THEOSISJohn Chrysostom
The Lord addressed me. Why does He inquire? To lend authenticity to the message, allowing the people to recognize the answer as the way forward.
Jeremiah 24:3Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers
And the Lord said to me: What seest thou, Jeremiah? And I said: Figs, the good figs, very good: and the bad figs, very bad, which cannot be eaten because they are bad.
וַיֹּ֨אמֶר יְהוָ֜ה אֵלַ֗י מָֽה־אַתָּ֤ה רֹאֶה֙ יִרְמְיָ֔הוּ וָאֹמַ֖ר תְּאֵנִ֑ים הַתְּאֵנִ֤ים הַטֹּבוֹת֙ טֹב֣וֹת מְאֹ֔ד וְהָֽרָעוֹת֙ רָע֣וֹת מְאֹ֔ד אֲשֶׁ֥ר לֹא־תֵאָכַ֖לְנָה מֵרֹֽעַ׃
The Church Fathers on this verse
2 Church Fathers comment on this verse
Ephraem the Syrian
The Lord revealed to me two containers. In a vision, the Lord showed Jeremiah two containers: one brimming with good figs and the other filled with bad figs. When the prophet acknowledged seeing both good and bad figs, the word of the Lord came to him. Jeremiah was instructed to proclaim the blessings of the former and the curses of the latter, as King Jehoiakim responded to the Lord's warnings with fear and surrendered his spirit to King Nebuchadnezzar. In contrast, King Zedekiah, in his arrogance, disregarded the Chaldean king and refused to submit himself and his people, even after hearing from Jeremiah that he and the remaining Jews would face resettlement.
Read more (138 words)
Because of this disobedience, the prophet, using the imagery of a pot filled with spoiled figs, foretold devastation, famine, and exile for the city, the king, and all remaining Jews, including those who sought refuge in Egypt. These were calamities reminiscent of the dire warnings that Moses had previously issued to the unyielding people. In a profound manner, this vision illustrates the separation between the righteous and the unrighteous, indicating that their futures will diverge significantly: the righteous will experience blessings while the unrighteous will face dire consequences. The prophet amplifies this notion by stating, "Good men, good indeed; and evil men, evil indeed." It is clear that the prophet does not follow a chronological order here, as the events he subsequently describes, which pertain to Jehoiakim, occurred many years prior to those currently addressed by the prophet.
Cross references
Passages read together with this verse.
- Amos 8:2And he said: What seest thou, Amos? And I said: A hook to draw down fruit. And the Lord said to me: The end is come upon my people Israel: I will not again pass by them any more.
- Jer 1:11And the word of the Lord came to me, saying: What seest thou, Jeremiah? And I said: I see a rod watching.
- Jer 1:14And the Lord said to me: From the north shall an evil break forth upon all the inhabitants of the land.
- Matt 25:32And all nations shall be gathered together before him: and he shall separate them one from another, as the shepherd separateth the sheep from the goats:
- Matt 25:33And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on his left.
- Zech 5:5And the angel went forth that spoke in me, and he said to me: Lift up thy eyes, and see what this is, that goeth forth.
- Zech 5:11And he said to me: That a house may be built for it in the land of Sennaar, and that it may be established, and set there upon its own basis.
- Zech 4:2And he said to me: What seest thou? And I said: I have looked, and behold a candlestick all of gold, and its lamp upon the top of it: and the seven lights thereof upon it: and seven funnels for the lights that were upon the top thereof.