John Calvin Commentary Jeremiah 32:26-27

"Then came the word of Jehovah unto Jeremiah, saying, Behold, I am Jehovah, the God of all flesh: is there anything too hard for me?" — Jeremiah 32:26-27 (ASV)

We have already said that the verb פלא pela, allows for two meanings: it means to be hidden and to be wonderful, and by a metaphor, it means what is difficult and impossible. Many take it to mean here that nothing escapes God’s observation. But as I have said in the last lecture, I am more inclined to refer it to God’s power—namely, that all things are in God’s hand and at His pleasure, so that there is no difficulty for Him.

For why do people experience so much anxiety, except that they are stopped by obstacles? But God can surmount all obstacles without any effort. Therefore, so that our minds may not be perplexed, God’s power is rightly set before us.

This meaning is most suitable to this passage. For Jeremiah, when he encountered something that seemed inconsistent, felt compelled to cast his anxiety, so to speak, into God’s bosom. Then God, in order to relieve him, says that nothing is difficult for Him, because He is the God of all flesh.

Although by the words all flesh, Scripture often means all kinds of animals, it more often refers only to the human race. I do not, however, offer a subtle interpretation of this passage, as if God set the Gentiles in opposition to the Jews and thus denied that He would remain the God of Abraham’s children because He had repudiated them on account of their sins. Instead, He says that He is especially the king of the whole earth and rules over the entire human race. As God then, He says, is the God of all flesh, can anything be impossible to Him?