Jeremiah 6:18

18 And so I'm calling in the nations as witnesses: 'Watch, witnesses, what happens to them!'

Jeremiah 6:18 Meaning and Commentary

Jeremiah 6:18

Therefore hear, ye nations
Since the Jews refused to hearken to the word of the Lord, the Gentiles are called upon to hear it, as in ( Acts 13:45 Acts 13:46 ) , this is a rebuke to the Jews, that the Gentiles would hear, when they would not: and know, O congregation;
either of Israel, as the Targum and Kimchi explain it; or of the nations of the world, the multitude of them; or the church of God in the midst of them: what is among them;
among the Jews: either what evil is among them; what sins and transgressions are committed by them; which were the cause of the Lord's threatening them with sore judgments, and bringing them upon them; so Jarchi and Kimchi interpret the words; to which agrees the Targum,

``and let the congregation of Israel know their sins;''

or the punishments the Lord inflicted on them: so the Vulgate Latin version, "and know, O congregation, what I will do unto them"; which sense is confirmed by what follows:

Jeremiah 6:18 In-Context

16 God's Message yet again: "Go stand at the crossroads and look around. Ask for directions to the old road, The tried and true road. Then take it. Discover the right route for your souls. But they said, 'Nothing doing. We aren't going that way.'

17 I even provided watchmen for them to warn them, to set off the alarm. But the people said, 'It's a false alarm. It doesn't concern us.'

18 And so I'm calling in the nations as witnesses: 'Watch, witnesses, what happens to them!'

19 And, 'Pay attention, earth! Don't miss these bulletins.' I'm visiting catastrophe on this people, the end result of the games they've been playing with me. They've ignored everything I've said, had nothing but contempt for my teaching.

20 What would I want with incense brought in from Sheba, rare spices from exotic places? Your burnt sacrifices in worship give me no pleasure. Your religious rituals mean nothing to me."