Jeremiah 23:7-14

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

Matthew Henry

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Jeremiah 23:9-32

Here is a long lesson for the false prophets. As none were more bitter and spiteful against God's true prophets than they, so there were none on whom the true prophets were more severe, and justly. The prophet had complained to God of those false prophets (Jer. 14:13), and had often foretold that they should be involved in the common ruin; but here they have woes of their own. I. He expresses the deep concern that he was under upon this account, and what a trouble it was to him to see men who... 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

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Jeremiah 23:9

Mine heart within me is broken because of the prophets ,.... The false prophets, as the Targum rightly interprets it. The Vulgate Latin version renders it, "to the prophets"; and makes a stop there; which agrees with the original F12 לנבאים "ad prophetas", V. L. "quod ad prophetat ipsos", Junius & Tremellius; "ad prophetas quod attinet", Piscator. ; so that it may be considered as the title of what follows; it being directed to them by the prophet, to let them know his concern... read more

John Gill

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

For the land is full of adulterers ,.... Of such as were guilty of corporeal adultery, and of spiritual adultery, which is idolatry. Now, though in this, and in the following verses, the prophet describes the men of his generation, both ecclesiastics and laics; yet also so as to have regard to the Jews in the times of Christ, to which this prophecy has respect; between whom there was a great resemblance; adulteries were so frequent in Christ's time, that the Jews left off the use of the... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Jeremiah 23:11

For both prophet and priest are profane ,.... Being guilty of the afore mentioned sins. The Targum is, "the scribe and the priest;' and such were the scribes and priests in the time of our Lord; they played "the hypocrite" F17 חנפו "hypocritae fuerunt", Vatablus, Montanus; "hypocritas agunt", Piscator; "hypocrisin exercent", Schmidt, Cocceius. , as some render the word here; and are often charged with the sin of hypocrisy, and called hypocrites, Matthew 22:18 ; yea, in my... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Jeremiah 23:12

Wherefore their way shall be unto them as slippery ways in the darkness ,.... Their course of life may fitly be compared, and in the issue will prove to be like to a man's walking in a dark night without any lamp or lantern to light him, and in a slippery way, scarce able to stand upon his legs, and cannot see to pick his way, nor where to step next, which is very uncomfortable and dangerous; such are blind leaders of the blind, and both in danger of slipping and falling into a ditch, ... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Jeremiah 23:13

And I have seen folly in the prophets of Samaria ,.... The ten tribes of Israel, among whom, in Ahab's time there were many false prophets, Baal's prophets, even four hundred and fifty; whose "folly" the Lord had formerly taken notice of; even their idolatry and impiety for giving into which the ten tribes had been carried captive years ago. The word F18 תפלה "insulsitatem", Junius & Tremellius, Piscator, Schmidt; "intulsa", Pagninus; "insulsam rem", Munster, Vatablus; "insulsum",... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Jeremiah 23:14

I have seen also in the prophets of Jerusalem an horrible thing ,.... Or "but", or "so have I seen", &c.; as before observed; even in the prophets of Jerusalem, where the temple was, and where the pure worship of God was professed to be observed, and that now, at the present time; as he had formerly seen and observed what was foolish, ridiculous, and impious, in the prophets of the ten tribes, and had punished them for it; so now at this instant he sees that in the prophets of Judea... read more

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