Bible Commentary (1871–1879 Edition)
Tlie Prophet Imprkoned. JEREMIAH XXXIX. Taking of Jerusalem, and Zedelciahs Fatt, the deputation in ch. 21. 1, to whom Jeremiah gave this which is on the right hand;" the north, "that which is on the left hand;" the west, "that which is behind." So beginning with the east they might term it the first or principal entry; the the seco?i(i entry; the?ior Withe "third entry " of the outer or inner court. [Maurer.] The tliird gate of the temple facing the palace ; for through it tlie entrance lay from the palace into the temple (I Kings 10. o, reply, if not identical with the hearers of Jeremiah (ch.
S8. 1), must have been sent just before the latter "heard" him speaking the same words. Zeplumiah Is not mentioned liere as in ch. 21. 1, but is so in ch. 37. 3. Jucal is mentioned here and in the previous deputation (ch. 37. 3), but not in ch. 21. 1. Shephatiah and Gedaliah here do not occur either in ch. 21. 1 or ch. 37. 3. The identity of his words in botli cases is natural, when uttered, at a very short interval, and one of the hearers (Pashur) being present on botli occasions, unto all tlie people—they had free access to him In the court of the prison (ch. 32.
12). It was westward (1 Chronicles 26. 16, 18; 2 Chronicles
9.11). [Grotius.] But in the future temple it is eastward (Ezekiel 46. 1, 2, 8). 15. wilt thou not hearken unto me —Zedekiah does not answer this last query; the former one he replies to in t>. 16. Rather ii-anslaie, " Thoa wilt not hearken to me." Jeremiah judges so from the past conduct of the king. Cf. v. 17 with v. 19. 16. L,oj-d . . . made us this soul—(Isaiah 57. 16.) Implying, "may my
12). life ... a prey—he shall escape with his life; though losing all else as in a shipwreck, he shall carry off his life as his gain, saved by his going over to the Chaldeans.
(Note, ch. 21. 9.) 4-. Had Jeremiah not had a Divine commission he might justly have been accused of treason; but having one, which made the result of the siege cerlife (soul) be forfeited if I deceive thee." [Cai-vin.] 17. princes—(Ch. 39. 3.) He does not say "to the king himself," for he was at Riblah, in Hamath (oh. 39. 5; 2 Kings tain, he acted humanely as interpreter of God's will under the theocracy, in advising surrender (cf. ch. 26.. 11.) 5. the king Is not he—Zedekiah was a weak prince, and now in his straits afraid to oppose his princes. He hides his dislike of their overweening power, which prevented him shielding Jeremiah as he would have wished, under complimentary speeches. " It is not right that the king should deny aught to such faithful and wise statesmen;" the king is not such a one as to deny you your wishes. [Jerome.] 6. dung-eon lit., the cistern. It was not a subterranean prison as that in Jonathan's house (ch. 87. 15), but a, pit or cistern, which had been full of water, but was emptied of it during the siege, so that only "mire" remained. Such empty cisterns were often used as prisons (Zechariah 9. 11) ; the depth forbade hope of escape. Haramelecli—(Ch. 36. 26.) His son followed in the father's steps, a readj'tool for evil, sunk in the mire—Jeremiah herein was a type of Messiah (Psalm 09. 2, M). "I sink in deep mire," &c. 7, Ebed-melech—The Hebrew designation given this Ethiopian, meaning king's servant. Already, even at this early time, God wished to show what good reason there was for calling the Gentiles to salvation. An Ethiopian stranger saves the prophet whom his own countrymen, the Jews, tried to destroy. So the Gentiles believed in Christ whom the Jews crucified, and Ethiopians were among the earliest converts (Acts 2. 10, 41 ; 8.
25.6). "J7 thou go forth" (viz., to surrender; 2 Kings 24.
12; Isaiah 36. 16), God foreknows future conditional contingencies, and ordains not only the end, but also the means to the end. 19. Afraid of the .Tews—more than of God (Proverbs 29. 2.5; John 9.22; 12.43). mock mc—treat me injuriously (1 Samuel 31. 4). 33. women—The very evil which Zedekiah wished to escape by disobeying the command to go forth shall befall him in its worst form thereby. Not merely the Jewish deserters shall " mock " him (v. 19), but the very "women" of his own palace and harem, to grjitify their new lords, will taunt him. A noble king in sooth, to suf Ter thyself to be so imposed on! Thy trlens\s—Hebrew, men of thy peace (see ch. 20. 10; Psalm 41. 9, Margin). The king's ministers and tlie false prophets who misled him. sunk in . . . mire—proverbial for, Thou art involved by "thy friends'" counsels in inextricable dif Rculties. The phrase perhaps alludes to
V. 6; a just retribution for tlie treatment of Jeremiali, wlio literally ".sank in the mire." they are turned . . . back —having involved thee in the calamity, they themselves shall provide for their own safety by deserting to the Chaldeans (u. 19). 23. children—(Ch. 39. 6; 41.10.) "Wives . . . children . . . thou;" an ascending climax. 34. Let no man know—If thou wilt not tell this to the people, I will engage thy safety. 35. Kings are often such only in title
are really under the power of their sulijects. 36. presented lit., made my supplication to fall; implying supplication with humble prostration {Note, ch. 36. 7). Jonatlian's house—(ch. 37. 15), dif Terent from Malcliiali's dungeon {v. 6). This statement was true, thoijgh not the whole truth ; the princes had no right to the information
27-39). Ebed-melech probably was keeper of the royal harem, and so had private access to the king. The eunuchs over harems in the present day are mostly from Nubia or Abyssinia. 8. went forth . . . and spake—not privately, but In public ; a proof of fearless magnanimity, die for hunger in tKe place where he is, for . . . no . . . bread tn , . . city—(Cf. ch. 37. 21.) He had heretofore got a piece of bread supplied to him. " Seeing that there i&tiieutmost want of bread in the city, so that even if he were at large, there could no more be regularly supplied to him, much less now in a place where none remember or pity him, so that he is like to die for hunger." "No more bread," no sanction is given by Scripture here to Jeremiah's representation of this being the cause of his having come to the king. Fear drove him to it. Cf. Genesis 20. 2, 12; om the other hand, 1 Samuel 16. 2, 5. left oif speaking with' —Hebrew, " were silent from him," t. e., withdravv ing from him they left him quiet (1 Samuel 7. 8, Margin). 38. hewas [there] when Jerusalem was taken—These words are made the beginning of ch. 39. by many; but the svc" cents and sense support English Version.
i. e,, no more left of the public store in the city (ch. 37. 21) or, all but no bread left anywhere. [Mauber.] 10. with thee Hebrew, "in thine hand," t'. e., at "thy disposal" (1 Samuel 16. 2). "From hence," i.e., from the gate of Benjamin where the king was sitting {v. 7). thirty men—not merelj' to draw up .leremiah, but to guard Ebed-melech against any opposition on the part of the princes (u. 1-4), In executing the king's command. Ebed-melech was rewarded for his faith, love, and courage, exhibited at a time when he might well fear the wrath of the princes, to which even the king had to yield (ch. 39. 16-18). 11. cast clouts—"torn clothes." [Hender-SON.] rotten rags ••worn-out garments." God can make the meanest things His instruments of goodness to His people (1 Corinthians 1.27-29). under . . . arm-holes—" under the Joints of thine hands," i. e., where the fingers join the hand, the clothes being in order that the hands should not be cut by the cords. [Maurer.] 13. court of . . . prison—Ebedmelech prudently put him there to be out of the way of his enemies. 14. thirdentry—The Hebrews in determining the position of places faced the east, which they termed " that which is in front ;" the south was thus called " that
CHAPTER XXXIX.
Ver. 1-18. Jerusalem taken. Zedektah's Fatb. Jbr-! EMIAH CARED FOR. EBED-MELECH ASSURED. This-chapter consists of two parts: the first describe* the capture of Jerusalem, the removal of the people to Babylon, and the fate of Zedekiah, and that of Jeremiah. The second the assurance of safety to Ebed-melech. 14 ninth yeax. . . tenth month—and on the tenth day of It (ch.62. 4 ; 2 Kings 25. 1-4). From v. 2, " eleventh year . . . fourth month . . . ninth day," we know the siege lasted ooe and a half years, excepting the suspension of it caused ))y Pharaoh. Nebuchadnezzar was present/ in the beginning of the siege, but was at Riblah at its close (v. 3. 6; cf. ch.
38. 17). 3. sat—expressing military occupatien or encampment, middle gate—the gate from the upper city (comprehending Mount Zlon) to the lower city (no«-//i of the former and much lower); it was into the latter (the iwrth 8lde4 the Chaldeans forced an euta'^,.and took utp their 54S
Jervsalem Ruined by Nebuchadnezzar. JEREMrAH XL. Tlie Jews Rcsorl (o Gedaliah.
but figuratively, before thee—In thj' sight. 17. the men of whom thou art afraid—(Ch. .3S. 1, 4-6.) The courtiers and princes hostile to thee for having delivered Jeremiah shall have a danger coming so home to themselves as to have no power to hurt. Heretofore intrepid, he was now afraid ; this prophecy was therefore the more welcome to him. 18. like . . . for a prey—(Notes, cll. 21. 9; 38. I; 45.
position opposite the pate of the " middle" wall, between tlie lower and upper city. Zedekiah fled in the opposite,
I. f., the .fouth direetion {v. 4). Nergalsliarezer, Samgariifl>o—proper names formed from those of the idols, Nert;al and Nebo (2 Kings 17.30; Isaiah 46.1). Rab-sarls— meaning chief of the eunuchs. Kab-mag—c/uc/o///te magi; brouslit with the expedition in order tliat its issue might be foreknown through his astrological skill. Mag is a Persian word, meaning great, powerful. Tlie magi were a sacerdotal caste among tlie Medes, and supported the Zoroastriau religion, i. tUe king's garden—the "gate"
5.) put . . . tnist in me—(C'h.oS. 7-9.) Trust in God was the root of his fearlessness of the wrath of men, in his humanity to the prophet (1 Chronicles 5. 20; Psalm 37. 40). The "life" he thus risked was to be his reward, being spared beyond all hope, when the lives of his enemies should be forfeited ("for a prey").
to it from the upper city above was appropriated to the kings alone; "stairs" led down from Mount Zion and the palace to the king's garden below (Nehemiah 3. 15). two walls— Zedekiah might have held the upper city
CHAPTER XL.
longer, but want of provisions drove him to flee by the double wall south of Zion, towards the plains of Jericho
Ver. 1-16. Jeremiah is set free at R.\mah, and goes TO Gedaliah, to whom the Remnant of Jews repair. Joiianan Warns Gedaliah of Ishmael's Conspiracy IN vain. 1. word that came—the heading of a new part ol the book (ch. 41.^), viz., the prophecies to the Jews in Judea and Egypt after the taking of the city, blended with history. The prophecy does not begin till ch. 42. 7, and the previous history is introductory to it. bound in chains —though released from the court of the prison (Xote, ch.
(f. 5j, in order to escape beyond Jordan to Arabia Deserta. He broke an opening in the wall to get out (Ezekiel 12. 12). 5. Kiblali—north of Palestine (see ch. 1. 14; Numbers 34. U). Hamath is identified by commentators with Antioch.in Syria, on the Orontes, called Epiphania, from Antiochus Epiphanes. gave judgment upon lilm Hi., spake judgments with him, i. e., brought him to trial as a common criminal, not as a king. He had violated his oath (Ezekiel 17. 13-19; 2 Chronicles
39. 14), in the confusion at the burning of tlie cit.v he seems to have been led away in chains with the other captives, and not till he reached Ramah to have gained full liberty. Nebuzaradan had his quarters at Ramah, in Benjamin, and there he collected the captives previous to their removal to Babylon (ch. 31.1.5). He in releasing Jeremiah obeyed the king's commands (ch. 39. 11). Jeremiali's "chains" for a time were due to the negligence of those to whom he had been committed; or else to Nebuzaradan's wish to upbraid the people with their perverse ingratitude in imprisoning Jeremiah [Calvin]; hence he addresses the people (ye . . . j/oit) as much as Jeremiah (y.
36. 13). 6. slew . . . sons . . . before Ills eyes—previous to his eyes being "put out" (u. 7); lit., dug out. The Assyrian structures depict the delight wiUi which the kings struck out, often with their own hands, the eyes of captive princes. This passage reconciles ch. 32. 4, "his eyes shall behold his eyes;" with Ezekiel 12. 13, "he shall not see Babylon, though he shall die there." slew all , .
nobles—(Ch. 27. 20.) 8. burned . . . the houses—(Ch. 52.
12, 13.) Not immediately after the taking of the city, but in the month after, viz., the fifth month (cf. v. 2). The delay was probably caused by the princes having to send to Ilihlah to know the king's pleasure as to the city. 0. remnant—excepting the poorest {v. 10), who caused Nebuchadnezzar no apprehensions, those . . . that fell to Ivim—the deserters were distrusted ; or they may have been removed at their own request, lest the people should vent their rage on them as traitors, after the departure of the Chaldeans, rest . . . that remained—distinct from the previous " remnant:" there he means the remnant of those besieged in the city, whom Nebuchadnezzar spared
2, .3). 3. The Babylonians were in some measure aware, through Jeremiah's prophecies (ch. 39.11), that they were the instruments of God's wrath on His people. 3. ye (Note, V. 1.) His address is directed to the Jews as well as to Jeremiah. God makes the very heathen testify for Him against them (Deuteronomy 29. 24, 25). 4. look well unto thee—the very words of Nebuchadnezzar's charge (cli. 39.
12). all the laud is before thee . . . seemeth good—(Genesis 20. 15, Marffin.) Jeremiah alone had the option given him of staying where he pleased, when all the rest were either carried off, or forced to remain there. 5. while he was not yet gone hack—parenthetical. When Jeremiah hesitated whether it would be best for him to go, Nebuzaradan proceeded to say, " Go, then, to Gedaliah," Ac. (not as English Version, " Go back, also"), if thon preferrest (as Nebuzaradan inferred fi-om Jeremiah's hesitancy) to stop here rather than go with me. victuals—(Isaiah 33. 16.) reward rnther, a presetxt. This must have been a seasonable relief to the prophet, who probably lost his all In the siege. 6. Mlipah—In Benjamin, north-west of Jerusalem (ch. 41.5, 6, 9). Not the Mizpah in Gilead, beyond Jordan (Judges 10.17). Jeremiah showed his patriotism and piety In remaining in his country amidst afflictions, and notwithstanding the ingratitude of the Jews, rather than go to enjoy honours and pleasures in a heathen court (Hebrews 11.24-28). This vindicates his purity of motive in his withdrawal (ch. 37. 12-14). 7. captains ... In the flelda —The leaders of the Jewish army had been "scattered" throughout the country on the capture of Zedekiah (ch.
here, those scattered through various districts of the country which had not been besieged. [Calvin.] 10. left . . . tlie poor . . . whicli had nothing—the poor have least to lose; one of the providential compensations of their lot. They who before had been stripped of their possessions by the wealthier Jews obtain, not only their own, but those of others. H. Jeremiah's prophecies were known to Nebuchadnezzar through deserters {v. 9; ch. 38.
19), also through the Jews carried to Babylon with Jecoiiiah (cf. ch. 40. 2). Hence the king's kindness to him. 13. look well to \\\m~ITebrew, set thine eyes upon him; provide for his well-being. 13. Nebuzaradan . . . sent—he was then at Ramah (oh. 40. 1). 14. Gedaliah—son of Ahikam, the former supporter of Jeremiah (ch. 26. 24). Gedaliah was the chief of the deserters to the Chaldeans, and 'Was set over the remnant in Judea as one likely to remain faithful to Nebuchadnezzar. His residence was at Mizpah
(ch. 40. 5). home—the house of Gedaliah, wherein Jeremiah might remain as in a safe asylum. As In ch. 40.
Jeremiah is represented as "bound In chains" when ho came to Ramah among the captives to be carried to Baby-
5'2. 8), In order to escape the notice of the Chaldeans. 8. Netophathlte—from Netophah, a town in Judah (2 Samuel 23. 28). Maachathlte—from Maachathi, at the foot of Mount Hermon (Deuteronomy 3. 14). 9. Fear not—They were afraid that they should not obtain pardon from the Chaldeans for their acts. He therefore assured them of safety by an oath, serve lit., to stand before (v. 10; ch.
lon, this release of Jeremiah Is thought by Mauker to be distinct from that in ch. 40. 5, 6. But he seems first to have been released from the court of the prison, and to have •been taken to Ramali, still in chains, and then committed In freedom to Gedaliah. dwelt among the people— i. c, was made free. 1.5-18. Belonging to the time when the city was not yet taken, and when Jeremiah was still in the court of tbe prison (ch. 88. 13). This passage Is inserted here bc<!ause H was now that Ebed-melech's good act(ch.
52. 12), i.e., to be at hand ready to execute the comman Is of the king of Babylon. 10. Miipali—lying on the way between Babylon and Judah, and so convenient for transacting business between the two countries. As for in« as. 7-12; Matthew 25. 13) was to be rewarded In his dellverouco. 1(5. Oo—not literally, for 1>€ was In eonflnement, 54G. . . but yc— he artfully. In order to conciliate there, rep-