Jeremiah 4:10Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

They proclaimed, “O Lord God. Deceptive sustenance. Many words the prophets communicate with the Divine, striving in some manner to guide the people. This is akin to what parents and the guardians of parents engage in, collaboratively guiding their offspring. Where did He proclaim, ‘Peace be unto you’? In depicting joyous occasions, He declared, ‘And the house of Israel and Judah shall be united’ (Jeremiah 3:18), while He obliterates the idolatries. What motive does the prophet have in stating this? For it is certainly not ignorance—let that not be!—for He possesses complete knowledge of all things. Yet, what I mentioned earlier, that He relays to God what ought to be expressed by them, is to provide God with a basis for His response.”

Behold, the sword shall reach deep into their very souls, meaning it will bring death and destruction to their spirits. The prophet conveys this message, suggesting that the assurance of peace once given by the Lord to His people will indeed come to pass, and although they will not be completely lost, they will continue in their sinful ways. Moreover, the prophet appears to imply that the realization of this promise does not have to wait until the arrival of the Messiah, who will bring to completion the visions of the prophets; thus, this word may indeed be realized prior to the coming of the One who perfects and fulfills these prophecies.

I exclaimed, "Woe, woe, woe, woe, O Lord God!" (where the LXX renders it, "O Lord God!"). Did You mislead this people and Jerusalem, proclaiming, "Peace be with you," while the sword strikes the very soul? For God stated earlier, "At that time Jerusalem shall be called the throne of God, and all nations shall be gathered to it, on the mountain of the Lord in Jerusalem," yet now He declares, "The hearts of the kings and the hearts of the princes shall fail, and the priests shall tremble, and the prophets shall be astonished." The prophet is distressed, believing that God has deceived him, not u

Why have you misled the people of God and Jerusalem by declaring Peace be unto you, when the sword shall reach even their souls? The Prophet did not utter this because it was accurate; rather, in response to the false prophets who had misled the world by proclaiming that God had announced peace, the Prophet, in condemning their deceit, articulated his message in this manner: