21:1Chapters 21-28 are Jeremiah’s messages concerning Nebuchadnezzar’s attacks on Jerusalem between 588 and 586 8.C. (see also 2 Kings 25). King Zedekiah decided to rebel against Nebuchadnezzar (2 Kings 24:20), and the nobles advised allying with Egypt. Jeremiah pronounced judgment on the kings (24:1- 23:8) and false prophets (23:9-40) for leading the people astray.
Life Application Study BibleJeremiahChapter 21
Jeremiah 21
New Living Translation · Life Application Study Bible · Original pages: 1238, 1239
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21Jeremiah 21
4. Jeremiah accuses Judah’s leaders
No Deliverance from Babylon
12 The LORD spoke through Jeremiah when King Zedekiah sent Pashhur son of Malkijah and Zephaniah son of Maaseiah, the priest, to speak with him. They begged Jeremiah, 2“Please speak to the LORD for us and ask him to help us. King Nebuchadnezzar* of Babylon is attacking Judah. Perhaps the LORD will be gracious and do a mighty miracle as he has done in the past. Perhaps he will force Nebuchadnezzar to withdraw his armies.” 3Jeremiah replied, “Go back to King Zedekiah and tell him, 6This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: I will make your weapons useless against the king of Babylon and the Babylonians* who are outside your walls attacking you. In fact, I will bring your enemies right into the heart of this city. 51 myself will fight against you with a strong hand and a powerful arm, for 1am very angry. You have made me furious! §I will send a terrible plague upon this city, and both people and animals will die. 7And after all that, says the LORD, I will hand over King Zedekiah, his staff, and everyone else in the city who survives the disease, war, and famine. I will hand them over to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon and to their other enemies. He will slaughter them and show them no mercy, pity, or compassion.’ 8“Tell all the people, ‘This is what the LORD says: Take your choice of life or death! 9Everyone who stays in Jerusalem will die from war, famine, or disease, but those who go out and surrender to the Babylonians will live. Their reward will be life! 10For I have decided to bring disaster and not good upon this city, says the LORD. It will be handed over to the king of Babylon, and he will reduce it to ashes.’
Judgment on Judah's Kings
1111"Say to the royal family of Judah, ‘Listen to this message from the LORD! ILORD says to the dynasty of David:“Give justice each morning to the people you judge!Help those who have been robbed;rescue them from their oppressors.Otherwise, my anger will burn like an unquenchable firebecause of all your sins.
13I will personally fight against the people in Jerusalem,that mighty fortress—the people who boast, “No one can touch us here.No one can break in here.”
14And I myself will punish you for your sinfulness,says the LORD.I will light a fire in your foreststhat will burn up everything around you.m
Textual footnotes
- 21:2 Hebrew Nebuchadrezzar, a variant spelling of Nebuchadnezzar; also in 21:7.
- 21:4 Or Chaldeans; also in 21:9.
Life Application Notes 5 notes
21:1,2King Zedekiah probably was referring to God’s deliverance of Jerusalem from Sennacherib, king of Assyria, in the days of Hezekiah (isaiah 36-37). But Zedekiah’s hopes were dashed. He was Judah’s last ruler during the time of the exile in 586 B.C.
21:1,2Pashhur came to the prophet for help. (This is not the same Pashhur as in 20:1.) God still had work for Jeremiah to do. In living out our faith, we may find that rejection, disappointment, or hard work has brought us to the point of despondency. But we are still needed. God has important work for us as well.
21:1-14Jeremiah had foretold Jerusalem’s destruction. The city’s leaders had denied his word and mocked his pronouncements. In desperation, King Zedekiah turned to God for help, but without acknowledging God’s warnings or admitting his sin. Too often we expect God to help us in our time of trouble even though we have ignored him in our time of prosperity. But God wants a lasting relationship. Are you trying to build a lasting friendship with God, or are you merely using him occasionally to escape trouble? What would you think of your family or friends if they thought of you only as a temporary resource?
21:13Jerusalem was built on a plateau with valleys on three Sides. Because of its strategic location, the inhabitants thought they were safe.
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12 This is what the