1.
In the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah came this word unto Jeremiah from the LORD, saying,
Jeremiah's Eighteenth Prophecy (see book comments for Jeremiah).
Given in reign of Jehoiakim to Jeremiah. Declared, after thirteen years, in fourth year of Zedekiah: i.e. in 485. Compare Jeremiah 26:12 .Jeremiah 27 and Jeremiah 28 were written by Jeremiah, or at his dictation. Compare "me", Jeremiah 27:2 ; Jeremiah 28:1 . Some codices, with Syriac, read "Zedekiah", as in Jeremiah 26:3 and Jeremiah 26:12 .
In the beginning. The Massorah ( App-30 ) notes the fact that this expression occurs three times at the commencement of a verse (Genesis 1:1 .Genesis 26:1 ; Genesis 27:1 ).
came. At the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim; but it referred to a future time, as shown in Jeremiah 27:12 .
the LORD. Hebrew. Jehovah. App-4 .
2.
Thus saith the LORD to me; Make thee bonds and yokes, and put them upon thy neck,
put them, &c. This was literally done, as a prophetic symbol; and at that time prophetic of what was to happen in the reign of Zedekiah, eleven years later.
3.
And send them to the king of Edom, and to the king of Moab, and to the king of the Ammonites, and to the king of Tyrus, and to the king of Zidon, by the hand of the messengers which come to Jerusalem unto Zedekiah king of Judah;
and. Note the Figure of speech Polysyndeton to emphasize each respectively.
which come = that are coming. Part. Poel, as in Genesis 37:19 ; Genesis 41:29 , Genesis 41:35 .Genesis 4:16 ; Genesis 6:22 ; Gen 7:32 ; Genesis 9:25 ; Genesis 16:14 ; Genesis 23:5 , Genesis 23:7 ; Genesis 31:27 , Genesis 31:31 , Genesis 31:38 ; Genesis 32:7 ; Jeremiah 33:5 , Jeremiah 33:14 , &c. This was to take place eleven years later.
unto Zedekiah. Then and there we have the fulfilment of this prophecy.
4.
And command them to say unto their masters, Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Thus shall ye say unto your masters;
the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel. See note on Jeremiah 7:3 .
God. Hebrew. Elohim. App-4 .
5.
I have made the earth, the man and the beast that are upon the ground, by my great power and by my outstretched arm, and have given it unto whom it seemed meet unto me.
I have made, &c. Reference to Pentateuch (Genesis 1:1 ). App-92 .
the ground. Hebrew the face of the ground. Figure of speech Pleonasm. App-6 . Some codices read "the face of all the ground".
ground = earth.
great power . . . outstretched arm. Reference to Pentateuch (Exodus 6:6 . Deuteronomy 4:34 ; Deuteronomy 5:15 ; Deuteronomy 7:19 ; Deuteronomy 9:29 ; Deuteronomy 11:2 ; Deuteronomy 26:8 ).
6.
And now have I given all these lands unto the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, my servant; and the beasts of the field have I given him also to serve him.
Nebuchadnezzar. Some codices spell it "Nebuchadrezzar".
My servant. Compare Jeremiah 25:9 . See Daniel 2:37 , Daniel 2:38 .
7.
And all nations shall serve him, and his son, and his son's son, until the very time of his land come: and then many nations and great kings shall serve themselves of him.
him, and his son, and his son's son: i.e. Evil Merodach, Nergelissar, and Nabonidus, in whose seventeenth year Babylon was taken by Cyrus. App-67 .
the very time = the appointed end.
great kings: i.e. the kings of Persia and Media (Daniel 2:39 ).
8.
And it shall come to pass, that the nation and kingdom which will not serve the same Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, and that will not put their neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, that nation will I punish, saith the LORD, with the sword, and with the famine, and with the pestilence, until I have consumed them by his hand.
the same = him.
saith the LORD = [is] Jehovah's oracle.
sword . . . famine . . . pestilence. Reference to Pentateuch (Leviticus 26:25 , Leviticus 26:26 . Deuteronomy 28:21-24 ). App-92 .
and. Note the Figure of speech Polysyndeton. App-6 .
9.
Therefore hearken not ye to your prophets, nor to your diviners, nor to your dreamers, nor to your enchanters, nor to your sorcerers, which speak unto you, saying, Ye shall not serve the king of Babylon:
diviners, &c. These were their heathen guides.
enchanters = observers of the clouds.
sorcerers. These were mediums and necromancers.
10.
For they prophesy a lie unto you, to remove you far from your land; and that I should drive you out, and ye should perish.
11.
But the nations that bring their neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, and serve him, those will I let remain still in their own land, saith the LORD; and they shall till it, and dwell therein.
12.
I spake also to Zedekiah king of Judah according to all these words, saying, Bring your necks under the yoke of the king of Babylon, and serve him and his people, and live.
I spake: i.e. thirteen years after this prophecy came to him. See note on Jeremiah 27:1 .
to Zedekiah. It is not stated whether he ever addressed the two other kings. Jehoahaz and Zedekiah were the sons of Hamutal; Jehoiakim was the son of the proud Zebudah (2 Kings 23:36 ). Compare Jeremiah 13:18 .
13.
Why will ye die, thou and thy people, by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence, as the LORD hath spoken against the nation that will not serve the king of Babylon?
Why . . . ? Figure of speech Asterismos.
by. Some codices, with Aramaean, Syriac, and Vulgate, read "and by", thus completing the Figure of speech Polysyndeton. Compare Jeremiah 27:8 .
as = according as.
14.
Therefore hearken not unto the words of the prophets that speak unto you, saying, Ye shall not serve the king of Babylon: for they prophesy a lie unto you.
15.
For I have not sent them, saith the LORD, yet they prophesy a lie in my name; that I might drive you out, and that ye might perish, ye, and the prophets that prophesy unto you.
16.
Also I spake to the priests and to all this people, saying, Thus saith the LORD; Hearken not to the words of your prophets that prophesy unto you, saying, Behold, the vessels of the LORD's house shall now shortly be brought again from Babylon: for they prophesy a lie unto you.
to the priests. Probably in the Temple. Compare Jeremiah 28:1 .
Behold. Figure of speech Asterismos.
the vessels: which were taken away by Nebuchadnezzar in the reigns of Jehoiakim and Jeconiah (2 Kings 24:13 . 2Ch 36:7 , 2 Chronicles 36:10 . Daniel 1:2 ).
17.
Hearken not unto them; serve the king of Babylon, and live: wherefore should this city be laid waste?
wherefore . . . ? Figure of speech Erotesis. App-6 .
18.
But if they be prophets, and if the word of the LORD be with them, let them now make intercession to the LORD of hosts, that the vessels which are left in the house of the LORD, and in the house of the king of Judah, and at Jerusalem, go not to Babylon.
Be = exists; or, he and remain. Hebrew. yesh. Compare Jeremiah 31:6 , Jeremiah 31:16 , Jeremiah 31:17 , and see notes on Proverbs 8:21 ; Proverbs 18:24 .
the LORD of hosts = Jehovah Zebaoth. See note on Jer 6:6 . 1 Samuel 1:3 .
at. Some codices, with three early printed editions, omit this "at".
19.
For thus saith the LORD of hosts concerning the pillars, and concerning the sea, and concerning the bases, and concerning the residue of the vessels that remain in this city,
remain. Probably because they were too heavy and cumbrous.
city. So the reading of Ben-Asher; but Ben-Naphtali reads "land". These were the two rival critics of the Hebrew text in the tenth century A.D. who furnished the vowel-points. Ben-Asher's work was done at Tiberias in 827 "from the destruction of Jerusalem", and is now at Aleppo. Of Ben- Naphtali nothing is known beyond official lists which have come down to us.
20.
Which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon took not, when he carried away captive Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah from Jerusalem to Babylon, and all the nobles of Judah and Jerusalem;
Jeconiah. Compare Jeremiah 24:1 .
21.
Yea, thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, concerning the vessels that remain in the house of the LORD, and in the house of the king of Judah and of Jerusalem;
in. Some codices, with three early printed editions, read this "in" in the text.
22.
They shall be carried to Babylon, and there shall they be until the day that I visit them, saith the LORD; then will I bring them up, and restore them to this place.