Ver. 1. — In the seventh month ; te. two months after the destruction of Jerusalem and the appointment of Gedaliah. It seems strange, however, that the occurrences re- lated in oh. xl. and xli. should have taken so short a time. Gratz calls in qnestion the accnraoy of the chronological statement. He quotes Ezek. xxxiii. 24 — 29. which shows that at least six months (acccirding to his calculation) after the fall of Jerusalem Jewish fugitives still lingered on, and hoped to obtain possession of their fatherland, and points out that time was necessary for Geda- liah to erect a temple at Mizpah (see on ver. 5), for cities to arise out of their ruins, and for oulti ration of the soil to be resumed (oh. xl. 10).' Besides, according to oh. lii. 30, a third deportation of Jews is mentioned. How can this be accounted for, if, only two months after the fall of Jerusalem, the' rem- nant of the Jewish population emigrated under Johanan ben Kareah to Egypt? Gratz shows reason for thinking that this last deportation stands in close connection with Gedaliah's death, and that eonse- qnently the interval between this latter event and the fall of Jerusalem lasted, not two months, but five years. The son of EUshama. Perhaps the Elishama men- tioned in eh. xxxvi. 12 as a secretary of state; or perhaps a son of David of that
* * Monatsschrift fUr Geschichte nnd Wis- ■enschaft dM Jndeuthuma,' 1870, pp. 268— 274.
name (see 2 Sam. t. 16 ; 1 Cbron. ilL 8 ; xiv. 7 ; " son " being taken here in a wider sense). And the princes of the king; rather, and (one of) the princes of the king. Even ten men ; rather, and ten men. Eleven determined bravoes overpower a crowd ol nnprepaicd men. Sid eat bread together. Gediiliiih, then, had invited them to a friendly banquet.
Ver. 2.— Smote Gedaliah. The day of the murder of Gedaliah (the third day of the seventh month) was kept as a fast-day by the post-Captivity Jews (see Zech. vii. 5 ; viii. 19). It was the day on which the hope of living a separate life in the promised land, for a time at least, vanished ; and tlie murder was avenged by a new captivity (see above).
Ver. 3.— The Chaldeans. GtedaUah's ChaU dean body-guard. And the men of war; rather, even the men of war. Jewish as well as Oiialdean warriors are meant; the non-military Jews, including the prophet, were carried away captive (see vers. 10, 16). Vers. 4— 7.— The news of the deed of violence had not yet been spread, and Ish- mael seized the opportunity of imbruing his hands in fresh blood. He could have had no personal motive; but his employer, Baalis, desired that " the remnant in Judah mieht perish"(oh. xl. 15).
Ver. 5.— There came certain from Shechem, ete. A number of pious pilgrims, descend- ants of the old ten tribes, passed by oa their way to the holy site of the temple at Jerusalem (?) (comp. 2 Chron. xxxiv. 9; XIX. 11). From Shiloh. The Vatican Codex of the Septuagint has a plausible reading, "from Salem," which it apparently lup
OH. XLi. 1— 18.] THE BOOK OF THE PROPHET JEREMIAH.
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ported by Gen. zxxiii. 18, " And Jacob came to Shalem, a city of Shecliem," and by ita improvement thus introduced into the geo- jirapliioal order (Shlloh is, in fact, nearer to Mizpah than Sheohem, . and ought to be mentioned first). But tliough there is now a village called 8&lim, to the east of Nablfts (Sheihem), we have no sufficient gronnd for assuming a city of that name in the Old Testament. The rendering of Grenesis, l.o. neeiis correction ("came in peace to the L'ity," eta) Their beards shaven, etc. They had, then, all the outward signs of mourn- ing (for the public calamities) ; oomp. ch. xvi. 6 ; xlviii. 37. To bring them to the house of the Lord. Yet the temple at Jerusalem wag destroyed. Hence Thenius and Gratz have conjectured that Gedaliah had erected a provisional temple at Mizpuh, which was already hallowed by its association with the Prophet Samuel. This is confirmed b^ 1 Maco. iii. 46, where it is said of the pious Jews in the Maccabean rising, that they "assembled themselves . . . and came to IMaspha, over against Jerusalem; for in Maspha was the place where they prayed aforetime in Israel."
Ver. 6. — Weeping all along as he went. To testify his sympathy with their grief. But the reading of the Septuagint is more natural, "As they were going along and weeping."
Ver. 7. — ^The pit (see on ver. 9).
Ver. 8. — Slay ns not, etc. Bishop Calla- way refers to this passage in his 'Zulu Nursery Tales ' (i. 242), in illustration of a Zulu form of deprecating death on the ground of having some important work in hand which absolutely requires the life of the person in danger. But the "ten men" do not, as the bishop supposes, beg their lives on the ground that they had not yet har- vested, but rather offer a bribe. We have treasures (literally, hidden things) in the field. The allusion is to the " wells or cis- terns for grain," in wliich " the farmers store their crops of all kinds after the giain is threshed and winnowed. These cisterns are cool, perfectly dry, and tight. Tlie top is hermetioiilly sealed with plaster, and covered with a deep bed of earth ; and thus they keep out rats, mice, and even ants, the lutter by no means a contemptible enemy. . . .
These ten men had doubtless thus hid their treasures to avoid being plundered in that timeot utter lawkssness" (Thomson, 'The Land and tlie Book,' p. SOD). Honey. Flo bably that obtained from wild hees.
Ver. 9. — Now the pit . . . which Asa the king had made, etc. Nothing is said of this " pit " in the historical books, but only (1 Kings XV. 22 = 2 Ohron. xvi. 6) that Asa used the material with whicli Baasha had fortified Bamah to build 6eba and Mizpah. It would seem that this " pit " formed part of Asa's defensive works ; probably it was a cistern to supply the town with water during the siege. Because of Oedaliah, was it. The rendering " because of" must be abandoned. The Septuagint has, in this part of the verse, the very natural words, *' was a great pit," and this reading is adopted by Movers, Hitzig, and GraC
Ver. 10. — The long's daughters; rather, the royal priiteesees (see on ch. xxzvi. 26).
Vers. 11 — 18. — Bescue of the captives from Ishmael, and plan for taking flight to Egypt.
Ver. 12. — ^Ihe great waters ... in Gibeon ; i.e. the pool mentioned in 2 Sam. ii. 13. Sr. Thomson (p. 670) speaks of a "pond or small lake " near El- Jib. Ishmael seems to be lingering over his journey to Ammon, in order to find the subterranean stores spoken of in ver. 8.
Ver. 14. — Cast abont; i.e. turned about (an archaism).