3. Heign o/ ZedeJdah (597-680).— <1.) To the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah belongs ch. 24, the vision of tlie two baskets of figs, the pood representing the exiles of 597, the bad the
fieoplo left at home. (2.) Chs. 21-23 contain a collection of ragments belonging to very different dates on the leading cIaj*!(C8 in Judali, the kings 2111-23^, and the prophetjj 231*-*'^. Whether some of these fragments Ptoo<i in the original roll may be uncertain ; the present collection cannot have been made before the time of Zedekiah (22"'^'^), probablv not Iwfore the Exile (2330). (3.) To the 4th year of Zedekiah (28i) belong chs. 27-20 (271 is a mistaken gloss, wanting in LXX). containing the prophet's opposition to the projected confederacy against Babylon (27), bis conflict with llananiali over the duration of the Exile (28), and his letter to the exiles (29). These three chapters have certain peculiarities in common: (1) The LXX text Is shorter, particularly in 27 ; (2) certain dilTcrcnces of ■pelllng appear, e.fj. Vinnri/ah for i xrmfyahu, and so In similar names, and Nebuchaiinezzar (for -rczzjir). The peculiari- ties (2) are lost in Gr. ; in LXX the name NL-burh. occurs only ome(27«X In explanation of these peculiarities it has been sug- gested that chs. 27-J9 may have circulated Be|ianite!y and been glowied ; but as LXX shows that the glowes were introduced after the redaction of the book, it must alBO be supposed that at a late date the genuine text was collaU;d with one of these
Elossed rolls of 27-29. and supplcmenUKl from it,— on intricate yj««the9i8. The rest of the twok fexcept 4fl-Sl) belongs to iho time of thesieLTc and later. (1.) 2n-"> the nropliet's reply to the metMUiu'e of Zed.-kiah at the beginning of the siege. The pawmge has Ih'i'm united to 21'1'''-, the common subject being the kings of Judah. (5.) Ch. 37. containing Jeremiah's reply to another message from Zedekiah, is later, belonging to the time when the •lego was raised by the apjwanuice of the Kg>'ptians. Ch. 34, relating to the raanumi-ssioh of Itoiidservantjfand their nxluction to slavery again, is of the same ilate. When the sieye was rained Jeremiah attempted togoto Anal both, but wa.'»arrest<sl and flimg Into a dungeon (371^"^). Zedekiah n-leaiietl him, and pla<f<l him in the court of the puartl. where he remained till the city fell (3S'i''). In this place it appeam he could s|»eak to the iH*oplc f38"f ), and persons from the outride had aivess to him (ch. "At). On account of his disheartening 8|>eeciies to Uio |>eoplo and poldiery, the omoera hod him let down Into a cistern, from
which he was liberated by Ebed-melech (ch. 88), who receivei the promise 39ii''". To the time after his rescue by Ebed-melecl belongs his interview with Zwlekiah 381*" ■ ; hut whether th» iiK-ident of the purchase of the Held at Anathotli (ch. 3:^) took place before or alter his rcbcue is uncertain. To the time of hie detention in the court of the guard belongs ch. 33, somewhat later than 32 (' the second time * 3;;^, and probably chs. 30. 31, re- ferring to the Uestoration of Judah and Israel. 331*-'* are not yet in LXX, and undoubtedly the chapters are otherwise greatly glosj^ed, though much in ch. 31 is original. Possibly the chs. 30-33 formed a separate collection (oU-), and the sub* ject was one tliat invited expansion. Usually Jeremiah employs the terms * Israel,' ' Ephraiin ' (twice Aouj« oj JocoIj 2-* b'^^) ; il is only in these chapters that the simple name 'Jacob' occurs (307. 10. IB 317. u xisii), for 1018 (r.iitf) ia not original, and lO^s is doubtful. The phraj*e * my servant Jacob' 30i«- 11 ( = 40'" ■i*) and much else reflects the language and ideas of ls40fl. (b.) 3S-»t' (RV) 393- 1A_^4 narrate the eventa subsequent to the t;ill of the city, and the history of Jeremiali in Egypt (31*1- 2 gt-eui out of place, and vv.4-ia are wanting in LXX).
(7.) Chs. 4G-51, prophecies against the nations. There are three questions connected with these prophecies : (1) their genuiiien(.3S in whoIe(Driver, and in the main Kuen.), orinpart(Oies., Corn.), or not ut all (Stade, Wcllh., Sniend, Schwally) ; (2) the time in the prophet's life to which they belong if genuine or partially so ; and (3) their original position in the book. (I) Chs. 60. 51 (apart from Sl^air.) are almost universally recognized to be of a later date than Jeremiah, and by another writer. With regard to 4t)-49 it may be urged in favour of their genuineness, in whole or In part, (a) that Jeremiah was conscious of being a prophet to the nations (1^. ic 18^* 27*^) ; and (^) that he "is com- manded to write his prophecies 'against all the nations' (^-). It is doubtful, however, if such language as 36^ implies the existence of prophecies lorraally devoted to particular nations : it might be satislied by such passages as 1-0 9*-^'- 12i*^", and particularly by •IbJ^ , and the enumeration (so far as original) of nations in 25ii^^. Jereuiiali's ou'n statement regarding fonner prophets, that they pro)>hesied against many countries and against great kingdoms (2^''), forbids us to press the wonls of 30-. If a genuine nucleus existed in 40-49 this would ex]>tain the later amplification, and how though aniplilled the prophecies continued to be ascribed to Jeremiah. On the other hand, the figure of giving the nations to drink of the fur>' of J ', and the enumeration of peoples in 2.'>i*"", might have suggejited to some writer or writers the comi«sition of the prophecies to give body to the idea of Jeremiah (cf. the relation of .'il^ff. to chs, 60. 51). Such lengthy oracles against peoples which, with the exception of Egypt, had no signilicance to Jeremiah or to Uie time, are little probable from him. Ch. 40112 is later than Carchemish, but such an exercise on a past event is scarcely to be expected from Jeremiah. 401*'*^ might be a prophiTcy by Jeremiah in Egypt, though, of course, also it might be an expan- sion by another writer of some of his incidental threats against that country (4310^); \.^^ reminds of Ezk, and vv.27 to are a repetition of 3oio ". It is wholly improbable that Jeremiah should have excerpted Is 15. 16, as has been done in tlie pro* phecy on Moab (4b''^ Sif)^ and e<iually incredible that he should have copied Obadiah, or, as the case may be. a prophecy which is the basis of Obadiah, as has been done in the prophecy on Edom (4.'''r). If Is 15. 16 were brought down in their present form to the post-exilic time (Duhm), the problem in regard to them would perhaps be the same as that in regard to Obadiah : but such a date has not been established. And it may l>e saia In general tiiat the current impression that Jeremiah is accustomed to cite or use his predecessors has little evidence in its favour. A nucleus of genuine elements in 40^9 is prol^bly the most that can be assumed ; whether the expansions be due to one hand or several nmy lie dilHcult to say. Some peculiarities are common to Uie chs., e.g. njijn intrans. or with obj. unexpre88ed,4ti6- ai(p«raUel toOU), 473, 4^^ (obj. expressed), 49^ (parallel to 01]), ct. 4&S, but see particularly Nah 2^ ; tho phrase T\^\'n 3*nn 46i8 fiOl«, cf. 2.'>M (go read). The purpose of tha words, ' Here e'ndelh the Judgment of Moab ' 48*7 ig o»>scure. cf. &iw (both passages ore wanting in LXX). It is curious that all the promises to the nations of restitution (4t>» 4M" 49^ **) are wanting in LXX. (2) The date of the foreign prophecies. It