TRV
Study This Verse
Public-domain commentary
Matthew Henry
From his Commentary on the Whole Bible. Henry comments on passages, not single verses — this entry covers Jeremiah 16:14–21. His three-level outline is real structure in the source text, so it is rendered as structure.
There is a mixture of mercy and judgment in these verses, and it is hard to know to which to apply some of the passages here - they are so interwoven, and some seem to look as far forward as the times of the gospel.
I.God will certainly execute judgment upon them for their idolatries. Let them expect it, for the decree has gone forth.
1.God sees all their sins, though they commit them ever so secretly and palliate them ever so artfully (Jer 16:17): My eyes are upon all their ways. They have not their eye upon God, have no regard to him, stand in no awe of him; but he has his eye upon them; neither they nor their sins are hidden from his face, from his eyes. Note, None of the sins of sinners either can be concealed from God or shall be overlooked by him, Pro 5:21; Job 34:21; Psa 90:8.
2.God is highly displeased, particularly at their idolatries, Jer 16:18. As his omniscience convicts them, so his justice condemns them: I will recompense their iniquity and their sin double, not double to what it deserves, but double to what they expect and to what I have done formerly. Or I will recompense it abundantly; they shall now pay for their long reprieve and the divine patience they have abused. The sin for which God has a controversy with them is their having defiled God's land with their idolatries, and not only alienated that which he was entitled to as his inheritance, but polluted that which he dwelt in with delight as his inheritance, and made it offensive to him with the carcases of their detestable things, the gods themselves which they worshipped, the images of which, though they were of gold and silver, were as loathsome to God as the putrid carcases of men or beasts are to us. Idols are carcases of detestable things. God hates them, and so should we. Or he might refer to the sacrifices which they offered to these idols, with which the land was filled; for they had high places in all the coasts and corners of it. This was the sin which, above any other, incensed God against them.
3.He will find out and raise up instruments of his wrath, that shall cast them out of their land, according to the sentence passed upon them (Jer 16:16): I will send for many fishers and many hunters - the Chaldean army, that shall have many ways of ensnaring and destroying them, by fraud as fishers, by force as hunters. They shall find them out wherever they are, and shall chase and closely pursue them, to their ruin. They shall discover them wherever they are hid, in hills or mountains, or holes of the rocks, and shall drive them out. God has various ways of prosecuting a people with his judgments that avoid the convictions of his word. He has men at command fit for his purpose; he has them within call, and can send for them when he pleases.
4.Their bondage in Babylon shall be sorer and much more grievous than that in Egypt, their task-masters more cruel, and their lives made more bitter. This is implied in the promise (Jer 16:14, Jer 16:15), that their deliverance out of Babylon shall be more illustrious in itself, and more welcome to them, than that out of Egypt. Their slavery in Egypt came upon them gradually and almost insensibly; that in Babylon came upon them at once and with all the aggravating circumstances of terror. In Egypt they had a Goshen of their own, but none such in Babylon. In Egypt they were used as servants that were useful, in Babylon as captives that had been hateful.
5.They shall be warned, and God shall be glorified, by these judgments brought upon them. These judgments have a voice, and speak aloud, (1.) Instruction to them. When God chastens them he teaches them. By this rod God expostulates with them (Jer 16:20): "Shall a man make gods to himself? Will any man be so perfectly void of all reason and consideration as to think that a god of his own making can stand him in any stead? Will you ever again be such fools as you have been, to make to yourselves gods which are no gods, when you have a God whom you may call your own, who made you, and is himself the true and living God?" (2.) Honour to God; for he will be known by the judgments which he executes. He will first recompense their iniquity (Jer 16:18), and then he will this once (Jer 16:21) - this once for all, not by many interruptions of their peace, but this one desolation and destruction of it. "For this once, and no more, I will cause them to know my hand, the length and weight of my punishing hand, how far it can reach and how deeply it can wound. And they shall know that my name is Jehovah, a God with whom there is no contending, who gives being to threatenings and puts life into them as well as promises."
II.Yet he has mercy in store for them, intimations of which come in here for the encouragement of the prophet himself and of those few among them that tremble at God's word. It was said, with an air of severity (Jer 16:13), that God would banish them into a strange land; but, that thereby they might not be driven to despair, there follow immediately words of comfort.
1.The days will come, the joyful days, when the same hand that dispersed them shall gather them again, Jer 16:14, Jer 16:15. They are cast out, but they are not cast off, they are not cast away. They shall be brought up from the land of the north, the land of their captivity, where they are held with a strong hand, and from all the lands whither they are driven, and where they seemed to be lost and buried in the crowd; nay, I will bring them again into their own land, and settle them there. As he foregoing threatenings agreed with what was written in this law, so does this promise. Yet will I not cast them away, Lev 26:44. Thence will the Lord thy God gather thee, Deu 30:4. And the following words (Jer 16:16) may be understood as a promise; God will send for fishers and hunters, the Medes and Persians, that shall find them out in the countries where they are scattered, and send them back to their own land; or Zerubbabel, and others of their own nation, who should fish them out and hunt after them, to persuade them to return; or whatever instruments the Spirit of God made use of to stir up their spirits to go up, which at first they were backward to do. They began to nestle in Babylon; but, as an eagle stirs up her nest and flutters over her young, so God did by them, Zac 2:7.
2.Their deliverance out of Babylon should, upon some accounts, be more illustrious and memorable than their deliverance out of Egypt was. Both were the Lord's doing and marvellous in their eyes; both were proofs that the Lord liveth and were to be kept in everlasting remembrance, to his honour, as the living God; but the fresh mercy shall be so surprising, so welcome, that it shall even abolish the memory of the former. Not but that new mercies should put us in mind of old ones, and give us occasion to renew our thanksgivings for them; yet because we are tempted to think that the former days were better than these, and to ask, Where are all the wonders that our fathers told us of? as if God's arm had waxed short, and to cry up the age of miracles above the later ages, when mercies are wrought in a way of common providence, therefore we are allowed here comparatively to forget the bringing of Israel out of Egypt as a deliverance outdone by that out of Babylon. That was done by might and power, this by the Spirit of the Lord of hosts, Zac 4:6. In this there was more of pardoning mercy (the most glorious branch of divine mercy) than in that; for their captivity in Babylon had more in it of the punishment of sin than their bondage in Egypt; and therefore that which comforts Zion in her deliverance out of Babylon is this, that her iniquity is pardoned, Isa 40:2. Note, God glorifies himself, and we must glorify him, in those mercies that have no miracles in them, as well as in those that have. And, though the favours of God to our fathers must not be forgotten, yet those to ourselves in our own day we must especially give thanks for.
3.Their deliverance out of captivity shall be accompanied with a blessed reformation, and they shall return effectually cured of their inclination to idolatry, which will complete their deliverance and make it a mercy indeed. They had defiled their own land with their detestable things, Jer 16:18. But, when they have smarted for so doing, they shall come and humble themselves before God, Jer 16:19-21.
(1.)They shall be brought to acknowledge that their God only is God indeed, for he is a God in need - "My strength to support and comfort me, my fortress to protect and shelter me, and my refuge to whom I may flee in the day of affliction." Note, Need drives many to God who had set themselves at a distance from him. Those that slighted him in the day of their prosperity will be glad to flee to him in the day of their affliction.
(2.)They shall be quickened to return to him by the conversion of the Gentiles: The Gentiles shall come to thee from the ends of the earth; and therefore shall not we come? Or, "The Jews, who had by their idolatries made themselves as Gentiles (so I rather understand it), shall come to thee by repentance and reformation, shall return to their duty and allegiance, even from the ends of the earth, from all the countries whither they were driven." The prophet comforts himself with the hope of this, and in a transport of joy returns to God the notice he had given him of it: "O Lord! my strength and my fortress, I am now easy, since thou hast given me a prospect of multitudes that shall come to thee from the ends of the earth, both of Jewish converts and of Gentile proselytes." Note, Those that are brought to God themselves cannot but rejoice greatly to see others coming to him, coming back to him.
(3.)They shall acknowledge the folly of their ancestors, which it becomes them to do, when they were smarting for the sins of their ancestors: "Surely our fathers have inherited, not the satisfaction they promised themselves and their children, but lies, vanity, and things wherein there is no profit. We are now sensible that our fathers were cheated in their idolatrous worship; it did not prove what it promised, and therefore what have we to do any more with it?" Note, It were well if the disappointment which some have met with in the service of sin, and the pernicious consequences of it to them, might prevail to deter others from treading in their steps.
(4.)They shall reason themselves out of their idolatry; and that reformation is likely to be sincere and durable which results from a rational conviction of the gross absurdity there is in sin. They shall argue thus with themselves (and it is well argued), Should a man be such a fool, so perfectly void of the reason of a man, as to make gods to himself, the creatures of his own fancy, the work of his own hands, when they are really no gods? Jer 16:20. Can a man be so besotted, so perfectly lost to human understanding, as to expect any divine blessing or favour from that which pretends to no divinity but what it first received from him?
(5.)They shall herein give honour to God, and make it to appear that they know both his hand in his providence and his name in his word, and that they are brought to know his name by what they are made to know of his hand, Jer 16:21. This once, now at length, they shall be made to know that which they would not be brought to know by all the pains the prophets took with them. Note, So stupid are we that nothing less than the mighty hand of divine grace, known experimentally, can make us know rightly the name of God as it is revealed to us.
4.Their deliverance out of captivity shall be a type and figure of this great salvation to be wrought out by the Messiah, who shall gather together in one the children of God that were scattered abroad. And this is that which so far outshines the deliverance out of Egypt as even to eclipse the lustre of it, and make it even to be forgotten. To this some apply that of the many fishers and hunters, the preachers of the gospel, who were fishers of men, to enclose souls with the gospel net, to find them out in every mountain and hill, and secure them for Christ. Then the Gentiles came to God, some from the ends of the earth, and turned to the worship of him from the service of dumb idols.
Historical interpretation
Historical Reception
One surviving comment on this verse from the historical church.
(Vers. 14, 15.) Therefore, behold, days are coming," says the Lord, "and it will no longer be said, 'As the Lord lives, who brought the children of Israel up from the land of Egypt,' but 'As the Lord lives, who brought the children of Israel up from the land of the north and from all the lands where He had banished them.' For I will restore them to their land that I gave to their ancestors. Clearly, the future restoration of the people of Israel is predicted, and after their captivity comes mercy; which, according to the literal sense, was partially fulfilled under Zerubbabel and the high priest Joshua and Ezra; but according to the spiritual understanding, it is more truly and perfectly fulfilled in Christ. The time will come, he says, when it will no longer be said that the people were brought out of Egypt by Moses and Aaron, but that they were brought out of the land of the North, with Cyrus, the king of the Persians, releasing the captives. And concerning all lands, he says, this will not be fulfilled in the time of Cyrus, but at the very end, as the Apostle says: After the fullness of the Gentiles has entered, then all Israel will be saved (Rom. XI, 25, 26). We can also say this about the persecutions that happen to our people, from the days of Nero, about whom the Apostle writes: And I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion (I Tim. IV, 17), up until the times of Maximinus: how the Lord has had mercy on his people and brought them back to their land. Doubtless into the Church, which their fathers received, the Apostles and apostolic men.
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Summary
Jeremiah 16:15 serves as a profound declaration of God's unwavering faithfulness and future restoration, appearing as a beacon of hope amidst a chapter predominantly filled with prophecies of severe judgment and impending exile for Judah's idolatry. This verse solemnly proclaims that the eternally living and active Lord will orchestrate a new and even greater act of deliverance, surpassing the historical Exodus from Egypt. It vows that God will gather His dispersed people, Israel, from all the lands where He had driven them, bringing them back into the covenant land promised to their ancestors. This powerful assurance underscores God's ultimate commitment to His covenant and His people, offering an unwavering promise of restoration even in the darkest hours of impending punishment.
Context
Literary Context
Jeremiah 16 is a chapter steeped in pronouncements of divine judgment, where the prophet Jeremiah is dramatically forbidden from participating in the normal rites of marriage, mourning, or feasting. These prohibitions serve as stark prophetic signs of the unparalleled desolation awaiting Judah (verses 1-9). The reason for this severe punishment is explicitly stated in verses 10-13: Judah's persistent idolatry and abandonment of God's law, which will culminate in their expulsion from the covenant land. Amidst this grim prophecy of dispersion and suffering, verse 14 introduces a crucial pivot, hinting at a future event that will eclipse even the foundational Exodus from Egypt. Verse 15 then fully unveils this promise of a "new exodus," providing a radical and hopeful contrast to the preceding verses of doom. This strategic juxtaposition highlights God's absolute sovereignty over both judgment and restoration, ensuring that even His disciplinary actions ultimately serve His overarching redemptive purposes for His people.
Historical & Cultural Context
Jeremiah's prophetic ministry unfolded during a tumultuous epoch in Judah's history, specifically the waning years of the kingdom before the devastating Babylonian exile (late 7th and early 6th centuries BCE). The nation had plunged into deep idolatry, syncretistic practices, and pervasive social injustice, despite fervent warnings from prophets like Jeremiah. The "land of the north" primarily identifies Babylon, which was rapidly ascending as the dominant geopolitical power and would become God's chosen instrument for executing judgment, leading to the destruction of Jerusalem, the Temple in 586 BCE, and the subsequent mass deportation of the Jewish populace. Culturally, an oath sworn "as the LORD lives" (Hebrew: Chai Yahweh) represented the most potent and binding affirmation in ancient Israel, invoking God's very existence as the absolute guarantee of the statement's truth. When God Himself declares "The LORD liveth," as He does here, it signifies the ultimate divine guarantee, signaling absolute certainty that His promise will be fulfilled, irrespective of the current dire circumstances. The concept of "land" was inextricably linked to Israel's identity, directly tied to God's covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, rendering the promise of return profoundly significant for their national and spiritual existence.
Key Themes
Jeremiah 16:15 powerfully contributes to several overarching themes pervasive throughout the book of Jeremiah and the broader prophetic corpus. Firstly, it emphatically underscores the theme of Divine Sovereignty and Faithfulness, demonstrating God's absolute control over the unfolding of history, His capacity to execute both severe judgment and glorious salvation, and His unwavering commitment to His covenant promises despite human unfaithfulness. The solemn declaration "The LORD liveth" serves as the ultimate assurance of this divine attribute. Secondly, the verse introduces the pivotal theme of the New Exodus, presenting a future gathering of Israel that will be so glorious and comprehensive in scope that it will utterly eclipse the foundational Exodus from Egyptian bondage. This profound theme resonates throughout other prophetic books, such as Isaiah 43:18-19, which speaks of God doing "a new thing" that will render former mighty acts seemingly insignificant. Finally, it powerfully reinforces the theme of Restoration and the Land Covenant, affirming God's enduring commitment to bring His people back to the physical land He promised to their fathers, even after a period of severe dispersion and punishment. This promise of return is a recurring motif within Jeremiah, often intrinsically linked to a future of renewed covenant and profound spiritual transformation, as vividly portrayed in Jeremiah 31:31-34.
Exposition and Analysis
Key Word Analysis
This is the sacred, personal, and covenantal name of God, frequently rendered as Yahweh or Jehovah. It signifies "the self-Existent or Eternal," highlighting God's absolute being and unchanging nature. Its prominent placement here emphasizes that it is the immutable, ever-living, and faithful God of the covenant who is uttering this solemn declaration and promise. It underscores His unique identity as the one who was, and is, and is to come, the ultimate source of all life and truth.
Meaning "alive" or "living." When integrated into the phrase "The LORD liveth," it functions as a solemn, unbreakable divine oath. It asserts God's active, dynamic, and perpetual existence, and crucially, His absolute capacity and intention to fulfill His spoken word. This is not merely a statement of His being, but a powerful guarantee of His power and commitment to act according to His promises, elevating the subsequent declaration to the highest possible level of divine certainty.
Meaning "to turn back," "return," or "restore." This verb is critically important, as it signifies a complete reversal of the exile and dispersion that God's people were facing. It implies a deliberate, sovereign act of God to gather His people from their scattered state across various lands and to re-establish them securely in their homeland. The use of "again" powerfully highlights the reversal of the judgment of being "driven" out, emphasizing God's restorative power to undo the consequences of sin and to fulfill His ultimate redemptive purposes.
Verse Breakdown
"But, The LORD liveth"
This opening phrase functions as a profound divine oath, dramatically signaling a shift from the preceding pronouncements of judgment and despair. It is God Himself swearing by His own eternal existence and unshakeable faithfulness, thereby guaranteeing the absolute certainty of the promise that immediately follows. The adversative conjunction "But" signals a profound and hopeful contrast to the dire circumstances described earlier in the chapter and specifically to the preceding oath concerning judgment in Jeremiah 16:14.
"that brought up the children of Israel from the land of the north, and from all the lands whither he had driven them"
This clause meticulously describes both the scope and the nature of the promised restoration. It directly parallels, yet significantly surpasses, the original Exodus from Egypt. "The land of the north" primarily refers to Babylon, the imminent place of their exile, but the expansive phrase "all the lands whither he had driven them" broadens the promise to encompass any and all future dispersions of Israel across the globe. The active verb "had driven them" candidly acknowledges God's sovereign hand in their dispersion as a direct consequence of their sin, but it simultaneously sets the stage for His equally sovereign and powerful act of gathering.
"and I will bring them again into their land that I gave unto their fathers"
This final clause articulates the ultimate destination and the foundational basis of the promised restoration. The emphatic phrase "I will bring them again" reiterates God's personal, active, and resolute involvement in this miraculous return. The "land that I gave unto their fathers" refers unequivocally to the Promised Land, emphasizing God's enduring commitment to the land covenant originally established with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. This highlights that the restoration is not merely a geographical re-entry, but a profound re-establishment of the covenant relationship and the faithful fulfillment of ancient, foundational promises.
Literary Devices
Jeremiah 16:15 is rich with several powerful literary devices that amplify its message of divine certainty and hope. The most prominent is the Oath Formula, "The LORD liveth," which serves as an unbreakable divine guarantee, elevating the subsequent promise to the realm of immutable truth. This oath creates a striking Contrast with the preceding verses of judgment and desolation, serving as a radiant beacon of hope amidst profound despair. The verse also employs Typology and Hyperbole by declaring that the future gathering will be so significant and glorious that it will overshadow the original Exodus from Egypt. This "New Exodus" motif is a form of Prophecy that not only foretells a future event but also reinterprets and magnifies past redemptive acts. Furthermore, the subtle repetition of "land" (H776, ʼerets' and H127, ʼădâmâh') throughout the verse and the broader chapter reinforces the centrality of the promised inheritance to Israel's identity and underscores God's unwavering covenant faithfulness.
Theological and Thematic Connections
Jeremiah 16:15 stands as a profound testament to God's unwavering faithfulness and His ultimate redemptive purpose for His chosen people, Israel. Even in the face of their profound unfaithfulness and the severe judgments it necessitates, God's covenant promises remain immutable and unbreakable. This verse teaches a crucial theological truth: divine judgment is not God's final word, but rather it is often a sovereign means through which God purifies His people, refines their faith, and prepares them for a greater, more glorious display of His grace and power. The promise of a "new exodus" that will surpass the original highlights God's infinite capacity to do "new things" that are even more glorious and comprehensive than His mighty acts of the past, demonstrating His dynamic and ever-active sovereignty in the unfolding of human history. It profoundly underscores that God's commitment to His people and His promises concerning the land are eternal, providing an enduring source of hope for future restoration even when all seems utterly lost.
Reflection and Application
Jeremiah 16:15 offers immense comfort and serves as a powerful reminder of God's sovereign control and enduring faithfulness, even when life's circumstances appear overwhelmingly bleak or chaotic. For believers today, this verse provides a profound assurance that God's eternal plans are never thwarted by human sin, failure, or the consequences thereof. Just as He solemnly promised to gather Israel from every land of their dispersion, so too can we trust Him implicitly to restore and redeem our own lives from the "exiles" of sin, brokenness, despair, or the painful consequences of our choices. It calls us to cultivate a posture of faith, looking beyond immediate hardships and any perceived abandonment to God's ultimate purpose, which is always for restoration, reconciliation, and the glorious fulfillment of His promises. This passage cultivates a deep and abiding sense of hope, reminding us that God is not only the God who justly judges but also the God of an even greater redemption, supremely capable of turning our deepest valleys into pathways for renewed hope and the magnificent realization of His perfect will.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
What is the significance of the phrase "The LORD liveth" in this verse?
The phrase "The LORD liveth" (Hebrew: Yahweh chai) is a solemn oath, representing the strongest possible affirmation in ancient Israelite culture. When God Himself declares it, as He does here, it functions as an absolute divine guarantee, underscoring His eternal existence, His active and dynamic presence, and the unshakeable certainty that the promise He is about to make will undoubtedly come to pass. It stands in stark contrast to the preceding oath of judgment in Jeremiah 16:14, powerfully emphasizing that His ultimate plan for His people is one of restoration, not merely judgment.
How does this "new exodus" compare to the original Exodus from Egypt?
Jeremiah 16:15 prophesies a future deliverance so profoundly significant that it will overshadow the original Exodus from Egypt. While the first Exodus brought Israel out of slavery in a single nation, Egypt, this "new exodus" promises to gather them from "the land of the north" (primarily Babylon) and "all the lands whither he had driven them." This implies a far more widespread dispersion and a more comprehensive, global gathering. The original Exodus established Israel as a nascent nation; the new exodus promises their re-establishment and re-gathering after a period of severe judgment and global dispersion, powerfully highlighting God's enduring faithfulness to His covenant even through their unfaithfulness. It speaks to a greater scope of redemption and often implies a deeper spiritual renewal, as hinted at in other prophetic texts like Isaiah 43:18-19.
Christ-Centered Fulfillment
Jeremiah 16:15, with its profound promise of a new and even greater gathering of Israel, finds its ultimate and most profound fulfillment in the person and work of Jesus Christ. While the verse speaks of a physical return to the land, the New Testament reveals that the true and lasting "gathering" is spiritual, bringing all of God's people—both Jew and Gentile—into His eternal kingdom through saving faith in Christ. Jesus Himself is the ultimate "Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!" (John 1:29), making possible the spiritual return from the "exile" of sin and alienation from God. He is the Good Shepherd who actively gathers His scattered sheep, drawing them into His one fold (John 10:16) and building His church, which is a new spiritual temple where God dwells (Ephesians 2:19-22). The promise of being brought "into their land that I gave unto their fathers" is ultimately fulfilled in the spiritual inheritance of believers in Christ, who are now heirs according to the promise given to Abraham (Galatians 3:29) and who eagerly anticipate the new heavens and new earth, the eternal dwelling place of righteousness where God will reside with His people forever (Revelation 21:1-4). Thus, the "new exodus" envisioned in Jeremiah is not merely a geographical return but a profound spiritual transformation and eternal restoration accomplished through the life, atoning death, and glorious resurrection of the living Lord, Jesus Christ.