Jeremiah 7:2

Stand in the gate of the LORD'S house, and proclaim there this word, and say, Hear the word of the LORD, all ye of Judah, that enter in at these gates to worship the LORD.

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(2) The gate of the Lord’s house.—As a priest, Jeremiah would have access to all parts of the Temple. On some day when the courts were thronged with worshippers (Jeremiah 7:10), probably a fast-day specially appointed, he stands at the inner gate of one of the courts, possibly, as in Jeremiah 17:19, that by which the king entered in ceremonial state, and looking about on the multitudes that thronged it, speaks to them “the word of the Lord,” the message which he had been specially commissioned to deliver.

Benson Commentary

Jeremiah 7:2. Stand in the gates of the Lord’s house — Namely, the east gate of the temple, which led directly to it, where he delivered this discourse, before all the people who entered there. And proclaim there this word — Proclaiming signifies both the authority by which he spake, and the divulging of what he spake plainly and boldly. And as it was in so public a place, namely, at the entrance of the court of the people, not of that of the priests, that he uttered this prophecy, so possibly it might be at one of the three feasts, when all the males from all parts of the country were to appear before the Lord in the courts of his house. In that case he would have many collected together to preach to, and that was the most seasonable time to admonish them not to trust in their privileges.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

7:1-16 No observances, professions, or supposed revelations, will profit, if men do not amend their ways and their doings. None can claim an interest in free salvation, who allow themselves in the practice of known sin, or live in the neglect of known duty. They thought that the temple they profaned would be their protection. But all who continue in sin because grace has abounded, or that grace may abound, make Christ the minister of sin; and the cross of Christ, rightly understood, forms the most effectual remedy to such poisonous sentiments. The Son of God gave himself for our transgressions, to show the excellence of the Divine law, and the evil of sin. Never let us think we may do wickedness without suffering for it.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

In Jeremiah 7-10 he addresses the people as they flocked into Jerusalem from the country, to attend the solemn services in the temple upon a fastday. Jehoiakim Jeremiah 26 had just ascended the throne, and was so incensed at this sermon that he would have put Jeremiah to death but for the influence of Ahikam. With the accession of Jehoiakim all hope of averting the ruin of the country had passed away. He represented the reverse of his father's policy, and belonged to that faction, who placed their sole hope of deliverance in a close alliance with Pharaoh-Necho. As this party rejected the distinctive principles of the theocracy, and the king was personally an irreligious man, the maintenance of the worship of Yahweh was no longer an object of the public care. At this time upon a public fast-day, appointed probably because of the calamities under which the nation was laboring, Jeremiah was commanded by Yahweh to stand at the gate of the temple, and address to the people as they entered words of solemn warning. The whole sermon divides itself into three parts;

In Jeremiah 7-10 he addresses the people as they flocked into Jerusalem from the country, to attend the solemn services in the temple upon a fastday. Jehoiakim Jeremiah 26 had just ascended the throne, and was so incensed at this sermon that he would have put Jeremiah to death but for the influence of Ahikam. With the accession of Jehoiakim all hope of averting the ruin of the country had passed away. He represented the reverse of his father's policy, and belonged to that faction, who placed their sole hope of deliverance in a close alliance with Pharaoh-Necho. As this party rejected the distinctive principles of the theocracy, and the king was personally an irreligious man, the maintenance of the worship of Yahweh was no longer an object of the public care. At this time upon a public fast-day, appointed probably because of the calamities under which the nation was laboring, Jeremiah was commanded by Yahweh to stand at the gate of the temple, and address to the people as they entered words of solemn warning. The whole sermon divides itself into three parts;

(1) It points out the folly of the superstitious confidence placed by the people in the temple, while they neglect the sole sure foundation of a nation's hope. A sanctuary long polluted by immorality must inevitably be destroyed Jeremiah 7:2-8:3.

(2) complaints follow of a more general character, in which the growing wickedness of the nation and especially of the leaders is pointed out Jeremiah 8:4-9:24.

(3) lastly the prophet shows the possibility of averting the evils impending upon the nation Jeremiah 9:25-10:25.

Jeremiah 10:1-2. The temple had several entrances 2 Chronicles 4:9; and the gate or door here mentioned is probably that of the inner court, where Baruch read Jeremiah's scroll Jeremiah 36:10. The prophet stood in the doorway, and addressed the people assembled in the outer court.

All ye of Judah - Better, literally all Judah (compare Jeremiah 26:2).

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

2. the gate—that is, the gate of the court of Israel within that of the women. Those whom Jeremiah addresses came through the gate leading into the court of the women, and the gate leading into the outer court, or court of the Gentiles ("these gates").

Matthew Poole's Commentary

Stand in the gate, viz. the east gate, which was chiefly frequented; this being the public place of going out and coming in, and where the people were then wont to assemble, Jeremiah 26:2,10; and he is said to stand, because he was to execute the office of a preacher, Jeremiah 26:2, not of a judge, where the posture would rather have been sitting.

The Lord’s house; the temple, Jeremiah 7:4,10.

Proclaim there: the place notes the vanity of their confidence, who, notwithstanding all their provocations, yet placed their safety much in the privileges of the temple, glorying much in that; and the manner. proclaiming, signifies both the authority by which he spake, and the divulging of what he spake plainly and boldly, which as it was in a public place, viz. the court of the people, not the court of the priests, (from which it is distinguished, 2 Chronicles 4:9) and therefore said at these gates, viz. the several gates that were in the wall of the court, of which there were six, three on the south side and three on the north; so, possibly, it might be at some public time of the people’s resorting thither from all quarters, Psalm 122:4,5, when all the males were to meet, Exodus 23:17; see John 7:37; and therefore said,

all ye of Judah. This word; the message that I send thee with.

The word of the Lord: see Jeremiah 2:4.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

Stand in the gate of the Lord's house,.... That is, of the temple, and the court of it. This gate, as Kimchi says, was the eastern gate, which was the principal gate of all; see Jeremiah 26:2,

and proclaim there this word, and say; with a loud voice, as follows:

hear ye the word of the Lord, all ye of Judah; the inhabitants of the several parts of Judea, which came to the temple to worship; very probably it was a feast day, as Calvin conjectures; either the passover, or pentecost, or feast of tabernacles, when all the males in Israel appeared in court:

that enter in at these gates to worship the Lord; there were seven gates belonging to the court, three on the north, three on the south, and one in the east, the chief of all, as Kimchi, Abarbinel, and Ben Melech observe; and this agrees with the account in the Misna (k). The names of them were these; on the south side were these three, the watergate, the gate of the firstlings; or the gate of offering, and the gate of kindling; on the north were these three, the gate Nitzotz, called also the gate of the song, the gate Korban, sometimes called the gate of women, and Beth Moked; and the gate in the east was the gate Nicanor, and this gate was the most frequented; and therefore Jeremiah was ordered to stand here, and deliver his message.

(k) Middot, c. 1. sect. 4, 5.

Geneva Study Bible

Stand in the gate of the LORD's house, and proclaim there this word, and say, Hear the word of the LORD, all ye of Judah, that enter in at these gates to worship the LORD.

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

2. the gate] In Jeremiah 26:2 “the court” (perhaps the “new gate” of Jeremiah 36:10), probably between the inner and outer court, in the latter of which the crowd from city and country would assemble on a fast day or festival. The sympathy of numbers would naturally provoke the attack which followed (Jeremiah 26:7 ff.).

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 2. - Stand in the gate; i.e. not an outer gate (for the outer court would be filled with the people whom Jeremiah was to address), but one of the three gates which led from the inner court to the outer. Probably it was the gate where Baruch recited the prophecies of Jeremiah at a later period, and which is designated "the new gate of the Lord's house," and said to have been situated in the "upper" i.e. inner court (Jeremiah 36:10; comp. Jeremiah 26:10). We may conjecture that either one of the three great festivals or some extraordinary fast had brought a large number of people together at the temple. Jeremiah 7:2

Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament

The gate of the temple into which the prophet was to go and stand, is doubtless one of the three gates of the inner or upper court, in which he could stand and address the people gathered before him, in the outer court; perhaps the same in which Baruch read Jeremiah's prophecies to the people, Jeremiah 36:10 (Schmid, Hitz.). The gates through which the people entered to worship are those of the outer court. The form of address: All Judah, ye who enter, etc., warrant us in assuming that Jeremiah delivered this discourse at one of the great annual festivals, when the people were wont to gather to Jerusalem from the length and breadth of the land.