CHAP. XXXVII. V. 1—5. (Notes, 2 Kings xxiv: 17—20. 2 Chr. xxxvi, 13. Lz. xvii, 121. xxi. 25—27.) Nebuchadnezzar made Zedekiah king, and entered into cove~
nant with him, having caused him to swear allegiance in the *19Z
B. C. 590.
J1—15. ly consulted by
Being privatel Zedekiah 3 he confirms his former prediction, expostulates with the hing, and |
prevails for some indulgence, 1O—21.
RRNA AND king * Zedekiah, the son of
Son ee ae: Josiah, reigned instead of ° Coniah
*
bh xxii. 24. 98, ve seas the son of Jehoiakim, whom Nebuchad-rehr. ii 1 rezzar king of Babylon * made king in _ 8, Sehoiachin the land of Judah. .
yale ae cae : eae = pe Py ebhein 20.2Chrxxxvi. nOr the people of the land, did hearken mex, Ta Ba UNLO the oni of the Lorp, which he We ie nangspake by * the prophct Jereimiah.
of tha &e. Bx. 3 ~And Zedekiah the king sent Jehucal Mio Tkagthe son of Sheiemiah, and * Zephaniah frov. axvi. the son of Maasciah the priest, to the
Nam. x. 7 out among the people: § for they had not 1 Kings sii © Dut him into prison.
ecto. = Then ° Pharoah’s army. was come
"Tbaaniss. forth out of Egypt: and when the Chal-deans that besieged Jerusalem heard tidings of them, ‘they departed from Jerusalem. 6 Then came the word of the Lorp unto the prophet Jeremiah, saying, 7 Thus saith the Lorn, the God of * g kings xxii ts. Israel; * Thus shall ye say to the king of . . Judah, that sent you unto me to enquire ixvii. #6. Prov.Of me: Behold, ' Pharaoh’s army, which
Xxi. 30. I$. XXX.
joe, xed 1-18 come forth to help you, shall return
Ee. ere.” to Egypt into their own land:
j ll. XXXIV. 21.
name of. JEHOVAH: yet Zedekiah, .despising this oath and covenant, formed an alliance with the king of Egypt, and, depending on his assistance, rebelled against Nebuchadnezzar. Accordingly, Pharaoh sent an army to his relief, which caused the Chaldeans for a short time to raise the siege of Jerygglem :—and in this interval Zedekiah sent-this message to Jeremiah ; who hadduring the preceding part of this reign been left at liberty. (Notes, xxi. 1, 2. Xxiv. Xxxii, 1—5. Xxxiil. 1.)—The events, here recorded, seem to have preceded those related in some of the chapters referred to.
V. 6—10. (Noles, xxi. 4, 5. Xxxiv. 20—22. Marg. Ref.)—Wounded, &c, (10.) Or ‘men, who had been run through ;” that is, mortally wounded. God would work miracles for the Chaldeans, rather than let the Jews escape the threatened vengeance.
V. 11—15. Many of the Jews seem to have taken the opportunity, of the Chaldeans’ departure, to leave the city, either to attend to their private concerns, or to shift for their satety : and Jeremiah, sceing no prospect of doing any good, sought to retire, either to Anathoth or some other place.
JEREMIAH. , a deserter, beaten, and put in prison,| 8 And the Chaldeans shall come again,
B. C. 58g. and ™ fight against this city, and take it, "35" Shy""s, and burn it with fire. ae ogee ag
9 Thus saith the Lorp, " Deceive not" eat. a. “Gat t yourselves, saying, The Chaldeans shall ¥. 6. 8 Theash. surely depart from us; for they shall not t Heb. yeur seats, depart.
10 For ° though he had smitten the? 22
XXVi. I6—S8. Is. + Heb. men threst against you, and there remained but” tirengs. ui. +.
=xxix. 2—S.
end burn this city with fire. q 1 icings xix. 3 11 & And it came to pass, ?that when [th van
the army of the Chaldeans was § broken” i," "réar up from Jerusalem, for fear .of Pharaoh's) 941 ewes arm the midst, &c. hi Then Jeremiah ° went forth out of xiv 10. ores Jerusalem to go into ‘the land of Ben-, =a. 1 jamin, to | separate himself thence in the midst of the people. 13 And when he was
xxxvi. 19. U xviii. 15. XE. IQ xxi. 9. xxvii. G, 12,
*in the gate of Am, rh, le
he took Jeremiah the prophet, saying, 1 Lake vies, « Thou fallest away to the Chaldeans.
* 14 Then * said Jeremiah, Jt is * false ; oe sy I fall not away to the Chaldeans. But 3% Sth 73 he hearkened not to him: so Irijah took -Ritsstotn Jeremiah, and brought him to the princes, xsi: % "Aew _ 15 Wherefore * the princes were wroth &.¢ cor. xi,¢s. with Jeremiah, and smote him, and * put s0— eee him in prison *in the house of Jonathan 2 Chr. svi. 10.
® Heb. falscheed,
the scribe: for. they had made that the 18 ai ade. Reve il. 10. prison, 82. april..
It is not clear what his intentions were : whether wholly to withdraw from the city ; and to seeckat Anathoth some supply for his wants, and then to return.—The: Lord had, however, otherwise appointed concerning him ; and the malignity of his people was exposed by it. For, being met by Irijah, who was the grandson of Hananiah, (the false prophet, as it is most probable, Nofes, xxviii,) he'was apprehended, and accused of deserting to the Chaldeans ; because he had counselle:l the people to surrender, as the only method of saving themselves and the city: and, though he denied the charge, (and doubtless he had no such intention,). he was treated with the utmost cruelty and indignity, and committed to the most dismal and noisome prison, which the enraged princes could find out. ‘The former word rendered prison, often means chains, -‘¢ They put him in chains, in ‘© the house, &c.” (Noles, 16. xx. 1—6.) ae
In the midst, &c. (12.) Or ‘* from among his people.” (Lowth.) The Septuagint renders it ‘to duy among his “¢ people ;’’ that is, to buy’ provisions, which were scarce in the city.—Thus Blayncy translates the clause: yet it does not appear the obvious construction of the original,
- B.C. 589.
b xxxvili. a Coe are b: xxeviti, 10-18. 16 @ Wher Jeremiah wasentered ° into
» tam. ii. 88-55: the dungeon, and into the * cabins, and Oe ar —o7.deremiah ha: remained there many days; geineexis 1 17 Then Zedekiah the king sent and 1 Kings at, 16, took him out : and the king asked him 13, Mark vi. 90. S@cretly in his house, ‘and said, ¢ [Is there
@ xxi. 7. xxiv 6. i xvix. 16 —18.any word from the Lorp,? And Jeremiah
xaiv. et. se. said, There is; for, said he, thou shalt
XXXIX. 8, Te E e
xii. 12, iS. xvi be delivered into the hand of the king
19—21, xXi. Q5 ' on XXxi. 36, of Babylon. F : ‘: eax te =.18 Moreover Jeremiah said unto king
@$. xxi. 1, 2
6.
—]5, XXVI. [8—
She wae ace Ledekiah, ‘What have I offended against xxili, 1. XXIV. . °
1G. xxv..8. Gal. thee, or against thy servants, or against iW. 10. . . . g bent. xvxii. ¢,this people, that ye have put me in $7. 2 Kings iii. ¥ )
Ss. prison &
h vi. 14. viii. 11. : me ns=ts 19 * Where are now "your prophets
xiv. 13—15. xxiii, 17. xxvii. ie me 14—18. xxvilil. 1-5. 10—17. Lam. ti. 14. Ez. xiil. 1O—16,
SS V. 16. In this deplorable situation the prophet was left
for a considerable time, namely, till the Chaldcans returned and renewed the siege.
V. 17—21.
The princes of Jehoiakim had becn more favourable to the prophet than their-king, and afraid of his displeasure: ‘ It seems likely that the dungeon was a deep « pit, sunk perpendicularly like a well, in the open court, ¢ around which the great houses were built : and thatin the ‘ sides of it, near the bottom, were scooped niches, like the “ cabins of a ship, for the separate lodgment of the unfor- * tunate persons, who were let down there.’ (Blayney.) But Zedekiah was less inveterate than his princes, and afraid of them in favouring him.—When Jeremiah was interrogated about the word of the Lord, he neither conceaJed nor softened his message, but plainly told the king, that he would be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon: yet he meant to plead for favour, and to present his supplication to him ; to which this might have been deemed a very impoli-tick preface.
But he had truth, reason, justice, and the king’s conscience, on his side ; and he nceded no subterfuges or artifices. He could appeal to Zedekiih, that he had not offended him or his princes, except by faithfully declaring the word of God: and the flattering prophets, who had promised-them peace, were convicted by the event of being deceivers.
Surely then he ought not tu be sent back to his noisome dungeon, where he must shortly die by famine or disease !—Zedekiah was induced, in some measure, to grant his request, yet he still kept him confined ; and though he gave orders that he should be supplied with food, so as to secure him from dying for want; yet his sustenance was mean and scanty, and he was soon after treated with the ercatest cruclty. (Nofes, xxxviil. 1—6.)
PRACTICAL OBSERVATIONS.
Numbers witness the fatal effects of other men’s sins, and yet hcedlessly step into their places, anid steer the same destructive course : and many, who pay no regard to the instructions and wernings of faithful ministers, will, in great extremities, desire their prayers.—Every respite given to hardened sinners encourages their presumption: they trust to fallacious appearances, and despise the word of God ; and they deceive themselves by vain words, till ‘* wrath comes “‘upon them tothe uttermost.” But, whatever present appearances may be, the scriptures must be fulfilled ; and the
CHAPTER XXXVIL
B. C. 589.
which prophesied unto you, saying, The |
king of Babylon shall not come against t reb. sat before.’
you, nor against this land? ian 18. axRvit 20 Therefore hear now, I pray thee, 16-2. x.. 16,
6—9. Acts AXiile t. XxaVhi. Y8,
O my lord, the king: let my supplica-,
k xxx. Q, 8.
tion, I pray thee, the accepted before, svi 1s: 55.
thee: that thou cause me not to return 5° 2.7" {io to the house of Jonathan the scribe, ‘lest j273*",* i: I die there. * Prov. “avis 7.
XXi. 1.18. XXNiit 21 Then Zedekiah the king command- mwas 9 he ° : 6. Deut. xxvili. ed that they should commit Jeremiah sis." exings k: . | xxv. 3. Lam. i1. into the court of the prison, ‘and that 1, ‘12. 19, 2. e e ry ry iv. 4, 5. 9, 10. they should give him daily a piece of bread_v. 1.
nxxxtil, 13. 28.
out of the bukers’ street, “until all the =, 14 15.
Acts xii 5 xXXive
« 4 } ? 7 n y 2 NX¥bD. ° bread in the city werespent. "Thus Jere- 97 sii, 18
miah remained in the court of the prison, }',%:,?™
1. 8. ii. 9.
feeblest, most unlikely, or despised, persons, will suffice to execute the vengeance of: God, and to disappoint the confidence of those who rebel against him. It is unspeakably wearisome, to zealous ministers, to witness those crimes and miseries, which they cannot prevent: and cruel treatment, united with ill success, is apt to render them reluctant to their work, and disposed to court privacy and obscurity.
But every step which they take will be misrepresented by perverse opposers: the most disinterested friends of their country are frequently treated as traitors, or rebels, and the most upright and blameless accused of the worst of crimes ;_ and such calumnies will meet with more credit, than all their asseverations and pleas in their own behalf. “Thus, whilst the enemies of God have lodged in palaces and indulged in luxury ; his faithful servants have been suffering with wounds, loaded with ignominy and fetters, immured in loathsome dungeons, or dying by famine or torture.
But erelong it will be said of the afflicted believer, and tothe prosperous sinner, ‘* Now he is comforted, but thou-art tormented.” (Note, Luke xvi. 24—26.)—Many secretly favour the servants of God, who, cine fear of man and love of sin, will ‘not follow their counsel.—No respect of persons, or carnal policy, must warp the plain and direct testimony of the faithful minister, even when addressing himself to the proudest, and most powerful, of the sons of men, whose frown he has most cause to fear, and from whose favour he might hope for many temporal advantages.
Yet, as far as consist§ with his faithfulness, he may properly reason with those who injuriously treat him; enquire what offence he has committed by plainly speaking the word of God ; and shew that they who flatter them, are proved to be deccivers by evident facts, and stand condemned even in the consctences of those, who suffer themselves to be deluded by them: and even they, who are most ready to die for the truth, may and ought to us? lawful means of self-preservation, and of obtaining fairer treatment.
All this, however, should be done with great meekness ; without reproaches, or acrimonious complaints: and the bolder any man is in the cause of God, the, more gentle, patient, and pliant should he be about his own concerns : his message must be delivered with authority over the consciences even of the greatest princes ; but he should be ready td speak with deference and submission, and as a supplicant, when pleading his own cause.—The Lord has all hearts in his hands, and can incline his enemies to favour his servants, as much as he sees good: yet they, who would be faithful to 1322
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