As in Jeremiah 4:27 and again in Jeremiah 5:18, it is not necessary to see the negative here as a later addition to try and soften a prediction of total disaster.1 The fact that pruning is used as the imagery of the Lord’s coming judgment suggests that even though this judgment is going to be severe, it was never the Lord’s intention to totally destroy Judah. The enemy is to strip away her branches, for they are not the Lord’s.
The Lord permits the enemy to do a severe pruning of Judah, the vine that has become a wild, degenerate vine (Jeremiah 2:21).2 It is a radical metaphor with severe cutting taking place, and useless branches being burned. Judah’s faithlessness will be removed, but the ultimate goal is to restore faithful fellowship with the Lord.3
10 “Go up through her vine rows and destroy, but make not a full end; strip away her branches, for they are not the LORD’s.