Shall I not visit them for these [things]? saith Jehovah; shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this?
Commentary for this Verse
God has just spent eight verses listing what He sees in Jerusalem. Now He asks a question that is not really a question, and the rest of the chapter answers it.
What Provoked the Question
The question follows a list of what the Lord had watched among His own people. His own answer names what He will do to the city.
H J Vine"Oh that my head were waters, and my eyes a fountain of tears," mourns the prophet. Adultery, treachery, lying, slander, deception, wrongdoing, double-dealing and ignorance of God marked the people (Jer. 9:1-8). "Shall I not punish them for these things?" says the Lord; "yes, I will make Jerusalem a heap of ruins." He asks, "Who is the wise man, that he may understand this?" Wormwood and poisoned water should be theirs. Call for the mourning women; let them teach their daughters to wail; desolation and death are coming (vv. 9-22).
The Hinge of the Chapter
Everything before this verse is the prophet's sorrow. Everything after it is the Lord's sentence.
William KellyThe rest of the chapter (v. 18 to the end) and the first eight verses of Jeremiah 9 set out the prophet's grief over the deceitful malice of the people of the Lord. That malice kept them from knowing Him. Then, from verse 9, follows their judgment under the Lord's indignant displeasure.
An Answer, Not an Outburst
Read in context, the words are God's reply to a weeping man. Jeremiah had poured out his grief; the Lord responds by repeating something He had already said twice earlier in the book.
Arno Clemens GaebeleinThe Lord answered him and once more asks the question: "Shall I not punish them for these things? declares the LORD, and shall I not avenge myself on a nation such as this?" (See chapter 5:9, 29.)
Why It Is Repeated
Because the same sentence had already sounded in chapter 5, its return here is not new information but confirmation. Writers describe the repetition itself as evidence.
William KellyThey were revolted and gone in heart already. "Shall I not punish them for these things? [recounting their iniquities] declares the LORD, shall I not avenge myself on a nation such as this?" is the twofold witness of the prophet. People, prophets, priests loved falsehood together.
Nearness Is No Shelter
"Such a nation as this" is the nation God had chosen. That standing did not shield them. It made the reckoning certain.
Samuel RidoutHis holiness in the temple of Dagon made the Philistine idol fall flat before Him. If that same holiness will strike the godless Philistine nation, it is no less intense when it comes to His own people. In fact, as we well know, judgment will begin at the house of God. The prophet reminds the people that they alone as a nation had been known by God. So far from giving them immunity from punishment, this was the pledge that they would get it if needed: "Therefore will I punish you for your iniquities."
The same stroke reaches further out. Vine points to the last verses of the chapter:
H J VineThe punishment will not be limited to Israel; it will fall on "all nations".
What Is Left to Glory In
The chapter does not end in judgment. The Lord names the one thing worth boasting in, and it is knowing Him.
The Bible TreasuryAs for His people, blessed be His Name, our God is satisfied with nothing less than their heart. And this is not about what they can be to Him, but about what He can be for them. "Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the LORD" (Jer. 9).
Summary
- Named — Adultery, lying, slander and ignorance of God fill verses 1–8. Verse 9 is God's verdict on that list, not a general complaint.
- Turned — Verse 9 is the hinge. The prophet's tears stop here and the Lord's sentence begins: a ruined Jerusalem, and mourning women teaching their daughters to wail.
- Repeated — The same words had already sounded twice in chapter 5. Kelly calls this "the twofold witness" — a sentence confirmed, not announced for the first time.
- Nearest first — Being the one nation God had known gave no immunity. It was the pledge of reckoning, since judgment begins at the house of God.
- Widened, then answered — The stroke reaches beyond Israel to all nations. The one refuge the chapter offers is not wisdom, might or riches, but knowing the Lord who delights in steadfast love, justice and righteousness.