Two Hebrew words are used to describe the state of affairs in Judah. The first is saarua, which is translated as appalling.
This comes from the root meaning filthy.
The second is samma, translated as horrible thing
and normally refers to the horror people express when they witness the destruction caused by the Lord’s judgement. These two words combine to describe what is truly loathsome and abhorrent in the Lord’s eyes.1
In particular, the appalling
and horrible thing
that is in view is the behaviour of the prophets and priests. The prophets prophesy falsely.
Instead of declaring the Lord’s words, they spoke their own message, which neither rebuked Judah for her faithlessness nor warned of the Lord’s judgment. Instead, they offered comfort to the oppressor and disillusionment to the oppressed.
2 The priests in turn rule at their direction.
Instead of following the Lord’s word, the priests were following the man-made words of the false prophets. The priests were supposed to teach the people the Lord’s truth. They were supposed to have control over the Temple prophets (Jeremiah 20:1–2; Jeremiah 29:26) and should have opposed false prophets. Instead, the priests followed the message of the false prophets, probably because their message was so popular with the people.3 Indeed, the task of one like Jeremiah must have been infinitely more difficult in a time when false prophets proliferated; how was he to establish that his word was the truth when the majority of his colleagues were saying something entirely different?
4
30 An appalling and horrible thing has happened in the land: