A. M. 3416. TN the ninth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the tenth month, came Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon and all his army against Jerusalem, and they besieged it. B. C. 588. and Zedekiah slain. B. C. 588. 6 Then the king of Babylon slew A. M. 3416. the sons of Zedekiah in Riblah before his eyes: also the king of Babylon slew all the nobles of Judah. 7 Moreover he put out Zedekiah's eyes, and bound him with chains, to carry him to 8 And the Chaldeans burned the king's 2 And in the eleventh year of Zedekiah, in the fourth month, the ninth || Babylon. day of the month, the city was broken up. 3 b And all the princes of the king of Baby-house, and the houses of the people, with fire, lon came in, and sat in the middle gate, even Nergal-sharezer, Samgar-nebo, Sarsechim, Rabsaris, Nergal-sharezer, Rab-mag, with all the residue of the princes of the king of Babylon. 4 And it came to pass, that when Zedekiah the king of Judah saw them, and all the men of war, then they fled, and went forth out of the city by night, by the way of the king's garden, by the gate betwixt the two walls and he went out the way of the plain. 5 But the Chaldeans' army pursued after them, and overtook Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho and when they had taken him, they brought him up to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon to Riblah in the land of Hamath, where he gave judgment upon him. d NOTES ON CHAPTER XXXIX. Verses 1-3. In the ninth year of Zedekiah, &c.— See notes on 2 Kings xxv. 1-4. And all the princes of the king of Babylon came in, and sat in the middle gate-Or, the gate of the centre, as Blaney translates it, observing, "The city of Jerusalem stood upon two hills, Zion to the south, and Acra to the north, with a deep valley between them. The gate of the centre, as the term seems plainly to import, was a gate of communication in the middle of the valley between the two parts of the city, sometimes called the higher and the lower city. The Chaldeans entered the city on the north side by a breach in the walls, and immediately rushing forward, and posting themselves in this gate, in the very heart of the city, they became thereby masters at will of the whole. Zedekiah, with his troops, perceiving this, fled out of the opposite gate on the south side." Even Nergal-sharezer, Samgarnebo, &c.—It was customary among the Chaldeans to give the names of their idols, as an additional title or mark of honour, to persons of distinction: see note on Isa. xxxix. 1. Nergal was the name of an idol worshipped by the Cuthites, 2 Kings xvii. 30. Nebo was a Babylonish deity, Isa. xlvi. 1. Verses 4-10. They fled by the gate betwixt the two walls-Betwixt the wall and the outworks, or and brake down the walls of Jerusalem. 12 Take him, and look well to him, and do him no harm; but do unto him even as he shall say unto thee. 2 Kings xxv. 9; Chapter xxxviii. 18; lii. 13.2 Kings xxv. 11; Chapter lii. 15. Or, chief marshal.- Heb. chief of the executioners, or slaughtermen, and so verses 10, 11; Gen. xxxvii. 26.- - Hebrew, in that day. Heb. by the hand of. "Heb. set thine eyes upon him. betwixt the old wall of the city and the new one which Hezekiah built, of which mention is made 2 || Chron. xxxii. 5. See note on 2 Kings xxv. 4. Blaney thinks it probable that between these two walls there might be a private postern through which the king and his followers might slip out unperceived by the besiegers, who surrounded the city, and undoubtedly kept a strict watch on the principal gates. The Chaldean army pursued, &c.-For an illustration of this and the five following verses, see notes on 2 Kings xxv. 5–12. Verses 11, 12. Now Nebuchadrezzar gave charge concerning Jeremiah-He had undoubtedly been informed of the advice which Jeremiah had given, both to the king and people, to submit themselves to his authority: which advice, if it had been taken, would have prevented the charge and labour of so long a siege, and the bloodshed that attended it. Saying, Take him and look well to him-Through this order of the king of Babylon, God fulfilled his promise made chap. xv. 11, I will cause the enemy to treat thee well in the day of evil. Jeremiah had been faithful to his God as a prophet, and now God approves himself faithful to him, and the promise he had made him. Now he is comforted, according to the time wherein he had been afflicted, and sees many fall on each hand while he is safe. The false The prophet is released, B. C. 588. B. C. 588. A. M. 3416. 13 So Nebuzar-adan the captain of || opian, saying, Thus saith the LORD A. M. 3416. the guard sent, and Nebushasban, of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, Rab-saris, and Nergal-sharezer, Rab-mag, and "I will bring my words upon this city for evil, all the king of Babylon's princes; and not for good; and they shall be accomplished in that day before thee. 14 Even they sent, i and took Jeremiah out of the court of the prison, and committed him *unto Gedaliah the son of 1Ahikam the son of Shaphan, that he should carry him home: so he dwelt among the people. 15 Now the word of the LORD came unto Jeremiah, while he was shut up in the court of the prison, saying, 17 But I will deliver thee in that day, saith the LORD: and thou shalt not be given into the hand of the men of whom thou art afraid. 18 For I will surely deliver thee, and thou shalt not fall by the sword, but thy life shall be for a prey unto thee: because thou hast 16 Go and speak to TM Ebed-melech the Ethi- put thy trust in me, saith the LORD. || Paul found more favour and justice with King Agrippa than with Ananias the high-priest. But we shall meet with a more full account of Jeremiah's release, and of the kind treatment he received from the Chaldeans, in the next chapter. prophets fell by those judgments which they affirmed would never come, (chap. xiv. 15,) which made their misery the more terrible to them. The true prophet escaped those judgments which he said would come, and that made his escape the more comfortable to him. The same persons who were Verses 15-18. The word of the Lord came to the instruments of punishing the persecutors, were Jeremiah when he was in the court of the prison— the instruments of relieving the persecuted; and These words give us to understand that this and Jeremiah did not the less prize his deliverance, be- the next three verses respect a matter which took cause it came by the hand of the king of Babylon, place before the things related in the preceding part but saw thereby more of the hand of God in it. of this chapter, namely, the kindness which EbedVerses 13, 14. Nebuzar-adan sent and took Jere-melech showed to Jeremiah in his distress. Here miah out of the court of the prison-Where he was when the city was taken, chap. xxxviii. 28; and committed him unto Gedaliah-Namely, after he had been carried out of Jerusalem with the rest of the captives as far as Ramah: see chap. xl. 1-5. Observe here, reader, a king of Israel and his princes put the Lord's prophet in prison, and a heathen king and his princes took him out! God's people and ministers have often met with fairer and kinder treatment among strangers and infidels than among those who call themselves of the holy city. St. God commissions his prophet to promise him a recompense for that kindness. He had relieved a prophet in the name of a prophet, and he is here assured he shall receive a prophet's reward. This message was delivered to him immediately after he had shown that mercy to Jeremiah; but it is mentioned here after the taking of the city, to show that, as God was kind to Jeremiah at that time, so he was to Ebed-melech for his sake; and it was a special favour to both, as they no doubt accounted it, that they were not involved in the common calamities. CHAPTER XL. In this, and the four following chapters, we have an account of the fate of those few Jews that were left in Canaan, after their brethren were carried into captivity to Babylon. And it is a very mournful story. For, though at first there was some prospect of their doing well, they soon appeared to be as obstinate in sin as ever, unhumbled and unreformed, till, all the rest of the judgments threatened, Deut. xxviii., being executed upon them, that which completes the threatenings there mentioned, recorded in the last verse of that dreadful chapter, was also accomplished. The Lord shall bring thee into Egypt again. In this chapter we have, (1,) A more particular account of Jeremiah's discharge, and his settlement with Gedaliah, whom Nebuchadnezzar had made governor of the poor Jews, 1-6. (2,) The great resort of the fugitive Jews from the neighbouring countries to Gedaliah, and their agreeable condition with him, 7-12. (3,) Gedaliah is informed of a treacherous design formed against his life by Ishmael, a Jewish prince, instigated by the king of the Ammonites, but does not credit the information, 13-16. Nebuzar-adan's kindness A. M. 3416. a JEREMIAH. B. C. 588. to the prophet. THE word that came to Jeremiah || said, Go back also to Gedaliah the A. M. 3416. from the LORD, after that Nebu- son of Ahikam the son of Shaphan, zar-adan the captain of the guard had let him whom the king of Babylon hath made gogo from Ramah, when he had taken him being vernor over the cities of Judah, and dwell with bound in chains among all that were carried him among the people: or go wheresoever it away captive of Jerusalem and Judah, which seemeth convenient unto thee to go. So the were carried away captive unto Babylon. captain of the guard gave him victuals and a reward, and let him go. 2 And the captain of the guard took Jeremiah,|| and said unto him, The LORD thy God hath pronounced this evil upon this place. 3 Now the LORD hath brought it, and done|| according as he hath said: because ye have sinned against the LORD, and have not obeyed his voice, therefore this thing is come upon you. 4 And now, behold, I loose thee this day from || the chains which 2 were upon thy hand. d If it seem good unto thee to come with me into Babylon, come; and I will look well unto thee: but if it seem ill unto thee to come with me into Babylon, forbear: behold, all the land is before thee whither it seemeth good and convenient1 for thee to go, thither go. e i 6 Then went Jeremiah unto Gedaliah the son of Ahikam to h Mizpah; and dwelt with him among the people that were left in the land. 7 Now when all the captains of the forces which were in the fields, even they and their men, heard that the king of Babylon had made Gedaliah the son of Ahikam governor in the land, and had committed unto him men, and women, and children, and of the poor of the land, of them that were not carried away captive to Babylon; 8 Then they came to Gedaliah to Mizpah, even Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and Johanan and Jonathan the sons of Kareah, and 5 Now while he was not yet gone back, he Seraiah the son of Tanhumeth, and the sons of NOTES ON CHAPTER XL. Verse 1. The word which came to Jeremiah, &c. | -This relates to the prophecy recorded chap. xlii. 7, which was occasioned by the story that here follows concerning Ishmael's conspiracy against Gedaliah. After that Nebuzar-adan had let him go from Ramah-After Jeremiah was taken out of the court of the prison, he was carried, probably by mistake, expressly contrary to Nebuchadnezzar's orders, among the other prisoners to Ramah, a city in the tribe of Benjamin near Gibeon. Here, it seems, the mistake was discovered, and the prophet was discharged by the special order of the court. * Gen. xx. 15.2 Kings xxv. 22. Chapter xxxix. 14. favour than to any of the other prisoners. With as if Verses 2-4. The captain of the guard said, The Lord thy God hath pronounced this evil, &c.—Although each of the Gentile or heathen nations worshipped its peculiar god or gods, yet they did not || reject or deny the gods of other nations; and therefore the captain of the guard speaks here to Jeremiah of Jehovah as his God, and the God of the Jews, and attributes all the calamities which had befallen this people to the indignation of this their|| God against them, because they had not obeyed and served him as they ought to have done. This seems a much more probable interpretation of Nebuzaradan's words than to understand them as expressive of his faith in the living and true God, of whom it Verses 7-10. Now when all the captains of the is likely he knew little or nothing. And now, be- forces heard, &c., they came to Gedaliah—By the hold, I loose thee this day, &c.-This captain of the taking of Jerusalem the Chaldeans made a complete guard, like a faithful servant, remembers his prince's conquest of Judea; whereupon that part of the orders about the prophet, and offers to him greater | Jewish army which had escaped destruction dis The Jews repair CHAPTER XL. to Gedaliah. A. M. 3416. Ephai the Netophathite, and Jeza- || the land of Judah, to Gedaliah, unto A. M. 3416. niah the son of a Maachathite, they Mizpah, and gathered wine and and their men. summer-fruits very much. B. C. 588. B. C. 588. 9 And Gedaliah the son of Ahikam the son 13 Moreover, Johanan the son of Kareah, of Shaphan sware unto them and to their men, and all the captains of the forces that were in saying, Fear not to serve the Chaldeans: dwell || the fields, came to Gedaliah to Mizpah. in the land, and serve the king of Babylon, and 14 And said unto him, Dost thou certainly it shall be well with you. 10 As for me, behold, I will dwell at Mizpah,|| *to serve the Chaldeans, which will come unto us: but ye, gather ye wine, and summer-fruits, and oil, and put them in your vessels, and dwell in your cities that ye have taken. 11 Likewise when all the Jews that were in Moab, and among the Ammonites, and in Edom, and that were in all the countries, heard that the king of Babylon had left a remnant of Judah, and that he had set over them Gedaliah the son of Ahikam the son of Shaphan; 12 Even all the Jews returned out of all places whither they were driven, and came to Heb. to stand before, Deut. i. 38. know that Baalis the king of the Ammonites hath sent Ishmael the son of Nethaniah 5 to slay thee? But Gedaliah the son of Ahikam believed them not. 15 Then Johanan the son of Kareah spake to Gedaliah in Mizpah secretly, saying, Let me go, I pray thee, and I will slay Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and no man shall know it: wherefore should he slay thee, that all the Jews which are gathered unto thee should be scattered, and the remnant in Judah perish? 16 But Gedaliah the son of Ahikam said unto Johanan the son of Kareah, Thou shalt not do this thing: for thou speakest falsely of Ishmael. m Chap. xli. 10.5 Heb. to strike thee in soul? and some to other countries; but when they heard that the king of Babylon had appointed a governor over the country of their own nation and religion, they returned, and, there being few people left in the land, which was of itself wonderfully fruitful, they gathered a great quantity of grapes and other summer-fruits, such as it produced. persed themselves into several parts of the country. And Gedaliah sware unto them-They might reasonably suspect that the Chaldeans would have a jealous eye upon any conflux of people to Jerusalem, especially military men, and therefore might be somewhat suspicious of him, who was the Chaldean deputy governor; the securing them from fears || on that account was the cause of Gedaliah's giving Verses 13-16. Johanan the son of Kareah came them this voluntary oath; saying, Fear not to serve to Gedaliah, &c.-They had been with him before, the Chaldeans-The same advice Jeremiah had for- verses 8, 9, but now they come to discover to him a merly given to the Jews, chap. xxvii. 11. As for conspiracy formed against his life. And said, Dost me, I will dwell at Mizpah, to serve the Chaldeans thou certainly know, &c.—Or, rather, Dost thou not -I keep my residence here, a place upon the fron- || know, &c., (which is evidently the sense intended,) tiers, that I may be ready to obey any orders that || that the king of the Ammonites hath sent Ishmael to the king of Babylon sends me by his servants. But || slay thee?—The king of the Ammonites had conye, gather ye wine, and summer-fruits, and oil-certed this matter with Ishmael, with a design to But do you live in the country, and gather such fruits as the country affords, and do not fear being spoiled of them; but do as ye used to do in the times of the greatest peace and security. Wine and oil are here put by a metonymy for grapes and olives. It was now about the month of August, which was the proper season for gathering in the summer-fruits in that country. Verses 11, 12. Likewise when all the Jews that were in Moab, &c.-Probably, upon the king of Babylon's first invading Judea, many fled, and more as he proceeded in his conquests, overrunning the country; and it is likely, at the taking of the city, many escaped and fled into different countries, as they had opportunity, or judged this or that country would be the safest place of refuge. Some, therefore, fled to Moab, some to Ammon, some to Edom, and make the Jews, who still remained in their own country, his vassals: see chap. xli. 10. But Gedaliah believed them not-Not being credulous, or of a suspicious temper. Then Johanan spake to Gedaliah secretly-Finding that Gedaliah took little notice of what he had spoken to him in the presence of the other captains, he goes to him secretly, offers him his service to prevent the stroke designed against him, suggesting to him, that if he did not value his own life, yet he ought to consider in what a destitute condition the people would be, in case he should be cut off: they were at present but a small remnant, and if that calamity should happen, even this remnant would also perish. But Gedaliah said, Thou shalt not do this thing, for thou speakest falsely of Ishmael-Gedaliah shows in this instance more of that charity that thinks no evil, than of that Gedaliah and others JEREMIAH. slain at Mizpah. prudence and discretion which became a chief magis- || he placed too great confidence in the fidelity of those trate. He ought to have been particularly on his about him, and this proved ruinous, both to himself guard against one, concerning whose mischievous and to the poor people whom he was appointed to designs he had received such information; but, alas! || govern and protect. CHAPTER XLI. The black cloud that appeared to be gathering in the foregoing chapter here bursts in a dreadful storm. (1,) Gedaliah, and all the Jews that were with him, are barbarously slain by Ishmael, and a pit is filled with their dead bodies, 1-3, 9. (2,) Eighty devout men who were going to bewail the ruins of Jerusalem and the temple are drawn in by Ishmael, and all, except ten, are likewise murdered, 4-8. (3,) The people that escape the sword are taken prisoners by Ishmael, and carried off toward the country of the Ammonites, 10. (5,) By the courage and conduct of Johanan, though the death of the slain is not revenged, yet the prisoners are recovered, and he, now becoming their commander in chief, designs to carry them into the land of Egypt, to avoid the resentment of the Chaldeans, 11-18. A. M. 3416. NOW it came to pass in the seventh month, that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah the son of Elishama, of the seed royal, and the princes of the king, even ten men || with him, came unto Gedaliah the son of Ahikam to Mizpah; and there they did eat bread together in Mizpah. 2 Then arose Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and the ten men that were with him, and smote Gedaliah the son of Ahikam the son of Shaphan with the sword, and slew him, whom the king of Babylon had made governor over the land. a 2 Kings xxv. 25; Chap. xl. 6, 8.b 2 Kings xxv. 25. NOTES ON CHAPTER XLI. of some of the Chaldean commanders, and so he should be prevented from making his escape. used every means in his power to keep this slaughVerse 1. Now, in the seventh month-Answering || ter secret, lest the news of it should reach the ears partly to our September, and partly to October; two months after the taking of Jerusalem. The murder of Gedaliah gave occasion to the fasts of the seventh month, which the Jews observed after their return || from captivity, Zech. vii. 5, 8, 19. Ishmael the son || of Nethaniah-The same Ishmael that came to Gedaliah, chap. xl. 8, 9, and to whom he sware protection; of the seed royal-Being of the family of David, he supposed he had a greater right to the government than Gedaliah, and therefore seems to have borne him a grudge: on which account he was the fitter instrument for the king of the Ammonites to make use of; and the princes of the king, even ten men with him-Some of the chief officers of state belonging to Zedekiah. These, undoubtedly, brought a great number of others with them in their retinue, or else they could not have made such a destruction as they did. Verse 5. There came fourscore men, having their beards shaven, &c.—“ These were tokens of great mourning, by which these persons expressed their grief for the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple. Such expressions of sorrow were forbidden to be used at funeral obsequies, Lev. xix. 27, 28; but might be lawfully used upon other mournful occasions. With offerings and incense to bring them to the house of the Lord-Some understand this as if devout persons brought their oblations to the place where the altar formerly stood, which they looked upon as consecrated ground; a custom, they think, countenanced by the words of Baruch, chap. i. 10, where the exiles at Babylon are supposed to send money to buy offerings for the altar of the Lord, after that Jerusalem was taken and burned. Others by the house of the Lord understand an altar or place of worship erected by Gedaliah at Mizpah; in imitation of that which was formerly set up there by Samuel, which place continued to be a proseucha, or place of worship, in after times, as appears from 1 Mac. iii. 46. There were many such sanctuaries or places of worship, both in Judea and elsewhere, among the Jewish dispersions.”—Lowth |