John Calvin Commentary Jeremiah 4:5-6

"Declare ye in Judah, and publish in Jerusalem; and say, Blow ye the trumpet in the land: cry aloud and say, Assemble yourselves, and let us go into the fortified cities. Set up a standard toward Zion: flee for safety, stay not; for I will bring evil from the north, and a great destruction." — Jeremiah 4:5-6 (ASV)

Jeremiah treats his own people here with more severity, for he saw that they were rebellious and so obstinate in their vices that they could not by wise counsel be restored to the way of safety. Hence he addresses them here as men wholly irreclaimable, and to whom instruction was useless. But though, in the manner of the prophets, he sounds a trumpet to fill them with terror, he still seems to speak tauntingly when he bids them to proclaim in Judah, and to publish in Jerusalem. It is as if he had said, "When distress seizes you, you will then perceive by experience that God is angry with you. Though today you do not believe my warnings; yet God will not, indeed, by a violent hand, bring you back to Himself; and as you seek evasions for yourselves, you will sound the trumpet and proclaim, 'The enemies are coming and are near at hand; let, therefore, everyone flee to Jerusalem, and enter into the city, and resort to Zion: that is, If we cannot secure our safety in the city, we shall at least be safe in the fortress of Zion.'" But God, he says, brings an evil on you from the north; and whatever you may think will be for your safety will be completely useless. It is, however, especially proper to regard the Prophet as God’s herald proclaiming war; and though he exults over their perverseness, he still declares that terror would be so widespread that they would seek safety in flight.

Sound, he says, in Judah, and publish, or proclaim, in Jerusalem (הגידו, egidu, announce, literally). He does not speak here for the same purpose as Joel did (Joel 1:1, 15), when he commanded them to sound the trumpet, for Joel exhorted the people to repent. But Jeremiah, as I have already said, tauntingly reproves the people here for their obstinacy and perverseness, as if he had said, "I see what you will do when God’s vengeance comes upon you, such that you will not even then repent. For you will sound the trumpet through the whole land, ‘Let all resort to Zion,’ as though you could resist your enemies there and preserve your lives." He does not, then, bid them sound the trumpet but, on the contrary, shows what they would do.

Some improperly give this rendering, “Fulfill ye,” but the common version is, “Assemble yourselves.” But interpreters seem to me not to have regarded the etymology of the word, for it has the same meaning in Hebrew as when we say, Amassez-vous, Gather yourselves. And say, Be ye assembled, and let us go into fortified cities. It will, indeed, be announced to you to seek hiding places to protect you from the assaults of your enemies. If so, Raise a banner in Zion, and flee; but God will at the same time bring evil on you from the north.

The words אל-תעמדו, al-tomedu, may be explained in two ways: “Stand not,” that is, “Hasten quickly,” as is the case with those in extreme fear; or, “You shall not stand,” that is, “Though you may seek a firm position on Mount Zion, you shall not yet be able to continue there.” The first exposition appears to me the best, as it is more suitable to the context.

Prayer:

Grant, Almighty God, that as we do not cease daily to alienate ourselves from You by our sins, and as You yet kindly exhort us to repent and promise to be appeasable and propitious to us—O grant that we may not perversely go on in our sins and be ungrateful to You for Your great kindness; but that we may so return to You that our whole life may testify that our repentance has been unfeigned, and that we may so acquiesce in You alone that the depraved lusts of our flesh may not draw us here and there, but that we may continue fixed and immovable in our purpose, and so labor to obey You through the whole course of our life, that we may at length partake of the fruit of our obedience in Your celestial kingdom, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.