Jer 3:12, Eze 18:30, Mic 7:19 | JFB | STEP | 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, ). Return . . . backsliding — Hebrew, Shubah, Meshubah, a play on sounds. In order to excite Judah to godly jealousy ( ), 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 ), that is, I will not continue to frown on you. keep

Jeremiah 3:12

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 Jer 3:5).

Ezekiel 18:30

30-32. As God is to judge them "according to their ways" (Pr 1:31), their only hope is to "repent"; and this is a sure hope, for God takes no delight in judging them in wrath, but graciously desires their salvation on repentance.

I will judge you—Though ye cavil, it is a sufficient answer that I, your Judge, declare it so, and will judge you according to My will; and then your cavils must end.

Repent—inward conversion (Re 2:5). In the Hebrew there is a play of like sounds, "Turn ye and return."

turn yourselves, &c.—the outward fruits of repentance. Not as the Margin, "turn others"; for the parallel clause (Eze 18:31) is, "cast away from you all your transgressions." Perhaps, however, the omission of the object after the verb in the Hebrew implies that both are included: Turn alike yourselves and all whom you can influence.

from all . . . transgressions—not as if believers are perfect; but they sincerely aim at perfection, so as to be habitually and wilfully on terms with no sin (1Jo 3:6-9):

your ruin—literally, "your snare," entangling you in ruin.

Micah 7:19

19. turn again—to us, from having been turned away from us.

subdue our iniquities—literally, "tread under foot," as being hostile and deadly to us. Without subjugation of our bad propensities, even pardon could not give us peace. When God takes away the guilt of sin that it may not condemn us, He takes away also the power of sin that it may not rule us.

cast . . . into . . . depths of the sea—never to rise again to view, buried out of sight in eternal oblivion: not merely at the shore side, where they may rise again.

our . . . their—change of person. Micah in the first case identifying himself and his sins with his people and their sins; in the second, speaking of them and their sins.