John Calvin Commentary Jeremiah 2:22

"For though thou wash thee with lye, and take thee much soap, yet thine iniquity is marked before me, saith the Lord Jehovah." — Jeremiah 2:22 (ASV)

We have already seen, and the Prophet will often repeat the same thing—that the people had become so rebellious that they would not willingly yield to any rebukes. For they were almost all so brazen and stubborn in their wickedness that they insolently dared to raise objections against the prophets whenever the prophets severely rebuked them: “What! Are we not God’s holy people? Has He not chosen us? Are we not the holy seed of Abraham?” It was therefore necessary for the prophets to apply a hard wedge to a hard knot, as they commonly say. Since the Israelites were like knotty wood, it was necessary to strike hard at their obstinacy.

For this reason, Jeremiah now says, Even if thou wert to wash thyself with nitre, and multiply to thee borith, yet thine iniquity would be before me marked. That is, “You accomplish nothing when you offer various pretenses to excuse your impiety: wash yourselves, but your iniquity remains marked before Me.” The Prophet speaks in the person of God, so that he might add more weight to the denunciation he pronounced on the Israelites, and by which he reduced to nothing their self-flatteries, as has already been stated.

Nitre and borith were used to remove stains in cloth, and for this reason borith is often mentioned in connection with fullers. But there is no need for a laborious inquiry into whether it was an herb, dust, or something of that kind. For as to what is meant, it is generally agreed that the Prophet teaches us by this metaphor—that hypocrites gain nothing by setting up their pretenses to escape when God condemns them.

Hence, he says that all their attempts would be vain and fruitless. How so? Because their iniquity remained unwashed. That is, because they could not remove by washing what is imprinted.

Spots or stains can indeed be cleansed or washed away by soap or other things; but when the stain is inward, and imprinted within, washing will avail nothing, for the marks are so deep that a more efficacious remedy must be adopted. So now the Prophet says that the stains were imprinted and therefore could not be washed away or cleansed by soap or borith.

But the Prophet says that the stains were marked, or stamped, before God. For it was common for the Israelites to try to clear themselves from all blame. Indeed, so great was their audacity that they openly opposed the prophets, as though some great wrong were being done to them; and they called the prophets accusers and slanderers.

Hence God says, Thine iniquity is stamped before me. That is, “However you may by self-flatteries deceive yourself and hide your sins before the world, yet you gain nothing; for in My sight your iniquity ever remains stamped.” He adds afterwards—