Jeremiah 21
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“Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.” — John 5:39
1The word which came unto Jeremiah from the LORD, when king Zedekiah sent unto him Pashur the son of Melchiah, and Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah the priest, saying,
CHAPTER 21
Jr 21:1-44. Zedekiah Consults Jeremiah What Is to Be the Event of the War: God's Answer.
Written probably when, after having repulsed the Egyptians who brought succors to the Jews (Jr 37:5-8; 2Ki 24:7), the Chaldees were a second time advancing against Jerusalem, but were not yet closely besieging it (Jr 21:4, 13) [Rosenmuller]. This chapter probably ought to be placed between the thirty-seventh and thirty-eight chapters; since what the "princes," in Jr 38:2, represent Jeremiah as having said, is exactly what we find in Jr 21:9. Moreover, the same persons as here (Jr 21:1) are mentioned in Jr 37:3; 38:1, namely, Pashur and Zephaniah. What is here more fully related is there simply referred to in the historical narrative. Compare Jr 52:24; 2Ki 25:18 [Maurer].
1. Zedekiah--a prince having some reverence for sacred things, for which reason he sends an honorable embassy to Jeremiah; but not having moral courage to obey his better impulses.
Pashur--son of Melchiah, of the fifth order of priests, distinct from Pashur, son of Immer (Jr 20:1), of the sixteenth order (1Ch 24:9, 14).
Zephaniah--of the twenty-fourth order. They are designated, not by their father, but by their family (1Ch 24:18).
Pashur. A different Pashur from the one mentioned in Jer_20:1. This one reappears in Jer_38:1; he belonged to the fifteenth of the sacerdotal families, named after Melchiah. Zephaniah, mentioned again in Jer_29:25; Jer_37:3. He was of the priestly family or class of Maaseiah, and was next in rank to the high priest (Jer_52:24).
2Enquire, I pray thee, of the LORD for us; for Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon maketh war against us; if so be that the LORD will deal with us according to all his wondrous works, that he may go up from us.
2. Nebuchadrezzar--the more usual way of spelling the name in Jeremiah than Nebuchadnezzar. From Persiac roots, meaning either "Nebo, the chief of the gods," or, "Nebo, the god of fire." He was son of Nabopolassar, who committed the command of the army against Egypt, at Carchemish, and against Judea, to the crown prince.
according to all his wondrous works--Zedekiah hopes for God's special interposition, such as was vouchsafed to Hezekiah against Sennacherib (2Ki 19:35, 36).
he--Nebuchadnezzar.
go up from us--rise up from the siege which he sat down to lay (Jr 37:5, 11, Margin; Nu 16:24, 27; 1Ki 15:19, Margin).
Nebuchadrezzar. This form predominates in Jeremiah and Daniel, and is the only form found in Ezekiel. It is, in fact, the correct way of spelling the name, which is in Babylonian Nabu-kudura-ucur, i.e. "Nebo, protect [or perhaps, 'has made'] the crown." According to all his wondrous works; e.g. the destruction of Sennacherib, which must have occurred in the first instance to the minds of devout Jews.
3Then said Jeremiah unto them, Thus shall ye say to Zedekiah:
4Thus saith the LORD God of Israel; Behold, I will turn back the weapons of war that are in your hands, wherewith ye fight against the king of Babylon, and against the Chaldeans, which besiege you without the walls, and I will assemble them into the midst of this city.
4. God of Israel--Those "wondrous works" (Jr 21:2) do not belong to you; God is faithful; it is you who forfeit the privileges of the covenant by unfaithfulness. "God will always remain the God of Israel, though He destroy thee and thy people" [Calvin].
turn back the weapons--I will turn them to a very different use from what you intend them. With them you now fight against the Chaldees "without the walls" (the Jewish defenders being as yet able to sally forth more freely, and defend the fountains outside the walls in the valley under Mount Zion; see Jr 21:13; Jr 19:6, 7); but soon ye shall be driven back within the city [Maurer], and "in the midst" of it, I will cause all your arms to be gathered in one place ("I will assemble them," namely, your arms) by the Chaldean conquerors [Grotius], who shall slay you with those very arms [Menochius].
I will assemble them into the midst of this city; i.e. I will compel the warriors to give up resistance, and shut themselves up within the walls.
5And I myself will fight against you with an outstretched hand and with a strong arm, even in anger, and in fury, and in great wrath.
5. The Jews shall have not merely the Chaldees, but Jehovah Himself in wrath at their provocations, fighting against them. Every word enhances the formidable character of God's opposition, "I myself ... outstretched hand ... strong arm (no longer as in Ex 6:6, and in the case of Sennacherib, in your behalf, but) in anger ... fury ... great wrath."
6And I will smite the inhabitants of this city, both man and beast: they shall die of a great pestilence.
7And afterward, saith the LORD, I will deliver Zedekiah king of Judah, and his servants, and the people, and such as are left in this city from the pestilence, from the sword, and from the famine, into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, and into the hand of their enemies, and into the hand of those that seek their life: and he shall smite them with the edge of the sword; he shall not spare them, neither have pity, nor have mercy.
7. the people, and such--rather, explanatory, "the people," namely, "such as are left."
seek their life--content with nothing short of their death; not content with plundering and enslaving them.
smite with ... sword--This was the fate of Zedekiah's sons and many of the Jewish nobles. Zedekiah himself, though not put to a violent death, died of grief. Compare as to the accurate fulfilment, Jr 34:4; Eze 12:13; 2Ki 25:6, 7.
And such as are; rather, left which are left. (There has been an obvious error in the repetition of "and.")
8And unto this people thou shalt say, Thus saith the LORD; Behold, I set before you the way of life, and the way of death.
8. "Life," if ye surrender; "death," if ye persist in opposing the Chaldees (compare De 30:19). The individuality of Jeremiah's mission from God is shown in that he urges to unconditional surrender; whereas all former prophets had urged the people to oppose their invaders (Is 7:16; 37:33, 35).
9He that abideth in this city shall die by the sword, and by the famine, and by the pestilence: but he that goeth out, and falleth to the Chaldeans that besiege you, he shall live, and his life shall be unto him for a prey.
9. (Jr 38:2, 17, 18).
falleth to--deserts to.
life ... a prey--proverbial, to make one's escape with life, like a valuable spoil or prey that one carries off; the narrowness of the escape, and the joy felt at it, are included in the idea (Jr 39:18).
He that abideth in this city, etc. No doubt Jeremiah often gave this counsel to his fellow-citizens (comp. Jer_38:1, Jer_38:17), and it appears from Jer_38:19; Jer_39:9; Jer_52:15, that many of the Jews acted in accordance with it. Falleth; more distinctly, falleth away (as Jer_37:14, Authorized Version); i.e. goeth over to.
10For I have set my face against this city for evil, and not for good, saith the LORD: it shall be given into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall burn it with fire.
10. set ... face against--determined to punish (See on Le 17:10).
11And touching the house of the king of Judah, say, Hear ye the word of the LORD;
And touching the house, etc. The formula with which this section is introduced shows that it was attached to Jer_21:1-7 at the same time as Jer_21:8-10, although obviously written at a much earlier period.
12O house of David, thus saith the LORD; Execute judgment in the morning, and deliver him that is spoiled out of the hand of the oppressor, lest my fury go out like fire, and burn that none can quench it, because of the evil of your doings.
12. house of David--the royal family and all in office about the king. He calls them so, because it was the greater disgrace that they had so degenerated from the piety of their forefather, David; and to repress their glorying in their descent from him, as if they were therefore inviolable; but God will not spare them as apostates.
in the morning--alluding to the time of dispensing justice (Job 24:17; Psa 101:8); but the sense is mainly proverbial, for "with promptness" (Psa 90:14; 143:8). Maurer translates, "every morning."
lest my fury ... like fire--Already it was kindled, and the decree of God gone forth against the city (Jr 21:4, 5), but the king and his house may yet be preserved by repentance and reformation. God urges to righteousness, not as if they can thereby escape punishment wholly, but as the condition of a mitigation of it.
O house of David. The "house of David" here, as in Isa_7:13, means the various branches of the royal family, the same, in fact, which are called by courtesy "kings of Judah" in Jer_17:20 (see note). They appear from the present passage to have monopolized the judicial function. Deliver him that is spoiled, etc. The poor man would have no advocate to plead for him; in this case the judge was to see that he suffered no injustice in consequence.
13Behold, I am against thee, O inhabitant of the valley, and rock of the plain, saith the LORD; which say, Who shall come down against us? or who shall enter into our habitations?
13. inhabitant of the valley, and rock of the plain--Jerusalem personified; situated for the most part on hills, with valleys at the bottom of them, as the valley of Hinnom, &c.; and beyond the valleys and mountains again, a position most fortified by nature, whence the inhabitants fancied themselves beyond the reach of enemies; but since God is "against" them, their position will avail nothing for them. The "valley" between Mount Zion and Moriah is called Tyropoeon. Robinson takes, "rock of the plain" as Mount Zion, on which is a level tract of some extent. It is appropriately here referred to, being the site of the royal residence of the "house of David," addressed (Jr 21:12).
Jehovah, standing, as it were, on the Mount of Olives, addresses the proud city beneath him. O inhabitant of the valley, and rock of the plain; rather, O inhabitress; Jerusalem is personified as a virgin. The poetical description of the capital as a "valley" (the word, however, signifies a valley as wide as a plain) reminds us of "the valley [or rather, 'ravine'] of vision" (Isa_22:1, Isa_22:5); While "the rock of the plain" recalls "my mountain in the field" (Jer_17:3). So, as Graf points out, Babylon is called "a mountain" in metaphorical language (Jer_51:25). It is, however, singular that the prophet should call Jerusalem a "valley" and a "rock" in the same passage. In the former, perhaps, Jeremiah is thinking specially of the lower city, and in the latter of Mount Zion. Who shall come down against us? viz. from the "hills round about Jerusalem."
14But I will punish you according to the fruit of your doings, saith the LORD: and I will kindle a fire in the forest thereof, and it shall devour all things round about it.
14. fruit of your doings--(Pr 1:31; Is 3:10, 11).
forest thereof--namely of your city, taken from Jr 21:13. "Forest" refers to the dense mass of houses built of cedar, &c., brought from Lebanon (Jr 22:7; 52:13; 2Ki 25:9).
In the forest thereof; i.e. in the forest of houses (comp. Jer_22:6, Jer_22:7).
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