1 The word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah the prophet against the Philistines, before that Pharaoh smote Gaza.

2 Thus saith the Lord; Behold, waters rise up out of the north, and shall be an overflowing flood, and shall overflow the land, and all that is therein; the city, and them that dwell therein: then the men shall cry, and all the inhabitants of the land shall howl.

3 At the noise of the stamping of the hoofs of his strong horses, at the rushing of his chariots, and at the rumbling of his wheels, the fathers shall not look back to their children for feebleness of hands;

4 Because of the day that cometh to spoil all the Philistines, and to cut off from Tyrus and Zidon every helper that remaineth: for the Lord will spoil the Philistines, the remnant of the country of Caphtor.

5 Baldness is come upon Gaza; Ashkelon is cut off with the remnant of their valley: how long wilt thou cut thyself?

6 O thou sword of the Lord, how long will it be ere thou be quiet? put up thyself into thy scabbard, rest, and be still.

7 How can it be quiet, seeing the Lord hath given it a charge against Ashkelon, and against the sea shore? there hath he appointed it.

Commentary

Verse 1

John Wesley's Bible Commentary
Before - In the time of the Philistines prosperity.
McArther Bible Commentary
against the Philistines. Cf. Isa 14:29-32; Eze 25:15-17; Amo 1:6-8; Zep 2:4-7. Although Egypt's Pharaoh Hophra conquered the Philistines (who lived on the coastal plain of Palestine) in Gaza and Phoenicia around 587 B.C. (Jer 47:1), Babylon appears to be the conqueror in this scene, ("out of the north") at the same time as their invasion of Judah (588-586 B.C.; cf. Jer 39:1-2).
Bible Cross References
Genesis 10:19 1 Kings 4:24 Isaiah 14:29 Jeremiah 25:20 Ezekiel 25:16 Joel 3:4 Amos 1:6 Amos 1:8 Zephaniah 2:4 Zechariah 9:6

Verse 2

Bible Cross References
Revelation 17:15 Isaiah 8:7 Isaiah 8:8 Isaiah 14:31 Isaiah 15:2 Jeremiah 1:14 Jeremiah 6:22 Jeremiah 46:7 Jeremiah 46:12 Jeremiah 46:20 Jeremiah 46:24

Verse 3

Bible Cross References
Revelation 9:9 Judges 5:22 Jeremiah 8:16 Jeremiah 46:9 Jeremiah 50:42 Ezekiel 23:24 Ezekiel 26:10 Nahum 2:8 Nahum 3:2

Verse 4

John Wesley's Bible Commentary
The day - Which God hath set, and appointed for their ruin. Caphtor - Tyre and Sidon were neighbours to the Philistines, and so were often called to their help. The Philistines and Caphtorim were related, for their first progenitors, Philistim and Caphtorim, were both the sons of Mizriam the son of Ham, one of the sons of Noah.
Bible Cross References
Genesis 10:14 Genesis 10:15 Deuteronomy 2:23 Isaiah 14:31 Isaiah 23:1 Isaiah 23:4 Isaiah 23:5 Jeremiah 25:22 Joel 3:4 Amos 1:9 Amos 1:10 Amos 9:7 Zechariah 9:2

Verse 5

John Wesley's Bible Commentary
The remnant - Those who lived in the valleys near Ashkelon. But thyself - Why will you afflict yourselves, when all your mourning will do you no good.
Bible Cross References
Judges 1:18 Jeremiah 16:6 Jeremiah 25:20 Jeremiah 41:5 Jeremiah 48:37 Amos 1:6 Amos 1:7 Amos 1:8 Micah 1:16 Zephaniah 2:4 Zephaniah 2:7 Zechariah 9:5

Verse 6

John Wesley's Bible Commentary
O thou sword - Perhaps they are the words of the prophet, lamenting the havock which he made among the Philistines by the Chaldeans.
John Calvin Bible Commentary
Here Jeremiah turns to address the sword of God; and it is a happy apostrophe. It is very striking and forcible, when the Prophet at one time addresses the land of the Philistines, and at another, the sword of God; and he had no other object but to confirm his prophecy, of which otherwise, the Jews might have doubted. He then says, Ho! sword of Jehovah! Though he puts here the prepositionל,lamed, which designates the dative case; yet it is often redundant. There is, in the meantime, no doubt but that he intimates that the slaughter of which he speaks would be, as it were, by God’s sword, or by a sword hired by him. Thus he shews that the Chaldeans would do the work of God in destroying the land of the Philistines.How long,he says,ere thou restest! Hide thyself in thy sheath, rest and be stillHere the Prophet assumes the character of another, as though he wished to soothe with blandishments the sword of God, and mitigate its fury. “O sword,” he says, “spare them, leave off to rage against the Philistines.” The Prophet, it is certain, had no such feeling; but, as we have said elsewhere, it was a common thing with the Prophets to assume different characters while endeavor-ing more fully to confirm their doctrine. It is the same, then, as though he represented here the Philistines; and the Prophets speak also often in the person of those on whom they denounce the vengeance of God. It is here as though he had said, “The Philistines will humbly ask pardon of God’s sword, but it will be without advantage or profit; for when they seek to mitigate the wrath of God, the answer will be,How can it rest?”Here the Prophet, as it were, reproves himself, “I act foolishly in wishing to repress the sword of God; for how canst thou rest?” It could not be; and why?because God hath commanded it against AshkelonHe now changes the person, but without any injury to the sense.God, then,hath commanded it,therefore the whole world would intercede in vain; in vain also will the Philistines deprecate it; for it will not be in their power to mitigate God’s wrath, when it shall burn against them and against Ashkelon.
McArther Bible Commentary
sword of the Lord. Cf. Jdg 7:18, Jdg 7:20.
Bible Cross References
Judges 7:20 Jeremiah 12:12 Jeremiah 48:10 Jeremiah 50:35 Ezekiel 21:3 Ezekiel 21:30 Zechariah 13:7

Verse 7

John Wesley's Bible Commentary
How - God lets the prophet know that he had given this sword its commission, and therefore it could not stop 'till Ashkelon and the people on the sea - shore were destroyed by it.
Bible Cross References
Isaiah 10:6 Jeremiah 48:10 Ezekiel 14:17 Ezekiel 21:30 Micah 6:9