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Matthew Henry
From his Commentary on the Whole Bible. Henry comments on passages, not single verses — this entry covers Jeremiah 7:29–34. His three-level outline is real structure in the source text, so it is rendered as structure.
Here is, I. A loud call to weeping and mourning. Jerusalem, that had been a joyous city, the joy of the whole earth, must now take up a lamentation on high places (Jer 7:29), the high places where they had served their idols; there must they now bemoan their misery. In token both of sorrow and slavery, Jerusalem must now cut off her hair and cast it away; the word is peculiar to the hair of the Nazarites, which was the badge and token of their dedication to God, and it is called their crown. Jerusalem had been a city which was a Nazarite to God, but now must cut off her hair, must be profaned, degraded, and separated from God, as she had been separated to him. It is time for those that have lost their holiness to lay aside their joy.
II.Just cause given for this great lamentation.
1.The sin of Jerusalem appears here very heinous, nowhere worse, or more exceedingly sinful (Jer 7:30): "The children of Judah" (God's profession people, that came forth out of the waters of Judah, Isa 48:1) "have done evil in my sight, under my eye, in my presence; they have affronted me to my face, which very much aggravates the affront:" or, "They have done that which they know to be evil in my sight, and in the highest degree offensive to me." Idolatry was the sin which was above all other sins evil in God's sight. Now here are two things charged upon them in their idolatry, which were very provoking:
(1.)That they were very impudent in it towards God and set him at defiance: They have set their abominations (their abominable idols and the altars erected to them) in the house that is called by my name, in the very courts of the temple, to pollute it (Manasseh did so, Kg2 21:7, Kg2 23:12), as if they thought God would connive at it, or cared not though he was ever so much displeased with it, or as if they would reconcile heaven and hell, God and Baal. The heart is the place which God has chosen to put his name there; if sin have the innermost and uppermost place there, we pollute the temple of the Lord, and therefore he resents nothing more than setting up idols in the heart, Eze 14:4.
(2.)That they were very barbarous in it towards their own children, Jer 7:31. They have particularly built the high places of Tophet, where the image of Moloch was set up, in the valley of the son of Hinnom, adjoining to Jerusalem; and there they burnt their sons and their daughters in the fire, burnt them alive, killed them, and killed them in the most cruel manner imaginable, to honour or appease those idols that were devils and not gods. This was surely the greatest instance that ever was of the power of Satan in the children of disobedience, and of the degeneracy and corruption of the human nature. One would willingly hope that there were not many instances of such a barbarous idolatry; but it is amazing that there should be any, that men could be so perfectly void of natural affection as to do a thing so inhuman as to burn little innocent children, and their own too, that they should be so perfectly void of natural religion as to think it lawful to do this, nay, to think it acceptable. Surely it was in a way of righteous judgment, because they had changed the glory of God into the similitude of a beast, that God gave them up to such vile affections that changed them into worse than beasts. God says of this that it was what he commanded them not, neither cam it into his heart, which is not meant of his not commanding them thus to worship Moloch (this he had expressly forbidden them), but he had never commanded that his worshippers should be at such an expense, nor put such a force upon their natural affection, in honouring him; it never came into his heart to have children offered to him, yet they had forsaken his service for the service of such gods as, by commanding this, showed themselves to be indeed enemies to mankind.
2.The destruction of Jerusalem appears here very terrible. That speaks misery enough in general (Jer 7:29), The Lord hath rejected and forsaken the generation of his wrath. Sin makes those the generation of God's wrath that had ben the generation of his love. And God will reject and quite forsake those who have thus made themselves vessels of wrath fitted to destruction. He will disown them for his. "Verily, I say unto you, I know you not." And he will give them up to the terrors of their own guilt, and leave them in those hands.
(1.)Death shall triumph over them, Jer 7:32. 33. Sin reigns unto death; for that is the wages of it, the end of those things. Tophet, the valley adjoining to Jerusalem, shall be called the valley of slaughter, for there multitudes shall be slain, when, in their sallies out of the city and their attempts to escape, they fall into the hands of the besiegers. Or it shall be called the valley of slaughtered ones, because thither the corpses of those that are slain shall be brought to be buried, all other burying places being full; and there they shall bury until there be no more place to make a grave. This intimates the multitude of those that shall die by the sword, pestilence, and famine. Death shall ride on prosperously, with dreadful pomp and power, conquering and to conquer. The slain of the Lord shall be many. This valley of Tophet was a place where the citizens of Jerusalem walked to take the air; but it shall now be spoiled for that use, for it shall be so full of graves that there shall be no walking there, because of the danger of contracting a ceremonial pollution by the touch of a grave. There it was that they sacrificed some of their children, and dedicated others to Moloch, and there they should fall as victims to divine justice. Tophet had formerly been the burying place, or burning place, of the dead bodies of the besiegers, when the Assyrian army was routed by an angel; and for this it was ordained of old, Isa 30:33. But they having forgotten this mercy, and made it the place of their sin, God will now turn it into a burying place for the besieged. In allusion to this valley, hell is in the New Testament called Gehenna - the valley of Hinnom, for there were buried both the invading Assyrians and the revolting Jews; so hell is a receptacle after death both for infidels and hypocrites, the open enemies of God's church and its treacherous friends; it is the congregation of the dead; it is prepared for the generation of God's wrath. But so great shall that slaughter be that even the spacious valley of Tophet shall not be able to contain the slain; and at length there shall not be enough left alive to bury the dead, so that the carcases of the people shall be meat for the birds and beasts of prey, that shall feed upon them like carrion, and none shall have the concern or courage to frighten them away, as Rizpah did from the dead bodies of Saul's sons, 2 Sa. 28:26, Thy carcase shall be meat to the fowls and beasts, and no man shall drive them away. Thus do the law and the prophets agree, and the execution with both. The decent burying of the dead is a piece of humanity, in remembrance of what the dead body has been - the tabernacle of a reasonable soul. Nay, it is a piece of divinity, in expectation of what the dead body shall be at the resurrection. The want of it has sometimes been an instance of the rage of men against God's witnesses, Rev 11:9. Here it is threatened as an instance of the wrath of God against his enemies, and is an intimation that evil pursues sinners even after death.
(2.)Joy shall depart from them (Jer 7:34): Then will I cause to cease the voice of mirth. God had called by his prophets, and by less judgments, to weeping and mourning; but they walked contrary to him, and would hear of nothing but joy and gladness, Isa 22:12, Isa 22:13. And what came of it? Now God called to lamentation (Jer 7:29), and he made his call effectual, leaving them neither cause nor heart for joy and gladness. Those that will not weep shall weep; those that will not by the grace of God be cured of their vain mirth shall by the justice of God be deprived of all mirth; for when God judges he will overcome. It is threatened here that there shall be nothing to rejoice in. There shall be none of the joy of weddings; no mirth, for there shall be no marriages. The comforts of life shall be abandoned, and all care to keep up mankind upon earth cast off; there shall be none of the voice of the bridegroom and the bride, no music, no nuptial songs. Nor shall there be any more of the joy of the harvest, for the land shall be desolate, uncultivated and unimproved. Both the cities of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem shall look thus melancholy; and when they thus look about them, and see no cause to rejoice, no marvel if they retire into themselves and find no heart to rejoice. Note, God can soon mar the mirth of the most jovial, and make it to cease, which is a reason why we should always rejoice with trembling, be merry and wise.
Historical interpretation
Historical Reception
3 surviving comments on this verse. Each one is dated, so this reads as a timeline rather than a list.
The wrath of the Lord, therefore, is just. It is kindled and poured out on a contemptuous and stiff-necked people who are unwilling to hear the words of God. Yet, as we said above, how God continued to send prophets to them all day long and even through the night!
(Verse 29.) Shave your hair and cast it away, and take up a lamentation upon your lips: for the Lord has cast off and abandoned the generation of his wrath. And when Job heard of the death of his sons and daughters, he tore his garments and shaved his head (Job 1): and among the ancients, it was the custom of mourners to shave their hair. But now, on the contrary, letting one's hair down is a sign of mourning. However, every lamentation and prophetic wailing is undertaken for this reason: because the Lord has cast off and abandoned the generation of his wrath. There is no doubt that it signifies the people of the Jews. And especially this can be referred to the time of Christ, when faith perishes, and the Lord is blasphemed by the people.
“Have no doubt,” he says, “that they are stiff-necked and that their works are worse than those of their ancestors. Behold, I give them a place of penance. I do not speak that they may repent, but I only predict what is coming. In any event, you will now speak my word to them and they will not listen to you, and you will call them and they will not answer you, for they are so prideful that when you ask them for a hearing, no one will even bother to respond. And you should then say to them: This is the generation who did not listen to the voice of the Lord their God or accepted his discipline.” It is beautiful, as I said before, not that he calls his own people, but that he calls the human race. For, although at the time of the prophets, it was done in part and as a foreshadowing, it was only fulfilled in Christ, when they refused to accept discipline and despised the voice of their Lord. Thus, Jeremiah has the apt phrase: “faith has perished”—which is distinctive of Christians—“and was removed from their mouth,” clearly referring to the confession of faith of the child of God.
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Summary
Jeremiah 7:29 serves as a climactic and devastating pronouncement within the prophet's "Temple Sermon," commanding Jerusalem to undertake a symbolic act of extreme mourning and humiliation. This divine decree signifies the exhaustion of God's patience, marking an irreversible judgment upon Judah due to their entrenched idolatry, moral corruption, and persistent rebellion against His covenant. The verse underscores that the Lord has definitively rejected and abandoned "the generation of his wrath," highlighting the dire and inevitable consequences of their unrepentant sin and the impending national catastrophe.
Context
Literary Context
Jeremiah 7:29 stands as a pivotal and climactic declaration within Jeremiah's profound "Temple Sermon," spanning Jeremiah 7:1-15. In this crucial address, the prophet confronts Judah's dangerous complacency and false security, rooted in their erroneous belief that the mere presence of the Jerusalem Temple guaranteed divine protection, regardless of their conduct (see Jeremiah 7:4). Prior to this verse, Jeremiah meticulously enumerates the people's egregious sins—including theft, murder, adultery, perjury, and rampant idolatry—all committed while hypocritically claiming sanctuary in God's sacred house (Jeremiah 7:9-10). The Lord's repeated and earnest calls for genuine repentance and amendment of their ways (Jeremiah 7:3, Jeremiah 7:5-7) have been met with obstinate refusal. Consequently, verse 29 functions as a stark and final pronouncement of judgment, immediately preceding further graphic descriptions of their abominable practices, such as child sacrifice in the Valley of Ben Hinnom (Jeremiah 7:30-31), which ultimately leads to the desolation of the land and the scattering of bones (Jeremiah 7:32-34). This verse thus marks a grim and irreversible turning point, signaling the end of God's forbearance and the commencement of the promised covenant curses.
Historical & Cultural Context
The prophecy articulated in Jeremiah 7:29 is delivered during a deeply turbulent and morally compromised period in Judah's history, most likely in the early years of King Jehoiakim's reign (609-598 BC). This era was characterized by a severe resurgence of idolatry, moral decay, and political instability, effectively undoing the brief but significant spiritual reforms initiated under the pious King Josiah. Jerusalem, as the capital and site of the sacred Temple, was erroneously perceived by many as inviolable, fostering a dangerous and pervasive spiritual complacency. Culturally, the act of cutting off one's hair was a profoundly potent and universally recognized symbol of extreme grief, shame, and national humiliation in the ancient Near East. It was often associated with deep mourning for the dead (e.g., Job 1:20), a public display of disgrace, or the stripping away of honor, beauty, and even identity. The "high places" (Hebrew: bamot) were typically elevated sites, often illicitly used for pagan worship and idolatrous rituals throughout Judah. Their designation in this verse as places for lamentation is deeply ironic, underscoring that the very locations of their sin would become the stages for their widespread and inescapable sorrow. The people's persistent reliance on ritualistic observance over genuine covenant faithfulness, despite repeated divine warnings, had pushed God to this point of profound rejection and impending judgment.
Key Themes
This verse powerfully encapsulates several overarching and critical themes prevalent throughout the book of Jeremiah and the broader prophetic literature. Firstly, it highlights the inexorable reality of Divine Judgment and Retribution, unequivocally demonstrating that God's patience has limits and that persistent, unrepentant sin inevitably leads to severe and just consequences. The phrase "generation of his wrath" starkly underscores that Judah's current catastrophic state is a direct result of their accumulated rebellion, a theme powerfully echoed in God's declaration that He will cast them out of His sight, just as He did Ephraim (Jeremiah 7:15). Secondly, it emphasizes the Futility of False Security, particularly the perilous danger of relying on outward religious symbols or institutions (like the Temple) without genuine inward transformation and obedience, a warning that resonates throughout the entire book (Jeremiah 7:4). Thirdly, the command to cut off hair and lament points to Profound National Mourning and Humiliation, signifying the complete stripping away of Judah's glory, honor, and identity, and foreshadowing the depth of their impending suffering, which would be tragically realized in the Babylonian exile (Lamentations 1:1-3). Finally, it implicitly underscores the fundamental Covenant Violation that precipitated this judgment; Judah's persistent idolatry and unrighteousness had broken their sacred covenant with Yahweh, leading to the imposition of the covenant curses rather than the blessings (Deuteronomy 28:15-68).
Exposition and Analysis
Key Word Analysis
This primitive root (H1494) signifies "to cut off," specifically "to shear a flock or shave the hair." Figuratively, it can mean "to destroy an enemy." In this imperative command, it refers to a drastic, self-inflicted act of shearing, symbolizing profound grief, shame, and the stripping away of beauty, honor, and national glory, much like a nation being shorn of its dignity and strength. It implies a complete and irreversible loss.
This term (H5145) properly refers to "something set apart," such as the dedication of a priest or Nazirite, and concretely, "unshorn locks." By implication, it can also refer to a crown or chaplet, especially of royalty, signifying consecration or distinction. Here, the command to cut off the nezer signifies the removal of what was once a mark of consecration, beauty, or national glory, transforming it into a symbol of desecration, disgrace, and public humiliation.
This primitive root (H3988) means "to spurn," "abhor," "cast away (off)," "despise," "disdain," or "refuse." It conveys a strong sense of utter contempt, definitive dismissal, and a complete withdrawal of favor. When applied to God's action, it indicates a decisive and irreversible abandonment of His covenant people due to their profound vileness and persistent rebellion, signifying that their actions have made them abhorrent in His sight.
Verse Breakdown
"Cut off thine hair, [O Jerusalem], and cast [it] away,"
This is a direct, imperative command addressed to Jerusalem, personified as a grieving woman. The act of cutting off hair, particularly the long, flowing hair that was a mark of beauty, status, and sometimes even consecrated identity (as with Nazirites), and then casting it away, symbolizes extreme mourning, public humiliation, and the complete stripping away of all national glory and honor. It is a visual and visceral prophecy of the impending desolation and disgrace that will befall the city and its inhabitants.
"and take up a lamentation on high places;"
Following the symbolic act of self-mutilation for grief, Jerusalem is commanded to engage in public and widespread lamentation. "Lamentation" (Hebrew: qîynâh, H7015) refers specifically to a dirge or funeral song, typically sung in mourning. The "high places" (Hebrew: shᵉphîy, H8205) were often elevated sites, notoriously used for illicit pagan worship and idolatrous rituals throughout Judah. Now, with profound irony, they are designated as the very stages where the people's despair, sorrow, and public wailing will be openly expressed, suggesting the pervasive and inescapable nature of the coming judgment that will affect even those places where God was most grievously dishonored.
"for the LORD hath rejected and forsaken the generation of his wrath."
This concluding clause provides the divine rationale and ultimate justification for the preceding commands. The "LORD" (Yahweh, H3068) is the covenant God of Israel, whose actions are always righteous and just. His decisive acts of "rejected" (H3988 mâʼaç) and "forsaken" (H5203 nâṭash) signify a complete and irreversible withdrawal of His covenantal favor, protection, and presence. The phrase "the generation (H1755 dôwr) of his wrath (H5678 ʻebrâh)" identifies the current generation of Judah as the specific recipients and embodiment of God's righteous, accumulated anger. This highlights that their persistent idolatry, moral depravity, and unrepentant rebellion have brought about this severe and deserved divine judgment, leaving them without hope of reprieve from His just indignation.
Literary Devices
Jeremiah 7:29 employs several powerful literary devices to convey its stark and somber message of impending judgment. Personification is prominently featured as Jerusalem is directly addressed and commanded to perform acts of mourning, as if the city itself were a grieving woman. The command to "Cut off thine hair" is a potent Symbolism, representing the complete stripping away of Judah's beauty, honor, and national glory, akin to a widow or a disgraced individual. This symbolic action also functions as a Prophetic Sign-Act, a performative utterance that embodies the very message being delivered—the nation's impending humiliation and sorrow. The mention of "high places" is used with profound Irony, as these sites, historically associated with Judah's idolatrous worship and rebellion against Yahweh, are now designated as the very stages for their national lamentation, underscoring that the places of their sin will witness their deepest sorrow. The phrase "generation of his wrath" serves as a powerful Metaphor or Metonymy, identifying the people as the direct object and embodiment of God's accumulated righteous anger, emphasizing the severe and deserved nature of the impending divine judgment. The entire verse functions as a Dirge or funeral lament, even before the actual destruction, setting a tone of inevitable doom and profound despair.
Theological and Thematic Connections
Jeremiah 7:29 profoundly illustrates the theological principle of divine justice and the covenantal consequences of persistent human unfaithfulness. While God is inherently patient, longsuffering, and abundant in mercy, His holiness and righteousness demand accountability for unrepentant sin. The rejection of Judah is not an arbitrary act but a direct, just, and sorrowful consequence of their repeated and defiant covenant violations, particularly their pervasive idolatry, moral corruption, and spiritual apostasy, despite numerous prophetic warnings and opportunities for repentance. This verse underscores the severe nature of divine judgment when a people, entrusted with God's law, presence, and blessings, defiantly turn away. It reveals that outward religious observance, ritualistic performance, or reliance on sacred institutions without genuine inward transformation and heartfelt obedience is an abomination to God, ultimately leading to the withdrawal of His protective hand and the imposition of the covenant curses outlined in His law.
Reflection and Application
Jeremiah 7:29 serves as a timeless and profoundly sobering reminder that God desires genuine heart-obedience and faithful devotion over mere ritualistic performance or superficial religious affiliation. For us today, it challenges any complacency that might arise from our spiritual heritage, church attendance, or denominational identity without a true, living, and active relationship with God. We are compelled to examine our own lives: are we relying on past spiritual experiences, outward acts of piety, or the perceived sanctity of our religious traditions as a shield against the ongoing need for daily repentance, sincere devotion, and radical obedience? This verse issues a stark warning against the spiritual danger of presuming upon God's grace while continuing in patterns of disobedience or spiritual apathy. It compels us to consider the cumulative and devastating effect of unaddressed sin in our individual lives and within our communities, reminding us that persistent rebellion eventually leads to severe consequences, both personally and corporately. The lamentation commanded for Jerusalem should prompt us to mourn over our own sins and the sins prevalent in our society, fostering a spirit of humility, godly sorrow, and a renewed commitment to walk in truth, righteousness, and genuine faithfulness before the Lord.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Why was cutting off hair such a significant act of mourning in ancient Israel?
Cutting off hair, particularly the unshorn locks (Hebrew: nezer, H5145) which could symbolize beauty, strength, honor, or even a consecrated status (as seen in the Nazirite vow in Numbers 6:5), was a profound and culturally significant act of public mourning and humiliation in ancient Israel. It signified the stripping away of honor, glory, and sometimes even life itself, much like one would shave their head or tear their clothes in deep grief for the dead (e.g., Job 1:20). In Jeremiah 7:29, it symbolizes Jerusalem's complete disgrace, the loss of its national identity, and the definitive withdrawal of divine favor, powerfully foreshadowing the utter devastation of the Babylonian exile where their glory would be utterly shorn and their pride brought low.
What does it mean that God has "rejected" and "forsaken" this generation?
This phrase signifies a definitive, severe, and sorrowful divine judgment. "Rejected" (Hebrew: mâʼaç, H3988) implies a spurning, abhorrence, or a complete withdrawal of favor, indicating that something has become utterly contemptible in God's sight. "Forsaken" (Hebrew: nâṭash, H5203) means to abandon, let go, or cast off. Together, these terms indicate that God has decisively withdrawn His covenant protection, presence, and blessings from this particular generation of Judah. "The generation (H1755 dôwr) of his wrath (H5678 ʻebrâh)" refers to the people of that specific historical period who, through their persistent idolatry, moral corruption, and unrepentant rebellion against His covenant, had accumulated God's righteous anger and were now facing the full, just weight of His judgment. It means their actions had pushed God to a point where His justice demanded a complete severing of their relationship and the imposition of the covenant curses, as detailed in Deuteronomy 28.
Christ-Centered Fulfillment
Jeremiah 7:29, with its stark pronouncement of God's rejection and the command for lamentation, finds its ultimate Christ-centered fulfillment not in the permanent abandonment of humanity, but in the redemptive work of Jesus Christ. The "generation of his wrath" in Jeremiah points to the universal human condition under the just wrath of God due to sin, a wrath revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men (Romans 1:18). However, God's ultimate plan for humanity was not merely to reject, but to provide a means of profound reconciliation. Jesus, the true Temple (as prophesied in John 2:19-21), became the ultimate sacrifice, taking upon Himself the divine wrath that humanity deserved. On the cross, in the darkest hour, He cried out, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" (Matthew 27:46), experiencing the very abandonment described in Jeremiah 7:29, so that those who believe in Him would never be forsaken by God (Hebrews 13:5). The lamentation commanded for Jerusalem foreshadows the profound sorrow over sin that leads to repentance, a godly sorrow that is ultimately transformed into joy through the forgiveness and new life offered by Christ (2 Corinthians 7:10). Through His perfect obedience and atoning death, Jesus fulfills the covenant demands that Israel failed to meet, offering a new covenant where God's people are no longer a "generation of wrath," but children of grace, reconciled to God through faith in the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29; Romans 5:9). Thus, the judgment pronounced in Jeremiah 7:29 powerfully highlights the desperate need for the salvation that only Christ provides, turning God's righteous wrath away from all who take refuge in Him.