See the Notes there, -- 4 Yet hear the word of the LORD, O Zedekiah king of Jadah, Thus ſaith the LORD of thee, Thou
ſhall not die by the ſword ; * 5 But thou ihalt die in peace c,and wich the burnings
of thy fachers the former kings which were before thee: {o ſhall they burn odours for thee, and they will lamenc thee, ſaying, Ah LORD! for I have pronounced the word, ſairh the LORD d.
& This only plzce informeth us conc-rning the manner of Zede- kish's Death, and that both negatively and politively. Negatively, That he did not die by the Sword,the King of Babylon took him,kil- led his Sons before his Eyes, then put out his Eyes, and bound him in Chains, Chap: 39. 7. but killed him not, as we learn from this Text; but he died a natural death, whic' is here meant by dying in peace, d and had an honourable Burial, which the King of Babylon would not allow Jeho:akim, as we read: Chap: 22.18. he was burried with the Burial of an aſs, and his Body was ca#? out of the gates of Jeru-
'ſelem, and no man lamented for him ; but as to Zedekiah they bur-
ned ſweet «dur; for him, C afcer the manner of the Burial of Kings, 2 Chron: 16. 14. ) and made ſolemn Lamentation for him. The Jews in their Chronology, called by them Sedar Olam; give us the form of their Lamentation thus Mas! Zedekiah is dead; who drank the aregs of all Ages : That is, who was punithed for the fins of all former A- ges. * :
6 Then Jeremiah the prophet ſpake all cheſe words unto Zedekiah king of Judah in Jeruſalem. 7 When the king of Babylons army fought againſt Jeruſalem, and againſt all the cities of Judah :hat were teft, againſt Lachiſh, and againſt Azekah ; for theſe
defenced cities remained ofthe cities of Judah e.
e The Prophet was not afraid to go anddo the Meſſage God had intruſted him with to the King, upon which he was impriſoned as we read before, chap: 32. 3+, the time it ſhould ſeem was afcer that the king of Babylon had invaded the country, and taken the greateſt
art of it 3 only three foctified places remained, which he was Be- Eving, viz: Feruſal:m, which was the chief Ciry of that Country, and Lz:hiſh, of rhe Conqueſt of which we rezd, 7of: ro: 31 diſpoſ- ed of ro the Tribe of Judah, J:jb: 15. 39. and Azekah, which wasa City of Judah, of which we read in the ſame Chapters.
' . 8 Zhis is the word that came unto Jeremiah from the LORD, after that the kingZedekiah,had made a co- "nant with all the People which were at Jeruſalem to
proclaim liberty unto them f. f This Verſe plainly beginneth a new Prophecy, but at what par- ticular time, this Revelation, or the publication of 't was, we are not told, only the occaſion of it is recorded. Gad made a particular Law reſpeQting the Jewiſh Nation. That if any had bought an He- brew ſerezant, he ſbould ſerve but ſix years, and in the ſeventh ſhould go out free, Exod. 21. 264 Deut. 15. 12. Ir came 1nto Zedekiah's Mind to make a Proclamation for the execution of this Law ; what moved him to it we have not recorded. The learned Author of the Eng- liſh Anxotatimms, obſerveth well that it was their uſual courſe when
they were in ſome great ſtraits tro make ſome partial Reformation, ;
Juagi 10 15, 16, Pſal: 78: 34,35. Hoſ: 6 rn.
9 * That every man ſhould let his man-ſervant, and every man his maid-ſervant being an Hebrew, or an Hebreweſs go free, that none jhould ſerve himſelf of them, 70 2vit, of a Jew his brother g,
g This was the tenourof Gods Law mentioned in the above nz- med Texts, and it ſeemeth Zedekiah taking notice of the common ; violation of this Law,and the Jews ordinary oppreſling thoſe of their own nation this way ; judging that this migh* be ene of thoſe ſins for which the weath of Gad' was at this time kindled againk them,
=: 41 i,
quired, of which he made Proclamation.
them any more, then they obeyed and let them go h.
yielded obedience to it.
urn, and brought them into ſubje&ion for ſervants and for hand-maids 5,
: Like a company of wretched Hypocrites, abuſe, |
ed again ro their old oppretſion, and in this thing nor the People alone, bur the their Courts «of Juſtice, ought to hive executed the Law of the
their State, during the Siege; for Chap: 37.5. we read that the
to relieve the City, left the Siege for a time, and that the Prophet,
Chap. XXX&IV»
he Cauſed the People to makea Covenant, that they would yivethat liberty to their Servants ofeither Sex, which the Law of Gud xe-
10 Now when all the princes, and all the people which had entred into the covenant heard that every one (ſhouldlet his man-ſervant, and every one his maid- ſervant go free, thac none ſhould ſerve themſelves of
# ThePrincesand the People, having firſt with the King agreed to the rhing, upon the iſſuing out of his Proclamation, they ar fiiſt
1 But afterwards they turned,& cauſed the ſervants, and the handmaids, whom they had let go free, to re-
they reformed this only to ſerve a turn,which when it was terved, they retur-
Goverment was to be blamed for their Judges in "7 6% and to have reſtrajiacd the coverous and oppreflive humour of the People. The learn:d Author of rhe Engliſh tnnotarions think- eth thar that which alrered their minds, was a little altexation of
Babylonians and Chald ans hearing of an Army coming out of Egypt,
Fer: 21. of this Chapter relates ro that, when he propheſied, That
; the King of Babylon's Army ſhould return. But thee wretched | Men, ſecing rhe Babylontan Army raited from the Siege, coucluded Tliey we:e now out of God's hands, and repented of their Repen-=
| kance in this particular, and would make all their Servants return into their former Servicude.
12 © Therefore the word of the LORD came to
' Jeremiah from: the LORD, faying, | 13 Thus faith the LORD the God of Iſrael, I made
a covenant & with your fathers,in the day that I brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, out of the houſe
of bondmen /, ſaying,