John Calvin Commentary Jeremiah 35:17

"therefore thus saith Jehovah, the God of hosts, the God of Israel: Behold, I will bring upon Judah and upon all the inhabitants of Jerusalem all the evil that I have pronounced against them; because I have spoken unto them, but they have not heard; and I have called unto them, but they have not answered." — Jeremiah 35:17 (ASV)

The Prophet, after having shown that the Jews were so condemned by the example of the Rechabites that they had no defense, now adds that since the word of God had been useless to them, it would now be effective against them. This is the meaning of the verse.

I have spoken to them, says God; I will now speak to them no more, but I will speak against them. That is, I will command the Chaldeans, and they shall be my ministers and the executioners of my vengeance.

Thus we see the order which the Prophet has observed: he did not bring forward this final sentence, which is like a thunderbolt, until he had proved the Jews guilty. For this purpose, he made the comparison when he said that the Rechabites had obeyed their father, and that the Jews had disregarded God’s Law and all the warnings given by the Prophets. I will bring, he says, upon Judah and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem all the evil which I have spoken against them; for I have spoken to them, and they heard not.

Here the Prophet distinguishes between two kinds of speaking. For God had spoken to the Jews, but he had also spoken against them. There are two prepositions here, quite similar: the one begins with an א aleph, and the other with ע ayin. By the one, the Prophet denotes doctrine, exhortations, and whatever leads to repentance, so that people may either be recalled to their duty or retained in it.

This, then, is one mode of speaking: when God addresses us and invites us to himself. The other mode refers to threats: when God, after finding that he can do nothing by teaching, resorts to threats and shows what vengeance awaits us.

This passage, then, is especially noteworthy, because from this we learn that when people reject the word of teaching, they cannot escape the other word, which denounces the judgment of God.

Teaching appears useless when not received by people; but whoever despises his word will eventually find, to their own ruin, that the denunciations by which God confirms and ratifies the authority of his word cannot possibly be nullified: as, then, they heard not the word which I had spoken to them, come upon them shall all the evils which I have pronounced against them.

By adding, I have called and they answered not, he amplifies the atrocity of their sin; for God had not simply shown what was necessary for their salvation, but had also called them to himself, and had even loudly called them; but he spoke to the deaf, for they answered not.