The Pulpit Commentary — Jeremiah — Volume 1 — Section 413

strict observnnce of the s9.bbath. The will be found in Geseuius's' Hebrew Thesau- rewnrd held out is Jerusalem's continuance rus;' 1.1l. mdeh). 'fhe queen-mother was pro- in all its old pomp, both temporal and bably the leader oftilis cltin; "the mistress," spiritual, and the penalty the destruction as she was called (see on eh. xiii. 18), a.nd the of the city by fire. This passage stands in royal princes (among whom the "house of absolutely no connection with the preceding Nathan," Zech. xii. 12, would doubtless be and tlie following prophecies; and we have reckoned), constituted in fe.ot e. body almost just the same sense of suspicion in meeting as numerous as they did (according to with it bere, in the midst of perfectly general Brugsch Dey) i11 Egypt, and politically exhortations, as in reading the parallel much more influential ; so muoh so indeed exhortations to sabbath-keeping in Isa.. lvi. that only a. king of unusual force of character, and h·iii., surrounded as tliey are by the like Hezekiah or Josia.h, could venture, aucl moving and almost cYangelical rhetoric of that timidly, to oppose . them. The weak- the second part of Isaiah. Geiger and Dr. principled Zedekia.h seems to have been Rowland Willfoms haYe ilence been led to entirely dominated by this powerful caste, conjecture tilat this section (or po.rt of it) and to have been little m01·e than a. maire-4u ,ms introduced into the roll of J eremia.h's palais (the same sense of. the phrase is prophecies to assist the reforming moyement required in eh. xix. 3, and proba.bly in eh. of Ezra and Nehemiah. Certainly tho re- XXV. 18). . gard for the sabbatb, so conspicuous in the Ver. 21.-Take heed to yourselves; rather, later J uJaism, dates, so far as we can see, Talr,eheed heartily, conscientiously; literally, from the time of Ezra. and Nehemiah (see in your 43ouls. So in Malachi (ii. 15, lU), N eh. xiii.), though it is credible enough "To.ke heed in your spirit" (not, "to your that the perception of the high importance spirit," as Authorized Version). of this holy day (comp. Heine's' Prineessin Ver. 22.-Neither do ye any work; ac- Sabbath') began to acquire greater distinct, cording to the fomth commandment (Exact ness as the other parts of the social ancl :x;x. 10; J;)eut. v.14). religious organization were seen to be fading Ver. 23.-This verse is moclelled on eh. away (comp. BSt. "Sabbath" in Smith's yji. 26, 28.. . · 'Bible Dictionaxy '). •• Ver. 25.-Paro.llel passage, eh. xxii. ¾, Ver. 19.-ln the gate of the children of where, however, we simply meet with" kings the people. It is uncertain which of the sitting upon the throne of David,"not,as here, gates of Jerusalem is meant, and not per- " kings and princes." Has the latter word fectly cleu what is the meaning of the title. come in by accident, owing to the frequent Does itmeau Israelites as opposed to foreign- combination of kings and prinoes in Jeremiah ers, or laymen as distinguished from priests? (i. 18; ii. 26; xxv. 18 ; xxxii. 32 ; xliv. 17, Whereby the kings of Judah come in. Jere- 21)? Shall remain for ever; rather, shall be mia.h appears to use the phrase" kings of inhabited/or erer. J ndab" in a. plllticula.r sense (see on ver. Ver. 26.-Para.llel passage for the ce.to.- 20). He may, no doubt, simply mean to logue of the districts of J uda.h, eh. xxxii. H. say that those who ue from time to time Three divisions are mentioned. (1) The sovereigns of Judah enter by this gate. neighbourhood of Jerusalem (including the But once grant that the prophet does some- "cities of Judah"); (2) the land of Ben- times use the phrase in a sense of his own, jamin, i.e. the northern part of the kingdom ; a.nd that in the very next verse, and it is and (3) the tribe of J udo.h, with its three very difficult to avoid interpreting it so in subdivisions-the Shefela.or lowland country this pe.ssage. by the Mediterranean See., the hill coun- Ver. 20.-Jeremiah addresses himself first try, and the Negeb or" dry" south country of e.11 to the kings of Judah. .As it would (comp. Josh. xv. 21-62). The so.crifices be very unnatural for a public orator to are described with equal explicitness; they appea.1 to the yet unbom membere of the fall into two clu.sses, the bloody (burnt offer- reigning dyne.sty, and as there a.re several ings o.nd other so.orifices) and the unbloody indications that the "house of David" was (the vegetable offering or minl,hah, and the able at this period, as also in that of Isaiah, incense which was strewed upon the min- to exercise e. decisive political and civil khah, Lev. ii. 1), . And bringing sa.oriftces of influence, even, as appears from eh. xxi. 11, praise. This was, no doubt, the title of o. 12, monopolizing the judicial functions, it particufar. voriety of ea.orifices (Lev. vii. 12; is natural to suppose that "kings of Judah" xxii. 2D); here, however, it seems as if all is here ueed in a very special sense, viz. of tho the preceding sacrifices were summed up IUembers of the various branches of the royal under this designation. St. Paul says, "In family (" The sons of the king," Zeph. i. 8; everything give thanks;" o.nd this seems b comp. eh. xxxvi. 26, "Jerahmccl, a king'11 have been the prophet's ideal of the ijO.cri- so11 "), and their desccnclan1s, who received fices of the futw·e. t.Le royal title Ly oourtei;y (parallels for this on. xvu. 1-27.] THE BOOK OF THE Pil.OPHE1' JEREMIAH. H!l