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Jeremiah
Chapter Twenty-five
Jeremiah 25
Chapter Contents
The Jews rebuked for not obeying calls to repentance.
(1-7) Their captivity during seventy years is expressly foretold. (8-14)
Desolations upon the nations shown by the emblem of a cup of wrath. (15-29) The
judgments again declared. (30-38)
Commentary on Jeremiah 25:1-7
(Read Jeremiah 25:1-7)
The call to turn from evil ways to the worship and
service of God
and for sinners to trust in Christ
and partake of his
salvation
concerns all men. God keeps an account how long we possess the means
of grace; and the longer we have them
the heavier will our account be if we
have not improved them. Rising early
points out the earnest desire that this
people should turn and live. Personal and particular reformation must be
insisted on as necessary to a national deliverance; and every one must turn
from his own evil way. Yet all was to no purpose. They would not take the right
and only method to turn away the wrath of God.
Commentary on Jeremiah 25:8-14
(Read Jeremiah 25:8-14)
The fixing of the time during which the Jewish captivity
should last
would not only confirm the prophecy
but also comfort the people
of God
and encourage faith and prayer. The ruin of Babylon is foretold: the
rod will be thrown into the fire when the correcting work is done. When the set
time to favour Zion is come
Babylon shall be punished for their iniquity
as
other nations have been punished for their sins. Every threatening of the
Scripture will certainly be accomplished.
Commentary on Jeremiah 25:15-29
(Read Jeremiah 25:15-29)
The evil and the good events of life are often
represented in Scripture as cups. Under this figure is represented the
desolation then coming upon that part of the world
of which Nebuchadnezzar
who had just began to reign and act
was to be the instrument; but this
destroying sword would come from the hand of God. The desolations the sword
should make in all these kingdoms
are represented by the consequences of
excessive drinking. This may make us loathe the sin of drunkenness
that the
consequences of it are used to set forth such a woful condition. Drunkenness
deprives men of the use of their reason
makes men as mad. It takes from them
the valuable blessing
health; and is a sin which is its own punishment. This
may also make us dread the judgments of war. It soon fills a nation with
confusion. They will refuse to take the cup at thy hand. They will not believe
Jeremiah; but he must tell them it is the word of the Lord of hosts
and it is
in vain for them to struggle against Almighty power. And if God's judgments
begin with backsliding professors
let not the wicked expect to escape.
Commentary on Jeremiah 25:30-38
(Read Jeremiah 25:30-38)
The Lord has just ground of controversy with every nation
and every person; and he will execute judgment on all the wicked. Who can avoid
trembling when God speaks in displeasure? The days are fully come; the time
fixed in the Divine counsels
which will make the nations wholly desolate. The
tender and delicate shall share the common calamity. Even those who used to
live in peace
and did nothing to provoke
shall not escape. Blessed be God
there is a peaceable habitation above
for all the sons of peace. The Lord will
preserve his church and all believers in all changes; for nothing can separate
them from his love.
── Matthew Henry《Concise Commentary on Jeremiah》
Jeremiah 25
Verse 9
[9]
Behold
I will send and take all the families of the north
saith the LORD
and
Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon
my servant
and will bring them against
this land
and against the inhabitants thereof
and against all these nations
round about
and will utterly destroy them
and make them an astonishment
and
an hissing
and perpetual desolations.
Nebuchadnezzar — In
this work shall be my servant; though you will not be my servants in obeying my
commands.
Verse 10
[10] Moreover I will take from them the voice of mirth
and the voice of
gladness
the voice of the bridegroom
and the voice of the bride
the sound of
the millstones
and the light of the candle.
Moreover —
Nay
I will not only deprive you of your mirth
but of those things that are
necessary for you
as necessary as bread and light
the millstone shall not
move
you shall not have the light so much as of a candle.
Verse 12
[12] And
it shall come to pass
when seventy years are accomplished
that I will punish
the king of Babylon
and that nation
saith the LORD
for their iniquity
and
the land of the Chaldeans
and will make it perpetual desolations.
Accomplished —
Counted from the time that the Jews were carried away in the time of Jeconiah or
Jehoiakim
2 Kings 24:15
16.
Desolations —
This was fulfilled by Darius
the king of Persia
Daniel 4:31
of these seventy Nebuchadnezzar
reigned thirty six
2 Kings 25:27. Evil-merodach thirty two
and
Belshazzar at least two
Daniel 8:1.
Verse 15
[15] For
thus saith the LORD God of Israel unto me; Take the wine cup of this fury at my
hand
and cause all the nations
to whom I send thee
to drink it.
The cup —
God made Jeremiah to see the appearance of such a cup in a vision.
Verse 20
[20] And all the mingled people
and all the kings of the land of Uz
and all
the kings of the land of the Philistines
and Ashkelon
and Azzah
and Ekron
and the remnant of Ashdod
Of Uz —
Some part of Arabia Petraea
near to Idumaea.
Of the Philistines —
Uzzah
Ekron
Ashdod
and Askelon
were four of their cities
the fifth which
was Gath is not here named. For before this time it was destroyed
either by
Psammeticus
father to Pharaoh Necho
or by Tartan
captain general to Sargon
king of Assyria
of whom read
Isaiah 20:1
that he took Ashdod
which may be
the reason that here mention is made of no more than the remnant of Ashdod.
Verse 22
[22] And
all the kings of Tyrus
and all the kings of Zidon
and the kings of the isles
which are beyond the sea
Beyond the sea —
Probably those parts of Syria that coasted upon the mid-land sea.
Verse 23
[23]
Dedan
and Tema
and Buz
and all that are in the utmost corners
Tema —
Tema descended from Ishmael
Genesis 25:15
his posterity inhabited in
Arabia
Isaiah 21:13
14
where they are joined with
those of Dedan.
Buz —
Buz was one of the posterity of Nahor
Genesis 22:21. These were people mixed with the
Saracens or Arabians.
Verse 25
[25] And
all the kings of Zimri
and all the kings of Elam
and all the kings of the
Medes
Zimri —
Those descended from Zimran
Abraham's son by Keturah
Genesis 25:2.
Elam —
The Persians.
The Medes —
The Medes came from Madai the son of Japhet.
Verse 26
[26] And
all the kings of the north
far and near
one with another
and all the
kingdoms of the world
which are upon the face of the earth: and the king of
Sheshach shall drink after them.
The north —
All under the government of the Chaldeans.
Of Sheshach —
And the king of Babylon
who was last of all to drink of this cup of the Lord's
fury.
Verse 34
[34]
Howl
ye shepherds
and cry; and wallow yourselves in the ashes
ye principal
of the flock: for the days of your slaughter and of your dispersions are
accomplished; and ye shall fall like a pleasant vessel.
Shepherds —
Shepherds and the principal of the flock
in this place mean civil rulers.
A pleasant vessel —
Like a crystal glass
or some delicate vessel
which breaks in pieces and
cannot again be set together.
Verse 38
[38] He
hath forsaken his covert
as the lion: for their land is desolate because of
the fierceness of the oppressor
and because of his fierce anger.
Because —
The effects of this rising up of God out of his covert is the desolation of the
land through the fierceness of the enemy
caused by the fierce anger of God.
── John Wesley《Explanatory Notes on Jeremiah》
25 Chapter 25
Verse 6
I will do you no hurt.
No hurt from God
I. The import of
the promise.
1. Such a promise can apply to none but the people of God.
2. The Lord’s people are apt to fear He should do them hurt
and
hence He kindly assures them of the contrary. We want more of that love to God
which beareth all things at His hand
which believeth all good things
concerning Him
and hopeth for all things from Him.
3. As God will do no hurt to them that fear Him
so neither will He
suffer others to hurt them. If God does not change their hearts
He win tie
their hands; or if for wise ends He suffers them to injure you in your worldly
circumstances
yet your heavenly inheritance is sure
and your treasure is laid
up where thieves cannot break through nor steal.
4. More is implied in the promise than is absolutely expressed; for
when the Lord says He will do His people no hurt
He means that He will really
do them good. All things to God’s people are blessings in their own nature
or
are turned into blessings for their sake; so that all the paths of the Lord are
mercy and truth unto such as keep His covenant and His testimonies to do them (Genesis 50:20; Jeremiah 24:5-6; Romans 8:28).
II. The assurance
we have that this promise will be fulfilled.
1. The Lord thinks no hurt of His people
and therefore He will
certainly do them no hurt. His conduct is a copy of His decrees: He worketh all
things according to the counsel of His own will
and therefore where no evil is
determined
no evil can take place.
2. The Lord threatens them no hurt; no penal sentence lies against
them.
3. He never has done them any hurt
but good
all the days of their
life. Former experience of the Divine goodness should strengthen the believer’s
confidence
and fortify him against present discouragements ( 13:23; Psalms 42:6; Psalms 77:12; 2 Corinthians 1:10). (B. Beddome
M.A.)
Verse 31
He will plead with all flesh.
No excuse needed for faith in God
I. God pleads with
men chiefly through the Spirit of the life of Jesus Christ. This part of our
life is a probation
like being at school; it is an apprenticeship to eternal
life
a life in which we are to be journeymen and masters of the work of being
good and doing good. We are learners here. Some learn their life’s lesson
thoroughly
and others only partially. God means us to learn; and if a man will
not do God’s will
he can only learn by the bitter pain of experience. There
are only two ways of learning--either by doing God’s will
or by disobeying it;
either way will bring us to our senses at some time or other
either in this
world or in that which is to come.
II. Christianity
urges that if we be wise every one will choose the highest aim of life. Unless
we have some great object in view
our life is a task which is hard to bear; it
is like being rubbed with sandpaper
everything seeming to be in unpleasant
friction with us. Yet you cannot get a polish without friction; and so the
friction of daily life that vexes and torments us
is an experience which is
good for us. It is one of God’s means of polishing us; but it is unpleasant
like having small pebbles in one’s boots. It is
however
a needful discipline.
But were we humbly and lovingly to do God’s will
as you would have your little
child do your will
life would not be a painful task
nor would it be a state
of perpetual friction.
III. Christianity
also teaches us that God is worthy to be both esteemed and loved.
IV. Christianity
sweetly teaches us of the other life. Have you ever lived in the country
and
after being away for a time felt the joy of returning home? (W. Birch.)
──《The Biblical Illustrator》
25 Chapter 25
INTRODUCTION TO JEREMIAH 25
This
chapter contains a prophecy of the destruction of Judea by the king of Babylon;
and also of Babylon itself
after the Jews' captivity of seventy years; and
likewise of all the nations round about. The date of this prophecy is in Jeremiah 25:1; when
the prophet puts the Jews in mind of the prophecies that had been delivered
unto them by himself and others
for some years past
without effect
Jeremiah 25:2;
wherefore they are threatened with the king of Babylon
that he should come
against them
and strip them of all their desirable things; make their land
desolate
and them captives for seventy years
Jeremiah 25:8; at
the expiration of which he in his turn shall be punished
and the land of
Chaldea laid waste
and become subject to other nations and kings
Jeremiah 25:12; and
by a cup of wine given to all the nations round about
is signified the utter
ruin of them
and who are particularly mentioned by name
Jeremiah 25:15;
which is confirmed by beginning with the city of Jerusalem
and the destruction
of that
Jeremiah 25:27;
wherefore the prophet is bid to prophesy against them
and to declare the
Lord's controversy with them
and that there should be a slaughter of them from
one end of the earth to the other
Jeremiah 25:30;
upon which the shepherds
kings
and rulers of them
are called to lamentation
and howling
Jeremiah 25:34.
Verse 1
The word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the people of Judah
.... Not only
in the city of Jerusalem
but in the whole land of Judea. This prophecy
concerns them all; their repentance and reformation
to which they are
exhorted; or their invasion
desolation
and captivity
with which they are
threatened. Before the prophet was sent to the king of Judah only
Jeremiah 22:1; now
to all the people:
in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah; in the latter
part of the third
and beginning of the fourth year of his reign; see Daniel 1:1;
this was the first year of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon: in which he
began to reign with his father
for he reigned two years with him; who is the
Nabopolassar of Ptolemy. This was in the year of the world 3397
and before
Christ 607
according to Bishop UsherF6Annales Vet. Test. p. 119. .
Verse 2
The which Jeremiah the prophet spake unto all the people of Judah
.... Perhaps
at one of the three feasts
at which all the males appeared in Jerusalem; for
it cannot be thought that he went up and down throughout all parts of the land
to deliver this prophecy
but to as many of them as he found in Jerusalem in
any place
at any time; and none so likely as what is mentioned:
and to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem: to whom he
had an opportunity of speaking frequently:
saying; as follows:
Verse 3
From the thirteenth year of Josiah the son of Amon king of Judah
even unto this day
.... The year in which Jeremiah began to prophesy
Jeremiah 1:2;
(that is
the three and twentieth year); for Josiah
reigned one and thirty years; so that Jeremiah prophesied nineteen years in his
reign; and now it was the fourth of Jehoiakim's
which make twenty three years;
so long the prophet had been prophesying to this people:
the word of the Lord hath come unto me; from time to
time
during that space of twenty three years; and which he diligently
constantly
and faithfully delivered unto them; as follows:
and I have spoken unto you
rising early and speaking: as soon as
ever he had a word from the Lord
he brought it to them
and took the most
proper and seasonable time to inculcate it to them; in the morning
and after
he had had a vision or dream in the night from the Lord;
but ye have not hearkened; they took no notice of
it; turned a deaf ear to it; however
did not obey or act as they were directed
and exhorted to.
Verse 4
And the Lord hath sent unto you all his servants the prophets
.... Not only
him
but many others
Micah
Nahum
Zephaniah
and others:
rising early and sending them; not only the
prophet
but the Lord himself is said to rise early
and send his prophets to
them; which denotes his great care and concern for this people for their good;
see Jeremiah 7:25;
but ye have not hearkened
nor inclined your ear to hear; which is an
aggravation of their sin; that whereas they had one prophet after another sent
to them
and sent by the Lord himself; he rising early
and sending them; and
they rising early
being sent to do their message; and yet were not hearkened
and attended to.
Verse 5
They said
.... The prophets: this was the substance of their discourses and
prophecies
what follows:
turn ye again now everyone from his evil way
and from the evil of
your doings; repent of sins
and reform from them; particularly their
idolatries
to which they were prone
and are after mentioned:
and dwell in the land that the Lord hath given unto you to your
fathers for ever and ever; that is
the land of Canaan
which was
given to them
and their fathers before them
by the Lord
for an everlasting
inheritance
provided they behaved towards him aright; for they held the
possession of it by their obedience to his law; and now
notwithstanding all
that they had done
or had been threatened with; yet
if they repented and
reformed
they should still dwell in the land
and enjoy it
and all the blessings
and privileges of it.
Verse 6
And go not after other gods to serve them
and to worship them
.... So long
as they served the Lord God
they continued in their own land
in the
comfortable enjoyment of all the blessings of it; for their government was a
theocracy; God was their King; and as long as they served and worshipped him
only
he protected and defended them; but when they forsook him
and went after
other gods
and served and worshipped them
then they were threatened to be
turned out of their land
and carried captive into other lands; and yet
after
all
if they returned from their idolatries
and left off worshipping idols
the Lord was ready to receive them kindly
and continue his favours to them:
and provoke me not to anger with the works of your hands; their idols
which their own hands made
and then fell down to worship them; than which
nothing can be more provoking to God:
and I will do you no hurt; by sword
or famine
or
pestilence
or captivity; signifying the hurt he had threatened them with
should not be done
provided they forsook their idolatrous worship; God does no
hurt to his true worshippers; yea
he makes all things work together for their
good.
Verse 7
Yet ye have not hearkened unto me
saith the Lord
.... Though it
was he that spake unto them by his prophets; and though it was so much to their
own good and advantage; and the neglect of him and his word were so much to
their disadvantage
and even ruin:
that ye might provoke me to anger with the works of your hands
to
your own hurt: which
though not signed to do either
yet eventually did both;
both provoked the Lord
and brought destruction upon themselves; for whatever
is against the glory of God is to the hurt of man; and whatever provokes him is
pernicious to them in its consequences.
Verse 8
Therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts
.... Of armies
above and below; and so can do what he pleases in heaven and in earth:
because ye have not heard my words; by the prophets
so as
to obey them; they had heard them externally
but did not observe to do them.
Verse 9
Behold
I will send and take all the families of the north
saith the Lord
.... The Targum is
the kingdoms of the
north
the same with those in Jeremiah 1:15; even
all those kingdoms which were subject to the king of Babylon
and lay north of
Judea:
and Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon my servant: though a
great king
he was a servant of the Lord of hosts; his servant
both as a
creature of his make
and as a king that ruled under him; and as he was an
instrument in his hand to chastise his people the Jews; though it was not
knowingly and with intention that he served the Lord:
and will bring them against this land
and against the inhabitants
thereof; the land of Judea
and its inhabitants; this was the Lord's
doing; it was he that stirred
up the king of Babylon
and by his secret
instinct and powerful providence brought him and his armies into Judea to spoil
it
and the inhabitants of it Jehovah as it were marched at the head of them
and led them on
and brought them against the Jews
and delivered them into
their hands:
and against all these nations round about; Egypt and
others; so that the Jews could have no help from them; nor would application to
them
and alliance with them
signify anything:
and will utterly destroy them
and make them an astonishment
and
an hissing
and perpetual desolations; both the Jews and their
neighbours; who should be an astonishment to some
and a hissing to others
and
remain desolate for a long time; even till the seventy years were ended after
mentioned.
Verse 10
Moreover
I will take from them the voice of mirth
and the voice
of gladness
.... At their festivals
and nuptial solemnities:
the voice of the bridegroom
and the voice of the bride; expressing
their mutual love unto
and delight in
each other; so agreeable to one another
and their friends: or it may mean those epithalamies
or nuptial songs
sung
unto them by their friends:
the sound of the millstones; either the voice of
those that sing at the mill while grinding; or rather the sound of the stones
themselves used in grinding; either in grinding spices for the bride cakes; or
rather in grinding corn for common use; and so denotes the taking away of bread
corn from them
and the want of that. The sense is
there should be corn to
grind
and so no use of the mill:
and the light of the candle; at their feasts and
weddings
or rather
for common use; signifying that houses should be desolate
without inhabitants
no light in them
nor work to be done. The whole shows
that they should be deprived of everything both for necessity and pleasure.
John seems to have borrowed some phrases from hence
Revelation 18:22;
in which he appears to have followed the Hebrew text
and not the Greek
version. The Targum of the last clause is
"the
voice of the company of those that sing at the light of candles.'
Verse 11
And this whole land shall be a desolation
.... Not only
the city of Jerusalem
but all Judea
without inhabitants
or very few
and
shall be uncultivated
and become barren and unfruitful:
and an astonishment; to all other
nations
and to all persons that pass through
beholding the desolations of it:
and other nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years; both the
Jews
and other nations of Egypt
reckoning from the date of this prophecy
the
fourth year of Jehoiakim's reign
when Daniel and others were carried captive
Daniel 1:1; to the
first year of Cyrus.
Verse 12
And it shall come to pass
when seventy years are accomplished
.... Which
were accomplished in the first year of Cyrus: they began with the first year of
Nebuchadnezzar
who reigned two years and two months with his father
Nabopolassar; after that forty three years by himself; Evilmerodach two years:
Neriglissar four years; Belshazzar or Nabonadius seventeen years; and Darius
the Median two years; which all make sixty nine years and two months; and if
ten months more be added to complete the said seventy years
it will carry the
end of them to the first year of CyrusF7See Prideaux's Connexion
par. 1. B. 2. p. 130. . These years are differently reckoned by others; by
Spanhemius
from the first of Nebuchadnezzar
or fourth of Jehoiakim
to the
destruction of the city under Zedekiah
nineteen years; thence to the death of
Nebuchadnezzar
twenty four; then Evilmerodach
two; then the reign of
Neriglissar
including some months of Laborosoarchod
five; then the years of
Nabonadius
or Belshazzar
seventeen; and from his death
or the taking of
Babylon
to the death of Darius the Mede
two years; which make sixty nine
exclusive of the first of Cyrus; and comes to much the same as the former. By
James Alting thus; from the eighteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar
complete
to his
death
twenty six years; Evilmerodach
twenty three; Belshazzar
three; Darius
the Mede
eighteen
after the destruction of the Babylonish empire; which seems
very wrong; better
by Dr. Lightfoot
thus; Nebuchadnezzar
forty five current;
Evilmerodach
twenty three; and Belshazzar
threeF8Vid. Witsii
Exercitat. 11. in Miscel. Sacr. tom. 2. p. 282
283. . So the Jewish chronicleF9Seder
Olam Rabba
c. 28. p. 81. :
that I will punish
the king of Babylon
and that nation
saith the Lord
for their iniquity; the king for
his tyranny
and the nation for their idolatry; and both for these and other
sins they were guilty of; for
though they did the will of God in carrying the
Jews captive
they no doubt in their usage of them exceeded their commission
and were justly punishable for their iniquities. This is not to be understood
of the present king of Babylon
Nebuchadnezzar; but of Nabonadius
or
Belshazzar
whom the Lord punished by Cyrus; who appears to have been a very
wicked man
and in the excess of not
profaning the vessels of the temple the
night he was slain
Daniel 5:1;
and the land of the Chaldeans; and will make it perpetual
desolations; even as other nations had been made by them
Jeremiah 25:9.
Verse 13
And I will bring upon that land all my words which I have
pronounced against it
.... By his prophets
and particularly by Jeremiah
as follows;
for not one word that is spoken by the Lord
either in a way of promise or
threatening
shall fail; his truth
power
and faithfulness
are engaged to
accomplish all:
even all that is
written in this book
which Jeremiah hath prophesied against all the nations; the Egyptians
Philistines
Moabites
Edomites
Arabians
Persians
and also the Babylonians
in Jeremiah 46:1
which prophecies
in the Greek version
immediately follow here
though in a
confused manner; where some have thought they might be more regularly placed
than as they are in the Hebrew copies
at the end of the book; but of this
there seems to be no absolute necessity.
Verse 14
For many nations and great kings shall serve themselves of them
also
.... Take their cities
seize upon the kingdoms
spoil them of
their wealth and riches
and bring them into servitude to them: these
"many nations"
which should and did do all this
were the Medes and
Persians
and those that were subject to them
or were their allies and
auxiliaries in this expedition; and the "great kings" were Cyrus and
Darius
and those that were confederate with them:
and I will recompense them according to their deeds
and according
to the works of their own hands; as they have done to others
it shall be
done to them; as they have served themselves of other nations
other nations
shall serve themselves of them; as they have cruelly used others
they shall be
used with cruelty themselves; and as they have made other countries desolate
their land shall become desolate also; not only their tyranny and cruelty
but
all their other sins
shall receive a just recompence of reward.
Verse 15
For thus saith the Lord God of Israel unto me
.... The prophet:
take the wine cup of this fury at my hand; in a vision
the Lord appeared to Jeremiah with a cup of wine in his hand
which he bid him
take of him. It is usual in Scripture for the judgments of God on men to be
signified by a cup of hot and intoxicating liquor
Isaiah 51:17;
particularly in Psalm 75:8; to
which reference may be had; as John seems to refer to the passage here in Revelation 14:10;
called a cup
because they are in measure
and but small in comparison of what
will be inflicted in the world to come; and a cup of "fury"
because
they proceed from the wrath of God
stirred up by the sins of men. Jarchi
interprets this cup of the prophecy of vengeance
which the Lord delivered to
Jeremiah; and not amiss:
and cause all the nations to whom I send thee to drink it; prophesy unto
them what wrath and ruin shall come upon them.
Verse 16
And they shall drink
and be moved
and be mad
.... The
judgments foretold shall come upon them
whether they will or not; which will
have such effects upon them
as intoxicating liquor has on drunken persons;
make them shake and tremble
and reel to and fro
and toss and tumble about
and behave like madmen:
because of the sword that I will send among them; this explains
what is meant by the wine cup of fury
the sword of a foreign enemy that shall
enter among them and destroy; and which would make them tremble
and be at
their wits' end
like drunken and mad men.
Verse 17
Then took I the cup at the Lord's hand
.... In a
visionary way
and did as he commanded
and prophesied as he directed him. The
prophet was obedient to the heavenly vision
as became him:
and made all the nations to drink
unto whom
the Lord had sent me; not that he
travelled through each of the nations with a cup in his hand
as an emblem of
what wrath would come upon them
and they should drink deep of; but this was
done in vision
and also in prophecy; the prophet publishing the will of God
denouncing his judgments upon the nations
and declaring to them what would
befall them.
Verse 18
To wit
Jerusalem
and the cities of Judah
.... Which are mentioned first
because God's judgments began
with them
as they usually do with the house of God
1 Peter 4:17; and
even now began; for this very year
in which this prophecy was delivered
Nebuchadnezzar came up and besieged Jerusalem
and carried away some captives
Daniel 1:1; this
was the beginning of what afterwards were more fully executed:
and the kings thereof
and the princes thereof: the Kings
Jehoiakim
Jeconiah
and Zedekiah
with those of their families
the princes of
the blood
and their nobles:
to make them a desolation
an astonishment
an hissing
and a
curse; to strip them of their crowns and kingdom
of their wealth
and
riches
and honour
and bring them into slavery and bondage; so that they
became an astonishment to some
to see the change that was made in them; and
were hissed stand cursed by others:
(as it is this day); which is added
either
because of the certainty of it
or because it began to take
place this very
year; though more fully in Jeconiah's time
and still more in Zedekiah's; or
rather this clause might be added by Jeremiah after the captivity; or by
Baruch
or by Ezra
or whoever collected his prophecies
and put them into one
volume
as Jeremiah 52:1 seems
to be added by another hand.
Verse 19
Pharaoh king of Egypt
.... Who is mentioned
first after the kings of Judah; not only because the Jews were in alliance with
Egypt
and trusted to them; and therefore this is observed
to show the vanity
of their confidence and dependence; but because the judgments of God first took
place on the king of Egypt; for in this very year
in which this prophecy was
delivered
Pharaohnecho king of Egypt was smitten by Nebuchadnezzar
Jeremiah 46:2;
though the prophecy had a further accomplishment in Pharaohhophra
who was
given into the hands of his enemies
as foretold
Jeremiah 44:30;
and his servants
and his princes
and all his people; his menial
servants
his domestics
and his nobles and peers of the realm
and all his
subjects. It expresses an utter destruction of the kingdom of Egypt; and the
particulars of it may be the rather given
to show the vain trust of the Jews
in that people.
Verse 20
And all the mingled people
.... Not the Arabians
who are mentioned afterwards
Jeremiah 25:24; but
rather a mixed people in the land of Egypt
such as came out of it along with
the Israelites; or were near it
and bordered upon it
as the Targum; which
renders it
all the bordering kings; or rather a mixture of people of different
nations that dwelt by the sea coasts
either the Mediterranean
or the Red sea
as others think:
and all the kings of the land of Uz; not the country of Job
called by the Greeks Ausitis
as the Vulgate Latin version; but rather a
country of Idumea
so called from Uz the son of Dishan
the son of Seir
Lamentations 4:21;
and all the kings of the land of the Philistines; the petty
kings of it
called the lords of the Philistines elsewhere
who were great
enemies to the people of the Jews: the prophecy of their destruction is in
forty seventh chapter
and whose principal cities are next mentioned:
and Ashkelon
and Azzah
and Ekron
and the remnant of Ashdod; of Ashkelon
and the sword in it
and ruin
see Jeremiah 47:5.
"Azzah" is the same with Gaza
whose destruction is also foretold in Jeremiah 47:1; see Acts 8:26;
"Ekron" was another of the cities of the Philistines; see 1 Samuel 5:10; and
"Ashdod" is the same with Azotus
another of their cities
Acts 8:40; called
"the remnant of Ashdod"
because the remains only of a once very
strong and fortified place; but was so weakened and wasted by Psammiticus
king
of Egypt
in a blockade of it
for the space of nine and twenty yearsF11Herodot.
l. 2. c. 157.
before he took it
that when he had got in it
it was but as
the carcass of a city
to what it was beforeF12Vid. Prideaux
Connexion
part 1. B. 1. p. 34. .
Verse 21
Edom
and Moab
and the children of Ammon. All well known
and implacable enemies of Israel. The Edomites descended from Esau; and the
Moabites and Ammonites from Moab and Ammon
the two sons of Lot by his
daughters. Their destruction is prophesied of in the forty eighth and forty
ninth chapters.
Verse 22
And all the kings of Tyrus
and all the kings of Zidon
.... Two very
ancient cities in Phoenicia
frequently mentioned together in Scripture
being
near each other. Their ruin is foretold in Jeremiah 47:4;
and the kings of the isles which are beyond the sea; which some
understand of Greece and Italy; others of Rhodes
Cyprus
and Crete
and other
islands in the Mediterranean sea; the Cyclades
as Jerom: but the words may be
rendered
"and the kings of the country by the seaside"; and may
design those that dwell upon the coast of the Mediterranean sea.
Verse 23
Dedan
and Tema
and Buz
.... These seem to be
places in Edom or Idumea
of whose destruction Jeremiah prophesies in Jeremiah 49:7; or
rather in Arabia and Mesopotamia. Jerom reckons them among the Ishmaelites and
Saracens
The persons from whom they descended are mentioned in Genesis 22:21;
and all that are in the utmost corners; that is
either of the above countries
or of the whole earth: or "all that had
their hair shorn"F13כל קצוצי פאה "universis qui
attonsi sunt in comam"
V. L. "barbitonsis"
Syr. ; or the
corners of their beards; which Jerom says is applicable to the Saracens.
Verse 24
And all the kings of Arabia
.... Of Arabia Petraea;
and all the kings of the mingled people that dwell in the desert; the other
Arabians or mixed people
that dwell in Arabia Deserta
as the Scenites
Nomades
Kedarenes
and others; and so the Targum
"and
all the kings of the Arabians
that dwell in tents in the desert.'
Of
these
see the prophecy in Jeremiah 49:28.
Verse 25
And all the kings of Zimri
.... Of Arabia Felix
so
called from Zimran
a son of Abraham by Keturah
Genesis 25:2; the
same whom PlinyF14Nat. Hist. I. 6. c. 28. calls Zamerenes;
and all the kings of Elam; or Persia; who are
prophesied against in Jeremiah 49:34;
and all the kings of the Medes; who commonly go together
with the Persians.
Verse 26
And all the kings of the north
far and near
one with another
.... That were
on the north of Judea
the kings of Syria
and those that were near to the
kingdom of Babylon
whether more remote from Judea
or nearer it and which
joined one another in that part of the world;
and all the kingdoms of the world
which are upon the face of the
earth; the whole Babylonian monarchy
called the whole world; as the
Roman empire afterwards was
Luke 2:1;
and the king of Sheshach shall drink after them; or the king
of Babylon
as the Targum; and that Babylon is meant by "Sheshach" is
certain from Jeremiah 51:41; but
why it is so called is not so easy to say. The Jewish writers make it to be the
same with Babylon
by a change of the letters in the alphabet
put in such a
situation
which they call "Athbash"
in which "shin" is
put for "beth"
and "caph" for "lamed"; and so
instead of Babel or Babylon
you have "Sheshach"
which is thought to
be used rather than Babylon
that Nebuchadnezzar
now besieging Jerusalem
might not be irritated: but others take it to be the name of an idol of the
Babylonians
from whence the city was called
which is not improbable; for
as
HillerusF15 has observed
their god Bel and Sheshach signify the
same thing. Bel is the same as Behal
"swift"; and
"Sheshach" may be derived from the Arabic word which signifies
"to move swiftly"F16; and may both be names of the sun
worshipped by the Chaldeans
so called from the swiftness of its motion. Now in
Babylon stood the temple of Bel or Sheshach
and so might have its name from
thence: and it may be further observed
what has been by others
that the
Babylonians had a public festival
like the Saturnalia of the Romans
which
held five days
and was called Sacchoea or Shace
as is supposed from their god
Shach
to whom it was kept: to which may be added
that Mishael had the name of
Meshach given him in Babylon; "Shach"
in the one
answering to
"El" in the other; which signifies God
Daniel 1:7. Shach
is used for a king or prince in the Persic language to this day. And now the
king of Sheshach or Babylon must drink of the cup
or be punished last of all;
who was the instrument of destroying most of the rest
yet should not go
unpunished.
Verse 27
Therefore thou shalt say unto them
.... To the several
nations before mentioned
prophesied against:
thus saith the Lord of hosts
the God of Israel; the Lord of
armies
above and below
the Sovereign of the whole universe; but in a special
and peculiar manner the God of Israel:
drink ye
and be drunken
and spew
and fall
and rise no more; as is
sometimes the case of drunken men; they drink till they are quite intoxicated;
and become drunk
and then they spew up what they have drunk; and
attempting
to walk
fall
and sometimes so as never to rise more; not only break their
bones
but their necks
or fall into places where they are suffocated
or in
one or other
where they lose their lives. So it is signified
that these
nations should drink of the cup of God's wrath and fury; or his judgments
should come upon them in such a manner as that they should be obliged to part
with all their riches
power
and authority; and should fall and sink into such
a ruinous condition
as that they should never be able to the more to a
prosperous one:
because of the sword that I will send among you; by which they
should be destroyed. The Targum joins this with the preceding clause
thus
"and
ye shall not rise from before those that kill with the sword
whom I send among
you.'
Verse 28
And it shall be
if they refuse to take the cup at thine hand to
drink
.... To give credit to the prophecies of ruin and destruction
delivered by the prophet
but say
these things shall not be:
then shalt thou say unto them
thus saith the Lord of hosts
ye
shall certainly drink; or those judgments shall certainly be inflicted; there will be
no possibility of escaping
whether they were believed or not; or how unwilling
soever they were to believe the denunciations of them
or to have them come
upon them; yet assuredly so it would be; for thus saith the Lord of hosts
who
is omnipotent
and does what he pleases in the armies of heaven
and among the
inhabitants of the earth
over whom he has a despotic power and government
Verse 29
For
lo
I begin to bring evil upon the city which is called by my
name
.... Jerusalem
the city of God
the holy city
where his name
was called upon
and he was worshipped; on this he would first bring down his
judgments; and indeed he had already begun to bring evil on it; for this very
year Nebuchadnezzar came up to besiege it
and carried some away captives:
and should ye be utterly unpunished? or could they expect to
go free from punishment
who had so grossly sinned
and were guilty of such
abominable idolatries
and had been the means of drawing in the people of God
into the same; and therefore
since the professing people of God
who had been
drawn in by their examples
were punished
they could not
they ought not
to
think of escaping. See the like argument in Luke 23:31;
ye shall not be unpunished; or cleared
or
acquitted
or go free; but made instances and examples of vindictive justice:
for I will call for a sword upon all the inhabitants of the earth
saith the Lord of hosts; or I will call them that
kill with the sword
as the Targum; who will obey the call
answer to it
and
come forth and slay the inhabitants of the earth
and none shall escape.
Verse 30
Therefore prophesy thou against them all these words
and say unto
them
.... What follows
as well as declare all that is before spoken
concerning the cup of fury all nations must drink of:
the Lord shall roar from on high: from
heaven
like a
lion
in violent claps of thunder; or in such dreadful dispensations of his
providence
as will be very amazing and terrifying:
and utter his voice from his holy habitation; from heaven
as before; and though it will be terrible
yet quite consistent with his
holiness and justice:
he shall mightily roar upon his habitation; the temple at
Jerusalem
where he had his residence; but now should be deserted by him
and
feel the effects of his wrath in the destruction and desolation of it: or
rather
since the address is made to the nations of the world
and not to the
Jews
it may be rendered
"in" or "out of his habitation"F17על נוהו "in habitaculo
suo"
Junius & Tremellius; "vel ex habitaculo"
Gataker
Schmidt. ; and so designs heaven
as before; and all these expressions
are intended to show both the certainty and terribleness of the dispensation;
he shall give a shout
as they that tread the grapes
against all the inhabitants of the earth; or
"answer a
shout"F18הידד יענה
"heded respondebit"
Schmidt; "celeusma respondebit"
Gataker. ; give the onset for battle against the inhabitants of the earth
as
the general of an army; which is accompanied with a shout
like that which is
made by workmen treading in the wine press
to encourage one another to go on
the more cheerfully in their work.
Verse 31
A noise shall come up even to the ends of the earth
.... Wars
and
rumours of wars
everywhere
till the cup has gone round
and all nations have
drank of it
and have felt the power of divine wrath for their sins:
for the Lord hath a controversy with the nations; will enter
into a judicial process with them; will litigate the point with them
and try
it openly; that it may be seen who is in the right
and who in the wrong:
he will plead with all flesh; or enter into judgment
with them
as Kimchi; or reprove them in judgment
as Jarchi; he will be too
many for them; he will carry his case
overcome them in judgment
and reprove
and condemn them. Or the words may be rendered
"he will be judged by all
flesh"F19נשפט הוא
לכל בשר "judicium
subibit ipse cum omni carne"
Tigurine version. ; he will submit it to the
judgment of the whole world
if it is not a righteous thing in him to do what
he is about to do
and will do; he will make it clear and manifest that he does
nothing unjustly
but all according to the strict rules of justice and equity:
he will give them that are wicked to the sword
saith the
Lord; to be destroyed by it
and none but them; and seeing they are
such that deserve it
he is not to be charged with unrighteousness in so doing.
Verse 32
Thus saith the Lord of hosts
behold
evil shall go forth from
nation to nation
.... Begin in one nation
and then go on to another; first in
Judea
and then in Egypt; and so on
like a catching distemper
or like fire
that first consumes one house
and then another; and thus shall the cup go
round from nation to nation
before prophesied of: thus
beginning at Judea
one nation after another was destroyed by the king of Babylon; then he and his
monarchy were destroyed by the Medes and Persians; and then they by the
Macedonians; and then the Greeks by the Romans;
and a great whirlwind shall be raised up from the coasts of the
earth; or "from the sides of it"F20מירכתי ארץ "a lateribus
terrae"
Schmidt; "a finibus terrae"
Vatablus. ; that is
"from the ends of it"; as the Targum
which paraphrases it
"and
many people shall come openly from the ends of the earth;'
this
was first verified in the Chaldean army under Nebuchadnezzar
compared to a
whirlwind
Jeremiah 4:13; and
then in the Medes and Persians under Cyrus; and after that in the Greeks under
Alexander; the great and last of all in the Romans under Titus Vespasian.
Verse 33
And the slain of the Lord
.... Slain by his
permission
yea
by his orders
according to his will
in his wrath and sore
displeasure
and to glorify his vindictive justice:
shall be at that day from one end of the earth even unto
the other end of the earth; not that this should be
at one and the same time; for there never was such a time
that there was such
a general slaughter in the world
that the slain should reach from one end to
the other; but that within the dispensation
in which the cup should go round
to all nations
meant by "that day"
the slain of the Lord would be
in all parts of the world; or that
according to his will
there would be a
great slaughter everywhere
as the cup went round
or the sword was sent
first
ravaging one country
and then another;
they shall not be lamented; having no pity from
their enemies; and as for their friends
they will share the same rite with
them; so that there will be none to mourn over them:
neither gathered; taken up from the field of battle where
they fall; but
where they should fall
there they should lie; none gathering
up their bodies or bones
in order for interment:
nor buried; in the sepulchres of their fathers
nor indeed in any place
or
in any manner; as not in any grand and magnificent manner
so not so much as in
a common way;
they shall be dung upon the ground; spread upon it
and lie
above it
as dung
to manure the earth.
Verse 34
Howl
ye shepherds
and cry
.... The Targum is
"howl
ye kings
and cry;'
and
the rulers and governors of the nations before threatened with destruction are
meant; who are here called upon to lamentation and mourning for the ruin and
loss of their kingdoms; though Calvin thinks that this is an apostrophe to the
Jewish nation
and the rulers of it. It is no uncommon thing in Scripture to
call kings and civil magistrates shepherds; see Jeremiah 23:1;
and wallow yourselves in the ashes
ye principal of the
flock; or "roll yourselves in dust"
as a token of
mourning; as being in the utmost distress
and incapable of helping themselves
and redressing the grievances of their people; and therefore lie down and
tumble about as in the greatest anxiety and trouble
the Targum is
"cover
your heads with ashes
ye mighty of the people;'
meaning
those who were in the highest posts of honour and profit; the chief as to
authority and power
riches and wealth;
for the days of your slaughter and of your dispersions are
accomplished; the time is come when they who were the fat of the flock
and
were nourished up for slaughter
should be slain. The allusion to shepherds and
sheep is still kept up; and such who should escape that
should be scattered up
and down the world
as a flock of sheep is by the wolf
or any other beast of
prey
when some are seized and devoured
and others dispersed; and this was not
the case of the Jews only
but of other nations in their turn;
and ye shall fall like a pleasant vessel; a vessel of
worth and value
and so desirable; as vessels of glass
of gems
or of earth
as of Venice glass
of alabaster
of China; which when they fall and are
broken
become useless
and are irreparable; signifying hereby
that their
desirableness and excellency would not secure them from destruction
and that
their ruin would be irretrievable.
Verse 35
And the shepherds shall have no way to flee
.... Or
"and flight shall perish from the shepherds"F21ואבד מנוס מן
הרעים "et peribit fuga a pastoribus"
V. L.
"effugiumperibit"
Schmidt; "perfugium"
Cocceius. ; though
they may attempt it
they shall not be able to accomplish it; neither the
dignity of their persons
the greatness of their power
or the abundance of
their riches
would make a way for them; their enemies being so numerous
powerful
and watchful:
nor the principal of the flock to escape; this was
particularly verified in Zedekiah and his princes
Jeremiah 39:4. The
Targum is
"and
the house of fugitives shall perish from the kings
and deliverance from the
mighty of the people.'
Verse 36
And a voice of the cry of the shepherds
.... Or of the
kings
as the Targum:
and an howling of the principal of the flock
shall be heard; of the mighty
of the people
as the same; what is before called for is here represented as in
fact
because of the certainty of it:
for the Lord hath spoiled their pastures: their
kingdoms
provinces
cities
and towns; or their people
as the Targum
among
whom they lived
and by whom they were supported; still keeping up the metaphor
of the shepherd and flock. This the Lord is said to do because he suffered it
to be done
yea
ordered it to be done
as a punishment for their sins.
Verse 37
And the peaceable habitations are cut down
.... Or
"their peaceable ones"
as the Targum; the palaces and stately
dwellings
in which they lived in great pomp and prosperity
in great peace
plenty
and safety
are destroyed by the enemy
and laid waste
and become desolate;
yea
even those that lived peaceably and quietly
and neither were disturbed
themselves
nor disturbed others
yet
as is usual in times of war
share the
same fate with their neighbours
who have been more troublesome and molesting:
because of the fierce anger of the Lord; or "from
before it
from the face of it"; shall be destroyed by it
that being displayed; and using enemies as instruments in the destruction of
them. Sin is the cause of God's wrath and fierce anger
and his wrath and anger
the cause of the destruction of men and their habitations
Whoever are the
instruments.
Verse 38
He hath forsaken his covert as a lion
.... Which
some understand of God leaving Jerusalem
or the temple
where he dwelt; who
while he made it his residence
protected it; but when he forsook it
it became
exposed to the enemy. Kimchi says it may be understood of the destruction of
the first temple by Nebuchadnezzar; but he thinks it is most correct to
interpret it of the destruction of the second temple; that is
by the Romans
when it was left desolate by Christ
the Lion of the tribe of Judah. But it may
be understood of Nebuchadnezzar leaving Babylon
his den
and ranging about
like a lion for his prey; see Jeremiah 4:7. So
the Targum
"and
a king has removed from his tower or fortress;'
and the land is desolate; the land of Judea
or
whatsoever country he comes into with his army; that
or Egypt
or any other:
because of the fierceness of the oppressor; the tyrant
Nebuchadnezzar; or "oppressing sword"F23היונה "gladii opprimentis"
Junius &
Tremellius; "gladii abripientis"
Piscator. So Gataker and Ben
Melech.
as some supply it
it being feminine; and so the Targum
"from
before the sword of the enemy.'
Some
render it
"because of the fierceness of the dove"; so the Vulgate
Latin; and understand it of the Babylonians or Chaldeans; who
as the Romans
had an eagle
they had the dove on their standards or ensigns; which they
received from the Assyrians
when they succeeded them in their monarchy; and
those from Semiramis their first queen
who had it
it is said
on her standardF24R.
David Gantz
Tzemach David
par. 2. fol. 4. 1. Vid. Lydium
de Re Militare
l.
3. c. 7. p. 83
84. ; and was retained in honour of her
and in memory of her
being nourished by a dove
and turned into one after her death
as commonly
believedF25Vid. Diodor. Sicul l. 2. p. 92
107. Ed. Rhodoman. ; and
who had her name
as is affirmedF26R. Azarias
Meor
Enayim
c. 21.
fol. 89. 2. Vid Selden
De Dieu
Syris
l. 2. c. 3. p. 275.
from the word צמירא
"semira"
signifying
in the Chaldee
language
the song or cooing of the dove; but fierceness ill agrees with the
dove
which is a meek and harmless creature;
and because of his fierce anger; either of God
or of the
king of Babylon his instrument
in destroying nations; not Judea only
but many
others.
──《John Gill’s Exposition of the Bible》