Thomas Aquinas Commentary Jeremiah 22:24-28

"As I live, saith Jehovah, though Coniah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah were the signet upon my right hand, yet would I pluck thee thence; and I will give thee into the hand of them that seek thy life, and into the hand of them of whom thou art afraid, even into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, and into the hand of the Chaldeans. And I will cast thee out, and thy mother that bare thee, into another country, where ye were not born; and there shall ye die. But to the land whereunto their soul longeth to return, thither shall they not return. Is this man Coniah a despised broken vessel? is he a vessel wherein none delighteth? wherefore are they cast out, he and his seed, and are cast into the land which they know not?" — Jeremiah 22:24-28 (ASV)

1. Here the threat against Jekoniah is presented:

1. First, he threatens captivity.

2. Second, he threatens sterility, with the words O earth, earth, earth (Jeremiah 22:29).

Concerning the first point, there are two aspects.

1. First, the threat of captivity is presented, which threatens a loss of dignity and the end of divine assistance: even if Jekoniah, the son of Jehoiakim, the king of Judah, were a ring upon my right hand—no matter how fortified his position, and no matter that he is the king of my people—I would pull him from there, by depriving him of his dignity and my help. I will remove your candlestick from its place, unless you repent (Revelation 2:5).

   He also threatens slavery to the enemy: and I will give you. The Lord has given me into a hand from which I shall not be able to escape (Lamentations 1:14).

   He also threatens captivity: and I will send. Why is it, O Israel, that you are in the land of your enemies, that you have grown old in a strange land? .

2. Second, the astonishment at this threat is described: is this man Jekoniah a broken earthen vessel, as if having no firmness of strength or power; no pleasure, because the Lord does not delight in him. The heart of a fool is like a broken vessel; it will hold no wisdom .