THEOSISJohn Chrysostom
They will yield your harvest. He refers to the moment of assault: just when you anticipate savoring the rewards, then devastation will arrive and ravage the land, resulting in the destruction of your provisions.
Jeremiah 5:16Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers
Their quiver is as an open sepulchre, they are all valiant.
אַשְׁפָּת֖וֹ כְּקֶ֣בֶר פָּת֑וּחַ כֻּלָּ֖ם גִּבּוֹרִֽים׃
The Church Fathers on this verse
3 Church Fathers comment on this verse
Jerome of Stridon
Look, I will send upon you, O house of Israel, a distant nation, declares the LORD, a mighty nation, an ancient nation, a people whose language you will not comprehend, nor will you understand what they speak. Their arrows are like an open grave; they are valiant. They will consume your harvest and your bread, devour your sons and daughters, consume your flocks and herds, devastate your vineyards and fig trees, and will overthrow your fortified cities in which you trust with the sword. Yet in those days, says the Lord, I will not bring total destruction upon you.
Read more (215 words)
Soon enough, the prophets who proclaim lies will come to you, thinking they speak to the wind, but behold, I will bring upon you the nation of Babylon, a mighty nation that comes from afar, an ancient people ruled once by the giant Nimrod (Genesis 10:10). You will not comprehend their language, or as the Hebrew states, you shall not understand what they will say; for it brings comfort in times of trouble if your adversaries are those who can be pleaded with and who comprehend your requests. Moreover, their quivers are like open graves, a symbol that the Seventy did not convey.
There is no question that the Assyrians, Babylonians, Medes, and Persians were exceptionally skilled in archery. At the same time, this paints a picture of the devastation in the land of Judah, marked by many losses, the pillaging of livestock, the ruin of cities and their walls; everything will be overtaken by the enemy's sword. Nevertheless, amid such overwhelming disasters, God will not bring them to complete annihilation but will preserve a remnant—those who are taken to Babylon and later allowed to return to tend to the land of Judah, or those who, after enduring the flame of persecution, have managed through flight or witness to maintain their faith in the Lord.
Theodoret of Cyrus
Look, I will send to you a language from afar, O house of Israel, declares the Lord, an ancient language. He comprehends the Assyrians; he refers to them as 'an ancient language' because their empire predates all others; Nimrod was the first to rule them after the flood. He further notes that his own speech is also foreign, comparing his quiver (Jeremiah 2:16) to an ‘open grave,’ due to the lethality of the arrows and the precision in their aim. He also describes the devastation of the land, the looting of homes, and the oppression of the people. Yet he also predicts the downfall of their foes and the return of the Jews. For he proclaims:
Cross references
Passages read together with this verse.
- Isa 5:28Their arrows are sharp, and all their bows are bent. The hoofs of their horses shall be like the flint, and their wheels like the violence of a tempest.
- Ps 5:9Conduct me, O Lord, in thy justice: because of my enemies, direct my way in thy sight.
- Rom 3:13Their throat is an open sepulchre: with their tongues they have dealt deceitfully. The venom of asps is under their lips.