XXV. (1) AND IT CAME TO PASS. — With the account which follows comp. Jeremiah 52:4 _seq.,_ Jeremiah 39:1, Jeremiah 40-43. IN THE NINTH YEAR... TENTH DAY. — Comp. the similarly exact dates in 2 Kings 25:3; 2 Kings 25:8; Ezekiel 24:1, agrees with the present. The days were observed as fasts during th... [ Continue Reading ]
UNTO THE ELEVENTH YEAR. — The siege lasted altogether one year, five months, and twenty-seven days (2 Kings 25:1 compared with 2 Kings 25:8). The Chaldæans raised the siege for a time, and marched against Pharaoh-Hophra, who was coming to the help of the Jews (Jeremiah 37:5 _seq.;_ comp. Ezekiel 17:... [ Continue Reading ]
AND ON THE NINTH DAY OF THE FOURTH MONTH. — The text is supplemented from Jeremiah 39:2; Jeremiah 52:6. The Syriac, however, has, “And in the eleventh year of King Zedekiah, _in the fifth month,_ on the ninth day of the month, the famine prevailed,” &c.; which may be original. (Comp. 2 Kings 25:1.)... [ Continue Reading ]
BROKEN UP. — Comp. 2 Chronicles 32:1. A breach was made in the wall with battering-rams, such as are depicted in the Assyrian sculptures. The Chaldæans forced their entry on the north side of the city, _i.e.,_ they took the Lower City (2 Kings 22:14). This is clear from Jeremiah 39:3, where it is sa... [ Continue Reading ]
IN THE PLAINS OF JERICHO. — In the neighbour. hood of Jericho, the Arabah expands to the breadth of eleven or twelve miles. The part west of Jordan was called the “plains” (_Arbôth_ plural of _Arabah_) of Jericho; and that which lay east of the river was known as the plains of Moab (Joshua 4:13; Num... [ Continue Reading ]
TO THE KING OF BABYLON, TO RIBLAH. — 2 Kings 23:33. Nebuchadnezzar was not present at the storm of Jerusalem (Jeremiah 39:3). He awaited the result in his headquarters. AND THEY GAVE JUDGMENT UPON HIM. — Or, _brought him to trial._ (Comp. Jeremiah 1:16; Jeremiah 4:12.) Nebuchadnezzar with the grande... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THEY SLEW... — The verbs are all singular in Jeremiah 39:6; Jeremiah 52:10; so that the acts in question are attributed directly to Nebuchadnezzar, to whose orders they were due. (So the versions, except that the Targum has “they slew.”) The blinding of Zedekiah need not have been done by the co... [ Continue Reading ]
ON THE SEVENTH DAY ... — An error for the _tenth_ day (Jeremiah 52:12), one numeral letter having been mistaken for another. The Syriac and Arabic read _ninth_ (perhaps, because, as Thenius suggests, the memorial fasts began on the evening of the ninth day). According to Josephus the second Temple... [ Continue Reading ]
HE BURNT THE HOUSE... KING’S HOUSE. — Which were in the upper city. (There should be a semicolon after “king’s house.”) AND EVERY GREAT MAN’S HOUSE. — Omit _man’s._ The phrase limits the preceding one, “all the houses of Jerusalem,” _that is to say,_ “every great house” (2 Chronicles 36:19, “all he... [ Continue Reading ]
WITH THE CAPTAIN. — The preposition, though wanting in the common Hebrew text, is found in many MSS. and the old versions, as well as Jeremiah 52... [ Continue Reading ]
THE FUGITIVES THAT FELL AWAY — i.e., the deserters. (See Jeremiah 27:12; Jeremiah 37:13 _sea.,_ Jeremiah 38:2; Jeremiah 38:4; Jeremiah 38:17; Jeremiah 38:19.) THE MULTITUDE. — Probably the rank and file of the fighting-men (Judges 4:7). The word is _hâmôn,_ strictly _a shouting throng._ (The Syriac... [ Continue Reading ]
OF THE POOR OF THE LAND. — 2 Kings 24:14 (Comp. Jeremiah 39:10.) HUSBANDMEN. — Or, _plowmen._ The word (Hebrew text, _gâbîm_) occurs here only. Jeremiah 52:16 has a cognate form (_yôg’bîm_) also unique.... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THE PILLARS OF BRASS. — From this point Jeremiah 39 ceases to be parallel with the present narrative. (See the Notes on 1 Kings 7:15 _seq.,_ for the objects enumerated in this and the following verses.) Instead of _“_brass” we should probably understand _copper_ throughout.... [ Continue Reading ]
THE SNUFFERS. — Jeremiah 52:18 adds: _and the sprinkling-bowls._ The account there is in general more detailed than the present. (See 1 Kings 7:40; 1 Kings 7:50.) MINISTERED. — _Used to minister._ Things belonging to the service of the brazen altar are enumerated in this verse.... [ Continue Reading ]
FIREPANS. — See 1 Kings 7:50. Besides “firepans” and “bowls” five other sorts of vessel are given in Jeremiah 52:19. SUCH THINGS AS WERE... SILVER. — A general expression intended to include all other objects of the same material as the two kinds mentioned. The verse treats of the utensils of the h... [ Continue Reading ]
THE TWO PILLARS, (_the_) ONE SEA ... — A _nominative absolute._ ALL THESE VESSELS ... — Those just mentioned, the two pillars, &c. WITHOUT WEIGHT. — A natural hyperbole closely resembling one which we often meet with in Assyrian accounts of the plunder carried off from conquered towns: “spoils _wi... [ Continue Reading ]
THREE CUBITS. — An error of transcription for _five._ Five cubits was the height of the capital according to 1 Kings 7:16; Jeremiah 52:22; 2 Chronicles 3:15. THE WREATHEN WORK. — _Lattice-work_ (1 Kings 7:17). WITH WREATHEN WORK. — _Upon the lattice-work._ Thenius says this is the residuum of a sen... [ Continue Reading ]
SERAIAH THE CHIEF (_high_) PRIEST. — And grandfather or great-grandfather of Ezra (1 Chronicles 6:14; Ezra 7:1). ZEPHANIAH THE SECOND PRIEST. — See 2 Kings 23:4, Note; and Jeremiah 21:1; Jeremiah 29:25; Jeremiah 29:29; Jeremiah 37:3. From the last three passages it is clear that Zephaniah was a prie... [ Continue Reading ]
List of the chief personages taken by Nebu-zaradan in the Temple and the city of David. This notice may be regarded as an indirect proof that the upper city was not captured before.... [ Continue Reading ]
THE CITY. — Thenius is probably right in explaining _the city of David._ AN OFFICER THAT WAS SET OVER THE MEN OF WAR — _i.e.,_ a royal officer commanding the garrison of the city of David. He was probably not an eunuch (2 Kings 20:18; 2 Kings 24:12), though in the Byzantine empire, at all events, e... [ Continue Reading ]
THE KING OF BABYLON SMOTE THEM ... — He was too irritated by the obstinacy of their defence to admire their bravery. SO JUDAH WAS CARRIED AWAY ... — This sentence evidently concludes the whole account of the destruction of Jerusalem and the deportation of the people (comp. 2 Kings 17:23; Jeremiah 5... [ Continue Reading ]
GEDALIAH THE SON OF AHIKAM. — Ahikam was one of Josiah’s princes (2 Kings 22:12). In the reign of Jehoiakim he saved the prophet Jeremiah from the popular fury (Jeremiah 26:24). Nebuzaradan committed the prophet to the care of Gedaliah, who probably, like his father, sympathised with Jeremiah’s view... [ Continue Reading ]
(22-26) An extract from Jeremiah 40-63, relating to the people left in the land.... [ Continue Reading ]
THE CAPTAINS OF THE ARMIES. — Rather, _the army captains;_ or, _the captains of the forces._ They and their men had fled with the king, and dispersed themselves over the country (Jeremiah 40:7). Now they came out of hiding. THEIR MEN. — The Hebrew text has _the men,_ but all the versions, and Jerem... [ Continue Reading ]
FEAR NOT TO BE THE SERVANTS. — Rather, _Be not afraid of the servants._ By “the servants of the Chaldees” Gedaliah probably means those who recognised the Chaldeans as their masters — that is to say, himself and those who adhere to him. He promises immunity for the past if only the captains and thei... [ Continue Reading ]
IN THE SEVENTH MONTH. — Only two months after the fall of Jerusalem (2 Kings 25:8). SMOTE GEDALIAH. — At a friendly meal in the governor’s own house (Jeremiah 41:1). Perhaps, as Josephus says, when he and his followers were overcome with wine. OF THE SEED ROYAL. — Perhaps this reveals Ishmael’s mo... [ Continue Reading ]
AROSE AND CAME TO EGYPT. — They took Jeremiah with them (Jeremiah 43:6). This verse only gives the end of the story as it is told in Jeremiah.... [ Continue Reading ]
IN THE SEVEN AND THIRTIETH YEAR ... — Jehoiachin was now fifty-five years old (2 Kings 24:8; 2 Kings 24:12). ON THE SEVEN AND TWENTIETH DAY. — Jeremiah 52:31 : _five and twentieth,_ which is probably right. (See Note on 2 Kings 25:19.) EVIL-MERODACH. — In Babylonian _Amil-marduk,_ “man of Merodach.... [ Continue Reading ]
(27-30) The captivity of Jehoiachin ameliorated by the new king of Babylon. (See Jeremiah 52:31.)... [ Continue Reading ]
SET HIS THRONE ABOVE THE THRONE OF THE KINGS ... — Gave him precedence of the other captive kings who were kept at the Babylonian court by way of enhancing its glory (comp. Judges 1:7), and probably marked this precedence by allowing him a higher chair of state in the royal hall. So Cyrus kept Croes... [ Continue Reading ]
AND CHANGED. — Rather, _and he_ (_i.e.,_ Jehoiachin) _changed_ his prison garments — that is to say, he discarded them for others more suitable to his new condition. Joseph did the same when taken from prison to the Egyptian court (Genesis 41:14). HE DID EAT BREAD CONTINUALLY BEFORE HIM ... — Jehoi... [ Continue Reading ]
HIS ALLOWANCE. — For the maintenance of his little court. Literally, _And_ (_as for_)_ his allowance a continual allowance was given him from the king, a day’s portion in its day._ ALL THE DAYS OF HIS (_Jehoiachin’s_) LIFE. — He may have died before Evil-merodach was murdered. There would be nothin... [ Continue Reading ]