Jer. 5 None godly in Judah, Jer. 5:1. They swear falsely, though God be a God of truth; they are incorrigible and senseless, and know not the law, or else wilfully violate it, Jer. 5:2–6. Their idolatry, adultery, Jer. 5:7–9; contempt of God’s word and prophets, which should be sadly verified, Jer.

Whether this begins a new sermon, or be part of the former, is neither certain nor material; but here the prophet is called upon to go up and down, and search here and there, in every part of the city, and to make a diligent inquiry in every street and place of concourse; a phrase frequently used…

Though they say, The Lord liveth; though when they swear, they use the form of an oath, and say, The Lord liveth, Jer. 5:2, or, By the living God. By swearing here we may understand all their service of God, by a synecdoche, swearing being a part of God’s worship.

Are not thine eyes upon the truth? The prophet, observing the obstinacy of this people, abruptly turns himself to God, yet emphatically insinuates their incorrigibleness.

Therefore I said; or, perhaps, I said with myself; not, possibly, that he thought so, but that he might thus express himself, as men use to speak. Surely these are poor; poor, low-spirited, or of the meanest rank among the vulgar, understand but little; either men of greater ignorance, John 7:49,…

I will get me unto the great men, i.e. to the nobles, both prince and priest, that have more time to consider these things, have been better taught and educated, Prov. 4:4. Not that Jeremiah had any better thoughts of these, but as carrying a great probability with it.

Nebuchadnezzar and the Chaldean army from Syria and Libanus, woody places, are here pointed at under the metaphor of beasts of prey of three kinds; the malignity that is proper to each of these creatures shall be put forth in this Babylonian army, compared, for instance, to a lion, Jer.

How shall I pardon? how canst thou expect that I shall bear such affronts? I shall expose myself, and seem to lay aside my power; I shall be looked upon as one that either regard not such injuries, or cannot avenge them, as Jer. 5:9. Thy children; thy inhabitants, both in city and country.

Fed horses, to note the greatness and unruliness of their lust, pampered horses being most wanton, like that Deut. 32:15. In the morning: it is questioned whether morning relates to horses or to men; if to horses, then they are compared to stallions, that having been fed to the full over-night, and…

Visit, i.e. punish, Ps. 89:32. Should I connive at such things, the wicked would say, I did not see them, or take notice of them, Ps. 50:21, much to the same purpose with Jer.

Go ye up upon her walls; ye Babylonians, go now execute my vengeance on them. I give them into your hands; behold, I give you a commission. And destroy; I permit and order you not only to take the city, but make havoc of her inhabitants, Isa. 10:6.

Whether Israel be put here for the ten tribes, and Judah for the two, as often they are, Jer. 2:4, and sundry other places; or rather, whether Judah here be only explicative, and the word meant of the two tribes only, read thus, the house of Israel, even the house of Judah, is not much material.

They have belied the Lord: this may signify either a denying, viz. a renouncing, making little or nothing of him, as some; or a denying, i.e. not believing, that these words of the prophet were God’s words, or God did not say so; he gave not the prophet, nor any other, any such commission; and…

Shall become wind; a proverbial speech, very frequent, not in common language only, but Scripture also, Job 6:26, Eccles. 5:16, and elsewhere; i.e. all the prophet’s threats shall come to nothing: and thus they scoffed at them, Tush, what do they signify? they are but bruta fulmina: see 2 Chron.

Wherefore thus saith the Lord: these vile wretches having now done speaking, God begins to speak; and because they had thus slighted the prophet, and God speaking by him, (as in the next words, Because ye speak this word, ) here tells them what he will do; or rather, turns himself abruptly to the…

From far, viz. from Chaldea. House of Israel: by these are meant Judah; for Israel, properly so called, viz. the ten tribes, were in captivity before; see on Jer.

Quiver; collectively expressed for quivers; a synecdoche for the whole military preparations, and a metonymy of the containing for the contained, viz. the arrows that will be shot out of them, called the sons of the quiver, Lam.

They shall eat up thine harvest, and thy bread; they shall make clean riddance, leave thee, no supports of life, but bring an utter famine upon thee; it is thus threatened Deut. 28:30, Deut. 28:48, Deut. 28:51.

See this verse explained Jer. 4:27, save only that I think here it is taken in the first sense there mentioned; for it is not said only, as in that verse, I will not make a full end, or a full end of you, but a full end with you: q.d. I have not done with you yet. See Lev. 26:14–40.

Wherefore doeth the Lord our God all these things unto us? this speaks either their unparalleled insolency, in a manner challenging God, as if they had not deserved such dealing at his hands, they might have expected better usage from him; the Jews were good at these kinds of challenging of God,…

See of this Jer. 4:5. By Judah and Jacob we are to understand the two tribes only, as Jer. 5:11, which see.

Without understanding, Heb. heart. They have no heart to return, or to any thing of instruction or reformation, but are stupid and sottish, regardless of all counsel, wisdom, and common prudence.

Fear ye not me: either a convincing argument to persuade them to submit unto him; Will ye not submit to me, that can rule the sea? which, as unruly a thing as it is, yet quietly yields to my will: or rather, a very angry challenge and expostulation; Do you think that I, that can tame the boisterous…

They are not only revolted from me, and gone back, but they continue obstinate, and will not return, Ps. 78:8, as the next clause intimates, where God shows their obstinacy by the effect of it. Gone, viz.

Neither say they in their heart; they are so careless that they never trouble themselves about it; or so obdurate and stiff that they never lay it to heart, or consider that it is God that disposeth of all fixings according to his own pleasure, both in the earth and in the great deep.

Your iniquities have turned away these things: q.d. Do not say your ground is parched up with drought, or your fruits are corrupted and rotted by too much or unseasonable rain; we have nothing now in so due a course as we were wont to have it.

Among my people are found wicked men; I need not search for such among the heathen nations, for they are found even among them that are called by my name, whereas all my people ought to have been holy.

As a cage is full of birds, so are their houses full of deceit, i.e. they fill up their houses with the goods and wealth of those that they deceive and overreach; ill-gotten goods; a metonymy of the efficient; as the fowler carries his cage along with him, wherein he puts the birds which he…

They are waxen fat, they shine; or, so fat that they shine; by reason.of their wealth and riches they pamper themselves till their eyes stand out with fatness, Ps. 73:7; their wrinkles are filled up with fat, which makes their faces shine.

It is expressed as a thing taken for granted, he certainly will. Can I be a God, and wink at such things? It cannot be. See this explained Jer. 5:9.

So prodigious or stupendous a crime, that it is beyond the thought or apprehension of man to conceive, much more to express; and so abominable, that a man would even loathe the thoughts of. What this is we have in the next verse. The land, Heb.

The prophets prophesy falsely; either spreading and dispersing abroad the lies of their idols, particularly Baal, Jer. 2:8, or venting their lies in the name of the true God, Jer. 4:10.