Jeremiah 6:25

6:18-30 God rejects their outward services, as worthless to atone for their sins. Sacrifice and incense were to direct them to a Mediator; but when offered to purchase a license to go on in sin, they provoke God. The sins of God's professing people make them an easy prey to their enemies. They dare not show themselves. Saints may rejoice in hope of God's mercies, though they see them only in the promise: sinners must mourn for fear of God's judgments, though they see them only in the threatenings. They are the worst of revolters, and are all corrupters. Sinners soon become tempters. They are compared to ore supposed to have good metal in it, but which proves all dross. Nothing will prevail to part between them and their sins. Reprobate silver shall they be called, useless and worthless. When warnings, corrections, rebukes, and all means of grace, leave men unrenewed, they will be left, as rejected of God, to everlasting misery. Let us pray, then, that we may be refined by the Lord, as silver is refined.

Go not forth into the field,.... Either for pleasure, or for business; to take a walk in it for the air, or to till it, plough, sow, or reap; but keep within the city and its walls, there being danger: nor walk by the way; in the high road from Jerusalem, to any town or village near it: for the sword of the enemy: or, "because there is a sword for the enemy" (b); or, "the enemy has a sword"; and that drawn; the enemy is in the field, and in the ways, and there is no escaping him: and fear is on every side; all round the city, being encompassed by the Assyrian army: or, the enemy's sword "is fear on every side" (c); causes fear in all parts round the city. The Targum is, "because the sword of the enemy kills those who are gathered round about;'' or on every side. (b) "quoniam gladius est inimico", Munster, Vatablus, Junius & Tremellius; "quia (ibi) gladius (qui) hosti", Schmidt. (c) Gataker.

Verse 25. - Go not forth into the field . The "daughter of Zion" ( i . e . the personific population of Jerusalem) is cautioned against venturing outside the walls. The sword of the enemy ; rather, the enemy hath a sword . Fear is on every side ; Hebrew, magor missa-bib ; one of Jeremiah's favorite expressions (see Jeremiah 20:3, 10 ; Jeremiah 46:5 ; Jeremiah 49:29 ; and comp. Psalm 31:13 [14].). Naturally of a timid, retiring character, the prophet cannot help feeling the anxious and alarming situation into which at the Divine command he has ventured. Jeremiah 6:25

(25) The field. — i.e., the open country. To pass beyond the walls of the beleaguered city would be full of danger. The warning has its parallel in Matthew 24:17-18 . In the same chapter we find also an echo of the prophet’s reference to the pangs of childbirth ( Matthew 24:8 ). Fear is on every side.—The words are more notable than they seem. They impressed themselves on the prophet’s mind, and became to him as a watchword. So, in Jeremiah 20:3, he gives them as a name (Magor-missabib) to Pashur, and apparently (as in Jeremiah 20:10) it was used as a cry of derision against himself.

For the sword of the enemy - literally, "for to the enemy a sword; i. e., for the enemy is armed," he has a commission from God to execute judgment. See Jeremiah 12:12 ; Isaiah 10:5 , and Psalm 17:13 note. Fear is on every side - Magor-Missabib, Jeremiah's watchword (compare Jeremiah 20:3, Jeremiah 20:10). The "and" before it should be omitted.

Go not forth into the field, nor walk by the way; expressing the great danger that there would be every where, there would be no stirring out of their fenced cities or houses, Jeremiah 8:14 , but great danger to them that go out, and to those that come in, they would find death every where; now seek out some by-ways, venture hot in common roads, Judges 5:6 . The sword of the enemy and fear is on every side: the language of one speaking to another: it seems to be a proverbial speech, frequently used to express unavoidable dangers, Psalm 31:13 Jeremiah 20:3,10 49:29 . All places will be full of soldiers, so that all attempts will be very difficult, Lamentations 5:9 .

A distant, cruel people will execute the judgment, since Judah, under the trial, has proved to be worthless metal. - Jeremiah 6:22 . "Thus hath Jahveh said: Behold, a people cometh from the land of the north, and a great nation raises itself from the furthermost sides of the earth. Jeremiah 6:23 . Bows and javelins they bear; cruel it is, and they have no mercy; their voice roareth like the sea; and on horses they ride, equipped as a man for the war against thee, daughter of Zion. Jeremiah 6:24 . We heard the rumour thereof: weak are our hands: anguish hath taken hold of us, and pain, as of a woman in travail. Jeremiah 6:25 . Go not forth into the field, and in the way walk not; for a sword hath the enemy, fear is all around. Jeremiah 6:26 . O daughter of my people, gird thee with sackcloth, and besprinkle thee with ashes; make mourning for an only son, butter lamentation: for suddenly shall the spoiler come upon us. Jeremiah 6:27 . For a trier have I set thee among my people as a strong tower, that thou mightest know and try their way. Jeremiah 6:28 . They are all revolters of revolters; go about as slanderers; brass and iron; they are all dealing corruptingly. Jeremiah 6:29 . Burned are the bellows by the fire, at an end is the lead; in vain they melt and melt; and wicked ones are not separated. Jeremiah 6:30 . Rejected silver they call them, for Jahveh hath rejected them." In Jeremiah 6:22 the stumbling-blocks of Jeremiah 6:21 are explained.

At the end of this discourse yet again the invasion of the enemy from the far north is announced, cf. Jeremiah 4:13 and Jeremiah 5:15, and its terribleness is portrayed with new colours. The farther the land is from which the enemy comes, the more strange and terrible he appears to the imagination. The farthest (hindmost) sides of the earth (cf. Jeremiah 25:32) is only a heightening of the idea: land of the north, or of the far distance (Jeremiah 5:15); in other words, the far uttermost north (cf. Isaiah 14:13). In this notice of their home, Hitz. finds a proof that the enemies were the Scythians, not the Chaldeans; since, acc. to Ezekiel 38:6, Ezekiel 38:15, and Ezekiel 39:2, Gog, i.e., The Scythians, come "from the sides of the north." But "sides of the earth" is not a geographical term for any particular northern country, but only for very remote lands; and that the Chaldeans were reckoned as falling within this term, is shown by the passage Jeremiah 31:8, according to which Israel is to be gathered again from the land of the north and from the sides of the earth. Here any connection with Scythia in "sides of the earth" is not to be thought of, since prophecy knows nothing of a captivity of Israel in Scythia, but regards Assur and Babylon alone as the lands of the exile of Israelites and Jews. As weapons of the enemy then are mentioned bows (cf. Jeremiah 4:29; Jeremiah 5:16), and the javelin or lance (כּידון, not shield; see on 1 Samuel 17:6).