JEREMIAH 10 COMMENTARYEDITED BY GLENN PEASE

God and Idols1 Hear what the Lord says to you, people of Israel.

CLARKE, "Hear ye the word which the Lord speaketh unto you - Dr. Dahler supposes this discourse to have been delivered in the fourth year of the reign of Jehoiakim. It contains an invective against idolatry; showing its absurdity, and that the Creator alone should be worshipped by all mankind.

GILL, "Hear ye the word which the Lord speaketh unto you, O house of Israel. Or, "upon you"; or, "concerning you" (k); it may design the judgment of God decreed and pronounced upon them; or the prophecy of it to them, in which they were nearly concerned; or the word of God in general, sent unto them by his prophets, which they were backward of hearing; and seems to refer particularly to what follows.

HENRY 1-2, "The prophet Isaiah, when he prophesied of the captivity in Babylon, added warnings against idolatry and largely exposed the sottishness of idolaters, not only because the temptations in Babylon would be in danger of drawing the Jews there to idolatry, but because the afflictions in Babylon were designed to cure them of their idolatry. Thus the prophet Jeremiah here arms people against the idolatrous usages and customs of the heathen, not only for the use of those that had gone to Babylon, but of those also that staid behind, that being convinced and reclaimed, by the word of God, the rod might be prevented; and it is written for our learning. Observe here,

I. A solemn charge given to the people of God not to conform themselves to the ways and customs of the heathen. Let the house of Israel hear and receive this word from the God of Israel: “Learn not the way of the heathen, do not approve of it, no, nor think indifferently concerning it, much less imitate it or accustom yourselves to it. Let not any of their customs steal in among you (as they are apt to do insensibly) nor mingle themselves with your religion.” Note, It ill becomes those that are taught of God to learn the way of the heathen, and to think of worshipping the true God with such rites and ceremonies as they used in the worship of their false gods. See Deu_12:29-31. It was the way of the heathen to worship the host of heaven, the sun, moon, and stars; to them they 1

gave divine honours, and from them they expected divine favours, and therefore, according as the signs of heaven were, whether they were auspicious or ominous, they thought themselves countenanced or discountenanced by their deities, which made them observe those signs, the eclipses of the sun and moon, the conjunctions and oppositions of the planets, and all the unusual phenomena of the celestial globe, with a great deal of anxiety and trembling. Business was stopped if any thing occurred that was thought to bode ill; if it did but thunder on their left hand, they were almost as if they had been thunderstruck. Now God would not have his people to be dismayed at the signs of heaven, to reverence the stars as deities, nor to frighten themselves with any prognostications grounded upon them. Let them fear the God of heaven, and keep up a reverence of his providence, and then they need not be dismayed at the signs of heaven,for the stars in their courses fight not against any that are at peace with God. The heathen are dismayed at these signs, for they know no better; but let not the house of Israel, that are taught of God, be so.JAMISON, "Jer_10:1-25. Contrast between the idols and Jehovah. The prophet’s

lamentation and prayer.Israel — the Jews, the surviving representatives of the nation.

K&D 1-2, "Warning against idolatry by means of a view of the nothingness of thefalse gods (Jer_10:1-5), and a counter-view of the almighty and everlasting God (Jer_10:6-11) and of His governing care in the natural world. This warning is but a further continuation of the idea of Jer_9:23, that Israel's glory should consist in Jahveh who doth grace, right, and justice upon earth. In order thoroughly to impress this truth on the backsliding and idolatrous people, Jeremiah sets forth the nullity of the gods feared by the heathen, and, by showing how these gods are made of wood, plated with silver and gold, proves that these dead idols, which have neither life nor motion, cannot be objects of fear; whereas Jahveh is God in truth, a living and everlasting God, before whose anger the earth trembles, who has created the earth, and rules it, who in the day of visitation will also annihilate the false gods.

(Note: This whole passage is declared by Movers (de utr. rec. Jer. p. 43), de W., Hitz., and Näg. to be spurious and a late interpolation; because, as they allege, it interrupts the continuity, because its matter brings us down to the time of the Babylonian exile, and because the language of it diverges in many respects from Jeremiah's. Against these arguments Küper, Haev., Welte, and others have made a Stand. See my Manual of Introd. §75, 1. - By the exhibition of the coherence of the thought given in the text, we have already disposed of the argument on which most stress is laid by the critics referred to, the alleged interruption of the connection. How little weight this argument is entitled to, may over and above be seen from the fact that Graf holds Jer_9:22-25 to be an interpolation, by reason of the want of connection; in which view neither Movers preceded him, nor has Hitz. or Näg. followed Him. The second reason, that the subject-matter brings us down to the time of the exile, rests upon a misconception of the purpose in displaying the nothingness of the false gods. In this there is presupposed neither a people as yet unspotted by idolatry, nor a people purified therefrom; but, in order to fill the heart with a warmer love for the living God and Lord of the world, Israel's own God, the bias towards the idols, deep-seated in the hearts of the people, is taken to task and attacked in that 2

which lies at its root, namely, the fear of the power of the heathen's gods. Finally, as to the language of the passage, Movers tried to show that the whole not only belonged to the time of the pseudo-Isaiah, but that it was from his hand. Against this Graf has pronounced emphatically, with the remark that the similarity is not greater than is inevitable in the discussion of the same subject; whereas, he says, the diversity in expression is so great, that it does not even give us any reason to suppose that the author of this passage had the pseudo-Isaiah before him when he was writing. This assertion is certainly an exaggeration; but it contains thus much of truth, that along with individual similarities in expression, the diversities are so great as to put out of the question all idea of the passage's having been written by the author of Isa 40-56. In several verses Jeremiah's characteristic mode of expression is unmistakeable. Such are the frequent use of ֶהֶבל for the idols, Jer_10:3 and Jer_10:15, cf. Jer_8:19; Jer_14:22, and ֵעת ;Jer_10:15, cf. Jer_8:12; Jer_46:21 ,ְּפֻקָּדָתםJer_50:27, neither of which occurs in the second part of Isaiah; and ִביׁש _Jer ,ה10:14, for which Isaiah uses ׁש Isa_42:17; Isa_44:11. Further, in passages cognate ,ּבin sense the expression is quite different; cf. Jer_10:4 and Jer_10:9 with Isa_40:19-20; Isa_41:7, where we find ט ִיּמ instead of ָיִפיק, which is not used by Isaiah in the sense of "move;" cf. Jer_10:5 with Isa_46:7 and Isa_41:23; Jer_10:12 with Isa_45:18. Finally, the two common expressions cannot prove anything, because they are found in other books, as ֵׁשֶבט Jer_10:16 ,ַנֲחָלת and Isa_63:17, derived from Deu_32:9; or יהוה ת ְצָבא , which is used frequently by Amos; cf. Amo_4:13; Amo_5:27, Amo_5:8; Amo_9:6, cf. with Jer_33:2. - Even ֶנֶס in the sense of molten image in Jer_10:14, as in Isa_41:29; Isa_48:5, is found also in Dan_11:8; consequently this use of the word is no peculiarity of the second part of Isaiah.)

Jer_10:1-2The nothingness of the false gods. - Jer_10:1. "Hear the word which Jahveh speaketh unto you, house of Israel! Jer_10:2. Thus saith Jahveh: To the ways of the heathen use yourselves not, and at the signs of the heaven be not dismayed, because the heathen are dismayed at them. Jer_10:3. For the ordinances of the peoples are vain. For it is wood, which one hath cut out of the forest, a work of the craftsman's hands with the axe. Jer_10:4. With silver and with gold he decks it, with nails and hammers they fasten it, that it move not. Jer_10:5. As a lathe-wrought pillar are they, and speak not; they are borne, because they cannot walk. Be not afraid of them; for they do not hurt, neither is it in them to do good."This is addressed to the house of Israel, i.e., to the whole covenant people; and "house

of Israel" points back to "all the house of Israel" in Jer_9:25. ֲעֵליֶכם for ֲאֵליֶכם, as frequently in Jeremiah. The way of the heathen is their mode of life, especially their way of worshipping their gods; cf. ἡ ὁδὸς, Act_9:2; Act_19:9. ָלַמד c. ֶאל, accustom oneself to a thing, used in Jer_13:21 with the synonymous ַעל, and in Psa_18:35 (Piel) with ְל. The signs of heaven are unwonted phenomena in the heavens, eclipses of the sun and moon, comets, and unusual conjunctions of the stars, which were regarded as the precursors of extraordinary and disastrous events. We cannot admit Hitz.'s objection, that these signs in heaven were sent by Jahveh (Joe_3:3-4), and that before these, as heralds of judgment, not only the heathen, but the Jews themselves, had good cause to be dismayed. For the signs that marked the dawning of the day of the Lord are not merely

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such things as eclipses of sun and moon, and the like. There is still less ground for Näg.'s idea, that the signs of heaven are such as, being permanently there, call forth religious adoration from year to year, the primitive constellations (Job_9:9), the twelve signs of the zodiac; for (ִנַחת )ֵּתַחּתּו, to be in fear, consternari, never means, even in Mal_2:5, regular or permanent adoration. "For the heathen," etc., gives the cause of the fear: the heathen are dismayed before these, because in the stars they adored supernatural powers.PULPIT, "Whoever wrote the prophecy in Jer_10:1-16 of this chapter, it was not Jeremiah; but of course, as the passage forms part of a canonical book, its claims to the character of a Scripture remain the same as if it were the work of our prophet. It is obvious at the very outset that it interrupts the connection; verses 17-25 stand in no relation to verses 1-16, but attach themselves most naturally (see below) to the concluding verses of Jer_9:1-26. The author tolls us himself, as clearly as he can, that the people whom he addresses are free as yet (or at any rate have freed themselves) from the guilt of idolatry, and consequently cannot be the same as those who are so severely chastised for their polytheism in Jer_7:17, Jer_7:18, Jer_7:30, Jer_7:31. The style too is, on the whole, very different from that of the writer of the preceding chapters (see the details in the introduction to this passage in the Commentary of Naegelsbaeh). But how can we account for such an insertion? Only by the view already mentioned (supported by a large number of facts throughout the prophetic literature), that the prophecies were edited, and here and there supplemented by the "sons of the prophets", i.e. by persons providentially raised up for this purpose, and endowed with at least a younger son’s portion of the prophetic Spirit. In the times of the editor of Jeremiah, to whom we owe the first sixteen verses of this chapter, the Jews must have been in danger of falling into idolatry, and our prophet, guided by the Divine Spirit, took up the pen to counteract this danger. His name has not come down to us; indeed, self-abnegation is the characteristic of inspired writers. How uncertain is the authorship of at any rate not a few of the psalms, and of all the historical books? And have we a right to be surprised that the prophets too, absorbed in their glorious mission, have sometimes forgotten to hand on their names to posterity? It is of course possible, in the abstract, that some fragments of the passage are really due to Jeremiah; but how are we to distinguish them from the rest? Hitzig thinks that verses 6-8 and verse 10 are the great prophet’s work; but these are the very verses the origin of which is the most doubtful, since they are entirely omitted in the Septuagint. One thing is certain—that the passage verses 1-16 stands in close relation to the latter part of the Book of Isaiah. The prophetic writer, whoever he was, had his mind saturated with the ideas and phraseology of that magnificent work. The similarity, however, is hardly so close as to justify the view that Isaiah 40-56; and Jer_10:1-16 are productions of the same inspired writer. [It is no objection to the theory here advocated that the passage is found in the Septuagint; for no one has ever supposed that the process of editing the Scriptures was not already long since finished when the Alexandrine Version, or rather collection of versions, was made.] It is a singular fact that Jer_10:11 is written in Chaldee (see note below).

CALVIN, "Jeremiah enters here on a new subject. Though he had, no doubt, taught this truth often, yet I consider it as distinct from what has gone before; for he begins

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here a new attack on those superstitions to which the Jews were then extremely addicted. He exhorts them first to hear the word of Jehovah; for they had so hardened themselves in the errors which they had derived from the Gentiles, and the contagion had so prevailed, that they could not be easily drawn away from them. This, then, is the reason why he used a sort of preface, and said, Hear ye the word of Jehovah, which he speaks to you, O house of Israel (1)He then mentions the error in which the Chaldeans and the Egyptians were involved; for they were, we know, very attentive observers of the stars. And this is expressly stated, because the Jews despised God’s judgments, and greatly feared what were foolishly divined. For when any one, by looking at the stars, threatened them with some calamity, they were immediately terrified; but when God denounced on them, as with the sound of a trumpet, a calamity by his Prophets, they were not at all moved. But it will be better to examine the very words of the Prophet, as then we shall more plainly see the drift of the whole.COFFMAN, "THE TRUE GOD CONTRASTED WITH IDOLSIn this chapter, we encounter a barrage of critical bias to the effect that, "This chapter presupposes a situation in which the people addressed are living among the heathen and need to be warned against idolatry."[1] "There is an interruption of thought ... Most scholars question the authenticity of a major section of this chapter."[2] "Most scholars wish to date this passage during the exile and consider it post-Jeremiahic."[3] "Jeremiah 10:1-16 here interrupt the connection between Jeremiah 9:22 and Jeremiah 10:17."[4] None of these allegations has any foundation whatever.This whole chapter was written shortly before the Babylonian capture of Jerusalem the first time. At that time the Jews were a thoroughly idolatrous people. The horrible idolatries under Manasseh were still adored and secretly worshipped by the Jews; and the superficial reforms under Josiah had not really changed the hearts of the people. Idolatry was rampant in Judaea in the closing days of their apostasy and just before their deportation to Babylon. Any notion, therefore that the warning here regarding the "nothingness of idols" was not needed must be classified as ridiculous. Of course, the Jews desperately needed this warning; and, since this chapter mentions the near approach of the Babylonian invasion, it was especially appropriate that Jeremiah should have given the Jews another dramatic warning of the idolatry which they were sure to encounter in Babylon, as well as citing again their own idolatry which was a major cause of their divine punishment.Of all the critical attacks upon the authenticity of Biblical books which we have encountered, the one here appears as the very weakest and unbelievable of all of them.Green also agreed that this disputed passage, "could have been Jeremiah's warning to Judah against falling under the spell of the Babylonian brand of idolatry."[5]

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How blind are the interpreters who do not see such an obvious truth.There is no interruption of the sequence of thought; there is no break in the intimate connection evident in every line of these chapters. How natural it was that, in the same breath, where Jeremiah hailed the advance of the destroyers (Jeremiah 10:17ff), God's great prophet should have warned the Jews of the Babylonian idolatry.Another fact of the utmost importance that surfaces in this chapter is the fact that Jeremiah took this description of idols and their worthlessness almost verbatim from Isaiah's description of the same things in chapters 40-44. "The correspondence between Jeremiah's description and that of Isaiah, is so manifest that no one can doubt that one is modeled upon the other. If Jeremiah, then, took the thoughts and phrases from Isaiah (which he most obviously did do), it is plain that the last twenty-seven chapters of Isaiah were prior in date to the times of Jeremiah, and that they were not written at the close of the Babylonian exile. This passage is a crucial one to the pseudo-Isaiah theory."[6]The critics, of course, realize that they must reply to this, or lose their case for a Deutero-Isaiah altogether; but R. Payne Smith has effectively refuted their attempted answers.(1) There is the claim that the pseudo-Isaiah copied from Jeremiah. "This is refuted by the style," which is Isaiah's, not Jeremiah's."[7] (2) An alternative answer would make an interpolation out of the whole passage (Jeremiah 10:1-16). "This is contradicted by the appearance of the passage in LXX."[8] Even some writers who half-heartedly cling to the out-dated critical allegations, such as Dummelow, are impressed with these answers. Dummelow, after mentioning the theories about this chapter, stated that, "It should, however, be said, on the other hand, that the LXX, although omitting much that is in the Hebrew, yet contains this chapter![9]In our view, such facts as these, coupled with many others cited throughout this series of commentaries, effectively dispose of the whole multiple-Isaiah nonsense.Jeremiah 10:1-5THE NOTHINGNESS OF THE FALSE GODS"Hear ye the word which Jehovah speaketh unto you, O house of Israel: Thus saith Jehovah, learn not the way of the nations, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the nations are dismayed at them. For the customs of the peoples are vanity; for one cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman with the axe. They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not. They are like a palm-tree, of turned work, and speak not: they must be borne, because they cannot go. Be not afraid of them; for

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they cannot do evil, neither is it in them to do good.""Learn not the way of the nations ... the nations are dismayed ... the customs of the peoples are vanity ..." (Jeremiah 10:2-3). There is absolutely no way that Jeremiah could have made it any plainer that the admonition of this chapter was designed to aid the Jews in rejecting the idolatry of the Gentiles, such as that they would encounter in Babylon.Furthermore, this scathing denunciation of idolatry came right out of the experience of Jeremiah who was an eye-witness of the gross conduct of the Jews in that sector throughout his lifetime. "He had known it (the idolatry) first-hand, himself being held in awe only by the monotheistic faith cherished by the best of the people."[10]The special need for Jeremiah's warning against idolatry was mentioned by Halley. "It seems that the threat of Babylonian invasion had spurred the people of Judah into great activity in manufacturing idols, as if idols could save them. This gave Jeremiah the occasion for these verses."[11]"Be not dismayed at the signs of heaven ..." (Jeremiah 10:2). "This does not refer to the sun, moon, and stars, or signs of the zodiac, meant by God to be signs (Genesis 1:14), but to unusual phenomena like eclipses, meteorites, comets, etc. which were supposed by the ancients to portend extraordinary events. Such things struck terror into the hearts of ancient pagans. Egypt and Babylon were both addicted to this very thing."[12]Thus, Jeremiah could not have made it any plainer if he had cited Babylon by name as being the very people against whom the Israelites were here warned against taking up their false gods and customs.To declare that these verses do not fit is to betray a total lack of understanding of Jeremiah's purpose."They cannot do evil ... or do good ..." (Jeremiah 10:5). Harrison paraphrased this verse as follows: "The false gods are like a scarecrow in a patch of cucumbers!"[13]COKE, "Jeremiah 10:1. Hear ye the word, &c.— Jeremiah continues his denunciations against Judah: he said at the conclusion of the preceding chapter, that the Lord would punish, without distinction, all those who offended him, Jews as well as Gentiles. He here informs them, that if they would avoid this vengeance of the Lord, they must quit their impieties, and have nothing to do with the superstitious practices of idolaters. See Calmet. CONSTABLE, "Verse 1The prophet again directed his Israelite audience to hear the message that Yahweh had for them. There were people in Judah who were venerating idols: who needed

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to hear this message.Verses 1-16A satire on idolatry10:1-16This scathing expos of the folly of idolatry resembles several polemics in Isaiah (cf. Isaiah 40:18-20; Isaiah 41:6-7; Isaiah 44:9-20; Isaiah 46:5-7). Jeremiah 10:12-16 appear again in Jeremiah 51:15-19."Why did so easy a target as idolatry need so many attacks in the Old Testament? Jeremiah 10:9 suggests one reason: the appeal of the visually impressive; but perhaps Jeremiah 10:2 goes deeper, in pointing to the temptation to fall into step with the majority." [Note: Kidner, p56.]A study of the architecture of the passage reveals alternating assertions about idols ( Jeremiah 10:2-5; Jeremiah 10:8-9; Jeremiah 10:11; Jeremiah 10:14-15) and Yahweh ( Jeremiah 10:6-7; Jeremiah 10:10; Jeremiah 10:12-13; Jeremiah 10:16). The effect produced by this structure is contrast."Theologically these verses are of great significance, for they set Yahweh apart from every other object of worship.... As Lord of the covenant Yahweh demanded total unswerving loyalty from his subjects. Any attempt to share allegiance to him with another merited judgment, for it amounted to a rejection of the covenant. In that case the curses of the covenant became operative." [Note: Thompson, p326.] TRAPP, "Verse 1Jeremiah 10:1 Hear ye the word which the LORD speaketh unto you, O house of Israel:Ver. 1. Hear ye the word which the Lord speaketh.] Exordium simplicissimum, saith Junius. A very plain preface calling for attention; (1.) From the authority of the speaker; (2.) From the duty of the hearers.O house of Israel.] The ten tribes, long since captivated, and now directed what to do, say some; the Jews, say others: and in this former part of the chapter, those of them that had been carried away to Babylon with Jeconiah.EXPOSITOR'S BIBLE COMMENTARY, "THE IDOLS OF THE HEATHEN AND THE GOD OF ISRAELJeremiah 10:1-16THIS fine piece is altogether isolated from the surrounding context, which it interrupts in a very surprising manner. Neither the style nor the subject, neither the

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idioms nor the thoughts expressed in them, agree with what we easily recognise as Jeremiah’s work. A stronger contrast can hardly be imagined than that which exists between the leading motive of this oracle as it stands, 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 plain. In what precedes, the prophet’s fellow countrymen have been accused of flagrant and defiant idolatry; [Jeremiah 7:17 sqq., Jeremiah 7:30 sqq.} the opening words of this piece imply a totally different situation. "To the way of the nations become not accustomed, and of the signs of heaven be not afraid; for the nations are afraid of them." Jeremiah would not be likely to warn inveterate apostates not to "accustom themselves" to idolatry. The words presuppose, not a nation whose idolatry was notorious, and had just been the subject of unsparing rebuke and threats of imminent destruction; they presuppose a nation free from idolatry, but exposed to temptation from surrounding heathenism. The entire piece contains no syllable of reference to past or present unfaithfulness on the part of Israel. Here at the outset, and throughout, Israel is implicitly contrasted with "the nations" as the servant of Iahvah with the foolish worshippers of lifeless gods. There is a tone of contempt in the use of the term "goyim"-"To the way of the ‘goyim’ accustom not yourselves for the ‘goyim’ are afraid of them" (of the signs of heaven); or as the Septuagint puts it yet more strongly, "for they" (the besotted "goyim") "are afraid" (i.e., worship) "before them"; as though that alone - the sense of Israel’s superiority-should be sufficient to deter Israelites from any bowings in the house of Rimmon. Neither this contemptuous use of the term "goyim," "Gentiles," nor the scathing ridicule of the false gods and their devotees, is in the manner of Jeremiah. Both are characteristic of a later period. The biting scorn of image worship, the intensely vivid perception of the utter incommensurableness of Iahvah, the Creator of all things, with the handiwork of the carpenter and the silversmith, are well known and distinctive features of the great prophets of the Exile (see especially Isaiah 40:1-31; Isaiah 41:1-29; Isaiah 42:1-25; Isaiah 43:1-28; Isaiah 44:1-28; Isaiah 45:1-25; Isaiah 46:1-13). There are plenty of allusions to idolatry in Jeremiah; but they are expressed in a tone of fervid indignation, not of ridicule. It was the initial offence, which issued in a hopeless degradation of public and private morality, and would have for its certain consequence the rejection and ruin of the nation. {Jeremiah 2:5-13; Jeremiah 2:20-28; Jeremiah 3:1-9; Jeremiah 3:23 sqq.} All the disasters, past and present, which had befallen the country, were due to it (Jeremiah 7:9; Jeremiah 7:17 sqq., Jeremiah 7:30 sqq., Jeremiah 8:2, etc.). The people are urged to repent and return to Iahvah with their whole heart, {Jeremiah 3:12 sqq., Jeremiah 4:3 sqq., Jeremiah 5:21 sqq., Jeremiah 6:8] as the only means of escape from deadly peril. The Baals are things that cannot help or save; [Jeremiah 2:8; Jeremiah 2:1] but the prophet does not say, as here, [Jeremiah 10:5] "Fear them not: they cannot harm you!" The piece before us breathes not one word about Israel’s apostasy, the urgent need of repentance, the impending ruin. Taken as a whole, it neither harmonises with Jeremiah’s usual method of argument, nor does it suit the juncture of affairs implied by the language which precedes and follows. [Jeremiah 7:1-9; Jeremiah 7:26; Jeremiah 10:17-25] For let us suppose that this oracle occupies its proper place here, and was actually written by Jeremiah at the crisis which called forth the preceding and following utterances. Then the warning

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cry, "Be not afraid of the signs of heaven!" can only mean "Be not afraid of the Powers under whose auspices the Chaldeans are invading your country; Iahvah, the true and living God, wilt protect you!" But consolation of this kind would be diametrically opposed to the doctrine which Jeremiah shares with all his predecessors; the doctrine that Iahvah Himself is the prime cause of the coming trouble, and that the heathen invaders are His instruments of wrath (Jeremiah 5:9 sq., Jeremiah 6:6); it would imply assent to that fallacious confidence in Iahvah, which the prophet has already done his utmost to dissipate. {Jeremiah 6:14; Jeremiah 7:4 sq.}The details of the idolatry satirised in the piece before us point to Chaldea rather than to Canaan. We have here a zealous worship of wooden images overlaid and otherwise adorned with silver and gold, and robed in rich garments of violet and purple. {cf. Joshua 7:21} This does not agree with what we know of Judean practice in Jeremiah’s time, when, besides the worship of the Queen of Heaven, the people adored "stocks and stones"; probably the wooden symbols of the goddess Asherah and rude sun pillars, but hardly works of the costly kind described in the text, which indicate a wealthy people whose religion reflected an advanced condition of the arts and commerce. The designation of the objects of heathen worship as "the signs of heaven," and the gibe at the custom of carrying the idol statues in procession, [Isaiah 46:1; Isaiah 46:7] also point us to Babylon, "the land of graven images," [Jeremiah 50:38] and the home of star worship and astrological superstition. [Isaiah 47:13]From all these considerations it would appear that not Israel in Canaan but Israel in Chaldea is addressed in this piece by some unknown prophet, whose leaflet has been inserted among the works of Jeremiah. In that case, the much disputed eleventh verse, written in Aramaic, and as such unique in the volume of the prophets proper, may really have belonged to the original piece. Aramaic was the common language of intercourse between East and West both before and during the captivity; {cf. 2 Kings 18:26} and the suggestion that the tempted exiles should answer in this dialect the heathen who pressed them to join in their worship, seems suitable enough. The verse becomes very suspicious, if we suppose that the whole piece is really part and parcel of Jeremiah’s discourse, and as such addressed to the Judeans in the reign of Jehoiakim. Ewald, who maintains this view upon grounds that cannot be called convincing, thinks the Aramaic verse was originally a marginal annotation on Jeremiah 10:15, and suggests that it is a quotation from some early book similar to the Book of Daniel. At all events, it is improbable that the verse proceeded from the pen of Jeremiah, who writes Aramaic nowhere else, not even in the letter to the exiles of the first Judean captivity (chapter 29).But might not the piece be an address which Jeremiah sent to the exiles of the Ten Tribes, who were settled in Assyria, and with whom it is otherwise probable that he cultivated some intercourse? The expression "House of Israel" (Jeremiah 10:1) has been supposed to indicate this. That expression, however, occurs in the immediately preceding context, [Jeremiah 9:26] as does also that of "the nations"; facts which

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may partially explain why the passage we are discussing occupies its present position. 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 captivity. The Targum introduces the eleventh verse thus: "This is a copy of the letter which Jeremiah the prophet sent to the remnant of the elders of the captivity which was in Babylon. And if the peoples among whom ye are shall say unto you, Fear the Errors, O house of Israel! thus shall ye answer and thus shall ye say unto them: The Errors whom ye fear are (but) errors, in which there is no profit: they from the heavens are not able to bring down rain, and from the earth they cannot make fruits to spring: they and those who fear them will perish from the earth, and will be brought to an end from under these heavens. And thus shall ye say unto them: We fear Him that maketh the earth by His power," etc. (Jeremiah 10:12). The phrase "the remnant of the elders of the captivity which was" (or "who were") "in Babylon" is derived from Jeremiah 29:1. But how utterly different are the tone and substance of that message from those of the one before us! Far from warning his captive countrymen against the state worship of Babylon, far from satirising its absurdity, Jeremiah bids the exiles be contented with their new home, and to pray for the peace of the city, The false prophets who appear at Babylon prophesy in Iahvah’s name (Jeremiah 9:15, Jeremiah 9:21), and in denouncing them Jeremiah says not a word about idolatry. It is evident from the whole context that he did not fear it in the case of the exiles of Jehoiachin’s captivity. (See also the simile of the Good and Bad Figs, chapter 24, which further illustrates the prophet’s estimation of the earlier body of exiles.)The Greek Epistle of Jeremiah, which in MSS is sometimes appended to Baruch, and which Fritzsche refers to the Maccabean times, appear to be partially based upon the passage we are considering. Its heading is: "Copy of a letter which Jeremiah sent unto those who were about to be carried away captives to Babylon, by the king of the Babylonians; to announce to them as was enjoined him by God." It then begins thus: "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 Babylonians. Having come, then, into Babylon, ye will be there many years, and a long time, until seven generations; but after this I will bring you forth from thence in peace. But now ye will see in Babylon gods, silver and golden and wooden, borne upon shoulders, showing fear" (an object of fear) "to the nations. Beware then, lest ye also become like unto the nations, and fear take you at them, when ye see a multitude before and behind them worshipping them. But say ye in the mind: Thee it behoveth us to worship, O Lord! For Mine angel is with you, and He is requiring your lives." The whole epistle is well worth reading as a kind of paraphrase of our passage. "For their tongue is carven" (or polished) "by a carpenter, and themselves are overlaid with gold and silver, but lies they are and they cannot speak." "They being cast about with purple apparel have their face wiped on account of the dust from the house, which is plentiful upon them" (13). "But he holds a dagger with right hand and an axe, but himself from war and robbers he will not" (cannot) "deliver." {15, cf. Jeremiah 10:15} "He is like one of the housebeams" (20, cf.

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Jeremiah 10:8, and perhaps Jeremiah 10:5). "Upon their body and upon their head alight bats, swallows, and the birds, likewise also the cats; whence ye will know that they are not gods; therefore fear them not". {cf. Jeremiah 10:5} "At all cost are they purchased, in which there is no spirit." {25; cf. Jeremiah 10:9-14} "Footless, upon shoulders they are carried, displaying their own dishonour to men" (26). "Neither if they suffer evil from any one, nor if good, will they be able to recompense" (34; cf. Jeremiah 10:5). "But they that serve them will be ashamed" (39; cf. Jeremiah 10:14). "By carpenters and goldsmiths are they prepared: they become nothing but what the craftsmen wish them to become. And the very men that prepare them cannot last long; how then are the things prepared by them likely to do so? for they left lies and a reproach to them that come after. For whenever war and evils come upon them, the priests’ consult together where to hide them. How then is it possible not to perceive that they are not gods, who neither save themselves from war nor from evils? For being of wood and overlaid with gold and silver they will be known hereafter, that they are lies. To all the nations and to the kings it will be manifest that they are not gods but works of men’s hands, and no work of God is in them." {45-51; cf. Jeremiah 10:14-15} "A wooden pillar in a palace is more useful than the false gods" (59). "Signs among nations they will not show in heaven, nor yet will they shine like the sun, nor give light as the moon" (67). "For as a scarecrow in a cucumber bed guarding nothing, so their gods are wooden and overlaid with gold and silver." {70 cf. Jeremiah 10:5} The mention of the sun, moon, and stars, the lightning, the wind, the clouds, and fire "sent forth from above," as totally unlike the idols in "forms and powers," seems to show that the author had Jeremiah 10:12-13 before him.When we turn to the Septuagint, we are immediately struck by its remarkable omissions. The four verses Jeremiah 10:6-8 and Jeremiah 10:10 do not appear at all in this oldest of the versions: while the ninth is inserted between the first clause and the remainder of the fifth verse. Now, on the one hand, it is just the verses which the LXX translates, which both in style and matter contrast so strongly with Jeremiah’s authentic work, and are plainly incongruous with the context and occasion; while, on the other hand, the omitted verses contain nothing which points positively to another author than Jeremiah, and, taken by themselves, harmonise very well with what may be supposed to have been the prophet’s feeling at the actual juncture of affairs.There is none at all like Thee, O Iahvah!Great art Thou, and great is Thy Name in might!Who should not fear Thee, O King of the nations? for ‘tis Thy due,For among all the wise of the nationsAnd in all their kingdom there is none at all like Thee.

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And in one thing they are brute-like and dull;In the doctrine of Vanities. which are wood!But Iahvah Elohim is truth;He is a living God, and an eternal King:At His wrath the earth quakethAnd nations abide not His indignation.As Hitzig has observed, it is natural that now, as the terrible decision approaches, the prophet should seek and find comfort in the thought of the all-overshadowing greatness of the God of Israel. If, however, we suppose these verses to be Jeremiah’s, we can hardly extend the same assumption to verses Jeremiah 10:12-16, in spite of one or two expressions of his which occur in them; and, upon the whole, the linguistic argument seems to weigh decisively against Jeremiah’s authorship of this piece (see Naegelsbach).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" (Ewald); but that does not prove that they belong to Jeremiah. Nor can I see much force in the remark that "didactic language is of another kind than that of pure prophecy." But when the same critic affirms that "the description of the folly of idolatry is also quite new, and clearly serves as a model for the much more elaborate ones, Isaiah 40:19-24 (20), Isaiah 41:7, Isaiah 44:8-20, Isaiah 46:5-7"; he is really giving up the point in dispute. Jeremiah 10:12-16 are repeated in the prophecy against Babylon; [Isaiah 51:15-19] but this hardly proves that "the later prophet, Isaiah 50:1-11 and Isaiah 51:1-23, found all these words in our piece"; it is only evidence, so far as it goes, for those verses themselves.The internal connection which Ewald assumes, is not self-evident. There is no proof that "the thought that the gods of the heathen might again rule" occurred for one moment to Jeremiah on this occasion; nor the thought that "the maintenance of the ancient true religion in conflict with the heathen must produce the regeneration of Israel." There is no reference throughout the disputed passage to the spiritual condition of the people, which is, in fact, presupposed to be good; and the return in verses Jeremiah 10:17-25 "to the main subject of the discourse" is inexplicable on Ewald’s theory that the whole chapter, omitting Jeremiah 10:11, is one homogeneous structure."Hear ye the word that Iahvah spake upon you, O house of Israel! Thus said Iahvah." The terms imply a particular crisis in the history of Israel, when a Divine pronouncement was necessary to the guidance of the people. Iahvah speaks indeed in all existence and in all events, but His voice becomes audible, is recognised as His,

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only when human need asserts itself in some particular juncture of affairs. Then, in view of the actual emergency, the mind of Iahweh declares itself by the mouth of His proper spokesmen; and the prophetic "Thus said Iahvah" contrasts the higher point of view with the lower, the heavenly and spiritual with the earthly and the carnal; it sets forth the aspect of things as they appear to God, in the sharpest antithesis to the aspect of things as they appear to the natural unilluminated man. "Thus said Iahvah": This is the thought of the Eternal, this is His judgment upon present conditions and passing events, whatever your thought and your judgment may happen or incline to be! Such, I think, is the essential import of this vox solennis, this customary formula of the dialect of prophecy.On the present occasion, the crisis, in view of which a prophet declares the mind of Iahvah, is not a political emergency but a religious temptation. The day for the former has long since passed away, 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 salted from the wreck of their country, the faith of their fathers, the religion of the prophets. The uncompromising tone of this isolated oracle, the abruptness with which the writer at once enters in medias res, the solemn emphasis of his opening imperatives, proves that this danger pressed at the time with peculiar intensity. "Thus said Iahvah: Unto the way of the nations use not yourselves, And of the signs of heaven stand not in awe, for that the nations stand in awe of them!". {cf. Leviticus 18:3, Ezekiel 20:18} The "way" of the nations is their religion, the mode and manner of their worship; [Jeremiah 5:4-5] and the exiles are warned not to suffer themselves to be led astray by example, as they had been in the land of Canaan; they are not to adore the signs of heaven, simply because they see their conquerors adoring them. The "signs of heaven" would seem to be the sun, moon, and stars, which were the objects of Babylonian worship; although the passage is unhappily not free from ambiguity. Some expositors have preferred to think of celestial phenomena such as eclipses and particular conjunctions of the heavenly bodies, which in those days were looked upon as portents, foreshadowing the course of national and individual fortunes. That there is really a reference to the astrological observation of the stars, is a view which finds considerable support in the words addressed to Babylon on the eve of her fall, by a prophet, who, if not identical was at least contemporary with him whose message we are discussing. In the forty-seventh chapter of the Book of Isaiah, it is said to Babylon: "Let now them that parcel out the heavens, that gaze at the stars, arise and save thee, prognosticating month by month the things that will come upon thee". [Isaiah 47:13] The "signs of heaven" are, in this case, the supposed indications of coming events furnished by the varying appearances of the heavenly bodies; and one might even suppose that the immediate occasion of our prophecy was some eclipse of the sun or moon, or some remarkable conjunction of the planets which at the time was exciting general anxiety among the motley populations of Babylonia. The prophecy then becomes a remarkable instance of the manner in which an elevated spiritual faith, free from all the contaminating and blinding influences of selfish motives and desires, may rise superior to universal superstition, and boldly contradict the suggestions of what is accounted the highest wisdom of the

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time, anticipating the results though not the methods nor the evidence of science, at an epoch when science is as yet in the mythological stage. And the prophet might well exclaim in a tone of triumph, "Among all the wise of the nations none at all is like unto Thee, O Lord, as a source of true wisdom and understanding for the guidance of life" (Jeremiah 10:7).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 Israel: that, as a matter of fact, they were as mysterious and awful to the Jews as to their heathen neighbours; and that what is here contemplated is not the terror inspired by rare occasional phenomena of this kind, but a habitual superstition in relation to some ever-present causes. It is certain that in another prophecy against Babylon, preserved in the Book of Isaiah, it is declared that, as a token of the impending destruction, "the stars of heaven and the Orions thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause his light to shine"; [Isaiah 13:10] and the similar language of the prophet Joel is well known. [Joel 2:2; Joel 2:10; Joel 2:30-31; Joel 3:15] But these objections are not conclusive, for what our author is denouncing is the heathen association of "the signs of the heavens," whatever may be intended by that expression, with a false system of religious belief. It is a special kind of idolatry that he contemplates, as is clear from the immediate context. Not only does the parallel clause "Unto the way of the nations use not yourselves" imply a gradual conformity to a heathen religion; not only is it the fact that the Hebrew phrase rendered in our versions "Be not dismayed!" may imply religious awe or worship, [Malachi 2:5] as indeed terms denoting fear or dread are used by the Semitic languages in general; but the prophet at once proceeds to an exposure of the absurdity of image worship: "For the ordinances" (established modes of worship; 2 Kings 17:8; here, established objects of worship) "of the peoples are a mere breath" (i.e., naught)! for it (the idol) "is a tree, which out of the forest one felled" (so the accents); "the handiwork of the carpenter with the bill. With silver and with gold one adorneth it" (or, "maketh it bright"); "with nails and with hammers they make them fast, that one sway not" (or, "that there be no shaking"). "Like the scarecrow of a garden of gourds are they, and they cannot speak; they are carried and carried, for they cannot take a step" (or, "march"): "be not afraid of them, for they cannot hurt, neither is it in their power to benefit!" "Be not afraid of them!" returns to the opening charge: "Of the signs of heaven stand not in awe!". {cf. Genesis 31:42; Genesis 31:53;, Isaiah 8:12-13} Clearly, then, the signa coeli are the idols against whose worship the prophet warns his people; and they denote "the sun, the moon, the constellations" (of the Zodiac), "and all the host of heaven". [2 Kings 23:5] We know that the kings of Judah, from Ahaz onwards, derived this worship from Assyria, and that its original home was Babylon, where in every temple the exiles would see images of the deities presiding over the heavenly bodies, such as Samas (the sun) and his consort Aa (the moon) at Sippara, Merodach (Jupiter) and his son Nebo (Mercurius) at Babylon and Borsippa, Nergal (Mars) at Cutha, daily served with a splendid and attractive ritual, and honoured with festivals and processions on the most costly and

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magnificent scale. The prophet looks through all this outward display to the void within, he draws no subtle distinction between the symbol and the thing symbolised; he accepts the popular confusion of the god with his image, and identifies all the deities of the heathen with the materials out of which their statues are made by the hands of men. And he is justified in doing this, because there can be but one god in his sense of the word; a multitude of gods is a contradiction in terms. From this point of view, he exposes the absurdity of the splendid idolatry which his captive countrymen see all around them. Behold that thing, he cries, which they call a god, and before which they tremble with religious fear! It is nothing but a tree trunk hewn in the forest, and trimmed into shape by the carpenter, and plated with silver and gold, and fixed on its pedestal with hammer and nails, for fear it should fall! Its terrors are empty terrors, like those of the palm trunk, rough hewn into human shape, and set up among the melons to frighten the birds away."Olim truncus eram ficulnus, inutile lignum,Cum faber, incertus scamnum faceretne Priapum,Maluit esse deum. Deus inde ego, furum aviumqueMaxima formido." (Hor., "Sat." 1:8, 1, sqq.)Though the idol has the outward semblance of a man, it lacks his distinguishing faculty of speech; it is as dumb as the scarecrow, and as powerless to move from its place; so it has to be borne about on men’s shoulders (a mocking allusion to the grand processions of the gods, which distinguished the Babylonian festivals). Will you then be afraid of things that can do neither good nor harm? asks the prophet: in terms that recall the challenge of another, or perchance of himself, to the idols of Babylon: "Do good or do evil, that we may look at each other and see it together." [Isaiah 41:23] In utter contrast with the impotence, the nothingness of all the gods of the nations, whether Israel’s neighbours or his invaders, stands, forever the God of Israel. "There is none at all like Thee, O Iahweh! great art Thou, and great is Thy Name in might!" With different vowel points, we might render, "Whence (cometh) Thy like, O Iahvah?" This has been supported by reference to Jeremiah 30:7 : "Alas! for great is that day. Whence" (is one) "like it?" (me’ayin?); but there too, as here, we may equally well translate, "there is none like it." The interrogative, in fact, presupposes a negative answer; and the Hebrew particle usually rendered "there is not, are not" ("‘ayin, ‘en") has been explained as originally identical with the interrogative "where?" ("‘ayin," implied in "me’ayin," "from where?" "whence?" cf. Job 14:10 : "where is he?" =" he is not"). The idiom of the text expresses a more emphatic negation than the ordinary form would do; and, though rare, is by no means altogether unparalleled. {see Isaiah 40:17; Isaiah 41:24; and other references in Gesenius} "Great art Thou and great is Thy Name in might"; that is to say, Thou art great in Thyself, and great in repute or manifestation among men, in respect of "might," virile strength or prowess. [Psalms 21:13] Unlike the do nothing idols, Iahvah reveals His strength in deeds of strength. {cf. Exodus 15:3

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sqq.} "Who should not fear Thee, Thou King of the nations?" (cf. Jeremiah 5:22) "for Thee it beseemeth" it is Thy due, and Thine only): "for among all the wise of the nations and in all their realm, there is none at all" (as in Jeremiah 10:6) "like Thee." Religious fear is instinctive in man; but, whereas the various nations lavish reverence upon innumerable objects utterly unworthy of the name of deity, rational religion sees clearly that there can be but One God, working His supreme will in heaven and earth; and that this Almighty being is the true "King of the nations," and disposes their destinies as well as that of His people Israel, although they know Him not, but call other imaginary beings their "kings" (a common Semitic designation of a national god: Psalms 20:9;, Isaiah 6:5; Isaiah 8:20. He, then, is the proper object of the instinct of religious awe; all the peoples of the earth owe Him adoration, even though they be ignorant of their obligation; worship is His unshared prerogative."Among all the wise of the nations and in all their realm, not one is like Thee!" Who are the wise thus contrasted with the Supreme God? Are the false gods the reputed wise ones, giving pretended counsel to their deluded worshippers through the priestly oracle? The term "kingdom" seems to indicate this view, if we take "their kingdom" to mean the kingdom of the wise ones of the nations, that is, the countries whose "kings" they are, where they are worshipped as such. The heathen in general, and the Babylonians in particular, ascribed wisdom to their gods. But there is no impropriety from an Old Testament point of view in comparing Iahvah’s wisdom with the wisdom of man. The meaning of the prophet may be simply this, that no earthly wisdom, craft, or political sagacity, not even in the most powerful empires such as Babylon, can be a match for Iahvah the All-wise, or avail to thwart His purposes. [Isaiah 31:1-2] "Wise" and "sagacious" are titles which the kings of Babylon continually assert for themselves in their extant inscriptions; and the wisdom and learning of the Chaldeans were famous in the ancient world. Either view will agree with what follows: "But in one thing they"-the nations, or their wise men-"will turn out brutish and besotted": (in) "the teaching of Vanities which are wood." The verse is difficult; but the expression "the teaching (or doctrine) of Vanities" may perhaps be regarded as equivalent to "the idols taught of"; and then the second half of the verse is constructed like the first member of Jeremiah 10:3 : "The ordinances of the peoples are Vanity," and may be rendered, "the idols taught of are mere wood." {cf. Jeremiah 10:3 b, Jeremiah 2:27; Jeremiah 3:9} It is possible also that the right reading is "foundation" ("musad") not "doctrine" ("musar"): "the foundation" (basis, substratum, substance) "of idols is wood." The term "Vanities-habalim"-is used for "idols." [Jeremiah 8:19; Jeremiah 14:22;, Psalms 31:7] And, lastly, I think, the clause might be rendered: "a doctrine of Vanities, of mere wood, it"-their religion-"is!" This supreme folly is the "one thing" that discredits all the boasted wisdom of the Chaldeans; and their folly will hereafter be demonstrated by events (Jeremiah 10:14).The body of the idol is wood, and outwardly it is decorated with silver and gold and costly apparel; but the whole and every part of it is the work of man. "Silver plate" (lit. "beaten out") "from Tarshish"-from far away Tartessus in Spain-"is brought,

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and gold from Uphaz," [Daniel 10:5] "the work of the smith, and of the hands of the founder"-who have beaten out the silver and smelted the gold: "blue and purple is their clothing": [Exodus 26:31; Exodus 28:8] "the work of the wise"-of skilled artists [Isaiah 40:20] -"is every part of them." Possibly the verse might better be translated: "Silver to be beaten out"-argentum malleo diducendum-"which is brought from Tarshish, and gold" which is brought "from Uphaz," are "the work of the smith and of the hands of the smelter; the blue and purple" which are "their clothing," are "the work of the wise all of them." At all events, the point of the verse seems to be that, whether you look at the inside or the outside of the idol, his heart of wood or his casing of gold and silver and his gorgeous robes, the whole and every bit of him as he stands before you is a manufactured article, the work of men’s hands. The supernatural comes in nowhere. In sharpest contrast with this lifeless fetish, "Iahvah is a God that is truth," i.e., a true God, {cf. Proverbs 22:21} or "Iahvah is God in truth"-is really God-"He is a living God, and an eternal King"; the sovereign whose rule is independent of the vicissitudes of time, and the caprices of temporal creatures: "at His wrath the earth quaketh, and nations cannot abide His indignation": the world of nature and the world of man are alike dependent upon His Will, and He exhibits His power and his righteous anger in the disturbances of the one and the disasters of the other.According to the Hebrew punctuation, we should rather translate: "But Iahvah Elohim" the designation of God in the second account of creation, [Genesis 2:4-25; Genesis 3:1-24] "is truth," i.e., reality; as opposed to the falsity and nothingness of the idols; or "permanence," "lastingness," [Psalms 19:10] as opposed to their transitoriness (Jeremiah 19:11-13).The statement of the tenth verse (Jeremiah 10:10) respecting the eternal power and godhead of Iahvah is confirmed in the twelfth and thirteenth (Jeremiah 10:12-13) by instances of His creative energy and continual activity as exhibited in the world of nature. "The Maker of the earth by His power, Establishing the habitable world by His wisdom, And by His insight He did stretch out the heavens: At the sound of His giving voice" {Psalms 77:18; i.e., thundering} "there is an uproar of waters in the heavens, And He causeth the vapours to rise from the end of the earth; Lightnings for the rain He maketh, And causeth the wind to go forth out of His treasuries." There is no break in the sense between these sentences and the tenth verse. The construction resembles that of Amos 5:8; Amos 9:5-6, and is interrupted by the eleventh verse, which in all probability was, to begin with, a marginal annotation.The solid earth is itself a natural symbol of strength and stability. The original creation of this mighty and enduring structure argues the omnipotence of the Creator; while the "establishing" or "founding" of it upon the waters of the great deep is a proof of supreme wisdom, [Psalms 24:2;, Psalms 136:6] and the "spreading out" of the visible heavens or atmosphere like a vast canopy or tent over the earth, [Psalms 104:2, Isaiah 40:22] is evidence of a perfect insight into the conditions essential to the existence and well-being of man.

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It is, of course, clear enough that physical facts and phenomena are here described in popular language as they appear to the eye, and by no means with the severe precision of a scientific treatise. 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 impart. But such knowledge was not necessary to the enforcement of the spiritual truths which it was his mission to proclaim; and the fact that his brief oracle presents those truths in a garb which we can only regard as poetical, and which it would argue a want of judgment to treat as scientific prose, does not affect their eternal validity, nor at all impair their universal importance. The passage refers us to God as the ultimate source of the world of nature. It teaches us that the stability of things is a reflection of His eternal being; that the persistence of matter is an embodiment of His strength; that the indestructibility which science ascribes to the materials of the physical universe is the seal which authenticates their Divine original. Persistence, permanence, indestructibleness, are properly sole attributes of the eternal Creator, which He communicates to His creation. Things are indestructible as regards man, not as regards the Author of their being.Thus the wisdom enshrined in the laws of the visible world, all its strength and all its stability, is a manifestation of the Unseen God. Invisible in themselves, the eternal power and godhead of Iahvah become visible in His creation. And, as the Hebrew mode of expression indicates, His activity is never suspended, nor His presence withdrawn. The conflict of the elements, the roar of the thunder, the flash of the lightning, the downpour of waters, the rush of the storm wind, are His work; and not less His work, because we have found out the "natural" causes, that is, the established conditions of their occurrence; not less His work, because we have, in the exercise of faculties really though remotely akin to the Divine Nature, discovered how to imitate, or rather mimic, even the more awful of these marvellous phenomena. Mimicry it cannot but appear, when we compare the overwhelming forces that rage in a tropical storm with our electric toys. The lightnings in their glory and terror are still God’s arrows, and man cannot rob His quiver.Nowadays more is known about the machinery of the world, but hardly more of the Intelligence that contrived it, and keeps it continually in working order, nay, lends it its very existence. More is known about means and methods, but hardly more about aims and purposes. The reflection, how few are the master conceptions which modern speculation has added to the treasury of thought, should suggest humility to the vainest and most self-confident of physical inquirers. 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 science, including that of Evolution itself.The unchangeable or invariable laws of nature, that is to say, the uniformity of sequence which we observe in physical phenomena, is not to be regarded as a thing that explains itself. It is only intelligible as the expression of the unchanging will of God. The prophet’s word is still true. It is God who "causes the vapours to rise from the end of the earth," drawing them up into the air from oceans and lakes by the

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simple yet beautiful and efficient action of the solar heat; it is God who "makes lightnings for the rain," charging the clouds with the electric fluid, to burst forth in blinding flashes when the opposing currents meet. It is God who "brings the wind out of His treasuries." In the prophet’s time the winds were as great a mystery as the thunder and lightning: it was not known whence they came nor whither they went. But the knowledge that they are but currents of air due to variations of temperature does not really deprive them of their wonder. Not only is it impossible, in the last resort, to comprehend what heat is, what motion is, what the thing moved is. A far greater marvel remains, which cries aloud of God’s wisdom and presence and sovereignty over all; and that is the wonderful consilience of all the various powers and forces of the natural world in making a home for man, 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 universe.The true author of all this magnificent system of objects and forces, to the wonder and the glory of which only custom can blind us, is the God of the prophet. This sublime, this just conception of God was possible, for it was actually realised, altogether apart from the influence of Hellenic philosophy and modern European science. But it was by no means as common to the Semitic peoples. In Babylon, which was at the time the focus of all earthly wisdom and power, in Babylon the ancient mother of sciences and arts, a crude polytheism stultified all the wisdom of the wise, and lent its sanction to a profound moral corruption. Rapid and universal conquests, enormous wealth accruing from the spoils and tributes of all nations, only subserved the luxury and riotous living which issued in a general effeminacy and social enervation; until the great fabric of empire, which Nabopalassar and Nebuchadrezzar had reared by their military and political genius, sank under the weight of its own vices.Looking round upon this spectacle of superstitious folly, the prophet declares that "all men are become too brute-like for knowledge"; too degraded to appreciate the truth, the simplicity of a higher faith; too besotted with the worship of a hundred vain idols, which were the outward reflection of their own diseased imaginations, to receive the wisdom of the true religion, and to perceive especially the truth just enunciated, that it is Iahvah who gives the rain and upon whom all atmospheric changes depend: [Jeremiah 14:22] and thus, in the hour of need, "every founder blushes for the image, because his molten figure is a lie, and there is no breath in them"; because the lifeless idol, the work of his hands, can lend no help. Perhaps both clauses of the verse rather express a prophecy: "All men will be proven brutish, destitute of knowledge; every founder will blush for the graven image." Wise and strong as the Babylonians supposed themselves to be, the logic of events would undeceive them. They were doomed to a rude awakening; to discover in the hour of defeat and surrender that the molten idol was a delusion, that the work of their hands was an embodied lie, void of life, powerless to save. "Vanity"-a mere breath, naught-"are they, a work of knaveries" (a term recurring only in Jeremiah 51:18; the root seems to mean "to stammer," "to imitate"); "in the time of their visitation they will perish!" or simply "they perish!"-in the burning temples, in the

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crash of falling shrines.It has happened so. At this day the temples of cedar and marble, with their woodwork overlaid with bronze and silver and gold, of whose glories the Babylonian sovereigns so proudly boast in their still existing records, as "shining like the sun, and like the stars of heaven," are shapeless heaps or rather mountains of rubbish, where Arabs dig for building materials and treasure trove, and European explorers for the relics of a civilisation and a superstition which have passed away forever. Vana sunt, et opus risu dignum. In the revolutions of time, which are the outward measures of the eternally self-unfolding purposes of God, the word of the Judean prophets has been amply fulfilled. Babylon and her idols are no more.All other idols, too, must perish in like manner. "Thus shall ye say of them: The gods who the heavens and earth did not make, perish from the earth and from under the heavens shall these!" The assertion that the idols of Babylon were doomed to destruction, was not the whole of the prophetic message. It is connected with and founded upon the antithetic assertion of the eternity of Iahvah. They will perish, but He endures. The one eternal is El Elyon, the Most High God, the Maker of heaven and earth. But heaven and earth and whatever partakes only of their material nature are also doomed to pass away. And in that day of the Lord, when the elements melt with fervent heat, and the earth and the works that are therein shall be burnt up, [2 Peter 3:10] not only will the idols of the heathen world, and the tawdry dolls which a degenerate church suffers to be adored as a kind of magical embodiment of the Mother of God, but all other idols which the sense bound heart of man makes to itself, vanish into nothingness before that overwhelming revelation of the supremacy of God.There is something amazing in the folly of worshipping man, whether in the abstract form of the cultus of "Humanity," or in any of the various forms of what is called "Hero worship," or in the vulgar form of self-worship, which is the religion of the selfish and the worldly. To ascribe infallibility to any mortal, whether Pope or politician, is to sin in the spirit of idolatry. The Maker of heaven and earth, and He alone, is worthy of worship. "Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding". [Job 38:4] No human wisdom nor power presided there: and to produce the smallest of asteroids is still a task which lies infinitely beyond the combined resources of modern science. Man and all that man has created is naught in the scale of God’s creation. He and all the mighty works with which he amazes, overshadows, enslaves his little world, will perish and pass away; only that will survive which he builds of materials which are imperishable, fabrics of spiritual worth and excellence and glory. [1 Corinthians 3:13] A Nineveh, a Babylon, a London, a Paris, may disappear; "but he that doeth the will of God abideth forever." [1 John 2:17] "Not like these" (cf. Jeremiah 10:11 ad fin.) "is Jacob’s Portion, but the Maker and Moulder of the All-He is his heritage; Iahvah Sabaoth is His name!" (Both here and at Jeremiah 51:19 the LXX omits: "and Israel is the tribe," which seems to have been derived from

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Deuteronomy 32:9. Israel is elsewhere called "Iahvah’s heritage," Psalms 33:12, and "portion," Deuteronomy 32:9; but that thought hardly suits the connection here.)"Not like these": for He is the Divine Potter who moulded all things, including the signs of heaven, and the idols of wood and metal, and their foolish worshippers. And he is "Jacob’s portion"; for the knowledge and worship of Him were, in the Divine counsels, originally assigned to Israel Deuteronomy 4:19; Deuteronomy 32:8, according to the true reading, preserved in the LXX and therefore Israel alone knows Him and His glorious attributes. "Iahvah Sabaoth is His name": the Eternal, the Maker and Master of the hosts of heaven and earth, is the aspect under which He has revealed Himself to the true representatives of Israel, His servants the prophets.The portion of Israel is his God-his abiding portion; of which neither the changes of time nor the misconceptions of man can avail to rob him. When all that is accidental and transitory is taken away, this distinction remains: Israel’s portion is his God. Iahvah was indeed the national God of the Jews, argue some of our modern wise ones; and therefore He cannot be identified with the universal Deity. He has been developed, expanded, into this vast conception; but originally He was but the private god of a petty tribe, the Lar of a wandering household. Now herein is a marvellous thing. How was it that this particular household god thus grew to infinite proportions, like the genres emerging from the unsealed jar of Arab fable, until, from His prime foothold on the tent floor of a nomad family, He towered above the stars and His form overshadowed the universe? How did it come to pass that His prophet could ask in a tone of indisputable truth, recognised alike by friend and foe, "Do not I fill heaven and earth, saith Iahvah"? [Jeremiah 23:24] How, that this immense, this immeasurable expansion took place in this instance, and not in that of any one of the thousand rival deities of surrounding and more powerful tribes and nations? How comes it that we today are met to adore Iahvah, and not rather one of the forgotten gods of Canaan or Egypt or Babylon? Merodach and Nebo have vanished, but Iahvah is the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It certainly looks very much as if the Hebrew prophets were right; as if Iahvah were really the God of the creation as well as the Portion of Jacob."The portion of Jacob." Is His relation to that one people a stumbling block? Can we see no eternal truth in the statement of the Psalmist that "the Lord’s portion is His people?" Who can find fault with the enthusiastic faith of holy men thus exulting in the knowledge and love of God? It is a characteristic of all genuine religion, this sweet, this elevating consciousness that God is our God; this profound sense that He has revealed Himself to us in a special and peculiar and individual manner. But the actual historical results, as well as the sacred books, prove that the sense of possessing God and being possessed by Him was purer, stronger, deeper, more effectual, more abiding, in Israel than in any other race of the ancient world.One must tread warily upon slippery ground; but I cannot help thinking that many of the arguments alleged against the probability of God revealing Himself to man at

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all or to a single nation in particular, are sufficiently met by the simple consideration that He has actually done so. Any event whatever may be very improbable until it has happened; and assuming that God has not revealed Himself, it may perhaps be shown to be highly improbable that He would reveal Himself. But, meanwhile, 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 riddles. This is not to say that the precise manner of revelation-the contact of the Infinite with the Finite Spirit-is definable. There are many less lofty experiences of man which also are indefinable and mysterious, but none the less actual and certain. Facts are not explained by denial, which is about the most barren and feeble attitude a man can take up in the presence of a baffling mystery. Nor is it for man to prescribe conditions to God. He who made us and knows us far better than we know ourselves, knows also how best to reveal Himself to His creatures.The special illumination of Israel, however, does not imply that no light was vouchsafed elsewhere. The religious systems of other nations furnish abundant evidence to the contrary. God "left not Himself without witness," the silent witness of that beneficent order of the natural world, which makes it possible for man to live, and to live happily. St. Paul did not scruple to compliment even the degenerate Athenians of his own day on the ground of their attention to religious matters, and he could cite a Greek poet in support of his doctrine that man is the offspring of the one God and Father of all.We may see in the fact a sufficient indication of what St. Paul would have said, had the nobler non-Christian systems fallen under his cognisance; had heathenism become known to him not in the heterogeneous polytheism of Hellas, which in his time had long since lost what little moral influence it had ever possessed, nor in the wild orgiastic nature worships of the Lesser Asia, which in their thoroughly sensuous basis did dishonour alike to God and to man; but in the sublime tenets of Zarathustra, with their noble morality and deep reverence for the One God, the spirit of all goodness and truth, or in the reformed Brahmanism of Gautama the Buddha, with its grand principle of self-renunciation and universal charity.The peculiar glories of Bible religion are not dimmed in presence of these other lights. Allowing for whatever is valuable in these systems of belief, we may still allege that Bible religion comprises all that is good in them, and has, besides, many precious features peculiar to itself; we may still maintain that their excellences are rather testimonies to the truth of the biblical teachings about God than difficulties in the way of a rational faith; that it would be far more difficult to a thoughtful mind to accept the revelation of God conveyed in the Bible, 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 Judaism, than it is under the actual circumstances of the case: in short, that the truths implicated in imperfect religions, isolated from all contact with Hebrew or Christian belief, are a witness to and a foreshadowing of the truths of the gospel.

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Our prophet declares that Jacob’s portion-the God of Israel-is not like the gods of contemporary peoples. How, then, does he conceive of Him? Not as a metaphysical entity-a naked, perhaps empty abstraction of the understanding. Not as the Absolute and Infinite Being, who is out of all relation to space and time. His language-the language of the Old Testament-possesses no adjectives like "Infinite," "Absolute," "Eternal," "Omniscient," "Omnipresent," nor even "Almighty," although that word so often appears in our venerable Authorised Version. It is difficult for us, who are the heirs of ages of thought and intellectual toil, and whose thinking is almost wholly carried on by means of abstract ideas, to realise 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 prophets. Yet unless we make an effort to realise it, however inadequately, unless we exert ourselves, 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 student, and hides in its obscurity so many precious truths; we must inevitably fail to appreciate the full significance, and consequently fail of appropriating the full blessing of those wonderful prophecies of ancient Israel, which are not for an age but for all time.Let us, then, try to apprehend the actual point of view from which the inspired Israelite regarded his God. In the first place, that point of view was eminently practical. As a recent writer has forcibly remarked, "The primitive mind does not occupy itself with things of no practical importance, 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 none; or with theological speculations which have an interest for the curious, but are not felt to have a direct bearing on the concerns of life."The pious Israelite could not indulge a morbidly acute and restlessly speculative intellect with philosophical or scientific theories about the Deity, His nature in Himself, His essential and accidental attributes, His relation to the visible world. Neither did such theories then exist ready made to his hand, nor did his inward impulses and the natural course of thought urge him to pry into such abstruse matters, and with cold irreverence to subject his idea of God to critical analysis. Could he have been made to understand the attitude and the demands of some modern disputants, he would have been apt to exclaim, "Canst thou by searching find out God? Canst thou find out Shaddai unto perfection? It is as high as heaven, what canst thou do? deeper than hell, what canst thou know?" To find out and to know God as the understanding finds out and knows, how can that ever become possible to man? Such knowledge depends entirely upon processes of comparison; upon the perception of similarity between the object investigated and other known objects: upon accurate naming and classification. But who can dream of successfully referring the Deity to a class? "To what will ye liken God, or what likeness will ye compare unto Him?" In the brief prophecy before us, as in the fortieth chapter of Isaiah, with which it presents so many points of contact, we have a splendid protest against all attempts at bringing the Most High within the limitations of human

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cognition, and reducing God to the category of things known and understood. 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 hand, and so to compare and gauge and comprehend Himself, -that protest is still applicable, and with even greater force, against the idolatrous tendencies of the present age: when one school of devotees loudly declares,"Thou, Nature, art our goddess; to thy lawOur services are bound:Wherefore should weStand in the plague of custom?"and another is equally loud in asserting that it has found the true god in man himself; and another proclaims the divinity of brute force, and feels no shame in advocating the sovereignty of those gross instincts and passions which man shares with the beasts that perish. It is an unworthy and an inadequate conception of God, which identifies Him with Nature; it is a deplorably impoverished idea, the mere outcome of philosophic despair, which identifies him with Humanity; but what language can describe the grovelling baseness of that habit of though which knows of nothing higher than the sensual appetite, and seeks nothing better than its continual indulgence; which sees the native impress of sovereignty on the brow of passing pleasure, and recognises the image and likeness of God in a temporary association of depraved instincts?It is to this last form of idolatry, this utter heathenism in the moral life, that all other forms really converge, as St. Paul has shown in the introduction of his Epistle to the Romans, where, in view of the unutterable iniquities which were familiar occurrences in the world of his contemporaries, 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 reason, and prefer to find their deity in something less awful in purity and holiness, less averse to the defilements of sin, less conversant with the secrets of the soul; and so, not liking to retain the true and only God in knowledge, change His truth into a lie, and worship and serve the creature more than the Creator: changing the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like unto corruptible man, or even to birds and fourfooted beasts and creeping things.PETT, "Verses 1-16The House Of Israel Are Not To Learn The Way Of The Nations Because, While YHWH Is Great Beyond Describing, Their Idols Are Utterly Futile (Jeremiah 10:1-16).

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This passage, in a sequence of verses, compares the futility of idols with the greatness of YHWH. They are introduced here so as to expand on what has been said in Jeremiah 9:24 about ‘understanding and knowing YHWH’. In order to bring out what understanding and knowing YHWH means he compares Him in a fourfold way with other so-called gods. It is clear that Jeremiah sees it as important that the people of Judah fully recognise just Who and What YHWH is. He is not just the greatest of all gods. He istheGod Who is totally and uniquely different.It is quite possible that Jeremiah is here partly citing an earlier prophet such as Isaiah, for the concepts are very Isaianic and lack much of Jeremiah’s unique style. But if so he makes the ideas his own. There are no real grounds for denying it to him as part of his central message. The verses can be divided up as follows, and as so often in Scripture can be seen either as a sequence or as a chiasmus:a The house of Israel are not to learn the way of the nations because the customs of the peoples are a like puff of wind (Jeremiah 10:1-3 a).b The futility of idols is described - they are man-made (Jeremiah 10:3-5).c The greatness of YHWH is described - He is incomparable (Jeremiah 10:6-7).d The futility of idols is described - they are made of earthly materials (Jeremiah 10:8-9).e The greatness of YHWH is described - He is the living everlasting King before Whom the earth and the nations tremble (Jeremiah 10:10).d The futility of idols is described - they are perishable and foreign to Israel (Jeremiah 10:11).c The greatness of YHWH is described - He created the earth and the heavens and controls the rain and wind (Jeremiah 10:12-13).b The futility of idols is described - they are without life (Jeremiah 10:14-15).a The greatness of YHWH is described - He formed all things and Israel are His inheritance (Jeremiah 10:16)So the idols are seen to be man made, whereas YHWH Himself made everything. The idols are all similar to each other (there is little to choose between them) whilst YHWH is incomparable. The idols are made of earthly materials whilst YHWH is the everlasting King before Whom the earth trembles. The idols are devoid of life whilst YHWH is the LIVING everlasting King. And yet He has chosen Israel as His inheritance.We can gain from this a recognition of why God so forcefully condemned

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representations of Him in any physical form. The utilisation of a physical form immediately degrades Him to the level of these false gods, or even to a caricature of Himself. Think how many people think of God as an old man with a white beard because of artistic representations of Him. All such representations brings Him down to the level of His creation, and they can even in some forms bestialise His worshippers (Romans 1:18-24). And it can soon result in the undiscerning worshipping the image instead of God Himself. (It was in order to prevent this that He hid the Ark of the Covenant behind a curtain). Of course if we want to control Him, or control people through Him, or minimise His effectiveness in our lives once we have left the site of the image, or want to avoid too much moral application, it is a good idea to make an image of Him. Then at least we can delude ourselves, thinking that by using an image we have got God where we want Him, there to be called on when we feel like it, and to be ignored at other times. But thereby we miss the force of what Jeremiah is saying, that God is not like that. He is the living God, Who cannot be limited to His creation, Who observes us all in the all the details of our daily lives, and before Whom we are all accountable for what we do within those daily lives.His People Are Not To Follow The Customs of The Peoples.Jeremiah 10:1-3‘Hear you the word which YHWH speaks to you,O house of Israel, thus says YHWH,“Do not learn the way of the nations,And do not be dismayed at the signs of the heavens,For the nations are dismayed at them,Because the customs of the peoples are vanity.”The importance of the message being delivered here is initially brought out by the dual reference to YHWH as speaking. It is a special dual call to the house of Israel to hear His word. The lesson being emphasised is that they are not to learn the way of the nations or the customs of the peoples, because they are nothing but a puff of wind (hebel = breath, vanity, puff of wind). And this includes being dismayed at ‘the signs of the heavens’, which ‘the nations are dismayed at’. Isaiah had spoken of ‘those who divide the heavens, who gaze at the stars, who at the new moons predict what will befall you’ (Isaiah 47:13) as a warning against using astrology to predict events. These were practises which were common throughout the Ancient Near East and especially in Babylon to which a number of exiles had already gone (Isaiah 11:11; possibly 2 Chronicles 36:6-7; 2 Kings 24:12-16; Daniel 1), and such signs could cause great perturbation. But Israel were to pay no heed to them.

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This warning is a necessary introduction to his contrasts of YHWH with idols. Nothing seemed more convincing to ‘heathen’ minds than the portents in the skies. Surely these were evidence of the activities of the gods? So that argument is immediately dismantled. In fact, He says, such signs and portents are false and unreliable. To take any notice of them is to grasp after a puff of wind, for they do not affect issues one way or another. And it is this very folly that leads on to idolatry. There was a right way to discern the skies, and that was by recognising that, ‘the heavens declare the glory of God and the firmament shows His handywork, day unto day issues speech, and the night unto night reveals knowledge’ (Psalms 19:1-2). It is through this that we learn of His ‘eternal power and Godhead’ (Romans 1:20) because from their overall impression we gain the concepts of beauty, design and purpose and recognise that they reveal a beautiful, intelligent and purposeful God. But once we go beyond that without special revelation we are getting involved with fantasy.Idols Are Man-Made And Can Do Nothing.His first emphasis is on the fact that idols are merely man-made. Today they would bear the label ‘made in China’, or some such thing. But what they are not is divine.

2 This is what the Lord says:“Do not learn the ways of the nations or be terrified by signs in the heavens, though the nations are terrified by them.

BARNES, "Signs of heaven - Extraordinary appearances, such as eclipses, comets, and the like, which seemed to the pagan to portend national calamities. To attribute importance to them is to walk in pagan ways.

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CLARKE, "Signs of heaven - Extraordinary appearances, such as eclipses, comets, and the like, which seemed to the pagan to portend national calamities. To attribute importance to them is to walk in pagan ways.

GILL, "Thus saith the Lord, learn not the way of the Heathen,.... Of the nations round about them, particularly the Chaldeans; meaning their religious ways, their ways of worship, their superstition and idolatry, which they were very prone unto, and many of which they had learned already; and were in danger of learning more, as they were about to be dispersed in divers countries, and especially in Chaldea, which was a very superstitious and idolatrous nation: and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; by which are meant, not any extraordinary signs, such as are predicted in Joe_2:30, and by our Lord, as signs of the last destruction of Jerusalem, and of his coming, and of the end of the world, Mat_24:3, but ordinary signs, which are no other than the sun, and moon, and stars, which are set up for signs and seasons, and days and years, Gen_1:14, and as long as they are observed as signs of places and of times, it is well enough; but if more is attributed unto them, as portending things future, and as having an influence on the birth and death, dispositions and actions of men, when in such a conjunction, situation, and position, it is wrong; which is what is called judicial astrology, and to which the Chaldeans were much addicted, and is here condemned; nor should men possess themselves with fears with what shall befall them on such accounts, since all things are under the determination, direction, and influence of the God of heaven, and not the signs of them; especially they should not be so observed as to be worshipped, and to be so awed by them as to fear that evil things will befall, if they are not; and to this sense is the Syriac version, "the signs of the heavens do not worship, or fear". Jarchi interprets them of the eclipses of the luminaries, which may be thought to forbode some dreadful things (l): for the Heathen are dismayed at them; which is a reason why the people of God should not, because it is a Heathenish fear; or, "though the Heathen" (m), &c.; though they are frightened at such and such conjunctions and positions of the stars, and fear that such and such dreadful things will follow; and never regard the supreme Being and first cause of all things; yet such who have the knowledge of the true God, and a revelation of his will, ought not to be terrified hereby; see Isa_47:13. This text is brought to prove that the Israelites are not under any planet (n); since the Heathens are dismayed at them, but not they.

JAMISON, "Eichorn thinks the reference here to be to some celestial portent which had appeared at that time, causing the Jews’ dismay. Probably the reference is general, namely, to the Chaldeans, famed as astrologers, through contact with whom the Jews were likely to fall into the same superstition.

way — the precepts or ordinances (Lev_18:3; Act_9:2).signs of heaven — The Gentiles did not acknowledge a Great First Cause: many thought events depended on the power of the stars, which some, as Plato, thought to be endued with spirit and reason. All heavenly phenomena, eclipses, comets, etc., are included.

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one cutteth a tree, etc. — rather, “It (that which they busy themselves about: a sample of their ‘customs’) is a tree cut out of the forest” [Maurer].

PULPIT, "Jer_10:2The way of the heathen. "Way" equivalent to "religion" (comp. ὁδὸς, Act_9:2, etc.). Be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; alluding to the astrological calculations based upon extraordinary appearances in the sky. Diodorus Siculus remarks 2.30)—and his statement is fully confirmed by the Babylonian cuneiform tablets—that "the appearance of comets, eclipses of the sun and moon, earthquakes, and in fact every kind of change occasioned by the atmosphere, whether good or bad, both to nations and to kings and private individuals [were omens of future events]." A catalogue of the seventy standard astrological tablets is to be found in the third volume of the British Museum collection of inscriptions. Among the items we read, "A collection of twenty-five tablets of the signs of heaven and earth, according to their good presage and their bad;" and again, "Tablets [regarding] the signs of the heaven, along with the star (comet) which has a corona in front and a tail behind; the appearance of the sky," etc. There can hardly be a doubt that the prophetic writer had such pseudo-science as this in his eye (see Professor Sayce, ’The Astronomy and Astrology of the Baby. Ionians, with translations of the tablets,’ ere, in the Transactions of the Society of Biblical Archaeology, 3.145-339).

CALVIN, "Learn not, he says, the way of the nations The Hebrew grammarians take אל , al את at. (2) Way, we know, is everywhere taken for all those customs and habits by which human life is regulated, He then forbids them to pay attention to the rules of life observed by the Gentiles. And one thing he specifies, Be not terrified by celestial signs. He afterwards shews how vain were the practices of the Gentiles; being devoted to idols, they worshipped them in the place of God, though framed by the skill of man. But there are other words added, For the heathens are terrified by them There is a threefold exposition of this clause. Some take כי, ki, properly a causative, in the sense of כ , caph, which denotes likeness, “as the Gentiles are terrified by them.” Others regard it as an adversative, “though,” and כי , ki, has often this meaning. There are also others who give this explanation, “For it is the case with the Gentiles, that they are terrified by them;” as though God had said, that it was extremely absurd in the Jews to be terrified by celestial signs, for they ought to have left this folly, or rather madness, to the Gentiles, as God regarded them as wholly blind. Let us now come to the subject.Learn not, he says, the way of the Gentiles This is a general precept. The law was to the Jews a rule which was sure, and prescribed to them the limits of duty; they ought, therefore, to have followed what God taught them in his law, and not to have turned aside either to the right hand or to the left, according to what Moses also had said. But as human minds are always wanton, they were very desirous of knowing what the Gentiles observed; but whenever this wantonness possesses men’s minds, they necessarily blend darkness with light. It was then, for this reason, that Jeremiah reminded them, that nothing was to be learnt from the Gentiles; as though

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he had said, “Ye ought to be satisfied with the simple doctrine of the law; for unless ye are content with having God as your teacher, ye will necessarily go astray: unless, then, ye seek wilfully to err, keep the way which is pointed out to you in the law, and turn not aside to the rites and practices of the Gentiles.”After having given them a general command not to turn aside from the plain doctrine of the law, he specifies one thing in particular, Be not terrified by celestial signs, that is, “Do not suppose that prosperity or adversity depends on the position or aspect of the stars.” There seems, however, to be here some inconsistency, for he mentions the stars as signs; it hence follows that something is intimated by their position; and Moses also says, that the sun and moon, and all the stars, (and especially the planets,) would be for signs. There are, at the same time, in the firmament, twelve signs by which astrologers especially make their calculations. Since then God has, from the beginning of the creation, appointed what they call the fixed stars in the firmament, as well as the planets, to be for signs, the Prophet seems not to have done right in forbidding the Jews to fear such signs; for these signs in the heavens are not the vain fictions of men, but what God has created and appointed; and we have already stated that the stars are not called signs through the foolish conceit of men, but this character was given them by God himself when they were first created; and if the stars presage to us either prosperity or adversity, it follows that they ought to be dreaded by us.But the Prophet here does not use the word signs in its proper meaning; for he refers not to its true origin, but accommodates himself to the notions which then prevailed; (3) and we must bear in mind what I have already said, that the Egyptians and Chaldeans were much given to that astrology, which is called at this day judiciary. The word itself may be allowed; but it has been long ago profaned by wicked and unprincipled men, whose object has been to make gain by mere falsehoods. There is no doubt but that the Egyptians and the Chaldeans were true astrologers, and understood the art, which in itself is praiseworthy; for to observe the stars, what else is it, but to contemplate that wonderful workmanship, in which the power, as well as the wisdom and goodness of God, shines forth? And, indeed, astrology may justly be called the alphabet of theology; for no one can with a right mind come to the contemplation of the celestial framework, without being enraptured with admiration at the display of God’s wisdom, as well as of his power and goodness. I have no doubt, then, but that the Chaldeans and the Egyptians had learned that art, which in itself is not only to be approved, but is also most useful, and contains not only the most delightful speculations, but ought also to contribute much towards exciting in the hearts of men a high reverence for God. Hence Moses was instructed from his childhood in that art, and also Daniel among the Chaldeans. (Acts 7:22; Daniel 1:17.) Moses learned astrology as understood by the Egyptians, and Daniel as known by the Chaldeans; but the art among them was at that time much adulterated; for they had mingled, as I have already said, foolish divinations with the true and genuine science.As then the Prophet’s meaning seems evident, the truth remains fixed, that the sun,

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and moon, and other planets, and the fixed stars in the firmament, are for signs. But we must notice also here the purpose for which God intended the sun and moon to be signs. His purpose was, that the lunar course should complete one month, and that the solar course should complete one year. And then the twelve signs were designed to answer another purpose: for when the sun is in Cancer it has not the same power and influence as when it is in Virgo; and it differs as to the other signs. In short, as to the order of nature, the stars, the planets, as well as the fixed stars, are to us for signs. We number the years by the solar course, and the months by the lunar; and then the sun, with respect to the twelve signs, introduces the spring, then the summer, then the autumn, and lastly the winter. There are other purposes; but we include in one sentence whatever can be said of the celestial signs, when we say, that they have a reference to the order of nature. Whosoever, then, seeks to make more of these signs, confounds the order established by God, as the Chaldeans formerly did, and also the Egyptians, when they sought to ascend higher than reason warranted: they tried to conjecture by the position of the stars what would be the fates of all nations; and then they dared to come down to the cases of individuals. Hence arose the casters of nativities. Then they first began more anxiously to philosophize, that the sun, when in a certain sign, portends the death of an only son, and happy events to another. But these are things, as we have said, which are beyond the usual order of nature. That there is to be, for instance, summer and winter, this is natural and common; but that there is to be war between one nation and another, this is not by the usual order of things, nor takes place according to what nature appoints, but through the ambition and avarice of men. The hidden providence of God, indeed, rules; but we speak of causes, which ought to be understood by us, and which can be comprehended by us, for they are within the reach of our understanding. It must at the same time be observed, that the course of the stars is in itself of no moment; for we see that God varies the seasons: there is not the same state of weather; we have no winters and no summers exactly alike; there is no year which is not dissimilar to the former; and the third which follows, differs from the second.We hence, then, learn that God has so formed and ordered the sun, and the moon, and all the stars, that he himself still governs and changes the seasons as it pleases him. In this way we account for sterilities, and pestilences, and other things of this kind. When the air seems temperate, pestilence prevails, the year is less fruitful, and men are famished, and no cause appears. Then this diversity in nature itself shews that God has not resigned his power to the stars, but that he so works by them, that he still holds the reins of government, and that he, according to his own will, rules the world in a way different from what even the acutest can divine by the stars. Yet this is no reason why we should deny to them the office which I have mentioned. But they who exceed the limits fixed by God, and seek to form conjectures respecting war in this country and peace in that countrymthey who thus seek to learn from the stars what is beyond the order of nature, blend heaven and earth together. The Prophet, no doubt, intended to condemn this madness when he forbade the Jews to attend to the celestial signs so as to dread them.

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But the reason also must be noticed, why the Prophet so severely condemned that fear which prevailed among the Gentiles: it was for this, because when the opinion prevailed that all events depended on the stars, the fearof God was removed, and nothing was ascribed to his judgments, faith was extinguished, and prayer to God, and all the ordinances of religion, were reduced to nothing. For all the astrologers, who falsely assume so honorable a name, yea those unprincipled men, who add to their impostures the name of judiciary astrology, hold and maintain, that a judgment respecting man’s life ought to be formed by the horoscope, as though the fortune of every one depended on the stars. When, therefore, any one is born at a certain hour, this or that condition, according to them, awaits him. Thus they imagine that there is a fate, or some necessity, which holds a man bound to the influence of the sun, moon, and stars: for he was born when the sun was in the tail of that sign or in the head of another; his birth portends such and such fortune; he will live but a short time, or he will live long. Thus they judge. And they go still farther, and pronounce on every occurrence, “Such will be the issue of this expedition; this during the year will be unhappily undertaken, but that will succeed.” Afterwards, when nativity is not taken into an account, they subject the whole human race to the uncontrollable influence of the stars: “See, if you undertake this business on such a day, you will succeed; but if you begin before mid-day, the issue will be unsuccessful.” Thus they divine concerning the whole life of man with regard to each of his actions: but God never intended the stars to be signs for such purposes.Now, as I have said, it hence follows that God does not rule, and that thus faith is extinguished, and all the exercises of religion are reduced to nothing. For whosoever is persuaded that he is bound by necessity, because the horoscope is of such a character, he must necessarily die at such an hour, and necessarily die of a certain kind of death, — will any one who has this conviction call on God? will he commend his life to his keeping? And then, when any adversity happens, who will bear it as a punishment for his sins? Will he acknowledge that he is called to judgment by God? And if he should prosper, will he be led to sing praises to God?We hence see that this divination extinguishes all religion; for there will be no faith, there will be no recognition of punishment, no acknowledgment of God’s blessings, and no concern for sin, whenever this diabolical error possesses our minds, — that we are subject to the stars, that such and such is our nativity, and that the stars portend some kind of death every day and every moment. This, then, is what is especially intended by the Prophet in forbidding the Jews to be terrified by the celestial signs; for the Chaldeans, no doubt, prophesied that they should have a new empire; and thus they frightened the miserable Jews: “It is all over with us, for the astrologers among the Chaldeans have so spoken; and on the other hand the Egyptians see also that this has been foreshewn by the position of the stars.” Thus it happened that the Jews became, as it were, wholly lifeless. Nor did they remember what God had so often, and for so many years, threatened by his Prophets to do, in case they continued to provoke his wrath. Of God’s judgment they made no account; and yet the persuasion, that the Chaldeans announced a judgment by the

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stars, and that there would be some convulsion, filled them with terror and amazement. Hence the Prophet, in order to lead them to repentance, as well as to faith, which are the two essentials of religion, and include in them the perfection of true wisdom, speaks thus to them in effect, “Fear not the stars, but fear God.” For there is implied a contrast between God and the stars; as though he had said, “When any adversity happens to you, know that you are chastised by God’s hand, who is a just avenger of sins.” This was to teach them repentance; it was to shew them that they justly suffered, because they had been perverse in their wickedness. Then follows the other fact, that though the stars threatened calamity and destruction, they were to flee to God’s mercy and never doubt of their safety, provided he was propitious to them. We now then understand the Prophet’s object in telling them not to fear the stars.More things might be said, but! study brevity as far as I can; and I trust that I have briefly included what is sufficient for the understanding of this passage. There are many, I know, at this day foolishly curious, and hence wish some account to be made of judiciary astrology; and this delirium has taken possession of some pious men and really learned: but we see what God here declares by his servant. And I wonder that some are thus credulous as to the stars, who yet speak with extreme subtlety on free-will. They would have the events of things fortuitous, they would have it that men act freely in both ways, and they hate and abhor fate; and yet they confine God as it were in a prison, and would have the stars to rule. This is to me a prodigy, not a sign. But all these things I leave. Let the plain doctrine of the Prophet be deemed sufficient by us, when he says, that we are not to be terrified by signs, for it belongs to the Gentiles to be thus terrified; for I am disposed to take this meaning, — that the Prophet says that this was a kind of blindness which belonged to them: “Leave,” he says, “this folly to the Gentiles; it is no wonder that they labor under so many errors and delusions, for celestial truth has never shone upon them; but it becomes you to fear God and to rely on his mercy.” It follows —“Unto the way of the heathen conform ye not.”We may view it as a negative, thus: —“No, the way of the heathen learn not.”But it is most probable a typographical error for את as Jeremiah so writes at least in two other instances, Jeremiah 2:23, and Jeremiah 12:16. — Ed COKE, "Jeremiah 10:2. Learn not the way of the heathen— It is well-known, that the Chaldeans and Egyptians were remarkable for their attention to astrology; and therefore the prophet here exhorts the Jews, that when they were to live among those people, they should pay no regard to the predictions which they might utter from the heavenly bodies, whereby they terrified the people with the apprehension of impending evils. Instead of, for the heathen are dismayed, we may read, although the heathen, &c.

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TRAPP, "Jeremiah 10:2 Thus saith the LORD, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them.Ver. 2. Learn not the way of the heathen.] Their sinful customs and irregular religions - mere irreligious. (a)And be not dismayed at the signs of heaven.] Which the blind heathens feared and deified; and none did more than the Syrians, the Jews’ next neighbours. Of the vanity of judicial astrology, see on Isaiah 47:13. He who feareth God needs not fear the stars; for "all things are yours," saith the apostle. [1 Corinthians 3:21] Mulcasses, King of Tunis, a great star gazer, foreseeing by them, as he said, the loss of his kingdom and life together, left Africa that he might shun that mischief; but thereby he hastened it, A.D. 1544. God suffereth sometimes such fond predictions to fall out right upon men for a just punishment of their curiosity.For the heathen are dismayed at them.] Therefore God’s people should not, if it were for no other reason but that only. See Matthew 6:32. Let Papists observe this.

3 For the practices of the peoples are worthless; they cut a tree out of the forest, and a craftsman shapes it with his chisel.

BARNES, "The customs - Better, as the marg, “the ordinances,” established institutions, “of the peoples, i. e.” pagan nations.

CLARKE, "GILL, "The customs of the people are vain - chukkoth; the statutes and חקות

principles of the science are vain, empty, and illusory. They are founded in nonsense, ignorance, idolatry, and folly.One cutteth a tree out of the forest - See the notes on Isa_40:19 (note), and Isa_44:9 (note), etc., which are all parallel places and where this conduct is strongly ridiculed.

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HENRY 3-5, "Divers good reasons given to enforce this charge.1. The way of the heathen is very ridiculous and absurd, and is condemned even by the dictates of right reason, Jer_10:3. The statutes and ordinances of the heathen are vanity itself; they cannot stand the test of a rational disquisition. This is again and again insisted upon here, as it was by Isaiah. The Chaldeans valued themselves upon their wisdom, in which they thought that they excelled all their neighbours; but the prophet here shows that they, and all others that worshipped idols and expected help and relief from them, were brutish and sottish, and had not common sense. (1.) Consider what the idol is that is worshipped. It was a tree cut out of the forest originally. It was fitted up by the hands of the workman, squared, and sawed, and worked into shape; see Isa_44:12, etc. But, after all, it was but the stock of a tree, fitter to make a gate-post of than any thing else. But, to hide the wood, they deck it with silver and gold, they gild or lacquer it, or they deck it with gold and silver lace, or cloth of tissue. They fasten it to its place, which they themselves have assigned it, with nails and hammers, that it fall not, nor be thrown down, nor stolen away, Jer_10:4. The image is made straight enough, and it cannot be denied but that the workman did his part, for it is upright as the palm-tree(Jer_10:5); it looks stately, and stands up as if it were going to speak to you, but it cannot speak; it is a poor dumb creature; nor can it take one step towards your relief. If there be any occasion for it to shift its place, it must be carried in procession, for it cannot go. Very fitly does the admonition come in here, “Be not afraid of them, any more than of the signs of heaven; be not afraid of incurring their displeasure, for they can do no evil; be not afraid of forfeiting their favour, for neither is it in them to do good. If you think to mend the matter by mending the materials of which the idol is made, you deceive yourselves. Idols of gold and silver are an unworthy to be worshipped as wooden gods. The stock is a doctrine of vanities, Jer_10:8. It teaches lies, teaches lies concerning God. It is an instruction of vanities; it is wood.” It is probable that the idols of gold and silver had wood underneath for the substratum, and then silver spread into plates is brought from Tarshish, imported from beyond sea, and gold from Uphaz, or Phaz, which is sometimes rendered the fine or pure gold, Psa_21:3. A great deal of art is used, and pains taken, about it. They are not such ordinary mechanics that are employed about these as about the wooden gods, Jer_10:3. these are cunning men; it is the work of the workman; the graver must do his part when it has passed through the hands of the founder. Those were but decked here and there with silver and gold; these are silver and gold all over. And, that these gods might be reverenced as kings, blue and purple are their clothing, the colour of royal robes (Jer_10:9), which amuses ignorant worshippers, but makes the matter no better. For what is the idol when it is made and when they have made the best they can of it? He tells us (Jer_10:14): They are falsehood; they are not what they pretend to be, but a great cheat put upon the world. They are worshipped as the gods that give us breath and life and sense, whereas they are lifeless senseless things themselves, and there is no breath in them; there is no spirit in them (so the word is); they are not animated, or inhabited, as they are supposed to be, by any divine spirit or numen - divinity. They are so far from being gods that they have not so much as the spirit of a beast that goes downward. They are vanity, and the work of errors, Jer_10:15. Enquire into the use of them and you will find they are vanity; they are good for nothing; no help is to be expected from them nor any confidence put in them. They are a deceitful work, works of illusions, or mere mockeries; so some read the following clause. They delude those that put their trust in them, make fools of them, or, rather, they make fools of themselves. Enquire into the use of them and you will find they are the work of

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errors, grounded upon the grossest mistakes that ever men who pretended to reason were guilty of. They are the creatures of a deluded fancy; and the errors by which they were produced they propagate among their worshippers. (2.) Infer hence what the idolaters are that worship these idols. (Jer_10:8): They are altogether brutish and foolish. Those that make them are like unto them, senseless and stupid, and there is no spirit in them - no use of reason, else they would never stoop to them, Jer_10:14. Every man that makes or worships idols has become brutish in his knowledge, that is, brutish for want of knowledge, or brutish in that very thing which one would think they should be fully acquainted with; compare Jud_1:10, What they know naturally, what they cannot but know by the light of nature, in those things as brute beasts they corrupt themselves. Though in the works of creation they cannot but see the eternal power and godhead of the Creator, yet they have become vain in their imaginations, not liking to retain God in their knowledge. See Rom_1:21, Rom_1:18. Nay, whereas they thought it a piece of wisdom thus to multiply gods, it really was the greatest folly they could be guilty of. The world by wisdom knew not God, 1Co_1:21; Rom_1:22. Every founder is himself confounded by the graven image; when he has made it by a mistake he is more and more confirmed in his mistake by it; he is bewildered, bewitched, and cannot disentangle himself from the snare; or it is what he will one time or other be ashamed of.JAMISON, "K&D 3-5, "Jer_10:3-5

The reason of the warning counsel: The ordinances of the peoples, i.e., the religious ideas and customs of the heathen, are vanity. הּוא refers to and is in agreement with the predicate; cf. Ew. §319, c. The vanity of the religious ordinances of the heathen is proved by the vanity of their gods. "For wood, which one has hewn out of the forest," sc. it is, viz., the god. The predicate is omitted, and must be supplied from ֶהֶבל, a word which is in the plural used directly for the false gods; cf. Jer_8:19; Deu_32:21, etc. With the axe, sc. wrought. ַמֲעָצד Rashi explains as axe, and suitably; for here it means in any case a carpenter's tool, whereas this is doubtful in Isa_44:12. The images were made of wood, which was covered with silver plating and gold; cf. Isa_30:22; Isa_40:19. This Jeremiah calls adorning them, making them fair with silver and gold. When the images were finished, they were fastened in their places with hammer and nails, that they might not tumble over; cf. Isa_41:7; Isa_40:20. When thus complete, they are like a lathe-wrought pillar. In Jdg_4:5, where alone this word elsewhere occurs. ֹּתֶמר means palm-tree here, by a later, derivative usage, = pillar, in support of which we can appeal to ;(ָּתָמר=)the Talmudic ַּתֵּמר, columnam facere, and to the O.T. ִּתיְמָרה, pillar of smoke. ִמְקָׁשה is the work of the turning-lathe, Exo_25:18, Exo_25:31, etc. Lifeless and motionless as a turned pillar.

(Note: Ew., Hitz., Graf, Näg. follow in the track of Movers, Phöniz. i. S. 622, who takes ִמְקָׁשה se acc. to Isa_1:8 for a cucumber garden, and, acc. to Epist. Jerem. v. 70, understands by ֹּתֶמר ִמְקָׁשה the figure of Priapus in a cucumber field, serving as a scare-crow. But even if we admit that there is an allusion to the verse before us in the mockery of the gods in the passage of Epist. Jerem. quoted, running literally as follows: ὧσπερ γὰρ ἐν οἰκυηράτῳ προβασκάνιον οὐδὲν φυλάσσον, οὕτως οἱ θεοὶ αὐτῶν εἰσὶ ξύλινοι καὶ περίχρυσοι καὶ περιάργυροι; and if we further admit that the

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author was led to make his comparison by his understanding ִמְקָׁשה in Isa_1:8 of a cucumber garden; - yet his comparison has so little in common with our verse in point of form, that it cannot at all be regarded as a translation of it, or serve as a rule for the interpretation of the phrase in question. And besides it has yet to be proved that the Israelites were in the habit of setting up images of Priapus as scare-crows.)

Not to be able to speak is to be without life; not to walk, to take not a single step, i.e., to be without all power of motion; cf. Isa_46:7. The Chald. paraphrases correctly: quia non est in iis spiritus vitalis ad ambulandum. The incorrect form ִיָּנׂשּוא for ִיָּנְׂשאּו is doubtless only a copyist's error, induced by the preceding א They can do neither .ָנׂשgood nor evil, neither hurt nor help; cf. Isa_41:23. ָתם א for ִאָּתם, as frequently; see on Jer_1:16.PULPIT, "Jer_10:3The customs of the people. "People" should, as usual, be corrected into peoples—the heathen nations are referred to. The Hebrew has "the statutes;" but the Authorized Version is substantially right, customs having a force as of iron in Eastern countries. It seems to be implied that the "customs" are of religious originin a field of cucumbers. This is the interpretation given to our passage in Verse 70 of the apocryphal Epistle o! Jeremiah (written in the Maccabean period, evidently with reference to our prophecy), and is much more striking than the rival translation, "like a palm tree of turned work," i.e. stiff, immovable. They must needs be borne … they cannot do evil; a reminiscence, apparently, of Isa_46:7; Isa_CALVIN, "The Prophet seems to break off his subject, and even to reason inconclusively; for he had said in the last verse, “Learn not the rites of the Gentiles, and fear not the celestial signs;” and he now adds, Because the rites of the Gentiles are vanity; for wood they cut down from the forest. He seems then, as though forgetting himself, to have passed off to idols. But we must observe, that the Jews were influenced by that ancient opinion, that the Chaldeans and the Egyptians were alone wise, and that they had acquired a fame of this kind among all nations. We find also that heathen writers, when speaking of the origin of the sciences, trace them up to the Chaldeans and the Egyptians; for with them, it is said, have originated astrology and all the liberal sciences. The Jews then, no doubt, allowed so much authority to the Chaldeans and the Egyptians, that their minds, being possessed by that prejudice, could discern nothing aright. The Prophet then shakes off from them this stupidity, and shews how foolish they were, who yet would have themselves to be alone deemed wise, and regarded others, compared with themselves, as barbarous and ignorant. We now then see why the Prophet connects idolatry with that false and spurious astrology which he had mentioned.He says, Laws: the word, חקות, chekut, means strictly, statutes. The word, חק chek, signifies to decree, or to write; and hence decrees are called חקות, chekut. The word Law is general; and one of those which are special and often occurs in Scripture, is the statute. Some render it “Edict;” and the verb means to publish by edict. But this

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word is often applied to ceremonies and rites. He then says, that the rites of the nations were vanity.He then proves this, Because they cut for themselves trees from the forest; and after having polished them by art, they think them to be gods. How detestable was this madness, to think that a tree, cut from the forest, was a god, as soon as it assumed a certain form or shape! As then a madness, so great and so monstrous, prevailed among the Chaldeans and the Egyptians, what right knowledge or judgment could have been in them? The Jews then were very foolish in thinking that they were very clear — sighted. “They are,” he says, “brute animals; for it is wholly contrary to reason to suppose that a god can be made from a dead piece of wood. When, therefore, the Chaldeans and the Egyptians amaze and astonish you through the influence of a false opinion, derived from nothing, that they are alone wise, do ye not see that ye are doubly and trebly mad? for where is their wisdom, when they thus make gods from trunks of trees?”We now then perceive the design of the Prophet: but as these circumstances have not been considered by interpreters, they have only elicited a frigid doctrine and gathered some general thoughts. But when any one rightly and carefully examines the design of the Prophet, he will find how important is what he teaches; and no one can otherwise rightly understand what Jeremiah means.A tree then does one cut, etc.: he uses the singular number. (4) He then adds, the work of the hands of the artificer by the ax He shews that nature itself is changed through the false imagination of men; for as soon as it takes a new form, it seems to be no longer a tree. The tree, while it grows, when it produces fruit, is not worshipped as God; but when it is cut down, the dead and dry trunk is substituted in the place of God: for what reason? even because the ax has been applied. Some render it “hatchet,” hache, ou doloire, which is the same; for there is no ambiguity in the meaning: they cut down trees from the forests; and then after the tree was formed by the ax and worked by the hands of the artificer, what follows was done to it —3.Verily, the customs of the nations are very vanity; For a tree from the forest they cut down, — The work of the hands of the worker with the ax!Then verbs in the plural number follow in the next verse, —4.With silver and with gold they beautify, With nails and with hammers they fasten them, So that none may move themThe verb for “move” is in Hiphil; it means in Kal to totter, “that none may cause them to totter.”But the Septuagint have rendered the verb “cut down” as a passive participle, כרות, transposing the ו; and Venema takes this as the proper reading, — “For a tree from

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the forest is cut down.” But this does not run well with the following verse. The nations or heathens, is the nominative to all the verbs.Venema renders the last line of the fourth verse, —That nothing may make them to reel.He considers that לא means often “nothing; ” but it means also sometimes, “none,” or no one. — Ed TRAPP, "Jeremiah 10:3 For the customs of the people [are] vain: for [one] cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe.Ver. 3. For the customs of the people (a) are vain.] Their rites confirmed by custom; their imagery, for instance, a very magnum nihil, whether ye look to the efficient matter, form, or end of those idols.For one cutteth a tree out of the forest.] See Isaiah 40:2; Isaiah 44:12-17, which last place Jeremiah here seemeth to have imitated. PARKER, " The Gods of the HeathenJeremiah 10:3-5Before coming to the exact subject of these verses, two or three particular points in the chapter as a whole will be found to be worthy of attention. The chapter is an address delivered to the house of Israel, which had been told that it was uncircumcised in heart, or on a level with the heathen nations around it; the writer proceeds from a general indictment against Israel to prefer a special complaint—namely, that Israel was disposed to adopt the customs of heathen nations, and was not indisposed to accept the work of astrologers, stargazers, and monthly prognosticators ( Isaiah 47:13), and to find in all these phenomena portents of divine protection or judgment. "The customs of the people" is an expression which must not be supposed to refer merely to common usages: the reference is exclusively to religious institutions; and by the words "the people "must not be understood Israel, but the heathen nations around them. When the gods are described as "upright as the palm tree" ( Jeremiah 10:5), the meaning is literally—"A pillar in a garden of gourds are they." The Hebrew word translated "pillar" we have already seen illustrated in Exodus 25:18, Exodus 25:31, Exodus 25:36. The reference is to the twisted palm-like columns of the Temple, and to these columns the stiff, formal figure of the idol is compared. The sixth verse opens with the words "forasmuch as"; but the literal Hebrew is "none is there like unto thee." In the seventh verse we come upon the expression "king of nations," which ought to be rendered "king of the heathen," which expresses the universal sovereignty of Jehovah, in contrast with the mistaken impression that Jehovah was the God of the religious only. Again and again in Holy Scripture an effort is made to enlarge the idea of God so as to include

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within it infinite and universal sovereignty, and not the mere patronage or defence of any particular people. In the eighth verse we find the words "the stock is a doctrine of vanities," which is somewhat obscure. The literal rendering would seem to be, "The teaching of vanities, or of idols, is a word, or is a log:" the meaning is—that is really all that vanities or idols come to; it is but a breath at the best; it is but a log of wood, dumb and useless, and for religious purposes to be despised. In the tenth verse the words "the Lord is the true God" are better rendered "Jehovah is the God that is Truth,"—truth in its sublimest and completest form. Jesus Christ says concerning himself, "I am the way, the truth, and the life." Christ"s application of many Old Testament titles and designations to himself is difficult to account for on the ground that he was a man only. The same verse gives the expression "an everlasting king": whilst this is not wrong, it is certainly inferior to the Hebrew idiom—"king of eternity." In the fifteenth verse the expression "the work of errors" should be amended by "a work of mockery."Coming now to the section Exodus 25:3-5, we are reminded that it is often said of God that he is unknowable. It would seem as if this was advanced as a kind of reason for not concerning ourselves about him. The form into which this thought would be thrown is something like—If there is a God, he cannot be known by the human mind, and therefore we need not try to know him. It is remarkable, however, that the Bible distinctly warns us against gods which can be known; and, indeed, the very fact that they can be known is the strong reason given for distrusting and avoiding them. It is said that if we could know the true God it would be our duty to worship him; but the true God distinctly warns us that any god that can be known is by that very fact proved to be no god at all. The Bible even makes merry over all the gods that can be known. It takes up one, and says, with a significant tone, This is wood; another, and laughs at it as a clever contrivance in iron; another it takes up, and setting it down smiles at it as a pretty trick in goldsmithery: "One cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe. They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not." This is the Bible estimate of gods that can be known! "The carpenter encouraged the goldsmith, and he that smootheth with the hammer him that smote the anvil, saying, It is ready for the sodering: and he fastened it with nails, that it should not be moved." Concerning the false gods of his time, Isaiah says ( Isaiah 46:7), "They bear him upon the shoulder, they carry him, and set him in his place, and he standeth." Thus everything can be known about the false gods: we can walk round them; we can tell the very day of their manufacture; we can give their exact weight in pounds and ounces; we can set down their stature in feet and inches; we can measure them for a suit of clothes; we can change their complexion with a brush: because they are known they are contemptible. "They have mouths, but they speak not: eyes have they, but they see not: they have ears, but they hear not: noses have they, but they smell not: they have hands, but they handle not: feet have they, but they walk not: neither speak they through their throat." "Woe unto him that saith to the wood, Awake; to the dumb stone, Arise, it shall teach! Behold, it is laid over with gold and silver, and there is no breath at all in the midst of it."

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In opposition to all this view of heathen deities stands the glorious revelation of the personality and nature of the true God. "God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth." "This is life eternal, that they might know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent." A conviction of the vital difference between the God of the Hebrews and the god of the heathen seems to have forced itself into the minds even of those to whom the true revelation had not come: "Their rock is not as our Rock, even our enemies themselves being judges"—Power is ascribed unto God—"Who among the sons of the mighty can be likened unto the Lord?"—Holiness also is ascribed unto the God of Israel—"Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name? for thou only art holy:... thy judgments are made manifest"—There would be nothing noteworthy in the ascription of mere power to God; but when his character is described, and is throughout a character of righteousness, holiness, purity, mercy, we come into the real difference as between the true God and all manufactured or imagined deities.All human history would seem to show that men must have either a knowable or an unknowable God. Nearly all nations have gods of some kind. That is a fact which must not be lightly passed over in thinking deeply upon this subject. Even the meanest gods must be accounted for. They are not among the a priori probabilities of life. They trouble men; they turn down the light suddenly at the feast; they put a drag on the fast chariot; they are seldom welcome. Yet there they are, and men will have them, as if though they are troubled with them they would be infinitely more troubled without them. What is it that clings to some god-form? An easy answer is the word "Superstition"; but there is nothing in such a reply except its ease and flippancy. Superstition itself must be accounted for. Every thinking man has what to him is equivalent to a god. His thought stretched to the point of perplexity—because so much appeals to it that is beyond absorption or reconciliation—becomes to man a species of deity, or in other terms an unknown and bewildering quantity, which will not allow him to put a fullstop to his thinking, saying, Human life ends here, and beyond it there is no field of legitimate inquiry. On the other hand, a child loved to idolatry becomes very near to occupying the position of a god: or the expectation excited into a hope which throws a light upon the whole life, and oftentimes sets things in a wrong relation to one another, or alters the just perspective of life, may exercise such a fascinating influence upon thought and action as to usurp the place of personal sovereignty and intelligence: or there may be but a dream radiant with poetry, which a man accepts as a species of Revelation , and by which he at least secretly hopes to realise great ambitions or sacred purposes: or there may be an intent in the heart so earnest as to exclude all other thoughts and to reign in the heart with religious influence, difficult to distinguish from profound and sacrificial worship: sometimes there is an enthusiasm which is akin to inspiration, which lifts men up into high raptures, and constrains them to enter into arduous endeavours of the most costly kind; an enthusiasm which almost challenges danger, which smiles at peril, and which counts a road to be right because there is a lion upon it at every turn: or we may go farther down, and amongst another quality of people find a totally different indication of religious instinct and desire: we find lucky chance, the vulgar toss-up, and the vulgar desire that the right side may come down. Be it what

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it may, either a high conception or a low, it would seem as if we must find some equivalent to God, either in the fog of chance, the temple of art, or the sanctuary of revelation.Even false gods put their devotees to great expense in their service. Take the man who gives himself up to the pursuit of an Idea, chimerical or practical, but large enough to be to him a religion. He lives no idle life; he does not rise with the sluggard, or lull his brain with opiates; he sees a beckoning spirit on the high hills, and hears a voice bidding him make haste whilst the light lasts; he writhes under many an inexplicable inspiration; he dares the flood that affrights the coward; he cannot spare himself: he is not his own. Such men are not to be despised. They give life a higher meaning, and service a bolder range. I only say of them in this connection that their worship is neither easy nor inexpensive. There is a popular delusion to the effect that give up the Bible and give up the church, life would become easy, pleasant, divesting itself of every spiritual trouble, enjoying the passing feast, and allowing tomorrow to come as it may and to bring with it its own care for its own duties. This is indeed a popular delusion. Examine the expenses-book of the mere pleasure-seeker; see what he has laid out for travelling, for objects which appeal to the eye, for the satisfaction of his lowest desires, for the gratification of perverted taste; add up the pages one by one, and totalise them at the last, and see whether the sensualist has lived an inexpensive life. On the other hand, there are men of a very different caste, who, having renounced what is known as orthodox religion and all its institutions, have yet found that success of the most honourable and legitimate kind is associated with daily crosses and self-denial. Whosoever would follow Jesus Christ must take up his Cross. That is often thought to be an expression limited exclusively to the Christian religion. We find, however, that it is nothing of the kind. Take out the word "Christ," and put in its place any other object worthy in some degree of human pursuit, and it will be found that the cross must be taken up in following that object with constancy and devotion. Men have to rise early, to run great risks, to deny themselves many temporary gratifications, to say No where often they would be glad to say Yes; they have to abandon the society of wife and children and the security and joy of home that they may go afar to learn new languages, face new conditions, and endeavour to subdue oppositions of the most stubborn kind. Why all this devotion to a purpose? why this determined resolution to succeed? Surely the object must account for all the expenditure which is lavished upon it. But the point now to be noted is that whoever would secure great results must undergo great self-denials. The highest application of this doctrine is found in the religion of Jesus Christ. Whoever would gain immortality must hate his present life,—whoever would seize heaven in its highest interpretations and uses must hold in contempt, as to mere permanence of satisfaction, this little earth and its vain appeals.The service of the true God includes all the grandest ideas of the human mind. This is the supreme advantage which Christianity has over every phase of human thought. It keeps men back from no service that is good: on the contrary, it compels them to adopt and pursue it It is but just to deny that the men who ignore or neglect

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the God of the Bible are doing the great work of the world. Everything that is good is included in the programme of Christianity. Is the question one of international peace? The whole spirit of the Bible moves in this direction, and compels its believers to denounce war, to hold back the sword until the last possible moment, and to take such views of human nature as will develop its best aspects. Christianity shows all that is good in human life,—not only good as a matter of fact, but good as to probability; and believing that even the most warlike men may be subdued in many instances by argument, persuasion, and highmindedness on the part of opponents, Christianity insists that the sword shall not be unsheathed so long as one word remains to be spoken in the interests of righteous peace. Is it a question of high ideals? Then we may boldly ask what ideal can be higher, and morally completer, than that which is presented by the religion of Jesus Christ? That ideal may be expressed as peace on earth, and goodwill toward men,—an idea involving personal righteousness, international honour, the recognition of the broadest human rights, and the possibility of all nations, peoples, kindreds, and tongues being consolidated into one Christian brotherhood, not as to mere accidents, but as to supremacy of purpose and pureness of motive. The followers of Bible godliness are not mere dreamers. They do more for the world"s progress than any other men in society can do. We are willing that they should be judged by any standard which even their opponents may erect: in the teaching of the young, in the support of the poor, in the devotion of time, in the donation of money, in the suffering of personal inconvenience—a position of unapproachable supremacy may be claimed for them. And in proportion to their godliness are they unconscious of their sacrifices. The Cross of Christ is not a pillar on which men carve the memory of their good deeds; on that sacred tree are no incisions made by boastful hands; the service is rendered because of love, and it seeks no immortality of itself other than the witness of lives redeemed and blessed.The faith and service of the true God should express themselves in the character of believers. Every man represents his god. It would be easy to find your god by analysing your character. It would surely be enough to describe some men in order to have their god instantly named by those who have listened to the description. Take an instance: here is a man whose eyes are aflame with hot blood; his cheeks are swollen and pimpled; his lips are purple; his hands are unsteady, his voice is husky; he drinks wine in the morning, and tarries long at the drink; he is known in every house of pleasure and self-indulgence; his appetite grows by what it feeds on. Now name the god at whose altar that man worships! We cannot hesitate for a moment to write upon that altar the word Sensuality. Take another instance: here is a person whose one study is personal dress; the most anxious looks of inquiry are addressed to the mirror; the question always turns upon the fashion of the passing hour; there can be no rest whilst a colour is wrong, or a ribbon is wanting, or some readjustment is needed to bring the clothing into harmony with the established custom of the day; the papers perused are those which relate to dress, decoration, ornamentation of every kind; the news brought from every assembly relates to dress, carriage, manner, complexion. Who can hesitate to name the god worshipped in such an instance as this? Even the least instructed as to the words of men would

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not hesitate to describe persons so interested in such questions as the worshippers or the victims of Vanity. The Christian ought to be able to stand the same examination. Where we cannot understand his theology, we may at least inquire into his character; and where the character is pure, high, noble, it would be impossible to deny a high religious motive and a noble religious consecration; at all events, the mention of such motive and consecration would be in strict harmony with the character, and by so much would be presumably true. The advantage which the Christian worshipper has over all the heathen round about him is in the fact that he himself was converted from social heathenism and from trust in false gods. "Ye know that ye were Gentiles, carried away unto these dumb idols, even as ye were led." Although this has literally no application to us, its spiritual reference is abundantly clear: we have followed the customs of the world; we have drunk at its fountains; we have wandered in its gardens; we have bought its delights; we have sacrificed at its altars; and today we stand up to testify that the gods of the heathen can neither hear prayer nor answer it, can neither pity human distress nor relieve it. We know also with equal certainty, on the other hand, that the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ covers our whole life, answers all its deepest necessities, is a sovereign balm for every wound, and cordial for our fears. As for the gods of the heathen, they that make them are like unto them, so is every one that trusteth in them; and whilst the Christian apologist delights in this method of inquiry, he ought to be ready to submit himself to it, and in the degree of his readiness for such submission will occur to him the idea of solemn and vast responsibility. Let us continually exclaim under circumstances which excite the world"s amazement at our fortitude and hope, "The Lord is the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup: thou maintainest my lot;" "My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever." Such testimony will in due time become an argument.PETT, "Jeremiah 10:3-5“For one cuts a tree out of the forest,The work of the hands of the workman with the axe.They deck it with silver and with gold,They fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not.They are like a pillar (palm-tree), of turned work, and speak not,They must needs be borne, because they cannot go.Do not be afraid of them, for they cannot do evil,Nor is it in them to do good.”

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YHWH goes on to deal with another aspect of the customs of the nations, the worship of idols that they have made for themselves. As explained above this is being used by Jeremiah in preparation for contrasting such idols with YHWH in a series of four contrasts. Such idols, He points out, are man-made. Their existence commences when the forester cuts down a tree with his axe, part of which is then decked with silver and gold, and fastened with nails and hammers so that it will not move or fall over (compare Isaiah 41:7). In other words it cannot support itself, and if left to itself it would collapse. Nor, being of turned work like a pillar made from a palm tree, do such idols speak. Furthermore they cannot ‘go’ on their own with the result that they have to be carried wherever they do go. Thus they can work neither evil things (e.g. storms, invasions, etc.) nor good things (e.g. rain and helpful wind). Contrast Isaiah 45:7. In consequence they can be seen to be helpless and useless. Compare Isaiah’s vivid dismissal of them in Isaiah 44:12-20. The sudden change of the verbs from singular to plural brings out that in the end they are all the same.‘Like a pillar (palm-tree), of turned work, that it move not.’ Ancient pre-Grecian statues were usually made with arms firmly pressed against their sides, devoid of any impression of movement, thus further emphasising the lifelessness of the idol. However, the word for ‘turned (or beaten) work, can also mean ‘in a garden of gourds/cucumbers’. If we take the latter meaning it is describing an image with a function similar to that of our scarecrows as watchers over the fields, although in this case with ‘divine’ connotations.YHWH Is Great Above All Things.In contrast with the man-made idols is the One Who is great above all things, the incomparable King of the Nations

4 They adorn it with silver and gold; they fasten it with hammer and nails so it will not totter.

BARNES, "They deck it - It was covered with plates of gold and silver, and then 46

fastened with nails in its place, that it might not “more, i. e.” tumble down.The agreement in this and the following verses with the argument in Isa. 40–44 is so manifest, that no one can doubt that the one is modelled upon the other. If, therefore, Jeremiah took the thoughts and phrases from Isaiah, it is plain that the last 27 chapters of Isaiah were prior in date to Jeremiah’s time, and were not therefore written at the close of the Babylonian exile. This passage then is a crucial one to the pseudo-Isaiah theory. Two answers are attempted,(1) that the pseudo-Isaiah borrowed from Jeremiah. But this is refuted by the style, which is not that usual with Jeremiah.(2) that it is an interpolation in Jeremiah.But how then are we to account for its being found in the Septuagint Version? The only argument of real importance is that these verses break the continuity of thought; but the whole chapter is somewhat fragmentary, and not so closely connected as the previous three. Still there is a connection. The prophet had just included all Israel under the ban of uncircumcision: he now shows them their last chance of safety by enlarging upon the truth, that (compare Jer_9:23-24) their true glory is their God, not an idol of wood, but the King of nations. Then comes the sad feeling that they have rejected God and chosen idols Jer_10:17-18; then the nation’s deep grief Jer_10:19-22 and earnest prayer Jer_10:23-25. It is quite possible that only portions of the concluding part of Jeremiah’s templesermon were embodied in Baruch’s scroll, and that had the whole been preserved, we should have found the thoughts as orderly in development as those in Jer. 7–9.

GILL, "They deck it with silver and with gold,.... Cover it with plates of silver and gold, for the sake of ornament, that it may look grand, majestic, and venerable; and by this means draw the eye and attention, and so the devotion of people to it: they fasten it with nails and hammers, that it move not. The sense is, either that the idol was fastened to some post or pillar, or in some certain place on a pedestal, that it might not fall, it not being able otherwise to support itself; or the plates of silver and gold, as Kimchi thinks, were fastened to the idol with nails and hammers, that so they might not be taken away from it; for, were it not for the nails, the god would not be able to keep his silver and golden deckings.

JAMISON, "fasten ... move not — that is, that it may stand upright without risk of falling, which the god (!) would do, if left to itself (Isa_41:7).

CALVIN, "

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5 Like a scarecrow in a cucumber field, their idols cannot speak;they must be carried because they cannot walk.Do not fear them; they can do no harm nor can they do any good.”

BARNES, "They are upright ... - Rather, “They are like a palm tree of turned work, i. e.” like one of those stiff inelegant pillars, something like a palm tree, which may be seen in oriental architecture. Some translate thus: “They are like pillar’s in a garden of cucumbers, i. e.” like the blocks set up to frighten away the birds; but none of the ancient versions support this rendering.

CLARKE, "They are upright as the palm tree - As straight and as stiff as the trees out of which they are hewn.

GILL, "They are upright as the palm tree,.... Being nailed to a post, or fastened to a pillar, or set upon a pedestal, and so stand erect without bending any way; and are like a palm tree, which is noted for its uprightness; hence the church's stature is compared to it, Son_7:7, here it is a sarcasm, and a bitter one: but speak not; man, that is of an erect stature, in which he differs from other creatures, has the faculty of speech, which they that go upon four feet have not; but the idols of the Gentiles, though erect, have not the power of speaking a word; and therefore can give no answer to their worshippers; see Psa_115:5, they must needs be borne: or, "in carrying be carried" (q); when being made they are fixed in the designed place, or are moved from place to place; they are then carried in men's arms, or on their shoulders: because they cannot go; they have no life, and so are incapable of motion of themselves; they have feet, but walk not; and cannot arise and bestir themselves for the help of those that pray unto them, Psa_115:7, be not afraid of them, for they cannot do evil; that is, inflict judgment, cause

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drought, famine, or pestilence, or any other evil or calamity: neither is it also in them to do good; to give rains and fruitful seasons, or bestow any favour, temporal or spiritual; see Jer_14:21.

JAMISON, "upright — or, “They are of turned work, resembling a palm tree” [Maurer]. The point of comparison between the idol and the palm is in the pillar-like uprightness of the latter, it having no branches except at the top.

speak not — (Psa_115:5).cannot go — that is, walk (Psa_115:7; Isa_46:1, Isa_46:7).neither ... do good — (Isa_41:23).

CALVIN, "He goes on with the same subject, and borrows his words from the forty — fourth chapter of Isaiah (Isaiah 44:0); for the passage is wholly similar. Jeremiah, being later, was induced to take the words from his predecessor, that his own nation might be more impressed, on finding that the same thing was said by two Prophets, and that thus they had two witnesses.He then says that these wise men, who filled the Jews with wonder and astonishment, adorned their images, or statues, with silver and gold, and afterward fixed them with nails and with hammers, that they might not move Some refer the last word to the metal, “that the pieces might not come off,” as the verb sometimes means to depart. But the simpler meaning is, that the statues were fixed by nails and hammers, that they might not be moved. Then the Prophet adds by way of concession, They are indeed erect as the palm-trees; and thus there appears in them something remarkable: but they speak not; and then, being raised they are raised, that is, they cannot move themselves; for they cannot walk Then he says, Be not afraid of them; for they do no evil, nor is it in their power to do goodWe now see what the Prophet meant to teach us, — that the wisdom of the Chaldeans, and also of the Egyptians, was celebrated throughout the world, and also so blinded the Jews, or so enraptured, them, that they thought that nothing proceeded from them but what deserved to be known and esteemed. In order therefore to remove and demolish this false notion, he shews that they were beyond measure foolish; for what could have been more sottish than to think that the nature of a tree is changed as soon as it receives a new form? How? By the hand of the artificer. Can it be in the power of man to make a god at his will? This is a folly which heathen authors have derided. Horace has this sentence: —“When the workman was uncertain whether to make a bench or Priapus, He chose rather to make a god.” (5)That poet, as he dared not generally to condemn the madness which then prevailed, indirectly shewed how shameful it was to make a log of wood a god, because the workman had given it a form. The very richest worshipped a wooden god, while he

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despised the artificer! He who would not have condescended to give the workman a cup of water, yet prostrated himself befbre the god which the workman had made! This then is what our Prophet now says, “Behold, with silver and gold do they adorn trunks of trees; they indeed stood up, for they are erect statues;” and he compares them to palm-trees, because they stood high: and he says, “but they speak not; they are raised up, for they have no life; hence fear them not:” and then he adds, “They cannot do evil, and it is not in their power to do good.”The Prophet seems to speak improperly when he says that they were not gods, because they could do no evil; for it is wholly contrary to the nature of the only true God to do evil: but the Prophet, according to what is common, uses the word for the infliction of punishment. God, then, is said to do evil, not because he does harm to any one, not because he does wrong to any mortals, but because he chastises them for their sins. And it is a way of speaking derived from the common judgment of man, for we call those things evils which are afflictions to us; for famine, diseases, poverty, cold, heat, disgrace, and things of this kind, are called afflictions or adversities. Now, the Prophet says, that the idols of the Gentiles, or their fictitious gods, do no evil, that is, they have no power to inflict punishment on men. And this is taken from Isaiah. God uses there a twofold argument, while claiming divinity to himself alone: he says,“I alone am he who foresees and predicts future things;”and hence I am God alone; and then he says,“I alone am he who do good and evil;”hence I alone am God. (Isaiah 45:22; Isaiah 48:3.) He says, that he doeth evil, because he is the Judge of the world. We hence see that this expression is not to be taken in a bad sense, but, as I have said, it is to be taken in a sense used by men; for we consider and call those punishments, with which God visits us, evils. It follows — TRAPP, "Jeremiah 10:6 Forasmuch as [there is] none like unto thee, O LORD thou [art] great, and thy name [is] great in might.Ver. 6. Forasmuch as there is none like unto thee.] None of all these dii minutuli, these dunghill deities, are worthy to be named in the same day with thee.Thou art great.] God is great; [Psalms 77:13] greater; [Job 33:12] greatest; [Psalms 95:3] greatness itself. [Psalms 145:3] He is a degree above the superlative. Think the same of other his names and attributes, many of which we have here mentioned in this and the following verses; which are therefore highly to be prized, and oft to be perused. Leonard Lessius, a little before his death, finished his book concerning the fifty names of almighty God; often affirming, that in that little book he had found more light and spiritual support under those grievous fits of the stone which he suffered, than in all his voluminous commentaries upon Aquinas’s sums, which he

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had well nigh fitted for the press. (a)

6 No one is like you, Lord; you are great, and your name is mighty in power.

BARNES, "For as much as - Or, “No one is like unto thee, O Jehovah.” In Jer_10:6-11, the prophet contrasts God’s greatness with the impotence of idols.

GILL, "Forasmuch as there is none like unto thee, O Lord,.... None like him, for the perfections of his nature, for the works of his hands, and for the instances of his kindness and beneficence, both in a way of grace and providence; there is none like him for doing good, or doing evil; that is, for bestowing favours, or inflicting punishments; there is none like him for goodness or greatness, as follows: thou art great; in his nature; of great power, wisdom, faithfulness, truth, and goodness; and in his works of creation and providence, and in everything in which he is concerned; and greatness is to be ascribed to him, and greatly is he to be praised; and all the glory due unto his name is to be given him: and thy name is great in might; his name is himself, and his greatness much appears in the exertion of the attribute of his power and might; in making all things out of nothing, in upholding the whole creation, and in the government of the universe; or the fame of him is great through the effects of his power, which are to be seen throughout the earth.

HENRY, "The God of Israel is the one only living and true God, and those that have him for their God need not make their application to any other; nay, to set up any other in competition with him is the greatest affront and injury that can be done him. Let the house of Israel cleave to the God of Israel and serve and worship him only, for,

(1.) He is a non-such. Whatever men may set in competition with him, there is none to be compared with him. The prophet turns from speaking with the utmost disdain of the idols of the heathen (as well he might) to speak with the most profound and awful reverence of the God of Israel (Jer_10:6, Jer_10:7): “Forasmuch as there is none like 51

unto thee, O Lord! none of all the heroes which the heathen have deified and make such ado about,” the dead men of whom they made dead images, and whom they worshipped. “Some were deified and adored for their wisdom; but, among all the wise men of the nations, the greatest philosophers or statesmen, as Apollo or Hermes, there is none like thee. Others were deified and adored for their dominion; but, in all their royalty” (so it may be read), “among all their kings, as Saturn and Jupiter, there is none like unto thee.” What is the glory of a man that invented a useful art or founded a flourishing kingdom (and these were grounds sufficient among the heathen to entitle a man to an apotheosis) compared with the glory of him that is the Creator of the world and that forms the spirit of man within him? What is the glory of the greatest prince or potentate, compared with the glory of him whose kingdom rules over all? He acknowledges (Jer_10:6), O Lord! thou art great, infinite and immense, and thy name is great in might; thou hast all power, and art known to have it. Men's name is often beyond their might; they are thought to be greater than they are; but God's name is great, and no greater than he really is. And therefore who would not fear thee, O King of nations? Who would not choose to worship such a God as this, that can do every thing, rather than such dead idols as the heathen worship, that can do nothing? Who would not be afraid of offending or forsaking a God whose name is so great in might? Which of all the nations, if they understood their interests aright, would not fear him who is the King of nations? Note, There is an admirable decency and congruity in the worshipping of God only. It is fit that he who is God alone should alone be served, that he who is Lord of all should be served by all, that he who is great should be greatly feared and greatly praised.JAMISON, "none — literally, “no particle of nothing”: nothing whatever; the

strongest possible denial (Exo_15:11; Psa_86:8, Psa_86:10).

K&D 6-9, "Jer_10:6-9The almighty power of Jahveh, the living God. - Jer_10:6. "None at all is like Thee, Jahveh; great art Thou, and Thy name is great in might. Jer_10:7. Who would not fear Thee, Thou King of the peoples? To Thee doth it appertain; for among all the wise men of the peoples, and in all their kingdoms, there is none at all like unto Thee. Jer_10:8.But they are all together brutish and foolish; the teaching of the vanities is wood. Jer_10:9. Beaten silver, from Tarshish it is brought, and gold from Uphaz, work of the craftsman and of the hands of the goldsmith; blue and red purple is their clothing; the work of cunning workmen are they all. Jer_10:10. But Jahveh is God in truth, He is living God and everlasting King; at His wrath the earth trembles, and the peoples abide not His indignation. Jer_10:11. Thus shall ye say unto them: The gods that have not made the heavens and the earth, these shall perish from the earth and from under the heavens."In this second strophe Jahveh is contrasted, as the only true God and Lord of the world, with the lifeless gods. These there is no need to fear, but it behoves all to fear the almighty God, since in His wrath He can destroy nations. When compared with Psa_

86:8, the ִמן in ֵמֵאין seems redundant - so much so, that Ven. pronounces it a copyist's error, and Hitz. sets it aside by changing the vowels. The word as it stands contains a double negation, and is usually found only in dependent clauses with a strong negative force: so that there is none. Here it has the same force, but at the beginning of the

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sentence: none at all is as Thou; cf. Ew. §323, a. Great is Thy name, i.e., the manifestation of Thee in the world, in Thy government of the earth. "In (or with) might" belongs to "great:" great with might, displaying itself in acts of might; cf. Jer_16:21. Who would not fear Thee? a negative setting of the thought: every one must fear Thee. King of the nations; cf. Psa_22:29; Psa_47:8; Psa_96:10. ָיָאָתה from ָיָאה, ἁπ. λεγ.. equivalent to ָנָאה (whence ַנֲאָוה), to be seemly, suitable. Among the wise men of the peoples none is like Thee, so as that any should be able to make head against Thee by any clever stroke; cf. Isa_19:12; Isa_29:14. Nor is there in any kingdom of the peoples any one like Jahveh, i.e., in might. It is not merely earthly kings that are meant, but the gods of the heathen as well. In no heathen kingdom is there any power to be compared with Jahveh. We are led here to think also of the pagan gods by Jer_10:8, where the wisdom and almighty power of the living God are contrasted with foolishness and vanity of the false gods. ְּבַאַחת is not: in uno = in una re, sc. idololatria (Rabb.); nor is it, as Hitz. in most strained fashion makes it: by means of one thing, i.e., by (or at) a single word, the word which comes immediately after: it is wood. ַאַחת is unquestionably neuter, and the force of it here is collective, = all together, like the Chald. ַכֲחָדא. The nominative to "are brutish" is "the peoples." The verb ָּבַער is denom. from ְּבִעיר, to be brutish, occurring elsewhere in the Kal only in Psa_94:8, Ezek. 21:36; in the Niph. Jer_10:14, Jer_10:21, Jer_51:17; Isa_ָּכַסל .19:11 as verb is found only here; elsewhere we have ְּכִסיל, foolish, and ֶּכֶסל, folly (Son_7:1-13 :25), and, as a verb, the transposed form ָסַכל. The remaining words of the verse make up one clause; the construction is the same as in Jer_10:3, but the sense is not: "a mere vain doctrine is the wood," i.e., the idol is itself but a doctrine of vanities. In this way Ew. takes it, making "wood" the subject of the clause and מּוַסר the predicate. מּוַסר ֲהָבִלים is the antithesis to מּוַסר Deu_11:2; Pro_3:11; Job_5:17. As the latter ,יהוהis the παιδεία of the Lord, so the former is the παιδεία of the false gods (ֲהָבִלים, cf. Jer_8:19). The παιδεία of Jahveh displayed itself, acc. to Deu_11:2, in deeds of might by means of which Jahveh set His people Israel free from the power of Egypt. Consequently it is the education of Israel by means of acts of love and chastenings, or, taken more generally, the divine leading and guidance of the people. Such a παιδεία the null and void gods could not give to their worshippers. Their παιδεία is wood, i.e., not: wooden, but nothing else than that which the gods themselves are - wood, which, however it be decked up (Jer_10:9), remains a mere lifeless block. So that the thought of Jer_10:8 is this: The heathen, with all their wise men, are brutish; since their gods, from which they should receive wisdom and instruction, are wood. Starting from this, Jer_10:9 continues to this effect: However much this wood be decked out with silver, gold, and purple raiment, it remains but the product of men's hands; by no such process does the wood become a god. The description of the polishing off of the wood into a god is loosely attached to the predicate ֵעץ, by way of an enumeration of the various things made use of therefore. The specification served to make the picture the more graphic; what idols were made of was familiar to everybody. ְמֻרָּקע, beat out into thin plates for coating over the wooden image; cf. Exo_39:3; Num_17:3. As to ַּתְרִׁשיׁש, Tartessus in Spain, the source of the silver, see on Eze_27:12. Gold from Ophir; אּוָפז here and Dan_10:5 is only a dialectical variety of ִפיר _see on 1Ki_9:27. As the blue and red purple, see on Exo ,א.skilful artisans, cf. Isa_40:20. They all, i.e., all the idols ,ֲחָכִמים .25:4

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PULPIT, "Jer_10:6Forasmuch as there is none; rather, so that, etc. But practically it is merely a strengthened negative. There is none like unto thee; none, that is, among those who claim to have Divine power (comp. the phrase, "God of gods," Deu_10:17; Psa_136:2). It would appear from some passages, however, as if the heathen did not worship mere nonentities (though idols are sometimes called "things of naught," e.g. ten times by Isaiah) by comparison with Jehovah, but that there was a dark background of awful personal or quasi-personal reality (e.g. Deu_4:7; 2Ch_28:23).

CALVIN, "As the truth respecting the gods of the heathens, that they are mere figments, would be useless and of no moment, were not the knowledge of the, true God added, the Prophet now introduces God himself. And there is another reason; for no one could know that these wooden and stony gods are of no account, were not the truth respecting the true God to shine forth. Whosoever does not understand that there is a God, and does not know who or what he is, can never be really influenced by this truth, that the gods of the heathens are demons, and that all their superstitions are sacrilegious.We now then perceive why the Prophet turns to the true God: it was, that the brightness of God’s glory might dissipate the darkness in which the Gentiles were involved, and also, that true religion might really influence the hearts of men, so that by acknowledging the one true God, to whose power we ought to submit, they might not only despise and repudiate all idols, but also hate and abhor them. The rest to-morrow. COFFMAN, ""There is none like unto thee, O Jehovah; thou art great, and thy name is great in might. Who should not fear thee, O King of the nations? for to thee doth it appertain; forasmuch as among all the wise men of the nations, and in all their royal estate, there is none like unto thee. But they are together brutish and foolish: in instruction of idols! it is but a stock. There is silver beaten into plates, which is brought from Tarshish, and gold from Uphaz, the work of the artificer and of the hands of the goldsmith; blue and purple for their clothing; they are all the work of skillful men. But Jehovah is the true God; he is the living God, and an everlasting King; at his wrath the earth trembleth, and the nations are not able to abide his indignation."This is a contemptuous description of idols as contrasted with the eternal and almighty God. Tarshish is thought to have been in Spain. Uphaz is unknown; and Harrison thought that it might even be, "a metallurgical term meaning `refined gold.' "[14] No matter how expensive were the decorations applied to idols, they were nevertheless "essentially nothing," unable either to harm or to benefit their worshippers.Although he missed the truth about Jeremiah 10:11, calling it "a gloss,"[15]

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Thompson nevertheless made a significant contribution to the proper understanding of this passage. He wrote: "In view of many attempts to rearrange Jeremiah 10:1-66, we might ask if such is really the right procedure. It may be far better to try to make sense out of what lies before us in the text ("Amen," J.B.C.). We discern a reasonable pattern in which alternating assertions are made about idols and Yahweh."Jeremiah 10:1, introductory statement.Jeremiah 10:2-5, a warning against idols.Jeremiah 10:6-7, the supremacy of Yahweh.Jeremiah 10:8-9, the futility of idols.Jeremiah 10:10-13, the creative power of Jehovah.Jeremiah 10:14-15, idols and their makers judged.Jeremiah 10:16, final acknowledgment of Yahweh's supremacy.Seen in this way, the whole passage has coherence and order.[16]This is a perfect demonstration that the passage does not need any rearrangement at all. It is perfectly logical and appropriate right where it is.PETT, "Jeremiah 10:6There is none like to you,O YHWH,You are great,And your name is great in might.Jeremiah 10:7“Who would not fear you,O King of the nations?For to you is it due,Forasmuch as among all the wise of the nations,

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And in all their royal estate,There is none like you.”Thus YHWH stands out alone. There is none like Him, something stressed in both the first and the last lines. For He is great, and His Name (representing His essential being and attributes) is great in might. Indeed He is king of the nations (compare Psalms 22:29; Psalms 47:8; Psalms 96:10), Lord of the world, and worthy to be looked on with awe, something which is in fact His due. In all the world there are none as wise and kingly as He.Idols Are Simply Gilded Tree-Stumps.In contrast to YHWH idols are but gilded tree stumps, covered in gold and silver and clothed in blue and purple. They are man’s attempt to give an impression of glory, hoping that it will at least deceive the innocent.

7 Who should not fear you, King of the nations? This is your due.Among all the wise leaders of the nations and in all their kingdoms, there is no one like you.

BARNES, "O King of nations - i. e., pagan nations. Yahweh is not the national God of the Jews only, but He reigns over all mankind Psa_22:28.

It - i. e., everything.In all their kingdoms - More correctly, “in all their royalty or kingship.”

CLARKE, "Who would not fear thee - Who would not worship thee as the 56

Author and Giver of all good? The fear of God is often taken for the whole of true religion.Among all the wise men of the nation - Not even the wisest and most cultivated of the nations have ever found out any one equal to thee; but so exalted and holy art thou, that in all their wisdom and research they have never been able to find out the true God.

GILL, "Who would not fear thee, O King of nations?.... Not that the fear of him among the nations was general, or that he was owned by them as their King; but inasmuch as of right he was their King, so he ought to have been feared and reverenced by them; and it was an instance of great stupidity and ingratitude not to do it. The Targum renders it, "King of all people;'' and the Syriac version, "King of all worlds"; some reference seems to be had to this passage in Rev_15:3, where, instead of "King of nations", the Lord is called "King of saints"; and there refers to a time when he will be feared, that is, worshipped and served by all nations, as he ought to be: for to thee doth it appertain; that is, fear belongs to him, it is his due; and this, with keeping the commandments of God, is the whole duty of man. The Vulgate Latin version is, "thine is the glory"; honour or praise, as the Syriac version; and so Jarchi interprets it of beauty or glory; but the Targum, "thine is the kingdom;'' and so Kimchi; and to which agrees the Arabic version. Forasmuch as among all the wise men of the nations, and in all their kingdoms, there is none like unto thee; that is, among all the wise kings of the nations, and all their wise counsellors, there is none like unto God for wisdom, or for glory and majesty; there is none of them that has such a kingdom as he has, or that governs it as he does; and as all their power and government, so all that wisdom by which they manage their political affairs, are from him.

JAMISON, "(Rev_15:4).to thee doth it appertain — to Thee it properly belongs, namely, that Thou shouldest be “feared” (taken out of the previous “fear Thee”) (compare Eze_21:27). He alone is the becoming object of worship. To worship any other is unseemly and an infringement of His inalienable prerogative.none — nothing whatever (see on Jer_10:6; Psa_89:6).

PULPIT, "O King of nations. As time went on, the sacred writers became more and more distinct in their assertions of the truth that Jehovah, the Self-revealing God, is not Israel’s King only, but also of the world (comp. Psa_22:28; Psa_47:7, Psa_47:8; Psa_96:10). To thee doth it appertain; viz. that men should fear thee. Forasmuch as, etc. 57

(see above, on Jer_10:6). Among all the wise men. "Men" is supplied, but doubtless rightly. It is a contest—how unequal a one!—between Jehovah and the sages of the heathen (comp. "Yet he also is wise," Isa_31:2).

CALVIN, "The Prophet exclaims, Who will not fear thee? This question is very emphatical, as though he indignantly rebuked the stupidity of all those who acknowledged not the only true God, as if he had said, “Whence is it that thou art not feared throughout the whole world? Surely were there a spark of right knowledge in men, they would acknowledge thee as the only true God, and having found this truth, would submit to thy power. When, therefore, men invent for themselves various gods, and when every one is led here and there without any judgment, it is a monstrous thing; for when the subject is pressed on the attention of the rudest, they confess that there, is some supreme deity, and are at length constrained to allow that there is but one true God; whence then is it that there is such a multitude and variety of gods in the world? How is it that they who hold this principle — that God ought to be worshipped — fall away, and adopt many gods, and never can determine who the true God is, or how he is to be worshipped?” We now understand the object of the Prophet in exclaiming, as through astonishment, Who will not fear thee, the King of nations?We know that the true God was then despised by the heathens; and we also know that his law was regarded with contempt, and even els an abomination: What then does this question mean? even what I have already stated: The Prophet indignantly says, that it was a monstrous thing, bordering on madness, that men paid no regard to the only true God, but went astray after their own foolish devices. And he calls him the King of the nations, not that the nations submitted to his authority, but because he manifested evidences of his power everywhere, which might have induced the rudest to shew him reverence, were they not extremely stupid. We then see that this is not said to the honor of the nations, but on the contrary, that their ingratitude might be exposed to shame in not honoring God, who manifested his power among them.Then follows what confirms this: For to thee it belongs; for among all the wise of the nations, and in all their kingdoms, from no time has there been one like to thee He says that it belongs to God, that is, that all the world should fear him. Some render יאתה iate, as a noun, and take it as signifying “honor;” and others render it “government,” or authority; but this cannot be received. He then says, it belongs to God. What? Some say, “glory or dominion belongs to thee.” But it must be referred to the beginning of the verse: there is here a figure called Zeugma, and the meaning is, God deserves this, that is, to be feared by all. H.e then speaks of fear, and says that it belongs to God. What is meant is, that the glory of God shines so much as to be sufficient to arrest and engage all the thoughts of men, and that they are therefore extremely stupid when they pass by and forsake him, and turn to their own devices, and invent gods according to their own fancies. (7)

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The Prophet then confirms what we have already said — that all men who worship not nor fear the only true God are detestable beings, because so much of his glory shines forth, that renders all bound to acknowledge him. It then follows, that those who are carried away into various superstitions are to the last degree stupid and brutish; for God renders his glory conspicuous everywhere, so that it ought to engage and occupy the thoughts of all men; and it would do so were they not led away by their own vanity.We hence also learn that the pretext of ignorance made by unbelievers is wholly vain. There are those who on the first view seem to be excusable for their error, as they have not been taught, and never understood who the true God is; but yet there is in them the blame of neglect as well as of wickedness, for they wilfully neglect and despise the only true God. As then the unbelieving take delight in their errors, they are to be held guilty. And this is what the Prophet means by saying that God was worthy of glory — the glory of being feared by all: and this he more fully confirms when he says, “Among all the wise, and in all kingdoms,” that is, among all the princes who seemed to excel in wisdom in governing the world, “no other God could be found throughout all the ages.”He repeats again the word מאין main, of which we spoke yesterday. (8) It is the same as though the Prophet had said, “Let all the wise men and philosophers come forth, let all those counsellors who assume great wisdom appear, and let them adduce whatever they can allege; doubtless God will ever defend his own glory against all their frivolous arguments, so that they must depart confounded; nor shall they be able, however willing they may be, to bring any solid objection against him.” By these words, then, the Prophet intimates that it is vain to boast of philosophic reasons, and that the counsels of princes, who esteem themselves very acute in civil affairs, will be adduced in vain; for all will be covered with shame, and be constrained to be silent, when God makes known his glory. Indeed the glory of God appears everywhere so conspicuously, that the rudest ought to perceive it, that the wise, who fly above the heavens as philosophers, who search all the secrets of nature, do not understand what is, as they say, abroad in the open air; for God manifests himself to the simple, and even to children. We now perceive the design of the Prophet, when he says, From no times has been found any like to God, not only among the vulgar or common men, but among the wise, and princes, and kings’ counsellors. He afterwards adds —“When he shall approach unto thee.”But this has hardly a meaning here, and far less has the rendering of Horsley, —“Surely unto thee shall be the coming;”i.e.,” The general coming, the universal resort.” The bishop saw predictions everywhere. The explanation of Calvin is the most satisfactory. The act mentioned in the preceding clause, “fear,” is to be understood as the nominative case. — Ed.

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TRAPP, "Jeremiah 10:7 Who would not fear thee, O King of nations? for to thee doth it appertain: forasmuch as among all the wise [men] of the nations, and in all their kingdoms, [there is] none like unto thee.Ver. 7. Who would not fear thee, O King of nations?] Tremble at thy transcendent greatness, thy matchless majesty, power, and prowess? See Malachi 1:14, Revelation 15:4, Psalms 103:19. {See Trapp on "Malachi 1:14"} {See Trapp on "Revelation 15:4"} {See Trapp on "Psalms 103:19"}Forasmuch as among all the wise men of the nations.] Who used to deify their wise men and their kings.PARKER, " Jeremiah"s Study of ProvidenceJeremiah 10:7-24The prophet is now in the midst of a review of the whole situation of which he himself constituted a living part; he is looking round and making notes; we have the advantage of reading his journal. It is an advantage to read what a man of such large mental capacity had to say respecting the religion and politics and the general civilisation of his day. We are accustomed to speak of the tears of Jeremiah; sometimes his tears were sparks of fire. He did more than weep. There was no sharper critic of the day. Few men could take in more horizon than Jeremiah when he fairly looked things in the face. It may be profitable to follow him, therefore, in his review, to see where human nature was long ago, and to compare its ancient condition with its immediate circumstances and purposes. The prophets were always wrathful when they came in presence of idols—clay, wooden, metallic gods. They then writhed with splendid scorn; their satire was inspired; the gods withered away before their intelligent and holy sarcasm. They spat upon the gods, lifted them up, set them down, walked around them, defied them; but never for the sake of doing so; always for the purpose of bringing in a clear revelation of the true God. Here is the function of satire. We are not called upon merely to mock one another. It was not enough for the prophet that he should mock the worshippers of Baal: he must reveal the true God. All mockery, all sarcasm, all jibing and sneering at other men"s religion, how much soever they may be mistaken, should lead up to positive instruction, direct Revelation , a very vision of heaven and God. So it is in the great prophets of the Old Testament. They scorned magnificently, or they revealed lucidly and tenderly, and exhorted with poignant and experimental eloquence.This chapter opens with a desperate attack upon the customs of the people—that is to say, upon the religious ceremonies and rites of the nation; and then the prophet exclaims, "Who would not fear thee, O King of nations?" Even suppose this were: a poetical image, it is full of the finest suggestiveness. The image is that of a man who has been going up and down the idol temples to see if he could find a god, and having failed to find what lay upon his heart with all the tenderness of kinship and

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appealed to his intelligence with all the vigour of omniscience, he lifted up his eyes and said, There must be something better than all this. He must needs in his imagining make a King of nations, rather than be without one. This makes plain a good deal of the theology of the ages. Men did not create it merely for the sake of showing mechanical or literary cleverness, but for the sake of expressing the only possible satisfaction to certain moral and spiritual instincts and deep religious necessities. We, therefore, should respect all honest broad-minded theologians. They were pioneers in the higher civilisation; they began to build and were not able to finish: but every age is not called to build a separate temple; enough it one age builds partly, then ceases, making room for another generation; all the while the living temple, often invisible and mystic, is rising solidly and eternally to the skies. We may, therefore, not mock our forerunners even in theology. We have profited by their mistakes: if they blundered they suffered part of the penalty, and if we have seized the advantages they secured we should forget a good many of the mistakes into which they fell. They prayed bravely; by the very tone of their prayers they surpassed many of their theological conceptions. They were always ahead of their intelligence by the fervour of their moral nature. That is the true test of orthodoxy. As to what we may think, what does the universe care? We do not know what we thought six months ago; we cannot tell what we may think six months hence: but this we know, that love never changes but by increase, that devotion is never in any other attitude than on its knees, that the soul lives by homage, and disciplines itself by obedience. Along that line, radiant yet stern, we make our best progress. As for opinions, we ventilate them, we exchange them, we modify them; and by this very transition from opinion to opinion we purify our thinking and gain a little, it may be a very little, in an upward intellectual ascent.A bold title is this to give to the living God—namely, "King of nations." There should be no other king but God. All kings are mistakes. Israel never wanted a king until Israel forgot to pray. The king was granted, for God does answer some imperfect and almost vicious prayers. He has no other way of teaching us. To give us a little of our own way is to make us feel quite a change of climate; is to bring us back again to loyalty and homage. As education advances kings will go down; the Son of man will come, the glorious Humanity. Meanwhile, even kings may serve great purposes, but only so far as they are great men. Every man now stands on good behaviour. The inefficient Prayer of Manasseh , though he may be amiable, must go. We are taught that lesson first in commerce. Heads of firms do not increase the salary of amiability, but of efficiency. They never say that an employe is so amiable, and obliging, and civil, and modest, and unobtrusive, that they will double his income. What, then, is honoured? Intelligence, energy, capacity; the man who can do the work, and yet sustain the character; that man shall stand before kings, and sometimes get beyond them. There are kings the world would not willingly part with, monarchs that could ill be spared, so wise, so beneficent, so gracious, so altogether comely that the world says they must live on: would they could live for ever! What riots they spare, what difficulties they prevent, of what healing are they the conscious or unconscious ministers! And what is true of kings is only true of them because it is true of all men. Even preachers must go down if they cannot

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preach. That is very hard! Surely an exception ought to be made of them; but the public will make no exception; and the public therein affirms a right principle. Kings are only good, and all men are only to be tolerated and to be honoured, in proportion as they are higher than their office, better and more than their function—in proportion as they live capably for the good of others. Nothing is to be hurried in any direction. We gain rather by growth than by violence. He puts his watch right instantly who puts it right by the hands; but he is much mistaken if he thinks the whole process is over and done by that manipulation. There is an interior work to be done. So with all civilisation, and all its functions and offices. We do nothing by merely smiting, striking; but we do everything by concession, by conciliation, by generous trust, by large education, by magnanimous hopefulness of one another. Sometimes we do everything by doing nothing. There is a time to stand still as to all outward demonstrativeness; but whilst standing still in that sense we may be advancing very steadily and surely, though without noise or ostentation. The ages move towards brotherhood, towards the kingliness of humanity; yea the ages move towards the supersession of all mere office. The time will come when the preacher and teacher will not be needed; no man shall say to his brother, Know the Lord: for every man shall know him, from the least even unto the greatest. Then will come the time of worship, of adoration, of singing, of that broader service of sympathy that is now almost impossible to forecast and to express in words.The prophet acquires the greater confidence in God in proportion as he sees the utter weakness and worthlessness of all the gods which men have made. Thus by experience men. are brought to the true religion. Let men shed their gods, as they shed some infantile disease. Do not hurry them in this matter. Let them really have time to know how little their gods are. If you make too much haste in detaching men from their idols, they may have a lingering suspicion that if they had tarried longer they would have been better satisfied. Let them have large experience; let them know exactly what their Prayer of Manasseh -made or hand-made gods can do, in winter, in night, in affliction, in the churchyard; and when they have tested them so thoroughly as to take them into their hands and dash them to the ground as worthless and intrusive, they are one step nearer the true altar.The prophet, having seen what the gods could do, turned with a new cry and with a profounder adoration to the King of kings, the King of nations. A beautiful expression is that,—"King of nations," an expression which takes up the whole nation as if it were a unit, as if it were one line, and that blesses the national life. There is an ideality in that conception which is worthy of the finest imagination. Why should there not be a national unit as well as an individual unit? We speak of the national debt, the national health, the national character, the national standing; therein we recognise the unity of the nation, the singularity and solidarity of the whole people: there is no man that liveth unto himself; we are not isolations, but parts of a great commonwealth. So when we pray for one another we should pray also for the whole nation. Then we extend the idea until we see what is known as a concert of nations, an international amity or comity; then beyond that conception we have a still larger one—namely, the conception of the unity of the whole earth.

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Our geography should never make us enemies. Friendship should never end at a red line or a blue definition of territory: these lines and boundaries are useful and convenient, and within certain limits are indispensable for present purposes, so that there may be no confusion amongst the peoples, but they should be so laid down as never to interfere with the full vision which nation should have of nation, and the full recognition which one country should have of the excellences of another. Christianity alone can take the sting out of geography, and make the whole human family one in sympathy and trust and love. If ever Christianity has appeared to do the contrary, it was by travesty and blasphemy, not by fair honest enlightened interpretation of principle and duty.Jeremiah turns once more to the worthless gods, and from Jeremiah 10:11-15 he shows the relation of the false to the true, and the true to the false:—"Thus shall ye say unto them, The gods that have not made the heavens and the earth, even they shall perish from the earth, and from under these heavens. He hath made the earth by his power, he hath established the world by his Wisdom of Solomon , and hath stretched out the heavens by his discretion. When he uttereth his voice, there is a multitude of waters in the heavens, and he causeth the vapours to ascend from the ends of the earth; he maketh lightnings with rain, and bringeth forth the wind out of his treasures. Every man is brutish in his knowledge: every founder is confounded by the graven image: for his molten image is falsehood, and there is no breath in them. They are vanity, and the work of errors: in the time of their visitation they shall perish."This being the case, is man to turn to himself? Ashamed of the gods, is man to take up with the idea of self-idolatry or self-instruction? The prophet replies to that inquiry:—"O Lord, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps" ( Jeremiah 10:23).This is a very apt interposition, for whilst the prophet was denouncing the hand-made gods, who did not think of turning to himself as a refuge and a defence? It was well, therefore, to say something about man himself. What can man do when thrown upon his own resources, when he is called upon to tackle the great problems and the solemn questions of life and destiny?Jeremiah ventured an opinion upon this. Is it a true one?—"O Lord, I know that the way of man is not in himself; it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps." Now, that is either true, or it is not true; and we ought to be in a position to say whether it is the one or the other. It is most true; for we have tried to direct our way, and we have failed, we have made more mistakes than we have ever confessed; sometimes with a modesty that is difficult to distinguish from self-conceit, we have owned that we have fallen into occasional error; but who has ever taken out the tablet of his heart, held it up within reading distance, that others might peruse the

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record of miscarriage, misadventure, and mistake? On the other hand, how many are. there who would hesitate to stand forth and say, In proportion to trustfulness, docility, obedience, has real prosperity come? How many are there who would confess that they had been stronger after prayer than they were before it, readier to deal with rough life after they have had long communion with God? These are experimental matters; we do not call fancy to our aid in these discussions. Here is the hold which Christ has upon us. We are called upon to say what we were before we saw him, what we were after he wrought the mystery of grace within us; and the change is so complete and definite and absolute that there can be no mistaking it: it is the change from death to life. Who ever mistook summer for winter? Who is there that knows not the eloquence of the sun, the persuasiveness of light, the allurement of all heaven"s singing ministry? On experience we stand. Experience is our argument. If Christianity were a question of grammar against grammar, interpretation against interpretation, who could maintain that he alone was right? The moment we leave our conflicting interpretations and come into a common experience, we feel that, explain it as we may, there is now a daily inspiration of the individual life. Sometimes we are surprised by its action, and we exclaim, That was an inspiration! How did we come to do so? Our purpose lay in another direction, but suddenly we changed the whole plan, pursued another policy, and on the road we have met angels, and opening heavens, and welcoming hospitalities. If any man lack wisdom let him ask of God, who giveth to all men liberally and begrudgeth not, upbraideth not. Christians should be more definite in their statements upon these matters. They should not hesitate to use such words as "inspired by God," "guided by Heaven," directed by the loving Father of creation. Were we more frank, definite, and fearless about these matters, we should make a deeper impression upon the age in which we live.The prophet recognises the need of another ministry which for the present is never joyous, but grievous:—"O Lord, correct me, but with judgment; not in thine anger, lest thou bring me to nothing" ( Jeremiah 10:24).He would have judgment with measure; he would have chastisement apportioned to him, not indiscriminately inflicted upon him. Indiscriminateness of justice often becomes injustice. Penalty becomes instructive and even hopeful in proportion to its being critically measured, so that there should not be one stroke too many. It is well to have an odd number of stripes, for they need the more careful counting. The law says, "forty stripes, save one." It is not, Shall be smitten, scourged, leaving the number of strokes to the smiter; the law was made before it was broken, and the law was made before the penalty was thought of. Before the offender had committed trespass, punishment was meted out to the offence. Here we have philosophy, forethought, the economy of strength, the wise outlay of ministerial and penal activity. But who prays to be corrected? Who prays to be judged? We should get great advantage if we could begin at that point. If we could ask for the penalty, we should take out of it a good deal of its sting. It is resistance to penalty that makes the

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punishment the heavier. If we could invite the stroke, we must kiss the hand that deals it. We should say, We deserve thy wrath; if we do not suffer from its smart, we should lose much instruction, yea, and much spiritual strength,—Lord, we have come this day to be smitten; we have not come with outstretched hands to seize heavenly treasures, but we have come with bowed heads that thy lash may be laid upon our back. Correction that is prayed for becomes a means of grace; it is received in the right spirit because asked for in the right spirit; but to accept it dumbly, sullenly, or in the spirit of fatefulness, is to lose the advantage of chastisement. He holds all things wisely and profitably who holds them loosely—that Isaiah , who holds them only at God"s bidding. The man who says, "I am but a tenant-at-will," holds his house, his body, on the right conditions. He says: "I may be dismissed tomorrow, I cannot tell, I am not the freeholder; I am but a tenant-at-will; I am ready to go, because the universe is so governed that an obedient soul is never called away from a house until he is called to some larger habitation; but to leave this poor little house I am perfectly willing, I shall be clothed upon with the house from heaven; you should congratulate me when I tell you that the Lord Jesus hath showed me that I must shortly put off this tabernacle; we should have a feast to-night, yea a banquet, and music, and singing all round, for tomorrow I am to be liberated." But we are, meanwhile, the victims of the body; we are the prisoners of time; we are scourged by the very limitations we sometimes scorn. It is a strange life, it is a tragic comedy; we laugh and cry in the same breath; we worship and blaspheme within the same hour. Yet all the while, as we have just seen, there is what is called the law of tendency, and amid all the laughter and crying, praying and blaspheming, the shout of triumph and the groan of defeat, there is steady progress. Men cannot see it. We cannot see it ourselves. But we are made conscious of it now and again, and in those moments of high consciousness we claim to have been under the inspiration of God, and to be in very deed his children, in the sense of having been created by his power, redeemed by his grace, and directed by his Spirit.

8 They are all senseless and foolish; they are taught by worthless wooden idols.

BARNES, "Brutish - Jer_10:21 and foolish Theirs was the brutishness of men in a

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savage state, little better than mere animals: their folly that of stupidity.The stock ... - Rather, the instruction of idols is a piece of wood. That is what they are themselves, and “ex nihilo nihil fit” (from nothingness, nothing is made).

CLARKE, "Brutish - Jer_10:21 and foolish Theirs was the brutishness of men in a savage state, little better than mere animals: their folly that of stupidity.

The stock ... - Rather, the instruction of idols is a piece of wood. That is what they are themselves, and “ex nihilo nihil fit” (from nothingness, nothing is made).

GILL, "But they are altogether brutish and foolish,.... In comparison of the Lord, there is no knowledge and wisdom in them, this is a certain fact; they are verily brutish and foolish; or they are one and all so, there is not a wise man among them: or, "in one thing they are brutish" (r), &c.; namely, in their idolatry; however wise they may be in other respects, in this they are foolish: or, to give no more instances of their brutishness (s) and folly, this one is sufficient, even what follows, the stock is a doctrine of vanities; or what they teach persons, as to worship the trunk of a tree, or any idol of metal, or of wood, is a most vain and foolish thing, and argues gross stupidity and folly, and proves them to be brutish, and without understanding. (r) ובאחת יבערו "in hoc uno Munster", Tigurine version; "et certe in una quadem re obbrutescunt", Piscator. So Jarchi and Abarbinel. (s) The Talmudists seem to take the word בער to have the signification of burning; for the sense of these words being asked, it is replied, there is one thing that burns the wicked in hell; what is it? idolatry; as it is here written, "a doctrine of vanities is the stock."

JAMISON, "altogether — rather, “all alike” [Maurer]. Even the so-called “wise” men (Jer_10:7) of the Gentiles are on a level with the brutes and “foolish,” namely, because they connive at the popular idolatry (compare Rom_1:21-28). Therefore, in Daniel and Revelation, the world power is represented under a bestial form. Man divests himself of his true humanity, and sinks to the level of the brute, when he severs his connection with God (Psa_115:8; Jon_2:8).

stock is a doctrine of vanities — The stock (put for the worship of all idols whatever, made out of a stock) speaks for itself that the whole theory of idolatry is vanity (Isa_44:9-11). Castalio translates, “the very wood itself confuting the vanity” (of the idol)PULPIT, "Jer_10:8Brutish and foolish. In fact, the original meaning of the idolatrous religions had begun, probably, to fade, and the worship of Bel and Nebo had become (as the worship of the Egyptian gods became at a later period) increasingly formal and ritualistic. The stock is a doctrine of vanities; rather, an instruction of vanities; i.e. all that the idols

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can teach is vanities. Against this is the plural ("vanities," not vanity); it is more natural (and also more in accordance with usage; comp. Gen_41:26, Hebrew) to render, the instruction of the vanities is wooden ("vanities" has the constant technical sense of "idols;" see Jer_8:19; Jer_14:22; Deu_32:21; Psa_31:6). The clause then furnishes a reason for the folly of the heathen; how should they attain to more than a "wooden" knowledge, when the idols themselves are but wood? A bitter truth in an ironical form.COKE, "Jeremiah 10:8. But they are altogether brutish, &c.— But they are altogether foolish, and have received the instruction of those which are nothing but wood. Houb.The stock is a doctrine of vanities— The true meaning and force of this passage seems to have escaped the notice of all the commentators, except Blayney. מוסרmusar, properly signifies rectifying or correcting a false notion by just reproof; and by vanities are meant idols, so called from their being of no real use or advantage to those who had recourse to their assistance. And this unprofitableness of the idol the very dull and senseless matter, says the prophet, out of which it was formed, is capable of demonstrating. But the rebuke, strictly speaking, is not directed to the idol, but to those who had not sense to perceive, that all the efforts of human art could never change an inanimate log of wood into an animated being, possessed of power and intelligence far surpassing the person from whom its origin was derived. There is, therefore, an energy and pointedness in this short sentence, at least equal, in my opinion, to whatever has been said upon the same subject by the most spirited writer, whether sacred or profane. Not even the keen raillery of the Roman satirist in those celebrated lines, Olim truncus eram ficulnus,* &c. (Hor. Sat. lib. I. sat. Jeremiah 8:1.) cuts with greater severity.* In days of yore our godship stood, A very worthless log of wood. FRANCIS. TRAPP, "Jeremiah 10:8 But they are altogether brutish and foolish: the stock [is] a doctrine of vanities.Ver. 8. But they are altogether brutish and foolish.] The wise men are, for that, when they knew there was but one only true God - as did Pythagoras, Socrates, Plato, Seneca, &c. - they "detained the truth in unrighteousness," and taught the people to worship stocks and stones. [Romans 1:21-23] The nations are, because they yield to be taught devotion by images under what pretext soever. Considerentur hic subterfugia Papistarum. Let them regard this strategm of Popery. Pope Gregory first taught that images in churches were laymen’s books, a doctrine of devils.PETT,"Jeremiah 10:8-9“But they are together brutish and foolish,The instruction of idols!

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It is but a tree stump.”Silver beaten into plates,Which is brought from Tarshish,And gold from Uphaz,The work of the craftsman,And of the hands of the goldsmith,Blue and purple (or purple and scarlet) for their clothing,They are all the work of skilful men.The series of contrasts of YHWH with idols continues with a further mocking of idols. In fact the wise of the nations are simply like brute beasts and are foolish, something brought out by the fact that they receive their instruction from a tree trunk! The further different materials from which they are made are brought from different parts of the world, silver plate from Tarshish (possibly Spain or Sardinia), gold from Uphaz (whereabouts unknown, but compare Daniel 10:5). The craftsman and goldsmith then bring the different materials together, after which they are clothed in blue and purple (the colours of royalty) in order to try to give them some kind of royal status. The whole, however, is simply the work of skilful men. It is like erecting an expensive scarecrow.‘Uphaz.’ Some versions have Ophir instead of Uphaz, (in the original consonants the change of one similar letter), and we know that gold from Ophir was famous (1 Kings 9:28). But this appears too easy a way out, and, if the scribe was used to hearing the text read, an unlikely error to make. Alternately some have seen the ‘from uphaz’ (m’pz) as meaning ‘refined’ (compare 1 Kings 10:18, mpz), thus paralleling ‘beaten’ silver. However, it is probably best to leave Uphaz as signifying an at present unknown place famous for its gold.YHWH Is The True And Living God, And The Everlasting King Before Who All Trembles.In this second description of YHWH we learn that He is the true God, the living God, Who is the everlasting King at Whose wrath the whole earth trembles, the One Whom none on earth can resist. Note especially that this is the second emphasis on His kingship and His Lordship over the nations. What a contrast with their mute gods.

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9 Hammered silver is brought from Tarshish and gold from Uphaz.What the craftsman and goldsmith have made is then dressed in blue and purple— all made by skilled workers.

BARNES, "Jer_10:8Brutish and foolish. In fact, the original meaning of the idolatrous religions had begun, probably, to fade, and the worship of Bel and Nebo had become (as the worship of the Egyptian gods became at a later period) increasingly formal and ritualistic. The stock is a doctrine of vanities; rather, an instruction of vanities; i.e. all that the idols can teach is vanities. Against this is the plural ("vanities," not vanity); it is more natural (and also more in accordance with usage; comp. Gen_41:26, Hebrew) to render, the instruction of the vanities is wooden ("vanities" has the constant technical sense of "idols;" see Jer_8:19; Jer_14:22; Deu_32:21; Psa_31:6). The clause then furnishes a reason for the folly of the heathen; how should they attain to more than a "wooden" knowledge, when the idols themselves are but wood? A bitter truth in an ironical form.

CLARKE, "Brought from Tarshish - Some suppose this to be Tartessus in Spain, from which the Phoenicians brought much silver. Uphaz, Calmet thinks to be the river Pison; some think Ophir is intended.

Blue and purple is their clothing - These were the most precious dyes; very rare, and of high price.

GILL, "Silver spread into plates is brought from Tarshish,.... In Cilicia, where the Apostle Paul was born; according to Josephus, as Jerom says, it was a country in India. The Targum renders it, from Africa, and calls it silver "rolled up", or "covered"; so the Vulgate Latin; such was beaten with a hammer into plates, and might be rolled up for better convenience of shipment; and with which they covered and decked their idols, to make them look glittering and pompous, and command some awe and reverence from the common people. The Arabic version renders it, "solid silver"; it being the same word from whence the firmament of heaven has its name, or the wide expanse; hence we

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render it "spread", stretched, and drawn out into plates. The Syriac version is, "the best silver"; as very likely that from Tarshish was reckoned. And gold from Uphaz; called sometimes "the gold of Uphaz"; Dan_10:5 or "Fess"; perhaps the same with the gold of Ophir, Job_28:16 and so the Targum here calls it, "gold from Ophir"; to which agrees the Syriac version; and was esteemed the best gold. The work of workmen, and of the hands of the founder; melter or refiner, being first purified by him from dross, and then wrought into plates, and polished, and fitted for the idol; and all this being owing to the art and workmanship of men, shows the brutishness and ignorance of the people, in worshipping it as a god. Blue and purple is their clothing; not the clothing of the workmen, but of the idols; these colours seem to be chosen to dazzle the eyes of the populace, and cause them to entertain a high opinion of them; the "blue" being the colour of the heavens, and the "purple" what is wore by kings; and so both may denote their deity and dominion. But, alas! they are all the work of cunning men: both the idols, and their clothing; especially the latter is meant, which were curiously wrought and embroidered by men skilful in that art.

JAMISON, "Everything connected with idols is the result of human effort.Silver spread — (See on Isa_30:22; see on Isa_40:19).Tarshish — Tartessus, in Spain, famed for precious metals.Uphaz — (Dan_10:5). As the Septuagint in the Syrian Hexapla in the Margin,Theodotus, the Syrian and Chaldee versions have “Ophir,” Gesenius thinks “Uphaz” a colloquial corruption (one letter only being changed) for “Ophir.” Ophir, in Gen_10:29, is mentioned among Arabian countries. Perhaps Malacca is the country meant, the natives of which still call their gold mines Ophirs. Heeren thinks Ophir the general name for the rich countries of the south, on the Arabian, African, and Indian coasts; just as our term, East Indies.cunning — skilful.

PULPIT, "Jer_10:9This verse apparently once followed Jer_10:5. Like Jer_10:7 and Jer_10:8, it is omitted in the Septuagint. Silver spread into plates, etc. The silver and gold were meant for the coating of the wooden image (comp. Isa_30:22; Isa_40:19). Tarshish; i.e. Tartessus, in south-west Spain, between the two mouths of the Baetis, or Guadal-quivir. Gold from Uphaz. A place bearing this name, or anything like it, is not known from other sources than the Old Testament writings; and hence a corruption of the text has naturally been suspected (Ophir into Uphaz). As, however, r and z are not easily confounded, either in the earlier or the later Hebrew characters, this view must be abandoned, though it has the authority of several ancient versions of this passage (including the Peshite and the Targum). The name occurs again in Dan_10:5. The Peshite, moreover, curiously enough, translates zahab mufaz in 1Ki_10:18 (Authorized Version, "the best gold") by "gold from Ophir." Blue and purple. The Hebrew has no word, strictly speaking, for either "blue" or "purple." Both these words here used probably express coloring matter rather than colors (this is certain of the latter word,

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which properly designates a kind of mussel, the shell of which yielded dye). The first produced a violet purple, the second a reddish purple.

CALVIN, "The Prophet, anticipating what might be said, refers to the splendor and pomp of idols, and declares that all was frivolous and extremely puerile. Whence was it that the world shewed so much honor to idols, except that their pomp dazzled the eyes of men? The devil has also by this artifice ever deluded the unbelieving; for he has exhibited in idols something that involved men’s minds in darkness.The Prophet then assails these foolish imaginations, and says, Silver is brought from Tharsis, that is, from Cilicia; for so the Scripture designates that transmarine country, which lies opposed to Judea; and we know that Cilicia was over against Judea; for the Mediterranean Sea intervenes between Syria and Cilicia; and the sea of Tharsis is what they call that part which extended towards Cilicia and Asia Minor. The Prophet then says; that it was brought from a far country. Well, he says, the fact is so; and then it is added that gold was brought from Uphaz Some have explained this last word wrongly, by saying that it means pure or fine gold; but it appears from this place and many others, that it is the name of a country, that is, Persia, or one not far from Persia: it was at least a country eastward of Judea. He then says, gold is brought from Uphaz; and he mentions the workmanship, the work of the artificer; that is, it is not silver and gold in its rude state; but they are so elegantly wrought, that they readily attract the eyes of men. Then he adds the hands (he speaks in the plural number) of the melter; that is, the silver and gold were melted and were made to assume a certain form; and then art was employed, which gave an increased polish to these forms which came out of the furnace. He afterwards says, The hyacinth and purple are their vestments; that is, it is not enough to have the precious metal, and that cast into an elegant and lovely form, but it must be clothed in purple and hyacinth. He says in the last place, that the work was that of the wise; that is, skillful men were chosen, who could in the most perfect manner give expression to every lineament; in short, nothing was left undone. (10)But the Prophet, though he concedes generally to the unbelieving that they added whatever could add beauty to their idols, yet declares that they were mere trumperies: they are puppets, he says; for man, who is a mortal, cannot make a god: and then, what can art and the toil and labor of man do in this respect? can he change the nature of things? can he make a god from wood and stone? and when a vestment covers the idol of gold or of silver, can it raise it above the heavens, that it may attain a new divinity? We hence see that the Prophet mentions all that was done, that he might taunt the heathens and ridicule their fatuitous trifles; for in their idols there was nothing real, nothing that could be dependd upon. He then subjoins —9.Silver extended, from Tarsis it is brought, And gold from Uphaz, — The work of the artizan And of the hands of the founder; Blue and purple their garments, — The work of the wise, all of them.

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The Septuagint and Arabic have “Mophaz;” the Vulgate, “Ophaz;” the Syriac and the Targum, “Ophir.” Probably the same country is meant, and that it had two names. “Blue” is rendered “hyacinth,” violet-color, by all the versions and the Targum.“Uphaz,” according to Bochart, was a country near the Ganges in India, and the same with Ophir. — Ed. COKE, "Jeremiah 10:9. Tarshish, and—Uphaz— Tarshish was a place at this time celebrated through all the East for its commerce. Calmet has endeavoured to prove, in his dissertation upon Ophir, that the gold of Uphaz was the same with that of the river Pison; and Bochart supposes Uphaz to be the same with Ophir in India, near Zeilan, a place famous for gold.Blue and purple is their clothing— The splendor and magnificence of dress seems among the ancients to have consisted very much in the richness of the colours; the art of dying to perfection, which was esteemed a matter of great skill, being known and practised by very few. The excellency of the Tyrian purple is celebrated by both sacred and profane authors; and the blue, which from many passages of Scripture we find to have been in great request, was also imported from remote countries as an article of expensive luxury. See Ezekiel 27:7; Ezekiel 27:24. CONSTABLE, "The idolaters imported silver from Tarshish in the far west, probably Tartessus in Spain, and gold from Uphaz (location unknown). Instead of place names, some translators believed refined silver and pure gold are in view. Some ancient versions substituted Ophir, a site in southern Arabia, for Uphaz. Craftsmen and goldsmiths then glorified these images that had no glory of their own. They dressed the idols up like little kings with royal-colored fabrics, but that did not make them kings since they were merely manmade artifacts.TRAPP, "Jeremiah 10:9 Silver spread into plates is brought from Tarshish, and gold from Uphaz, the work of the workman, and of the hands of the founder: blue and purple [is] their clothing: they [are] all the work of cunning [men].Ver. 9. Silver spread into plates.] See Isaiah 40:19.Is brought from Tarshish.] From Tarsus or Tartessus; [Ezekiel 27:12] from Africa, saith the Chaldee. Idolaters spare for no cost.And gold from Uphaz.] The same with Phaz; [Job 28:17] or with Ophir, as some; Aurum Obzyrum.They are all the work of cunning men.] Quaerunt suos Phidias et Praxiteles: but how could those give that deity which themselves had not?

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10 But the Lord is the true God; he is the living God, the eternal King.When he is angry, the earth trembles; the nations cannot endure his wrath.

CLARKE, "But the Lord - The original word should be preserved, however we agree to pronounce it: יהוה Yehovah is the true God. He is without beginning, and without end. This is true of no being else.

He is the living God - His being is underived; and he gives life to all. He is the very Fountain whence all life is derived.And an everlasting king - As he has made, so he governs, all things. His sway is felt both in the heavens and in the earth.At his wrath the earth shall tremble - All storms, tempests, tornadoes, and earthquakes are the effects of his power; and when the nations are destroyed, or turned upside down, it is the effect of his displeasure.

GILL, "But the Lord is the true God,.... In opposition to all nominal and fictitious deities, which are not by nature God, only by name, and in the foolish imagination of the people: or, "the Lord God is truth" (t); that cannot lie, is true to his covenant and promises, and will never deceive those that worship and serve him, and rely upon him: he is the living God; that has life in himself, and is the author and giver of life to others; to all men natural life, to some men spiritual and eternal life; whereas the gods of the Gentiles have no life in themselves; are either dead men, or lifeless and inanimate things, stocks and stones, and can give no life to others. The words are in the plural number, "he is the living Gods"; not for the sake of honour and glory, as Kimchi observes; but as denoting a trinity of Persons in the unity of the divine essence: for though the words אלהים חיים, "living Gods", that is, living divine Ones, or Persons, are in the plural number, yet הוא, "he", is in the singular; which is worthy of observation. The Syriac version renders it, "the God of the living"; and so an Oxford Arabic MS, see Mat_22:32.

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And an everlasting King; from everlasting to everlasting; he is King of old, even from eternity, and will ever be so; his kingdom is an everlasting one, and his throne for ever and ever, and he will always have subjects to reign over; nor will he have any successor, as mortal kings have, even such who have been deified by their idolatrous subjects. At his wrath the earth shall tremble; that is, the inhabitants of it, when it is poured forth in judgments in the present life, and in the everlasting destruction of soul and body hereafter; and then shall they fear him, though now they do not. And the nations shall not be able to abide his indignation; especially at the day of judgment; see Rev_6:16.

HENRY, " His verity is as evident as the idol's vanity, Jer_10:10. They are the work of men's hands, and therefore nothing is more plain than that it is a jest to worship them, if that may be called a jest which is so great an indignity to him that made us: But the Lord is the true God, the God of truth; he is God in truth. God Jehovah is truth; he is not a counterfeit and pretender, as they are, but is really what he has revealed himself to be; he is one we may depend upon, in whom and by whom we cannot be deceived. [1.] Look upon him as he is in himself, and he is the living God. He is life itself, has life in himself, and is the fountain of life to all the creatures. The gods of the heathen are dead things, worthless and useless, but ours is a living God, and hath immortality. [2.] Look upon him with relation to his creatures, he is a King, and absolute monarch, over them all, is their owner and ruler, has an incontestable right both to command them and dispose of them. As a king, he protects the creatures, provides for their welfare, and preserves peace among them. He is an everlasting king. The counsels of his kingdom were from everlasting and the continuance of it will be to everlasting. He is a King of eternity. The idols whom they call their kings are but of yesterday, and will soon be abolished; and the kings of the earth, that set them up to be worshipped, will themselves be in the dust shortly; but the Lord shall reign for ever, thy God, O Zion! unto all generations.

(3.) None knows the power of his anger. Let us stand in awe, and not dare to provoke him by giving that glory to another which is due to him alone; for at his wrath the earth shall tremble, even the strongest and stoutest of the kings of the earth; nay, the earth, firmly as it is fixed, when he pleases is made to quake and the rocks to tremble, Psa_104:32; Hab_3:6, Hab_3:10. Though the nations should join together to contend with him, and unite their force, yet they would be found utterly unable not only to resist, but even to abide his indignation. Not only can they not make head against it, for it would overcome them, but they cannot bear up under it, for it would overload them, Psa_76:7, Psa_76:8; Nah_1:6.JAMISON, "true God — literally, “God Jehovah is truth”; not merely true, that is,

veracious, but truth in the reality of His essence, as opposed to the “vanity” or emptiness which all idols are (Jer_10:3, Jer_10:8, Jer_10:15; 2Ch_15:3; Psa_31:5; 1Jo_5:20).living God — (Joh_5:26; 1Ti_6:17). He hath life in Himself which no creature has. All else “live in Him” (Act_17:28). In contrast to dead idols.everlasting — (Psa_10:16). In contrast to the temporary existence of all other objects of worship.

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K&D, "Jer_10:10Whereas Jahveh is really and truly God. ִהים ֱא (standing in apposition), God in truth,

"truth" being strongly contrasted with "vanity," and "living God" (cf. Deu_5:23) with the dead gods (Jer_10:5, Jer_10:8); and everlasting King of the whole world (cf. Psa_10:16; Psa_29:10; Exo_15:18), before whose wrath the earth trembles and the peoples quake with terror; cf. Nah_1:5; Joe_2:11; Psa_97:5. לֹא ָיִכלּו (written as in Jer_2:13), they hold not, do not hold out, do not endure.PULPIT, "Jer_10:10The true God; literally, a God in truth, the accusative of apposition being chosen instead of the usual genitive construction, to emphasize the idea of "truth."

CALVIN, "The Prophet here exults and triumphs in the name of his God, as though he had overcome and put to flight the erroneous notions of the heathens: for he had spoken, as it appears, contemptuously of their gross errors, and shewed that the wise men of the world were extremely sottish, who were so charmed with wood and stone. He now highly extols the glory of God, and says, But Jehovah is God; that is, let the nations worship their gods, let them recite fables as to their power, and falsely ascribe to them many miracles; but Jehovah, he says, is God When all things are faithfully examined, it will appear evident that He is the only true God, and all the gods of the heathens will of themselves vanish into nothing. This then is the meaning of the Prophet, as though he had said, God himself is sumcient to put to flight all the errors of the heathens, when his majesty appears; for so great is its brightness that it will reduce to nothing whatever the world admires.He then adds truth. He sets truth here in opposition to vanities. He had said that wood was the teaching of vanities; he now says, God is eternal truth; that is, he has no need of adventitious ornaments; they mask, he says, the idols of the heathens, they are clothed and adorned; but these things have nothing real in them: Jehovah is God the truth; that is, God borrows nothing from anything else, but is satisfied with himself, and his power possesses of itself sufficient authority. God then is truth, and God, he says, is life. After having said that God has real and solid glory in himself, he adds another proof, taken from what is known to men, even that God is life; for though God is in himself incomprehensible, yet he not only sets before our eyes evidences of his glow, but he also renders himself in a manner the object of feeling, as Paul says in Acts 14:17. What he means is, that though men were blind, they could yet by feeling find out God. Though the blind have no sight, yet they can find their way by feeling; they go round a hall or a room, and by feeling find the door; and when they wish to enter into a room, they find the door by the same means. But there is no need, says Paul, for us to depart from ourselves; for whosoever will examine himself will find God within; for in him we live and move and have our being. (Acts 17:28.) Were we then to object and say, that God is incomprehensible, and that we cannot ascend to the height of his glory, doubtless

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there is life in us, and as we have life, we have an evidence of his divinity; for who is so devoid of reason as to say that he lives through himself? Since then men live not of themselves, but obtain life as a favor from another, it follows that God dwells in them. (11)Now, then, the Prophet, after having spoken of God’s essence, descends to what is more evident. And doubtless it is a real knowledge of God, not when we speculate in the air as philosophers do, but when we know by experience that there is one true God — how? because we exist. We exist not of ourselves, but in and through another, and that is, through the one true God. It hence follows that human life is a clear proof of one supreme God. God then is life and the King of ages For as the world has also been made, as years succeed years, and as there is in this revolution variety and yet such perfect order, who does not see in all this the glory of God? Now, then, we also perceive why the Prophet calls God the King of agesHe then adds, Through his fury tremble will the earth, and the nations will not sustain his wrath As he could not succeed with the heathens, He warns liere the Jews not to provoke the wrath of God, who will be the Judge of the whole world, and will destroy the unbelievers, however blind in darkness they may be. He then warns the Jews not to close their eyes to the glory, which had been more fully open to them. But the Gentiles might by the works of nature have known God, and were inexcusable; yet, the knowledge of him was made plain to the Jews by the law. For this reason Jeremiah says, “Even though unbelievers now boldly despise God, yet when he shall appear as the Judge of the world, the whole earth must of necessity tremble, and will not be able to bear his presence, though they now proudly reproach true religion.”But it was not without reason that the Prophet took so much pains on this subject; for the ten tribes had been driven into exile, and the Assyrians and Chaldeans triumphed over God himself, as though he had been overcome, inasmuch as he did not defend the kingdom of Israel, which was under his care and protection; and the miserable Israelites could not but despond when they found themselves so distressed, and cruelly treated and oppressed by the most shameless tyranny; for what could they have thought, but that they had not been the objects of God’s care, and that his promises were vain, or that he possessed no sufficient power to preserve them? It is, then, for this reason that the Prophet now so highly extols the power and glory of God, that is, that their calamities might not deject them and lay prostrate the faith of those who thought that they were forsaken.And this will be more evident from the following verse, where the Prophet uses the Chaldee language; and this is the only verse in the whole book written in Chaldee; and the Chaldee differs much from the Hebrew. We have seen before that Daniel wrote in Chaldee, when he spoke of things pertaining to the Chaldeans; but when he addressed his own people and announced prophecies, belonging especially to the Church of God, he wrote in Hebrew. Hence the book of Daniel is written in Hebrew, except in those parts which he wished to be understood by the Chaldeans; and so

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does the Prophet in this place.“But Jehovah, God the truth he, God the life and King eternal;At his wrath tremble will the earth, And not bear will the nations his indignation.”It is usual in Hebrew to put nouns for adjectives; divested of this peculiarity, and the future being taken for the present, the verse would run thus:“But Jehovah, the true God is he, The living God and King eternal;At his wrath tremble does the earth, And the nations cannot bear his indignation.”“The true God,” and “the living God,” is the version of the Vulgate and of the Targum; but that of the Syriac andArab., “the God of truth,” and “the God of the living,” but no doubt incorrect. — Ed. CONSTABLE, "Yahweh is the true God; idols are false gods. He is alive; they are dead, really nonexistent. He is the King who lives forever; they are only temporary and destructible. He controls the earth and makes it quake when He is angry; they have no power at all. The nations are unable to endure His indignation when He manifests it; the idols have no indignation and are impotent to manifest any feelings whatsoever.TRAPP, "Jeremiah 10:10 But the LORD [is] the true God, he [is] the living God, and an everlasting king: at his wrath the earth shall tremble, and the nations shall not be able to abide his indignation.Ver. 10. But the Lord is the true God.] Heb., Jehovah is God in truth, not in conceit only, or counterfeit.He is the living God, and an everlasting king.] See on Jeremiah 10:6. The words are in the plural number, "he is the living Gods"; not for the sake of honour and glory, as Kimchi observes; but as denoting a trinity of Persons in the unity of the divine essence: for though the words אלהים חיים, "living Gods," that is, living divine Ones, or Persons, are in the plural number, yet הוא, "he," is in the singular; which is worthy of observation. {Hebrew Text Note}At his wrath the earth shall tremble.] The earth, that greatest of all lifeless creatures.And the nations shall not be able.] Less able to stand before him than a glass bottle before a cannon shot.PETT, "Jeremiah 10:10‘But YHWH is the true God,

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He is the living God, and an everlasting King,At his wrath the earth trembles,And the nations are not able to abide his indignation.’So in contrast to the expensive tree stump, which was all dressed up and nowhere to go, is YHWH, the true God, the living God, the everlasting King (compare Psalms 10:16; Psalms 29:10; Exodus 15:18), seated in splendour, before Whose wrath the earth trembles, Whose indignation the nations cannot live with. It is He Who is the One Who is truly worthy of worship.The Gods Are Perishable And Had No Part In Creation.The false gods are not only man-made but are also made of perishable materials (some of them are even in our museums). They are in no sense creators of Heaven and earth.

11 “Tell them this: ‘These gods, who did not make the heavens and the earth, will perish from the earth and from under the heavens.’”[a]

BARNES, "This verse is (in the original) in Chaldee. It was probably a proverbial saying, which Jeremiah inserts in its popular form.

CLARKE, "Thus shall ye say unto them - This is the message you shall deliver to the Chaldean idolaters.

The gods that have not made the heavens and the earth, even they shall perish - Both they and their worshippers shall be destroyed; and idolatry shall finally be destroyed from the earth; and the heavens shall look no more on so great an abomination. It is suffered for a while: but in the end shall be destroyed. This verse is written in a sort of Hebraeo-Syriaco-Chaldee; such a dialect as I suppose was spoken at that time in Babylon, or during the captivity. As it is a message to the Babylonians therefore, it is given in their own language. The Chaldee makes it the beginning of the copy of the epistle which the Prophet Jeremiah sent to the rest of the elders of the 78

captivity who were in Babylon. All the ancient Versions acknowledge this verse; and it is found in all MSS. hitherto collated, except one of Dr. Kennicott’s numbered 526; and he has included it between lines, as doubting its authenticity. Dr. Blayney supposes that some public teacher during the captivity, deducing it by direct inference from the prophet’s words, had it inserted in the margin, and perhaps usually read together with this section, in the assemblies of the people, in order that they might have their answer always ready, whenever they were molested on the point of religion, or importuned to join the idolatrous worship of the Chaldeans.Dahler has left it entirely out of the text, and introduces it in a note thus: - “After Jer_10:10 the Hebrew text is interrupted by a verse written in the Chaldean or Babylonish tongue. It is thus expressed: -

Ye shall say unto them, Let the gods perish!Who have not made the heavens and the earth.Let them be banished from above the earth,and from under the heavens.This verse can be considered only as a foreign insertion, not only on account of the difference of the language, but also because it interrupts the natural course of the ideas, and of the connection of the tenth and twelfth verses.”As a curiosity I shall insert it in Hebrew, which the reader may compare with the Chaldee text, which I also subjoin.כזאת תאמרו להם האלהים אשר לא עשו השמים והארץ יאבדו מן הארץ ומן תחת השמים

cazoth tomeru lahem; haelohim asher lo asu hashshamayim vehaarets, yobedu min אלהhaarets, umin tachath hashshamayim elleh. כדנא תאמרון להון אלהיא די שמיא וארקא לאעבדו יאבדו kidna temerun lehon; elahaiya di shemaiya vearka מארעא ומן תחות שמיא אלהla abadu, yebadu meara umin techoth shemaiya elleh.

The Hebrew is the translation of Leusden; the Chaldee is that of the common text. Had not all the ancient Versions acknowledged it, I also, principally on account of the strangeness of the language, as being neither Chaldee nor Syriac, should have doubted its authenticity.

GILL, "Thus shall ye say unto them,.... The godly Jews to the idolatrous Chaldeans; and therefore this verse alone is written in the Chaldee language. The Targum prefaces it thus, "this is the copy of the letter, which Jeremiah the prophet sent to the rest of the elders of the captivity in Babylon; and if the people among whom you are should say unto you, serve idols, O house of Israel; then shall ye answer, and so shall ye say unto them, the idols whom ye serve are errors, in whom there is no profit; from heaven they cannot bring down rain, and out of the earth they cannot produce fruit:'' so Jarchi observes: it follows in the text, the gods that have not made the heavens and the earth, even they shall

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perish from the earth, and from under these heavens; which the Targum paraphrases thus, "they and their worshippers shall perish from the earth, and shall be consumed from under these heavens.''

JAMISON, "This verse is in Chaldee, Jeremiah supplying his countrymen with a formula of reply to Chaldee idolaters in the tongue most intelligible to the latter. There may be also derision intended in imitating their barbarous dialect. Rosenmuller objects to this view, that not merely the words put in the mouths of the Israelites, but Jeremiah’s own introductory words, “Thus shall ye say to them,” are in Chaldee, and thinks it to be a marginal gloss. But it is found in all the oldest versions. It was an old Greek saying: “Whoever thinks himself a god besides the one God, let him make another world” (Psa_96:5).

shall perish — (Isa_2:18; Zec_13:2).these heavens — the speaker pointing to them with his fingers.

K&D, "Jer_10:11Jer_10:11 is Chaldee. But it must not be regarded as a gloss that has found its way into the text, on the grounds on which Houb., Ven., Ros., Ew., Hitz., Gr., etc., so regard it, namely, because it is Chaldee, and because there is an immediate connection between Jer_10:10 and Jer_10:12. Both the language in which the verse is written, and the subject-matter of it, are unfavourable to this view. The latter does not bear the character of a gloss; and no copyist would have interpolated a Chaldee verse into the Hebrew text. Besides, the verse is found in the Alexandrian version; and in point of sense it connects very suitably with Jer_10:10 : Jahveh is everlasting King, whereas the gods which have not made heaven and earth shall perish from the earth and from under the heavens. This

the Israelites are to say to the idolaters. ַאְרָקא is the harder form for ַאְרָעא. The last word, ֵאֶּלה, is Hebrew; it does not belong to ְׁשַמָּיא, but serves to emphasize the subject: the gods - these shall perish. Jeremiah wrote the verse in Chaldee, ut Judaeis suggerat, quomodo Chaldaeis (ad quos non nisi Chaldaice loqui poterant) paucis verbis respondendum sit, as Seb. Schm has remarked. The thought of this verse is a fitting conclusion to the exhortation not to fear the gods of the heathen; it corresponds to the 5th verse, with which the first strophe concludes the warning against idolatry The Israelites are not only not to fear the null and void gods of the heathen, but they are to tell the heathen that their gods will perish from the earth and from under the heavens.PULPIT, "Jer_10:11Thus shall ye say, etc. This verse is, unlike the rest of the chapter, written in Chaldee, and greatly interrupts the connection. Whether it is a fragment of a Targum (or Chaldee paraphrase) representing a Hebrew verse really written by Jeremiah, or whether it is a marginal note by some scribe or reader which has found its way by accident into the text, cannot be positively determined. What is certain is that it is not in its right place, though it already stood here when the Septuagint Version of Jeremiah was made. To argue, with

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the ’Speaker’s Commentary,’ that the latter circumstance is decisive of the correctness of the passage in its present position, implies a view of the unchangeableness of the text in the early centuries which few leading scholars will admit.

CALVIN, "Now, the reason why he bids the Israelites to speak in the Chaldee language is, because they had been led into exile, and were mingled with the Assyrians and Chaldeans. He then required from those despised exiles an open and a bold confession, as though he had said, “Even though ye are now in the most miserable bondage, and though the Chaldeans disdainfully oppress you, as if ye were slaves, yet proclaim the glory of God and shrink not from an open confession of your religion, and say to them, in contempt of all their idols, perish must your gods from the earth and from under heaven, for they have not made heaven nor the earth.” We now understand the meaning of the Prophet. But the rest I shall defer until tomorrow. COFFMAN, "Verse 11"Thus shall ye say unto them, The gods that have not made the heavens and the earth, these shall perish from the earth, and from under the heavens."We have noted that Thompson mistakenly called this a gloss. It is no such thing. "It must not be regarded as a gloss, because it provides an immediate connection between Jeremiah 10:10,12."[17]"Thus shall ye say unto them ..." (Jeremiah 10:11). This refers to a popular saying in those times in the Chaldee tongue (to which the Jews would soon travel); and, in effect, it gives God's people a ready-made answer in the tongue of their captors by which they would be able to resist the inducements to participate in Babylonian idolatry. This is one of the master-strokes of the whole prophecy."Because this verse is in Chaldee (Aramaic) some expositors reject it as a gloss; but all versions have it. It fits the context perfectly."[18] Furthermore, "No copyist would have interpolated a Chaldee verse into a Hebrew text!"[19]In the attention we have paid to the authenticity of the chapter, we should not overlook the extremely important theological teachings of these important verses: "There is none like God (Jeremiah 10:6); He is the true and living God (Jeremiah 10:10); He is the Creator of heaven and earth (Jeremiah 10:12); He is the controller of the clouds and of the rain (Jeremiah 10:13); he alone is worthy of the respect and adoration of all men (Jeremiah 10:7); He is especially the God of Israel (Jeremiah 10:16).Before leaving Jeremiah 10:11, we shall note that many recent commentators love to parrot the old critical shibboleth that "This verse, being in Chaldee (Aramaic) is out of place."[20] But such a remark is nothing but an eighteenth century error. As R.

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Payne Smith, Dean of Canterbury, stated in 1929, "The appearance of this verse, as is, in the Septuagint (LXX) version is decisive. That this verse is in Aramaic is accounted for by the supposition that the exiles (soon to be in Babylon) were to use these very words (in the Chaldean tongue) as a retort when asked by the Chaldeans to join in their idol-worship. It was probably a proverbial saying."[21] What an advantage for the exiles that they were thus armed with a popular proverb in the very language of their captors, enabling them to resist appeals to join in Babylonian idolatry!COKE, "Jeremiah 10:11. Thus shall ye say, &c.— This verse is in the Chaldee language, and it appears here as a kind of parenthesis. Houbigant thinks, that the most probable reason why it is here inserted in the Chaldee, and not in the Hebrew, is, that Jeremiah prescribes to the Jews what they shall answer, in living among idolaters, and using the Chaldee language; hereby presignifying that they should be the captives of the Chaldees. CONSTABLE, "Jeremiah instructed his audience to say that these idols would perish, because they were human creations rather than the divine Creator. This is the only Aramaic verse in Jeremiah."The Tg [Targum] prefaces Jeremiah 10:11 with these words: "This is the copy of the letter which the Prophet Jeremiah sent to the leaders of the exile in Babylon: "If the Chaldeans say to you, worship our idols, then answer them as follows."" This suggests that Jeremiah 10:11 was a shortened version of a letter sent by Jeremiah to Jehoiachin and the other exiles in Babylon [where Aramaic was spoken] between598,587 B.C. (compare Jeremiah 29:1-32)." [Note: Kelley, p160. The Targums were interpretive translations of portions of the Hebrew Scriptures into Aramaic, which increasingly replaced the Hebrew language following the Babylonian captivity.]Another possibility is that this verse represents a well-known saying that someone, perhaps an Aramaic speaker, added to the text under divine inspiration. [Note: Thompson, p330.] TRAPP, "Jeremiah 10:11 Thus shall ye say unto them, The gods that have not made the heavens and the earth, [even] they shall perish from the earth, and from under these heavens.Ver. 11. Thus shall ye say unto them.] Confession with the mouth is necessary to salvation. This verse (written therefore in the Syriac tongue, which was spoken at Babylon) is a formulary given to God’s people, to be made use of by them in detestation of the idolatries of that city.The gods that made not the heaven and the earth.] The vanity of idols and heathenish gods is set forth (1.) By their impotence; (2.) Frailty. Quid ad haec respondebunt Papistae? aut qualem contradictoriae reconciliationem afferent?

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PETT, "Jeremiah 10:11‘Thus shall you say to them,The gods which have not made the heavens and the earth,These will perish from the earth and from under the heavens.’Speaking in Aramaic YHWH then tells Jeremiah to remind Judah/Israel that it is not these gods who have made heaven and earth. They are indeed a part of the earth, and will thus perish like all earthly things which are under the heavens.The question must be raised as to why this verse alone is in Aramaic. Certainly it brings out that the gods being spoke of are foreign gods, but it may, also in fact, have been a riposte to a well known phrase or claim in Aramaic which was circulating in Jerusalem concerning the gods, a phrase which made the opposite claim to Jeremiah’s, possibly one being stressed by Babylonian representatives in court. The Aramaic nature of Jeremiah’s response would then have made obvious to all who was being refuted without him actually having to say it. Perhaps then he wanted to make clear, without bringing down on them the wrath of Babylon, that while he did not recommend rebellion against Babylon, it and its gods would finally perish (all would know that their gods could not perish without it having the same result for them).Or it may be that Jeremiah was seeking to bring out in a striking way the foreign nature of the vanities that he has been describing, indicating that ‘These gods are not native to Judah. We can only speak of them in another tongue’. This would add to the impression already given that some of the materials of which they were made came from foreign parts, namely Tarshish and Uphaz. Aramaic was an international language used in foreign affairs of state (compare 2 Kings 18:26) and would have been very familiar in Jerusalem.Another alternative is that it was a well known saying in Aramaic well known to all educated Judeans (in the same way as we might know Latin phrases and cite them). The Targums (Aramaic paraphrases of the Hebrew text) claim that it was part of a letter which Jeremiah sent to the exiles already in Babylon. The verse is not an interpolation. It is necessary in order to prepare for the thought in Jeremiah 10:12, and as a part of the sequence described above.YHWH Is The Unique Creator Of All Things.There is only one God Who has made heaven and earth, and that is YHWH. He established them by His wisdom and by His understanding. And it is He also Who controls the activities of nature.

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12 But God made the earth by his power; he founded the world by his wisdom and stretched out the heavens by his understanding.

BARNES, "Discretion - Or, understanding. The three attributes ascribed to the Creator are very remarkable. The creation of the earth, the material world, is an act of “power;” the “establishing,” i. e., the ordering and arranging it as a place fit for man’s abode, is the work of his “wisdom;” while the spreading out the heavens over it like a tent is an act of “understanding,” or skill. Naturally, the consideration of these attributes has led many to see here an allusion to the Holy Trinity.GILL, "He hath made the earth by his power,.... The Targum considers these words as a continuation of the answer of the Jews to the Chaldeans, paraphrasing them thus, "and so shall ye say unto them, `we worship him who hath made the earth by his power':'' who stands opposed to the gods that made not the heavens and the earth, that had no title to deity, nor right to worship; but the true God has both; and his making the earth out of nothing, and hanging it upon nothing, and preserving it firm and stable, are proofs of his almighty power, and so of his deity; and consequently that he ought to be worshipped, and he only. He hath established the world by his wisdom; upon the rivers and floods; or he hath poised it in the air; or he hath disposed it in an orderly, regular, and beautiful manner, as the word (u) used signifies; by making it terraqueous, partly land, and partly water; by opening in it fountains and rivers; by diversifying it with hills and vales, with wood and arable land, &c.; all which show the wisdom as well as the power of God. And hath stretched out the heavens by his discretion; as a canopy over the earth, as a tent to dwell in; and which is beautifully bespangled with the luminaries in it; hence it has the name of expanse, or the firmament of heaven.

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HENRY, "He is the God of nature, the fountain of all being; and all the powers of nature are at his command and disposal, Jer_10:12, Jer_10:13. The God we worship is he that made the heavens and the earth, and has a sovereign dominion over both; so that his invisible things are manifested and proved in the things that are seen. [1.] If we look back, we find that the whole world owed its origin to him as its first cause. It was a common saying even among the Greeks - He that sets up to be another god ought first to make another world. While the heathen worship gods that they made, we worship the God that made us and all things. First, The earth is a body of vast bulk, has valuable treasures in its bowels and more valuable fruit on its surface. It and them he has made by his power; and it is by no less than an infinite power that it hangs upon nothing, as it does (Job_26:7) - ponderibus librata suis - poised by its own weight. Secondly, The world, the habitable part of the earth, is admirably fitted for the use and service of man, and he hath established it so by his wisdom, so that it continues serviceable in constant changes and yet a continual stability from one generation to another. Therefore both the earth and the world are his, Psa_24:1. Thirdly, The heavens are wonderfully stretched out to an incredible extent, and it is by his discretion that they are so, and that the motions of the heavenly bodies are directed for the benefit of this lower world. These declare his glory (Psa_19:1), and oblige us to declare it, and not give that glory to the heavens which is due to him that made them. [2.] If we look up, we see his providence to be a continued creation (Jer_10:13): When he uttereth his voice (gives the word of command) there is a multitude of waters in the heavens, which are poured out on the earth, whether for judgment or mercy, as he intends them. When he utters his voice in the thunder, immediately there follow thunder-showers, in which there are a multitude of waters; and those come with a noise, as the margin reads it; and we read of the noise of abundance of rain, 1Ki_18:41. Nay, there are wonders done daily in the kingdom of nature without noise: He causes the vapours to ascend from the ends of the earth, from all parts of the earth, even the most remote, and chiefly those that lie next the sea. All the earth pays the tribute of vapours, because all the earth receives the blessing of rain. And thus the moisture in the universe, like the money in a kingdom and the blood in the body, is continually circulating for the good of the whole. Those vapours produce wonders, for of them are formed lightnings for the rain, and the winds which God from time to time brings forth out of his treasures, as there is occasion for them, directing them all in such measure and for such use as he thinks fit, as payments are made out of the treasury. All the meteors are so ready to serve God's purposes that he seems to have treasures of them, that cannot be exhausted and may at any time be drawn from, Psa_135:7. God glories in the treasures he has of these, Job_38:22, Job_38:23. This God can do; but which of the idols of the heathen can do the like? Note, There is no sort of weather but what furnishes us with a proof and instance of the wisdom and power of the great Creator.

JAMISON, "Continuation of Jer_10:10, after the interruption of the thread of the discourse in Jer_10:11 (Psa_136:5, Psa_136:6).

K&D, "Jer_10:12-13The third strophe. - In it the almighty power of the living God is shown from His providential government of nature, the overthrow of the false gods in the time of judgment is declared, and, finally, the Creator of the universe is set forth as the God of

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Israel. - Jer_10:12. "That made the earth by His power, that founded the world by His wisdom, and by His understanding stretched out the heavens. Jer_10:13. When He thundering makes the roar of waters in the heavens, He causes clouds to rise from the ends of the earth, makes lightnings for the rain, and brings the wind forth out of His treasuries. Jer_10:14. Brutish becomes every man without knowledge; ashamed is every goldsmith by reason of the image, for falsehood is his molten image, and there is no spirit in them. Jer_10:15. Vanity are they, a work of mockery; in the time of their visitation they perish. Jer_10:16. Not like these is the portion of Jacob: the framer of (the) all is He, and Israel is the stock of His inheritance: Jahveh of hosts is His name."In point of form, "that made the earth," etc., connects with "Jahveh God," Jer_10:10; but in respect of its matter, the description of God as Creator of heaven and earth is led up to by the contrast: The gods which have not made the heaven and the earth shall

perish. The subject to ֹעֵׂשה and the following verbs is not expressed, but may be supplied from the contrasted statement of Jer_10:11, or from the substance of the several statements in Jer_10:12. The connection may be taken thus: The true God is the one making the earth by His power = is He that made, etc. As the creation of the earth is a work of God's almighty power, so the establishing, the founding of it upon the waters (Psa_24:2) is an act of divine wisdom, and the stretching out of the heavens over the earth like a tent (Isa_40:22; Psa_104:2) is a work of intelligent design. On this cf. Isa_42:5; Isa_44:24; Isa_45:18; Isa_51:13. Every thunder-storm bears witness to the wise and almighty government of God, Jer_10:13. The words ל ְלק are difficult. Acc. to Ew. §307, b, they stand for ְלִּתּת ל when He gives His voice, i.e., when He thunders. In :קsupport of this it may be said, that the mention of lightnings, rain, and wind suggests such an interpretation. But the transposition of the words cannot be justified. Hitz. has justly remarked: The putting of the accusative first, taken by itself, might do; but not when it must at the same time be stat. constr., and when its genitive thus separated from it would assume the appearance of being an accusative to ִּתּת. Besides, we would expect ָלֵתת ל ק rather than ְלִּתּת ל ל .ק ק ִּתּת cannot grammatically be rendered: the voice which He gives, as Näg. would have it, but: the voice of His giving; and "roar of waters" must be the accusative of the object, governed by ִּתּת. Hence we must protest against the explanation of L. de Dieu: ad vocem dationis ejus multitudo aquarum est in caelo, at least if ad vocem dationis is tantamount to simul ac dat. Just as little can ל ְלק taken by itself mean thunder, so that ad vocem should, with Schnur., be interpreted by tonitru est dare ejus multitudinem aquae. The only grammatically feasible explanation is the second of those proposed by L. de Dieu: ad vocem dandi ipsum, i.e., qua dat vel ponit multitudinem aquarum. So Hitz.: at the roar of His giving wealth of waters. Accordingly we expound: at the noise, when He gives the roar of waters in heaven, He raises up clouds from the ends of the earth; taking, as we do, the ַוַּיֲעֶלה to be a ו consec. introducing the supplementary clause. The voice or noise with which God gives the roar or the fulness of waters in the heaven, is the sound of the thunder. With this the gathering of the dark thunder-clouds is put into causal connection, as it appears to be to the eye; for during the thunder we see the thunder-clouds gather thicker and darker on the horizon. ָנִׂשיא, the ascended, poetic word for cloud. Lightnings for the rain; i.e., since the rain comes as a consequence of the lightning, for the lightning seems to rend the clouds and let them pour their water out on the earth. Thunder-storms are always accompanied by a strong wind. God causes the wind to go forth from His store-

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chambers, where He has it also under custody, and blow over the earth. See a like simile of the store-chambers of the snow and hail, Job_38:22. From ַוַּיֲעֶלה onwards, this verse is repeated in Psa_135:7.PULPIT, "Jer_10:12He hath made the earth, etc. (comp. the frequent references to the Divine creatorship in the latter part of Isaiah (Isa_40:22; Isa_42:5; Isa_44:24; Isa_45:12, Isa_45:18; Isa_51:13). By his discretion; rather, by his understanding.

CALVIN, "Jeremiah speaks now again in Hebrew, for he on purpose spoke in Chaldee, to shew that the ungodly were not to be given way to, if they blasphemed and wantonly derided the holy name of God. But as it is necessary that the confession of the mouth should proceed from faith, as fruit from the root, the Prophet here reminds the Israelites that there is but one true God; for, besides him who created the earth, set in order the world, and extended the heavens, there is no other to be found. Since, then, this cannot be said except of one, it follows that all the deities which the world devises for itself, are false and mere inventions of Satan, by which he deludes mankind. And doubtless no one can courageously oppose such errors, except he who believes in the one true God. We know that there were formerly some among the philosophers who jocularly and facetiously ridiculed the delirious notions of the vulgar; but no one in earnest undertook this cause, nor could they take upon themselves the defense of God’s glory, for he was unknown to them. It is therefore necessary, as I have said, that we should be really and truly grounded in the faith before the building can be carried on; for the profession, by which we ascribe glory to God, is, as it were, the superstructure, but faith, concealed within the heart, is the foundation.We now then understand the Prophet’s design in saying, that there is but one, who made the earth. He speaks indeed concisely; but what tie says has more force, when he does not mention God’s name, but sets before us his power, as though he had said, “There is one, there is one, who has created the earth; there is one, who has set in order the world and extended the heavens; as these things cannot be ascribed to many, it follows that men are very absurd in imagining that there are various gods.”He says that God created the earth by his power He alludes to the solid state of the earth. The philosophers indeed hold that the earth stands naturally in the middle of creation, as it is the heaviest element; and the reason they give that the earth is suspended in mid-air, is, because the center of the world attracts what is most heavy; and these things indeed they wisely discuss. Yet we must go further: for the center of the earth is not the main part of creation; it hence follows that the earth has been suspended in the air, because it has so pleased God. When, therefore, the Prophet commends God’s power in fixing the earth, he refers to its firm state.

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He then adds, There is one who hath by his wisdom set the world in order He does not indeed say that He is one, but this is what is implied. Though the term תבל, tabel, is taken for the earth, it has yet a wider meaning. The Prophet, I have no doubt, includes in it at least the sea. And we know that the Spirit has not spoken in the Law and the Prophets with rigorous exactness, but in a style suited to the common capacities of men. He says then that the world was set in order by God’s wisdom: for it is wonderful how the waters mingle with the earth, and yet retain their own habitation, and are restrained from covering the earth: in the earth also itself there is amazing variety; we see in one part mountains, in another small hills; there are meadows, forests, and fields for corn. Indeed, man’s industry contributes to this variety; but we see how God hath fitted the earth for different purposes, here then shines forth the wonderful wisdom of God. When again he speaks of the heavens, he says, that they have been expanded by God’s knowledge, He indeed employs various expressions, but he means the same thing, — that God’s singular wisdom may be seen in the earth and in the heavens.Some connect the following verse and explain the verb נטה nuthe, differently, — that God extends the heavens when he covers them with clouds; for the verb תתו , tatu, which means the same thing, follows: but the infinite mood is often to be taken for the preterite. As then this is a strained explanation, and too far-fetched, I reject it. The Prophet, no doubt, speaks of the original formation of the heavens: for when God covers the heavens with clouds, their true form does not appear; besides, the meaning of the verb is perverted, when taken to express the obscuring of the heavens by clouds. They who will impartially examine the passage, will be ready to admit, that the Prophet speaks of the expanding of the heavens. So the Scripture everywhere sets forth God’s wisdom as displayed by this wonderfill workmanship; and the heaven is said to have been expanded over the earth, so that it covers it around. (Psalms 104:6.)Now, though Jeremiah mentions only the word “heavens,” yet he includes the wonders which appear in them, such as that the sun performs its daily course — that it changes its track daily — that the planets have two motions — that they appear in different parts — and that the sun seems now to ascend and then to descend. In short, Jeremiah here extols all the secrets of astrology, when he says, that the heavens have been expanded by God, and expanded with singular and incomparable wisdom. Though, then, he only briefly touches on this wonderful workmanship of God, yet he would have us carefully to dwell on it in our meditations; for all errors and all fancies will soon vanish, when we duly consider the power and wisdom of God, as manifested in the creation of the heavens and of the earth, and in the order observable in the world. COFFMAN, "Verse 12"He hath made the earth by his power, he hath established the world by his wisdom, and by his understanding hath he stretched out the heavens. When he uttereth his voice, there is a tumult of waters in the heavens, and he causeth the vapors to ascend

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from the ends of the earth; he maketh lightnings for the rain, and bringeth forth the wind out of his treasuries. Every man is become brutish and is without knowledge; every goldsmith is put to shame by his graven image; for his molten image is falsehood, and there is no breath in them. They are vanity, a work of delusion: in the time of their visitation they shall perish. The portion of Jacob is not like these; for he is the former of all things; and Israel is the tribe of his inheritance: Jehovah of hosts is his name.""Who made ... established ... stretched out ..." (Jeremiah 10:12) The three things that entered into the Creator's preparing a home for his human creation are listed here: (1) he made the earth; (2) he prepared and fitted it to be a human dwelling place; and (3) he protected it from cosmic damage by such things as excessive radiation and falling meteorites, stretching out the heavens (the atmospheric shield) as a protection."He maketh lightnings for the rain ..." (Jeremiah 10:13). "Every thunderstorm bears witness to the wise and almighty government of God."[22]"Every goldsmith is put to shame by his graven image ..." (Jeremiah 10:14) Any person who can see the violent strength of a tropical thunderstorm and then bow down and worship a lifeless image, a production of his own hands, as god (!) has simply forsaken all intelligence.Such images (notice the change from the singular "image" to the plural "them" in Jeremiah 10:14, as frequently in the Bible) are worthless, having "no breath" in them.Jeremiah 10:15-16 stress the fact that graven images are entitled to no respect at all but are worthy only of contempt. The glorious God of Jacob, the true and almighty living God who created the heavens and the earth is contrasted with the idols in Jeremiah 10:16.The parenthetical admonition concerning idols (Jeremiah 10:1-16) ends here; and Jeremiah returns to the approaching captivity.TRAPP, "Jeremiah 10:12 He hath made the earth by his power, he hath established the world by his wisdom, and hath stretched out the heavens by his discretion.Ver. 12. He hath made the earth by his power.] Here we have the true philosophy and right origin of things: Felix qui potuit rerum cognoscere causas. Almighty God made the earth, the main bulk and body of it. [Genesis 1:1] He alone is the powerful Creator, the provident Disposer, the prudent Preserver of all things both in heaven and in earth; therefore the only true God.PETT, "Jeremiah 10:12-13

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‘He has made the earth by his power,He has established the world by his wisdom,And by his understanding,Has he stretched out the heavens,’‘When he utters his voice there is a tumult of waters in the heavens,And he causes the vapours to ascend from the ends of the earth,He makes lightnings for the rain,And brings forth the wind out of his treasuries.’What a contrast with the earthiness and the perishable natures of these foreign gods is the One Who has made the earth by His power, and established it by His wisdom, and has stretched out the heavens by His understanding. Indeed when He speaks the heavens are filled with tumultuous waters, constantly renewed from the earth, the rain is accompanied by His lightnings, and He produces winds from His treasuries. It is thus He Who is the true storm God, not Baal, or Hadad, or any other, and all the resources of heaven and earth are under His control.This idea of YHWH seen in terms of a powerful storm is a constant one in Scripture. See, for example, 2 Samuel 22:8-16; Psalms 29; etc.Idols Are Without The Breath Of Life.The skilful workmen who make idols are (theoretically) put to the blush when it is discovered that there is no life in them. They are unable to make an idol that has life. And they are unable to make one that does not perish when its time comes. They are thus all nothing but a puff of wind and a delusion.

13 When he thunders, the waters in the heavens roar; he makes clouds rise from the ends of the earth.He sends lightning with the rain and brings out the wind from his storehouses.

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BARNES, "When ... - i. e., the rushing downpour of rain follows immediately upon the thunder. The rest of the verse is identical with marginal reference; but probably the words belong to Jeremiah, the Psalm being of comparatively late date.

With rain - For the rain Psa_135:7.

CLARKE, "When he uttereth his voice, there is a multitude of waters - This is a plain allusion to a storm of thunder and lightning, and the abundance of rain which is the consequence. Water is composed of two gases, hydrogen and oxygen: the electric or galvanic spark decomposes them, and they become air; when recomposed, they form water. The lightning acts upon the hydrogen and oxygen, which are found In the atmospheric air: they are decomposed, and water or rain is the consequence; which, being heavier than the air falls down in the form of rain.

This verse and the three following are the same in substance, and nearly in words, as Jer_51:16, and following.

GILL, "When he uttereth his voice,.... Declares his will and pleasure, issues out his commands; or when he thunders, for thunder is his voice, Job_37:2, there is a multitude of waters in the heavens; they are covered with clouds, and these clouds full of water; which is brought about by the following means: and he causeth the vapours to ascend from the ends of the earth; from the north and south, as Kimchi observes from the philosophers; or from all parts of the earth, the most distant, and particularly from the sea, the border of the earth, from whence clouds arise, being exhaled by the sun; see 1Ki_18:43. He maketh lightnings with rain; which very often go together, and the one makes way for the other, Job_28:26, though they are so opposite one to another: and bringeth forth the wind out of his treasures; the caverns of the earth, or his fists, in which he holds it, Pro_30:4 and lets its loose at his pleasure; he has plenty of it in reserve; he is Lord over it; he sends it forth when he pleases, and it fulfils his will and his word.

JAMISON, "Literally, “At the voice of His giving forth,” that is, when He thunders. (Job_38:34; Psa_29:3-5).

waters — (Gen_1:7) - above the firmament; heavy rains accompany thunder.vapours ... ascend — (Psa_135:7).

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treasures — His stores.CALVIN, "The Prophet then descends to the other works of God, to those which are changeable, for there is in nature a perpetual constancy as to the heavens and the earth; and there are many things subject to changes; as when God darkens the air, when he raises winds, when he pours down rain. These things happen not according to the settled order of the world of which he had spoken. We see then that the Prophet has hitherto referred to the fixed and regular government of the world, to what had been done at the creation. But now, as I have said, he sets before us things of another kind, — that God gives or sends forth, by his voice, abundance of waters from the heavens Some render המון emun, “sound;” but it is, on the contrary, to be taken for “multitude,” or abundance. Moreover, he takes “voice” for thunder: for though it often rains without thunder, yet when God thunders from heaven, there is a sudden change, which not only disturbs the air, but also fills us with dread. As then in this sudden and unexpected change the power of God more strikingly appears, the Prophet says, At his voice he gives abundance of watersHe then says, he makes elevations to ascend; for we see that vapours arise from the earth and ascend upwards. Philosophers shew how this happens: but yet the power of God cannot be excluded, when we say that anything is done according to nature. For we hence more clearly see what the Prophet means, that is, that God has so set in order the world, that when he causes vapours to ascend, he shews that he rules in the heavens and on the earth. And he adds, from the extremity of the earth: for we see that vapors rise at a distance and immediately spread over our heads. Is not this wonderful? And were we not accustomed to such a thing, it could not but fill us with admiration. The Prophet then rouses men here from their torpor, that they may learn to consider what is presented to their view. He goes on and says, creating or making lightnings for the rain, or with the rain: for ל, lamed, is taken by some, as though he had said, that lightnings are mingled with rain: and doubtless we see that these things, fire and rain, are contrary to one another; yet fire generates water, and it dwells also in the midst of a mass of waters: it rains, and yet the air is at the same time kindled with lightnings. Since then God thus mingles contrary things, and makes fire the origin and the cause of rain, is it not so wonderful that it is sufficient, to move the very stones? How great then must be the stupidity of men, when they attend not to so conspicuous a work of God, in which they may see the glory of his wisdom as well as of his power!He then says, that God brings forth the wind from his treasures He calls hidden places the treasures of God; for whence the winds except from the caverns of the earth? Since, then, the earth, where it is hollow, generates winds, rightly does the Prophet say, that they were the bidden treasures of God. The philosophers also find out the cause why the winds arise from the earth; for the sun attracts vapors and exhalations; from vapors are formed clouds, snows, and rains, according to the fixed order of the middle region of the air. From the exhalations also are formed the thunders, lightnings, the comets also, and the winds; for the exhalations differ from

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the vapours only in their lightness and rarity, the vapors being thicker and heavier. Then from vapor arises rain; but the exhalation is lighter, and not so thick; hence the exhalations generate thunders as well as winds, according to the heat they contain. How, then, is it that the same exhalation now breaks forth into wind, then into lightnings? It is according to the measure of its heat; when it is dense it rises into the air; but the winds vanish and thus disturb the lower part of the world. These are the things said by philosophers; but the chief thing in philosophy is to have regard to God, who brings the winds out of his treasures, for he keeps them hidden. We wonder that the wind rises suddenly when it is quite calm; who ought not to acknowledge that winds are formed, and are sent here and there at God’s pleasure? And hence in Psalms 104:4, they are called the swift messengers of God,“who makes spirits his messengers.” COKE, "Jeremiah 10:13. When he uttereth his voice, &c.— "When the Almighty utters his voice, or sends his thunders abroad, the clouds immediately precipitate in torrents of rain; and as God causes the vapours to ascend in clouds from every quarter of the earth, so he joins two contrary things together; ordaining great flashes of lightning to break forth with the rain; the latter by its moisture preventing the ill effects which might result from the scorching heat of the former," See Psalms 29:3; Psalms 29:11; Psalms 135:7 and the note. In Job, mention is made of the treasures of the snow and hail, chap. Jeremiah 38:22. Virgil, by a figure very similar to this, describes AEolus as keeping the winds and storms confined in caves:———whose tyrant binds The blust'ring tempests, and reluctant winds: Their rage imperial Eolus restrains With rocky dungeons, and enormous chains. AEN. I. ver. 52. TRAPP, "Jeremiah 10:13 When he uttereth his voice, [there is] a multitude of waters in the heavens, and he causeth the vapours to ascend from the ends of the earth; he maketh lightnings with rain, and bringeth forth the wind out of his treasures.Ver. 13. When he uttereth his voice.] Again, when he thundereth, [Psalms 29:3] it raineth amain, lightneth in the midst of the rain (which is a great miracle), and bloweth for life, as we say, no man knowing whence or whither. [John 3:8] All which wondrous works of God may well serve for a theological alphabet, and cannot be attributed to any god but our God.And he causeth the vapours to ascend.] See Psalms 135:7. {See Trapp on "Psalms 135:7"}

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14 Everyone is senseless and without knowledge; every goldsmith is shamed by his idols.The images he makes are a fraud; they have no breath in them.

BARNES, "In his knowledge - Rather, “without knowledge; i. e., on comparing his powerless idols with the terrific grandeur of a tropical thunderstorm the man who can still worship them instead of the Creator is destitute of knowledge.

Every founder ... - Or, “every goldsmith is put to shame etc.” He has exhausted his skill on what remains an image.

CLARKE, "Every man is brutish - nibar, is a boor, acts as a brute, who may נבערsuppose that a stock of a tree, formed like a man, may be an intellectual being; and therefore shuns the form as though it had life. See Isa_44:10, Isa_44:11. Of which verses, by the way, Dr. Blayney gives the following version to correct that of Bishop Lowth: -

Isa_44:10. Who hath formed a god? Or set up a graven image that profiteth not?Isa_44:11. Behold, all that are connected with it shall be ashamed, And the artificers, they above all men! They shall assemble all of them; they shall stand forth; They shall fear; they shall be ashamed at the same time.

“That is, while they stand before the image they have set up, and worship it with a religious dread, the glaring absurdity of their conduct shall lead to their shame and disgrace.”With due deference to this learned man, I think this interpretation too refined.

GILL, "Every man is brutish in his knowledge,.... Or science of making an idol, whether it be of wood, or of gold, or silver, or brass; he is no better than a brute, if he thinks, when he has made it, he has made a god: or, "because of knowledge" (w); for want of it; being without the knowledge of God and divine things, he is like the beasts that perish, Psa_49:20, every founder is confounded by the graven image; or put to shame on account of it; since, after all his art, and care, and trouble, in melting and refining, and casting it into a form, it is no more than a piece of gold, or silver, or brass, and has no deity, nor

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anything like it, in it: for his molten image is falsehood; it is a lie, when it is said to be a god; and it deceives those who worship it, and place any confidence in it. Kimchi renders it, "his covering" (x). The covering of the idol with gold and silver, with blue and purple, as in Jer_10:4, is all a piece of deceit, to impose upon the people, and lead them into idolatry: and there is no breath in them; they are mere stocks and stones, lifeless and inanimate creatures; they have neither life themselves, nor can they give it to others.

JAMISON, "in his knowledge — “is rendered brutish by his skill,” namely, in idol-making (Jer_10:8, Jer_10:9). Thus the parallel, “confounded by the graven image,” corresponds (so Jer_51:17). Others not so well translate, “without knowledge,” namely, of God (see Isa_42:17; Isa_45:16; Hos_4:6).

K&D, "Jer_10:14-15In presence of such marvels of divine power and wisdom, all men seem brutish and ignorant (away from knowledge = without knowledge), and all makers of idols are put to shame "because of the image" which they make for a god, and which is but a deception,

has no breath of life. ֶנֶס, prop. drink-offering, libamen, cf. Jer_7:15; here molten image as in Isa_41:29; Isa_48:5; Dan_11:8. Vanity they are, these idols made by the ,ַמֵּסָכה =goldsmith. A work of mockings, i.e., that is exposed to ridicule when the nullity of the things taken to be gods is clearly brought to light. Others: A work which makes mockery of its worshippers, befools and deludes them (Hitz., Näg.). In the time of their visitation, cf. Jer_6:15.CALVIN, "Some too refinedly explain the beginning of this verse — that their own subtlety or wisdom, which they arrogate, infatuates men, according to what Paul says, that men become vain in their minds, when they form an idea of God according to their own imagination. (Romans 1:21.) But the Prophet speaks more plainly, for he says, that all artificers were foolish The word lrnowledge is not to be taken here for knowledge of truth, but for the knowledge of artificers, whether carpenters or blacksmiths, or those who either melted or grayed or formed gods of wood, stone, and silver, as we may learn from the second clause of the verse. There is no difficulty as to what is meant, if we duly consider the words of the Prophet; he expresses the same thing in two ways; foolish, he says, are all our artificers; then he specifies one sort, every founder or melter, etc. We hence see that the Prophet does not use the word knowledge according to its strict meaning, but extends it to skill in workmanship. (13)But when he says that the artizans were foolish, he connects with them, no doubt, all the worshippers of false gods; but he reprobates their knowledge, who applied whatever skill and knowledge they had to so vain a purpose. Bellold, he says, the worker in gold, and every other artificer, think that they are very ingenious when they elegantly form an idol; they spend all their wits on so vain a thing; what is this

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but folly? But they think that they make a god by their own hands; yet they cannot change the nature of gold and silver. It is the form only that they add; but this form contains no life. Hence he subjoins, There is no spirit in them He had said before, that they who formed the graven image would be ashamed, or convicted of folly; for he had called them foolish and brutish. Now, בער , bor, in Hiphil, means to be foolish; but the noun means a brute animal. Hence he reproachfully compares these illustrious artizans, who gained repute by the elegant forms they gave to their gods, to asses, and oxen, and other brute animals. Some render נסך, nusak, “covering;” but it signifies, I doubt not, a molten image; for he repeats what he had said, that the founders would be ashamed of the graven image In short, He says, that the molten image was falsehood, for there was in, them no spirit He changes the number, but the meaning is evident.We have seen before that idols were said to be the teaching of vanities; for they were extremely deceived, and became wholly foolish, who ascribed the glory of God to wood and stone. The heathens might say, that they had never thought such a thing; but facies proved that they were liars and made only vain pretences; for why did they place confidence in their idols? — why did they bow down before them? — why did they address to them prayers and supplications? They then believed that God was present in the visible form. Now the Prophet says, that this was the teaching of vanities; because they who made a figure or image of God thought that he was like to gold and silver, and that he had some affinity to dead elements, destitute of reason and understanding. For the same purpose he now adds, that the molten image is falsehood; why? because the truth of God is turned into falsehood, as Paul says, (Romans 1:25.)It is, therefore, a monstrous absurdity when men imagine that wood or stone is an image of God; for there is no similarity, nor can such a thing enter into man’s mind without a grievous and an atrocious indignity being offered to God. The reason also is to be noticed, For there is no spirit in them God, so to speak, is the life of all things living; now, to call a dead thing an image of God, a thing in which there is no mind nor life, is it not to turn light into darkness? This reason, then, ought to be remembered by us; and it is a sufficient refutation of all such errors, when the Prophet says, that there is no spirit in idols, that is, in wood, stone, gold, and silver, and that they are therefore a He; for God will not have himself to be compared to dead things, without mind and life. He then adds —14.Brutish has every man become by his knowledge; Disgracefully has every founder done as to the graven image, For deception is his cunning; And no spirit is in them.To render the different parts of this verse correspondent, it is necessary to take הוביש as a Hiphil. The connection is between the first and last line, and between the two middle lines. Every man, both the carver and the founder, or melter, were brutish, in employing their knowledge and skill in making idols or images, because there was, after all their toil, no spirit, no life in them. Then the founder acted

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shamefully in taking the carved thing or image, to cover it with gold or silver, because what he melted was a mere deception.This verse is no prediction, but a representation of the extreme folly and stupidity of idol-makers. This is confirmed by the following verse. — Ed. COKE, "Jeremiah 10:14. Every man is brutish in his knowledge— Or, according to some, Every man is made foolish by his knowledge. "The most skilful maker of statues and idols is convinced hereby of his folly; for if he were truly wise, how could he worship any thing so weak and vain?" What follows seems to favour this interpretation. See Jeremiah 10:8. TRAPP, "Jeremiah 10:14 Every man is brutish in [his] knowledge: every founder is confounded by the graven image: for his molten image [is] falsehood, and [there is] no breath in them.Ver. 14. Every man is brutish in his knowledge.] Or, Every man is become more brutish than to know. That was therefore a hyperbolical praise given by Philostratus to Apollonius, Non doctus sed natus sapiens, that he was not taught, but born a wise man. See Job 11:12, Romans 1:22. {See Trapp on "Job 11:12"} {See Trapp on "Romans 1:22"} Every man is become brutish for want of knowledge (so the words may be rendered), the heathen idol makers especially; Brutescit homo prae scientia, so Vatablus. Every man is brutish, in comparison of knowledge, viz., of God’s knowledge, while he goeth about to search into the causes of rain, lightning, wind, &c., which God only understandeth.PETT, "Jeremiah 10:14-15‘Every man is become brutish, without knowledge,Every goldsmith is put to shame by his graven image,For his molten image is falsehood,And there is no breath (spirit - ruach) in them.They are vanity, a work of delusion,In the time of their visitation they will perish.’The emphasis in Jeremiah’s fourth critique of idols is that they are without life, and are a delusion which will perish. Men’s response towards them is simply an indication that man has become ‘brutish’, emphasising his own connection with the animal world rather than with heaven (compare Romans 1:18-26). This brings out that such men are without the true knowledge, the knowledge of God. Furthermore such idols will only bring shame on their creators, the goldsmiths, and their

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worshippers, brutish men, for they represent falsehood and are without life (they have no ‘ruach’ - breath, spirit). Thus they are a vanity (a puff of wind) and a work resulting from men’s delusion, a work which will perish when such men are ‘visited’ by YHWH in judgment.The word for ‘delusion, errors, mockery’ (ta‘tu‘im) is deliberately similar to the word tsa‘tsu‘im which in 2 Chronicles 3:10 represents the ‘image’ part of ‘image-work’. Their images are in fact a delusion and an error and a mockery.YHWH Is The Moulder And Shaper Of All Things, Choosing Israel/Judah As His Portion And Making Them His Inheritance.In vital contrast is the One Who moulds and shapes all things, the One Who is the portion of His people, the One Who is Israel’s God of deliverance, the One Whose Name is YHWH OF HOSTS, Lord of the hosts of heaven and the hosts of sun and stars, the Lord of all the hosts of the nations, and the Lord of the host of Israel.

15 They are worthless, the objects of mockery; when their judgment comes, they will perish.

BARNES, "Rather, “They are vanity, a work of mockery,” deserving only ridicule and contempt.GILL, "They are vanity,.... They are the fruit of the vain imagination of men; to worship them shows the vanity of the human mind; and they are vain things to trust to: and the work of errors; of erroneous men, and which lead men into errors; and are worthy to be laughed at, as the Targum paraphrases it. In the time of their visitation they shall perish; or in the time that I shall visit upon them their sins, as the Targum; that is, when Babylon should be destroyed by the Medes and Persians, as Kimchi interprets it; when their idols were destroyed also; see Isa_46:1.

JAMISON, "errors — deceptions; from a Hebrew root, “to stutter”; then meaning 98

“to mock.”their visitation they — When God shall punish the idol-worshippers (namely, by Cyrus), the idols themselves shall be destroyed [Rosenmuller] (Jer_10:11).

PULPIT, "The very essence of idols is vanity; they are unreal as "a breath;" they are, not so much the work of errors as a work of mockery, i.e. not opus rise dignum, but a work which rewards the efforts bestowed upon its production by disappointment.

CALVIN, "He confirms the same thing. What he called before falsehood, שקר, shikor, he calls now vanity, הבל ebel. They are vanity, he says. He had said that they were falsehood, which means, that men were grossly deceived when they sought the presence of God in dead things, now he says, that they were vanity, and also the work of illusions; but some render the last word “mockeries,” taking it in a passive sense; and hence the Chaldee interpreter renders it, “a thing worthy of ridicule and laughter.” (14) But I prefer to take it for imposture or deception. Jacob said to his mother, “I shall be found in the eyes of my father a deceiver;” but some render the word there “a mocker.” But Jacob, on the contrary, meant that he should be found out as one of no credit, or acting in guile, as though he had said, “I shall be an impostor, and rny father will flnd out the fraud.” So also in this place, he calls idols the work of deceptions, by which men infatuated themselves. He does not then teach us here that idols deserved to be ridiculed, but he refers to the madness of those who imagined that they were gods, for he had before called them vanity and falsehood; and there is no doubt but that in these various ways he repeats and confirms the same thing.He afterwards adds, In the time of their visitation they shall perish The pronoun “their” may be applied to idols or to the Chaldeans: when the time of visitation shall come; that is, when God shall punish the enemies of his Church, then their idols shall perish: or, when the time shall come for God to visit the idols, they shall perish. Either sense may be admitted; and indeed as to the subject in hand, there is no difference.The Israelites might have objected and said, “How is it then that false gods, whom men have devised for themselves, are worshipped, and are in great esteem and highly regarded? How does God suffer and overlook this?” The Israelites might have raised an objection of this kind. Therefore the Prophet answers them, They shall perish; but it shall be at the time of visitation (15) It is an exhortation to patience, that the faithful might not despond or be weakened in their hopes, though they saw silver gods carried on men’s shoulders, though they saw wood and stone set on elevated places, and incense burnt to them and sacrifices offered to them. Though then they saw idols in such esteem, they were not yet to despair or fall away from true religion, for the time of visitation was to be looked for, when God would execute his judgment on the false gods as well as on their worshippets. We now understand why he speaks of visitation. It follows —

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Vanity are they (i.e., the idols,) The work of the grossly deluded:At the time of their visitation they shall perish;that is, the grossly deluded.He had before threatened ruin to idols; but he now threatens their makers. — Ed. COKE, "Verse 16Jeremiah 10:16. The Portion of Jacob— Upon the principles of heathen theology, every nation was committed to the care and superintendency of its own tutelary god, which was styled its portion, on account of the peculiar relation which was supposed to subsist between them. The portion of Jacob, therefore, is the same as the God of Jacob, he who had taken upon himself the guardianship and protection of that family. But he was distinguished from all the rest, who were falsehood and vanity all of them, having no other existence than as lifeless images, the work of deluded men; whereas he was the creator of the universe, of all that exists; and that there might be no room to mistake the Being intended, he is farther characterized as he who had made choice of Israel for the special object of his concern, had marked him out for his own possession, as with a measuring rod; and to whom the name of JEHOVAH belonged. Oh, how little did they know or value their privileges!TRAPP, "Jeremiah 10:15 They [are] vanity, [and] the work of errors: in the time of their visitation they shall perish.Ver. 15. They are vanity.] Vanity, in its largest extent, is properly predicated of them.And the work of errors.] Mere mockeries, making men to embrace vanity for verity.In the time of their visitation.] See on Isaiah 46:1.

16 He who is the Portion of Jacob is not like these, for he is the Maker of all things,including Israel, the people of his inheritance— the Lord Almighty is his name.

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BARNES, "The portion, of Jacob - i. e., Yahweh. He is not like gods made by a carpenter and goldsmith.

Of all things - literally, of the all, the universe.The rod of his inheritance - See Psa_74:2; compare Isa_63:17. The rod is the scepter, and Israel the people over whom Yahweh especially rules.CLARKE, "The Portion of Jacob is not like them - Every nation had its tutelary

god; this was its portion; in reference to this God says Deu_4:19, “He has divided the sun, moon, and stars, to all the nations under the heaven.” And the Lord had taken the Israelites to be his portion; for “the Lord’s portion is his people,” Deu_32:9, and David says, “The Lord is the portion of mine inheritance,” Psa_16:5; Psa_119:67. And hence Isaiah terms the smooth stones of the brook, to which Divine honors were paid, the portion of those idolaters, Isa_57:6. But in the text he says, “The Portion, i.e., the God of Jacob is not like them; for he is the former of all things,” and they are formed by their foolish worshippers.

GILL, "The portion of Jacob is not like them,.... Like those idols, vain, and the work of errors, or shall perish; even the true God, who is the portion of his people, of Jacob, whom he has chosen and redeemed; who call themselves by the name of Jacob, and are Israelites indeed, and plain hearted ones; and who have seen the insufficiency of all other portions, and the excellency of this; for there is none like it, none so large, so rich, so satisfying, and so durable; for God is the portion of his, in all the perfections of his nature, which all, some way or other, are for their good and advantage; and in all his persons, and under every character; even all he has is theirs, now and hereafter: for he is the former of all things: which idols are not, being the maker of creatures themselves; wherefore the Creator must be a better portion than they; and as he has all things at his dispose, he bestows them on his people, and they cannot want: and Israel is the rod of his inheritance; chosen and possessed by him, and dear unto him; and wonderful this is, that on the one side he should be the portion of his people; and, on the other, that they should be his portion and his inheritance, when so few in number, and despised by and among men, and but sinful dust and ashes; and especially when what follows is considered: the Lord of hosts is his name: his title is the Lord of armies, above and below; he rules both in heaven and in earth, and has the inhabitants of both worlds, angels and men, at his command; and yet he chooses a handful of people to be his possession and inheritance.

HENRY, "This God is Israel's God in covenant, and the felicity of every Israelite indeed. Therefore let the house of Israel cleave to him, and not forsake him to embrace idols; for, if they do, they certainly change for the worse, for (Jer_10:16) the portion of Jacob is not like them; their rock is not as our rock (Deu_32:31), nor ours like their mole-hills. Note, [1.] Those that have the Lord for their God have a full and complete

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happiness in him. The God of Jacob is the portion of Jacob; he is his all, and in him he has enough and needs no more in this world nor the other. In him we have a worthy portion, Psa_16:5. [2.] If we have entire satisfaction and complacency in God as our portion, he will have a gracious delight in us as his people, whom he owns as the rod of his inheritance, his possession and treasure, with whom he dwells and by whom he is served and honoured. [3.] It is the unspeakable comfort of all the Lord's people that he who is their God is the former of all things, and therefore is able to do all that for them, and give all that to them, which they stand in need of. Their help stands in his name who made heaven and earth. And he is the Lord of hosts, of all the hosts in heaven and earth, has them all at his command, and will command them into the service of his people when there is occasion. This is the name by which they know him, which they first give him the glory of and then take to themselves the comfort of. [4.] Herein God's people are happy above all other people, happy indeed, bona si sua norint - did they but know their blessedness. The gods which the heathen pride, and please, and so portion themselves in, are vanity and a lie; but the portion of Jacob is not like them.3. The prophet, having thus compared the gods of the heathen with the God of Israel (between whom there is no comparison), reads the doom, the certain doom, of all those pretenders, and directs the Jews, in God's name, to read it to the worshippers of idols, though they were their lords and masters (Jer_10:11): Thus shall you say unto them(and the God you serve will bear you out in saying it), The gods which have not made the heavens and the earth (and therefore are no gods, but usurpers of the honour due to him only who did make heaven and earth) shall perish, perish of course, because they are vanity - perish by his righteous sentence, because they are rivals with him. As gods they shall perish from off the earth (even all those things on earth beneath which they make gods of) and from under these heavens, even all those things in the firmament of heaven, under the highest heavens, which are deified, according to the distribution in the second commandment. These words in the original are not in the Hebrew, like all the rest, but in the Chaldee dialect, that the Jews in captivity might have this ready to say to the Chaldeans in their own language when they tempted them to idolatry: “Do you press us to worship your gods? We will never do that; for,” (1.) “They are counterfeit deities; they are no gods, for they have not made the heavens and the earth, and therefore are not entitled to our homage, nor are we indebted to them either for the products of the earth or the influences of heaven, as we are to the God of Israel.” The primitive Christians would say, when they were urged to worship such a god, Let him make a world and he shall be my god. While we have him to worship who made heaven and earth, it is very absurd to worship any other. (2.) “They are condemned deities. They shall perish; the time shall come when they shall be no more respected as they are now, but shall be buried in oblivion, and they and their worshippers shall sink together. The earth shall no longer bear them; the heavens shall no longer cover them; but both shall abandon them.” It is repeated (Jer_10:15), In the time of their visitation they shall perish. When God comes to reckon with idolaters he will make them weary of their idols, and glad to be rid of them. They shall cast them to the moles and to the bats, Isa_2:20. Whatever runs against God and religion will be run down at last.

JAMISON, "portion — from a Hebrew root, “to divide.” God is the all-sufficient Good of His people (Num_18:20; Psa_16:5; Psa_73:26; Lam_3:24).

not like them — not like the idols, a vain object of trust (Deu_32:31).102

former of all things — the Fashioner (as a potter, Isa_64:8) of the universe.rod of his inheritance — The portion marked off as His inheritance by the measuring rod (Eze_48:21). As He is their portion, so are they His portion (Deu_32:9). A reciprocal tie (compare Jer_51:19; Psa_74:2, Margin). Others make “rod” refer to the tribal rod or scepter.

K&D, "Jer_10:16Quite other is the portion of Jacob, i.e., the God who has fallen to the lot of Jacob (the people of Israel) as inheritance. The expression is formed after Deu_4:19-20, where it is

said of sun, moon, and stars that Jahveh has apportioned (ָחַלק) them to the heathen as gods, but has taken Israel that it may be to Him ְלַעם _accordingly Israel is in Deu ;ַנֲחָלה32:9 called ֵחֶלק while in Psa_16:5 ,יהוה David praises Jahveh as ְמָנת־ֶחְלק. For He is the framer ַהֹּכל, i.e., of the universe. Israel is the stock of His inheritance, i.e., the race which belongs to Him as a peculiar possession. ֵׁשֶבט ַנֲחָלת is like ֶחֶבל ;Deu_32:9 ,ַנֲחָלתin Psa_74:2 it is said of Mount Zion, and in Isa_63:17 it is used in the plural, 'ִׁשְבֵטי of ,נthe godly servants of the Lord. The name of this God, the framer of the universe, is Jahveh of hosts - the God whom the hosts of heaven, angels and stars, serve, the Lord and Ruler of the whole world; cf. Isa_54:5; Amo_4:13.PULPIT, "Jer_10:16The portion of Jacob; i.e. Jehovah. The phrase appears to have been coined at a lower level of religion, when every nation was supposed to have its own patron deity; just as the prophet says, ironically, to the fetish-worshippers of Israel, "Among the smooth stones of the stream is thy portion" (Isa_57:5), and Moses, in Deuteronomy (Deu_4:19), speaks of the host of heaven as having been "divided [i.e. assigned] unto all nations under the whole heaven." But, of course, the phrase is susceptible of a high, spiritual application (comp. Psa_16:5; Psa_142:5). God’s people are, by their very conception, an ἐκλογὴ, chosen out by God, and choosing him, and not the world, for their portion. "Making the best of both worlds" is an object implicitly condemned by this consecrated phrase. The former of all things. How much more forcible is the original phrase: " … of the whole," i.e. the universe! "To form" is a phrase constantly used of God in the second part of Isaiah. The rod of his inheritance. "Rod" should rather be tribe. The twelve tribes had an inner unity, as contrasted with other peoples; comp. Psa_74:2 and Isa_63:17 ("tribes").

CALVIN, "We have said before, that superstitions cannot be from the heart and boldly rejected, except the true God be known; for the heathens, even when they disapproved of the opinions of the vulgar, yet reasoned on both sides, and knew nothing certain, and had no sure faith. It is, therefore, necessary that we should have previously a knowledge of the true God. Hence the Prophets, whenever they spoke of idols, spoke also of the true God; for it would have been to little purpose to condemn these follies, except they represented God in his own real dignity. For this

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reason the Prophet says again, that God, who is the portion of Israel, is not like idols.He calls God the portion of Israel, that he might preserve the people in the pure truth of the law which they had learnt, and with which they had been favored; and thus he draws away the attention of the Israelites from all the inventions of men or of the heathens. The portion then of Israel is not like idols — how so? For he is the former of all things, that is, the creator of heaven and earth. Then he says, Israel is the rod of his inheritance (16) Rod may be taken for a measuring rod; and I think it ought to be so taken, for he mentions inheritance: for he took the comparison from common practice; as men are wont to measure fields and possessions by a rod. He therefore says, Israel is the rod, that is, the measuring rod of his inheritance He concludes by saying, Jehovah of hosts is his name MACLAREN, "POSSESSING AND POSSESSEDJeremiah 10:16Here we have set forth a reciprocal possession. We possess God, He possesses us. We are His inheritance, He is our portion. I am His; He is mine.This mutual ownership is the very living centre of all religion. Without it there is no relation of any depth between God and us. How much profounder such a conception is than the shallow notions about religion which so many men have! It is not a round of observance; not a painful effort at obedience, not a dim reverence for some vague supernatural, not a far-off bowing before Omnipotence, not the mere acceptance of a creed, but a life in which God and the soul blend in the intimacies of mutual possession.I. The mutual possession.God is our portion.That thought presupposes the possibility of our possessing God. It presupposes the fact that He has given Himself to us, and the answering fact that we have taken Him for ours.We are God’s inheritance.We give ourselves to Him-we do so where we apprehend that He has given Himself to us; it is His giving love that moves men to yield themselves to God. He takes us for His. What a wonderful thought that He delights in possessing us! The all-sufficiency of our portion is guaranteed because He is ‘the former of all things.’ The safety of His inheritance is secured because ‘the Lord of Hosts is His name.’ And that name accentuates the wonder that He to whom all the ordered armies of the universe submit and belong should still take us for His inheritance.

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Mark the contrast of this true possession with the false and merely external possessions of the world. Those outward things which a man has stand in no real relation with him. They fade and fleet away, or have to be left, and, even while they last, are not his in any real sense. Only what has indissolubly entered into, and become one with, our very selves is truly ours.Our possession of God suggests a view of our blessedness and our obligation. It secures blessedness-for we have in Him an all-sufficient object and a treasure for all our nature. It imposes the obligation to let our whole nature feed upon, and be filled by, Him, to see that the temple where He dwells is clean, and not to fling away our treasure.His possession of us suggests a corresponding view of our blessedness and our obligation.We are His-as slaves are their owners’ property. So we are bound to submission of will. To be owned by God is an honour. The slave’s goods and chattels belong to the master.His possession of us binds us to consecrate ourselves, and so to glorify Him in ‘body and spirit which are His.’It ensures our safety. How constantly this calming thought is dwelt on in Scripture-that they who belong to Him need fear nothing. ‘Fear not, I have called thee by thy name, them art Mine.’ God does not hold His possessions with so slack a grasp as to lose them or to suffer them to be wrenched away. A psalmist rose to the hope of immortality by meditating on what was involved in his being God’s possession here and now. He was sure that even Death’s bony fingers could not keep their hold on him, and so he sang, ‘Thou wilt not suffer Thine Holy One to see corruption.’ The seal on the foundation of God which guarantees its standing sure is, ‘The Lord knoweth them that are His.’ ‘They shall be Mine in the day that I do make, even a peculiar treasure,’ is His own assurance, on which resting, a trembling soul may ‘have boldness in the day of judgment.’II. The human response by which God becomes ours and we His.That response is first the act of faith, which is an act of both reason and will, and then the act of love and self-surrender which follows faith, and then the continuous acts of communion and consecration.All must commence with recognition of His free gift of Himself to us in Christ. We come empty-handed. That gift recognised and accepted moves us to give ourselves to Him. When we give ourselves to Him we find that we possess Him.Further, there must be continuous communion. This mutual possession depends on

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our occupation of mind and heart with Him. We possess Him and are possessed by Him, when our wills are kept in harmony with, and submission to, Him, when our thoughts are occupied with Him and His truth, when our affections rest in Him, when our desires go out to Him, when our hopes are centred in Him, when our practical life is devoted to Him.III. The blessedness of this mutual possession.To possess God is to have an all-sufficient object for all our nature. He who has God for his very own has the fountain of life in himself, has the spring of living water, as it were, in his own courtyard, and needs not to go elsewhere to draw. He need fear no loss, for his wealth is so engrained in the very substance of his being that nothing can rob him of it but himself, and that whilst he lasts it will last with, because in, him.How marvellous that into the narrow room of one poor soul He should come whom the heaven of heavens cannot contain! Solomon said, ‘How much less this house which I have built,’-well may we say the same of our little hearts. But He can compress Himself into that small compass and expand His abode by dwelling in it.Nor is the blessedness of being possessed by Him less than the blessedness of possessing Him. For so long as we own ourselves we are burdens to ourselves, and we only own ourselves truly when we give ourselves away utterly. Earthly love, with its blessed mysteries of mutual possession, teaches us that. But all its depth and joy are as nothing when set beside the liberty, the glad peace, the assured possession of our enriched selves, which are ours when we give ourselves wholly to God, and so for the first time are truly lords of ourselves, and find ourselves by losing ourselves in Him.Nor need we fear to say that God, too, delights in that mutual possession, for the very essence of love is the desire to impart itself, and He is love supreme and perfect. Therefore is He glad when we let Him give Himself to us, and moved by ‘the mercies of God, yield ourselves to Him a sacrifice of a sweet smell, acceptable to God.’PETT, "Jeremiah 10:16‘The Portion of Jacob is not like these,For he is the former of all things,And Israel is the tribe of his inheritance,YHWH of hosts is his name.’In total contrast to these idols is YHWH, the Portion of Jacob. He is the One Who formed (moulded, fashioned, determined) all things and chose Israel as His

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inheritance. And His Name is YHWH of hosts (controller of the hosts of heaven, the hosts of earth, and of all things - Genesis 2:1).‘The Portion of Jacob.’ He has given Himself to His people as their ‘portion’, that is, as the most important thing allotted to them in His scheme of things. Compare how in Deuteronomy/Joshua YHWH was Levi’s inheritance (Deuteronomy 10:9; Joshua 13:33). It was His will and service for which they were responsible and on which they had to concentrate. So the idea here is that it was the Name of YHWH and His truth and covenant for which they were given responsibility, in return for which they received the assurance of His provision and protection. This includes all who in truth call on the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ, who are the true descendants of Abraham (Galatians 3:29) and Jacob, who are the true Israel (Matthew 16:18; Romans 11:17-28; Galatians 6:16; Ephesians 2:11-22; 1 Peter 2:9; 1 Peter 1:1; James 1:1; etc.), Who are God’s elect (Ephesians 1:4; 1 Peter 1:1; 1 Peter 2:9).In response Israel were the tribe of His inheritance, given responsibility to watch over it. There is here an indication of the two-way relationship between God and His people. He is their God and their Father, they are His people and His children. He is their Provider and Protector, they are responsible to watch over His interests, obeying Him and walking in His ways.

Coming Destruction17 Gather up your belongings to leave the land, you who live under siege.

BARNES, "The prophet now returns to the main subject of his sermon, the conquest of Judaea.

Thy wares - Rather, thy bundle, which could contain a few articles for necessary use, and be carried in the hand. They are going into exile.O inhabitant of the fortress - i. e., thou that art besieged, that inhabitest a besieged town.

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CLARKE, "Gather up thy wares - Pack up your goods, or what necessaries of life your enemies will permit you to carry away; for,

GILL, "Gather up thy wares out of the land,.... Or thy merchandise, as the Targum; or thy substance, as the Septuagint; all valuable effects and goods that are movable, which might be carried from place to place. The meaning is, that the Jews would gather up their riches from the several parts of the land of Judea, and bring them to Jerusalem, a fortified place; or they would be in danger of falling into the hands of the enemy. Kimchi interprets the words as if spoken of Babylon, and directed to the Chaldeans, not to be elated with the captivity of Israel; and because the word כנעsignifies "to humble and subdue" he takes the sense to be, "gather in or contract thine humiliation or subjection;'' that is, of other nations; refrain thyself, or cease from subduing kingdoms; that is now at an end, it shall be no more so; but the words manifestly respect the people of the Jews, as is clear from the next verse. O inhabitant of the fortress; of the fortress of Zion, or the fortified city, Jerusalem. The Targum is, "O thou that dwellest in the strong place, in the fortified cities.'' It may be rendered, "that dwellest in the siege" (y); in the besieged city, Jerusalem.

HENRY 17-18, "In these verses,I. The prophet threatens, in God's name, the approaching ruin of Judah and Jerusalem, Jer_10:17, Jer_10:18. The Jews that continued in their own land, after some were carried into captivity, were very secure; they thought themselves inhabitants of a fortress; their country was their strong hold, and, in their own conceit, impregnable; but they are here told to think of leaving it: they must prepare to go after their brethren, and pack up their effects in expectation of it: “Gather up thy wares out of the land; contract your affairs, and bring them into as small a compass as you can. Arise, depart, this is not your rest,” Mic_2:10. Let not what you have lie scattered, for the Chaldeans will be upon you again, to be the executioners of the sentence God has passed upon you (Jer_10:18): “Behold, I will sling out the inhabitants of the land at this once; they have hitherto dropped out, by a few at a time, but one captivity more shall make a thorough riddance, and they shall be slung out as a stone out of a sling, so easily, so thoroughly shall they be cast out; nothing of them shall remain. they shall be thrown out with violence, and driven to a place at a great distance off, in a little time.” See this comparison used to signify an utter destruction, 1Sa_25:29. Yet once more God will shake their land, and shake the wicked out of it, Heb_12:26. He adds, And I will distress them, that they may find it so. He will not only throw them out hence (that he may do and yet they may be easy elsewhere); but, whithersoever they go, trouble shall follow them; they shall be

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continually perplexed and straitened, and at a loss within themselves: and who or what can make those easy whom God will distress, whom he will distress that they may find it so, that they may feel that which they would not believe? They were often told of the weight of God's wrath and their utter inability to make head against it, or bear up under it. They were told that their sin would be their ruin, and they would not regard nor credit what was told them; but now they shall find it so; and therefore God will pursue them with his judgments, that they may find it so, and be forced to acknowledge it. Note, sooner or later sinners will find it just as the word of God has represented things to them, and no better, and that the threatenings were not bugbears.JAMISON, "wares — thine effects or movable goods (Eze_12:3). Prepare for

migrating as captives to Babylon. The address is to Jerusalem, as representative of the whole people.inhabitant of the fortress — rather, “inhabitress of the fortress.” Though thou now seemest to inhabit an impregnable fortress, thou shalt have to remove. “The land” is the champaign region opposed to the “fortified” cities. The “fortress” being taken, the whole “land” will share the disaster. Henderson translates, “Gather up thy packages from the ground.” Rosenmuller, for “fortress,” translates, “siege,” that is, the besieged city. The various articles, in this view, are supposed to be lying about in confusion on the ground during the siege.

K&D, "The captivity of the people, their lamentation for the devastation of the land, and entreaty that the punishment may be mitigated. - Jer_10:17. "Gather up thy bundle out of the land, thou that sittest in the siege. Jer_10:18. For thus hath Jahveh spoken: Behold, I hurl forth the inhabitants of the land this time, and press them hard, that they may find them. Jer_10:19. Woe is me for my hurt! grievous is my stroke! yet I think: This is my suffering, and I will bear it! Jer_10:20. My tent is despoiled, and all my cords are rent asunder. My sons have forsaken me, and are gone: none stretches forth my tent any more, or hangs up my curtains. Jer_10:21. For the shepherds are becomebrutish, and have not sought Jahveh; therefore they have not dealt wisely, and the whole flock is scattered. - Jer_10:22. Hark! a rumour: behold, it comes, and great commotion from the land of midnight, to make the cities of Judah a desolation, an abode of jackals. - Jer_10:23. I know, Jahveh, that the way of man is not in himself, nor in the man that walketh to fix his step. Jer_10:24. Chasten me, Jahveh, but according to right; not in Thine anger, lest Thou make me little. Jer_10:25. Pour out Thy fury upon the peoples that know Thee not, and upon the races that call not upon Thy name! for they have devoured Jacob, have devoured him and made an end of him, and laid his pastures waste."Jer_10:17-20

In Jer_10:17 the congregation of the people is addressed, and captivity in a foreign land is announced to them. This announcement stands in connection with Jer_9:25, in so far as captivity is the accomplishment of the visitation of Judah threatened in Jer_9:24. That connection is not, however, quite direct; the announcement is led up to by the warning against idolatry of vv. 1-16, inasmuch as it furnishes confirmation of the threat uttered in Jer_10:15, that the idols shall perish in the day of their visitation, and shows besides how, by its folly in the matter of idolatry, Judah has drawn judgment down on 109

itself. The confession in Jer_10:21 : the shepherds are become brutish, points manifestly back to the description in Jer_10:14 of the folly of the idolaters, and exhibits the connection of Jer_10:17-25 with the preceding warning against idolatry. For "gather up," etc., Hitz. translates: gather thy trumpery from the ground; so that the expression would have a contemptuous tone. But the meaning of rubbish cannot be proved to belong to ִּכְנָעה; and the mockery that would lie in the phrase is out of place. ִּכְנָעה, from Arab. kǹ, contrahere, constipare, means that which is put together, packed up, one's bundle. The connection of ָאַסף and ֵמֶאֶרץ is pregnant: put up thy bundle and carry it forth of the land. As N. G. Schroeder suspected, there is about the expression something of the nature of a current popular phrase, like the German Schnür dein Bündel, pack up, i.e., make ready fore the road. She who sits in the siege. The daughter of Zion is meant, but we must not limit the scope to the population of Jerusalem; as is clear from "inhabitants of the land," Jer_10:18, the population of the whole land are comprised in the expression. As to the form ֶׁשֶבתי ִאְסִּפי .see at Jer_22:23 ,י with dag. lene after the sibilant, as in Isa_47:2. "I hurl forth" expresses the violent manner of the captivity; cf. Isa_22:17. "This time;" hitherto hostile invasions ended with plundering and the imposition of a tribute: 2Ki_14:14; 2Ki_16:5; 2Ki_18:13. - And I press them hard, or close them in, ְלַמַען These words are variously explained, because there is no .ִיְמָצאּוobject expressed, and there may be variety of opinion as to what is the subject. Hitz., Umbr., Näg., take the verb find in the sense of feel, and so the object ָצָרה would easily be supplied from the verb ֲהֵצֹרִתי: so that they may feel it, i.e., I will press them sensibly. But we cannot make sure of this meaning for ָמָצא either from Jer_17:9 or from Ecc_8:17, where know (ָיַדע) and ָמָצא are clearly identical conceptions. Still less is Graf entitled to supply as object: that which they seek and are to find, namely, God. His appeal in support of this to passages like Psa_32:6; Deu_4:27 and Deu_4:29, proves nothing; for in such the object is manifestly suggested by the contest, which is not the case here. A just conclusion is obtained when we consider that ֲהֵצֹרִתי contains a play on ר ַּבָּמצ in Jer_10:17, and cannot be understood otherwise than as a hemming in by means of a siege. The aim of the siege is to bring those hemmed in under the power of the besiegers, to get at, reach them, or find them. Hence we must take the enemy as subject to "find," while the object is given in ָלֶהם: so that they (the enemy) may find them (the besieged). Thus too Jerome, who translates the disputed verb passively: et tribulabo eos ut inveniantur; while he explains the meaning thus: sic eos obsideri faciam, sicque tribulabo et coangustabo, ut omnes in urbe reperiantur et effugere nequeant malum. Taken thus, the second clause serves to strengthen the first: I will hurl forth the inhabitants of this land into a foreign land, and none shall avoid this fate, for I will so hem them in that none shall be able to escape.CALVIN, "The first verse which we have recited, the Rabbins think, is addressed to the Chaldeans, but in my view very incorrectly. Jeremiah had indeed said that all the nations who devised gods of stone and of other corruptible materials, were very foolish; but we have seen for what purpose he said this, even to confirm the Israelites, who were captives, and in addition to the disgrace of exile were greatly hated by the Chaldeans and the Assyrians; it was, I say, to confirm them, lest they should depart from the true worship of God, but constantly defend the honor of

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their God, from whom they expected restoration. It is, therefore, absurd for the Rabbins to explain this verse of the Chaldeans; for the two verses ought to be connected, gather thy merchandise, because thus saith Jehovah It is then strange that these interpreters apply the second verse to the Israelites, while they read the first by itself, as though they were not connected: yet a reason is given why he bids all wages to be gathered.But the meaning is simply this, — that the whole country would be exposed to the will of their enemies, that they might plunder it: as then devastation was nigh at hand, the Prophet bids those in fortified places to gather their wages, or to gather a gathering, (we shall hereafter speak of this expression.) Now, we have already stated in several places, that the Prophets ironically touched on the torpidity of the people; for plain truth would have had no effect, except it was urged on them as it were vehemently The Prophet then undertakes the character of a man, who brings warlike tidings, as we shall more clearly see presently. But in this place, as in some other places, he declares that nowhere in Judea would there be safety, except in fortresses; which yet would not be able to resist the attacks of enemies, as we shall hereafter see.As to the words, some give this rendering, “gather thy humiliation,” as כנע cano, means to be humble; but they apply the words to Babylon, as though the Prophet had said, “Now cease to subdue the remaining nations.” Thus they take the verb אסףasaph, in the sense of contraction, when some moderation is observed. But I have already said that this verse cannot refer to Babylon or to the Chaldeans. As then the Prophet addresses the Jews, and speaks of their effects, or of their merchandise, or precious things, which were wont to be gathered and laid up; as though he had said, “Gather thy gathering;” for the word כנע cano, means also to collect or to gather: and this is a suitable meaning, it being taken afterwards for doing business. But as to the subject itself there is no obscurity; for the Prophet shews that in a short time the whole of Judea would be laid waste by enemies; and as it was to be exposed to plunder, what is usual was to be done, that is, to gather whatever was valuable into fortified cities. In short, the Prophet here declares that war and ruin would come on the Jews, which would extend through the whole land; for by land he means the country, as distinguished from fortified towns. COFFMAN, "Verse 17"Gather up thy wares out of the land, O thou that abidest in the siege. For thus saith Jehovah, Behold, I will sling out the inhabitants of the land at this time, and will distress them, that they may feel it."Here Judah is commanded to pick up her bundle of belongings and begin the long trek to Babylon, on which journey they will be retained by a cord of some kind passed through the ear, the lip, or the nose. One may see such lines of captives upon the old murals and monuments from that era of the world's brutal history. The near approach of the disaster is forcefully indicated in these verses.

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"That they may feel it ..." (Jeremiah 10:18). "In the Syriac version, this reads, `That they may find me' (God)."[23]"I will sling out the inhabitants ..." (Jeremiah 10:18). There is a similar thought in Isaiah 22:18; and in both places the reference is to the violence of the expulsion. The metaphor comes from the habit of whirling a stone round and round in a sling and then releasing it.COKE, "Verse 17Jeremiah 10:17. Gather up thy wares— That is, "Collect to Jerusalem all that you have valuable in the country: fly thither for refuge, with your best effects; for the enemy will soon extend himself all over your land, and render it desolate." The Vulgate translates the word ֵכנעתך kinatheik, which we render wares, by confusion; meaning the idols, the causes of their disgrace and confusion: "Cause them," says the prophet, "to be assembled together, and brought into the city, to defend it for you against the enemy." See Calmet. PETT, "Verses 17-25YHWH Notifies Judah Of His Intention To Sling Them Out Of His Land And Punish Them, And They Express Their Grief As They Look Prophetically At His Having Done So. The Sound Of The Invaders Is Heard And His People Plead For What They Now See As Their Necessary Chastening And Correction Whilst Hoping That YHWH’s Anger Will Be Reserved For Those Who Have Devoured Them (Jeremiah 10:17-25).Having in Jeremiah 10:1-16 made clear YHWH’s superiority to the gods of the nations, and especially the great privilege that He had given to His people in making them His inheritance, He now makes clear that in spite of that fact He intends to sling them out of the land of His inheritance because they have forfeited the right to be there by their sins. This will result in their great grief at what has happened to them, something largely due to the failure of their shepherds. As a consequence the noise of the invasion is heard, and God’s people plead that He will not visit them with His anger but will rather chasten them and visit His anger on their destroyers. The passage may be analysed as follows:· The besieged nation are to gather up their possessions because they are about to be slung out of the land (Jeremiah 10:17-18).· Prophetically the nation express their grief at what has happened to them (Jeremiah 10:19-20).· They acknowledge that their situation is due to the fact that they have listened to false shepherds (Jeremiah 10:21).

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· The noise of the approaching invaders can be heard whose aim is to devastate Judah (Jeremiah 10:22).· His people acknowledge that they are incapable of walking rightly and call on YHWH not to finally deal with them in His anger, but rather to chasten them and correct them, and rather pour out His anger on those who have consumed them (Jeremiah 10:23-25).The Besieged Nation Are To Gather Up Their Possessions Ready To Be Slung Out Of The Land.Jeremiah 10:17-18‘Gather up your possessions out of the land,O you who abide in the siege.For thus says YHWH,Behold, I will sling out the inhabitants of the land at this time,And will distress them, that they may find.’The people are seen as undergoing siege and are not to hope for deliverance, but are rather to gather together such possessions as they can, because it is YHWH’s personal assurance that He is about to sling them out of His land, and will punish them severely enough for them to feel it. This time there will be no great deliverance, and the presence of the Temple will not save them (chapter 7).‘O you who abide in the siege.’ Literally ‘O you inhabitant in the fortress’ with the word ‘inhabitant’ being feminine, representing ‘the daughter of my people’.‘That they may find.’ We are not told what they find, and it is deliberately left open. Possibly it includes their deserts. Possibly it includes finding out the truth about themselves in their innermost hearts. Possibly it even includes the fact that in their need some might find YHWH. Possibly it is all three in the sense that some will find one thing and others another. They are going on a rather unpleasant voyage of discovery.Prophetically The Nation Express Their Grief At What Has Happened To Them.

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18 For this is what the Lord says: “At this time I will hurl out those who live in this land;I will bring distress on them so that they may be captured.”

BARNES, "Sling out - A similar metaphor for violent ejection occurs in Isa_22:18(see the note).

At this once - Or, “at this time.” Previous invasions had ended either in deliverance, or at most in temporary misfortune. God’s long-suffering is exhausted, and this time Judaea must cease to be an independent nation.That they may find it so - Omit “so,” and explain either(1) “I will distress them” with the rigors of a siege “that they may feel it, i. e., the distress; or,(2) “that they may find” Me, God, that which alone is worth finding.

CLARKE, "I will sling out the inhabitants of the land - I will project you with violence from your country. I will send you all into captivity. This discourse, from Jer_10:17, is supposed to have been delivered in the eleventh year of Jehoiakim.

GILL, "For thus saith the Lord,.... This is a reason enforcing the exhortation in the preceding verse, and shows that the same people that are spoken of here are addressed there. Behold, I will sling out the inhabitants of the land at this once; meaning the inhabitants of the land of Judea; or otherwise the prophet would never have expressed such a concern for them as he does in the following verse. Their captivity is signified by the slinging of a stone out of a sling, and shows how sudden, swift, and certain, it would be: and that it would as easily and swiftly be done, and with equal force and rapidity, as a stone is slung out of a sling; and that it would be done by the Lord himself, whoever were the instruments: and will distress them; or "straiten" (z) them, on every side; it seems to intend the siege; or bring them into great straits and difficulties, through the pestilence, famine,

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sword, and captivity: that they may find it; so as he had spoken by his prophets, it coming to pass exactly as they had foretold. The Targum is, "that they may receive the punishment of their sins;'' and so the Septuagint and Arabic versions, "that thy stroke may be found"; but the Syriac version is very different from either, "that they may seek me and find"; which is an end that is sometimes answered by afflictive dispensations.

JAMISON, "sling out — expressing the violence and suddenness of the removal to Babylon. A similar image occurs in Jer_16:13; 1Sa_25:29; Isa_22:17, Isa_22:18.

at this once — at this time, now.find it so — find it by experience, that is, feel it (Eze_6:10). Michaelis translates, “I will bind them together (as in a sling) that they may reach the goal” (Babylon). English Version is best: “that they may find it so as I have said” (Num_23:19; Eze_6:10).

PULPIT, "Jer_10:18I will sling out; a forcible image, to express the violence of the expulsion; comp. Isa_22:17, Isa_22:18 (Isa_22:17 needs correcting). At this once; rather, at this time (comp. Jer_16:21). Invasion was no novelty to the Jews, but had hitherto merely produced loss of goods rather than of personal liberty. That they may find it so; better, that they may feel it. Others supply as. the subject "Jehovah," comparing Psa_32:6, "In a time of finding. Jeremiah himself says, "Ye shall seek me, and shall find, when ye shall search for me with all your heart" (Jer_29:13 and Deu_4:29). Still, these passages are hardly quite parallel, as the object of the verb can be easily supplied from the connection. The Vulgate apparently reads the text with different vowels, for it renders ut inveniantur; the Septuagint has "that thy stroke may be found."

CALVIN, "Then follows the reason, For thus saith Jehovah, Behold, I will with a sling cast out the inhabitants of the land Land here is to be taken in another sense, even for the whole country. Wherever then the Jews dwelt, the Lord, says the Prophet, will draw them forth, yea, east them out as with a sling. We now then see that the vengeance which the Jews despised is denounced on them, because they remained securely in their own delusions; and what still more provoked God’s wrath, they regarded all that Jeremiah said of his judgment as a fable. But he compares their violent exile to slinging, and represents the Lord as the slinger. We know that when a sling is flung and a stone is cast, the motion is very violent. Such a casting away is then what God here threatens the people with, — that he would violently throw them here and there, like stones when cast by a sling.And he says at this term or time, in order that the Jews might know that their calamity would be like a sudden storm. For they had often been subject to the assaults of enemies; but at one time they had delivered themselves, at another the

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Chaldeans and Assyrians had been constrained to turn aside to other quarters; or they had been miraculously delivered by God’s aid. They hoped that it would be the same always; and they thought also that by protracting the war they could disappoint their enemies, as they had often done; and further still, they expected aid from various quarters. Hence the Prophet says, that they would be so taken away, that God would at once cast them all out of the land, and east them out as it were in one day: at this time they, will I fling out the inhabitants of the landThen he says, And I will straiten them. Some render the verb transitively, as it is in Hiphil, “I will cause them to be besieged by their enemies,” and then, “that their enemies may find them.” But this seems forced. Others more correctly give this explanation of the last clause, “that they may find,” that is, as true, what had been so often foretold them. For, as we have said, the Prophets and their threatenings had been despised, as the Jews had hardened themselves in their impiety: therefore this interpretation may be allowed. But I prefer a more general meaning, — that they may find, even what they had sought; for they had in many and various ways provoked the wrath of God: it was therefore right that they should at last find that which they had by their perverse doings procured for themselves, according to what is said in Isaiah 57:10,“They shall find the fruit of their own ways.”The Jews sought nothing less than the calamity which Jeremiah denounced on them: but they had really long sought it; for it was right that they should receive the wages due to their wickedness. Then it is, that they may find, that is, the reward of their own works. (17) It follows —17.Gather from the land thy gains, Thou who dwellest in a fortress!18.For thus saith Jehovah, — Behold I will sling out The inhabitants of the land at this time, And will fortress them, that they may be taken.The first verse is spoken ironically, recommending what they were doing. Then the Lord says what he would do: They were gathering their goods into fortresses in order to secure them, and the Lord says that he would violently fortress (as the word means literally) or drive into fortresses all the inhabitants of the land, and would do so, that they might be found or taken, that is, captives; there would be no need of collecting the people, for they would be driven into fortified cities, where the enemies would find them. This seems to be the meaning of this verse, which Horsley deemed “very obscure,” and elucidated “by no expositor.” — Ed. TRAPP, "Jeremiah 10:18 For thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will sling out the inhabitants of the land at this once, and will distress them, that they may find [it so].Ver. 18. BehoId, I will sling out the inhabitants of this land.] I will easily and speedily sling them, and sling them into Babylon; so God will one day hurl into hell

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all the wicked of the earth. [Psalms 9:17]And will distress them, that they may find it so.] Just so as they were foretold it would be, but they could never be drawn to believe it.

19 Woe to me because of my injury! My wound is incurable!Yet I said to myself, “This is my sickness, and I must endure it.”

BARNES, "The lamentation of the daughter of Zion, the Jewish Church, at the devastation of the land, and her humble prayer to God for mercy.Jer_10:19

Grievous - Rather, “mortal,” i. e., fatal, incurable.A grief - Or, “my grief.”CLARKE, "This is a grief, and I must bear it - Oppressive as it is, I have

deserved it, and worse; but even in this judgment God remembers mercy.

GILL, "Woe is me for my hurt!.... Or "breach" (a); which was made upon the people of the Jews, when besieged, taken, and carried captive; with whom the prophet heartily sympathized, and considered their calamities and distresses as his own; for these are the words of the prophet, lamenting the sad estate of his people. My wound is grievous; causes grief, is very painful, and hard to be endured: but I said; within himself, after he had thoroughly considered the matter: this is a grief; an affliction, a trial, and exercise:

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and I must bear it; patiently and quietly, since it is of God, and is justly brought upon the people for their sins. HENRY, "He brings in the people sadly lamenting their calamities (Jer_10:19): Woe is me for my hurt! Some make this the prophet's own lamentation, not for himself, but for the calamities and desolations of his country. He mourned for those that would not be persuaded to mourn for themselves; and, since there were none that had so much sense as to join with them, he weeps in secret, and cries out, Woe is me! In mournful times it becomes us to be of a mournful spirit. But it may be taken as the language of the people, considered as a body, and therefore speaking as a single person. The prophet puts into their mouths the words they should say; whether they would say them or no, they should have cause to say them. Some among them would thus bemoan themselves, and all of them, at last, would be forced to do it. 1. They lament that the affliction is very great, and it is very hard to them to bear it, the more hard because they had not been used to trouble and now did not expect it: “Woe is me for my hurt, not for what I fear, but for what I feel;” for they are not, as some are, worse frightened than hurt. Nor is it a slight hurt, but a wound, a wound that is grievous, very painful, and very threatening. 2. That there is no remedy but patience. They cannot help themselves, but must sit still, and abide it: But I said, when I was about to complain of my wound, To what purpose is it to complain? This is a grief, and I must bear it as well as I can. This is the language rather of a sullen than of a gracious submission, of a patience per force, not a patience by principle. When I am in affliction I should say, “This is an evil, and I will bear it, because it is the will of God that I should, because his wisdom has appointed this for me and his grace will make it work for good to me.” This is receiving evil at the hand of God, Job_2:10. But to say, “This is an evil, and I must bear it, because I cannot help it,” is but a brutal patience, and argues a want of those good thoughts of God which we should always have, even under our afflictions, saying, not only, God can and will do what he pleases, but, Let him do what he pleases.JAMISON, "

Judea bewails its calamity.wound — the stroke I suffer under.I must bear — not humble submission to God’s will (Mic_7:9), but sullen impenitence. Or, rather, it is prophetical of their ultimate acknowledgment of their guilt as the cause of their calamity (Lam_3:39).

PULPIT, "Jer_10:19It is rather doubtful (as in the parallel passage, Jer_4:19-21) whether the speaker here is the prophet, or "the daughter of my people," who, in Jer_6:26, is called upon to "make most bitter lamentation." Of course, the prophet cannot dissociate himself from his people; and we rosy therefore, perhaps, consider both references united. Hurt; literally, breach; a term so used for political calamities. A grief; rather, my grief; but "grief" is meant to include both physical and mental sufferings (literally, my sickness).

CALVIN, "The Prophet here no doubt speaks in the name of the whole people; for he saw that no one was moved by threatenings, though very grievous and severe;

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and this mode of speaking must be sufficiently known to us, for it is commonly used by all the prophets. They first, addressed the people; but when they saw that they produced no effect, in order to shew their indignation, they speak of themselves as in the presence of God: thus they rebuked the hardness and torpidity of men. So now does Jeremiah speak, Woe to me for my bruising! He did not grieve on his own account; but, as I have said, he represents the grief which the whole people ought to have felt, which yet they did not feel at all. As then they were so stupid, and proudly derided God and his threatenings, the Prophet shews to them, as it were in a mirror, what grievous and bitter lamentation awaited them.We must then bear in mind that the Prophet speaks not here according to the feeling which the people had, for they were so stupified that they felt nothing; but that he speaks of what they ought to have felt, as though he had said, — “Were there in them a particle of wisdom, they would all most surely bewail their approaching calamity, before God begins to make his judgment to fall on their heads; but no one is moved: I shall therefore weep alone, but it is on your account.” There is yet no doubt but he intended to try in every way whether God’s threatenings would penetrate into their hearts.He says that his smiting was full of pain; and then adds, And I said, Surely it is my stroke, and I will bear it. As I have already said, he does not relate what the Jews said or thought, but what would have been the case with them had they the smallest portion of wisdom. Some connect this with the following verse, as though the Prophet had said that he thought himself able to bear his grief, but was deceived, as he was at length constrained to succumb. But this is an incorrect view, and the passage runs better otherwise. The Prophet here reminds his own people with what feeling they ought to have regarded the fact, that God was angry with them; for he no doubt indirectly condemns their sottishness, because God’s hand was put forth to chastise them, and yet they disregarded the hand of him who smote them. He then relates what they ought to have thought and felt, when God shewed tokens of his wrath, — that they ought to have acknowledged that it was their own stroke, and that it was therefore to be borne: for it is the best preparation for repentance when the sinner acknowledges that he is justly smitten, and when he willingly receives the yoke. When, therefore, any one proceeds thus far, his conversion is half effected.The Prophet then teaches us here that the only remedy which remained for the Jews was to be fully convinced that they deserved the punishment which they endured, and then patiently to submit to God’s judgment, according to what a dutiful son does who suffers himself to be chastised when he offends. The word is used in another sense in Psalms 77:10,“To die is my lot.”The Prophet has חלי, cheli, here; but there it is חלותי cheluti. That passage is indeed variously explained; but it seenis to be an expression of despair, when it is said, “To die is my lot;” that is, it is all over with me. But the Prophet here shews that it was

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the beginning of repentance, when the Jews confessed that they deserved their stroke; for no doubt there is here a comparison made between sin and its punishment, as though the Prophet had said, “We have thus deserved, and God allots to us the reward due to our sins.” It is one thing, — to give glory to God, by confessing that he inflicts due punishment; but it is not sufficient unless patience be added, —I will bear it; that is, I will submit to God. For there are many who, when convinced of their sins, do yet complain against their judge, and also raise a clamor. Hence the Prophet joins together these two things, — the confession of sin and patience; so that they who experience the severity of God quietly submit to him as long as He exercises towards them the office of a judge. (18) He afterwards adds —Then he proceeds to state his distress: he had none even to assist pitch his tent, the people having all been driven to fortified cities. — Ed.

COFFMAN, ""Woe is me because of my hurt! my wound is grievous: but I said, Truly this is my grief, and I must bear it. My tent is destroyed, and all my cords are broken: there is none to spread my tent any more, and to set up my curtains. For the shepherds are become brutish, and have not inquired of Jehovah: therefore they have not prospered, and all their flocks are scattered. The voice of tidings, behold, it cometh, and a great commotion out of the north country, to make the cities of Judah a desolation, a dwelling place of jackals."In the sad picture that emerges here, Jerusalem is compared to a tent-dwelling mother whose tent has been destroyed and her children carried away. Nobody is left to help her repair the tent. The blame belongs to the ignorant leaders who neglected to ask guidance from the Lord. Then the scene changes a bit. Destruction is already approaching from the north country, which was the usual entry into Palestine by invading nations. The Jewish Targum gives the general sense here, thus: "My land is desolate, and all my cities plundered: my people are gone into captivity, and are not."[24]Jeremiah's sorrow over the fate of his people is so great, and he is identified with them so completely, that the lament of the plundered and destroyed nation seems to be adopted as his own."The shepherds ..." (Jeremiah 10:21). These were all of the people's leaders, including kings, priests, scribes, false prophets, and all the rest. They had wantonly and willfully forsaken God with the inevitable consequences about to be executed upon Judah."The voice ... behold, it cometh ..." (Jeremiah 10:22). "These words indicate that the captivity is still, at this time, in the future."[25]TRAPP, "Jeremiah 10:19 Woe is me for my hurt! my wound is grievous: but I said, Truly this [is] a grief, and I must bear it.

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Ver. 19. Woe is me for my hurt! my wound is grievous.] This is the moan that people make when in distress, and they find it so. But what after a while of paining?Truly this is my grief, and I must bear it,] i.e., Bear it off, as well as I may, by head and shoulders, or bear up under it, and rub through it, wearing it out as well as I can; when things are at worst, they mend again. Crosses, as they had a time to come in, so they must have a time to go out, &c. This is not patience, but pertinace, the "strength of stones and flesh of brass"; [Job 6:12] it draweth on more weight of plagues and punishments. God liketh not this indolence, this stupidity, this despising of his corrections, as he calleth it; [Hebrews 12:5] such shall be made to cry, when God bindeth them, [Job 36:11] as here.PETT, "Jeremiah 10:19‘Woe is me because of my hurt!My wound is grievous,But I said, Truly this is my grief,And I must bear it.’The people as a whole thus express their grief and hurt at what is happening to them, but recognise that it is something that they must bear, an idea which expresses their acknowledgement that it is what they deserve.

20 My tent is destroyed; all its ropes are snapped.My children are gone from me and are no more; no one is left now to pitch my tent or to set up my shelter.

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BARNES, "Jer_10:20tabernacle - i. e., “tent.” Jerusalem laments that her tent is plundered and her children carried into exile, and so “are not,” are dead Mat_2:18, either absolutely, or dead to her in the remote land of their captivity. They can aid the widowed mother no longer in pitching her tent, or in hanging up the curtains round about it.CLARKE, "My tabernacle is spoiled - The city is taken, and all our villages

ruined and desolated.

GILL, "My tabernacle is spoiled,.... Not the temple at Jerusalem only, rather Jerusalem itself, as Kimchi; or the whole land, as the Targum, "my land is wasted:'' the allusion is to the tents of shepherds, and denotes the unstable condition of the Jewish nation: and all my cords are broken: all the rest of the cities of the land are destroyed, as Kimchi; and so the Targum, "my cities are spoiled:'' as the cords are what the parts of the tabernacle or tent are fastened and kept together with, they may intend the strength of the nation, which lay in its wealth, its fortresses, and the numbers of its people, now weakened, loosed, and broke. My children are gone forth of me; into captivity, as the Targum interprets it; the prophet, representing Jerusalem, and the cities of Judah. The Septuagint adds, "and my sheep"; keeping on the metaphor of a shepherd, his tent, and flock. And they are not; either not in the world, being destroyed by one judgment or another; or rather not in their own land, being carried captive. There is none to stretch forth my tent any more, and to set up my curtains; which shows the great destruction and desolation of the land, and its inhabitants, that there would be none to set up a shepherd's tent; perhaps the rebuilding of Jerusalem, and the rest of the cities, may be meant.HENRY, "That the country was quite ruined and wasted (Jer_10:20): My tabernacle is spoiled. Jerusalem, though a strong city, now proves as weak and moveable as a tabernacle or tent, when it is taken down, and all its cords, that should keep it together, are broken. Or by the tabernacle here may be meant the temple, the sanctuary, which at first was but a tabernacle, and is now called so, as then it was sometimes called a temple. Their church is ruined, and all the supports of it fail. It was a general destruction of church and state, city and country, and there were none to repair these desolations. “My children have gone forth of me; some have fled, others are slain, others carried into captivity, so that as to me, they are not; I am likely to be an outcast, and to perish for

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want of shelter; for there is none to stretch forth my tent any more, none of my children that used to do it for me, none to set up my curtains, none to do me any service.” Jerusalem has none to guide her of all her sons, Isa_51:18. 4. That the rulers took no care, nor any proper measures, for the redress of their grievances and the re-establishing of heir ruined state (Jer_10:21): The pastors have become brutish. When the tents, the shepherds' tents, were spoiled (Jer_10:20), it concerned the shepherds to look after them; but they were foolish shepherds. Their kings and princes had no regard at all for the public welfare, seemed to have no sense of the desolations of the land, but were quite besotted and infatuated. The priests, the pastors of God's tabernacle, did a great deal towards the ruin of religion, but nothing towards the repair of it. They are brutishindeed, for they have not sought the Lord; they have neither made their peace with him nor their prayer to him; they had no eye to him and his providence, in their management of affairs; they neither acknowledged the judgment, nor expected the deliverance, to come from his hand. Note, Those are brutish people that do not seek the Lord, that live without prayer, and live without God in the world. Every man is either a saint or a brute. But it is sad indeed with a people when their pastors, that should feed them with knowledge and understanding, are themselves thus brutish. And what comes of it? Therefore they shall not prosper; none of their attempts for the public safety shall succeed. Note, Those cannot expect to prosper who do not by faith and prayer take God along with them in all their ways. And, when the pastors are brutish, what else can be expected but that all their flocks should be scattered? For, if the blind lead the blind, both will fall into the ditch. The ruin of a people is often owing to the brutishness of their pastors.JAMISON, "tabernacle is spoiled — metaphor from the tents of nomadic life; as

these are taken down in a few moments, so as not to leave a vestige of them, so Judea (Jer_4:20).cords — with which the coverings of the tent are extended.curtains — tent-curtains.

PULPIT, "Jer_10:20My tabernacle; rather, my tent. It is very striking how present to the minds of the Israelites was the consciousness of their pastoral origin. Hence the cry, "To your tents, O Israel" (1Ki_12:16); comp. also, "And the children of Israel dwelt in their tents, as aforetime" (2Ki_13:5). My cords … my curtains. The "cords ’ are those which, by being fastened to poles and stakes, keep the tent steady; the "curtains," of course, are the covering of the tent (comp. Isa_54:2).

CALVIN, "This metaphor may have been taken from shepherds, and it seems suitable here; yet the prophets often compare the Church to a tent. Though indeed it is said elsewhere that the Church is built on the holy mountains, (Psalms 87:1) and great firmness is ascribed to it, yet, as to its external condition, it may justly be said to be like a tent, for there is no fixed residence for God’s children on earth, for they are often constrained to ehange their place; and hence Paul speaks of the faithful as unsettled. (1 Corinthians 4:11.) But as, in the next verse, mention is made of shepherds, the Prophet seems here to refer to the tents of shepherds. Though indeed

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he takes hereafter the similitude more generally, or in a wider sense, yet there is no reason why he should not allude to the shepherds of whom he afterwards speaks, and yet retain the metaphor which so often occurs in all the prophets.He then says that his tent was pulled down, and that all his cords were broken Some take the tent for the city of Jerusalem, but this is a strained view, and unsuitable. We have already said that the Prophet speaks here in the name of the whole people; and it is the same as though he compared the people to a man dwelling with his family in a tent. He adds, My children are gone forth from me The people then complain that they were deprived of all their children; nor was this all, but they were scattered here and there, which was worse than if they had been taken away by death. He afterwards says, And there is no one to extend my tent, and to set up my curtains Jeremiah shews that the people would be so bereaved as to have none to bring them any assistance, though in much want of it.No one then thought that such a thing would take place, and Jeremiah was held in contempt, and some raged against him, and yet He shewed what would be. And that what he said might be more forcible, and produce a stronger effect, he speaks in their name, like a poet in a play, who describes a miser, and mentions things suitable to his character, making use of such words and actions, so that he cannot but see, as it were in a mirror, his own disposition and conduct. So also the Prophet does here; for when He saw that the stupid people could not be moved by the simple truth, he told them what they all ought to have felt in their liearts, and to have testified by their mouths, — that they were solitary, deserted by all who belonged to them, and that there was no one to bring them any help. (19) But he pursues, as we have said, the same metaphor. It follows —My tent, it is laid waste, And all my curtains, they are broken; My sons, they have left me, and there are none of them; No one extends any more my tent, and sets up my curtains.When the noun precedes its verb in Hebrew, I consider that it ought commonly to be rendered as above. “There are none of them,” that is, with me; not that they “were not,” that is, that they were dead. — Ed. TRUPP, "Jeremiah 10:20 My tabernacle is spoiled, and all my cords are broken: my children are gone forth of me, and they [are] not: [there is] none to stretch forth my tent any more, and to set up my curtains.Ver. 20. My tabernacle is spoiled.] I am irreparably ruined; like as when a camp is quite broken up, not any part of a tent or hut is left standing.PETT, "Jeremiah 10:20‘My tent is destroyed,

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And all my cords are broken,My children are gone forth from me,And they are not,There is none to spread my tent any more,And to set up my curtains.In picturesque terms the people seen as a whole then prophetically describe their homes as like a tent that has collapsed with its tent ropes broken, and with the children who usually help with the erection of the tent having gone into exile, and being as though they were no longer in existence. The consequence is that there is no one to re-establish their homes or make life bearable again. The words are seen as on the lips of a fictitious ‘daughter of His people’ seen as a parent who has been left helpless and deserted in their homeland, even though most were there no longer. There would, however, always be a few who had taken refuge and therefore had survived and remained in the land.The idea of the tent might look back to the period in the wilderness when they had served YHWH more truly, something that lies at the heart of Jeremiah’s thinking (Jeremiah 2:2-3). Then their tent had enjoyed protection. Now it was destroyed. Or it may be intended to indicate the transitoriness of life. All that we have are little better than a tent which can be easily dismantled. Israel in fact regularly described their houses as ‘their tents’.They Acknowledge That Their Situation Is Due To Their Having Listened To False Shepherds.

21 The shepherds are senseless and do not inquire of the Lord;so they do not prosper and all their flock is scattered.

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BARNES, "Jer_10:21Therefore they shall not prosper - Rather, “therefore they have not governed wisely.” “The pastors,” i. e., the kings and rulers Jer_2:8, having sunk to the condition of barbarous and untutored men, could not govern wisely.CLARKE, "The pastors are become brutish - The king and his counselors, who,

by refusing to pay the promised tribute to Nebuchadnezzar, had kindled a new war.

GILL, "For the pastors are become brutish,.... The "kings" of Judah, so the Targum, Jarchi, and Kimchi, as Jehoiakim and Zedekiah; though it need not be restrained to these only, but may include all inferior civil magistrates, and even all ecclesiastical rulers, who were the shepherds of the people; but these being like the brute beasts, and without understanding of civil and religious things, and not knowing how to govern the people either in a political or ecclesiastical way, were the cause of their ruin. And have not sought the Lord; this is an instance of their brutishness and stupidity, and opens the source of all their mistakes and misfortunes; they did not seek the Lord for counsel, by whom kings reign well, and princes decree justice; nor doctrine from the Lord, as the Targum, as the priests and prophets should have done, in order to instruct the people, and feed them with knowledge and understanding; nor did either of them seek the glory of God in what they did, but their own interest, worldly advantage, or applause: therefore they shall not prosper; in their kingdom, and in the several offices and stations in which they were. Some render the words, "therefore they do not act prudently" (b); not consulting the Lord, nor warning the people, nor giving them notice of approaching danger: and all their flocks shall be scattered; the people of the Jews that were under their government, civil or ecclesiastical, should be dispersed in several nations, and especially in Chaldee; wherefore it follows:

JAMISON, "pastors — the rulers, civil and religious. This verse gives the cause of the impending calamity.

K&D, "Jer_10:21-25The cause of this calamity is that the shepherds, i.e., the princes and leaders of the people (see on Jer_2:8; Jer_3:15), are become brutish, have not sought Jahveh, i.e., have not sought wisdom and guidance from the Lord. And so they could not deal wisely,

i.e., rule the people with wisdom. ִהְׂשִּכיל is here not merely: have prosperity, but: show wisdom, deal wisely, securing thus the blessed results of wisdom. This is shown both by the contrasted "become brutish" and by the parallel passage, Jer_3:15. ַמְרִעיָתם, their

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pasturing, equivalent to "flock of their pasturing," their flock, Jer_23:1.The calamity over which the people mourns is drawing near, Jer_10:22. Already is heard the tremendous din of a mighty host which approaches from the north to make

the cities of Judah a wilderness. ל ק ְׁשמּוָעה is an exclamation: listen to the rumour, it is coming near. From a grammatical point of view the subject to "comes" is "rumour," but in point of sense it is that of which the rumour gives notice. Graf weakens the sense by gathering the words into one assertory clause: "They hear a rumour come." The "great commotion" is that of an army on the march, the clattering of the weapons, the stamping and neighing of the war-horses; cf. Jer_6:23; Jer_8:16. From the land of midnight, the north, cf. Jer_1:14; Jer_4:6, etc. "To make the cities," etc., cf. Jer_4:7; Jer_9:10. - The rumour of the enemy's approach drives the people to prayer, Jer_10:23-25. The prayer of these verses is uttered in the name of the congregation. It begins with the confession: Not with man is his way, i.e., it is not within man's power to arrange the course of his life, nor in the power of the man who walks to fix his step ( ְוbefore ָהִכין merely marking the connection of the thought: cf. Ew. §348, a). The antithesis to ָלָאָדם and ְלִאיׁש is with God; cf. Psa_37:23; Pro_16:9 ,ליהוה : Man's heart deviseth his way, but Jahveh establisheth the steps. The thought is not: it is not in man's option to walk in straight or crooked, good or evil ways, but: the directing of man, the way by which he must go, lies not in his own but in God's power. Hitz. justly finds here the wisdom that admits: "Mit unserer Macht ist nichts getan," - man's destiny is ordained not by himself, but by God. Upon this acquiescence in God's dispensation of events follows the petition: Chasten me, for I have deserved punishment, but chasten ְּבִמְׁשָּפט, acc. to right, not in Thine anger; cf. Psa_6:2; Psa_38:2. A chastening in anger is the judgment of wrath that shall fall on obstinate sinners and destroy them. A chastening acc. to right is one such as is demanded by right (judgment), as the issue of God's justice, in order to the reclamation and conversion of the repentant sinner. "Lest Thou make me little," insignificant, puny; not merely, diminish me, make me smaller than I now am. For such a decrease of the people would result even from a gentle chastisement. There is no comparative force in the words. To make small, in other words, reduce to a small, insignificant people. This would be at variance with "right," with God's ordained plan in regard to His people. The expression is not equivalent to: not to make an utter end, Jer_30:11, etc. The people had no call to pray that they might escape being made an utter end of; thus much had been promised by God, Jer_4:27; Jer_5:10. - God is asked to pour forth His fury upon the heathen who know not the Lord nor call upon His name, because they seek to extirpate Jacob (the people of Israel) as the people of God, at this time found in Judah alone. The several words in Jer_10:25 suggest the fury with which the heathen proceed to the destruction of Israel. The present verse is reproduced in Psa_79:6-7, a psalm written during the exile, or at least after the destruction of Jerusalem by the Chaldeans; but in the reproduction the energetic expansion of the "devoured" is omitted.PULPIT, "Jer_10:21The pastors; i.e. the civil authorities (see on Jer_2:8). They shall not prosper; rather, they have not prospered; or, better still, they have not acted wisely, the notion of prospering being rather suggested than expressed (the same word is used in Isaiah lit. 13).

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CALVIN, "In the first place, he assigns a cause for the dreadful devastation of which he had spoken, and that was, because the shepherds were without thought and understanding. He still, as we see, goes on with his metaphor. Some confine this to the kings of Israel; but I do not agree with them: for I include under the name shepherds, the priests and the prophets as wen as the king and his counsellors. But Jeremiah did not mean to exempt the people from fault, when He, in an especial manner, accused the shepherds; but he only mentioned the origin and the primary cause of evils, — that the kings, the prophets, and the priests were blind, and thus destroyed the flock of God. We have observed elsewhere the same mode of speaking; and yet the prophets did not intend to extenuate the vices of the people, nor to absolve the lower orders. But as it mostly happens that the lower ranks, and those in humble stations, rely much on the chief men who occupy places of authority, it was necessary that the prophets should notice this evil: and we also know how nmch pride and arrogance there is in kings and priests, and in all those who elljoy any honor or dignity; for they think themselves exempt from the restraint of laws, and will not be reproved, as though they were sacred persons. It was, therefore, for this reason, that the Prophet reproved such with so much vehemence and severity. Hence, he says, The shepherds are infatuatedThe people, indeed, at that time repudiated the prophets, as the case is now under the Papacy. For even when the truth of God is dearly and perspicuously set forth, there are many who set up this shield, — that they believe their bishops, prelates, and kings, and others of a similar kind. When, therefore, Jeremiah saw that the pure truth of God was subverted by vain splendor, he found it necessary to expose the disguise, and, so to speak, to pull off the mask. It was, then, for this reason, that he said that the shepherds were infatuated. If the prophets were under this necessity, what ought to be done by us at this day, when we see that all those who unblushingly boast that they are the representatives of the Church are sheer impostors, and draw miserable souls into destruction? What else, I pray, ought to be done by us, but what we learn was done by the prophets? And how foolishly and childishly do the Papal bishops prattle, when they would have themselves exempted from all reproofs, because power and government is in their own hands! For they cannot surely assume to themselves more than what belonged formerly to the Levitical priests; for God had chosen them, and all the priests under the law might have justly boasted that they were appointed by divine authority: yet we see that they were reproved, and were said to be infatuated. The Pope and his bishops have not been appointed by God, nor have they any evidence of their calling. Though, then, they arrogate all things to themselves, and seem to do so by divine right, yet they cannot be deemed superior to the ancient priests: they must, therefore, become subject to the judgment which God denounces here by the mouth of his Prophet.He gives a reason why they were infatuated, because they sought not Jehovah We hence see, on the other hand, that true wisdom is to seek God. When, therefore, there is no care taken to seek God, however acute men may be, they must necessarily be altogether infatuated: and it was for this reason that Jeremiah called them who had not sought God foolish or fatuitous. This passage teaches us, that the only way

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of governing rightly is, when they who rule strive to give glory to God, and regard him in all their thoughts and actions: but when they act otherwise, they must necessarily play the feel and become infatuated, however wise they may appear to be.Hence he says, they have not prospered The verb שכל, shical, means to understand, and also to prosper. I see no reason for rendering it here, “they have not understood” or acted wisely; for it seems frigid, nor do I see what sense can be elicited. But the Prophet may be considered to have justly said, that neither the kings and their counsellors, nor the priests and the prophets ruled with any success, because they sought not God; and that as they had no care for true religion, they were become infatuated. (20) And what follows confirms this view, And all that was in their pastures, etc.; for the Prophet seems here to add to his general statement a particular thing, and thus to prove that the government was unhappily conducted, being under the curse of God, because true religion had been neglected. He then adds this special thing, — that the pastures had been deserted, that is, that the flock in the pastures had been wholly scattered. It follows —20.For stupidly-ignorant have become the shepherds, And Jehovah they have not sought; Therefore wisely have they not acted, And every one from their pastures is scattered.The “scattering” was from the land or country to the fortified towns, referred to in Jeremiah 10:18. They left the country, like sheep quitting their shepherds’ pastures, and visited towns. Then, in the next verse, the Prophet says, that even the towns also would be destroyed. In the first instance God would terrify them, and fling them, as it were, from the land, so that they would take shelter in fortresses: this would be owing to the foolish conduct or their shepherds. They would be driven, then, that their enemies might more easily find or take them: and in the following verse he announces the approach of their enemies who were coming to lay waste their towns.All the versions give the idea of knowledge or wisdom to שכל here; but the Targum, that of prosperity. To act foolishly is what they all render the verb בער — Ed. TRAPP, "Jeremiah 10:21 For the pastors are become brutish, and have not sought the LORD: therefore they shall not prosper, and all their flocks shall be scattered.Ver. 21. For the pastors are become brutish.] The corrupt prophets and priests, who seduced the people from the truth, were persons that made no conscience of prayer; hence all went to wrack and ruin.PETT, "Jeremiah 10:21‘For the shepherds are become brutish,And have not enquired of YHWH,

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Therefore they have not prospered (or ‘done wisely’),And all their flocks are scattered.’This situation in which they find themselves is described, either by Jeremiah or by YHWH, as being due to the fact that their leaders (shepherds) have become like brute beasts rather than seeking YHWH for guidance as to His will. They have been materially minded rather than spiritually minded, seeking to images of things on earth rather than to YHWH in heaven. That is why they have not prospered (or ‘done wisely’) and why the people (their flock) have been exiled and scattered among the nations.The primary meaning of the word for ‘prospered’ is to ‘do wisely’, thus resulting in its secondary meaning of prosperity.They Become Aware Of The Noise Of The Approaching Invasion.As a direct consequence of their sinfulness they become aware of the sound of approaching invaders.

22 Listen! The report is coming— a great commotion from the land of the north!It will make the towns of Judah desolate, a haunt of jackals.

BARNES, "Jer_10:22The “great commotion” is the confused noise of the army on its march (see Jer_8:16).Dragons - i. e., jackals; see the marginal reference.CLARKE, "The noise of the bruit is come - How this silly French word bruit,

which signifies noise, got in here, I cannot imagine. The simple translation is this: “The voice of the report! behold, it is come; yea, great commotion from the land of the north; (Chaldea); to make the cities of Judea a desolation, a habitation of wild beasts.” That is, the report we had heard of the projected invasion of Judea by Nebuchadnezzar is 130

confirmed. He has entered the land; the Chaldeans are at the doors, and the total desolation of Judea is their sole object.GILL, "Behold the noise of the bruit is come,.... Or, "the voice of hearing" (c); that is, the voice heard; the report that was made that the king of Babylon had invaded the land, and was coming up to besiege Jerusalem: "and a great commotion out of the north country"; a large army from Babylon, which lay north of Judea, which came with great noise, and caused a great trembling and shaking among the inhabitants of the land whither they were coming: to make the cities of Judah desolate, and a den of dragons; this shows that the whole paragraph is to be understood of the Jewish nation, and of their destruction. See Gill on Jer_9:11.

HENRY, "That the report of the enemy's approach was very dreadful (Jer_10:22): The noise of the bruit has come, of the report which at first was but whispered and bruited abroad, as wanting confirmation. It now proves too true: A great commotionarises out of the north country, which threatens to make all the cities of Judah desolate and a den of dragons; for they must all expect to be sacrificed to the avarice and fury of the Chaldean army. And what else can that place expect but to be made a den of dragons which has by sin made itself a den of thieves?

III. He turns to God, and addresses himself to him, finding it to little purpose to speak to the people. It is some comfort to poor ministers that, if men will not hear them, God will; and to him they have liberty of access at all times. Let them close their preaching with prayer, as the prophet, and then they shall have no reason to say that they have laboured in vain.JAMISON, "bruit — rumor of invasion. The antithesis is between the voice of God in

His prophets to whom they turned a deaf ear, and the cry of the enemy, a new teacher, whom they must hear [Calvin].north country — Babylon (Jer_1:15).

CALVIN, "Jeremiah shews in this verse that prophetic doctrine was useless to an obstinate people; for there is a contrast, no doubt, to be understood betweenthe voice of God, which had constantly resounded in Judea, and the tumultuous clamours of enemies; for the prophets, one after another, had reproved the people, but without effect. Now, then, as they were deaf to God’s voice, the Prophet declares that new teachers were now come who would address them in another way, and in an unusual manner. The voice then of rumor is heard; “ye would not hear me and other servants of God; but a voice of rumor comes from the north: the Chaldeans shall be your teachers; I send you to their school, since I have spent my labor for many years in vain, as all those have done who before me diligently sought to lead you to the right way, whom God employed, and who faithfully endeavored to secure your safety; but they were no more attended to than I am, and therefore they ceased to teach you. I now turn you over to the Chaldeans; they shall teach you.” This is the

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simple meaning.The voice of rumor, he says, or literally, of hearing, שמועה , shimuoe, comes; that is, the voice which shall be heard, for they had closed their ears to the prophetic warnings; and a great tumult or commotion from the land of the north We now then see that the Chaldeans are set in opposition to the prophets, who had labored in vain among the Jews; as though Jeremiah had said that the Jews would, willing or unwilling, be made to attend to this tumultuous noise; and he says that it would be for the purpose of turning the cities of Judah to desolation and an habitation of dragons (21) It follows —A sound is heard! — behold it comes, Even a great commotion, from the land of the North, To make the cities of Judah a desolation, The habitation of dragons.Blayney is right in taking the first words by themselves, but, “Hark, a voice!” is not a true version, שמועה is here a passive participle. — Ed CONSTABLE, "The report of a great commotion in the north had reached Jerusalem. An invader was coming, who threatened to destroy the towns of Judah so thoroughly that only jackals (or wolves) would inhabit them."There is not a single known case where a town of Judah proper was continuously occupied through the exilic period." [Note: W. F. Albright, The Archaeology of Palestine, p142.]In view of the coming invasion, Jeremiah prayed to Yahweh. Earlier God had told him not to pray that He would stop the invasion ( Jeremiah 7:16; cf. Jeremiah 11:14; Jeremiah 14:11-12). But here the prophet did not pray for that, but for God to correct him (and Judah), and for Him to judge the nations. He prayed for himself as a representative of the nation.TRAPP, "Jeremiah 10:22 Behold, the noise of the bruit is come, and a great commotion out of the north country, to make the cities of Judah desolate, [and] a den of dragons.Ver. 22. Behold, the noise of the bruit is come.] This doleful peal he oft rung in their ears, but they little regarded it. See Jeremiah 9:11.PETT, "Jeremiah 10:22‘The voice of tidings, behold, it comes,And a great commotion out of the north country,To make the cities of Judah a desolation,

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A dwelling-place of jackals.’Sure enough what they have foreseen is about to come upon them. The news of impending invasion is brought to them by their spies, and a great commotion is heard out of the north country, an indication that the invaders are on the way. The “great commotion” is that of an avenging army on the march, accompanied by the clash of weapons and the stamping and neighing of war-horses (compare Jeremiah 6:23; Jeremiah 8:16). Their aim is to make the cities of Judah a desolation, a place only fit for habitation by jackals (which made their dens in ruins).They Call On YHWH For Correction And Ask For His Anger To Be Turned On Other Nations.

Jeremiah’s Prayer23 Lord, I know that people’s lives are not their own; it is not for them to direct their steps.

BARNES, "Jer_10:23At the rumour of the enemy’s approach Jeremiah utters in the name of the nation a supplication appropriate to men overtaken by the divine justice.CLARKE, "O Lord, I know that the way of man is not in himself - I will not

pretend to dispute with thee; thou dost every thing wisely and justly; we have sinned, and thou hast a right to punish; and to choose that sort of punishment thou thinkest will best answer the ends of justice. We cannot choose; thou hast appointed us to captivity; we must not repine: yet,

GILL, "O Lord, I know that the way of man is not in himself,.... Kimchi and Ben Melech interpret it of that well known man Nebuchadnezzar, whose way was not in himself, and was not master of his own resolutions, but was under the influence and

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direction of divine Providence: when he set out of Babylon, he thought to have gone against the Ammonites; but when he came to a place where two ways met; the one leading to the children of Ammon, the other to Jerusalem; God changed his mind, and he steered his course to Jerusalem, to chastise Zedekiah for the breach of his oath: but the words seem to have a more general meaning; and the sense to be, that the prophet knew that it was not with him, nor with any of the godly, to escape the judgments that were coming upon them; that they were entirely in the hands of the Lord, to be guided, directed, and disposed of at his pleasure. The words may be accommodated to spiritual things and the affair of salvation; and be rendered thus, "I know, O Lord, that not for man is his way" (d); his own way is not good for him; not his sinful way, for this is opposite to God's way, and a going out of it; it is not according to his word; it is after the course of the world; and it is a dark and crooked way, and leads to, and ends in, destruction and death, if grace prevent not: nor the way of his own righteousness; this is no way of access to God, no way of acceptance with him, no way of justification before him, no way of salvation, no way to heaven, and eternal happiness; that which is the good and right way, the only way of salvation, is not of man, in him, or with him naturally; it is not of his devising and contriving, and much less of his effecting; it is not even within his knowledge; and so far as he knows anything of it, he does not approve of it: but it is of God; the scheme of it is of his forming; it is a work wrought out by Christ; it is a way of salvation revealed in the Gospel; and the thing itself is savingly made known, and applied by the Spirit of God; all which is known and owned when men are spiritually enlightened: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps; as not in natural and civil things, much less in religious ones; a good man is one that "walks", which supposes life and strength, without which there can be no walking; and a progression, a going on in a way; which ways are Christ, and his ordinances the path of doctrine and of duty; yet it is not even in this good man "to direct" and order "his steps" of himself; it is the Lord that must do it, and does; he can take no step aright without him; he is guided by him and his Spirit, both in the path of truth and of obedience; and hence it is that the saints persevere unto the end; see Psa_37:23.

HENRY, "The prophet here acknowledges the sovereignty and dominion of the divine Providence, that by it, and not by their own will and wisdom, the affairs both of nations and particular persons are directed and determined, Jer_10:23. This is an article of our faith which it is very proper for us to make confession of at the throne of grace when we are complaining of an affliction or suing for a mercy: “O Lord, I know, and believe, that the way of man is not in himself; Nebuchadnezzar did not come of himself against our land, but by the direction of a divine Providence.” We cannot of ourselves do any thing for our own relief, unless God work with us and command deliverance for us; for it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps, though he seem in his walking to be perfectly at liberty and to choose his own way. Those that had promised themselves a long enjoyment of their estates and possessions were made to know, by sad experience, when they were thrown out by the Chaldeans, that the way of man is not in himself; he designs which men lay deep, and think well-formed, are dashed to pieces in a moment. We must all apply this to ourselves, and mix faith with it, that we are not at our own disposal, but under a divine direction; the event is often overruled so as to be quite contrary to our intention and expectation. We are not masters of our own way, nor can

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we think that every thing should be according to our mind; we must therefore refer ourselves to God and acquiesce in his will. Some think that the prophet here mentions this with a design to make this comfortable use of it, that, the way of the Chaldean army being not in themselves, they can do no more than God permits them; he can set bounds to thee proud waves, and say, Hitherto they shall come, and no further. And a quieting consideration it is that the most formidable enemies have no power against us but what is given them from above.JAMISON, "Despairing of influencing the people, he turns to God.way of man not in himself — (Pro_16:1; Pro_20:24; Jam_4:13, Jam_4:14). I know, O Jehovah, that the march of the Babylonian conqueror against me (Jeremiah identifying himself with his people) is not at his own discretion, but is overruled by Thee (Isa_10:5-7; compare Jer_10:19).that walketh — when he walketh, that is, sets out in any undertaking.direct ... steps — to give a prosperous issue to (Psa_73:23).

PULPIT, "Jer_10:23-25These verses confirm the view taken above, of the speaker of this whole section. Jeremiah and the people, each is, in a sense, the speaker; but hero the prophetic faith seems to run rather in advance of that of his fellow-countrymen. They form, however, a fitting sequel to the charges brought against the people in Jer_9:1-26. The speaker admits that he (either the People of Judah personified, or Jeremiah as a representative of its best portion) fully deserves chastisement for having attempted to go his own way (comp. Isa_57:17). He has now attained an insight into the truth that man’s duty is simply to walk in the path which God has marked out for him. He only asks that Jehovah would chastise him with judgment, or,, more clearly, according to what is just. The contrast is between punishment inflicted in anger, the object of which is to cause pain to the criminal, and that inflicted as a duty of justice, and of which the object is the criminal’s reformation" (Payne Smith). The fear expressed, however, is not exactly lest thou bring me to nothing, which is too strong for the Hebrew, but lest thou make me small. Israel was secured against annihilation by the promise of Jehovah, but feared he might possibly survive only as the shadow of his former self.Jer_10:25This verse is repeated, with slight differences, in Psa_79:6, Psa_79:7. The fault of the heathen is that they exceeded their commission (Isa_10:6, Isa_10:7; Isa_47:6; Zec_1:15), and aimed at destroying, instead of merely punishing, Jehovah’s erring people. His habitation; rather, his pasture (comp. Jer_12:10)

CALVIN, "The Jews confine this to Sennacherib, who had, according to his own will, at one time resolved to attack the Ammonites, at another the Moabites, and to reduce them under his own power; but had been induced by a sudden impulse to go to Judea. But this is frivolous. The Prophet, I doubt not, referred to the Jews, who had for a long time been accustomed to dismiss every fear, as though they were able by their own counsels to consult in the best way for the public good: for we know,

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that whenever any danger was apprehended from the Assyrians, they usually fled for aid to Egypt or to Chaldea. Thus, then, they provided for themselves, so tlmt they thought that they took good care of their affairs, while they had recourse to this or that expedient; and then, when the prophets denounced on them the vengeance of God, they usually regarded only their then present state, as though God could not; in one instant vibrate his lightnings from the rising to the setting sun.Since then this security produced torpor and obstinacy, the Prophet in this passage justly exclaims, I know, Jehovah, that his way is not in man’s power; nor is it in the power of a person walking to direct his steps (22)We now perceive what the Prophet had in view; and this is ever to be remembered — that if we desire to read what has been written with profit, we must consider the meaning intended by the Holy Spirit, and then the purpose for which he has spoken. When we understand these things, then it is easy to make the application to other things: but he who does not weigh the end in view, ever wanders here and there, and though he may say many things, he yet does not reach the chief point. (23) But we must observe that the Prophet, as he had done before, spoke as though he had God alone as his witness, for he saw that his own people were so hardened, that he addressed his words to them in vain: he therefore turned to God, which was a proof that he despaired as to the disposition of the people, as though he had said, “I shall have nothing to do with this perverse people any more; for I have already found out by my experience that their perverseness is untameable. I am now therefore constrained, O Lord, to address thee as though I were alone in the world.” This is the reason why he spoke to God himself. We shall defer the rest fill to-morrow.I know, Jehovah, That not to a mortal is his way;Nor is it for man to walk And to stablish his steps.Such substantially is the meaning of the Targum, and of all the versions, except the Syriac, which Blayney has followed thus:I know Jehovah, that his way is not like that of men,Nor like a human being doth he proceed and order his going.This construction is wholly inadmissible. Had Jehovah been in the objective case, it would have את before it. See 1 Samuel 3:7. Then the rest of the verse is a paraphrase and not a version; and such a paraphrase as the original will not bear. To “walk” and to “stablish” are in the same predicament, both infinitives; and so they are rendered in all the versions and the Targum.The design of the passage seems to be more correctly intimated by Gataker than by Calvin: — “Lord, we know well, that this army cannot come in but by thy permission; but since thou art resolved to chastise us, we beseech thee, in wrath remember mercy.” So in the next verse the Prophet says, “O Lord, correct me, but

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with judgment.” — Ed. COFFMAN, "Verse 23"O Jehovah, I know that the way of man is not in himself; it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps. O Jehovah, correct me, but in measure; not in thine anger, lest thou bring me to nothing. Pour out thy wrath upon the nations that know thee not, and upon the families that call not on thy name; for they have devoured Jacob, yea they have devoured him and consumed him, and laid waste his habitation.""It is not in man that walketh to direct his steps ..." (Jeremiah 10:23). This is one of the most profound statements in the Scriptures and one that needs continually to be heeded by sinful men. As long as men seek to be guided by their own counsels, and by what seems good to them, they are destined to frustration and defeat."O Jehovah, correct me, but in measure" (Jeremiah 10:24). Jeremiah's payer here recognized the need of Judah for correction, but he prays for God's mercy as the blow falls.In the Jewish view, only the Gentiles deserved divine wrath and punishment. The Jews were God's chosen people. Thus there found a way into Jeremiah's prayer for a plea for God to pour out his wrath and indignation upon the Gentile instruments of Judah's chastisement. This prayer was just, "Because the heathen were devouring Jacob, not as obedient ministers of divine chastisement, but as wild beasts, gratifying their lusts, and their hatred of true religion."[26] In the eventual history of the Chosen People, Jeremiah's prayer was answered. In mercy, God concluded their captivity and made it possible for all who wished to do so to return to Judah; but Babylon was ruthlessly destroyed by the Medo-Persians.COKE, "Jeremiah 10:23. O Lord, I know, &c.— "Thou rulest, O Lord, all events; all that happens comes to pass through an effect of thy adorable providence. It is not in man to hinder that which hath been once absolutely resolved by thee: so that since, Lord, thou art pleased to make us feel the awful effects of thy justice, chastise us; but spare my weakness: Correct me, but with judgment, not in thine anger," Jeremiah 10:24. Again: "I know, O Lord, that man, left to himself, cannot lead himself into good by the power of nature: that all he has and all he does of good, he derives from thy mercy." Theodoret and others explain it thus: "We know, O Lord, that the prince whom thou sendest against us, comes not without thy orders; that the success of his arms, and the good fortune of his enterprize, proceed only from thee: but deliver us, O Lord, from this terrible enemy; and if we have merited chastisement, may we receive it at thine hand! Punish us as a father, and not as a judge." See Calmet.REFLECTIONS.—1st, As they were shortly to be carried captives to Babylon, a place most remarkably given to idolatry, superstition, and judicial astrology, there

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was need to guard them against the temptations to which they would be there exposed.1. They must not learn the ways of the heathen nations, nor follow their works. From the aspect of the heavens, from eclipses, and the conjunction of the planets, the astrologers pretended to foretel the fate of kingdoms, and the destiny of men; and their predictions, heard with superstitious awe, terrified the heathen: but they must shew no regard to these prognostications, much less pay divine honours to the sun, moon, and stars, as these men did. Nor must they join in their idolatry, and the vain customs or ceremonies of religion which they used. A senseless log is the object of their adoration, cut from the wood, and squared by the carpenter; and, however decked with gold and silver, and adorned with costliest robes of blue and purple, yet is it unable to stand without being nailed and fastened, or to move without being carried. It can neither hear the prayer of its votaries, nor speak a word in answer to their requests. Such a doctrine of vanities is the stock, a work of errors and falsehood; which must deceive and disappoint those who are so infatuated as to expect aught from it: unable alike to do good or evil, and therefore in no wise to be made the object either of fear or hope. Altogether brutish and foolish are the worshippers, and equally brutish the maker in his knowledge, who vainly conceits that the work of his hands can be possessed of divinity. Every founder is confounded, who, after all his pains to make his god, can receive no benefit from him: for how should they convey life, or any of the blessings of it, to others, which have no breath in them, inanimate in themselves? yea, so far from helping others, that they are unable to help themselves? and in the time of their visitation these gods, who have made neither the heaven nor the earth, shall perish, with their senseless devotees.2. The prophet directs them to the only proper object of their worship, fear, and love; and that is, the glorious JEHOVAH, the only living and true God.[1.] There is none like unto him] He is without a rival, and above all comparison: none can either bestow such mercies or inflict such miseries as he. O Lord, thou art great; transcendently great and glorious in his adorable perfections, and all his works of creation, providence, and grace; and thy name is great, exalted far above all blessing and praise. Who would not fear thee, O king of nations? whose kingdom ruleth over all, the work of whose hands the whole creation is, and therefore by right he should be universally feared and worshipped: for to thee doth it appertain, and to thee alone: to place that fear and offer that worship elsewhere, argues both deep impiety and senseless stupidity. For none in wisdom, none in power, among earth's mightiest sons, with him can be compared. Note; (1.) God's eternal power and godhead, by the works of creation, are so declared to all the world, as to leave idolaters without excuse. (2.) The more we contemplate the unsearchable greatness and glory of our God, the more shall we be filled with reverence and godly fear, and lost in wonder and adoration.[2.] He is the only true God, and all pretenders to deity besides are false and

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counterfeit. He is the living God, or Gods, the Trinity in Unity, having life in and of himself, whilst all creatures receive theirs from him, and idols are dead and inanimate. He is an everlasting king, subsisting from all eternity, ruling over all, and of his dominion there is no end, while these are all the creatures of yesterday, and hourly running to decay. Note; If God be our king, it behoves us to see that we approve ourselves faithful subjects, dependent on his protection, devoted to his service.[3.] He is the Creator, Governor, and Judge of all. He hath made the earth by his power, suspended in the vast expanse; and yet so firm, that it cannot be moved from the place where God hath appointed it to perform its revolutions; and in the beautiful disposition of all things in it his infinite wisdom as well as power appears; and hath stretched out the heavens by his discretion, as a canopy over us, decked with those bright luminaries which peculiarly display his glory. At his will, the whole machine is governed: he speaks; the heavens lower, the vapours rise, the lightnings flash, the thunders roll, the rain descends, the tempests roar, and all under his control. When he cometh forth in judgment, at his wrath the earth shall tremble, afraid to meet the judge upon his throne, and the nations shall not be able to abide his indignation; if his wrath be kindled, yea, but a little, it will burn to the nethermost hell. Most justly, therefore, doth he claim, and we are bound to pay, our worship, adoration, and service to him, and him alone.[4.] He is the portion of Jacob, and therefore they are under peculiar obligations to adore and serve him. He has showered upon them his blessings on every side: he is the former of all things, and not like idol vanities; and Israel is the rod of his inheritance, separated for his peculiar service; the Lord of Hosts is his name, his distinguished title, forasmuch as he doeth whatsoever pleaseth him in the hosts of heaven, as well as among the inhabitants of the earth. Note; (1.) They who have God for their portion, cannot wish for more; for he is able to do for them exceeding abundantly above all they can ask or think. (2.) God's Israel—the church of the faithful—are his inheritance; for they who choose him for their God, he delights in as his people; and his love and favour are better than the life itself.2nd, We have,1. The threatened ruin of Judah and Jerusalem. To secure their goods from the Chaldean army, the Jews are here represented as gathering them together, and conveying them to the fortress of Zion; but they will find it no place of safety. As a stone out of a sling, so easily, so violently should they be cast out of their land and city, and sink into the depths of distress, that they may find it so, as the prophets have spoken, to whose word they refused to attend. Note; They who have mocked at hell and damnation, as bugbears designed to awe the minds of the superstitious, will, to their cost, find it so, that these are dreadful realities. 2. A mournful lamentation is made over their calamities: which some regard as the language of Zion bemoaning herself, but rather may be the words of the prophet affected at the view of their miseries, and sympathizing with them. Woe is me for my hurt, or my breach, when

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the walls of Jerusalem were battered down, the Chaldeans entered, and terribly massacred the inhabitants; but I said, Truly, this is a grief, and I must bear it; it was bitter indeed, but he desired to submit with patience: my tabernacle is spoiled, both the city and temple, and all my cords are broken, so that the ruin is irreparable. My children are gone forth of me into captivity, and none left to repair the desolation. And no wonder their affairs are so desperate, when the pastors are become brutish; the rulers in church and state, instead of attempting to prevent, hastened their ruin by their sin and folly; they have not sought the Lord in any of their distresses, but left him far above out of their sight, therefore they shall not prosper; no attempts to secure themselves shall succeed, and all their flocks shall be scattered; their enemies shall prevail, and that suddenly. Behold, the noise of the bruit is come, intelligence of the Chaldean army advancing; a great commotion out of the north country, from Babylon, to make the cities of Judah desolate, and a den of dragons, a righteous retaliation upon those who made them a den of thieves. Note; (1.) In our afflictions God permits us to complain, but he forbids us to murmur. (2.) When the pastors are brutish, no marvel that the people are blind. (3.) They who live without prayer, and seek not to God for counsel and help, must needs err from the right way, and perish in their sins.3. Though the people have no ears to hear his preaching, God hath an ear to hear his prayer, and therefore to him the prophet looks up.[1.] He acknowledges God's over-ruling providence and guidance in all the affairs of men. O Lord, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps: a superior power controls his thoughts and designs, and an unseen hand guides his steps, as was the case of Nebuchadnezzar in this invasion, and more generally may be applied to all mankind. Whatever schemes we form, the event is not in our own power: when we mean only to pursue our own purposes, God leads us insensibly to fulfil his designs; therefore, amidst all our contrivances, we must entirely refer ourselves to him for the success, conscious that we have no power of ourselves, without the divine grace and aid, to help ourselves. The Lord must dictate, guide, support, and prosper us, and then we shall walk aright.[2.] In the name of the people, he intreats the removal or alleviation of their heavy judgments. O Lord, correct me, for that they must expect, and acknowledge it to be their just desert; but with judgment, in measure; not in thine anger, as the wrath of an enemy, but in love, as the chastisement of a father, lest thou bring me to nothing; for if his wrath be kindled, yea, but a little, who can abide it? Note; (1.) Correction from God is kindness; and his rod, however grievous for the time to the flesh, we must not wish to have removed till it has done its work. (2.) God's afflictions on his people are designed not to bring them to nothing, but to bring them to himself and to glory.[3.] He beseeches God to remember their oppressors, and to recompence them according to the work of their hands. Pour out thy fury upon the heathen that know thee not; true believers are corrected in mercy; but God's enemies are to be

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destroyed in wrath; and upon the families that call not on thy name, the nations of the ungodly, who neither know nor worship the true God; for they have eaten up Jacob, and devoured him, and consumed him, and have made his habitation desolate; which, though God hath permitted as their just punishment, does not at all lessen the guilt and malice of their enemies who persecute them maliciously. Note; (1.) Families who live without prayer are to be accounted heathens. (2.) Ignorance of God is the inlet to all sin. (3.) When God hath corrected his people, he often turns the rod, and leaves on the instruments that he employs the severest marks of his indignation. TRAPP, "Jeremiah 10:23 O LORD, I know that the way of man [is] not in himself: [it is] not in man that walketh to direct his steps.Ver. 23. O Lord, I know that the way of man is not in himself.] He is not master of his own way, but is directed and overruled by the powerful providence; even this cruel Chaldean also, that marcheth against us.It is not in man that walketh to direct his steps.] We know not what to do, or which way to turn ourselves, only our eyes are toward thee. Behold, we submit to thy justice, and implore thy mercy. This text doth mainly make against freewill, saith Oecolampadius; and yet the Pelagians would hence gather that man can, by his own strength, walk in the way to heaven; but he must be helped, say they, by God’s grace, that he may be perfect.PETT, "Jeremiah 10:23-24‘O YHWH, I know that the way of man is not in himself,It is not in man who walks to direct his steps.’O YHWH, correct me, but in measure (judgment),Not in your anger, lest you bring me to nothing (make me small).Acknowledging that there is not in man the capability of properly directing his ways, or living rightly, the people call on YHWH to correct them. But their prayer is that He will not do it out of anger, but out of compassion and in a measured way, using His carefully weighed judgment, and thus by chastening rather than by destruction. They are clinging to the past hints that they yet have a future. Their aim may well be long term, recognising that their chastening may have to be severe, but later their false prophets will suggest that it will not be very long, an impression they will seize on but which Jeremiah will have to correct. Their final fear is lest they be ‘brought to nothing’ i.e. be made so small that they are fading out of existence.There is an important reminder here of man’s own incapacity to fulfil YHWH’s

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will, and of our need for correction and chastening. But there must be some doubt as to how genuinely they really felt it at this stage or wanted to be changed, otherwise they could have repented and have found mercy. It is rather expressing a hope for them in the long term.

24 Discipline me, Lord, but only in due measure— not in your anger, or you will reduce me to nothing.

BARNES, "Jer_10:24With judgment - In Jer_30:11; Jer_46:28, the word “judgment” (with a different preposition) is rendered “in measure.” The contrast therefore is between punishment inflicted in anger, and that inflicted as a duty of justice, of which the object is the criminal’s reformation. Jeremiah prays that God would punish Jacob so far only as would bring him to true repentance, but that he would pour forth his anger upon the pagan, as upon that which opposes itself to God Jer_10:25.CLARKE, "Correct me, but with judgment - Let not the punishment be to the

uttermost of the demerit of the offense; else we shall be brought to nothing - totally and irrecoverably ruined.

GILL, "O Lord, correct me, but with judgment,.... The prophet here represents the body of the Jewish nation, especially the godly among them; he considers the troubles coming upon the nation as a correction and chastisement of the Lord; he does not refuse it, or desire it might not come upon them; he knew the chastisements of a father are for good; he only entreats it might be "with judgment"; not in strict justice, as his and the sins of his people deserved, then they would not be able to bear it; but in measure and moderation, with a mixture of mercy and tenderness in it; and in a distinguishing manner, so as to make a difference between his own people and others, in the correction of them; see Eze_34:16, not in thine anger; in vindictive wrath, and hot displeasure, which is elsewhere deprecated by the saints, Psa_6:1,

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lest thou bring me to nothing; or "lessen me" (e), or "make me little"; or make us few, as the Arabic version; or bring to a small number, as the Syriac; and so to utter ruin. HENRY, "He deprecates the divine wrath, that it might not fall upon God's Israel,

Jer_10:24. He speaks not for himself only, but on the behalf of his people: O Lord, correct me, but with judgment (in measure and with moderation, and in wisdom, no more than is necessary for driving out of the foolishness that is bound up in our hearts), not in thy anger (how severe soever the correction be, let it come from thy love, and be designed for our good and made to work for good), not to bring us to nothing, but to bring us home to thyself. Let it not be according to the desert of our sins, but according to the design of thy grace. Note, (1.) We cannot pray in faith that we may never be corrected, while we are conscious to ourselves that we need correction and deserve it, and know that as many as God loves he chastens. (2.) The great thing we should dread in affliction is the wrath of God. Say not, Lord, do not correct me, but, Lord, do not correct me in anger; for that will infuse wormwood and gall into the affliction and misery that will bring us to nothing. We may bear the smart of his rod, but we cannot bear the weight of his wrath.JAMISON 24-25, "Since I (my nation) must be corrected (justice requiring it because

of the deep guilt of the nation), I do not deprecate all chastisement, but pray only for moderation in it (Jer_30:11; Psa_6:1; Psa_38:1); and that the full tide of Thy fury may be poured out on the heathen invaders for their cruelty towards Thy people. Psa_79:6, Psa_79:7, a psalm to be referred to the time of the captivity, its composer probably repeated this from Jeremiah. The imperative, “Pour out,” is used instead of the future, expressing vividly the certainty of the prediction, and that the word of God itself effects its own declarations. Accordingly, the Jews were restored after correction; the Babylonians were utterly extinguished.know thee ... call ... on thy name — Knowledge of God is the beginning of piety; calling on Him the fruit.heathen ... Jacob — He reminds God of the distinction He has made between His people whom Jacob represents, and the heathen aliens. Correct us as Thy adopted sons, the seed of Jacob; destroy them as outcasts (Zec_1:14, Zec_1:15, Zec_1:21).

CALVIN, "The Prophet again indirectly reproves and condemns the stupor of the people, because he saw that all his threatenings were despised. They had indeed been often punished, and they thought that they had escaped; and though an extreme calamity was approaching, they yet supposed that God was far from them; and thus they cherished their own delusions. Hence the Prophet alone personates the whole people, and undertakes a common and public lamentation. Chastise me, Jehovah, he says, but in judgment The Prophet doubtless is not here solicitous about his own safety only, nor does he plead his own private cause, but he supplicates for the whole people.But why does he speak of himself alone? Because he personated, as I have already said, the whole community, and thus reproved them for their insensibility, because they were not more attentive to the approaching judgment of God. In short, the

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Prophet here teaches them how they must all have felt, were they not wholly blinded and, as it were, given up to a reprobate mind;. and thus he shews, that the only thing that remained for them was suppliantly to ask pardon from God, and that they were not wholly to refuse all chastisement, but to supplicate forgiveness only in part, even that God would not exercise such severity as altogether to consume them. In this way he shews how atrocious were the sins of the people; for they were not simply and unreservedly to ask God to pardon them, but only to moderate his vengeance. When any one sins lightly, he may flee to God’s mercy, and say, “Lord, forgive me!” but they who have accumulated evils on evils, and after having been often warned have not repented, as though they purposely sought to arm God against themselves and to their own ruin, — can such seek entire exemption from all punishment? This would not be meet nor reasonable.The Prophet then shews here briefly, that the Jews had so far advanced in wickedness that God would not wholly forgive them, and that they were not to seek pardon without any chastisement, but only to ask of God, as I have said, to moderate his severity. David did the same thing, though he pleaded his own cause only, and not that of the people. He deprecated God’s wrath and indignation; he sought not to be so forgiven as to feel no chastisement; but as he dreaded God’s wrath he wished it to be in a measure averted. And hence, in another place, he thanks God that he had been lightly smitten by his hand,“Chastising, the Lord has chastised me,but doomed me not to death.” (Psalms 118:18)But this ought to be especially observed as to the words of Jeremiah, — that the people ought not to have asked pardon unless they submitted to God’s chastisement, for they had most grievously and perversely sinned.We may hence also gather a general truth: the real character and nature of repentance is, to submit to God’s judgment and to suffer with a resigned mind his chastisement, provided it be paternal. For when God deals with us according to strict justice, all hope of salvation is extinguished, so that it cannot be that we shall from the heart repent. Let us then know that this is necessary in repentance — that he who has offended God should present himself willingly, and of his own accord, before his tribunal and bear his chastisement. For they who are so delicate and tender, that they cannot endure any of his scourges, seem to be still refractory and rebellious. Wherever, then, there is the true feeling of penitence, there is this submission connected with it, — that God should chastise him who has offended. But a moderation is needed, according to the promise,“I will chastise them, but with the hand of man; for my mercy will I not take away from them.” (2 Samuel 7:14;Psalms 89:33)This was God’s promise to Solomon; but we know that it belongs to all the members

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of Christ. Though then God indiscriminately punishes the sins of the whole world, there is yet a great difference between the elect and the reprobate, for God grants this privilege to his elect, — that he chastises them paternally as his children, while he deals with the reprobate as a severe judge, so that all the punishments which they endure are fatal, as they cannot see anything but God’s wrath in their judgments. The elect also have ever a reason for consolation, for they know God to be their Father; and though they may at first shun his wrath, and being smitten with terror, seek some hiding places, yet having afterwards a taste of his kindness and mercy they take courage; and thus their punishments, though much more grievous than those endured by the reprobate, are yet not fatal to them, for God turns them to remedies. We now then see what is the use and benefit of what the Prophet teaches, when he says, Chastise me, Jehovah, but only in judgmentJudegment is to be taken here for moderation. The word משפט meshepheth, has indeed various meanings: but it is to be regarded here as signifying a measured portion; not that God ever exceeds due limits in inflicting punishment, but because men faint when he exercises rigor, as then there appears to them no hope of pardon. When God therefore executes only the office of a Judge, men must necessarily faint altogether: so Jeremiah means, that there would be no measured dealing, that is, that God’s judgment would not be endurable, except he dealt mercifully with him. (27) There is also set in opposition to this another clause, not in fury, or, not in wrath. Here then the want of moderation or excess is not opposed to a measured proportion, but the wrath of God. We also know that no passions belong to God; but, when God’s wrath or rigour appears, men must necessarily not only be terrified, but be also reduced to nothing: and yet in many places we read that` God is angry with his elect and the whole Church: but, this is to be referred to the outward appearance; for it is certain that the punishments with which God visits his own children are evidences of his paternal love, as in this way he promotes their salvation. Hence the Apostle says, that they are bastards whom God does not favor with any correction. (Hebrews 12:8.) But yet as to the outward appearance, the punishments which God inflicts on his elect differ nothing from those by which he manifests his wrath, and which he executes on the reprobate. Therefore it is by a sort of impropriety in language that punishments are always said to be evidences and signs of God’s wrath, and that God is said to be angry with his Church. But the Prophet speaks here strictly correct when he sets God’s wrath in opposition to his judgment, that. is, to that moderation which he exercises towards his elect, when he withholds his hand, which would otherwise overwhelm them in an instant.Hence he subjoins, Lest thou shouldest diminish them By diminishing he means destruction: as in many other places. It could not be otherwise but that God should diminish us, were he only to touch us with the end of his finger, as we know how dreadful is his power: nor is there any need for him to thunder from heaven, but were he only to shew an angry countenance, it would be all over with us. But the Prophet takes diminution here for demolition. We hence see that he so subjects himself and the whole people to God’s chastisement as yet to seek some moderation; for otherwise God’s rigor would have consumed them all, from the least to the

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greatest, according to what is also said by Isaiah,“I have tried thee, but not as gold and silver, for thou wouldest have been consumed.” (Isaiah 48:10)God then so deals with miserable sinners, that he regards what they can bear, and not what they deserve. This is simply what the Prophet means. (28)But we may hence learn, that there is no one who can bear the strict rigour of God; and that therefore our only asylum is his mercy; not that he may pardon us altogether: for it is good for us to be chastised by his hand; but that he may chastise us only according to his paternal kindness. It follows —Chastise me, Jehovah, but yet in moderation; Not in thy wrath, lest thou diminish me,or,render me small.— Ed.TRAPP, "Verse 24Jeremiah 10:24 O LORD, correct me, but with judgment; not in thine anger, lest thou bring me to nothing.Ver. 24. O Lord, correct me; but with judgment,] (a) i.e., In mercy and in measure. Correction is not simply to be deprecated; the prophet here cries, Correct me; David saith, It was good for me. Job calleth God’s afflicting of us his magnifying of us. [Jeremiah 7:17] Feri Domine, feri clementer; ipse paratus sum, saith Luther, -Smite, Lord, smite me, but gently, and I am ready to bear it patiently. King Alfred prayed God to send him always some sickness, whereby his body might be tamed, and he the better disposed and affectioned to Godward. Ecclesiastical history telleth of one Servulus, who, sick of a palsy, so that his life was a lingering death, said ordinarily, God be thanked.

25 Pour out your wrath on the nations that do not acknowledge you, on the peoples who do not call on your name.

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For they have devoured Jacob; they have devoured him completely and destroyed his homeland.

CLARKE, "Pour out thy fury upon the heathen - Even those who are now the executors of thy justice upon us will, in their turn, feel its scourge; for if judgment begins at us, who have been called thy house and thy people, shall they who have not acknowledged thee escape? It is impossible. The families and tribes which invoke thee not shall have thy fury poured out upon them, and especially they who “have eaten up Jacob and consumed him, and have made his habitation desolate.” This was fulfilled in the Chaldeans. Nebuchadnezzar was punished with madness, his son was slain in his revels, and the city was taken and sacked by Cyrus; and the Babylonish empire was finally destroyed! This verse has been often quoted against those ungodly families who set not up the worship of God in their houses. These are spiritual Chaldeans, worse indeed than the Chaldeans ever were: they acknowledge God and his Christ; and yet neither worship nor serve him. How can that family expect the blessing of God, where the worship of God is not daily performed? No wonder their servants are wicked, their children profligate, and their goods cursed! What an awful reckoning shall such heads of families have with the Judge in the great day, who have refused to petition for that mercy which they might have had for the asking.

GILL, "Pour out thy fury upon the Heathen that know thee not,.... Make a difference between thy people that know thee, and make a profession of thy name, and worship thee, and the Heathen, the nations of the world who are ignorant of God, and worship stocks and stones; while thou correctest thine own people in measure, in love, and not in wrath, pour out without measure all thy fury upon the Gentiles that know not God, and are guilty of the grossest idolatry: and upon the families that call not on thy name; this does not signify single families, commonly so called; but kingdoms, as the Targum interprets it; Heathen kingdoms and nations, that call not upon or worship the God of Israel, but their own idols; such as the family of Egypt, Zec_14:17 and so it is expressed in a parallel place, Psa_79:6, which is either taken from hence, or this from thence: for they have eaten up Jacob, and devoured him, and consumed him, and have made his habitation desolate; a heap of words to express the great destruction and desolation of the land of Israel, of Jerusalem, and the cities of Judah; and of their houses and dwelling places, private and public; and of their spoiling them of all their goods, substance, wealth, and riches; which is given as a reason of the above

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imprecation.HENRY, "He imprecates the divine wrath against the oppressors and persecutors of

Israel (Jer_10:25): Pour out thy fury upon the heathen that know thee not. This prayer does not come from a spirit of malice or revenge, nor is it intended to prescribe to God whom he should execute his judgments upon, or in what order; but, (1.) It is an appeal to his justice. As if he had said, “Lord, we are a provoking people; but are there not other nations that are more so? And shall we only be punished? We are thy children, and may expect a fatherly correction; but they are thy enemies, and against them we have reason to think thy indignation should be, not against us.” This is God's usual method. The cup put into the hands of God's people is full of mixtures, mixtures of mercy; but the dregs of the cup are reserved for the wicked of the earth, let them wring them out, Psa_75:8. (2.) It is a prediction of God's judgments upon all the impenitent enemies of his church and kingdom. If judgment begin thus at the house of God, what shall be the end of those that obey not his gospel? 1Pe_4:17. See how the heathen are described, on whom God's fury shall be poured out. [1.] They are strangers to God, and are content to be so. they know him not, nor desire to know him. They are families that live without prayer, that have nothing of religion among them; they call not on God's name. Those that restrain prayer prove that they know not God; for those that know him will seek to him and entreat his favour. [2.] They are persecutors of the people of God and are resolved to be so. They have eaten up Jacob with as much greediness as those that are hungry eat their necessary food; nay, with more, they have devoured him, and consumed him, and made his habitation desolate, that is, the land in which he lives, or the temple of God, which is his habitation among them. Note, What the heathen, in their rage and malice, do against the people of God, though therein he makes use of them as the instruments of his correction, yet he will, for that, make them the objects of his indignation. This prayer is taken from Psa_79:6, Psa_79:7.

PULPIT, "Jer_10:25This verse is repeated, with slight differences, in Psa_79:6, Psa_79:7. The fault of the heathen is that they exceeded their commission (Isa_10:6, Isa_10:7; Isa_47:6; Zec_1:15), and aimed at destroying, instead of merely punishing, Jehovah’s erring people. His habitation; rather, his pasture (comp. Jer_12:10)

CALVIN, "The Prophet confirms his prayer by this reason — that God had sufficient ground for executing his vengeance on the wicked and ungodly heathens who were alienated from him; and there is no doubt but that he had respect to the promise to which we have referred; for the Prophet knew that what had been said once to David was promised to the whole Church throughout all ages. Hence He reminds God, as it were, of the difference which he had made between domestics and foreigners; as though he had said, “O Lord, though it is right and also useful for our salvation to be chastised by thy hand, yet thou dost not indiscriminately visit with vengeance the sins of men; for thou hast promised paternally to chastise thy children: but as to aliens, thou art their judge, so that they may be wholly destroyed. Now then, O Lord, shew that this has not been said in vain; and as thou hast been

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pleased to adopt us as thy peculiar people, forgive us according to thy paternal kindness.” Hence we see that the Prophet did not inconsiderately pour forth his prayer into the air, but had a regard to God’s promise, and referred to that difference which God himself was pleased to make between his Church and unbelievers.He then says, Pour forth thy wrath on the nations who know not thee: and he exaggerates what he says by adding, that Jacob had been devoured by these heathen nations as by wild beasts; as though he had said, “We have indeed sinned, O Lord; but (lost thou shew thyself to be the Judge of the world for our destruction, and yet sparest the Egyptians, the Assyrians, and the Chaldeans, who have so cruelly distressed us, yea, who have not only torn us, but have also wholly devoured us? (For he uses the word devour twice; and then he adds, They have consumed him; and lastly, His tents have they laid waste) Since then they have so atrociously raged against thy people, are they to go unpunished, when thou castest us down, who are thine? Even had we given thee ever so great a cause for punishing us, still thine adoption should avail us; and thou mightest in the meantime execute thy judgment on the heathen nations.”There is no doubt but that the Prophet, or whoever he was who composed the seventy-ninth Psalm, borrowed the words used here, for it is there said,“Pour forth thy wrath on the nations who know not thee, and on the kingdoms which have not called on thy name; for they have consumed Jacob and his inheritance.” (Psalms 79:6)It may be that Jeremiah himself wrote that Psalm, after having been driven into Egypt, when that city had been destroyed. It was, however, suitable to the time when dreadful scattering had happened; for the Psalm seems to have been composed for the benefit of the miserable, and as it were of the lost Church. It is yet more probable that it was written under the tyranny of Antiochus, or at the time when the cruelty of God’s enemies raged against his people. However this may be, the author of that Psalm wished to repeat what is contained here.It may now be asked, Whether it is right to pray for evils on the ungodly and wicked, while we are doubtful and uncertain as to their final doom. For as God has not made it known how he purposes to deal at last with them, the rule of charity ought on the contrary to turn us another way, — that we are to hope for their salvation and to pray God to forgive them: but the Prophet; consigns them only to destruction; and he speaks not according to his own private feeling, but dictates a prayer which all the faithful were to use. To this I answer, — that we are not to denounce a sentence on this or that man individually, and that our prejudging would be presumptuous, were we to consign individuals to eternal death and to pray for evil on them: but we may use this form of prayer generally with regard to the obstinate enemies of God, so as still to refer to him the certainty of the issue; and yet we are not to mix in one mass all those whom we know to be now ungodly, for this,

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as I have said, would be presumptuous It would then be more becoming in us to pray for the good of all and to wish their salvation, and, as far as we can, to promote it. Yet when we thus entertain love towards every individual, we may still so pray in general, that God would lay prostrate, consume, scatter, and reduce to nothing his enemies. There is then no doubt but that the Prophet here turns his own thoughts to God’s judgment, as though He had said, “Lord, it was thy work to make a distinction between domestics and aliens; it has pleased thee to adopt this people; what now remains, but that thou shouldest deal mercifully with them, inasmuch as thou sustainest towards them the character of a Father? As to the heathen nations, as they are aliens to thee and belong not to thy flock, destruction awaits them; let them therefore perish.”Now the Prophet in thus speaking of heathen nations, does not anticipate God’s judgment so as to restrain him from doing what he pleased: but he only mentions, as I have already said, what he derived from God’s word, — that some are elected, and that others are reprobates. He infers God’s election from his vocation or his covenant; and, on the other hand, he regards all those reprobate on whom God has not been pleased to bestow the privilege of his paternal favor.The question then is now solved: and hence it appears how it is lawful for us to pray for the destruction of the reprobate, and of those who despise God, — that our prayers ought not to anticipate God’s judgment, — and that we are not to determine as to individuals, but only remember this distinction — that God acts as a Father towards his elect, and as a judge towards the reprobate.Pour forth then thy wrath: as he had subjected himself and the whole people to God’s chastisements, so he says, Pour forth thy wrath; that is, deal with them with strict justice; but yet moderate thy wrath towards us, lest like the deluge it should swallow us up; for the word “pour forth” conveys this meaning. By saying, on the nations which know not thee, which have not called on thy name, he uses words which ought to be carefully noticed; for we are by them taught that the beginning of religion is the knowledge of God. He then mentions the fruit or the effect, which is invocation or prayer. These two things are connected together: but we must bear in mind the order also; for God cannot be invoked, except the knowledge of him previously shines on us. Indeed all everywhere call on God; even the unbelieving commonly cry on him when urged by danger; but they do not rightly address their prayers to him, nor offer them as legitimate sacrifices. How so? How can they call on him,” says Paul, “in whom they have not believed?” Hence it is necessary, as I have said, that God himself should shew us the way before we can rightly pray: and therefore where there is no knowledge of God, there can be no way of praying to him. But when God has once given us light, then there is a way of access open to us. Invocation then is ever the fruit of faith, as it is an evidence of religion; for all who call not on God, and that seriously, prove that they have never known anything of religion. If then we desire to pray aright, we must first learn what is God’s will towards us: we must also know that we then only advance as we ought in the attainment of salvation, when we flee to God and exercise ourselves in prayer.

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He lastly adds, For they have consumed Jacob, they have consumed him, they have consumed him, (29) and his tents have they laid waste. Two things are to be observed here: we see how sad and miserable was the state of the Church; for he says not that the Israelites had suffered many wrongs, or had been treated violently and reproachfully, but that they had been devoured by the nations, and he repeats this twice; and then he adds, that they had been consumed, and that their tents had been laid waste. Since then we see how cruelly afflicted were God’s children formerly, let us not wonder if the Church at this day be exposed to the most grievous calamities, and let us not be frightened as though it was something new and unusual; but as the same thing happened formerly to our fathers, let us bear such trials with a submissive mind. The other thing to be observed is, — that as the Prophet was not here led to pray by the impulse of his flesh, but by the guidance of the Spirit, we may hence with certainty conclude, that though the enemies of the Church triumph at this day, and think that they have everything in their own power, while they cruelly treat the innocent, they shall at length be punished; for the Spirit who guided the tongue of the Prophet intended this form of prayer to be unto us like a promise, so that we may feel assured that the more atrociously the ungodly rage against God’s children, the heavier punishment is nigh them as the wages of their cruelty. They indeed devour, at this day, like wild beasts; but God will sooner or later put forth his hand, and shew how precious to him is the blood of his people.24.Pour forth thine indignation on the nations, Who know not thee, and on the families, Who on thy name have not called; For they have devoured Jacob, Yea, they have devoured him and consumed him, And his habitation have they made desolate.— Ed. TRAPP, "Jeremiah 10:25 Pour out thy fury upon the heathen that know thee not, and upon the families that call not on thy name: for they have eaten up Jacob, and devoured him, and consumed him, and have made his habitation desolate.Ver. 25. Pour out, &c.] This is not more votum, than vaticinium; a prayer, than a prophecy.And upon the families.] Neglect of family prayer uncovers the roof, as it were, for God’s curse to be rained down upon men’s tables, meals, enterprises, &c.PETT, "Jeremiah 10:25‘Pour out your wrath on the nations who do not know you,And on the families which do not call on your name,For they have devoured Jacob, yes, they have devoured him,

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And consumed him, and have laid waste his habitation.Meanwhile they pray that YHWH’s full anger will be reserved for the nations who do not know Him, or call on His Name, because of what they have done to YHWH’s people. This ‘doing’ is described in a threefold way as ‘devouring’ (repeated twice), ‘consuming’ and ‘laying waste’ their land, bringing out the severity of the coming judgment. The verse is later repeated (slightly watered down ) in Psalms 79:6-7 This attitude must possibly be seen as expressing something of their complacency. They are still not convinced that YHWH’s judgment will come on them with such severity, whilst very much wanting Him to do it to the nations, and still seeing themselves, in spite of their blatant disobedience, as YHWH’s people. In a similar way today many who have little time for God complacently believe that He will look after their interests in the end. They are possibly in for a rude awakening. Alternately it may be seen as indicating the latent faith of the remnant who will return. Jeremiah no doubt meant it to be seen as an indication that YHWH would finally restore His people, but only once they had learned a hard lesson.

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