Online Bible 1995 March/ROM-1025.iso/olb/gill/5_500_p.lzh/5_514.TXT

Text File | 1994-08-11 | 7KB | 129 lines

or why he cried violence and spoil, ruin and destruc-
tion: or, though. the word of the Lord .was {}, &c.; yet he
went on publishing and proclaiming it: or, surely the
word of the Lord was made a reproach {d}, &c.; either be-
cause of the matter of it, it not being believed, or the
manner in which it was delivered; or because it was
not immediate!y fulfilled.
Ver. 9. Then I said, I will not make mention of him,
nor speak any more in his name, &c.] Not that he pub-
licly said this before his enemies, or privately to his
friends, but he said it in his heart; he thought, nay,
resolved, within himself, to prophesy no more; since
no credit was given to him, but contempt cast on him;
he was disgraced, and God was dishonoured, and-no
good done; wherefore he concluded it was better to be
silent, and not mention the name of God, and say
nothing of any message he had from him, since it was
to no purpose. A temptation that oftentimes besets a
minister of the word, because of the ill usage lie meets
with, the ill success of his ministry; and is but a
temptation, as such see it to be sooner or later, as
Jeremy did. But his word was in mine heart as a
burning fire shut up in my bones; which wanted vent,
and must have it, and which only could be quenched
by being divulged; and which, until it was done, he
was in the utmost pain, as if he had been all on fire;
his conscience accused him; his heart smote and con-
demned him; a woe was to him; see 1 Cot. ix. 16: or
there was in mine heart as a burning fire {e}, &c.; a prin-
ciple of love to God, and to the souls of men; a zeal
for his glory, and the good of his countrymen; which
made him uneasy, and constrained him to break his
former resolution: for the phrase, his word, is not in
the original text; though it is in like manner suppi!ed
by the Targum," and his words became in mine
"heart as fire burning and overflowing my bones;"
and so Kimchi, "and the word of the Lord was in my
"heart as fire burning ;" and also Jarchi; the pro-
phecy was as fire, to which it is compared, ch. xxiii.
£9. And f was weary with forbearing ; to speak; weary
to hold it in: and I could not stay; or I could not hold
it in any longer; I was obliged to speak in the name
of the Lord again, and deliver whatever message he was
pleased to send me
Ver. 10. For I heard the defaming of many, fear on
every side, &c.] It was brought to the prophet's ears
by some of his friends, how he was defamed by many,
and these great and mighty ones, as the word also sig-
nifies; how his character was aspersed; his good name
taken away; and false and scandalous reports were
raised of him from all quarters; which filled him with
fear all around, so that he might quickly expect fresh
trouble from one side or another; see Psal. xxxi. 13.
and this was a reason of his entering into the above re-
solution to leave offprophesying: though some under-
stand it as an additional reason to the former for going
on with it; being not only inwardly pressed to it in
spirit, but outwardly provoked by the usage of his
enemies. Some retain the words Magor-missabib,
untranslated, and render the whole thus, for I heard
the defaming of many magor-missabibs ; of many such
as Pashur, so called, ver. 3. but neither the accents
nor the syntax will admit of it; since there is an accent
on many, which makes a stop, and magor-missabib is
in the singular number: rather it may be rendered, I
have heard the defaming of many; even of ranger.
missabib, that is, of Pashurand his associates. Report,
say they, and we will report it; these are the words of
the defamers, whether Pashur and his accomplices, or
the great ones, the princes and nobles, the priests and
false prophets, that more especially bore a grudge to
Jeremy; addressing themselves to the common people,
and such who were most acquainted with the prophet,
and his manner of life; saying, tell us what you can of
him, right or wrong, true or false, that may be any
ways improved against him, and we'll tell it to the
king, or to the san hedrim, the court of judicature, and
get him punished for it; or we'll take care to have it
spread about city and country, and so blast his cha-
racter and credit with the people, that none will after
regard his prophecies. .4ll my familiars watched for
my halting; or, every man of my peace {f}; who pretended
to be at peace, and to be friendly with him, and wished
well unto him, spoke fair to his face, as if they were
cordial friends, and fond of the most intimate acquaint-
ance with him; perhaps the men of A nathoth, the
birth-place of Jeremy, are here meant; whom the
priests at Jerusalem, or others, had engaged on their
side, narrowly to observe what was said and done by
him, of which any handle could be marie against him
to the government; and accordingly the.y did; they
watched his words, and observed his actions, if they
could catch at any tiring that was imprudently or in-
advertently said or done, or what could be misconstrued
to his disadvantage. Saying, peradventure he will be
enticed; to say or do something that may be laid hold
on, and be produced against him, to the ruin of him;
he not being on his guard, and knowing of no design
against him: and we shall prevail against him; gain
our point, get him accused, condemned, and punished:
and we shall take our revenge on him; for inveighing so
severely against their sins, which they could not bear;
and for threatening them with punishments that
should be inflicted on them, which they liked not
to hear.
Ver. 11. But the Lord is with me as a mighty terrible
one, &c.] The Targum is, "the Word of the Lord is
"for my help." Mighty to support, uphold, defend,
and deliver him; and terrible to his enemies. The
prophet looks back to the promise the Lord had made
him, of his gracious and powerful presence, ch. i. 18,
19. which he now takes comfort from; and it would
have been well if he had kept this always in view, and
had continued in the same actings of faith and temper
of mind: but this lasted not long, as some following
verses shew. ThereJbre my persecutors shah stumble,
and shall not prevail; though they should very hotly
and furiously pursue him, yet they should stumble and
fall by the way, and not be able to overtake him, and
execute their designs upon him; the Lord, who was

{c} \^rbd hyh yk\^ quamvis.
{d} Verum, verbum Domini, so some in Vatablus; utique, De Dieu,
Gataker.
{e} \^yblb hyhw\^ atqui est, Junius & Tremellius; et exstitit, Piscator;
sed factum est in corde meo, Schmidt.
{f} \^ymlv vwna lk\^ omnis homo pacis meae, Montanus, Cocceius,
Schmidt; omnes viri pacis meae, Munster, Vatablus.