Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, [and] I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.
Ver. 5. Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee,] viz., With a knowledge not intuitive only, but also approbative. Verba notitiae apud Hebraeos secum trahunt affectum.
I sanctified thee.] Infusing grace into thy heart - as afterwards also into the Baptist's Luk 1:15 - and setting thee apart in my secret purpose to this sacred office of a prophet, as afterwards also God did Paul to the apostleship. Gal 1:15
And I ordained thee a prophet.] Magna semper fecerunt qui Deo vocante docuerunt, saith Luther. They have always done great things, whom God hath called to teach his people; quod est contra eos qui Ecclesiam ruituram putant nisi et ipsi doceant, saith Oecolampadius. This text maketh against such as think that the Church must needs suffer, unless they (though uncalled) turn teachers.
Unto the nations,] i.e., First, To the Jews, qui fere in Gentiles evaserant, who were little better than Gentiles; so papagans are called pagans. Rev 11:2 Secondly, To foreigners, of and to whom he prophesied. Jeremiah 44:30 ; Jeremiah 46:1 ; Jeremiah 47:1 ; Jeremiah 48:1 ; Jeremiah 49:1 ; Jer 50:1 Thirdly, To people of all times, who may and must be instructed by this book; which is such as was highly set by, and cited in the Old Testament by Daniel, Ezekiel, Nehemiah, Ezra, Obadiah (who taketh most of his prophecy out of him); as in the New by our Saviour, Matthew 21:5 ; Matthew 21:9 ; Matthew 21:13 ; Matthew 21:16 ; Matthew 21:33 ; Matthew 21:42 Mark 11:9,10 ; Mar 11:17 Matthew the Evangelist, Matthew 2:6 ; Mat 2:18 Paul; 2 Corinthians 6:2 ; 2 Corinthians 6:16,18 ; 2 Corinthians 10:17 Hebrews 8:5 ; Hebrews 8:8,12 ; Hebrews 10:5,10 ; Hebrews 10:16,17 ; Hebrews 10:30 ; Heb 10:37-38 John the divine. Revelation 2:6,8 ; Rev 15:3-4