John Calvin Commentary Jeremiah 47:2

"Thus saith Jehovah: Behold, waters rise up out of the north, and shall become an overflowing stream, and shall overflow the land and all that is therein, the city and them that dwell therein; and the men shall cry, and all the inhabitants of the land shall wail." — Jeremiah 47:2 (ASV)

The Prophet, no doubt, wished to remind the Jews that Gaza's plundering would only be a prelude, and that a far more grievous punishment was impending for that ungodly nation, which had done so many wrongs to God’s people. For if Gaza had suffered only that loss, the Jews might have complained about their fate, seeing that those ungodly men—who had acted so wickedly and in so many ways provoked God’s vengeance—had suffered lightly.

They might then have objected and said, “What can this mean? God has indeed struck Gaza lightly; but we would willingly redeem our lives in this way: just as those who wish to avoid shipwreck throw their goods into the sea, and whatever precious thing they may have, so we, if only our lives are spared, are prepared to part with all our property.” The Jews then might have deplored their fate in this manner.

Therefore, the Prophet says that something more grievous awaited that city.

“When you see Gaza plundered,” he says, ““think not that this is the last judgment of God; for, behold, waters shall rise from the north, that is, the Chaldeans shall complete the work of executing God’s vengeance. The Egyptians shall only plunder the wealth of the city, which will be endurable; but eventually the Chaldeans will come to exercise boundless cruelty, and they shall be like a flood, and shall overwhelm Gaza, so as to destroy it utterly.”

We now see, then, what the Prophet meant: a comparison is implied between the plunder carried out by the Egyptians and the final ruin brought upon Gaza by the Chaldeans.

The rising or ascending of waters is evidently a metaphorical expression. He adds that they would be an overflowing torrent, that is, the waters would be like an inundating river; and they will inundate the land. He speaks of the land of the Philistines, where this city was located.

They will inundate, he says, the land and its fullness. ‘Fullness’ is taken in Hebrew for opulence or wealth; trees, grain, and animals are called the fullness of the land. For when the land produces no grain and no fruits, when it breeds no animals, it is considered bare and empty.

As God, then, clothes the land with such ornaments, the land is said to be full when it abounds in those products with which God enriches it. He afterwards speaks of men: the city, he says (he speaks not now of the city Gaza, but of the whole country, so the singular noun here is to be taken as plural).

Finally, he says, Cry shall men, and howl shall all the inhabitants of the land. The verbs here change in number, but there is no ambiguity in the meaning.

And by these words the Prophet indicates that a most grievous punishment would be inflicted on the Philistines, so that they would not only cry out in sorrow, but even howl.