For they have devoured Jacob, and laid waste his dwelling place.
For they have devoured Jacob, and laid waste. In the Hebrew "devoured" is singular; whereas "laid waste" is plural. The singular implies that the enemies of Israel, though many, are animated by the one spirit of enmity against God and His people; just as, on the other hand, the members of the Church, though many, form one body animated by one spirit. The several 'nations' and "kingdoms" (Psalms 79:6) served under Babylon against Jerusalem. So in the last days it shall be under Antichrist (Revelation 17:12-13; Revelation 17:15-17). Through ignorance of the design of the singular, most of the old versions and some manuscripts have altered the singular into plural. Jeremiah, in quoting it, has done so (Jeremiah 10:25). The sacred writers, under the Spirit, often vary the Scriptures which they quote. This is a proof that the psalms is the original, not Jeremiah. It is usual with the latter to borrow from the older Scriptures. So Jeremiah 10:24 quotes Psalms 6:1.
Moreover, in Jeremiah the words occur without connection with the context. Here they are the prayer flowing out of the previous complaint (the word "pour" referring back to Psalms 79:3, "shed" or 'poured their blood'); and Jeremiah has expanded "devoured Jacob" into "they have eaten up Jacob, and devoured him, and consumed him." Though parts of Jeremiah's prophecies represent the destruction of Jerusalem as still future, yet there are other passages, as this verse, which were added subsequently to the destruction, when the whole collection of his prophecies assumed their present form.
And laid waste his dwelling place. The Chaldaic translates 'the house of his sanctuary.' As in Psalms 79:13 the people of God are termed the "sheep of God's pasture," translate 'they have laid waste His pasture,' keeping up the image.