Jeremiah 9:3-16
Summary for Jer 9:3-16: 9:3-16 a The heavenly court was still in session (see study note on 2:9); the divine Judge lectured the people about the charges facing them and justified the severity of the verdict. Jeremiah interrupted the Lord’s speech twice to respond to the Lord’s messages (9:10 b, 12 c). 9:3 d The Lord did not scold Jeremiah for his outburst. Instead, the Lord recited the guilty charges against his people.• The comparison with bows indicates that the people’s lies were deliberately aimed to harm their targets.
Summary for Jer 9:4-6: 9:4-6 e The lie of idolatry was at the root of an entire culture of deceit.
• The word brother, as a synonym for neighbor, indicates that even the closest relationships were polluted with fraud.
Summary for Jer 9:7-9: 9:7-9 f The Lord announced that he would place the people in the crucible of affliction (6:27-30 g; Isa 1:25 h). The three rhetorical questions challenged Jeremiah or anyone else to suggest a possible alternative to the Lord’s actions or to explain why they were not justified.
9:10 i It is unclear whether these words were uttered by the Lord or by Jeremiah. If the words belong to the Lord, they indicate that he pronounced judgment from a broken heart. If they come from Jeremiah, they show the depths of pain in his heart as he delivered the Lord’s decree. The prophet faced the difficult task of separating his patriotism and empathy for the people from his identity as the Lord’s messenger.
9:11 j The Lord clearly spoke these words, counterbalancing the deep emotion of 9:10 k with a further declaration of judgment.
9:12 l It is unclear who asks these three questions. It might be the people or Jeremiah. The first two questions express frustration that the Lord’s message about the religious and political situation made no sense—the Lord’s words seemed too harsh and too extreme. The third question reveals anger that the land had been desolated. The questioner seems to ask where to find the wisdom and goodness of the Lord in what was happening.
Summary for Jer 9:13-14: 9:13-14 m The Lord answered the questions (9:12 n) by repeating what he had said before. The people caused the destruction of city, towns, and land. They rejected the Lord’s covenant instructions and deliberately disobeyed his commands. They became dedicated idol worshipers because their ancestors taught them to worship images of Baal, the Canaanite god of storm and fertility.
Summary for Jer 9:15-16: 9:15-16 o The Lord ... the God of Israel then issued another decree. The Lord would provide bitterness and poison in the form of exile and widespread death in unknown countries.
Copyright information for
TNotes