Jeremiah 4:3 NIV

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Jeremiah 4:3-4

The prophet here turns his speech, in God's name, to the men of the place where he lived. We have heard what words he proclaimed towards the north (Jer. 3:12), for the comfort of those that were now in captivity and were humbled under the hand of God; let us now see what he says to the men of Judah and Jerusalem, who were now in prosperity, for their conviction and awakening. In these two verses he exhorts them to repentance and reformation, as the only way left them to prevent the desolating... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Jeremiah 4:3

For thus saith the Lord to the men of Judah and Jerusalem ,.... The two tribes of Judah and Benjamin, who were at the time of this prophecy in their own land; and so are distinguished from Israel the ten tribes, who were in captivity; unless the same persons should be meant, who were called by these several names, the people of the Jews; and it was in Judea that our Lord appeared in the flesh, and to the inhabitants thereof he ministered, he was the minister of the circumcision; and so to... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Jeremiah 4:3

Break up your fallow ground - Fallow ground is either that which, having been once tilled, has lain long uncultivated; or, ground slightly ploughed, in order to be ploughed again previously to its being sown. Ye have been long uncultivated in righteousness; let true repentance break up your fruitless and hardened hearts; and when the seed of the word of life is sown in them, take heed that worldly cares and concerns do not arise, and, like thorns, choke the good seed. read more

John Calvin

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Jeremiah 4:3

Verse 3 The Prophet still pursues the same subject; for he reproves the hypocrisy of the Israelites, because they sought to discharge their duty towards God only by external ceremonies, while their hearts were full of deceits and of every kind of impiety and wickedness. Hence he says, that God required this from the Jews, — to plough again the fallow, and not to sow among thorns. It is a most suitable comparison; for Scripture often compares us to a field, when it represents us as God’s... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Jeremiah 4:1-4

The duty of reality in religious profession. The reformations of Jehu and Josiah were superficial and short-lived. Something more thorough was required. A real, immediate return to Jehovah was demanded. I. THE SIGNS OF UNREALITY . 1. Retention of the memories and symbols of the guilty past . They may not be used, but they are there. There has not been strength of will to remove them, or the fear of man has produced vacillation. Externally the heathen temple stands side... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Jeremiah 4:3

There is no occasion to separate Jeremiah 4:3 , Jeremiah 4:4 , from the preceding prophecy. We have other instances of as sudden a transition from the Israelites (in the narrower sense) to the men of Judah (see Isaiah 8:6-14 ; Isaiah 10:1-4 ; Isaiah 28:1-6 ; in the writer's commentary). For thus , etc. "For" is here not causal, but explanatory: "I say this not only to the men of Israel, but to you, O men of Judah, who need the admonition to repentance, how deeply!" (see Jeremiah... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Jeremiah 4:3

Fallow ground. Fallow ground is land that has fallen out of cultivation, or that has never been cultivated, and this has its counterpart in the broad fields of humanity, in the nations or individual men who are not under the influence of spiritual cultivation. I. FALLOW GROUND IS COMPARATIVELY FRUITLESS . It may not be utterly fruitless. Even the bramble bears its wholesome fruit, and good thoughts and good deeds spring up in the midst of heathen nations and irreligious... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Jeremiah 4:3

Fallow ground. Such an analogy as this reminds us that the materials of the highest wisdom are always lying close within our reach, sometimes in very unlikely places. The world without is a mirror in which we see our own moral life and the laws that govern it reflected. Air, earth, and sea are full of teachers whom God has sent to rebuke in us all that is false and evil, and lead us into all that is true and good. The prophet, in the text, does but give an articulate voice to the silent... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Jeremiah 4:3

Thoroughness in spiritual culture. There is put before us here an agricultural figure, which our observation of fallow ground in England, at present, fails to give us the power of understanding. When we look at an English ploughman turning a piece of meadowland into arable, there does not seem anything very difficult about his work. Why, then, should breaking up the fallow ground be so hard? Why should this be reckoned an appropriate figure for something evidently difficult, something, it... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Jeremiah 4:3-4

The peril of profession without possession of real religion. This will be shown if we consider— I. THE SCENE HERE PRESENTED TO US . 1. The fallow ground; that is, ground unoccupied, free. Not hardened, as the wayside (cf. Matthew 13:1-58 .); not shallow-soiled, as the stony ground; not poor and barren, but capable of yielding rich return. 2. Sowers about to cast in seed—good seed. 3. A stern prohibition of their work. They are commanded to "sow not." A reason... read more

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Jeremiah 4:3-4

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Jeremiah 4:3

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Jeremiah 4:3

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Jeremiah 4:3

The Pulpit Commentary - Jeremiah 4:1-4

The Pulpit Commentary - Jeremiah 4:3

The Pulpit Commentary - Jeremiah 4:3

The Pulpit Commentary - Jeremiah 4:3

The Pulpit Commentary - Jeremiah 4:3

The Pulpit Commentary - Jeremiah 4:3-4

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