Matthew Poole and continuators on Jeremiah 7:18

18 The children gather wood, and the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead their dough to make cakes to the queen of Heaven, and to pour out drink-offerings unto other gods, that they may provoke me to anger.

Here God shews how busily they are employed from the youngest to the oldest, and how industrious for their Idolatry, ch. 44.17. see Mat. 24.38. every one in the Family doth somewhat towards it.

Or s[illegible: 1 letter]icks, for the word is plural, and so used, Num. 15.32, 33. an employment, if we understand small sticks, proper for Children, if greater wood, suitable to youth who excels in strength, and may be understood by children and young ones.

They heat the Oven, Hearth or Stone on which they were baked.

Prepare all the Materials, of which to make Cakes; probably they were of some particular shape, or had some peculiar Impression of some of their gods stamped upon them, like the Popish Wafers, some say stamped with stars, as being offered up to the Host of Heaven, or with some peculiar Star, Amos 5.26. Acts 7.43.

Or, frame, or, workmanship of heaven, this is diversly intrerpreted, some take it for the Sun, which is signified by a word of the Feminine gender, Isa. 24.23. and of a feminine use, Nah. 3.17. some for the Moon; as the Sun was looked upon as King, so the Moon as the Queen of Heaven, because of the largeness of her body, in which she appears, and of the light she gives, but especially by reason of the government she exerciseth over inferiour Bodies; others, more probably, for the whole host of heaven, Jer. 8.2. and 19.13. and so the LXX; according to which probably for their sakes they received divers stamps and impressions; they that would see more, may consult the English Annot. and the Synop.

Viz. Wine and other strong drinks, Exod. 29.40, 41. Numb. 28.7. The Devil is God's Ape, and taught Idolaters to use the same Rites and Ceremonies that were used in Gods Worship; therefore here these Idolaters in pouring their Drink-offerings, which might seem to be blood, or at least blood mixed with them; see on Psal. 16.4. imitated God's Drink-offerings, as they did his meat-offerings in their Cakes, as in Lev. 2. by these they did furnish the Table mentioned, Isa. 65.11. see there.

[illegible: 1 letter]oting rather the proper effects and consequences of their Idolatries, than that they did propound to themselves such an end in doing it, but it seemed to be a kind of bidding open defiance to God, by which it appears they were all mad upon their Idolatries, they were set upon it, as Davids heart was set upon the Worship of God, Psal. 16.8.

Marginal references: Or, frame, or, workmanship of heaven.