Jeremiah 8:17 NIV

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Jeremiah 8:13-22

In these verses we have, I. God threatening the destruction of a sinful people. He has borne long with them, but they are still more and more provoking, and therefore now their ruin is resolved on: I will surely consume them (Jer. 8:13), consuming I will consume them, not only surely, but utterly, consume them, will follow them with one judgment after another, till they are quite consumed; it is a consumption determined, Isa. 10:23. 1. They shall be quite stripped of all their comforts (Jer.... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Jeremiah 8:17

For, behold, I will send serpents, cockatrices, among you ,.... The Chaldeans, comparable to these noxious and hurtful creatures, because of the mischief they should do unto them. The Targum is, "for, lo, I will raise up against you people that kill as the destroying serpents.' These were raised up by the Lord, and sent by him, just as he sent fiery serpents among the Israelites in the wilderness, when they sinned against him; there literally, here metaphorically. Which will not be... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Jeremiah 8:17

I will send serpents - These were symbols of the enemies that were coming against them; a foe that would rather slay them and destroy the land than get booty and ransom. read more

John Calvin

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Jeremiah 8:17

Verse 17 He increases their terror by another comparison, — that not only enemies would violently attack them, but that their bitings would be venomous. He had spoken of horses, and mentioned their violent onsets; but he now expresses another thing, — that the Jews would have to carry on war with vipers and basilisks The Prophet no doubt only meant to shew that they could not possibly escape; for as from serpents men can hardly escape, especially when they are numerous, and assail them on every... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Jeremiah 8:17

A new image to intensify the impression of dreadfulness. Serpents, cockatrices ; rather, serpents ( even ) basilisks . The second noun is in apposition to the more general "serpents." "Basilisks" ( Serpentes regulos ) are the renderings of Aquila and the Vulgate. Some species of highly venomous serpent is clearly intended; more than this we cannot say. The root probably means "to hiss." Canon Tristram thinks of "a very beautifully marked yellow serpent, and the largest of the... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Jeremiah 8:17

The serpents which cannot be charmed. I. THERE ARE SERPENTS WHICH CAN BE CHARMED . Serpent-charming must have been a not unfamiliar sight to the Israelites. This means, taking the figure away, that there were many great and pressing evils which lay within human resources to mitigate, perhaps to remove. Thus when sore famine fell upon Canaan, Jacob found corn, though he had to send as far as Egypt. The resources thus employed are, no doubt, exceptional, and need peculiar... read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Jeremiah 8:17

I will send - Or, am sending. No prophet changes his metaphors so suddenly as Jeremiah. The invading army is now compared to snakes, whom no charming can soothe, and whose bite is fatal. Compare Numbers 21:5-6.Cockatrices - “Vipers.” See Isaiah 11:8 note. read more

Joseph Benson

Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments - Jeremiah 8:17

Jeremiah 8:17. For behold, I send serpents, &c., which shall not be charmed Such enemies as you shall not be able to soften by any entreaties you can use. 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, Nat. Hist., lib. 20.... read more

Donald C. Fleming

Bridgeway Bible Commentary - Jeremiah 8:4-17

Sin and its punishment (8:4-17)It is natural for a person who falls to pick himself up again, but the people of Jerusalem who have fallen spiritually make no attempt to return to God (4-6). It is natural for a bird to obey the laws of instinct and know the time to migrate, but the people of Jerusalem do not know the laws of God or when to return to him (7).The teachers of the law, the wisdom teachers, the priests and the prophets have all led the people astray. Instead of denouncing wrongdoing,... read more

E.W. Bullinger

E.W. Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes - Jeremiah 8:17

cockatrices = adders. will not be charmed. This shows that the People were not penitent, and verses: Jeremiah 8:8 , Jeremiah 8:14 , Jeremiah 8:16 are not their words. read more

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Jeremiah 8:13-22

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Jeremiah 8:17

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Jeremiah 8:17

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Jeremiah 8:17

The Pulpit Commentary - Jeremiah 8:17

The Pulpit Commentary - Jeremiah 8:17

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Jeremiah 8:17

Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments - Jeremiah 8:17

Bridgeway Bible Commentary - Jeremiah 8:4-17

E.W. Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes - Jeremiah 8:17

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