EXPOSITION. political objeot in hie favourable prognosti- CHAPTER XXVIII. cation for the deposed king? Does he, in Hananiab's false prophecy; his reprimand short, belong to a J ehoiachin party opposed from Jeremiah; and bis fate. The precise- to the friends of Zcdekiah ? The view is possible, and may seem to be confirmed by ness of the date in ver. I is to emphasize the emphatio repetition of the fall of Ne- the supernatural character of Jeremiah's bucl,adnezzar, the liege lord of Zedekiab. prediction. The latter was uttered in the Still there is evidence enough in modern fi~b month of the fourth year of Zede- history that the return of an exile is not kiab, and Hananiah died in the seventh necessarily tantamount to his reinstatement in his office. month of the same year (ver. 17). Vers.5--9.-Jeremio.b'sreply. Heheo.rtily Ver. 1.-In the beginning of the reign of wishes that Hananiah's prediction were Zedekiah. It seems strange that the fourth capo.hie of fulfilment, but it runs directly year of a reign which only lasted eleven counter to the declarations of all tbo older vears in all shonld be called "the be- prophets. "War, and evil, and pestilence" ginning. Is it not probable that the ~lause was t!.eir constant burden, for the people was interpolated here. by a later copyist on to whom they prophesied were unworthy account of eh. xxvii. 1, where at present a of the golden o.ge of felicity in wh1ch the similar clause (see note) is found? Origin- prophets so firmly believed. Only by a ally placed in the margin as a gloss upon terrible judgment could the people of Israel the words "the same ycru:," it would VC;fY be purified for the Messianic age. This easily find its way into the text. Hane.nia.h appears to be what Jeremiah means by . . . the prophet (see on ver. 15). Gibeon. ver. 8. True, he speaks of "countries" and This was a priestly city (Jos_b. xxi. 17)! so "kingdoms" in the plural, but all the great that Hananiah was probably h=self a priest prophets include the nations best known to like Jeremiah (eh. i 1) and Pashur (eh. xx. them within the range of their preaching, 1). 'l'he modem El Jib, on an isola~ed, and even of their Messianio preaching. rocky hill, doubtless represents the an01ent Isaiah for instance, threatens sore j udg- Gibeon. In the presence of the priests and men t ;pon Egypt and Assyria, and yet he of all the people. .Apparently the event holds out the cheering prospect that Egypt took place on either a new moon or a and Assyria will have a part in the Mes- sabbath, when the people would throng to sianic felicity. Thus Hananiah's prediction the temple. has probabilities very strongly against it. Ver. 2.-Hananiab opens his prophecy He not only prophesies " peace,'' but with the usnal formula, claiming Divine attaches no condition to his promise, which, inspiration in the fullest sense. His mes- therefore, Las double need of verification by sage is short and sweet: I have broken- the event (comp. Deut. xviii. 22). i.e. I have decreed to break (the perfec~ of Vera. 10 11.-Instead of any rejoinder, prophetic certitude)-the yoke of the king Hananiah 'has recourse to violence, tears of Babylon. Had Hananio.b stopped ~er?, off and breaks the yoke on Jeremiah's neck, he might perhaps, have escaped Jeremiah s and repeats his declaration of the fall of indigno.nt rebuke. But with light-hearted Nebuchadnezziir within two years. Jere- arrogance he ventures to fix a. time close at miah meekly suffers. hand for the event, which, no doubt, was destined to occur, but after a long interval. Vera. 12-17.-No long time after this Dr. Payne Smith suggests that he probably the prophet is commissioned to tell the cherished the belief that the confederacy bitter truth more fully than he had done then on foot (eh. xxvii. 3) would defeat before, and to warn Hauaniah of his coming Nebuchadnezzar. puni&hment. Ver. 4.-And I will bring again , . . Ver. 13.-The yokes ot wood; rather, a Jeoonia.h. Ha.naniah thus directly contra- yoke of wood. The word rendered in the dicts the assurance of Jeremiah (eh. xxii. Authorized Version" yokes" means properly 26, 27) that Jehoiachin would not return, "poles" two of which, with the "bands,'' but would die in a. foreign land. Has he a compo~ed a "yoke" (see on oh, uvii. 2). en. xitvm. 1-17.l -THE BOOK OF THE PROPHET JEREMIAH. 581
But thou aha.It make; rather, 1mt tlwu hast number of yea.re he had been universally made. The sense in which Hane.ninh is recognized as e. member of the prophetic said to have mu.de "e. yoke of iron" (we cla.es. Probably he he.d those natural gil'ts, should render in the singular) comes ont in including a. real, though dim and not un- ver. 14. The point is that there we.s e. erring," second sight," which seems to have certu.in justification for He.ne.nie.h's violent formed the substratum of Old Testament a.et, but not that which he supposed. Jere• prophecy; but he certainly had not the mie.h's wooden yoke wu.s really an inadequate moral backbone so conspicuous in Jeremiah, symbol; the prophet was too tender to his e.nd he lacked that intimate communion people. 'l'hus God ma.de the truth appear with God (this became clear on the present in still fuller brightness from the very per- occasion) which alone warranted the assur- Terseness of its enemy. e.nee that" Jehovah, the God of Israel, he.th Ver. 14.-The beasts of the 11.eld (see sent me." on eh, :uvii. 6). Ver.16.-1 will oast thee; rather, I send Ver. 15.-The prophet Jeremiah unto thee away. Possibly, e.s Hitzig suggests, :e:e.na.niah the prophet. In one sense there is a.u e.llll!lion to the preceding verse, Rane.Diab· was a. prophet a.s much e.s in which the so.me verb occur3. Thou hast Jeremiah. He claimed to have received taught rebellion; literally, thou hast spoken the prophetio call, e.nd God a.lone, who turning aside. To "speak taming a.side see.rcheth the bee.rt, conld pronounce upon (or,• rebellion')" is e. phrase of Deuteronomy the justice of his claim. Whatever training (xiii. 6), where it is used, e.s here, of op- was regarded as necessary for the office he position, not to J ehove.h, but to revealed had probably gone through', and now for e. truth.