Jeremiah 8:3

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Jeremiah 8:1-3

These verses might fitly have been joined to the close of the foregoing chapter, as giving a further description of the dreadful desolation which the army of the Chaldeans should make in the land. It shall strangely alter the property of death itself, and for the worse too. I. Death shall not now be, as it always used to be?the repose of the dead. When Job makes his court to the grave it is in hope of this, that there he shall rest with kings and counsellors of the earth; but now the ashes of... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Jeremiah 8:3

And death shall be chosen rather than life ,.... By them that should be alive in those times, who would be carried captive into other lands, and be used very hardly, and suffer greatly, by the nations among whom they should dwell; see Revelation 9:6 . The Septuagint version, and those that follow it, make this to be a reason of the former, reading the words thus, "because they have chosen death rather than life"; see Deuteronomy 30:19 , but the other sense is best, which is confirmed by... read more

John Calvin

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Jeremiah 8:3

Verse 3 He intimates in this verse, that all survivors would be doubly miserable, as it would be better for them to die at once than to pine away in unceasing evils: for they who give another meaning to the words, seem not to understand the design of the Prophet. The import then of the passage is, — that however dreadful God’s judgment would be, when slaughters everywhere prevailed, and dead bodies were drawn out which had been previously buried, yet all this would be a slight punishment in... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Jeremiah 8:1-3

Punishment will even overtake the sinners who have long since been deceased. read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Jeremiah 8:3

Which remain . The words are certainly to be omitted in the second place where they occur. In the Hebrew they stand after in all the places , and the word for "places" is feminine, whereas the participle, "the remaining," is masculine. The Septuagint and Peshito have nothing corresponding. There is a clerical error in the Hebrew. Verses 8:4-9:1 The incorrigible wickedness of the people, and the awfulness of the judgment. read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Jeremiah 8:3

A pitiable condition: death preferable to life. I. REMEMBER MAN 'S NATURAL DREAD OF DEATH . The very force of the prophet's expression here lies in this, that it contradicts the habitual feelings of the human breast. The natural preference is to choose life rather than death; nay, it can hardly be called preference at all. There is an instinctive prompting to ward off everything that may be fatal. Whatever the drawbacks and pains of life may be, life is chosen rather than... read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Jeremiah 8:3

This evil family - The whole Jewish race.Which remain - The words are omitted by the Septuagint and Syriac versions. read more

Joseph Benson

Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments - Jeremiah 8:3

Jeremiah 8:3. And death shall be chosen rather than life Not through a lively and well-grounded hope of happiness in another life, but through an utter despair of any ease in this life. It denotes the extremity of misery, when men have no comfort left wherewith to alleviate their calamities, or render their lives tolerable. This appears by the next words to be spoken chiefly of the miseries which those should suffer who should survive the siege, and either flee or be carried captive into... read more

Donald C. Fleming

Bridgeway Bible Commentary - Jeremiah 8:1-3

No hope for an idolatrous people (7:16-8:3)God now tells Jeremiah that it is useless for him to persist in praying for the safety of the Judeans. They have so given themselves to idolatrous practices that nothing can save them from God’s judgment. Throughout the cities and towns of Judah people worship foreign gods, but in the process they harm themselves (16-19). The harm will be much greater when God’s judgment falls on them (20).While openly worshipping heathen gods, the people also offer... read more

E.W. Bullinger

E.W. Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes - Jeremiah 8:3

evil. Hebrew. ra'a'. App-44 . saith the LORD of hosts. See note on Jeremiah 6:6 . Compare 1 Samuel 1:3 . read more

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