17. I—Jehovah. cockatrices—basilisks (Isaiah 11:8), that is, enemies whose destructive power no means, by persuasion or otherwise, can counteract. Serpent-charmers in the East entice serpents by music, and by a particular pressure on the neck render them incapable of darting (Psalms 58:4; Psalms 58:5). read more
Incorrigible Judah 8:4-10:25The twin themes of Judah’s stubborn rebellion and her inevitable doom tie this section of miscellaneous messages together. The section contains mostly poetic material, and the prophecies bear the marks of Jehoiakim’s early reign (perhaps shortly after 609 B.C.). read more
The fruitless nation 8:13-17 read more
The enemy would be like a batch of poisonous snakes that no one could charm, that would bite the people fatally (cf. Numbers 21:6-9). read more
1-3. The dead shall share in the universal punishment.1. Shall bring out the bones] either from pure wantonness, or in the hope of finding treasure or ornaments of value. 2. Before the sun] the heavenly bodies will not be prevented by all the offerings and devotions that they have received from using their influence to hasten the rotting of the carcases of their sometime worshippers.3. Family] the whole nation: see on Jeremiah 3:14. 4-17. The people are hardened in sin.4. They] RV ’men.’ If a... read more
(17) Serpents, cockatrices.—There is a sudden change of figure, one new image of terror starting from the history of the fiery serpents of Numbers 21:6, or, possibly, from the connection of Dan with the “serpent” and “adder” in Genesis 49:17. It is not easy to identify the genus and species of the serpents of the Bible. Here the two words are in apposition. “Cockatrice,” however, cannot be right, that name belonging, as an English word, to legendary zoology. The Vulg. gives “basilisk.” In... read more
Balm in Gilead Jeremiah 8:21-22 The lament of a good man over the sins of his countrymen. I. The Nature of the Malady. 1. Hereditary. 'By one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin.' 2. Universal. 'All have sinned and come short of the glory of God.' 3. Dangerous. 'The wages of sin is death.' II. The Means of Cure. The medicine here referred to is a resinous substance obtained from the balsam-tree, which flourished near Gilead, and was far-famed for its healing properties; often... read more
; Jeremiah 8:1-22; Jeremiah 9:1-26; Jeremiah 10:1-25; Jeremiah 26:1-24In the four chapters which we are now to consider we have what is plainly a finished whole. The only possible exception {Jeremiah 10:1-16} shall be considered in its place. The historical occasion of the introductory prophecy, {Jeremiah 7:1-15} and the immediate effect of its delivery, are recorded at length in the twenty-sixth chapter of the book, so that in this instance we are happily not left to the uncertainties of... read more
CHAPTER 8 1. The horrors of the invasion (Jeremiah 8:1-3 ) 2. Hardened hearts and retribution (Jeremiah 8:4-12 ) 3. Utter destruction threatened (Jeremiah 8:13-17 ) 4. The prophet’s lamentation (Jeremiah 8:18-22 ) Jeremiah 8:1-3 . These verses must not be detached from the preceding chapter. The division of chapters is often unfortunate in this book. The invaders from the north would even have digged out the bones of the dead. Kings, priests, prophets and people who had worshipped the... read more
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Thomas Coke Commentary on the Holy Bible - Jeremiah 8:17
Jeremiah 8:17. Behold, I will send serpents— Under the idea of beasts and venomous creatures are represented inexorable enemies: see chap. Jeremiah 5:6. Psa 58:4-5 and Calmet. That some persons possessed the faculty of rendering serpents harmless, is a fact too well attested by historians and travellers to admit of contradiction. But by what means this effect was produced, is not quite so clear. Pliny speaks of certain herbs, which being carried about, prevented the bite of serpents. Hist. Nat.... read more