John Gill Commentary Jeremiah 6:19

"Hear, O earth: behold, I will bring evil upon this people, even the fruit of their thoughts, because they have not hearkened unto my words; and as for my law, they have rejected it." — Jeremiah 6:19 (ASV)

Hear, O earth: behold, I will bring evil upon this people, &c.] The people of the Jews; the evil of punishment, for the evil of sin committed by them; wherefore the earth, and the inhabitants of it, are called upon to bear witness to the righteousness of such a procedure: even the fruit of their thoughts; which they thought of, contrived, and devised; which shows that they did not do what they did inadvertently, but with thought and design. Kimchi interprets it of sinful deeds and actions, the fruit of thoughts; but his father, of thoughts themselves. The Talmudists, ^F25 comment upon it thus, ``a thought which brings forth fruit, the holy blessed God joins it to an action; but a thought in which there is no fruit, the holy blessed God does not join to action;'' that is, in punishment; very wrongly. For the sense is, that God would bring upon them the calamities and distresses their thoughts and the evil counsels of their minds deserved.

The Targum renders it, ``the retribution or reward of their works.'' Because they have not hearkened unto my words; spoken to them by the prophets: nor to my law, but rejected it; they neither hearkened to the law, nor to the prophets, but despised both. The Targum is, ``because they did not obey the words of my servants, the prophets, and abhorred my law.''

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FOOTNOTES:

• F25: T. Bab. Kiddushin, fol. 40. 1.