Thomas Aquinas Commentary Jeremiah 42
Thomas Aquinas Commentary
Jeremiah 42
Thomas Aquinas Commentary
Jeremiah 42
"Then all the captains of the forces, and Johanan the son of Kareah, and Jezaniah the son of Hoshaiah, and all the people from the least even unto the greatest, came near, and said unto Jeremiah the prophet, Let, we pray thee, our supplication be presented before thee, and pray for us unto Jehovah thy God, even for all this remnant; for we are left but a few of many, as thine eyes do behold us: that Jehovah thy God may show us the way wherein we should walk, and the thing that we should do. Then Jeremiah the prophet said unto them, I have heard you; behold, I will pray unto Jehovah your God according to your words; and it shall come to pass that whatsoever thing Jehovah shall answer you, I will declare it unto you; I will keep nothing back from you. Then they said to Jeremiah, Jehovah be a true and faithful witness amongst us, if we do not according to all the word wherewith Jehovah thy God shall send thee to us. Whether it be good, or whether it be evil, we will obey the voice of Jehovah our God, to whom we send thee; that it may be well with us, when we obey the voice of Jehovah our God." — Jeremiah 42:1-6 (ASV)
1. Here, the instruction for the gathered people begins, and it is divided into two parts. The first part addresses the general instruction of the people. The second part addresses the particular instruction for Baruch, from the text the word that Jeremiah spoke to Baruch (Jeremiah 45:1).
Regarding the general instruction, there are two points. First is the prophet’s instruction. Second is the people's objection, found in the verse, it came to pass when Jeremiah finished speaking to the people (Jeremiah 43:1).
Focusing on the prophet's instruction, there are again two points. First is the people's request for instruction. Second is the instruction itself, which begins at now, when ten days were accomplished (Jeremiah 42:7).
Regarding the people's request, there are two points to consider. First, they seek the intercession of prayer. This is seen in their petition, let our supplication be accepted before you, as if to say, “Let it find a place with you.” Through this, they seek to gain his favor. The Scripture says, The prayer of the one who humbles himself will penetrate the clouds, and until it draws near he will not be comforted, and he will not depart until the Most High beholds .
They continue by asking for kindness with the words, And pray for us, which recalls Isaiah’s plea: Raise a prayer, therefore, for the remnant which is left (Isaiah 37:4). They then appeal to his mercy by saying, For we have been left a few, reminding him of the prophecy, You shall be left few in number, who before were like the stars of heaven for number (Deuteronomy 28:62).
With the request, And tell, they express their longing for the fruit of prayer. They ask for a word from The
In response, the prophet’s promise is given, beginning with but Jeremiah said. He promises to pray for them, saying, behold, I will pray for you, which is consistent with Samuel’s words: Far be this sin against the Lord from me, that I should cease praying for you (1 Samuel 12:23). He also promises a declaration: and I will tell you every word that he will answer me. This is similar to Paul’s statement, For I have not hesitated to declare to you the whole counsel of God (Acts 20:27).
Second, they make a promise of obedience which they did not intend to keep, beginning with the words, and they said. This is similar to the promise in Exodus 19:8: all that the Lord has spoken to us we will do.
"And it came to pass after ten days, that the word of Jehovah came unto Jeremiah. Then called he Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces that were with him, and all the people from the least even to the greatest, and said unto them, Thus saith Jehovah, the God of Israel, unto whom ye sent me to present your supplication before him: If ye will still abide in this land, then will I build you, and not pull you down, and I will plant you, and not pluck you up; for I repent me of the evil that I have done unto you. Be not afraid of the king of Babylon, of whom ye are afraid; be not afraid of him, saith Jehovah: for I am with you to save you, and to deliver you from his hand. And I will grant you mercy, that he may have mercy upon you, and cause you to return to your own land. But if ye say, We will not dwell in this land; so that ye obey not the voice of Jehovah your God, saying, No; but we will go into the land of Egypt, where we shall see no war, nor hear the sound of the trumpet, nor have hunger of bread; and there will we dwell: now therefore hear ye the word of Jehovah, O remnant of Judah: Thus saith Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel, If ye indeed set your faces to enter into Egypt, and go to sojourn there; then it shall come to pass, that the sword, which ye fear, shall overtake you there in the land of Egypt; and the famine, whereof ye are afraid, shall follow hard after you there in Egypt; and there ye shall die. So shall it be with all the men that set their faces to go into Egypt to sojourn there: they shall die by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence; and none of them shall remain or escape from the evil that I will bring upon them. For thus saith Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel: As mine anger and my wrath hath been poured forth upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so shall my wrath be poured forth upon you, when ye shall enter into Egypt; and ye shall be an execration, and an astonishment, and a curse, and a reproach; and ye shall see this place no more. Jehovah hath spoken concerning you, O remnant of Judah, Go ye not into Egypt: know certainly that I have testified unto you this day. For ye have dealt deceitfully against your own souls; for ye sent me unto Jehovah your God, saying, Pray for us unto Jehovah our God; and according unto all that Jehovah our God shall say, so declare unto us, and we will do it: and I have this day declared it to you; but ye have not obeyed the voice of Jehovah your God in anything for which he hath sent me unto you. Now therefore know certainly that ye shall die by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence, in the place whither ye desire to go to sojourn there." — Jeremiah 42:7-22 (ASV)
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Here, the instruction is given; concerning this, there are three points.
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He speaks of the authority of the one revealing this: thus says the LORD, as a mediator between you and God, bearing your prayers to God and His response to you. I was a mediator, and stood between you and God at that time, that I might tell you his words (Deuteronomy 5:5).
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He exhorts them to a quiet life in two ways.
First, by excluding the evils of a divine punishment. This is seen in the promise to confer good things, I shall build you up, and to strengthen them, I shall plant. He also excludes any hindrance, saying for now I am appeased. As it is written, And the Lord was appeased, that he should not do evil against his people (Exodus 32:14), and, He shall not be angry forever, neither shall he always threaten (Psalms 102:9).
Second, by excluding the fear of persecution from the enemy. He guarantees their security, saying do not fear, as it is written: Who are you to fear a mortal man, and a son of man, who shall wither away as the grass? (Isaiah 51:12). He also promises them help: for I am with you. Above, it says: The LORD is with me, as a mighty man of war; therefore, those who persecute me shall fall and be weak; they shall be greatly ashamed, for they have not understood the eternal reproach, which shall never be blotted out (Jeremiah 20:11). And also: The Lord God is my helper, therefore, I shall not be put to shame (Isaiah 50:7).
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[St. Thomas was unable to complete his literal commentary on Jeremiah before his death.]
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