Jeremiah 6:2-12

2 "The comely and 1dainty one, 2the daughter of Zion, I will cut off.
3 "3Shepherds and their flocks will come to her, They will 4pitch their tents around her, They will pasture each in his place.
4 "5Prepare war against her; Arise, and let us attack at 6noon. Woe to us, for the day declines, For the shadows of the evening lengthen!
5 "Arise, and let us attack by night And 7destroy her palaces!"
6 For thus says the LORD of hosts, "8Cut down her trees And cast up a 9siege against Jerusalem. This is the city to be punished, In whose midst there is only 10oppression.
7 "11As a well keeps its waters fresh, So she keeps fresh her wickedness. 12Violence and destruction are heard in her; 13Sickness and wounds are ever before * Me.
8 "14Be warned, O Jerusalem, Or 15I shall be alienated from you, And make you a desolation, A land not inhabited."
9 Thus says the LORD of hosts, "They will 16thoroughly glean as the vine the 17remnant of Israel; Pass your hand again like a grape gatherer Over the branches."
10 To whom shall I speak and give warning That they may hear? Behold, their 18ears are closed And they cannot * listen. Behold, 19the word of the LORD has become a reproach to them; They have no delight in it.
11 But I am 20full of the wrath of the LORD; I am 21weary with holding it in. "22Pour it out on the children in the street And on the gathering of young men together; For both husband and wife shall be taken, The aged and the very * old *.
12 "Their 23houses shall be turned over to others, Their fields and their wives together; For I will 24stretch out My hand Against the inhabitants of the land," declares the LORD.

Jeremiah 6:2-12 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO JEREMIAH 6

This chapter is of the same argument with the former; and contains two things in it, the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians, and the causes of it, which are intermixedly handled in it; a lively description is made of the notice of the approach of the enemy by blowing of trumpets and firing of beacons, Jer 6:1, and of the siege of the city, by pitching tents around it, casting up a mount against it, and scaling its walls at noon and by night, Jer 6:2-6, and this destruction is illustrated by the simile of gleaning of grapes, Jer 6:9, and amplified by the universality of it, with respect to persons and things; it reaching to persons of every age, and in every state, as old men, young men, and children, husbands and wives, and to all sorts of possessions, houses and fields, Jer 6:11,12,21, a description is given of the instruments of it, the Chaldeans, Jer 6:22,23 and it is aggravated by the anxiety, distress, and sorrow, the Jews would be in on account of it, Jer 6:24-26, the causes of it are in general the great aboundings of sin and wickedness in the midst of them, illustrated by a fountain casting out its waters, Jer 6:6,7, in particular, their neglect and contempt of the word of the Lord, Jer 6:10, the sin of covetousness, which prevailed among all sorts of people, high and low, in civil or religious life, Jer 6:13, the unfaithfulness of the prophets to the people, declaring peace, when there was none, Jer 6:14, their impenitence and hardness, Jer 6:15, their disregard to all instructions and warnings, Jer 6:16,17, their rejection of the law, and the precepts of it, Jer 6:18,19, their hypocritical sacrifices, Jer 6:20, and the chapter is concluded with an address to the prophet, setting forth his character and office, and the end of it, Jer 6:27 and his testimony concerning the people, showing their obstinacy and stubbornness, illustrated by a simile of refining metal in a furnace without success, Jer 6:28-30.

Cross References 24

  • 1. Deuteronomy 28:56
  • 2. Isaiah 1:8; Jeremiah 4:31
  • 3. Jeremiah 12:10
  • 4. 2 Kings 25:1; Jeremiah 4:17; Luke 19:43
  • 5. Jeremiah 6:23; Joel 3:9
  • 6. Jeremiah 15:8; Zephaniah 2:4
  • 7. Isaiah 32:14; Jeremiah 52:13
  • 8. Deuteronomy 20:19, 20
  • 9. Jeremiah 32:24; Jeremiah 33:4
  • 10. Jeremiah 22:17
  • 11. James 3:11
  • 12. Jeremiah 20:8; Ezekiel 7:11, 23
  • 13. Jeremiah 30:12, 13
  • 14. Jeremiah 7:28; Jeremiah 17:23
  • 15. Ezekiel 23:18; Hosea 9:12
  • 16. Jeremiah 16:16; Jeremiah 49:9; Obad 5, 6
  • 17. Jeremiah 8:3; Jeremiah 11:23
  • 18. Jeremiah 5:21; Jeremiah 7:26; Acts 7:51
  • 19. Jeremiah 20:8
  • 20. Job 32:18, 19; Micah 3:8
  • 21. Jeremiah 15:6; Jeremiah 20:9
  • 22. Jeremiah 7:20; Jeremiah 9:21
  • 23. Deuteronomy 28:30; Jeremiah 8:10; Jeremiah 38:22, 23
  • 24. Jeremiah 15:6

Footnotes 12

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