Jeremiah 12:8

Lexham English Bible

Contextual Overview

⁷ I have forsaken my house, I have abandoned my inheritance. I have given the beloved one of my heart into the hand of her enemies. ⁸ My inheritance has become to me like a lion in the forest. She has lifted up against me her voice; therefore I hate her. ⁹ The lair of the hyena is my inheritance to me, the birds of prey are all around her. Go, gather all of the animals of the field, bring them to come and devour. ¹⁰ Many shepherds have destroyed my vineyard, they have trampled down my plot of land. They have made my pleasant field like the desert of desolation. ¹¹ They have made it a desolation. Desolate, it mourns to me. All the land is made desolate, but there is no person taking it to heart. ¹² Upon all the barren heights in the desert destroyers have come, for the sword of Yahweh devours, from one end of the land to the other end of the land, there is no peace for all flesh. ¹³ They have sown wheat and they have reaped thorns. They are exhausted, they do not profit. And they will be ashamed of your produce, because of the burning anger of Yahweh."

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

crieth out: or, yelleth, Heb. giveth out his voice, Jeremiah 2:15, Jeremiah 51:38

therefore: Hosea 9:15, Amos 6:8, Zechariah 11:8

Reciprocal: 1 Kings 9:9 - therefore Psalms 11:5 - wicked Jeremiah 14:19 - hath Jeremiah 20:12 - let me Ezekiel 23:18 - then

Cross-References

Genesis 4:26
And as for Seth, he also fathered a son, and he called his name Enosh. At that time he began to call on the name of Yahweh.

Genesis 12:12
and it shall happen that, if the Egyptians see you, then they will say, ‘This is his wife,' then they will kill me but let you live.

Genesis 12:14
And it happened that as Abram came into Egypt, the Egyptians saw the woman, that she was very beautiful.

Genesis 12:15
And the officials of Pharaoh saw her, and they praised her beauty to Pharaoh. And the woman was taken to the house of Pharaoh.

Genesis 12:16
And he dealt well with Abram on account of her, and he had sheep, cattle, male donkeys, male servants, female servants, female donkeys, and camels.

Genesis 13:4
to the place where he had made an altar at the beginning. And Abram called on the name of Yahweh there.

Genesis 21:33
And he planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba, and there he called on the name of Yahweh, the everlasting God.

Genesis 28:19
And he called the name of that place Bethel; however, the name of the city was formerly Luz.

Genesis 35:3
Then let us make ready and let us go up to Bethel, so that I can make an altar there to the God who answered me in the day of my trouble, and who has been with me on the way that I have gone."

Joshua 7:2
Now Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is near Beth Aven, east of Bethel, and he said to them, "Go up and spy out Ai." And the men went up and spied out Ai.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Mine heritage is unto me as a lion in the forest,.... Which roars, and terrifies passengers from going that way; and which rends and tears in pieces all it meets with. This expresses the clamours of these people against God and his providences, and their rage, fierceness, and cruelty, against his prophets, sent in his name.

It crieth out against me; this is to be understood not of the cry of the oppressed through violence, for this is a cry to God, and not against him; or of idolaters to idols, as Baal's prophets to him, in the time of their service; which senses are mentioned by Kimchi: but either of their charging God with inequality and injustice, in the ways of his providence; or their blaspheming his name, and speaking ill of his ministry

Therefore have I hated it; which he showed by leaving his house, forsaking his heritage, and delivering his people into the hands of their enemies; the reason of which was not in himself, but them; the fault was not his, but theirs; this is all to be understood of the change in the dispensation of the divine Providence towards them; otherwise the love of God to his chosen in Christ is unchangeable; it is never turned into hatred, but remains invariably the same, as it did to those, among these people; who belonged to the election of grace; for, as the love before expressed to this people in general only respects external favours and privileges, which they were indulged with above all people; so this hatred of them signifies the taking away of such favours, and leaving them to become a prey to their enemies.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Yahweh shows that the downfall of the nation was occasioned by no want of love on His part, but by the nation’s conduct.

Left - More correctly, cast away.

Jeremiah 12:8

Judah has not merely refused obedience, but become intractable and fierce, like an untamed lion. It has roared against God with open blasphemy. As His favor is life, so is His hatred death, i. e., Jerusalem’s punishment shall be as if inflicted by one that hated her.

Jeremiah 12:9

Rather, “Is My heritage unto Me as a speckled bird? Are the birds upon her round about? Come, assemble all the wild beasts: bring them to devour her.” By “a speckled” or parti-colored “bird” is probably meant some kind of vulture.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Jeremiah 12:8. Mine heritage is unto me as a lion — The people are enraged against me; they roar like a furious lion against their God. They have proceeded to the most open acts of the most flagrant iniquity.