Jeremiah 2:3 - Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible

Israel was holiness, or holy, the abstract for the concrete, i.e. a people dedicated to God; thus the word is used Leviticus 21:7, Leviticus 27:14; set apart from other people for myself by peculiar laws and rites. And the first-fruits of his increase: this supplement and is better left out, it being not in the text, and rendering the sense more obscure; therefore better read, either, being the first-fruits, by apposition; or, as the first-fruits, i.e. as the first-fruits were holy to God, so was Israel. All that devour; or rather, devoured; for it refers to the time past, not to the future, and so the following words; all that were injurious to him shall offend; or, did offend, were obnoxious, and liable to punishment, as he that devoured that which is holy, Proverbs 20:25. Shall come upon them; came upon them: some evil was inflicted on them from the Lord, that was always wont to stand up for the vindication of his people, as upon the Egyptians, Amalekites, Sihon, Og, the Midianites, Canaanites, and others, as the four last books of Moses do abundantly testify; and by these expressions is insinuated that now they are like to find it otherwise, Jeremiah 1:7; this minding of them what God had done for them making way for the closer setting home the following reproofs.