Jeremiah 42:6

42:1-6 To serve a turn, Jeremiah is sought out, and the captains ask for his assistance. In every difficult, doubtful case, we must look to God for direction; and we may still, in faith, pray to be guided by a spirit of wisdom in our hearts, and the leadings of Providence. We do not truly desire to know the mind of God, if we do not fully resolve to comply with it when we know it. Many promise to do what the Lord requires, while they hope to have their pride flattered, and their favourite lusts spared. Yet something betrays the state of their hearts.

Whether it be good, or whether it be evil,.... Not morally good, or evil; for nothing but what is good, and not evil, in this sense, can come from God; but whether pleasantly or profitably good or evil; whether agreeable or disagreeable, pleasing or displeasing, advantageous or not; whether it seemed to them good or evil, be it what it would in their opinion and esteem: we will obey the voice of the Lord our God, to whom we send thee; this was well spoken, had they been sincere in it; and had they implored and depended on the grace of God to have enabled them to obey; but they spoke not in the uprightness of their hearts; and, did they, it was with too much confidence of their own strength, and the power of their free will: that it may be well with us, when we obey the voice of the Lord our God; they spoke as if they knew their own interest; for so it was, that it was well or ill with those people, as they obeyed or disobeyed the voice of the Lord; and yet they acted not according to it; and, what was worse still, did not intend it. What a wretched scene of hypocrisy is here!

The preceding words are a perfect oath, the form of which lies in a calling of God to witness the sincerity of the heart of those that swear, for a security to those to whom the oath is given, which also includeth a secret challenging God to take vengeance upon the persons that give that security, if they should not do accordingly as they promise; which speaketh the atheism of the heart of the false swearer; for did a man believe that there is a God, and that the Divine Being is infinite in power, and a true and faithful witness, it were impossible that he should challenge him to be revenged on him-for not doing what he never seriously intends to do, which was the case of these wicked men. The thing they promise is a perfect obedience to God’s will, whether grateful or ungrateful to them; and they further declare a conviction, that if they did it, it should be well with them, according to that, Deu 5:29 ; which showeth the mighty power of lusts in unregenerate hearts, and the mighty operations of the evil spirit in the children of disobedience, Ephesians 2:2 ; that although they be convinced that if they did obey the voice of God it would be well with them, yet they will not do it in things which they have a power to do.

Jeremiah replies: "I have heard (i.e., acceded to your request); behold, I will pray to Jahveh your God, according to your words; and it shall come to pass that whatever Jahveh answers you I will tell you, I will not keep anything from you." Jeremiah 42:5 . They said further: "Let Jahveh be a true and faithful witness against us, if we do not just according to all the word which Jahveh thy God shall send thee (to declare) unto us. Jeremiah 42:6 . Whether it be good or bad, we shall obey the voice of Jahveh our God, to whom we send thee, that it may be well with us when we obey the voice of Jahveh our God." עד, Proverbs 14:25 , and נאמן, Isaiah 8:2 ; Psalm 89:38 . Both predicates occupy emphatic positions. God is to be a faithful witness, not in regard to the truth of what they say, but as regards the fulfilment of their promise, so that, if they would not obey His word, He might come forward to punish them. ישׁלחך is construed with a double accusative: to send away a person with something, i.e., to give him a commission. After "whether it be good or evil," there is no need for supplying "in our eyes" (בּעינינוּ), as Hitzig and Graf allege: "whether it please us or not;" the subject is הדּבר: "we will obey the word, whether it be good or evil," i.e., whether it announce good or evil to come (cf. Ecclesiastes 12:14 ).

The Kethib אנוּ occurs only in this passage in the Old Testament; the Qeri accordingly substitutes אנחנוּ: the former, however, is taken from the vulgar tongue, and should not be altered here. כּי נשׁמע does not mean "because we obey," but "when we obey." The hearing is the condition, not the cause of the prosperity.

[Bible] 42:5. And they said to Jeremias: The Lord be witness between us of truth and faithfulness, if we do not according to every thing for which the Lord thy God shall send thee to us. 42:6. Whether it be good or evil, we will obey the voice of the Lord our God, to whom we send thee: that it may be well with us when we shall hearken to the voice of the Lord our God. Good or evil... That is, agreeable or disagreeable. 42:7. Now after ten days, the word of the Lord came to Jeremias. 42:8. And he called Johanan the son of Caree, and all the captains of the fighting men that were with him, and all the people from the least to the greatest. 42:9. And he said to them: Thus saith the Lord the God of Israel, to whom you sent me, to present your supplications before him: 42:10. If you will be quiet and remain in this land, I will build you up, and not pull you down: I will plant you, and not pluck you up: for now I am appeased for the evil that I have done to you. I am appeased for the evil that I have done to you... That is, I am appeased, as I have sufficiently punished you, and now I am reconciled with you. 42:11. Fear not because of the king of Babylon, of whom you are greatly afraid: fear him not, saith the Lord: for I am with you, to save you, and to deliver you from his hand. 42:12. And I will shew mercies to you, and will take pity on you, and will cause you to dwell in your own land. 42:13. But if you say: We will not dwell in this land, neither will we hearken to the voice of the Lord our God, 42:14. Saying: No, but we will go into the land of Egypt: where we shall see no war, nor hear the sound of the trumpet, nor suffer hunger: and there we will dwell. 42:15. For this now hear the word of the Lord, ye remnant of Juda: Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: If you set your faces to go into Egypt, and enter in to dwell there:

And I have this day declared [it] to you; but ye have not obeyed the voice of Jehovah your God, nor anything for which he hath sent me unto you. And now know certainly that ye shall die by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence, in the place whither ye desire to go to sojourn. Chapter 43 And it came to pass, when Jeremiah had ended speaking unto all the people all the words of Jehovah their God, with which Jehovah their God had sent him to them — all these words, -- then spoke Azariah the son of Hoshaiah, and Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the proud men, saying to Jeremiah, Thou speakest falsely: Jehovah our God hath not sent thee to say, Go not into Egypt to sojourn there; but Baruch the son of Nerijah is setting thee on against us, to deliver us into the hand of the Chaldeans, that they may put us to death, and carry us away captives into Babylon. So Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces, and all the people, hearkened not unto the voice of Jehovah to abide in the land of Judah; but Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces, took all the remnant of Judah, that were returned from all nations whither they had been driven, to sojourn in the land of Judah; men, and women, and children, and the king`s daughters, and every person that Nebuzar-adan the captain of the body-guard had left with Gedaliah the son of Ahikam the son of Shaphan, and Jeremiah the prophet, and Baruch the son of Nerijah;

## The dust of the earth likewise signifies contempt, abjection, misery, and mourning, 1 Samuel 2:8; Job 15:16; Psalms 7:5-6; 22:15-16,29; 44:25-26; 113:7; 119:25; Isaiah 47:1; 52:2; Lamentations 3:16,29 . Ashes, in a metaphorical signification, and by allusion of the name, agrees with dust, with which it is sometimes joined, sometimes not. For the dust is indeed ashes, only that is a grosser matter into which a thing burnt is reduced. By this is signified frailty and vileness, Genesis 18:27; Ecclesiastes 10:9 , where nevertheless there is respect had to man's first original, which was dust and ashes sometimes it signifies great calamity, and the sadness and mourning that ensue, Isaiah 61:3; Ezekiel 28:18; Malachi 4:3; Lamentations 3:16 ; for mourners were formerly wont to throw ashes upon their heads, yea, to lie in it, as appears, 2 Samuel 13:19; Job 2:8; ## 42:6; Isaiah 58:5; Jeremiah 6:26; Ezekiel 27:30; John 3:6; Matthew 11:21 , (&c.) The same metaphorical signification is in the phrase, to feed on ashes; Psalms 102:9 , "I have eaten ashes like bread," that is, I am in very great grief or trouble. Isaiah 44:20 , "He feedeth on ashes: a deceived heart hath turned him aside." He speaks of the idol, which can bring nothing but mourning and all evil to its adorers. So much of simple bodies and what bears analogy with them. Of compound we will treat in the following chapters. ## XI. OF METAPHORS TAKEN PROM MINERALS, PLANTS, AND LIVING CREATURES.

of Jeftis Chrift. 45: D. 1 8. 27, he means, be was but what Sin ha<l I yea^ he had fotxitching cf the fmuc and berarings of Sin yet upon him : wherefore 'twas luftoKi with //rtff/indays ofold, when they Days apart for Confeflion of Sin, and Humi- :ion for the fame, to fprinkie thcmfelves with, to wallow in Duft and Aihes, Efth. 4. 1,9. Jer. 16. Job 30. 9* cbaf, 42. 6. as a token that chey dconfefs they were but what Sin had left, and iit they were dcfiCd^ weal^ncd and foliutea by it. This then is the next PJea of our goodly Advo* Ite for QS, O SaUfif this is a brntid plucked out of hi Fire. As who ihould fay, thou objedefl againft By Servant Jofkua that he is black like a Coal, or Au the Fire of Sin, at times, is Aiti burning in \ku And what then ? the reafon why he is not hittUy extinAasTow, is not thy Pity, but my hther's Mercy to him : I have pluckd him out iifthe Fire, yet not fo out biit that the fmell there* Jfisyet upon him ; and tny Father and I, wc soofider his weaknefs, and pity him ; for fincc he % Ziz Brand pulled out f can it be expeded by my ?aiher or me, that he fhould appear before us as dear, and do our biddings as welj.as^ he had ever been there ? Ibis is a Brand f lucked out of he Fiyej and muft be ccnliJer'd as fuch, and muft e born with as much. Thus as Mefhibxfl^eth leadedfor his Excufe, his lamenefs, x Sain* ij. 4, 25,x6.fo Chnft pleads the infirm and indi* ei)t condition of his Per p!e againft Satan for leir AdTa4fttage.