Jeremiah 17:11

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Jeremiah 17:5-11

It is excellent doctrine that is preached in these verses, and of general concern and use to us all, and it does not appear to have any particular reference to the present state of Judah and Jerusalem. The prophet's sermons were not all prophetical, but some of them practical; yet this discourse, which probably we have here only the heads of, would be of singular use to them by way of caution not to misplace their confidence in the day of their distress. Let us all learn what we are taught... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Jeremiah 17:11

As the partridge sitteth on eggs, and hatcheth them not ,.... Here seems to be another sin pointed at, as the cause of the ruin of the Jews; as idolatry and trust in the creature before mentioned; so riches unjustly got, and these boasted of and trusted in; the folly of which is illustrated by the simile of a bird sitting on eggs, and not hatching them; being either addled, or broke by the male through lust, or by the foot of man or beast, being laid on the ground; Or by a bird which... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Jeremiah 17:11

As the partridge - קרא kore . It is very likely that this was a bird different from our partridge. The text Dr. Blayney translates thus: - (As) the kore that hatcheth what it doth not lay (So is) he who getteth riches, and not according to right. "The covetous man," says Dahler, "who heaps up riches by unjust ways, is compared to a bird which hatches the eggs of other fowls. And as the young, when hatched, and able at all to shift for themselves, abandon her who is not their mother,... read more

John Calvin

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Jeremiah 17:11

Verse 11 The Prophet no doubt intended only to shew that those who enriched themselves by unlawful means, or heaped together great wealth, would yet be subject to the curse of God, so that whatever they may have got through much toil and labor would vanish away from them; for God would empty them of all they possessed. There is therefore no ambiguity in the meaning of the Prophet, or in the subject itself. But as to the words, interpreters do not agree: the greater part, however, incline to... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Jeremiah 17:1-27

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Jeremiah 17:5-11

In the higher gnomic or proverbial style. God and man, flesh and spirit, are natural antitheses (comp. Isaiah 31:3 ; Psalms 56:4 ). The prayer of the believer is, "Be thou (O Jehovah) their arm every morning;" not Egypt, not Assyria, not any "arm of flesh." read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Jeremiah 17:11

As the partridge … hatcheth them not ; rather, as the partridge sitteth on eggs which it hath not laid ; a proverbial illustration of the Divine retributive justice. The prophet assumes the truth of a popular belief respecting the partridge (still a common bird in Judaea), that it brooded upon eggs which it had not laid. As the young birds soon leave the false mother, so unjustly acquired riches soon forsake their possessors. [Canon Tristram rejects this explanation, on the ground that... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Jeremiah 17:11

Partridge-nests. I. ILL - GOTTEN RICHES BETOKEN AN UNNATURAL CONDITION Of SOCIETY . It is not natural that strange eggs should be found in a partridge-nest. Violence and fraud and more subtle sharp-practice are proofs of a disorganized state of society. II. ILL - GOTTEN RICHES MAY BE MINGLED WITH JUST GAINS . It may not be that all the eggs are strange. The business man who is dishonest in some transactions may be honest in others; but his very... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Jeremiah 17:11

Riches wrongly gotten, and the consequence. Here is an instance of illustration which, so far as our knowledge is concerned, is more obscure than the thing to be illustrated. But there was, no doubt, with regard to some bird a popular opinion which made the prophet's reference very suggestive to his hearers. The fact supposed is that some bird gathers the young of other birds, despoiling the nests of the real parents, only to find, when the young ones get sufficiently strong, that they can... read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Jeremiah 17:5-18

In the rest of the prophecy Jeremiah dwells upon the moral faults which had led to Judah’s ruin.Jeremiah 17:6Like the heath - Or, “like a destitute man” Psalms 102:17. The verbs “he shall see” (or fear) and “shall inhabit” plainly show that a man is here meant and not a plant.Jeremiah 17:8The river - Or, “water-course” Isaiah 30:25, made for purposes of irrigation.Shall not see - Or, “shall not fear Jeremiah 17:6.” God’s people feel trouble as much as other people, but they do not fear it... read more

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