Jeremiah 17

Jr 17:1-27. The Jews' Inveterate Love of Idolatry.

The the Septuagint omits the first four verses, but other Greek versions have them.

1. The first of the four clauses relates to the third, the second to the fourth, by alternate parallelism. The sense is: They are as keen after idols as if their propensity was "graven with an iron pen (Job 19:24) on their hearts," or as if it were sanctioned by a law "inscribed with a diamond point" on their altars. The names of their gods used to be written on "the horns of the altars" (Ac 17:23). As the clause "on their hearts" refers to their inward propensity, so "on ... altars," the outward exhibition of it. Others refer "on the horns of ... altars" to their staining them with the blood of victims, in imitation of the Levitical precept (Ex 29:12; Le 4:7, 18), but "written ... graven," would thus be inappropriate.

table of ... heart--which God intended to be inscribed very differently, namely, with His truths (Pr 3:3; 2Co 3:3).

your--Though "their" preceded, He directly addresses them to charge the guilt home to them in particular.

2. children remember--Instead of forsaking the idolatries of their fathers, they keep them up (Jr 7:18). This is given as proof that their sin is "graven upon ... altars" (Jr 17:1), that is, is not merely temporary. They corrupt their posterity after them. Castalio less probably translates, "They remember their altars as (fondly as) they do their children."

groves--rather, "images of Astarte," the goddess of the heavenly hosts, represented as a sacred tree, such as is seen in the Assyrian sculptures (2Ki 21:7; 2Ch 24:18). "Image of the grove." The Hebrew for "grove" is Asherah, that is, Assarak, Astarte, or Ashtaroth.

by the green trees--that is, near them: the sacred trees (idol symbols) of Astarte being placed in the midst of natural trees: "green trees" is thus distinguished from "groves," artificial trees. Henderson, to avoid taking the same Hebrew particle in the same sentence differently, "by ... upon" translates "images of Astarte on the green trees." But it is not probable that images, in the form of a sacred tree, should be hung on trees, rather than near them.

3. mountain--Jerusalem, and especially Zion and the temple.

in the field--As Jerusalem was surrounded by mountains (Psa 125:2), the sense probably is, Ye rely on your mountainous position (Jr 3:23), but I will make "My mountain" to become as if it were in a plain (field), so as to give thy substance an easy prey to the enemy [Calvin]. "Field" may, however, mean all Judea; it and "My mountain" will thus express the country and its capital. (Gesenius translates, "together with," instead of "in"; as the Hebrew is translated in Jr 11:19; Ho 5:6; but this is not absolutely needed), "the substance" of both of which God "will give to the spoil."

thy high places--corresponding in parallelism to "My mountain" (compare Is 11:9), as "all thy borders," to "the field" (which confirms the view that "field" means all Judea).

for sin--connected with high places" in English Version, namely, frequented for sin, that is, for idolatrous sacrifices. But Jr 15:13 makes the rendering probable, "I will give thy substance ... to ... spoil ... on account of thy sin throughout all thy borders."

4. even thyself--rather, "owing to thyself," that is, by thy own fault (Jr 15:13).

discontinue from--be dispossessed of. Not only thy substance, but thyself shall be carried off to a strange land (Jr 15:14).

5. Referring to the Jews' proneness to rely on Egypt, in its fear of Assyria and Babylon (Is 31:1, 3).

trusteth--This word is emphatic. We may expect help from men, so far as God enables them to help us, but we must rest our trust in God alone (Psa 62:5).

6. heath--In Psa 102:17; Is 32:11; Ha 3:9, the Hebrew is translated, "bare," "naked," "destitute"; but as the parallel in Jr 17:8 is "tree," some plant must be meant of which this is the characteristic epithet (Jr 48:6, Margin), "a naked tree." Robinson translates, "the juniper tree," found in the Arabah or Great Valley, here called "the desert," south of the Dead Sea. The "heath" was one of the plants, according to Pliny (13.21; 16.26), excluded from religious uses, because it has neither fruit nor seed, and is neither sown nor planted.

not see ... good--(Job 20:17).

salt land--(De 29:23), barren ground.

7. (Psa 34:8; Pr 16:20; Is 30:18). Jeremiah first removed the weeds (false trusts), so that there might be room for the good grain [Calvin].

8. (Psa 1:3).

shall not see--that is, feel. Answering to Jr 17:6; whereas the unbelievers "shall not see (even) when good cometh," the believer "shall not see (so as to be overwhelmed by it even) when heat (fiery trial) cometh." Trials shall come upon him as on all, nay, upon him especially (He 12:6); but he shall not sink under them, because the Lord is his secret strength, just as the "roots spread out by a river" (or, "water-course") draw hidden support from it (2Co 4:8-11).

careful--anxious, as one desponding (Lu 12:29; 1Pe 5:7).

drought--literally, "withholding," namely, of rain (Jr 14:1); he here probably alludes to the drought which had prevailed, but makes it the type of all kinds of distress.

9. deceitful--from a root, "supplanting," "tripping up insidiously by the heel," from which Jacob (Ho 12:3) took his name. In speaking of the Jews' deceit of heart, he appropriately uses a term alluding to their forefather, whose deceit, but not whose faith, they followed. His "supplanting" was in order to obtain Jehovah's blessing. They plant Jehovah for "trust in man" (Jr 17:5), and then think to deceive God, as if it could escape His notice, that it is in man, not in Him, they trust.

desperately wicked--"incurable" [Horsley], (Mi 1:9). Trust in one's own heart is as foolish as in our fellow man (Pr 28:26).

10. Lest any should infer from Jr 17:9, "who can know it?" that even the Lord does not know, and therefore cannot punish, the hidden treachery of the heart, He says, "I the Lord search the heart," &c. (1Ch 28:9; Psa 7:9; Pr 17:3; Re 2:23).

even to give--and that in order that I may give (Jr 32:19).

11. partridge--(1Sa 26:20). Hebrew, korea, from a root, "to call," alluding to its cry; a name still applied to a bustard by the Arabs. Its nest is liable, being on the ground, to be trodden under foot, or robbed by carnivorous animals, notwithstanding all the beautiful manoeuvres of the parent birds to save the brood. The translation, "sitteth on eggs which it has not laid," alludes to the ancient notion that she stole the eggs of other birds and hatched them as her own; and that the young birds when grown left her for the true mother. It is not needful to make Scripture allude to an exploded notion, as if it were true. Maurer thinks the reference is to Jehoiakim's grasping cupidity (Jr 22:13-17). Probably the sense is more general; as previously He condemned trust in man (Jr 17:5), He now condemns another object of the deceitful hearts' trust, unjustly gotten riches (Psa 39:6; 49:16, 17; 55:23).

fool--(Pr 23:5; Lu 12:20); "their folly" (Psa 49:13). He himself, and all, shall at last perceive he was not the wise man he thought he was.

12. throne--the temple of Jerusalem, the throne of Jehovah. Having condemned false objects of trust, "high places for sin" (Jr 17:3), and an "arm of flesh," he next sets forth Jehovah, and His temple, which was ever open to the Jews, as the true object of confidence, and sanctuary to flee to. Henderson makes Jehovah, in Jr 17:13, the subject, and this verse predicate, "A throne of glory, high from the beginning, the place of our sanctuary, the hope of Israel is Jehovah." "Throne" is thus used for Him who sits on it; compare thrones (Col 1:16). He is called a "sanctuary" to His people (Is 8:14; Eze 11:16). So Syriac and Arabic.

13. me--"Jehovah." Though "Thee" precedes. This sudden transition is usual in the prophetic style, owing to the prophet's continual realization of Jehovah's presence.

all that forsake thee--(Psa 73:27; Is 1:28).

written in the earth--in the dust, that is, shall be consigned to oblivion. So Jesus' significant writing "on the ground (probably the accusers' names)" (Joh 8:6). Names written in the dust are obliterated by a very slight wind. Their hopes and celebrity are wholly in the earth, not in the heavenly book of life (Re 13:8; 20:12, 15). The Jews, though boasting that they were the people of God, had no portion in heaven, no status before God and His angels. Contrast "written in heaven," that is, in the muster-roll of its blessed citizens (Lu 10:20). Also, contrast "written in a book," and "in the rock for ever" (Job 19:23, 24).

living waters--(Jr 2:13).

14-18. Prayer of the prophet for deliverance from the enemies whom he excited by his faithful denunciations.

Heal ... save--not only make me whole (as to the evils of soul as well as body which I am exposed to by contact with ungodly foes, Jr 15:18), but keep me so.

my praise--He whom I have to praise for past favors, and therefore to whom alone I look for the time to come.

19-27. Delivered in the reign of Jehoiakim, who undid the good effected by Josiah's reformation, especially as to the observance of the Sabbath [Eichorn].

gate of ... children of ... people--The gate next the king's palace, called the gate of David, and the gate of the people, from its being the principal thoroughfare: now the Jaffa gate. It is probably the same as "the gate of the fountain" at the foot of Zion, near which were the king's garden and pool (Jr 39:4; 2Ki 25:4; Ne 2:14; 3:15; 12:37).