John Gill Commentary Jeremiah 17:4

"And thou, even of thyself, shalt discontinue from thy heritage that I gave thee; and I will cause thee to serve thine enemies in the land which thou knowest not: for ye have kindled a fire in mine anger which shall burn for ever." — Jeremiah 17:4 (ASV)

And you, even yourself
Or, "you, and in you" ^F12 ; that is, you and those that are in you, all the inhabitants of Jerusalem and Judea; or, "you even through yourself" ^F13 ; through your own fault, by reason of your sins and iniquities:

shall discontinue from your heritage that I gave you
be removed from it, and no longer enjoy it: or, "shall intermit from your heritage" ^F14 ; shall not till the land, plough and sow, and reap, and gather the fruits of it: this was enjoined on every seventh year, when the land was to have its rest, or sabbath, (Exodus 23:10Exodus 23:11) , but this law they did not observe; and now, therefore, whether they would or not, the land should be intermitted, and not tilled and enjoyed by them.

The Targum takes in the whole of the sense,

``and I will bring an enemy upon your land; and it shall be desolate as in the year of intermission: and I will take vengeance of judgment upon you, until I remove you from your inheritance which I have given unto you;'' the land of Canaan, which was given them for an inheritance:

I will cause you to serve your enemies in the land which you know not ;
the Babylonians in Chaldea; or, as Jerom thinks; the Romans. Of the different reading of these words, (See Gill on Jeremiah 15:13):

for you have I kindled a fire in my anger ;
or by your sins had caused the anger of the Lord to burn like fire: which shall burn for ever ;
as it will in hell, and therefore called everlasting fire: here it only means until these people and their country were consumed by the enemy; perhaps some reference is had to the burning of the city and temple by the Babylonians, or Romans, or both.

These first four verses are left out by the Septuagint interpreters, Jerom thinks, to spare their own people.

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FOOTNOTES:

• F12: Kbw ) "qui [sunt] apud te", Junius & Tremellius.
• F13: "Per te", Piscator.
• F14: Kytlxnm htjmvw ) "ita intermissionen facies", Junius & Tremellius; so Schmidt.