Jeremiah 2:8 - Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible

They that handle the law knew me not: q.d. They that should have taught others knew as little as they, or regarded as little to know, Hosea 4:6, who are said here to handle or teach the law, viz. the priests and Levites, who Were the ordinary teachers of the law; not that they did so, but that either they ought to do so, or pretended to do so. This was their office, Deuteronomy 33:10, and their practice, Nehemiah 8:8. The phrase is a metaphor taken from warriors, that are said tractare bellum, to handle their arms. The pastors; either teachers, as instructors; or kings and princes, as conductors. See 1 Kings 22:17. The prophets prophesied by Baal; they that should have taught the people the true worship of God were themselves worshippers of Baal, 1 Kings 18:22. Or, instead of fetching their oracles from me, saying, Thus saith the Lord, they would say, Thus saith Baal; or they did make use of lesser deities (for so doth Baal or Baalim signify) in conjunction with God, persuading themselves they could honour God together with them, as the calves, 1 Kings 12:28. Things that do not profit, viz. idols, a periphrasis, that were never able to do them any service, as Jeremiah 2:5,11. See Poole on "Isaiah 44:10". Sure the state must be very bad, when priests, prophets, and people were thus corrupt.