Jeremiah 12:10

10 "Many 1shepherds have ruined My 2vineyard, They have 3trampled down My field; They have made My 4pleasant field A desolate wilderness.

Jeremiah 12:10 Meaning and Commentary

Jeremiah 12:10

Many pastors have destroyed my vineyard
This is a metaphor which is often used of the people of Israel and Judah; see ( Psalms 80:8 ) ( Isaiah 5:1-7 ) ( 27:2 ) , the pastors that destroyed them are not their own governors, civil or religious, but Heathen princes, Nebuchadnezzar and his generals. So the Targum paraphrases it,

``many kings slay my people;''
so Kimchi and Ben Melech. They have trodden my portion under foot;
the people of the Jews, that were his portion, and before called his heritage; whom the Chaldeans subdued, and reduced to extreme servitude and bondage; and were as the dirt under their feet, greatly oppressed and despised. They have made my pleasant portion a desolate wilderness;
by pulling down stately edifices, unwalling of towers, and destroying men; so that there were none to manure the fields, to dress the vineyards, and keep gardens and orchards in good case; but all were come to ruin and what before was a delightful paradise was now like an heath or desert.

Jeremiah 12:10 In-Context

8 "My inheritance has become to Me Like a lion in the forest; She has roared against Me; Therefore I have come to hate her.
9 "Is My inheritance like a speckled bird of prey to Me? Are the birds of prey against her on every side? Go, gather all the beasts of the field, Bring them to devour!
10 "Many shepherds have ruined My vineyard, They have trampled down My field; They have made My pleasant field A desolate wilderness.
11 "It has been made a desolation, Desolate, it mourns before Me; The whole land has been made desolate, Because no man lays it to heart.
12 "On all the bare heights in the wilderness Destroyers have come, For a sword of the LORD is devouring From one end of the land even to the other ; There is no peace for anyone .

Cross References 4

  • 1. Jeremiah 6:3; Jeremiah 23:1
  • 2. Psalms 80:8-16; Isaiah 5:1-7
  • 3. Isaiah 63:18
  • 4. Jeremiah 3:19
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