Thomas Aquinas Commentary Jeremiah 27:1-11

"In the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, came this word unto Jeremiah from Jehovah, saying, Thus saith Jehovah to me: Make thee bonds and bars, and put them upon thy neck; and send them to the king of Edom, and to the king of Moab, and to the king of the children of Ammon, and to the king of Tyre, and to the king of Sidon, by the hand of the messengers that come to Jerusalem unto Zedekiah king of Judah; and give them a charge unto their masters, saying, Thus saith Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel, Thus shall ye say unto your masters: I have made the earth, the men and the beasts that are upon the face of the earth, by my great power and by my outstretched arm; and I give it unto whom it seemeth right unto me. And now have I given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, my servant; and the beasts of the field also have I given him to serve him. And all the nations shall serve him, and his son, and his son`s son, until the time of his own land come: and then many nations and great kings shall make him their bondman. And it shall come to pass, that the nation and the kingdom which will not serve the same Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and that will not put their neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, that nation will I punish, saith Jehovah, with the sword, and with the famine, and with the pestilence, until I have consumed them by his hand. But as for you, hearken ye not to your prophets, nor to your diviners, nor to your dreams, nor to your soothsayers, nor to your sorcerers, that speak unto you, saying, Ye shall not serve the king of Babylon: for they prophesy a lie unto you, to remove you far from your land, and that I should drive you out, and ye should perish. But the nation that shall bring their neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, and serve him, that [nation] will I let remain in their own land, saith Jehovah; and they shall till it, and dwell therein." — Jeremiah 27:1-11 (ASV)

1. Here, after presenting a clear title, the prophet refutes the false comfort offered by the prophets. He does this first in a general way, and second, by addressing certain prophets in particular, beginning at and it came to pass in that year (Jeremiah 28:1).

   Regarding the general refutation, there are two parts:

   • First, he refutes the comforting words of the prophets of the nations.
   • Second, he refutes those of the prophets of the Jews, beginning at and I spoke to Zedekiah, king of Judah (Jeremiah 27:12).

   Regarding the prophets of the nations, there are two points:

   • First, he foreshadows the prophecy with a symbolic action: make chains for yourself, as a sign of the bondage of the nations, in the hand of the messengers, who had been sent to make an alliance with the king of Jerusalem, or who had been sent to resist Nebuchadnezzar. I have multiplied visions, and in the hand of the prophets I have used similitudes (Hosea 12:10). And you, O son of man, behold, chains are set upon you, and they shall bind you in them, and you shall not go forth from their midst (Ezekiel 3:25).

   • Second, he expresses it with words, beginning at and command them. He urges them in three ways to submit to the king of Babylon, against the counsel of the prophets.

     1. First, because of the power of Nebuchadnezzar, which is shown in two ways.

        • First, by what God has granted him. The prophet speaks about the creation of things: I made the earth, referring to the work of creation and its ordering; men, referring to the work of His providence; and with my arm, which speaks to the application of His power to the work. Establishing the earth, and what springs from it (Isaiah 42:5).

          He concludes with the granting of authority: and I gave it to the one, that is, to a person, or to whomever he chooses. The Most High rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to whomever he wills (Daniel 4:14).

          Then he shows the authority granted by God specifically to Nebuchadnezzar, with regard to people: and now, therefore, I have given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar. The most high God gave kingship, great glory, and honor to Nebuchadnezzar your father. And because of the magnificence which he had given him, all peoples, tribes, and languages trembled and feared him (Daniel 5:18–19). And with regard to animals: moreover, all the beasts—this is speaking hyperbolically.

          Alternatively, beasts refers to the fierce men who were under him. Or, it is because once the people were subdued, even the beasts subject to them were brought under his authority. For this reason, it is written: the beasts would rest under the shadow of the tree (Daniel 4:9), by which Nebuchadnezzar is signified.

        • Second, his power is shown by the subjection of the nations: and all nations shall serve. All things have a time (Ecclesiastes 3:1).

     2. Second, he persuades them by pointing to the punishment for those who rebel: but the nation and the kingdom. Therefore, be subject by necessity, not only because of wrath, but also because of conscience (Romans 13:5).

        He rejects the counsel of the false prophets: do not, therefore, listen to your prophets, whom the Gentiles claim can foreknow future events by the light of an intelligence acting in their souls; your soothsayers, who were in the temples of idols; your dreamers, who interpret dreams; your augurs, who interpret the chatter of birds; and your sorcerers, who predict the future by summoning demons. As it says above: do not listen to the words of the prophets, who prophesy to you, and deceive you; they speak the vision of their own heart, and not by the mouth of the Lord (Jeremiah 23:16).

        He gives the reason for this: the falsehood of the prophets, because they prophesy a lie, and the imminent danger, to drive you far. Here, the word to introduces a clause of result. I shall be as a lying spirit in the mouths of all the prophets (1 Kings 22:22).

     3. Third, he persuades them by the favor that those who obey will receive from the Lord: further, the nation. As it says below: do not fear to serve the Chaldeans. Dwell in the land, and serve the king of Babylon, and it shall be well with you (Jeremiah 40:9).