Jeremiah16
King James Version · Public Domain
1The word of the Lord came also unto me, saying,
2Thou shalt not take thee a wife, neither shalt thou have sons or daughters in this place.
3For thus saith the Lord concerning the sons and concerning the daughters that are born in this place, and concerning their mothers that bare them, and concerning their fathers that begat them in this land;
4They shall die of grievous deaths; they shall not be lamented; neither shall they be buried; but they shall be as dung upon the face of the earth: and they shall be consumed by the sword, and by famine; and their carcases shall be meat for the fowls of heaven, and for the beasts of the earth.
5For thus saith the Lord, Enter not into the house of mourning, neither go to lament nor bemoan them: for I have taken away my peace from this people, saith the Lord, even lovingkindness and mercies.
6Both the great and the small shall die in this land: they shall not be buried, neither shall men lament for them, nor cut themselves, nor make themselves bald for them:
7Neither shall men tear themselves for them in mourning, to comfort them for the dead; neither shall men give them the cup of consolation to drink for their father or for their mother.
8Thou shalt not also go into the house of feasting, to sit with them to eat and to drink.
9For thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will cause to cease out of this place in your eyes, and in your days, the voice of mirth, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride.
10And it shall come to pass, when thou shalt shew this people all these words, and they shall say unto thee, Wherefore hath the Lord pronounced all this great evil against us? or what is our iniquity? or what is our sin that we have committed against the Lord our God?
11Then shalt thou say unto them, Because your fathers have forsaken me, saith the Lord, and have walked after other gods, and have served them, and have worshipped them, and have forsaken me, and have not kept my law;
12And ye have done worse than your fathers; for, behold, ye walk every one after the imagination of his evil heart, that they may not hearken unto me:
13Therefore will I cast you out of this land into a land that ye know not, neither ye nor your fathers; and there shall ye serve other gods day and night; where I will not shew you favour.
14Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that it shall no more be said, The Lord liveth, that brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt;
15But, The Lord liveth, that brought up the children of Israel from the land of the north, and from all the lands whither he had driven them: and I will bring them again into their land that I gave unto their fathers.
16Behold, I will send for many fishers, saith the Lord, and they shall fish them; and after will I send for many hunters, and they shall hunt them from every mountain, and from every hill, and out of the holes of the rocks.
17For mine eyes are upon all their ways: they are not hid from my face, neither is their iniquity hid from mine eyes.
18And first I will recompense their iniquity and their sin double; because they have defiled my land, they have filled mine inheritance with the carcases of their detestable and abominable things.
19O Lord, my strength, and my fortress, and my refuge in the day of affliction, the Gentiles shall come unto thee from the ends of the earth, and shall say, Surely our fathers have inherited lies, vanity, and things wherein there is no profit.
20Shall a man make gods unto himself, and they are no gods?
21Therefore, behold, I will this once cause them to know, I will cause them to know mine hand and my might; and they shall know that my name is The Lord.
Study Guide
Public-domain commentary and original-language notes for Jeremiah 16.
Chapter Summary
In this chapter: Prohibitions given to the prophet. (1-9). The justice of God in these judgments. (10-13). Future restoration of the Jews, and the conversion of the Gentiles. (14-21).
vv1-9
The prophet must conduct himself as one who expected to see his country ruined very shortly. In the prospect of sad times, he is to abstain from marriage, mourning for the dead, and pleasure. Those who would convince others of the truths of God, must make it appear by their self-denial, that they believe it themselves. Peace, inward and outward, family and public, is wholly the work of God, and from his loving-kindness and mercy. When He takes his peace from any people, distress must follow. There may be times when it is proper to avoid things otherwise our duty; and we should always sit loose to the pleasures and concerns of this life.
vv10-13
Here seems to be the language of those who quarrel at the word of God, and instead of humbling and condemning themselves, justify themselves, as though God did them wrong. A plain and full answer is given. They were more obstinate in sin than their fathers, walking every one after the devices of his heart. Since they will not hearken, they shall be hurried away into a far country, a land they know not. If they had God's favour, that would make even the land of their captivity pleasant.
vv14-21
The restoration from the Babylonish captivity would be remembered in place of the deliverance from Egypt; it also typified spiritual redemption, and the future deliverance of the church from antichristian oppression. But none of the sins of sinners can be hidden from God, or shall be overlooked by him. He will find out and raise up instruments of his wrath, that shall destroy the Jews, by fraud like fishers, by force like hunters. The prophet, rejoicing at the hope of mercy to come, addressed the Lord as his strength and refuge. The deliverance out of captivity shall be a figure of the great salvation to be wrought by the Messiah. The nations have often known the power of Jehovah in his wrath; but they shall know him as the strength of his people, and their refuge in time of trouble.
Key Words
דָּבָר: a word; by implication, a matter (as spoken of) or thing; adverbially, a cause
אָמַר: to say (used with great latitude)
לָקַח: to take (in the widest variety of applications)
אִשָּׁה: a woman
בֵּן: a son (as a builder of the family name), in the widest sense (of literal and figurative relationship, including grandson, subject, nation, quality or condition, etc., (like father or brother), etc.)
בַּת: a daughter (used in the same wide sense as other terms of relationship, literally and figuratively)
אוֹנָם: Onam, the name of an Edomite and of an Israelite
מָקוֹם: properly, a standing, i.e. a spot; but used widely of a locality (general or specific); also (figuratively) of a condition (of body or mind)
כֹּה: properly, like this, i.e. by implication, (of manner) thus (or so); also (of place) here (or hither); or (of time) now
עַל: above, over, upon, or against (yet always in this last relation with a downward aspect) in a great variety of applications
Cross References
Jeremiah 16Repeats verbatim the comparison of the Egypt deliverance with the greater future restoration.
Supported by Matthew Henry, JFB
The NT parallel advising singleness during times of intense, present distress and calamity.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
Explicitly details the forbidden custom of eating the "bread of men"/mourning feasts.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
The Mosaic law prohibiting pagan practices of cutting oneself and baldness for the dead.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
Identical prophetic warning of silencing the voices of mirth, gladness, and brides.
Supported by JFB
Fulfills Moses' warning that exile would result in serving other gods in unknown lands.
Supported by JFB
Parallel imagery of hooks and fishers used for God's sweeping judgment on Israel.
Supported by JFB
Scriptural root regarding food offered in mourning and associated with uncleanness.
Supported by JFB
Identical rhetorical question from the people demanding why God has pronounced this evil.
Supported by JFB
Chaldeans depicted as taking men like fish in a net.
Supported by JFB
Wisdom parallel that the ways of man are fully before God's eyes.
Supported by JFB
Direct verbal link with casting carcasses of idols onto the carcasses of their worshippers.
Supported by JFB
Defines the "grievous deaths" as those consigned to pestilence, sword, and famine.
Supported by JFB
Covenantal template for the nations asking why God laid waste to His land.
Supported by JFB
Explains the concept of God's "double" recompense for sin and destruction.
Supported by JFB