“Yahweh!
My strength!
My stronghold!
My refuge in the day of trouble!
The nations shall come to you
From the ends of the earth.
They will say.
‘Our fathers have inherited
Nothing but lies,
Worthless things,
In which there is no profit.
Can mortals make for themselves gods?
Such are not gods!’”
Jeremiah in this passage, which is probably from the exilic time, talks about Yahweh being his strength and stronghold, his refuge in the time of trouble. All the countries of the world would come from the ends of the flat earth to Yahweh. They were going to say that their fathers inherited nothing but useless lies that did not lead to any gain. How could mortals make gods for themselves? Truly, they were not gods at all. This is the universal appeal of Yahweh that does not appear until the exilic times.
Eugene Finnegan Bible Project 