In this chapter the sins of the people of Israel and Judah are exposed; particularly their idolatry, signified by playing the harlot; which is aggravated by the number of lovers or idols they had worshipped; by the many places where they had committed it; by their impudence in doing it; and by the…

They say, if a man put away his wife Or, “saying” [[21]]; wherefore some connect those words with the last verse of the preceding chapter, as if they were a continuation of what the Lord had been there saying, that he would reject their confidences; so Kimchi; but they seem rather to begin a new…

Lift up thine eyes unto the high places Where idols were set and worshipped; either places naturally high, as hills and mountains, which were chosen for this service; or high places, artificially made and thrown up for this purpose; see (2 Kings 17:9, 2 Kings 17:10, 2 Kings 17:11) , Jarchi…

Therefore the showers have been withholden, and there hath been no latter rain There were two seasons of the year when rain in common fell upon the land of Israel, called the former and the latter rain, and both are designed here.

Wilt thou not from this time cry unto me These words are either a confirmation and proof of that impudence with which these people are charged; for had they not been impudent, or had not a forehead like a whorish woman; or were they truly ashamed, they would have cried to the Lord henceforward;…

Will he reserve his anger for ever? &c.] These words may be considered as a continuation of the speech put into their mouths to make to the Lord and plead with him, as well as what follows: will he keep it to the end? that is, his anger: no; he will not: this is not according to the nature of God;…

The Lord said also unto me, in the days of Josiah the king, &c.] For in his time Jeremiah began to prophesy, even in the thirteenth year of his reign, : hast thou seen that which backsliding Israel hath done? the ten tribes; that is, hast thou not heard? or dost thou not know the idolatry of the…

And I said, after she had done these things All these idolatries, in the several places mentioned, after she had repeated them over and over; the Lord sent to them by the Prophets Hosea, Amos, Micah, and others, who prophesied before the captivity of the ten tribes, and entreated them, saying, turn…

And I saw, when for all the causes, whereby backsliding Israel committed adultery Not only Judah saw, but God, who sees all things, saw the idolatry of the ten tribes which apostatized from him, and all the springs, causes, reasons, and occasions of it, and its consequences; and also the treachery,…

And it came to pass, through the lightness of her whoredom, &c.] Or the “swiftness” [[1]] of it; when it was once set on foot, it ran through the land presently one taking it from and following the example of another; or it became a light thing with her to commit idolatry; it was looked upon as a…

And yet for all this Though the two tribes saw the lightness and filthiness of the sin Israel was guilty of, and how the land was defiled with it, the stupidity of it, and the punishment inflicted on account of it: her treacherous sister Judah hath not turned unto me with her whole heart, but…

And the Lord said unto me To the Prophet Jeremiah, as in and at or about the same time: the backsliding Israel hath justified herself more than treacherous Judah; that is, was comparatively more righteous; of the two she appeared the most righteous; though neither of them could vindicate their…

Go and proclaim these words towards the north With his face thitherwards, towards Babylon, which lay north of Judea, and was the metropolis of Assyria, where the ten tribes were carried captive; and though they were dispersed in the cities of Media and Persia, which lay eastward, yet Babylon being…

Only acknowledge thine iniquity Or, “know” [[4]] it; unless a man knows his sin, and is convicted of it, he will never repent of it, or turn from it; and when he is made sensible of it, and sorry for it, he ought to acknowledge and confess it before God, against whom he has sinned; this is what is…

Turn, O backsliding children, saith the Lord All of them were children by national adoption, and some by special grace, and yet “backsliders”, O monstrous ingratitude! “backsliders”, and yet “children”, still the relation continues, O marvellous grace! God’s own children may backslide, and often…

And I will give you pastors according to mine heart Which is to be understood not of political rulers and governors, but ministers of the word; who are “pastors” or “shepherds” under Christ the great Shepherd, and are “gifts” of his to the churches, and “according to his heart”; or “conformable to…

And it shall come to pass, when ye be multiplied and increased in the land That is, when the number of the disciples and followers of Christ, and true believers in him, shall be multiplied and increased in the land of Judea, and in the Gentile world also, under the ministry of the above said…

At that time they shall call Jerusalem the throne of the Lord, &c.] That is, the Gospel church, the heavenly Jerusalem, the Jerusalem above, that is free, and the mother of us all; which is Christ’s kingdom, where he has his throne and subjects, and where he sits and reigns as King of saints; and…

In those days the house of Judah shall walk with the house of Israel Which had its accomplishment when some of the ten tribes, scattered among the nations whither the Gospel came, as well as in the land of Judea, being converted under it, joined together in a Gospel church state, and walked…

But I said Within himself, in the thoughts of his heart, when he took up a resolution concerning their conversion, open adoption, and return to their own land, as a symbol of the eternal inheritance: how shall I put thee among the children? among the children of God, who are so by special adopting…

Surely as a wife treacherously departeth from her husband, &c.] Or, “her friend” [[8]]; who loves her, takes care of her, and provides for her, and goes after another man, and cohabits with him; which is a violation of the marriage covenant, and acting a base and treacherous part unto him to whom…

A voice was heard upon the high places And so might be heard afar off; it shows that the repentance and confession of the Jews, when convinced and converted, will be very public, and made upon those places where they have committed their sins; see , for this and the following verses declare the…

Return, ye backsliding children This is the call of the Jews to repentance in the latter day; (See Gill on Jer. 3:14). and I will heal your backslidings; that is, I will forgive your sins. Sins are the diseases of the soul, and the wounds made in it; and pardoning them is healing them.

Truly in vain is salvation hoped for from the hills, and from the multitude of mountains From any natural defence, by hills and mountains encompassing; or from idols worshipped on hills and mountains.

For shame hath devoured the labour of our fathers from our youth That is, sin, which is the cause of shame, and of which sinners ought to be ashamed, and will be sooner or later; so the Targum renders it, “the confusion of sins”; and the Jewish writers generally interpret it of idolatry, and of the…

We lie down in our shame, and our confusion covereth us As persons overwhelmed with a sense of sin, and so pressed with the guilt of it on their consciences, that they can neither stand up, nor look up, but throw themselves on the ground, and cover their faces, being ashamed of what they have done:…