Jeremiah 2:21 - Exposition

A noble vine . Jeremiah means the choicest kind of Oriental vine, called sorek (from the dark-red color of its grapes), and mentioned again in Isaiah 5:2 . The figure of the vine is one endeared to us by its association especially with our Lord; it was endeared to the Jews by the annual festivities of the vintage. The sacred writers are never afraid of its palling on the ear by repetition (comp. Jeremiah 5:10 ; Jeremiah 6:9 ; Jeremiah 12:10 ; Isaiah 5:1-7 ; Isaiah 27:2 , Isaiah 27:3 ; Ezekiel 17:6 ; Psalms 80:8-16 ). A right seed ; i . e . a vine-shoot of the genuine sort. "Seed" for "shoot," as in Isaiah 17:11 (comp. Isaiah 17:10 ). The degenerate plant ; rather, degenerate shoots (if at least the text is right).