‘Hear this now, foolish people without understanding, who have eyes, and don’t see, who have ears, and don’t hear: Don’t you fear me?’ says Yahweh ‘Won’t you tremble at my presence, who have placed the sand for the bound of the sea, by a perpetual decree, that it can’t pass it? Though its waves toss themselves, yet they can’t prevail. Though they roar, they still can’t pass over it.’
“But this people has a revolting and a rebellious heart. They have revolted and gone. They don’t say in their heart, ‘Let’s now fear Yahweh our God, who gives rain, both the former and the latter, in its season, who preserves to us the appointed weeks of the harvest.’
John Calvin 1540 · Public Domain On vv21–24 Declare ye then this; and what is it? Hear,…
Declare ye then this; and what is it? Hear, O foolish people, etc. Here he first reproves the Jews and Israelites for their stupidity, because they were even without common sense; for the heart in Hebrew means the mind or understanding, as we have seen elsewhere. He then says, that this people were destitute of all understanding. He first calls them fatuous or foolish; but as many are slow and heavy and yet not without common sense, he adds that they were a people without heart or understanding. He seems indeed to add by way of correction, that they had eyes and ears: but his object was ironically to enhance what he had said, and to shew that they were stupid, and no less so than blocks of wood or stones. How so? “Ye have ears and eyes, “he says, “but ye neither see nor hear.”
He no doubt alludes to the idols to which they had become devoted: for it is said in Psalm 115:8, that those who made idols were like them, as well as those who trusted in them; for it had been previously said, that idols had ears but heard not, and eyes but saw not. Jeremiah then indirectly condemns the Jews here for having become so stupid in their superstitions as to be like dead idols: for there is in an idol some likeness to man; it has various members but no understanding. So also he says, the Jews had eyes and ears and the external form of men; but they were at the same time no less stupid than if they were stones or blocks of wood. Now follows the proclamation —
John Calvin's Commentaries (1540-1563) — public domain. Text from the Calvin Translation Society English edition (1840s-50s) via the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (ccel.org). Calvin's coverage is partial (roughly two-thirds of the Bible); uncommented books and verses are honest gaps, never fabricated. The 19th-century editor's footnotes and remarks are omitted so the notes are faithfully Calvin's own voice.
Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain On vv21–22 Hebrew, without heart.
Hebrew, without heart.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain On vv21–24 Jer 5:21 Hear now this, O foolish people, and…
Jer 5:21 Hear now this, O foolish people, and without understanding; which have eyes, and see not; which have ears, and hear not:
Ver. 21. Hear now this, O foolish people.] They were strangely stupefied, and were therefore thus rippled up. Those that are in a lethargy must have a double quantity of physic to what others have.
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And without understanding.] Heb., Without a heart. Cor sapit et pulmo loguitur, &c: The heart is the symbol and seat of wisdom. See Hos 7:11. {See Trapp on "Hos 7:11"}
Which have eyes, and see not, &c.] See Isa 6:9; Isa 42:20. Which have not senses habitually exercised to discern good and evil. {Heb 5:14}
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain On vv21–24 Without understanding, Heb. heart. They have no heart to…
Without understanding, Heb. heart. They have no heart to return, or to any thing of instruction or reformation, but are stupid and sottish, regardless of all counsel, wisdom, and common prudence. The heart is said to be the symbol, and according to Galen the seat, of wisdom; so the poet placeth it, Cor sapit, et joulmo loquitur, fel commovet iram, &c.
Which have eyes, and see not; which have ears, and hear not: see Jer 6:10. They are wilfully blind, and obstinately deaf; will neither see nor hear the word, will, or works of God, of which he giveth two instances in two following verses, Jer 5:22,24, viz. in governing the sea, and appointing the seasons of the year. It may be he alludes herein to their idols, to which they were so much addicted.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain On vv21–24 Hear now this, O foolish people, and without understanding,....…
Hear now this, O foolish people, and without understanding,.... or, "heart" (a); See Gill on Jer 4:22,
which have eyes, and see not; which have ears, and hear not; like the idols they served, Psa 115:4. this is an upbraiding of them with their folly and stupidity, their want of common sense, their blindness and ignorance; notwithstanding they had the means of light and knowledge, the law, and the prophets.
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(a) "et non cor", Pagninus, Montanus; "qui non habes cor", V. L. "excors", Junius & Tremellius, Piscator; "cui cor non est", Cocceius.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain On vv21–24 And hear not - They are wilfully blind, and…
And hear not - They are wilfully blind, and obstinately deaf, will neither see, nor hear the word, will, or works of God, of which he giveth two instances in the two following verses.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain On vv22–24 Verse 22. Which have placed the sand for the…
Verse 22. Which have placed the sand for the bound of the sea] What can I not do, who confine the sea, that enormous mass of waters, and prevent it from overflowing the earth; not by immense mountains and rocks, but by the sand, no particle of which is in cohesion with another? The most tremendous waves cannot displace nor pass over this simple barrier.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain On vv21–22 Jer 5:21. Hear this, O foolish people — Ignorant…
Jer 5:21. Hear this, O foolish people — Ignorant and imprudent, as blind to your interest as to your duty; and without understanding — Hebrew, ואין לב, and there is no heart, or without heart, stupid and regardless of all counsel, wisdom, and common sense. Which have eyes and see not, &c. — Wilfully blind, and obstinately deaf, who will neither see nor hear the word, will, or works of God; of which he gives two instances in the two following verses.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain On vv21, 22, 24 Understanding. Literally, "heart," chap. iv. 22. (Haydock)
Understanding. Literally, "heart," chap. iv. 22. (Haydock)
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain On vv21–24 eyes . . . ears, and--Translate, "and yet" (compare…
eyes . . . ears, and--Translate, "and yet" (compare Deu 29:4; Isa 6:9). Having powers of perception, they did not use them: still they were responsible for the exercise of them.
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain On vv21, 22, 24 21. Hear… this — The prophet strives to impress…
21. Hear… this — The prophet strives to impress upon the people the greatness of their sin, and so of their folly. As in all cases of persistent wickedness it is such stupidity or insanity as men show who have eyes, and see not; or ears, and hear not.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain On vv21–24 21. understanding] mg. Heb. heart, which was considered as…
21. understanding] mg. Heb. heart, which was considered as the seat of intelligence. See Jer_24:7 (“an heart to know me”); Hos_7:11 (mg.).
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain On vv21–24 (21) Which have eyes, and see not.—An almost verbal…
(21) Which have eyes, and see not.—An almost verbal reproduction from Isa_6:10.
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain On vv21–24 Without understanding; literally, without heart. This seems at first…
Without understanding; literally, without heart. This seems at first sight inconsistent with ver. 23, where the people is described as having indeed a "heart," but one hostile to Jehovah. The explanation is that a course of deliberate sin perverts a man"s moral perceptions. The prophet first of all states the result, and then the cause. So in Eze_12:2, "Which have eyes and see not," etc.; "for they are a rebellions house."
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Biblical Illustrator 1887 · Public Domain On vv23–24 But this people hath a revolting and a rebellious…
Jer_5:23-24
But this people hath a revolting and a rebellious heart; they are revolted and gone.
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Israels apostasy
Our state of heart and mind toward God is shown, not by those emotions which are kindled in us on receiving any extraordinary mercy, nor by what we do under the influence of those emotions, but by the habitual condition of our hearts and minds toward God as concerned in His everyday gifts and our everyday doings.
I. The accusation made.
I. God complains of revolt and rebellion against Him. The only rightful ruler over all: whose power is absolute and independent, whose wisdom is unerring, whose justice perfect, and whose goodness infinite: whose statutes are all right, rejoicing the right-hearted, whose commandment is all pure, enlightening the eye that is single.
2. And what thought was it in their hearts, which God construed as rebellion against Him? It took in Israels heart the simple and familiar form of mere unthankfulness to God for common mercies.
II. The proof of their rebellion and revolt.
1. They did not in the gift of a good harvest discern God at all.
2. If, as I feel too much afraid it is, this part of the proof of a rebellious heart be in us, of necessity the other part will not be wanting: and as God saith in the text of His people of old, Neither say they in their hearts, Let us now fear the Lord our God, so neither shall we say the same. The goodness of God is meant to lead men to repentance. (F. C. Clark, B. A.)
Sin is revolt and rebellion against Christ-our King
One day, over in Australia, at Maryboro, an unusually fine-looking man came in and said, I want to talk with you. I dont know about your preaching. I am a moral, upright man, and nobody can deny it. I should like you to tell me what you have got against me. I said, Are you a Christian? No, sir. Well, then, I charge you with high treason against your King. God made Him so, and I charge you--and I looked him right in the eye--with the crime of high treason against your King. An awful cloud came over the mans face. He got up and walked out of the room. Months passed away. We had been over to Tasmania, and got back to Australia, and were preaching at Ballarat, about forty miles, I think, from Maryboro. At the close of one of my meetings, a fine-looking man came and said, Do you remember me? I replied, I have seen you somewhere but 1 cannot trace you. Do you remember charging a man with high treason? I said, I have charged many a man with high treason. He said, Do you remember charging a specific man? and he narrated the circumstances. Yes, I said, I do. He replied, I am the man. You will never charge me with it again. He held out his hand and I held out mine. He took me in his mighty grip, and dropped on his knees and I on mine. He looked up and said, Lord Jesus, I hand in my allegiance; I give up my treason and take Thee as my King. You men ought to do it tonight. (A. Torrey.)
The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
C. I. Scofield 1917 · Public Domain On v24 (See Scofield "Psa 19:9").
fear
(See Scofield "Psa 19:9").
The Scofield Reference Bible (1917 edition), notes by C. I. Scofield — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On v23 General Information:
General Information:
Yahweh continues to speak to the people of Israel.
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this people has a stubborn heart. It turns
The people's heart represents their attitude toward God. If Yahweh is speaking to the people, this can also be expressed with the word "you." AT: "but you people have a stubborn heart. You turn" or "but you people are stubborn. You turn" (See: Metaphor and First, Second, or Third Person)
It turns away in rebellion and goes away
The word "it" refers to the people. Here "goes away" represents disobeying God. AT: "They rebel and disobey me" (See: Metaphor)
they do not say in their hearts
Here "their hearts" represent their thoughts, and "say" represents thinking. AT: "they do not think" (See: Metaphor)
keeping the fixed weeks of the harvest for us
Here "keeping the fixed weeks of the harvest" represents making sure that those weeks happen at the right time. AT: "making sure for us that the weeks of harvest happen when they are supposed to" (See: Assumed Knowledge and Implicit Information)
Your iniquities
The word "Your" refers to the descendants of Jacob and the people of Judah.
these things
This refers to the rains and the harvests.
Your sins have stopped good from coming to you
Good things "coming" represents good things happening. "Because of your sins, good things have stopped happening to you" (See: Metaphor)
translationWords
stiff-necked
heart
rebel
fear
Yahweh
God
harvest
iniquity
sin
good
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On vv22–23 5:22 The people should at least respect the Lord…
5:22 The people should at least respect the Lord for his power and tremble at the thought of his unleashing that power against them. If even the mighty sea was unable to pass the boundaries the Lord had set for it, surely the rebellion of little Jerusalem would fail.
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.