Jeremiah14chapter 14

Jeremiah 14:1

“The word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah concerning the dearth. Or, "concerning the words of straints" (x); that is, concerning the businesses of a drought, as the Targum; concerning the Lord's restraining rain from the earth, and forbidding the heavens dropping it down; the consequence of which is a drought, or dryness of the earth; and the effect of that a famine; when this was it is not anywhere said; it could not be the famine at the siege of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar, because that only affected the city; this all Judea.”

Jeremiah 14:1

“The word - that came - concerning the dearth - This discourse is supposed to have been delivered, after the fourth year of Jehoiakim. Concerning the dearth. We have no historic record of any dearth that may fall in with the time of this prophecy, and perhaps it does not refer to any particular dearth: but this was a calamity to which Judea was very liable. They had ordinarily very dry summers, for scarcely any rain fell from April to the middle of October; and during much of this time, the rivers were generally either very low or entirely dry.”

Jeremiah 14:3

“And their nobles have sent their little ones to the waters,.... To places where water used to be; to the pools, the upper and the lower, particularly to the fountain of Shiloah, which, Jerom says, was the only one the city of Jerusalem used.”

Jeremiah 14:3

“Little ones - mean ones, the common people. The word is unique to Jeremiah Jer 48:4. The pits - i. e., tanks for holding water. Covered their heads - The sign of grief.”

Jeremiah 14:4

“Because the ground is chapt,.... Through the violent heat of the sun, and want of rain; or, is broken (y); and crumbles into dust. The Targum is, "because of sins, the inhabitants of the earth are broken:'' for there was no rain in the earth; this was the reason of the dearth, and of the famine, and why there was no water in the pits, and the ground was parched.”

Jeremiah 14:4

“The ground is chapt - The cracks in the earth before the descent of the rains are in some places a cubit wide, and deep enough to receive the greater part of a human body.”

Jeremiah 14:5

“Yea, the hind also calved in the field,.... Or brought forth her young in the field; of which see Job 39:1, and which they sometimes did through fear, particularly when frightened with thunder and lightning; and which are common in a time of heat and drought, which is the case here; see Psa 29:9 of these sort of creatures there were great plenty in Judea and the parts adjacent.”

Jeremiah 14:5-6

“Man's sin brings those judgments upon the earth which make even the inferior creatures groan: and the prophet takes notice of this as a plea with God for mercy. Judah and Jerusalem have sinned, but the hinds and the wild asses, what have they done?”

Jeremiah 14:6

“Snuffed up the wind like dragons - תנים tannim here probably means the hippopotamus, who, after feeding under the water, is obliged to come to the surface in order to take in fresh draughts of air; or it may mean the wild asses.”

Jeremiah 14:7

“Do thou it - Rather, “deal thou, act thou for Thy Name’s sake, i. e., not according to the strict measure of right and wrong, but as a God merciful and gracious.”

Jeremiah 14:8

“The reference is, not to the faith of Israel which had almost ceased, but to the promise and everlasting covenant of God. None but the true Israel make God their "hope." (Jer 17:13). turneth aside to tarry--The traveller cares little for the land he tarries but a night in; but Thou hast promised to dwell always in the midst of Thy people (2Ch 33:7, 8).”

Jeremiah 14:10

“The answer is addressed to the people. Jeremiah had prayed as their representative, but he must not intercede: for to the same degree that God was determined to punish them, to the same degree (thus) they love to continue their offence.” Compare Jer 15:6 note. Therefore the Lord ... - Translate: “And Yahweh hath no pleasure in them: Now will He remember their iniquity and visit their sins.” Interference in their behalf is out of the question.”

Jeremiah 14:11

“However, it is plain, by the prayers we find in these verses, that the prophet did not understand it as a prohibition, but only as a discouragement, like that 1 John”

Jeremiah 14:12

You see, then, that fasting is certainly not considered by the Lord as a thing that is good in its own nature, because it becomes good and well-pleasing to God not by itself but by other works. Again, from the surrounding circumstances it may be regarded as not merely empty but hateful, as the Lord says: "When they fast, I will not hear their prayers."

Jeremiah 14:12

“Their cry i. e - prayer offered aloud. Oblation - A meat-offering Lev 2:1. The sword, famine, and pestilence - The two latter ever follow upon the track of the first Eze 5:12, and by these God will consume them, yet so as to leave a remnant. The chastisement, which crushes those who harden themselves against it, purifies the penitent.”

Jeremiah 14:13

“The false prophets in Jeremiah’s days were so numerous and influential an to counteract and almost nullify the influence of the true prophet. We find in Isaiah the first indications of the internal decay of the prophetic order; and Micah, his contemporary, denounces the false prophets in the strongest terms Mic 3:5, Mic 3:11. For the secret of their power see Jer 5:31.”

Jeremiah 14:13

“Jeremiah urges that much of the guilt of the people is due to the false prophets' influence. assured peace--solid and lasting peace. Literally, "peace of truth" (Isa 39:8).”

Jeremiah 14:17

“A message from God to the effect that the calamity would be so overwhelming as to cause perpetual weeping; it is set before the people under the representation of Jeremiah’s own sorrow. The virgin daughter of my people - The epithet testifies to God’s previous care of Judah. She had been as jealously guarded from other nations as virgins are in an oriental household (compare Son 4:12).”

Jeremiah 14:17

“Jeremiah is desired to weep ceaselessly for the calamities coming on his nation (called a "virgin," as being heretofore never under foreign yoke), (Isa 23:4).”

Jeremiah 14:18

“If I go forth into the field,.... Without the city, where was the camp of the enemy besieging it then behold the slain with the sword! the sword of the enemy; who by sallying out of the city upon them, or by endeavouring to make their escape into the country, fell into their hands, and were slain by them.”

Jeremiah 14:19

“Hast thou utterly rejected Judah?.... The prophet, though forbid, proceeds to prayers and expostulations on account of this people, the people of the two tribes of Judah and Benjamin: or, "in rejecting hast thou rejected Judah?" (t) from being a nation, from being under thy care and protection? hast thou cast them away, and wilt thou suffer them to go into captivity as the ten tribes? what! Judah, whom the Lord hath chosen, and where was his dwelling place? what! Judah, from whom the chief ruler, the Messiah, was to come? what!”

Jeremiah 14:19

“A second (compare Jer 14:7-9) earnest intercession, acknowledging the wickedness of the nation, but appealing to the covenant and to God’s Almighty power. Lothed - More exactly, “hath thrown away as worthless.” Jer 14:20 Our wickedness, and - Omit and. National sin is the sin of the fathers, perpetuated generation after generation by the children. Jer 14:21 This verse is in the original very emphatic, and consists of a series of broken ejaculations: “Abhor not for thy name’s sake! Disgrace - lightly esteem” in Deu 32:15 - “not the throne of thy glory! Remember!”

Jeremiah 14:21

“We should not think that the glorious throne of God is only the throne of the temple, which was repeatedly destroyed, but that it is also every saint who is cast down and destroyed when he offends God by his multitude of sins, according to what is written: "You have cast his throne to the ground." Nevertheless, the one who perishes from his own guilt is sustained by the clemency of the Lord, whereby the severity of the sentence is altered, lest the Lord invalidate his covenant in which he promised to be our coming salvation.”

Jeremiah 14:21

“Do not disgrace the throne of thy glory - The temple. Let not this sacred place be profaned by impious and sacrilegious hands. Break not thy covenant - See Exo 24:7, Exo 24:8; Exo 19:5. They had already broken the covenant, and they wish God to fulfill his part. They ceased to be his people, for they abandoned themselves to idolatry; and yet they wished Jehovah to be their Lord; to defend, support, and fill them with all good things!”

Jeremiah 14:21

“The throne - The words are either to be understood of the throne of the house of David, called the Lord's throne, 1 Chron. xxix, 23, or else the temple, and the ark in it, the more special symbol of God's presence.”

Jeremiah 14:22

After many and various thoughts, he returns to the prophecy's title, in which it is written, "What the word of the Lord gave to Jeremiah concerning the drought." This is why he says, in effect: "Because the idols of demons are unable to make it rain, and the heavens are unable to give showers in and of themselves, therefore give us rain, O Lord our God, on whom we always wait and toward whom we have turned our hope and devotion. For everything is yours, and whatever is good cannot be given without you, to whom it belongs."

Jeremiah 14:22

“Are there any among the vanities of the Gentiles that can cause rain?.... The blessing wanted; none of the idols of the Gentiles, called vanities, because it was a vain thing to apply to them, or hope for anything from them, none of these could give a shower of rain; though the name of one of their idols was Jupiter Imbrius (u), or Pluvius, the god of rain, yet he could not make nor give a single drop; as Baal, in the times of Ahab, when there was a drought, could not.”

Jeremiah 14:22

THIS is an instance of amazing yet holy boldness. The Prophet had received from the Lord the explicit command, "Pray not for this people: for their good," and yet, after reasoning with God, his heart grew so warm with sacred fervor and his spirit became fired with such a passionate zeal that he could not help pleading for the sinful nation! He poured out his soul in the vehement prayer and said to the Lord, "We will wait upon You."