Jeremiah 15:10-21

The Sorrow and Strength of Prophetic Service. The experience of the prophet, as described in the following section, may be the result of his unpopularity at the time of the drought, and therefore be rightly placed after Jeremiah 14:1 to Jeremiah 15:9; but it would suit many other occasions of his life. On the great importance of this and similar passages, both for a true conception of Jeremiah's personality, and for his special contribution to religion, see Introduction, § 3. The present passage is interrupted by the irrelevant verses, Jeremiah 15:13 f., which occur again, more correctly and in their proper place, in Jeremiah 17:3 f.; they relate to the people, not to Jeremiah (Heb. of Jeremiah 15:14 is as mg.). More over, Jeremiah 15:11 f. is obscure and possibly corrupt. Jeremiah laments his birth to so unpopular a role as that of a prophet of disaster, as unpopular as that of the creditor or debtor (usury is simply interest, as in Deuteronomy 23:20). Yahweh had promised to strengthen him and to humiliate his opponents, but they are too strong for him (Jeremiah 15:12 as in mg., the northern iron and bronze denoting the greater strength of Jeremiah's Jewish opponents as compared with himself; but this is not very satisfactory). Jeremiah begs Yahweh not to destroy him through excessive patience (long-suffering) towards his persecutors. His joy has been to take to heart Yahweh's messages (for the figure of eating, cf. Ezekiel 2:8 to Ezekiel 3:3), and he belongs to Yahweh (Jeremiah 15:16; cf. Jeremiah 7:10 mg.). The compulsion of the Divine Hand in prophetic rapture (Isaiah 8:11; Ezekiel 1:3 *, Ezekiel 3:14; cf. 2 Kings 3:15) has separated him from the ordinary joyous fellowship of men, and has urged him to a message of indignant protest against men's ways. Obedience seems to have brought unending pain, and Yahweh is a lying stream, the waters of which are dried up in the hour of need (Jeremiah 15:18; cf. Job 6:15). To this cry of distrust and despair Yahweh's answer is to bid Jeremiah turn from such a spirit, and resume his service (stand before me, 1 Kings 10:8; 1 Kings 18:15); let him utter the precious, and leave out the worthless elements of his thinking, that he may be Yahweh's mouth (Exodus 4:16; cf. Exodus 7:1); then, at length, the nation will come to see with him (Jeremiah 15:19). Meanwhile, Yahweh renews the promises with which his ministry began (Jeremiah 1:18 f.).