John Calvin Commentary Jeremiah 42:7-10

"And it came to pass after ten days, that the word of Jehovah came unto Jeremiah. Then called he Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces that were with him, and all the people from the least even to the greatest, and said unto them, Thus saith Jehovah, the God of Israel, unto whom ye sent me to present your supplication before him: If ye will still abide in this land, then will I build you, and not pull you down, and I will plant you, and not pluck you up; for I repent me of the evil that I have done unto you." — Jeremiah 42:7-10 (ASV)

Here Jeremiah declares what answer he received from God, and he delivered it in God's name to the leaders of the forces and to the whole people. The answer was that they were to continue in the land, for this would be for their good. We will later see that they had falsely asked counsel from God, whom they had already resolved not to obey, as has been previously stated. But the Prophet shows again more clearly how perversely they acted after God had commanded them to remain quiet and especially not to go to Egypt.

Now he says that on the tenth day God answered him. God could have answered immediately, but He delayed so that the prophecy might have more weight. If the Prophet had been asked any question concerning the common rule of life, as a faithful interpreter of the Law, he could have explained to them what their duty was. But since he had been asked about a special subject, he could not have answered them immediately. And God, as I have said, kept them in suspense for a time, not only so that the Prophet’s answer might be given without ostentation, but also so that the people might embrace what the Prophet would say as coming from God. For his doctrine could not have been doubted, because he did not instantly present what had arisen in his own mind, but prayerfully waited to know what pleased God, and at length announced His commands. We now, then, perceive the reason for the delay—why God did not immediately convey the required answer to His servant.

Let us also learn from this passage that if God does not immediately free us from all perplexity and doubt, we ought to wait patiently, according to the instruction of Paul, who, when speaking of doctrine, urged the faithful to remain content until what they did not know should be revealed to them (Philippians 3:15). We should do so all the more when we ask for counsel about any particular matter. When God does not immediately make known to us what we ask, we ought, as I have already said, to wait with calm and resigned minds for the time and season when it will be made known to us.

Jeremiah says that he called John and the other leaders of the forces and all the people, from the least to the greatest. This is stated so that we may know that the disregard for this prophecy happened not through the fault of one or two, but because all the people were united together. The people themselves, then, could not have pretended that they were free from blame, for we see that they were all involved. The leaders are particularly mentioned, and on the other hand, the people, so that the leaders could not object and say that they were forced by a popular tumult, nor could the people throw the blame on the leaders. The Prophet then shows that they all rebelled against God, and that there was no exception.

He then says that he faithfully recounted to them what God had commanded: Thus says Jehovah, the God of Israel, to whom you sent me. By this circumstance, he shows that they were more bound to obey. For if God had sent His Prophet to them, they ought to have obeyed His voice; but when they, of their own accord, came to him, prayed for a favor, and wished God’s will to be made known to them, they became doubly culpable when they refused the answer given to them in God’s name. And he adds, That I might prostrate, or make to fall, your prayer before God. We have stated what is meant by this way of speaking, but there is a difference to be noted. For he had been requested to ask God humbly, and he says here that he had not only prayed but had presented the prayer of the whole people, because he acted for the public; and he was then an intermediary between God and the people. On this account, he says that he had been sent to present the prayer of the people to God, for he asked nothing for himself but acted for them all and asked God to answer the people.

He now adds, If you will indeed remain in this land, I will build you up and plant you; I will not pull you down nor root you up. Here the Prophet testifies that the counsel he gave them in God’s name would be for their good; and what is good or useful is considered by people, when they theorize, as they say, to be of great value. The simple authority of God ought, indeed, to be sufficient; and if God had only commanded them in one word to remain, they ought to have agreed. But God here adapted Himself to their weakness and was pleased, in a way, to lower Himself in order to promote their well-being, and did not require obedience according to His authority and sovereign power, as He might have justly done. We therefore see how kindly God dealt with this people, as He did not demand what He could have, but gave His counsel and testified that it would be good and useful to them.

Now when orators bring forward what is useful in order to persuade, they resort to conjectures and state human reasons; but the Prophet here promised in God’s name that if they remained, it would be for their good. God’s promise, then, is brought forward here instead of conjectures and reasons. Therefore, the obstinacy of the people was without excuse when they rejected the authority of God, then despised His counsel, and also disbelieved His promise. Then to the contempt of God was added unbelief, and we know that no greater insult can be offered to God than when people do not believe Him.

The metaphors used here occur often in Scripture. God is said to build up people when He confirms them in a settled state; and in the same sense, He is said to plant them. This we have already seen, and it is especially evident from Psalm 44:2, where God is said to have planted in the land of Canaan the people He had brought out of Egypt.

He then promised that the condition of the people would be secure, safe, and perpetual, if only they did not change their place. When He adds, I will not pull down nor pluck up, He follows what is commonly done in Hebrew. Neither the Latins nor the Greeks speak in this manner; but negatives of this kind in Hebrew are confirmations, as though the Prophet had said, ‘God will so plant you that your root will remain.’

There will then be no danger of being plucked up when you have been planted by God’s hand, nor will He allow you to be overthrown or pulled down when He has built you up by His own hand. What then they ought to have especially sought, God freely promised them—namely, to be safe and secure in the land—for this was especially what the Prophet meant.

It afterwards follows, For I repent of the evil which I have brought on you. The verb נחם (nuchem), sometimes means to repent and often to comfort, but the former sense agrees better with this passage: that God repented of the evil. If, however, we prefer this rendering, ‘For I have received comfort,’ then the meaning would be, ‘I am satisfied with the punishment with which I have visited your sins,’ for those to whom satisfaction is given are said to receive comfort.

Since God was then content with the punishment He had inflicted on the Jews, the words may be rendered thus: ‘For I have received satisfaction from the evil,’ or, ‘I am satisfied with the evil,’ etc. The other meaning, however, is more generally accepted: that God repented of the evil.

But this way of speaking is, indeed, somewhat harsh, yet it contains nothing contrary to the truth, for we know that God often applies to Himself what peculiarly belongs to humans. Thus, repentance in God is nothing else than that, having been pacified, He does not pursue people to an extremity, so as to demand the punishment which they justly deserve.

Thus, then, God repented of the evil which He had brought on the people, after having sufficiently punished their sins, according to what we read in Isaiah, when God says that He had exacted double for their sins (Isaiah 40:2). He called the punishment He had inflicted ‘double,’ not because it exceeded a just measure, but He spoke according to His paternal feeling, as if He had treated His people in a harder way than He wished—like a father who is even displeased with himself when he has been very severe towards his children.

We now, then, perceive what is meant by the reason given here: the Jews were not to fear if they lived in the land, because God had sufficiently punished them, and He was so pacified that He would not further pursue them with severity. Jeremiah at the same time reminds us that whatever evils happen to us ought to be ascribed to God’s judgment and not to adverse fortune. We therefore see that by these words the people were exhorted to repent; for as they were commanded to entertain good hope, because their safety was in God’s hand, so also the Prophet shows that, regarding the past, they had suffered nothing by chance, but had been punished because they had provoked God’s wrath.