---
title: "John Wesley's Notes on the Whole Bible"
author: "John Wesley"
languages: [en]
shelf: "Commentaries"
section: 210 of 398
url: https://scriptura.si/works/john-wesley-notes-on-the-whole-bible/210/
cite: "John Wesley, John Wesley's Notes on the Whole Bible, section 210. Scriptura (scriptura.si), https://scriptura.si/works/john-wesley-notes-on-the-whole-bible/210/"
---

# John Wesley's Notes on the Whole Bible

*John Wesley*

Wesley's short, plain notes on the Old and New Testaments, verse by verse.

## 210. Jeremiah · 5 of 13

Source: https://scriptura.si/works/john-wesley-notes-on-the-whole-bible/210/ · cite a paragraph as https://scriptura.si/works/john-wesley-notes-on-the-whole-bible/210/#p-N

[¶0] Shall not profit - All the works of their hands, all their counsels and deliberations should be of no profit unto them. Because - The fierce anger of God shall be so shewed, that the returns of their labours or estates, the profits of their trades, shall be so small, that they shall be ashamed of them.

[¶1] Behold - I will bring the sword upon them also, and they shall be led into captivity; and tho' they may have made inroads upon my people, and carried away some of them, yet I will fetch them out of their captivity.

[¶2] If - If they will leave their idolatries, and learn to worship me, and swear by my name the Lord liveth, that is, pay that homage which they owe to the Divine being to me, the living and true God. Then - They shall have a portion among my people, which was eminently fulfilled in the conversion of the Gentiles.

[¶3] So - Most think Jeremiah did this in a vision, for it was a very long journey from Anathoth to Euphrates.

[¶4] Do we not know - This is no strange thing.

[¶5] Behold - There is a wine of astonishment and confusion, Psa 60:3. With that wine, saith God, I will fill all orders of persons, kings, priests, prophets, and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

[¶6] Give glory - Glorify God, by an humble confession of your sins, by submitting yourselves to God, humbling yourselves under his word, and under his mighty hand, before God brings upon you, his great and heavy judgments.

[¶7] The cities - The cities of Judah lay southward from Chaldea.

[¶8] Where - The prophet speaks to the king, or to the rulers. In the multitude of the people is the king's honour.

[¶9] What wilt thou say - Thou wilt have nothing to say, but be wholly confounded when God shall visit thee with this sore judgment, for by thy so often calling them to thy assistance, thou hast taught them to be captains over thee.

[¶10] Thy skirts - Probably these phrases are fetched from the usual practice of soldiers when they have conquered a place and taken prisoners, to strip them. By skirts is meant the lower part of their bodies covered with the lower part of their garments.

[¶11] Therefore - I will expose thee to shame and contempt.

[¶12] Thy whoredom - Thy idolatries.

[¶13] The hind - Hinds use not to get their food in fields, but upon mountains and in wildernesses, but the drought was such, that these creatures came into the lower grounds, and there brought forth their young. The hinds are loving creatures and as all creatures love their young, so hinds especially; but their moisture being dried up, they could not suckle them, but were forced to leave them, running about to seek grass to eat.

[¶14] The wild asses - The wild asses wanting water, got upon high places, where was the coolest air, and sucked in the wind; and this it is said they did like dragons, of whom Aristotle and Pliny report, that they ordinarily stand upon high places sucking in the cool air.

[¶15] Testify - That thou art righteous in what thou hast done. Do thou it - Do thou what we stand in need of; give us rain, though not for our sake, we deserve no such kindness from thee, yet for thy names sake: thy promise, or for thine honour and glory.

[¶16] Astonished - In such disorder through some great passion, that he is able to do nothing. A mighty man - Like a man who in his own nature is strong, but through sickness so weakened, that he cannot put forth any strength for the succour of his friends. Yet - Yet (saith the prophet) thou art in the midst of us; of the whole land, according to what God had declared, Numb 5:3 35:34. Defile not the land which ye shall inhabit, wherein I dwell: for I the Lord dwell among the children of Israel.

[¶17] Thus - Here begins the answer to the prophet's complaint and prayer in the nine first verses. The substance is, that for their manifold sins, he was resolved to punish them. They loved - They have been fond of their idols, and they have persisted in those sinful courses, notwithstanding all counsels.

[¶18] The throne - The words are either to be understood of the throne of the house of David, called the Lord's throne, 1Chron 29:23, or else the temple, and the ark in it, the more special symbol of God's presence.

[¶19] Rain - The present judgment under which they groan, was a drought, which he had described in the six first verses; the prophet imploring God for the removal of it, argues, from the impossibility of help in this case from any other way, none of the idols of the Heathens, which he calls vain things, nothing in themselves, and of no use, or profit to those that ran after them. Give showers - Without thy will? Art not - Lord, art not thou he alone who is able to do it? The scripture constantly gives God the honour of giving rain.

[¶20] Cast them out - I am not able to abide the sight of them, therefore let them go forth.

[¶21] Manasseh - Manasseh is here named as the son of Hezekiah for his shame, because of his degeneracy from so good a parent; it is expressly said, 2Kings 23:26, that not withstanding Josiah's reformation, yet the Lord turned not from the fierceness of his wrath, kindled against Judah, for the provocations of Manasseh.

[¶22] I am weary - I am resolved to bear no longer.

[¶23] A fan - Not a purging fan by affliction, to separate their chaff and dross from them, but a scattering fan. In the gates - This is added in pursuit of the metaphor of fanning, men usually chusing barn - doors to fan at, that they may have the advantage of the wind.

[¶24] Their widows - The prophet still speaks of things to come as if present. In Jehoiakim's time we read of no such plenty of widows; they were multiplied when the city was besieged and taken in Zedekiah's time, to a great number, hyperbolically compared to the sands of the sea. The mother - Jerusalem was the mother of the Jewish people, against whom, Nebuchadnezzar the spoiler, at noon - day, was sent.

[¶25] Seven - Seven signifies many: the prophet complains, that the country of Judah, that had been very numerous in people, now grew feeble. While - In the midst of her prosperity. Confounded - A part of them were confounded by the judgments of God which came upon them before their captivity.

[¶26] I have not - I have done them no wrong, yet they speak of me all manner of evil.

[¶27] Thy remnant - The latter words of the verse expound the former; for by remnant is meant the remnant of days that Jeremiah had to live.

[¶28] The northern iron - As the northern iron and steel is the hardest, and no iron could break that, so God having edged and hardened their enemies, the Chaldeans, all opposition to them would signify nothing.

[¶29] The substance - All thy precious things shall be spoiled, there shall be no price taken for the redemption of them.

[¶30] Thou knowest - My sincerity, or my sufferings. Visit me - With thy love.

[¶31] Thy words - The words which from time to time thou didst reveal to me, were by me greedily digested. I am called - I became a prophet by thy authority, therefore, do thou own and defend me.

[¶32] I sat not - God had all along filled his mouth with such dreadful messages, that his whole prophetical life had been to him a time of mourning and solitude, a time when he sat alone, mourning and weeping in secret for the wrath of God revealed to him against his people.

[¶33] Why - Jeremiah, though a great prophet, was (as Elijah) a man subject to like passions with other men.

[¶34] If thou - These are God's words to the prophet, rebuking his distrust in God, and promising him, that if he did return from his distrust in God's providence, he would restore him to the former favour he had with him, and he should be his prophet to reveal his mind to the people; and that if he would separate the precious truths of God from the vile conceits of men, then God would continue him as his prophet, to speak in his name to the people. But - He charges the prophet to keep his ground, and not to go over to wicked men.

[¶35] The wicked - The wicked Jews. The terrible - And the power of the terrible Chaldeans.

[¶36] Enter not - Do not go to comfort such as mourn for any relations dead, (for their feastings upon those occasions were upon a consolatory account) those that die are most happy, for I will take away the peace of this people, and deprive them of all my mercy and loving - kindness.

[¶37] Nor cut - Cutting themselves and cutting off their hair, were Pagan customs, which God forbad his own people; but yet it seemed they practised them: but saith God, Men shall die so fast that they shall have no leisure to cut themselves.

[¶38] Deal bread - It was a custom among them, when they had any friend, that had lost his relations, to send them some meat (for among the Hebrews all things they ate were called bread) and then to go and sup with them, and speak comfortably to them. The cup - They were also wont to send wine, that they might forget their sorrows; this is called, The cup of consolation.

[¶39] Go - God did not only forbid his prophet to go into houses of mourning, but forbad him to go into houses, where they were wont to eat and drink upon a more chearful account.

[¶40] Ye shall serve - What is now matter of choice to you, shall then be forced upon you.

[¶41] Notwithstanding - God sweetens the dreadful threatenings preceding, with a comfortable promise of their restoration.

[¶42] Fishers - Those enemies whom God made use of to destroy the Jews, hunting them out of all holes and coverts wheresoever they should take sanctuary.

[¶43] I will recompense - Before I will restore them, I will plentifully punish them, (for so double here signifies, not the double of what their sins deserve.) Defiled - By their idolatry, blood and cruelty. Detestable - Unclean beasts offered to their idols, or innocent persons slain by them.

[¶44] Therefore - Because all the mercy I have shewed them, will not learn them to know my might, I will once for all make them to understand it, by the dreadful strokes of my vengeance. And - They shall know that my name is Jehovah; that I am not such a one as their idols, but one who have my being from myself, and give life and being to all other things, and have all might and power in my hand, and can do whatsoever I please.