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Commentary Critical and Explanatory

Jeremiah 13:20

Lift up your eyes, and behold them that come from the north: where is the flock that was given thee, thy beautiful flock?

Behold them that come from the north - Nebuchadnezzar and his hostile army (; ).

Where is the flock that was given thee? Jeremiah, amazed at the depopulation caused by Nebuchadnezzar's forces, addresses Jerusalem (a noun of multitude, which accounts for the blending of plural and singular-Your eyes ... thee ... thy flock-and in the Hebrew "lift up-behold," is singular, "lift thou up, behold thou," and yet "your [instead of thins] eyes" follow, and asks where is her population (, "the Lord's flock") which God had given her?

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See also Jeremiah 13:20 in other biblical comments:

  • Adam Clarke Bible Commentary

    Verse Jeremiah 13:20. _WHERE_ IS _THE FLOCK - THY BEAUTIFUL FLOCK?_] Jerusalem is addressed. Where are the prosperous multitudes of men, women, and children? Alas! are they not driven before the Babyl...

  • Albert Barnes' Bible Commentary

    Jerusalem is asked where the cities, which once lay grouped round her, like a goodly flock of sheep, are gone? The question implies blame....

  • Annotated Bible by A.C. Gaebelein

    CHAPTER 13 Signs, Warnings, and Exhortations _ 1. The linen girdle and the filled bottles (Jeremiah 13:1) _ 2. Hear and give glory (Jeremiah 13:15) 3. The justice of the judgment (Jeremi

  • Arthur Peake's Commentary on the Bible

    JERUSALEM'S SHAME. This prophecy, as perhaps others in this chapter, would suit the position of affairs under Jehoiakim, after Carchemish (605). Jerusalem is asked concerning the welfare of her people...

  • Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes

    THE NORTH. See notes on Jeremiah 1:13; Jeremiah 3:12; Jeremiah 6:1, &c....

  • Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

    Lament for the calamities brought about by Jerusalem's sin See, O Jerusalem, the northern foe descends on thee. What has become of thy goodly nation? How wilt thou endure those who were erst thy frie...

  • Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

    _Lift up your eyes, and behold_ The verbs in MT. are fem. and sing., with a variant (Ḳ"ri) mas. and pl. The pronoun, probably by a slip, is pl. It is better to read with LXX, _Lift up thine eyes, O Je...

  • Coke's Commentary on the Holy Bible

    LIFT UP YOUR EYES, &C.— "Ye people of Judah, behold and reconnoitre the Chaldean army, coming against you from the north." The next words are addressed to the king and queen; see Jeremiah 13:18. He re...

  • College Press Bible Study Textbook Series

    E. WARNING: Pride is Punished by Disgrace Jeremiah 13:20-27 TRANSLATION (20) Lift up your eyes and see them who come from the north. Where is the flock that was given to you, your glorious flock? (2...

  • Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible

    JEREMIAH'S SEVENTH PROPHECY (REIGN OF JEHOIACHIN). THE LINEN GIRDLE The date of this prophecy is shown pretty clearly by the word 'queen' (Jeremiah 13:18), which means queen-mother, namely, Nehushta,...

  • Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible

    THE NORTH] see on Jeremiah 1:13. WHERE _is_ THE FLOCK?] Where are the towns that once lay, like a fair flock of sheep, grouped around thee?...

  • Ellicott's Commentary On The Whole Bible

    LIFT UP YOUR EYES. — The Hebrew verb is feminine and singular, the possessive pronoun masculine and plural. Assuming the reading to be correct, the irregularity may have been intended to combine the i...

  • ETCBC data on Hebrew bible

    _שְׂא֤וּ_† עֵֽינֵיכֶם֙ _וּ_†_רְא֔וּ_† הַ בָּאִ֖ים מִ...

  • Expositor's Bible Commentary (Nicoll)

    CHAPTER VIII THE FALL OF PRIDE Jeremiah 13:1 THIS discourse is a sort of appendix to the preceding; as is indicated by its abrupt and brief beginning with the words "Thus said Iahvah unto me," witho...

  • G. Campbell Morgan's Exposition on the Whole Bible

    The account of this time of communion between Jeremiah and Jehovah ends with the story of how Jehovah gave him two signs, one for himself and one for the people. That for himself was the sign of the g...

  • Geneva Study Bible Commentary

    Lift up your eyes, and behold them that come from the north: where [is] the (i) flock [that] was given thee, thy beautiful flock? (i) He asks the king, where his people is become....

  • George Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary

    _North: ye Chaldeans. (Haydock) --- Hebrew and Septuagint, "see those who come." --- Cattle. O king, what account wilt thou give of the people to the Almighty? (Calmet)_...

  • Hawker's Poor man's commentary

    I interrupt not the reading of those verses, because they are connected. They contain the solemn expostulation of the Lord, in the view of their sins. They point out also the utter impossibility of th...

  • John Calvin's Bible Commentary

    We here see that Egypt and Chaldea are set in opposition, the one to the other; as though the Prophet had said, “Whenever anything is said to you about the Chaldeans, ye turn your eyes to Egypt, as th...

  • John Darby's Synopsis

    Chapter 13, bringing to mind how God had bound Israel to His heart, announces the terrible judgment with which the people shall, as it were, be drunken; and, on the ground of this judgment, calls them...

  • John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible

    LIFT UP YOUR EYES, AND BEHOLD THEM THAT COME FROM THE NORTH,.... There are a Keri and a Cetib of the words "lift up" and "behold"; they are written in the singular number, and may be considered as dir...

  • John Trapp Complete Commentary

    Lift up your eyes, and behold them that come from the north: where [is] the flock [that] was given thee, thy beautiful flock? Ver. 20. _Lift up your eyes, &c._] Still he bespeaketh the king and the q...

  • Joseph Benson’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

    _The cities of the south_, &c. The cities of Judah, which lay in the southern part of Canaan, shall be straitly besieged by the enemy, so that there shall be no going in and out; or shall be deserted...

  • Kretzmann's Popular Commentary of the Bible

    AN EXHORTATION WITH REGARD TO THE IMPENDING DESTRUCTION...

  • Kretzmann's Popular Commentary of the Bible

    Lift up your eyes and behold them that come from the North, the reference being to Nebuchadnezzar and his Chaldean hordes; WHERE IS THE FLOCK THAT WAS GIVEN THEE, THY BEAUTIFUL FLOCK? the daughter of...

  • Matthew Henry Commentary on the Whole Bible

    18-27 Here is a message sent to king Jehoiakim, and his queen. Their sorrows would be great indeed. Do they ask, Wherefore come these things upon us? Let them know, it is for their obstinacy in sin....

  • Matthew Poole's Concise Commentary On The Bible

    He speaks to them as if their enemy was even then upon their march, that if they did but look they might see him coming. WHERE IS THE FLOCK THAT WAS GIVEN THEE, THY BEAUTIFUL FLOCK? the prophet either...

  • Patchworkid's Personal Study Bible Notes

    Jeremiah 13:20 up H5375 (H8798) eyes H5869 see H7200 (H8798) come H935 (H8802) north H6828 flock...

  • Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible

    A FINAL APPEAL FOR REPENTANCE BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE, FOR IF THEY DO FAIL TO RESPOND THEIR FINAL JUDGMENT WILL COME UPON THEM (JEREMIAH 13:15). The people are called on to look to YHWH while there is s...

  • Summarized Bible Commentary

    CONTENTS: Sign of the linen girdle and sign of the bottles filled with wine. CHARACTERS: God, Jeremiah. CONCLUSION: Those who persist in sin, ignoring God's Word, make themselves vessels of wrath fi...

  • Sutcliffe's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

    Jeremiah 13:1. _Get thee a linen girdle,_ or “buy thee,” as the Chaldaic reads; which this priest and prophet wore unwashed till it became offensive, and began to excite attention and talk. The priest...

  • The Biblical Illustrator

    _Where is the flock that was given thee, thy beautiful flock?_ A QUESTION FOR PARENTS AND PASTORS Here is a flock that is being inquired about, not a flock only, but a beautiful flock. 1. The questi...

  • The ESV Global Study Bible's Study Notes

    JEREMIAH—NOTE ON JEREMIAH 13:20 FLOCK. Judah’s people. FRIENDS. Babylon was once Judah’s ally (Isaiah 39:1)....

  • The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary

    CRITICAL AND EXEGETICAL NOTES.—1. CHRONOLOGY OF THE CHAPTER. The reference in Jeremiah 13:18 to the “queen” is regarded as determining the date of this chapter. Ewald, Hitzig, Umbreit, Dahler, Hend.,...

  • The Pulpit Commentaries

    EXPOSITION The chapter falls into two parts—the one describing a divinely commanded action of the prophet, symbolical of the approaching rejection of the Jewish people, the other announcing in literal...

  • Through The Bible C2000 Serie by Chuck Smith

    Thus saith the LORD unto me, Go down and buy a linen girdle, and put it on, but don't wash it. So I got a girdle according to the word of the LORD, and I put it on. And the word of the LORD came unto...

  • Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

    Acts 20:26; Ezekiel 34:7; Habakkuk 1:6; Isaiah 56:9; Jeremiah 1:14;

  • Wesley's Explanatory Notes

    Where — The prophet speaks to the king, or to the rulers. In the multitude of the people is the king's honour....

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