which  was at the time the focus of all 
earthly wisdom and power1 in ,babylon   
the ancient mother of sciences and arts1
 a crude polytheism stultified  all the 
wisdom of the wise1 and lent its        
sanction to a profound moral            
corruption4 ,rapid and universal        
conquests1 enormous wealth accruing     

from the spoils and tributes of all     
nations1 only subserved the luxury  and 
riotous living which issued in a general
 effeminacy and social  enervation2     
until the great fabric of empire1 which 
,nabopalassar and  ,nebuchadrezzar had  
reared by their military and political  
genius1 sank  under the weight of its   
own vices4    ,looking round upon this  
spectacle of superstitious folly1 the   
prophet  declares that all men are      
become too brute-like for knowledge2 too
  degraded to appreciate the truth1 the 
simplicity of a higher faith2  too      
besotted with the worship of a hundred  
vain idols1 which were the  outward     
reflexion of their own diseased         
imaginations1 to receive the  wisdom of 
the true religion1 and to perceive      
especially the truth  just enunciated1  
that it is ,iahvah who gives the rain   
and upon whom  all atmospheric changes  
depend 7cf4 xiv4 #bb73 and thus1 in the 
hour  of need1 every founder blushes for
 the image1 because his molten  figure  

is a lie1 and there is no breath in     
them2 because the lifeless  idol1 the   
work of his hands1 can lend no help4    
,perhaps both clauses  of the verse     
rather express a prophecy3 ,all men will
 be proven  brutish1 destitute of       
knowledge2 every founder will blush for 
the  graven image4 ,wise and strong as  
the ,babylonians supposed themselves  to
 be1 the logic of events would undeceive
 them4 ,they were doomed to  a rude     
awakening2 to discover in the hour of   
defeat and surrender  that the molten   
idol was a delusion1 that the work of   
their hands was  an embodied lie1 void  
of life1 powerless to save4 ,vanity--a  
mere  breath1 nought--are they1 a work  
of knaveries 7a term recurring  only in 
li4 #ah2 the root seems to mean to      
stammer1 to imitate72  in the time of   
their visitation they will perish6 or   
simply they  perish6--in the burning    
temples1 in the crash of falling        
shrines4    ,it has happened so4 ,at    
this day the temples of cedar and       

marble1 with  their woodwork overlaid   
with bronze and silver and gold1 of     
whose  glories the ,babylonian          
sovereigns so proudly boast in their    
still  existing records1 as shining like
 the sun1 and like the stars of  heaven1
 are shapeless heaps or rather mountains
 of rubbish1 where  ,arabs dig for      
building materials and treasure trove1  
and ,european  explorers for the relics 
of a civilisation and a superstition    
which  have passed away for ever4 ,vana 
sunt1 et opus risu dignum4 ,in the      
revolutions of time1 which are the      
outward measures of the eternally       
self-unfolding purposes of ,god1 the    
word of the ,judean prophets has  been  
amply fulfilled4 ,babylon and her idols 
are no more4    ,all other idols1 too1  
must perish in like manner4 ,thus shall 
ye say  of them3 ,the gods who the      
heavens and earth did not make1 perish  
from the earth and from under the       
heavens shall these6 ,the assertion     
that the idols of ,babylon were doomed  

to destruction1 was not the  whole of   
the prophetic message4 ,it is connected 
with and founded upon  the antithetic   
assertion of the eternity of ,iahvah4   
,they will perish1  but ,he endures4    
,the one eternal is ,el ,elyon1 the     
,most ,high ,god1 the  ,maker of heaven 
and earth4 ,but heaven and earth and    
whatever partakes  only of their        
material nature are also doomed to pass 
away4 ,and in  that day of the ,lord1   
when the elements melt with fervent     
heat1 and  the earth and the works that 
are therein shall be burnt up 7#b ,pet4 
iii4 #aj71 not only will the idols of   
the heathen world1 and the tawdry  dolls
 which a degenerate church suffers to be
 adored as a kind of  magical embodiment
 of the ,mother of ,god1 but all other  
idols which  the sensebound heart of man
 makes to itself1 vanish into           
nothingness  before that overwhelming   
revelation of the supremacy of ,god4    
,there is something amazing in the folly
 of worshipping man1 whether  in the    

abstract form of the cultus of          
,humanity1 or in any of the  various    
forms of what is called ,hero-worship1  
or in the vulgar form  of self-worship1 
which is the religion of the selfish and
 the worldly4  ,to ascribe infallibility
 to any mortal1 whether ,pope or        
politician1  is to sin in the spirit of 
idolatry4 ,the ,maker of heaven and     
earth1  and ,he alone1 is worthy of     
worship4 ,where wast thou when ,i laid  
the  foundations of the earth8 declare1 
if thou hast understanding 7,job        
xxxviii4 #d74 ,no human wisdom nor power
 presided there2 and to produce  the    
smallest of asteroids is still a task   
which lies infinitely beyond  the       
combined resources of modern science4   
,man and all that man has  created is   
nought in the scale of ,god's creation4 
,he and all the  mighty works with which
 he amazes1 overshadows1 enslaves his   
little  world1 will perish and pass     
away2 only that will survive which he   
builds of materials which are           

imperishable1 fabrics of spiritual worth
  and excellence and glory 7#a ,cor4    
iii4 #ac74 ,a ,nineveh1 a ,babylon1 a   
,london1 a ,paris1 may disappear2 but he
 that doeth the will of ,god  abideth   
for ever 7#a ,john ii4 #ag74 ,not like  
these 7cf4 verse #aa ad  fin47 is       
,jacob's ,portion1 but the ,maker and   
,moulder of the ,all--,he  is his       
heritage2 ,iahvah ,sabaoth is ,his name6
 7,both here and at li4  #ai  xxviii4   
#ai the ,,lxx4 omits3 and ,israel is the
 tribe1 which seems  to have been       
derived from ,deut4 xxxii4 #i4 ,israel  
is elsewhere called  ,iahvah's heritage1
 ,ps4 xxxiii4 #ab1 and portion1 ,deut4  
xxxii4 #i2  but that thought hardly     
suits the connexion here47    ,not like 
these3 for ,he is the ,divine ,potter   
who moulded all things1  including the  
signs of heaven1 and the idols of wood  
and metal1 and  their foolish           
worshippers4 ,and he is ,jacob's        
portion2 for the  knowledge and worship 
of ,him was1 in the ,divine counsels1   

originally  assigned to ,israel 7cf4    
,deut4 iv4 #ai2 and xxxii4 #h1 according
 to the  true reading1 preserved in the 
,,lxx472 and therefore ,israel alone    
knows  ,him and ,his glorious           
attributes4 ,iahvah ,sabaoth is ,his    
name3 the  ,eternal1 the ,maker and     
,master of the hosts of heaven and      
earth1 is the  aspect under which ,he   
has revealed ,himself to the true       
representatives  of ,israel1 ,his       
servants the prophets4    ,the portion  
of ,israel is his ,god--his abiding     
portion2 of which  neither the changes  
of time nor the misconceptions of man   
can avail  to rob him4 ,when all that is
 accidental and transitory is taken     
away1  this distinction remains3        
,israel's portion is his ,god4 ,iahvah  
was  indeed the national ,god of the    
,jews1 argue some of our modern wise    
ones2 and therefore ,he cannot be       
identified with the universal ,deity4   
,he has been developed1 expanded1 into  
this vast conception2 but  originally   

,he was but the private god of a petty  
tribe1 the ,lar of a  wandering         
household4 ,now herein is a marvellous  
thing4 ,how was it that  this particular
 household god thus grew to infinite    
proportions1 like  the genius emerging  
from the unsealed jar of ,arab fable1   
until1 from  ,his prime foothold on the 
tent-floor of a nomad family1 ,he       
towered  above the stars and ,his form  
overshadowed the universe8 ,how did it  
come to pass that ,his prophet could ask
 in a tone of indisputable  truth1      
recognised alike by friend and foe1 ,do 
not ,i fill heaven and  earth1 saith    
,iahvah8 7,jer4 xxiii4 #bd74 ,how1 that 
this immense1 this  immeasurable        
expansion took place in this instance1  
and not in that of  any one of the      
thousand rival deities of surrounding   
and more powerful  tribes and nations8  
,how comes it that we to-day are met to 
adore  ,iahvah1 and not rather one of   
the forgotten gods of ,canaan or ,egypt 
or  ,babylon8 ,merodach and ,nebo have  

vanished1 but ,iahvah is the ,father of 
our ,lord ,jesus ,christ4 ,it certainly 
looks very much as if the ,hebrew       
prophets were right2 as if ,iahvah were 
really the ,god of the creation  as well
 as the ,portion of ,jacob4    ,the     
portion of ,jacob4 ,is ,his relation to 
that one people a  stumbling-block8 ,can
 we see no eternal truth in the         
statement of the  ,psalmist that the    
,lord's portion is ,his people8 ,who can
 find fault  with the enthusiastic faith
 of holy men thus exulting in the       
knowledge  and love of ,god8 ,it is a   
characteristic of all genuine religion1 
this sweet1 this elevating consciousness
 that ,god is our ,god2 this  profound  
sense that ,he has revealed ,himself to 
us in a special and  peculiar and       
individual manner4 ,but the actual      
historical results1 as  well as the     
sacred books1 prove that the sense of   
possessing ,god and  being possessed by 
,him was purer1 stronger1 deeper1 more  
effectual1  more abiding1 in ,israel    

than in any other race of the ancient   
world4    ,one must tread warily upon   
slippery ground2 but ,i cannot help     
thinking that many of the arguments     
alleged against the probability  of ,god
 revealing ,himself to man at all or to 
a single nation in  particular1 are     
sufficiently met by the simple          
consideration that ,he  has actually    
done so4 ,any event whatever may be very
 improbable until  it has happened2 and 
assuming that ,god has not revealed     
,himself1  it may perhaps be shewn to be
 highly improbable that ,he would reveal
  ,himself4 ,but1 meanwhile1 all        
religions and all faith and the         
phenomena  of conscience and the highest
 intuitions of reason presuppose this   
improbable event as the fact apart from 
which they are insoluble  riddles4 ,this
 is not to say that the precise manner  
of revelation--the  contact of the      
,infinite with the ,finite ,spirit--is  
definable4 ,there  are many less lofty  
experiences of man which also are       

indefinable  and mysterious1 but none   
the less actual and certain4 ,facts are 
not explained by denial1 which is about 
the most barren and feeble  attitude a  
man can take up in the presence of a    
baffling mystery4 ,nor  is it for man to
 prescribe conditions to ,god4 ,he who  
made us and knows  us far better than we
 know ourselves1 knows also how best to 
reveal  ,himself to ,his creatures4     
,the special illumination of ,israel1   
however1 does not imply that no  light  
was vouchsafed elsewhere4 ,the religious
 systems of other nations  furnish      
abundant evidence to the contrary4 ,god 
left not ,himself  without witness1 the 
silent witness of that beneficent order 
of the  natural world1 which makes it   
possible for man to live1 and to live   
happily4 ,st4 ,paul did not scruple to  
compliment even the degenerate          
,athenians of his own day on the ground 
of their attention to religious         
matters1 and he could cite a ,greek poet
 in support of his doctrine  that man is

 the offspring of the one ,god and      
,father of all4    ,we may see in the   
fact a sufficient indication of what    
,st4 ,paul  would have said1 had the    
nobler non-,christian systems fallen    
under  his cognisance2 had heathenism   
become known to him not in the          
heterogeneous polytheism of ,hellas1    
which in his time had long since  lost  
what little moral influence it had ever 
possessed1 nor in the  wild orgiastic   
nature worships of the ,lesser ,asia1   
which in their  thoroughly sensuous     
basis did dishonour alike to ,god and to
 man2 but  in the sublime tenets of     
,zarathustra1 with their noble morality 
and  deep reverence for the ,one ,god1  
the ,spirit of all goodness and truth1  
or in the reformed ,brahmanism of       
,gautama the ,buddha1 with its grand    
principle of self-renunciation and      
universal charity4    ,the peculiar     
glories of ,bible religion are not      
dimmed in presence  of these other      
lights4 ,allowing for whatever is       

valuable in these  systems of belief1 we
 may still allege that ,bible religion  
comprises  all that is good in them1 and
 has1 besides1 many precious features   
peculiar to itself2 we may still        
maintain that their excellences are     
rather testimonies to the truth of the  
biblical teachings about ,god1  than    
difficulties in the way of a rational   
faith2 that it would be  far more       
difficult to a thoughtful mind to accept
 the revelation of  ,god conveyed in the
 ,bible1 if it were the fact that no    
rays of ,divine  light had cheered the  
darkness of the millions of struggling  
mortals  beyond the pale of ,judaism1   
than it is under the actual             
circumstances  of the case3 in short1   
that the truths implicated in imperfect 
religions1 isolated from all contact    
with ,hebrew or ,christian belief1  are 
a witness to and a foreshadowing of the 
truths of the gospel4    ,our prophet   
declares that ,jacob's portion--the ,god
 of ,israel--is not  like the gods of   

contemporary peoples4 ,how1 then1 does  
he conceive of  ,him8 ,not as a         
metaphysical entity--a naked1 perhaps   
empty abstraction  of the understanding4
 ,not as the ,absolute and ,infinite    
,being1 who is  out of all relation to  
space and time4 ,his language--the      
language  of the ,old                   
,testament--possesses no adjectives like
 ,infinite1  ,absolute1 ,eternal1       
,omniscient1 ,omnipresent1 nor even     
,almighty1 although that word so often  
appears in our venerable  ,authorized   
,version4 ,it is difficult for us1 who  
are the heirs of ages  of thought and   
intellectual toil1 and whose thinking is
 almost wholly  carried on by means of  
abstract ideas1 to realize a state of   
mind and  a habit of thought so largely 
different from our own as that of the   
,hebrew people and even of the ,hebrew  
prophets4 ,yet unless we make an  effort
 to realize it1 however inadequately1   
unless we exert ourselves1  and strive  
manfully to enter through the gate of an

 instructed  imagination into that      
far-off stage of life and thought which 
presents  so many problems to the       
historical student1 and hides in its    
obscurity  so many precious truths2 we  
must inevitably fail to appreciate the  
full significance1 and consequently fail
 of appropriating the full  blessing of 
those wonderful prophecies of ancient   
,israel1 which are  not for an age but  
for all time4    ,let us1 then1 try to  
apprehend the actual point of view from 
which  the inspired ,israelite regarded 
his ,god4 ,in the first place1 that     
point of view was eminently practical4  
,as a recent writer has forcibly        
remarked1 ,the primitive mind does not  
occupy itself with things of no         
practical importance1 and it is only in 
the later stages of society  that we    
meet with traditional beliefs nominally 
accepted by every one  but practically  
regarded by none2 or with theological   
speculations  which have an interest for
 the curious1 but are not felt to have a

  direct bearing on the concerns of     
life4    ,the pious ,israelite could not
 indulge a morbidly acute and restlessly
  speculative intellect with            
philosophical or scientific theories    
about the ,deity1 ,his nature in        
,himself1 ,his essential and accidental 
attributes1 ,his relation to the visible
 world4 ,neither did such theories  then
 exist ready made to his hand1 nor did  
his inward impulses and the  natural    
course of thought urge him to pry into  
such abstruse matters1  and with cold   
irreverence to subject his idea of ,god 
to critical  analysis4 ,could he have   
been made to understand the attitude and
 the  demands of some modern disputants1
 he would have been apt to exclaim1     
,canst thou by searching find out ,god8 
,canst thou find out ,shaddai  unto     
perfection8 ,it is as high as heaven1   
what canst thou do8 deeper  than hell1  
what canst thou know8 ,to find out and  
to know ,god as the  understanding finds
 out and knows1 how can that ever become

 possible  to man8 ,such knowledge      
depends entirely upon processes of      
comparison2  upon the perception of     
similarity between the object           
investigated and  other known objects2  
upon accurate naming and classification4
 ,but who  can dream of successfully    
referring the ,deity to a class8 ,to    
what  will ye liken ,god1 or what       
likeness will ye compare unto ,him8 ,in 
the  brief prophecy before us1 as in the
 fortieth chapter of ,isaiah1 with      
which it presents so many points of     
contact1 we have a splendid protest     
against all attempts at bringing the    
,most ,high within the limitations of   
human cognition1 and reducing ,god to   
the category of things known and        
understood4 ,directed in the first      
instance against idolatry--against  vain
 efforts to find an adequate likeness of
 the ,supreme in some one of  the       
numberless creations of ,his hand1 and  
so to compare and gauge and  comprehend 
,himself1--that protest is still        

applicable1 and with even  greater      
force1 against the idolatrous tendencies
 of the present age3  when one school of
 devotees loudly declares1              
,thou1 ,nature1 art our goddess2 to thy 
law             ,our services are bound3
 wherefore should we             ,stand 
in the plague of custom8    and another 
is equally loud in asserting that it has
 found the true  god in man himself2 and
 another proclaims the divinity of brute
  force1 and feels no shame in          
advocating the sovereignty of those     
gross instincts and passions which man  
shares with the beasts that  perish4 ,it
 is an unworthy and an inadequate       
conception of ,god1 which  identifies   
,him with ,nature2 it is a deplorably   
impoverished idea1  the mere outcome of 
philosophic despair1 which identifies   
him with  ,humanity2 but what language  
can describe the grovelling baseness of 
that habit of thought which knows of    
nothing higher than the sensual         
appetite1 and seeks nothing better than 

its continual indulgence2  which sees   
the native impress of sovereignty on the
 brow of passing  pleasure1 and         
recognises the image and likeness of    
,god in a temporary  association of     
depraved instincts8    ,it is to this   
last form of idolatry1 this utter       
heathenism in the  moral life1 that all 
other forms really converge1 as ,st4    
,paul has  shewn in the introduction of 
his ,epistle to the ,romans1 where1 in  
view of the unutterable iniquities which
 were familiar occurrences  in the world
 of his contemporaries1 he affirms that 
moral decadence  of the most appalling  
character is ultimately traceable to a  
voluntary indulgence of those idolatrous
 tendencies which ignore  ,god's        
revelation of ,himself to the heart and 
reason1 and prefer to  find their deity 
in something less awful in purity and   
holiness1  less averse to the           
defilements of sin1 less conversant with
 the  secrets of the soul2 and so1 not  
liking to retain the true and only  ,god

 in knowledge1 change ,his truth into a 
lie1 and worship and  serve the creature
 more than the ,creator3 changing the   
glory of the  incorruptible ,god into an
 image made like unto corruptible man1  
or  even to birds and fourfooted beasts 
and creeping things4    ,,footnotes3    
#ci ,,lxx4 for they are afraid before   
them1    4    #dj ,this is the most     
natural interpretation of the passage   
according  to the ,hebrew punctuation4  
,another is given below4    #da ,it is  
against usage to divide the clause as   
,naegelsbach does1  ,vain instruction6  
,it is wood6 or to render with ,ewald   
,simply vain  doctrine is the wood6     
which would require the article 7ha'e74 
,,vii4                             ,,the
 ,,broken ,,covenant4                   
,,jeremiah xi41 xii4      ,there is no  
visible break between these two         
chapters4 ,they seem to  summarize the  
history of a particular episode in the  
prophet's career4  ,at the same time1   
the style is so peculiar1 that it is not

 so easy1  as it might appear at a first
 glance1 to determine exactly what it is
  that the section has to tell us4 ,when
 we come to take a closer look at  it1  
we find a thoroughly characteristic     
mixture of direct narrative  and        
soliloquy1 of statement of facts and    
reflexion upon those facts1  of         
aspiration and prayer and prophecy1 of  
self-communing and communing  with ,god4
 ,careful analysis may perhaps furnish  
us with a clue to the  disentanglement  
of the general sense and drift of this  
characteristic  medley4 ,we may thus    
hope to get a clearer insight into the  
bearing of  this old-world oracle upon  
our own needs and perplexities1 our sins
  and the fruit of our sins1 what we    
have done and what we may expect  as the
 consequence of our doings4 ,for the    
,word of ,god is quick and  powerful4   
,its outward form and vesture may change
 with the passing  of time2 but its     
substance never changes4 ,the old       
interpreters die1  but the ,word lives1 

and its life is a life of power4 ,by    
that ,word  men live in their successive
 generations2 it is at once creative    
and regulative2 it is the seed of life  
in man1 and it is the law of  that life4
 ,apart from the ,divine ,word1 man     
would be no more than a  brute gifted   
with understanding1 but denied all      
answer to the higher  cravings of soul  
and spirit2 a being whose conscious life
 was a mere  mockery2 a self-tormentor1 
tantalized with vain surmises1 tortured 
with ever-recurring problems2 longing   
for light1 and beset with  never-lifting
 clouds of impenetrable darkness2 the   
one sole instance1  among the myriads of
 sentient beings1 of a creature whose   
wants ,nature  refuses to satisfy1 and  
whose lot it is to consume for ever in  
the  fires of hopeless desire4    ,the  
sovran ,lord1 who is the ,eternal       
,wisdom1 has not made such a mistake4   
,he provides satisfaction for all ,his  
creatures1 according to the varying     
degrees of their capacity1 according to 

their rank in the scale of  being1 so   
that all may rejoice in the fulness and 
the freedom of a happy  life for their  
allotted time4 ,man is no exception to  
the universal rule4  ,his whole         
constitution as ,god has fashioned it is
 such that he can find  his perfect     
satisfaction in the ,word of the ,lord4 
,and the depth of his  dissatisfaction1 
the poignancy and the bitterness of his 
disappointment  and disgust at himself  
and at the world in which he finds      
himself1 are  the strongest evidence    
that he has sought satisfaction in      
things that  cannot satisfy2 that he has
 foolishly endeavoured to feed his soul 
upon  ashes1 to still the cravings of   
his spirit with something other than    
that ,word of ,god which is the ,bread  
of ,life4    ,you will observe that the 
discourse we are to consider1 is headed3
  ,the word that fell to ,jeremiah from 
,iahvah 7lit4 from with1  that is1 from 
the presence of the ,eternal71 saying4  
,i think  that expression saying covers 

all that follows1 to the end of the     
discourse4 ,the prophet's preaching the 
,law1 and the consequences of  that     
preaching as regarded himself2 his      
experience of the stubbornness  and     
treachery of the people2 the varying    
moods of his own mind under  that bitter
 experience2 his reflexions upon the    
condition of ,judah1  and the condition 
of ,judah's ill-minded neighbours2 his  
forecasts of  the after-course of events
 as determined by the unchanging will of
 a  righteous ,god2 all these things    
seem to be included in the scope of that
  ,word from the presence of ,iahvah1   
which the prophet is about to put  on   
record4 ,you will see that it is not a  
single utterance of a precise  and      
definite message1 which he might have   
delivered in a few moments of  time     
before a single audience of his         
countrymen4 ,the ,word of the ,lord is  
progressively revealed2 it begins with a
 thought in the prophet's mind1  but its
 entire content is unfolded gradually1  

as he proceeds to act  upon that thought
 or ,divine impulse2 it is1 as it were1 
evolved as the  result of collision     
between the prophet and his hearers2 it 
emerges into  clear light out of the    
darkness of storm and conflict2 a       
conflict both  internal and external2 a 
conflict within1 between his own        
contending  emotions and impulses and   
sympathies2 and a conflict without1     
between an  unpopular teacher1 and a    
wayward and corrupt and incorrigible    
people4  ,from with ,iahvah4 ,there may 
be strife and tumult and the darkness of
  ignorance and passion upon earth2 but 
the star of truth shines in the         
firmament of heaven1 and the eye of the 
inspired man sees it4 ,this is  his     
difference from his fellows4    ,hear ye
 the words of this covenant1 and speak  
ye unto the men of  ,judah1 and upon the
 dwellers in ,jerusalem6 ,and say thou  
unto them1  ,thus saith ,iahvah1 the    
,god of ,israel1 ,accursed are the men  
that  hear not the words of this        

covenant1 which ,i lay on your fathers1 
in  the day that ,i brought them forth  
from the land of ,egypt1 from the       
furnace of iron1 saying1 ,hearken unto  
,my voice1 and do these things1         
according to all that ,i shall charge   
you3 that ye may become for ,me a       
people1 and that ,i ,myself may become  
for you a ,god4 ,that ,i may make  good 
7 vid4 infr47 the oath which ,i sware to
 your forefathers1  that ,i would give  
them a land flowing with milk and honey1
 as it now  is 7or simply1 to-day74 ,and
 ,i answered and said1 ,amen1 ,iahvah6  
7xi4 #a-e74 ,hear ye 444 speak ye unto  
the men of ,judah6 ,the occasion        
referred to is that memorable crisis in 
the eighteenth year of king  ,josiah1   
when ,hilkiah the high priest had found 
the book of the law  in the house of the
 ,lord 7#b ,kings xxii4 #h sqq471 and   
the pious  king had read in the hearing 
of the assembled people those fervid    
exhortations to obedience1 those        
promises fraught with all manner of     

blessing1 those terrible denunciations  
of wrath and ruin reserved  for         
rebellion and apostasy1 which we may    
still read in the closing  chapters of  
the book of ,deuteronomy 7,deut4 xxvii4 
sq474 ,jeremiah  is recalling the events
 of his own ministry1 and passes in     
rapid  review from the time of his      
preaching upon the ,book of the ,law1 to
 the  ,chaldean invasion in the reign of
 ,jehoiachin 7xiii4 #ah sqq474 ,he      
recalls the solemn occasion when king   
and people bound themselves by  oath to 
observe the law of their ,god2 when the 
king stood upon the  platform1 and made 
the covenant before ,iahvah1 that he    
would follow  ,iahvah1 and keep his     
commandments1 and his laws and his      
statutes1  with whole heart and with    
whole soul2 to make good 77 the words   
of this covenant1 that were written upon
 this roll2 and all the  people stood to
 the covenant 7#b ,kings xxiii4 #c74 ,at
 or soon after  this great meeting1 the 
prophet gives1 in the name of ,iahvah1  

an  emphatic approval to the public     
undertaking2 and bids the leaders  in   
the movement not to rest contented with 
this good beginning1  but to impress the
 obligation more deeply upon the        
community at  large1 by sending a       
mission of properly qualified persons1  
including  himself1 which should at once
 enforce the reforms necessitated by    
the covenant of strict obedience to the 
,law1 and reconcile the  people both of 
the capital and of the rural towns and  
hamlets to  the sudden and sweeping     
changes demanded of them1 by shewing    
their  entire consonance with the       
,divine precepts4 ,hear ye--princes and 
priests--the words of this covenant2 and
 speak ye unto the men of  ,judah6 ,then
 follows1 in brief1 the prophet's own   
commission1 which  is to reiterate1 with
 all the force of his impassioned       
rhetoric1 the  awful menaces of the     
,sacred ,book3 ,cursed be the men that  
hear not  the words of this covenant6   
,now again1 in these last years of their

  national existence1 the chosen people 
are to hear an authoritative            
proclamation of that ,divine ,law upon  
which all their weal depends2  the ,law 
given them at the outset of their       
history1 when the memory  of the great  
deliverance was yet fresh in their      
minds2 the ,law which  was the condition
 of their peculiar relation to the      
,universal ,god4 ,at  ,sinai they had   
solemnly undertaken to observe that     
,law2 and ,iahweh  had fulfilled ,his   
promise to their fathers--to ,abraham1  
,isaac1 and  ,jacob--and had given them 
a goodly land1 in which they had now    
been  established for at least six      
hundred years4 ,the ,divine truth and   
righteousness were manifest upon a      
retrospect of this long period of       
eventful history2 and ,jeremiah could   
not withhold his inward assent1  in the 
formula prescribed by the ,book of the  
,law 7,deut4 xxvii4 #ae  sqq471 to the  
perfect justice of the sentence3 ,cursed
 be the men  that hear not the words of 

this covenant4 ,and ,i answered and     
said1  ,amen1 ,iahvah6#db ,so to this   
true ,israelite1 thus deeply communing  
with his own spirit1 two things had     
become clear as day4 ,the one  was the  
absolute righteousness of ,god's entire 
dealing with ,israel1  from first to    
last2 the righteousness of disaster and 
overthrow as  well as of victory and    
prosperity3 the other was his own       
present  duty to bring this truth home  
to the hearts and consciences of his    
fellow-countrymen4 ,this is how he      
states the fact3 ,and ,iahvah said  unto
 me1 ,proclaim thou all these words in  
the cities of ,judah and in  the streets
 of ,jerusalem1 saying1 ,hear ye the    
words of this covenant  and do them4    
,for ,i earnestly adjured your fathers1 
when ,i brought them  up from the land  
of ,egypt 7and ,i have done so          
continually7 even  unto this very day1  
saying1 ,obey ye ,my voice6 ,and they   
obeyed not1 nor  inclined their ear2 and
 they walked1 each and all1 in the      

hardness  of their wicked heart4 ,so ,i 
brought upon them all the threats 7lit4 
words7 of this covenant1 which ,i had   
charged them to keep1 and they  kept it 
not4 7xi4 #f-h74 ,god is always         
self-consistent2 man is often           
inconsistent with himself2 ,god is      
eternally true1 man is ever giving      
fresh proofs of his natural             
faithlessness4 ,god is not only just in 
keeping ,his promises2 ,he is also      
merciful1 in labouring ever to induce   
man to be self-consistent1 and true to  
moral obligations4 ,and ,divine  mercy  
is revealed alike in the pleadings of   
the ,holy ,spirit by the  mouth of      
prophets1 by the voice of conscience1   
and in the retribution  that overtakes  
persistence in evil4 ,the ,divine ,law  
is life and health  to them that keep   
it2 it is death to them that break it4  
,thou1 ,lord1  art merciful2 for thou   
rewardest every man according to his    
works4    ,the relation of the ,one ,god
 to this one people was neither         

accidental  nor arbitrary4 ,it is       
sometimes spoken of as a thing glaringly
 unjust to  the other nations of the    
ancient world1 that the ,father of all  
should  have chosen ,israel only to be  
the recipient of ,his special favours4  
,sometimes it is demanded1 as an        
unanswerable dilemma1 ,how could the    
,universal ,god be the ,god of the      
,jews1 in the restricted sense implied  
by the ,old ,testament histories8 ,but  
difficulties of this kind rest upon     
misunderstanding1 due to a slavishly    
literal interpretation of certain       
passages1 and inability to take a       
comprehensive view of the general  drift
 and tenor of the ,old ,testament       
writings as they bear upon this         
subject4 ,god's choice of ,israel was   
proof of ,his love for mankind4 ,he  did
 not select one people1 because ,he was 
indifferent or hostile to  all other    
peoples2 but because ,he wished to bring
 all the nations of  the earth to the   
knowledge of ,himself1 and the          

observance of ,his law4  ,the words of  
our prophet shew that he was profoundly 
convinced that  the favour of ,iahvah   
had from the outset depended upon the   
obedience  of ,israel3 ,hearken unto ,my
 voice1 and do these things 444 that ye 
may  become for ,me a people1 and that  
,i ,myself may become for you a ,god4   
,how strangely must such words have     
sounded in the ears of people who       
believed1 as the masses both in town and
 country appear for the most  part to   
have done1 that ,iahvah as the ancestral
 god was bound by an  indissoluble tie  
to ,israel1 and that ,he could not      
suffer the nation  to perish without    
incurring irreparable loss1 if not      
extinction1 for  ,himself6 ,it is as if 
the prophet had said3 ,you call         
yourselves the  people of ,god2 but it  
is not so much that you are ,his people1
 as  that you may become such by doing  
,his will4 ,you suppose that ,iahvah1   
the ,eternal1 the ,creator1 is to you   
what ,chemosh is to ,moah1 or ,molech   

to ,ammon1 or ,baal to ,tyre2 but that  
is just what ,he is not4 ,if you        
entertain such ideas of ,iahvah1 you are
 worshipping a figment of your  own     
carnal imaginations2 your god is not the
 ,universal ,god but a gross            
unspiritual idol4 ,it is only upon your 
fulfilment of ,his conditions1  only    
upon your yielding an inward assent to  
,his law1 a hearty acceptance  to ,his  
rule of life1 that ,he ,himself--the    
,one only ,god--can truly  become your  
,god4 ,in accepting ,his law1 you accept
 ,him1 and in rejecting  ,his law1 you  
reject ,him2 for ,his law is a reflexion
 of ,himself2 a  revelation1 so far as  
such can be made to a creature like man1
 of ,his  essential being and character4
 ,therefore think not that you can      
worship  ,him by mere external rites2   
for the true worship is righteousness1  
and  holiness of life4    ,the progress 
of the reforming movement1 which was    
doubtless powerfully  stimulated by the 
preaching of ,jeremiah1 is briefly      

sketched in the  chapter of the book of 
,kings1 to which ,i have already        
referred 7#b  ,kings xxiii474 ,that     
summary of the good deeds of king       
,josiah records  apparently a very      
complete extirpation of the various     
forms of  idolatry1 and even a slaughter
 of the idol-priests upon their own     
altars4 ,heathenism1 it would seem1     
could hardly have been practised  again1
 at least openly1 during the twelve     
remaining years of ,josiah4  ,but       
although a zealous king might enforce   
outward conformity to the  ,law1 and    
although the earnest preaching of       
prophets like ,zephaniah and  ,jeremiah 
might have considerable effect with the 
better part of the  people1 the fact    
remained that those whose hearts were   
really open to  the word of the ,lord   
were still1 as always1 a small minority2
 and the  tendency to apostasy1 though  
checked1 was far from being rooted up4  
,here and there the forbidden rites were
 secretly observed2 and the  harsh      

measures which had accompanied their    
public suppression may very  probably   
have intensified the attachment of many 
to the local forms  of worship4 ,sincere
 conversions are not effected by        
violence2 and the  martyrdom of devotees
 may give new life even to degraded and 
utterly  immoral superstitions4 ,the    
transient nature of ,josiah's           
reformation1  radical as it may have    
appeared at the time to the principal   
agents  engaged in it1 is evident from  
the testimony of ,jeremiah himself4 ,and
  ,iahvah said unto me1 ,there exists a 
conspiracy among the men of ,judah1  and
 among the inhabitants of ,jerusalem4   
,they have returned to the old  sins of 
their fathers1 who refused to hear ,my  
words2 and they too have  gone away     
after other gods1 to serve them3 the    
house of ,israel and  the house of      
,judah have broken ,my covenant1 which  
,i made with their  forefathers4        
,therefore thus saith ,iahvah1 ,behold  
,i am about to bring  unto them an evil 

from which they cannot get forth2 and   
they will cry  unto ,me1 and ,i will not
 listen unto them4 ,and the cities of   
,judah and  the inhabitants of          
,jerusalem will go and cry unto the gods
 to whom  they burn incense 7i4e41 now2 
ptcp472 and they will yield them no     
help at all in the time of their evil4  
,for many as thy cities are thy  gods   
become1 ,o ,judah6 and many as the      
streets of ,jerusalem have ye  appointed
 altars to the ,shame1 altars for       
burning incense to the  ,baal4 ,and as  
for thee1 intercede thou not for this   
people1 nor lift up  for them outcry    
7i4e41 mourning7 and intercession2 for  
,i intend not  to hearken1 in the time  
when they call unto ,me1 in the time of 
their  evil 7so read3 cf4 vers4 #ab1    
instead of 7 7vv4 #i-ad74 ,all this     
appears to indicate the course of the   
prophet's reflexion1 after it  had      
become clear to him that the reformation
 was illusory1 and that  his own labours
 had failed of their purpose4 ,he calls 

the relapse of  the people a plot or    
conspiracy2 thereby suggesting1 perhaps1
 the  secrecy with which the prohibited 
worships were at first revived1 and  the
 intrigues of the unfaithful nobles and 
priests and prophets1 in  order to bring
 about a reversal of the policy of      
reform1 and a return  to the old system2
 and certainly suggesting that the heart
 of the  nation1 as a whole1 was        
disloyal to its ,heavenly ,king1 and    
that its  renewed apostasy was a wicked 
disavowal of lawful allegiance1 and an  
act of unpardonable treason against     
,god4    ,but the word further signifies
 that a ,,bond has been entered into1 a 
bond which is the exact antithesis of   
the covenant with ,iahvah2 and it       
implies that this bond has about it a   
fatal strength and permanence1          
involving as its necessary consequence  
the ruin of the nation4  ,breaking      
covenant with ,iahvah meant making a    
covenant with other gods2  it was       
impossible to do the one thing without  

the other4 ,and that is  as true now1   
under totally different conditions1 as  
it was in the land  of ,judah1          
twenty-four centuries ago4 ,if you have 
broken faith with  ,god in ,christ1 it  
is because you have entered into an     
agreement with  another2 it is because  
you have foolishly taken the tempter at 
his  word1 and accepted his conditions1 
and surrendered to his proposals1  and  
preferred his promises to the promises  
of ,god4 ,it is because1  against all   
reason1 against conscience1 against the 
,holy ,spirit1  against the witness of  
,god's ,word1 against the witness of    
,his ,saints  and ,confessors in all    
ages1 you have believed that a ,being   
less than  the ,eternal ,god could      
ensure your weal and make you happy4    
,and now  your heart is no longer at    
unity in itself1 and your allegiance is 
no  longer single and undivided4 ,many  
as thy cities are thy gods become1  ,o  
,judah6 ,the soul that is not unified   
and harmonized by the fear of  the ,one 

,god1 is torn and distracted by a       
thousand contending passions3  and      
vainly seeks peace and deliverance by   
worship at a thousand unholy  shrines4  
,but ,mammon and ,belial and ,ashtaroth 
and the whole rout of  unclean spirits1 
whose seductions have lured you astray1 
will fail you  at last2 and in the hour 
of bitter need1 you will learn too late 
that  there is no god but ,god1 and no  
peace nor safety nor joy but in ,him4   
,it is futile to pray for those who have
 deliberately cast off the  covenant of 
,iahvah1 and made a covenant with ,his  
adversary4 ,intercede  not for this     
people1 nor lift up outcry and          
intercession for them6  ,prayer cannot  
save1 nothing can save1 the impenitent2 
and there is a  state of mind1 in which 
one's own prayer is turned into sin2 the
 state  of mind in which a man prays1   
merely to appease ,god1 and escape the  
fire1 but without a thought of forsaking
 sin1 without the faintest  aspiration  
after holiness4 ,there is a degree of   

guilt upon which  sentence is already   
passed1 which is unto death1 and for    
which  intercession is interdicted alike
 by the ,apostle of the ,new as to the  
prophet of the ,old ,covenant4    ,what 
availeth it ,my beloved1 that she       
fulfilleth her intent in  ,mine house8  
,can vows and hallowed flesh make thine 
evil to pass from  thee8 ,then mightest 
thou indeed rejoice#dc 7ver4 #ae74 ,such
 appears  to be the true sense of this  
verse1 the only difficult one in the    
chapter4 ,the prophet had evidently the 
same thought in his mind as in  ver4    
#aa3 ,i will bring unto them an evil1   
from which they cannot get  forth2 and  
they will cry unto ,me1 and ,i will not 
hearken unto them4  ,the words also     
recall those of ,isaiah 7,isa4 i4 #aa   
sqq473 ,for what  to ,me are your many  
sacrifices1 saith ,iahvah8 ,when ye     
enter in to see  ,my face1 who hath     
sought this at your hand1 to trample ,my
 courts8  ,bring no more a vain         
oblation2 loathly incense it is to ,me6 

,the term  which ,i have rendered       
intent1 usually denotes an evil         
intention2 so  that1 like ,isaiah1 our  
prophet implies that the popular worship
 is not  only futile but sinful4 ,so    
true it is that ,he that turneth away   
his  ear from hearing the law1 even his 
prayer is an abomination 7,prov4        
xxviii4 #i72 or1 as the ,psalmist puts  
the same truth1 ,if ,i incline  unto    
wickedness with my heart1 the ,lord will
 not hear me4    ,a flourishing olive1  
fair with shapely fruit1 did ,iahvah    
call thy  name4 ,to the sound of a great
 uproar will ,he set her on fire2 and   
his  hanging boughs will crackle 7in the
 flames74 ,and ,iahvah ,sabaoth1  that  
planted thee1 ,himself hath pronounced  
evil upon thee2 because  of the evil of 
the house of ,israel and the house of   
,judah1 which  they have done to        
themselves 7iv4 #ah1 vii4 #ai7 in       
provoking ,me1 in  burning incense to   
the ,baal 7vers4 #af-ag74 ,the figure of
 the olive  seems a very natural one    

7cf4 ,rom4 xi4 #ag71 when we remember   
the  beauty and the utility for which   
that tree is famous in ,eastern lands4  
,iahvah called thy name2 that is1 called
 thee into determinate being2  endowed  
thee at thine origin with certain       
characteristic qualities4  ,thine       
original constitution1 as thou didst    
leave thy ,maker's hand1 was  fair and  
good4 ,israel among the nations was as  
beautiful to the eye  as the olive among
 trees2 and his fruit1 his doings1 were 
a glory  to ,god and a blessing to men1 
like that precious oil1 for which ,god  
and man honour the olive 7,judg4 ix4    
#i74 7,zech4 iv4 #c2 ,hos4 xiv4 #g2     
,ps4 lii4 #aj47 ,but now the noble stock
 had degenerated2 the green  olive tree1
 planted in the very court of ,iahvah's 
house1 had become  no better than a     
barren wilding1 fit only for the fire4  
,the thought is  essentially similar to 
that of an earlier discourse3 ,i planted
 thee  a noble vine1 wholly a right     
seed2 how then hast thou turned into the

  degenerate plant of a strange vine    
unto ,me8 7ii4 #ba74 ,here1 there is  an
 abrupt transition1 which forcibly      
expresses the suddenness of the         
destruction that must devour this       
degenerate people3 ,to the sound of  a  
great uproar--the din of invading       
armies--he will set her 7the  beloved1  
symbolized by the tree7 on fire2 and his
 7the olive's7  hanging boughs will     
crackle in the flames4 ,and this fierce 
work of  a barbarous soldiery is no     
chance calamity2 it is the execution of 
a  ,divine judgment3 ,iahvah ,sabaoth   
444 ,himself hath pronounced evil upon  
thee4 ,and yet further1 it is the       
nation's own doing2 the two houses  of  
,israel have persistently laboured for  
their own ruin2 they have  brought it   
upon themselves4 ,man is himself the    
author of his own weal  and woe2 and    
they who are not working out their own  
salvation1 are  working out their own   
destruction4    ,and it was ,iahvah that
 gave ,me knowledge1 so that ,i well    

knew2 at  that time1 ,thou didst shew me
 their doings4 ,but1 for myself1 like a 
favourite 7lit4 tame1 friendly1 gentle3 
iii4 #d7 lamb that is led  to the       
slaughter1 ,i wist not that against me  
they had laid a plot4  ',let us fell the
 tree in its prime1#dd and let us cut   
him off out of  the land of the living1 
that his name be remembered no more4'   
',yea1  but ,iahvah#de ,sabaoth judgeth 
righteously1 trieth reins and heart4  ,i
 shall see ,thy vengeance on them2 for  
unto ,thee have ,i laid bare my  cause4'
 ,therefore thus said ,iahvah2 ,upon the
 men of ,anathoth that  were seeking thy
 life1 saying1 ,thou shalt not prophesy 
in the name of  ,iahvah1 that thou die  
not by our hand3--therefore thus said   
,iahvah  ,sabaoth1 ,behold ,i am about  
to visit it upon them3 the young men    
will  die by the sword2 their sons and  
their daughters will die by the  famine4
 ,and a remnant they shall not have3 for
 ,i will bring an evil  unto the men of 
,anathoth1 the year of their visitation 

7vv4 #ah-bc74    ,the prophet1 it would 
seem1 had made the round of the country 
places1  and come to ,anathoth1 on his  
return journey to ,jerusalem4 ,here1 in 
his native town1 he proclaimed to his   
own people that same solemn  message    
which he had delivered to the country at
 large4 ,it is very  probable that the  
preceding verses 7#i-ag7 contain the    
substance of his  address to his        
kinsfolk and acquaintance2 an address   
which stirred  them1 not to repentance  
towards ,god but to murderous wrath     
against ,his  prophet4 ,a plot was laid 
for ,jeremiah's life by his own         
neighbours  and even his own family     
7xii4 #f72 and he owed his escape to    
some  providential circumstance1 some   
lucky accident1 as men might say1  which
 revealed to him their unsuspected      
perfidy4 ,what the event was  which thus
 suddenly disclosed the hidden danger1  
is not recorded2  and the whole episode 
is rather alluded to than described4    
,but it is  clear that the prophet knew 

nothing about the plot1 until it was    
ripe  for execution4 ,he was as wholly  
unconscious of the death prepared for   
him1 as a petted lamb on the way to the 
altar4 ,then--when his fate  seemed     
sure--then it was that something        
happened by which ,iahvah  gave him     
knowledge1 and shewed him their doings4 
,the thought or  saying attributed to   
his enemies1 ,let us fell the tree7s7 in
 the  prime thereof6 may contain a      
sarcastic allusion really made to the   
prophet's own warning 7ver4 #af73 ,a    
flourishing olive1 fair with  shapely   
fruit1 did ,iahvah call thy name3 to the
 noise of a great  uproar will ,he set  
it on fire1 and the branches thereof    
shall crackle  in the flames4 ,the words
 that follow 7ver4 #bj71 yea1 but 7or1  
and  yet7 ,iahvah ,sabaoth judgeth      
righteously2 trieth reins and heart     
7cf4 xx4 #ab71 is the prophet's reply1  
in the form of an unexpressed  thought1 
or a hurried ejaculation upon           
discovering their deadly  malice4 ,the  

timely warning which he had received1   
was fresh proof to  him of the truth    
that human designs are1 after all that  
their authors  can do1 dependent on the 
will of an ,unseen ,arbiter of events2  
and the  ,divine justice1 thus          
manifested towards himself1 inspired a  
conviction  that those hardened and     
bloodthirsty sinners would1 sooner or   
later1  experience in their own         
destruction that display of the same    
,divine  attribute which was necessary  
to its complete manifestation4 ,it was  
this conviction1 rather than personal   
resentment1 however excusable  under the
 circumstances that feeling would have  
been1 which led  ,jeremiah to exclaim3  
,i shall see ,thy vengeance on them1 for
 unto ,thee  have ,i laid bare my cause4
    ,he had appealed to the ,judge of   
all the earth1 that doeth right2 and  he
 knew the innocency of his own heart in 
the quarrel4 ,he was certain1           
therefore1 that his cause would one day 
be vindicated1 when that ruin  overtook 

his enemies1 of which he had warned them
 in vain4 ,looked  at in this light1 his
 words are a confident assertion of the 
,divine  justice1 not a cry for         
vengeance4 ,they reveal what we may     
perhaps  call the human basis of the    
formal prophecy which follows2 they     
shew by what steps the prophet's mind   
was led on to the utterance of  a       
sentence of destruction upon the men of 
,anathoth4 ,that ,jeremiah's  invectives
 and threatenings of wrath and ruin     
should provoke hatred  and opposition   
was perhaps not wonderful4 ,men in      
general are slow  to recognise their own
 moral shortcomings1 to believe evil of 
themselves2 and they are apt to prefer  
advisers1 whose optimism1  though       
ill-founded and misleading1 is pleasant 
and reassuring and  confirmatory of     
their own prejudices4 ,but it does seem 
strange that  it should have been       
reserved for the men of his own         
birthplace1 his  own brethren and his   
father's house1 to carry opposition to  

the  point of meditated murder4 ,once   
more ,jeremiah stands before us1 a      
visible type of ,him whose ,divine      
wisdom declared that a prophet finds  no
 honour in his own country1 and whose   
life was attempted on that  ,sabbath day
 at ,nazareth 7,st4 ,luke iv4 #bd sqq474
    ,the sentence was pronounced1 but   
the cloud of dejection was not at  once 
lifted from the soul of the seer4 ,he   
knew that justice must  in the end      
overtake the guilty2 but1 in the        
meantime1 his enemies  lived and were   
mighty1 and their criminal designs      
against himself  remained unnoticed and 
unpunished4 ,the more he brooded over   
it1 the  more difficult it seemed to    
reconcile their prosperous immunity with
  the justice of ,god4 ,he has given us 
the course of his reflections  upon this
 painful question1 ever suggested anew  
by the facts of life1  never            
sufficiently answered by toiling reason4
 ,too righteous art  ,thou1 ,iahvah1 for
 me to contend with ,thee3 ,i will but  

lay arguments  before ,thee 7i4e41 argue
 the case forensically74 ,wherefore doth
 the  way of the wicked prosper8        
,wherefore are they undisturbed1 all    
that  deal very treacherously8 ,thou    
plantest them1 yea1 they take root2     
they grow ever1 yea1 they bear fruit3   
,thou art nigh in their mouth1  and far 
from their reins4 ,and ,thou1 ,iahvah1  
knowest me2 ,thou seest  me1 and triest 
mine heart in ,thy mind4 ,separate them 
like sheep for  the slaughter1 and      
consecrate them for the day of killing6 
,how long  shall the land mourn1 and the
 herbage of all the country wither8     
,from  the evil of the dwellers therein1
 beasts and birds perish3 for they  have
 said 7or1 thought71 ,he cannot see our 
end 7xii4 #a-d74 ,it is  not merely that
 his would-be murderers thrive2 it is   
that they take  the holy ,name upon     
their unclean lips2 it is that they are 
hypocrites  combining a pretended       
respect for ,god1 with an inward and    
thorough  indifference to ,god4 ,he is  

nigh in their mouth and far from their  
reins4 ,they honour ,him with their     
lips1 but have removed their heart  far 
from ,him2 and their worship of ,him is 
a mere human commandment1  learned by   
rote 7,isa4 xxix4 #ac74 ,they swear by  
,his ,name1 when they  are bent on      
deception 7ch4 v4 #b74 ,it is all this  
which especially  rouses the prophet's  
indignation2 and contrasting therewith  
his own  conscious integrity and        
faithfulness to the ,divine law1 he     
calls upon  ,divine ,justice to judge   
between himself and them3 ,pull them out
 like  sheep for slaughter1 and         
consecrate them 7set them apart--from   
the  rest of the flock7 for the day of  
killing6 ,it has been said that         
,jeremiah throughout this whole         
paragraph speaks not as a prophet but   
as a private individual2 and that in    
this verse especially he gives  way to  
the natural man1 and asks the life of   
his enemies 7#a ,kings  iii4 #aa2 ,job  
xxxi4 #cj74 ,this is perhaps a tenable  

opinion4 ,we have  to bear in mind the  
difference of standpoint between the    
writers of  the ,old ,covenant and those
 of the ,new4 ,not much is said by the  
former  about the forgiveness of        
injuries1 about withholding the hand    
from  vengeance4 ,the most ancient law1 
indeed1 contained a noble precept1      
which pointed in this direction3 ,if    
thou meet thine enemy's ox or  his ass  
going astray1 thou shalt surely bring it
 back to him again4  ,if thou see the   
ass of him that hateth thee lying under 
his burden1  and wouldest forbear to    
help him1 thou shalt surely help with   
him  7,ex4 xxiii4 #d1 #e74 ,and in the  
book of ,proverbs we read3 ,rejoice not 
when thine enemy falleth1 ,and let not  
thine heart be glad when he  is         
overthrown4 ,but the impression of      
magnanimity thus produced is  somewhat  
diminished by the reason which is added 
immediately3 ,lest  the ,lord see it and
 it displease ,him1 ,and ,he turn away  
,his wrath  from him3 a motive of which 

the best that can be said is that it is 
characteristic of the imperfect morality
 of the time 7,prov4 xxiv4 #ag  sq474   
,the same objection may be taken to that
 other famous passage  of the same book3
 ,if thine enemy be hungry1 give him    
bread to eat2  ,and if he be thirsty1   
give him water to drink3 ,for thou shalt
 heap  coals of fire upon his head1 ,and
 the ,lord shall reward thee 7,prov4    
xxv4 #ba sq474 ,the reflexion that the  
relief of his necessities will  mortify 
and humiliate an enemy to the utmost1   
which is what seems  to have been       
originally meant by heaping coals of    
fire upon his  head1 however practically
 useful in checking the wild impulses of
 a  hot-blooded and vindictive race1    
such as the ,hebrews were1 and such  as 
their kindred the ,bedawi ,arabs have   
remained to this day under  a system of 
faith which has not said1 ,love your    
enemies2 and  however capable of a new  
application in the more enlightened     
spirit  of ,christianity 7,rom4 xii4 #ai

 sqq472 is undoubtedly a motive marked  
by the limitations of ,old ,testament   
ethical thought4 ,and edifying as  they 
may prove to be1 when understood in that
 purely spiritual and  universal sense1 
to which the ,church has lent her       
authority1 how many  of the psalms were1
 in their primary intention1 agonizing  
cries for  vengeance2 prayers that the  
human victim of oppression and wrong    
might  see his desire upon his enemies8 
,all this must be borne in mind2 but    
there are other considerations also     
which must not be omitted1 if we  would 
get at the exact sense of our prophet in
 the passage before us4    ,we must     
remember that he is laying a case before
 ,god4 ,he has admitted  at the outset  
that ,god is absolutely just1 in spite  
of and in view of  the fact that his    
murderous enemies are prosperous and    
unpunished4  ,when he pleads his own    
sincerity and purity of heart1 in       
contrast  with the lip-service of his   
adversaries1 it is perhaps that ,god    

may grant1 not so much their perdition1 
as the salvation of the  country from   
the evils they have brought and are     
bringing upon it4  ,ascribing the       
troubles already present and those which
 are yet to  come1 the desolations which
 he sees and those which he foresees1 to
  their steady persistence in           
wickedness1 he asks1 ,how long must this
  continue8 ,would it not be better1    
would it not be more consonant with     
,divine wisdom and righteousness to     
purify the land of its fatal taint  by  
the sudden destruction of those heinous 
and hardened offenders1  who scoff at   
the very idea of a true forecast of     
their end 7ver4  #d78 ,but this is not  
all4 ,there would be more apparent force
 in the  allegation we are discussing if
 it were4 ,the cry to heaven for an     
immediate act of retributive justice is 
not the last thing recorded of  the     
prophet's experience on this occasion4  
,he goes on to relate1 for  our         
satisfaction1 the ,divine answer to his 

questionings1 which seems  to have      
satisfied his own troubled mind4 ,if    
thou hast run but with  footracers1 and 
they have wearied thee1 how then wilt   
thou compete  with the coursers8 ,and if
 thy confidence be in a land of peace   
7or1  a quiet land71 how then wilt thou 
do in the thickets 7jungles7  of        
,jordan8#df ,for even thine own brethren
 and thy father's  house1 even they will
 deal treacherously with thee2 even they
 will  cry aloud after thee3 trust thou 
not in them1 though they speak thee     
fair6 7xii4 #e1 #f74 ,the metaphors     
convey a rebuke of impatience and       
premature discouragement4 ,hitzig aptly 
quotes ,demosthenes3 ,if they  cannot   
face the candle1 what will they do when 
they see the sun8  7,plut4 de vitioso   
pudore1 c4 #e47 ,it is the voice of the 
prophet's  better feeling1 and of       
victorious self-possession1 adds the    
critic2  and we1 who earnestly believe  
that1 of the two voices which plead     
against each other in the heart of man1 

the voice that whispers good  is the    
voice of ,god1 find it not hard to      
accept his statement in that  sense4    
,the prophet is giving us the upshot of 
his reflexion upon the  terrible danger 
from which he had been mercifully       
preserved2 and we  see that his thoughts
 were guided to the conclusion that1    
having once  accepted the ,divine ,call1
 it would be unworthy to abdicate his   
mission  on the first signal of danger4 
,great as that danger had been1 he  now1
 in his calmer hour1 perceives that1 if 
he is to fulfil his high  vocation1 he  
must be prepared to face even worse     
things4 ,with serious  irony he asks    
himself1 if a runner who is overcome in 
a footrace  can hope to outstrip horses8
 or how a man1 who is only bold where   
no danger is1 will face the perils that 
lurk in the jungles of the  ,jordan8 ,he
 remembers that he has to fight a more  
arduous battle and  on a greater scene4 
,jerusalem is more than ,anathoth2 and  
the kings  of ,judah and the princes    

thereof are mightier adversaries than   
the  conspirators of a country town4    
,and his present escape is an earnest   
of deliverance on the wider field3 ,they
 shall fight against thee1  but they    
shall not prevail against thee3 for ,i  
am with thee1 said  ,iahvah1 to deliver 
thee 7see i4 #ag-ai74 ,but to a deeply  
affectionate  and sensitive nature like 
,jeremiah's1 the thought of being       
forsaken  by his own kindred might well 
appear as a trial worse than death4     
,this is the contending with horses1 the
 struggle that is almost  beyond the    
powers of man to endure2 this is the    
deadly peril1 like  that of venturing   
into the lion-haunted thickets of       
,jordan1 which he  clearly foresees as  
awaiting him3 ,for even thine own       
brethren and thy  father's house1 even  
they will deal treacherously with       
thee4#dg ,it  would seem that the       
prophet1 with whose timidity some       
critics have  not hesitated to find     
fault1 had to renounce all that man     

holds dear1  as a condition of          
faithfulness to his call4 ,again we are 
reminded of  ,one1 of whom it is        
recorded that ,neither did ,his brethren
 believe in  ,him 7,st4 ,john vii4 #e71 
and that ,his friends went out to lay   
hold  on ,him1 for they said1 ,he is    
beside ,himself 7,st4 ,mark iii4 #ba74  
,the  closeness of the parallel between 
type and antitype1 between the          
sorrowful prophet and the ,man of       
,sorrows1 is seen yet further in the    
words1 ,even they will cry aloud after  
thee 7lit4 with full cry74  ,the meaning
 may be3 ,they will join in the hue and 
cry of thy pursuers1  the mad shouts of 
,stop him6 or ,strike him down6 such as 
may  perhaps have rung in the prophet's 
ears as he fled from ,anathoth4  ,but we
 may also understand a metaphorical     
description of the efforts  of his      
family to recall him from the unpopular 
path on which he had  entered2 and this 
perhaps agrees better with the warning3 
,trust them  not1 though they speak thee

 fair4 ,and understood in this sense1   
the  words coincide with what is told us
 in the ,gospel of the attempt of  our  
,lord's nearest kin to arrest the       
progress of ,his ,divine mission1  when 
,his mother and ,his brethren standing  
without1 sent unto ,him1  calling ,him  
7,st4 ,mark iii4 #ca74    ,the lesson   
for ourselves is plain4 ,the man who    
listens to the ,divine  call1 and makes 
,god his portion1 must be prepared to   
surrender  everything else4 ,he must be 
prepared1 not only to renounce much     
which the world accounts good2 he must  
be prepared for all kinds of            
opposition1 passive and active1 tacit   
and avowed2 he may even find1  like     
,jeremiah1 that his foes are the members
 of his own household 7,st4  ,matt4 x4  
#cf74 ,and1 like the prophet1 his       
acceptance of the ,divine  call binds   
him to close his ears against entreaties
 and flatteries1  against mockery and   
menace2 and to act upon his ,master's   
word3 ,if any  man would come after ,me1

 let him deny himself1 and take up his  
cross1  and follow ,me4 ,for whosoever  
would save his life shall lose it2 and  
whosoever shall lose his life for ,my   
sake and the gospel's shall save  it    
7,st4 ,mark viii4 #cd sq474 ,if any man 
come unto ,me1 and hate not  his father 
and mother and wife and children and    
brethren and sisters1  yea and his own  
life also1 he cannot be ,my disciple    
7,st4 ,luke xiv4  #bf74 ,a great prize  
is worth a great risk2 and eternal life 
is a prize  infinitely great4 ,it is    
therefore worth the hazard and the      
sacrifice  of all 7,st4 ,luke xviii4 #bi
 sq474    ,the section which follows    
7vv4 #g-ag7 has been supposed to belong 
to the  time of ,jehoiakim1 and         
consequently to be out of place here1   
having  been transposed from its        
original context1 because the peculiar  
,hebrew  term which is rendered dearly  
beloved 7ver4 #g71 is akin to the term  
rendered ,my beloved1 chap4 xi4 #ae4    
,but this supposition depends on the    

assumption that the historical basis of 
the section is to be found in  the      
passage #b ,kings xxiv4 #b1 which       
relates briefly that in ,jehoiakim's    
time plundering bands of ,chaldeans1    
,syrians1 ,moabites and ,ammonites      
overran the country4 ,the prophecy      
concerning ,iahvah's evil neighbours  is
 understood to refer to these marauding 
inroads1 and is accordingly  supposed to
 have been uttered between the eighth   
and the eleventh years  of ,jehoiakim   
7,hitzig74 ,it has1 however1 been       
pointed out 7,naegelsbach7  that the    
prophet does not once name the          
,chaldeans in the present  discourse2   
which he invariably does in all         
discourses subsequent to the  decisive  
battle of ,carchemish in the fourth year
 of ,jehoiakim1 which  gave the         
,chaldeans the sovereignty of ,western  
,asia4 ,this discourse must1  therefore1
 be of earlier date1 and belong either  
to the first years  of ,jehoiakim1 or to
 the time immediately subsequent to the 

eighteenth  of ,josiah4 ,the history as 
preserved in ,kings and ,chronicles is  
so  incomplete1 that we are not bound to
 connect the reference to evil          
neighbours with what is so summarily    
told in #b ,kings xxiv4 #b4 ,there  may 
have been other occasions when ,judah's 
jealous and watchful enemies  profited  
by her internal weakness and dissensions
 to invade and ravage  the land2 and    
throughout the whole period the country 
was exposed to  the danger of plundering
 raids by the wild nomads of the eastern
 and  southern borders4 ,it is possible1
 however1 that vv4 #ad-ag are a later   
postscript1 added by the prophet when he
 wrote his book in the fifth or  sixth  
year of ,jehoiakim 7xxxvi4 #i1 #cb74    
,there is1 in reality1 a close connexion
 of thought between ver4 #g sqq4  and   
what precedes4 ,the relations of the    
prophet to his own family are  made to  
symbolise the relations of ,iahvah to   
,his rebellious people2 just  as a      
former prophet finds in his own merciful

 treatment of a faithless  wife a       
parable of ,iahvah's dealings with      
faithless ,israel4 ,i have  forsaken ,my
 house1 ,i have cast away ,my domain2 ,i
 have given ,my soul's  love into the   
grasp of her foes4 ,my domain hath      
become to ,me like the  lion in the     
wood2 she hath given utterance with her 
voice against ,me2  therefore ,i hate   
her4 ,it is ,iahvah who still speaks1 as
 in ver4 #f2 the  house is ,his holy    
house1#dh the temple2 the domain is ,his
 domain1  the land of ,judah2 ,his      
soul's love1 is the ,jewish people4 ,yet
 the  expressions1 my house1 my domain1 
my soul's love1 equally suit  the       
prophet's own family and their estate2  
the mention of the lion in  the wood and
 its threatening roar1 and the enmity   
provoked thereby1  recalls what was said
 about the wilds of the ,jordan in ver4 
#e1 and the  full outcry of his kindred 
after the prophet in ver4 #f2 and the   
solemn  words ,i have forsaken ,mine    
house1 ,i have cast away ,my domain 444 

,i  hate her1 clearly correspond with   
the sentence of destruction upon        
,anathoth1 ch4 xi4 #ba sqq4 ,the double 
reference of the language becomes       
intelligible when we remember that in   
rejecting ,his messengers1 ,israel1  nay
 mankind1 rejects ,god2 and that words  
and deeds done and uttered by  ,divine  
authority may be ascribed directly to   
,god ,himself4 ,and regarded  in the    
light of the prophet's commission to    
pluck up and to break down1  and to     
destroy and to overthrow1 to build and  
to plant nations and  kingdoms 7i4 #aj71
 all that is here said may be taken to  
be the prophet's  own deliverance       
concerning his country4 ,this1 at all   
events1 is the case  with verses #ab1   
#ac4    ,what6 do ,i see my domain 7all7
 vultures 7and7 hyenas8#di ,are         
vultures all around her8 ,go ye1        
assemble all the beasts of the field6   
,bring them to devour 7ver4 #i74 ,the   
questions express astonishment at  an   
unlooked-for and unwelcome spectacle4   

,the loss of ,divine favour  has exposed
 ,judah to the active hostility of man2 
and her neighbours  eagerly fall upon   
her1 like birds and beasts of prey1     
swarming over  a helpless quarry4 ,it   
is--so the prophet puts it--it is as if 
a  proclamation had gone forth to the   
wolves and jackals of the desert1       
bidding them come and devour the fallen 
carcase4#ej ,in another oracle  he      
speaks of the heathen as devouring      
,jacob 7x4 #be74 ,the people of  ,iahvah
 are their natural prey 7,ps4 xiv4 #d3  
who eat up ,my people as  they eat      
bread72 but they are not suffered to    
devour them1 until they  have forfeited 
,his protection4    ,the image is now   
exchanged for another1 which            
approximates more nearly  to the fact   
pourtrayed4 ,many shepherds have marred 
,my vineyard2 they  have trodden down   
,my portion2 they have turned ,my       
pleasant portion into  a desolate       
wilderness4 ,he 7the foe1 the instrument
 of this ruin7 hath  made it a          

desolation2 it mourneth against ,me1    
being desolate2 desolated  is all the   
land1 for there is no man that giveth   
heed 7vv4 #aj1 #aa74  ,as in an earlier 
discourse1 ch4 vi4 #c1 the invaders are 
now compared  to hordes of nomad        
shepherds1 who enter the land with their
 flocks and  herds1 and make havoc of   
the crops and pastures4 ,from time      
immemorial  the wandering ,bedawis have 
been a terror to the settled peasantry  
of the  ,east1 whose way of life they   
despise as ignoble and unworthy of free 
men4 ,of this traditional enmity we     
perhaps hear a far-off echo in the      
story of ,cain the tiller of the ground 
and ,abel the keeper of sheep2 and      
certainly in the statement that every   
shepherd was an abomination unto  the   
,egyptians 7,gen4 xlvi4 #cd74 ,the      
picture of utter desolateness1 which    
the prophet suggests by a fourfold      
repetition1 is probably sketched  from a
 scene which he had himself witnessed2  
if it be not rather a  representation of

 the actual condition of the country at 
the time of his  writing4 ,that the     
latter is the case might naturally be   
inferred from a  consideration of the   
whole passage2 and the twelfth verse    
seems to lend  much support to this     
view3 ,over all bare hills in the       
wilderness have  come ravagers2 for     
,iahvah hath a devouring sword3 from    
land's end to  land's end no flesh hath 
peace4#ea ,the language indeed recalls  
that  of ch4 iv4 #aj1 #aa2 and the      
entire description might be taken as an 
ideal  picture of the ruin that must    
ensue upon ,iahvah's rejection of the   
land  and people1 especially if the     
closing verses 7#ad-ag7 be considered as
 a  later addition to the prophecy1 made
 in the light of accomplished facts4    
,but1 upon the whole1 it would seem to  
be more probable that the prophet  is   
here reading the moral of present or    
recent experience4 ,he affirms  7ver4   
#aa7 that the affliction of the country 
is really a punishment for  the         

religious blindness of the nation3 there
 is no man that layeth to  heart the    
,divine teaching of events as           
interpreted by himself 7cf4  ver4 #d74  
,the fact that we are unable1 in the    
scantiness of the records  of the time1 
to specify the particular troubles to   
which allusion is  made1 is no great    
objection to this view1 which is at     
least effectively  illustrated by the   
brief statement of #b ,kings xxiv4 #b4  
,the reflexion  appended in ver4 #ac    
points in the same direction3 ,they have
 sown  wheat1 and have reaped thorns2   
they have put themselves to pain 7or1   
exhausted themselves7 without profit1   
7or1 made themselves sick  with         
unprofitable toil72 and they are ashamed
 of their#eb produce  7ingatherings71   
through the heat of the wrath of        
,iahvah4 ,when the  enemy had ravaged   
the crops1 thorns would naturally spring
 up on the  wasted lands2 and the heat  
of the wrath of ,iahvah appears to have 
been  further manifested in a parching  

drought1 which ruined what the enemy    
had left untouched 7ver4 #d1 ch4 xiv474 
,thus1 then1 ,jeremiah receives the     
answer to his doubts in a painfully     
visible demonstration of what the wrath 
of ,iahvah means4 ,it means  drought and
 famine2 it means the exposure of the   
country1 naked and  defenceless1 to the 
will of rapacious and vindictive        
enemies4 ,for  ,iahvah's wrongs are far 
deeper and more bitter than the         
prophet's4 ,the  misdeeds of individuals
 are lighter in the balance than the    
sins of  a nation2 the treachery of a   
few persons on a particular occasion is 
as nothing beside the faithlessness of  
many generations4 ,the partial  evils1  
therefore1 under which the country      
groans1 can only be taken as            
indications of a far more complete and  
terrible destruction reserved  for final
 impenitence4 ,the perception of this   
truth1 we may suppose1  sufficed for the
 time to silence the prophet's          
complaints2 and in the  revulsion of    

feeling inspired by the awful vision of 
the unimpeded  outbreak of ,divine      
wrath1 he utters an oracle concerning   
his country's  destroyers1 in which     
retributive justice is tempered by      
compassion and  mercy4 ,thus hath       
,jehovah said1 ,upon all ,mine evil     
neighbours1 who  touch the heritage     
which ,i caused ,my people ,israel to   
inherit3 ,lo ,i am  about to uproot 7i4 
#aj7 them from off their own land1 and  
the house  of ,judah will ,i uproot from
 their midst4 ,and after ,i have        
uprooted  them1 ,i will have compassion 
on them again1 and will restore them    
each  to their own heritage and their   
own land4 ,and if they truly learn the  
ways of ,my people1 to swear by ,my     
name1 'as ,iahvah liveth6' even as  they
 taught ,my people to swear by the      
,baal2 they shall be rebuilt in  the    
midst of ,my people4 ,and if they will  
not hear1 ,i will uproot that  nation1  
utterly and fatally2 it is an oracle of 
,iahvah 7#ad-ag74 ,the  preceding       

section 7vv4 #g-ad71 as we have seen1   
rapidly yet vividly  sketches the       
calamities which have ensued and must   
further ensue upon  the ,divine         
desertion of the country4 ,iahvah has   
forsaken the land1 left  her naked to   
her enemies1 for her causeless1         
capricious1 thankless  revolt against   
her ,divine ,lord4 ,in this forlorn1    
defenceless condition1  all manner of   
evils befall her2 the vineyards and     
cornfields are  ravaged1 the goodly land
 is desolated1 by hordes of savage      
freebooters  pouring in from the eastern
 deserts4 ,these invaders are called    
,iahvah's  evil neighbours2 an          
expression which implies1 not           
individuals banded  together for        
purposes of brigandage1 but hostile     
nations4#ec ,upon these  nations also   
will the justice of ,god be vindicated2 
for that justice  is universal in its   
operation1 and cannot therefore be      
restricted to  ,israel4 ,judgment must  
begin at the house of ,god2 but it will 

not  end there4 ,the evil neighbours1   
the surrounding heathen kingdoms1  have 
been ,iahvah's instruments for the      
chastisement of ,his rebellious  people2
 but they are not on that account       
exempted from recompense4  ,they too    
must reap what they have sown4 ,they    
have insulted ,iahvah1 by  violating    
,his territory2 they have indulged their
 malice and treachery  and rapacity1 in 
utter disregard of the rights of        
neighbours1 and the  moral claims of    
kindred peoples4 ,as they have done1 so 
shall it be done  unto them3  4 ,they   
have laid hands on the possessions of   
their neighbour1 and their own shall be 
taken from them2 ,i am about  to uproot 
them from off their own land 7cf4 ,amos 
i4 #c-;ii4 #c74 ,and not  only so1 but  
the house of ,judah will ,i pluck up    
from their midst4 ,the  ,lord's people  
shall be no more exposed to their       
unneighbourly ill-will2  the butt of    
their ridicule1 the victim of their     
malice1 will be removed  to a foreign   

soil as well as they2 but oppressed and 
oppressors will no  longer be together2 
their new settlements will lie far      
apart2 under the  altered state of      
things1 under the shadow of the great   
conqueror of the  future1 there will be 
no opportunity for the old injurious    
dealings4  ,all alike1 ,judah and the   
enemies of ,judah1 will be subject to   
the will  of the foreign lord4 ,but that
 is not the end4 ,the ,judge of all the 
earth is merciful as well as just4 ,he  
is loth to blot whole peoples out  of   
existence1 even though they have merited
 destruction by grievous  and prolonged 
transgression of ,his laws4 ,therefore  
banishment will be  followed by         
restoration1 not in the case of ,judah  
only1 but of all the  expatriated       
peoples4 ,after enduring the ,divine    
probation of adversity1  they will be   
brought again1 by the ,divine           
compassion1 each to their  own heritage 
and their own land4 ,and then1 if they  
will profit by  the teaching of         

,iahvah's prophets1 and learn the ways1 
that is1 the  religion of ,his people1  
making their supreme appeal to ,iahvah1 
as the  fountain of all truth and the   
sovran vindicator of right and justice1 
as  hitherto they have appealed to the  
,baal1 and misled ,israel into the same 
profane and futile course2 then they    
shall be built up1 or rebuilt1  or      
brought to great and ever-growing       
prosperity1 in the midst of ,my  people4
 ,such is to be the blessing of the     
,gentiles2 they shall share in  the     
glorious future that awaits repentant   
,israel4 ,the present condition  of     
things is to be completely reversed3 now
 ,judah sojourns in their  midst2 then  
they will be surrounded on every side by
 the emancipated  and triumphant people 
of ,god3 now they beset ,judah with     
jealousies1  suspicions1 enmities2 then 
,judah will embrace them all with the   
arms  of an unselfish and protecting    
love4 ,a last word of warning is added4 
,the doom of the nation that will not   

accept the ,divine teaching will be     
utter and absolute extermination4       
,the forecast is plainly of a ,messianic
 nature2 it recognises in  ,iahvah the  
,saviour1 not of a nation1 but of the   
world4 ,it perceives  that the disunion 
and mutual hatred of peoples1 as of     
individuals1  is a breach of ,divine    
law2 and it proclaims a general return  
to ,god1  and submission to ,his        
guidance in all political as well as    
private  affairs1 as the sole cure for  
the numberless evils that flow from that
  hatred and disunion4 ,it is only when 
men have learnt that ,god is their      
common ,father and ,lord1 that they come
 to see with the clearness and  force of
 practical conviction that they         
themselves are all members of  one      
family1 bound as such to mutual offices 
of kindness and charity2  it is only    
when there is a conscious identity of   
interest with all our  fellows1 based   
upon the recognition that all alike are 
children of ,god  and heirs of eternal  

life1 that true freedom and universal   
brotherhood  become possible for man4   
,,footnotes3    #db ,but perhaps it is  
rather the prophet's love for his       
people1 which  fervently prays that the 
oath of blessing may be observed1 and   
,judah  maintained in the goodly land4  
#dc ,hitzig supposed that the vows and  
hallowed flesh were  thank-offerings for
 the departure of the ,scythians4 ,it is
 plain that  the people are really      
present in the temple2 they bring1      
presumably  after the retreat of the    
,scythians1 the offerings vowed at that 
time4  ,but1 considering the context1   
the reference appears to be more        
general4  ,i have partly followed the   
,,lxx4 in emending an obviously corrupt 
verse2  the only one in the chap4 which 
presents any textual difficulty4 ,read3 
4 ,the article with a noun  with suffix1
 and the peculiar form of the #b pers4  
pron4 f41 are found  elsewhere in ,jer4 
,but ,i incline to correct further thus3
 ,what avail to  ,my beloved is her     

dealing 7or sacrificing3  #b ,kings     
xvii4 #cb7 in ,my  house8     4 ,can the
 many altars 7ver4  #ac7 and hallowed   
flesh cause thine evil to pass away from
 thee 7or pass  thee by78 ,this seems   
very apposite to what precedes4 ,the    
,hebrew1 as it  stands1 cannot possibly 
mean what we read both in the ,a4 ,v4   
and ,r4 ,v41  nor indeed anything else4 
#dd ,reading 1 with ,hitzig1 instead of 
1 which is  meaningless4 ,deut4 xxxiv4  
#g2 ,ezek4 xxi4 #c4 ,perhaps it would be
 better  to keep all the letters1 and   
point 1 understanding  as  collective1  
the trees4    #de ,not a vocative3 xx4  
#ab1 xvii4 #aj4    #df ,that the        
swelling or the pride of ,jordan should 
rather be  read the wilds or jungles of 
,jordan1 is clear from xlix4 #ai2 ,zech4
  xi4 #c2 quoted by ,hitzig4  means     
growth1 overgrowth1 among  other things2
 and the ,heb4 phrase coincides with the
   of  ,josephus 7,bell4 ,jud41 vii4 #f1
 #e74    #dg ,the form of the ,heb4     
verbs implies the certainty of the      

event4  ,hitzig supposes that ver4 #f   
simply explains the expression land  of 
peace in ver4 #e4 ,at ,anathoth the     
prophet was at home2 if he  ran away    
7reading  fleest for  art confident7    
there1  what would he do1 when he had   
gone forth as a sheep among wolves      
7,st4 ,luke x4 #c78 ,but ,i think it is 
much better to regard ver4 #f as        
explaining the whole of ver4 #e in the  
manner suggested above4    #dh ,or      
perhaps rather the holy land itself1 as 
,hitzig suggested3 ,hos4  ix4 #ae4      
#di ,lit4 ,is my domain vultures1       
hyenas1 to me8 ,the dative expresses    
the interest of the speaker in the fact 
7dat4 ethic474 ,the ,heb4  term  only   
occurs here4 ,it is the ,arabic dhabu1  
hyena 7so  ,sept474 ,st4 ,jerome renders
 avis discolor4 ,so the ,targum3 a      
strewn  sprinkled1 or spotted fowl4     
#ej ,the references to birds of prey1   
beasts of the field1 and  spoilers 7ver4
 #ab71 are interpreted by the phrase    
mine evil  neighbours 7ver4 #ad72 and   

this constitutes a link between vv4     
#g-ad  and #ad-ag4    #ea ,such seems to
 be the best punctuation of the         
sentence4 ,it  involves the transfer of 
,athnach to 4    #eb ,so the ,,lxx4     
,this agrees better with the context    
than ,so be ye  ashamed of your fruits4 
#ec ,as ,hitzig has observed1 only a    
people1 or a king1 or a national  god1  
could be spoken of as a neighbour to the
 ,god of ,israel4                       
,,viii4                                 
,,the ,,fall ,,of ,,pride4              
,,jeremiah xiii4      ,this discourse is
 a sort of appendix to the preceding2 as
 is indicated  by its abrupt and brief  
beginning with the words ,thus said     
,iahvah unto  me1 without the addition  
of any mark of time1 or other           
determining  circumstance4 ,it predicts 
captivity1 in retribution for the pride 
and  ingratitude of the people2 and thus
 suitably follows the closing section   
of the last address1 which announces the
 coming deportation of ,judah  and her  

evil neighbours4 ,the recurrence here   
7ver4 #i7 of the peculiar  term rendered
 swelling or pride in our ,english      
versions 7ch4 xii4  #e71 points to the  
same conclusion4 ,we may subdivide it   
thus3 ,it presents  us with 7i7 a       
symbolical action1 or acted parable1    
with its moral and  application 7vv4    
#a-aa72 7ii7 a parabolic saying and its 
interpretation1  which leads up to a    
pathetic appeal for penitence 7vv4      
#ab-ag72 7iii7 a  message to the        
sovereigns 7vv4 #ah1 #ai72 and 7iv7 a   
closing apostrophe to  ,jerusalem--the  
gay and guilty capital1 so soon to be   
made desolate for  her abounding sins   
7vv4 #bj-bg74    ,in the first of these 
four sections1 we are told how the      
prophet was  bidden of ,god to buy a    
linen girdle1 and after wearing it for a
 time1  to bury it in a cleft of the    
rock at a place whose very name might   
be taken to symbolize the doom awaiting 
his people4 ,a long while  afterwards he
 was ordered to go and dig it up again1 

and found it  altogether spoiled and    
useless4 ,the significance of these     
proceedings  is clearly enough          
explained4 ,the relation between ,israel
 and the ,god  of ,israel had been of   
the closest kind4 ,iahvah had chosen    
this people1  and bound it to ,himself  
by a covenant1 as a man might bind a    
girdle  about his body2 and as the      
girdle is an ornament of dress1 so had  
the  ,lord intended ,israel to display  
,his glory among men 7ver4 #aa74 ,but   
now  the girdle is rotten2 and like that
 rotten girdle will ,he cause the  pride
 of ,judah to rot and perish 7vv4 #i1   
#aj74    ,it is natural to ask1 whether 
,jeremiah really did as he relates2  or 
whether the narrative about the girdle  
be simply a literary  device intended to
 carry a lesson home to the dullest     
apprehension4  ,if the prophet's        
activity had been confined to the pen2  
if he had  not been wont to labour by   
word and deed for the attainment of his 
purposes2 the latter alternative might  

be accepted4 ,for mere readers1  a      
parabolic narrative might suffice to    
enforce his meaning4 ,but  ,jeremiah1   
who was all his life a man of action1   
probably did the  thing he professes to 
have done1 not in thought nor in word   
only1  but in deed and to the knowledge 
of certain competent witnesses4  ,there 
was nothing novel in this method of     
attracting attention1 and  giving       
greater force and impressiveness to his 
prediction4 ,the older  prophets had    
often done the same kind of things1 on  
the principle  that deeds may be more   
effective than words4 ,what could have  
conveyed  a more vivid sense of the     
,divine intention1 than the simple act  
of  ,ahijah the ,shilonite1 when he     
suddenly caught away the new mantle of  
,solomon's officer1 and rent it into    
twelve pieces1 and said to the          
astonished courtier1 ,take thee ten     
pieces6 for thus said ,iahvah1 the  ,god
 of ,israel1 ,behold ,i am about to rend
 the kingdom out of the hand  of        

,solomon1 and will give the ten tribes  
to thee8 7#a ,kings xi4 #bi  sqq47 ,in  
like manner1 when ,ahab and             
,jehoshaphat1 dressed in their  robes of
 state1 sat enthroned in the gateway of 
,samaria1 and all the  prophets were    
prophesying before them about the issue 
of their joint  expedition to           
,ramoth-gilead1 ,zedekiah1 the son of a 
,canaanitess--as  the writer is careful 
to add of this false prophet--made him  
horns  of iron and said1 ,thus said     
,iahvah1 ,with these shalt thou butt the
  ,arameans1 until thou make an end of  
them 7#a ,kings xxii4 #aa74 ,isaiah1    
,hosea1 and ,ezekiel1 record similar    
actions of symbolical import4  ,isaiah  
for a time walked half-clad and         
barefoot1 as a sign that the  ,egyptians
 and ,ethiopians1 upon whom ,judah was  
inclined to lean1  would be led away    
captive1 in this comfortless guise1 by  
the king  of ,assyria 7,isa4 xx474 ,such
 actions may be regarded as a further   
development of those significant        

gestures1 with which men in what is     
called a state of nature are wont to    
give emphasis and precision to  their   
spoken ideas4 ,they may also be compared
 with the symbolism of  ancient law4 ,an
 ancient conveyance1 we are told1 was   
not written  but acted4 ,gestures and   
words took the place of written         
technical  phraseology1 and any formula 
mispronounced1 or symbolical act        
omitted1 would have vitiated the        
proceeding as fatally as a material     
mistake in stating the uses or setting  
out the remainders would1 two  hundred  
years ago1 have vitiated an ,english    
deed4 7,maine1 ,ancient  ,law1 p4 #bgf47
 ,actions of a purely symbolical nature 
surprise us1  when we first encounter   
them in ,religion or ,law1 but that is  
only  because they are survivals4 ,in   
the ages when they originated1 they     
were familiar occurrences in all        
transactions between man and man4  ,and 
this general consideration tends to     
prove that those expositors  are wrong  

who maintain that the prophets did not  
really perform the  symbolical actions  
of which they speak4 ,just as it is     
argued that the  visions which they     
describe1 are merely a literary device2 
so the  reality of these symbolical     
actions has needlessly enough been      
called  in question4 ,the learned ,jews 
,abenezra and ,maimonides in the twelfth
  century1 and ,david ,kimchi in the    
thirteenth1 were the first to affirm    
this opinion4 ,maimonides held that all 
such actions passed in vision  before   
the prophets2 a view which has found a  
modern advocate in  ,hengstenberg3 and  
,studlin1 in the last century1 affirmed 
that they  had neither an objective nor 
a subjective reality1 but were simply a 
literary device4 ,this1 however1 is only
 true1 if true at all1 of the  declining
 period of prophecy1 as in the case of  
the visions4 ,in the  earlier period1   
while the prophets were still accustomed
 to an oral  delivery of their          
discourses1 we may be quite sure that   

they suited  the action to the word in  
the way that they have themselves       
recorded2  in order to stir the popular 
imagination1 and to create a more vivid 
and lasting impression4 ,the narratives 
of the historical books leave  no doubt 
about the matter4 ,but in later times1  
when spoken addresses  had for the most 
part become a thing of the past1 and    
when prophets  published their          
convictions in manuscript1 it is        
possible that they  were content with   
the description of symbolical doings1 as
 a sort of  parable1 without any actual 
performance of them4 ,jeremiah's hiding 
his girdle in a cleft of the rock at    
,euphrates has been regarded  by some   
writers as an instance of such purely   
ideal symbolism4 ,and  certainly it is  
difficult to suppose that the prophet   
made the long  and arduous journey from 
,jerusalem to the ,great ,river for such
 a  purpose4 ,it is1 however1 a highly  
probable conjecture that the place      
whither he was directed to repair was   

much nearer home2 the addition  of a    
single letter to the name rendered      
,euphrates gives the far  preferable    
reading ,ephrath1 that is to say1       
,bethlehem in ,judah  7,gen4 xlviii4    
#g74 ,jeremiah may very well have buried
 his girdle at  ,bethlehem1 a place only
 five miles or so to the south of       
,jerusalem2 a  place1 moreover1 where he
 would have no trouble in finding a     
cleft  of the rock1 which would hardly  
be the case upon the alluvial banks  of 
the ,euphrates4 ,if not accidental1 the 
difference may be due to  the           
intentional employment of an unusual    
form of the name1 by way of  hinting at 
the source whence the ruin of ,judah was
 to flow4 ,the enemy  from the north    
7ver4 #bj7 is of course the ,chaldeans4 
,the mention of the queen-mother 7ver4  
#ah7 along with the king appears to     
point unmistakably to the reign of      
,jehoiachin or ,jechoniah4 ,the allusion
  is compared with the threat of ch4    
xxii4 #bf3 ,i will cast thee out1 and   

thy mother that bare thee into another  
country4 ,like ,josiah1 this king  was  
but eight years old when he began to    
reign 7#b ,chron4 xxxvi4 #i1 after      
which #b ,kings xxiv4 #h must be        
corrected72 and he had enjoyed the name 
of king only for the brief period of    
three months1 when the thunderbolt      
fell1 and ,nebuchadrezzar began his     
first siege of ,jerusalem4 ,the         
boy-king can hardly have had much to do 
with the issue of affairs1 when  he and 
his mother and his servants and his     
princes and his eunuchs  surrendered the
 city1 and were deported to ,babylon1   
with ten thousand  of the principal     
inhabitants 7#b ,kings xxiv4 #ab sqq474 
,the date of our  discourse will thus be
 the beginning of the year ,b4,c4 #eii1 
which was the  eighth year of           
,nebuchadrezzar 7#b ,kings xxiv4 #ab74  
,it is asserted1 indeed1 that the       
difficult verse #ba refers to the       
revolt from ,babylon as an accomplished 
fact2 but this is by no means  clear    

from the verse itself4 ,what wilt thou  
say1 demands the  prophet1 when ,he     
shall appoint over thee--albeit1 thou   
thyself hast  instructed them against   
thyself2--lovers to be thy head8 ,the   
term  lovers or lemans applies best to  
the foreign idols1 who will one  day    
repay the foolish attachment of         
,iahvah's people by enslaving it  7cf4  
ch4 iii4 #d1 where ,iahvah himself is   
called the lover of ,judah's  youthful  
days72 and this question might as well  
have been asked in  the days of ,josiah1
 as at any later period4 ,at various    
times in the  past ,israel and ,judah   
had courted the favour of foreign       
deities4 ,ahaz  had introduced ,aramean 
and ,assyrian novelties2 ,manasseh and  
,amon had  revived and aggravated his   
apostasy4 ,even ,hezekiah had had       
friendly  dealings with ,babylon1 and we
 must remember that in those times      
friendly intercourse with a foreign     
people implied some recognition of      
their gods1 which is probably the true  

account of ,solomon's chapels  for      
,tyrian and other deities4    ,the queen
 of ver4 #ah might conceivably be       
,jedidah1 the mother of  ,josiah1 for   
that king was only eight at his         
accession1 and only  thirty-nine at his 
death 7#b ,kings xxii4 #a74 ,and the    
message to the  sovereigns 7ver4 #ah7 is
 not couched in terms of disrespect nor 
of  reproach3 it simply declares the    
imminence of overwhelming disaster1  and
 bids them lay aside their royal pomp1  
and behave as mourners  for the coming  
woe4 ,such words might perhaps have been
 addressed to  ,josiah and his mother1  
by way of deepening the impression      
produced  by the ,book of the ,law1 and 
the rumoured invasion of the ,scythians4
  ,but the threat against the kings that
 sit on ,david's throne 7ver4  #ac7 is  
hardly suitable on this supposition2 and
 the ruthless tone of  this part of the 
address--,i will dash them in pieces1   
one against  another1 both the fathers  
and the sons together3 ,i will not pity1

  nor spare1 nor relent from destroying 
them--considered along with  the        
emphatic prediction of an utter and     
entire captivity 7ver4 #ai71  seems to  
indicate a later period of the prophet's
 ministry1 when the  obduracy of the    
people had revealed more fully the      
hopelessness of his  enterprise for     
their salvation4 ,the mention of the    
enemy from the  north will then be a    
reference to present circumstances of   
peril1 as  triumphantly vindicating the 
prophet's former menaces of destruction 
from that quarter4 ,the carnage of      
conquest and the certainty of  exile are
 here threatened in the plainest and    
most direct style2 but  nothing is said 
by way of heightening the popular terror
 of the coming  destroyer4 ,the prophet 
seems to take it for granted that the   
nature of  the evil which hangs over    
their heads1 is well known to the       
people1  and does not need to be dwelt  
upon or amplified with the lyric fervour
  of former utterances 7see ch4 iv41 v4 

#ae sqq41 vi4 #bb sqq474  ,this appears 
quite natural1 if we suppose that the   
first invasion of  the ,chaldeans was   
now a thing of the past2 and that the   
nation was  awaiting in trembling       
uncertainty the consequences of         
,jehoiakim's  breach of faith with his  
,babylonian suzerain 7#b ,kings xxiv4 i4
 #aj74  ,the prophecy may therefore be  
assigned with some confidence to the    
short reign of ,jehoiachin1 to which    
perhaps the short section1 ch4  x4      
#ag-be1 also belongs2 a date which      
harmonizes better than any other  with  
the play on the name ,euphrates in the  
opening of the chapter4 ,it  agrees1    
too1 with the emphatic ,iahvah hath     
spoken6 7ver4 #ae71 which  seems to be  
more than a mere assertion of the       
speaker's veracity1 and  to point rather
 to the fact that the course of events  
had reached a  crisis2 that something   
had occurred in the political world1    
which  suggested imminent danger2 that a
 black cloud was looming up on the      

national horizon1 and signalling        
unmistakably to the prophet's eye  the  
intention of ,iahvah4 ,what other view  
so well explains the solemn  tone of    
warning1 the vivid apprehension of      
danger1 the beseeching  tenderness1 that
 give so peculiar a stamp to the three  
verses in which  the address passes from
 narrative and parable1 to direct       
appeal8  ,hear ye and give ear3 be not  
proud3 for ,iahvah hath spoken6 ,give   
glory to ,iahvah your ,god--the glory of
 confession1 of avowing your  own guilt 
and ,his perfect righteousness 7,josh4  
vii4 #ai2 ,st4 ,john ix4  #bd72 of      
recognising the due reward of your deeds
 in the destruction  that threatens you2
 the glory involved in the cry1 ,god be 
merciful  to me a sinner6--,give glory  
to ,iahvah your ,god1 before the        
darkness  fall1 and before your feet    
stumble upon the twilight mountains2 and
  ye wait for dawn1 and ,he make it     
deepest gloom1 ,he turn it to utter     
darkness4 ,the day was declining2 the   

evening shadows were descending  and    
deepening2 soon the hapless people would
 be wandering bewildered  in the        
twilight1 and lost in the darkness1     
unless1 ere it had become  too late1    
they would yield their pride1 and throw 
themselves upon the  pity of ,him who   
maketh the seven stars and ,orion1 and  
turneth the  deepest gloom into the     
morning 7,amos v4 #h74    ,the verbal   
allusiveness of the opening section does
 not1 according to  ,oriental taste1    
diminish the solemnity of the speaker2  
on the contrary1  it tends to deepen the
 impression produced by his words4 ,and 
perhaps  there is a psychological reason
 for the fact1 beyond the peculiar      
partiality of ,oriental peoples for such
 displays of ingenuity4 ,it is1  at all 
events1 remarkable that the greatest of 
all masters of human  feeling has not   
hesitated to make a dying prince express
 his bitter and  desponding thoughts in 
what may seem an artificial toying and  
trifling  with the suggestiveness of his

 own familiar name2 and when the king   
asks3 ,can sick men play so nicely with 
their names8 the answer is3  ,no1 misery
 makes sport to mock itself4 7,rich4    
,,ii41 ,act #b1 ,sc4 i41 #gb  sqq47 ,the
 ,greek tragedian1 too1 in the          
earnestness of bitter sport1  can find a
 prophecy in a name4 ,who was for naming
 her thus1 with  truth so entire8 7,was 
it ,one whom we see not1 wielding tongue
 happily  with full foresight of what   
was to be87 the ,bride of ,battles1     
fiercely  contested ,helen3 seeing that1
 in full accord with her name1 haler of 
ships1 haler of men1 haler of cities1   
forth of the soft and precious          
tapestries away she sailed1 under the   
gale of the giant ,west 7sch41  ,ag41   
#fha sqq474 ,and so1 to ,jeremiah's ear1
 ,ephrath is prophetic  of ,euphrates1  
upon whose distant banks the glory of   
his people is to  languish and decay4 ,i
 to ,ephrath1 and you to ,phrath6 is his
 melancholy  cry4 ,their doom is as     
certain as if it were the mere          

fulfilment of an  old-world prophecy1   
crystallized long ages ago in a familiar
 name2 a  word of destiny fixed in this 
strange form1 and bearing its solemn    
witness from the outset of their history
 until now concerning the  inevitable   
goal4    ,there is nothing so very      
surprising1 as ,ewald seems to have     
thought1  in the suggestion that the    
,perath of the ,hebrew text may be the  
same as ,ephrath4 ,but perhaps the      
valley and spring now called ,furh  7or 
,furt7 which lies at about the same     
distance ,n4,e4 of ,jerusalem1  is the  
place intended by the prophet4 ,the     
name1 which means fresh  or sweet water 
is identical with the ,arabic name of   
the ,euphrates  7,furt1 ,arabic3 999971 
which again is philologically identical 
with the ,hebrew ,perath4 ,it is obvious
 that this place would suit  the        
requirements of the text quite as well  
as the other1 while the  coincidence of 
name enables us to dispense with the    
supposition of  an unusual form or even 

a corruption of the original2 but ,furt 
or ,forh is not mentioned elsewhere in  
the ,old ,testament4 ,the old  versions 
send the prophet to the river           
,euphrates1 which ,jeremiah calls       
simply ,the ,river in one place 7ii4    
#ah71 and ,the river of ,perath  in     
three others 7xlvi4 #b1 #f1 #aj72 while 
the rare ,perath1 without any  addition1
 is only found in the second account of 
the ,creation 7,gen4  ii4 #ad71 in #b   
,chron4 xxxv4 #bj1 and in a passage of  
this book which  does not belong1 nor   
profess to belong1 to ,jeremiah 7li4    
#fc74 ,we may1  therefore1 conclude that
 ,perath in the present passage means   
not the  great river of that name1 but a
 place near ,jerusalem1 although that   
place was probably chosen with the      
intention1 as above explained1 of       
alluding to the ,euphrates4    ,i cannot
 assent to the opinion which regards    
this narrative of the  spoiled girdle as
 founded upon some accidental experience
 of the  prophet's life1 in which he    

afterwards recognised a ,divine lesson4 
,the  precision of statement1 and the   
nice adaptation of the details of the   
story to the moral which the prophet    
wished to convey1 rather indicate a     
symbolical course of action1 or what may
 be called an acted parable4 ,the  whole
 proceeding appears to have been        
carefully thought out beforehand4  ,the 
intimate connexion between ,iahvah and  
,israel is well symbolized by a         
girdle--that part of an ,eastern dress  
which cleaves to the loins of a  man1   
that is1 fits closest to the body1 and  
is most securely attached  thereto4 ,and
 if the nations be represented by the   
rest of the apparel1  as the girdle     
secures and keeps that in its place1 we 
may see an  implication that ,israel was
 intended to be the chain that bound    
mankind  to ,god4 ,the girdle was of    
linen1 the material of the priestly     
dress1  not only because ,jeremiah was a
 priest1 but because ,israel was called 
to  be a kingdom of priests1 or the     

,priest among nations 7,ex4 xix4 #f74   
,the  significance of the command to    
wear the girdle1 but not to put it into 
water1 seems to be clear enough4 ,the   
unwashed garment which the prophet      
continues to wear for a time represents 
the foulness of ,israel2 just as  the   
order to bury it at ,perath indicates   
what ,iahvah is about to do with  ,his  
polluted people4    ,the exposition     
begins with the words1 ,thus will ,i mar
 the great pride  of ,judah and of      
,jerusalem6 ,the spiritual uncleanness  
of the nation  consisted in the proud   
self-will which turned a deaf ear to the
 warnings  of ,iahvah's prophets1 and   
obstinately persisted in idolatry 7ver4 
#aj74  ,it continues3 ,for as the girdle
 cleaveth to the loins of a man1 so made
  ,i the whole house of ,israel and the 
whole house of ,judah to cleave unto    
,me1 saith ,iahvah2 that they might     
become to ,me for a people1 and for a   
name1 and for a praise1 and for an      
ornament 7,ex4 xxviii4 #b74 ,then their 

becoming morally unclean1 through the   
defilements of sin1 is briefly  implied 
in the words1 ,and they obeyed not 7ver4
 #aa74    ,it is not the pride of the   
tyrant king ,jehoiakim that is here     
threatened with destruction4 ,it is the 
national pride which had all  along     
evinced itself in rebellion against its 
heavenly ,king--the  great pride of     
,judah and ,jerusalem2 and this pride1  
inasmuch as it  trusted in man and made 
flesh its arm 7xvii4 #e71 and boasted in
 a  carnal wisdom1 and material strength
 and riches 7ix4 #bc1 xxi4 #ac71 was  to
 be brought low by the complete         
extinction of the national autonomy1    
and the reduction of a high-spirited and
 haughty race to the status of  humble  
dependents upon a heathen power4    #b4 
,a parabolic saying follows1 with its   
interpretation4 ,and say thou  unto them
 this word3 ,thus said ,iahvah1 the ,god
 of ,israel3 ,every jar  is wont to be  
filled 7or shall be filled7 with wine4  
,and if they  say unto thee1 ,are we    

really not aware that every jar is wont 
to be  filled with wine8 say thou unto  
them1 ,thus said ,iahvah1 ,lo1 ,i am    
about  to fill all the inhabitants of   
this land1 and the kings that sit for   
,david upon his throne1 and the priests 
and the prophets1 and all the           
inhabitants of ,jerusalem1 with         
drunkenness2 and ,i will dash them in   
pieces against one another1 and the     
fathers and the sons together1  saith   
,iahvah3 ,i will not forbear nor spare  
nor pity1 so as not to mar  them 7cf4   
vv4 #g1 #i74    ,the individual members 
of the nation1 of all ranks and classes1
 are  compared to earthenware jars1 not 
skins1 as the ,,lxx4 gives it1 for  they
 are to be dashed in pieces1 like a     
potter's vessel 7,ps4 ii4 #i2  cf4 ver4 
#ad74ed ,regarding them all as ripe for 
destruction1 ,jeremiah  exclaims1 ,every
 jar is filled with wine1 in the        
ordinary course  of things2 that is its 
destiny4 ,his hearers answer with the   
mocking  question1 ,do you suppose that 

we don't know that8 ,they would1 of     
course1 be aware that a prophet's       
figure1 however homely1 covered an      
inner meaning of serious import2 but    
derision was their favourite retort     
against unpopular truths 7xvii4 #ae1 xx4
 #g1 #h74 ,they would take it for       
granted that the thing suggested was    
unfavourable1 from their past           
experience of ,jeremiah4 ,their         
ill-timed banter is met by the instant  
application of the figure4 ,they1 and   
the kings then sitting on ,david's      
throne1 i4e41 the young ,jehoiachin and 
the queen-mother ,nehushta 7who         
probably had all the authority if not   
the title of a regent71 and the  priests
 and prophets who fatally misled them by
 false teachings and  false counsels1   
are the wine-jars intended1 and the wine
 that is to fill  them is the wine of   
the wrath of ,god 7,ps4 lxxv4 #h2 ,jer4 
xxv4 #ae2 cf4  li4 #g2 ,rev4 xvi4 #ai2  
,isa4 xix4 #ad1 #ae74 ,the effect is    
intoxication--a  fatal bewilderment1 a  

helpless lack of decision1 an utter     
confusion  and stupefaction of the      
faculties of wisdom and foresight1 in   
the very  moment of supreme peril 7cf4  
,isa4 xxviii4 #g2 ,ps4 lx4 #e74 ,like   
drunkards1  they will reel against and  
overthrow each other4 ,the strong term  
,i will  dash them in pieces is used1 to
 indicate the deadly nature of their    
fall1 and because the prophet has still 
in his mind the figure of the           
wine-jars1 which were probably amphor1  
pointed at the end1 like those  depicted
 in ,egyptian mural paintings1 so that  
they could not stand  upright without   
support4 ,by their fall they are to be  
utterly marred  7the term used of the   
girdle1 ver4 #i74    ,but even yet one  
way of escape lies open4 ,it is to      
sacrifice their  pride1 and yield to the
 will of ,iahvah4 ,hear ye1 and give    
ear1 be  not haughty6 for ,iahvah hath  
spoken3 give ye to ,iahvah your ,god the
  glory1 before it grow dark 7or ,he    
cause darkness71 and before your  feet  

stumble upon mountains of twilight2 and 
ye wait for the dawn1  and ,he make it  
gloom1 turning it to cloudiness6 7,isa4 
v4 #cj1 viii4  #bj1 #bb2 ,amos viii4    
#i74 ,it is very remarkable1 that even  
now1 when  the ,chaldeans are actually  
in the country1 and blockading the      
strong  places of southern ,judah 7ver4 
#ai71 which was the usual preliminary   
to an advance upon ,jerusalem itself 7#b
 ,chron4 xii4 #d1 xxxii4 #i2  ,isa4     
xxxvi4 #a1 #b71 ,jeremiah should still  
speak thus2 assuring his                
fellow-citizens that confession and     
self-humiliation before their  offended 
,god might yet deliver them from the    
bitterest consequences  of past         
misdoing4 ,iahvah had indeed spoken     
audibly enough1 as it  seemed to the    
prophet1 in the calamities that had     
already befallen the  country2 these    
were an indication of more and worse to 
follow1 unless  they should prove       
efficacious in leading the people to    
repentance4 ,if  they failed1 nothing   

would be left for the prophet but to    
mourn in  solitude over his country's   
ruin 7ver4 #ag74 ,but ,jeremiah was     
fully  persuaded that the ,hand that had
 stricken could heal2 the ,power that   
had brought the invaders into ,judah1   
could cause them to return  by the way  
that they had come 7,isa4 xxxvii4 #cd74 
,of course such a  view is              
unintelligible from the standpoint of   
unbelief2 but then the  standpoint of   
the prophets is faith4    #c4 ,after    
this general appeal for penitence1 the  
discourse turns  to the two exalted     
persons whose position and interest in  
the  country were the highest of all1   
the youthful king1 and the empress  or  
queen-mother4 ,they are addressed in a  
tone which1 though not  disrespectful1  
is certainly despairing4 ,they are      
called upon1 not so  much to set the    
example of penitence 7cf4 ,jonah iii4   
#f71 as to take  up the attitude of     
mourners 7,job ii4 #ac2 ,isa4 iii4 #bf2 
,lam4 ii4 #aj2  ,ezek4 xxvi4 #af7 in    

presence of the public disasters4 ,say  
thou to  the king and to the empress1   
,sit ye low on the ground6 7lit4 make   
low your seat6 cf4 ,isa4 vii4 for the   
construction7 for it is fallen  from    
your heads#ee--your beautiful crown6    
7,lam4 v4 #af74 ,the cities  of the     
south are shut fast1 and there is none  
that openeth 7,josh4 vi4  #a73 ,judah is
 carried away captive all of her1 she is
 wholly carried  away4 ,there is no     
hope2 it is vain to expect help2 nothing
 is left  but to bemoan the irreparable4
 ,the siege of the great fortresses of  
the south country and the sweeping away 
of the rural population were  sure signs
 of what was coming upon ,jerusalem4    
,the embattled cities  themselves may be
 suggested by the fallen crown of       
beauty2 ,isaiah  calls ,samaria the     
proud crown of the drunkards of ,ephraim
 7,isa4  xxviii4 #a71 and cities are    
commonly represented in ancient art by  
female figures wearing mural crowns4 ,in
 that case1 both verses are  addressed  

to the sovereigns1 and the second is    
exegetical of the first4    ,as already 
observed1 there is here no censure1 but 
only sorrowful  despair over the dark   
outlook4 ,in the same way1 ,jeremiah's  
utterance  7xxii4 #bj sqq47 about the   
fate of ,jehoiachin is less a           
malediction  than a lament4 ,and when we
 further consider his favourable        
judgment of  the first body of exiles1  
who were carried away with this monarch 
soon  after the time of the present     
oracle 7chap4 xxiv471 we may perhaps see
  reason to conclude that the surrender 
of ,jerusalem to the ,chaldeans on  this
 occasion was partly due to his advice4 
,the narrative of ,kings1  however1 is  
too brief to enable us to come to any   
certain decision about  the             
circumstances of ,jehoiachin's          
submission 7#b ,kings xxiv4 #aj-ab74    
#d4 ,from the sovereigns1 the prophet   
turns to ,jerusalem4 ,lift up thine     
eyes 7,o ,jerusalem#ef71 and behold them
 that came from the north6  ,where is   

the flock that was given to thee1 thy   
beautiful sheep8 ,what  wilt thou say   
when ,he shall appoint over thee--nay1  
thou thyself hast  spurred them against 
thyself6--lovers 7iii4 #d1 xi4 #ai7 for 
head8  ,will not pangs take thee1 as a  
woman in travail8 ,jerusalem sits upon  
her hills1 as a beautiful shepherdess4  
,the country towns and unwalled         
villages lay about her1 like a fair     
flock of sheep and goats entrusted  to  
her care and keeping4 ,but now these    
have been destroyed and their  pastures 
are made a silent solitude1 and the     
destroyer is advancing  against herself4
 ,what pangs of shame and terror will be
 hers1 when  she recognises in the enemy
 triumphing over her grievous downfall  
the  heathen friends whose love she had 
courted so long6 ,her sin is to be  her 
scourge4 ,she shall be made the thrall  
of her foreign lovers4 ,iahvah  will    
appoint them over her 7xv4 #c1 li4 #bg72
 they will become the  head1 and she the
 tail 7,lam4 i4 #e2 ,deut4 xxviii4 #dd74

 ,yet this will1  in truth1 be her own  
doing1 not ,iahvah's2 she has herself   
accustomed  them to herself 7x4 #b71 or 
instructed or spurred them on against   
herself 7ii4 #cc1 iv4 #ah74 ,the revolt 
of ,jehoiakim1 his wicked breach  of    
faith with ,nebuchadrezzar1 had turned  
friends to enemies 7iv4 #cj74  ,but the 
chief reference seems to be more        
general--the continual craving  of      
,judah for foreign alliances and foreign
 worships4 ,and if thou say  in thine   
heart1 ,wherefore did these things      
befall me8 through the  greatness of thy
 guilt were thy skirts uncovered1 thine 
heels violated  7,nah4 iii4 #e7 or      
exposed4 ,will a ,cushite change his    
skin1 or a leopard  his spots8 ye1 too1 
are ye able to do good1 ,o ye that are  
wont to do  evil8 ,if amid the sharp    
throes of suffering ,jerusalem should   
still  fail to recognise the moral cause
 of them 7v4 #ai71 she may be assured   
beforehand that her unspeakable         
dishonour is the reward of her sins2    

that is why the virgin daughter of ,sion
 is surprised and ravished by  the foe  
7a common figure3 ,isa4 xlvii4 #a-c74   
,sin has become so ingrained  in her1   
that it can no more be eradicated than  
the blackness of an  ,african skin1 or  
the spots of a leopard's hide4 ,the     
habit of sinning has  become a second   
nature1 and1 like nature1 is not to be  
expelled 7cf4  viii4 #d-g74    ,the     
effect of use and wont in the moral     
sphere could hardly be expressed  more  
forcibly1 and ,jeremiah's comparison has
 become a proverb4 ,custom  binds us all
 in every department of life2 it is only
 by enlisting this  strange influence   
upon the side of virtue1 that we become 
virtuous4  ,neither virtue nor vice can 
be pronounced perfect1 until the habit  
of  either has become fixed and         
invariable4 ,it is the tendency of      
habitual  action of any kind to become  
automatic2 and it is certain that sin   
may attain such a mastery over the      
active powers of a man that its         

indulgence may become almost an         
unconscious exercise of his will1 and   
quite a matter of course4 ,but this     
fearful result of evil habits does  not 
excuse them at the bar of common sense1 
much less at the tribunal  of ,god4 ,the
 inveterate sinner1 the man totally     
devoid of scruple1  whose conscience is1
 as it were1 seared with a hot iron1 is 
not on  that account excused by the     
common judgment of his kind2 the feeling
  he excites is not forbearance1 but    
abhorrence2 he is regarded not as  a    
poor victim of circumstances over which 
he has no control1 but as  a monster of 
iniquity4 ,and justly so2 for if he has 
lost control of  his passions1 if he is 
no longer master of himself1 but the    
slave of  vice1 he is responsible for   
the long course of self-indulgence which
  has made him what he is4 ,the         
prophet's comparison cannot be applied  
in  support of a doctrine of immoral    
fatalism4 ,the very fact that he makes  
use of it1 implies that he did not      

intend it to be understood in such  a   
sense4 ,will a ,cushite change his skin1
 or a leopard his spots8 ,ye            
also--supposing such a change as        
that--will be able to do good1 ,o  ye   
that are taught--trained1 accustomed--to
 do evil6 7perhaps the  preferable      
rendering74    ,not only must we abstain
 from treating a rhetorical figure as a 
colourless and rigorous proposition of  
mathematical science2 not only  must we 
allow for the irony and the exaggeration
 of the preacher3 we  must also remember
 his object1 which is1 if possible1 to  
shock his  hearers into a sense of their
 condition1 and to awaken remorse and   
repentance even at the eleventh hour4   
,his last words 7ver4 #bg7 prove  that  
he did not believe this result1         
improbable as it was1 to be  altogether 
impossible4 ,unless some sense of sin   
had survived in their  hearts1 unless   
the terms1 good and evil1 had still     
retained a  meaning for his countrymen1 
,jeremiah would hardly have laboured    

still  so strenuously to convince them  
of their sin4    ,for the present1 when 
retribution is already at the doors1    
when already  the ,divine wrath has     
visibly broken forth1 his prevailing    
purpose is  not so much to suggest a way
 of escape1 as to bring home to the     
heart  and conscience of the nation the 
true meaning of the public calamities4  
,they are the consequence of habitual   
rebellion against ,god4 ,and ,i will    
scatter them like stubble passing away  
to 7 before3 cf4 xix4 #aj7 the  wind of 
the wilderness4 ,this is thy lot 7fem4  
thine1 ,o ,jerusalem71  the portion of  
thy measures 7others3 lap7 from ,me1    
saith ,iahvah2  because thou forgattest 
,me1 and didst trust in the ,lie4 ,and  
,i also--,i  will surely strip thy      
skirts to thy face1 and thy shame shall 
be seen6  7,nah4 iii4 #e74 ,thine       
adulteries and thy neighings1 the       
foulness of thy  fornications upon the  
hills in the field 7iii4 #b-f7--;,i have
 seen thine  abominations6 7,for the    

construction1 compare ,isa4 i4 #ac47    
,woe unto  thee1 ,o ,jerusalem6 ,after  
how long yet wilt thou not become clean8
 7#b  ,kings v4 #ab1 #ac74 ,that which  
lies before the citizens in the near    
future  is not deliverance1 but         
dispersion in foreign lands4 ,the onset 
of the  foe will sweep them away1 as the
 blast from the desert drives before it 
the dry stubble of the corn-fields 7cf4 
iv4 #aa1 #ab74 ,this is no chance       
calamity1 but a recompense allotted and 
meted out by ,iahvah to the  city that  
forgot ,him and trusted in the ,lie of  
,baal-worship and the  associated       
superstitions4 ,the city that dealt     
shamefully in departing  from her ,god1 
and dallying with foul idols1 shall be  
put to shame by ,him  before all the    
world 7ver4 #bf recurring to the thought
 of ver4 #bb1 but  ascribing the        
exposure directly to ,iahvah74          
,woe--certain woe--awaits  ,jerusalem2  
and it is but a faint and far-off       
glimmer of hope that is  reflected in   

the final question1 which is like a     
weary sigh3 ,after how  long yet wilt   
thou not become clean8 ,how long must   
the fiery process  of cleansing go on1  
ere thou be purged of thine inveterate  
sins8 ,it is  a recognition that the    
punishment will not be exterminative2   
that ,god's  chastisements of ,his      
people can no more fail at last than    
,his promises2  that the triumph of a   
heathen power and the disappearance of  
,iahvah's  ,israel from under ,his      
heaven cannot be the final phase of that
 long  eventful history which began with
 the call of ,abraham4    ,,footnotes3  
#ed ,also xlviii4 #ab2 ,lam4 iv4 #b2    
,isa4 xxx4 #ad4    #ee ,,lxx4   44 ,read
   2 and  cf4 ,assyrian reu1 plur4 retu 
7 74    #ef ,for  we might read1 with   
,,lxx41 ,vat41 77 4 ,the  ,arabic has   
,israel4 ,but ,vulg4 and ,targ4 agree   
with the ,q'r1 and take the  verbs as   
plur43 ,lift ye up your eyes and see who
 are coming from the  north4 ,the sing4 
fem4 is to be preferred as the more     

difficult reading1  and on account of   
ver4 #ba1 where it recurs4 ,jerusalem is
 addressed  7ver4 #bg71 and your eyes1  
plur4 masc4 pron41 may be justified as  
indicating the collective sense of the  
fem4 sing4 ,the population of  the      
capital is meant4 ,cf4 ,mic4 i4 #aa2    
,jer4 xxi4 #ac1 #ad4 ,in ver4 #bc1 the  
masc4 plur4 appears again1 the figure   
for a moment being dropped4             
,,ix4                   ,,the ,,drought 
,,and ,,its ,,moral ,,implications4     
,,jeremiah xiv41 xv4 7xvii4874          
,various opinions have been expressed   
about the division of these  chapters4  
,they have been cut up into short       
sections1 supposed to  be more or less  
independent of each other2#eg and they  
have been  regarded as constituting a   
well-organized whole1 at least so far as
  the eighteenth verse of chap4 xvii4   
,the truth may lie between these        
extremes4 ,chapters xiv41 xv4 certainly 
hang together2 for in them  the prophet 
represents himself as twice interceding 

with ,iahvah on  behalf of the people1  
and twice receiving a refusal of his    
petition  7xiv4 #a-xv4 #d71 the latter  
reply being sterner and more decisive   
than  the first4 ,the occasion was a    
long period of drought1 involving much  
privation for man and beast4 ,the       
connexion between the parts of this     
first portion of the discourse is clear 
enough4 ,the prophet prays  for his     
people1 and ,god answers that ,he has   
rejected them1 and that  intercession is
 futile4 ,thereupon1 ,jeremiah throws   
the blame of the  national sins upon the
 false prophets2 and the answer is that 
both  the people and their false guides 
will perish4 ,the prophet then          
soliloquises upon his own hard fate as a
 herald of evil tidings1 and  receives  
directions for his own personal guidance
 in this crisis of  affairs 7xv4        
#aj-xvi4 #i74 ,there is a pause but no  
real break at the  end of chap4 xv4 ,the
 next chapter resumes the subject of    
directions  personally affecting the    

prophet himself2 and the discourse is   
then  continuous so far as xvii4 #ah1   
although1 naturally enough1 it is       
broken here and there by pauses of      
considerable duration1 marking          
transitions of thought1 and progress in 
the argument4    ,the heading of the    
entire piece is marked in the original  
by a  peculiar inversion of terms1 which
 meets us again1 chap4 xlvi4 #a1  xlvii4
 #a1 xlix4 #cd1 but which1 in spite of  
this recurrence1 wears a  rather        
suspicious look4 ,we might render it    
thus3 ,what fell as a word  of ,iahvah  
to ,jeremiah1 on account of the droughts
 7the plural is  intensive1 or it       
signifies the long continuance of the   
trouble--as  if one rainless period     
followed upon another74 ,whether or not 
the  singular order of the words be     
authentic1 the recurrence at chap4      
xvii4 #h of the remarkable term for     
drought 7,heb4 baccreth of  which       
baccarth here is plur47 favours the view
 that that chapter  is an integral      

portion of the present discourse4 ,the  
exordium 7xiv4  #a-i7 is a poetical     
sketch of the miseries of man and beast1
 closing  with a beautiful prayer4 ,it  
has been said that this is not a word   
of ,iahvah to ,jeremiah1 but rather the 
reverse4 ,if we stick to the  letter1   
this no doubt is the case2 but1 as we   
have seen in former  discourses1 the    
phrase ,iahvah's word meant in prophetic
 use very  much more than a direct      
message from ,god1 or a prediction      
uttered at  the ,divine instigation4    
,here1 as elsewhere1 the prophet        
evidently  regards the course of his own
 religious reflexion as guided by ,him  
who fashioneth the hearts of men1 and   
knoweth their thoughts long  before2 and
 if the question had suggested itself1  
he would certainly  have referred his   
own poetic powers--the tenderness of his
 pity1 the  vividness of his            
apprehension1 the force of his          
passion1--to the  inspiration of the    
,lord who had called and consecrated him

 from the  birth1 to speak in ,his      
,name4    ,there lies at the heart of   
many of us a feeling1 which has lurked  
there1 more or less without our         
cognisance1 ever since the childish     
days when the ,old ,testament was read  
at the mother's knee1 and  explained and
 understood in a manner proportioned to 
the faculties of  childhood4 ,when we   
hear the phrase ,the ,lord spake1 we    
instinctively  think1 if we think at    
all1 of an actual voice knocking        
sensibly at the  door of the outward    
ear4 ,it was not so2 nor did the sacred 
writer mean  it so4 ,a knowledge of     
,hebrew idiom--the modes of expression  
usual and  possible in that ancient     
speech--assures us that this statement1 
so  startlingly direct in its unadorned 
simplicity1 was the accepted mode  of   
conveying a meaning which we1 in our    
more complex and artificial  idioms1    
would convey by the use of a multitude  
of words1 in terms  far more abstract1  
in language destitute of all that colour

 of life  and reality which stamps the  
idiom of the ,bible4 ,it is as though   
the  ,divine lay farther off from us    
moderns2 as though the marvellous       
progress of all that new knowledge of   
the measureless magnitude of the  world1
 of the power and complexity of its     
machinery1 of the surpassing  subtlety  
and the matchless perfection of its laws
 and processes1  had become an          
impassable barrier1 at least an         
impenetrable veil1  between our minds   
and ,god4 ,we have lost the sense of    
,his nearness1  of ,his immediacy1 so to
 speak2 because we have gained1 and are 
ever  intensifying1 a sense of the      
nearness of the world with which ,he    
environs us4 ,hence1 when we speak of   
,him1 we naturally cast about  either   
for poetical phrases and figures1 which 
must always be more  or less vague and  
undefined1 or for highly abstract       
expressions1  which may suggest         
scientific exactness1 but are1 in truth1
 scholastic  formul1 dry as the dust of 

the desert1 untouched by the breath of  
life2 and even if they affirm a ,person1
 destitute of all those living          
characters by which we instinctively and
 without effort recognise  ,personality4
 ,we make only a conventional use of the
 language of the  sacred writers1 of the
 prophets and prophetic historians1 of  
the  psalmists1 and the legalists of the
 ,old ,testament2 the language which  is
 the native expression of a peculiar    
intensity of religious faith1  realizing
 the ,unseen as the ,actual and1 in     
truth1 the only ,real4        ,judah    
mourneth and the gates thereof languish1
       ,they are clad in black down to  
the ground2       ,and the cry of       
,jerusalem hath gone up4       ,and     
their nobles have sent their lesser folk
 for water2       ,they have been to the
 pits1 and found no water3       ,their 
vessels have come back empty2           
,ashamed and confounded1 they have      
covered their heads4        ,because the
 ground is chapt1 for there hath not    

been rain in the            land1       
,the plowmen are ashamed1 they have     
covered their heads4        ,for even   
the hind in the field hath yeaned and   
forsaken her fawn1       ,for there is  
no grass4       ,and the wild asses     
stand on the bare fells2       ,they    
snuff the wind like jackals2            
,their eyes fail1 for there is no       
pasturage4        ,if our sins have     
answered against us1       ,iahweh1 act 
for ,thine own ,name sake2       ,for   
our relapses are many2       ,against   
,thee have we trespassed4        ,hope  
of ,israel1 that savest him in time of  
trouble1       ,wherefore wilt ,thou be 
as a stranger in the land1       ,and as
 a traveller that leaveth the road but  
for the night8       ,wherefore wilt    
,thou be as a man o'erpowered with      
sleep1       ,as a warrior that cannot  
rescue8        ,sith ,thou art in our   
midst1 ,o ,iahvah1       ,and ,thy ,name
 upon us hath been called2       ,cast  
us not down6    ,how beautiful both     

plaint and prayer6 ,the simple          
description of the  effects of the      
drought is as lifelike and impressive as
 a good picture4  ,the whole country is 
stricken2 the city-gates1 the place of  
common  resort1 where the citizens meet 
for business and for conversation1 are  
gloomy with knots of mourners robed in  
black from head to foot1 or1  as the    
,hebrew may also imply1 sitting on the  
ground1 in the garb and  posture of     
desolation 7,lam4 ii4 #aj1 iii4 #bh74   
,the magnates of ,jerusalem  send out   
their retainers to find water2 and we   
see them returning with  empty vessels1 
their heads muffled in their cloaks1 in 
sign of grief  at the failure of their  
errand 7cf4 #a ,kings xviii4 #e1 #f74   
,the parched  ground everywhere gapes   
with fissures2#eh the yeomen go about   
with  covered heads in deepest          
dejection4 ,the distress is universal1  
and  affects not man only1 but the brute
 creation4 ,even the gentle hind1 that  
proverb of maternal tenderness1 is      

driven by sorest need to forsake the    
fruit of her hard travail2 her starved  
dugs are dry1 and she flies from  her   
helpless offspring4 ,the wild asses of  
the desert1 fleet1 beautiful  and       
keen-eyed creatures1 scan the withered  
landscape from the naked  cliffs1 and   
snuff the wind1 like jackals scenting   
prey2 but neither  sight nor smell      
suggests relief4 ,there is no moisture  
in the air1 no  glimpse of pasture in   
the wide sultry land4    ,the prayer is 
a humble confession of sin1 an          
unreserved admission that  the woes of  
man evince the righteousness of ,god4   
,unlike certain modern  poets1 who      
bewail the sorrows of the world as the  
mere infliction of  a harsh and         
arbitrary and inevitable ,destiny1      
,jeremiah makes no doubt  that human    
sufferings are due to the working of    
,divine justice4  ,our sins have        
answered against our pleas at ,thy      
judgment seat2 our  relapses are many2  
against ,thee have we trespassed1       

against ,thee1  the sovereign ,disposer 
of events1 the ,source of all that      
happens and  all that is4 ,if this be   
so1 what plea is left8 ,none1 but that  
appeal  to the ,,name of ,iahvah1 with  
which the prayer begins and ends4 ,act  
for ,thine own ,name sake4444 ,thy ,name
 upon us hath been called4 ,act  for    
,thine own honour1 that is1 for the     
honour of ,mercy1 ,compassion1  ,truth1 
,goodness2 which ,thou hast revealed    
,thyself to be1 and which  are parts of 
,thy glorious ,name 7,ex4 xxxiv4 #f74   
,pity the wretched1 and  pardon the     
guilty2 for so will ,thy glory increase 
amongst men2 so will  man learn that the
 relentings of love are diviner         
affections than the  ruthlessness of    
wrath and the cravings of vengeance4    
,there is also a touching appeal to the 
past4 ,the very name by which  ,israel  
was sometimes designated as the people  
of ,iahvah1 just as  ,moab was known by 
the name of its god as the people of    
,chemosh 7,num4  xxi4 #bi71 is alleged  

as proof that the nation has an interest
 in the  compassion of ,him whose name  
it bears2 and it is implied that1 since 
the world knows ,israel as ,iahvah's    
people1 it will not be for ,iahvah's    
honour that this people should be       
suffered to perish in their sins4       
,israel had thus1 from the outset of its
 history1 been associated and           
identified with ,iahvah2 however ill the
 true nature of the tie has been        
understood1 however unworthily the      
relation has been conceived by the      
popular mind1 however little the        
obligations involved in the call of     
their fathers have been recognised and  
appreciated4 ,god must be true1  though 
man be false4 ,there is no weakness1 no 
caprice1 no vacillation  in ,god4 ,in   
bygone times of trouble the ,hope of    
,israel had saved  ,israel over and over
 again2 it was a truth admitted by      
all--even by the  prophet's enemies4    
,surely then ,he will save ,his people  
once again1 and  vindicate ,his ,name of

 ,saviour4 ,surely ,he who has dwelt in 
their midst  so many changeful          
centuries1 will not now behold their    
trouble with  the lukewarm feeling of an
 alien dwelling amongst them for a time1
 but  unconnected with them by ties of  
blood and kin and common country2 or    
with the indifference of the traveller  
who is but coldly affected by the       
calamities of a place where he has only 
lodged one night4 ,surely the  entire   
past shews that it would be utterly     
inconsistent for ,iahvah to  appear now 
as a man so buried in sleep that ,he    
cannot be roused to save  ,his friends  
from imminent destruction 7cf4 #a ,kings
 xviii4 #bg7 7,st4 ,mark  iv4 #ch74 ,he 
who had borne ,israel and carried him as
 a tender nurseling  all the days of old
 7,isa4 lxiii4 #i7 could hardly without 
changing ,his  own unchangeable ,name1  
,his character and purposes1 cast down  
,his people  and forsake them at last4  
,such is the drift of the prophet's     
first prayer4 ,to this apparently       

unanswerable argument his religious     
meditation upon the present  distress   
has brought him4 ,but presently the     
thought returns with added  force1 with 
a sense of utmost certitude1 with a     
conviction that it is  ,iahvah's ,word1 
that the people have wrought out their  
own affliction1  that misery is the hire
 of sin4        ,thus hath ,iahvah said 
of this people3       ,even so have they
 loved to wander1       ,their feet they
 have not refrained2       ,and as for  
,iahvah1 ,he accepteth them not2        
,he now remembereth their guilt1        
,and visiteth their trespasses4         
,and ,iahvah said unto me1              
,intercede thou not for this people for 
good6       ,if they fast1 ,i will not  
hearken unto their cry2       ,and if   
they offer whole-offering and oblation1 
,i will not accept their persons2       
,but by the sword1 the famine1 and the  
plague1 will ,i consume them4           
,and ,i said1 ,ah1 ,lord ,iahvah6       
,behold the prophets say to them1 ,ye   

shall not see sword1       ,and famine  
shall not befall you2       ,for peace  
and permanence will ,i give you in this 
place4        ,and ,iahvah said unto me3
       ,falsehood it is that the        
prophets prophesy in ,my ,name4       ,i
 sent them not1 and ,i charged them not1
 and ,i spake not unto them4       ,a   
vision of falsehood and jugglery and    
nothingness1 and the guile            of
 their own heart1       ,they1 for their
 part1 prophesy you4        ,therefore  
thus said ,iahvah3       ,concerning the
 prophets who prophesy in ,my ,name1    
albeit ,i sent            them not1     
,and of themselves say1 ,sword and      
famine there shall not be in            
this land2       ,by the sword and by   
the famine shall those prophets be      
fordone4       ,and the people to whom  
they prophesy shall lie thrown out in   
the            streets of ,jerusalem1   
,because of the famine and the sword1   
,with none to bury them1--              
,themselves1 their wives1 and their sons

 and their daughters3       ,and ,i will
 pour upon them their own evil4         
,and thou shalt say unto them this word3
       ,let mine eyes run down with     
tears1 night and day1       ,and let    
them not tire2       ,for with mighty   
breach is broken       ,the virgin      
daughter of my people--       ,with a   
very grievous blow4       ,if ,i go     
forth into the field1       ,then       
behold6 the slain of the sword2         
,and if ,i enter the city1       ,then  
behold6 the pinings of famine3          
,for both prophet and priest go         
trafficking about the land1       ,and  
understand not4#ei    ,it has been      
supposed that this whole section is     
misplaced1 and that  it would properly  
follow the close of chap4 xiii4 ,the    
supposition is  due to a misapprehension
 of the force of the pregnant particle  
which  introduces the reply of ,iahvah  
to the prophet's intercession4 ,even  so
 have they loved to wander2 even so1 as 
is naturally implied by  the severity of

 the punishment of which thou           
complainest4 ,the dearth  is prolonged2 
the distress is widespread and grievous4
 ,so prolonged1  so grievous1 so        
universal1 has been their rebellion     
against ,me4  ,the penalty corresponds  
to the offence4 ,it is really their own 
evil  that is being poured out upon     
their guilty heads 7ver4 #af2 cf4 iv4   
#ah74 ,iahvah cannot accept them in     
their sin2 the long drought is a  token 
that their guilt is before ,his mind1   
unrepented1 unatoned4  ,neither the     
supplications of another1 nor their own 
fasts and  sacrifices1 avail to avert   
the visitation4 ,so long as the         
disposition  of the heart remains       
unaltered2 so long as man hates1 not his
 darling  sins1 but the penalties they  
entail1 it is idle to seek to propitiate
  ,heaven by such means as these4 ,and  
not only so4 ,the droughts are but  a   
foretaste of worse evils to come2 by the
 sword1 the famine1 and  the plague will
 ,i consume them4 ,the condition is     

understood1 ,if they  repent and amend  
not4 ,this is implied by the prophet's  
seeking to  palliate the national guilt1
 as he proceeds to do1 by the suggestion
  that the people are more sinned       
against than sinning1 deluded as they   
are by false prophets2 as also by the   
renewal of his intercession  7ver4 #ai74
 ,had he been aware in his inmost heart 
that an irreversible  sentence had gone 
forth against his people1 would he have 
been likely  to think either excuses or 
intercessions availing8 ,indeed1 however
  absolute the threats of the prophetic 
preachers may sound1 they must1  as a   
rule1 be qualified by this limitation1  
which1 whether expressed  or not1 is    
inseparable from the object of their    
discourses1 which was  the moral        
amendment of those who heard them4      
,of the false1 that is1 the common run  
of prophets1 who were in  league with   
the venal priesthood of the time1 and no
 less worldly and  self-seeking than    
their allies1 we note that1 as usual1   

they foretell  what the people wishes to
 hear2 ,peace 7,prosperity71 and        
,permanence1  is the burden of their    
oracles4 ,they knew that invectives     
against  prevailing vices1 and          
denunciations of national follies1 and  
forecasts  of approaching ruin1 were    
unlikely means of winning popularity and
  a substantial harvest of offerings4   
,at the same time1 like other  false    
teachers1 they knew how to veil their   
errors under the mask of  truth2 or     
rather1 they were themselves deluded by 
their own greed1 and  blinded by their  
covetousness to the plain teaching of   
events4 ,they  might base their doctrine
 of ,peace and ,permanence in this      
place6  upon those utterances of the    
great ,isaiah1 which had been so        
signally  verified in the lifetime of   
the seer himself2 but their keen pursuit
  of selfish ends1 their moral          
degradation1 caused them to shut their  
eyes to everything else in his          
teachings1 and1 like his contemporaries1

  they regarded not the work of ,iahvah1
 nor the operation of ,his hand4        
,jeremiah accuses them of lying visions2
 visions1 as he explains1  which were   
the outcome of magical ceremonies1 by   
aid of which1 perhaps1  they partially  
deluded themselves1 before deluding     
others1 but which  were1 none the less1 
things of nought1 devoid of all         
substance1 and  mere fictions of a      
deceitful and self-deceiving mind 7ver4 
#ad74 ,he  expressly declares that they 
have no mission2 in other words1 their  
action is not due to the overpowering   
sense of a higher call1 but is  inspired
 by purely ulterior considerations of   
worldly gain and policy4  ,they prophesy
 to order2 to the order of man1 not of  
,god4 ,if they visit  the country       
districts1 it is with no spiritual end  
in view2 priest and  prophet alike make 
a trade of their sacred profession1 and1
 immersed in  their sordid pursuits1    
have no eye for truth1 and no perception
 of the  dangers hovering over their    

country4 ,their misconduct and          
misdirection  of affairs are certain to 
bring destruction upon themselves and   
upon  those whom they mislead4 ,war and 
its attendant famine will devour them   
all4    ,but the day of grace being     
past1 nothing is left for the prophet   
himself but to bewail the ruin of his   
people 7ver4 #ag74 ,he will betake      
himself to weeping1 since praying and   
preaching are vain4 ,the words  which   
announce this resolve may portray a     
sorrowful experience1 or  they may      
depict the future as though it were     
already present 7vv4 #ag1  #ah74 ,the   
latter interpretation would suit ver4   
#ag1 but hardly the  following verse1   
with its references to going forth into 
the field1  and entering into the city4 
,the way in which these specific actions
  are mentioned seems to imply some     
present or recent calamity2 and there   
is apparently no reason why we may not  
suppose that the passage was  written at
 the disastrous close of the reign of   

,josiah1 in the troublous  interval of  
three months1 when ,jehoahaz was nominal
 king in ,jerusalem1  but the ,egyptian 
arms were probably ravaging the country1
 and striking  terror into the hearts of
 the people4 ,in such a time of         
confusion and  bloodshed1 tillage would 
be neglected1 and famine would naturally
  follow2 and these evils would be      
greatly aggravated by drought4 ,the only
  other period which suits is the       
beginning of the reign of ,jehoiakim2#fj
  but the former seems rather to be     
indicated by chap4 xv4 #f-i4            
,heartbroken at the sight of the        
miseries of his country1 the prophet    
once more approaches the eternal throne4
 ,his despairing mood is not so  deep   
and dark as to drown his faith in ,god4 
,he refuses to believe the  utter       
rejection of ,judah1 the revocation of  
the covenant4 7,the measure  is         
,pentameter74        ,hast ,thou indeed 
cast off ,judah8       ,hath ,thy soul  
revolted from ,sion8       ,why hast    

,thou smitten us1 past healing8         
,waiting for peace1 and no good came1   
,for a time of healing1 and behold      
terror6        ,we know1 ,iahvah1 our   
wickedness1 our fathers' guilt2         
,for we have trespassed toward ,thee4   
,scorn ,thou not1 for ,thy ,name sake1  
,disgrace not ,thy glorious throne6     
,remember1 break not1 ,thy covenant with
 us6        ,are there1 in sooth1 among 
the ,nothings of the nations senders of 
rain8       ,and is it the heavens that 
bestow the showers8       ,is it not    
,thou1 ,iahvah our ,god8       ,and we  
wait for ,thee1       ,for ,thou it was 
that madest the world4#fa    ,to all    
this the ,divine answer is stern and    
decisive4 ,and ,iahvah said  unto me3   
,if ,moses and ,samuel were to stand    
7pleading7 before ,me1 ,my  mind would  
not be towards this people3 send them   
away from before ,me  7dismiss them from
 ,my ,presence71 that they may go forth6
 ,after ages  remembered ,jeremiah as a 
mighty intercessor1 and the brave       

,maccabeus  could see him in his dream  
as a grey-haired man exceeding glorious 
and of a wonderful and excellent        
majesty1 who prayed much for the  people
 and for the holy city 7#b ,macc4 xv4   
#ad74 ,and the beauty of  the prayers   
which lie like scattered pearls of faith
 and love among  the prophet's          
soliloquies is evident at a glance4 ,but
 here ,jeremiah  himself is conscious   
that his prayers are unavailing2 and    
that the  office to which ,god has      
called him is rather that of pronouncing
  judgment than of interceding for      
mercy4 ,even a ,moses or a ,samuel1  the
 mighty intercessors of the old heroic  
times1 whose pleadings had  been        
irresistible with ,god1 would now plead 
in vain 7,ex4 xvii4 #aa  sqq41 xxxii4   
#aa sqq42 ,num4 xiv4 #ac sqq4 for       
,moses2 #a ,sam4 vii4  #i sqq41 xii4 #af
 sqq42 ,ps4 xcix4 #f2 ,ecclus4 xlvi4 #af
 sqq4 for  ,samuel74 ,the day of grace  
has gone1 and the day of doom is come4  
,his  sad function is to send them away 

or let them go from ,iahvah's           
,presence2 to pronounce the decree of   
their banishment from the holy  land    
where ,his temple is1 and where they    
have been wont to see ,his  face4 ,the  
main part of his commission was to root 
out1 and to pull  down1 and to destroy1 
and to overthrow 7i4 #aj74 ,and if they 
say unto  thee1 ,whither are we to go   
forth8 ,thou shalt say unto them1 thus  
hath  ,iahvah said3 ,they that belong to
 the ,death 7i4e4 the ,plague2 as  the  
,black ,death was spoken of in medieval 
,europe7 to death2 and they  that belong
 to the ,sword1 to the sword2 and they  
that belong to the  ,famine1 to famine2 
and they that belong to ,captivity1 to  
captivity6  ,the people were to go forth
 out of their own land1 which was1 as it
  were1 the ,presence-chamber of        
,iahvah1 just as they had at the outset 
of their history gone forth out of      
,egypt1 to take possession of it4  ,the 
words convey a sentence of exile1 though
 they do not indicate the  place of     

banishment4 ,the menace of woe is as    
general in its terms as  that lurid     
passage of the ,book of the ,law upon   
which it appears to  be founded 7,deut4 
xxviii4 #ba-bf74 ,the time for the      
accomplishment of  those terrible       
threatenings is nigh1 even at the doors4
 ,on the other  hand1 ,ezekiel's four   
sore judgments 7,ezek4 xiv4 #ba7 were   
suggested  by this passage of ,jeremiah4
    ,the prophet avoids naming the      
actual destination of the captive       
people1 because captivity is only one   
element in their punishment4 ,the       
horrors of war--sieges and slaughters   
and pestilence and famine--must  come   
first4 ,in what follows1 the intensity  
of these horrors is  realized in a      
single touch4 ,the slain are left       
unburied1 a prey to  the birds and      
beasts4 ,the elaborate care of the      
ancients in the  provision of honourable
 resting places for the dead is a       
measure of  the extremity thus          
indicated4 ,in accordance with the      

feeling of his  age1 the prophet ranks  
the dogs and vultures and hyenas that   
drag and  disfigure and devour the      
corpses of the slain1 as three kinds of 
evil equally appalling with the sword   
that slays4 ,the same feeling led  our  
,spenser to write3                      
,to spoil the dead of weed              
,is sacrilege1 and doth all sins exceed4
    ,and the destruction of ,moab is    
decreed by the earlier prophet ,amos1   
because he burned the bones of the king 
of ,edom into lime1 thus  violating a   
law universally recognised as binding   
upon the conscience  of nations 7,amos  
ii4 #a74 ,cf4 also ,gen4 xxiii4    ,thus
 death itself was not to be a sufficient
 expiation for the  inveterate guilt of 
the nation4 ,judgment was to pursue them
 even after  death4 ,but the prophet's  
vision does not penetrate beyond this   
present  scene4 ,with the visible world1
 so far as he is aware1 the punishment  
terminates4 ,he gives no hint here1 nor 
elsewhere1 of any further  penalties    

awaiting individual sinners in the      
unseen world4 ,the scope  of his        
prophecy indeed is almost purely        
national1 and limited to the  present   
life4 ,it is one of the recognised      
conditions of ,old ,testament  religious
 thought4    ,and the ruin of the people
 is the retribution reserved for what   
,manasseh  did in ,jerusalem4 ,to the   
prophet1 as to the author of the book of
  ,kings1 who wrote doubtless under the 
influence of his words1 the guilt       
contracted by ,judah under that wicked  
king was unpardonable4 ,but it  would   
convey a false impression if we left the
 matter here2 for the  whole course of  
his after-preaching--his exhortations   
and promises1  as well as his           
threats--prove that ,jeremiah did not   
suppose that the  nation could not be   
saved by genuine repentance and         
permanent amendment4  ,what he intends  
rather to affirm is that the sins of the
 fathers will  be visited upon children1
 who are partakers of their sins4 ,it is

 the  doctrine of ,st4 ,matt4 xxiii4 #bi
 sqq42 a doctrine which is not merely a 
theological opinion1 but a matter of    
historical observation4    ,and ,i will 
set over them four kinds--,it is an     
oracle of ,iahvah--the  sword to slay1  
and the dogs to hale1 and the fowls of  
the air1 and the  beasts of the earth1  
to devour and to destroy4 ,and ,i will  
make them  a sport for all the realms of
 earth2 on account of ,manasseh ben     
,hezekiah king of ,judah1 for what he   
did in ,jerusalem4    ,jerusalem6--the  
mention of that magical name touches    
another chord in  the prophet's soul2   
and the fierce tones of his oracle of   
doom change  into a dirge-like strain of
 pity without hope4        ,for who will
 have compassion on ,thee1 ,o           
,jerusalem8       ,and who will yield   
thee comfort8       ,and who will turn  
aside to ask of thy welfare8            
',twas thou that rejectedst ,me 7it is  
,iahvah's word72       ,backward wouldst
 thou wend3       ,so ,i stretched forth

 ,my hand against thee and destroyed    
thee2       ,i wearied of relenting4    
,and ,i winnowed them with a fan in the 
gates of the land2       ,i bereaved1 ,i
 undid ,my people3       ,yet they      
returned not from their own ways4       
,his widows outnumbered before ,me the  
sand of seas3       ,i brought them     
against the ,mother of ,warriors a      
harrier at high            noon2        
,i threw upon her suddenly anguish and  
horrors4       ,she that had borne seven
 sons did pine away2       ,she breathd 
out her soul4       ,her sun did set1   
while it yet was day2       ,he blushed 
and paled4       ,but their remnant will
 ,i give to the sword       ,before     
their foes3 7,it is ,iahvah's word74    
,the fate of ,jerusalem would strike the
 nations dumb with horror2 it  would not
 inspire pity1 for man would recognise  
that it was absolutely  just4 ,or       
perhaps the thought rather is1 ,in      
proving false to ,me1  thou wert false  
to thine only friend3 ,me thou hast     

estranged by thy  faithlessness2 and    
from the envious rivals1 who beset thee 
on every  side1 thou canst expect       
nothing but rejoicing at thy downfall   
7,ps4  cxxxvi42 ,lam4 ii4 #ae-ag2 ,obad4
 #aj sqq474 ,the peculiar solitariness  
of ,israel among the nations 7,num4     
xxiii4 #i7 aggravated the anguish of    
her overthrow4    ,in what follows1 the 
dreadful past appears as a prophecy of  
the yet  more terrible future4 ,the     
poet-seer's pathetic monody moralizes   
the  lost battle of ,megiddo--that fatal
 day when the sun of ,judah set in  what
 seemed the high day of her prosperity1 
and all the glory and the  promise of   
good king ,josiah vanished like a dream 
in sudden darkness4  ,men might         
think--doubtless ,jeremiah thought1 in  
the first moments of  despair1 when the 
news of that overwhelming disaster was  
brought to  ,jerusalem1 with the corpse 
of the good king1 the dead hope of the  
nation--that this crushing blow was     
proof that ,iahvah had rejected ,his    

people1 in the exercise of a sovereign  
caprice1 and without reference  to their
 own attitude towards ,him4 ,but1 says  
or chants the prophet1 in  solemn       
rhythmic utterance1        ',twas thou  
that rejectedst ,me2       ,backward    
wouldst thou wend3       ,so ,i         
stretched forth ,my hand against thee1  
and wrought thee hurt2       ,i wearied 
of relenting4    ,the cup of national   
iniquity was full1 and its baleful      
contents  overflowed in a devastating   
flood4 ,in the gates of the land--the   
point on the north-west frontier where  
the armies met--,iahvah  winnowed ,his  
people with a fan1 separating those who 
were doomed to  fall from those who were
 to survive1 as the winnowing fan       
separates  the chaff from the wheat in  
the threshing-floor4 ,there ,he bereaved
  the nation of their dearest hope1 the 
breath of their nostrils1 the  ,lord's  
,anointed 7,lam4 iv4 #bj72 there ,he    
multiplied their widows4 ,and  after the
 lost battle ,he brought the victor in  

hot haste against  the ,mother of the   
fallen warriors1 the ill-fated city1    
,jerusalem1  to wreak vengeance upon her
 for her ill-timed opposition4 ,but1 for
  all this bitter fruit of their evil   
doings1 the people turned not  back from
 their own ways2 and therefore the      
strophe of lamentation  closes with a   
threat of utter extermination3 ,their   
remnant--the poor  survival of these    
fierce storms--,their remnant will ,i   
give to the  sword before their foes4#fb
    ,if the thirteenth and fourteenth   
verses be not a mere interpolation  in  
this chapter 7see xvii4 #c1 #d71 their  
proper place would seem to be  here1 as 
continuing and amplifying the sentence  
upon the residue of  the people4 ,the   
text is unquestionably corrupt1 and must
 be amended by  help of the other       
passage1 where it is partially repeated4
 ,the twelfth  verse may be read thus3  
,thy wealth and thy treasures will ,i   
make a prey1       ,for the sin of thine
 high places in all thy borders4#fc     

,then the fourteenth verse follows1     
naturally enough1 with an  announcement 
of the ,exile3        ,and ,i will      
enthral thee to thy foes       ,in a    
land thou knowest not3       ',for a    
fire is kindled in ,mine anger1'        
,that shall burn for evermore6#fd       
,the prophet has now fulfilled his      
function of judge by pronouncing  upon  
his people the extreme penalty of the   
law4 ,his strong perception  of the     
national guilt and of the righteousness 
of ,god has left him  no choice in the  
matter4 ,but how little this duty of    
condemnation  accorded with his own     
individual feeling as a man and a       
citizen is  clear from the passionate   
outbreak of the succeeding strophe4     
,woe's me1 my mother1 he exclaims1 that 
thou barest me1       ,a man of strife  
and a man of contention to all the      
country6       ,neither lender nor      
borrower have ,i been2       ,yet all of
 them do curse me4    ,a desperately    
bitter tone1 evincing the anguish of a  

man wounded to  the heart by the sense  
of fruitless endeavour and unjust       
hatred4 ,he  had done his utmost to save
 his country1 and his reward was        
universal  detestation4 ,his innocence  
and integrity were requited with the    
odium of the pitiless creditor who      
enslaves his helpless victim1 and       
appropriates his all2 or the fraudulent 
borrower who repays a too  ready        
confidence with ruin4#fe    ,the next   
two verses answer this burst of grief   
and despair3        ,said ,iahvah1      
,thine oppression shall be for good2    
,i will make the foe thy suppliant in   
time of evil and in time of             
distress4       ,can one break iron1    
,iron from the north1 and brass8    ,in 
other words1 faith counsels patience1   
and assures the prophet  that all things
 work together for good to them that    
love ,god4 ,the  wrongs and bitter      
treatment which he now endures will only
 enchance  his triumph1 when the truth  
of his testimony is at last confirmed   

by events1 and they who now scoff at his
 message1 come humbly to  beseech his   
prayers4 ,the closing lines refer1 with 
grave irony1 to  that unflinching       
firmness1 that inflexible resolution1   
which1 as a  messenger of ,god1 he was  
called upon to maintain4 ,he is reminded
 of  what he had undertaken at the      
outset of his career1 and of the ,divine
  ,word which made him a pillar of iron 
and walls of brass against all  the land
 7i4 #ah74 ,is it possible that the     
pillar of iron can be  broken1 and the  
walls of brass beaten down by the       
present assault8    ,there is a pause1  
and then the prophet vehemently pleads  
his own cause  with ,iahvah4 ,smarting  
with the sense of personal wrong1 he    
urges  that his suffering is for the    
,lord's own sake2 that consciousness  of
 the ,divine calling has dominated his  
entire life1 ever since his  dedication 
to the prophetic office2 and that the   
honour of ,iahvah  requires his         
vindication upon his heartless and      

hardened adversaries4        ,thou      
knowest1 ,iahvah6       ,remember me1   
and visit me1 and avenge me on my       
persecutors4       ,take me not away in 
thy longsuffering2       ,regard my     
bearing of reproach for ,thee4          
,thy words were found1 and ,i did eat   
them1       ,and it became to me a joy  
and mine heart's gladness2       ,for ,i
 was called by ,thy ,name1 ,o ,iahvah1  
,god of ,sabaoth6        ,i sate not in 
the gathering of the mirthful1 nor      
rejoiced2       ,because of ,thine hand 
,i sate solitary1       ,for with       
indignation ,thou didst fill me4        
,why hath my pain become perpetual1     
,and my stroke malignant1 incurable8    
,wilt ,thou indeed become to me like a  
delusive stream1       ,like waters     
which are not lasting8    ,the pregnant 
expression1 ,thou knowest1 ,iahvah6 does
 not refer  specially to anything that  
has been already said2 but rather lays  
the  whole case before ,god in a single 
word4 ,the ,thou is emphatic2 ,thou1    

,who knowest all things1 knowest my     
heinous wrongs3 ,thou knowest and  seest
 it all1 though the whole world beside  
be blind with passion and  self-regard  
and sin 7,ps4 x4 #aa-ad74 ,thou knowest 
how pressing is my  need2 therefore     
,take me not away in ,thy longsuffering3
 sacrifice not  the life of ,thy servant
 to the claims of forbearance with his  
enemies  and ,thine4 ,the petition shews
 how great was the peril in which the   
prophet perceived himself to stand3 he  
believes that if ,god delay to  strike  
down his adversaries1 that longsuffering
 will be fatal to his  own life4    ,the
 strength of his case is that he is     
persecuted1 because he is  faithful2 he 
bears reproach for ,god4 ,he has not    
abused his high  calling for the sake of
 worldly advantage2 he has not          
prostituted  the name of prophet to the 
vile ends of pleasing the people1  and  
satisfying personal covetousness4 ,he   
has not feigned smooth  prophecies1     
misleading his hearers with flattering  

falsehood2 but he  has considered the   
privilege of being called a prophet of  
,iahvah as in  itself an all-sufficient 
reward2 and when the ,divine ,word came 
to him1  he has eagerly received1 and   
fed his inmost soul upon that spiritual 
aliment1 which was at once his          
sustenance and his deepest joy4 ,other  
joys1 for the ,lord's sake1 he has      
abjured4 ,he has withdrawn himself  even
 from harmless mirth1 that in silence   
and solitude he might listen  intently  
to the inward ,voice1 and reflect with  
indignant sorrow  upon the revelation of
 his people's corruption4 ,because of   
,thine  ,hand--under ,thy influence2    
conscious of the impulse and operation  
of  ,thy informing ,spirit2--,i sate    
solitary2 for with indignation ,thou    
didst fill me4 ,the man whose eye has   
caught a glimpse of eternal  ,truth1 is 
apt to be dissatisfied with the shows of
 things2 and the  lighthearted merriment
 of the world rings hollow upon the ear 
that  listens for the ,voice of ,god4   

,and the revelation of sin--the         
discovery  of all that ghastly evil     
which lurks beneath the surface of      
smooth  society--the appalling vision of
 the grim skeleton hiding its noisome   
decay behind the mask of smiles and     
gaiety2 the perception of the  hideous  
incongruity of revelling over a grave2  
has driven others1  besides ,jeremiah1  
to retire into themselves1 and to avoid 
a world from  whose evil they revolted1 
and whose foreseen destruction they     
deplored4    ,the whole passage is an   
assertion of the prophet's integrity and
  consistency1 with which1 it is        
suggested1 that the failure which has   
attended his efforts1 and the serious   
peril in which he stands1 are  morally  
inconsistent1 and paradoxical in view of
 the ,divine disposal  of events4 ,here1
 in fact1 as elsewhere1 ,jeremiah has   
freely opened  his heart1 and allowed us
 to see the whole process of his        
spiritual  conflict in the agony of his 
moments of doubt and despair4 ,it is an 

argument of his own perfect sincerity2  
and1 at the same time1 it  enables us to
 assimilate the lesson of his           
experience1 and to profit  by the       
heavenly guidance he received1 far more 
effectually1 than if  he had left us    
ignorant of the painful struggles at the
 cost of which  that guidance was won4  
,the seeming injustice or indifference  
of ,providence is a problem which       
recurs to thoughtful minds in all       
generations of men4                     
,o1 goddes cruel1 that govrne           
,this world with byndyng of youre word  
eterne 444            ,what governance  
is in youre prescience            ,that 
gilteles tormenteth innocence8444       
,alas6 ,i see a serpent or a theif1     
,that many a trew man hath doon         
mescheit1            ,gon at his large1 
and wher him luste may turne2           
,but ,i moste be in prisoun4    ,that   
such apparent anomalies are but a       
passing trial1 from which  persistent   
faith will emerge victorious in the     

present life1 is the  general answer of 
the ,old ,testament to the doubts which 
they suggest4  ,the only sufficient     
explanation was reserved1 to be revealed
 by ,him1  who1 in the fulness of time1 
brought life and immortality to light4  
,the thought which restored the failing 
confidence and courage of  ,jeremiah was
 the reflexion that such complaints were
 unworthy of one  called to be a        
spokesman for the ,highest2 that the    
supposition of the  possibility of the  
,fountain of ,living ,waters failing    
like a winter  torrent1 that runs dry in
 the summer heats1 was an act of        
unfaithfulness  that merited reproof2   
and that the true ,god could not fail to
 protect  ,his messenger1 and to secure 
the triumph of truth in the end4        
,to this ,iahvah said thus3       ,if   
thou come again1       ,i will make thee
 again to stand before ,me2       ,and  
if thou utter that is precious rather   
than that is vile1       ,as ,my mouth  
shalt thou become3       ,they shall    

return unto thee1       ,but ,thou shalt
 not return unto them4        ,and ,i   
will make thee to this people an        
embattled wall of brass2       ,and they
 shall fight against thee1 but not      
overcome thee1       ,for ,i will be    
with thee to help thee and to save thee2
       ,it is ,iahvah's word4       ,and
 ,i will save thee out of the grasp of  
the wicked1       ,and will ransom thee 
out of the hand of the terrible4    ,in 
the former strophe1 the inspired poet   
set forth the claims of the  psychic    
man1 and poured out his heart before    
,god4 ,now he recognises a  ,word of    
,god in the protest of his better       
feeling4 ,he sees that where  he remains
 true to himself1 he will also stand    
near to his ,god4 ,hence  springs the   
hope1 which he cannot renounce1 that    
,god will protect ,his  accepted servant
 in the execution of the ,divine        
commands4 ,thus the  discords are       
resolved2 and the prophet's spirit      
attains to peace1  after struggling     

through the storm4    ,it was an outcome
 of earnest prayer1 of an unreserved    
exposure of  his inmost heart before    
,god4 ,what a marvel it is--that        
instinct of  prayer6 ,to think that a   
being whose visible life has its        
beginning  and its end1 a being who     
manifestly shares possession of this    
earth  with the brute creation1 and     
breathes the same air1 and partakes of  
the same elements with them for the     
sustenance of his body2 who is          
organized upon the same general plan as 
they1 has the same principal  members   
discharging the same essential functions
 in the economy of  his bodily system2 a
 being who is born and eats and drinks  
and sleeps  and dies like all other     
animals2--that this being and this being
 only  of all the multitudinous kinds of
 animated creatures1 should have and    
exercise a faculty of looking off and   
above the visible which appears  to be  
the sole realm of actual existence1 and 
of holding communion  with the ,unseen6 

,that1 following what seems to be an    
original impulse  of his nature1 he     
should stand in greater awe of this     
,invisible  than of any power that is   
palpable to sense2 should seek to win   
its  favour1 crave its help in times of 
pain and conflict and peril2 should     
professedly live1 not according to the  
bent of common nature and  the appetites
 inseparable from his bodily structure1 
but according  to the will and guidance 
of that ,unseen ,power6 ,surely there is
 here  a consummate marvel4 ,and the    
wonder of it does not diminish1 when  it
 is remembered that this instinct of    
turning to an unseen ,guide  and        
,arbiter of events1 is not peculiar to  
any particular section  of the human    
race4 ,wide and manifold as are the     
differences which  characterize and     
divide the families of man1 all races   
possess in  common the apprehension of  
the ,unseen and the instinct of prayer4 
,the  oldest records of humanity bear   
witness to its primitive activity1 and  

whatever is known of human history      
combines with what is known of the      
character and workings of the human mind
 to teach us that as prayer  has never  
been unknown1 so it is never likely to  
become obsolete4    ,may we not         
recognise in this great fact of human   
nature a sure index  of a great         
corresponding truth8 ,can we avoid      
taking it as a clear  token of the      
reality of revelation2 as a kind of     
immediate and  spontaneous evidence on  
the part of nature that there is and    
always  has been in this lower world    
some positive knowledge of that which   
far  transcends it1 some real           
apprehension of the mystery that enfolds
 the  universe8 a knowledge and an      
apprehension which1 however imperfect   
and fragmentary1 however fitful and     
fluctuating1 however blurred in  outline
 and lost in infinite shadow1 is yet    
incomparably more and  better than none 
at all4 ,are we not1 in short1 morally  
driven upon the  conviction that this   

powerful instinct of our nature is      
neither blind  nor aimless2 that its    
,object is a true1 substantive ,being2  
and that  this ,being has discovered1   
and yet discovers1 some precious        
glimpses  of ,himself and ,his essential
 character to the spirit of mortal man8 
,it must be so1 unless we admit that the
 soul's dearest desires are a  mocking  
illusion1 that her aspirations towards a
 truth and a goodness  of superhuman    
perfection are moonshine and madness4   
,it cannot be  nothingness that avails  
to evoke the deepest and purest emotions
 of  our nature2 not mere vacuity and   
chaos1 wearing the semblance of an      
azure heaven4 ,it is not into a         
measureless waste of outer darkness     
that we reach forth trembling hands4    
,surely the spirit of denial is the     
spirit that fell from heaven1 and the   
best and highest of man's thoughts aim  
at and affirm something positive1       
something that is1 and the soul thirsts 
after ,god1 the ,living ,god4    ,we    

hear much in these days of our physical 
nature4 ,the microscopic  investigations
 of science leave nothing unexamined1   
nothing  unexplored1 so far as the      
visible organism is concerned4 ,rays    
from  many distinct sources converge to 
throw an ever-increasing light  upon the
 mysteries of our bodily constitution4  
,in all this1 science  presents to the  
devout mind a valuable subsidiary       
revelation of  the power and goodness of
 the ,creator4 ,but science cannot      
advance  alone one step beyond the      
things of time and sense2 her facts     
belong  exclusively to the material     
order of existence2 her cognition is    
limited to the various modes and        
conditions of force that constitute  the
 realm of sight and touch2 she cannot   
climb above these to a higher  plane of 
being4 ,and small blame it is to        
science1 that she thus lacks  the power 
of overstepping her natural boundaries4 
,the evil begins  when the men of       
science venture1 in her much-abused     

name1 to ignore  and deny realities not 
amenable to scientific tests1 and       
immeasurably  transcending all merely   
physical standards and methods4         
,neither the natural history nor the    
physiology of man1 nor both  together1  
are competent to give a complete account
 of his marvellous  and many-sided      
being4 ,yet some thinkers appear to     
imagine that  when a place has been     
assigned him in the animal kingdom1 and 
his  close relationship to forms below  
him in the scale of life has been       
demonstrated2 when every tissue and     
structure has been analysed1  and every 
organ described and its function        
ascertained2 then the  last word has    
been spoken1 and the subject exhausted4 
,those unique  and distinguishing       
faculties by which all this amazing work
 of  observation1 comparison1 reasoning1
 has been accomplished1 appear  either  
to be left out of the account           
altogether1 or to be handled  with a    
meagre inadequacy of treatment that     

contrasts in the strongest  manner with 
the fulness and the elaboration which   
mark the other  discussion4 ,and the    
more this physical aspect of our        
composite nature  is emphasized2 the    
more urgently it is insisted that1      
somehow or  other1 all that is in man   
and all that comes of man may be        
explained  on the assumption that he is 
the natural climax of the animal        
creation1 a kind of educated and        
glorified brute--that and nothing       
more2--the harder it becomes to give any
 rational account of those  facts of his
 nature which are commonly recognised as
 spiritual1 and  among them of this     
instinct of prayer and its ,object4     
,under these discouraging circumstances1
 men are fatally prone to  seek escape  
from their self-involved dilemma1 by a  
hardy denial  of what their methods have
 failed to discover and their favourite 
theories to explain4 ,the soul and ,god 
are treated as mere metaphysical        
expressions1 or as popular designations 

of the unknown causes of  phenomena2 and
 prayer is declared to be an act of     
foolish superstition  which persons of  
culture have long since outgrown4 ,sad  
and strange  this result is2 but it is  
also the natural outcome of an initial  
error1 which is none the less real      
because unperceived4 ,men seek the      
living among the dead2 they expect to   
find the soul by post mortem            
examination1 or to see ,god by help of  
an improved telescope4 ,they fail  and  
are disappointed1 though they have      
little right to be so1 for  spiritual   
things are discerned spiritually1 and   
not otherwise4    ,in speculating on the
 reasons of this lamentable issue1 we   
must not  forget that there is such a   
thing as an unpurified intellect as     
well as a corrupt and unregenerate      
heart4 ,sin is not restricted to  the   
affections of the lower nature2 it has  
also invaded the realm  of thought and  
reason4 ,the very pursuit of knowledge1 
noble and  elevating as it is commonly  

esteemed1 is not without its dangers  of
 self-delusion and sin4 ,wherever the   
love of self is paramount1  wherever the
 object really sought is the delight1   
the satisfaction1  the indulgence of    
self1 no matter in which of the many    
departments  of human life and action1  
there is sin4 ,it is certain that the   
intellectual consciousness has its own  
peculiar pleasures1 and those  of the   
keenest and most transporting character2
 certain that the  incessant pursuit of 
such pleasures may come to absorb the   
entire  energies of a man1 so that no   
room is left for the culture of humility
  or love or worship4 ,everything is    
sacrificed to what is called the        
pursuit of truth1 but is in sober fact a
 passionate prosecution  of private     
pleasure4 ,it is not truth that is so   
highly valued2 it  is the keen          
excitement of the race1 and not seldom  
the plaudits  of the spectators when the
 goal is won4 ,such a career may be as  
thoroughly selfish and sinful and       

alienated from ,god as a career of      
common wickedness4 ,and thus employed or
 enthralled1 no intellectual  gifts1    
however splendid1 can bring a man to the
 discernment of  spiritual truth4 ,not  
self-pleasing and foolish vanity and    
arrogant  self-assertion1 but a         
self-renouncing humility1 an inward     
purity from  idols of every kind1 a     
reverence of truth as divine1 are       
indispensable  conditions of the        
perception of things spiritual4    ,the 
representation which is often given is a
 mere travesty4 ,believers  in ,god do  
not want to alter ,his laws by their    
prayers--neither ,his  laws physical1   
nor ,his laws moral and spiritual4 ,it  
is their chief  desire to be brought    
into submission or perfect obedience to 
the sum  of ,his laws4 ,they ask their  
,father in heaven to lead and teach     
them1  to supply their wants in ,his own
 way1 because ,he is their ,father2     
because ,it is ,he that made us1 and    
,his we are4 ,surely1 a reasonable      

request1 and grounded in reason4    ,to 
a plain man1 seeking for arguments to   
justify prayer may well seem  like      
seeking a justification of breathing1 or
 eating and drinking and  sleeping1 or  
any other natural function4 ,our ,lord  
never does anything  of the kind1       
because ,his teaching takes for granted 
the ultimate  prevalence of common      
sense1 in spite of all the subtleties   
and airspun  perplexities1 in which a   
speculative mind delights to lose       
itself4 ,so  long as man has other wants
 than those which he can himself supply1
  prayer will be their natural          
expression4    ,if there be a spiritual 
as distinct from a material world1 the  
difficulty to the ordinary mind is not  
to conceive of their contact  but of    
their absolute isolation from each      
other4 ,this is surely the  inevitable  
result of our own individual experience1
 of the intimate  though not            
indissoluble union of body and spirit in
 every living person4    ,how1 it may be

 asked1 can we really think of his      
,maker being cut off  from man1 or man  
from his ,maker8 ,god were not ,god1 if 
,he left man to  himself4 ,but not only 
are ,his wisdom1 justice and love       
manifested forth  in the beneficent     
arrangements of the world in which we   
find ourselves2  not only is ,he kind to
 the unjust and the unthankful4 ,in pain
 and  loss ,he quickens our sense of    
,himself 7cf4 xiv4 #ai-bb74 ,even in the
  first moments of angry surprise and   
revolt1 that sense is quickened2 we     
rebel1 not against an inanimate world or
 an impersonal law1 but against  a      
,living and ,personal ,being1 whom we   
acknowledge as the ,arbiter of our      
destinies1 and whose wisdom and love and
 power we affect for the time to        
question1 but cannot really gainsay4    
,the whole of our experience tends  to  
this end--to the continual rousing of   
our spiritual consciousness4  ,there is 
no interference1 no isolated and        
capricious interposition or             

interruption of order within or without 
us4 ,within and without us1  ,his ,will 
is always energizing1 always manifesting
 forth ,his ,being1  encouraging our    
confidence1 demanding our obedience and 
homage4    ,thus prayer has its ,divine 
as well as its human side2 it is the    
,holy  ,spirit drawing the soul1 as well
 as the soul drawing nigh unto ,god4    
,the case is like the action and        
reaction of the magnet and the steel4   
,and so prayer is not a foolish act of  
unauthorised presumption1 not  a rash   
effort to approach unapproachable and   
absolutely isolated  ,majesty4 ,whenever
 man truly prays1 his ,divine ,king has 
already  extended the sceptre of ,his   
mercy1 and bidden him speak4            
xvi4-xvii4 ,after the renewal of the    
promise there is a natural pause1       
marked by the formula with which the    
present section opens4 ,when the        
prophet had recovered his firmness1     
through the inspired and inspiring      
reflexions which took possession of his 

soul after he had laid bare  his inmost 
heart before ,god 7xv4 #bj1 #ba71 he was
 in a position to  receive further      
guidance from above4 ,what now lies     
before us is the  direction1 which came 
to him as certainly ,divine1 for the    
regulation  of his own future behaviour 
as the chosen minister of ,iahvah at    
this  crisis in the history of his      
people4 ,and there fell a word of       
,iahvah  unto me1 saying3 ,thou shalt   
not take thee a wife2 that thou get  not
 sons and daughters in this place4 ,such
 a prohibition reveals1  with the utmost
 possible clearness and emphasis1 the   
gravity of the  existing situation4 ,it 
implies that the peace and permanence1  
so  glibly predicted by ,jeremiah's     
opponents1 will never more be known  by 
that sinful generation4 ,this place1 the
 holy place which ,iahvah  had chosen1  
to establish ,his name there1 as the    
,book of the ,law  so often describes   
it2 this place1 which had been          
inviolable to  the fierce hosts of the  

,assyrian in the time of ,isaiah 7,isa4 
xxxvii4  #cc71 was now no more a sure   
refuge1 but doomed to utter and speedy  
destruction4 ,to beget sons and         
daughters there was to prepare more     
victims for the tooth of famine1 and the
 pangs of pestilence1 and the  devouring
 sword of a merciless conqueror4 ,it was
 to fatten the soil  with unburied      
carcases1 and to spread a hideous       
banquet for birds and  beasts of prey4  
,children and parents were doomed to    
perish together2  and ,iahvah's witness 
was to keep himself unencumbered by the 
sweet  cares of husband and father1 that
 he might be wholly free for his  solemn
 duties of menace and warning1 and be   
ready for every emergency4        ,for  
thus hath ,iahvah said3                 
,concerning the sons and concerning the 
daughters that are born in              
this place1       ,and concerning their 
mothers that bear them1       ,and      
concerning their fathers that beget     
them1 in this land3       ,by deaths of 

agony shall they die2       ,they shall 
not be mourned nor buried2       ,for   
dung on the face of the ground shall    
they serve2       ,and by the sword and 
by the famine shall they be fordone3    
,and their carcase shall serve for food 
,to the fowls of the air and to the     
beasts of the earth 7xvi4 #c-d74    ,the
 deaths of agony seem to indicate the   
pestilence1 which always  ensued upon   
the scarcity and vile quality of food1  
and the confinement  of multitudes      
within the narrow bounds of a besieged  
city 7see  ,josephus' well-known account
 of the last siege of ,jerusalem74      
,the attitude of solitary watchfulness  
and strict separation1 which the        
prophet thus perceived to be required by
 circumstances1 was calculated  to be a 
warning of the utmost significance1     
among a people who attached  the highest
 importance to marriage1 and the        
permanence of the family4    ,it        
proclaimed more loudly than words could 
do1 the prophet's absolute  conviction  

that offspring was no pledge of         
permanence2 that universal  death was   
hanging over a condemned nation4 ,but   
not only this4 ,it marks  a point of    
progress in the prophet's spiritual     
life4 ,the crisis1  through which we    
have seen him pass1 has purged his      
mental vision4 ,he  no longer repines at
 his dark lot2 no longer half envies the
 false  prophets1 who may win the       
popular love by pleasing oracles of     
peace  and well-being2 no longer        
complains of the ,divine ,will1 which   
has  laid such a burden upon him4 ,he   
sees now that his part is to refuse     
even natural and innocent pleasures for 
the ,lord's sake2 to foresee  calamity  
and ruin2 to denounce unceasingly the   
sin he sees around  him2 to sacrifice a 
tender and affectionate heart to a life 
of rigid  asceticism2 and he manfully   
accepts his part4 ,he knows that he     
stands  alone--the last fortress of     
truth in a world of falsehood2 and that 
for truth it becomes a man to surrender 

his all4    ,that which follows tends to
 complete the prophet's social          
isolation4  ,he is to give no sign of   
sympathy in the common joys and sorrows 
of  his kind4        ,for thus hath     
,iahvah said3       ,enter thou not into
 the house of mourning1       ,nor go to
 lament1 nor comfort thou them3         
,for ,i have taken away ,my friendship  
from this people 7',tis                 
,iahvah's utterance67       ,the        
lovingkindness and the compassion2      
,and old and young shall die in this    
land1       ,they shall not be buried1  
and men shall not wail for them2        
,nor shall a man cut himself1 nor make  
himself bald1 for them3       ,neither  
shall men deal out bread to them in     
mourning1       ,to comfort a man over  
the dead2       ,nor shall they give    
them to drink the cup of consolation1   
,over a man's father and over his       
mother4        ,and the house of        
feasting thou shalt not enter1       ,to
 sit with them to eat and to drink4     

,for thus hath ,iahvah ,sabaoth1 the    
,god of ,israel1 said3       ,lo1 ,i am 
about to make to cease from this place1 
,before your own eyes and in your own   
days1       ,voice of mirth and voice of
 gladness1       ,the voice of the      
bridegroom and the voice of the bride4  
,acting as prophet1 that is1 as one     
whose public actions were  symbolical of
 a ,divine intent1 ,jeremiah is         
henceforth to stand  aloof1 on occasions
 when natural feeling would suggest     
participation  in the outward life of   
his friends and acquaintance4 ,he is to 
quell  the inward stirrings of affection
 and sympathy1 and to abstain from      
playing his part in those demonstrative 
lamentations over the dead1  which the  
immemorial custom and sentiment of his  
country regarded  as obligatory2 and    
this1 in order to signify unmistakably  
that what  thus appeared to be the state
 of his own feelings1 was really the    
aspect under which ,god would shortly   
appear to a nation perishing  in its    

guilt4 ,enter not into the house of     
mourning 444 for ,i  have taken away ,my
 friendship from this people1 the       
lovingkindness  and the compassion4 ,an 
estranged and alienated ,god would view 
the  coming catastrophe with the cold   
indifference of exact justice4  ,and the
 consequence of the ,divine aversion    
would be a calamity so  overwhelming1   
that the dead would be left without     
those rites of  burial1 which the       
feeling and conscience of all races of  
mankind have  always been careful to    
perform4 ,there should be no burial1    
much less  ceremonial lamentation1 and  
those more serious modes of evincing    
grief  by disfigurement of the          
person1#ff which1 like tearing the hair 
and  rending the garments1 are natural  
tokens of the first distraction of      
bereavement4 ,not for wife or child 73  
see ,gen4 xxiii4 #c71 nor for  father or
 mother should the funeral feast be     
held2 for men's hearts  would grow hard 
at the daily spectacle of death1 and at 

last there  would be no survivors4      
,in like manner1 the prophet is         
forbidden to enter as guest the  house  
of feasting4 ,he is not to be seen at   
the marriage-feast1--that  occasion of  
highest rejoicing1 the very type and    
example of innocent  and holy mirth2 to 
testify by his abstention that the day  
of judgment  was swiftly approaching1   
which would desolate all homes1 and     
silence  for evermore all sounds of joy 
and gladness in the ruined city4 ,and it
  is expressly added that the blow will 
fall before your own eyes and  in your  
own days2 shewing that the hour of doom 
was very near1 and  would no more be    
delayed4    ,in all this1 it is         
noticeable that the ,divine answer      
appears to bear  special reference to   
the peculiar terms of the prophet's     
complaint4  ,in despairing tones he had 
cried 7xv4 #aj71 ,woe's me1 my mother1  
that  thou didst bear me6 and now he is 
himself warned not to take a wife1  and 
seek the blessing of children4 ,the     

outward connexion here may be3  ,let it 
not be that thy children speak of thee1 
as thou hast spoken  of thy mother6#fg  
,but the inner link of thought may      
rather be this1  that the prophet's     
temporary unfaithfulness evinced in his 
outcry  against ,god and his lament that
 ever he was born is punished by the    
denial to him of the joys of            
fatherhood--a penalty which would be    
severe to a loving1 yearning nature like
 his1 but which was doubtless  necessary
 to the purification of his spirit from 
all worldly taint1  and to the          
discipline of his natural impatience and
 tendency to repine  under the hand of  
,god4 ,his punishment1 like that of     
,moses1 may appear  disproportionate to 
his offence2 but ,god's dealings with   
man are not  regulated by any mechanical
 calculation of less and more1 but by   
,his  perfect knowledge of the needs of 
the case2 and it is often in truest     
mercy that ,his hand strikes hard4 ,as  
gold in the furnace doth ,he try  them2 

and the purest metal comes out of the   
hottest fire4    ,further1 it is not the
 least prominent but the leading part of
 a man's  nature that most requires this
 heavenly discipline1 if the best is  to
 be made of it that can be made4 ,the   
strongest element1 that which  is most  
characteristic of the person1 that which
 constitutes his  individuality1 is the 
chosen field of ,divine influence and   
operation2  for here lies the greatest  
need4 ,in ,jeremiah this master element 
was  an almost feminine tenderness2 a   
warmly affectionate disposition1        
craving the love and sympathy of his    
fellows1 and recoiling almost  in agony 
from the spectacle of pain and          
suffering4 ,and therefore it  was that  
the ,divine discipline was specially    
applied to this element  in the         
prophet's personality4 ,in him1 as in   
all other men1 the good  was mingled    
with evil1 which1 if not purged away1   
might spread until  it spoiled his whole
 nature4 ,it is not virtue to indulge   

our own  bent1 merely because it pleases
 us to do so2 nor is the exercise of    
affection any great matter to an        
affectionate nature4 ,the involved      
strain of selfishness must be separated1
 if any naturally good gift  is to be   
elevated to moral worth1 to become      
acceptable in the sight  of ,god4 ,and  
so it was precisely here1 in his most   
susceptible point1  that the sword of   
trial pierced the prophet through4 ,he  
was saved from  all hazard of becoming  
satisfied with the love of wife and     
children1  and forgetting in that       
earthly satisfaction the love of his    
,god4 ,he  was saved from absorption in 
the pleasures of friendly intercourse   
with neighbours1 from passing his days  
in an agreeable round of  social        
amenities2 at a time when ruin was      
impending over his country1  and well   
nigh ready to fall4 ,and the means which
 ,god chose for the  accomplishment of  
this result were precisely those of     
which the  prophet had complained 7xv4  

#ag72 his social isolation1 which though
 in  part a matter of choice1 was partly
 forced upon him by the irritation  and 
ill-will of his acquaintance4 ,it is now
 declared that this trial  is to        
continue4 ,the ,lord does not           
necessarily remove a trouble1 when      
entreated to do it4 ,he manifests ,his  
love by giving strength to bear  it1    
until the work of chastening be         
perfected4    ,an interruption is now   
supposed1 such as may often have        
occurred in  the course of ,jeremiah's  
public utterances4 ,the audience demands
 to  know why all this evil is ordained 
to fall upon them4 ,what is our  guilt  
and what our trespass1 that we have     
trespassed against ,iahvah  our ,god8   
,the answer is a twofold accusation4    
,their fathers were  faithless to       
,iahvah1 and they have outdone their    
fathers' sin2 and the  penalty will be  
expulsion and a foreign servitude4      
,because your fathers forsook ,me 7,it  
is ,iahvah's word67       ,and went     

after other gods1 and served them1 and  
bowed down to them1       ,and ,me they 
forsook1 and ,my teaching they observed 
not3       ,and ye yourselves 7or1 as   
for you7 have done worse than your      
fathers2       ,and lo1 ye walk each    
after the stubbornness of his evil      
heart1       ,so as not to hearken unto 
,me4       ,therefore will ,i hurl you  
from off this land1       ,on to the    
land that ye and your fathers knew not2 
,and ye may serve there other gods1 day 
and night1       ,since ,i will not     
grant you grace4    ,the damning sin    
laid to ,israel's charge is idolatry1   
with all the  moral consequences        
involved in that prime transgression4   
,that is to  say1 the offence consisted 
not barely in recognising and honouring 
the  gods of the nations along with     
their own ,god1 though that were fault  
enough1 as an act of treason against the
 sole majesty of ,heaven2 but  it was   
aggravated enormously by the moral      
declension and depravity1  which        

accompanied this apostasy4 ,they and    
their fathers forsook ,iahvah  and kept 
not ,his teaching2 a reference to the   
,book of the ,law1  considered not only 
as a collection of ritual and ceremonial
 precepts  for the regulation of        
external religion1 but as a guide of    
life and  conduct4 ,and there had been a
 progress in evil2 the nation had gone  
from bad to worse with fearful rapidity3
 so that now it could be  said of the   
existing generation that it paid no heed
 at all to the  monitions which ,iahvah 
uttered by the mouth of ,his prophet1   
but walked  simply in stubborn self-will
 and the indulgence of every corrupt    
inclination4 ,and here too1 as in so    
many other cases1 the sin is to be  its 
own punishment4 ,the ,book of the ,law  
had declared that revolt from  ,iahvah  
should be punished by enforced service  
of strange gods in a  strange land      
7,deut4 iv4 #bh1 xxviii4 #cf1 #fd72 and 
,jeremiah repeats this  threat1 with the
 addition of a tone of ironical         

concession3 there1 in  your bitter      
banishment1 you may have your wish to   
the full2 you may  serve the foreign    
gods1 and that without intermission     
7implying that  the service would be a  
slavery74    ,the whole theory of       
,divine punishment is implicit in these 
few words  of the prophet4 ,they who sin
 persistently against light and         
knowledge  are at last given over to    
their own hearts' lust1 to do as they   
please1 without the gracious check of   
,god's inward voice4 ,and then  there   
comes a strong delusion1 so that they   
believe a lie1 and take  evil for good  
and good for evil1 and hold themselves  
innocent before  ,god1 when their guilt 
has reached its climax2 so that1 like   
,jeremiah's  hearers1 if their evil be  
denounced1 they can ask in astonishment3
  ,what is our iniquity8 or what is our 
trespass8    ,they are so ripe in sin   
that they retain no knowledge of it as  
sin1  but hold it virtue4        ,and   
they1 so perfect is their misery1       

,not once perceive their foul           
disfigurement1       ,but boast         
themselves more comely than before4     
,and not only do we find in this passage
 a striking instance of  judicial       
blindness as the penalty of sin4 ,we may
 see also in the  penalty predicted for 
the ,jews a plain analogy to the        
doctrine that  the permanence of the    
sinful state in a life to come is the   
penalty of  sin in the present life4 ,he
 that is unjust1 let him be unjust      
still2  and he that is filthy1 let him  
be filthy still6 and know himself to  be
 what he is4    ,the prophet's dark     
horizon is here apparently lit up for a 
moment by  a gleam of hope4 ,the        
fourteenth and fifteenth verses1        
however1 with  their beautiful promise  
of restoration1 really belong to another
  oracle1 whose prevailing tones are    
quite different from the present  gloomy
 forecast of retribution 7xxiii4 #g     
sqq474 ,here they interrupt  the sense1 
and make a cleavage in the connexion of 

thought1 which can  only be bridged over
 artificially1 by the suggestion that   
the import  of the two verses is        
primarily not consolatory but minatory2 
that is  to say1 that they threaten     
,exile rather than promise ,return2 a   
mode  of understanding the two verses   
which does manifest violence to the     
whole form of expression1 and1 above    
all1 to their obvious force in  the     
original passage from which they have   
been transferred hither4  ,probably some
 transcriber of the text wrote them in  
the margin of his  copy1 by way of      
palliating the otherwise unbroken gloom 
of this oracle  of coming woe4 ,then1 at
 some later time1 another copyist1      
supposing  the marginal note indicated  
an omission1 incorporated the two verses
  in his transcription of the text1     
where they have remained ever since4    
7,see on xxiii4 #g1 #h47    ,after      
plainly announcing in the language of   
,deuteronomy the expulsion  of ,judah   
from the land which they had desecrated 

by idolatry1 the  prophet develops the  
idea in his own poetic fashion2         
representing the  punishment as         
universal1 and insisting that it is a   
punishment1 and  not an unmerited       
misfortune4        ,lo1 ,i am about to  
send many fishers 7,it is ,iahvah's     
word67       ,and they shall fish them2 
,and afterwards will ,i send many       
hunters1       ,and they shall hunt     
them1       ,from off every mountain1   
,and from off every hill1       ,and out
 of the clefts of the rocks4    ,like   
silly fish1 crowding helplessly one over
 another into the  net1#fh when the     
fated moment arrives1 ,judah will fall  
an easy prey  to the destroyer4 ,and    
afterwards1 to ensure completeness1     
those who  have survived this first     
disaster will be hunted like wild       
beasts1 out  of all the dens and caves  
in the mountains1 the ,adullams and     
,engedis1  where they have found a      
refuge from the invader4    ,there is   
clearly reference to two distinct       

visitations of wrath1 the  latter more  
deadly than the former2 else why the use
 of the emphatic  note of time          
afterwards8 ,if we understand by the    
fishing of the  country the so-called   
first captivity1 the carrying away of   
the boy-king  ,jehoiachin and his mother
 and his nobles and ten thousand        
principal  citizens1 by ,nebuchadrezzar 
to ,babylon 7#b ,kings xxiv4 #aj sqq472 
and  by the hunting the final           
catastrophe in the time of ,zedekiah2 we
 get1  as we shall see1 a probable      
explanation of a difficult expression in
 the  eighteenth verse1 which cannot    
otherwise be satisfactorily accounted   
for4 ,the next words 7ver4 #ag7 refute  
an assumption1 implied in the  popular  
demand to know wherein the guilt of the 
nation consists1 that  ,iahvah is not   
really cognisant of their acts of       
apostasy4        ,for ,mine eyes are    
upon all their ways1       ,they are not
 hidden away from before ,my face2      
,nor is their guilt kept secret from    

before ,mine eyes4    ,the verse is thus
 an indirect reply to the questions of  
verse #aj2  questions which in some     
mouths might indicate that              
unconsciousness of  guilt1 which is the 
token of sin finished and perfected2 in 
others1  the presence of that unbelief  
which doubts whether ,god can1 or at    
least whether ,he does regard human     
conduct4 ,but ,he that planted the  ear1
 can ,he not hear8 ,he that formed the  
eye1 can ,he not see8 7,ps4  xciv4 #i74 
,it is really an utterly irrational     
thought1 that sight1 and  hearing1 and  
the higher faculties of reflexion and   
consciousness1 had  their origin in a   
blind and deaf1 a senseless and         
unconscious source  such as inorganic   
matter1 whether we consider it in the   
atom or in the  enormous mass of an     
embryo system of stars4    ,the measure 
of the penalty is now assigned4         
,and ,i will repay first the double of  
their guilt and their                   
trespass       ,for that they profaned  

,my land with the carcases of their     
loathly            offerings1       ,and
 their abominations filled ,mine        
heritage4#fi      ,i will repay first4  
,the term first1 which has occasioned   
much  perplexity to expositors1 means   
the first time 7,gen4 xxxviii4 #bh2     
,dan4 xi4 #bi71 and refers1 if ,i am not
 mistaken1 to the first great  blow1 the
 captivity of ,jehoiachin1 of which ,i  
spoke just now2 an  occasion which is   
designated again 7ver4 #ba71 by the     
expression this  once or rather at this 
time4 ,and when it is said ,i will repay
 the  double of their guilt and of their
 trespass1 we are to understand  that   
the ,divine justice is not satisfied    
with half measures2 the  punishment of  
sin is proportioned to the offence1 and 
the cup of  self-entailed misery has to 
be drained to the dregs4 ,even penitence
  does not abolish the physical and     
temporal consequences of sin2 in        
ourselves and in others whom we have    
influenced they continue--a  terrible   

and ineffaceable record of the past4    
,the ancient law required  that the man 
who had wronged his neighbour by theft  
or fraud should  restore double 7,ex4   
xxii4 #d1 #g1 #i72 and thus this        
expression would  appear to denote that 
the impending chastisement would be in  
strict  accordance with the recognised  
rule of law and justice1 and that ,judah
  must repay to the ,lord in suffering  
the legal equivalent for her  offence4  
,in a like strain1 towards the end of   
the ,exile1 the great  prophet of the   
captivity comforts ,jerusalem with the  
announcement that  her hard service is  
accomplished1 her punishment is held    
sufficient2  for she hath received of   
,iahvah's hand twofold for all her      
trespasses  7,isa4 xl4 #b74 ,the ,divine
 severity is1 in fact1 truest mercy4    
,only thus  does mankind learn to       
realize the exceeding sinfulness of sin1
 only  as ,judah learned the heinousness
 of desecrating the ,holy ,land with    
loathly offerings to the vile           

,nature-gods1 and with the symbols  in  
wood and stone of the cruel and obscene 
deities of ,canaan2 viz4  by the fearful
 issue of transgression1 the lesson of a
 calamitous  experience1 confirming the 
forecasts of its inspired prophets4     
,iahvah my strength and my stronghold   
and my refuge in the day of             
distress6       ,unto ,thee the very    
heathen will come from the ends of the  
earth1            and will say3         
',mere fraud did our fathers receive as 
their own1       ,mere breath1 and      
beings among whom is no helper4         
,should man make him gods1       ,when  
such things are not gods8'              
,therefore1 behold ,i am about to let   
them know--       ,at this time will ,i 
let them know ,my hand and ,my might1   
,and they shall know that ,my name is   
,iahvah6    ,in the opening words       
,jeremiah passionately recoils from the 
very  mention of the hateful idols1 the 
loathly creations1 the lifeless         
carcases1 which his people have put in  

the place of the ,living ,god4  ,an     
overmastering access of faith lifts him 
off the low ground where  these dead    
things lie in their helplessness1 and   
bears him in spirit  to ,iahvah1 the    
really and eternally existing1 ,who is  
his strength and  stronghold and refuge 
in the day of distress4 ,from this      
height he  takes an eagle glance into   
the dim future1 and discerns--,o marvel 
of  victorious faith6--that the very    
heathen1 who have never so much as      
known the ,name of ,iahvah1 must one day
 be brought to acknowledge the          
impotence of their hereditary gods1 and 
the sole deity of the ,mighty ,one  of  
,jacob4 ,he enjoys a glimpse of         
,isaiah's and ,micah's glorious vision  
of  the latter days1 when the mountain  
of the ,lord's ,house shall be exalted  
as chief of mountains1 and all nations  
shall flow unto it4    ,in the light of 
this revelation1 the sin and folly of   
,israel in  dishonouring the ,one only  
,god1 by associating ,him with idols and

  their symbols1 becomes glaringly      
visible4 ,the very heathen 7the  term is
 emphatic by position71 will at last    
grope their way out of  the night of    
traditional ignorance1 and will own the 
absurdity of  manufactured gods4        
,israel1 on the other hand1 has for     
centuries sinned  against knowledge and 
reason4 ,they had ,moses and the        
prophets2 yet  they hated warning and   
despised reproof4 ,they resisted the    
,divine  teachings1 because they loved  
to walk in their own ways1 after the    
imaginings of their own evil hearts4    
,and so they soon fell into  that       
strange blindness1 which suffered them  
to see no sin in giving  companions to  
,iahvah1 and neglecting ,his severer    
worship for the  sensuous rites of      
,canaan4    ,a rude awakening awaits    
them4 ,once more will ,iahvah interpose 
to save  them from their infatuation4   
,this time they shall be taught to know 
the nothingness of idols1 not by the    
voice of prophetic pleadings1 not  by   

the fervid teachings of the ,book of the
 ,law1 but by the sword of  the enemy1  
by the rapine and ruin1 in which the    
resistless might of  ,iahvah will be    
manifested against ,his rebellious      
people4 ,then1 when the  warnings which 
they have ridiculed find fearful        
accomplishment1 then  will they know    
that the name of the ,one ,god is       
,,iahvah--,he ,who alone was  and is and
 shall be for evermore4 ,in the shock of
 overthrow1 in the  sorrows of          
captivity1 they will realize the        
enormity of assimilating the  ,supreme  
,source of events1 the ,fountain of all 
being and power1 to the  miserable      
phantoms of a darkened and perverted    
imagination4    xvii4 #a-ah4 ,jeremiah1 
speaking for ,god1 returns to the       
affirmation of  ,judah's guiltiness4 ,he
 has answered the popular question 7xvi4
 #aj71 so  far as it implied that it was
 no mortal sin to associate the worship 
of alien gods with the worship of       
,iahvah4 ,he now proceeds to answer it  

with an indignant contradiction1 so far 
as it suggested that ,judah was  no     
longer guilty of the grossest forms of  
idolatry4        #a ,the trespass of    
,judah1 he affirms1 is written with pen 
of iron1              with point of     
adamant2         ,graven upon the tablet
 of their heart1         ,and upon the  
horns of their altars3         ,even as 
their sons remember their altars1       
,and their sacred poles by the evergreen
 trees1         ,upon the high hills4   
#b ,o ,my mountain in the field6        
,thy wealth and all thy treasures will  
,i give for a spoil1         ,for the   
trespass of thine high-places in all thy
 borders4           ,and thou shalt drop
 thine hand#gj from thy demesne which ,i
 gave              thee2         ,and ,i
 will enslave thee to thine enemies1    
,in the land that thou knowest not2     
,for a fire have ye kindled in ,mine    
anger2         ,it shall burn for       
evermore4    ,it is clear from the first
 strophe that the outward forms of      

idolatry  were no longer openly         
practised in the country4 ,where        
otherwise would be  the point of        
affirming that the national sin was     
written with pen of  iron1 and point of 
adamant--that it was graven upon the    
tablet of the  people's heart8 ,where   
would be the point of alluding to the   
children's  memory of the altars and    
sacred poles1 which were the visible    
adjuncts  of idolatry8 ,plainly it is   
implied that the hideous rites1 which   
sometimes involved the sacrifice of     
children1 are a thing of the past2  yet 
not of the distant past1 for the young  
of the present generation  remember     
them2 those terrible scenes are burnt in
 upon their memories1  as a haunting    
recollection which can no more be       
effaced1 than the guilt  contracted by  
their parents as agents in those        
abhorrent rites can be  done away4 ,the 
indelible characters of sin are graven  
deeply upon their  hearts2 no need for a
 prophet to remind them of facts to     

which their  own consciences1 their own 
inward sense of outraged affections1 and
 of  nature sacrificed to a dark and    
bloody superstition1 bears irrefragable 
witness4 ,rivers of water cannot cleanse
 the stain of innocent blood from  their
 polluted altars4 ,the crimes of the    
past are unatoned for1 and  beyond reach
 of atonement2 they cry to heaven for   
vengeance1 and the  vengeance will      
surely fall 7xv4 #d74    ,hitzig rather 
prosaically remarks that ,josiah had    
destroyed the  altars4 ,but the stains  
of which the poet-seer speaks are not   
palpable  to sense2 he contemplates     
unseen realities4              ,will all
 great ,neptune's ocean wash this blood 
,clean from my hand8 ,no1 this my hand  
will rather             ,the            
multitudinous seas incarnadine1         
,making the green one red4    ,the      
second strophe declares the nature of   
the punishment4 ,the tender1  yearning1 
hopeless love of the cry with which     
,iahvah resigns ,his  earthly seat to   

profanation and plunder and red-handed  
ruin1 enhances  the awful impression    
wrought by the slow1 deliberate         
enunciation  of the details of the      
sentence--the utter spoliation of temple
 and  palaces2 the accumulated hoards of
 generations--all that represented  the 
wealth and culture and glory of the     
time--carried away for ever2  the       
enforced surrender of home and country2 
the harsh servitude to  strangers in a  
far-off land4    ,it is difficult to fix
 the date of this short lyrical         
outpouring1  if it be assumed1 with     
,hitzig1 that it is an independent      
whole4 ,he  refers it to the year ,b4,c4
 #fjb1 after ,jehoiakim had revolted    
from  ,babylon--a proceeding which made 
a future captivity well-nigh  certain1  
and made it plain that the sin of ,judah
 remained still to be  punished4        
,moreover1 the preceding year 7,b4,c4   
#fjc7 was what was known  to the ,law as
 a ,year of ,release or ,remission      
7shenath shemittah72  and the phrase    

thou shalt drop thine hand1 i4e4 loose  
thine hold  of the land 7xvii4 #d71     
appears to allude to the peculiar usages
 of  that year1 in which the debtor was 
released from his obligations1 and  the 
corn-lands and vineyards were allowed to
 lie fallow4 ,the ,year of  ,release was
 also called the ,year of ,rest 7shenath
 shabbathon1 ,lev4  xxv4 #e72 and both  
in the present passage of ,jeremiah1 and
 in the book  of ,leviticus1 the time to
 be spent by the ,jews in exile is      
regarded as  a period of rest for the   
desolate land1 which would then make    
good  her sabbaths 7,lev4 xxvi4 #cd1    
#ce1 #dc74 ,the ,chronicler indeed seems
 to  refer to this very phrase of       
,jeremiah2 at all events1 nothing else  
is  to be found in the extant works of  
the prophet with which his language     
corresponds 7#b ,chron4 xxxvi4 #ba74    
,if the rendering of the second verse1  
which we find in both our  ,english     
versions1 and which ,i have adopted     
above1 be correct1 there  arises an     

obvious objection to the date assigned  
by ,hitzig2 and the  same objection lies
 against the view of ,naegelsbach1 who  
translates3        ,as their children   
remember their altars1       ,and their 
images of ,baal by 7i4e4 at the sight   
of7 the green            trees1 by the  
high hills4    ,for in what sense could 
this have been written not long before  
the fourth year of ,jehoiakim1 which is 
the date suggested by this  commentator 
for the whole group of chapters1        
xiv4-xvii4 #ah8 ,the entire  reign of   
,josiah had intervened between the      
atrocities of ,manasseh  and this       
period2 and it is not easy to suppose   
that any sacrifice  of children had     
occurred in the three months' reign of  
,jehoahaz1  or in the early years of    
,jehoiakim4 ,had it been so1 ,jeremiah1 
who  denounces the latter king severely 
enough1 would certainly have placed  the
 horrible fact in the forefront of his  
invective2 and instead  of specifying   
,manasseh as the king whose offences    

,iahvah would not  pardon1 would have   
thus branded ,jehoiakim1 his own        
contemporary4 ,this  difficulty appears 
to be avoided by ,hitzig1 who explains  
the passage  thus3 ,when they 7the      
,jews7 think of their children1 they    
remember1  and cannot but remember1 the 
altars to whose horns the blood of their
  immolated children cleaves4 ,in the   
same way1 by a green tree on the  hills1
 i4e41 when they come upon any such1    
their ,asherim are brought  to mind1    
which were trees of that sort4 ,and     
since it is perhaps  possible to        
translate the ,hebrew as this suggests1 
,when they remember  their sons1 their  
altars1 and their sacred poles1 by 7i4e4
 by means  of7 the evergreen trees      
7collective term7 upon the high hills1  
and  this translation agrees well with  
the statement that the sin of ,judah  is
 graven upon the tablet of their heart1 
his view deserves further               
consideration4 ,the same objection1     
however1 presses again1 though with     

somewhat diminished force4 ,for if the  
date of the section be #fjb1 the  eighth
 year of ,jehoiakim1 more than forty    
years must have elapsed  between the    
time of ,manasseh's bloody rites and the
 utterance of this  oracle4 ,would many 
who were parents then1 and surrendered  
their  children for sacrifice1 be still 
living at the supposed date8 ,and if    
not1 where is the appropriateness of the
 words ,when they remember  their sons1 
their altars1 and their ,asherim8       
,there seems no way out of the          
difficulty1 but either to date the      
piece much earlier1 assigning it1 e4g41 
to the time of the  prophet's earnest   
preaching in connexion with the         
reforming movement  of ,josiah1 when the
 living generation would certainly      
remember the  human sacrifices under    
,manasseh2 or else to construe the      
passage in a  very different sense1 as  
follows4 ,the first verse declares that 
the  sin of ,judah is graven upon the   
tablet of their heart1 and upon  the    

horns of their altars4 ,the pronouns    
evidently shew that it is  the guilt of 
the nation1 not of a particular         
generation1 that is  asserted4 ,the     
subsequent words agree with this view4  
,the expression1  ,their sons is to be  
understood in the same way as the       
expressions  their heart1 their altars4 
,it is equivalent to the sons of  ,judah
 7ben ,jehudah71 and means simply the   
people of ,judah1 as  now existing1 the 
present generation4 ,now it does not    
appear that  image-worship and the      
cultus of the high-places revived after 
their  abolition by ,josiah4            
,accordingly1 the symbols of impure     
worship  mentioned in this passage are  
not high-places and images but altars   
and ,asherim1 i4e41 the wooden poles    
which were the emblems of the           
reproductive principle of ,nature4 ,what
 the passage therefore intends  to say  
would seem to be this3 ,the guilt of the
 nation remains1 so  long as its        
children are mindful of their altars and

 ,asherim erected  beside#ga the        
evergreen trees on the high hills2 i4e41
 so long as  they remain attached to the
 modified idolatry of the day4    ,the  
general force of the words remains the  
same1 whether they accuse  the existing 
generation of serving sun-pillars       
7maeboth7 and  sacred poles 7asherim71  
or merely of hankering after the old    
forbidden rites4 ,for so long as the    
popular heart was wedded to the  former 
superstitions1 it could not be said that
 any external abolition  of idolatry was
 a sufficient proof of national         
repentance4 ,the longing  to indulge in 
sin is sin2 and sinful it is not to hate
 sin4 ,the guilt  of the nation         
remained1 therefore1 and would remain1  
until blotted out  by the tears of a    
genuine repentance towards ,iahvah4     
,but understood thus1 the passage suits 
the time of ,jehoiachin1 as well  as any
 other period4    ,why1 asks            
,naegelsbach1 should not ,moloch have   
been the terror of  the ,israelitish    

children1 when there was such real and  
sad ground for  it1 as in wanting in    
other bugbears which terrify the        
children of the  present day8 ,to this  
we may reply1 7#a7 ,moloch is not       
mentioned at  all1 but simply altars and
 asherim2 7#b7 would the word remember  
be  appropriate in this case8    ,the   
beautiful strophes which follow 7#e-ac7 
are not obviously connected  with the   
preceding text4 ,they wear a look of    
self-completeness1 which  suggests that 
here and in many other places ,jeremiah 
has left us1 not  whole discourses1     
written down substantially in the form  
in which  they were delivered1 but      
rather his more finished fragments2     
pieces  which being more rhythmical in  
form1 and more striking in thought1 had 
imprinted themselves more deeply upon   
his memory4        ,thus hath ,iahvah   
said3       ,cursed is the man that     
trusteth in human kind1       ,and      
maketh flesh his arm1       ,and whose  
heart swerveth from ,iahvah6       ,and 

he shall become like a leafless tree in 
the desert1       ,and shalt not see    
when good cometh2       ,and shall dwell
 in parched places in the steppe1       
,a salt land and uninhabited4           
,blessed is the man that trusteth in    
,iahvah1       ,and whose trust ,iahvah 
becometh6       ,and he shall become    
like a tree planted by water1           
,that spreadeth its roots by a stream1  
,and is not afraid when heat cometh1    
,and its leaf is evergreen2       ,and  
in the year of drought it feareth not1  
,nor leaveth off from making fruit4     
,the form of the thought expressed in   
these two octostichs1 the curse  and the
 blessing1 may have been suggested by   
the curses and blessings  of that ,book 
of the ,law of which ,jeremiah had been 
so faithful an  interpreter 7,deut4     
xxvii4 #ae-xxviii4 #bj72 while both the 
thought  and the form of the second     
stanza are imitated by the anonymous    
poet of the first psalm4 ,the mention of
 the year of drought in  the penultimate

 line may be taken1 perhaps1 as a link  
of connexion  between this brief section
 and the whole of what precedes it so   
far as  chap4 xiv41 which is headed     
,concerning the droughts4 ,if1 however1 
the group of chapters thus marked out   
really constitute a single  discourse1  
as ,naegelsbach assumes1 one can only   
say that the style is  episodical rather
 than continuous2 that the prophet has  
often recorded  detached thoughts1      
worked up to a certain degree of        
literary form1 but  hanging together as 
loosely as pearls on a string4 ,indeed1 
unless we  suppose that he had kept full
 notes of his discourses and            
soliloquies1  or that1 like certain     
professional lecturers of our own day1  
he had  been in the habit of            
indefinitely repeating to different     
audiences the  same carefully elaborated
 compositions1 it is difficult to       
understand  how he would be able without
 the aid of a special miracle1 to write 
down in the fourth year of ,jehoiakim   

the numerous utterances of the  previous
 three and twenty years4 ,neither of    
these suppositions appears  probable4   
,but if the prophet wrote from memory1  
so long after the  original delivery of 
many of his utterances1 the looseness of
 internal  connexion1 which marks so    
much of his book1 is readily understood4
    ,the internal evidence of the       
fragment before us1 so far as any such  
is traceable1 appears to point to the   
same period as what precedes1  the time 
immediately subsequent to the death of  
,jehoiakim4 ,the curse  pronounced upon 
trusting in man may be an allusion to   
that king's  confidence in the ,egyptian
 alliance1 which probably induced him to
  revolt from ,nebuchadrezzar1 and so   
precipitate the final catastrophe of    
his country4 ,he owed his throne to the 
,pharaoh's appointment 7#b ,kings       
xxiii4 #cd71 and may perhaps have       
regarded this as an additional reason   
for defection from ,babylon4 ,but the   
chastisement of ,egypt preceded that  of

 ,judah2 and when the day came for the  
latter1 the king of ,egypt durst  no    
longer go to the help of his too        
trustful allies 7#b ,kings xxiv4 #g74   
,jehoiakim had died1 but his son and    
successor was carried captive to        
,babylon4 ,in the brief interval between
 those two events1 the prophet may  have
 penned these two stanzas1 contrasting  
the issues of confidence in  man and    
confidence in ,god4 ,on the other hand1 
they may also be referred  to some time 
not long before the fourth year of      
,jehoiakim1 when that  king1 egged on by
 ,egypt1 was meditating rebellion       
against his suzerain2  an act of which  
the fatal consequences might easily be  
foreseen by  any thoughtful observer1   
who was not blinded by fanatical passion
  and prejudice1 and which might itself 
be regarded as an index of the  kindling
 of ,divine wrath against the country4  
,deep is the heart above all things     
else2       ,and sore-diseased it is3   
who can know it8       ,i1 ,iahvah1     

search the heart1 ,i try the reins1     
,and that1 to give to a man according to
 his own ways1       ,according to the  
fruit of his own doings4        ,a      
partridge that gathereth young which are
 not hers1       ,is he that maketh     
wealth not by right4       ,in the      
middle of his days it will leave him1   
,and in his end he shall prove a fool4  
,a throne of glory1 a high seat from of 
old1       ,is the place of our         
sanctuary4       ,hope of ,israel1      
,iahvah6       ,all that leave ,thee    
shall be ashamed2       ,mine apostates 
shall be written in earth2       ,for   
they left the ,well of ,living ,waters1 
even ,iahvah4        ,heal ,thou me1    
,iahvah1 and ,i shall be healed1        
,save ,thou me1 and ,i shall be saved1  
,for ,thou art my praise4        ,lo1   
they say unto me1       ,where is the   
,word of ,iahvah8 ,prithee1 let it come6
       ,yet ,i1 ,i hasted not from being
 a shepherd after ,thee1       ,and     
woeful day ,i desired not--,thou        

knowest2       ,the issue of my lips1   
before ,thy face it fell4        ,become
 not a terror to me6       ,thou art my 
refuge in the day of evil4       ,let my
 pursuers be ashamed1 and let not me be 
ashamed6       ,let them be dismayed1   
and let not me be dismayed2       ,let  
,thou come upon them a day of evil1     
,and doubly with breaking break ,thou   
them6    ,in the first of these stanzas1
 the word heart is the connecting  link 
with the previous reflexions4 ,the curse
 and the blessing had  there been       
pronounced not upon any outward and     
visible distinctions1  but upon a       
certain inward bent and spirit4 ,he is  
called accursed1  whose confidence is   
placed in changeable1 perishable man1   
and whose  heart swerveth from ,iahvah4 
,and he is blessed1 who pins his faith  
to nothing visible2 who looks for help  
and stay not to the seen1 which  is     
temporal1 but to the ,unseen1 which is  
eternal4    ,the thought now occurs that
 this matter of inward trust1 being a   

matter of the heart1 and not merely of  
the outward bearing1 is a  hidden       
matter1 a secret which baffles all      
ordinary judgment4 ,who  shall take upon
 him to say whether this or that man1   
this or that  prince confided or not    
confided in ,iahvah8 ,the human heart is
 a sea1  whose depths are beyond human  
search2 or it is a shifty ,proteus1     
transforming itself from moment to      
moment under the pressure of  changing  
circumstances1 at the magic touch of    
impulse1 under the spell  of new        
perceptions and new phases of its world4
 ,and besides1 its very  life is tainted
 with a subtle disease1 whose hereditary
 influence  is ever interfering with the
 will and affections1 ever tampering    
with the conscience and the judgment1   
and making difficult a clear            
perception1 much more a wise decision4  
,nay1 where so many motives  press1 so  
many plausible suggestions of good1 so  
many palliations of  evil1 present      
themselves upon the eve of action2 when 

the colours of  good and evil mingle and
 gleam together in such rich profusion  
before  the dazzled sight1 that the mind
 is bewildered by the confused medley   
of appearances1 and wholly at a loss to 
discern and disentangle them  one from  
another2 is it wonderful1 if in such a  
case the heart should  take refuge in   
the comfortable illusion of self-deceit1
 and seek1 with  too great success1 to  
persuade itself into contentment with   
something  which it calls not positive  
evil but merely a less sublime good8    
,it is not for man1 who cannot see the  
heart1 to pronounce upon  the degree of 
his fellow's guilt4 ,all sins1 all      
crimes1 are in  this respect relative to
 the intensity of passion1 the force of 
circumstances1 the nature of            
surroundings1 the comparative stress of 
temptation4 ,murder and adultery are    
absolute crimes in the eye of  human    
law1 and subject as such to fixed       
penalties2 but the ,unseen  ,judge takes
 cognizance of a thousand               

considerations1 which though  they      
abolish not the exceeding sinfulness of 
these hideous results of  a depraved    
nature1 yet modify to a vast extent the 
degree of guilt  evinced in particular  
cases by the same outward acts4 ,in the 
sight of  ,god1 a life socially correct 
may be stained with a deeper dye than   
that of profligacy or bloodshed2 and    
nothing so glaringly shows the  folly of
 inquiring what is the unpardonable sin1
 as the reflexion that  any sin whatever
 may become such in an individual case4 
,before ,god1 human justice is often the
 liveliest injustice4 ,and  how many    
flagrant wrongs1 how many monstrous acts
 of cruelty and  oppression1 how many   
wicked frauds and perjuries1 how many of
 those  vile deeds of seduction and     
corruption1 which are1 in truth1 the    
murder of immortal souls2 how many of   
those fearful sins1 which make a        
sorrow-laden hell beneath the smiling   
surface of this pleasure-wooing  world1 
are left unheeded1 unavenged by any     

earthly tribunal6 ,but all  these things
 are noted in the eternal record of ,him
 who searches the  heart1 and penetrates
 man's inmost being1 not from a motive  
of mere  curiosity1 but with fixed      
intent to award a righteous recompense  
for  all choice and all conduct4    ,the
 calamities which marked the last years 
of ,jehoiakim1 and his  ignominious end1
 were a signal instance of ,divine      
retribution4 ,here  that king's lawless 
avarice is branded as not only wicked   
but foolish4  ,he is compared to the    
partridge1 which gathers and hatches the
 eggs of  other birds1 only to be       
deserted at once by her stolen brood4#gb
 ,in  the middle of his days1 it shall  
leave him 7or it may leave him1  for in 
,hebrew one form has to do duty for both
 shades of meaning74 ,the  uncertainty  
of possession1 the certainty of absolute
 surrender within  a few short years1   
this is the point which demonstrates the
 unreason  of making riches the chief   
end of one's earthly activity4 ,truly   

man  walketh in a vain shadow1 and      
disquieteth himself in vain3 he heapeth 
up riches1 and cannot tell who shall    
gather them4 ,it is the point  which is 
put with such terrible force in the     
parable of the ,rich ,fool4  ,soul1 thou
 hast much goods laid up for thyself for
 many years2 take  thine ease1 eat1     
drink1 and be merry4 ,and the ,lord said
 unto him1  ,thou fool6 this night shall
 thy soul be required of thee4    ,the  
covetousness1 oppression1 and           
bloodthirstiness of ,jehoiakim are      
condemned in a striking prophecy 7xxii4 
#ac-ai71 which we shall have to         
consider hereafter4 ,a vivid light is   
thrown upon the words1 ,in the  middle  
of his days it shall leave him1 by the  
fact recorded in ,kings  7#b ,kings     
xxiii4 #cf71 that he died in the        
thirty-sixth year of his  age2 when1    
that is1 he had fulfilled but half of   
the threescore years  and ten allotted  
to the ordinary life of man4 ,we are    
reminded of that  other psalm which     

declares that bloody and deceitful men  
shall not  live out half their days 7lv4
 #bc74    ,apart indeed from all        
consideration of the future1 and apart  
from  all reference to that loyalty to  
the ,unseen ,ruler which is man's       
inevitable duty1 a life devoted to      
,mammon is essentially irrational4  ,the
 man is most truly a fool--that is1 one 
who fails to understand  his own nature1
 one who has not attained to even a     
tolerable working  hypothesis as to the 
needs of life1 and the way to win a due 
share of  happiness2--who has not       
discovered that                         
riches have their proper stint          
,in the contented mind1 not mint2    and
 that                  those who have   
the itch            ,of craving more1   
are never rich2    and who has missed   
all apprehension of the grand secret    
that              ,wealth cannot make a 
life1 but love4    ,from the vanity of  
earthly thrones1 whether of ,egypt or of
 ,judah1  thrones whose glory is        

transitory1 and whose power to help and 
succour  is so ill-assured1 the prophet 
lifts his eyes to the one throne whose  
glory is everlasting1 and whose power   
and permanence are an eternal  refuge4  
,thou ,throne of ,glory1 ,high ,seat    
from of old1       ,place of our        
,sanctuary1 ,hope of ,israel1 ,iahvah6  
,all who leave ,thee blush for shame2   
,mine apostates are written in earth2   
,for they have forsaken the ,well of    
,living ,water1 even ,iahvah6    ,it is 
his concluding reflexion upon the       
unblest1 unhonoured end of the  apostate
 ,jehoiakim4 ,if ,isaiah could speak of 
,shebna as a throne of  glory1#gc i4e41 
the honoured support and mainstay of his
 family1  there seems no reason why     
,iahvah might not be so addressed1 as   
the  supporting power and sovereign of  
the world4    ,the terms ,throne of     
,glory 444 ,place of our ,sanctuary seem
 to be used  much as we use the         
expressions1 the ,crown1 the ,court1 the
 ,throne1  when we mean the actual ruler

 with whom these things are associated4 
,and  when the prophet declares ,mine#gd
 apostates are written in earth1 he     
asserts that oblivion is the portion of 
those of his people1 high or  low1 who  
forsake ,iahvah for another god4 ,their 
names are not written in  the ,book of  
,life 7,ex4 xxxii4 #cb2 ,ps4 lxix4 #bh71
 but in the sand whence  they are soon  
effaced4 ,the prophets do not attempt to
 expose              ,the sweet strange 
mystery             ,of what beyond     
these things may lie4    ,they do not in
 express terms promise eternal life to  
the individual  believer4    ,but how   
often do their words imply that         
comfortable doctrine6 ,they  who forsake
 ,iahvah must perish1 for there is      
neither permanence nor  stay apart from 
,,iahvah1 whose very ,name denotes ,he  
who ,is1 the  sole ,principle of ,being 
and ,fountain of ,life4 ,if             
they--nations and  persons--who revolt  
from ,him must die1 the implication1 the
 truth  necessary to complete this      

affirmation1 is that they who trust in  
,him1  and make ,him their arm1 will    
live2 for union with ,him is eternal    
life4    ,in this ,fountain of ,living  
,water ,jeremiah now seeks healing for  
himself4 ,the malady that afflicts him  
is the apparent failure of  his oracles4
 ,he suffers as a prophet whose word    
seems idle to the  multitude4 ,he is    
hurt with their scorn1 and wounded to   
the heart with  their scoffing4 ,on all 
sides men press the mocking question1   
,where  is the word of ,iahvah8         
,prithee1 let it come to pass6 ,his     
threats of  national overthrow had not  
been speedily realized2 and men made a  
mock  of the delays of ,divine mercy4   
,conscious of his own integrity1 and    
keenly sensitive to the ridicule of his 
triumphant adversaries1 and  scarcely   
able to endure longer his intolerable   
position1 he pours out  a prayer for    
healing and help4 ,heal me1 he cries1   
and ,i shall be  healed1 ,save me and ,i
 shall be saved--really and truly saved1

 as the  form of the ,hebrew term       
implies2 for ,thou art my praise1 my    
boast  and my glory1 as the ,book of the
 ,law affirms 7,deut4 x4 #ba74 ,i have  
not  trusted in man1 but in ,god2 and if
 this my sole glory be taken away1  if  
events prove me a false prophet1 as my  
friends allege1 applying  the very test 
of the sacred ,law 7,deut4 xviii4 #ba   
sq471 then shall  ,i be of all men most 
forsaken and forlorn4 ,the bitterness of
 his woe  is intensified by the         
consciousness that he has not thrust    
himself  without call into the prophetic
 office1 like the false prophets whose  
aim was to traffic in sacred things     
7xiv4 #ad1 #ae72 for then the           
consciousness of guilt might have made  
the punishment more tolerable1  and the 
facts would have justified the jeers of 
his persecutors4 ,but  the case was far 
otherwise4 ,he had been most unwilling  
to assume the  function of prophet2 and 
it was only in obedience to the stress  
of  repeated calls that he had yielded4 

,but as for me1 he protests1 ,i  hasted 
not from being a shepherd to follow     
,thee4 ,it would seem1 if  this be the  
correct1 as it certainly is the simplest
 rendering of  his words1 that1 at the  
time when he first became aware of his  
true  vocation1 the young prophet was   
engaged in tending the flocks that      
grazed in the priestly pasture-grounds  
of ,anathoth4 ,in that case1 we  are    
reminded of ,david1 who was summoned    
from the sheepfold to camp  and court1  
and of ,amos the prophet-herdsman of    
,tekoa4 ,but the ,hebrew  term          
translated from being a shepherd is     
probably a disguise of some  other      
original expression2 and it would       
involve no very violent change  to read 
,i made no haste to follow after ,thee  
fully or entirely#ge  7,deut4 i4 #cf72 a
 reading which is partially supported by
 the oldest  version4 ,or it may be even
 better1 as involving a mere change in  
the  punctuation1#gf to amend the text  
thus3 ,but as for me1 ,i made no  haste1

 in following thee1 more literally1 in  
accompanying thee  7,judg4 xiv4 #bj74   
,this1 however1 is a point of textual   
criticism1 which  leaves the general    
sense the same in any case4    ,when the
 prophet adds3 and the ill day ,i       
desired not1 some think  that he means  
the day when he surrendered to the      
,divine calling1  and accepted his      
mission4 ,but it seems to suit the      
context better1  if we understand by the
 ill day the day of wrath whose coming  
was  the burden of his preaching2 the   
day referred to in the taunts of  his   
enemies1 when they asked ,where is the  
word of ,iahvah8 adding  with biting    
sarcasm3 ,prithee1 let it come to pass4 
,they sneered at  ,jeremiah as one who  
seized every occasion to predict evil1  
as one who  longed to witness the ruin  
of his country4 ,the utter injustice of 
the charge1 in view of the frequent     
cries of anguish which interrupt  his   
melancholy forecasts1 is no proof that  
it was not made4 ,in all  ages1 ,god's  

representatives have been called upon to
 endure false  accusations4 ,hence the  
prophet appeals from man's unrighteous  
judgment  to ,god the ,searcher of      
hearts4 ,thou knowest2 the utterance of 
my  lips 7,deut4 xxiii4 #bd7 before ,thy
 face it fell3 as if to say1 ,no word   
of mine1 spoken in ,thy name1 was a     
figment of my own fancy1 uttered  for my
 own purposes1 without regard of ,thee4 
,i have always spoken as  in ,thy       
presence1 or rather1 in ,thy presence4  
,thou1 who hearest all1  didst hear each
 utterance of mine2 and therefore       
knowest that all ,i  said was truthful  
and honest and in perfect accord with my
 commission4    ,if only we who1 like   
,jeremiah1 are called upon to speak for 
,god1 could  always remember that every 
word we say is uttered in that          
,presence1  what a sense of             
responsibility would lie upon us2 with  
what labour and  prayers should we not  
make our preparation6 ,too often alas6  
it is to be  feared that our perception 

of the presence of man banishes all     
sense of  any higher presence2 and the  
anticipation of a fallible and frivolous
  criticism makes us forget for the time
 the judgment of ,god4 ,and yet by  our 
words we shall be justified1 and by our 
words we shall be condemned4    ,in     
continuing his prayer1 ,jeremiah adds   
the remarkable petition1  ,become not   
,thou to me a cause of dismay6 ,he prays
 to be delivered  from that overwhelming
 perplexity1 which threatens to swallow 
him  up1 unless ,god should verify by   
events that which ,his own ,spirit  has 
prompted him to utter4 ,he prays that   
,iahvah1 his only refuge  in the day of 
evil1 will not bemock him with vain     
expectations2  will not falsify ,his own
 guidance2 will not suffer ,his         
messenger to  be ashamed1 disappointed  
and put to the blush by the failure of  
his predictions4 ,and then once again1  
in the spirit of his time1 he  implores 
vengeance upon his unbelieving and cruel
 persecutors3 ,let  them be ashamed1    

disappointed in their expectation of    
immunity1 let  them be dismayed1 crushed
 in spirit and utterly overcome by the  
fulfilment of his dark presages of evil4
 ,let ,thou come upon them a  day of    
evil1 ,and doubly with breaking break   
,thou them6 ,this indeed  asks no more  
than that what has been spoken before in
 the way of  prophecy--,i will repay the
 double of their guilt and their        
trespass  7xvi4 #ah7--may be forthwith  
accomplished4 ,and the provocation was1 
beyond all question1 immense4 ,the      
hatred that burned in the taunt  ,where 
is the word of ,iahvah8 ,prithee1 let it
 come to pass6 was  doubtless of like   
kind with that which at a later stage of
 ,jewish  history expressed itself in   
the words ,he trusted in ,god1 let ,him 
deliver ,him6 ,if ,he be the ,son of    
,god1 let ,him now come down from the   
cross1 and we will believe on ,him6     
,and how much fierce hostility that one 
term my pursuers may cover1  it is easy 
to infer from the narratives of the     

prophet's evil  experience in chaps4    
xx41 xxvi4 and xxxviii4 ,but allowing   
for all  this1 we can at best only      
affirm that the prophet's imprecations  
on his foes are natural and human2 we   
cannot pretend that they are            
evangelical and ,christ-like4#gg        
,besides1 the latter would be a         
gratuitous anachronism1 which no        
intelligent interpreter of ,scripture   
is called upon to perpetrate4 ,it is    
neither necessary to the proper         
vindication of the prophet's writings as
 truly inspired of ,god1 nor  helpful to
 a right conception of the method of    
revelation4    ,,footnotes3    #eg      
,,hitzig3 7#a7 xiv4 #a-i1 #ai-bb3       
,lament and ,prayer on occasion of  a   
,drought4 7#b7 xiv4 #aj-ah4 ,oracle     
against the false ,prophets and  the    
misguided ,people 7,hitzig mistakes the 
import of the phrase    1 ,thus have    
they loved to wander1 ver4 #aj2         
supposing that  the thus refers to xiii4
 #bg1 and that xiv4 #a-i is misplaced74 

7#c7  xv4 #a-i4 ,the incorrigible       
,people will be punished mercilessly4   
,hitzig thinks ,c4 ,b4 ,michaelis wrong 
in asserting close connexion with  the  
end of the preceding chapter1 because   
the intercession1 vv4 #b-i1  does not   
agree with the prohibition1 xiv4 #aa2   
and because xiv4 #ai-bb1  merely prays  
for cessation of the ,drought2 while the
 rejection of the  hypothetical         
intercession1 xv4 #a1 delivers the      
people over to all  the horrors which   
follow in the train of war4 xv4 #a-i may
 originally  have followed xiv4 #ah4    
,but this is far from cogent reasoning4 
,there  is nothing surprising in the    
renewal of the prophet's intercession1  
except on a theory of strictly verbal   
inspiration2 and xv4 #a sqq4  in        
refusing deliverance from the ,drought1 
or rather in answer to the  prayer      
imploring it1 announces further and     
worse evils to follow4  7#d7 ,complaint 
of the ,seer against ,iahvah1 and       
,soothing of his  ,dejection1 xv4       

#aj-ba4 ,hitzig thinks internal evidence
 here points to  the fourth year of     
,jehoiakim2 and that xvii4 #a-d         
originally preceded  this section1      
especially as ch4 xvi4 connects closely 
with xv4 #i4 7#e7  xvi4 #a-bj4          
,prediction of an imminent general      
,judgment by ,plague and  ,captivity4   
,written immediately after xv4 #a-i1 and
 falls with that in  the short reign of 
,jehoiachin4 7#f7 xvii4 #a-d4 ,judah's  
unforgotten  ,guilt will be punished by 
,captivity4 ,wanting in ,,lxx4 7as early
 as  ,jerome71 but contains original of 
xv4 #ac1 #ad1 and must therefore be     
genuine4 ,belongs #fjb ,b4,c41 year of  
,jehoiakim's revolt4 7#g7 xvii4 #e-ah4  
,the ,vindication of ,trust in ,god on  
,despisers and ,believers4 ,prayer  for 
its ,vindication4 ,date immediately     
after death of ,jehoiakim4 7#h7  #ai-bg4
 ,warning to keep the ,sabbath4 ,time of
 ,jehoiachin4    #eh ,the ,heb4 verb  is
 broken may probably have this meaning4 
,dismayed is not nearly so suitable1    

though it is the usual meaning  of the  
term4 ,cf4 ,isa4 vii4 #h4    #ei ,cf4   
viii4 #i4 ,and no wisdom is in them4    
#fj ,so ,dathe1 ,naegelsbach4    #fa    
,lit4 all these things1 i4e41 this      
visible world4 ,there is no  ,heb4      
special term for the universe or world4 
,the all or heaven  and earth1 or the   
phrase in the text1 are used in this    
sense4    #fb ,the reference to an      
eclipse of the sun in the words         
,her sun went down1 while it yet was    
day2       ,he blushed and paled4       
appears fairly certain4 ,such an event  
is said to have occurred in that  part  
of the world1 ,sept4 #cj1 ,b4,c4 #faj4  
#fc #ac4 ,read  ,thine high places for  
without price2  and transpose  7xvii4   
#c74    #fd #ad4 ,read  and ,i will make
 thee serve 7xvii4 #d7 for   and ,i will
 make to pass through4444    ,the third 
member is a quotation from ,deut4 xxxii4
 #bb4 ,in the fourth1  read  for ever   
7xvii4 #d7 instead of  upon you4    #fe 
,the tone of all this indicates that the

 prophet was no novice in  his office4  
,it does not suit the time of ,josiah2  
but agrees very well  with the time of  
confusion and popular dismay which      
followed his death4  ,that event must   
have brought great discredit upon       
,jeremiah and upon all  who had been    
instrumental in the religious changes of
 his reign4    #ff ,practices forbidden1
 ,lev4 xxi4 #e2 ,deut4 xiv4 #a4         
,jeremiah mentions  them as ordinary    
signs of mourning1 and doubtless they   
were general in  his time4 ,an ancient  
usage1 having its root in natural       
feeling1 is not  easily extirpated4     
#fg ,naegelsbach4    #fh ,the figure    
recalls the ,persian custom of sweeping 
off the whole  population of an island1 
by forming a line and marching over it1 
a  process of extermination called by   
the ,greek writers 1  fishing with a    
seine or drag-net 7,herod4 iii4 #adi1   
iv4 #i1 vi4 #ca74    #fi ,for the       
construction1 cf4 ,gen4 i4 #bb2 ,jer4   
li4 #aa4 ,or ,with their  abominations  

they filled1 etc41 a double accusative4 
#gj i4e41 ,loose thine hold of 444 let  
go 444 release4 ,read  for  4 ,the uses 
of  to throw down1 let fall1 resemble   
those of  the ,greek  and its compounds4
 ,i corrected the passage thus1 to  find
 afterwards that ,i had been anticipated
 by ,j4 ,d4 ,michaelis1 ,graf1  and     
others4    #ga ,there is something      
strange about the phrase by 7upon1 al7  
the  evergreen tree4 ,twenty-five ,heb4 
,,mss41 the ,targ41 and the ,syriac1    
read every 7kol7 for upon 7al74 ,we     
still feel the want of a  preposition1  
and may confidently restore under       
7taath71 from the  nine other passages  
in which evergreen tree 7ec raanan7     
occurs  in connexion with idolatrous    
worship4 ,in all these instances the    
expression is under every evergreen tree
 7taath kol ec raanan72  from the ,book 
of the ,law 7,deut4 xii4 #b71 whence    
,jeremiah probably  drew the phrase1 to 
#b ,chron4 xxviii4 #d4 ,jeremiah has    
already used the  phrase thrice 7ii4    

#bj1 iii4 #f1 #ac71 in exactly the same 
form4 ,the other  passages are ,ezek4   
vi4 #ac2 ,isa4 lvii4 #e2 #b ,kings xvi4 
#d1 xvii4 #aj4 ,the  corruption of kol  
into al is found elsewhere4 ,probably   
taath had  dropt out of the text1 before
 the change took place here4    #gb ,a  
popular opinion of the time4    #gc     
,isa4 xxii4 #bc4    #gd ,the ,heb4 term 
is probably written with omission of the
 final  mem1 a common abbreviation2 and 
the right reading may be  and           
apostates4    #ge  for 4    #gf  for 4  
#gg ,i have left this paragraph as ,i   
wrote it1 although ,i feel great  doubts
 upon the subject4 ,what ,i have        
remarked elsewhere on similar  passages1
 should be considered along with the    
present suggestions4 ,we  have          
especially to remember1 7i7 the peculiar
 status of the speaker as  a true       
prophet2 and 7ii7 the terrible          
invectives of ,christ ,himself on       
certain occasions 7,st4 ,matt4 xxiii4   
#cc-ce2 ,st4 ,luke x4 #ae2 ,st4 ,john   

viii4 #dd74                             
,x4                           ,,the     
,,sabbath--,a ,,warning4                
,,jeremiah xvii4 #ai-bg4      ,thus said
 ,iahvah unto me3 ,go and stand in the  
gate of ,benjamin1  whereby the kings of
 ,judah come in1 and whereby they go    
out2 and  in all the gates of           
,jerusalem4 ,and say unto them1 ,hear ye
 the word  of ,iahvah1 ,o kings of      
,judah1 and all ,judah1 and all         
inhabitants of  ,jerusalem1 who come in 
by these gates6    ,thus said ,iahvah3  
,beware1 on your lives1 and bear ye not 
a burden  on the ,day of ,rest1 nor     
bring it in by the gates of ,jerusalem6 
,nor  shall ye bring a burden forth out 
of your houses on the ,day of ,rest1    
nor shall ye do any work2 but ye shall  
hallow the ,day of ,rest1 as ,i         
commanded your fathers4 7,albeit1 they  
hearkened not1 nor inclined  their ear1 
but stiffened their neck against        
hearkening1 and against  receiving      
instruction47    ,and it shall come to  

pass1 if ye will indeed hearken unto    
,me1 saith  ,iahvah1 not to bring a     
burden in by the gates of this city on  
the  ,day of ,rest1 but to hallow the   
,day of ,rest1 not to do therein any    
work2 then there shall come in by the   
gates of this city kings  and princes   
sitting upon the throne of ,david1      
riding on the  chariots and on the      
horses1 they and their princes1 ,o men  
of ,judah  and inhabitants of           
,jerusalem6 and this city shall be      
inhabited for  ever4 ,and people shall  
come in from the cities of ,judah and   
from  the places round ,jerusalem1 and  
from the land of ,benjamin1 and from    
the lowlands1 and from the hill-country1
 and from the south1 bringing  in       
burnt-offering and thank-offering1 and  
oblation and incense2 and  bringing a   
thanksgiving into the house of ,iahvah4 
,and if ye hearken not unto ,me to      
hallow the ,day of ,rest1 and not  to   
bear a burden and come in by the gates  
of ,jerusalem on the ,day  of ,rest3 ,i 

will kindle a fire in her gates1 and it 
shall devour the  palaces of ,jerusalem1
 and shall not be quenched4    ,the     
matter and manner of this brief oracle  
mark it off from those  which precede it
 as an independent utterance1 and a     
whole complete  in itself4 ,its position
 may be accounted for by its probable   
date1  which may be fixed a little after
 the previous chapters1 in the  three   
months' reign of the ill-starred        
,jehoiachin2 and by the  writer's or his
 editor's desire to break the monotony  
of commination  by an occasional gleam  
of hope and promise4 ,at the same time1 
the  introductory formula with which it 
opens is so similar to that of the  two 
following oracles 7chaps4 xviii41 xix471
 as to suggest the idea of  a connexion 
in time between the members of the      
group4 ,further1 there  is an obvious   
connexion of thought between chaps4     
xviii41 xix4 ,in the  former1 the house 
of ,israel is represented as clay in the
 hand of the  ,divine ,potter2 in the   

latter1 ,judah is a potter's vessel     
destined  to be broken in pieces4 ,and  
if we assume the priority of the piece  
before us1 a logical progress is        
observable1 from the alternative here   
presented for the people's choice1 to   
their decision for the worse  part      
7xviii4 #ab sqq471 and then to the      
corresponding decision on the  part of  
,iahvah 7xix474 ,or1 as ,hitzig puts it 
otherwise1 in the piece  before us the  
scales are still in equipoise2 in chap4 
xviii4 one goes  down2 ,iahvah intends  
mischief 7ver4 #aa71 and the people are 
invited  to appease ,his anger4 ,but the
 warning is fruitless2 and therefore    
the prophet announces their destruction1
 depicting it in the darkest  colours   
7chap4 xix474 ,the immediate consequence
 to ,jeremiah himself is  related in    
chap4 xx4 #a-f2 and it is highly        
probable that the section1  chap4 xxi4  
#aa-xxii4 #i1 is the continuation of the
 oracle addressed  to ,pashchur3 so that
 we have before us a whole group of     

prophecies  belonging to the same       
eventful period of the prophet's        
activity 7xvii4  #bj agrees closely with
 xxii4 #b1 and xvii4 #be with xxii4 #d74
    ,the circumstances of the present   
oracle are these4 ,jeremiah is  inwardly
 bidden to station himself first in the 
gate of the sons of  the people--a gate 
of ,jerusalem which we cannot further   
determine1  as it is not mentioned      
elsewhere under this designation1 but   
which  appears to have been a special   
resort of the masses of the population1 
because it was the one by which the     
kings were wont to enter and leave  the 
city1 and where they doubtless were     
accustomed to hear petitions  and to    
administer justice2 and afterwards1 he  
is to take his stand in  all the gates  
in turn1 so as not to miss the chance of
 delivering his  message to any of his  
countrymen4 ,he is there to address the 
kings  of ,judah 7ver4 #bj72 an         
expression which may denote the young   
king  ,jehoiachin and his mother 7xiii4 

#ah71 or the king and the princes of    
the blood1 the ,house of ,david of chap4
 xxi4 #ab4 ,the promise kings  shall    
come in by the gates of this city 444   
and this city shall be  inhabited for   
ever1 and the threat ,i will kindle a   
fire in her  gates1 and it shall devour 
the palaces of ,jerusalem1 may be taken 
to imply a time when the public danger  
was generally recognised4 ,the  first   
part of the promise may be intended to  
meet an apprehension1  such as might    
naturally be felt after the death of    
,jehoiakim1 that  the incensed          
,chaldeans would come and take away the 
,jewish place and  nation4 ,in raising  
the boy ,jehoiachin to the throne of his
 fathers1  men may have sorrowfully     
foreboded that1 as the event proved1 he 
would  never keep his crown till        
manhood1 nor beget a race of future     
kings4    ,the matter of the charge to  
rulers and people is the due observance 
of  the fourth commandment3 ye shall    
hallow the ,day of ,rest1 as ,i         

commanded  your fathers 7see ,ex4 xx4   
#h1 ,remember the ,day of ,rest1 to     
hallow  it--which is probably the       
original form of the precept4 ,jeremiah1
  however1 probably had in mind the form
 of the precept as it appears in        
,deuteronomy3 ,observe the ,day of ,rest
 to hallow it1 as ,iahvah thy ,god      
commanded thee3 ,deut4 v4 #ab74 ,the    
,hebrew term for hallow means to        
separate a thing from common things1 and
 devote it to ,god4    ,to hallow the   
,day of ,rest1 therefore1 is to make a  
marked distinction  between it and      
ordinary days1 and to connect it in some
 way with  religion4 ,what is here      
commanded is to abstain from bearing    
burdens1  and doing any kind of work    
7melakah1 ,gen4 ii4 #b1 #c2 ,ex4 xx4 #i1
 #aj1  xxxi4 #ad1 #ae2 ,gen4 xxxix4 #aa1
 appointed task1 duty1 business74  ,the 
bearing of burdens into the gates and   
out of the houses clearly  describes the
 ordinary commerce between town and     
country4 ,the country  folk are         

forbidden to bring their farm produce to
 the market in  the city gates1 and the 
townspeople to convey thither from their
  houses and shops the manufactured     
goods which they were accustomed  to    
barter for these4 ,nehemiah's memoirs   
furnish a good illustration  of the     
general sense of the passage 7,neh4     
xiii4 #ae71 relating how he  suppressed 
this ,sabbath traffic between town and  
country4 ,dr4 ,kuenen  has observed that
 ,jeremiah is the first of the prophets 
who stands  up for a stricter           
sanctification of the seventh day1      
treating it1  however1 merely as a day  
of rest4444 ,what was traditional       
appears  to have been only abstinence   
from field-work1 and perhaps also from  
professional pursuits4 ,in like manner1 
he had before stated that  tendencies to
 such an exaggeration of the ,sabbath   
rest as would  make it absolute1 are    
found from the ,chaldean period4 ,isaiah
 7i4 #ac7  regards the ,sabbath purely  
as a sacrificial day4 ,the last         

statement  here is hardly a fair        
inference4 ,in the passage referred to  
,isaiah  is inveighing against the      
futile worship of his contemporaries2   
and  he only mentions the ,sabbath in   
this connexion4 ,and that tradition     
required more than abstinence from      
field-work is evident from words  of the
 prophet ,amos1 written at least a      
century and a half before the  present  
oracle1 and implying that very          
abstinence from trading which  ,jeremiah
 prescribes4 ,amos makes the grasping   
dealers of his time cry  impatiently1   
,when will the new moon be gone1 that we
 may sell corn8  and the sabbath1 that  
we may set out wheat for sale8 7,amos   
viii4 #e72  a clear proof that buying   
and selling were suspended on the       
sabbath  festival in the eighth century 
,b4,c4    ,it is hardly likely that1    
when law or custom compelled covetous   
dealers  to cease operations on the     
,sabbath1 and buying and selling1 the   
principal business of the time1 was     

suspended1 the artisans of town or      
country would be allowed by public      
opinion to ply their everyday tasks4    
,accordingly1 when ,jeremiah adds to his
 prohibition of ,sabbath trading1  a    
veto upon any kind of work--a term which
 includes this trafficking1  but also   
covers the labour of handicraftsmen 7cf4
 #a ,kings v4 #cj2 #b ,kings  xii4 #ab2 
,ex4 xxxv4 #ce7--;he is not really      
increasing the stringency of  the       
traditional rule about ,sabbath         
observance4    ,further1 it is difficult
 to understand how ,dr4 ,kuenen could   
gather  from this passage that ,jeremiah
 treats the ,sabbath merely as a  day of
 rest4 ,this negative character of mere 
cessation from work1  of enforced       
idleness1 is far from being the sole    
feature of the  ,sabbath1 either in     
,jeremiah's view of it1 or as other more
 ancient  authorities represent it4 ,the
 testimony of the passage before us     
proves1 if proof were needed1 that the  
,sabbath was a day of worship4  ,this is

 implied both by the phrase ye shall    
hallow the ,day of ,rest1  that is1     
consecrate it to ,iahvah2 and by the    
promise that if the  precept be observed
 faithfully1 abundant offerings shall   
flow into  the temple from all parts of 
the country1 that is1 as the context    
seems to require1 for the due           
celebration of the ,sabbath festival4   
,there is an intentional contrast       
between the bringing of innumerable     
victims1 and bearing burdens of flour   
and oil and incense on the  ,sabbath1   
for the joyful service of the temple1   
including the festal  meal of the       
worshippers1 and that other carriage of 
goods for merely  secular objects4 ,and 
as the wealth of the ,jerusalem         
priesthood chiefly  depended upon the   
abundance of the sacrifices1 it may be  
supposed  that ,jeremiah thus gives them
 a hint that it is really their interest
  to encourage the observance of the law
 of the ,sabbath4 ,for if men  were busy
 with their buying and selling1 their   

making and mending1  upon the seventh as
 on other days1 they would have no more 
time or  inclination for religious      
duties1 than the ,sunday traders of our 
large  towns have under the vastly      
changed conditions of the present day4  
,moreover1 the teaching of our prophet  
in this matter takes for granted  that  
of his predecessors1 with whose writings
 he was thoroughly  acquainted4 ,if in  
this passage he does not expressly      
designate the  ,sabbath as a religious  
festival1 it is because it seemed       
needless to  state a thing so obvious1  
so generally recognised in theory1      
however  loosely observed in practice4  
,the elder prophets ,hosea1 ,amos1      
,isaiah1  associate ,sabbath and new    
moon together as days of festal         
rejoicing1  when men appeared before    
,iahvah1 that is1 repaired to the       
sanctuary  for worship and sacrifice    
7,hos4 ii4 #aa2 ,isa4 i4 #aa-ad71 and   
when all  ordinary business was         
consequently suspended 7,amos viii4 #e74

    ,it is clear1 then1 from this       
important passage of ,jeremiah that in  
his  time and by himself the ,sabbath   
was still regarded under the double     
aspect of a religious feast and a day of
 cessation from labour1 the  latter     
being1 as in the ancient world          
generally1 a natural consequence  of the
 former characteristic4 ,whether the    
abolition of the local  sanctuaries in  
the eighteenth year of ,josiah resulted 
in any practical  modification of the   
conception of the ,sabbath1 so that1 in 
the words  of ,professor ,robertson     
,smith1 it became for most ,israelites  
an  institution of humanity divorced    
from ritual1 is rendered doubtful by    
the following considerations4 ,the      
period between the reform of ,josiah    
and the fall of ,jerusalem was very     
brief1 including not more than  about   
thirty-five years 7#fba-ehf1 according  
to ,wellhausen74 ,but that  a reaction  
followed the disastrous end of the royal
 ,reformer1 is both  likely under the   

circumstances1 and implied by the       
express assertions  of the author of    
,kings1 who declares of the succeeding  
monarchs that  they did evil in the     
sight of the ,lord according to all that
 their  fathers had done4 ,as           
,wellhausen writes3 the battle of       
,megiddo had  shown that in spite of the
 covenant with ,jehovah the             
possibilities  of non-success in war    
remained the same as before3 so at least
 it  would appear to the unspiritual    
mind of a populace1 still hankering     
after the old forms of local worship1   
with their careless connivance  at riot 
and disorder4 ,it is not probable that a
 rapacious and bloody  tyrant1 like     
,jehoiakim1 would evince more tenderness
 for the ritual  laws than for the moral
 precepts of ,deuteronomy4 ,it is       
likely1 then1  that the worship at the  
local high places revived during this   
and  the following reigns1 just as it   
had revived after its temporary         
abolition by ,hezekiah 7#b ,kings xviii4

 #bb74 ,moreover1 it is with ,judah1    
not ruined and depopulated ,israel1 that
 we have to deal2 and even in  ,judah   
the people must by this time have been  
greatly reduced by war  and its         
attendant evils1 so that ,jerusalem     
itself and its immediate  neighbourhood 
probably comprised the main part of the 
population  to which ,jeremiah addressed
 his discourses during this period4 ,the
  bulk of the little nation would1 in   
fact1 naturally concentrate upon        
,jerusalem1 in the troublous times that 
followed the death of ,josiah4  ,if so1 
it is superfluous to assume that most   
men could only visit  the central altar 
at rare intervals during these last     
decades of the  national existence4#gi  
,the change of view belongs rather to   
the  sixth than the seventh century1 to 
,babylonia rather than to ,judea4       
,the ,sabbath observance prescribed by  
the old ,law1 and recommended by        
,jeremiah1 was indeed a very different  
thing from the pedantic and  burdensome 

obligation which it afterwards became in
 the hands of  scribes and ,pharisees4  
,these1 with their long catalogue of    
prohibited  works1 and their grotesque  
methods of evading the rigour of their  
own rules1 had succeeded in making what 
was originally a joyous  festival and   
day of rest for the weary1 into an      
intolerable interlude  of joyless       
restraint2 when our ,lord reminded them 
that the ,sabbath  was made for man1 and
 not man for the ,sabbath 7,st4 ,mark   
ii4 #bg74  ,treating the strict         
observance of the day as an end in      
itself1 they  forgot or ignored the fact
 that the oldest forms of the sacred    
,law  agreed in justifying the          
institution by religious and            
humanitarian  considerations 7,ex4 xx4  
#h1 #aj2 ,deut4 v4 #ab74 ,the difference
 in the  grounds assigned by the        
different legislations--,deuteronomy    
alleging  neither the ,divine ,rest of  
,exodus xx41 nor the sign of ,exodus    
xxxi4  #ac1 but the enlightened and     

enduring motive that thy bondman and    
thine handmaid may rest as well as thou1
 coupled with the feeling  injunction1  
,remember that thou wast a bondman in   
the land of ,egypt  7,deut4 v4 #ad1     
#ae7--need not here be discussed2 for in
 any case1 the  different motives thus  
suggested were enough to make it clear  
to those  who had eyes to see1 that the 
,sabbath was not anciently conceived  as
 an arbitrary institution established   
purely for its own sake1  and without   
reference to ulterior considerations of 
public benefit4  ,the ,book of the      
,covenant affirmed the principle of     
,sabbath rest in  these unmistakable    
terms3 ,six days thou mayst do thy      
works1 and on  the seventh day thou     
shalt leave off1 that thine ox and thine
 ass  may rest1 and the son of thine    
handmaid--the home-born slave--and  the 
alien may be refreshed 7,ex4 xxiii4     
#ab71 lit4 recover breath1  have        
respite4 ,the humane care of the        
lawgiver for the dumb toilers  and      

slaves requires no comment2 and we have 
already noticed the same  spirit of     
humanity in the later precept of the    
,book of the ,law 7,deut4  v4 #ad1 #ae74
 ,these older rules1 it will be         
observed1 are perfectly  general in     
their scope1 and forbid not particular  
actions 7,ex4 xvi4  #bc1 xxxv4 #c2 ,num4
 xv4 #cb71 but the continuance of       
ordinary labour2  prescribing a merciful
 intermission alike for the cattle      
employed in  husbandry and as beasts of 
burden1 and for all classes of          
dependents4    ,the origin of the       
,sabbath festival is lost in obscurity4 
,when the  unknown writer of ,gen4 i4 so
 beautifully connects it with the       
creation  of the world1 he betrays not  
only the belief of his contemporaries in
  its immemorial antiquity1 but also a  
true perception of the utility  of the  
institution1 its perfect adaptation to  
the wants of humanity4  ,he expresses   
his sense of the fact in the most       
emphatic way possible1  by affirming the

 ,divine origin of an institution whose 
value to man  is divinely great2 and by 
carrying back that origin to the very   
beginning1 he implies that the ,sabbath 
was made for mankind and not  merely for
 ,israel4 ,to whom indeed could an      
ancient ,jewish writer refer  as the    
original source of this unique blessing 
of a ,day of ,rest and  drawing near to 
,god1 if not to ,iahvah1 the fountain of
 all things good8    ,that ,moses1 the  
founder of the nation1 gave ,israel the 
,sabbath1  is as likely as anything can 
be4 ,whether1 in doing so1 he simply    
sanctioned an ancient and salutary      
custom 7investing it perhaps with  new  
and better associations71 dating from   
the tribal existence of the  fathers in 
,chaldea1 or ordered the matter so in   
purposeful contrast  to the ,egyptian   
week of ten days1 cannot at present be  
determined4  ,the ,sabbath of ,israel1  
both that of the prophets and that of   
the  scribes1 was an institution which  
distinguished the nation from all       

others in the period open to historical 
scrutiny2 and with this  knowledge we   
may rest content4 ,that which made      
,israel what it was1 and  what it became
 to the world2 the total of the good    
which this people  realized1 and left as
 a priceless heritage to mankind for    
ever1 was  the outcome1 not of what it  
had in common with heathen antiquity1   
but of what was peculiar to itself in   
ideas and institutions4 ,we  cannot be  
too strongly on our guard against       
assuming external1  superficial1 and    
often accidental resemblances1 to be an 
index of  inward and essential likeness 
and unity4 ,whatever approximations  may
 be established by modern archology     
between ,israel and kindred  peoples1 it
 will still be true that those points of
 contact do not  explain1 though to the 
apprehension of individuals they may    
obscure  what is truly characteristic of
 ,israel1 and what alone gives that     
nation its imperishable significance in 
the history of the world4  ,after all   

deductions made upon such grounds1      
nothing can abolish the  force of the   
fact that ,moses and the prophets do not
 belong to ,moab1  ,ammon1 or ,edom2    
that the ,old ,testament1 though written
 in the language  of ,canaan1 is not a  
monument of ,canaanite but of ,israelite
 faith2  that the ,christ did not spring
 out of ,babylon or ,egypt1 and that    
,christianity is not explicable as the  
last development of ,accadian  magic or 
,egyptian animal worship4    ,to those  
who believe that the prophets enjoyed a 
higher and less  fallible guidance than 
human fancy1 reflexion1 experience2 who 
recognise in the general aim and effect 
of their teaching1 as  contrasted with  
that of other teachers1 the best proof  
that their  minds were subject to an    
influence and a spirit transcending the 
common limits of humanity2 the          
prominence given by ,jeremiah to the law
  of the ,sabbath will be sufficient    
evidence of the importance of that  law 
to the welfare of his contemporaries1 if

 not of all subsequent  generations4 ,if
 we have rightly assigned the piece to  
the reign of  ,jehoiachin1 we may       
suppose that among the contrary currents
 which  agitated the national life at   
that crisis1 there were indications  of 
repentance and remorse at the misdoings 
of the late reign4 ,the  present        
utterance of the prophet might then be  
regarded as a test of  the degree and   
worth of the revulsion of popular       
feeling towards the  ,god of the        
,fathers4 ,the nation was trembling for 
its existence2 and  ,jeremiah met its   
fears1 by pointing out the path of      
safety4 ,here was  one special precept  
hitherto but little observed4 ,would    
they keep it  now and henceforth1 in    
token of a genuine obedience8           
,repentance in  general terms is never  
difficult4 ,the rub is conduct4         
,recognition  of the ,divine ,law is    
easy1 so long as life is not submitted  
to its  control4 ,the prophet thus      
proposes1 in a single familiar instance1

 a  plain test of sincerity1 which is   
perhaps not less applicable in our  own 
day than it was then4           99      
99       99       99       99    ,the   
wording of the final threat suggests a  
thought of solemn  consequence for      
ourselves4 ,i will kindle a fire in her 
gates1 and it  shall devour the castles 
of ,jerusalem--and shall not be         
quenched6  ,the gates were the scene of 
,judah's sinful breach of the ,sabbath  
law1 and in them her punishment is to   
begin4 ,so in the after life of  the    
lost those parts of the physical and    
mental organism which have  been the    
principal seats of sin1 the means and   
instruments of man's  misdoing1 will    
also be the seat of keenest suffering1  
the source  and abode of the most       
poignant misery4 ,the fire that never   
shall  be quenched--,jesus has spoken of
 that awful mystery1 as well as         
,jeremiah4 ,it is the ever-kindling1    
never-dying fire of hopeless and        
insatiable desire2 it is the withering  

flame of hatred of self1 when  the      
castaway sees with open eyes what that  
self has become2 it is the  burning pain
 of a sleepless memory of the           
unalterable past2 it is the  piercing   
sense of a life flung recklessly to     
ruin2 it is the scorching  shame1 the   
scathing self-contempt1 the quenchless1 
raging thirst  for deliverance from     
ourselves2 it is the fearful            
consciousness of  self-destruction1     
branded upon the soul for ever and ever6
    ,,footnotes3    #gh ,the context is 
against supposing1 with ,graf1 that the 
prophet's  call hear ye6 extends also to
 princes yet unborn 7cf4 xiii4 #ac2     
xxv4 #ah is different74 ,if1 however1 it
 be thought that ,jeremiah  addressed   
not the sovereigns personally1 but only 
the people passing  in and out of the   
gates2 then the expression becomes      
intelligible as  a generalised plural1  
like the parallels in #b ,chron4 xxviii4
 #c 7his  children71 ibid4 #af 7the     
kings of ,assyria  ,tiglath-pileser     

,,ii474  ,the prophet might naturally   
avoid the singular as too personal1 in  
affirming an obligation which lay upon  
the ,judean kings in general4    #gi    
,encycl4 ,britann41 s4v4 ,sabbath1 p4   
#abe4                                   
,,xi4                              ,,the
 ,,divine ,,potter4                     
,,jeremiah xviii4      ,jeremiah goes   
down into the ,lower ,town1 or the      
valley between the  upper and lower     
city2 and there his attention is        
arrested by a potter  sitting at work   
before his wheel4 ,as the prophet       
watches1 a vessel  is spoiled in the    
making under the craftsman's hand2 so   
the process  begins afresh1 and out of  
the same lump of clay another vessel is 
moulded1 according to the potter's      
fancy4    ,reflecting upon what he had  
seen1 ,jeremiah recognised a ,divine    
,word  alike in the impulse which led   
him thither1 and in the familiar        
actions of the potter4 ,perhaps as he   
sat meditating at home1 or  praying in  

the court of the temple1 the thought had
 crossed his mind  that ,iahvah was the 
,potter1 and mankind the clay in ,his   
hands2 a  thought which recurs so often 
in the eloquent pages of the second     
,isaiah1 who was doubtless indebted to  
the present oracle for the  suggestion  
of it4 ,musing upon this thought1       
,jeremiah wandered  half-unconsciously  
down to the workshop of the potter2 and 
there1  under the influence of the      
,divine ,spirit1 his thought developed  
itself  into a lesson for his people and
 for us4    ,cannot ,i do unto you like 
this potter1 ,o house of ,israel8 saith 
,iahvah2 ,behold1 as the clay in the    
potter's hand1 so are ye in ,my  hand1  
,o house of ,israel4 ,iahvah has an     
absolute control over ,his  people and  
over all peoples1 to shape their        
condition and to alter  their destiny2 a
 control as absolute as that of the     
potter over the  clay between his hands1
 which he moulds and remoulds at will4  
,men  are wholly malleable in the hands 

of their ,maker2 incapable1 by the      
nature of things1 of any real resistance
 to ,his purpose4 ,if the  first        
intention of the potter fail in the     
execution1 he does not  fail to realize 
his plan on a second trial4 ,and if     
man's nature and  circumstances appear  
for a time to thwart the ,maker's       
design2 if the  unyielding pride and    
intractable temper of a nation mar its  
beauty and  worth in the eyes of its    
,creator1 and render it unfit for its   
destined  uses and functions2 ,he can   
take away the form ,he has given1 and   
reduce  ,his work to shapelessness1 and 
remodel the ruined mass into accordance 
with ,his sovereign design4 ,iahvah1 the
 supreme ,author of all  existence1 can 
do this4 ,it is evident that the        
,creator can do as ,he  will with ,his  
creature4 ,but all ,his dealings with   
man are conditioned  by moral           
considerations4 ,he meddles with no     
nation capriciously1  and irrespective  
of its attitude towards ,his laws4 ,at  

one moment ,i  threaten a nation and a  
kingdom that ,i will uproot and pull    
down and  destroy4 ,and that nation     
which ,i threatened returneth from its  
evil1  and ,i repent of the evil that ,i
 purposed to do it4 ,and at another     
moment1 ,i promise a nation and a       
kingdom that ,i will build and plant4   
,and it doeth the ,evil in ,mine eyes1  
in not hearkening unto ,my voice2  and  
,i repent of the good that ,i said ,i   
would do it 7vv4 #g-aj74    ,this is a  
bold affirmation1 impressive in its     
naked simplicity and  directness of     
statement1 of a truth which in all ages 
has taken  possession of minds at all   
capable of a comprehensive survey of    
national  experience2 the truth that    
there is a power revealing itself in the
  changes and chances of human history1 
shaping its course1 and giving  it a    
certain definite direction1 not without 
regard to the eternal  principles of    
morality4 ,when in some unexpected      
calamity which strikes  down an         

individual sinner1 men recognise a      
judgment or an instance of  the         
visitation of ,god1 they infringe the   
rule of ,christian charity1  which      
forbids us to judge our brethren4 ,yet  
such judgment1 liable as it  is to be   
too readily suggested by private        
ill-will1 envy and other evil  passions1
 which warp the even justice that should
 guide our decisions1  and blind the    
mind to its own lack of impartiality1 is
 in general the  perversion of a true   
instinct which persists in spite of all 
scientific  sophistries and philosophic 
fallacies4 ,for it is an irrepressible  
instinct rather than a reasoned opinion 
which makes us all believe1  however    
inconsistently and vaguely1 that ,god   
rules2 that ,providence  asserts itself 
in the stream of circumstance1 in the   
current of human  affairs4 ,the native  
strength of this instinctive belief is  
shewn by its  survival in minds that    
have long since cast off allegiance to  
religious  creeds4 ,it only needs a     

sudden sense of personal danger1 the    
sharp shock  of a serious accident1 the 
foreboding of bitter loss1 the          
unexpected but  utter overthrow of some 
well-laid scheme that seemed assured of 
success1  to stir the faith that is     
latent in the depths of the most callous
 and  worldly heart1 and to force the   
acknowledgment of a righteous ,judge    
enthroned above4    ,compared with the  
mysterious ,power which evinces itself  
continuously  in the apparent chaos of  
conflicting events1 man's free will is  
like  the eddy whirling round upon the  
bosom of a majestic river as it  floats 
irresistibly onward to its goal1 bearing
 the tiny vortex along  with it4 ,man's 
power of self-determination no more     
interferes with the  counsels of        
,providence than the diurnal revolution 
of the earth on its  axis interferes    
with its annual revolution round the    
sun4 ,the greater  comprises the less2  
and ,god includes the world4    ,the    
,creator has implanted in the creature a

 power of choice between  good and evil1
 which is a pale reflexion of ,his own  
tremendous ,being4  ,but how can we even
 imagine the dependent1 the limited1 the
 finite1  acting independently of the   
will of the ,absolute and ,infinite8    
,the  fish may swim against the ocean   
current2 but can it swim at all out  of 
the ocean8 ,its entire activity depends 
upon the medium in which it  lives and  
moves and has its being4    ,but        
,jeremiah exposes the secret of         
,providence to the eyes of his          
fellow-countrymen for a particular      
purpose4 ,his aim is to eradicate       
certain prevalent misconceptions1 so as 
to enable them to rightly  apprehend the
 meaning of ,god's present dealings with
 themselves4  ,the popular belief was   
that ,zion was an inviolable sanctuary2 
that  whatever disasters might have     
befallen the nation in the past1 or     
might be imminent in the future1 ,iahvah
 could not1 for ,his own sake1  permit  
the extinction of ,judah as a nation4   

,for then ,his worship1  the worship of 
the temple1 the sacrifices of the one   
altar1 would be  abolished2 and ,his    
honour and ,his ,name would be forgotten
 among men4  ,these were the thoughts   
which comforted them in the trying time 
when  a thousand rumours of the coming  
of the ,chaldeans to punish their       
revolt were flying about the land2 and  
from day to day men lived in  trembling 
expectation of impending siege and      
slaughter4 ,these were  the beliefs     
which the popular prophets1 themselves  
probably in most  cases fanatical       
believers in their own doctrine1        
vehemently maintained  in opposition to 
,jeremiah4 ,above all1 there was the    
covenant between  ,iahvah and ,his      
people1 admitted as a fact both by      
,jeremiah and his  opponents4 ,was it   
conceivable that the ,god of the        
,fathers1 who had  chosen them and their
 posterity to be ,his people for ever1  
would turn  from ,his purpose1 and      
reject ,his chosen utterly8    ,jeremiah

 meets these popular illusions by       
applying his analogy of the  potter4    
,the potter fashions a mass of clay into
 a vessel2 and ,iahvah had  fashioned   
,israel into a nation4 ,but as though   
the mass of inert matter  had proven    
unwieldy or stubborn to the touches of  
his plastic hands2  as the wheel        
revolved1 a misshapen product resulted1 
which the artist  broke up again1 and   
moulded afresh on his wheel1 till it    
emerged a fair  copy of his ideal4 ,and 
so1 in the revolutions of time1 ,israel 
had failed  of realizing the design of  
his ,maker1 and had become a vessel of  
wrath  fitted to destruction4 ,but as   
the rebellious lump was fashioned again 
by  the deft hand of the master1 so     
might this refractory people be broken  
and built up anew by the ,divine master 
hand4    ,in the light of this analogy1 
the prophet interprets the existing     
complications of the political world4   
,the serious dangers impending  over the
 nation are a sure symptom that the     

,divine ,potter is at work1  moulding an
 evil fate for ,judah and ,jerusalem4   
,and now prithee say  unto the men of   
,judah and the inhabitants of           
,jerusalem3        ,thus hath ,iahvah   
said1       ,behold ,i am moulding evil 
against you1       ,and devising a      
device against you6    ,but ,iahvah's   
menaces are not the mere vent of a      
tyrant's caprice or  causeless anger3   
they are a deliberate effort to break   
the hard heart1  to reduce it to        
contrition1 to prepare it for a new     
creation in a more  glorious likeness4  
,therefore the threat closes with an    
entreaty3        ,return ye1 ,i pray    
you1 each from his evil way1       ,and 
make good your ways and your doings6    
,if the prophetic warning fulfil its    
purpose1 and the nation repent1  then as
 in the case of ,nineveh1 which repented
 at the preaching of  ,jonah1 the       
sentence of destruction is revoked1 and 
the doomed nation  is granted a new     
lease of life4 ,the same truth holds    

good reversely4  ,god's promises are as 
conditional as ,his threats4 ,if a      
nation lapse  from original             
righteousness1 the sure consequence is  
the withdrawal  of ,divine favour1 and  
all of blessing and permanence that it  
confers4  ,it is evident that the       
prophet directly contradicts the popular
  persuasion1 which was also the current
 teaching of his professional           
opponents1 that ,iahvah's promises to   
,israel are absolute1 that is1          
irrespective of moral considerations4   
,jeremiah is revealing1 in terms  suited
 to the intelligence of his time1 the   
true law of the ,divine  dealings with  
,israel and with man4 ,and what he has  
here written1 it  is important to bear  
in mind1 when we are studying other     
passages of  his writings and those of  
his predecessors1 which foreshow        
judgments  and mercies to individual    
peoples4 ,however absolute the language 
of prediction1 the qualification here   
supplied must usually be  understood2 so

 that it is not too much to say that    
this remarkable  utterance is one of the
 keys to the comprehension of ,hebrew   
prophecy4    ,but now1 allowing for     
antique phraseology1 and for the immense
  difference between ancient and modern 
modes of thought and expression2        
allowing also for the new light shed    
upon the problems of life and  history  
by the teaching of ,him who has         
supplemented all that was  incomplete in
 the doctrine of the prophets and the   
revelation granted  to the men of the   
elder dispensation2 must we pronounce   
this oracle  of ,jeremiah's             
substantially true or the contrary8 ,is 
the view thus  formulated an obsolete   
opinion1 excusable in days when         
scientific  thinking was unknown2 useful
 indeed for the furtherance of the      
immediate  aims of its authors1 but now 
to be rejected wholly as a profound     
mistake1 which modern enlightenment has 
at once exposed and rendered            
superfluous to an intelligent faith in  

the ,god of the prophets8    ,here and  
everywhere else1 ,jeremiah's language is
 in form highly  anthropomorphic4 ,if it
 was to arrest the attention of the     
multitude1  it could not well have been 
otherwise4 ,he seems to say that ,god   
changes ,his intentions1 according as a 
nation changes its behaviour4           
,something must be allowed for style1 in
 a writer whose very prose is  more than
 half poetry1 and whose utterances are  
so often lyrical in  form as well as    
matter4 ,the ,israelite thinkers1       
however1 were also  well aware that the 
,eternal is superior to change2 as is   
clear from  that striking word of       
,samuel3 ,the ,glory of ,israel lieth   
not nor  repenteth2 for ,he is not man1 
that ,he should repent 7#a ,sam4 xv4    
#bi74  ,and prophetic passages like that
 in ,kings1 which so nobly declares     
that the heaven and the heaven of       
heavens cannot contain ,god 7cf4 ,jer4  
xxiii4 #bd71 or that of the second      
,isaiah which affirms that the ,divine  

ways and purposes are as much higher    
than those of ,his people1 as the       
heavens are higher than the earth 7,isa4
 lv4 #i71 prove that the vivid          
anthropomorphic expressions of the      
popular teaching of the prophets  ought 
in mere justice to be limited by these  
wider conceptions of the  ,divine       
,nature and attributes4 ,these passages 
are quite enough to clear  the prophets 
of the accusation of entertaining such  
gross and crude  ideas of ,deity as     
those which ,xenophanes ridiculed1 and  
which find  their embodiment in most    
mythologies4    ,there is indeed a sense
 in which all thinking1 not only thought
 about  ,god1 but about the natural     
world1 must be anthropomorphic4 ,man is 
unquestionably the measure of all       
things1 and he measures by a  human     
standard4 ,he interprets the world      
without in terms of his own             
consciousness2 he imposes the forms and 
moulds of his own mind upon  the        
universal mass of things4 ,time1 space1 

matter1 motion1 number1  weight1 organ1 
function1--what are all these but inward
 conceptions  by which the mind reduces 
a chaos of conflicting impressions to   
order  and harmony8 ,what the external  
world may be1 apart from our ideas of   
it1 no philosopher pretends to be able  
to say2 and an equal difficulty         
embarrasses those who would define what 
the ,deity is1 apart from ,his          
relations to man4 ,but then it is only  
those relations that really  concern us2
 everything else is idle speculation1   
little becoming to  creatures so frail  
and ephemeral as we4    ,from this point
 of view1 we may fairly ask1 what       
difference it makes  whether the prophet
 affirm that ,iahvah repents of         
retributive designs1  when a nation     
repents of its sins1 or that a nation's 
repentance will  be followed by the     
restoration of temporal prosperity4 ,it 
is a mere  matter of statement2 and the 
former way of putting the truth was the 
more intelligible way to his            

contemporaries1 and has1 besides1 the   
advantage of implying the further truth 
that the fortunes of nations  do not    
depend upon a blind and inexorable fate1
 but upon the ,will  and ,law of a holy 
,god4 ,it affirms a ,lawmaker as well as
 a ,law1 a  ,providence as well as an   
uniform sequence of events4    ,the     
prophet asserts1 then1 that nations reap
 what they have sown2  that their       
history is1 in general1 a record of     
,god's judgments upon  their ways and   
doings4 ,this is1 of course1 a matter of
 faith1 as are  all beliefs about the   
,unseen2 but it is a faith which has its
 root  in an apparently ineradicable    
instinct of humanity4  1  ,the doer must
 suffer1 is not a conviction of ,hebrew 
religion only2  it belongs to the       
universal religious consciousness4 ,some
 critics are  fond of pronouncing the   
policy of the prophets a mistaken one4  
,they  commend the high tone of their   
moral teachings1 but consider their     
forecasts of the future and             

interpretations of passing events1 as   
erroneous deductions from their general 
views of the ,divine nature4  ,we are   
not well acquainted with the times and  
circumstances under  which the prophets 
wrote and spoke4 ,this is true even in  
the case of  ,jeremiah2 the history of  
the time exists only in the barest      
outline4  ,but the writings of an       
,isaiah or an ,amos make it difficult to
 suppose  that their authors would not  
have occupied a leading position in any 
age and nation2 their thought is the    
highest product of the ,hebrew  mind2   
and the policy of ,isaiah at least1     
during the ,assyrian crisis1  was       
gloriously justified by the event4      
,we need not1 however1 stop here in     
attempting to vindicate the  attitude   
and aims of the prophets4 ,without      
claiming infallibility for  every       
individual utterance of theirs--without 
displaying the bad taste  and entire    
lack of literary tact which would be    
implied by insisting  upon the minute   

accuracy and close correspondence to    
fact1 of all  that the prophets         
foreboded1 all that they suggested as   
possible or  probable1 and by turning   
all their poetical figures and similes  
into  bald assertions of literal fact2  
we may1 ,i think1 steadfastly affirm    
that the great principles of revealed   
religion1 which it was their  mission to
 enunciate and impress by all the       
resources of a fervid  oratory and a    
high-wrought poetical imagination1 are  
absolutely and  eternally true4 ,man    
does reap as he sows2 all history       
records it4 ,the  present welfare and   
future permanence of a nation do depend1
 and have  always depended1 upon the    
strength of its adhesion to religious   
and  moral convictions4 ,what was it    
that enabled ,israel to gain a footing  
in ,canaan1 and to reduce1 one after    
another1 nations and communities  far   
more advanced in the arts of            
civilization than they8 ,what but the   
physical and moral force generated by   

the hardy and simple life of  the       
desert1 and disciplined by wise         
obedience to the laws of their          
,invisible ,king8 ,what but a burning   
faith in the ,lord of ,hosts1 ,iahvah   
,sabaoth1 the true ,leader of the armies
 of ,israel8 ,had they only  remained   
uncontaminated by the luxuries and vices
 of the conquered  races2 had they not  
yielded to the soft seduction of        
sensuous forms of  worship2 had they    
continued faithful to the ,god who had  
brought them  out of ,egypt1 and lived1 
on the whole1 by the teaching of the    
true  prophets2 who can say that they   
might not have successfully withstood   
the brunt of ,assyrian or ,chaldean     
invasion8    ,the disruption of the     
kingdom1 the internecine conflicts1 the 
dynastic revolutions1 the entanglements 
with foreign powers which  mark the     
progressive decline of the empire of    
,david and ,solomon1  would hardly have 
found place in a nation that steadily   
lived by the  rule of the prophets1     

clinging to ,iahvah and ,iahvah only1   
and doing  justice and loving mercy in  
all the relations of life4 ,the gradual 
differentiation of the idea of ,iahvah  
into a multitude of ,baals at  the local
 sanctuaries must have powerfully tended
 to disintegrate the  national unity4   
,solomon's temple and the recognition of
 the one ,god  of all the tribes of     
,israel as supreme1 which that religious
 centre  implied1 was1 on the other     
hand1 a real bond of union for the      
nation4  ,we cannot forget that1 at the 
outset of the whole history1 ,moses     
created or resuscitated the sense of    
national unity in the hearts of  the    
,egyptian serfs1 by proclaiming to them 
,iahvah1 the ,god of their  fathers4 ,it
 is a one-sided representation which    
treats the policy  of the prophets as   
purely negative2 as confined to the     
prohibition  of leagues with the        
foreigner1 and the condemnation of walls
 and  battlements1 chariots and horses1 
and all the elements of social  strength

 and display4 ,the prophets condemn     
these things1 regarded  as substitutes  
for trust in the ,one ,god1 and faithful
 obedience to  ,his laws4 ,they condemn 
the man who puts his confidence in man1 
and  makes flesh his arm1 and forgets   
the only true source of strength and    
protection4 ,to those who allege that   
the policy of the prophets was a        
failure1 we may reply that it never had 
a full and fair trial4        ,and they 
will say1 ,hopeless6 for we will follow 
after our own      devices1 and will    
each practise the stubbornness of his   
own evil      heart4 ,therefore thus    
hath ,iahvah said3        #a4 ,ask ye   
now among the heathen1          ,who    
hath heard the like8          ,the      
virgin 7daughter7 of ,israel            
,hath done a very horrible thing4       
#b4 ,doth the snow of ,lebanon cease    
,from overflowing the field8            
,do the running waters dry up1          
,the icy streams8#hj        #c4 ,for ,my
 people have forgotten me1          ,to 

vain things they burn incense2          
,and they have made them stumble in     
their ways1 the ancient                 
paths1          ,to walk in bypaths1 a  
way not cast up3        #d4 ,to make    
their land a desolation1                
,perpetual hissings2          ,every one
 that passeth her by shall be amazed1   
,and shall shake his head4        #e4   
,like an east wind will ,i scatter them 
,in the face of the foe2          ,the  
back and not the face will ,i shew them1
          ,in the day of their          
overthrow4    ,god foresees that ,his   
gracious warning will be rejected as    
heretofore2  the prophet's hearers will 
cry ,it is hopeless6 thy appeal is in   
vain1  thine enterprise desperate2 for  
after our own devices or thoughts  will 
we walk1 not after thine1 though thou   
urge them as ,iahvah's2 and  we will    
each practise the stubbornness of his   
own evil heart--this last  in a tone of 
irony1 as if to say1 ,very well2 we     
accept thy description  of us2 our ways 

are stubborn1 and our hearts evil3 we   
will abide by our  character1 and stand 
true to your unflattering portrait4     
,otherwise1 the  words may be regarded  
as giving the substance of the popular  
reply1 in  terms which at the same time 
convey the ,divine condemnation of it2  
but  the former view seems preferable4  
,god foresees the obstinacy of the      
people1 and yet the prophet does not    
cease his preaching4 ,a cynical assent  
to his invective only provokes  him to  
more strenuous endeavours to convince   
them that they are in the  wrong2 that  
their behaviour is against reason and   
nature4 ,once more  7ii4 #aj sqq47 he   
strives to shame them into remorse by   
contrasting  their conduct with that of 
other nations4 ,these were faithful to  
their  own gods2 among them such a crime
 as national apostasy was unheard  of   
and unknown4 ,it was reserved for       
,israel to give the first example  of   
this abnormal offence2 a fact as strange
 and fearful in the moral  world1 as    

some unnatural revolution in the        
physical sphere4 ,that  ,israel should  
forget his duty to ,iahvah was as great 
and inexplicable  a portent1 as if the  
perennial snows of the ,lebanon should  
cease to  supply the rivers of the land2
 or as if the ice-cold streams of its   
glens and gorges should suddenly cease  
to flow4 ,and certainly1 when we  look  
at the matter with the eye of calm      
reason1 the prophet cannot be  said to  
have here exaggerated the mystery of    
sin4 ,for1 however strong  the          
temptation that lures man from the path 
of duty1 however occasion  may suggest1 
and passion urge1 and desire yearn1     
these influences  cannot of themselves  
silence conscience1 and obliterate      
experience1  and overpower judgment1 and
 defeat reason4 ,as surely as it is     
possible  to know anything1 man knows   
that his vital interests coincide with  
duty2 and that it is not only weak but  
absolutely irrational to  sacrifice duty
 to the importunities of appetite4      

,when man forsakes the true ,god1 it is 
to burn incense to vain gods  or things 
of nought4 ,he who worships what is less
 than ,god1 worships  nothing4 ,no being
 below ,god can yield any true          
satisfaction to that  human nature which
 was made for ,god4 ,the man who fixes  
his hope upon  things that perish in the
 using1 the man who seeks happiness in  
things  material1 the man whose         
affections have sole regard to the joys 
of  sense1 and whose devotion is given  
wholly to worldly objects1 is the man   
who will at the last cry out1 in        
hopeless disappointment and bitterness  
of spirit1 ,vanity of vanities6 all is  
vanity6 ,for what shall it profit  a    
man1 if he shall gain the whole world1  
and lose his own soul8 ,or  what shall a
 man give in exchange for his soul8 ,the
 soul's salvation  consists in devotion 
to its ,lord and ,maker2 its eternal    
loss and ruin1  in alienation from ,him 
who is its true and only life4 ,the     
false gods are  nought as regards help  

and profit2 they are powerless to bless1
 but they  are potent to hurt and       
betray4 ,they make men stumble out of   
their ways1  out of the ancient paths1  
to walk in bypaths1 in a way not cast   
up4  ,so it was of old2 so it is now4   
,when the heart is estranged from ,god1 
and devoted to some meaner pursuit than 
the advancement of ,his glory1  it soon 
deserts the straight road of virtue1 the
 highway of honour1  and falls into the 
crooked and uneven paths of fraud and   
hypocrisy1  of oppression and vice4 ,the
 end appears to sanctify the means1 or  
at  least to make them tolerable2 and1  
once the ancient path of the ,law  is   
forsaken1 men will follow the most      
tortuous1 and often thorny and  painful 
courses1 to the goal of their choice4   
,the path which leads away  from ,god1  
leads both individuals and nations to   
final ruin4 ,degraded  ideas of the     
,deity1 false ideas of happiness1 a     
criminal indifference to  the welfare of
 others1 a base devotion to private and 

wholly selfish  ends1 must in the long  
run sap the vigour of a nation1 and     
render it  incapable of any effectual   
resistance to its enemies4 ,moral       
declension  is a sure symptom of        
approaching political dissolution2 so   
sure1 that if  a nation chooses and     
persists in evil1 in the face of all    
dissuasion1 it  may be assumed to be    
bent on suicide4 ,like ,israel1 it may  
be said to do  thus1 in order to make   
its land an astonishment1 perpetual     
hissings4  ,men will be surprised at the
 greatness of its fall1 and at the same 
time  will acknowledge by voice and     
gesture that its doom is absolutely     
just4    ,so far as his immediate       
hearers were concerned1 the effect of   
the  prophet's words was exactly what   
had been anticipated 7ver4 #ah2 cf4     
ver4 #ab74 ,jeremiah's preaching was a  
ministry of hardening1 in a far  more   
complete sense than ,isaiah's had been4 
,on the present occasion1  the popular  
obduracy and unbelief evinced itself in 

a conspiracy  to destroy the prophet by 
false accusation4 ,they would doubtless 
find it not difficult to construe his   
words as blasphemy against  ,iahvah1 and
 treason against the state4 ,and they   
said3 ,come and let  us devise          
devices--lay a plot--against ,jeremiah4 
,dispassionate  wisdom1 mere worldly    
prudence1 would have said1 ,let us weigh
 well  the probability or even          
possibility of the truth of his message4
  ,moral earnestness1 a sincere love of 
,god and goodness1 would have           
recognised in the prophet's fearful     
earnest a proof of good faith1  a claim 
to consideration4 ,unbiassed common     
sense would have asked1  ,what has      
,jeremiah to gain by persistence in     
unpopular teaching8  ,what will be his  
reward1 supposing his words come true8  
,is it to  be supposed that a man whose 
woeful tidings are uttered in a voice   
broken with sobs1 and interrupted by    
bursts of wild lamentation1  will look  
with glad eyes upon destruction when it 

comes1 if it come  after all8 ,but      
habitual sin blinds as well as pollutes 
the soul4 ,and  when admonition is      
unacceptable1 it breeds hatred4 ,the    
heart that is  not touched by appeal    
becomes harder than it was before4 ,the 
ice of  indifference becomes the adamant
 of malignant opposition4 ,the populace 
of ,jerusalem1 like that of more modern 
capitals1 was enervated by  ease and    
luxury1 altogether given over to the    
pursuit of wealth and  pleasure as the  
end of life4 ,they hated the man who    
rebuked in the  gate1 and abhorred him  
that spoke uprightly 7,amos v4 #aj74    
,they could  not abide one whose life   
and labours were a continual protest    
against  their own4 ,and now he had done
 his best to rob them of their pleasant 
confidence1 to destroy the delusion of  
their fool's paradise4 ,he had  burst   
into the heathenish sanctuary where they
 offered a worship  congenial to their  
hearts1 and done his best to wreck their
 idols1 and  dash their altars to the   

ground4 ,he had affirmed that the       
accredited  oracles were all a lie1 that
 the guides whom they blindly followed  
were leading them to ruin4 ,so the      
passive dislike of good blazes out  into
 murderous fury against the good man who
 dares to be good alone in  the face of 
a sinful multitude4 ,that they are made 
thoroughly uneasy  by his message of    
judgment1 that they are more than half  
convinced  that he is right1 is plain   
from the frantic passion with which they
  repeat and deny his words4 ,law shall 
not perish from the priest1 nor  counsel
 from the wise1 nor the word from the   
prophet3 these things  cannot1 shall not
 be4 ,when people have pinned their     
faith to a false  system--a system which
 accords with their worldly prejudices1 
and  flatters their ungodly pride1 and  
winks at or even sanctions their  vices2
 when they have anchored their entire   
confidence upon certain  men and certain
 teachings which are in perfect harmony 
with their own  aims in life and their  

own selfish predilections1 they are not 
only  disturbed and distressed but often
 enraged by a demonstration that  they  
are lulled in a false security4 ,and    
anger of this kind is apt to  be so     
irrational1 that they may think to      
escape from the threatened  evil by     
silencing its prophet4 ,come and let us 
smite him with the  tongue1 and let us  
not hearken to any of his words6 ,they  
will first  get rid of him1 and then    
forget his words of warning4 ,their     
policy is  no better than that of the   
bird which buries its head in the sand1 
when its pursuers have run it down2 an  
infatuated ,out of sight1 out of  mind4 
,and ,jeremiah's recompense for his     
disinterested zeal is another           
conspiracy against his life4    ,once   
more he lays his cause before the one   
impartial ,judge2 the one  ,being who is
 exalted above all passion1 and         
therefore sees the truth  as it is4     
,hearken ,thou1 ,o ,iahvah1 unto me1    
,and hear ,thou the voice of mine       

adversaries4       ,should evil be      
recompensed for good8       ,for they   
have digged a pit for my life4          
,remember my standing before ,thee to   
speak good about them1       ,to turn   
back ,thy wrath from them4    ,hearken  
,thou1 since they refuse to hearken2    
hear both sides1 and  pronounce for the 
right4 ,behold the glaring contrast     
between my  innocence of all hurtful    
intent1 and their clamorous injustice1  
between my truth and their falsehood1 my
 prayers for their salvation  and their 
outcry for my blood4    ,as we read this
 prayer of ,jeremiah's1 we are reminded 
of the very  similar language of the    
thirty-fifth and hundred and ninth      
psalms1  of which he was himself perhaps
 the author 7see especially ,ps4 xxxv4  
#a1 #d1 #e1 #g1 #aa1 #ab2 cix4 #b1 #e74 
,we have already partially considered   
the moral aspect of such petitions4 ,it 
is necessary to bear in  mind that the  
prophet is speaking of persons who have 
persistently  rejected warning1 and     

ridiculed reproof2 and now1 in return   
for his  intercessions on their behalf1 
are attempting his life1 not in a       
sudden outbreak of uncontrollable fury1 
but with craft and deliberate  malice1  
after seeking1 apparently1 like their   
spiritual successors in  a later age1 to
 entrap him into admissions that might  
be construed as  treason or blasphemy   
7,ps4 xxxv4 #ai-ba74        ,therefore  
give their sons to the famine1          
,and pour them into the hands of the    
sword2       ,and let their wives be    
bereaved and widows1       ,and let     
their husbands be slain of ,death2      
,let their young men be stricken down of
 the sword in the battle6        ,let a 
cry be heard from their houses1         
,when ,thou bringest a troop upon them  
suddenly6       ,for they digged a pit  
to catch me1       ,and snares they hid 
for my feet4        ,but of ,thyself1   
,iahvah1 ,thou knowest all their plan   
against me for            death2        
,pardon ,thou not their iniquity1       

,and blot not out their trespass from   
before ,thee2       ,but let them be    
made to stumble before ,thee1       ,in 
the time of ,thine anger deal ,thou with
 them6    ,the passage is lyrical in    
form and expression1 and something must 
be  allowed for the fact in estimating  
its precise significance4 ,jeremiah  had
 entreated ,god and man that all these  
things might not come to pass4  ,now1   
when the attitude of the people towards 
his message and himself at  last leaves 
no doubt that their obduracy is         
invincible1 in his despair  and         
distraction he cries1 ,be it so1 then6  
,they are bent on destruction2  let them
 have their will6 ,let the doom overtake
 them1 that ,i have  laboured in vain to
 avert6 ,with a weary sigh1 and a       
profound sense of  the ripeness of his  
country for ruin1 he gives up the       
struggle to save  it4 ,the passage thus 
becomes a rhetorical or poetical        
expression of the  prophet's despairing 
recognition of the inevitable4    ,how  

vivid are the touches with which he     
brings out upon his canvas the  horrors 
of war6 ,in language lurid with all the 
colours of destruction1  he sets before 
us the city taken by storm1 he makes us 
hear the  cry of the victims1 as house  
after house is visited by pillage and   
slaughter4 ,but stripped of its poetical
 form1 all this is no more  than a      
concentrated repetition of the sentence 
which he has over and  over again       
pronounced against ,jerusalem in the    
name of ,iahvah4 ,the  imprecatory      
manner of it may be considered to be    
simply a solemn  signification of the   
speaker's own assent and approval4 ,he  
recalls the  sentence1 and he affirms   
its perfect consonance with his own     
sense  of justice4 ,moreover all these  
terrible things actually happened in    
the sequel4 ,the prophet's imprecations 
received the ,divine seal of            
accomplishment4 ,this fact alone seems  
to me to distinguish his prayer  from a 
merely human cry for vengeance4 ,so far 

as his feelings as a  man and a patriot 
were concerned1 we cannot doubt that he 
would have  averted the catastrophe1 had
 that been possible1 by the sacrifice of
  his own life4 ,that indeed was the    
object of his entire ministry4 ,we  may 
call the passage an emotional           
prediction2 and it was probably the     
predictive character of it which led the
 prophet to put it on record4    ,while 
we admit that no ,christian may         
ordinarily pray for the  annihilation of
 any but spiritual enemies1 we must     
remember that no  ,christian can        
possibly occupy the same peculiar       
position as a prophet  of the ,old      
,covenant2 and we may fairly ask whether
 any who may incline  to judge harshly  
of ,jeremiah on the ground of passages  
like this1 have  fully realized the     
appalling circumstances which wrung     
these prayers  from his cruelly tortured
 heart8 ,we find it hard to forgive     
small  personal slights1 often less real
 than imaginary2 how should we comport  

ourselves to persons whose shameless    
ingratitude rewarded evil for good  to  
the extent of seeking our lives8 ,few   
would be content1 as ,jeremiah  was1    
with putting the cause in the hand of   
,god1 and abstaining from all  attempts 
at personal vindication of wrongs4 ,it  
surely betrays a failure  of imaginative
 power to realize the terrible          
difficulties which beset  the path of   
one who1 in a far truer sense than      
,elijah1 was left alone  to uphold the  
cause of true religion in ,israel1 and  
not less1 a very  inadequate knowledge  
of our own spiritual weakness1 when we  
are bold to  censure or even to         
apologise for the utterances of         
,jeremiah4    ,the whole question       
assumes a different aspect1 when it is  
noticed that  the brief ,thus said      
,iahvah6 of the next chapter 7xix47     
virtually  introduces the ,divine reply 
to the prophet's prayer4 ,he is now     
bidden  to foreshow the utter           
destruction of the ,jewish polity by a  

symbolic  act which is even more        
unambiguous than the language of the    
prayer4 ,he  is to take a common        
earthenware bottle 7baqbq1 as if        
pour-pour2  from baqaq1 to pour out71   
and1 accompanied by some of the leading 
personages of the capital1 heads of     
families and priests1 to go out  of the 
city to the valley of ben ,hinnom1 and  
there1 after a solemn  rehearsal of the 
crimes perpetrated on that very spot in 
the name of  religion1 and after        
predicting the consequent retribution   
which will  shortly overtake the nation1
 he is to dash the vessel in pieces     
before  his companions' eyes1 in token  
of the utter and irreparable ruin which 
awaits their city and people4    ,having
 enacted his part in this striking      
scene1 ,jeremiah returns to the  court  
of the temple1 and there repeats the    
same terrible message in  briefer terms 
before all the people2 adding expressly 
that it is the  reward of their stubborn
 obstinacy and deafness to the ,divine  

voice4    ,the prophet's imprecations of
 evil thus appear to have been ratified 
at the time of their conception by the  
,divine voice1 which spoke in  the      
stillness of his after reflexion4       
,,footnote3    #hj ,instead of   from   
the rock of the field1 ,i have ventured 
to read   7,lam4 iii4 #ed2 ,deut4 xi4   
#d2 #b ,kings vi4 #f74 ,for   plucked up
 uprooted1 which is inappropriate in    
connexion with  water1 ,schnurrer's     
dried up 7,isa4 xix4 #e2 ,jer4 li4 #cj71
 is  probably right4 ,in the second     
couplet1 ,i read  for 1 which is        
meaningless1 and transpose  with 4      
,,xii4                   ,,the ,,broken 
,,vessel--,a ,,symbol ,,of ,,judgment4  
,,jeremiah xix4      ,the result of his 
former address1 founded upon the        
procedure of the  potter1 had only been 
to bring out into clearer distinctness  
the  appalling extent of the national   
corruption4 ,it was evident that ,judah 
was incorrigible1 and the ,potter's     
vessel must be broken in pieces by  its 

,maker4    ,thus said ,iahvah3 ,go and  
buy a bottle 7baqbq1 as if a  pour-pour2
 the meaning is alluded to in the first 
word of ver4 #g3  ubaqqothi1 and ,i will
 pour out7 of a moulder of pottery 7so  
the accents2 but perhaps the ,vulgate is
 right3 lagunculam figuli  testeam1 a   
potter's earthen vessel1 ,a4,v42 lit4 a 
potter's bottle1  viz41 earthenware71   
and 7take3 ,,lxx4 rightly adds7 some of 
the  elders of the people and of the    
elders of the priests1 and go out  into 
the valley of ben ,hinnom at the entry  
of the ,pottery ,gate 7a  postern1 where
 broken earthenware and rubbish were    
shot forth into the  valley3 the term is
 connected with that for pottery1 ver4  
#a1 which  is the same as that in ,job  
ii4 #h71 and cry there the words that ,i
  shall speak unto thee1--,jeremiah does
 not pause here1 to relate how  he      
followed the ,divine impulse1 but goes  
on at once to communicate the  tenor of 
the ,divine words2 a circumstance which 
points to the fact  that this narrative 

was only written some time after the    
symbolical  action which it             
records2--and say thou1 ,hear ye        
,iahvah's word1 ,o  kings of ,judah and 
inhabitants of ,jerusalem6 ,thus said   
,iahvah ,sabaoth1  the ,god of ,israel3 
,lo1 ,i am about to bring an evil upon  
this place1  such that1 whoever heareth 
it1 his ears shall tingle6 ,if we       
suppose1  as seems likely1 that this    
series of oracles 7xviii4-xx47 belongs  
to  the reign of ,jehoiachin1 the       
expression kings of ,judah may denote   
that king and the queen-mother4 ,another
 view is that the kings of  ,judah in   
general are addressed as an indefinite  
class of persons1  here and elsewhere   
7xvii4 #bj1 xxii4 #d71 because the      
prophet did not  write the main portion 
of his book until after the siege of    
,jerusalem  7,ewald74 ,the announcement 
of this verse is quoted by the compiler 
of  ,kings in relation to the crimes of 
king ,manasseh 7#b ,kings xxi4 #ab74    
,because that they forsook ,me1 and made

 this place strange--alienated  it from 
,iahvah by consecrating it to strange   
gods2 or as the ,targum  and ,syriac1   
polluted it--and burnt incense therein  
to other gods1  whom neither they nor   
their fathers knew 7xvi4 #ac72 and the  
kings  of ,judah did fill this place    
with blood of innocents 7so the ,,lxx4  
,nor the kings of ,judah gives a poor   
sense2 they are included in the         
preceding phrase71 and built the bamoth 
,baal 7,high-places of ,baal2 a  proper 
name1 ,josh4 xiii4 #ag71 to burn their  
sons in the fire1 as  burnt-offerings to
 the ,baal3 ,,lxx4 omits1 and it is     
wanting1 vii4 #ca1  xxxii4 #ce4 ,it may 
be a gloss1 but is probably genuine1 as 
there are  slight variations in each    
passage1 which ,i commanded not1 nor    
spake3 ,,lxx4 omits1 neither came it    
into ,my mind3 therefore1 behold  days  
are coming1 saith ,iahvah1 when this    
place will no more be called  the       
,tophet and valley of ben ,hinnom but   
the ,valley of ,slaughter6  and in      

,tophet shall they bury1 so that there  
be--remain--no room  to bury6 ,this     
clause1 preserved at the end of ver4    
#aa1 but omitted  there by the ,,lxx41  
probably belongs here3 see vii4 #db4    
,and ,i will  pour out 7ver4 #a2 ,isa4  
xix4 #c7 the counsel of ,judah and      
,jerusalem  in this place--that is1 ,i  
will empty the land of all wisdom and   
resourcefulness1 as one empties a bottle
 of its water1 so that the  heads of the
 state shall be powerless to devise any 
effectual scheme  of defence in the face
 of calamity 7cf4 xiii4 #ac7--;and ,i   
will cause  them to fall by the sword   
before their enemies 7,deut4 xxviii4    
#be71  and by the hand of them that seek
 their life2 and ,i will make their     
carcases food unto the birds of the air 
and the beasts of the earth  7,deut4    
xxviii4 #bf2 chap4 vii4 #cc1 xvi4 #d74  
,and ,i will set this city  for an      
astonishment 7,deut4 xxviii4 #cg7 and a 
hissing 7xviii4 #af72  every one that   
passeth by her shall be astonished and  

hiss at all her  strokes 7xlix4 #ag1 l4 
#ac7 or plagues 7,deut4 xxviii4 #ei74   
,and  ,i will cause them to eat the     
flesh of their sons and the flesh of    
their daughters1 and each the flesh of  
his fellow shall they eat--in  the      
stress and the straitness wherewith     
their enemies and they that  seek their 
life shall straiten them4 ,it will be   
seen from the  references that the      
,deuteronomic colouring of these closing
 threats  7vv4 #g-i7 is very strong1 the
 last verse being practically a         
quotation  7,deut4 xxviii4 #ec74 ,the   
effect of the whole oracle would thus be
 to  suggest that the terrible sanctions
 of the sacred ,law would not remain    
inoperative2 but that the shameless     
violation of the solemn covenant  under 
,josiah1 by which the nation undertook  
to observe the code of  ,deuteronomy1   
would soon be visited with the          
retributive calamities so  vividly      
foreshadowed in that book4    ,and break
 thou the bottle1 to the eyes of the men

 that go with  thee1 and say unto them3 
,thus said ,iahvah ,sabaoth2 ,so will ,i
 break  this people and this city1 as   
one breaketh the potter's vessel so     
that it cannot be mended again6 ,thus   
will ,i do to this place1 saith         
,iahvah1 and to the inhabitants thereof 
and make 7infin4 constr4 as  in xvii4   
#aj1 continuing the mood and person of  
the preceding verb2  which is properly a
 function of the infin4 absol41 as in   
ver4 #ac7  this city like a             
,tophet--make it one huge altar of human
 sacrifice1  a burning-place for        
thousands of human victims4 ,and the    
houses of  ,jerusalem1 and the houses of
 the kings of ,judah--the palace of     
,david  and ,solomon1 in which king     
after king had reigned1 and done the    
evil in ,iahvah's eyes1--shall become   
like the place of the ,tophet1  the     
defiled ones6 even all the houses upon  
the roofs of which they  burnt incense  
unto all the host of heaven1 and poured 
outpourings  7libations of wine and     

honey7 unto other gods4 7,so the ,heb4  
punctuation1 which seems to give a very 
good sense4 ,the principal  houses1     
those of the kings and grandees1 are    
called the defiled1  because their roofs
 especially have been polluted with     
idolatrous  rites4 ,the last clause of  
the verse explains the epithet1 which   
might  have been referred to the kings  
of ,judah1 had it preceded like the     
place of the ,tophet4 ,the houses were  
not to become defiled2 they  were       
already so1 past all cleansing2 they    
were to be destroyed with  fire1 and in 
their destruction to become the ,tophet 
or sacrificial  pyre of their           
inhabitants4 ,we need not1 therefore1   
read ,tophteh1  after ,isa4 xxx4 #cc1 as
 ,i at first thought of doing1 to find  
afterwards  that ,ewald had already     
suggested it4 ,the term rendered even   
all1 is  lit4 unto all1 that is1        
including all2 cf4 ,ezek4 xliv4 #i74ha  
,the command and break thou the bottle  
444 and say unto them 444  compared with

 that of ver4 #b1 and cry there the     
words that ,i shall  speak unto thee6   
seems to indicate the proper point of   
view from  which the whole piece is to  
be regarded4 ,jeremiah is recalling and 
describing a particular episode in his  
past ministry2 and he includes  the     
whole of it1 with the attendant         
circumstances and all that he  said2    
first to the elders in the vale of ben  
,hinnom1 and then to  the people        
assembled in the temple1 under the      
comprehensive ,thus  said ,iahvah6 with 
which he begins his narrative4 ,in other
 words1 he  affirms that he was         
throughout the entire occurrence guided 
by the  impulses of the ,spirit of ,god4
 ,it is very possible that the longer   
first address 7vv4 #b-i7 really gives   
the substance of what he said  to the   
people in the temple on his return from 
the valley1 which is  merely summarized 
in verse #ae4    ,and ,jeremiah came    
in--into the temple--from the ,tophet1  
whither  ,iahvah had sent him to        

prophesy1 and took his stand in the     
court of  ,iahvah's ,house1 and said    
unto all the people3 ,thus said ,iahvah 
,sabaoth  ,israels ,god2 ,lo1 ,i am     
about to bring upon 7ver4 #c7 this city 
and  upon all her cities and upon her   
villages3 ,,lxx4 adds all the  evil that
 ,i have spoken concerning her2 because 
they stiffened their  neck 7vii4 #bf71  
not to hear ,my words6 ,in this apparent
 epitome of  ,his discourse to the      
people in the temple1 the prophet seems 
to sum  up all his past labours1 in view
 of an impending crisis4 ,all the  evil 
spoken hitherto concerning ,jerusalem is
 upon the point of being  accomplished  
7cf4 xxv4 #c74    ,in reviewing the     
entire oracle1 we may note as in former 
instances1  the care with which all the 
circumstances of the symbolical action  
are chosen1 in order to enhance the     
effect of it upon the minds  of the     
witnesses4 ,the ,oriental mind delights 
in everything that  partakes of the     
nature of an enigma2 it loves to be     

called upon to  unravel the meaning of  
dark sentences1 and to disentangle the  
wisdom  wrapped up in riddling words and
 significant actions4 ,it would have    
found eloquence in ,tarquin's unspoken  
answer to his son's messenger4  ,rex    
velut deliberabundus in hortum dium     
transit1 sequente nuncio  filii3 ibi    
inambulans tacitus summa papaverum      
capita dicitur baculo  decussisse 7,liv4
 i4 #ed74 ,no doubt ,jeremiah's         
companions would watch  his every step1 
and would not miss the fact that he     
carried his  earthenware vessel out of  
the city by the ,sherd ,gate4 ,here was 
a  vessel yet whole1 treated as though  
it were already a shattered heap  of    
fragments6 ,they would be prepared for  
the oracle in the valley4    ,it is     
worth while1 by the way1 to notice who  
those companions were4  ,they were      
certain of the elders of the people and 
of the the  elders of the priests4      
,jeremiah1 it seems1 was no wild        
revolutionary  dreamer and schemer1     

whose hand and voice were against all   
established  authority in ,church and   
,state4 ,this was not the character of  
the  ,hebrew prophets in general1 though
 some writers have conceived thus of    
them4 ,there is no evidence that        
,jeremiah ever sought to divest himself 
of the duties and privileges of his     
hereditary priesthood2 or that  he      
looked upon the monarchy and the        
priestly guilds and the entire  social  
organisation of ,israel1 as other than  
institutions divinely  originated and   
divinely preserved through all the ages 
of the national  history4 ,he did not   
believe that man created these          
institutions  though experience taught  
him that man might abuse and pervert    
them  from their lawful uses4 ,his aim  
was always to reform1 to restore1 to    
lead the people back to the old paths of
 primitive simplicity and  rectitude2   
not to abolish hereditary institutions1 
and substitute for  the order which had 
become an integral part of the national 

life1 some  brand-new constitution which
 had never been tried1 and would be no  
more likely to fit the body corporate   
than the armour of ,saul fitted  the    
free limbs of the young shepherd who was
 to slay ,goliath4    ,the prophets     
never called for the abolition of those 
laws and customs1  civil and            
ecclesiastical1 which were the very     
framework of the state1  and the pillars
 of the social edifice4 ,they did not   
cry1 ,down with  kings and priests6 but 
to both kings and priests they cried1   
,hear ye  ,iahvah's word6 ,and all      
experience proves that they were right4 
,paper  constitutions have never yet    
redeemed a nation from its vices1 nor   
delivered a community from the impotence
 and the decay which are the  inevitable
 fruits of moral corruption4 ,arbitrary 
legislative changes  will not alter the 
inward condition of a people2           
covetousness and  hypocrisy1 pride and  
selfishness1 intemperance and           
uncleanness and  cruelty1 may be as     

rampant in a commonwealth as in a       
kingdom4    ,the contents of the oracle 
are much what we have had many times    
already4 ,the chief difference lies in a
 calm definiteness of  assurance1 a tone
 of distinct certitude1 as though the   
end were so  near at hand1 as to leave  
no room for doubt or hesitation4 ,and   
this  difference is fittingly and       
impressively suggested by the particular
  symbol chosen--the shattering of an   
earthenware vessel1 beyond the          
possibility of repair4 ,the direct      
mention of the king of ,babylon and  the
 ,babylonian captivity1 in the sequel   
7chap4 xx471 points to the  presence of 
a ,babylonian invasion1 probably that   
which ended with the  exile of ,jeconiah
 and the chief citizens of ,jerusalem4  
,the fatal sin1 from which the oracle   
starts and to which it returns1  is     
forsaking ,iahvah1 and making the city  
of ,his choice strange to  ,him1 that   
is1 hateful and unclean1 by contact with
 foreign and bloody  superstitions1     

which were even falsely declared by     
their promoters to  be pleasing to      
,iahvah1 the ,avenger of innocent blood6
 7chap4 vii4 #ca74  ,the punishment     
corresponds to the offence4 ,the        
sacrifices of blood  will be requited   
with blood1 shed in torrents on the very
 spot which  had been so foully         
polluted2 they who had not scrupled to  
slay their  children for the sacrifice1 
were to slay them again for food under  
the  stress of siege and famine2 the    
city and its houses1 defiled with the   
foreign worships1 will become one vast  
,molech-fire 7xxxii4 #ce71 in  which all
 will perish together4    ,it may strike
 a modern reader that there is something
 repulsive and  cold-blooded in this    
detailed enumeration of appalling       
horrors4  ,but not only is it the case  
that ,jeremiah is quoting from the ,book
  of the ,law1 at a time when1 to an    
unprejudiced eye1 there was  every      
likelihood that the course of events    
would verify his dark  forebodings2 in  

the dreadful experience of those times  
such incidents  as those mentioned 7ver4
 #i7 were familiar occurrences in the   
obstinate  defence and protracted       
sufferings of beleaguered cities4 ,the  
prophet1  therefore1 simply affirms that
 obstinate persistence in following     
their own counsels and rejecting the    
higher guidance will bring upon  the    
nation its irretrievable ruin4 ,we know 
that in the last siege he  did his      
utmost to prevent the occurrence of     
these unnatural horrors by  urging      
surrender2 but then1 as always1 the     
people stiffened their  neck1 not to    
hear ,iahvah's words4    ,jeremiah knew 
his countrymen well4 ,no phrase could   
have better  described the resolute     
obstinacy of the national character4    
,how  were the headstrong self-will1 the
 inveterate sensuality1 the blind       
tenacity of fanatical and non-moral     
conceptions which characterized  this   
people1 to be purified and made         
serviceable in the interests  of true   

religion1 except by means of the fiery  
ordeal which all the  prophets foresaw  
and foretold8 ,as we have seen1         
polytheism exercised  upon the popular  
mind a spell which we can hardly        
comprehend from  our modern point of    
view2 a polytheism foul and murderous1  
which  violated the tenderest affections
 of our nature by demanding of the      
father the sacrifice of his child1 and  
violated the very instinct of  natural  
purity by the shameless indulgence of   
its worship4 ,it was a  consecration of 
lust and cruelty1--that worship of      
,molech1 those rites  of the ,baals and 
,asheras4 ,meagre and monotonous as the 
sacred records  may on these heads      
appear to be1 their witness is          
supplemented by  other sources1 by the  
monuments of ,babylon and ,phenicia4    
,it is hard to see how the religious    
instinct of men in this peculiar  stage 
of belief and practice was to be        
enlightened and purified in  any other  
way than the actual course of           

,providence4 ,what arguments  can be    
imagined that would have appealed to    
minds which found a fatal  fascination1 
nay1 we must suppose an intense         
satisfaction1 in rites so  hideous that 
one durst not even describe them2 minds 
to which the lofty  monotheism of ,amos1
 the splendid eloquence of an ,isaiah1  
the plaintive  lyrical strain of a      
,jeremiah1 appealed in vain8 ,appeals to
 the order of  the world1 to the wonders
 of organic life1 were lost upon minds  
which  made gods of the most obvious    
subjects of that order1 the sun1 moon1  
and  stars2 which even personified and  
adored the physical principle whereby   
the succession of life after life is    
perpetuated4    ,nothing short of the   
perception that the word of the prophets
 had  come to pass1 the recognition1    
therefore1 that the prophetic idea of   
,god was the true idea1 could have      
succeeded in keeping the remnant of     
,judah safe from the contagion of       
surrounding heathenism in the land of   

their exile1 and in radically           
transforming once for all the religious 
tendencies of the ,jewish race4    ,in  
,jeremiah's view1 the heinousness of    
,judah's idolatry is heightened by  the 
consideration that the gods of their    
choice are gods whom neither  they nor  
their fathers knew 7ver4 #d74 ,the kings
 ,ahaz1 ,manasseh1 ,amon1  had          
introduced novel rites1 and departed    
from the old paths more  decidedly than 
any of their predecessors4 ,in this     
connexion1 we may  remember that1 while 
modern ,romish controversialists do not 
scruple  to accuse the ,church of this  
country of having unlawfully innovated  
at the ,reformation1 the ,anglican      
appeal has always been to ,scripture    
and primitive antiquity4 ,such1 too1 was
 the appeal of the prophets  7,hos4 vi4 
#a1 #g1 xi4 #a2 ,jer4 ii4 #b1 vi4 #af1  
xi4 #c74 ,it is the glory of  our       
,church1 a glory of which neither the   
lies of ,jesuits nor the envy  of the   
sectaries can rob her1 that she returned

 to the old paths1  boldly overleaping  
the dark ages of medieval ignorance1    
imposture1 and  corruption1 and planting
 her foot firmly upon the rock of       
apostolic  practice and the consent of  
the undivided ,church4    ,disunion     
among ,christians is a sore evil1 but   
union in the maintenance  and propaganda
 of falsehood is a worse2 and the guilt 
of disunion lies  at the door of that   
system which abused its authority to    
crush out  legitimate freedom of        
thought1 to retard the advancement of   
learning1  and to establish those       
monstrous innovations in doctrine and   
worship1  which subtle dialecticians may
 prove to their own satisfaction to be  
innocent and non-idolatrous in essence  
and intention1 though all the  world can
 see that in practice they are grossly  
idolatrous4 ,god preserve  ,england from
 that toleration of serious error1 which
 is so easy to  sceptical indifference6 
,god preserve her from lending an ear to
 the  siren voices that would seduce her

 to yield her hard-won independence1    
her noble freedom1 her manly rational   
piety1 to the unhistorical and          
unscriptural claims of the ,papacy6     
,if we reverence those ,scriptures of   
the ,old ,testament to which our ,lord  
and ,his ,apostles made their constant  
appeal1 we shall keep steadily  before  
our minds the fact that1 in the         
estimation of a prophet like  ,jeremiah1
 the sin of sins1 the sin that involved 
the ruin of ,israel and  ,judah1 was the
 sin of associating other objects of    
worship with the  ,one ,only ,god4 ,the 
temptation is peculiarly strong to some 
natures4 ,the  continual relapse of     
ancient ,israel is not so great a wonder
 to those  of us who have any knowledge 
of mankind1 and who can observe what is 
passing around them at the present day4 
,it is the severe demand of ,god's  holy
 law1 which makes men cast about for    
some plausible compromise--it  is that  
demand which also makes them yearn after
 some intermediary  power1 whose        

compassion will be less subject to      
considerations of  justice1 whom prayers
 and entreaties and presents may        
overcome1 and  induce to wink at        
unrepented sin4 ,in an age of           
unsettlement1 the more  daring spirits  
will be prone to silence their          
inconvenient scruples by  rushing into  
atheism1 while the more timid may take  
refuge in ,popery4  ,for to disown a    
,moral ,governour1 or to admit that any 
observances of  superstition can release
 men from the duty of obeying ,him1     
equally  serves the purpose of those1   
who resolve to be as wicked as they     
dare1  or as little virtuous as they can
 7,bp4 ,hurd74    ,then1 too1 there is  
the glory of the saints and angels of   
,god4 ,how  can frail man refuse to bow 
before the vision of their power and    
splendour1 as they stand1 the royal     
children of the ,king of kings1  around 
the heavenly throne1 deathless1 radiant 
with love and joy and  purity1 exalted  
far above all human weakness and human  

sorrows8 ,if the  holy angels are       
ministering spirits1 why not the entire 
community  of the ,blessed8 ,and what is
 to hinder us from casting ourselves at 
the feet of saint or angel1 one's own   
appointed guardian1 or chosen  helper8  
,let good ,george ,herbert answer for us
 all4        ,oh glorious spirits1 who  
after all your bands       ,see the     
smooth face of ,god1 without a frown1   
,or strict commands2       ,where every 
one is king1 and hath his crown1        
,if not upon his head1 yet in his hands3
        ,not out of envy or             
maliciousness       ,do ,i forbear to   
crave your special aid4                 
,i would address       ,my vows to thee 
most gladly1 blessed ,maid1       ,and  
,mother of my ,god1 in my distress3     
99       99       99       99       99  
,but now1 7alas67 ,i dare not2 for our  
,king1       ,whom we do all jointly    
adore and praise1                       
,bids no such thing3       ,and where   
,his pleasure no injunction lays1       

7',tis your own case7 ye never move a   
wing4        ,all worship is            
prerogative1 and a flower       ,of ,his
 rich crown1 from whom lies no appeal   
,at the last hour3       ,therefore we  
dare not from ,his garland steal1       
,to make a posy for inferior power4     
,in this sense also1 as in many others1 
the warning of ,st4 ,john applies3      
,,little ,,children1 ,,keep ,,yourselves
 ,,from ,,idols6    ,,footnote3    #ha  
,,lxx4     makes it possible that they  
read   which would represent  defiled4  
,,xiii4                                 
,,jeremiah ,,under ,,persecution4       
,,jeremiah xx4      ,the prophet has now
 to endure something more than a        
scornful rejection  of his message4 ,and
 ,pashchur ben ,immer the priest 7he was
 chief  officer in the house of ,iahvah7
 heard ,jeremiah prophesying these      
words4 ,and ,pashchur smote ,jeremiah   
the prophet and put him in the  stocks1 
which were in the upper gate of         
,benjamin in the house of  ,iahvah4     

,like the priest of ,bethel1 who        
abruptly put an end to  the preaching of
 ,amos in the royal sanctuary1 ,pashchur
 suddenly  interferes1 apparently before
 ,jeremiah has finished his address  to 
the people2 and enraged at the tenour of
 his words1 he causes  him--,jeremiah   
the prophet1 as it is significantly     
added1 to  indicate the sacrilege of the
 act--to be beaten in the cruel ,eastern
  manner on the soles of the feet1      
inflicting probably the full number  of 
forty blows permitted by the ,law       
7,deut471 and then leaving him1  in his 
agony of mind and body1 fast bound in   
the stocks4 ,for the  remainder of that 
day and all night long the prophet sat  
there in the  gate1 at first exposed to 
the taunts and jeers of his adversaries 
and  the rabble of their followers1 and 
as the weary hours slowly crept on1     
becoming painfully cramped in his limbs 
by the barbarous machine which  held his
 hands and feet near together1 and bent 
his body double4 ,this  cruel punishment

 seems to have been the customary mode  
of dealing  with such as were accounted 
false prophets by the authorities4 ,it  
was  the treatment which ,hanani endured
 in return for his warning to king  ,asa
 7#b ,chron4 xvi4 #aj71 some three      
centuries earlier than ,jeremiah's      
time2 and a few years later in our      
prophet's history1 an attempt was  made 
to enforce it again in his case 7,jer4  
xxix4 #bf74 ,thus1 like the  holy       
apostles of our ,lord1 was ,jeremiah    
counted worthy to suffer  shame for the 
,name in which he spoke 7,acts v4 #dj1  
#da72 and like ,paul  and ,silas at     
,philippi1 after enduring many stripes  
his feet were  made fast in the stocks  
7,acts xvi4 #bc1 #bd74 ,the message of  
,jeremiah  was a message of judgment1   
that of the apostles was a message of   
forgiveness2 and both met with the same 
response from a world whose  heart was  
estranged from ,god4 ,the heart that    
loves its own way1 is  only at ease when
 it can forget ,god4 ,any reminder of   

,his ,presence1 of  ,his perpetual      
activity in mercy and judgment1 is      
unwelcome1 and makes  its authors       
odious4 ,from the outset1 transgressors 
of the ,divine law  have sought to hide 
among the trees of the garden--in the   
engrossing  pursuits and pleasures of   
life--from the ,presence of ,god4       
,pashchur's object was not to destroy   
,jeremiah1 but to break his spirit1  and
 discredit him with the multitude1 and  
so silence him for ever4 ,but  in this  
expectation he was as signally          
disappointed as his successor  was in   
the case of ,st4 ,peter 7,acts v4 #bd1  
#bi74 ,now as then1 ,god's  messenger   
could not be turned from his conviction 
that we ought to obey  ,god rather than 
men4 ,and as he sat alone in his        
intolerable anguish1  brooding over his 
shameful wrongs1 and despairing of      
redress1 a ,divine  ,word came in the   
stillness of night to this victim of    
human tyranny4  ,for it came to pass on 
the morrow that ,pashchur brought       

,jeremiah forth  out of the stocks2 and 
,jeremiah said unto him1 ,not           
,pashchur#hb--;as  if ,glad and         
free--but ,magor-missabib--,fear on     
every side--hath  ,iahvah called thy    
name6 ,sharpened with misery1 the seer's
 eye pierces  through the shows of life1
 and discerns the grim contrast of truth
  and appearance4 ,before him stands    
this great man1 clothed with all  the   
dignity of high office1 and able to     
destroy him with a word2 but  ,iahvah's 
prophet does not quail before abused    
authority4 ,he sees the  sword suspended
 by a hair over the head of this haughty
 and supercilious  official2 and he     
realizes the solemn irony of            
circumstance1 which has  connected a    
name suggestive of gladness and freedom 
with a man destined  to become the      
thrall of perpetual terrors4 ,for thus  
hath ,iahvah said3  ,lo1 ,i am about to 
make thee a ,fear to thyself and to all 
thy lovers2  and they will fall by the  
sword of their foes1 while thine eyes   

look  on6 ,this glad and free           
persecutor1 wantoning in the abuse of   
power1  blindly fearless of the future1 
is not doomed to be slain out of hand2  
a heavier fate is in store for him1 a   
fate prefigured and foreshadowed  by his
 present sins4 ,his proud confidence is 
to give place to a haunting  sense of   
danger and insecurity2 he is to see his 
followers perish one  after another1 and
 evermore to be expecting the same end  
for himself3  while the freedom which he
 has enjoyed and abused so long1 is to  
be  exchanged for a lifelong captivity  
in a foreign land4 ,and all ,judah  will
 ,i give into the hand of the king of   
,babylon1 and he will transport  them to
 ,babylon1 and smite them with the      
sword4 ,and ,i will give all the  store 
of this city--the hoarded wealth of all 
sorts1 which constitutes  its strength  
and reserve force--and all the gain     
thereof--the produce  of labour--and all
 the value thereof--things rare and     
precious of  every kind1 works of the   

carver's and the goldsmith's and the    
potter's  and the weaver's art2--and all
 the treasures of the kings of ,judah   
will  ,i give into the hand of their    
foes1 that they may spoil them and take 
them and bring them to ,babylon4    ,and
 for thyself1 ,pashchur1 and all that   
dwell in thine house1 ye  shall depart  
among the captives2 and to ,babylon thou
 shall come1 and  there thou shalt die1 
and there be buried1 thyself and all thy
 lovers1  to whom thou hast prophesied  
with untruth1 or rather by the ,lie1    
i4e41 by the ,baal 7ii4 #h1 xxiii4 #ac1 
cf4 xii4 #af74    ,the play on the name 
of ,pashchur is like that on ,perath    
7ch4 xiii471 and  the change to         
,magor-missabib is like the change of   
,tophet into ,valley  of ,slaughter 7ch4
 xix474 ,like ,amos 7vii4 #af71         
,jeremiah repeats his  obnoxious        
prophecy1 with a special application to 
his cruel persecutor1  and with the     
added detail that all the wealth of     
,jerusalem will be  carried as spoil to 

,babylon2 a detail in which there may   
lie an oblique  reference to the        
covetous worldliness and the interested 
opposition of  such men as ,pashchur4   
,riches and ease and popularity were the
 things  for which he and those like him
 had bargained away their integrity1    
prophesying with conscious falsehood to 
the deluded people4 ,his lovers  are his
 partisans1 who eagerly welcomed his    
presages of peace and  prosperity1 and  
doubtless actively opposed ,jeremiah    
with ridicule and  threats4 ,the last   
detail is remarkable1 for we do not     
otherwise know  that ,pashchur affected 
to prophesy4 ,if it be not meant simply 
that  ,pashchur accepted and lent the   
weight of his official sanction to the  
false prophets1 and especially those who
 uttered their divinations in  the name 
of the ,baal1 that is to say1 either    
,molech1 or the popular  and delusive   
conception of the ,god of ,israel1 we   
see in this man one  who combined a     
steady professional opposition to       

,jeremiah with power  to enforce his    
hostility by legalized acts of violence4
 ,the conduct  of ,hananiah on a later  
occasion 7xxviii4 #aj71 clearly proves  
that1  where the power was present1 the 
will for such acts was not wanting in   
,jeremiah's professional adversaries4   
,it is generally taken for granted that 
the name of ,pashchur has  been         
substituted for that of ,malchijah in   
the list of the priestly  families which
 returned with ,zerubbabel from the     
,babylonian captivity  7,ezra ii4 #ch2  
,neh4 vii4 #da2 cf4 #a ,chron4 xxiv4    
#i72 but it seems quite  possible that  
the sons of ,pashchur were a subdivision
 of the family  of ,immer1 which had    
increased largely during the ,exile4 ,in
 that case1  the list affords evidence  
of the fulfilment of ,jeremiah's        
prediction  to ,pashchur4 ,the prophet  
elsewhere mentions another ,pashchur1   
who was  also a priest1 of the course or
 guild of ,malchijah 7xxi4 #a1 xxxviii4 
#a71 which was the designation of the   

fifth class of the priests1 as  ,immer  
was that of the sixteenth 7#a ,chron4   
xxiv4 #i1 #ad74 ,the prince  ,gedaliah1 
who was hostile to ,jeremiah1 was       
apparently a son of the  present        
,pashchur 7,jer4 xxxviii4 #a74    ,it is
 not easy to determine the relation of  
the lyrical section which  immediately  
follows the doom of ,pashchur1 to the   
preceding account  7vv4 #g-h74 ,if the  
seventh verse be in its original place1 
it would  seem that the prophet's word  
had failed of accomplishment1 with  the 
result of intensifying the unbelief and 
the ridicule which his  teachings       
encountered4 ,there is also something   
very strange in the  sequence of the    
thirteenth and fourteenth verses1 where1
 as the text  now stands1 the prophet   
passes at once1 in the most abrupt      
fashion  imaginable1 from a fervid      
ascription of praise1 a heartfelt cry of
  thanksgiving for deliverance either   
actual or contemplated as such1  to     
utterances of unrelieved despair4 ,i do 

not think that this is in  the manner of
 ,jeremiah2 nor do ,i see how the       
violent contrast of the  two sections   
7#g-ac and #ad-ah7 can fairly be        
accounted for1 except by  supposing     
either that we have here two unconnected
 fragments1 placed  in juxtaposition    
with each other because they belong to  
the same  general period of the         
prophet's ministry2 or that the two     
passages  have by some accident of      
transcription been transposed1 which is 
by  no means an uncommon occurrence in  
the ,,mss4 of the ,biblical writers4    
,assuming this latter as the more       
probable alternative1 we see in the     
entire passage a powerful representation
 of the mental conflict into  which     
,jeremiah was thrown by ,pashchur's     
high-handed violence and the  seeming   
triumph of his enemies4 ,smarting with  
the sense of utter  injustice1          
humiliated in his inmost soul by        
shameful indignities1  crushed to the   
earth with the bitter consciousness of  

defeat and  failure1 the prophet like   
,job opens his mouth and curses his day4
        #a4 ,cursed be the day wherein  
,i was born6         ,the day that my   
mother bare me1         ,let it not be  
blest6        #b4 ,cursed be the man who
 told the glad tidings to my father1    
',there is born to thee a male child2'  
,who made him rejoice greatly4          
#c4 ,and let that man become like the   
cities that ,iahweh overthrew1          
without relenting1         ,and let him 
hear a cry in the morning1         ,and 
an alarm at the hour of noon6        #d4
 ,for that he slew me not in the womb1  
,that my mother might have become my    
grave1         ,and her womb have been  
laden evermore6        #e4 ,o why from  
the womb came ,i forth         ,to see  
labour and sorrow1         ,and my days 
fordone with shame8    ,these five      
triplets afford a glimpse of the lively 
grief1 the  passionate despair1 which   
agitated the prophet's heart as the     
first  effect of the shame and the      

torture to which he had been so wickedly
  and wantonly subjected4 ,the elegy1 of
 which they constitute the proem1  or   
opening strophe1 is not introduced by   
any formula ascribing it to  ,divine    
inspiration2 it is simply written down  
as a faithful record  of ,jeremiah's own
 feelings and reflexions and            
self-communings1 at  this painful crisis
 in his career4 ,the poet of the book of
 ,job has  apparently taken the hint    
supplied by these opening verses1 and   
has  elaborated the idea of cursing the 
day of birth through seven highly       
wrought and imaginative stanzas4 ,the   
higher finish and somewhat  artificial  
expansion of that passage leave little  
doubt that it was  modelled upon the one
 before us4 ,but the point to remember  
here is  that both are lyrical          
effusions1 expressed in language        
conditioned by  ,oriental rather than   
,european standards of taste and usage4 
,as the  prophets were not inspired to  
express their thoughts and feelings in  

a modern ,english dress1 it is          
superfluous to inquire whether ,jeremiah
  was morally justified in using these  
poetic formulas of imprecation4  ,to    
insist on applying the doctrine of      
verbal inspiration to such a  passage is
 to evince an utter want of literary    
tact and insight1 as  well as adhesion  
to an exploded and pernicious relic of  
sectarian  theology4 ,the prophet's     
curses are simply a highly effective    
form of  poetical rhetoric1 and are in  
perfect harmony with the immemorial     
modes of ,oriental expression2 and the  
underlying thought1 so  equivocally     
expressed1 according to our ways of     
looking at things1 is  simply that his  
life has been a failure1 and therefore  
it would have  been better not to have  
been born4 ,who that is at all earnest  
for  ,god's truth1 nay1 for far lower   
objects of human interest and pursuit1  
has not in moments of despondency and   
discouragement been overwhelmed  for a  
time by the like feeling8 ,can we blame 

,jeremiah for allowing us  to see in    
this faithful transcript of his inner   
life how intensely  human1 how entirely 
natural the spiritual experience of the 
prophets  really was8 ,besides1 the     
revelation does not end with this       
initial  outburst of instinctive        
astonishment1 indignation and despair4  
,the  proem is succeeded by a psalm in  
seven stanzas of regular poetical       
form--six quatrains rounded off with a  
final couplet--in which the  prophet's  
thought rises above the level of nature1
 and finds in an  overruling ,providence
 both the source and the justification  
of the  enigma of his life4        #a4  
,thou enticedst me1 ,iahvah1 and ,i was 
enticed1         ,thou urgedst#hc me1   
and didst prevail6         ,i am become 
a derision all the day long4            
,every one mocketh at me4        #b4    
,for as oft as ,i speak1 ,i cry alarm1  
,violence and havoc do ,i proclaim2     
,for ,iahvah's word is become to me a   
reproach1         ,and a scoff all the  

day long4        #c4 ,and if ,i say1 ,i 
will not mind it1         ,nor speak any
 more in ,his ,name2         ,then it   
becometh in my heart like a burning fire
 prisoned in my              bones4     
,and ,i weary of holding it in#hd and am
 not able4        #d4 ,for ,i have heard
 the defaming of many1 the terror on    
every              side2#he         ,all
 the men of my friendship are watching  
for my fall2         ',perchance he will
 be enticed1 and we shall prevail over  
him1         ,and take our revenge of   
him4'        #e4 ,yet ,iahvah is with me
 as a dread warrior1         ,therefore 
my pursuers shall stumble and not       
prevail2         ,they shall be greatly 
ashamed1 for that they have not         
prospered1         ,with eternal        
dishonour that shall not be forgotten4  
#f4 ,and ,iahvah ,sabaoth trieth the    
righteous1         ,seeth the reins and 
the heart2         ,i shall see ,thy    
revenge of them1         ,for unto ,thee
 have ,i committed my quarrel4          

#g4 ,sing ye to ,iahvah1 acclaim ye     
,iahvah6         ,for ,he hath snatched 
the poor man's life out of the hand of  
evildoers4    ,the cause was of ,god4   
,thou didst lure me1 ,iahvah1 and ,i let
 myself  be lured2 ,thou urgedst me and 
wert victorious4 ,he had not rashly  and
 presumptuously taken upon himself this 
office of prophet2 he had  been called1 
and had resisted the call1 until his    
scruples and his  pleadings were        
overcome1 as was only natural1 by a     
,will more powerful  than his own 7chap4
 i4 #f74 ,in speaking of the inward     
persuasions which  determined the course
 of his life1 he uses the very terms    
which are  used by the author of ,kings 
in connexion with the spirit that misled
  the prophets of ,arab before the fatal
 expedition to ,ramoth ,gilead4  ,and he
 said1 ,thou shalt entice1 and also be  
victorious 7#a ,kings  xxii4 #bb74      
,iahvah1 therefore1 has treated him as  
an enemy rather  than a friend1 for ,he 
has lured him to his own destruction4   

,half in  irony1 half in bitter         
complaint1 the prophet declares that    
,iahvah has  succeeded only too well in 
,his malign purpose3 ,i am become a     
derision  all the day long2 ,every one  
mocketh at me4    ,in the second stanza1
 the thought appears to be continued    
thus3  ,thou overcamest me2 for as often
 as ,i speak1 ,i am a prophet of  evil1 
,i cry alarm 7ez'aq2 cf4 zaqah1 vers4   
#af72 ,i proclaim  the imminence of     
invasion1 the violence and havoc of a   
ruthless  conqueror4 ,thou overcamest me
 also1 in ,thy purpose of making me a   
laughing-stock to my adversaries2 for   
,iahvah's word is become to me a        
reproach1 and a scoff all the day long  
7the relation between the two  halves of
 the stanza is that of coordination2    
each gives the reason of  the           
corresponding couplet in the first      
stanza74 ,his continual threats  of a   
judgment that was still delayed1 brought
 upon him the merciless  ridicule of his
 opponents4    ,or the prophet may mean 

to complain that the monotony of his    
message1  his ever-recurring            
denunciation of prevalent injustice1 is 
made a  reproach against him4 ,for as   
often as ,i speak ,i make an outcry of  
indignation at foul wrongdoing 7,gen4   
iv4 #aj1 xviii4 #ba1 xix4 #ac72 wrong   
and robbery do ,i proclaim 7,hab4 i4 #b1
 #c7--the oppression of the poor  by the
 covetous and luxurious ruling classes4 
,a third view is that  ,jeremiah        
complains of the frequent attacks upon  
himself3 ,for as  often as ,i speak ,i  
have to exclaim2 ,of assault and        
violence do ,i cry2  but the first      
suggestion appears to suit best1 as     
giving a reason for  the ridicule which 
the prophet finds so intolerable 7cf4   
xvii4 #ae74    ,the third stanza carries
 this plea for justice a step further4  
,not  only was the prophet's            
overwhelming trouble due to his having  
yielded  to the persuasions and promises
 of ,iahvah2 not only has he been       
rewarded with scorn and the scourge and 

the stocks for his compliance  with a   
,divine call4 ,he has been in a manner  
forced and driven into his  intolerable 
position by the coercive power of       
,iahvah1 which left him  no choice but  
to utter the word that burnt like a fire
 within him4  ,sometimes his fears of   
perfidy and betrayal suggested the      
thought  of succumbing to the           
insuperable obstacles which seemed to   
block  his path2 of giving up once for  
all a thankless and fruitless and       
dangerous enterprise3 but then the      
inward flame burnt so fiercely1  that he
 could find no relief for his anguish   
but by giving it vent in  words 7cf4    
,ps4 xxxix4 #a-c74    ,the verse finely 
illustrates that vivid sense of a       
,divine constraint  which distinguishes 
the true prophet from pretenders to the 
office4  ,jeremiah does not protest the 
purity of his motives2 indirectly and   
unconsciously he expresses it with a    
simplicity and a strength which  leave  
no room for suspicion4 ,he has himself  

no doubt at all that what  he speaks is 
,iahvah's word4 ,the inward impulse is  
overpowering2 he  has striven in vain   
against its urgency2 like ,jacob at     
,peniel1 he  has wrestled with ,one     
stronger than himself4 ,he is no vulgar 
fanatic  or enthusiast1 in whom rooted  
prejudices and irrational frenzies      
overbalance the judgment1 making him    
incapable of estimating the  hazards and
 the chances of his enterprise2 he is as
 well aware of  the perils that beset   
his path as the coolest and craftiest of
 his  worldly adversaries4 ,thanks to   
his natural quickness of perception1    
his developed faculty of reflexion1 he  
is fully alive to the probable          
consequences of perpetually thwarting   
the popular will1 of taking up  a       
position of permanent resistance to the 
policy and the aims and the  interests  
of the ruling classes4 ,but while he has
 his mortal hopes  and fears1 his human 
capacity for anxiety and pain2 while his
 heart  bleeds at the sight of          

suffering1 and aches for the woes that  
thickly  crowd the field of his         
prophetic vision2 his speech and his    
behaviour  are dominated1 upon the      
whole1 by an altogether higher          
consciousness4  ,his emotions may have  
their moments of mastery2 at times they 
may  overpower his fortitude1 and lay   
him prostrate in an agony of            
lamentation and mourning and woe2 at    
times they may even interpose  clouds   
and darkness between the prophet and his
 vision of the ,eternal2  but these     
effects of mortality do not last3 they  
shake but cannot  loosen his grasp of   
spiritual realities2 they cannot free   
him from the  constraining influence of 
the ,word of ,iahvah4 ,that word        
possesses1  leads him captive1 triumphs 
over him1 over all the natural          
resistance of flesh and blood2 for he is
 not as the many--the false             
prophets--who corrupt the ,word of ,god2
 but as of sincerity1 but as of  ,god1  
in the sight of ,god1 he speaks 7#b     

,cor4 ii4 #ad1 #ag74    ,and still1     
unless a man be thus impelled by the    
,spirit2 unless he have  counted the    
cost and is prepared to risk all for    
,god2 unless he be  ready to face       
unpopularity and social contempt and    
persecution2 unless  he knows what it is
 to suffer for and with ,jesus ,christ2 
,i doubt if  he has any moral right to  
speak in that most holy ,name4 ,for if  
the  all-mastering motive be absent1 if 
the love of ,christ constrain him  not1 
how can his desires and his doings be   
such as the ,unseen ,judge  will either 
approve or bless8           99       99 
99       99       99    ,the fourth     
stanza explains why the prophet         
laboured1 though vainly1 to  keep       
silence4 ,it was because of the         
malicious reports of his utterances1    
which were carefully circulated by his  
watchful antagonists4 ,they beset  him  
on every side2 like ,pashchur1 they were
 to him a magor-missabib1  an environing
 terror 7cf4 vi4 #be71 as they listened 

to his harangues1  and eagerly invited  
each other to inform against him as a   
traitor 7,the  words ,inform ye1 and let
 us inform against him6 or ,denounce ye1
 and  let us denounce him6 may be an    
ancient gloss upon the term dibbah1  ill
 report1 calumny2 ,gen4 xxxvii4 #b2     
,num4 xiii4 #cb2 ,job xvii4 #e4 ,for    
the construction1 cf4 ,job xxxi4 #cg4   
,they spoil the symmetry of the line4   
,that dibbah really means defaming1 or  
slander1 appears not only  from the     
passages in which it occurs1 but also   
from the ,arabic dabb2  one who creeps  
about with slander1 from dabba1 to move 
gently or  slowly about4 ,the ,heb4     
ragal1 riggel1 to go about slandering1  
and  rakl1 slander1 are analogous74     
,and not only open enemies thus         
conspired for the prophet's             
destruction4 ,even professed friends    
7for the phrase1 cf4 xxxviii4 #bb2  ,ps4
 xli4 #aj7 were treacherously watchful  
to catch him tripping 7cf4  ix4 #b1 xii4
 #f74 ,those on whom he had a natural   

claim for sympathy  and protection1 bore
 a secret and determined grudge against 
him4 ,his  unpopularity was complete1   
and his position full of peril4 ,we have
  in the thirty-first and several of the
 following psalms outpourings  of       
feeling under circumstances very similar
 to those of ,jeremiah on  the present  
occasion1 even if they were not actually
 written by him  at the same crisis in  
his career1 as certain striking         
coincidences  of expression seem to     
suggest 7ver4 #aj2 cf4 ,ps4 xxxi4 #ac1  
xxxv4 #ae1  xxxviii4 #ag1 xli4 #i2 ver4 
#ac with ,ps4 xxxv4 #i1 #aj74    ,the   
prophet closes his psalm-like monologue 
with an act of faith4  ,he remembers    
that he has a ,champion who is mightier 
than a thousand  enemies4 ,iahvah is    
with him1 not with them 7cf4 #b ,kings  
vi4 #af72 their  plots1 therefore1 are  
foredoomed to failure1 and themselves to
 the  vengeance of a righteous ,god 7xi4
 #bj74 ,the last words are an exultant  
anticipation of deliverance4    ,we thus

 see that the whole piece1 like a       
previous one 7xv4 #aj-ba71  begins with 
cursing and ends with an assurance of   
blessing4    ,,footnotes3    #hb ,the   
name is probably a quadriliteral from 1 
,arabic3 9999  ,ethiopic  to be glad1   
,assyrian ,assyrian3 9999 pashchu to  be
 at ease1 to rest1 7which comes nearest 
to the ,hebrew root74  ,the ,arabic verb
 means ,the place was roomy1 wide1      
ample2 whence  ,arabic3 9999 free from  
distress or narrowness of mind4 ,thus   
,pashchur   case1 tranquillity1 and is  
formed like ,achbor1 kaphtor1 a         
capital1 7,,lxx4 ,pashchor74 ,but the   
name might remind a ,hebrew of the  root
  to leap1 prance1 ,jer4 l4 #aa1 and    
free 7plur4 only71  as if it were a     
compound of psh and chr4 ,glad and free3
 cf4  the ,,lxx4 vocalisation 4 ,i think
 this popular etymology pash   chor is  
probably what ,jeremiah thought of4     
#hc ,ex4 xii4 #cc2 ,isa4 viii4 #aa2     
,ezek4 iii4 #ad2 ,jer4 xv4 #ag4    #hd  
vi4 #aa 7or1 of enduring1 ,mal4 iii4    

#b74    #he ',denounce ye1 and we will  
denounce him6'          ,transcriber's  
,notes3      ,obvious punctuation and   
spelling errors have been fixed         
throughout4    ,inconsistent hyphenation
 left as in the original text4          
,footnote #ca3 ,this footnote was       
originally an author's note4 ,converted 
to a footnote for ease of reference4    
,footnote #gh3 ,there is no anchor for  
this in the original text1 left as  in  
the original4