Jeremiah 6:2

2 O Jerusalem, you are my beautiful and delicate daughter— but I will destroy you!

Jeremiah 6:2 Meaning and Commentary

Jeremiah 6:2

I have likened the daughter of Zion to a comely and delicate
woman.
] That dwells at home and lives in pleasure, and deliciously, in great peace and quietness, in entire ease and security, in no fear of enemies, or apprehension of danger; and so it describes the secure state of the Jews. Kimchi and Ben Melech supply the word "woman" as we do; but others supply "land" or "pasture"; and think that the Jewish nation is compared to pleasant and delightful lands and pastures, which are inviting to shepherds to come and pitch their tents about them; as follows. The words are by some rendered, "O beautiful and delicate one, I have cut off, or destroyed the daughter of Zion" ^F15; in which sense the word is used in ( Isaiah 6:5 ) ( Hosea 4:5 ) and to this purpose is the Targum,

``O beautiful and delicate one, how hast thou corrupted thy ways? therefore the congregation of Zion is confounded;''

but the former senses seem to be best; in which the word used is understood as having the signification of likening or comparing; for which see ( Song of Solomon 1:9 ) .

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FOOTNOTES:

F15 So Jarchi and Joseph Kimchi. Vid. Gataker in loc.

Jeremiah 6:2 In-Context

1 “Run for your lives, you people of Benjamin! Get out of Jerusalem! Sound the alarm in Tekoa! Send up a signal at Beth-hakkerem! A powerful army is coming from the north, coming with disaster and destruction.

2 O Jerusalem, you are my beautiful and delicate daughter— but I will destroy you!

3 Enemies will surround you, like shepherds camped around the city. Each chooses a place for his troops to devour.

4 They shout, ‘Prepare for battle! Attack at noon!’ ‘No, it’s too late; the day is fading, and the evening shadows are falling.’

5 ‘Well then, let’s attack at night and destroy her palaces!’”

Footnotes

• [a] Hebrew Daughter of Zion.