John Calvin Commentary Jeremiah 12:14

"Thus saith Jehovah against all mine evil neighbors, that touch the inheritance which I have caused my people Israel to inherit: behold, I will pluck them up from off their land, and will pluck up the house of Judah from among them." — Jeremiah 12:14 (ASV)

The Prophet now begins to mitigate what might have excessively provoked the minds of the people; and this he did, not so much for the sake of the people in general, as for the sake of the elect, a few of whom still remained. We have indeed seen that the fate of the majority of the people was sealed; for it had been said to Jeremiah,

Pray not for them, for I will not hear them (Jeremiah 11:14).

The Prophet then knew the immutable purpose of God regarding the majority of the people. Nor did he intend here to soften what might have appeared severe in what he had taught. But as we have said elsewhere, and indeed often repeated, the prophets used reproofs only concerning the whole community, and then spoke as if separately to the elect; for there always was a remnant among that people, since God never allowed His covenant to fail. As then the Church was still existing, the Prophet considered the hidden seed, and therefore blended consolation with those severe and dreadful predictions which we have noticed.

This is the reason why he now says that God would be the avenger of the cruelty their neighbors had inflicted on the Jews. For this temptation might have greatly disturbed the minds of the godly: “What does this mean, that God is so fiercely angry with us, while He spares the heathens?

Have the Moabites, or the Ammonites, or the Idumeans, deserved nothing? Why then does God tolerate them, while He treats us so harshly?” The Prophet then meets this objection, and says that punishment was near those nations, the punishment they deserved, and that for the sake of the chosen people.

If indeed he had only said that the Moabites and the Idumeans, and the rest, would be summoned before God’s tribunal, that they in turn might be punished, it would have given no relief to the suffering Jews; for it would have been a very empty consolation to have only so many companions in their suffering. But the Prophet also adds, that God would be thus favorable to His elect; for it was a sign of His fatherly favor when He inflicted punishment on all those neighbors who had treated them so cruelly.

He begins by saying, Thus says Jehovah; and he says, against all my evil neighbors, etc. He speaks here as God, who calls the Moabites and the Idumeans, as well as others, His neighbors, because He had chosen the land of Canaan as a dwelling place for Himself; for it was, as often appears from the prophets, a chief evidence of God’s favor that He lived among that people. He was not indeed confined either to the Temple or to the land of Canaan; but He had taken the people under His safeguard and protection, as if His hands were extended to defend them all. We now see why He calls the nations near to the Jews His evil neighbors: for though the Jews deserved severe punishments, yet that promise remained valid,

He who touches you, touches the apple of my eye (Zechariah 2:8).

Then he adds, who touch my heritage. Here he speaks not ironically as before, but simply considers His own election, as if He had said, “Whatever the Jews may be, I will still be consistent with Myself, and My covenant will not fail; for My faithfulness will surpass their treachery.” We must still remember what I have already stated—that all of this is to be confined to the elect, who were few in number and were hidden like twenty or a hundred grains in a large heap of chaff. Since the Prophet here especially addresses God’s elect, it is no wonder that he calls them God’s heritage, not to rebuke them, as he had done before, but because God really loved them and willed for them to be saved.

Another point to note is that God was also referring to the Idumeans as well as the Ammonites, Sidonians, and Tyrians, who had unjustly oppressed His people. The Ammonites and the Moabites were related by kinship, for they both descended from Lot, the nephew of Abraham. Regarding the Idumeans, they were the descendants of Esau, all of the same family; and they knew that the Jews had been chosen by God. Hence God here shows that He Himself was wronged when such injustices were committed against His people.

Therefore, we see why God calls Israel here His heritage; which, He says, by heritage I have possessed. Here He removes every excuse from the neighboring nations; as if He had said, “Though the Jews have sinned, yet these are not their judges; nor do they have any right to punish them for their unfaithfulness: it has been My will to choose them for My heritage.” We thus see that these words are emphatic, their meaning being that God would punish the wrongs done to His people, because His own majesty was insulted, since no respect was shown for His adoption. Nor did the heathens have any right to inquire whether the Jews were worthy or not; for it had pleased God to take them under His protection.

He then adds, Behold, I will pluck them up from their land, and the house of Judah will I pluck up from the midst of them. He mentions here two kinds of plucking up. He says first, that He would forcibly expel the Idumeans and drive them far into exile; for this is the meaning when He says, I will pluck them up, as נתש nutash, means to draw out by force. This word is often found in the prophets, especially in reference to the Church,

I have planted and will pluck up (Jeremiah 45:4).

We have also seen the following,

I have set thee to plant and to pluck up (Jeremiah 1:10).

This was to show the power of prophetic truth. And he says here, I will pluck up, or eradicate them, as some translate it; but as this word (eradicabo) is not Latin, let us retain evellam—I will pluck up; only you must understand that it properly means to draw up by the roots, and that by force: I will pluck up, he says, the Idumeans, the Ammonites, the Moabites, and all other neighboring nations, from their land, because they have violated mine heritage, even the people chosen by Me. Therefore they themselves will be driven into remote exile and into captivity, according to what is said elsewhere,

Remember the children of Edom, who said in the day of Jerusalem, etc., (Psalms 137:7).

And we will later see that this was fulfilled; for the Prophet will soon speak of all these nations, so that the Jews might perceive that God’s judgment would extend to all parts of the earth. But here the Prophet briefly threatens these nations with vengeance, that he might alleviate the sorrow of the small remnant that remained. For as we have said, the majority of the people were without hope, as God had given them up, according to what they deserved, to final destruction.

But as God always reserved a remnant, the Prophet says in this place, The house of Judah will I pluck up from the midst of them: for some had fled to the Moabites and to others, and some had indeed been taken captive and were held in bondage. The Jews, as we know, had been cruelly plundered, and some of them had been put up for sale by these nations.

Hence God here promises that He would finally be moved by the pleas of His people, and so gather the remnant from the Moabites as well as from the Idumeans and other heathen nations. This second plucking up is therefore to be understood in a positive sense; for the Prophet promises deliverance here to God’s elect. And yet he suitably employs the same word, to emphasize the cruelty of these nations, who would have never willingly given them up, if God had not forcibly rescued from their tyranny the innocent Israelites—that is, innocent in relation to them.

“I will,” he says, “draw them out by force;” as if He had said, “However obstinate may be the cruelty of all these nations, by whom My people will be taken captive, I will still be stronger than they, so that I will bring out the captives, though those who consider them perpetual slaves may resist with all their power.”

And we have also experienced this in our time; for how hard was our bondage under the Papacy? And was not its tyranny also almost unconquerable? But God put forth His power and drew out a few from under its cruel domination. In the same way, He formerly promised to the remnant of His people that He would be so merciful to them as to rescue them from the yoke of tyranny.