Jeremiah 5:18

Jer 5:18 Nevertheless in those days, saith the LORD, I will not make a full end with you.

Ver. 18. I will not make a full end with thee.] In the midst of judgment, God remembereth mercy. See Jer 4:27; Jer 5:10. Howbeit, from this text some gather, that now in this last captivity of theirs, God hath made a full end with the Jews, and that "wrath is come upon them to the utmost," or to the end εις τελος, as the Greek hath it. {1Th 2:16}

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.

5:18-19 The Lord comforted Jeremiah with the knowledge that the destruction would not be total, and he prepared the prophet to respond to those who wondered why the Lord would bring such severe judgment upon them.

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

Here the Lord declareth his unspeakable favor toward his Church, as Jer. 4:27.

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

Not even in those days of judgments, will God utterly exterminate His people.

I will not make a full end with you-- (Jer 5:10; Jer 4:27).

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 18. I will not make a full end] There are more evils in store for you. You shall not only be spoiled, and all your property destroyed, but ye shall be carried into captivity; and ye shall serve strangers in a land that is not yours, Jer 5:19.

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

Different views may be taken as to the meaning of this verse; but the greater part of interpreters think that a hope is here given to the faithful; yea, nearly all are of this opinion; indeed I know not any one who takes another view. They then think that God moderates here what he had previously said, and that he gives some ground of hope to his servants, lest they should imagine that the Church would be so reduced as to have no seed remaining: and כלה, cale, as it was said yesterday, is often taken in this sense. But when I now carefully consider the context, I feel constrained to take another view, even this — that God here enhances the severity of his vengeance. And the particle גם, gam, “also, “or even, favors this view; as though he had said, “Think not that it will be all over when your enemies shall thus plunder you of all your possessions, deprive you of your children, and reduce you to extreme want; for ye shall not by any means be thus freed from all evils, as I shall pursue my vengeance still further.” There will hereafter follow promises to moderate threatenings, that the hearts of the faithful may not despond: but in this place the Prophet, I have no doubt, introduces God as a Judge, executing vengeance, as though there was no place for mercy.

Then also, he says; for the particle גם, gam, is inhansive and emphatic; Then also, in those days; that is, “When your enemies shall strip your land of its produce, and of all its animals, and of its inhabitants, I shall not even then cease to pursue you: I will not make an end with you, for there will still remain scourges, when ye shall think that rest is given to you, and that the end of evils and of all calamities had come.” In this manner is God wont to deal with the impenitent; for such is their perverseness, that being smitten they become more and more hardened, and champ the bit, according to the old proverb. And hence is their hardness, because they think that God is, as it were, disarmed when he has punished them for their sins. He therefore declares that he has in his power different kinds of punishment and different ways of punishing. And to the same purpose is what 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.

(18) I will not make a full end.—As before, in Jer_4:27, and in this chapter, Jer_5:10, what seems the extremest sentence is tempered by the assurance that it is not absolutely final. It is intended to be reformatory, and not merely penal.

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

18. Du. for metre and style excludes the whole remainder of the ch. from Jeremiah’s authorship. Without such drastic treatment of the text, we may yet hesitate to accept this v. as it seems an unwarranted interruption of the sequence of thought. See on Jer_4:27.

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.

Nevertheless, in those days,.... When these things should be done by the king of Babylon and his army:

saith the Lord, I will not make a full end with you: this was to be done at another time, not now; See Gill on Jer 4:27, Jer 5:10, though some think that this is a threatening of more and greater calamities; that this would not be all he would do to them; he had not yet done; he had other evils and calamities, to bring upon them, particularly a long captivity.

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

See this verse explained Jer 4:27, save only that I think here it is taken in the first sense there mentioned; for it is not said only, as in that verse,

I will not make a full end, or a full end of you, but a full end with you: q.d. I have not done with you yet. See Lev 26:14-40.

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

18. Not make a full end — How often does this merciful refrain come in!

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

Sparing mercy.

The judgments described as about to be inflicted are very fearful, but they were amply deserved. The wickedness of the people was such as to justify their complete destruction. Yet they were spared ere they were totally extinct! Why this unlooked-for restraint?

I IT HAS CHARACTERIZED ALL GOD"S JUDGMENTS OF MANKIND ON EARTH. The Fall, the Flood, the Exodus, etc., the sparing of the remnant of Benjamin, etc.

II THERE IS BUT ONE EXPLANATION FOR IT. It is the possibility of some turning to him truly in the first instance; and, secondly, through them, of the race being saved in the future. God has never utterly cut off even the most sinful. Love, and not. mere vengeance, behaves in this way.

1. Has he not spared us?

2. He has never abandoned his purpose of saving "the whole world. M.

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

Nevertheless - I have not done with you yet.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

Connecting Statement:

Yahweh continues to speak to the people of Israel and Jeremiah.

in those days

The phrase "those days" refers to the time when a distant nation will come and attack the people of Israel.

this is Yahweh's declaration

Yahweh speaks of himself by name to express the certainty of what he is declaring. See how you translated this in Jeremiah 1:8. AT: "this is what Yahweh has declared" or "this is what I, Yahweh, have declared" (See: First, Second, or Third Person)

do not intend to destroy

"will not destroy"

done all these things to us

The phrase "these things" refers to sending armies to attack them. AT: "done all these things to harm us" or "sent foreign armies to attack us" (See: Assumed Knowledge and Implicit Information)

Just as you ... served foreign gods in your land, so you must also serve strangers

Here "served foreign gods" represents worshiping foreign gods. God would punish them for serving foreign gods by making them serve foreign people. AT: "Because you ... worshiped foreign gods in your land, you will have to serve foreigners" (See: Metaphor)

translationWords

Yahweh

kingdom of Israel

kingdom of Judah

God

Jeremiah

worship

alien

false god

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