Jeremiah 6:1-6

Destruction of Jerusalem Impending

1 "Flee for safety, O sons of ¹Benjamin, From the midst of Jerusalem! Now blow a trumpet in Tekoa And raise a signal over ²Beth-haccerem; For evil looks down from the ³north, And a great destruction.

2 "The comely and ⁴dainty one, ⁵the daughter of Zion, I will cut off.

3 "⁶Shepherds and their flocks will come to her, They will ⁷pitch their tents around her, They will pasture each in his place.

4 "⁸Prepare war against her; Arise, and let us attack at ⁹noon. Woe to us, for the day declines, For the shadows of the evening lengthen!

5 "Arise, and let us attack by night And ¹⁰destroy her palaces!"

6 For thus says the LORD of hosts, "¹¹Cut down her trees And cast up a ¹²siege against Jerusalem. This is the city to be punished, In whose midst there is only ¹³oppression.

Jeremiah 6:1-6 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

• 1. Joshua 18:28
• 2. Nehemiah 3:14
• 3. Jeremiah 1:14; Jeremiah 4:6; Jeremiah 6:22
• 4. Deuteronomy 28:56
• 5. Isaiah 1:8; Jeremiah 4:31
• 6. Jeremiah 12:10
• 7. 2 Kings 25:1; Jeremiah 4:17; Luke 19:43
• 8. Jeremiah 6:23; Joel 3:9
• 9. Jeremiah 15:8; Zephaniah 2:4
• 10. Isaiah 32:14; Jeremiah 52:13
• 11. Deuteronomy 20:19, 20
• 12. Jeremiah 32:24; Jeremiah 33:4
• 13. Jeremiah 22:17

Footnotes

• [a] I.e. house of the vineyard
• [b] Lit "against her round about"
• [c] Lit "hand"
• [d] Lit "Sanctify"
• [e] Lit "go up"
• [f] Lit "go up"
• [g] Or "fortified towers"