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jeremiah 17:1 The sin of Judah is written down with an iron stylus; With a diamond point it is engraved upon the tablet of their heart, And on the horns of their altars,

< Jeremiah 16:21
Jeremiah 17:2 >

      Jer 17:1-27. THE JEWS' INVETERATE LOVE OF IDOLATRY.

      The the Septuagint omits the first four verses, but other Greek versions have them.

      1. The first of the four clauses relates to the third, the second to the fourth, by alternate parallelism. The sense is: They are as keen after idols as if their propensity was "graven with an iron pen (Job 19:24) on their hearts," or as if it were sanctioned by a law "inscribed with a diamond point" on their altars. The names of their gods used to be written on "the horns of the altars" (Ac 17:23). As the clause "on their hearts" refers to their inward propensity, so "on . . . altars," the outward exhibition of it. Others refer "on the horns of . . . altars" to their staining them with the blood of victims, in imitation of the Levitical precept (Ex 29:12; Le 4:7, 18), but "written . . . graven," would thus be inappropriate.
      table of . . . heart--which God intended to be inscribed very differently, namely, with His truths (Pr 3:3; 2Co 3:3).
      your--Though "their" preceded, He directly addresses them to charge the guilt home to them in particular.

JFB.


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