Jeremiah 26:8 - Exposition

Had made an end of speaking . They allowed Jeremiah to finish his discourse (of which we have here only the briefest summary), either from a lingering reverence for his person and office, or to obtain fuller materials for an accusation (comp. the trial of Stephen, Acts 6:12-14 ). All the people . The "people" appear to have been always under some constraint. As long as the priests and prophets were alone, they dominated the unofficial classes, but when the princes appeared (verse 11), the new influence proved superior. In verse 16 princes and people together go over to the side of Jeremiah. Thou shalt surely die . Death was the legal penalty both for blasphemy (Le 24:16) and for presuming to prophesy without having received a prophetic revelation ( Deuteronomy 18:20 ). Jeremiah's declaration ran so entirely counter to the prejudices of his hearers that he may well have been accused of both these sins, or crimes. True, Isaiah and Amos had already predicted the destruction of Jerusalem ( Isaiah 5:5 , Isaiah 5:6 ; Isaiah 6:11 ; Amos 2:4 , Amos 2:5 ; Amos 6:1 , Amos 6:2 ); but it may have been contended that the timely repentance of Judah under Hezekiah and Josiah had effectually cancelled the threatened doom, and though Isaiah 64:10 , Isaiah 64:11 evidently refers to a time later than Josiah, and represents the ruin of Jerusalem as practically certain, it would seem that the prophetic book (Isaiah 40-66.) to which this belongs (to say the least) was not generally known.