Chapter XXIV
Ver. 1-10. The Restoration of the Captives in Babylon, AND THE Destruction of the Refeactory Party IN Judea and in Egypt, represented under the type OF A Basket of good, and one of bad, Figs. 1. Lord ohoweil me—Amos 7. 1, 4, 7; 8. 1, contains the same formula, with the addition of " thus" prefixed, carried . . . captive Jecoiilalk—(Ch. 22. 24; 2 Kings 24. 12, &c. ; 2 Chron-
20. 2). 9. the north—<iVo<e, ch. 1. 14, 15.) The Medos and other northern peoples, confederate with Babylon, are included with the Chaldeans, my servant—my agent for punishing (ch. 27. 6; 43. 10; cf. ch. 40. 2). .Cf. Isaiah 44. 28, Cyrus, " my shepherd." God makes even unbelievers unconsciously to fulfil His designs. A reproof to the Jews, who boasted that they were the servants of God; yet a heathen king is to be more the servant of God than they, and that as the agent of their punishment. 10. (Ch. 7. 34; Revelation 18. 23.) The land shall be so desolated that even in the houses left standing there shall be no inhabitant; a terrible stillness shall prevail; no sound of the hand-mill (two circular stones, one above the other, for grinding corn, worked b,v two females. Exodus 11. 5; Matthew 24. 41; in daily u.se In every house, and therefore forbidden to be taken in pledge, Deuteronomy 24. 6); no night-lighi, so universal in the East that the poorest house has it, burning all night, candle—lamp (Job 21. 17; 18. 6). 11. seventyyears—(Ch.27. 7.) The exact number of years of Sabbaths in 490 years, the period from Saul to the Babylonian ciiptivity ; righteous retribution for their violation of the Sabbath (Leviticus 26. 34, 35 ; 2 Chronicles 36. 21).^ The seventy years probably begin from the fourth year' of Jehoiakim, when Jerusalem was first captured, and many captives, as well as the treasure of the temple, were carried away; they end with the first year of Cyrus, who, on taking Babylon, issued an edict tor the restoration of the Jews (Ezra 1. 1.) Daniel's seventy prophetic weeks are based on the seventy years of the captivity (cf. Daniel 9. 2, 24). 13. all . . . written in this book, which Jeremiah . , , prophesied against all . . . nations—It follows from this, that the prophecies against foreign nations (ch. 46-51) must have been already written. Hence LXX. in.sert here those prophecies. But If they had followed immediately (v. 13), there would have been no propriety in the observation in the verse. The very wording of the reference shows that they existed in some other part of the book, and not in the immediat«^ context. It was in this verj' year, the fourth of Jehoiakim (eh. 36. 1, 2), that Jeremiah was directed to write In a regular hooA for the first time all that he had prophesied against fudah and foreign "nations" from tlie beginning of his ministry. Probably, at a subsequent time, when he completed the whole work, including ch. 46.-51., Jeremiah himself inserted the clause, "all that is written in this book, which Jeremiah hath prophesied against all the nations." Thejirophecies in question may have been repeated, as others in Jeremiah, more than once; so in the original smaller collection they ma.y have stood in an earlier position; and, in the fuller subsequent collection, in their later and present position. 14. serve titeitiselvea —(Ch.27. 7; 30.8; 3i. 10.) Avail themselves of tlieir services as slaves, tliem also1 he Clialdees, who heretofore have made other nations their slaves, sliall themselves also in tlieir turn be slaves to them. Mauhek translates " shall impose servitude on them, even them." revompenae tiiem viz., the Chaldees and other nations against whom Jeremiah h.ad prophesied (v. 13), as having oppressed Uim Jews, their deeds—rather, deed, viz., their bad treatmeut
icles 36. 10.) carpenters, &c.—one thousand artisans were carried to Babylon, botli to work for the king there, and to deprive Jerusalem of tiieir services in the event of a future siege (2 Kings 24. 16). 2. figs . . . first ripe—the boccora, or early tig (Note, Isaiah 28. 4). Baskets of figs used to be ottered as first-fruits in the temple. The good
figs represent Jecouiah and the exiles in Babylon; tlie had, Zedekiali and the obstinate Jews in Judea. They are called good and bad respectively, not in an absolute, but a comparative sense, and in reference to the punishment of tlie latter. This propliecy was designed to encourage the despairing exiles, and to reprove the people at home, wlio prided themselves as superior to those in Babylon, and abused the forbearance of God (cf. ch. 52. 31-
34). 5. acknowledge regard with favour, like as thou lookest on tlie good figs favourably, for their good Their removal to Babylon saved them from the calamities which belell the rest of the nation, and led them to repentance there: so God bettered their condition (2 Kings 25.
27-30). Daniel and Ezekiel were among these captives. 6. (Ch. 12. 15.) not ptill . . . down . . . not pluck . . . up—only partially fulfilled in the restoration from Babylon; aulilypitally and fully to be fulfilled' hereafter (ch.
32. 41 ; 31!. 7;. 7. (Ch. 30. 22; 31. 33 ; 32. 38.) Their conversion from idolatry to the one true God, through thechastening effect of the Babylonish captivity, is here expressed in language wiiich, in its fulness, applies to the more complete conversion liereafter of the Jews, "with their whole heart'' (ch. 29. 18), througli the painful discipline of their present dispersion. Tlie source of their conversion Is here stated to be God's prevenient grace, for tliey shall return—Repentance, though not the cause of pardon, is
Its invariable accompaniment: it is the effect of God's giving a heart to k<LOW him. 8. in . . . Egypt—many Jews had fled for refuge to Egjpt, which was leagued with Judea against Babylon. 9. removed, <fec.—(Ch. 15. 4.) Calvin translates, "I will give them up to agitation. In
all," &c. This verse quotes the curse (Deuteronomy 28. 25,
87.) Cf. ch. 29. 18, 22 ; Psalm 44. 13, 14.