Jeremiah 10 Study Notes

10:16 Jacob’s Portion refers to the Lord, because he had given himself as Israel’s inheritance. Usually the people made this claim for themselves, but in this mutual belonging, God is as much a possession of Israel as their land is. Since idols are lifeless, imaginary gods, they were unable to commit themselves to anyone.

10:17 The word for belongings comes from the same stem as “Canaan.” These people were the merchants of their day and a symbol of commercialism.

10:18-20 According to Jack Lundbom, “Jerusalem (or Judah) is speaking as a mother—or widow (Lm 1:1-3)—who has lived in a tent with her children until a desert windstorm or nomad raid left her bereft of both.” It is a description of the exile.

10:21 The imagery of shepherds (Judah’s leaders) who were stupid and a flock that was scattered is expanded in Ezk 34. Ezekiel described a good shepherd who would gather in the scattered flock. If the people would seek the Lord and his word, things would turn out differently.

10:22 A great commotion would announce the arrival of the Babylonian army in 587 BC. The imagery of being made desolate and becoming a jackals’ den is often used to describe the total destruction of conquered cities (51:37; Zph 2:13-15).

10:23-25 This is a personal prayer by Jeremiah, but it applied to the entire nation of Judah.

10:24 Discipline me, Lord, is a verb used frequently in the Wisdom literature of the OT for educational or corrective punishment. Jeremiah, like the prophet Daniel (Dn 9:4-19), prayed in the first person, identifying himself with his people. But neither the prophet nor the nation wanted God to deal with them according to what they really deserved. Jeremiah may have reasoned that if God disciplined with justice, there would be a chance that he would offer mercy. If he disciplined in . . . anger, however, he would certainly destroy them.

10:25 The prayer ends with a request for God to pour out his wrath on the nations and devour them as they had consumed Judah. This request is granted in 30:16, but only after Judah had been devoured due to her refusal to repent.