Commentary on the Old Testament Volume 2-4, Biblical commentary 7 · Jeremiah · Chapter 8
CHAP. VIII.
AT that time they shall bring forth the bones of the Kings of Iudah. This is Vers. 1.added to Chap. 7. in way of amplifying that which was there threatned, Some think that this was done in searching for treasure, which was put into the Sepulchres of Kings together with their dead bodies in those daies, for great men were not then buried without some treasure, as Histories commonly shew, touching the Sepulchre of David. But be it that Kings Sepulchres were opened and their bones taken out for this, he saith, the bones of Priests and of the people, what treasure could be in their Sepulchres? It is therefore better that Theodoret hath, Their bones were cast out of their Theodor.graves in contempt. For it was an honour to be buried, and for a mans bones so to rest, but a disgrace to have his bones dig'd up, and to lie without burial, as we may gather 2 King. 23. where Iosiah caused the bones of Baals Priests to be digged out, and burnt upon Ieroboams Altar. And the like was Diodor. Sicul. l. 2. c. 3. Aegypt. mos.done amongst Heathens, when any King of Aegypt died that had done good to his Countrey, one was set to speak to his praise, but if evil, he was cast into some Desert unburied; and thus were all malefactours also sentenced by the Judge, dealt withall. And accordingly it is threatned Isa. 14. 19. that Nebuchadnezzar should be cast out of his Sepulchre. For the fulfilling of this see Baruch 2. 24. And they shall be laid before the Sunne, &c. As they had sinned by worshipping the host of Heaven, so these heavenly bodies should be made spectators of their shame, and not afford them any help, as they trusted they would have done, but rather increase their ignominy, for their foul disloiatly to their Creatour, and making them to share with him in divine honour, from which they in their kinde utterly abhorred, as Angels appearing to Iohn and Daniel offering to worship them, did.
And death shall be chosen rather then life of all the residue. Some fled at the Vers. 3.destruction of Iudah to Egypt, some to Moah, Ammon, &c. but wheresoever they were, so great were their miseries that they counted the dead, although misused and disgraced after death, in a better case then themselves, thinking therefore long to be with them, that they might be rid of these miseries. Vers. 4. Will not they that fall rise again? if a man hath turned out of the way, will Vers. 4. Lyra. Dionys. Isidor.he not return? Some expound this as if the words were spoken of the Jews, having fallen so fouly, as was aforesaid, and the next of the Lord; as if he had said, It is common amongst men by the instinct of nature, having taken a fall to rise up again, but the wicked Jews have not hitherto done so, they have fallen most fouly into Idolatry and other grosse sins, but will ye (O ye wicked Jews) being fallen, lie still, and not rise again by repentance? be not so unnatural, and through your obstinacy differing from all other men. If ye shall say, The Lord is turned away from us, he will not turn again to us, although we should arise, this cannot possibly be; for it is not so with man that hath any goodness in him, if he be offended, upon repentance of the offendour he is placable, much more will God be pacified towards you if ye thus arise from sin to newness of life? Calvin expounds both passages of the Calvin.Jews, as if he had by two comparisons laboured to reclaim them, 1. Of a mau falling, who will not lie, but rise up again. 2. Of one going out of the way through errour, that when this his errour is shewed him, will not still go on in the wrong way, but return at the direction of his guide. And herein I must needs subscribe to Calvin, because that in the words following their obstinate continuing in sin is pressed against them, but of the Lords readiness to return, nothing added, They have cleaved to deceit and would not return. Vers. 5.Here he sheweth the cause of their obstinacy, the deceitfulness of their own hearts, for by fraud here this is meant, where they deceived not others so much, but themselves much more, as appeareth vers. 11. where they say to themselves Peace, Peace, that is, we will not believe but that we shall have peace whatsoever thou threatnest, wherein the event proved how greatly they were deceived. And he saith, Why is this people of Jerusalem rebellious, amongst whom was the light of the Law, and who were inured to obedience from their childhood from generation to generation? If they had been Heathens, it were not so hainous, some excuse of ignorance might have been made, but in this case none. And the Lord doth not thus set the Prophet again to move them, in expectation that they would hereby be moved, for he had before given them over as desperate, Chap. 7. 16. and here he speaks likewise again, but yet he ceaseth not to reprove and exhort them, that when judgements should come they might be without excuse, and to teach all his Note. Ministers to do the like, and in so doing to persevere to the last, even when they see no likelihood of prevailing.
The Stork knoweth her appointed time, and the Turtle and Crane. Here he Vers. 7.prosecuteth his Argument of returning, upbraiding them that would not, by these fowls of the air, which although they want reason, yet know to return out of extream cold countries in their times into warmer, but obstinate sinners have not so much wit for fear of Gods judgements to turn from their sins, that they might come as it were out of the region of pinching and piercing evils, which are more obnoxious then the most nipping frosts, of which yet it is said, Who can abide his frosts? Some for a Stork have a Puttock, but the word is most generally taken for a Stork, called foreign mercifull, because the very embleme of mercy, feeding her young with her own bloud; for which the young in time of age make her a compensation by bearing her between them, in fleeing and bringing her food for her sustenance. Some of these fowls are well known to us, not to appear till the Spring, as the Swallow, either hiding themselves from the cold in Winter, or fleeing away into hotter climates.
The writer hath sharpened his pen in vain. That is, to write the Law of God Vers. 8.for the Jews to read, who had it commonly amongst them, and they had Scribes, learned men in the Law, in vain; so that it was a very vain brag that they said They were wise, forsomuch as they wanted this wisdom of turning and hastening from the storm that otherwise would beat them in pieces, and so their having of the Law, although they had also the knowledge of it, but did it not, was a vain thing.
There shall be no grapes on the Vine, &c. He had before Chap. 7. 20. threatned Vers. 13.the very trees, now he sheweth how this wicked people should be punished in particular in the vine and fig-tree, which were a great part of their sustenance and substance, but now such a famine should come that they should bear no fruit.
Let us assemble our selves and enter into the defenced Cities. Chap. 6. 1. he bids Vers. 15.them go out to withstand the enemy here, as being without hope of stopping him in his coming, he bids them try another way to be saved, by shutting themselves up in their strongest places; but this also he sheweth should be in vain, they should but thus drink the waters of bitterness, that is, suffer by famine in the time of siege, and then finally be destroyed. Of that which is said, ver. 15, 16. see before Chap. 4. 15.
I will send Serpents, Cockatrices amongst you, &c. Septuagint, The worst Vers. 17.sort of Serpents. Jerom, Killing Serpents. Aquila, Basilisks. Hebr. foreign by the consent of all a little Serpent not above half a foot long is meant, which goeth not as other Serpents, but erect from the middle part, and doth so infect the air, that by the perstilent breath coming therefrom fruits are killed, Solinus. Pliny.and men being but lookt upon by it, and birds fleeing over it, stones are broken, and by the hissing thereof all other Serpents are put to flight; And hereby the Caldees are set forth that should destroy, as it were, by seeing, an hyperbolical expression, to shew the Jews destruction to come, by them, not to be avoided any more then if a company of Cockatrices should come amongst them. And prosecuting the Allegory, he saith, they should not be charmed, to shew that as Serpents that cannot be charmed, corrupt and kill, and this, which is the common remedy against them, being of no force to drive them away, the plague by them rageth till the whole countrey where they come be made desolate, so it should be at the coming of the Caldees.
Is not her King in her? Here the Jews are brought in complaining, as if they Vers. 19.were unjustly dealt withall, when the Caldees so mightily prevailed against them, this being looked upon as a judgement now present, although it were to come, as it is commonly spoken of by the Prophet for the certainty thereof. The voice of crying is heard from a farre countrey. This, saith Calvin, is Calvin.commonly understood, as spoken of the Jews, seeing themselves distressed by the Caldees, but he brings another Exposition, as if it were the voice of them carried away into a farre countrey, that is, Babylon, but holds not to it, but rather to the first. I think it ought rather to be understood this second way, because it is said, A voice of crying from a farre countrey; and when could this be but when they were carried away thither? the voice of crying in their distresse by the Caldees, is said before to have been A voice of crying in the high places, that is, in their own Countrey, this from the Countrey Jer. 3. 21.in which they suffered after their being carried away Captive, yet I deny not, but (from a farre Countrey) may be expounded, as caused by them that came from a farre; and these words, Is not the Lord in Zion? imply their being yet there. Is not the Lord in Zion? Is not her King? In these words is set forth what they cried, they expostulated with the Lord, as if he were not true of his Promise, when he suffered their enemies thus to prevail against them, having promised Psal. 122. 14. Here will I dwell for ever, and I have set Psal. 2.my King upon my holy hill of Zion, &c. for grounding upon these and the like promises, they thought themselves safe against all forrain enemies for ever: but to this he answereth in the name of the Lord, Why have they provoked me by their graven images? As if he had said, Thus it should indeed have been through my singular favour towards them, but they by their Idolatries have brought contrary things upon themselves, as they were well worthy.
The Harvest is past, and the Summer ended, yet we are not saved. This is by Vers. 20. Calvin.Calvin taken as spoken of the help which they expected out of Aegypt, which came not, although now there was nothing to hinder them, whereas before Harvest this might have been alledged as a reason, They could not spare the time from getting in their Harvest, but now what expectation can there be of them in the dead of Winter? surely none: Thus also Jerom and Lyra; but Thomas Aquinas, although the Harvest-time be past, when men have provision T. Aquinas.enough, we are not hereby holpen against our famine. It may be understood simply of the tediousnesse of their siege, from which they hoped that God would deliver them at the least the Summer being ended, by cold frosts, if not otherwise driving the enemy away, as he had done Sennacheribs host by a mighty and sudden slaughter. For the expostulation of the people made with God for not saving them vers. 19. is here continued.
For the hurt of the daughter of my people I am hurt. This is by some taken to Vers. 21.be spoken in the person of Jeremiah, by some of the Lord, which is most probable, because he saith, My people; and if the words shall not seem to agree to the Lord, he doth at other times also put on the person of a most compassionate Father in speaking of their miseries.
Is there no balm in Gilead? The Vulgar for balm hath resina, some Treacle, but it is most generally agreed, that a certain thick liquour congealing into Gumme, that distilled drop by drop out of the Balsome tree when the bark was cut, is here meant, and such Trees grew in Arabia and Gilead, on this side Jordan, and this Gumme was most excellent for healing sores or wounds: but it is metaphorically here to be understood either of Doctrine or Repentance, whereby the souls of sinners are healed, when they are hereby converted, according to some, or of wisdom, and counsel, and valour, of which the Jews bragged so much, whereby to be delivered from their enemies, or to recover their wounded and dying state, according to others. And this last way it is taken by Calvin, saying, that it is meant their wound was Calvin.incurable, and therefore it would be vain to think of any remedy against that blow by the Caldees, they must be smitten, and utterly perish from being a Kingdom any more; See the like speech to Egypt, Chap. 46. And Gilead above other places is mentioned, because such trees abounded most there, and there was the best balsom, although they grew also in divers others of Judea, and as medicinal simple abounded most there, so Physicians, for which he addeth, Is there no Physitian there?