Thomas Aquinas Commentary Jeremiah 10:17-20

"Gather up thy wares out of the land, O thou that abidest in the siege. For thus saith Jehovah, Behold, I will sling out the inhabitants of the land at this time, and will distress them, that they may feel [it]. Woe is me because of my hurt! my wound is grievous: but I said, Truly this is [my] grief, and I must bear it. My tent is destroyed, and all my cords are broken: my children are gone forth from me, and they are not: there is none to spread my tent any more, and to set up my curtains." — Jeremiah 10:17-20 (ASV)

1. First, he threatens them with punishment because they have not preserved this dignity. This point has three parts:

   1. The threatening of the punishment itself, which has two aspects:

      1. The Lord foretells that the punishment will be a siege. He explains the command to "gather" from the earth and fields into the city your "shame"—that is, your fruits, which are a source of shame. I shall surely gather them, says the LORD (Jeremiah 8:13).

         He also foretells the punishment of captivity: for thus says the LORD: behold, at this time, I shall cast the inhabitants of this land afar off. This is as if to say, “I will not spare them any longer,” so that they may not be found, either in the city or because the greater part of them has died. As it is written, You have utterly rejected us (Lamentations 5:22).

      2. The people, terrified by this, lament the future punishment. This lament is expressed in two ways:

         1. In general, they lament the punishment, saying, woe to me. This is because, as it says elsewhere, your breach is incurable (Jeremiah 30:12) on account of their sins.

            And the speaker resolves to be patient, saying, but I said: “Surely, this is my sickness”—which is due to me because of my sins—“and I will bear it” patiently. As it is also written, I shall bear the anger of the LORD, for I have sinned against him (Micah 7:9).

         2. Specifically, they lament the destruction of their houses. The text uses the word tent because houses are destroyed as easily as tents, and cords, by which a tent is stretched out. As it says, My tents are destroyed suddenly and my skins in a moment (Jeremiah 4:20).

            They also lament the affliction of the inhabitants, referring to them as my sons. As it is written, they have gone out from you on foot led by the enemy . The text says, There is none who stretches out—meaning, there is no one to rebuild.

   2. The cause of the punishment is found in the verse, for the shepherds have done foolishly (Jeremiah 10:21).

   3. The order of the punishment is described: behold, the sound of a noise comes (Jeremiah 10:22).

2. Second, the prophet seeks mercy when he says, I know, O LORD, that a man’s way is not his own (Jeremiah 10:23).