Theodoret of Cyrus — Commentary on Scripture

Jeremiah 31:34

The future life achieves the fulfillment of these words. In that life we shall no longer need instruction from one another, since everything will be patently obvious. Sufferings will be at an end, bodies will be incorruptible, souls will be immune to change. Now it is customary with the divine Scripture to mix prophecies together. It connects prophecies about his repeated call to Israel with those about the captivity, and the Lord in the sacred Gospels cites at the one time the sayings about Jerusalem and those about the consummation.

ON JEREMIAH 7:31

Jeremiah 33:18-25

We see the fulfillment of this prophecy as well. When the new covenant was given, in keeping with the divine promise, the priesthood was also given according to the order of Melchizedek, and those to whom it was promised offer the spiritual sacrifice to God continually. Then he says, as it is impossible for day to become night, so it is impossible for the Davidic monarchy to be destroyed. The fulfillment of this prophecy is also clear: Christ, who is of David according to the flesh, does not occupy the throne here below. He does, however, govern all things as he sits next to the Father. This is precisely what he also says about the priests and the Levites, noting that their line will be compared with the host of heaven and the sand of the sea. The facts confirm what is said: the whole land and sea are full of high priests and the deacons performing the liturgy of the Levites.

ON JEREMIAH 7:33.18

Jeremiah 35:12-17

Two things are worth marveling at: the law given by the father and the obedience rendered by the children and descendants. For they loved a life free from care and possessions and—what is most unexpected—put little stock in their property, even though they had children, because they made themselves dependent on the divine hope as far as they were concerned. But if these people embraced the consummate philosophy during the time of the law (which had no perfection because of the weakness of those who were given the law), what sort of people would they have been if they had heard the law of the gospel? But the God of all commands the prophet to tell all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, “These people refuse to drink wine because they keep the commandment of their father, but you do not conduct yourselves according to my laws, although you receive the teachings of the prophets day and night. For this reason, I will bring on you all kinds of calamities, but the best of good things are promised to the offspring of Rechab, who keep the command of their father.”

ON JEREMIAH 7:35.6-7

Jeremiah 36:23

The God of all orders Jeremiah to write the former words in another book. The sheet of paper was burned, but the divine law remained unharmed. So also when the body assumed by the Word suffered, the Word remained free from suffering.

ON JEREMIAH 7:36

Jeremiah 37:19-21

Jeremiah said, “Now that matters have proven the truthfulness of my prophecy and the falsehood of your prophets, you must now judge rightly and punish those who lied, not him who warned you of the truth beforehand.” Then he asked to be released from the house of the scribe.

ON JEREMIAH 8:37

Jeremiah 38:17

He had often spoken these things previously. We must investigate why in the world he promises safety to those who go out of the city but threatens destruction to those who do not go out. When Nebuchadnezzar had elevated Zedekiah to the kingship, the latter had sworn an oath to him that he would pay tribute and maintain a favorable disposition to the one who had appointed him. But when a short time had passed, he violated the terms of the agreement and both did not pay the tribute and appealed to Egypt for help. Since he had taken these oaths not by some idols lacking any souls but by the Creator of all, and yet he had dared to violate them, the Lord God then ordered him to go out to the Chaldeans and in this way to render service for his perjury.

ON JEREMIAH 8:38

Jeremiah 39:12

Both Nebuchadnezzar the king and Ebedmelech the Ethiopian increased the condemnation of the Jews. Although they were foreigners, they respected the prophet, but the Jews (who had been raised on the words of the prophets) did not want to pay attention to the divine words, but they subjected the prophets to punishments of every kind. The promise of God surely obtained its fulfillment. When God appointed him a prophet, he promised to make him irresistible and like an iron pillar and a bronze wall because on the one hand they would wage war against him but on the other hand they would not prevail. Nebuzaradan and all the company of rulers summoned Jeremiah from the prison and handed him over to Gedaliah, whom he had ordered to rule over the remnant in Judah. And the prophet thought that it was worth noting that the things spoken beforehand by God concerning Ebedmelech were fulfilled. For with him, nothing is uncared for or lacking reward.

ON JEREMIAH 8:39

Jeremiah 40:3

And here it is clear that God chose Israel from the beginning as a kindness to the other nations. For the miracles that took place because of them amazed all and clearly taught that their God alone was the true God. And again their misfortunes accused them of their wickedness and proclaimed the righteous verdict of God. Thus, for example, Nebuzaradan said that the Jews deservedly suffered punishment and God had acted justly.

ON JEREMIAH 8:40

Jeremiah 42:2

Their words are full of piety but do not agree with their actions. When ten days had passed, the prophet obtained his reply. But I think that the delay of the response was for the benefit of those who had made the request, so that they might know how God barely received the supplication of the prophet. Accordingly, the prophet says that God had ordered for them to stay in that land. He says, “I will deem you worthy of all care.”

ON JEREMIAH 8:42

Jeremiah 43:13

The city had two names. It was called both On and Heliopolis. Exodus also taught this, for it says that the children of Israel built cities for Pharaoh: Pithom, Raamses and On, which is Heliopolis. God calls Nebuchadnezzar his servant, not because he is a servant in appearance or disposition but because he is a servant by nature: creation is the servant of the Creator. At the same time he teaches that Nebuchadnezzar does these things because God permits him to.

ON JEREMIAH 8:43

Jeremiah 44:21-22

But none of these things struck fear in these wretched, no, three-times wretched individuals, but they all clamored—men and women alike, but especially the Babylonians—“We cannot endure your words.” What is even worse than this is that, although they thought that these words were divine, they openly contradicted them.

ON JEREMIAH 8:44

Jeremiah 44:21-22

He reminds them (as they have it fresh in their memory) of all the evils perpetuated by their ancestors and by their kings and mighty people, and he reminds them of the misfortunes of all kinds brought to bear against them. And he threatens them, calling himself the Lord of hosts and the God of Israel, so that they might hear the greatness of his authority and learn of his care for their ancestors and so that they might show reverence and fear.

ON JEREMIAH 8:44

Jeremiah 45:2

The Lord comforts Baruch, who was serving the prophet, writing the oracles, complaining about the hardships and feeling vexed. He commands him to bear nobly his life full of pain. He says, “If I am now uprooting, cutting off and handing over to all sorts of punishments all the people whom I led out of Egypt and planted in this land, are you distraught because you alone are not spending your life in tranquility? But you should not do this. I will still take care of you, and, when I bring punishment on them, I will bring you comfort. And wherever you live, you will have my care.”

ON JEREMIAH 8:45

Jeremiah 45:2

Joining this history interwoven with the prophecy, in this way he reminds them of the earlier warning that he was commanded to say to Baruch in the days of Jehoiakim.

ON JEREMIAH 8:45

Jeremiah 46:2-3

After completing his prophecies concerning the people of Israel, he foretells what will happen to the other nations, teaching that he is Creator, God and Lord of all. First, he recounts those things that pertain to Egypt and teaches the time of this prophecy. The prediction was fulfilled after the death of the pharaoh Neco. Neco killed Josiah by the Euphrates River and was himself killed by the king of the Babylonians.

ON JEREMIAH 9:46

Jeremiah 46:25

The Egyptians call Zeus Ammon. For this reason it is also called the Ammonian land. They have furnished the largest sacred precinct for this deity. He calls Ammon “Egypt’s son” on the grounds that Ammon was a god created by it, since a statue is something made by human hands. Thus, he threatens to give Ammon and their other gods to the Babylonians, for he says this: “And on Pharaoh and on Egypt and on its gods and those who trust in them, he says that the enemy will overcome them all alike—the king, rulers, idols and bodyguards.” Once Egypt has been given over to the king of the Babylonians, he will recover his earlier dominion.

ON JEREMIAH 9:46

Jeremiah 47:1-7

Now he directs his prophecy against foreigners. He calls the inhabitants of Ashkelon, Gaza, Azotus, Gath and Ekron “foreigners.” He says that the prediction took place before Pharaoh struck Gaza, and he likens the army of the Babylonians to a flooding river swollen by rain and melted snow. Cities will be overwhelmed by this flood; their inhabitants will be destroyed and lament and be unable to bear the din of the arms and chariots.

ON JEREMIAH 9:47

Jeremiah 47:1-7

He calls Nebuchadnezzar “the sword of the Lord,” for he does those things by God’s permission, and the impious pay the penalty for their ungodliness at one another’s hands.

ON JEREMIAH 9:47

Jeremiah 49:14

He used the phrase “he sent messengers to the nations” to mean “command.” It is also likely that by divine command ministering angels stirred up the enemy. Remember that the divine David also says, “He sent forth on them the wrath of his anger; anger, wrath and distress, a dispatch by means of wicked angels.” He calls them “wicked,” not as such by nature but as communicating punishment as a benefit. We, too, are in the habit of calling the calamities that befall us evil. Likewise an angel wiped out the firstborn of the Egyptians. In the same way, other calamities were sent against Israel when David took a census of the people. There are many other such examples you could find in the divine Scripture.

ON JEREMIAH 9:49.14

Jeremiah 50:6

Then he likens them to lost sheep. He ascribes the cause for the destruction of the sheep to the shepherds. He calls “shepherds” not only their kings but also their priests. And he saw how they prepared them to wander: “They drove them to the mountains and made them wander; they have gone from mountain to hill and have forgotten their fold.” He calls the shrines of the idols “hills” and “mountains” for in them they worshiped the idols. And he calls the temple of God a “fold” because they had there the enjoyment of good things. This wandering handed them over to the enemy inasmuch as they sinned against the Lord.

ON JEREMIAH 10:50