Jer. 14 A grievous famine prophesied; its miseries, Jer. 14:1–6. The prophet prayeth, but God will not be entreated for them, Jer. 14:7–12. Lying prophets no excuse for them, Jer. 14:13–16. The prophet’s complaint, Jer. 14:17–22.

What dearth we are not told, nor when it happened; some think that it was in the time of the siege of Jerusalem; others, that it was in the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah; but they judge most probably that think it was in the time of Jehoiakim, for we read, Jer.

By Judah is meant the men and women in the whole country of Judah. The gates is put for their cities; or the men of their cities languished, for want of moisture for themselves or their beasts.

This scarcity of water afflicted not mean persons only, who have not so good means to supply their necessities as others; but their greatest persons; so as they sent their little ones (it were better translated servants, for they are meant) to the places made to receive and retain water; but…

The Hebrew word signifieth more largely than chapt, broken, spoiled, turned into dust, as is usual in great droughts. The word also which we translate ploughmen, doth not strictly signify ploughmen, but husbandmen: there having been no rain upon the earth, it brought forth little or no grass for…

Hinds use not to get their food in fields, but upon the mountains and in wildernesses; but the drought was such, that these wild creatures came into the lower grounds, nearer the habitations of men than they were wont, and there brought forth their young.

The wild asses, wanting water, got upon high places, where was the freest and coolest air, and sucked in the wind, and this it is said they did like dragons, of whom Aristotle and Pliny report, that by reason of the great heat of their bodies, they ordinarily stand upon high places sucking in the…

The prophet having described their misery, both in the cause of it, the drought for want of rain, and the effects of it, he applieth himself to that God who he knew was he who alone could give the former and the latter rain; confessing that their sins and backslidings were very many, and testified…

O the hope of Israel; that is, the object of Israel’s hope, he in whom alone thy people Israel have been wont to hope, or he in whom alone Israel hath just reason to hope.

Astonied; the Hebrew word here used being found in no place of holy writ but this, hath given interpreters a liberty to translate it variously, sleepy, weak, astonished, frighted, like a man in such disorder, through some great passions, that he is able to do nothing.

Here beginneth that Divine revelation mentioned Jer. 14:1, as an answer to the prophet’s complaint and prayer in the nine first verses; the substance of which is, that for their manifold sins he was resolved to punish them, and therefore would not be any more solicited on their behalf.

Twice before God had given the prophet this charge, Jer. 7:16, Jer. 11:14; how it could consist with the piety of Jeremiah after those charges to put up the prayer we have Jer. 14:7–9 of this chapter, See Poole “Jer. 11:14”.

When they fast, I will not hear their cry; the like threatening we have Prov. 1:28, Isa. 1:15, Jer. 11:11, Ezek. 8:18, Mic. 3:4. When they offer burnt-offering and an oblation, I will not accept them: men may so long despise God’s calls, exhortations, and counsels, as their case may be desperate,…

We have many complaints of this prophet against false prophets that contradicted his prophecies, Jer. 4:10, Jer. 23:9, and we shall hereafter meet with the names of some of them.

They did not only prophesy falsehoods, but lies, what they knew to be false; for they pretended that God had revealed such things unto them; for admit the things they spake (as to men) but future contingencies, which might be true or false, yet it was a lie for them to pretend that God had told…

It is a most dangerous thing for ecclesiastical ministers to deliver that to people as the will of God which is not so. God here threateneth that these prophets, in testimony of the truth of the word of God delivered by Jeremiah, should die by these very judgments which they falsely prophesied to…

The security promised by these false prophets shall be no excuse to the people for giving credit to them; the prophets shall perish for prophesying falsely in my name, and the people that hearken to and believe what they say, practise accordingly, shall perish for their light and vain credulity.

The prophet is by God directed to speak still of the calamities of this people as a thing past, though yet to come, according to the usual style of prophetical writings; and to tell them, that whatsoever their false prophets told them, yet he so certainly knew the contrary, that he could even wish…

The prophet again returns to God, expostulating with him, and humbly imploring mercy for his people, which lets us know that he did not understand God’s words to him, Jer. 14:11, as an absolute prohibition of him to pray for this people.

That is, both we and our fathers have sinned against thee, and have given thee a right to punish and destroy its; we desire not to cover or cloak our sin, we own and acknowledge it.

The thing which the prophet deprecateth is, the judgments come already and further coming upon this people, the famine, sword, and pestilence, with the drought, under the sad consequents of which they at present laboured; but he prays for the removal of these judgments, and the prevention of such…

The present judgment under which they groaned was a drought, which he had described in the six first verses; the prophet imploring God for the removal of it, argues from the impossibility of help in this case from any other way; none of the idols of the heathens, which he calls vain things, nothing…