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Jeremiah 12

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Jeremiah Questions God's Justice 1–4

1
Righteous art thou, O Jehovah, when I contend with thee; yet would I reason the cause with thee: wherefore doth the way of the wicked prosper? wherefore are all they at ease that deal very treacherously? ​
2
Thou hast planted them, yea, they have taken root; they grow, yea, they bring forth fruit: thou art near in their mouth, and far from their heart. ​
3
But thou, O Jehovah, knowest me; thou seest me, and triest my heart toward thee: pull them out like sheep for the slaughter, and prepare them for the day of slaughter. ​
4
How long shall the land mourn, and the herbs of the whole country wither? for the wickedness of them that dwell therein, the beasts are consumed, and the birds; because they said, He shall not see our latter end. ​

God's Challenge: Prepare for Worse Trials 5–6

5
If thou hast run with the footmen, and they have wearied thee, then how canst thou contend with horses? and though in a land of peace thou art secure, yet how wilt thou do in the pride of the Jordan? ​
6
For even thy brethren, and the house of thy father, even they have dealt treacherously with thee; even they have cried aloud after thee: believe them not, though they speak fair words unto thee. ​

The LORD Laments His Desolate Heritage 7–13

7
I have forsaken my house, I have cast off my heritage; I have given the dearly beloved of my soul into the hand of her enemies. ​
8
My heritage is become unto me as a lion in the forest: she hath uttered her voice against me; therefore I have hated her. ​
9
Is my heritage unto me as a speckled bird of prey? are the birds of prey against her round about? go ye, assemble all the beasts of the field, bring them to devour. ​
10
Many shepherds have destroyed my vineyard, they have trodden my portion under foot, they have made my pleasant portion a desolate wilderness. ​
11
They have made it a desolation; it mourneth unto me, being desolate; the whole land is made desolate, because no man layeth it to heart.
12
Destroyers are come upon all the bare heights in the wilderness; for the sword of Jehovah devoureth from the one end of the land even to the other end of the land: no flesh hath peace.
13
They have sown wheat, and have reaped thorns; they have put themselves to pain, and profit nothing: and ye shall be ashamed of your fruits, because of the fierce anger of Jehovah. ​

Judgment and Restoration of Neighboring Nations 14–17

14
Thus saith Jehovah against all mine evil neighbors, that touch the inheritance which I have caused my people Israel to inherit: Behold, I will pluck them up from off their land, and will pluck up the house of Judah from among them. ​
15
And it shall come to pass, after that I have plucked them up, I will return and have compassion on them; and I will bring them again, every man to his heritage, and every man to his land. ​
16
And it shall come to pass, if they will diligently learn the ways of my people, to swear by my name, As Jehovah liveth; even as they taught my people to swear by Baal; then shall they be built up in the midst of my people. ​
17
But if they will not hear, then will I pluck up that nation, plucking up and destroying it, saith Jehovah. ​

Bible text: American Standard Version (1901) · Public domain

Study Notes for Jeremiah 12

Verse 1

Wherefore doth the way of the wicked prosper? — Jeremiah first grants that the LORD is 'Righteous' (tsaddiq), then brings his case: 'plead' is riv, to contend as in a lawsuit. Asaph (Ps 73:3), Job (Job 12:6) and Habakkuk (Hab 1:13) ask the same question. 'Happy' (shalah) means at ease, secure.

Verse 2

near in their mouth, and far from their reins — 'Reins' (kilyah) are the kidneys, the seat of the inner self; God 'trieth the hearts and reins' (Ps 7:9). The same charge is made in Isa 29:13, which Christ applies to the Pharisees: 'This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth' (Matt 15:8).

Verse 3

tried mine heart toward thee — 'Tried' is bachan, to test, the verb used of assaying metal; so David says 'Thou hast proved mine heart' (Ps 17:3). 'Prepare' is qadash, to set apart, the word for consecrating; the wicked are marked out for the day of slaughter.

Verse 4

How long shall the land mourn — 'Mourn' is abal. The land suffers for those who live on it: 'for because of swearing the land mourneth' (Jer 23:10), and 'a fruitful land into barrenness, for the wickedness of them that dwell therein' (Ps 107:34). The saying 'He shall not see our last end' denies any coming reckoning.

Verse 5

the swelling of Jordan — The LORD answers with two harder trials: 'footmen' against 'horses', and a 'land of peace' against the Jordan in flood. Ga'on, 'swelling', is usually 'pride' or 'excellency'; the river 'overfloweth all his banks all the time of harvest' (Josh 3:15).

Verse 6

thy brethren, and the house of thy father — Jeremiah belonged to a priestly family of Anathoth (Jer 1:1), and the men of Anathoth had already sought his life (Jer 11:21). Christ states the same experience: 'a man's foes shall be they of his own household' (Matt 10:36; cf. Mic 7:6). 'Fair words' are literally 'good things'.

Verse 7

I have forsaken mine house — The LORD speaks. 'House', 'heritage' and 'the dearly beloved of my soul' are three names for his people and land, the heritage he gave Israel (v.14). The forsaking recalls Shiloh: 'he forsook the tabernacle of Shiloh' (Ps 78:60). Her 'enemies' come in v.9.

Verse 8

a lion in the forest — The people have turned on their LORD as a lion turns on its prey. 'Crieth out' is literally 'gave voice' (nathan qol), the idiom used of lions in Jer 2:15, 'The young lions roared upon him, and yelled'. 'Hated' (sane) is here a withdrawal of favour.

Verse 9

a speckled bird — Tsabua, 'speckled', occurs only here in the KJV. The bird is ayit, a bird of prey, so the colourful bird is mobbed by others of its kind, and the beasts are called to devour, as in Isa 56:9. Such invaders came on Jehoiakim (2 Kgs 24:2).

Verse 10

Many pastors — 'Pastors' is ra'ah, shepherds; the title is used of Judah's rulers who 'destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture' (Jer 23:1) and of invading chiefs with their flocks (Jer 6:3). The 'vineyard' is Israel, 'the vineyard of the LORD of hosts' (Isa 5:7). 'Pleasant portion' is chemdah, a desired possession.

Verse 13

sown wheat, but shall reap thorns — The reversal is a curse of the covenant: seed carried out and little gathered in (Deut 28:38), sowing without reaping (Mic 6:15). 'Thorns' is qots, the word of Gen 3:18 where the ground brings forth 'thorns also and thistles'. 'Revenues' are the year's produce.

Verse 14

mine evil neighbours — The nations that 'touch the inheritance', meaning Judah's land, answer to the LORD for it: 'he that toucheth you toucheth the apple of his eye' (Zech 2:8). 'Pluck out' is nathash, the verb of Jeremiah's call, 'to root out' (Jer 1:10); Judah is uprooted too, 'from among them'.

Verse 15

I will return, and have compassion — Shuv is used twice: 'I will return… and will bring them again'. 'Compassion' is racham, tender mercy. The same restoration is promised to Moab, Ammon and Elam: 'Yet will I bring again the captivity of Moab in the latter days' (Jer 48:47; 49:6, 39).

Verse 16

The LORD liveth — The nations are offered a place in the people if they learn 'to swear by my name', as Israel was told to do (Jer 4:2; Deut 10:20), instead of by Baal. 'Built' (banah) is the building of Jer 1:10, 'to build, and to plant'. Gentile believers are 'fellowcitizens with the saints' (Eph 2:19).

Verse 17

I will utterly pluck up and destroy — The same verbs close the chapter as open Jeremiah's task: nathash, 'pluck up', and abad, 'destroy' (Jer 1:10). The rule is stated generally in Jer 18:7–10, where a nation's response to the word alters what the LORD does with it. 'Obey' is shama, to hear.