Chapter Four

1–4. The Lord’s answer to Israel and exhortation to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 5–18. The judgment threatening Jerusalem and the whole kingdom of Judah: a) Description of the approach of enemies from the north. 19–31. b) The prophet’s feelings when thinking of the misfortunes threatening his countrymen.

Jer 4:1-4. To Israel’s lament, which is contained in Jer 3:22-25, Jehovah says that the restoration of Israel is possible only through genuine repentance and renunciation of idolatry. Then, turning to his fellow citizens, the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and all the Judeans, Jeremiah requires from them urgent repentance to avoid the punishments that the angered Jehovah wishes to bring upon their heads.

Jeremiah 4:1. If you return, O Israel, says the Lord, to Me you should return. And if you remove your detestable things from My presence, then you shall not be removed. If Israel has raised the matter of conversion, then this conversion must be complete and real (to Me, before My face; therefore in Israel’s conversion everything must be clear, definite and open—before God one cannot hide or pretend). “Your detestable things”—that is, all that arouses the anger of Jehovah, all that separates Israel from God. “You shall not be removed”—that is, you will not remain an exile, and you will be restored to your homeland.

Jeremiah 4:2. And you shall swear, “As the Lord lives,” in truth, in justice, and in righteousness; and the nations shall bless themselves in Him, and in Him shall they glory. Israel must use the name of God with reverence—in this, first of all, the authenticity of his conversion to God will manifest itself. Israel should only permit himself to take an oath by this sacred name in affairs that are proper and honest, which was not observed before (Jer 5:2). The result of this will be the glorification of God’s name among other peoples of the earth, who, following the example of Israel, will turn to Jehovah and themselves will seek blessing from Him.

Jeremiah 4:3. For thus says the Lord to the men of Judah and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem: Break up your fallow ground, and sow not among thorns. The fate of Israel leads the prophet to think about the fate of his own country—the kingdom of Judah. Here he sees a desire to sow, that is, to introduce new ways of life, which points to the time of King Josiah’s reforms. The sowing, however, the prophet says, will be successful only when the field is properly plowed, when it is cleansed of all the evil plants rooted in it. In the same way, the prophet wishes to say, one must deal with human souls. It is not enough if people will express fervent, but fleeting, pious feelings—they must be prompted to destroy through stubborn and grievous struggle with themselves the seeds of all vices and evil inclinations in their hearts.

Jeremiah 4:4. Circumcise yourselves to the Lord, remove the foreskin of your hearts, O men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem, lest My wrath go forth like fire and burn with none to quench it, because of the evil of your doings. Another image of purification of the soul from sins. Bodily circumcision made a man clean and able to participate in the sacred worship of Jehovah. But Jeremiah knows a higher purity—circumcision of the heart, for from the heart proceed all evil things (Mark 7:21). If the Judeans wish to draw near to Jehovah, they must remove from their hearts, to which evil is inherent by nature (Gen 8:21), all evil inclinations that make them before the face of God people who still have the foreskin uncircumcised. Without this—the Judeans must expect a terrible judgment from God. Jer 4:5-18. The judgment over Judah, which Jeremiah briefly depicted in chapter 1, is here portrayed with greater vividness. Namely: the enemies of Judah, Jeremiah represents, first, as a lion laying waste the country, second, as a storm destroying everything, and third, as hunters organizing a hunt for beasts. However, this judgment is not something inevitable for Judah and Jerusalem; on the condition of repentance of the Judeans, the prophet still finds it possible to promise them deliverance from destruction.

Jeremiah 4:5. Declare in Judah, and proclaim in Jerusalem, and say: “Blow the trumpet through the land; cry aloud and say, ‘Assemble, and let us go into the fortified cities.’ Jeremiah 4:6. Raise a signal toward Zion; flee, do not delay! For I am bringing evil from the north and great destruction. The prophet, in the name of God, commands all inhabitants of the Judean land to be informed by every possible means as soon as possible of the approaching invasion of enemies. Let the Judeans from the villages and hamlets gather in fortified cities, among which Zion or Jerusalem holds the first place, so that on the way leading to it, a clearly visible sign should be placed from afar to point out to refugees the direction they should hurry toward. “Proclaim in Jerusalem”—of course, so that the inhabitants of the capital would know that they would have to receive many refugees from villages and hamlets, and would prepare for this.

Jeremiah 4:7. A lion has gone up from his thicket, a destroyer of nations has set out; he has gone forth from his place to make your land a desolation; your cities will be ruins without inhabitant. Jeremiah 4:8. Therefore, clothe yourselves with sackcloth, lament and wail, for the fierce anger of the Lord has not turned away from us. Jeremiah 4:9. And it shall be in that day, says the Lord, the heart of the king shall fail, and the heart of the princes; and the priests shall be appalled, and the prophets shall be amazed. “The lion”—this is, of course, a specific enemy of Judah, namely the Chaldean people. “From his thicket”—from the thickets covering the banks of the Jordan, where lions dwelt (cf. Jer 49:19). “The fierce anger of the Lord has not turned away from us”—the prophet shows the futility of the hopes that the Judeans had begun to harbor during the reign of Josiah; they thought that the anger of God would not come upon them (Jer 2:35; Jer 4:10). “Heart”—courage (cf. Isa 7:2). “The prophets shall be amazed”—that is, those who considered themselves prophets will lose all understanding: what happens will be so contrary to the predictions with which they had reassured their countrymen!

Jeremiah 4:10. And I said, “Ah, Lord God! Surely You have deceived this people and Jerusalem, saying, ‘It shall be well with you,’ yet the sword has reached their very soul! Who is speaking here? Modern critics (Cornill and others) believe that here Jeremiah is having the false prophets speak. Jeremiah, they say, could in no way accuse God because of prophecies which false prophets had uttered, promising the Judeans peace. But all tradition reads the first word of verse 10 from the Hebrew text as “I said,” (that is, Jeremiah), not “they said,” (that is, the false prophets), so here it is more correct to see a protest from the prophet himself (cf. Jer 1:6; Jer 14:13). What does the prophet wish to say by this protest, and what revelation does he have in mind? Some commentators (for example, Yakimov) see here the prophet’s bewilderment at the fact that God allowed false prophets to delude the people with bright prospects (cf. 1 Sam 22:20-22). But the most natural assumption is that the prophet has in mind here the prophecy of Huldah, contained in 2 Sam 22:18-20, according to which the entire time of Josiah’s reign should pass in peace. But now to the prophet’s eyes the disaster threatening Jerusalem seems so near that he is unable to resolve the contradiction arising from comparing Huldah’s prophecy with the judgment of God that is about to break forth. This sorrowful perplexity of the prophet remains without an answer, but the answer has already in fact been given earlier: Jeremiah has already said in chapters II and III that only sincere and genuine repentance could turn away from the people of Judah the anger of God, and such repentance the Judeans did not bring to God.

Jeremiah 4:11. At that time it will be said to this people and to Jerusalem: A scorching wind comes from the bare heights in the wilderness toward the daughter of My people, not to winnow or cleanse; Jeremiah 4:12. A wind stronger than these comes for Me, and now I will pronounce judgment upon them. The prophet, returning to the thought expressed in verse 5, proclaims that at the time when the epoch of judgment over Jerusalem arrives, they will say thus: “A scorching wind comes” through the mountains that separate the desert from Judah, comes directly (the Russian Synodal here incorrectly: on the way) upon the daughter of My people (that is, upon the inhabitants of Judah); but this wind does not blow so that with its help the farmer could winnow his grain and cleanse it from chaff. No, the wind is too strong for this; it comes to Me (these are the opening words of one of the inhabitants of Judah). Now I will pronounce judgment upon them! By these final words of Jehovah, the prophet’s question and perplexity about the purpose for which the Lord sent such a strong wind upon Judah is resolved.

Jeremiah 4:13. Look! He comes up like clouds; his chariots like the whirlwind; his horses are swifter than eagles. Woe to us, for we are ruined! Jeremiah 4:14. O Jerusalem, wash your heart from wickedness so that you may be saved. How long shall your evil thoughts lodge within you? The enemy moves from the north in such enormous masses that Jeremiah compares his invasion with the invasion of storm clouds. His chariots rush with the speed of a whirlwind, and his horses are faster than eagles. The prophet Habakkuk also thus depicts the Chaldeans (Hab 1:6 and following). “Woe to us!”—this is the cry of the people of Judah. But the prophet, in response to this lamentation, says that deliverance is still possible—for this it is necessary to cleanse one’s heart of all evil.

Jeremiah 4:15. For a voice announces from Dan and proclaims disaster from Mount Ephraim. Jeremiah 4:16. Tell the nations; behold, proclaim to Jerusalem that besiegers come from a distant country, and they raise their voice against the cities of Judah. From the northern border city of Palestine, Dan (in the tribe of Naphtali), comes the first terrible news to Jerusalem, but not directly, rather from the nearest point to Jerusalem—the mountains of Ephraim. From all the roads leading from the north to Egypt (to Egypt, in fact, the Chaldeans were striving), the enemy chose the one most dangerous for Jerusalem—through the mountains of Ephraim, which led directly to Jerusalem. “Tell the nations,” that is, the invasion of the Chaldeans should concern all peoples dwelling in Palestine, not only the Jews (Jerome). “Besiegers,” or more precisely, hunters driving beasts from their lairs with their cries. So also the Judeans will have to flee from their cities, and during this flight the enemies will seize them. Duhm reads the word here as “leopard” and instead of “besiegers” therefore translates “leopard.” Therefore, the word further placed “cries” he replaces with the expression “roaring.”

Jeremiah 4:17. Like keepers of a field they surround her, because she has rebelled against Me, says the Lord. Jeremiah 4:18. Your conduct and your doings have brought this upon you. This is your punishment, and it is bitter; it has reached your very heart. Just as watchmen carefully guard a field with ripening fruit, not allowing anyone to take anything from it, so the enemies watch Jerusalem, not letting any person escape from it. Cornill, considering that there are not many field-watchers and taking into account that the idyllic image of a watcher does not suit the destructive intentions of the enemy coming against Jerusalem, finds it best instead of “watchers” to translate the word here as “lying in ambush” (from the verb “to guard”) instead of “watchers,” with the expression: “lying in ambush on the field round about” (enemies). Such a translation indeed suits this place better, especially since there is a basis for it in Jer 5:6. The cause of the misfortunes of the Judeans is here indicated the same as in Jer 2:17-18. Jer 4:19-31. The thought of the danger threatening the Judeans from the enemies so oppresses the prophet’s soul that he does not see the light of the sun; it seems to him that an earthquake is occurring; he sees the general desolation of Palestine. However, the thought of the preservation of a remnant of the people does not abandon the prophet. At the end of the chapter, the prophet depicts the sad condition of the besieged Zion.

Jeremiah 4:19. My anguish, my anguish! I writhe in pain! O the walls of my heart! My heart is beating wildly; I cannot keep silent, for I hear the sound of the trumpet, the alarm of war. The greatest inner turmoil that the prophet feels, hearing the sounds of the trumpet announcing the attack of enemies, is expressed here in broken exclamations. “My anguish,” that is, my innermost being, as the source of birth (Gen 15:4) and therefore the seat of feelings. The prophet thus suffers like a woman laboring in childbirth. “The walls of my heart,” or more precisely—oh, the walls of my heart! The prophet’s heart beats so strongly that the walls of his heart can barely withstand its beats.

Jeremiah 4:20. Disaster after disaster! The whole land is laid waste; suddenly my tents are destroyed, my curtains in a moment. Jeremiah 4:21. How long must I see the signal and hear the sound of the trumpet? “My tents!”—that is, of my people. Houses and cities are poetically designated as tents. “Signal”—see Jer 4:5.

Jeremiah 4:22. For My people are foolish; they do not know Me. They are senseless children; they have no understanding. They are skilled in doing evil, but they know not how to do good. The cause of God’s anger is that the Judeans have become like senseless children who, however, are sufficiently inventive in doing evil.

Jeremiah 4:23. I looked at the earth, and behold, it was without form and void; and to the heavens, and they had no light. Jeremiah 4:24. I looked at the mountains, and behold, they were trembling; all the hills were quaking. Jeremiah 4:25. I looked, and behold, there was no one; and all the birds of the air had fled. Jeremiah 4:26. I looked, and behold, the fruitful land was a desert, and all its cities were laid in ruins before the Lord, before His fierce anger. Here is depicted the state of the land of Judah as it will be after God’s judgment is poured out upon it. The prophet looks at his country four times, as if hoping to see something comforting, but his hopes are futile: everywhere the prophet sees only desolation and destruction. She (the earth) was laid waste and void. The prophet uses here the expressions (tohu vavohu) which in the book of Genesis (Gen 1:2) designate the original chaotic state of the earth. This is, of course, hyperbole. The prophet simply wishes to say that the earth appeared to him in a vision as a sad, lifeless desert. “They had no light”—cf. Isa 13:9. “The mountains... were trembling”—a figurative expression: the prophet designates by this the force of God’s anger poured out upon the Judeans. “There was no one; all the birds... had fled”—again hyperbolic expressions. The birds, however, could indeed have fled from the desolated land because they had nothing to eat there. The prophet grieves over them because their flight and song enliven the land. “The fruitful land”—see Jer 2:7.

Jeremiah 4:27. For thus says the Lord: The whole land shall be a desolation; yet I will not make a full end. The Lord here softens the heaviness of the impression obtained from the preceding prediction. Both the land of Judah and the people are destined not for final destruction: life will begin again in the desolated land (Jer 3:14).

Jeremiah 4:28. For this the earth shall mourn and the heavens above be dark, because I have spoken, I have purposed; I have not relented, nor will I turn back. Jeremiah 4:29. At the noise of horseman and bowman every city takes to flight; they enter thickets; they climb among rocks. Every city is forsaken, and no one dwells in them. However, the Judeans should not delude themselves with the hope of salvation. Those remaining from the slaughter will perhaps only find themselves shelter in thick forests and on rocks; the cities of Judah, however, will all be destroyed.

Jeremiah 4:30. And you, devastated one, what do you do, that you dress in scarlet, that you decorate yourself with ornaments of gold, that you enlarge your eyes with paint? In vain you make yourself fair; your lovers despise you; they seek your life. In vain will Judah, like a woman desiring to please men, resort to various tricks to ensnare the conquerors in her nets: these northern conquerors, who earlier indeed entered into alliance with Judah (under Ahaz), have now determined to put an end to the independent existence of the kingdom of Judah. “You enlarge your eyes”—Eastern women, in order to give brilliance to their dark eyes and in order that their eyes would shine and appear larger, smeared the edges of the eyelids with black salt prepared from antimony (2 Sam 9:30).

Jeremiah 4:31. For I hear a cry as of a woman in travail, anguish as of one bringing forth her first child, the cry of the daughter of Zion gasping for breath, stretching out her hands: “Woe is me! I am exhausted from the slayers! “The daughter of Zion,” that is, the population of Jerusalem, so suffers and groans as a woman laboring for the first time. “The slayers”—these are the pitiless enemies who have already directed their bows against the Judeans. Special Notes. Criticism counts several verses of chapter IV as later insertions, namely verses 1 and 2, 3, 9 and 10, 27. But the grounds for denying their authenticity are very slight. Jehovah, says for instance Cornill, requires too little from the Judeans in verse 1—namely, only the removal of “detestable things.” In restoring His covenant with Himself, Jehovah could have demanded more of the Judeans. But we must note in response that this means that at Jeremiah’s time it seemed sufficient if the people would agree to part with the idols—the rest would be the work of later time. Against the authenticity of the other verses, critics point out the absence of proper meter in them, but this ground, as anyone will agree, is far from firm, because Jeremiah wrote not poems, but prophecies, which only sometimes, in places, were clothed in the form of verse.