Thomas Aquinas Commentary Jeremiah 8:4-7

"Moreover thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith Jehovah: Shall men fall, and not rise up again? Shall one turn away, and not return? Why then is this people of Jerusalem slidden back by a perpetual backsliding? they hold fast deceit, they refuse to return. I hearkened and heard, but they spake not aright: no man repenteth him of his wickedness, saying, What have I done? every one turneth to his course, as a horse that rusheth headlong in the battle. Yea, the stork in the heavens knoweth her appointed times; and the turtle-dove and the swallow and the crane observe the time of their coming; but my people know not the law of Jehovah." — Jeremiah 8:4-7 (ASV)

Here, the prophet shows their stubbornness and hardness in sin. For this reason, this section is distinct from everything that has come before it.

First, he shows their stubbornness in the sins they have committed against God, themselves, or their neighbor.

Then he speaks of the sins they have committed directly against their neighbor: who shall give water to my head and a wellspring of tears to my eyes? (Jeremiah 9:1).

Concerning the first category, there are two points.

1. He rebukes them for their hardness.

2. He threatens them with punishment, beginning in the verse, I shall surely gather them (Jeremiah 8:13).

Concerning the first point on their hardness, there are four aspects.

1. He shows their hardness with regard to idolatry.

2. He shows their hardness with regard to pride, in the verse, how can you say, ‘We are wise, for the law of the LORD is with us’? (Jeremiah 8:8).

3. He shows their hardness with regard to their greed, in the verse, therefore, I will give their women to strangers (Jeremiah 8:10).

4. He shows their hardness with regard to their shamelessness, in the verse, they are ashamed, because they have done abomination (Jeremiah 8:12).

Focusing on the first of these aspects—idolatry—he demonstrates their astonishing hardness in three ways.

1. From normal human behavior. He asks: shall not he who falls rise again? This applies spiritually to conversion from sin, or even physically. He continues, and he who has turned aside? This refers to turning away from God. It is as if he were saying, “This is what people normally do.” As the Psalm says, Shall he that sleeps rise again no more? (Psalms 40:8). And elsewhere, The virgin of Israel is cast down upon her own land; there is none who will raise her up (Amos 5:2).

   He ends with astonishment: why, then, has this people in Jerusalem turned aside in stubborn rebellion? This is a rebellion against the Lord, as if defying Him. I know your rebelliousness and your exceedingly stiff neck (Deuteronomy 31:27). They have set hold on a lie—that is, a fraud—and refuse to convert. We have set a lie as our hope, and by a lie are we protected (Isaiah 28:15).

2. From the universality of their sin. He shows their complete negligence in doing good: I attended and listened; no one speaks what is good, and much less does anyone do it. There is none who does good, no not one (Psalms 13:3). He also shows their universal impenitence for the evils they have committed: there is no one who does penance for his sin. But you according to your stubbornness, and impenitent heart store up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath (Romans 2:5). And he shows their unbridled sinful desire: all have turned. A horse not broken will become stubborn, and a son left to himself will become headstrong . He has run against God with an upraised neck, and with a fat neck is he armed (Job 15:26). Behold, he will swallow up a river and not be astonished; he has confidence that the Jordan river can flow into his mouth (Job 40:18).

3. From a comparison with irrational beings. He first describes their knowledge: the kite in the heavens knows his season, that is, the air, which is suitable for its activities. He speaks of their coming, because they go away in winter to warmer locations and return in spring, doing all this by natural instinct. Ask the beasts, and they will teach you; and the birds of heaven, and they shall declare it to you (Job 12:7).

   Then, he speaks of the people’s ignorance: but my people have not known the judgment—that is, the judgment of propitiation that will overtake them. But Israel has not known me (Isaiah 1:3).