_Then all the captains, and all the people_ That is, both those
captains, and many of the people; _came near and said unto Jeremiah _
Who was probably carried away with the other captives by Ishmael, and
rescued by Johanan; _Let, we beseech thee, our supplications be
accepted before thee_ Thus these... [ Continue Reading ]
_Then Jeremiah said, I have heard you_, &c. That is, I will do for you
what you desire. _I will pray unto the Lord your God_ They called the
Lord Jeremiah's God: here Jeremiah calls him _their God_, both to
remind them of God's relation to them, and of their duty toward him.
_And whatsoever thing th... [ Continue Reading ]
_And it came to pass after ten days_ Thus long they were held in
suspense, perhaps to punish them for their hypocrisy, or to show that
Jeremiah did not speak of himself nor what he would; for he could not
speak when he would, but was obliged to wait for instructions; _the
word of the Lord came unto... [ Continue Reading ]
_Be not afraid of the king of Babylon_ As if he had said, I know what
you are afraid of; you fear lest the king of Babylon should send a
force against you and utterly root you out, because one of your nation
hath murdered his viceroy Gedaliah; but suffer not your passion of
fear to rise too high on... [ Continue Reading ]
_But if ye say, We will not dwell in this land, neither obey_ Hebrew,
לבלתי שׁמע, _so as not to obey._ If they did not continue in
their own land, they disobeyed _the voice of the Lord. Saying, No; we
will go into the land of Egypt, where we shall see no war_, &c. Their
great sin was unbelief: they... [ Continue Reading ]
_The Lord hath said, Go ye not into Egypt_ The good prophet, knowing
how much it concerned this people to believe and obey the message God
had sent to them by him, repeats again what he had urged before,
assuring them it was by the command of the Lord that he said it. _Know
certainly that I have adm... [ Continue Reading ]
_For ye dissembled in your hearts_ Hebrew, התעתום, _have used
deceit._ They acted deceitfully, either toward God, calling him to
bear witness to their sincerity in a matter in which they were not
sincere; or toward the prophet, sending him to inquire of God for
them, and promising to act according a... [ Continue Reading ]