Chapter 5
The corruption of Israel’s leaders
Lecture 1
Jerusalem without holy men
5:1 Go through the streets of Jerusalem, look and consider, seek in her broad places a man who carries out judgment, who seeks faith, and I will be gracious to her.
5:2 Even if they say, ‘As the Lord lives,’ they swear falsely.
5:3 Lord , your eyes behold faith; you have struck them, and they have not been sorry; you have crushed them and they have refused to accept correction; they have hardened their faces above stone, and will not turn back.
32 . Here, he excludes the remedies in which they might have been able to trust:
first, the holiness of men;
second, the strength of the royal city, at be strengthened (Jer 6:1);
third, exactness in the worship of God, at the word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord , saying (Jer 7:1).
Concerning the first, there are two points.
First, he shows their wickedness in general;
second, he discusses their vices in particular, at for what shall I be able to be gracious to you? (Jer 5:7).
Concerning the first, there are two points.
First, he shows their guilt;
second, he threatens them with punishment, at therefore, the lion of the forest struck them (Jer 5:6).
Concerning the first, there are two points.
First, he shows the wickedness of the rulers;
second, of their subjects, at but I said (Jer 5:4).
Concerning the first, there are two points.
First, the Lord sets forth the universal wickedness of the people, regarding the depravity of their actions: a man , even one, who carries out judgment , that is, one who deals justly with his neighbor, according to the rule of just judgment; who seeks faith , that is, to act faithfully; and I will be gracious to her , not only on account of ten, as is said to Abraham concerning the inhabitants of Sodom in Genesis 18. But it could have been said, there is none who does good, no not even one (Ps 13:3).
And with regard to the perversity of their actions in these things, if they should somehow appear to be good: even if they say, ‘As the Lord lives,’ they swear falsely : because in their heart they do not worship the Lord, as they pretend with their mouth, or because they literally perjure themselves. As it says above, you shall swear: as the Lord lives, in truth, and in judgment, and in justice (Jer 4:2). This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me (Isa 29:13).
Second, the prophet confirms the judgment of the Lord.
First, he discusses the truth of the sentence: Lord , your eyes behold faith , that is, what is right; it is as though he were saying, “You have judged rightly.” Every way of a man lies open to his eyes, the Lord is a weigher of spirits (Prov 16:2). Your eyes are clean lest they should see evil, and to look upon iniquity you will not be able (Hab 1:13).
Second, he adds the incorrigibility of the people, for they are not corrected even by being struck: you have struck them , with light chastisements, and they have not been sorry , for their sins; you have crushed them , with death and captivity. As it says above, in vain have I struck your children; they have not received correction (Jer 2:30). I have struck you with a burning wind, and I have struck all the works of your hands with mildew and hail; and there was none among you who would turn back to me, says the Lord (Hag 2:18). Nor because of shame: they have hardened ; it is as though he were saying, “They are not changed by the feeling of shame.” Indeed, the whole house of Israel has a hard forehead, and a stiff heart (Ezek 3:7).
Lecture 2
Sins of the nobles
5:4 But I said, perhaps they are poor and foolish, ignorant of the way of the Lord , of the judgment of their God.
5:5 I will go to the nobles, and I will speak to them, for they have known the way of the Lord , the judgment of their God; and behold, these broke the yoke even more, and sundered the bonds at the same time.
33 . Here, he shows the malice of the rulers against the judgment of the prophet.
First, he discusses the ignorance of the people, as though making an excuse for them: perhaps they are poor , those whom I found to be bad in the broad places; ignorant of the way , along which they should walk; judgment , which they should fear. Knowledge is not in everyone (1 Cor 8:7).
Second, he discusses the knowledge of the rulers, which takes away the supposition of guilt: I will go to the nobles, and I will speak to them, for they have known the way , along which they should walk, judgment , by which they should also judge between others. To you, O kings, are these words given, that you may learn wisdom, that you perish not (Wis 6:10).
Third, he speaks of their guilt: and behold, even more , more than the people, because they are more bold and less fearful; at the same time , with the people. The kings of the earth have stood together, and the princes gathered together as one against the Lord (Ps 2:2); the yoke of the law, the bonds of the commandments. Let us burst their bands asunder, and cast their yoke from us (Ps 2:3).
Lecture 3
The lion, wolf, and leopard
5:6 Therefore, the lion of the forest struck them, the wolf at sunset laid them waste, the leopard keeps watch over their cities; any who goes forth from them shall be captured, because they have multiplied their rebellions, and strengthened their backslidings.
34 . Here, punishment is threatened.
First, he determines the punishment with regard to the killing of men: the lion of the forest , as one who is fierce, that is, Nebuchadnezzar, because of his ferocity—by whom is signified the kingdom of the Chaldeans. With regard to the devastation of the countryside: the wolf at sunset , because of his swiftness, for wolves are faster in the evening, having been emptied of food, and they crave some prey at night. Alternatively, the kingdom of the Persians is signified by the wolf. With regard to the siege of the city: the leopard keeps watch , that is, Nebuchadnezzar, because of his fraudulence, or the kingdom of the Greeks because of the variety of their kings, which had been made subject to him. Concerning the kingdom of the Romans, however, he is silent: because that was still a long way off, or perhaps he refers to it when he says: any who goes forth , that is, escaped from the hands of those who came before, shall be captured . The bear lying in wait has become to me as a lion in hiding (Lam 3:10). Their horses are lighter than leopards, and swifter than a wolf at evening (Hab 1:8).
Second, he resumes the case: they have multiplied , with regard to number; strengthened , with regard to use; their backslidings , from God. Our iniquities have been multiplied before you, and our sins have answered us (Isa 59:12).
Lecture 4
Israel’s sins enumerated
5:7 For what shall I be able to be gracious to you? Your children have abandoned me and have sworn by them which are no gods. I have filled them, and they have been adulterous, they would sport in the house of the harlot.
5:8 They have become as amorous horses with women; they have been sent out, each one neighing at the wife of his neighbor.
5:9 Shall I not visit you for these things, says the Lord , and on such a nation shall my soul not be avenged?
5:10 Go upon her walls, and destroy, but do not make an end; take away her shoots, because they are not of the Lord .
5:11 With rebellion the house of Israel and the house of Judah have rebelled against me, says the Lord .
5:12 They have denied the Lord , and said, ‘He is not; neither shall evil come upon us; we shall not see the sword or famine.’
5:13 There were prophets, and they spoke into the wind, and there was no response in them; therefore, these things shall come upon them.
5:14 Thus says the Lord God of hosts: because you have spoken this word, behold I give my words in your mouth as fire, and this people as wood, and it will devour them.
5:15 Behold, I will bring upon them a nation from afar off, O house of Israel, says the Lord . A strong nation, an ancient nation, a nation whose language you do not know, nor do you understand what they say.
5:16 His quiver is like an open sepulcher; they are all of them mighty men.
5:17 And he shall eat your corn, and your bread, and devour your sons and your daughters; he will eat up your flocks, and your herds; he will eat up your vine, and your fig tree: and he will destroy your fenced cities, in which you trust, with the sword.
5:18 Nevertheless, in those days, says the Lord , I will not make an end of you.
5:19 And if you shall say, ‘Why has the Lord God done all this to us?’ You will say to them, ‘As you left me, and served a strange god in your land, even so shall you serve strangers in a land not your own.’
35 . Here, he treats of their sins specifically:
first, the sins of the subjects;
second, the sins of the rulers, at wicked men are found in my people, lying in wait (Jer 5:26).
Concerning the first, there are two points.
First, he shows the guilt of the people;
second, the foolishness of those who sin, at tell (Jer 5:20).
Concerning the first point, there are three things.
First, he accuses the people of the crime of idolatry: for what shall I be able to be gracious to you? That is, what reasonable cause will I be able to find for sparing you? Have sworn , offering divine honor to them. They have provoked me with what was not God; and incited me with their vanities; I also will provoke them with what is not a people (Deut 32:21).
Second, he accuses them of the fault of wantonness when he speaks of the commission of sin, or the occasion of sin: I have filled them , by conferring a wealth of temporal goods. From the Gloss: without Ceres and Bacchus, Venus has nothing to do; for the stomach and the genitals are friends . They have been adulterous , committed adultery, in the house of the harlot . The vileness of the sin is increased by the place itself. This was the sin of Sodom, your sister: pride and fullness of bread, abundance and leisure for herself, and for her daughters; and she did not stretch out her hand for the needy; they became haughty, and committed abominations before me, and I took them away as you have seen (Ezek 16:49).
He speaks also of the fervor of their lust: as amorous horses , that is, at the time of their sporting, sent out , because the beasts of burden are specifically sent out to pasture for this purpose. Neighing , as one mad with lust. Do not be as a horse or mule, in whom there is no understanding (Ps 31:9).
He speaks also of the recompense of punishment when he threatens vengeance: shall I not visit you for these things , by correcting their sins with punishments; my soul , the affections. I will visit the men settled in their lees (Zeph 1:12).
And he specifies their punishment with regard to the destruction of the walls: go upon her walls , O Chaldeans; and regarding the destruction of men: take away her shoots , that is, the sons who are propagated from these people, as vines from a slip. Your strong and lofty walls, in which you put your trust, will be torn down throughout all your land (Deut 28:52). Now he takes up the cause of their punishment again: because they are not of the Lord —they have been estranged from him by sin. The prevaricators have prevaricated, and with the prevarication of transgressors they have prevaricated (Isa 24:16).
Third, he accuses them of the sin of blasphemy.
First, he speaks of their guilt with regard to blasphemy against God: they have denied the Lord , denying his providence over lower matters. He , by whose nod all things are made, is not , neither shall evil come upon us , however much we have sinned against him. Who is this who spoke and it came to be, when the Lord has not commanded it? (Lam 3:37). And they said, the Lord has left the earth, and the Lord will not see (Ezek 9:9).
And regarding blasphemy against the prophets: into the wind , that is, in vain. No response , from God. You make fine speeches only to rebuke; you bring forth words to the wind (Job 6:26).
Second, he threatens punishment.
First, he speaks of the punishment for blasphemy against the prophets: therefore, these things , which follow.
As fire , that is, I will give efficacy to your words, that your words themselves may burn like fire. As it says below: are not my words like fire, says the Lord (Jer 23:29).
And as punishment for blasphemy against God, he describes the nature of the enemy, that they are powerful: behold, I will bring upon them a nation from afar off , that is, from Chaldea, a strong nation , with strong men, an ancient nation , because Nimrod the giant, was their leader; for this reason, since ancient times they have been trained in the use of weapons. He also shows them to be a people that cannot be moved by entreaty: a nation whose language you do not know .
And equipped with weapons— his quiver —because from there, they draw arrows quickly, and because there the arrows appear blood-stained, as corpses in the sepulchers. As it says below: behold, a people will come from the north, and a great people, and many kings will arise from the ends of the earth (Jer 50:41).
Now he discusses the infliction of the punishment: and he shall eat . The Lord will bring upon you a people from afar, and from the farthest ends of the earth like an eagle flying as to attack, whose language you cannot understand (Deut 28:49).
Yet, with a mixture of mercy: nevertheless, in those days, says the Lord , I will not make an end of you . As it says above: I will not make an end (Jer 4:27).
Second, he takes up the cause of their punishment: and if you shall say . As it says below: I also shall drive you out from this land to a land which you know not, neither you nor your fathers (Jer 16:13).
Lecture 5
Israel’s foolish disobedience
5:20 Tell this to the house of Jacob, and make it heard in Judah, saying:
5:21 Hear, O foolish people, who have no heart; who have eyes, but you do not see, and ears, but you do not hear.
5:22 Therefore, will you not fear me, says the Lord , and will you not be dismayed before my face? I who set the sand as a boundary to the sea, as an eternal ordinance, which it may not overstep; they shall be moved, but shall not prevail; its waves shall surge, but they shall not cross over it.
5:23 But a rebellious, and unbelieving heart has been given to this people; they have turned back, and gone away.
5:24 And they did not say in their heart, ‘Let us fear the Lord our God, who has given us the early, and the latter rain in its season, guarding the fullness of the year’s harvest for us.’
5:25 Your iniquities have turned these away, and your sins have kept good from you.
36 . Here, he shows the folly of a sinful people.
First, he sets forth the foolishness itself: hear, O foolish people, who have no heart; who have eyes , externally, but do not see , with the heart. Blind the heart of this people (Isa 6:10).
Second, he proves it:
first, through a comparison with insensible creatures by noting their obedience: therefore, will you not fear me? Sand , the shore; they shall be moved , namely, the waves—that is, however much they are moved. I have set my boundaries about it (Job 38:10).
And the disobedience of the people. But an unbelieving heart has been given to this people . Do not be rebellious as the rebellious house is (Ezek 2:8).
Second, he proves their ingratitude for the kindness they have received, when he speaks of their ingratitude: they have turned back .
The early rain , in the beginning of the growing season after the sowing; the latter rain , at the time of the ripening of the fruits; the Lord , namely, who is guarding .
And the cessation of his kindness: your iniquities . Your sins have made a division between you and your God (Isa 59:2).
Lecture 6
Treachery of the rulers
5:26 For wicked men are found in my people, lying in wait like fowlers, laying gins, and snares to catch men.
5:27 As a trap filled with birds, so are their houses filled with treachery. For this reason, they have grown great, and become rich.
5:28 They have thickened, and grown fat; they have transgressed my words most wickedly. The cause of the widow they have not judged, nor pled the cause of the fatherless, and the judgment of the poor they have not judged.
37 . Here, he speaks of the guilt of the rulers, which is frequently the cause of the guilt of the subjects; and, therefore, he says: for wicked men are found in my people, lying in wait .
Concerning this, he makes two points.
First, he declares their guilt regarding their violation of justice;
second, regarding their perversity of doctrine, at wondrous and amazing things are done in the land (Jer 5:30).
Concerning the first, there are two points.
First, he shows their injustice with regard to their unjust and fraudulent oppression of the poor when he speaks of their fraud: lying in wait . He lies in wait that he may take the poor (Ps 10:29).
Filled with treachery —riches that they have obtained by guile. And the purpose of guile by the multiplication of their riches: for this reason, they have grown great , in honors, and become rich , in wealth. As it says below: as the partridge has hatched what she did not lay, so he who has gotten riches, and not by judgment (Jer 17:11).
Also, in the multiplication of their sins: they have transgressed . The beloved has grown thick and kicked, thickened and fattened, enlarged (Deut 32:15).
Second, he shows their injustice as it pertains to their lack of just judgment: the cause of the widow . They do not judge for the orphan, and the cause of the widow does not come in before them (Isa 1:23).
Lecture 7
Vengeance upon the nation
5:29 Shall I not visit them for these things, says the Lord , or will not my soul be avenged upon a nation of this sort?
38 . Here, he threatens punishment. I will render vengeance to my enemies, and I will recompense those who hate me (Deut 32:41).
Lecture 8
Lies of prophets and priests
5:30 Wondrous and amazing things are done in the land:
5:31 The prophets prophesy a lie, and the priests clap with their hands, and my people delight in such things. What then shall be done in the end thereof?
39 . Here, he declares the perversity of their doctrine.
First, he discusses their astonishing guilt: wondrous , that is, something to be wondered at.
The prophets prophesy a lie , whose duty it was to teach the truth. Her prophets have daubed them without tempering the mortar, seeing false things, divining a lie for them (Ezek 22:28).
The priests clap with their hands , consenting to the lies—they whose duty it was to correct the prophets. As it is written below: the Lord has made you a priest in the place of Jehoiada the priest, that you may be the ruler in the house of the Lord over every madman and prophet, that you may put them in the stocks and in prison. And now, why have you not rebuked Jeremiah the Anatholite, who prophesies unto you? (Jer 29:26–27).
And my people : as the ruler of a city, so the inhabitants thereof (Sir 10:2).
Second, he intimates their astonishing punishment: what then shall be done in the end thereof? Certainly captivity or death. When she has been cast down, he shall judge her measure for measure (Isa 27:8).
Collations
It is to be noted that poverty (Jer 5:4) can be understood in many senses: for example, of earthly possessions. Has not God chosen the poor of this world, rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which God has promised to those that love him? (Jas 2:5). Of humility: blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven (Matt 5:3). Of affliction: I am poor and afflicted; your salvation Lord, has sustained me (Ps 68:30). Of knowledge: you know not that you are poor (Rev 3:17). Of imperfection: I am a man seeing my own poverty in the rod of his indignation (Lam 3:1).
It is also to be noted that visitation (Jer 5:9) has several senses; for example, it is used of consolation. The one rising from on high has visited us (Luke 1:78). Of correction: I will visit your iniquities with the rod (Ps 88:33). Of damnation, as it says below, in the time of their visitation they shall fall down, says the Lord . I shall surely gather them, says the Lord (Jer 8:12–13).
It is also to be noted that the word of God is called fire (Jer 5:14), because it illuminates: your word is a lamp to my feet (Ps 118:105); because it inflames: the word of the Lord has inflamed him (Ps 104:19); because it penetrates the weak, as it says below: and the word of the Lord became like a fire burning in my heart, shut up in my bones (Jer 20:9). The word of God is living, and effective — sharper than any two-edged sword, and penetrating to the division of soul and spirit, of joint also and marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart (Heb 4:12). Because it melts: he will send out his word, and it will melt them; he will blow forth his spirit and the waters will flow (Ps 147:7). Because it consumes the disobedient: his lips are full of indignation, and his tongue is as a devouring fire (Isa 30:27). If I had not come and spoken to them they would have no sin. But now, they have no excuse for their sin (John 15:22).