Jeremiah 12:12

12:7-13 God's people had been the dearly-beloved of his soul, precious in his sight, but they acted so, that he gave them up to their enemies. Many professing churches become like speckled birds, presenting a mixture of religion and the world, with its vain fashions, pursuits, and pollutions. God's people are as men wondered at, as a speckled bird; but this people had by their own folly made themselves so; and the beasts and birds are called to prey upon them. The whole land would be made desolate. But until the judgments were actually inflicted, none of the people would lay the warning to heart. When God's hand is lifted up, and men will not see, they shall be made to feel. Silver and gold shall not profit in the day of the Lord's anger. And the efforts of sinners to escape misery, without repentance and works answerable thereto, will end in confusion.

The spoilers are come upon all high places through the wilderness,.... Of Judea; or which lay between Chaldea and Judea, through which the Chaldean army came; called here the "spoilers", because they spoiled and plundered all places where they came; nor could the high, strong, and fortified places withstand them, or escape their ravage and fury. De Dieu renders it, "upon all the plains in the wilderness"; where was pasture, land for cattle, as Kimchi serves; which were trodden down and spoiled by the soldiers, and made forage of. For the sword of the Lord shall devour from the one end; of the land even the other end of the land; the sword of the Chaldeans is called the sword of the Lord, because it was drawn by his order and appointment, and was succeeded by him to do execution; and the calamity which it brought upon the land reached from one end of it to the other, so general and; extensive it was. No flesh shall have peace; no inhabitant of Judea shall be in safety, but be exposed to the sword, or to captivity.

Jeremiah 12:12-13 . The spoilers — The Chaldean soldiers, described by the metaphor of a full wind of the high places, Jeremiah 4:11 , are come upon all high places — Have made themselves masters of all the natural fastnesses and artificial fortresses in the country. The prophet, as usual, speaks of a thing as already done, which was very shortly to be done. For the sword of the Lord shall devour — Thus those people are called, whom God excited to invade Judea, as a punishment of the Jews for their sins: they were the Lord’s sword: from one end of the land even to the other — The numerous army of the invaders shall disperse themselves through the whole country, penetrating into every corner of it. No flesh shall have peace — No rank or order of men shall be exempt from the calamity, or able to enjoy any tranquillity. They — Namely, the inhabitants of the land; have sown wheat, but shall reap thorns — Have taken much pains, and been at much charge, but all shall turn to their prejudice. It is a proverbial expression, signifying men’s loss of time and labour; or rather, their receiving only vexation and injury as the fruit of those efforts from which they expected great advantage. It is here applied to the fruitless and destructive endeavours of the Jews to save themselves from the evils that threatened them, by courting the assistance and alliance of idolaters.

They shall be ashamed of your revenues — Or, increase, as תבואתיכם should rather be rendered: it alludes to the reaping of thorns, mentioned in the former part of the verse, as if he had said, You shall be ashamed of the small and inconsiderable returns you make of all your pains and labours: because of the fierce anger of the Lord — Which shall make all your designs abortive.

Verse 12. - Upon an high places thresh the wilderness ; rather, upon all bare heights in the wilderness (see on Jeremiah 3:2). Hardly with a reference to their pollution by idolatry; the mention of "the wilderness" (or pasture-country) suggests that it is merely a feature in the impoverishment of the country (a contrast to Isaiah 49:9 ). The sword of the Lord shall devour ; rather, the Lord hath a sword which devoureth . It is the heavenly sword ( Isaiah 34:5 ), the symbol of Divine vengeance (see below on Jeremiah 46:5). Jeremiah 12:12

(12) All high places. — i.e. , the bare treeless heights so often chosen as the site of an idolatrous sanctuary. The sword of the Lord.—As in the cry of “the sword of Jehovah and of Gideon” (Judges 7:18) all man’s work in war is thought of as instrumental in working out a Will mightier than his own. The sword of the Chaldean invader was, after all, His sword. The thought was more or less the common inheritance of Israel, but it had recently received a special prominence from Deuteronomy 32:41. No flesh shall have peace.—The context limits the prediction to the offenders of the cities of Judah. As peace was for the Israelite the sum and substance of all blessedness, so its absence was the extremest of all maledictions. “Flesh” is used, as in Genesis 6:3, for man’s nature as evil and corrupt.

Through - in. Even these remote scaurs do not escape, polluted as they had been by the nation's idolatries. Shall devour - Or, devoureth. These hosts of war come as Yahweh's sword. No flesh shall have peace - "Flesh" in Genesis 6:3 means mankind as sinners; here, Judah. "Peace" in Hebrew has the wider signification of "welfare, happiness." Hence, their salutation in life was, "Peace be to thee," and in death "In Peace" was engraved upon their sepulchres.

The prophet (as very usually) speaketh of a thing as already done which was very shortly to be done; he saith they were come up because they should come up, and no places should be so high but they should climb them, none so strong but they should subdue them. The sword of the enemy is called the sword of the Lord, because he ordereth and succeeds it, though the enemy manageth it; and he saith it shall be against all, of all ranks and orders, no flesh should have peace; by no flesh he meaneth no ranks, no orders of men.

The execution of the judgment on Judah and its enemies. - As to this passage, which falls into two strophes, Jeremiah 12:7-13 and Jeremiah 12:14-17 , Hitz., Graf, and others pronounce that it stands in no kind of connection with what immediately precedes. The connection of the two strophes with one another is, however, allowed by these commentators; while Eichh. and Dahler hold Jeremiah 12:14-17 to be a distinct oracle, belonging to the time of Zedekiah, or to the seventh or eighth year of Jehoiakim. These views are bound up with an incorrect conception of the contents of the passage-to which in the first place we must accordingly direct our attention. Jeremiah 12:7 "I have forsaken mine house, cast out mine heritage, given the beloved of my soul into the hand of its enemies. Jeremiah 12:8. Mine heritage is become unto me as a lion in the forest, it hath lifted up its voice against me; therefore have I hated it. Jeremiah 12:9. Is mine heritage to me a speckled vulture, that vultures are round about it? Come, gather all the beasts of the field, bring them to devour! Jeremiah 12:10. Many shepherds have destroyed my vineyard, have trodden down my ground, have made the plot of my pleasure a desolate wilderness. Jeremiah 12:11. They have made it a desolation; it mourneth around me desolate; desolated is the whole land, because none laid it to heart. Jeremiah 12:12.