Jeremiah 11:18-23

18 Forsooth, Lord, thou showedest to me, and I knew; thou showedest to me the studies of them. (But, Lord, thou hast shown me, and so I knew; yea, thou hast shown me their deeds.)

19 And I am as a mild lamb, which is borne to slain sacrifice; and I knew not, that they thought counsels on me, and said, Send we a tree into the bread of him, and raze we him away from the land of livers, and his name be no more had in mind. (And I am like a meek lamb, which is carried to the slain sacrifice; and I knew not that they thought up plans against me, and said, Destroy we the tree with its fruit, and raze we him down from the land of the living, and his name shall no longer be remembered.)

20 But thou, Lord of hosts, that deemest justly, and provest reins and hearts, see I thy vengeance of them; for to thee I showed my cause. (But thou, Lord of hosts, who judgest justly, and provest reins and hearts, let me see thy vengeance against them; for I have shown my cause to thee/for I have made my case to thee.)

21 Therefore the Lord saith these things to the men of Anathoth, that seek thy life, and say, Thou shalt not prophesy in the name of the Lord, and thou shalt not die in our hands. (And so the Lord saith these things to those people of Anathoth, who seek thy life, and say, Prophesy thou no more in the name of the Lord, and then thou shalt not die by our hands.)

22 Therefore the Lord of hosts saith these things, Lo! I shall visit on them; the young men of them shall die by sword, the sons of them, and the daughters of them, shall die for hunger; (And so the Lord of hosts saith these things, Lo! I shall punish them; their young men shall die by the sword, and their sons, and their daughters, shall die by hunger;)

23 and no remnants, either children left, shall be of them; for I shall bring in evil on the men of Anathoth, the year of the visitation of them. (and there shall be no remnant, or any children, left of them; for I shall bring in evil upon the people of Anathoth, yea, the time of their punishment.)

Jeremiah 11:18-23 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO JEREMIAH 11

This chapter gives an account of the covenant God had made with the people of the Jews; their breach of it; and the evils threatened them on that account; and particularly against the men of Anathoth, for their ill treatment of the prophet. It begins with the order to Jeremiah to rehearse the words of the covenant in the ears of the men of Judah and Jerusalem, Jer 11:1-3, which covenant is described by the sanction of it; a curse in case of disobedience; and a promise of being their God, and bringing them into the good land, in case of obedience; and by the time when it was made, when the Israelites were brought out of Egypt, Jer 10:3-5, which order, the prophet agreeing to, is repeated, Jer 10:5,6 declaring the earnest protestation and exhortation of God to obey it, which they not observing, were threatened with the curses of it, Jer 11:7,8, the present Jews doing as their forefathers had done, breaking the covenant, particularly by their idolatry, are threatened also with punishment they should not escape, Jer 11:9-11 which is aggravated by a resolution to show no regard to their cries, Jer 11:11, by the impotence of their idols to save them, though so numerous, Jer 11:12,13, by forbidding the prophet to pray for them, Jer 11:14, by their having no longer a place and protection in the house of God, because of their wickedness, Jer 11:15, by comparing their former and present state together, having been as a beautiful and fruitful olive tree, but now burnt, and its branches broken, Jer 11:16, next follows an account of a design of the men of Anathoth against the prophet, to take away his life, which he was ignorant of, till the Lord gave him knowledge of it, Jer 11:17-19, when he imprecates vengeance on them, Jer 11:20, and, under a spirit of prophecy from the Lord, foretells their utter ruin and destruction, Jer 11:21,22.