John Gill Commentary Jeremiah 26:3

"It may be they will hearken, and turn every man from his evil way; that I may repent me of the evil which I purpose to do unto them because of the evil of their doings." — Jeremiah 26:3 (ASV)

If so be they will hearken
And obey; which is expressive not of ignorance and conjecture in God, but of his patience and long suffering, granting space and time for repentance, and the means of it; which disregarded, leave without excuse: and turn every man from his evil way ;
his series and course of life, which was evil, and was the case of everyone; so that as their sin was general, the reformation ought to be so too: that I may repent me of the evil which I purpose to do to them ;
or "am thinking", or "devising ^F4 to do to them"; which repentance must be understood not of a change of mind, but of the course of his providence towards them, which, by his threatenings, and some steps taken, portended ruin and destruction; yet, in case of repentance and reformation, he would change his method of action agreeably to his will: because of the evil of their doings ;
this was the reason why he had threatened them with the evil of punishment, because of the evil of their actions; which were breaches of his law, and such as provoked the eyes of his glory.

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FOOTNOTES:

• F4: (bvx ykna rsa) "quod ego (sum) cogitans", Schmidt.