The plucking up, the breaking down, and the destroying are Jehovah’s tearing down, whereas the building up and the planting are Jehovah’s exalting. This corresponds to the two meanings of Jeremiah’s name (see note Jer. 1:11). Jehovah’s building up and His planting both involve His word. God’s word is a building up of Christ and a planting of Christ for the exalting of Christ (Acts 20:32; Mark 4:14).
Related to the word watch, found in v. 12. Here the rod of an almond tree signifies that God was watching over His word in order to fulfill it, i.e., to execute His word to punish Israel (cf. Deut. 28:15-68).
Ezek. 11:3, 7; 24:3
On earth there is always a battle raging between God and those who oppose Him and fight against Him. God fights not by Himself directly but through His servants who have been sent by Him. This was the situation in Jeremiah’s time. God sent His army — a young man named Jeremiah — to fight against those who opposed Him. Jeremiah was equipped by God to such an extent that he became a fortified city and an iron pillar and brass walls. Because God was with him to deliver him, the opposers would not prevail over him (v. 19).
Lit., given. Jeremiah was born a priest (v. 1), but he was called by God to be a prophet not only to the nation of Israel but also to all the nations (vv. 5-8). Hence, he was a priest-prophet.
The content of Jeremiah’s prophecy is God’s carrying out of His economy through His chastisement of Israel, His elect, in love with His tender care, compassion, and sympathy, and His judgment on the nations in righteousness to match His love, that Israel may manifest Christ, who is their divine righteousness (Jer. 23:6; 33:16) as their centrality and universality, by their being made a new creation with the inner law of the divine life and the capacity of this life to know God (Jer. 31:33-34).
Meaning perhaps Jah exalts, or Jah tears down; Jah being a shortened form of Jehovah.
