Jeremiah 23:1-8

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Jeremiah 23:1-8

I. Here is a word of terror to the negligent shepherds. The day is at hand when God will reckon with them concerning the trust and charge committed to them: Woe be to the pastors (to the rulers, both in church and state) who should be to those they are set over as pastors to lead them, feed them, protect them, and take care of them. They are not owners of the sheep. God here calls them the sheep of my pasture, whom I am interested in, and have provided good pasture for. Woe be to those... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Jeremiah 23:1

Woe be unto the pastors ,.... Or, "O ye shepherds" or "governors", as the Targum; the civil rulers and magistrates, kings and princes of the land of Israel; since ecclesiastical rulers, the priests and prophets, are mentioned as distinct from them in Jeremiah 23:9 ; whose business it was to rule and guide, protect and defend, the people: but, instead of that, they were such that destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture, saith the Lord God ; set them bad examples, led them into... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Jeremiah 23:2

Therefore thus saith the Lord God of Israel ,.... The covenant God of that people, who are Called his sheep, and the sheep of his pasture; having made a covenant with their fathers, and provided a good pasture for them, the land of Israel, where they enjoyed all blessings, civil and religious, and appointed persons over them to feed them; but these did not do their duty, and therefore the Lord was against them, as follows: against the pastors that feed my people ; whose office it was to... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Jeremiah 23:3

And I will gather the remnant of my flock, out of all countries ,.... Such of them as did not perish by the sword, famine, and pestilence, or died not in captivity, and chose not to remain in the kingdom where they were; for all did not return upon the edict of Cyrus: though some think this is to be understood of the gathering of God's elect, the remnant according to the election of grace, the children of God that were scattered abroad, by the sufferings and death of Christ, the Shiloh, to... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Jeremiah 23:4

And I will set shepherds over them, which shall feed them ,.... Good shepherds, rulers and governors, that shall rule them with wholesome laws, and protect and defend them; such as Zerubbabel, Nehemiah, and others, after the captivity: or Christian kings and princes, when the Gospel came to be published and established in many kingdoms and provinces, and the sheep of Christ were gathered out of them. Jerom interprets these shepherds of the apostles of Christ; and it may include other... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Jeremiah 23:5

Behold, the days come, saith the Lord ,.... Or, "are coming" F4 ימים באים "dies sunt venientes", Montanus, Schmidt. ; and will soon be here, a few days, months, and years more; so it was usual with the prophets to represent the coming of Christ as near at hand, to comfort the saints, and keep up their faith and expectation of him, and especially the latter prophets; see Haggai 2:6 , Malachi 3:1 ; as also to usher in their prophecies of this sort with a behold, as a note of... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Jeremiah 23:6

In his days Judah shall be saved ,.... In the days of the Messiah, the righteous Branch, and reigning prosperous King, not only the people of the Jews, God's elect among them, but all that truly embrace him, and confess him, as Judah's name signifies, shall be saved from all their sins; from the law, its curse and condemnation; and from wrath to come; and from all their spiritual enemies. In the latter part of his days all Israel shall be saved, Romans 11:26 ; and Israel shall dwell... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Jeremiah 23:7

Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the Lord ,.... Or, "are coming" F9 ימים באים "dies venientes", Montanus, Schmidt. ; and will begin to take place in a little time, even upon the Jews' return from Babylon; and reached to the times of Christ, to which they have a special regard; and include the whole Gospel dispensation, even the latter day glory, when the Jews shall return to, and dwell in, their own land; as Jeremiah 23:8 ; shows: that they shall no more say, the Lord... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Jeremiah 23:8

But, the Lord liveth ,.... Or they shall swear by the living God; or declare the power of the Lord, as the Targum, in their redemption by the Messiah: which brought up and which led the seed of the house of Israel out of the north country, and from all countries whither I had driven them : which respects not only the deliverance of the Jews from Babylon, which lay north of Judea; but the conversion of many of the ten tribes, through the preaching of the Gospel in the several countries... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Jeremiah 23:1

Wo be unto the pastors - There shall a curse fall on the kings, princes, priests, and prophets; who, by their vicious conduct and example, have brought desolation upon the people. read more

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