PUBLIC-DOMAIN CHRISTIAN BOOK
Expositor's Bible: The Book of Jeremiah, Chapters XXI.-LII.
Bennett, W. H. (William Henry) · 101,314 words · 154 reading sections
_Correspondence With The Exiles_
Jeremiah's letter sought to bring about a better state of mind. It is addressed to the elders, priests, prophets, and people of the Captivity. The enumeration reminds us how thoroughly the exiled community reproduced the society of the ancient Jewish state--there was already a miniature Judah in Chaldea, the first of t…
662 wordsSECTION 62_Correspondence With The Exiles_
Yet this persistent purpose is not fulfilled without reference to character and conduct:-- "Ye shall call upon Me, and come and pray unto Me, And I will hearken unto you. Ye shall seek Me, and find Me, Because ye seek Me with all your heart. I will be found of you--it is the utterance of Jehovah. I will bring bac…
683 wordsSECTION 63_Correspondence With The Exiles_
Jeremiah was divinely instructed to reply to Shemaiah, charging him, in his turn, with being a man who put himself forward to prophesy without any commission from Jehovah, and who thus deluded his hearers into belief in falsehoods. Personal sentence is passed upon him, as upon Hananiah, Ahab, and Zedekiah; no son of hi…
596 wordsSECTION 64_A Broken Covenant_
[125] Doubts have been expressed as to whether this verse originally formed part of Jeremiah's letter, or was ever written by him; but in view of his numerous references to a coming restoration those doubts are unnecessary. [126] The Hebrew Text inserts a paragraph (vv. 16-20) substantially identical with other portio…
708 wordsSECTION 65_A Broken Covenant_
Nevertheless the hearty support of Egypt was worth more than the alliance of any number of the petty neighbouring states, and Nebuchadnezzar levied a great army to meet this ancient and formidable enemy of Assyria and Babylon. He marched into Judah with "all his army, and all the kingdoms of the earth that were under h…
704 wordsSECTION 66_A Broken Covenant_
King and people were not proof against the combined terrors of the prophetic rebukes and the besieging enemy. Jeremiah regained his influence, and Jerusalem gave an earnest of the sincerity of her repentance by entering into a covenant for the emancipation of all Hebrew slaves. Deuteronomy had re-enacted the ancient la…
741 wordsSECTION 67_A Broken Covenant_
But the situation was once more entirely changed by the news that Pharaoh Hophra had come forth out of Egypt "with a mighty army and a great company."[146] The sentinels on the walls of Jerusalem saw the besiegers break up their encampment, and march away to meet the relieving army. All thought of submitting to Babylon…
652 wordsSECTION 68_A Broken Covenant_
The prophet plays upon the word "release" with grim irony. The Jews had repudiated the "release" which they had promised under solemn oath to their brethren, but Jehovah would not allow them to be so easily quit of their covenant. There should be a "release" after all, and they themselves should have the benefit of it-…
832 wordsSECTION 69_Jeremiah'S Imprisonment_
[131] li. 59, Hebrew Text. According to the LXX., Zedekiah sent another embassy and did not go himself to Babylon. The section is apparently a late addition. [132] xvii. 15. [133] xxvi. 2. [134] Ezek. xxi. 21. [135] xxv. 1-7. [136] xxi. 1-10. The exact date of this section is not given, but it is closely parallel …
1,255 wordsSECTION 70_Jeremiah'S Imprisonment_
Few however of the "many days" had passed, before men's exultant anticipations of victory and deliverance began to give place to anxious forebodings. They had hoped to hear that Nebuchadnezzar had been defeated and was in headlong retreat to Chaldea; they had been prepared to join in the pursuit of the routed army, to …
662 wordsSECTION 71_Jeremiah'S Imprisonment_
And then he proceeds, with what seems to us inconsequent audacity, to ask a favour. Did ever petitioner to a king preface his supplication with so strange a preamble? This was the request:-- "Now hear, I pray thee, O my lord the king: let my supplication, I pray thee, be accepted before thee; that thou do not cause me…
693 wordsSECTION 72_Jeremiah'S Imprisonment_
The depth of this improvised oubliette is shown by the use of cords to let the prisoner down into it. How was it, however, that, after the release of Jeremiah from the cells in the house of Jonathan, the princes did not at once execute him? Probably, in spite of all that had happened, they still felt a superstitious dr…
682 wordsSECTION 73_Jeremiah'S Imprisonment_
Here he implored the prophet to give him a faithful answer to his questions concerning his own fate and that of the city: "Hide nothing from me." But Jeremiah did not respond with his former prompt frankness. He had had too recent a warning not to put his trust in princes. "If I declare it unto thee," said he, "wilt th…
714 wordsSECTION 74_Jeremiah'S Imprisonment_
And as Tennyson makes it the climax of Geraint's degeneracy that he was not only-- "Forgetful of his glory and his name," but also-- "Forgetful of his princedom and its cares," so Jeremiah appeals last of all to the king's sense of responsibility for his people: "Thou wilt be the cause of the burning of the city." …
714 wordsSECTION 75_Jeremiah'S Imprisonment_
Perhaps the most significant feature in this narrative is the conclusion of Jeremiah's first interview with the king. Almost in the same breath the prophet announces to Zedekiah his approaching ruin and begs from him a favour. He thus defines the true attitude of the believer towards the prophet. Unwelcome teaching mu…
320 wordsSECTION 76_Gedaliah_
[149] Cf. xxxii. 6-8. [150] xxxvii. 12; so R.V., Streane (Camb. Bible), Kautzsch, etc. [151] xxvi. 10. [152] xxxviii. 1. [153] Cf. Renan, iii. 333. [154] Gen. xxxvii. 22-24. [155] xxxix. 15-18. [156] So Giesebrecht, _in loco_; A.V., R.V., "third entry." In any case it will naturally be a passage from the palace …
842 wordsSECTION 77_Gedaliah_
Nebuzaradan at once acted upon their representations. He ordered Jeremiah's chains to be removed, gave him full liberty to go where he pleased, and assured him of the favour and protection of the Chaldean government:-- "If it seem good unto thee to come with me into Babylon, come, and I will look well unto thee; but i…
745 wordsSECTION 78_Gedaliah_
But probably the motives that decided Jeremiah's course of action were, firstly, that devoted attachment to the sacred soil which was a passion with every earnest Jew; and, secondly, the inspired conviction that Palestine was to be the scene of the future development of revealed religion. This conviction was coupled wi…
676 wordsSECTION 79_Gedaliah_
A less improbable tradition is that which narrates that Jeremiah composed the Book of Lamentations shortly after the capture of the city. This is first stated by the Septuagint; it has been adopted by the Vulgate and various Rabbinical authorities, and has received considerable support from Christian scholars.[163] Mor…
712 wordsSECTION 80_Gedaliah_
"Then arose Ishmael ben Nethaniah and his ten companions and smote Gedaliah ben Ahikam ... and all the Jewish and Chaldean soldiers that were with him at Mizpah." Probably the eleven assassins were supported by a larger body of followers, who waited outside the city and made their way in amidst the confusion consequen…
656 wordsSECTION 81Footnotes:
Johanan and his companions with the recovered captives made no attempt to return to Mizpah. The Chaldeans would exact a severe penalty for the murder of their governor Gedaliah, and their own fellow-countryman: their vengeance was not likely to be scrupulously discriminating. The massacre would be regarded as an act of…
401 wordsSECTION 82_The Descent Into Egypt_
xlii., xliii. "They came into the land of Egypt, for they obeyed not the voice of Jehovah."--JER. xliii. 7. Thus within a few days Jeremiah had experienced one of those sudden and extreme changes of fortune which are as common in his career as in a sensational novel. Yesterday the guide, philosopher, and friend of t…
701 wordsSECTION 83_The Descent Into Egypt_
"Let what is broken so remain. The Gods are hard to reconcile: 'Tis hard to settle order once again. * * * * * Sore task to hearts worn out by many wars." But Jeremiah had neither sympathy nor patience with such weakness. Moreover, now as often, valour was the better part of discretion, and the boldest course was …
664 wordsSECTION 84_The Descent Into Egypt_
Moreover we must not unduly emphasise the solemn engagement given by the Jews to abide Jeremiah's decision. They were probably sincere, but not very much in earnest. The proceedings and the strong formulæ used were largely conventional. Ancient kings and generals regularly sought the approval of their prophets or augur…
651 wordsSECTION 85_The Descent Into Egypt_
But no welcome could conciliate Jeremiah's implacable temper, nor could all the splendour of Egypt tame his indomitable spirit. Amongst his fellow-countrymen at Bethlehem, he had foretold the coming tribulations of Egypt. He now renewed his predictions within the very precincts of Pharaoh's palace, and enforced them by…
642 wordsSECTION 86_The Queen Of Heaven_
[167] Cf. chapter on "Baruch." [168] 1 Sam. xiii. [169] 1 Kings xxii. [170] lii. 30. [171] So Orelli, _in loco_. [172] For the prophecy against Egypt and its fulfilment see further chapter XVII. xliv. "Since we left off burning incense and offering libations to the Queen of Heaven, we have been in want of every…
674 wordsSECTION 87_The Queen Of Heaven_
This profane blending of idolatry with a profession of zeal for Jehovah had provoked the divine wrath against Judah: and yet the exiles had not profited by their terrible experience of the consequences of sin; they still burnt incense unto other gods. Therefore Jeremiah remonstrates with them afresh, and sets before th…
698 wordsSECTION 88_The Queen Of Heaven_
But these defiant speeches raise a more important question. There is an essential difference between regarding a national catastrophe as a divine judgment and the crude superstition to which an eclipse expresses the resentment of an angry god. But both involve the same practical uncertainty. The sufferers or the specta…
776 wordsSECTION 89_The Queen Of Heaven_
It is easy to find modern parallels--Christian and heathen--to the name of this goddess. The Virgin Mary is honoured with the title _Regina Cœli_, and at Mukden, the Sacred City of China, there is a temple to the Queen of Heaven. But it is not easy to identify the ancient deity who bore this name. The Jews are accused …
756 wordsSECTION 90Footnotes:
There comes a time when we may apply to the aged saint the words of Browning's _Death in the Desert_:-- "So is myself withdrawn into my depths, The soul retreated from the perished brain Whence it was wont to feel and use the world Through these dull members, done with long ago." And the poet's comparison of this …
323 wordsSECTION 91_Jehovah And The Nations_
_PROPHECIES CONCERNING FOREIGN NATIONS_ xxv. 15-38. "Jehovah hath a controversy with the nations."--JER. xxv. 31. As the son of a king only learns very gradually that his father's authority and activity extend beyond the family and the household, so Israel in its childhood thought of Jehovah as exclusively concerne…
669 wordsSECTION 92_Jehovah And The Nations_
"Thus saith unto me Jehovah, the God of Israel: Take at My hand this cup of the wine of fury, And make all the nations, to whom I send thee, drink it. They shall drink, and reel to and fro, and be mad, Because of the sword that I will send among them." First and foremost of these nations, pre-eminent in punishment…
791 wordsSECTION 93_Jehovah And The Nations_
And now glance at any modern map and see for how little Jeremiah's world counts among the great Powers of the nineteenth century. Egypt indeed is a bone of contention between European states, but how often does a daily paper remind its readers of the existence of Syria or Mesopotamia? We may apply to this ancient world…
718 wordsSECTION 94_Egypt_
[185] Doubts however have been raised as to whether any of the sections about Babylon are by Isaiah himself. [186] Doubts have been expressed as to the genuineness of the Damascus prophecy. [187] The Isaianic authorship of this prophecy (Isa. xxiii.) is rejected by very many critics. [188] Amos iii. 2. [189] So Gie…
664 wordsSECTION 95_Egypt_
This enthusiasm for ancient custom and tradition was not likely to commend the Egypt of Jeremiah's age to any student of Hebrew history. He would be reminded that the dealings of the Pharaohs with Israel had almost always been to its hurt; he would remember the Oppression and the Exodus--how, in the time of Solomon, fr…
678 wordsSECTION 96_Egypt_
This word of Jehovah was to be proclaimed in Egypt, and especially in the frontier cities, which would have to bear the first brunt of invasion:-- "Declare in Egypt, proclaim in Migdol, proclaim in Noph and Tahpanhes: Say ye, Take thy stand and be ready, for the sword hath devoured round about thee. Why hath Apis[…
664 wordsSECTION 97_Egypt_
Her gods share her fate; Apis had succumbed at Memphis, but Egypt had countless other stately shrines whose denizens must own the overmastering might of Jehovah:-- "Thus saith Jehovah Sabaoth, the God of Israel: Behold, I will visit Amon of No, And Pharaoh, and Egypt, and all her gods and kings, Even Pharaoh and al…
725 wordsSECTION 98_The Philistines_
[200] Second edition, ii. 291, 292. [201] Meyer, _Geschichte des alten Ägypten_, 371, 373. [202] ii. 293. [203] Giesebrecht, with LXX. [204] Giesebrecht, Orelli, Kautzsch, with LXX., Syr., and Vulg., by an alteration of the pointing. [205] LXX. omits verse 26. Verses 27, 28 = xxx. 10, 11, and probably are an inser…
756 wordsSECTION 99_Moab_
"How can it be quiet, seeing that Jehovah hath given it a charge? Against Ashkelon and against the sea-shore, there hath He appointed it." Yet Ashkelon survived to be a stronghold of the Crusaders, and Gaza to be captured by Alexander and even by Napoleon. Jehovah has other instruments besides His devastating sword…
654 wordsSECTION 100_Moab_
* * * * * The heart of the mighty men of Moab at that day Shall be like the heart of a woman in her pangs." This section of Jeremiah illustrates the dramatic versatility of the prophet's method. He identifies himself now with the blood-thirsty invader, now with his wretched victims, and now with the terror-stricken …
664 wordsSECTION 101_Moab_
"We have heard of the pride of Moab, that he is very proud, Even of his arrogancy and his pride and his wrath."[222] This verse is a striking example of the Hebrew method of gaining emphasis by accumulating derivatives of the same and similar roots. The verse in Jeremiah runs thus: "We have heard of the pride (Ge'ON)…
660 wordsSECTION 102_Ammon_
But though it is easy to counsel resignation and the recognition of a wise loving Providence in national as in personal suffering, yet mankind longs for an end to the period of pupilage and chastisement and would fain know how it may be hastened. [214] _E.g._ xlviii. 5, "For by the ascent of Luhith with continual weep…
397 wordsSECTION 103_Edom_
[226] xlix. 3: A.V., "their king"; R.V., "Malcam," which here and in verse 1 is a form of Moloch. xlix. 7-22. "Bozrah shall become an astonishment, a reproach, a waste, and a curse."--JER. xlix. 13. The prophecy concerning Edom is not formulated along the same line as those which deal with the twin children of Lot,…
713 wordsSECTION 104_Edom_
There was obviously but one leader who could lead the nations to achieve the overthrow of Edom and lead her little ones away captive, who could come up like a lion from the thickets of Jordan, or "flying like an eagle and spreading his wings against Bozrah" (22)--Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, who had come up against…
525 wordsSECTION 105_Damascus_
[227] Cf. the designation of Caleb "ben Jephunneh the Kenizzite," Num. xxxii. 12, etc., with the genealogies which trace the descent of Kenaz to Esau, Gen. xxxvi. 11, etc. Cf. also _Expositor's Bible, Chronicles_. [228] Cf. 1 Kings xxii. 47 with 2 Kings viii. 20. [229] Obadiah 11-15. The difference between A.V. and R…
685 wordsSECTION 106_Kedar And Hazor_
"Damascus hath grown feeble: She turneth herself to flee; Trembling hath seized on her. * * * * * How is the city of praise forsaken,[239] The city of joy! Her young men shall fall in the streets, All the warriors shall be put to silence in that day." We are moved to sympathy with the feelings of Hamath and Arp…
733 wordsSECTION 107_Kedar And Hazor_
"Arise, go up to Kedar; Spoil the men of the east. They (the Chaldeans) shall take away their tents and flocks; They shall take for themselves their tent-coverings, And all their gear and their camels: Men shall cry concerning them, Terror on every side."[240] Then the prophet turns to the more distant Hazor wit…
259 wordsSECTION 108_Elam_
[240] Magor-missabib: cf. xlvi. 5. [241] _I.e._ cut off. xlix. 34-39 "I will break the bow of Elam, the chief of their might."--JER. xlix. 35. We do not know what principle or absence of principle determined the arrangement of these prophecies; but, in any case, these studies in ancient geography and politics pres…
752 wordsSECTION 109_Babylon_
[242] 1 Peter i. 10, 11. l., li. "Babylon is taken, Bel is confounded, Merodach is broken in pieces."--JER. l., 2. These chapters present phenomena analogous to those of Isaiah xl.-lxvi., and have been very commonly ascribed to an author writing at Babylon towards the close of the Exile, or even at some later date.…
776 wordsSECTION 110_Babylon_
In view of the great uncertainty as to the origin and history of this prophecy, we do not intend to attempt any detailed exposition. Elsewhere whatever non-Jeremianic matter occurs in the book is mostly by way of expansion and interpretation, and thus lies in the direct line of the prophet's teaching. But the section o…
560 wordsSECTION 111_Introductory_
[243] See against the authenticity Driver's _Introduction, in loco_; and in support of it _Speaker's Commentary_, Streane (C.B.S.). Cf. also Sayce, _Higher Criticism_, etc., pp. 484-486. [244] In xxvii. 1 we must read, "In the beginning of the reign of _Zedekiah_," not Jehoiakim. [245] xxix. 4-14. [246] "Hitherward"…
516 wordsSECTION 112Note
SOME CHARACTERISTIC EXPRESSIONS OF JEREMIAH This note is added partly for convenience of reference, and partly to illustrate the repetition just mentioned as characteristic of Jeremiah. The instances are chosen from expressions occurring in chapters xxi.-lii. The reader will find fuller lists dealing with the whole b…
375 wordsSECTION 113_Social And Religious Corruption_
[254] xxx., xxxi., and, in part, xxxiii. [255] Brief, in order not to trespass more than is absolutely necessary upon the ground covered by the previous _Expositor's Bible_ volume on Jeremiah. "Very bad figs, ... too bad to be eaten."--JER. xxiv. 2, 8, xxix. 17. Prophets and preachers have taken the Israelites for …
686 wordsSECTION 114_Social And Religious Corruption_
The motive for both these crimes was naturally covetousness;[263] as usual, they were specially directed against the helpless, "the poor,"[264] "the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow"; and the machinery of oppression was ready to hand in venal judges and rulers. Upon occasion, however, recourse was had to open vi…
796 wordsSECTION 115_Social And Religious Corruption_
This gloomy estimate of God's Chosen People is substantially confirmed by the prophets of the later monarchy, from Amos and Hosea onwards. Hosea speaks of Israel in terms as sweeping as those of Jeremiah. "Hear the word of Jehovah, ye children of Israel; for Jehovah hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land, …
962 wordsSECTION 116_Social And Religious Corruption_
The comparison between Israel and its neighbours would no doubt be much more favourable under David than under Zedekiah, but even then the outcome of Mosaic religion as practically embodied in the national life was utterly unworthy of the Divine ideal; to have described the Israel of David or the Judah of Hezekiah as J…
706 wordsSECTION 117_Social And Religious Corruption_
Wealth and influence imply opportunity and responsibility which do not belong to the poor and feeble; but power is by no means confined to the privileged classes; and the energy, ability, and self-denial embodied in the great Trades Unions have sometimes shown themselves as cruel and selfish towards the weak and destit…
256 wordsSECTION 118_Persistent Apostasy_
[256] Characteristic Expressions (1), p. 269. [257] מצלל. [258] xx. 2, xxxvii. 15. [259] xxxvii., xxxviii. [260] xxvi. 20-24. [261] ii. 34, xix. 4, xxii. 17. [262] v. 25, vi. 6, vii. 5. [263] vi. 13. [264] ii. 34. [265] vii. 5-9. [266] xxiii. 14. [267] Characteristic Expressions (2), p. 269. [268] xxiii. 10…
721 wordsSECTION 119_Persistent Apostasy_
Hence when we read of the Jews, "They set their abominations in the house which is called by My name, to defile it," we are not to understand that the Temple was transferred from Jehovah to some other deities, but that the corrupt practices and symbols of heathen worship were combined with the Mosaic ritual. Even the h…
786 wordsSECTION 120_Persistent Apostasy_
The same anxiety to discriminate the true religion from spurious imitations and adulterations underlies the stress which Jeremiah lays upon the Divine Name. His favourite formula, "Jehovah Sabaoth is His name,"[296] may be borrowed from Amos, or may be an ancient liturgical sentence; in any case, its use would be a con…
1,031 wordsSource & rights
Public domain in the USA; original historical text digitized by Project Gutenberg.
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Historical Christian writing; not Scripture.