Wilt thou be angry for ever, or wilt thou continue until the end? Behold, thou hast spoken, and hast done evil things, and hast been able.

“Here he calls them back to penance; and first he sets down the calling-back; second, the obstinacy of those called back, chapter 8: and you shall say to them, etc. The first into two. In the first he sets down the warnings of the calling-back; in the second, the arguments for the calling-back, chapter 4: if you return, Israel, says the Lord, be converted to me. The first into two. In the first he calls back the people; in the second he sets down the fruit of the response, there, but how if a woman should despise her lover. The first into two. In the first he calls back from fault; in the second from punishment, there, go, and cry these words against the North. The first into two. In the first he calls back by warnings; in the second by examples, there, and the Lord said to me in the days of Josiah the king. Concerning the first he does two things. First he calls them back from the clemency of God, to prove which he sets forth the common proverb: if a man should put away his wife; which has its rise in Deuteronomy 23: if a man should put away his wife. And he speaks according to the permission given concerning the bill of divorce, on account of the hardness of their heart, Matthew 19, and the return was forbidden, either so that they would not be prone to divorce, or lest, receiving her back afterward by deceit, they should kill her. And from this proverb he takes an argument for the divine clemency: but you have played the harlot with lovers, idols. Isaiah 55: let him return to the Lord, and he will have mercy on him, and to our God, for he is abundant in forgiving. Second he calls them back from their own fault, first setting forth the fault, determining the place: lift up your eyes straight ahead — by right consideration, or in every direction — where not, as it were everywhere, prostrate, like a harlot, of idolatry. Ezekiel 16: you have made a brothel in every street. And the desire of sinning: in the ways you sat, like a harlot awaiting her lovers, and like a robber, awaiting whom he may despoil. Proverbs 7: and behold, a woman comes to meet, in harlot's attire, prepared to deceive souls. Hosea 6: Gilead is a city of workers of idols, tripped up with blood, and like the jaws of robber men. And determining the effect of the sin: and you have polluted the land. Above, 2: you have defiled my land, and made my inheritance an abomination. And then in place of the fault he sets down the punishment: wherefore the drops of the rains have been withheld, by whose power the rain or shower is produced. Isaiah 5: I will command the clouds that they rain no shower upon my vineyard. And he shows the shamelessness of sinners, brow. Below, 6: nay rather, you have not been put to shame with confusion. Second he threatens penance: and first he exhorts them to acknowledge the benefits, therefore — as if to say: let the past time suffice, etc. Father, through creation; you are the guide of my virginity: as if to say: when you led me through the desert, yet I was a virgin. Proverbs 2: she has forsaken the guide of her youth. Isaiah 63: the spirit of the Lord was his guide. Second he exhorts them to ask for mercy, and to say these things: will you be angry forever, or will you continue to the end? Psalm 84: will you be angry with us forever, or will you extend your wrath from generation to generation? Here he shows their contempt as regards the sin of the mouth: behold, you have spoken; which is explained as words of pride, etc.: as regards the sin of deed, and you have done; to which corresponds that, you have filled up evils: as regards the sin of the heart, and you were able, to which that, and you have shown; as though you boasted your power in sin. But this is not in the Hebrew, nor is "for words," etc., in the ancient books; but it seems to be Jerome's exposition. Job 24: God gave him a place of repentance, and he abuses it unto pride. Isa. 5: woe to you who are mighty to drink wine, and men strong to mingle drunkenness.”

“Will he reserve his anger for ever?.... These words may be considered as a continuation of the speech put into their mouths to make to the Lord and plead with him, as well as what follows: will he keep it to the end? that is, his anger: no; he will not: this is not according to the nature of God; he retains not his anger for ever, Mic 7:18, though, according to some versions, this is to be understood of the sins of these people being reserved and kept forever, as their impudence and obstinacy; so the Syriac and Arabic versions; and to which agrees the Targum, "is it possible that thy sins should be kept for thee for ever, or the stroke (of punishment) be strengthened upon thee to the end?'' so Kimchi, "says the prophet, if thou dost this (call him my father, &c.) will God reserve thine iniquity for thee for ever, or keep thy sin unto the end? he will not do so; but when thou returnest unto him, he will return unto thee, and do thee good; but thou hast not done so.'' The sense is much the same: behold, thou hast spoken, and done evil things as thou couldest; which were enough to cause the Lord to reserve and keep his anger for ever. There is a double reading here; the Cetib, or writing, is "I have spoken"; the prophet had spoken to them to return; or the Lord by the prophet had spoken to them, and put the above words into their mouths, and told them what they should say when they returned to the Lord; "but thou hast done evil things" (y); notwithstanding such declarations of grace, and dost continue to do them: and thou hast prevailed (z); as the last clause may be rendered; that I cannot turn away mine anger from thee, but must reserve it, and keep it for ever. The Keri, or reading, is "thou hast spoken"; thou hast said thou wilt do evil things, and thou hast done them as thou hast said, and hast prevailed; thou hast sinned with all thy might and main, and hast spoken and done as evil things as possibly could be done. Some choose to render the words thus, "if thou hadst spoken"; the words that were put into their mouths before mentioned; "though thou hast done evil things, yet thou wouldest have prevailed" (a); that is, with God, to have turned away his anger from thee. (y) "sed fecisit mala", Schmidt. (z) "et praevaluisti", Vatablus, Schmidt; "et preavales", Piscator, Gataker; "et evaluisti", Cocceius. (a) "Si ita loquereris, quanquam mala plurirma fecisti, praevaleres", Grotius.”

“he--"thou," the second person, had preceded. The change to the third person implies a putting away of God to a greater distance from them; instead of repenting and forsaking their idols, they merely deprecate the continuance of their punishment. Jer 3:12 and Psa 103:9, answer their question in the event of their penitence. spoken and--rather (God's reply to them), "Thou hast spoken (thus), and yet (all the while) thou hast done evil," &c. as thou couldest--with all thy might; with incorrigible persistency [CALVIN].”