EXPOSITION. Ver. 9.-He-that abideth in th.i& oity, etc. CHAPTER XXI. No doubt Jeremiah often gave this counsel The chapter falls into three parts, two of to his fel~ow-citizens (comp. eh. xxxviii. I, which seem to be in some sort of connection, 17),_ aud 1~. appears from eh. xxxviii. 19; while the third is isolated. First comes a ~xx1x. 9; In. 15, that many of the J ewe acted 1~ accordance with it. Falleth; more dis- warning to the messengers of Zedekiah of tmctly, falleth away (as eh. xxxvii. 14, the unfortunate issue of the rebellion against Authorized Version); i.e. goeth over to. Baby Ion ; this is followed by a counsel to Ver. 11.-And touching the house, etc. the people to give up their futile resistance, The formula with which this section is and "fall away" to the Chaldeans. The introduced [shows that it was attached to last four verses contain an exhortation to vers. 1-7 at the same time as·vera. 8-10 although obviously written at a much earlie; the " house of David " to fulfil their high period. duties with greater conscientiousness, for Ver. 12.-0 house of David. The "house fear of the juygment which had already of J?avid" here, as in Isa. vii. 13, means the begun to take effect when the former part of various branches of the royal family, the this chapter was written. Compare Zede- san:ie, in fact, which are called by courtesy "kmgs of Judah" in eh, xvii. 20 (see note). kiah's embassy to Jeremiah with that of They appear from the present passage to Hezekiah to Isaiah on a similar emergency have monopolized the judicial function. (Isa. xxxvii. 2). Deliver him that is spoiled, etc. The poor Ver. 1.-Pashur. A different Pashur from man would have no advocate to pleo.d for the one mentioned in eh. xx. I. This one him ; in this case the judge was to see that reappears in ob. xxxviii. I ; he belonged to he suffered no injustice in consequence. the fifteenth of the sacerdotal families, Ver. 13.-Jehovah, standing, as it were, named after Melchiah (comp. I Chron. ix. on the Mount of Olives, o.ddresses the proud 12). Zeplumia.h; mentioned again in eh. city beneath him. 0 inhabitant of the val- xx.i.x. 25 ; xxxvii. 3. He was of the priestly ley, and rook of the plain; rather, 0 inhabi- family or class of Mailseiah (comp. I Chron. tress ; Jerusalem is personified as a virgin. xxiv. 18), and was uext in rank to the high The poetical description of the capital as a priest (eh. Iii. 24 ). "valley" (the word, however, signifies a V~r. 2,-!iebuohacl;rezze.r. This form pre- valley as wide as a plain) reminds us of dommates m Jeremiah and Daniel, and is "the valley [or rather, 'ravine'] of vision" the only form found in Ezekiel. It is, in (Isa. xxii. I, 5): while "the rock of the fact, the correct way of spelling the name, plain" recalls "my mountain in the field" whicl.i is in Babylonian Nabu-kudura-ufUT, (eh. xvii. 3). So, as Graf points out, Baby- i.e." Nebo, protect [or perhaps,' has made'] lon is called "a mountain" in metaphorical the crown." According to all hi& wondrous language (eh. Ii. 25). It is, however, singu- works; e.g. the destruction of Sennacherib, lar that the prophet should call Jerusalem which must have occurred in the first in- a " valley" and a "rock" in the so.me pas- stance to the minds of devout Jews. sage. In the former, perhaps, Jeremiah is Ver. 4.-I will assemble them into the thinking specially of the lower city, and in midst of thiB city ; i.e. I will compel the the latter of Mount Zion. Who shall come warriors to give up resistance, and shut down against us t viz. from the " hills round themselves up within the walls. about Jerusalem." Ver. 7.-A.nd such as are; rather, left Ver. 14.-In the forest thereof; i.e. in the which are wft. (There has been an obvious forest of houses (comp. oh. xxii. 6, 7). error in the repetition of" and.")
HOMILETICS. Vere. 1, 2.-God consulted in vain. I. IT IS VAm TO SEEK Gon's DELP WITHOVT .BEPENTINo OF oun. BIN, Zedekiah sends to Jeremiah lo bis alarm. But he gives no sign CH. XXI. 1-14.] ·rHE BOOK Oll' rHE PROPHET JEREMIAH. 481
of repentance. The dread of coming trouble and the desire to escape it are not penitence• tho fear of hell is not penitence. All men naturally desire to be safe from suffering'. But God will only deliver those who also desire to be free from sin, who regret the evil they have done, not merely that which they endure. II. IT IS VAIN TO BEEK GOD'S HELP WITHOUT SUBMITTING TO IIIS WILL. Zedekiah consults God ns an oracle; he wants information. But he gives no indication of a willing- ness to obey the command of God. He would be glad of Divine aid for his own plans, but he has no thought of yielding himself up to the execution of God's will. Many men would have God for their servant; their prayer is that God would do their will, Such presumptuous conduct must be rebuked by failure. III. IT IS VAIN TO SEEK GOD'S HELP FOR DELIVERANCE FROM THAT WHICH IS MORALLY NECESSARY, '!'here is a monl necessity as well as a physical. No sane man would pray that two and two might make five. There are _moral impossibilities equally impregnable. A just God cannot forgive the impenitent. All that God does must be for the best, and nothing can induce him to turn from what he knows is best. If men need chastisement God will give it them, though they may most earnestly desire to be delivered from it.. It was good for the Jews as a discipline, as well as just as a punishm.ent, that they should be carried captive to Babylon. Therefore, even if all thoughts of inflicting the penalties of justice were in abeyance, God's merciful intentions to his people would make their prayers for escape vain.