Jeremiah 6:16-21

Jeremiah 6:16. Obedience more than Sacrifice. Yahweh vainly bade the people stand at the parting of the ways (Hebrew, by the ways), and seek the ancient road to prosperity, that they may find repose for themselves. The watchmen-prophets have called in vain. Yahweh's teaching (law, not necessarily written) has been rejected. For these moral faults far-fetched offerings and many sacrifices do not atone; Yahweh will make the people stumble to their ruin.

Jeremiah 6:16. saith should be said. This verse must not be taken in the spiritual sense of Matthew 11:29; the good is material well-being, the rest security, and your souls is no more than a reflexive pronoun here.

Jeremiah 6:18. The latter part of the verse is corrupt and yields no good sense.

Jeremiah 6:20. The Sabæ ans of S. Arabia ( Sheba, cf. 1 Kings 10:1 *) exported perfume (Isaiah 60:6); the calamus (mg.) used for incense (Exodus 30:23) may have come from India. frankincense is a resinous gum exuding from certain trees; it became a usual accompaniment of the meal-offering; cf. Jeremiah 17:26; Jeremiah 41:5; Leviticus 2:1.