John Calvin Commentary Jeremiah 2:21

"Yet I had planted thee a noble vine, wholly a right seed: how then art thou turned into the degenerate branches of a foreign vine unto me?" — Jeremiah 2:21 (ASV)

God here confirms what is said in the last verse, for He condemned the Israelites for having perversely run here and there after their superstitions, when yet they had been redeemed for this purpose—that they might be ruled by the hand of God. Hence He says, I planted thee as a choice vine; that is, “When I redeemed you from your enemies, I did not give you permission to prostitute yourself in this way without any restraint, without any shame; for I planted thee as a choice vine.”

The metaphor is well known and often occurs, for God frequently compares His Church to a vine. He calls it generally His heritage or His land; but as vines excel other possessions (for they are usually preferred to pasture lands or to cultivated fields), since vines are then the most valuable property, God by this testifies how highly He values His Church, for He calls it His vine rather than His pasture or His field when He speaks of it. So He does in this place: “I did not deliver you from Egypt so that I might afterward throw aside every care of you; but My purpose was that you should strike roots and become a heritage precious to Me, as an exquisite and a noble vine. I, therefore, planted thee a generous vine, שורק shurek, that you might bring forth fruit for Me.”

Then He says, a wholly right seed; that is, “I planted you for this purpose—that you might produce fruit acceptable and pleasant to Me.” God regards here His own grace, and not the character of the people; for that people, as is well known, was never a true seed. But God here shows the purpose for which He had redeemed the people, which was that they might be like a choice vine.

How then? He adds. God speaks here of their corruptions with wonder, for the indignity was such as was enough to astonish all people: how then art thou turned to me into degenerations! So I render סורום surim, though the word is not in common use in Latin; but it is enough for me if we understand the meaning of the Prophet.

The word is derived from סור sur, to turn aside, or back. We ought to say then correctly, “into turnings aside.” But as this would be obscure when the vine is spoken of, I have not hesitated to settle on another word: How then art thou turned to me into the degenerations of a strange vine!

Some give this version, “into useless branches of grapes,” but I do not know from where they have taken the words. I wish to keep to what is more genuine—that the vine, which ought to have been fruitful, had so degenerated that it produced nothing but wild grapes, as we will find in another place. And He calls them the turnings aside of a strange vine, which ceases to be the choice vine, שורק, shurek, and is turned to a wild vine that produces nothing but sour or bitter fruit. Finally, because it brought forth nothing useful, God justly calls it a strange vine.