Hebrew it is, He is not, and of this sinne do all make themselves guilty that are not moved by the threatning of his judgements to repentance; for hereupon Jeremiah gathereth against the Jews, that they falsly denied God, and not without good reason, because such say, either he is not omniscient, or not omnipotent, or not just to do as he hath said, and to deny him to be any of these, is to deny him to be God, and to belie him.
The Prophets are winde, the word is in them, so shall it be done to them. Calvin, The last words here are the words of the hard-hearted and unbelie∣ving Jews; as if they had said, The Prophets threaten us with the sword and famine, but we think them vain in so doing, we will therefore requite them with the like, as they say to us, so we to them, These evils that they threa∣ten shall come upon them, as soon as upon us. Lyra better, Because they so sleight the Prophets comminations, it shall be so to them, as here followeth, and as went before also, they shall certainly be destroied by these judgements. Vatablus expounds it of false prophets, as the threatning of Jeremiah against them for keeping the people by their false prophesying from repentance, but he saith, their prophesying is vanity, and so it shall be done therefore to them. But because he is inveighting against the wicked in this respect, that they put the lie upon him when he threatned them v. 12. it is most probable, that he goeth on here to shew how they sleighted his Prophets, for which they are threatned again, as hath been already said.
I will put my words in thy mouth as fire, and they shall be as stubble. That is, According to thy Word they shall be destroied, as the stubble is by the fire; and when this shall come to passe, it shall appear, that thy words were not winde, and to be despised, but that theirs were such, being no more able to stand against thine, then the Inchanters rods in Egypt against the rod of Moses, but were devoured thereby.
A Nation most ancient. For such were the Caldees having continued ever since Nimrod, and accustomed to subdue such as they warred upon, and therefore they could not but expect to be subdued also by them. And he addeth, Of a language not understood, to shew that they should in vain crave to be spa∣red by them, for they should not one understand another.
Yet I will make an end. A like speech to this see before c. 4. 27. expounded.
Vers. 19, 20, 21, 22, 23. He presseth the same further upon them, and by rea∣soning from this almighty power shewed in ruling the raging sea, seeks to strike the fear of the Lord into them.
Your iniquities have turned away these things. He spake vers. 24. of rain and seasonable times given by God to move them to fear and serve him, now he sheweth, that when it is otherwise, no rain falleth, or it cometh down im∣moderately, sin is the cause of it, the force thereof reacheth up to heaven, and thus troubleth the course of nature. And in particular the sin of craft and cruelty in circumventing men, and craftily getting their estates from them, as if a trap were set to take them. And by this means they growing rich thought themselves most happy, v. 26.
The Prophets prophesie falsly, and the Priests bear rule by their means, &c. To prepare to this, he saith vers. 30. An horrible thing is committed. For what could be more horrible in the City Jerusalem, where the Temple and chief Priests were continually to direct the people aright, then that there should be false Prophets, and those countenanced by the said Priests. But he touch∣eth upon the cause, in saying, The Priests fill their hands by their means, as the words properly signifie, that is, of their false prophesying made advantage to increase their worldly wealth, which is when false prophets by their prophe∣sying magnifie the Priests, as the men by being liberal to whom, and submitting themselves to be rule by them, they shall provide for their everlasting good, and be temporally blessed also. For if the people be once perswaded of this, they will think nothing too much to give unto them, and so they shall be greatly inriched, and if they be not ruled by them, they think that much mi∣sery