Whedon's Commentary on the Bible - Jeremiah 12:3
3. Thou, O Lord, knowest me A solemn appeal to the heart-searching God, not in the spirit of Phariseeism, but with a clear consciousness of thorough honesty. The fact that God is omniscient is terrible to the sinner, but a source of ineffably precious consolation and strength to the Christian. Pull them out Literally, tear them out. The same word is used in Jeremiah 10:20, of the breaking of the cords of the tent, and in Ezekiel 17:9, of the tearing up of roots. No more vigorous word... read more
Whedon's Commentary on the Bible - Jeremiah 12:1-6
COMPLAINT AT THE PROSPERITY OF THE WICKED, Jeremiah 12:1-6. The opening verses of this chapter connect closely with the preceding. The language represents the attitude of Jeremiah’s mind when confronted with persecution and personal danger. Deserted and persecuted by those who Should be his friends, in that loneliness of spirit which is the necessary experience of every reformer, he betakes himself to God. His trial and complaint are such as speak forth in Psalm xxxiv, xlix, lxxiii, and in the... read more