Zedekiah the son of Josiah reigned as king, instead of Coniah the son of Jehoiakim, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon made king in the land of Judah. But neither he, nor his servants, nor the people of the land, listened to Yahweh’s words, which he spoke by the prophet Jeremiah.
Zedekiah the king sent Jehucal the son of Shelemiah, and Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah, the priest, to the prophet Jeremiah, saying, “Pray now to Yahweh our God for us.”
Now Jeremiah came in and went out among the people; for they had not put him into prison. Pharaoh’s army had come out of Egypt; and when the Chaldeans who were besieging Jerusalem heard news of them, they broke up from Jerusalem.
Then Yahweh’s word came to the prophet Jeremiah, saying, “Yahweh, the God of Israel, says, ‘You shall tell the king of Judah, who sent you to me to inquire of me: “Behold, Pharaoh’s army, which has come out to help you, will return to Egypt into their own land. The Chaldeans will come again, and fight against this city. They will take it and burn it with fire.” ’
John Calvin 1540 · Public Domain On vv1, 3, 4, 7 The Prophet tells us here, that after Jeconiah the…
The Prophet tells us here, that after Jeconiah the king had been led into exile, the Jews had not on that account repented, though God had as it were forced them to return to him; for it was so severe a chastisement, that to become worse was an evidence of monstrous stupidity. Jeremiah, however, says that they were not reformed by that punishment; for Zedekiah, who had succeeded Jeconiah, rejected sound doctrine, and did not obey the counsel of the Prophet.
But we must bear in mind the history of that time, that we may understand the meaning of the Prophet: the Jews made Jeconiah king in the place of his father, but in the third month the army of the king of Babylon came. Then Jeconiah surrendered himself to them of his own accord. Now the Prophet had said, that there would be no legitimate successor to Jehoiakim; and this was fulfilled, though his son was set on the throne, for a three months’ reign was so unimportant that it was deemed as nothing. And when Nebuchadnezzar saw that the people could hardly be kept in order without a king, he made Mattaniah king, whom he called Zedekiah. And he immediately revolted to the Egyptians and made a treaty with them, in order that he might shake off the yoke of the king of Babylon. Hence the Prophet says, that though Zedekiah had been taught by the example of Jehoiakim and of his nephew Jeconiah, he yet became nothing the better, he does not shnply blame his ingratitude: it is indeed certain that he had been severely reproved by the Prophet for having acted perfidiously towards the King Nebuchadnezzar, for he ought to have kept faith with him to the last. He feigned a reason of his own for revolting from him; no new cause had occurred; but it was only that he might be exempt from tribute, and also lest the malevolent should object to him that he reigned by permission, and that. he was the slave of another king. As, then, he saw that his reign would be exposed to many reproaches, except he revolted from the king of Babylon, he made a treaty with the Egyptians. This deserved reproof: but the Prophet speaks here generally of his obstinate wickedness, and also of that of the whole people.
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King Zedekiah, he says, the son of Josiah, reigned instead of Coniah Here the word, Jeconiah, is curtailed, as it is probable, for the sake of degrading him; and we have seen that this has been the common opinion. He is then called Coniah by way of reproach, when yet his full name was Jeconiah. He says that Zedekiah was made king by Nebuchadnezzar: hence his perfidy and ingratitude became manifest. It is added, that he hearkened not to the word of Jehovah, nor his servants, nor his people I have said that Zedekiah was condemned, not simply because he obeyed not the Prophet by keeping faith with the King Nebuchadnezzar, but also because he retained the superstitions of his fathers, and corrupted the true worship of God, and would not be called back to the doctrine of the Law.
The disobedience then, mentioned here, extended to the whole Law of God, or to the two tables; for the Jews had then become degenerate together with their king; they did not purely worship God, but polluted themselves and the Temple by impious and filthy superstitious, and they were also libidinous, avaricious, cruel, violent, and dishonest, and had thus cast off the whole teaching of the Law. And this was a proof of strange blindness, as they had before their eyes the calamities of the city and the reproach to which their king had been subjected; for as we have already said, his sons had been slain in his presence, his own eyes had been pulled out, and he was bound with chains, after having been judged guilty of a capital offense. Such an example ought surely to have terrified Zedekiah and all the rest, so as to make thenl at length wise, and to seek reconciliation with God. But the Prophet says, that they did not hearken to the word of Jehovah
He mentions the king, then his counsellors, and in the third place, the whole people; as though he had said, that this madness was found not only in the king, but also in his counsellors and in the whole community, so that no one was excusable. He then begins with the head, even the king himself, and shews also that his counsellots were nothing better, and afterwards adds the common people, in whom the fault seems to have been less; for we know that the lower orders go astray through want of wisdom and ignorance. But the Prophet here shews that even the lowest of the people were disobedient to God.
We ought to notice especially the words, that they hearkened not to the word of Jehovah which he had spoken by Jeremiah For he intimates, that though God did not appear from heaven, it was sufficient to condemn the unbelieving, that he spoke by his Prophets. There was, then, no reason why the wicked should make evasions and say, that it was not their purpose to reject God and his doctrine, but that they only refused deference to mortals, and would not regard the words of men as heavenly oracles. This evasion availed them nothing, for God would have them to hearken to his servants. Though he did not shew himself from heaven, nor addressed them in a visible form, it was yet enough that he had once for all testified, that after the promulgation of the Law, there would always be Prophets among the people, and had commanded them to be reverently attended to. Nor could the Jews avail themselves of that evasion, which the ungodly commonly resorted to, that they could not distinguish between true and false Prophets; for if they had examined the doctrine of Jeremiah, they would have found that it had certain marks by which they could have easily seen that it was altogether consistent with the Law. That they then rejected the Prophet and his heavenly doctrine, was a proof of their obstinacy and contempt, but not through ignorance. It follows, —
John Calvin's Commentaries (1540-1563) — public domain. Text from the Calvin Translation Society English edition (1840s-50s) via the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (ccel.org). Calvin's coverage is partial (roughly two-thirds of the Bible); uncommented books and verses are honest gaps, never fabricated. The 19th-century editor's footnotes and remarks are omitted so the notes are faithfully Calvin's own voice.
Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain On vv1–5 Who was called Jehoiachin, or Jeconiah.
Who was called Jehoiachin, or Jeconiah.
And called him Zedekiah, whereas before his name was Mattaniah, 2 Kings 24:17.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain On vv1–8 Jer 37:1 And king Zedekiah the son of Josiah…
Jer 37:1 And king Zedekiah the son of Josiah reigned instead of Coniah the son of Jehoiakim, whom Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon made king in the land of Judah.
Ver. 1. And king Zedekiah the son of Josiah.] This also and the next chapter are, as the former, historical, and so easily understood, that to set long notes upon them were, saith one, {a} rather to obscure them than to explain them.
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{a} A Lapide.
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain On vv1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7 The history of this succession we have 2Ki 24:17;…
The history of this succession we have 2Ki 24:17; 2Ch 36:10. Zedekiah’s name was Mattaniah, the king of Babylon changed his name to Zedekiah. He reigned instead of Jehoiachin, the son of Jehoiakim, who reigned but three months, 2Ki 24:8; his name was Jeconiah, 1Ch 3:16, and, in a way of derision or contempt, is here called
Coniah. The king of Babylon made this Zedekiah king, who is here called the son of Josiah, and, 2Ki 24:17, Jehoiachin’s father’s brother, to distinguish him from another Zedekiah, son of Jehoiakim, as appears from 1Ch 3:16.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Matthew Henry 1710 · Public Domain On v1 Here is, 1. Jeremiah's preaching slighted, Jer 37:1, Jer…
Here is, 1. Jeremiah's preaching slighted, Jer 37:1, Jer 37:2. Zedekiah succeeded Coniah, or Jeconiah, and, though he saw in his predecessor the fatal consequences of contemning the word of God, yet he did not take warning, nor give any more regard to it than others had done before him. Neither he, nor his courtiers, nor the people of the land, hearkened unto the words of the Lord, though they already began to be fulfilled. Note, Those have hearts wretchedly hard indeed that see God's judgments on others, and feel them on themselves, and yet will not be humbled and brought to heed what he says. These had proof sufficient that it was the Lord who spoke by Jeremiah the prophet, and yet they would not hearken to him. 2. Jeremiah's prayers desired. Zedekiah sent messengers to him, saying, Pray now unto the Lord our God for us. He did so before (Jer 21:1, Jer 21:2), and one of the messengers, Zephaniah, is the same there and here. Zedekiah is to be commended for his, and it shows that he had some good in him, some sense of his need of God's favour and of his own unworthiness to ask it for himself, and some value for good people and good ministers, who had an interest in Heaven. Note, When we are in distress we ought to desire the prayers of our ministers and Christian friends, for thereby we put an honour upon prayer, and an esteem upon our brethren. Kings themselves should look upon their praying people as the strength of the nation, Zac 12:5, Zac 12:10. And yet this does but help to condemn Zedekiah out of his own mouth. If indeed he looked upon Jeremiah as a prophet, whose prayers might avail much both for him and his people, why did he not then believe him, and hearken to the words of the Lord which he spoke by him? He desired his good prayers, but would not take his good counsel, nor be ruled by him, though he spoke in God's name, and it appears by this that Zedekiah knew he did. Note, It is common for those to desire to be prayed for who will not be advised; but herein they put a cheat upon themselves, for how can we expect that God should hear others speaking to him for us if we will not hear them speaking to us from him and for him? Many who despise prayer when they are in prosperity will be glad of it when they are in adversity. Now give us of your oil. When Zedekiah sent to the prophet to pray for him, he had better have sent for the prophet to pray with him; but he thought that below him: and how can those expect the comforts of religion who will not stoop to the services of it? 3. Jerusalem flattered by the retreat of the Chaldean army from it. Jeremiah was now at liberty (Jer 37:4); he went in and out among the people, might freely speak to them and be spoken to by them. Jerusalem also, for the present, was at liberty, Jer 37:5 Zedekiah, though a tributary to the king of Babylon, had entered into a private league with Pharaoh king of Egypt (Eze 17:15), pursuant to which, when the king of Babylon came to chastise him for his treachery, the king of Egypt, though he came no more in person after that great defeat which Nebuchadnezzar gave him in the reign of Jehoiakim (Kg2 24:7), yet sent some forces to relieve Jerusalem when it was besieged, upon notice of the approach of which the Chaldeans raised the siege, probably not for fear of them but in policy, to fight them at a distance, before any of the Jewish forces could join them. From this they encouraged themselves to hope that Jerusalem was delivered for good and all out of the hands of its enemies and that the storm was quite blown over. Note, Sinners are commonly hardened in their security by the intermissions of judgments and the slow proceedings of them; and those who will not be awakened by the word of God may justly be lulled asleep by the providence of God. 4. Jerusalem threatened with the return of the Chaldean army and with ruin by it. Zedekiah sent to Jeremiah to desire him to pray for them, that the Chaldean army might not return; but Jeremiah sends him word back that the decree had gone forth, and that it was but a folly for them to expect peace, for God had begun a controversy with them, which he would make an end of: Thus saith the Lord, Deceive not yourselves, Jer 37:9. Note, Satan himself, though he is the great deceiver, could not deceive us if we did not deceive ourselves; and thus sinners are their own destroyers by being their own deceivers, of which this is an aggravation that they are so frequently warned of it and cautioned not to deceive themselves, and they have the word of God, the great design of which is to undeceive them. Jeremiah uses no dark metaphors, but tells them plainly, (1.) That the Egyptians shall retreat, and either give back or be forced back, into their own land (Eze 17:17), which was said of old (Isa 30:7), and is here said again, Jer 37:7. The Egyptians shall help in vain; they shall not dare to face the Chaldean army, but shall retire with precipitation. Note, If God help us not, no creature can. As no power can prevail against God, so none can avail without God nor countervail his departures from us. (2.) That the Chaldeans shall return, and shall renew the siege and prosecute it with more vigour than ever: They shall not depart for good and all (Jer 37:9); they shall come again (Jer 37:8); they shall fight against the city. Note, God has the sovereign command of all the hosts of men, even of those that know him not, that own him not, and they are all made to serve his purposes. He directs their marches, their counter-marches, their retreats, their returns, as it pleases him; and furious armies, like stormy winds, in all their motions are fulfilling his word. (3.) That Jerusalem shall certainly be delivered into the hand of the Chaldeans: They shall take it, and burn it with fire, Jer 37:8. The sentence passed upon it shall be executed, and they shall be the executioners. "O but" (say they) "the Chaldeans have withdrawn; they have quitted the enterprise as impracticable." "And though they have," says the prophet, "nay, though you had smitten their army, so that many were slain and all the rest wounded, yet those wounded men should rise up and burn this city," Jer 37:10. This is designed to denote that the doom passed upon Jerusalem is irrevocable, and its destruction inevitable; it must be laid in ruins, and these Chaldeans are the men that must destroy it, and it is now in vain to think of evading the stroke or contending with it. Note, Whatever instruments God has determined to make use of in any service for him, whether or mercy or judgment, they shall accomplish that for which they are designed, whatever incapacity or disability they may lie under or be reduced to. Those by whom God has resolved to save or to destroy, saviours they shall be and destroyers they shall be, yea, though there were all wounded; for as when God has work to do he will not want instruments to do it with, though they may seem far to seek, so when he has chosen his instruments they shall do the work, though they may seem very unlikely to accomplish it.
Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible (1708–1710) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain On vv1–8 And King Zedekiah the son of Josiah reigned,.... The…
And King Zedekiah the son of Josiah reigned,.... The brother of Jehoiakim, whose untimely death, and want of burial, are prophesied of in the preceding chapter. The name of Zedekiah was Mattaniah before he was king; his name was changed by the king of Babylon, who made him king, Kg2 24:17;
instead of Coniah the son of Jehoiakim: the same with Jehoiakim, or jeconiah, called Coniah by way of contempt; he reigned but three months, and so was not reckoned as a king, not being confirmed by the king of Babylon, but was carried captive by him, and his uncle placed in his stead:
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whom Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon made king in the land of Judah; to whom he became tributary, and swore homage and fealty, Ch2 36:13.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain On v1 The Egyptians raise the siege of the Chaldeans: and…
The Egyptians raise the siege of the Chaldeans: and king Zedekiah sends to Jeremiah, to pray and inquire of the Lord for them, ver. 1-5. He prophesies the Chaldeans return and victory, ver. 6-10. He is apprehended for a fugitive, beaten, and put into prison, ver. 11-15. He assures Zedekiah of the captivity; and, entreating for liberty, obtains some favour, ver. 16-21.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain On vv1, 3, 4, 5, 7 Zedekiah succeeds Coniah, the son of Jehoiakim, in the…
CHAPTER XXXVII
Zedekiah succeeds Coniah, the son of Jehoiakim, in the Jewish
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throne, and does that which is evil in the sight of the Lord,
1, 2.
The king sends a message to Jeremiah, 3-5.
God suggests an answer; and foretells the return of the
Chaldean army, who should most assuredly take and burn the
city, 6-10.
Jeremiah, in attempting to leave this devoted city, and retire
to his possession in the country, is seized as a deserter, and
cast into a dungeon, 11-15.
The king, after a conference with him, abates the rigour of his
confinement, 16-21.
NOTES ON CHAP. XXXVII
Verse 1. And king Zedekiah the son of Josiah] Of the siege and taking of Jerusalem referred to here, and the making of Zedekiah king instead of Jeconiah, see 2Kg 24:1, &c., and the notes there.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain On vv1, 3, 7 Jer 37:1-2. Zedekiah, whom Nebuchadrezzar made king — See…
Jer 37:1-2. Zedekiah, whom Nebuchadrezzar made king — See 2Ki 24:17; 2Ch 36:10, where is related the history of Zedekiah’s succession. He was but a tributary king, having taken an oath of homage to the king of Babylon. He was a feeble and irresolute prince, and although not so bad as many of his predecessors, yet he had but little true piety or virtue. Neither he nor his servants, &c., did hearken unto the words of the Lord — Though they saw in his predecessor the fatal consequences of contemning the word of God, and though it had already begun to be fulfilled, yet they did not take warning, nor give any more heed to it than others had done before them.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain On vv1, 3, 5, 7 It is evident that Zedekiah was well affected toward…
It is evident that Zedekiah was well affected toward Jeremiah. In Jer. 37–38, dealing with events during the siege of Jerusalem, we have an account of his relations with Jeremiah and of the prophet’s personal history up to the capture of the city.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain On vv1, 3, 6, 8 Sedecias. He was less impious than his two predecessors;…
Sedecias. He was less impious than his two predecessors; but too weak to do good.
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Lange's Commentary on the Holy Scriptures 1864 · Public Domain On v1 II. The Events in the Tenth and Eleventh year…
II. The Events in the Tenth and Eleventh year of Zedekiah
(chap. 37–38)
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1.The embassy of the King and the Imprisonment of the Prophet in its First and Second Stage
Chap. 37
1And king Zedekiah the son of Josiah reigned1 instead of Coniah, the son of Jehoiakim, whom Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon made king2 in the land of Judah 2But neither he, nor his servants, nor the people of the land, did hearken unto the words of the Lord [Jehovah], which he spake by the prophet Jeremiah.
3And Zedekiah the king sent Jehucal the son of Shelemiah and Zephaniah the 4son of Maaseiah the priest to the prophet Jeremiah, saying, Pray now unto the Lord [Jehovah] our God for us. Now Jeremiah came in and went out among 5the people: for they had not put him into prison.3 Then Pharaoh’s army was come forth out of Egypt, and when the Chaldeans that besieged Jerusalem heard tidings of them, they departed from Jerusalem.
6Then came the word of the Lord [Jehovah] unto the prophet Jeremiah, saying, 7Thus saith the Lord, the God of Israel; Thus shall ye say to the king of Judah, that sent you unto me to inquire of me; Behold, Pharaoh’s army, which is come 8forth to help you, shall return [is returning]4 to Egypt into their own land. The Chaldeans shall come gain, and fight against this city, and take it, and burn it 9with fire. Thus saith the Lord; Deceive not yourselves,5 saying, The Chaldeans 10shall surely depart from us: for they shall not depart. For though ye had smitten the whole army of the Chaldeans that fight against you, and there remained but wounded men among them, yet should they rise up every man6 in his tent, and burn 11this city with fire. And it came to pass,7 that when the army of the Chaldeans was 12broken up [had retired] from Jerusalem for fear of [before] Pharaoh’s army, Then Jeremiah went forth out of Jerusalem to go into the land of Benjamin, to separate 13himself thence [to raise an inheritance there] in the midst of the people. And when he was in the gate of Benjamin, a captain of the ward [watch] was there, whose name was Irijah, the son of Shelemiah, the son of Hananiah; and he took [seized] Jeremiah the prophet, saying, Thou fallest away [art going over] to the 14Chaldeans. Then said Jeremiah, It is false [a lie]: I fall not away [am not going 15over] to the Chaldeans. But he hearkened not to him: so Irijah took Jeremiah, and smote him, and put him in prison in the house of Jonathan the scribe: for 16they had made that the prison. When8 Jeremiah was entered into the dungeon, 17and into the cabins,9 and Jeremiah had remained there many days; Then Zedekiah the king sent, and took him out: and the king asked him secretly in his house, and said, Is there any word from the Lord? And Jeremiah said, There is: for, said 18he, thou shalt be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon. Moreover Jeremiah said unto king Zedekiah, What have I offended against thee, or against thy 19servants, or against this people, that ye have put me in prison? Where are now10 your prophets which prophesied unto you, saying, The king of Babylon shall not 20come against you, nor against this land? Therefore hear now, I pray thee, O my lord the king: let my supplication, I pray thee, be accepted11 before thee; that thou cause me not to return to the house of Jonathan the scribe, lest I die there 21Then Zedekiah the king commanded that they should commit Jeremiah into the court of the prison, and that they should give [and they gave him] him daily a piece of bread out of the bakers’ street, until all the bread in the city were spent. Thus Jeremiah remained in the court of the prison [or guard.]
EXEGETICAL AND CRITICAL
This chapter consists of two parts, reporting two events, which had their course or beginning in the pause occasioned by the departure of the Chaldeans. In the first part (Jer_37:1-10) it is related that Jeremiah replied to an embassy of king Zedekiah, which he sent to the prophet with the request for his intercession (Jer_37:1-5):—The army of Pharaoh which has come out to your assistance will return again to their own country, the Chaldeans however will resume the siege of Jerusalem and capture the city and burn it (Jer_37:6-8). Therefore deceive not yourselves! Even were the Egyptians to smite the entire Chaldean army, and there were only a few wounded men left, these would rise from their tents and burn Jerusalem (Jer_37:9-10).—In the second part the imprisonment of the prophet is described, in Jer_37:10-16 its occasion and first stage, and then in Jer_37:17-21, the (by the favor of Zedekiah) less severe second stage.—Jeremiah had wished, during the pause caused by the temporary withdrawal of the Chaldeans, to leave Jerusalem and go into the land of Benjamin to attend to a little business of inheritance (Jer_37:11-12). He was however detained at the gate by the commander of the watch, as he entertained the suspicion that Jeremiah wished to go over to the enemy (Jer_37:13). Jeremiah’s assurance that he had no such intention was of no avail. He was brought before the princes, who caused him to be beaten and closely imprisoned in a dungeon, where he languished for some time (Jer_37:14-16). From this prison Zedekiah had him secretly brought one day, to inquire whether there was any word from the Lord. Jeremiah could answer in the affirmative, but could only give a revelation of the same tenor as before, Thou wilt be given into the hands of the Chaldeans. Still at the earnest petition of the prophet Zedekiah does not send him back to the prison, but has him confined in the court of the guard, and scantily supplied with bread (Jer_37:17-21).
Jer_37:1-2. And king Zedekiah … the prophet Jeremiah. With respect to Coniah comp. rems. on Jer_22:24.—People of the land. Comp. rems. on Jer_1:18.—Did not hearken. Comp. Jer_36:31.
Jer_37:3-5. And Zedekiah … from Jerusalem. Jehucal, the son of Shelemiah, is also mentioned among the “princes” in Jer_38:1 coll. 4. Zephaniah, the son of Maaseiah, was, according to Jer_52:24 coll. Jer_21:1; Jer_29:25 a priest of the second order. The messengers were thus very respectable.—Pray now. The prophet is not merely to inquire, but to intercede. Comp. to inquire of me. Jer_37:7. From this it is apparent that notwithstanding the withdrawal of the Chaldeans the state of mind was not one of perfect confidence. The result of the conflict between the rival forces had still to be expected.—Came in and went out. This is emphasized in antithesis to the subsequent imprisonment and also to the statement in Jer_36:26, that Jeremiah and Baruch had to hide themselves. The freedom in which Jeremiah lived accorded with the respect which the king showed him, and explains at the same time how Jeremiah could think of a journey. Both verses 4 and 5 are to be regarded as a parenthetical and explanatory sentence (Ewald, § 341).—Pharaoh’s army. This Pharaoh was Pharaoh Hophra (Jer_44:30), successor of Psammuthis, and ascended the throne B. C. 588. In the first, or at least the second year of his reign, seventeen years after the battle of Carchemish, he undertook to make war on Nebuchadnezzar, occasioned probably by the embassy of Zedekiah (Eze_17:15). Hophra was slain (comp. Eze_29:1-16; chh. 30–32) and the hopes excited in the Israelites by the withdrawal of the Chaldeans were shown to be nugatory.
Jer_37:6-10. Then came the word … with fire. Jeremiah does not cease to demonstrate the vanity of their hopes. He might have insinuated himself into the favor of the king and great men by a prophecy correspondent to their wishes, but he does not. With inflexible fidelity he proclaims the word of the Lord as he has received it.—Deceive not your souls. Comp. Jer_29:8; 2Ki_18:29 coll. 2Ch_32:15. The prophet warns against self-deception. On this meaning of נֶפֶש comp. Naegelsb.Gr., § 81, 2.
Jer_37:11-16. And it came to pass … many days. Jeremiah wishes to use the time, while the ways are free, to do some business in the land of Benjamin, (probably from לַֽחֲלִק in Anathoth).—To separate, etc. This is a difficult passage. LXX. translates τοῦ ἀγοράσαι ἐκεῖθεν ἐν μέσῳ τοῦ λαοῦ, which Theodoret explains by πρίασθαι ἄρτους. The other ancient translations all express the idea of division of inheritance, in which they are followed by most of the commentators. The different explanations are as follows: Abarbanel takes החליק in the sense of demulcere (to smooth. Comp. Pro_29:5) and refers it to the people of Anathoth who were inimical to Jeremiah: Ad demulcendum eos blandis verbis, ut amarent ipsum et inter illos inveniretur, si abirent in exilium. Kimchi, Sanctius: Ad dividendum se et separandum ab Hierosolymis, in quibus fuit in medio populi. Lyranus:Ut agrum emtum (cap. 32) separaret ab aliis. Luther: To till fields [æcker zu bestellen]. Hitzig: To separate his own from the portions of land which had become common property in the Sabbatical year (which Hitzig regards as B. C. 588, on the basis of Jer_34:8 sqq.) Tremellius, Piscator, Rosenmueller:Ad lubrificandum se ipsum, i. e., ad subducendum se. Seb. Schmidt: Ut divideret cum populo relicta Chaldæorum spolia, partemque sibi acciperet et in urbem secum sumeret. L. de Dieu:Ut partitim commoraretur nunc hic nunc illic. All these explanations are manifestly forced or grammatically incorrect. The ancient interpretation alone, which understands לַֽחֲלִיק of a division of inheritance, appears admissible according to the present form of the text. The form of the word is like אַשְׁמִדIsa_23:11. Comp. Olsh., § 78, c. In the midst of the people declares that the prophet had no secret purpose, but wished to transact his business with the usual amount of publicity. Comp. Ruth 4. In this explanation however some points must still be considered unsatisfactory. 1. That הֶֽחֱלִיק must be taken in the specific meaning “to divide inheritance ” in which it nowhere else occurs; though חֶלְקָה ,חֵלֶקַ, may mean patrimonium (Num_18:20); 2. That to the Hiphil, in order to be able to connect it with מִשָּׁם, must be specially also attributed the meaning of fetching, since primarily it contains only the idea of parting. Meanwhile, as said above, the text as it stands does not afford a satisfactory meaning. It has been attempted to alter the text. J. D. Michaelis would read לְחֶלְקוּ שָם or לְהֶלְקָם שָׁם. This however would not be good Hebrew. The scriptio defectionלַֽחֲלִק, as well as the similarity of ק and ף renders it easier to read חָלַף .לַֽהֲלִף מִשָׁם means to change, which meaning appears with various modifications. For not only all kinds of change of place are designated by it (comp. transiit, Job_9:11; transgressus est, Isa_24:5; abiit, Son_2:11; perrexit, 1Sa_10:3; pertransivit, Jdg_5:26; periit, Isa_2:18, in which meanings it is for the most part synonymous with עָבַר) but change of material (comp. renovari, revivescere, Hab_1:11; Psa_90:5) and of form (comp. Piel., Gen_41:14; Hiph., Gen_31:7; Gen_31:41; Gen_35:2; further חֵלֶף and הֲלִיפוֹת). It might then be declared that the prophet’s going to Benjamin had for its object a change of residence. מִשָּׁם might very suitably be referred to Jerusalem. It might however also according to well known usage (comp. Naegelsb. Gr., § 112, 5, d) signify “in that direction, thither” (comp. Isa_17:13). It might thus be intimated to us that the prophet had no intention of going over to the Chaldeans, or of fleeing to secure his personal safety, but simply of returning to his native place, because he knew that a residence in Jerusalem no longer afforded him any safety, and because he regarded his ministry there as ended. (Comp. Starke, ad h. l.) It is however declared by the words “in the midst of the people” that he did not take this step alone and secretly, but publicly and in company with many others, perhaps of those who believed in his prophetic utterances. From this as well as from מִשָּׁם (because it indicates that the prophet took his way not to the army of the Chaldeans, but in the opposite direction) it would be clear how unjustifiable the imprisonment of the prophet was. In this however I merely express my own supposition.—On the gate of Benjamin comp. Jer_38:7, and rems. on Jer_20:2.—Thou fallest away to the Chaldeans. The expression נֹפֵל appears to be an allusion to the answer, which Jeremiah, according to Jer_21:9, gave a former embassy of Zedekiah. I say a former. For at the time, to which Jeremiah 21 belongs, Jerusalem was besieged by the Chaldeans, but the prophet was at liberty (comp. Jer_21:1-2, and Jer_37:3, with Jer_37:17). After his imprisonment, related in Jer_37:13, however, Jeremiah was not again set at liberty. Chap. 21. must therefore be placed before the retirement of the Chaldeans related in Jer_37:5. —The princes, before whom Jeremiah was brought, were, as Graf correctly remarks, not the same as those, who had so warmly espoused his cause under Jehoiakim (chh. 26, 36) These had probably been carried away with Jehoiachin into captivity (Jer_34:1; Jer_29:2) comp. rems. on Jer_28:1.—The house of the secretary Jonathan, of which we have no further knowledge, was used as a prison, because there were parts of it adapted for such a purpose. These are designated (1) by the word בּוֹר. This word does not necessarily everywhere mean a pit, though it certainly does in Jer_38:6-7; Jer_38:9, as is shown by passages like Gen_40:15; Exo_12:29. It is at any rate a subterranean cavity, and בֵּית־הַבּוֹר is a house where there are such cavities, for the word may be taken collectively. Such places are (2) designated as חֲנֻיוֹת. The word occurs here only. In the dialects, according to the radical meaning, it is “to let one’s-self down, to encamp, to turn in,” and “a camp, a place to put up at, a booth, a cell.” (Fuerst). Here it is evidently the subterranean cell of a prison. (Comp. Rosenmuellerad h. l.)
Jer_37:17-21. Then Zedekiah … court of the guard. The second stage of imprisonment! The weak king, dependent on his nobles, has the prophet secretly brought from his prison to ask him, whether there is not a word from the Lord which in their desperate condition would give them some light and comfort. From the scarcity of means of subsistence (Jer_37:21) it is seen that the city was again blockaded. Jeremiah’s prophecy (Jer_37:8) was thus already fulfilled. This was doubtless the circumstance which filled Zedekiah with so much solicitude, that he determined to have the prophet called, a step which involved humiliation to himself (comp. Jer_37:19), and it might also compromise him with the princes (comp. “secretly,” Jer_37:17).—From the circumstance that Zedekiah has the prophet brought from the prison in the house of Jonathan, it is plainly seen that we have not before us the same conference, as that spoken of in Jer_32:3-5 and Jer_34:2-5. For in this Jeremiah took part voluntarily, and for this as a punishment he was confined in the court of the guard, (Jer_32:3). For the conference here recorded he was brought from the prison, and afterwards as a favor assigned to the court of the guard. Since now the other conference at all events belongs to the last stage of the siege, as was shown above on Jer_34:1-5, which entire stage Jeremiah spent partly in prison and partly in the guard-court, the conference recorded here must be the earlier of the two.—It is accordingly also clear that the prophecy “thou shalt be delivered into the band of the king of Babylon” cannot be, as Graf supposes, identical with that contained in Jer_32:4-5; Jer_34:2-5 i. e., it is so in subject but not in time. Jeremiah boldly tells the king the truth; but he also uses the opportunity to promote his own personal interest. He does this by giving expression on the one hand to the consciousness of his innocence, which was exhibited with eclat in the shaming of the false prophets (Jer_37:18-19), and on the other by beseeching earnestly that he may not be taken back to the dungeon (Jer_37:20).—On let my supplication, etc., comp. Jer_36:7.—On court of the guard, comp. Jer_32:2.—On piece of bread and bakers, street, comp. the articles “Backen” and “Brod” in Herzog, R.-Encycl. [Smith, Dict. I., 227].
DOCTRINAL AND ETHICAL
1. On Jer_37:2-3. The Lord’s words Zedekiah did not care to hear, but the help of the Lord he would have liked to have. This seeking for help then did not proceed from a truly believing heart. It was merely an experiment, as in time of need one tries everything. Hence Zedekiah did not venture to come to the Lord himself, but Jeremiah was to intercede for him. “It is, however, in vain for intercession to be made for him, and he himself does not help to pray. Take the example of Pharaoh, Exo_8:29; Exo_9:28; Exo_10:17.” Cramer.
2. On Jer_37:5-10. Nothing is more bitter than in time of greatest need to see apparent help again disappear. Raised from the depths, one is then cast back into a still profounder deep. The Jews had invoked the aid of the Egyptians on their own responsibility. It was a triumph of worldly policy. The Lord disappoints their calculations. He is not to be so easily put out. The Chaldeans withdraw, but only to defeat the Egyptians, and then return. And Jeremiah must be the prophet of this disappointed hope. A few mortally wounded men, he must proclaim, would suffice to execute the Lord’s decree on Jerusalem. Comp. 2Sa_5:6.
3. On Jer_37:10. This passage is also adduced as an instance, of the so-called scientia media or de future conditionato (Vide Budde, Inst Dogm., pag. 228), together with 1Sa_23:11-12; Jer_38:17; Eze_3:6; Mat_11:21-22; Mat_24:22; Act_27:31. Starke.
4. On Jer_37:11-12. If Jeremiah really wished to leave Jerusalem, because in the city he no longer hoped to secure safety or any success to his ministry (comp. Starke: “It appears that the prophet would betake himself to the country-people, because he hoped from them better results in penitence and the averting of the divine judgments, since hitherto he had been mostly hindered in his office by the priests and the court”), he was in error and took an arbitrary step. For in the first place the servant of God, who is at his post, is under divine protection, and in the second, he had to proclaim the will of God again and again to the stubborn people. There was then still the possibility of their obedient submission to the divine will. Jeremiah did afterwards repeatedly show that deliverance was still possible on the condition of submission (Jer_38:2-3; Jer_38:17), and also, as he had to proclaim ruin unconditionally (Jer_32:3-5; Jer_34:2-5), this testimony was necessary, partly as a proof of the inviolability of the divine counsel, partly to cut off all excuse for the Jews afterwards, partly as a foil to the glorious Messianic prophecies (chh. 32. and 33.) which pertain to this last stage before the destruction of the city. If then Jeremiah really had the purpose at that lime to leave the city, it was an arbitrary step, which was not to succeed, and for which his arrest and what followed was a just punishment. In this sense Diedrich also says (S. 120), “The saints also err, and God deals with them punctiliously, so they also must be docile under the divine chastisements.”
5. On Jer_37:15. “Jeremiah’s prophecies applied to the whole situation (political), and he thus could not avoid the appearance, which his disposition to recommend to the king the surrender of the city occasioned. God be praised! our Lord’s kingdom is not of this world. His servants may renounce the matters, which pertain thereto, with full freedom, and this the more because the Lord raises the instruments who are to labor for the amelioration of the State and the circumstances of mankind also from this kingdom, but gives the prophets of the New Testament a complete dispensation therefrom; of which we have a living example in Jesus and all His Apostles, who did not meddle by a word in any of the civil matters of the authorities, under whom they taught. Justice and chastity were Paul’s themes with the procurator Felix, which were matters of the interior, and that is enough.” Zinzendorf.
6. On Jer_37:17. The king was commanded to put the book of the law before him, and always have it with him, Deu_17:19. As now he did not do this, he must be in awe even of his own servants: sometimes he must look at his counsellors through his fingers and let them do as they will, and though he might have been a master, he must be a servant. For God poureth contempt upon princes and looseth the covenant of the mighty (Job_12:21).” Cramer.
7. On Jer_37:18-20. In the consciousness of his official dignity the prophet proudly appears before the king, saying, Although it has come out clearly that I was right and your prophets wrong, you have done me injustice. Nevertheless he applies with humble and earnest petition to the king in behalf of his person, that he may not betaken back again to the dreadful prison. “After Jeremiah’s example, one may well petition tyrannical magistrates for a mitigation of persecution, but not speak to please them for the sake of the mitigation.” Cramer.
8. On Jer_38:1-4. Jeremiah is like a running spring, which has an abundance of water. The mouth of the tube may be stopped. But no sooner is a slight temporary opening afforded, than the water breaks forth with full power. Although he knew what was before him, he was not silent. For he could not be silent (Jer_20:9). Even if they had beaten him to death on the spot with clubs, yet dying he would have cried: he that goeth forth shall live. Jeremiah was, however, no arch traitor, but the truest patriot in all Israel. Is not this proved by the courage, with which he inflexibly repeated his apparently so unpatriotic counsel? Certainly his opponents regard him as the most dangerous man among the people, just as Ahab accused. Elijah of troubling Israel (1Ki_18:18), Amaziah Amos (Jer_7:10), the Jews Paul (Act_16:20).
9. On Jer_38:5. Legal right to carry out their will, in opposition to that of the king, the princes had none. Zedekiah’s speech, therefore, displays only his individual weakness. He also shows by it how little he was subject to God. For had he been faithful to God, he would have found means to compel the obedience of his princes. He who has the right, has also the Lord on his side. If this was manifest in the case of the poor priest Jeremiah, how much more so in that of the king. But this king was no Jeremiah.
10. On Jer_38:6. No prophet was ever maltreated so pitiably as Jeremiah. He represents the culminating point in the humiliation of the servant of Jehovah, but also the extreme point in the alienation from God of the theocracy, which was immediately followed as a merited punishment by the deepest outward decline. Therefore in Jeremiah also must “Christ’s resurrection become visible (Diedrich).”
11. On Jer_38:7-13. A Moor, a heathen, must have compassion and raise his voice against. the enormity. while all Israel was silent. Thus is completed the testimony to Israel’s decline, and the guilt appears to be a common one.
12. On Jer_38:14-15. This seems to be the manner of princes. They say: I wish to hear the truth, the truth only, the whole truth. And when one tells them the truth, he draws upon himself their highest displeasure. For these lords, accustomed to a Homeric life of the gods (θεοὶ ῥεῖα ζοῶντες), do not like to be disturbed in this their bliss. Nothing, however, affects them more rudely than the truth. Zedekiah even does not seem to have been in earnest with his “pray, hide nothing from me,” for otherwise he would at least have done what he could to follow the prophet’s counsel.
13. On Jer_38:19-23. Zedekiah gives as a pretext his dread of mocking and maltreatment from the fugitive Jews. For these, the malcontents, who attributed all the blame to his government and had therefore fled, might possibly have him delivered over to them, and then take their revenge on him. Jeremiah assures him that he has no insult to fear from them. But he will be exposed to the most sensible insults from a quarter where he would least expect it, viz., from the women of his own harem. To be received by his own wives with insulting songs, instead of songs of victory—what greater disgrace could be conceived for a man and a prince? Incidit in Scyllam qui vult vitare Charybdim.
14. On Jer_38:24-27. Did Jeremiah participate in a prevarication, or not? The opinions on this point are divided. Förster says: Non quidem disertis verbis mentitus est Jeremias; interim tamen hoc ejus factum speciem quondam mendacii habet, vel carte est dissimulatio, quæ non omni ex parte excusanda. Others on the other hand call attention to two points: 1. Although in Jer_38:15-17, no such request is mentioned as, according to Jer_38:26, Jeremiah is said to have made, it is yet implied, both in the words of the prophet in Jer_38:15, and in the answer of the king, Jer_38:16. It follows from what is said by both of them, that Jeremiah wished that he might neither be put to death nor brought into such a condition as would inevitably involve his death. Consequently, he at any rate, cherished the same wish, which he expressed to the king in Jer_38:20. 2. If then the declaration of Jer_38:26 does not contain the whole truth, it contains no untruth. The princes, however, had no right to demand the whole truth from Jeremiah. For they were simply murderers. No one, however, is bound to a murderer to expose himself to his knife, by the confession of the truth. This latter view may well be the correct one. [Comp. Wordsworth and Stanley, Jewish Church, p. 524.—S. R. A.]
HOMILETICAL AND PRACTICAL
1. On Jer_37:3. To supplicate the Lord or to intercede with the Lord is indeed right, but it is useless and wrong to desire the help, but not the Lord Himself. [Sinners contradict their prayers, and thus render them unsuccessful, by their lives. Lathrop.—S. R. A.]
2. On Jer_37:5-10. Instructive example of the difference between man’s help and God’s help. Man’s help self-sought, self-made, shows at first indeed a joyous hopeful countenance, but it is hollow and vacuous, and confidence therein is self-deception. In due course it shows itself perfectly powerless, indeed it turns to the contrary, to destruction. God’s help on the other hand is announced at first under gloomy aspects and hard conditions (surrender to the Chaldeans), but these hard conditions are wholesome chastisement, from which proceed life and salvation.
3. On Jer_37:11-13. “It is the manner of God’s enemies, that they shamefully misinterpret the acts of His servants, when these indeed justify themselves, but when they find no hearing they suffer and are silent; only from the confession of the truth they will not forbear.” The Major Prophets, by Heim and Hoffmann.
4. On Jer_38:4. “Worldly people are still disposed to reproach the preachers of the Gospel with the injury which they inflict on the commonwealth, because they seek to hinder the God-forgotten course of the commonwealth, as the worldly people wish it to be. One must not be put out by this, but go on.” Heim and Hoffmann.
5. On Jer_38:4-13. As at the time of Christ the external theocracy was approaching its final overthrow, so at the time of Jeremiah it was its precursory overthrow. Christ was the prophet of the former, Jeremiah of the latter. As Christ was accused of being an arch-traitor and corrupter of the people (Joh_11:48; Joh_11:50), so also Jeremiah. The true ground here, as there, was diabolical hatred to the divine truth and carnal dependence on outward supports and their own excellence. The princes, who threw Jeremiah into the pit, correspond to the rulers of the people at the time of Christ, the weak Zedekiah to the weak Pontius Pilate, Ebed-melech to those believers from the heathen (the ruler of Capernaum, the Canaanitish woman, the Samaritans) who put Israel to shame by their faith. And as Jeremiah is delivered from the pit, so Christ after three days rises from the grave.
6. On Jer_38:19-23. Our ways and God’s ways 1. Our ways: (a) preserve us not from that which we feared (Jer_38:22): (b) they lead to destruction (Jer_38:23). God’s ways: (a) preserve us from that which we feared (Jer_38:19-20): (b) they lead to safety and life (Jer_38:20)
Footnotes:
[1]Jer_37:1.—Naegelsb.: And Zedekiah became king. The phrase וַיִמְלָך־מֶלֶך (instead of the simple וִיִמְלָך, as is especially common in the book of Kings. Comp. 1Ki_11:43; 1Ki_12:17; 1Ki_14:20; 1Ki_14:31, etc.), does not occur except in Jer_23:5 where, however, there is more reason for the מְלֶךְ. We must not, however, find a parallel, as Kimchi does, with such expressions as בָּנַר בֶּנֶר נָדַר נֶרֶר, where the noun stands in the accusative, nor with Hitzig attract צִדְקִהוּ מֶלֶךְ, and translate: and a king, Zedekiah, came to the government, etc., for Zedekiah was not king when he came to the government. מֶלֶך is rather to be taken as more exact definition of the predicate: and Zedekiah came to the government as king, etc. The pleonasm seems to accord with Jeremiah’s more diffuse style.
[2]Jer_37:1.—אשׁר before הִמְלִיךְ is accus., and to be referred to Zedekiah. Comp. 2Ki_24:17.
[3]Jer_37:4.—בית הכליא. Here, as in Jer_52:31, in which passages alone the word occurs, the Masoretes would alter without any necessity to כּלוּא. Comp. Gesen., § 84, 13, etc.
[4]Jer_37:7.—שׁב לארצו. The participle, having itself no tense can, from the context, signify only that they are in the act of returning.
[5]Jer_37:9.—[Literally: your souls.—S. R. A.]
[6]Jer_37:10.—Hitzig correctly remarks that אֲנָשִׁים, in antithesis to כָּל־הֵיל denotes individuals, and that therefore it is more correct to connect אִישׁ בְאָהְָלוֹ with what follows, as the punctuation denotes, since it is evidently intended to express that these individuals, without any previous agreement, would arise, moved by a divine impulse, to perform the work of destruction.
[7]Jer_37:11.—והיה. This form stands here, a trace of the later usage, for וַיהִי. Comp. Jer_3:9; Jer_38:28 b; Ewald, § 345 b; Naegelsb. Gr., § 88, 7, Anm.
[8]Jer_37:16.—כִּ at the beginning of the verse is surprising. Neither its causal nor its temporal signification is suitable here. The LXX translate καὶ ἥλθεν, Hitzig, Ewald, Graf and others read ויבֹא with reference to 1Sa_2:21, and 2Ki_20:12 coll. Isa_39:1.
[9]Jer_37:16.—[Or: cells; Naegelsbach has: vaults. “Some suppose it to mean bent bars, by which the prisoner was confined, and in which he sat as in a cage in a distorted position, (Gesen., Graf).” Wordsworth.—S. R. A.]
[10]Jer_37:19.—With respect to the form וְאַיֵו, the question is, how the Chethibh is to be pronounced אַיּוֹ or אַיּוֹ Usually the former is adopted, an obscuration of the suffix-meaning being maintained as in יַחְדָּו. Fuerst on the other hand (Vid. H. W. B. S. 66) is of opinion that we are to read אַיּוְּ which stands for אַיּוּן with the old plural termination, the traces of which are preserved in verbs and particles (Comp. Olsh., § 16, b). The decision is difficult, as the form is a solitary one with either punctuation.
[11]Jer_37:20.—[Literally: fall].
Lange's Commentary on the Holy Scriptures (Critical, Doctrinal, and Homiletical), ed. John Peter Lange, English translation edited by Philip Schaff (1864–1880) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain On vv2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8 Amazing stupidity, that they were not admonished by the…
Amazing stupidity, that they were not admonished by the punishment of Jeconiah [CALVIN], (Ch2 36:12, Ch2 36:14)!
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain On vv1, 2, 3, 5, 6 JEREMIAH’S PERSONAL EXPERIENCES WITH THE KING, Jer_37:1-10.
JEREMIAH’S PERSONAL EXPERIENCES WITH THE KING, Jer_37:1-10.
1. Coniah — Jeconiah.
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Whom Nebuchadrezzar… made king — “Whom,” that is, Zedekiah.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain On vv1, 3, 4, 5 1. And Zedekiah … reigned as king] This and…
1. And Zedekiah … reigned as king] This and Jer_37:2 are apparently an editorial note to indicate to the reader that the narrative now no longer relates, as did the last two chs., to the reign of Jehoiakim. The rest of the ch. we may consider to be taken substantially from Baruch’s memoirs.
Coniah] See on Jer_22:24.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain On vv1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7 (1) And king Zedekiah the son of Josiah .…
XXXVII.
(1) And king Zedekiah the son of Josiah . . .—The eight chapters that follow form a continuous narrative of the later work and fortunes of the prophet. They open with recording the accession of Zedekiah, following on the deposition of Coniah or Jeconiah. Here, as in Jer_22:24, we have the shortened form of the name of the latter. The relative pronoun “whom Nebuchadrezzar . . . made king” refers to Zedekiah.
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain On vv1–5 Nothing worthy of relation appears to have happened to…
Nothing worthy of relation appears to have happened to Jeremiah till the latter period of the reign of Zedekiah. The first two verses of this chapter form the transition. The embassy to Jeremiah mentioned in ver. 3 took place after the temporary withdrawal of the Chaldeans from Jerusalem.
Coniah; i.e. Jehoiachin. (see on Jer_22:24) Whom Nebuchadrezzar... made king. Zedekiah, not Jehoiachin, is referred to in 2Ki_24:17.
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Vers. 1-3. Prayer without obedience.
Though Zedekiah will give no heed to the message from God to him through Jeremiah, he is not the less anxious to secure the prophet"s intercession with God for deliverance from approaching calamity. The king illustrates the too common case of those people who will fly to the protection of religion in trouble, though they neglect all its obligations of holiness and of service.
I RELIGION REQUIRES OBEDIENCE GOD"S WILL. It is not all on one side, God speaks to us, and speaks words of command as well as words of consolation. It is, therefore, our duty to hear and obey.
1. Ignorance is no excuse, if we willfully refuse to hear the truth. Zedekiah and his servants did not obey because they did not" hearken," i.e. would not hearken. We are not responsible for failing through not knowing our duty if we could not know it. But if we could, it was our duty to ascertain it. The soldier who puts aside the despatch of his commander unopened, and then acts contrary to the orders contained in it is, of course, as guilty as if he did so knowingly; for it was his duty to read the orders he received before going into action.
2. The example of those who have done wrong before is no excuse. Zedekiah followed the example of Jehoiakim. But he knew it was wrong. He had seen the miserable end of his predecessor"s reign. He should have taken warning from this. But men are more inclined to imitate the crimes of the wicked than to learn the lesson of their fate.
3. High position does not mitigate guilt, but, on the contrary, it aggravates it. Zedekiah led the people with him in his rejection of God"s message through Jeremiah. He knew what influence he exerted, and he ought to have been the more careful that it was not wrongly used.
II PRAYER WITHOUT OBEDIENCE IS VAIN. Zedekiah seeks Jeremiah"s prayers, but in vain. It is not necessary, indeed, that our obedience should be faultless before God will hearken to a single prayer. If this were the ease, no prayer of man"s could be heard. But it is requisite that we should repent of our past disobedience, and should be unfeignedly desirous of obeying God in the future. For otherwise our purely self-seeking religion is an insult to God. Besides, we cannot hope to change the essential principles of God"s action by our prayer. If it is his will to chastise us for our sin, he cannot change his will so long as we remain unchanged in conduct. But when we turn from the sin which deserves the penalty, it may be possible for God to modify his treatment of us in answer to our prayer of submission. Therefore it is so necessary that we should pray through the intercession of Christ. Then, though our obedience is still most imperfect, if we desire to do better, Christ is our Representative and the promise of our future obedience, and therefore his good merits go to plead with God to answer our prayer offered in his Name.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary 1892 · Public Domain On v1 CRITICAL AND EXEGETICAL NOTES.—1. Chronology of the Chapter. In…
CRITICAL AND EXEGETICAL NOTES.—1. Chronology of the Chapter. In the tenth and eleventh year of Zedekiah. Later than chap. 21, for that embassy was sent when Nebuchadnezzar was marching against Jerusalem; this, during the crisis when the Egyptian army came and temporarily drew off Nebuchadnezzar’s from the siege (Jer_37:5). In notes on chap. 34 will be seen the mood of the nation at this moment. But as the interval passed, while the armies of Egypt and Chaldea struggled together outside of the city, Zedekiah was moved to solicit the prophet’s intercession with God for his people.
For other notes cf. on chaps. 21 and 34.
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2. Literary Criticisms. Jer_37:10. “Wounded men:” men thrust through. Jer_37:12. “To separate himself thence in the midst of his people.” The Syriac, “To divide thence share with the people;” Vulgate, “To divide thence a possession in the sight of the citizens;” Targum, “To divide an inheritance he had there with the people;” Septuagint, “To purchase thence.” Kimchi, Rosenmüller, Dahler, and others construe the meaning thus: Jeremiah slipped away, &c. (as in A.V. margin). But חָלַק, to be smooth, in its form here, means to make smooth or divide: hence Henderson, “that he might take his portion thence among the people;” and Naegelsbach, “that he might divide his inheritance.”
Jer_37:15. “Into the dungeons and into the cabins.” Some interpret חֲנֻיוֹת, curved posts or stocks; but the word rather describes arched vaults. “Dungeon” is lit. house of a cistern. Great excavations existed under the palace and temple at Jerusalem, as reservoirs for water.
SECTIONAL DIVISION OF CHAPTER 37
Jer_37:1-10. PRAYERS ASKED, BUT IN VAIN
i. A disobedient hearer (Jer_37:1), though warned by sad example (Jer_37:2), asking the prophet’s prayers (Jer_37:3) in an hour of distress (Jer_37:5).
ii. A self-willed suppliant (Jer_37:7) answered with a message of judgment (Jer_37:7-8) and words of solemn admonition (Jer_37:9-10).
Jer_37:11-15. A PRUDENT USE OF OPPORTUNITY MALICIOUSLY THWARTED
i. A judicious effort. The prophet’s intention was wise (Jer_37:12); the brief interval was auspicious (Jer_37:11). See Lit. Crit. supra.
ii. A false charge. Maliciously made (Jer_37:13); emphatically repudiated (Jer_37:14); eagerly believed (Jer_37:14).
iii. A foul injustice. Angry antagonists (Jer_37:14); abusive treatment; unwarrantable imprisonment.
Jer_37:16-21. WRONGFUL SUFFERINGS ALLEVIATED
i. Royal leniency. Waited for patiently (Jer_37:16); exercised more from personal anxiety than righteous regret (Jer_37:17).
ii. Troubled inquiry. Sought secretly, eagerly, tremblingly (Jer_37:17); answered emphatically (Jer_37:17).
iii. Righteous expostulation. Against personal wrong (Jer_37:18); against heeding delusive teachers (Jer_37:19).
iv. Sufferings ameliorated. The pathetic pleadings of distress (Jer_37:20); the royal exercise of compassion (Jer_37:21).
HOMILETIC OUTLINES ON CHAPTER 37
Jer_37:3. Theme: A BAD MAN ASKING A GOOD MAN’S PRAYERS.
I. What led to this bad man needing this good man’s prayers?
1. Neglect of the warning of example (Jer_37:2). All the woes which came upon Jechoniah and his people afforded Zedekiah no effectual admonition of the miseries which follow disobedience.
2. Imminent perils were gathering (Jer_37:5.) He sought Jeremiah’s counsel once before (chap. 21), when the king of Babylon’s army first approached; and now asked his prayers when his hopes and fears struggled within him as the Egyptians and Chaldeans warred outside the city’s walls. He was in anxiety; and it is then that bad people come for the sympathy and help of the godly.
II. What mood was this bad man in while asking the good man’s prayers?
1. He cared not to hear the Lord’s messages and commands (comp. Pharaoh, Exo_8:28-29).
2. He dared not to intercede the Lord himself (comp. Exo_10:16-17).
3. And he craved not the Lord Himself but only His help.
III. What facts are suggested by bad men asking a good man’s prayers?
1. It is urgent for every man to have a way open by which to reach God in prayer. Even bad men, prayerless men, will come to need this; and the moment will be urgent in their history: in trouble, in death.
2. Intercessory prayers for others have power with God. Scripture instances—Moses, Elijah, &c. Even evil persons seem to know this, and cherish the thought, and use the prayers of others in their own extremity. Wicked people, in alarm, will ask such prayers.
3. Prayers in which God Himself is rejected from the soul, and merely His help selfishly and sordidly asked, are an affront to Jehovah. Jeremiah would not carry such prayers before the Throne.
4. Sinners defeat the prayers of good men by their own wicked lives. They war against the pleadings of the godly.
5. Bad men dare not venture before God themselves, and therefore seek the intercession of the good. Penitents, though sinners, have sought God, for in their penitence they cease to be included among bad persons: their hearts are in grief for their sin. There is a Way to God for even the guilty, and the Way is open always: it is through Jesus; for “if any man sin we have an Advocate with the Father,” and none shall seek His intercession in vain.
See Addenda: USELESS PRAYEES.
Jer_37:9. Theme: DECEPTIVE HOPE. “Thus saith the Lord, Deceive not yourselves,” &c.
I. Delusive helps rise in our despair.
They are the will-o’-wisps on the swamp decoying the lost traveller into deeper misery.
1. Misery makes us ready to be deceived. We hunger then for any faint hope of help. The desert travellers, expiring with thirst, see the mirage: it is an illusion of their fevered vision. A shipwrecked crew sight a vessel, but it is the creation of their mad imagination. In the hour of worldly misfortune we seize the frailest promise of relief. Sinners dying in their sins call for the minister, the sacrament—grasp at any help; will take man’s lying words, “Peace, peace!” while they are still unforgiven by God, unreconciled through Christ.
2. Delusions come upon all who turn from God. These Jews trusted and sought help from the Egyptians, and would not heed God’s messages through Jeremiah that the Chaldean power should scatter the forces of Pharaoh. No! they turned from God, and trusted in Egypt.
At a crisis when the Chaldean army was besieging the city, the army of Pharaoh came to their succour.
Yes; and lying comforters will appear to souls who reject God. The atheist, assuring them there is no future, no judgment to come, no penalty for sin. The sacramentarian or sacerdotalist, with their false theories of the efficacy of the Church’s sacraments, and the priestly functions of confessors and clergymen. The moralist, who will urge that, though religion has been neglected, the Spirit “grieved,” Christ “passed by,” yet “he can’t be wrong whose life is in the right.”
God sometimes gives disobedient souls over to their delusions, so that they “believe a lie.” They resolutely reject Him, and He says to all awakening agencies of grace, “He has turned to idols, let them alone!”
II. Deceptive hopes leave us in deeper distress. The darkness is more blinding for the momentary flash of light. The silence is more ghostly for the swiftly-gone voice of pity.
By Pharaoh-Hophra’s approach, Nebuchadnezzar’s army was temporarily drawn off from the siege of Jerusalem, but Jer_37:9; see Jer_37:7-8.
1. They bring a temporary delight. The city went into jubilation at the sight of the Egyptian banners. A man in mental wretchedness rushes into exhilarating company and indulgences; and lo! he laughs the laughter of fools. Conscience smitten with the pangs of conviction seeks the opiate of a thrilling book, and soul-misery is forgotten in the enchantment of exciting fiction.
Souls consciously needing a Saviour attend the routine of Ritualism, and get lulled into something of quietude; or betake themselves to self-righteous efforts, and gather a new pleasure from these adopted reformatory habits.
2. They fail to fulfil their promises. The tower of Babel did not lift its builders up to heaven! The inflated boastings of Goliath did not fulfil the proud hopes of the Philistines. The army of Egypt did not effect the deliverance of the city from Nebuchadnezzar’s siege.
Then follows a melancholy disillusionising. No misery can exceed that of being, for a brief respite, raised up from the black depths of despair only to be cast down again into profounder deeps.
And “the hope of the hypocrite shall perish.” Indeed, every hope which rejects God shall mock the soul with its falsity. In death or in eternity. The storm shall beat upon the house reared on sand, and great shall be its fall. Oh, “deceive not yourselves;” literally, your souls. There is “a Hope sure and steadfast:” Christ is our Hope.
3. They defeat not the purposes of God. Deceptive hopes are powerless to avert facts. It is as if attempting to arrest Omnipotence with a spider’s web. God intended Nebuchadnezzar’s victory, yet the Jews cherished the hope of Pharaoh’s triumph. But God is ruling human events. He has a will mightier than our desires. “The Chaldeans shall not depart.”
a. Nor will the horrors of death “depart” from the dying sinner.
b. Nor will the terrors of judgment be evaded by those who despise God and reject His grace in Jesus.
c. Nor will the purposes of God yield to our schemings, for “He doeth according to His will among the armies of heaven and the inhabitants of the earth,” and “none shall stay His hand.”
d. Nor will the Divine terms of salvation be altered for man’s caprice, or any other means of securing God’s mercy be accepted. For “there is none other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved.”
Therefore, “deceive not yourselves.”
Jer_37:12. Theme: SEEKING RETIREMENT. “Then Jeremiah went forth out of Jerusalem, to go into the land of Benjamin, to separate himself thence in the midst of the people.” Various interpretations of his reason and purpose—
I. His wearied heart craved quietude amid family scenes. Benjamin was his birthplace. He was tired with the tumult and antagonism of the city, for he saw that he spent himself in fruitless labours. So, worn out with weariness, burdened at heart over the refractoriness and hardness of those among whom he had laboured so long and in vain, he sought retirement and rest.
Perhaps, too, he might there find his people more ready to heed his messages, and, by repentance, to avert the Divine judgments.
1. Labours abundant justify God’s servants in seeking temporary repose. “Come ye apart and rest a while.”
2. From scenes of official life the human yearnings turn to the tenderer associations of home.
II. In despair of further usefulness in the city, he sought more congenial surroundings. We know how he shrank from the prophet’s ministry in Jerusalem (see on chap. Jer_12:5). His experience there had been very adverse and disappointing. The luxurious dream of a rural ministry allured him. And now, that evidently his work at Jerusalem had failed, he seized the opportunity for retiring to Anathoth.
1. Service in forefront scenes becomes very harassing and exhausting.
2. Failure in work naturally impels the worker to ask an altered sphere of ministry.
III. Disasters gathering on the nation impelled him to concern for personal safety. The siege would bring ruin and famine. Now was the favourable moment to quit Jerusalem and hide from the miseries which were imminent.
1. Family interests claimed his attention. He was needed in Benjamin for some division of the family inheritance, which the siege rendered desirable (see Lit. Crit.)
2. In times of common trouble we strongly covet the surroundings of family affection.
Jer_37:14. Theme: FALSE CHARGES. “Then said Jeremiah, It is false; I fall not away to the Chaldeans.”
False charges, false witnesses, false words, false pretences, have been so common in this deceitful world, that no marvel David said in his haste, “All men are liars.”
But there are lovers of truth in the world, who scorn a lie; disciples of Him who said, “I am the Truth.”
I. When wrongly charged it is right to falsify the accusation. To be silent under a false charge is tacitly to admit its truth. All such untruths should be indignantly refuted. In this we have warrant not only from Jeremiah’s example, but also in our Lord and His apostles.
But while it is sad to see good men falsely accused—
II. It is sadder to see men so depraved as to be guilty of knowingly bringing false accusation. Better be the accused than the false accuser; the slave than the slave-owner.
“Dear as freedom is, and in my heart’s
Just estimation, prized above all price,
I had much rather be myself the slave
And wear the bonds than fasten them on him.”
—COWPER.
III. Christianity distinguishes its disciples with genuineness and truth. Yet none have had grosser charges laid against them. The apostles were charged with encouraging sin that grace might abound. The early Christians were charged with fostering sedition and “turning the world upside down.” The Protestant martyrs were charged with “heresy.”
IV. Current errors need to be confronted with the cry, “It is false!”
1. Ecclesiastical theories of apostolic succession, of baptismal regeneration, of transubstantiation, of the sinner’s annihilation, of universal restoration, of the Universal Fatherhood of God—Socinian in its origin and tendency. “To the law and the testimony,” and so test Church politics, creeds, rites, and customs.
2. Errors are being disseminated by the press which should impel us to “search the Scriptures daily, to see if these things are so.” And wherever we meet an unscriptural theory, let us boldly cry, “It is false!”
Time will ensure the triumph of truth. “The greatest friend of truth is Time.”—Condensed and arranged from “Walks with Jeremiah,” by Rev. D. Pledge.
Jer_37:15. Theme: INJUSTICE TO THE JUST. Though prepared to defend and exculpate himself, he was not allowed to explain or plead.
I. Disqualified judges “were wroth.”
1. Anger renders men incapable of judgment.
2. Prejudice proves fatal to administration of justice.
3. Hatred gives no place to rectitude or humanity.
II. Unproved accusations.
1. Malice cares not to wait for justification.
2. Wicked men allow passion to hurry them on to indulge their wrath.
3. Innocence has no hope of fair treatment from guilty men.
III. Lawless cruelty. “Smote him.”
1. Pity for God’s servants is absent from the hearts of those who hate God.
2. Violence, regardless of righteousness, has often been the cruel lot of the godly.
3. Indignation against a faithful witness for God carries men to shameful extremes and criminal brutality. “For the wicked hateth the righteous and gnasheth upon him with his teeth.”
IV. Foul imprisonment.
1. It gratified them to hinder his further witnessing against their iniquity.
2. In their revenge they added barbarity to indignity. “The dungeon.”
3. Weary days spent in vileness and darkness: “remained there many days.”
This was—
1. A heavy cross for a consciously innocent man to bear.
2. Only the comforts of God’s Spirit could have sustained him amid this cruel usage.
3. How light are our sufferings for Christ compared with these!
See Addenda: INJUSTICE.
Jer_37:17. Theme: A SECRET INQUIRER. “The king sent … and asked him secretly in his house, Is there any word from the Lord?”
I. An inquirer, anxious about a Divine message.
1. Fearing lest it should be one of doom.
2. Curious to learn, though unwilling to obey, the word of the Lord.
3. Wishful that there might come a “word” which would give sanction to his own predetermined course.
II. An inquirer, solicitous for his Own dignity.
1. Ashamed to openly show himself an inquirer.
2. Contriving a secret interview, in order to avoid inconvenience.
3. Devoid alike of courage and of self-abasement.
III. An inquirer, touched by a sentiment of tenderness and mercy. The king—
1. Relieved the prophet from his unjust imprisonment.
2. Showed him consideration in bringing him into his house.
3. Doubtless felt some compunction for the wrong done to him, and some conviction of his own wrong course of action—this prompting his kindlier conduct.
IV. An inquirer answered by an uncongenial word from God.
1. Denouncing his false hopes in Egypt.
2. Foretelling his personal overthrow. Why such a message sent from God to an inquirer?
i. Because, though an inquirer, he was determined upon a disobedient course of action.
ii. Because, though an inquirer, he was in no humble and contrite spirit.
iii. Because, though an inquirer, he was time-serving and cowardly.
iv. Because, though an inquirer, he ought not to have been an inquirer at all; for he had already heard enough from God through Jeremiah, and ought long ago to have ceased asking for “any word” additional, and obeyed what God had already said to him.
Jer_37:19. Theme: DELUSIONS REFUTED. “Where are now your prophets which prophesied unto you, saying, The king of Babylon shall not come,” &c.?
Not only had false prophets risen, but both kings and people had shown eagerness to heed their misleading prophecies. (See on Jer_28:14, p. 489; and Jer_28:15, p. 494.)
I. Men covet congenial teachers. “Your prophets.”
1. A delusive wish to hear only pleasant prophesyings.
2. A rash readiness to hear only pleasant prophesyings.
3. A fatal proneness to believe the prophesyings we covet.
II. Time is fatal to falsity. “Where now?”
1. False words fascinate and gratify for the moment.
2. Gilded hopes charm so long as they endure.
3. Cherished delusions have an ominously brief existence.
III. Experience supplies the test of truth.
1. Man wants safe, rather than mere pleasant, teaching.
2. Deceitful words will, in due time, meet their certain refutation.
3. The day of adversity will shatter all refuges of lies.
IV. God’s refutation of false hopes. “The king of Babylon,” &c. But—
1. The derided event is actually realised. So Satan’s lie, “In the day … ye shall not surely die.”
2. God will see that truth is vindicated against falsity.
3. Sinners will find that God’s messages, though reviled, turn out true.
V. Beguiled souls deserted by their leaders. “Where now are your prophets?”
1. They who ruin others will wish to shun their dupes in the day of calamity.
2. Baffled prophets hide from their own shame in the hour of defeat.
3. Deceivers, and those they deceived, must bear the doom of their delusions. “All liars shall have their part in the lake,” &c., as these wicked prophets had to share the misery of Jerusalem’s ruin.
See Addenda: FALSITY.
ADDENDA TO CHAP. 37: ILLUSTRATIONS AND SUGGESTIVE EXTRACTS
VALUELESS PRAYERS. Scarcely any ministers, and many a Christian, but can recall instances of their prayers being asked by persons who have been prayerless themselves. One will suffice. I went to see a woman in G——. She was dying, but without a gleam of hope.
“Oh, pray for me; I cannot, cannot pray for myself, sir.”
“Indeed; but why not for yourself?”
“My state is too hard; I have known all about religion since childhood, but have insulted my conscience, rejected God, resisted the Spirit, neglected Christ. And oh, I dare not, I cannot speak to Heaven now!”
All my pleading failed to awaken hope in her, or to induce her to an effort to pray. It seemed awful. No! She should be thankful if I would pray for her; but she could not even frame in her thoughts a petition; prayer in her was dead.
Although I did kneel and earnestly plead for her, yet when I asked her if she had joined in any one of my direct and urgent cries, she answered—
“No, I have no power to bring my mind into any definite desire; I have killed prayer in my soul; I can’t now speak a thought to God.”
“His camrade too arose,
And with the outward forms
Of righteousness and prayer insulted God.”
—Southey.
“We are told
How much the prayers of righteous men avail,
And yet ’tis strange how very few believe
Those blessed words, or act as were they true.
One reason of this incredulity
May be, that conscience whispers to their souls,
‘Not righteous men are ye.’ And thus they think
That useless it would be to strive in prayer
For other’s good, when scarcely for themselves
They hope for mercy. Lukewarm hearts and faint,
Lift up your feeble hands and bend the knee;
A Mightier than ye your guilt hath borne,
And for His sake, not yours, all prayer is heard.”
—Lady Chatterton.
INJUSTICE. When Athens was ruled by the thirty tyrants, Socrates the philosopher was summoned to the Senate House and ordered, together with others, to seize one Sevon, a man of rank and fortune, whom they determined to destroy that they might possess his estate. This commission Socrates flatly refused; and boldly replied, “I will never willingly assist in an unjust act.”
Cherides sharply replied, “Dost thou think, Socrates, to talk always in this style, and not to suffer?”
“Far from it,” he answered. “I expect to suffer a thousand ills, but none so great as to do unjustly.”
“A wise man never goes the people’s way;
But as the planets still move contrary
To the world’s motion, so doth he to opinion:
He will examine if those accidents
Which common fame calls injuries, happen to him
Deservedly or no? Come they deservedly?
They are no wrongs then, but punishments.
If undeservedly, and he not guilty?
The doer of them first should blush, not he.”
—Jonson.
FALSITY. “The essence of a lie is the intention to deceive.”
A very capital painter in London exhibited a work of art representing a friar habited in his canonicals. Viewing the painting at a distance, you would think the friar to be in a praying attitude, for his hands are clasped together, and held horizontally to his breast; his eyes seem meekly closed like those of the publican in the Gospel; before him lies what looks like a book, over which prayerfully he bends as in devout meditation. But take a nearer survey, and the deception vanishes. The book is discovered to be a punch-bowl; in the hands pressed together is a lemon whose juice he is squeezing into the bowl; and the half-closed eyes are for protection from the spurting juice, and not for prayer.
Get nearer liars and their falsity is manifest.
The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary (gen. ed. Joseph S. Exell; Funk & Wagnalls, c. 1892) — public domain (pre-1929). A full-Bible homiletical/sermon-outline anthology covering 65 of 66 books (2 John is absent from the source module). Text from a community e-Sword module.
Alexander MacLaren 1905 · Public Domain On v1
Jeremiah
ZEDEKIAH
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Jer 37:1.
Zedekiah was a small man on a great stage, a weakling set to face circumstances that would have taxed the strongest. He was a youth at his accession to the throne of a distracted kingdom, and if he had had any political insight he would have seen that his only chance was to adhere firmly to Babylon, and to repress the foolish aristocracy who hankered after alliance with the rival power of Egypt. He was mad enough to form an alliance with the latter, which was constructive rebellion against the former, and was strongly reprobated by Jeremiah. Swift vengeance followed; the country was ravaged, Zedekiah in his fright implored Jeremiah’s prayers and made faint efforts to follow his counsels. The pressure of invasion was lifted, and immediately he forgot his terrors and forsook the prophet. The Babylonian army was back next year, and the final investment of Jerusalem began. The siege lasted sixteen months, and during it, Zedekiah miserably vacillated between listening to the prophet’s counsels of surrender and the truculent nobles’ advice to resist to the last gasp. The miseries of the siege live for ever in the Book of Lamentations. Mothers boiled their children, nobles hunted on dunghills for food. Their delicate complexions were burned black, and famine turned them into living skeletons. Then, on a long summer day in July came the end. The king tried to skulk out by a covered way between the walls, his few attendants deserted him in his flight, he was caught at last down by the fords of the Jordan, carried prisoner to Nebuchadnezzar at Riblah away up in the north beyond Baalbec, and there saw his sons slain before his eyes, and, as soon as he had seen that last sight, was blinded, fettered, and carried off to Babylon, where he died. His career teaches us lessons which I may now seek to bring out.
I. A weak character is sure to become a wicked one.
Moral weakness and inability to resist strong pressure was the keynote of Zedekiah’s character. There were good things in him; he had kindly impulses, as was shown in his emancipation of the slaves at a crisis of Jerusalem’s fate. Left to himself, he would at least have treated Jeremiah kindly, and did rescue him from lingering death in the foul dungeon to which the ruffian nobility had consigned him, and he provided for his being at least saved from dying of starvation during the siege. He listened to him secretly, and would have accepted his counsel if he had dared. But he yielded to the stronger wills of the nobles, though he sometimes bitterly resented their domination, and complained that ‘the king is not he that can do anything against you.’
Like most weak men, he found that temptations to do wrong abounded more than visible inducements to do right, and he was afraid to do right, and fancied that he was compelled by the force of circumstances to do wrong. So he drifted and drifted, and at last was smashed to fragments on the rocks, as all men are who do not keep a strong hand on the helm and a steady eye on the compass. The winds are good servants but bad masters. If we do not coerce circumstances to carry us on the course which conscience has pricked out on the chart, they will wreck us.
II. A man may have a good deal of religion and yet not enough to mould his life.
Zedekiah listened to the prophet by fits and starts. He was eager to have the benefit of the prophet’s prayers. He liberated the slaves in Jerusalem. He came secretly to Jeremiah more than once to know if there were any message from God for him. Yet he had not faith enough nor submission enough to let the known will of God rule his conduct, whatever the nobles might say.
Are there not many of us who have a belief in God and a general acquiescence in Christ’s precepts, who order our lives now and then by these, and yet have not come up to the point of full and final surrender? Alas, alas, for the multitudes who are ‘not far from the kingdom,’ but who never come near enough to be actually in it! To be not far from is to be out of, and to be out of is to be, like Zedekiah, blinded and captived and dead in prison at last.
III. God’s love is wonderfully patient.
Jeremiah was to Zedekiah the incarnation of God’s unwearied pleadings. During his whole reign, the prophet’s voice sounded in his ears, through all the clamours and cries of factions, and mingled at last with the shouts of the besiegers and the groans of the wounded, like the sustained note of some great organ, persisting through a babel of discordant noises. It was met with indifference, and it sounded on. It provoked angry antagonism and still it spoke. Violence was used to stifle it in vain. And it was not only Jeremiah’s courageous pertinacity that spoke through that persistent voice, but God’s unwearied love, which being rejected is not driven away, being neglected becomes more beseeching, ‘is not easily provoked ‘to cease its efforts, but ‘beareth all’ despite, and hopeth for softened hearts till the last moment before doom falls.
That patient love pleads with each of us as persistently as Jeremiah did with Zedekiah.
IV. The long-delayed judgment falls at last.
With infinite reluctance the divine love had to do what God Himself has called ‘His strange work.’ Divine Justice travels slowly, but arrives at last. Her foot is ‘leaden’ both in regard to its tardiness and its weight. There is no ground in the long postponement of retribution for the fond dream that it will never come, though men lull themselves to sleep with that lie. ‘Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is thoroughly set in them to do evil.’ But the sentence will be executed. The pleading love, which has for many returning autumns spared the barren tree and sought to make it fit to bear fruit, does not prevent the owner saying at last to his servant with the axe in his hand, ‘Now! thou shalt cut it down.’
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J. R. Dummelow 1909 · Public Domain On v1 Events during the Siege of Jerusalem (Reign of Zedekiah)
Events during the Siege of Jerusalem (Reign of Zedekiah)
Here after two parenthetical chapters (35, 36) concerning the time of Jehoiakim, we revert to the narrative (beginning in Jeremiah 32) of the last two years of Zedekiah.
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1-5. The general position.
1. Coniah] see on Jer_22:24. Whom] referring to Zedekiah.
3. Zephaniah] see on Jer_21:1.
5. This refers to the temporary raising of the siege of Jerusalem by the Babylonians on the approach of an Egyptian army under Pharaoh-Hophra. He either retired or was defeated, for the siege was soon renewed.
6-10. The return of the Chaldeans foretold.
11-15. Jeremiah imprisoned.
12. To separate himself thence] RV 'to receive his portion there,'probably referring to an allotment of communal land at Anathoth.
In the midst of the people] there was naturally a rush to get out of the city on account of the confinement as well as the scarcity of provisions.
16-21. The king takes compassion on Jeremiah.
16. Cabins] RV 'cells.'
17. Secretly] dreading in his weakness the interference of the princes.
21. See on Jer_32:2.
J. R. Dummelow, A Commentary on the Holy Bible (Macmillan, 1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Arno C. Gaebelein 1922 · Public Domain On v1 Jeremiah and Zedekiah and the Fall of Jerusalem (37-39)
Jeremiah and Zedekiah and the Fall of Jerusalem (37-39)
CHAPTER 37
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1. Jeremiah’s warning (Jer 37:1-10)
2. Jeremiah’s arrest (Jer 37:11-21)
Jer 37:1-10. To understand more fully these chapters it must be remembered that the besieging army before the gates of Jerusalem was temporarily withdrawn, because an Egyptian army had appeared against it. This was no doubt an occasion for the false prophets to preach their false hope, so that the people were deceived. Once more Zedekiah sent to the prophet a deputation (Jer 21:1) after Nebuchadnezzar had made him king. The occasion was on account of the withdrawal of the Chaldean army (Jer 37:5). They thought that it was surely a good sign and expected a favorable message. The false hope with which they were deceiving themselves was swept away by the word of Jehovah as it came to the prophet (Jer 37:7-10). There was no hope and after Zedekiah had rebelled (see our annotations on 2Ki 24:1-20; 2Ki 25:1-30, the king of Babylon came and burnt the city with fire.
Jer 37:11-21. When the Chaldean army had left, Jeremiah went forth to go to his hometown Anathoth, for what is not revealed. He may have gone to claim his portion which belonged to him as priest. When, in the gate of Benjamin a captain arrested him, charging the prophet with desertion, he denied the charge. Such a charge could easily be made on account of Jeremiah’s former exhortation to submit to the Chaldeans. He is put in prison in the house of Jonathan the scribe; but later the dungeon is changed to the court of the prison. (See the annotations to Jer 32:2.)
We give a diagram which illustrates the chronology of the siege of Jerusalem and the fall of the city.
I. The Siege begun in the ninth year
Jer 39:1...................................................Siege begun
Jer 34:10.............................Manumission of slaves
II. The Siege raised temporarily in the ninth or tenth year
Jer 37:3-10============Jer 21:1-7........Jeremiah consulted by deputies from the king.
Jer 34:8-22 ........................Re-enthralment of slaves.
Jer 37:11-16...........................................Jeremiah seized, and imprisoned in Jonathan’s house.
III. The Siege renewed in the ninth or tenth year
Jer 37:17-21=Jer 32:1-5 = Jer 34:1-7 Jeremiah brought in tenth year to be secretly consulted by the king: put afterwards in court of guard.
Jer 32:6-44 Field bought by Jeremiah.
Jer 33:1-26 Further prophecy in court of guard.
Jer 38:1-3=Jer 21:8-10.Jeremiah advises people to desert to Chaldeans.
Jer 38:4-6.Jeremiah put in miry dungeon.
Jer 38:7-13.Jeremiah restored by Ebed-melech to court of guard.
Jer 38:14-28.Jeremiah consulted by king in third entry of Temple: remanded to court of guard.
IV. The Siege ended in the eleventh year
Jer 39:1-14.City taken and destroyed.
Arno C. Gaebelein, The Annotated Bible (1913–1922) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Paul E. Kretzmann 1924 · Public Domain On v1 A Prophecy Concerning the Outcome of The Siege
A Prophecy Concerning the Outcome of The Siege
v. 1. And King Zedekiah, the son of Josiah, whose original name had been Mattaniah, a brother of Jehoiakim, 2Ki 24:17, reigned instead of Coniah, or Jeconiah, the son of Jehoiakim, whom Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, made king in the land of Judah, a mere vassal of the mighty Eastern ruler.
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v. 2. But neither he nor his servants, nor the people of the land did hearken unto the words of the Lord which He spake by the prophet Jeremiah. Jer 36:31.
v. 3. And Zedekiah, the king, sent Jehucal, the son of Shelemiah, one of his high officers, and Zephaniah, the son of Maaseiah, the priest, the highest church dignitary of the land at that time, Jer 21:1; Jer 29:25, to the prophet Jeremiah, saying, Pray now unto the Lord, our God, for us. This was, in the first place, an act of amazing stupidity in view of the king’s deliberate disobedience, but also one of revolting hypocrisy, since Zedekiah feigned an allegiance to Jehovah which he was far from possessing. Zedekiah, moreover, did not seem to notice that his act was a further insult to Jeremiah, after the manner in which his messages had been received by the men in high places.
v. 4. Now, Jeremiah came in and went out among the people, he was at that time unhampered in his movements; for they had not put him into prison, he was not in ward in the prison court, where he had been compelled to spend so much time before.
v. 5. Then Pharaoh’s army was come forth out of Egypt, Pharaoh-hophrah having undertaken to make war on the mighty Eastern ruler, probably as a result of a message sent by Zedekiah, Eze 17:15; and when the Chaldeans that besieged Jerusalem heard tidings of them, received news of their approach, they departed from Jerusalem, they discontinued the siege in order to meet this new danger. Such were the circumstances at the time when Zedekiah sent his men to Jeremiah.
v. 6. Then came the word of the Lord unto the prophet Jeremiah, saying,
v. 7. Thus saith the Lord, the God of Israel, the name expressing His majesty and power, Thus shall ye say to the king of Judah that sent you unto Me to inquire of Me: Behold, Pharaoh’s army, which is come forth to help you, with the object, however, of trying to gain the world-power, shall return to Egypt, into their own land. It was foolish, therefore, for the people of Judah to attach too much importance to this temporary relief.
v. 8. And the Chaldeans shall come again, and fight against this city, and take it, and burn it with fire.
v. 9. Thus saith the Lord, Deceive not yourselves, by entertaining vain hopes, saying, The Chaldeans shall surely depart from us; for they shall not depart, they would not permanently discontinue their siege.
v. 10. For though ye had smitten the whole army of the Chaldeans that fight against you, and there remained but wounded men among them, according to the Hebrew, "such as had been severely wounded," yet should they rise up every man in his tent and burn this city with fire. As the disobedient Jews in this instance, so the unbelievers ever depend upon false conclusions and vain delusions in order to have some basis for their opposition to the Lord and His Word. But they merely deceive themselves.
Paul E. Kretzmann, Popular Commentary of the Bible (1921–1924) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On vv1, 3, 6 The Hebrew text has "Coniah," which is a variation…
Jehoiachin
The Hebrew text has "Coniah," which is a variation of the name "Jehoiachin." Many modern versions have "Jehoiachin" in order to make it clear that the same king is being referred to.
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of the land
"of the land of Judah"
he proclaimed by the hand of Jeremiah the prophet
The hand is a synecdoche for the person. AT: "he had Jeremiah the prophet proclaim" (See: Synecdoche)
he proclaimed
"Yahweh proclaimed"
Jeremiah the prophet
Jeremiah refers to himself by name for reasons that are not clear.
translationWords
Zedekiah
Josiah
reign
king
Jehoiachin
Jehoiakim
Nebuchadnezzar
Babylon
kingdom of Judah
servant
word of God
preach
hand
Jeremiah
prophet
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On vv1, 3, 5, 6 37:1–38:28 The focus now returns to Zedekiah, who succeeded…
37:1–38:28 The focus now returns to Zedekiah, who succeeded his nephew Jehoiachin as king of Judah. These chapters record encounters between Zedekiah and Jeremiah that make plain Zedekiah’s inability to commit himself wholeheartedly to God’s word (cp. Deut 10:12-13). Zedekiah is a classic example of a “person with divided loyalty” (Jas 1:6-8).
37:1-2 These verses summarize Zedekiah’s reign and his entire response to the Lord’s messages through Jeremiah.
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.