Thomas Aquinas Commentary Jeremiah 4:29-31

"Every city fleeth for the noise of the horsemen and bowmen; they go into the thickets, and climb up upon the rocks: every city is forsaken, and not a man dwelleth therein. And thou, when thou art made desolate, what wilt thou do? Though thou clothest thyself with scarlet, though thou deckest thee with ornaments of gold, though thou enlargest thine eyes with paint, in vain dost thou make thyself fair; [thy] lovers despise thee, they seek thy life. For I have heard a voice as of a woman in travail, the anguish as of her that bringeth forth her first child, the voice of the daughter of Zion, that gaspeth for breath, that spreadeth her hands, [saying], Woe is me now! for my soul fainteth before the murderers." — Jeremiah 4:29-31 (ASV)

1. Here, he shows the effect of the destruction on the common people of the Jews.

1. He discusses their fear, which he signifies by the desertion of the cities: of the horseman, that is, of the Chaldeans. They fled from the face of the swords, from the face of the sword near at hand, from the face of the drawn bow, from the face of heavy battle (Isaiah 21:15). And with regard to the inhabitants of the mountains: they have entered into steep places. As it says below: leave the cities and dwell in the rocks, you inhabitants of Moab, and be as the dove which makes her nest in the mouth of the hole in the highest place (Jeremiah 48:28).
2. He speaks of their vain hope in idols: but you who have been laid waste, what will you do? Though you dressed yourself. As a harlot prepares herself so that she might please her lovers, so they bedecked the altars of their idols that they might please them, with stibium, an unguent of yellow colorStibium is a synonym for antimony, but the meaning here is broader, referring to a kind of eye cosmetic, also called kohl in Arabic, usually used to color the eyebrows and eyelashes black. with which women dye their eyebrows, as it is said: Jezebel painted her eyes with stibium, and bedecked her head (2 Kings 9:30). A woman ran up to him dressed as a harlot (Proverbs 7:10). And from their friends, especially the Egyptians, in whom they had trusted: Your lovers have despised you. All her friends have spurned her (Lamentations 1:2).
3. He speaks of the pain by comparing it to a woman in labor, the voice as of a woman, who brings forth her firstborn and suffers more grievously; and by comparing it to the death of a son, among the dying. There were pains as of one giving birth (Psalms 47:7).

Collations

It should be noted that the concept of circumcision (Jeremiah 4:4) functions on several levels. At times, it means to remove perverse thoughts from the mind: until their uncircumcised mind feels shame (Leviticus 26:41). Elsewhere, it refers to removing perverse dispositions from the heart: a circumcision of the heart according to the Spirit, not the letter (Romans 2:29). Or it refers to removing improper speech from the lips: their ears are uncircumcised, and they cannot hear (Jeremiah 6:10). When used of the flesh, it means to remove carnal lusts: you shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin, that it may be a sign of the covenant between me, and you (Genesis 17:11).

It should also be noted that the heart is washed (Jeremiah 4:14) in several ways:

• By the water of baptism: I have washed you with water, and have cleansed your blood from you (Ezekiel 16:9).
• By the tears of compunction: every night I shall wash my bed, I shall water my bed with my tears (Psalms 6:6).
• By the wine of divine love: he will wash his robe in wine, and his cloak in the blood of the grape (Genesis 49:11).
• By the milk of the divine word: his eyes are like doves above rivulets of water, washed in milk (Song of Solomon 5:12).
• By the burning heat of correction: the Lord shall wipe away the filth of the daughters of Zion, and wash the blood of Jerusalem, in a spirit of judgment and a spirit of burning heat (Isaiah 4:4).
• By the blood of the Lord’s passion: they have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the lamb (Revelation 7:14).