Jeremiah 11:21

Jer 11:21 Therefore thus saith the LORD of the men of Anathoth, that seek thy life, saying, Prophesy not in the name of the LORD, that thou die not by our hand:

Ver. 21. Of the men of Anathoth that seek thy life.] Where shall a man find worse friends than at home? A prophet is nowhere so little set by as in his own country. {Mat 13:57} Probatissimuset optimus quisque peregre vivit, saith Ennius, in Cicero. {a}

Saying, Prophesy not in the name of the Lord.] A desperate speech, proceeding from a height of hatred, and coasting upon the unpardonable sin.

{a} Epist. Famil., lib. vii. cap. 6.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Jer_11:21

Prophesy not in the name of the Lord, that thou die not by our hand.

Intimidating the prophet

Think of Bunyan when he is brought before the judge, and the judge says, You! a tinker! to go about preaching! Hold your tongue, sir! I cannot hold my tongue, says Bunyan. Then I must send you back to prison unless you promise never to preach again. If you put me in prison till the moss grows on my eyelids, I will preach again the first moment I get out, by the help of God. (Life of John Bunyan.)

Intimidators put to silence:--There is the story of a conversation between the burgomaster in Hamburg and holy Dr. Ducken when he first began to preach. The burgomaster said to him, Do you see that little finger, sir? While I can move that little finger, I will put the Baptists down. Mr. Ducken said, With all respect to your little finger, Mr. Burgomaster, I would ask you another question. Do you see that arm? No, I do not see it. Just so, said Mr. Ducken, but I do; and while that great arm moves, you cannot put us down, and if it comes to a conflict between your little finger and that great arm, I know how it will end. It was my great joy to see the burgomaster sitting in the chapel at Hamburg, among the audience that listened to my sermon at the opening of the new chapel. The little finger had willingly given up its opposition, and the great arm was made bare. (C. H. Spurgeon.)

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The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Jer 11:21. Thus saith the Lord of the men that seek thy life — That are combined to kill thee; saying, Prophesy not in the name of the Lord —

The meaning is, that those men of Anathoth threatened that they would kill him if he did not cease to prophesy such things as he did in the name of the Lord, namely, concerning the destruction of Jerusalem, the desolation of Judea, and the carrying away of the people into captivity. For if he had spoken falsely in the name of the Lord, and promised them peace and prosperity, they would have heard him prophesy gladly: they were thus exasperated at him, and opposed his prophesying, because he told them those truths which they had no mind to hear. This passage sufficiently shows that Jeremiah is to be understood in the literal sense here, which, however, does not by any means forbid our considering him in this instance as a type of Christ, and prefiguring, by his sufferings, those of the Redeemer of mankind. It manifests also the usage which the prophets generally met with from their own countrymen, who became their enemies because they told them the truth. The people of their own towns, even their friends and relations, could not bear to hear the solemn warnings which they gave them, and the prediction of those judgments which were coming upon them for their sins.

Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

11:21-23 Jeremiah’s enemies even included family and relatives in his hometown of Anathoth, over whose fate he grieved (10:20). They demanded that he should stop prophesying in the Lord’s name. In line with the Lord’s promise to take care of him (1:19), the Lord told Jeremiah that even the families of his foes, including their boys and girls, would lose their lives when their time of punishment came.

Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

To wit, both the Priests and the rest of the people: for this town was the Priests, and they dwelt in it, read Jer. 1:1.

Not that they could not abide to hear God named: (for herein they would show themselves most holy) but because they could not abide to be sharply reproved, and therefore desired to be flattered, Isa. 30:10, and to be maintained in their pleasures, Mic. 2:11, and not to hear vice condemned, Amos 7:12.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.

Prophesy not-- (Isa 30:10; Amo 2:12; Mic 2:6). If Jeremiah had not uttered his denunciatory predictions, they would not have plotted against him. None were more bitter than his own fellow townsmen. Compare the conduct of the Nazarites towards Jesus of Nazareth (Luk 4:24-29).

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

The Prophet here expressly denounces vengeance on his own people: for we have seen at the beginning of this book that he belonged to the town of Anathoth. Now it appears from this passage, that the holy man had not only to contend with the king and his courtiers, and the priests, who were at Jerusalem; but that when he betook himself to a corner to live quietly with his own people, he had even there no friend, but that all persecuted him as an enemy. We hence see how miserable was the condition of the Prophet; for he had no rest, even when he sought retirement and fled to his own country. That he was not safe even there, is a proof to us how hardly God exercised and tried him for the many years in which he performed his prophetic office.

As the citizens of Anathoth had grievously sinned, so he denounces on them an especial calamity. It is indeed certain that the Prophet was not kindly received at Jerusalem; nay, he met there, as we shall hereafter see, with enemies the most cruel: but when he hoped for some rest and relaxation in his own country, he was even there received as we find here. This is the reason why God commanded him to threaten the citizens of Anathoth with destruction. I cannot finish the whole today.

John Calvin's Commentaries (1540-1563) — public domain. Text from the Calvin Translation Society English edition (1840s-50s) via the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (ccel.org). Calvin's coverage is partial (roughly two-thirds of the Bible); uncommented books and verses are honest gaps, never fabricated. The 19th-century editor's footnotes and remarks are omitted so the notes are faithfully Calvin's own voice.

(21) Thus saith the Lord.—The “men of Anathoth,” it would seem, had at first tried to stop the preaching of Jeremiah by threats, as Amaziah, the priest of Bethel, had tried to stop that of Amos (Amo_7:12-13). Failing in this, after the manner of the men of Nazareth in their attack on the Christ (Luk_4:28-29), and of the later Jews in their dealings with St. Paul, they conspired against his life (Act_9:23; Act_9:29; Act_14:19; Act_23:12).

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts, behold, I will punish them,..... Or, visit "them" (r); look into this matter, try this cause, bring it to an issue, and pass sentence on them; which is as follows:

the young men shall die by the sword; by the sword of the Chaldeans, in the field, going out in battle against them; or rather when their town was taken and plundered, since they were the sons of priests:

their sons and their daughters shall die by famine; that is, their little ones, male and female; so that the famine, it seems, was not only in Jerusalem at the time of its siege, but in other parts also: no mention is made of the parents themselves.

(r) "visitans super eos", Montanus, Schmidt; "visito", Pagninus, Vatablus, Cocceius.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Life. What precedes, was spoken concerning the prophet, though it regarded Christ also in a proper but more elevated sense. (Calmet)

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

Prophesy not, etc. The men of Anathoth tried first of all to effect their object by threatening. In the name of the Lord should be rather, by the name, etc. The phrase is exactly parallel to Psa_55:1, "Save me, O God, by thy Name, and judge me by thy strength." The Name of God is equivalent to his revealed presence or personality. Baal"s prophets prophesied "by Baal", (Jer_2:8) i.e. by an impulse thought to proceed from Baal; Jehovah"s by the consciousness of his revealed presence.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Anathoth

This is the name of a special city where priests live. (See: How to Translate Names)

seeking your life

This phrase represents wanting or trying to kill someone. AT: "wanting to kill you" (See: Metaphor)

They say

"They say to me." The men are speaking to Jeremiah.

you will die by our hand

Here the men refer to their "hand" to emphasize that they plan to kill him themselves. AT: "we ourselves will kill you" (See: Synecdoche)

Yahweh of hosts says this

Jeremiah often uses these words to introduce an important message from Yahweh. See how you translated this in Jeremiah 6:6.

See

This word is used here to draw someone's attention to what is said next. AT: "Listen"

vigorous young men

men at the strongest time of their lives

will die by the sword

Here the "sword" represents battle. AT: "will die in battle" (See: Metonymy)

None of them will be left

This can be stated in active form. AT: "I will leave none of them" (See: Active or Passive)

a year of their punishment

The word "year" here is a idiom that describes a specific period of time that Yahweh decides. AT: "in the time of their punishment" or "for the time of their punishment is coming" (See: Idiom)

translationWords

prophet

die

hand

punish

sword

famine

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.