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Pushur, the governor,

A. M. cir. 3397.

B. C. cir. 607.

O XLIII. 2. Tarquinii Prisci, R. Roman., cir. annum 10.

CHAP. XX. 11 And shalt say unto them, incense

smites the prophet.

unto all the host A. M. cir. 3397.

Thus saith the LORD of hosts; of heaven, and have poured Even so will I break this, peo- out drink-offerings unto other ple and this city, as one breaketh gods. a potter's vessel, that cannot be made whole again; and they shall bury them in Tophet, till there be no place to bury.

12 Thus will I do unto this place, saith the LORD, and to the inhabitants thereof, and even make this city as Tophet:

13 And the houses of Jerusalem, and the houses of the kings of Judah, shall be defiled as the place of Tophet, because of all the houses upon whose roofs they have burned

Psa. ii. 9; Isa. xxx. 14; Chap. vii. 32.besieged by the Romans. have had in view.

t

B. C. cir. 607.

Ol. XLIII. 2. Tarquinii Prisci, R. Roman., cir. annum 10.

14 Then came Jeremiah from Tophet, whither the LORD had sent him to prophesy; and he stood in the court of the LORD's house, and said to all the people,

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15 Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will bring upon this city and upon all her towns all the evil that I have pronounced against it, because they have hardened their necks, that they might not hear my words.

u

Lam. iv. 2.- Heb. be healed. 2 Kings xxiii. 12; chap. xxxii. 29; Zeph. i. 5.— Chap. vii. 18.
2 Kings xxiii. 10.
See 2 Chron. xx. 5.- Chap. vii. 26; xvii. 23.

This also the prophet might

Verse 11. Even so will I break this people and this city] The breaking of the bottle was the symbolical representation of the destruction of the city and of the state. That cannot be made whole again] This seems to refer rather to the final destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans, than to what was done by the Chaldeans. Jerusalem was healed after 70 years: but nearly 1800 years have elapsed since Jerusalem was taken and destroyed by the Romans; and it was then so broken, that it could not be made whole again.

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Verse 12. And even make this city as Tophet] Á place of slaughter and destruction.

Verse 14. Then came Jeremiah from Tophet] He had probably gone to the valley of Hinnom, and there repeated the discourse which he had a little before delivered to the chief priests and elders.

Verse 15. Because they have hardened their necks] A metaphor taken from unruly and unbroken oxen, who resist the yoke, break and run away with their gears. So this people had broken and destroyed the yoke of the law.

CHAPTER XX.

Jeremiah, on account of his prophesying evil concerning Judah and Jerusalem, is beaten and imprisoned by Pashur, chief governor of the temple, 1, 2. On the following day the prophet is released, who denounces the awful judgments of God which should fall upon the governor and all his house, as well as upon the whole land of Judah, in the approaching Babylonish captivity, 3-6. Jeremiah then bitterly complains of the reproaches continually heaped upon him by his enemies; and, in his haste, resolves to speak no more in the name of Jehovah; but the word of the Lord is in his heart as a burning flame, so that he is not able to forbear, 7-10. The prophet professes his trust in God, whom he praises for his late deliverance, 11-13. The remaining verses, which appear to be out of their place, contain Jeremiah's regret that he was ever born to a life of so much sorrow and trouble, 14-18. This complaint resembles that of Job; only it is milder, and more dolorous. This excites our pity, that our horror. Both are highly poetical, and embellished with every circumstance that can heighten the colouring. But such circumstances are not always to be too literally understood or explained. We must often make allowances for the strong figures of eastern poetry.

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prophesied these things.

and put him in the stocks that A. M. cir. 3397.
were in the high gate of Benja-
min, which was by the house of
the LORD.

B. C. cir. 607. Ol. XLIII. 2. Tarquinii Prisci; R. Roman., cir. annum 10.

3 And it came to pass on the morrow, that

2 Then Pashur smote Jeremiah the prophet, Pashur brought forth Jeremiah out of the

a 1 Chronicles, chap. xxiv. 14.

NOTES ON CHAP. XX. Verse 1. Pashur-chief governor] Pashur was probably one of the chief priests of the twenty-four classes.

Verse 2. Put him in the stocks] Probably such a place near the gate as we term the lock-up; the coalhole; or it may mean a sort of dungeon.

Verse 3. The Lord hath not called thy name Pashur

Jeremiah foretells the

A. M. cir. 3397.
B. C. cir: 607.

OI. XLIII. 2.

Tarquinii Prisci,
R. Roman.,

JEREMIAH.

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Then said Jeremiah

Babylonish captivity

8 For since I spake, I cried
unto him, The LORD hath not out, I cried violence and spoil;
called thy name Pashur, but
b Magor-missabib.

eir. annum 10.
4 For thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will
make thee a terror to thyself, and to all thy
friends and they shall fall by the sword of
their enemies, and thine eyes shall behold it:
and I will give all Judah into the hand of the
king of Babylon, and he shall carry them cap-
tive into Babylon, and shall slay them with
the sword.

5 Moreover I will deliver all the strength of this city, and all the labours thereof, and all the precious things thereof, and all the treasures of the kings of Judah will I give into the hand of their enemies, which shall spoil them, and take them, and carry them to Babylon.

6 And thou, Pashur, and all that dwell in thine house, shall go into captivity and thou shalt come to Babylon, and there thou shalt die, and shalt be buried there, thou, and all thy friends, to whom thou hast prophesied lies. 7 O LORD, thou hast deceived me, and I was deceived: f thou art stronger than I, and hast prevailed: I am in derision daily, every one mocketh me.

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because the word of the LORD
was made a reproach unto me,
and a derision, daily.

A. M. cir. 3397,

B. C. cir. 607.

O1. XLIII 2. Tarquinii Prisci,

R. Roman., cir. annum 10.

9 Then I said, I will not make mention of him, nor speak any more in his name. But his word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing, and I could not stay.

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10 For I heard the defaming of many, fear on every side. Report, say they, and we will report it. All my familiars watched for my halting, saying, Peradventure he will be enticed, and we shall prevail against him, and we shall take our revenge him.

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11 But the LORD is with me as a mighty terrible one therefore my persecutors shall stumble, and they shall not prevail: they shall be greatly ashamed; for they shall not prosper their everlasting confusion shall never be forgotten.

12 But, O LORD of hosts, that triest the righteous, and seest the reins and the heart, let me see thy vengeance on them: for unto thee have I opened my cause.

13 Sing unto the LORD, praise ye the LORD:

Job xxxii. 18; Acts xviii. 5.-
every man of my peace.
Luke xi. 53, 54.-
Chap. xxiii. 40.
lix. 10.

Job xix.
Chap. i. 8, 19.-
Chap. xi. 20;

Psa. xxxi. 13.-m Heb. 19; Psa. xli. 9; lv. 13, 14; -P Chap. xv. 20; xvii. 18. xvii. 10.- Psa. liv. 7;

-Security on all sides. This name thou hast had, but sense here as in Gen. ix. 27: God shall enlarge (pernot by Divine appointment. suade, margin) Japheth; and he shall dwell in the tents of Shem.

But Magor-missabib-Fear on every side. This name hath God given thee; because, in the course of his providence, thou shalt be placed in the circumstances signified by it thou shalt be a terror to thyself. Verse 6. And thou, Pashur-shall go into captivity] Thou shalt suffer for the false prophecies which thou hast delivered, and for thy insults to my prophet.

Verse 7. O Lord, thou hast deceived me] Thou hast promised me protection; and, lo! I am now delivered into the hands of my enemies. These words were probably spoken when Pashur smote him, and put him in prison.

I think our translation of this passage is very exceptionable. My old Bible reads, Thou laddigt me aside Lord; and I was tad aride. The original word is n pittithani, thou hast persuaded me, i. e., to go and prophesy to this people. I went, faithfully declared thy message, and now I am likely to perish by their cruelty. As the root in pathak signifies to persuade and allure, as well as to deceive, the above must be its meaning in this place. Taken as in our Version, it is highly irreverent It is used in the same

Verse 8. I cried violence and spoil] This was the burden of the message thou didst give me.

Verse 9. I will not make mention of him] I will renounce the prophetic office, and return to my house.

As a burning fire shut up in my bones] He felt stings of conscience for the hasty and disobedient resolution he had formed; he felt ashamed of his own weakness, that did not confide in the promise and strength of God; and God's word was in him as a strongly raging fire, and he was obliged to deliver it, in order to get rid of the tortures which he felt from suppressing the solemn message which God had given. It is as dangerous to refuse to go when called, as it is to run without a call. On this subject, see on chap. i. 6.

Verse 10. Report—and we will report it.] Let us spread calumnies against him every where; or let us spread reports of dangers coming upon him, that we may intimidate him, and cause him to desist.

Verse 11. But the Lord is with me as a mighty terrible one] Thus was he, by his strong confidence

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14 "Cursed be the day wherein I was born: let not the day wherein my mother bare me be blessed.

15 Cursed be the man who brought tidings to my father, saying, A man child is born. unto thee; making him very glad.

W

inquire of the Lord.

the LORD overthrew, and repent- A. M. cır. 3398.
ed not: and let him hear the
cry in the morning, and the
shouting at noontide;

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B. C. cir. 606 Ol. XLIII. 3. Tarquinii Prisci, R. Roman., cir. annum 11.

17 Because he slew me not from the womb or that my mother might have been my grave and her womb to be always great with me. 18 Wherefore came I forth out of the womb to see labour and sorrow, that my

16 And let that man be as the cities which days should be consumed with shame?

Psa. xxxv. 9, 10; cix. 30, 31. -u Job iii. 3; chap. xv. 10. w Chap. xviii. 22.- — Job iii. 10, 11.- -y Job iii. 20.- - Lam. Gen. xix. 25. in. 1.

in the strong God, delivered from all his fears, and Transpositions in this prophet are frequent; therefore enabled to go on comfortably with his work.

Verse 13. Sing unto the Lord] He was so completely delivered from all fear, that although he remained in the same circumstances, yet he exults in the Divine protection, and does not fear the face of any adversary. Verse 14. Cursed be the day wherein I was born] If we take these words literally, and suppose them to be in their proper place, they are utterly inconsistent with that state of confidence in which he exulted a few minutes before. If they are the language of Jeremiah, they must have been spoken on a prior occasion, when probably he had given way to a passionate hastiness. They might well comport with the state he was in ver. 9. I really believe these verses have got out of their proper place, which I conjecture to be between the eighth and ninth verses. There they will come in very properly; and might have been a part of his complaint in those moments when he had purposed to flee from God as did Jonah, and prophesy no more in his name.

place these five verses after the eighth, and let the chapter end with the thirteenth, and the whole will form a piece of exquisite poetry; where the state of despair, and the hasty resolutions he had formed while under its influence, and the state of confidence to which he was raised by the succouring influence of God, will appear to be both illustrative of each other, and, are touched with a delicacy and fervour which even a cold heart must admire. See Job iii. 3, and the notes there. The two passages are very similar.

Verse 15. A man child is born] Borun is to thee a knabe child.-Old MS. Bible. This is the old English word for man or servant; and is so used by Wiclif, Rev. xii. 5.

Verse 16. And let him hear the cry] Let him be in continual alarms.

Verse 18. Wherefore came I forth] It would have been well had I never been born, as I have neither comfort in my life, nor comfort in my work.

CHAPTER XXI.

Nebuchadnezzar being come up against Jerusalem, Zedekiah sends Pashur and Zephaniah to the prophet to request him to intercede with God in behalf of his people, 1, 2. But he is declared to be against Jerusalem, and the whole land of Judah; and the only mitigation of their punishment must proceed from their surrendering to the king of Babylon, 3-10. Prophecy concerning the house of the king of Judah, 11, 12, Notwithstanding the amazing fortifications round about Jerusalem, in which the people vainly trust, the Lord will most assuredly visit them for their iniquities; the city shall be taken by the Chaldeans, 13, 14,

A. M. cir. 3415.
B. C. cir. 589.

OL. XLVII. 4.
Tarquinii Prisci,
R. Roman.,
cir. annum 28.

a

Chap. xxxviii. 1.

THE word which came unto chiah, and Zephaniah the son
Jeremiah from the LORD, of Maaseiah the priest, saying,

when king Zedekiah sent unto
him Pashur the son of Mel-

b2 Kings xxv. 18; chap. xxix. 25; xxxvii. 3.
NOTES ON CHAP. XXI.
Verse 1. The word which came unto Jeremiah]
The chapters in the remaining parts of this prophecy
seem strangely interchanged. This subject has been
mentioned in the introduction, and some tables given;
and to these the critical reader is requested to refer.
The discourse here was delivered about the ninth year
of the reign of Zedekiah. This chapter, observes Dr.
Blayney, contains the first of those prophecies which
"were delivered by Jeremiah, subsequent to the revolt

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2 Inquire, I pray thee, of the LORD for us; (for Nebuchad

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A. M. cir. 3415,
B. C. cir. 589.

O. XLVII. 4.

Tarquinii Prisci,
R. Roman.,

cir. annum 29.

of Zedekiah, and the breaking out of the war thereupon; and which are continued on to the taking of Jerusalem, related in chap. xxix., in the following order:-ch. xxi., xxxiv., xxxvii., xxxii., xxxiii., xxxviii., xxxix.

Pashur the son of Melchiah] There can be little doubt that this Pashur was a different person from him who was called the son of Immur in the preceding chapter.

Verse 2. Inquire, I pray thee] See whether God

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3 Then said Jeremiah unto them, Thus shall the sword, and by the famine, and by the ye say to Zedekiah :

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5 And 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. 6 And I will smite the inhabitants of this city, both man and beast: they shall die of a great pestilence.

7 And 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.

d Isa. xiii. 4.- e Exod. vi. 6. Chap. xxxvii. 17; xxxix. 5; lij. 9.- - Deut. xxiii. 50; 2 Chron. xxxvi. 17.- Deut. Chap. xxxviii. 2, 17, 18. Chap. xxxix. 18; xlv. 5-Ley. xvii. 10; chap. xliv. 11; Amos ix. 4.- xxxviii. 3.

xxx. 19.

Chap.

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. 10 For 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.

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intends to deliver us into or out of the hand of the in the present instance. Chaldeans.

Verse 4. I will turn back the weapons] Every attempt you make to repel the Chaldeans shall be unsuccessful,

verse.

This is explained in the next

Verse 10. He shall burn it with fire.] What a heavy message to all; and especially to them who had any fear of God, or reverence for the temple and its sacred

I will assemble them into the midst of this city.] I services! will deliver the eity into their hands.

Verse 6. They shall die of a great pestilence.] The sword may appear to be that of man, though I have given the Chaldeans their commission; but the pestilence shall appear to be the immediate act of God.

Verse 7. Nebuchadrezzar] This name is spelt as above in twenty-six places of this book; and in ten places it is spelt Nebuchadnezzar, which is the common orthography. The difference is only a resh for a 】nun; but the MSS. are various on this point. It is the same person who is intended by both names; and here all the Versions, except the Arabic, which omits the name, have it in the usual form.

Verse 8. Behold, I set before you the way of life, and the way of death.] Meaning escape or destruction

Verse 12. Execute judgment in the morning] Probably the time for dispensing judgment was the morning, when the people were going to their work; but the words may mean, Do justice promptly, do not delay. Let justice be administered as soon as required.

Verse 13. O inhabitant of the valley, and rock of the plain] Dr. Blayney translates: "O thou inhabitant of the levelled hollow of a rock." With all his explanation I cannot see the good sense of this translation. Jerusalem itself, though partly on two hills, was also extended in the valley; and Zion, the city of David, was properly a rock, strongly fortified both by nature and art; and by its ancient possessors, the Jebusites, was deemed impregnable.

Who shall come down against us?] Probably the

The prophet's message

CHAP. XXII.

to the king of Judah.

words of those courtiers who had persuaded Zedekiah | to every part of the circumference, and so consume the to rebel against the king of Babylon.

Verse 14. I will kindle a fire in the forest thereof]

whole.

The beginning of the thirth-fourth chapter should
See the arrangement on ver, 1

I will send destruction into its centre, that shall spread follow here.

CHAPTER XXII.

This section of prophecy, extending to the end of the eighth verse of the next chapter, is addressed to the king of Judah and his people. It enjoins on them the practice of justice and equity, as they would hope to prosper, 1-4; but threatens them, in case of disobedience, with utter destruction, 5-9. The captivity of Shallum, the son of Josiah, is declared to be irreversible, 10-12; and the miserable and unlamented end of Jeconiah, contemptuously called Coniah, is foretold, 13–19. His family is threatened with the like captivity, and his seed declared to be for ever excluded from the throne, 20-30.

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7 And I will prepare destroyers against thee, every one with his weapons: and they shall cut down thy choice cedars, and cast them into the fire.

3 Thus saith the LORD; Execute ye judgment and righteousness, and deliver the spoiled out of the hand of the oppressor: and do no wrong, do no violence to the stranger, the fatherless, nor the widow, neither shed inno-bour, cent blood in this place.

4 For if ye do this thing indeed, a then shall there enter in by the gates of this house kings sitting upon the throne of David, riding in chariots and on horses, he, and his servants, and his people.

5 But if ye will not hear these words, I swear by myself, saith the LORD, that this house shall become a desolation.

8 And many nations shall pass by this city, and they shall say every man to his neighWherefore hath the LORD done thus unto this great city?

i

9 Then they shall answer, Because they have forsaken the covenant of the LORD their God, and worshipped other gods, and served them.

1

10 Weep ye not for the dead, neither be moan him: but weep sore for him that goeth away: for he shall return no more, nor see his native country.

a Chap. xvii. 20.- Chap. xxi. 12. See ver. 17.—d Ch. Chap. xxi. 14. Deut. xxix. 24, 25; 1 Kings ix. 8, 9. xvii. 25. Heb. for David upon his throne.f Heb. vi. 13, 17.2 Kings xxii. 17; 2 Chron. xxxiv. 25.- 12 Kings xxii. 20. Isa. xxxvii. 24.

NOTES ON CHAP. XXII. Verse 1. Go down to the house of the king of Judah, and speak there this word] This is supposed by Dahler to have been published in the first year of the reign of Zedekiah.

Verse 2. O king of Judah-thou, and thy servants] His ministers are here addressed, as chiefly governing the nation; and who had counselled Zedekiah to rebel. Verse 6. Thou art Gilead unto me, and the head of Lebanon] Perhaps in allusion, says Dahler, to the oaks of Gilead, and the cedars of Mount Lebanon, of which the palace was constructed. Lebanon was the highest mountain in Israel, and Gilead the richest and most fertile part of the country; and were, therefore, proper emblems of the reigning family. Though thou art the richest and most powerful, I, who raised thee up, can bring thee down and make thee a wilderness.

m Ver. 11.

Verse 7. They shall cut down thy choice cedars] The destruction of the country is expressed under the symbol of the destruction of a fine forest; a multitude of fellers come against it, each with his axe; and, there being no resistance, every tree is soon felled to the earth. "These destroyers," God says, "I have prepared, 'p kiddashti, I have sanctified-consecrated, to this work. They have their commission from me." Verse 8. Many nations shall pass] These words seem borrowed from Deut. xxix. -22, &c.

Verse 10. Weep ye not for the dead] Josiah, dead in consequence of the wound he had received at Megiddo, in a battle with Pharaoh-necho, king of Egypt; but he died in peace with God.

But weep sore for him that goeth away] Namely, Jehoahaz, the son of Josiah, called below Shallum, whom Pharaoh-necho had carried captive into Egypt,

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