‏ Jeremiah 3:1-15

CHAPTER 3

Jr 3:1-25. God's Mercy notwithstanding Judah's Vileness.

Contrary to all precedent in the case of adultery, Jehovah offers a return to Judah, the spiritual adulteress (Jr 3:1-5). A new portion of the book, ending with the sixth chapter. Judah worse than Israel; yet both shall be restored in the last days (Jr 3:6-25).

1. They say--rather, as Hebrew, "saying," in agreement with "the Lord"; Jr 2:37 of last chapter [Maurer]. Or, it is equivalent to, "Suppose this case." Some copyist may have omitted, "The word of the Lord came to me," saying.

shall he return unto her--will he take her back? It was unlawful to do so (De 24:1-4).

shall not--Should not the land be polluted if this were done?

yet return--(Jr 3:22; Jr 4:1; Zec 1:3; compare Eze 16:51, 58, 60). "Nevertheless," &c. (see on Is 50:1).

2. high places--the scene of idolatries which were spiritual adulteries.

In ... ways ... sat for them--watching for lovers like a prostitute (Ge 38:14, 21; Pr 7:12; 23:28; Eze 16:24, 25), and like an Arab who lies in wait for travellers. The Arabs of the desert, east and south of Palestine, are still notorious as robbers.

3. no latter rain--essential to the crops in Palestine; withheld in judgment (Le 26:19; compare Joe 2:23).

whore's forehead--(Jr 8:12; Eze 3:8).

4. from this time--not referring, as Michaelis thinks, to the reformation begun the year before, that is, the twelfth of Josiah; it means--now at once, now at last.

me--contrasted with the "stock" whom they had heretofore called on as "father" (Jr 2:27; Lu 15:18).

thou art--rather, "thou wast."

guide of ... youth--that is, husband (Jr 2:2; Pr 2:17; Ho 2:7, 15). Husband and father are the two most endearing of ties.

5. 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. Jr 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].

6. Jr 3:6-6:30, is a new discourse, delivered in Josiah's reign. It consists of two parts, the former extending to Jr 4:3, in which he warns Judah from the example of Israel's doom, and yet promises Israel final restoration; the latter a threat of Babylonian invasion; as Nabopolassar founded the Babylonian empire, 625 B.C., the seventeenth of Josiah, this prophecy is perhaps not earlier than that date (Jr 4:5, &c.; Jr 5:14, &c.; Jr 6:1, &c.; Jr 22:1-30); and probably not later than the second thorough reformation in the eighteenth year of the same reign.

backsliding--literally, "apostasy"; not merely apostate, but apostasy itself, the essence of it (Jr 3:14, 22).

7. I said--(2Ki 17:13).

sister--(Eze 16:46; 23:2, 4).

8. I saw that, though (whereas) it was for this very reason (namely), because backsliding (apostate) Israel had committed adultery I had put her away (2Ki 17:6, 18), and given her a bill of divorce, yet Judah, &c. (Eze 23:11, &c.).

bill of divorce--literally, "a writing of cuttings off." The plural implies the completeness of the severance. The use of this metaphor here, as in the former discourse (Jr 3:1), implies a close connection between the discourses. The epithets are characteristic; Israel "apostate" (as the Hebrew for "backsliding" is better rendered); Judah, not as yet utterly apostate, but treacherous or faithless.

also--herself also, like Israel.

9. it--Some take this verse of Judah, to whom the end of Jr 3:8 refers. But Jr 3:10 puts Judah in contrast to Israel in this verse. "Yet for all this," referring to the sad example of Israel; if Jr 3:9 referred to Judah, "she" would have been written in Jr 3:10, not "Judah." Translate, "It (the putting away of Israel) had come to pass through ... whoredom; and (that is, for) she (Israel) had defiled the land" &c. [Maurer]. English Version, however, may be explained to refer to Israel.

lightness--"infamy." [Ewald]. Maurer not so well takes it from the Hebrew root, "voice," "fame."

10. yet--notwithstanding the lesson given in Israel's case of the fatal results of apostasy.

not ... whole heart--The reformation in the eighteenth year of Josiah was not thorough on the part of the people, for at his death they relapsed into idolatry (2Ch 34:33; Ho 7:14).

11. justified herself--has been made to appear almost just (that is, comparatively innocent) by the surpassing guilt of Judah, who adds hypocrisy and treachery to her sin; and who had the example of Israel to warn her, but in vain (compare Eze 16:51; 23:11).

more than--in comparison with.

12. Go--not actually; but turn and proclaim towards the north (Media and Assyria, where the ten tribes were located by Tiglath-pileser and Shalmaneser, 2Ki 15:29; 17:6; 18:9, 11).

Return ... backsliding--Hebrew, Shubah, Meshubah, a play on sounds. In order to excite Judah to godly jealousy (Ro 11:14), Jehovah addresses the exiled ten tribes of Israel with a loving invitation.

cause ... anger to fall--literally, "I will not let fall My countenance" (compare Ge 4:5, 6; Job 29:3), that is, I will not continue to frown on you.

keep--"anger" is to be supplied (see on Jr 3:5).

13. Only acknowledge--(De 30:1, 3; Pr 28:13).

scattered thy ways, &c.--(Jr 2:25). Not merely the calves at Beth-el, but the idols in every direction, were the objects of their worship (Eze 16:15, 24, 25).

14. I am married--literally, "I am Lord," that is, husband to you (so Jr 31:32; compare Ho 2:19, 20; Is 54:5). Gesenius, following the Septuagint version of Jr 31:32, and Paul's quotation of it (He 8:9), translates, "I have rejected you"; so the corresponding Arabic, and the idea of lordship, may pass into that of looking down upon, and so rejecting. But the Septuagint in this passage translates, "I will be Lord over you." And the "for" has much more force in English Version than in that of Gesenius. The Hebrew hardly admits the rendering though [Hengstenberg].

take you one of a city--Though but one or two Israelites were in a (foreign) city, they shall not be forgotten; all shall be restored (Am 9:9). So, in the spiritual Israel, God gathers one convert here, another there, into His Church; not the least one is lost (Mt 18:14; Ro 11:5; compare Jr 24:5-7).

family--a clan or tribe.

15. pastors--not religious, but civil rulers, as Zerubbabel, Nehemiah (Jr 23:4; 2:8).