Chapter 9

1 Jeremiah lamenteth the Jews for their manifold sins, 9 and for their judgment. 12 Disobedience is the cause of their bitter calamity. 17 He exhorteth to mourn for their destruction, 23 and to trust not in themselves, but in God. 25 He threateneth both Jews and Gentiles.

1. Oh that my head. Logically this verse belongs to ch. 8 and is so placed in the Hebrew Bible. The language here has been appropriately called the poetry of suffering (see Isa. 22:4; Lam. 2:11; 3:48). The hopeless misery of Judah touched the prophet deeply, and he wept bitterly. This verse is doubtless the source of the designation of Jeremiah as the “weeping prophet.” The depth of his feelings and the tenderness of his words remind us of Christ, who wept for the sins and the fate of His doomed people six centuries later (see Luke 19:41–44).

2. A lodging place. Life with the godless and corrupt men of Judah had become so intolerable that Jeremiah longed for the peace and quiet of a life of retirement in some desolate and lonely place (see Ps. 55:6–8).

Adulterers. Both literal and spiritual (see on chs. 2:20; 3:8, 9; 5:7, 8).

3. They bend. Literally, “tread.” The large battle bows were strung by pressing the foot on the lower end while the other end was bent to receive the ox-gut bowstring. The Hebrew for the bow benders of ch. 50:14, 29 is literally, “treaders of the bow.”

Tongues. Their tongue is compared to a bow with which they shoot the arrows of lies at their neighbors (see Ps. 57:4; 58:7; 64:3, 4; cf. Isa. 59:4).

Truth. See on chs. 5:3; 7:28. The LXX renders this clause, “Falsehood and not faithfulness has prevailed.” It was not by the norm of honor and integrity that the people had grown strong and rich in the land, but by craft, fraud, and overreaching.

Earth. Here preferably “land” (see on ch. 4:20, 23).

From evil to evil. There can be no standstill in evil. Sinners progress from one form of wickedness to another (see 2 Tim. 3:13).

They know not. Meaning, “they acknowledge not” (see 1 Sam. 2:12; Job 18:21; Hosea 4:1). This was the root cause of all their evil.

4. Take ye heed. When a nation has departed from the basic principles of true religion, what restraint is there on the lives of the people? The result is an utter collapse of morality (see Micah 7:5, 6). As Jeremiah learned by bitter experience, no one could be trusted, not even those of his own household (see Jer. 12:6; cf. Matt. 10:36).

Will walk with slanders. That is, the neighbor “goes about for talebearing” (see ch. 6:28).

5. Will deceive. The people of Jeremiah’s day deceived not only their avowed enemies but their friends.

Taught their tongue. An intimation of the unnaturalness of their evil. The tongue must be trained in expertness at lying.

Weary themselves. Their ability to do evil is exceeded by their will and desire for it.

6. Thine habitation. A reference either to Jeremiah’s habitation or to that of the people. For v. 6 the LXX reads, “There is usury upon usury, deceit upon deceit; they did not wish to know me.”

They refuse. The people’s ignorance of God was willful (see v. 3; ch. 5:4, 5). Transgression is a matter of choice.

7. Lord of hosts. See on ch. 7:3.

I will melt. To remove the dross, God would put them through the furnace of affliction (see on Jer. 6:27–30; cf. Isa. 48:10). The object of the judgment was purification and not destruction (see Zech. 13:9; Mal. 3:3).

Try. Heb. bachan, “to assay” (see on ch. 6:27).

How shall I do? A question justifying the divine course of action (see Isa. 5:4). How else could God treat them under the circumstances?

8. An arrow shot out. Better, “a murderous arrow,” or “an arrow from a strong bow.” In v. 3 their tongue was likened to a bow. Here it is compared with a deadly arrow.

9. Visit. That is, “punish” (see on Ps. 8:4; 59:5).

10. For. “On account of.” This and the following verses describe the sad desolation of the land and its cities, and the exile of its inhabitants.

Mountains. The hillside terraces, once cultivated and fruitful, would become barren.

Habitations. Heb. neХoth, “pastures,” or “abodes.” Though once clothed with flocks, these would become so utterly wasted that even birds could not find subsistence.

Lamentation. Heb. qinah, “an elegy,” or “a dirge.” On the poetic peculiarities of the qinah see Vol. III, p. 27. Lamentations were sung by such professional mourning women as are mentioned in v. 17.

Cattle. Heb. miqneh, often used in a general sense to include all domestic animals, as cows, goats, sheep, horses, asses, and camels.

11. Heaps. Ruins consisting of rubbish and stones (see ch. 51:37).

Dragons. Heb. tannim, “jackals” (see chs. 10:22; 49:33; 51:37), not to be confused with Heb. tannin, “a sea monster” (Gen. 1:21; Ps. 148:7), or “serpent” (Ex. 7:9, 10).

12. Who is the wise man? Both sage and prophet are now challenged to give the cause of the national calamities (see ch. 8:8, 9).

For what? An explanation of the “this,” earlier in the verse. The question was: “Why has the land been ruined and become a desolate wilderness?”

13. Because. Jehovah Himself now gives the answer to the question posed in v. 12.

Law. Heb. torah, which is a broader term than the English “law.” Torah means “teaching,” “instruction,” and “direction,” and may be used also for the teachings of the prophets (see Jer. 18:18; 26:4, 5; see on Deut. 31:9; Prov. 3:1).

Therein. The use of the feminine in the Hebrew makes it clear that the reference is to “law” rather than to “voice” (see Deut. 28:15).

14. Imagination. Heb. sheriruth, “stubbornness,” which the Hebrew word always means in the Bible (see chs. 3:17; 7:24; 11:8; 16:12; 18:12; etc.).

Baalim. A transliteration of the Hebrew plural for Baal (see ch. 2:8, 23). Instead of teaching them the laws of Jehovah (see Deut. 11:19), their fathers taught them to follow such gods as Baal of Peor (see Deut. 4:3), Baal-zebub of Ekron (2 Kings 1:2), and the Phoenician Baal (1 Kings 16:31, 32). See on Hosea 2:17.

15. Lord of hosts. See on ch. 7:3.

Will feed. Literally, “am feeding.” What is about to happen is pictured as having already taken place.

Gall. Heb.roХsh (see on ch. 8:14). The bitter woes to which the people are about to be subjected are compared with this bitter, poisonous plant (see Jer. 23:15; cf. Deut. 29:18; Lam. 3:19).

16. Scatter them. See Jer. 16:13; 17:4; cf. Lev. 26:33; Deut. 28:36, 64.

Send a sword. Even in the land of exile there will be no rest and no safety (see chs. 42:16; 44:27).

17. Lord of hosts. See on ch. 7:3.

Consider. Or, “behave intelligently.”

Mourning women. Heb. meqonnoth, literally, “women who chant a qinah [dirge]” (see on v. 10). When death entered a family, mourners were hired to bewail the loss. They emphasized their mournful lamentation by disheveling their hair, rending their clothes, etc. (see 2 Chron. 35:25; Eccl. 12:5; Amos 5:16; Matt. 9:23; Mark 5:38). Jeremiah pictures the catastrophe to the nation as having taken place, and suggests that the usual honors paid to the dead be carried out.

Cunning. Literally, “wise,” used here in the sense of “skilled” in their art of mourning. They ingeniously recounted the virtues of the deceased, and touched the tender chords in the hearts of the survivors (see ch. 22:18).

19. Spoiled. Heb. shadad, “to devastate.”

Confounded. Literally, “ashamed.”

Forsaken the land. Rather, “left the land,” since this was not a voluntary departure.

Cast us out. This clause may also be translated, “They cast down our dwellings.” A slight change in pointing yields the translation, “Our dwellings were cast down.” The language of the KJV must be understood figuratively. The dwellings are represented as spewing out their wicked inhabitants (see Lev. 18:28; 20:22).

20. O ye women. The reference is probably to the hired mourners mentioned in v. 17, though all the women of the land could be addressed.

Teach your daughters. Because of the tremendous increase in the number of deaths (v. 21), the ordinary number of trained mourners would not suffice. It would be necessary for the present mourners to impart their skill to their daughters and neighbors.

Lamentation. Heb. qinah, “a dirge” (see on v. 10).

22. As dung. The point of the comparison is in the neglect and contempt with which the bodies would be treated (Jer. 8:2; 16:4; 25:33; cf. 2 Kings 9:37).

Handful after the harvestman. Like the swath of newly cut grain behind a reaper, the stricken would lie thickly, victims of the Grim Reaper. However, there is this difference. Grain was gathered. But these dead would be left where they fell or would be contemptuously trampled underfoot.

23. Glory. That is, “boast,” as the word thus translated is rendered in 1 Kings 20:11; Ps. 52:1; Prov. 27:1; etc. The prophet now points out delusive objects of self-confident boasting. The human devices upon which the people prided themselves would be futile in the day of desolation.

Wisdom. Probably the primary reference is to the wisdom, political sagacity, and human farsightedness of statesmen. However, any trust placed in human wisdom is sheer folly, for it is partial and uncertain (see Prov. 3:5; 1 Cor. 13:9, 10).

Might. Military prowess, armaments, strength of soldiers, material force, etc. All of these are limited.

Riches. Wealth and material possessions constitute no legitimate ground for boasting. “Riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away” (Prov. 23:5).

24. Glory in this. The truly wise ascribe praise to God alone, never to self (see on v. 23). The knowledge of God is the only true ground for glorying (see 1 Cor. 1:31; 2 Cor. 10:17). That man alone is truly wise in whose heart such knowledge is treasured, for it is life eternal (John 17:3). This knowledge has an intellectual aspect involving the understanding. Man’s relationship to God has a reasonable and intelligent basis. It is no blind discipleship. Man is to serve God with all the mind (Matt. 22:37). But knowing God goes beyond a merely theoretical understanding. It is an experimental knowledge. It is practical. It manifests itself in walking in God’s ways (see Job 22:21; Jer. 22:16).

Lovingkindness. Heb. chesed, “divine love” (see Additional Note on Ps. 36). God desires that men become acquainted with His attributes.

Judgment. Heb. mishpat (see on Jer. 5:4; Ps. 119:7).

I delight. God takes pleasure in manifesting these moral attributes as well as in seeing them reflected in His children (see Micah 6:8; 7:18).

25. Circumcised with the uncircumcised. Literally, “circumcised in foreskin.” The statement is enigmatical. It may be equivalent to saying “circumcised in uncircumcision” (see on ch. 4:4). The meaning would then be that though the outward rite of circumcision had been observed, there was no corresponding inward purification of heart. The outward sign as a mark of dedication to God was in and of itself of no value unless the heart also was dedicated. The RSV renders the phrase, “circumcised but yet uncircumcised” (see Jer. 4:4; cf. Deut. 10:16; 30:6; Rom. 2:25, 28, 29; 1 Cor. 7:19; Gal. 5:6; 6:15; Col. 2:11).

26. Egypt, and Judah, and Edom. The position of Judah between Egypt and Edom is a mark of degradation.

In the utmost corners. Literally, “clipped on the temple[s],” that is, “having the corners of their hair cut.” Certain peoples, such as the north Arabian Kedar tribe (see on ch. 49:28, 32), had the custom of cutting the hair in a ring around the temples. This practice had a religious significance and was prohibited among the Hebrews (see Lev. 19:27; 21:5). Herodotus (iii. 8) says of the Arabians, “They say that their hair is cut in the same way as Bacchus’s is cut; but they cut it in a circular form, shearing it round the temples.”

All these nations. “These” is a supplied word. Hence the prophet may refer to all the nations of the heathen. Judah was uncircumcised in heart. Consequently that nation had no pre-eminence over the heathen in the sight of God, and could expect the judgments of God.

Ellen G. White comments

1    GC 21; 2T 361

1, 2 PK 420

9     PK 415; 7T 89

23   AA 572

23, 24  AA 531; COL 401; CS 340; CT 46, 66; CW 119; FE 352, 376; MH 410; PK 69; TM 96, 258; 3T 550; 5T 737; 6T 148, 257

23–25CW 102; FE 171

24   PK 413