Thomas Aquinas Commentary Jeremiah 23

1. Here, the prophet speaks about the threat against all the princes in general. This topic is divided into two parts:

   • First, the threat against the wicked princes.
   • Second, the separation of the good from the bad, which begins with the words, the LORD showed me (Jeremiah 24:1).

   The first part, concerning the wicked princes, is also divided into two sections:

   • First, he speaks about the threat against those who are preeminent among the people because of their governing authority—namely, the rulers.
   • Second, he addresses the threat against those who are preeminent because of the privilege of divine revelation—namely, the prophets. This begins with the verse, concerning the prophets: my heart is broken within me (Jeremiah 23:9).

   Regarding the rulers, there are two further points:

   • First, he exposes their fault.
   • Second, he threatens punishment, starting with the words, behold, I will visit upon you (Jeremiah 23:2b).

   Regarding their fault, two things are noted:

   • First is the dispersion of the people. The text says they are the shepherds who scatter the flock by driving them from their land, and tear in pieces by killing or plundering them. This could also refer to the tyranny they exercised over the people, or it could be because they were the reason the people suffered these things from the enemy. While the shepherds were living in their sins, they failed to call the people back from sin. As it says later: my people have been a lost flock; their shepherds led them astray, and have made them wander in the mountains (Jeremiah 50:6).
   • Second is the rebuke against the shepherds. The text says, therefore, thus says the LORD: you have driven them away. This refers to their being the cause of the scattering or to their tyranny. As Ezekiel says, With your horns you toss all the weak cattle until they are scattered abroad (Ezekiel 34:21).

1. Here he threatens punishment.

   First, he mentions the threat against the shepherds: I shall visit. As it says above: I shall visit upon you according to the fruit of your doings (Jeremiah 21:14).

   Second, he mentions the consolation of the scattered flock: I shall gather. Here, he first speaks of gathering: I shall lead them out from the peoples, and gather them from the lands (Ezekiel 34:13). Then, he speaks of the prosperity of their state: and I shall bring them back to their own fields, and they shall increase, and be multiplied. Increase and multiply, and fill the earth (Genesis 1:22).

2. He promises them an improvement of their rulers.

   First, he promises them caring princes when he speaks of the care of their shepherds: and I shall raise up, when you have already fallen into nothingness, shepherds—Ezra and others, according to some. But better, the apostles. As it says above: I will give you shepherds after my own heart, and they will feed you with knowledge and understanding (Jeremiah 3:15). The benefit of this care is security: and they shall not fear, regarding external signs of fear, neither shall they be afraid, internally, and none shall be lacking of their number. It is as if he were saying, “None from the number of the Church will fear or fail because of the negligence of the apostles.”

   Alternatively, this refers to the number of the predestined. None of them is lost, except the son of perdition (John 17:12). This security, however, is not fully realized in this life but will be completed when perfect charity casts out fear (1 John 4:18). It will be accomplished in the future.

   Second, he promises them a most excellent king, showing the fittingness of the time: behold, because of the certainty, the days of grace. Behold, now is the acceptable time; behold, now is the day of salvation (2 Corinthians 6:2).

   He shows the nature of the king who is to come, first concerning the nobility of his line: I shall raise up from David a righteous shoot. As it says below: I will make to spring forth for David the shoot of justice, and he shall execute judgment and justice in the earth (Jeremiah 33:15). Second, concerning the authority of his dignity: and he shall reign as king, not only over the Jews but also over all kings. And he shall rule over the house of Jacob forever (Luke 1:33). Whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all kings shall serve, and obey him (Daniel 7:27).

   Third, concerning the wisdom of his heart: and he will be wise—indeed, wisdom itself. Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God (1 Corinthians 1:24). And fourth, concerning the execution of justice: and he will execute judgment. He does this in his first coming against the devil, who was called the prince of the world: now is the judgment of the world, now is the prince of this world cast out (John 12:31), into the outer darkness. He will do so again in his second coming against all, by punishing them with a general sentence. The Father does not judge anyone, but has given all judgment to the Son (John 5:22).

   And righteousness, which he taught was to be observed: unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and pharisees you shall not enter into the kingdom of the heavens (Matthew 5:20); and which was for completing the assistance of grace. For this reason, he speaks of the benefit of his coming, regarding salvation from punishment: in those days Judah will be saved. This happens particularly in his first coming, and universally in his second coming, when all Israel shall be saved (Romans 11:26). If the number of the children of Israel were as the sand of the sea, a remnant of them shall be converted (Isaiah 10:22).

   And regarding security: and Israel shall dwell confidently. This is to be explained as above. My people shall dwell in the beauty of peace, in the tabernacles of justice, and in abundant rest (Isaiah 32:18). He says Judah, regarding the two tribes, and Israel, regarding the ten, to signify that in the faith of Christ they will be at peace. And they shall appoint for themselves one head (Hosea 1:11).

1. Here, the prophet shows the magnitude of this kindness: it is so great that God’s former acts of kindness will be forgotten. While it is possible to apply this to the liberation brought about by Cyrus, it is better to apply it to the liberation won by Christ: You shall not remember the former things, nor look upon the things of old (Isaiah 43:18).

Here, he speaks of the threat against the prophets, as the title itself declares. The commentary is structured in two main parts:

1. The threat against the prophets.
2. The threat against the visions of the prophets, mentioned at therefore, if this people shall ask you (Jeremiah 23:33).

Concerning the first point, the threat against the prophets, there are two aspects:

1. The deception of the prophets.
2. The variety of their deceptions, mentioned at thus says the Lord (Jeremiah 23:16).

Concerning the first of these, the deception of the prophets, there are two points:

1. The effect of the deception on the people.
2. The sin of the deceiving prophets, mentioned at for the prophet and the priest are defiled (Jeremiah 23:11).

Concerning the first of these, the effect on the people, there are two points:

1. The prophet’s compassion regarding the future destruction. He reveals this by the breaking of his heart: my heart is broken;The words here translated as “destruction” and “breaking” share the same root verb, contrero, which can signify “to grind,” “to break,” “to crumble,” “to destroy,” etc. by the trembling of his body: all my bones are shaken, as regularly happens to those who are troubled; and by the impairment of his thinking: I have become like a drunk man, who does not have the use of his reason. This is because of the magnitude of his shock: like a man soaked with wine, who still has the use of his reason, but it is impeded by heavy drinking. This shock comes from the face of the Lord—that is, from the presence of His revelation, which tells me He is angry with the Jews—and from his holy words, by which He informed me of their guilt and predicted their punishment. All my bones are scattered, my heart within me has become as melting wax in the midst of my bowels (Psalms 21:15). Be astonished and wonder, waver and stagger, be drunk and not from wine, be moved and not from drunkenness (Isaiah 29:9).
2. The dissipation of the people, which is shown in three ways:
   • First, with regard to the magnitude of their sin: for with adulterers—namely, with idolatry and other sins—the land of the Jews is filled. His land is filled with idols (Isaiah 2:8).
   • Second, with regard to the infliction of punishment: because of the curse of God, the earth mourned, meaning it was made barren. The land mourned, and faded away, and was made weak (Isaiah 24:4).
   • Third, regarding their obstinacy: and their course has become evil, because they are set on doing evil on account of their sins. Their feet run to evil (Proverbs 1:16). Their strength is unequal to that of their holy fathers, who would discipline themselves in the service of God. The heart of the fool shall be unequal (Proverbs 15:7).

Here, he notes the wickedness of the prophets as the cause of the wickedness of the people:

1. First, in general, he speaks of their guilt: the prophet and the priest are defiled, by various crimes, in My house—the temple, or among the people. As it says above: Why is it that My beloved has done much wickedness in My house? (Jeremiah 11:15).

   He then adds the punishment: therefore, their way will be like a slippery place, meaning they will fall in their sins as if on such a road. Let their paths become dark and slippery (Psalms 34:6). And when he explains it: for I will bring evil (that is, punishments). As it says above: I will bring this evil upon the men of Anathoth, the year of their visitation (Jeremiah 11:23).

2. Second, in particular:

   1. First, he speaks of their guilt with regard to the prophets of the ten tribes: and in the prophets of Samaria I have seen foolishness, because they worshiped their idols on the high places, like those whom Elijah killed (1 Kings 18). The prophet who teaches falsehood is himself the tail (Isaiah 9:15).

      And concerning the prophets of the two tribes: and in the prophets of Jerusalem I have seen the likeness, because they indirectly incited the people to idolatry when they deceitfully promised prosperity to idolaters. They have profaned Me among My people for a handful of barley and a piece of bread, to kill souls that should not die and to give life to souls that should not live (Ezekiel 13:19).

   2. Second, he speaks of the divine wrath: they have all become to Me like Sodom—namely, the prophets, whom I hold in such abhorrence—and its inhabitants, those of Jerusalem. Hear the word of the LORD, you princes of Sodom; listen with your ears to the law of our God, O people of Gomorrah (Isaiah 1:10).

   3. Third, he threatens punishment: therefore, thus says the LORD: behold, I will feed them with wormwood, and make them drink gall. As it says above: behold, I will feed them with wormwood and give them water of gall to drink (Jeremiah 9:15). And he gives the reason why he threatens the prophets in particular: for defilement has gone out from the prophets of Jerusalem into all the land. Iniquity came from Babylon, from the elder judges who seemed to rule the people (Daniel 13:5).