Jer. 2 God’s numerous and continued mercies render the Jews in their idolatry inexcusable, and unparalleled in any nation; and themselves the causes of their calamities, Jer. 2:1–19. Their gross idolatry, Jer. 2:20–28; incorrigibleness, blood-shedding, and hypocrisy, Jer. 2:29–37.

Go, viz. from Anathoth to Jerusalem. Cry in the ears; proclaim it so that they may hear it. Of Jerusalem; declare God’s will to the inhabitants thereof; a metonymy of the subject.

Israel was holiness, or holy, the abstract for the concrete, i.e. a people dedicated to God; thus the word is used Lev. 21:7, Lev. 27:14; set apart from other people for myself by peculiar laws and rites.

Hear ye the word of the Lord: he bespeaks their attention to what he is about to speak, as unto the word of the Lord, telling them that he deliver’s God’s message, and vents not his own passions: the like Isa. 1:10, and elsewhere frequently, both in the Old and New Testament, as 1 Cor.

God having, as it were on his own behalf, shown how kind he had been, calls upon them to speak now, if they knew any thing of injury, either in breach of covenant or severity, that they can charge him with, that they have thus apostatized. See Poole “Isa. 1:18”; See Poole “Isa. 5:3”: compare Mic.

Neither said, i.e. with themselves, thought not. Brought us up: the expression may have some respect to the situation of the place, as lying lower than Canaan; but the design is to reprove their sloth and stupidity, charging herein their apostacy, not upon their ignorance, but wilfulness; their…

Plentiful country, Heb. land of Carmel, Isa. 29:17; understand Canaan, Num. 13:27; See Poole “Isa. 35:2”. To eat the fruit thereof and the goodness; to enjoy all the blessing of it. My land, i.e. consecrated to my name, Lev. 25:23; and this you have defiled by going a whoring after your idols, Jer.

They that handle the law knew me not: q.d. They that should have taught others knew as little as they, or regarded as little to know, Hos. 4:6, who are said here to handle or teach the law, viz.

I will yet plead with you: this is to be understood either really, by his judgments, Ps. 74:22, and that with great severities; or verbally, he will go on to deal with them, to convince them by his prophets, as he did with their fathers, that they may be left without excuse, Jer. 7:25–26.

The isles of Chittim; a synecdochical expression, extending to all isles in the Mediterranean Sea, or any other the neighbouring coasts; for the Hebrews call all people that are separated from them by the Mediterranean Sea islanders, because they come to them by shipping. See of Chittim, Isa. 23:1.

Hath a nation changed their gods? q.d. No, they are unmovable and fixed to their idols, although they are false gods; what they receive from their fathers they tenaciously hold. Their glory, viz. the true God, who was their glory; a metonymy of the adjunct, Ps.

Be astonished, O ye heavens; angels, say some, but rather the visible heavenly bodies; a pathetical expression in a poetical prosopopoeia, as Deut. 4:26, Deut. 32:1, intimating that it is such a tiring that the very inanimate creatures, could they be sensible of it, would be astonished.

Committed two evils, viz. remarkable ones, and with a witness. Living waters; a metaphor taken from springs, called living here, and Gen. 26:19, and elsewhere, because they never cease or intermit; such had God’s care and kindness been over and to them; see on Isa.

Is Israel a servant? is he a home-born slave? did I ever account him so? or did I not rather always reckon him my first-born? so some, as Jer. 2:31. But it may better relate to his sad condition and abuses from others, as Jer.

The young lions; understand the Assyrians, Babylonians, and Egyptians, &c., called lions from their fierceness, and young from their strength. See this Jer. 4:7, Jer. 50:17.

Noph and Tahapanes; two of the king of Egypt’s principal seats. Concerning Noph, sometimes called Memphis, now Cairo, see on Isa. 19:13. Concerning Tahapanes, see Ezek. 30:18, probably taking its name from Tahpenes, queen of Egypt, 1 Kings 11:19; called also Hanes: See Poole “Isa. 30:4”.

Hast thou not procured this unto thyself? here God by his prophet shows that they may thank themselves for all that is hastening upon them. See Num. 32:23. In that thou hast forsaken the Lord: here he shows wherein, viz.

What hast thou to do in the way of Egypt? what business hast thou there? or what dost thou expect from thence? or what need hast thou to go or send messengers thither, if thou wouldst but keep close to me? Sihor, viz.

Thine own wickedness shall correct thee: the meaning is either, 1. There need no further evidence against thee than thine own evil courses, Hos. 5:5. Or rather, might correct thee, i.e. one would think should be sufficient to reclaim thee: see Hos. 2:7. Or, 2.

Of old time I have broken thy yoke, i.e. the bondage and tyranny that thou wert under in old time in Egypt, as also divers times besides, as appears through the Book of Judges.

A noble vine; a usual metaphor for the church, Ps. 80:8–9;c. See Poole “Isa. 5:1”. The Hebrew is Sorek, and may refer to the place or to the plant. With reference to the place, it may be taken either for a proper name, as Carmel for any fruitful place; so here noting either the place whence, viz.

Though interpreters do greatly vary. in describing what is particularly meant here by nitre and soap, and it would be superfluous to mention here; yet all agree they are some materials that artists make use of for the cleansing away spots from the skin, clothes, or other things; and the sense is…

How canst thou say? with what face canst thou go about to excuse thyself, or deny what is so evident, and so truly charged upon thee? Jer. 2:20. I have not gone after Baalim: the word is plural, as comprehensive of all their idols, Hos.

A wild ass; or, O wild ass; another similitude for the more lively description of the same thing; neither need we be solicitous about the variety or extravagancies of conjectures about this beast; or you may consult as before.

Withhold thy foot from being unshod; good counsel given them by the prophet to tarry at home; either that they do not go a gadding after their spiritual or corporal adulteries, or seek foreign aids, thereby to wear out their shoes; a metonymy of the effect, Josh.

Ashamed when he is found; not ashamed of his sin of theft, but that he is found, that his shifts and blinds would serve him no longer, especially if he have had the reputation of an honest man. The house of Israel; or families, the twelve tribes; a metonymy of the subject.

A stone; idol; a metonymy of the matter, because idols are made of these materials, Dan. 5:4. Brought me forth; or, begotten me; so is the word used, Gen. 4:18.

Thy gods; thy idols, viz. gods of thy own making; what do they do for thee? Isa. 31:3. Let them arise: either by way of challenge, let them produce their idols now, to help them, if they can, whom they call their fathers and their makers; or by way of scoff, as Elijah to Baal’s priests: see Judg.

Wherefore will ye plead with me? ye all: q.d. You are all at my mercy, why will you contend? all this that I charge you with is clear and evident, and all makes against you, Jer. 2:23, Jer. 2:34. Wherefore do you expostulate, and put me to my proofs? This they were good at, Jer. 16:10.

Your children; either your posterity, that you breed up like yourselves; or rather, your inhabitants in every city, they being frequently called the children of such a city, or such a place: children of Seir, 2 Chron. 25:14, children, of the province, Ezra 2:1, and children of thy people, Lev.

O generation; or, O ye men of this generation, a note of admiration; or rather, O generation, a note of compellation: it is to you I speak, see ye the word of the Lord, i.e. look well to it, consider it; as the rod is to teach, and therefore ought to be heard, Mic.

Can a maid forget her ornaments? how seldom is it, and how unlikely, that a maid should forget her ornaments! Or a bride her attire? whether it belongs to the head, or the breast, or arms, whether bracelets or jewels, wherever worn, is not worth the disputing; but understand those rich jewels which…

Why trimmest, or deckest, Ezek. 23:40, thinking thereby to entice others to thy help? thus is the word used, Jer. 4:30. Or, Why dost thou use so much art and skill, and take so much pains, to go and send here and there to contract a friendship with foreign people, and to bring them to thy embraces,…

In thy skirts, viz. of thy garments; a synecdoche of the kind; the tokens of thy cruelty may be seen openly there: or, in thy hands, as the LXX.: or a metaphor from birds of rapine, whose wings are bloody with their prey; but not so well. Is found the blood of the souls of the poor innocents, i.e.

Yet thou sayest; or interrogatively, Darest thou say? hast thou the impudence to affirm it? Innocent; clear of this whole charge. Shall turn; shall not break out against me, Isa. 5:25. I will plead with thee; I will proceed in my judgment against thee, Jer. 2:9, Jer. 25:31.

Thy way, i.e. thy actions; a metaphor. See Poole “Jer. 2:33”. Why dost thou shuffle thus with me, to seek auxiliaries any where, rather than to cleave to me, Jer. 2:18; See Poole “Isa. 52:9”, See Poole “Isa. 52:10”.

Thou shalt go forth from him: some apply it to the sad and ineffectual return of the ambassadors, being disappointed in their expectation from the king of Egypt; but rather, All the help thou canst procure from abroad shall not prevent thy captivity, but from hence thou shalt go.