Chú giải Kinh Thánh

Jer 3:1-25.

GOD'S MERCY NOTWITHSTANDING JUDAH'S VILENESS.

Contrary to all precedent in the case of adultery, Jehovah offers a return to Judah, the spiritual adulteress

(Jer 3:1-5).

A new portion of the book, ending with the sixth chapter. Judah worse than Israel; yet both shall be restored in the last days

(Jer 3:6-25).

1. They say--rather, as Hebrew, "saying," in agreement with "the LORD";

Jer 2:37

of last chapter [MAURER]. Or, it is equivalent to, "Suppose this case." Some copyist may have omitted, "The word of the Lord came to me," saying.

shall he return unto her--will he take her back? It was unlawful to do so

(De 24:1-4).

shall not--Should not the land be polluted if this were done?

yet return--

(Jer 3:22; Jer 4:1; Zec 1:3;

compare

Eze 16:51, 58, 60).

"Nevertheless," &c. (see on

Isa 50:1).

2. high places--the scene of idolatries which were spiritual adulteries.

In . . . ways . . . sat for them--watching for lovers like a prostitute

(Ge 38:14, 21; Pr 7:12; 23:28; Eze 16:24, 25),

and like an Arab who lies in wait for travellers. The Arabs of the desert, east and south of Palestine, are still notorious as robbers.

3. no latter rain--essential to the crops in Palestine; withheld in judgment

(Le 26:19;

compare

Joe 2:23).

whore's forehead--

(Jer 8:12; Eze 3:8).

4. from this time--not referring, as MICHAELIS thinks, to the reformation begun the year before, that is, the twelfth of Josiah; it means--now at once, now at last.

me--contrasted with the "stock" whom they had heretofore called on as "father"

(Jer 2:27; Lu 15:18).

thou art--rather, "thou wast."

guide of . . . youth--that is, husband

(Jer 2:2; Pr 2:17; Ho 2:7, 15).

Husband and father are the two most endearing of ties.

5. he--"thou," the second person, had preceded. The change to the third person implies a putting away of God to a greater distance from them; instead of repenting and forsaking their idols, they merely deprecate the continuance of their punishment.

Jer 3:12 and Ps 103:9,

answer their question in the event of their penitence.

spoken and--rather (God's reply to them), "Thou hast spoken (thus), and yet (all the while) thou hast done evil," &c.

as thou couldest--with all thy might; with incorrigible persistency [CALVIN].

6.

Jer 3:6-6:30,

is a new discourse, delivered in Josiah's reign. It consists of two parts, the former extending to

Jer 4:3,

in which he warns Judah from the example of Israel's doom, and yet promises Israel final restoration; the latter a threat of Babylonian invasion; as Nabopolassar founded the Babylonian empire, 625 B.C., the seventeenth of Josiah, this prophecy is perhaps not earlier than that date

(Jer 4:5, &c.; Jer 5:14, &c.; Jer 6:1, &c.; Jer 22:1-30);

and probably not later than the second thorough reformation in the eighteenth year of the same reign.

backsliding--literally, "apostasy"; not merely apostate, but apostasy itself, the essence of it

(Jer 3:14, 22).

7. I said--

(2Ki 17:13).

sister--

(Eze 16:46; 23:2, 4).

8. I saw that, though (whereas) it was for this very reason (namely), because backsliding (apostate) Israel had committed adultery I had put her away

(2Ki 17:6, 18),

and given her a bill of divorce, yet Judah, &c.

(Eze 23:11,

&c.).

bill of divorce--literally, "a writing of cuttings off." The plural implies the completeness of the severance. The use of this metaphor here, as in the former discourse

(Jer 3:1),

implies a close connection between the discourses. The epithets are characteristic; Israel "apostate" (as the Hebrew for "backsliding" is better rendered); Judah, not as yet utterly apostate, but treacherous or faithless.

also--herself also, like Israel.