This chapter shows that there is no comparison to be made between God and the idols of the Gentiles; represents the destruction of the Jews as near at hand; and is closed with some petitions of the prophet.

Hear ye the word which the Lord speaketh unto you, O house of Israel. ] Or, “upon you”; or, “concerning you” [[9]]; it may design the judgment of God decreed and pronounced upon them; or the prophecy of it to them, in which they were nearly concerned; or the word of God in general, sent unto them…

Thus saith the Lord, learn not the way of the Heathen Of the nations round about them, particularly the Chaldeans; meaning their religious ways, their ways of worship, their superstition and idolatry, which they were very prone unto, and many of which they had learned already; and were in danger of…

For the customs of the people are vain Or, “their decrees”, or “statutes” [[13]], their determinations and conclusions, founded upon the observation of the stars; or, their “rites and ceremonies” [[14]] in religion, in the worship of the sun and moon, and the hosts of heaven.

They deck it with silver and with gold Cover it with plates of silver and gold, for the sake of ornament, that it may look grand, majestic, and venerable; and by this means draw the eye and attention, and so the devotion of people to it: they fasten it with nails and hammers, that it move not.

They are upright as the palm tree Being nailed to a post, or fastened to a pillar, or set upon a pedestal, and so stand erect without bending any way; and are like a palm tree, which is noted for its uprightness; hence the church’s stature is compared to it, , here it is a sarcasm, and a bitter…

Forasmuch as there is none like unto thee, O Lord None like him, for the perfections of his nature, for the works of his hands, and for the instances of his kindness and beneficence, both in a way of grace and providence; there is none like him for doing good, or doing evil; that is, for bestowing…

Who would not fear thee, O King of nations? &c.] Not that the fear of him among the nations was general, or that he was owned by them as their King; but inasmuch as of right he was their King, so he ought to have been feared and reverenced by them; and it was an instance of great stupidity and…

But they are altogether brutish and foolish In comparison of the Lord, there is no knowledge and wisdom in them, this is a certain fact; they are verily brutish and foolish; or they are one and all so, there is not a wise man among them: or, “in one thing they are brutish” [[16]]; namely, in their…

Silver spread into plates is brought from Tarshish In Cilicia, where the Apostle Paul was born; according to Josephus, as Jerom says, it was a country in India.

But the Lord is the true God In opposition to all nominal and fictitious deities, which are not by nature God, only by name, and in the foolish imagination of the people: or, “the Lord God is truth” [[18]]; that cannot lie, is true to his covenant and promises, and will never deceive those that…

Thus shall ye say unto them The godly Jews to the idolatrous Chaldeans; and therefore this verse alone is written in the Chaldee language. The Targum prefaces it thus, “this is the copy of the letter, which Jeremiah the prophet sent to the rest of the elders of the captivity in Babylon; and if the…

He hath made the earth by his power The Targum considers these words as a continuation of the answer of the Jews to the Chaldeans, paraphrasing them thus, “and so shall ye say unto them, `we worship him who hath made the earth by his power’:” who stands opposed to the gods that made not the heavens…

When he uttereth his voice Declares his will and pleasure, issues out his commands; or when he thunders, for thunder is his voice, : there is a multitude of waters in the heavens; they are covered with clouds, and these clouds full of water; which is brought about by the following means: and he…

Every man is brutish in his knowledge Or science of making an idol, whether it be of wood, or of gold, or silver, or brass; he is no better than a brute, if he thinks, when he has made it, he has made a god: or, “because of knowledge” [[21]]; for want of it; being without the knowledge of God and…

They are vanity They are the fruit of the vain imagination of men; to worship them shows the vanity of the human mind; and they are vain things to trust to: and the work of errors; of erroneous men, and which lead men into errors; and are worthy to be laughed at, as the Targum paraphrases it.

The portion of Jacob is not like them Like those idols, vain, and the work of errors, or shall perish; even the true God, who is the portion of his people, of Jacob, whom he has chosen and redeemed; who call themselves by the name of Jacob, and are Israelites indeed, and plain hearted ones; and who…

Gather up thy wares out of the land Or thy merchandise, as the Targum; or thy substance, as the Septuagint; all valuable effects and goods that are movable, which might be carried from place to place.

For thus saith the Lord This is a reason enforcing the exhortation in the preceding verse, and shows that the same people that are spoken of here are addressed there.

Woe is me for my hurt! &c.] Or “breach” [[0]]; which was made upon the people of the Jews, when besieged, taken, and carried captive; with whom the prophet heartily sympathized, and considered their calamities and distresses as his own; for these are the words of the prophet, lamenting the sad…

My tabernacle is spoiled Not the temple at Jerusalem only, rather Jerusalem itself, as Kimchi; or the whole land, as the Targum, “my land is wasted:” the allusion is to the tents of shepherds, and denotes the unstable condition of the Jewish nation: and all my cords are broken: all the rest of the…

For the pastors are become brutish The “kings” of Judah, so the Targum, Jarchi, and Kimchi, as Jehoiakim and Zedekiah; though it need not be restrained to these only, but may include all inferior civil magistrates, and even all ecclesiastical rulers, who were the shepherds of the people; but these…

Behold the noise of the bruit is come Or, “the voice of hearing” [[2]]; that is, the voice heard; the report that was made that the king of Babylon had invaded the land, and was coming up to besiege Jerusalem: “and a great commotion out of the north country”; a large army from Babylon, which lay…

O Lord, I know that the way of man is not in himself Kimchi and Ben Melech interpret it of that well known man Nebuchadnezzar, whose way was not in himself, and was not master of his own resolutions, but was under the influence and direction of divine Providence: when he set out of Babylon, he…

O Lord, correct me, but with judgment The prophet here represents the body of the Jewish nation, especially the godly among them; he considers the troubles coming upon the nation as a correction and chastisement of the Lord; he does not refuse it, or desire it might not come upon them; he knew the…

Pour out thy fury upon the Heathen that know thee not Make a difference between thy people that know thee, and make a profession of thy name, and worship thee, and the Heathen, the nations of the world who are ignorant of God, and worship stocks and stones; while thou correctest thine own people in…