View Jeremiah 11 in the note window.
God's covenant, ver. 1 - 7.
Their disobedience, ver. 8 - 10.
Evils to come on them, ver. 11 - 17.
and on the men of Anathoth, for conspiring to kill Jeremiah,
ver. 18 - 23.
2: Of this covenant - The covenant here spoken of, was the covenant
of the law of God, delivered by Moses, to which the people more than
once promised obedience.
5: So be it - God having ended his speech, the prophet saith,
Amen, either asserting the truth of which God had said, or wishing
that the people would do according to their covenant.
8: Did them not - For this God threatens to bring upon them all his
words of threatening, annexed to the covenant of the law.
9: A conspiracy - All sorts of people have done alike, as if they
had conspired together to break my law.
11: I will not hearken - God will not hear them crying to him in
their adversity, who refuse to hear him speaking to them in their
prosperity.
13: That shameful thing - Baal, called a shameful thing,
because it was what they had reason to be ashamed of, and what would
certainly bring them to shame and confusion. Baal - Signifies Lord, and
was a common name given to more idols than one; the Phoenicians used
the name Baal, the Chaldeans, Bell. Learned men say, that the
Asians called the same idol Baal, whom those of Europe called
Jupiter. It is not improbable, that the Heathens acknowledging one
supreme being, worshipped him in several creatures; some mistaking
the Sun, Moon, and Stars to be he, others, other things; these they
called Baalim, Lords, as they called the principal god, Baal.
15: My beloved - My people, saith God, though I was formerly
their husband, yet have wrought lewdness with many, that is, committed
idolatry with many idols, and now what have they to do more in my house?
The holy flesh - Flesh of their sacrifices, being set before idols, as
well as before God, became polluted, and was abomination to the Lord.
Thou rejoicest - They were not only evil but gloried in their wickedness.
16: Fair - The Lord fixed thee when he brought thee first into
Canaan, in a flourishing condition, like a fair olive - tree, fit to
bear goodly fruit. Broken - But thou hast so behaved thyself, that he
who planted thee, is about to pluck thee up. God is about to kindle a
fire which will burn thee up, and to break thy branches.
18: Thou shewedst me - This may be understood with relation to that
conspiracy which is mentioned in the following verses.
19: Let us destroy - We have no other mention of this conspiracy,
but it is plain both from this verse, and what follows, that the men
of Anathoth (which was Jeremiah's own town) were offended at his
prophesying, and had conspired to kill him.
Let us destroy the tree with the fruit thereof - Let us not only put an
end to his prophesying, but to his life.
