Jeremiah 6:19

19 Thou earth, hear, lo! I shall bring evils on this people, the fruit of their thoughts; for they heard not my words, and casted away my law (and cast away my Law).

Jeremiah 6:19 Meaning and Commentary

Jeremiah 6:19

Hear, O earth: behold, I will bring evil upon this people,
&c.] The people of the Jews; the evil of punishment, for the evil of sin committed by them; wherefore the earth, and the inhabitants of it, are called upon to bear witness to, the righteousness of such a procedure: even the fruit of their thoughts;
which they thought of, contrived, and devised; which shows that they did not do what they did inadvertently, but with thought and design. Kimchi interprets it of sinful deeds and actions, the fruit of thoughts; but his father, of thoughts themselves. The Talmudists, ^F25 comment upon it thus,

``a thought which brings forth fruit, the holy blessed God joins it to an action; but a thought in which there is no fruit, the holy blessed God does not join to action;''

that is, in punishment; very wrongly. For the sense is, that God would bring upon them the calamities and distresses their thoughts and the evil counsels of their minds deserved. The Targum renders it,

``the retribution or reward of their works.''

Because they have not hearkened unto my words;
spoken to them by the prophets: nor to my law, but rejected it;
neither hearkened to the law, nor to the prophets, but despised both. The Targum is,

``because they obeyed not the words of my servants, the prophets, and abhorred my law.''

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FOOTNOTES:

F25 T. Bab. Kiddushin, fol. 40. 1.

Jeremiah 6:19 In-Context

17 And I ordained espyers, either beholders, on you, and I said, Hear ye the voice of a trump. And they said, We shall not hear (it).

18 Therefore, heathen men, hear ye, and, thou congregation, know, how great things I shall do to them. (And so, ye heathen, listen, and, thou congregation, know, what mighty things I shall do to them.)

19 Thou earth, hear, lo! I shall bring evils on this people, the fruit of their thoughts; for they heard not my words, and casted away my law (and cast away my Law).

20 Whereto bring ye to me incense from Sheba, and a tree of spicery smelling sweetly from a far land? Your burnt sacrifices be not accepted, and your slain sacrifices pleased not me (I will not accept your burnt sacrifices, and your slain sacrifices do not please me).

21 Therefore the Lord God saith these things, Lo! I shall give (causes of) fallings into this people, and fathers and sons together, (and) a neighbour and (a) kinsman, shall fall in them, and shall perish.