Thomas Aquinas Commentary Jeremiah 8:13-22

"I will utterly consume them, saith Jehovah: there shall be no grapes on the vine, nor figs on the fig-tree, and the leaf shall fade; and [the things that] I have given them shall pass away from them. Why do we sit still? assemble yourselves, and let us enter into the fortified cities, and let us be silent there; for Jehovah our God hath put us to silence, and given us water of gall to drink, because we have sinned against Jehovah. We looked for peace, but no good came; [and] for a time of healing, and, behold, dismay! The snorting of his horses is heard from Dan: at the sound of the neighing of his strong ones the whole land trembleth; for they are come, and have devoured the land and all that is in it; the city and those that dwell therein. For, behold, I will send serpents, adders, among you, which will not be charmed; and they shall bite you, saith Jehovah. Oh that I could comfort myself against sorrow! my heart is faint within me. Behold, the voice of the cry of the daughter of my people from a land that is very far off: is not Jehovah in Zion? is not her King in her? Why have they provoked me to anger with their graven images, and with foreign vanities? The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved. For the hurt of the daughter of my people am I hurt: I mourn; dismay hath taken hold on me. Is there no balm in Gilead? is there no physician there? why then is not the health of the daughter of my people recovered?" — Jeremiah 8:13-22 (ASV)

Here, Jeremiah speaks of a punishment similar to the one mentioned above.

1. First, he speaks of the Lord's judgment regarding the affliction of humanity: I will surely gather them in Jerusalem by besieging it. Gather them like a flock to the sacrifice, and sanctify them for the day of slaughter (Jeremiah 12:3).

   Regarding the plundering of their fruit, the verse says, there is not a grape for you, but for the enemy, who will eat up all that is yours while you watch. The phrase Passed away means their possessions have passed from them into the hands of the enemy. As Habakkuk says, The fig will not blossom, and there will be no bud on the vines (Habakkuk 3:17).

2. Second, he describes the misery of the people, who ask, Why do we sit still? Alternatively, this is their exhortation to one another to prepare for what is coming: Why do we sit in the city's houses as if we were neutral? Let us instead be silent, as if astonished, or because of the tumult of war. Gather together, and let us enter the fortified cities (Jeremiah 4:5).

   The reason for this exhortation is that they foresee punishment: because the LORD our God has made us silent with astonishment. As Lamentations says, He has filled me with bitterness, and made me drunk with wormwood (Lamentations 3:15). They also confess their fault: we have sinned. We have sinned with our fathers, we have acted unjustly, we have done iniquity (Psalms 106:6).

   They recognize the folly of their waiting: we waited for good—the reward of peace—according to the words of the false prophets. But the expectation of the just is joy, but the hope of the wicked will perish (Proverbs 10:28).

   He also mentions the enemy's pursuit and reputation, beginning from Dan, as mentioned above: a voice of one announcing (Jeremiah 4:15). He speaks of the effect of their reputation: by the sound of the neighing of his warriors the whole earth was moved. This is meant either hyperbolically or metonymically. As the Psalm says, The earth was moved and shook (Psalms 18:7). He describes the punishment they inflict: they have come and devoured the earth and its fullness (that is, the produce of the earth). They have devoured Jacob, and laid waste his dwelling place (Psalms 79:7).

   And he rules out any remedy: for behold I will send the basilisk (the Chaldeans) among you, for which there is no charm, because they cannot be placated by any means. Their fury is according to the likeness of a serpent, as a deaf adder, which blocks her ears (Psalms 58:4). Their pain is like the pain of a scorpion, when it stings a man (Revelation 9:5).

3. Third, he speaks of the pity of the compassionate.

   First, he speaks of compassion for the people's affliction, beginning with the word sorrow. This can be understood as spoken from the perspective of the Lord (an anthropopathism) or from the perspective of the prophet: O all you who pass by the way, give heed, and see if there be any sorrow like unto my sorrow (Lamentations 1:12).

   Regarding the affliction of the people, we hear behold the voice of the enemy from a far country, or the voice of the people against that same enemy, or their voice from the land of their captivity. I heard the voice as of a woman giving birth (Jeremiah 4:31). The reason for the affliction is then questioned: is the LORD not in Zion? Indeed, God himself is able to give counsel, aid, and an answer; therefore, they have no reason to seek other gods. Is there not a God in Israel, that you should go to inquire of Beelzebub, the god of Ekron? (2 Kings 1:16).

   Second, he speaks of compassion regarding the duration of their affliction: the harvest has passed, the summer is ended, yet we are not saved. This is spoken from the perspective of the people, who are not saved from the peril of famine because they have not gathered the produce of the earth. So in 2 Kings 6:27, how can I save you?

   Third, he speaks of compassion for the affliction, spoken from the perspective of the Lord, as above: He became their savior in all their distress (Isaiah 63:8). Or it is spoken from the perspective of the prophet: My bowels are troubled within me (Lamentations 2:11).

   Fourth, he gives the reason for the long duration of their suffering: they refused to be cured of their sin. He asks, is there no balm (by which he means the remedy of repentance against guilt, or of divine wisdom) or a physician (a prophet or a priest) in Gilead, where the study of medicine flourished? Go up to Gilead, and take balm, O virgin daughter of Egypt (Jeremiah 46:11). Why, therefore, is the scar of sin not covered and cured? Wounds and bruises and swelling sores; they are not bound up, nor dressed, nor fomented with oil (Isaiah 1:6).

Collations

Note that silence (Jeremiah 8:14) has many meanings:

• Of astonishment: silence will be cast out in every place (Amos 8:3).

• Of security: the work of justice will be peace, and the effect of justice silence and security forever (Isaiah 32:17).

• Of longsuffering: it is good to wait with silence for the salvation of the Lord (Lamentations 3:26).

The words of the wise are like goads, and nails driven deeply (Ecclesiastes 12:11).

Also note that the company of evil people is to be avoided for several reasons:

• They entice with their words: evil conversations corrupt good morals (1 Corinthians 15:33).

• They influence by their examples: with the upright you will be upright, and with the perverse you will be perverted (Psalms 18:26).

• They negatively affect one’s reputation: he who touches pitch will be soiled by it .

• They implicate one in punishment: depart from the tents of the wicked, and touch nothing that belongs to them, lest you become involved in their sins (Numbers 16:26).

Chapter 9