1A stalo sa slovo JeHoVaHovo ku mne povediac: 2Neber si ženy ani nemaj synov ani dcér na tomto mieste! 3Lebo takto hovorí JeHoVaH o synoch a o dcérach, splodených na tomto mieste, jako aj o ich meteriach, ktoré ich porodily, a o ich otcoch, ktorí ich splodili v tejto zemi: 4Pomrú prebolestnými smrťami, nebudú oplakávaní ani nebudú pochovaní, budú za hnojivo na tvári zeme, a pohynú mečom a hladom, a ich mŕtve telo bude za pokrm nebeskému vtáctvu a zemskej zveri. 5Lebo takto hovorí JeHoVaH: Nevojdeš do domu smútku ani nepojdeš oplakávať ani ich nepoľutuješ! Lebo som odpratal svoj pokoj od tohoto ľudu, hovorí JeHoVaH, milosť a zľutovanie. 6A pomrú veľkí i malí v tejto zemi, nebudú pochovaní, ani ich nebudú oplakávať ani sa nenarežú ani si nespravia za nich plešiny, 7ani im nebudú lámať chleba pre smútok, aby potešili niektorého nad mŕtvym, ani ich nenapoja pohárom potešenia v smútku nad jeho otcom alebo nad jeho materou. 8Ani nevojdeš do domu hodovania, aby si sadol s nimi jesť a piť. 9Lebo takto hovorí JeHoVaH Zástupov, Bôh Izraelov: Hľa, spôsobím to, aby umĺkol z tohoto miesta, pred vašimi očima a vo vašich dňoch, hlas veselosti a hlas radosti, hlas ženícha a hlas nevesty. 10A stane sa, keď oznámiš tomuto ľudu všetky tieto slová, že ti povedia: Prečo hovoril JeHoVaH proti nám všetko toto veľké zlé? A čo je naša neprávosť, alebo čo náš hriech, ktorým by sme zhrešili proti JeHoVaHovi, svojmu Bohu? 11A povieš im: Preto, že mňa opustili vaši otcovia, hovorí JeHoVaH, a odišli za inými bohmi a slúžili im a klaňali sa im a mňa opustili a neostríhali môjho zákona. 12Ale vy ste robili ešte horšie ako vaši otcovia, lebo hľa, každý chodíte za umienenosťou svojho zlého srdca nepočúvajúc na mňa. 13Preto vás šmarím s tejto zeme na zem, ktorej ste neznali ani vy ani vaši otcovia, a tam budete slúžiť iným bohom vodne i vnoci, pretože vám nedám milosrdenstva. 14Preto hľa, idú dni, hovorí JeHoVaH, že sa už nebude viacej hovoriť: Ako že žije JeHoVaH, ktorý vyviedol synov Izraelových hore z Egyptskej zeme, 15ale: Jako že žije JeHoVaH, ktorý vyviedol synov Izraelových hore zo zeme severa a zo všetkých zemí, do ktorých ich bol rozohnal. A dovediem ich zpät do ich zeme, ktorú som dal ich otcom. 16Hľa, pošlem po mnohých rybarov, hovorí JeHoVaH, a vylovia ich, a potom pošlem po mnohých lovcov, a zlapajú ich so všetkých vrchov a so všetkých brehov a z rozsadlín skál. 17Lebo moje oči hľadia na všeky ich cesty, nie sú ukryté predo mnou, ani ich neprávosť nie je skrytá pred mojimi očima. 18Ale najprv im zaplatím dvojnásobne za ich neprávosť a za ich hriech, pretože poškvrnili moju zem mrcinou svojich hnusôb a svojimi ohavnosťami naplnili moje dedičstvo.- 19JeHoVaHu, moja silo a moje pevnosť a moje útočište v deň súženia, k tebe prijdú národy od končín zeme a povedia: Naši otcovia zdedili iba lož a márnosť, a neni medzi tým niktoré, ktoré by prospelo. 20Či si má človek spraviť bohov, ktorí predsa nie sú bohmi? 21Preto hľa, spôsobím to, aby už poznali tento raz, spôsobím to, aby poznali moju ruku a moju hrdinskú silu, a poznajú, že moje meno je JeHoVaH.
Jamieson Fausset Brown Bible Commentary 2 CONTINUATION OF THE PREVIOUS PROPHECY. (Jer. 16:1-21)
in this place--in Judea. The direction to remain single was (whether literally obeyed, or only in prophetic vision) to symbolize the coming calamities of the Jews (
Ezek 24:15-
Ezek 24:27) as so severe that the single state would be then (contrary to the ordinary course of things) preferable to the married (compare
1Cor 7:8,
1Cor 7:26,
1Cor 7:29;
Matt 24:19;
Luke 23:29).
4 grievous deaths--rather, "deadly diseases" (
Jer 15:2).
not . . . lamented--so many shall be the slain (
Jer 22:18).
dung-- (
Ps 83:10).
5 (
Ezek 24:17,
Ezek 24:22-
Ezek 24:23).
house of mourning-- (
Mark 5:38). Margin, "mourning-feast"; such feasts were usual at funerals. The Hebrew means, in
Amos 6:7, the cry of joy at a banquet; here, and
Lam 2:19, the cry of sorrow.
6 cut themselves--indicating extravagant grief (
Jer 41:5;
Jer 47:5), prohibited by the law (
Lev 19:28).
bald-- (
Jer 7:29;
Isa 22:12).
7 tear themselves--rather, "break bread," namely, that eaten at the funeral-feast (
Deut 26:14;
Job 42:11;
Ezek 24:17;
Hos 9:4). "Bread" is to be supplied, as in
Lam 4:4; compare "take" (food) (
Gen 42:33).
give . . . cup of consolation . . . for . . . father--It was the Oriental custom for friends to send viands and wine (the "cup of consolation") to console relatives in mourning-feasts, for example, to children upon the death of a "father" or "mother."
8 house of feasting--joyous: as distinguished from mourning-feasts. Have no more to do with this people whether in mourning or joyous feasts.
9 (
Jer 7:34;
Jer 25:10;
Ezek 26:13).
10 (
Deut 29:24;
1Kgs 9:8-9).
11 (
Jer 5:19;
Jer 13:22;
Jer 22:8-
Jer 22:9).
12 ye--emphatic: so far from avoiding your fathers' bad example, ye have done worse (
Jer 7:26;
1Kgs 14:9).
imagination--rather, "stubborn perversity."
that they may not hearken--rather, connected with "ye"; "ye have walked . . . so as not to hearken to Me."
13 serve other gods--That which was their sin in their own land was their punishment in exile. Retribution in kind. They voluntarily forsook God for idols at home; they were not allowed to serve God, if they wished it, in captivity (
Dan 3:12;
Dan 6:7).
day and night--irony. You may there serve idols, which ye are so mad after, even to satiety, and without intermission.
14 Therefore--So severe shall be the Jews' bondage that their deliverance from it shall be a greater benefit than that out of Egypt. The consolation is incidental here; the prominent thought is the severity of their punishment, so great that their rescue from it will be greater than that from Egypt [CALVIN]; so the context,
Jer 16:13,
Jer 16:17-
Jer 16:18, proves (
Jer 23:7-
Jer 23:8;
Isa 43:18).
15 the north--Chaldea. But while the return from Babylon is primarily meant, the return hereafter is the full and final accomplishment contemplated, as "from all the lands" proves. "Israel" was not, save in a very limited sense, "gathered from all the lands" at the return from Babylon (see on
Jer 24:6;
Jer 30:3;
Jer 32:15).
16 send for--translate, "I will send many"; "I will give the commission to many" (
2Chr 17:7).
fishers . . . hunters--successive invaders of Judea (
Amos 4:2;
Hab 1:14-
Hab 1:15). So "net" (
Ezek 12:13). As to "hunters," see
Gen 10:9;
Mic 7:2. The Chaldees were famous in hunting, as the Egyptians, the other enemy of Judea, were in fishing. "Fishers" expresses the ease of their victory over the Jews as that of the angler over fishes; "hunters," the keenness of their pursuit of them into every cave and nook. It is remarkable, the same image is used in a good sense of the Jews' restoration, implying that just as their enemies were employed by God to take them in hand for destruction, so the same shall be employed for their restoration (
Ezek 47:9-
Ezek 47:10). So spiritually, those once enemies by nature (fishermen many of them literally) were employed by God to be heralds of salvation, "catching men" for life (
Matt 4:19;
Luke 5:10;
Acts 2:41;
Acts 4:4); compare here
Jer 16:19, "the Gentiles shall come unto thee" (
2Cor 12:16).
17 (
Jer 32:19;
Pro 5:21;
Pro 15:3).
their iniquity--the cause of God's judgments on them.
18 first . . . double--HORSLEY translates, "I will recompense . . . once and again"; literally, "the first time repeated": alluding to the two captivities--the Babylonian and the Roman. MAURER, "I will recompense their former iniquities (those long ago committed by their fathers) and their (own) repeated sins" (
Jer 16:11-
Jer 16:12). English Version gives a good sense, "First (before 'I bring them again into their land'), I will doubly (that is, fully and amply,
Jer 17:18;
Isa 40:2) recompense."
carcasses--not sweet-smelling sacrifices acceptable to God, but "carcasses" offered to idols, an offensive odor to God: human victims (
Jer 19:5;
Ezek 16:20), and unclean animals (
Isa 65:4;
Isa 66:17). MAURER explains it, "the carcasses" of the idols: their images void of sense and life, Compare
Jer 16:19-
Jer 16:20.
Lev 26:30 favors this.
19 The result of God's judgments on the Jews will be that both the Jews when restored, and the Gentiles who have witnessed those judgments, shall renounce idolatry for the worship of Jehovah. Fulfilled partly at the return from Babylon, after which the Jews entirely renounced idols, and many proselytes were gathered in from the Gentiles, but not to be realized in its fulness till the final restoration of Israel (Isa. 2:1-17).
20 indignant protest of Jeremiah against idols.
and they (are) no gods-- (
Jer 2:11;
Isa 37:19;
Gal 4:8). "They" refers to the idols. A man (a creature himself) making God is a contradiction in terms. Vulgate takes "they" thus: "Shall man make gods, though men themselves are not gods?"
21 Therefore--In order that all may be turned from idols to Jehovah, He will now give awful proof of His divine power in the judgments He will inflict.
this once--If the punishments I have heretofore inflicted have not been severe enough to teach them.
my name . . . Lord--Jehovah (
Ps 83:18): God's incommunicable name, to apply which to idols would be blasphemy. Keeping His threats and promises (
Exod 6:3).
The the Septuagint omits the first four verses, but other Greek versions have them.