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Thus, having taught them to pray, he promises them the enjoyment of blessings if they consign idols to oblivion (for he calls them (Jer. 4:1) “abominations”), and instead of them they will honor the true God, so that they will swear not by idols, but by God, speaking the truth, and not a lie. For this is what the Prophet says: Jer.4:2. Even if he swears, the Lord lives in truth, in judgment and in righteousness. But in the Holy Gospel a more perfect law is given: “It was said to the ancients: do not swear to a lie, but take your oaths to the Lord. But I tell you not to swear in any way” (Matthew 5:33,34). The Jews, being weak, are commanded to swear by God Himself, so that, having become accustomed to the oath, they will learn to worship Him alone. He gives a promise that when this happens, “the nations will bless in it, and they will praise God in Jerusalem in it.” For when the Israelites were pious, then many of the neighboring nations learned piety from them. After this he turns the word from Israel to Judah and says: Jer.4:3. Renew your fields and do not sow on thorns, that is, cultivate your souls, uproot the memory of idols. For he calls them “thorns.” Jer.4:4. Be circumcised to your God. Then he teaches what circumcision should be like to God. “And circumcise” the circumcision of your hearts, “men of Judah and those who dwell in Jerusalem.” He clearly taught that visible circumcision is a type of hidden circumcision, and that with internal circumcision, physical circumcision is unnecessary. Having been excited by this, the divine Apostle wrote to the Romans: “not what is known to be a Jew, nor what is circumcision to be seen in the flesh; but to be a Jew in secret, and the circumcision of the heart is in the Spirit, not in scripture; whose praise is not from man, but from God” (Rom. 2:28,29). For I heard that God said through the mouth of the Prophet: “Be circumcised to your God, and circumcise” the circumcision of your hearts, “men of Judah and those who dwell in Jerusalem.” “Let not My wrath go out like fire, and be kindled, and not be quenched,” on behalf of “the wickedness of your undertakings.” For you alone, by repenting, can extinguish this fire. If you do not use repentance; no one can free you from punishment. But frightening them, he commands to tell Jerusalem and the entire tribe of Judah to sound the trumpet (Jer. 4:5), and let everyone know about the attack of the enemies, and to flee to fortified cities, especially to Zion, as it is stronger. And he orders us to hurry, saying: Jer.4:6. Try, do not stand, for the evil One is coming from the north, and the destruction is great. He says this in a tributary way, and calls Nebuchadnezzar (Jer. 4:7) a “lion,” Babylon “a lie,” and says that Nebuchadnezzar will rush out of Babylon, burn the cities, and devastate the countries. (Jer.4:8). Therefore, “gird yourself in sackcloth, and weep and howl, lest the wrath of the wrath of the Lord be turned away from you.” He also predicts the fear of King Jehoiakim, after him Jeconiah, and the last - Zedekiah. It also predicts the fear of leaders and priests. And after this the Prophet said to the Lord: Jer.4:10. You have deceived the people of God and Jerusalem, O river: peace will be with you, and behold, the sword will pierce even their souls? The Prophet did not say this because it really happened; but since the false prophets promised peace, saying that peace was proclaimed by God, then, denouncing their lies, the Prophet expressed himself in these words: Jer.4:11. At this time it is spoken to this people and to Jerusalem: the spirit of error is in the wilderness, the way for the daughter of My people is not for purification, but lower into the holy. Jer.4:12. The Spirit of fulfillment will come to Me from these. During disasters, says the Prophet, they learn from experience that it was the “spirit of error” who spoke through the mouths of the false prophets, and not the pure and holy Spirit, not the “Spirit of fulfillment,” that is, not the Spirit who completes the Trinity. It is from these false prophets that real disasters have come upon you. And “now I will proclaim My judgments against them,” i.e. I will depict the disasters that I will justly bring upon them. And he numbers these calamities, likening chariots to a cloud and a whirlwind, and the speed of horses to eagles. It also predicts future crying. Jer.4:13. Woe to us, for we are in poverty. And after this he advises to seek salvation in repentance; for he says: Jer.4:14. Wash your heart from wickedness, Jerusalem, so that you may be saved: how long will thoughts remain in you yours are crafty. For the deceit of your thoughts has become the cause of these evils for you. Jer.4:15. The voice of the one proclaiming from Dan will come, and a sickness will be heard from Mount Ephraim. Dan was called the current Paneada. This city was in the land of Israel, as the history of the Kingdoms testifies “from Dan even to Beersheba” (1 Samuel 3:20). Paneada and Mount Ephraim are located north of Jerusalem. And from here came the king of Babylon, as evidenced by this same Prophet and the fourth book of Kings; she says that Nebuchadnezzar's soldiers took the captives to Revlatha of Emath (2 Kings 25:6; Jer.39:5); and Revlafa is a village near a city called Emes; from which it is clear that the Prophet calls the great Emes Emath. There is also another Emath - Epiphany. For this is what it is still called in the native language. Therefore, those fleeing from there brought sad news. Jer.4:16–17. Behold, the Poles are coming from a distant land, and they are sending their voice to the cities of Judah. Like the guards of the village were around him. Just as those who guard crops or vineyards guard with all care and forbid travelers to pass through them, so the Babylonians will keep Jerusalem under siege and will not allow anyone to escape. The Prophet and the fourth book of Kings inform that the Babylonians built loopholes of four-foot stones around Jerusalem so that none of the inhabitants could escape. And you will endure this, says the Prophet. Jer.4:18. Because you have despised Me, says the Lord. Your paths and your undertakings have created this for you: this wickedness of yours is as bitter as it touches your heart. You will suffer the punishment worthy of your insolence, and you will reap what you sow. Having predicted this, the Prophet is sick about them, complains and says that “his belly and the feelings of his heart” hurt him; and he is likened to a mother who is tormented by the death of her children. Jer.4:19–20. My soul is troubled, he says, my heart is tormented: I will not keep silent, because my soul heard the voice of the trumpet, the cry of the army and trouble: destruction is called. For this is what the trumpet means, and this is what foreshadows disasters. He says that the earth was desolate, the “dwelling” was ruined, and (Jer. 4:20) “the skins were torn apart.” And this makes us understand the destruction of the city. He describes a multitude of people running, and on behalf of God he says: Jer.4:22. The leaders of the people My “You have not known me: the sons of buoys are the essence of madness.” And so that no one would consider them worthy of apology as being completely devoid of intelligence, he immediately added: “The essence of wisdom is to do evil, but to do good without knowing it.” For the saddest thing is that they did not use prudence in the least, like those who get drunk on wine and kill people with weapons. Jer.4:23. I looked at the earth, and behold, nothing, and at the sky, and there was no light thereof. (Jer.4:24). “I saw the mountains and trembled, and all the hills were troubled.” (Jer.4:25) “I looked, and behold, there was no man, and all the birds of the air were terrified.” This usually happens with those exposed to disasters; To them the light seems not light, and the day is not day, and sweets are not sweet; for them everything turns into the opposite. Jer.4:26. I saw, and behold, Carmel was desolate, and all the cities were burned with fire from the presence of the Lord, and from the face of His wrath they were destroyed. It is likely that Carmel himself was devastated by the invasion of enemies. But I think that “Carmel” here refers to Jerusalem in a figurative sense, due to the large number of its inhabitants. Jer.4:27. This is what the Lord says: the whole earth will be desolate, but I will not bring about the end. In a word: “the whole earth” means Palestine; and promises to return. Then he commands: Jer.4:28. For these, let the earth weep, and let the sky above be darkened, even with the words; because the creation agrees with the Creator. I took up arms 2 and “will not repent.” This: “I will not repent” is said humanely, in the meaning: I decided to punish; The deity is impassive. “I will strive, and I will not turn away from it,” that is, from aspiration. It shows what kind of aspiration this is, namely, that, fearing the horsemen and archers, everyone fled; and some tried to seek salvation in the mountains, others in the groves, and many, leaving the cities, occupied the tops of the mountains. Then the Prophet turns his speech to Jerusalem. Jeremiah 4:30. What will you do, you desolate one? those. Where will you hide, what place will you take? “If you are clothed in scarlet, and adorned with gold monists, if you anoint your eyes with stencil, then your adornment will be in vain: your mistresses will reject you and seek your soul.” The Jews had the custom of dressing up on demonic festivals. The Prophet reminds them of this decoration and admonishes them that all this is useless and harmful; because they did not receive any help from the demons; it would be better to say that the demons became the cause of these disasters for them. Jer.4:31. With a voice like one giving birth, I hear your groaning, like a first-time mother. With this likeness he depicted the measure of the disease. “Woe is me, for my soul disappears over the slain.” The prophet fulfills the divine law - to weep with those who weep (Rom. 12:15), and suffers with those who are punished. And we, having stopped at this, ask future readers of the book to avoid demonic delusion and please God in everything. For only in this case will we be able to use His providence for us in this life and be worthy of future benefits, through the grace and love of our Lord Jesus Christ. With Him be glory, honor and power to the Father and the All-Holy Spirit, now and always, and forever and ever! Amen. The seventy cannot read this word; from Hebrew: thought.