John Gill Commentary Jeremiah 11

The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying .
] Here seems to begin a new prophecy; but when it was, and under what reign, and what time between this and the former, is not known; however, it was from the Lord, and so to be regarded.

Hear you the words of this covenant
Which. Dr. Lightfoot understands of the covenant lately made in the times of Josiah, upon finding and reading the law of Moses, (2 Kings 23:3) , but it seems rather to design the law of Moses itself; or the covenant made with the people of Israel on Mount Horeb, (Exodus 24:7Exodus 24:8) , or rather which was made with them in the land of Moab, (Deuteronomy 29:1) . The words of it are the things contained in it, the blessings and curses; the order to hear them is in the plural number, and is directed, not to Jeremiah only, but to others with him, the rest of the prophets that were in his days; as Zephaniah, who prophesied, as Kimchi observes, in the reign of Josiah; and there was Baruch his companion; or the priests at Anathoth are here addressed with him; though it is usual, in the Hebrew language, to put one number for another; and Jeremiah, in the next verse, is singly addressed; and the Syriac version renders it in the singular number; perhaps the book of the law might lie before him, and be pointed at; and so he is bid to take it, or "receive" it, as the Targum is, and read and publish it to the Jews, as follows: and speak unto the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem :
the words of the covenant, and what follows.

And say thou unto them
This shows that the command of publishing the law or covenant was, however, principally given to Jeremiah: thus says the Lord, the God of Israel ;
that made them, and brought them out of Egypt, and made a covenant with them, and had taken care of them, and had bestowed many favours upon them: cursed be the man that obeys not the words of this covenant ;
which the prophet, it may be, had in his hands, even the book of the law, and held it forth unto them, while he was speaking; the language of which is, cursed is everyone that does not constantly and perfectly perform what is contained in it, (Deuteronomy 27:26) .

Which I commanded your fathers to observe and keep: in the day that I brought them forth out of the land of Egypt: that is, quickly after, when they were in the wilderness, and before they came into the land of Canaan. The "day" seems to include the whole time from their coming out of Egypt, to their entrance into Canaan's land; it was in the first year of their coming out from thence that the law was given them on Mount Sinai, (Exodus 19:1–11) , and it was in the fortieth year, and when they were upon the borders of Canaan, that the covenant was made with them in the land of Moab, (Deuteronomy 1:3) (29:1) :

from the iron furnace; meaning Egypt, and their bondage and affliction in it, compared to an iron furnace for the grievousness of it, its long continuance, and the use of it to try and prove them; see (Deuteronomy 4:20) (1 Kings 8:51) :

saying, obey my voice; in the law: and do them; the commands of it, the words of the covenant: according to all which I command you; everything was to be done that was commanded, and as it was commanded; a perfect and uniform obedience is to be yielded to the law, in order to enjoy the blessing, or a penalty is incurred:

so shall you be my people, and I will be your God; this is the tenor of the covenant of works; covenant interest in God, according to the law, depends upon obedience; that is the condition of it; but the covenant of grace is not clogged with such a condition; but runs absolutely, they shall be my people, and I will be their God, (Jeremiah 32:39) .

That I may perform the oath which I have sworn unto your
fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob: to give them a land flowing with milk and honey : that is, abounding with plenty of all kind of provisions; see (Exodus 3:8) (Deuteronomy 6:3) (8:7-9) :

as it is this day ; the land of Canaan continued to those times a very fruitful country; it was as it was promised it should be, and which was a clear thing; their eyes saw it, and the day bore witness to it:

then answered I, and said ; that is, the Prophet Jeremiah, to whom the above order was given: so be it, O Lord ; or, "Amen, Lord" ^F6 ;

either agreeing to publish what the Lord commanded him; or as wishing that the land of Canaan might continue the same fruitful land it was, and the people of the Jews in it, they keeping the words of this covenant; or else as assenting that the curse might fall upon the men that did not observe them, alluding to (Deuteronomy 27:15–26) .

This is the sense of Abarbinel; Jarchi and Kimchi observe, that the word "Lord" is vocative, and in the language of prayer.

FOOTNOTES:

• F6: (hwhy Nma) "Amen, Domine", Pagninus: Montanus; "Amen, O Jehovah", Schmidt, Cocceius.