Jeremiah 48 - Introduction

REVIEW OF CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

I. Facts to Master

1.

The names of the eight nations concerning which Jeremiah has a message from the Lord in Chapter s 46-49.

2.

The following facts about the great battle of Carchemish: (a) the location of Carchemish; (b) the commander of the losing army; (c) the commander of the winning army; (d) the synchronism with the history of Judah (Jeremiah 46:2)

3.

Names of the countries furnishing mercenary troops to Egypt (Jeremiah 46:9).

4.

Name of one of the leading gods of Egypt (Jeremiah 46:25).

5.

Names of four prominent cities of Egypt (Jeremiah 46:14; Jeremiah 46:19; Jeremiah 46:25).

6.

Name of the king who would smite the land of Egypt (Jeremiah 46:13).

7.

Name of the chief god of Moab (Jeremiah 48:7; Jeremiah 48:13; Jeremiah 48:46).

8.

Name of the chief god of Ammon (Jeremiah 49:1; Jeremiah 49:3).

9.

The ancestor of the Edomites (Jeremiah 49:8; Jeremiah 49:10).

10.

The previous overthrow to which God compares the destruction of Edom (Jeremiah 49:18).

II. Questions to Ponder

1.

In Jeremiah 46:1-12 is Jeremiah predicting the outcome of the battle of Carchemish or is he celebrating or commemorating it?

2.

In the oracle concerning Egypt what literary technique is most prominent?

3.

What is meant by the phrase the time of her punishment (visitation)?

4.

What are the sins which the nations have committed which justifies their destruction? Is there an explicit accusation made in each of the oracles?

5.

Which of the oracles conclude on a positive note? To what period of time does the phrase the latter days refer? What does the expression bring back the captivity really mean?

6.

What important differences exist between the Hebrew text and the Greek version of this section of Jeremiah? How can you account for these differences? See comments in Chapter Three.

7.

In how many of the prophetic books can oracles concerning foreign nations be found? Why were the Hebrew prophets interested in the destiny of foreign nations?

8.

How would you arrange the oracles concerning the nations in chronological sequence? What purpose is there in the arrangement as it stands in the text?

9.

What evidence is there in these oracles of Jeremiah's personal distress over the fate of the foreign nations?