Jeremiah 47:3

Jer 47:3 At the noise of the stamping of the hoofs of his strong [horses], at the rushing of his chariots, [and at] the rumbling of his wheels, the fathers shall not look back to [their] children for feebleness of hands;

Ver. 3. The fathers shall not look back to their children.] Though never so dear to them - φιλτατα the Greeks call them, and the Latins have their filius of φιλος - but shall be solicitous of their own lives only. Qui de Deo ne tantillum quidem fuerant solliciti.

For feebleness of hands.] Through fear and fail of vital spirits, so as to forget natural affection also.

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.

The great fear shall take away their natural affection.

Their heart shall so fail them.

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

(Compare Jer 4:29).

fathers . . . not look back to . . . children--Each shall think only of his own safety, not even the fathers regarding their own children. So desperate shall be the calamity that men shall divest themselves of the natural affections.

for feebleness of hands--The hands, the principal instruments of action, shall have lost all power; their whole hope shall be in their feet.

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 3. The stamping of the hoofs] At the galloping sound, -

Quadrupedante putrem sonitu quatit ungula campum,

is a line of Virgil, (AEn. viii. 596,) much celebrated; and quoted here by Blayney, where the galloping sound of the horses' hoofs is heard. In the stamping of the horses, the rushing of the chariots, and the rumbling of the wheels, our translators intended to convey the sense by the sound of the words; and they have not been unsuccessful. Their translation of the original is at the same time sufficiently literal.

The fathers shall not look back] Though their children are left behind, they have neither strength nor courage to go back to bring them off.

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

He continues the same subject; for he says, that so grievous would be the calamity, that fathers would not have a care for their children, which is a proof of extreme sorrow; for men even in adversity do not divest themselves of their natural feelings. When a father has children, he would willingly undergo ten deaths, if necessary, in order to save their life; but when men forget that they are parents, it is a proof, as I have said, of the greatest grief, as though men, having changed their nature, were become logs of wood. But the Prophet expresses the cause, not only of sorrow, but also of anxiety; From the voice, he says, of the noise of the hoofs of his valiant ones; he does not name the horses, but פרסות, peresut, refer to horses; hoofs, he says, shall make a great noise by stamping. And then such would be the commotion by the driving of chariots, and such a tumult would the revolving wheels create, that fathers, being astonished, would not. look on their children At length, he adds, through dissolution of hands By dissolution of hands he means loss of courage or fainting. For as vigor spreads from the heart through every part of the body, so also the bands are the chief instruments of all actions. When therefore the bands are relaxed and become feeble, it follows that men become as it were inanimate. The Prophet now means that the Philistines would become like the dead, so as not to move, no, not even their fingers; and why? because they would be so terrified by the stamping of horses, by the commotion of chariots, and by the rumbling of wheels, that they would lose their senses. It 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.

(3) The fathers shall not look back to their children.—The selfishness of panic was to reach its highest point, and to crush out the instincts of natural affection. Even fathers would be content to save themselves, regardless of their children’s lives.

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

3. At the noise … wheels] Gi. omits all three clauses, Co. the middle one; both objecting on metrical grounds.

strong ones] See on Jer_8:16.

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.

At the noise of the stamping of the hoofs of his strong horses,.... The noise of the cavalry of Nebuchadnezzar's army, as they came marching on towards the country of the Philistines; who, being mounted on strong prancing horses, made a great noise as they came along, and were heard at a distance:

at the rushing of his chariots, and at the rumbling, of his wheels; the rattling and clatter the chariot wheels made; in which rode the chief officers and generals, with other mighty men: chariots were much used in war in those times:

the fathers shall not look back to their children for feebleness of hands; they should be so frightened at the approach of the enemy, and flee with much precipitancy to provide for their own safety, that they should not think of their children, or stay to deliver and save them, the most near and dear unto them; being so terrified as not to be able to lift up their hands to defend themselves, and protect their children. The Targum is,

"the fathers shall not look back to have mercy on their children;''

in their fright should forget their natural affection to them, and not so much as look back with an eye of pity and compassion on them; so intent upon their own deliverance and safety.

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

His strong horses - War-horses, chargers.

The rushing of his chariots - Rather, the rattling, the crashing noise which they make as they advance.

For feebleness of hands - The Philistines flee in such panic that a father would not even turn round to see whether his sons were effecting their escape or not.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Marching. Literally, "pomp," (Haydock) or warlike apparatus. (Haydock) --- Protestants, "stamping of the hoofs of his strong horses, at," &c. (Haydock) --- Children. Fear makes one forget the nearest relations, while each one provides for himself, chap. ix. 4., Micheas vii. 5., and Matthew x. 35.

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).

This is all but a description of the march of an army, so terrible as should make parents forget their natural affection, and flee away to save themselves, looking upon themselves as lost, and unable to protect their children.

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

3. Strong horses — War horses.

The fathers shall not look back — Nothing could more impressively set forth the appalling danger and terror. So fearful would be the panic that the parent would not pause to see whether his children were effecting their escape.

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

A fine specimen of Hebrew word painting. The rushing of his chariots. "Rushing" has the sense of the German rauschen, to make a rustling, murmuring sound. It is used (but as the equivalent of a different Hebrew word) in the Authorized Version of Jer_18:12, 13 of the confused sound made by an army in motion. In the present passage, the Hebrew word means something more definite than that in Isaiah, l.c.; it is the "crashing" of an earthquake, or (as here) the "rattling" of chariots. The rumbling of his wheels. "Rumbling" is a happy equivalent. The Hebrew (hamon) is the word referred to in the preceding note as meaning an indefinite confused sound. The fathers shall not look back to their children, etc. An awful picture, and still more effective in the concise language of the original. The Hebrew Scriptures excel (as still more strikingly, but with too great a want of moderation, does the Koran) in the sublime of terror. So overpowering shall the panic be that fathers will not even turn an eye to their helpless children. Observe, it is said "the fathers," not "the mothers." The picture is poetically finer than that in Deu_28:56, Deu_28:57, because the shade of colouring is a degree softer. Feebleness of hands. A common expression for the enervation produced by extreme terror. (see Jer_6:24 Isa_13:7 Eze_7:17 Nah_2:11)

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

At the sound of the stamping of their strong horses' hooves, at the roar of their chariots and the noise of their wheels

Together these represent the sounds of an oncoming army. (See: Parallelism)

at the roar of their chariots and the noise of their wheels

These two phrase have similar meanings and they are combined to emphasize the loud noise they will make. AT: "at the very loud sound of the wheels of the chariots" (See: Doublet)

For the day is coming that will devastate all of the Philistines, to cut off from Tyre

This speaks of a day as if it were something that travels and arrives in a place. AT: "For on that day, the enemy army will devastate all of the Philistines and cut off from Tyre" (See: Metaphor)

to cut off from Tyre and Sidon every survivor who wants to help them

Removing someone is spoken of as if they were cut off the way a person may cut a branch from a tree or a piece of cloth from a garment. AT: "to remove anyone who may want to help Tyre and Sidon" (See: Metaphor)

Caphtor

This is the name of an island of the northern region of the Philistines. (See: How to Translate Names)

translationWords

horse

hoof

chariot

ancestor

children

devastate

Philistines

cut off

Tyre

Sidon

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

the stamping Heb. שעטת. There is no similar [word in Scripture]. And Jonathan rendered it: from the steps.

from the noise of his chariots Heb. מרעש לרכבו [lit.] from the noise to his chariots.

his wheels The wheels of his chariots.

fathers did not turn to sons to save them.

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.