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1:1 Verba Jeremiae filii Helciae, de sacerdotibus qui fuerunt in Anathoth, in terra Benjamin.
*H The words of Jeremias the son of Helcias, of the priests that were in Anathoth, in the land of Benjamin.


Ver. 1. Helcias, the high priest who discovered the book of the law, (Clem. Strom. i. &c.) though this be uncertain. — Anathoth, a village to the north of Jerusalem, to which many priests had retired, though it did not belong to them. C.

1:2 Quod factum est verbum Domini ad eum in diebus Josiae filii Amon, regis Juda, in tertiodecimo anno regni ejus.
The word of the Lord which came to him in the days of Josias the son of Amon king of Juda, in the thirteenth year of his reign.
A.M. 3375, A.C. 629.
1:3 Et factum est in diebus Joakim filii Josiae, regis Juda, usque ad consummationem undecimi anni Sedeciae, filii Josiae, regis Juda, usque ad transmigrationem Jerusalem, in mense quinto.
*H And which came to him in the days of Joakim the son of Josias king of Juda, unto the end of the eleventh year of Sedecias the son of Josias king of Juda, even unto the carrying away of Jerusalem captive, in the fifth month.


Ver. 3. Joakim. His immediate predecessor and successor, both called Jechonias, (H.) are passed over, as their reign was short, (C.) only lasting three months each. H. — Fifth. Jerusalem was taken on the 9th of the preceding month. But the temple was not burnt, nor the captives sent off till the fifth month, or the 10th of the civil year. C. xxxix. 8. and lii. 13. and 4 K. xxv. 2. C. — Jeremias also prophesied in Egypt. C. xliv. W. — But this title alludes to his principal predictions. M.

1:4 Et factum est verbum Domini ad me, dicens :
And the word of the Lord came to me, saying:
1:5 [Priusquam te formarem in utero, novi te, et antequam exires de vulva, sanctificavi te, et prophetam in gentibus dedi te.]
*H Before I formed thee in the bowels of thy mother, I knew thee: and before thou camest forth out of the womb, I sanctified thee, and made thee a prophet unto the nations.


Ver. 5. Knew, with affection, and designed thee for this office from eternity. Many think (C.) that Jeremias was purified from original sin before his birth. S. Aug. — He had this privilege, and was also a priest, prophet, virgin, and martyr. W. — Yet to sanctify, often means only to set aside. Ex. xiii. 2. Eccli. xlix. 9. — Nations, whose overthrow he points out. C. xxv. 27. 44. &c. C.

1:6 Et dixi : [A, a, a, Domine Deus, ecce nescio loqui, quia puer ego sum.]
*H And I said: Ah, ah, ah, Lord God: behold, I cannot speak, for I am a child.


Ver. 6. Ah. Heb. ahah. Sept. "thou Being." Prot. "Then said I: Ah, Lord God." H. — He does not imitate a child. He might be above 30 years old, though some say (C.) only 14, (T.) or less; yet he finds himself devoid of eloquence, like Moses. Ex. xiv. 10. C.

1:7 Et dixit Dominus ad me : [Noli dicere : Puer sum : quoniam ad omnia quae mittam te ibis, et universa quaecumque mandavero tibi loqueris.
And the Lord said to me: Say not: I am a child: for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee: and whatsoever I shall command thee, thou shalt speak.
1:8 Ne timeas a facie eorum, quia tecum ego sum ut eruam te, dicit Dominus.]
Be not afraid at their presence: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the Lord.
1:9 Et misit Dominus manum suam, et tetigit os meum, et dixit Dominus ad me : [Ecce dedi verba mea in ore tuo :
*H And the Lord put forth his hand, and touched my mouth: and the Lord said to me: Behold I have given my words in thy mouth:


Ver. 9. Mouth; perhaps (H.) with a coal, by means of an angel, (Is. vi. 5.) in a sort of dream. He found himself changed into a new man.

* Footnote * Isaias 6 : 7 And he touched my mouth, and said: Behold this hath touched thy lips, and thy iniquities shall be taken away, and thy sin shall be cleansed.
1:10 ecce constitui te hodie super gentes et super regna, ut evellas, et destruas, et disperdas, et dissipes, et aedifices, et plantes.]
*H Lo, I have set thee this day over the nations, and over kingdoms, to root up, and to pull down, and to waste, and to destroy, and to build, and to plant.


Ver. 10. Root up, to announce the fall and restoration of many nations. Ezec. iv. 2. C. — Jeremias spoke of the Gentiles, as well as of the Jews. W.

1:11 Et factum est verbum Domini ad me, dicens : [Quid tu vides, Jeremia ?] Et dixi : [Virgam vigilantem ego video.]
*H And the word of the Lord came to me, saying: What seest thou, Jeremias? And I said: I see a rod watching.


Ver. 11. Watching. Heb. "of an almond." Sept. "nut-tree." H. — The almond-tree flourishes in January, and bears fruit in March. Theod. Pliny xvi. 25. — Thus God will speedily send his scourge from Babylon, to punish his people. C. —The sense is the same. M. — God's law is outwardly bitter, but the kernel is sweet. Theod. W.

1:12 Et dixit Dominus ad me : [Bene vidisti : quia vigilabo ego super verbo meo, ut faciam illud.]
And the Lord said to me: Thou hast seen well: for I will watch over my word to perform it.
1:13 Et factum est verbum Domini secundo ad me, dicens : [Quid tu vides ?] Et dixi : [Ollam succensam ego video, et faciem ejus a facie aquilonis.]
*H And the word of the Lord came to me a second time saying: What seest thou? And I said: I see a boiling caldron, and the face thereof from the face of the north.


Ver. 13. North, whence the wind blows, to make the fire burn more intensely. Assyria lay to the north, and Babylon to the east of Judea; but the troops always penetrated the northern frontier, as they could not pass through the Desert Arabia. The caldron represented Jerusalem. Ezec. xi. 3. and xxiv. 3.

* Footnote * Ezechiel 11 : 7 Therefore thus saith the Lord God: Your slain, whom you have laid in the midst thereof, they are the flesh, all this is the caldron: and I will bring you forth out of the midst thereof.
1:14 Et dixit Dominus ad me : [Ab aquilone pandetur malum super omnes habitatores terrae :
*H And the Lord said to me: From the north shall an evil break forth upon all the inhabitants of the land.


Ver. 14-15. North. The tributary kings were forced to attend. Judith ii. 7. and 3 K. xx. 1. — About. The princes thus took Sedecias, and sent him to Reblatha. C. xxxix. 3. C.

1:15 quia ecce ego convocabo omnes cognationes regnorum aquilonis, ait Dominus : et venient, et ponent unusquisque solium suum in introitu portarum Jerusalem, et super omnes muros ejus in circuitu, et super universas urbes Juda :
For behold I will call together all the families of the kingdoms of the north, saith the Lord: and they shall come, and shall set every one his throne in the entrance of the gates of Jerusalem, and upon all the walls thereof round about, and upon all the cities of Juda.
1:16 et loquar judicia mea cum eis super omnem malitiam eorum qui dereliquerunt me, et libaverunt diis alienis, et adoraverunt opus manuum suarum.
And I will pronounce my judgments against them, touching all their wickedness, who have forsaken me, and have sacrificed to strange gods, and have adored the work of their own hands.
1:17 Tu ergo, accinge lumbos tuos, et surge, et loquere ad eos omnia quae ego praecipio tibi. Ne formides a facie eorum, nec enim timere te faciam vultum eorum.
*H Thou therefore gird up thy loins, and arise, and speak to them all that I command thee. Be not afraid at their presence: for I will make thee not to fear their countenance.


Ver. 17. Loins. Make haste, and take courage. Job xxxviii. 3. M.

1:18 Ego quippe dedi te hodie in civitatem munitam, et in columnam ferream, et in murum aereum, super omnem terram, regibus Juda, principibus ejus, et sacerdotibus, et populo terrae.
For behold I have made thee this day a fortified city, and a pillar of iron, and a wall of brass, over all the land, to the kings of Juda, to the princes thereof, and to the priests, and to the people of the land.
1:19 Et bellabunt adversum te, et non praevalebunt, quia ego tecum sum, ait Dominus, ut liberem te.]
*H And they shall fight against them, and shall not prevail: for I am with thee, saith the Lord, to deliver thee.


Ver. 19. Prevail. God does not promise peace, but victory. W.

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