Jeremiah 11

Jeremiah 11 records a divine indictment of Judah for violating the covenant made at Sinai, followed by a specific prophetic trial where Jeremiah faces a death threat from his own neighbors in Anathoth.

• Yahweh commands Jeremiah to remind Judah of the covenant obligations established at the Exodus.
• The people are indicted for persistent disobedience and idolatry, mirroring the apostasy of their ancestors.
• Yahweh declares that the judgment of exile is inevitable, forbidding Jeremiah from further intercession.
• Jeremiah recounts a death threat from the men of Anathoth and invokes divine justice.

• The 'iron furnace' of Egypt (v4) representing the severity of past trials.
• The conspiracy of Judah and Jerusalem (v9) to break the covenant (בְּרִית [H1285]).
• The prohibition of intercession (v14) because judgment is settled.
• The men of Anathoth, who plot to destroy the prophet (v19).
• The metaphor of the green olive tree (v16) broken by fire.

This passage highlights the critical nature of covenantal faithfulness, showing that external religious rituals cannot substitute for obedience to God's word when hearts are turned away.

Covenant privilege demands covenant obedience; persistent refusal to hear the Lord's word leads to unavoidable judgment.

The chapter moves from a national legal case—God against the people for covenant violation—to a personal legal case—Jeremiah against the men of Anathoth for conspiring to murder the Lord's messenger.

• I will be your God, if you obey my voice (v4).
• I will bring upon them the words of this covenant (judgment) (v8).
• I will bring evil upon them (v11).
• I will punish them (the men of Anathoth) (v22).

• Hear ye the words of this covenant (v2).
• Speak unto the men of Judah (v2).
• Obey my voice and do them (v4).
• Proclaim all these words (v6).
• Pray not thou for this people (v14).

• Cursed be the man that obeyeth not the words of this covenant (v3).
• They shall not be able to escape (v11).

• Anathoth was a Levitical city in the territory of Benjamin, Jeremiah's home.
• The historical background implies a period where despite the reforms of Josiah, the heart of the people remained set on idol worship.

• The 'iron furnace' (כּוּר [H3564]) refers to the harsh labor and refining process experienced in Egypt, serving as a metaphor for the severity of past slavery and current divine discipline.
• Idolatry was embedded in the urban culture, evidenced by altars set up in 'the streets of Jerusalem' (v13).

• This passage serves as a bridge between the general indictments against Judah and the detailed personal experiences of the prophet in the 'Confessions of Jeremiah' tradition.

• The references to the covenant established at the Exodus look back to Deuteronomy 27-28, which outlines the blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience.
• Matthew Henry observes that men are often willing to hear of 'doctrines, promises, and privileges,' but when duties are mentioned, they will not 'bend their ear,' a tension that remains a challenge in pastoral ministry.

• The prohibition of prayer for the people (v14) connects to similar warnings in Jeremiah 7:16 and 14:11.

• דָּבָר [H1697] is rendered as 'word' or 'thing', emphasizing that God's communication is not just spoken but effective matter.
• בְּרִית [H1285] (covenant) implies a compact made by cutting, emphasizing the binding nature of the agreement.
• שָׁמַע [H8085] (hear) is used repeatedly to emphasize 'hearing intelligently' with the intent to obey, contrasting with the people's stubborn refusal.
• אָרַר [H779] (cursed) is used to formally pronounce the consequences of covenant-breaking.

• The transition in verse 14, where the prophet is commanded to stop praying, creates a theological tension: is God's decree immutable, or is this a temporal limit on intercession? Historic positions include: (1) The Calvinist view that this reflects God's fixed, sovereign decree regarding the hardening of the people; (2) The Arminian view that this reflects a time when the people's persistent rebellion had effectively hardened their hearts against any possibility of repentance, rendering intercession useless.
• The specificity of the threat from the 'men of Anathoth' (v21) indicates that the prophet's message was so offensive it threatened his own kin.

• The phrase 'the holy flesh is passed from thee' (v15) is ambiguous. It likely refers to the sacrificial meat which can no longer save them because the people are defiled, though commentators debate if it implies the people themselves have lost their holiness.