Jeremiah 20:7

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Jeremiah 20:7-13

Pashur's doom was to be a terror to himself; Jeremiah, even now, in this hour of temptation, is far from being so; and yet it cannot be denied but that he is here, through the infirmity of the flesh, strangely agitated within himself. Good men are but men at the best. God is not extreme to mark what they say and do amiss, and therefore we must not be so, but make the best of it. In these verses it appears that, upon occasion of the great indignation and injury that Pashur did to Jeremiah,... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Jeremiah 20:7

O Lord, thou hast deceived me, and I was deceived ,.... What follows from hence to the end of the chapter is thought to have been said by the prophet, when in the stocks, or in prison, and shows mixture of grace and corruption in him; a struggle between flesh and spirit, and the force of a temptation under which he laboured, arising from difficulties and discouragements in his work; and he not only complains to God, but of him; that he had deceived him, when he first called him to be a... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Jeremiah 20:7

O Lord, thou hast deceived me - Thou hast promised me protection; and, lo! I am now delivered into the hands of my enemies. These words were probably spoken when Pashur smote him, and put him in prison. I think our translation of this passage is very exceptionable. My old Bible reads, Thou laddist me aside Lord; and I was lad aside. The original word is פתיתני pittithani , thou hast persuaded me, i.e., to go and prophesy to this people. I went, faithfully declared thy message, and now... read more

John Calvin

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Jeremiah 20:7

Verse 7 Some think that these words were not spoken through the prophetic Spirit, but that Jeremiah had uttered them inconsiderately through the influence of a hasty impulse; as even the most eminent are sometimes carried away by a hasty temper. They then suppose the Prophet, being overcome by a temptation of this kind, made this complaint, to God, “What! Lord, I have followed thee as a leader; but thou hast promised to me what I do not find: I seem, then, to myself to be deceived.” Others give... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Jeremiah 20:7

Thou hast deceived me , etc.; rather, thou didst entice me , and I let myself be enticed . Jeremiah refers to the hesitation he originally felt to accepting the prophetic office ( Jeremiah 1:1-19 .). The verb does not mean "to deceive," but "to entice" (so rendered in verse 10, Authorized Version), or "allure." The same word is used in that remarkable narrative of "the spirit" who offered to "entice" (Authorized Version, to "persuade") Ahab to "go up and fall at Ramoth-Gilead" ( 1... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Jeremiah 20:7

Enticed and overpowered by God. I. GOD ENTICES HIS SERVANTS . Jeremiah had been led to undertake the prophetic mission with assurances of success and victory ( Jeremiah 1:17-19 ), and he was surprised when he met only with contempt and apparent failure. So others have entered God's service with much confidence in the joy and but little anticipation of the trouble it would bring. There is really nothing either false or unkind in this. 1. Nothing false ; for 2. ... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Jeremiah 20:7-9

A conflict not to be avoided. The heart of the prophet is here revealed to us as the scene of a bitter conflict between two sets of motives; one set originating with the vehement will of God, the other in the utterly unsympathizing dispositions of men. The prophet makes us feel that it is utterly insufficient to describe his work simply as difficult. It is done amid a continuity of reproaches, some of which a less sensitive man might not have felt, but which were peculiarly irritating to a... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Jeremiah 20:7-13

A lyric passage, expressing the conflict in the prophet's mind owing to the mockery and the slander which his preaching has brought upon him, and at the same time his confidence of victory through the protection of Jehovah; a suitable sequel to the narrative which goes before, even if not originally written to occupy this position (see general Introduction). read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Jeremiah 20:7-18

The sorrow and joy of God's servant. There are many such photographs of the inner heart-life of God's people. It is the touch of nature which brings them near to us. The words and work of Jeremiah become more living and influential when we witness his spiritual struggles. I. THE SPIRITUAL NECESSITY OF HIS POSITION IS ALTERNATELY COMPLAINED OF AND ACQUIESCED IN . The saint cannot always continue amidst his highest experiences. There are ups and downs, not only... read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Jeremiah 20:7-18

In the rest of the chapter we have an outbreak of deep emotion, of which the first part ends in a cry of hope Jeremiah 20:13, followed nevertheless by curses upon the day of his birth. Was this the result of feelings wounded by the indignities of a public scourging and a night spent in the stocks? Or was it not the mental agony of knowing that his ministry had (as it seemed) failed? He stands indeed before the multitudes with unbending strength, warning prince and people with unwavering... read more

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