John Calvin Commentary Jeremiah 16:9

"For thus saith Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel: Behold, I will cause to cease out of this place, before your eyes and in your days, the voice of mirth and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride." — Jeremiah 16:9 (ASV)

This verse contains a reason for the preceding—that every connection with that people would be accursed. Yet he states one thing more expressly—that the time had come in which they were already deprived of all joy. For the ungodly, even when God most severely threatens them, strengthen themselves in their security; therefore, God intended to give them some warning, so that they might know beforehand that the most grievous calamities were near, by which every joy and gladness would be taken away.

He then says that the God of hosts and the God of Israel had spoken. At the same time, He deprived them of all hope, even though he called himself the God of Israel. Hypocrites were accustomed either to despise the power of God or to abuse His goodness. If God had not restrained them, they would have dismissed as nothing what the prophets threatened; and why was this?

This was because they belittled, as far as they could, the power of God. Therefore, God says that he is the God of hosts. But when, in their pride and haughtiness, they could not overthrow, so to speak, the power of God, they then resorted to another refuge: they promised themselves that he would deal leniently with them, and thus they deceived themselves.

So, on the other hand, God calls himself here the God of Israel, so that they might know that it was of no benefit to them that he had adopted the descendants of Abraham. For they were not the children of Abraham, but aliens, as they had departed from Abraham's piety and faith. This served as a preface.

Now when he says, הנני, enni, Behold me, he shows that the Jews had no reason to delay or to indulge in vain confidence, for vengeance had already come. Behold me, he says; he thus steps forward and testifies that he is already prepared to execute his judgment.

Behold me, he says, taking away from this place, before your eyes, and in your days, etc.; their destruction would happen in a short time and before their eyes.

I am taking away, he says, the voice of joy and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride. Here, by stating a part for the whole, he intimates that they would become like the dead rather than the living. For the continuance of the human race is preserved by marriage, as through offspring, humankind is, so to speak, born again, which would otherwise perish daily.

Since, then, no more time was left for marriages, it was a sign of final destruction. This is what the Prophet intimates when he says that God would cause the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride to cease, so that there would be no more congratulations.