Thomas Aquinas Commentary Jeremiah 16:1-9

"The word of Jehovah came also unto me, saying, Thou shalt not take thee a wife, neither shalt thou have sons or daughters, in this place. For thus saith Jehovah concerning the sons and concerning the daughters that are born in this place, and concerning their mothers that bare them, and concerning their fathers that begat them in this land: They shall die grievous deaths: they shall not be lamented, neither shall they be buried; they shall be as dung upon the face of the ground; and they shall be consumed by the sword, and by famine; and their dead bodies shall be food for the birds of the heavens, and for the beasts of the earth. For thus saith Jehovah, Enter not into the house of mourning, neither go to lament, neither bemoan them; for I have taken away my peace from this people, saith Jehovah, even lovingkindness and tender mercies. Both great and small shall die in this land; they shall not be buried, neither shall men lament for them, nor cut themselves, nor make themselves bald for them; neither shall men break [bread] for them in mourning, to comfort them for the dead; neither shall men give them the cup of consolation to drink for their father or for their mother. And thou shalt not go into the house of feasting to sit with them, to eat and to drink. For thus saith Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel: Behold, I will cause to cease out of this place, before your eyes and in your days, the voice of mirth and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride." — Jeremiah 16:1-9 (ASV)

1. Here, the Lord forbids the prophet from associating with the condemned people.

First, He gives the sentence, and second, He gives the cause for it, which begins in Jeremiah 16:10 with the words, and when you tell them…

Regarding the sentence, there are two points.

1. He forbids association by marriage, issuing the command: you shall not take a wife. As the apostle writes, Are you free from a wife? Do not seek a wife (1 Corinthians 7:27).

   He gives the reason for this command: the punishment will be universal, sparing no age or gender. For thus says the LORD concerning the sons and daughters… Later, He says, I will break in pieces the man and the woman among you; I will break in pieces the old man and the boy among you; I will break in pieces the young man and the virgin among you (Jeremiah 51:22).

   The punishments will also be diverse. He threatens death from an internal cause—by the death of diseases, meaning plague and long-term illnesses—and assigns a fitting burial: they shall not be mourned. Paul speaks of a similar judgment: For this reason, many among you are sick and weak, and many have fallen asleep (1 Corinthians 11:30). Jeremiah says elsewhere: they shall not be mourned or gathered, nor shall they be buried; they shall be as dung on the face of the earth (Jeremiah 25:33).

   He also threatens death from an external cause: by the sword, at the hands of a mocking enemy, and by famine, from a lack of necessities. To this, He assigns another fitting burial: and their bodies shall be food for the birds of the sky. As stated previously: They will be cast out in the streets because of the famine and the sword, and there will be no one to bury them—they, their wives, their sons, and their daughters (Jeremiah 14:16).

2. He forbids association through social gatherings.

   1. He forbids gatherings for mourning, which are held to provide comfort after a death. The prohibition is given: you shall not enter the house of mourning, whether as a mourner or as one who consoles.

      He gives several reasons for this. First is the removal of peace: because I have taken away my peace from this people. This refers to the peace I used to maintain with them, for I have now become angry; or it could mean the peace they had with one another, which had Me as its source. As Isaiah says, There is no peace for the wicked, says the LORD (Isaiah 48:22).

      Another reason is the threat of universal death: they shall die. As Job says, The small and the great are there, and the slave is free from his master (Job 3:19). Consequently, proper funeral rites will cease, as they will be denied even the mercy of burial: they shall not be buried. As stated previously, they shall not be gathered up or buried; they shall be as dung on the face of the earth (Jeremiah 8:2).

      Even the customary mourning of the family will end: neither shall they be mourned, nor shall they cut themselves. This refers to causing self-injury, which was forbidden to the Jews: You shall not cut yourselves or make any baldness on your foreheads for the dead (Deuteronomy 14:1). Job, however, who shaved his head and fell on the ground (Job 1:20), did not sin, because he was a Gentile.

      They will even lack the gathering of relatives that usually takes place among the grieving, for the text says, men shall not break bread for them in mourning, a reference to the custom of providing food for mourners. This is supported by the proverb (Proverbs 31:6–7):

      Give strong drink to the one who is perishing,
      and wine to those with a bitter soul.
      Let them drink and forget their poverty
      and remember their misery no more.

   2. He forbids gatherings for joy.

      1. The prohibition is given: and you shall not enter the house of feasting, neither for fellowship nor for eating. This aligns with the apostle's command: If anyone who is called a brother is a sexually immoral person, or a greedy person, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a swindler—not even to eat with such a one (1 Corinthians 5:11).

      2. The reason is given: For thus says the LORD… I will take away from them the voice of mirth and the voice of gladness… As Lamentations says, The joy of our heart has ceased; our dancing has been turned to mourning (Lamentations 5:15). The same is said later in Jeremiah 25:10.