Jerome — Commentary on Scripture

Jeremiah 1:17

Thou therefore gird up thy loins, and arise, and speak unto them all that I command thee: be not dismayed at their faces, lest I confound thee before them.

(Verse 17.) So gird up your loins and arise, and speak to them all that I command you. And Job is commanded to gird up his loins (Job 4); and to the Apostles (Luke 12), that with girded loins, which Elijah (2 Kings 1) and John the Baptist (Matthew 3) had mortified with haircloth belts, they may hold lamps in their hands, namely for the proclamation of the Gospel. Therefore, whoever is going to speak the words of God must gird up his loins, knowing that all the power of the devil is in the loins (Job 40); and let the righteous man say in the Psalms: My loins are filled with illusions (Psalm 37:8). And when he has girded his loins, let him hear what is written: Arise, you who sleep, and arise from the dead: and Christ shall enlighten you (Ephesians 5:14); that being always vigilant and rising from sleep, he may speak the things that God has commanded him. Do not be afraid of their face: for I will not make their appearance fearful to you. Whether as the Septuagint and other interpreters have: lest I make you afraid. And the sense is according to our translation: Do not be afraid of th…

(Verse 17.) So gird up your loins and arise, and speak to them all that I command you. And Job is commanded to gird up his loins (Job 4); and to the Apostles (Luke 12), that with girded loins, which Elijah (2 Kings 1) and John the Baptist (Matthew 3) had mortified with haircloth belts, they may hold lamps in their hands, namely for the proclamation of the Gospel. Therefore, whoever is going to speak the words of God must gird up his loins, knowing that all the power of the devil is in the loins (Job 40); and let the righteous man say in the Psalms: My loins are filled with illusions (Psalm 37:8). And when he has girded his loins, let him hear what is written: Arise, you who sleep, and arise from the dead: and Christ shall enlighten you (Ephesians 5:14); that being always vigilant and rising from sleep, he may speak the things that God has commanded him.

Do not be afraid of their face: for I will not make their appearance fearful to you. Whether as the Septuagint and other interpreters have: lest I make you afraid. And the sense is according to our translation: Do not be afraid of their face: for with me as your helper, you will not be able to fear them. According to the Septuagint: Do not be afraid of their face, have the confidence of my command. For if you do not offer what you have, in order to stop being afraid, I will abandon you and deliver you to fear, and in a way it will seem that I make you afraid while I abandon you to fear. But this signifies that truth should always be loved: and the multitude of men should not be feared, who, when rebuked, do not endure it; but they lay snares for the one who rebukes them. And what follows in the Septuagint: 'For I am with you to deliver you,' says the Lord, is not found in the Hebrew. And the meaning is: I will deliver you, not so that no one lays snares for you; but so that, enduring the snares, you do not transgress.

Jeremiah 1:18-19

For, behold, I have made thee this day a defenced city, and an iron pillar, and brasen walls against the whole land, against the kings of Judah, against the princes thereof, against the priests thereof, and against the people of the land.

(Verse 18, 19) For I have set you today (or Behold I have made you on this day) as a fortified city, and as an iron column, and as a bronze wall over all the earth: to the kings of Judah, to its princes, and to its priests, and to the people of the land. And they will fight against you, but they will not prevail, for I am with you, says the Lord, to deliver you. The divine word describes why the Prophet should not be afraid. I, he says, have set, or made you today, that is, in the present life, until it is called today, as a very strong city: not as one house, nor a tower, or any walls (Matthew 5); but as every city that is situated on a mountain cannot be hidden. About which it is written: Glorious things are said of you, O city of God (Psalm 86:2). And: I am a strong city, a city that is under attack (Isaiah 27:3). And, in a column, it is said of a pillar of iron, about which the Apostle writes: The pillar and foundation of truth (1 Timothy 3:15). Thus Peter and John, who were considered pillars of the Church, gave the right hand of fellowship to Paul and Barnabas. And not only thi…

(Verse 18, 19) For I have set you today (or Behold I have made you on this day) as a fortified city, and as an iron column, and as a bronze wall over all the earth: to the kings of Judah, to its princes, and to its priests, and to the people of the land. And they will fight against you, but they will not prevail, for I am with you, says the Lord, to deliver you. The divine word describes why the Prophet should not be afraid. I, he says, have set, or made you today, that is, in the present life, until it is called today, as a very strong city: not as one house, nor a tower, or any walls (Matthew 5); but as every city that is situated on a mountain cannot be hidden. About which it is written: Glorious things are said of you, O city of God (Psalm 86:2). And: I am a strong city, a city that is under attack (Isaiah 27:3). And, in a column, it is said of a pillar of iron, about which the Apostle writes: The pillar and foundation of truth (1 Timothy 3:15). Thus Peter and John, who were considered pillars of the Church, gave the right hand of fellowship to Paul and Barnabas. And not only this, but it is said to be a bronze wall, which is not damaged by rust and does not perish when beaten by rain, but becomes stronger with age. But you are such against kings and princes and people, not of any place, but of the land; those who have earthly wisdom and do not know heavenly things, who have the image of the earth and not of the heavenly. These, he says, will fight against you and will not prevail. Why, I ask? What is the cause of such great strength that neither kings, nor princes, nor priests, nor people can prevail against one? It follows: Because I am with you, says the Lord, to deliver you. If at any time the kings of Judah, who are called confessors, and their princes, and the priests, and the people, namely the bishops and presbyters and deacons, and the lowly and ignoble commoners, should rise up against the holy man, let him have firm faith and cease to fear: for with the help of the Lord, he will prevail.

Jeremiah 2:1

Moreover the word of the LORD came to me, saying,

(Chapter 2, Verse 1) And the word of the Lord came to me, saying: Go and cry in the ears of Jerusalem, saying. This is not found in the Septuagint, but it was added under asterisks in the edition of Theodotion, who interpreted the Hebrew word Carath () as clama; or praedica, meaning 'read'. And it signifies both reading and crying out and preaching because of its ambiguity. However, we should understand the ears of Jerusalem as the ears of its inhabitants.

Jeremiah 2:2

Go and cry in the ears of Jerusalem, saying, Thus saith the LORD; I remember thee, the kindness of thy youth, the love of thine espousals, when thou wentest after me in the wilderness, in a land that was not sown.

(Vers. 2.) Thus says the Lord: I have remembered your youth, the kindness of your betrothal, when you followed me in the desert, in a land that is not sown. LXX: Thus says the Lord: I have remembered the mercy of your youth, and the love of your betrothal. This is said more fully in Ezekiel (Ezek. I), when the Lord joins Jerusalem to himself in marriage, and under the persona of a wife, unites her with his embraces: either to show a more ardent affection, he calls her a girl, a young woman, and betrothed. For what we have not yet obtained, we desire to obtain more. 'When,' he said, 'you followed me in solitude; and, like betrothal and dowry, the adornments of the Law were distributed to you as necklaces of words. And all of this does not refer to his merit, but to his mercy, through which he also obtained charity. This also which we have placed, in the desert, in a land which is not sown, is not found in the Septuagint.'

Jeremiah 2:3

Israel was holiness unto the LORD, and the firstfruits of his increase: all that devour him shall offend; evil shall come upon them, saith the LORD.

(Verse 3.) Holy is Israel to the Lord, the first fruits of his harvest: all who devour him shall be guilty; evil shall come upon them, says the Lord. When Israel speaks of the first fruits of the Lord's harvest, it shows that the people are gathered from the nations after the first fruits; according to what is written in another place: Remember your congregation, whom you have possessed from the beginning (Psalm 73:2). However, the first fruits are always owed to the priests, not to the enemies. What follows is this: All those who devour him will sin: evil will come upon them, says the Lord. This is its meaning: Just as those who devour the offerings (Numbers 5) are not from the priestly lineage, they are guilty of a sinful act, so those who defile Israel will be subjected to great evil: as it is written in the twenty-sixth psalm by the holy David: While evil men approach me to consume my flesh, my enemies who trouble me have become weak and fallen (Psalm 26:3-4). For indeed, those who carry out the sentence of God will not be exempt from punishment, and evils come upon them; for sca…

(Verse 3.) Holy is Israel to the Lord, the first fruits of his harvest: all who devour him shall be guilty; evil shall come upon them, says the Lord. When Israel speaks of the first fruits of the Lord's harvest, it shows that the people are gathered from the nations after the first fruits; according to what is written in another place: Remember your congregation, whom you have possessed from the beginning (Psalm 73:2). However, the first fruits are always owed to the priests, not to the enemies. What follows is this: All those who devour him will sin: evil will come upon them, says the Lord. This is its meaning: Just as those who devour the offerings (Numbers 5) are not from the priestly lineage, they are guilty of a sinful act, so those who defile Israel will be subjected to great evil: as it is written in the twenty-sixth psalm by the holy David: While evil men approach me to consume my flesh, my enemies who trouble me have become weak and fallen (Psalm 26:3-4). For indeed, those who carry out the sentence of God will not be exempt from punishment, and evils come upon them; for scandals must come, but woe to him through whom the scandals come (Mat. XVIII).

Jeremiah 2:4-5

Hear ye the word of the LORD, O house of Jacob, and all the families of the house of Israel:

(Verses 4, 5.) Hear the word of the Lord, house of Jacob, and all the families of the house of Israel. Thus says the Lord: What did your fathers find in me of iniquity, that they went far from me, and went after vanity, and became vain? This meaning is also testified by another prophet: O my people, what have I done to you, and how have I been a burden to you? Answer me: for I brought you out of the land of Egypt, and delivered you from the house of slaves (Micah 6:3-4). However, both names, Jacob and Israel, are used: not according to the twelve tribes, but according to the entire people. For Jacob himself was later called Israel. But the sins of the fathers do not have an effect on their children, although the children, having the likeness of the fathers, may be punished for their own sins and the sins of their parents. We often read that God has mercy on the children because of the holy fathers. However, the fathers of the sinful people have forsaken God, and not for a short time, but for a long time. And they have followed vanity, that is, idols, which are of no benefit to their…

(Verses 4, 5.) Hear the word of the Lord, house of Jacob, and all the families of the house of Israel. Thus says the Lord: What did your fathers find in me of iniquity, that they went far from me, and went after vanity, and became vain? This meaning is also testified by another prophet: O my people, what have I done to you, and how have I been a burden to you? Answer me: for I brought you out of the land of Egypt, and delivered you from the house of slaves (Micah 6:3-4). However, both names, Jacob and Israel, are used: not according to the twelve tribes, but according to the entire people. For Jacob himself was later called Israel. But the sins of the fathers do not have an effect on their children, although the children, having the likeness of the fathers, may be punished for their own sins and the sins of their parents. We often read that God has mercy on the children because of the holy fathers. However, the fathers of the sinful people have forsaken God, and not for a short time, but for a long time. And they have followed vanity, that is, idols, which are of no benefit to their worshippers. And they have become like them, as it is written: Let them become like those who make and trust in them, and all who trust in them.

Jeremiah 2:6

Neither said they, Where is the LORD that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, that led us through the wilderness, through a land of deserts and of pits, through a land of drought, and of the shadow of death, through a land that no man passed through, and where no man dwelt?

(Verse 6) And they did not say, Where is the Lord who led us up out of the land of Egypt, who led us through the desert, through an uninhabited and impassable land, through a land of thirst and the shadow of death, through a land in which no man walks, nor does any man dwell. For son of man, they interpreted as the seventy sons of man; and for the shadow of death, it was added from Theodotion, the shadow of death. And while this is evident according to history, it should be considered in light of the anagoge, that as long as we are in this world and are led out of Egypt, we ascend gradually, and first we pass through the deserts and the uninhabitable land, which the holy one ought not to inhabit, and the impassable land, to show the difficulty of the journey. You are thirsty for the earth, where we always desire greater things and are never content with the present. And it is an image, or rather a shadow of death: for we are always in danger, and everywhere the devil sets his traps. On the earth where no man has walked, who is perfect in Christ. For we will all rise to become perfect…

(Verse 6) And they did not say, Where is the Lord who led us up out of the land of Egypt, who led us through the desert, through an uninhabited and impassable land, through a land of thirst and the shadow of death, through a land in which no man walks, nor does any man dwell. For son of man, they interpreted as the seventy sons of man; and for the shadow of death, it was added from Theodotion, the shadow of death. And while this is evident according to history, it should be considered in light of the anagoge, that as long as we are in this world and are led out of Egypt, we ascend gradually, and first we pass through the deserts and the uninhabitable land, which the holy one ought not to inhabit, and the impassable land, to show the difficulty of the journey. You are thirsty for the earth, where we always desire greater things and are never content with the present. And it is an image, or rather a shadow of death: for we are always in danger, and everywhere the devil sets his traps. On the earth where no man has walked, who is perfect in Christ. For we will all rise to become perfect men, to the measure of the fullness of Christ's age. Neither does he who is a man of God or the Son of Man ever reside in it, but always hastens to greater things. From this it is clear that there is no perfection in the journey, but in the end of the journey and in the dwelling place that is prepared for the saints in heaven, and about which it is said: Those who stand in the house of the Lord, in the courts of the house of our God (Psalm 133:1). Therefore, it is in vain that this new heresy suspects perfection to be here, where there is a battle and a contest, and an uncertain outcome of future events.

Jeremiah 2:7

And I brought you into a plentiful country, to eat the fruit thereof and the goodness thereof; but when ye entered, ye defiled my land, and made mine heritage an abomination.

(Verse 7) And I led you into the land of Carmel, that you may eat its fruit and its goodness; and when you entered, you polluted my land and made my inheritance an abomination. For the labor of a very hard journey, I gave you abundance of all things. Indeed, Carmel, which is called Chermel in Hebrew, signifies this, and in our language it means the knowledge of circumcision. Just as that people defiled and violated the holy land and the fertile land of all things with idolatry, so we, receiving the knowledge of true circumcision, eat its fruits; and with negligence creeping in, we pollute God's land and make his inheritance abominable.

Jeremiah 2:8

The priests said not, Where is the LORD? and they that handle the law knew me not: the pastors also transgressed against me, and the prophets prophesied by Baal, and walked after things that do not profit.

(Verse 8.) The priests did not say, 'Where is the Lord?' and those who held my Law did not know me, and the shepherds transgressed against me, and the prophets prophesied in Baal and followed idols. After so many benefits, they turned the privileges of dignity into contempt, so that the priests would not seek the Lord, so that the teachers of the Law would ignore him whom they should teach, and the shepherds (or rather, preachers) would become transgressors through negligence, and the prophets who dispute among the people would not speak to God, but to idols, and would worship their own creations. But we must use words against the masters of our order, who devour the people of God like bread, and by their evil deeds do not invoke the Lord.

Jeremiah 2:9

Wherefore I will yet plead with you, saith the LORD, and with your children's children will I plead.

(Verse 9) Therefore I will still contend with you in judgment, says the Lord, and I will reason with your children. So that it may not seem that I strike with power, as if contending with equals in reason; according to what David sings and the Apostle uses: That you may be justified in your words, and may overcome when you are judged (Psalm 50:6; Romans 3:4). And he testifies that he has done this many times in the past, and he demonstrates a similar stubbornness in the children of evildoers. However, it secretly signifies that the ancient denial of God, even their children followed in the coming of the Lord.

Jeremiah 2:10-11

For pass over the isles of Chittim, and see; and send unto Kedar, and consider diligently, and see if there be such a thing.

(Vers. 10, 11.) Go to the islands of Kittim, and see: and send to Kedar, and consider carefully, and see if such a thing has happened: if a nation has changed its gods (or its own gods). And certainly they are not gods: but my people have changed their glory into an idol (or something that will not profit them). He makes a comparison of that which is incomparable, and gives the true God to liars. Go, he says, to the islands of Kittim: which we should understand as either Italy or the Western lands: because the island of Cyprus, which is called by this name, is near the land of Judah. Of which both Zeno and the leader of the Stoics were. But the region of Cedar is one of solitude and of the Ismaelites, who are now called the Saracens: against whom the prophecy of the very Prophet himself is covered in the farthest parts (infra ad cap. XLIX); and of whom David mentions, saying: I have dwelt with those who dwell in Cedar: my soul has traveled much (Psal. CXIX, 5). And the meaning is: Either go to the West, or send into the wilderness, and see if any nation has done what you have done. F…

(Vers. 10, 11.) Go to the islands of Kittim, and see: and send to Kedar, and consider carefully, and see if such a thing has happened: if a nation has changed its gods (or its own gods). And certainly they are not gods: but my people have changed their glory into an idol (or something that will not profit them). He makes a comparison of that which is incomparable, and gives the true God to liars. Go, he says, to the islands of Kittim: which we should understand as either Italy or the Western lands: because the island of Cyprus, which is called by this name, is near the land of Judah. Of which both Zeno and the leader of the Stoics were. But the region of Cedar is one of solitude and of the Ismaelites, who are now called the Saracens: against whom the prophecy of the very Prophet himself is covered in the farthest parts (infra ad cap. XLIX); and of whom David mentions, saying: I have dwelt with those who dwell in Cedar: my soul has traveled much (Psal. CXIX, 5). And the meaning is: Either go to the West, or send into the wilderness, and see if any nation has done what you have done. For they did not despise their gods, neither the wooden and stone ones, nor did they change them in comparison to gold, but following the ancient error, they held onto what they had received from their ancestors. And certainly this is true, since none of their gods exist, but rather they are man-made idols. But my people have exchanged the truth for a lie and have preferred an idol to me, which will not be able to help them in times of need. We can also say this against those who pursue vices with more zeal than virtues, whom the Apostle warns, saying: I speak as a human, because of the weakness of your minds. Just as you presented your members as servants to impurity and lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as servants to righteousness leading to sanctification. (Romans 6:19).

Jeremiah 2:12-13

Be astonished, O ye heavens, at this, and be horribly afraid, be ye very desolate, saith the LORD.

(Verses 12, 13.) Be astonished, O heavens, at this, and shudder, be utterly desolate, declares the Lord. For my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed out cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns that can hold no water. LXX: The heavens were astonished at this, and were greatly alarmed, and the rest likewise. The heavens to whom it was said: Listen, O heavens, and I will speak. (Deut. 32:1): and, Hear, O earth, the words of the Lord (Isaiah 1:2), seeing that the commands of God are trampled upon, it shudders, and cannot hide its astonishment. For every creature groans and laments over the sins of men. But God's people have done two things against Him. First, they have forsaken God who is the source of life, and He gave them a commandment, saying: 'I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt' (Exod. XX, 2). Second, it is written in the same place: 'You shall have no other gods before me'; for this reason they have followed demons, whom He calls broken cisterns, because they are unable to keep God's commandm…

(Verses 12, 13.) Be astonished, O heavens, at this, and shudder, be utterly desolate, declares the Lord. For my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed out cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns that can hold no water. LXX: The heavens were astonished at this, and were greatly alarmed, and the rest likewise. The heavens to whom it was said: Listen, O heavens, and I will speak. (Deut. 32:1): and, Hear, O earth, the words of the Lord (Isaiah 1:2), seeing that the commands of God are trampled upon, it shudders, and cannot hide its astonishment. For every creature groans and laments over the sins of men. But God's people have done two things against Him. First, they have forsaken God who is the source of life, and He gave them a commandment, saying: 'I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt' (Exod. XX, 2). Second, it is written in the same place: 'You shall have no other gods before me'; for this reason they have followed demons, whom He calls broken cisterns, because they are unable to keep God's commandments. And this must be noted, that the fountain is perpetual, and it has life-giving waters. But the cisterns and lakes, either from torrents or from muddy waters, are filled with earth and rain. The gates of heaven are called those, of which it is also written in the twenty-third psalm: Lift up your heads, O gates, and the king of glory will enter. Concerning which the Septuagint translated: Lift up your gates, O princes: of which more will be said in its proper place. And what Aquila and Symmachus interpreted as 'coelos', and LXX and Theodotion as 'coelum', should not be confused. For in Hebrew, 'Samaim' is a common noun, and both the plural and singular forms are referred to as 'coeli' with the same name, just like Thebes, Athens, and Salonae.

Jeremiah 2:13 · 2 passages

For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water.

O blessed change! Once the body wept, but now laughs forevermore. Once it desired the broken cisterns of which the prophet speaks, but now it has been satisfied in the Lord, the fountain of life.

Let him “possess his vessel in sanctification and honor,” let him drink of his own wells, not out of the dissolute cisterns of the harlots that cannot hold within them the pure waters of chastity.

Jeremiah 2:14

Is Israel a servant? is he a homeborn slave? why is he spoiled?

(Verse 14) Is the Israelite a servant or a native? I believe that from this place, the Jews who were filled with pride said to the Savior: We are the seed of Abraham and have never served anyone. How do you say, 'You will be free' (John 8:33)? Ignorant that everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin, and each one serves the one by whom they are overcome. Therefore, the ones born from the friend of God, Abraham, by their own vice, became like the sons of Ham, to whom it was said: 'Cursed be Canaan; a servant shall he be to his brothers' (Genesis 9:25).

Jeremiah 2:15

The young lions roared upon him, and yelled, and they made his land waste: his cities are burned without inhabitant.

(v. 15) So why did he become prey? The lions roared against him and gave forth their voice. They made his land a desolation; his cities are burned and no one lives in them. The divine speech asks a question in order to answer it. But indeed, the lions can be understood as the princes of Babylon, who made their land a desolation and destroyed their cities with fire. Or certainly, by way of anagoge, we can understand the lions as adversarial powers or the leaders of heretics, who devastate the land of the Church and lay waste to all her cities with heretical fire, the fire about which it is written: "All of them are adulterers, their hearts are like an oven" (Hosea 7:4). For they truly give their voice, and in this same prophet under the figure of the partridge they cry out: They gather what they have not brought forth: they make riches, but not with judgment (Jerem. XVII, 17). Therefore, her cities have been devastated and destroyed: because they do not have God as an inhabitant, as the Scripture says: And there is no one who dwells in them (Ibid., 4).

Jeremiah 2:16-17

Also the children of Noph and Tahapanes have broken the crown of thy head.

(Verse 16, 17.) The sons of Memphis and Taphne have defiled you, even to the crown. Is it not because you abandoned the Lord your God at the time when He was leading you along the way? This that we have said, is not found in the Septuagint at the time when He was leading you along the way. However, he names two great cities of Egypt, Memphis and Taphne, and he says that their sons defiled Israel even to the crown, in the sense in which Isaiah expressed it: From the sole of the foot to the crown, there is no soundness in it (Isaiah 1:6). For there was such a great lust among the Egyptians, who are of large bodies, that they spared no member, but defiled everything. Literally, it refers to the idols of the Egyptians; spiritually, to the teachers of a perverse doctrine, who defile the purity of the Church with their filthiness. These things happened to them because they abandoned their Lord God, especially at the time when they should have followed him as their leader.

Jeremiah 2:18

And now what hast thou to do in the way of Egypt, to drink the waters of Sihor? or what hast thou to do in the way of Assyria, to drink the waters of the river?

(Verse 18.) And now, what do you want, on the way of Egypt, to drink the water of Shior? And what do you want on the way of the Assyrians, to drink the water of the river? Concerning Shior, we have interpreted it as turbid, because the Hebrew word signifies that. The common edition has it as Geon. Therefore, because he had previously mentioned the sons of Memphis and Taphnis, who had violated Israel up to the crown: now he more clearly mentions Egypt itself. There is no doubt that the Nile has turbid waters, and it signifies the river of the Assyrians, as Scripture says, that the promised land extends from the river of Egypt to the great river Euphrates. But those who abandon Christ, the source of life, and dig for themselves the pits of heretics who cannot contain the waters of doctrine, must necessarily submit to the lions who reduce their land to a wasteland and destroy all the Churches. They will be polluted even to the top, and drink turbid waters from the streams of the Assyrian river and the North wind, from which evil is kindled upon the earth.

Jeremiah 2:19

Thine own wickedness shall correct thee, and thy backslidings shall reprove thee: know therefore and see that it is an evil thing and bitter, that thou hast forsaken the LORD thy God, and that my fear is not in thee, saith the Lord GOD of hosts.

(Verse 19.) Your wickedness will reprove you, and your apostasy will rebuke you. Know and see that it is evil and bitter for you to have forsaken the Lord your God, and that you have no fear of me, says the Lord of hosts. It should be noted that after wickedness or apostasy has fully satisfied the one who commits it, and has come to the point of being nauseating like the quails, it instructs the one who does penance: commanding them to see what they have left behind, and what they have followed; and how, spurning what is good and sweet, they have chosen what is evil and bitter. But all this has happened because he has forsaken his Lord God, and his fear is not with him. For the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (Prov. IX): and because he did not have it, he is delivered to evil and bitterness.

Jeremiah 2:20

For of old time I have broken thy yoke, and burst thy bands; and thou saidst, I will not transgress; when upon every high hill and under every green tree thou wanderest, playing the harlot.

(Verse 20.) You have broken my yoke from the age (or your own) and shattered my chains (or yours); and you said, 'I will not serve.' For on every high hill and under every leafy tree, you lay as a prostitute (or were spread out in fornication) there. This is spoken as if to a prostitute, Israel, who has broken the marriage covenant and said, 'I will not serve.' It is understood to mean the Lord, or husband. But on every high hill and under every leafy tree, she has prostrated herself to idolatry. For pleasant and lofty places are always dedicated to idols. This can also be said of those who, originally Christians and educated in sacred Scriptures, afterwards, desiring secular literature, which is signified by the hills, and pleasant eloquence (according to Al. in pleasant eloquence) which is displayed in leafy trees, prostrate themselves before demons, who under the pretense of knowledge and lofty wisdom, pollute the souls of believers and trip up the feet of anyone passing by.