John Calvin Commentary Jeremiah 50:17

"Israel is a hunted sheep; the lions have driven him away: first, the king of Assyria devoured him; and now at last Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon hath broken his bones." — Jeremiah 50:17 (ASV)

Here the Prophet shows more clearly what he had briefly referred to: namely, that God was thus incensed against the Babylonians because he had taken up the cause of the people whom he had chosen. Jeremiah’s purpose then was to show the faithful that, though God severely chastised them for a time, he had not entirely set aside his paternal regard for them, because he would eventually make it openly evident that those to whom he had been so strict were dear to him. He then lessens the severity of the punishment, so that the Jews might not succumb to despair, but call upon God in their miseries, and hope that he, after he had turned them, would eventually be favorable to them.

The sum of what is said is that whatever punishments God inflicts on his Church are temporary and are also useful for salvation, serving as remedies to prevent them from perishing in their vices. Let us then learn to embrace the promises whenever we are wounded with extreme sorrow under the chastisements of God: let us learn, I say, to look to his mercy; and let us be convinced of this, that though signs of his wrath may appear on every side, yet the punishments we suffer are not fatal but, on the contrary, medicinal. For this reason, the Prophet exhorted the faithful of his time to be patient, by showing that God, after having been a Judge, would again be a Father to them.

He then says that Israel was like a scattered flock or a straying sheep, which is the same thing. He explains how they became so: the first who devoured them was the king of Assyria. For we know that the kingdom of Israel was overthrown by the Assyrians, and the land of Judah was also severely pillaged by them; only a small portion remained. Then God says that the people had been consumed by the calamities that the Assyrians had caused. But he compares what remained to bones, as if a wild beast devoured a sheep and left only the bones. There was then no flesh or skin left on Israel after the Assyrians had cruelly treated them, and had done so repeatedly. But as the kingdom of Judah remained, he says that it was like bones; and therefore he adds, and this last, Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, hath broken his bones—that is, has broken in pieces and devoured the bones that remained.

We now understand the Prophet’s meaning. Moreover, he exaggerates the miseries of the chosen people, so that he might, in a way, open a path for mercy. God, then, here assumes human feelings, like a person who is moved by a sad sight when he sees a miserable and harmless sheep devoured, its bones cast away, and then sees another wild beast, still more savage, which breaks the bones with its teeth and devours them. Since God then speaks in this manner, there is no doubt that he meant to express the tender feeling with which he regarded his chosen people, and that he also meant to give the godly hope for salvation. It then follows—