This chapter gives an account of the usage that Jeremiah met with from many for his prophecies, and the effect it had upon him. He was smitten and put in the stocks by Pashur the priest, who released him the next day, Jer.

Now Pashur the son of Immer the priest Not the immediate son of Immer, but one that descended from him after many generations; for Immer was a priest in David’s time, to whom the sixteenth course of the priests fell by lot, ; who was also chief governor in the house of the Lord; the temple; not the…

And it came to pass on the morrow After the prophet was put into the stocks; so that he was there all night: that Pashur brought forth Jeremiah out of the stocks; either to bring him before the priests, or the sanhedrim, to be examined; or in order to dismiss him, being either admonished by his…

For thus saith the, Lord, behold, I will make thee a terror to thyself, and to all thy friends This is an interpretation of the name given, “Magormissabib”: and shows that it was not a mere name he had, but that he should be in fact what that signifies; his conscience should be filled with terror…

Moreover, I will deliver all the strength of this city The fortifications of it; its towers, as the Syriac version; the riches of it, as the Targum; all its magazines and stores, in which its strength lay: and all the labours thereof; all the fruit of their labours; all their wealth and riches got…

And thou, Pashur, and all that dwell in thine house, shall go into captivity Particularly he and his family should not escape; whoever did: and thou shalt come to Babylon; being brought there, though sore against his will: and there thou shalt die, and shalt be buried there; even in a defiled land,…

O Lord, thou hast deceived me, and I was deceived What follows from hence to the end of the chapter is thought to have been said by the prophet, when in the stocks, or in prison, and shows mixture of grace and corruption in him; a struggle between flesh and spirit, and the force of a temptation…

For since I spake, I cried out Or, “when I speak, I cry” [[0]]; whensoever I speak in the name of the Lord, and deliver message from him to the people, I lift up my voice and cry aloud, that all may hear and understand; and as showing zeal, fervour, and diligence: or, “I cry” with grief and trouble…

Then I said, I will not make mention of him, nor speak any more in his name Not that he publicly said this before his enemies, or privately to his friends, but he said it in his heart; he thought, nay, resolved, within himself, to prophesy no more; since no credit was given to him, but contempt…

For I heard the defaming of many, fear on every side It was brought to the prophet’s ears by some of his friends, how he was defamed by many, and these great and mighty ones, as the word also signifies; how his character was aspersed; his good name taken away; and false and scandalous reports were…

But the Lord is with me as a mighty terrible one The Targum is, “the Word of the Lord is for my help.” “Mighty” to support, uphold, defend, and deliver him; and “terrible” to his enemies. The prophet looks back to the promise the Lord had made him, of his gracious and powerful presence, (Jer.

But, O Lord, that triest the righteous, and seest the reins and the heart That tries the cause of the righteous, and vindicates them, rights their wrongs, and does them justice; being the omniscient God, the seer and searcher of the hearts and reins; who knows the uprightness of their hearts, as…

Sing unto the Lord, praise ye the Lord The prophet, from prayer, proceeds to praise; and from expressions of faith and confidence in the Lord, having committed his cause to him, being assured of success, rises up to a holy triumph and joy; and calls upon his soul, and upon others, to join with him…

Cursed be the day wherein I was born If this was said immediately upon the foregoing, it was a most strange and sudden change of frame indeed that the prophet came into, from praising God, to cursing the day of his birth; wherefore some have thought it was delivered at another time, when in great…

Cursed be the man who brought tidings to my father The word signifies commonly good tidings, as the news of a child born, and especially a man child, is to its parent. The Septuagint use the same word the angel did, when he brought the tidings of the birth of Christ, (Luke 2:10, Luke 2:11) .

And let that man be as the cities which the Lord overthrew, &c.] In his fury, as the Targum and Septuagint add. Meaning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, who were utterly destroyed, and were never recovered: and repented not; whose sentence God never repented of, nor revoked: this was very severe…

Because he slew me not from the womb As soon as he came out of it; that is, as soon as he was born; either because God slew him not so soon, as Kimchi; or the angel of death, as Jarchi: or rather the man that carried the tidings of his birth to his father, who is all along spoken of in the two…

Wherefore came I forth out of the womb to see labour and sorrow “Labour” in performing his work and office as a prophet; and “sorrow” in suffering reproach, contempt, and persecution for it; which to avoid, he wishes he had never been born: a sign of a very fretful and impatient spirit, and of a…