Commentary on Jeremiah (In Jeremiam)

1 Because the Jews were so obstinate that they were terrified neither by sad things nor softened by glad things, he fittingly shows his threat and his consolation, and third the contradiction of those who heard: and first, in the transgression of the sentence; second, in the destruction of the Scripture, chapter 36: "And it came to pass in the fourth year of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah"; third, in the persecution of the prophet, chapter 37: "And king Zedekiah son of Josiah reigned in place of Jechoniah son of Jehoiakim." Concerning the first, two things. First they are convicted of transgression, by deed; second, by example, chapter 35: "The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord." Now he shows them to be transgressors from this, that they did not even keep the covenant which they themselves had made with God concerning the freeing of servants according to the law. It is divided into two parts. First a certain alleviation of evils is set down after the pact of the covenant; second, a threat is set down after the transgression of the pact entered into, there: "The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord." Concerning the first, two things. First he sets down the title of the prophecy, in which he describes the time: when Nebuchadnezzar. Above, chapter 1: "Behold I will gather together all the knowledges of the kingdoms of the North, saith the Lord; and they shall come, and shall set every one his throne at the entrance of the gates of Jerusalem, et cetera." Second he sets down the prophetic word: "Thus saith the Lord": and he does three things. First he sets down a threat for past sins as to the destruction of the city: "Behold I will deliver this city into the hands of the king of Babylon, and he shall burn it with fire." Psalm 73: "They have burned thy sanctuary with fire, they have defiled on the earth the tabernacle of thy name." And as to the captivity of the king: "And thou shalt not escape"; Lamentations 2: "There was none in the days of the Lord's fury who escaped, and was left." Second he sets down, for the covenant entered into, a reward: "Nevertheless hear (...) thou shalt not die." This indeed was not fulfilled, because he did not abide in the covenant, and he died in disgrace, since he had taken a laxative medicine at a banquet. Habakkuk 2: "Woe to him who gives drink to his friend, mixing in his own gall, and making him drunk that he may look upon his nakedness." And yet as to this it can be said to have been fulfilled, that he was not slain by the sword of an enemy. Above, chapter 22: "They shall not lament him, Alas, brother, and alas, sister. They shall not wail for him, Alas, lord, and alas, illustrious one." Third, he touches upon the imminent tribulation, that the promise may be more acceptable: "for I have spoken this word." Habakkuk 1: "He shall laugh at every stronghold, and shall cast up a mound, and shall take it."

Here the threat is set forth after the transgression of the covenant: and first the transgression of the covenant is set forth; second, the threat against those transgressing, there, And the word came to Jeremiah from the Lord. Concerning the first, three things. First the covenant is set forth: after King Sedecias struck the covenant, and also after he broke it, that each one should release, according to the law. Exod. 21: If you buy a Hebrew servant, he shall serve you six years; in the seventh he shall go out free, without charge. And Levit. 25, it is forbidden that they keep their brothers as servants, nor oppress them by power in the servitude of slaves; but let them be as hired servants and tenant farmers. Second, the observance of the covenant for a time is set forth: they heard, therefore, and released. Psal. 105: Quickly they did, they forgot his works, and did not wait for his counsel. Third, the transgression of the covenant is set forth: and afterward they turned back. Osee 7: They returned that they might be without a yoke, they became like a deceitful bow.

Here he threatens against the transgressors. And first he sets forth the fault of the fathers, setting forth the covenant: "I struck a covenant." Above, 31: "not according to the covenant which I made with your fathers in the day when I took hold of their hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, a covenant which they made void," etc. And the transgression: "and they did not hear." Above, 11: "they did not hear, nor did they incline their ear, but they went away in the wickedness of their evil heart." And the fault of the sons, setting forth the covenant: "and having turned back," from the transgression of the fathers, "in the house," in the temple. Isa. 64: "the house of our sanctification, and of our glory, where our fathers praised you," etc. "And you have transgressed, and you have defiled my name," by transgressing. Exod. 20: "you shall not take the name of your God in vain." Ezech. 36: "not for your sake do I act, house of Israel, but for the sake of my holy name, which you have polluted among the nations to which you entered."

Secondly he threatens the punishment: "therefore thus says the Lord": and concerning this, two things. First he sets forth the threat commonly as to all, foretelling the slaughter: "behold, I proclaim liberty, that you may be freely killed." Above, 15: "he who to the sword, to the sword; he who to famine, to famine; and he who to captivity, to captivity." And the servitude of the remnant: "and I will give the men (...) the calf"; that is, because they confirmed the covenant by the division of the calf, sacrificing to God. Whence this manner of speaking grew customary: to strike, or to smite, a covenant. Thren. 1: "the Lord has given me into a hand from which I shall not be able to escape." He also foretells the devouring of the corpses: "and their carcass shall be food for the birds of the sky." Ps. 73: "they have set the carcasses of your servants as food for the birds of the sky, the flesh of your saints for the beasts of the earth." And as to the princes specially: "and Zedekiah king of Judah, and his princes." Deut. 28: "the Lord will lead you, and your king whom you shall set over you, into a nation which you do not know, you and your fathers." Who withdrew from you, or were held as strangers. Below, 37: secondly he sets forth the order of fulfillment: "behold, I command." Above, 12: "they have given my desirable portion into a desert of solitude, they have set it in dissipation, and it has mourned over me."