3 is by the Princes, with the K'nos Pevmi zr:t0 4 Dungeon ; but is by Ebed-melech, with the pg 1s on again, 13. He hath a ſecret conference with the King, in which he counſelleth kim by yielding to ſave his Life, 14 23. By che Kings command he concealeth the conference from the Princes 24 279: He abideth mn Priſon till Jeruſalem is taken, 28. OS fe Shephatiah the ſon of Mattin, and Gedaliah : the ſon of Paſhur,and Jucal the ſon of Shelemiah, and Pafhur the ſon of Malchiah, heard the words that
Jeremiah had ſpoken to all the people, ſaying a, a Here are four of the great Men, Counce!lors, or great Offi- as to Zedckiah named, of whom we have no further mention in oly writ, nor are they worthy of much inquiry after ;; Jeremiah _ now removed into a little freer Air, where his Friends,or uch as had a deſire to ſee him, came to him, and it is very likely were inquiſitive to know what God would do with the City, hz could not bur tell them what he knew of the Mind of God in the caſe,and adviſe them the beſt he could. Some of them go to theſe Princes,and inform them of what they had heard from the Prophet
| 2 Thus faith the LORD, He that remaineth i
this city ſhall die by the ſword, by the Caniack an
by the _—_ = oy m__ goeth forth to the Chal- eans Inall hive: for he ſhall have his li
and ſhall live 6. , | OT
b As to what is verſe 3.it is no more than had fo {{ | 7 been the conſtant tenour of this Propher's Propietivn The Crime ſcemeth ro lie in this, that in ſuch a time of extream danger, he ſhould repeat this Prophecy, and alſo adviſe the People to leave the City, and ſhift for themſelves,by going our to. the Chaldeans,telling them thart if they did ſo,though the City would be loſt,and their RE it loft, yet - = * comet their Lives, which words might 1ncourage many of low and Cowardly Spirits to deſc Poſts ; which indeed had been Crime rd Fa bo Jaoparoi nn and under ordinary Circumſtances,but- was no Crime now tharGod had revealed his Will to the King, Princes and People, that the City ſhould be loſt ; there lay now no further Duty upon any to . contribute to its defence,but they were obliged to make as good proviſions for themſelves as they could ; but theſe wicked Princes believed no ſuch thing, therefore they make this a great charge. .
| 3 Thus faith the LORD, This cicy ſhall ſurely be given into the hand of the king of Babylon's army which ſhall take it. s
4 Therefore the princes ſaid unto the king, we be- ſeech thee let this man be put to death : for thus he weakeneth the hands of che men of war that remain in this city, and the hands of all the people, in ſpeaking ſuch words unto chem : for this man ſecketh n j welfare of this people, but the hurt c.
c The Prophet now ſeemeth under ſad circumſtances, the Prin- ces ſeeks his Life, though for delivering no other Do&rine than he had been preaching for: 20 Years ; their pretence was, his dif- couraging and weakening the military part of the Ciry,letting them know that they laboured in vain, for the City was aot defenſible. This they interpret a ſeeking not the welfare of the People, but their hurt, though indeed their welfare was that alone which he ſought, knowing that there was no other way for any of them ro ſave their Lives, but by ſubmitting to the Chatdeaus ; though the great Men ( being Perſons God had determined to ruine ) would not believe it, and would have the welfare and hurt of the place derermined by their Opinions.
5 Then Zedekiah the king ſaid, Behold, he 3s in your hand &,for the king 5s not he :hat can do any thing againſt youe, |
4 That is in your power, either by the Eſtabliſh-d Law againſt falſe Prophers, or elie I yield up my power to you, I ſurrender him into your hands. Bur neither ot theſe ſecmeth very protable for here is no mention of the fitting of the Sanhedrim to judge him . as a falſe Prophet, nor of any judicial proceedings of chat Nature:
' And it ſhould ſeem by Z:dekiah's relieving of him ſoon after from
the Dungeon, into which they threw him, that he had n - dred Jeremiah \o into their <AAx- but he reſerved to _—_ afar PE III upon them to corrett their too ſevere dealings with
im. The meaning ſeems rather to be, if you will do any ſuch thing, I ſhall not oppoſe you, but I will not be the Author of ir. e I ſee Tam as it were no King, I can do nothing againſt you, you will do what you pleaſe.I incline to this ſenſe from the conſidera- _ of the favour thewed him by Zedekiah, both before, and after TRIS.
6 Then took they Jeremiah, and caſt him into the
dungeon of Malchiah te ſon of || Hammelech that was q 5 in the court of the priſon 4: and they let down Jere- ;þe Los.
miah with cordse. And in the dungeon there was no water but mire, ſo Jeremiah ſank in the mire f.
d A place much of the ſame nature with that of which we read Chap 37: 16- but in another Priſon. e It ſhould ſeem there was no paſſage into it by Stairs, ſo as they were forced to let him down with Cords. f And in the bottom was nothing but Mire, into which the Prophet ſank, in reſpe& of which circumſtances, it was a much worſe place than the Dungeon in the Priſon, in Jonathan's Houſe appeared to ke, though Jeremiah feared that he ſhould die there. Ir is probable thele Princes thruſt him into this place,de- ſigning he ſhould die in this hole a miſerable Death, but God otherwiſe provided for him.
7 5 Now when * Ebed-melech the Ethiopian g,ene , of the eunuchs which was in the kings houſe þ, heard ; that they had pur Jeremiah in the 'dungeon z,(the king chen ſicting in the gate of Benjamin) &.
£ Ebedmelech was unqueſtionably the name of the Perſon; though ſome interpret ir + 8" 8 (ervant of the Kings It is
6 2
particularly
Chap. XXXVLUtk
ot the + Heb:
Peacss
'E
So =7 5
manger A 09s CEE am erat bo. 4 AG Cree JI. s os _
_ mr een gg =
SAI 4 clE— Ge EA ne eos ae
IF
_ 8 Ces > - +a &7
| + Heb. he will die.
Chap. XXXVII:. ftranger,tha
' but yet the noiſe
Feremiah into this miſerable place :
_ them that Jeremiah would be
7 E RE