Jeremiah 18:17
Like the east wind I will scatter them before the enemy. I will show them my back, not my face, in the day of their calamity.”
English Standard Version (ESV)
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The chilling image of God showing them His "back, not His face" isn't just about abandonment, but a reversal of His covenant promise where His face was meant to shine upon them. This isn't merely God turning away in anger; it's a deliberate withholding of the very life-giving presence that sustained them.
God is revealing the inevitable judgment coming upon unrepentant Judah, contrasting it with the potential for repentance shown in the preceding pottery illustration. This declaration of divine abandonment comes after Jeremiah has illustrated how God's plans can change based on people's response, but now pronounces a severe consequence for Judah's persistent rebellion.
Imagine a wind so fierce it doesn't just blow, it obliterates. Jeremiah uses a potent image to describe God's coming judgment.
The verse describes God scattering His people "as with an east wind." This wasn't just any breeze.
A Wind of Destruction
Commentators consistently highlight the destructive power of the east wind in the ancient Near East. It was known for being:
God uses this powerful, destructive force as a metaphor for how swiftly and completely He will scatter the disobedient Israelites before their enemies. This wasn't a gentle correction, but a forceful removal.
In ancient culture, turning your back on someone was the ultimate insult and sign of dismissal. What does it mean when God does it?
The second part of the verse is intensely personal: "I will show them my back, not my face, in the day of their calamity.”
More Than Just Absence
This isn't simply God withdrawing His presence. It signifies:
Understand the original words
qadim · Hebrew Noun
A destructive, scorching wind blowing from the desert. It serves as a common prophetic metaphor for divine judgment that comes quickly and sweeps away those who have turned from God.
puwts · Hebrew Verb
An act of dispersion or dispersal, often used in scripture to describe God’s judgment of scattering His people away from their land due to covenant unfaithfulness.
eyd · Hebrew Noun
A time of distress, misfortune, or disaster. In Scripture, it is frequently linked to the inescapable consequences of ignoring God’s word and His moral law.
Jeremiah's prophecy of scattering and God turning His back describes the devastating Babylonian exile, a severe punishment for Judah's persistent disobedience.
c. 722 BC
Fall of the Northern Kingdom
The Assyrian Empire conquers the Northern Kingdom of Israel, deporting many citizens and scattering them, serving as a stark warning to Judah.
c. 605 BC
First Babylonian Deportation
Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon conquers Judah, initiating a series of deportations. The prophet Daniel is among those taken, and Jerusalem's treasures are plundered.
c. 597 BC
Second Babylonian Deportation
Babylon deports more Judeans, including King Jehoiachin and the prophet Ezekiel, after Jerusalem rebels. This event deepens the crisis for Judah.
c. 586 BC— this verse
Destruction of Jerusalem and Temple
Nebuchadnezzar utterly destroys Jerusalem and its Temple, exiling the majority of the remaining population to Babylon. This is the ultimate calamity Jeremiah foretold.
This passage directly parallels Jeremiah's imagery of God turning His back, explaining that the people had first turned their 'back' and 'face' away from God, showing a reciprocal rejection.
Isaiah 59:2This verse describes God hiding His face because of the people's sins, which echoes Jeremiah's pronouncement that God will show them His back, not His face, indicating a withdrawal of His presence and favor.
Proverbs 1:26This proverb speaks of God laughing at and mocking those who call on Him in disaster, aligning with the sentiment in Jeremiah that God will not listen or help when they cry out in their calamity.
Hosea 13:15Hosea uses imagery of a destructive east wind to describe God's judgment upon the people, similar to Jeremiah's metaphor of scattering them 'as with an east wind' before the enemy.
barnesJeremiah 18:17: "I will scatter them as with an east wind before the enemy; I will shew them the back, and not the face, in the day of their calamity."
I will shew them the back - The hiding of God's face is the sure sign of His displeasure Isaiah 1:15 ; Isaiah 59:2 . I will scatter them as with an east wind before the enemy. (Compare Genesis 41:6; Exodus 10:13; Exodus 14:21; Job 38:24; Psalm 78:26; Habakkuk 1:6). This wind was usually hot, noxious, blasting and scorching (Taylor).
clarkeJeremiah 18:17: "I will scatter them as with an east wind before the enemy; I will shew them the back, and not the face, in the day of their calamity."
I will scatter them as with an east wind - It is the property of this wind, almost every where, to parch up, blast, and destroy grain and trees, and even cattle and men suffer from it. Hence the old metrical proverb: - "When the wind blows from the east, 'Tis good for neither man nor beast."
The chilling image of God showing them His "back, not His face" isn't just about abandonment, but a reversal of His covenant promise where His face was meant to shine upon them. This isn't merely God turning away in anger; it's a deliberate withholding of the very life-giving presence that sustained them.
God is revealing the inevitable judgment coming upon unrepentant Judah, contrasting it with the potential for repentance shown in the preceding pottery illustration. This declaration of divine abandonment comes after Jeremiah has illustrated how God's plans can change based on people's response, but now pronounces a severe consequence for Judah's persistent rebellion.
God is revealing the inevitable judgment coming upon unrepentant Judah, contrasting it with the potential for repentance shown in the preceding pottery illustration. This declaration of divine abandonment comes after Jeremiah has illustrated how God's plans can change based on people's response, but now pronounces a severe consequence for Judah's persistent rebellion.
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In their deepest trouble, when they would cry out, God's response would be utter indifference, symbolized by His turned back.
c. 539 BC
Cyrus's Conquest of Babylon
The Persian Empire under Cyrus the Great conquers Babylon, opening the way for the return of Jewish exiles to Jerusalem.
"Like the east wind I will scatter them before the enemy. I will show them my back, not my face, in the day of their calamity.”" — The chilling image of God showing them His "back, not His face" isn't just about abandonment, but a reversal of His covenant promise where His face was meant to shine upon them. This isn't merely God…
