John Calvin Commentary Jeremiah 4:23-26

"I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was waste and void; and the heavens, and they had no light. I beheld the mountains, and, lo, they trembled, and all the hills moved to and fro. I beheld, and, lo, there was no man, and all the birds of the heavens were fled. I beheld, and, lo, the fruitful field was a wilderness, and all the cities thereof were broken down at the presence of Jehovah, [and] before his fierce anger." — Jeremiah 4:23-26 (ASV)

The Prophet in this passage elaborates in highly metaphorical language on the terror of God’s vengeance, so that he might rouse the Jews, who were dull and careless.

And the repetition is not in vain when he says four times that he looked. He could have spoken of the earth, heaven, people, and fertile places in one sentence; but it is as if he had turned his eyes to four different quarters and said that wherever he looked, dreadful tokens of God’s wrath appeared to him, which threatened the Jews with utter ruin.

And it is no wonder that the Prophet is so vehement, for we know that people would have heedlessly received all threats unless they were violently roused. This way of teaching should be well known to us, for all who are in any degree acquainted with the writings of the prophets must know that they especially followed this course to rouse hypocrites and those who despise God, who, with a stiff neck and a hardened heart, were not moved by any fear of punishment.

But this passage is remarkable above most others; therefore, we should consider the meaning of the Prophet’s words.

First, he says that he looked on the earth, and that it was תהו (teu) and בהו (beu). He uses the very words that Moses adopted in his history of the creation. For before any order was introduced, Moses says that the earth was תהו (teu) and בהו (beu)—that is, waste and unformed chaos—and it had no beauty pleasing to the eye.

It is as if he had said that the order, which had been so beautifully arranged, had now disappeared because of God’s wrath, and that there was nothing but confusion everywhere. Thus he magnifies the atrocity of their sins, as if he had said that people had become so fallen that they had changed the whole form of the world and blended heaven and earth together, so that now there was no distinction between things.

As for the heavens, he says that there was no light in them. He implies that the light of the sun, moon, and stars was, in a way, extinguished because people were unworthy to enjoy such kindness from God, and as if the sun and moon were ashamed to be witnesses of so many sins and vices.

So now we understand what Jeremiah chiefly means in the first part of this description: he says that he looked on the earth, and that nothing appeared in it but dreadful chaos and waste, there being no form or beauty, because the Jews, by their sins, had subverted the order of nature and the creation of God.

And he says that he looked on the heavens, and they had no light, for the Jews had deserved to be deprived of that benefit which God had intended the sun and the moon to convey. And it is indeed a unique instance of God’s kindness that he has made such noble objects to be of such service to us.

The Prophet, in short, means that such awful tokens of God’s wrath appeared in heaven and on earth, as if the whole world had been thrown into confusion. This way of speaking often occurs in the other prophets, especially in Joel 2:2. Though the words are hyperbolical, they do not exceed what is appropriate, if we take into account the extreme insensibility of people. For unless God arms heaven and earth and shows himself ready to take away all the blessings with which he favors humankind, they will, as we have recently said, laugh to scorn all his threats.

Jeremiah then descends from heaven to mountains and says that the mountains trembled, and that all the hills moved or shook. Some say “destroyed,” but I do not know for what reason, for the Prophet no doubt confirms the same thing with another phrase.

As he had said that mountains trembled, he also adds that hills shook; and this is the proper meaning of the verb. Now the reason he speaks of mountains and hills is evident, for a greater stability seems to belong to them than to level ground, since mountains are mostly stony and have their roots most firmly fixed in rocks.

Indeed, if the whole world were to be thrown into confusion, the mountains seem so firmly based that no commotion could affect them. But the Prophet says that they trembled, and that the hills shook.

What he saw the third time was solitude, for he says that there were no men, and that all birds had fled away.

The principal ornament of the world, we know, consists of people and living creatures. For why was the earth made so productive, bringing forth so many various fruits, except for the sake of people and animals? Though the earth appears very beautiful because of its trees, herbs, and every kind of fruit, its principal ornaments are still people and animals.

By mentioning a part for the whole, the Prophet, in mentioning birds, includes all earthly animals. He says then that the earth was emptied of its inhabitants.

What he saw the fourth time was this: the fertile land was turned into a desert. I indeed think that Carmel is to be understood here as meaning the specific place. That part of the Holy Land, we know, received its name from its fertility; Carmel means any rich and fruitful piece of ground.

But, as I have just said, the mountain was so called because it abounded in all kinds of produce. For on it were fruitful pastures and fertile fields, and every part of it was remarkably pleasant and delightful. I am therefore inclined to consider Carmel itself to be meant here. My reason is that he immediately adds that its cities were destroyed, and this can be more fittingly applied to Carmel than generally to all fruitful regions.

Personally, I think that the Prophet speaks of Carmel, and yet he alludes to what the word means. Even in this verse he mentions a part for the whole, as if he had said that Carmel, which excelled in fertility, had become like a desert. When Isaiah speaks of the renewal of the Church, he says, The desert shall be as Carmel (Isaiah 32:15), as if he had said that the blessing of God would be so abundant throughout the whole world that deserts would bear fruit like Carmel, or those regions which are remarkable for their fertility. But Jeremiah, speaking here of a curse, says that Carmel would be like the desert, and that all its cities would be demolished, even at the presence of Jehovah, and by the great heat of his wrath.

Some render חרון (charun) as “fury.” And this kind of language is not without its use, for people, as we have said, unless God terrifies them as it were by thunder, will sleep and will not perceive his judgment, so that all threats become useless to them. This is the reason Scripture speaks so often of the fury or the great heat of God’s wrath.

Either of the two words might indeed be sufficient: either חרון (charun), which means fury or great heat, or אף (aph), which signifies anger or wrath. Why then are both mentioned? Because it is necessary, as I have said, to tear our hardness to pieces as with hammers; for otherwise God could never turn us to fear him.

This repetition then should serve to subdue the perverseness of our nature; not that these turbulent feelings belong to God, as is well known, but since we cannot otherwise conceive how dreadful his vengeance is, it is necessary that he should be presented to us as one who is angry and burning with wrath. In a similar way, eternal death is described to us under the metaphor of fire.

Now, as for the sum of what is said here, the Jews at that time no doubt enjoyed great abundance and indulged their pleasures; in short, they were fully pleased with their condition.

But the Prophet here declares that he saw from a distance what these blind Jews did not see: God’s vengeance approaching. This vengeance would deprive them of that abundance, because of which they were so swollen with pride.

It would reduce them all to such a state of desolation that nothing would remain above or below but a disordered confusion, such as existed before nature was brought to order—when the earth was not separated from the heavens, and there was only a confused mass including all the elements, and without any light.

He then adds—