Thomas Aquinas Commentary Jeremiah 25:27-29

"And thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel: Drink ye, and be drunken, and spew, and fall, and rise no more, because of the sword which I will send among you. And it shall be, if they refuse to take the cup at thy hand to drink, then shalt thou say unto them, Thus saith Jehovah of hosts: Ye shall surely drink. For, lo, I begin to work evil at the city which is called by my name; and should ye be utterly unpunished? Ye shall not be unpunished; for I will call for a sword upon all the inhabitants of the earth, saith Jehovah of hosts." — Jeremiah 25:27-29 (ASV)

1. Here, they are invited to drink, and there are three points concerning this.

1. The invitation is given: drink, by enduring punishments; be drunk, because of the abundance, as if losing the use of reason so that you do not know what you are doing; vomit, by losing your riches; and fall, into death and captivity. He is speaking metaphorically of a drunk man. The riches which he devoured he shall vomit out, and from his stomach God shall draw them (Job 20:15). Be astonished and wonder, waver and stagger, be drunk and not from wine, be moved and not from drunkenness (Isaiah 29:9).
2. The coercion is given: and when they will not . . . you shall surely drink, that is, whether willing or unwilling. If anyone worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark on his forehead or on his hand, he shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is mixed with pure wine in the cup of his wrath (Revelation 14:9–10).
3. The reason for this coercion is given:

   First, by an example: for behold, in the city, Jerusalem. And if at first with us, what shall be the end of them that believe not the Gospel of God? (1 Peter 4:17). As it says below: behold, they, whose judgment was not to drink of the cup, shall certainly drink; and shall you be left as though innocent? You shall not be innocent, but you shall surely drink (Jeremiah 49:12).

   Second, from the decree of the Lord. The sword, which is the same as the drink. I shall draw my sword from its sheath, and shall slay in your midst the just and the wicked (Ezekiel 21:3).