THE BOOK OF THE PROPHET
JEREMIAH

Jeremiah 3

1God inviteth Judah to return to him notwithstanding her vile whoredom. 6Israel, though rejected for her lewdness, is still less criminal than Judah. 12Both are called to repentance upon the promises of the gospel. 20The people reproached with their unfaithfulness make a solemn confession of their sins.


1THEY1 say, If a man put away his wife, and she go from him, and become another man’s, shall 2he return unto her again? shall not 3that land be 4greatly polluted? but thou hast played the harlot with many 5lovers; yet 6return again to me, saith the LORD.

1 Hebr. To say, or, saying; that is, they say commonly, so to say, in a manner of speaking, suppose that, etc.

2 That is, may also the first husband take her again?

3 Wherein such an abomination would be committed. See hereof Deut. 24:4.

4 Hebr. being profaned, be profaned.

5 Or, amours. Hebr. companions, friends.

6 The Lord wants to say, that He will notwithstanding graciously receives His people, if they shall seriously repent of all these abominations and covenant breaches.

2Lift up thine eyes unto the high places, and see where thou hast not been 7liena with. In the ways hast thou sat for 8them, as the 9Arabian in the wilderness; and thou hast polluted the land with thy whoredoms and with thy wickedness.

7 That is, there are no high places, but thou hast committed idolatry upon them.

a lain

8 To watch for the amours, as a common impudent harlot. Compare Gen. 38:14; Ezek. 16:24, 25.

9 As thieves and robbers watch for passengers in desert places.

3Therefore the 10showers have been 11withholden, and there hath been no 12latter rain; and thou hadst a whore’s 13forehead, thou 14refusedst to be ashamed.

10 Or, squalls or showers of rain.

11 Namely, by Me, according to My threats, Lev. 26:19; Deut. 28:23, 24.

12 See Deut. 11 on verse 14.

13 Hebr. of a woman of a whore, as often.

14 That is, thou wilt not be ashamed, which thou indeed oughtest to be, when thou feelest My judgments, which I bring upon the land.

4Wilt thou not from this time cry 15unto me, My father, thou art the 16guide of my youth?

15 Hebr. Dost thou not cry unto me, or, Dost thou not call me, etc. As if God said: Wilt thou not now yet return again to Me? Repent yet from this time on.

16 Who hast led and guided me from the beginning with instruction, counsel, action, as a good husband does his wife. Compare Prov. 2:17.

5Will he 17reserve his anger for ever? will he keep it to the end? 18Behold, thou hast spoken and done 19evil things as thou 20couldest.

17 Compare verse 12; Psalm 103:9. Likewise Lev. 19:18; Nahum 1:2; in which places the word anger, for the clarity of the sense, is to be understood. These words may yet be taken as the words of the people, which God prescribes unto them, to move Him thereby in a penitent and humble manner to have compassion on them; or, as the words of God, or of the prophet, showing that God will turn away His anger, if they do repent.

18 These are the words of God unto Israel.

19 Which are related above.

20 That is, thou dost obstinately break through with thy wickedness. As if God said: It is but in vain that I call thee to repentance; thou carest not for it; thou goest but the more willfully on in thy wickedness.

6¶The LORD said also unto me in the days of 21Josiah the king, Hast thou seen that which 22backsliding Israel hath done? she is goneb up upon every high mountain and under every green tree, and there hath played the harlot.

21 When the ten tribes of Israel were carried away already into Assyria.

22 Hebr. properly: averseness. Other, backsliding, in the feminine gender, agreeing to the following text, where Israel is compared to an harlot.

b Jer. 2:20.

7And I said after she had done all these things, Turn thou unto me. But she returned not. And her 23treacherous sister Judah saw it.

23 As such God calls them of the tribe of Judah, by reason of their idolatry, wherewith they had broken the spiritual bond and faith of marriage, which was between God and them, as the other ten tribes of Israel had truly done, which were all kinsmen of Judah, as being all descended from the patriarch Jacob; therefore they are called sisters. Compare Ezek. 16:46; 23:2, 4, etc. Also in the sequel.

8And I saw, when for all the causes whereby backsliding Israel committed adultery I had put her away, and given her a 24bill of divorce; yet her treacherous sister Judah 25feared not, but went and played the harlot also.

24 Delivering her into the hand of the Assyrians, who carried the ten tribes away captive, as from the face of God and out of His land.

25 Spared themselves no pains, or, was not afraid to follow the evil example of Israel, notwithstanding that she had, as it were beheld with her eyes all those punishments that had lighted upon Israel. Compare Prov. 28 on verse 14; Jer. 44:10.

9And it came to pass through the 26lightness of her whoredom, that 27she defiled the land, and committed adultery with 28stones and with stocks.

26 Or, fame. Hebr. voice; which may be also so taken, that it was a crying voice, as Scripture speaks elsewhere. Compare Gen. 4:10 with the annotation. Other, lightness.

27 Some apply this still to Israel, by comparing with the following verse.

28 That is, with stone and wooden idols. Also Ezek. 20:32. See there.

10And yet 29for all this her treacherous sister Judah hath not turned unto me with her whole heart, but 30feignedly, saith the LORD.

29 Or, in or by all this; that is, though she had seen all this, which was previously related concerning Israel.

30 Hebr. in or with falsehood, that is, deceitfully, hypocritically.

11And the LORD said unto me, The backsliding Israel hath justified 31herself more than treacherous Judah.

31 That is, herself, her person, as often. See Gen. 12 on verse 5. The meaning is: Israel may boast of it that she has not done yet so wickedly as Judah has. See Ezek. 16:51, 52; 23:11.

12¶Go and proclaim these words toward the 32north, and say, Return, thou backsliding Israel, saith the LORD; and I will not cause mine 33anger to fall upon you: for I am 34merciful,c saith the LORD, and I will not keep 35anger for ever.

32 Toward Assyria and Media, to which the ten tribes were carried, 2 Kings 17:6.

33 Hebr. face, that is, Mine anger, My angry face, whereby is meant God’s severe punishments. See Lev. 17 on verse 10; Psalm 21 on verse 9; Jer. 4:26. Other, I will not cast down my face against you, that is, I will not look upon you with an angry and stern countenance (compare Gen. 4:5, 6), but will show mercy and favor to you.

34 See 2 Chron. 6 on verse 41.

c Psalm 86:15; 103:8, 9; 145:17.

35 See on verse 5.

13Only 36acknowledge thine iniquity, that thou hast 37transgressed against the LORD thy God, and hast 38scattered thy ways to the strangers under every green tree, and ye have not obeyed my voice, saith the LORD.

36 Or, know.

37 See Jer. 2 on verse 8.

38 That is, hast run hither and thither, to and fro, as a light impudent harlot to commit idolatry with strange idols, also verses 2 and 6. See also Ezek. 16:24, etc.; 23:5, 6, 7, etc.

14Turn, O backsliding children, saith the LORD; for I am 39married unto you: and I will take you 40one of a city, and two of a family, and I will bring you to Zion:

39 Having the authority of an husband over you.

40 I will in mercy save a remnant, and bring them to the fellowship of Zion. See 1 Chron. 9:3; Rom. 11:5; as this refers principally to the time of Christ and of the New Testament.

15And I will give you 41pastorsd according to mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding.

41 That is, teachers, preachers. See further concerning this promise Jeremiah 23; Ezekiel 34; Compare 1 Sam. 13:14; Eph. 4:11.

d Jer. 23:4; Ezek. 34:23; Eph. 4:11.

16And it shall come to pass, when ye be 42multiplied and increased in the land, in those days, saith the LORD, they shall say no more, The 43ark of the covenant of the LORD: neither shall it 44come to mind: 45neither shall they remember it; neither shall they visit it; neither shall that be 46done any more.

42 By the preaching of the Gospel, as came to pass in the time of the Lord Christ and of His apostles. See some beginning hereof Acts 1:15; 1 Cor. 15:6, and afterward Acts 2:41; 4:4, etc.

43 That is, the ceremonies of the Old Testament (among which the ark was likewise a chief part) shall cease, as being shadows and types of the Messiah, Jesus Christ, Who, being then come, shall accomplish all things, and cause His church to worship God in spirit and truth in all places. See John 4:21, 23; 1 Tim. 2:8, etc.

44 This is expounded by the following words. Compare Isa. 65:17; Jer. 7 on verse 31.

45 Namely, not so as in former times, and for the use of the worship service. Compare Jer. 16 on verse 14.

46 Or, be made, or, that, or all those things shall come to pass or be done no more. Other, it shall be no more magnified, that is, be highly esteemed and praised, because the Son of God shall be magnified in the flesh, as the word made is likewise taken by some, Deut. 32:6; 1 Sam. 12:6 and elsewhere.

17At that time they shall call Jerusalem the throne of the LORD; and all the nations shall be gathered unto it, 47to the name of the LORD, to Jerusalem: neither shall they walk any more after the 48imagination of their evil heart.

47 Other, because of the name of the LORD. Or, to the name of the LORD, that is, to the Lord Himself, Who shall be manifested in the flesh and unto His church as by Name.

48 Or, opinion, speculation, thought. Other, hardness. Also Deut. 29:19; Psalm 81:12; Jer. 7:24; 9:14; 11:8; 18:12, etc.

18In those days the house of Judah shall 49walk with the house of Israel, and they shall come together out of the land of the 50north to the land that I have given for an 51inheritance unto your fathers.

49 See on verse 14. They, who previously were separated from one another, and were at odds and enemies to each other, shall live in peace and unity together, here in the church of God, by one Spirit of faith, as members of one body under one Head Jesus Christ, and shall hereafter possess together the inheritance of God in the heavenly Canaan. Compare Isa. 11:13; Jer. 50:4; Ezek. 37:16, etc.; Heb. 11:14, 15; 12:22.

50 That is, of their captivity; this being a figure of the spiritual captivity and deliverance out of it by Christ.

51 Or, which I cause them to inherit or possess hereditarily.

19But 52I said, How shall I put thee among the children, and give thee a 53pleasant land, a 54goodly heritage of the hosts of nations? and I said, Thou shalt call 55me, My father; and shalt not turn away from me.

52 That is, I thought, as later again; spoken of God after the manner of men, thus considering and consulting within Himself, to express the unworthiness of this people (whereof further verse 20) and the greatness of His mercy; as if God said: How shall I attain to it to make Me a church of such a wicked nation, and to adopt them for My children and heirs of the heavenly and glorious Canaan with the multitude of the Gentiles? Whereunto God thus makes an answer within Himself: I will by My Spirit of conversion and adoption cause them to repent (as follows) and cry unto Me in faith Abba, and not to depart from Me. See Jer. 32:40; Rom. 8:15. Some take this verse as a consequence of the previous promise, and render it thus: Also I said, or, For I said, etc., by way of admiration. And in the following: Also I said: Thou shalt cry unto me, etc.

53 Hebr. the land of desire, of wish. See Psalm 106 on verse 24.

54 Hebr. the inheritance of beauty. As such Canaan was called, being a type of the heavenly Canaan. See Ezek. 20:6; Dan. 8:9; 11:16, 41, 45.

55 Or, cry unto me.

20¶Surely as a wife treacherously departeth from her 56husband, so have ye dealt treacherously with me, O house of Israel, saith the LORD.

56 Or, companion, that is, man. Compare Hosea 3:1.

21A voice 57was heard upon the high places, weeping 58and supplications of the children of Israel: for they have perverted their way, and they have forgottene the LORD their God.

57 That is, there shall be heard. Here begins a prophecy and description of the conversion of the Israelites.

58 Or, a weeping of supplications.

e Jer. 2:32.

2259Return, ye backsliding children, and I will heal your backslidings. 60Behold, we come unto thee; for thou art the LORD our God.

59 This is the voice of God.

60 This is the answer of the weeping and supplicating penitent Israelites.

23Truly in vainfis salvation hoped for from the hills, and from the multitude of mountains: truly in the LORD our God is the salvation of Israel.

f Psalm 121:1.

24For 61shame hath 62devoured the 63labour of our fathers from our youth; their flocks and their herds, their sons and their daughters.

61 That is, the idol Baal, of whom indeed we may be ashamed, for he is a filthy and shameful idol, and has made us ashamed and confounded. Also Jer. 11:13; Hosea 9:10.

62 That is, consumed, such by reason of the extravagance of the idolatry and of the righteous vexations which came upon them for it.

63 That is, that which they had gotten by their labor, as is expounded in the words following.

25We lie down in our shame, and our confusion covereth us: for we have sinned against the LORD our God, we and our fathers, from our youth even unto this day, and have not obeyed the voice of the LORD our God.