Bible Commentary (1871–1879 Edition)
The Piophet Foreshadoweth JEREMIAH XXVI. the Overthrow of Divers Nations, of the Jews (ch. 50. 29 ; 51. 6, 2i ; cf. 2 Clironicles 36. 17). 15. wliie-cup—Cf. ch. 13. 12, 13, as to this image, to express stupefying juclf/ments; also ch. 49. 12; 51. 7. Jeremiah often of theirs to escape destruction will avail. 39. If I spared not mine elect people on account of sin, much less will I spare you (Ezekiel 9. 6; Obadiah 16; Luke 2:3. 31; 1 Peter 4.
17). be unpunished—" be treated as Innocent." 30. roar —image from a destructive lion (Isaiah 42.13; Joel 3. 16), upon his Iiabitatlon—rather, "His pasturage;" keeping up the image of a lion roaring against the flock in the pasture. The roar was first to go forth over Judea, wherein were " the sheep of His pasture" (Psalm 100.3), and thence into heathen lands, sliout . . . tread . . . grapes—(Ch.
eniboilies the iningery of Isaiah in his prophecies (Lamentations 4. 21 ; Isaiah 51. 17-22; Revelation 16. 19; 18. 6). The wine-cup was not literally given by Jeremiah to the representatives of the different nations; but only in symljolical vision. 16. be moved—reel (Nahum 3. 11). 18. Jerusalem—Put first: for "judgment begins at the house of God;" Miey being most guilty whose religious privileges are greatest (1 Peter 4. 17). kings—Jehoiakim, Jeconiah, and Zedekiah. as It is this day—the accomplishment of the curse had already begun under Jehoiakim. This clause, however, may have been inserted by Jeremiah at his final revision of his prophecies in Egypt. 19. Pliaraoli—Put next after Jerusalem, because the Jews had relied most on him, and Egypt and Judea stood on a common footing (ch. 46. 2, 25). 30. mingled people—mercenary foreign troops serving under Pharaoh-hophra in the time of Jeremiah. The employment of these foreigners provoked the native Egyptians to overthrow him. Psammetichus, father of Pharaoh-necho, also had given a settlement in Egypt to Ionian and Carian adventurers (Hekodotus, 2. 152, 154). Cf. ch. 50. 37; noie, Isaiah 19.2,3; 20.1; Ezekiel 30.5. The term is first found in Exodus 12. ;>S. Uz—In the geographical order here, between Egypt and the states along the Mediterranean
48. 33; Isaiah 16. 9, 10.) 31. controversy—cause at issue (Micah 6.2). plead with all flesli—(Isaiah 66.16.) God shows the whole world that He does what is altogether just in punishing. 33. from the coasts—rather, "from the uttermost regions." Like a storm which arises in one region and then diffuses itself far and vpide, so God's judgments shall pass " from nation to nation," till all has been fulfilled; no distance shall prevent the fulfilment. 33. not he lamented—(Ch. 16. 4, 6.) neither gathered — to their fathers, in their ancestral tombs (ch. 8.2). dung (Psalm 83. 10.) 34. sliepherds—princes (ch. 22. 22). Here he returns to the Jews and their rulers, using tlie s.arae image as in n. 30, "pasture," IVote. wallpw yourselves cover yourselves as thickly with ashes, in token of sorrow, as one who rolls in them (ch. 6.26; Ezekiel 27. 30). [Maurer.] principal —leaders. IjJCX. translate, rams, carrying out the image (cf. Isaiah 14. 9, Margin; Zechariali
ID. 3). days of your slaugliter . . . of . . . dispersions rather, " yourdays/orslaughter(f. e., the time of your being slain), and your dispersions (not "o/ your dispersions"), are accomplished" (are come), pleasant vessel—ye were once a precious vessel, but ye shall fall, and so be a broken therefore not the "Uz" of Job 1. 1 (north of Arabia Deserta), but the northern part of Arabia Petrtea, between the sea and Idumea (Lamentations 4.21; see Genesis 36.
20. 28). remnant of AsUdod—called a remnant, because Ashhod had lost most of its inhabitants in the twentynine years' siege by Psammetichus. Cf. also Isaiah 20. 1, vessel (cf. ch. 22. 28, Note). "Your past excellency shall not render you safe now. I will turn to your ignominy whatever glorj' I conferred on you." [Calvin.] 35. Lit., " Flight shall fail the shepherds, &c., escaping (shall fall) the principal," &o. (Amos 2. 14). The leaders will be the note. Oath is not mentioned, because It was overthrown in the same war. 31. Kdoiii . . . Itloab . . . Ammon Joined together, as being related to Israel (see ch. 48. 49). ai. all the kings of Tyrus—the petty kings of the various dependencies of Tyre, isles—a term Including first objects for slaughter; escape by flight will be out of their power. 37. Iiabitatlons—rather, carrying out the image (v. SO, Note), pastures. The pasturages where, peaceably and without incursion of wild beasts, the flocks have fed, shall be destroyed ; i. e., the regions where, heretofore, there was peace and security (alluding to the name Salem, or Jerusalem, " possessing peace"). 38. his covert-the temple, where heretofore, like a lion, as its defender, by the mere terror of His voice He warded off the foe; but now he leaves it a prey to the Gentiles. [Calvin.] fierceness ot. . . oppressor—rather, as the Hebrew, for "oppressor" all murilhue regions (Psalm 72. 10). 33. Dedan—north of Arabia (Genesis 25. 3, 4). Tenia . . . Buz—neighbouring tribes north of Arabia (Job 32. 2). all . . . in . . . utmost 'corners — rather, "having the hair cut in angles," a heathenish custom (see note, ch. 9. 26). 34. mingled people—not in the same sense as v. 20; Oie motley crowd, so called in contempt (cf. ch. 49. 28, 31; 50. 37). By a dil Terent painting it may be translated the?'a6«; but the repetition of the name is not likely. Blaney thinks there were two divisions of what we call Arabia, the </fest(Araba) and tlie east. The west included Arabia Petriea and the parts on the sea bordering on Egypt, the land of Cush. The is an adjective feminine, the word sword is understood, which, in cli. 46. 16; 50. 16, is expressed (indeed, some MSS. and LXX. read sword instead of "fierceness" here; probably interpolated from ch. 46. 16), "the oppressing sword." The Hebrew for oppressing means also a dove: there may be, therefore, a covert allusion to the Chaldean standard bearing a dove on it, in honour of Semlramls, the first queen, said in popular superstition to have been nourished by doves when exposed at birth, and at death to have been transformed Into a dove. Her name may come from a root referring to the cooing of a dove. That bird was held sacred to the goddess 'Venus. Vulgate so transeast, Arabia Felix and Deserta. The latter are "the mixed" race" inhabiting the desert. 35. Zlmri—Perhaps the Zabra mentioned by Ptolemy between Mecca and
Medina. Zimran also, as Dedan, was one of Abraham's sons by Ketuiah (Genesis 25. 2). Elam—Properly, west of Persia; but used for Persia in general. 30. SItcsUacli —Babylon; iis the parallelism in ch. 51.41 proves. In the Cabalistic .system (called Athhash; the first Hebrew letter in the alphabet being expressed by the last) Shesliach would exactly answer io Babel. Jeremiah may nave used this system (as perhaps in ch. 51. 41) for concealment at tlie time of this prediction, in the fourth year of Jchoiakim, while Nebuchadnezzar was before Jerusalem. In ch. 51. 41 there can be no concealment, lates, " the anger of tlie dove." his . . . anger-If the auger of Nebuchadnezzar cannot be evaded, how much less that of God (cf. v. 37)
!is Babylon is expressly mentioned. Michaei.is more iiimply explains the term "brazen-gated" (cf. Isaiah
CHAPTER XXVI.
"Ver. 1-24. Jeremiah declared worthy of Death, BUT BY THE INTERPOSITION OF AHIKAM SAVED; THESIMilar Cases of Micah and Ubijah beino adduced in THE Prophet's Favour. The prophecies which gave the offence were those given in detail in chs. 7., 8., 9. (cf. v. 6 here with ch. 7.12, 14); and summarily referred to here [Maurek], probably pronounced at one of the great feasta (that of tabernacles, according to Ushku; for the Inhabitants of " all the cities of Judaii" are represented as pres-
45. 2i. Others, " the house of a prince." Rather, it comes from the I!al)ylonian goddess, Shach, by reduplication of the first letter; from her Mi-iael was named Meihaeh by the Babylonians. The term Shace was applied foa festival at Babylon, alluded to in ch. 51. 39, 57; Isaiah ii.o. It was (hiring this feast that Cyrus took Babylon HlK.itoncrrus, 1.) Thus Jeremiah mystically denotes the time of its capture by this term. [Glassius.] 37. rise Mo more—the heathen nations In question should fall to ent, V. 2). See JVote, ch. 7. 1. 3. in the court—the largest rise no more. The Jews should fall but for a time, and then rise again. Therefore, the epithet Is given, " the God court, from which he could be heard by the whole people come to worslilp worship is vain without obedienot
0/ /.frael." 3><. If tUry refuse to take tl»e c>ip—no effort 532