Verse 33
When the people or the prophets or the priests asked Jeremiah what message he had received from the Lord, he was to reply that the Lord was going to abandon them. When they asked: "What is the burden of the Lord?" he was to respond: "You are a burden to Him and He will cast you off."
The Hebrew word massa’, "oracle," comes from the same root as the verb nasa’, meaning "to lift, bear, or carry." Usually the noun refers to an imposed burden, imposed by a deity or master. Metaphorically it refers to any heavy burden, such as the burdens of leadership or duty. In the prophets, it often suggests a judgment or catastrophe. Thus an oracle is a burden or depressing message that deals with judgment (cf. Isaiah 15:1; Isaiah 17:1; Isaiah 19:1; et al.).
"Jeremiah’s adversaries-as appears from these verses-used the word ’burden’ of his prophetic sayings by way of mockery, meaning burdensome prophecies, in order to throw ridicule on the prophet’s speeches, by them regarded as offensive." [Note: Keil, 1:365.]
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