Bible Commentaries

THE TIME AND OCCASION, Jeremiah 45:1.

1. Unto Baruch — As Paul and John wrote letters to individuals concerning their personal relations and experiences, so Jeremiah receives the message for his bosom friend and amanuensis. And yet the message suited to him is fitly recorded as calculated to admonish and help many others of like trials and like faith.

Had written — Rather, wrote, or was writing.

These words — The messages of Jeremiah which Baruch wrote down.

Fourth year of Jehoiakim — This is one of the time limits of these prophecies. There is no reason to doubt that the other is the beginning of Jeremiah’s work as a prophet. The time of writing down these addresses is the same as that of the writing related in chapter 36. Chronologically they both belong to the same period.

THE MESSAGE, Jeremiah 45:2-5.

3. Grief to my sorrow — Better, sorrow to my pain; pain at the sin and obduracy of the people; sorrow for their calamities.

I fainted in my sighing — I am weary with sighing. An expression similar to that of Psalms 6:7. It is one of numerous illustrations in the Old Testament showing how thoroughly interwoven were these psalms with the common thought and experience of the people.

4. Built… break down — This announces God’s purpose and his right. His proprietorship is involved in that he is the builder, and out of this comes his right to destroy.

Even this whole land — Rather, whole earth. The original word is ambiguous, but the parallel all flesh in the following verse limits its import to that land.

5. Great things for thyself — That is, in the way of worldly prosperity. When the whole earth is involved in judgment no individual can reasonably seek for any thing great. If he can make his life his prey he ought not to ask more.