11:3 And say thou to them, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel;
a Cursed [be] the man that obeyeth not the words of this
covenant,
(a) He calls the Jews to the consideration of God's mercy,
who freely chose them, made a covenant of eternal
happiness with them and how he ever performed it on his
behalf and how they ever showed themselves rebellious
and ingrate toward him, and broke it on their part, and
so are subject to the curse of the law, (De 27:26).
11:5 That I may perform the oath which I have sworn to your
fathers, to give them a land flowing with milk and honey,
as [it is] this day. Then answered b I, and said, So be
it, O LORD.
(b) Thus he speaks in the person of the people, who agreed
to the covenant.
11:7 For I earnestly protested to your fathers in the day [that]
I brought them out of the land of Egypt, [even] to this
day, c rising early and protesting, saying, Obey my
voice.
11:8 Yet they obeyed not, nor inclined their ear, but walked
every one in the imagination of their d evil heart:
therefore I will bring upon them all the e words of this
covenant, which I commanded [them] to do; but they did
[them] not.
(d) According to his own fantasy, and not as my word
appointed him.
(e) Meaning, the menaces and curses contained in the law,
(Le 26:14, De 28:16).
11:9 And the LORD said to me, A f conspiracy is found among
the men of Judah, and among the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
(f) That is, general consent to rebel against me.
11:11 Therefore thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will bring evil
upon them, which they shall not be able to escape; and
though they shall cry to me, g I will not hearken to
them.
(g) Because they will not pray with true faith and
repentance, but for the pain and grief which they
feel, (Pr 1:28).
11:13h For [according to] the number of thy cities were thy
gods, O Judah; and [according to] the number of the
streets of Jerusalem have ye set up altars to [that]
shameful thing, [even] altars to burn incense to Baal.
11:14 Therefore i pray not thou for this people, neither lift
up a cry or prayer for them: for I will not hear [them] in
the time when they cry to me for their trouble.
11:15 What hath my k beloved to do in my house, [seeing] she
hath wrought lewdness with many, and the holy flesh l is
passed from thee? when thou doest evil, then thou
rejoicest.
(k) My people of Israel whom I have greatly loved till
now.
(l) Meaning, that they offer not in the temple to God, but
on the altars of Baal and the idols and so rejoiced in
their wickedness.
11:16 The LORD called thy name, A green olive tree, fair, [and]
of goodly fruit: with the m noise of a great tumult he
hath kindled fire upon it, and the branches of it are
broken.
(m) Of the Babylonians and Chaldeans.
11:18 And the LORD hath given me knowledge [of it], and I know
[it]: then thou didst show me n their doings.
(n) Who went about secretly to conspire my death.
11:19 But I [was] like a lamb [or] an ox [that] is brought to
the slaughter; and I knew not that they had devised plots
against me, [saying], Let us o destroy the tree with its
fruit, and let us cut him off from the land of the living,
that his name may be no more remembered.
(o) Let us destroy the prophet and his doctrine. Some read
"Let us corrupt his meat with wood", meaning poison.
11:20 But, O LORD of hosts, that judgest righteously, that
triest the reins and the heart, let me see thy p
vengeance on them: for to thee have I revealed my cause.
(p) Thus he spoke not out of hatred, but being moved with
the Spirit of God, he desires the advancement of God's
glory, and the verifying of his word, which is by the
destruction of his enemies.
11:21 Therefore thus saith the LORD concerning the men of q
Anathoth, that seek thy life, saying, r Prophesy not in
the name of the LORD, that thou die not by our hand:
(q) That is, both the priests and the rest of the people:
for this town was the priests, and they dwelt in it,
(Jer 1:1).
(r) Not that they could not abide to hear God named; (for
in this they would show themselves most holy) but
because they could not abide to be sharply reproved,
and therefore desired to be flattered (Isa 30:10),
to be maintained in their pleasures (Mic 2:11) and
not to hear vice condemned (Am 7:12).
