Jeremiah 26:8

Jer 26:8 Now it came to pass, when Jeremiah had made an end of speaking all that the LORD had commanded [him] to speak unto all the people, that the priests and the prophets and all the people took him, saying, Thou shalt surely die.

Ver. 8. That the priests and the prophets, &c.] So they dealt by Stephen, {Act 7:57-58} by Arnulph, an excellent preacher of the truth according to godliness at Rome, A.D. 1125, in the time of Pope Honorius II. Hic clericorum insidiis necatur. {a} This good man was put to death by the instigation of the clergy, against whose avarice, pride, and luxury he bitterly inveighed, and was therefore much favoured by the Roman nobility; as was likewise Wycliffe by the English, and Huss by the Bohemian; but the envious priests wrought their ruin.

{a} Func. Chronol. ex Platina.

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_26:8-16

When Jeremiah had made an end of speaking all that the Lord had commanded him, the people took him, saying, Thou shalt surely die.

The characteristics of a true prophet

I. The true prophet has a stern message to deliver (4-7). If they ally themselves with Egypt, the Temple will be made desolate, as Shiloh had been destroyed by the Assyrians at the deportation of Israel after the fall of Samaria, 710 b.c. Jerusalem will become a curse to all nations (will be recognised by all nations as having fallen by the curse of God). To prophesy smooth things in a sinful world is to be false to God. How often does even our blessed Lord denounce sin, and remind men of the wrath of God for it! (Mat_11:21-24; Mat_12:41-42; Mat_23:31-38, &c.)

II. The true prophet may not diminish a word of Gods message, however unpopular, or unpleasant, or personal.

1. This message referred to the public policy of the nation. The morality of a nation as imperative as that of an individual

2. Other messages assail the sins of classes, from the king to the humblest citizen.

III. The true prophet will speak fearlessly.

IV. The true prophet is promised the support of God.

V. The true prophet never was and never can be popular, but must raise up enemies against himself.

IV. The true prophet will speak peace as well as wrath if men repent. (J. Cunningham Geikie, D. D.)

Prophetic virtues

The Lord sent me to prophesy against this house. In this apology of the prophet thus answering for himself with a heroic spirit, five noble virtues, fit for a martyr, are by an expositor observed.

1. His prudence in alleging his Divine mission.

2. His charity in exhorting his enemies to repent.

3. His humility in saying, Behold I am in your hand.

4. His magnanimity and freedom of speech in telling them that God would revenge his death.

5. His spiritual security and fearlessness of death in so good a cause and with so good a conscience. (John Trapp.)

A Saints resignation, meekness, and cheerfulness in persecution

One thousand eight hundred years ago an aged saint was being led into Rome by ten rough Roman soldiers, to be thrown to the wild beasts in the amphitheatre. Can you imagine anything more dreary and deplorable? Was he unhappy? Did he count cruelty and martyrdom as evil? No. In one of the seven letters that he wrote on his way, he says: Come fire and iron, come rattling of wild beasts, cutting and mangling and wrenching of my bones, come hacking of my limbs, come crushing of my whole body, come cruel tortures of the devil to assail me! Only be it mine to attain to Jesus Christ! What are those words of St. Ignatius but an echo of the apostles, What things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea, doubtless, and I count all things but loss that I may win Christ? How well the early Christians understood these things by which we opportunists, cringing cowards, effeminate time-servers, as most of us are in this soft, sensuous, hypocritical age, have so utterly forgotten! (Dean Farrar.)

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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 26:8-10. The priests and prophets took him, &c. — As a disturber of the government, and a discourager of the people from defending their country against the enemy, in prophesying that the temple and city of Jerusalem should become a desolation. When the princes of Judah heard these things — That is, the king’s counsellors, or chief officers of the state, who were also members of the great court of the sanhedrim, first instituted Num 11:16, and revived by Jehoshaphat, 2Ch 19:8. They came and sat in the entry of the gate, &c. — This was built by Jotham, as we read 2 Kings 13:35. The intelligent reader will observe a great similarity between the conduct of these priests and false prophets toward Jeremiah, and that of the priests, the scribes, and Pharisees toward Jesus Christ, of whom Jeremiah was a type: see particularly Mar 14:58; Mat 26:61.

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

INDIGNATION OF THE PEOPLE, Jer_26:8-19.

8. Had made an end of speaking, etc. — To this point Jeremiah had commanded the respectful attention of the people. Great as was their indignation they did not interrupt his discourse. Of course, the phrase all the people must not be pressed to the extreme. It implies, not absolute unanimity, but general agreement.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

priests--The captain (or prefect) of the temple had the power of apprehending offenders in the temple with the sanction of the priests.

prophets--the false prophets. The charge against Jeremiah was that of uttering falsehood in Jehovah's name, an act punishable with death (Deu 18:20). His prophecy against the temple and city (Jer 26:11) might speciously be represented as contradicting God's own words (Psa 132:14). Compare the similar charge against Stephen (Act 6:13-14).

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

Verse 8. And all the people] That were in company with the priests and the prophets.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

He says at last, that he was condemned by the priests, and the prophets, and the whole people; he at the same time introduced these words, that he had spoken all that the Lord had commanded him. Thus he briefly exposed the injustice of those by whom he was condemned; for they had no regard to what was right, as we shall presently see. But as they had brought with them a preconceived hatred, so they vomited out what they could no longer contain. It afterwards follows, —

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.

(8) Thou shalt surely die.—Better, as expressing the Hebrew emphasis of reduplication, Thou shalt die the death. The phrase is the same as in Gen_2:17. The threat of the men of Anathoth (Jer_11:21) is repeated by the priests and prophets of Jerusalem. They look on Jeremiah as one who has incurred the condemnation of Deu_18:20.

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

8. Thou shalt surely die] That prophet who spoke without God’s command was according to Deu_18:20 to be put to death. The charge against Jeremiah then was of this nature, and the alleged proof, that it was impossible in the nature of things that such a calamity could be allowed to happen to the people of God.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Now it came to pass, when Jeremiah had made an end of speaking,.... For they let him alone till he had done, either out of reverence of him as a priest and prophet; or they were awed by a secret influence on their minds that they might not disturb him:

all that the Lord had commanded him to speak unto all the people; he did as he was ordered, kept back nothing, not fearing the resentment of the people, but fearing God:

that the priests, and the prophets, and all the people, took him; the priests and the prophets were the leading men in this action; they stirred up the people against him, and through their instigation he was seized and laid hold on:

saying, thou shall surely die; signifying that they would bring a charge against him, which they were able to support, and which by the law would be death; unless they meant in the manner of zealots to put him to death themselves, without judge or jury; and which they would have put in execution, had not the princes of the land, or the great sanhedrim, heard of it; and therefore to prevent it came to the temple, as is afterwards related.

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

Death. The pretext was plausible, as God seemed to have promised the temple an eternal duration, 3 Kings ix. 3. The Jews accused Christ of the like crime, Matthew xxvi. 61. Such questions were brought before the sanhedrim and priests, chap. xxvi. 57. But the latter are here (Calmet) the chief accusers with "the false prophets." (Septuagint) (Haydock) --- The princes, moved by the elders, (ver. 17.) acquit the prophet, (Calmet) at the persuasion of Ahicam, ver. 24. Several priests would probably judge along with the other princes, as the examination of impostors belonged chiefly to their tribunal. (Haydock) --- All is often used for most part. (Worthington)

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).

Either they had a reverence for the prophet, or the terror of God fell upon them, so as they did not interrupt him till he had fully despatched his errand. Then the chief of the priests, with the assistance of the people, apprehend him, and tell him he should be put to death.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Had made an end of speaking. They allowed Jeremiah to finish his discourse (of which we have here only the briefest summary), either from a lingering reverence for his person and office, or to obtain fuller materials for an accusation (comp. the trial of Stephen, Act_6:12-14). All the people. The "people" appear to have been always under some constraint. As long as the priests and prophets were alone, they dominated the unofficial classes, but when the princes appeared (ver. 11), the new influence proved superior. In ver. 16 princes and people together go over to the side of Jeremiah. Thou shalt surely die. Death was the legal penalty both for blasphemy (Lev_24:16) and for presuming to prophesy without having received a prophetic revelation. (Deu_18:20) Jeremiah"s declaration ran so entirely counter to the prejudices of his hearers that he may well have been accused of both these sins, or crimes. True, Isaiah and Amos had already predicted the destruction of Jerusalem; (Isa_5:5, 6 6:11 Amo_2:4, 5 6:1, 2) but it may have been contended that the timely repentance of Judah under Hezekiah and Josiah had effectually cancelled the threatened doom, and Isa_64:10, 11 evidently refers to a time later than Josiah, and represents the ruin of Jerusalem as practically certain, it would seem that the prophetic book (Isaiah 40-66) to which this belongs (to say the least) was not generally known.

Vers. 8-19. A scene in a Jewish court of law.

We have here a graphic picture of the procedure under the Hebrew criminal law, for it would appear that Jeremiah was indicted and tried in accordance with correct legal order. The details of such a trial are not unimportant to the student of constitutional history. But they are also full of human interest. The law-court is a strange mirror of character. Many as are the objections to the publication of police news in the daily papers, it does at least serve to open our eyes to the eccentricities as well as the enormities of our variegated human world. Let us see what light this trial of Jeremiah throws upon the various persons concerned.

I THE ACCUSERS. The leading accusers are priests and prophets. The priests, also, were foremost in the accusation of our Lord. Jeremiah had threatened the temple; it is not wonderful that temple officials should be enraged with him. Religious persecution is generally instigated by the professional clerical class, whose vested interests have been attacked by the reformer. The prophets were directly opposed by the teaching of Jeremiah. If orthodoxy is to be decided by the vote of the majority, they were the orthodox of their day. They were annoyed by the contradiction of the greatest man of their order. Unable to answer him, they tried to suppress him. The conduct of these men may suggest some general lessons, viz.

(1) fidelity to the ordinances of worship is no proof of fidelity to God;

(2) professional religiousness may be far removed from religiousness of character;

(3) they who claim to be regular teachers of religion may Be the last to recognize fresh truth;

(4) they who are interested in a controversy are bad judges of the merits of the case.

II THE ACCUSED.

1. Jeremiah remains faithful to his message. He reiterates it with new emphatic warnings. His defense is that he is sent by God to speak as he has spoken. He rests on innocence, truth, Divine authority. With such a plea he dare not recant. The true servants of God will know that they ought to "obey God rather than men," and therefore, like St. Peter and St. John, that they "cannot but speak the things which they have seen and heard". (Act_4:20)

2. Jeremiah showed indifference to his own life (ver. 14). He was a brave man, though his enemies accused him of advocating a coward"s policy. It is noble thus to have strength to act on the conviction that truth is more precious than life.

3. Jeremiah warned the people of the consequences of injustice (ver. 15). This he did more for their sakes than for his own. Nothing can be more fatal to a country than the corruption of justice.

III THE JUDGES. The princes and elders seem to have the position of judges. They are cool and impartial. In the Jewish state the office of judge came with birth and rank. The most radical friend of the people may see that the superior culture and freedom from popular passions of these men may have fitted them in some measure for their work. Unhappily, Jeremiah has exposed another side of their character. It speaks well for them, however, after the severe castigation he had given "the shepherds", (e.g. Jer_25:34-38) that they had the magnanimity to lend the prophet an impartial hearing, in spite of the virulent opposition of the priests. But possibly these two classes of leading men were not on the friendliest of terms with one another. Even if this be the case it is well that, unlike Herod and Pontius Pilate, they did not come to an agreement through the sacrifice of an innocent victim. Some of the elders cited the precedent of Micah"s case. We see here the value of such an illustration. It serves to detach the principle under consideration from the prejudice of the passions of the hour.

IV THE JURY. The assembly of the people seems to have acted as a jury. The priests and prophets present their accusation to them and the princes. The people and the princes pronounce the opinion that Jeremiah is innocent. The elders address themselves exclusively to the assembly of the people. This assembly shows the weakness of a popular concourse. The people are swayed from side to side. First they side with the priests, then with the rulers. It also shows its advantages. The people are open to impression; they do not care for formal consistency to a previous conviction; they like to see fair play. When their broad human instincts are appealed to they respond rightly.

Vers. 8, 9. The perils of prophesying.

I THE PROPHET OF GOD MEETS WITH UNIVERSAL OPPOSITION.

II HE IS IN PERSONAL DANGER.

1. The responsibility of the judgments predicted is attached to himself. This is due to a false principle of association, having its root in human ignorance and depravity. Not even God is responsible. The sinner must blame himself. (Gal_4:16)

2. The worst consequences are threatened. Hatred to God expresses itself in hatred to his servant. It is, therefore, violent and in defiance of all justice. Transgressors think to escape judgment by denying it and destroying its witnesses.

III CHARACTER IS JEOPARDIZED. The verdict was but a halfhearted one, and did not meet with general assent. The worst charges are brought against Christian men who are faithful to their convictions; and it is not always the case that their groundlessness is made clear. This is part of the "reproach of Christ. M.

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