Jeremiah 12:10

10 Many foreign rulers have destroyed my vineyard; they have trampled down my fields; they have turned my lovely land into a desert.

Jeremiah 12:10 Meaning and Commentary

Jeremiah 12:10

Many pastors have destroyed my vineyard
This is a metaphor which is often used of the people of Israel and Judah; see ( Psalms 80:8 ) ( Isaiah 5:1-7 ) ( 27:2 ) , the pastors that destroyed them are not their own governors, civil or religious, but Heathen princes, Nebuchadnezzar and his generals. So the Targum paraphrases it,

``many kings slay my people;''

so Kimchi and Ben Melech. They have trodden my portion under foot;
the people of the Jews, that were his portion, and before called his heritage; whom the Chaldeans subdued, and reduced to extreme servitude and bondage; and were as the dirt under their feet, greatly oppressed and despised. They have made my pleasant portion a desolate wilderness;
by pulling down stately edifices, unwalling of towers, and destroying men; so that there were none to manure the fields, to dress the vineyards, and keep gardens and orchards in good case; but all were come to ruin and what before was a delightful paradise was now like an heath or desert.

Jeremiah 12:10 In-Context

8 My chosen people have turned against me; like a lion in the forest they have roared at me, and so I hate them.

9 My chosen people are like a bird attacked from all sides by hawks. Call the wild animals to come and join in the feast!

10 Many foreign rulers have destroyed my vineyard; they have trampled down my fields; they have turned my lovely land into a desert.

11 They have made it a wasteland; it lies desolate before me. The whole land has become a desert, and no one cares.

12 Across all the desert highlands people have come to plunder. I have sent war to destroy the entire land; no one can live in peace.