John Calvin Commentary Jeremiah 7:20

"Therefore thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Behold, mine anger and my wrath shall be poured out upon this place, upon man, and upon beast, and upon the trees of the field, and upon the fruit of the ground; and it shall burn, and shall not be quenched." — Jeremiah 7:20 (ASV)

Jeremiah still proceeds with the same subject and explains in greater detail what we noted in the preceding lecture: that the ruin of Mount Zion and of the Temple was near, just as God had previously done to Shiloh, where the Ark had been kept for a long time. But so that his threatening might have more weight, he introduced God as the speaker.

Behold, he says, my wrath, even my indignation, has been poured down on this place. He refers to the metaphor he had previously used, and this confirms what I said then: that God was not speaking of prophetic teaching, but of the punishments which He had already inflicted and was prepared to inflict.

For this reason, he says that his wrath, or vengeance (the cause is put for the effect), had been poured down on the city Jerusalem, so as to bring destruction on the cattle as well as people, and also on the fruit of the land.

It is indeed certain that brute animals, as well as trees and the produce of the earth, were innocent. But since the whole world was created for humanity and for its benefit, it is not strange that God’s vengeance should extend to innocent animals and to things not endowed with reason. For God does not inflict punishment on brute animals and on the fruits of the earth, except for the purpose of showing, by extending the symptoms of His wrath to all the elements, how much He is displeased with humans.

The whole world, we know, bears to this day in some measure the punishment that Adam deserved. Therefore Paul says that all the elements labor in pain, aspiring after deliverance, and he also says that all creatures have been subjected to corruption, though not willingly—that is, not through their own fault, but through the sin and transgression of humankind (Romans 8:20–22).

It is no wonder, then, that God, wishing to terrify people, should daily set before their eyes the various forms of His vengeance manifested towards animals, as well as trees and the fruits of the earth.

The meaning, then, is this: God was so angry that He intended to destroy not only the Jews but the land itself, so that posterity might know how grievously they had sinned, against whom God’s just vengeance had thus kindled.

Therefore, there is no need for us to inquire too closely why God showed His displeasure towards trees and brute animals. For it is enough for us to know that God does not, in a strict sense, punish brute animals and trees; rather, this is done on account of humankind, so that such a sad spectacle may fill them with fear.

He afterward adds—