Jeremiah 8:17 - Coke's Commentary on the Holy Bible

Behold, I will send serpents— Under the idea of beasts and venomous creatures are represented inexorable enemies: see chap. Jeremiah 5:6. Psalms 58:4-5 and Calmet. That some persons possessed the faculty of rendering serpents harmless, is a fact too well attested by historians and travellers to admit of contradiction. But by what means this effect was produced, is not quite so clear. Pliny speaks of certain herbs, which being carried about, prevented the bite of serpents. Hist. Nat. lib. 20: sect. 15 lib. 22 sect. 25. Others tell surprising, but not altogether incredible stories of the affinity and influence of musical sounds. See Bochart De Sacr. Animal. par. II. lib. 3: cap. 6. Shaw's Travels, p. 429 and Sir John Chardin's manuscript, cited by Harmer, ch. 8. obs. 14. In this same manuscript the author remarks, that "those that know how to tame serpents by their charms, are wont commonly to break out their teeth;" and supposes this to be alluded to, Psalms 58:6. "Break their teeth, O God, in their mouth." But whatever were the methods commonly practised, the enemies of the Jews are here compared to such serpents as were not to be mollified nor disarmed by any of those means; "they shall bite you, saith JEHOVAH."