Moses . . . Samuel--eminent in intercessions (Exo 32:11-12; Sa1 7:9; Psa 99:6).
be toward--could not be favorably inclined toward them.
out of my sight--God speaks as if the people were present before Him, along with Jeremiah.
kinds--of punishments.
because of Manasseh--He was now dead, but the effects of his sins still remained. How much evil one bad man can cause! The evil fruits remain even after he himself has received repentance and forgiveness. The people had followed his wicked example ever since; and it is implied that it was only through the long-suffering of God that the penal consequences had been suspended up to the present time (compare Kg1 14:16; Kg2 21:11; Kg2 23:26; Kg2 24:3-4).
gates of the land--that is, the extreme bounds of the land through which the entrance to and exit from it lie. MAURER translates, "I will fan," that is, cast them forth "to the gates of the land" (Nah 3:13). "In the gates"; English Version draws the image from a man cleaning corn with a fan; he stands at the gate of the threshing-floor in the open air, to remove the wheat from the chaff by means of the wind; so God threatens to remove Israel out of the bounds of the land [HOUBIGANT].
have brought--prophetical past: I will bring.
mother of the young men--"mother" is collective; after the "widows," He naturally mentions bereavement of their sons ("young men"), brought on the "mothers" by "the spoiler"; it was owing to the number of men slain that the "widows" were so many [CALVIN]. Others take "mother," as in Sa2 20:19, of Jerusalem, the metropolis; "I have brought on them, against the 'mother,' a young spoiler," namely, Nebuchadnezzar, sent by his father, Nabopolassar, to repulse the Egyptian invaders (Kg2 23:29; Kg2 24:1), and occupy Judea. But Jer 15:7 shows the future, not the past, is referred to; and "widows" being literal, "mother" is probably so, too.
at noonday--the hottest part of the day, when military operations were usually suspended; thus it means unexpectedly, answering to the parallel, "suddenly"; openly, as others explain it, will not suit the parallelism (compare Psa 91:6).
it--English Version seems to understand by "it" the mother city, and by "him" the "spoiler"; thus "it" will be parallel to "city." Rather, "I will cause to fall upon them (the 'mothers' about to be bereft of their sons) suddenly anguish and terrors."
the city--rather, from a root "heat," anguish, or consternation. So the Septuagint.
languisheth--because not even one is left of all her sons (Jer 15:8).
sun is gone down while . . . yet day--Fortune deserts her at the very height of her prosperity (Amo 8:9).
she . . . ashamed--The mothers (she being collective) are put to the shame of disappointed hopes through the loss of all their children.
man of strife--exposed to strifes on the part of "the whole earth" (Psa 80:6).
I have neither lent, &c.--proverbial for, "I have given no cause for strife against me."
thy remnant--the final issue of thy life; thy life, which now seems to thee so sad, shall eventuate in prosperity [CALVIN]. They who think that they shall be the surviving remnant, whereas thou shalt perish, shall themselves fall, whereas thou shalt remain and be favored by the conquerors [JUNIUS], (Jer 40:4-5; Jer 39:11-12). The Keri reads, "I will set thee free (or as MAURER, 'I will establish thee') for good" (Jer 14:11; Ezr 8:22; Psa 119:122).
to entreat thee well--literally, "to meet thee"; so "to be placable, nay, of their own accord to anticipate in meeting thee with kindness" [CALVIN]. I prefer this translation as according with the event (Jer 39:11-12; Jer 40:4-5). GESENIUS, from Jer 7:16; Jer 27:18; Job 21:15, translates (not only will I relieve thee from the enemy's vexations, but) "I will make thine enemy (that now vexeth thee) apply to thee with prayers" (Jer 38:14; Jer 42:2-6).
without price--God casts His people away as a thing worth naught (Psa 44:12). So, on the contrary, Jehovah, when about to restore His people, says, He will give Egypt, &c., for their "ransom" (Isa 43:3).
even in all thy borders--joined with "Thy substance . . . treasures, as also with "all thy sins," their sin and punishment being commensurate (Jer 17:3).
fire-- (Deu 32:22).
revenge me--(See on Jer 11:20). The prophet in this had regard to, not his own personal feelings of revenge, but the cause of God; he speaks by inspiration God's will against the ungodly. Contrast in this the law with the gospel (Luk 23:34; Act 7:60).
take me not away in thy long-suffering--By Thy long-suffering towards them, suffer them not meanwhile to take away my life.
for thy sake I have suffered rebuke--the very words of the antitype, Jesus Christ (Psa 69:7, Psa 69:22-28), which last compare with Jeremiah's prayer in the beginning of this verse.
thy word . . . joy-- (Job 23:12; Psa 119:72, Psa 119:111; compare Mat 13:44).
called by thy name--I am Thine, Thy minister. So the antitype, Jesus Christ (Exo 23:21).
because of thy hand--that is, Thine inspiration (Isa 8:11; Eze 1:3; Eze 3:14).
filled me with indignation--So Jer 6:11, "full of the fury of the Lord"; so full was he of the subject (God's "indignation" against the ungodly) with which God had inspired him, as not to be able to contain himself from expressing it. The same comparison by contrast between the effect of inspiration, and that of wine, both taking a man out of himself, occurs (Act 2:13, Act 2:15, Act 2:18).
as a liar, and as--rather, "as a deceiving (river) . . . waters that are not sure (lasting)"; opposed to "tiring (perennial) waters" (Job 6:15). Streams that the thirsty traveller had calculated on being full in winter, but which disappoint him in his sorest need, having run dry in the heat of summer. Jehovah had promised Jeremiah protection from his enemies (Jer 1:18-19); his infirmity suggests that God had failed to do so.
return . . . bring . . . again--Jeremiah, by his impatient language, had left his proper posture towards God; God saith, "If thou wilt return (to thy former patient discharge of thy prophetic function) I will bring thee back" to thy former position: in the Hebrew there is a play of words, "return . . . turn again" (Jer 8:4; Jer 4:1).
stand before me--minister acceptably to Me (Deu 10:8; Kg1 17:1; Kg1 18:15).
take . . . precious from . . . vile--image from metals: "If thou wilt separate what is precious in thee (the divine graces imparted) from what is vile (thy natural corruptions, impatience, and hasty words), thou shall be as My mouth": my mouthpiece (Exo 4:16).
return not thou unto them--Let not them lead you into their profane ways (as Jeremiah had spoken irreverently, Jer 15:18), but lead thou them to the ways of godliness (Jer 15:16-17). Eze 22:26 accords with the other interpretation, which, however, does not so well suit the context, "If thou wilt separate from the promiscuous mass the better ones, and lead them to conversion by faithful warnings," &c.