Jeremiah 6:8

8 People of Jerusalem, let these troubles be a warning to you, or else I will abandon you; I will turn your city into a desert, a place where no one lives."

Jeremiah 6:8 Meaning and Commentary

Jeremiah 6:8

And be thou instructed, O Jerusalem
Or "corrected" ^F19; receive discipline or instructions by chastisements and corrections, return by repentance, that the evils threatened may not come: this shows the affection of the Lord to his people, notwithstanding all their sins; that their amendment, and not their destruction, were pleasing to him; that it was with reluctance he was about to visit them in the manner threatened; and that even now it was not too late, provided they were instructed and reformed; but, if not, they must expect what follows: lest my soul depart from thee;
his Shechinah, or divine Presence, and all the tokens of his love, favour, and good will. The Targum interprets it of the Word of the Lord,

``lest my Word cast thee off;''

see ( Romans 11:1 ) , or, "lest my soul pluck itself from thee"; or "be plucked" ^F20, and separated from thee: the phrase denotes an utter separation, a forcible one, joined with the utmost abhorrence and detestation. In ( Ezekiel 23:18 ) , it is rendered, "my mind was alienated"; it denotes disunion and disaffection. Lest I make thee desolate, a land not inhabited;
the Targum adds, by way of illustration,

``as the land of Sodom;''

so that not a man should dwell in it; see ( Jeremiah 4:25 Jeremiah 4:27 Jeremiah 4:29 ) .

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FOOTNOTES:

F19 (yrowh) "cape disciplinam", Vatablus; "admitte disciplinam", Cocceius; "castigationem", Schmidt.
F20 (Kmm yvpn eqt Np) "ut non luxetur, [vel] avellatur anima mea a te", Vatablus, Junius & Tremellius, Schmidt.

Jeremiah 6:8 In-Context

6 The Lord Almighty has ordered these kings to cut down trees and build mounds in order to besiege Jerusalem. He has said, "I will punish this city because it is full of oppression.

7 As a well keeps its water fresh, so Jerusalem keeps its evil fresh. I hear violence and destruction in the city; sickness and wounds are all I see.

8 People of Jerusalem, let these troubles be a warning to you, or else I will abandon you; I will turn your city into a desert, a place where no one lives."

9 The Lord Almighty said to me, "Israel will be stripped clean like a vineyard from which every grape has been picked. So you must rescue everyone you can while there is still time."

10 I answered, "Who would listen to me if I spoke to them and warned them? They are stubborn and refuse to listen to your message; they laugh at what you tell me to say.