Cursed [be] the day wherein I was born
If this was said immediately upon the foregoing, it was a most
strange and sudden change of frame indeed that the prophet came
into, from praising God, to cursing the day of his birth;
wherefore some have thought it was delivered at another time,
when in great anguish of spirit; very likely when so ill used by
Pashur, as before related; but here repeated, to show in what
distress he had been, and what reason there was for praise and
thanksgiving; for the words may be connected with the preceding,
thus, "for he hath delivered from the hand of evil doers the soul
of the poor, who said" F12, in the time of his distress,
"cursed be the day", &c; but, whenever it was spoke, it
showed the impatience of the prophet, the weakness of his faith,
and the greatness of his folly, to curse a day, and his birth day
too, as Job did, when under affliction, ( Job
3:1-16 ) ; let not the day wherein my mother bare me be
blessed;
to myself or others; let it be reckoned among the unhappy and
unfortunate days; let it not be blessed with the light of the
sun, or with the light of joy and prosperity; see ( Job 3:4 Job 3:7 ) ; let it not be
said on this occasion, as commonly is, we wish you joy on your
birth day, and may you see many happy days of this kind. Abendana
observes, that some of their Rabbins say, that Jeremiah cursed
the day of his birth, because it was the ninth of Ab, the day on
which the temple was burnt.