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Matthew Henry

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Jeremiah 9:12-22

Two things the prophet designs, in these verses, with reference to the approaching destruction of Judah and Jerusalem:?1. To convince people of the justice of God in it, that they had by sin brought it upon themselves and that therefore they had no reason to quarrel with God, who did them no wrong at all, but a great deal of reason to fall out with their sins, which did them all this mischief. 2. To affect people with the greatness of the desolation that was coming, and the miserable effects... read more

Matthew Henry

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Jeremiah 9:23-26

The prophet had been endeavouring to possess this people with a holy fear of God and his judgments, to convince them both of sin and wrath; but still they had recourse to some sorry subterfuge or other, under which to shelter themselves from the conviction and with which to excuse themselves in the obstinacy and carelessness. He therefore sets himself here to drive them from these refuges of lies and to show them the insufficiency of them. I. When they were told how inevitable the judgment... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Jeremiah 9:17

Thus saith the Lord of hosts, consider ye ,.... The punishment that was just coming upon them, as Kimchi; or the words that the Lord was about to say unto them; as follows: and call for the mourning women, that they may come ; the same with the "praeficae" among the Romans; persons that were sent for, and hired by, the relations of the dead, to raise up their mourning; and who, by their dishevelled hair, naked breasts, and beatings thereon, and mournful voice, and what they said in their... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Jeremiah 9:18

And let them make haste, and take up a wailing for us ,.... Deliver out a mournful song, as the Arabic version; setting forth their miseries and distresses, and affecting their minds with them. The prophet puts himself among the people, as being a party concealed in their sufferings, and sympathizing with them, as well as to show the certainty of then and how soon they would be involved in them: that our eyes may run down with tears, and our eyelids gush out with waters ; or balls of the... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Jeremiah 9:19

For a voice of wailing is heard out of Zion ,.... Out of the fortress of Zion, out of the city of Jerusalem, which was thought to be inexpugnable, and could never be taken; but now a voice is heard out of that, deploring the desolation of it: how are we spoiled ? our houses destroyed, and we plundered of our substance: we are greatly confounded : filled with shame, on account of their vain confidence; thinking their city would never be taken, and they were safe in it: because we... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Jeremiah 9:20

Yet hear the word of the Lord, O ye women ,.... Not the mourning women, but others who had lost their husbands and their children, and had just reason for real mourning; and therefore they are called upon to it, not only because they were more tenderhearted than men, as Kimchi observes; or because they were more attentive to the hearing of the word of God than men; but because of the paucity of men, such numbers being slain in the siege, and by the sword; and of the loss the women had... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Jeremiah 9:21

For death is come up into our windows ,.... Their doors being shut, bolted, and barred, they thought themselves safe, but were not; the Chaldeans scaled their walls, broke in at the tops of their houses, or at their windows, and destroyed them: for the invasion of the enemy, and the manner of their entrance into them, seem to be described. Death is here represented as a person, as it sometimes is in Scripture; see Revelation 6:8 and as coming suddenly and unawares upon men, and from whom... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Jeremiah 9:22

Speak, thus saith the Lord ,.... These are the words of the Lord to Jeremiah, to go on with his prophecy in his name; so the Targum, "prophesy, thus saith the Lord:' even the carcasses of men shall fall as dung upon the open field ; or, "upon the face of the field" F6 על פני השדה "super faciebus agri", Montanus, Schmidt; "in facie agri", Cocceius; "in superficie agri", Junius & Tremellius, Piscator. ; this shows the reason why the women are called to mourning, because... read more

John Gill

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

Thus saith the Lord, let not the wise man glory in his wisdom ,.... Not in his natural wisdom, or knowledge of natural things: this is often but an appearance of wisdom, and is science falsely so called; and whatever is real of this kind is of God; and the best falls short of leading men to a true and saving knowledge of God; the foolishness of God is wiser than it; and it is made foolish, destroyed, and brought to nought by him: nor in evangelical wisdom and knowledge; not in that which is... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Jeremiah 9:17

Call for the mourning women - Those whose office it was to make lamentations at funerals, and to bewail the dead, for which they received pay. This custom continues to the present in Asiatic countries. In Ireland this custom also prevails, which no doubt their ancestors brought from the east. I have often witnessed it, and have given a specimen of this elsewhere. See the note on Matthew 9:23 . The first lamentations for the dead consisted only in the sudden bursts of inexpressible grief,... read more

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