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The Prophets · Old Testament

Jeremiah 12

Jeremiah 12: why the wicked prosper and the Lord's forsaken heritage

General context

Jeremiah addresses the Lord as righteous and asks to talk with him of his judgments: why does the way of the wicked prosper and why are the treacherous happy? The Lord planted them and they bear fruit; he is near in their mouth and far from their reins. Jeremiah says the Lord has tried his heart, and asks that the wicked be pulled out like sheep for the slaughter. The Lord replies with questions: if the footmen have wearied him, how will he contend with horses, and if he is wearied in the land of peace, how will he do in the swelling of Jordan? Even his brethren and his father's house have dealt treacherously with him; he is not to believe their fair words. The Lord then says he has forsaken his house and left his heritage, giving the dearly beloved of his soul into the hand of her enemies. His heritage has become to him a lion crying against him, so he has hated it, and a speckled bird with the birds against her; the beasts are called to devour. Many pastors have destroyed his vineyard and trodden his portion into a desolate wilderness, and no man lays it to heart. The sword of the Lord devours from one end of the land to the other, and no flesh has peace. They sowed wheat and will reap thorns. The Lord then speaks against his evil neighbours who touch Israel's inheritance: he will pluck them out of their land and pluck Judah from among them, then have compassion and bring every man to his heritage. If those nations learn to swear by his name as they taught his people to swear by Baal, they will be built among his people; if not, he will pluck up and destroy that nation.

Cited passages: Jeremiah 12:1, Jeremiah 12:2, Jeremiah 12:3, Jeremiah 12:4, Jeremiah 12:5, Jeremiah 12:6, Jeremiah 12:7, Jeremiah 12:8, Jeremiah 12:9, Jeremiah 12:10, Jeremiah 12:11, Jeremiah 12:12, Jeremiah 12:13, Jeremiah 12:14, Jeremiah 12:15, Jeremiah 12:16, Jeremiah 12:17

Jeremiah 12 (KJV)

1Righteous art thou, O Lord, when I plead with thee: yet let me talk with thee of thy judgments: Wherefore doth the way of the wicked prosper? wherefore are all they happy that deal very treacherously?

2Thou hast planted them, yea, they have taken root: they grow, yea, they bring forth fruit: thou art near in their mouth, and far from their reins.

3But thou, O Lord, knowest me: thou hast seen me, and tried mine heart toward thee: pull them out like sheep for the slaughter, and prepare them for the day of slaughter.

4How long shall the land mourn, and the herbs of every field wither, for the wickedness of them that dwell therein? the beasts are consumed, and the birds; because they said, He shall not see our last end.

5If thou hast run with the footmen, and they have wearied thee, then how canst thou contend with horses? and if in the land of peace, wherein thou trustedst, they wearied thee, then how wilt thou do in the swelling of Jordan?

6For even thy brethren, and the house of thy father, even they have dealt treacherously with thee; yea, they have called a multitude after thee: believe them not, though they speak fair words unto thee.

7I have forsaken mine house, I have left mine heritage; I have given the dearly beloved of my soul into the hand of her enemies.

8Mine heritage is unto me as a lion in the forest; it crieth out against me: therefore have I hated it.

9Mine heritage is unto me as a speckled bird, the birds round about are against her; come ye, assemble all the beasts of the field, come to devour.

10Many pastors have destroyed my vineyard, they have trodden my portion under foot, they have made my pleasant portion a desolate wilderness.

11They have made it desolate, and being desolate it mourneth unto me; the whole land is made desolate, because no man layeth it to heart.

12The spoilers are come upon all high places through the wilderness: for the sword of the Lord shall devour from the one end of the land even to the other end of the land: no flesh shall have peace.

13They have sown wheat, but shall reap thorns: they have put themselves to pain, but shall not profit: and they shall be ashamed of your revenues because of the fierce anger of the Lord.

14Thus saith the Lord against all mine evil neighbours, that touch the inheritance which I have caused my people Israel to inherit; Behold, I will pluck them out of their land, and pluck out the house of Judah from among them.

15And it shall come to pass, after that I have plucked them out I will return, and have compassion on them, and will bring them again, every man to his heritage, and every man to his land.

16And it shall come to pass, if they will diligently learn the ways of my people, to swear by my name, The Lord liveth; as they taught my people to swear by Baal; then shall they be built in the midst of my people.

17But if they will not obey, I will utterly pluck up and destroy that nation, saith the Lord.

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Historical context

Verses 1 through 4 are the prophet speaking to the Lord, continuing the complaint of 11:18 through 20; the speaker is not named in this chapter but is the "I" whose heart the Lord has tried. Verses 5 and 6 are the Lord's answer, and they add to the men of Anathoth of chapter 11 "thy brethren, and the house of thy father," who have dealt treacherously with the prophet and "called a multitude after thee"; the text gives no further detail about what they did. From verse 7 the Lord speaks of "mine house," "mine heritage" and "my vineyard," and the text does not label a transition; the personal complaint and the national judgment run together. The "many pastors" who destroyed the vineyard are not identified, and the "spoilers" on the high places are not named. The "evil neighbours" of verse 14 are described only as those "that touch the inheritance," and the promise to them, that they may be "built in the midst of my people" if they learn to swear by the Lord's name, is conditional. The swelling of Jordan is named as a figure in the Lord's question; no crossing or event is narrated. The chapter does not say whether the prophet's question about the prosperity of the wicked is answered beyond the challenge about footmen and horses.

Cited passages: Jeremiah 12:1, Jeremiah 12:3, Jeremiah 12:5, Jeremiah 12:6, Jeremiah 12:7, Jeremiah 12:10, Jeremiah 12:12, Jeremiah 12:14, Jeremiah 12:15, Jeremiah 12:16, Jeremiah 12:17

Literary context

The chapter opens as a legal plea, "let me talk with thee of thy judgments," and moves through three voices: the prophet's complaint, the Lord's answer to him, and the Lord's lament over his heritage. The complaint uses planting images against the Lord: he planted the wicked and they bear fruit; the Lord's lament then reverses them, his own vineyard is trodden and his portion made a wilderness. The answer in verse 5 is built as two questions that escalate, footmen to horses, the land of peace to the swelling of Jordan, and it replies to the prophet's question with a harder question rather than an explanation. The repeated "mine heritage" in verses 7 through 9 is paired with animal figures, a lion and a speckled bird, that make the beloved into something the Lord hates and something under attack at once. The sowing and reaping of verse 13 sets wheat against thorns, echoing the fallow ground and thorns of 4:3. The closing oracle on the neighbours turns the verb pluck three ways: pluck them out, pluck out Judah, and, if they will not obey, pluck up and destroy, with compassion set in the middle of the sequence.

Cited passages: Jeremiah 12:1, Jeremiah 12:2, Jeremiah 12:5, Jeremiah 12:7, Jeremiah 12:8, Jeremiah 12:9, Jeremiah 12:10, Jeremiah 12:13, Jeremiah 12:14, Jeremiah 12:15, Jeremiah 12:17

Key moments

  1. Why does the wicked prosper? (Jeremiah 12:1). Jeremiah calls the Lord righteous and asks why the treacherous are happy.
  2. Near in their mouth, far from their reins (Jeremiah 12:2). Jeremiah says the Lord planted the wicked and they have taken root and borne fruit.
  3. How wilt thou contend with horses? (Jeremiah 12:5). The Lord answers the complaint with questions about harder trials ahead.
  4. Thy father's house also (Jeremiah 12:6). The prophet's own brethren have dealt treacherously and are not to be believed.
  5. I have forsaken mine house (Jeremiah 12:7). The Lord gives the dearly beloved of his soul into her enemies' hand.
  6. Wheat sown, thorns reaped (Jeremiah 12:13). The people's labour brings no profit because of the Lord's fierce anger.
  7. The evil neighbours (Jeremiah 12:14). The Lord will pluck out the nations that touch Israel's inheritance and then have compassion.

For reflection

The prophet asks why the wicked prosper, and the Lord answers by asking how he will contend with horses if footmen have already wearied him. What does it suggest that the reply is a warning of worse to come rather than a reason?

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