Study notes

Jeremiah 11

Introducing JeremiahWho wrote it, when, why, and what to look for as you read

2:1–12:17 Section

Jeremiah’s judgement messages explained how and why God’s people would be judged. These messages were like the judgement messages that Isaiah shared.

The work of being a prophet was very hard for Jeremiah. He wept and suffered with deep sadness and pain. Inside his own body he felt God’s anger like a burning fire. The people and leaders of the southern kingdom hadn’t been faithful to the Mount Sinai covenant. They didn’t obey the Ten Commandments. They didn’t treat others the way God taught them to in the Law of Moses. They treated needy people badly. They worshipped false gods instead of worshipping only God. They felt no shame about this. They expected God to continue blessing them. This showed that they not only spoke lies but also lived out lies. It showed that they had no sense or wisdom.

They hadn’t learnt from the example of the northern kingdom. They hadn’t learnt from times in the past when God brought judgement against them. Storks and other birds had more wisdom than God’s people did. God’s people didn’t serve him with all their heart. God described this as not being circumcised in their hearts. Their bodies were circumcised. So on the outside of their bodies they had the sign of God’s covenant. But the choices they made showed that they didn’t respect and honour God. This was true for both the people and the leaders of the southern kingdom. The kings, priests and prophets didn’t follow God’s example for rulers. They didn’t know God’s laws and didn’t lead the people in obeying God. They lied by saying that everything was going well and that the nation had peace. As a result of this, God would no longer stop the covenant curses from coming.

God longed to forgive his people. He wanted them to turn away from their sin, repent and follow him. But they refused. So God told Jeremiah to stop praying that God would have mercy on them. God would use the Babylonian army as his tool to judge the southern kingdom. The temple would be destroyed. The people would be thrown out of the land God had given them. God had warned Solomon about this judgement (1 Kings 9:6–9). Yet God promised that he wouldn’t destroy his people completely. He would always allow a few to remain alive. In this way God would remain faithful to his covenant with David.

God also gave Jeremiah messages of hope to share about a time in the future. God would live with his people and rule the world from Jerusalem as King. The northern and southern kingdoms would live together in their land as one kingdom again. God would return all nations to their own lands. Jews would teach other nations that God is the Lord who rules over all. Every nation would be invited to follow the practices God taught his people. Every people group that honoured God would become part of God’s people.

11:1–3

The Lord gave Jeremiah permission to present legal charges against the people of Judah and Jerusalem. With the divine name's power supporting his words, the Lord explained the covenant's terms. These terms included curses for those who did not obey (see Deuteronomy 27:15–26; 28:15–68).

11:1–17

The Lord reminded Jeremiah of several messages (Exodus 19:5) that had formed the foundation of the relationship between the Lord and Israel for many centuries. Since the kingdom of Judah was the last part of Israel, its people were the ones facing judgment before the Lord. This likely happened during King Jehoiakim's reign.

11:4

The Egyptians knew how to smelt iron. However, the iron-smelting furnace of Egypt symbolized the Israelites’ slavery there. The Lord rescued them from this slavery. God also promised to be their unique God if they would be his unique people (Exodus 6:7).

11:5

  • The Lord wanted to give Israel prosperity and blessings. Milk suggests cattle, sheep, and goats. Honey, produced by bees, suggests many different flowering and fruit-bearing plants.

  • The word Amen is a Hebrew term that means "may it be so." The New Living Translation includes both the Hebrew word and its translation.

11:6–7

Jeremiah used every way possible to spread the Lord's message to as many people as he could. As he visited each town and walked the streets of Jerusalem, he reminded the people to remember and obey the rules of the ancient covenant.

11:8

The Old Testament books of Numbers, Judges, Samuel, and Kings tell how the people of Israel often broke the covenant until Jeremiah's time.

11:9–10

  • conspiracy: The word suggests "betrayal" or "treason" (compare 2 Kings 11:14).

  • Judah and Jerusalem would stop worshiping the Redeemer God and start worshiping other gods. Both Israel (likely referring to the ten northern tribes) and Judah had broken the covenant.

11:11

The Lord warned Jeremiah in advance about the decision He would make against the people. Disaster was coming, and prayers could not stop it. The time for God's mercy was over.

11:12

The people of Judah and Jerusalem prayed and worshiped during their troubles, but not to the Lord. Instead, they prayed to their idols. They were attached to lifeless and powerless images made of wood and stone, instead of the one true God.

11:13

Idolatry was widespread in Judah, with idols in every town and street.

11:14

The Lord told Jeremiah not to cry or pray for the people of Jerusalem (see Jeremiah 7:16). The Lord would not listen to their prayers. Since the people were dedicated to worshiping Baal, any prayer they offered would be insincere.

11:15

The people followed the words and ceremonies God required, but their worship was insincere. They did not love God or their neighbors.

11:16–17

During the Exodus, the Lord saw Israel as a flourishing olive tree. King David compared himself to an olive tree (Psalm 52:8), and the apostle Paul used this image to explain how non-Jews could share in the blessings of salvation (Romans 11:16–21).

11:18–19

The Lord warned Jeremiah during his commissioning (Jeremiah 1:19) that opposition would threaten his life. Jeremiah felt like a lamb led to slaughter, powerless to resist. This opposition happened before Jeremiah's trial in the Temple courtyard, early in Jehoiakim's reign (between 608 and 605 BC; see Jeremiah 26). Some scholars think this verse foreshadows Christ's death, similar to the suffering servant in Isaiah 53:7.

11:18–23

The Lord warned Jeremiah about the plans against him. Jeremiah prayed, and the Lord promised to save him.

11:20

Jeremiah wanted the Lord to punish his enemies because the Lord knew their deepest thoughts and secrets. As events unfolded, Jeremiah learned that the Lord had his own way of handling his enemies.

11:21–23

Jeremiah's enemies included his family and relatives in his hometown of Anathoth, and he grieved over their fate (Jeremiah 10:20). They demanded that he stop prophesying in the Lord's name. In line with the Lord's promise to protect him (Jeremiah 1:19), the Lord told Jeremiah that even the families of his enemies, including their children, would lose their lives when their punishment came.

Verse notes: Adapted by Mission Mutual (Aquifer Open Study Notes) from Tyndale Open Study Notes © 2023 Tyndale House Publishers. CC BY-SA 4.0. Section notes: Biblica Study Notes © 2023 Biblica, Inc. CC BY-SA 4.0, via BibleAquifer. About the sources