Jeremiah 9:26 - Exposition

All that are in the utmost corners ; rather, all that are corner-clipped ; i . e . that have the hair cut off about the ears and temples. Herodotus tells us, speaking of the Arabs, "Their practice is to cut the hair in a ring, away from the temples" (3.8); and among the representatives of various nations, colored figures of whom are given in the tomb of Rameses III ; we find some with a square place shaved just above the temples. The hair below this shaven place was allowed to grow long, and then plaited into a leek. It is to such customs that Jeremiah alludes here and in Jeremiah 25:23 ; Jeremiah 49:32 . A prohibition is directed against them in the Levitical Law (Le 19:27; Jeremiah 21:5 ). For all these nations are uncircumcised ; rather, all the nations , etc. Another obscure expression. Does it mean (taken together with the following clause), "The Gentile peoples are uncircumcised in the flesh, and the people of Israel is equally so in heart?" But this does not agree with facts (see above, on Jeremiah 49:25 ). It is safer, therefore, to assume that "uncircumcised" is equivalent to "circumcised in uncircumcision" ( Jeremiah 49:25 ). The next clause will then simply give the most conspicuous instance of this unspiritual obedience to a mere form.