John Calvin Commentary Jeremiah 25:30

"Therefore prophesy thou against them all these words, and say unto them, Jehovah will roar from on high, and utter his voice from his holy habitation; he will mightily roar against his fold; he will give a shout, as they that tread [the grapes], against all the inhabitants of the earth." — Jeremiah 25:30 (ASV)

The word הידד, eidad, is rendered celeusma, a shout; but some render it as mournful singing, and it often occurs when the vintage is spoken of. Celeusma, as it is well known, is the shout of sailors. Its etymology is indeed general in its meaning, for κελεύειν is to exhort, to encourage; and then the noun is exhortation. But since this word is used specifically in reference to sailors, I prefer to adopt the word "sound," or "a loud noise."

Then he says, Prophesy thou against them all these words, and say to them, etc. I have already reminded you that no command was given to the Prophet to go to the heathens and to address each nation among them, or, in other words, to perform his prophetic office among them. But though he did not move a foot from the city, yet the influence of his prophecy reached every region of the earth. The preaching of Jeremiah was therefore not in vain, for the Jews understood by what happened that there was in the language of the holy man the power of the Spirit for the salvation of all the godly, and for the destruction of all the unbelieving. It is, then, in this sense that God again bids and commands him to prophesy against all nations and to speak to them—not that he actually addressed them, but that when he taught the Jews, his doctrine had an influence on all nations.

And he says, Jehovah from on high shall roar, and from the habitation of his holiness shall send forth his voice. The metaphor of roaring is sufficiently common. It seems indeed unsuitable to apply to God, but we know how sluggish men are, and how they indulge themselves in their own insensibility, even when God threatens them. Hence God, adopting a hyperbolical mode of speaking, reproves their stupidity, as he cannot move them unless he exceeds the limits of moderation.

This then is the reason why he compares himself to a lion—not that we are to imagine that there is anything savage or cruel in him, but, as I have said, men cannot be moved unless God puts on another character and comes forth as a lion. Yet he testifies elsewhere, not in vain, that he is slow to wrath, inclined to mercy and long-suffering (Psalms 86:5, 15). Let us then understand that the impious contempt by which most men are fascinated is thus condemned, when God, as it were, transforms himself in this manner and is constrained to represent himself as a lion.

Roar, then, he says, shall Jehovah, from on high, and from the habitation of his holiness shall he send forth his voice. When he speaks of on high, it is probable that heaven is meant; and the habitation of his holiness is often taken for the sanctuary or the Temple. But in other places, when the same words are repeated, heaven is also meant by "the habitation of his holiness." Yet there is nothing unsuitable if we say that the Prophet here refers to the Temple, and that he refers to it in this way so that he might lift the minds of the Jews upward, who had their thoughts fixed on the visible Temple. Indeed, this seems to be required by the context.

They indeed foolishly thought that God was bound to them, because it had been said, Here is my rest for ever; here will my name and power dwell. (Psalms 132:14). They strangely thought that there was no God but he who was enclosed in that visible and external sanctuary.

Hence was that pride which Isaiah reproves and severely condemns when he says, Where is the place for my rest? The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool; what place then will you build for me? (Isaiah 66:1).

The Prophet there does not merely speak against superstition, as many think; rather, he beats down that foolish arrogance, because the people thought that God could never be separated from the material Temple. And yet it was not for nothing that the Temple had the name of being the royal throne of God, provided vices were removed.

So now the Prophet, though he exalts God above the heavens, yet alludes to the visible sanctuary when he says, Roar shall Jehovah from on high, and from the habitation of his holiness shall he send forth his voice. That is, though the Gentiles think that God sits and rests in a corner, yet his throne is in heaven. The fact that he has chosen a terrestrial habitation for himself is no reason why the government of the whole earth should not be in his hands. Therefore, he manifests proofs of his vengeance towards all nations; but for the sake of his Church, he will go forth, as it were, from his Temple.

And he repeats again, Roaring he shall roar on his dwelling, or habitation. Jerome usually renders the last word as "ornament" or "beauty"; yet this passage, as well as many others, sufficiently proves that it cannot mean anything other than habitation.

He afterwards proceeds to another comparison: He will respond a shout, as those who tread the winepress, against all the inhabitants of the earth. This repetition and variety confirm what I have said—that God hyperbolically set forth the vehemence of his voice in order to fill with terror the secure and the torpid.

And the Prophet seems here to intimate that though there would be none to cheer, yet God’s voice would be sufficiently powerful. For those who tread the winepress mutually encourage one another by shouting; one calls on another, and thus they rouse themselves to diligence. There is also a mutual concord among sailors when they give their shouts, as well as among the workmen who tread the grapes in the winepress. But though God would have no one to rouse him, yet he himself would be sufficient: he will respond a shout. The Prophet might have used another word, but he says he will respond—to whom? Even to himself. That is, though all united to extinguish God’s vengeance, yet he will come forth a conqueror, nor will he have any need of help.