Jeremiah 32:26-36

26 Then the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah, saying,

27 "Behold, I am the LORD, the ¹God of all flesh; is anything * ²too difficult for Me?"

28 Therefore thus says the LORD, "Behold, I am about to ³give this city into the hand of the Chaldeans and into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and he will take it.

29 "The Chaldeans who are fighting against this city will enter and ⁴set this city on fire and burn it, with the ⁵houses where people have offered incense to Baal on their roofs and poured out drink offerings to other gods to provoke Me to anger.

30 "Indeed the sons of Israel and the sons of Judah have been doing only ⁶evil in My sight from their youth; for the sons of Israel have been only ⁷provoking Me to anger by the work of their hands," declares the LORD.

31 "Indeed this city has been to Me a ⁸provocation of My anger and My wrath from the day that they built it, even to this day, so that it should be ⁹removed from before My face,

32 because of all the evil of the sons of Israel and the sons of Judah which they have done to provoke Me to anger -they, their ¹⁰kings, their leaders, their priests, their prophets, the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

33 "They have turned their back to Me and not their face; though I taught them, ¹¹teaching again and again, they would not listen and receive instruction.

34 "But they ¹²put their detestable things in the house which is called by My name, to defile it.

35 "They built the ¹³high places of Baal that are in the valley of Ben-hinnom * to cause their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire to ¹⁴Molech, which I had not commanded them nor had it entered My mind that they should do this abomination, to cause Judah to sin.

36 "Now therefore thus says the LORD God of Israel concerning this city of which you say, 'It is ¹⁵given into the hand of the king of Babylon by sword, by famine and by pestilence.'

Jeremiah 32:26-36 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO JEREMIAH 32

This chapter contains an account of Jeremiah's imprisonment, and the cause of it; of his buying a field of his uncle's son, and the design of it; of his prayer to God, and of the answer returned to him. The time of his imprisonment, the place where, and the reasons of it, are observed in Jer 32:1-5; that his uncle's son would come and offer the sale of a field to him was told him by the Lord, which he did accordingly, Jer 32:6,7; of whom he bought the field, paid the money, had the purchase confirmed in a legal way, before witnesses, Jer 32:8-12; and the writings of it he committed to Baruch, to put in an earthen vessel, where they were to continue some time as a pledge of houses, fields, and vineyards, being possessed again after the captivity, Jer 32:13-15; then follows a prayer of his to the Lord, in which he addresses him as the Maker of all things; as the Lord God omnipotent; as a God of great grace and mercy, as well as strict justice; as a God of wisdom, counsel, and might, and an omniscient and righteous Being, Jer 32:16-19; and recounts the wonderful things he had done for the people of Israel, Jer 32:20-22; and observes the ingratitude and disobedience of that people, which were the cause of the present siege of the city, which should surely be delivered into the hands of the Chaldeans, Jer 32:23-25; to which prayer an answer is returned, Jer 32:26; in which the Lord describes himself as the God of all flesh, and as able to do what he pleases, Jer 32:27; and confirms the delivery of the city of Jerusalem unto the Chaldeans, Jer 32:28,29; and assigns the causes of it, the backslidings, disobedience, and dreadful idolatry of the people, Jer 32:30-35; and, notwithstanding, promises a restoration of them to their own land again, Jer 32:36,37; when an opportunity is taken to insert the covenant of grace, and the special articles and peculiar promises of it, for the comfort of the spiritual Israel of God, whether Jews or Gentiles, Jer 32:38-40; and the chapter is concluded with a fresh assurance of the return of the captivity, and of the punctual performance of the promise of it; when fields should be bought in every part of the land, in like manner as Jeremiah had bought his, Jer 32:41-44.

Cross References

• 1. Numbers 16:22; Numbers 27:16
• 2. Jeremiah 32:17; Matthew 19:26
• 3. 2 Kings 25:11; 2 Chronicles 36:17-21; Jeremiah 19:7-12; Jeremiah 32:3, 24, 36; Jeremiah 34:2, 3
• 4. 2 Chronicles 36:19; Jeremiah 21:10; Jeremiah 37:8, 10; Jeremiah 39:8
• 5. Jeremiah 19:13; Jeremiah 44:17-19, 25; Jeremiah 52:13
• 6. Deuteronomy 9:7-12; Isaiah 63:10; Jeremiah 2:7; Jeremiah 7:22-26
• 7. Jeremiah 8:19; Jeremiah 11:17; Jeremiah 25:7
• 8. 1 Kings 11:7, 8; 2 Kin 21:4-7, 16; Jeremiah 5:9-11; Jeremiah 6:6, 7; Matthew 23:37
• 9. 2 Kings 23:27; 2 Kings 24:3, 4; Jeremiah 27:10
• 10. Ezra 9:7; Is 1:4-6, 23; Jeremiah 2:26; Jeremiah 44:17, 21; Daniel 9:8
• 11. 2 Chronicles 36:15, 16; Jeremiah 7:13; Jeremiah 25:3; Jeremiah 26:5; Jeremiah 35:15; John 8:2
• 12. 2 Kings 21:1-7; Jeremiah 7:30; Jeremiah 19:4-6; Ezekiel 8:5
• 13. 2 Chronicles 28:2, 3; 2 Chronicles 33:6; Jeremiah 7:31; Jeremiah 19:5
• 14. Leviticus 18:21; Leviticus 20:2-5; 1 Kings 11:7; 2 Kings 23:10; Acts 7:43
• 15. Jeremiah 32:24

Footnotes

• [a]. Lit "rising up early and teaching"
• [b]. Lit "to"
• [c]. Lit "come up into My heart"