Jeremiah 8:6 - Exposition

I hearkened and heard . The Divine Judge condescends to speak after the manner of men. He will be his own witness; for it is his own people, Jeshurun, which is on its trial. Not aright . It is a compound expression, equivalent to "insincerely," "untruly" (comp. Isaiah 16:6 ). Repented … turned ; rather, repenteth … turneth (or, returneth ). To his course . The Hebrew text, sometimes represented as having a different reading ("courses," in the plural) from the margin, really gives the same reading with one letter misplaced. The singular stands in the parallel passage, Jeremiah 23:19 , and offers no difficulty. As the horse rusheth ; literally, over-floweth . Both the Authorized Version and the Vulgate ( impetu vadens ) efface the second metaphor. The uncontrollable passion of both people and war-horse is compared to the all-subduing course of a winter stream or torrent.