Yirmeyah 26:3

3 If so be they will pay heed, turn every man from his derech hara’ah, that I may relent of the ra’ah, which I purpose to do unto them for the evil of their doings.

Yirmeyah 26:3 Meaning and Commentary

Jeremiah 26:3

If so be they will hearken
And obey; which is expressive not of ignorance and conjecture in God, but of his patience and long suffering, granting space and time for repentance, and the means of it; which disregarded, leave without excuse: and turn every man from his evil way;
his series and course of life, which was evil, and was the case of everyone; so that as their sin was general, the reformation ought to be so too: that I may repent me of the evil which I purpose to do unto them;
or "am thinking", or "devising ^F4 to do unto them"; which repentance must be understood not of a change of mind, but of the course of his providence towards them, which, by his threatenings, and some steps taken, portended ruin and destruction; yet, in case of repentance and reformation, he would change his method of action agreeably to his will: because of the evil of their doings;
this was the reason why he had threatened them with the evil of punishment, because of the evil of their actions; which were breaches of his law, and such as provoked the eyes of his glory.

---

FOOTNOTES:

F4 (bvx ykna rva) "quod ego (sum) cogitans", Schmidt.

Yirmeyah 26:3 In-Context

1 6 In the beginning of the reign of Y’hoyakim (Jehoiakim) Ben Yoshiyah Melech Yehudah came this Davar from Hashem saying

2 Thus saith Hashem: Stand in the khatzer (courtyard) of the Bais Hashem, and speak unto all the towns of Yehudah, which come to worship in the Bais Hashem, all the Devarim that I command thee to speak unto them; diminish not a word;

3 If so be they will pay heed, turn every man from his derech hara’ah, that I may relent of the ra’ah, which I purpose to do unto them for the evil of their doings.

4 And thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith Hashem: If ye will not pay heed to Me, to walk in My torah, which I have set before you,

5 To pay heed to the Devarim of My Avadim the Nevi’im, whom I sent unto you, both rising up early and sending them, but ye have not paid heed;