The opntents of this chapter prove that it is not an independent narrative, but the concluding part of a history of the kings of Judah. It agrees almost word for word with 2 Kings xxiv. 18 — xxv. 30, from which we are justified in inferring that it is taken bom the historical work which the editor
of the Books of Kin^s closely followed. It is most improbable that Jerominh was the autlior. Would the prophet have coiitenteii himself with the meagre statement that Zetlekiah " did that which was evil in the eyes of the Lord" (ver. 2), or with suoli a summary description of the siege of Jerusalem ? Apparently the editor who attached oh. Ui. as an appendix to the
OH. m. 1—34.] THE BOOK OP THE PllOtHET JEBEMIAH.
S13
Book of Jeremiah omitted the account of Qedaliah (preserved in 2 Kings xxv. 22 — 26) because a fuller narrative had been already given in oh. xl. — xlii. App irently, too, either the same or some later editor inserted vers. 28 - 30 (not found in the Sep- tuagiiit) from another source ; the passage difiers in several respects from 2 Kings xxiv. The text of ch. lii. seems to be a nearer approach to the original document than that of 2 Kings xxiv. 18— xxv. 30 (see Grafs commentary). Compare oh. xxxix.
Yer. 3. — It oame to pass. The implied subject of the verb is Zedekiah's evil-doing. That Zedekiah rebelled. There ouglit to be a full stop before these words, and " that " should rather be " And."
Ver. 6. — ^The famine was sore (see the pathetio descriptions in Lam. L 19, 20 ; ii. 11,12,20; iv. 9, 10).
Ver. 7. — Broken up; rather, broken into. The plain. The Hebrew has, " the Ar^bah," the name constantly given to the chalky de- pression in the midst of which the Jordan ran.
Ver. 9. — Gave judgment (see on ch. i. 16)l
Ver. 11. — ^In prison ; literally, in the home of custody.
Yer. 22. — All of brass, eto. ; rather, all of hra%>: and like unto thete had the second pillar, and pomegranates.
Yer. 23. — On a side ; rather, touiard$ the outside.
Yer. 28. — In the seventh year. As Ewald and Keil agree, we should correct " seventh " into "seventeenth" (just as in 2 Chron. xxxvi. 9, for " eight " we should read "eighteen"). On the small number of Jews ileported Ewald remarks, " Nothing so clearly shows the extent to which the best men from the upper classes had been already despntohed by the Chaldeans across the Euphrates, as the fact that in all the, years of the second, and, if it be insisted on, of the third revolt, put together, they found only 4600 men more whom tliev thought worth the trouble of transporting " ('History of Israel,' iv. 265). As to the third deportation, see on ch. xli. 1.
Yer. 31. — Lifted up the head Gf Jehoi- aohin. Ewald thinks tliat Jehoiachin was regarded by the Jews in exile as the legiti- mate king, and oompares Lam. iv. 20 ; ii. 9.
HOMILETICa.
Vers. 4 — 7.— 27le ti^e and capture of Jerusalem. L GBaiBEAL lessons of the siege. 1. Ood vnll perform his threats. The capture of Jerusalem had been long and frequently predicteii. The accumulated prophecies were now fulfilled. 2, Delay of judgment ik no reason for expecting it to be permanently withheld. The fate of Jerusalem seennd to be long postponed. But at length it came. 3. Previous immunity is no security for the future. The Jews fondly Idolized Jerusalem as a charmed city. It seemed impossible that she should I'all into the hands of her foes. We grow careless and confident through a series of fortunate escapes. But our confidence is irrational unless it has any deeper ground. 4. Thefavmtr of Ood is no protection against the punishment of sin. The Jev/s regardeo themselves as Divine favourites. They had received many peculiar privileges. Bnt these made the duty of fidelity only the more obligatory. For the most I'axoured people to be faithless was a great and toriible wickedness. Indeed, the tavour of God, instead of mitigating punishn^ent, makes a heavier penalty to be fitting for those who afe so ungrateful as to sin aiiainst it.
II. Hpbcial features of the siege. 1. It was thorough. The great king Nebu- chadnezzat came in person and "all" his army, and pitched a camp and built forts. Every effort was made to secure the city. The instruments of Divine vengeance are terrible, earnest, and vigorous. 2. It was protracted. It lasted for eighteen months How wearily those days and weeks and months must have dragged themselves along, every hour increasing the agony I But what is this period to the vast, dim reaches of the "punishment of the ages," which awaits lost souls? 3. It produced horrible sufferings. In the madness of famine, women devoured their own children. Thus Goa punished (1) "satiation and disgust towards his holy Word and soul-food; (2) the terrible offering up of children to Moloch ; (3) the loose discipline of children" (Cramer, quoted by Naegelsbach). From a merely selfish position, who that knew and realized the frightful consequences of his sins would bring these upon his head for the sake of the pour pleasures of an hour ? 4. It was succesrfid. The siege ended in the capture of Jerusalem. The force of Nebuchadnezzar was great and terrible, but behind it was the judicial will of Heaven. To withstand this was certainly futile. All resistance to
314 THE Book of the I'UOi'flET JEREMIAH, [ch. lil 1— 3i
the decrees of Divine judgment must be vain. Our une hope is not in opposition, but in penitent cries for God's mercy and unresisting submistiiou to his wilL