Bible Commentary (1871–1879 Edition) (continued)
False Fi opheis, and JEREMIAH XXIII. Mockers of Ike True Prophets.
to be followed by awful judgments, bones shake—(HabakKuk 3. 10.) drunken—God's judgments are represented as stupefying like wine. The effects of the Holy Spirit undertake a pastor's of Ree. [Calvin.] -Zi. stood In . . . counsel (v. 18.) they sliould liave turned tliem from tlielr evil way—they would have given such counsels to the people as would have turned them from their sins also' are compared to those of wme (Acts 2. 17). In both
(ch. 25. 5 ; Isaiah 55. 11), and so would have averted punishment. Their not teaching the law in which God's counsel crises ecstasy was produced. This accounts for the denial of wine to those likely to be inspired, Nazarites, Ac. (Luke
1. 15). It was -necessary to put it out of men's power to ascribe inspired ecstasy to the effects of wine, because of . . . words of . . ; holiness — because of Jehovah's holy words, wherewith He threatened severe penalties, soon to be inflicted, against the breakers of His law. 10. adulterers—spiritual, i. e., forsakers of God, Israel's true Husband (Isaiah 54. 5), for idols, at the instigation of the is set forth proves they are not His prophets, though they boast of being so (Matthew 7. 15-20). 23. Let not the false prophets fancy that tlieir devices {v. 25) are unknown to me. Are ye so ignorant as to suppo.se that I can only see things near me, viz., things in heaven, and not. earthly things as being too remote ? 24. (Psalm 139. 7, Ac. ; Amo.s
9. 2, 3.) ml heaven and eartli-with my omniscience, providence, power, and essential being (1 Kings 8. 27). 25. dreamed—I have received a prophetic communication by dream (Numbers 12. 6; Deuteronomy 13. 1, &c.
false " prophets" (u. 9, 15). Literal "adultery" and fornication, the usual concomitants of idolatry, are also meant, swearing—Maurer, &e., translate, " Because of the curse
Joel 2. 28). 26. prophets—a different Hebrew form from the usual one, " prophesiers." "How long," cries Jeremiah, impatient of their impious audacity, "shall these prophecy-mongers go on prophesying lies?" The answer
(of God on it),'the land mourneth" (Deuteronomy 27. 15-
26; 28. 1.5-6S; Isaiah 2i. 6). More than usual notoriety had been given to the curses of the law, by the finding and reading of it in Josiah's time (2 Kings 22. 11, &c.). But Hosea 4. 2, 3, favours English Vernon (cf. ch. 12. 4). A drought was sent by God on the pastures ("pleasant is given, v. 29-;}4. 27. They "think" to make my people utterly to forget me. But I will oppose to those dreamer.s. my true prophets, fathers . . . for Baal—(Judges 3. 7; 8.
places," oases) in the desert on account of the "profaneness" of the priests, prophets, and people (v. 11). course
33, 34.) 28. God answers the objection whicli might be started, ""What, then, must we do, when lies are spoken as truths, and prophets oppose prophets?" Do the same as when wheat is mixed with chaft": do not reject the wheat becauseofthechaff mixed with it, but discriminate between the false and the true revelations. The test is adherence to, or forgetfulness of, me and my law (v. 27). that hath a dream—that pretends to have a divine communication by dream, let him tell it " faithfully,'' that it may be compared with "my word" (2 Corinthians 4.2). The result will be the former (both the prophets and their fictions) will soon be seen to be chaff: the latter (the true prophets and the word of God in their mouth) wheat (Psalm 1. 4; Hosea 13.3). 29. As the "fire" consumes the "chaff," so "my word" will consume the false prophet« (Matthew 3. 12; Hebrews 4. 12). "My word" which la "wheat," i. e., food to the true prophet and his hearers, it a consuming "fire," and a crushing "hammer" (Matthew. . . evil—They (both prophets and people) ru.sh into wickedness (v. 21; Isaiah 59. 7). force . . . not right— Their powers are used not on the side of rectitude, but on that of falseliood. 11. profane—(EzA'kiel 23. 39; Zephaniah
3. 4.) in my house-(Ch. 7. 30.) They built altars to idols In the very temple (2 Kings Zi. 12; Ezekiel 8. 3-l(i). Cf. as to covetousness under the roof of the sanctuary, Matthew
21. 13 ; John 2. 16. 13. slippery ways in . . . darkness tlieir " way" is their false doctrine which proves fatal to them (ch. 13. 16; Psalm a5. 6; Proverbs 4. 19). I will bring evil . . . visitation— still more calamities than those already inflicted. See Note, ch. 11. 23; "visitation," viz., in
13. folly lit., insipidity, unsavouriness (Job 6. 6), not having the salt of godliness (Colossians 4. 6). in Baal —in the name of Baal ; in connection with his worship (see ch.
2. 8). caused ... to err—(Isaiah 9. 16.) 14. "Jerusalem" and Judah were even worse than "Samaria" and the ten tribes; the greater were the privileges of the former, the greater was their guilt. They had the temple in their midst, which the ten tribes had not; yet in the temple
21. 44) to false prophets and their followers (2 Corinthians
2. 16). The word of the false prophets may be known by its promising men peace in sin. "My word," on the contrary, burns and breaks the hard-hearted (eh. 20. 9). Th« "hammer" symbolizes destructive power (ch.50. 23; Unburn 2. 1, Margin). 30. steal my words—a twofold plagiarism ; one steals from the other, and all steal word.s from Jehovah's true prophets, but misapply them (see ch. 28. 2; John 10. 1; Revelation 22. 19). 31. use—rather, "take" their tongue: a second class (cf. i,-. 30) require, in order to bring forth a revelation, nothing more than their tongues, wherewith they say. He (Jehovah) sivlth : they binigle in the very formula instead of the usual "Jehovah soith," being onlj' able to say "(He) sailh." 33. Third class: inventors of lies. The climax, and worst of the three, liglitncss—wanton inventions (Zephaniah .3. 4). not proAt i. e., greatly injure. 33. "What is the burden —play on the double sense of the Hebrew: an oracle and i» burden. They scofflngly ask. Has he got any new burden (burdensome m'acle : for all his prophecies are disasta-s) to announce (Malachi 1. 1)? Jeremiah indignantly repeats their own question. Do you ask. What burden? This, then, it is, " I will forsake you." My word is burdensome in your eyes, and you long to be rid of it. You shall get your wish. There will be no more prophecy : J will forsake you, and that will be a far worse "burden" to yon. 34. Tile burden—Whoever shall in mockery call the Lonl's word "a burden," shall be visited (Margin) in wrath. 35. The result of my judgments shall be.ye shall address the prophet more reverentially hereafter, no longer calling his message a burden, but a Divine resp<nise or word: "What hath the Lord anmveredf" 30. every man's word . . . his burden—as they mockinglj c(ii< sU prophecies burdens, as if calamities were the sole sul)ject of prophecy, so it shall prove to them. God will take them at their own word, living God—not lifeless as their dunib Idols, ever living so as to be able to punish. 39. I will itself they practised idolatry, strengthen . . . hands of. evil-doers—(Ezekiel 13. 22.) as Sodom—(Deuteronomy
32. 32; Isaiah 1. 10.) 15. gall—powon (Note, ch. 8. 14; 9. 15.) 16. make you vain—they seduce you to vanity, i. e., idolatry, which will prove a vain trust to you (ch. 2. 5; 2 Kings
17. 15; Jonah 2. 8) [Ge.sisnius]. Rather, " they delude you witli vain promises of security" (d. 17; cf. Psalm 62. 10). [Mauher.] of . . . own lieart—of their own invention (d.
21 ; cli. 1 l.'lt). 17. say stiW—Hebreiv, say in saying, i. e., say incessantly, peace—(Ch. 6. 14; Ezekiel 13. 10; Zechariah 10.
2.) imagination Hebrew, obstinacy, no evil—(Mlcah 3.
11.) 18. A reason is given why the false prophets should not be heeded : They have not stood in the counsels of Jehovah (an image from ministers present in a standing posture at councils of Eastern kings) (cf. v. 22; Job 15. 8). The spiritual man alone has the privilege (Genesis 18. 17; Psalm 25.
14 ; Amos 3. 7 ; John 15. 15; 1 Corinthians 2. 16). 19. So far from all prosperity awaiting the people as the false propliets say (v. 17), wrath is in store for them, grievous lit., uddying, whirling itself about, a tornado. In ch. 30. 23, 'continuing" is substituted for "grievous." fall grievously— sAa/Z 6e AwWd on. /JO. in . . . latter days i.e., "tlu' year of their visitation" (v. 12). Primarily the meaning is, tlie Jews will not "consider" now God's warnings (Deuteronomy 3'2. 29); but when the prophecies shall be fultlllecl in their Bal)ylonlsh exile, they will consider and see, liy bitter experience, their sinful folly. Theultimate Boope of the prophecy Is, the Jews, in their final dispersion, shall at last "consider" their sin, and turn to Messiah " p('rfcctly" (Hosea 3.5; Zechariah r2. 5, 10-14; Luke
13. ;'..)). sent , . . spoken—" sent" refers to the primary call: "spoki'ii" to the subsequent charges given to be executed. A call is required, not only extern.'il, on the part of men, but also internal from God, that one should
Restonuion of the Captives in Babyhn. JEREMIAH XXIV, XXV. The Seventy Years' Captivity Predicted.
. . . forget yon—Just retribution for their /orf/ertm Him iaklm (v. 1), added to the nineteen years, make up twenty-three j'ears In all. 4. rising early—(Ch. 7. 13, Note.) "The prophets" refer to Urijah, Zephaniah, Habakkuk, &c. It aggravates their sin, that God sent not merely one but many messengers, and those messengers prophets; and, that during all those years specified, Jeremiah and his fellow-prophets spared no effort, late and
4. ti>. But God cannot possibly forget His children
(Isniah ii). lo). Rsither lor "forget" translate, "I will altogether lift you up (like a 'burden,' alluding to their mo'iking term for God's messages) and cast you off." God makes their wxkvd language lall on their own head. [Calvin.] Cf. v. :* "every man's word shall be his burden." *0. not be forgotten—If we translate v. 39 as EngHsh Version, the antitliesis is, though I forget you, your iha Tne shall not be forgotteix.
early. 5. Turn . . . dwell—In Hebrew there is expressed by sameness of sounds the correspondence between their turning to God and God's turning to them to permit them to dwell in their land; Shubu . . . shcbu, "Return'' ... so shall ye " remain." every one from . . . evil—eacTi must separately repent and turn from his own sin. None Is excepted, lest they should think their guilt extenuated, because the evil is general. 6. He instances one sin, as representative of all their sins, idolatrj'; as nothing is dearer to God than a pure worship of Himself. 7. Though ye provoke me to anger (Deuteronomy 32. 21), yet it is not me, hnt yoursehtes, whom j'e thereby hurf(Proverbs 8. 36;
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.
CHAPTER XXV.
Ver. 1-38. Prophecy of the Seventy Years' Captivity; AND AFTEIt THAT THE DESTRUCTION OF BABYLON, AND or ALL THE NATIONS THAT OPPRESSED THE Jews. 1. foitrtli year of Jehoiakim—called the third year in Daniel 1. 1. But probably Jehoiakim was set on the throne by Pharaoh-necho on his return from Carchemish about Jul//, whereas Nebuchadnezzar mounted the throne January 21, B. c. 604; so that Nebuchadnezzar's flrsV year was partly the third, partly the fourth, of Jehoiakim. Here first Jeremiah gives specific dates. Nebucliadnezzar had previously entered Judea In the reign of his father Nabopolassar. 3. p'rom the thirteenth year of Joslah, In which Jeremiah began to prophesy (ch. 1. 1), to the end of Joslah's reign, was nineteen years (2 Kings
22. 1); the three months (2 Kings 23. 31) of Jehoahaz's reign, with the not quite complete four years of Jelio-