Jeremiah 18:20
Should good be repaid with evil? Yet they have dug a pit for my life. Remember how I stood before you to speak good for them, to turn away your wrath from them.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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What's easily missed here is Jeremiah's profound astonishment at the sheer inversion of justice. It's not just that they're attacking him; it's that they're repaying his genuine efforts to save them with deadly schemes, a level of ingratitude so base it feels unnatural, as if he's being treated as a wild animal to be trapped.
Having just described how the people rejected God's message and Jeremiah's warnings, the prophet now cries out to God in anguish. He laments that his efforts to speak good for his people and turn God's wrath away from them have been met with their plotting to take his life.
Have you ever experienced the sting of doing good only to receive harm in return? Jeremiah cries out against this very injustice.
Jeremiah opens this lament with a powerful rhetorical question: "Shall evil be recompensed for good?" This isn't just a casual observation; it's a deep cry of pain and disbelief. He's highlighting a fundamental moral order that he believed people, even in their fallen state, should recognize. To repay kindness with malice goes against the grain of basic humanity.
His people had treated him, God's messenger, not with respect or even indifference, but with active malice. They hadn't just ignored his warnings; they had plotted against him, seeking his life. This wasn't a misunderstanding; it was a deliberate act of repaying his efforts for their well-being with hostility. The commentaries emphasize how this kind of ingratitude is seen as deeply unnatural and even, as Poole suggests, 'diabolical'—a characteristic of those far removed from any sense of goodness.
The imagery of digging a pit is visceral. What does this act reveal about Jeremiah's enemies and their intentions?
The phrase 'they have digged a pit for my soul' paints a vivid picture of lethal intent. It's not just about verbal attacks or social exclusion; it's about actively laying traps to destroy him. Commentators like Gill and Clarke explain that 'soul' here refers to his life—they were literally plotting to kill him.
This wasn't a fair fight or a public disagreement. It was sneaky, malicious plotting, like hunters ensnaring wild animals. The Cambridge commentary notes this imagery of treating the prophet like a dangerous beast to be trapped and slain. This deepens the tragedy: the very people he sought to save were plotting his demise with cunning and deceit.
Amidst the accusations and plots, Jeremiah turns to God. What does 'standing before you' mean in this context?
Jeremiah doesn't just complain; he appeals to God's memory. 'Remember how I stood before you to speak good for them, to turn away your wrath from them.' This phrase, 'stood before you,' carries immense weight. It signifies intercession, pleading, and acting as a mediator.
Understand the original words
chemah · Hebrew Noun
The righteous indignation of God against sin and rebellion. It is a holy response of God's character against that which violates His nature and covenant.
This verse reveals the profound and dangerous disconnect between God's desire for His people's well-being and their violent rejection of His prophet, highlighting the deep ingratitude Jeremiah faced while trying to save them from impending destruction.
c. 626 BC
Jeremiah Called as Prophet
Jeremiah begins his prophetic ministry, a time of significant political instability and looming threat from Babylon.
c. 605 BC
First Deportation to Babylon
Nebuchadnezzar deports Judean exiles, including Daniel, to Babylon, marking the beginning of the end for the Southern Kingdom.
c. 597 BC
Second Deportation to Babylon
Another wave of Judeans, including King Jehoiachin and the prophet Ezekiel, are exiled to Babylon, intensifying the crisis.
c. 586 BC
Fall of Jerusalem and Third Deportation
Nebuchadnezzar destroys Jerusalem and the Temple, exiling the remaining significant population to Babylon, ending the Davidic monarchy.
During Jeremiah's ministry (c. 626-586 BC)
This passage echoes Jeremiah's lament, directly asking 'They repay me evil for good, and hatred for my love,' highlighting the theme of undeserved persecution for good deeds.
Luke 23:34Jesus' prayer from the cross, 'Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do,' mirrors Jeremiah's role as an intercessor speaking good for those who sought his harm.
Romans 12:21This verse offers a direct contrast and command: 'Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good,' providing a New Testament principle that stands against the ingratitude Jeremiah experienced.
This apocryphal text describes Jeremiah as 'a lover of the brethren, who prayeth much for the people and the holy city,' confirming the ancient understanding of his persistent intercessory role for the very people who plotted against him.
barnesJeremiah 18:20: "Shall evil be recompensed for good? for they have digged a pit for my soul. Remember that I stood before thee to speak good for them, and to turn away thy wrath from them."
Jeremiah had been laboring earnestly to avert the ruin of his country, but the Jews treated him as farmers do some noxious animal which wastes their fields, and for which they dig pitfalls.
clarkeJeremiah 18:20: "Shall evil be recompensed for good? for they have digged a pit for my soul. Remember that I stood before thee to speak good for them, and to turn away thy wrath from them."
They have digged a pit for my soul - For my life; this they wish to take away. Stood before thee to speak good for them - I was their continual intercessor.
What's easily missed here is Jeremiah's profound astonishment at the sheer inversion of justice. It's not just that they're attacking him; it's that they're repaying his genuine efforts to save them with deadly schemes, a level of ingratitude so base it feels unnatural, as if he's being treated as a wild animal to be trapped.
Having just described how the people rejected God's message and Jeremiah's warnings, the prophet now cries out to God in anguish. He laments that his efforts to speak good for his people and turn God's wrath away from them have been met with their plotting to take his life.
Having just described how the people rejected God's message and Jeremiah's warnings, the prophet now cries out to God in anguish. He laments that his efforts to speak good for his people and turn God's wrath away from them have been met with their plotting to take his life.
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As the commentaries highlight, Jeremiah wasn't just a passive observer or a distant prophet. He actively stood in the gap between God and the people, using his God-given authority and his deep compassion to advocate for their well-being. He prayed for them, defended them, and sought to divert God's righteous judgment away from them. This was his mission, his burden. He appeals to God, the ultimate witness, reminding Him of his faithful service, even when his own people repaid him with treachery.
Jeremiah Intercedes for Judah
Jeremiah repeatedly pleads with God on behalf of the people, urging them to repent and seeking to avert God's judgment and wrath.
"Should good be repaid with evil? Yet they have dug a pit for my life. Remember how I stood before you to speak good for them, to turn away your wrath from them." — What's easily missed here is Jeremiah's profound astonishment at the sheer inversion of justice. It's not just that they're attacking him; it's that they're repaying his genuine efforts to save them…
