John Gill Commentary Jeremiah 4:10

"Then said I, Ah, Lord Jehovah! surely thou hast greatly deceived this people and Jerusalem, saying, Ye shall have peace; whereas the sword reacheth unto the life." — Jeremiah 4:10 (ASV)

Then said I, ah, Lord God! &c.] Expressing great sorrow and concern: this "ah" is by way of lamentation. The Targum interprets it as a petition, "and I said, receive my prayer, O Lord God."

Surely you have greatly deceived this people and Jerusalem: what the false prophets did, that God is said to do, because he suffered them to deceive the people; see (1 Kings 22:20–23). The Targum ascribes the deception to the false prophets, and not to God, "surely behold the false prophets deceive this people, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem;" or this may be ironically said, because the false prophets pretended to speak in the name of the Lord; wherefore Jeremiah says, "surely you have greatly deceived" "saying, you shall have peace"; as the false prophets did, (Jeremiah 6:14).

Whereas the sword reaches unto the soul; takes away the life, many are slain by it; so the Targum, "and now behold the sword kills among the people;" great slaughter is made by it. L'Empereur ^F23 observes that the word here used signifies, in the Arabic language, to educate or bring up; and then the sense is, "ah, Lord, you have brought up this people with great tenderness, and promised them all manner of happiness; but now you thunder out threatenings of calamities of all sorts, and death itself; and assigned a place for the sword to enter into their very souls;" so the Arabic word used in the version of (Acts 22:2) (1 Timothy 4:6).

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FOOTNOTES:

• F23: Not. ad Mosis Kimchi, (odoiporia), p. 186.