John Calvin Commentary Jeremiah 21:13-14

"Behold, I am against thee, O inhabitant of the valley, [and] of the rock of the plain, saith Jehovah; you that say, Who shall come down against us? or who shall enter into our habitations? And I will punish you according to the fruit of your doings, saith Jehovah; and I will kindle a fire in her forest, and it shall devour all that is round about her." — Jeremiah 21:13-14 (ASV)

Although the whole nation was corrupt in the time of the Prophet, Jerusalem was nevertheless the head and seat of all evils, especially as there was more licentiousness there. They also thought that the Prophets had no freedom there, as though the citizens were, by a special privilege, exempt from all reproof.

Lastly, the very situation of the city gave them courage. When they regarded the height of their walls, their towers, and fortresses, they thought themselves beyond the reach of danger. This was the source of the security which the Prophet now condemns, and therefore, he calls it the inhabitant of the valley.

Jerusalem, we know, was situated on small hills. Mount Zion had two tops, and there were also adjoining hills, especially towards Lebanon. However, there was a plain on every side. If we except Mount Zion, Jerusalem was in a valley, for it was surrounded, as we know, by mountains. There were mountains around it, as it is said in Psalm 125:2. Its very situation gave confidence to the citizens, as access to it was difficult.

They, therefore, thought that enemies could not come into that valley, which kept them enclosed, as in a fortified place. This is the reason why the Prophet did not call the city by its own name, but said that it dwelt in the valley; and afterwards he called it a rock in the plain.

For ישר, isher, is straight, and hence מישור, mishur, means level ground. The whole region was then a continuous plain as far as the mountains. Jerusalem itself also had, as we have said, its small hills; it was therefore, as it were, a rock in a Plain.

We now see for what purpose the Prophet used this circumlocution: it was because the Jews gloried in the position of their city, as though it were impregnable, and also because the vicinity of the mountains, as well as the plain, gave them great advantages.

We know how inclined people are to adopt a false sense of security when there is apparently no danger. On the contrary, they think of various defenses and aids from which they expect to derive help. It is, therefore, this false boasting that the Prophet condemns when he calls Jerusalem the inhabitant of the valley, and then says that it was a rock in the plain.

What follows makes this clearer: Who say, Who shall come down against us? and, Who shall enter into our habitations? The verb יחת, ichet, some take in the sense of tearing, “Who shall make a breach on us?” They derive the word from חתת, chetat; but it is rather from נחת, nechat, to descend, for the first meaning would be too strained.

The Prophet speaks according to the opinion of the people, who thought themselves sufficiently fortified against all the attacks of their enemies. Indeed, they may not have spoken this openly, but the Prophet was considering the hidden thoughts of their hearts when he attributed this boasting to them—that they lived in an impregnable place, as access to it was formidable.

For they spoke boldly, “Who shall descend to us? Who will enter our houses?” as though they had their nest in the clouds. They implied that their situation would be safe, because their enemies would not dare to come near them, or would be disgracefully repelled if they dared, as it would be enough for them to close their gates.

But God, on the contrary, says, Behold I will come to you, or against you, and will visit you. There is, indeed, a change of number, for he says, I will visit you, because he had begun by saying, “You who say,” האמרים, eamrim. He says, I will visit upon you the fruit of your doings; that is, “I will deal with you according to what you have done, as your works deserve.” Merit is to be understood as reward. Then God threatens that he would give the Jews what they deserved, because they had not ceased to provoke his wrath.

He adds, lastly, I will kindle a fire in its forest. Some take “forest” metaphorically for the neighboring towns, but this seems foreign to the Prophet’s meaning. Indeed, I do not deny that there is a metaphor in the words, but the word forest is not to be applied to towns and villages, but to the buildings of the city itself, according to a way of speaking used elsewhere by the Prophets.

As their houses were built with a large quantity of wood from tall and finest trees, the Prophet compares this mass of wood to a forest. We may, however, offer a simpler explanation, and I do not know if it is more suitable: that the Prophet is referring to Lebanon.

He then means by the forest of the city the trees of Lebanon, which we know were particularly fine, for their loftiness was everywhere known; and we also know that they were very large. Since, then, a part of their false glory was Mount Lebanon, the Prophet clearly implies that it would serve as fuel to burn the city itself; for when God burned Jerusalem, he would take materials from the vicinity for this purpose.

Now, as we understand the meaning of the Prophet, let us learn how to apply this passage. We have said elsewhere that nothing is more hateful to God than false confidence; when people, relying on their own resources, promise themselves a happy and safe condition, they become torpid in their own security.

Thus it happens that they despise God and never flee to him. They scorn his judgments and are eventually carried away by a mad impulse to every kind of insolence.

This is the reason why the Prophets so often and so sharply rebuke secure people: they become presumptuous towards God when they have no regard for him and no fear of him.

They then not only dishonor God by transferring the hope of their safety to mere means or to such aids as they foolishly depend on, but they also think that they are not under God’s authority. Therefore, they promise themselves impunity and thus become completely hardened in their sins.