3 For thus says the Lord to the men of Judah and to Jerusalem , " Break up your fallow ground , And do not sow among thorns . 4 " Circumcise yourselves to the Lord And remove the foreskins of your heart , Men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem , Or else My wrath will go forth like fire And burn with none to quench it, Because e of the evil of your deeds ."
5 Declare in Judah and proclaim in Jerusalem , and say , " Blow the trumpet in the land ; Cry aloud and say , ' Assemble yourselves, and let us go Into the fortified cities .' 6 "Lift up a standard toward Zion ! Seek refuge , do not stand still, For I am bringing evil from the north , And great destruction . 7 "A lion has gone up from his thicket , And a destroyer of nations has set out; He has gone out from his place To make your land a waste . Your cities will be ruins Without inhabitant . 8 "For this , put on sackcloth , Lament and wail ; For the fierce anger of the Lord Has not turned back from us." 9 "It shall come about in that day ," declares the Lord , "that the heart of the king and the heart of the princes will fail ; and the priests will be appalled and the prophets will be astounded ." 10 Then I said , "Ah , Lord GOD ! Surely You have utterly deceived this people and Jerusalem , saying , ' You will have peace '; whereas a sword touches the throat ." 11 In that time it will be said to this people and to Jerusalem , "A scorching wind from the bare heights in the wilderness in the direction of the daughter of My people -not to winnow and not to cleanse , 12 a wind too strong for this -will come at My command; now I will also pronounce judgments against them. 13 "Behold , he goes up like clouds , And his chariots like the whirlwind ; His horses are swifter than eagles . Woe to us, for we are ruined !" 14 Wash your heart from evil , O Jerusalem , That you may be saved . How long e will your wicked thoughts Lodge within you? 15 For a voice declares from Dan , And proclaims wickedness from Mount Ephraim . 16 "Report it to the nations , now ! Proclaim over Jerusalem , 'Besiegers come from a far country , And lift their voices against the cities of Judah . 17 'Like watchmen of a field they are against her round about , Because she has rebelled against Me,' declares the Lord . 18 "Your ways and your deeds Have brought these things to you. This is your evil . How bitter ! How it has touched your heart !"
19 My soul , my soul ! I am in anguish ! Oh , my heart ! My heart is pounding in me; I cannot be silent , Because you have heard , O my soul , The sound of the trumpet , The alarm of war . 20 Disaster on disaster is proclaimed , For the whole land is devastated ; Suddenly my tents are devastated , My curtains in an instant . 21 How long e must I see the standard And hear the sound of the trumpet ? 22 " For My people are foolish , They know Me not; They are stupid children And have no understanding . They are shrewd to do evil , But to do good they do not know ." 23 I looked on the earth , and behold , it was formless and void ; And to the heavens , and they had no light . 24 I looked on the mountains , and behold , they were quaking , And all the hills moved to and fro . 25 I looked , and behold , there was no man , And all the birds of the heavens had fled . 26 I looked , and behold , the fruitful land was a wilderness , And all its cities were pulled down Before e the Lord , before e His fierce anger . 27 For thus says the Lord , "The whole land shall be a desolation , Yet I will not execute a complete destruction . 28 "For this the earth shall mourn And the heavens above e be dark , Because e I have spoken , I have purposed , And I will not change My mind , nor will I turn from it." 29 At the sound of the horseman and bowman e every city flees ; They go into the thickets and climb among the rocks ; Every city is forsaken , And no man dwells in them. 30 And you, O desolate one, what will you do ? Although you dress in scarlet , Although you decorate yourself with ornaments of gold , Although you enlarge your eyes with paint , In vain you make yourself beautiful . Your lovers despise you; They seek your life . 31 For I heard a cry as of a woman in labor , The anguish as of one giving birth to her first child , The cry of the daughter of Zion gasping for breath , Stretching out her hands , saying, "Ah , woe is me, for I faint before murderers ."
Matthew Henry's Commentary on Jeremiah 4:3-31
Commentary on Jeremiah 4:3-4
(Read Jeremiah 4:3-4)
An unhumbled heart is like ground untilled. It is ground which may be improved; it is our ground let out to us; but it is fallow; it is over-grown with thorns and weeds, the natural product of the corrupt heart. Let us entreat the Lord to create in us a clean heart, and to renew a right spirit within us; for except a man be born again, he cannot enter into the kingdom of heaven.
Commentary on Jeremiah 4:5-18
(Read Jeremiah 4:5-18)
The fierce conqueror of the neighbouring nations was to make Judah desolate. The prophet was afflicted to see the people lulled into security by false prophets. The approach of the enemy is described. Some attention was paid in Jerusalem to outward reformation; but it was necessary that their hearts should be washed, in the exercise of true repentance and faith, from the love and pollution of sin. When lesser calamities do not rouse sinners and reform nations, sentence will be given against them. The Lord's voice declares that misery is approaching, especially against wicked professors of the gospel; when it overtakes them, it will be plainly seen that the fruit of wickedness is bitter, and the end is fatal.
Commentary on Jeremiah 4:19-31
(Read Jeremiah 4:19-31)
The prophet had no pleasure in delivering messages of wrath. He is shown in a vision the whole land in confusion. Compared with what it was, every thing is out of order; but the ruin of the Jewish nation would not be final. Every end of our comforts is not a full end. Though the Lord may correct his people very severely, yet he will not cast them off. Ornaments and false colouring would be of no avail. No outward privileges or profession, no contrivances would prevent destruction. How wretched the state of those who are like foolish children in the concerns of their souls! Whatever we are ignorant of, may the Lord make of good understanding in the ways of godliness. As sin will find out the sinner, so sorrow will, sooner or later, find out the secure.