Thomas Aquinas Commentary Jeremiah 3:5-6

"Will he retain [his anger] for ever? will he keep it to the end? Behold, thou hast spoken and hast done evil things, and hast had thy way. Moreover Jehovah said unto me in the days of Josiah the king, Hast thou seen that which backsliding Israel hath done? she is gone up upon every high mountain and under every green tree, and there hath played the harlot." — Jeremiah 3:5-6 (ASV)

Here, he shows their contempt regarding sins of the mouth with the words behold you have spoken, which refers to words of pride. Regarding sins of commission, he says and you have done, which corresponds to the phrase you have satisfied wickedness, relating to the sin of the heart.

To the phrase and you were able, he adds and you have displayed, as if to say that you reveled in your power to sin.

The phrase and for your words is not in the Hebrew or in ancient manuscripts but appears to be a clarification by Jerome.The text Thomas Aquinas is working with is clearly causing some confusion here between the text of Jeremiah and the text of Jerome’s commentary. After Jeremiah 3:5 above, Jerome’s commentary reads: pro verbis paenitentiae verbis superbiae blasphemasti et inplesti malam cogitationem tuam et ostendisti contra virum fortitudinem tuam, “Instead of words of penitence, you have blasphemed with words of pride, and you have satisfied your wicked thought, and you have displayed your strength against man” (Jerome, In Hieremiam, 1.41).

God gave him a space to repent, but he abused it in his pride (Job 24:23). Woe to you who are mighty to drink wine, and strong men to mix drunkenness (Isaiah 5:22).