A verse by verse commentary on Jeremiah 12 dealing with Jeremiah's complaint that god allows evil people to survive and even thrive, and then how God answers him.

1. JEREMIAH 12 COMMENTARY
EDITED BY GLENN PEASE
Jeremiah’s Complaint
1You are always righteous, Lord,
when I bring a case before you.
Yet I would speak with you about your justice:
Why does the way of the wicked prosper?
Why do all the faithless live at ease?
BARNES, "Yet let me talk ... - Rather, yet will I speak with thee on a matter of
right. This sense is well given in the margin. The prophet acknowledges the general
righteousness of God’s dealings, but cannot reconcile with it the properity of the
conspirators of Anathoth This difficulty was often present to the minds of the saints of
the Old Testament, see Job_21:7 ff; Ps. 37; Ps. 73.
Happy - Rather, secure, tranquil.
CLARKE, "Righteous art thou, O Lord, when I plead with thee - The prophet
was grieved at the prosperity of the wicked; and he wonders how, consistently with
God’s righteousness, vice should often be in affluence, and piety in suffering and
poverty. He knows that God is righteous, that every thing is done well; but he wishes to
inquire how these apparently unequal and undeserved lots take place. On this subject he
wishes to reason with God, that he may receive instruction.
GILL, "Righteous art thou, O Lord, when I plead with thee,.... The six first
verses of this chapter properly belong to the preceding, being of the same argument, and
in strict connection with the latter part of it. Jeremiah appears to be under the same
temptation, on account of the prosperity of the wicked, as Asaph was, Psa_73:1 only he
seems to have been more upon his guard, and less liable to fall by it; he sets out: with
this as a first principle, an undoubted truth, that God was righteous, and could do
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2. nothing wrong and amiss, however unaccountable his providences might be to men: he
did not mean, by entering the list with him, or by litigating this point, to charge him with
any unrighteousness this he took for granted, and was well satisfied of, that the Lord was
righteous, "though", says he, "I plead with thee" (t); so some read the words. De Dieu
renders them interrogatively, "shall I plead with thee?" shall I dare to do it? shall I take
that boldness and use that freedom with thee? I will. The Targum is the reverse,
"thou art more just, O Lord, than that I should contend before thy word:''
yet let me talk with thee of thy judgments; not of his laws, statutes, word, and
ordinances, sometimes so called; but rather of his providences, which are always
dispensed with equity and justice, though not always manifest; they are sometimes
unsearchable and past finding out, and will bear a sober and modest inquiry into them,
and debate concerning them; the people of God may take the liberty of asking questions
concerning them, when they are at a loss to account for them. So the Targum,
"but I will ask a question of judgments before thee.''
The words may be rendered, "but I will speak judgments with thee" (u); things that are
right; that are agreeable to the word of God and sound reason; things that are consistent
with the perfections of God, particularly his justice and holiness; which are founded
upon equity and truth; I will produce such reasons and arguments as seem to be
reasonable and just.
Wherefore doth the way of the wicked prosper? or they prosper in all their ways?
whatever they take in hand succeeds; they enjoy a large share of health of body; their
families increase, their trade flourishes, their flocks and herds grow large and numerous,
and they have great plenty of all outward blessings; and yet they are wicked men,
without the fear of God, regard not him, nor his worship and ways; but walk in their own
ways which they have chosen, and delight in their abominations. Some understand this,
as Jarchi, of Nebuchadnezzar, to whom God had given greatness and prosperity, to
destroy the house of God; but by what follows, in the latter part of the next verse, it
appears that God's professing people, the Jews, are meant, and most likely the priests at
Anathoth.
Wherefore are all they happy; easy, quiet, secure, live in peace and plenty:
that deal very treacherously? with God and men, in religions and civil affairs.
HENRY, "The prophet doubts not but it would be of use to others to know what had
passed between God and his soul, what temptations he had been assaulted with and how
he had got over them; and therefore he here tells us,
I. What liberty he humbly took, and was graciously allowed him, to reason with God
concerning his judgments, Jer_12:1. He is about to plead with God, not to quarrel with
him, or find fault with his proceedings, but to enquire into the meaning of them, that he
might more and more see reason to be satisfied in them, and might have wherewith to
answer both his own and others' objections against them. The works of the Lord, and the
reasons of them, are sought out even of those that have pleasure therein. Psa_111:2. We
may not strive with our Maker, but we may reason with him. The prophet lays down a
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3. truth of unquestionable certainty, which he resolves to abide by in managing this
argument: Righteous art thou, O Lord! when I plead with thee. Thus he arms himself
against the temptation wherewith he was assaulted, to envy the prosperity of the wicked,
before he entered into a parley with it. Note, When we are most in the dark concerning
the meaning of God's dispensations we must still resolve to keep up right thoughts of
God, and must be confident of this, that he never did, nor ever will do, the least wrong to
any of his creatures; even when his judgments are unsearchable as a great deep, and
altogether unaccountable, yet his righteousness is as conspicuous and immovable as the
great mountains, Psa_36:6. Though sometimes clouds and darkness are round about
him, yet justice and judgment are always the habitation of his throne, Psa_97:2. When
we find it hard to understand particular providences we must have recourse to general
truths as our first principles, and abide by them; however dark the providence may be,
the Lord is righteous; see Psa_73:1. And we must acknowledge it to him, as the prophet
here, even when we plead with him, as those that have no thoughts of contending but of
learning, being fully assured that he will be justified when he speaks. Note, However we
may see cause for our own information to plead with God, yet it becomes us to own that,
whatever he says or does, he is in the right.
II. What it was in the dispensations of divine Providence that he stumbled at and that he
thought would bear a debate. It was that which has been a temptation to many wise and
good men, and such a one as they have with difficulty got over. They see the designs and
projects of wicked people successful: The way of the wicked prospers; they compass
their malicious designs and gain their point. They see their affairs and concerns in a
good posture: They are happy, happy as the world can make them, though they deal
treacherously, very treacherously, both with God and man.
JAMISON, "Jer_12:1-17. Continuation of the subject at the close of the eleventh
chapter.
He ventures to expostulate with Jehovah as to the prosperity of the wicked, who had
plotted against his life (Jer_12:1-4); in reply he is told that he will have worse to endure,
and that from his own relatives (Jer_12:5, Jer_12:6). The heaviest judgments, however,
would be inflicted on the faithless people (Jer_12:7-13); and then on the nations co-
operating with the Chaldeans against Judah, with, however, a promise of mercy on
repentance (Jer_12:14-17).
(Psa_51:4).
let me talk, etc. — only let me reason the case with Thee: inquire of Thee the causes
why such wicked men as these plotters against my life prosper (compare Job_12:6; Job_
21:7; Psa_37:1, Psa_37:35; Psa_73:3; Mal_3:15). It is right, when hard thoughts of
God’s providence suggest themselves, to fortify our minds by justifying God beforehand
(as did Jeremiah), even before we hear the reasons of His dealings.
K&D, "The prophet's displeasure at the prosperity of the wicked. - The enmity
experienced by Jeremiah at the hands of his countrymen at Anathoth excites his
displeasure at the prosperity of the wicked, who thrive and live with immunity. He
therefore beings to expostulate with God, and demands from God's righteousness that
they be cut off out of the land (Jer_12:1-4); whereupon the Lord reproves him for this
outburst of ill-nature and impatience by telling him that he must patiently endure still
worse. - This section, the connection of which with the preceding is unmistakeable,
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4. shows by a concrete instance the utter corruptness of the people; and it has been
included in the prophecies because it sets before us the greatness of God's long-suffering
towards a people ripe for destruction.
Jer_12:1
"Righteous art Thou, Jahveh, if I contend with Thee; yet will I plead with Thee in
words. Wherefore doth the way of the wicked prosper, are all secure that deal
faithlessly? Jer_12:2. Thou hast planted them, yea, they have taken root; grow, yea,
bring forth fruit. Near art Thou in their mouth, yet far from their reins. Jer_12:3. But
Thou, Jahveh, knowest me, seest me, and triest mine heart toward Thee. Tear them
away like sheep to the slaughter, and devote them for a day of slaughter. Jer_12:4.
How long is the earth to mourn and the herb of the field to wither? For the wickedness
of them that dwell therein, gone are cattle and fowl; for they say: He sees not our end.
Jer_12:5. If with the footmen thou didst run and they wearied thee, how couldst thou
contend with the horses? and if thou trustest in the land of peace, how wilt thou do in
the glory of Jordan? Jer_12:6. For even thy brethren and they father's house, even they
are faithless towards thee, yea, they call after thee with full voice. Believe them not,
though they speak friendly to thee."
The prophet's complaint begins by acknowledging: Thou art righteous, Lord, if I
would dispute with Thee, i.e., would accuse Thee of injustice. I could convict Thee of no
wrong; Thou wouldst appear righteous and prove Thyself in the right. Psa_51:6; Job_
9:2. With ַ‫א‬ comes in a limitation: only he will speak pleas of right, maintain a suit with
Jahveh, will set before Him something that seems incompatible with God's justice,
namely the question: Why the way of the wicked prospers, why they that act faithlessly
are in ease and comfort? On this cf. Job_21:7., where Job sets forth at length the
contradiction between the prosperity of the wicked and the justice of God's providence.
The way of the wicked is the course of their life, their conduct. God has planted them,
i.e., has placed them in their circumstances of life; like a tree they have struck root into
the ground; they go on, i.e., grow, and bear fruit, i.e., their undertakings succeed,
although they have God in their mouth only, not in their heart.
CALVIN, "The minds of the faithful, we know, have often been greatly tried and
even shaken, on seeing all things happening successfully and prosperously to the
despisers of God. We find this complaint expressed at large in Psalms 73:0. The
Prophet there confesses that he had well — nigh fallen, as he had been treading in a
slippery place; he saw that God favored the wicked; at least, from the appearance of
things, he could form no other judgment, but that they were loved and cherished by
God. We know also that the ungodly become thus hardened, according to what is
related of Dionysius, who said that God favored the sacrilegious; for he had sailed in
safety after having plundered temples, and committed robberies in many places;
thus he laughed to scorn the forbearance of God. And hence Solomon says, That
when all things are in a state of confusion in the world, men’s minds are led to
despise God, as they think that all things happen on the earth by chance, and that
God has no care for mankind. (Ecclesiastes 9:0) But with regard to the faithful, as I
have already said, when they see the ungodly proceeding in all wickedness and evil
deeds with impunity, and claiming the world to themselves, while God is, as it were,
conniving at them, their minds cannot be otherwise than grievously distressed. And
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5. this is the view which interpreters take of this passage; that is, that he was disturbed
with the prosperous condition of the wicked, and expostulated with God, as
Habakkuk seems to have done at the beginning of the first chapter; but he appears
to me to have something higher in view.
We have said elsewhere, that when the Prophets saw that they spent their labor in
vain on the deaf and the intractable, they turned their addresses to God as in
despair. I hence doubt not but that it was a sign of indignation when the Prophet
addressed God, having as it were given up men, inasmuch as he saw that he spoke to
the deaf without any benefit. Here then he rouses the minds of the people, that they
might know at length that he could not convince them that they were doomed to
ruin by God. For when Jeremiah spoke to them, all his threatenlugs were scorned
and laughed at; hence he now addresses God himself, as though he had said, that he
would have nothing more to do with them, as he had labored wholly in vain. This
then seems to have been the object of the Prophet.
But lest the ungodly should have an occasion for calumniating, he intended so to
regulate his discourse as to give them no ground for cavining. Hence he makes this
preface, — that God is, or would be just, though he contended with him This order
ought to be carefully observed; for when we give way in the least to our passions, we
are immediately carried away, and we cannot restrain ourselves within proper
limits and continue in a right course. As soon then as those thoughts, which may
draw us away frc, in the fear of God, and lessen the reverence due to him, creep in,
we ought to fortify our minds and to set up mounds, lest the devil should draw us on
farther than we wish to go. For instance, when any one in the present day sees
things in disorder in the world, he begins to reason thus freely with himself, “What
does this mean? How is it that God suffers licentiousness to prevail so long? Why is
it thathe thus conceals himself?” As soon then as these thoughts creep in, if we
possess the true principle of religion, we shall try to restrain these wanderings, and
to bring ourselves to the right way; but this will be no easy matter; for as soon as we
pass over the boundaries, there is no restraint, no limitation. Hence the Prophet
wisely begins by saying, Thou art just, though I contend with thee It is not only for
the sake of others he speaks thus, but also to restrain in time his own feelings and
not to allow himself more than what is right. We must still remember what I have
said, — that the Prophet here directs his words to God, in order that the Jews might
know that they were left as it were without hope, and were unworthy that he should
spend any more labor on them.
He says, And yet I will speak judgments with thee; that is, I will dispute according
to the limits of what is right and just. Some indeed take judgments for punishments,
as though the Prophet wished the people to be punished; but of this I do not
approve, for it is a strained view. To speak judgments, means nothing else than to
discuss a point in law, to plead according to law, as it is commonly said. By saying,
“I will legally contend,” he does not throw off the restraint which he has before put
on himself, but asks it as a matter of indulgence to set before God what might seem
just and right to all. ‘David, or the Prophet who was the author of that psalm which
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6. we have already quoted, (Psalms 73:0) even when he expressed his own feelings and
ingenuously confessed his own infirmity, yet made a preface similar to what is found
here. But he there speaks as it were abruptly, “Yet thou art just;” he uses the same
word ‫אך‬ , ak, as Jeremiah does; but here it is put in the last clause, and there at the
beginning of the sentence, “Yet good is God to Israel, even to those who are upright
in heart.” The Prophet no doubt was agitated and distracted in various ways, but he
afterwards restrained himself. But it was otherwise with Jeremiah; for he does not
confess here that he was tried, as almost all the faithful are wont to be; but as I have
already said, he advisedly, and by the guidance of the Holy Spirit, addressed his
words to God; for he intended to rouse the Jews, that they might understand that
they were rejected, and rejected as unworthy of having their salvation cared for any
longer.
By saying then, Yet will I plead with thee, he doubtless intended to touch the Jews to
the quick, as they were so extremely stupid. “Behold,” he says, “I will yet contend
with God, whether he will forgive you?” We now see the real meaning of the
Prophet; for the Jews in vain brought forward their own prosperity as a proof that
God was propitious to them; for this was nothing else than to abuse his forbearance.
Jeremiah intended in short to shew, that though God might pass by them for a time,
yet the wicked ought not on this account to flatter themselves, for his indulgence is
no proof of his love; but, on the contrary, as we shall see, a heavier vengeance is
accumulated, when the ungodly increasingly harden themselves while God is
treating them with indulgence. This then is the reason why the Prophet says, that he
would plead with God; he had regard more to men than to God. He yet does not set
up the judgments of men against the absolute power of God, as the sophists under
the Papacy do, who ascribe such absolute power to God as perverts all judgment
and all order; this is nothing less than sacrilege.
Now the Prophet does not call God to an account, as though there was no rule by
which he regulated his works and governed the world. But by judgments he means,
as I have said, what God had declared in his law; for it is written,
“Cursed is every one who continueth not,” etc.,
(Deuteronomy 27:26; Galatians 3:10)
Now then as the Jews were transgressors of the law, nay, as they ceased not to
provoke God to wrath by their vices, they ought surely, according to the ordinary
course of justice, to have been immediately destroyed. Hence the Prophet says here,
I will plead with thee; that is, “Hadstthou dealt with this people as they deserved,
they must have been often reduced to nothing.” At the same time he had no doubt,
as we have said, respecting the rectitude of the divine judgment; only he had regard
to those men who flattered themselves, and securely indulged themselves in their
vices, because God diid not immediately execute those punishments with which he
threatens the transgressors of his law. (52)
Hence he says, How long shall the way of the wicked prosper? for secure are all they
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7. who by transgression transgress; that is, who are not only tainted with small vices,
but who are extremely wicked. They then who openly rejected all religion and all
care for righteousness, how was it that they were secure and that their way
prospered? We now then more clearly understand what I have stated, — that the
Prophet turned his words to God, that he might more effectually rouse the stupid, so
that they might know that they were in a manner summoned by this expostulation
before the celestial tribunal. It now follows, —
I would render the verse thus, —
Righteous art thou, Jehovah; Though I should dispute with thee; Yet of judgments
will I speak to thee, — How is it.? the way of the wicked, it prospers; Secure are all
the dissemblers of dissimulation.
Perhaps the fourth line might be rendered thus, —
Why; the way of the wicked, it prospers.
The order of the words will not admit it to be rendered otherwise. Blayney renders
the last line as follows: —
At ease are all they who deal very perfidiously.
The last words literally are, “all the cloakers of cloaking,” or, “all the coverers of
covering.” But according to the secondary meaning of the word ‫בגד‬ the phrase
would be, “all the dissemblers of dissimulation.” The version of the Septuagint is,
“all who prevaricate prevarications.” What is meant evidently is, that they were
hypocrites, and that by hypocrisy they covered their hypocrisy, — a true and a
striking representation. — Ed
WHEDON, "Verses 1-6
COMPLAINT AT THE PROSPERITY OF THE WICKED, Jeremiah 12:1-6.
The opening verses of this chapter connect closely with the preceding. The language
represents the attitude of Jeremiah’s mind when confronted with persecution and
personal danger. Deserted and persecuted by those who Should be his friends, in
that loneliness of spirit which is the necessary experience of every reformer, he
betakes himself to God. His trial and complaint are such as speak forth in Psalm
xxxiv, xlix, lxxiii, and in the book of Job. When we consider that the sanctions of the
Mosaic law were largely, though not entirely, limited to this world, we can well
understand how that temptation which has always been a severe and bitter one to
good men should have been peculiarly so to him whose only reward seemed to be
abandonment and temporal ruin. So completely was the heart of the prophet in
sympathy with the divine indignation against the impiety of the wicked, that he is
amazed at the slowness of God’s judgments.
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8. ELLICOTT, " (1) Yet let me talk with thee.—The soul of the prophet is vexed, as
had been the soul of Job (Jeremiah 21:7), of Asaph (Psalms 73), and others, by the
apparent anomalies of the divine government. He owns as a general truth that God
is righteous, “yet,” he adds, I will speak (or argue) my cause (literally, causes) with
Thee. He will question the divine Judge till his doubt is removed. And the question
is the ever-recurring one, Wherefore doth the way of the wicked prosper? (Comp.
Psalms 37:1; Psalms 73:3.) The “treacherous dealing” implies a reference to the
conspirators of the previous chapter.
Wherefore are all they happy . . .—Better, at rest, or secure.
COFFMAN, "JEREMIAH'S COMPLAINT
There are three divisions in this chapter: (Jeremiah 12:1-6) which register's
Jeremiah's complaint, (Jeremiah 12:7-13) which recounts God's judgment upon
Judah and her enemies, and (Jeremiah 12:14-17) that promises the return of Israel
from captivity and the conversion of Gentiles, both of which events are conditional.
Jeremiah 12:1-4
"Righteous art thou, O Jehovah, when I contend with thee; yet would I reason the
cause with thee: wherefore doth the way of the wicked prosper? wherefore are they
all at ease that deal very treacherously? Thou hast planted them, yea, they have
taken root; they grow, yea, they bring forth fruit: thou art near in their mouth, and
far from their heart. But thou, O Jehovah, knowest me; thou seest me, and triest my
heart toward thee: pull them out like sheep for the slaughter, and prepare them for
the day of slaughter. How long shall the land mourn, and the herbs of the whole
country wither? for the wickedness of them that dwell therein, the beasts are
consumed, and the birds; because they said, He shall not see our latter end."
"Wherefore... doth the wicked prosper ..." (Jeremiah 12:1)? Jeremiah got to the
point at once; and the problem here presented before the Lord in faith and humility
was indeed an old one. Habakkuk had struggled with it; the patriarch Job (Job
21:7) was perplexed by it; and the Book of Psalms devotes at least two chapters to a
discussion of it (Psalms 37 and Psalms 73).
Men of every generation, even the most devoted and faithful of Christians, have
found this same question to be a perplexing and difficult problem. As Dummelow
noted, however, "It was a question that especially exercised men of the pre-
Christian dispensations; because they had no clear understanding of the eternal and
spiritual rewards promised to Christians, thinking principally of physical and
material rewards to be received in the service of God."[1]
The Christian religion does indeed give complete and satisfactory answers to this
question; and the reason that many in the current era have difficulty with the
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9. problem derives from a failure to study the Scriptures. We shall explore the answer
a little later; but, first, we shall note the answer that God made available to
Jeremiah.
"Wherefore are they at ease who deal treacherously ..." (Jeremiah 12:1)? Evidently,
Jeremiah here had in mind the treacherous plans of his fellow-countrymen to
murder him. On the other hand, Jeremiah, as God certainly knew, was an
honorable and faithful believer.
"Thou hast planted them ..." (Jeremiah 12:2). A complicating factor in the problem
for Jeremiah was the fact that God's blessings were evidently being enjoyed by those
evil men. They were flourishing and prospering, as the Psalmist put it, "like the
green bay tree!"
"Pull them out ..." (Jeremiah 12:3). Pleading their wickedness and his own
faithfulness, as reasons for his request, Jeremiah pleaded with God to "Pull them
out ..." "The original here is very strong; it is, literally, `tear them out.'"[2] Smith
paraphrased Jeremiah's words thus, "Lord, drag these fat scoundrels out of the
flock and sacrifice them, and make examples of them."[3]
The indignation of Jeremiah is evident in his words here. Green has a paraphrase,
thus:
"Why do the wicked prosper? Why is crookedness a prime prerequisite for
success in this world? Lord, you plant these scoundrels, and they grow. Why? They
are pious frauds who mouth words of religion but have no real love for you in their
hearts."[4]
"He shall not see our latter end ..." (Jeremiah 12:4). This is a disputed text, but we
believe it refers to the attitude of wicked men who were flaunting their rebellion
against God in the boast that God would have nothing to do with their end, or
taunting Jeremiah with the brag that they would last longer than Jeremiah would,
or that Jeremiah would die before they did.
COKE, "Jeremiah 12:1. Righteous art thou, O Lord— Righteous, &c. therefore will
I plead with thee: but I will speak nothing but what is just with thee. Wherefore,
&c. Jeremiah speaks this concerning those same wicked persons who consulted to
take him off by poison; and he seems to wonder that all things succeeded well with
them. But he expresses his wonder by an interrogation, that he may thence take an
opportunity to prophesy that their prosperity would not be of long continuance. See
Psalms 73 and Houbigant.
TRAPP, " Righteous [art] thou, O LORD, when I plead with thee: yet let me talk
with thee of [thy] judgments: Wherefore doth the way of the wicked prosper?
[wherefore] are all they happy that deal very treacherously?
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10. Ver. 1. Righteous art thou, O Lord, when I plead with thee.] Or, Though I should
contend with thee. This the prophet fitly sets forth the ensuing disceptation, that he
might not be mistaken. Thy judgments, saith he, are sometimes secret, always just;
this I am well assured of, though I thus argue. (a)
Yet let me talk with thee of thy judgments.] Let me take the humble boldness so to
do, that I may be further cleared and instructed by thee.
Wherefore doth the way of the wicked prosper?] viz., While better men suffer; as
now the wicked Anathothites do, while I go in danger of my life by them. This is that
noble question which hath exercised the wits and molested the minds of many wise
men, both within and without the Church. See Job 21:7-13, Psalms 37:1; Psalms
73:1-12, Habakkuk 1:4-5; Plato, Cicero, Seneca, Epictetus, Claudian against Ruffin,
&c.
Wherefore are all they happy?] Heb., At ease. Not all either; for some wicked have
their payment here, their hell aforehand. To this question the Lord, who knoweth
our frame, [Psalms 103:14] being content to condescend where he might have
judged, calmly maketh answer, [Jeremiah 12:5] like as Christ in like case did to
Peter. [John 21:21-22]
EXPOSITOR'S BIBLE COMMENTARY, "The sentence was pronounced, but the
cloud of dejection was not at once lifted from the soul of the seer. He knew that
justice must in the end overtake the guilty; but, in the meantime, "his enemies lived
and were mighty," and their criminal designs against himself remained unnoticed
and unpunished. The more he brooded over it, the more difficult it seemed to
reconcile their prosperous immunity with the justice of God. He has given us the
course of his reflections upon this painful question, ever suggested anew by the facts
of life, never sufficiently answered by toiling reason. "Too righteous art Thou,
Iahvah, for me to contend with Thee: I will but lay arguments before Thee" (i.e.,
argue the case forensically). "Wherefore doth the way of the wicked prosper?
Wherefore are they undisturbed, all that deal very treacherously? Thou plantest
them, yea, they take root; they grow ever, yea, they bear fruit: Thou art nigh in
their mouth, and far from their reins. And Thou, Iahvah, knowest me; Thou seest
me, and triest mine heart in Thy mind. Separate them like sheep for the slaughter,
and consecrate them for the day of killing! How long shall the land mourn, and the
herbage of all the country wither? From the evil of the dwellers therein, beasts and
birds perish: for they have said (or, thought), "He cannot see our end". [Jeremiah
12:1-4] It is not merely that his would be murderers thrive; it is that they take the
holy Name upon their unclean lips; it is that they are hypocrites combining a
pretended respect for God, with an inward and thorough indifference to God. He is
nigh in their mouth and far from their reins. They "honour Him with their lips, but
have removed their heart far from Him; and their worship of Him is a mere human
commandment, learned by rote". [Isaiah 29:13] They swear by His Name, when
they are bent on deception. [Jeremiah 5:2] It is all this which especially rouses the
prophet’s indignation; and contrasting therewith his own conscious integrity and
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11. faithfulness to the Divine law, he calls upon Divine justice to judge between himself
and them: "Pull them out like sheep for slaughter, and consecrate them" (set them
apart from the rest of the flock) "for the day of killing!" It has been said that
Jeremiah throughout this whole paragraph speaks not as a prophet, but as a private
individual; and that in this verse especially he "gives way to the natural man, and
asks the life of his enemies". [1 Kings 3:11, Job 31:30] This is perhaps a tenable
opinion. We have to bear in mind the difference of standpoint between the writers of
the Old Covenant and those of the New. Not much is said by the former about the
forgiveness of injuries, about withholding the hand from vengeance. The most
ancient law, indeed, contained a noble precept, which pointed in this direction: "If
thou meet thine enemy’s ox or his ass going astray, thou shalt surely bring it back to
him again. If thou see the ass of him that hateth thee lying under his burden, and
wouldest forbear to help him, thou shalt surely help with him." [Exodus 23:4-5]
And in the Book of Proverbs we read: "Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth, And
let not thine heart be glad when he is overthrown." But the impression of
magnanimity thus produced is somewhat diminished by the reason which is added
immediately: "Lest the Lord see it and it displease Him, and He turn away His
wrath from him": a motive of which the best that can be said is that it is
characteristic of the imperfect morality of the time. {Proverbs 24:17 sq.} The same
objection may be taken to that other famous passage of the same book: "If thine
enemy be hungry, give him bread to eat: And if he be thirsty, give him water to
drink: For thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his head, And the Lord shall reward
thee". {Proverbs 25:21 sq.} The reflection that the relief of his necessities will
mortify and humiliate an enemy to the utmost, which is what seems to have been
originally meant by "heaping coals of fire upon his head," however practically
useful in checking the wild impulses of a hot-blooded and vindictive race, such as
the Hebrews were, and such as their kindred the Bedawi Arabs have remained to
this day under a system of faith which has not said, "Love your enemies"; and
however capable of a new application in the more enlightened spirit of Christianity;
{Romans 12:19 sqq.} is undoubtedly a motive marked by the limitations of Old
Testament ethical thought. And edifying as they may prove to be, when understood
in that purely spiritual and universal sense, to which the Church has lent her
authority, how many of the psalms were, in their primary intention, agonising cries
for vengeance: prayers that the human victim of oppression and wrong might "see
his desire upon his enemies"? All this must be borne in mind; but there are other
considerations also which must not be omitted, if we would get at the exact sense of
our prophet in the passage before us.
We must remember that he is laying a case before God. He has admitted at the
outset that God is absolutely just, in spite of and in view of the fact that his
murderous enemies are prosperous and unpunished. When he pleads his own
sincerity and purity of heart, in contrast with the lip service of his adversaries, it is
perhaps that God may grant, not so much their perdition, as the salvation of the
country from the evils they have brought and are bringing upon it. Ascribing the
troubles already present and those which are yet to come, the desolations which he
sees and those which he foresees, to their steady persistence in wickedness, he asks,
11

12. How long must this continue? Would it not be better, would it not be more
consonant with Divine wisdom and righteousness to purify the land of its fatal taint
by the sudden destruction of those heinous and hardened offenders, who scoff at the
very idea of a true forecast of their "end" (Jeremiah 12:4)? But this is not all. There
would be more apparent force in the allegation we are discussing if it were. The cry
to heaven for an immediate act of retributive justice is not the last thing recorded of
the prophet’s experience on this occasion. He goes on to relate, for our satisfaction,
the Divine answer to his questionings, which seems to have satisfied his own
troubled mind. "If thou hast run with but footracers, and they have wearied thee,
how then wilt thou compete with the coursers? And if thy confidence be in a land of
peace" (or, "a quiet land"), "how then wilt thou do in the thickets" (jungles) "of
Jordan? For even thine own brethren and thy father’s house, even they will deal
treacherously with thee; even they will cry aloud after thee: trust thou not in them,
though they speak thee fair!" [Jeremiah 12:5-6] The metaphors convey a rebuke of
impatience and premature discouragement. Hitzig aptly quotes Demosthenes: "If
they cannot face the candle, what will they do when they see the sun?" (Plut. de
vitioso pudore, c. 5) It is "the voice of the prophet’s better feeling, and of victorious
self possession," adds the critic; and we, who earnestly believe that, of the two voices
which plead against each other in the heart of man, the voice that whispers good is
the voice of God, find it not hard to accept this statement in that sense. The prophet
is giving us the upshot of his reflection upon the terrible danger from which he had
been mercifully preserved; and we see that his thoughts were guided to the
conclusion that, having once accepted the Divine Call, it would be unworthy to
abdicate his mission on the first signal of danger. Great as that danger had been, he
now, in his calmer hour, perceives that, if he is to fulfil his high vocation, he must be
prepared to face even worse things. With serious irony he asks himself if a runner
who is overcome with a footrace can hope to outstrip horses? or how a man, who is
only bold where no danger is, will face the perils that lurk in the jungles of the
Jordan? He remembers that he has to fight a more arduous battle and on a greater
scene. Jerusalem is more than Anathoth; and "the kings of Judah and the princes
thereof" are mightier adversaries than the conspirators of a country town. And his
present escape is an earnest of deliverance on the wider field: "They shall fight
against thee, but they shall not prevail against thee: for I am with thee, said Iahvah,
to deliver thee". {see Jeremiah 1:17-19} But to a deeply affectionate and sensitive
nature like Jeremiah’s, the thought of being forsaken by his own kindred might well
appear as a trial worse than death. This is the "contending with horses," the
struggle that is almost beyond the powers of man to endure; this is the deadly peril,
like that of venturing into the lion-haunted thickets of Jordan, which he clearly
foresees as awaiting him: "For even thine own brethren and thy father’s house, even
they will deal treacherously with thee." It would seem that the prophet, with whose
"timidity" some critics have not hesitated to find fault, had to renounce all that man
holds dear, as a condition of faithfulness to his call. Again we are reminded of One,
of whom it is recorded that "Neither did His brethren believe in Him," {St. John
7:5} and that "His friends went out to lay hold on Him, for they said, He is beside
Himself". [Mark 3:21] The closeness of the parallel between type and antitype,
between the sorrowful prophet and the Man of Sorrows, is seen yet further in the
12

13. words, "Even they will cry aloud after thee" (lit. "with full cry"). The meaning may
be: They will join in the hue and cry of thy pursuers, the mad shouts of "Stop him!"
or "Strike him down!" such as may perhaps have rung in the prophet’s ears as he
fled from Anathoth. But we may also understand a metaphorical description of the
efforts of his family to recall him from the unpopular path on which he had entered;
and this perhaps agrees better with the warning: "Trust them not, though they
speak thee fair." And understood in this sense, the words coincide with what is told
us in the Gospel of the attempt of our Lord’s nearest kin to arrest the progress of
His Divine mission, when His mother and His brethren "standing without, sent unto
Him, calling Him". {St. Mark 3:31}
The lesson for ourselves is plain. The man who listens to the Divine call, and makes
God his portion, must be prepared to surrender everything else. He must be
prepared, not only to renounce much which the world accounts good; he must be
prepared for all kinds of opposition passive and active, tacit and avowed; he may
even find, like Jeremiah, that his foes are the members of his own household. {St.
Matthew 10:36} And, like the prophet, his acceptance of the Divine call binds him to
close his ears against entreaties and flatteries, against mockery and menace; and to
act upon his Master’s word: "If any man would come after Me, let him deny
himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whosoever would save his life
shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life for My sake and the gospel’s shall save
it". {St. Mark 8:34 sq.} "If any man come unto Me, and hate not his father and
mother and wife and children and brethren and sisters, yea and his own life also he
cannot be My disciple." {St. Luke 14:26} A great prize is worth a great risk; and
eternal life is a prize infinitely great. It is therefore worth the hazard and the
sacrifice of all. {St. Luke 18:29 sq.}
The section which follows (Jeremiah 12:7-17) has been supposed to belong to the
time of Jehoiakim, and consequently to be out of place here, having been transposed
from its original context, because the peculiar Hebrew term which is rendered
"dearly beloved" (Jeremiah 12:7), is akin to the term rendered "My beloved,"
Jeremiah 11:15. But this supposition depends on the assumption that the "historical
basis of the section" is to be found in the passage 2 Kings 24:2, which relates briefly
that in Jehoiakim’s time plundering bands of Chaldeans, Syrians, Moabites, and
Ammonites overran the country. The prophecy concerning Iahvah’s "evil
neighbours" is understood to refer to these marauding inroads, and is accordingly
supposed to have been uttered between the eighth and eleventh years of Jehoiakim
(Hitzig). It has, however, been pointed out (Naegelsbach) that the prophet does not
once name the Chaldeans in the present discourse; which "he invariably does in all
discourses subsequent to the decisive battle of Carchemish in the fourth year of
Jehoiakim," which gave the Chaldeans the sovereignty of Western Asia. This
discourse must, therefore, be of earlier date, and belong either to the first years of
Jehoiakim, or to the time immediately subsequent to the eighteenth of Josiah. The
history as preserved in Kings and Chronicles is so incomplete that we are not bound
to connect the reference to "evil neighbours" with what is so summarily told in 2
Kings 24:2. There may have been other occasions when Judah’s jealous and
13

14. watchful enemies profited by her internal weakness and dissensions to invade and
ravage the land; and throughout the whole period the country was exposed to the
danger of plundering raids by the wild nomads of the eastern and southern borders.
It is possible, however, that Jeremiah 12:14-17 are a later postscript, added by the
prophet when he wrote his book in the fifth or sixth year of Jehoiakim. [Jeremiah
36:9; Jeremiah 36:32]
There is, in reality, a close connection of thought between Jeremiah 12:7 sqq. and
what precedes. The relations of the prophet to his own family are made to symbolise
the relations of Iahvah to His rebellious people; just as a former prophet finds in his
own merciful treatment of a faithless wife a parable of Iahvah’s dealings with
faithless Israel. "I have forsaken My house, I have cast away My domain; I have
given My soul’s love into the grasp of her foes. My domain hath become to Me like
the lion in the wood; she hath given utterance with her voice against Me; therefore I
hate her." It is Iahvah who still speaks, as in Jeremiah 12:6; the "house" is His holy
house, the temple; the land is His domain, the land of Judah; His "soul’s love," is
the Jewish people. Yet the expressions, "my house," "my domain," "my soul’s
love," equally suit the prophet’s own family and their estate; the mention of the
"lion in the wood" and its threatening roar, and the enmity provoked thereby,
recalls what was said about the "wilds of the Jordan" in Jeremiah 12:5, and the full
outcry of his kindred after the prophet in Jeremiah 12:6 : and the solemn words "I
have forsaken Mine house, I have cast away My domain I hate her," clearly
correspond with the sentence of destruction upon Anathoth, Jeremiah 11:21 sqq.
The double reference of the language becomes intelligible when we remember that
in rejecting His messengers, Israel, nay mankind, rejects God, and that words and
deeds done and uttered by Divine authority may be ascribed directly to God
Himself. And regarded in the light of the prophet’s commission "to pluck up and to
break down, and to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant" nations and
kingdoms, [Jeremiah 1:10] all that is here said may be taken to be the prophet’s own
deliverance concerning his country. This, at all events, is the case with Jeremiah
12:12-13.
"What! do I see my domain (all) vultures (and) hyenas? Are the vultures all around
her? Go ye, assemble all the beasts of the field! Bring them to devour" (Jeremiah
12:9). The questions express astonishment at an unlooked for and unwelcome
spectacle. The loss of Divine favour has exposed Judah to the active hostility of man;
and her neighbours eagerly fall upon her, like birds and beasts of prey, swarming
over a helpless quarry. It is-so the prophet puts it-it is as if a proclamation had gone
forth to the wolves and jackals of the desert, bidding them come and devour the
fallen carcase. In another oracle he speaks of the heathen as "devouring Jacob."
[Jeremiah 10:25] The people of Iahvah are their natural prey Psalms 14:4 : "who
eat up My people as they eat bread"; but they are not suffered to devour them, until
they have forfeited His protection.
The image is now exchanged for another, which approximates more nearly to the
fact portrayed. "Many shepherds have marred My vineyard; they have trodden
14

15. down My portion; they have turned My pleasant portion into a desolate wilderness.
He" (the foe, the instrument of this ruin) "hath made it a desolation; it mourneth
against Me, being desolate; desolated is all the land, for there is no man that giveth
heed" (Jeremiah 12:10-11). As in an earlier discourse, Jeremiah 6:3, the invaders
are now compared to hordes of nomad shepherds, who enter the land with their
flocks and herds, and make havoc of the crops and pastures. From time immemorial
the wandering Bedawis have been a terror to the settled peasantry of the East,
whose way of life they despise as ignoble and unworthy of free men. Of this
traditional enmity we perhaps hear a far-off echo in the story of Cain the tiller of
the ground and Abel the keeper of sheep; and certainly in the statement that "every
shepherd was an abomination unto the Egyptians". [Genesis 46:34] The picture of
utter desolateness, which the prophet suggests by a four-fold repetition, is probably
sketched from a scene which he had himself witnessed; if it be not rather a
representation of the actual condition of the country at the time of his writing. That
the latter is the case might naturally be inferred from a consideration of the whole
passage; and the twelfth verse seems to lend much support to this view: "Over all
bare hills in the wilderness have come ravagers; for Iahvah hath a devouring sword:
from land’s end to land’s end no flesh hath peace." The language indeed recalls that
of Jeremiah 4:10-11; and the entire description might be taken as an ideal picture of
the ruin that must ensue upon Iahvah’s rejection of the land and people, especially if
the closing verses (Jeremiah 12:14-17) be considered as a later addition to the
prophecy, made in the light of accomplished facts. But, upon the whole, it would
seem to be more probable that the prophet is here reading the moral of present or
recent experience. He affirms (Jeremiah 12:11) that the affliction of the country is
really a punishment for the religious blindness of the nation: "there is no man that
layeth to heart" the Divine teaching of events as interpreted by himself (cf. Jeremiah
12:4). The fact that we are unable, in the scantiness of the records of the time, to
specify the particular troubles to which allusion is made, is no great objection to this
view, which is at least effectively illustrated by the brief statement of 2 Kings 24:2.
The reflection appended in Jeremiah 12:13 points in the same direction: "They have
sown wheat, and have reaped thorns; they have put themselves to pain" (or,
"exhausted themselves") "without profit," (or, "made themselves sick with
unprofitable toil"); "and they are ashamed of their produce" (ingatherings),
"through the heat of the wrath of Iahyah." When the enemy had ravaged the crops,
thorns would naturally spring up on the wasted lands; and "the heat of the wrath of
Iahvah" appears to have been further manifested in a parching drought, which
ruined what the enemy had left untouched (Jeremiah 12:4, chapter 14).
Thus, then, Jeremiah receives the answer to his doubts in a painfully visible
demonstration of what the wrath of Iahvah means. It means drought and famine; it
means the exposure of the country, naked and defenceless, to the will of rapacious
and vindictive enemies. For Iahvah’s wrongs are far deeper and more bitter than
the prophet’s. The misdeeds of individuals are lighter in the balance than the sins of
a nation; the treachery of a few persons on a particular occasion is as nothing beside
the faithlessness of many generations. The partial evils, therefore, under which the
country groans, can only be taken as indications of a far more complete and terrible
15

16. destruction reserved for final impenitence. The perception of this truth, we may
suppose, sufficed for the time to silence the prophet’s complaints; and in the
revulsion of feeling inspired by the awful vision of the unimpeded outbreak of
Divine wrath, he utters an oracle concerning his country’s destroyers, in which
retributive justice is tempered by compassion and mercy. "Thus hath Jehovah said,
Upon all Mine evil neighbours, who touch the heritage which I caused My people
Israel to inherit: Lo I am about to uproot" [Jeremiah 1:10] "them from off their
own land, and the house of Judah will I uproot from their midst. And after I have
uprooted them, I will have compassion on them again, and will restore them each to
their own heritage and their own land. And if they truly learn the ways of My
people, to swear by My name, ‘as Iahvah liveth!’ even as they taught My people to
swear by the Baal; they shall be rebuilt in the midst of My people. And if they will
not hear, I will uproot that nation, utterly and fatally; it is an oracle of Iahvah"
(Jeremiah 12:14-17). The preceding section (Jeremiah 12:7-14), as we have seen,
rapidly yet vividly sketches the calamities which have ensued and must further
ensue upon the Divine desertion of the country. Iahvah has forsaken the land, left
her naked to her enemies, for her causeless, capricious, thankless revolt against her
Divine Lord. In this forlorn, defenceless condition, all manner of evils befall her; the
vineyards and cornfields are ravaged, the goodly land is desolated, by hordes of
savage freebooters pouring in from the eastern deserts. These invaders are called
Iahvah’s "evil neighbours": an expression which implies, not individuals banded
together for purposes of brigandage, but hostile nations. Upon these nations also
will the justice of God be vindicated; for that justice is universal in its operation,
and cannot therefore be restricted to Israel. Judgment must "begin at the house of
God"; but it will not end there. The "evil neighbours," the surrounding heathen
kingdoms, have been Iahvah’s instruments for the chastisement of His rebellious
people; but they are not on that account exempted from recompense. They too must
reap what they have sown. They have insulted Iahvah, by violating His territory;
they have indulged their malice and treachery and rapacity, in utter disregard of the
rights of neighbours, and the moral claims of kindred peoples. As they have done, so
shall it be done unto them. They have laid hands on the possessions of their
neighbour, and their own shall be taken from them; "I am about to uproot them
from off their own land." {cf. Amos 1:3-15; Amos 2:1-3} And not only so, but "the
house of Judah will I pluck up from their midst." The Lord’s people shall be no
more exposed to their unneighbourly ill will; the butt of their ridicule, the victim of
their malice will be removed to a foreign soil as well as they; but oppressed and
oppressors will no longer be together; their new settlements will lie far apart; under
the altered state of things, under the shadow of the great conqueror of the future,
there will be no opportunity for the old injurious dealings. All alike, Judah and the
enemies of Judah, will be subject to the will of the foreign lord. But that is not the
end. The Judge of all the earth is merciful as well as just. He is loath to blot whole
peoples out of existence, even though they have merited destruction by grievous and
prolonged transgression of His laws. Therefore banishment will be followed by
restoration, not in the case of Judah only, but of all the expatriated peoples. After
enduring the Divine probation of adversity, they will be brought again, by the
Divine compassion, "each to their own heritage and their own land." And then, if
16

17. they will profit by the teaching of Iahvah’s prophets, and "learn the ways," that is,
the religion of His people, making their supreme appeal to Iahvah, as the fountain of
all truth and the sovran vindicator of right and justice, as hitherto they have
appealed to the Baal, and misled Israel into the same profane and futile course; then
"they shall be built up," or rebuilt, or brought to great and evergrowing prosperity,
"in the midst of My people." Such is to be the blessing of the Gentiles: they shall
share in the glorious future that awaits repentant Israel. The present condition of
things is to be completely reversed: now Judah sojourns in their midst; then they
will be surrounded on every side by the emancipated and triumphant people of
God; now they beset Judah with jealousies, suspicions, enmities; then Judah will
embrace them all with the arms of an unselfish and protecting love. A last word of
warning is added. The doom of the nation that will not accept the Divine teaching
will be utter and absolute extermination.
The forecast is plainly of a Messianic nature; it recognises in Iahvah the Saviour,
not of a nation, but of the world. It perceives that the disunion and mutual hatred of
peoples, as of individuals, is a breach of Divine law; and it proclaims a general
return to God, and submission to His guidance in all political as well as private
affairs, as the sole cure for the numberless evils that flow from that hatred and
disunion. It is only when men have learnt that God is their common Father and
Lord that they come to see with the clearness and force of practical conviction that
they themselves are all members of one family, bound as such to mutual offices of
kindness and charity; it is only when there is a conscious identity of interest with all
our fellows, based upon the recognition that all alike are children of God and heirs
of eternal life, that true freedom and universal brotherhood become possible for
man.
PETT, "Jeremiah 12:1
‘You are righteous, O YHWH, when I contend with you,
Yet would I reason the cause with you.
Why does the way of the wicked prosper?
Why are all they at ease who deal very treacherously?’
Jeremiah’s response was to accept the justice of YHWH’s decision in the face of his
plea, but to demonstrate his dissatisfaction at the delay in the judgment. By this time
he had been under constant threat of death, and had endured many trials. He comes
before YHWH to ‘reason the cause’ with Him. He is faced with the age-old problem
as to why the wicked are allowed to continue flourishing. Why is it that those who
are most treacherous still find themselves ‘at ease’. For other treatments of the same
question compare Job 21:7 ff.; Psalms 73:3-18.
PULPIT, "Painfully exercised by the mysteries of the Divine government, the
17

18. prophet opens his grief to Jehovah. Righteous art thou, etc.; rather, Righteous
wouldest thou be, O Jehovah, if I should plead with thee; i.e. if I were to bring a
charge against thee, I should be unable to convict thee of injustice (comp. Psalms
51:4; Job 9:2). The prophet, however, cannot refrain from laying before Jehovah a
point which seems to him irreconcilable with the Divine righteousness. The
rendering, indeed, must be modified. Let me talk with thee of thy judgments should
rather be, yet will I debate questions of right with thee. The questions remind us of
those of Job in Job 21:1-34; Job 24:1-25. Thus to have been the recipient of special
Divine revelations, and to be in close communion with God, gives no security against
the occasional ingress of doubting thoughts and spiritual distress. Wherefore are all
they happy, etc.? rather, secure. The statement must be qualified by what follows. In
the general calamity the wicked still fare the best.
BI, "Righteous art Thou, O Lord, when I plead with Thee.
Communion with God in affliction
I. Why God sees fit to afflict His children by the dispensations of His providence.
1. God sometimes afflicts His children to reclaim them from their delusions in
religion. They are naturally bent to backsliding.
2. God sometimes afflicts His children to try their sincerity, and give them an
opportunity of knowing their own hearts.
3. God sometimes afflicts His children for the purpose of displaying the beauty and
excellence of true religion before the eyes of the world. In some cases, at least, we can
hardly discover any other important end to be answered by afflicting His peculiar
friends, than this, of displaying their superior virtue and piety.
II. Why they are disposed to converse with Him under His afflicting hand.
1. Because they want to know why He afflicts them.
2. They wish to know how they should feel and conduct themselves in their afflicted
state.
3. They desire to obtain Divine support and consolation.
III. What methods they take to converse with God in time of trouble.
1. By meditating upon the history of His providence.
2. By reviewing the course of His conduct towards themselves through all the past
scenes and stages of their lives.
3. By prayer, while they are suffering His fatherly chastisements. For this they are
greatly prepared, by musing on His past and present dispensations towards
themselves and others. These fill their mouths with arguments, and constrain them
to draw near to God, and make known their wants and desires, their hopes and fears.
This subject may teach the children of God—
(1) to restrain their unreasonable expectations of outward prosperity in the
present life.
(2) That adversity may be much more beneficial to them than prosperity.
18

19. (3) This subject exhibits a peculiar and distinguishing mark of grace, by which
everyone may determine whether he is or is not a real child of God. It is the
habitual disposition of the true children of God to converse with Him from day to
day, under all the various dispensations of His providence. (N. Emmons, D. D.)
Let me talk with Thee of Thy judgments.
The judgments of God a lawful subject of human study and consideration
1. It is lawful for the saints to enter into the mystery of Divine providence.
Providence is the work of God. In its movement we may discern the actings of the
Almighty, and if we are properly attentive to it, we may trace the marks of His power,
wisdom, faithfulness, goodness, and holiness.
2. The saints are permitted to use familiarity with God in these inquiries. He permits
them to state their objections, and to make replies to His answers, to plead with
Him, in the language of our text. “Let us plead together,” says He, “put Me in
remembrance,” state your objections to any part of My conduct, “declare thou, that
thou mayest be justified.” Wonderful condescension!
3. It is of the first importance in the inquiries into the dispensations of Providence,
that we retain on our spirits an abiding sense of the essential moral attributes of the
Disposer of events. (T. M’Crie, D. D.)
Wherefore doth the way of the wicked prosper?—
The reasons why the wicked are permitted to prosper
I. It discovers the ingratitude of the human heart, and shows the monstrous abuse
which men often make of the Divine goodness. Wealth and influence, power and
dominion, are the gifts of God, and if suitably improved, are valuable talents. They give
individuals many opportunities of being extensively useful, and of doing much good.
But, when influence and power are made subservient to gratify the pride, the vanity, and
ambition of the sons of men, they are to be accounted the greatest evil. Yet, it will not be
denied, that these are sometimes the sad effects which they have produced upon
particular individuals. Have not some been guilty of oppression and tyranny, of plunder
and robbery, of cruelty and murder? I acknowledge that it is natural enough to wish for
prosperity and affluence, power and influence; but, if these blessings were to have the
same effect upon us which they have produced in others, would we not account them the
greatest curse with which we could be visited? But, though prosperity may not have so
shocking an influence upon us as upon some others, if it should minister to
covetousness, is it not to be dreaded? Are not these the dispositions which it sometimes
excites? Instead of enlarging the heart, and making it more liberal, does it not render
men sometimes narrow and contracted? Is not this defeating the end of providence, and
perverting its gifts?
II. To be the means of chastising the rest of mankind. They are allowed to gratify their
own bad passions, that they may inflict that punishment upon their fellow creatures
which their irreligion and wickedness deserve. Though we may flatter ourselves that we
do not merit correction at the hands of men, none will maintain that we do not deserve it
19

20. at the hand of God. Have we not been froward and undutiful children? God hath told us,
in His Word, that He doth not willingly grieve the children of men; but, when correction
becomes necessary, a principle of affection leads Him to inflict it. He hath often made
wicked men the instruments of His vengeance, to bring His people back to their duty,
and to make them learn righteousness.
III. To aggravate their guilt and to heighten their condemnation. God often setteth the
wicked on high and slippery places, that He may bring them down suddenly, and make
their fall the greater. They may move heaven and earth with their ambition, and think
that their mountain standeth strong; when, lo! their feet are made to stumble upon the
dark mountains, and they go down to the silent grave, where there is neither work,
wisdom, knowledge, nor device.
IV. That we may hold higher in esteem those good men who make their wealth and
influence subservient to the glory of God and to the happiness of mankind. Blessed be
God, there are not a few, who, instead of abusing their prosperity, employ it for the
benefit of their fellow creatures! So far from gratifying their pride, and indulging in
luxury, they exert themselves to promote works of industry and charity. They are ready
to deny themselves particular enjoyments, that they may contribute to the comfort of
those around them. Instead of being selfish and worldly, they are humane and generous.
What a blessing is prosperity, when it is the means of doing good! Our goodness, it is
true, cannot extend to God, and He can receive no benefit from it; but it may be
exercised towards His necessitous creatures, and He considers a kind office done to
them as done to Himself.
V. That those in inferior circumstances may be thankful and contented with the
situation in which God hath placed them. Perhaps you are apt to envy those who live in
ease and plenty. But are you aware of the temptations to which prosperous and rich men
are exposed, and into which they are too apt to fall? What if affluence should lead you to
indulge in pride and vanity, and make you think of yourselves above what you ought to
think? What if it should attach you so much to the world, as in a great measure to
overlook eternity altogether? Oh, never appear dissatisfied with your condition, or give
way to discontent. The very meanest have cause for gratitude, because they have still
more than they deserve. Let all of us aspire after being poor in spirit and heirs of the
kingdom of God! This is the true riches, of which none can possibly deprive us. (D.
Johnston, D. D.)
The prosperity of bad men and adversity of good men accounted for
I. Wicked men, how prosperous soever their outward condition in this life, are not in
reality so happy as we are apt to imagine. The reason why those wicked men that prosper
in the world are reckoned happy is, because the generality of men entertain a wrong
notion of happiness. They fancy it consists in having abundance of riches. Whatever real
satisfaction or comfort riches can afford, we are bound by the frame of our nature to
seek after that satisfaction. But in reality do we not often see health of body, tranquillity
of mind, dwelling in a cottage, whilst bodily pains and restless anxieties fly daily about
the palaces of kings? Which shows that happiness is something distinct from riches,
something which riches alone can never give us.
II. Supposing the wicked men are more happy, and meet with less trouble than other
men, let us inquire upon what accounts God almighty may permit this, consistently with
20

21. the character of a wise, just, and good Governor of the world. Besides the moral
enjoyment which springs from virtue only, there are other delights accruing to us from
the possession of riches, honour, and secular power. Of these, many wicked men have a
greater portion than the virtuous.
1. And the reason is, because some good men are weak in their judgments, and
imprudent or indolent in managing their secular affairs; which exposes them to
many inconveniences, and hinders their rising in the world. Now, if we ask why the
Almighty permits this to the disadvantage of good men, it is the same as if we should
ask why He made men free agents. The disadvantages virtuous men labour under at
present, will doubtless be recompensed, one day or other, by the just and merciful
Governor of the world. In the meantime, the solid pleasure they enjoy as the
immediate consequence of their goodness, is surely preferable to any external
advantages the wicked may procure themselves by their superior cunning and
sagacity.
2. Another reason why God may permit wicked men to prosper in the world seems to
be the natural effect of His overflowing goodness. He would give them more time for
repentance.
3. Perhaps another reason why the Supreme Being withholds some temporal
benefits from good men, which the wicked possess, may be, because He foresees they
will prove hurtful to them. Alteration of circumstances often creates a change of
manners. And there are some tempers which, I believe, would keep steady to virtue
in a scene of adversity, and yet run into open and extreme degrees of vice in a scene
of prosperity.
II. The objection in the text should not in reason make us entertain any dishonourable
thought of the Divine dispensations, but rather teach us to infer the reasonableness and
necessity of a future state. To know the justness of any scheme, it is necessary to be
acquainted with all its parts, and all their mutual relations. How, then, can we determine
every particular in the scheme of Providence, of which we must confess ourselves utterly
ignorant? Should a man take upon him to condemn a well wrought tragedy by only
reading one of its scenes, without considering how it was interwoven with the main plot
and contrivance of the work, would he not be justly blamed for his partiality! And is not
he more inexcusably partial, who censures the beautiful drama of the Divine
government, without knowing the secret contrivance by which it is carried on? I shall
only add one observation more to justify Providence against the objection in the text,
which is, that we are frequently mistaken who are really good, and who otherwise; and,
consequently, are very incompetent judges when men are equitably dealt by. (N. Ball.)
The prosperity of the wicked
I. When you are repining at the prosperity of the wicked, and feel a consequent
inclination to relax from your faith in Christ, remember that, in the revelation through
Jesus Christ, we are nowhere led to expect that the wicked shall not be prosperous here.
“Ye will not come to Me that ye may have life,” was the remonstrance of our Saviour.
“This do, and thou shalt live,” the injunction everywhere implied:—live,—not amidst the
joys of this transitory scene, but at the right hand of God forever! The treasures of earth
were never mentioned by Him to the faithful, but to guard them against their danger,
and remind them of a “treasure in heaven.” Christ knew the natural opposition of
21

22. worldly prosperity to the lowly virtues of the Gospel; and, earnest for the everlasting
interests of men, guarded them against the desire of things, the possession of which
might be fatal:—and, if men would, by ways unwarranted by God, seek what God had
forbidden, it was at the double peril of disobeying His commands, and disregarding His
counsels.
II. The Gospel has not only forbidden us to be surprised, or envious, at the prosperity of
the wicked, but has positively shown us that a life of tribulation for Jesus’ sake is the
proper passport to heaven. Nothing can be so glorious as the scenes which the Gospel
has opened to our faith; but nothing so solemn as those through which we must pass to
reach them. We are, in this life, in a state of dangerous apostasy from God: and the glare
of prosperity is a light but very ill suited for us to behold. The sufferings of our Lord are
held out to our view, that, “looking unto Jesus,” who “left us an example, that we should
follow His steps,” we might take up our cross to do it. Why, then, do you ask, does the
way of the wicked prosper? Why, rather ought ye to ask, should the believer in Christ
repine at it? Why should he sigh for a state the very opposite to that in which His
Saviour walked, and, if gained by sin, gained by means which brought that Saviour to the
Cross, and would now open His wounds afresh?
III. Another argument which I would use, to check repining at the outward prosperity of
sin, is, that it is, at best, extremely overrated, and its nature very ill understood. It is by
no means true that prosperity is confined to “the treacherous dealer and the wicked.”
God has indeed told us, that, to enter into His kingdom, we must meet with opposition,
wrestle with contending evils, and pass the time of our sojourning here in fear. But the
path, even to temporal blessings, is open to the believer in Christ, though He commands
us not to make them the object of our ambition, nor expect them as the consequences of
our faith. But, even were this not so, were prosperity confined to sin alone, we surely
mistake its nature if its attractions dazzle us, and think but imperfectly of God if we
mistrust His goodness. He has not so balanced the good and evil, of this life as to make
every attraction and every joy lie on the side of sin. “There is no peace to the wicked.”
“They may live in affluence,—but it is not peace. They may live in indolence,—but it is
not peace.” They may live in thoughtlessness,—but it is not peace. It is not that peace
which a God of everlasting mercy can bestow, of which the soul of man, that was made
for God, is capable, and for which it unceasingly longs. In talking of that peace of God,
we talk of what it is impossible for those who have not experienced it to conceive.
IV. But the comprehensive argument, which closes at once all discussion and all doubts,
is the disclosure and adjustment of all the ways of God in the great day of general
retribution. If there be a subject of contemplation sublimer than another, or completely
interesting to the soul of reasonable man, it is surely the thought of being led hereafter
to behold all the glorious works of the great and eternal God:—to see how, through all
the amazing vicissitudes of time, He has conducted the affairs of worlds on worlds; and
kept distinct, through all the crossings and confusions of myriads of foes, the strait and
narrow path to heaven:—how from the jarring elements He reared the goodly frame of
nature, and settled it in peace; and, uniting the still more jarring passions and infidel
contentions of mankind, made all conspire to His eternal glory, and cooperate for the
universal good! (G. Mathew, M. A.)
22

23. 2 You have planted them, and they have taken
root;
they grow and bear fruit.
You are always on their lips
but far from their hearts.
BARNES, "Their veins - i. e., their heart. The reins were regarded by the Jews as
the seat of the affections.
CLARKE, "Thou art near in their mouth - They have no sincerity: they have
something of the form of religion, but nothing of its power.
GILL, "Thou hast planted them,.... In the land of Canaan, fixed the bounds of their
habitation, given them a firm and comfortable settlement; for all the good things, even of
the wicked, come from God:
yea, they have taken root; as everything that is planted does not; but these did,
though it was downwards in the earth, on which their hearts were set, and so were
strengthened and established in their worldly circumstances:
they grow, yea, they bring forth fruit; but to themselves, not to God; not fruits of
righteousness or good works; they grow, not in grace and holiness, but in their worldly
substance; and they brought forth fruit, not such as were meet for repentance, but they
had great riches, and numerous families; and so the Septuagint and Arabic versions,
"they produce children, and bring forth fruit." The Targum is,
"they become rich, yea, they possess substance.''
Thou art near in their mouth; they often made use of the name of God, either in
swearing by it, or praying to him in an external manner; they called themselves the
Lord's people, and boasted of being his priests, and employed in his service; they took
his covenant, and the words of his law, into their mouths, and taught them the people,
and yet had no sincere regard for these things:
and far from their reins; from the affections of their hearts, and the desires of their
souls; they had no true love for God, nor fear of him, nor faith in him. The Targum is,
23

24. "near are the words of thy law in their mouth, and far is thy fear from their reins.''
HENRY, " What it was in the dispensations of divine Providence that he stumbled at
and that he thought would bear a debate. It was that which has been a temptation to
many wise and good men, and such a one as they have with difficulty got over. They see
the designs and projects of wicked people successful: The way of the wicked prospers;
they compass their malicious designs and gain their point. They see their affairs and
concerns in a good posture: They are happy, happy as the world can make them, though
they deal treacherously, very treacherously, both with God and man. Hypocrites are
chiefly meant (as appears, Jer_12:2), who dissemble in their good professions, and
depart from their good beginnings and good promises, and in both they deal
treacherously, very treacherously. It has been said that men cannot expect to prosper
who are unjust and dishonest in their dealings; but these deal treacherously, and yet
they are happy. The prophet shows (Jer_12:2) both their prosperity and their abuse of
their prosperity. 1. God had been very indulgent to them and they were got beforehand
in the world: “They are planted in a good land, a land flowing with milk and honey, and
thou hast planted them! nay, thou didst cast out the heathen to plant them,” Psa_44:2,
Psa_80:8. Many a tree is planted that yet never grows nor comes to any thing; but they
have taken root; their prosperity seems to be confirmed and settled. They take root in
the earth, for there they fix themselves, and thence they draw the sap of all their
satisfaction. Many trees however take root which yet never come on; but these grow, yea
they bring forth fruit; their families are built up, they live high, and spend at a great
rate; and all this was owing to the benignity of the divine Providence, which smiled upon
them, Psa_73:7. 2. Thus God had favoured them, though they had dealt treacherously
with him: Thou art near in their mouth and far from their reins. This was no
uncharitable censure, for he spoke by the Spirit of prophecy, without which it is not safe
to charge men with hypocrisy whose appearances are plausible. Observe, (1.) Thought
they cared not for thinking of God, nor had any sincere affection to him, yet they could
easily persuade themselves to speak of him frequently and with an air of seriousness.
Piety from the teeth outward is no difficult thing. Many speak the language of Israel that
are not Israelites indeed. (2.) Though they had on all occasions the name of God ready in
their mouth, and accustomed themselves to those forms of speech that savoured of
piety, yet they could not persuade themselves to keep up the fear of God in their hearts.
The form of godliness should engage us to keep up the power of it; but with them it did
not do so.
JAMISON, "grow — literally, “go on,” “progress.” Thou givest them sure dwellings
and increasing prosperity.
near in ... mouth ... far from ... reins — (Isa_29:13; Mat_15:8). Hypocrites.
CALVIN, "When the happiness of the wicked disturbs our minds, two false
thoughts occur to us, — either that this world is ruled by chance and not governed
by God’s providence, or that God does not perform the office of a good and
righteous judge when he suffers light to be so blended with darkness. But the
Prophet here takes it as granted, that the world is governed by God’s providence; he
therefore does not touch the false notion, which yet harasses pious minds, that
fortune governs the world. Well known are these words, “I am disposed to think
24

25. that there are no gods.” (53) It was thought there were no gods who ruled the world,
because he died who deserved a longer life. And the wisest heathens have thus
spoken, “I see fortune, which yet no reason governs; I see fortune, which prevails
more than reason in these matters.” (54) But the Prophet, who was far removed
from these profane notions, held this truth, that the world is governed by God; and
he now asks, How it was that God exercised so long a forbearance? The ungodly, the
thoughtless, and inconsiderate might have said that this forbearance was far too
scanty. But the Prophet, as I have said, clearly describes what the Jews deserved.
Then he says, that they had been planted by God; for they could not have prospered
had not God blessed them. The metaphor of planting, as we have before seen, often
occurs, but in a different sense. When the celestial life is the subject, God is said to
have planted his own elect, because their salvation is sure. He is said also to have
planted his people in the land which he had given to them as an heritage. Now, when
he speaks of the reprobate, the Prophet says that they had been planted by God, and
for these reasons, because they flourished, because they produced leaves, and
because they brought forth some fruit. In short, as Scripture, for various reasons,
compares men to trees, so it employs the word planting in a corresponding sense.
The Prophet indeed says that the ungodly are supported by God, and this is certain;
for were not God to deal kindly with them for a time, they could not but instantly
perish. Hence their prosperity is a proof of God’s indulgence. But the Prophet
expresses his wonder at this, not so much through his own private feeling, as for the
purpose of shewing to the Jews that it was a strange thing that they were tolerated
so long by God, as they had a hundred times deserved to be wholly destroyed.
Yea, he says, they have taken root By this metaphor he means their continued
happiness. He says also, that they had advanced aloft; that is, were raised high and
increased. (55) He then adds, that they had brought forth fruit The fruit of which he
speaks was nothing else than their offspring; as though he had said, that the
ungodly were not only prosperous to the end of life, but that they also propagated
their kind, so that they had children surviving them, so that their families became
celebrated. But the import of the whole is this, — that God not only endured the
ungodly for a time, but extended his indulgence to many ages, so that their
descendants continued in the same wealth, dignity, and power, with their dead
fathers.
He afterwards adds, Thou indeed art nigh in their mouth, but thou art far from
their reins Jeremiah no doubt intended to anticipate them; for he knew that the
Jews would have objections in readiness, — “What art thou, who summonest us
here before God’s tribunal, and who pleadest with God that he may not too
patiently bear with us? Are not we his servants? Do we not daily offer sacrifices in
the Temple? Are we not circumcised? Do we not bear in our bodies the sign of our
adoption? Do we not possess a kingdom and a priesthood? Now, these are pledges of
God’s paternal love towards us, But thou wouldest have thyself to be more just than
God himself. Can God deny himself? He has bound his faithfulness to us by the sign
of circumcision, by the Temple, by the kingdom, by the priesthood, and by the
25

26. sacrifices; and when we do anything amiss, then our sins are expiated by sacrifices
and washings, and other rites.”
As then the Prophet knew that the Jews were wont thus loquaciously and perversely
to defend their own cause, he says, “O, I see what they will say to me, even that
which they are wont to say; for the common burden of their song is, that they are
the children of Abraham, that they sacrifice, and have other ways of pacifying God,
and then that they possess a priesthood and a kingdom. These things,” he says, “are
well known to me: but, O Lord, thou knowest that they are mere words; thou
knowest that they act fallaciously, and that they do nothing but declare what is false
when they pretend these vain shifts and evasions; for thou knowest the heart,
( καρδιογνώστης;) thou therefore understandest that there is nothing right or
sincere in their mouth; for their reins are far from thee, and thou also art far from
their reins.” We hence also perceive with more certainty the truth of what I have
stated, — that the Prophet here pleads with God, in order that the Jews might know
that they could in no way be absolved when they came before God’s tribunal. It,
follows —
Thou hast planted them, yea, they have taken root; They thrive, yea, they have
produced fruit: Nigh art thou to their mouth, But far from their reins.
“They thrive,” is literally “they go on,” that is, after having rooted, or taken root.
The “reins” stand for the affections — fear, reverence, love,etc. — Ed.
ELLICOTT, "(2) Thou hast planted them.—The words express, of course, the
questioning distrust of the prophet. The wicked flourish, so that one would think
God had indeed planted them. Yet all the while they were mocking Him with
hypocritical worship (here we have an echo of Isaiah 29:13), uttering His name with
their lips while He was far from that innermost being which the Hebrew symbolised
by the “reins.”
TRAPP, "Jeremiah 12:2 Thou hast planted them, yea, they have taken root: they
grow, yea, they bring forth fruit: thou [art] near in their mouth, and far from their
reins.
Ver. 2. Thou hast planted them, and they have taken root.] All goes well with them;
they have more than heart can wish. [Psalms 73:7] And in lieu of God’s goodness to
them, they profess largely, and pretend to great devotion; but that is all.
Thou art near in their mouth, and far from their reins.] That is, From their
affections. [Titus 1:16] Hypocrites are like that heap of heads [2 Kings 10:8] that
had never a heart among them; they have vocem in choro, mentem in foro; virtutem
non colunt sed colorant. Voices in the choir, minds in the market place, they do not
worship in strength but in deception. That Persian ambassador - of whom before -
when conversing with Christians, he had so oft in his mouth, Soli Deo gloria, made
believe that he gave glory to the only true God, whenas he meant the sun, whom he
26

27. worshipped as his god. The king of Bohemia, when beaten out of Prague, was
encouraged by some great commanders about him that he had many princes his
friends and allies that would readily assist him; to which he made no answer, but
wrote the word Deus God, in large letters. But some thought he meant Denmark in
D, England in E, Hungary in U, and the Swedes in S. God knows what his meaning
was; but he will make "all the Churches to know that he searcheth the hearts and
reins," and that he will "kill with death" all such as had rather seem to be good,
than seek to be so. If Jeremiah had been one of those, he dared never to have said,
PETT, "Jeremiah 12:2
‘You have planted them, yes, they have taken root;
They grow, yes, they bring forth fruit;
You are near in their mouth,
And far from their heart.’
He describes their flourishing in the terms used earlier of the flourishing of the olive
tree which had represented Israel in their earlier days (Jeremiah 11:16-17). They
were YHWH’s planting (compare Jeremiah 11:17), they took root and grew, they
produced fruit, (they looked indeed like a green olive tree still flourishing), but all
the while, whilst they honoured YHWH with their lips, their hearts were far from
Him (compare Isaiah 29:13; Matthew 15:8-9). Their worship was not genuine.
3 Yet you know me, Lord;
you see me and test my thoughts about you.
Drag them off like sheep to be butchered!
Set them apart for the day of slaughter!
BARNES, "Thou hast seen me ... - Rather, “Thou seest me and triest mine heart”
at all times, and knowest the sincerity of its devotion” toward Thee.”
27

28. Pull them out - The original is used Jer_10:20 of the rending asunder of the cords of
the tent, and Eze_17:9 of the tearing up of roots. Jeremiah does not doubt God’s justice,
or the ultimate punishment of the wicked, but he wants it administered in a summary
way.
Prepare - literally, “sanctify,” i. e., devote.
CLARKE, "But thou, O Lord, knowest me - I know that the very secrets of my
heart are known to thee; and I am glad of it, for thou knowest that my heart is towards
thee - is upright and sincere.
GILL, "But thou, O Lord, knowest me,.... The Lord knew him before he was born,
Jer_1:5, he knew what he designed him for, and what use he would make of him; and he
knew him now, and loved him, and cared for him, as his prophet; he knew his sincerity
and faithfulness, and took notice of it, with what integrity he performed his office, and
discharged his duty; and he knew that all his enemies said of him were scandal and
reproach, lies and calumnies.
Thou hast seen me; his inside, his heart, and all in it; for all things are naked and
open to the eyes of an omniscient God:
and tried mine heart towards thee; he had tried him by various afflictive
providences, and his heart was found towards God; the affections and desires of his soul
were towards him, and he remained faithful and upright before him, and not like the
wicked before mentioned.
Pull them out like sheep for the slaughter; either out of the fold, or from a fat
pasture; so fat sheep are plucked from the rest, in order to be killed: this shows that their
riches, affluence, and plenty, served but to ripen them for ruin and destruction, and were
like the fattening of sheep for slaughter; which the prophet, by this imprecation,
suggests and foretells would be their case, as a righteous judgment upon them; see Jam_
5:5.
Prepare them for the day of slaughter; or, "sanctify them" (w); set them apart for
it: this, doubtless, refers to the time of Jerusalem's destruction by the Chaldeans.
HENRY, "What comfort he had in appealing to God concerning his own integrity
(Jer_12:3): But thou, O Lord! knowest me. Probably the wicked men he complains of
were forward to reproach and censure him (Jer_18:18), in reference to which this was
his comfort, that God was a witness of his integrity. God knew he was not such a one as
they were (who had God near in their mouths, but far from their reins), nor such a one
as they took him to be, and represented him, a deceiver and a false prophet; those that
thus abused him did not know him, 1Co_2:8. “But thou, O Lord! knowest me, though
they think me not worth their notice.” 1. Observe what the matter is concerning which he
appeals to God: Thou knowest my heart towards thee. Note, We are as our hearts are,
and our hearts are good or bad according as they are, or are not, towards God; and this is
28

29. that therefore concerning which we should examine ourselves, that we may approve
ourselves to God. 2. The cognizance to which he appeals: “Thou knowest me better than
I know myself, not by hearsay or report, for thou hast seen me, not with a transient
glance, but thou hast tried my heart.” God's knowledge of us is as clear and exact and
certain as if he had made the most strict scrutiny. Note, The God with whom we have to
do perfectly knows how our hearts are towards him. He knows both the guile of the
hypocrite and the sincerity of the upright.
JAMISON, "knowest me — (Psa_139:1).
tried ... heart — (Jer_11:20).
toward thee — rather, “with Thee,” that is, entirely devoted to Thee; contrasted with
the hypocrites (Jer_12:2), “near in ... mouth, and far from ... reins.” This being so, how is
it that I fare so ill, they so well?
pull ... out — containing the metaphor, from a “rooted tree” (Jer_12:2).
prepare — literally, “separate,” or “set apart as devoted.”
day of slaughter — (Jam_5:5).
K&D, "Jer_12:3
To show that he has cause for his question, Jeremiah appeals to the omniscience of the
Searcher of hearts. God knows him, tries his heart, and therefore knows how it is
disposed towards Himself ( ָ‫תּ‬ ִ‫א‬ belongs to ‫י‬ ִ‫בּ‬ ִ‫,ל‬ and ‫ת‬ ֵ‫א‬ indicating the relation - here,
viz., fidelity - in which the heart stands to God; cf. 2Sa_16:17). Thus God knows that in
his heart there is no unfaithfulness, and that he maintains to God an attitude altogether
other than that of those hypocrites who have God on their lips only; and knows too the
enmity which, without having provoked it, he experiences. How then comes it about that
with the prophet it goes ill, while with those faithless ones it goes well? God, as the
righteous God, must remove this contradiction. And so his request concludes: Tear them
out (‫ק‬ ַ‫ָת‬‫נ‬ of the tearing out of roots, Eze_17:9); here Hiph. with the same force (pointing
back to the metaphor of their being rooted, Jer_12:2), implying total destruction. Hence
also the illustration: as sheep, that are dragged away out of the flock to be slaughtered.
Devote them for the day of slaughter, like animals devoted to sacrifice.
CALVIN, "The Prophet is not here solicitous about himself, but, on the contrary,
undertakes the defense of his own office, as though he had said that, he faithfully
discharged the office committed to him by God. Though then the Jews, and even the
citizens of Anathoth, his own people, unjustly persecuted him, yet he was not excited
by private wrongs; and though he disregarded these entirely, he yet could not give
up the defense of his office. He then does not speak here of his own private feelings,
but only claims for himself faithfulness and sincerity before God in performing his
office as a teacher; as though he had said that he executed what God had
commanded him to do, and that therefore the Jews contended not with a mortal
being, but with God himself.
Hence he says, But thou, Jehovah, knowest me and seest me, and triest my heart
29

30. towards thee; that is, thou knowest how sincerely I serve thee, and endeavor to
fulfin my vocation, and thus to obey thy command. He afterwards glories over them
as a conqueror, and says, Draw them forth as sheep for the day of sacrificing,
prepare them for slaughter Here no doubt the Prophet intended not only to touch,
but sharply to wound the Jews, in order that they might know that they had been
hitherto secure to no purpose, and to their own ruin, because God had spared them.
They who consider that the Prophet was himself troubled, because he saw that God
was propitious and kind to the ungodly, think that, with reference to himself, he
took comfort from this, — that the judgment of God was nigh at hand; but I doubt
not but that the Prophet had regard to the Jews, as I have already reminded you.
When, therefore, he saw that they were torpid in their delusions, he intended to
rouse their sensibilities by saying, “I see how it is, O Lord; thou dost indeed concede
thyself; but what else is thy purpose but that they should be fattened for the day of
slaughter?”
He says, first, Thou wilt draw them out: others read, “Thou wilt lead them forth,”
and quote a passage in Jude 20:32, where ‫נתק‬ nutak, is taken in this sense. The word
properly means to draw out with force, as when a tree is pulled up, or when any one
is drawn out against his will; and this is the sense most suitable to the present
passage. Thou wilt then draw them out; that is, thou wilt suddenly draw them out to
slaughter. He then intimates that there was no reason for the Jews to be dormant in
their prosperity, for God could in a moment act against them; and as the pain of one
in labor is sudden, so also, when the wicked say, Peace and security, their ruin will
come suddenly upon them. (1 Thessalonians 5:3) This then is what the Prophet now
means: but he goes on in his way of teaching; for he does not address men as they
were all deaf, but speaks to God himself, that his doctrine might be more effectual:
Thou then wilt draw them out, and do thou prepare them; for it is a prayer: do thou
then prepare them for the day of slaughter (56)
The last expression ought especially to be noticed. The Prophet indeed seems here in
an excited feeling to imprecate ruin on the people; but there is no doubt but that he
was here discharging the duty of his office, for he was the herald of God’s
vengeance. IIe therefore asks God to execute what he had commanded him to
denounce on the people. He had often promulgated what God had resolved to do to
them, but he had moved no one: he now then asks God to fulfin what he had
foretold the Jews — that they should shortly perish, because they refused to repent.
We may also learn from this passage, — that when the ungodly accumulate wealth,
they are in a manner fattened. When oxen plough, and sheep are fed that they may
bear wool and bring forth young, they are not fed that they may grow fat, and a
moderate quantity of food will suffice them; but when any one intends to prepare
sheep or oxen for the slaughter, he fattens them. So then the feeding of them is
nothing else than the fattening of them; and the fattening of them is a preparation
for their slaughter. I have therefore said that a very useful doctrine is included in
this form of speaking; for when we see that plenty of wealth and power abound with
the ungodly and the despisers of God, we see that they are in a manner thus fined
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31. with good things, that they may grow fat: — it is fattening or cramming. Let us then
not bear it in that they are thus covered with their own fatness, for they are
prepared for the day of slaughter. It follows —
But thou, Jehovah, thou hast known me; Thou seest me, and triest my heart towards
thee: Pull them out as sheep for the sacrifice, And set them apart for the day of
slaughter.
It is evident that “seest,” which is here in the future tense, is to be taken as
expressing a present act. It would be so rendered in Welsh, —
F">(lang. cy) Ond ti Jehova, adwaenaist vi;
Gweli vi, a phrovi, vy nghalon tuag atat.
God had known him, he was still seeing him, and approved of his heart before him,
as the Septuagint express the words. To prove here, or to “try,” means a trial by
which a thing is found to be genuine. Blayney gives the meaning by a paraphrase, —
Thou canst discern by trial my heart to be with thee.
— Ed.
WHEDON, " 3. Thou, O Lord, knowest me — A solemn appeal to the heart-
searching God, not in the spirit of Phariseeism, but with a clear consciousness of
thorough honesty. The fact that God is omniscient is terrible to the sinner, but a
source of ineffably precious consolation and strength to the Christian.
Pull them out — Literally, tear them out. The same word is used in Jeremiah 10:20,
of the breaking of the cords of the tent, and in Ezekiel 17:9, of the tearing up of
roots. No more vigorous word could have been used in this place.
ELLICOTT, " (3) Thou, O Lord, knowest me.—Like all faithful sufferers from evil-
doers before and after him, the prophet appeals to the righteous Judge, who knows
how falsely he has been accused. In words in which the natural impatience of
suffering shows itself as clearly as in the complaints of Psalms 69, 109, he asks that
the judgment may be immediate, open, terrible. As if recalling the very phrase
which he had himself but lately used (Jeremiah 11:19), he prays that they too may
be as “sheep for the slaughter,” dragged or torn away from their security to the
righteous penalty of their wrong.
Prepare.—Better, devote. The Hebrew word, as in Jeremiah 6:4, involves the idea of
consecration.
TRAPP, "Jeremiah 12:3 But thou, O LORD, knowest me: thou hast seen me, and
tried mine heart toward thee: pull them out like sheep for the slaughter, and
prepare them for the day of slaughter.
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32. Ver. 3. But thou, Lord, knowest me, &c., ] q.d., I can safely appeal unto thee, and
take thee for a witness of mine innocence and integrity, that I have thee not in my
mouth only, as they, but in my heart also, which is wholly devoted to thy fear, ut sit
tecum, hanging toward thee, and hankering after thee continually. (a)
Pull them out as sheep.] Punish some of them presently for an example of thy
providence, and reserve others of them till hereafter for an instance of thy patience.
See Jeremiah 11:20.
Prepare them.] Heb., Sanctify them. {as Isaiah 13:3; Isaiah 6:7} Fatted ware is but
fitted for the shambles.
PETT, "Jeremiah 12:3
‘But you, O YHWH, know me;
You see me, and try my heart towards you;
Pull them out like sheep for the slaughter,
And prepare them for the day of slaughter.’
In contrast Jeremiah’s heart was firmly towards YHWH. He was confident that
YHWH saw his ways and tried his heart, and ‘knew’ him through and through,
indeed as His chosen one (he was confident in his calling). And he therefore calls on
YHWH to act against his adversaries, who have so treated a prophet of YHWH Let
it not be him who is the pet lamb led to the slaughter (Jeremiah 11:19), but let that
be true of his adversaries, not as pet lambs, but as sheep dragged out from the flock,
and prepared ready for slaughter.
We should note here that this was not a cry for personal vengeance. It was a call on
YHWH to act in defence of His prophet who was being sacrilegiously treated by
those who should have paid him honour. Thereby they had sinned directly against
YHWH and were acting in deliberate rebellion against Him. It was not for Jeremiah
to consider forgiving them It was a sin that only God could call to account (and only
God could forgive).
4 How long will the land lie parched
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