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Jeremiah
Chapter Twenty-six
Jeremiah 26
Chapter Contents
The destruction of the temple and city foretold. (1-6)
Jeremiah's life is threatened. (7-15) He is defended by the elders. (16-24)
Commentary on Jeremiah 26:1-6
(Read Jeremiah 26:1-6)
God's ambassadors must not seek to please men
or to save
themselves from harm. See how God waits to be gracious. If they persisted in
disobedience
it would ruin their city and temple. Can any thing else be
expected? Those who will not be subject to the commands of God
make themselves
subject to the curse of God.
Commentary on Jeremiah 26:7-15
(Read Jeremiah 26:7-15)
The priests and prophets charged Jeremiah as deserving
death
and bore false witness against him. The elders of Israel came to inquire
into this matter. Jeremiah declares that the Lord sent him to prophesy thus. As
long as ministers keep close to the word they have from God
they need not
fear. And those are very unjust who complain of ministers for preaching of hell
and damnation; for it is from a desire to bring them to heaven and salvation.
Jeremiah warns them of their danger if they go on against him. All men may
know
that to hurt
or put to death
or to show hatred to their faithful
reprovers
will hasten and increase their own punishment.
Commentary on Jeremiah 26:16-24
(Read Jeremiah 26:16-24)
When secure sinners are threatened with taking away the
Spirit of God
and the kingdom of God
it is what is warranted from the word of
God. Hezekiah who protected Micah
prospered. Did Jehoiakim
who slew Urijah
prosper? The examples of bad men
and the bad consequences of their sins
should deter from what is evil. Urijah was faithful in delivering his message
but faulty in leaving his work. And the Lord was pleased to permit him to lose
his life
while Jeremiah was protected in danger. Those are safest who most
simply trust in the Lord
whatever their outward circumstances may be; and that
He has all men's hearts in his hands
encourages us to trust him in the way of
duty. He will honour and recompense those who show kindness to such as are
persecuted for his sake.
── Matthew Henry《Concise Commentary on Jeremiah》
Jeremiah 26
Verse 10
[10] When
the princes of Judah heard these things
then they came up from the king's
house unto the house of the LORD
and sat down in the entry of the new gate of
the LORD's house.
When —
When the nobles
and other civil magistrates
heard of the tumult
they came
from the king's court
where the nobles and great officers of nations usually
are
to the temple.
At the entry — It
was the place where their sanhedrim
who were to judge of false prophets
were
wont to sit.
Verse 11
[11] Then spake the priests and the prophets unto the princes and to all the
people
saying
This man is worthy to die; for he hath prophesied against this
city
as ye have heard with your ears.
The priests —
"In the corrupt state of all kingdoms
the ecclesiastical officers always
were the greatest enemies to the faithful ministers of God." They speak to
the members of the court who are called princes
and to the people who were in
the court.
Verse 18
[18]
Micah the Morasthite prophesied in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah
and
spake to all the people of Judah
saying
Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Zion
shall be plowed like a field
and Jerusalem shall become heaps
and the
mountain of the house as the high places of a forest.
Micah —
This was that Micah
whose prophecies are part of holy writ
as appears by Micah 1:1; 3:12
where are the very words of the prophecy
here mentioned
the substance of whose prophecy was the same with this
that
Zion should be plowed up
and the place where the temple stood
should become
so desolate that trees should grow there
as in a forest.
Verse 19
[19] Did
Hezekiah king of Judah and all Judah put him at all to death? did he not fear
the LORD
and besought the LORD
and the LORD repented him of the evil which he
had pronounced against them? Thus might we procure great evil against our
souls.
Thus —
Now
if we should take a quite contrary course
and put this man to death
we
should do ourselves no good
but procure great evil against our souls; that is
against ourselves.
Verse 20
[20] And there was also a man that prophesied in the name of the LORD
Urijah
the son of Shemaiah of Kirjathjearim
who prophesied against this city and
against this land according to all the words of Jeremiah:
And there was —
This is a story which we have recorded in no other part of scripture. They are
probably the words of some others
who were enemies to Jeremiah.
Verse 23
[23] And
they fetched forth Urijah out of Egypt
and brought him unto Jehoiakim the
king; who slew him with the sword
and cast his dead body into the graves of
the common people.
Cast his body —
Not in the sepulchers of the prophets
but amongst the vulgar people.
Verse 24
[24]
Nevertheless the hand of Ahikam the son of Shaphan was with Jeremiah
that they
should not give him into the hand of the people to put him to death.
Nevertheless —
Tho' Jeremiah's enemies pleaded this instance of Urijah
a case judged in this
very king's reign; yet the hand
that is
the power and interest of Ahikam
one
of Josiah's counsellors
and the father of Gedaliah
was with Jeremiah.
── John Wesley《Explanatory Notes on Jeremiah》
26 Chapter 26
Verses 1-24
In the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of
Judah.
Afflictions
distresses
tumults
Jehoiakim was
perhaps
the most despicable of the kings of Judah.
Josephus says that he was unjust in disposition
an evil-doer; neither pious
towards God nor just towards men. Something of this may have been due to the
influence of his wife
Nehushta
whose father
Elnathan
was an accomplice in
the royal murder of Urijah. Jeremiah appears to have been constantly in
conflict with this king; and probably the earliest manifestation of the
antagonism that could not but subsist between two such men occurred in
connection with the building of Jehoiakim’s palace. Though his kingdom was
greatly impoverished with the heavy fine of between forty and fifty thousand
pounds
imposed by Pharaoh-Necho afar the defeat and death of Josiah
and
though the times were dark with portents of approaching disaster
yet he began
to rear a splendid palace for himself
with spacious chambers and large
windows
floors of cedar
and decorations of vermilion. Clearly
such a monarch
must have entertained a mortal hatred towards the man who dared to raise his
voice in denunciation of his crimes; and
like Herod with John the Baptist
he
would not have scrupled to quench in blood the light that cast such strong
condemnation upon his oppressive and cruel actions. An example of this had been
recently afforded in the death of Urijah
who had uttered solemn words against
Jerusalem and its inhabitants in the same way that Jeremiah had done. But it
would appear that this time
at least
his safety was secured by the interposition
of influential friends amongst the aristocracy
one of whom was Ahikam
the son
of Shaphan (Jeremiah 26:20-24).
I. The divine
commission. Beneath the Divine impulse
Jeremiah went up to the court of the
Lord’s house
and took his place on some great occasion when all the cities of
Judah had poured their populations to worship there. Not one word was to be
kept back. We are all more or less conscious of these inward impulses; and it
often becomes a matter of considerable difficulty to distinguish whether they
originate in the energy of our own nature or are the genuine outcome of the
Spirit of Christ. It is only in the latter ease that such service can be
fruitful. There is no greater enemy of the highest usefulness than the presence
of the flesh in our activities. There is no department of life or service into
which its subtle
deadly influence does not penetrate. We meet it after we have
entered upon the new life
striving against the Spirit
and restraining His
gracious energy. We are most baffled when we find it prompting to holy
resolutions and efforts after a consecrated life. And lastly
it confronts us
in Christian work
because there is so much of it that in our quiet moments we
are bound to trace to a desire for notoriety
to a passion to excel
and to the
restlessness of a nature which evades questions in the deeper life
by flinging
itself into every avenue through which it may exert its activities. There is
only one solution to these difficulties. By the way of the cross and the grave
we can alone become disentangled and discharged from the insidious domination
of this evil principle
which is accursed by God
and hurtful to holy living
as blight to the tender fruit.
II. The message and
its reception. On the one side
by his lips
God entreated His people to repent
and turn from their evil ways; on the other
He bade them know that their
obduracy would compel Him to make their great national shrine as complete a
desolation as the site of Shiloh
which for five hundred years had been in
ruins. It is impossible to realise the intensity of passion which such words
evoked. They seemed to insinuate that Jehovah could not defend His own
or that
their religion had become so heartless that He would not. “So it came to pass
when Jeremiah had made
an end of speaking all that the Lord commanded him to
speak unto all the people
” that he found himself suddenly in the vortex of a
whirlpool of popular excitement. There is little doubt that Jeremiah would have
met his death had it not been for the prompt interposition of the princes. Such
is always the reception given on
the part of man to the words of God. We may gravely question how
far our words are God’s
when people accept them quietly and as a matter of
course. That which men approve and applaud may lack the King’s seal
and be the
substitution on the part of the messenger of tidings which he deems more
palatable
and therefore more likely to secure for himself a larger welcome.
III. Welcome
interposition. The princes were seated in the palace
and instantly on
receiving tidings of the outbreak came up to the temple. Their presence stilled
the excitement
and prevented the infuriated people from carrying out their
designs upon the life
of the defenceless prophet. They hastily constituted themselves into a court of
appeal
before which prophet and people were summoned. Then Jeremiah stood on
his defence. His plea was that he could not but utter the words with which the
Lord had sent him
and that he was only re-affirming the predictions of Micah
in the darts of Hezekiah. He acknowledged that he was in their hands
but he warned them that
innocent blood would bring its own Nemesis upon them all; and at the close of
his address he re-affirmed his certain embassage from Jehovah. This bold and
ingenuous defence seems to have turned the scale in hie favour. The princes
gave their verdict: “This man is not worthy of death
for he hath spoken to us
in the name of the Lord our God.” And the fickle populace
swept hither and
thither by the wind
appear to have passed over en masse to the same
conclusion; so that princes and people stood confederate against the false
prophets and priests. Thus does God hide His faithful servants in the hollow of
His hand. No weapon that is formed against them prospers. They are hidden in
the secret of His pavilion from the strife of tongues. (F. B. Meyer
B. A.)
Verses 1-24
In the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of
Judah.
Afflictions
distresses
tumults
Jehoiakim was
perhaps
the most despicable of the kings of Judah.
Josephus says that he was unjust in disposition
an evil-doer; neither pious
towards God nor just towards men. Something of this may have been due to the
influence of his wife
Nehushta
whose father
Elnathan
was an accomplice in
the royal murder of Urijah. Jeremiah appears to have been constantly in
conflict with this king; and probably the earliest manifestation of the
antagonism that could not but subsist between two such men occurred in
connection with the building of Jehoiakim’s palace. Though his kingdom was
greatly impoverished with the heavy fine of between forty and fifty thousand
pounds
imposed by Pharaoh-Necho afar the defeat and death of Josiah
and
though the times were dark with portents of approaching disaster
yet he began
to rear a splendid palace for himself
with spacious chambers and large
windows
floors of cedar
and decorations of vermilion. Clearly
such a monarch
must have entertained a mortal hatred towards the man who dared to raise his
voice in denunciation of his crimes; and
like Herod with John the Baptist
he
would not have scrupled to quench in blood the light that cast such strong
condemnation upon his oppressive and cruel actions. An example of this had been
recently afforded in the death of Urijah
who had uttered solemn words against
Jerusalem and its inhabitants in the same way that Jeremiah had done. But it
would appear that this time
at least
his safety was secured by the
interposition of influential friends amongst the aristocracy
one of whom was
Ahikam
the son of Shaphan (Jeremiah 26:20-24).
I. The divine
commission. Beneath the Divine impulse
Jeremiah went up to the court of the
Lord’s house
and took his place on some great occasion when all the cities of
Judah had poured their populations to worship there. Not one word was to be
kept back. We are all more or less conscious of these inward impulses; and it
often becomes a matter of considerable difficulty to distinguish whether they
originate in the energy of our own nature or are the genuine outcome of the
Spirit of Christ. It is only in the latter ease that such service can be
fruitful. There is no greater enemy of the highest usefulness than the presence
of the flesh in our activities. There is no department of life or service into
which its subtle
deadly influence does not penetrate. We meet it after we have
entered upon the new life
striving against the Spirit
and restraining His
gracious energy. We are most baffled when we find it prompting to holy
resolutions and efforts after a consecrated life. And lastly
it confronts us
in Christian work
because there is so much of it that in our quiet moments we
are bound to trace to a desire for notoriety
to a passion to excel
and to the
restlessness of a nature which evades questions in the deeper life
by flinging
itself into every avenue through which it may exert its activities. There is
only one solution to these difficulties. By the way of the cross and the grave
we can alone become disentangled and discharged from the insidious domination
of this evil principle
which is accursed by God
and hurtful to holy living
as blight to the tender fruit.
II. The message and
its reception. On the one side
by his lips
God entreated His people to repent
and turn from their evil ways; on the other
He bade them know that their
obduracy would compel Him to make their great national shrine as complete a
desolation as the site of Shiloh
which for five hundred years had been in
ruins. It is impossible to realise the intensity of passion which such words
evoked. They seemed to insinuate that Jehovah could not defend His own
or that
their religion had become so heartless that He would not. “So it came to pass
when Jeremiah had made
an end of speaking all that the Lord commanded him to
speak unto all the people
” that he found himself suddenly in the vortex of a
whirlpool of popular excitement. There is little doubt that Jeremiah would have
met his death had it not been for the prompt interposition of the princes. Such
is always the reception given on
the part of man to the words of God. We may gravely question how
far our words are God’s
when people accept them quietly and as a matter of
course. That which men approve and applaud may lack the King’s seal
and be the
substitution on the part of the messenger of tidings which he deems more
palatable
and therefore more likely to secure for himself a larger welcome.
III. Welcome
interposition. The princes were seated in the palace
and instantly on
receiving tidings of the outbreak came up to the temple. Their presence stilled
the excitement
and prevented the infuriated people from carrying out their
designs upon the life
of the defenceless prophet. They hastily constituted themselves into a court of
appeal
before which prophet and people were summoned. Then Jeremiah stood on
his defence. His plea was that he could not but utter the words with which the
Lord had sent him
and that he was only re-affirming the predictions of Micah
in the darts of Hezekiah. He acknowledged that he was in their hands
but he warned them that
innocent blood would bring its own Nemesis upon them all; and at the close of
his address he re-affirmed his certain embassage from Jehovah. This bold and
ingenuous defence seems to have turned the scale in hie favour. The princes
gave their verdict: “This man is not worthy of death
for he hath spoken to us
in the name of the Lord our God.” And the fickle populace
swept hither and
thither by the wind
appear to have passed over en masse to the same
conclusion; so that princes and people stood confederate against the false
prophets and priests. Thus does God hide His faithful servants in the hollow of
His hand. No weapon that is formed against them prospers. They are hidden in
the secret of His pavilion from the strife of tongues. (F. B. Meyer
B. A.)
Verses 8-16
When Jeremiah had made an end of speaking all that the Lord had
commanded him
the people took him
saying
Thou shalt surely die.
The characteristics of a true prophet
I. The true
prophet has a stern message to deliver (4-7). If they ally themselves with
Egypt
the Temple will be made desolate
as Shiloh had been destroyed by the
Assyrians at the deportation of Israel after the fall of Samaria
710 b.c.
Jerusalem will become a curse to all nations (will be recognised by all nations
as having fallen by the curse of God). To prophesy smooth things in a sinful
world is to be false to God. How often does even our blessed Lord denounce sin
and remind men of the wrath of God for it! (Matthew 11:21-24; Matthew 12:41-42; Matthew 23:31-38
&c.)
II. The true
prophet may not “diminish a word” of God’s message
however unpopular
or
unpleasant
or personal.
1. This message referred to the public policy of the nation. The
morality of a nation as imperative as that of an individual
2. Other messages assail the sins of classes
from the king to the
humblest citizen.
III. The true
prophet will speak fearlessly.
IV. The true
prophet is promised the support of God.
V. The true
prophet never was and never can be popular
but must raise up enemies against
himself.
IV. The true
prophet will speak peace as well as wrath if men repent. (J. Cunningham
Geikie
D. D.)
Prophetic virtues
“The Lord sent me to prophesy against this house.” In this apology
of the prophet thus answering for himself with a heroic spirit
five noble
virtues
fit for a martyr
are by an expositor observed.
1. His prudence in alleging his Divine mission.
2. His charity in exhorting his enemies to repent.
3. His humility in saying
“Behold I am in your hand.”
4. His magnanimity and freedom of speech in telling them that God
would revenge his death.
5. His spiritual security and fearlessness of death in so good a
cause and with so good a conscience. (John Trapp.)
A Saint’s resignation
meekness
and cheerfulness in persecution
One thousand eight hundred years ago an aged saint was being led
into Rome by ten rough Roman soldiers
to be thrown to the wild beasts in the
amphitheatre. Can you imagine anything more dreary and deplorable? Was he
unhappy? Did he count cruelty and martyrdom as evil? No. In one of the seven
letters that he wrote on his way
he says: “Come fire and iron
come rattling
of wild beasts
cutting and mangling and wrenching of my bones
come hacking of
my limbs
come crushing of my whole body
come cruel tortures of the devil to
assail me! Only be it mine to attain to Jesus Christ! What are those words of
St. Ignatius but an echo of the
apostle’s
“What things were gain to me
those I counted loss for
Christ. Yea
doubtless
and I count all things but loss that I may win Christ”?
How well the early Christians understood these things by which we opportunists
cringing cowards
effeminate time-servers
as most of us are in this soft
sensuous
hypocritical age
have so utterly forgotten! (Dean Farrar.)
.
Verse 14
──《The Biblical Illustrator》
26 Chapter 26
INTRODUCTION TO JEREMIAH 26
This
chapter gives an account of Jeremiah's preaching; of his being apprehended by
the people; of his defence of himself
and acquittance upon it. The time when
place where
and persons to whom the prophet delivered his discourse
are
pointed at in Jeremiah 26:1; the
substance of it was
that if the people of the Jews would repent of their sins
and turn from them
the Lord would avert the evil he had threatened them with;
but if not
he would make their temple like Shiloh
and their city a curse to
all the earth
Jeremiah 26:3; upon
hearing which the people seized him
and vowed he should die
because he had
prophesied of the destruction of their city and temple
Jeremiah 26:7;
which the princes hearing of
came from the king's house to one of the gates of
the temple
and sat as a court of judicature; to whom the priests and prophets
accused Jeremiah of the above things as worthy of death
Jeremiah 26:10; and
before whom the prophet made his defence
alleging his mission and orders from
the Lord; and therefore
instead of recanting
repeats his exhortation; and as
for himself
he was not careful what they did to him; but advises them not to
shed innocent blood
since it would bring evil upon them
Jeremiah 26:12; upon
which the princes acquit him
and declare him innocent
Jeremiah 26:16; and
this is confirmed by a like instance of Micah the prophet
in the times of Hezekiah
who prophesied of the destruction of Jerusalem
and yet was not put to death
Jeremiah 26:17; and
by a contrary instance of Uriah
in the then present reign of Jehoiakim
who
had been put to death for the like
but wrongly
Jeremiah 26:20;
and
in the issue
Jeremiah
through the good office of Ahikam
the son of
Shaphan
particularly
was saved from being put to death
Jeremiah 26:24.
Verse 1
In the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king
of Judah
.... So that the prophecy of this chapter
and the facts and
events connected with it
were before the prophecy of the preceding chapter
though here related; that being in the fourth year
this in the beginning of
Jehoiakim's reign. Josiah was lately dead; Jehoahaz his son reigned but three
months
and then was deposed by Pharaohnecho king of Egypt; and this Jehoiakim
another son of Josiah
who before was called Eliakim
was set on the throne;
and quickly after his coming to it
came this word from the Lord
saying; as follows
to the prophet. This was in the year of the world 3394
and before Christ 610
according to Bishop UsherF1Annales Vet. Test. p. 118. ; with whom
agree Mr
WhistonF2Chronological Tables
cent. 9.
and the authors
of the Universal HistoryF3Vol. 21. p. 58. .
Verse 2
Thus saith the Lord
stand in the court of the Lord's house
.... It
the
great court of Israel
where the people used to meet together for worship:
and speak unto all the cities of Judah; the
inhabitants of them; not only to those that dwelt at Jerusalem but in the rest
of the cities of Judah; for what he was to say concerned them all
they having
all sinned
and needed repentance and reformation; without which they would be
involved in the general calamity of the nation:
which come to worship in the Lord's house; as they did
three times in the year
at the feasts of passover
pentecost
and tabernacles;
and it was now the last of these
as Bishop Usher thinks
when this prophecy
was to be delivered to them:
all the words that I command thee to speak to them: nothing must
be kept back
the whole counsel of God must be declared; not a word suppressed
through affection to them
or fear of them; God commanded
and must be obeyed
let the consequence be what it will:
diminish not a word; soften not any
expression or alter any word
by putting one more smooth for one rough; or
change the accent
or abate of the vehemency of delivering it; but both for
matter manner
and form let it be as directed
without any subtraction and diminution
change or alteration: a rule which every minister of the word ought to attend
to; seeking not to please men
but God that sends him and Christ whose minister
he is.
Verse 3
If so be they will hearken
.... And obey; which is
expressive not of ignorance and conjecture in God
but of his patience and long
suffering
granting space and time for repentance
and the means of it; which
disregarded
leave without excuse:
and turn every man from his evil way; his series
and course of life
which was evil
and was the case of everyone; so that as
their sin was general
the reformation ought to be so too:
that I may repent me of the evil which I purpose to do unto them; or "am
thinking"
or "devisingF4אשר אנכי חשב "quod ego (sum)
cogitans"
Schmidt. to do unto them"; which repentance must be
understood not of a change of mind
but of the course of his providence towards
them
which
by his threatenings
and some steps taken
portended ruin and
destruction; yet
in case of repentance and reformation
he would change his
method of action agreeably to his will:
because of the evil of their doings; this was the reason why
he had threatened them with the evil of punishment
because of the evil of
their actions; which were breaches of his law
and such as provoked the eyes of
his glory.
Verse 4
And thou shalt say unto them
.... What follows is the
substance of the prophecy
and the sum of the sermon or discourse he was sent
to deliver
without diminishing a word of it:
thus saith the Lord
if ye will not hearken to me
to walk in my
law which I have set before you; first by Moses
by whose hands it was given
to their fathers; and by the prophets
the interpreters of it to them; before
whom it was set as a way for them to walk in
and a rule to walk by; a directory
for them in their lives and conversations; and which continues to be so
as it
is set before us Christians by our King and Lawgiver Jesus Christ; though not
to obtain righteousness and life by the works of it; which should not be sought
for
nor are attainable thereby.
Verse 5
To hearken to the words of my servants the prophets
.... The
interpretations they give of the law; the doctrines they deliver; the
exhortations
cautions
and reproofs given by them in the name of the Lord
whose servants they were; and therefore should be hearkened to; since
hearkening to them is hearkening to the Lord himself
in whose name they speak
and whose message they deliver:
whom I sent unto you
both rising up early and sending them; they had
their mission and commission from the Lord; and who was careful to send them
early
if they might be instruments to do them good and prevent their ruin;
they had the best of means
and these seasonable
and so were left without
excuse:
(but ye have not hearkened); neither to the Lord
nor
to his prophets; but went on in their own ways
neglecting the law of the Lord
and the instructions of his servants.
Verse 6
Then will I make this house like Shiloh
.... Where the
ark was until it was taken by the Philistines; and then the Lord forsook his
tabernacle there
Psalm 78:60; and so
he threatens to do the like to the temple at Jerusalem
should they continue in
their disobedience to him; See Gill on Jeremiah 7:12 and
See Gill on Jeremiah 7:14;
and will make this city a curse to all the nations of the earth; that is
the
city of Jerusalem
which should be taken up
and used proverbially in all
countries; who
when they would curse anyone
should say
the Lord make thee as
Jerusalem
or do unto thee as he has done to Jerusalem.
Verse 7
So the priests
and the prophets
and all the people
.... As it was
in the temple
in one of the courts of it
that Jeremiah was
and said the
above things
it is no wonder to hear of the "priests"
since they
were there about their work and service; the "prophets" were the
false prophets
as the Septuagint and Arabic versions expressly call them; and
"all the people" were all the males out of the several cities of
Judah
who were come up to the temple on the account of the feast; see Jeremiah 26:2; now
these
heard Jeremiah speaking these words in the house of the Lord; in the
temple; in the court of Israel; they heard him out
and did not interrupt him
while he was speaking; and having heard him
they were angry with him
and were
witnesses against him; they did not hear him so as to obey his words
receive
his instructions
and follow
his directions; but they heard him with indignation
and were determined to prosecute him unto death.
Verse 8
Now it came to pass
when Jeremiah had made an end of speaking
.... For they
let him alone till he had done
either out of reverence of him as a priest and
prophet; or they were awed by a secret influence on their minds that they might
not disturb him:
all that the Lord had commanded him to speak unto all the
people; he did as he was ordered
kept back nothing
not fearing the
resentment of the people
but fearing God:
that the priests
and the prophets
and all the people
took him; the priests
and the prophets were the leading men in this action; they stirred up the
people against him
and through their instigation he was seized and laid hold
on:
saying
thou shall surely die; signifying that they
would bring a charge against him
which they were able to support
and which by
the law would be death; unless they meant in the manner of zealots to put him
to death themselves
without judge or jury; and which they would have put in
execution
had not the princes of the land
or the great sanhedrim
heard of
it; and therefore to prevent it came to the temple
as is afterwards related.
Verse 9
Why hast thou prophesied in the name of the Lord
.... Made use
of his name in declaring a falsehood
as they would have it; this was the
crime: had he said what he thought fit to say in his own name
they suggest it
would not have been so bad; but to vent his own imaginations in the name of the
Lord
this they judged wicked and blasphemous
and deserving of death;
especially since what he said was against their city and temple:
saying
this house shall be like Shiloh; forsaken and
destroyed; that is
the temple:
and this city shall be desolate without an inhabitant? so they
wrested his words; for this he did not say
only that it should be a curse to
all the nations of the earth:
and all the people were gathered against Jeremiah in the house of
the Lord; besides those that were in the temple that heard him
others
upon a rumour that he was apprehended by the priests
and prophets
and people
in the temple
got together in a mob about him: or
they were "gathered
to"F5אל "ad Jeremiam"
Junius & Tremellius
Piscator
Cocceius
Schmidt. him; to hear what he had
to say in his own defence; and it appears afterwards that they were on his
side
Jeremiah 26:16.
Verse 10
When the princes of Judah heard these things
.... The
tumult there was in the temple; these were the princes of the blood
or the
nobles of the realm
particularly the courtiers
and who were of the king's
privy council; or else the great sanhedrim
consisting of seventy persons
and
were the chief court of judicature:
then they came up from the king's house to the house of the Lord; from the
royal palace where they resided; by which it should seem that they were the
king's courtiers
and counsellors
and officers of state; unless in those times
the sanhedrim sat there; from hence they came up to the temple
where Jeremiah
and the priests
&c. were
which
being built on a hill
was higher than
the king's palace; and therefore are said to "come up" to it:
and sat down in the entry of the new gate of the Lord's house; as a court of
judicature
to hear and try the cause between the prophet and his accusers.
This gate of the temple is thought to be the higher gate
which Jotham built
2 Kings 15:35. The
Targum calls it the eastern gate; and so Kimchi says it was; and that it was
called the new gate
according to the Rabbins
because there they renewed the
constitutions and traditions; though he thinks the better reason is
because
newly repaired
or some new building was added to it. Jarchi also says it was
the eastern gate; and gives this reason for its being called new; that when
Jehoiakim was carried captive
and some of the vessels of the temple
Nebuchadnezzar's army broke the eastern gate
which Zedekiah afterwards
repaired
and made new; but if so
it is here called new by a prolepsis; or
this account was written after that time.
Verse 11
Then spake the priests and the prophets unto the princes
and to
all the people
.... The priests and the prophets they were the accusers; the
princes were the court before whom the cause was brought; and the people were
the hearers of it; though it does not seem as if they were a sort of jury
or
had any vote in determining; though they sometimes had in instigating a court
and the judges of it
to take on the side of the question they were for:
saying
this man is worthy to die; or
"the
judgment of death is to this man"F6משפט
מות לאיש הזה "judieium mortis est viro huic"
V. L.
Vatablus
Pagninus
Montanus; "reatus mortis"
&c. Schmidt. ; he
is guilty of a capital crime
and judgment ought to be given against him
and
he condemned to die:
for he hath prophesied against this city; the city of
Jerusalem; saying that it should be a curse to other nations; or
as they
interpreted it
that it should be utterly destroyed
and become desolate
and
none should inhabit it:
as ye have heard with your ears; this must be directed to
the people only; for the princes did not hear Jeremiah's prophecy.
Verse 12
Then spake Jeremiah unto all the princes
and to all the people
saying
.... In his own defence; which
as Jerom observes
was with
prudence
humility
and constancy:
the Lord sent me to prophesy against this house
and against this
city
all the words that ye have heard; he does not deny but
that he had prophesied against the city of Jerusalem and against the temple
and that they should both come to ruin
unless the people repented and
reformed; but then he urges
that he was sent by the Lord on this errand
and
that every word that he had said
and they had heard
he was ordered to say by
the Lord; and therefore what was he
that he should withstand God? he surely
was not to be blamed for doing what the Lord commanded him to do; besides
all
this was threatened only in case they continued obstinate and impenitent;
wherefore he renews his exhortations to them in Jeremiah 26:13.
Verse 13
Therefore now amend your ways and your doings
.... Make them
good; leave your evil ways
and walk in good ways; forsake your evil works
and
do good works:
and obey the voice of the Lord your God; and that
because he is your God
as well as what his word directs to is good
and for
your good:
and the Lord will repent him of the evil that he hath pronounced
against you; will do as men do when they repent
change their method of
acting
and manner of behaviour; so the Lord is said to repent or turn
when he
changes the method and conduct of his providence towards men
though he never
changes his mind or counsel.
Verse 14
As for me
behold
I am in your hand
.... In their
power
as they were the chief court of judicature; and to whom it belonged to
judge of prophets
and to acquit or condemn them
as they saw fit; wherefore he
submits to their authority:
do with me as seemeth good and meet unto you; he was not
careful about it; he readily submitted to their pleasure
and should patiently
endure what they thought fit to inflict upon him; it gave him no great concern
whether his life was taken from him or not; he was satisfied he had done what
he ought to do
and should do the same
was it to do again; and therefore they
might proceed just as they pleased against him.
Verse 15
But know ye for certain
that if ye put me to death
.... Take this
along with you
and then do as you will; that if ye take away my life on this
account
you may depend upon it; nothing is more certain than this:
ye shall surely bring innocent blood upon yourselves
and upon
this city
and upon the inhabitants thereof; that is
the guilt of
innocent blood
which would cry for vengeance upon them that brought the
accusation
and insisted upon his being brought in guilty; and upon those that
sat in judgment
and condemned him; and upon all the inhabitants of the city of
Jerusalem
who should agree to the putting him to death:
for of a truth the Lord hath sent me unto you to speak all these
words in your ears; and therefore I am no false prophet
and am clear of the charge
brought against me; and have said nothing but what I had a mission and an order
from the Lord for
of which you may assure yourselves; and therefore he will
avenge my blood
should it be shed on that account; so that you will only
increase your guilt
and add to that great load that lies upon you
and will be
your ruin
unless you repent and reform.
Verse 16
Then said the princes and all the people unto the priests and to
the prophets
.... Hearing Jeremiah's apology for himself
by which it appeared
that he was to be justified in what he had done
took his part
and acquitted
him; and the people
who before were on the side of the priests and false
prophets; yet hearing what Jeremiah had to say for himself
and also the
judgment of the princes
took his part also
and joined with the court in an
address to the priests and prophets
who were the chief accusers
and who would
fain have had him brought in guilty of death:
this man is not worthy to die; or
"the
judgment of death is not for this man"; we cannot give judgment against
him; he is not guilty of any crime deserving death; See Gill on Jeremiah 26:11;
for he hath spoken to us in the name of the Lord our God; not in his
own name
and of his own head; but in the name of the Lord
and by his order;
and therefore was not a false
but a true prophet: what methods they took to know
this
and to make it appear to the people
is not said; very probably the
settled character of the prophet; their long acquaintance with him
and
knowledge of him; his integrity and firmness of mind; the plain marks of
seriousness and humility
and a disinterested view
made them conclude in his
favour.
Verse 17
Then rose up certain of the elders of the land
.... The same
with the princes; some of the court
who rose up as advocates for the prophet:
and spake to all the assembly of the people: to justify
the vote of the court
and to confirm the people in a good opinion of it
by
giving them examples and instances of the like kind:
saying; as follows:
Verse 18
Micah the Morasthite prophesied in the days of Hezekiah king of
Judah
.... Or
Micah of Maresha
as the Targum. Mareshah was a city of
the tribe of Judah
Joshua 15:44; the
native place
of this prophet; who appears
by the following quotation
to be the
same Micah that stands among the minor prophets; and who is also so called
and
lived in the times of Hezekiah
Micah 1:1;
and spake to all the people of Judah; very openly
and publicly
and just as Jeremiah had done
Jeremiah 26:2;
saying
thus saith the Lord of hosts
Zion shall be ploughed like
a field
and Jerusalem shall become heaps; Mount Zion
on part of
which the temple was built
and on the other the city of David
together with
the city of Jerusalem
should be so demolished
as that they might be ploughed
and become a tillage; as the Jews say they were by Terentius
or Turnus Rufus
as they call him
after their last destruction by the Romans:
and the mountain of the house as the high places of the forest; covered with
grass and shrubs
and thorns and briers; even Mount Moriah
on which the temple
stood
which is designed by the house; and so the Targum calls it the house of
the sanctuary. Now this was saying as much against the city and temple as
Jeremiah did; and was said in the days of a good king too
who encouraged a
reformation
and carried it to a great pitch. See Micah 3:12.
Verse 19
Did Hezekiah king of Judah and all Judah put him at all to death?.... No
they
did not: neither the king
by his own authority; nor the sanhedrim
the great
court of judicature
for the nation; they never sought to take away his life
nor sat in council about it; they never arraigned him
and much less condemned
him:
did he not fear the Lord
and besought the Lord; that is
Hezekiah; he did
as knowing that Micah was a prophet of the Lord
and sent by
him; wherefore he received his prophecy with great awe and reverence
as coming
from the Lord
and made his supplications to him that he would avert the
judgments threatened:
and the Lord repented of the evil which he had pronounced against
them? the king and his people
the city and the temple; and so the
threatened evil came not upon them in their days:
thus might we procure great evil against our souls; should we put
Jeremiah to death: it is therefore much more advisable to do as Hezekiah did
pray unto the Lord to avert the threatened evil
or otherwise it will be worse
with us. This precedent is urged to strengthen the decree of the council in
favour of Jeremiah.
Verse 20
And there was also a man that prophesied in the name of the Lord
.... These are
not the words of the same persons continued; because the following instance is
against them; but of some other persons in the sanhedrim
who were on the side
of the priests and prophets; who in effect said
why tell you us of an instance
in Hezekiah's time
when there is so recent an one in the present reign
of a
man that prophesied just as Jeremiah has done
and was put to death
and so
ought he? after this manner Kimchi interprets it; and so Jarchi
who adds
that
it is so explained in an ancient book of theirs
called Siphri; though some
think they are the words of the same persons that espoused the prophet's cause;
and observe the following instance with this view; that whereas there had been
one prophet of the Lord lately put to death for the same thing
should they
take away the life of another
it would be adding sin to sin
and bring great
evil upon their souls; and it might be observed
that Hezekiah prevented much
evil by the steps he took; whereas
should they proceed as they had begun in
the present reign
they might expect nothing but ruin
which they might easily
see with their own eyes was coming upon them: others are of opinion that this
instance is added by the penman of this book
either the prophet himself or
Baruch
to show the wonderful preservation of him; that though there had been
very lately a person put to death for the very same thing
yet he was preserved
through the good offices of a person mentioned at the close of the chapter; and
which seems to make this account probable. The name of the prophet was
Urijah the son of Shemaiah of Kirjathjearim; which was a
city of Judah
Joshua 18:14; but
who he was is not known
there being no account of him elsewhere:
who prophesied against this city
and against this land
according
to all the words of Jeremiah; just as he had done
in much the same
words
if not altogether; so that their case was similar.
Verse 21
And when Jehoiakim the king
with all his mighty men
.... Either
his courtiers
or his soldiers
or both:
and all the princes
heard his words; the words of
the Prophet Urijah; not with their own ears very probably
but from the report
of others:
the king sought to put him to death; as being a messenger of
bad tidings
tending to dispirit his subjects
and allay the joy of his own
mind upon his advancement to the throne:
but when Urijah heard it
he was afraid
and fled
and went into
Egypt; which some understand as a piece of prudence in him; but rather
it was the effect of pusillanimity and cowardice: it seems to show want of
faith and confidence in the Lord; and the fear of man
which brings a snare;
and besides
it was no piece of prudence to go to Egypt
whatever it was to
flee; since there was such an alliance between the kings of Egypt and Judah;
and the latter
though dependent on the former
yet the king of Egypt would
easily gratify him in delivering up a subject of his
and a person of such a
character.
Verse 22
And Jehoiakim sent men into Egypt
.... To seek for him; and
to require the delivery of him upon being found:
namely
Elnathan the
son of Achbor; the father of this man very probably is the same we read of in
Josiah's time
2 Kings 22:12; who
is called Abdon in 2 Chronicles 34:20;
and certain men with him
into Egypt; to assist him
in taking him
whose names are not mentioned; Elnathan's is
as being the
principal
and to fix an eternal infamy upon him.
Verse 23
And they fetched forth Urijah out of Egypt
.... Having
found him
they seized him
and brought him away
with the leave of the king of
Egypt: which
no doubt
was easily obtained:
and brought him to Jehoiakim the king
who slew him with the sword; very probably
with his own hand; or however it was done by his order
and in his presence
most likely:
and cast his dead body into the graves of the common people; either where
they were buried in heaps promiscuously
as some think; or in the common
burying ground; and not where persons of distinction were laid
as prophets
and othersF7Vid. Nicolai de Sepulchris Heb. c. 3. p. 126. ; this he
did to reflect dishonour upon the prophet.
Verse 24
Nevertheless
the hand of Ahikam the son of Shaphan was with
Jeremiah
.... Though this instance was urged as a precedent to go by
being lately done; or though the king's cruelty had been so lately exercised in
such a manner; yet this man
who had been one of Josiah's courtiers and
counsellors
2 Kings 22:12;
stood by Jeremiah
and used all his power
authority
and influence
in his
favour:
that they should not give him into the hand of the people
to put
him to death; that the sanhedrim should not; who
by the last precedent
mentioned
might seem inclined to it; but this great man
having several
brothers
as well as other friends
that paid a regard to his arguments and
solicitations; he prevailed upon them not to give leave to the people to put
him to death
who appear to have been very fickle and mutable; at first they
joined with the priests and false prophets against Jeremiah
to accuse him; but
upon the judgment and vote of the princes
on hearing the cause
they changed
their sentiments
and were for the prophet against the priests; and now
very
probably
upon the instance of Urijah being given as a precedent
they altered
their minds again
and were for putting him to death
could they have obtained
leave of the court; and which only Ahikam's interest prevented.
──《John Gill’s Exposition of the Bible》