11 Thus you will say
to them, “let the gods who did not make the heavens and the earth perish from
the earth and from beneath the heavens.”
. . .
This verse is the solitary
example of Aramaic in Jeremiah. Because in addition to being a linguistic departure
it also interrupts the flow of the surrounding hymn, many consider it a late
insertion into the hymn. This possibility notwithstanding, it had found its way
into the text before the book attained its final, canonical form and should
not, therefore, be excised. (Mark E. Biddle, Jeremiah: The Contextual
Critical Commentary [The Contextual Critical Commentary; Eugene, Oreg.:
Cascade Books, 2026], 109, 109 n. 4)
The gods of the Semitic pantheon
were typically associated with astral bodies (v 2); the polemic implies that
objects in the created order cannot command the reverence due the creator.
Likewise, the statues that represent the deities of the pantheon are empty
vanities (v 3 hebel; cf. Eccl 1:2). How can they deserve the reference
of human beings when human beings manufacture them, carving them from wood (v
3), plating them with silver from Tarshish and gold from Uphaz, nailing them
down so that they cannot tip over (v 4), and dressing them in royal fabrics (v
9). These adorned woodcarvings are mute, immobile, and impotent—neither posing
a threat nor capable of bestowing blessing (v 5). In sum, they are lifeless (v
14). The idea that these metal-plated woodcarvings, manufactured by creatures,
merit reverence as creators of the world only mocks and shames their makers.
Significantly, the Aramaic v 11, which functions as a summation of this
polemic, highlights this very element. These figurines are “the gods who did
not make the heavens and the earth.” On the other hand, the polemic depicts
YHWH as the incomparable, true, and living God. The maker of all things with
power, wisdom, and understanding, YHWH rules over all things. He shakes the
whole earth; his voice disturbs the waters; he sends lightning, rain, and wind.
Perhaps most importantly, YHWH is the “Portion of Jacob” and Israel, “the tribe
of his inheritance.” (Mark E. Biddle, Jeremiah: The Contextual Critical
Commentary [The Contextual Critical Commentary; Eugene, Oreg.: Cascade
Books, 2026], 112)
