Jeremiah 49:19-22

C. The Chosen Conqueror and the Divine Counsel Jeremiah 49:19-22

TRANSLATION

(19) Behold, as a lion from the pride of Jordan goes up unto the strong habitation, so will I suddenly make him run from it; and he who is chosen I will appoint over it; for who is like Me and who will appoint Me a time? Who is the shepherd who shall stand before Me? (20) Therefore, Hear the counsel of the LORD which He has counseled concerning Edom, and His purposes which He has purposed concerning the inhabitants of Teman: Surely they will drag them away, the small of the flock! Surely he will lay waste their pasture over them. (21) At the sound of their fall the earth shall tremble; the sound of her cry is heard beside the Red Sea. (22) Behold, like the eagle he shall go up and fly and spread out his wings over Bozrah; and the heart of the mighty men of Edom in that day shall be like the heart of a woman in travail.

COMMENTS

The enemy which is to come against Edom is compared to a lion that comes up from the pride of the Jordan (ASV) to pounce upon the prey. The lion, which is extinct in Palestine today, posed quite a threat to the inhabitants of the region in Biblical times. The lush vegetation which grows along side of the Jordan river, the so-called pride or swelling of the Jordan, was a favorite haunt for lions in those days. Shepherds especially had to be on guard against the attacks of this beast. In the present passage Edom is called the habitation of the strong i.e., strong sheepfold or, as some prefer, permanent or perennial pasture (ASV margin). The phrase I will suddenly make him run away from her is difficult and has received various explanations. Probably the meaning is that God will cause the Edomites to flee in fear from their strong habitation in the face of the ravaging lion.
The one who comes to rend and ravage Edom is the appointee of the Lord. And he who is chosen, him will I appoint over it.1 No mortal has the right to question the decision of the Lord, no one can appoint Me the time. This terminology seems to be taken from the court of law. A plaintiff in a law suit had the right to appoint the time of the trial. But no one can take God to court, as it were, and there protest against his sovereign decisions. Neither can any shepherd or ruler of Edom stand before the Lord to resist Him or His appointee.

The prophet does not name the one appointed by the Lord to conquer the land of Edom. The Chaldeans dealt a crushing blow to Edom as is indicated by Malachi 1:3. During the intertestamental period the Maccabean rulers of Judea launched vicious attacks against the Edomites. The Romans continued the annihilation of that people about the time of the Jewish war against Rome. The conqueror of Edom as depicted in this passage is a composite of all of those agents who would be used by God through the centuries to bring divine judgment to the land of Edom.

It was no accident of history that the Edomites were unable to withstand the invader who plundered their land. Nothing that they did or could have done would have averted that destruction short of complete repentance and turning to the true God in faith. Even the wisdom for which the Temanites were famous could not avert that disaster. The God of the universe and the King of nations has decreed that Edom shall be destroyed. The Hebrew of the last part of Jeremiah 49:20 is difficult but the ASV seems to have captured the sense: -Surely they shall drag them away, even the little ones of the flock; surely he shall make their habitation desolate over them. The enemy will drag away the Edomites as sheep to the slaughter. Even the most feeble among them will not be spared. The pasture upon which the flock of Edom had grazed will be turned to desolation (Jeremiah 49:20).

The sound of Edom's fall will shake the earth and the wail that shall arise will be heard at the Red Sea (Jeremiah 49:21). In times of prosperity the southern border of Edom extended to the Gulf of Akabah, one of two great arms of the Red Sea (cf. 1 Kings 9:26). As the enemy is strong as a lion, so he is also as swift as an eagle. The towering heights of Edom will offer no difficulty to this conqueror. When he swoops down and spreads his wings over Bozrah the heart of the most fearless men will become as the heart of a woman in her pangs.