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Matthew Henry

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Jeremiah 10:17-25

In these verses, I. The prophet threatens, in God's name, the approaching ruin of Judah and Jerusalem, Jer. 10:17, 18. The Jews that continued in their own land, after some were carried into captivity, were very secure; they thought themselves inhabitants of a fortress; their country was their strong hold, and, in their own conceit, impregnable; but they are here told to think of leaving it: they must prepare to go after their brethren, and pack up their effects in expectation of it: ?Gather... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Jeremiah 10:23

O Lord, I know that the way of man is not in himself ,.... Kimchi and Ben Melech interpret it of that well known man Nebuchadnezzar, whose way was not in himself, and was not master of his own resolutions, but was under the influence and direction of divine Providence: when he set out of Babylon, he thought to have gone against the Ammonites; but when he came to a place where two ways met; the one leading to the children of Ammon, the other to Jerusalem; God changed his mind, and he steered... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Jeremiah 10:23

O Lord, I know that the way of man is not in himself - I will not pretend to dispute with thee; thou dost every thing wisely and justly; we have sinned, and thou hast a right to punish; and to choose that sort of punishment thou thinkest will best answer the ends of justice. We cannot choose; thou hast appointed us to captivity; we must not repine: yet, read more

John Calvin

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Jeremiah 10:23

Verse 23 The Jews confine this to Sennacherib, who had, according to his own will, at one time resolved to attack the Ammonites, at another the Moabites, and to reduce them under his own power; but had been induced by a sudden impulse to go to Judea. But this is frivolous. The Prophet, I doubt not, referred to the Jews, who had for a long time been accustomed to dismiss every fear, as though they were able by their own counsels to consult in the best way for the public good: for we know, that... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Jeremiah 10:23

The way of man. The prophet probably speaks here not merely for himself, but in the name of the whole nation. He gives articulate utterance to the better elements of thought and feeling existing among them, their conscious shortsightedness as regards the meaning and issue of their own national experiences, their helpless dependence on the unseen Divine power that is working out through the terrible events of the time its own all-wise purposes. An important view of human life is here... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Jeremiah 10:23

The way of man not in himself. I. MAN IS NOT TO BE THE CHOOSER OF HIS WAY . "I know that the way of man is not in himself." It is surely not without significance that אָדָם is here used for "man." To the Hebrew there must always have been the opportunity of peculiar suggestions upon the occurrence of this word. Adam would rise to mind, the first man, with God's purposes for him, and his speedy calamitous departure from those purposes. God made Adam that he might... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Jeremiah 10:23-24

Confession and correction. I. GENUINE CONFESSION INVOLVES A CLEAR RECOGNITION OF DUTY AND A WILLINGNESS TO RECEIVE NECESSARY CORRECTION . 1. There must be a recognition of duty . We cannot confess the wrong till we know the right. Conscience awakes only when a standard of right outside ourselves is perceived. 2. There must be a willingness to receive necessary correction . If we make honest confession of sin, we imply that we desire to be free... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Jeremiah 10:23-25

These verses confirm the view taken above, of the speaker of this whole section. Jeremiah and the people, each is, in a sense, the speaker; but hero the prophetic faith seems to run rather in advance of that of his fellow-countrymen. They form, however, a fitting sequel to the charges brought against the people in Jeremiah 9:1-26 . The speaker admits that he (either the People of Judah personified, or Jeremiah as a representative of its best portion) fully deserves chastisement for having... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Jeremiah 10:23-25

Fruits of a chastened spirit. From what foul soil do the fairest flowers spring! Beautiful as they are, they are rooted in that which is altogether unbeautiful. The sweet perfume of many woods, seeds, flowers, will not be given forth until they are gashed with the axe, or bruised, or crushed, or otherwise seemingly maltreated. We could not have the many-hued arch of the exquisitely tinted rainbow were it not for the drear, dark clouds and the descending rain. The most precious of the... read more

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