TRV
Jerome
Nicene & Post-Nicene · AD 325–500
5,299 passages across 63 books of the Bible · Who was this?
On Jeremiah
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Jeremiah 5:7-9
(Vers. 7 seqq.) How can I be propitious to you? Your sons have forsaken me, and they swear by those who are not gods. I have satisfied them, and they have committed adultery, and they have indulged in the house of a prostitute. They are lovers of horses, and they have become emissaries to me. Each one neighs after his neighbor's wife. Will I not visit them for these things, says the Lord? Will my soul not avenge itself on such a nation? Catalogue of the sins of Jerusalem: while she says that she does not know God, by whom she can be shown mercy. Your sons have forsaken me, she says. Not my sons, but yours: they swear by those who are not gods, I have fed them and they have committed adultery. Let those who received wealth from the Lord listen to this and serve luxury. The lovers of horses have become lovers of women. Concerning emissaries, it is written in Hebrew: Mosechim (), which all translated with a consonant voice, that is, pulling, to show the greatness of the genitals, as in the said Ezekiel: like the flesh of donkeys, their flesh (Ezek. XXIII, 20). This is what is written in…
(Vers. 7 seqq.) How can I be propitious to you? Your sons have forsaken me, and they swear by those who are not gods. I have satisfied them, and they have committed adultery, and they have indulged in the house of a prostitute. They are lovers of horses, and they have become emissaries to me. Each one neighs after his neighbor's wife. Will I not visit them for these things, says the Lord? Will my soul not avenge itself on such a nation? Catalogue of the sins of Jerusalem: while she says that she does not know God, by whom she can be shown mercy. Your sons have forsaken me, she says. Not my sons, but yours: they swear by those who are not gods, I have fed them and they have committed adultery. Let those who received wealth from the Lord listen to this and serve luxury. The lovers of horses have become lovers of women. Concerning emissaries, it is written in Hebrew: Mosechim (), which all translated with a consonant voice, that is, pulling, to show the greatness of the genitals, as in the said Ezekiel: like the flesh of donkeys, their flesh (Ezek. XXIII, 20). This is what is written in another place: They were compared to foolish beasts, and became like them (Psalm 48:13). And it shows such madness of lust, that not only does it call desire for pleasure, but also neighing, that is, the sound of horses, and it preserves the metaphor of raging horses for lust. When you do these things, he says, are you not worthy of punishment? And note that here visitation is used as punishment and torment, according to what is written: I will visit their iniquities with a rod. And in such a nation my soul will not be avenged (Psalm 88:33)? After it is bound by sins, it is not called the people of God, but a nation from which the soul of God has departed, according to what is written: My soul hates your new moons, your Sabbaths and your festivals (Isaiah 1:13). But what is said in the Old Testament for emotion, is written in the New Testament for truth: With the Savior saying: I have the power to lay down my life, and I have the power to take it up again (John 10:18). -
Jeremiah 5:10-11
(Vers. 10, 11.) Ascendite muros ejus (sive propugnacula) et dissipate: consummationem autem nolite facere. Auferte propagines ejus (sive sustentacula) quia non sunt Domini. Praevaricatione enim praevaricata est in me domus Israel, et domus Juda, dicit Dominus. Imperat gentibus, de quibus supra dixerat: Percussit eos leo de silva, lupus vastavit eos, et pardus in civitatibus eorum, ut ascendant muros Jerusalem, sive propugnacula, et dissipent eam: consummationem autem non faciant, ut salventur reliquiae, et sit qui annuntiet in gentibus gloriam Dei, severitatique miscetclementiam. And he commanded that its branches or supports be taken away, all the help that he had lost by his own fault, because it had transgressed against God (or the Lord), the house of Israel, and the house of Judah, signifying the ten tribes and the two. Let the Church hear this, that the walls and defenses of those who have no hope in the Lord and transgress against Him may quickly be destroyed, but let there not be complete destruction because of the mercy of the judge, and not because of the merits of the offen…
(Vers. 10, 11.) Ascendite muros ejus (sive propugnacula) et dissipate: consummationem autem nolite facere. Auferte propagines ejus (sive sustentacula) quia non sunt Domini. Praevaricatione enim praevaricata est in me domus Israel, et domus Juda, dicit Dominus. Imperat gentibus, de quibus supra dixerat: Percussit eos leo de silva, lupus vastavit eos, et pardus in civitatibus eorum, ut ascendant muros Jerusalem, sive propugnacula, et dissipent eam: consummationem autem non faciant, ut salventur reliquiae, et sit qui annuntiet in gentibus gloriam Dei, severitatique miscetclementiam. And he commanded that its branches or supports be taken away, all the help that he had lost by his own fault, because it had transgressed against God (or the Lord), the house of Israel, and the house of Judah, signifying the ten tribes and the two. Let the Church hear this, that the walls and defenses of those who have no hope in the Lord and transgress against Him may quickly be destroyed, but let there not be complete destruction because of the mercy of the judge, and not because of the merits of the offenders. -
Jeremiah 5:12-13
(Verse 12, 13.) They denied the Lord and said: He is not (or these things are not), and evil will not come upon us. We will not see sword and famine. The prophets spoke in vain and there was no answer (or response) in them. Therefore, these things will happen to them. Because they denied the Lord or lied to the Lord, and said: He is not, by whose judgment all things are done, but these things happened by chance: and the things that the voices of the prophets threaten us with will not happen, nor will we see the sword, nor will we endure the siege famine, and whatever the prophets said, they spoke in vain, and all their words were in vain, and they did not receive an answer, which means the oracle or word of God was not in them, therefore they will endure what the following passage describes. Let the negligent Church listen to this and refute the providence of God, that it may believe the things that are said, lest it endure both the sword and famine.
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Jeremiah 5:14
(Verse 14) Thus says the Lord God of hosts, because you have spoken these words: behold, I will make my words in your mouth like fire, and this people like wood, and it shall devour them. You said: The prophets have spoken in vain, and their threats will not come to pass: therefore, O prophet, I will make my words in your mouth have the power of fire, and I will turn this people into wood, so that through your words and the disbelief of the prophecy they may be consumed. Thus God is said to be a consuming fire, so that He may consume in us, if we build on the foundation of Christ, wood, hay, straw (Deuteronomy IV).
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Jeremiah 5:15-18
(Verse 15 and following) Behold, I will bring upon you a nation from afar, O house of Israel, says the Lord: a strong nation, an ancient nation, a nation whose language you will not understand, nor will you know what it speaks. Its quiver is like an open tomb, all mighty warriors. And it will devour your crops and your bread; it will devour your sons and daughters; it will devour your flocks and herds; it will devour your vineyards and fig trees; and it will crush your fortified cities, in which you trust, with the sword. However, in those days, says the Lord, I will not make an end of you. Not much later, and not falsely believed, the Prophets will speak to you in vain, but now I will bring upon you the nation of the Babylonians, who will come from afar: a strong nation, as it is written in Hebrew, Ethan (Gen. X), an ancient nation, once ruled by the giant Nimrod. Whose language you will not understand, as it is written in Hebrew: you will not understand what they say: for it is the solace of evil, if you have those enemies whom you can ask, and who understand your prayers. And what…
(Verse 15 and following) Behold, I will bring upon you a nation from afar, O house of Israel, says the Lord: a strong nation, an ancient nation, a nation whose language you will not understand, nor will you know what it speaks. Its quiver is like an open tomb, all mighty warriors. And it will devour your crops and your bread; it will devour your sons and daughters; it will devour your flocks and herds; it will devour your vineyards and fig trees; and it will crush your fortified cities, in which you trust, with the sword. However, in those days, says the Lord, I will not make an end of you. Not much later, and not falsely believed, the Prophets will speak to you in vain, but now I will bring upon you the nation of the Babylonians, who will come from afar: a strong nation, as it is written in Hebrew, Ethan (Gen. X), an ancient nation, once ruled by the giant Nimrod. Whose language you will not understand, as it is written in Hebrew: you will not understand what they say: for it is the solace of evil, if you have those enemies whom you can ask, and who understand your prayers. And what follows: Her quiver is like an open grave; it is not referred to as Babylon in the Septuagint edition, but it signifies the armory. There is no doubt that the kingdom of the Assyrians, Babylonians, Medes, and Persians is extremely skilled in archery. And it also describes the devastation of the land of Judah, the slaughter of sheep, the herding away of livestock, the destruction of cities and walls, because they are all captured by the enemy sword, and yet in such great evils He does not destroy them completely; but He preserves the remaining ones, either those who were led into Babylon and sent back to cultivate the land of Judah, or those who, after the heat of persecution, have kept the faith of the Lord through flight or confession. -
Jeremiah 5:19
(Verse 19) But if you shall say: why has the Lord our God done all these things to us? You shall say to them: Just as you have forsaken me and served foreign gods (or foreign deities) in your land, so you shall serve foreigners in a land that is not yours. It is a great folly not to know why they have suffered, since they have sinned so greatly. And a brief response to those who are doubting: just as you have served foreign gods, that is, Baal, or the foreign gods of all the nations in the land of Judah, so you shall serve foreign gods in a land that is not yours, undoubtedly Babylon and Chaldea. For if a foreign religion delights you, why is it necessary to embrace distant error? Dwell with such people, indeed serve those whose gods you worship. This can also be understood about heretics, of whom it is written: They went out from us, but they were not of us. For if they had been of us, they would no doubt have remained with us (1 John 2:19), that the Lord may cast out heretics from the Church, who for a long time under the name of it have worshiped the idols of their lies, so that t…
(Verse 19) But if you shall say: why has the Lord our God done all these things to us? You shall say to them: Just as you have forsaken me and served foreign gods (or foreign deities) in your land, so you shall serve foreigners in a land that is not yours. It is a great folly not to know why they have suffered, since they have sinned so greatly. And a brief response to those who are doubting: just as you have served foreign gods, that is, Baal, or the foreign gods of all the nations in the land of Judah, so you shall serve foreign gods in a land that is not yours, undoubtedly Babylon and Chaldea. For if a foreign religion delights you, why is it necessary to embrace distant error? Dwell with such people, indeed serve those whose gods you worship. This can also be understood about heretics, of whom it is written: They went out from us, but they were not of us. For if they had been of us, they would no doubt have remained with us (1 John 2:19), that the Lord may cast out heretics from the Church, who for a long time under the name of it have worshiped the idols of their lies, so that they may worship outside what they formerly worshiped within, so that the chaff may be separated from the wheat. -
Jeremiah 5:20-21
(Verse 20, 21.) Announce this to the house of Jacob, and make it heard in Judah, saying: Hear, foolish people, who have no understanding: who have eyes but do not see, and ears but do not hear. In many ways they sin, turning away from salvation, and he calls the people foolish, who have abandoned the author of wisdom, and he compares them to idols, about which it is written: They have eyes but do not see: they have ears but do not hear. Let them be like those who make them, and all who trust in them (Psalm 115:5, 6). But he speaks specifically to Judah and the house of Jacob, for Israel had long rejoiced in Assyria. And at the same time, he gives the understanding that even without command, we should naturally understand what is right.
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Jeremiah 5:22-24
(Verse 22 onward) So you will not fear, says the Lord, and you will not be in pain before me? (or will you fear?) I have set the sand as a boundary for the sea, an eternal decree that will not pass. And the waves of the sea will be disturbed, and they will not be able to pass through it. This people has become stubborn and rebellious in their heart: they have turned away and gone, and they have not said in their heart: Let us fear the Lord our God, who gives us rain in its season, both the early and the late rains, preserving the harvest for us. He narrates the benefits to accuse the ungrateful. 'Will you not fear me,' he says, 'who have bestowed such great favors upon you? I do not desire the love of the perfect, but the fear of beginners, who have set the shore as a boundary to the sea; who, by my command, have restrained the powerful element and the immense masses of waves, according to what is written: 'He has placed a boundary, and it shall not pass.' (Ps. 148:6) They hear and perceive me, who do not possess the capacity to hear; and my foolish people, having become foolish by t…
(Verse 22 onward) So you will not fear, says the Lord, and you will not be in pain before me? (or will you fear?) I have set the sand as a boundary for the sea, an eternal decree that will not pass. And the waves of the sea will be disturbed, and they will not be able to pass through it. This people has become stubborn and rebellious in their heart: they have turned away and gone, and they have not said in their heart: Let us fear the Lord our God, who gives us rain in its season, both the early and the late rains, preserving the harvest for us. He narrates the benefits to accuse the ungrateful. 'Will you not fear me,' he says, 'who have bestowed such great favors upon you? I do not desire the love of the perfect, but the fear of beginners, who have set the shore as a boundary to the sea; who, by my command, have restrained the powerful element and the immense masses of waves, according to what is written: 'He has placed a boundary, and it shall not pass.' (Ps. 148:6) They hear and perceive me, who do not possess the capacity to hear; and my foolish people, having become foolish by their own fault, not only despise me, but also provoke the gentle God. They turned away from me, he said, and they turned their backs on me, and they left quickly; and their conscience did not withhold them, to say in their hearts: Let us fear him, who gives us temporary and late rain. Through all these things it shows the good abundance of the annual harvest, for which the first edition of the Aquila, and Symmachus, have interpreted as weeks. In Hebrew, it is written Sabaoth, which signifies both weeks and abundance due to the ambiguity of the word. -
Jeremiah 5:25
(Verse 25) Your iniquities have turned these things away, and your sins have withholden good things from you. Therefore, if at any time the sea shall pass its bounds, and the rain shall be kept back, verily the hand of the Lord is not shortened, that it cannot do these things: but your sins, being present, have turned away good things from you, that they should not come unto you, but should go to others who have not sinned. And it is said that they have withholden the good things that were coming to us, according to that which is written in the literal sense: I will command the clouds, that they rain not upon it (Isaiah 5:6). But we can receive both the temporary and the late rain, the Law and the Gospel, and various vocations from the first hour until the eleventh, in which the owner of the vineyard promises one reward of eternal life to the workers (Matthew 20).
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Jeremiah 5:26
(Verse 26.) Because there were found among my people wicked ones plotting like bird catchers, setting snares and traps to capture men; like a net full of birds, so is their house full of deceit. Why did a temporary and late rain deviate from them, and all good things not come? The reasons are given: because there were found among his people wicked ones. He did not say, the unjust and sinners (as the new heresy wants), but the wicked. Impiety openly denies God; if it confesses error iniquity and sin, it easily turns God to mercy. And as we said: Insidious like bird-catchers, and it is not found in the Septuagint, Aquila and Symmachus translated Jasir (), like the net of a bird-catcher, so that even he who seems good and upright among them may lay snares like a bird-catcher, while they hunt each other to death, and bring ruin and loss to others, filling their own houses, so that the saying of the philosophers is fulfilled: Every rich person is either unjust or the heir of an unjust person. And if only these things were done by those who seem to be outside, and whom the Lord judges; and…
(Verse 26.) Because there were found among my people wicked ones plotting like bird catchers, setting snares and traps to capture men; like a net full of birds, so is their house full of deceit. Why did a temporary and late rain deviate from them, and all good things not come? The reasons are given: because there were found among his people wicked ones. He did not say, the unjust and sinners (as the new heresy wants), but the wicked. Impiety openly denies God; if it confesses error iniquity and sin, it easily turns God to mercy. And as we said: Insidious like bird-catchers, and it is not found in the Septuagint, Aquila and Symmachus translated Jasir (), like the net of a bird-catcher, so that even he who seems good and upright among them may lay snares like a bird-catcher, while they hunt each other to death, and bring ruin and loss to others, filling their own houses, so that the saying of the philosophers is fulfilled: Every rich person is either unjust or the heir of an unjust person. And if only these things were done by those who seem to be outside, and whom the Lord judges; and not in our gatherings, which are filled by the root of all evils, greed (Colossians III), so that we do not consider the faces of those who come to us, but their hands. -
Jeremiah 5:27-29
(Verse 27 and following) Therefore they have been magnified and enriched: they have become fat and grown thick, and have passed over my words wickedly: they have not judged the cause, the cause of the orphan, so they did not direct the judgment of the poor (or widow). Will I not visit them for these things, says the Lord: or will not my soul take vengeance upon a nation of this kind? If I were to list all the things that have been omitted in the Septuagint edition, it would be a long task. Those who plot, he says, delight in the nudity of others, thus they have been magnified and enriched because they have done superior things. They have become thick and fat, according to what is written: He has grown fat and has become fat, and he kicked. And they have disregarded my words, because with the conscience of wealth they have said about the Gospel: Soul, you have many good things stored up for many years: rest, eat, drink, revel. However, they have gone astray in their wickedness, and they have not set the judgment of God before their eyes, despising all men. They have scorned the orphan…
(Verse 27 and following) Therefore they have been magnified and enriched: they have become fat and grown thick, and have passed over my words wickedly: they have not judged the cause, the cause of the orphan, so they did not direct the judgment of the poor (or widow). Will I not visit them for these things, says the Lord: or will not my soul take vengeance upon a nation of this kind? If I were to list all the things that have been omitted in the Septuagint edition, it would be a long task. Those who plot, he says, delight in the nudity of others, thus they have been magnified and enriched because they have done superior things. They have become thick and fat, according to what is written: He has grown fat and has become fat, and he kicked. And they have disregarded my words, because with the conscience of wealth they have said about the Gospel: Soul, you have many good things stored up for many years: rest, eat, drink, revel. However, they have gone astray in their wickedness, and they have not set the judgment of God before their eyes, despising all men. They have scorned the orphan and the poor: for which reason the LXX have said, 'widows,' which is not found in the Hebrew; for 'Ebionim' properly signifies the poor, not widows. But what follows, 'Shall I not visit for these things?' says the Lord: 'or shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation?' has already been explained above. -
Jeremiah 5:30-31
(Verse 30, 31.) Astonishment and wonders were done on the earth. The prophets were prophesying falsehood (or wickedness) and the priests were applauding with their hands. And my people loved such things. What then will you do in the end? As it was said before: Shall I go to the nobles and speak to them? Perhaps they knew the way of the Lord, but behold, they have broken the yoke and burst the bonds. Now he describes who the nobles are, namely the prophets and priests: some of whom prophesy future events, and others decree what must be done according to the law. And behold, he said, when they, the false prophets, prophesied falsehood, the priests applauded with their hands. And in order to show that even the people are not without guilt, being led astray by such things, it is written: And my people loved such things: once mine; but after they loved such things, they ceased to be mine. So what will they do when the last time of judgment comes, or the necessity of captivity? Hence the astonishment and marvels, that neither among the rulers nor among the people was there found anyone who…
(Verse 30, 31.) Astonishment and wonders were done on the earth. The prophets were prophesying falsehood (or wickedness) and the priests were applauding with their hands. And my people loved such things. What then will you do in the end? As it was said before: Shall I go to the nobles and speak to them? Perhaps they knew the way of the Lord, but behold, they have broken the yoke and burst the bonds. Now he describes who the nobles are, namely the prophets and priests: some of whom prophesy future events, and others decree what must be done according to the law. And behold, he said, when they, the false prophets, prophesied falsehood, the priests applauded with their hands. And in order to show that even the people are not without guilt, being led astray by such things, it is written: And my people loved such things: once mine; but after they loved such things, they ceased to be mine. So what will they do when the last time of judgment comes, or the necessity of captivity? Hence the astonishment and marvels, that neither among the rulers nor among the people was there found anyone who understood what is right. -
Jeremiah 6:1
(Chapter 6, Verse 1) Take courage, sons of Benjamin, in the midst of Jerusalem; and in Thecua sound the trumpet; and on Bethacherem raise a sign (or banner), for evil has been seen (or appeared) from the North and great destruction. No one is ignorant of Jerusalem situated in the tribe of Benjamin. We also see Thecua, a village situated on a mountain and separated from Jerusalem by twelve miles, every day with our own eyes. Among these is another village, which is called Bethacherem in the Syriac and Hebrew languages, and it too is situated on a mountain. Therefore, what he says is this: because Nebuchadnezzar is coming soon from the North, and the nearby captivity is imminent, O inhabitants of Jerusalem, seize your weapons, and sound the trumpet in Tekoa; and raise the banner in Beth-cherem, saying, so that you may be able to resist against the enemy. Benjamin means son of the right hand; Tekoa means trumpet; Beth-cherem means vineyard city. Let us apply all these things to the Church: so that if it sins, and the onslaught of persecution comes, it may prepare itself to resist.
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Jeremiah 6:2-3
(Verse 2, 3.) I have likened the daughter of Zion to a beautiful and delicate woman. And the shepherds and their flocks shall come to her. They have pitched their tents around her and each one shall feed those under his hand. Prepare for battle against her. Arise and let us go up at noon. The beauty of Jerusalem is described, which is the same as Zion, indicating that the whole city and the citadel of the city are one and the same. For Zion means a watchtower and it is compared to a beautiful woman; just as lovers come to her, so the shepherds are said to come to her. And in Hebrew, a word that is written with four letters, Resh, Ayin, Yod, Mem, if read as Reim (), it means lovers, if read as Roim (), it means shepherds, so that either, according to a metaphor, lovers of a beautiful woman, or, according to the overthrow of a city, shepherds may be understood: some of whom hasten to defile a prostitute, others to besiege and overthrow a city. Among these shepherds and their flocks, let us discern the princes and the armies of the Chaldeans. But they shall pitch their tents during the…
(Verse 2, 3.) I have likened the daughter of Zion to a beautiful and delicate woman. And the shepherds and their flocks shall come to her. They have pitched their tents around her and each one shall feed those under his hand. Prepare for battle against her. Arise and let us go up at noon. The beauty of Jerusalem is described, which is the same as Zion, indicating that the whole city and the citadel of the city are one and the same. For Zion means a watchtower and it is compared to a beautiful woman; just as lovers come to her, so the shepherds are said to come to her. And in Hebrew, a word that is written with four letters, Resh, Ayin, Yod, Mem, if read as Reim (), it means lovers, if read as Roim (), it means shepherds, so that either, according to a metaphor, lovers of a beautiful woman, or, according to the overthrow of a city, shepherds may be understood: some of whom hasten to defile a prostitute, others to besiege and overthrow a city. Among these shepherds and their flocks, let us discern the princes and the armies of the Chaldeans. But they shall pitch their tents during the siege of the city all around: and each one shall feed those who are under his hand, that is, his troops and numbers. The leaders, or shepherds, shall say to their flocks: Sanctify war upon Jerusalem: for the Lord has command. Rise up, and let us go up to the south: not by night and ambush; but let us fight in full light: for no one can resist us. -
Jeremiah 6:4-5
(Verse 4, 5.) Woe to us, because the day has declined, because the shadows in the evening have become longer (or have failed). Arise and let us ascend in the night, and let us scatter its houses (or its foundations). They say: Arise, and let us ascend at noon, and let us fight in the clear light. Those respond: Woe to us, because the shadows in the evening have become longer. According to that line from Virgil (Eclogue I):
And now the tops of the distant villas smoke: And the shadows of the mountains fall higher. And the meaning is: If we suffer these things during the day, what will we suffer at night? And again, those who spoke before, saying: Sanctify war upon it, and rise up, now challenge themselves to fight, saying: Arise, and let us ascend in the night: so that our adversaries may know that victory is not a matter of time, but of strength: and let us scatter the houses, which are vainly fortified by the strength of walls. -
Jeremiah 6:6
(Verse 6.) Because thus says the Lord of hosts: Cut down the wood (or its woods) and pour out (or carry) it around Jerusalem as a mound. Therefore, they say, we are confident of victory, because it is the command of the Lord who orders the Chaldeans: cut down the trees and carry them to build fortifications. By this it is shown that before the crown comes, the city is not immediately to be captured: but through a long siege, as we read later.
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Jeremiah 6:7
(Verse 7) This is a city of visitation (or falsehood); all slander (or oppression) is in its midst. Just as a well or a lake makes its water cold, so it has made its evil cold. The Lord has commanded that trees be cut down, and that mounds be built all around. For the time of its visitation has come, to receive payment for its sins, the greatest of which is false accusation, to oppress the innocent through slander. Just as a well or a cold pond makes its water cold, so in the midst of Jerusalem, the malice that is in it has lost all the warmth of life. And it should be noted that those who are kindled by the Holy Spirit are called fervent, but evil things are cold. Hence it is written (Matthew 24) that in the last days, when iniquity shall be multiplied, the charity of many shall grow cold. I believe this also sounds like that: I am made like those who go down into the pit (Psalm 28:1). However, let the Latin reader understand, as we have said once, that lacus does not sound like stagnum among the Greeks, but like cisterna, which is called Gubba in the Syriac and Hebrew languages. Ho…
(Verse 7) This is a city of visitation (or falsehood); all slander (or oppression) is in its midst. Just as a well or a lake makes its water cold, so it has made its evil cold. The Lord has commanded that trees be cut down, and that mounds be built all around. For the time of its visitation has come, to receive payment for its sins, the greatest of which is false accusation, to oppress the innocent through slander. Just as a well or a cold pond makes its water cold, so in the midst of Jerusalem, the malice that is in it has lost all the warmth of life. And it should be noted that those who are kindled by the Holy Spirit are called fervent, but evil things are cold. Hence it is written (Matthew 24) that in the last days, when iniquity shall be multiplied, the charity of many shall grow cold. I believe this also sounds like that: I am made like those who go down into the pit (Psalm 28:1). However, let the Latin reader understand, as we have said once, that lacus does not sound like stagnum among the Greeks, but like cisterna, which is called Gubba in the Syriac and Hebrew languages. However, in the present place, instead of lacus, which everyone has similarly translated, it is called Bor in Hebrew. -
Jeremiah 6:8
(Verse 8) Iniquity and devastation will be heard in it before me always, weakness and affliction. Learn, Jerusalem, lest my soul may depart from you, lest I make you deserted, an uninhabitable land. LXX: Impiety and misery will be heard in it before its face. Through every pain and scourge you will be taught, Jerusalem, lest my soul may depart from you: lest I make you an impassable land, a land that is not inhabited. Through these things we learn that the Lord chastises every son whom he receives. And for this reason Jerusalem is chastised with blows and torments, so that it may be corrected, and the soul of God does not depart from it, and it is brought into solitude. Therefore, if at any time we are subjected to frequent trials, let us remember for our consolation this verse: Through all pain and scourge you shall be taught, O Jerusalem.
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Jeremiah 6:9
(Verse 9) Thus says the Lord of hosts, they will gather the remnants of Israel like grapes in a vineyard. Turn your hand like a grape harvester into the basket. LXX: For thus says the Lord of hosts: Gather, gather the remnants of Israel like grapes in a vineyard. Return like a grape harvester to your basket. Some interpret these words in a positive way, others in a negative way. In a positive way, when Jerusalem has been devastated, the remnants will be saved. In such an evil way, not even a single cluster, and a small bunch remains in the vineyard, everything will be gathered: and whatever you find, gather it like a harvester in a basket; so that as he presses the grapes in the winepress: you may likewise drag captives into Babylon.
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Jeremiah 6:10
(Verse 10.) To whom shall I speak, and whom shall I answer, that he may hear? Behold, their (or your) ears are uncircumcised, and they cannot hear. They cannot hear because they have refused to circumcise their ears; yet the impossibility that comes from contempt and unbelief is not without punishment. Therefore, if anyone does not receive the words of God, neither does he have the understanding of His commandments, he has uncircumcised ears. It should also be noted that circumcision is called by three names in the Scriptures: in the foreskin, in the heart, and in the ears. Hence the Lord says: He who has ears to hear, let him hear (Matthew 11:15). Therefore, by our own will, we do not accept the word of God; and thus it becomes a reproach to us, that what was given to us for salvation, is turned by our fault into punishment.