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Commentary on Jeremiah 14 verses 17–22
The present deplorable state of Judah and Jerusalem is here made the matter of the prophet's lamentation (Jer 14:17, Jer 14:18) and the occasion of his prayer and intercession for them (Jer 14:19), and I am willing to hope that the latter, as well as the former, was by divine direction, and that these words (Jer 14:17), Thus shalt thou say unto them (or concerning them, or in their hearing), refer to the intercession, as well as to the lamentation, and then it amounts to a revocation of the directions given to the prophet not to pray for them, Jer 14:11. However, it is plain, by the prayers we find in these verses, that the prophet did not understand it as a prohibition, but only as a discouragement, like that Jo1 5:16, I do not say he shall pray for that. Here,
I. The prophet stands weeping over the ruins of his country; God directs him to do so, that, showing himself affected, he might, if possible, affect them with the foresight of the calamities that were coming upon them. Jeremiah must say it not only to himself, but to them too: Let my eyes run down with tears, Jer 14:17. Thus he must signify to them that he certainly foresaw the sword coming, and another sort of famine, more grievous even than this which they were now groaning under; this was in the country for want of rain, that would be in the city through the straitness of the siege. The prophet speaks as if he already saw the miseries attending the descent which the Chaldeans made upon them: The virgin daughter of my people, that is as dear to me as a daughter to her father, is broken with a great breach, with a very grievous blow, much greater and more grievous than any she has yet sustained; for (Jer 14:18) in the field multitudes lie dead that were slain by the sword, and in the city multitudes lie dying for want of food. Doleful spectacles! "The prophets and the priests, the false prophets that flattered them with their lies and the wicked priests that persecuted the true prophets, are now expelled their country, and go about either as prisoners and captives, whithersoever their conquerors lead them, or as fugitives and vagabonds, wherever they can find shelter and relief, in a land that they know not." Some understand this of the true prophets, Ezekiel and Daniel, that were carried to Babylon with the rest. The prophet's eyes must run down with tears day and night, in prospect of this, that the people might be convinced, not only that this woeful day would infallibly come, and would be a very woeful day indeed, but that he was far from desiring it, and would as gladly have brought them messages of peace as their false prophets, if he might have had warrant from heaven to do it. Note, Because God, though he inflicts death on sinners, yet delights not in it, it becomes his ministers, though in his name they pronounce the death of sinners, yet sadly to lament it.
II. He stands up to make intercession for them; for who knows but God will yet return and repent? While there is life there is hope, and room for prayer. And, though there were many among them who neither prayed themselves nor valued the prophet's prayers, yet there were some who were better affected, would join with him in his devotions, and set the seal of their Amen to them.
1.He humbly expostulates with God concerning the present deplorableness of their case, Jer 14:19. It was very sad, for, (1.) Their expectations from their God failed them; they thought he had avouched Judah to be his, but now, it seems, he has utterly rejected it, and cast it off, will not own any relation to it nor concern for it. They thought Zion was the beloved of his soul, was his rest for ever; but now his soul even loathes Zion, loathes even the services there performed, for the sake of the sins there committed. (2.) Then no marvel that all their other expectations failed them: They were smitten, and their wounds were multiplied, but there was no healing for them; they looked for peace, because after a storm there usually comes a calm and fair weather, after a long fit of wet; but there was no good, things went still worse and worse. They looked for a healing time, but could not gain so much as a breathing time. "Behold, trouble at the door, by which we hoped peace would enter. And is it so then? Hast thou indeed rejected Judah? Justly thou mightest. Hath thy soul loathed Zion? We deserve it should. But wilt thou not at length in wrath remember mercy?"
2.He makes a penitent confession of sin, speaking that language which they all should have spoken, though but few did (Jer 14:20): "We acknowledge our wickedness, the abounding wickedness of our land and the iniquity of our fathers, which we have imitated, and therefore justly smart for. We know, we acknowledge, that we have sinned against thee, and therefore thou art just in all that is brought upon us; but, because we confess our sins, we hope to find thee faithful and just in forgiving our sins."
3.He deprecates God's displeasure, and by faith appeals to his honour and promise, Jer 14:21. His petition is, "Do not abhor us; though thou afflict us, do not abhor us; though thy hand by turned against us, let not thy heart be so, nor let thy mind be alienated from us." They own God might justly abhor them, they had rendered themselves odious in his eyes; yet, when they pray, Do not abhor us, they mean, "Receive us into favour again. Let not thy soul loathe Zion, Jer 14:19. Let not our incense be an abomination." They appeal, (1.) To the honour of God, the honour of his scriptures, by which he has made himself known - his word, which he has magnified above all his name: "Do not abhor us, for thy name's sake, that the name of thine by which we are called and which we call upon." The honour of his sanctuary is pleaded: "Lord, do not abhor us, for that will disgrace the throne of thy glory" (the temple, which is called a glorious high throne from the beginning, Jer 17:12); let not that which has been the joy of the whole earth be made a hissing and an astonishment. We deserve to have disgrace put upon us, but let it not be so as to reflect upon thyself; let not the desolations of the temple give occasion to the heathen to reproach him that used to be worshipped there, as if he could not, or would not, protect it, or as if the gods of the Chaldeans had been too hard for him. Note, Good men lay the credit of religion, and its profession in the world, nearer their hearts than any private interest or concern of their own; and those are powerful pleas in prayer which are fetched thence and great supports to faith. We may be sure that God will not disgrace the throne of his glory on earth; nor will he eclipse the glory of his throne by one providence without soon making it shine forth, and more brightly than before, by another. God will be no loser in his honour at the long-run. (2.) To the promise of God; of this they are humbly bold to put him in mind: Remember thy covenant with us, and break not that covenant. Not that they had any distrust of his fidelity, or that they thought he needed to be put in mind of his promise to them, but what he had said he would plead with himself they take the liberty to plead with him. Then will I remember my covenant, Lev 26:42.
4.He professes a dependence upon God for the mercy of rain, which they were now in want of, Jer 14:22. If they have forfeited their interest in him as their God in covenant, yet they will not let go their hold on him as the God of nature. (1.) They will never make application to the idols of the heathen, for that would be foolish and fruitless: Are there any among the vanities of the Gentiles that can cause rain? No; in a time of great drought in Israel, Baal, though all Israel presented their prayers to him in the days of Ahab, could not relieve them; it was that God only who answered by fire that could answer by water too. (2.) They will not terminate their regards in second causes, nor expect supply from nature only: Can the heavens give showers? No, not without orders from the God of heaven; for it is he that has the key of the clouds, that opens the bottles of heaven and waters the earth from his chambers. But, (3.) All their expectation therefore is from him and their confidence in him: "Art not thou he, O Lord our God! from whom we may expect succour and to whom we must apply? Art thou not he that causest rain and givest showers? For thou hast made all these things; thou gavest them being, and therefore thou givest them law and hast them all at thy command; thou madest that moisture in nature which is in a constant circulation to serve the intentions of Providence, and thou directest it, and makest what use thou pleasest of it; therefore we will wait upon thee, and upon thee only; we will ask of the Lord rain, Zac 10:1. We will trust in him to give it to us in due time, and be willing to tarry his time; it is fit that we should, and it will not be in vain to do so." Note, The sovereignty of God should engage, and his all-sufficiency encourage, our attendance on him and our expectations from him at all times.
(Verse 18) If I go out to the fields, behold the slain with the sword: and if I enter the city, behold those who are weakened by hunger (or by the pain of hunger). The prophet and the priest have also gone to a land they do not know. It is a just cause for mourning, because a virgin has been broken, a daughter has been struck, and the people have been destroyed. For if, he says, I want to go out, I will see the killed; if I enter the city, I will see those who are weakened and barely clinging to their bones, visible due to the necessity of hunger. And what is surprising about saying this about the common people and the lowly crowd? When even the prophets and priests, who prophesied prosperity to others and who were supposed to unveil the commandments of the Law, themselves went to a land they did not know and endured the evil of captivity. Let our prophets and priests hear this, that there is no security either inside or outside because of their negligence: that those who are outside are scandalized and those who are inside perish from hunger; and those who were the authors of sin become associates in torment.
He is saying, We and our ancestors have also neglected the precepts of God by the same insanity. The measure of our ancestors, therefore, is filled up in us, in such a way that whatever was coming due to them would be added to our measure. This is why it was said, concerning Judah: “May the Lord remember his fathers and may the sin of his mother not be forgotten! May they always be opposed to the Lord, and may their memory be eradicated from the earth!”
And blessed Daniel the prophet, the divine Ezekiel (who was both prophet and priest) and many other priests in addition to them shared in these misfortunes. For God provided for those profane exiles and sent along also prophets that could be pedagogues and teachers so that the exiles might not incline entirely to godlessness.
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SUMMARY
Jeremiah 14:18 offers a poignant and devastating prophetic vision of Judah's impending judgment, as witnessed and lamented by Jeremiah. It graphically portrays a nation utterly consumed by divine discipline, where the countryside is littered with those slain by the sword, and the cities are ravaged by the slow, agonizing death of famine. This comprehensive devastation culminates in the forced exile and profound disorientation of even the nation's spiritual leaders—the prophets and priests—underscoring the inescapable consequences of persistent national sin and covenant unfaithfulness.
CONTEXT
Literary Context: Jeremiah 14:18 is the climactic verse of a profound lament (Jeremiah 14:1-18) that begins with a vivid description of a severe drought and famine afflicting Judah. The chapter unfolds with the people's desperate cries to God (Jeremiah 14:2-6), followed by their confession of sin (Jeremiah 14:7-9). However, God responds with a firm declaration of judgment, explicitly stating His refusal to hear their prayers due to their deep-seated idolatry and reliance on false prophets (Jeremiah 14:10-12). Jeremiah then intercedes, questioning the Lord about the false prophets' assurances of peace (Jeremiah 14:13), to which God sternly condemns these deceivers and promises that both the false prophets and those who believed them will perish by sword and famine (Jeremiah 14:14-16). Jeremiah 14:17-18 then shifts to the prophet's personal sorrow and lament, where he weeps over the inevitable and comprehensive destruction, summarizing the national catastrophe that will encompass war, famine, and the exile of all, including the spiritual leadership. Thus, verse 18 serves as a chilling and comprehensive summary of the judgment's reach.
Historical & Cultural Context: The historical setting for Jeremiah's prophetic ministry is the late 7th and early 6th centuries BCE, a period of immense geopolitical upheaval for the Kingdom of Judah. During this time, Judah found itself precariously positioned between the waning power of the Assyrian Empire, the ascendant might of the Neo-Babylonian Empire, and a resurgent Egypt. Judah's kings, often swayed by political expediency rather than divine counsel, vacillated between alliances and rebellion, consistently failing to place their trust solely in Yahweh. The specific calamities described in Jeremiah 14:18—death by sword and famine—are direct allusions to the Babylonian invasions and subsequent sieges of Jerusalem, particularly those culminating in 597 BCE and 586 BCE (as detailed in 2 Kings 24 and 2 Kings 25). These sieges led to horrific conditions within the city, with widespread starvation and disease, while the surrounding countryside was ravaged by military campaigns. The phrase "land that they know not" explicitly refers to the forced deportation of Judahites to Babylon, a common imperial strategy to dismantle national identity and prevent rebellion by uprooting conquered populations. The inclusion of prophets and priests among the exiled underscores the total disruption of Judah's religious, social, and political order, a direct and severe consequence of their collective and persistent unfaithfulness to the Mosaic Covenant.
Key Themes: Jeremiah 14:18 powerfully contributes to several foundational themes prevalent throughout the book of Jeremiah and the broader prophetic corpus. Firstly, it emphatically highlights the theme of Divine Judgment for Covenant Unfaithfulness. The widespread suffering depicted is not arbitrary but a direct and inevitable consequence of Judah's persistent idolatry, social injustice, and rejection of God's revealed word, precisely as warned in the covenant curses of Deuteronomy 28:15-68. Secondly, the verse underscores the theme of Comprehensive Desolation and Inescapable Consequences, illustrating that the impending catastrophe will spare no one, regardless of their location (field or city) or their social and spiritual status (common citizen, prophet, or priest). This pervasive destruction emphasizes the totality of God's discipline. Thirdly, the verse brings into sharp focus the Failure of Spiritual Leadership. The fact that "both the prophet and the priest go about into a land that they know not" is a profound indictment. It reveals the spiritual bankruptcy of a nation whose appointed guides either actively misled them with false prophecies of peace (as condemned in Jeremiah 14:14) or failed to effectively intercede and call the people to genuine repentance. This leadership vacuum and spiritual corruption significantly contributed to the nation's downfall and the severity of the divine discipline.
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
Jeremiah 14:18 masterfully employs several potent literary devices to convey its message of widespread desolation and despair. Parallelism is a prominent feature, particularly in the two contrasting yet complementary scenarios presented: "If I go forth into the field, then behold the slain with the sword!" and "if I enter into the city, then behold them that are sick with famine!" This antithetical parallelism emphasizes the comprehensive nature of the judgment, demonstrating that no place, whether rural or urban, is immune. Vivid Imagery is utilized to paint a grim and visceral picture, with phrases like "slain with the sword" and "sick with famine" evoking immediate and powerful responses of horror and pity from the reader. The concluding phrase, "go about into a land that they know not," is a poignant example of Pathos, appealing directly to the reader's emotions by highlighting the profound disorientation, loss of identity, and terror experienced by the exiled leaders. Furthermore, there is an element of Irony in this final statement, as those who were meant to guide the people in the knowledge of God and His ways are themselves led into a foreign land where they "know not," underscoring their spiritual failure and the ultimate futility of their false assurances.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Jeremiah 14:18 powerfully articulates the theological principle that God's covenant warnings are not empty threats but carry real and devastating consequences for persistent disobedience. It unequivocally demonstrates that divine judgment, though painful and severe, is an act of God's justice, holiness, and faithfulness to His own character and covenant promises. The comprehensive nature of the suffering—affecting all places and all people, including the spiritual leadership—underscores the depth of Judah's apostasy and the inescapable reach of God's discipline. This judgment serves as a stark reminder that true spiritual security and well-being lie not in religious rituals, national identity, or positions of authority, but in genuine repentance, humble submission, and faithful adherence to God's revealed word. The scene foreshadows the ultimate fulfillment of the covenant curses pronounced in the Pentateuch.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Jeremiah 14:18 serves as a profound and sobering reminder that persistent actions, particularly those of rebellion against divine truth, have grave consequences, not only for individuals but for entire communities and nations. It challenges us to deeply consider the gravity of spiritual rebellion and the pervasive impact of unfaithfulness. The suffering depicted, affecting both the common people and those in spiritual authority, underscores the principle that accountability extends to all, and that those entrusted with spiritual leadership bear an even greater responsibility to faithfully proclaim God's word, embody His truth, and lead by righteous example. This verse compels us to a rigorous self-examination: Are we truly heeding God's warnings in our own lives and communities? Are we pursuing genuine repentance when confronted with our sin, or are we complacent in our disobedience, perhaps relying on false assurances or empty rituals? It calls us to actively pray for and support faithful spiritual leadership, and to be vigilant against any form of spiritual compromise or deception that could lead to collective downfall. Ultimately, Jeremiah 14:18 points to the absolute necessity of a humble and wholehearted return to the Lord as the only true path to healing, restoration, and enduring security, recognizing that God's justice is always intertwined with His gracious call to repentance.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Why is God's judgment depicted as so severe in this passage?
Answer: The severity of God's judgment in Jeremiah 14:18 reflects the profound and persistent unfaithfulness of Judah to its covenant with Yahweh. For generations, the people had embraced idolatry, social injustice, and rejected the warnings of true prophets, relying instead on the deceptive assurances of peace from false prophets (as highlighted in Jeremiah 14:14). As a righteous and holy sovereign, God cannot simply overlook such rebellion. The Mosaic Law, particularly the covenant curses outlined in Deuteronomy 28 and Leviticus 26, explicitly warned of famine, sword, and exile as consequences for disobedience. Thus, the judgment is not arbitrary cruelty but a just and necessary act of divine discipline, intended to bring His people to repentance, uphold His holiness, and demonstrate His covenant faithfulness. It underscores that God takes sin seriously and that His warnings are not idle threats.
What does it mean that "both the prophet and the priest go about into a land that they know not"?
Answer: This phrase signifies the complete breakdown of Judah's social, political, and, most critically, its religious order, coupled with the profound disorientation of exile. The prophet was God's direct messenger, conveying divine revelation and warnings, while the priest served as an intermediary in worship, offering sacrifices, and providing instruction in the Law. Their forced deportation to a foreign land, specifically Babylon, meant the loss of their sacred duties, their connection to the Temple in Jerusalem, and their very identity within Israelite society. It highlights the severity of the judgment—that even those entrusted with spiritual leadership were not exempt from the consequences of national sin. Furthermore, it subtly underscores the failure of many of these leaders, particularly the false prophets, who had misled the people and contributed to their spiritual decline, ultimately sharing in the fate they had helped bring upon the nation. Their exile to a "land they know not" symbolizes not only their physical displacement but also their spiritual blindness and the loss of their spiritual bearings, emphasizing the comprehensive nature of God's judgment on a faithless nation.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Jeremiah 14:18, with its stark portrayal of comprehensive judgment, widespread suffering by sword and famine, and the ultimate failure and disorientation of Old Covenant leadership, finds profound Christ-centered fulfillment in the New Testament. The devastating consequences of humanity's sin and rebellion against God, so graphically depicted here, point directly to the reality that Jesus Christ came to address. While Judah's prophets and priests often failed to lead their people away from judgment and were themselves swept into exile, Jesus Christ stands as the true and faithful Prophet who perfectly declared God's will and revealed the Father (John 1:18). He is the perfect High Priest who offered Himself as the ultimate, once-for-all sacrifice for sin, making atonement where the Old Covenant sacrifices could not (Hebrews 7:27). The "land they know not" for the exiled leaders foreshadows the spiritual lostness and alienation of humanity apart from Christ, who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, leading us directly to the Father and into a secure, eternal inheritance (John 14:6). Through His atoning death on the cross, Jesus bore the full weight of God's righteous judgment against sin, taking upon Himself the "sword" of divine wrath and the "famine" of spiritual separation, so that all who believe in Him might escape eternal condemnation and enter into a new "land" of spiritual abundance, a heavenly country that is truly known and eternally secure in Him (Hebrews 11:16).