Jeremiah 5

Jeremiah 5:1-31 . THE CAUSE OF THE JUDGMENTS TO BE INFLICTED IS THE UNIVERSAL CORRUPTION OF THE PEOPLE.

1. a man--As the pious Josiah, Baruch, and Zephaniah lived in Jerusalem at that time, Jeremiah must here mean the mass of the people, the king, his counsellors, the false prophets, and the priests, as distinguished from the faithful few, whom God had openly separated from the reprobate people; among the latter not even one just person was to be found ( Isaiah 9:16 ) [CALVIN]; the godly, moreover, were forbidden to intercede for them ( Jeremiah 7:16 ; compare Genesis 18:23 , &c. Psalms 12:1 , Ezekiel 22:30 ).
see . . . know--look . . . ascertain.
judgment--justice, righteousness.
pardon it--rather, her.

2. ( Titus 1:16 ).
swear falsely--not a judicial oath; but their profession of the worship of Jehovah is insincere ( Jeremiah 5:7 , Jeremiah 4:2 ). The reformation under Josiah was merely superficial in the case of the majority.

3. eyes upon the truth--( Deuteronomy 32:4 , 2 Chronicles 16:9 ). "Truth" is in contrast with "swear falsely" ( Jeremiah 5:2 ). The false-professing Jews could expect nothing but judgments from the God of truth.
stricken . . . not grieved--( Jeremiah 2:30 , Isaiah 1:5 , 9:13 ).
refused . . . correction--( Jeremiah 7:28 , Zephaniah 3:2 ).

4. poor--rather, "the poor." He supposes for the moment that this utter depravity is confined to the uninstructed poor, and that he would find a different state of things in the higher ranks: but there he finds unbridled profligacy.

5. they have known--rather, "they must know." The prophet supposes it as probable, considering their position.
but these--I found the very reverse to be the case.
burst . . . bonds--set God's law at defiance ( Psalms 2:3 ).

6. lion . . . wolf . . . leopard--the strongest, the most ravenous, and the swiftest, respectively, of beasts: illustrating the formidable character of the Babylonians.
of the evenings--Others not so well translate, of the deserts. The plural means that it goes forth every evening to seek its prey ( Psalms 104:20 , Habakkuk 1:8 , Zephaniah 3:3 ).
leopard . . . watch . . . cities--( Hosea 13:7 ). It shall lie in wait about their cities.

7. It would not be consistent with God's holiness to let such wickedness pass unpunished.
sworn by--( Jeremiah 5:2 , Jeremiah 4:2 ); that is, worshipped.
no gods--( Deuteronomy 32:21 ).
fed . . . to the full--so the Keri (Hebrew Margin) reads, God's bountifulness is contrasted with their apostasy ( Deuteronomy 32:15 ). Prosperity, the gift of God, designed to lead men to Him, often produces the opposite effect. The Hebrew Chetib (text), reads: "I bound them (to Me) by oath," namely, in the marriage covenant, sealed at Sinai between God and Israel; in contrast to which stands their "adultery"; the antithesis favors this.
adultery . . . harlots' houses--spiritually: idolatry in temples of idols; but literal prostitution is also included, being frequently part of idol-worship: for example, in the worship of the Babylonian Mylitta.