“All the peoples walk,
Each in the name of its god.
But we will walk
In the name of Yahweh,
Our God,
Forever and ever.”
Now Micah has a liturgical chant. Everyone walks under the name of their god. However, they were going to walk under the name of Yahweh, their God forever.
“Yahweh says.
‘On that day,
You will call me.
‘My husband.’
No longer
Will you call me.
‘My Baal.’
I will remove
The names of the Baals
From her mouth.
They shall be mentioned
By name
No more.’”
Yahweh said the Israelites would no longer call out the name Baal. Actually, this term meant master or lord, a term that was used later in addressing Yahweh, the God of Israel, especially with the Greek κγριος. Yahweh was going to be the husband of Israel. Baal would be removed from the mouths of these Israelites. No longer would his name be mentioned.
“When your wares
Came from the seas,
You satisfied
Many people.
You enriched
The kings of the earth
With your abundant wealth,
With your merchandise.
Now you are wrecked
By the seas,
In the depths
Of the waters.
Your merchandise,
With all your crew,
Have sunk with you.
All the inhabitants
Of the coastlands
Are appalled at you.
Their kings
Are horribly afraid.
Their faces
Are convulsed.
The merchants
Among the people
Hiss at you.
You have come
To a dreadful end.
You shall be no more
Forever.”
Many people benefited from the various goods that Tyre brought from the different towns on the Mediterranean Sea. Their wealth and merchandise enriched many kings. Now they have been wrecked by the deep sea. Both the merchandise and the crew are gone. Now all the inhabitants of the coastland towns were appalled at Tyre. In fact, their kings were horribly afraid as their faces convulsed. The merchants from these towns now hissed at the name of Tyre because they had come to a dreadful end. Tyre would not exist anymore.
“Take courage!
My people!
You perpetuate
Israel’s name!
It was not
For destruction
That you were sold
To the nations.
But you were handed over
To your enemies
Because you angered
God.
You provoked the one
Who made you!
You sacrificed to demons,
Not to God!
You forgot
The everlasting God,
Who brought you up!
You grieved Jerusalem,
Who reared you.”
This reminder for Israel was for the people to have courage, since they were going to perpetuate the name of Israel. These Israelites had been sold to various nations, not to destroy them, but to punish them. They had been handed over to their enemies, because they had angered God. They had provoked their creator by sacrificing to demons, and not God. They had forgotten their everlasting God who brought them up. There was no mention of the name of Yahweh here. They had grieved Jerusalem, the city that had reared them. Once again there is a personification of Jerusalem that can feel pain.
“‘The Israelites
Will praise me
In the land
Of their exile.
They will remember
My name.
They will turn
From their stubbornness.
They will turn
From their wicked deeds.
They will remember
The ways of their ancestors,
Who sinned
Before the Lord.
I will bring them again
Into the land
That I swore
To give to their ancestors,
To Abraham,
To Isaac,
To Jacob.
They will rule
Over it.
I will increase them.
They will not be diminished.
I will make
An everlasting covenant
With them
To be their God.
They shall be my people.
I will never again
Remove
My people Israel
From the land
That I have given them.’”
Baruch recounts what Yahweh via Moses said to the people about their repentance during the exile. The Israelites would praise him in their exile country as they would remember the name of Yahweh. They would turn from their stubbornness and wicked deeds. They would remember how their ancestors had sinned. Yahweh was going to again bring them into the land that he promised to their ancestors, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. There they would rule in this land as they increased, not diminished, with an everlasting covenant. He would be their God. They would be his people. He would never again remove them from the land that he had given them. We will see how that works out.
“The calamity
Of Moab
Is near at hand.
His doom
Approaches swiftly.
Mourn over him!
All you!
His neighbors!
All you!
Who know his name!
Say!
‘How the mighty scepter
Is broken,
The glorious staff!’”
The destruction of Moab was fast approaching. Soon it would be there. Jeremiah wanted all its neighbors and those who knew the name of Moab to mourn over Moab. They were to say that the mighty scepter of Moab, his glorious staff, had been broken.
“You yourselves recently repented.
You did what was right
In my sight
By proclaiming liberty,
To one another.
You made a covenant
Before me
In the house
That is called by my name.
But then you turned around.
You profaned my name.
Each of you took back
Your male slaves,
Your female slaves,
Whom you had set free
According to their desire.
You brought them again
Into subjection
To be your slaves.”
Yahweh seems upset that the people of Jerusalem have gone back on their agreement to free their Hebrew slaves. Originally, they had repented. They did what was right in the eyes of God. They had proclaimed by a covenant in the Temple of Yahweh that the Hebrew slaves in Jerusalem would be set free. However, then they changed their minds. They profaned the name of Yahweh and the Temple by breaking their commitment to free their slaves. They took back both their male and female slaves into subjection again. This is odd since the slaves had no place to go. There was never any mention of non-Hebrew slaves.
“You!
You showed signs!
You showed wonders
In the land of Egypt!
To this day
In Israel,
As well as among all humans,
You have made yourself
A name,
That continues to this very day.
You brought
Your people Israel
Out of the land of Egypt
With signs,
With wonders,
With a strong hand,
With an outstretched arm,
With great terror.”
The prayer of Jeremiah continues as he says that Yahweh performed many signs and wonders in Egypt. Thus even until the present, not only in Egypt and Israel, but throughout the whole world, everyone knows the name of the God of Israel. Yahweh brought his people out of Egypt with many signs and wonders that brought terror to the Egyptians. He had used a strong outstretched arm and hand to protect them in their journey from Egypt.
“Hear the word of Yahweh!
You who tremble at his word!
Your own people!
Those who hate you!
Those who cast you out
For my name’s sake!
They have said.
‘Let Yahweh be glorified!
Thus we may see your joy!
But it is they
Who shall be put to shame.
Listen!
An uproar from the city!
A voice from the temple!
The voice of Yahweh!
He renders retribution to his enemies!”
The prophet wanted everyone to hear and tremble at the powerful word of Yahweh. Those people who rejected the name of Yahweh will be put to shame. There will be an uproar in the city and the voice of Yahweh will be heard from the Temple as he renders retribution to his enemies.
“But you were angry.
We sinned!
Because you hid yourself,
We transgressed.
We have all become
Like one who is unclean.
All our righteous deeds are
Like a filthy cloth.
We all fade
Like a leaf.
Our iniquities are
Like the wind.
They take us away.
There is no one
Who calls on your name.
No one attempts
To take hold of you.
You have hidden your face
From us.
You have delivered us
Into the hand of our iniquities.”
Then the prophet proclaimed that he and his people were sinners. Once again, he tried to mitigate this sinfulness by saying that God was angry at them and hid his face. This made it easier to be a transgressor. They all became unclean, so that even their good deeds were like filthy cloths. They faded like a leaf into their iniquities. They were like the wind, blown away. No one called the name of Yahweh or tried to contact him, because Yahweh had hidden his face from them. Once again, in an attempt to avoid responsibility, the prophet said that he was delivered into the hands of iniquity, as if he could not refrain from it.
Eugene Finnegan Bible Project 