Jeremiah 4:10

Thou hast greatly deceived. Some have found difficulty with this verse, as God seems to be charged with deceit. The speaker is presumably Jeremiah. The most natural way to regard the prophet as expressing his feelings in strong language (see Isa. 63:17; Jonah 4:3, 4; etc.). Jeremiah himself used similar language elsewhere (see Jer. 20:7). The prophet may have expected the speedy fulfillment of such promises as those of Jer. 3:14-18. He may also have had in mind the prophecies of 2 Sam. 7:12-16 and 1 Kings 2:33, that predicted the permanence of David’s house. Hence his strong disappointment at the vision of the impending calamity.

Among other suggestions are the following: (1) A change in vowel pointing to give the rendering, “And one shall say,” etc. The subject could then be taken as either one of the people or one of the false prophets. Codex Alexandrinus of the LXX reads, “They said,” “they” doubtless intended to refer to the false prophets. (2) The words are those of the false prophets, on finding that their predictions of peace were not coming to pass. (3) The passage presents God as doing that which He does not prevent (see on 2 Sam. 12:11; 16:22; 24:1), as if Jeremiah said, “Thou hast suffered them to be greatly deceived by their false prophets” (see 1 Kings 22:22; Isa. 63:17; Eze. 14:9; 2 Thess. 2:11). (4) The statement is an interrogation, “Can it possibly be that thou permittest thy people to be thus deluded?” (5) The word translated “deceived” should be rendered “disappointed,” or should be given permissive force, thus making the passage read, “Thou hast permitted this people to be greatly deceived.”