Jeremías 18:15

15 Pero mi pueblo no es confiable, porque me ha abandonado;
quema incienso a ídolos inútiles.
Tropezó y salió de los caminos antiguos
y anduvo por senderos llenos de lodo.

Jeremías 18:15 Meaning and Commentary

Jeremiah 18:15

Because my people hath forgotten me
Or, "that they have forgotten me" ^F26; this is the horrible thing they have done, which was unheard of among the Gentiles, who were always tenacious of their gods, and the worship of them; and that foolish and unwise thing, which was like leaving pure flowing streams of water for dirty puddles. This is to be understood of their forsaking the worship of God, as the Targum interprets it, and following after idols: they have burnt incense to vanity;
to idols, which are vain empty things, and which cannot give their worshippers what they expect from them: or, "in vain they burn incense" ^F1; even to the true God, while they also sacrificed unto idols; which to do was an abomination to the Lord, ( Isaiah 1:13 ) ; and especially burning incense to idols must be a vain thing; and so the Targum,

``to no profit a they burn incense or spices:''

and they have caused them to stumble in their ways;
that is, either the idols they worshipped, or the false prophets caused the professing people of the Jews to stumble and fall in the ways into which they led them: and [from] the ancient paths;
or, "the paths of eternity" ^F2; which lead to eternal life; or which were of old marked out by the revealed will of God for the saints to walk in; and in which the patriarchs and people of God, in all former ages, did walk; and which were appointed from everlasting, and will remain for ever; and these are the good old paths in ( Jeremiah 6:16 ) ; to walk in paths, [in] a way not cast up;
a new way, unknown in former times; an unbeaten track, which the saints had never walked in; a rough path, unsafe and dangerous; and hence they stumbled, and fell, and came to ruin; as follows:

---

FOOTNOTES:

F26 (ynxkv yk) "quod obliti sunt", Schmidt.
F1 (wrjqy awvl) "frustra adolebunt, [vel] adolent", Pagninus, Calvin.
F2 (Mlwe ylybv) "semitae [quae a] seculo, [seu] antiquo", vid. Schmidt; so Targum; "semitis jam olim praescriptis", Piscator.

Jeremías 18:15 In-Context

13 Así que esto dice el Señor
:
«¿Acaso alguien ha oído semejante cosa,
aun entre las naciones paganas?
¡Israel, mi hija virgen,
ha hecho algo terrible!

14 ¿Acaso la nieve desaparece de las cumbres del Líbano?
¿Quedan secos los arroyos helados que fluyen de esas montañas distantes?

15 Pero mi pueblo no es confiable, porque me ha abandonado;
quema incienso a ídolos inútiles.
Tropezó y salió de los caminos antiguos
y anduvo por senderos llenos de lodo.

16 Por lo tanto, su tierra quedará desolada,
será un monumento a su necedad.
Todos los que pasen por allí quedarán pasmados
y menearán la cabeza con asombro.

17 Como el viento del oriente desparrama el polvo,
así esparciré a mi pueblo delante de sus enemigos.
Cuando tengan dificultades, les daré la espalda
y no prestaré atención a su aflicción».