V. He charges them with the guilt of murder added to the guilt of their idolatry (v. 34): Also in thy skirts is found the blood of the souls, the life-blood of the poor innocents, which cried to heaven, and for which God was now making inquisition. The reference is to the children that were offered in sacrifice to Moloch; or it may be taken more generally for all the innocent blood which Manasseh shed, and with which he had filled Jerusalem (2 Kings xxi. 16), the righteous blood, especially the blood of the prophets and others that witnessed against their impieties. This blood was found not by secret search, not by diggings (so the word is), but upon all these; it was above ground. This intimates that the guilt of this kind which they had contracted was certain and evident, not doubtful or which would bear a dispute; and that it was avowed and barefaced, and which they had not so much sense either of shame or fear as to endeavour to conceal, which was a great aggravation of it.
{"chapter_id":"Jer.iii","chapter_title":"Chapter II","kind":"whole-body-P","position":34,"unit_key":"Jer.iii-p34","work_key":"Jer","work_title":"Commentary on Jeremiah","xpath":"/ThML/ThML.body/div1[4]/div2[3]/div[5]/p[7]"}