18 When I would comfort H4010 myself against sorrow, H3015 my heart H3820 is faint H1742 in me.
For these things I weep; H1058 mine eye, H5869 mine eye H5869 runneth down H3381 with water, H4325 because the comforter H5162 that should relieve H7725 my soul H5315 is far H7368 from me: my children H1121 are desolate, H8074 because the enemy H341 prevailed. H1396 Zion H6726 spreadeth forth H6566 her hands, H3027 and there is none to comfort H5162 her: the LORD H3068 hath commanded H6680 concerning Jacob, H3290 that his adversaries H6862 should be round about H5439 him: Jerusalem H3389 is as a menstruous woman H5079 among them.
When I say, H559 My bed H6210 shall comfort H5162 me, my couch H4904 shall ease H5375 my complaint; H7879 Then thou scarest H2865 me with dreams, H2472 and terrifiest H1204 me through visions: H2384
Woe H188 is me for my hurt! H7667 my wound H4347 is grievous: H2470 but I said, H559 Truly H389 this is a grief, H2483 and I must bear H5375 it. My tabernacle H168 is spoiled, H7703 and all my cords H4340 are broken: H5423 my children H1121 are gone forth H3318 of me, and they are not: there is none to stretch forth H5186 my tent H168 any more, and to set up H6965 my curtains. H3407 For the pastors H7462 are become brutish, H1197 and have not sought H1875 the LORD: H3068 therefore they shall not prosper, H7919 and all their flocks H4830 shall be scattered. H6327 Behold, the noise H6963 of the bruit H8052 is come, H935 and a great H1419 commotion H7494 out of the north H6828 country, H776 to make H7760 the cities H5892 of Judah H3063 desolate, H8077 and a den H4583 of dragons. H8577
And, behold, one like the similitude H1823 of the sons H1121 of men H120 touched H5060 my lips: H8193 then I opened H6605 my mouth, H6310 and spake, H1696 and said H559 unto him that stood H5975 before me, O my lord, H113 by the vision H4759 my sorrows H6735 are turned H2015 upon me, and I have retained H6113 no strength. H3581 For how H1963 can H3201 the servant H5650 of this my lord H113 talk H1696 with this my lord? H113 for as for me, straightway H6258 there remained H5975 no strength H3581 in me, neither is there breath H5397 left H7604 in me.
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Keil & Delitzsch Commentary » Commentary on Jeremiah 8
Commentary on Jeremiah 8 Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
But even then the judgment has not come to a height. Even sinners long dead must yet bear the shame of their sins. "At that time" points back to "days come" in Jeremiah 7:32. The Masoretes wished to have the ו before יוציאוּ deleted, apparently because they took it for ו consec . But it here stands before the jussive, as it does frequently, e.g., Jeremiah 13:10, Exodus 12:3. They will take the bones of the kings, princes, priests, and prophets, the rulers and leaders of the people (cf. Jeremiah 2:26), and the bones of the other inhabitants of Jerusalem, out of their graves, and spread them out before the sun, the moon, and the stars, i.e., expose them under the open sky to the influence of the heavenly bodies, so that they shall rot away, become "dung on the face of the earth." The worst dishonour that could be done to the dead, a just return in kind for their worship of sun, moon, and stars: cf. Exodus 7:18; 2 Kings 21:5; 2 Kings 23:11. This worship the prophet describes in its various stages: "Inclination of the heart, the act of devoting and dedicating themselves to the service, the frequenting of gods' sanctuary in order to worship and to obtain oracles; while he strives to bring out in strong relief the contrast between the zeal of their service and the reward they get by it" (Hitz.). They shall not be gathered, i.e., for burial: cf. 2 Samuel 21:13.; 1 Samuel 31:13. The dead shall suffer this at the hands of enemies despoiling the land. The reason for so doing was, as Jerome observes, the practice of burying ornaments and articles of value along with the dead. Seeking for such things, enemies will turn up the graves (cf. acts of this kind the case of Ibn Chaldun, in Sylv. de Sacy, Abdollat . p. 561), and, in their hatred and insolence, scatter the bones of the dead all about.
Not less dreadful will be the fate of those who remain in life; so appalling that they will prefer death to life, since every kind of hardship in exile and imprisonment amongst the heathen is awaiting them: cf. Leviticus 26:36-39; Deuteronomy 28:65-67. המּקמות strikes us as peculiar, seeing that the latter word cannot be adjective to the former; for "in all the remaining places of Judah" (Umbr.) gives no suitable sense, and "in all remaining places outside of Judah" is contrary to usage. But הנּשׁארים may be taken as genitive, in spite of the article prefixed to the stat. constr . מקמות ; and we may then translate, with Maur.: in all the places of those who remain whither I have driven them. The lxx have omitted the second word; and it is possible it may have found its way hither from the preceding line by an error of transcription. And so Hitz., Ew., and Graf have deleted it as a gloss; but the arguments adduced have little weight. The lxx have also omitted "and say to them," Jeremiah 8:4, have changed כּה into כּי , and generally have treated Jeremiah in a quite uncritical fashion: so that they may have omitted the word from the present verse because it seemed awkward to them, and was not found in the parallel passages, Jeremiah 29:14; Jeremiah 23:3, which are not, however, precisely similar to the present verse.
The People's Obstinacy in Wickedness, and the Dreadfulness of the Judgment. - Since the people cleaves stedfastly to its sin (Jeremiah 8:4-13), the Lord must punish sorely (Jeremiah 8:14 -23). - Jeremiah 8:4-13. "And say to them, Thus hath the Lord said: Doth one fall, and not rise again? or doth one turn away, and not turn back again? Jeremiah 8:5. Why doth this people of Jerusalem turn itself away with a perpetual turning? They hold fast by deceit, they refuse to return. Jeremiah 8:6. I listened and heard: they speak not aright; no one repenteth him of his wickedness, saying, What have I done? They all turn to their course again, like a horse rushing into the battle. Jeremiah 8:7. Yea, the stork in the heaven knoweth her appointed times; and turtle-dove, and swallow, and crane, keep the time of their coming; but my people know not the judgment of Jahveh. Jeremiah 8:8. How can ye say, Wise are we, and the law of Jahve we have? Certainly the lying pen of the scribes hath made it a lie. Jeremiah 8:9. Ashamed the wise men become, confounded and taken; lo, the word of Jahveh they spurn at; and whose wisdom have they? Jeremiah 8:10. Therefore will I give their wives unto others, their fields to new heirs: for from the small to the great, they are all greedy for gain; from the prophet even unto the priest, they all use deceit. Jeremiah 8:11. And they heal the hurt of the daughter of my people as it were a light matter, saying, Peace, peace; and yet there is no peace. Jeremiah 8:12. They have been put to shame because they have done abomination; yet they take not shame to themselves, ashamedness they know not. Therefore they shall fall amongst them that fall: in the time of their visitation they shall stumble, that Jahve said. Jeremiah 8:13. Away, away will I sweep them, saith Jahveh: no grapes on the vine, and no figs on the fig-tree, and the leaf is withered; so I appoint unto them those that shall pass over them."