Hananiah CHAP. XXVIII. CHAPTER XXVIII. prophesies falsely. One of those pretended prophets spoken of in the preceding chapter, having contradicted and opposed Jeremiah, receives an awful declaration that, as a proof to the people of his having spoken without commission, he should die in the then current year; which accordingly came to pass in the seventh month, 1–17. A. M. 3409, Ol. XLVI. 2. A. M. 3409 B. C. 595. Ol. XLVI. 2. Anno AND it came to pass the the LORD do so: the LORD persame year, in the beginning form thy words which thou hast Tarquinii Prisci, of the reign of Zedekiah king of prophesied, to bring again the Tarquinii Prisci, R. Roman., 22. Judah, in the fourth year, and in vessels of the LORD's house, R. Roman., 22. the fifth month, that Hananiah the son of Azur and all that is carried away captive, from the prophet, which was of Gibeon, spake unto Babylon into this place. me in the house of the LORD, in the presence of the priests and of all the people, saying,. 2 Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, saying, I have broken the yoke of the king of Babylon. 3 Within two full years will I bring again into this place all the vessels of the LORD's house, that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon took away from this place, and carried them to Babylon: 4 And I will bring again to this place Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah, with all the captives of Judah, that went into Babylon, saith the LORD: for I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon.. 5 Then the prophet Jeremiah said unto the prophet Hananiah in the presence of the priests, and in the presence of all the people that stood in the house of the LORD, 6 Even the prophet Jeremiah said, Amen: b Chap. xxvII. 12.- Chap. xxvii. 16. d Heb. two years of days. a Chap. xxvii. 1. NOTES ON CHAP. XXVIII. Verse 1. And it came to pass the same year-the fifth month] Which commenced with the first new moon of August, according to our calendar. This verse gives the precise date of the prophecy in the preceding chapter; and proves that Zedekiah, not Jehoiakim, is the name that should be read in the first verse of that chapter. Hananiah the son of Azur the prophet] One who called himself a prophet; who pretended to be in commerce with the Lord, and to receive revelations from him. He was probably a priest; for he was of Gibeon, a sacerdotal city in the tribe of Benjamin. Verse 2. Thus speaketh the Lord] What awful impudence! when he knew in his conscience, that God had given him no such commission. Verse 3. Within two full years] Time sufficient for the Chaldeans to destroy the city, and carry away the rest of the sacred vessels; but he did not live to see the end of this short period. Verse 6. Amen; the Lord do so] O that it might be according to thy word! May the people find this to be true! 7 Nevertheless hear thou now this word that I speak in thine ears, and in the ears of all the people; 8 The prophets that have been before me and before thee of old prophesied both against many countries, and against great kingdoms, of war, and of evil, and of pestilence. 9 The prophet which prophesieth of peace, when the word of the prophet shall come to pass, then shall the prophet be known, that the LORD hath truly sent him. 10 Then Hananiah the prophet took the yoke from off the prophet Jeremiah's neck, and brake it. i 11 And Hananiah spake in the presence of all the people, saying, Thus saith the LORD; Even so will I break the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon from the neck of all nations within the space of two full years. And the prophet Jeremiah went his way. e Heb. captivity.- 1 Kings i. 36. - Deut. xviii. 22.- Ch. xxvii. 2.- iChap. xxvii. 7. Verse 8. The prophets that have been before me] Namely, Joel, Amos, Hosea, Micah, Zephaniah, Nahum, Habakkuk, and others; all of whom denounced similar evils against a corrupt people. Verse 9. When the word of the prophet shall come to pass] Here is the criterion. He is a true prophet who specifies things that he says shall happen, and also fixes the time of the event; and the things do happen, and in that time. You say that Nebuchadnezzar shall not overthrow this city; and that in two years from this time, not only the sacred vessels already taken away shall be restored, but also that Jeconiah and all the Jewish captives shall be restored, and the Babylonish yoke broken, see verses 2, 3, 4. Now I say that Nebuchadnezzar will come this year, and destroy this city, and lead away the rest of the people into captivity, and the rest of the sacred vessels; and that there will be no restoration of any kind till seventy years from this time. Verse 10. Then Hananiah-took the yoke-and brake it.] He endeavoured by this symbolical act to persuade them of the truth of his prediction. Jeremiah's letter to the A. M. 3409. Ol. XLVI. 2. 12 Then the word of the LORD and they shall serve him and came unto Jeremiah the prophet, 1I have given him the beasts of Tarquinii Prisci, (after that Hananiah the prophet the field also. R. Roman., 22. had broken the yoke from off the neck of the prophet Jeremiah,) saying, 13 Go and tell Hananiah, saying, Thus saith the LORD; Thou hast broken the yokes of wood; but thou shalt make for them yokes. of iron. 14 For thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; I have put a yoke of iron upon the neck of all these nations, that they may serve Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon; Deut. xxviii. 48; chap. xxvii. 4, 7.- Chap. xxvii. 6. m Chap. xxix. 31; Ezek. xiii. 22. Verse 13. Yokes of iron.] Instead of Nebuchadpezzar's yoke being broken, this captivity shall be more severe than the preceding. All these nations shall have a yoke of iron on their neck. He shall subdue them, and take all their property, even the beasts of the field. Verse 15. Hear пого, Hananiah; the Lord hath not sent thee] This was a bold speech in the presence of those priests and people who were prejudiced in favour of this false prophet, who prophesied to them smooth things. In such cases men wish to be deceived. Verse 16. This year thou shalt die] By this shall the people know who is the true prophet. Thou hast A. M. 3409. 15 Then said the prophet Jere- R. Roman., 22. miah unto Hananiah the prophet, Hear now, Hananiah; The LORD hath not sent thee; but thou makest this people to trust in a lie, 16 Therefore thus saith the LORD; Behold, I will cast thee from off the face of the earth: this year thou shalt die, because thou hast taught "rebellion against the LORD. 17 So Hananiah the prophet died the same year in the seventh month. n Deuteronomy xiii. 5; chapter xxix. 32.-o Hebrew, revolt. taught rebellion against the Lord, and God will cut thee off; and this shall take place, not within seventy years, or two years, but in this very year, and within two months from this time. Verse 17. So Hananiah-died the same year in the seventh month.] The prophecy was delivered in the fifth month, (ver. 1,) and Hananiah died in the seventh month. And thus God, in mercy, gave him about two months, in which he might prepare to meet his Judge. Here, then, the true prophet was demonstrated, and the false prophet detected. The death of Hananiah, thus predicted, was God's seal to the words of his prophet; and must have gained his other predictions great credit among the people, CHAPTER XXIX. This chapter contains the substance of two letters sent by the prophet to the captives in Babylon. In the first he recommends to them patience and composure under their present circumstances, which were to endure for seventy years, 1-14; in which, however, they should fare better than their brethren who remained behind, 15-19. But, finding little credit given to this message, on account of the suggestions of the false prophets, Ahab the son of Kolaiah, and Zedekiah, the son of Maaseiah, who flattered them with the hopes of a speedy end to their captivity, he sends a second, in which he denounces heavy judgments against those false prophets that deceived them, 20-23; as he did afterwards against Shemaiah the Nehelamite, who had sent a letter of complaint against Jeremiah, in consequence of his message, 24-32. NOW these are the words of whom Nebuchadnezzar had carthe letter that Jeremiah the ried away captive from Jerusalem R. Roman., prophet sent from Jerusalem unto to Babylon; cir. annum 20. the residue of the elders which a were carried away captives, and to the priests, and to the prophets, and to all the people Ezra x. 14.-b2 Kings xxv. 21.- c2 Kings xxiv. 12, &c.; chap. xxii. 26; xxviii. 4. Or, chamberlains. A. M. cir. 3407. Ol. cir. XLV. 4. NOTES ON CHAP. XXIX. Verse 1. Now these are the words of the letter] This transaction took place in the first or second year of Zedekiah. It appears that the prophet had been informed that the Jews who had already been carried into captivity had, through the instigations of false prophets, A. M. cir. 3407. Ol. cir. XLV. 4. cir. annum 20. 2 (After that Jeconiah the king and the queen, and the eunuchs, the princes of Judah and Jerusalem, and the car: been led to believe that they were to be brought out of their captivity speedily. Jeremiah, fearing that this delusion might induce them to take some hasty steps, ill comporting with their present state, wrote a letter to them, which he entrusted to an embassy which Zedekiah had sent on some political concerns to Nebu Tarquinii Prisci, - son of Shaphan, and Gemariah the son of Hilkiah, (whom Zedekiah king of Judah sent unto Babylon to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon) saying, 4 Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, unto all that are carried away captives, whom I have caused to be carried away from Jerusalem unto Babylon; 5. Build ye houses, and dwell in them, and plant gardens, and eat the fruit of them; 6 Take ye wives, and beget sons and daughters; and take wives for your sons, and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons, and daughters; that ye may be increased there, and not diminished. 7 And seek the peace of the city whither I have caused you to be carried away captives, and pray unto the LORD for it: for in the peace thereof shall ye have peace. 8 For thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Let not your prophets and your diviners, that be that be in the midst of you, deceive you, neither hearken to your chadnezzar. The letter was directed to the elders, priests, prophets, and people who had been carried away captives to Babylon. captives in Babylon. dreams which ye cause to be 4. M. cir. 3407. dreamed. 9h For they prophesy falsely unto you in my name: I have not sent them, saith the LORD. B. C. cir. 597. Ol. cir. XLV. 4. Tarquinii Prisci, R. Roman., cir. annum 20. Verse 8. Neither hearken to your dreams] Rather, dreamers; for it appears there was a class of such persons, who not only had acquired a facility of dreaming themVerse 4. Thus saith the Lord of hosts]: This was selves, but who undertook to interpret the dreams of the commencement of the letter. Verse 5. Build ye houses] Prepare for a long continuance in your present captivity. Provide yourselves with the necessaries of life, and multiply in the land, that ye may become a powerful people. others. Verse 10. For thus saith the Lord] It has been supposed that a very serious transposition of verses has taken place here; and it has been proposed to read after ver. 9 the sixteenth to the nineteenth inclusive; then the tenth, and on to the fourteenth inclusive; then the twentieth, the fifteenth, the twenty-first, and the rest regularly to the end. released. Verse 7. Seek the peace of the city] Endeavour to promote, as far as you can, the prosperity of the places in which ye sojourn. Let no disaffection appear in word or act. Nothing can be more reasonable than this. That after seventy years be accomplished] nh Wherever a man lives and has his nourishment and lephi meloth, "at the mouth of the accomplishment," support, that is his country as long as he resides in it. or "fill to the mouth." Seventy years is the measure If things go well with that country, his interest is pro- which must be filled ;-fill this to the brim ;-commoted by the general prosperity, he lives at compara-plete this measure, and then you shall be visited and tive ease, and has the necessaries of life cheaper; and unless he is in a state of cruel servitude, which does not appear to have been the case with those Israelites to whom the prophet writes, (those of the first captivity,) they must be nearly, if not altogether, in as good a state as if they had been in the country that gave them birth. And in this case they were much better off than their brethren now in Judea, who had to contend with famine and war, and scarcely any thing before them but God's curse and extermination. The whole seventy must be completed; expect no enlargement before that time. Verse 11. Thoughts of peace] Here God gives them to understand, 1. That his love was moved towards them. 2. That he would perform his good word, his promises often repeated, to them. 3. That for the fulfilment of these they must pray, seek, and search. 4. That he would hearken, and they should find him; provided, 5. They sought him with their whole heart, ver. 10-13. Verse 14. I will gather you from all the nations] A Judgments denounced A. M. eir. 3407. Of ear. XLV. 4. 15 Because ye have said, The sent from Jerusalem to Baby- A. M. cir. 3407 LORD hath raised us up prophets | lon: in Babylon; 16 Know that thus saith the LORD of the king that sitteth upon the throne of David, and of all the people that dwelleth in this city, and of your brethren that are not gone forth with you into captivity; 17 Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Behold, I will send upon them the sword, the famine, and the pestilence, and will make them like vile figs, that cannot be eaten, they are so evil. 18 And I will persecute them with the sword, with the famine, and with the pestilence, and will deliver them to be removed to all the kingdoms of the earth, "to be a curse, and an astonishment, and a hissing, and a reproach, among all the nations whither I have driven them: W 19 Because they have not hearkened to my words, saith the LORD, which I sent unto them by my servants the prophets, rising up early and sending them; but ye would not. hear, saith the LORD. 20 Hear ye therefore the word of the LORD, all ye of the captivity, whom I have Chap. xxiv. 10.- Chap. xxiv. 8.-Deut. xxviii. 25; 9 Chron. xxix. 8; chap. xv. 4; xxiv. 9; xxxiv. 17.- Heb. for a curse Chap. xxvi. 6; chap. xlii. 18. B. C. cir. 597. Ol. eir. XLV. 4. Tarquinii Prisci, R. Roman., cir. annum 20. 21 Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, of Ahab the son of Kolaiah, and of Zedekiah the son of Maaseiah, which prophesy a lie unto you in my name; Behold, I will deliver them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon; and he shall slay them before your eyes; 22 And of them shall be taken up a curse by all the captivity of Judah which are in Babylon, saying, The LORD make thee like Zedekiah, and like Ahab, whom the king of Babylon roasted in the fire; 23 Because they have committed villany in Israel, and have committed adultery with their neighbours' wives, and have spoken lying words in my name, which I have not commanded them; even I know, and am a Witness, saith the LORD. 24 Thus shalt thou also speak to Shemaiah the a Nehelamite, saying, 25 Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, saying, Because thou hast sent letters in thy name unto all the people that are at Jerusalem, and to Zephaniah the son quotation from Deut. xxx. 3, and see also Deut. letter, beginning with the fifteenth verse, and going on AV. 7. with the twenty-first, &c., in which he denounces God's judgments on three of the chief of those, Ahab, Zedekiah, and Shemaiah Verse 15. Because ye have said] The Septuagint very properly insert this verse between the twentieth and the twenty-first, and thus the connexion here is not disturbed, and the connexion below completed. Verse 17. Behold, I will send upon them the sword] Do not envy the state of Zedekiah who sits on the thissue of David, nor that of the people who are now In the land whence ye have been carried captive, (ver 18) for "I will send the sword, the pestilence, and the famine upon them;" and afterwards shall cause them to be carried into a miserable captivity in all mations, (ver. 18;) but ye see the worst of your pies case, and you have God's promise of enlargement when the proper time is come. The reader will not forgot that the prophet is addressing the captives in Habylon. Vote 20 Hear ye therefore the word] Dr. Blayney thinks there were two letters written by the prophet to the captives in Babylon, and that the first ends with thos vorap That having heard, on the return of the euhay. (Elasah and Gemariah, whom Zedekiah had ment to Babylon, and to whom the prophet entrusted the above letter, ver. 3,) that the captives had not received his advices favourably, because they were deeerved by false prophets among them, who promised them a speedier deliverance, he therefore wrote a second Verse 21. He shall slay them before your eyes.] Nebuchadnezzar would be led by political reasons to punish these pretended prophets, as their predictions tended to make his Israelitish subjects uneasy and disaffected, and might excite them to rebellion. He therefore slew them; two of them, it appears, he burnt alive, viz., Ahab and Zedekiah, who are supposed by the rabbins to be the two elders who endeavoured to seduce Susanna, see ver. 23. Burning alive was a Chaldean punishment, Dan. iii. 6, and Amos ii. 1. From them other nations borrowed it. Verse 23. Have committed adultery with their neighbours' wives] This is supposed to refer to the case of Susanna. See above. Verse 24. Speak to Shemaiah] Zephaniah was the second priest, sagan, or chief priest's deputy, and Seraiah, high priest, when Jerusalem was taken. See Shemaiah directs his letter to the forchap. lii. 24. mer, and tells him that God had appointed him to supply the place of the high priest, who was probably then absent. His name was either Azariah or Seraiah his son, but called Jehoiada from the remarkable zeal and courage of that pontiff. See the passages in the margin.-Dodd. After the taking of Jerusalem, Zepha A. M. eir. 3407. of Maaseiah the priest, and to all in the ears of B. C. cir. 597. Ol. eir. XLV. 4. the priests, saying, Tarquinii Prisci, R. Roman., cir. annum 20. 26 The LORD hath made thee priest in the stead of Jehoiada the priest, that ye should be officers in the house of the LORD, for every man that is mad, and maketh himself a prophet, that thou shouldest put him in prison, and in the stocks. 27 Now therefore why hast thou not reproved Jeremiah of Anathoth, which maketh himself a prophet to you? 28 For therefore he sent unto us in Babylon, saying, This captivity is long: build ye houses, and dwell in them; and plant gardens, and eat the fruit of them. 29 And Zephaniah the priest read this letter Chap. xx. 1. d2 Kings ix. 11; Acts xxvi. 24.xx. 2. e Chap. niah was put to death by Nebuchadnezzar at Riblah; see chap. xxxvii. 3. The history of Jehoiada may be seen 2 Kings xi. 3, &c. Verse 26. For every man that is mad, and maketh himself a prophet] Mad, y meshugga, in ecstatic rapture; such as appeared in the prophets, whether true or false, when under the influence, the one of God, the other of a demon. See 2 Kings ix. 11; Hos. ix. 7. Verse 32. I will punish Shemaiah] 1. He shall prophet. Shemaiah the Nehelamite. Jeremiah the A. M. cir. 3407. 30 Then came the word of the LORD unto Jeremiah, saying, B. C. cir. 597 31 Send to all them of the captivity, saying, Thus saith the LORD concerning Shemaiah the Nehelamite; Because that Shemaiah hath prophesied unto you, and I sent him not, and he caused you to trust in a lie: 32. Therefore thus saith the LORD; Behold I will punish Shemaiah the Nehelamite, and his seed: he shall not have a man to dwell among this people: neither shall he behold the good that I will do for my people, saith the LORD; because he hath taught rebellion against the LORD. Ver. 5.- - Chap. xxviii. 15.- hChap. xxviii. 16.- - Heb. revolt. have no posterity to succeed him. 2. His family, CHAPTER XXX. This and the following chapter must relate to a still future restoration of the posterity of Jacob from their several dispersions, as no deliverance hitherto afforded them comes up to the terms of it; for, after the return from Babylon, they were again enslaved by the Greeks and Romans, contrary to the prediction in the eighth verse; in every papistical country they have laboured under great civil disabilities, and in some of them have been horribly persecuted; upon the ancient people has this mystic Babylon very heavily laid her yoke; and in no place in the world are they at present their own masters; so that this prophecy remains to be fulfilled in the reign of David, i. e., the Messiah; the type, according to the general structure of the prophetical writings, being put for the antitype. The prophecy opens by an easy transition from the temporal deliverance spoken of before, and describes the mighty revolutions that shall precede the restoration of the descendants of Israel, 1–9, who are encouraged to trust in the promises of God, 10, 11, They are, however, to expect corrections; which shall have a happy issue in a future period, 12-17. The great blessings of Messiah's reign are enumerated, 18-22; and the wicked and impenitent declared to have no share in them, 23, 24. |